Mailbag: What are Pridie's chances?
03/06/2006
In all the season previews, there is no mention of Jason Pridie. Where does he fit in? He was valued enough to be a Rule 5 Draft pick and will be lost to the club if he's not on the roster for the season. Will he make the club? -- Lloyd B., Manassas, Va.
Pridie is one of the players who drew a lot of focus when he was picked in the Rule 5 Draft. But exactly what role he will play on the club is uncertain. The Twins certainly have a surplus of outfielders, with Jason Kubel, Lew Ford and Michael Cuddyer all competing for the right field spot. Pridie has gotten some playing time, but not enough to make a huge impression just yet.
The truth, though, is that even if Pridie doesn't make the club, there is a chance he could stick with the Twins organization. A team has two choices when a Rule 5 pick doesn't stick. It can either give him back to his original team or make a Minor League trade with the player's original club. Exactly what will happen to Pridie is unknown, as it is still early in spring. Pridie has shown flashes of strong ability, but whether it will be enough to make a lasting impression that will allow him to stay is still unknown.
What happened to the pitcher the Twins got for Doug Mientkiewicz?-- John P., Whitinsville, Mass.
That pitcher is Justin Jones, who is in Major League camp with the club this spring. Much was said of Jones when he was first acquired, as he is a tall left-hander with some pretty good stuff. The problem is that Jones has been limited by injuries every season since being drafted by the Cubs in the second round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. Last season, Jones proved what he can do when he's healthy by going 7-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 13 games at Class A Fort Myers. He struck out 54 batters and earned the Twins' Minor League Player of the Week honors in September. Jones still has the type of pitches that draw attention, as Buster Olney of ESPN.com recently remarked on what he saw of the young pitcher during a day at Twins camp this spring.
During the offseason, there was mention that Toby Gardenhire had signed on with the Twins' Minor League system. He was even scheduled to appear at TwinsFest this year. I was at the TwinsFest all three days, and did not see him on the schedule anywhere, and now I have not heard much of anything about him now that we are getting close to the season. Is he still affiliated with the Twins, and what does his projected future look like in professional baseball? -- Nick H, Maplewood, Minn.
Nick, there is no need for concern, as Toby is still with the Twins organization. The son of manager Ron Gardenhire, Toby was scheduled to be a TwinsFest, but something came up in his schedule that the Twins agreed was a legitimate excuse -- Gardenhire went back to the University of Illinois to accept his Big Ten Championship ring at halftime of the University's mens basketball game against Purdue. As for Toby's future with the club, he still is very young in his development, as he spent all of last season with the short-season Elizabethton team. Gardenhire hit .200 with five RBIs in 30 games.
Why don't the Twins replace their batting instructor? -- Tom R., Rochester, N.Y.
This is a question I have received over and over this offseason, but was hoping people would pick up the answer in the many articles in which it was mentioned. The fact is that the Twins did get a new hitting coach in Joe Vavra. Previously with the Twins as the Minor League field coordinator, Vavra was appointed the team's hitting instructor on Oct. 27, 2005. He has been hard at work already with many of the players, and it will be interesting to see what types of changes are made to the Twins' offense.
When I take a look at the opening month for the Twins, it looks something like this -- at Toronto for three games, at Cleveland for three games, home against Oakland for three games, home against the Yankees for three games, home against the Angels for three games, and then at the White Sox for three games. What sort of rotation are we looking at to start the season, and is it possible to come out of the first month with an above-.500 record? -- Patrick W., St. Paul, Minn.
The schedule definitely looks pretty menacing, that's for sure. Three of those teams, the Yankees, Angels and White Sox, made the playoffs last season and the others have appeared to get better, as well. Toronto has made many improvements this offseason with big-name acquisitions like closer B.J. Ryan and starter A.J. Burnett. The Indians are looking to improve upon a strong run that they made at the end of last season and Oakland is always a strong contender year in and year out.
With all of that being said, it looks like it could be a tough go for the Twins early. I still haven't been able to get a good read on what this offense might be able to do, with so many players gone and others not having too much time in the lineup just yet. The fact is that the rotation likely will have to carry the club in that first month and try to limit these strong offensive clubs if the Twins have any chance of coming out of April with a winning record.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
In all the season previews, there is no mention of Jason Pridie. Where does he fit in? He was valued enough to be a Rule 5 Draft pick and will be lost to the club if he's not on the roster for the season. Will he make the club? -- Lloyd B., Manassas, Va.
Pridie is one of the players who drew a lot of focus when he was picked in the Rule 5 Draft. But exactly what role he will play on the club is uncertain. The Twins certainly have a surplus of outfielders, with Jason Kubel, Lew Ford and Michael Cuddyer all competing for the right field spot. Pridie has gotten some playing time, but not enough to make a huge impression just yet.
The truth, though, is that even if Pridie doesn't make the club, there is a chance he could stick with the Twins organization. A team has two choices when a Rule 5 pick doesn't stick. It can either give him back to his original team or make a Minor League trade with the player's original club. Exactly what will happen to Pridie is unknown, as it is still early in spring. Pridie has shown flashes of strong ability, but whether it will be enough to make a lasting impression that will allow him to stay is still unknown.
What happened to the pitcher the Twins got for Doug Mientkiewicz?-- John P., Whitinsville, Mass.
That pitcher is Justin Jones, who is in Major League camp with the club this spring. Much was said of Jones when he was first acquired, as he is a tall left-hander with some pretty good stuff. The problem is that Jones has been limited by injuries every season since being drafted by the Cubs in the second round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. Last season, Jones proved what he can do when he's healthy by going 7-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 13 games at Class A Fort Myers. He struck out 54 batters and earned the Twins' Minor League Player of the Week honors in September. Jones still has the type of pitches that draw attention, as Buster Olney of ESPN.com recently remarked on what he saw of the young pitcher during a day at Twins camp this spring.
During the offseason, there was mention that Toby Gardenhire had signed on with the Twins' Minor League system. He was even scheduled to appear at TwinsFest this year. I was at the TwinsFest all three days, and did not see him on the schedule anywhere, and now I have not heard much of anything about him now that we are getting close to the season. Is he still affiliated with the Twins, and what does his projected future look like in professional baseball? -- Nick H, Maplewood, Minn.
Nick, there is no need for concern, as Toby is still with the Twins organization. The son of manager Ron Gardenhire, Toby was scheduled to be a TwinsFest, but something came up in his schedule that the Twins agreed was a legitimate excuse -- Gardenhire went back to the University of Illinois to accept his Big Ten Championship ring at halftime of the University's mens basketball game against Purdue. As for Toby's future with the club, he still is very young in his development, as he spent all of last season with the short-season Elizabethton team. Gardenhire hit .200 with five RBIs in 30 games.
Why don't the Twins replace their batting instructor? -- Tom R., Rochester, N.Y.
This is a question I have received over and over this offseason, but was hoping people would pick up the answer in the many articles in which it was mentioned. The fact is that the Twins did get a new hitting coach in Joe Vavra. Previously with the Twins as the Minor League field coordinator, Vavra was appointed the team's hitting instructor on Oct. 27, 2005. He has been hard at work already with many of the players, and it will be interesting to see what types of changes are made to the Twins' offense.
When I take a look at the opening month for the Twins, it looks something like this -- at Toronto for three games, at Cleveland for three games, home against Oakland for three games, home against the Yankees for three games, home against the Angels for three games, and then at the White Sox for three games. What sort of rotation are we looking at to start the season, and is it possible to come out of the first month with an above-.500 record? -- Patrick W., St. Paul, Minn.
The schedule definitely looks pretty menacing, that's for sure. Three of those teams, the Yankees, Angels and White Sox, made the playoffs last season and the others have appeared to get better, as well. Toronto has made many improvements this offseason with big-name acquisitions like closer B.J. Ryan and starter A.J. Burnett. The Indians are looking to improve upon a strong run that they made at the end of last season and Oakland is always a strong contender year in and year out.
With all of that being said, it looks like it could be a tough go for the Twins early. I still haven't been able to get a good read on what this offense might be able to do, with so many players gone and others not having too much time in the lineup just yet. The fact is that the rotation likely will have to carry the club in that first month and try to limit these strong offensive clubs if the Twins have any chance of coming out of April with a winning record.
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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