jimbo92107

Miguel Sano's incredible average exit velocity is a testament to not just the mammoth power of his swing, but also the precision of that beautiful beast. He's not just making hard contact; he's putting the sweet spot of the bat onto the ball with great consistency. The result is still only part of the story. The other part is all the pitches Sano does NOT swing at. All those low, outside curves, balls in the dirt, high and in... Sano is no longer swinging at junk. This leaves a pitcher in a terrible predicament if he's serious about pitching to Sano. In fact, I'm seeing more and more semi-intentional walks when Sano lays off the first couple junk pitches. At 2 balls and no strikes, very few pitchers want to give this man something in the strike zone. Miguel Sano makes a lot of pitchers act like Mister Nibbles. It's understandable.

Two good things happened for Buxton at the plate today in Tuesday's game at Rangers. First, Buxton took a walk against a pitcher that was having command problems. At his worst, Buxton was swinging at crap, even from a struggling pitcher. Second, Buxton got a scratch hit _to the opposite field_. Very important because Buxton has been trying waaaay too hard to pull everything...over the left field fence. This time he slapped the ball to right center. Very good sign. Also, I noticed on playback that Buxton did a much better job following the ball into the bat on his single, rather than looking ahead where he hoped the ball would end up. Better use of the eyeballs. Keep it up, kid!

Actually, the Twins have a very good replacement for Buxton in AAA: Zach Granite. Send down the struggling young superstar and bring up a very fast CF with a decent bat and good base running skills. Granite is not considered a stellar prospect, but he's currently #22 in the Twins system, and he certainly won't do worse than Buxton right now at the plate. As others have observed, Buxton's main problem is confidence, but it now manifests itself in a terrible approach at the plate. Let him break it down to the fundamentals in Rochester, then gradually build his confidence back up. We all know Buxton can hit at this level from that hot streak he went on at the end of last season. A month in AAA without the pressure of big crowds and TV cameras might allow Buxton to get his smile back. Remember, Torii Hunter was up and down several times before he finally caught on for good. As for Gibson, I'm not sure what he needs. He's a veteran pitcher now, yet he still seems to lack command of his arsenal of pitches. What is the key variable between a good and a bad outing for this guy? It's tougher to analyze than Buxton because Gibson's difficulties don't seem to be consistent. He either shuts a team down, or he gets completely hammered. Assuming Berrios replaces Mejia, the only starter still available on the 40-man roster is Felix Jorge down in AA Chattanooga. Jorge currently is #6 in the Twins system, so he's considered a very good prospect. Give him a taste? One good thing about Jorge is that he has been a very good control pitcher his whole minor league career. I could see the Twins bringing him up for a few starts if Gibson goes on the DL for a while. Shoulder soreness, whatever.

"No recording of this game may be disemboweled...dismembered...disengaged..." The new announcer has a little problem with, um, words... That's Torii Hunter?? Oh, the pain...

Sano with the arm. ZANG!!

Brother Brian, good write-up! Man, this team needs some spark at the plate. Call up Palka, Park or Vargas, somebody with more pop at DH than Grossman. Mauer should NOT be hitting 4th behind Sano.

With a really savvy catcher, Tyler Duffey could be an excellent starting pitcher. First, Duffey should embrace his unique gift of a mind-bending curve ball. Expand on its use, throw it at many different speeds, using the fastball mainly to surprise hitters that are clearly waiting for the curve. Meanwhile, the guy that should hit the pen is Kyle Gibson. Mr. Nibbles needs to learn to just throw the dang ball for strikes, and nothing teaches that like being a relief pitcher. I'd swap Gibson and Duffey before I called up Berrios.

I agree that Grossman has an almost freakishly good ability to get on base. He squeezes out walks better than just about anybody I've ever seen. Not sure why pitchers don't challenge him more - he's not that good a hitter! The advantage with Granite is that he's also pretty good with the bat, but more of an offensive threat than Grossman. In a tight game, if you've got a guy on second base, do you want your hitter to walk, or get a single? Plus, Granite is maybe the best outfielder in the Twins minor league system, where Grossman's D is borderline. Last, would you rather have Grossman or Granite be that guy on second base in a tight game? Who's the better pinch runner? I don't mean this as a knock on Grossman. I do like him as a ballplayer despite his limited gifts. He's a smart player and a shining example of plate discipline. However, overall it looks like Zach Granite would provide more benefits.

Cut Craig Breslow and Robbie Grossman, bring up Kennys Vargas and either Zach Granite or Nico Goodrum, depending if you need infield or outfield replacement. I'd lean towards Granite because he's blazing fast if you need a pinch runner, and he's an excellent outfielder, unlike Grossman. Put Granite anywhere in the OF, there's little or no drop off defensively. Meanwhile Vargas is adequate at 1B and provides decent power from both sides of the plate. Looking at Goodrum's fielding stats, it looks like he's a possible super sub, playing anywhere on the field. I like both Breslow and Grossman, but they don't fit this team. Breslow is pretty close to done in baseball, tho I'd love it if he became a pitching coach for the Twins. Grossman still can be valuable to a team that needs a high OBP pinch hitter.

1. Jason Castro. Replacing long-past his prime Kurt Suzuki with a healthy, talented young backstop has been huge. Castro frames better, calls good games, defends better, and hits better than a aged Suzuki. 2. A healthy starting five. Cross fingers, but it's been a while since the Twins started a season with five guys that weren't coming off injuries or breaking down. 3. Much better bullpen. Now we have a pen fairly well stocked with guys that could be and have been starters. Most of them can go multiple innings if needed, and they will most likely be needed. 4. Another year for the future stars. Sano, Kepler, Buxton, Rosario, Polanco - Each of them scuffled at some point last season, and now they're back with more experience, a little less rookie nerves. The outfield now looks great, and the infield is surprisingly solid...so far... 5. New management. The Pohlads finally shucked the old school guys and brought in modern management. I respected them, but it was time for a fresh approach. I suspect this new attitude has reverberated throughout the organization.

This kid sounds great. Great is good enough for me.

"5. Privacy – My wife told me that she didn’t want me posting her private details publicly anymore. Not on Twins Daily, Facebook, Twitter or anything like that… She said that it wasn’t anyone else’s business. I love her and respect her so I told her that I wouldn’t, although I suspect that her hemorrhoids are making her a little cranky." Sorry to hear about your wife's hemorrhoids, RB. I sympathize, my own explosive diarrhea episodes happen at the most inopportune times, like last Sunday night at karaoke. I just can't hit those Steve Perry high notes without embarrassing myself...

Low T's got nothing on low IQ. Still, it's just a number. A very low, depressing number...sniff...

Duffey dominates again.

A lot of encouraging signs, especially from the hitters. Polanco sure does look like a major league ballplayer, doesn't he? Skills and smarts. Sano is showing much better plate discipline, as is everybody except Buxton. Even Eager Eddie has taken a couple walks. Kepler looks like he's starting to hit the ball square on the screws...last season that was prelude to a power display a couple games later. Dozier hasn't gotten hot yet, but he could bust out anytime. Everybody is hitting except...Buxton, and strangely enough, I'm not worried about Buxton. He'll hit as soon as he realizes that he's the cat, and the pitcher is the mouse. Oh, and thank goodness for Jason Castro. All he's done is stabilize the catcher position, take a ton of walks and knock in key runs.

If you get a chance, go back and watch that 6-run 7th inning again. Notice how the Twins did just about everything right to take advantage of KC's pitching troubles. First, Jorge Polanco's scratch hit. Doesn't that kid just look like a good young baseball player? Then Kepler's excellent strike zone discipline, waiting for a good pitch to bunt, followed by an excellent bunt and great hustle down the line. Then up steps Eddie Rosario, and he does exactly what we love: He saw the SS not in position to execute the wheel play, so Eddie punches a bunt right to Moustakas, handing him an out at first, but now the Twins have runners on 2nd and 3rd. All along, they did the smart thing, and executed just right. Walk to Dozier, and then Robbie Grossman does what he does best...draw a walk to score Polanco. Other than Buxton, who is still flailing early in the season, just about everybody did his part to keep advancing runners. Even the new catcher came up with a clutch hit to drive in two runs. More than just a win, this game looked like a statement. This team seems far more competent than last season. They read situations better, and execute correctly. Great outfield defense, and the middle infield looks solid. Joe Mauer at 1st base could be one of the better fielders at that position now. If only the pitching staff holds up...

Hughes does have one major factor in his favor: He has always had excellent command. The same basic pitching mechanics that have allowed him to have a crazy-low walk percentage should also allow him to tinker successfully with new pitches. That said, it's his spring velocity that gives me the most hope. I was worried that Hughes would be stuck around 89 mph with his heater, a speed that won't allow him to beat major league hitters. 91 or 92 mph is much more workable. It provides the upper end that makes his off-speed pitches more effective. His first couple starts should be very interesting.

I'm a big Eddie fan, so I have to temper my enthusiasm. I think Seth has hit the exact middle of the range of Rosario's performance this season. "Eddie Rosario: 516 at-bats, .274/.306/.452 (.749), 29 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs." Of those numbers, I suspect Rosario can beat 6 triples easily. His gap power is excellent, and he can spray the ball into corners, getting difficult bounces. Eddie has shown that he has quick recognition of weakness when an outfielder is off balance, misjudging a ball or bobbling a ball, and his speed is sufficient for adding an extra base. I have seen him bluff slowing down to 2nd base several times, then turn on the jets to reach 3rd. 29 doubles actually may be a tad high, partly because I expect Eddie to push for 3rd base whenever it seems possible, meaning fewer doubles and a few more times gunned down at 3rd. This brings me to the reason I love Eddie Rosario: He loves the game of baseball. Not just the attention and the money, but the contest to see who can find a way to win. Rosario looks for the little things, like an outfielder that lags just a bit when fielding, or a pitcher that isn't paying attention to the runner. He sees those things and looks to spring traps on people that aren't fully engaged. For this reason it's difficult to capture what Rosario represents with a string of statistics. He may "swing at everything" most of the time, but then, at some key point in a game...maybe he won't. Rosario's reputation as a free swinger is well known among pitchers, who may decide to dangle a high heater or an outside curve at a crucial moment, 3 and 2 with a couple runners on, tie game. Rosario knows this, and he's always looking to take advantage... What will he do? Eddie Rosario knows the game well enough to operate at the level of an expert poker player. He masks his own intentions with an impassive poker face, while reading his opponents for any signs of their intentions. This is so cool, I can hardly tell you. I love Eddie Rosario. He's a real player.

Bear in mind also that the minor league pitchers I listed were the YOUNGEST on the AA and AAA pitching staffs. Assuming some of the older minor leaguers are more than filler, some of those guys... AAA older guys: Yohan Pino P R R 6' 2" 190 12-26-1983 Active No Nick Greenwood P R L 6' 1" 180 09-28-1987 Active No Buddy Boshers P L L 6' 3" 205 05-09-1988 Active Yes Nick Tepesch P R R 6' 4" 240 10-12-1988 Active No Alex Wimmers P L R 6' 2" 215 11-01-1988 Active No Seth Rosin P R R 6' 6" 265 11-02-1988 Active No Matt Tracy P L L 6' 3" 215 11-26-1988 Active No Drew Rucinski P R R 6' 2" 190 12-30-1988 Active No Nik Turley P L L 6' 4" 195 09-11-1989 Active No David Hurlbut P L L 6' 3" 221 11-24-1989 Active No Jason Wheeler P L L 6' 6" 255 10-27-1990 Active No and AA older guys: Raul Fernandez P R R 6' 2" 180 06-22-1990 Active No Luke Bard P R R 6' 3" 202 11-13-1990 Active No Zack Jones P R R 6' 1" 195 12-04-1990 Active No Trevor Hildenberger P R R 6' 2" 211 12-15-1990 Active No Todd Van Steensel P R R 6' 1" 215 01-14-1991 Active No Mason Melotakis P R L 6' 2" 220 06-28-1991 Active Yes Brandon Peterson P R R 6' 1" 190 09-23-1991 Active No Ryan Eades P R R 6' 2" 200 12-15-1991 Active No Paul LeBlanc P R R 6' 4" 185 03-07-1992 Active No Aaron Slegers P R R 6' 10" 245 09-04-1992 Active No ...some of these guys could be pitching on the Twins instead of the 30-something retreads the team is using now. What are they, chopped liver? Cubed beef? Beef chuck for chili? Chicken fried steak? Chorizo? Bacon ends? Dang, now I'm getting hungry...

Another thing about Breslow is his high intelligence. I'm pretty sure he could seamlessly transition from pitcher to pitching coach at the pro level. A guy like that should be considered for a position in the Twins organization when he finally hangs 'em up.

Yes, I agree that Breslow's game has gone downhill for the last few years. However, supposedly he has tinkered with his mechanics and found a better technique. If so, Breslow is an effective reliever. Meanwhile, O'Rourke has looked very inconsistent in limited use on the Twins. That said, I'll grant your general point that you'd rather have a younger guy with a live arm than a vet trying to hold onto a couple more years of pro play. This may feed into what appears to be the plan, which is to start the season with vets, then transition to the abundant young arms in AA and AAA.

Craig Breslow has always been better than O'Rourke. As long as Breslow can bring it above 90 mph, his stuff will play well at the mlb level.

Justin Haley looks like a bright spot this spring. He's big, strong, young, works fast, downward plane, stays around the zone, live arm. If Haley takes the long man role from Tonkin, that allows Tonkin to work more as a setup guy, keeping his arm fresher. Otherwise, the only reason I see to start the season with a back end of older veterans is if the Twins aim to replace them in coming months with guys like Chargois, Wimmers and whoever gets hot in Rochester or Chattanooga. Speaking of AAA and AA, take a look at their pitching rosters. Whew, there's a lot of young arm talent bubbling up! I didn't realize all these guys were now in AA... Seven youngest pitchers on the Lookouts: Fernando Romero Kohl Stewart Stephen Gonsalves Randy Rosario Tyler Jay Felix Jorge Nick Burdi That's half a future pitching staff right there. Then combine that with these guys... Four youngest pitchers on the Red Wings: Jose Berrios Jake Reed Mason Melotakis J.T. Chargois The future looks pretty good.

Here's an idea: Trade Vargas to Boston. I hear they like huge, power-hitting first basemen that don't like the Twins style of spraying singles around the park. Maybe the Red Sox will know what to do with a guy like that.

The counter argument is Duffey's control of his curve. If a guy can throw curves as well as Duffey, to me that means he understands the fundamentals of arm slots, which means he should be able to spot his other pitches with the same concepts as spotting his curves. Even if his heater never gets above 92, with good control a guy like Duffey can master the art of pitching, which is about disrupting the batter's timing and fooling his eye. The league has plenty of room for a starter whose game revolves around a great curve ball. Could be that Duffey's just waiting for a catcher that knows how to take advantage of his stuff.