Thread: Article: What do we make of Justin Morneau's quotes?

This really put a blow to my optimism for this season. I was really hopeful Morneau would be back to his old self this year. Instead, he sounds like he's resigned to his fate - an early retirement. Hopefully the Twins are proactive in this situation and find a replacement 'just in case'.

In an earlier interview on the MLB network, Justin talked about "retraining" the brain after the injury. They showed him doing motion-tracking eye exercises and balance drills which didn't fill me with a lot of confidence about his ability to judge a 92 mph pitch in a fifth of a second and then react like a pre-concussed Morneau.

Originally Posted by Teflon

In an earlier interview on the MLB network, Justin talked about "retraining" the brain after the injury. They showed him doing motion-tracking eye exercises and balance drills which didn't fill me with a lot of confidence about his ability to judge a 92 mph pitch in a fifth of a second and then react like a pre-concussed Morneau.

I fully agree. Relearning timing and coordination for one of the hardest activities to do in all of sports (hit a baseball) after a concussion cannot be easy at all. Safety-wise it's probably a wash (hitting/baserunning vs. fielding) but his ability to track a baseball while at the plate will likely suffer the most. It's just a matter of how much and if he and the Twins will be OK with that decline.

I wish him the best this season.

There certainly is cause for concern. But it doesn't seem Morneau's condition has changed for the worse. The story is colored by Souhan's typical glass half-empty perspective. The presentation of the same quotes by other Twins media are not nearly as gloomy.

Bates is a good singles hitter, and maybe that's the best the team can do this year, if they also want a steady first baseman. Maybe it would be better to have a guy like Bates setting the table for other hitters. It doesn't always work out in a conventional way. Can Gardenhire make a winning team out of this year's misfits?

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

Doumit and Mauer would likely play most of the time at 1B. Parmelee and Benson most likely won't make the big league Opening Day roster... maybe in June. Revere will be in LF.

Yeah, leave Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee in Rochester so we can have a winning team for once. We know you all in Minnesota can't wait for the season to start, but we feel the same way down on the farm. The AAA roster is going to have quite a few stars in the lineup (and we pay minor league ticket prices to see them)! BTW, this new website, Twins Daily, is fantastic!

Originally Posted by John Bonnes

I also shook my head when, like last year, we heard that he doesn't need to be healthy until Opening Day. That's never a good sign.

Exactly. It's been a year and a half. Doubtful that a lot is going to change in the next 6 weeks.

When Morneau was at he best he stayed on the ball like the goalie he once was reported to be he stood tall and drove through the strike zone. Seems to have lost that confident and courageous edge.Too many swings pulling away from the zone last year. The doubt doesn't sound like he is not ready to return to his fearless approach at the plate. Would 60 day DL him at the first sign of recurrence and move on, wishing him a return to good health.

Originally Posted by Mr. Ed

What a slippery slope he's on. How hard should he go after that ground ball? Should he dive? Should he let it go, allowing a run to score?

Or try taking that extra base?

Very difficult situation he's in. I wish him the best.

Hopefully the Twins take it easier on him than he will on himself. Take it slow!

He has been burned by expectations in the past year regarding his recovery. I wonder if he is not under promising so he can over perform...

Originally Posted by kirbyelway

I would only DH him. They need his stick in the lineup.

Agreed..they've lost hitting in the offseason and need his bat more than him at 1stbase everyday...

kind of scary when you hear that neither span or morneau seem out of the woods yet..

God I hope he can play this year. 1st. - DH, whatever. Another lost season, I fear, without him.

Originally Posted by gunnarthor

CF Span
SS Carroll
C Mauer
DH Morneau
RF Willingham
1B Parmelee
3B Valencia
2B Casilla
LF Benson

If the team does that, instead of using 1B as a committee thing, it pushs Doumit to the bench and probably prevents Gardy with going with 3 catchers. (Bench - Hughes, Doumit, Plouffe, Nishi)

Really? Benson? How about the best outfielder on the team, Ben Revere? He doesn't even make the team?

Originally Posted by FranTheMan

There certainly is cause for concern. But it doesn't seem Morneau's condition has changed for the worse. The story is colored by Souhan's typical glass half-empty perspective. The presentation of the same quotes by other Twins media are not nearly as gloomy.

It wasn't just Souhan. LaVelle, Reusse, and virtually every local commentator on Twitter that was at that conference live came away with that same feeling from the content and tone of what he was saying. And even if Morneau was 100% sunshine, the fact that he had symptoms as recently as JANUARY (last month) means there is zero confidence that he's over these problems now.

For people who can't understand this, think about a 33-year old slugger who comes back the next year and just falls off the face of the Earth. A guy like Mo Vaughn or Greg Vaughn who was once an elite hitter, and then loses just a bit of bat speed and reaction time, and suddenly they can't even hit .200. Morneau's ability to focus has been compromised by concussions. The changes may only operate on the level of one-thousandths of a second, but that's enough in baseball to completely wreck a hitter's swing. I really wish he could play, but I'm glad he has the proper perspective on this if he can't.

The Morneau situation definitely doesn't look good, but he has fully performed in every workout so far this spring which is a good sign. I think he'll be alright until another knock to the head and then I imagine he'll retire. Let's just hope that's not for a few more years.

Originally Posted by ShaneMackAttack

Really? Benson? How about the best outfielder on the team, Ben Revere? He doesn't even make the team?

In what bizzaro world is Revere the best OF on this team? He's an ideal 4th OF who has a starting job b/c there's no one to challenge him. Benson has a much higher ceiling, and while I think that he'd be much better benefited from a season in AAA, I still think he's a better option now.

Originally Posted by diehardtwinsfan

In what bizzaro world is Revere the best OF on this team? He's an ideal 4th OF who has a starting job b/c there's no one to challenge him.

I think he meant the best defensive outfielder. In which case he's probably right.