The Ponson Situation

After getting some bad advice from a lawyer, Sidney Ponson obtained the wrong visa from Aruba. The result: an inability to pitch in regulation exhibition games until things are cleared up. It looks like that isn't going to happen until at least March 9, and Ponson might not be available to pitch until March 11 or 12. The question, then, is whether such an extended delay in action will hurt Ponson's chances of making the team.

While the common sense answer would seem to be "of course," I'm going to play the contrarian and suggest that Ponson is still the favorite to win the 5th starter job. The Twins will simply continue to monitor his performance by watching him pitch bullpen sessions and batting practice. They'll work him to the maximum extent possible. Nothing outside of a game situation is really adequate to prepare for the season, but Ponson should still have about 3 weeks (or between 4 and 5 appearances) to get ready for the season. That's cutting things close, but it should be enough time.

Of course, this is an opportunity for the other competitors for the fifth starter job. Garza, Perkins, Baker and Durbin will all have a chance to demonstrate how great they are in Ponson's absence - and he won't be able to do a thing about it. Is 11 days enough time for one of the young guns to creep into that spot? We'll see as the games progress, but I think it would take one heck of a performance to move Ponson off the fifth starter spot.