Thread: Baseball America on Alex Meyer and Span Trade

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Would you be surprised at all if he didn't start in AA this year?

Not at all. The Twins haven't had a chance to coach this guy at all. They may want to see what they have in him instead of throwing him into the upper minors right off the bat.

I won't mind if they start him in Ft. Myers. I will only mind if they keep him there for half a season or more while he's dominating hitters.

I imagine they'll have him start in Ft Myers just b/c of the weather and move him to AA in May.

I don't care where he starts the season, my main concern is they get his mechanics under control. I won't worry if he struggles a bit during that time either, you gotta get that fixed though if you want him to be a front of the line starter.

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

"Meyer said in a September interview that he throws mostly two-seam fastballs now and still gets that mid-90s velocity, putting him in Kevin Brown territory for a power sinker. His fastball touched 99 in the Futures Game."

The good news: Kevin Brown's power sinker was fierce.

The bad news: Kevin Brown got that power sinker by using his upper body and back, which caused him to break down in quite an ugly fashion.

Hopefully Meyer can use his height and the leverage that comes with it to get that kind of power from his legs instead of his torso.

true, but if memory serves me right, Kevin Brown was quite effective for his first team... not so much after...

Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave

I don't care where he starts the season, my main concern is they get his mechanics under control. I won't worry if he struggles a bit during that time either, you gotta get that fixed though if you want him to be a front of the line starter.

From the looks of it, he has made quite a bit of progress in that area. The walk rate has dropped pretty consistently from college even into the pros. I think starting him in A+ isn't a bad idea, in part because it's a pitcher's league anyways, and in part because he only got 7 starts in A+ last season. I expect him to get 7-10 starts this year and then a promotion to AA.

New Britain is a pitchers' park too, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had him start in Ft. Myers with a quick promotion in mind.

Originally Posted by diehardtwinsfan

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

"Meyer said in a September interview that he throws mostly two-seam fastballs now and still gets that mid-90s velocity, putting him in Kevin Brown territory for a power sinker. His fastball touched 99 in the Futures Game."

The good news: Kevin Brown's power sinker was fierce.

The bad news: Kevin Brown got that power sinker by using his upper body and back, which caused him to break down in quite an ugly fashion.

Hopefully Meyer can use his height and the leverage that comes with it to get that kind of power from his legs instead of his torso.

true, but if memory serves me right, Kevin Brown was quite effective for his first team... not so much after...

Oddly enough, he was most effective through his second and third teams and from age 30-34. I thought he was younger than that when he played for Florida and the Padres.

I hope they start him in New Britian to see what they have. They can always send him back if they need to. Top level prospects need to move forward and be challenged. I do not see what 7 -10 starts in Fort Myers would gain him. He already had 7 starts in High - A and dominated.

Originally Posted by beckmt

I hope they start him in New Britian to see what they have. They can always send him back if they need to. Top level prospects need to move forward and be challenged. I do not see what 7 -10 starts in Fort Myers would gain him. He already had 7 starts in High - A and dominated.

not as much as you'd like... the K rate dropped pretty significantly, and while that could just be SSS, it doesn't hurt to let him get some time in there. He'll be in AA this year no doubt, the question is whether he starts there or gets promoted... The Twins aren't shy to move a guy if needed. Garza went from A+ to AAA in one year. Meyer can do it too if he's good.

Originally Posted by diehardtwinsfan

Originally Posted by beckmt

I hope they start him in New Britian to see what they have. They can always send him back if they need to. Top level prospects need to move forward and be challenged. I do not see what 7 -10 starts in Fort Myers would gain him. He already had 7 starts in High - A and dominated.

not as much as you'd like... the K rate dropped pretty significantly, and while that could just be SSS, it doesn't hurt to let him get some time in there. He'll be in AA this year no doubt, the question is whether he starts there or gets promoted... The Twins aren't shy to move a guy if needed. Garza went from A+ to AAA in one year. Meyer can do it too if he's good.

Or he can skip AAA altogether, if he's good. AAA houses depth more than it ever does prospects; so we should discount the weight of AAA in terms of progression, I think. Let him start in Ft. Myers and pitch in New Britain most of the year. That still puts him on track for possible significant ML time in 2014.