Mastroianni to the DL, Arcia is coming back

[jokin]

Speaking of "in through the nose, my friend" ... dangerously thin? They have a rookie centerfielder who should be able to play 155 games or more, if necessary, unless injured. Believe it or not, position players can, and have, played every game in a season before. Whether or not Hicks is actually ready for major league baseball is not the same as not having a center fielder. They don't currently have good options for a full time CFer, I agree, but how does DLing Mastro solve that?

 

Nothing is solved, the problem wasn't even properly envisioned originally. Dangerously thin? Yes, given the complete lack of legitimate and proven full-time CF alternatives, the Twins apparently decided in December that Hicks was all they were going with- full-time. The Twins can keep having Hicks as their CF- and he can continue on his record-setting pace of Ks and micro-BA-futility- and risk the consequences- to the both the team and to Hicks- and they will be dangerously thin in CF- via performance issues and lack of viable alternatives.

[jokin]

To DL, or not to DL, that is not the question. To me it's a red herring. Instead it's a nagging injury that the Twins' medical staff did not find an answer to.

 

It "lingered", in Terry Ryan's word (makes me worry the implication is "malingered", too), for a while, finally they decided in some fashion for him to just play on it, and a day later it became enough of an issue to DL him for it.

 

Doctors and trainers aren't miracle workers, and I'm sure every team goes through diagnoses and prognoses like this one. Still, now that we are sensitized to it, it rankles to go through the maybe-he-can, maybe-he-can't, status for Darin for several weeks. If it's some kind of stress fracture that wasn't caught until repeated stress made it acute, that's bad.

 

I don't know how to judge a medical staff, you just have to collect anecdotal evidence until a bigger picture emerges. That, to me, is what the hoohah is about.

 

BEST LINE OF THE DAY NOMINEE:

 

It "lingered", in Terry Ryan's word (makes me worry the implication is "malingered", too)

 

Hey. Shut up already about "Ma Linger" Ryan- you're clearly not qualified to talk about doctorin' and trainin' and stuff.

[jokin]

He re-injured it towards the end of the game, on a cut in the field. He's played in two games as a regular and both times he was really hurting afterwards. This time, he could barely walk off the field. I'm not a doctor, but I had a similar injury that lingered. After three months, we went back for X-Rays and it showed there had been microfractures all along, they just didn't show up on the X-Rays at first because of all the swelling. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing is happening here. Reportedly, he's walking in a boot today.

 

The crap in question is the medical staff letting a player talk them into hanging around on the bench while thinning the bench in the process. He should have been disabled to start the year. We've had a short bench because of it for the whole year.

 

I don't blame Mastro; This was his first chance to start the year with the big club and he wasn't going to let a little bone bruise get in the way. But the player should not have any say in the matter. The medical staff should say he needs to go on the DL, not let something like this linger for three weeks before disabling him.

 

Correction- In Gardy-speak, that's a SHOE!

[Guest USAFChief]

Nothing is solved, the problem wasn't even properly envisioned originally. Dangerously thin? Yes, given the complete lack of legitimate and proven full-time CF alternatives, the Twins apparently decided in December that Hicks was all they were going with- full-time. The Twins can keep having Hicks as their CF- and he can continue on his record-setting pace of Ks and micro-BA-futility- and risk the consequences- to the both the team and to Hicks- and they will be dangerously thin in CF- via performance issues and lack of viable alternatives.

I'm confused. Are you arguing Mastro shouldn't have been DL'd, so he can play more? Again...if Hicks is on the ML roster, IMO he should play, pretty much every day. If your argument is the Twins should have found another CFer over the winter, that's a separate issue for a separate thread, no?

[jokin]

It was a Big Lebowski reference.

 

What would be your proposed alternative? If they had DL'd Mastroianni, who is the CF that would be up on the big-league roster giving Hicks these breathers? Benson is the only option on the 40-man and he has no business being in the majors right now.

 

Hence the concept and meme of "dangerously thin" in CF.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I think the Twins "need" for a backup CF was waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy down their list of needs. To me, it made sense to go with a Hicks/Mastroianni centerfield to start the season. If Hicks is up, play him. If he's not, let Darin fill the role for a few weeks until another option emerges.

 

This team has way too many outfield prospects to start pushing them out of the way in favor of some rent-a-vet.

[jokin]

I'm confused. Are you arguing Mastro shouldn't have been DL'd, so he can play more? Again...if Hicks is on the ML roster, IMO he should play, pretty much every day. If your argument is the Twins should have found another CFer over the winter, that's a separate issue for a separate thread, no?

 

Uhh, no? The issues have converged. The Twins willingly started the year without one player on the roster who has proven he can play CF full-time. The hemming and hawing on what to do about a guy possibly trying to play through a stress fracture further illustrates a Twins FO more full of wishes than a solid master plan for the 2013 season.

[jokin]

I think the Twins "need" for a backup CF was waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy down their list of needs. To me, it made sense to go with a Hicks/Mastroianni centerfield to start the season. If Hicks is up, play him. If he's not, let Darin fill the role for a few weeks until another option emerges.

 

This team has way too many outfield prospects to start pushing them out of the way in favor of some rent-a-vet.

 

OK then, lets just continue on and make history with the .045 and 45% K guy, then.

[jokin]

It's working for the team as a whole; they are third in the league in bases on balls at this writing.

 

Asbury, as usual, you are inspirational for inspiring future Twins marketing genius:

 

Imagine this Target Field theme song for each and every base on balls for the season duration, yum!:

 

 

(If you can find an avatar for Kayla Michelle, it would be a welcome occasional respite from crabby gymnast )

[Nick Nelson]

The Twins willingly started the year without one player on the roster who has proven he can play CF full-time.

Ditto 2B, SS, 3B, RF and several rotation spots. That is the nature of a rebuilding team.

[Brock Beauchamp]

OK then, lets just continue on and make history with the .045 and 45% K guy, then.

 

Given the prospects lining up in the system, I'd be far more concerned with the middle infield that seems allergic to baseballs whether they're in the field or at the plate.

 

Rebuilding teams have holes. At least in CF, the Twins had young guys in the pipeline to fill those holes, even if it looks pretty ugly right now. The middle infield, on the other hand...

[jokin]

Ditto 2B, SS, 3B, RF and several rotation spots. That is the nature of a rebuilding team.

 

CF is an up-the-middle priority. They could have done better in the MI, too!

[jokin]

Given the prospects lining up in the system, I'd be far more concerned with the middle infield that seems allergic to baseballs whether they're in the field or at the plate.

 

Rebuilding teams have holes. At least in CF, the Twins had young guys in the pipeline to fill those holes, even if it looks pretty ugly right now. The middle infield, on the other hand...

 

Fully agree, I've said it before, the Twins have rostered 4 UTIL M-infielders, 3 of whom are on a long-term tryout for one spot opening up when the next wave comes in to take the starting jobs.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Imagine this Target Field theme song for each and every base on balls for the season duration, yum!:

Also, the "Walks Will Haunt" graphic on the jumbotron.

[30whales]

By calling up Arcia does he use up some of his options? I don't really understand how that works exactly just wondering can they call up and send him down as many times as they want?

[Mike Sixel]

This team is rebuilding.....veterans that won't be here in 2 years should not be added to the team over younger (even worse) players. YMMV on that, you may think they are trying to compete with this rotation, I don't think that. IF Hicks struggles when he first moves up, this year is a good year for him to struggle, then be better next year. Unless you want to write off next year too....

[TheLeviathan]

We sure eem struck by these lingering injuries a lot. For those still defending the Twins handling.....why no response to this well stated argument? (Far too much about breaks for Hicks - lets focus in on just having a bench that exists much less how usable it is)

 

The alternative is someone not on the 40-man. The two available in Rochester who can play center (though not all that well) are Boggs and Thomas. Boggs had a very good spring and nearly beat out Wilkin for the 25th man. I don't think either is an option to start a lot of games. But just to give Hicks a break when he was clearly struggling would have been a blessing. Purportedly (Phil Miller, I think) Gardy asked Mastro about it three times in the first week and he said he couldn't play for a full game. At that point, they should have DLed him and brought up Boggs, imho.

 

Even if this time there was no major harm done the larger point is that this team has been hamstringing themselves with "lingering injury" players for three years now on a regular basis. At what point does this obviously stupid routine not become apparent to them?

[Oxtung]

By calling up Arcia does he use up some of his options? I don't really understand how that works exactly just wondering can they call up and send him down as many times as they want?

 

He can be sent up and down as many times as the Twins want to for the whole 2013 season. Each prospect gets 3 seasons like that. So 2013 will be his first season. Does anyone know if they have to be consecutive seasons? Or, hypothetically, could the Twins leave Arcia in AAA all of 2014 and still have 2 option years left in 2015 and 2016?

[Guest USAFChief]

By calling up Arcia does he use up some of his options? I don't really understand how that works exactly just wondering can they call up and send him down as many times as they want?

Options are by year. Once you've used an option year (and they already have on Arcia), you can send him up and down as many times as you want, you only burn one option year.

[snepp]

By calling up Arcia does he use up some of his options? I don't really understand how that works exactly just wondering can they call up and send him down as many times as they want?

 

Players start with 3 "option years." If a player is on the 40-man roster, and they get demoted to the minors (like at the end of spring training), one option year gets used. Once that option year has been used, that player may go back and forth between the majors and minors as many times as needed.

 

 

And Chiefsie beats me. That's what I get for reading the other threads before replying.

[cmathewson]

Asbury, as usual, you are inspirational for inspiring future Twins marketing genius:

 

Imagine this Target Field theme song for each and every base on balls for the season duration, yum!:

 

 

(If you can find an avatar for Kayla Michelle, it would be a welcome occasional respite from crabby gymnast )

 

Did you hear DickNBert last night talking about Hicks? At one point, Hicks had walked in three out of of four plate appearances. I took that as a positive sign that he might be seeing the ball better. They were acting like it is a huge stretch to think of a kid taking walks as a positive.

 

Said Dick: "Of course, he wants a game in which he gets three hits in four at bats. But at this point, we'll take anything that isn't an out."

 

I just thought it odd that they seemed to be completely dismissive of the offensive value of walks. But on the other hand, Bert is the first one to practically scream bloody murder when the pitcher walks someone. It's a disconnect.

[jokin]

 

 

 

I just thought it odd that they seemed to be completely dismissive of the offensive value of walks. But on the other hand, Bert is the first one to practically scream bloody murder when the pitcher walks someone. It's a disconnect.

 

Good points all around. Of course, with these 2, you also have to read the tea leaves. Has the word come down to start the "Hicks in temporary out-of-favor" mode? The disconnects to logic are usually highly correlative with today's party line- our own "Winston Smith' knows a lot about how that plays out.

[ashbury]

Also, the "Walks Will Haunt" graphic on the jumbotron.

 

Careful. This may scare Aaron Hicks more than the pitcher, if he doesn't start collecting some hits to go with them.

 

/ Almost said may "spook" him. Triple pun, but could be taken way way wrong.

[kab21]

My opinions: Hicks has gotten two "breathers" in the first 2 weeks. That's more than enough "breathers," if anything, one too many. Whether or not he should be in major league baseball is a separate issue. If he is, he needs to be playing pretty much every day, so the Mastro issue has little to do with Hicks. And as has been noted, Mastro has been in over half the Twins games, and played nine innings the day before he was DL'd. Who would you have sat in order for Mastro to play more? Willingham? Parmelee? Who?

 

He got one breather before the game that finally forced Mastro out. Hicks should have been sat a couple more times and in addition to that I would have liked Mastro in the lineup a couple of times for Doumit and once or twice for Parmelee to take Hicks out of the leadoff role. A healthy Mastro certainly would have been used more in the last couple of weeks.

 

I think it's awesome that you like playing with a short bench and cling to the he appeared late in games for a majority of his usage.

 

I think Gardy finally got fed up with Mastro being mostly unavailable and told him to either play or go on the DL. So he played him and it became obvious that Mastro wasn't close to being able to be used as he was needed.

[Brock Beauchamp]

But on the other hand, Bert is the first one to practically scream bloody murder when the pitcher walks someone. It's a disconnect.

 

It's because he views walks as a mistake by the pitcher, not something that can be earned by a batter.

 

Dick and Bert aren't terribly bright. But hey, at least Bert knows a lot about pitching. No denying that much.

 

Still, they're not as bad as the Mets color guy (can't remember his name). He was openly showing contempt for a batter not swinging away, despite the fact that the Mets are first in OBP and have scored a veritable **** ton of runs.

[Top Gun]

Darin Mastroianni will be sidelined for three weeks with a stress reaction in his left ankle.

 

Mastroianni initially hurt the ankle on March 25 and was finally placed on the disabled list Tuesday. He'll wear a walking boot for the next 10-14 days. Oswaldo Arcia was recalled to replace him on the roster.

 

Source: Tyler Mason on Twitter

[cmathewson]

Oh no! The Twins called up Arcia and then had a rain-out followed by an off day. They just wasted two days of service time! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

[Guest USAFChief]

He got one breather before the game that finally forced Mastro out. Hicks should have been sat a couple more times and in addition to that I would have liked Mastro in the lineup a couple of times for Doumit and once or twice for Parmelee to take Hicks out of the leadoff role. A healthy Mastro certainly would have been used more in the last couple of weeks.

 

I think it's awesome that you like playing with a short bench and cling to the he appeared late in games for a majority of his usage.

 

I think Gardy finally got fed up with Mastro being mostly unavailable and told him to either play or go on the DL. So he played him and it became obvious that Mastro wasn't close to being able to be used as he was needed.

1. I disagree on Hicks. I see no reason he should have been rested four times in the first 13 games. He needs to play, every day, wherever he is. 2. I don't like it when the Twins play with a short bench any more than you. I've called them out for it many times in the past. I don't think that's the case here, and there's plenty of evidence for that position.

[Aaron Cross]

Continue batting the kid 8th. Give him three atbats a game and pinch hit his 4th atbat. The kid is gonna be good. Just take it slow.

[kab21]

1. I disagree on Hicks. I see no reason he should have been rested four times in the first 13 games. He needs to play, every day, wherever he is. 2. I don't like it when the Twins play with a short bench any more than you. I've called them out for it many times in the past. I don't think that's the case here, and there's plenty of evidence for that position.

 

In almost every case involving a young player I would agree. However Hicks has been a special kind of bad.