Who Comes Off Today

[ScottyB]

Ervin makes 41 on the roster.  Time to guess who leaves?

[Rosterman]

We would be sitting pretty if we non-tendered Nunez, or Duensing, or Schafer. I would vote for Fryer and resign to a minor league contract. Probably Aaron Thompson. Has to be a pitcher, although they may do something dumb like try and get Logan Darnell through.

 

Or, can I dream, Pelfrey?

[nicksaviking]

Agreed with above. Should be a pitcher and Thompson is at the bottom of my list too.

[Danchat]

My guess would be Aaron Thompson.

[JB_Iowa]

Mike Berardino ‏@MikeBerardino  · 9m9 minutes ago 
Chris Parmelee has been designated for assignment, #MNTwins announce

[Danchat]

Oh no... Parmelee is getting DFA'd... I'm not sure if anybody will claim him or not. I have this feeling that Baltimore will claim him and turn him into a decent player.

 

I guess it's time to move on from my Parmelee jersey. Perhaps I should get a Danny Santana jersey now.

[DaveW]

Makes sense, parmelee really has no reason to be on this club anymore. 900 at bats and a logjam at 1b/DH leaves him the odd man out.

[big dog]

Gotta be either Toronto or Baltimore, right?

[Shane Wahl]

Maybe he ends up in Colorado.

[twinsfanstreif]

Parmelee was my initial thought. He's below average defensively and he gives us next to nothing offensively. I get the idea we hung on to him for so long because he was our first rounder and we were hoping for a Span like turn around but it never happened.

[h2oface]

Another first rounder is biting the dust hard.  Is Levi Michael the next first rounder to not be in denial about? He did have a good minor league year last year, however shortened by injury again it was.  These are both great examples on why that first round pick that one may give up for an important free agent signing is not that big of a deal, especially when, for the Twins, it has been meaning a second round pick that is lost.

[Lakeside]

Another first rounder is biting the dust hard.  Is Levi Michael the next first rounder to not be in denial about? He did have a good minor league year last year, however shortened by injury again it was.  These are both great examples on why that first round pick that one may give up for an important free agent signing is not that big of a deal, especially when, for the Twins, it has been meaning a second round pick that is lost.

Levi Michael - Not a Good Year??  He played at three different levels. . . hit over.300 in all of them and hit a combined .313. with a .389 OBP for the season while getting time at both 2B/SS.

 

He can bunt, he can run, he can hit behind the runner. . . he had a good season last year. . .he just happened to be injured for part of it.

 

Since following Michael from his UNC days, my guess is that he is who the Twins are projecting as their next "Nick PUnto" type utility player. .  ,probably in 2016

 

FYI--I  agree with the Parmelee assignment.  I do look for him to get another opportunity in MLB and the question will be if experience can make him better than a .250 hitter.  Twins youngsters are pressing him however, so a good move.

[Lakeside]

Another first rounder is biting the dust hard.  Is Levi Michael the next first rounder to not be in denial about? He did have a good minor league year last year, however shortened by injury again it was.  These are both great examples on why that first round pick that one may give up for an important free agent signing is not that big of a deal, especially when, for the Twins, it has been meaning a second round pick that is lost.

My bad. . .guess I cannot read. . though it said "did not have" a good minor. . . . .

[Rosterman]

I don't think anyone needs to claim him. He is out of options (I believe) and will be a free agent. He'll either discover there is no need for his services, or the Twins can call again to plant him at Rochester, where they need a first baseman. Be interesting to see. Of course, the Marlins might just grab him for now...until they find a new first baseman or decide what to do with Garrett Jones.

 

The Twins are hanging onto their pitching. I guess you never have enough arms?

[ashbury]

Gotta be either Toronto or Baltimore, right?

Houston has been known to snap up a player.  But they're at 40.  Toronto seems to have an open slot, and are carrying only 18 position players.  Miami is one under, and has a really odd distribution with 24 pitchers and only 15 position players.

 

I was going to ask the emerging consensus on Thompson whether you like Graham all that much better.  I guess I can compare Parms and Graham now, because that's what the rule-5 pick amounts to, since Ryan knew what was in the works.  Good "trade", or no?

[kab21]

Graham at least throws hard and was a good prospect before getting injured.  Thompson is an 89mph lefty that wasn't very successful in the minors.  It's no contest imo between these two although Graham might not amount to anything.

 

Parmelee might not have been my first choice to DFA but it was time for both to move on.  The Twins have a lot of depth at 1B/DH/OF.  He wasn't going to get a chance as an everyday player here.

[notoriousgod71]

Levi Michael - Not a Good Year??  He played at three different levels. . . hit over.300 in all of them and hit a combined .313. with a .389 OBP for the season while getting time at both 2B/SS.

 

He can bunt, he can run, he can hit behind the runner. . . he had a good season last year. . .he just happened to be injured for part of it.

 

Since following Michael from his UNC days, my guess is that he is who the Twins are projecting as their next "Nick PUnto" type utility player. .  ,probably in 2016

 

FYI--I  agree with the Parmelee assignment.  I do look for him to get another opportunity in MLB and the question will be if experience can make him better than a .250 hitter.  Twins youngsters are pressing him however, so a good move.

 

 

 I like how they use a first round draft pick on a guy they project to be the next Punto.

[ashbury]

 I like how they use a first round draft pick on a guy they project to be the next Punto.

Lakeside's "my guess" = Twins projection?

[Thrylos]

I don't understand the Levi Michael hate here.   Last season was his age 23 season.  He hit .305/.375/.395 in Fort Myers and .340/.444/.358 in New Britain.  Brian Dozier's age 23 season? .278/.347/.338 in Beloit and .274/.352/.354 in Fort Myers.

 

Michael is ahead of where Dozier was at the same age.  And I think that he will be the one who will replace Dozier at 2B for the Twins.

[Seth Stohs]

I don't understand the Levi Michael hate here.   Last season was his age 23 season.  He hit .305/.375/.395 in Fort Myers and .340/.444/.358 in New Britain.  Brian Dozier's age 23 season? .278/.347/.338 in Beloit and .274/.352/.354 in Fort Myers.

 

Michael is ahead of where Dozier was at the same age.  And I think that he will be the one who will replace Dozier at 2B for the Twins.

 

It was Dozier's first year full season in the minor leagues. So, I get the comp, but it's not really completely accurate. Michael was in his third full season. Michael is not in Dozier's category.

 

That said, I 100% agree with you that giving up on Michael at this point is just silly. He was very young for his draft class, and he's been hurt. When healthy, he played well this year. When he was drafted, I looked at his reports and thought he profiled to be a utility infielder. I still think he can be. He can be a poor-man's Nick Punto... and unlike most on this board, I consider that a complement. Punto's probably the best utility player the Twins have had in the last 30 years or so.

[DaveW]

People can bash on Punto all

They want, but guy continues to get contracts and seems to be in the playoffs every year. Every player you draft is a crapshoot. Michael looks like a util major leaguer at worst, and he could improve to be an everyday guy. Not bad IMHO.

[ashbury]

Yeah, but a poor man's "best utility player" kind of becomes a left-handed compliment at best.   I actually have slightly higher hopes for him than that; a serviceable starter, for a ceiling.

[Trevor0333]

Wasn't Levi left unprotected & not drafted.

[NoCal]

btw - To change the flow of this for a bit. Last Summer, the Twins sent Correia to the Dodgers for a PTBNL or "cash considerations". Does anyone know if this bit of business has been resolved?

[minnesota transplant]

Not to sound mean, but Parm has had chance after chance after chance.  Time has come to part ways and move on.  Tough to see a first rounder smolder out, but it was not for lack of opportunities!

[Thrylos]

It was Dozier's first year full season in the minor leagues. So, I get the comp, but it's not really completely accurate. Michael was in his third full season. Michael is not in Dozier's category.

 

That said, I 100% agree with you that giving up on Michael at this point is just silly. He was very young for his draft class, and he's been hurt. When healthy, he played well this year. When he was drafted, I looked at his reports and thought he profiled to be a utility infielder. I still think he can be. He can be a poor-man's Nick Punto... and unlike most on this board, I consider that a complement. Punto's probably the best utility player the Twins have had in the last 30 years or so.

 

Beg to disagree, I think that age comparisons are a fair game (regardless of years in pro baseball) to project someone's career.

 

I think that the Twins did not see Michael as a Utility Player, otherwise they would had not drafted him in the first round and I do agree with that assessment.   Also think that, regardless what we see now from Dozier, Michael's ceiling is higher than Dozier's, simply because he makes better contact and has better pitch selectivity than Dozier.   And you cannot teach "eye".  It is something that you have by instinct and improve with experience.   Let's agree to disagree on this, if you'd like.

[maxisagod]

Yeah, but a poor man's "best utility player" kind of becomes a left-handed compliment at best.   I actually have slightly higher hopes for him than that; a serviceable starter, for a ceiling.

A left hand complement? What is this the 1950's? As a southpaw I'm offend! We are not the utility infielders of the world!  Keep it up Ashbury and I'll report you to the moderators. ;-) 

[ashbury]

A left hand complement? What is this the 1950's? As a southpaw I'm offend! We are not the utility infielders of the world!  Keep it up Ashbury and I'll report you to the moderators. ;-) 

Fair point; consider me suitably chastened.  Perhaps I should have used this metaphor instead:

 

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Chinese_compliment

[Otto von Ballpark]

Michael looks like a util major leaguer at worst, and he could improve to be an everyday guy. Not bad IMHO.

If Michael was "a util major league at worst", that had already played well (albeit briefly) at AA, he would have almost certainly either been protected from the Rule 5 draft, or selected by someone else in the Rule 5 draft, no?

[diehardtwinsfan]

btw - To change the flow of this for a bit. Last Summer, the Twins sent Correia to the Dodgers for a PTBNL or "cash considerations". Does anyone know if this bit of business has been resolved?

Looks like it was cash

 

http://www.truebluela.com/2014/11/7/6990957/kevin-correia-trade-dodgers-twins-cash