Paul Pleiss

You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed. No reason to bury the lead, Trevor May is BACK! Trevor talked about his approach to pitching, what he’s been doing in 2014 that has allowed him to be successful, and how much fun he’s having as a member of the outstanding pitching staff in Triple-A Rochester. Download attachment: trevor may.jpg Just Cody and Eric this week, in addition to talking with Trevor May, they talk about what the Twins have been doing well (pitching) and what they have not been doing at all (hitting) in the past week. They also take a shot at predicting the Twins’ All-Star representative (and fail), and they whip around the world for beers and around the league to talk about great pitching from Clayton Kershaw and bad pitching from Justin Verlander. 84 minutes of cool dudes talkin’ ball. Thanks for the download. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing atNoDakTwinsFan, and you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing atKnuckleballs, and you can find Jay Corn on twitter @Jay__Corn! __________________ Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter. Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast(@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com Click here to view the article

Download attachment: baseball podcast.jpg Episode 15 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunesor by clicking here. This week Eric and Paul are joined by Twins prospect guru, Seth Stohs (@SethTweets), of TwinsDaily.com to discuss the Twins trade with the Nationals, his blogging career and Travis Harrison. After Seth departs we take a quick look at the Rule 5 draft, Twins HOFer Brad Radke and a lengthy discussion on the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]specifically Barry Bonds and the steroids era. We also talk about beer, of which it becomes evident that Eric has had several, along with a few other Twins news items and notes. If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes (ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, which help us become warlocks.) You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.Once again thank you to Egon's Unicat for letting us use their music on the podcast. __________________ Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter Click here to view the article

No news is good news. Not a lot of Twins news coming out this week, lots of rumors and rumblings about free agent starting pitchers and catchers, but nothing concrete. At the 33:00 mark, Paul and Eric are joined by Twins Geek, John Bonnes (@TwinsGeek) from Twins Dailyto discuss the origins of both the site and the Gleeman and the Geek podcast - more of look into "how the sausage is made" so to speak. Later, we take a close look at the Twins top pitching prospect, Alex Meyer, and we get into a heated discussion about the possibility (or lack there-of) of Jarrod Saltalamacchia joining the Twins. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Episode 61 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunesor by clicking here. http://puckettspond.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2013/11/mauer_turkey001.jpg ~~~ Thanks for the download. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan, and you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing at Knuckleballs! If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes. Ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, which helps Terry Ryan sign top-tier pitching talent in Free Agency. Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter. Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast(@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com Click here to view the article

It seems anytime I start reading a thread about the Twins pitching, somehow I end up ranting about Jared Burton. There also seems to be a never-ending stream of Jared Burton supporters. I don't understand this. I've decided to take a look at the numbers and see what I can find. Jared Burton started out the year with a couple clunkers and ended April with an ERA of 9.00 and hitters had a .286/.419/.543 line agaisnt him, good for a wOBA of .317. Ouch! He surrended three home runs, and 9 runs total in his 9 innings of work while striking out only five of the 43 batters he faced and walking eight (8.97 FIP, 6.51 xFIP). May was by far the better month for Burton. In 12.2 innings of work he posted a 4.26 ERA, and held batters to .245/.275/.396 for a .283 wOBA. He struck out ten of 51 batters and gave up only two walks and a single home run. He went 1-1 with three holds for the month and lowered his ERA to 6.23 (3.00 FIP, 4.12 xFIP). Download attachment: jared-burton-mlb-toronto-blue-jays-minnesota-twins.jpg June has been hit or miss for Burton but Gardenhire and company continue to run him out to pitch. He recorded a save on Sunday, in an outing, had I been managing, he would never have made. So far in June Burton has a 3.86 ERA in 9.1 innings pitched, but with a 1.29 WHIP for the month. He has surrendered four runs, five walks and a HR to go with eight K's. Unfortunately, things look a less rosy when you look deeper at the numbers. He's held hitters to .200 BA, but has allowed them on base at a .324 clip and allowed a slugging average of .406, yielding a a .327 wOBA. His ERA for the year is down to 5.52. What's the upside to keeping this guy? A reliever with a 4-ish ERA, who has looked overmatched for most of the season, especially against opposite-handed batters, doesn't belong in the bullpen for a team hoping to contend as the summer progresses. For those who say he's been good lately, there's some truth here as June has been good for him, despite giving up multiple runs in 2 of his 10 outings. But if we look at the last 30 days of work from Burton things are not so good, as then his ERA balloons to 5.68. Even more unsettling is his work in high leverage situations. According to Fangraphs, he's pitching to the tune of .215/.329/.391 in low leverage situations, .250/.294/.500 in medium leverage situations and an alarming .368/.429/.526 in high leverage situations. We see the same trend when we look at his numbers with men on base. With the bases empty he's a respectable .183/.300/.367. With men on base it's .321/.377/.527 and with men in scoring position his line becomes a laughabale .342/.375/.622, for a .410 wOBA! Yikes! If you're clamoring to keep Jared Burton because he's been able to put up essentially a 4.0 ERA for his last 10 outings, I think you're trying to hold on to memories of Jared Burton from two years ago. This season, lefties are killing him (.283/.411/.413, .374wOBA). Help me understand what he's doing so well that the Twins should continue to rely on him to pitch meaningfull innings. Heck, I'd be happy if you can convice me he's worth a 25-man roster spot. What's your case to keep Burton? Click here to view the article

Episode 65 is out for your listening enjoyment. Happy New Year from all of the gang at Talk to Contact. We debated titling the podcast after Twins Coach Nelson Prada who wore #65 a few years ago, but anytime Tom Kelly's zubaz come up on conversation you are required to title said conversation after those wonderful pants. You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunesor by clicking here.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] http://puckettspond.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/01/tom-kelley-300x450.jpg After a holiday hiatus the Talk to Contact podcast returns will all of the usual contributors. Up for discussion this week is Chris Colabello declining a trip to Korea, the make-up of the Twins opening day outfield, former Twins making comebacks and a rousing of debate of whether or not Kurt Suzuki will play a meaningful role for the Twins in 2014. We go down on the pond and take a look at the Twins 2013 4th round draft pick, Stephen Gonsalves (LHP), discuss whether a shandy should even be considered a beer and talk about moves from around the rest of the MLB, including possible landing spots for Masahiro Tanaka and the potential for the Houston Astros to contend in the AL West this coming season. All of that and more on this week's podcast. Most notably, this podcast begins with a Minnesota Twins twitter community draft. It was a lot of fun. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it. Thanks for the download. You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan, and you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing at Knuckleballs! If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes. Ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, that will help Liam Hendriks make the major league club in Baltimore and hopefully pitch against Danny Valencia and the Royals, beaning him in the middle of the back. __________________ Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter. Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast(@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com Click here to view the article

The Twins pulled the plug on the CK ceremony and cancelled his induction all together. If they want to get serious about off the field issues, they should take Puck out too. Have we all forgotten his off the field blemishes, or does he get a pass for leaving the game, and life, all too soon?

Can I purchase all remaining tickets and sell them on StubHub?

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-149x149+35+42_9790166.jpg This week on the podcast Paul learns about ground rule triples, and strangely enough, if does not include TC Bear going on a rampage with his T-shirt gun (but we'd pay good money to see that happen). The Twins offense has struggled to score runs recently (what's new?) and Joe Mauer is still working his way back from injury. The scholarship program is over in Minnesota (again) as Matt Guerrier was DFA'd to make room for roster worthy Ryan Pressly. Ron Gardenhire passed another managerial milestone, 1000 losses, pretty neat, you guys. How does he still have a job? All of this good news and an interview with Jason "Professor" Parks from Baseball Prospectus to talk Twins minor leaguers and a suitable explanation of what exactly "rig" is/means. Source

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-480x480+0+24_9766987.jpg This week we talk all about the first half, the Twins best players and worst players before the All Star break, and what we think might happen in the second half. Jay Corn rags on Joe Mauer, Cody Christie praises Brian Dozier, and Eric Pleiss raves about his boyfriend Phil Hughes. Join us for the Twins talk, stay for the beers and baseball chatter. Source

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_9746103.jpg For the first time ever we only had one Talk to Contact co-host available for a podcast. Stepping out into unfamiliar territory Eric managed to build a 40 minute podcast that wasn't terrible. He talked about Twins news from the past week, including Brian Dozier hilariously being added to the Home Run Derby, and talked a lot about what is going on with the pitching staff down in AAA Rochester. He did the regular beer, news and internet segments, but as a thank you for listening to him babble for 40 minutes, he recorded a special audio production of Patrick Dubuque's Waiting 'til Next Year for Godot. I hope you enjoy this special episode. Source

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_9728178.jpg The Twins have struggled mightily on the road recently, but thanks to Kyle Gibson, they were able to snap the road losing skid at 10 games before coming home to drop two of three to the Kansas City Royals. This week we take a look at what's been going wrong for the Twins and what it means for the franchise going into the All-Star break.Joe Mauer is on the DL, Brian Dozier is slumping, and Josh Willingham can't seem to find a hit to save his life (or the team). We were lucky enough to have a full booth of podcasters tonight, and the gang gave out mid-season awards for both the American and National Leagues. This week's show features a good deal of disagreement amongst the four of us, so be sure to let us know who you think was right and who was wrong by sending us tweets or emails. We also used some "adult language" so this show may not be suitable for young children or sensitive old people. Source

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_9712182.jpg This week we spend time talking about the series of roster moves and player swaps that lead to Jorge Polanco being called up from High-A Fort Myers to the Big League club. We talk about Byron Buxton's rehab, Kendrys Morales finally hitting a home run for the Twins, and the Twins' struggles on the road. We go Down on the pond and talk about Pat Kelly (Cody and Jay interviewed Pat but the audio did not come through clearly, so we have a write up on that interview coming soon) and what he's been doing since he was drafted in the 12th round of the 2014 draft. We talk beer, baseball, Twins in suits, and we take some questions for the listeners. Thanks for sticking around! Source

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/3143-Jared-Burton-the-case-for-dismissal

Brandon, I think we've gone just about every which way on Burton, mostly in the thread about this post over on the forums, so I wont rehash that here. Thanks to all of you for stopping over to enjoy my writing, or to disagree. The discussion, more than winning or losing, is the fun part for me.

I look forward to taunting the whole lot of you when you're favored Jared Burton goes cold again and finishes the season with an ERA of 5, walking more than 4 batters/9 and costing the Twins another half dozen wins. If his numbers this season, the updated projections from steemer and zips, and his slow decline aren't enough to tell you that Jared Burton is on his way out, then who am I to be shouting it from the top of a mountain. I like to stay clear of packages that go tick-tock, tick-tock for fear they will explode. I hope you're all right about Jared Burton and I'm just an idiot trying to play with numbers. I hope he's a low 3ish ERA guy who strikes out a batter an inning and dominates tough hitters on a regular basis and figures out how to get lefties and righties out and takes ownership of the 8th inning. That'd be a swell thing to watch. But while I'm busying hoping against the numbers, I'll be feeling my heart race when he comes into the game, I'll be screaming at the TV everytime he puts a batter on base, and lambasting him on the message boards when he's less than useful.

Jared Burton's walks/9 have risen every year, his k/9 is dropping and his HR/9 is almost twice his career average. Do I suspect Jared Burton will regress towards being considerably more effective than he has been this far? Yes, and I think it would be bad business to assume he will continue to be as terrible has he has been, but I also believe that we will see him continue to age and regress, as should be expected. I'm not so sure, however, that his groundball rate (which over his career has been around 40% or better) will regress towards that mean, so far this season he's only getting 29% ground balls, which is going to lead to more HRs. My dislike/distrust for Burton is for more than just the player, but also for the way he's been used out of the pen. I don't understand him continuing to get high or even moderate leverage situations. When the game is on the line and Jared Burton's name is called, it doesn't set me at peace. Glen Perkins hasn't been great this season, but his track record is considerably longer and more successful. I trust him. Maybe I shouldn't. But I do. The same cannot be said for JB. I understand he's been better his last 10 outings, with an ERA for those outings just under 4, but just like when you're playing hot potato, eventually the music will stop. A ticking timb bomb explodes. That's Jared Burton. 2012 is a long time ago. His velocity is down a mile per hour (or more) from last season across the board, and closer to 2mph when compared to 2012. He's also throwing more fastballs this season than he ever has before. His O-swing% is down 10%, his Z-sing% is up 3% and batters are making better contact on his stuff overall. He's stranding less batters despite a fairly good BABIP of .260 so far this season. I just don't see the upside for Burton.

I'm not trying to bring people to my cause. I'm trying to find someone to outline a statistical argument for keeping Burton on the roster. I don't see the advantage of having a league average guy in the pen pitching high-leverage situations when he's been mostly terrible in those situations this season. He should wear any and all disparaging nicknames with pride that people care enough to comment on his continued presence in the bullpen. He has been better lately, but better than bad doesn't mean good. Give me the numbers. And don't just tell me to ignore his first dozen or so outings. That Jared Burton hasn't gone away. He's still there and he's going to make himself known and cost this team runs and wins. I understand the guys at AAA aren't surefire bullpen winners, but give them a chance. Jared Burton's contact commitment is minimal at this point. I'm imploring the Twins to move for youthful upside, but I know they're not listening. Which means I can allow my emotions to come into play. I'm a fan. That's short for fanatic. Emotion is big part of that.

Concerning Jared Burton, my emotion is fueled by analysis. I don't like him based on the eye test, and I can't stand him looking at the numbers. Jared "Just Bombs" Burton has got to go. Final answer.

Mostly I just can't stand Jared Burton.

Yes. Don't throw in the towel when the team is only a few games out of contention, but I don't think swapping Burton for someone from the AAA pen, or even Pino and recalling a starter from AAA makes the team worse. I wouldn't consider that throwing in the towel. I feel it would be an improvement from the current roster construction.

We don't know if they'll be better, but I think at this point it's time to find out. This team needs to be building for the future, not meddling with used to bes. Burton has been better lately, but I don't think his recent outings are any more important in predicting his future than the dozen or so before that or even his early season failure. He's a 4ish ERA guy at best this season, and I don't think that guy, proven track record or not, should be taking a roster spot on a team that needs to be looking forward to success, not trying to recapture lightening in a bottle from 2012.

Maybe they can add to their collection of former Twins by acquring Jared Burton for a bag of balls and/or a DQ Dilly Bar for me.

Let's not bring back the Bartlett talk. I nearly lost my mind when he made the squad, and the roster crunch that ensued losing players who could have contributed in CF... oh my oh my. Jason Barlett is gone, Jared Burton is next. And if anyone else has initials JB, watch out, I'm coming for you when Burton has been DFA'd.