stringer bell

I agree with almost all of your take, SD. Yes, the Twins need a top flight pitcher and yes they need a Hispanic presence. I think four 90-plus loss seasons is too many, but I can't see either of both Sano and Buxton starting 2015 in the majors. The strib put together quite a nice series of articles. This is a real good response to the articles and should be a great thread to talk about the Twins' immediate future.

No to just giving him the money. Yes, he had a fine season and set a record for K/BB ratio. He already got a bonus for more than 200 innings. It is unfortunate that rain took the opportunity for him to earn his next bonus. If the Twins would like to contribute to a Hughes charity, go for it. If they make a gentleman's agreement to tack on $500K to any contract extension, that is fine. The risk of having him throw an inning of relief is that he might walk a batter and of course there is some risk of injury. I continue to hope for a rainout on Sunday so that Hughes can get that last start and beat the Tigers in a significant game.

Pre-TJ, Pelfrey was an okay back-of-the-rotation starter. That could be the case again after he is fully healed from his most recent shoulder issue. Given the uncertainties of the projected rotation, it makes a lot of sense to keep him. If 5 guys are better, put him in the bullpen and maybe he finds a nice role there.

Ricky Nolasco, Mike Pelfrey, and Tommy Milone have all had disappointing seasons for the Twins. Glen Perkins is having a rough finish to his season. The four pitchers named have all had injuries disclosed after they struggled. The cynics among us would all be of the opinion that perhaps the pitchers were using injury as an excuse for poor performance. Pelfrey started the season in the Twins rotation. He had a couple outings where he looked sharp, but would lose it and not be able to battle through tough innings. He was disabled with what seemed like a convenient and questionable groin injury. On rehab, Pelfrey had discomfort in his pitching shoulder, then had surgery and was lost for the year. Nolasco was a member of the Twins rotation from the start and ranked near the bottom of starters in hits per inning pitched, runs allowed and ERA. Nolasco mixed in a few good starts with a couple of so-so outings and a handful of no-chance disasters. Ricky was placed on the DL after a no-chance start in July with forearm and elbow tightness. Nolasco rehabbed and has been much better since his return, with three fine starts and one OK performance in seven outings. Milone was acquired from the A's for Sam Fuld after having a nice half-year with the A's, despite and early July demotion to the minors. He has had one decent start (his first for the Twins) and since hasn't been able to pitch five innings in a game. It was disclosed after his last disappointing start that Milone had a "dead arm" and needed to miss a turn. Since then, he has been slowed by a neck ailment and has missed his second turn. With only 11 games remaining, he may not get another chance to earn his first Twins victory. Glen Perkins was very good the first half of the year. He made the All-Star team for the second year in a row and has stayed on the leader board for saves while pitching for a last-place team. Perk has struggled mightily in the last quarter of the season. He has been unavailable after high pitch counts in consecutive games and then missed time with a sore neck. After his bad turn, Perkins' numbers aren't very good for a closer. According to sources, Perkins might be done for the season after allowing three runs in the ninth to the Tigers last night. Which brings me to the topic--were all of these injuries things that players deal with or were they used as excuses? The next question is, can we expect improved performance from these guys in 2015? It appears that Nolasco might be OK, given his last two starts. Pelfrey will have to prove himself in the spring and has no guarantees of a spot in the rotation. Unless Milone throws a couple of gems, he will be in a similar position to Pelfrey, but with having more recent big-league success. Finally, there is Perkins. For the last three years, Twins fans have had reason to be confident when he got the ball with a lead. Now, that will be an anxiety to be dealt with early in 2015. This assumes that all four will be pronounced "healthy" in spring training. Not a sure thing.

Dozier has certainly flattened out in the second half. His overall season is still pretty good. I don't know if he can be expected to be markedly better next year. His defense has also slipped a notch or two in the second half--about the same number of exceptional plays, but several more errors and misplays on balls that could/should be caught. He's far better than average and one of very few players on the Twins that could be expected to help win a game with any of his bat, his legs, or his glove.

I was with you until the last six words.

Really good article. It's time for new blood in the manager's office and with his staff. I believe Gardy is a decent manager and his staff is okay. After over a decade, the message gets stale.

And yet the Baltimore Orioles are going to win the East with Steve Pearce playing first base and some guy named Paredes playing third most of the time. Jose Bautista was bounced around from team to team and is now one of the top power threats in baseball. A certain number of players will become stars when there value was discounted. Buying lottery tickets is fine, but the Twins can't focus only on that, of course.

The death march to 90 losses for the Minnesota Twins continues today with another doubleheader, this time against the South Side Sox. Sixteen games remain in this frustrating season which produced one, maybe two, rotation pieces and some optimism that the Twins can score enough runs to be competitive. My thoughts have shifted to 2015.Taking a quick glance at the numbers and having watched a lot of Twins baseball this year, I have selected five areas where the Twins need improved play and where the possibility exists that there can be improvement. 1) Joe Mauer--The hometown hero has to return to being an All-Star caliber player. I don't know what it has been, but Mauer has been a shadow of his former self. His batting average is down 50 points, and his OBP almost as much. Some, myself included, expected a bit of a power surge moving to the physically less demanding position of first base and the reverse has happened. We've seen flashes, but no sustained great performance. Mauer has had a Hall-of-Fame career to this point, but this year has been pretty close to dreadful. I think he needs to both adjust and train like he never has before. He has to turn on more pitches, hit more balls over the fence and be stronger. Some have made the point that Mauer rested all off-season, waiting for the concussion symptoms to disappear. If they are gone, he needs to be both stronger and more flexible at 32. I believe it can be done. 2) Defense--The Strib yesterday pointed out that the Twins defense was ranked 29th out of 30 in some measure. I think that is close to accurate and is almost totally on the outfield defense--and catcher!. There is currently a thread running about the defensive dilemma. I will say that both better athletes and more continuity will move the needle considerably. More reps for Arcia in right field and Santana at whatever position he lands should produce dividends. An improved pitching staff could improve run suppression better than any single defensive change. The crown jewel of the Twins' farm system is a center fielder who could graduate next year and make an immediate defensive impact on the team. 3) Rotation--The Twins' staff was supposed to be improved this year. Despite a breakthrough for Phil Hughes, it hasn't happened. Supposed reliable innings-eaters have underperformed and been injured. It would be foolish to expect Nolasco, Pelfrey and Milone to all bounce back to be acceptable starters or better next year, but it isn't out of the realm that one or two them returns to better form than they displayed this year. Trevor May and Alex Meyer will get a chance at some time next year. JO Berrios isn't far away either. Better days are ahead, hopefully supervised by a different pitching coach. 4) Home record--The Twins have won more road games than seven teams who have better records than they do. Where's the "home field advantage"? Part of this is roster construction--Target Field requires speedy outfielders and right-handed power and the Twins haven't had enough of either. Part of that is attitude, I believe. For some reason, the Twins don't seem to be convinced they should win every home game and haven't since 2010. Again, maybe a change in the field staff will instill this attitude 5) Fundamentals--Know when to take a chance on the bases. Know which base to throw to, and set up and use the cutoff man. When there's a runner on third with less than two out, don't try to hit the ball 500 feet, especially with two strikes. The Twins have fallen off dramatically in all these facets and more, which encompass "fundamentals", and it has cost them on the W-L ledger. Good teams make the right plays at the right time. The talent is there, but the focus sometimes has not been. Again, perhaps a new voice will be able to get through to the players both on how to play hard and be fundamentally sound. That's my five areas. I know there are more. As I wrote this, it occurred to me how nice it would be to have someone else calling the shots from the manager's seat. I guess this is my not-to-subtle call to replace the manager as well. Click here to view the article

The death march to 90 losses continues today with another doubleheader, this time against the South Side Sox. Sixteen games remain in this frustrating season which produced one, maybe two, rotation pieces and some optimism that the Twins can score enough runs to be competitive. For the record, the Twins need to win 11 of 16 games to avoid 90 losses. Actually, if they did that it would be a bit more than cosmetic, since they are playing playoff contenders in ten of the last 16 games. My thoughts have shifted to 2015. Taking a quick glance at the numbers and having watched a lot of Twins baseball this year, I have selected five topics where the Twins need improved play and where the possibility exists that there can be improvement. 1) Joe Mauer--The hometown hero has to return to being an All-Star caliber player. I don't know what it has been, but Mauer has been a shadow of his former self. His batting average is down 50 points, and his OBP almost as much. Some (myself included) expected a bit of a power surge moving to the physically less demanding position of first base and the reverse has happened. We've seen flashes, but no sustained great performance. Mauer has had a Hall-of-Fame career to this point, but this year has been pretty close to dreadful. I think he needs to both adjust and train like he never has before. He has to turn on more pitches, hit more balls over the fence and be stronger. Some have made the point that Mauer rested all off-season, waiting for the concussion symptoms to disappear. If they are gone, he needs to be both stronger and more flexible at 32 and I believe it can be done. 2) Defense--The strib yesterday pointed out that the Twins defense was ranked 29th out of 30 in some measure. I think that is close to accurate and is almost totally on the outfield defense (and catcher!). There is currently a thread running about the defensive dilemma. I will say that both better athletes and more continuity will move the needle considerably. More reps for Arcia in right field and Santana at whatever position he lands should produce dividends. An improved pitching staff could improve run suppression better than any single defensive change. The crown jewel of the Twins' farm system is a center fielder who could graduate next year and make an immediate impact on the team defensively. 3) Rotation--The Twins' staff was supposed to be improved this year. Despite a breakthrough for Phil Hughes, it hasn't happened. Supposed reliable innings-eaters have underperformed and been injured. It would be foolish to expect Nolasco, Pelfrey, and Milone to all bounce back to be acceptable starters or better next year, but it isn't out of the realm that one or two of these guys returns to better form than they displayed this year. Trevor May and Alex Meyer will get a chance at some time next year. JO Berrios isn't far away either. Better days are ahead, hopefully supervised by a different pitching coach. 4) Home record--The Twins have won more road games than seven teams who have better records than they do. Where's the "home field advantage"? Part of this is roster construction--Target Field requires speedy outfielders and right handed power and the Twins haven't had enough of either. Part of that is attitude, I think. For some reason, the Twins don't seem to be convinced they should win every home game and haven't since 2010. Again, maybe a change in the field staff will instill this. 5) Fundamentals--Know when to take a chance on the bases. Know which base to throw to, and set up and use the cutoff man. When there's a runner on third with less than two out, don't try to hit the ball 500 feet, especially with two strikes. The Twins have fallen off dramatically in all of those facets which encompass "fundamentals" and it has cost them in the W-L ledger. Good teams make the right plays at the right time. The talent is there, but the focus sometimes has not been. Again, perhaps a new voice will be able to get through to the players how to both play hard and be fundamentally sound. That's my five areas. I know there are more. As I wrote this, it occurred to me how nice it would be to have someone else calling the shots from the manager's seat. I guess this is my not-to-subtle call to replace the manager as well.

Positional flexibility is a good thing for borderline guys. If Chris Herrmann weren't both an acceptable catcher and an adequate corner outfielder, I doubt he would have seen the major leagues and he might be out of baseball. Brian Dinkelman got free health care for life because he could play both second base and the outfield corners. The Twins this year used Pedro Florimon at second and third in Rochester because it certainly appears that he can't hit enough to be a regular, but he might be able to become a three-position utility infielder for someone. Dan Rohlfing of the Red Wings is another guy who can catch and play the outfield corner (plus first base) and it wouldn't surprise me that he gets at least a cup of coffee in the majors because of his versatility. Premium guys like Sano and Buxton won't get moved around. It is telling that the Twins sent Hicks down and used him on the outfield corners, suggesting that his future might be as a utility outfielder, rather than a center fielder.

I think putting another slow guy (Mauer, Pinto) in the outfield is going exactly the wrong way to improve the defense. The infield is satisfactory at each position, without a real weak link, but not "rangy" unless Santana is the regular shortstop, and I'm not convinced that Danny can be a plus defender at short. Adding a speedy, rangy left fielder and having a regular center fielder would improve things immeasurably. I probably like Schafer more than I should--I love the speed on the bases and he's been pretty good in the OF--but using him more than half the time in the outfield might make the outfield defense more palatable.

Nice conversation. I agree with several things posted, but disagree with quite a few as well. Yes, repetitions will make a player a better fielder. Danny Santana had played less than 10 professional games in the outfield. He has come a long way while learning on the job. If he continued to work on center, he would be adequate as soon as next year IMHO. Lots of talk about Aaron Hicks playing a corner. I just don't see enough bat to play a corner. Arcia was a brutal outfielder last year, he is better this year and I think he can be adequate next year. He's got enough speed and a good arm. He has focused better this year, but still isn't close to a finished product. Having four or maybe five guys play 99% of the outfield innings would help greatly. I think the Twins are moving in the right direction there. Misplays not only come on balls that should be outs, they happen on balls that are legitimate hits. Turning singles into doubles and triples will be alleviated if the pitchers allow less hits in the first place. Game situations caused by better pitching (a healthy lead) will take some more pressure off the defense. Defense and pitching are intertwined. Great defense helps pitching and great pitching helps suspect defense (see Tigers, Detroit). There is plenty of room for the Twins to improve both defensively and on the mound. I think they might improve enough to be interesting next year.

One man's opinion--the baserunning hasn't been that bad. We have seen some dreadful mistakes, but we often have seen the extra base taken when offered. I hate to use the cliché, but a guy like Dozier, who displayed very good instincts to go with good speed, may be trying to do too much. Schafer is going to make some outs on the bases, but he also will take a whole bunch of extra bases via the stolen base and just being aggressive. Slower guys have to know when to go and I think in large part they have been cautious, but haven't clogged the bases either.

I pretty much disagree with the posts immediately above me. First of all, Gardenhire has done an excellent job protecting the health of his bullpen. In the past two years at least, there has been minimal lost time in the bullpen. Some of that might be good luck, but Gardenhire tries hard not to pitch guys on three consecutive games and if they go long in one game, they likely get a couple days off. As far as strategy, every manager tries to get LH pitchers in against LH hitters and finds spots for right handers to face primarily right handers, so sure they'll have short outings. Francona used something like eight relievers in a game where he led throughout to maximize matchups. If a guy goes 10-15 pitches, he's probably available to face a couple batters the next day. The pitchers have roles and it helps them to better prepare. They know when they are likely to be used and who they'll face. It is easy to second-guess if the "8th inning guy" gives up the lead with the closer not warmed up. But if for example Casey Fien throws a good eighth, should he be a candidate to go out for the ninth? There are a lot of one inning relievers in baseball. There is less flexibility and that combination makes for seven and eight-man bullpens. Sometimes we see situations where we say "huh", but more often than not there is a reason why the peculiar move or non-move was made.

Gardy pretty much put Schafer's throw on the two veterans, Dozier and Mauer. Missing cutoff men happens to all teams. I would agree that Arcia has been guilty more than his share. It is part of not being fundamentally sound, not the be-all and end-all.

Winnah for the Miracle!

I see this year as 75% or more on the pitching staff. The idea was for the not necessarily dominating starters to give innings so that the bullpen wouldn't be overworked, and lately the starters' failures have certainly effected the bullpen. As mentioned above by Platoon, the Twins seem to be in the lowest quartile of fundamental play. I am not really big on productive outs, but getting runners home from third with less than two out has been abysmal all year. Defensive fundamentals have been substandard, as well. I really can't fault lineups or who has played in the big picture, but four 90+ loss seasons is too many and the biggest factor in the game has shown almost no improvement. I think Gardy and Anderson should both go, but I see no real reason to retain Anderson. It is time for someone new to work with the pitchers.

The Twins have just been swept by the Angels. They were competitive for three games, but got beat up on Sunday. The fact is that, despite a fairly good offense in the five games, the Twins had no chance because the Angels are superior in all facets of the game. At least some of the young guys are playing and a few are thriving. Kennys Vargas is hitting and slugging and Danny Santana is established as a good hitter who has played center field more than his natural position of shortstop. In the last four years, much has been made of the Twins' continuing futility and much of this stems from non-competitive Septembers. It sure looks like the same thing is happening again. Of course, this year, as mentioned above, they are playing some guys who will be around when the roster is turned over. What is particularly disappointing is that there apparently is no one ready to help the pitching staff. We've seen Phil Hughes go out almost every time and give the team a chance to win, Kyle Gibson has faded a bit, but has been satisfactory. Beyond that? Well, Ricky Nolasco has one good start since returning from the DL, Trevor May has improved, but previously was historically bad, the team has gotten nothing out of Tommy Milone. The bullpen is in tatters. All the guys who have been with the team all year seem to be worn out. The late-season reinforcements have been underwhelming and these are the guys that will be getting the first chance if some veteran arms are let go! Maybe this gives guys like Jake Reed and Burdi a quick path to the majors. Maybe it is time for management to change. I have been embarrassed by my favorite team in the last four years and I just don't think it has to be this bad.

With both a more effective starting rotation and some flexibility in the relief corps, I believe that a 12-man staff should be the rule rather than the exception. I think that Escobar is an ideal utility man because he plays good defense at many positions, but IMHO he's the best shortstop. If Santana lands the SS job, than Escobar and Nuñez provide a little bit of everything as reserves. I'm still believing in Parmelee, but if another outfielder is acquired, Parmelee is on his way out. Schafer will almost certainly not go through the arbitration process, so the Twins will have to do some "fancy footwork" to keep him in the fold. If Schafer is not back next year, there is room for a free agent in the outfield. Assuming good health, here is my handicap for the marginal players on my list: Suzuki, Mauer, Dozier, Escobar, Plouffe, Arcia--100% Santana-95%, Vargas 80%, Pinto 75%, Nuñez, 70%, Hicks 65%, Parmelee 55%, Schafer 50%. Schafer is probably the only one where a contract will be an issue.

The Twins will probably lose 90 games this year. That doesn't mean that they will be making wholesale changes of their roster, at least not from the position player standpoint. After watching half of the Angel series, I'm convinced that all of the 13 position players that will head north out of Fort Myers are playing for the Twins right now. Most of the players are givens. A couple of guys will have competition and two of the jewels of the system will probably get their chance sometime in 2015, but what you are seeing is pretty close to what you will get in the spring of 2015. Here's my thirteen players: Regulars--Mauer, Dozier, Escobar, Plouffe, Santana, Hicks, Schafer, Arcia, Vargas, and Suzuki. Bench--Parmelee, Nunez, and Pinto. You notice I listed ten regulars. I am visualizing Santana as a tenth starter, around the infield and outfield. Hicks and Schafer share with Santana in left and center. This is a young lineup (basically) with both power and speed. This is essentially the same lineup that is leading the league in scoring since August 1. If Hicks tanks again, there are alternatives. I have started a thread and stated in other threads that I like both Nuñez and Parmelee as bench players. I also expect that Pinto will gain more time behind the plate next year and that by the end of the season, he may be sharing time or better with Suzuki. With exciting guys like Sano and Buxton perhaps just a phone call away by midseason, one has to be optimistic about the position players. The pitching staff? well, changes have to be made.

OK, I'm going there. Eight plate appearances. Those of you advocating Polanco's recall and competing for a position on the team next year are putting way too much emphasis on eight plate appearances. I believe Eric Fryer had three hits in his first eight plate appearances this year. Does that make him a legitimate prospect? No. Some guys, from Aaron Hicks to Willie Mays go 0-8, does that make them busts? Again, no. Eight plate appearances is simply too small a sample to matter. Polanco, at 20 years old, competed well in High A ball. He wasn't dominant, but he competed well. He hit .281, with a .780 OPS and got a deserved promotion to AA. At New Britain, he was satisfactory, no more, no less. The batting average was OK (.281), but he only had seven extra-base hits and nine walks in a quarter season. Defensively, he's probably not ready, if errors made are any gauge of defensive performance. If Polanco shows the same improvement in 2015, it will make considerably more sense for him to get a late-season look. He then might really be on the cusp of staying in the big leagues, even if he doesn't get a single AAA plate appearance. We know that at 23, Danny Santana was ready offensively. It looks like Kennys Vargas was ready from his 24th birthday on. We also know that at 23 and 24, first round draft choice Aaron Hicks wasn't ready. I certainly haven't seen enough of Polanco to make blanket statements, but I'm sure the Twins get reports from his managers and coaches. If he were truly ready for major league baseball, even a September audition, somebody would have made the case for him. I doubt that has happened.

The only thing bringing up Polanco does is add service time, and that's not a good thing for the team. He's the fourth best shortstop and they sure don't need more than three. Let him master AA at least before he's promoted.

Generalities: The bullpen gets turned over for younger, harder throwing arms. After the last month, maybe just a thought might be made about grooming a future closer. More speed and defense in the outfield. I think there's a place for Schafer, not sure about Hicks. If Santana is the shortstop, the Twins could and should keep both Escobar and Nuñez as utility guys. Pinto is my backup catcher, but if a trade is made and there is a more defensive-minded (perhaps LH hitting) young catcher to be traded for, it makes the team more balanced. I count seven guys for five spots in the rotation: Hughes, Gibson Nolasco, Milone, Meyer, May and Pelfrey. While Pelfrey and Milone (and Nolasco) don't look that good right now, things can change in six months.