Article: TD Top Prospects: #10 Trevor May

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/2651-TD-Top-Prospects-10-Trevor-May

[VandyTwinsFan]

I'm excited to see May pitch. I hope his high K rate maintains in AAA and the bigs. If so, I'll never complain about a walk from him. I'll give him a pass. Screw it. Everybody gets one.

[ericchri]

One of the guys I'm really interested in this year. I've said it somewhere else, our top half-dozen or so guys are probably going to be really good, and that's exciting. It's players like May, though, that if they can find "it", suddenly our farm system and major league futures look amazing. It's probably a long-shot, but he has the stuff to really make a break-through. Fortunately we have a bunch of guys with that potential for break-through so hopefully a couple of them will.

[Halsey Hall]

It's possible he showed up here in Ft Myers yesterday. There were new faces here and I thought one of them was him. Also here were Burton and Perkins. It's good these guys show up early.

[minn55441]

The mental side of the game.

 

I know we have had numerous discussions about the Twins slow move to embrace analytics, where do they stand on sports psychology? Many teams were employing sports psychologists back in the 80's and 90's.

 

Here we have a guy with the physical tools, but have we given him the mental tools? Is that key guy a former major lead pitcher that can teach or coach or a trained psychologist? Some guys just don't have it (not intelligence, but the mental tools to cope with dealing with the pressure, focusing on the specific task of pitching). Some guys are able to connect with a Pelfrey or a vet like Santana. Some can connect with a coach like Anderson or a specific catcher. Some guys need more help than other, but everyone needs to find that mental key that allows them to succeed.

 

the question is, do the Twin's employ a sports psychologist?

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

It would be nice to see May put in quality time at Rochester. Maybe a full season at AAA, with a September call-up. Then he can inherit Correia's place in the 2015 starting rotation.

[birddog]

Twins can't give up on prospects like May as starters and too quickly turn them into relievers. He was always in the same sentence as Meyer last year and we need both to become quality starters. TR can always find relievers. As Twins fans know all too well, we won't get over the 90-loss hump until we get some quality starts which May can deliver.

[diehardtwinsfan]

the question is, do the Twin's employ a sports psychologist?

 

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as polio.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as syphilis.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as bubonic plague...

... attacking one...

... but infecting all.

Ah, but curable

 

 

Sorry, coudn't help myself Great movie. Back on topic now.

[Mike Sixel]

He wasn't in the same sentence from most experts....he was here on TD and other MN outlets. I don't know what to expect, but last year reaffirmed for those that think he is a reliever that he is just that. I sit in the middle camp, of, no idea.

[bird]

There are as many as a dozen prospects that are the equal of or better than May. That's really encouraging.

 

Oh, 13 if you count Engelb Vielma.

[righty8383]

May has given up just under a hit per inning the last couple years, add the walks and that makes for a pretty bad WHIP (as well as high pitch counts). Does he strike out enough to make up for that? May has some upside but I don't think he'll be able to succeed as a starter. Prove me wrong Trevor!

[minn55441]

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as polio.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as syphilis.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as bubonic plague...

... attacking one...

... but infecting all.

Ah, but curable

 

 

Sorry, coudn't help myself Great movie. Back on topic now.

 

You could have at least provided the link.

 

 

Classic scene from the Natural

[minn55441]

At the major league level, the level of talent (physical) really isn't that much different between players. (of course with a few exceptions). I think most players will admit that one of the toughest adjustments at the major league level is the mental aspect of the game.

 

Dan Duqette, the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations, has added sports psychologist Seth Kaplan to provide mental-performance services, with a focus on the pitching staff. "It's mental toughness," Duquette said of the lessons that Kaplan -- who also worked with the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. -- will bring to the Orioles. "Mental toughness training. He's going to concentrate on the pitchers. The idea is to help them prepare mentally to prepare physically. It's a key component."

 

 

 

The field of sports psychology has steadily taken on a larger supporting role in getting players ready to take the field. According to a 1994 study by Dr. Ronald Smith, a former psychologist for the Astros, psychological skills are as indicative of future performance as physical or technical skills in Minor League Baseball. It's even more so the case for pitchers.

One of the first players to turn to a sports psychologist was right-hander John Smoltz. After two strong years as a young starter for the Braves, he was 2-11 at the All-Star break in 1991 and turned to sports psychologist Jack Llewellyn.

"It's been a big key in my turnaround," Smoltz said at the time. "The main thing he taught me was to focus on the good and forget the bad."

And it worked. Smoltz rebounded to go 12-2 in the second half and was a big part in the Braves' run to the World Series, which they lost to the Twins in seven games in one of baseball's most memorable Fall Classics.

[Seth Stohs]

He wasn't in the same sentence from most experts....he was here on TD and other MN outlets. I don't know what to expect, but last year reaffirmed for those that think he is a reliever that he is just that. I sit in the middle camp, of, no idea.

 

They're used in the same sentence because they're both big arms who came to the organization about a week apart. We were getting to know both of them. But, there isn't much comparison between them as prospects (as is seen in our ranking, and in my personal ranking, they're even further apart). That said, I would always keep a guy starting as long as possible. Shifting to the bullpen can be done anytime.

[tobi0040]

They're used in the same sentence because they're both big arms who came to the organization about a week apart. We were getting to know both of them. But, there isn't much comparison between them as prospects (as is seen in our ranking, and in my personal ranking, they're even further apart). That said, I would always keep a guy starting as long as possible. Shifting to the bullpen can be done anytime.

 

I agree. If you dig into his starts last year in more detail, he becomes much more intriguing. He had two terrible starts (8 ER), which the article mentioned.

 

If you throw out those two appearances, here is what you were left with:

 

25 starts, 145 IP, 9-7, 3.72 ERA, 155 K, 1.31 WHIP. 3.66 BB / 9.

 

Here is his distribution of ER by start, throwing out the 2 8 ER appearances:

 

0 - 4 starts

1 - 3 starts

2 - 7 starts

3 - 3 starts

4 - 6 starts

5 - 2 starts

 

It seems to me his ERA and BB numbers are skewed an awful lot by two bad outings. This kid gave his team a chance to win in almost every start last year.

[Steve Penz]

Last season I seem to remember info about May touching mid 90s on his FB after he had passed the 100-pitch mark. That is very special and I think they should work with him as a starter as long as can. That said, a guy with that arm strength would throw really hard as a reliever.

[B Richard]

No reason to rush the decision on whether or not he belongs in the bullpen. Give the kid a change of scenery (a year in Rochester with a full year to continue starting) and see what happens. He is one small adjustment away from becoming a major piece of our starting rotation going forward

[oldguy10]

Surely work with him as a starter but also cut bait sooner rather than later, sounds as though he could be terrific in the pen. And could he close? I do not think it is too early to consider some of these young pitchers as closers down the line. Perkins will not last forever in that role and it might even be propitious to move him sooner rather than later also. This idea of holding onto a "closer" until he is completely out of gas is absurd at best.

[tobi0040]

Surely work with him as a starter but also cut bait sooner rather than later, sounds as though he could be terrific in the pen. And could he close? I do not think it is too early to consider some of these young pitchers as closers down the line. Perkins will not last forever in that role and it might even be propitious to move him sooner rather than later also. This idea of holding onto a "closer" until he is completely out of gas is absurd at best.

 

Until we feel he has a future in the bullpen and we are convinced he has no future as a starter, keep giving him the ball every fifth day. 180-200 IP is much more valuable than 60-70 IP. Some guys just seem to be pen guys, like Perkins. But this kid hasn't failed yet and could still turn out to be a very good pitcher.

[jimv2]

It would be nice to see May put in quality time at Rochester... Then he can inherit Correia's place in the 2015 starting rotation.

 

I've been hoping Meyer would inherit that.

[Steve Lein]

I'm almost convinced he's going to end up on a Glen Perkins career path, ultimately ending up in the Bullpen.

 

He'll certainly (hopefully) start games for the Twins, but I am convinced he will be a dominant reliever if he ends up there.

 

Perkins averaged around 91 MPH with his fastball as a starter, and has averaged nearly 95 in relief. Same type of thing with Duensing. Applying this methodology gives May elite velocity in the 'pen.

 

My only issue with the write-up is this statement:

 

"Some have said if he can’t gain enough control, he could make a transition to the bullpen. That may be true, but I don’t know how many late-inning relievers are counted on if they can’t throw strikes in key situations."

 

I love May's profile as a reliever, and hope it can work as a starter. There are examples of good relievers everywhere who have high walk rates, and I'm inclined to say his 4.0 BB/9IP is not an alarming rate in a reliever sense. It's still high, but if you're combining a walk rate near that with K-rate around 9.0+K/9IP, you'll find a lot of successful relievers in the Majors with those numbers. Many of whom who don't have the pure stuff May does.

 

But the thinking is correct, there's no point in turning him into a reliever now.

[tcarlic]

Send him to Mr. Meyoghi (sp obviously hahaha) to learn the art of focus; although, his yoga should help with this.

[tcarlic]

I've been hoping Meyer would inherit that.

 

 

Hopefully this is happening this year, right?

[jokin]

There are as many as a dozen prospects that are the equal of or better than May. That's really encouraging.

 

Oh, 13 if you count Engelb Vielma.

 

Couldn't it work just as well if we just call him "Glen"? (Glegne Amleiv)

[jokin]

I've been hoping Meyer would inherit that.

 

Forget any notion of "inheriting", Meyer should be aspiring to taking Hughes' or Pelfrey's spot.

[ashbury]

Couldn't it work just as well if we just call him "Glen"? (Glegne Amleiv)

 

There's a 'B' missing there. "Blen"?

[Badsmerf]

Felix Jorge is above him in my prospect rankings. I'm just not very impressed by a guy that repeated a level and showed little improvement. Sure the potential is there (otherwise he would be brushed under the rug with a mid-4 ERA in AA). I'm just down on him like I was down on Hicks after a few sub-par seasons (P.S. Hick's seasons were still decent, May's have not been).

[PseudoSABR]

It's difficult for me to dismiss the change in organization. The Twins expect guys to do certain things, I'm sure there was a period of cultural adjustment, and moreover for the Twins tutelage to show up in the results. The home away splits in Mays profile from last year are uncanny--Hughes like.

[orangevening]

It's possible he showed up here in Ft Myers yesterday. There were new faces here and I thought one of them was him. Also here were Burton and Perkins. It's good these guys show up early.

 

Hopefully Perkins can teach him a few things about the mental side. The article about Perkins and Greg Maddox last year was fascinating.

 

Also as a big fan of yoga (5x a week myself too) hopefully some of the mental aspects of that (focus, being present, etc.) will help Mays too.

[Jim Crikket]

I had May at #12 this year, down 2 spots from a year ago but that's primarily due to strong years by others more so than anything negative with May. He certainly didn't dominate AA in his second year at that level, but as Seth writes, you can certainly make the argument that he progressed.

 

This feels like a make or break year for May, in terms of his future as a rotation member. You absolutely exhaust every effort to create a productive starting pitcher before you resort to putting him in the bullpen, even as a closer. I believe if Perkins could have become even a #3 starting pitcher, he'd have been more valuable to the organization than as a closer. I wouldn't switch a guy to the pen until I became convinced that his ceiling is a back of the rotation guy, or worse. Nobody whose ceiling is that low would even be considered close to a top 10 organizational prospect.

 

Hoping to see good things from May in Rochester and won't be at all surprised if he's debuting in Minnesota by mid year.