Why Didn't the Twins Unlock Yennier Cano's Talent?

[2wins87]

5 hours ago, h2oface said:

Exactly. That is why it is not worth the time being an apologist for the plethora of bad trades by our FO. The ho hum, that's baseball, oh well, it happens training is working it appears. If the Rays can do it, (and Baltimore is doing it now, and they were got rid of Lopez to go to their better option, Bautista, because they apparently didn't buy into the fools gold and tried to fleece the suckers) so can they all, if they were good enough execs. Our FO is like our team now, they all tell us how good they are without acutal results to back it up. And many of our fan base are OK with that. So be it.

If the Rays FO is so good and ours is so terrible, what is your explanation for the Joe Ryan for Nelson Cruz trade?

Seems like a much bigger fleecing IMO.

[Shaitan]

On 6/4/2023 at 11:57 AM, Linus said:

I have wondered if the “shuttle” is part of the problem. These never get a chance to settle in and have an extended run. In essence we never give them enough time to even tell if they could make it. 

Except that Cano also had terrible control in the minors.

Is the shuttle less than perfect? Of course.

But it's silly to me to think a professional athlete, used to travel since their teenage years (or earlier) who is finally getting their big break, is going to be ineffective because they know they might be sent back to the minors. There's an easy alternative to that and they know it: perform. 

If a player can't handle the AAAA back and forth (clearly allowed in the contract they signed) then I have trouble believing they can handle the other mental rigors of MLB either.

[Linus]

2 hours ago, Shaitan said:

Except that Cano also had terrible control in the minors.

Is the shuttle less than perfect? Of course.

But it's silly to me to think a professional athlete, used to travel since their teenage years (or earlier) who is finally getting their big break, is going to be ineffective because they know they might be sent back to the minors. There's an easy alternative to that and they know it: perform. 

If a player can't handle the AAAA back and forth (clearly allowed in the contract they signed) then I have trouble believing they can handle the other mental rigors of MLB either.

You are missing my point. It’s not the travel it’s that they don’t get an extended chance to adapt to pitching in the big leagues. How many players hit the ground running when first called up?  Not many. It takes some time to learn how your stuff can get big league hitters out. Or not. 

[Shaitan]

9 minutes ago, Linus said:

You are missing my point. It’s not the travel it’s that they don’t get an extended chance to adapt to pitching in the big leagues. How many players hit the ground running when first called up?  Not many. It takes some time to learn how your stuff can get big league hitters out. Or not. 

Well, sure. But couldn't you say that about 99% of minor leaguers? Isn't that what separates the major leagues from the minors: that's you're expected to play at a professional level instead of in developmental ball?

Besides, Cano is getting his chance. If he wasn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation. The same chance will be afforded to others who are lucky enough to get to The Show via the shuttle. When they run out of options, another team will give them another chance too. (And the majority will earn some nice paychecks, good memories, and flame out athletically without achieving what Cano has done.)

[Riverbrian]

22 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Brent Rooker crashed back to earth so hard he's working his way to the molten core at this point. He's a great example of SSS judgements. I don't expect Cano to come back as hard as Rooker did (he hit 2 HRs with a .198/.290/.327/.616 quad-slash in May), but let's give Cano more than 2 months before we crown him the next Mo.

Rooker sure did come back to earth.  

Rooker - Past 30 days: .198/.291/.286

That's Buxton level not good. 😉

Buxton - Past 30 days: .176/.300/.294 

Whatever Rooker was in April. It surely would have been helpful for that time period though.

I'd take that April even if I knew what was going to happen in May. 

 

[Riverbrian]

15 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Yeah, I never liked the experience > unproven talent angle. I was thrilled with the Correa signing (still am, it was always partially about the principle of making a serious commitment anyway), but rolled my eyes at the other free agents. To be fair, the offensive free agents available this year were atrocious, but I didn't like the sign-guys-just-to-sign guys or fill the roster with defensive first players approach. If the bats they signed after Correa were the best they could do, they should have stood pat other than a nice filler piece or two. (Farmer and a Taylor OR a Gallo for the bench) Every sustained competitive team this organization has ever built, was built almost exclusively of home-grown players. They should have thrown the tykes in the deep end at the beginning of the season to see which ones would swim.

And then at midseason, it would have been easier to see where the holes actually are. We haven't a clue at this point because we've been wasting time with a bunch of guys who'll still be free agents when spring training opens next year.

Nothing worse than a struggling vet that you can't dispose of cleanly and I honestly don't see much evidence that experience is consistently better than unproven talent or vice versa. 

So... I agree with you but the problem is:  Who is the youth behind that youth that you roster in place of the vet? 

Injuries demand a solution to that problem. 

The only solution that I have come up with is: Honest competition for playing time. Let the best man play. 

Once you choose Kepler over Wallner -- the competition is no longer honest. Kepler is handed chance after chance. Wallner must wait his turn regardless of results.    

[I wish the twins were good]

On 6/4/2023 at 2:29 PM, Whitey333 said:

Great article.  And we got "stuck" with Lopez who was doing well with Baltimore.  He comes here and regressed immensely.   Coaching?  Just saying

But he had a good April! And we will always have this