Friday, April 15, 2016

Please, no panic moves

David Murphy was in training camp with the Red Sox
this spring after splitting 2015 between Cleveland and Anaheim.
Oh and nine.

At the end of the weekend series in Kansas City, Paul Molitor said the Twins' 0-6 record "stares you in the face." Since then the Twins have lost three more games while scoring a total of two runs. An 0-9 record doesn't blink either.

The Twins on Thursday morning announced the signing of David Murphy to a minor league contract. Murphy is a 34-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder with 10 major league seasons on his resume, mostly with Texas. He was in spring training with the Red Sox and cut loose at the end of training camp.

Murphy is to report to the Rochester Red Wings, and the general expectation is that he will not be long for Triple A, that he will be quickly called up to the big club.

If that happens, it fits my conception of a panic move, a move to do something regardless of whether it makes sense. Oh and nine can do that to an organization. Oh and nine can rob it of its confidence and certainty. Oh and nine can make it at least temporarily irrational, if not insane. 

Terry Ryan and his colleagues decided this winter that an outfield of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Oswaldo Arcia and Danny Santana is good enough to contend. Are they really ready to declare that plan defunct less than two weeks in? And if so, are they really going to try to fix it with a player a decade older than any of that fivesome, much less Max Kepler?

It's possible that Rosario's plate discipline issues have indeed become too great a problem and have undermined his talent. Fine, demote him. But don't waste those at bats on Murphy. Give them to Arcia. Or Kepler.

Don't panic. Please. 


2 comments:

  1. I took it as more of an insurance move with Santana hurt and Buxton day to day...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Despite serious fan unrest, it is important to go with the future.

    Perhaps the new guys did not take the off season seriously enough?

    In other words,thinking/acting like there were no more mountains to climb ... that now they could look around and just enjoy the view?

    ReplyDelete