stringer bell

Looks like it will take quite a poke to hit one out to center.

I guess his rep is that he's a good defensive catcher. He hits left and he's not Suzuki. I am all for him being platooned with Zuke until and unless John Ryan Murphy returns from Rochester.

I realize I'm refuting different posts at the same time, but...from Sconnie above Graham is "a guy off the scrap heap" and apparently not an actual prospect. I don't know--he throws hard and was given a new role where two pitches would be enough, so IMHO despite his age Graham was an actual prospect. It is interesting that Gilmartin is also held up as evidence of the Twins ignorance. He definitely isn't a hard thrower. Graham and Gilmartin were both claimed and asked to do something they had almost no experience doing--pitching out of a major league bullpen. Gilmartin the relative soft tosser succeeded, while Graham's result were mixed at best. Also, losing Zach Jones is put on the management team as if the Twins just let Mariano Rivera go for a bag of balls. I think Graham has a better chance of pitching for the Yanks than Jones has of pitching for the woebegone Brewers (how can a Twins fan call another organization woebegone?) and I don't think either one of them will make the Twins regret their loss. My point here is that the one transaction of trading JR Graham shouldn't be an indictment of the Twins. There are more data points to look at and Liam Hendriks, Chris Colabello, Aaron Hicks, John Hicks, and John Ryan Murphy are all more damning than JR Graham.

I just read the mlbtraderumors.com account of the Yankees acquisition of Graham. He was still in DFA limbo? So, this would mean that the Twins either had to trade him for the best deal available or let him be claimed by the team that would take him that had the worst record. Am I right on this? I don't know if it changes my view on the whole transaction at all, but I thought he had made it through without being claimed.

It isn't fair to say they gave up two players to keep Graham. The Rule V is always a crapshoot and I don't think either Gilmartin or Jones were guys that 20 or even 10 teams wanted--Gilmartin had been a so-so starter, was older,not high velocity, but lefthanded. The Mets had a huge need for a lefty in the bullpen and tried him--it worked last year. Gilmartin didn't make the Mets staff this spring and has just recently been recalled. Jones has had control issues and got passed on until the second round of the Rule V draft. He's on Milwaukee's DL, so he'll have to be kept not only this year, but into next year. It is no sure thing that he'll ever pitch for the Brewers and IMHO still better than a 50-50 proposition that he's offered back to the Twins. The Twins gambled that they wouldn't lose either of the guys in the Rule V, but they did. It isn't like they put two Hall of Famers out to be grabbed up. They thought Graham had enough stuff to succeed and now are convinced that even getting into great shape that he isn't. It is another decision that really hasn't worked out, but I wouldn't put it quite as high on the mistake list as signing Ricky Nolasco or DFAing David Ortiz.

I'd like to see Buxton dominate the league before he's recalled again. He's doing well (BA over .300, some XBHs and less Ks), but I wouldn't call it dominant. Let Danny Santana play center for a couple more weeks or a month. The season has blown up already. Do what's right for a bright prospect's future.

Getting caught up just before 8:30. Excellent game thread and a competent performance by the Twins. There is a lot wrong with any team with only 9 wins, but there is enough talent that they can be good pretty soon.

Didn't Centeno get the memo? Catchers don't hit homers and the Twins don't hit homers with runners on base.

Exactly Seth. A month plus into 2016, they are convinced he won't be that good and he's behind a number of other guys.

C'mon people! The Twins saw enough of Graham to believe there was a chance. His struggles in the minors this year indicated he hadn't taken the step forward he needed to be a major league pitcher and without the Rule V status, he isn't enough of a prospect to keep on the 40-man roster. This all makes sense to me. You take people in the Rule V draft that look like they can eventually help. Having that status grants them a 25-man spot, but once that factor is out of the way, the player gets evaluated purely on his ability and potential. There isn't enough of either to hold on to Graham. Selling him for a few bucks or a similar lottery ticket makes good sense.

Congratulations to both Mike and Levi. I don't know what my future holds after I am done working, but moving to another state at that time has some appeal. I've never been in either state, but would like to visit both some time. There are good things to be found anywhere, even the Deep South, or so I'm told. BTW, isn't Oregon's governor a native Minnesotan? Maybe that's why they got forward thinking all of a sudden.

I am also conflicted about May. He has three good pitches, which you like to see in a starter, his command improved markedly last year and he has just over half a year's worth of starts. When in the rotation the fastball velo is down a couple of mph, meaning it isn't quite as dominant a pitch. Trevor appears to have good enough stuff to be a fine bullpen arm or above-average closer. Where he would fit in a rotation doesn't seem to be as easily defined.

With the high negatives both Hill and the Donald have, I can't see a mandate unless the Republicans or Bernie do something stupid and run as a third party. The obvious answer to Pseudo's question about working with Clinton over Obama is because she is white. I don't necessarily believe that myself. If Trump wins the election, the GOP would likely increase their already lopsided margins in both houses. I then would have more worries than Sano's defense in right field and if Buxton will even learn to hit a breaking ball.

If Clinton is elected, there will be obstruction, even if there is a narrow majority in both houses of Congress, there will be enough to block just about any legislation. If Trump were somehow able to win, it would mean the trifecta for Republicans. I don't want to see that again in my lifetime.

I'm catching up on today's game while checking out some of the other threads. The Twins have been brutal and their flaws exposed. A little better luck plus regression to the mean will not save the season, but I doubt they will be an embarrassment. Thoughts on a few players: Santana-Should be a utility guy, but right now he's the backup plan in center. I expect he'll hit much better than 2015 and much worse than 2014. Defense is passable in center. I'm OK with Danny being the principle CF until a truly ready Buxton returns. Santana should get enough infield and bunt hits and steal enough bases to provide some offense and the team lacks speed, especially with Buck in the minors. Santana should be hitting in the bottom of the order, not the top. Rosario--As was widely predicted, Eddie has regressed. He's still young and he has some very good tools, but he has to be more selective to be a regular outfielder, especially on a corner. For now, he's my fourth OF, getting frequent starts at one of the three OF spots and a defensive replacement if the Twins ever have a lead late in the game. Rosario might benefit from a return to Rochester, in which case I think he should be swapped out for Max Kepler. Arcia--He has struck out three times in three at-bats, but Oswaldo has improved in almost every element of the game. He's clearly beat out Rosario for playing time at this point and has shown improved concentration and focus as well as being in much better shape than last year. Dozier--Low batting average, but some signs are pointing up. He is walking more and striking out less, he's a good base runner and a pretty good defender. He's gotten his OPS over .700, which is better than Sano BTW. I still believe Dozier can improve and I remember 2014 enough to not be offended if he is in the top of the order. Sano--Maybe it's the move the right field. Maybe playing baseball is a little harder than he made it look last year, Sano has been less than great as a hitter and he's struggled as an outfielder. I won't place blame, but perhaps it is asking too much to have a 22 year old hit cleanup and be expected to hit more than 30 bombs and drive in over 100.

Sano, Park, Arcia 0-8, 5 Ks. Maybe they should be hitting 7-8-9.

Milone is pitching for the Red Wings tonight. One run in four innings. Rochester leads 7-1 in the fourth. BTW, Buxton has two hits and has brought his BA over .300.

With the strides Arcia has made, the regression of Rosario is less problematic. Arcia seems to have improved in all areas--better at-bats, more focused in the field and on the bases and quicker. He probably will never be a good defender, but he's been satisfactory according to my old amateur eyes.

Teams go with their own mostly this time of year. When they see that their options aren't that good within the system and/or have a lot of injuries, they go outside the organization. When he got bumped from the rotation, someone mentioned pulling him in a game vs. LAA and another couple starts where he left with two outs and everyone he had left on base scored. He has to hit his spots and even then it's likely he gets knocked around the third and fourth time through the order. However if handled properly, he produces a nice number of quality starts and decent stats. A rotation full of Milones would tax the bullpen and the manager, but having him as the fourth or fifth guy wouldn't be a problem, even on a good team (IMHO).

My take on the entire roster shuffle. Centeno likely stays on the 40-man all years as Hicks' (the catcher)replacement. If Murphy figures things out in Rochester, he'll be back soon. Mastro is DFAed when someone is ready to replace him (please let it be future AAA player of the month of May Byron Buxton). Boshers has been effective and might get an audition as a bullpen lefty. Milone will pitch again for the Twins sometime this year. The Twins shouldn't have tendered Fien, but they believed they might contend this year and wanted a veteran to fill that role. Milone is a 4-5th starter on a good team, not someone you build around, but an alright piece. He can't be overexposed and he will have some rough patches. I don't think it was a mistake to tender him and as I said earlier, my guess is that he'll pitch again for the Twins this year. I don't think this team is that far away despite their horrendous record. They need the pieces to fit together better and for a lot of guys to meet expectations.

One of the big components of "The Twins Way" was pitching that emphasized staying in the strike zone, but permitting contact. It wasn't so bad when the Twins had six or seven above-average defenders, but things have changed. The coin of the realm for pitchers has become the strikeout and the Twins are far behind the curve in getting guys who force swings and misses. Defense has slipped appreciably as well, putting pressure on the offense to score and refrain from going for one run, but going for more because the pitching isn't reliable enough to consistently hold a small lead. Offensively, there are too many strikeouts and too many other unproductive at-bats to put consistent pressure on the opponents. The final thing that has reared it's ugly head is fundamentals--throwing to the wrong base, getting doubled off base on a line drive, keeping the double play in order, trying to take the extra base when there is no percentage in doing so. It is a toxic stew. I do know it is a sad day when Oswaldo Arcia is one of your fundamentally more sound players.

Escobar had two good half seasons plus as the everyday shortstop. I don't think we should ignore that. However, he has been a part of this year's team's failure to this point. He hasn't hit much at all since the first week and his defense has been poor, something I didn't anticipate. Escobar's strength as a defender is not making mistakes and he's already made a bunch over and above the five errors he has been charged.

To expand on my earlier comment, Nuñez has warranted regular playing time on the basis of his play so far this year. Unless and until he cools off, he should be in the lineup almost every day, including playing third occasionally for Plouffe. Plouffe sits at .686 OPS, Dozier is .689 and Polanco has 10 at-bats. One of the four can sit every day while Escobar heals.

I know it is SSS, but Santana is o-fer against LHP. My amateur eye has always viewed Danny's RH hitting as weaker than the left.

Escobar disabled, so the trio of Dozier, Polanco and Nuñez will man the middle infield for next two weeks or more. Dozier is a good player, Nuñez has had a good run and is still playing pretty well and Polanco needs to play this time around. I think all three should get enough playing time. May the better pair get the most time.