stringer bell

I tried Popeye's for the first time about a month ago in Rockford, IL. It was underwhelming. My brother owned a KFC franchise years ago and I've been a fan since. It's the Colonel for me every time.

Great season at a key time in Pinto's career. He really sets himself to be a key guy for the developing Twins of mid-decade.

We've found Pinto's weakness!

AKA "Poppa Up"

My take on Parmelee: 1) He failed when given a chance to establish himself this year. He will get a shot to make the team next year, in part due to failures by others, but that might mean he will be competing for a bench spot. He could get a lot of time in right field or if Mauer remains a catcher, he could get a shot at first. Chris needs to hit, it is that simple. I am convinced that Colabello is a minor leaguer. He just doesn't make enough contact and his other skills are negligible. I don't have a problem with Chris C. getting lots of at-bats for the balance of 2013, but the results aren't pretty and I don't see any chance that they will change. If Presley shows he can play, he could win a spot in center, especially if he shows good leadoff skills. I am hopeful that Pinto shows that he can handle being at least a part-time role and I do believe he will. It makes the transition to first for Mauer a lot easier to accomplish. Did I do enough to reverse jinx Colabello? He just hit a grand slam, his second homer in the game.

It depends on 2014. I was hoping that the Twins would have more of a core established by the end of 2013. Hicks, Parmelee, and Plouffe haven't made themselves part of the Twins' future when they had that chance. The rotation still has plenty of moving parts. More of those things need to be nailed down before the Twins can take the step to being contenders.

Embarrassing.

Durham wins. Rochester only needs a victory to advance to the IL playoffs.

I'm also ready to move on with Mauer moving to first. The key thing, however, is that the player has to want to go along with this as well. Mauer has thus far stated he wants to catch. We will see what he has to say when he returns from the concussion DL.

Brian Dozier was promoted to the Twins for the first time in 2012. He had completed his best year in the minor leagues, then impressed everyone in spring training. He went to Rochester and was dominant early. The Twins recalled Dozier in May and he was installed as the regular shortstop. After a decent start, Dozier demonstrated he wasn't ready to be an everyday regular. He was dispatched to Rochester after 84 games and wasn't productive with the Red Wings. Dozier was thought to be a lock to return to the Twins when rosters expanded. The Twins thought otherwise and Dozier's season ended on Labor Day when the Red Wings played their final game of 2012. Dozier returned to spring training this year with a chance to win a job at second base and has succeeded, playing terrific defense and displaying extra base sock from the middle infield. It appears the Twins are preparing to handle Aaron Hicks in a similar way. Hicks had a fine 2012 in the minors and played very well in spring training, winning a job on merit as the Twins' center fielder. Hicks was demoted in August to Triple A and hasn't performed well. He has had injuries, but until the last couple of games just wasn't swinging well. With the activation of Darin Mastoianni and the acquisition of Alex Presley, the Twins suddenly have a lot of center field options. It appears they will not recall Hicks when the Red Wings are finished and hope that he comes to Fort Myers with both a chip on his shoulder and increased focus. It seemed to work for Dozier. The jury will be out on whether this "tough love" will work for Hicks, who did seem to sulk or at least be disinterested when he was sent to Rochester. From the athlete's perspective, they must feel like they've been whipsawed. They are told to just play the game, that they are doing fine, and suddenly told that they're not playing well enough, go home and think about it. I don't know how many meetings players have with their managers or general managers. I doubt there is much communication between them. I think the players need to know what is expected of them, what they need to work on, and if they need to make changes (different position, different spot in the batting order, perhaps hitting exclusively RH). The worst thing that can happen is to squander the obvious talent that a first round draft choice like Hicks possesses.

Rochester apparently wants to keep playing--9 runs in the first inning! Norfolk and Durham are scoreless in the 8th innings. The Red Wing need Durham to lose to advance to the playoffs.

I, for one, do not want to see another zero power middle infielder. We've seen Escobar, he is serviceable, Beresford can wait until there is an opening in 2014, if that. I'd like to see Hicks get some more big league at-bats. He still has considerably more upside than Ramirez, Thomas, Presley, and Mastroianni. So far, since his recall, Mastroianni has made more blunders than plays. He was okay last year, but he has been pretty bad this year (SSS).

Some nuggets from PP Twins guy Beradino: Arcia could be playing as soon as tomorrow. Hicks unlikely to get a recall, while Parmelee likely is coming back when the Red Wings are eliminated.

I guess until Mauer returns we'll be seeing a lot of Brian Dozier #3 hitter. Whodathunkit?

How much is gained overall if you gain offense at two positions, but lose defense at both of those key defensive positions? I think Florimon and Dozier have been top quadrant defenders this year. If Dozier moves to short and is a middling defender and Rosario is a middling defender, they will have to hit a lot in order to make up for the downgrade in the field. Further, while I think Dozier would be satisfactory at short, I think his arm plays much better at second. He seems to have mastered the pivot in short order and that is not an important skill for a shortstop.

Dozier has taken huge steps since the end of May with the bat. Over the course of the year he has shown himself to be a very good second baseman defensively. I would argue that Dozier is closer to elite defensively than good. He has done this in the major leagues on a non-contending team with little talent around him most of the way. Rosario remains a very good prospect, who has adjusted well to second base while continuing to be a very good hitter in the minor leagues. One of these two should be the Twins second baseman for years. I don't think it is a mistake for both of them to have positional flexibility, but the bonus of Dozier's exceptional transition to a new position shouldn't just be sacrificed because Rosario moved to second last year. One, maybe both, of these guys could flame out. If both continue to progress, there is certainly room to get both of their bats in the lineup.

There's always something to watch. I'm really excited to see Pinto and hope he shows he is ready to contribute in "the Show". I hope Arcia returns soon. Dozier is having the best sub-.250 season that I can recall from a Twin or a middle infielder. Perkins is having a great season and Duensing has had a nice comeback from his mid-season struggles. The starters have shown something the past couple of weeks. The Twins are using too many pieces of deadwood, but there is a lot to watch.

Norfolk wins. Their magic number is 1, Red Wings need to win tomorrow and have Norfolk lose to advance as the wild card.

Probably not a bad idea to give Eddie positional flexibility. Rosario's principal strength is his bat according to what I've read. I think it is possible that Hicks comes back next year like Dozier did this year, but he's not a sure thing.

Twins vs MLB (-KC Royals) 55-61 KC vs MLB (-Twins) 55-62

I'm not as sure that the Twins will lose 90. The Sox are playing their best baseball since they traded Peavey and Rios. Sometimes it doesn't make sense, but the Twins right now seem to be playing the Rangers and Tigers better than the Royals and White Sox. The Twins only need to finish 14-13 to avoid 90 for the third straight year. Probably won't do it, but baseball remains unpredictable in short stretches.

Hard throwing RH picked up from the Red Sox on a Rule 5. Oh, I but you mean Presley. It looks like another candidate for fourth outfielder. Some power, some speed, enough glove to play center.

By the way, I think anybody that lists Colabello as a member of the Opening Day 2014 Twins is severely mistaken. I have endorsed him getting at-bats, but from what I've seen, CC can't hit big league pitching and can't play a position in the field. Secondly, Clete and Ramirez should be DFAed, especially with the acquisition of Presley. Another obvious candidate is Bernier. These three guys have little upside and could be easily replaced.

Dozier is the surest thing because we know his position--he'll be the second baseman to start 2014. In addition, do we know for certain that Mauer will have recovered from concussion symptoms by Opening Day? It is a bit ridiculous to think that he won't be recovered but a few players have taken close to a year or more to recover.

How many people thought at the start of the year that Brian Dozier would be the surest thing among the position players for 2014? How many thought that Dozier would hit the most homers for the Twins in 2013 (Quite likely, but not certain)? Starters: Dozier 2B, Hicks CF, Mauer 1B, Willingham DH, Arcia LF, Plouffe 3B, Parmelee RF, Pinto C, Florimon SS. Bench: Herrmann, Escobar, Mastroianni, Presley