Fanatic Jack

Joe Vavra has no business being the hitting coach and it’s really that simple. Torii Hunter laughed at the notion of Vavra helping him when he was hired. These comments about using the whole field really make the Twins coaching staff look bad. I’m quite certain Rod Carew did not tell J.J. Pansy to hit home runs. However, I completely agree with David Ortiz and what he said in Sports Illustrated was the truth.

Nick, Terrific article. I could not agree more!!

The Natural and it's not even close for me. Just awesome!!!

The Twins are coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history and the hope for 2012 is things will improve. I was excited in November when the quiet genius Terry Ryan returned as GM for an organization desperate for leadership. I believe he will transform this organization into a winner again, but it won’t be without some speed bumps along the way. It also will be done without the help of large payrolls. Ryan will rebuild this club through solid drafts, wise spending, player accountability, and some shrewd trades. The overall philosophy is to make smart roster decisions and look towards the future. Ryan had a pretty good winter despite payroll being reduced by $15 million. I like the additions of Carroll, Doumit, and Willingham to a lineup that had trouble scoring runs in 2011. I believe re-signing Capps was the right move even if it made some people cringe. Watching veterans like Kubel, Cuddyer, and Nathan leave as free agents was tough to swallow but it makes sense moving forward. I really don’t understand the signings of Marquis and Zumaya other than they were cheap. The starting rotation might improve be a little better but the bullpen looks like a mess right now. Ryan for some reason has adopted the same failed strategy as Smith did last year regarding the bullpen. It’s possible he might find more success but it seems highly implausible. Spring training has not got off to a good start like everyone expected. The first day of camp Morneau tells the press he might have to retire if concussion symptoms return. The second day of camp Zumaya hrts his right elbow after throwing sixteen pitches in a bullpen session. What is in store for day three Mauer tears his ACL? The team and fans might have to endure more speed bumps in 2012 and beyond before winning baseball returns to Minnesota. Please feel free to leave me any comments because your opinion matters to me.

The Twins are coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history and the hope for 2012 is things will improve. I was excited in November when the quiet genius Terry Ryan returned as GM for an organization desperate for leadership. I believe he will transform this organization into a winner again, but it won’t be without some speed bumps along the way. It also will be done without the help of large payrolls. Ryan will rebuild this club through solid drafts, wise spending, player accountability, and some shrewd trades. The overall philosophy is to make smart roster decisions and look towards the future. Ryan had a pretty good winter despite payroll being reduced by $15 million. I like the additions of Carroll, Doumit, and Willingham to a lineup that had trouble scoring runs in 2011. I believe re-signing Capps was the right move even if it made some people cringe. Watching veterans like Kubel, Cuddyer, and Nathan leave as free agents was tough to swallow but it makes sense moving forward. I really don’t understand the signings of Marquis and Zumaya other than they were cheap. The starting rotation might improve be a little better but the bullpen looks like a mess right now. Ryan for some reason has adopted the same failed strategy as Smith did last year regarding the bullpen. It’s possible he might find more success but it seems highly implausible. Spring training has not got off to a good start like everyone expected. The first day of camp Morneau tells the press he might have to retire if concussion symptoms return. The second day of camp Zumaya hrts his right elbow after throwing sixteen pitches in a bullpen session. What is in store for day three Mauer tears his ACL? The team and fans might have to endure more speed bumps in 2012 and beyond before winning baseball returns to Minnesota. Please feel free to leave me any comments because your opinion matters to me.

Seth, Right now with Zumaya headed for T.J. surgery we need 4 spots filled in the bullpen. You honestly believe the people we brought in can fill those spots? Not one of them have a proven tack record for either M.L. success or for staying healthy. They would have a better chance of winning the lottery!!!

Paging Michael Wuertz, Paging Michael Wuertz. Please TR call him.

I'm just amazed someone as smart as Terry Ryan does not have a backup plan for the bullpen. Zumaya has never, ever, ever, been healthy!!

Not me get ready for another 90 loss season. Worst starting rotation and bullpen in MLB.

Seth, You have written many great articles but this is not one of them. The Twins could have all the above factors break right and would still only win 75-80 games in 2012. The reason is obvious Pitching, Pitching, and more Pitching!!! This would seem to be pretty obvious but for some reason fans are blinded by optimism instead of facing reality. Let’s look at this roster from my (reality) viewpoint. It does not matter if Mauer, Morneau, or Span stay healthy because the starting rotation is awful and the bullpen is even worse. The Twins went on a 15-2 stretch last year and picked up 6 games in the A.L. Central to cut the deficit from 15 games back to 9. During this run none of the above players were even in the lineup. They won because the starting pitching went deep into games and the bullpen stayed well rested. Now in a 162 game season everybody at some pointis going to have a few good games. However, to count on five starters who have been very inconsistent throughout their careers and are unable to go deep into games on a regular basis, is a big issue. Take into account a bullpen that will be much worse than last year (Is that possible? Yes). Here is the disaster the Twins call a bullpen; Matt Capps- He will rebound but how much? Glen Perkins- He was awesome last year but probably won’t be as dominant. Brian Duensing- Good against LH hitters but otherwise struggles. Anthony Swarzak- Had a really nice season as a long reliever butprobably will regress. Alex Burnett- Everybody is willing to welcome him back withopen arms thinking he will improve. Hehas been terrible and just because he is 23 does not mean he will get better. Joel Zumaya- Nice signing but can he stay healthy? Aftermissing two years my guess is “No Way.” However team is banking on it. Terry Doyle/JaredBurton/Lester Oliveros/Kyle Waldrop- The only one of these guys who might be serviceable is Kyle Waldrop and he will never get a fair shot. Doyle,Burton, and Oliveros are just not very good. So the Twins need about 4-6 players to step up and have career years which of course NEVER HAPPENS!! This coupled with the fact they have no pitchers in the minors ready to help out, makes for another long season. There is a the reason why the Twins brought in 33 pitchers this spring and it’s not because they like competition. Hell Gardy does not believe in competition orhe would of never named his starting rotation and lineup for 2012 already. They brought in this many minor league playersbecause they are a CHEAP way of improving their roster. Do the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, or Tigers bring in 33 pitchers to camp? The answer is "No" they spend money. They tried the same exact thing last year and how did that work out for them.

John, Keep up the good work.

Seth, Michael Wuertz isbetter than most of the Twins bullpen right now and was not signed because ofmoney. He is much better than Burnett,Duensing, and Swarzak and they are locks to make the roster. He is also better than your hero Jared Burton,Terry Doyle, and Jeff Gray. If youhonestly believe Joel Zumaya will stay healthy this season you are not justbeing optimistic but naïve. Zumaya willbe hurt before spring training ends you can count on it. If Wuertz is injured than the Twins did theright thing by not signing him but that does not explain passing on Wheeler andCoffey. See Tigers owner Mike Illichdoes not worry about money and that is why his team wins. It’s really shameful the front office letthree of their best players leave, cut payroll by $15 million, and tell thepublic we are trying to win. The frontoffice is like used car salesman and for whatever reason fans just buy it. Sorry the good Lord gave me a brain to thinkwith and I’m just not that stupid. WHATHAPPENED AGAIN LAST SEASON WITH THE BULLPEN YOU SAID WOULD BE JUST FINE AFTERLOSING RAUCH, CRAIN, FUENTES, AND GUERRIER?

If I had a dime for all the bloggers who did not want Carl Pavano re-signed after his fantastic 2010 season, I would be very wealthy. Former GM Bill Smith made many bad trades in his five years but perhaps his best move was trading minor league pitcher Yohan Pino to the Indians for Carl Pavano in August 2009. Pavano has rewarded the Twins by staying healthy and threw over 220 innings in 2011 after signing a 2-year deal. The hope is Pavano continues to chew up innings and the defense is better behind him this year. The question is if Pavano has another good season will the Twins re-sign him again?

I believe Twins great Torii Hunter said it best when Joe Vavra was hired in 2008 “How is this guy going to help me.” Well it is really amazing that players don’t have faith in their coaches but the front office does. We have watched Scott Ulger and now Joe Vavra attempt to help young hitters with basically no success. However, when young players like Casey Blake, David Ortiz, and most recently J.J. Hardy leave the Twins they have tremendous careers. The reason why is because no coaches are in their ears saying “Hit the ball the other way.” Target Field is not to blame for any of the offensive woes it is the inability of the coaches to leave players alone and correct fundamental problems when needed. Just look at our coaching staff and nothing else needs to be said.

Chad, A .325-.330 BA, with 10-13 HRs and 80 RBIs is a joke for somebody who is getting paid like one of the top players in MLB. $23 million a season for average production is a joke and fans should demand more. Why is it against the law of Twins bloggers to expect more. I just don't understand!!

Pavano was a great pickup and re-signing him looks pretty smart right now. This was the best move GM Bill Smith made in his four years as GM. He needs to stay healthy in 2012 for the rotation to have at shot being successful. Any chance they re-sign him if he has another good season??

This is the worst bullpen in MLB with their best pitcher Joe Nathan gone. I’m still shocked the Twins front office did not add Wheeler, Coffey, Linebrook, or Wuertz to stabilize an island of misfit toys. Jeff Gray and Matt Maloney are quite frankly a joke and have no business taking up 40-man roster spots. I like the Jason Bulger signing and will be interested to see what he can do. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about how great Jared Burton could be in the bullpen. The guy throws 89 MPH and has had severe shoulder problems the last two seasons. He is BUM!!

He looks like another number one bust.

I'm just simply shocked at all the hatred towards Ben Revere. Yet every blogger out there continues to talk about Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson like they are the next Kirby Puckett. Revere is just 23 years old and basically jumped up two levels of minor league baseball to fill in for the injured Denard Span last year. He hit .267/.310/.309 in 481 plate appearances in 117 games for the Twins in 2011. Revere had only 406 plate appearances at New Britain (AA) in 94 games and even less time 141 plate appearances in 32 games at Rochester (AAA). This is a total of 622 plate appearances in 126 games between New Britain and Rochester and that could be considered a very small sample size. I’m quite certain we have heard that phrase being thrown around by some bloggers!! The fact that Revere is criticized for hitting .267 after making it to the big show this early in his career is really amazing. Revere puts the ball in play,does not strikeout very much, and this is very encouraging for a guy who uses speed to his advantage. There is no doubt Revere needs to draw more walks, learn how to bunt, and find a way to hit the ball into the gap more often. However, singles are perfectly fine when you have a guy on base capable of turning it into a double or triple everytime he gets on base. Revere has the potential to steal 60-80 bases in a 162 game season. If he can figure out how to do these things better offensively he will be fine. The last thing is Revere is much more valuable playing in centerfield than in left or right. His defense saves the pitching staff about 8 runs a year because he runs down everything. The coaching staff is making a mistake putting him in left field and Span in center. His arm is even more terrible than anybody could have imagined, but he takes away extra base hits and runs down the ball with reckless abandon. Span is scared of the wall and after two concussions might play more tentative in 2012. Give Revere some time and a little credit for a damn fine rookie season.

Nick, Your crazy Chris Parmelee will be as good if not better than Justin Morneau. Minus of course the concussion problems.

I believe the Twins farm system has really struggled since Deron Johnson took over the scouting department in 2007. Here are his soon to be missed #1 draft picks; 1. 2007 pick Ben Revere (No power, no arm,struggles to get on base). 2. 2008 pick Aaron Hicks (Very inconsistent, can’thit LH, and now 22). 3. 2009 pick Kyle Gibson (Fell in draftbecause of injuries, TJ surgery, See Neshek, Liriano, and Nathan for more). 4. 2010 pick Alex Wimmers (struggled withcontrol, if he does pan out is #3 at best). 5. 2011 pick Levi Micahel (History ofinjuries, if he is so good why did he fall to 30 in draft) My hope is MikeRadcliff and Terry Ryan take charge and have a great draft in June. This will provide depth to the system and apossible number one starter. Please take Lucas Giolito.

I admire Morneau for trying to play through this injury. However, it's clear to me he will never even be a small fraction of the player he was in 2006. What a tremendous loss! He has a wife and daughter to think about and baseball is not worth being paralyzed the rest of his life. If he retired the Twins could get back the last two seasons of his salary because the contract is insured. I honestly believe Chris Parmelee is going to be very good for many years to come. (Snip) Nothing wrong with being positive but at some point reality has to set in. (Snip) The team will lose 90 games again this season, but with Ryan in charge, the draft should go well, and good trades will most likely put the team back into contention around 2014.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?197-Why-Not-Wuertz

The Twins are one week away from the start of spring training when pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, Florida. The team is eagar to put behind one of the worst seasons in franchise history. There has been quite a shakeup this winter to an organization that lost 99 games in 2011. Bill Smith was fired as GM in November and Terry Ryan was brought back. The Twins lost fan favorites Cuddyer, Kubel, and Nathan to free agency. Those players were replaced by solid clubhouse guys Josh Willingham, Ryan Doumit, and Matt Capps. They also added Jamey Carroll, Jason Marquis, and Joel Zumaya to strengthen their pitching and defense. The roster appears to be set as the club is near the expected $100 million dollar payroll. It is possible the Twins could make one more move before spring training. The obvious place to upgrade would be the bullpen. The front office has about $1 to 1.5 million left to spend before reaching the magical threshold. The signing of Joel Zumaya to a major league deal might prevent the team from bringing in anybody else. However, Zumaya has not pitched since May 2009 and struggled to stay healthy before his elbow injury. Fans have seen dependable veteran relievers like Wheeler, Coffey, and Linebrook sign with other clubs for next to nothing over the last few weeks while the Twins have done nothing. There is one intriguing name left on the board and it's Austin native Michael Wuertz. Wuertz (33) was released by Oakland on October 25th and has been on the market for over 3 1/2 months. There are health concerns regarding Wuertz and this is the reason he has not been signed yet. He dealt with tendinitis in his right shoulder during 2010 and hand/wrist injuries for most of 2011. His ERA went up to 4.31 in 39.2 IP for 2010 and 6.68 in 33.2 IP for 2011. Wuertz did have a remarkable 2009 season, going 6-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 78.2 IP. He has a devastating slider with a career 9.6 K/9 ratio in 414.1 IP. The Twins have a little money to spare but Wuertz would make an excellent low cost addition to a bullpen that needs strikeout pitchers. He would also help to sell some tickets because he is hometown kid coming home to play for the Twins. Please feel free to leave me any comments because your opinion matters to me.