Article: Roughed Up: Rays 6, Twins 3

[John Bonnes]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/2709-Roughed-Up-Rays-6-Twins-3

[CwK]

Can you describe the sharpness of Buxton's ground-outs?

[Badsmerf]

And his smile, describe his smile.... that's important.

[Zephrin]

Leaving Arcia in Florida would be a mistake, IMO.

[gmarais66]

I always think it's a bit silly when people critique pitchers' performances their first time out in a spring game... Typically, veteran pitchers are working on specific aspects of pitching at this point in spring training... Maybe they're throwing mostly fastballs or are working on placement... They certainly aren't taking the same approach as they would in a regular season game... If someone is getting hit hard toward the end of March, that's a different story...

[Seth Stohs]

In my first roster projection two weeks ago, I had Kubel, Parmelee and Arcia all on the roster. But, I didn't have any of them in Red (givens).

 

And yeah, for veteran pitchers, assured of making the roster, the first 3-5 spring starts are pretty meaningless.

[Mike Sixel]

It would be so depressing for Arcia, Hicks and Pinto to be in AAA, with Sano out for a year. Another year with old guys with no future on the roster. I hope all three are up. I will pay to see hope.

[jokin]

It would be so depressing for Arcia, Hicks and Pinto to be in AAA, with Sano out for a year. Another year with old guys with no future on the roster. I hope all three are up.

 

I will pay to see hope.

 

I too, will pay to see hope.....and change.

[gmarais66]

It would be so depressing for Arcia, Hicks and Pinto to be in AAA, with Sano out for a year. Another year with old guys with no future on the roster. I hope all three are up. I will pay to see hope.

 

I totally agree... They just need to get the future players up here... Forget the washouts, re-treads and fillers...

[clutterheart]

Santana started at SS today. Got a hit and a Stolen base....thats good.

[stringer bell]

Just a reminder, the regular season is six months long. The guys that start the season and play in April may well be forgotten by August. If none of the young guys start the season with the Twins it will be a small disappointment. If none of them step forward by mid-season, it will be a bigger disappointment no matter where they start the season.

[jorgenswest]

Swarzak should be on a list of concerns. He led relievers in innings last year. Relievers are the most volatile in performance particularly following seasons of heavy use. The Twins should not be assuming he will match his performance from 2014. Projections on fangraphs show an increase in FIP and ERA resulting from an increased walk and home run rate.

[Dantes929]

Good Lord, breaking down each pitchers performance followed by the disclaimer that it is early. "I'm not saying there should be any concern. It's March 2nd. I'm just saying there is clearly work to do." Ya think? This critique is as pointless as saying we are 2-0 against the world champs. It is all about getting in shape for the regular season. it never mattered that Slowey would go 5-0 in ST with a 0.50 ERA It won't matter if Nolasco goes 0-5 with a 7.0 ERA as long as he develops his pitches and command along the way

[eLee612]

Leaving Arcia in Florida would be a mistake, IMO.

 

Agreed… I want Arcia back up north. Unfortunately, my confidence between Kubel and Parmalee is about as solid as flipping a coin.

 

Watching yesterdays game compared to Friday and Saturday with the Red Sox… it just felt like somehow we were playing our B squad against the Ray's top team. A little harsh, but the difference was palpable. Nonetheless, very fun to see some of the Twins young guns, especially Buxton and Meyer, before they get shipped off.

 

And I got Buxton's autograph! Add to the Twins Apparel that I can never wear ever again.

[thetank]

Agreed… I want Arcia back up north. Unfortunately, my confidence between Kubel and Parmalee is about as solid as flipping a coin.

 

Watching yesterdays game compared to Friday and Saturday with the Red Sox… it just felt like somehow we were playing our B squad against the Ray's top team. A little harsh, but the difference was palpable. Nonetheless, very fun to see some of the Twins young guns, especially Buxton and Meyer, before they get shipped off.

 

And I got Buxton's autograph! Add to the Twins Apparel that I can never wear ever again.

Tell us more about getting his autograph.

[stringer bell]

Way too early to make decisions about players. I am on record as predicting that Arcia's option will be used this year at some point. I expect that he'll still get over 500 PAs for the Twins, but I expect a stumble along the way. Perhaps sending him to Rochester to start the season and giving Parm one more chance will happen, but I'm sure the leash on Parmelee would be short. I don't think Kubel's spot is guaranteed, but if he hits the ball hard, they will make room for him.

 

A question for you roster-watchers, if Florimon starts the season on the DL but only for a short time, do the Twins keep Santana on the club (he's on the 40-man) or add a non-roster infielder (Bartlett, Beresford, Bernier)?

[eLee612]

Tell us more about getting his autograph.

 

He was great! I got lucky with my seat selection yesterday (see photos) so it was pretty easy to chat with the crew. This has honestly been one of the best trips of my life to date… going to be next to impossible to miss this next year!

 

 

 

 

[Dave T]

Well, I certainly had a different take on Meyer's performance. Fastball velocity? Check. Fastball location? Check. Shoulder seems OK after throwing? Um, no idea. How can you write a story about Meyer's first appearance without letting us know how his shoulder felt. Worthless story, John.

[John Bonnes]

Re: pitchers' early performance - I agree, it means nothing right now. But I need to report what I see.

 

Re: Meyer's shoulder - I couldn't talk to any of the players after the game. Tampa Bay never replied to our request for credentials.

[LewFordLives]

Just got back from Ft Myers last night. One piece of advice for those headed down in the coming weeks......if you go to a game in Port Charlotte, give yourseld plenty of time to get there. It's only about 30-40 miles from Ft Myer, but it's not close to the freeway and there are a LOT of stoplights along the way. I missed the opening pitch on Saturday.