Scott Baker is a good pitcher, but...
- Pirates victimize the projected Opening Day starter
The Pirates hit three home runs off of Baker yesterday, two of which came from former Twin Craig Monroe. The Twins traded for Monroe prior to the 2008 season, and he was a bust. He batted .212/.274/.405 before being released just after the All-Star break. This is one of those deals that didn't make a whole lot of sense when Smith pulled the trigger, as it appeared that Monroe was pretty much washed up at the time. The reasoning behind the deal was pretty sound: the Twins needed a right-handed power bat and the Cubs weren't asking much in return. However, Monroe clearly was not the bat they were looking for. Other than his monster season in 2006, he had never hit more than 25 home runs in a year, and the most he had ever hit was 22. But I digress, this post is supposed to be about Scott Baker!This game highlighted one of the 27 year old righty's major weaknesses: the tendency to give up the gopher ball. Baker gave up 20 home runs in his 28 starts last season, and is projected to give up anywhere from 19-22 again this year. A lot of this has to do with the fact that his fastball isn't very fast, usually topping out at around 91 mph. It (and all of his other pitches for that matter), is very effective if he can locate it, which is something he obviously struggled with yesterday. Still, Baker has a solid K/BB ratio of 3.36 and doesn't put a lot of runners on base, so the damage is usually limited to solo homers (as all of the Pirates' homers were yesterday).
- Joe Mauer may or may not be ready for Opening Day
According to the Star Tribune, Mauer is currently in Baltimore getting a second opinion on his back problem. This was apparently a mutual decision between the player and the organization, who are taking no chances with their All-Star catcher. We should know more about the injury and if Mauer will be ready for Opening Day once the results of the exam come back. However, even if Mauer isn't ready at the start of the season, the Twins aren't completely sunk. They do have some other good options behind the plate:- Mike Redmond: Red Dog has always been a solid backup catcher, and could probably handle all of the catching duties himself if he were asked. But he's 37 years old, and though he would probably post better numbers than he did last year with more playing time, it's unlikely his body could withstand the grind of catching six nights a week.
- Jose Morales: Having Morales and Redmond share the catching duties is probably the best option. Morales showed a lot of promise when he was first called up in 2007, but suffered torn ligaments in his ankle when he was rounding the bases in his first major league game. This injury ended up sidelining him for most of the season last year, but he had more surgery and is now apparently pain free.
- Drew Butera: The son of former major-league catcher Sal Butera, the 24-year old prospect has been having a pretty good spring, though he's only started five games so far. He isn't one of the top-ranked prospects in the organization, though, and has yet to advance past AA ball. He would probably only get called up if Mauer is out and the Twins needed a third catcher.
- Wilson Ramos: Ramos is the catcher-of-the-future should the Twins decide they cannot afford to keep Joe Mauer. I've written about Ramos before, and he's been pretty impressive during camp. Not only has he been hitting very well, he has also demonstrated an ability to handle the big-league pitching staff. Naturally this has led some people to speculate that Ramos might get the call if Mauer will indeed miss some of the season. However, Ramos is only 21 years old has yet to advance higher than Advanced A ball, so he's probably not quite ready to make his big-league debut just yet. Very few prospects can make the jump from the low minors to the major leagues successfully, and even fewer can do so while playing the most difficult position on the field. It would be best to allow Ramos to develop further, and to let Morales or Butera split time with Redmond at backtstop.
- Pudge Rodriguez: Do. Not. Want. Yes, Pudge has been tearing the cover off the ball in the WBC, but he's been declining both offensively and defensively over the past few years (of course, his decline might have something to do with his alleged use of PEDs). He's a year older than Redmond, and clearly his best days are behind him. Pudge batted .276/.319/.374 with 7 home runs and an OPS+ of 87 between Detroit and the Yankees last year. While adjusting to a new team after being traded might have affected his numbers some (he was clearly better in Detroit than New York), the effects were likely minimal because he wasn't much better the year before that. In comparison, Redmond hit .287/.321/.333 with an OPS+ of 80 in the 38 starts he made behind the plate last season. The Twins would be better off saving their money and letting Redmond and one of their prospects handle the catching duties.
- Wild fall to Avalanche 2-1
The Mild (yes, that's what I'm calling them from now on) never showed up against the Avs last night, and this was a game they absolutely had to win. The Avs are the worst team in the Western Conference, and it appears that Minnesota took their opponent lightly. They got off to a quick 1-0 lead, but never mounted much of a threat since then. Poor Niklas Backstrom was under siege all night long, but he managed to turn aside 40 shots, while his counterpart Peter Budaj faced a mere 16 shots on goal the entire game.
How bad was the Wild's offense last night? About as bad as poor Patrik Stefan:
I never thought I'd say this (Okay, I've been saying this for awhile, but humor me), but it looks like our guys are just playing out the season now. This team can't even win two games in a row (though they obviously have no problem putting together a losing streak), how in the world are they going to make a successful run for a playoff spot?
- Speaking of playing out the season...
Oh yeah, and Glen Taylor has no intention of letting Kevin McHale come anywhere near the front office again, so I guess there's some hope for our Wolfies.
Oh Erin! I'm sorry to hear about Mauer! And while Kevin McHale was a great player - not so good at management!
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
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Julia,
Mauer should be fine long-term, but it's not clear if he's going to be ready for Opening Day just yet. And it's kind of sad to think that Kevin McHale's legacy will be as that of a failed GM, not so much the all-time great basketball player he was.
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Everytime I hear Redmond name for some reason I think of chewing tobacco.
I guess that Mauer will not be ready for at least the first week. But still, considering the way that guy hit line drives, he will get in shape fast and again terrorize the league.
I still remember when he was going to sign to play QB at FSU. I think he is glad he turned that down solidly now. The good ones always find a way to make the game theirs..........he will be a great one.
Rays Renegade
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Julia is only sorry about Mauer because she keeps hearing all the rumors about him eventually playing for the Red Sox! LOL! I agree with you about Pudge Rodriguez...I wouldn't want him either. I love your new name for the Wild! That's a classic! I don't know if you're a Vikings fan (I am), but hopefully there will be a Minnesota championship in the not-so-distant future!
Scott
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Rays Renegade,
LOL about the Redmond thing. And given the scandal facing FSU, I'm sure Joe is now glad he turned down that scholarship, too. Well, and he's making a gazillion dollars a year as a baseball player. Most college QBs never make it to the NFL, so who knows what Mauer would be doing right now if he hadn't chosen baseball.
Scott,
Don't even get me started on the big-market teams drooling over Joe already. I am hoping the Twins will work out a contract extension just to see the disappointed looks on the faces of Red Sox Nation. And yes, I am a Vikings fan. I'm not sue if I share your optimism about the team, but I hope you're right about them winning a championship soon. It would be great if one other Minnesota team could finally win something, preferably before they move to Los Angeles.
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No, you don't want Pudge, Erin. At least not the Pudge who came over to the Yankees last year and was supposed to be this great HOF-er backup while Posada was out. He really worked hard, but the skills just weren't there. No offense. Couldn't throw runners out. I was shocked, frankly. I expected more. Fingers crossed that Mauer gets a positive report from the doctor in Baltimore.
- http://janeheller.mlblogs.com
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The vindictive Sox fan in me loves that Mauer may not be ready for Opening Day. But the competitive Sox fan in me wants Mauer able to play. What? I want one of your best to play? Yes, because when the White Sox beat the Twins (it'll happen at least once, preferably way more), I want to do it against all your best. You'll do well with Redmond in case Joe isn't ready, I think. It seems you have a pretty solid team, which scares the crap out of me. :)
Jen
http://ajroxmywhitesox.mlblogs.com
PS: I read your comment on Kathy's blog over at Redbird Chatter. Maybe it seemed that Reyes never did that great of a job against the Sox. Cuz he always seemed to be giving up runs to us. Am I really that way off? Or is it because of the fact that he had to face so many righties, which we had a lot of last year? I could have a selective memory. :)
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Jane,
Yes, Pudge was awful with the Yankees last year, but you have to give Cashman credit for trying. Posada was out, and Pudge really should've been better than he was (his numbers with the Tigers were pretty decent, if not the HOF-worthy). It's not as though the Yanks gave up a lot to get him, getting rid of Farnsworth alone was probably worth it. I just don't think he'd be a good fit for the Twins.
Jen,
Yes, I will admit that these games are much better when both teams are playing well. It just isn't any fun when the Twins steamroll over the Sox (well, okay, it kind of is), but I really enjoyed a lot of those close games at the Dome at the end of the season. That one-game playoff was really exciting, even though it didn't end the way I wanted.
In answer to your quesntion: you weren't that far off about Reyes. He does own a lifetime 4.56 ERA against the Sox, but that is mostly because he hasn't been very good at the Cell where the Sox have hit .250/.400/.542 against him. I was mostly just trying to reassure Kathy that she doesn't have to worry about Reyes. He's effective if he's only used against left-handed hitters.
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I appreciate the reassurance!
I think Pudge could be a great addition for the right team. I don't see the Twins as that team, unless Mauer was going to be out all year. And, I didn't see the point in the Yankees aquiring him last year. Seriously, they carried 3 catchers for much of the season, and they traded for another one?
That's tough news about Mauer. He had such a great season last year. I hate that he might miss any of the season.
-Kathy
http://redbirdchatter.mlblogs.com
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Kathy,
It sounds like the Marlins are interested in Pudge, and I think he would be a good fit for them. The Twins don't sound terribly interested in in him at this point, since they're still waiting to hear about Mauer.
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