Nishioka, Doyle exit camp

The Twins have always believed in stiff competition during Spring Training, and have been known to make surprise cuts during the end of March. The team may have surprised many once again by proving they intend to win now, and cutting $3 million a year man, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and Rule 5 pickup, Terry Doyle.

Many teams would keep Nishioka by virtue of his contract alone, as it can be an embarrassment for mid-market teams to send a high dollar player down to AAA. But in this case, the team believes Brian Dozier has moved ahead as a possible starting shortstop alternative to Jeremy Carroll, and wanted to keep Luke Hughes and Trevor Plouffe, better hitting players that are out-of-options and can’t go back to AAA without clearing waivers first. It now appears veteran Sean Burroughs is making a strong case as a corner infield backup and pinch hitter, and may be a candidate for the 25th man on the team.

Nishioka hasn’t made an error during camp, but cultural and communication errors have made it difficult to keep him on a team that will need depth throughout the lineup to compete. The coaching staff grew discouraged by his inability to make adjustments and adapt to a different style of play in the US, and it’s possible he may spend a good deal of time riding minor league buses before suiting up again for the Twins. He’ll need a serious hot streak to get back up before mid-season, and baring injuries could spend the whole year in Rochester.

Terry Doyle showed some promise early on, but with a slew of veteran middle relievers making a strong case for jobs, he wasn’t able to get a lot of work in and battled nerves and inconsistency during his few appearances. On a team with it’s share of questions and shortcomings, especially in the bullpen, he would have needed to prove he was one of the best available relief options, as Rule 5 alone was not enough for a free pass. Expect him to go back to AAA in the White Sox system, eventually becoming a solid back-of-the-rotation or middle relief option by 2013.

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d.anderson
2012