stringer bell

Buxton is going to the AFL, I sincerely doubt he will see the big leagues this fall no matter what he does. I know Polanco has a handful of ABs, but his promotion was out of necessity and convenience. I think he is at least two years away from getting a real audition to stay in the majors. I would like to see Meyer and May this week--I really don't think there is any service time issue whatsoever. They may be better served pitching for and in the playoffs for Rochester. I understand that Meyer will likely be shut down at some point, so I guess if he doesn't get to Minnesota in the next couple weeks, he probably won't make it until next year.

Download attachment: evaluation.jpg The Twins have played the fewest games in the AL (along with the White Sox) and after 66 games they are about what I thought they would be at this point: fourth in their division and are within sight of everyone but Detroit. Big picture: fine with me. I want to see this team sell at the trade deadline, but I don't want them to be dreadful. What is not fine with me is that the players I want the Twins to sell just aren't performing that well.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Ryan Doumit (.288/.405/.692), Justin Morneau (.341/.379/.720) and Josh Willingham (.352/.411/.763) are all well below last year's results which implies their value has also diminished. It has been discussed all over Twins Daily, but Morneau's lack of power has lowered his OPS from last year, even though his BA is up. On the pitching side, I think the Twins need to hold on to whatever effective arms they have. Perkins has done well and has a nice team-friendly contract. Despite a couple hiccups lately, Burton is a good late-inning arm. I suppose the club could deal one of those guys while they have good value. Starters Correia and Pelfrey might have some value. Correia has been the Twins most consistent starter but he epitomizes the mostly discredited "Pitch to Contact" approach and his innings could go to somebody currently toiling in Rochester. If the Twins can get anything of value for him, I say sell. Pelfrey, on the other hand, seems to be getting stronger. He's throwing harder, getting more Ks, and pitching deeper into games. Perhaps the Twins could sign him for another year at a bargain rate rather than selling and seeing him thrive for someone else. There are several players whose box scores I check no matter what. Mostly I'm looking at players who can help the Twins in the next year or two. That includes some on the major league roster and some in the minors. Also included: any left-hander who can get batters out - there never are enough lefties! Here's a list of possible keepers, with a thumbnail of their seasons so far and the reasoning why they might stick around: Chris Parmelee--could/should be Morneau's successor at first base. Young enough to be a key player when the next wave arrives. Parm is hitting .223 with a .648 OPS. He failed to secure a position last year and is on his way to ceding a spot in the Twins future. The bright spot has been surprisingly good defense in right field. He might be slotted as a bench player (RF/1B/DH) despite his poor hitting. Brian Dozier--for a franchise with so few good middle infielder options, having a potentially capable middle infielder is important. Dozier had a good game today and currently is hitting .230 with a .624 OPS. Dozier has fielded his new position surprisingly well, but he has to hit more to secure a spot for 2014 and beyond. Dozier's June numbers are encouraging: a .297 BA and an OPS over .800.Pedro Florimon--he is important for the same reasons as Dozier. The bar for Florimon was set very low going into the season and he hit surprisingly well early on. His overall offensive numbers mirror Dozier's--.227 BA with a .632 OPS, but June has not been kind to Florimon. For June, entering today's play, he's hitting .119 with a puny .388 OPS. His defense has slipped as well, so that I don't think Pedro is guaranteed anything more than continued play into next month.Finally on, Trevor Plouffe. Plouffe has had injury issues, but his numbers are ....well, good! Plouffe has an obvious successor playing in the Twins' system, but if he can hit to an .800 OPS, he'll have a job with the Twins, or with someone else. Plouffe has the necessary skills to be a decent 3B and enough hitting prowess to be a regular somewhere in the Twins' lineup. Good health, Trevor! In the Twins' top two minor league teams, I watch the catchers because I believe it is in the Twins' best interest to have Joe Mauer catch less. Very encouraging numbers from Josmil Pinto give me hope the Twins can have a young receiver splitting time with Mauer behind the plate. Pinto's offensive numbers at New Britain are outstanding: .321 BA and .957 OPS and reports have him being capable as a defender. "Utility catchers" Chris Herrmann and Dan Rohlfing look like guys who could fill a third catcher role, play in the outfield and perhaps field an infield corner. Herrmann did very well for the Twins in 16 plate appearances and Rohlfing has been outstanding as a C/OF for the Red Wings after putting up OK numbers in New Britain. Beyond the catchers, I look at AA-New Britain shortstop Danny Santana, who is hitting a low-power low-OBP .280 and has 20 errors at shortstop. Daniel Ortiz, who was a consistent performer early, has also slipped a bit. He's a corner outfielder with a .769 OPS. Finally, right-handed reliever Michael Tonkin has impressed. He started in New Britain, and has moved to Rochester. He has a good WHIP, opponent's BA and strikes out more than one per inning. I think Tonkin will fit in as a late inning option for the Twins as soon as this year. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: milestone_in_design.jpg The Minesota Twins have hit the four-week milestone and are above .500 at 11-10. Considering the pessimism going into the season, Twins Territory should be happy with the results. Some raw numbers: Run differential is -1. Team ERA is 3.92, the Twins have scored 88 runs despite only 14 homers and a league-worst slugging percentage. They are 5-2 in one-run games and have allowed only 11 homers, second best in the AL. Many of these stats can't be sustained - they will allow more homers and win fewer close games - but the team is improved. The Twins also haven't gotten much from several players - Aaron Hicks is off to a historically bad start to a career. Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe, Ryan Doumit, and Chris Parmelee (normally the fourth through the seventh spot hitters) have combined for only 4 homers and 24 RBI in 294 plate appearances. Pitchers Vance Worley and Scott Pelfrey have been much more bad than good in their starting turns. Eduardo Escobar and Kevin Correia have far exceeded expectations, but they are really the only ones who are performing better than one might have expected. The defense has been inconsistent, highlighted by shortstop Pedro Florimon. However, there have been many highlight defensive plays as well. Two players in new positions - Parmelee and Dozier - have been good fits in their new spots. I think the club is still a ways away from truly contending. The top end of the rotation is suspect, the hitting is inconsistent, and these have combined to put pressure on a pretty good bullpen. The upcoming road trip, with series against the Tigers, Indians and Red Sox, will probably tell a lot about the present for the Twins. In looking at minor league performance and players returning from injury, it appears that the back end of the rotation has many candidates for few spots. Current #4 starter, Pelfrey, hasn't had a quality start and has had two lousy outings and two okay starts, having not gotten past the sixth inning. Pedro Hernandez, the nominal #5, pitched only 5 innings today, but was effective. There are no fewer than four candidates - Kyle Gibson, Liam Hendriks, PJ Walters and Sam Deduno - for starting spots and at some point Rich Harden could also be considered for a spot. Add the two off-season trade acquisitions in AA (Alex Meyer and Trevor May) and that is quite a logjam of potential starters. In the bullpen, Tim Wood and Rafael Perez are nearing health with a full bullpen and 40-man roster. Tyler Roberton has also pitched well at Rochester, so there could soon be too many okay options for too few spots there. In the outfield and at first base, the Twins have service time considerations with rookies Hicks and Oswlado Arcia. When Darin Mastroianni returns from the disabled list, one of those two might be sent down to Rochester. There is a chance that Parmelee could be sent down instead, but I think the Twins have seen enough of Parm raking at Rochester. The outfield/first base decision could be complicated by somebody catching fire at Rochester. Colabello has been outstanding so far and onetime top prospect Joe Benson has put together a few good games. Another week in the minors would delay 21-year-old Arcia's free agency for another year. Hicks would need to be sent down for three weeks to delay free agency. As with most roster decisions, it probably doesn't make any sense to decide until the Twins have to. Injuries and ineffectiveness usually help make the decision easier. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Escobar_Eduardo_Shortstop_US_720.jpg Right now, the Twins have a wealth of shortstop candidates. Conventional wisdom is that shortstops aren't platooned because working with the keystone partner is so important. Here is a short tutorial of the shortstop options and my best guess as to what will happen. I invite anyone else to comment and offer his opinion. Eduardo Escobar Escobar is starting most games right now and why not? He's hitting over .340 and he's pretty good in the field. News flash: he won't hit .340 and he's not going to get 50 doubles. When his bat cools, we'll see how manager Ron Gardenhire feels about playing him every day. For whatever reason, Escobar has been tabbed as a utility guy and he is a versatile player. Defensively, Escobar is a solid shortstop with good hands and a strong arm. He doesn't have great range. He has earned this shot and I think there's a chance he may succeed. Regardless, he has proven he is a capable utility player. Danny Santana Sanatana has the range Escobar lacks - it's the routine plays that are a challenge. Since his promotion, Santana has played short and center field and demonstrated his blazing speed and strong arm. So far, he has also hit the ball. Santana isn't going to hit .400 any more than Escobar will hit .340. In fact, if he gets a couple hundred plate appearances, it is doubtful he will be above average as a hitter, or at least that's what his minor league record suggests. In his very short trial with the Twins, he hasn't shown he's ready to be a regular major leaguer, but he also has shown he has major league tools. A trip back to Rochester is nearly certain. Maybe he can develop into a big league regular with quite a bit more sizzle than Escobar offers. Eduardo Nuñez He is the most established hitter of the group, but that isn't saying much. He currently has taken on the utility role that Escobar vacated. If Escobar slumps, I wouldn't be surprised if Nuñez gets a shot to prove that his poor defensive rep is overstated. I can't see Gardy going with one of the worst defensive shortstops for long, but then again we saw Plouffe and Nishi playing the position. Pedro Florimon The manager is reportedly already missing his magic glove, but Florimon just didn't hit at all this year, either with the Twins or not at AAA. (He has also already committed five errors in Rochester. Those minor league fields must be rough!) Florimon is 27 years old, and we likely saw his peak as a hitter in the first half of last year and that was barely passable. He needs to put up some kind of offense to justify his recall. Down the road there are others but they are years away. I hope someone separates himself. Some are predicting the Twins will draft a shortstop with their high first round pick. Maybe that will be the solution to the shortstop problem. Click here to view the article

Duensing is a nice bullpen piece. Any team short on left handers arms could be interested in his services. He has shown to be durable and versatile, so that would up his value a bit more than the raw numbers.

Brock, I tried to comment on the "Welcome to the new Twins Daily" article last night and couldn't. Now that I am able to comment I do have several questions: First, I went to the blog section and received an error message that I don't have permission to view the blogs. I blog occasionally and I am an active poster, so sure I want permission, please inform me how that is done. Secondly, I couldn't "like" posts last night. I tested by liking a post this morning and it worked, but I don't know if I have a limited number of "likes" per day. Third, I noticed that many people have changed their "Member Title" and tried to do so, but I couldn't edit that page. Finally, when I log on to Twins Daily through my favorite places, it goes to Articles and issues an error message of "We can't find that!", which is solved by going to Forums, but it is another small annoyance. You can send me a PM if you please or just respond. The new improved site is very attractive and I'm sure it took too many hours to count. Your work is much appreciated. Thank you for all you do!

While this isn't "My Dinner with Andre" or "Tuesdays with Morrie", I did have dinner with someone on a Tuesday. During Monday's game thread our very own "scene setter" and moderator Riverbrian noted that he was in Rochester. I work in that fair city and live just over 20 miles away. I contacted Brian when he asked about bakeries, and we agreed to meet for beers and dinner while watching the middle game of the Twins-Indians series. I really didn't know what to expect. I knew that RB was in town on business (too many people visit Rochester because they or their loved ones are sick) and I knew his approximate age. From his posts, I knew he had a wry sense of humor and quite a bit of knowledge about "our Twins". First, the surprises (to me). RB is a real baseball fan and really knows the game, but he manages to not be dragged down much when the team loses or makes inexplicable moves. The Alfred E. Neuman moniker is fitting, in that respect. Secondly, I found out why RB didn't participate much in WAR and defensive metric discussions--because he feels those stats in particular are flawed too much to tell us anything about the players in question (I agree!). We discussed several topics--careers, politics, religion, floods, families and on and on and I can say that I was never bored while discussing these matters. On some items I could have said the same words, on others it was nice to hear a different perspective. In general, it is nice at my age and this point in my life to meet someone new. Of course, since we are both members of TD, I knew we had a shared obsess.....er deep interest in the same thing--Twins baseball. In conversations with the few TD posters I have met and in meeting people at Spring Training or watching the Cedar Rapids Kernels, I have to say it has been fun and interesting without a single person being boorish or arrogant. Maybe baseball fans are the best people in the world.

While this isn't "My Dinner with Andre" or "Tuesdays with Morrie", I did have dinner with someone on a Tuesday. During Monday's game thread our very own "scene setter" and moderator Riverbrian noted that he was in Rochester. I work in that fair city and live just over 20 miles away. I contacted Brian when he asked about bakeries, and we agreed to meet for beers and dinner while watching the middle game of the Twins-Indians series. I really didn't know what to expect. I knew that RB was in town on business (too many people visit Rochester because they or their loved ones are sick) and I knew his approximate age. From his posts, I knew he had a sense of humor and quite a bit of knowledge about "our Twins". First, the surprises (to me). RB is a real baseball fan and really knows the game, but he manages to not be dragged down much when the team loses or makes inexplicable moves. The Alfred E. Neuman moniker is fitting, in that respect. Secondly, I found out why RB didn't participate much in WAR and defensive metric discussions--because he feels those stats in particular are flawed too much to tell us anything about the players in question (I agree!). We discussed several topics--careers, politics, religion, floods, families and on and on and I can say that I was never bored while discussing these matters. On some items I could have said the same words, on others it was nice to hear a different perspective. In general, it is nice at my age and this point in my life to meet someone new. I Of course, since we are both members of TD, I knew we had a shared obsess.....er deep interest in the same thing--Twins baseball. In conversations with the few TD posters I have met and in meeting people at Spring Training or watching the Cedar Rapids Kernels, I have to say it has been fun and interesting without a single person being boorish or arrogant. Maybe baseball fans are the best people in the world.

I liked what I saw of Swim in ST. He seems to have a good compact swing and seems to have a plan at the plate.

We have just passed the midpoint of the season and the Twins are a season low seven games below .500. A big reason why the Twins are as good as they are is their second baseman, Brian Dozier. Dozier is currently going through his third slump of the season and the batting average is down to .232. His homers have leveled off and his OPS has sunk to .762. However, I think the first half of the season has been a success for Dozier. Brian leads the club with 15 homers and is second in RBI with 38. He has played all but two games and is the team's most dynamic fielder. He also leads the team in stolen bases and is a plus base runner. Dozier continues to lead the AL in runs scored with 60. How can a .232 hitter be leading the league in runs? Well, that is why Dozier's first half has been a step forward. Dozier has drawn 51 walks, third most in the American League. He has added the discipline needed to reach base via the free pass to his skill set. Dozier made a much-ballyhooed adjustment to his hitting over a year ago. To some extent the league has adjusted to his adjustments, but by adding to his ability to work the count and see a number of pitches, Brian Dozier has moved forward. I do believe that Dozier is guilty of trying to do too much. He hasn't been great in RISP situations, he's made more errors and he's probably made a couple too many aggressive base running mistakes. The best way to solve the over-aggressiveness is to have some help. If the rest of the team is making some plays, Dozier doesn't have to force the issue as much. I noticed that someone has put forward the idea of trading Dozier. I suppose if players were machines, it would be a good idea, but I see Dozier as a guy who will keep making adjustments to get better and a leader on a team that needs one. Fill up a team with Brian Doziers and you have a winner.

Turner is having a pretty good run at Fort Myers. The word when he was drafted was that he was a top defensive catcher, but questionable with the bat IIRC. He's up to .249 with a .723 OPS, after being buried below the Mendoza line for much of the first part of the season.

I certainly think Vargas should at least move up to Rochester. I don't see a position for Robinson on the Twins. Despite yesterday's tough game, Plouffe is better at all phases and is nearly the same age. I think Walker would benefit from more time in Ft. Myers, although I think he has a chance to be a decent player.

You have to have Polanco and Berrios at Fort Myers. Vargas and Oliveros at New Britain and a couple of starters at Rochester--the Twins broadcast showed five Rochester pitchers with excellent ERAs. I guess Pino has been the most consistent. Daniel Ortiz and Gilmartin could be candidates at New Britain as well. I think Walker and his power should get some consideration in the FSL.

Well, not to defend every choice Gardenhire makes but given that there weren't any other real choices, what is the manager to do? Escobar has had a really good run hitting and he is a competent fielder, he should be the regular at shortstop whether he has a long leash is another question. There are no real backups for a guy hitting under .200, so Santana has gotten two starts in center field. I don't think the three weeks Santana has spent in the majors will ruin his development. Unfortunately, the manager's options were really limited.

Agree with just about all of this posting. Plouffe had a bad game on Friday (0-4 at the plate, a couple of substandard throws) and earlier in his career I would have worried about a downward spiral. I fully expect Trevor to do good things the rest of the series.

I hope Aaron Hicks has a nice year and increases his value enough to be traded for something useful. I am not really down on Hicks, but I don't think his bat will play at anything but center and that will be occupied by Byron Buxton soon enough. A couple of myths continue about Hicks. Is he fast? Not Revere or Buxton fast for sure. I don't think he is as fast as Denard either. further, and more to the point, his great arm and good speed don't make him a good defender, at least not yet. Finally, in terms of hitting, Hicks has one of the lower averages of any player after his first 400 plate appearances. Yes, the OBP looks OK and he showed a couple flashes of power last year, but an OPS of .602 and OPS+ of 68 aren't good enough for a young player to stay in the majors. Hicks has shown some signs of improvement. I hope they are substantial and not just a fortunate streak.

Right now, the Twins have a wealth of shortstop candidates. Conventional wisdom is that shortstops aren't platooned because working with the keystone partner is so important. Here is my view on the shortstops and my best guess to what will happen. I invite anyone else to comment and offer their opinion. 1) Eduardo Escobar. Escobar is starting most games right now and why not? He's hitting over .340 and he's pretty good in the field. News flash. Eduardo Escobar won't hit .340 and he's not going to get 50 doubles. When his bat cools, we'll see how Gardy feels about playing Escobar every day. For whatever reason, Escobar has been tabbed as a utility guy and he is a versatile player. Defensively, he is a solid shortstop with good hands and a strong arm. He doesn't have great range. I think Escobar has earned this shot and I think there's a chance that he may succeed. Regardless, he has proven he is a capable utility player. 2) Danny Santana. He has the range that Escobar lacks. Routine plays are a challenge. Since his promotion, Santana has played short and center field and demonstrated his blazing speed and strong arm. So far, he has also hit the ball great. Santana isn't going to hit .400 any more than Escobar will hit .340. In fact, if he gets a couple hundred plate appearances, it is really doubtful he be above average as a hitter. In his very short trial with the Twins, he hasn't shown he's ready to be a regular major leaguer, but he also has shown he has major league tools. A trip back to Rochester is nearly certain. Maybe he can develop into a big league regular with quite a bit more sizzle than Escobar offers. 3) Eduardo Nuñez. He is the most established hitter of the group, but that isn't saying much. He currently has taken on the utility role that Escobar vacated. If EE slumps, I wouldn't be surprised if Nuñez gets a shot to prove that his bad defensive rep is an overstatement or not. I can't see Gardy going with one of the worst defensive shortstops for long, but then again we saw Plouffe and Nishi playing the position. 4) Pedro Florimon. The manager is reportedly already missing his magic glove, but Florimon just didn't hit in about 70 plate appearances with the Twins, and hasn't hit at all in AAA either (and has already committed 5 errors--those minor league fields must be rough!). I think Florimon's peak as a hitter was what he produced the first half of last year and that is barely passable. He needs to put up some kind of offense to justify his recall. Down the road, there are others, but they are years away. I hope someone separates himself. Some are predicting that the Twins will draft a shortstop with their high first round pick, maybe that will the solution to the shortstop problem.

Danny Santana is a major league prospect. He isn't in the Twins' Top Ten and he isn't a Top 100 prospect in minor league baseball. Most players with his pedigree don't become stars, but some do and I imagine some become All-Stars and most likely some have become Hall of Fame players. Santana's strength as a prospect are his raw tools. He has great speed and a strong arm. His minor league stats have been unremarkable. Finally, he is a prospect in a position of need for his team. Santana was called up because there really wasn't any one else available. He was healthy and on the 40-man roster in a situation where there Twins were without a sufficient bench and had two players hitting below .130. What are the odds that a stopgap call-up stays in the majors and never looks back? I would say about 1 in a 1000 when the guy is a middling prospect as is how I profile Mr. Santana. I am a Twins fan and I hope for the best for my team. Against all odds, I am hoping that the Twins called up Santana at exactly the minute that he "got it" and that he would develop into a solid major leaguer. It appears that Santana's chance to thrive could come as an outfielder. That makes the chances of success even smaller than one in a thousand. I can hope for the best, but realize that it is a near certainty that Danny Santana will be back in Rochester long before the All-Star break. Maybe, just maybe, he'll defy the odds. By the way, hoping for Santana to defy the odds doesn't mean that I accept the Twins puzzling moves (I'm trying to be kind). Two straight years of center field struggles without adequate back-ups is only part of their problem. Carrying too many relief pitchers, falling in love with no-hit catchers and failing to be pro-active when injuries occur are pretty much inexcusable, if not inexplicable.

Brian Dozier wasn't a high draft choice. He had a breakout minor league season in 2011 and became a prospect for the Twins mostly because of the dearth of talent at shortstop, which was then his position. Dozier was then assigned to Rochester and got a promotion to the Twins after a hot start in Triple A. Brian's rookie season was by most measures disappointing and ended with a demotion back to Rochester without a September recall. 2013 looked to be a year of decision for Dozier. He was moved to second base and given the inside track to win a starting position there for the Twins, which he did. After a slow start, Dozier hit well starting in mid-May and throughout the season he was a standout defensively at his new position. After watching Dozier for the better part of part of two seasons, I have become a big fan. As mentioned, with the position switch, Dozier has become a truly excellent defender, making web gem plays along with always being heads up on the field. He has developed surprising power, hitting 18 homers last year and already stroking 8 long balls this season. He has moved almost full-time to the leadoff spot and has shown far better plate discipline, ranking among the league's leaders in walks and he has scored runs--his 29 rank tops in all of MLB. Brian leads the club with nine stolen bases (3rd in the AL), but more than that he seems to have taken great strides in base running, aggressively taking extra bases, but not often getting caught. Dozier's game is not without flaws--he hit below .250 last year and is below that mark this year, he strikes out a lot. His season so far has some statistical oddities--he only has one extra base hit besides his home runs and all of his long balls are solos. Dozier only has 12 RBI despite the 8 homers. Brian Dozier is one of very few Twins players that is above average as a hitter, fielder and base runner. It seems that he doesn't go a game without doing something good at the plate, making an outstanding defensive play or showing good base running skills. The Twins need more players who can win a game with their legs, their glove, or their bat. And he's got really good hair!

Future Stars: Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton. Emerging Rookie: Josmil Pinto Revelation: Chris Colabello. Starter who Finally "gets it": Trevor Plouffe. Only player to establish himself in 2013: Brian Dozier. What do all of these position players have in common? They are all right handed hitters. Since the emergence of MVPs Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau the Twins have definitely leaned left. Perhaps not in sheer numbers, but the most feared and respected hitters were lefties. The story is that the White Sox took Chris Sale early in part because they knew they would have to deal with the M & M Boys (don't know if that is completely true). So far this year, on the offensive side, the good stories have been about right handed hitters. Is this a good thing? In part, I think it is. Target Field seems more suited for right handed power. The high wall in right has turned a lot of blasts into singles and doubles and perhaps the prevailing winds help when left field is the pull field. I also think that most good right handed hitters diminish their platoon splits. So far, Colabello and Pinto have hit better against righties than lefties (SSS) and Plouffe and Dozier have evened up their numbers after being much better vs. lefties last year. Also, Joe Mauer provides a conterbalance and he is signed for five more years. Promising hitter Oswaldo Arcia also hits left handed although he hasn't done much this year due to injury. The irony of this is that the Twins have hit markedly poorer versus left handed pitchers so far this year. Part of that may be attributable to facing Mr. Sale and Mr. Price, who figure to give just about every hitter problems. I can envision a lineup later in this decade with as many as seven right handed regulars. It would depend on some guys to develop and others to show this early season isn't a fluke. I never thought there would be a time that Mauer was on the team where the team would be so right handed.

I have thought since last fall that what is best for Hicks' development is at least six weeks in Rochester to reacquire his swing and gain confidence. I thought Presley would be a good stopgap and then become the fourth outfielder when Hicks was recalled, but he lost a job that he had with a really poor showing in the spring. Hicks is just about where he was last year--a couple more hits and a few more walks--but still well below the Mendoza line and looking overmatched at the plate. Being optioned to Rochester still might be the best move, no matter that Sam Fuld shouldn't be a starting center fielder.

The season is now 18 games old and some trends can be determined. The Twins are hitting .231 vs. left handers with an OPS of .670, while they have hit .261 vs. right handers and put up an OPS of .773. Looking at splits when the season is only 11% complete means that the sample sizes are really small, so there will be outliers. However, I think the numbers tell us something. Some items of note: Three right handed hitting regulars (Dozier, Plouffe, and Pinto) have reverse splits. All are hitting markedly better against right handed pitching than against left handers. Colabello also has a slightly higher OPS vs. RH pitching, but he's hit well against everybody. Going into this season, Dozier and Plouffe were thought to be lefty mashers, but so far they've reversed that trend. Pinto is only 3-20 vs. LH pitching, but two of his hits have been homers. The Twins two left handed regulars (Kubel and Mauer) have been better against right handers. All of the Twins switch hitters haven't hit much. Hicks, in full-time play, has a dreadful .139 BA and .395 OPS with a still-substandard .208 BA and .636 OPS vs. southpaws. Escobar is 4 for 11 vs. right handers (.727 OPS), but 1 for 7 (.393 OPS) against lefties. Florimon has been terrible across the board, but particularly against RH pitching (.115 BA, .409 OPS). The most substantial splits are Dozier (.942 OPS vs. RH, .454 OPS vs. LH), Kubel (1.006 vs. RH, .714 vs LH), Suzuki (.959 vs. LH, .707 vs. RH), Hicks (.636 vs. LH, .395 vs. RH), Pinto (1.057 vs. RH, .820 vs. LH) and Mauer (.755 vs. RH, .575 vs. LH). What conclusions can we draw from this? First of all, it is early and one good game can change bad numbers into acceptable numbers. For now, it looks like Suzuki should be playing against left handed pitching and that Pinto has no problem with right handers. If the numbers continued, that would set up a platoon of Suzuki vs. left handed starters and Pinto vs. the righties. The numbers say that Kubel should be platooned if a decent RH bat is available and that Colabello has mashed against everybody and deserves to be playing every day, at least until he cools off.

Two parts to the backup catcher as DH: 1) The DH replaces the catcher and the team loses the DH. This never happened with the Mauer/Doumit duo. Why? There was no real strategic reason for either guy to be replaced. Mauer being the best hitter on the team and Doumit being a top 5 hitter on the team and being a switch hitter. The only reason to replace either would be to run for the slow-footed Doumit. However, with Suzuki and Pinto as the two catchers, Gardy would pinch hit for both if he has good LH options. This would either tie his hands for pinch hitting or expose the loss of DH situation much more often. 2) Using the emergency catcher. Would only happen if both catchers went out of the game. Obviously again with Doumit/Mauer it didn't happen because they never were hit for, but with Suzuki/Pinto, it could happen, because the Twins should hit for Suzuki close and late and might on occasion hit for Pinto against a tough right hander.

Thanks for an evenhanded view of the 25 man roster. The two Jasons plus Hicks and Colabello didn't have much major league success in their last go-rounds, but as you stated, they took jobs from no one and Hicks and Colabello performed well in the spring.