2007 Minnesota Twins

Neutron 14 · Post by **Neutron 14** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 4:54 pm

packerboy wrote: I dont like that. I also doubt it will last. I dont think Silva is going to be able to do it. I think he was a fluke in 2005.

Don't mention "fluke" around here, Admin likes to nuke that word...

State Champ 97 · Post by **State Champ 97** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 6:45 pm

Silva is Santana's buddy. That may factor into whether he starts out in the rotation, bullpen, or AAA.

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:08 pm

Ponson churned out his 1st solid outing of the spring, going 4 and giving up 0 earned. Garza was also good throwing 2 shutout innings of relief.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:39 pm

So, do they keep Garza for long relief like they did with Liriano?

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:56 pm

packerboy wrote:So, do they keep Garza for long relief like they did with Liriano?

I hope they find a way to keep him on the roster even if he is not in the rotation. Once he settled down last year he was very solid and would be a better long relief guy than Guerrier. Considering that the Twins are giving their steadfast to Ponson and Silva in the rotation it would also make the transition to the rotation easier for Garza when one of those two falters.

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 2:14 pm

Bonser extends his scoreless innings streak to 11 with 4 shutout innings yesterday. Morneau hit his 1st homer of spring as well.

boblee · Post by **boblee** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 4:02 pm

Morneau goes deep again, Santana is great. Twins beat Phils 4-3.

Govs93 · Post by **Govs93** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 8:23 pm

According to this article, it looks like Gardy may be getting rotation set through the rest of the spring and into the start of the season. It looks like it will be:

Santana
Silva
Ortiz
Ponson
Bonser

I don't know... Can't really argue with the skipper, but I still don't get the fascination with Ponson. Hopefully he'll be able to get through 5 on a semi-regular basis. If he can do that, it may be ok until Garza/Perkins get more innings at AAA.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:45 pm

He's the #5 starter, you can't expect huge things from him. I would guess he is a stopgap/possible great value, kinda like Boone was a couple years ago. He'll get them a few innings for awhile until the other guys build up their arms and then he'll go bye bye.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:00 am

Ponson is last season's Tony Batista and Ruben Sierra. The Twins have little invested in Ponson and they're not going to wait around to see what they have in him. I think the Twins are playing a two man scramble with Ponson and Silva, the better of the two is going to stay and Garza will be in the rotation for good by the end of May.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:13 am

Well IS, Batista and Sierra didnt work out.

As we discused last year, the Twins deserve a lot of credit for making the right adjusments last year and righting the ship.

But they also deserve a lot of criticism for the decisions made in Lent which had a lot to do with them starting the season the way the did.

Castro and Batista in the lineup every day; Lohse in the rotation and Liriano in the pen etc.

Are they going to do this every year now or what?

Lets get some bargain basement free agents, start the season with them and sit our young guys and then when we get 15 games behind we will switch gears in June and win 60 of our last 90 games(or whatever it was).

I suppose it makes it exciting.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Post by **EREmpireStrikesBack** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:21 am

Must be all that fish I'm eating, but PB is actually making sense to me.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:17 am

I think there is one difference between Sierra/Batista and Ponson/Silva.

The Twins knew Batista and Sierra were bad and done, yet still tried to bamboozle us by running them out there. This year I think they geniunely believe Ponson and Silva can get outs and log some innings.

And secondly, the Organization doesn't want to force Garza to make 32 starts this year if they can help it. Eight years ago and several surgeries, one retirement, one trade, and one release later the Twins have exactly nothing left of R-M&M, those three promising starters who at that time were in their early to mid twenties. This is exactly why Bonser is in the five hole going into the season. At #5 he can be skipped to prevent them from killing him early.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:48 am

Maybe IS but those guys were given a chance to pitch every 5th day in the big leagues. If they didnt hold up physically , its not the Twins fault.

Garza is 23 years old. At what age are they strong enough and wont get injured.

Look how many years I had to endure a healthy Radke.

ChrisK · Post by **ChrisK** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:50 am

I don't see much difference between Batista/Sierra and Ponson/Silva to be honest. I think they're hoping that they'll have something left so they don't have to dig into the farm system again but I have serious doubts about Silva in particular.

I kind of thought Ortiz would be picking up the guts and guile Radke spot in the rotation but if Slowey is the future Radke I'm all for it even if it only means I can keep bringing up Radke's name over and over again to annoy packerboy. Slowey looked OK yesterday, he would've been out of the inning if Empire's hero Casilla had made the play on the first batter.

I'd like to see the Twins come north with another lefthander in the pen besides Reyes. I'd lean towards Perkins who has had a great spring but wouldn't have a problem with Mike Venafro, the submariner who pitched yesterday. If it's Perkins they can quickly move him into the rotation when Silva falters, though Garza would probably be the better choice for that.

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:05 am

I know Spring Training numbers are anything but a good gauge for how a player's doing, but what's the point of having position battles during spring if the outcome was apparently decided before it starts? The Twins went into spring with 3 guys battling for that final rotation spot. Garza and Perkins have pitched well, Ponson has pitched poorly, and yet it seems that Ponson was a shoe-in from the beginning due to his experience. I guess we reward pitchers who show up to camp badly out of shape and don't throw well during spring. If you're really gonna reward someone for that, I'll show up Florida next spring and take half the salary.

PB is right, the Twins made their own bed at the beginning of last year and it was awfully uncomfortable. Batista's poor range at 3rd and lack of offensive production combined with Castro's ineptitude at the plate cost us games that we sorely needed. They let Silva get shelled outing after outing before finally turning over to Liriano who was one of, if not the best pitcher in baseball when he started. IMO it seems like the writing is on the wall and Ponson or Silva is bound to fail, cede to Garza who will outperform markedly the rest of the year.

Are we really ready to dig another hole for reclamation projects? If Garza can't handle a full season of innings at 23, he won't be able to at 29, why not find out what he's got? Bonser is 6'4, 260 pounds, he should be able to eat innings.

Irishmans Shanty · Post by **Irishmans Shanty** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:18 am

packerboy wrote: Garza is 23 years old. At what age are they strong enough and wont get injured.

He's ready now, but the protection of young arms trumps common sense nowadays. We saw it with Santana in '01-'02, Liriano last year, and now Garza.

If I were TR:
-Ponson doesn't get signed
-Silva makes the club as a reliever if he earned it during Spring Training
-Rincon would have been stretched out and moved to the rotation

Heading North the Rotation is this
1 Santana
2 Bonser
3 Rincon
4 Ortiz
5 Garza

Rincon has been a great 8th inning guy but I think you can replace that position easier than a starting spot.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:19 am

Spring training numbers can be skewed because you dont know whats going on with what a pitcher is trying to do. Maybe he only throws one pitch because he wants to work on it or maybe he is trying a new pitch.

But I dont think Silva and Ponson are experimenting.

Bonser at #5? He should be #2.

Man, I hope they hit the Boofin ball.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:38 am

If Casilla had made the play? That was a very difficult play and that big guy at 1st didn't exactly stretch (not by choice, but because he can't) to help out Alexi at all. What about the run he scored tagging from 3rd? Slowey would have gotten the tie or L without that. Don't try bringing my guy in just because your guy isn't quite Radke yet and able to work himself out of jams.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:10 pm

Good point ER. This ChrisK guy just wants to have his "Radke clone" on the club so he can torment me for another season.

Also , the way Radke would pitch out of a jam was to give up somethng bases clearing.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Post by **EREmpireStrikesBack** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:06 pm

packerboy wrote:Good point ER. This ChrisK guy just wants to have his "Radke clone" on the club so he can torment me for another season.

Also , the way Radke would pitch out of a jam was to give up somethng bases clearing.

I wanted to say something to that effect, but didn't want to take him down too far. He'll get hostile and start saying things he really doesn't want to say.

Govs93 · Post by **Govs93** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:11 pm

ChrisK wrote: If it's Perkins they can quickly move him into the rotation when Silva falters, though Garza would probably be the better choice for that.

I like the "when Silva falters", not "if Silva falters"!

ChrisK · Post by **ChrisK** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:06 pm

Good catch Govs. I try to be subtle in my disparaging of Silva but sometimes I get caught.

Geezo, beezo, you'd think I had suggested that Gophers were going to lose to Iowa in football or something! It was a tough play but Casilla did get a late jump on that ball. And it wasn't like my Radke clone (is 'Slowey' a perfect name for this guy or what?) got hit hard except for one of those hits.

I'll give Casilla the nice slide on the tag up, that was a whale of a throw by the Phillie fielder. Everybody was having trouble with the sun, was that the norm when you were down there Empire?

slapper5 · Post by **slapper5** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:52 pm

Doesn't Lecroy play for the Nationals

Blue Breeze · Post by **Blue Breeze** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:55 pm

slapper5 wrote:Doesn't Lecroy play for the Nationals

No, he's back with the Twins this year.

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2007 Minnesota Twins

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