TheDean

Peterson only pitched one inning during the last week. He allowed 1 hit and struck out two, pitching in the ninth inning in a non-save situation. He currently boasts a 0.84 ERA and a 0.938 WHIP. With a BAbip of .348, but a Opposing AVG of .205, his ability to strike out opposing batters (Currently striking out 39% of all batters faced) may be outweighing a lack of "luck" when it comes to balls in play (if "standard" BAbip is assumed to be in the .290 to .300 range).

Glass half full take: At least he has over 200 professional games in the outfield. A certain other potential defensive OF replacement to start the year had roughly 0.

If you're curious, PFlo's last HR batting RH came in the minors in 2012. He hit just one RH HR that year. He's never hit one at the Major League-level.

...but then he's doing it the wrong way? Florimon had a .459 OPS vs. LHP last year. Escobar owns a career .712 OPS vs. LHP. If Gardy was platooning the right way, I'd hope for more lefties! Edit: The reason I went last year for PFlo and career for EddieE was so that they'd have similar admittedly small sample sizes from which to judge Gardy's platooning (~100 PA).

Besides having cool names and real CF-level athleticism in common, Granite and Buxton are also both enjoying time on the DL. It's pretty great!

I was half joking about it above, but they have room. We're talking about a guy who stole 55 bases on 12 CS in his last full season (2012 - 123 G between A and A+). Without Buxton, my impression is that the system is sorely missing any semblance of speed in the outfield.

Speaking of center fielders drafted in the 2008, does the guy the Jays designated (Kenny Wilson) do anything for the Twins? He was the 10th OF drafted in 2008 (Hicks was the first, Ortiz was the 24th). He's repeating AA this year after posting an OPS of .708 and had 16 SB to 6 CS in 242 PA (must have had injury issues). He's in his age 24 season just like Hicks. Not saying the Twins FO is or should be considering it seriously, but who would ever want to end the DFA limbo fun of marginal players that the Jays, Twins, and Orioles seem to have with each other? Now, I've heard that there's a somewhat high ceiling player returning to NB soon, but until then, and even after then, seems like CF depth is an issue in the AA/AAA part of the organization.

Peterson's line at this point: [TABLE=class: Sortable stats_table] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]w[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]l[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #dadcde]era[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]g[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]gf[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]sv[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]ip[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]h[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]r[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]er[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]hr[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]bb[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]so[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]wp[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip, bgcolor: #dadcde]bf[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #dadcde]whip[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #dadcde]h9[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #dadcde]bb9[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #dadcde]so9[/TH] [TH=class: Tooltip hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #dadcde]so/w[/TH] [TR=class: Full] 1 0 0.93 6 4 1 9.2 7 1 1 0 2 14 1 38 0.931 6.5 1.9 13.0 7.00[/TR] [/TABLE] He earned the first win of his professional career last Saturday against the West Michigan Whitecaps, pitching the final 2.1 innings of a 12 inning showdown. He struck out 3, walked none, and allowed 1 hit. On Thursday, his line was identical (2.1 IP, 8 batters, 3 Ks, 0 BB, 1 H), but pitched in innings 6.2-8 instead. It's certainly good to see these kind of performances, especially for back to back outings that are tied for the longest of his season (by outs).

Favorite Twin: Michael Cuddyer (shout out to CCrake this year though) Favorite Pizza: Sausage and black olives

When we think back to who actually broke this open... It all comes back to Zukesie. Who else is clutch enough to come through as a PH, with a staredown so fierce that the pitcher decided to bury two pitches halfway between the mound and the plate rather than throwing in the strike zone, scoring two runs in one PA? In terms of coaxing wild pitches, he was most effective, no doubt. Mad props.

I'm not sure, but I think the strategy started when Gardy was gone, and has continued since he returned. Whenever they get a big lead, they pull CC for Mastro. Not sure how I feel about it, but Mastro has range, and CC hasn't played much in the OF.

Peterson was brought in for the 9th inning in yesterday's Kernel's game. With CR down by a run, one out, and two runners on, he allowed a groundball single (runner scoring - charged to Christian Powell), struck out a batter, and got a groundout to end the inning. This line got me thinking: Is there any statistic or measure of a relief pitcher's ability to strand inherited runners? It's probably a off-topic enough to warrant a post in the forums instead of A-a-P. In conventional statistics, Peterson's line isn't hurt by the inherited runner he allowed to score, nor is he rewarded for the inherited runner he stranded. Yet, stranding runners would have to be one of the primary skill sets sought after in RP prospects. I suppose this is somewhat encapsulated in H/9, but, if you subscribe to the theory of "clutchness," there's a difference between allowing hits from the windup with the bases empty and being called in to prevent hits with ducks on the pond, immediately pitching from the stretch and monitoring leads from runners. Edit: I answered my own question. FanGraphs uses LOB% as this measure, taken not from the actual runners left on according to box scores, but relating it to hit and walk rates as I figured. Peterson sits in around 83% for his young professional career.

...seems legit. Got me thinking, do the Blue Jays start their year mostly playing with the roof closed? If so, I suppose Target Field is colder than what they're used to in Toronto for a game.

Apparently he is "ready" for CF... in Minneapolis http://instagram.com/p/m1Ca9OmmOS/

Since we're over a week into the season, I figured I'd write a quick update on Peterson's early performance. He has appeared in 3 games (April 5, 10, and 12). He faced 5 batters in his first opportunity, striking out 2 and allowing 2 hits over 1.1 innings. His second appearance was a ninth-inning non-save opportunity. He got through the inning by striking out two, but walked a batter and allowed two hits, earning a run in the process. On Saturday, he pitched a two-inning save, striking out three and walking one on 0 hits. Not enough to really go on at this point, but so far, Peterson appears to be replicating what he did in Elizabethton: striking out 1 or 2 batters an inning, and allowing the occasional walk. Not bad!

I hate to say it, but this is probably the most defensively talented OF that we'll see this year, right?

Well, it's official. Everyone's favorite super utility veteran to the DL for Herrmann. Now we can pretend Bartlett wasn't here in the first place, and Pinto can PH/DH while Zukes continues with that red hot production. Nothing to see here.

Name: Jack Barrie Position: 1B Height/Weight: 6'4", 250 lbs Bats: R Throws: R Summary: Barrie, an 18-year-old power hitter from Queensland, Australia, was one of the Twins' most recent international signings. He signed for about $250,000 toward the end of last February after taking advantage of increased spotlight at Australia's under-18 national championships during January. He will participate in extended spring training and compete in the GCL this year. History: Scouts were impressed with Barrie's potential in exhibitions earlier this year to the point that reports had the Twins outbidding three other organizations to sign him. However, aside from his performance at Australia's U18 tournament (.636/.652/1.136 in 11 games) and MLB's Australian Academy (.151 in 53 ABs with 14 strikeouts while recovering from a broken wrist), there exists little information on past performance. He described himself to the Sunshine Coast Daily as a "skater kid" from Cairns who fell in love with baseball after cruising past a local game at age 14. Future: Barrie will work out at Fort Myers for extended spring training and likely join the GCL Twins for rookie ball. Expect huge power potential from Barrie, a kid who is already major league first baseman size as an 18 year old. It will be interesting to see how he stacks up against pitching competition in the GCL, as that can be difficult for any young players out of high school, especially when leaving home, family, and friends half a world away. The Sydney Morning Herald reported a quote from his mom, "He eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball.... Jack has practiced and practiced and practiced.... It is wonderful to see his hard work has paid off, but this is only the beginning of a long road, and Jack knows if he is going to go all the way, he has to work even harder." ______________ I'll wait till more games and reports are made available before speculating any more. Most of this information and more was collected from Mike Berardino's Twinsights blog, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Sunshine Coast Daily, Baseball America, and the TwinsDaily forum.

I'm watching on WGN, and they're terrible there too. I mean, you can catch heckling and full drunken conversations almost as clearly as the play-by-play. Does Target Field sound this annoying when the seats are empty? Or is it strictly a Chicago thing?

Name: Brandon Peterson Position: RHP Birthday: September 23, 1991 Birthplace: Burnsville, MN College: Wichita State (1 yr), Des Moines Area CC (2 yrs) Height/Weight: 6'1", 198 lbs Bats: R Throws: R Summary: Brandon Peterson is right-handed reliever with a 95 mph fastball. A 2013 draftee from Burnsville, MN, he will start the year in Cedar Rapids. A precision fastball-slider pairing earned him a lot of whiffs in the Appy League without many walks. He had worked as a closer throughout much of his collegiate career and continued to do so in many games at Elizabethton. History: Brandon Peterson is a native of Savage, MN, and attended Burnsville High School. He was a key part of a strong 2010 Burnsville Blaze team that finished runner-up to Eden Prairie in the MSHSL AAA tournament. After high school, Peterson attended Des Moines Area Community College where he compiled a 3.50 ERA, 6 saves, and a 6-1 record in 24 appearances during his freshman season. In his sophomore season, he went 6-4 with a 4.94 ERA and 3 saves in 21 appearances, eight of which were starts. He attended Wichita State University (like Twins SP Mike Pelfrey) after junior college, pitching well as a closer for the Shockers. He appeared in 26 games and put up a 1.12 ERA in 40 IP. He earned 10 saves and a 3-1 record, holding opponents to a .189 batting average, striking out 42 and walking 15. The Twins drafted him with the 380th overall pick in the 13th round of the 2013 Amateur Player Draft. According to his MLB.com draft writeup, his fastball reaches 95 mph, usually falling to the low 90s. His main secondary pitch is a slider. After the draft, he was assigned to Elizabethton where he led the Appalachian League with a SO/9 of 13.2. He went 0-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 27.1 IP over 19 games. He walked only 9, striking out 40. He finished 14 games, 5 of which were saves. Future: Adopt-a-prospect isn't any fun without speculation about what the future has in store for a young player! As mentioned in the summary, Peterson will begin the year in Cedar Rapids as a reliever. Last year a number of different pitchers were employed by Manager Jake Mauer to close out games. Regardless of whether Peterson earns a de facto "closer" job for the Kernels, he will likely aim to do exactly what he did in Elizabethton where his results were excellent in almost every category. As a 22 year old, 13th round reliever, he doesn't have the hype surrounding the teenage phenoms that have passed through Beloit and Cedar Rapids recently, but continuing to generate results like he did in rookie ball should begin to turn some heads. References: I stole most of this information from Bbref, his WSU page, and his MiLB.com page.

I'll take fellow BHS grad Brandon Peterson and Aussie signee Jack Barrie, if he's eligible for AaP.

Huh, never heard of the place. Is that one of those sheep-farming cities Brian was talking about?

Any chance that Vargas pushes his way up to the 1B job in Rochester by midseason? Seems like he's a one-level-per-year kind of guy, but with Sano out and Rosario as a question mark, I'm eager (maybe too eager) to see some more young hitters pick up the slack. Especially when that young hitter happens to be a 6-5 switch hitter who claims to be 275 lbs on Bbref.

I like those lineups, but I would really like to see Escobar get starts at SS against lefties. I can take Florimon's .661 OPS against righties from last year, especially with his defense, but last year he put up .459 against LHP. Even though I get the feeling that Gardy doesn't like playing the platoon game, it'd be nice for Florimon to get off days vs. lefties. The sample sizes aren't too big for either Escobar or Florimon, but both seem to have pretty significant platoon splits considering they're switch hitters.

True fact: Nolasco has a higher career isolated slugging than Florimon against LHP in a similar number of PAs. Maybe I'm just cherry picking stats. Maybe we need to see Nolasco getting some time in the batting cage.