Monday, September 15, 2014

Trevor May can

Trevor May delivers what was
presumably a curve ball (note the
index finger tucked in) during
his stellar start Sunday.
I caught part of a Terry Ryan interview on the radio pregame Sunday in which he essentially challenged Trevor May to get deeper into games. Cory Provus had suggested seven or eight innings; the general manager said as part of his response: "I'd like to see a complete game."

Well, by that standard, May was a bit of a disappointment. On pretty much every other level, he was outstanding: Six innings, five hits, NO walks, 10 strikeouts.

Yes, he gave up three runs. The White Sox bunched their hits to good effect in the fourth.

But no walks and 10 strikeouts? Yeah, that's pretty darn good.

To be sure, he inflicted a lot of those strikeouts on the bottom half of the order, and several of those players are no more established big leaguers than May is. One start under those conditions doesn't establish a whole lot.

The fact remains that he entered the game with 19 walks allowed and 24 strikeouts in the majors, a horrid ratio. Now he's at 19 walks and 34 strikeouts -- still not a good ratio, but approaching acceptability.

I don't know where or how May fits into the 2015 pitching plans. The Twins have, in Phil Hughes, Ricky Nolasco, Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone and Mike Pelfrey, five starters with seniority and/or salaries rank them ahead of May. They have, in Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios, two prospects generally considered to have higher ceilings.

But I've seen enough of Pelfrey to know I'd rather see May. And if Sunday's throw-strikes May is the May we see going forward, that might be true of all those first five except Hughes.

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