Rosterman

I would actively be shopping Pelfrey right now, since he will be a free agent and not likely to sign. Today his value is quite high. Higher than it MAY be tomorrow. Gibson could be optioned down to the minors, as can May, and even Milone, I believe. We might see one start from each before the decision on Nolasco. Thielbar will disappear when Duensing returns. Of course, one the starters can move to the pen and Stauffer can go, too. But see if any teams currently down a starter can give us some offensive help. I would answer the phone, Terry! I mean, what would Billy Beane be thinking of doing right now!?

I wonder if the Twins have to think that Pelfrey is a very viable trade chip. They have to make a decision in this direction before he starts throwing badly. And even if he doesn't, the chances of a reunion for more seasons won't happen. If he pitches well for the Twins, he will get a contract elsewhere. If he pitches badly, no one will want him. So, with Nolasco and Santana staying put, Gibson still in the mix, May a prospect, and Hughes the hands-down ace, none of those guys with a modicum of trade value at the moment that doesn't come with questions or a heavy salary, is Pelfrey tradable and would you pull the' plug and trade him for an outfielder or a bat that can play 1st/3rd/DH?

Yeah, can the coaching up here work with the Vargas, Arcia and Santana situation. Are they better served working out kinks at AAA. The problem is that when you play in the majors, the games really do count. If you win, you shine with the entire team. If the team stinks, and you do to, it hurts. Not to say that minor league aren't important, they are, but do you send down Arcia, Vargas and Santana. Bring up Hicks, Pinto and Polanco? I don't think you can send out the youngsters and just replace them with tired vets. We opened the season with enough of that action going on.It's a killer when prospects struggle. Makes you realize that it a growing process, that few of them walk up to the plate and hit .300 or 40 homers or strike out 200 batters or win 20 games (or even 12) in their first year. And then you have the sceond. You should know if they are worth more effort by the third. But do they become, say, Plouffe and Dozier then. Guys that may still have more promise than downside, and are solid players, but not superstar you desire (i.e. Cordova comes to mind). A young guy has to play more often than not. Better to have them everyday, I say, than on the bench. Be it in the majors or the minors. What hurts is when multiple guys go into a slump. The job of a hitting coach is tough. The player has to give things a try. They have to work (not just swing). Like in any profession, work is involved to stay in the game.

Jamey Carroll is a journeyman. Orlando Cabrera is a journeyman. Have been with multiple organizations, come off the bench, have had moments of starting. Solid, dependable players. Plouffe could've become a journeyman early, another Ron Washington or Denny Hocking. Instead, he played where the Twins put him and learned. He didn't have to be great as long as he showed signs of striving (Hey, Killebrew started at second, was a first and thrid baseman and outfielder...did he shine defensively anywhere). Plouffe is being pushed like Mientkiewicz was with Morneau, A.J. with Joe. He will become expensive. He may be worth more. He may be worthless. His first free agent contract will bear that out. Happily he doesn't have to worry about overpricing himself out of a job, except with his hometown Twins (where you can't cut a player's wages more than 20%, for example, arbitration foolishness that often happens, etc.). When he finishes his time with the Twins, will we put him in the same category as, say, Gaetti or Koskie. He is not a Buscher or Valencia. And a step above being a journeyman is probably the category Roy SMalley fell into. He still played a lot of positions, moved around a bit, but he always managed to find a better than half-time job for his services. Now Nick Punto...there's a journeyman!

It all comes down to the starters and them keeping us in the game. If Ervin Santana comes back and can win against the #1s of other team's, or if Phil Hughes cane pitch like he did the other night but not have to get outpitched himself, we can hope the bullpen never implodes, and the bats give us 4-5 runs a game and at least 8-10 hits minimum. Less strikeouts from the batters, more strikeouts from the pitchers. You gotta beat teams on your own level at the least. Maybe we all panicked, but I don't really think we did.

I had a hard time the other night with Trevor May's short start. This is where you need a long man in the bullpen, and thought Stauffer was that guy (3-4 innings at least, especially with a lead) and then you can also call on Graham. Instead the Twins burned thru six pitchers. Thank goodness for the full start by Hughes. The Twins do need to address the bullpen. But Stauffer is there because of salary and Boyer because of...well, I don't really know why. Graham is the butt's end of the grouo and you always have room for one of those guys...but multiples, nah? Regarding DH. You bring up Pinto, you can play either him of Herrmann more, if you wish. You bring up Hicks, you can DH Arcia, who i don't see them sending down. You bring up Hicks, maybe you put him in leftfield and leave Robinson in center. Right now, Vargas needs a go back to be humbled and to work work work. Schafer is doing nothing, he's being outplayed by Robinson. The only reason to not DFA Schafer is the million bucks you are paying him. No one will claim him, he'll go to Rochester or be a free agent. Probably be a free agent (and it is debatable he'll find a job except in indy ball, but who knows). None of us want to see Nunez at short, or in the outfield, or doing anything but maybe bat, and that is a delight today, but tomorrow> Escobar, will he shine if thrown in at short, and does Santana need to get his glove back on by spending some time in Rochester? Maybe to both. But we don't have any 40-man roster spots unless we start deep-sixing pitchers. If we get rid of pitchers, do we bring up Tonkin and Achter and Darnell, or re-add Oliveros to the 40-man, of maybe just sign some other castaway (welcome back Grant Balfour!). I see some changes, but see guys getting a hundred at bats. Thank goodness the rotation has had a week of goodness and kept the low-hitting Twins in the game. I'm scared when we go to anyone in the bullpen, even Perk. But, hey, I'm watching baseball and getting feelings, emotions, the love back!

Well, Kyle Gibson has to feel safe. Unless he pitches rotten in his next outing. Nolasco has had two okay starts at Cedar Rapids, so he needs a place to come back and a roster spot needs to be made. But when do the Twins fix the bullpen, and find more at bats for Nunez and Herrmann!

Twins sold Dan Rohlfing to the Mets. Means he came off DL and there was no place for him, perhaps> Twins still have ALlen De San Miguel sitting around on the DL. Always thought Dan was the second-coming of Chris Herrmann if you wanted someone younger. Been with the organization waaaay too many years, though only 26.27. See Marr Koch signed on with the Angels High A!

Ace: Mike Pelfrey! No question! First solid victory in 611 days, or something like that! He has everything to prove and wants a BIG contract next year!

The Twins have two choices for Plouffe gong into 2016. Make him a super Cuddyer sub playing outfield and backup first base (and third) or trading him. When he becomes a free agent he will definitely walk. He may walk if his arbitration wishes become too high, i.e. he has a great 2015. But if he does have a great 2015, he will also be highly tradeable. Otherwise, he will become a very expensive utility guy. He might become the next Graig Nettles, or perhaps the future Brian Buscher,

Radke and Baker were are #1 starters. They didn't always match up well against most team's #1 starters. Francisco Liriano had the potential to be a long-term Ace. He still isn't quite there. Matt garza, another former Twin, has had his stumbling blocks. I don't know what we would call, say, Kyle Lohse. Greinke an Ace? He was the best thing for Kansas City? But is he the secondary guy in Los Angeles. Going back, was Dean Chance and MudCat Grant Aces? Camilo Pascual? Would you call Jim Kaat in his prime an ace? Bert Blyeleven throughout his "Hall of Fame" career? Isn't Jack Morris considered an Ace? Should Aces automatically get a Hall of Fame call?

So Radke was not an Ace. Nor Scott Baker. At all?!? An Ace is a dominant pitcher who keeps you in the game (used to be for at least 7 innings or more) and even though might pitch to a Blyleven or Morris W-L record, has a good chance of winning any game they are put against another team's ace. Hughes is not there. He could be. But is he better than Ervin? Or Nolasco circa 2013?

We have all been totally wrong. The third place Minnesota Twins are not a mess.. Sure, the starters can get into the fifth inning. A reliever throws a bad pitch now and then. They can play errorless ball. And they can also play little ball and do the walk off home run bit. Our whatever starter kept us in the game against another's team #1 starter. The other team was almost as dismal as hitting as we were, considering we took the first five innings off. Marney got drenched and shorted her microphone. Bloody Mary's were being served with two pieces of cold pizza at the sixth inning. We are on a roll. Third Place Minnesota Twins! Can wait until we dominate the .500 Westies!

Let's get a look at our bullpen's strength and weakness, all in one night! Who's the long-man if this goes to 18 innings?

And, of course, if you don't produce, I believe the club has an option to send you down to the minors repeatedly during your first four years on the 40-man. I can argue about the downside of this system. The Twins have both Hicks and Arcia who are getting major league playing time, often because there is no other alternative than to keep them on the major league roster and have them play everyday. The only option for sending them out, no matter how bad, is if you have a suitable replacement. At least, unless they both perform wonderfully in their year before arbitration, they won't be expensive out of the box.

Yeah, that old lower level pro shop was almost a walkway, and was often overshadowed by the Fox29 undercover sports anchor desk. It's a good piece of real estate. The Twins probably see a need for more food and beverage sales at a game than any of this other stuff that can be purchased at the much bigger Pro Shop, although this Pro Shop WAS by the exit leading to the light rail. I think they have also discovered that sit down places AND rails to watch the game are extremely popular as the fans do wander Target Field.

All this talk about Revere and Span. Who did the Twins have as starting pitcher prospects last year (*Gibson was 2013). May and Meyer. Who do the Twins have as realistic starting prospects this year, 2015. Meyer/May. Would Revere/Span have contributed more wins to the Twins, basically meaning the Twins didn't need Willingham in the mix. Would the Twins still have signed the same starters they signed, or even more. They saw a strength (at the moment) in the system with Hicks, Benson and Mastroianni. If Mastro hadn't been injured, Hicks might've gone to AAA faster. If Benson hadn't flamed out, and been the 5-tool prospect, or even a decent placesetter, the Twins would've been sitting really pretty. Did the Twins just give up on Worley? He didn't prove himself in the major. The Twins didn't want another Blackburn in the minors and he was basically worthless, but they got cash or something for him. COnsider him a throwin for Morneau that saw us go thru three Pirates and keeping none. But without the centerfield trade, the Twins would be calling Logan Darnell and Taylor Rogers the top starting prospects in the system, with Mark Hamburger waiting for a chance.

Whew, What happened. Milone was okay. But, like previous years, always a pain when you start the game in the hole. Twins averages went up quite a bit. Lots of horrible field play. Wonder why the Twins felt so strongly to give arbitration to one-out Duensing. If no one wanted him last summer, who keep him at a higher price (wait, they could've reinvested millions in Joe Beimel, like they did Stauffer instead of Swarzak). Indians come to town. Get to see how the Twins match up. Can we beat another team's top starters will be the question. It was another beautiful day for a ball game!

Santana will have to play himself out of the lead-off spot. I always liked the idea of Mauer batting third. Give him a chance to see pitches (if the batters in front actually allow that to happen). I don't have a huge problem with Hunter batting second, for now. I like to Dozier actually bat 5th, either getting an at bat with multiple runners on base and not making the final out of an inning. Of course, he can also become, basically, a lead-off batter again. But the twins have no clean-up hitter at the moment. Not Plouffe. Arcia or Vargas are the likely candidates, but not day. Just don't bat Suzuzizki second. Please. If an when Rosario breaks to the north, I wonder where he will bat. And I still wish we had both Santana ans Escobar in the lineup as bookends instead of what we have now. The offense still hasn't taken off (although today looks a tad better). But once you can get everyone to gel a little, get the hit-and-runs going, maybe steal a base, take more pitches. Combined with starters getting out of the sixth and maybe into the 7th on occasion. Then...we can look at something otehr than fans-ion-the-stands on the scoreboard!

It's a tough job, especially on the major league level. With all the analyticals and such. It is truly amazing how many players do hit the ball directly to where someone is playing. The only way you get a hit is if it has that extra bounce, just goes over the head, or if you misfire and do hit it somewhere no one expects, And the fact that the better pitchers do have four strong pitches in the majors.

It is unusual to have a whole slew of prospects break camp with a team. Usually teams are solid enough that you be breaking in one player in the regular offense, and possibly one pitcher. That doesn't mean that during the course of the year, via injuries and such, the future doesn't get more of a play on the field and from the mound. Those glimpses makes a player available before the trading deadline ends, of the waiver deadline, or moved during the off-season. The Twins have Suzuki with Pinto coming up with experience. You may not be happy with Pinto behind the plate, but given an ounce more seasoning he may be equal to the current situation and bat better. Hopefully one or two guys are in the wings to show life in the majors in 2016 and 2017. Mauer is stuck at first base. Dozier is stuck at second with Polanco as backup. Santana is at short with Nick Gordon in the wings. Sano will take Plouffe's place at third, unless the Twins pull a Royals-moment and move him to leftfield. Then they need a third baseman, as Plouffe just may be too arbitration expensive as we hit 2016 or 2017. Buxton, Rosario, Walker, Hicks, Kepler...any number of bodies...showing up this year and next. We still have Arcia in the mix. We could pump Sano out there, or Plouffe. Names like Beresford, Michael, will be bench backups. There are lots and lots of candidates for the rotation. Some will shine, others won't. But even the lesser lights may be just as good as two-thirds of the current rotation. May and newcomer Meyer will get the call this year. Berrios and Stewart next year. Cederoth may get the call too, unless he becomes bullpen bound. We know there are arms in the bullpen future. But, yes, we should be happy to see the return of Pinto and Hicks in 2015. Sometime given to Rosario in the outfield. Sano called up at third. Meyer for the rotation. Probably no one, unless they are a September surprise, for the bullpen. Three new rookies. Maybe 2-4 next seasons. That's seven. Plus the4-5 who premiered last year. That's 12.

Would the prospects be better or worse. Well, you can probably say NOT ANY WORSE! Personally, I have felt Arcia needs more time at AAA and should be on a shuttle back-and-forth, back-and-forth. But...you have no one else to play out there. Really, you don't. The Twins needed to sign one more offensive player in the off-season, someone who could play the corners, maybe first base. A Chris Parmelee that deserved a $6-87-8 million salary. We lost our #1 starter. Now Hughes has to face the #1 from another team. Nolasco, well, no one knows. I have never been a total Gibson fan. I would've traded him this off-season if he had value to anyone. He may have had his most value ever in 2014. He has to be better than a Blackburn or a Slowey, but sometimes I wonder if he really is. Bring up the young guys, at some point, but what point. Here's another question. Let's put Robinson and Staufer and Herrmann and Schafer and Boyer in the minors, at Rochester. Would they be doing their thing at a plus-AAA level? Is the difference in play that much different? April is a do-or-die month for the Twins, lots of games against their own division. The front office has to be sweating if they can sell all those plastic cups full of Bloody Mary mix and day-old pizza for $19 before the pizza really goes bad, kinda like the team on the field you might say. Two Questions! What should the Twins do to make you, a member of the Twins blog-o-sphere,more excited about the team that you will spend money to watch them in person, buy things labeled "Twins" and say good things about them on a day-to-day basis? What should the Twins do to excite the common fan, the one that has a spare $30-50 in their pocket and have to decide between an evening live with the Twins, a dinner and bar-hop with friends, a visit to the Saints? How do you get them to watch you on television in the least. What do you do to make them talk favorably about the team, rather than drive by the new Vikings stadium and have high hopes for the football team. Us ahrdcore Twins fans will never go away. We will fume, but still watch. But right now, the Brand is suffering BigTime!

The Twins in 2015. Somehow, the thought of cutting payroll and say we are rebuilding for the future was NOT something that they could do if they wanted to sell tickets. People would complain that they didn't spend money. So, they spent money. We can argue how they spent it. Nickel and dime many an expense. But they did spend. But now we can argue that Terry Ryan felt he was putting together a roster that would be competitive in baseball. Improve the rotation. Add an outfielder (but they needed two - unless you wanted Santana back in center). As spring training closed, the Twins did notice that the bullpen was a mess. Are any of the pitchers at AAA worthy of making a 25-man roster for another team. Probably not. But are they as good as the names on the current roster, probably so. And there just might more of an upside. I still see the majority of them being with the organization in 2016 (even the two not on the 40-man). But you don't know if that is a fact unless you let them pitch in the majors. Considering the waiver wire prospects and the current state of the bullpen, many will get a chance. Like players on the current roster (I count 11 that won't be here in 2016), it is time for them to play like they have never played before if they want a spot in the Twins organization, or in baseball period. Is Molitor deserving of being the Twins manager? Like politics, organizations have pecking orders. Did the Twins really interview a viable experienced manager candidate? I would have gone a totally different way, but I'm not the general manager. Molitor IS deserving of getting a shot to be the manager. He paid his dues. He knows the organization. At this point in time, the Twins still desired (it seems) someone who will continue with the mission of the team, whatever that is. If you look at the Twins roster circa before spring training, the rotation was solid with ample reserves. Last year, the offense was pretty darn decent (yes, Escobar was at short and Santana in center). You would hope that Arcia, Vargas, Santana, Pinto would perform equal to last year...hope being the magic word. the bullpen was being rebuilt and the number of names to draw from proved promising. You look at the division. Detroit was figured to be worse. No one felt Kansas City would repeat. The White Sox made strides and changes. And Cleveland could be a dark horse. Playing each other, you could say that this is a division in which you would have a lot of 5-4, 5-3 games amongst each other. Just one mistake by either team would win or lose the game. If you were going to rank the Twins chances of making the playoffs, you would probably say nill, just because of the defense, especially in the outfield. Now, today, we shudder because we don't have the strength to battle against the first three starters of any team, let alone two, at the moment. Something went wrong with the bullpen. There is no bench. Terry Ryan spent money. Did he put a competitive team on the field, or was it a quick fix illusion that fell apart immediately? What can the Twins do to create excitement for the team as it approaches summer. How do you get fans in the stands to sell those bloody Mary's with pizza for $19 a crack. If the minor leagues get off to a fast start, that can help. But when you talk Twins to the majority of people who buy tickets, it is not minor league reports that they read or hear about, it is what happens day-to-day. You can promote the prospects, but they have to produce. Will they, don't know. Will they be hurt playing on a non-contender with no fans in the stands. Probably not. Now it is the time for the front office to have a strategy, which involves major league roster time, 40-man roster moves, the need to put players in a major league setting sooner rather than later, or do they do jsut as good winning and learning in the minors, at least this season, as coming to the majors. It ain't easy being a general manager, folks.

For 2015. Terry Ryan hired Paul Molitor, who had experience with the Twins organization, both major and minor league. An intelligent and hard-working guy, yes, he deserved to be manager. Could he have: Gone outside the organization? Did interview some people. Promoted someone young and inexperienced, in a way? Jake Mauer and Doug Mientkiewicz are still in the future mix, but Dougie may be wooed elsewhere by as early as next season. Reinforce the starting rotation. He added Santana. He extended Hughes. Both expensive. He didn't release Milone. Pelfrey was given the opportunity to come back. There two pitchers in the wings. Many more down the line. Plus, some replacement-value arms if push comes to shove. Grade A Who would have predicted that Nolasco would pitch thru the spring and go down once the season started. Who knew that Ervin was on the verge of getting a suspension. We have to hope that Hughes will be better than average for most of his contract. Milone and Pelfrey are arms. The bullpen. It still seems to lack that dreaded missile thrower. You look at the arms wavering in Rochester: Achter, Tonkin, Pressley, Thielbar, plus the couple removed from the 40-man in Pryor and Oliveros (who can throw heat). Plus you have Logan Darnell there who could be a lefty in the pen if nothing else. Instead, you invested in some arms and signed a Rule 5 guy. Which brings us to the Outfield. The infield is set. It is even set if you would move Santana (who didn't play at all in the outfield in spring, okay (out and put in Escobar, making Nunez the backup and allowing you to find another bench bat. ) You easily had $3-5 million to buy someone who could play the outfield better than investing those monies in Schafer and Robinson and Stauffer and Boyer. You now have an extra $6-7 million in saving rom Ervin to get an outfielder, any outfielder, to strengthen the outfield if you choose. You could also just run out Hicks and now Rosario is you don't mind someone hitting .225 and learning the ropes even further. Hunter was an okay signing, for marketing, to play the outfield, to maybe DH if needs be. But you didn't need to stop there. Hell, I would've been happy with the return of Cuddyer. It's tough being a General Manager. Ryan spent money. He cobbled together a team, signing guys in case the prospects to be weren't quite ready to come to the majors and hoping the low-end signings would be a buffer. The main job was to get rotation guys who would consistently get you towards the 7th inning. On paper, he succeeded. He needed to rebuild a bullpen. He has a lot of arms, but if your closer shuts down, who closes. If Fein becomes Burton 2015, what happens. Last year's line-up (albeit with Santana in the outfield and Escobar at short) looked pretty darn good with Hunter being an upgrade over Willingham or Parmlee, even in the glove market. On paper, te division looked pretty even, maybe a run or two difference a game being the deciding factor and it could flip and flop all season long. We have to give the team a chance. It ain't a pretty team right now. I don't have enough fingers for all the guys who WON'T be here in 2016. But that will change as the season goes on. We just have to be patient. Wait and see.

A couple of bad lucks so far this year. Terry Ryan and Company always seemed to look at building a team that would be competitive in the division first, then cross their fingers that they can hold their own against the rest of the leagues. We can't complain that money wasn't spent. We can't complain that attempts weren't made to fill in pieces with competent players. Players can shine or stink, you have no control over that. You ultimately hope to build a team that can compliments the highs and lows. We didn't look this bad in spring training, not that spring training means anything, but.... And we could trade Joe, but who do we get for first base? Ryan Howard, perhaps? Every year someone has to struggle. Texas did. The Phillies have ahd issues. The Mets and Cubs always come up short. No one expects anything from Houston, at times Miami. Kansas City has been the poster-child of franchises that sometimes have less than 10,000 fans in the stands (Oakland A's anyone). We remains fans. We second guess, we offer opinions, we admire that it is a tough way to make a living, running a team and playing on a team. There's always the joy of watching your team AND the other team play, a hotdog and beverage in your hands, sun shining in from the outfield. You win, you lose.