Seth Stohs

One of the Twins biggest issues in 2011 was its bullpen. In fact, it was really ugly most of the year. In the offseason, the Twins lost Joe Nathan to free agency. They brought back Matt Capps and hope that the toughness he has exhibited by wanting to come back after a brutal 2011 will translate into improved performance in 2012. Glen Perkins went from the guy most fans wanted released last spring training, to one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball. The Twins locked him up through the 2015 season with his recent contract extension. Anthony Swarzak is out of options this year and showed in 2011 that he can and will pitch in long relief, spot start or whatever role he is asked. Brian Duensing moves back to the bullpen where his ability to get left-handed hitters out should again thrive. Those four (Capps, Perkins, Swarzak and Duensing) went into spring training as givens to make the Twins Opening Day roster. After that, there are three remaining spots in the bullpen to fill, and three question marks. I’m the first one to say that spring training statistics mean very little. However, that is only true for the “givens.” When there are potentially three open positions in a bullpen, spring statistics tend to be pretty important. So for the vast multitude of bullpen arms that the Twins brought in to camp, they are trying their best to make a good impression. Just 12 days into spring training games, it is far too early to generate any certainties. However, for the most part, the Twins relief pitching has been pretty solid. There are a couple of guys whose position may have dropped a little bit in the eyes of the Twins decision-makers, but even they will likely get another two weeks to turn things around. There have been a lot of pitchers who have made an early impression for the Twins in camp. Kyle Waldrop – Fellow TwinsCentrician Parker Hageman tweeted last night something that jumped out at me. He wrote that Waldrop releases the ball at 6’8” and it hits the plate at just 2’2”. That is some incredible sink, and that is why he has had a 60% ground ball rate. So far in camp, he has given up no runs on two hits in three innings. He has walked none and struck out three. Matt Maloney – When Bill Smith claimed the lefty after the Reds had released him, he was roundly criticized. Most who criticized the move now believe that he should be the Twins third left-hander in the bullpen. And they’re probably right. In 5.1 innings, he has not given up a run. He has given up three hits, walked one and struck out eight. Jared Burton – The Twins quickly signed Burton to a minor league contract. He was hurt most of the last two years, but he was a very good set up many for a couple of years before that thanks to a terrific cutter. In four innings this spring, he is yet to give up a hit. He’s walked one and struck out four. Jeff Manship – Many forget that Manship made the opening day roster a year ago, but just five outings into the season, it was clear that he wasn’t right. He was sent to Rochester and went on the Disabled List for most of the season with a couple of separate injuries. He has made an adjustment to his slider which should mean more strikeouts. In camp, he gave up a home run to David Ortiz in his first inning, but that is the only run he has given up in 4.1 innings. In fact, he’s given up just one other hit, walked none and struck out six. Casey Fien – Another minor league free agent signed by the Twins with big league experience (2009-2010 with Tigers), Fien has been good this spring. In 3.1 innings, he is yet to give up a hit or a run. He’s walked one and struck out three. Brendan Wise – Another minor league free agent from the Tigers, Wise has ERAs of 1.87 and 2.83 in AAA. The Australian gets a ton of movement by throwing from a three-quarter arm slot. In three innings, he has given up one hit, walked none and struck out none. Carlos Gutierrez – The former 1st round pick had a bad outing in the team’s very first scrimmage. The manager called him out. Since then, he has been terrific, aggressively going after opposing hitters. In three innings, he’s given up only an unearned run on two hits and a walk. He has struck out four. Those seven pitchers are off to a good start and making a strong impression. However, if any of them have a game in which they give up three runs in one inning (something relievers tend to do a time or three a year), their spring ERAs jump up to around 5.00. That’s why any time you’re looking at such a small sample size, you have to take it for what it is worth. Those seven pitchers are not the only pitchers in the equation though. Terry Doyle - The Twins Rule 5 draft pick has certainly had ups and downs in his few spring outings. He has been good, and he had a start last week in which he got hit very hard. The 26 year old would need to be offered back to the White Sox. It’s far too early to tell which direction the Twins are leaning with him. Jeff Gray – He is on the 40 man roster, and yet he has only pitched in two innings over two games so far. He has given up two unearned runs on two hits and two walks without striking anyone out. Alex Burnett – Gardy and Rick Anderson really believe in Burnett, and for good reason. There is no questioning his stuff. Simply, he was not given time to develop in Rochester, and I think it would be great for Burnett (and Lester Oliveros who has given up one run on four hits in three innings while striking out four and walking none) to spend a couple of months improving themselves in Rochester. Burnett has thrown 2.2 innings this spring and given up five runs on eight hits and two walks. It isn’t as if it is just one bad outing; he has struggled each time he has taken the mound. Jason Bulger – It’s been a rough spring for Bulger. In his first outing, he walked four before throwing a strike that Lars Anderson hit for a grand slam. He struggled again in his second outing but had a good third outing. The 33 year old has spent parts of the last six seasons with the Angels, so it isn’t as it he has just completely forgotten to pitch. But nine runs on six hits and five walks in just two innings is cause for alarm. There are three open spots, it appears, in the Twins bullpen. There is one spot (Joel Zumaya’s) on the 40 man roster. Fortunately Ron Gardenhire, Rick Anderson and Terry Ryan have two more weeks to determine who will head north to start the season. A lot can change. Some of these pitchers may start getting into game situations against starters rather than against hitters wearing numbers set aside for wide receivers or offensive tackles. The bullpen remains the most intriguing part of Twins spring training. How will it play out? [ATTACH=CONFIG]326[/ATTACH] --- At Twins Daily, there is a lot going on. John wrote his thoughts on some of the bullpen pitchers making an impression. Nick continued his Twins position analysis by looking at Jamey Carroll and the shortstops. Left-hander Ryan O’Rourke writes about the first week at minor league camp. Parker asked what Alexi Casilla can do in 2012. Seth asked if there is any way that Brian Dozier can make the opening day roster. Troy Larson asked when fans get excited about the upcoming season. Shanewahl wrote about the rise and ‘fall’ of Aaron Hicks. Twins Fan from Afar asked if the Twins need to hire a sports psychologist. In the Forums, there are a lot of great discussions being generated. Be sure to vote for and discuss the preseason AL Central third basemen. On the Farm includes discussion about the two Twins minor leaguers suspended 50 games each for testing positive for a banned substance.

I'd agree with that, and based on last season, I was excited about the 2012 season about mid-September. But you're right, there are those times when that excitement comes up a little more. For me, it's the Twins Caravan and Twins Fest... the hardest part of the year for me is the two weeks from Twins Fest to spring training cuz I love spring training. And of corse, Opening Day is great!

I completely agree jwestbrook that (if healthy) this lineup would have mashed in the Metrodome... see Mauer, 28 HR in 2009... Morneau, Thome, Kubel, Valencia, they would have scored a ton of runs in the metrodome.

Manager Ron Gardenhire wanted him up in the big leagues last summer. Teammates praise his leadership as well as his ability to do anything and everything needed with the bat. Pitchers love when he is playing shortstop behind them. How can Brian Dozier make the Twins Opening Day Roster? There are many things going against Dozier this spring, at least in terms of making the opening day roster. The biggest thing he has going for him is his play and his personality. Let’s start with the reasons that he will not make the Opening Day Roster: Jamey Carroll and Alexi Casilla – The Twins brought in Jamey Carroll and paid him enough that he will get a starting job. He’s earned that by playing in 140+ games the last two years, being solid defensively and getting on base at a very good clip. The Twins are committed to giving Alexi Casilla another shot as a starter at second base. Even if the leash on Casilla isn’t real long, he will get a shot to start. Brian Dozier is a real prospect – In other words, they are not going to keep him on the big league roster if he isn’t going to play nearly every day. It would be best for Dozier’s development to go to Rochester and play every day. Dozier will not come up as a utility player yet. 40 man roster – Dozier is not on it. Sure, it would be easy to add him to the 40 man roster, especially with Joel Zumaya’s roster spot available when he is put on the 60 Day Disabled List. But the Twins may use that to add a reliever. Dozier doesn’t need to be added to the 40 man roster, so unless he proves himself in a short period of time to be vastly better than the other options, there is little reason to add him now. Free Agency – It’s weird to look six or seven years in advance, especially in baseball where year-to-year is often not a guarantee. However, if the Twins wait to add Dozier to the 40 man roster until after about April 20th, it would be an extra season before he could become a free agent. Is having him up two or three weeks earlier worth losing a full season of his best years? Hasn’t spent a day in AAA – This isn’t a complete deal-breaker, but it is unusual for players to be promoted directly from AA without spending time in AAA. It’s happened. The Twins did that with Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee last year in September and Ben Revere the September before that. In each of those cases, it was simply for an opportunity to see the players, and in Revere’s case, his speed could be used in late innings as a pinch runner during a pennant race. Brad Radke came up from AA. Others have, including Joe Mauer. Tsuyoshi Nishioka – What will the Twins do (or be able to do) with Nishioka and his contract? Would they send him to Rochester? They may be willing to keep him up as a utility player an not play him very much. I’m sure you can add other reasons for why the Twins would choose not to put Brian Dozier on their opening day roster. However, there are some reasons that it should not be considered completely out of the realm of possibility for Dozier to leave camp with the Twins. Offense – After putting up fairly pedestrian numbers in 2010 at Beloit and Ft. Myers, Dozier had an incredible 2011 season in which he was named the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year. In 49 games in Ft. Myers and 78 games in New Britain, he combined to hit .320/399/.491 with 33 doubles, 12 triples, nine home runs and 56 RBI. He stole 24 bases. He had ten sacrifice bunts. Defense – Although scouts tend to be mixed on whether or not he can be an everyday shortstop or a second baseman or a utility infielder, he makes the routine plays. That’s all that the Twins brass asks a player to do. He credited his Arizona Fall League manager Joe McEwing with helping him increase his range with just a couple of quick alterations. Versatility – He can play shortstop and second base, so if Carroll or Casilla were to be hurt, he could fill in for either of them. Carroll is also versatile, so if the Twins feel, at some point, that Alexi Casilla needs to move back to the bench, Carroll could move to second and Dozier could play shortstop. Leadership – it isn’t a measurable quality, but teammates at each level talk about his ability to lead. He isn’t a loudmouth, but he leads by example and isn’t afraid to take charge on the field. Obviously we know that is important to Ron Gardenhire. Tsuyoshi Nishioka - Because the Twins clearly are not big supporters of Nishioka at this point, it is possible that they would release the middle infielder, give Dozier a starting gig and move Carroll or Casilla to a bench role. The odds are stacked against Brian Dozier, who went 2-3 with a triple yesterday in exhibition play, to make the Twins Opening Day roster. However, the odds are definitely in favor of Brian Dozier being promoted to the Twins at some point in 2012. The odds are also very good that once he is called up, he will remain a starter with the Twins for several seasons. [ATTACH=CONFIG]307[/ATTACH]

After struggling during the first week of spring training with the bat, the Twins go three home runs on Sunday afternoon to top the New York Yankees 5-1. Joe Benson got the Twins on the board with a long, solo home run in the 5th inning. In the bottom of the 7th, Danny Valencia gave the Twins a 2-1 lead with his second home run in as many days. In the bottom of the 8th, Michael Hollimon hit a long, 3-run homer into the wind that gave the Twins the 5-1 lead. (Hollimon is now 4-6 on the spring with the Twins.) The Twins continued to pitch well also. Nick Blackburn started and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and was helped by his defense. With speedy Brett Gardner on first base, Curtis Granderson hit a long drive to center field. When Joe Benson (who was in the lineup because Denard Span had a stiff neck) realized he couldn't make the catch, he played the ball perfectly off the wall. He uncoiled a strong throw toward the infield. Alexi Casilla grabbed the throw and relayed a perfect strike to Joe Mauer to get Gardner easily at the plate. The bullpen was terrific again. Brian Duensing pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Capps walked one but did not allow a run. Aaron Thompson came in and gave up a run on two hits in the 6th. Jeff Manship came in and looked very sharp in a scoreless seventh inning. Carlos Gutierrez pitched the 8th frame. He consistently hit 96 mph with his fastball. He threw two offspeed pitches, neither of which was close to the strike zone. Brendan Wise gave up a single to lead off the 9th, but he got a double play and another ground out to end the game. [ATTACH=CONFIG]293[/ATTACH]

It's no secret that the Twins have really struggled offensively to this point in spring training. That remained the case on Saturday when, in this sixth inning, the Twins were down 2-1 to the Pirates. Valencia stepped to the plate with two runners on and uncorked a long home run to give the Twins a 4-2 lead. The bullpen held the lead and the Twins got the win. For Valencia, it was his first home of the spring. For the Twins, it was just their third spring home run (Chris Parmelee and JR Towles had the other two). In his previous at bat, Valencia had ripped a double to the right center field gap. On the day, the Twins managed just four other hits. Terry Doyle got hit pretty hard by the Pirates. In 2.2 innings, he gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk. He was aided by a popped up bunt and a runner caught stealing on a pitch-out. He was helped by another terrific performance by the bullpen. Anthony Swarzak got the final out of the third inning and pitched a scoreless fourth frame. Jared Burton, Matt Maloney, Kyle Waldrop, Lester Oliveros and PJ Walters each threw a scoreless inning. [ATTACH=CONFIG]289[/ATTACH] ----- Earlier in the day, the Twins and Pirates played a "B" game. Scott Baker was to start, but he was unable to get loose on time, so Jeff Gray pitched the first inning. Then Alex Burnett pitched the second. Baker finally pitched in the 3rd. He was able to record just one out before the inning was called. He pitched a second inning and struggled. In all, he gave up six runs in 1.1 innings. Following the outing, Baker said his elbow was fine, he just couldn't get the ball down. Oswaldo Arcia hit a long, opposite field home run. Chris Parmelee hit two doubles.

This article was promoted to an Article, feel free to Comment here. http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?298-Projected-Twins-Roster

If you follow the tremendous work of 1500 ESPN's Phil Mackey, you know that every Sunday, he posts an updated 25 man roster projection. Phil is in Ft. Myers and talking to players, coaches and front office personnel, so he may have some insider information. But, I think that we can all do our own roster projections because until we get to April and the team has to announce their 25 man roster, anything can happen. I hope to post my projection updates each Friday and hope that you will leave your projections in the comments and discuss. The players in Red are players that I believe are givens to make the roster (obviously pending injury). Those in black are potentially up for grabs. Catchers: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, JR Towles Although Towles isn't exactly an exciting prospect like he was 5 years ago, he likely is an improvement over Drew Butera. If the team insists on three catchers, I now believe Towles tops Butera. Infielders: Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Luke Hughes It certainly doesn't sound like the Twins really want to keep Nishioka around. I personally think that in terms of a pure utility infielder, Ray Chang would be the right choice. I think Luke Hughes is on the bench for power, if he is not placed on the disabled list. Outfielders: Ben Revere, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe As much talk as there has been about Plouffe taking over in LF with Revere as the 4th outfielder, Plouffe will have to improve tremendously with the glove for that to happen consistently. Starting Pitchers: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis No changes, no surprises here, although Terry Doyle and Liam Hendriks have looked good in their couple of outings early in spring. Bullpen: Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Jared Burton, Jeff Manship, Terry Doyle The first four appear set. Burton was the non-roster invite who garnered the most attention coming in to camp, and he's been good so far. Too many people have forgotten about Jeff Manship as a bullpen option, and he's been good. If Terry Doyle continues to pitch well, the Twins will certainly want to keep their Rule 5 investment. It is early, and we know guys like Kyle Waldrop, Alex Burnett, Lester Oliveros, Jeff Gray, Esmerling Vasquez, Matt Maloney and others will try to make an impression. I admit as well that I am intrigued by Brendan Wise as well. Those last three names are certainly debatable and subject to change over the next three or four weeks. What are your thoughts? What does your roster look like?

If you follow the tremendous work of 1500 ESPN's Phil Mackey, you know that every Sunday, he posts an updated 25 man roster projection. Phil is in Ft. Myers and talking to players, coaches and front office personnel, so he may have some insider information. But, I think that we can all do our own roster projections because until we get to April and the team has to announce their 25 man roster, anything can happen. I hope to post my projection updates each Friday and hope that you will leave your projections in the comments and discuss. The players in Red are players that I believe are givens to make the roster (obviously pending injury). Those in black are potentially up for grabs. Catchers: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, JR Towles Although Towles isn't exactly an exciting prospect like he was 5 years ago, he likely is an improvement over Drew Butera. If the team insists on three catchers, I now believe Towles tops Butera. Infielders: Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Luke Hughes It certainly doesn't sound like the Twins really want to keep Nishioka around. I personally think that in terms of a pure utility infielder, Ray Chang would be the right choice. I think Luke Hughes is on the bench for power, if he is not placed on the disabled list. Outfielders: Ben Revere, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe As much talk as there has been about Plouffe taking over in LF with Revere as the 4th outfielder, Plouffe will have to improve tremendously with the glove for that to happen consistently. Starting Pitchers: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis No changes, no surprises here, although Terry Doyle and Liam Hendriks have looked good in their couple of outings early in spring. Bullpen: Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Jared Burton, Jeff Manship, Terry Doyle The first four appear set. Burton was the non-roster invite who garnered the most attention coming in to camp, and he's been good so far. Too many people have forgotten about Jeff Manship as a bullpen option, and he's been good. If Terry Doyle continues to pitch well, the Twins will certainly want to keep their Rule 5 investment. It is early, and we know guys like Kyle Waldrop, Alex Burnett, Lester Oliveros, Jeff Gray, Esmerling Vasquez, Matt Maloney and others will try to make an impression. I admit as well that I am intrigued by Brendan Wise as well. Those last three names are certainly debatable and subject to change over the next three or four weeks. What are your thoughts? What does your roster look like?

The Twins announced this morning that left-handed relief pitcher Glen Perkins had agreed to and signed a three year contract extension worth $10.3 million. The contract includes an option for 2016. In January, Perkins and the Twins avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.55 million contract for 2012. We do not yet have the breakdown for his annual salaries going forward, but an average annual salary of $3.43 million puts him in line with other top young bullpen arms. The contract essentially buys out his final year of arbitration and two years of free agency, with an option for a third year. The Minnesota native and former Minnesota Gopher will continue to pitch in key roles for the Twins through at least the 2015 season. Remember just one year ago today, most Twins fans would have been happy if the Twins had just released Perkins rather than offer him arbitration. However, the Twins insisted that his move to the bullpen would be fruitful, that the ball was 'really coming out of his hand well.' Perkins responded very well, posting an ERA of 2.48 and a WHIP of 1.23. In 61.2 innings, he walked 21 and struck out 65. The Twins haven't had the best of luck with long-term deals of late, but this one makes a lot of sense. What do you think of the deal and the Twins signing a long-term deal with one of its top bullpen arms?