Rosterman

And, you know, we can't count out Vargas as getting his act together. Yes, it has been amazing trying to figure out how the Twins have stayed where they are for the majority of the season, and just have hopes that they do finish the year with a winning record, which would be...amazing...considering the bodies on the DL, no pitcher winning more than 10 games, and the solid yet not spectacular seasons from the vets on the field.Sheesh!

The thing is that May may miss out on being a starter simply because he is valable to keep on the major league roster, but the rotation is full of others. Going into 2016 the Twins have Santana, Hughes and Nolasco under contract. They have Gibson who ahs shown some consistency. Milone has earned as chance to stay in the rrotation, as well as -- at this point -- Duffey. In the wings the Twins have Berrios for sure. They have to make a decision on Meyer as a starter or not. They also need to get a look at Darnell for keeping on the 40-man, and ask themselves the viable worth of Rogers and Dean. Lee, Hurlbut, Baxendale and Wimmers could allbe considered for Rochester, which puts them one-stepaway. And maybe Kohl Stewart pulls a Berrios and also advances three levels in a season. But the chances of May starting the season as a starter may be slim to none, especially if he continues to show promise and poise from the bullpen in September. Would he ever be a starter/ Yes, if they stretch him out to go thru the order more than once (another Swarzak, but better, perhaps). But May is an example of how a player has such a limited amount of time to grab a major league spot and keep it. There is always someone in the wings waiting to take your place. And for some reasons, the old guys get playing time (Hunter) at the expense of the young.

I'm sure Darnell is on the call if Pelfrey starts up short this round. I say get Logan up and throwing before the third inning, just in case. It would be an opportunity for Logan to cememnt a spot in the Twins organization. He needs a looksee as much as we need to see Pelfrey increase his own value for his pending free ageency. I say go with the guy you might want to keep rather than the one who will be walking away after the season. Plus, Logan is a lefty. You like those, sometimes...if they get guys out. If nothing else, give Logan a chance to see if he should remain in the bullpen mix for 2016 (and where is Aaron Thompson...if you aren't going to recall him, them swap his 40-man spot out for another player...who you might want to look at...or reward (Beresford) for service to the organization. Stuff like that goes a long ways, sometimes.)

The twins have the Arcia issue. Do they want to give him away, or find space for him on a bench that could be crowded with Vargas, Pinto and, perhaps, Sano if Plouffe stays around. The Twins also have future prospects Adam Walker and Max Kepler. Because of a lack of opportunity, both will stay at AAA Rochester next season and though either could be a call-up, they might not get any real action until 2017. Kepler could also be the first baseman of the future, circa 2018, depending on Mauer and where you eventually want him to end up (Boston). We may complain about the lack of walks that a guy takes (anyone remember someone named Kirby Puckett). And although Buxton is struggling in his rookie season, as did Hicks, the tools do start to shine thru. But right now, Rosario is not an elite outfielder. He has strengths, to be sure, as Dozier does at second base. Hicks has found something, but can he repeat, and after next season, you have to look at signing him longterm or him being too expensive for what you are getting. And, do you want a power player in the outfield (Walker perhaps, or even Arcia). It is a luxury of riches right now in which there is little room for a Shane Robinson and only room for a Torii Hunter if you feel his bench bat and clubhouse presence far outweighs the need to keep Arcia for another year and Vargas as backup DH/1B, assuming Plouffe stays and Sano is the DH. The odd man out in this mix is Pinto. And there seems to be any number of fourth outfielders that the Twins can call upon in a pinch from their own system over the next two seasons at least so they don't need to find an AAAA veteran. I was thinking lineup for 2016: Buxton Hicks Dozier Sano Rosario Plouffe Mauer Suzuki Escobar

The Twins have the opportunity to build a starting rotation out of the minor leagues and have ALL homegrown talent for the 2018-2019 season, and they might be pretty darn good, briunging up one new arm each season. And the chances seem better than 50/50 that this will happen, and all the Twins have to hope for is that names like Hughes, Santana, Gibson, Noalsco become prime tradebait (oh, and Milone). We may forget about May and Meyer being rotation arms and be happy if they become first-class bullpen arms before the crop of talented guys (Jay, Burdi, Reed, Jones et all) also hit the majors in the next 2-3 years.

I totally agree. Last year they didn't call him up for some reason (not on the 40-man). He has redeemed himself at Rochester, and has not overworked himself. Sure, you gotta pay these guys like $3,500 a game to be up here, get them a room and meal money on the road. But the major league experience is priceless. It will motivate someone a helluva a lot to want to remain up here. Plus, the Twins can actually see if he has learned anything. Now if he was still stinking up the stadium, like another guy we know. Maybe not. I still wonder if we will see Polanco and Kepler sit on the major league bench for at least two weeks. What a thrill that would be for Kepler. Anyone wonder how high Dougie Mientkiewicz's stock has risen? Would he be offered a managerial role with some team? Will someone try and make him a coach? Should the Twins find a coaching spot for him? Do the Twins elevate him to Rochester to see if can bring a first-place finish to them, and would Dougie be happy to accept it,? Now that is a prospect that the Twins have to serious keep!

You either come in and totally dominate in your first run thru the minors, or you listen to the team and the coaches and spend time developing pitches, actually becoming smart with your counts and spotting you throws. That might be what happened to Burdi and Reed this year. Even in the minors, the batters can catch up with you and your "tells" sooner than you think. Pitchers and batters both have to play smart ball.

Last night, when Jepsen came in for the save, I was going "Why not give May a tryout!' Yes, I would love to see May become a starter. Unlike names from the past (Fast Eddie, Perk, Hawkins), he hasn't flamed out yet bigtime. So the potential is still there. But give the guy some chances this year of Perk is down. Let's see what happens. Especially if you have more than a single run lead. Yes, Jepsen is building up some worth (watch out arbitration time). But the Twins don't have anyone right now that is a sure bet. As we have seen, great numbers at Rochester don't necessarily translate into perfection at the majors (Slama in the past, Tonkin and Achter now). Perkins, as long as he can throw reasonably well, will have as long as a career as he wants in the majors. He may not be the closer, but he will be that go-to guy when the closer needs to rest. As a lefty, he can always pitch situational. But no one should write him off quite yet. But, still, wonder who the Twins think they have in the pipeline?

You have to look at the overall Twins team with astonishment and wonder how they have gotten to where they are. Look at the 25-27-33 guys curently in the dugout. How many will NOT have a job next year or be buried in some's minor league system. WHo on the current team are other general managers looking at as a trade possibility. Most of the names are the young guys...period. And they aren't going anywhere. But theya re still uncertain. We have a damaged and expensive (and under contract) rotation. We have a slew of 40-man bullpen guys who didn't cut while potential 40-man adds eitehr went down with injury or backwards. We have a catcher under contract, but no one in the wings. Our first baseman is an enigma. We have no bench, for now, although that could change if we get rid of some deadbeats. How have the Twins risen so far and sustained their winning ways? Great management, excellent coaching, right things happening at the right time compared to previous years where they left guys on base and had to constantly fight from behind. Management may be right. Butts are in the seats. People got excited about a team of no stars except for Hunter's magic and Joe;s disappearing act. Enough new guys are in the mix that people who care think the future is bright. Hey, TC even worked on these hot and humid days! Talk about a Gamer!

So, after the success of Chattanooga, does anyone think that some team will be looking at Doug Mientkiewicz as a potential manager?

Again, even at this point in the season with a couple of dozen games left and 5 starts predicted for msot starters and maybe12-15 innings left for most of the relief staff each... Well, if a player is doing badly (Pelfrey, Hunter) you swap them out for the future, someone you need a good looksee at and who you expect to be a part of the organization if not jsut for 2016 but beyond. If a veteran is doing horrible (Pelfrey, Hunter for example), a rookie would have to be doing pretty bad themselves to equal that...horribleness. I would even rally to see prospects on the cusp (i.e. Rogers, Reynoldo Rodriguez,Darnell Logan, Arcia) get the chances than players who only goal is to increase their own value for next season, and they aren't doing a very good job with that. The Wild Card hunt can make it an iffy siutaion to start a Nunez, say, over a Santana if push comes to shove, because you still want your best player out there. But at some point, you cut bait. Yes, there is no one NOT on the 40-man that really needs to be there right now (okay, there is one). And IF you make it to the wild card or beyond, it is probably good to have to make the choice between failing seasoned veteran and hot young prospect at that time. Every series here on out will be a factor in the direction the Twins need to go. But one thing is clear, they need to give playing time to any of the guys who will be here in 2016, often at the expense of those that may not (Nunez, Hunter, Robinson, Pelfrey, Duensing).

I'm not sure Duffey is an answer as a starter, either. Better as a long man in the bullpen, perhaps. So, until Hughes returns, what would the Twins September rotation look like: Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone, Logan Darnell, Taylor Rogers,Jose Berrios. Of course, to do that we would have to find TWO players to eliminate from the team.

And you have to trust the new guys, especially when you now have the ability to throw them out there for 1-2-3 batters at a time. You have Achter and Tonkin. You have O'Rourke, who put up against the right guy in the stretch here will be lights out. You still have the potential to move Pelfrey and Duffey to the bullpen and could've added Rogers, Darnell and Berrios to the rotation. You have Meyer who can pitch to one or two batters before getting into real rouble. Hell, you can bring back Thompson (or replace him with some otehr non-roster guy). And if a game is truly blowout city, you have Shane Robinson. Molitor, trust your bullpen. No need to do the same guys oevr and over again. And, if the starters aren't getting the job done, tell Ryan you need more starters. Rogers, Berrios, Danrell. Get rid of Thompson and promote Dean. Any of the new guys poitching know this is their one big chance. If they blow it, they MAY NOT have a 40-man spot come November and may be sluming the minor league free agent market next season.

I guess you don't want to add him to the roster so you can protect Sean Gilmartin. Wait, keep Aaron Thompson or Logan Darnell, or have a place for Alex Wimmers.

I'm not sure if he'll have enough numbers to even compete in the rookie-of-the-year. Unloess he really blows things away in September. He won't have been up for half-a-season. But, still, who knows........

I never considered Danny Santana more than a place-setter, or at best a utility player, if the Twins wanted a slightly younger Santana. Shortstop is in limbo for at least one moe season. Vargas had the opportunity to cememnt his role with the Twins as a designated hitter. Sano has that role. If the Twins decide to part with Plouffe and move Sano to third, then good luck to Vargas (and maybe Arcia) to fight out for DH in the spring. But unless he can play first-base in palce of Mauer (doubtful), the best Vargas can do is spark some numbers to find a job elsewhere via trade. But going into September, as late-inning repalcements or bench bats, gald to have the two on baord, as well as the return of Hicks (sending Hunter and his dismal, what, 5 for 35 with 17-18 strikeouts) to the bench, too. Wish Pinto was farther ahead.

Same old same old. Sigh. If you aren't calling up guys on the 40-man (Darnell, Thompson) then waiver then out and add people you do care about.

You can get one spot by putting Graham on the 60-day. He was a Rule 5 guy, I'm not sure if he has to come back and get those other service days or not. Who is on the 40-man that you can get rid of. Anyone of the 40-man except Kepler and Ploanco, who both won't come to the Twins as Chattanooga will be in the playoffs. Expect both to have Arizona fall league consideration. If you aren't going to bring up Logan Darnell or Jason Wheeler, then you cut them. Period. Same can be said for Aaron Thompson. I would rather see some new fringe names than those three. Wheeler would probably apss thru waivers and stay with the Twins because of his double demotions this year. You have Meyer, Tonkin and Achter. Do you give them innings? Do you shut down Meyer? With his recent troubles, do you try and let O'Rourke float thru the designated for assignment wire? Pelfrey, Cotts and Duensing will be in limbo after the season. Duensing ahs worked himself back into the Twins graces, although I wouldn't bend over backwards to keep him next year. At some point, you cut Pelfrey if he has a bad start, just for the roster spot. But..... We have to keep Herrmann. We will bring up Pinto. There's no fluff in the offense unless you cut loose Robinson or Nunez. You really don't need to cut bait with Vargas or Arcia, yet. So, you have 3-4 potential spots to fill. I doubt that the Twins will callup Berrios or Chargolis. It would be ncie to reward Bowden, Dean, Hamburger, Beresford - but what are you going to use them four. None of those hands will be on the 40-man next season. I would rather see Turner, Berrios, Chargolis, Walker - all a aprt of the Twins future. But ti ain't happening. Callups: Logan Darnell, Tonkin, Achter, Pinto, Vargas, Arcia. That'sit. Doesn't get me excited. Hicks will be back. Hughes will return.

You do shop him but..... (1) He is far from a premiere third baseman. If the Twins aren't willing to pay him, say, $10 million in his final arbitation years, or tie him up to a longterm contract themselves, that speaks volumes about histrade value. (2) Teams know we have Sano. That means they expect the Twins to want to deal him. He may be more value in a package. (3) SIgn him to a longterm contract and hope you can dangle him mid-season to a team that ahs lost a third baseman. The kicker is that Plouffe has to produce. How much do you pay. At what point does he become an average third baseman. (4) Would love to have him as the overall swing man, bench guy. Sorta like a Michael Cuddyer who could play outfield, first base, third base and DH when needed. But, again, what is his worth for a longterm contract. (5) You don't want to give him away or let him walk. That's a no-no. Plus, we have to see Sano at third base. And if Plouffe is gone, and Sano goes down, who plays third?

Gibson is an aveage starter. Time will tell. Rogers and Duffey may be best suited, in the long-haul, to the bullpen. The Twins have other prospects that will contribute once the logjam of expensive vets move on. And Hughes is definitely in the mix to stay.

Perkins may have value, but he may continue to have long-term value for the Twins, as long as he wants to pitch here. If nothing else, his contract is still reasonable and he can become the left-handed set-up guy as he reaches the twilight of his career. Will Perkins remian a lights-out closer. Youc an argue that point, and his trade value may be dwindling accordingly, especially if the Twins stay a competitive team. As for bullpen, I would love to see Milone switched into that role, but he may have priced himself out of a bullpen experiment market with the Twins. If forced to sign for less than he is making now (which wouldn't be with the Twins) he will find his career lengthened and the demand for his services strong. Tyler Duffy actually ahs the potential to be a fine swing man in the bullpen. He has some monster stuff and can pull off the strikeout, especially the first time thru an order. You still have to see how he handles quick warmups and working consecutive days, but his arm is one that is made for bulpen work and he can get the strikeout, which the Twins have been alcking of late. Grooming May to be the closer of the future is something plausible. Especially if you do see a stock[pile of starters piling up in the future. With Nolasco, Santana and Hughes here for the rest of the decade and Gibson still controllable...how much stock do you put into Berrios (alot), Stewart, Gonsalves, Thorpe and (name some names) fighting for starter spots, that we can forget about May and Meyer as the next big things. It will be interesting to see what becomes of Meyer, too. We may have put too much dream into Jones and Reed and Burdi and others...all of whom will bust or be with the team sometime in the next 1-3 seasons, more or less. But if the potential arm is there, you can groom them for the closer spot. Now why aren't they trying May at closer instead of Jep. This is the chance to put him in a couple of such situations vs. a guy who will be arbitration costly next season and possibly doesn't work into the longterm plans of the Twins.

And, of course, there are names like Joe Benson, Tim Stauffer, P.J. Walters, Darin Mastroianni, Jose Mijares, Julio DePaula, Matt Carson, Caleb Thielbar, Brandan Harris, Alexi Casilla, Jason Pridie, Joe Beimel, Jared Burton, Erik Komatsu, Bobby Korecky, Scott Diamond, Luis Ayala, Randy Ruiz, J.C. Romero. Alex Burnett, Esmerling Vasquez, Yoslan Herrera, Kris Johnson, Tsuyoshi Nyshioka, Eric Hacker, Phil Humber, Rene Tosoni, Jason Repko, Pedro Hernandez, Shairon Martis, Sean Burroughs, Luis Rodriguez, Jose Morales, Matt Maloney, Luis Perdomo still toiling in the minor leagues here and abroad. And Jesse Crain and Joe Nathan being carried on team disabled lists for the season.

Well, somehow our general manager did put together a team that is competitive, still in the playoff hunt, and filling the seats. Remeber, if he hadn't spent oddles of dollars, we would all be complaining about the cheapness of the team and where is the money going. It is sad, yes, that we spent money on Stauffer and Schafer (and Nunez and Duensing). That the payoffs to Nolasco and Santana have given us nothing. That Hughes is injured. That Perkins is, for the second season, an incmplete player. Santana, Arcia and Vargas all slipped in production from lst season. Yet the Twins remain in the hunt. Would they have been in the same position if the money hand't been spent at all? If we hadn't purchased any vets and went with a rotation of youngsters, how bad (or how good) would the Twins be. Yes, management has to be salivating that going into September the Twins will be selling out Target Field. They may surpass the attendance of last season. Which is a bonus considering they were expecting to take an attendance hit this season (and remember, so many of these seats are full-price sales as few tickets are competing with the Twins box office on StubHub). The fear now is that Twins will further hinder the advancement of prospects. Or the need to play contracts outshines the need to see the true future. When all is said and done, the Twins ARE playing to win. Ryan and Co. have tweaked the roster a litle bit. Yes, he could do it more by jettisoning some players (Herrman...for whom, Pierzynski), Duensing and Fien (well, he didn't repalce them with Cotts and Jepson, just sent youngsters backwards...but the youngster will be abck in a few days). It will be fun to see the games in September, how the prospects are worked into the lineup, if the Twins can build leads and switch out players, if the starting rotation can get a starter to win 11 games. You can win games with a short rotation and a short bench, if you keep the series short. The Twins, first of all, have to be primed for a one-game playoff series. Then you have to dominate in Round One, hope everyone excels for Round Two, and then it is all up to how badly players want that ring. If anything, we learned you can't buy wins (look at Nolasco and Santana). You can't predict prospects (look at Vargas and Arcia, for now). You can't bank on hope and potential (Meyer). You always fight injury (Pinto) or suspensions (Santana again). Hey, we could be Detroit, Chicago or Cleveland right now!

Of course, every team has its players going up and down. Don;t forget: Kevin Correia 0-3 6.56 in 23 innings Andrew Albers 0-0 3.58 in 3 innings Vance Worley 4-5 3.78 in 69 innings Scott Baker 0-1 6.73 in 11 innings Yohan Pino 0.2 3.26 in 19 innings Sam Deduno 0-1 6.96 in 21 innings And all those bench guys: Delmon Young .270/.289/.339 2 HR 16 RBI 180AB Rene Rivera .186/.216/.288 5 HR 26 RBI in 292AB Drew Butera .205/.239/.261 1 HR 5 RBIU in 95AB Sam Fuld .194/.271/.302 in 271AB Alex Presley .250/.318/.250 0 HR 1 RBI 12AB Chris Parmelee .215/.238/.433 4 HR 9 RBI 162AB

What i find amazing is that the Twins did spend money on a starting rotation. And it looks like the team will have a 10-game-winner as the ace of the staff and that's it. No relief pitcher even throwing up double-digit victories as a vulture. Talk about spreading the wealth. Especially when, if you a contender, your starting five put up around 60-70 victories easily. Can't wait to see what happens when Hicks returns. And would love to see Pinto behind-the-plate for thoe few games Herrmann has been holding down that fort. It has been an exciting season of Twins abseball. This game in Tampa Bay tonight was so...long and on edge and full of little plays and challenges and lots and lots of pitches thrown to strike gys out or put them on base. But where were the fans (less than 10,000 in the stands).