DocBauer

I wish no harm to anyone, nor do I enjoy anyone losing a job. But there are certain realities involved with the running of a team, and the makeup of said team to be successful. Good for Tonkin! I'm not sure how or why he was sent down in the first place. What more does he really have to prove at the ML level that he is deserving a shot? I'm begining to wonder if the Twins have a rule that states a journeyman pitcher must double a prospects ERA before he is released/removed in favor of the younger player. No doubling of ERA, roster spot and prospect goes down. But the guy I feel sorry for is Oliveros. Came back strong last season, has a strong arm, barely got a look-see in ST, and has even better numbers so far this season than Tonkin.

Patience. Despite all of the amazingly difficult things there are to do, learn, overcome and accomplish in all of sports, I firmly believe that the most difficult thing to do is still to consistently hit a round baseball with a round bat that is not only coming at you somewhere between 70 and 100 mph, but is bending, twisting, diving and generally moving around. Sano missed everything but a couple days of ST. Now he has to find his groove and timing. Buxton obviously played more, but also missed significant time. AND, there is the self imposed pressure of trying to be great, and trying to be so right away. Personally, Ive felt that anyone expecting either or both up by mid season were dreaming. I would be fine if both struggled the entire first half, but played good defense, took some walks, and just kept working toward a strong second half.

Not so sure a B prospect or some of Nolasco's contract paid wouldn't entice them

A temporary solution would be for Nolasco to throw at least one more rehab start. That allows everyone to make at least one more start each. Is May really OK? Will it strike midnight for Pelfrey or has he really discovered something? Was Milone's last start an aberration or the solid starts before? Ideally, all is well, and a team suddenly finding themselves short a starter will come calling.

I believe that was a form of affirmative action, was it not?

I also don't think this team is as bad as they looked the first 10 games or so. I would love to eat crow, but I don't like Pelfrey in the rotation. I like the rotation better with Nolasco. I like them oration even better with Santana in it, and either Nolasco or Milone gone. (Notice how May staus in all those comments?) The pen has been better, but I don't trust all the participants involved. Looks like the hitting is coming around a bit, but something isn't right when the, argueably, least important player, Nunez, and arguably the worst hitter on the team, Robinson, are leading the club in hitting. CF is still a hot mess despite Robinson's early hot streak. Fix CF so the defense can help cover the corners and not frighten the pitchers, tweak the pen, (POSSIBLY with help from Pelfrey but I'd prefer prospects), and see if the offense can't come around...not career years, just come around...and I think we have a .500 club. The rotation could, potentially, lift the team a couple games above.

First off...sorry to correct you...but it should be Cerrano, not Jobu, shouldn't it? Jobu not help to hit curveball, but it was Cerrano who actually swung and missed. My opinion. Arcia has enough talent, that with work, coaching, more experience, and a little azz-kicking from Bruno and Moli, I also believe he can be good to very good offensively, and OK/average defensively. The skill set is there. He showed real progress late last season. The huge mistake was moving him to LF this year. Arcia is the kind of guy, I believe, that is a creature of habit, and needs to be comfortable. As to stuck with Hunter? Yeah, I guess we are. But his defense hasn't been as bad, from what I've seen, as I thought it would be. Or at least, it's been better lately. And his bat has looked a lot better in the #2 spot. If he does nothing but not completely embarrass himself in RF, produce OK in the 2 hole, and provide some fire and leadership....desperately lacking in the Twins roster the past couple of years...and kick each of Arcia's cheeks a couple times each...and I ain't talking the ones on his face...I will be OK with him on the team for this season.

Not going to disagree with you. Really not happy and rather baffled by some of the offseason moves...or non moves...as well as how ST seemed to be run and how the roster ended up. However, by all reports and accounts, Molitor is a very good and smart baseball man who relates well to young players and knows the Twins minor leaguers fairly well. Despite some questionable actions and in-actions, Ryan hasn't completely fumbled his moves the past couple of years, and has an outstanding past reputation as a scout, GM and all around good baseball man. I won't excuse all decisions, or defend, but also don't expect anyone to be perfect. But is it possible...and I'm asking as much as I'm offering and debating...that as ST ended, Ryan, Molitor and his coaches sat down and basically said to one another: "guys, we have some good young talent here. And we've got even more, even better, that should be ready and up soon. A couple of these kids were sick here in ST, or battling something, and I/we aren't 100% sure they are 100% ready for opening day. Perhaps we're better off sending some of them down for the first month or so to get in a groove, stick with a couple of these older guys to begin with, and let it sort itself out by about June, or so. We might even get lucky and find a needy and willing trade partner or two. What do you all think?" I know I sure like that better than:"well, until they come up and hit or pitch like all-stars screw 'em"

Absolutely. One thing that has driven me crazy the past couple of seasons, that I had hoped would change this year (jury still out to be sure) is the way certain prospects have been jerked around like a yo-yo. Chris Herrmann: with the club now. Love him or hate him, his milb track record indicates a useful LH bat with some pop and contact at C who can fill in elsewhere. He hit below .258 only once and OB below .350 once until 203 when the Twins bounced him up and down. Hicks: given a long leash, but probably too long for his own good with no fall back. Gibson: didn't show a whole lot in 2013, which was probably expected considering fatigue and rookie status. And while nobody expected him to makes ne rotation in '14, he did, and it was a smart move. May: pitched no worse, and probably better than Gibson in his first go around, but a flu bug early in ST seemed to put him behind the 8 ball right off the bat. Milone has pitched well thus far. But why on earth didn't May get the additional2 starts available before they made their decision? And is he an auto demotion when Nolasco comes back? Tonkin and Oliveros: both have better stuff than any other RH in the pen now. Tonkin hasn't been perfect, but has shown flashes. Oliveros made a really nice return last season from injury. But both were case aside for older veterans from the NL. One with a questionable contract and the other a journeyman roster filler coming off an Ok year.

Gotta say, I like and "liked" this as I think the points are smart, viable, and probable. Hard to disagree. But I'm going to slightly if I can. Lol I don't believe I actually wrote it down here, but privately, I've stated I thought Danny Ortiz might actually be the first OF recalled. I don't believe he'll ever be great, but I think he's flown under the radar his entire career and has the ability to be a nice role player in the OF and at the plate for the Twins. There is every reason to believe he will be ready for promotion ahead of Rosario and Buxton, and while I don't know good he actually is in CF, I know he can help there as well as the corners. I expect a lot more from Vargas and have been very disappointed to this point with his start. (As I'm sure he is) It would be easy and logical to promote Pinto at this point. He could DH, catch a little, and possibly free up Herrmann to help elsewhere to PH, play a corner OF spot here and there, etc. (in case you missed it, he hit during ST and has hit thus far this season in SSS) But I don't think it's fair or prudent to send Vargas down this early. Or Santana for that matter. I think there's a huge difference between being patient with a 33 y.o. journeyman with a limited track record, and being patient with a top prospect who showed something last season before getting off to a slow start this year. I'd stick with Vargas and Santana for now. I don't know if 40 games is the answer, or 50, or 60, or what? But I give them a little more time and rope. It's not fair to Pinto, true, but I believe it's where we find ourselves at the moment. I thought Oliveras was given a raw deal coming out of ST. I know he was sick or whatnot early on, but he has velocity, decent stuff and SO ability. Something very few of our current bullpen members can say. And he pitched well last season at Rochester. And after a bad first appearance or two in September, pitched OK down the stretch. IF you were going to cut him this spring, he should have been around long enough to be one of the very last demotions you made. You could bring him up right now, and while I respect and like Fien, I'm not so sure he wouldn't be the best RHRP in the pen from day one.

Wish there was someone to ask, for curiosity sake. Seems to me if I had a decent to potentially good bat projecting, and there was any chance at all he could play at least an OK 3B to increase his and roster flexibility, I'd be all over that.

Absolutely, 100%! Winning and learning to win are important, I believe. But development is still supreme. And to that end, there has been some pretty good to awesome pitching throughout the organization thus far, with a ton of strike outs. And knock on wood, thus far, only Thorpe has had a major injury setback. (Not that his only isn't a BIG only) And for the most part, all clubs are hovering around the .500 mark, or better. (Come on FTM!) I think we're of to a fine start.

Beat me to it! "Hello, St. Louis? Yes, just wanted to say how sorry we are to hear about all of the bad luck you've been having lately with your starting staff." "What's that? Oh yeah, the Santana thing caught us totally by surprise. But he's healthy and we expect to have him back for the second half of the season and ready to go! May? Why thank you for asking. We really dodged a flukey bullet there, I tell you. We're very excited about him and think he's a big part of our future. Looks like he just got a bruise and a little soreness. He should be just fine. And yes, reports are that Nolasco is fine as well. Appears he just had some stiffness or soreness of his own. All the tests and exams say he's OK. We're going to have him make a rehab start, or two, just to get stretched back out and get in to a groove before brining him back." "And actually, that's kind of the reason we're calling you. After all the bad luck you've had this season, we'd like to offer you some assistance. It just so happens that find ourselves with a pair of experienced, veteran starting pitchers, but only room for one of them. And as you know, both have extensive experience previously in the NL where you reside. Now, Pelfrey is the younger of the two, is only signed for the rest of this season, and has seen an uptick in velocity this season as it appears his arm has fully rebounded from his previous surgery. And Nolsco is a couple years older, but not old, has an even better track record, more immediate history in the NL, and whiled he's signed for two more years beyond this one, his cost is not overly prohibitive. In fact, in order to help ourselves, and in turn help ourselves help you, we'd be willing to help pay for some of the remainder of his contract so it wouldn't inhibit your ability to manage payroll." "What would we want in return? Honestly, we aren't a greedy organization at all. We just want to keep May up with us, make room somewhere so everyone can play, and leave ourselves flexible for when Santana comes back in a couple of months. But now that you mention it...you do have a nice defensive OF sitting on your bench......"

FREE DALTON HICKS! FREE DALTON HICKS!

I know who Buxton is. But who's this other guy you are talking about?

Where is the real Pelfrey? What have you done with the real Pelfrey? Can we keep this version of Pelfrey instead? OK, so I said the same thing in a blog elsewhere. I liked the comment. Lol I caught most of the game and was genuinely impressed. And I saw some of this wicked split fingers. And just when I thought he'd implode, he didn't. No guarantees, but I still think he has the right stuff to MAYBE re-invent himself as a quality bullpen arm: throw hard, mix in pitches, and only have to face a couple hitters,mor go through the lineup once. I just don't trust him. To me he's that friend or cool uncle who is a really neat guy, who everyone likes and roots for, who always has the best intentions...but who always lets you down in the end.

Gonsalves for Cy Young! Mmmmmm.....maybe a little premature?

Seems like a great kid who works hard and just "gets it". We could have a potential steal on our hands here. As in, a nice, solid, all around ballplayer who does most things well, does the little things, and can fit in as a nice roll player if nothing else. I'm curious though, why no trial at 3B? He played it in high school and college, at least some. He's a good enough athlete to bounce between 1B and OF while getting a look see at catcher, but not a good enough athlete to at least take a look at 3B. Ditto for Herrmann, and we've heard about his athleticism since day 1. He's even played some CF in the minors. But after playing 3B in high school and college the Twins just abandon any shot of him at 3B? Harrison was actually drafted as a 3B, and except for a few appearances, pretty much switched to the OF permanately last season. Christensen was an All Big 10 SS. Now he plays OF and 1B, but no looks at 2B OR 3B. Now, I know that everyone isn't cut out to play 3B at the higher/highest levels, BUT, I don't understand in the minors, especially the lower minors, of at least not experimenting with these kids more. Gaetti had hands of stone when he arrived to the Twins, and probably stopped as many balls with his body as his glove. But he turned in to a Gold Glover. Koskie seemed to have limited range and a too stiff body when he came up. He too became a high end defender. (Some of this will probably be true for Sano when he first arrives as well) Maybe it's just so very obvious with some of these guys that it wouldn't work. I don't know. But we try things like Rosario at 2B, and a few years ago the Twins tried a young 2B at catcher, (name escapes me now) and we've even experimented with Ss's at C. But guys with some bat potential who have played 3B in the past we don't even look at for 3B? I just find that odd.

Where is Mike Pelfrey? What have you done with him? And can we keep this guy instead?

I don't know what WILL happen...but what SHOULD happen is moving Pelfrey back to the pen. I'll be the first to say he pitched a nice game Wednesday night against KC. In fact, it might have been the best game he's pitched in a Twins uniform. However, history would indicate this good game is not the norm. And Pelfrey is not part of the future of the club, unless it would be as an effective, re-invented reliever. After years of Pimo and Walters and others being shuffled out to the mound in shackles and bowed head over and over and over, how could you possibly tell a top prospect like May thanks but no thanks, we'll call you sometime.

Dear ML baseball, For the Twins 1st round pick this season in the upcoming draft, I would like the Twins to acquire a potential top of the rotation LH starting pitcher. I would prefer him to be a college pitcher vs a high schooler to accelerate his path to the majors. But a high schooler would be OK too. I promise I've been a good boy this year. Thank you Doc

On a serious note or two... Unless the Twins plan for Arcia to plant himself permanently in LF, the move of him, a career RF who actually showed improvement last season, to LF was not only misguided...but...sorry...it was stupid. Hunter is signed for 1 season. One. The veteran, Hunter, needs to make the move to LF, and should have right away. Hopefully, it's not too late. Hicks could be promoted up I guess. But if we ever really want to see if he can cut it, it's time to be fair to not only him, but the Twins themselves in regard to any potential value and just let him stay at Rochester, rebuild confidence and approach and work on that new leg kick of his. There's a lot of ways to make a team and improve a team. I am leaving that poor dead horse carcass to push up daisies in peace and talk about the NOW instead of mistakes of the off season. The Twins have one of the absolute best, top farm systems in all of baseball. And hey, I'd like to keep every single prospect as long as I can too. But to not make a move as obvious as acquiring help for the team in CF is downright disrespectful and insulting to the members of the team as well as the fans. Trading a solid prospect or two, in a farm system this deep, does not diminish your talent level or your future. And nobody is saying, or expects, the team to trade for a big time, expensive all star and unload 4 of their top 20 prospects. We're talking about a solid prospect or two for a solid ML ballplayer who can play CF without embarrassment, and then can assume a 4th OF role when Buxton is ready. Acquiring this solid, ML caliber CF would in no way block Buxton when ready. And no matter how much we want it to happen, the odds of Buxton being ready for the majors two months from now is just not realistic. So you do nothing and tell your team, (especially your pitching staff) and your fans; "Tough. Deal with it. We've totally screwed up this key position for a couple years now but, so what. Eventually we'll get better." Make the move. There are solid and interesting options listed here already. I'm sure there are others. The infield is OK. You absolutely do not give up on the talented Santana at this point. But you continue to work in the deserving Escobar as well.

How to improve the defense? A) One of those giant "we're #1" foam fingers to function as a glove for Arcia. A seeing-eye greyhound in CF to help Schafer track balls. (It would help if the dog could hit a little too) C) An ACME series 4, turbo powered scooter for Hunter. Optional grenade launcher might be considered a luxury, but if it works in the budget, why not splurge.

Did you just hear that? It was a giant, collective sigh of relief from Twins nation after Meyer's start,

I agree with a comment Seth made in another thread, I think it's possible he pitches at three levels this year. That would put him on pace for AA to begin '16, and a chance to reach the majors at some time that season. He and a healthy, recovered Melotakis could bode very well for the port side DH the pen in the near future. (Though there are others as well such as Darnell and Thielbar) I also think we get too wrapped up in ages as well. For every kid we reached the majors at 21-22-23 and has a nice to great career, there are just as many who quickly flame out or never develop fully. I really don't think there is any sort of formula to follow.