Twins-Cards today: Tolbert emerges as option
Posted on March 22nd, 2008 – 12:19 PMBy La Velle
Because no one (i.e. Brian Buscher) has stepped up in camp, Matt Tolbert has emerged as an option to make the roster.
Tolbert, Twins coaches say, is much more under control this spring than all of last year. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he can use Tolbert off the bench as a late-inning defensive player or pinch runner. And Gardenhire plans to use Tolbert in the outfield before spring ends to make sure he can fill in out there.
Here are the lineups. It’s overcast here.
Twins: Gomez, Tolbert, Young, Morneau, Kubel, Harris, Buscher, Butera, Bonser. No DH today….
Cards: Rasmus, Ludwick, Pujols, Duncan, Glaus, Molina, Kennedy, Lohse, Izturis.
141 Responses to "Twins-Cards today: Tolbert emerges as option"
LEN3,
anything on Nathan? Buster Olney says it is almost done 4 yrs 11 to 12 per. Does this Tolbert talk spell the possible end to Punto in MN…. 2.4 million be damned?
Where did you see that Nathan news Shawn?
i think Matt Tolbert will go north with the twins but i think Buscher will be the first infeilder caled up
Shawn, I’d like to think the Twins would be willing to move away from Punto and take both Buscher and Tolbert north.
Also, Gomez off to a good start today. 1-1 with a double and a run. He is now hitting .283 this spring!
dano, I’m starting to feel that way too. I was thinking it’d be Buscher, but Tolbert has really played well and the Twins comments suggest that they are impressed.
I want both to go North…
would they rip up the contract thet is this year or would it start in 09 and last year being 2012
Buster Olney says the deal is done in his blog and says it is from a very reliable source.
Heres a link. Its about a quarter of the way down.
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=olney_buster
I really want to know more about this Nathan thing. I wonder if Shawn saw it on TV because I can’t find a rumor on Rotoworld, ESPN, nowhere…
Toby, could you post the quote. I believe you, just curious to read more. Thanks for the heads up by the way.
from Buster’s Blog
• Joe Nathan’s new deal with the Twins is all but done and will be for four years, according to a highly placed source, for between $11 million and $12 million a year. Wrote earlier this spring that I didn’t think the Twins would sign Nathan, and that was dead wrong. You just don’t see mid-market and small-market teams signing closers to long-term deals, because generally speaking, as good as Nathan is, it’s easier to find a closer than it is, say, a starting pitcher or a shortstop or second baseman or center fielder or catcher. If the Twins have a payroll of about $80 million in 2009 and Nathan’s salary takes up about 14 to 15 percent of that, he and the Reds’ Francisco Cordero will assume greater percentages of their club’s respective payrolls than any closers in the game. And the Twins’ half-in, half-out approach of trading Johan Santana before the start of spring training and then locking up Nathan is very unusual.
game is actually on FSN Midwest
it might just be me but i think Boof Looks good right now
good glove bad throw Harris
Nathan is right now one of the best closers in the game. I am thrilled if the Twins have signed him to a long term deal. I will be interested to see if there is a no trade clause. We still need Lirano and a couple of the pitching prospects to step up or it will not matter if we have a closer. But if a couple of prospects do step up look out we will be very competive.
Boof has pitched pretty well all spring IMO. I think he’ll be much better this season.
Also, thanks for the quote Shawn, I mentioned you in my quick blog post…
Thanks man, my first blog mention…. that i know of.
Hopefully if Nathan is signed…. they use alot of money this year… since the payroll is low…. I’d like to see a partial no-trade… Give the Twins the option to trade him in year 3 or 4 of the deal.
No problem, you deserve the credit for finding the info…
Yeah, Buster mentioned that the payroll would be around $80 in ‘09 with this signing right…
Good to see Harris get a couple of hits.
I suppose the Twins didn’t want Lohse’s headache. But it seems to me he would be an upgrade over Hernandez, and he’s cheaper.
If Tolbert makes the team It may signal the beginning of the end for Punto, because of Punto’s contract he will make the club, but if Tolbert out plays Punto in every aspect of the game since they are similar players and one is getting it done and the other is not. They will stick with the one getting it done. Punto will end up like L-Rod on the Twins bench last year. He is there but never plays.
My Fiance loves Nicky, she’d be bummed, but if he can’t hit at least .240… they should just cut thier losses.
IMO Punto should play late inning defense ahead of Tolbert all year because he is much better defensively.
Tolbert should play occasional full games at 2B,SS and 3B because of his superior hitting (to Punto)
The guy who will displace Punto in 2009 is Casilla.
Nice hit Boof!
GoGO!
let Gogo try to steal home here
Sane,
I Think Casilla is being groomed to replace Everett as full time SS not as a utility player. That is why he went so quick to the minor league complex.
10 for 10 in SB’s. Batting .292. Is there any doubt who the starting CF will be?
I doubt Gardy will let Gomez try to steal home the way he slides head first, besides why take chanced on his getting hurt in a ST game?
Ed,
You could be right, but I would be surprised if Punto and Everett are BOTH discarded for next year.
If 2009 infielders are Lamb, Harris, Tolbert, Casilla and Buscher, that is a very weak defensive infield.
Boof goofs. He’s a little wild high, goes 3-0 to the #9 hitter Izturis who’s batting .159, then “unintentially” intentially walks him.
Oops, 2-run triple happens next.
Now Boof has a 1-2-3 5th. Hope they leave him in.
LaVelle, has Nathan really agreed to a four-year deal worth $11 or $12 million per season?
first i want to apologize for the way i acted the last time i was on here it was foolish of me. I was wondering what gomez did in his 3rd at bat.
Kubel is still wallowing. Wonder if he smells Monroe and he’s worrying too much.
If Gardy pulls him back, then he’ll probably wallow some more. Maybe he has to be babied, and let him stay in the lineup for a month this April.
Buscher made a diving stop today at third. If they think his glove is better this year they may still keep him because you can assume his bat will be better than Tolberts eventually. Also, you can see today it only takes one game in ST for Harris to catch up to Tolberts hitting stats.
If Gomez isn’t the starting CF, I don’t know what I’ll do (go crazy probably).
He has been awesome since getting consistent PT last week.
He is hitting .292 through his recent AB.
And he has 10 SB in 15 games played now.
Plus his defense is the best between him and Span.
Harris at .225 (and rising) is leaving the Mendoza line behind him.
Also, don’t underestimate the ability of Gardy to fall in love with Everett. He is a young 31 since he hasn’t played a ton of games in the majors. If his injury is healed they may sign him to another couple of years.
The Twins have already surprised us this off-season, they’ve signed Morneau, Cuddyer and possibly Nathan to extensions, traded for a gereat young hitter in DY, redid the infield, signed Livan, traded Santana…
Would it be surprising if they finally let Punto go and kept both Tolbert and Buscher?
Has anyone seen updates on how Baker did today? Or has he pitched yet?
Twins Territory, it would be surprising, but we can all hope they “Free Punto” allowing the last piranha to swim away.
IMO,if Tolbert and Buscher both tank, the Twins need to rethink the Casilla demotion.
Go-Go 2 for 4 with 2 k’s. Nice to see him “working” on his bunting. Was also good to see him hustle down the line after the dropped 3rd strike.
Everett_Fan, are you serious? If that forces him to miss the start of the season…
By the way, I Joe C. told me that if all went well today that he’d guess that Baker would start the season with the club.
Jerry D, they really do need to let him “swim away” 
Baker - two innings, then a rain out - more bade news, he was supposed to go 4
tolbert’s a beast in the field and read (above) he can play outfield too, plus he’s a switch hitter with 6.4 sixty speed, he’ll make this team. no doubt!!!
Although I don’t mind the Twins trying to keep Nathan around, I was banking on him to fetch a top infield prospect this trading deadline.
Twins still have monsters holes at 3B/SS/2B now and in the future. Casilla hopefully can be the answer to one of those spots.
The other 2 are completely gross and need to be corrected before we come into the new stadium.
Blackburn with a good 6th. How many pitches for Boof?
EverettFan, didn’t someone say that Harris had a slow ST last year too. My hope.
And you’re right that no one is close to taking his job away, especially in light of his good stats in 07. Looks like it will be him.
I believe, barring injuries, the starting lineup is set………except pitching.
Livan, Boof, and Slowey are set. Baker and Franchise are still physically weak.
Yapper,I do not want to cause negativity or controversy but I think in 2010 when the Twins move into the new stadium Mauer will have to move to 3B to save his knees.
I’ll be really disappointed if Baker can’t start the season with the team. Even if it means just 6 innings for the first few outings…
being a switch hitter that can play anywhere in the infield and outfield helps tolbert’s stock tremendously, plus this guy is fast
yapper, the Twins could trade 2 AAA pitchers for a good IF prospect.
2 shoutout innings for Blackburn. Let’s see if they stretch him out. If they don’t, that probably means he’s headed to AAA, cuz this time (unlike with Jones and Durbin) they have something keepable in Bass.
There, sure enough, Perkins is warming up.
tolbert has impressed this spring, glove and at bats, pretty consistent, plus GARDY loves him
EverettFan, if Tolbert and Buscher look about even, the Twins will go with Tolbert, right?
Buscher is a LH batter and the platoon with Lamb wouldn’t be in the cards.
i think tolbert has been an option to make the roster since camp started, and since he showed he can play anywhere and be consistent at the plate and in the field. having wheels and a glove, and being a switch hitter makes him even more of a find for our team. finally a player to build around at short or second
i think tolbert has been an option to make the roster since camp started, and since he showed he can play anywhere and be consistent at the plate and in the field. having wheels and a glove, and being a switch hitter makes him even more of a find for our team. finally a player to build around at short or second…
Could happen Jerry.
I suppose it wouldn’t be all bad, but I hate to move him from behind the dish with his defense back there being as good as it is.
It’s pretty much a guarantee now that Baker won’t be ready although they haven’t officially said that. Even if today had gone well there was talk of him not being ready until Apr 9-10.
romer - I don’t know about Harris’ spring but he batted .310 in the first half so he isn’t a slow starter in the season.
“IMO,if Tolbert and Buscher both tank, the Twins need to rethink the Casilla demotion.”
sane, what would they do with Casilla, let him sit on the bench? They’re gonna give Harris a shot for a couple months, right?
twinsfan,
Is Tolbert eligible for Hall of Fame voting yet, or does he have to make the Twins roster first?
“if Tolbert and Buscher look about even, the Twins will go with Tolbert”
- Not sure. Gardy is contradicting himself. Early on he was talking about bigger hitters making it. Buscher definitely hits with more power. I still expect Buscher to make it.
romer,
I am fine with Casilla’s resurrection occurring after the season has started.
I’d actually prefer he regains his stroke and confidence (at AAA) first.
Perkins telegraphs a slow breaking pitch. Not having a good ST.
Harris at .238 and rising.
romer,
Also, when Casilla returns, he should get significant PT at SS.
Tolbert gives Gardy more versatility off the bench. For example, he can spell Lamb against tough lefties, whereas Buscher is just as vulnerable to tough lefties as Tolbert. The only thing Buscher can do that Tolbert can’t in the field play first base. Buscher provides more power, but little else.
Perkins punches his ticket to Rochester.
My bad EverettFan. I assumed Lamb would be platooning some. But if you believe the Twins official site, his splits are….
vs. Left: .362 vs. Right: .277
So left-batting Buscher could start against outstanding righties.
just saying, this kids got a lot of upside among the others, especially over punto and everett
I have to presume no Perkins or Blackburn as starters.
2 positions to fill. The candidates are Baker, Franchise, and Humber.
If Kubel plays most of the time at DH I think Gardy likes Buscher and Monroe on the bench as lefty/righty PH options with some pop. Tolbert seems redundant with LNP around. Lamb is expected to play most days.
Option that won’t happen.
Keep Span and Gomez - trade Kubel.
trade kubel? for what? a bag of balls? he has no significant value until he proves himself.
Sometime soon, the Twins have to take an educated guess - will Kubel EVER regain what Kubel used to have?
Right now, optioning Span and keeping Kubel would be a shame with the way Span has played this ST. If Kubel actually looked like he was interested, that might change my mind. Also, I don’t see practices and drills, so maybe Kubel is showing a glimmer to the coaching staff that he doesn’t show to DIRECTV.
What are you actually attempting to say?
“no one hasn’t steped up”
What does that mean?
it’s a typo, bill. that’s pretty obvious.
“… no one has stepped up …”
Ain’t got time…….who wants to trade Kubel!?
For the millionth time, Kubel produced both HR’s and RBI’s at a faster rate than Cuddy last year for the WHOLE SEASON. And in the second half except for Hunter, he was the BEST HITTER.
Tolbert has never been in the Twins top 30 prospects (Baseball America) and his best year was a .293 6-53 with 11 SB season last year at AAA.
That doesn’t mean he won’t make the team ahead of Buscher, but excuse me if I restrain my excitement while he hits .250 in ST.
romer,
Thanks for reminding me.
And I am not being sarcastic!
I do forget Kubel’s 2007 second half.
I get Spring Training myopia like many others.
sy, tading Kubel and keeping Span and Gomez wouldn’t do much.
Neither Span or Gomez would be a DH…
Tolbert never for the chance to come up to the majors last season at the end even though he deserved it after a solid season at AAA.
He is definetly ready if he can beat out Buscher.
Romer, I think people are getting all over Kubel just because he isn’t have an “AWESOME” spring.
I wonder how many people here even saw him progress in the second half…
That double-negative in the lede isn’t just not killing me.
People who are hoping the Twins have any plans to let Punto go should remember that Gardy loves him. I agree with Sane that he makes a great utility guy because his defense and speed are above average, and he can play anywhere. The trouble is that Gardy thinks so highly of him that he tries to get him into the starting lineup way too often. If the manager loves the guy I don’t think Bill Smith will go against that.
I’ve heard it said that Tolbert shouldn’t be kept as a utility guy because it would impede his long term growth. However, based on his past, his age, and his projections, he’ll never be starter material. So you could argue that sticking as a bench guy now is fine. But since last year was his first good minor league season I wonder if it might make sense to have him play every day again.
TwinsTerritory,
Span could play CF and LF and Gomez could play CF and RF with Young and Cuddyer resting their turf legs occasionally at DH (with Monroe).
Most of my angst is for Span who is now hitting .314 (OBP =.429; OPS=.858) and may be headed for Rochester.
(YES OPS=.858)
The kid has really stepped it up and is more deserving of a little love than Tolbert or Buscher.
TD - Please don’t avoid not being negative.
Sy - I don’t think it’s wise to put that much weight on Span’s spring stats. That’s a VERY small sample size, and totally goes against his entire minor league history. Because of that history Aaron Gleeman ranks Span as the Twins #40 prospect. A decent spring doesn’t change that. He should definitely go back to the minors to see if he can prove that he’s making progress.
Dennis — instead of faulting Gardy for “getting him into the starting lineup” last year, ask yourself this:
Who should have gotten the starts instead of Punto? L-Rod? Casilla?
No fair adding anyone who wasn’t on the roster…
GBG - Good question. The lineup last year was awful. However, my comment wasn’t based just on that, but rather on Gardy’s comments about his love for Punto, and on implications that he might go with him as a starter again this year. I read recently that Punto had the LOWEST OPS among all AL players with enough at bats to qualify for the batting title - lower than even Tony Pena! You can perhaps live with that in a great fielding shortstop, but at third base? Buscher could have been brought up and tried out. Ideally, Hunter or Castillo or a couple of mid level pitching prospects would have been traded. I wonder if TR would have done something like that if Gardy had gone to him and said he needed more offense out of third base.
Like I say, I don’t want to be too negative. As a utility guy Punto can be valuable. But the Twins lost last year because of a lack of offense, and I shudder when I read comments implying Punto could be a starter, or even a part time starter.
Dennis,
I feel there is value in ST stats.
Only for a minor leaguer fighting for a job - not for a MLB player tuning up.
Span just proved that he can rise above the drudgery of summer in Rochester when playing with the Varsity.
Many players NEED the challenge (Gomez)to perform and step up when they are challenged. I think Span has showed that although your caveat regarding small sample size is correct.
Sy - I would agree with your theory if it were applied to a guy who had given indication in his minor league career that he might be ready. But Span doesn’t fit that description. His minor league career has been mediocre. There have been many examples of teams going with guys like that after spring training, only to have to demote them a month into the season. Maybe Span is ready to make a move, but I’d like to see him take this spring training performance and translate it into progression at AAA.
If Gardy actually cared about this team and not about what would happen if they cut his players then Punto would be gone.
Dennis,
Span hit .307 in 2005 and .285 in 2006.
This despite being 21-yr-old in AA. (2005)
Dan,
Gardy doesn’t care about this team?
sy, I’m not sure why the Twins would want to DH Delmon or Cuddyer. Those are two of the best arms in all of baseball.
Also, while Span may be more deserving than Tolbert or Buscher, you need to go based of more than stats. The Twins don’t need to/and can’t afford to carry six outfielders. They need another infielder and that is why both Tolbert and Buscher are the guys going after the job.
Finally, Spring Stats don’t tell the whole story. Two examples:
** Today, Span got one hit and his average rose 19 points. With so few ABs in the spring, one at-bat can drastically affect your BA.
** Ramon Ortiz led the Grapefruit League last season in ERA.
Sane, Casilla and Tolbert are weak defensively??? What have you been watching. Forget the brainwashing your receive from Gardy, in the name of keeping Nick Punto on the roster. Casilla is every bit as good, if not better, than Punto. He’s simply a bit more raw at the moment. And Tolbert can play in the field. He’s above average defensively. He’s pretty low-risk.
TT,
I was suggesting Span replace an OF (Monroe or Kubel) and keep 5 OF.
What was Span’s OPS BEFORE the game today? - Above .800?
I am suggesting Young and Cuddyer’s legs get sore on turf (like anyone else’s legs including Adrian Peterson’s)and DH’ing occasionally can relieve that.
If ST stats mean nothing, why are we keeping Monroe? His stats should revert back to 2007 which got him released -TWICE!!
Lala72,
“Casilla is every bit as good, if not better, than Punto.”
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Find someone in the baseball business that agrees with that and I will change mine.
Lala72,
Of course, I was speaking about his defense. Casilla is a MUCH better offensive player than Punto - especially as a basestealer.
LaVelle, does Bass have the edge over Perkins for the last bullpen spot or are the Twins set on carrying a second left-handed reliever?
Dennis — fair enough (although they did try Buscher last year, and he wasn’t all that much better!)
In general, I’m not high on Buscher. He’s had one decent year in the minors, and that’s really it. Tolbert’s minor league totals aren’t actually that much better than Punto’s. Call me a skeptic, but I feel it’s more an infatuation with the new toy than people really grooving on either of those guys.
We are keeping Monroe not because he has hit two homeruns this spring but because he has shown improvment in his ABs.
For one, he doesn’t tred to hit a homerun every time like he did last season. And two, he has been patient at the plate.
I’m not saying that stats don’t mean anything, but when Span and Gomez play every other day for the most part, I think we need to do more than compare their averages and OBP.
Gomez is 10 for 10 in stolen bases this spring in just 15 games. That’s awesome. He has scored 12 runs and a lot of those have been self-manufactored because of his speed. And finally, his glove is better. He has nailed three or four runners this season including Pedroia on a solid throw from center.
Those three things are something that the average, OPS and OBP won’t tell you.
Those things also won’t tell you that Gomez was terrible before getting consistent ABs. Since the Twins started giving Gomez more ABs last weekend, we’ve seen his average rise from the mid-100s all the way up to near .300
Meyer, tomorrow is going to be a huge day to tell about the pitching.
With Liriano on the mound it could tell if the team needs to put Blackburn, Perkins or Humber in the rotation or if Liriano is ready.
Also, Humber is scheduled to pitch so if all goes well there, he could go a long way towards getting the final long-releif spot if the Twins aren’t set on keeping a lefty.
Lala72,
Take Everett and Punto out of that group of IF, and defense goes pffttt.
If you have to get rid of LNP, please keep Everett or replace him with another glove like him.
“Casilla is a MUCH better offensive player than Punto - especially as a basestealer.”
Is this the same Casilla that had a .689 in his one and only year at AAA? Casilla is still very young and likely to improve, but let’s be honest — he’s not there yet.
I think a lot of people forget that Casilla is just 23. A season at AAA this year should get him ready to compete for the SS job next spring.
Are the Twins trying to sign Nathan in order to keep him for 4 years OR to make him a more valuable trading chip because of his cost certainty to his new (big market) team in July? Will there be any “no trade” protection for Nathan or partial protection? I could see partial protection. If Nathan stays, our bullpen should remain a strength for years. On the other hand, a cost certain Nathan could pull in a bundle of young talent (stud 3rd baseman prospect?). It will be interesting to monitor the progress.
This week will be interesting to see what happens with the CF thing…
I wonder what will happen if Span gets sent down. There would be no point in my mind to keep him after that point with Gomez obviously the future CF (why else would they trade for him).
TT,
Don’t mistake my Span sympathy for wanting to keep him instead of Gomez.
I have already named three of my future children after Gomez.
Did the Twins win today ? Final score & highlights, if any?
I agree, teams would want him now more than ever before. I’m not sure what he could draw, but it’d be better than forcing him to sit at AAA for no reason.
Plus, I can’t imagine he’d want to stay here…
TT,
Unlike this winter, NOW Span DOES have trade value.
coco, they lost 6-3.
Carlos Gomez went 2-4 with a double, a SB and a run scored.
Brendan Harris went 3-4.
Delmon Young got two RBI.
Bonser’s line: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R
Blackburn’s Line: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 SO
Perkins Line: 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R
Thank you TwinsTerritory.
Aaron Gleeman (who gets paid a lot of money by multiple media sources because of his knowledge) ranks Span as the Twins #40 prospect, and has this to say:
“Pegged as the eventual replacement for Torii Hunter from the moment that the Twins took him in the first round of the 2002 draft, Denard Span is still nowhere near being ready to step into the center-field vacancy created by Hunter’s departure and probably never will be. Aside from a strong half-season at high Single-A three years ago there’s little in Span’s minor-league resume to suggest future big-league success and he now sports a .283/.348/.348 hitting line in 2,184 career plate appearances.
Span has long been billed as a leadoff-hitting speedster, but struck out 90 times in just 487 at-bats last season despite having zero power and has yet to get on base at a good clip or convert his raw speed into actual value. He’s drawn a walk in just 8.3 percent of his career trips to the plate, which works out to 40-50 walks over the course of a full season.”
Span’s spring stats are encouraging, and Gleeman also said he’s young enough to still develop. It seems to me, though, that a small sample ST performance isn’t enough to want to keep him on the ML roster quite yet.
I still think Span is the man. He’s at the point where he should get a chance. If he fails, move on with someone else.
I’m trapped.
To argue that Span should be kept (along with Gomez), I have to flip-flop on all my arguments for Gomez being our leadoff man.
1) OBP Gomez .302 Span .429
2) Runs Gomez 12 Span 6
3) SB Gomez 10/10 Span 3/4
I want to keep both, but if I plead OBP for Span, I am undercutting Gomez.
I give up!
Dan you and I disagree on this one big time.
I would never let Span in a Major league uniform.
He looks good in SPRING TRAINING, but has never looked good at the plate ever. His base stealing percentage shows he doesn’t know what to do on the rare occasions when he gets on base, and the only reason he was in AAA last year is because we didn’t have another option, and not because he earned it. It wasnt until his last 100 atbats last year that he didn’t look like an 8th grader called up for varsity. Span is at best a Jarvis Brown kind of outfielder… a September call up to be brought in to pinch run for a catcher, or Morneau in a meaningless game.
Gomez is our best option at CF, and Pridie is going to be a perfect 4th outfielder next year. We have Kubel and Monroe right now, and with Punto and hopefully Tolbert on the bench we have plenty of OF options for 2008 that will cover the bases.
Seeing Span on the major league roster would be like having 3 puntos on the roster… because he’s twice as bad as punto.
But this is just my opinion. Of which many people don’t care for so it’s cool.
I’m just happy that Tolbert’s making the most of his opportunities.
Gomez is the guy. I’m more convinced of this than ever, just reading between the lines of Gardy’s quotes. He starts talking about when Gomez will be with the Twins during the year and then he catches himself and says “if he makes the team.” He does this to keep Span motivated.
Span will do fine in AAA and he’ll be a more valuable commodity after doing well there than he would struggling up here. Gomez is the future, and I think he’ll learn more up hear than down there. So let’s just bring him up and be patient when he misses the cut-off man and get excited when he steals two bases in an inning.
If we keep six OF (two of Span, Kubel and Monroe on the bench) and five IF (Punto on the bench), Cuddyer might have to play 2B or 3B in an emergency situation which might come up maybe once or twice a year.
Would Cuddyer need therapy from a shrink if that happened?
Gardy probably believes it.
So (probably) it is Tolbert or Buscher for the last roster spot instead of Span because Cuddy is too sensitive to adjust to IF once or twice a season.
No one hasn’t stepped up LaVelle? Aren’t you a proffesional writer?
I’m just ribbing him a little bit, take it easy sy. Maybe you shouldn’t not lighten up.
Robert,
Is that “proffesional” or professional?
Typing and spelling are separate skills.
Lighten up.
robert,
I shouldn’t be not ribbing no one neither.
No foul, no harm!
Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.
Yogi Berra
robert,
My bad!
I thought you were ripping (not ribbing) LaVelle so I flew to his defense.
I was hoping LaVelle might be grateful and mention me in a lead paragraph like he did romer, jama, CMathewson, Sethspeaks and mikewantswins.
KIDDING!!!!!!!
haha, yeah I got mentioned by LaVelle in that same blog entry, but just because I defended myself when some guy called me a moron.
You have noble intentions sy.
I think the Twins will take Gomez over Span. Span has played well, but once Gomez gets on base that speed is disruptive. He also has more power than Span and if you compare the minor league stats, Gomez has the edge when the statistics are translated.
I say we gut out the growing pains that
Gomez may go through.He is too exciting of a player to send down to the minors.
Have you guys seen the Si.com archives. you can read any acrticle ever written in SI online.
I have to say this is a much better forum for honest straight forward discussion on the Twins then the post article comments. It sure is nice to be able post open honest thoughts. I think Gomez is the only true choice as starter in center. As far as Punto I do believe that if Gardy was not the manager Punto would have been released years ago. Yes he has a good glove, but when a team needs more hitters you can’t waste a roster spot on a defensive replacement. I have high hopes for this team, if the young arms come thru this team could chanllenge for a wildcard spot.
Geez, sorry for the double negative. The game had started and I was late with the lineups. So I rushed….
Was told that Nathans deal needs a couple details ironed out. Im not sure what the final numbers are yet. Don’t know about a no trade yet. Gotta tip my hat to Buster…
Baker threw in the batting cage after the rain began, about 55-60 pitches total.
Tolbert has surprised a lot of us here.
Perkins is damaging his chances of going north.
Sunday is a big day for rotation decisions.
Robert is my favorite poster.
Robert is my favorite poster.
Robert is my favorite poster.
yea,…see what a little brown-nosing can do for ya…damn…
tolbert is my vote for 25th man…..i feel bad for span and pridie- they both can play …curious to see how the twins play these two….
Double negative? Big deal. I still make an occasional was/were error that makes me laugh. This, despite the fact, I am a genius……..though, since my return, a very humble genius.
Lavelle…shoulda been watching March Madness instead….but if you’re still up, please ensure us that Nick Punto will come nowhere near a starting lineup this year….that’s all I’m asking….
.152 with one extra base hit this spring…we’ve seen enough, folks.
LEN3….do you have a 25th man preferance …if so, would you share with us and why……
Thanks for the Nathan update LEN3. Sounds close if the deal isn’t yet done. I soooo hope the Twins keep him. I’m very comfortable going forward with our offense and bullpen. If a starter or two step up who knows????
Go-Go is simply awesome. I’m taking him in my fantasy draft out of blind loyalty and optimism so he better be the opening day CF……
Tolbert would be nice as the utility guy. I like Punto, but he’s kinda like a Tyner. A good player to have for minimum salary, but not worth 2.4 million per year on a cash smart club. If Tolbert can fill the role for $300,000 he is the guy.
LEN3: Any favorite cigars? I’m a Romeo y Juliet guy myself. But the Cuban, she is a hard one to find, no? Fortunately, there is an Honduran RYJ, and I’m happy.
Hunter84: You are astute. My problem with Punto is not numbers, because, if he is a utility guy, who cares so much about numbers? My problem is with fundamentals. Starting with Tom Kelly, the Twins have rejected some pretty decent major leaguers because the “big shooters” thought they were above drills to re-enforce fundamentals. Todd Walker comes to mind. So why does Punto get a free pass on fundamentals? It’s a mystery. TK would not tolerate some of Punto’s crap, I know that. The only thing I can figure is that Gardy loves a guy who busts his tail, and Punto is a master at appearing to bust his tail, even if it means breaking every rule of fundamental baseball in the process. Diving into first is the paradigm case there.
The thing is, Tolbert (no relation to Dilbert) is both a tail buster and a fundamentally sound player, in a David Eckstein kind of way. Unlike Punto, he can hit a little (at least he won’t strike out in crucial little-ball situations). And unlike Punto, he doesn’t do bizarre histrionics to prove to a gullible manager that he is indeed busting his tail. He still has room to grow. So perhaps you send him out and give Stuey Clibourn the mandate to play him at a different position every day in Rochester, but give him 200 PAs through May and, when Punto has proven beyond a doubt that he is a AAAA player, you bring Tolbert up and eat Punto’s salary like you ate Batista’s and Ponson’s before him.
Good morning La Velle. The Twins look to have a good group of starters for AAA. Any chance they will convert one of them to potential closer status? Humber or Blackburn? Would Korecky bring anything in a trade? This is assuming Nathan trade goes through. Thanks.
Oops, I meant to say Nathan CONTRACT SIGNING goes through.
[…] spring though batting just .143 with a .250 OBP and .229 SLG. With Buscher not stepping up it was Matt Tolbert that caught the eyes of Ron Gardenhire and is showing solid all around play and ability to play many positions. Matt is batting .250 this […]
