State Of Play: Monday, January 16

by Jon Marthaler on Jan 16, 2012 9:01 AM EST in News

"Boy, I hope these winter ball starts help my arbitration case!"

Let's all sit down and take another look at the latest Twins news, shall we?

The Twins have signed flamethrowing righty Joel Zumaya to a one-year contract. Zumaya broke his right arm at Target Field in 2010 in the act of delivering a pitch, and hasn't pitched an inning since, undergoing two surgeries in the meantime. The former Tiger has been hurt for basically his entire career, and also once injured himself playing Rock Band. Really, with injuries that frequent and that unpredictable, he'll fit right in with the rest of the Twins. I do fear, however, that the volatile combination of Zumaya's injury history and the Twins' medical staff may result in the team's first bullpen death in club history.
Minnesota also signed 16-year old Venezuelan Mauricio Silva, as covered by TT's Steve Adams earlier this week. Silva is apparently already 6'2" and nearly 200 pounds at age 16. The Twins signed him for $370,000; presumably, even as we speak, representatives from the Hopkins High School basketball program are arriving in Venezuela with an even better offer to play point guard for the Royals next season.
Three Twins are among the 142 major-league players that filed for arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors earlier predicted that Francisco Liriano would get $5.2 million, Glen Perkins would get $1.5 million, and Alexi Casilla would get $1.3 million. The Twins have a history of settling arbitration cases before they reach a hearing, so I'd be kind of surprised if anybody actually made it that far this time around.
Francisco Liriano started a playoff game in the Dominican League on Saturday. Here's how it went:
1. Walk
2. Single to right
3. Single to center (run scores)
4. Walk
5. 5-2-3 double play
6. Single to right (two runs score)
7. Double to left (run scores)
8. New pitcher
So it's all going well for Liriano in the Dominican League. That was his third game; he's got a 12.60 ERA.
Reminder: Spring Training begins February 19. I figure we need to keep throwing that in to these updates, just in case.

Tweet Comment 19 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

THIS IS TOO LIGHT-HEARTED

Harumph! Harumph!

by RandBall's Stu on Jan 16, 2012 9:05 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

Also extremely bitter that you got to write about actual Twins news on your day. This will not go un-avenged.

by RandBall's Stu on Jan 16, 2012 9:06 AM EST reply actions

Sorry Stu.

I took the easy way out today.

by Jon Marthaler on Jan 16, 2012 11:42 AM EST up reply actions

Not really

Really, with injuries that frequent and that unpredictable, he’ll fit right in with the rest of the Twins.

We can speculate how Joe Mauer will go on the DL this season. Maybe it is in a Guitar Hero faceoff with Joel Zumaya or maybe he will get a hair in his eye and somehow twist his ankle running into the Twins dugout.

Here’s a good one, Ryan Doumit is lost for the season after tripping on the ball during batting practice before our season opener.

And this: A Twins fan breaks an arm battling for a foul ball hit by Joe Mauer, FSN catches it on tape, and it becomes one of 2012’s top GIF’s.

Seriously though, hope none of the above happen.

I'm a proud fan of the Minnesota Twins and Dallas Cowboys!
"Life is precious and time is a key element. Let’s make every moment count and help those who have a greater need than our own." – Harmon Killebrew
I would like to see Dallas vs the Giants on Thanksgiving, Make it happen NFL!

Check out my eBay items.

by Jessy S on Jan 16, 2012 1:35 PM EST up reply actions

First bullpen death??

Has there been a starting rotation death that I’m unaware of?? Well I suppose Fausto Carmona almost pulled that one off while batting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8hTF4gnnDg

JIM JAMS BUSINESS IS MASHING TATERS, AND BUSINESS IS GOOD!!!

by MashinTaters on Jan 16, 2012 11:54 PM EST up reply actions

I feel like we've seen that inning before...

Is it too much to hope he gets it out of his system in the DR and is useful for the Twins again?

by Anelle on Jan 16, 2012 9:15 AM EST reply actions

It's like spring training innings

You really can’t take much from them good or bad.

Peyton's good but have you ever heard of Jeff George?

by halfchest on Jan 16, 2012 10:26 AM EST up reply actions

Right

It’s like the first week of spring training. The Twins just want him to come to camp in better shape than he was last year.

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

by cmathewson on Jan 16, 2012 11:12 AM EST up reply actions

A 12.60 ERA?

Yikes. Maybe they use the metric system ERA down there?

"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
"Tell Gardy there's nobody around to protect him now." Ozzie Guillen

by less cowbell, more 'neau on Jan 16, 2012 11:33 AM EST up reply actions

It's measured in cubits

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

by cmathewson on Jan 16, 2012 11:42 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah they do

There’s a 12.60 to “Jeez He Sucks” Conversion ratio….

Remember, remember the seventh of November.

by Go Twins! on Jan 16, 2012 1:18 PM EST up reply actions

Or it's the spoonful of data in the ocean of data ratio

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

by cmathewson on Jan 16, 2012 1:35 PM EST up reply actions

12.60 is good

Liriano got a double play and gave up four runs though a few may have come by error. Plus Jon did state that this was his third game.

Check out my eBay items.

by Jessy S on Jan 16, 2012 1:39 PM EST up reply actions

Hopefully it serves as a wake-up call

Failure is the quickest way to learn.

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

by cmathewson on Jan 16, 2012 1:54 PM EST up reply actions

They don't call him . . .

“Fragile Frankie” for nothing!

by That'sWhatSheSaid on Jan 17, 2012 9:14 AM EST up reply actions

In fairness to him, they haven't exactly used him well

In 2006, he had a partial tear and a stretching of his elbow ligament in August. They insisted he pitch through it until it developed into a total tear, which happened at the end of the year. At the very least, this delayed his recovery by three months and prevented him from pitching at all in 2007.
In 2008, he pitched just shy of 200 innings. This is unheard of in the first year back from TJ surgery. The conventional wisdom is something like 130. If he had pitched even 20 innings at the end of 2007, he could get by with, say, 150 in 2008.
Predictably (and there is strong science behind this that says that any increase of 30 percent or more innings from one year to the next results in dead arm the following year), he had a dead arm in 2009, but pitched 136 innings, the total he should have pitched in 2008
In 2010, with a fresh arm, he pitched very well, but still too much, given his 2009 workload—about 220 innings counting Winter Ball.
In 2011, he pitched poorly with a sore shoulder and dead arm all year. Part of this was his reluctance to pitch at all before spring training because he was so worn out from 2010.

Hopefully this year he’ll have a fresh arm and arrive to camp in better shape. He needs life on his fastball to be successful. He is not the type of pitcher who can be successful pitching to contact. He can’t have life on his fastball with a dead arm.

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

by cmathewson on Jan 17, 2012 9:38 AM EST up reply actions

FTFY

They don’t call him . . .
~~"Fragile Frankie"~~ “The Franchise” for nothing!

"Don't take life for granted, because tomorrow isn't promised to any one of us." -Kirby Puckett
"Tell Gardy there's nobody around to protect him now." Ozzie Guillen

by less cowbell, more 'neau on Jan 17, 2012 11:29 AM EST up reply actions

In that case, wouldn't his ERA be truer?

Being the better system and all…

by twinscrazy_german on Jan 17, 2012 2:00 PM EST up reply actions

Too funny!

“I do fear, however, that the volatile combination of Zumaya’s injury history and the Twins’ medical staff may result in the team’s first bullpen death in club history.”

by house412242 on Jan 16, 2012 9:27 PM EST reply actions