Andrew Bryz-Gornia

Hollimon has some power and he walks quite a bit. Unfortunately, that's come with high strikeouts and low batting averages.

I totally agree with this. It irks my friends a bit that I always refuse to hang out with them before the game in left field, but I enjoy going to the upper deck in center field and hanging out with the usher there. He's nearly old enough to be my grandfather, but him and I chat for about 20 minutes about anything that comes to mind. Then I go over to my section and I take care of my chores. Make sure the door to the elevator lobby is propped open, the lights in the bathrooms are on, position the condiment cart just right, and make sure no seats are broken. When all of this is finished, I just grab a seat and watch what's happening on the field. Listen to the crack of the bat from whomever is at home plate, glance down and see Jerry White with the outfielders, hitting them grounders so they can practice their throws to the cutoff man. If a batting practice ball comes up my way, I pocket it and find a way to secretly give it to a kid once gates open (parents seem to love their child's ability to conjure a ball out of thin air). Being present inside the quiet, empty stadium is a very relaxing feeling.

Ditto. Deduno was in Lakeland today.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?341-New-Life-For-The-New-Kid

[ATTACH=CONFIG]401[/ATTACH]Two weeks ago, I had a post where I guessed the probabilities of four non-roster invitees successfully making the Twins’ Opening Day roster. At the very bottom was “savior” Brian Dozier, stating that his probability was an F. No chance. Nada. Well, it looks like one of the Twins brass doesn’t agree. General Manager Terry Ryan stated that the recent demotion of Tsuyoshi Nishioka “has nothing to do with Dozier,” but that could easily be interpreted to mean “Nishioka’s only shot of starting the season with us was as a utility infielder, and Dozier’s not going to fill that role for us.” There seems to be some rumblings that Dozier is not guaranteed of being sent to the minor leagues, as I first thought. For one, he’s now survived two sets of cuts from spring training, despite the fact that he’s never seen any action in Triple-A.* Two, even with the offseason signing of Jamey Carroll to play shortstop, there’s still a way to fit Dozier into the picture. * Though the same can be said of Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee, and neither of them are likely to be on the major league roster at the beginning of the season, either. Carroll and projected starting second baseman Alexi Casilla both have the ability to play the middle infield positions. The same is true for Dozier, though there are some questions on his range at shortstop. Additionally, the removal of Nishioka means the Twins do not have a really good backup infield option for the bench. It could be Luke Hughes, but the Twins won’t put him at shortstop unless it’s an emergency. It might be Trevor Plouffe, but the Twins appear to want him to become a full-time outfielder. Out of Carroll, Casilla, and Dozier, it’s clear that Dozier will not be the utility infielder. While I won’t place him on a pedestal like Tom Powers, I do think he has a chance of being a Danny Valencia-esque player at shortstop (read: someone that won’t be a star, but can hold down the fort, possibly all the way through his arbitration years). However, Carroll and Casilla are good fits for this role. Certainly Carroll isn’t preferable because of his contract, but that’s been his role for his whole career. Meanwhile, Casilla is the cheaper option, and I don’t think anyone could really argue that moving him to backing up the infield will hurt the team. This means that we have several possibilities that could play out if Dozier indeed breaks camp with the major league club. He could be the starting shortstop, with either Casilla or Carroll manning second while the other is on the bench, or Dozier is at second base with the same arrangement for Carroll at shortstop and Casilla on the bench or vice-versa. If this was to happen, I’d hope for Dozier to be at shortstop (provided his defense has been proven to be adequate) with Carroll at second base. But will this happen? I still think no. Just like with Parmelee and Benson, I feel that Dozier is destined for Triple-A. The Twins may be talking him up right now, but his lack of experience above Double-A is a red flag right now. Sure, there have been people promoted directly to the big leagues from Double-A that stuck, but those are typically top prospects, not fringe guys like Dozier. While there may be hints from the front office that he has a chance of joining the Twins in Baltimore to kick off the season, I still feel it won’t happen. That F that I gave him two weeks ago is going to stick.

Jesse Lund of Twinkie Town pointed this out to me. Marquis has been successful in getting a first pitch strike, which could be the source of the "he throws it over the plate" comment. Also, Marquis throws many pitches out of the zone and typically has been able to get hitters to chase, similar to Carl Pavano. Also similar to Pavano, despite the ability to get hitters to swing at his junk pitches, hitters still manage to make enough contact to keep his strikeout rate rather low. Therefore, my hypothesis is that Marquis just isn't getting hitters to chase at pitches out of the zone as he typically has in the past. It would be interesting if spring training data was available to see if this was correct. http://www.twinkietown.com/2012/2/23/2818839/the-evolution-of-jason-marquis

I think this is a good idea. I was going to point out that the Twins have sometimes had their players consult with psychologists, but you pointed that out yourself. I wonder how the Twins actually feel about this. They seem to discourage players from thinking too much (such as Kevin Slowey), but would they see a psychologist as making players think less in the field or think more? That could be an interesting debate.

From chatting with Dave St. Peter, it's clear that the Twins care about more than batting average and RBI when it comes to offense.

I know Jim Thome is the first person that comes to mind that wasn't seriously affected by Target Field. I don't know about wind currents within the park, but I feel that the big scoreboard in right-center has a lot to do with this. I know it's only the same height as The Baggy from the Dome, but it extends further into center field, and it takes a hell of a hit to knock it over that scoreboard. Even the Twins organization seemed to recognize this, as they made the area above that scoreboard the Powerball Pavilion, where they give $500 lottery scratch off tickets to a randomly chosen fan if a home run is hit up there. Clearly they (and the Minnesota State Lottery) weren't anticipating a lot of homers in that area.

I don't ever recall Doumit saying anything about LF. I'm pretty sure he left it out, and just finished by saying that 1B was his least comfortable position. I think he also added that he'd play wherever the Twins told him.

When a team is successful, deciding on roster spots shouldn't be much of a chore. The stars have their spots guaranteed, the role players have already been identified, and there's maybe there's one player that has a chance at sneaking in. Last season, the Twins were anything but successful as they lost 99 games. While the departures of Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Joe Nathan were eventually filled by the signings of Josh Willingham, Ryan Doumit, and Joel Zumaya (who is now out with a torn UCL), just about everyone on the roster struggled, which meant that plenty of roster battles would be brewing this spring. Sure enough, the Twins invited 66 players to spring training this year, showing that the coaching staff wants to get a good look at plenty of players. Below I've highlighted four non-roster invitees that Twins fans are, or should be enamored with this spring. I know it's early, but I'm willing to bet we already know their likelihood of making the Opening Day roster. Keep in mind that right now, there will be only one 40-man roster spot available once Joel Zumaya is placed on the 60-day DL, unless someone else is removed, *cough* Jeff Gray. J.R. Towles - B- Is there really any way that Towles ​doesn't​ make the roster in lieu of Drew Butera? I get the feeling that as long as Towles shows that he's capable defensively and can hit better than Butera, the third catcher's spot on the 25-man roster is his. I mean, there are people within the Twins organization that are openly (albeit anonymously) hoping that he does beat out Butera. It's too bad because Butera's a great guy, but baseball is a business and you succeed with players that give you the best chance to win, not with good people that try hard. Even though Towles' major league career has been only marginally better than Butera's, at least his minor league numbers suggest he could be an asset if he figures everything out. It really should not be hard to beat out Butera unless the Twins are convinced that his defense is so good that it outweighs the hitters' difference in potential offensive firepower. Note: By the way, while typing up this review, I've changed Towles' grade from a B+ to a B to a B-. I think it's showing that even though he has a good chance of making it, I feel that the Twins are so irrationally in love with Butera's defense that it will take a good effort to displace him. I guess my optimism of Towles overtaking Butera has waned with each passing minute. Jared Burton - C+ I've been pairing Burton with fellow NRI pitcher Jason Bulger, but the difference between them is that Burton's actually had success in the majors whereas Bulger has had one decent year.* Burton's kind of followed the Joel Zumaya track of pitching, where he burst onto the scene as a good setup reliever in his first two seasons, only to have the last couple seasons ruined by injuries. * The same year Jason Kubel hit a grand slam home run off of him to complete the cycle. Just an odd tidbit I had to share. Possessing a good cutter and a "split-change," (his description of the pitch), Burton's chances of making the Opening Day roster increased when Zumaya was diagnosed with his torn UCL. However, by my count he's also competing with about 10 other pitchers for two or three bullpen spots. Here's who I think is guaranteed of being in the Opening Day 'pen: Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Alex Burnett Here's who I think has a realistic chance for those two remaining spots: Terry Doyle, Jeff Gray, Matt Maloney, Jeff Manship, Lester Oliveros, Kyle Waldrop, Jared Burton, Jason Bulger, Phil Dumatrait, Esmerling Vasquez, Carlos Gutierrez That's a lot of guys to compete against, so while I do think Burton has a good chance of making it, I could also easily see some combination of Doyle, Oliveros, and Waldrop winning those last two spots instead. Sean Burroughs - D- Look, his comeback story is great, but I just don't think Burroughs has what it takes to earn a bench spot. There was early talk about him challenging Danny Valencia for the starting third base job, but Valencia has quickly earned positive reviews on his improved defense. Burroughs doesn't feature much power, and really his only upside would be as a pinch-hitter and backup at third base. But then you have to realize that the bench will already have a catcher, Trevor Plouffe and Luke Hughes (both out of options), and either Tsuyoshi Nishioka or Rene Tosoni. If he accepts a minor league assignment, I could see him being called up at some point this season if/when injuries strike, but I just don't think he has what it takes to crack the Opening Day roster. Brian Dozier - F Dozier is probably the guy most casual Twins fans are familiar with because he was in the Twins system last season and Gardy was calling for him to be promoted, but there's just not any room for him. Jamey Carroll was signed to be the starting shortstop, and Dozier would only be in the major leagues if he would have regular playing time. Even then, you have to imagine that Alexi Casilla would be ahead of him on the depth chart, especially since Dozier has no experience above Double-A. Barring injury, the BullDozier will be in the majors at some point this year, but it won't be on April 6th.

When a team is successful, deciding on roster spots shouldn't be much of a chore. The stars have their spots guaranteed, the role players have already been identified, and there's maybe there's one player that has a chance at sneaking in. Last season, the Twins were anything but successful as they lost 99 games. While the departures of Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Joe Nathan were eventually filled by the signings of Josh Willingham, Ryan Doumit, and Joel Zumaya (who is now out with a torn UCL), just about everyone on the roster struggled, which meant that plenty of roster battles would be brewing this spring. Sure enough, the Twins invited 66 players to spring training this year, showing that the coaching staff wants to get a good look at plenty of players. Below I've highlighted four non-roster invitees that Twins fans are, or should be enamored with this spring. I know it's early, but I'm willing to bet we already know their likelihood of making the Opening Day roster. Keep in mind that right now, there will be only one 40-man roster spot available once Joel Zumaya is placed on the 60-day DL, unless someone else is removed, *cough* Jeff Gray. J.R. Towles - B- Is there really any way that Towles ​doesn't​ make the roster in lieu of Drew Butera? I get the feeling that as long as Towles shows that he's capable defensively and can hit better than Butera, the third catcher's spot on the 25-man roster is his. I mean, there are people within the Twins organization that are openly (albeit anonymously) hoping that he does beat out Butera. It's too bad because Butera's a great guy, but baseball is a business and you succeed with players that give you the best chance to win, not with good people that try hard. Even though Towles' major league career has been only marginally better than Butera's, at least his minor league numbers suggest he could be an asset if he figures everything out. It really should not be hard to beat out Butera unless the Twins are convinced that his defense is so good that it outweighs the hitters' difference in potential offensive firepower. Note: By the way, while typing up this review, I've changed Towles' grade from a B+ to a B to a B-. I think it's showing that even though he has a good chance of making it, I feel that the Twins are so irrationally in love with Butera's defense that it will take a good effort to displace him. I guess my optimism of Towles overtaking Butera has waned with each passing minute. Jared Burton - C+ I've been pairing Burton with fellow NRI pitcher Jason Bulger, but the difference between them is that Burton's actually had success in the majors whereas Bulger has had one decent year.* Burton's kind of followed the Joel Zumaya track of pitching, where he burst onto the scene as a good setup reliever in his first two seasons, only to have the last couple seasons ruined by injuries. * The same year Jason Kubel hit a grand slam home run off of him to complete the cycle. Just an odd tidbit I had to share. Possessing a good cutter and a "split-change," (his description of the pitch), Burton's chances of making the Opening Day roster increased when Zumaya was diagnosed with his torn UCL. However, by my count he's also competing with about 10 other pitchers for two or three bullpen spots. Here's who I think is guaranteed of being in the Opening Day 'pen: Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Alex Burnett Here's who I think has a realistic chance for those two remaining spots: Terry Doyle, Jeff Gray, Matt Maloney, Jeff Manship, Lester Oliveros, Kyle Waldrop, Jared Burton, Jason Bulger, Phil Dumatrait, Esmerling Vasquez, Carlos Gutierrez That's a lot of guys to compete against, so while I do think Burton has a good chance of making it, I could also easily see some combination of Doyle, Oliveros, and Waldrop winning those last two spots instead. Sean Burroughs - D- Look, his comeback story is great, but I just don't think Burroughs has what it takes to earn a bench spot. There was early talk about him challenging Danny Valencia for the starting third base job, but Valencia has quickly earned positive reviews on his improved defense. Burroughs doesn't feature much power, and really his only upside would be as a pinch-hitter and backup at third base. But then you have to realize that the bench will already have a catcher, Trevor Plouffe and Luke Hughes (both out of options), and either Tsuyoshi Nishioka or Rene Tosoni. If he accepts a minor league assignment, I could see him being called up at some point this season if/when injuries strike, but I just don't think he has what it takes to crack the Opening Day roster. Brian Dozier - F Dozier is probably the guy most casual Twins fans are familiar with because he was in the Twins system last season and Gardy was calling for him to be promoted, but there's just not any room for him. Jamey Carroll was signed to be the starting shortstop, and Dozier would only be in the major leagues if he would have regular playing time. Even then, you have to imagine that Alexi Casilla would be ahead of him on the depth chart, especially since Dozier has no experience above Double-A. Barring injury, the BullDozier will be in the majors at some point this year, but it won't be on April 6th.

Gutierrez has never really struck out many hitters until last season. He's typically been around 6 K/9, whereas Slama has been above 10 K/9 at every stop in the minor leagues dating back to 2007. The Twins never giving Slama much of a chance has driven me crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up joining another team like Rob Delaney, but we'll have to see if Slama ever does have success in the majors.

This is something that has driven me nuts for the past couple years. The Twins had only one good hitter that came off the bench (Thome) and that was short-lived as Morneau's injuries pushed Thome into the lineup as the starting DH. The Twins have definitely focused on having capable defenders at each position group (catcher, infield, outfield, and one extra at any of these three) but they haven't really carried any good hitters. Right now, I'd predict it's Butera, Hughes, Plouffe, and Nishioka/Tosoni for the bench. You've got some decent hitters in Hughes, Plouffe, and Tosoni, but they're not going to strike fear in many hitters. I keep hoping the Twins will sign Eric Hinske some day, but that's probably never going to happen. Or they'll just do the same thing as they did with Carroll and sign Hinske when he's 37.

The Twins have acknowledged that Willingham is a pull hitter and that it's easier to hit home runs if you pull it down the lines, so I don't think they're planning on changing his approach.

Well I think he's a lock for the 60-day DL if he doesn't retire, so that would open up his 40-man spot.

With Zumaya's injury, who do you think has a better chance of filling his role on the team? I'm looking at Jared Burton and Jason Bulger, but it's possible that this also opens the door for Jeff Gray, Esmerling Vasquez, Lester Oliveros, etc. Thoughts?

If this does end up being serious, we'll see if the Twins had a backup plan like Aaron Gleeman wanted. I'm leaning towards Twins Geek's answer, and that's a no.

I’m going to get this out of the way immediately. I think Ryan Braun is still guilty. I also think that he was lucky, and he and his representatives brilliantly found a way to argue that the chain of custody was broken when it came to the handling of his sample. But most of all, I don’t even care. That’s right, I think Braun is guilty, but I also don’t even care. What I care about is the reactions to Braun’s appeal being upheld. There are many people out there that feel that Braun getting off this easily is a joke. There are also people that are upset that Manny Ramirez, twice found to have taken a banned substance, has a job while Johnny Damon is still looking for one (never mind that the two have completely different contract demands). There’s Jeff Bagwell, who has never been caught using steroids, but he’s suspected of using them and therefore cannot be a Hall of Famer. There’s Mark McGwire, who did admit to using steroids, but we’re still pissed at him. http://weareoffthemark.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif But have you heard of Josh Lueke? Unless you’re a hardcore fan that’s out to know every single player in the major leagues, you probably don’t. Well, our buddy Lueke allegedly raped and sodomized a woman back in 2008 while he was in the Texas Rangers minor league system. Lueke eventually pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of false imprisonment with violence and was sentenced to 40 days in jail. The Rangers did suspend Lueke but eventually reinstated him, and he was then traded to the Seattle Mariners. Upon learning of his past, the Mariners attempted to return him back to the Rangers, but the two teams could not agree on an alternate player so Lueke stuck in Seattle. He was then traded this offseason to Tampa Bay for catcher John Jaso and will compete for a spot in the Rays’ bullpen this season. This story is what I care about. Now, I’ll admit that Lueke is clearly a lesser-known player than Braun, and we’re pushing about 2 1/2 years since Lueke was first charged, but how is this fair? Both will live the rest of their careers with a cloud over their heads, but I’m willing to bet that Braun’s will be a bigger deal. I don’t know if it’s because TV shows have desensitized us to rape and assault, but this is wrong that Lueke broke a law and appears to have moved on, whereas it’s likely that Braun, should he ever be a possibility for the Hall of Fame, will have to fight this ruling for the rest of his life. Let’s bring this a little closer to home. The Minnesota Vikings had two players this past season that had some significant issues. With the brief NFL lockout, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie failed to stay in shape and arrived to training camp approaching 400 lbs. During the season, cornerback Chris Cook was charged with felony domestic assault after attempting to strangle his girlfriend. McKinnie ended up getting cut from the team, while Cook was merely suspended for the season with pay. By the way, McKinnie ended up signing with the Baltimore Ravens, got in shape, and played in all 16 games for the Ravens last season, making it seem like the Vikings overreacted to his large waistline. Show up overweight, you’ve failed your coach and your teammates and you’re sent packing. Attack another person, and you keep your job. What I want is for sports to stop acting like using PEDs is the biggest crime you can possibly commit. When you do that, you’re really only harming yourself, and there’s not even substantial evidence that all steroids make you a better player. Yet if you have a DUI or are charged with a violent crime, you’re risking someone else’s life. That should be treated as being a much bigger deal, but it isn’t. Typically the sport lets the state judicial system handle the punishment, but they shouldn’t be afraid to step in themselves more often, even if the player’s union files a grievance. If a Twins player was caught driving drunk, I’d want him to be suspended to send a message to everyone else on the team, “This is not okay.” But that’s never going to happen, because that will never be as big of a travesty as doping, and that’s a damn shame. Break MLB’s laws, and you’ve cheated the game. Break the nation’s laws, and once you’ve served your time, all is well again. Damn, that makes a ton of sense.

I’m going to get this out of the way immediately. I think Ryan Braun is still guilty. I also think that he was lucky, and he and his representatives brilliantly found a way to argue that the chain of custody was broken when it came to the handling of his sample. But most of all, I don’t even care. That’s right, I think Braun is guilty, but I also don’t even care. What I care about is the reactions to Braun’s appeal being upheld. There are many people out there that feel that Braun getting off this easily is a joke. There are also people that are upset that Manny Ramirez, twice found to have taken a banned substance, has a job while Johnny Damon is still looking for one (never mind that the two have completely different contract demands). There’s Jeff Bagwell, who has never been caught using steroids, but he’s suspected of using them and therefore cannot be a Hall of Famer. There’s Mark McGwire, who did admit to using steroids, but we’re still pissed at him. http://weareoffthemark.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif But have you heard of Josh Lueke? Unless you’re a hardcore fan that’s out to know every single player in the major leagues, you probably don’t. Well, our buddy Lueke allegedly raped and sodomized a woman back in 2008 while he was in the Texas Rangers minor league system. Lueke eventually pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of false imprisonment with violence and was sentenced to 40 days in jail. The Rangers did suspend Lueke but eventually reinstated him, and he was then traded to the Seattle Mariners. Upon learning of his past, the Mariners attempted to return him back to the Rangers, but the two teams could not agree on an alternate player so Lueke stuck in Seattle. He was then traded this offseason to Tampa Bay for catcher John Jaso and will compete for a spot in the Rays’ bullpen this season. This story is what I care about. Now, I’ll admit that Lueke is clearly a lesser-known player than Braun, and we’re pushing about 2 1/2 years since Lueke was first charged, but how is this fair? Both will live the rest of their careers with a cloud over their heads, but I’m willing to bet that Braun’s will be a bigger deal. I don’t know if it’s because TV shows have desensitized us to rape and assault, but this is wrong that Lueke broke a law and appears to have moved on, whereas it’s likely that Braun, should he ever be a possibility for the Hall of Fame, will have to fight this ruling for the rest of his life. Let’s bring this a little closer to home. The Minnesota Vikings had two players this past season that had some significant issues. With the brief NFL lockout, offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie failed to stay in shape and arrived to training camp approaching 400 lbs. During the season, cornerback Chris Cook was charged with felony domestic assault after attempting to strangle his girlfriend. McKinnie ended up getting cut from the team, while Cook was merely suspended for the season with pay. By the way, McKinnie ended up signing with the Baltimore Ravens, got in shape, and played in all 16 games for the Ravens last season, making it seem like the Vikings overreacted to his large waistline. Show up overweight, you’ve failed your coach and your teammates and you’re sent packing. Attack another person, and you keep your job. What I want is for sports to stop acting like using PEDs is the biggest crime you can possibly commit. When you do that, you’re really only harming yourself, and there’s not even substantial evidence that all steroids make you a better player. Yet if you have a DUI or are charged with a violent crime, you’re risking someone else’s life. That should be treated as being a much bigger deal, but it isn’t. Typically the sport lets the state judicial system handle the punishment, but they shouldn’t be afraid to step in themselves more often, even if the player’s union files a grievance. If a Twins player was caught driving drunk, I’d want him to be suspended to send a message to everyone else on the team, “This is not okay.” But that’s never going to happen, because that will never be as big of a travesty as doping, and that’s a damn shame. Break MLB’s laws, and you’ve cheated the game. Break the nation’s laws, and once you’ve served your time, all is well again. Damn, that makes a ton of sense.

Someone should average out all our guesses. Perhaps I should just go ahead and do that...

"Once I master this, I can will the ball into my teammates' gloves. Yeah, that'll improve our defense."

Not impressed.