Colabello Forcing The Issue?

[Riverbrian]

Lots of trade scenarios being tossed around this time of year.

 

I have a gut feeling that TR would like to keep Morneau and Willingham around unless he is blown away.

 

However... Is it possible that Colabello is starting to force the issue with his AAA performance.

 

Is it possible... That TR will take a lesser deal just to clear a spot for Colabello?

[ThePuck]

If it's just about the stats, not sure how he hasn't already forced the issue. If he hasn't done it already, it can't be done.

[greengoblinrulz]

Would like to get a longer everyday look.....not like this team has too many right handed hitters

[Mike Sixel]

No reason for him to stay down.....but they are not ready to cut ties with Morneau. At least if he came up and hit, they could, maybe, generate some interest in this team. But, they either do not care about that, or they cannot execute a plan to do so.

[jorgenswest]

There are several bats on this team that will not be part of the solution.

 

We can let go of Carroll, Willingham, Doumit and Morneau for whatever the Twins can get. It is time to see if Colabello can give the Twins 3 or 4 years of production. It is time to see if Herrmann or Pinto can defend behind the plate. It is time to abandon the 2 utility player bench.

[Halsey Hall]

There are several bats on this team that will not be part of the solution.

 

We can let go of Carroll, Willingham, Doumit and Morneau for whatever the Twins can get. It is time to see if Colabello can give the Twins 3 or 4 years of production. It is time to see if Herrmann or Pinto can defend behind the plate. It is time to abandon the 2 utility player bench.

 

So how are you going to replace those 4 bats with anything better? Names please.

[Riverbrian]

So how are you going to replace those 4 bats with anything better? Names please.

 

Well... Ummm... (Thinking)... Ummm... Colabello?

[Mike Sixel]

So how are you going to replace those 4 bats with anything better? Names please.

why do they have to better this year? The goal is excitement, youth, something to entertain us this year or next. This team is Toast with casual fans right now. And they are doing nothing about it right now.

[Brandon]

How bout Colabello at DH for the next month while Doumit heals from injury?

[jokin]

How bout Colabello at DH for the next month while Doumit heals from injury?

 

Huh? Did i miss something?

[Dman]

I don't think we will see much roster movement until around the Trade deadline. If they do nothing there then we will have to wait until September when they can expand the roster. Or maybe someone getting injured would clear a spot.

 

Colabello more than any other player in AAA deserves his shot. He has been consistent. He is hitting for average and power. What more do they want?

[jorgenswest]

So how are you going to replace those 4 bats with anything better? Names please.

 

I know they are not good enough and declining. Doumit's inability to receive a strike in the lower middle of the plate cost Pressly and the Twins dearly last night. We absolutely can not have any plan where he is a catcher next year. There is no way his offense that he puts up while catching can make up for his inability to receive a baseball.

 

These guys are exactly the kinds of players that land on mediocre teams. Willingham, Doumit and Carroll have 31 season in the majors and a combined 2 at bats in the post season (Carroll was a bench player for the Rockies). Willingham and Doumit have never played in the post season.

 

My four players for next year... Collabello, Pinto, Rosario and Sano. Let them grow and improve together. It is time to stop the decline and really rebuild. The Twins can't say they are rebuilding and put up the their oldest roster since 1998. That isn't even doing both. It is signing old players in decline because they have team friendly contract and will help give the illusion of a .500 team for a while. No more illusion. Let's have a young team that we know is going to lose and we know is going to get better.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Don't see Willingham traded as they'd be better off rolling the dice on him bouncing back and trading him next season... especially if Buxton is forcing things.

 

I hope Doumit is traded, as I think some NL teams would value him, but to get Colabello up, you'd need to trade Doumit and Morneau. Parmelee gets squeezed otherwise... Lest we forget, he put up better numbers than the big Italian at a younger age.

[drjim]

Keep in mind this guy is a 29 year old in AAA. I'm all in favor of him getting a nice look this season when a spot opens up, but there is hardly the need to take extra steps to make that process happen. He is not part of a youth movement and is almost certainly not part of any future success. He is 4 years older than Parmelee.

[Otto von Ballpark]

So what is different about Colabello than, say, Randy Ruiz a few years ago?

[LimestoneBaggy]

So what is different about Colabello than, say, Randy Ruiz a few years ago?

 

Ruiz got a look; Collabello, not so much.

[mudcat14]

Keep in mind this guy is a 29 year old in AAA. I'm all in favor of him getting a nice look this season when a spot opens up, but there is hardly the need to take extra steps to make that process happen. He is not part of a youth movement and is almost certainly not part of any future success. He is 4 years older than Parmelee.

 

Yes he's 29. But unlike every other 25+ year old in AAA, this is his first crack at it and he's absolutley raking. I don't pretend to know why Colabello was ignored throughout his early/mid 20's. He was a career .317 hitter in 7-years of the CanAm League. But it's clear that whatever was holding him back in scouts eyes, has been resolved. He's hitting better than ever in the highest non-major league level there is. Give the guy his shot! We already know what the other guys can give us, and that leads to last place. What's there to lose? If not, we owe it to him to trade or release him, because someone will have the stones to see what he can do.

[Riverbrian]

So what is different about Colabello than, say, Randy Ruiz a few years ago?

 

Colabello is taller and Ruiz was heavier. I also believe that they spell their names differently.

 

On a more serious note. Randy Ruiz was tearing up AAA at age 30... He had a cup of coffee with the Twins and was released after 22 games. Hard to fault the Twins since he hit one home run in those 22 games.

 

The Blue Jays picked him up for the next year... He tore up AAA again and was called up to the majors for another shot at age 31. For the Jays he hit 10 home runs in 115 at bats... Thats a dinger every 11.5 at bats... with a .313 batting average... OPS 1.019... And he was released by Toronto because I assume age matters more than production.

 

If I was Randy Ruiz... While finishing my career in Mexico... I'd be thinking to myself... What else could I have done for those Blue Jays?

 

I guess I could live with a Ruiz Comp right now.

[Bill]

I just looked up Randy Ruiz. It looks like he has been good at every level of the minors and also in the few at bats he has had in the majors. He seems pretty good right now in AAA. Does anyone know why he has never gotten an extended chance in the majors?

[jorgenswest]

I just looked up Randy Ruiz. It looks like he has been good at every level of the minors and also in the few at bats he has had in the majors. He seems pretty good right now in AAA. Does anyone know why he has never gotten an extended chance in the majors?

 

One of the costs of a 12 and 13 man pitching staff is potentially valuable bench players like Randy Ruiz. They are right handed corner bats that hit far better against lefties. There is no space on today's bench for the right handed half of a corner platoon. The spots go to a back up catcher, middle infielder and center fielder. They go to guys whose skill is the ability to play several positions.

 

In the 70s guys like Craig Kusick could find a job on a roster. It took a while but Bill Robinson went from right handed platoon corner OF to valuable full time corner OF in his mid 30s. If he had played today, he would have spent his career dominating AAA.

 

Some team is going to figure out how to manage an 11 man pitching staff or maybe even 10. They will bring platooning back into baseball.

[Bill]

Ruiz hit MLB righties well in 2009 (OPS of 1.090 against righties in the year he got 115 total MLB at bats with Toronto). I see that he is not hitting righties well this year in AAA. Both are small samples. Is there a website that show previous years' MiLB splits?

 

Just wondering if he did not make it because of actual performance (e.g., weak hitting against righties) or because it was felt that his game would not translate to the majors.

[Shane Wahl]

Not sure what to say other than I hope they trade Morneau to move on with their lives. They can even sign Morneau in the offseason again if they want to do so. If Willingham were healthy, he would be gone too.

 

Not sure what they are doing with regard to Colabello, but with a bloated bullpen, this is what is going to happen.

[Oxtung]

Colabello, the new Slama!

[stringer bell]

While Colabello is 29, he spent a long time in the independent Can-Am League. Chris has shown that he can hit any minor league pitching. It is such a good story and he has been so dominating at Rochester, he should get a real chance--not 15 ABs. I have been in favor of trading two of Morneau/Willingham/Doumit and allowing Parmelee to get his at bats and Colabello to get a chance.

[Guest USAFChief]

I don't care much either way, but I'd be perfectly OK with 29 yr old Indy League vet Chris Colabello never seeing a PA with the Twins.

[raindog]

I would be pretty sad if one of the best hitters in the minor leagues this year doesn't get more PA in the majors.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Well, with his callup, the only way I see him getting PAs is to have a lot of Doumit in RF. I think at this point they should let him play every day. If Doumit is traded, there will be a vacancy at DH that Chris could fill cheaply for the next wave.

[MichiganTwins]

Well someone has to be better than the Twins recently with RISP.

[Oxtung]

To be clear I think Colabello has earned more than 14 PA's in the majors.

[stringer bell]

Well, with his callup, the only way I see him getting PAs is to have a lot of Doumit in RF. I think at this point they should let him play every day. If Doumit is traded, there will be a vacancy at DH that Chris could fill cheaply for the next wave.

Doumit will spend a lot of time in RF for the next two weeks, and when it's not him, it will be Herrmann. Colabello will be DHing quite a bit and maybe giving Morneau a day or two off at first.