More bullpen shuffle

Jim Hoey threw 18
pitches Monday,
14 for strikes.

Jim Hoey looked good in his Twins debut Monday night, getting the last out of the seventh and breezing through the eighth. Jose Mijares was less impressive (six pitches, only two strikes) and definitely has to rank behind Glen Perkins in the bullpen heirarchy.

There certainly remain reasons to be skeptical of the idea of Perkins and Hoey as the primary set-up men, but the struggles of Joe Nathan and Mijares meant someone else had to be given the opportunity to get the big outs late. As long as Hoey and Perkins get those outs, all is well -- and both have the arms to do it, they merely lack the resume.

And now Alex Burnett has been shipped back out and Eric Hacker recalled. Hacker was pretty lousy in spring training, but he's pitched well in Rochester — 11 shutout innings, 10 strikeouts and no walks — and he makes more sense as the long man than Burnett does.

Eric Hacker made his
major league debut
in 2009 with Pittsburgh

Bullpen roles in progress:

Closer: Matt Capps
Setup 1: Perkins
Lefty 1: Mijares
MR1/SU2: Hoey
Lefty 2: Dusty Hughes
MR2: Nathan
Long: Hacker

Bullpen candidate profile: Eric Hacker

Eric Hacker has three
major league innings
on his resume,
with Pittsburgh in
2009.

Pitcher: Eric Hacker
Throws: Right
Age: Turns 28 later this month
Roster status: On the 40-man roster; probably has option left
Chance of making team: Slim

Eric Hacker was named pitcher of the year in the Pacific Coast League last season, an honor that is not to be confused with being reckoned the best pitching prospect.

He went 16-8, 4.51 for Fresno, the Giants' Triple A team; the ERA, in the overall context of the hitter-happy PCL, isn't bad, but his key component ratios aren't nearly as impressive.

The Giants didn't need his help last season; they used a mere seven starters, and one of them made just one start. Basically, they replaced Todd Wellemeyer halfway through the season with Madison Bumgartner; the other four starters (Tim Lincecum. Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Barry Zito) made 33 starts apiece. Hacker didn't get so much as a September callup; he may not even have been on the 40-man roster.

That won't be an obstacle for him with the Twins; they signed him to a major-league deal early this offseason, a move that many outsiders found curious and would be completely inexplicable if he's out of options.  Despite his presence on the 40-man roster, he appears to be another piece of Triple-A depth brought in from the outside.

I rather expect Hacker to be a relatively early cut this spring. He figures to be in the Rochester rotation, perhaps the first starter in line for a call-up if needed, and as such will need to be stretched out this spring.

He's not, as matters stand. Plan B for the Twins rotation; Plan B will be whichever of the established starters winds up in the bullpen. He may not even be Plan C; it could be him, it could be Jeff Manship. And it's expected that by midseason Kyle Gibson will be deemed ready for the majors.

He's more a rotation candidate than bullpen candidate, and there's no room in that inn either.

Hacking at pitching depth

The Twins  on Tuesday signed minor-league free agent Eric Hacker to a major-league contract, which means he has a spot on the 40-man roster.

Eric Hacker was 16-8, 4.51 for the Fresno Grizzlies
(Giants Triple A team) in 2010 and was named the
PCL pitcher of the year.

This has been greeted with some consternation in the Twins' blogging community — not so much signing Hacker as expending the roster spot. He's 28; he's had all of three major league innings; his 2010 season, while good in context (the Pacific Coast League is hell on pitchers), wasn't eye-popping; he's bounced from the Yankees to the Pirates to the Giants ... on the face of it, he's the kind of arm who gets a minor league deal with an invite to major league camp.

This signing comes with no less than seven members of the Twins bullpen of 2010 going into free agency. It also comes on the heels of a season in which almost nobody on the Twins Triple A or Double A staffs impressed.

I don't see Hacker as a rotation possibility for the big league club. I do see some parallels between him and the minor league career of Matt Guerrier. Guerrier was, like Hacker, a minor league starter who had some success but was seen as being just slightly lacking as a starter. (One of my favorite Guerrier facts, one that I've not had opportunity to use: He was one of three pitchers in the 2000-2009 decade to have an 18-win season in the minors.) 

Now, Guerrier didn't emerge immediately as a crucial bullpen cog, and I don't expect Hacker will either. He might be the long man; he might not make the big league club.

He adds to the organization's pitching options, and right now, they need some.