2062.18 Ta-who?-da

[ae37jr]

Ta-who?-da

For the second time in 3 seasons, Yoshii Takuda will come off the injured list just in time for the playoffs. We can insert a lot of jokes here, but the timing of his recovery does help the team some. Fellow countryman Tokugawa Yamashita just went down with a sore elbow and will likely miss the entire playoffs.

The 35 year old Takuda is now fragile, losing velocity and has only started 37 games in the last 4 seasons. Once a solid number 3/4 starter in the Twin Cities rotation, we simply don't know what to expect from this guy, if anything. Ratings wise, he still holds some value. 5/6/5 with a 7 HRA is about league average for a starter. His 5 pitch arsenal is still holding up. Takuda also has reverse splits meaning he is 6/7/5 VS LHB.

So where does he even fit on the playoff roster? Jerry Stone, Erik Brooks and Ruben Flores are considered to be the sure thing playoff starters. After that, things get foggy and a decision will likely be based on matchups. In the wild card round, it's best of 5. Traditionally Twin Cities only uses 3 starters. That could change depending on if there is a favorable matchup.

Takuda's best skill is limiting HR's. Well, Vancouver is 15th out of 16 teams in Frick League HR's. So if they end up in the playoffs. Takuda probably won't start against them. San Fernando is a much more powerful team. 3rd in the Frick while playing in a HR friendly park. Maybe he could start there. But you'd have to think Enzo Bouton might be a better match up as San Fernando doesn't have a lot of high eye's on the team.

So I guess it's bullpen or nothing? Druran, Gonzalez, Payne, and Quinones are regular bullpen guys who figure to stay in roles for playoffs. Bouton is probably a given as someone who avoid a HR late in game. While Henry Wemp and Antonio Garcia are guys that Twin Cities are trying to "figure in" to their plans. that's 7 pitchers right there. Probably one too many for a best of 5 series as is. Maybe Takuda bumps one of Wemp/Garcia off the roster is they face San Fernando.

If the River Monsters happen to advance, Takuda is probably a safer bet in a longer series. But again, it's likely Sacramento waiting in the wings. Takuda doesn't match up well against high contact/low power teams. Honestly, if things play out like we hope, Takuda's best chance for a playoff moment would be game 4 of the Cartwright against Nashville.

Other Injury News
Yamashita and Niaz Minhas will both miss time in playoffs. This means that Twin Cities has 2 non 40 man spots to play with. One spot could go to 3B Pepe Gonzales. Jose Perez fell off a cliff to end the season and we kind of regret not adding Pepe to 40 man before September 1st. Another spot could go to someone like Roberto Cruz. It's quite possible that our path to Nashville runs through Vancouver and Sacramento. Two very similar teams who rely on contact over power and eye. Adding a flame thrower could help beat those niche offenses.