tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post8653060422978015033..comments2023-12-19T20:25:36.069-06:00Comments on Nick's Twins Blog: Butera OverloadNick N.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00848574337121154690noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-34954929368129331012010-08-03T12:01:16.014-05:002010-08-03T12:01:16.014-05:00Who wants to start a petition to fire the most ove...Who wants to start a petition to fire the most overrated manager in all of baseball? Twins will not win a World Series until Ron Gardenhire is gone. Mark my words.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06610004210836447270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-25725452169971775182010-07-30T10:13:59.244-05:002010-07-30T10:13:59.244-05:00"P.S. Slowey and Baker were able to perform w..."P.S. Slowey and Baker were able to perform with Mauer behind the plate last year so if those bums need Butera behind the plate then it is a failure of themselves and not another catcher. Let's see if having Buteras bat is enough against the Yankees who actualy score runs. It won't be."<br /><br />I don't think I said Butera IS/WAS/WILL BE a better catcher OR hitter than Mauer.<br /><br />My point was fairly precise...IF Pavano wants to pitch to Butera, AND the results are positive, I don't really care IF Pavano is mentally defective as long as the result is a WIN!!!<br /><br />In recent games, Slowey seemed to be much more frustrated with Mauers game calling. Slowey has not been particularly good this year, IF he thinks a VOODOO ceremony on his glove and ball will help, I'll import the best VOODOO Priest (IF there is such a thing) to conduct that ceremony. Whatever, things are/were not well with Slowey, he's probably mentally defective as well. IF pitching to Butera gets Slowey on a roll, I'M all for it, since Mauer can always DH.<br /><br />Mauer must have some injury issues, and while the team is going good, if he has less stress and heal, I see that as a positive.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />David McGrawAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-34331126337175042562010-07-30T09:11:24.799-05:002010-07-30T09:11:24.799-05:00how can you say morales is a better catcher than b...how can you say morales is a better catcher than butera? butera is much better behind the plate and morales isn't a good hitter either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-88466701445958179832010-07-30T08:30:32.927-05:002010-07-30T08:30:32.927-05:00Yeah if Regards David McGraw is trying to attribut...Yeah if Regards David McGraw is trying to attribute the Twins' recent success to the increased playing time of Drew Butera, well, that's beyond reproach.Ed Bastnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-71113494582248195042010-07-30T07:55:00.569-05:002010-07-30T07:55:00.569-05:00Not sure why everyone is over thinking this. Bute...Not sure why everyone is over thinking this. Butera is not a better catcher than either Morales or Mauer. This is why he shouldn't be an everyday starter. Its hard to correlate Buter's win percentage for the simple reason we are finally playing like we should, like this team is capable. Why should Butera get credit for that instead of something else. P.S. Slowey and Baker were able to perform with Mauer behind the plate last year so if those bums need Butera behind the plate then it is a failure of themselves and not another catcher. Let's see if having Buteras bat is enough against the Yankees who actualy score runs. It won't be.thanatoschristouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10438666802764113995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-69779310867309908892010-07-29T22:03:24.508-05:002010-07-29T22:03:24.508-05:00"I just wish that the answer wasn't playi..."I just wish that the answer wasn't playing the league's worst-hitting position player nearly half the time. How about some starts behind the plate for Jose Morales?"<br /><br />Makes sense to me, particularly IF stats is the criteria rather than WINS.<br /><br />Since, at least to me, this issue of Butera's being the preference of certain starters is of fairly recent vintage, I looked back to Butera's starts since July 1, 2010. The Twins and Baker lost on July 8...July 11 (Pavano); July 17 (Pavano); July 21 (Liriano); July 22 (Pavano); July 25 (Slowey) and July 27 (Pavano) were ALL WINS. Butera was 0-9 in the 1st 3 games, 6-18 in last 4 games, and .222 for the month.<br /><br />That's a .857 win rate, that MUST obviously be corrected for. Damn the WINS, go for a player with superior personal stats. WINS are vastly overated apparently.<br /><br />I gamble every day, there is a saying "The trend is your friend...AND the trend WILL change", that's the time to adjust, NOT while the trend is continuing. It may already be over, OR it may continue for a week or two, or maybe longer.<br /><br />During those 7 games, Baker/Burnett/Mahay gave up 8 runs, in the other 6 games the Pitchers gave up 11 runs (3 by Blackburn in the 9th on Sunday). I realize, allowing less than 2 runs a game is UNEXCEPTABLE! Let's stop that abominable trend before it continues.<br /><br />Yes, I am being sarcastic (It seems rather appropriate). Rather than worry about a problem that does not currently exist, (I do realize it will be impossible for you to just sit back and enjoy what's happening), UNTIL there is an actual problem to solve.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />David McGrawAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-40080661370370071182010-07-29T09:32:39.212-05:002010-07-29T09:32:39.212-05:00I'm a little confused why Morales was brought ...I'm a little confused why Morales was brought up instead of Ramos in the first place.TheJazzyOnehttp://www.twinsdugout.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-52376437612005127732010-07-29T09:01:36.014-05:002010-07-29T09:01:36.014-05:00"90% of the game is mental, the other half is..."90% of the game is mental, the other half is in your head."Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10984504525577892812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-19942560988402024082010-07-29T08:58:36.308-05:002010-07-29T08:58:36.308-05:00why does everyone get yogi's quote wrong? the ...why does everyone get yogi's quote wrong? the real quote is: "90% of the game is mental, the other half is physical"<br /><br />This quote comes from baseball-almanac.com "Ninety percent of this game is half mental." Source: Sports Illustrated (May 14, 1979)"<br /><br />IF they got it incorrect, then they did, as I checked there to make sure I got the quote correct.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />David McGrawAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-49595761591034480612010-07-29T07:49:58.860-05:002010-07-29T07:49:58.860-05:00why does everyone get yogi's quote wrong? the...why does everyone get yogi's quote wrong? the real quote is: "90% of the game is mental, the other half is physical"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-32383350248117362202010-07-29T07:45:36.844-05:002010-07-29T07:45:36.844-05:00"Nor did Kevin Slowey seem to be limited by M..."Nor did Kevin Slowey seem to be limited by Mauer's presence when he hurled six innings of one-run ball on Monday night."<br /><br />I'm confused...Slowey pitched on Sunday. It was a laugh riot. Butera was behind the plate, yet Slowey kept throwing into the dugout/clubhouse where Mauer was resting. s/<br /><br />On Tuesday July 20th Slowey pitched 5.2 innings to Mauer allowing 3 ER.<br /><br />There actually is a difference between stastics vs. reality. As Yogi Berra said "Ninety percent of this game is half mental." <br /><br />IF this works to get Slowey out of a funk. IF Pavano stays on a roll and likes Butera... I'd take reality over stastics. BUT I'm old school, I prefer wins to statistical style points.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />David McGrawAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-67984795314259714382010-07-28T23:29:50.602-05:002010-07-28T23:29:50.602-05:00Butera and Punto both hit like pitchers. I get tha...Butera and Punto both hit like pitchers. I get that Butera carries value by giving Mauer a break from catching duties every few days. But why on earth does Punto remain an everyday player when we have better offensive and defensive options all around the infield (Especially with Valencia's performance as of late). If they sign Punto to another 4 mill per year contract and not sign Pavano this off season, I will lose it. Punto must have saved Gardy's life at some point in time and Gardy's way of repaying him is by not only letting him be in the majors but starting him on a regular basis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-56623797716440429012010-07-28T18:30:02.185-05:002010-07-28T18:30:02.185-05:00I do disagree when you said that you'd rather ...<i>I do disagree when you said that you'd rather have Morales playing than Butera. Certainly Mauer is my preference in the starting lineup, though.</i><br /><br />I didn't really say I'd always rather have Morales playing than Butera, just that I don't think Butera should be starting every time Mauer gets a day off from catching. <br /><br />Certainly it makes sense to have Butera behind the plate on certain days that Mauer has off, like when Pavano is pitching (since teams would run wild on the base paths against a Pavano/Morales pairing). But you are really understating the offensive chasm between Butera and Morales, Bryz. You can ignore the giant gap in their major-league numbers since the sample size is so small, but Butera has a .214 batting average and .613 OPS over his career in the minors. Morales is a .288 hitter with a .727 OPS for his MiLB career. <br /><br />Every time you start Butera, it's basically like you're fielding a National League lineup because the kid truly does hit like a pitcher.Nick N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00848574337121154690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-90058099306911587072010-07-28T17:55:12.879-05:002010-07-28T17:55:12.879-05:00I don't think you're really disagreeing wi...<i>I don't think you're really disagreeing with me then.</i><br /><br />I do disagree when you said that you'd rather have Morales playing than Butera. Certainly Mauer is my preference in the starting lineup, though.*<br /><br />* At no one in particular... Who is saying that the Twins would rather have Butera in the lineup than Mauer? The only reason this happens is because:<br /><br />1. Mauer needs a day off.<br /><br />2. Thome and Kubel are good hitters and occupy the DH spot, which means having Mauer DH forces one of these guys to sit.Bryzhttp://weareoffthemark.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-46684248471836611622010-07-28T16:17:58.222-05:002010-07-28T16:17:58.222-05:00i too would take butera over morales.i too would take butera over morales.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-68699247850783576782010-07-28T14:34:28.299-05:002010-07-28T14:34:28.299-05:00As long as the offense keeps clicking, trotting Bu...<i>As long as the offense keeps clicking, trotting Butera to the catcher's box isn't going to hurt the team much. It's when the whole team starts to cool down that it will become a problem.</i><br /><br />I don't think you're really disagreeing with me then. If Gardenhire's plan is to get Mauer back into regular catching duties once this hot streak against crappy teams comes to an end, I think it's a smart move. If this is a long-term plan, though, it could be disastrous.<br /><br />As for Morales, if the guy can't catch he shouldn't be on the roster, period. He's not a good enough hitter to be used as DH and there are better pinch-hitting options around. (Like maybe someone with a modicum of power.)Nick N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00848574337121154690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-34043304759287686232010-07-28T13:32:42.571-05:002010-07-28T13:32:42.571-05:00Good post...I was definitely perplexed by the peop...Good post...I was definitely perplexed by the people's preference for Butera over Mauer. Sure, Mauer has struggled but I'll take "struggling Mauer" over most catchers.Nicole Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01347612134721614720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-85025911659556779942010-07-28T13:06:51.932-05:002010-07-28T13:06:51.932-05:00Meanwhile, I disagree with some of what you said. ...Meanwhile, I disagree with some of what you said. There's no doubt that substituting Thome or Kubel with Butera is a great drop-off offensively. <br /><br />However, if it's a matter of playing Morales or Butera, I'd much rather have Butera. I'll admit that the game-calling is anecdotal, but there can't be any doubt that Butera is superior defensively to Morales. Last year, Morales threw out about 5% of base stealers (his "gaudy" CS% was aided by a ton of pickoffs), while Butera is at nearly 50% this year. <br /><br />I know that Morales has the batting average, but it's almost entirely singles. Butera so far has a career ISO (.110) that's double of Morales' career ISO (.056), so while it's still below average, Butera does have a little pop in his bat.<br /><br />As long as the offense keeps clicking, trotting Butera to the catcher's box isn't going to hurt the team much. It's when the whole team starts to cool down that it will become a problem.Bryzhttp://weareoffthemark.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-48329203388884862152010-07-28T12:29:01.754-05:002010-07-28T12:29:01.754-05:00Eh, I'm willing to bet about anything Gardy kn...Eh, I'm willing to bet about anything Gardy knows his lineup is better with Kubel/Thome rather than Butera.<br /><br />But I also think its wrong to automatically label reasons like good chemistry, feeling good, etc. as excuses. Those things can be legitimate. I also do not think picking out who is going to play each day is as easy as looking at who has the highest hitting stats. But you make a good point Nick--if Butera is feeling good, people are liking him, and Mauer needs a break, Gardy is making a good move here. During the slump before the break, I really believe this team was lacking a spark or more good/exciting chemistry, so maybe if Butera's attitude is helping out with that, it's a good thing?myjahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663674071797278704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-42844916087739907062010-07-28T10:54:29.826-05:002010-07-28T10:54:29.826-05:00Josh,
I agree with your post. Some of the others...Josh,<br /><br />I agree with your post. Some of the others here, think Puketera is batting better now that he is playing more. Sure, fine...<br /><br />Yeah, from .133 to .180. Great, congrats. What an embarrassment.<br /><br />I also agree with you that who knows what Gardy is doing. He tries to play the media a bit.<br /><br />For instance, last night he said Cuddy was the team MVP. Why, because he played 3rd (badly) while Danny V sat on the bench? Because he can play first and get mostly meaningless hits (except for last night)?<br /><br />He can't possibly mean that, but who knows.rghrbeknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-78336123742188886872010-07-28T09:55:42.256-05:002010-07-28T09:55:42.256-05:00Butera's gotten a few hits against bad pitcher...Butera's gotten a few hits against bad pitchers, which I'm sure has encouraged Gardy's decision to use him more. Unfortunately, it's a trend that won't continue. Put Butera against average or better MLB pitching and he'll revert to the out-machine he's been his entire career, and his defensive ability isn't so stellar that the trade-off is worth keeping Thome's bat out of the lineup.<br /><br />It would be an even bigger case of managerial malpractice if Butera keeps getting additional run when Morneau comes back.<br /><br />It's really hard to know what Gardy's doing, since he's rarely clear about his strategy. He may be trying to get Mauer more rest, but this public claim of wanting butera to get more PT doesn't do much to protect his player. And based on some of his moves in the past, it's sadly reasonable for people to think he wants Butera's glove behind the plate and doesn't care about his bat.<br /><br />Interestingly, Gardy may be pushed into giving Valencia more time for equally iffy reasons. Now, I do think Valencia's a decent hitter and a better bet than Punto right now, but he's also gotten fat on some poor pitching. But he's got a better track record as a hitter and deserves to get a real shot as the every day 3B for the Twins, especially while Hudson is out and twins need to fill at 2B (where gardy can play his favoritest gritty grit grit player evah!).Joshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-70451475709013862702010-07-28T09:50:27.638-05:002010-07-28T09:50:27.638-05:00I just hope that come August 31, that if Ramos is ...I just hope that come August 31, that if Ramos is still with the Twins, that he is put on the 25 man roster and Butera is taken off. It is a priority that Ramos is on the playoff roster over Butera. Having Ramos' bat on the bench is imperative for the playoffs over the weak-hitting Butera. And Ramos' defense is close to Butera's. The main reason we sent Ramos down was to get everyday experience. That doesn't apply during the post-season.ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-65593460335336199732010-07-28T08:05:22.016-05:002010-07-28T08:05:22.016-05:00i do think butera has improved offensively since h...i do think butera has improved offensively since he has been used more. maybe this is to also see if he has anything offensively that he can contribute. he seems to have a lot more confidence now. if gardy is trying to get mauer some rest and butera more at bats and confidence against the weak teams, then will go back to the regular rotation, it is one of the smartest things he will have done. that's why i don't hold out too much hope for that being the case.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-4975890070424454522010-07-28T07:46:03.817-05:002010-07-28T07:46:03.817-05:00Dude the Pioneer Press jacked your story!
I thi...Dude the Pioneer Press jacked your story! <br /><br />I think that this is primarily to give Mauer rest. I like to think Gardy regards Mauer as a better player at the catcher position than Drew Butera. I also have a feeling that Gardy regards Kubel and Thome as better hitters. Just a hunch. <br /><br />But just to play devil's advocate here...we have dominated the games Drew has played recently. Dominated the heck outta dem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11215059.post-6168375268833279982010-07-28T07:41:12.697-05:002010-07-28T07:41:12.697-05:00I partially agree....Butera has hit better since b...I partially agree....Butera has hit better since being used a bit more plus it also makes a difference if he is not in the line up with light hitting Punto. Remember when we had Brendan Harris on the BL roster just a short time ago. There were games that Harris, Punto & Butera were on the field at the same time when Hardy & O Hud were on the DL previously. After the All Star break we were in desperate need of getting on anything that resembled a pitching roll and if that included teaming Butera with Pavano great. Even if it is against a string of last place opponents. Remember that is how the White Sox got on a roll about a month ago as well. There is something to be said about building some confidence.TwinsFan_Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04503716418474131517noreply@blogger.com