J-Dog Dungan

Yes, everyone's favorite punching bag while he was with the Twins, but while he has been away from the Twins he has posted a respectable 64-51 record, and, over the last two years (by this I mean 2011 and thus far in 2012), has posted an average ERA of 3.00. Yeah, so he had a few tough years since 2004 (like, every year until 2008, and then again in 2011-2012). The Cards just resigned Jake Westbrook, and their 2013 rotation (without Lohse) is looking like Carpenter, Wainwright, Lynn, Garcia with Joe Kelly, Shelby Miller, and Trever Rosenthal as alternatives. So, I wouldn't be surprised if Terry Ryan at least gave him a call this offseason.

Bottom picture: Hope baseball isn't like horseshoes and grenades. Top picture: I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque.

Is the guy you are talking about in the last paragraph the guy around which the movie "The Rookie" was based?

Well, if we did hit better and got better pitching, we would be in contention. With the success that Bruno has had down in AAA, wouldn't mind bringing him up to the Bigs and giving him a shot as the hitting coach. And it isn't Gardy's fault, he isn't the one being paid millions upon millions of dollars to do what they have done since childhood and mostly doing it like they are a child facing grown men. And what do you expect? I would imagine most people want the Twins to succeed, especially those who are the announcers for them. How hard do you think it would be if you were the one who loved a team and had to announce most days that they stink? Pretty hard, I would imagine.

What the heck is with pitchers that the Twins have ditched down to AAA suddenly acting like they are King Felix (blackburn and Hendriks), and then up here, acting like how we've seen them over the last few years (they can't pitch their way out of a paper bag).

Uh, not much. He just came off of TJ surgery, so nobody knows which way he will go, to the dark side or to the light side.

He would need at least five, all healthy and producing like he did with the Twins.

Yeah, so maybe while it was not a good trade by Bill Smith, the fact that the Twins aren't covering Santana's huge contract while he stays almost perpetually injured might not be such a bad thing after all.

I think the reason that Beloit has such low attendance levels is clearly because of the chairs they use in the bleachers. I mean seriously, it's like a high chair without the straps. And yes, I do believe Blackie is short of the 5-year "veteran" mark, or at least two different radio stations have said so.

Totally agree with you GGR's; if we are going to call those guys up from AA, then they get PA that other players don't need. The outfield will become a total rotation with Span, Revere, Willingham, Mastroianni, and whomever they call up.

Why in god^&&&()%&(*^%(*^%(&^%(*^%(*^%(&^%*&%#%$#@(&^ would the Twins switch one of the best fielding and contact hitters/outfielders in the game to 2B?

Not sure if you guys saw a post by some website recently, but i read somewhere that Cuddy said that when they played the Yankees, they went in expecting to lose.

Wow, really hard to win when your 9-1-2-3 guys are a combined 0-15. That is just terrible. Revere is in some kind of slump after that 21 game hit streak

Not sure if you were just doing positions, but I think that pitching should be on this list. Also, I would say that it wouldn't hurt to have Dozier start down in the Minors next year if they sign one middle infielder and pair that infielder with Jamey Carroll.

I really hope he can come back from this. I finally have some confidence in him after seeing him crash and burn at short last year.

I think everyone who would have been interested in booing Nishi is probs more interested in the Vikings game tonight (not that I wouldn't boo him if I was there and he was in the lineup.)

1) Great article as always 2) Go Twins!

YourHouse, I was basing my analysis mostly off of the 40-man, but I probably could have added Jeff Grey. Think of the Capps entry as Grey's entry too. Burnett has been doing much better this year and I don't see any reason to cut him. Swarzak has been fairly reliable in the long-relief/spot start position, so I didn't think to add him. But yes, there should be an entry for Nick Blackburn.

I wonder if throwing a baseball is like horseshoes and grenades....?

Pitching: Carl Pavano (expect) As consistent as you sometimes were, Carl, this most recent injury-plagued season has probably cost you a position with the Twins, and, most likely, in the Bigs. While you may have been a nice guy and class act personality who worked well with Drew Butera, the Twins, and every other team, should look to go younger at than a 36-ish somewhat injury-plagued pitcher. Matt Capps (expect) Well, it has been an interesting run while you were with us, Cappie. You have made us hate you and love you (hate you a little more often than love you). While we thought you were worth $4.5 million this offseason, most of us here didn't. But we now have several relief pitchers that we can trust more than you, and we don't have to pay them as much, and they don't stay injured like you have this year. Nick Blackburn (hope) Well, Nick, at least you have a role model to look up to in the getting ground balls department on this team. His name is Scott Diamond, and you are supposed to do what he does, except better. Yeah, you have really fallen short of expectations, and most people here at Twins Daily are getting tired of your inconsistency. Jeff Gray (Grey?) (Don't really care) Well, some people were suggesting putting him on this list in the comments, probably because of the bad outings he has had. Well guess what? Most people were hating on Glen Perkins before he became this out getting god at the back of our bullpen. So give Grey (Gray?) a break. He will come back. Relievers always have a few rough spots before their good streaks. That's what makes us like them all the more. Catchers: Drew Butera (don't know my feelings about this guy) You have been part of an interesting time for the Twins, Drew, one where your fielding kept you on the Major League roster even when your hitting said you didn't deserve to be. I didn't have any problem keeping you around when we didn't have a true backup for Joe, but now we kinda do. And with the departure of Liriano and the almost certain departure of Pavano, you are losing the pitchers that you were like the "pitching whisperer" too. So this might mean you are out of a job, but again, maybe not. Neither Mauer or Doumit are full-time catchers, so you might still have a job with the Twins come next season 1st Baseman: Justin Morneau (expect and hope, but not for the wrong reasons) Justin, you are one of my favorite Twins players. That is why this is probably the hardest entry for me to write. You have gone through so much with the Twins, including hitting your 200th home run, winning an MVP award, sustaining two concussions, and your comeback this year. You were even titled the new-age "M&M Boys" with your friend Joe. But with your recent comeback and the hopeful signs that Parmelee is showing down in AAA, you have made yourself increasingly expendable for the good of the team. If they do manage to trade you, they should get a lot of salary relief, a MLB-ready pitcher, and your legacy as one of the best power hitters the Twins have developed so far. 2nd Baseman: Alexi Casilla (expect) Well Alexi, you have certainly always been a better defender than offender, but the fact that you are one of the last (as Ozzie Guillen titled them) Little Piranhas makes me wish that you could have produced offensively like you did defensively. Tsuyoshi Nishioka (seriously expect and hopeful up the wazoo) Oh, Nishioka, we thought you would be the infield version of Ichiro. Instead, you have been the infield brother of whomever the worst infielder ever is. You have made more errors at short and second than any of us could believe, or wanted to expect. You have the, to put it nicely, the hitting of Nick Punto, but none of his fielding wizardry. As the number of "Get rid of Nishi tabs has risen on this site's forum, so has the criticism of you from people we wouldn't expect to criticise you. Brian Dozier (only send him to AAA) Dozier, it has certainly been an interesting few months. You made quite the first impression, but since then, have been starting to struggle little by little. You have been as athletic as advertised in the field, and we can only hope that you improve with the bat, but I would suggest that you start the year in AAA, just to get a little more seasoning and time spent with Bruno. Outfielders: Denard Span (sort of expect) Span, you have been a solid outfielder, a solid baserunner, and a dependable lead-off man whose value hasn't been higher for a long time, if ever. I fully expect the Twins to trade you this offseason to make room for Ben Revere in center, not because I don't enjoy watching you play, because I believe it is necessary for the continued improvement of this team. Rene Tosoni (expect to stay in the Minors, and definately not on the 40-man roster) Well, we haven't seen you at all this year, Rene, and you have been demoted from AAA to AA for low performance. So, yeah, with all the higher-ranking OF prospects the Twins have, I would be very surprised to see you at the Major League level again (at least with the Twins), especially with the emergence of Mastroianni as the quintessential 4th outfielder.

Pitching: Carl Pavano (expect) As consistent as you sometimes were, Carl, this most recent injury-plagued season has probably cost you a position with the Twins, and, most likely, in the Bigs. While you may have been a nice guy and class act personality who worked well with Drew Butera, the Twins, and every other team, should look to go younger at than a 36-ish somewhat injury-plagued pitcher. Matt Capps (expect) Well, it has been an interesting run while you were with us, Cappie. You have made us hate you and love you (hate you a little more often than love you). While we thought you were worth $4.5 million this offseason, most of us here didn't. But we now have several relief pitchers that we can trust more than you, and we don't have to pay them as much, and they don't stay injured like you have this year. Nick Blackburn (hope) Well, Nick, at least you have a role model to look up to in the getting ground balls department on this team. His name is Scott Diamond, and you are supposed to do what he does, except better. Yeah, you have really fallen short of expectations, and most people here at Twins Daily are getting tired of your inconsistency. Jeff Gray (Grey?) (Don't really care) Well, some people were suggesting putting him on this list in the comments, probably because of the bad outings he has had. Well guess what? Most people were hating on Glen Perkins before he became this out getting god at the back of our bullpen. So give Grey (Gray?) a break. He will come back. Relievers always have a few rough spots before their good streaks. That's what makes us like them all the more. Catchers: Drew Butera (don't know my feelings about this guy) You have been part of an interesting time for the Twins, Drew, one where your fielding kept you on the Major League roster even when your hitting said you didn't deserve to be. I didn't have any problem keeping you around when we didn't have a true backup for Joe, but now we kinda do. And with the departure of Liriano and the almost certain departure of Pavano, you are losing the pitchers that you were like the "pitching whisperer" too. So this might mean you are out of a job, but again, maybe not. Neither Mauer or Doumit are full-time catchers, so you might still have a job with the Twins come next season 1st Baseman: Justin Morneau (expect and hope, but not for the wrong reasons) Justin, you are one of my favorite Twins players. That is why this is probably the hardest entry for me to write. You have gone through so much with the Twins, including hitting your 200th home run, winning an MVP award, sustaining two concussions, and your comeback this year. You were even titled the new-age "M&M Boys" with your friend Joe. But with your recent comeback and the hopeful signs that Parmelee is showing down in AAA, you have made yourself increasingly expendable for the good of the team. If they do manage to trade you, they should get a lot of salary relief, a MLB-ready pitcher, and your legacy as one of the best power hitters the Twins have developed so far. 2nd Baseman: Alexi Casilla (expect) Well Alexi, you have certainly always been a better defender than offender, but the fact that you are one of the last (as Ozzie Guillen titled them) Little Piranhas makes me wish that you could have produced offensively like you did defensively. Tsuyoshi Nishioka (seriously expect and hopeful up the wazoo) Oh, Nishioka, we thought you would be the infield version of Ichiro. Instead, you have been the infield brother of whomever the worst infielder ever is. You have made more errors at short and second than any of us could believe, or wanted to expect. You have the, to put it nicely, the hitting of Nick Punto, but none of his fielding wizardry. As the number of "Get rid of Nishi tabs has risen on this site's forum, so has the criticism of you from people we wouldn't expect to criticise you. Brian Dozier (only send him to AAA) Dozier, it has certainly been an interesting few months. You made quite the first impression, but since then, have been starting to struggle little by little. You have been as athletic as advertised in the field, and we can only hope that you improve with the bat, but I would suggest that you start the year in AAA, just to get a little more seasoning and time spent with Bruno. Outfielders: Denard Span (sort of expect) Span, you have been a solid outfielder, a solid baserunner, and a dependable lead-off man whose value hasn't been higher for a long time, if ever. I fully expect the Twins to trade you this offseason to make room for Ben Revere in center, not because I don't enjoy watching you play, because I believe it is necessary for the continued improvement of this team. Rene Tosoni (expect to stay in the Minors, and definately not on the 40-man roster) Well, we haven't seen you at all this year, Rene, and you have been demoted from AAA to AA for low performance. So, yeah, with all the higher-ranking OF prospects the Twins have, I would be very surprised to see you at the Major League level again (at least with the Twins), especially with the emergence of Mastroianni as the quintessential 4th outfielder.

I did hear that playing Nishi was mostly b/c of FO pressure, but I hope to goodness that they send him back down THE SECOND Trever Plouffe is ready to play again. I also agree with an article on 1500espn.com, where Mackey wrote that calling up and playing Nishi is part of the "scholarship program" that the Twins said they had done away with. The Twins are probably just seeing if they can get anything out of Nishi before releasing him this offseason (not that I know they are releasing him, just makes the most sense.)

Not sure that the pitcher that the Twins should be looking for this offseason will be cheap, but they should be an impact player.

Here is a summary of what Nishi has done wrong in the last few days, according to Phil Mackey of 1500espn.com:Monday: Made an error of the first ball hit to him, and threw the ball wide to first. Charged with another error later on in the gameTuesday: Went to the wrong spot on a relay throw-something he has been working on in AAA, and was late covering the bag on a bunt play.Today: Where do I start? He botched a double play ball, lost a pop fly in the sun and then started walking away from it, and made a bad throw home where a good throw would have gotten the runner.Also, he is still 0-fer, the only good things he has done at the plate is to sac-fly in the go-ahead run yesterday, and take one walk.

Whaddya mean fake stuff? He's been hitting the ball "hard", hasn't he? And I didn't know he had enough money to bet on sports.