What if Joe can't go?

by cmathewson on Mar 9, 2009 8:00 PM EDT Comment 54 comments

Joe Mauer's opening day status is more in doubt by the day. What do the Twins do if he has to stay behind in Fort Myers when the team goes north?

As LEN3 has reported, Joe Mauer will have an enhanced MRI on his abdomen to get some answers on what's causing his continued discomfort following offseason kidney surgery. That can't be good news. Of the players the Twins can least afford to be without for an extended period, Mauer is tops on the list. Not only is he the best hitter on the team, he's also the best catcher in the league. You simply do not replace a guy like that from within.

Hopefully, this is just scar tissue or something minor, and he can get back into a groove knowing that the pain is a normal part of the healing process. But what if it's more serious? What if he needs more surgery? What will Ron Gardenhire do to fill the gap in the order and behind the plate?

Lineup

I will start with the relatively easy question. Of course, it's not that easy to replace your number 3 hitter. But it's easier than replacing your starting catcher. Of all the Twins hitters, the closest approximation to Mauer is Jason Kubel. He's finally past the toughest injury a player can have, and he's raking. Though he won't hit for average like Mauer, he'll hit for more power and provide enough production to keep the lineup going.

Here's how I envision the lineup in the unhappy event of extended spring for Super Joe:

Denard Span (RF/LF)
Alexi Cassila (2B)
Jason Kubel (DH)
Justin Morneau (1B)
Delmon Young/Michael Cuddyer (LF/RF)
Joe Crede (3B)
Catcher
Nick Punto (SS)
Carlos Gomez (CF)

Catcher

Now for the tougher part. The logical choice for a short stint on the DL would be to move Redmond to starter and promote Jose Morales to be the backup. This would allow for additional bench flexibility because Morales is a switch hitter.

But what if Mauer needs additional surgery and his DL stay is a half a season or more (yikes, hated typing that)? That calls for a more radical solution. Mike Redmond is good for a couple of weeks of starting. But his history is to wear down after that and just stop hitting, and there's a noticeable drop off in his defenisve skills. Though he seems to be a foul ball magnet under normal circumstances, he gets especially beat up as his reactions slow playing everyday.

Red Dog would be fine if he had a lot of support, but I don't see him getting enough from Jose Morales. He's a decent catcher and a good singles hitter. He's actually a switch hitting Redmond, really. But he doesn't have the catching ability or the savvy to call games like Redmond. So I would see only spot starts for him. And you know how Gardy hates to substitute for his catcher for fear of injury. Though Morales might be a decent backup or platoon option, I don't see Gardy using him that much, and that will lead to reduced production from Redmond as fatigue sets in.

No, if Mauer can't go, the guy I see Gardy begging to bring north as his starting catcher is Wilson Ramos. Ramos is young and a little raw, but he's so physically gifted, he would not be a liability at all in the majors right now. I would not have made that statement prior to his starring in the Carribean World Series or his outstanding play this spring. But he's really showing that he could make the big jump, successfully made by Albert Pujols, from high Single A to the majors. Prior to this winter and spring, I knew he had a solid bat and an outstanding arm. But what has really impressed me this spring is the reports I keep hearing from the pitching staff. Both Liriano and Nathan praised his work behind the plate in his second near no hitter of the spring. And the clincher was the change-up he called with Joe Nathan on the mound on Sunday. To call a pitch a guy has not thrown in two years to get his team in the dugout quicker shows maturity beyond his years.

So, worse comes to worse, this is the line-up I see the Twins going with on Opening Day:

Span
Cassilla
Kubel
Morneau
Cuddyer
Crede
Ramos
Punto
Gomez

I could live with that. Could you?

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There is no way

the Twins bring Ramos north. Flood, plauge, slaying of the first born—it doesn’t matter, it isn’t happening. The Twins don’t operate that way, and even I, who wish they would push prospects faster than they often do, think it would be a mistake.

Morales and Redmond would more or less platoon if Mauer misses time, I would guess.

by Eric in Madison on Mar 9, 2009 8:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

As far as the order...

not that it matters all that much, but I’d think about putting Morneau at 3, then Cuddyer or Crede at 4, Kubel at 5 and Crede/Cuddyer at 6. Morneau’s a better hitter than any of the other three and under these circumstances it would be best to maximize the likelihood of him coming up to bat.

by DK on Mar 9, 2009 8:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Really?

Is this a joke? You assert that Ramos could ably handle the transition from Single-A to the majors because Albert Pujols — one of the greatest hitters in the history of the game — was able to do so, and because Ramos called a changeup from Joe Nathan this spring (that was a fun little anecdote but I don’t see how it reflects on his ability to succeed as a major-league player at this juncture)?

Ramos showed terrible strike zone control in the FSL last year, he’d be eaten alive in the majors right now. If the Twins want an all-glove, no-hit catcher they can hand the gig to Drew Butera and not risk screwing up Ramos’ development. In reality, they would probably just go with Morales.

I like Ramos a lot as a prospect, but he’s just not close to being ready for the majors, and the Twins know that.

by Nick N. on Mar 9, 2009 8:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No

I didn’t say he could make the transition because of Albert Pujols. Pujols was just the first guy that came to mind who had done it. No, I thought he could make the transition because he’s a special player. And I thought I explained that.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 9, 2009 9:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mauer

Mauer comes to mind when I think of players going from A ball to the majors…..

Ramos should be ok defensively…..offensively he will be ok until majorleague pitchers figure him out….Then he’ll have his hands full…..

He would be the most interesting choice to bring north in case of injury though.

by doofus on Mar 10, 2009 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not terrible strike one control

He’s a slugger, so you can expect a fair amount of Ks. He’s consistently Ked around 20% of the time in his career. By comparison, he struck out about as often as Valencia last year with only slightly lower ISOP (more home runs, fewer doubles) and he was 23 years old at Fort Myers las year. Kelly Schoppach is a good comp, except he was two years older when he put up comparable numbers in the FSL.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 9, 2009 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm

A slugger with a .430 slugging percentage? Nice…

Look, I’m not trying to berate Ramos as a prospect. I think he’s a very good prospect, but the idea that he’s ready to jump to the majors is patently ridiculous. Ramos’ numbers were pretty nice when contextualized for his age and the hitting environment, but there’s no reason to believe he would be anything other than completely overwhelmed in the major leagues right now. He struck out more than three times for every walk against Single-A pitchers last year — he’d be disastrous against big-league pitching right now.

Basically, your argument seems to amount to: he held his own in Single-A last year, he performed well in the ultimately irrelevant Caribbean Series (in a whopping 13 at-bats) and he’s played well over a span of nine spring-training at-bats… therefore he’s ready for the major leagues. Albert Pujols did it, so why can’t he? That’s not a compelling argument. Can you come up with a somewhat less ridiculous precedent than Pujols?

by Nick N. on Mar 9, 2009 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You don't get it

You are looking at the player in isolation, not the Twins’ problem in context. I’m saying, pick the best catcher the Twins have to start because Redmond can’t start long term and Morales is worse than Redmond. If you think Morales is better than Ramos now, that’s your opinion and I respect that. But I disagree. I think Ramos is the best catcher the Twins have not named Mauer. So, if we had to pick a starter not named Mauer, I’d pick him.

By the way, a .430 SLG in the FSL is like .500 anywhere else. And BB/K ratios don’t change much when players move up because pitchers throw more strikes at higher levels. But this is not about numbers as much as what people are saying about him. Scouts, coaches and teammates are raving about him. And the other catchers aren’t doing anything.

Also, he had way more than 13 at bats in the VWL. He was the starting catcher for more than half of the 25 games he played in. When he didn’t catch, he was the DH. If you don’t believe me, check out Roger’s weekly minor league reports. Ramos made an impact on just about every game with homers and RBIs and sheer hitting. He was the best player on the team as a 20 year old.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 10, 2009 12:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I get it, I just disagree

I just feel like you’re hugely overrating Ramos’ worth as a prospect. He’s a good catching prospect. As comparison points, the two names you’ve brought up are Albert Pujols, one of the greatest hitters in baseball history who successfully made the jump from Single-A to the majors; and Joe Mauer, probably the best catching prospect of the past decade who the Twins might have considered trying to promote from Single-A to the majors. In theory, your idea makes sense, but there’s no real-life evidence to show that it’s the least bit plausible.

by Nick N. on Mar 10, 2009 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ramos is the Twins #1 prospect...

…in my opinion. Of the four or five that most people would think of as a potential #1 prospect, three (Morales, Hicks, Revere) are so far away that it is hard, for me at least, to put in the #1 spot. Ramos has made huge strides for the past two years, is relatively close (granted I value his winter play more than some) and has the potential to be a star! That puts him #1 on the list, in my opinion.

by roger13 on Mar 10, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The difference

He may be one of the Twins best (or the best) prospects, but that doesn’t make it prudent, or likely, that he will be promoted to the majors from A ball.

What it comes down to is development. He still hasn’t played against major league, or even really AAA pitching, or learned to handle pitchers. He may be close, but there is more risk in advancing him too quickly. Lets say Mauer can’t play April, or even April and May. For two months, I think you are better off going with Morales, who has a little stick and decent defense, or Butera, who is considered ready to catch, but can’t hit. These two are ready, they just provide a big downgrade from Mauer.

The question is, if you think Ramos is ready, is he going to be so much more effective than the alternative, to make it worth throwing off his development. I say put him at AA. If he shows the same kind of ability as he did last year, move him to AAA mid-season. This would put him in position to get a september call up, and spend all of 2010 at AAA.

No reason to rush it. Look what happened to Gomez.

by snolls on Mar 10, 2009 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't disagree...

…that spending most of the 2009 season in AA and/or AAA is the best and most likely place for Ramos. What most aren’t looking at is his play in winter ball the last two seasons. He did ok in limited playing time in 2007/2008 and this winter was literally the star of the team that won it all. The pitching that they see down there varies all over the place, but a lot of the pitchers have seen some major league time with the most typical pitchers that have a lot of AA and AAA experience. When we look at who the Twins had on his team (Korecky, Pino, Sosa, Mata)……these are they type of pitchers he faced all winter and not only did very well, was the hitting star of his team. So he has a lot more experience than a typical kid coming straight from Hi-A ball.

by roger13 on Mar 10, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

true

He was very good, and there is a mix, but looking at the pitchers in the Winter leagues, they are all still developing. You wouldn’t even see a guy like Perkins at this point.

All I’m saying is that Korecky/Pino/et al aren’t a great basis for comparison. The winter leagues don’t have a lot of guys who throw major league quality pitches. They are usually up and comers, or guys who will all be borderline major league caliber (AAAA). The good sign, is that in competing against other teams up and comers, he smoked them all. That’s why I’m excited.

by snolls on Mar 10, 2009 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great post CMath...

…I agree that as of today, in my opinion, Wilson Ramos is the second most talented catcher in the Twins organization. As you indicated, different players may make the team depending upon Mauer’s condition on April 6th. Should he be out for an extended period of time, say longer than 2-3 weeks, the Twins may make a decision they normally wouldn’t. I agree with Seth and everyone else who say that the Twins do not rush prospects. That is true under normal conditions…this may not be normal.

Some fail to understand how well this young man has been hitting for the past two years. He was Beloit’s best hitter the last half of the season two years ago. Last year he was the most productive hitter at Ft. Myers once Valencia moved up to New Britain, finishing as one of the top hitters in the FSL in many categories. He was the best hitter on the Aragua roster this winter, a roster which included many players with some major league experience including a handful with ties to the Twins. He was awesome in the playoffs and again in the series.

Does he need more time in the higher minor leagues…certainly. Is he the best option the Twins have if Mauer can’t go, both offensively and defensively, yes. After following daily boxscores the last two summers and winters and now seeing him throw, I am sold….Wilson Ramos is the Twins best choice if Mauer is out for more than a couple weeks!

by roger13 on Mar 10, 2009 7:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's not ready

But if he’s the best option, you take him. Remember how so many Twins coaches wanted the team to take Mauer north after his first camp, the season after his stint at High A? I was told the only reason they didn’t is they couldn’t deal Perzinski. So they sent him to AA and waited until the GM meetings to trade AJ. Ramos is not as advanced as Mauer was, especially at the plate. But he’s the best catcher the Twins have not named Mauer.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 9, 2009 10:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree on Ramos...

C Math,

IF Mauer can’t go, Ramos makes the most sense. Maybe not the intended flight path, YET unusual circumstances reguire unusual solutions.

Span/Gomez
Young/Casilla
Morneau
Kubel
Cuddyer/Crede
Ramos
Crede/Casilla
Punto
Gomez

Regards,

I don't suffer from insanity...I relish every moment of it!

by the Dragon on Mar 9, 2009 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i like Ramos but he still needs time in the at lest half a season in both double a and triple a Jose Morales will be more then likely be going up if mauer meeds to start the season on the DL

Danoo

by Danoo on Mar 10, 2009 12:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Depends on length

If Joe just needs a couple of extra weeks, I agree, they’ll go with Morales. But if Joe needs more than a couple of months, I’m not so sure. And that’s really the premise here.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 10, 2009 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no mauer

No problem!
actually thats not true at all..

I wouldn’t mind seeing a lineup like this with the absence of mauer
1 span
2 casilla
3 young/cuddyer
4 morneau
5 kubel
6 crede
7 catcher
8 punto
9 gomez

by ianmader on Mar 10, 2009 12:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If Mauer is down

and let’s face it, there is no way he will start the season, then I think the Twins will sign a veteran catcher, likely Pudge.

We all know Gardy. He will never turn over the controls to a rookie. Red Dog is an every other day player. They will make a move for a veteran and preserve Ramos’ service time.

by Old Twins Cap on Mar 10, 2009 12:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Although...

It would be incredibly intriguing to see what Ramos could do, it’s just not the way that the Twins operate. In my mind, if Morales is healthy, he’s the starter, and Redmond the backup, or at least that is what I would do.

Do I think Ramos is ready? No. But he’s not far off. The main thing would be figuring out how Mauer would be back. And then what you would do with Ramos when he came back. I still think he’ll be going to New Britain.

by SethSpeaks on Mar 10, 2009 12:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Although preserving service time is overemphasized by fans...

…the reason to not bring Ramos north is that he can’t play at this level at all. And there are free agent options.

And this sentence is curious: “I don’t see him getting enough from Jose Morales. He’s a decent catcher and a good singles hitter. He’s actually a switch hitting Redmond, really. But he doesn’t have the catching ability or the savvy to call games like Redmond.”

And Ramos does? Of course not. And that is crucial. Neither of these men will have Redmond’s game-calling ability, but Morales – by all accounts of a few pitchers who threw to him in the minors – thought he called a good game. And that’s the aspect of the game that will likely get the Twins looking for a veteran.

Also, based on what I have seen of Delmon Young’s swing, and discounting the opposing pitching, it’s hard to imagine this starting lineup on opening day:

>>So, worse comes to worse, this is the line-up I see the Twins going with on Opening Day:

   1. Span
   2. Cassilla
   3. Kubel
   4. Morneau
   5. Cuddyer
   6. Crede
   7. Ramos
   8. Punto
   9. Gomez<<

Someone among the four outfielders will sit. And right now that person would be Span.

Unless of course the poster here who late last year claimed to have privileged insight is correct that "top Twins execs" say it is "likely that Gomez will start the season in Rochester."

Bloggin' the bloggers since 1938.

by Johnny Safron on Mar 10, 2009 12:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Sitting Outfielder

Someone among the four outfielders will sit. And right now that person would be Span.

Admittedly, I haven’t been following Spring Training all that closely, but has Span been terrible enough to lose his job? The way he played last year (complete with glowing reviews from Gardy) makes me think that he’s the least likely outfielder to sit, not the most likely.

"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

by BeefMaster on Mar 10, 2009 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good question

I think it’s fair to say they won’t just hand him a job by default. He’ll have to earn playing time like the other three. Right now, he’s not hitting. He’s not even getting on base. And the other three are hitting. If that continues, Span becomes the fourth outfielder until he can play his way back . Gardy is using him like a fourth outfielder already this spring, getting him acclimated to left and moving him around. And he’s moving Gomez around in the hope that he can hit leadoff when Span sits.

I think Gardy cares less about fairness than about finding the right mix. It’s about playing the hot hand, that is all Gardy has ever done. If it were about fairness, he might still be the fourth outfielder. He was mostly filling in for Cuddyer last year. Is it fair for Cuddyer to lose his job due to injury? I don’t think Gardy wants that. So Span needs to beat out Gomez or Delmon to be the everyday guy. At this moment, that’s not happening. Things can change fast in spring training, though.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 10, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

hot hand?

I don’t have the same feeling about the hot hand. In fact, I feel like people have complained for years about the at-bats that Punto and Castro and other veterans were getting despite terrible production.

I think that Gardy is all about routine. He picks a lineup, stays with it until forced to shift, and then sticks with the new one until forced. Gomez stayed at the top of the lineup for quite a while last year.

by snolls on Mar 10, 2009 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Methods to Gardy's lineup madness

I think the three criteria he users are:

1. Defense: Is the guy the best in the organization at catching the ball for his position?
2. Hot hand: If you hit consistently, he finds a way to get you into the line-up.
3. Routine: If he doesn’t see a problem with 1 or 2, or he isn’t sure it is a problem, he doesn’t change.

He’s always liked Punto for his defense, even though his offense made his beard white. Ditto for Gomez. And those two have had long enough hot streaks to stay off the bench for the most part. Castro was the best defensive shortstop on the team when Bartlett was in AAA. As soon as Bartlett was called up for good, Castro entered the witness protection program (aka Cincy).

I started to write that I think Bartlett was sent down by upper management for disciplinary reasons, but then I remembered the 10 times I have already broke the promise not to speculate on why they did what they did. It shall forever be a mystery to me. Please don’t bait me into that one again. :-)

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 10, 2009 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

CMath...

…my years get mixed up, but I saw Bartlett drop a pop up in the infield. It was high and came down right to him and came out of his glove. I know he didn’t play as much after that game…which I think was the spring he got sent down and Castro started.

by roger13 on Mar 10, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

But I refuse to believe a guy would get sent down solely based on losing one pop-up in the sun. Castro was at the WBC (where he sat on the bench for Mexico, nursing a sore shoulder) until that game, and when he returned, he played the rest of the spring. He got one hit and made two throwing errors, showing an especially weak arm the rest of the way. Bartlett got sent down after hitting .500 in the spring and making only that one error over 10 times as many chances. There’s no way it was based on spring training performance.

The problem is, I have made similar arguments about every other conceivable reason—none of them hold water. There was no good reason to keep Castro over Bartlett, which was proven over the rest of the season. Two months later, Bartlett was called up and Castro was traded for spare parts. After that change, the Twins went from being buried in the cellar to winning the division on the last day of the season.

With respect to this issue, I feel like Michael in The Godfather: “I try to get out, but they keep pulling me back in!”

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 10, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Story was that Bartlett

did something inappropriate to/with Gardy’s daughter.

Worse than a dropped pop-up I imagine.

by Old Twins Cap on Mar 11, 2009 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow

I have never heard that story before. That is almost as interesting (because it’s the Twins) as the Cal Ripken/Kevin Costner urban legend.

"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

by BeefMaster on Mar 11, 2009 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Like Animal house

Nothing gets you into double secret probation like leaving the teenage daughter of the dean passed out in a grocery cart at the doorstep.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 11, 2009 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Depends

I guess it really depends on how much stock the Twins put in Spring Training performance. For all the talk of guys winning a job in the spring, I keep thinking back to the Bartlett vs. Castro “competition” in ‘06, in which Spring Training performance amounted to jack squat when it came time to actually make the decision. Regardless, 18 AB are a horrifically small sample size – Cuddyer, who you said is “hitting”, has a whopping one more hit than Span so far this spring (although it was a triple). We’ll all know more in a couple weeks.

It makes sense, by the way, that Span is getting acclimated to moving around, even if he’s an everyday starter – he has a good chance to play everywhere in the outfield, depending on who the other two OFs are (unless the Twins shift Delmon to RF on Cuddyer’s days off). There’s a decent chance he’ll be the pre-starting-job Nick Punto of the Twins’ outfield, playing nearly every day at a different position.

"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

by BeefMaster on Mar 10, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good points

Yeah, I hope it doesn’t come to needing to rush Ramos. The best thing for his career is to go to New Britain and have a good year. I’m sure the Twins will explore every option before coming to the decision to rush Ramos. I’m just saying that, from what I’ve seen and heard, I think he would hold his own up here. That’s saying a lot for a soon to be 21 year old catcher. But he’s a special player. And sooner or later, the Twins will have a tough decision to make on how to make room for him.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 10, 2009 9:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

that going to New Britain would be the best for Ramos. If we decide to bring him up due to a long term Mauer outage, yes he could be overwhelmed at the plate as Nick notes. How much better are any of our other options? Redmond is not an everyday catcher, and his .294 wOBA / 655 OPS was underwhelming last year. Morales projects about the same .295 wOBA range in the majors, but at least he’s posted .340ish wOBA in AA the past two years. I also find it hard to believe Butera would outhit Ramos next year.

Chances are, looking only at in house options, we would bring up Morales to split time with Redmond, and perhaps give Ramos a chance if he tears up AA and AAA before September. One thing’s for sure, replacing the roughly 600 PA / .385 wOBA with a .295 wOBA would result in a net loss of about 47 runs (and this is before considering defense and the “little things”). Nearly a 5 win difference. Worst case scenario, but this assumes we lost Mauer for the entire season.

by Adam Peterson on Mar 10, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well done

I move that, from now on, any absence of Joe Mauer from the Twins’ lineup be referred to as a “Mauer outage”. That’s gold, Jerry!

Those numbers are scary… I know Mauer’s the best-hitting catcher in the league, but I had no idea the dropoff was that severe. Please, Joe, get healthy.

"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

by BeefMaster on Mar 10, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hi Adam...

…was great getting the opportunity to meet you Saturday. Trust your flight home went ok.

If Mauer is out for an extended period, I see the Twins either going with Ramos (assuming he continues to play this spring as he has the first couple weeks) or going out and signing someone.

by roger13 on Mar 10, 2009 12:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Great to meet you and everyone else too

I had an eventful trip back Sunday, flights to Chicago (including mine) were cancelled due to the snow. I had to be back home before Monday morning (wife on bed rest), so I rerouted through Charlotte and gambled on standby for a 10:25 PM flight. Just made it.

Now I’m battling a fever and cold, which has limited my commenting over the past couple days.

by Adam Peterson on Mar 10, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Anyone wonder...

if Mauer is really 62? He has had his share of oddball diseases and disorders.

by guinness junky on Mar 10, 2009 12:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

does he look 62?

No. He looks like he is 18.

by 33MorneauMVP on Mar 10, 2009 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

so

so did benjamin button, but he already suffered from dementia.

Also, remember that Mauer shows patience, discipline, maturity, and isn’t one of those big partiers, despite making the majors in his early 20’s. I think guinness junky might be onto something.

by snolls on Mar 10, 2009 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

so...

basically your argument is that all 20 year olds are partiers and dont show discipline and maturity? What about Morneau then? He has to be at least 60 as well. Along with Cuddyer and so on! All the players in the major leagues who are not partiers and are 20 years of age or older (according to their birth-certificates) must be at least 50+.

I see how it all works!

by 33MorneauMVP on Mar 10, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whooooosh!

This went entirely over your head I am afraid.

by guinness junky on Mar 10, 2009 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

apparently

I am lost!!!! I do think it was meant to be a joke….

by 33MorneauMVP on Mar 10, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes

meant to be a joke…in this age of finding out that players are older than they really “are” the fact that Mauer plays and acts older than he is…coupled with the fact that he has random, non-baseball injuries that are the type older folks tend to have…

by guinness junky on Mar 10, 2009 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah, catching

The question is…can Redmond play 4 out of 5 games?

Do the Twins need a third catcher?

Who advances to AAA…Jeff Christy…becasue it would be better to keep Ramos at AA?

Hey, is Rodriguez still available for a one-year contract?

Visit www.TwinsCards.com and check out "rosters" to see my collection!

by rosterman on Mar 10, 2009 2:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Answers

Q: Can Redmond play 4 out of 5 games?
A: Yes, but only for a short period of time, one to two months. Anything longer than that, I think he’ll need more rest. The thing is, unless Redmond bounces back offensively, I’d almost take Morales over him at this point. Similar projected offense, better defense from Morales.

Q: Do the Twins need a third catcher?
A: Never.

Q: Who advances to AAA?
A: Heck with it, send Ramos straight to AAA.

Q: Is Rodriguez still available?
A: I think he’s still a free agent, and if Mauer is out long term, I’d sign him immediately.

by Adam Peterson on Mar 10, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Get well soon. Sorry I missed you when you were here. I didn’t even know about it. Maybe next time.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 10, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with the general gist of the above comments.

All signs are pointing toward Mauer missing opening pitch, but the question remains how long he will be out. If it is an extended time I would look for a veteran to sign (maybe Pudge – as someone mentioned earlier).

As to Ramos, he’s too young to be sent all the way to the Bigs. Sure, Mauer and Pujols went from A to MLB, but they’re Hall-of-Fame bound players who only spring up once in a while. Ramos is not that good – he’s a superb prospect, and will be an above-average everyday starter for whatever team he spends his career with, but he’s not good enough to bi-pass two levels to judge his offensive and defensive skills.

If Ramos starts the season with the Twins, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be an effective hitter and defensive catcher. That is simply because other teams haven’t figured him out yet. If the Twins can be patient with Ramos (like they always are with their prospects) he can turn into something special.

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by Andersklasen on Mar 10, 2009 10:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lets just hope that any time that mauer misses is very short. hopefully no more than a month

by ianmader on Mar 10, 2009 11:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Comments in today's STrib...

…were somewhat encouraging. It appears that Mauer was doing much of the catching drills and swinging a bat without discomfort. The problem seems to occur when he tries to run. Although Bill Smith wouldn’t comment until he hears the results of today’s tests….it appears all remain hopeful that if Joe isn’t ready opening day it won’t be an extended period before he is.

by roger13 on Mar 11, 2009 9:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It has now been reported...

…that the exam was Tuesday and they are awaiting the Doctors consulting today.

by roger13 on Mar 11, 2009 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just posted a shot about his back. Looks better than it could have been.

by Swedishdest on Mar 11, 2009 1:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pudge?

Didn’t read through the whole thing, so I’m not positive this hasn’t been brought up, but watching the WBC, they mentioned that Pudge doesn’t have a job. Given that he’s way too old to catch everyday, anyone else think that Pudge + Redmond could be an acceptable platoon? He can’t be that expensive, and even with Crede I believe that there’s still $$ to spend.

by IronMonkee on Mar 11, 2009 7:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If it was more serious

They might consider that. But it doesn’t sound that serious, not like a disk problem or a kidney problem that would require more surgery.

Plus, I’m not all that keen on Pudge anymore. Pudge is one of those former steroid guys who, once they went off the juice, fell off a cliff in ability. Brady Anderson, Chuck Knoblauch, Roberto Alomar, Brett Boone, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, the list goes on. All of them had premature decrepitude from the juice. From 1994 to 2004, his average OPS+ was 120. He hasn’t had an OPS+ above 100 since. Some of that is age. And a catcher with an OPS+ close to 100 is still an asset. Also his defense isn’t what it once was. He’s still a serviceable catcher in a pinch. But he’s no savior.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 11, 2009 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs