jimbo92107

I can't wait for Alex Meyer to work with a smart tactical catcher like Kurt Suzuki. He'll show Meyer just the right combinations of pitches to shut down every hitter...one time. This is the right thing to do with Meyer. Give him exposure to the bigs, but with less information to process, a simpler plan. Isn't this how the White Sox developed Chris Sale? I seem to recall that Sale started as a flame thrower out of the bull pen, then later worked on becoming a starter. Sale was younger than Meyer is, but it was the same idea.

It's Paul Molitor's responsibility to make Byron Buxton wear hand protection when he's running the bases. He should also make him wear a chin strap if his helmet keeps flying off. What good is the helmet going to do him in a collision at second when it's rolling onto the outfield grass between first and second base? Clearly Buxton needs to learn to protect himself better from the repercussions of his own blazing foot speed. Jujitsu lessons?

For those of us that thought Ervin Santana was the second coming of Johan Santana, I'm afraid it doesn't look like it. Ervin was impressive this spring, but now he looks like another fairly good starter.

According to their birth dates, Turner is almost a year younger than Garver.

As Buxton freely admitted, he never faced anybody in the minors with stuff like Chris Sale's. It may take a while before he can hit balls that curve like that, at that speed. Frankly I was impressed that anybody could get a hit off Sale, the way he was pitching. That was a surprising win.

At this point I'm wondering when we'll see photos of Pete Rose in bed with farm animals. But it's okay, they're all FDA approved!

Now that it has happened, it does seem like it was inevitable. Adding Alex Meyer to the pen means that the relief staff has a power arm even stronger than Graham. That can be really important in middle or late game situations. Basically, everything Tonkin is supposed to do, Meyer is supposed to do it with another 5 mph. The difference between a well-spotted 93mph heater and a well-spotted 98mph heater can be pretty stark. Plus, Meyer's supposed to have a great slider, too. It also doesn't hurt that Meyer's release point is about six inches higher, creating that nasty downward plane. Let's not be surprised if Meyer has a few rough spots while his emotions settle down. I know he's 25, but this will be his first exposure to major league cheers and boos. I hope he can handle it. Good thing a veteran like Perkins is there to keep him on an even keel.

I'm not a big Eduardo Nunez fan, but I have not seen him "stinking" or "overmatched" at SS so far. Other than one somewhat clumsy early play to his right, Nunez has looked pretty slick to me. Good movement, very strong arm. He did make a bad throw recently, but Vargas made a good dig. Otherwise Nunez gives me no feeling of panic at short, and his bat has been good. If he starts to falter, put Escobar back in there. No rush to get Danny Santana back. Let the kid get his head together in Rochester. Not much of a fire at short.

It does feel right to reward Der Kid with at least a cuppa coffee, but that may not happen until later this season. Maybe after the All-Star break? Max Kepler is one of the feel-good stories of this organization, along with the impressive comeback of Alex Wimmers.

Lottery in June, corn coming up soon... Could be Alex Meyer. The Twins have been loosening up on bringing up prospects. They brought up Buxton, and the kid is doing pretty well, certainly not a disaster. Why not Meyer? Would he be a disaster? Probably not; he's got the stuff to get guys out. Apparently has a little better control from the set. Powerful fastball, tough slider. With Meyer you get more dominance than Tonkin, and possibly more innings per outing. They've run out of reasons why not to do it.

Weird, but after looking over the lefty reliever situation, the nutty national pundits might just be right. Taylor Jay might actually be the best option for a dominant lefty in the pen. Other guys in the system either aren't that talented or haven't refined their game enough to survive against mlb hitters. Jay is already completely accustomed to a reliever's role, and he has great stuff, so he could basically just walk in and do what he's already been doing for the last couple years. Otherwise, I'd still wait a week or two before bringing Alex Meyers up. Let the guy get a few more appearances in, get used to the pace of the role. First thing I'd do is DFA Thompson and bring up Kaleb Thielbar. At this point Thielbar is better than Thompson or Duensing.

Is Coke's mlb ERA better than Caleb Theilbar's? Can he bring a heater like Oliveros? I'd be fine with Coke if this were more of a pennant run season, but I still don't think it is. We'll know for sure after today's game. ;-)

I like how Molitor is shaking Jay's hand while staring at his left arm.

I'm just saying that he's a rightie, and he's better than Danks. If Buxton gets a hit or two off him, that's even more impressive than yesterday. Heck, we didn't know the kid could hit his weight before that...

Obviously Byron Buxton will still need to make adjustments to major league pitching. These guys are in the majors because they throw stuff that is extremely difficult to hit. Their command is better and their stuff is better than almost anybody Buxton faced in AA. Still, he was able to hit John Danks. Not the tallest mountain, but he's a pro. If Buxton can get a hit or two off Jeff Samardzija, then I'll really be impressed. I hope Molitor leaves him at leadoff. That's clearly where Buxton is most comfortable, and by his minor league stats, it's his most productive spot.

Hunter said, "With Buxton on base, I think Dozier gets more fastballs." Dozier looked pretty happy yesterday. Buxton leading off may add 50 RBI to Dozier's season total. Plus you've got Buxton distracting every pitcher, making them throw more fastballs for fear that any off-speed pitch is like handing Buxton a stolen base. Not just more fastballs, either; more fastballs delivered with a rushed motion, possibly off target, or right down the middle. Buxton's crazy speed puts constant pressure on the opposition. Pitchers rush their pitches, throw more fastballs. Infielders rush their fielding, causing mistakes. Even outfielders rush; they aren't sure where to throw the ball, to second or third? It sure is fun to watch Byron Buxton disrupt the opposition.

Byron Buxton led off the batting order against the White Sox Monday night. Suddenly, he looked totally comfortable, as if he belongs at lead off hitter. Who'd a thunk it? http://puckettspond.com/2015/06/22/minnesota-twins-must-keep-byron-buxton-hitting-leadoff/ Okay, somebody thunked it. Apparently, Buxton's minor league stats were screaming for the move, but we all know how quietly writing on paper screams. You can hardly hear it, even when you stare. So, Buxton had three hits (one infield hit, of course), and played great defense. Better still, Brian Dozier seems to like it when there's somebody on base before he cranks a ball over the fence. Gets his RBI numbers up a bit. Both guys seemed happy about it. This Buxton kid seems even luckier for the team than before. I still think we should keep him around for a while, or until somebody better comes along. He's got a nice smile.

The Twins are coming down from the statistical illusion that was the whole first third of their season. This "contender" will still be lucky to get a wildcard berth, and isn't by any means built to withstand the pressure of the playoffs. Look at Santana - on the verge of emotional collapse before being sent down. Look at Buxton - headed in the same direction. Hicks had to be sent down twice to learn how to swing a baseball bat. Arcia forgot how to hit, and never could field. The starters are reclamation projects, retreads and one rookie. The bullpen is one really good closer, two Rule 5 guys, and then little else. Shortstop and Left Field are held down by two journeyman utility guys. Second base is the best player on the team, while First and Third are good fielders, but spotty hitters. No power from the First baseman's bat. Catcher is good, but nothing spectacular. DH is also struggling - with the bat. Does this sound like a realistic contender? No, it's not. There is no reason to sell the farm before the harvest here. This team has far too many holes to fill with one or two high-profile free agents. Far better to use this season to give the most promising minor leaguers, like Buxton and Meyer and Sano, a taste of the bigs, so they can see up close the level of competition they need to prepare for. Go ahead and bring up some of the AAA relievers. This is the time to see who can handle the pressure, and who's not ready. Same with the top prospects in AAA and AA, if and when their game looks stable enough. This is not a World Series year. That's still a ways down the road. Oh, I forgot Rosario. He looks fine. He stays.

That's what I thought about Drew Butera. The guy looks like a good athlete. Why can't he hit? Maybe the sad truth is, some guys just can't hit.

I'm pretty sure the Twins and Paul Molitor have a good idea how to handle Byron Buxton. Clearly the young man is immensely talented, but it's just as clear how raw that talent still is. Baseball is a game full of subtle factors, and Buxton has yet to master enough of them to look comfortable at the major league level. On offense, Buxton doesn't yet do a good job of processing the overall situation, and the pitch-to-pitch adjustments of what he can expect to see. Pitchers know that, and are throwing him a rookie mix of crap. Basically they're pitching him backwards, throwing curves in fastball situations, and vice versa. Buxton doubtless has seen this tactic before, but minor league pitchers can't make it work the way the big boys can. They're getting ahead with curves, then throwing him junk out of the zone. Of course the coaches are telling Buxton how to counter that tactic, but it takes a while for verbal lessons to translate into live action. On defense, Buxton runs like a deer, but also shows signs of immaturity, as when he launched a rocket throw from center to home instead of hitting the cutoff man, allowing a runner to advance to second. Impressive throw, kid. The opposition thanks you. Buxton's signs of baseball immaturity may eventually get him sent back down to AAA finishing school, but eventually it will be worth the wait. There's no denying the talent. Meanwhile, even with all his rough edges, he sure is fun to watch. It's a different situation with Aaron Hicks, but the lesson is the same: At the professional level, baseball is a very difficult game to master completely. To make it in the bigs, the last tool is between your ears.

Twinssouth, another good write-up. Can you tell us a little more about about Stuart Turner at the plate? Is he another great defensive catcher with almost no bat, or do you see him developing an acceptable level of offense? Oh, and I was wondering about Kepler's defense, too. Does he take a good line to fly balls, and how's his arm? I'm seeing a future mix of Rosario, Buxton, Kepler and Hicks in the OF.

I have no objection to a 6-man rotation. After the third day of rest, each starter could be available for long relief, so you're not really losing a reliever out of it. A guy like Milone could do that easily, and so could May, and Pelfrey was preparing for that role before Santana's suspension. If a guy does do a stint in long relief, you just push his next start back a few days. On a team that shuffles guys around like the Twins, a 6-man flexible rotation should be no big deal.

At the moment it's Max Scherzer. If you have mlb.com, go watch his ninth inning. On the last hitter of a perfect game, the hitter leans into an inside pitch and banks it off his elbow pad, which sticks out beyond his elbow, allowing him to do it with no danger. That was soooooo uncool. Scherzer was still throwing 97mph heaters, so he got the next guy to fly to left to complete the no-hitter. But that "hit batter" was totally bogus. Even so, a well earned no-no for Max Scherzer, my playah of the dayah.

Finally somebody said it. Along with tons of crazy trade talk in this thread, very few have noted that Mike Pelfrey right now is the steadiest, best pitcher on this staff. It took two years after his TJ, but now Pelfrey is 100 percent healthy. Even more important, he's pitching now better than at any other time in his career, thanks to rigorous physical training, more careful attention to mechanics, and his new fork ball, which is making good hitters look foolish. Pelfrey's performance is no fluke. He already knew how to pitch, but now he's more precise. His improved command comes from more careful mechanics. He still doesn't whiff guys that often, but that's because his stuff doesn't move that much. Still, firing 94mph heaters bending six inches left or right to the lower corners is keeping most hitters off the barrel, and he saves his fork ball for important situations. He's also doing a good job changing speeds, getting fouls with a decent change up. I don't like the Kershaw comparisons, they're kind of insulting. Mike Pelfrey has re-constructed himself into a good major league pitcher, and I'm really happy for him. He's a very likeable guy, and I love having him on the Twins. The other players like him, and I don't want to see him go. If he was a total jerk, maybe I wouldn't care, but he's a really good guy, doing really well. Can't we just enjoy that for a while without dissecting the man for his trade value?

This actually plays into another observation about Eddie. He's a schemer, which puts him in rare company with guys like Bryce Harper. Rosario clearly is more than simply "engaged" in the action of the game, he's actively scheming, looking for ways to out-smart the other team. Evidence of this emerges in little ways, like when he instantly took advantage of a muffed fielding play to take an extra base on his triple. That was quick thinking while running. He does things like that all the time. Every manager wants a team full of guys like that, but actually they're pretty rare. Torii Hunter is one of them. When a talented young ballplayer is also a playful prankster, watch out for that one.