laloesch

Agreed. Why the Twins would roll with Shane Robinson over Rosario in center is mind boggling.

Not a good outing today for May at all. Probably sealed his fate with this one.

I completely agree. No more stepping out of the box for very pitch. No more calling time to slow down the pitcher. If you need to adjust your gloves do so between pitches. On the flip side a pitch clock for the pitcher.

"So this was not a knockout. Instead, it looks like we're going to have at least one more round as Molitor said after the game that both pitchers competing against Pelfrey, Tommy Milone and Trevor Mays, will get another start this week." hmmmmm........so what does this mean exactly? The way this statement is phrased it almost sounds like Pelfrey is the front runner. Boy i hope not.

Agreed. However, the Twins seem to have a fascination with Mike Pelfrey and Milone.

True. I too would like to see a trade of Nolasco and outright DFA of Pelfrey to free up rotation spots for Meyer and May. But judging how Ryan and Molitor have been talking up Mike and Ricky i don't think it will happen. The Twins are making a mistake by allowing May & Meyer to grow old in the minors (both are 25 now).

I agree, I don't know how Burdi doesn't enter this discussion. He will debut at some point this season given his "stuff." It's just a matter of when. I'd also like to see Jake Reed and JT. Chargois enter this discussion. Heck even Alex Wimmers might be a possibility at some point. Point is the the Twins have a gluttony of gifted relievers knocking on the door and don't have to settle for Pelfrey or Stauffer as bullpen options.

He hits into a ton of double plays because he hits almost everything to short. It's not because he's a "great batter." A high OBP isn't the be-all end-all for batting 1st or 2nd in the order.

How so? . FACT: Mauer K'd more times last season then at any point in his career. His OBP, SLG, RBI & HR totals all very close to career lows with the exception of 2011 when he WAS hurt. Set aside the fact that he's 6'-5" tall, 230 lbs and lanky, he's simply too slow and inflexible to stretch those doubles into triples or singles into doubles. It makes ZERO sense having him bat lead-off given he lacks any power, is ultra conservative at the plate and hits everything to left field and nothing to right. Then you add in the fact that he hits into A TON of DB's (he's led the AL 3 or 4 times now in that category) and shows no signs of slowing down with teams employing the shift against him. Do you still really want him batting lead-off or 2nd? Sounds like a bit more than fictitious claims and more likely that SOME Twin fans can't handle the fact that Joe Mauer may not be almighty and all powerful after signing that 20 million dollar a year contract a few years back.

I would like to see the Twins move him back to catcher at least part time. If they have given up on Pinto and Suzuki is our primary option at least have Mauer catch Kurt's days off. Perhaps this will help him "see pitches" better, which apparently is part of the reason why his batting average has dropped along with the increased strikeouts. Just a thought. Mauer will never be a power hitter unfortunately and without increased homerun and RBI totals he's a VERY EXPENSIVE light hitting first baseman.

"He does hit into a ton of double plays due to his inability to lift the ball to the right side." Which is precisely why he shouldn't leadoff or hit two-hole. He's too slow, has very little power, hits into way to many double plays, hits almost everything to the left side of the diamond and does not produce enough RBI's. Don't get me wrong, Mauer is a good hitter no doubt, but his approach has flaws and other teams are now exploiting them (infield and outfield shifts). I wouldn't bat him higher than #5 or #6 in the order, but given what the Twins have to work with right now I get that he should hit #3 until Sano and Buxton arrive and are established.

In all seriousness I wouldn't be surprised. It just surprising how foolish he is in letting his agent convince him to go to Minnesota for the extra years and money. Sure money talks, but would you move somewhere you absolutely hate for 1 more guaranteed year and a few extra million bucks? I mean the Dodgers are now a perennial playoff team and in an area he loves and because they didn't offer him what he wants he decides to leave the franchise for a perennial loser in an area he dislikes? Stupid is stupid does if you ask me. Hopefully Ryan realizes this sooner or later. Ship him out as soon as possible.

Huh? After last seasons horrific numbers? Are you seriously arguing that Nolasco is on equal footing for opening day starter this season? Seriously, whatever you are smoking I want some. There is NO QUESTION that Hughes is the opening day starter. Santana is #2 based on pure stuff and last seasons record. And...... If I were a betting man i'd be willing to wager that Gibson is the #3 starter based on the fact that he won twice as many games as Nolasco and had an era almost 2 runs lower. Just my opinion

I agree 100%. He thinks he's being clever, but Ricky needs to get a clue. Bashing the weather in the state you play in and saying you wish you were still in LA?....come-on man. Stinks like a spoiled brat if you ask me. Hopefully the prospects pitch well in ST and Ricky starts the season on a role. I want this guy out of Minnesota as soon as Ryan can swing a deal. Last seasons horrendous performance and his career numbers are just not good enough to put up with this BS. The Twins have too many good prospects (May, Meyer & soon Berrios) as well as Milone who are itching at making the MLB team. Gibson should be fine behind Santana and Hughes as the #3 starter. Fill the rest of the rotation with guys WHO WANT TO BE HERE.

Barring a horrible spring training, Trevor May no question. It irritates me that Ryan has repeatedly said that their hoping Pelfrey makes the club as the fifth starter.

That would be my preference. Twins should make it a point to unload both these guys (Nolasco and Milone) even if the return is low. Pelfrey should have been gone last season, but we all know Terry Ryan LOVES dumpster diving & reclamation projects. Opening up rotation spots for May and Meyer should be a top priority for the Twins FO. I'm willing to wait until mid season, but they had better stop procrastinating with these two as both are mid 20's now.

I see that "order of preference" with Pelfrey at the top and it makes me CRINGE! In all fairness it should be May Meyer Milone Pelfrey Stauffer

Not so sure on that one. He had a very good year at AAA last season.

It probably was a combination of several problems. I think everyone has finally sobered up to the reality that Joe will never be a power hitter despite the fluke 2009 season. He appears to lack the desire to do significant weight training and has never bulked up like many hoped he would. The other issue is that he's still big framed and slow which makes it hard for him to produce RBI's at the top of the order. IMO he shouldn't bat 1-4 in most lineups. It's unfortunate that the Twins and Gardy used him at the top of the order for so many years. Having achieved almost god like status with this franchise everyone is afraid to move him down in the order. He's too slow to lead off or bat 2nd and lacks the power to hit 3rd or cleanup. What really needs to happen is for Molly to move him down in the order to #5 or #6. That could help him immensely as it would take the pressure off of trying to move Dozier and Santana over all the time and eliminate some of the rally killing double plays. There's no doubt though that losing Morneau and Cuddyer in the lineup has hurt him. He was one of the the few experienced hitters last season which paints an even bigger bulls-eye on his back. If Dozier, Santana, Vargas, Escobar, Plouffe and Arcia continue to improve it will be less significant, but that's a lot of if's That said, Joe HAS to start swinging at more first pitch strikes. He HAS too! Mauer is giving away WAY too many first pitch strikes, many of which go straight down broad way. He should be crushing those pitches! He needs to step into the batter's box and take big cuts at those pitches every once in awhile. Not only will it result in more home runs but will reduce the predictability of his at-bats which all end up looking the same. Changing this dynamic should result in less strikeouts for him and produce more hits.

That is my fear as well. I think Ryan is absolutely serious that Pelfrey and Stauffer will get every chance to win that fifth spot along with the rest of the candidates. In my opinion that's a mistake. I get the competition thing but they should have cut their losses with Mike last season. They also should have shipped out Nolasco last winter as well. Especially after his tweets last fall about not wanting to be in Minnesota. Ricky is not happy in Minnesota and you can see it on the mound and in the clubhouse. I don't believe he was afflicted wit an injury for most of the season last year. I call BS! I would much rather see a starting rotation composed of Hughes Santana and Gibson with the remaining candidates slugging it out for the final two spots (Milone, May and Meyer). Berrios could also be in the mix by seasons end.

Based on what? Last seasons performance? May arguably pitched better than Meyer and displayed better control of ALL of his pitches than Meyer who is still struggling with all his offspeed stuff. I disagree completely. May is currently my pick for the #5 spot this season. He has better stuff than Milone, Pelfrey and arguably Nolasco. Plus he has displayed a knack for striking guys out.

The second Mike Pelfrey contract defies logic. I still don't understand why Terry Ryan did it. He pitched terribly in 2013 and only started 5 games in 2014 before getting hurt. Why on earth would you hand out another 2 year contract after such a poor tract record? Clearly Terry Ryan was dumpster diving when they signed him in the first place and the second deal was blind faith that Pelfrey would be healthy the following year.

Adding my two cents to this discussion. The way I see It there's no question you roll with Trevor May as the fifth starter, unless he has a terrible spring training. I see him on the same timeline / development tract as Gibson. Like Gibson, May's first couple of MLB starts were horrendous but the final 6 / 7 games were much much better. Interestingly, May can rack up the strikeouts as he features 4 strong pitches, including a fairly robust fastball that sits at 93-95 mph and several breaking ball offerings. He's not afraid to mix it up either which might explain the high number of strikeouts. This fact alone should give him a leg up on Meyer who despite having fantastic pure power has yet to polish off his breaking ball pitches. That said, I will be seriously ticked off if the Twins go with Pelfrey out of spring training or Milone just because he's a lefty. The scenario with Pelfrey is totally absurd considering how poorly he pitched in 2013 and the lack of starts last season due to injury. He's a sunk cost and has no future with this club. I don't get why Terry Ryan insists on hanging on to him. Milone on the other hand, I kinda get given his track record in Oakland. But here's something to keep in mind. Much of his success has hinged on being a lefty starter (a somewhat rare commodity in MLB) and pitching in that cavernous ballpark in Oakland. I think he's decent but not the kind of player you hold up developing top prospects for If all goes accordingly, I'd keep Milone around as a lefty long reliever / spot starter and find a new home for Nolasco by the all-star break. He has said publicly that he wishes he hadn't come to Minnesota. Getting Meyer into the rotation by the all-star break would be acceptable.

I'm really not thrilled with the idea of Joe hitting hitting #2 or #3. The guy hits into WAY TOO MANY rally killing double plays and just doesn't have the power and RBI production to bat cleanup. Hopefully Molitor slides him down in the order to #5 or #6. I don't have an answer on the linup. Maybe: Santana Dozier Hunter Plouffe Mauer Arcia Vargas Schaeffer Suzuki/Pinto