Outfield Depth

[jorgenswest]

Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, Grossman, Granite.

 

Who is next?

 

Is LaMonte Wade this year’s Granite?

 

Adrianza or Escobar?

 

Watching Mitch Garver play LF Saturday was not encouraging. It doesn’t look as if he has made any progress since last year. He can’t be an option. He can’t read the ball off the bat.

 

Is there any near major league ready depth in the minors? Do we trust any of the guys that are in spring on minor league contracts?

 

The Twins position players were very healthy last year. Few reinforcements were needed from a Rochester. Can we count on that again?

[Vanimal46]

I would imagine it's LaMonte Wade if he continues doing what he does best in AAA. Ideally they don't need a ton of depth because Rosario, Buxton, and Kepler are starting 140+ games this season.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, Grossman, Granite.

Who is next?

How many innings do you expect to need a 6th outfielder, especially when you have multiple CF in your top 5? I'd guess Adrianza could also see some action out there depending on circumstance. But really, the Twins are starting with enough to depth to weather 2 simultaneous injuries.

 

NRI Ryan LaMarre has seen MLB roster time each of the last 3 seasons, so I suspect he's the plan if we have a 40-man spot available and just need another outfielder on the bench.

 

Wade will need a 40-man spot next winter anyway, and he's already 24 years old, so he's a potential option if we need a fill-in starting OF for a stretch in the second half, like Granite last year.

[Homer Hanky]

 

Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, Grossman, Granite.

Who is next?

Is LaMonte Wade this year’s Granite?

Adrianza or Escobar?

Watching Mitch Garver play LF Saturday was not encouraging. It doesn’t look as if he has made any progress since last year. He can’t be an option. He can’t read the ball off the bat.

Is there any near major league ready depth in the minors? Do we trust any of the guys that are in spring on minor league contracts?

The Twins position players were very healthy last year. Few reinforcements were needed from a Rochester. Can we count on that again?

LOMO can also play in the OF if needed... 

 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

LOMO can also play in the OF if needed... 

Morrison hasn't played an inning out there in over 2 years, so I'm guessing he's an "emergency outfielder" at best. Assuming Vargas doesn't make the team, there's not really any need to spot him in the OF anyway,

[stringer bell]

Too many LH hitters. Probably keeps Grossman safe, since he seems a bit more proficient as a RH hitter.

[mikelink45]

I do not want catchers, utility players, or Grossman in the OF.  Emphasize outfield defense - it is the place where the Twins exceed all other teams and we should not sacrifice that for any out of position players. 

 

This essay, written in 2007, looked at what happened when the Mariners changed from their excellent defenders to players who would give them a few more hits.   "Ryan Franklin’s ERA rose from 3.57 to 4.90. Jamie Moyer’s went from 3.27 to 5.21. Joel Pineiro went from 3.78 to 4.67. Shigetoshi Hasegawa went from 1.48 to 5.16. Julio Mateo went from 3.15 to 4.68. And the team went from 93 wins to 63 wins" http://www.ussmariner.com/2007/07/26/outfield-defense/  

 

 

[jorgenswest]

It must keep Grossman safe. He will make the 25 and Granite is playing in Rochester. The drop off from Granite seems pretty large.

 

They were very healthy last year but a Buxton injury as a result of crashing a fence combined with an injury to any of the others could make that 6th OF very necessary. I doubt the 6th OF, if needed, is currently in the organization.

[gunnarthor]

I like Wade a lot as a future 4th OF type. He and Granite are both solid 4th OF behind our main three guys. Grossman can do spot duty day to day but if Buxton, Kepler or Rosario go down for a DL trip, I'd expect Granite to jump in there. Those main three guys are all under team control for four years and while they have some question marks, could be a pretty stable OF for the next few years. No need to replace any of them.

 

As to the future, Rooker might get a bit of time in the OF but probably won't be an asset out there. And in the low minors the Twins have a glut of major OF talent - Kiriloff, Lewis (if he doesn't stick at short), Baddoo could all be above average regulars.

[Mike Sixel]

I like the OF depth more than any position other than 1B or maybe RP. 

 

I would think Granite starts in AAA, becuase he has options and hits lefty. I think Wade is at least a 4th OF. And, there are some players in the low minors with real upside.

[Dantes929]

 

I do not want catchers, utility players, or Grossman in the OF.  Emphasize outfield defense - it is the place where the Twins exceed all other teams and we should not sacrifice that for any out of position players. 

 

This essay, written in 2007, looked at what happened when the Mariners changed from their excellent defenders to players who would give them a few more hits.   "Ryan Franklin’s ERA rose from 3.57 to 4.90. Jamie Moyer’s went from 3.27 to 5.21. Joel Pineiro went from 3.78 to 4.67. Shigetoshi Hasegawa went from 1.48 to 5.16. Julio Mateo went from 3.15 to 4.68. And the team went from 93 wins to 63 wins" http://www.ussmariner.com/2007/07/26/outfield-defense/

While I agree with this completely no one is suggesting the Twins go from excellent to poor on a consistent basis.   While I would prefer to keep Granite as a 4th outfielder I suspect he will be in the minors as our 5th outfielder.    If anyone gets hurt he will leap frog Grossman and become our 3rd outfielder.    Grossman   in one spot every 6 games is not going to have the effect on ERA stated above.   Looks like John Mabry was Seattle's 4th outfielder in the 93 win season.    He was primarily a 1st baseman in his career so I am thinking no great shakes in the outfield.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

They were very healthy last year but a Buxton injury as a result of crashing a fence combined with an injury to any of the others could make that 6th OF very necessary. I doubt the 6th OF, if needed, is currently in the organization.

"Very necessary" as a warm body, not necessarily to get any meaningful playing time. LaMarre could do that, just like JB Shuck was available in Rochester for that purpose last year, and before that, Mastroianni, Logan Schafer, etc.

[jorgenswest]

The addition of Cave adds depth to OF in the system. He fits better on the 40 than Vargas.

[Doctor Wu]

 

"Very necessary" as a warm body, not necessarily to get any meaningful playing time. LaMarre could do that, just like JB Shuck was available in Rochester for that purpose last year, and before that, Mastroianni, Logan Schafer, etc.

And don't forget Clete Thomas!

[Otto von Ballpark]

I didn't think 6th outfielder was a big need, but no question Cave is a better fit for this roster than Vargas.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I didn't think 6th outfielder was a big need, but no question Cave is a better fit for this roster than Vargas.

Yeah, I don’t really get this series of moves, but... *shrugs* ...I can’t bring myself to care much, either.

[ewen21]

 

I would imagine it's LaMonte Wade if he continues doing what he does best in AAA. Ideally they don't need a ton of depth because Rosario, Buxton, and Kepler are starting 140+ games this season.

Not sure how we can assume these guys will start a fixed number of games.  I won't assume there will be no injuries in the outfield and I believe depth is important.  THe last thing we need is one of those players going on the 30 or 60 DL and all we have is Robbie Grossman.