Riverbrian

Yeah I'd say questionable call. He was in triple digits pitch count after 6.

Gotta love that 6 4 3 DP. Love it.

Now Danny is playing some D. Someone put a quarter in Danny today. Looks like he came to play.

Atta boy Danny. I'd still bench ya for awhile but atta boy. Well struck ball.

I agree with you 100 percent and disagree with your sentiment at the same time. Errors are a bad way to determine to determine defensive ability. Too many bad defensive plays happen without an error scored for the official books. Advanced Metrics are also a bad way to determine defensive ability because you can't control the amount of balls hit to you and the position of the balls hit to you. Personally, I won't look at any defensive stats with Velencia. I've watched Baseball long enough and I have watched Velencia play the position. It isn't the amount of errors that he makes... It's the kind of errors he makes. He doesn't move his feet well enough for the major leagues. He let's the ball play him instead of playing the ball too many times. He settles for waiting and reaching. This is a mental thing and I want to be clear that I didn't notice it with him in 2010. He was a little more eager to prove himself that year(this is my opinion... Just a guess) Now 2011 and so far in 2012. He has been defensively lazy and brutal too many times and doesn't make enough diving plays in the field or hit well enough to make up for his defensive mistakes. Offensively... 2010... I thought his numbers suggested nice potential. 2011... I thought his numbers suggested a lack of adjustment to the adjustments made to him. Everything is charted and available to other teams. Pitchers will pitch to locations that he struggles with. Defense will move to areas that he tends to hit toward. He didn't adjust! 2012... Small sample size but it isn't looking good so far. There is potential with Velencia... Don't throw him away... Bench him for a stretch and tell him why he is being benched. If Burroughs or Plouffe steps up and takes over the job. It might provide some motivation to improve his discipline. Maybe that will improve his output in 2013.

The 2012 team is the 2012 team. Let's see what happens. I think TR did pretty good replacing depth given is parameters. I have one major concern with the Twins. That's the lack of near MLB talent on the farm. Watching the farm system fall to its current level under Bill Smith was the nightmare. Players given away in trades with no restocking. This is what has the Twins in the current situation. The Twins won't sign Albert Pujols and his ilk. The farm system is they key to long term success. The farm system was the pride of baseball under TR. It fed our squad. Under Bill Smith it all collapsed. We have some talent at the lower levels but that will take some time. I don't know who to blame. Bill Smith was the GM but who really knows.

The Answer to that question is YES! I have always thought that 3b would be nice position for Joe. He's athletic Strong Armed. Brandon Inge has nothing on Joe. However, I would have spent some time working with him at the position in Spring Training after a Winter of him knowing it's coming in Spring Training. So for this year... Maybe not... Emergency fill in at the position of course. Multiple games in the starting lineup at 3b. Not this year. In my opinion.

It's hard to put your finger on it from our vantage point. We don't get the best view from our cheap seats. I realize that some are ready to light the torches and capture those responsible in the name of justice. One question... can you be absolutely sure who is responsible? Saying TR or Gardy is too easy, does anyone know what goes on behind the scenes. Who's the best GM? Who's the worst? Best manager or the worst, best owner, scouting director, President, vice president, board of directors. How do you know? I don't know and I'd hate to see the lynch mob arrive at the wrong address.

I remember reading that in the papers. Liriano didnt like the idea and They settled on Rauch because Rauch said "Coach I'll take that ball" like the 6-10 gamer he is. Rauch made everyone nervous. That led to the trading for Capps costing Ramos. SO... Liriano refusing to take the closer role led to... Oh my... IS THERE NO END TO THE DAMGE HE DOES!!!

Less thinking... Less set up. Just let it buck.

I hope he does well. I think he was a premature DFA but also a long shot to being productive. Maybe he slots into 3B for the A's and turns it on. Maybe he doesn't. Good luck to Luke.

Its tricky... No matter what Velencia is... He is a potential value. The hope is that he can pull it together long enough to increase his value. Either as a Minnesota Twins or a trade chip down the line. Either way it's value. If you cut him... You throw that value away.... If you bench him... You throw that value away. He has to improve and it starts between his ears. Its tricky because let's face it... We are talking about potential value. His only value right now is potential value. His day to day value is worthless right now because he is in a deep slump. You hope he gets better because he is young and has potential. If the Twins cut him... Someone picks him up because of his potential. If someone trades for him it is because of his contract and potential. No organization would want the Velencia that is playing right now. Current production of Velencia could be matched by Burroughs, Plouffe or the departed Hughes. I assume Dozier wont be called up until the arb clock thing works out in the Twins favor. I don't know if he'd slot into 3B or if he bounces Casilla when he is called up. Tough situation. I'd put him on the bench for a week and say you are sitting because you need help focusing of your job and ultimately your career. Hopefully he starts to get it and voila... a player that fulfills his value and is worth trotting out there daily.

I don't see any defensive improvement. Not saying he hasn't... Just saying I haven't seen it at all. The guy is always capable of making a play and he does from time to time. I thought he was a fine defensive player his rookie year. Last year he played like his feet were in mud and this season I've seen the same. I don't know if Burroughs is a cut and dried better defensive player. I've seen him start two games and seen him make 3 tough defensive plays diving to his left. Velencia has played every other game and I have not seen him leave his feet. I've seen Velencia not move his feet and unnecessarily reach for balls and choke this way frequently enough to come to my own personal conclusion that he isn't getting it. I'm sure he doesn't want to lose his job but he will... the very second that better option comes along. Then Velencia will be signing a minor league contract with someone somewhere and scrap to stay in the majors. If you want to save Velencia. You save him by benching him. Send the message loud and clear to him right now. This complaining to him and honest assessments publicly from time to time and then sticking him in the lineup everyday regardless is not working. There is something to be said about letting a player play through his struggles. There is also something to be said about letting a player cement his bad habits by letting him continue to play.

No no land is just north of VELENCIA.

No way Velencia is in my lineup. I can't help assume that Gardy is killing Velencia by not providingconsequence for his lack of performance.

May I add a couple more items to your list? (Rhetorical question cuz I'm adding them anyway). 5.) his ERA will not stay at 11. That means he is due for some real good starts to get is ERA down around 5. It's the only way it gets to 5. 6.) I dropped him from my fantasy team after his last start. Fantasy players everywhere understand what happens to a player after you drop them.

Carroll has done nothing thus far to deserve being yanked from the two hole. He deserves to hit in the two hole. Carroll should only be moved because Mauer should be moved and that's the way it works. I'd still move Mauer up to the two hole because of five reasons. 1. Legendary patience. 2. Historic high contact rate, bat control and high batting average. 3. Smart by all accounts. 4. He's turning into a singles and double guy. Career numbers are suggesting this. 5. And this is the most important reason.... He will bat more. The 2 hitter gets more at bats then the 3 hitter and that extra at bat just may be at the end of the game during a clutch moment.

With Clete Thomas getting playing time, it's really not hard to figure out. Someone thought Thomas was a ballplayer and someone had to be an advocate for Thomas to sign him. So now someone is going to give Thomas every chance to prove that someone was right. Any one of us would have done the same thing. It's called backing your convictions. Disclaimer... I'm not saying I agree with those convictions. They are not my convictions. These convictions belong to someone with actual influence. If I was in Charge. Willingham would be in RF and Revere would be in LF nearly every day.

If the team is in contention... You don't trade Span. You take the 15 million off season cut from payroll and use it to acquire a player at the trade deadline. If the team is NOT in contention. It will be a bad 2012 which followed a bad 2011. The farm lacks MLB ready Pitching. We need Arms badly. If Span will fetch 1 or 2. Fetch away... I wish Span could be a Twin forever. If he has value and it's time to rebuild. Then rebuild and so be it. Please... Anything but wallowing in mediocrity, for longer than necessary. If this team doesn't get good. Then let's get younger and Bad for a year or two as you Plan for the arrival of Sano.

Some may not see the value in Burroughs in his current role. Oddly enough... I agree. Not much value in Burroughs thus far with his playing time. However, Velencia needs a message benching right now. I'm not talking about 1 game on the bench either. Errors happen but its the type of errors that he makes... The blowing off of fundamentals. His boot in the 7th with the bases loaded was inexcusable. He didn't move his feet. He settled for a backhand. One out... bases loaded and he's fine with waiting and reaching for a routine grounder with a high probability of getting the lead runner at home and a fairly decent chance of an inning ending DP. Anyone have the game taped? Watch it. I know the Carroll error didnt help the health of the inning but The Carroll error at least happened with effort. With Velencia... Longoria hit a routine ground ball to his right with an easy hop. If Velencia plays that ball PROfessionally... Aggressively(which the situation demands), Burnett could have escaped the inning. Velencia had TIME to move right while moving IN at an angle to get centered for a throw home or continue that momentum for a step on third and throw across for a 5-3 DP. Laying back on the ball and settling for a backhand reach (which he dropped) was the work of a player who drifts mentally. Not engaged enough to move his feet with the bases loaded. He isnt hitting enough to tolerate it. Plouffe... Burroughs... It does not matter. Sit Velencia for a message sending amount of games and tell him why. Im not saying give up on him. I'm sittiing him until he understands that he doesnt have a major league job sewn up. His discipline in the field and at the plate is the reason why he is a below par MLB third baseman. He could be above average in my opinion and have a decent career. I'm beginning to doubt the kid will pull out of it.

Gardy just solved the problem right there. In case of injury Willingham straps on the tools of ignorance, gets signs from the dugout, puts fingers down and catches for the one or two innings necessary. I know catcher is a unique position. It's not a long term solution, it's a finish the game solution and get to tomorrow. If you are worried about it. Prepare for it. Have the hammer catch some bullpens, take some time and work on his footwork. Coach him for the possibility. The best coaches in the world and A guy who has played baseball his whole life including some catcher. Jeez get him work in a ninth inning of a 10 0 blowout. It's preparation for something that might happen.

If you factor in range plays to the right and the typical deeper position played by SS. I believe you need a stronger arm for short.

Yeah... Analysis Rendered is this. If you think about it... Things sometimes get too serious. Enjoy the Smart posts... The Dumb Posts and the posts in between. The pointless and the pointfull? I saw no reason for emotion. They were just opinions and posts.

After that the walls started to come down and I was thinking that the discussion was interesting up until that point... But I think too much. It's just a discussion.

I thought this post raised my posting number by one