Thursday night was a rather stereotypical 2019 Twins win: Three homers, a sneaky good start, and two innings from Taylor Rogers.
Kyle Gibson went seven innings against Oakland -- six hits, no walks, seven strikeouts and 73 strikes out of 106 pitches. The three runs allowed were the least impressive part of his stat line. Sneaky good.
I made this point. or tried to, earlier this week during a segment on KMSU radio: The Twins interest in a trade for a starting pitcher should be limited to a starter capable of moving Gibson down a rung in the playoff rotation. I'm not sure that starter is going to be on the market, and if he is, at a price the Twins will be willing to pay.
The Twins don't need the kind of starter who has moved so far (Andrew Cashner and Homer Bailey). Those are back-of-the-rotation guys, and the Twins have Martin Perez and Michael Pineda. And Gibson is now 9-4, 4.02 with more strikeouts than innings pitched. That ain't shabby.
Another point I made Monday that probably bears repeating: I said the Twins were likely to see their lead, then 6.5 games, shrink a bit in July. The Twins have a rougher schedule than Cleveland the rest of this month. But that reverses in August.
Showing posts with label Taylor Rogers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taylor Rogers. Show all posts
Friday, July 19, 2019
Monday, July 15, 2019
Back at it
Time to end the blog vacation. Some comments about the past week:
* The Twins, needing a spot on the 25-man roster to restore Jake Odorizzi from the injured list, designated Adalberto Mejia for assignment.
This not only took Mejia off the active roster but off the 40-man roster as well. The Twins are down to 38, so they now have room for two newcomers in (a) prospect(s)-for-veteran(s) trade(s).
Before I took my break, I suggested that Mejia was on thin ice. That wasn't any great insight. Mejia has, in the three years since the Twins got him from the Giants in a July trade, pitched his way out of the rotation plans and now out of the bullpen, with 12 walks in 15.1 innings this year.
It's certainly possible that he'll clear waivers and remain in the Minnesota organization. I don't hold out much hope that the Twins will get anything out of him or for him.
* The Twins got what they needed, if not what they wanted, out of the Cleveland series coming out of the break, taking two of three from the Tribe and adding a game to their divisional lead.
A sweep would have been nice, and I suspect Trevor May has been kicking himself for the lousy curve he threw Carlos Santana for the go-ahead homer Sunday, but two-of-three in a series of close contests is acecptable -- and a dent in Cleveland's lingering divisional aspirations.
* Of note in that series: The Minnesota bullpen, widely considered weaker than the rotation, pitched better. The Twins deployed their top three starters in Cleveland (Kyle Gibson, Odorizzi and Jose Berrios), and none of them got into the sixth inning. The Twins bullpen combined for two runs allowed in more than 12 innings over the three games.
* To that end, manager Rocco Baldelli continued his aggressive use of Taylor Rogers. The lefty bullpen ace threw two innings on Friday for the save, then worked another inning Saturday to protect a four-run lead (no save there).
I doubt Rogers was available Sunday. He certainly did his part earlier in the weekend. Friday's two-inning save was his seventh outing of six or more outs this season. Joe Nathan had 14 such outings in his entire Twins career.
Baldelli, in this limited regard, reminds me a bit of Leo Durocher, Hall of Fame manager, who said something like: "Don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it might rain." When Baldelli sees a chance to win today's game, he'll go for it, and deal with any bullpen shortages the next day.
* The Twins, needing a spot on the 25-man roster to restore Jake Odorizzi from the injured list, designated Adalberto Mejia for assignment.
This not only took Mejia off the active roster but off the 40-man roster as well. The Twins are down to 38, so they now have room for two newcomers in (a) prospect(s)-for-veteran(s) trade(s).
Before I took my break, I suggested that Mejia was on thin ice. That wasn't any great insight. Mejia has, in the three years since the Twins got him from the Giants in a July trade, pitched his way out of the rotation plans and now out of the bullpen, with 12 walks in 15.1 innings this year.
It's certainly possible that he'll clear waivers and remain in the Minnesota organization. I don't hold out much hope that the Twins will get anything out of him or for him.
* The Twins got what they needed, if not what they wanted, out of the Cleveland series coming out of the break, taking two of three from the Tribe and adding a game to their divisional lead.
A sweep would have been nice, and I suspect Trevor May has been kicking himself for the lousy curve he threw Carlos Santana for the go-ahead homer Sunday, but two-of-three in a series of close contests is acecptable -- and a dent in Cleveland's lingering divisional aspirations.
* Of note in that series: The Minnesota bullpen, widely considered weaker than the rotation, pitched better. The Twins deployed their top three starters in Cleveland (Kyle Gibson, Odorizzi and Jose Berrios), and none of them got into the sixth inning. The Twins bullpen combined for two runs allowed in more than 12 innings over the three games.
* To that end, manager Rocco Baldelli continued his aggressive use of Taylor Rogers. The lefty bullpen ace threw two innings on Friday for the save, then worked another inning Saturday to protect a four-run lead (no save there).
I doubt Rogers was available Sunday. He certainly did his part earlier in the weekend. Friday's two-inning save was his seventh outing of six or more outs this season. Joe Nathan had 14 such outings in his entire Twins career.
Baldelli, in this limited regard, reminds me a bit of Leo Durocher, Hall of Fame manager, who said something like: "Don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it might rain." When Baldelli sees a chance to win today's game, he'll go for it, and deal with any bullpen shortages the next day.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Notes, quotes and comment
Reports Thursday night had Dallas Keuchel agreeing to a one-year contract with Atlanta.
I have an easier time understanding the league-wide reluctance to sign Craig Kimbrel than the reluctance to sign Keuchel, but Kimbrel got the richer multi-year deal, Neither, I'm sure, is exactly happy with the outcome.
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A beat writer opines:
I have an easier time understanding the league-wide reluctance to sign Craig Kimbrel than the reluctance to sign Keuchel, but Kimbrel got the richer multi-year deal, Neither, I'm sure, is exactly happy with the outcome.
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A beat writer opines:
Sidenote: Taylor Rogers will not be nasty if he is required to record 34-pitch saves several times a week. #MNTwins need more high-leverage arms.— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesMLB) June 7, 2019
The conclusion is correct: The Twins do need more high-leverage arms.
But if Rogers gets a couple days off after each of those 34-pitch outings, so that he's doing it twice a week -- and doing nothing else -- it's doable. The problem will be if the Twins decide they just have to use him again tonight for a couple batters. And one issue with Rogers is that he is the sole lefty in the bullpen.
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A former bullpen ace opines:
Blake Parker has been struggling a bit since before tonite but i’m just gonna throw it out there that maybe, just maybe, throwing guys out there for random innings is easier on paper than it is in actual game situations.— Glen Perkins (@glenperkins) June 6, 2019
That came after Parker's Wednesday outing, when he entered in the seventh with a two-run lead and gave up three runs on two homers.
Parker is not exactly being used in random innings, of course. He's being used in high-leverage innings in the final third of games, rather than being held back for the ninth only, a la Joe Nathan. The same is true of Rogers.
The underlying problem, as the Hayes tweet notes, is that the Twins lack sufficient high-leverage arms -- guys Rocco Baldelli and Wes Johnson can trust in game situations. Parker was pitching in the seventh on Wednesday because it was a high-leverage situation. It was a high leverage situation becaue Martin Perez didn't pitch effectively enough long enough, and Trevor May had to get him out of a sixth-inning jam. And Baldelli was using Parker then in hopes that he'd hold the fort in the seventh and the hitters would widen the lead and allow the less-trusted arms to finish.
The Twins had four leverage arms at the start of the season. Trevor Hildenberger is back in the minors trying to figure it out. May has fought his command all year. Baldelli is down to Parker and Rogers, and that's not enough.
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Side note: It has been more than a week since Mike Morin last pitched (May 30). Something's odd about that.
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One more tweet. this one from a different beat writer:
After going 5-4 against the Brewers, Rays and Indians, and with their AL Central lead back in double digits, the Twins now embark on nine straight games against sub-.400 opposition: Tigers, Mariners, Royals.— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) June 7, 2019
And the Twins still have not lost more than two in a row this year. It's not like this team is broken, folks.
Monday, June 3, 2019
Thoughts from the weekend
Taking three of four from a quality team -- and the Tampa Bay Rays are a quality team -- can give a fan base something to smile about.
Seeing a bullpen meltdown turn an easy win into a close win can give a fan base something to fret about.
The Twins do have an off day now, so going through four relievers in three innings after cutting back a pitcher shouldn't be a problem. But I'm sure Rocco Baldelli would have preferred to give Taylor Rogers another day without work.
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Taylor Rogers has an identical twin brother, Tyler, who pitches in Triple A for the Giants and has never gotten a callup.
There are differences in these identical Twins, not least of which is that Tyler is right-handed. And there must be a reason the Giants, who have had a few bullpen problems in recent years, haven't brought Tyler up.
Still, I frequently think while watching Taylor carve up batters for an inning or two: There's another Rogers brother who's probably available.
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The Twins optioned out Zack Littell on Sunday and reactivated Mitch Garver from the injured list (Garver caught and led off). After the game, they optioned out Luis Arraez with a coresponding move to come Tuesday, almost certainly reactivating Nelson Cruz.
How long will the Twins go with 12 pitchers rather than 13? They do have two offdays in eight days -- today and next Monday -- and the six games in between come against two of the three least potent lineups in the American League in Cleveland and Detroit. But I doubt this is a permanent condition.
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The draft begins tonight, and the Twins pick 13th. I have seen no consensus in mock drafts on who the Twins are likely to take, but it's likely to be a hitter. Two names connected to the 13th pick with some frequency: Shea Langeliers, a catcher from Baylor who has slid a bit this spring, and Keoni Cavaco, a high school infielder who has risen sharply as the spring progressed.
I'm not qualified to have an opinion. I will note that the Twins last summer picked a bunch of potential catchers. Drafting for need in the first round is always a mistake regardless of the sport, and quality catchers are hard to come up with, so Langeliers wouldn't be a shocker, but the Twins right now seem pretty deep in catchers.
Seeing a bullpen meltdown turn an easy win into a close win can give a fan base something to fret about.
The Twins do have an off day now, so going through four relievers in three innings after cutting back a pitcher shouldn't be a problem. But I'm sure Rocco Baldelli would have preferred to give Taylor Rogers another day without work.
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Taylor Rogers has an identical twin brother, Tyler, who pitches in Triple A for the Giants and has never gotten a callup.
There are differences in these identical Twins, not least of which is that Tyler is right-handed. And there must be a reason the Giants, who have had a few bullpen problems in recent years, haven't brought Tyler up.
Still, I frequently think while watching Taylor carve up batters for an inning or two: There's another Rogers brother who's probably available.
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The Twins optioned out Zack Littell on Sunday and reactivated Mitch Garver from the injured list (Garver caught and led off). After the game, they optioned out Luis Arraez with a coresponding move to come Tuesday, almost certainly reactivating Nelson Cruz.
How long will the Twins go with 12 pitchers rather than 13? They do have two offdays in eight days -- today and next Monday -- and the six games in between come against two of the three least potent lineups in the American League in Cleveland and Detroit. But I doubt this is a permanent condition.
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The draft begins tonight, and the Twins pick 13th. I have seen no consensus in mock drafts on who the Twins are likely to take, but it's likely to be a hitter. Two names connected to the 13th pick with some frequency: Shea Langeliers, a catcher from Baylor who has slid a bit this spring, and Keoni Cavaco, a high school infielder who has risen sharply as the spring progressed.
I'm not qualified to have an opinion. I will note that the Twins last summer picked a bunch of potential catchers. Drafting for need in the first round is always a mistake regardless of the sport, and quality catchers are hard to come up with, so Langeliers wouldn't be a shocker, but the Twins right now seem pretty deep in catchers.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Contemplating Taylor Rogers
Nothing in bullpens is ever set in stone, but it appears Taylor Rogers has somehow found himself back in the eighth-inning role he held for a goodly chunk of 2017.
Everything in his stat line says he's best suited for a lefty specialist role. But Paul Molitor isn't particularly inclined to use any pitcher in the manner that Ron Gardenhire used Dennys Reyes about a decade ago. Reyes thrived as a true LOOGY, and Rogers might also, but it's not easy to limit one bullpen arm that strictly if the starters are only getting about 15 outs.
Rogers had 30 holds in 2017 -- holds being an unofficial stat that count the save opportunity leads handed off to the next reliever. He has seven so far this year. This tells us more about how Rogers has been used than about the quality of his pitching. Molitor trusted Rogers with late leads much more frequently in 2017 than in 2018.
Part of that was the offseason additions of veterans Zach Duke and Addison Reed, who were initally Molitor's preferred setup men this year. But now Duke is gone (as is Ryan Pressly) and Reed's role after his first-ever stint on the disabled list is uncertain. Rogers and Tyler Hildenberger appear to be the primary options for the seventh and eighth innings.
Hildenberger's role has been relatively stable. Rogers' has not. For a while, he was frequently the first man out of the bullpen. His ERA at the end of April was 8.44, and whle ERA is an imperfect yardstick for relievers, it's difficult to brush off one in the mid-eights.
But Rogers has only been charged with runs in seven of his last 36 appearance. His 2018 ERA is down to 4.03 -- still almost a run higher than his 2017 mark, but less than half what it was entering May.
The Twins bullpen isn't as deep as they need it to be. In a truly deep bullpen, Rogers wouldn't be the primary eighth-inning guy. But he would have a role.
Everything in his stat line says he's best suited for a lefty specialist role. But Paul Molitor isn't particularly inclined to use any pitcher in the manner that Ron Gardenhire used Dennys Reyes about a decade ago. Reyes thrived as a true LOOGY, and Rogers might also, but it's not easy to limit one bullpen arm that strictly if the starters are only getting about 15 outs.
Rogers had 30 holds in 2017 -- holds being an unofficial stat that count the save opportunity leads handed off to the next reliever. He has seven so far this year. This tells us more about how Rogers has been used than about the quality of his pitching. Molitor trusted Rogers with late leads much more frequently in 2017 than in 2018.
Part of that was the offseason additions of veterans Zach Duke and Addison Reed, who were initally Molitor's preferred setup men this year. But now Duke is gone (as is Ryan Pressly) and Reed's role after his first-ever stint on the disabled list is uncertain. Rogers and Tyler Hildenberger appear to be the primary options for the seventh and eighth innings.
Hildenberger's role has been relatively stable. Rogers' has not. For a while, he was frequently the first man out of the bullpen. His ERA at the end of April was 8.44, and whle ERA is an imperfect yardstick for relievers, it's difficult to brush off one in the mid-eights.
But Rogers has only been charged with runs in seven of his last 36 appearance. His 2018 ERA is down to 4.03 -- still almost a run higher than his 2017 mark, but less than half what it was entering May.
The Twins bullpen isn't as deep as they need it to be. In a truly deep bullpen, Rogers wouldn't be the primary eighth-inning guy. But he would have a role.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Spring training trip: Final day
Lance Lynn had his introductory press conference in the morning. In the afternoon, he threw three hitless innings inhis first exhibition start. He was clearly laboring in that third and final inning.
As advertised, Lynn threw mostly fast balls, and the stadium gun had him at 93 and 94 mph repeatedly.
That was the good news on the pitching front in the exhibition The bad news: Fernando Rodney, Trevor Hildenberger and Taylor Rogers -- three key relievers -- all gave up runs, with Hildenberger and Rogers each surrendering homers.
For what it's worth:
As advertised, Lynn threw mostly fast balls, and the stadium gun had him at 93 and 94 mph repeatedly.
That was the good news on the pitching front in the exhibition The bad news: Fernando Rodney, Trevor Hildenberger and Taylor Rogers -- three key relievers -- all gave up runs, with Hildenberger and Rogers each surrendering homers.
For what it's worth:
Molitor said he's "not overly concerned" about rocky springs for Hildy and Rogers.— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) March 13, 2018
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Miguel Sano played third and made two plays that required him to move with no problem. I'm inclined to regard the concern about his mobility following his stress reaction surgery as overblown.
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We're headed home this morning. The locals grumbled the entire time we were here about how cold it was. It was still pretty warn for March to a Minnesotan.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Getting some relief
The Twins on Sunday had their first save opp since the Brandon Kintzler trade -- really, the first time in more than a week that the bullpen was asked to protect a lead, as Ervin Santana and Bartolo Colon had complete games in their two wins last week.
The 'pen came through: Trevor Hildenberger threw two scoreless innings, Taylor Rogers got through the eighth and Matt Belisle worked a perfect ninth for his first save since 2012.
Not the way I would prefer, but it worked.
Dick Bremer at least twice, and maybe more, invoked Belisle's "senior status" Sunday as justification for giving him at least a share of the closer role. Bremer may be an imperfect conduit for the mind of Paul Molitor, but my working assumption is that the broadcasters for a team reflect the thinking of management. If Molitor genuinely prefers Belisle late in games because he's got more years in the pension plan than anybody else, that's a bad sign.
The veteran has been getting outs more consistently than anybody else in the bullpen for weeks now; Belisle hasn't been charged with a run, earned or unearned, since June. Rogers, meanwhile, had allowed at least one run in six straight appearances befors Sunday.
At least Hildenberger finally got to pitch with a narrow lead.
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A couple other notes about the pitching staff:
Dillon Gee isn't, as I assumed when he was called up last week, filling the rotation spot vacated by the Jaime Garcia trade. He made his Twins debut in relief, and Kyle Gibson was returned for Saturday's start. It was SOG -- same old Gibson. He got 16 outs and allowed nine baserunners; this is not a good OBP allowed.
And the return of Glen Perkins to the major league bullpen is presumably imminent. Perkins was in the Twin Cities this weekend and will throw what is described as "an extended bullpen session" today, then report to Double-A Chattanooga to continue his rehab assignment. The plan is for him to pitch three times, including one set of back-to-back days.
His rehab assignment officially expires on the 20th. He apparently expects to be back before then. Even with the bullpen roles unsettled, I wouldn't expect Perkins to step back into the ninth inning immediately. But then, I didn't expect Belisle to get the ball in the ninth inning after the Kintzler deal.
The 'pen came through: Trevor Hildenberger threw two scoreless innings, Taylor Rogers got through the eighth and Matt Belisle worked a perfect ninth for his first save since 2012.
Not the way I would prefer, but it worked.
Dick Bremer at least twice, and maybe more, invoked Belisle's "senior status" Sunday as justification for giving him at least a share of the closer role. Bremer may be an imperfect conduit for the mind of Paul Molitor, but my working assumption is that the broadcasters for a team reflect the thinking of management. If Molitor genuinely prefers Belisle late in games because he's got more years in the pension plan than anybody else, that's a bad sign.
The veteran has been getting outs more consistently than anybody else in the bullpen for weeks now; Belisle hasn't been charged with a run, earned or unearned, since June. Rogers, meanwhile, had allowed at least one run in six straight appearances befors Sunday.
At least Hildenberger finally got to pitch with a narrow lead.
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A couple other notes about the pitching staff:
Dillon Gee isn't, as I assumed when he was called up last week, filling the rotation spot vacated by the Jaime Garcia trade. He made his Twins debut in relief, and Kyle Gibson was returned for Saturday's start. It was SOG -- same old Gibson. He got 16 outs and allowed nine baserunners; this is not a good OBP allowed.
And the return of Glen Perkins to the major league bullpen is presumably imminent. Perkins was in the Twin Cities this weekend and will throw what is described as "an extended bullpen session" today, then report to Double-A Chattanooga to continue his rehab assignment. The plan is for him to pitch three times, including one set of back-to-back days.
His rehab assignment officially expires on the 20th. He apparently expects to be back before then. Even with the bullpen roles unsettled, I wouldn't expect Perkins to step back into the ninth inning immediately. But then, I didn't expect Belisle to get the ball in the ninth inning after the Kintzler deal.
Monday, June 5, 2017
The bullpen and facing Pujols
It worked, but I really didn't like very much about how Paul Molitor handled the Twins bullpen in the eighth inning Sunday.
Jose Berrios gave the Twins six innings and got a 3-2 lead to the seventh inning. Tyler Duffey entered and threw a 1-2-3 inning, turning the Angels lineup over.
Duffey has frequently worked two innings at a time, and I expected that to be the case again Sunday. But those two-inning outings are generally the sixth and seventh, not seventh and eighth, and the Angels had left-handed hitting Kole Calhoun leading off the eighth and another left-handed hitter, Luis Valbuena, scheduled third.
So Molitor brought in Taylor Rogers, his favored lefty reliever. I didn't care for this move, in part because Calhoun had already homered off Rogers (and off fellow lefty Adalberto Mejia) in the series, and in part because Duffey is just a better pitcher than Rogers.
But Molitor went for the platoon advantage. Rogers fell behind Calhoun and walked him. Then Rogers got Yunel Escobar to ground into a force out.
And here came Albert Pujols to pinch hit for Valbuena. And Molitor went to the pen for Matt Belisle.
Again, I didn't care for this move. The basic truth is, Pujols in 2017 should not scare an opposing manager. I know that's sacrilegious, but as I said in the Monday print column, Pujols at age 37 is a shadow of his greatness. And he is doing almost nothing against left-handers (slash line vs. southpaws .186/.255/.302).
Rogers hasn't allowed a homer to a righty this year. Belisle is averaging a home run allowed every six innings. If you looked for the matchup in the Twins bullpen most favorable to Pujols, Belisle is probably the pick. I wouldn't have had Rogers in the game to start with, but once in I wouldn't have pulled him for anybody by Brandon Kintzler.
So, naturally, Pujols hit the second pitch he saw on the ground to third for an easy double play (he has bad feet and can't run). Kintzler got the ninth and did his thing, and the Twins won.
As I view that inning, Molitor steadily deceased the competence of the pitcher and worked unfavorable matchups. He used four relievers in the game, and the two best relievers faced the weakest hitters, while the two weakest bullpenners faced the middle of the Angels lineup (with Mike Trout injured, that's not saying much, but Calhoun/Escobar/Valbuena/Pujols are still better than the other stiffs).
I didn't like any of it. But it worked.
Jose Berrios gave the Twins six innings and got a 3-2 lead to the seventh inning. Tyler Duffey entered and threw a 1-2-3 inning, turning the Angels lineup over.
Duffey has frequently worked two innings at a time, and I expected that to be the case again Sunday. But those two-inning outings are generally the sixth and seventh, not seventh and eighth, and the Angels had left-handed hitting Kole Calhoun leading off the eighth and another left-handed hitter, Luis Valbuena, scheduled third.
So Molitor brought in Taylor Rogers, his favored lefty reliever. I didn't care for this move, in part because Calhoun had already homered off Rogers (and off fellow lefty Adalberto Mejia) in the series, and in part because Duffey is just a better pitcher than Rogers.
But Molitor went for the platoon advantage. Rogers fell behind Calhoun and walked him. Then Rogers got Yunel Escobar to ground into a force out.
And here came Albert Pujols to pinch hit for Valbuena. And Molitor went to the pen for Matt Belisle.
Again, I didn't care for this move. The basic truth is, Pujols in 2017 should not scare an opposing manager. I know that's sacrilegious, but as I said in the Monday print column, Pujols at age 37 is a shadow of his greatness. And he is doing almost nothing against left-handers (slash line vs. southpaws .186/.255/.302).
Rogers hasn't allowed a homer to a righty this year. Belisle is averaging a home run allowed every six innings. If you looked for the matchup in the Twins bullpen most favorable to Pujols, Belisle is probably the pick. I wouldn't have had Rogers in the game to start with, but once in I wouldn't have pulled him for anybody by Brandon Kintzler.
So, naturally, Pujols hit the second pitch he saw on the ground to third for an easy double play (he has bad feet and can't run). Kintzler got the ninth and did his thing, and the Twins won.
As I view that inning, Molitor steadily deceased the competence of the pitcher and worked unfavorable matchups. He used four relievers in the game, and the two best relievers faced the weakest hitters, while the two weakest bullpenners faced the middle of the Angels lineup (with Mike Trout injured, that's not saying much, but Calhoun/Escobar/Valbuena/Pujols are still better than the other stiffs).
I didn't like any of it. But it worked.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
More pitching developments
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| Taylor Rogers was a bullpen candidate this spring but is likely to start for Triple A Rochester to open 2016. |
Boshers' departure is no surprise. Graham, who spent last season on the major league roster as a Rule 5 guy, no longer has that protection; if anything, I am surprised it took this long for the Twins to send him out. Rogers, on the other hand, I genuinely thought would wind up coming north.
The Twins also on Wednesday outrighted Mike Strong, the Minnesota-born lefty they sent out in the first wave of cuts. This opens a slot on the 40-man roster, and the expectation is that it will be filled by Fernando Abad, veteran lefty reliever in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Let's slot Abad into the projected bullpen I posted Wednesday morning:
Closer: Glen Perkins
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| Fernando Abad has allowed one run in 6.1 innings in Grapefruit League games. |
Setup 2: Trevor May
MR 1: Casey Fien
LOOGY 1: Fernando Abad?
MR 2: Open
Long man: Ricky Nolasco?
Which brings us, more or less, to Nolasco. Nolasco threw six shutout innings in the major league game, albeit against a minor league lineup. (The Rays took their major league lineup to Havana on Tuesday, then spent seven hours trapped on the tarmac by mechanical issues and ultimately arrived back in Port Charlotte around 5 a.m.) Tyler Duffey also pitched to a minor league lineup in a minor league game and got lit up.
Nolasco has now pitched 13.1 innings in Grapefruit League play to a 4.05 ERA, Duffey, 8.1 innings, 6.48 (minor league games such as Wednesday's not included). It would be foolish to judge the two on the basis of less than 23 combined innings; of more significance would be how their stuff looks, the quality of competition, what they're working on, and so forth.
The Twins entered camp with three starters written into their rotation in ink (Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson and Phil Hughes) and one more in pencil (Duffey). Duffey has spluttered this spring, in part, perhaps, because he is trying to develop a straight change. There is speculation that the eraser is out for Duffey's rotation berth.
I can see some silver linings to that development, but it is not my first choice, and it probably isn't the Twins' preference either.
Friday, March 4, 2016
A trip to Fort Myers: Game 2
Lots of things I could talk about from Thursday night's game, but I'll just hit a handful of items that struck me as noteworthy:
- Miguel Sano got lost on a ball hit over his head in a three-run Red Sox inning. I'm not saying it was an easy play, and I'm not saying every major league right fielder makes that play, but I will say it was a ball I expect a major league right fielder to catch. He didn't.
- Ricky Nolasco, who gave up those three runs, hit 92 mph on the scoreboard velocity readings with frequency. On the other hand, he needed 37 pitches to get four outs, and this was against a lineup of scrubs and minor leaguers; the Red Sox brought no regulars to Hammond Stadium.
- Taylor Rogers, who is prominent on my list of lefty relief candidates, gave up three runs before recording an out in the eighth inning.
None of these events necessarily establishes anything -- it's the second spring training game, after all -- but they are perhaps predictive.
Sano is obviously a work in progress in the outfield, and there are bound to be misplays and "learning moments" out there for him. As I said at the start of the week, the word is patience,
Nolasco ... my hope has been that he'll show enough to pique the interest of some club that needs a starter. The line score from this outing is ugly, but Sano was part of the problem. More important, if the stadium gun reading is accurate, he still might attract some interest.
Rogers hit the first man he faced, then gave up double, double, single and walk before retiring three in a row. Ugly outing, without question, but he found his way out of it. He didn't help his cause with the first five batters, but he might have saved his cause with the next three.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
From the Prospect Handbook: Taylor Rogers
Taylor Rogers is a 25-year-old left-handed pitcher who grew up in Colorado, pitched for the University of Kentucky and signed with the Twins as an 11th round draft pick in 2012, That figures to be a pretty significant draft for the Twins: Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios were the first two selections, and Tyler Duffey was their fifth-rounder, plus there are some other interesting arms still in the pipeline (J.T. Chargois, Mason Melotakis, Luke Bard).
In that crowd, Rogers might have been something of an afterthought. Instead, he has moved steadily up the ladder. He spent 2015 in the Triple A rotation and racked up 174 innings; then he pitched in the Arizona Fall League for another 25. He was No. 15 on the BA Twins prospect list a year ago (one slot ahead of Duffey); he's No. 14 this year.
He's been almost strictly a starter in his four seasons in the Twins chain -- 101 starts, eight relief appearances (including two stints in the AFL). But he's viewed more as a bullpen possibility for 2016, partly because of the bulk of starters ahead of him and partly because of his stuff and limitations.
From Mike Bernardino's writeup in the Prospect Handbook:
There's a lot to like in that description and one obvious issue. I get the impression that the Twins are not that interested in carrying a true LOOGY (Left-handed One Out GuY); they want their lefty relievers to be able to deal with at least an occasional right-handed hitter. Theoretically, a pitcher lacking a straight change but with a quality breaking ball that he can change speeds on can thrive in the bullpen, but Rogers apparently needs something to combat righties with.
Which. also theoretically, makes Neil Allen an ideal pitching coach pairing for him. Rogers will be in interesting pitcher to follow this spring.
In that crowd, Rogers might have been something of an afterthought. Instead, he has moved steadily up the ladder. He spent 2015 in the Triple A rotation and racked up 174 innings; then he pitched in the Arizona Fall League for another 25. He was No. 15 on the BA Twins prospect list a year ago (one slot ahead of Duffey); he's No. 14 this year.
He's been almost strictly a starter in his four seasons in the Twins chain -- 101 starts, eight relief appearances (including two stints in the AFL). But he's viewed more as a bullpen possibility for 2016, partly because of the bulk of starters ahead of him and partly because of his stuff and limitations.
From Mike Bernardino's writeup in the Prospect Handbook:
Rogers shows plus command and works at 90-93 mph with late movement on his fastball. His sluvry breaking ball, including a slower version at 76 mph, has helped him dominate lefties (.411 OPS). His changeup, however, still lacks the required separation, as shown by the .843 OPS and 41 extra-base hits he allowed to righties. He focused heavily on the changeup in Arizona, throwing as many as 15 per outing.
There's a lot to like in that description and one obvious issue. I get the impression that the Twins are not that interested in carrying a true LOOGY (Left-handed One Out GuY); they want their lefty relievers to be able to deal with at least an occasional right-handed hitter. Theoretically, a pitcher lacking a straight change but with a quality breaking ball that he can change speeds on can thrive in the bullpen, but Rogers apparently needs something to combat righties with.
Which. also theoretically, makes Neil Allen an ideal pitching coach pairing for him. Rogers will be in interesting pitcher to follow this spring.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
Setting the stage for Rule 5
Friday was the deadline for teams to protect their current minor leaguers from the Rule 5 draft by putting them on the 40-man major league roster. The Twins elevated seven prospects -- and lost two players with some major league time, catcher Josmil Pinto and right-hander A.J. Achter, on waivers, Pinto to the Padres and Achter to the Phillies.
I'll probably write something in more detail about the Pinto move next week. Achter is a marginal reliever who had another good season in Triple A last year -- he has a 2.69 ERA in 99 Triple A appearances -- who might be able to wander into a decent major league season if given a chance, but lacks the dominant pitch to force a career. Good luck to both of them.
The seven additions include several pitchers who emphatically have that dominant pitch. I see four categories in the seven:
Hard-throwing right-handed relievers: J.T. Chargois and Yorman Landa.
Left-handed Triple A starters: Pat Dean and Taylor Rogers.
Left-handers with Tommy John surgery: Mason Melotakis and Randy Rosario.
Outfielder: Adam Brett Walker.
Landa and Rosario spent 2015 at low A Cedar Rapids, and I saw both pitch during my handful of Kernels games last August, Rosario as a starter and Landa as a reliever. I didn't write about Landa, but he did show some serious velocity; I wrote instead about Luke Bard, who wasn't put on the 40 and is eligible for Rule 5. Anyway -- while Landa and Rosario will be in major league camp, I don't think the Twins will elevate either to the majors this year.
Dean and Rogers are slightly surprising protects to me. I don't see either as a particularly likely candidate to ever be starters for the Twins. There are certainly a lot of rotation guys ahead of them.
Walker's protection illustrates the importance of the power tool. ABW has serious power -- and, like Oswaldo Arcia, little else to recommend him. I'm not particularly enthused about Walker's chances.
Melotakis missed 2015 with Tommy John surgery while Chargois returned from two years on the shelf. These two guys each have pitched in Double A and have realistic chances to be part of the reconstructed 2016 bullpen, although I doubt the Twins would graduate Melotakis in particular to the majors out of spring training.
The Twins now have 38 player on their 40-man roster. One of the open slots is slated for Byung Ho Park; the other may well go to a Rule 5 selection.
I'll probably write something in more detail about the Pinto move next week. Achter is a marginal reliever who had another good season in Triple A last year -- he has a 2.69 ERA in 99 Triple A appearances -- who might be able to wander into a decent major league season if given a chance, but lacks the dominant pitch to force a career. Good luck to both of them.
The seven additions include several pitchers who emphatically have that dominant pitch. I see four categories in the seven:
Hard-throwing right-handed relievers: J.T. Chargois and Yorman Landa.
Left-handed Triple A starters: Pat Dean and Taylor Rogers.
Left-handers with Tommy John surgery: Mason Melotakis and Randy Rosario.
Outfielder: Adam Brett Walker.
Landa and Rosario spent 2015 at low A Cedar Rapids, and I saw both pitch during my handful of Kernels games last August, Rosario as a starter and Landa as a reliever. I didn't write about Landa, but he did show some serious velocity; I wrote instead about Luke Bard, who wasn't put on the 40 and is eligible for Rule 5. Anyway -- while Landa and Rosario will be in major league camp, I don't think the Twins will elevate either to the majors this year.
Dean and Rogers are slightly surprising protects to me. I don't see either as a particularly likely candidate to ever be starters for the Twins. There are certainly a lot of rotation guys ahead of them.
Walker's protection illustrates the importance of the power tool. ABW has serious power -- and, like Oswaldo Arcia, little else to recommend him. I'm not particularly enthused about Walker's chances.
Melotakis missed 2015 with Tommy John surgery while Chargois returned from two years on the shelf. These two guys each have pitched in Double A and have realistic chances to be part of the reconstructed 2016 bullpen, although I doubt the Twins would graduate Melotakis in particular to the majors out of spring training.
The Twins now have 38 player on their 40-man roster. One of the open slots is slated for Byung Ho Park; the other may well go to a Rule 5 selection.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Arizona dreaming
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| Max Kepler in 2013 with Cedar Rapids. The Twins have a decision to make on the 21-year-old, and his assignment to the Arizona Fall League figures to play a role in that decision. |
The highlight of that: Byron Buxton, sidelined now by his post collision concussion, is slated to play for the Salt River Rafters. This is seen as an indication that the Twins expect their top prospect to be ready to roll by October, when the prospect-heavy league gets rolling.
The Twins don't often have players repeat the AzFL, but all three of the position players on this opening list were there last year: Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler. All three have had disappointing seasons, Buxton because of injuries; Rosario with a 50-game suspension and a prolonged behavior-based benching; and Kepler presumably from his rawness.
Kepler is currently on the 40-man roster, but the German hasn't had a particularly strong season at high-A Fort Myers (.257/.330/.386), and the Twins may be considering whether they can risk exposing him to the Rule 5 draft. He remains an intriguing athlete and just turned 21, and the always optimistic Seth Stohs says he's been playing better of late. I expect the Twins will keep him on the 40, but this assignment may be an important test for him.
Rosario is another matter. He had a real opportunity this year to push his way to the majors, and did nothing with it. He's due to be added to the 40 this winter, and the Twins probably will do so, but they can't be pleased with what they've seen from him.
Three pitchers were also assigned to the AzFL: Right-hander Jason Adam (acquired from Kansas City for Josh Willingham) and left-handers Taylor Rogers and Mason Melotakis. All three are currently in Double A.
Adam, shifted this year to the bullpen by Kansas City, is being repositioned by the Twins as a starter, and they presumably want to add innings to his year.
Melotakis, a second-round pick in 2012, may be a dark-horse bullpen candidate for 2015; he certainly figures to have a higher ceiling than Caleb Thielbar.
Rogers has compiled pretty good numbers as a starter the past two years as he climbed from low A to Double A, albeit without imposing strikeout rates. I'm sure the Twins have a reason to send him to the fall league, but I'm not sure what it is. He doesn't appear to need the innings.
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