Article: Twins Sending Relief Messages

[Riverbrian]

 

They get a chance to get a front line free agent every year. Let's not confuse Darvish with Kershaw or Greinke.

 

Nobody is Kershaw  :)

 

IMO... When you look at the stats. Darvish looks a lot like Greinke. The only thing Darvish doesn't have is that big 2015 year that Greinke had. 

 

I like Darvish better personally. 

[Riverbrian]

 

Hawkins, Everyday Eddie, Nathan. Perkins Kintzler    Terry Ryan could find pretty good closers. It can't be too hard of job if Ryan can do it.  Maybe they should have kept Ryan as special chief senior gm in charge of relief. What in the Burton Jepson debacles do you mean that no one can be perfect? 

 

Sometimes the art of finding someone off the scrap heap is simply giving them an opportunity. 

[ashbury]

Nobody is Kershaw   :)

I can think of one.

[jimmer]

 

I can think of one.

Is his first name Clayton?

[D.C Twins]

The Twins strategy for relief pitchers has been reasonable. Every year there are relief pitchers that excel on bad teams. We can then trade for said relief pitchers that we KNOW are pitching well this year. Yes you can lose some prospects, but you have a much more reliable return on investment in the often volatile world of relief pitching.

 

(didn't know which thread to post this on, so did it on both

[DocBauer]

There is somethibg to be said for high quality, proven, consistent relievers and large contracts. Despite the volatility of the "world of a relief pitcher", some guys are proven year in and year out.

 

But it can be very dangerous, and we see it every year, when big contracts are handed out to RP via FA that aren't those guys. Remember a couple years ago when everyone was on board for signing Sipp? Got the last laugh on that one.

 

And every year it seems there are a few guys that either slip through the cracks and get picked up on the cheap, or coming back from off/injured seasons and then out to be huge bargains.

 

With Rodney on board, what we have, what's coming, what us still availbe, I'm not in serious worry mode.

 

Though I believe it would be highly prudent to find one more good guy. There are always trade possibilities down the road if you suddenly end up with bullpen wealth.

[HitInAPinch]

While not all that spectacular, I like the signings of Pineda and Rodney.  I'm wondering if we should be looking at this as an indictment of the Twins farm system. 

 

When I heard Gonsalves' (6' 5") best pitch was a change-up,  I gave up on him.  Then I read on this board that Nick Gordon isn't as great a prospect as I was lead to believe.

 

Please tell me if I've got this all wrong.... 

[Linus]

While not all that spectacular, I like the signings of Pineda and Rodney. I'm wondering if we should be looking at this as an indictment of the Twins farm system.

 

When I heard Gonsalves' (6' 5") best pitch was a change-up, I gave up on him. Then I read on this board that Nick Gordon isn't as great a prospect as I was lead to believe.

 

Please tell me if I've got this all wrong....

Nothing wrong with a change up bring your best pitch. The biggest challenge for most prospects of the current era is developing a quality change up. I think Gordon ends up at second base so, yea I think he is overrated.

[Brandon Warne]

 

When I heard Gonsalves' (6' 5") best pitch was a change-up,  I gave up on him.  

 

Why? Johan Santana was the best pitcher in the AL for quite a while with the changeup as his best pitch.

[ashbury]

I'm wondering if we should be looking at this as an indictment of the Twins farm system.

Perhaps, but I don't think this is the thread...

 

_{^{(Ditto to the replies that followed.)}}

[nicksaviking]

They get a chance to get a front line free agent every year. Let's not confuse Darvish with Kershaw or Greinke.

Well they've never signed one, if we're talking about contending in 2018 there's no reason not to break the seal now that one appears to be interested.

[howieramone2]

 

Well they've never signed one, if we're talking about contending in 2018 there's no reason not to break the seal now that one appears to be interested.

Most teams have never signed a front line free agent and contending in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 is already a done deal.

[DocBauer]

While not all that spectacular, I like the signings of Pineda and Rodney. I'm wondering if we should be looking at this as an indictment of the Twins farm system.

 

When I heard Gonsalves' (6' 5") best pitch was a change-up, I gave up on him. Then I read on this board that Nick Gordon isn't as great a prospect as I was lead to believe.

 

Please tell me if I've got this all wrong....

 

As Linus stated previously, Johan's best pitch was his change, and he did awfully well with that. Now, Johan threw harder than Gonsalves, but I am actually encouraged that Gonsalves's best pitch is his change as that may be the single hardest pitch to master successfully, as well as the ability to change speeds overall.

 

It has long been said that the #1 ingredient to being a quality SP in MLB is the ability to upset a batters timing. That can be accomplished two ways: 1] by changing planes of contact (location) and 2] changing speeds.

 

I have often compared Berrios and Gonsalves, even though they are quite different pitchers. (Not just handedness). What I have noticed...and I am by no means a scout or expert...is that they both seem to have the "it" factor when it comes to pitching. At each level they have been at, each of them has shown the ability to learn and adapt. They both seem to have the image ability to "pitch" and not just throw. Berrios does throw harder, and IMHO, has the makings of a quality #2 who may graduate to #1 status. Gonsalves, again IMHO, has the ability to be a quality #3 with the potential for a #2 starter. His being consistently in the high 80's and low 90's...ocassionally a little harder/higher...is fine with location and a high quality change.

 

The key for both to achieve full potential is their breaking ball.

 

There are quite a few nice arms in the Twins milb system. But the one guy I'm really loathe about trading away is Gonsalves.

Edited December 17, 2017 by DocBauer

[Doctor Wu]

 

Hawkins, Everyday Eddie, Nathan. Perkins Kintzler    Terry Ryan could find pretty good closers. It can't be too hard of job if Ryan can do it.  Maybe they should have kept Ryan as special chief senior gm in charge of relief. What in the Burton Jepson debacles do you mean that no one can be perfect? 

Yeah, I think finding closers is not such a difficult task, or at least not one you need to over-think. Given the opportunity, some guys rise to the task and shine. Remember some guy named Joe Nathan? The Jepson trade could certainly be called a bad one, or at least not a very productive one. But if I remember correctly they picked up Burton in the off-season for practically nothing and he performed very well that first year.