Twins Non-Roster Invites, including Lucas Duda

[Seth Stohs]

Dustin Morse of the Twins tweeted out the full list of Twins non-roster invites this morning. The one new name on the list is 1B/OF Lucas Duda.

 

https://twitter.com/AaronGleeman/status/1094310002792181760

 

Pitchers:

LHP - Tim Collins, Justin Nicolino

RHP - Chase De Jong, Ryan Eades, Preston Guilmet, Ryne Harper, Mike Morin, Jake Reed

 

Catchers:

Brian Navarreto, Ben Rortvedt, Wynston Sawyer and Tomas Telis

 

Infielders:

Dean Anna, Randy Cesar, Lucas Duda, Royce Lewis, and Adam Rosales

 

Outfielders:

Alex Kirilloff, Luke Raley, and Brent Rooker

 

 

The Twins also announced EIGHT guest instructors:

Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven, Michael Cuddyer, LaTroy Hawkins, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan and Tony Oliva. 

 

Pitchers and catchers first workout is Thursday (Feb 14). First full-squad is Monday (Feb 18)

[Danchat]

I'm interested to see Duda on the list, he'd make for a nice depth option in AAA. I was high on him a couple years ago, but now he's fallen into the "hits for power, low batting average, tons of strikeouts" archetype that's a dime a dozen now. I like Cron and Austin better, but comparing the numbers between Duda and Cron, they're not all that different. The main difference between the two (other than being 29 and 33 years old) is that Cron had a career year in 2018 and Duda's numbers plummeted in 2018.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

1. Congrats to the young guys going to their first Big League camp

 

2. Rooker listed as outfielder, which I guess makes three corners outfielders of Kirilloff, Rooker, and Larnach.

 

3. Lucas Duda? Not sure what this front office's fixation is with these types of guys. I agree with Danchat re Duda and Cron. And, didn't they also sign Wilin Rosario this week. Seems very inefficient to me. They could have offered Mauer a modest one year extension last summer to play one more year. I'd take a Mauer/Austin platoon (with some Sano and Kepler playing a little 1B too) over all of these other guys they have acquired since 2018 ended. That's just my opinion and I know people have disagreed.

 

4. Hurry up and get baseball started!

[sweetmusicviola16]

Duda? I like it. Its an milb with an ST invite. Can't go wrong or sign too many of these guys. These only cost $$$$ if they make the MLB team.

 

This doesn't stop us from signing Kimbrel or Marwin Gonzalez.

[Danchat]

1. Congrats to the young guys going to their first Big League camp

 

2. Rooker listed as outfielder, which I guess makes three corners outfielders of Kirilloff, Rooker, and Larnach.

 

3. Lucas Duda? Not sure what this front office's fixation is with these types of guys. I agree with Danchat re Duda and Cron. And, didn't they also sign Wilin Rosario this week. Seems very inefficient to me. They could have offered Mauer a modest one year extension last summer to play one more year. I'd take a Mauer/Austin platoon (with some Sano and Kepler playing a little 1B too) over all of these other guys they have acquired since 2018 ended. That's just my opinion and I know people have disagreed.

 

4. Hurry up and get baseball started!

It seemed like once Mauer had that concussion last season, that sealed his retirement. Plus I’d rather see younger guys play 1B in a season where they don’t seem to be pushing their chips in.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

It seemed like once Mauer had that concussion last season, that sealed his retirement. Plus I’d rather see younger guys play 1B in a season where they don’t seem to be pushing their chips in.

Granted, there was a point last summer where the Mauer retirement became inevitable. But as for young guys playing first, I don't know who is young, unless we're talking about Austin, Kepler or Sano, or counting 29 as young (Cron).

[ashbury]

They could have offered Mauer a modest one year extension last summer to play one more year.

 

Granted, there was a point last summer where the Mauer retirement became inevitable.

 

Norman. Please coordinate.

 

(And, I'm sorry, yes, I confess to taking part in the transformation of a Lucas Duda thread into a Joe Mauer thread. The glazed expression above probably represents my role. )

[operation mindcrime]

My name is Luca I live on the second floor!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

Norman. Please coordinate.

 

(And, I'm sorry, yes, I confess to taking part in the transformation of a Lucas Duda thread into a Joe Mauer thread. The glazed expression above probably represents my role. )

No, it was aimed at me, I own it.

[AlwaysinModeration]

My name is Luca I live on the second floor!

I don’t think I’ve seen you before. However if he somehow sticks with the Twins for two or three years, and the #10 prospect makes his way up to the bigs, there could potentially be a 9-3 double play, with the call:

 

“And a diving catch by Akil “Yabba Dah” Badoo, he gets up and tosses it in to Lucas “Zippety” Duda, this is going to be an easy double play!”

[ashbury]

My name is Luca I live on the second floor!

 

and tosses it in to Lucas “Zippety” Duda

If FalVine had realized this signing might subject us to the potential of a season full of Suzanne Vega and Song of the South references, they would have said, why bother.

 

/ edit - and now Lebowski - read on...

 

/ edit^2 - and Stephen Foster checks in...

[USAFChief]

If FalVine had realized this signing might subject us to the potential of a season full of Suzanne Vega and Song of the South references, they would have said, why bother.

False.

 

They would have said "BONUS!!!1!1"

[The Mask of Zoilo]

Duda? I like it. Its an milb with an ST invite. Can't go wrong or sign too many of these guys. These only cost $$$$ if they make the MLB team.

 

This doesn't stop us from signing Kimbrel or Marwin Gonzalez.

Duda can still mash righties. If the roster expands to 26, I can see him making the 26 as a lefty bench bat or as the lefty half of a platoon if Cron or Cruz are hurt or struggling. He is one of the worst hitters in the majors though against lefties and can only play first.

[The Mask of Zoilo]

 

“And a diving catch by Akil “Yabba Dah” Badoo, he gets up and tosses it in to Lucas “Zippety” Duda, this is going to be an easy double play!”

 

Duda bides!!!

[Rosterman]

Duda replaces Austin if the Twins can't keep him. They have signed 25+ minor league free agents. Looks like no room at the Rochester roster for in-house prospects this season...except in the possibly already full rotation of arms. Go figure.

 

Of course, injuries and releases will change things up as spring training progresses. 

 

Sometimes, though, insted of the few million in some of these guaranteed contracts, wished they would actually get a usuable 25-man player who MIGHT be better than anyone on the current roster.

 

[mickeymental]

lucas just turned 33. duda, duda. no time in left since '014. oh duda day.

[PDX Twin]

 

lucas just turned 33. duda, duda. no time in left since '014. oh duda day.

 

This must be the song the Twins sing when they Race to the Camp Down in Florida.

[Doomtints]

I'm surprised Duda takes a deal like this, but hey that's on him. If he doesn't make the team (he won't), he won't putz around in the minors for the Twins.

[Linus]

Didn’t we have one of these last year?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

lucas just turned 33. duda, duda. no time in left since '014. oh duda day.

Stephen Foster checks in again

[howieramone2]

 

Duda replaces Austin if the Twins can't keep him. They have signed 25+ minor league free agents. Looks like no room at the Rochester roster for in-house prospects this season...except in the possibly already full rotation of arms. Go figure.

 

Of course, injuries and releases will change things up as spring training progresses. 

 

Sometimes, though, insted of the few million in some of these guaranteed contracts, wished they would actually get a usuable 25-man player who MIGHT be better than anyone on the current roster.

I just read where King Theo invited 37.

[RatherBeGolfing]

I suppose about the best thing of signing Duda to this deal is there really isn't any harm in it and he may surprise you a bit but I still don't totally get the logic of it.

[mikelink45]

Reading the comments on this thread I have to say ST is needed, we are all going bonkers over minor signings (we only have one major one) and speculating about signing players we wish but won't get.  Now I see this Camptown Races references and I am forced to look up the lyrics and of course the first three lines made me think of the players we have signed and will be at ST : (slight alteration)

 

"Well, he came down there with his hat caved in
Oh he'll go back home with my pocket full of tin oh doo-dah day
Goin' to run all night, goin' to run all day
I'll bet my money on the bobtail Cron, somebody bet on the Austin."

 

So to all of you Camptown ladies who are posting on this site - "Well, the Camptown ladies sing this song doodah doodah"
 

[ashbury]

I looked up who said "he plays bat", and it was our own Gene Mauch when Glenn Adams was purchased from the Giants, I bet in his standard slightly-condescending style, in response to concern about Adams's defensive shortcomings.

 

It seems like we are signing guy after guy about whom our front office is saying this now. More broadly, we're assembling quite a collection of very similar looking players in various categories - interchangeable fourth outfielders, he-plays-bat guys for DH and grit-your-teeth 1B duty, pitchers with AAA credentials who haven't established themselves yet.

 

There's an awful lot of sorting-out to be accomplished during the short weeks in Ft Myers this Spring, of the nature, "just pick one, there's not a great deal of difference among the lot, the choice isn't really going to be that consequential, is it?" If the guys they do eventually keep get all the coaching attention they need, then no problem, but I hope we don't discover that effort was spread too thin.

[ahart10]

I don’t think signing someone like Adam Rosales is any different than the Twins signing me to a minor league deal. Neither one of us has any kind of shot at the MLB roster. Why fill up ST with these types instead of bringing in all the young guys and letting them rub shoulders with Berrios and Cruz?

[nicksaviking]

 

I don’t think signing someone like Adam Rosales is any different than the Twins signing me to a minor league deal. Neither one of us has any kind of shot at the MLB roster. Why fill up ST with these types instead of bringing in all the young guys and letting them rub shoulders with Berrios and Cruz?

 

I don't want anyone rubbing Berrios' right shoulder except for the trainer. Keep it safe and far away from the starry-eyed mob of youngsters!

[Splash45]

I don’t think signing someone like Adam Rosales is any different than the Twins signing me to a minor league deal. Neither one of us has any kind of shot at the MLB roster. Why fill up ST with these types instead of bringing in all the young guys and letting them rub shoulders with Berrios and Cruz?

If we lose 2 middle infielders at some point during the season we very well could see Rosales get brought up, so it’s not like there’s no shot he gets called up.

[Doomtints]

 

I looked up who said "he plays bat", and it was our own Gene Mauch when Glenn Adams was purchased from the Giants, I bet in his standard slightly-condescending style, in response to concern about Adams's defensive shortcomings.

 

It seems like we are signing guy after guy about whom our front office is saying this now. More broadly, we're assembling quite a collection of very similar looking players in various categories - interchangeable fourth outfielders, he-plays-bat guys for DH and grit-your-teeth 1B duty, pitchers with AAA credentials who haven't established themselves yet.

 

There's an awful lot of sorting-out to be accomplished during the short weeks in Ft Myers this Spring, of the nature, "just pick one, there's not a great deal of difference among the lot, the choice isn't really going to be that consequential, is it?" If the guys they do eventually keep get all the coaching attention they need, then no problem, but I hope we don't discover that effort was spread too thin.

 

This reminds me of signing Byungho Park when we had both 1B and DH sewn up. Duda does not fit anywhere and the Twins are screwing somebody with this signing, as we again have 1B and DH sewn up. Like Park, he's not much of an upgrade, if one at all, to the current options.

In the meantime, the Twins don't have a bullpen they can trust, so this seems like a waste of time....

 

I like Duda (if anything his weakness is he wears down during games, thus he's not "clutch" unless he comes off the bench). I don't know why he takes a deal like this unless he was promised he has a strong chance to make the roster, and if promises like this are being made to him I have no clue what this team is doing. Whatever happens will cause drama in the clubhouse.

[Vanimal46]

I agree with John and Aaron's assessment on the latest Gleeman and the Geek. This is a backup plan for CJ Cron... Just in case if he doesn't have it and they decide to pay him a million and change to go away.

 

I don't know why Falvine loves a platoon 1B/DH combo but you can squint and see a possibility of Duda/Austin splitting the duties.

[ahart10]

If we lose 2 middle infielders at some point during the season we very well could see Rosales get brought up, so it’s not like there’s no shot he gets called up.

Torreyes, Gordon, Astudillo, and Arraez are all capable of playing 2B, while the first two can play SS, and are already on the 40 man roster.