What to do with Trevor Plouffe?

[Riverbrian]

I have no idea what is happening... How could I... I'm not in the locker room... But... In my opinion... This is just normal stuff that happens.

 

I doubt (I don't know) but I doubt... that Gardy or the coaches have remained silent with certain defensive issues with Plouffe and all of sudden just said that's it... You are being benched leaving Trevor to wonder why.

 

This is what Managers do... They have expectations and if the player isn't responding to those expectations... A message is sent with some time on the pine. Sometimes it's stuff as simple as moving your feet to pick up a grounder. You'd be amazed how casual players can be at times and how much it can matter.

 

The length of time on the pine would depend on how Trevor reacts to it. I imagine that Trevor understands now and he will be re-inserted back into the lineup. It's usually more up to Trevor than up to Gardy.

 

If he was crushing the ball... The manager would weigh the offensive loss when trying to send this type of message. Trevor isn't crushing it right now so he was out of the lineup Saturday and Sunday and we won both games.

 

Now... If this should be public... That's another question...

[Ultima Ratio]

Yeah, I don't mind the message/couple days off, but I don't know what or why else we'd do but let him play everyday.

[Teflon]

If Plouffe doesn't get ABs at third, then keeping him on the roster means he'll cut into the ABs of Arcia and Parmelee who already seem to be cannibalizing each other's AB's. Not sure I want that.

[spideyo]

I think it's mostly about reminding Plouffe other guys can play 3b and his job isn't guaranteed. I don't think anyone expects a gold glove or a silver slugger from him, but they don't need a guy who gets too comfy with his starting job and starts to get lazy. We don't need a Valencia 2.0

[IdahoPilgrim]

So, Plouffe has sat the last two games...and the Twins have won the last two games.

 

I think I'll let Gardy have some leeway on this one.

[Mike Sixel]

So, Plouffe has sat the last two games...and the Twins have won the last two games.

 

I think I'll let Gardy have some leeway on this one.

 

correlation=/=causation

[Boom Boom]

I predict that Plouffe will not last through June with the Twins. There's nowhere else to play him, he can't be sent down, and Gardy won't tolerate him.

[StormJH1]

It's pretty obvious what Trevor is good at and that's pulling the ball. Let him be a pull hitter! The Twins are ruining/wasting another good hitter trying to make him conform to their stupid "TwinsWay".

 

Yeah, I feel like this argument is about 4 years past its prime. Granted, I used to say the same thing over and over again, but I feel like whenever you hear that now, 80% of that is directed at frustration at Mauer for being 6'5" and not hitting 40 bombs every year (get real), and the rest is residual from the Punto era.

 

I feel seeing opposing clubs come in here in 2011 and hit bomb after bomb against us in this park that was supposedly impossible to go yard in (what, with those walls and CF pine trees and all) thoroughly shook up the organization. When they signed Willingham precisely because he WASN'T a prototypical Twins hitter and have more aggressively recruited power bats and athletes, I no longer felt like this was a team obsessed with dink-and-dunk offense anymore.

 

Plouffe is a further example of that - they are HOPING the guy goes out there and hits .245 with decent power. That would great. Of course, his defense might get in the way of that, but I haven't seen enough too terrible out of him to be overly concerned. He's got no place as a league average corner outfielder in this organization, so give him this season to sink or swim at 3rd base, and move on if you have to.