TwinsGuy55422

I do agree that they can devote the majority of their resources to pitching next year. I think it will be interesting to see what they do with Baker, Pavano, Liriano, and Pavano all possibly being gone. I do like Hendriks and hope to see him continue his development this year. Hopefully Gibson will have a positive recovery from his TJ surgery. With some of the above mentioned pitchers coming off the books, we should be able to go after some free agents as well.

I agree. I think it is important not to hold guys back when they are ready. I think certain guys can be fast tracked a little bit, but on the whole rushing guys to the bigs when they aren't prepared can hurt their confidence and stunt their development as players. I think if the season continues to go the way it has been, there will be some guys ready for a taste later in the year.

Having Mauer on the field everyday has been great. Even when he is not performing at an MVP level, he is still much better than most. I look for him to get it going even more as the season progresses.

I would say that I am definitely in it for the "ride." I obviously want some "glory" mixed in but not at the price of uncompetitive baseball for long periods of time.

As I was leaving Target Field tonight, I noticed the game attendance was 33,000 and change. On a beautiful night early in the season with the Boston Red Sox in town, we still had over 6,000 empty seats in Target Field. It used to be that when a team like Boston or NY was in town, we would sellout and have another couple of thousand people packed in the ballpark with standing room only tickets. I know that I plan on going to all the games that I have tickets for this year, but with the product we are putting on the field I can't blame people for not going. This is just getting downright embarassing. They need to do something to shake this thing up, because if they don't it really isn't going to matter anyways. Our pitchers pretty much threw batting practice tonight and the ballpark was just dead. I don't know what else to say at this point. Please Twins, pretty please come out with some fire tomorrow and just salvage one game in this series!

As I was leaving Target Field tonight, I noticed the game attendance was 33,000 and change. On a beautiful night early in the season with the Boston Red Sox in town, we still had over 6,000 empty seats in Target Field. It used to be that when a team like Boston or NY was in town, we would sellout and have another couple of thousand people packed in the ballpark with standing room only tickets. I know that I plan on going to all the games that I have tickets for this year, but with the product we are putting on the field I can't blame people for not going. This is just getting downright embarassing. They need to do something to shake this thing up, because if they don't it really isn't going to matter anyways. Our pitchers pretty much threw batting practice tonight and the ballpark was just dead. I don't know what else to say at this point. Please Twins, pretty please come out with some fire tomorrow and just salvage one game in this series!

According to Rhett Bollinger, Ron Gardenhire confirmed that Francisco Liriano will skip his next scheduled start and will make his next start in Anaheim on May 1. Gardy said that he attributes Liriano's troubles to both mechanical issues as well as nerves with guys on base. He said that Anderson will watch Liriano throw BP sessions this Thursday and Saturday as they watch for progress. After Liriano's last start, Gardy said that they would "take a step back" and look at what the next step is for Liriano. I guess they figured that skipping a start was better than sending him to the bullpen. I guess I am not sure if I think this is the right approach. I know with a lot of pitchers I would say skipping a start would be the right thing, but right now Liriano has so much wrong with him that I would advocate that mop up duty in the bullpen might be the best way for him to work on things. If Gardy were to send Liriano to the bullpen, then the question becomes who takes over as a starter. I know that some have said that Diamond deserves to be brought up and given a shot based on his four excellent outings at AAA so far this year. I agree with this, but I also think swapping Swarzak with Liriano would be okay as well. I do not think Swarzak is a long term solution in the starting rotation, but other than his bad outing against the Yankees he did fine in his first couple of starts of the season. I think he would be serviceable going forward if we were to go the "Liriano to bullpen" route. This would allow the team to evaluate Liriano in some non-meaningful situations and decide if he can eventually come back to the rotation or is best suited to be a reliever. This a difficult situation to say the least. I am glad I am not the one in charge of deciding what to do with Liriano, but I hope the Twins can figure something out.

According to Rhett Bollinger, Ron Gardenhire confirmed that Francisco Liriano will skip his next scheduled start and will make his next start in Anaheim on May 1. Gardy said that he attributes Liriano's troubles to both mechanical issues as well as nerves with guys on base. He said that Anderson will watch Liriano throw BP sessions this Thursday and Saturday as they watch for progress. After Liriano's last start, Gardy said that they would "take a step back" and look at what the next step is for Liriano. I guess they figured that skipping a start was better than sending him to the bullpen. I guess I am not sure if I think this is the right approach. I know with a lot of pitchers I would say skipping a start would be the right thing, but right now Liriano has so much wrong with him that I would advocate that mop up duty in the bullpen might be the best way for him to work on things. If Gardy were to send Liriano to the bullpen, then the question becomes who takes over as a starter. I know that some have said that Diamond deserves to be brought up and given a shot based on his four excellent outings at AAA so far this year. I agree with this, but I also think swapping Swarzak with Liriano would be okay as well. I do not think Swarzak is a long term solution in the starting rotation, but other than his bad outing against the Yankees he did fine in his first couple of starts of the season. I think he would be serviceable going forward if we were to go the "Liriano to bullpen" route. This would allow the team to evaluate Liriano in some non-meaningful situations and decide if he can eventually come back to the rotation or is best suited to be a reliever. This a difficult situation to say the least. I am glad I am not the one in charge of deciding what to do with Liriano, but I hope the Twins can figure something out.

Thanks for checking into that. Those are interesting findings.

Mauer did look upset on his way back to the dugout. I am going to the game tonight and I expect he will come out with something to prove. I enjoyed your analysis. After reading this, I got to thinking about the following question. I wonder what Mauer's career numbers with RISP would show when you factor the score of the game and inning into the equation. For example, do the numbers hold when he comes up with RISP in a close game in the 7th inning or later? I don't know these stats off the top of my head, but I am guessing his average is still good but maybe not quite as great as his overall batting average with RISP. I love Mauer and always have so I am excited to see him healthy and producing.

I am really encouraged by the poise that Hendriks shows on the mound. He seems to understand how to pitch. I see him being a solid contributor for years to come. I just don't know what else can be said about Liriano right now.

I could get on board with a lineup like this. I do agree that in this scenario Benson needs to be in LF. You could also potentially have Mauer at first and Parmalee in right.

These are some intriguing possibilities. However, I would definitely not want to trade Dozier. I am excited to see what we have in him some time this year.

Interesting post. I always enjoy reading about the daily experiences of a minor league player. You guys definitely aren't catered to like the guys in the show are. Good luck with the rest of the season.

I can see the arguments for both strategies. The front office needs to keep an open mind as the season progresses to see what the market is for certain Twins players with trade value.

Great update on the Rock Cats. I always enjoy reading your work. I am particularly intrigued by Guerra's success since becoming a reliever and am excited for him to continue to move through the system!

I love Joe Maddon. Besides having trendy glasses, he seems very progressive in his strategies and doesn't always do things strictly by the almighty "book." He also seems to relate to his players very well. I don't know what to say about Valentine. For him to walk into a veteran-laden clubhouse such as Boston's and think he could pull what he has without creating an uproar is simply delusional.

I agree that he needs to start out in some non-pressure situations to build some confidence and then we can work him towards some 7th or 8th inning type of situations. Just like when Nathan gave up his closer's role, Frankie needs to pitch when he can just work on things without having to worry about the game score.

I also have memories of extreme frustration with Kyle Lohse. He was similar to Frankie in that he would often pitch well early in the game but then the wheels would come off around the fourth or fifth inning.

I would definitely be in favor of this. I have always liked Shields.

I don't see the Clete Thomas signing as problematic in and of itself. I think he does have value as a versatile 4th outfielder. The problem is that he is being put in the starting lineup almost everyday, which falls on Gardy not Ryan.

I have long ago accepted that the Twins do not have a realistic shot of making the playoffs this year and that it may be a few years before they can legitimately contend. However, I think we as fans can be encouraged by the series split the Twins just earned in the Bronx. I think it seemed like the Twins, for once, were not intimidated by the Yankees. They jumped all over some of the Yankee pitchers and didn't implode every time something bad happened. Although they did not technically win the series, I think this can be a positive point going forward in the season. I think the Twins showed themselves that they can be competitive against the best teams in the league, which is especially important during this very difficult portion of their schedule. I am excited for the series in Tampa to see if the Twins can build on what they did in the Bronx. This lineup can certainly score some runs and the defense, while not spectacular, is certainly better than last year. The bullpen hasn't been as bad I originally thought it would be. The key is going to be getting better starting pitching. I know that is stating the obvious, but if the starters can at least go a little deeper into games and minimize some of the damage, this team could be much more respectable at the end of the season than many thought. I am also very excited to see Morneau start improving the quality of his at-bats and driving the ball with authority. That's all for now...

I have long ago accepted that the Twins do not have a realistic shot of making the playoffs this year and that it may be a few years before they can legitimately contend. However, I think we as fans can be encouraged by the series split the Twins just earned in the Bronx. I think it seemed like the Twins, for once, were not intimidated by the Yankees. They jumped all over some of the Yankee pitchers and didn't implode every time something bad happened. Although they did not technically win the series, I think this can be a positive point going forward in the season. I think the Twins showed themselves that they can be competitive against the best teams in the league, which is especially important during this very difficult portion of their schedule. I am excited for the series in Tampa to see if the Twins can build on what they did in the Bronx. This lineup can certainly score some runs and the defense, while not spectacular, is certainly better than last year. The bullpen hasn't been as bad I originally thought it would be. The key is going to be getting better starting pitching. I know that is stating the obvious, but if the starters can at least go a little deeper into games and minimize some of the damage, this team could be much more respectable at the end of the season than many thought. I am also very excited to see Morneau start improving the quality of his at-bats and driving the ball with authority. That's all for now...

I agree. There just seems to be a complete lack of energy and interest. I was at the home opener and as soon as the Angels scored in the first inning, you could feel the hope leave the fans and the team. We don't necessarily need guys breaking bats and throwing water coolers, but we need guys that look legitimately upset when they make a mistake and legitimately excited for their teammates when something good happens!

He did get hit in the head in Seattle in 2005. If I remember correctly, he was taken to the hospital for evaluation and missed a good couple of weeks so I am sure that injury involved a concussion.