Brad Swanson

Well, there are two questions here. First, do the Twins have more prospects who suffer from elbow injuries than other organizations? I don't know the answer to that. It may seem that way, but we pay much closer attention to our system than any other. In other organizations, comparable guys to Wimmers and Chargois are fairly unknown to me. I can't imagine I'd even know who they are, much less whether or not they've had elbow issues. The second question would only really need to be asked if the answer to the first question confirms our beliefs. Why do the Twins have more players with elbow issues than other organizations? I have no idea, but I'm just an idiot with Microsoft Word and access to the internet. I have no obligation to ask that question. I'd guess we're just dealing with a particularly annoying patch of bad luck.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/2704-Ligaments-are-stupid

Originally posted at Ligaments are stupid. The 12 people who follow me on Twitter already know that I feel this way. It's childish perhaps and it certainly ignores their important function in the human body, but I don't care; ligaments suck. A report came out this morning that super prospect and ultimate swagger-haver Miguel Sano needs Tommy John surgery, a surgery performed to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in an elbow. In this case, it's the right elbow of one of the more exciting prospects in recent Twins history. As I said, ligaments are stupid. Why can't they just be cool and stop fraying and ripping and tearing? For Sano, this means that he will almost certainly miss the entire season, a season that many felt would include his MLB debut. I had just written about Sano on Thursday and I listed him as the Twins' 5th most important player in 2014. I felt this way because of his massive power potential and the fact that he was nearly MLB-ready. Well, number 5 went down before the second Spring Training game. We're off to a great start in 2014, Twins fans! By the way, you can still read that post. Just replace all the 2014s with 2015s and add a sentence about Tommy John recovery. It's basically all the same, as this surgery shouldn't change anything I wrote, just his timeline. You'll be fine. Eat some breakfast, it's early. Wallowing aside, this isn't a huge deal in the long run. Sano will be just 21 in May and will resume his career just one year later. This shouldn't affect his power, it shouldn't affect his ability to hit and it shouldn't even affect his arm, should he make a full recovery. Basically, the Twins lose Sano for a year and Twins' fans lose what could have been one of the biggest events of the Twins' 2014 season - Sano's MLB debut. In some ways, the Twins were lucky with the timing, since Sano will miss this season prior to being added to the active roster. Basically, they will get to keep his entire pre-free agency career, instead of losing a full season of team control (Francisco Liriano, for example). In addition, they found out early in the season and Sano can have his surgery soon and be ready in time for Spring Training in 2015. There's also no reason to believe that the Twins can't rely on Sano for 2015 in the same way they had planned for 2014. Although it does put in doubt his ability to make the 2015 Opening Day roster, seemingly a lock prior to this surgery. Of course, if he had surgery back in November, he'd be four months into recovery... Therefore, I'm sure we'll see a lot of smarmy quotes about the Twins' medical staff and how inept they are. I have to say, I can't blame them in this instance. This whole elbow fracas started in November, when Sano was shut down while playing in the Arizona Fall League. At that time, he was diagnosed with just an elbow strain and that diagnosis was confirmed by renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. If Dr. Andrews doesn't suggest surgery, you know that a guy doesn't need surgery. You could be shopping at the same mall as Dr. Andrews, turn your back for just one second, and BANG, your ACL has been repaired. I've seen it a hundred times. Then, Mike Berardino reported in January that Sano was confident that he didn't need surgery. Sano said that his elbow felt pretty good and that he was throwing again. There was no reason to sound the alarm. Well, January optimism has officially given way to February and March sadness. Sano barely started Spring Training before being shut down with elbow soreness. He had an MRI yesterday and today he's gone for a year. Although, if he recovers quickly, he might be able to play some Winter ball. Who knows at this point, it all depends on how his surgery and recovery goes. Yesterday, I preached overreaction. Today, I want everyone to chill. Sano will miss all of 2014 and that's a huge bummer. However, he's still the same prospect he was earlier this week and he should resume what could be a monster career in fewer than 365 days. That's just a shade over 31 million seconds, so start counting if that makes you feel better! You can complain about the Twins' medical staff, but I don't think they can save a ligament that is hell-bent on tearing. You can be upset that the Twins season is ruined, but that's just not true. Basically, Sano will be out of our lives for a year, but then he'll be back, just as smiley and promising as before (with a shiny replacement ligament that we can name and use as a mascot, if we want to). Ligaments suck, but what can you do? I hope that Sano's surgery and recovery go well and that he'll be ready to hit some dingers in 2015.

Aw, thanks everyone! I would gladly answer actual questions, if I had any to answer. Perhaps someday...

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/2660-February-Mailbag

I do a weekly Power Rankings post at my blog and this week there weren't any Twins stories that I cared about. So, I wrote about free agents who are still available. It's here, if you're interested. Of the ten FAs I looked at, nine are still available. I listed Niemann 4th and the more I investigate, the more I like him. His strikeout and ground ball rates had been increasing, prior to his injury in 2012. He missed all of 2013 with a shoulder issue, but he should be ready to pitch around mid-season this year. The shoulder issue is certainly a problem, but the Twins could easily take a flier on him, let him continue to rehab, replace Kevin Correia with Niemann in July and reap the benefits. Benefits aren't for certain, but I'd want my team reaping them if they are there to be reaped. I looked at Niemann's BB, K and GB rates from his last three years, all of which were trending in the right direction or just good from the start (BBs). Here are his figures: 45.77% GB rate, 18.48% K rate, 7.53% BB rate. Here are all the pitchers who matched or eclipsed those numbers in 2013 (at least 130 IP): [TABLE=width: 211] Clayton Kershaw Matt Harvey Hisashi Iwakuma Adam Wainwright Hyun-Jin Ryu Felix Hernandez Chris Sale Ivan Nova Ervin Santana Jordan Zimmermann Patrick Corbin Homer Bailey John Lackey Rick Porcello [/TABLE] 14 guys and only Porcello had an ERA over 4. Santana had the highest xFIP at 3.69. I'm not 100% certain that Niemann has anything left, but he's only 30 and prior to his injury, he could hit 95 with his fastball. He's interesting, especially with so few starters out there and the Twins still in need. Why not try to grab him on an incentive-laden deal with an option for 2015? What does everyone else think?

If you click that little fast forward icon next to the time of the last post, it will take you directly to that last post.

I haven't read it yet, but he was on the Effectively Wild podcast this morning and I thought he was great: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=22779

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I'm not really one to brag, but this mailbag is starting to take on a life of its own. I have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR questions from people who are not me. Sure, three of those questions are from the same person, but who are you to pick nits? In fact, what would you do? Wha-wha-wha-what would you do? I know what I'm going to do. Answer these questions: I really enjoy reading your blog - keep up the good work! Anyway, I saw something that the Twins intend to ship (Andrew) Albers to a Korean team for cash considerations. Why would the Twins ship their Minor League pitcher of the year, and one of their most promising young prospects off for nothing? Seems kind of crazy for me. Emailer, Webspace First, thank you very much for the positive feedback. I really do appreciate it. I take very little about this blog seriously, but the nice things that people say are truly valued. I also appreciate the constructive criticism. The invitations to shove "x" into or up "y" are not quite as cool, but I have a strict policy in my life to consider everything. So...Albers...right! On the surface, it makes almost zero sense. Albers might have been the best human interest story of the 2013 season. His first two starts didn't come with the fanfare of Kyle Gibson's debut, but Albers delivered A+ results. However, after those first two starts, Albers managed just a 5.70 ERA in 8 starts. He barely averaged 5 innings, gave up 58 hits and only managed 21 strikeouts. Albers isn't a strikeout pitcher, but a strikeout every other inning is paltry, if we're being kind. Then, you have to consider the fact that the Twins likely have just one spot open in the rotation, with Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey already penciled in. That left Albers, Vance Worley, Scott Diamond, Kyle Gibson and Sam Deduno to battle for the fifth spot. Albers would likely have been near the bottom of that list, so the Twins did him a solid and let him pursue a season in Korea where he'll get to pitch and maybe build himself some value for an MLB return. I imagine that when he is ready to come back to the Majors, the Twins and Albers will be mutually interested. Although I cannot read your mailbag before it is posted, I have a follow-up to a question I am guessing you will answer about Andrew Albers. If you could ship one Twins player to Korea, who would it be and why? Thanks, big fan - http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jyNLzmzNez0/UvGnkkFf_vI/AAAAAAAABQI/Ewi4GXqjffQ/s1600/449262809_67838bd97d_o.jpg Is this Airplane? Well, the ideal candidate signed with the Phillies, so he's out. If I'm going to start selling humans, I'd prefer to make a big score and get out of the game ASAP. Thus, I'm selfishly selling Joe Mauer to Korea for 25 million bucks. I'd have all the money I need to live or at least all the money I'd need to get myself a sweet one-hour documentary about wasting a fortune in a short period of time. I'd be hated in Minnesota and likely in the U.S., but I could just build a gold wall to keep angry people away. I'd also build a catapult, but that's just for fun. Here's a three-pack from @TalktoContact, the always entertaining Twins podcast. Follow them on Twitter and listen to their podcast. If you do, I will be your friend. Which current Twin forecasted to make the 25-man roster is the edgiest? Does anyone have attitude? Grit? Edge. Attitude. Grit. I can't find these words in Excel. I literally have no idea how to sort these columns. I'm going to try to answer this anyway. I'm not sure that anyone has "grit" or "edge" but I do think that some of these players have "Minnesota Grit," a term I just invented that some will certainly find offensive. Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe had long hair, so that counts. Sam Deduno eats necklaces, so he's got MG (Minnesota Grit, acronyms sell, baby!). Typically, these terms are used to try to attach value to an otherwise valueless player because he plays really hard. Or, it's used to describe the guy on the team who is most likely to mix his chaw with sunflower seeds and dirt from the infield. I don't think the Twins have one of those guys, so I'll go with Sam Deduno and his own version of pica. How is it possible that Gardy and Rick Anderson both still have their jobs? Why is Anderson Andy? I wish he was Ricky. Gardy and Ricky has a nice ring. Gardy and Andy is a mouthful. Seriously, say it out loud right now. Now try yelling it. Is your boss coming over? Anyway, I think they have their jobs because it is very hard to pinpoint why the Twins currently suck. Well, that's not fully true. They suck because they don't have a lot of talent. In my opinion, you fire a coach or coaches when a team performs poorly relative to their talent level. If the talent level is low and the team performs at a low level, then the World makes sense. If the talent level is high and the team performs at a low level, then heads should roll. The Twins have a few talented players, but they don't have a talented team. Firing Gardy would be a symbolic move or a move that panders to those who think that "something has to change." Terry Ryan would be blaming the poor performance of his untalented roster on the manager, which might or might not be justifiable. If the Twins want to make a symbolic or pandering move, that is their prerogative. I just don't think that type of move would fix the issues with the team. Of course, the team is getting better, which brings us to... What would have to happen for Gardy to get fired during the 2014 campaign? What about AFTER the season? For Gardy to get fired during the season, he'd have to lose the clubhouse. There would have to be negative and troubling reports in the papers and on prominent blogs (read: not this one). He would have to get publicly questioned by a good player and since the Twins don't have a lot of good players, this would be quite difficult. Gardy is a players' manager, so I don't see this scenario playing out. For Gardy to get fired after the season, the Twins would have to lose another 96 games (or more). That symbolic, pandering move I mentioned earlier? That would look pretty good to the Front Office after another terrible season. If it meant that Terry Ryan and other prominent members of the Front Office could keep their jobs, then I think they would fire Gardy for self-preservation. I know I would. In fact, if my company told me, "you need to fire Ron Gardenhire, or we'll find a new teacher to take your place," I'd do it immediately. It would be unprecedented. For the record, I think the Twins will win 70-75 games in 2014 and Gardy will keep his job. This is all on the record. Is Josmil Pinto Chris Parmelee? Thanks, I love reading. Brad S., St. Paul, MN That question is confusing. I think it needs a comma...or a dash...or a hyphen...or something else... This obviously refers to each player having crazy hot Septembers and bringing hot, crazy expectations with them to Spring Training the next year. It seems that some are fearful that Pinto will flop in his season-starting debut, much like Parmelee did. I get it. However, we're talking apples and oranges here. These are two completely different players. It isn't even about their talent or performance or pedigree or what have you. It's as simple as the fact that they are two completely different human beings with different DNA and genes and pheromones and everything. There are a billion examples of a player having a good September call-up and then being a good player going forward. There are a billion examples of a player having a terrible September call-up and then being a good player going forward. You can mix and match good with terrible in those phrases all you like. In fact, I'm creating a turn-based iPhone app for that very purpose. Boring Words with Friends. The fact remains that each player is an individual. So, no, Pinto is not Parmelee. He's Pinto. And you know what, that's pretty neat. Are you excited for pitchers and catchers? I know I am. Brad S., St. Paul, MN Not to disagree with myself a loyal reader, but no, not really. I know this is the symbolic start of the baseball season, but it's not a real start of the baseball season. I love playing catch, I kind of love watching pros play catch, but I'm not a fan of reading about players playing catch. Once the actual Spring Training games get going, I'll be excited for about an hour. Then some scrub like Gloob Newstrom will step up to the plate wearing number 87 and I'll remember why I never make it through a full Spring Training game. I'm excited for Opening Day in April though. Sorry to be such a bummer. It's part of my new plan to end every post on a bummer. NOT! Here's a rare photo of Ron Gardenhire in concert: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6rD-dIbrRD8/UvGkw24YUPI/AAAAAAAABP8/iLcu1CrfyMM/s1600/gardysings.jpg Oh, evenflow. Have a great weekend, everyone!

I'm not the biggest Santana fan, but it's hard to argue that he wouldn't be a huge upgrade over Correia. At 3/40, I'd sign that deal. I'd probably even go 3/45 if that's what it took.

Excellent analysis, as usual. I'm not excited about seeing Suzuki as the starter, but hopefully Pinto will be dynamic at AAA and force his way into the starting lineup.

I am so disappointed that I will be unable to attend what will certainly be an outstanding event. Please, someone tell Scott Erickson that I love him.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/2592-Introducing-The-Eddie-400

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! Hey all, time for another installment of Forgotten Twins? If you don't remember, I scour the most important websites in the universe to determine if a particular Twins player is forgotten by society. I decided to sub out Bing for Fangraphs going forward. I thought it would be funny to use multiple search engines, but they're all the same, so the joke is on me. ENOUGH EXPLAINING! My memories of Fred Manrique This is going to sound awful, but I remember his dork glasses. I can picture him now... http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F4wF4LCLJko/UthpHOCrc1I/AAAAAAAABMg/guwSiyOPVgo/s1600/manrique.jpg See? He could. Because of the glasses. My apologies, I had hoped that picture would be bigger. Now, making fun of someone who wears glasses is really uncool. I know this now. I was only aware of Fred Manrique as a seven-year-old with perfect vision. It was hard to keep my anti-glasses feelings to myself. Well, this joke is also on me, as this is what I look like today: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PbPzqDNOzis/UthpOhi7JjI/AAAAAAAABMo/vRxXBwne2XY/s1600/weird+al.jpg Fate is weird. Let's move on. Baseball Reference Manrique played just one season with the Twins. He hit .237/.254/.346, or as I like to call it "Rivas Style!" Manrique accumulated 1459 plate appearances over his nine-year career. He racked up 340 hits and 65 walks. He barely played three years' worth of games in those nine seasons. He played 376 of his games at second base, including all but one of his games with the Twins. Manrique very nearly went 20-20...in his career, ending with 20 bombs and 18 base bombs (a term I am trying to coin for stolen bases). Oh, and he was traded for Sammy Sosa. Don't look at the rest of the trade, just leave it alone. Fangraphs I'm adding Fangraphs to appeal to the saber crowd. From what I can ascertain on Fangraphs, Manrique was gritty. Wait. He had a .105 isolated power, which is poor. He had a 4.5% walk rate, which is poor. He had a .294 BABIP, which is about average. Manrique accumulated 2.0 fWAR in his career, almost entirely from some solid defense he played in the 1987 season with the White Sox. It's cold, but you could probably call him Fred Man-reeky. Wikipedia Wikipedia tells me that Manrique is a fifty-year-old former second baseman. That's a solid lead. He was born three weeks before my Dad, which is conveniently left out of his entry. He is from Bolivar State, Venezuela. Another former, forgotten (?) Twins player is from Ciudad Bolivar and you'll never guess who. Les Straker. It's Les Straker. According to his entry, he was a solid second baseman and an above-average shortstop. Whoever wrote this entry must have known something that his managers didn't know. In 1981, he was the youngest player in the Majors. Trivia! Google A cursory Google search brings back many glasses images of Manrique. I did find this card and he isn't wearing glasses: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ousqm7DeN5k/UthqnJsYw4I/AAAAAAAABM0/Uy_ETysy7KY/s1600/manriquenoglasses.jpg I gotta say, he's pretty handsome. He looks good in his glasses too. A few pages into the search, I found this article about Manrique's ejection from a random June game in 1990. Apparently, he didn't like Jim Joyce's strike zone. Or, he knew that Joyce would one day rob us (and Armando Galarraga to a lesser extent) of a perfect game and staged a protest 20 years in advance. All I'm saying is that Manrique might be a Timecop. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nh9IoCCEttk/Uthq9If8mKI/AAAAAAAABM8/ckD7k8LxxhY/s1600/manriquetimecop.jpg Oh, and apparently Manrique is a member of Twins Daily. See. Now, he hasn't blogged or posted, so I'm guessing he's feeling self-conscious. Please Mr. Manrique, share your wisdom. Don't be afraid. eBay Most Manrique-related items on eBay are baseball cards. However, I did find this curious 8 x 10 autographed photo. It appears that Manrique wanted people think that he peed his own autograph. Don't believe me, check it out. I'm not sure what that accomplishes, but I imagine it makes for a good urban legend. If you don't like peeing autographs, here's a 50 baseball card lot of all Manrique! There are only 21 different cards for some reason. One of the cards appears to be a math cheat sheet or something and another has the word "glossy" on top. You can check the lot out for yourself. Was Manrique a Timecop nicknamed "Glossy?" http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-neBDPhVWczY/UthrLaXcArI/AAAAAAAABNE/WzEmxFc7bqA/s1600/manriquetimecopglossy.jpg Facebook Manrique does have a Facebook fan page, but it's just his Wikipedia entry. He doesn't even get a picture. Perhaps we could use this image: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRoLIZZflRY/Uthrf6RqbvI/AAAAAAAABNM/DxzVerlRnIU/s1600/manriquesplits.jpg See, he's a Timecop! 18 people like Manrique. I'd "like" him too, but I wouldn't be able to deal with his constant updates. I'd probably block him like I block all my friends and co-workers. Just for the record, Manrique has three more likes than this blog. You can fix that...by liking Manrique's page and righting the ratio. Twitter I found a few cool Manrique-related tweets: Happy Birthday Fred Manrique! Former Minnesota Twins legend. pic.twitter.com/ACv5e1K9QD — H.M.S. Pinniped (@hmspinniped) November 5, 2013 This one (link) makes me laugh because it would be so easy to find a card with Manrique actually in a Twins uniform. Celebrity Sausage 4/2~ The Fred Manrique~ Portuguese Linguica with Saffron Rouille and Casa de Mendevil Velho Cheese — Hot Doug's (@hotdougs) April 2, 2013 I'm not sure what to say... @EdRad Fred Manrique! I love it! I have his autograph... he was the happiest person ever to give me one. That's awesome. — Brian (@Go_GoSox) August 13, 2011 I really like that one. It humanizes him. Even if he does like to make signature urine. Youtube Sadly, our beloved Fred Manrique is not represented on Youtube. You can blame MLB and their totalitarian video policy for that. Instead, here are a couple of youngsters also named Fred Manrique, each showcasing their skills. Looks good to me. Random Person I stopped someone in the hallway at work today and asked if they remembered Fred Manrique. He said, "Was he a math teacher?" Interesting that he would ask that without even knowing that Manrique wore glasses. I told him no, Manrique was on the Twins for a season in 1988. He replied, "Oh, I was two, so no, I don't remember that." I set him on fire. Verdict: Not sufficiently remembered! Manrique is remembered solely for his glasses and that is a shame. He was a useful back-up infielder who liked to suggestively autograph photos and very likely is a Timecop. He probably saved Ferris Bueller's girlfriend from some past future murder and then went on with his mall shopping. If nothing else, Manrique was a short-time Twins player with a big-time heart. I made that last part up, but doesn't it make you feel better about him? If you enjoyed this trip down Twins memory lane, why not check out the archives for more Forgotten Twins? You can just click here, you don't have to move or anything. If you'd like, make a request and I'll run him through my database. Brad Swanson is the inventor of Tae Bo. He forgot how much he enjoyed writing by-lines. He is a frequent contributor to that group of people who are in your way at the grocery store.

Sorry, I should clarify what I said earlier. BA talks to the organization about the players and uses that to rank the players, not to write about them. They do form their own impressions and they do go look at them. I know for a fact that I've heard John Manuel say that they largely rank the prospects based on how they feel the organization feels about the players.

It's interesting to note that BA makes their lists based in large part on what they hear from the actual organization. As such, their lists often reflect how the organization feels about their prospects, in contrast to BP which scouts the prospects on their own.

I got 185 too! My most embarrassing misses: Shannon Stewart, Delmon Young and Danny Valencia. I was too focused on the older teams, but I got everyone from 1991-1994...

Back to the original point about the offense, I'm not sure Mauer is the only above-average offensive player. Both Brian Dozier and Oswaldo Arcia posted an OPS+ of 100 or higher. Each is young and it's conceivable that they will improve. They may not, but the Twins have to hope they will. That takes first, second and one corner OF position off the wishlist. Willingham should occupy the other corner OF if the Twins have any hope of trading him for assets and/or any hope of contending. Center is out, the Twins have Presley, Hicks and then Buxton, so there's no reason to sign a long-term option there. Catcher is covered with Suzuki and Pinto. That leaves third, short and DH. Sano should be ready soon, but his elbow injury is concerning. Plouffe is who he is. That said, the third base options are sucky, at the risk of using an overly fancy word. That pretty much leaves DH and short. I'd be fine with sacrificing a draft pick for Morales and/or Drew in order to upgrade those positions. However, I don't think that passing on those players equals a bad off-season. Morales is a fine offensive player, but I'm not a big fan of paying good money for a DH. I've come around on Drew a lot, but I'm not sold he will be a great player if the Twins do land him. Beyond those two, I don't see a lot of other options. Mark Reynolds? Justin Turner? Those guys will be pretty cheap and I'm not sure they are better options than those already on roster.

I understand. However, isn't there at least a slight possibility that the Twins don't like any of the remaining free agent options? Or, isn't it possible that some of these free agents don't want to come here? Or both?

I have to admit, I don't fully understand the Puckett comparison. Puckett doesn't meet the longevity argument because he lost his career to an eye condition at a youngish age. Most of Morris' argument comes partially from his longevity. Puckett got in because he was dynamic while active and I'm guessing some voters projected some productivity from the years that he lost to his condition. The Opening Day starts and Game 1 World Series starts are nice, but you can't just measure a player on those factors. Look at Dan Petry's stats from 1982-1985. I think it is fair to say he was at least as good as Morris, if not better. But, he was four years younger and had been with the team for less time. In addition, Morris was the Opening Day starter in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1993, all seasons in which he didn't really pitch like an "Ace." It's great that he was the best pitcher of his exact era, but how many pitchers pitched the exact same years that Morris did?

http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/O8LXQ Morris is 62nd, right below Bartolo Colon and right above Bob Welch.

I posted these links in the general HOF thread, but it fits here too. This is a common narrative and it was important that he threw those extra innings to save the bullpen. But, he didn't do so at the expense of his own stats. Here's a link to his inning by inning splits. In innings 7-9 he was better than 1-3 and 4-6. Being more durable actually inflated his stats. http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...e.cgi?id=c9MAS If the extra innings affected his durability by season, his monthly splits would show it, but he actually got better as the year went on: http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...e.cgi?id=Xf4Zf Jack Morris deserves a ton of credit and praise for his durability, I don't think anyone will argue with that point. To say that his durability hurt his overall stats is just not true.

I don't think anyone can question his durability. I think that the anti-Morris HOF crowd just thinks he wasn't good enough during those innings to be worth of the Hall of Fame.