A Tale Of Two Transitions

Kevin Slowey's 2010 campaign was decent, but not great. Coming back from a major wrist injury that cut short his 2009 season, the righty was bogged down by inconsistency but still managed to finish 13-6 with a respectable 4.45 record and 1.29 WHIP. He put up an impressive 116-to-29 K/BB ratio and stayed mostly healthy. Still only 26 years old, he was poised to become a reliable and cheap staple in Minnesota's rotation.

Of course, that is not how things played out. The Twins decided to re-sign 35-year-old Carl Pavano to a two-year deal, crowding Slowey out of the rotation picture. Even though he posted the best numbers of any starter at camp in 2011, Ron Gardenhire and his staff elected to bump Slowey to the bullpen, opting instead for the likes of Brian Duensing and Nick Blackburn.

We know how the rest of this story goes. Slowey grumbled publicly. He complained of injuries, which were basically treated by the team and media as imaginary. As you may recall, the people running the club were not especially fond of Slowey, nor were the media members who covered him. He was painted (perhaps accurately) as a smug and smarmy malcontent, and an excuse-maker.

You won't see such attributes attached to Trevor May. He's a humble and friendly guy, who has earned the respect of coaches, teammates and reporters alike. Although he was dealt a very similar hand this year to Slowey's in 2011 -- banished to the bullpen despite having spent nearly his entire pro career as a starter, and making a pretty good case as one of the club's five best rotation options -- May did not pout. He chose to be a good organizational soldier and embraced the assignment.

Still, the outcome has not been much different, in terms of the physical reaction. May pitched quite well in his relief role over the first month before struggling in the second and hitting the disabled list with back spasms. He returned in July, delivered another month's worth of strong performance, and is now back on the shelf with more back problems.

Clearly, there is a better argument for using May as a reliever than Slowey. His stuff plays up much more in short stints, and he has proven to be a dominant force out of the bullpen when healthy. But he, too, seems to have untapped potential as a starter, and it's a laughable notion that this team is too rich in starting pitching depth to give him a try.

Moreover, May's health needs to be viewed as a pre-eminent concern. For a pitcher who has followed the same routine for years and years, an abrupt switch can easily cause physical and mechanical issues. When May is suddenly pitching multiple times per week, and going full-bore every time he's on the mound, it takes a toll. According to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, "changes to (May's) routine caused him to unconsciously lengthen his stride and put more torque on his back."

The recurring injuries are a new thing for the 26-year-old. He has rarely missed a start during his pro career up until this season, making the ailments all the more more conspicuous and alarming.

Paul Molitor has said only that he will consider the idea of another role switch for May. Hopefully the manager will think long and hard about it. May offers huge upside out of the bullpen but he's useless to the club when he is besieged by health problems that keep him off the mound.