Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Trimming and Tweaking

With Opening Day only five short days away, the Twins’ final roster is starting to shape up. Yesterday, they predictably cut Jose Mijares following a very rough spring as well as infielder Alejandro Machado. Catcher Jeff Christy was informed that he’ll stay with the team until Saturday before being dismissed from big-league camp.

The surprise of the day came in the news that the Twins will carry Jose Morales north as backup catcher rather than Drew Butera. All spring, indications had been given that Butera had a substantial edge over Morales thanks to his defense and game-calling ability, but in the end the Twins went with Morales and his higher offensive upside.

Ah, how things have changed. It seems that the Ron Gardenhire of 2006 -- the one who cut Jason Bartlett in favor of Juan Castro -- would have almost certainly opted for the punchless defensive specialist in this situation. But clearly Gardy’s methods have changed, otherwise we’d see the Twins bringing both Morales and Butera north, considering how fiercely the manager once believed that a third catcher was a dire necessity. Gardenhire retains some of his annoying managerial habits, but if you’re looking for proof that he is evolving and adjusting as a big-league skipper, this is a pretty good example.

For what it’s worth, I think Morales is the right choice. There’s sound logic in carrying a backup catcher who is a great game-caller and can ably handle the young pitching staff, but the 26-year-old Morales deserves a shot. Plus, since Morales isn’t a total offensive liability, the Twins can afford to play him more often in an effort to keep the 37-year-old Redmond fresh. The move might backfire if Morales proves unequipped for the job defensively or if his ankle flares up, but coaches seem adamant that he’s made serious progress in that department this spring. And if anything goes wrong, calling up Butera to take over is a quick and easy process, which is why carrying three catchers never really made any sense.

9 comments:

Beau said...

How much of it is Gardy and how much is Smith? I presume Smith has ultimate say in who stays up or comes down, but I don't know how much Smith pushes it.

Nick N. said...

It's hard to say. I realize the general manager has final say in roster decisions, but I've always tended to think that the manager basically gets to choose who will be on his 25-man roster.

CapitalBabs said...

Another factor to consider is I think there is something to be said for having a good defensive catcher - one KNOWN for working well with pitching staffs - in AAA working with the starters we are making some unusual investments in.

Rochester has a starting rotation of guys we would actually like to see come along well. Butera should be very helpful with that.

Josh said...

I thinkthe GM increasingly decides who stays and who goes, especially on a team like the Twins who have to watch things like service time and arbitration more closely. I get the feeling that Bill Smith is more willing to exert that authority than Terry Ryan was.

I'm pleased with this move at catcher; I think it's the right call until Mauer comes back. Hopefully they will make the right choice at INF and keep Harris over Tolbert while they carry an extra pitcher. Tolbert can come back and be a no-hit, good glove utility guy in May just as well as April; if Harris goes he's gone for good.

Nick N. said...

Another factor to consider is I think there is something to be said for having a good defensive catcher - one KNOWN for working well with pitching staffs - in AAA working with the starters we are making some unusual investments in.

Very valid point that I hadn't considered.

I thinkthe GM increasingly decides who stays and who goes, especially on a team like the Twins who have to watch things like service time and arbitration more closely. I get the feeling that Bill Smith is more willing to exert that authority than Terry Ryan was.

I'm starting to buy this more and more as I think about it. I think Smith favor offense over defense moreso than Ryan did. After all, since taking over as GM Smith has acquired Delmon, Harris and Lamb -- all guys known to be quality hitters but defensive liabilities. Those sure don't seem like players Ryan would have targeted.

Perhaps the changes we're seeing have more to do with a shift in philosophy at the top than Gardenhire's evolution as a manager.

Anonymous said...

I agree with your last comment. I read something about Gardenhire not agreeing with Smith about Harris vs Tolbert, so we'll see who's calling the shots.

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