stringer bell

More, not so good base running.

Got that, now get one more.

Gotta score at least one here.

Checked the Bucs game and jinxed Vanimal. No-hitter and shutout gone.

Nice hitting Parm. Not so good base running.

Carew was a good fielder, but he did miss most of one season after getting injured on a double play pivot. As he became a great hitter, the feeling was that it would save his legs and put a better defender at second by moving him to first.

??????

I think the adjustment to Parmelee will be to throw more pitches out of the zone and see if he chases. He'll need to lay off those pitches and probably start drawing more walks. It seems Parm has made a conscious decision to be more aggressive and right now it is working.

The White Sox are releasing Scott Downs. He always got our guys out, but apparently the rest of the league is catching up with him. The Yankees DFAed a middle infielder named Dean Anna and optioned former Twins farmhand Yangervis Solarte to AAA. I wouldn't exactly call Solarte a failure, but the Yanks are going with Zealous Wheeler in his place. After a strong start, Solarte hit under .200 in June, with a .495 OPS. He is far better as a left handed hitter.

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.

Hey diehard, you must do what I do when I've been away--explore every thread in bold print! I agree with your thoughts here, but do want to point out that there is a half season left for Hicks, Buxton, and Rosario. I'm not expecting much from Hicks, but I'm hoping to be surprised. I am expecting that Rosario gets rolling and I hope he gets a chance to be promoted at least to Rochester, if not the Twins. If one of the three guys is a standout in the second half, maybe just going with a stopgap like Presley...errr Fuld is fine for the start of 2015. I remain optimistic that Byron Buxton will be a regular center fielder for the Twins sometime next year, despite his long recovery from a wrist injury.

I think that Plouffe is going to figure in there, as well. What Parmelee has been doing during his hot stretch is swing at strikes and use all fields especially with two strikes. If he can continue to do this, he can at least partly sustain this kind of hitting.

Thanks Bri. I really agree with you about speed. All season, I've said the Twins offense will depend on how many guys are on when they hit big flies. Lately, they haven't been hitting them, so they are really crippled to score. Further, while speed doesn't exactly equal range, more swift guys in the field are more likely to cover more ground. The Twins outfield defense is poor mostly because they are slow and that bites them all the time.

Over a month later, I am going to re-start the thread. IIRC, after I posted the original thread, Oswaldo had a couple of good games. I still see Arcia as a real lynchpin for the club. His current stats are, to be charitable, substandard. He has looked a bit better since he broke his long 0-fer, so maybe he's on the verge of a hot streak.

I haven't gotten the chance to watch most of CP's at-bats, but from what I've seen, he's riding a hot streak and he's had hot streaks before. Parmelee seems to be using more of the field and not hitting so many 300-350 foot fly balls, which he did when in his huge slump. He's not walking much and still striking out 25% of the time. Parmelee has hit left handers well. Strangely, with Arcia and Mauer showing big platoon splits, it might make sense for him to get starts against lefties going forward even if everybody is healthy. I like Parmelee's defense for a slow runner (not in center) and I hope he can contribute to the Twins beyond this year. He'll get a good chance until Mauer is activated, which I am willing to bet will be more than 15 days. Much like Arcia, it seems that Parm does have a soft spot in his swing (high fastballs). At this point he seem more willing and able to lay off.

Injury comments: The Twins have had good luck keeping their pitchers healthy FWIW. I think that is probably a function of the way Gardy uses his bullpen, despite what is written on this site. They have lost one pitcher (Pelfrey) and no one else has spent any time on the DL. Disabling Mauer was an easy call. Oblique injuries are stubborn and he will be unable to swing a bat for the full two weeks most likely. The decision for Nuñez was based on the lack of a bench at the time. He was unavailable for a few days and they couldn't go short any longer. It really hurt that Santana went down a bit later because it forced the Twins to use Florimon and recall Polanco, two things they didn't want to do.

This month will tell the tale for Morales. He's got a history of being a fine hitter and run producer. If he shows those skills again, he'll likely make out all right in the free agency next year, although the market for bat-only mid-30s guys isn't that great. I agree with Doc. If Morales shows he still has it, and is willing to stay, I say sign him up. The Twins have shown for the last several years that offensive holes develop and having a sure thing in the middle would stabilize the lineup long term.

Since my favorite source is cluttered with international signings and it is July, I thought I would start a thread about Twins' trade candidates. I think by the All-Star break the "why not us" will be "maybe next year" and veterans will be dangled for trade. There are a lot of factors about every deadline trade. I'll try to provide as much as I know about each trade candidate. 1) Kurt Suzuki. Value to Twins--High. Suzuki is highly regarded by the Twins and his prospective backup has struggled defensively. Value to other teams--High. Suzuki is a proven receiver and a good clubhouse guy. He's durable and is having a fine offensive year. 3) Contract--no problem. Suzuki is on a one-year deal and his $3M contract for two months would total about $1M. The only thing keeping the Twins from moving Suzuki is that he has been very good for the team, and he doesn't have an immediate replacement. I think there's only a 20-40% chance they trade him because of his value to the team. 2) Josh Willingham. Value to Twins--Medium high. Hammer is a top power threat for a team that doesn't have enough power. He's a poor, but willing fielder playing at less than a premium defensive position. Value to others--Medium high. He can give a power boost to a contender, but he's limited in the positions he can play. 3) Contract--For the last third of the season, he would be due $2.3M. That isn't nothing, but most clubs could afford his salary. I think the team will be trying hard to move Hammer. He's 35 and limited, but he could put a contender over the top to make the playoffs. 40-60% chance he'll be moved, either at the July deadline or in August. 3) Kevin Correia. Value to Twins--Medium low. He's an innings-eater and back of the rotation starter on a non-contender. The Twins have many prospective replacements. Value to other teams--Given his recent "surge", Medium to medium high. All contenders will be looking for pitching. 3) Not a problem. An expiring contract with about $1.8M due in the last two months. I expect Correia to be traded, with a somewhat disappointing return. 80% probability. 4) Brian Duensing. Value to Twins--medium low. He is a versatile lefty, who is having a pretty good year, despite diminishing peripherals. There are replacements in the system, but probably none offering the skill and experience. Value to others--Medium. He doesn't have great platoon splits to become a lefty specialist and he's not a strikeout artist. He provides depth, when contenders will be riding their best pitchers. Contact--less than a million will be due at the trade deadline. Not a problem. I think as least one of the Twins' bullpen will be moved. Duensing is a prime candidate--50% probability. 5) Jared Burton. Value to Twins--medium low. He's currently used in fairly high leverage situations. His effectiveness has diminished since his fine 2012 season. Replacements are available. Value to others--Medium low. Again, if he can recapture his magic from 2012, he would be a hot commodity. Not sure anybody will be willing to give anything for him. 3) Contract--a little much for a bullpen piece. More than a million due at the deadline, plus an .2M option buyout. I doubt anyone will offer anything of substance for Burton, but he could be released. 10% trade possibility. 6) Kendrys Morales. Value to Twins--medium low. A switch-hitting DH with a record of producing runs. Value to others--Perhaps pretty high. If a team needs a hitter at first or DH, Morales could be very valuable. Much depends on how he hits this month. Contract--Substantial--He'll be owed more than $4M for the last third of the season. If Morales finds his stroke in this month, the Twins could get something pretty good for him. If he's meh or worse, they won't get much and might want to hold on to him with the hope of re-signing him for 2015. Chance of being traded 40%. 7) Everybody else. The Twins could get brave and try to move Plouffe while his value is high and his salary is low. Somebody might want Casey Fien and maybe someone with an infield vacancy might inquire about Nuñez. The Twins could surprise us and move one of these guys.

Looking at this thread, I don't see a consensus for any one move. Perhaps there is a consensus that shortstop is not as much a mess as center field. I'd love to see Buxton playing soon to reinforce my thought that he is the real deal. Here's my 2 cents--if Willingham is moved, maybe Plouffe can get some reps in left field and Nuñez can play some third base. Maybe those moves will be easier to make in September. It looks to me like the team will unanimously be considered out of contention by the trade deadline.

I'll post the starting lineups here: Kansas City Escobar ss Hosmer 1b Butler dh Gordon lf Pérez c Ibañez rf Infante 2b Moustakas 3b Dyson cf Vargas p Twins Nuñez ss Dozier 2b Parmelee 1b Morales dh Willingham lf Arcia rf Plouffe 3b Fryer c Fuld cf Correia p

Going into today, the Twins have had exactly one start by a left handed pitcher (the second game of a doubleheader vs. the Dodgers). The franchise record is nine starts by lefties in 1995 according to my research. The team has had six seasons where left handers started a majority of the scheduled games in a season. As someone who favors a little balance, it would be nice to have a lefty join the rotation. Darnell and Johnson are doing well at Rochester, so that might happen.

Would we have thought it possible that Chris Parmelee would be batting third, playing first base a mere month ago? That is, without the entire populace of TD going berserk?

The Twins could have been like the Astros if Saño and Buxton hadn't been injured, Rosario hadn't been suspended and a couple of veteran pitchers hadn't been signed.

Mike, one point you are making is creating room for Plouffe in the OF. I actually think that is a good idea except that I expect Saño to be in Rochester to start 2015. If Plouffe is supposed to be part of the outfield picture next year, he needs reps there. While I believe Plouffe has made progress at third, there has to be flexibility preparing for the arrival of Saño, who is a big deal.

What is the difference between Morales and Colabello? One is a major league DH and the other one is a career minor leaguer. I can't see any way that Colabello will make himself a tradable asset in the time Mauer is on the DL. There's a chance he could become a candidate to stay on the team the rest of the year and maybe figure in the plans next year, but no one is going to trade for Colabello with his resumé.