Arcia

[Badsmerf]

Homeboy has gone off! Is he here to stay? I really don't see how they can send him down when Mastro is healthy when he is hitting like this. I know Hicks has looked better, but he really has just been better than ****ing horrible. Now, he's just horrible. Needless to say, I wont feel bad about him being sent down. Or they could just DH Willingham, I'd be fine with that too.

[TheLeviathan]

If they send down Arcia...I'll be upset. This kid just looks like a pro at the plate.

[Brock Beauchamp]

By now, everyone here should know my feelings on Arcia. Kid just rakes wherever he goes.

[kab21]

Arcia is just a pure hitter. He has more raw skill than Kubel or Cuddyer but I think he will put up some of the same frustrating AB's that those two did by helping out pitchers.

 

I'm curious if there is anyone anywhere that thinks he is still an option in CF because he played there in rk ball?

[goliath]

It is just me, or does he look older than 22? Is he the real Fausto Carmona? When Mastroianni comes back does Parmelee go down rather than Hicks (and Arcia stay)?

[TheLeviathan]

It is just me, or does he look older than 22? Is he the real Fausto Carmona? When Mastroianni comes back does Parmelee go down rather than Hicks (and Arcia stay)?

 

To me Parmalee has nothing left to prove in AAA, sending him there does nothing for him.

[kab21]

This is Parmelee's season to show that he is a long term option for the Twins. He needs MLB AB's to find this out. Hicks needs a reboot badly even he's improved.

[deanlambrecht]

By now, everyone here should know my feelings on Arcia. Kid just rakes wherever he goes.

 

I watched the replay of his HR swing tonight. Man, is that a beautiful sight. Perfect form. Looked completely effortless for him to park that ball. Wow!

[stringer bell]

Yep, Let Parm hit. I predicted that Hicks would be sent down at some point in the season and I think I am right about that.

[Pius Jefferson]

Arcia is just a pure hitter. He has more raw skill than Kubel or Cuddyer but I think he will put up some of the same frustrating AB's that those two did by helping out pitchers.

 

I'm curious if there is anyone anywhere that thinks he is still an option in CF because he played there in rk ball?

 

 

I don't see him being an option in CF. He doesn't look comfortable playing one of the corner positions.

[CharacterGroove]

I'd be very surprised to see Arcia moved at this point. It doesn't make sense. He's got a big league bat and he's helping the team win. Alternatively, it may be a good time to send down Hicks. He's had a little success to whet his palate while he refocuses in AAA.

 

Losing Hicks to Mastro in May isn't going to hurt the team in the short term, and may help the team in the long term.

[jimbo92107]

If Hicks goes to Rochester, who plays CF? Clete Thomas? Joe Benson? Arcia?? Mastroianni can play CF defense, but his bat does not warrant a regular position.

[twinsin17]

It's fun to watch someone with such an aggressive approach at the plate. Can't help but be excited for the Twins future with Arcia, Sano, Buxton and Rosario all coming up in the next couple years. Add Kris Bryant to that mix? Watch out, that's a lot of potential runs to be scored. That could make up for some mediocre pitching until our guys in the minors are finally starting to shine in the big show.

[Riverbrian]

Unless Arcia goes into an awful slump... He's gotta have a spot on the big club nailed down.

 

After Mauer... He's our best hitter right now. You don't send that down when you are playing .500 ball.

 

I think Hicks stays as well for CF duties and he is improving.

 

Ramirez draws the short straw in my opinion and I feel bad about that. I think he can hit a little from what I've seen so far.

 

Back to Arcia... He's been my new... I'm not leaving the room until he is done hitting player. He's legit and he's ours. Woo Hoo!!!

[ashbury]

If Hicks goes to Rochester, who plays CF?

 

Hicks. Duh.

[ashbury]

Mastroianni can play CF defense, but his bat does not warrant a regular position.

 

Kidding aside, I am not sure Gardy is sold on Mastro's defense in CF, either. Like his hitting, he's good enough in the field for short term usage, but he's got some flaws, with not always the best routes to the ball, and is just not a plus on defense. He is... a fourth outfielder, and a valuable one. Between him and Wilkin, who has good hitting stats in very small usage, I'm not sure who to send down if they want to keep both Arcia and Hicks up. They really need a legitimate CF backup and Mastro (for all his limitations) is the only one who qualifies.

 

I could see pulling the trigger on a Hammer trade to solve this, if Ryan has a good one lined up for the asking. Clete can be the emergency callup if something bad happens after that.

[Squirrel]

Ramirez draws the short straw in my opinion and I feel bad about that. I think he can hit a little from what I've seen so far.

 

 

This is what I would guess. But if not him, who?

[Shane Wahl]

Ramirez really has done everything asked of him and he has been valuable in his limited time. I wouldn't count on Mastro being with the Twins for awhile yet. Rehab and whatnot.

[Guest USAFChief]

Ramirez really has done everything asked of him and he has been valuable in his limited time. I wouldn't count on Mastro being with the Twins for awhile yet. Rehab and whatnot.

Yeah, last I heard for Mastro was late May at the earliest. Unless there's some new information, there's no need to fret about this yet. Often, the situation is overcome by events anyway. Arcia stops hitting, or someone else gets hurt, or any number of things could happen between today and whenever it is that the Twins need to worry about what to do with Mastro.

[Riverbrian]

This is what I would guess. But if not him, who?

 

One of the middle IF's or a Bullpen Guy. Very slim in my mind. It has to be Ramirez.

 

Someone will get hurt and DL'ed before decision time.

[Badsmerf]

Why does everyone keep telling me Hicks is improving? I sure hope a guy that has been left to start in CF doesn't have an OPS of .450 for too much more than a month. I guess he has a .711 OPS for May... mostly due to XBH's. He's still only hitting .185 for the month. Not that average is everything, but his inability to make contact is concerning.

 

Also, I have a big problem with his defense. The Twins made him out to be a potential GG CF. He isn't even close. He gets terrible jumps on balls and doesn't take the greatest routes. We've seen Span, Revere, Gomez the last several years and each of them put him to shame. I get that he has good speed and a good arm, I just feel let down about what was hyped to be a GG CF.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Why does everyone keep telling me Hicks is improving? I sure hope a guy that has been left to start in CF doesn't have an OPS of .450 for too much more than a month. I guess he has a .711 OPS for May... mostly due to XBH's. He's still only hitting .185 for the month. Not that average is everything, but his inability to make contact is concerning.

 

Also, I have a big problem with his defense. The Twins made him out to be a potential GG CF. He isn't even close. He gets terrible jumps on balls and doesn't take the greatest routes. We've seen Span, Revere, Gomez the last several years and each of them put him to shame. I get that he has good speed and a good arm, I just feel let down about what was hyped to be a GG CF.

 

His ability to make contact is a bit concerning but it's not unexpected, either. The important thing to me is that he's been taking pitches when he should and swinging when the opportunity is right. He's still pretty bad overall but there has been a significant jump in both his statistics and the eyeball test in recent weeks.

 

As for his glove, I think he's figuring things out. I can't imagine how it must feel to hit under .100 for three weeks to start your MLB career. On some level, that has to carry into the field and I'm not terribly concerned with his defensive performance thus far. I'm confident that he'll figure it out... He has all the tools to succeed and damn, that arm. Holy crap. It's nice to see a CF who can flat-out rifle the ball to the infield.

 

I think Hicks' recent play has earned him the right to stay on the ML roster through May to see if he continues to improve.

[Badsmerf]

His ability to make contact is a bit concerning but it's not unexpected, either. The important thing to me is that he's been taking pitches when he should and swinging when the opportunity is right. He's still pretty bad overall but there has been a significant jump in both his statistics and the eyeball test in recent weeks.

 

As for his glove, I think he's figuring things out. I can't imagine how it must feel to hit under .100 for three weeks to start your MLB career. On some level, that has to carry into the field and I'm not terribly concerned with his defensive performance thus far. I'm confident that he'll figure it out... He has all the tools to succeed and damn, that arm. Holy crap. It's nice to see a CF who can flat-out rifle the ball to the infield.

 

I think Hicks' recent play has earned him the right to stay on the ML roster through May to see if he continues to improve.

I can see your point I guess. When you look at how Arcia is starting to click, that is what I call improvement. Now, Arcia's defense leaves a lot to be desired lol, but he is starting to get more comfortable.

[Riverbrian]

Why does everyone keep telling me Hicks is improving? I sure hope a guy that has been left to start in CF doesn't have an OPS of .450 for too much more than a month. I guess he has a .711 OPS for May... mostly due to XBH's. He's still only hitting .185 for the month. Not that average is everything, but his inability to make contact is concerning.

 

Also, I have a big problem with his defense. The Twins made him out to be a potential GG CF. He isn't even close. He gets terrible jumps on balls and doesn't take the greatest routes. We've seen Span, Revere, Gomez the last several years and each of them put him to shame. I get that he has good speed and a good arm, I just feel let down about what was hyped to be a GG CF.

 

I think he is improving... It's the same thing you said... His start was very very bad... He's below Average now... That's improvement.

 

His swings look better... His contact is getting harder.

[twinscowboysbulls]

Listen, we are a .500 team right now and I'm not sure we can get much better than that. THIS IS THE YEAR YOU CAN PLAY GUYS WHO YOU NEED TO FIND OUT IF THEY CAN PLAY OR NOT. We are playing .500 ball with the likes of Florimon, Escobar, Dozier, Hicks, Parmelee, Plouffe, Arcia all being question marks. That is fairly impressive to say the least and it says a lot about the future of this team. Also, quite a few arms in the bullpen are question marks. We are finding out that a lot of these guys might not be the WORST options around the league.

 

Keep splitting time with Escobar and Florimon.

Keep giving Hicks CF duties at least 5 times a week, when Mastro comes back for Ramirez he gets a couple a week.

Keep giving Arcia at-bats everyday.

Keep giving Parmelee at-bats 5 days a week.

At some point Morneau or Willingham will be dealt this year, which will make those tasks much easier. I realize it's early in the year, but I think it's an easy decision on Morneau right now at the end of the season.

 

This team will be better in the long run for giving these young guys the at-bats. They will A) have more experience and know what they have in each player.

[Guest USAFChief]

90

Why does everyone keep telling me Hicks is improving?

I'm just spitballing here, but perhaps because he HAS been showing improvement?

 

Hicks OPS,

Season: .453

Last 28 days: .632

Last 14 days: .655

Last 7 days: .723

 

His BA bottomed out at .042 after the game April 20th. Since then, it's gone up after every game he's played except two, a total of 90 pts, with rises in his OBP and SLG as well. Of his 34 K's for the season, 20 came in those first 3 weeks of the season, 14 since.

 

The improvements haven't been earth shattering. Maybe not even enough to say keep him in the majors. But he HAS improved, but by the eye test and by the numbers.

 

In any case, as I posted above, I doubt the Twins are going to do anything with Hicks OR Arcia until Mastro is ready to return, which most likely is a couple weeks away at the earliest.

[stringer bell]

I've been saying since Opening Day that two of Doumit, Morneau, Willingham are gone before Opening Day 2014 and most likely by the trade deadline. Catcher injuries and a lot of teams in the hunt for the playoffs could net a bigger haul for Doumit than he would get in the offseason. If Morneau could tick up his performance, he could be a valuable commodity at the deadline and Willingham, with a team-friendly contract for next year, will be much coveted unless he continues to hit like he did at Fenway.

 

I would like to see the Twins move Morneau and Doumit and sign the Hammer to an extension of a year or two. I cannot see Morneau in a Twins uni at the start of 2014, but I guess anything can happen.

[twinscowboysbulls]

Why an extension? He is signed for next year already. I think at that point he will be 36? Then you can go year to year with him if you would like to keep him around, but we will have multiple OF'ers knocking on the door by then.

[AScheib50]

You have to keep Arcia's bat in the lineup. Parmalee needs to get ABs, too. Doumit is hitting all the sudden and Morneau is warming up as well. Gardy has options and he's gonna need to be creative in getting everyone out there.

 

I don't know that getting rid of Willingham is the answer. He is legit power in the middle of the lineup and he hits RH...this lineup becomes awfully left-handed without him. I mean we're talking Mauer, Morneau, Arcia, Parmalee, and the rest are SH with Plouffe the sole righty...

 

I think Willingham might stay for that reason. That said if he gets warm and can collect a nice return...think Carlos Beltran for Zach Wheeler maybe? That kinda return I'd do in a hearbeat. BUt until then I think he's kinda key to the lineup.

[mggopher]

Ramirez draws the short straw in my opinion and I feel bad about that.

 

Never. He's too valuable as an interpreter for post game interviews with players who actually play.