The Yakker

Gammons is to baseball what Aristotle is to philosophy.

Very few people who are in tune with the baseball world miss an entry in Peter Gammons blog, but just to make sure I felt compelled to post this. Today’s entry is a very strong reflection on the volatility of prospects and as a prospect prognosticator it is valuable for us to put ourselves in check every once in a while. Besides that, if a Hall of Famer like Gammons says it, I’m on board with it.

R.A. stands for rancid and atrocious

The Twins acquisition of veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera is a nice move as he’s clearly better than the options they had in house, but there is one question, “Can he pitch?” After a weekend series with the Angels in which they were outscored 35-15 and outhit 52-30, it was a lackluster effort on all accounts, but clearly one that improved pitching could’ve reduced the damage.

“It seemed like everyone they sent up there had two hits,” Twins first baseman Justin Morneau told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

That should come as no surprise given the fact the team ERA sits at the high water mark (4.65) since 2000, when they posted a 5.14 ERA on 93-loss squad. “You have to suck it up in this game,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “No one is going to feel sorry for you. We have to find a way and we have to figure out how to get people out and get the ball where we need to get it. The solutions are few and far between after general manager Bill Smith failed to acquire pitching help at the trading deadline. The first might be wait for a team to pass any veteran starting pitcher through waivers and then put on your negotiating tap shoes to get something done asap. The second and far more likely scenario would be combing through the upper levels of your minor league system for possible help.

A reliever like Anthony Slama could certainly help a bullpen that is clearly overworked and licking it’s wounds. Sure, he hasn’t pitched above Double-A, but a 12.6 dominance rate (K/9IP) and 2.8 command rate (K/BB) suggest that the worst case scenario would be still slightly better than guys like R.A. Dickey and Bobby Keppel. Hell, at least Slama has an idea where his pitches are going when he releases them and no, I’m not referring to the upper deck seats above the right field baggy. Other possible names to watch might include Rob Delaney, Jeff Manship, Armando Gabino, and Phil Humber. None possess the upside of Slama, but again, a worst case scenario is as bad as Dickey and Keppel. Slama has long-term potential in fantasy leagues, but it’s likely a couple more years before he carves out a role at the major league level.

So the Twins stare the postseason in the crosshairs and know what they need to do–find pitching. If they don’t soon, it may be time to schedule a bullpen session for Cabrera.

Liriano is Spanglish for "man who can't pitch."

I trumpeted Francisco Liriano as a guy who would return to breakout form this season and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Now I’m joining the push to get fantasy owners to ignore him altogether. He’s been bothered lately by swelling in his forearm and yet, he claims to feel no pain. The Twins are hurting for quality pitching after Kevin Slowey went down for the season with a wrist injury and it’s clear Liriano isn’t going to provide that boost. It’s tough to see why guys like Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama aren’t called to the majors to booster the bullpen and starters like well, nobody come up to join the rotation. Yes, the Twins couldn’t acquire a starter at the deadline and don’t really have much major-league ready in the upper levels of the minors. I was at the game on Saturday and Twins hurlers (emphasis on hurl) weren’t fooling anyone, so unless recent acqusition, shortstop Orlando Cabrera, can pitch, the rest of the season could wear on Twins fans everywhere.

Baseball's answer to Lebron James

Leading up to the 2009 MLB draft the hype was building surrounding San Diego State hurler Stephen Strasburg. By the time the draft rolled around, it seems almost as though Strasburg would arrive in the Nationals clubhouse and turn sunflower seeds into bread and Gatorade into wine. The hype has begun much earlier for the guy who most experts have as the top pick in the 2010 draft, high school phenom Bryce Harper.

The impressive youngster has the leading role in one of those fables, one in which he reportedly hit a home run 570 feet.

The fine folks at Fan Graphs have a pretty throrough scouting report on Harper and I believe you’ll see someone in your deep keeper fantasy leagues draft him next spring.