Who is going to rise up?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I've seen a good prospect in Hicks struggle.

 

I haven't seen enough of Danny Santana to alter my opinion one bit. Lots of guys come up and have a good week. Most fail miserably after that point as the league adjusts before establishing their real baseline for play, as high or low as that might be (but generally in line with their MiLB numbers, which puts Santana around a .680-.720 OPS).

 

Chris Parmelee had an OPS over 1.000 in his first month of play. Not a week, a month. And we saw how that turned out in 2012 and 2013. He OPSed under .670 in those two partial seasons.

The only thing Santana has over Hicks is "Hustle". As we all know Gardy loves hustle and started Punto for years because of it. I like Santana's hustle too and I'd like to see him get some extended time at the bigs, moving all over the field. I think his effort will be an asset and his talent doesn't warrant kid gloves. He's not a special talent, so there's not much to destroy by bogging him down by being over matched.

 

Hicks on the other hand, has a lot of talent, but has been mired in futility since 2013. I think Hicks needs to go to AAA, find his stroke and learn to play left field for when Buxton comes up.

 

In the mean time, Mr. Hustle Santana and Fuld can figure out who a worthwhile 4th outfielder is to keep for 2015.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Tommy Watkins hit .357 in 32 career at bats. Glenn Williams hit .425 in 40. Small sample sizes are just that. Why don't we see if Santana can keep it up for a month. I do agree he'll be the starting shortstop next year, but I'm not ready to give him the job based on one week where he's already suffering from hamstring issues the last two days.

I think Escobar will (has) lock(ed) it down. I think the question is where do Nunez and Santana fit? I think Nunez is the bench IF, Santana bench OF/super utility.

[Reider]

The Twins have to let these young guys play (in AAA or MLB) and us fans need to be patient and see how they turn out. Some of these guys are 25 or younger and need more time.

 

Hicks has all of the tools he needs to be an every day starter. He just needs to keep working hard and hopefully things work out for him.

 

When I look at Santana, I see a young player with good tools, not just a guy with "hustle," but he needs more development. He's fast, has a strong arm, and can put a charge into the ball. I'm just not sure if he can be reliable enough defensively or put up good hitting numbers long-term. I see potential there, it may just take a while.

 

Escobar is playing good enough right now. Time will tell if he can keep putting up respectable hitting numbers.

 

When I look at the line up, I'm convinced guys like Mauer, Dozier, and Suzuki are players you don't really have to worry about. Everyone knows what they bring to the table. However, guys like Colabello, Escobar, Santana, Hicks, Plouffe, Parmelee, Aarcia.. etc... only time will tell. They just need to keep playing. So far Plouffe seems to have taken a step forward. Defensively, there is no doubt.