stringer bell

I think the pro-management view isn't that Ryan and Gardy "aren't the worst", but rather that the roster and resulting poor play was not the fault of Ryan and Gardy. I don't buy all of that. I do think both Ryan and Gardy are good baseball men, but that it is time for a major change in the organization.

A couple of awkward swings from the Twins so far. My runs scored over/under is at 5. BTW, that is for total runs.

Sometimes it IS a job to watch this club.

Santana, Escobar and Fuld all in the lineup. Actually, I kind of like it.

I can't say I've seen enough of Sano at third to be an expert. I have seen him in person and he is large, but not Big Papi or Little Papi (Vargas) large. Larry Parrish was a good third baseman and a large man. Sano is reputed to have the hands, reactions, and arm to play third. Nothing is certain in baseball, but I'm betting he breaks in to MLB next year as a third baseman.

I thought the column was pretty good. It didn't sugarcoat an awful run of baseball and brought out issues that even a "continuity before all else" ownership and front office must address.

There were complaints for my comparison of Plouffe and Dozier, and deservedly so. I had checked Dozier's stats for some reason and was surprised how close they were to Plouffe's. I acknowledge that they are different players. Their lifetime stats and their age are close, but other than that, they don't have that much in common. I still do believe that Plouffe can improve and that his bat might play at a corner outfield position.

This is where I just about throw something at the television listening to Bremer slobbering all over Klutch's jock. "Pretty good" would be accurate, but Bremer talks like Suzuki invented blocking the ball. I recall the game where the Blue Jays walked everybody and threw a bunch of wild pitches. Pinto played that game and blocked a load of Deduno's 58 ft. sliders. Bremer made little mention of it, but it was as impressive to me as any game that Suzuki has played. Suzuki is better and more consistent at blocking pitches than Pinto, but most guys that catch in the big leagues have good technique at that skill.

Brian Dozier is less than a year younger and his career triple slash is: .241/.311/.400 (.714) in 1387 PAs and some, including myself, were saying he should go to the All-Star game. Granted, he plays second, not third, but I don't think we can unequivocally say that Plouffe has reached his peak. I think he will do well after the All-Star break and make a case for being a starter no matter what Sano does in the next 10-12 months. That is, moving and starting at another position if Sano forces himself into the majors (which I believe will happen).

OK, I don't think Pinto is a candidate to be a regular DH. As a matter of fact, his offense would have to increase more than his defense would have to improve for Pinto to be a regular DH. Yes, he needs work receiving, but he has they tools to be an adequate catcher.

I think contending teams need to have a mixture of ages. Having a veteran DH as somewhat of an elder statesman isn't a bad idea, especially given that Morales is Hispanic and it appears that there will be a number of Latino ballplayers becoming mainstays for the Twins. The question is whether Morales is a great fit for the Twins. He is almost exclusively a DH, who can play some first. He is a base clogger of the first order. We haven't seen him hit enough to be an asset. Morales has a track record as a good hitter. If he can be had for a reasonable price, he might be a good fit. He needs to show that he hasn't hit the decline phase big time. I'd say wait and see.

Kurt Suzuki made the All-Star team this year. He was supposed to be a one-year stopgap, whose playing time would diminish over the course of the season as Josmil Pinto moved in to take over regular duties. Things have changed. Suzuki has been an iron man behind the plate. He's hit very well, better than he ever has, and has been lauded for his receiving on a below-average Twins staff. Pinto has been demoted with no timetable for return and even if he returns, Suzuki figures to be the primary catcher for the rest of the year unless he is dealt. There are several questions about Suzuki. How good a receiver is he? Can he sustain his hitting prowess? Should the Twins trade him at high value? Have the Twins' front office gone overboard in praise for the 30-year old veteran? Here's my take: Suzuki is hitting great and deserves regular status. He brings durability, consistency, and positivity to the catching position. I have had a difficult time listening to the non-stop praise for his ability to handle the staff. The Twins have a veteran staff, they don't need a babysitter. I don't blame Suzuki much for his low numbers catching base stealers, nor do I think he is costing too many outs from inferior pitch framing. However, the numbers don't show that he makes the staff better. His so-so defense is sustainable, I doubt his outstanding offense is. If Suzuki is extended, I won't complain, but I doubt we'll see "All-Star Kurt Suzuki" again. If he were traded, I think it is the right way to go. I don't see him as part of the Twins (winning) future and a prospect acquired for him could be part of that time.

Trevor Plouffe became the primary third baseman for the Twins in 2012. If I recall correctly, Plouffe was the last resort for filling the hot corner. In midseason he had a great power surge hitting a Ruthian 18 homers in 39 games from May through early July. He hasn't matched that power since. While his power hasn't come close to the power surge, his overall game has improved. He now is regarded as adequate as a third baseman, he has improved in using the whole field, and has improved his discipline. Plouffe recently turned 28. He came to the big leagues as a shortstop, and has played a few games at second and first. He also started a handful of games in the outfield before being installed as the regular third baseman. With the delay in the arrival of megaprospect Miguel Sano, Plouffe figures to be the regular third baseman for the duration of this season. He has suffered a disabling injury and missed 15 days, but he does project to have his all-time high in games played and plate appearances. Plouffe was arbitration eligible this winter, but wouldn't be a free agent until 2018. It appears that the Twins made a good decision to keep him on the team by tendering a contract. The club and player have decisions to make with Trevor--Sano is on the horizon, so he might not be long as the regular third baseman. and it will cost more to retain his services each of his remaining "arb years". The Twins could trade him. He still isn't expensive compared to a free agent and an acquiring team would have team control for three years. The Twins could make Plouffe a bench player or a super-utility player who could fill in at whatever corner vacancy occurred, and if there was no vacancy fill in all over the field giving regulars a day off. Plouffe could be handed a new position, altogether. It looks like there will be at least one corner outfield vacancy. Finally, and most unlikely, Plouffe could continue at third with Sano moved or traded. I like the progress that Plouffe has made. I think that he should remain a Twin and perhaps be moved to left field. He probably will never again bomb homers like he did in '12, but he is an improving hitter and fielder, who seems to have matured on and off the field. The versatility he presents allow him to potentially solve one of several position problems for the Twins.

Oh snap! Morales completely slipped my mind. Of course he has only one homer at the break, that might have something to do with it.

Don't forget when Morneau was traded. Making a trade for the Hammer or Morales is more likely in August IMHO, because of the size of their contracts and their level of struggle right now.

Agree. But the final score has to do with how many safely touched home plate, not first through third base. This "stat" favors guys who hit in good lineups, but for a guy like Dozier to be there with a relatively weak-hitting team says something good about what he is doing when the Twins are hitting.

Smalley talked at length (shock) about Dozier's run production on the Twins' recent marijuana tour (Washington & Colorado). He talked about runs scored plus RBI. In calculating this basic stat, it would figure to subtract the number of home runs, because that is both a run scored and an RBI. Through the All-Star break, Dozier has produced exactly one run per game. Here are the rest of the players who have averaged one run per game or more in MLB so far this year: Miggy Cabrera 118 Mike Trout 116 Michael Brantley 111 Paul Goldschmidt 111 Anthony Rendon 107 Josh Donaldson 106 Ian Kinsler 104 Giancarlo Stanton 103 Freddy Freeman 103 Albert Pujols 102 Nelson Cruz 102 Juan Encarnacion 101 Andrew McCutchen 101 Troy Tulowitzki 101 Robinson Cano 99 Brian Dozier 96 Good offensive players all.

Of the contestants, Dozier has more homers than five of the nine other contestants, including two-time winner Cespedes. He's not the classic slugger, but he has mastered the ability to pull the ball with authority and hit 350-380 ft. homers. It is unfortunate that some of the guys who really hit homers--Cruz, Trout, Abreu--all bailed on the competition.

Rochester is solidly in playoff contention. The Twins have three center field prospects in Class A and AA who have been regarded as Top Ten prospects in the system at some point. Center field has been manned in Rochester by non-prospects, so it would figure that one of the prospects would advance to Triple A for the Red Wings playoff run. There is a case to be made for all three guys. What do fans of the Twins and their minor league system predict?

The Twins have been led by Dozier in homers all season, but he isn't the prototypical power hitter. The roster has a few guys who either profile as power hitters or have a history of hitting with power, so perhaps someone else steps up.

The two current center fielders have both exceeded expectations. Fuld is a fourth OF, but he is a capable CF and he has hit surprisingly well so far. Much like Escobar, he can't be overused. Santana really has done well so far, and moving between shortstop and center can work and it might have to until Buxton emerges. It is great to have options.

Interesting to talk about the outfield going forward--Arcia is the surest thing. I hope he is solid the rest of the year. Buxton remains the future in center. I still think he will make his debut next year. He will need to make a Berrios-type jump next year. The remainder of this year and the AFL are crucial, as well. Rosario and Hicks are on the horizon. So far, Hicks has outhit Rosario at AA, but it is a SSS and Hicks is two years older. I can see Parmelee in a backup role and Trevor Plouffe logging considerable time in the outfield as soon as next year.

Easy to be overlooked when you're 5'5".

I believe for us Anglos that translates to "winner, winner, chicken dinner". G'night all. I hope to see many of you tomorrow!