Brad Swanson

I enjoy Twins Daily so much. In fact, I feel grateful toward TD and all its leaders and members. I had wanted to start writing about the Twins and baseball for years before I actually started. I never felt I had a forum where anything I wrote would ever be read. I have no delusions of turning this into a career or anything like that, but I did want to feel like I was part of some form of community. I had been reading all of the prominent Twins bloggers over the years, so when TD started, I followed. I signed up long before I ever posted anything, as I was still apprehensive. I finally took the plunge and I have really enjoyed contributing what I can. The community here is very supportive and this has become my favorite site to visit. I wish each fan base had a site like this for them.

Probably Wily Peralta, who has great upside. If he is somehow available via trade, I know a team that should be calling.

It might be a moot point, regarding Denney. I actually think the Astros take him 1-1. Huge upside, up-the-middle player and likely will sign for less. I really doubt they take Frazier. I remember Kevin Goldstein didn't seem too impressed with raw, toolsy outfielders, at least that was my impression from the podcasts.

Denney's legit. I'd be very comfortable if the Twins go this route. Do the Twins really need pitching more than a power-hitting, good-glove catcher? Four of the Twins' top ten prospects are starters. Add Hendriks, Diamond and Worley, and the starting pitching depth is there. The Twins (along with a lot of other teams) do not have a legit catching prospect. Denney could be special. Then again, I always prefer upside and I don't like to play it safe in the draft. Just my personal preference, I can totally understand taking a college pitcher.

It's fun to learn about history!

17th Picks Overall in the MLB June Amateur Draft - Baseball-Reference.com Not excellent, but Lohse isn't either.

Thank you very much! You are welcome to use any and all puns that I ever use. I'm sure there will be many more in the future. I'm on Spring Break in a week, maybe I'll break out my old pogs and make Brandon Poggs. If so, you are welcome to play me for them. More importantly, we need to form a Twins Daily community theater troupe and act this out.

Or... he has a groin injury.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! INT. TARGET FIELD BOARDROOM - LATE AFTERNOON A room full of executives readies themselves for an important meeting. WILSON, JOHNSON, THOMAS, SMITH, and DAVIS each take a seat at the table. DAVIS sits at the head of the table and the others surround him. Everyone looks nervous about the events to transpire. WILSON, JOHNSON, THOMAS, and SMITH each have large, white poster boards, covered for now. There is obvious tension in the room. DAVIS Let's get this meeting started. As you know, we need to plan the promotions and giveaways for the upcoming season. We need to think outside the box, as fan interest is waning due to the on-field product. It is up to our department to make up the difference in attendance. I trust that each of you has a proposal to share. Everyone looks around at each other. There seems to be confusion as each person looks down at their covered proposal. DAVIS WILSON, why don't you get us started? WILSON Ok, no time like the present, right fellas? WILSON is carrying two poster boards. He uncovers the first to reveal JOE FLOWER. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eVMbn9Ka-gU/UU39eCF8kxI/AAAAAAAAASI/iF4jzJ-MLh0/s320/joeflower.jpg WILSON My first idea is a giveaway that ties in with the Twins' best player. We create 10,000 Joe Flowers. The idea is that Joe Flower is an "atta-boy" or a pick-me-up. When you see someone having a bad day, you give them Joe Flower. Joe Flower combines the best element of a sunny, happy gift and the Twins' best and most marketable player. WILSON pauses. The room seems confused an unimpressed. DAVIS This is confusing. Why would we give away something that people are supposed to then give away to someone else? WILSON The idea is a "pay-it-forward" sort of altruistic, gift-giving... WILSON trails off and uncovers his second poster to reveal JOE FLOUR http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UzqILaVQF38/UU39qoUJncI/AAAAAAAAASQ/T3hQGQYpj-4/s320/joeflour.jpg WILSON Joe Flour? DAVIS You're suggesting that we give away bags of flour with Joe Mauer's face on the front? You think people are going to want to haul around five pound bags of flour at a baseball game? WILSON Let's not be over dramatic, I mean, we could give away smaller bags. DAVIS But why would people want them? WILSON Well, they would be free. That would be nice. DAVIS WILSON, why don't you take a seat. Thank you for these "ideas." WILSON slowly returns to his seat. He looks noticeably embarrassed and sad. THOMAS, JOHNSON AND SMITH all develop flop sweat and look more nervous than before. DAVIS Ok, JOHNSON, you're up. Dazzle me. JOHNSON stands slowly and heads to the front of the room. He drops his poster board, revealing PANTS WORLEY. He quickly picks it up, moves to the front of the room and officially unveils PANTS WORLEY. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZLA0CCvUPE/UU3-zaE_EDI/AAAAAAAAASY/SksnsMluu3I/s320/pantsworley.jpg JOHNSON Ok, so Vance Worley is one of our newest players and he has his signature glasses. So, I thought we could play off of his glasses and his name and give out pants that have different colored glasses sewn into the upper thigh area and call them PANTS WORLEY. DAVIS You want to give away pants to our fans? JOHNSON Yeah. I figure it would be a nice, long-lasting giveaway and most people appreciate a good pair of pants. THOMAS Wouldn't we need a lot of sizes. There is quite a range of pants-size in our crowd. JOHNSON Isn't that why we have market research? DAVIS We have market research to make more money, not to make customized pants for each person coming to a game WILSON That image is very unsettling. DAVIS JOHNSON, why don't you just take a seat? JOHNSON You could easily give out PANTS WORLEY, but cut-offs. Like, for the summer.http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HbtnQvT9VHQ/UU3_F_1gTbI/AAAAAAAAASg/3lnkzz00aZo/s320/jeanshortsworley.jpg DAVIS Thank you, I actually hadn't thought of that. Please take a seat. JOHNSON sheepishly returns to his seat. THOMAS and SMITH are now sweating profusely. WILSON still looks very sad. DAVIS seems to be turning redder and redder. DAVIS THOMAS, you had better be ready to wow me. THOMAS approaches the front of the room. He turns as though he might go sit back down, before ultimately putting his poster up and revealing BRANDON POGGS WITH AN ANTHONY SLAMMER. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u6qVKmF3Sa0/UU3_QuLpHTI/AAAAAAAAASo/oT7ircJSm_4/s320/boggspoggs.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LPizHhq3G9s/UU3_T6_LqbI/AAAAAAAAASw/T_AkcOMaTyc/s320/anthonyslammer.jpg DAVIS (angrily) What is this? THOMAS Fans really like Anthony Slama, so I wanted to capitalize on that. I figured we could give away Anthony Slammers, you know because he comes in and slams the door shut. Then, I saw that we had a guy named Brandon Boggs, and I mean, what else can I say? DAVIS I don't follow. WILSON Pogs are toys. You set them up in a stack, then you hit them with a slammer and the pogs that stay upright are yours to keep. It's super cool. I got a bunch at home, I could bring them... DAVIS (interrupting) Are these popular? Is this a kid's toy? JOHNSON They were huge in the 90s. Huge! DAVIS Hmm, so I guess this would be an ideal giveaway. We just need to find a time machine first. So, if we decided to ignore the fact that these "pogs" are no longer relevant, you propose we give away toys with pictures of players who aren't going to be on the team? Couldn't we give away pogs with current, popular player on the front, or past favorites? THOMAS Well, I suppose, but what would we call them? Mauer Pogs? Puckett Poggs? It just doesn't have the same ring as Brandon Poggs with Anthony Slammer. DAVIS Go sit down. THOMAS meekly returns to his seat. As he sits down, WILSON hands him JOE FLOWER. This seems to make THOMAS feel a little better. WILSON See, it works! DAVIS does not look amused. He motions to SMITH. DAVIS You've been quiet, what do you have for us, SMITH? SMITH tries to look confident as he walks to the front of the room, but he trips a bit on his chair and nearly falls down. He actually cuts his finger on a wastebasket, as he tries to keep himself from falling. He also drops his proposal, but it does not reveal itself. He stands at the front of the room, takes a deep breath, and reveals ANTHONY SPORTSHACK. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RVAUyPJj_6M/UU3_3W4pQ9I/AAAAAAAAAS4/TEbjcXlqY2E/s320/anthonysportshackfinal.jpg DAVIS Just sit down. SMITH That's probably for the best. WILSON Do the workers wear umpire uniforms? SMITH (tripping on his chair) Yes, it's an homage to Foot Locker. DAVIS That is relatively clever. Guys! We need promotions that we can actually use to draw fans to the park. We're going to go around the room, rapid fire, and everyone gives the first idea that comes to mind. THOMAS (points to THOMAS)! THOMAS Cole de Fries. DAVIS Like, give away french fries? THOMAS Yeah, but like, with Cole de Vries face on the front or something. DAVIS SMITH (points at SMITH)! SMITH Ryan Donut? DAVIS JOHNSON (points to JOHNSON), no food! JOHNSON Um, what about Jared Curtains? Like, we could give, um, Jared Burton themed curtains to fans. DAVIS WILSON, anything to add? WILSON What about Aaron Tricks and Trevor Poof? We could dress them as magicians and have them do magic tricks. Or, we could make it a joke and have them be really bad at magic. I mean, it could go either way. DAVIS How is that a giveaway? WILSON It would be more of a promotion or something. Maybe a viral video? THOMAS What about Joe Pension? A play off Joe Benson? DAVIS What would that even be? Are you proposing that we give each fan a pension? THOMAS Well, no. Maybe like fake money or something. JOHNSON We could give away Kyle Lohsion. We'd have to convince the team to sign Kyle Lohse, but it might be worth it... SMITH What about Justin Porno? DAVIS What? No, stop, everyone stop! This is a disaster. These ideas are all horrible. We pay each of you to come up with ideas. We pay you to bring in fans. This is just a bunch of nonsense and wordplay. I should fire each and every one of you. The room falls silent. Everyone looks very disappointed. WILSON What about bobbleheads? The room erupts in murmurs and head-nods. DAVIS I love it! Excellent meeting everyone. JOHNSON, talk to marketing and order five different players. Get 10,000 of each! It's clear why you all make the big bucks! The room erupts in handshakes. The handshakes become hand-pounds. The hand-pounds become bro-hugs. The bro-hugs get weird.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! INT. TARGET FIELD BOARDROOM - LATE AFTERNOON A room full of executives readies themselves for an important meeting. WILSON, JOHNSON, THOMAS, SMITH, and DAVIS each take a seat at the table. DAVIS sits at the head of the table and the others surround him. Everyone looks nervous about the events to transpire. WILSON, JOHNSON, THOMAS, and SMITH each have large, white poster boards, covered for now. There is obvious tension in the room. DAVIS Let's get this meeting started. As you know, we need to plan the promotions and giveaways for the upcoming season. We need to think outside the box, as fan interest is waning due to the on-field product. It is up to our department to make up the difference in attendance. I trust that each of you has a proposal to share. Everyone looks around at each other. There seems to be confusion as each person looks down at their covered proposal. DAVIS WILSON, why don't you get us started? WILSON Ok, no time like the present, right fellas? WILSON is carrying two poster boards. He uncovers the first to reveal JOE FLOWER. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eVMbn9Ka-gU/UU39eCF8kxI/AAAAAAAAASI/iF4jzJ-MLh0/s320/joeflower.jpg WILSON My first idea is a giveaway that ties in with the Twins' best player. We create 10,000 Joe Flowers. The idea is that Joe Flower is an "atta-boy" or a pick-me-up. When you see someone having a bad day, you give them Joe Flower. Joe Flower combines the best element of a sunny, happy gift and the Twins' best and most marketable player. WILSON pauses. The room seems confused an unimpressed. DAVIS This is confusing. Why would we give away something that people are supposed to then give away to someone else? WILSON The idea is a "pay-it-forward" sort of altruistic, gift-giving... WILSON trails off and uncovers his second poster to reveal JOE FLOUR http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UzqILaVQF38/UU39qoUJncI/AAAAAAAAASQ/T3hQGQYpj-4/s320/joeflour.jpg WILSON Joe Flour? DAVIS You're suggesting that we give away bags of flour with Joe Mauer's face on the front? You think people are going to want to haul around five pound bags of flour at a baseball game? WILSON Let's not be over dramatic, I mean, we could give away smaller bags. DAVIS But why would people want them? WILSON Well, they would be free. That would be nice. DAVIS WILSON, why don't you take a seat. Thank you for these "ideas." WILSON slowly returns to his seat. He looks noticeably embarrassed and sad. THOMAS, JOHNSON AND SMITH all develop flop sweat and look more nervous than before. DAVIS Ok, JOHNSON, you're up. Dazzle me. JOHNSON stands slowly and heads to the front of the room. He drops his poster board, revealing PANTS WORLEY. He quickly picks it up, moves to the front of the room and officially unveils PANTS WORLEY. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZLA0CCvUPE/UU3-zaE_EDI/AAAAAAAAASY/SksnsMluu3I/s320/pantsworley.jpg JOHNSON Ok, so Vance Worley is one of our newest players and he has his signature glasses. So, I thought we could play off of his glasses and his name and give out pants that have different colored glasses sewn into the upper thigh area and call them PANTS WORLEY. DAVIS You want to give away pants to our fans? JOHNSON Yeah. I figure it would be a nice, long-lasting giveaway and most people appreciate a good pair of pants. THOMAS Wouldn't we need a lot of sizes. There is quite a range of pants-size in our crowd. JOHNSON Isn't that why we have market research? DAVIS We have market research to make more money, not to make customized pants for each person coming to a game WILSON That image is very unsettling. DAVIS JOHNSON, why don't you just take a seat? JOHNSON You could easily give out PANTS WORLEY, but cut-offs. Like, for the summer.http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HbtnQvT9VHQ/UU3_F_1gTbI/AAAAAAAAASg/3lnkzz00aZo/s320/jeanshortsworley.jpg DAVIS Thank you, I actually hadn't thought of that. Please take a seat. JOHNSON sheepishly returns to his seat. THOMAS and SMITH are now sweating profusely. WILSON still looks very sad. DAVIS seems to be turning redder and redder. DAVIS THOMAS, you had better be ready to wow me. THOMAS approaches the front of the room. He turns as though he might go sit back down, before ultimately putting his poster up and revealing BRANDON POGGS WITH AN ANTHONY SLAMMER. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u6qVKmF3Sa0/UU3_QuLpHTI/AAAAAAAAASo/oT7ircJSm_4/s320/boggspoggs.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LPizHhq3G9s/UU3_T6_LqbI/AAAAAAAAASw/T_AkcOMaTyc/s320/anthonyslammer.jpg DAVIS (angrily) What is this? THOMAS Fans really like Anthony Slama, so I wanted to capitalize on that. I figured we could give away Anthony Slammers, you know because he comes in and slams the door shut. Then, I saw that we had a guy named Brandon Boggs, and I mean, what else can I say? DAVIS I don't follow. WILSON Pogs are toys. You set them up in a stack, then you hit them with a slammer and the pogs that stay upright are yours to keep. It's super cool. I got a bunch at home, I could bring them... DAVIS (interrupting) Are these popular? Is this a kid's toy? JOHNSON They were huge in the 90s. Huge! DAVIS Hmm, so I guess this would be an ideal giveaway. We just need to find a time machine first. So, if we decided to ignore the fact that these "pogs" are no longer relevant, you propose we give away toys with pictures of players who aren't going to be on the team? Couldn't we give away pogs with current, popular player on the front, or past favorites? THOMAS Well, I suppose, but what would we call them? Mauer Pogs? Puckett Poggs? It just doesn't have the same ring as Brandon Poggs with Anthony Slammer. DAVIS Go sit down. THOMAS meekly returns to his seat. As he sits down, WILSON hands him JOE FLOWER. This seems to make THOMAS feel a little better. WILSON See, it works! DAVIS does not look amused. He motions to SMITH. DAVIS You've been quiet, what do you have for us, SMITH? SMITH tries to look confident as he walks to the front of the room, but he trips a bit on his chair and nearly falls down. He actually cuts his finger on a wastebasket, as he tries to keep himself from falling. He also drops his proposal, but it does not reveal itself. He stands at the front of the room, takes a deep breath, and reveals ANTHONY SPORTSHACK. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RVAUyPJj_6M/UU3_3W4pQ9I/AAAAAAAAAS4/TEbjcXlqY2E/s320/anthonysportshackfinal.jpg DAVIS Just sit down. SMITH That's probably for the best. WILSON Do the workers wear umpire uniforms? SMITH (tripping on his chair) Yes, it's an homage to Foot Locker. DAVIS That is relatively clever. Guys! We need promotions that we can actually use to draw fans to the park. We're going to go around the room, rapid fire, and everyone gives the first idea that comes to mind. THOMAS (points to THOMAS)! THOMAS Cole de Fries. DAVIS Like, give away french fries? THOMAS Yeah, but like, with Cole de Vries face on the front or something. DAVIS SMITH (points at SMITH)! SMITH Ryan Donut? DAVIS JOHNSON (points to JOHNSON), no food! JOHNSON Um, what about Jared Curtains? Like, we could give, um, Jared Burton themed curtains to fans. DAVIS WILSON, anything to add? WILSON What about Aaron Tricks and Trevor Poof? We could dress them as magicians and have them do magic tricks. Or, we could make it a joke and have them be really bad at magic. I mean, it could go either way. DAVIS How is that a giveaway? WILSON It would be more of a promotion or something. Maybe a viral video? THOMAS What about Joe Pension? A play off Joe Benson? DAVIS What would that even be? Are you proposing that we give each fan a pension? THOMAS Well, no. Maybe like fake money or something. JOHNSON We could give away Kyle Lohsion. We'd have to convince the team to sign Kyle Lohse, but it might be worth it... SMITH What about Justin Porno? DAVIS What? No, stop, everyone stop! This is a disaster. These ideas are all horrible. We pay each of you to come up with ideas. We pay you to bring in fans. This is just a bunch of nonsense and wordplay. I should fire each and every one of you. The room falls silent. Everyone looks very disappointed. WILSON What about bobbleheads? The room erupts in murmurs and head-nods. DAVIS I love it! Excellent meeting everyone. JOHNSON, talk to marketing and order five different players. Get 10,000 of each! It's clear why you all make the big bucks! The room erupts in handshakes. The handshakes become hand-pounds. The hand-pounds become bro-hugs. The bro-hugs get weird.

I hope my words weren't perceived as being overly critical. I still hold out quite a bit of hope for Benson. I see so much talent, it's really hard to ignore. That being said, it's hard not to think he has a long road to travel to get back to the team. The three OF starters seem to be pretty set and one of them would have to get hurt, traded or be ineffective, for a spot to even open up. Then, Mastroianni is there as well. I still hope Benson gets a shot this season, it just seems that a lot would have to change for him to get one.

Above-replacement-level players don't just show up after Spring Trainng. Who is on a scholarship?

I agree with basically everything that each of you have said. He faces a real uphill climb back into the Twins' plans. He is going to have to hit, and hit soon, in order to get called up. If Arcia hits like he always has, he might even get the first call, so long as a corner is open. Mastroianni might get the first shot at center, should Hicks have issues.

The Twins made a few more cuts today, which is common during these final days of Spring Training. Joe Benson was cut and that is very disappointing to me. Benson is a player that I have been excited about for many years and a player who was given the opportunity to win the open center field job, after the trades of Ben Revere and Denard Span. Benson was not impressive this Spring. I don't put a lot of stock into Spring Training stats, but a .151/.286/.283 line with 15 strikeouts in 63 plate appearances is not something that wins an open job. He flashed power, but it was rare, and he was never in a position to use his speed on the bases. Beyond the unimpressive stats were a few miscues in the outfield and a general lack of "seizing the opportunity" that he was given. Benson's demotion to AAA means that he will be out of options after this season. If he remains on the 40-man roster through the year, he'll need to make the team next Spring, or risk being released from the organization that drafted him back in 2006. I know that I did not expect Benson to be in this situation, especially after his call-up back in September of 2011. That September seems like a billion years ago. Benson's 2012 was injury-plagued, or really injury-nuked. He missed a lot of time, and when he played, he wasn't very special. However, his return to AAA could be exactly what he needs. Benson should not have been considered for the 4th outfielder position. While he isn't young, he is inexperienced, and he needs to play every day. In AAA, he will play every day, likely in center, and rack up at bats. He needs to work on the same thing he has always needed to work on: contact. He strikes out far too often, which really masks the fact that he has great power and speed. I still hold out hope for Benson, but my hope is waning. I see Benson as a player that either isn't concentrating hard enough, or is concentrating too hard. I'm not close enough to know which side he's on. He makes mistakes in the field, although he is a good fielder. He strikes out a lot, and seems to swing a bit too hard at times. If concentration is an issue, it can be worked on. He might still be rusty, after a 2012 season when he spent much of his time trying to get healthy. If he can get into a rhythm at AAA, he might get called upon later in 2013. I think this move pretty much cinches the Opening Day center field spot for Aaron Hicks. Unless the Twins really like Brandon Boggs, it would seem that Hicks will start in center and Mastroianni will be the 4th outfielder. Hicks will not be kept as a reserve, so he is the starter or he's joining Benson in AAA. I don't see that happening. I like Mastroianni in that 4th outfielder role and I am very excited to watch Hicks all year. Getting back to Benson, all is not lost. He certainly has a long way to go, if he wants to get back into the Twins' long-term plans. He'll need to show that he can hit over .200 at AAA before he gets anywhere near Minnesota. He also will need to show that he can handle an outfield position, a task he certainly has the natural talent to accomplish. If Benson can basically do what everyone wanted him to do in 2012, things will be fine. If his 2013 season looks like his 2012 season, he may be with another team, come Spring 2014. I wrote about Benson in more detail a few months ago. If you want to know why I am infatuated with what Benson could become, please take a look.

The Twins made a few more cuts today, which is common during these final days of Spring Training. Joe Benson was cut and that is very disappointing to me. Benson is a player that I have been excited about for many years and a player who was given the opportunity to win the open center field job, after the trades of Ben Revere and Denard Span. Benson was not impressive this Spring. I don't put a lot of stock into Spring Training stats, but a .151/.286/.283 line with 15 strikeouts in 63 plate appearances is not something that wins an open job. He flashed power, but it was rare, and he was never in a position to use his speed on the bases. Beyond the unimpressive stats were a few miscues in the outfield and a general lack of "seizing the opportunity" that he was given. Benson's demotion to AAA means that he will be out of options after this season. If he remains on the 40-man roster through the year, he'll need to make the team next Spring, or risk being released from the organization that drafted him back in 2006. I know that I did not expect Benson to be in this situation, especially after his call-up back in September of 2011. That September seems like a billion years ago. Benson's 2012 was injury-plagued, or really injury-nuked. He missed a lot of time, and when he played, he wasn't very special. However, his return to AAA could be exactly what he needs. Benson should not have been considered for the 4th outfielder position. While he isn't young, he is inexperienced, and he needs to play every day. In AAA, he will play every day, likely in center, and rack up at bats. He needs to work on the same thing he has always needed to work on: contact. He strikes out far too often, which really masks the fact that he has great power and speed. I still hold out hope for Benson, but my hope is waning. I see Benson as a player that either isn't concentrating hard enough, or is concentrating too hard. I'm not close enough to know which side he's on. He makes mistakes in the field, although he is a good fielder. He strikes out a lot, and seems to swing a bit too hard at times. If concentration is an issue, it can be worked on. He might still be rusty, after a 2012 season when he spent much of his time trying to get healthy. If he can get into a rhythm at AAA, he might get called upon later in 2013. I think this move pretty much cinches the Opening Day center field spot for Aaron Hicks. Unless the Twins really like Brandon Boggs, it would seem that Hicks will start in center and Mastroianni will be the 4th outfielder. Hicks will not be kept as a reserve, so he is the starter or he's joining Benson in AAA. I don't see that happening. I like Mastroianni in that 4th outfielder role and I am very excited to watch Hicks all year. Getting back to Benson, all is not lost. He certainly has a long way to go, if he wants to get back into the Twins' long-term plans. He'll need to show that he can hit over .200 at AAA before he gets anywhere near Minnesota. He also will need to show that he can handle an outfield position, a task he certainly has the natural talent to accomplish. If Benson can basically do what everyone wanted him to do in 2012, things will be fine. If his 2013 season looks like his 2012 season, he may be with another team, come Spring 2014. I wrote about Benson in more detail a few months ago. If you want to know why I am infatuated with what Benson could become, please take a look.

He'll definitely have time to work on getting in front of the ball. He's only 19. Plus, his arm is mad strong and quite accurate. He'll be able to make up for some minor bobbles with his arm. He has a long way to go to stay at third, but I'm encouraged with what I see and hear.

Agreed and I would agree with that statement as well.

I think my issue with the article is that saying Worley is "ill-suited" to be the ace implies that Worley is some part of the problem with the rotation. In reality, it is the pitchers around him that make up the problem. If Worley is the one starter he likes, why not just state that and talk about the lack of.a rotation around him. It's not as though Worley was traded for to be the ace. I also don't agree with the notion that his transition to the AL will somehow he more difficult because he is the "ace."

Yep, that's right. 5 "number 3s" can get it done, especially since true aces are quite rare. At least, that was his idea. I think there is solid logic there.

I suppose that makes more sense. I don't subscribe to aces and whatnot. I think jorgenswest wrote about eliminating the number 1,2,3 etc. starter labels in place of just having good starters. I liked that idea a lot.

That Worley statement makes no sense to me. If he likes him as a pitcher, who cares if he is "the ace?" If we're to the point where pitcher wins mean next to nothing, why would anyone care who a pitcher matches up against? Plus, it's not as though aces only pitch against other aces. If Worley is good, he's good.

This last paragraph is worth remembering. I know I was a "member" for a good 6 months before I posted anything. I wasn't really afraid, but I did have reservations. I do think that 99% of the interactions I have had here have been civil and I have no problem pointing out when I think things have gotten personal. That being said, I think this is a great place and the more people who join the discussion, the better it will be for all of us. If that means a few people get temporary bans when they forget the golden rule, I'm ok with it. They are still welcomed back and all will be forgiven.

I agree. I'm very happy that they didn't bring in competition for Plouffe. I want to see what he does with a full, healthy season. As a guy who would be cost-controlled through his entire prime, it makes sense to see if he is someone who can be part of the core of the next good Twins team.

I absolutely like Hendriks more than Deduno. 13 exhibition innings doesn't sway me enough to like a wild, 29-year-old with no track record over a 24-year-old with an impressive climb through the farm system. I'd much rather see what Hendriks does with a season's worth of starts.

He's certainly the best Dominican starter on the team.