Danchat

Uhh... the invisibility part was cool, but I'd keep my clothes on with the small chance of my invisibility suddenly not working anymore.

Just turned on the TV, it was 5 to 1. 1 minute later it's 5-4. The TV is going off now.

Not that it means anything, but Hicks leads the team in batting average right now. It either tells you how bad this team is or how much better he is.

It's kind of impossible to say if someone is going to get injured that much. It turns out that the trade wasn't soooo bad, but it's still bad. This guy makes Joe Mauer look tough.

Dan Rohlfing

Let's-a-go Colabello! First hit of the season.

I projected Kyle Gibson to be an ace, and it's projected here that he'll get demoted to the bullpen. Those are two very different predictions. I'm very disappointed with your Pinto predictions. The kid has hit at every level so why not in the MLB?

It's time for the predictions for the Twins pitching staff! Here's the format of my stats: ERA/K per 9/ BB per 9 Ricky Nolasco 2013: 3.70/7.4/2.1 2014: 4.53/6.0/1.7 Nolasco had a career year and cashed in with the Twins. His career ERA is 4.37 and that's 100% in the national league, and that's gonna go up with the Twins. He does have the capability to go past 6 innings, so in the end he will make the Twins more competitive. Phil Hughes 2013: 5.19/5.7/1.9 2014: 4.07/4.9/1.8 If the ballpark factor comes into play, Hughes will be our best pitcher. He's given up 59 HRs over the last two years, but hopefully that will shrink at Target Field. I am concerned about his strikeout rate, and it'll probably drop thanks to our pitching staff, but either way, Hughes will be a huge step forward from what we saw in 2013. Mike Pelfrey 2013: 5.19/6.0/3.1 2014: 4.98/6.4/3.1 Odd. Pelfrey had the exact same ERA of 5.19. Very odd. Coincidences aside, Pelfrey is now on year 2 of his recovery from TJ surgery, meaning he should be better. If you read my first blog, you know I turned off the TV whenever Pelfrey pitched. Ironically, the one game I saw at Fort Myers this year was watching Pelfrey pitch. He isn't spectacular, but I think he will improve. Kevin Correia 2013: 4.18/4.9/2.2 2014: 4.80/4.9/2.7 Everyone was surprised when Correia pitched well last year. Looking at his K/9, I'd say he won't be able to keep up his 4.18 ERA. But I'm no sabermetrics wizard, so I can't guarantee you anything. Expect he'll be mediocre, of course. Kyle Gibson 2013: 6.53/5.1/3.5 2014: 2.97/6.7/3.0 Yes. That's right. 2.97 ERA. Are you taking me seriously? No? My big prediction of the year is Gibson's emergence as our best pitcher. I wouldn't bet money on this, but I just have that feeling. He's got over his anxiety of being a rookie under pressure. He's further removed from TJ surgery. The stars have aligned. My predictions may look grim at times, but here is a shining light for all to see! (please, Gibson, prove me right. I will look like an idiot if you pitch as bad as last year.) Sam Deduno 2013: 3.83/5.6/3.4 2014: 3.61/7.7/4.0 Let's face it. When one of the five guys above gets injured, it's probably Deduno time. I predict he will start half of the games in the season, so maybe 16 starts. In the bullpen, his strikeouts should increase, but I fear his walks will grow too high. I'm worried for his health, but other than that, he will kick butt. Here's to hoping he won't fizzle out like Scott Diamond did. Anthony Swarzak 2013: 2.91/5.8/2.9 2014: 3.91/6.1/2.6 Compare Deduno's 2013 numbers with Swarzak's. Pretty similar, right? Well, Swarzak was in the bullpen, but their numbers are freaky close. Clearly the bullpen is the place to be, but he will regress after a fantastic 2013. He's going to be moving to the 7th inning role, which he won't be as good at. Still, don't worry about him. Brian Duensing 2013: 3.98/8.3/3.2 2014: 3.55/8.0/3.3 Duensing is still a bit of a mystery. After flaming out as a starter, Duensing found his value as a reliever. He's unpredictable, but his 8.3 K/9 was pretty radical. He won't get over 8.3 again but he's a solid lefty in the bullpen. Glen Perkins 2013: 2.30/11.1/2.2 2014: 3.00/9.2/2.4 Just gaze at those 2013 numbers. Keep looking. Man, what a year. He'll never be that good again, however, he'll live up to his new extension. At Fort Myers, he blew away the batters with his pitches. I couldn't help but smile. Perkins might just be my favorite current Twin right now. (Until Buxton makes the roster.) Jared Burton 2013: 3.82/8.3/3.0 2014: 2.73/8.1/2.5 Burton regressed last year, and in the setup role, blew every tie game he had. He won't do that again this year, and he'll return to his 2012 form. He is getting to the age where he could decline permanently, but let's not talk about that. His 8.3 K/9 clip looks pretty good and should remain there. Caleb Thielbar 2013: 1.76/7.6/2.7 2014: 3.66/7.9/2.6 I hate agreeing with the consensus, but Thielbar cannot possibly be as good as last year. That won't prevent him from having an overall postitive year, as a 3.66 ERA isn't bad for a former St. Paul Saint pitcher. Casey Fien 2013: 3.92/10.6/1.7 2014: 3.15/9.8/2.4 It just isn't right when you have a SO/BB of 6.08 (that's high) and your ERA balloons up almost 2 points. ERA is not the greatest stat and it's not close, and I don't believe it's super-accurate. However, if Fien pitches like he did last year, it will go down. I'm a fan of Fien and I hope he continues his dominant run in the bullpen. He could become the setup man. Michael Tonkin 2014: 2.37/10.9/3.7 Tonkin will come into the big leagues exactly how Thielbar did. He will dominate everyone and have a basement-deep ERA. He won't repeat these stats in 2015 but he's on his way to one day becoming the closer. That should be it, but I have one more bold prediction, and it's not pretty. Look away, optimists. Alex Meyer 2014: 6.73 ERA/8.5/4.5 I'm sorry if I upset someone. Just think about it. Nobody thought Kyle Gibson would have an ERA north of 6. And nobody thinks Meyer will struggle this bad... except me, the pessimist. I like him, but knowing our luck, he'll get hurt and keep pitching. I'm sorry if I poisoned your mind with grim predictions, but our pitching staff is getting much better. Please, leave a comment and I will respond back. I will analyze my predictions at the end of the year. Let's see if my big 2 predictions will come true!

I kinda forgot Jason Kubel, even though I don't think he'll last long. DH/OF Jason Kubel 2013: .216/.293/5 Prediction for 2014: .198/.281/4 Last year was bad for Kubel, but at least his final season will be with Minnesota. I don't think he'll bat well, especially in Target Field, a pitcher's favorite. Good luck hitting HRs here, Kubel.

Now that the 25 man roster is finalized for the Twins, I'm going to publish my predictions here and then analyze them at the end of the year to see if I guessed anything correctly. -Stats I'm going to use- Batting Average/On base percentage/HRs C Kurt Suzuki 2013: .232/.290/5 Prediction for 2014: .240/.297/7 We all want Pinto to take over. Suzuki has severely declined over the last two years. As much as it seems like Pinto will take over, I think Suzuki actually has a decent year and gets his batting average up a bit higher. C Josmil Pinto 2013: .342/.398/4 Prediction for 2014: .266/.310/12 Insert *He's not possibly going to play as well as he did last fall* argument here. This is going to be the beginning of a great career for Pinto. Let's just hope he doesn't go down the Parmelee path. 1B Joe Mauer 2013: .324/.404/11 Prediction for 2014: .329/.406/16 Everyone is predicting an increase in Joe-Joe's batting average. I'll give him a small bump in BA but I do think he'll hit 5 more HRs, if that means anything. Don't expect him to get much better at the plate. 1B/Utility Chris Colabello 2013: .194/.284/7 Prediction for 2014: .222/.302/8 I've heard a lot of positive clamor about Colabello, but his numbers look pretty bad. His strikeouts (58 in 181 PAs) happened way too often, but if you're looking for positives, his 20 walks shows some upside. With experience, I think he will improve, however, at age 30, this is the best year he's going to have. 2B Brian Dozier 2013: .244/.312/18 Prediction for 2014: .263/.326/10 It was good to see Dozier break out of his slump around halfway in 2013 and pull out a good sophomore year actually a weak rookie season. Batting leadoff, his BA will go up but his HRs will suffer, but that's fine as long as he's getting on base for Mauer. SS Pedro Florimon 2013: .221/.281/9 Prediction for 2014: .202/.260/6 If I've learned anything from watching tons of baseball and football, it's that injuries nag players and can wreck seasons even when the player seems to have recovered from the injury. This is a wild guess here... but I'm going to speculate that Florimon won't be 100% after his appendectomy and he'll play through it. He already can't hit, and even though I hate to project regression, I think he won't do very well. 2B/SS Eduardo Escobar 2013: .236./282/3 Prediction for 2014: .256/.291/7 I'm aboard the Eddie 400 train. I hope Escobar gets at least 400 ABs because I think he has some potential. He had a hot streak last year but he lost his groove quickly. His bat can come alive when he's hot, but when he's not, he struggles at getting walks. I'm looking forward to watching Eduardo play this season. 3B Trevor Plouffe 2013: .254/.309/14 Prediction for 2014: .239/.288/15 I'm not a fan of Plouffe. He's basically Danny Valencia (who I liked) except... okay, I can't come up with a good reason why. It's mostly his defense, but his hitting is so inconsistent and could have hit more HRs last year. I hope he surprises me and has a solid 2014, but I just don't see it. LF Josh Willingham 2013: .208/.342/14 Prediction for 2014: .211/.319/9 I really like Willingham. But there isn't much hope for him. Just take a gander at his stats in spring training. As Pat Reusse said, he's finished. I really want the Hammer to succeed, but I don't see it. He can only hit pop-ups, strikeout, or walk. And he walks and takes pitches like a boss. But that's it. 2012 was a great year, Josh. I'll always remember that year with him mashing 35 HRs. CF Aaron Hicks 2013: .192/.259/8 Prediction for 2014: .229/.285/14 OK, Hicks, let's forget last year even happened. It was bad. People point out that he walked 24 times, and then I'll reply that he struck out 84 times. Dang. It will be a long road to earning that CF spot, but I think he improves, and in 2015, he'll crack .250 and 15 HRs. RF Oswaldo Arcia 2013: .251/.304/14 Prediction for 2014: .279/.328/22 I like Oswaldo. He's on his way to becoming a really good player. He's like Jason Kubel on steroids. Hopefully will cut his strikeouts away, though it will take a long time for him to work on it, in the long-term, his kid is going to go down as a great Twin. He gives me hope for this 2014 team. Coming soon, the pitching predictions for 2014.

OK... first off. 1: Kubel over Parmelee You've got to be kidding me. First of all, defensively speaking, Parmelee showed some skill and was about replacement level... with Willingham probably penciled in 6 days every week in left, Arcia and Kubel will be damaging this defense. Offensively, Kubel was putrid last year. Now he moves to a park where it's even harder to hit HRs. Plus, Kubel is getting old and there's still a chance to tap into Parmelee's potential!!! At least with our OF depth, Parmelee could get a call up if he bats decently. 2: Presley outrighted Why?! Why didn't we trade him? The first team who could claim him did! Why didn't we at least get a AAA pitcher for him? Or even a pitcher at single A? 3: Jason Bartlett making the team This move is justified if Florimon gets put on the DL. That is the move's only saving grace. This is a rebuilding team, folks. I'd rather see Doug Bernier here! (Wait, aren't they almost the same player...?) Sorry to be so pessimistic guys. After letting Gibson make the rotation, I was feeling good, but now I just can't believe in this team. This is a 90 loss baseball team. Sigh... guess it's time to stash away my Parmelee jersey and when available, buy a Buxton jersey. Can't wait til' 2015!

Man, I wanted Diamond to be good. I loved watching him pitch in 2012 and hoping he could continue his success. I really want him to play well, but he just doesn't have the arm for it. Oh well. With his age and price tag, I'm sure some team will claim him. This is also very good news for Caleb Thielbar. Looks like the pitching staff is locked in and ready to go now.

With Kubel locked to make the team, it might be a Parmelee vs Arcia competition. Or maybe Presley vs Parmelee. Or wait, Colabello vs Parmelee. Parmelee vs EVERYONE!!! But in all seriousness, I think Parmelee should win and get a roster spot. If they can give him a few more PAs, maybe, just maybe he could hit. There's got to be a way they can teach him how to hit a fastball belt-high. If our staff won't do it, Baltimore's staff will. (or whoever else claims him. Probably the Astros actually.) I also hope it's a given that Bartlett's off the team. I like him, but frankly he has no business on this roster.

I really hope Gibson can shake off his troubles from last year. I recall it he had some anxiety issues, and perhaps he has overcome them. I wonder if Deduno will get better now that he's in the bullpen... though he's already a good starter, now he's got the potential to be a deadly reliever. He's also a great long relief option because he can pitch several scoreless innings and keep us in the game. Huh. I think I actually like this call. I gotta give you credit when it's due, TR.

We need some more action with the pitchers. How about more of Jared Burton punching Brian Duensing! Or something along those lines.

I just saw Eduardo down at Fort Myers, and he had the best day for any Twin on the offense and defense. I approve the Eddie 400. Now, where should I get my Eddie 400 tattoo?

Perhaps the Orioles believe they can turn our outcasts into better players. I really don't see a rivalry. I recall JJ Hardy saying that the training staff helped him in 'different ways' from the Twins staff, and clearly Baltimore's has been better. I'm not sure if that means anything, but I believe they think they can get more out of our players than we can.

I've always liked De Aza, but we have the depth we need in the OF. Unless he's virtually free I wouldn't trade anybody for him.

Well, I hope Plouffe either A) Makes himself a starter (a la Dozier 2013) or Sucks so much it's consensus he's gone next year. I just hope not C) OK and probably will be here again in 2015 even though he's below average. Can Escobar play 3B? Because I'd like to see him get some reps there. I'd prefer not Bartlett. He really isn't a part of the future, is he? Also, Romero doesn't have a good enough bat for the majors in my opinion.

Man, this kinda ruined my day. It feels like 2014 is gonna be another lost season. It got worse when I realized this locks Plouffe in 3B for a good chunk of the season. However, if he keeps playing like he did last year, he'll play his way out of a job and maybe Escobar/waiver claim will take his place. At least it wasn't Meyer hurting his arm or Buxton tearing his ACL. But I have more reasons not to watch the Twins this year now.

Hahahaha... I never realized how much dough we are going to have to pay Sano and Buxton if they are as good as we hope. Hoo boy. In 8 years, nobody will remember the griping about Mauer's big contract 'cause we'll be stuck with 2 players hogging half the whole payroll.

You said it, Glanzer, I just boo at the Yankees as a whole. I don't hate Jeter for anything. I just hate the Yanks in general.

I don't really get this signing, but maybe the writing on the wall is Scott Diamond getting traded away (for a PTBNL, of course). I was really hoping that Emilio Bonifacio would get this last spot on the 40 man, but I don't think he's coming because of this move.

I'm going to one of our games between the 10th and 14th. Not sure which one yet. I really want to see Sano or Buxton (or both) for the first time.