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Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ----- You can find the introductory segment in this series, including my criteria for eligibility to be a prospect and the list of the 2016 top 40 players who graduated as prospects or are not in the system, here. Here is my 2016 Twins off-season top 40 prospects list (summary of 1-40) for reference. Without further ado, here is the 2017 countdown of prospects, with their ranking in the 2016 list in parenthesis: 60. Mike Cederoth (--) DOB: 11/
On paper, Jim Miller’s major league statistics don’t exactly scream Cooperstown. During the six years he spent in the majors, bouncing around from the Baltimore Orioles to the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics and finally the New York Yankees, Miller compiled a 2-3 record with a 3.48 ERA and 57 strikeouts in just over 67 innings of work. His time with the Yankees was short, as he pitched just 2 2/3 innings, but he had a longer stint with Oakland, pitching 48 2/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA in 2012
Here we sit on January 10th and we are asking ourselves the same questions we have been asking since October 3rd, "Are the Twins going to trade Brian Dozier?" So far this off season the Twins have hired a Chief Baseball Office and General Manager and signed Jason Castro to a 3 year $24.5M contract. Since then they have non-tendered Trevor Plouffe and signed a handful borderline replacement level/minor league free agents. In a normal off-season this would be big changes for the Twins organ
This offseason, the Minnesota Twins haven't done much to add to a club that lost a franchise worst 103 games a season ago. While a rebuild seems logical, and a new front office has been installed, it's hard to fault the organization for taking a wait and see approach. Offensively this club isn't in a bad place, and while pitching is an issue, it shouldn't be historically bad again. However, looking at the potential 25 man roster, there's two former prospects that could be on the outside looking
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- With pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training in about 5 weeks, it is time for the annual Twins' off-season top prospect list. The past 4 seasons, this list was a top 40 list, but I decided it to grow it to a top 60 list this off-season for various reasons, including some uncertainty towards the end of the rankings, plus the fact that I tend to include several players who have not yet played stateside. Unlike other prospect lis
We've now turned the calendar to 2017, and the offseason is quickly coming to a close. The Minnesota Twins will report to sunny Fort Myers in a matter of weeks, and shortly thereafter Opening Day will be upon us. Dominating headlines this winter has been what the Twins will do with Brian Dozier, and it is in that decision that we can raise questions about what the plan for the future is. Conventional wisdom says that the Twins should trade Brian Dozier for the best possible return. He's the cl
The Major League Baseball offseason is now well into the heart of winter. Multiple big name free agents have been signed, and a handful of large trade chips have been moved. For the Minnesota Twins, the talk has been all about Brian Dozier and a potential fit with the Los Angeles Dodgers. What's worth wondering though is why the club hasn't shopped Ervin Santana more. Entering 2017, Santana will be 34 years old, and still have two years left on his contract (as well as a 2019 team option). He'
This offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed closer Kenley Jansen to an $80 million contract. The New York Yankees inked closer Aroldis Chapman to an $86 million deal. Late inning super-reliever Andrew Miller was the Cleveland Indians star of the Postseason, and Wade David held that title as the Royals closer a year prior. Back end relief pitching has become the new phenomenon, but the Minnesota Twins will ignore the trend in 2017. Glen Perkins was a 1st round pick by the Twins in 2004 out o
2017 is here, Miguel Sano is 23 years old, and the Minnesota Twins can finally call him a focal point on their 25 man roster. The long time heralded prospect out of the Dominican has long since made his big league debut, but many around Twins Territory are still awaiting his breakout campaign. In 2017, as a 24 year old, Sano coming into his own may be the best thing possible for the local nine. I've been pretty critical of Paul Molitor's handling of young players. To put it mildly, I don't bel
It's that time of the offseason again, and with the Minnesota Twins in rebuilding mode to start 2017, plenty of new faces will filter through Target Field this season. For those that don't quite make it to the big league level this year, there is plenty on the farm to be excited about. This week, Seth Stohs, Jeremy Nygaard, and Cody Christie will launch the Twins Prospect Handbook. The official launch of the 2017 Twins Prospect Handbook will come on Wednesday January 4. As a must read publicat
One of the questions the Twins must be asking is whether Brian Dozier will retain his value. We have seen his streakiness in season, but season to season he has been pretty reliable. I do wonder if hitters with his characteristics (pull hitters, fly ball hitters, relatively high ISO, right handed) tend to be more streaky within season. On the other hand, slash stats don't stabilize short of a full season and really aren't very meaningful in splits. We shouldn't expect them to be reliable by th
Paul Molitor compiled over 3,000 hits and played in over 2,600 games in his career. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York. Paul Molitor the player accomplished about as much as humanly possible of the baseball field, the managerial version has been less successful however. Now with a new front office regime in Minnesota, Paul Molitor will be proving his worth to an entirely different crowd. The argument can definitely be made that the Twins manager should've been fired
August 14, 2016 was the last time Trevor May started a game for the Minnesota Twins. He lasted just three innings giving up two runs on five hits. Since that game against the Cleveland Indians, May has worked solely as a reliever for Minnesota. Now with his status for 2017 up in the air, it appears a return to the rotation could be in the cards. Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Ben Revere, May was always the headliner of the deal that also included Vance Worley. He was e
As the offseason rolls on for the Minnesota Twins, easily the biggest storyline thus far has been the potential trade of Brian Dozier. I believe it's a move they must make, and more a matter of when as opposed to if. In a potential Dozier transaction though, the Twins will be faced with an interesting decision. Do they trust the next man up? In the particular scenario of second base, the next man up would be Jorge Polanco, who played out of position at shortstop a season ago. The reality for a
There are all kinds of questions surrounding whether the Twins should trade Santana. The market is a huge factor. Is it better to keep him given the limited options in or outside the organization? Is it better to trade him given the demand and supply? Will the demand be greater in July? My interest is exploring the likelihood that he will continue to be a valuable pitcher for the next three seasons that the Twins can control. I looked for a similar group of pitchers with a healthy track rec
The Minnesota Twins have not had a ton of needs to address this offseason. While the 2016 season produced the worst record in major league history, it was indicative of the worst pitching staff in the big leagues. With more reason to rely on internal options, addressing deficiencies through a poor free agent market never seemed like a good bet. If there was something to be addressed though, it was Brian Dozier. Coming off the best season of his career, the first as an All Star, and having tota
In the midst of the offseason, the snow has flown and Target Field has gone into its winter slumber. With warm thoughts of Spring Training on our minds, surpassing the benchmark of Christmas helps us barrel towards Opening Day 2017. For a Minnesota Twins team coming off of a franchise worst season, what is Santa Claus gifting the club this year? It's probably pretty hard to categorize whether or not the organization was naughty or nice. I mean, it was anything but a strong year, but maybe the
Brian Dozier has been a fan-favorite for Twins fans since he started to break out in 2013. Every female in the Twin Cities has a crush on him, and in general, everyone respects the player that he is on the field and the person that he is off the field. For me personally, Brian Dozier has been my favorite player since Justin Morneau. Those two are my favorite Twins of all time, in some order (I was not around for Hrbek, Puckett, Killebrew, Carew, etc.) and I would hate to see him move on. Doz
A year after having the worst starting pitching staff in the big leagues, the Minnesota Twins will be looking to turn a significant corner in 2017. Paul Molitor has a pretty realistic opportunity to bounce back greatly in the wins column, but it's only going to happen if he can get productive outings from his starters. While the Twins haven't had a true ace since the days of Francisco Liriano or Johan Santana, there are plenty of teams the operate with a good group rather than a top heavy indi
I have long been a supporter of guys linked to performance enhancing drugs being in the Hall of Fame. Simply put, if you don't believe that players like Barry Bonds and Rogers Clemens are among the best to ever play the sport of baseball, you're unquestionably wrong. Here's where the caveats come in though, morality still plays a role that it has no business playing. Today I read over a piece by BBWAA member and former Yankees beat writer Wallace Matthews. In it, he calls out Curt Schilling fo
Last December, I put together a piece looking at certain statistics and numbers that the Minnesota Twins may find themselves teetering on in the year ahead. Dubber over/unders, I took a look at a few areas to watch and tried to decipher whether or not Paul Molitor's team would surpass or fall short of the mark. If you want to read that piece, you can find it here. The 2017 season presents plenty of new storylines, and while the team wants to wipe clean the slate after a 100+ loss season, it wi
With the Los Angeles Dodgers now having inked both Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen to free agent deals, they could slow on spending this offseason. They also brought back Rich Hill, and have effectively kept their 2016 roster in tact. That group didn't win a World Series though, so adding a piece or two seems like the next logical step. The Dodgers have a need in the form of a setup man ahead of Jansen, and arguably more pressing than that, at second base in the infield. For what seems like th
Last winter, I tried my hand at projecting the upcoming lineup right around this same timeframe. With Paul Molitor back as manager of the Minnesota Twins for 2017, much of the same can be expected lineup wise, but he'll need to make some adjustments if he's going to overcome his own deficiencies from a season ago. There's no doubt that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine want to turn this thing around, but it'll be a process. Right now, we know that the Twins have lost a couple of pieces from 2016, a
On Saturday, Tait went 2-for-4 with a walk and his 17th double. The 19-year-old is hitting .219 with 17 doubles and 15 home runs at High-A Cedar Rapids.
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