Twins sign Beresford, Christian to Minor League Deals

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11-15-2012, 06:39 PM
Seth Stohs

Twins sign Beresford, Christian to Minor League Deals

The Twins have signed a couple more middle infielders to minor league contracts.

The Twins were able to get James Beresford to come back. Along with the minor league contract, he was given an invitation to big league spring training. He became a minor league free agent for the first time in his career, but he chose to stay with the Twins organization. Last year as a 23 year old, he played for AA New Britain where he hit .266/.330/.314 with 12 doubles, 3 triples and 25 RBI. He has good range, and at 2B he posted a .996 fielding percentage. At shortstop, he had just nine errors in 262 chances (.966).

The Twins also signed 25 year old Jason Christian to a minor league deal. He was the A's 5th round pick in 2008 out of Michigan. He stayed in the A's organization through 2011. He began the season in the Reds organization before signing with the Braves in mid-June. He played in 55 games for their AA affiliate and hit just .219/.318/.252 with three doubles and a triple in 155 plate appearances. He played 40 games at shortstop, six at 3B, five at 2B, two at 1B and one in right field. He had 12 errors in 185 chances at shortstop (.935).
11-15-2012, 08:06 PM
ScottyB

Quick question Seth - would these guys then be eligible for Rule 5?
11-15-2012, 08:17 PM
Seth Stohs

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottyB

Quick question Seth - would these guys then be eligible for Rule 5?

Quick answer Scotty - Yes.
11-15-2012, 08:59 PM
minn55441

The little bit longer answer is probably, I don't think we have to worry about losing either of these two.
11-15-2012, 10:14 PM
Rosterman

Dinkelman, Deduno, Walters, etc. are also all available as Rule 5 daftees. Remember when we signed Dickey early and he was grabbed by the Mariners, only to come back to the Twins.
11-16-2012, 12:02 AM
YourHouseIsMyHouse

Beresford is okay, but he is on the old side and doesn't have much for tools. I don't like players who don't have tools! He's probably more of a filler as is Christian. I'd be in awe if someone used a pick on either. Very unlikely that one of them would cut it in the show. Would be a waste of a 25 man roster spot. Not looking closely at the stats, but is Christian pretty much another Dinkelman?
11-16-2012, 12:17 AM
Top Gun

Oh great! Now we are set.
11-16-2012, 12:50 AM
Seth Stohs

Quote:

Originally Posted by YourHouseIsMyHouse

Beresford is okay, but he is on the old side/

Beresford is 23 with a year of AA under his belt. In what world is Beresford "on the old side?" The average hitter in the Eastern League in 2012 was 24.6. He signed so young out of Australia which is why became a free agent so young. Most around him have always said he has a chance to be a big league regular "if he gets a little bigger." Each year, he has been able to get a little bit bigger. So, we'll see what happens in 2013.
11-16-2012, 01:45 AM
Apostle43

"Each year, he has been able to get a little bit bigger."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

Quote:

Originally Posted by YourHouseIsMyHouse

Beresford is okay, but he is on the old side/

Beresford is 23 with a year of AA under his belt. In what world is Beresford "on the old side?" The average hitter in the Eastern League in 2012 was 24.6. He signed so young out of Australia which is why became a free agent so young. Most around him have always said he has a chance to be a big league regular "if he gets a little bigger." Each year, he has been able to get a little bit bigger. So, we'll see what happens in 2013.

Oh my! The first thing that jumped into my head was steroids. For minor league baseball players, there is a tremendous amount of pressure that comes from trying to advance in their organization in the midst of all the competition from other players. I see it every year in the NY-Penn league in Batavia. Those poor guys try so hard, yet so few make it to the next year. In the past, the pressure led many to cheat with steroids, allowing them to get "a little bigger" each year. Thankfully, that temptation has been muted by testing. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...ids/index.html
11-16-2012, 11:34 AM
Celebrity Weddings!

I wouldn't be too worried about it. He looked like a professional 5,000-10,000m runner a few years ago and now he looks more like a 1500m runner. Still kind of skinny even for a shortstop.
11-16-2012, 11:46 AM
chagen

Can anybody fill a spot on the Starting staff of the Twins? If not don't care!
11-16-2012, 12:05 PM
Celebrity Weddings!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chagen

Can anybody fill a spot on the Starting staff of the Twins? If not don't care!

I want to eat freely this holiday season without gaining any weight. Clicking on a post with a subject line featuring the names of two position players in the "On the Farm" forum isn't an efficient way to find out how.
11-16-2012, 12:17 PM
MWLFan

I have seen quite a few Snappers games and over the past 8 years or so and Beresford is the best fielding shortstop I have seen for the home team. He does not wow with range or leaping plays from the hole,but he is steady and has a good accurate arm. He seems to also have that confidence you want in a SS, not swagger just I know what the F*#K am I doing so leave me alone and let me do my job. My comp would be Meares or Gagne if he could hit a better. At 23 and if he got some time in at AAA he could still turn into a major leaguer. In what capacity is the question? His bat is really the only thing that holds him back. But considering that the Twins are not over flowing with middle infield prospects he is worth holding onto I would think.
11-16-2012, 12:40 PM
Seth Stohs

MWL - I was so impressed by Beresford when I saw him in Beloit. made all the plays at SS and made a couple of nice plays at 2B. He took the lead of that infield like I'd never noticed before. Just a solid player overall.
11-16-2012, 12:49 PM
Twins Twerp

Quote:

Originally Posted by chagen

Can anybody fill a spot on the Starting staff of the Twins? If not don't care!

Is it hard to go through life without a fully functioning brain?
11-16-2012, 01:54 PM
MWLFan

Seth-I know this sounds so old school but he is a player you need to see to appreciate. You also need to look at the long term with him, he is a guy that will develop to be a better player over time. We have seen decent progression from year to year with him. The mulit million $$ question is ceiling. What is it. My 2 cents is steady starting shortstop/2nd base. Rock solid in the middle of the infield with good on base skills and nice bat control. Number 8 or 9 hitter. But I would like to see him start his career in the majors in the next year or so.
11-16-2012, 02:49 PM
YourHouseIsMyHouse

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

Quote:

Originally Posted by YourHouseIsMyHouse

Beresford is okay, but he is on the old side/

Beresford is 23 with a year of AA under his belt. In what world is Beresford "on the old side?" The average hitter in the Eastern League in 2012 was 24.6. He signed so young out of Australia which is why became a free agent so young. Most around him have always said he has a chance to be a big league regular "if he gets a little bigger." Each year, he has been able to get a little bit bigger. So, we'll see what happens in 2013.

Generally, actual prospects seem to be earlier in their 20s at AA. The average is undoubtedly skewed a bit by fillers and late joiners, like Chris Collabello, who aren't going to get much attention. I guess 23 isn't bad, but if he progresses to the majors, it would probably be at age 25 or later. Off the top of my head, I don't know any successful position players that begin their major league time then.