jokin

I try to keep a good thought about Brian Jones by focusing on the early years (even preceding Ruby Tuesday) with the Stones, and Ruby Tuesday being one of the best tunes he ever wrote.

Right now, it's the Red Wings desperately trying to hang on to Diamond- if baseball was a boxing match- the Ref would have already stopped the fight- if it were a movie, that move would be- "They Shoot Horses Don't They?". Even money that he either gets cut or 60-DLd by April 30

Gardy just set a new personal best record for returning to his safety zone of 3 catchers and 13 pitchers.

Gardy just set a new personal-best record for resorting to his safety zone of 3 catchers and 13 pitchers

One thing we do know- and forget the "I told you so" warm and fuzzy feeling that those of us who pleaded for this acquisition to happen (see post #163 above)- this huge and obvious mistake, along with Solarte's early season success in NY demonstrates that the "25th man doesn't matter" meme has died a well-deserved death- and comments like this one have been proven to be utterly wrong:

Competition is a good thing. This region supports winners (maybe even 2 winners? Pretty cool, indeed....)

They won't pay him regardless, but Drew is on the "good side" of the platoon. If they could get a RHB cheaply that also excels similarly against LHP, it would be well worth the extra expense as you'd have the highest production from SS in baseball. (Not counting Colorado which had an OPS of .862 in their mile high air, the next highest OPS was Wash. with .788, 3rd was the Red Sox and Drew, with .765- Drew has a career .795 OPS vs RHP).

If the contraction plan included moving the Rays to Minneapolis, I'd at least listen.

Thanks, Seth. What would it take for him to appear on your midseason Top 50 prospect list? Also, Stuart Turner is having a strong start at the plate. Isn't he one that can go through 2 levels this year and ultimately zoom up your prospect list pretty quickly, as well?

Walker is that rare athlete that has 30-30-30%K potential.

For Mejia, it's all about the OBP, as he just has singles for hits. And he's completely unheralded on any prospect rankings list. Even the Twins had no illusions- he's batting 9th in the Rock Cats order, and putting him at Ft Myers last year was quite by accident. Although he does have 4 early errors, he's obviously yet agian, trying to prove the doubters wrong. Seth, have you heard anything within the organization that suggests he's a legitimate prospect as a utility man, let alone a starting SS some day?

Scroll right, nothing to be ashamed about being in this group: [TABLE=class: tablehead] [TR=class: colhead] [TD=align: left]RK[/TD] [TD=align: left]PLAYER[/TD] [TD=align: left]TEAM[/TD] GP AVG TPA PIT P/PA TB XBH HBP IBB GDP SH SF[/TR] [TR=class: oddrow player-10-6396] [TD=align: left]1[/TD] [TD=align: left]Billy Butler [/TD] [TD=align: left]KC[/TD] [TD=align: right]162[/TD] [TD=align: right].289[/TD] [TD=align: right]668[/TD] [TD=align: right]2609[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.91[/TD] [TD=align: right]240[/TD] [TD=align: right]42[/TD] [TD=align: right]3[/TD] [TD=align: right]11[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]28[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]4[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: evenrow player-10-6393] [TD=align: left]2[/TD] [TD=align: left]Dustin Pedroia[/TD] [TD=align: left]BOS[/TD] [TD=align: right]160[/TD] [TD=align: right].301[/TD] [TD=align: right]724[/TD] [TD=align: right]2934[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.05[/TD] [TD=align: right]266[/TD] [TD=align: right]53[/TD] [TD=align: right]3[/TD] [TD=align: right]4 [/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]24[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]7[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: oddrow player-10-31662] [TD=align: left][/TD] [TD=align: left]Jose Altuve [/TD] [TD=align: left]HOU[/TD] [TD=align: right]152[/TD] [TD=align: right].283[/TD] [TD=align: right]672[/TD] [TD=align: right]2206[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.28[/TD] [TD=align: right]227[/TD] [TD=align: right]38[/TD] [TD=align: right]2[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]24[/TD] [TD=align: right]4[/TD] [TD=align: right]8[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: evenrow player-10-5007] [TD=align: left]4[/TD] [TD=align: left]Victor Martinez[/TD] [TD=align: left]DET[/TD] [TD=align: right]159[/TD] [TD=align: right].301[/TD] [TD=align: right]668[/TD] [TD=align: right]2601[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.89[/TD] [TD=align: right]260[/TD] [TD=align: right]50[/TD] [TD=align: right]1[/TD] [TD=align: right]10[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]23[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]8[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: oddrow player-10-3748] [TD=align: left]5[/TD] [TD=align: left]David Ortiz[/TD] [TD=align: left]BOS[/TD] [TD=align: right]137[/TD] [TD=align: right].309[/TD] [TD=align: right]600[/TD] [TD=align: right]2311[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.85[/TD] [TD=align: right]292[/TD] [TD=align: right]70[/TD] [TD=align: right]1[/TD] [TD=align: right]27[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]21[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: evenrow player-10-6188] [TD=align: left][/TD] [TD=align: left]Kendrys Morales[/TD] [TD=align: left]SEA[/TD] [TD=align: right]156[/TD] [TD=align: right].277[/TD] [TD=align: right]657[/TD] [TD=align: right]2464[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.75[/TD] [TD=align: right]270[/TD] [TD=align: right]57[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [TD=align: right]6[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]21[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]1[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: oddrow player-10-5904] [TD=align: left]7[/TD] [TD=align: left]Edwin Encarnacion [/TD] [TD=align: left]TOR[/TD] [TD=align: right]142[/TD] [TD=align: right].272[/TD] [TD=align: right]621[/TD] [TD=align: right]2461[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.96[/TD] [TD=align: right]283[/TD] [TD=align: right]66[/TD] [TD=align: right]4[/TD] [TD=align: right]7[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]20[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: evenrow player-10-5915] [TD=align: left][/TD] [TD=align: left]Prince Fielder [/TD] [TD=align: left]DET[/TD] [TD=align: right]162[/TD] [TD=align: right].279[/TD] [TD=align: right]712[/TD] [TD=align: right]2618[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.68[/TD] [TD=align: right]285[/TD] [TD=align: right]61[/TD] [TD=align: right]9[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]20[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]4[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: oddrow player-10-28579] [TD=align: left][/TD] [TD=align: left]Adam Lind[/TD] [TD=align: left]TOR[/TD] [TD=align: right]143[/TD] [TD=align: right].288[/TD] [TD=align: right]521[/TD] [TD=align: right]2131[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.09[/TD] [TD=align: right]231[/TD] [TD=align: right]50[/TD] [TD=align: right]1[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]20 [/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]4[/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: evenrow player-10-5544] [TD=align: left]10[/TD] [TD=align: left]Miguel Cabrera[/TD] [TD=align: left]DET[/TD] [TD=align: right]148[/TD] [TD=align: right].348[/TD] [TD=align: right]652[/TD] [TD=align: right]2424[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.72[/TD] [TD=align: right]353[/TD] [TD=align: right]71[/TD] [TD=align: right]5[/TD] [TD=align: right]19[/TD] [TD=class: sortcell, align: right]19[/TD] [TD=align: right]0[/TD] [TD=align: right]2[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

I was going to jump in on this very issue, but Bombo said it better with the hard data. On the current Twins roster, Mauer's game really dictates that he should be leading off, and batting 2nd with Buxton leading off when that day comes. Mauer is very, very good at HIS game. The problem is, so many here want him or expect him to be 2009 good every year and don't understand the incredible value of the "career average Joe Mauer year." He's really one of the best table setters of all time, and his move to 1st should keep him producing at a level that gets him comfortably into the HOF within a couple of years of eligibility. Here are the stats for the last 11 years of the careers of Wade Boggs and Mark Grace: Boggs had the 5th most WAR at 3rd Base from 1989-1999 (age 41) with this slash: .307/.392/.412/.804 Grace had the 11th most WAR at 1st Base from 1993-2003 (age 39) with this slash: .305/.388/.457/.845 Assuming Mauer can correct his recent increase in K% and has no lingering concussion issues, he can eclipse both of those slash lines between now and 2024.

It looks like Nunez is exactly what the Twins wanted and expected. If Florimon isn't sent down or traded, I could easily see him coming in for defensive purposes after Nunez goes 2-3 with an error. (BTW, Santana is batting .222 with a .500 OPS and already has 3 errors and only an .842 FLD%, so he hasn't exactly set a high bar to surpass- as Gardy said, it's about the offense).

The September BABIP and off-the-wall strand rate significantly skew the ERA and OPS in those last 15 starts. But I'll agree with you, he's an innings eater who will never match his FIP- in the 5th starter sense of the word- even hoping for 4th starter level is speculative at best. That's why his salary is commensurate with a veteran 5th starter.

Sooo, 2016 then, for Molly....?

Predictability and health.

For the record, both #1 and #5 are (very) hittable pitches. Aren't "pitchers' pitches" on one of the corners, just inside (or just outside) the strike zone?

Spot on, Mr B. If we're going to do comps to preclude someone from consideration, comprehensive comps are mandatory or an advocate is just misleading in his arguments. Plus, Drew also has huge unrealized value as a rare LHB MI with a huge advantage against righties to pair in a platoon with. Platooning options should extend his productive career well into his 30s.

And last July-September. Again, he was "good", in a sort of innings-eating, 5th starter kind of way, and he's being paid commensurately to that end. As most have said, I'm not a big fan of his signing, but 2 years with Big Pelf isn't going to derail or block someone else's career trajectory- he can go to the pen when we suddenly, somehow have 5 obviously better alternatives.

2008 2010 2013 (July-September)

I didn't see yesterday's game until the replay came on. The poor first inning for Hughes may never have happened if he had gotten a couple of strikes called from the wildly erratic home plate ump and Herrman's misplay of the fly ball at the wall. I remain positive that we'll see more of innings 2-5 than inning 1 as the season unfolds. As for Nolasco, as I've previously posted, he's historically been a superior June-September pitcher, fans have to have that perspective in mind before they bring out the pitchforks on Ricky. And as for the Pelf- I never would have signed him in the first place. But I understand that he's a likeable guy, a good example in the clubhouse, and capable of making a mid-course correction as he did last year- only this time he's a year further away from his TJ surgery. If we get Gibson and Meyer coming on like we all hope and expect to be the case, there are worse situations than having Deduno and Pelfrey fighting it out for 5th starter status.

Are you talking about the starters or Anderson? There is no way that something will be done with Anderson's leash.

Pelfrey had a very strong 2nd half last year. He had a 3.65 FIP. And he got better, even with a bad ERA in September of 2013 due to a anomalous .431 BABIP and outlying strand rate, his FIP that month was 2.89, xFIP- 3.63, meanwhile- he had a commanding, season-best month K/9 of 9.31. Clearly, after today's start, and the last inning of his first start, he hasn't built on his 2nd half momentum of 2013, but while the results have been similar, the intervening good evidence that he was regaining his effectiveness would suggest that after his first 2 starts, this isn't the exact same situation as last year. According to PitchFX, Pelf hasn't thrown a breaking ball yet- versus the 20% ratio of last season, and he's obviously struggling mightily on the placement of his various FBs- their location is either randomly wild or right down main street.

Nah, that's going just a wee lee-tle overboard- just send the lot of them en masse down to Rochester to join Diamond and bring up the 4 Wings SPs- that 'el show 'em.