Friday, August
5, 2011
Twitter Mailbag – Part 3
We have a winner in the second contest for
Twins 1991 World Series DVDs. The Twitter contest winning was Cheets_4. As
promised, I would answer each of the questions that I had sent to me. Over 40
people responded, so today, here is part 2 of the Twitter mailbag. But before I
get to answering your questions, here are a couple of
notes:
There will be three parts to this Twitter
Mailbag. Scroll down for Part 1. Here is Part 2, and Part 3 will be coming
soon. If interested, you can follow me on Twitter. I just passed 3,000 followers yesterday. Next stop 4,000! Enjoy the
questions and responses today.
cjacket13 @SethTweets who's one player that we may not be hearing much
about that you think can make an impact in the majors some day?
Due
to his unfortunate injury this year, I think too many people have forgotten
about David Bromberg. The righty was an easy choice to add to the 40 man roster
following last season because he has progressed consistently and successfully
in his career. He has worked incredibly hard and has very good stuff. People
ask frequently about Kyle Gibson and Liam Hendriks,
and rightfully so, but fans shouldn’t forget about Bromberg.
MichaelRHerman @SethTweets Is it preferable for prospects to get MLB exp? Seems
Twins pos. players do but pitchers have to wait.
That
is a very tough question. Of course, ideally, every time a prospect is called
up, you want him to be at the point that he is ready to succeed in his role,
pitching or hitting. Sometimes that isn’t possible. One example would be Rene Tosoni earlier this year. He was promoted due to need (and
because he is on the 40 man roster), not because he was ready. We saw the
struggles. The second time he was promoted, he had
that to build off of and was better. Last year, Ben Revere was promoted in September
because of his speed. He was ready to run in the big leagues, steal bases, etc.
This spring, he was called up because he was needed, and he struggled
offensively. He’ll learn from it all. I think it is the same thing with
pitchers. You simply don’t want to put anyone in a position where they are over
their heads.
trtx84 @SethTweets What role (if any) will Gibson play for the #Twins in
September? Does it depend on their status as a playoff contender?
Right
now, hopefully his role in September will involve pitching. But even if there
were not the injury concern right now, I don’t think that he would have been
promoted in September. The numbers weren’t there, and since he doesn’t need to
be added to the 40 man roster after this season, there is no reason to bring
him up. I think that this question can now be asked of Liam Hendriks,
although he will need to be added to the 40 man roster. It definitely does
depend on their playoff status.
PatMcEnroe @SethTweets Do you think Alex Wimmers
will play in AFL this year to get IP or will they shut him down and he'll
repeat Ft Myers next year?
The
Twins have not yet announced who they will send to Arizona for the Fall League.
I do think that Wimmers would be a good candidate to
make up some innings there if he shows no sign of regression over the final
month of the season. He will be a starter again next year. If he does go back
to Ft. Myers, it would not be for long.
g_ando721 @SethTweets Should the Twins just hire a fulltime sports psych in
Fort Myers?
No.
MNfanfromafar @SethTweets How much more does Joe Benson have to do to earn a
promotion to AAA?
He
missed a little over a month of playing time. It’s really just about getting
more and more at bats. As we’re discussed, it’s all about his strikeout rate.
He is hitting for a good average, continues to get on base, and hits for power.
He’s terrific defensively and has a very strong arm. I guess the question
becomes this: what is the benefit of him playing in AAA for three weeks as
opposed to staying in AA and trying to help his team to the Eastern League
playoffs? Regardless of where he ends the 2011 season, he will start the 2012
season in Rochester (most likely).
ToddScreamer @SethTweets Do you see anyone in the Twins system that can become
a legit #1 Major League starter?
Again,
I would ask people what the definitely of a “legit #1
Major League starter” is. Does it mean a starter who can strike out more than a
batter an inning? If that is the definition, then I really don’t see that. If the definition is a very good starter that
can be counted on most of the time but doesn’t get a K/IP (like Halladay, Lee, Sabathia), then
it’s much harder to project. Then I think Gibson, Wimmers,
Hendriks, Salcedo
all could fit into that category. But we won’t know until they get here. Of
course, Scott Baker is averaging nearly a strikeout an inning this year, plus a
great ERA, etc., and I don’t think a lot of Twins fans consider him a “legit #1
Major League starter.” So, this is a tough question for me.
TSteffenson @SethTweets What is the Twins record Aug/Sept last 3 yrs and how
does that compare to DET & CLE?
This
question required a little work, but thanks to RetroSheet.org, I think I was
able to work through this. I went in and got the team’s final records in the
previous three years, and then I went and found each team’s record following
games played on July 31 of each respective year. Here are the overall records
of each of the AL Central teams from August 1 through the end of the season in
2008, 2009 and 2010 combined:
Minnesota
99-74 (.572)
Chicago
85-88 (.491)
Cleveland
82-90 (.477)
Detroit
81-94 (.463)
Kansas
City 73-98 (.427)
So,
I think it is fairly safe to say that the Twins have done pretty well the last
few seasons in the season’s final two months, especially compared to the rest
of the AL Central.
Mizleplix @SethTweets Is there anyone that has lost their ability to pitch
like Wimmers in the minors and then went on to
succeed in the mlb?
I am
certain that it has happened in other organizations over the course of all
these years, but it certainly isn’t easy. I couldn’t give you an example
though. With what Wimmers has done since his return a
couple of weeks ago, I really have little concern that he will be just fine. If
he becomes the first example of a guy to overcome it, I am fine with that too.
DOx80 @SethTweets Hung
Yi Chen and Angel Mata have impressive numbers. What do you think about their
prospect statuses (any other info on them)?
Here
is what I wrote about Chen in April when his signing was announced: “He is an 18-year-old
right-handed pitcher who has pitched on Taiwan’s national team in some
international competitions. He is just 5-10 and stocky. His fastball is thrown
around 87 mph although he has hit 91 on a radar gun. He also throws a sinker,
slider and a forkball. He is also working on a changeup that will be very
important for him if he wants to move forward.”
In
the Minnesota
Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011, I named Angel Mata the top Twins DSL
Prospect. Without knowing a ton, here is what I wrote about him:
#1 – Angel Mata – RHP – (12/3/92)
Acquired: Signed as F/A in 2009 from Venezuela
2010 Stats: 1-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.10 WHIP,
59.1 IP, 15 BB, 54 K
Here is a good example of why Wins and Losses
mean very little when it comes to how well someone pitches. After going 0-1 in
three relief appearances, he moved into the starting rotation. In his ten
starts, he was 1-4 with a 1.72 ERA. In those ten starts, he went at least five
innings seven times. He gave up three runs once and two runs once, and one or
less in eight games. He certainly had some terrific games. Against the DSL
White Sox, he went six innings (in a loss) and gave up one run. He walked none
and struck out eight and just one of the 18 outs came via a fly ball. In an
August 3 start, he threw six shutout innings, allowing just one hit, walking
one and striking out eight. Mata spent the 2010 season as a 17 year old
pitcher, kept his walk total down, and struck out nearly a batter per inning.
There is a good chance that he will move to the GCL Twins and be successful
going forward.
glanzerr @SethTweets Rank the Twins minor league affiliated based on
logo/colors/uniforms, best to worst.
Ummmm….
thisisbeth @SethTweets What prospect has surprised you the most? Which two,
actually: better than you thought and not as good as you thought (so far)?
Good
question. Jairo Perez has come out of nowhere. After
missing all of last year with Tommy John surgery and even the first two months
of this season, he has provided a ton of power for the Beloit Snappers. Yangervis Solarte is a guy that I
think surprised me a little bit last year. The fact that he has hit over .300
each of this season’s four months is what has surprised me this year. His bat
appears to be legit. Where can he play defensively though?
Any thoughts or comments on what you’ve read
today?? E-mail me, or leave some Comments.