Age vs Beauty

[DocBauer]

Let me make this abundantly clear......I LOVE ME SOME MINNESOTA TWINS!

 

I recently turned 49, have been following the Twins since my father introduced them to me at age 5, taught me the ways of baseball to a transistor radio, and loved, hated, lived and died by my Twins on cable TV, radio, paper and internet feeds and news information ever since.

 

I am a TEAM junkie, my Twins, my Vikings and my Huskers. I follow recruiting and drafts with a fervor. (even though, honestly, the ML draft to this day is a mystery and a crapshoot) I follow all of the Twins milb information and scouting reports like a second religion. (boy do I need help. Hello...my name is Byron....) And I find myself, especially the past few seasons with all the tremendous "prospects" on their way in the Twins system, borderline obsessed with all of the "what could be" scenarios.

 

Do you, like me, grab pieces of paper and napkins and write out lineup cards?

 

I thought so.

 

But here's the thing....are we so wrapped up in young prospects...the BEAUTY...that we can't see what might be happening right before us? The AGE.

 

Indulge me for a moment here. Many, many articles on this wonderful site have us giddy with anticipation for the arrival of top prospects to make their mark with and for our beloved Twins. We hope, anticipate and speculate, though not all will make it. But a few key ones WILL. But in the meantime, are we missing something? Are we so obsessed with the "next big thing" that we can't see and enjoy what is happening before us?

 

We have a new HOF manager with an intriguing staff. We have the best and deepest SP staff in years, with some potential there. Will you really not enjoy Hughes, Santana, Gibson, Nolasco and whoever if they are healthy and account for 68-70wins? It's very possible you know. And what if Arcia and Hunter don't spike themselves, play at least decent in the OF and produce at the plate and Plouffe and whoever holds off Sano and Buxton for at least a season. Will any of this diminish your enthusiasm?

 

A can of worms potentially. Some debate required. If the Twins actually perform well enough to enjoy a winning record and a playoff run...something I don't think is out of the realm of possibility at this point...will you enjoy it? Or is it an aberration, a smoke screen while you wait for the prospects to rectify?

[Halsey Hall]

I don't know why anyone would want Plouffe to hold off Sano.  Sano could be the best story of the season.  But I am getting fired up for spring training!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Great off season enthusiasm! Twins have been talking about "two years from now" for two years now...time to make it happen. So I think you are setting your sights too low.

 

Twins did not sign Nolasco and Hughes last offseason to lose 90 games that year, and likewise did not add Ervin Santana so they could lose 90 more games this year. They are in it to win it (and should be) or at least play .500. Also, like last year, keep bringing the young guys up. If they succeed wildly and their arbitration clocks start early, then all the better. Let the Yankees and Angels reward them with big contracts they earned by producing for the Twins. If they struggle, no rule against sending them back to AAA for a spell.

[Bark's Lounge]

I don't know why anyone would want Plouffe to hold off Sano.

Yuck.

[JB_Iowa]

It's too early to appreciate what is ,,,, or what may be.  I save my rampant enthusiasm for Spring Training.  

 

 

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.

Rogers Hornsby

 

 

Of course, Hornsby didn't have the intermet.

[MileHighTwinsFan]

I would be surprised if the team does not take a significant step forward.  The investments in starting pitching will pay dividends.  We all saw the offense hit its stride last season and I am excited to see the new wrinkles Molitor puts into our defensive shifts and baserunning. 

 

I am the same age as you are Doc.  I have seen this franchise through some horrendous lows and spectacular highs.  I definitely think the 2015 will be a season of progress, the first step on a steady climb to the playoffs.  

 

In an interview with members of Jerry Kill's Gopher football coaching staff they used the metaphor of building a base camp for the ascent to competitiveness.  I truly believe the Twins will establish that base camp this year.  

[Riverbrian]

I'm also 49

 

And I'm tired of being thought of... As this Beautiful Young Inexperienced Airhead.

[sorney]

I don't know why anyone would want Plouffe to hold off Sano.  Sano could be the best story of the season.  But I am getting fired up for spring training!

I'd like to see Sano too....but if Plouffe is holding off Sano, that means he is playing extremely well, and I'd be all for that.  Anything to make this club better.

[Steven Buhr]

You know what gets fans to spend less time dreaming about prospects and more time enjoying the current roster?

 

Winning.

 

It's really that simple. If the Twins do, in fact, become at least competitive in 2015, there will be plenty of us focused on that, even while we continue to follow the minor leaguers, as well.

 

But if that doesn't happen - if injuries or regression or old age or any combination of calamities, predictable or otherwise, beset the 2015 Twins - then a fan base that has become this conditioned to look forward to the hope represented by prospects will quickly return most of our focus in that direction.

 

The ability to be distracted in that manner is unique to MLB, I think. The NBA and NHL feeder systems don't run nearly deep enough to allow fans of a losing team to project entire future rosters out several years, and NFL fans are left with trying to figure out who, among college juniors and seniors, might-maybe-possibly land with their team in the next draft.

 

We'd all love to have the best of both worlds. I'll always follow the Kernels and other Twins minor leaguers, but I would love for all of us, myself included, to have good reason to pay more attention to the Twins.

 

Just don't see it happening until there's more winning going on.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I don't know why anyone would want Plouffe to hold off Sano.  Sano could be the best story of the season.  But I am getting fired up for spring training!

If Plouffe held off Sano, that means Plouffe likely had a good year. I'm fine with that as he'd be a nice trade asset.

[Eephus]

My glass is exactly 50/50. I think the Twins will be better, but the competition will be better, too. Not sure being better will translate to much of an increase in the W column.

[Squirrel]

I'm also 49

And I'm tired of being thought of... As this Beautiful Young Inexperienced Airhead.

No worries, Brian. We don't think of you like that.

[JB_Iowa]

If Plouffe held off Sano, that means Plouffe likely had a good year. I'm fine with that as he'd be a nice trade asset.

 

Or it could be that after an injury and year off, Sano's progress is  slowed.

 

We count a lot of unhatched chickens around here.

[ashbury]

And I'm tired of being thought of... As this Beautiful Young Inexperienced Airhead.

Youth and beauty are ephemeral, but inexperience can last a lifetime.

 

Of course, Hornsby didn't have the intermet.

Just as well.  He would have gotten himself banned here almost immediately.

[Seth Stohs]

As someone who follows the minor leagues and the minor leaguers fairly closely, this is an interesting discussion. 

 

I've written before, but Kyle Gibson once told me in an interview that being a top prospect is nice, but being a prospect only means that you haven't done anything yet. And that's true. It's what I enjoy about following the minor leaguers and it's what can be frustrating. The reality is that it's hard to get to the big leagues, and it's incredibly hard to be one of the great ones. Joe Mauer's don't come around real often.

 

We can think or even assume that Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton are Can't Miss prospects, but sometimes Can't Miss prospects miss. And random prospect becomes a star. That's how it works.

 

Notice prospect rankings... many times, a lot of the top prospects are from the lowest levels of the minor leagues. As they move up to higher levels and get older, competition gets better and we find more flaws... things that have to be accounted for. So, a 5-tool prospect in Low A may turn into a 3 star prospect by the time he's in AA and his ceiling goes from All Star to solid starter to utility type in a matter of a year or two.

 

I've said in the last couple of years that there are literally 25-30 minor leaguers that I legitimately think have a chance to be solid big league contributors. The hope is that 3-4 of them become really good players for a half-decade, that 5-6 of them fill a good role on the big league club for awhile, and 10-12 of them become part-timers, AAAA types. That's the reality.

 

So, sometimes it's nice to just go with what you have rather than risk what might be. However, notice all the good teams, they build their core from within, so they need to have a group of 4-5 guys really come together and lead the charge.

 

The Yankees had Posada, Jeter, Pettitte and Rivera. The Giants now have Posey, Sandoval (until now), Bumgarner, Lincecum, Cain... those guys and their core come from within. So, prospects are a huge part of that. 

[DaveW]

Just wanted to chime in that I am a twins Huskers and Vikings fan as well. What a brutal few years this has been. Fortunately all three look to be on the upswing soon!

[Riverbrian]

No worries, Brian. We don't think of you like that.

Thank You Chi-Town... Finally the respect I deserve.

 

I love the thought of the farm coming to the rescue eventually. As For 2015... I'm offensively optimistic right now. It's going to be up to our pitching I'm afraid... If we get some... Our young guys will look great.

[USAFChief]

No worries, Brian. We don't think of you like that.

Concur.

 

Definitely "experienced airhead."