Thursday Twins: Is Phil Hughes the next C.C. Sabathia?

It might be spring training, but here at Thursday Twins, we’re already throwing in the mid-90’s! Ok, that might just be my fashion sense. Nonetheless, here are the links:

• At FSN, Phil Hughes is getting compared to C.C. Sabathia. Don’t worry, its basically just because neither is as good as they used to be. Or something like that. Hughes has apparently been talking to Sabathia for advice on adjusting to decreased velocity.
• Brian Dozier has some concerns about teams that aren’t trying to win hurting the game of baseball. Of course, he’s on a contract year, so I’m sure there are other reasons he might be concerned.
• You’ve seen the no-look pickoff from Willians Astudillo by now. If you’re like me, you’ve seen it about 600 times. But Jeff Sullivan at Fangraphs really unpacked not only the skill involved, but also that it’s something Astudillo has done before, and why he might have done it this spring. Worth a read for sure.
• Tyler Duffey seems to be pretty positive about his role with the team, and is still trying to earn a starting nod, even if the odds have gotten longer. I’ve always liked Duffey, but it might just be because he has an awesome first name. Not that I’m biased or anything.
• Anthony Swarzak opened up about his experience pitching in the Twin’s system, and while not quite Ortiz-ian, his comments are hard to paint in a positive light. Fortunately, basically everything has changed in the last couple years. I wonder if this is part of the reason the organization hasn’t been afraid to lose minor league pitchers lately?

I’ve always thought “Cracklin’ Rosie” would be a great name for a boat. Havin’ a time with a poor man’s lady. What a great line. The history behind the song is really neat too. Basically it was inspired by a group where the men vastly outnumbered the women, so the “poor man’s lady” was literally a bottle of wine, since he couldn’t impress the few available dating prospects. Anyway, I just really like Neil Diamond. I mean, not “Saving Silverman” levels or anything, but I like him. Enough rambling, enjoy music.