Herrmann Called up, Wilikin Ramirez on 7 Day DL

[Danchat]

Collision lands Wilkin Ramirez on 7-day DL; Chris Herrmann recalled - Minnesota Twins news | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities ? Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) | Sportswire: Minnesota Twins

C/OF Chris Herrmann is back with the Minnesota Twins. It almost sounded like he'll be playing in the outfield rather than at catcher....

Also, the Twins now have 1 CF on the 40 man roster (Hicks). Should we add Richardson or Thomas? Or maybe a free agent?

[Mr. Brooks]

Collision lands Wilkin Ramirez on 7-day DL; Chris Herrmann recalled - Minnesota Twins news | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities ? Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) | Sportswire: Minnesota Twins

C/OF Chris Herrmann is back with the Minnesota Twins. It almost sounded like he'll be playing in the outfield rather than at catcher....

Also, the Twins now have 1 CF on the 40 man roster (Hicks). Should we add Richardson or Thomas? Or maybe a free agent?

 

I know this will come off as a sarcastic rip, but it's not.

I honestly don't think this club values defense, well perhaps they do, but at least not the 'range' part of it anyway.

If Hicks needs a day off I think we will see either Parm or Escobar in CF, without a second thought given to it.

[Shane Wahl]

Hicks will be fine for a week. Anyway, Herrmann did play 11 games in CF in 2010. And honestly, I don't think he is much different than Ramirez out there.

[jokin]

I know this will come off as a sarcastic rip, but it's not.

I honestly don't think this club values defense, well perhaps they do, but at least not the 'range' part of it anyway.

If Hicks needs a day off I think we will see either Parm or Escobar in CF, without a second thought given to it.

 

Way back at one time, defense was a key component in doing things the "Twins Way." When your are down to Hicks as your only supposedly MLB-viable, key position, up-the-middle defender in CF, coupled with bad Range Factor ratings for your corner OF and 3B, this whole philosophy coupled with "Pitch to Contact" has come completely off the rails.

 

And no, at this point, you would notice little difference with either Parm or Escobar in CF as alternatives, you might even see an uptick in quality.

[Mr. Brooks]

Way back at one time, defense was a key component in doing things the "Twins Way." When your are down to Hicks as your only supposedly MLB-viable, key position, up-the-middle defender in CF, coupled with bad Range Factor ratings for your corner OF and 3B, this whole philosophy coupled with "Pitch to Contact" has come completely off the rails.

 

And no, at this point, you would notice little difference with either Parm or Escobar in CF as alternatives, you might even see an uptick in quality.

 

I can't remember them ever valuing range though. I think they valued what they deemed "fundamental" defense, i.e hitting cutoff men, being in position to turn DP, etc. But I can't ever remember a time that they valued range.

[jokin]

I can't remember them ever valuing range though. I think they valued what they deemed "fundamental" defense, i.e hitting cutoff men, being in position to turn DP, etc. But I can't ever remember a time that they valued range.

 

Well, they did wind up playing Revere in RF, which gave them probably one of the rangiest CF/RF combos in baseball last year. It seems to me that over the last 10 years or so, the Twins were looking for Corner OF range-less thumpers with a lynchpin strong CF to make up for their lack of range. Their MInfielders up until recently were pretty rangy. Starting in 2010 with Hardy, then Valencia, Plouffe, Nishi and the flavor of the day at 2B (exception, UI Casilla), not so much.

[Mr. Brooks]

Well, they did wind up playing Revere in RF, which gave them probably one of the rangiest CF/RF combos in baseball last year. It seems to me that over the last 10 years or so, the Twins were looking for Corner OF range-less thumpers with a strong CF to make up for their lack of range. Their MInfielders up until recently were pretty rangy. Starting in 2010 with Hardy, then Valencia, Plouffe, Nishi and the flavor of the day at 2B (exception, UI Casilla), not so much.

 

And they couldn't wait to get rid of guys like Gomez, Revere, and Hardy, which is kind of my point.

I'm not saying we haven't had any of these guys, but it seems like they don't value the range that they do bring.

[jokin]

And they couldn't wait to get rid of guys like Gomez, Revere, and Hardy, which is kind of my point.

I'm not saying we haven't had any of these guys, but it seems like they don't value the range that they do bring.

 

Hardy isn't rangy, just very reliable at making 99.9% of the plays he can get to. The Twins made the decision, and we still don't know who signed off on it, that a better option than Hardy was a guy with neither range nor a hint of reliability on making any plays in front of him, somehow they concluded Nishi was the perfect option for the Twins Way of solid defense behind Pitch to Contact. I reiterate, the wheels have come off this franchise and their philosophy ever since the day they got construction of Target Field approved.

[Mr. Brooks]

Hardy isn't rangy, just very reliable at making 99.9% of the plays he can get to. The Twins made the decision, and we still don't know who signed off on it, that a better option than Hardy was a guy with neither range nor a hint of reliablility on making any plays in front of him, was the perfect option for the Twins Way of solid defense behind Pitch to Contact. I reiterate, the wheels have come off this franchise and their philosophy ever since the day they got construction of Target Field approved.

 

Hardy isn't fast, but he does actually have pretty good range. A smart defensive player can make up a lot of range with good instincts and a good first step, at least in the infield. Plus he has very long limbs, which I realize may sound laughable, but it does make a difference in a game of inches.

[jokin]

Hardy isn't fast, but he does actually have pretty good range. A smart defensive player can make up a lot of range with good instincts and a good first step, at least in the infield. Plus he has very long limbs, which I realize may sound laughable, but it does make a difference in a game of inches.

 

I'm a huge JJ Hardy fan, he maximizes his defensive game with great smarts and instincts, augmented by his above-average size. His overall defensive rating at the top of baseball SS since 2006 reflects this. He was the 2012 Gold Glove recipient at the position. But he is definitely more of a Cal Ripken or Alan Trammel than a Jimmy Rollins or Omar Vizquel. Two ways to skin the cat.