Questions And Optimism Surround Nolasco And Twins This Spring

Nolasco looks to bounce back in 2015

As we near spring training, questions and optimism are endless around Major League Baseball. No different in Fort Meyers, FL where the Minnesota Twins are looking to right the ship after four consecutive 92-plus loss seasons. It’s a new era for the Twins under Paul Molitor and the long list of second or third year players who are ready to make a real impact in the lineup. As for the pitching staff, new Pitching Coach Neil Allen seems to have inherited a staff that’s moving in the right direction.

Phil Hughes had his best season in the big leagues in 2014, Ervin Santana is the big offseason signee, and if Kyle Gibson can find consistency, the Twins might have a quite formidable 1-2-3 punch on the frontlines. Then we get to that fourth rotation spot and last year’s big offseason signee, Ricky Nolasco.

In 2013 while splitting time between the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers, Nolasco went 13-11 with a 3.70 ERA while throwing 199.1 innings. He was rewarded with a 4-year $49 million dollar contract from the Twins. A welcome sight for Twins fans, but ultimately looked like an offer from a desperate team that said ‘hey congrats kid, you have a date for the prom, unfortunately it’s your cousin.’

Well four months and 18 terrible starts later, Nolasco revealed he was pitching with elbow pain and was shut down immediately. So what can we expect from Nolasco in year two of his Twins journey? He’s healthy, he’s more familiar with his team and being in the American League. Those points can’t hurt, but it ultimately comes down to regaining his velocity and control.

2014 saw Nolasco’s velocity drop on all of his pitches (fastball, 2-seamer, splitter, slider, cutter) except his changeup. His strike percentage was also down in all but his fastball, which is due to falling behind in counts and not trusting his breaking stuff to get over the plate, thus relying on the fastball too often. Opposing teams saw this and teed off. Nolasco gave up three homeruns off his fastball in 2013, he gave up seven last season despite throwing the pitch 67 less times.

Partial reason for the Twins giving Nolasco the contract they did was due to his durability as he had pitched at least 185 innings in five prior seasons to 2014. Perhaps the wear and tear of 2013 caught up with him. His curveball and slider accounted for almost 45% of pitches thrown in 2013, he threw his slider more than any other pitch. They accounted for just under 40% in 2014, nothing drastic but perhaps a minor detail that contributed to the injury. He is a major leaguer, but no matter your age throwing pitches that twist and torque your arm consistently will cause some degree of damage over time.

Heading into spring 2015 Nolasco has added a sinker to his repertoire, and if Phil Hughes’ opinion means anything to you, it’s going to be nasty. "He was throwing some two-seamers that were just falling off," Hughes said."It was one of the best sinkers I've seen.”

Nolasco’s first season in a Twins uniform was a disaster, but if you can take anything positive from 2014, it would be in September where he pitched five games and saw his numbers in nearly every statistical category improve, most notably his ERA which was 2.93.

Heading into 2015 the questions are plentiful for all teams, the Twins are no different, and neither is Ricky Nolasco. Optimism is high, and the optimism surrounding Nolasco is that he has a year under his belt in the DH driven American League, he’s healthy, and the addition of Santana and continued growth of Gibson will help take some of the load off his shoulders.

A new voice in pitching coach Neil Allen to go with the addition of a sinker and expectation that Nolasco will regain his confidence, control, and velocity could give the Twins a chance to have a nice 1-2-3-4 punch in their rotation. That would be one of the great turn around stories in baseball not just for the Twins as a team, but for Ricky Nolasco as an individual. 

The Answer To Vikings Running Back Question Is Right In Front Of Them

As we near the NFL Draft, the big question surrounding the Vikings has to do with the face of the franchise…what to do with Adrian Peterson?

The cons are Peterson will be 30 come the 2015 season and he has the highest cap number of any running back in the league at $15 million. The pros are he’s the best running back in the game. I refuse to hear otherwise.

You’ll read a lot on Peterson’s age and contract, but for a franchise that hasn’t been to the postseason since 2012, which isn’t exactly a drought, the NFL is a slippery slope, if your rebuilding doesn’t pay off in a matter of years, it can become an actual drought…this is where I reference Cleveland or Oakland.

The Vikings unlike those teams have made the right moves at most positions outside of quarterback, enter Teddy Bridgewater. So why I ask would we let the game’s best back, for however much longer that may be, leave the team and go right back to frantically finding a top tier player for one of the game’s most important positions while the rest of our young roster wastes their youth while they do so? Sticking with Peterson is comparable to bringing in a 39 year-old quarterback to put us over the top in 2009.

We knew Brett Favre would only be around for a year, maybe two, but we brought him in to win now. Peterson is a guy who can help us win now. If we start over and look for someone to fill his shoes, by the time that happens we’ll be needing to fill spots elsewhere where the production has dropped off, which is inevitable in the NFL.

This is where many will argue Peterson’s contract is too expensive for a 30 year-old running back, tough to disagree. But enough with the quick fix band aid at positions that aren’t easy to fill, the Vikings have done it for too long at the quarterback spot, largely because they couldn’t find one in the draft. With Peterson we have the answer right in front of us.

When the Vikings offered Peterson a six year deal worth over $86 million, they did it knowing full well his running style could lead to injuries, and all of a sudden he misses a full year not due to injury, but suspension, and we question whether or not we should keep him? Suddenly he’s on the wrong side of 30 and he’s an injury risk? This is the same guy who nearly broke the NFL’s single season rushing record after tearing his ACL and MCL, with almost a full year to rest his body, and he’s a “risk”. I don’t buy it.

Vikings GM Rick Spielman said it best, "He's a unique player you don't see come around too often. Adrian's been a key part of our organization.” Say what you want about Spielman, but the guy knows talent, and he’s done a wonderful job filling positions through the draft outside of the quarterback.

The Vikings at least on paper seem to be headed in the right direction. They loaded up in 2009 and took a chance with Brett Favre and it nearly paid off. Now they have a younger roster ready to hit their prime, and Adrian Peterson could be the guy to push them over the top. There are still needs roster wise, so why make running back another one?

We haven’t even touched the topic of what it could do for Bridgewater’s growth. The reigning Rookie of the Year could avoid defenses focusing on him should be put number 28 in the backfield. Pick your poison, let Teddy throw, or let Adrian run. It might not be that simple but it sure is an intriguing problem to provide for opposing defenses.

There are a lot of questions and doubts when the topic of Peterson comes up, age and contract mainly, but like when eating a steak, you cut away the fat and what do you have….prime rib. The Vikings have an elite player who has already proven doubters wrong. 2015 will be an opportunity to prove them wrong again. We brought Favre back in 2010, it didn’t work out, but at least we went for it and don’t have to say ‘what if’ for the rest of our lives. Let’s do the same with Adrian Peterson.

The Vikings need a running back….for the future. As for right now, they still employ the best in the business. 

Twins Youth Movement Continues At Catcher

From 2005-2013 the Minnesota Twins had the best catcher in the American League, arguably in the Major Leagues. That argument would be going against a 6x All-Star, 3x Gold Glove winner, 5x Silver Slugger, and an MVP winner Joe Mauer. Then Mauer moved to first base for health reasons, in steps Kurt Suzuki. Suzuki managed to fill the void by being voted to the All-Star game with his finest season as a major leaguer. The Twins have had more success out of the catcher position in the last decade than most teams dream of...yet the spot remains a question mark heading into spring training.

As we head into 2015, Kurt Suzuki seems to be the front runner for the opening day lineup, but he’s not the guy the Twins would like to see finish the season as the starter. That belongs to Josmil Pinto, a 25-year-old who impressed out of the gate. In March/April Pinto hit only .242, but is more revered for his power, where he hit 5 home runs, and had a .866 OPS. More importantly he wasn’t going to get cheated by watching strikes, of his 17 strikeouts, 11 of them he went down swinging. More contact is always nice, but beggars can’t be choosers.

From that point on his slugging, on-base, and average all began to drop off dramatically as did his playing time. The biggest concern though wasn’t his offensive drop off as much as the fact that he let entirely too many passed balls, and was a brutal 0-20 on throwing out base stealers.

Suzuki stepped in to solidify the position defensively and exceeded expectations at the plate. Suzuki hit .288 while throwing out 25% of base runners to bring stability behind the plate and to a struggling pitching staff. Add the fact that the Twins signed Kendrys Morales to provide some pop, the Twins opted to send Pinto to Triple-A Rochester to get at-bats and work on his defense.

In 2015 though, the Twins and new Manager in Paul Molitor, and are looking to put this long talked about youth movement into effect. It won’t happen overnight but after four 92-plus loss seasons it’s time to let the kids sink or swim.

Everywhere you look the Twins have a young green player either expected to start or at least contend for the spot. Brian Dozier at second and Oswaldo Arcia in left have their spots secured. Danny Santana is expected to take over at short, Aaron Hicks is still a work in progress but the hope is he’ll be in center, and the powerful Kennys Vargas will back-up Mauer at first when he’s not the DH. The pride of the farm system Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano are the future in center (moving Hicks to right) and third.

Pinto’s situation is probably most similar to Hicks, who has unquestioned potential, they just need to fix a few holes, but for completely different reasons. Hick’s defense is sound, his hitting is a mess, Pinto is the complete opposite, mind you Pinto has had much less opportunity at the big league level.

The Twins will continue to work with Pinto, his short compact swing and raw power are exciting for the fans and coaching staff, but his weaknesses are glaring, as said last season by Glen Perkins,

"He can hit, but that's not what it's all about. You've got to be able to do other things, especially a young guy like that. You can't be a 25-year-old DH. He's got to learn how to catch, got to learn how to frame, got to learn how to call the game. He's going to be a major league player. Hopefully he'll be able to do it as a catcher."

Heading into 2015 Kurt Suzuki is our rock behind the plate, but for the Twins to move on from being perennial cellar dwellars they need to complete the youth movement at all positions. Historically players who start their career as a catcher develop offensively a bit later than most, Pinto is ahead of the curve which is very exciting. His defense needs work, but remember, we do have a former 3x Gold Glove winner at the catcher spot standing 90 feet away at first.

Tutelage from Mauer and another year under his belt won’t upgrade his defense overnight, but it’s a move in the right direction, just as it’d be a move in the right direction for the organization to give him that opportunity.

Receiving Core A Big Question Mark For Vikings This Offseason

Remember 1998 Vikings? No not the ’99 NFC Championship, that’s still too painful to even waste one more sentence on, but the ’98 REGULAR season when the Vikings offense exploded for a league record 558 points. The Vikings had about as balanced of an offense as you could find with a dominant offensive line that had three pro bowlers (Jeff Christy, Randall McDaniel, Todd Steussie) protecting a pro bowl quarterback (Randall Cunningham) and making holes for a pro bowl running back (Robert Smith).

What was most memorable though was the aerial assault they put on the NFL. The Vikings had a rookie in Randy Moss who wanted to ‘tear up the league’ and did just that. A hall of famer in Cris Carter, and Jake Reed who could’ve been the top target on many other teams playing third fiddle. It was an embarrassment of riches and extremely fun and exciting to watch. Like watching a long bomb pass to Moss, those days are long gone.

Since Moss’ departure from his first stint in Minnesota, finding a go to target has been tough to come by for the Vikings franchise. Since the 2004 season the Vikings have once had a receiver top the 1,000 yard mark, and that was due to Brett Favre making a star out of Sydney Rice in 2009. 

The quarterback spot is a big reason for this, but we’re here to talk about the wide receivers…or lack thereof.

During the past decade, outside of Rice in ’09, the Vikings have never had a receiver crack the top 20 in receiving yards, five times failing to have one crack the top 50.

The position is one we’ll be targeting in the upcoming draft. Todd McShay’s latest mock draft has the Vikings selecting Louisville WR Devante Parker, who has a track record with Teddy Bridgewater and a good one at that. Other names mentioned have been Alabama’s Amari Cooper and West Virginia’s Kevin White. But the Vikings have other needs as well, should they go a different route, what do we have right now? Let’s take a look.

We’ll start with Cordarrelle Patterson, a raw but talented guy who could be used in multiple formations for short, medium, or long pass plays. In year two though, the Patterson only went short, medium, and a long way backwards. Instead of being a swiss army knife with multiple tools, the Patterson became contained if the route was anything but a simple fly, slant, or quick screen.

As disappointing as it was to watch, remember why Patterson fell to the Vikings in the 2013 draft in the first place. He was looked at has a ‘project.’ He’s proven that to be true, but he is a project with undeniable upside and a guy who has proven to have the talent to bust a game wide open. He posted a stat line of 33 catches for 384 yards and 1 receiving touchdown in 2014, but let’s be honest, once he lost his starting spot, he was a broken man and it was all over for him. He’ll take this offseason to improve under the tutelage of Norv Turner and comeback stronger in 2015. His future as not just a Viking but a pro depends on it.

On to the veteran Greg Jennings. Jennings, although the 2013 receiving leader, has been largely unimpressive during his tenure with the Vikings. Age is a large part of it, but once Teddy Bridgewater started to emerge, so did Jennings who became his favorite end zone target. In his first seven games with Teddy at the helm, Jennings caught 1 touchdown pass, he had four in the final six games.

Jennings is not the game breaker, but the rock when it comes to the Vikings receiving core and serves as an on-field coach for the younger guys. There have been rumors that Vikings could let Jennings go, I think that’d be a mistake. They need a savvy vet to help the growth of Patterson, Charles Johnson, and a possible rookie receiver.

For all of Patterson’s shortcomings thus far, Charles Johnson has exceeded any he had and then some. For a sixth round draft choice coming off the practice squad, what he did was amazing. But why is he considered so great while Patterson is being tagged with the ‘bust’ tag by so many. Johnson caught 31 passes for 475 yards and 2 touchdowns, very similar to Patterson’s numbers. The difference is we expected big things from Cordarrelle, we expected nothing of the sort from Johnson. Johnson though has shown more ability in creating separation and better route running.

The position of wide receiver has been a sore spot for the Vikings since Randy Moss’ departure in 2005. But they have hope and plenty of potential. Jennings is the rock, and if Johnson can continue his fast growth while Patterson rebounds from a forgetful 2014, throw in Jarius Wright who disappears at times, but has the ability to find holes in the defense with his speed and quickness, the Vikings may just find themselves with one of the deepest receiving corps in the league. If that’s the case, and the Vikings do select a wide receiver at number eleven, he might just find himself holding a clipboard for much of his rookie season.