Hosken Bombo Disco

Agree with Jim H. I'm much more optimistic on the Twins lineup than most. But it all hinges on the younger guys for me. ...TLDR: YES we will score some runs. I've been doing some rough comparing of the core young guys from the 1999-2000 group, to the core young guys currently in our system who already have some MLB experience: Hicks, Dozier, Pinto, Parmelee, a few others. (Not the Sano Buxton guys who are clearly superior to either group.) While in the minors, these two groups posted virtually identical numbers to each other. The earlier group hit for slightly higher average, but this group has put up a clear higher OBP -- the Moneyball effect on drafting in the last dozen years? But the current group has really stalled out when brought to the majors, compared to the earlier group. That said, I expect development from Hicks this year, power from Arcia, and something decent from Pinto. That is good they made the team and have a chance to play from the start. Still, I would have liked to see the rest of the younger guys make it too. There are some striking comparisons between Parmelee and Hunter. (I don't have their detailed high school scouting projections, I'm just going off of bbref.) As minor leaguers, Parmelee outhit Hunter, but Hunter was brought through the system faster. It was sometime in Torii's 2nd or 3rd full season in the majors when he really became a solid hitter, and this is roughly where we are at with Parmelee. The Parmelee/Hunter example is just one. So I really don't agree when I read about how bad our current prospects are, when if you actually compare their minor league numbers, they size up the same or better than the group of prospects that took us to the ALCS in 2002. It wouldn't surprise me if we see a hot streak from a couple guys, where maybe Hicks and Arcia are raking at the same time and getting moved into the 2-3 spots for a few games, or something like that. Hey if it's spring, a guy (or gal) can hope.

Just getting caught up on results of game today.. question: what is the official ruling when a batted ball in fair territory clears the outfield fence before touching the ground - don't recall seeing that one for a long time

Yeah I'm hoping guys like Parms, Herrmann and Diamond go down to Rochester and get their chemistry straightened out ..hey it worked for Bartlett..

"All the geniuses over there at Twins Daily, *ahem* predicting Scott Diament would be claimed off waivers, well lemme tell you something.." / Sid Hartman PS don't know what Sid's actually said about the Twins in a while. But we pretty much all did (including me) think it was a lock Diamond would be claimed. Best of luck to Diamond in AAA.

Is he moving like he's hiding an injury?

Grew up in suburbs. Many trips to Met Stadium and metrodome and other ball fields. Baseball ran in the family. Learned to keep score from my grandfather. When going to a friend's house for the first time I always sized up his backyard for whiffle ball potential. I bounced a tennis ball off my back steps just like many of you did (but stood closer than 30 feet, which allowed for long fly balls over the outfielder's head.. Loved reading box scores in the paper. Found friends to play catch. Had a grade school teacher who genuinely didn't understand why the boys were better on multiplying the 7 on the multiplication tables than girls (hint: football). I played ball for as long as I could, until I couldn't anymore. It is so true: every player that is discussed on Twins Daily is the best of the best and in almost all cases, they deserve to be talked about in the best possible light. Which they often don't get. The discussion threads often get divisive and unreasonably critical but I think that gives the site credibility; I think the moderation works; and I think the positive voices at Twins Daily are the soul of the site and the moral compass. The site would fall apart without them. I wish I had been here from the start of Twins Daily but am thinking this might still be the beginning.

Agree with the last sentence and what JB & CMATH said above. *Somewhat off topic It really would be great if the Twins could somehow play .500 this year with this bunch of old geezers and Gardy realizes all things must indeed pass, he announces he'll step aside ala TK after 2001, and that way we can give him the nice tribute he deserves sometime in September. It wouldn't be a TK level ceremony we saw in Sept. 2012 but it could be something meaningful.

If only guys like Parmelee and Herrmann had known they were actually being evaluated as chemists http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/252838671.html

I will go on record as not opposing the Bartlett decision on its own. He's just a utility guy (I think?). It's when placed against the broader picture I agree the whole thing just invites scorn. Very much moving the goalposts here.

Bumping this-- it's the coaches who might provide the veteran presence or been-there-before leadership. A player hanging around primarily because he's a veteran is redundant and a waste of a spot. Not sure any of this is even debatable. Interestingly, the 1999-2001 teams never really had that veteran presence, yet still overachieved in 2001 and then went to the ALCS in 2002.

Nice to see some passion from you, one of the more smart and level headed contributors here at Twins Daily. I agree with you on this. It's all just so strange.

To all the people complaining that Bartlett and Kubel are back on the team, just remember how aggressively the Twins pursued Garza and Pierzynski too. And Guerrier will make an appearance too at some point.

Reveresie For all his shortcomings, Revere could chase down a liner in the gap as well as anyone. At times it was beauty. And he could steal the next base those few times he did reach base. To bring it back around to the subject of the thread, maybe the Twins wait a year to trade Revere, ease Hicksie into the outfield role (in place of Willingham), and then when the opportunity come to trade Revere, get something other than Worley or May. As long as most of us are second guessing we could also second guess letting Revere go a year early.

I will defer to your direct observation of him over a quote I read in the paper. I guess I was glad to see Diamond had some inner fire, anyway, in contrast to maybe someone like Kubel, whose attitude this spring I would paraphrase as "this is a waste of time; I'll start trying to hit when the games actually matter" (but again, that's based on only the quotes I've read from him (and his performance).

"I love playing with this organization, but if they don't see it that way, I want to pitch in the major leagues. I'm a major league pitcher. I'm not a minor-league pitcher. Whether the Twins think I am, that's up to them to decide." Great statement, great quote. With this attitude Diamond will certainly pitch in the majors again somewhere. Best wishes to him.

First paragraph. If you are referring to Worley, then yes. Whoever named Worley opening day starter when Worley was coming off a very seriously injured and was not close to fully recovered, that person would be directly accountable for making a harmful decision for the organization.

I do see the case for taking failures on an individual basis but for me those failures have been adding up for several years now. I'm curious to know if at the highest strategic levels the Twins brass are privately telling each other that each player needs to be evaluated in a vacuum, and that there's nothing more to it than that. Your question of whether it's possible that the field leadership is actually getting great results? Well here's how I answer.. Sure there have been successes, Mauer, Perkins, bullpens, Diamond '12, Pavano, maybe Dozier or Correia (success is a generous word here), behind that line of thinking always seems to come the idea that our coaches and instructors are squeezing every productive drop out of these guys. In other words, yeah but if it weren't for the leadership and expertise of St. Peter or Gardy or Andy or Antony or TK or whoever, this team might have finished as bad as 57-105, but we outplayed our ability to a record of 66-96 instead. And that somehow settles the accountability question.

? did you read any of the original post or just the headline or you just feel like generalizing tonight

Joe, I think some of us have heard the "blame the player" explanation a few too many times to just keep swallowing it whole. At some point you would broaden the investigation, right?

Someone suggested the Twins send Worley to AAA to work in short relief -- was that you? I thought it sounded like a good idea. If Worley can't get through 4, 5, 6 innings, break the task down and let him work on getting three outs instead. Build him back up. No easy answers. I'd add Diamond too. In 2012 the Twins spoke of Diamond as the real deal, a great find, someone who would be a regular starter for us. If not a fireballer then at least in the "crafty left hander" mold. I wasn't on these boards in 2012 so maybe there are countless threads demonstrating Diamond's imminent demise, who knows. I'm more disappointed Diamond didn't work out than Worley but disappointed about Worley too.

Why would beat writers need to be critical anymore when they've got us?

I think what most concerned a lot of TD posters like myself, was that Pinto might not even make the team. Well, he made the team. This won't be a settled starter-backup situation where the backup guy only plays day games after night games or catches a single pitcher. Pinto is going to play quite a bit. In my ideal world yeah it would be a Pinto/Herrmann competition this year but it is what it is, Suzuki is on a one year contract.

I dont think Berardino is a mouthpiece at all. If anything, the opposite. The direct quote is the key in this case. Most anything the front office says this week will be newsworthy to some degree. Which is also to say that Antony has a hard job being under a microscope right now. But some reporters would have left out the lukewarm endorsement of Duensing. There's probably no deeper meaning in it but it's worth reporting anyway. Duensing has had a good run as a Twin, nothing to hang his head about, but I don't know that he's making the team this year.

Wouldn't he still be playing under the terms of the contract he signed when he turned professional?

Because it's tradition, I don't think the player just optioned will get much sympathy. There have been good discussions on TD about whether we should try to "lock up" Buxton and Sano with a contract like this but challenging service time is a new wrinkle. I subscribe to the belief that teams should just play their best 25 guys and be really really grateful if a player you've drafted and developed proves to be so valuable that you might have to pay him sooner rather than later.