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Where are they now? Ex-Twins in 2019

Doctor Wu

By Doctor Wu
in Minnesota Twins Talk

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ashbury GOAT

ashbury

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Why does he look like Manny Ramirez? /scandal

He also looks like Winston Churchill but then every baby looks like Winston Churchill.

  • 3 weeks later...
Doctor Wu FCL Twins

Doctor Wu

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Still holding out hope that Big Sexy finds a job in 2019...

And things remain quiet on the Big Sexy front. From what I've read he still wants to pitch, but will any team take a chance on him at this point, even on a minor league deal or spring training invite?

Monkeypaws FCL Twins

Monkeypaws

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And things remain quiet on the Big Sexy front. From what I've read he still wants to pitch, but will any team take a chance on him at this point, even on a minor league deal or spring training invite?

 

Colon pitching to Astudillo - what a battery that would make.

Doctor Wu FCL Twins

Doctor Wu

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And our old pal Francisco Liriano just signed a minor league deal with the Pirates. Hard to believe that he's 35 years old now. Man, time flies.

Doctor Wu FCL Twins

Doctor Wu

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Yet another ex-Twin gets signed: Jon Heyman reports that the Phillies agreed to a minor league deal with veteran catcher Drew Butera that includes a $1.3 million salary in the event that he makes the major league roster.

RatherBeGolfing College Ball

RatherBeGolfing

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Colon pitching to Astudillo - what a battery that would make.

 

We'd sell a lot of tickets for some promotional game in mid-August and the Twins' marketing team would certainly milk it as long as they could

ashbury GOAT

ashbury

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Colon pitching to Astudillo - what a battery that would make.

C'mon, dream big. Astudillo pitching to Colón.

jorgenswest St Paul Saints

jorgenswest

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According to ESPN, the Oakland A's just signed Robbie Grossman to a 1-year deal, and it's NOT a minor league contract. Also, they are apparently planning on using him in the outfield for the most part, as opposed to DH duties. Ha! Good luck with that!

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26004273/oakland-athletics-sign-outfielder-robbie-grossman

With the good range of Laureano and Pinder I think he will be fine a few times a week in a platoon role.

 

The league as a whole only had one qualifying right fielder with a UZR above 0. When taking the 50 players with the most innings in RF only 7 had a positive UZR. Grossman ranked 34 of 50.

 

If Grossman puts up an OBP of .371 as he did in his three years as a Twin, the A’s will find away to utilize that skill. The A’s will probably do a better job of platooning him and giving him a greater percentage of playing time against left handed pitching where his OBP has been much better.

jkcarew Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

jkcarew

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If Grossman puts up an OBP of .371 as he did in his three years as a Twin, the A’s will find away to utilize that skill. The A’s will probably do a better job of platooning him and giving him a greater percentage of playing time against left handed pitching where his OBP has been much better.

Exactly. Never quite understood the joy posters took in dwelling on Grossman's deficiencies. Wasn't his fault that he was over-exposed during extended periods by the Twins total lack of organizational depth in the OF. It's actually pretty easy to make an argument that if you KNEW Rosario, Buxton, and Kepler were going to have healthy seasons, that Grossman would be more valuable than Cave. Easy.

 

Obviously, since you can't take that risk, Cave is a no-brainer. Still, there is a 100% chance that the Twins will have periods in 2019 where they'll suffer for not having Grossman's right-handed bat against lefties.

Riverbrian Cooperstown

Riverbrian

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Exactly. Never quite understood the joy posters took in dwelling on Grossman's deficiencies. Wasn't his fault that he was over-exposed during extended periods by the Twins total lack of organizational depth in the OF. It's actually pretty easy to make an argument that if you KNEW Rosario, Buxton, and Kepler were going to have healthy seasons, that Grossman would be more valuable than Cave. Easy.

 

Obviously, since you can't take that risk, Cave is a no-brainer. Still, there is a 100% chance that the Twins will have periods in 2019 where they'll suffer for not having Grossman's right-handed bat against lefties.

 

My issue with Grossman is two-fold and both points are the opposite of each other... My issue with Grossman is both... that we needed him in the first place and that he didn't play enough while he was here. 

 

We traded Hicks because we didn't need a 4th OF'er. We didn't sign another RH OF'er to provide insurance for Rosario, Buxton and Sano like Chief and I were asking at the time. 

 

It was May 17th, 2016. Buxton had already been sent down... Kepler was back down (he was never really up) he came up and sat bench for while with Polanco while the team crashed around them. That was the day that Grossman was signed to a minor league deal after he opted out of his minor league deal with Cleveland.

 

That night... the Twins were playing the Tigers in Detroit.

 

We had:

Rosario in LF hitting .196

Danny Santana in CF

Sano in RF

 

 

We lost 7-2 to go 10-28 and Eddie Rosario was sent down to AAA leaving Sano as the LONE SURVIVOR from the opening day OF . Grossman probably doesn't get to enjoy Rochester at all because he is quickly called to the Twins.

 

Once he was here... He was as good as we had in 2016... Still only got 389 AB's. So yeah, he probably should have played more.

 

But, I can't stomach that he was the best we had. And we've had the chance to find better every off-season for 2017, 2018 and 2019... And we have yet to accomplish it. 

 

 

 

 

 

ashbury GOAT

ashbury

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Still, there is a 100% chance that the Twins will have periods in 2019 where they'll suffer for not having Grossman's right-handed bat against lefties.

I don't know of anyone posting with "joy" about Robbie's deficiencies. But in an era of 13-man pitching staffs leaving only 3 bench spots in the AL game, you could probably say the same thing about any one-tool player - there will be times they suffer for not having a dedicated power bat on the bench, or not having a truly glove-only whiz on the bench, or not having a Herb Washington type of pinch runner on the bench (OK, teams figured that out long ago :) ). Grossman isn't a horrible player but he's a tweener who puts a lot of pressure on the roster when you have him.

jkcarew Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

jkcarew

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Grossman isn't a horrible player but he's a tweener who puts a lot of pressure on the roster when you have him.

Agreed. With the 3-man bench we are entering an era where the "one outstanding tool" bench player might be on the way to extinction. Now, you're forced to go with the multiple-tool player even when none of those tools are particularly good.

ashbury GOAT

ashbury

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Agreed. With the 3-man bench we are entering an era where the "one outstanding tool" bench player might be on the way to extinction. Now, you're forced to go with the multiple-tool player even when none of those tools are particularly good.

Desired are the guys about whom opponents say, "he can beat you even when he's not hitting." Nothing new under the sun, of course.

jorgenswest St Paul Saints

jorgenswest

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If Austin can RF at the below average but not bottom of the league level of Grossman, he helps in the same way. He can provide a good bat against left handed pitching to spot in for Kepler or Rosario.

 

Players like this on the short side of the platoon will always be on the fringe of the 25. It is on teams to figure out how to utilize their strengths and minimize the exposure of their weaknesses.

sweetmusicviola16 FCL Twins

sweetmusicviola16

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If Austin can RF at the below average but not bottom of the league level of Grossman, he helps in the same way. He can provide a good bat against left handed pitching to spot in for Kepler or Rosario.

Players like this on the short side of the platoon will always be on the fringe of the 25. It is on teams to figure out how to utilize their strengths and minimize the exposure of their weaknesses.

I have said all winter if Austin is going to make the club he will need to be an asset in the COF.

ewen21 First Round Pick

ewen21

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Exactly. Never quite understood the joy posters took in dwelling on Grossman's deficiencies.

Maybe the deficiencies would not have been discussed so much if they didn't rear their ugly head so much.  

 

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