Before Friday's game the Twins filled the roster spot vacated by the demotion of Kohl Stewart by activating Matt Magill off the injured list.
This keeps the Twins at 13 pitchers, and I expect they will stay there for a while. As noted here a couple days ago, the Twins really need one of their minor four relivers -- currently Ryne Harper, Magill, Fernando Romero and Adalberto Mejia -- to step up into a more useful role than eating innings.
Three of them pitched Friday. Harper had a clean seventh, Romero had a messy but complete ninth, and Magill had a messier and incomplete eighth.
A move that didn't appear to have a specific necessity to it: Chase De Jong was outrighted off the 40-man roster. I don't see the point of this. It's not that De Jong is a good or even interesting pitcher, but taking him off the 40 slightly constricts the Twins roster flexibility, and there is no immediate gain for doing this now.
Showing posts with label Chase De Jong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chase De Jong. Show all posts
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
deGrom, De Jong and de manager
The prospect of facing Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard in a two-game series in Queens was rather daunting; I would have been quite satisfied with a split. Now that the Twins have not only won the first game but battered the defending NL Cy Young winner -- well, rationally the split is still sufficient, but a sweep sounds a lot better.
If you were paying attention Tuesday night, you know how rare that game was. DeGrom had had 26 consecutive quality starts, tied with the 1968 version of Bob Gibson for most ever. His ERA last year was 1.70. And the Twins scored six earned runs in four innings off him. From the New York Post's Joel Sherman:
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Chase De Jong, handed the ninth inning mop-up duties, was awful. He walked three, gave up four earned runs and basically looked like he had no business back in the major leagues.
To be fair, he hadn't pitched in a while; he was supposed to have started the opener for the Rochester Red Wings, but they got weathered out, and then he was called up to provide length in the Minnesota bullpen after Jake Odorizzi stunk things up last Friday.
I said on Twitter that De Jong was pitching his way off the roster. But ... the Twins bullpen is still in pretty good shape. De Jong shouldn't be available after throwing more than 45 pitches in that ugly inning, but the rest of the bullpenners worked short stints. Taylor Rogers didn't pitch at all, and Trevor Hildenberger and Blake Parker faced just one man each.
And Rocco Baldelli apparently intends to get Martin Perez some innings in this series. My guess is that even if Odorizzi throws six scoreless innings today, Perez gets the ball for the seventh. After all, there's yet another offday on Thursday, and who knows what the weather holds for the homestand to follow.
So De Jong, who is out of options, might stick around after all. His lousy outing -- and it was lousy -- didn't stress the rest of the bullpen.
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Baldelli could have gone for the length from Perez after Hildenberger got the Twins out of the fifth inning. In fact, that's what I expected. Instead, he pieced the rest of the game together with a pitcher use reminiscent of Ron Gardenhire's -- one inning from Trevor May, split an inning between Aldaberto Mejia and Parker, an inning from Ryne Harper, an inning from De Jong. Nobody but DeJong was used hard, and all should be available today.
But I suspect that Baldelli would prefer not to use any relievers today other than Perez and Rogers. He's not often used anybody on consecutive days so far, although there have been so many off days that we probably shouldn't draw any conclusions about his bullpen use patterns.
Assuming that he does go for length from Perez today, he will have handled the 'pen in this series as if we were still in spring training -- give everybody a little work to stay sharp, give Perez some length to stay stretched out for his eventual entry into the starting rotation. Doing those things and winning the games is ideal.
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Multi-position man Marwin Gonzalez played a lot of first base with the Astros -- more than twice as many games, starts and innings at first than at third in his seven seasons with Houston.
Multi-position man Willians Astudillo entered Tuesday having played more third base in the majors than anywhere other than catcher and with just two innings at first in his brief big-league tenure.
But Baldelli on Tuesday started Gonzalez at third and Astudillo at first, La Tortuga's first big league start at that position. (Baldelli later took Gonzalez out in a double-switch, but Astudillo played the full game at first base.)
My interpretation of that: As long as Miguel Sano remains off the active roster, Gonzalez is primarily a third baseman. He has played four innings at first. He hasn't seen the outfield yet, and he hasn't been in the middle infield either.
If you were paying attention Tuesday night, you know how rare that game was. DeGrom had had 26 consecutive quality starts, tied with the 1968 version of Bob Gibson for most ever. His ERA last year was 1.70. And the Twins scored six earned runs in four innings off him. From the New York Post's Joel Sherman:
That was as many as he had permitted last July. Don’t look for the date — the whole month of July. That was as many as he allowed last August. That was one fewer than he let in last September. And it was six more than he had yielded in two starts to open 2019 ...The Twins didn't pick on a punching bag Tuesday night. At least not until they got into the Mets bullpen.
---
Chase De Jong, handed the ninth inning mop-up duties, was awful. He walked three, gave up four earned runs and basically looked like he had no business back in the major leagues.
To be fair, he hadn't pitched in a while; he was supposed to have started the opener for the Rochester Red Wings, but they got weathered out, and then he was called up to provide length in the Minnesota bullpen after Jake Odorizzi stunk things up last Friday.
I said on Twitter that De Jong was pitching his way off the roster. But ... the Twins bullpen is still in pretty good shape. De Jong shouldn't be available after throwing more than 45 pitches in that ugly inning, but the rest of the bullpenners worked short stints. Taylor Rogers didn't pitch at all, and Trevor Hildenberger and Blake Parker faced just one man each.
And Rocco Baldelli apparently intends to get Martin Perez some innings in this series. My guess is that even if Odorizzi throws six scoreless innings today, Perez gets the ball for the seventh. After all, there's yet another offday on Thursday, and who knows what the weather holds for the homestand to follow.
So De Jong, who is out of options, might stick around after all. His lousy outing -- and it was lousy -- didn't stress the rest of the bullpen.
---
Baldelli could have gone for the length from Perez after Hildenberger got the Twins out of the fifth inning. In fact, that's what I expected. Instead, he pieced the rest of the game together with a pitcher use reminiscent of Ron Gardenhire's -- one inning from Trevor May, split an inning between Aldaberto Mejia and Parker, an inning from Ryne Harper, an inning from De Jong. Nobody but DeJong was used hard, and all should be available today.
But I suspect that Baldelli would prefer not to use any relievers today other than Perez and Rogers. He's not often used anybody on consecutive days so far, although there have been so many off days that we probably shouldn't draw any conclusions about his bullpen use patterns.
Assuming that he does go for length from Perez today, he will have handled the 'pen in this series as if we were still in spring training -- give everybody a little work to stay sharp, give Perez some length to stay stretched out for his eventual entry into the starting rotation. Doing those things and winning the games is ideal.
---
Multi-position man Marwin Gonzalez played a lot of first base with the Astros -- more than twice as many games, starts and innings at first than at third in his seven seasons with Houston.
Multi-position man Willians Astudillo entered Tuesday having played more third base in the majors than anywhere other than catcher and with just two innings at first in his brief big-league tenure.
But Baldelli on Tuesday started Gonzalez at third and Astudillo at first, La Tortuga's first big league start at that position. (Baldelli later took Gonzalez out in a double-switch, but Astudillo played the full game at first base.)
My interpretation of that: As long as Miguel Sano remains off the active roster, Gonzalez is primarily a third baseman. He has played four innings at first. He hasn't seen the outfield yet, and he hasn't been in the middle infield either.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Thoughts from the weekend
The Twins hit a few homers in Philly over the weekend. Eddie Rosario's three-run ninth inning homer off the foul pole on Saturday opened up the game and might be the most memorable.
But it was Sunday's leadoff homer from Max Kepler that stands out to me. A solo shot, of course -- all leadoff homers are -- but it was also the the only run the Twins got all game. And that's why it stands out. My previous post said that my concern that the lineup was geared around the solo homer hadn't be borne out. On Sunday it was.
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Friday's sloppy play resulted in something rare. On Saturday the Twins skipped batting practice and took infield instead.
I've noted in the past that daily infield practice has faded away. It was once a pre-game staple between batting practice and the drawing of the foul lines/batters boxes. Supposedly the Atlanta Braves in the mid 90's did away with it as a means of conserving energy in the summer heat there, and the other teams soon followed suit -- and eventually the commissioner's office put the traditional time for infield off limits. It was too lucrative as a time for promotional activities.
So if a manager, such as Rocco Baldelli, decides that the response to sloppy play is a review of the fundamentals, it has to come either before BP or in its place.
---
The Twins brought up a 12th pitcher Saturday after Jake Odorizzi couldn't get through the first inning on Friday. Tyler Austin was designated for assignment in order to bring up Chase De Jong.
De Jong himself was DFA'd in January. He cleared waivers and outrighted to Triple A. I wouldn't bet on this stay lasting very long.
As for Austin, I doubt there's much of a market for him. He hits for power and he plays a bit of first base, and that's not enough to hold a bench job. I don't know that he's a worse player than C.J. Cron, but his fate with the Twins was sealed when the Twins claimed Cron on waivers last November. He may or may not get claimed. I'm not sure if he's been outrighted before; if not, the Twins might still be able to retain him at Triple A.
But it was Sunday's leadoff homer from Max Kepler that stands out to me. A solo shot, of course -- all leadoff homers are -- but it was also the the only run the Twins got all game. And that's why it stands out. My previous post said that my concern that the lineup was geared around the solo homer hadn't be borne out. On Sunday it was.
---
Friday's sloppy play resulted in something rare. On Saturday the Twins skipped batting practice and took infield instead.
I've noted in the past that daily infield practice has faded away. It was once a pre-game staple between batting practice and the drawing of the foul lines/batters boxes. Supposedly the Atlanta Braves in the mid 90's did away with it as a means of conserving energy in the summer heat there, and the other teams soon followed suit -- and eventually the commissioner's office put the traditional time for infield off limits. It was too lucrative as a time for promotional activities.
So if a manager, such as Rocco Baldelli, decides that the response to sloppy play is a review of the fundamentals, it has to come either before BP or in its place.
---
The Twins brought up a 12th pitcher Saturday after Jake Odorizzi couldn't get through the first inning on Friday. Tyler Austin was designated for assignment in order to bring up Chase De Jong.
De Jong himself was DFA'd in January. He cleared waivers and outrighted to Triple A. I wouldn't bet on this stay lasting very long.
As for Austin, I doubt there's much of a market for him. He hits for power and he plays a bit of first base, and that's not enough to hold a bench job. I don't know that he's a worse player than C.J. Cron, but his fate with the Twins was sealed when the Twins claimed Cron on waivers last November. He may or may not get claimed. I'm not sure if he's been outrighted before; if not, the Twins might still be able to retain him at Triple A.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
More minor stuff
Less than a week before pitchers and catchers report, dozens of free agents remain on the market, and the Twins are still filling out their spring training list.
Over the weekend they announced two veteran names as minor league free agents and released a list of 20 invitees:
Over the weekend they announced two veteran names as minor league free agents and released a list of 20 invitees:
The #MNTwins have released their full list of 20 NRIs to Spring Training.— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) February 9, 2019
Lucas Duda and Adam Rosales are among the more notable names on the list. pic.twitter.com/WPTyxonQXY
Let's start with Lucas Duda and Adam Rosales, two players with resumes if not much else.
Rosales is a odd duck: He's never been a regular but he's been able to hang around the majors 11 seasons. To be sure, some of those 11 seasons are only partial, but still -- it is rare for a utility guy such as Rosales to last into his mid 30s. He typically doesn't stick around long (five seasons with Oakland, in two stints with two midseason trades invoved) and isn't much of a hitter. He has played more than a thousand innings each at second, third and short, and even had more than 500 at first.
I prefer Ehrie Adrianaza or Ronald Torreyes as the backup middle infielder. Rosales apparently has a March 19 opt-out, so he may suspect that the odds of him making the opening day roster are slim.
Duda is a left-handed first baseman. His strong suit, other than a name that lends itself to parodies of "Camptown Races," is power. He occasionally homers but doesn't do much else for you. Other than hitting lefty, he's pretty much the opposite of the retired Joe Mauer, who didn't homer frequently but did everything else well. I don't much care for first basemen in the Duda mold. I assume he too has an opt-out, and I hope he uses it.
A few other not-so-random observations about the NRI list:
* Tim Collins is a little lefty reliever who had four seasons of promise in the Kansas City bullpen when the Royals were building up to their two World Series appearances. Then he got hurt and disappeared for three seasons. He LOOGY'd for Washington last year -- 35 appearances, 22.2 innings -- and had the kind of strikeout rate he had in the K.C. days but also gave up too many homers. The Twins have plenty of lefty relief candidates, and I'm not sure that Collins is truly in the mix, but he's still only 29.
* Wilin Rosario, whose signing gave me momentary panic a week ago, is NOT an invitee. There are catchers I'm completely unfamiliar with on the list in Wynston Sawyer and Tomas Telis, and presumably Rosario is well down the depth chart. (The Twins may be more interested in him as a first baseman/DH than as a catcher.)
* Brent Rooker, who I regard as the first baseman in waiting, is an NRI -- and listed as an outfielder.
* Chase De Jong, designated for assignment to make room for Martin Perez on the 40, cleared waivers and is an invitee. I'm not high on De Jong, but I'd rather see the Twins pitch him than Perez.
* Ryan Eades, a second-round draft pick in 2013 whose minor league record does not make me eager to see him in Target Field, is an invitee as well.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Two more trades
The Twins on Monday moved out a pair of pitchers on one-year deals, Zach Duke and Lance Lynn.
Neither brought much of a return, which is to be expected of a 35-year-old LOOGY (Duke) and a started with a 5.10 ERA (Lynn).
The trades:
He appears to be high floor, low ceiling, and that doesn't do much for me. I don't see a use for him on the current roster -- unless Logan Morrison is leaving soon -- and in the future Brant Rooker, also a right-right 1B-OF, is a better bet to contribute.
Rijo is the very definition of a lottery ticket. He's a 19-year-old right handed pitcher out of Venezuela who has split his 2018 on three levels and put up decent numbers in limited exposure. He is said to have good control and secondary pitches but limited velocity. He might be something, and we might never hear of him again.
Neither brought much of a return, which is to be expected of a 35-year-old LOOGY (Duke) and a started with a 5.10 ERA (Lynn).
The trades:
#MNTwins Roster Moves: Twins acquire Chase De Jong and Ryan Costello in exchange for Zach Duke. pic.twitter.com/llJfdi4s14— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 30, 2018
#MNTwins Roster Moves: Twins acquire Luis Rijo and Tyler Austin in Exchange for Lance Lynn. pic.twitter.com/IqCNwh66Gg— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 30, 2018
Costello is the more interesting of the gets in the Mariners deal. MLBpipeline.com has him as No. 28 in the Mariners system, but Seattle has a notably depleted system. Costello leads the Midwest League (low A) in homers and RBIs, but ...
- he's old for the level and
- in two minor league seasons he's played his way off third base and is apparently a poor defensive first baseman.
He's gonna have to mash to make it to the majors. If I were making the call, he would move up to Fort Myers and a more age-appropriate environment.
De Jong is going on his fourth organization. He got 28 innings in the majors last year, allowing five homers and a 6.25 ERA. He's been in Double-A this year. He's on the 40-man roster, but there's not much here to interest me.
Austin got most of the attention from Dick-n-Torii during the TV broadcast in the Lynn deal, probably because he hit a homer off Lynn earlier this year. He'll turn 27 before the season ends. Right-handed hitter, genuine power, lots of strikeouts. The Yankees gave him 269 major league plate appearances and spun him off; he'll be out of options next year and my guess is they weren't going to keep him on the 40 this winter.
He appears to be high floor, low ceiling, and that doesn't do much for me. I don't see a use for him on the current roster -- unless Logan Morrison is leaving soon -- and in the future Brant Rooker, also a right-right 1B-OF, is a better bet to contribute.
Rijo is the very definition of a lottery ticket. He's a 19-year-old right handed pitcher out of Venezuela who has split his 2018 on three levels and put up decent numbers in limited exposure. He is said to have good control and secondary pitches but limited velocity. He might be something, and we might never hear of him again.
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