stringer bell

Beyond the "patience" mantra, I am wondering about some specifics from the front office and field staff. I question how well they relate to the young guys, particularly the Hispanic players, and I think they need a better plan in dealing with prospects when they break in to the majors (e.g. Hicks and Arcia). The front office is culpable in going with limited pitchers (command and control, pitch to contact) and position players. They have been slow to delve into advanced stats and have been slow to go along with the power bat/power arm combo for a winning team. Further, I question whether the Twins have been prudent in valuing their assets and free agent assets.

Lots of candidates for the starting rotation. I think Gibson and Worley are good candidates for bounceback seasons. I would like to see the Twins sign Johnson and maybe Vargas. I think they should replace Morneau with Morales (more of a DH, but I like Mauer playing a lot of first) and Morales has negligible platoon splits. Casey Fien and Roenicke should probably be gone (hopefully the Twins could get something for Casey), Hicks needs to win back center field (I think he will) and Parmelee will need to re-establish himself as a big leaguer, probably starting as a bench player.

I haven't paid close attention to the Twins for the past couple of weeks. I was on the road last (long) weekend and have played golf in the warm weather every night. I caught part of the game yesterday and followed along as the Twins were swept today. My frustration level with the product on the field has reached new highs. I checked out the numbers for all of the players and besides the disabled Mauer, no one is an even average hitter for their position. Yesterday was a sloppy defensive game and I understand there were mistakes in the field on Tuesday as well. We've known all year that the pitching staff is subpar, but I thought the offense and defense would improve this year. It hasn't. Right now this team is as bad as either of the two 90+ loss teams that preceded it. My solution? Fire everybody. Gardy--gone. "Andy"--pink slip. Steiny and Bruno--you're gone too. Vavra and Ullger--part of the current regime--out the door. The architect of this mess (Terry Ryan)--retired or fired. The time for patience and continuity is over. Of the 25 guys on the roster right now, no more than a couple will be playing for the team when they are relevant again. Sweep the floor clean and start over. Besides this, high-quality guys might want to take over as GM or field manager because the farm system is loaded. I am sick of seeing non-competitive lineups and efforts in the last third of the season and tired of counting my team out by the 4th of July, if not sooner. While most of the guys I am calling to be fired are good baseball guys, and I don't think it is all the fault of any one person, it is time to quit trying to tweak the "Twins way" and going a new direction. I also won't mind seeing major shakeups of the "talent" on the field. Go young, with a small sprinkling of veterans, trade away or DFA the chaff and get started on becoming a dominant team in this decade instead of looking back at the competitiveness of the last one. If the one star (Mauer) isn't happy with this, ask him to waive his no-trade contract and get a real haul for him.

I checked the usual suspects for homers by a Twins second baseman. Bernie Allen hit 12 in his rookie year (1962), Rod Carew hit 13 as a 2B in 1975. Chuck Knoblauch hit 13 in '96, Todd Walker hit 12 in 1998, and the current single season home run leader as a second baseman is Tim Tuefel with 14 in 1984.

The Twins started 2013 with many question marks. The entire starting rotation was questioned (rightly), and new starters were introduced at 2B, SS, 3B, and RF. Center field was to be manned by a rookie who hadn't played above AA and several new arms were being deployed in the bullpen. The established players were Willingham, Morneau, and Mauer, with DH and backup catcher being handled by veteran Ryan Doumit. While not much was expected, the goal was to see some or all of the new player establish themselves, some of the pitchers to take a step forward and a larger core to be established for the next wave of high-profile prospects. If everything went right, the Twins could make substantial improvement in the W-L ledger and maybe threaten .500. If things went wrong, well there's next year and there wasn't a lot of money or years invested in the "bridge" players. With about 20% of the season remaining, there hasn't been much good news. Some players and pitchers (perhaps Correia, Pelfrey, and Florimon) have managed to meet low-bar expectations. Hicks and Parmelee (2/3 of the starting outfield) are in the minors, third baseman Plouffe hasn't hit enough or improved enough in the field to sew up a roster position for next year. Veterans Doumit and Willingham have regressed (Hammer was hampered by injuries) and Morneau is backing up a mediocre season with another mediocre season. The bullpen has been a success. They've been healthy and have handled their roles very well despite getting too much work. That is the second best news for the team on the field this year. The best news of 2013 has been the development and establishment of Brian Dozier as the team's second baseman. First the defense--Dozier has supplied more highlights than any other player on the team and on top of that, he has been fundamentally sound and steady. He has adjusted to second base incredibly well and seems to have mastered the double play pivot and the throws and angles in short order. Offensively, Dozier's numbers don't look that great--his average is in the .240s and he has struggled to get his OBP over .300--but Dozier has improved since a lousy April and May and he has demonstrated surprising sock for a middle infielder. He had 13 extra base hits in July and already has 15 in August, with a week to go. Dozier has hit 13 homers, second on the club and has a chance to set a home run record for a Twins second baseman. Dozier has batted leadoff more often than not since midseason. He's probably not ideal for that role, but is certainly the best option available for the Twins. For whatever reason, Dozier has also delivered best for the team this year when the chips were down. His splits with runners on, close and late, and RISP have been very good. He's second on the club in RBI, despite batting leadoff behind low OBP guys hitting in front of him. Dozier has earned the respect of his manager, and has cemented himself as a major league regular at age 26. He may be playing at his ceiling, but this level is good enough. Going forward, he is a regular or a pretty decent trade chip and definitely the biggest success story of the 2013 Twins.

Many ifs in the following scenario, but if Dozier proves to be a decent hitter with surprising power and a fine defender and Rosario "beats the door down" by continuing to hit as he advances through the minor leagues, the Twins would have decisions to make. One would be to move the superior defender back to shortstop to clear a spot for Rosario. The other option would be to trade one or the other.

My best friend from high school and me stay in touch but seldom see each other. We decided we would attend a game sometime this summer and he called me last week telling me that he had tickets given to him to see the Astros--yes! The Astros--today. We met and had lunch and then attended the game. The weather was pleasant (mid 70s and mostly cloudy) and the Twins should certainly have had a chance since they were playing the worst team in mlb. The Twins did prevail 3-2 and the crowd was again pretty good (over 34,000) and they appreciated the positive moments that occurred during the game. There really weren't many positive moments. Pelfrey was his struggling self, pitching into and out of trouble in almost every inning. Except for two big flies, the Twins' offense did next to nothing. There weren't many good fielding plays or long fly balls, except for the two that cleared the fence. Some observations: Carroll started at third and looks .......really old. He doesn't have much zip on his throws (I noticed he's played almost no SS this year), his ABs were pretty poor. Morneau had a couple good rips besides his homer. I'll let others at TD debate whether today was a blip on the radar or something else. When I looked at the lineup and the Twins bottom of the order, I saw Thomas (minor leaguer), Carroll (should be retired) and Bernier (minor leaguer) with Herrmann and Colabello also on the roster and I'm thinking not good thought about Minnesota's GM. Arcia hit a couple balls right on the nose including the game winner and the major difference between the Twins and Astros is that the Twins have a decent, functional bullpen. I listened to more espn1500 this morning than I have in months. I heard Jim Souhan call out Trevor Plouffe and say that someone in the Twins' FO told him that nobody wanted any of the Twins available at the deadline. I don't hold out much hope for the club for the rest of the year. I think an August trade would be helpful, but unless somebody starts hitting or pitching better, I don't think that will happen. The roster is relatively old with a lot of guys that have zero upside. Oh, well. The Twins won a game and I got to see an old friend. And Target Field is a really nice venue.

My best friend from high school and me stay in touch but seldom see each other. We decided we would attend a game sometime this summer and he called me last week telling me that he had tickets given to him to see the Astros--yes! The Astros--today. We met and had lunch and then attended the game. The weather was pleasant (mid 70s and mostly cloudy) and the Twins should certainly have had a chance since they were playing the worst team in mlb. The Twins did prevail 3-2 and the crowd was again pretty good (over 34,000) and they appreciated the positive moments that occurred during the game. There really weren't many positive moments. Pelfrey was his struggling self, pitching into and out of trouble in almost every inning. Except for two big flies, the Twins' offense did next to nothing. There weren't many good fielding plays or long fly balls, except for the two that cleared the fence. Some observations: Carroll started at third and looks .......really old. He doesn't have much zip on his throws (I noticed he's played almost no SS this year), his ABs were pretty poor. Morneau had a couple good rips besides his homer. I'll let others at TD debate whether today was a blip on the radar or something else. When I looked at the lineup and the Twins bottom of the order, I saw Thomas (minor leaguer), Carroll (should be retired) and Bernier (minor leaguer) with Herrmann and Colabello also on the roster and I'm thinking not good thought about Minnesota's GM. Arcia hit a couple balls right on the nose including the game winner and the major difference between the Twins and Astros is that the Twins have a decent, functional bullpen. I listened to more espn1500 this morning than I have in months. I heard Jim Souhan call out Trevor Plouffe and say that someone in the Twins' FO told him that nobody wanted any of the Twins available at the deadline. I don't hold out much hope for the club for the rest of the year. I think an August trade would be helpful, but unless somebody starts hitting or pitching better, I don't think that will happen. The roster is relatively old with a lot of guys that have zero upside. Oh, well. The Twins won a game and I got to see an old friend. And Target Field is a really nice venue.

I have said for a while that Pelfrey has me interested because he does have good velocity. The immediate future for starting pitchers for the Twins (2013-2014) is filled with question marks. If the Twins can ink Pelf for decent money, they should do it. He isn't an ace, but he seems to project in the middle of a competitive rotation.

I've been on the Pinto bandwagon for the long ride this season. He certainly isn't getting the publicity he might if the Twins didn't have Sano and Buxton. A promotion to Rochester has to happen and seeing some big league time makes sense to me. Trade Doumit and ride with Josmil!

JB, I think that is semantics. They are rebuilding and Ryan is saying that almost everyone is on the table to be moved (Mauer has the no trade). IMHO, except for the Marlins and Astros, the Twins have the longest way to go. There's talent in the minors, but most of it is a long way away. They really, really need to "hit" on pitchers.

All pretense that the Twins can or would contend in 2013 is gone, the product of a couple of bad losing streaks and the lack of competitive starting pitching. The club needs to focus on 2014 and beyond. Much speculation has been posted on Twins Daily about deadline deals and I'm sure that will continue even past the non-waiver deadline. Selling off veterans would have many effects: 1) It will make the team worse on the field immediately 2) it will give rookies and non-veterans a chance to show if they are worthy to be in the team's plans and 3) it will subtract salary from a payroll that has already been trimmed significantly and likely clear space on the 40-man roster. First of all, however, the Twins need to know who will be running the show. Terry Ryan has given no indication that he wants to step down and I have heard no rumors that the Pohlads want him out. I guess this means that Ryan will be the architect of the latest rebuilding effort. Who his field manager will be is more of a dicey proposition. Ron Gardenhire looks like he will preside over his third straight 90 loss season. Few non-expansion manager are able to survive such ineptitude. Gardy has been here for more than a decade and many seem to think his message and his means have gotten stale. I'm not calling for Gardy to be fired, but I will be neither surprised nor disappointed if he is let go. Who should succeed Gardenhire? Well, the club will definitely be young and inexperienced in the coming years. The in-house names bandied about (Molitor, Brunansky, Ullger, Steinbach) would all be rookie managers. I would hope that the Twins would look outside their organization to find a manager with some experience who could lead a team on the upswing. When Gardenhire leaves, it is widely expected that Rick Anderson will leave with him. I am pretty "meh" about Anderson, but much like the manager, it seems that his message has not been as effective as it was earlier. This leaves two areas to consider for the balance of 2013. First, how thoroughly does the team purge the veterans on the club? With the trade deadline on the 31st of this month and waiver claims after that, the Twins can and should part with players who won't help them win two years from now. Unfortunately, the trend for almost all of the tradeable vets over 30 is down. The exception is Glen Perkins, who is underutilized as the closer on a bad team, but is putting up elite numbers and was named to his first All-Star team. Secondly, the Twins need to know who they can count on in 2014 and beyond from their current roster. The means consistent at-bats for the likes of Dozier, Florimon, Parmelee, Plouffe, and the rookies Hicks and Arcia. Here is my opinion on the above issues. Sell the position players even if their value is low. Be more cautious with the pitchers and only accept fair value plus for a pitcher. In addition, when dealing, demand pitching in return. The farm system is stocked with the best prospects the Twins have had in recent memory, but it is overloaded with position players. The club needs to add pitching, particularly high-ceiling arms. Of course, this is the plan for probably 90% of rebuilding teams. Specifically, here is my scenario: Trade Morneau for what can be had. He won't get the haul of an All-Star, because he isn't one. I think the player and the team would be well-served by parting. I also think Doumit must go. He is an okay hitter, but not good enough to be a DH and he hits well for a backup catcher, but his defense hurts and he's 32. I've become a big booster of AA All-Star Josmil Pinto, who has had a great season in New Britain and is on the Twins' 40-man roster. Jamey Carroll might help a contender. He can continue with the Twins as a de-facto coach, but it makes no sense for him to be playing except as a replacement when giving a young player a day off. Parmelee and Arcia need at-bats. I'm confident that both will hit better than they are right now. Parm needs to put up numbers or be passed by. Arcia certainly has more rope, but his current slump is a bit alarming. The die is also cast on Aaron Hicks. He won't be demoted despite his sub-.200 BA and he has shown glimpses of All-Star ability. We need to remember that outside of Arcia and Hicks, the guys getting the at-bats are candidates to be the next Gladden and Gagnes or maybe Lombardozzis and Leiuses, rather than future Hall of Famers or All-Stars. On the pitching front, relievers Fien and Duensing should be shopped. Fien's value is pretty high right now so he is a good candidate to be traded, but again only if the team gets value for him. Duensing has regressed to the point that the return for him wouldn't be great. He's failed as a starter and hasn't been able to hold a 7th inning role either. Duensing has had success before, but not recently. I doubt the Twins get an offer good enough to send him away. There has been speculation on starters Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Correia. Correia started strong but has been less than ordinary in the last two months, while Pelfrey seems to be getting better slowly. Both profile as back of the rotation starters, which means that the payoff would be top prospects. Again, it would be fine to send either guy off, but innings eaters have value despite less-than-stellar stats. I know I'm in the minority, but I think the Twins should keep Pelfrey unless they are overwhelmed by a deadline offer. I like that his velocity is up and he is still very early on the road to recovery from TJ surgery. The Twins will continue to be bad this year whether they ship their veterans or not. Making the right rebuilding moves will help as soon as next year. Let's hope they make the right calls and that 2014 will be the ramp-up year for when they contend for a decade.

All pretense that the Twins can or would contend in 2013 is gone, the product of a couple of bad losing streaks and the lack of competitive starting pitching. The club needs to focus on 2014 and beyond. Much speculation has been posted on Twins Daily about deadline deals and I'm sure that will continue even past the non-waiver deadline. Selling off veterans would have many effects: 1) It will make the team worse on the field immediately 2) it will give rookies and non-veterans a chance to show if they are worthy to be in the team's plans and 3) it will subtract salary from a payroll that has already been trimmed significantly and likely clear space on the 40-man roster. First of all, however, the Twins need to know who will be running the show. Terry Ryan has given no indication that he wants to step down and I have heard no rumors that the Pohlads want him out. I guess this means that Ryan will be the architect of the latest rebuilding effort. Who his field manager will be is more of a dicey proposition. Ron Gardenhire looks like he will preside over his third straight 90 loss season. Few non-expansion manager are able to survive such ineptitude. Gardy has been here for more than a decade and many seem to think his message and his means have gotten stale. I'm not calling for Gardy to be fired, but I will be neither surprised nor disappointed if he is let go. Who should succeed Gardenhire? Well, the club will definitely be young and inexperienced in the coming years. The in-house names bandied about (Molitor, Brunansky, Ullger, Steinbach) would all be rookie managers. I would hope that the Twins would look outside their organization to find a manager with some experience who could lead a team on the upswing. When Gardenhire leaves, it is widely expected that Rick Anderson will leave with him. I am pretty "meh" about Anderson, but much like the manager, it seems that his message has not been as effective as it was earlier. This leaves two areas to consider for the balance of 2013. First, how thoroughly does the team purge the veterans on the club? With the trade deadline on the 31st of this month and waiver claims after that, the Twins can and should part with players who won't help them win two years from now. Unfortunately, the trend for almost all of the tradeable vets over 30 is down. The exception is Glen Perkins, who is underutilized as the closer on a bad team, but is putting up elite numbers and was named to his first All-Star team. Secondly, the Twins need to know who they can count on in 2014 and beyond from their current roster. The means consistent at-bats for the likes of Dozier, Florimon, Parmelee, Plouffe, and the rookies Hicks and Arcia. Here is my opinion on the above issues. Sell the position players even if their value is low. Be more cautious with the pitchers and only accept fair value plus for a pitcher. In addition, when dealing, demand pitching in return. The farm system is stocked with the best prospects the Twins have had in recent memory, but it is overloaded with position players. The club needs to add pitching, particularly high-ceiling arms. Of course, this is the plan for probably 90% of rebuilding teams. Specifically, here is my scenario: Trade Morneau for what can be had. He won't get the haul of an All-Star, because he isn't one. I think the player and the team would be well-served by parting. I also think Doumit must go. He is an okay hitter, but not good enough to be a DH and he hits well for a backup catcher, but his defense hurts and he's 32. I've become a big booster of AA All-Star Josmil Pinto, who has had a great season in New Britain and is on the Twins' 40-man roster. Jamey Carroll might help a contender. He can continue with the Twins as a de-facto coach, but it makes no sense for him to be playing except as a replacement when giving a young player a day off. Parmelee and Arcia need at-bats. I'm confident that both will hit better than they are right now. Parm needs to put up numbers or be passed by. Arcia certainly has more rope, but his current slump is a bit alarming. The die is also cast on Aaron Hicks. He won't be demoted despite his sub-.200 BA and he has shown glimpses of All-Star ability. We need to remember that outside of Arcia and Hicks, the guys getting the at-bats are candidates to be the next Gladden and Gagnes or maybe Lombardozzis and Leiuses, rather than future Hall of Famers or All-Stars. On the pitching front, relievers Fien and Duensing should be shopped. Fien's value is pretty high right now so he is a good candidate to be traded, but again only if the team gets value for him. Duensing has regressed to the point that the return for him wouldn't be great. He's failed as a starter and hasn't been able to hold a 7th inning role either. Duensing has had success before, but not recently. I doubt the Twins get an offer good enough to send him away. There has been speculation on starters Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Correia. Correia started strong but has been less than ordinary in the last two months, while Pelfrey seems to be getting better slowly. Both profile as back of the rotation starters, which means that the payoff would be top prospects. Again, it would be fine to send either guy off, but innings eaters have value despite less-than-stellar stats. I know I'm in the minority, but I think the Twins should keep Pelfrey unless they are overwhelmed by a deadline offer. I like that his velocity is up and he is still very early on the road to recovery from TJ surgery. The Twins will continue to be bad this year whether they ship their veterans or not. Making the right rebuilding moves will help as soon as next year. Let's hope they make the right calls and that 2014 will be the ramp-up year for when they contend for a decade.

I really like Fien and I also like Perkins, but I think if the Twins can get a good deal for either they should pull the trigger.

The Twins must bring back pitching, and really not command and control types. I have said repeatedly that Doumit can and should go. I think Devil Eyes is worth a hard-throwing relief prospect.

I agree that Rosario will get second base when he shows he is ready in the minors, probably sometime in 2014. I also concur that Dozier has the skills to be a major league average shortstop defensively. I think he could be slightly better than average offensively. It seemed to me that Dozier pressed when he was promoted in 2012 and it showed as much in his defense as in his at-bats. Hopefully, a season of relative success will allow Dozier to make the transition back to shortstop.

I'd take Bautista over Jones or Cespedes, but all of those guys (plus Coco Crisp) are good candidates. Why is Torii in the discussion?

I guess relievers don't get much love. I think Tonkin is almost a sure thing to appear in the Twins' bullpen, perhaps as soon as this year. It appears to me that he might end up being a late-inning, high leverage bullpen arm.

Good article. Obviously, not all of the tradable players will be moved. I do hope the Twins realize that their chances of contending are still remote. They are getting as many wins as they could hope for, but the pitching staff isn't good enough and they have holes in their everyday lineup.

Having a guy a first, third, left, right and DH with RH power who can move around the field isn't a problem. It is the kind of luxury the Twins haven't had in a long time. I guess Cuddyer before he established himself in RF would be an example of that kind of utility player.

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: They are in 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. Doumit (.288/.405/.692), Morneau (.341/.379/.720) and the Hammer (.352/.411/.763) are all well below last year's results which would indicate that their value has diminished. It has been discussed all over TD, 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 and despite a couple of 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 would 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 am looking at players who can help the Twins in the next year or two. That includes some guys on the major league team and some in the minors. Also included, any left hander than can get batters out--there never are enough lefties! Here's a list with a thumbnail of the season so far and the reason why they could be players for the Twins: 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 infielders, having a capable middle infielder is important. Dozier had a good game today and currently is hitting .230 with a .624 OPS. Again, 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, with a .297 BA and 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. His overall offensive numbers mirror Dozier's--.227 BA with a .632 OPS--but June has not been kind to Florimon. Going into 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 has guaranteed anything more than continued play into next month. Finally on the roster, 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 somewhere 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 that the Twins can have a young receiver splitting time with Mauer behind the plate and hitting. Pinto's 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, also able to play in the outfield and perhaps an infield corner: Herrmann did very well for the Twins in 15 plate appearances and Rohlfing has been outstanding as a C/OF for the Red Wings after putting up okay numbers in New Britain. Beyond the catchers, I look at NB SS 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, but has slipped a bit. He's a corner OF with a .769 OPS. Finally, 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.

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: They are in 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. Doumit (.288/.405/.692), Morneau (.341/.379/.720) and the Hammer (.352/.411/.763) are all well below last year's results which would indicate that their value has diminished. It has been discussed all over TD, 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 and despite a couple of 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 would 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 am looking at players who can help the Twins in the next year or two. That includes some guys on the major league team and some in the minors. Also included, any left hander than can get batters out--there never are enough lefties! Here's a list with a thumbnail of the season so far and the reason why they could be players for the Twins: 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 infielders, having a capable middle infielder is important. Dozier had a good game today and currently is hitting .230 with a .624 OPS. Again, 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, with a .297 BA and 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. His overall offensive numbers mirror Dozier's--.227 BA with a .632 OPS--but June has not been kind to Florimon. Going into 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 has guaranteed anything more than continued play into next month. Finally on the roster, 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 somewhere 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 that the Twins can have a young receiver splitting time with Mauer behind the plate and hitting. Pinto's 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, also able to play in the outfield and perhaps an infield corner: Herrmann did very well for the Twins in 15 plate appearances and Rohlfing has been outstanding as a C/OF for the Red Wings after putting up okay numbers in New Britain. Beyond the catchers, I look at NB SS 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, but has slipped a bit. He's a corner OF with a .769 OPS. Finally, 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.

I believe Trevor Plouffe is 27 today, so maybe that changes things slightly.

Perhaps a bit off topic, I have thought for a while that Gibson would be helped by having adequate or better defenders behind him, since he is an extreme ground ball pitcher.