Thrylos

I'd love to hear what the official Twins excuses happen to be about Perkins' fastball (2-seamer, 3-seamer, 4-seamer, whatever.) BUT. His 80,81,79 Slider sucks more than his "fast"ball. Ryan is putting too many eggs in Perkins' basket, and he will probably get an omelet out of it. (Perkins has been part of the Twins' problem the last 6 years, but they will not realize it...)

I'd love to hear how top free agents feel about this. Based on the fact that the last time the Twins have signed a top free agent was 25 seasons ago, i'd like to dispute that statement.

They change them every 5 days or so. I got the 3/13 and 3/18 ones but are outdated by now. Give it a week or so and the full season rosters will get finalized and on the teams' web sites. More MiLB cuts will need to happen as well...

Based on the link and the Diamondbacks release, looks like the county has contractual agreement to make improvements to the place and if they do not do that, the team would be open to relocate. FWIW, the Metrodome was brand spanking new in 1982. The Twins were whining for relocation way before 2002 (20 years there.) 20 years is about the lifecycle of those places it seems. And if the Phonecians do not want to pay for the improvements, pretty sure that someone else will. Not a secret that MLB wants someone in Montreal as well. Got to look at both sides. If it is in the lease contract that they have to renovate, they better do so...

his last MLB season (2014): .177/.284/.315 slash line his only 5 games in the PCL last season before traded to Altanta and released: .176/.263/.235 Subuterrean OPS does not grow on trees. I'd rather see Vargas/Kepler get those 275 PAs; higher likelihood of success for the Twins

I just hope he does not accept the assignment and goes away for good. Zero with the glove, mediocre with the bat. Plus the White Sox taint. Good riddance.

Then Ryan would have learned zero from 99+96+96+92

Different throwing arm, about 5 inches in height and a good 40 lbs. You don't want the lefty around if you are cooking in your back yard...

FOUL. Apples with apples. In Polanco's age now (and Santana's back then and Escobar's back then) Dozier was still hitting with an aluminum bat.

Facts: Escobar's Twins career: .262/.305/.404 Escobar in the last 2 seasons: .268/.311/.424 Just entering his prime. Cannot see him regressing by any means. .275/.320/.435

FWIW: Over at Fort Myers Twins' gift stores they had Shirtseys (and Jerseys) of the following players: Mauer Dozier Perkins Sano Park Buxton only. In my about 10 day stay, 90% of the Sano stuff was sold out, and about 3/4 of the Park and Buxton Even for marketing and PR reasons, he will be in the 25-man roster. I think that he has improved a bit from last season in that he now is taking some balls. His defense is worth a few runs in the OF. If he learns to bunt better and if he plays 100% all the time, he might be ok this season, like 3-4 wins, most with the glove...

13 pitchers are too many also. There is no need to carry so many.

I think that the Nolasco over Duffey in the rotation is a done deal. based on this: I think that, for the same reasons that May is in the pen (they need him there,) the Twins should bite the bullet and get Duffey in the pen as well. They are competing. And with that pen it will be difficult to compete. Not sure about Tonkin as a lock. Before the other day against the Rays, I was pretty sure that he will not be there. Still, Pressly has been better all Spring and was better last season in the bigs. Abad, O'Rourke and Runzler all pitched about the same. Very few K's from Abad are bothersome. I think that the Twins' should go with the devil they know O'Rourke, who also happens to be on the 40-man roster. Unless Duffey gets a spot in the pen, I see Pressly and Kintzler. Just cannot be excited about this pen... Really.

Is CC Sabathia faster than Mauer?

Got to love it when the discussion is on Polanco, but Dozier's name is coming up I think that based on Sickel's definitions of ratings, he should be at least a solid B. Also think that people in general have been ranking the Twins' International Free Agent & esp. Latin American prospects lower than where there should be ranked. Sano and Rosario, in addition to Polanco, are prime examples of this, if you compare to some of the rankings of drafted players. Maybe just part of somone not covering them when they were about to be drafted. Always thought that Polanco has All Star SS written all over him. Jeter might be a good comparable for his ceiling here and his floor is a certain former Twins' SS, turned TV analyst... Polanco is MLB-ready now. I know that I am more bullish on Polanco than most, but I was so for Sano as well...

That's not accurate 2 days ago: 14 pitches 9 strikes 5 balls (3 FBs 2 SLs)

.250/.310/.410 and traded by the All Star break for a closer

He was getting shellacked on the curveball. Hitters were letting fastballs go and waiting for the curve, which is really really bad news for him.

Originally Published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- Today was the last live game from Fort Myers. Yesterday, I shared some thoughts about the Twins 25-man roster and based on what I have seen previously, Rickey Nolasco should be the Twins' fifth starter. With another stellar performance today against the Rays, going for 6 innings allowing only 3 hits, no earned runs, walking 2 and striking out 7, he cemented that position, especially when in Field number 2 his only competition, Tyler Duffey, allowed two home runs among other hard hit balls this afternoon. Pending a trade, I can see no way that Nolasco will not be in the Twins' rotation, and arguably has pitched pretty well this spring, earning a spot. Glen Perkins' appearance today and the rest of the Spring has been worrisome. His fastball barely reached 91 and his slider 81, and has been batter all over Hammond Stadium without finishing an inning. In 2/3 of an inning he allowed 2 hits and a walk with no strikeouts, adding up to 3 runs. I hope Terry Ryan has a plan B in his back pocket for a closer, because Perkins is continuing his decline from last season second half. As far as position players go, Eduardo Nunez was horrible today: Two errand throws to the first and a dropped ball on a base steal attempt did not help the Twins' cause. Let's call it a hick up and hope that it will not continue to happen. Byron Buxton has a lackluster performance a couple days ago, but today, he made up for it. He has a great running catch in the first innings and also got an infield hit in a ball hit deep in the shortstop, in the same situation he did not previously. I think that he also might be cementing a spot in the 25 man roster. So is Danny Santana, who got an infield hit in a drag bunt, then stole second, and in a play that featured 3 errant throws by Rays scored. Great heads up play, plus his speed and versatility will help. Oswaldo Arcia likely won the last 25 man spot over former hated White Sox player Carlos Quentin. Arcia has been better on the field that Quentin, making some difficult plays, whereas Quentin has no position, and has been better with the stick and the basepaths, stealing a couple of bases so far. I think that Quentin was brought in as a plan B if Byung Ho Park did not pan out right away as a 1B/DH, but this is not the case. So it looks like the Twins' position player side in the 25 man roster is about set. There are still some question-marks in the bullpen, as I indicated yesterday. Next: Catching an airplane up North tomorrow and either later this week or early next will will give my Spring Training Redux and my prediction for the Twins' 2016. Still need to chew on this a bit...

Not sure that Berrios will be the first to be called up. At this point, if a AAA starting pitcher needs to be called up, it will be because of an injury/DL stint. Pen is a different story, because there are pitchers with options.

Then, according to this Phil Hughes who started in the back fields for 2 full games should be SOL...

.240/.300/.425, which is about what he did last season.

Not sure that Abad is a lock. O'Rourke and Runzler did as well as he has done this spring. I'd like to see Duffey in the pen because he has higher upside than the others. Otherwise the 2016 pen will be the same as the 2015 pen that was the worst or second worst in the league. Pressly earned a spot as well. Just a matter with how many lefties they will go out the gate and whether Ryan has the guts to turn Duffey in a reliever to help the team.

Have been thinking about this a lot. There are 2 ways he gets in: a. over Arcia. Huge mistake in so many ways. b. Buxton at AAA. Rosario/D Santana at CF, Quentin platooning with Arcia for a corner OF spot. The problem is what has not been mentioned about his performance today: Quentin's glove is horrible. Makes Sano look like a gold glover out there. Today: he was running perpendicular to a ball with the glove extended. Dropped another one. Let a third get stuck under the padding. Blah. Total Stiff.

Originally posted at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- There is about a week of Spring Training games (actually 9) left for the Twins, and the composition of the Opening Day 25 man roster is still very unclear, with exactly the same questionmarks as in the beginning of Spring Training: 1. Who would be the last 2 Twins' Starting pitchers? Tyler Duffey, Tommy Milone, or Ricky Nolasco? Pick 2. There was the feeling that it could be a 5 way battle with Jose Berrios and Trevor May also vying for a spot in the rotation, but it seems that the inclusion of Berrios & May was for PR reasons. Milone seems to have earned a spot in the rotation, by arguably being the most consistent starter this Spring, so apparently it is up to Duffey and Nolasco, who both had pretty mediocre springs in official games to claim that last spot. Nolasco had a great outing in the back fields the other day, and my take has been that it has always been his spot to loose, and he has not done that, or Duffey has not done anything to win it. But still the Twins have not made it clear 2 (or rather 1b) Who will be joining Perkins, Jepsen, May and Fien in the Twins' pen? The only thing clearer than the beginning of the Spring Training here is that Ryan & Co do not want any of the young fireballers to start the season up North, and even though they pitched better than the rest, including the anointed closer whose fastball is about 6 mph south of its peak, Nick Burdi and JT Chargois, were reassigned and optioned to the minor league squads earlier. Among the other cuts in the reliever group, Mason Melotakis did show flashes of greatness, but also did show rust from sitting for one year, which needs to be shaken, Pat Dean and Alex Meyer need to start games in AAA, Randy Rosario and Yorman Landa are a few years away, Mike Strong and his 40-man spot has proven the head scratcher that has been on paper and Aaron Thompson has proven than wearing a Civil War Beard in 80 degrees in Florida will not help your case if you do not have any talent. Jake Reed was also disappointing and clearly did not pitch as well as the other young talent in the above list Who is left: from the RH side: JR Graham Brandon Kintzler Ryan Pressly Michael Tonkin from the LH side: Fernardo Abad Buddy Boshers Logan Darnell Ryan O' Rourke Taylor Rogers Dan Runzler The interesting thing is that none of those pitchers has pitched themselves out of competition. If someone asked me yesterday, I'd say that Tonkin and Graham do not belong, but today they both redeemed themselves and maybe bought themselves a few more days, esp. Graham. Tonkin, who is out of options, pitched two very clean innings throwing his fastball up to 95 and his slider up to 85, but those came against Baltimore's minor leaguers. I like what Brandon Kintzler did today and most of the Spring, but from that group, Ryan Pressly deserves the first right hand spot, if there is only going to be one. As far as the lefties go, Abad, O'Rourke, and Runzler, pitched equally well, so it could be one or 2 of them getting jobs. Only O'Rourke has a 40-man spot, which is a consideration, but with Strong's primarily and Tonkin's, secondarily, spots in jeopardy, there is still a lot of work to be done. And there is a wild card, who might make the Twins' pen better in 2016: Tyler Duffey. The former closer has not proven that he pitch more than 6 effective innings in the majors, and would likely be a force if the Twins' brass decide to move him to the pen, in a similar way that they did with Trevor May. (Tommorow: The position players)