stringer bell

This is kind of a long shot, but currently there is a third baseman (Juan Francisco) who has been DFAed. The Twins could claim him and then designate someone off the 40-man. Assuming the Twins are replacing Colabello with a hitter (they already have 13 pitchers), the two areas of need are 3B, especially 'til Plouffe returns, and CF.

I'm going to CR June 8 & 9. I sure hope Buxton is back by then!

For now anyway. Sometimes it just takes patience. Speaking of patience, I hope the Twins get a lot of runners on so that Hicksie can go for a long ball and get the cycle.

Sad note: Here are the potential second baseman OPS--Escobar .625 (fueled by a hot April), Dozier .558 and Carroll .551. Not much to choose from offensively, but all three are capable defenders.

See my blog: Defense! It Saved Two Jobs and Solidified One. Florimon's throws to first were an adventure the first couple weeks and Morneau saved him another 3-6 errors early. Now almost every throw has been strong and chest high. Warmer weather and confidence seem to have made a big difference. Pedro has been an asset on defense and certainly hasn't been the problem on offense. While I doubt the ceiling is much higher than his current level of play, Pedro Florimon has done everything asked of him in 2013.

There's a difference between bunting for a hit and the sacrifice bunt. Carew was too good a hitter to sacrifice, but he was a great bunter for hits.

The move to third was really bad, but in general that's not as bad a move (with one out) as it might seem. A lot of time you can sucker a SS to make a hurried throw to third and get both runners safe. Segura was moving toward third and got the ball without diving, so Pedro was a dead duck unless there was a bad throw. The next batter (Dozier) walked, so the Twins ended up with Mauer at the plate with a chance to take the lead on a base hit, but Florimon shouldn't have gone. He's still not a complete player by any means, but far better than I was giving him credit for.

Even though I have only seen Berrios throw literally two or three pitches (at the WBC) I have predicted he will be the next Twin to make his debut before he turns 21. Since he started late this year, it may be in his best interest to stay in Cedar Rapids for a couple of months, maybe getting a taste of the FSL late, or just sticking around for the Midwest playoffs. Next year should be his "moving " year, probably starting in Ft. Myers, but I wouldn't rule out ending in Rochester or perhaps even Minnesota, if he is dominant and shows the requisite amount of maturity and mound presence. He just turned 19 four days ago, so he is truly a young'un.

If a team doesn't have two or three 30 homer guys, it is nice to have a bit of HR power sprinkled throughout the lineup. Currently, the Twins have had the sprinkling in the middle infield (6 HR), DH (5 HR), C (5 HR), CF (6 HR), RF (5 fr Parm, 4 for Arcia), and third (4 from Plouffe). They have the Hammer with 9 long balls, which would project to 27-28. What's missing? First base, a normal power position, has only two.

If Brian Dozier played second base this year like he played shortstop last year, is there any chance he'd still be on the big league roster? If Chris Parmelee played right field with the proficiency of Ryan Doumit and (so far) Osvaldo Arcia, would he be in Minneapolis or Rochester (NY)? Finally, if Pedro Florimon played shortstop like he did last year and the first couple weeks of this year, would the fans be calling for Escobar, Carroll and Danny Santana? I think the answer to all three questions is that defense has made a difference. Dozier as a shortstop last year demonstrated marginal tools--average range, enough arm--and probably a lack of focus due to his offensive struggles. He was a subpar SS, for sure. This year he has moved to second and has been a very good defender, showing good range, a quick pivot, especially for someone new to the position, and good hands. His defense has kept him in the big leagues and probably kept him in contention to continue to get regular at-bats this year and beyond. Parmelee was thought to be a displaced first baseman, basically waiting for Morneau to get injured or traded. While he isn't blessed with even average speed, Chris has caught everything he could get to, played the corners and the walls well, charged balls well hit in front of him and thrown very well. Because he gets pretty good breaks on balls, I think one could classify his range as "adequate" despite the lack of foot speed. This year, Parm has logged an inning in center field and served as a defensive replacement. Not many would have predicted either of those things going into the season. So, despite a .223 BA and .647 OPS, Chris is still getting playing time in Minnesota, not upstate New York. Florimon's assignment as the regular shortstop was questioned. There was nothing to project him as anywhere near an average hitter and his defense didn't profile as anything special--too many errors, too many routine plays not turned into outs--and Pedro began the season with some sketchy defense. He could have been charged with a half dozen more errors than he received and threw a whole bunch of sinkers to first base, most of them dug out by Morneau. As the weather has warmed, so has Florimon's defense. The throws are 100% improved, he's fielding grounders with confidence and making very few, if any, mental mistakes. Combined with acceptable offensive production, Florimon has, for now at least, cemented his position in the lineup. All three of these guys need to hit to maintain their roles with this club and have a future in the big leagues, but their leashes have gotten longer because they have exceeded expectations in the field. To me, Parmelee is the biggest surprise. He doesn't look like much of an athlete, but he's made the plays. Unfortunately for him, defense at first and outfield corners is not nearly as important as how well you swing the bat. Dozier and Florimon have been a decent middle infield and a real improvement over last year.

If Brian Dozier played second base this year like he played shortstop last year, is there any chance he'd still be on the big league roster? If Chris Parmelee played right field with the proficiency of Ryan Doumit and (so far) Osvaldo Arcia, would he be in Minneapolis or Rochester (NY)? Finally, if Pedro Florimon played shortstop like he did last year and the first couple weeks of this year, would the fans be calling for Escobar, Carroll and Danny Santana? I think the answer to all three questions is that defense has made a difference. Dozier as a shortstop last year demonstrated marginal tools--average range, enough arm--and probably a lack of focus due to his offensive struggles. He was a subpar SS, for sure. This year he has moved to second and has been a very good defender, showing good range, a quick pivot, especially for someone new to the position, and good hands. His defense has kept him in the big leagues and probably kept him in contention to continue to get regular at-bats this year and beyond. Parmelee was thought to be a displaced first baseman, basically waiting for Morneau to get injured or traded. While he isn't blessed with even average speed, Chris has caught everything he could get to, played the corners and the walls well, charged balls well hit in front of him and thrown very well. Because he gets pretty good breaks on balls, I think one could classify his range as "adequate" despite the lack of foot speed. This year, Parm has logged an inning in center field and served as a defensive replacement. Not many would have predicted either of those things going into the season. So, despite a .223 BA and .647 OPS, Chris is still getting playing time in Minnesota, not upstate New York. Florimon's assignment as the regular shortstop was questioned. There was nothing to project him as anywhere near an average hitter and his defense didn't profile as anything special--too many errors, too many routine plays not turned into outs--and Pedro began the season with some sketchy defense. He could have been charged with a half dozen more errors than he received and threw a whole bunch of sinkers to first base, most of them dug out by Morneau. As the weather has warmed, so has Florimon's defense. The throws are 100% improved, he's fielding grounders with confidence and making very few, if any, mental mistakes. Combined with acceptable offensive production, Florimon has, for now at least, cemented his position in the lineup. All three of these guys need to hit to maintain their roles with this club and have a future in the big leagues, but their leashes have gotten longer because they have exceeded expectations in the field. To me, Parmelee is the biggest surprise. He doesn't look like much of an athlete, but he's made the plays. Unfortunately for him, defense at first and outfield corners is not nearly as important as how well you swing the bat. Dozier and Florimon have been a decent middle infield and a real improvement over last year.

The idea of having two of the best OBP guys batting 1-2 makes perfect sense. The idea of having guys hitting 3-5 who can both get on base and knock 'em in also makes perfect sense. The Twins' problem is that Mauer is far and away their best OBP guy and their best #3 hitter. I have said for years this club has far too many one-dimensional players and the trend continues. Two or three years from now we might see Buxton-Hicks 1-2 and Mauer could hit between them and Sano. I was fine with Mauer hitting second, but in this year where contention is a dream, I would like to find out about unestablished players. If Dozier can thrive hitting #2 or #1, great. If not put him in the bottom of the lineup or try someone else.

I'll be at tonight's game in person. I'm not too optimistic with Seattle's #2 against the Twins' #5(+), but the club is playing well and maybe someone will do something noteworthy. Heck, seeing that the Twins have a better record than the Mariners, I now predict a victory tonight--yeah, that's the ticket!

As you know, considerably older than you!

Sorry, Mike. May has 31 days. There's a game tomorrow.

Is that "chaste" or "chased"?

The Twins had every player get at least one hit and all but two either scored a run or drove one in--Socialists!

Not to get too morbid, but my mom buried my dad and my brother and it was 1000% harder for her when my brother passed.

BTW, we just witnessed a big reason why Morneau has so many RBI this month. The Hammer only has 25, and has received a lot of free passes with Mauer on base a high amount of the time.

All this talk about a sweep may have been a bit premature. BTW, no quality start for you, PJ Walters!

Really like the Peppers.

After seeing a bit of the Atlanta series and now watching Twins vs. Brewers, I will say it. I like National League ball better than American League ball (with the DH). NL ball rewards pitchers who can hit a little, it emphasizes versatile players and there is so much strategy to be debated on an almost daily basis. I know it's painful to watch some pitchers hit and somebody once said nobody goes to the game to watch the manager think, but I'll still take a crisply played 3-2 game won by a pinch-hitter or a guy brought in on a double switch over a 8-7 slugfest.

I guess this means that Lohse won't get a win against all 30 teams this year, unless he gets traded.

Yeah, I have power alright. Going back to an earlier topic, I'm a father of three girls and a husband and grandfather. Several females and a three year old have me wrapped around their little finger.

Sure! I'm going to the game tomorrow--probably a 6-0 Mariner win in a snoozefest.