... les entreprises où l'on échoue."

Flaubert said that in L'Éducation Sentimentale.

Ordinarily, I like to wait until the day after the World Series to start a post for the Twins' off-season, but I'm changing that because fuck the Royals. Nothing is so humiliating as watching idiots succeed in projects at which we failed. Thanks for that, Flaubert.

Here are the active-roster players presently under contract for 2015:

Mauer, 23mm
Nolasco, 12mm
Hughes, 8mm
Pelfrey, 5.5mm
Perkins, 4.65mm
Suzuki, 6mm
Plouffe, arb-2
Duensing, arb-3
Schafer, arb-2
Swarzak, arb-2
Dozier, serf-3
Fien, arb-1
Arcia, serf-2
Milone, arb-1
Parmelee, serf-3
Thielbar, serf-1
Escobar, serf-3
Hicks, serf-2
Gibson, serf-2
Pinto, serf-1
Tonkin, serf-1
Vargas, serf-1

The good news is that this reveals substantial payroll flexibility. That flexibility (which may or may not be used) can address the following list of bad-news questions:

1. Who's going to manage this team?
2. We've actually got two adequate starters. Where can we find three more?
3. How did we go from an outfield surplus to two big, fat outfield question marks?
4. Kurt Suzuki though?
5. Sano, Buxton, Meyer, Berrios debuts?

So, let's talk about this nonsense. This is the off-season post for 2015. News and notes. Analysis and gripes. Put 'em here. And if you read a good book, fuck it. Talk about that too.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

He was actually heating up a bit in the AFL. This is better than a concussion or a wrist thing, but it's annoying that he can't ever seem to really get going.

The good AFL news is the resurrection of Eddie Rosario. The team's intention to move him off of second base is looking clearer, and perhaps driven by a genuine need for a good defender in leftfield in 2015. I doubt Rosario has a real shot of breaking camp with the club, but an AFL nod is the way to make it possible. He's hitting .407/.415/.441 and has nine stolen bases.

http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_26815328/twins-top-prospect-byron-buxton-has-dislocated-finger

Byron Buxton: Twins' top prospect has dislocated finger
By Mike Berardino
mberardino@pioneerpress.com

Super prospect Byron Buxton, the Minnesota Twins' center fielder of the future, has a dislocated middle finger on his left (non-throwing) hand and will miss the rest of the Arizona Fall League.

A subsequent visit to a hand specialist on Tuesday revealed a "small fracture" in the finger, said Brad Steil, Twins director of minor league operations.

"It's all right," Buxton told MLB.com on Tuesday in Arizona. "Throbbing a little bit, but stuff happens."

Buxton suffered the latest injury in a star-crossed career while attempting to catch a sinking line drive during Monday's game in the Arizona Fall League. He was taken to the emergency room for X-rays, and the initial hope was that the finger was only jammed.

Buxton, who was wearing a splint while sitting out Tuesday's game, will need to be replaced in Saturday's Fall Stars Game, for which he was selected along with Twins Class A reliever Jake Reed.

Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler, fellow outfielders with better numbers than Buxton in the AFL, are strong candidates to get the nod instead.

The 20-year-old Buxton, still ranked No. 1 among all minor-league prospects, was batting just .263 with 12 strikeouts in his first 58 at-bats for the Salt River Rafters.

After Tuesday, just 13 games remain on the AFL schedule. This will be the third straight time Buxton has failed to reach the end of a season because of an injury.

A strained left shoulder sidelined him for the final eight games of the 2013 fall league, and he suffered a season-ending concussion on Aug.

13 during an outfield collision at Double-A New Britain.
Follow Mike Berardino at twitter.com/MikeBerardino.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

I think Maddon is waiting on a job we don't know is available yet. Cubs or Dodgers. He also apparently costs 4mm. I think Maddon is brilliant, but I'm not sure that a manager is quite as important as acquiring him would indicate.

Torey Luvollo now joins Molitor and Mientkiewicz as the guys interviewed twice.

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/10/27/twinsights-twins-manager-candidate-torey-lovullo-takes/

Twinsights: Twins manager candidate Torey Lovullo has what it takes
27 October, 2014 // Uncategorized // Tags :

Next season will mark Dick Berardino’s 48th consecutive year in the Boston Red Sox organization.

A former big-league coach and longtime minor-league manager now serving as a player-development consultant, Berardino has seen plenty of managerial prospects rise and fall during his long tenure.

Torey Lovullo, however, is the real deal, he says.

“I like him a lot,” Berardino, 77, said Monday of the Red Sox bench coach. “Personality-wise, he handles himself well with players. He’s well respected. He’s done just about everything in this game. I think he’s ready to manage in the big leagues. His time has come.”

According to a person with direct knowledge, Lovullo, 49, was granted a second interview Monday for the Twins’ managerial opening. He joins in-house candidates Paul Molitor and Doug Mientkiewicz among those known to have had multiple interviews in the wake of Ron Gardenhire’s firing on Sept. 29.

According to a second source familiar with the process, the search has reached the point at which Twins owner Jim Pohlad will sit in on remaining interviews, including Monday’s with Lovullo.

Torey Lovullo served as American League bench coach at this year's All-Star Game at Target Field.
Torey Lovullo served as American League bench coach at this year’s All-Star Game at Target Field.

Berardino, who isn’t in daily contact with Lovullo during the offseason, provided a glowing scouting report on the former utility infielder, who spent parts of eight seasons in the majors with seven different clubs, plus another season in Japan.

After retiring as a player, Lovullo managed for nine seasons in the minor leagues (2002-10), the last of those with Triple-A Pawtucket in the Red Sox chain. Lovullo has coached under John Farrell the past four seasons, two as a first-base coach with the Toronto Blue Jays before moving into his current role for the World Series championship season of 2013.

“As a bench coach, you put out fires when you see them starting,” Berardino said. “Torey is somewhat of a no-nonsense guy. He has a way about him. There’s a firmness about him, but it’s something he camouflages very well. People on the outside may think, ‘Oh, he’s just a nice guy,’ but the players understand it.”

Nick Lovullo, Torey’s son, is a junior middle infielder at Holy Cross, where Berardino played in the 1950s. That’s just one facet of their connection.

“Torey and I have had a lot of discussions,” Berardino said in a phone interview. “He’s an outstanding baseball guy. We’ve talked about different strategies — what’s done in the majors, what’s not done in the majors. We agree on a lot of different things about strategy.”

Considered a leading proponent of modern analytics, Lovullo has been charged with interpreting mountains of daily data and using it to help the Red Sox stand out in the use of defensive shifts, platoons and lineup combinations.

“It’s a different ballgame now with all the information,” Berardino said. “Torey is good with that. He’s worked with it. He understands it. He’s able to break it down. He’s embraced it in the right way.”

Admittedly “a little bit old school,” Berardino has been impressed with the way Lovullo has been able to integrate sabermetrics and traditional baseball thinking.

“It’s still baseball,” he said. “It’s good to have information and things of that nature, but let’s not get too carried away. There’s still the human element — who’s hot, who’s not. A guy may be 1 for 20 against some particular guy, but if he’s hot, he’s hot. You can’t get too far away from that. Otherwise we’ll get to the point where you’re managing like it’s a video game.”

Lovullo, a UCLA product who went 661-609 (.520) in the minors and was twice named league manager of the year, won’t let that happen, one of his key mentors believes.

“Our organization has (analytics) people send down information all the time,” Berardino said. “Torey’s also the kind of guy to say, ‘Look, I appreciate that, but this is how I feel.’ You’ve still got to manage your own way. You can’t make decisions just because of certain statistics. There are too many variables, too many elements.”

Former reliever Bubbie Buzachero, who spent two seasons (2007-08) pitching for Lovullo in the Cleveland Indians system, saw many of those same traits at Triple-A Buffalo. Buzachero, who also played for former Texas Rangers manager Tim Bogar in the minors, recalls Lovullo fondly.

“He was one of my favorite managers to play for,” Buzachero said. “He wasn’t that far off from playing himself, so he was very easy to relate to for us as players. It was easy to get to know him. He did a great job of letting us be who we wanted to be.”

The Bisons went 75-67 under Lovullo in 2007, but dropped off to 66-77 the following year. Buzachero struggled to a 5.24 earned run average that first year, when the Bisons had Shin-Soo Choo, but the closer nailed down 10 saves with a 3.14 ERA in 2008.

“Torey really just knew how to get the most out of his players,” Buzachero said. “He wasn’t a yeller-type guy. He’s still very competitive, but he struck a good balance. He knew how to push buttons when he needed to push them, knew the right time to pick his spots and kick us into gear, but he also was very personable.

“He has no ego in it at all. He’s always willing to learn and willing to ask his staff for input, which is very unique. In the position he was in, there can very well be an ego part: ‘This is my team. I’m going to run it as I want.’ But he wasn’t like that.”

While detailed data wasn’t necessarily available in the minors at that time, even at Triple-A, Buzachero was impressed with Lovullo’s grasp of the game’s strategic side.

“He’s a student of the game,” Buzachero said. “He still has the old-school mentality, but he also embraces the new ways of technology we have at our disposal. There are so many more things you have these days: video, charts on every hitter, all the tendencies that go on. Being open to studying the (data) is probably his biggest attribute.”

At 49, Lovullo is able to successfully straddle the line between dugout generations.

“Some managers are set in their ways and maybe not as open to all of those things,” Buzachero said. “With (analytics), it’s almost like having the answers to the test. Why not have the answers at hand if you can use them?”

Speaking of answers, dealing with the media on a daily basis is a key part of modern managing. Berardino sees no issues in that department either for Lovullo, who has interviewed for five previous big-league managing jobs (Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox, Astros and Rangers) without success.

“He won’t have any problems,” Berardino said. “He’s a smart, articulate guy and his communication skills are very good. If you can handle the media in Boston, you can handle pretty much anything.”

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

It's Lovullo, apparently.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Clap, clap, clapclapclap. I don't think the drawn out search is really creating any great sense of anticipation - at least for me. I'm mostly bored. Managers are boring. Let's get one and proceed to the important issue of finding players who don't suck.

http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_26826205/source-says-twins-have-yet-offer-managers-job

The Twins' search for Ron Gardenhire's successor reached Day 31 on Wednesday, and still there were no indications they had offered their manager post to anyone.

"The ball is in the Twins' court," a person with direct knowledge said Wednesday evening. "Have heard nothing."

Twins general manager Terry Ryan was spotted at an Arizona Fall League game on Wednesday afternoon, watching some of the organization's top prospects on the Salt River Rafters.

Ryan conducted a second interview with Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo on Monday, this time with Twins owner Jim Pohlad in attendance and reportedly at a location outside the Twin Cities. Lovullo makes his offseason home in Southern California.

Class A Fort Myers manager Doug Mientkiewicz, a fellow finalist, was dealing with a death in the family and unavailable to field a potential offer.

Incumbent infield coach Paul Molitor, considered the front-runner from the start, has met multiple times with Ryan about the job.

Another person closely monitoring the Twins search believes the job eventually will go to Molitor, a St. Paul native and former University of Minnesota star who has spent all but three of the past 19 seasons with the organization in some capacity.

"I've thought Paul was the right person all along," the person said. "With Pohlad now involved, you can bet Molly is the man. Their relationship is so strong.

"
-- Mike Berardino

Maddon talk

Rumors that surfaced immediately after Joe Maddon left the Rays last week that he was headed to the Cubs apparently are about to become reality.

Though agent Alan Nero told the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday night there was "not a done deal," there were indications and several reports that something could be finalized between Maddon and the Cubs and announced as soon as Friday.

If it is, the Rays might be upset enough to file a tampering complaint with Major League Baseball over the hiring, though it's not clear what that could lead to in terms of a decision or any potential damages.

Despite the flurry of reports hours before Wednesday's first pitch of World Series Game 7, Nero insisted Maddon was still considering several options, with offers for at least one managing job, front-office roles and a TV gig.

"The bottom line is this is not a done deal," Nero said. "We're continuing to talk to several clubs. We're very close. Joe is trying to make a decision. We might have a deal in the next few days."

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

I agreed with the initial reads on the situation - which is that he took advantage of the out-clause with a specific job in mind. The Twins job was the only one open at the time, and there was that note that he "would be open" to it. But I think that non-rumor of only-potential interest was driven largely by a desire to not look like a jerk who knew precisely where he was going to land from even before he exercised that clause.

That's particularly important since the Cubs job was already occupied by a first year manager who actually did a pretty acceptable job and coaxed solid debut/seasons out of guys who should be part of the next good Cubs core. Rick Renteria kind of deserved better from Chicago than having the rug pulled out from him by his bosses and a guy who already had a position.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

>Clap, clap, clapclapclap. I don't think the drawn out search
>is really creating any great sense of anticipation - at least
>for me. I'm mostly bored. Managers are boring. Let's get one
>and proceed to the important issue of finding players who
>don't suck.

the twins will fuck this up, though ... because twins.

and, shit, that 2015 FA list is underwhelming.

i dig it, but his writing style is a bit too much for me. fluffy and loopy ... but the story is very good.

think i need a good non-fiction book next.

Non-fiction wise? I have some things I've read/been meaning to read, but they're fairly heavy on late 19th and 20th century American history (and also sketch comedy shows.)

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

>Non-fiction wise? I have some things I've read/been meaning
>to read, but they're fairly heavy on late 19th and 20th
>century American history (and also sketch comedy shows.)


american history sketch comedy show non-fiction sounds pretty amazing.

excepting that, i can read just about any history as long as it's compelling. agrarian history is for buster bluth, not this guy. non-fiction tends to take me longer, though, as my brain wants to remember EVERYTHING and that just ain't happening.

i haven't read a lot of pop-culture or sports non-fiction. how soccer explains the world was fantastic, but that's about all i have read there, so biographies might be cool too.

If it were a thing.

I just finished Live From New York, the oral history of SNL. It's exactly what it sounds like. Some people don't like oral histories, and it's a little outdated (it was published ten years ago,) but I can lend it to you if you want to read about the birth, death, rebirth, redeath, rebirth, redeath, etc of SNL. Also, there's some gems about John Belushi stealing all the cocaine from a future US Senator from Minnesota (no spoilers.)

There's a really great read about the MLK assassination and the subsequent hunt for James Earl Ray called Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides. Pretty interesting read about a subject I knew relatively little about.

I was out of town recently and picked up Sarah Vowell's unfamiliar Fishes (about the US annexation of Hawaii.) Pretty interesting, quick read.

Haven't picked up a biography of anyone in a long time, so I'm short on those at the moment.

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

>I just finished Live From New York, the oral history of SNL.
>It's exactly what it sounds like. Some people don't like oral
>histories, and it's a little outdated (it was published ten
>years ago,) but I can lend it to you if you want to read about
>the birth, death, rebirth, redeath, rebirth, redeath, etc of
>SNL. Also, there's some gems about John Belushi stealing all
>the cocaine from a future US Senator from Minnesota (no
>spoilers.)

HE CAN'T BE A US SENATOR IF HE DID COCAINE!! *OUTRAGE* RABBLERABBLERABBLE

but i would take that off your hands for sure. sounds like a good change of pace.

>There's a really great read about the MLK assassination and
>the subsequent hunt for James Earl Ray called Hellhound on His
>Trail by Hampton Sides. Pretty interesting read about a
>subject I knew relatively little about.

this sounds like fun. i will look into it. thanks.

>i dig it, but his writing style is a bit too much for me.
>fluffy and loopy ... but the story is very good.
>
>think i need a good non-fiction book next.

I had to look up the book because I didn't know about it. But I think that decades of TV totally warped by visual imagination. Sci-fi and fantasy novels are largely a lost cause because even excellent descriptive writing can't break into my slow wits.

I'm glad you like the story though?

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

video games and tv sapped all mental creativity a long time ago. most of the sci-fi/fantasy i really enjoy doesn't belabor scene or world description. tolkien? fuck that. he waxes ridiculous about setting and i can't take it. never even finished LOTR series because i couldn't take it. GRRM is more up my alley. he will give you a setting, but he doesn't fall in love with his surroundings. the character are the characters and the setting typically is not.

rothfuss' king killer books are much the same and i am itching for another installment of that series.

>GRRM is more
>up my alley. he will give you a setting, but he doesn't fall
>in love with his surroundings. the character are the
>characters and the setting typically is not.
>
>rothfuss' king killer books are much the same and i am itching
>for another installment of that series.

I can live with this. Recommendation-ish duly noted.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

He tweeted his "strong gut feeling" earlier this morning. Why should you care what David Dorsey says?

I'm not actually going to insist that you should. He's a beat writer in Ft. Myers who's covered the Miracle for years. Since the Twins front office kind of sort of works out of there during the winter, he's probably a bit plugged into some stuff that his Rochester or New Britain counterpart wouldn't be. On the other hand, Mientkiewicz was the manager for the Miracle this last year and was a tremendously popular one. If Dorsey is pulling for anybody, that'd be the pick. So he may be wishcasting a bit.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

good reports aside, mientlaiouewangw has had a steady stream of top tier prospects to look good ... and he's young.

but that's my hypocrisy showing through because i have been crying for the FO to think outside the box and what not.

so ... whatever?

>but that's my hypocrisy showing through because i have been
>crying for the FO to think outside the box and what not.

I can't tell where you're going with this, and part of that is that I suspect you're in the same place as me:

I think importing *any* viewpoint from outside the organization could be a net positive at this point. Somebody with a willingness to consider input from math nerds would be extra nice. For what are mostly logical reasons, I kind of suspect this viewpoint is more common in younger managers. But from the sounds of it, Mientkiewicz might actually be the most old-school manager we are interviewing.

Molitor was actually seen as a driving force on the Twins new acceptance of defensive shifts. And Lovullo has been a stats-geek favorite for a few years, though I can't think of a specific reason why.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

News leaked. So we're in that weird second-decade-of-twenty-first-century-news-moment where everybody is tweeting it but nobody's really reporting it. Unless it's "Twins are preparing to hire Molitor" or "Paul Molitor is a human person who may manage Twins."

I think this is going to be okay. I guess I had kind of come around to Lovullo, but the nice thing is that I actually kind of liked all of the candidates.

Now on to more important stuff.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

As long as it takes longer, it must be the right choice.

http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_26845293/twins-paul-molitor-reportedly-nearing-deal-manage

Twins offer manager's job to Paul Molitor
By Mike Berardino
mberardino@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 11/01/2014 12:01:00 AM CDT | UPDATED: ABOUT 11 HOURS AGO

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Twins have asked hall of famer Paul Molitor to be their next manager.

According to a person with direct knowledge, contract talks were still ongoing as of Saturday evening.

The two sides were "still working on it," the person told the Pioneer Press.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan, wrapping up a week-long scouting trip to the Arizona Fall League, refused to say whether he had offered the job to the 58-year-old Molitor or anyone else.

"It will be good when this thing is finalized and we can move on," Ryan said. "I know a lot of people are anxious to get us to name a manager, which is fine. Energized? We're going to make a change and we're going to move forward is what it comes down to."

Coming off four straight seasons of 92 losses or more and faced with steadily declining attendance at Target Field, the Twins fired Ron Gardenhire on Sept. 29 after 13 seasons as manager. Saturday marked Day 34 of the exhaustive process, which apparently came down to Molitor and Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo.

Class A Fort Myers manager Doug Mientkiewicz also received multiple interviews.

Seven known candidates interviewed in all, including Triple-A Rochester manager Gene Glynn.

"We had a lot of candidates and good ones," Ryan said. "I think the give and take was sincere. I thought the process was good and of quality. It's not too much different than the last time we went through this thing.

"
That time, amid contraction threats, the Twins waited until Jan. 4, 2002 to name Gardenhire as Tom Kelly's successor. What followed were six American League Central titles in the next nine seasons.

The Twins hope Molitor, a product of St. Paul and the University of Minnesota, can have a similar impact on their stalled franchise. Known as "The Ignitor" during his playing career, Molitor has spent all but three of the past 19 seasons in the Twins organization.

Most recently, he spent 2014 as an infield coach on Gardenhire's big-league staff. Molitor, who also coached first base after the all-star break, had a variety of responsibilities as he oversaw bunting, baserunning and a significant increase in the Twins' use of infield shifts on defense.

"We need to start moving positively forward," Ryan said. "We've got a lot of work to do. We've made some strides here, but unfortunately it wasn't enough, so I'm anxious to get going with a new regime and see exactly where it takes us."

Ryan said it was helpful to hear from voices outside the organization, which included Cleveland Indians first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Chicago White Sox third-base coach Joe McEwing and Toronto Blue Jays bench coach DeMarlo Hale. The Twins also received permission to interview Oakland bench coach Chip Hale, but the ex-Twins player was hired as Arizona Diamondbacks manager before the interview could take place.

"You try to find out the best guys out there that are available that might have interest, that are ready for the job, and you go from there and you go through the process," Ryan said. "It's time-consuming but well worth it."

He brushed aside a suggestion that this search may have been agonizing.

"No, it's not," he said. "It's a process. The only agonizing part of this whole ordeal is when you have to tell a person they didn't get the job. That's the worst part of this thing."

If Molitor is hired, he would become the 13th Twins manager since 1961 and just the third in nearly three full decades. Kelly, who managed Molitor during his final three seasons as a player (1996-98), was hired to replace the fired Ray Miller in September 1986.

The Twins won the World Series twice in the next five seasons.

"We weren't looking for 'yes' men," Ryan said of the search. "There's no doubt. I didn't feel any of that coming back. Everything people responded with was the truth in their minds. That was a good part of it as well. Every guy that came in, actually I think they gave the answers that they felt in their heart were the right answers."

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

>2. We've actually got two adequate starters. Where can we find
>three more?

Hughes and Gibson were good and good-enough last year. With Gibson's 3.99 xFIP and, in my mind at least, the pitching weapons to increase that low strikeout rate. There's a real chance for good and good out of them, health provided.

Trevor May was terrible. But that strikeout rate was real and the walk rate is manageable. I like him as a #5 who can spin a real gem once and awhile. Like the anti-Blackburn.

Nolasco and Pelfrey are getting paid, so we have to expect they'll be around. I think Nolasco is still capable of a bounceback. He actually had a good September against teams that were still in the now-expanded playoff chase, so it's not like he knitted-up a bunch of minor leaguers getting a cup of coffee.

I think the team would be fine punting on Pelfrey if he doesn't fit in the rotation. He seems like an okay guy, but he's basically all fastball and that wasn't even that fast for his rare 2014 appearances. But it's the Twins and he is a multi-million dollar incumbent, so he's got to be considered a favorite.

But Meyer and Berrios should debut this year, if healthy. I think that Berrios' rise has been fast enough that it's not really worth the effort to cross our fingers that he wins a job out of spring training. But Meyer should be in play for that.

On top of that, the mid-tier free agent market, which is our jam, is kind of hopping this year. Lester, Scherzer, and Shields are free agents too. But, yeah. In the Twins usual wheelhouse are: Ervin Santana, Francisco Liriano, Kenta Madea (an NPB import), Brandon McCarthy, Justin Masterson, and Jason Hammel.

Justin Masterson is the probably the second-likeliest of those to pull an ace-quality season (behind Liriano) and the likeliest to be a DFA by June. So, expect Twins interest on a two year deal, Pelfrey style.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Not asked for comment: Twins whose holes are about to be filled.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/281250291.html

With manager coming aboard, who will fill Twins' other holes?

Article by: LA VELLE E. NEAL III , Star Tribune Updated: November 3, 2014 - 7:23 AM

Twins will be in market for pitching and a left fielder at the right price.

Now that the Twins on the verge of naming Paul Molitor the next manager, the offseason can finally begin.

Yes, the Twins have made some moves since the end of their dreadful 70-92 season. They outrighted a couple players off their 40-man roster and sold Kris Johnson to Japan, but it hasn’t felt like an offseason because they’ve been searching for a new leader for over a month.

After interviewing several candidates — including a trip to California to interview Torey Lovullo a second time — the search should end Tuesday, when the Twins are expected to name Molitor as their replacement for the fired Ron Gardenhire. Fans can start speculating on which roster moves the Twins will make before spring training begins in February.

General Manager Terry Ryan never announced a deadline for naming a manager, but did say “as long as he’s in place by the start of free agency.”

Free agency begins at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The Twins’ news conference is expected to start at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

What timing.

The Twins crafted most of their offseason wish list during the organizational meetings in October in Fort Myers, Fla. Although he was in the thick of his search at the time, Ryan still had a hand in the planning.

“I have a pretty good idea of what we want to do,” said Ryan, who would not specify which areas he’s seeking to upgrade.

Despite obvious needs throughout the pitching staff and a hole in left field, the Twins are expected to be limited in how much they will spend this offseason. That’s too bad, because this free agent crop looks to be deeper than last year’s.

Last offseason, Ricky Nolasco’s four year, $49 million contact was the fourth-largest deal landed by a starting pitcher. This year’s class is led by the big three of righthander Max Scherzer, lefthander Jon Lester and righthander James Shields. And righthander Ervin Santana isn’t too shabby himself. Japanese righthander Kenta Maeda could be posted by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, adding more depth to the starting pitching market.

Last year, Japanese righthander Masahiro Tanaka landed a seven-year, $155 million deal from the Yankees. No free agent pitcher should top that this year, but someone could get close.

And there are several solid relievers available who could boost a Twins bullpen that fell apart during the second half of the season. Teams looking for a closer could go after Francisco Rodriguez or David Robertson, both righthanders.

The Twins used 14 outfielders last season (sorry to remind you), including 11 in left field. While Jordan Schafer finished the season in left, the Twins might view him more as a fourth outfielder. Melky Cabrera is the best option and Nick Markakis would be a cheaper alternative, but that might be too much for a team that’s expected to have a payroll in the mid-$80 million range.

There’s plenty of offense available on the market, from designated hitter Victor Martinez to outfielder Nelson Cruz to third baseman Hanley Ramirez. And Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas will impact the market, too.

So the big contract offers will start to fly this week, with the Twins likely examining cheaper alternatives.

At least they finally have their manager.

Let the offseason begin.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Bigger than the Molitor news. The world is upside down.

http://news.sportslogos.net/2014/11/04/farewell-pinstripes-twins-dropping-classic-look/

The Minnesota Twins are shedding the pinstripes from their home uniform in 2015. This according to a tweet from Star Tribune Sportsdesk Editor Ken Chia. Ken’s tweet below:

Ken Chia @kcchia80 Follow
Interesting news from a visit to Twins Pro Shop: New white jersey unveiling next week. Pinstripes gone for first time since 1987.

Ken later learned via further discussions at the pro shop that there would be the same wordmark but with gold trim, on the caps too.

SportsLogos.Net can 100% confirm that Ken’s story is accurate. The Twins will indeed be dropping the pinstripes from their home whites for 2015. Gold will be added as a drop shadow on the wordmark – the wordmark will be the same design as has been used since 1987, however it will not be coloured the same way as in previous years.

The cream heritage jersey (yes, with the pinstripes) will remain as a home alternate. The road and navy blue alternates also remain unchanged.

As Ken mentioned, there will be a cap with gold trim. At this time, our sources indicate this will be just an alternate cap and not the full-time home or road cap… this is something that could easily change, especially since the home jersey will have the gold trim it seems to make sense that it would be used with that uniform.

Minnesota has worn pinstripes on their uniforms since their 1987 World Series Championship season, they were wearing pinstripes when they won the Series again in 1991. The Twins wore pinstripes during their first season in the Twin Cities, inheriting them from the relocated Washington Senators in 1961, they dropped them completely in 1972 before they made their return in 1987 on both the home and road uniform. In 2010 they were removed from the road uniform only.

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12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

I actually have no idea what they're describing as the new uniform. The Twins have been conservative in the good way with most recent uniform changes. Without being all WOW over anything, I've been mostly comfortable with changes.

But we've been kind of slowly phasing out the pinstripes in favor of those cream throwback-esque ones pretty much since Target Field opened, right? I mean, I realize it's not a phase out until it's agreed that's actually happening. But I feel like I've seen the pinstripes less and less.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

at home a lot.

They're keeping the cream ones, so there will at least be some uniform with pinstripes. I'll reserve judgement until I see them, but I can't even imagine what they're going to look like with the current wordmark and no stripes.

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

And it's . . . not as bad as I was anticipating. Might actually be an improvement. I'll have to see the whole set, but this is kinda sharp.

http://content.sportslogos.net/news/2014/11/New-Twins-Jersey-590x766.jpg

http://news.sportslogos.net/2014/11/09/leaked-new-minnesota-twins-2015-home-jersey/

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

That's my strongest impression. I don't know if I have the vocabulary for this, but it kind of softens the TC logo in a way that I'm not really fond of. But I like the rest.

If they stop sucking, it'll be my favoritest uniform ever. I'm pretty easy that way.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

The comparison doesn't have to succeed at the extremes for it to be pretty fun. The takeaway is that both guys stopped walking people and stopped giving up homeruns and got really good. Cliff Lee also changed his batted-ball profile more severely than Phil Hughes did, but Hughes has the park and (presumably) some good defenders on the way to track down wayward fliners.

So we'll see. Either way, a fun read.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/imagining-phil-hughes-as-cliff-lee/

Imagining Phil Hughes as Cliff Lee
by August Fagerstrom - November 5, 2014

Do you understand how preposterous that title would have sounded last offseason? Ridiculous. You might still think it sounds ridiculous. But before you begin drawing conclusions, let me just present you with a few facts about each player and then some tables to support those facts.

Cliff Lee

You might have forgotten, but Cliff Lee used to be really bad
Like, for a while
One year, he decided to stop walking people
He also stopped giving up home runs
As a result, he became very good
Then, over the course of several seasons, he also started striking people out
As a result, he went from “very good” to “most dominant pitcher in baseball“

Phil Hughes

You probably haven’t forgotten, but Phil Hughes used to be really bad
Like, for a while
One year, he decided to stop walking people
He also stopped giving up home runs
As a result, he became very good

You’ll notice that Hughes has two fewer bullet points than Lee. Those are two pretty important bullet points, and we’ll get to that. But for now you can at least see how this idea was born. Cliff Lee was really bad through his age-28 season, or about his first four full seasons worth of playing time. Phil Hughes was really bad through his age-27 season, or about his first four full seasons worth of playing time. Not only were these guys both bad, they were bad in the exact same way.

Behold:

Inn ERA(-) FIP(-) xFIP(-) K% BB% HR/9 FB%
Cliff Lee, thru age 28 741.2 4.64 (104) 4.59 (105) 4.78 (107) 17.1 7.9 1.27 46.2
Phil Hughes, thru age 27 780.2 4.54 (107) 4.31 (101) 4.31 (104) 19.7 7.4 1.29 46.0

Cliff Lee and Phil Hughes were basically the same pitcher through their first four years worth of work. Both guys were extreme fly ball pitchers with extreme home run problems. Those home run problems were exacerbated by the fact that they walked too many guys and weren’t elite strikeout pitchers. None of those traits are good traits, and so neither of those pitchers were good pitchers.

But in Lee’s age-29 season, something clicked, and he won a Cy Young Award. This year, in Hughes’ age-28 season, something clicked. He didn’t win a Cy Young Award, but again, the parallels are easy to draw. The number in green represents the change from their previous career totals:

ERA FIP xFIP K% BB% HR/9 FB%
Lee, age 29 2.54 (-2.10) 2.83 (-1.76) 3.52 (-1.26) 19.1 (+2.0) 3.8 (-4.1) 0.48 (-.79) 35.1 (-11.1)
Hughes, age 28 3.52 (-1.02) 2.65 (-1.66) 3.18 (-1.13) 21.8 (+2.1) 1.9 (-5.5) 0.69 (-.60) 40.2 (-5.8)
Those very similar bad pitchers from above now look like very similar good pitchers!

Both guys started getting more strikeouts, and they did it by getting guys to chase more. Lee’s O-Swing% through his age-28 season was 21%. At age 29, that jumped nine percentage points to 30%. Hughes’ O-Swing% through his age-27 season was 29%. At age 28, that jumped nine percentage points to 38%.

Both guys stopped walking people, entirely. Lee started getting ahead of batters more often. Hughes simply started pounding the strike zone. Fun fact: Phil Hughes set the all-time MLB record for single-season K/BB ratio this year. In third place sits Cliff Lee, from 2010.

Both guys stopped giving up home runs, because they stopped giving up so many fly balls. In Lee’s age-29 season, he started throwing a sinker that helped him get more grounders. In Hughes’ age-28 season, he started throwing a sinker that helped him get more grounders.

Couple differences here, of course. The most obvious being that they are entirely different human beings and one throws left-handed while the other throws right-handed. Lee cut his ERA by two full runs while Hughes only cut his by one, but that’s largely due to a pretty nasty BABIP of which Hughes was a victim. Hughes also pitched his age-28 season in a new home ballpark that is much friendlier to fly ball pitchers than his previous home ballpark, whereas Lee pitched his age-29 season with the same home ballpark he’d always had. Lee’s drop in fly balls was also far more significant than Hughes’. Almost overnight, Lee completely changed his profile as a pitcher. Looking at his yearly GB/FB numbers is almost laughable:

GB%: 33, 35, 33, 35 | 46, 41, 42, 46, 45, 44, 48
FB%: 45, 44, 48, 50 | 35, 36, 40, 32, 37, 33, 30
One year, Lee basically decided to swap his fly balls for ground balls and never looked back. Not only was Lee’s drop in fly balls nearly twice as drastic as Hughes’, but he replaced them almost exclusively with grounders. Hughes got 3% more grounders than his career average this year, but he mostly replaced his fly balls with line drives.

Now, we all know what Cliff Lee went on to become. We don’t know what Phil Hughes will go on to become. But let’s imagine a world where he goes on to mirror Lee’s career path. What would he have to do?

Well, first, let’s go back to that last point. He’ll have to start getting some more grounders. The 6% drop in fly balls for Hughes is promising, as is the move away from Yankee Stadium and the AL East. But home run suppression is much more believable when you get the kind of grounders Lee started getting. As long as Hughes is still getting well under 40% grounders, I have a hard time buying into his elite home run suppression.

The other thing Hughes will have to do to become Cliff Lee is become an elite strikeout pitcher. Easier said than done. They both made similar jumps in their breakout season, boosting their strikeout rate by two percentage points. But Lee kept going. The next year, it stayed the same. But the year after that, it went up four more percentage points. Then another four, and all of the sudden it was at 26%, right alongside prime Justin Verlander.

The bad news here for Hughes is that he’s probably never going to strike out 1/4 of the batters he faces. Cliff Lee is the exception, not the rule, and what he did with his career is extraordinarily rare. The good news for Hughes is that Lee didn’t strike guys out because he had overpowering stuff. He’s never had overpowering stuff. He started striking guys out because he developed an uncanny understanding of how to pitch and how to command his pitches. The ability to command pitches is something Hughes certainly demonstrated this year. He posted the second-best walk rate since 1940. The three highest single-season zone rates in the history of the PITCHf/x era? 2010 Lee, 2014 Hughes, 2011 Lee. Whether or not this turns into strikeouts like it did for Lee is anyone’s guess, but the pieces could be there.

This isn’t meant to be taken as my prediction that Phil Hughes will turn into Cliff Lee. But if you’re looking for an example of a guy who turned their career around in a way like Hughes did this year – and sustained it – look no further than Cliff Lee. It’s very unlikely that Hughes follows Lee’s career path, because Lee has had one of the more unique career paths in recent history. But so far, Hughes has followed it to a T, right down to the individual adjustments made. It probably wasn’t a conscious decision, but as far as role models go, Phil Hughes picked a winner.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Just kidding. He gives his stupid Joe Mauer column the merciless savaging it deserves. Thanks, Mr. Calcaterra.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/05/minnesota-columnist-paul-molitor-will-crack-down-on-those-wimpy-players-with-piddly-little-concussions/

Minnesota columnist: Paul Molitor will crack down on those wimpy players with piddly little concussions
Craig Calcaterra Nov 5, 2014, 7:56 AM EST

One guy who is really happy to see Paul Molitor take over as Twins manager is Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan. Why? Because he’s gonna stop coddling those wimpy players who beg out of the lineup with piddling little ailments like hangnails. And brain injuries:

His first order of business should be introducing a new mentality to the clubhouse.

During their four consecutive losing seasons, the Twins tried to exercise caution with injured or bruised players. Anyone complaining of an ache was given an extra day or two off. There is logic in that approach. There is also danger. The Twins clubhouse became a place where you could collect a check without actually taking the field.

One of the early tests of Molitor’s tenure will be his handling of his best player, Joe Mauer.

Both grew up in St. Paul. Both played baseball at Cretin High. Both had the early years of their careers defined by constant injuries. The difference between them is important. Molitor’s desire to play was obvious. Mauer’s is not.

When the guy making $23 million a year begs out of the lineup because of a bruise, it’s difficult for the manager to push others to play through pain.

Joe Mauer has been on the disabled list for the following ailments (courtesy of Twins Daily): A torn meniscus (2004); thigh strain (2007); lower back sprain (2009); bilateral leg weakness (2011); pneumonia (2011); concussion (2013); and an oblique strain (2014).

Maybe he should have rubbed dirt on his lungs to fight through the pneumonia. Maybe he should’ve just strapped it on and played through that concussion. Oh, wait, he tried that and Justin Morneau tried that before him. People like Souhan mock the bilateral leg weakness thing but it was ultimately traced back to a rare viral infection and, clearly, affected Mauer’s ability to play. Legs are pretty damn important to a hitter and a catcher, I’m told.

The fact is that the Twins, if anything, have typically encouraged or allowed far too many players to play through pain or injuries, and it hasn’t helped them a bit. Mauer’s doing so has likely hindered his performance in the short term while doing nothing to get him back to playing shape more quickly.

But despite all of that — and one bit that is often left out of these little bash pieces — is that Mauer has been one of the best players in baseball over the course of his career. He had a bad 2014 to be sure, but he spent a solid decade as the game’s best catcher, and when you’re a top hitting and defending catcher — who has averaged a bit over 500 plate appearances a year despite those injuries — no one can question your contributions and no one can question your toughness.

Yet questioning those things about Mauer is practically the Minnesota state pastime. The list of media idiots and ill-informed fans who have decided that all that ails the Twins is their best player and that, dammit, he needs to grow a pair and play more is as long as the Mississippi. It’s gone from comical to annoying to practically sick. Souhan is among the sickest. Really, I think he has some sort of pathological problem with all of this. He is, after all, a guy who argued that the University of Minnesota football coach should be fired because he has epilepsy. His newspaper issued a public apology for that. The motivating force there is the same as here, however: “your injuries and illnesses are getting in the way of my sports, dammit, and you are less of a person and competitor because of them.” Souhan questions Mauer’s desire? I question Souhan’s basic human decency and mental health.

But maybe this all ends soon. No, not because the Star-Tribune reassigns Souhan to the obituary page where he can mock the dead for being soft (that would make too much sense), but because Paul Molitor is now on the case, and he’s the LAST DAMN GUY who is going to put up with wimpy injured players. Indeed, he’s gonna outlaw the friggin’ disabled list altogether! He’ll lead by example!

Molitor struggled with injuries for much of his early career, being placed on the disabled list six times between 1980 and 1986. In 1984, Molitor struggled with elbow problems, played in only 13 games and ultimately underwent surgery in an attempt to salvage his career. He played in 140 games in 1985, hitting .297 with 10 home runs and 48 RBI. He followed that with a .281 average, 9 home runs and 55 RBI in 1986. That year he suffered a hamstring injury, returned for a few days, then reinjured it. He played in 105 games that season.

Um, wait. Well, um. OK, sure, he was injured a ton, but “HIS DESIRE TO PLAY WAS OBVIOUS!” I mean, once he was moved to DH anyway. Where he played 1168 of his nearly 2683 major league games.

I’m sure some of you will dismiss this as Souhan being Souhan. Of him just doing his schtick. Of being edgy because being edgy like this is what causes ESPN to back up the money truck for sports writers who want to go on those dumb shout fests they air in the afternoon. And maybe that is what Souhan is doing.

But one of my personal beliefs, learned by way of life experience, Vonnegut books and Batman — is that we are what we pretend to be, not what we claim we really are. And whether Souhan really is a dense, empathy-free person who chooses to eschew human decency in order to elevate sportsball over a person’s health and well being or if that’s just an act he puts on, that is, essentially, what he is.

Tags: Colorado Rockies, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

i'm starting to come around on molitor. initially uninspired, but now tepidly excited.

offseasons are great aren't they?

But one of my personal beliefs, learned by way of life experience, Vonnegut books and Batman — is that we are what we pretend to be, not what we claim we really are. And whether Souhan really is a dense, empathy-free person who chooses to eschew human decency in order to elevate sportsball over a person’s health and well being or if that’s just an act he puts on, that is, essentially, what he is.

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

To be upfront, I don't think the reasons for the 2014 Royals success are the sort of the thing that a front office should actively try to repeat. It seems like an odd thing to say, but it really shouldn't be that shocking to point out that a team going all, all in for 89 wins is maybe not the sort of recipe for sustained success that we'd want the Twins to follow. Maybe Kansas City will have it and there's a new power in the central, but I'm not really convinced that they're a model worth repeating.

There is, however, one respect we already are repeating them: an excellent, deep, varied farm system. And I think they have some stuff that we should regard as extremely valuable traits on the way to developing a core of players that can contend for years and years and years. So, to be more organized, I'm interested in two questions:

1. Can we develop the aforesaid core of elite talent better than the Royals did theirs?

2. Can the Royals tell us anything useful in the short term?

The first one is wait and see. It's winter and there will be prospect lists and analysis and whatever, but that's even more speculative than usual because our top two prospects barely played and did not play, respectively. Buxton and Sano will be something. That something is almost certainly "major leaguer" at this point, and both of their ceilings range to "multiple all-star". So we'll see.

The second one is the sort of thing that makes for decent off-season conversation. The Royals lineup posted only two above average hitters in 2014, Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain. That's... not real good. That offense actually managed to gin up a few more runs than I would have expected from one with a DH and a 1B both posting an OPS under .720, and that's largely due to having some strong baserunners. The Twins actually have that too, and a few more guys who actually hit in 2014, so we'll scratch the bats as something which can be learned from KC unless the lesson is "don't hit and maybe it'll take care of itself." The Twins have tried that, and it wont.

The one remarkable thing about the Royals lineup is rather that it boasted excellent defenders pretty much everywhere. Four guys (including an apparently very, very well deployed bench player in Jerrod Dyson) were worth over a full win with their gloves alone. There was high-end excellence like Dyson, Gordon, Cain, Perez, and Escobar and depth, wherein pretty much none of their starters posted a below average UZR, except for Eric Hosmer - who is typically regarded as an excellent defender so maybe we can take that as a one year blip.

The Twins don't have that. And furthermore, they've strapped two of their three best defenders from 2014 onto a rocket and shot them into space (Fuld and Florimon). I'm comfortable with the possibility of growth from youngsters like Hicks and Arcia, etc. But I don't think it's possible to imagine a Twins lineup with Kansas City's depth of defensive talent unless they take a serious left turn and start punting offense.

We'll get to that in a different post. For now, the other thing that stands out about Kansas City is their back-end bullpen. Wade Davis and Greg Holland were destructive in their greatness, both striking out more than 12 guys per 9 innings and posting xFIP under 2.00 each. Kelvin Herrera didn't miss bats at that same absurd rate, but struck out more than his share and didn't allow a homerun in 70 innings. 2014 first-rounder Brandon Finnegan joined the pen for the post-season and continued in this tradition. In short, Kansas City gave their opponents only about 7 innings to even put the ball in play and six innings where they really had a chance to score.

We don't have that yet either, but we have a decent pen who kind of struggled across the line. Maybe more importantly, we have two pen arms who profile to be that good, and, in spite of only being drafted this past June stand a good chance of pulling a Brandon Finnegan and appearing in 2015:

The first is Jake Reed, who got a bump to the AFL and impressed the crap out of everybody, including BPro in this writeup:

"RHP Jake Reed (Twins)
There is merit to the position that some scouts have taken on Reed, with his three-pitch arsenal and surprising command: They want to see him moved into a starting role. But the fact that he is ready to make a big impact on a major-league bullpen immediately makes that point moot in my mind. Why overthink it? He has yet to play a game above Low-A, but the stuff, deception and control all add up to an impact reliever and there isn't a lot of development left. In the Fall League he worked 94-96 with plus tailing life on his fastball and a deep sweeping slurve; both pitches elicited swings and misses from quality hitters. His delivery is fast paced and he is athletic enough to repeat his release point in spite of moving parts that create deception. It's not a slider that would, in a vacuum, be a quality offering, as the break is sweepy and deep, but it plays well off his tailing fastball and his delivery, and it plays up due to his ability to locate it. He also flashes a solid changeup at times, making a starting role a tempting option, but he looks ready to dominate with two swing-and-miss pitches that he controls well already. Reed is one of the best relief arms I saw in the AFL and just 22 years old."

Ignore the stuff about him starting. Or don't ignore it and then watch a video of him pitching, which will reveal why I told you to ignore it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lSsSiJZqBk

That's a 1-2 innings at a time delivery.

The other is Nick Burdi, who I have talked about before but who bears more mention for striking out nearly two batters per inning over his professional debut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44-78AtWW_A

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

If the Royals taught us anything, it's that a small market team can do well being the best at something, anything...as long as they have a lot of luck.

----
bshelly

"You (Fisher) could get fired, Les Snead could get fired, Kevin Demoff could get fired, but I will always be Eric Dickerson.” (c) The God

>If the Royals taught us anything, it's that a small market
>team can do well being the best at something, anything...as
>long as they have a lot of luck.

I think the thing that keeps surprising me is the diversity of "something" teams can be the best at and still (almost) succeed.

It's not really a planning point, I guess is the lesson. The Mariners made a conscious effort to be the best at something - and only that one thing - and the result was the hilarious #6org debacle.

Still, I like the idea of dreaming on the sequence you've described:

1. be the best at something
2. be lucky
3. win pennant

It's nice in November, particularly since my team isn't particularly good at anything - much less the best.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

These lists matter more than they used to. With good health, I see two near-certain picks for the Twins roster at some point in 2015 (Meyer and May), seven good picks for debuts (Buxton, Sano, Berrios, Rosario, Burdi, Reed, Cederoth, and Polanco), and a few other interesting names for 2016. In short, these guys are going to be Twins soon.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2014/11/8/7157261/minnesota-twins-top-20-prospects-for-2015-sickels

1) Byron Buxton, OF, Grade A: Borderline A-. Lost season due to injuries although scouting reports are still extremely positive. There’s some momentum in the general baseball mind behind the idea that Buxton will disappoint, but I think the greater risk is that his physical issues may be chronic rather than any real question about his tools and skills. Let’s see if he can avoid the doctors. ETA: 2016

2) Miguel Sano, 3B, Grade A-: Season lost due to Tommy John surgery. That shouldn’t have a long-term impact on his hitting. Questions remain unanswered about defense and what his batting average/OBP will look like against the best pitching, but enormous power keeps him at premium prospect level. ETA: late 2015.

3) Jose Berrios, RHP, Grade B+: One of my favorite pitching prospects in all of baseball. Fastball in the mid-90s now, solid secondary pitches with two breaking balls and a change-up, excellent makeup, good pitchability, sound sabermetrics. Projects as a number three starter and that may be under-selling him. ETA: late 2015.

4) Alex Meyer, RHP, Grade B+: 6-9 monster still polishing command but has little left to prove in the minors after solid year in Triple-A. Mid-90s heat, strong slider, change-up has improved, looks like a number two starter when his command is on, more like an erratic four or a reliever when it isn’t. ETA: 2015.

5) Nick Gordon, SS, Grade B+: Borderline B. Not as fast as his brother Dee Gordon, but stronger, more power potential, and much more polished in most respects than his sibling was at the same age. Excellent makeup and I think he has a good chance to remain at shortstop. ETA: late 2018/2019.

6) Kohl Stewart, RHP, Grade B: Borderline B+ 2014 first-rounder had a pretty good year in the Midwest League, although his velocity fluctuated, and he ended the year with shoulder trouble. His grade is a half-step lower than last year but this is more a reflection of health uncertainty than any loss of ability. May be more of a workhorse type than a genuine ace but still an elite prospect overall. ETA: late 2018

7) Trevor May, RHP, Grade B-: Borderline B: I may end up going with a straight B here; feel free to make a case if you like. Solid stuff, nothing left to prove in the minors, all a matter of showing whether his command will be sufficient. If it is, a darkhorse Rookie of the Year candidate. ETA: 2015.

8) Jorge Polanco, INF, Grade B-: Borderline B. Solid tools across the board, versatile, switch-hitter, has less speed than Danny Santana but potentially more power. Likely needs another year in the high minors, but a big breakout is possible. ETA: late 2015.

9) Lewis Thorpe, LHP, Grade B-: Borderline B. Classic lefty from Australia was a bit erratic in Low-A but was just 18 years old, shows low-90s fastball and a good slider and change-up when he’s on. Like teammate Stewart, there were some late-season arm worries with a sore elbow. He understandably needs more polish, but he could be the top pitching prospect on this list entering 2016 with just a little more skill growth and good health. ETA: late 2018.

10) Eddie Rosario, OF-2B, Grade B-: Tools are not as robust as Polanco’s, but up until 2014 he’s always hit very, very well. Impressive instincts and on-field effort help all of his tools play up, but a drug suspension hurt his stock with observers and adjustments to Double-A pitching have not been smooth. I still like him but some caution is warranted. ETA: late 2015.

11) Nick Burdi, RHP, Grade B-: Ranking and grading relief prospects is always tough, but Burdi looks like a great bet to be a future closer: he can hit 100 MPH, has a good slider, will toss an occasional change-up, succeeded against good college competition for Louisville, and shows sufficient command to advance quickly. ETA: 2016.

12) Max Kepler, OF, Grade B-: Still continues to look good in uniform, has sharpened up his defense, makes contact. Power still hasn’t developed, but given unusual European background and his age (21) I still think it may. ETA: 2017.

13) Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Grade B-: Strong statistical profile, projectable body, already hits 90 MPH and has a good change-up, breaking ball still developing but throws strikes and had some dominant outings down the stretch in Low-A. Just 20, could leap ahead on his list next year. ETA: 2018.

14) Travis Harrison, OF, Grade B- Borderline C+. Same grade as last year. Although he hit just three homers, he knocked 33 doubles in the tough Florida State League at age 21, continued to draw walks, and dramatically reduced his strikeout rate while going to the opposite field more often. This was while learning a new position too. Not scientific, but my intuition is that he will get the home runs back in 2015, maintain the OBP, and take a large step forward. ETA: late 2016.

15) Stuart Turner, C, Grade C+: Will rank ahead of Harrison on other lists and that’s quite logical actually: Turner is an excellent defender and that will get him to the majors even if his bat remains in its current mediocre state. If the hitting improves, he’ll get into the B- category. The slotting here is more because I think Harrison will break out rather than any slight on Turner. ETA: late 2016.

16) Adam Brett Walker, OF, Grade C+: Huge power, 25 homers in the FSL is very tough to do. More present power than Harrison but a year older and much more prone to strikeouts and trouble with breaking balls. ETA: late 2016.

17) Michael Cederoth, RHP, Grade C+: Similar to fellow 2014 draftee Nick Burdi, San Diego State product Cederoth throws very hard and has a good breaking ball, but his college track record was more erratic and his mechanics are more troublesome. Could be anything from a number three starter to a closer to a Double-A command flameout. ETA: 2017.

18) Jake Reed, RHP, Grade C+: Another hard-throwing reliever from the college ranks, University of Oregon fifth round in 2014, up to 95, good slider, stuff not quite as powerful as Cederoth or Burdi but did a good job throwing strikes in his debut. ETA: 2017.

19) Amaurys Minier, 1B, Grade C+: HIGH CEILING ALERT: Big bonus Dominican signee from 2012 class slashed impressive .292/.405/.520 in Gulf Coast League at age 18. Raw power from the left side stands out, but scouting reports worry about his swing and approach at higher levels and his defense is troublesome. Could vault up list if he shows sufficient polish against better pitching in ’15. ETA: 2018.

20) Chih-Wei Hu, RHP, Grade C+: SLEEPER ALERT: Hasn’t received much attention outside Twins circles but there are good markers here, low-90s fastball, slider, unusual palmball, throws strikes, dominant down the stretch in Low-A at age 20. Seems like a good sleeper to me. ETA: 2018.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

It's the one titled "Caribes sigue mandando..." and I can't figure out how to get it to play full-screen. His brother Orlando (a shortstop in the Brewers' organization) also hit a homerun that game.

Oswaldo is hitting .391/.400/.783 because apparently he treats games in his home country as homerun derby.

I tried to find Aaron Hicks' performance but for whatever reason MilB.com has made that harder than every other year in the past, which isn't really the direction information seems to be headed in other arenas but whatever.

http://www.meridiano.com.ve/videos.jspm

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Remember when, in addition to being good, our teams had personality? Eddie Guardado ostentatiously adjusting his junk and swearing in post game interviews? Torii Hunter getting an astroturf burn on his mouth and making every hit-by-pitch personal? Aj Pierzynski annoying the piss out of whole rosters at a time and shrugging his shoulders to say "who, me?" Johan Santana walking off the mound *before* his changeup lands in the catcher's glove for strike three?

I miss being good more, but I also miss that. Think there's somebody on the present roster who is going to make the team over in their own weird image? Think there's some past player you'd like the team to look like, so to speak?

Here's the current roster, but all Twins past and present are up for consideration.

http://twins.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=min

I nominate Oswaldo Arcia. His game seems to be based on outlandish homeruns and delightful no-fucks-given about opposing teams' feelings. That seems fun to me.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

- champion of the pre-game nap
- eschewer of calisthenics, stretching and mild locomotion
- tackler of opposing base runners
- murderer of all wildlife, breathing or deep fried

all hail kent!

He brings a strong, two-rings pedigree to what I like about Arcia: a square-shaped corner bat who mixes give-no-fucks *and* competitive nastiness.

Now, I just want them to be hilariously mismatched best friends. Like, Arcia can go hunting for wild turkeys with Hrbek and Hrbek can get that stupid haircut that Arcia has.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

That's been an organizational need for awhile at the big league level, but something struck me as kind of unseemly about hiring a Dominican guy to "assistant hitting coach" - a position of which I wasn't aware until today.

But apparently he's been in the organization forever. That makes it feel less weird to me. Like "we got a latin guy!" Your mileage may vary.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Twins_promote_Rudy_Hernandez_to_assistant_hitting_coach111214

The Twins have promoted Rudy Hernandez to assistant hitting coach, the third known member of Paul Molitor's coaching staff.

Gene Glynn, the former Rochester Red Wings manager, was added as the third base coach and infield instructor. Tom Brunansky already had been retained as the hitting coach.

All three men are signed through the 2015 season. Molitor has a three-year contract.

Hernandez has spent 14 seasons in the Twins organization, most recently working with the Gulf Coast League Twins. He's currently the bench coach for the Aragua Tigres, the Venezuelan Winter League team for which Eduardo Escobar and Yohan Pino are playing.

The Twins have not used an assistant hitting coach in the past, but more teams have added them lately.

Hernandez, 46, has worked with the GCL Twins in multiple stints. He spent 2012 as a coach for the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats and 2010 as a coach for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.

He also worked for the Twins former Class-A affiliate, the Beloit Snappers, from 2005-08. He has managed and coached at multiple levels in the minor leagues and in Venezuela. He played five seasons in the Mets organization from 1987-91 and then bounced around Mexico and Venezuela as a player before taking a job with the Twins in 1996 as the coordinator of instruction at the Twins Venezuelan Academy.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Mejor?

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/sano-prepares-return-lost-year/

Sano Prepares To Return After Lost Year
November 13, 2014 by Phil Miller

MINNEAPOLIS—It was just a game of catch on a practice diamond in Florida, nothing resembling actual baseball, but Miguel Sano couldn’t help attracting an audience. Terry Ryan stood and watched.

Miguel Sano (Photo by Mike Janes).
Miguel Sano (Photo by Mike Janes).
“He gets your attention. He looks like a ballplayer out there,” the Twins’ general manager said. “I watched him swing the bat and I watched him throw for a while, and he looks pretty healthy to me. He’s the same big, strong guy we remember.”

Sano will remember 2014 for the disappointment of an elbow injury in February that required Tommy John surgery, perhaps costing him a chance to climb to the major leagues already. He’ll open camp in 2015 with lowered expectations; the Twins want Sano, who blasted 35 home runs at high Class A and Double-A in 2013, to ease back into the game, probably at Double-A Chattanooga.

“He’ll have to re-establish himself,” Ryan said. He’s not going to be ready to make (the major league team) out of spring training. It’s been a long time since he’s faced a pitcher.”

The Twins even asked the 21-year-old Dominican to forgo winter ball and focus on spring camp. Sano’s rehab program wouldn’t have him ready for game action until mid-December, Twins minor league director Brad Steil said, “and we just decided that it wasn’t worth it for just a few at-bats.”

Sano will remain a third baseman, too, Ryan emphasized after triggering a brief social-media uproar with the suggestion that the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder might not be an infielder by the time he arrives in Minnesota. During a Q&A with season-ticket holders, Ryan answered a hypothetical question by saying Sano “could go to the outfield if he had to. … A lot of young players come up and change positions if they’re blocked by (an) established veteran.”

Ryan spent the next few days insisting that the team has no such plans.

“He could do it, I believe, but we’re not moving him,” Ryan said. “He’s a third baseman. Besides, his ticket up here is going to be that bat he possesses. That’s what has us so excited. He had a setback, OK, but that hasn’t changed how excited we are to get him on the field again.”

TWIN KILLINGS

• Center fielder Byron Buxton fractured the middle finger on his left hand while diving for a ball during an Arizona Fall League game, his fourth major injury of the year.

• The Twins reached an agreement to sell lefthander Kris Johnson to the Hiroshima Carp in Japan.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

I'm editing out all sensible caution from these blurbs, which permits me to swipe them guilt free *AND* to indulge our sense of optimism. Look at the absurd scouting grades they hung on Buxton for a sign of how this will go.

1. Byron Buxton, of

SCOUTING GRADES
Batting: 70.
Power: 60.
Speed: 80.
Defense: 80.
Arm: 70.

Scouting Report: Widely acknowledged as the top prospect in the game by the time he played in the 2013 Futures Game, Buxton has done little to harm that reputation when healthy. Blessed with quick hands and strong wrists, he generates tremendous bat speed and keeps the bat in the zone for a long time. He has an advanced approach at the plate and shows good plate discipline, though his strikeout (24.6 percent) and walk (7.5 percent) rates diverged in his second pass through the FSL. Buxton generates easy power to all fields. Timed at 3.9 seconds from the batter’s box to first base, he is an 80 runner but still must improve his reads and instincts while on base. In the field, Buxton has plus-plus arm strength and range, gliding to balls others must strain to reach. Naturally reserved and ever polite, Buxton has become more comfortable with teammates.

2. Miguel Sano, 3B

Scouting Report: Blessed with scale-busting power and an advanced understanding at the plate, Sano now is a year removed from a 35-homer season that ranked him fourth in the minors. A below-average runner, he used the down time to continue shedding fat and improving his all-around athleticism. Sano won’t return to game action until December at the earliest. The Twins hope to keep him at third base, though his throwing accuracy was an issue even before surgery.

3. Jose Berrios, rhp

Scouting Report: Working closely with pitching coach Gary Lucas the past two seasons at low Class A Cedar Rapids and high Class A Fort Myers, Berrios has seen his confidence and mound presence blossom. An excellent athlete who fields his position and holds runners well, Berrios topped out at 98 mph, and his fastball typically sits at 92-94 and shows late life. Throwing from a three-quarters arm angle, Berrios’ slurvy breaking ball comes in at 80-82 mph, but he can vary the speed and break on it. Fully committing to his changeup, Berrios used it as an out-pitch, throwing as many as 20 per game. He skipped a start in early August with shoulder stiffness, but he established a career high with 140 innings.

4. Kohl Stewart, rhp

Scouting Report: Blessed with a strong, athletic frame and a clean delivery he repeats with ease, Stewart brandishes a 93-96 mph fastball that shows plus life. He also mixes in an occasional hard sinker but prefers to put hitters away with a mid-80s power slider that ranks among the best in the system. His other two pitches project to at least average but could still use some work. His curveball shows 12-to-6 action at its best, while his changeup remains inconsistent but has shown good sink and tumble. Perhaps because hitters could eliminate two pitches on many nights, Stewart’s strikeout rate was of 6.4 per nine innings was well off the pace for top Midwest League starters. He shows competitive fire and mound swagger that can grate on opponents and umpires alike.

5. Alex Meyer, rhp

Scouting Report: A towering 6-foot-9 and gangly, Meyer still struggles at times to repeat his delivery. Control remains an issue, as shown by a walk rate of 4.4 per nine innings. On the plus side, Meyer led all Twins starters with 10.6 strikeouts per nine, thanks to a double-plus four-seam fastball that sits at 95-98 mph and has touched 100. He mixes in a low-90s sinker with good armside run and a power knuckle-curve that shows good depth and finish at 84-87 mph. With the help of pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen, Meyer altered his changeup grip to more of a pitchfork style and had success turning over the pitch and generating sink and fade.

6. Nick Gordon, SS

Scouting Report: He shows outstanding instincts, work ethic and makeup and quickly named Derek Jeter on draft night as his ultimate role model. With soft, sure hands and a plus arm, Gordon made just eight errors and posted the highest fielding percentage (.964) of any Appy League shortstop. At the plate, he has the ability to hit for average and power with an advanced knack for driving the ball to the opposite field. He has plenty of present bat speed, but the Twins foresee more power as he gets stronger and learns to pull the ball. His raw speed is above average but it plays down a notch out of the box due to his big swing.

7. Nick Burdi, rhp

Scouting Report: Burdi famously hit 103 mph in the Cape Cod League, owning a powerful right arm that he hones with an unconventional program of super-long toss. With an 80 fastball on the 20-80 scouting scale, Burdi’s low-end velocity as a reliever is still 95-98 mph. His devastating 87-90 mph slider shows good tilt and slice. Burdi works on a changeup on the side, but so far has had no occasion to bring it into games. He stays in his max-effort delivery well, but Fort Myers pitching coach Gary Lucas had to monitor Burdi for those times when his elbow would drop or his hand would get on the side of the ball.

8. Jorge Polanco, if

Scouting Report: Reminding some of a young Tony Fernandez at the plate, Polanco uses the whole field and has already learned to turn on pitches on the inner half. Polanco has at least average speed but has a long way to go with his baserunning acumen. In particular, he struggles to read pickoff moves, as shown by his career success rate of just 55 percent on stolen-base attempts. Polanco made 35 errors this season at shortstop, though he has soft hands, an average arm and range that could improve to above-average as he learns to get better reads off the bat.

9. Trevor May, rhp

Scouting Report: Armed with one of the best changeups in the system and the ability to miss bats, May has a strong frame and a physical presence on the mound. His 92-94 mph four-seamer has some run when he keeps it down in the zone, but location can be a problem. He has a 76-78 mph curveball that he still features on occasion, and his 82-85 mph slider could be sharper. High pitch counts are a common refrain for May, who falls out of attack mode too frequently and sometimes labors to finish batters. He did a much better job of working in to righthanders, producing more weak contact on the ground.

10. Eddie Rosario, 2b/of

Scouting Report: Rosario’s hit tool ranks among the best in the system. He generates outstanding bat speed and plate coverage, flashing his hands through the zone and generating gap power, and he projects to hit a dozen or more home runs. Selectivity remains an issue with a skewed strikeout-to-walk ratio. Defensively, his footwork and range still need work at second base, where he logged just 18 games in 2014, but in the outfield he takes good routes and shows an above-average arm. A slightly above-average runner at his best, Rosario has been successful on just 54 percent of his stolen-base attempts the past three seasons.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Santana to Mets for Gomez, Humber, Mulvey, and Guerra.

Gomez traded for JJ Hardy. Hardy traded for Jim "Hammer of the Ghibbellines" Hooey and Brett Jacobson.

Humber eventually left as minor league free agent.

Mulvey traded for Jon Rauch, who left as un-compensated free agent.

Guerra left as minor league free agent.

I think I've said this before, but I'm not sure this trade gets made if Denard Span reveals himself as a valuable MLB centerfielder in 2007 instead of 2008. The Twins could have kept Santana and made the playoffs (we're going to assume he's worth the ONE win needed to avoid the play-in, right?), trying one last run before he reaches free agency. Then taken the two (at the time) compensation picks happily.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

>Gomez traded for JJ Hardy. Hardy traded for Jim "Hammer of the
>Ghibbellines" Hooey and Brett Jacobson.

gomez and hardy both go on to have nice years in different jerseys. in fact, i think they both make all-star teams?

>Humber eventually left as minor league free agent.

throws no-hitter, correct? it's one game, so not really disastrous, but i still chuckle that this guy tosses the gem NOT in a twins uniform.

>Mulvey traded for Jon Rauch, who left as un-compensated free
>agent.

meh.

>Guerra left as minor league free agent.

will do something spectacular, like, go lights out in the playoffs for a successful club. sweet.

>I think I've said this before, but I'm not sure this trade
>gets made if Denard Span reveals himself as a valuable MLB
>centerfielder in 2007 instead of 2008. The Twins could have
>kept Santana and made the playoffs (we're going to assume he's
>worth the ONE win needed to avoid the play-in, right?), trying
>one last run before he reaches free agency. Then taken the two
>(at the time) compensation picks happily.

*sigh ... breathes ... SIGH*

>gomez and hardy both go on to have nice years in different
>jerseys. in fact, i think they both make all-star teams?

Yep. Gomez is a legitimate star at this point, finding a plate approach that suits his actual strength and still tracking down everything in the outfield. He'd obviously be the pick, but I'd still be happy with Hardy, who is a 3.5-4 WAR player at a position the Twins desperately need filled.

>throws no-hitter, correct? it's one game, so not really
>disastrous, but i still chuckle that this guy tosses the gem
>NOT in a twins uniform.

Yeah. I laughed at that one when it happened. Had to grit my teeth a bit, but I knew he was just cooked. Rice University arms, man. Tooooooo many innings.

>meh.

Basically. Rauch was pretty okay for his time with the Twins, and Mulvey was like the shitty Nick Blackburn. So, win here? Nothing worth writing home about though.

>will do something spectacular, like, go lights out in the
>playoffs for a successful club. sweet.

The Pirates have turned around worse pitchers than Deolis Guerra. I'm almost afraid to watch.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Good. I'd love to see debuts early in 2015 from the first three names on the list. We haven't talked much about Wheeler, but he started to turn some heads by bumping that (left-handed) fastball up around 94 after tweaking his delivery with Miracle pitching coach Ivan Arteaga. He was previously working at "crafty lefty" velocities, but that's genuine heat from a southpaw. He also hardly walks anyone, starts, and hit his highest K/9 in AA.

Not really a big prospect to keep an eye on, but a possible real sleeper - and definitely the kind of late bloomer who gets picked in Rule 5 and stashed in the MLB bullpen.

Not a lot of potential damage in the exposed players. Jason Adams and Sean Gilmartin could go as bullpen pieces. Both were acquired in trades in the last year, for Arsenio Billingham and Ryan Doumit, respectively. I was surprised the Twins got either player, but their original teams probably saw this 40-man decision coming too. I'd be surprised if both got picked, and Gilmartin as a lefty is the more likely.

Levi Michael actually kind of gave us a "remember when he was a first round pick?" type of season and was left exposed, but an infielder who is liminal at shortstop and has one successful pro season under his belt would be a stretch. He could go if a team really sees something there, but I'd be surprised.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

I read an article on TwinsDaily the other day indicating that the Twins are punting like eight wins away on outfield defense. I'm ultimately going to be a child of my second baseball birth in the late 90s and early 00s - so if we're getting real bats across the board out there it'll be hard for me to admit that corner OF defense matters that much. But that's the way the game is trending.

I never got a real, hard answer on whether the Twins' punted on Eddie Rosario at second because he couldn't play there or because they actually acquired a fair amount of depth there with Dozier handling it as a valuable starter, Jorge Polanco in the minors, and a strong utility guy with Eduardo Escobar. Either way, a need for a strong defensive LFer is a much, much larger organizational need.

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/16014-article-twins-feel-prospect-eddie-rosario-close-to-major-league-ready/#entry294234

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

First truly outside hire for the new on-field regime. He comes from the Rays system, working most recently as pitching coach in AAA Durham. That's a pretty nice feather in his hat, actually. It's a strong system with a real, deliberate plan for pitchers who've managed to graduate a bunch of excellent arms (Archer, Odorizzi, Moore, McGee, etc.) to the majors in the last few years.

I read an article the other day about how big the AAA to MLB gap is getting. A coach who has a strong track record in a system that's managed that gap well for pitchers is somebody I'm happy to have around for all the pitchers coming through our system.

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/11/22/twinsights-neil-allen-gets-nod-twins-pitching-coach/

Twinsights: Neil Allen apparently gets the nod as Twins pitching coach
22 November, 2014 // Uncategorized // Tags :

Three weeks after selecting Paul Molitor as their new manager, the Twins finally got around to picking a pitching coach.

“From all indications” Neil Allen has edged out fellow finalist Carl Willis for the position, according to a source close to the process.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan called Willis on Friday night to inform him he had been eliminated, the source said.

A source close to Allen, however, insisted the former big-league closer had been told “absolutely nothing” about his candidacy as of Saturday evening. Allen, the source reiterated, had “not heard a thing.”

Allen, 56, is a former New York Yankees bullpen coach (2005) who spent the past eight seasons working in the Tampa Bay Rays system. The past four of those were as the pitching coach at Triple-A Durham, where he sent the likes of Chris Archer, Matt Moore, Jake Odorizzi and Jake McGee on to successful big-league transitions.

Sober since 1989, Allen overcame a bout with alcoholism that shortened his 11-year big-league pitching career. Two years ago, he lost his wife, Lisa, to an aneurysm in September 2012.

Frank Viola, MVP of the Twins’ 1987 World Series championship run, and minor league pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen also interviewed.

Rick Anderson held the role for the past 13 seasons under longtime friend Ron Gardenhire. But when Gardenhire was dismissed as manager on Sept. 29, Anderson was let go as well.

Allen was the New York Mets closer in the early 1980s, where he counted Gardenhire among his teammates. Ryan was working in the Mets organization at that same time as Midwest scouting supervisor, but Allen only met him in passing.

Willis spent the bulk of 11 seasons (2003-13) as a big-league pitching coach with the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners. During his tenure, those pitching staffs produced three Cy Young Award winners and 12 combined all-star selections by eight different pitchers.

Willis also had ties to the Twins’ championship history, working as a setup man for the 1991 World Series winners during a five-year stint under former manager Tom Kelly. Willis spent 2014 working as a special adviser with the Indians.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

or is that dictated more by FO/draft? the arms in the rotation/pen would also have a lot to say about how the philosophy is initially implemented, i guess.

just excited about something ... different.

But I like your second question in the sense that I think the real problem with the Twins' philosophy has been drafting/acquiring arms that feed so much into the pitch-to-contact philosophy. Pretty much any pitching coach will explicitly verify the importance of getting ahead in the count with fastballs.

When I think of the pitchers the Rays have developed, I think of guys who don't get to the major leagues until they've cut down on free passes (good, and Twins-like) but who absolutely aren't afraid of putting guys away with genuine swing-and-miss off-speed stuff (good, and not as much Twins-like). Having arms that can actually do that has been something the Twins have largely avoided lately.

I think he'll offer continuity in the sense that he wont disrupt what these pitchers have been taught in the lower minors through the system. But hopefully he'll be a useful voice in helping these guys find a way to get punchouts at the MLB level.

If we want an example of somebody who would have not likely made this turn as a Twin, take Jake Odorizzi. He was acquired by the Royals in the Greinke trade then flipped to Tampa Bay in the Shields trade. He was a first rounder from a cold-weather HS environment and spent his MiLB career profiling as a good, durable backend rotation option.

Until 2014, when he struck out more than a batter per inning in his first extended look at the MLB level. He's done so by hugely increasing the amount of changeups he's thrown - but largely as a setup pitch. He's getting strikeouts with his fastball.

That's not a thing that has happened under Rick Anderson (except for maybe Hughes, who came to Minnesota pretty well-formed) and it's hard to imagine it occurring with the insistence on burying every single pitch in the low/outside corner.

Furthermore, that change in approach seems not only intentional - but something that Odorizzi would have needed to develop over, say, the 124 innings he spent with Allen last year. Meyer and May and Berrios aren't going to have a lot of trouble missing bats. But I'd *love* to see what he can do with Gibson, who I think has way more swing and miss stuff than he's show, even when he's going good.

So yeah. I vote breath of fresh air, but also something that the front office will need to stay up on by acquiring arms up to the task.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Good. Carrying on in the proud tradition of David Ortiz and Eddie Guardado and, I've always assumed, Kent Hrbek.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egHMMFAZHgw&feature=youtu.be

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

I'm a bit nervous about how his defense has apparently looked the past couple seasons. It rated out as crazily bad. If there's anybody that I'd expect to fix that, it'd be Hunter. But he'll be 39 so maybe it's not fixable any longer. He can still hit though, his bat has proven incredible adaptable in the near-decade since he's left.

I guess the whole "vocal leadership" thing is secondary to me, particularly since if that's a thing which is important it will need to originate from the younger group of players. They can and/or should learn that, though. And Hunter's good at it. But if he can't track down balls in our big-ass leftfield, then does it matter?

http://blog.startribune.com/sports/randball/tfd-eddie-guardado-spending-thanksgiving-with-torii-hunter-trying-to-recruit-him-to-the-twins

TFD: Eddie Guardado spending Thanksgiving with Torii Hunter, trying to recruit him to the Twins

Posted by: Michael Rand Updated November 26th at 4:47pm 284021841 6 comments

guardadoWe had a good chat with former Twins pitcher and new bullpen coach Eddie Guardado today on a number of subjects for a future Page 2 story, but one nugget stood out as relevant for both amusement and news:

Guardado is spending Thanksgiving in Texas with old teammates LaTroy Hawkins and Torii Hunter. Guardado and Hawkins have remained close for years, and both are clearly still pals with Hunter. The interesting thing, of course, is that the Twins are said to be in pursuit of Hunter in free agency. So we naturally had to ask Guardado if he would be doing any recruiting while he was hanging out with his old teammate, and he didn’t shy away from the notion.

Said Guardado: “I’m trying. I’m trying. All we can do is try, right?”

Hunter’s defense has slipped in recent years, leading to questions about how much bringing him in would help (or hurt even more) a team that struggled mightily with outfield defense a year ago. It would clearly be a move based on offensive production and that intangible of clubhouse leadership.

“We have to start with the foundation,” Guardado said of the Twins, after talking about how much it hurt him to watch the team lose 90-plus games each of the past four years. “We have to get some leadership in that clubhouse — maybe a little bit more vocal. I’m not saying go in there and be a correctional officer, but what I’m saying is we need a couple of vocal guys. … That’s how you get better. It starts in the clubhouse. With a young team, it starts on the inside and works its way out. That’s how we did it.”
That sounds a lot like Hunter, we mentioned to Guardado.

“Oh, he’s definitely all about that. We’re trying to get him over here to be vocal, too. … Absolutely. That’s what we need.”

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

I get a weird surprise every time I look at Plouffe's line from last year. .258/.328/.423 in a tough hitters park with good defense is... a real life player. Good for 3.5 WAR. Josh Donaldson with less pop.

The defense actually isn't a surprise except that it took so long to develop. He had all the physical tools to succeed at shortstop, but was just bad at it. Call it footwork, I guess, if a guy has decent hands and a cannon for an arm. That matters at third too, but there's less variety required of you. But UZR had him sucking there in 2012 and 2013, so I'd kind of given up on him ever being good there.

This matters for Sano's eventual succession. Trevor Plouffe v.2012-2013 is a perfectly "meh" placeholder. Trevor Plouffe v.2014 is the sort of player who creates the good kind of "two stars one timeslot" problem. Sano's injury makes it virtually impossible for him to break camp with the big club, but which Trevor Plouffe shows up in 2015 could actually kind of lick our current plan of "Sano becomes great and we kick Plouffe in the balls and push him off the wagon."

The best answer for that is a trade. I'd be kind of curious to see how much he has now, since we've had two third basemen (I'm counting Hanley here) get multi-year 90+mm contracts from the same team, Chase Headley become the target of a mini-bidding war, and Josh Donaldson get moved for three cost-controlled players and a high-upside SS prospect. The Twins don't seem very likely to jump on that, but all the 3B shuffle means there are a lot of teams losing out on their targets.

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/heres-the-thing-about-trevor-plouffe-hes-pretty-good-actually/

Here’s the Thing about Trevor Plouffe: He’s Pretty Good, Actually
by Brandon Warne - October 31, 2014

Plouffe ranked 10th in Zach Sanders’ third base rankings.

A pleasant development in another otherwise-dreary Minnesota Twins season was the rounding into form of Trevor Plouffe. In fact, Plouffe’s +3.5 WAR this year isn’t only easily his finest season, it actually pushes him to just +3.1 for a career mark.

Or in other words, he was below zero prior to this season.

The funny thing is, without digging a bit deeper, Plouffe’s 2014 doesn’t look wildly different from what he has done before.

Plouffe hit .258/.328/.423, good for a .331 wOBA which rates him 11th among qualified third basemen, behind Aramis Ramirez but ahead of guys like Pablo Sandoval, Evan Longoria, Chase Headley, David Wright, Nick Castellanos and Xander Bogaerts.

But Plouffe’s career mark is .245/.309/.415, and he’s actually slugged much higher than .423 before — .455 in 2012 — so what’s the big deal about this year that has made him so much better? Well, part of it is defense, which quite frankly we don’t care much about here. Well, that’s not entirely true. We should care about defense as a function of if Plouffe can stick at third long-term, which was never believed to be the case for a number of reasons prior to this season.

A big part of it was Miguel Sano’s impending promotion, which seems to be still about a year off, and perhaps not even at third base. Sano was always going to be interesting at the hot corner given his size and consistency issues. But Plouffe’s emergence could allow the Twins to move the beast elsewhere, including first base — if Joe Mauer can play elsewhere — designated hitter, or as Terry Ryan ever so briefly hinted this offseason, the outfield.

Yikes.

But again all we really care about is where Plouffe plays, because his bat profiles much better at third than in the outfield. The gap isn’t as big as you’d think, though. Third basemen on the whole had a .316 wOBA this year, while outfielders checked in at .319. And Plouffe, by all accounts, improved drastically defensively at third base this year.

Plouffe’s biggest gains offensively came in two places. First was the walks, where he set a career-high with a 9.1 percent walk rate. “I’ve just worked on letting the ball get deeper,” Plouffe told me in late April, “and not being afraid to get beat by a good fastball.”

It was something that showed in Plouffe’s early season batted-ball rates as well, as he was racking up more hits to the opposite field than in the years before. Plouffe didn’t sustain that all year, but did have more well-struck balls the other way — eight opposite field doubles compared to just five (with a home run) in 2013 — and it appears the discipline was more permanent than the oppo pop. By monthly walk rate, Plouffe’s best months were April and September, though there was a pretty significant drop in the middle, almost exactly like a valley between two peaks which no doubt coincided with some of his worst offensive months of the season. Plouffe’s ‘best’ OPS in those lean months was .640, which seems to draw an obvious tie to discipline — or at the very least limiting strikeouts — as a big part of his game.

The other thing Plouffe was able to do for the first time in his big league career was hit righties. No, Plouffe wasn’t nearly as good against righties — .249/.318/.420 — as lefties — .278/.353/.430 — but for the first time he managed to at least show a pulse against them. In 2013, Plouffe hit just .240/.290/.373 against them. In 2012, .232/.285/.406. But by basically putting up his current career line against righties, Plouffe finally was able to look like a better rounded, competent big league hitter for the first time perhaps ever, especially when considering how much of his 2012 line is buoyed by arguably the most ridiculous power hitting stretch we have seen in the past five years.

Admittedly, Plouffe’s good season sort of snuck up on me. When he was hit by a pitch and broke his arm in the final days of the season, it was at that time that you really stop and look at his season line and realize that he was having quite a nice year, especially thanks to his very good August and September numbers.

There’s no real telling if the walk rate is for real; it waxed and waned in 2014 but held a pretty good correlation with when he was productive and when he wasn’t. And that doesn’t appear to be lost on him either.

Sanders’ rankings pegged him as a $7 player this past season, and honestly I think you can probably get him for close to that this year. I don’t think there’s a lot of buzz around him, and that’s probably fair since a number of his improvements don’t help 5×5 leaguers much, for instance, but I think he could probably be a pretty good bet to repeat the batting average, and 14 home runs is by no means his ceiling. In terms of raw power, there is plenty here. In fact he led third basemen this year with 40 doubles, so some variance could get him back in the 20 home run range, a mark only five third sackers reached this season.

Plouffe isn’t going to be a superstar, and if he regresses against righties might again be a platoon bat, but I still think given the third base landscape you can do a lot worse.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

The evidence in support of this is that they gave a 35 year old first baseman a 2/25mm deal and are apparently pursuing Jeff Samardzija, a free agent after 2015, in a trade.

So what does that mean?

a)the White Sox are still run by stupidheads
b)this division is open and the Twins should take a shot at it
c)this division is open but teams that win 69 games shouldn't take a shot at anything but that tough 70 win mark

I don't actually think the Royals are good enough to plan for over a 162 game season. And I think that the Tigers are still good enough to expect three out of five wins for six full months. So that's one more year of the same dynamic we've been in for awhile.

I don't think the White Sox are being dumb though. The Tigers' window is closing, and I think that argument can be shared by reasonable growned-ups on how closed it is. So I choose "c". Unless I'm wrong about the Royals (which is beyond plausible) then the Twins are the best positioned team to win in 2016+. 2015 has the potential as a nice consolidation year to:

a)get quality MLB debuts out of some combination of Sano, Rosario, Meyer, and Buxton.

b)take a crack at 80 wins and, ideally, something resembling meaningful games in August

c)establish further trade value for guys about to get expensive/old like Plouffe, Dozier, Hughes, etc.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

If you were wondering whether he writes novels as well as he writes weird, evocative folk rawk songs, the answer is "yes." It's incredibly confident in its pacing and has a sort of photo-negative-Ulysses scope where, instead of creation emanating from an author's mind it is being dragged bit by bit *into* an author's mind. Beautifully done. I'm really enjoying it, though it's obviously headed somewhere huge so I guess I could change my mind.

I have now had four chapters of my dissertation basically approved for a defense. It's the first real progress I've had in... years. But that means shit is going to get grim pretty soon. In honor of this delightfully nerve-wracking non-accomplishment, here is a speed/defense Twins lineup that we could see in 2015:

1. Danny Santana, SS
2. Brian Dozier, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, 1B
4. Kennys Vargas, DH
5. Oswaldo Arcia, RF
6. Trevor Plouffe, 3B
7. Eddie Rosario, 2B
8. Aaron Hicks, CF
9. Josmil Pinto, C

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Go crazy. If you think his defense can rebound, this could be good. If you don't, this could be meh-to-bad. Something seems right about it to me, though. And my wife is happy because she loves Torii Hunter. So... there you go.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/blogs/284552451.html

He's baaack. Torii Hunter agrees to contract with Twins
Posted by: La Velle E. Neal III

For the second consecutive offseason, the Twins are reaching back to their past in an attempt to alter the culture of losing.

This time, they are bringing back the key figure in their surge during the 2000s.

Torii Hunter, a five-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and fan favorite, has agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million contract to return to the club with which he broke into the majors. The Twins are expected to announce the deal after Hunter passes a physical exam.

Hunter last played for the Twins in 2007 before leaving as a free agent to sign a five-year, $90 million contract with the Angels. He spent the past two seasons with Detroit, earning $13 million a season. He batted .286 last season with 17 home runs and 83 RBI last season.

The Twins had to win a battle to land Hunter, as several teams, including Kansas City, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Texas and Atlanta, had expressed interest. One report had the Twins outbidding Texas to land him.

Hunter is 39. How much he has left in the tank is a valid question. But he was interested in finishing his career with the Twins, and the Twins could use his veteran savvy to influence some of their younger players. Even if his production drops off, he still could he useful as an unofficial player-coach.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

1. It provides right-handed pop (.160 isoP in 2014)
2. It provides contact (15.3% K rate in 2014)
3. something something leadership*
4. I still reserve the possibility that it can provide defense, though it would require a severe reversal of his current trend
5. It could make somebody like Arcia or Hicks tradeable%
6. It gives the Twins a reason not to push Rosario

*that's not unimportant, even if I think the press tends to overstate it. Hunter came up with a huge wave of prospects that learned how to win on the fly, together. I think that's more important than being taught by a 40 year old, but there's room for a both/and.

%please no to Arcia. He's my favorite current Twin.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Would we really trade someone because of a vet on a one year deal?

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

>Would we really trade someone because of a vet on a one year
>deal?

Not to make room for Hunter so much as Hunter would be cushioning the blow on something they'd already planned, if that makes sense. It sounds like the team wants him to play rightfield, which was Arcia's position last year - even if he played it badly.

Or... eh. I'm trying to talk myself down from what people have been speculating on other Twins' boards. There was a weird article about the Mets trying to trade young, cost-controlled pitchers and getting no traction which, as you can probably guess, is pretty rare. The story was that every team in the league right now thinks they have pitching but they need bats. Arcia is a cost-controlled bat, but I don't think he's even near the peak of his value and I desperately hope the Twins realize that he has star potential and is close to realizing it.

I guess my hope is that Butch Davis (new 1B coach hire who is expected to work with outfielders) gets our terrible outfield defense in order and that Arcia returns to the at-least-average defensive outfielder that I saw playing for New Britain just a couple summers ago. Hunter wont be around for more than a year, but in the short term I'm fine with Arcia moving to left (even though there's more ground to cover) in deference to Hunter and perhaps also taking some DH time while Kennys Vargas keeps developing. Jordan Schafer is a perfectly excellent defensive replacement and 4th outfielder. So we'd be looking at something like this:

1. Danny Santana - SS
2. Torii Hunter - RF
3. Joe Mauer - 1B
4. Oswaldo Arcia - DH
5. Brian Dozier - 2B
6. Trevor Plouffe - 3B
7. Kurt Suzuki - C
8. Aaron Hicks - CF
9. Jordan Schafer - LF

Josmil Pinto can split time at DH and catcher while Arcia splits time at DH, LF, and RF. Schafer will play a lot, but be basically a bench player. Ditto Eduardo Escobar. It's a nice, deep offensive lineup. But I love Arcia and sincerely hope that my worry is unfounded.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Do you think Arcia would someday be moved to first? If Mauer goes down for the year or something?

------

12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

In the longterm, I think the Twins would slot him behind Vargas and then Sano if he outgrows third. I think Arcia is going to be a better hitter than Vargas is, so maybe that first one wont happen. So it's probably a possible destination for him, but I assume they'd prefer to see him in the outfield.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

>1. It provides right-handed pop (.160 isoP in 2014)
>2. It provides contact (15.3% K rate in 2014)

fine.

>3. something something leadership*

i'm with you.

>4. I still reserve the possibility that it can provide
>defense, though it would require a severe reversal of his
>current trend

centerfield has to be RIGHT OUT. is there a particular corner which would treat torii better at target field? can hicks, or whoever is playing CF for us, provide some cover as well?

>5. It could make somebody like Arcia or Hicks tradeable%

NO. NO. NO. NOOOOOOOOOOO. PLEASE. GOD. NO. signing a 39 yo player for one year to trade prospects is a capital offense in some countries.

>6. It gives the Twins a reason not to push Rosario

giving minor league prospects a year of cushion is cool with me.

>%please no to Arcia. He's my favorite current Twin.

yup.

I'll say this about the leadership thing. If you want a sign that the Twins:

a)want Hicks to work out
b)hope to promote Buxton to MLB this year
c)both

Then signing Hunter is a good indication

>centerfield has to be RIGHT OUT. is there a particular corner
>which would treat torii better at target field? can hicks, or
>whoever is playing CF for us, provide some cover as well?

So, I looked at what may have caused his huge plummet in defensive stats. Fangraphs features some breakdowns from a company called "inside edge" that looks at how frequently a player makes plays which are categorized as "impossible," "remote," "unlikely," "likely," and "routine". Those categories are based on how often those balls in play are turned into outs league-wide. Comparing him to widely acknowledged super-outfielder Alex Gordon, he's trailing where you'd expect - a comparative difficulty making "remote" and "unlikely" plays. He's old now. That's probably not coming back. But Hunter weirdly only made 97.6% of "routine" plays, the easiest category and 88% of "likely" plays. The second easiest.

Based on that, and Ceej's observation that his defense was terrible last year (because, though I mostly trust Ceej as an observer, that evaluation is most likely to come by noticing somebody fucking up easy plays rather than failing to make slightly difficult ones) then I think there's *some* room if we want to imagine that he had a hard time with reads in Tiger Stadium and that may be better (or not) in Minnesota.

It just seems so disonant to me that his defense could legitimately fall so far, because say what you will about Hunter, but he never came into a season physically unprepared. I actually think the more spacious leftfield would be a good look for him, but if he's going to be in the field regularly then wherever he's comfortable seems best. Arcia was shitty at right last year, but does have a plus arm. I'd rather not give him MORE real estate to handle while taking away his one defensive asset - but as I've said, I've seen him cover ground well before so many it doesn't matter.

>NO. NO. NO. NOOOOOOOOOOO. PLEASE. GOD. NO. signing a 39 yo
>player for one year to trade prospects is a capital offense in
>some countries.

Agreed. Entirely.

>giving minor league prospects a year of cushion is cool with
>me.

Rosario's had a nice re-ascent from dumbass who got busted smoking weed TWICE and failed at his position change to "guy who can hit and maybe cover a position we need that isn't the one we thought we needed."

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

>Rosario's had a nice re-ascent from dumbass who got busted
>smoking weed TWICE and failed at his position change to "guy
>who can hit and maybe cover a position we need that isn't the
>one we thought we needed."

michael cuddyer ... ON WEED! (c) jon stewart

I'd like to credit my father for teaching me that hardly anybody cares about my opinion, and that even in the company of those very few people who do, I should consider things carefully before deciding that what I think is worth sharing.

Thanks, Walleye's dad.

http://deadspin.com/anti-gay-bigot-torii-hunter-calls-reporter-prick-four-1666585947

Anti-Gay Bigot Torii Hunter Calls Reporter "Prick" Four Times

Kevin Draper

Torii Hunter is an anti-gay bigot. This is something he has proven with his own words on multiple occasions. Yesterday, at the press conference to announce the one-year, $10.5 million deal he signed to return to the Minnesota Twins, beat writer Mike Berardino of the Saint Paul Pioneer-Press asked him about those beliefs—specifically, in the context of how Hunter thought supporting Arkansas Republican Governor-elect Asa Hutchinson in his recent election had affected his free agency.

Hunter's response:

You got some people who are just messy, you know? So, no. It is something I don't like to talk about, but Republican Party, Democratic Party, separated, divided we fall. Simple as that. We just go with the best person that's good for the situation. And I'm from Arkansas and I know what's that, that's all. This has nothing to do with being a Democrat or a Republican, just make sure you make the right decision. That's it.

Berardino then followed-up and asked Hunter directly if he would continue espousing his anti-gay beliefs publicly, and if he would answer questions about them from reporters in the future. Hunter's response:

No I mean, nah. There's nothing to talk about. You already know, so why keep talking about it. I said it? It is what it is. No, I'm not going to talk about it if you bring it up. It's not even baseball related. We can do that later, when a retire, then I'll tell you everything.

A few seconds later, during a lull in the press conference, Hunter decided to tell everybody what he thought of Berardino and his questions (at the 1:47 mark above):

Hey Mike is kind of a prick huh? No, seriously, you're a prick man. I don't even know you. You're a prick. Seriously. Ain't nothing wrong with that man, that's your job. He's definitely a prick though.
Berardino later issued this statement about the incident to KARE11:

The purpose of my final two questions posed to Twins outfielder Torii Hunter at today's news conference was not to make him feel uncomfortable or to force him to expound on his previously stated views on gay marriage.

Rather, having read the strong criticism directed toward him on social media and via Deadspin.com in light of his recent endorsement of Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, which included a comment related to gay marriage, I wanted to give Mr. Hunter an opportunity to respond to his critics.

I also asked him if he thought the political backlash might have impacted his recent job search as he eventually settled for a one-year contract at a 19-percent decrease in his average annual salary. Finally, I asked Mr. Hunter if he intended to be as open with his political and religious views moving forward after having gone through this recent experience.

I asked the same questions a few minutes later of Katrina Hunter, his wife, and she offered well-reasoned answers that did not include insults at my expense. I published her complete answers, as well as those of her husband, on my Twins Now blog at TwinCities.com.

Regardless, I consider the unfortunate matter closed and I look forward to covering Mr. Hunter throughout the 2015 baseball season.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Some of the players actually mentioned here are good, which is a nice change of pace from hiring bad baseball players. I think buying on Pittsburgh pitchers seems like a case of missing the point - Pittsburgh has put a really great defense behind some of these guys. And the Twins... would not, really. Though our infield defense could actually be okay. In any case, one year deals for some of these pitchers sound like they could be pretty fruitful - even punting on a second round pick for Liriano, I'd be okay with.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/285037651.html

Twins have interest in bringing back Liriano
Article by: LA VELLE E. NEAL III , Star Tribune Updated: December 7, 2014 - 8:53 PM

SAN DIEGO – In case you haven’t noticed, the Twins have been on an alumni reunion kick in recent years. Now they are interested in bringing back a former pitcher.

Two sources with knowledge of the Twins’ offseason plans have confirmed that the club continues to be interested in lefthander Francisco Liriano, who was traded away in 2010 when he underperformed but has since stabilized his career with Pittsburgh.

The Twins contacted Liriano’s agent, Greg Genske, at the start of free agency and remain in touch. Liriano, however, is expected to have several teams interested in him, and according to reports, the Pirates are interested in re-signing him. Another hurdle will be that Pittsburgh will be due draft pick compensation if Liriano signs with another club. That’s a road the Twins, who live off of drafting and development, have never gone down.

Liriano, 31, went 23-18 with a 3.20 ERA in two seasons with Pittsburgh. He got off to a rocky start there when he agreed to a two-year contract but had it voided when he broke his right arm during the offseason and failed his physical. He ended up redoing the deal, earning $1 million in 2013 and $6 million last season. He’s likely looking for a contract in the $10 million-12 million range, which is the going rate for solid pitching on the free-agent market.

In seven years with the Twins, Liriano was 50-52 with a 4.33 ERA. He went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and was named to the All-Star team in 2006. Just when the Twins though they had a one-two punch in Liriano and Johan Santana, Liriano missed all of 2007 because of Tommy John surgery. He was 14-10 with a 3.62 ERA in 2010 but was never as dominant as he was in 2006.

But he was close in 2013, his first year with the Pirates, going 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA.

Other possibilities

The same agency that represents Liriano also represents lefthander Brett Anderson, another pitcher the Twins are eyeing.

Indications are that the Twins will meet with Anderson’s agent on Monday.

Anderson, 26, is talented but has battled injuries throughout his career. He wouldn’t command as much money as Liriano.

He was 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA in eight starts with Colorado last season. He would not cost the Twins a draft pick either.

The Twins also have inquired about righthander Edinson Volquez, who was 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA with Pittsburgh last season. Again, the Pirates appear to be interested in bringing him back.

And, as they continue to wear out the alumni angle, the Twins have expressed interest in righthander Pat Neshek, the Park Center product who pitched for the Twins in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Neshek, 34, was an All-Star last season with the Cardinals, posting a 1.87 ERA in 71 games,

More than 12 clubs have called about Neshek since the start of free agency.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Yes, please.

http://twinsdaily.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/why-i-am-excited-to-see-miguel-sano-as-a-twin-and-why-you-should-be-too-r3239

Why I am excited to see Miguel Sano as a Twin... and why you should be too
Dec 08 2014 05:21 PM | AJPettersen in Minor Leagues
Hopefully this story can bring you a little cheer for the holiday season, baseball season is right around the corner, hang in there!

While we all expected Miguel Sano to debut last season, we are still waiting to see him at Target Field. Having played with him for about 250 games, I have seen him do some incredible things. Here is why I am excited to see him in a Twins uniform and also why I think you will love watching him play in Minneapolis for many years.

This is a two-part story and it is probably my favorite memory from my time playing with Sano.
It started in Fort Myers playing the St. Louis Cardinals' High-A affiliate, Palm Beach. We were down a couple of runs late in the game when Sano came up with the bases loaded. With a penchant for dramatic situations, he promptly launched a grand slam deep into the Florida night off of this lanky, slinging righty. He probably stood at home plate a little too long and neither the pitcher, nor the opposing pitching coach, liked that very much. They exchanged words as he crossed home and later as he trotted out to the field the next inning. Things settled and the event ended without anything further. We all had thought it was over.

Fast forward two weeks and we were in Palm Beach playing the Cardinals at their place. We had a big lead early in the game and the lanky, slinging righty came out of the pen for some mop-up innings. Sano was the first batter he faced. All of us had forgotten what had happened a couple of weeks prior, except the pitcher, pitching coach… and of course, Sano.

The pitcher proceeded to throw the first pitch right at his head, missing only slightly. Throwing at one of our top prospects wasn’t OK, so some choice words were exchanged between dugouts and the field. Sano stepped out calmly, stared down the pitching coach and the pitcher and stepped back in. When the count got to 3-1, the lanky righty threw a meatball and Sano angrily launched a towering blast to left center, spiked his bat, stood at home, and screamed a mix of expletives in English and in Spanish before walking towards first base. He was immediately ejected, which made Doug Mientkiewicz explode from his third base coach’s box.

The picture that is seared into my memory is Sano coming around third, a look of anger mixed with a smirk, as Doug is being ejected just inside the foul line.

I have never seen someone hit home runs on command like Miguel does.

That memory is one of many reasons I am excited to see Sano in Minneapolis. Not only is he a bubbly personality and a genuinely nice guy, he cares and he will bring a ton of excitement to the Twins, I know you will agree when you get the chance to see him play next summer. I promise you won’t be disappointed -- he is worth the wait.

I wrote an article for the Prospect Handbook with a few lasting memories and lessons learned through my time in pro ball, it is being released soon, so check it out when it is! More information will be available later this week here at Twins Daily.

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"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

didn't mietnkeaggyew89127359azeieczw suspend sano after this? or something like this? or am i getting sano crossed with another player.

all the same, i love the story. miguel MEJOR.

New Britain manager Jeff Smith, who is known as kind of an old-school grouch, benched him for a couple games after admiring a homerun a bit too much.

I think the Twins organization was largely "fuck that guy" about the pitcher in question. It was cool hearing Petterson's account because I always sort of wonder how that stuff plays with teammates. Apparently, the answer is "well."

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

I like him, though I doubt the pricetag will result in anything but me grinding my teeth for three to four years. Not my money, though. It'd have been cool if they'd picked him up a couple years ago when the Angels wanted to non-tender him and his cost was basically roster space. But now he's been good for two years in a row.

http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/12/10/twinsights-twins-vying-three-teams-ervin-santana/

SAN DIEGO — The Twins have made the final four for Ervin Santana.

According to a person with direct knowledge, the veteran right-hander has narrowed his list of contenders to a quartet that includes the Twins and reigning World Series-champion San Francisco Giants.

While the Twins had yet to make a formal offer as of Wednesday afternoon, they were in the process of preparing one, the source said.

A meeting between Santana’s representatives and the Giants took place Wednesday afternoon at the Manchester Grant Hyatt, site of baseball’s annual Winter Meetings.

Despite recent chatter, the Twins have been assured they won’t have to go to five years in order to sign Santana, who turns 32 on Friday. They offered him $33 million over three years at the start of spring training, but he opted to take a one-year, $14.1 million deal from the Atlanta Braves instead.

This time around, Santana is believed to be looking for a four-year deal in the range of $65 million. He and his representative, Jay Alou, are well aware the Twins gave Ricky Nolasco a four-year, $49 million deal last offseason.

Edwin Jackson’s disastrous deal the previous winter with the Chicago Cubs (four years, $52 million) is another hurdle Santana’s suitors will be expected to clear.

Santana has made 30 or more starts the past five seasons and in seven of his past nine years in the majors. His velocity remained in the 93-95 mph range all season in 2014, when he went 14-10 with a 3.95 earned run average and fell just four innings shy of his sixth career 200-inning season.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Even though it happened twice last year, I still really don't have the language to process big money deals on starters. I've always been a little surprised he didn't strike out more guys, because his stuff *looks* big. He actually did strike out more last year, in his first try at the NL. I suppose facing pitchers twice a game helps, but he's been doing enough other stuff right (outside of his 2012 disaster year) that it seems reasonable to speculate on 2-3 WAR per year over the first couple years of the deal.

It also gives the Twins options with their developing pitchers. Right now, the rotation looks 4/5th set with Nolasco, Hughes, Gibson, and Santana. But Nolasco might not have that long a leash if he keeps sucking. And May and Meyer can compete for that last spot and/or taking over from anybody faltering.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/12/twins-nearing-deal-with-ervin-santana.html

Twins To Sign Ervin Santana
By Jeff Todd
The Twins have agreed to a four-year, $55MM deal with free agent starter Ervin Santana. The pact includes a $14MM option for a fifth year that will vest if he throws 200 innings in 2018. He will earn $13.5MM annually over the guaranteed portion of the deal.

MLB: Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves

Santana, of course, settled for a one-year deal with the Braves last year at the value of the qualifying offer. By acting more quickly this time around, he was able to secure the multi-year pact he was looking for. Minnesota will need to give up a pick to add Santana, but will be able to hold onto its protected first-rounder.

He earned that payday by following up his excellent 2013 campaign with a solid effort last year. Santana threw 196 innings for Atlanta, posting a 3.95 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 and a 42.7% groundball rate. But there were signs that he was even better than his results, as FIP (3.39), xFIP (3.47), and SIERA (3.63) all liked his work.

Those numbers led MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes to predict that the 31-year-old righty would land a four-year, $56MM deal, and that is very nearly exactly what happened. As Dierkes noted, the Twins pursued Santana last year and clearly liked his arm.

Santana joins a staff that already features several arms from last year’s free agent market, including Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes. Minnesota will hope for an improvement from that group, which posted the league’s second-worst cumulative ERA last year. Several young arms are expected to begin moving into the big league mix as well, with the team likely hoping its open market spending will join up with the rise of a much-heralded overall prospect group.

Also of note is the fact that the AL Central continues to be a division to watch. The White Sox have announced their intention to contend and the Indians are a rising team that just added Brandon Moss. And that’s all before considering the big-spending Tigers and World Series runner-up Royals.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

what's up with blocking all our farm talent? at least hunter was a one year deal.

May and Meyer may be ready, but I think they like the idea of making them earn a job by being good rather than being just simply the fifth best. Nolasco's leash probably isn't as long as his contract would indicate. He'll be in the pen if he sucks, and since he didn't seem happy last year and usable pitching is at a premium, he'll be dealable if he doesn't suck. If Hughes looks like he might be tough to extend before the team is good enough to match his performance, then maybe he's tradeable.

Soooo, I guess I'm part with you. I wanted both of May and Meyer in the rotation to start the year with Berrios knocking on the door. But even in a good, injury-free year a team is going to use 8-9 starters. So hedging their bets with somebody good like Santana instead of relying on, say, Tommy Milone to return to not sucking is maybe the smart play.

Not sexy, though.

______________________________

"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Didn't seem right but was hoping the M's would get him

Because Mauer's was certainly bigger

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12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey

I think Josh Willingham's 3/21mm is still the largest for an external free agent position player. And Hunter's average annual value on his 1/10.5 is the largest they've payed in one season for a position player as an external free agent.

We're still mostly playing with 2001 bucks.

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"Walleye, a lot of things are going to go wrong in your life that technically aren't your fault. Always remember that this doesn't make you any less of an idiot"

--Walleye's Dad

Will there even be room in the rotation by 2017?

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12 play and 12 planets are enlighten for all the Aliens to Party and free those on the Sex Planet-maxxx

XBL: trkc21
Twitter: @tyrcasey