Article: Ranking The Twins Leadoff Hitter Candidates

[Cody Christie]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1289-Ranking-the-Twins-leadoff-hitter-candidates

[RodneyKline]

Mauer is the ideal leadoff hitter but without leadoff speed. His natural spot is in the #2 spot like Carew because they are both singles hitters but as a leadoff hitter he has one at bat where he can't hit into a double play. This is not a knock on him, it is because he gets solid wood on the ball more than anyone that he leads all of MLB in double plays but he would get a chance to bat at least once every game with no one on base, probably more than once with the number 9 hitter making the last out quite often. Because of his huge size, it is hard to think of him as a Carew type hitter but that is what he is. He is definitely not an ideal #3 hitter that Gardy keeps putting him in as. The leadoff hitter gets more at bats over the season than any other batter also. Probably 20% more at bats would be a good thing for the best on base guy in baseball also.

[RodneyKline]

Mastroianni gets my vote for CF and leadoff if Mauer is not considered. He is a very exciting player if he can get on base like he has in his minor league career. He is a natural base stealer. Not a guy that is just fast but a guy that has the intangibles to steal 100 bases if he can get on base enough. Hicks is not ready yet in my opinion. He did have a break through season last year in AA but I would like to see that again before he is rushed to the show. AAA is not important in my opinion but he had bad numbers before last season at AA, especially from the left-handed side of the plate for sure. That makes me worried. If he had over .300 years in the lower levels and had a year like last year at AA, I would say give him a shot to be the CF/leadoff hitter out of spring training until Buxton is ready but he has really only had one above average year.

[Brandon]

I think that Hicks will eventually be a good leadoff hitter. Mauer belongs in the #2 slot in the lineup, Carroll would be a solid #2 but the team would be better served with him as the 9th hitter. Mastroianni should bat leadoff until Hicks gets the callup towards the end of May then go back to being the 4th OF.

[SpantheMan]

I would have Benson leading off for the first half of the season. He is at the point where the minors won't really help him anymore (he has spent 3 seasons in AA). It is time for him to prove himself and batting him leadoff would allow us to really see what we have in him.

After the super 2 cutoff, I would bring up hicks as long as he is doing decently in AAA. He would hit leadoff. Benson would slide to 2 if he had been playing well. If Benson hadn't looked good hitting leadoff he would be moved to the bottom of the order.

[CDog]

Mauer ... leads all of MLB in double plays ....

 

I don't understand why people just invent things in their imagination and then pass them off as facts.

 

That's before thinking about whether or not the issue mentioned is even a bad thing. Or even a thing.

[70charger]

I don't understand why people just invent things in their imagination and then pass them off as facts.

 

That's before thinking about whether or not the issue mentioned is even a bad thing. Or even a thing.

 

 

It's on the internet, so it must be true.

[gunnarthor]

Mauer was 5th in GIBP last year. The leader was Miguel Cabrera.

[CDog]

It's on the internet, so it must be true.

 

Bonjour!

[70charger]

Mauer was 5th in GIBP last year. The leader was Miguel Cabrera.

 

Just shocking. This Cabrera fellow must be a terrible hitter.

[perkins7]

Mastroianni gets my vote for CF and leadoff if Mauer is not considered. He is a very exciting player if he can get on base like he has in his minor league career. He is a natural base stealer. Not a guy that is just fast but a guy that has the intangibles to steal 100 bases if he can get on base enough. Hicks is not ready yet in my opinion. He did have a break through season last year in AA but I would like to see that again before he is rushed to the show. AAA is not important in my opinion but he had bad numbers before last season at AA, especially from the left-handed side of the plate for sure. That makes me worried. If he had over .300 years in the lower levels and had a year like last year at AA, I would say give him a shot to be the CF/leadoff hitter out of spring training until Buxton is ready but he has really only had one above average year.

 

I'm not sure what the huge perceived drop off is in CF if we were to head into this season assuming Span would be traded (and it's safe to say almost all of us assumed he'd be traded). Mastroianni is really not much different from Ben Revere in terms of overall production and value. Their OBP and OPS are essentially identical, and although Revere has an elite average, it's much harder to sustain OBP if you're solely a singles hitter, whereas Mastroianni has shown some ability to draw walks and with time could prove to hit for higher average (he was a higher average player throughout the minors). Mastroianni steals bases at a more successful rate (21 SB/3 CS, 87.5%) than Revere (40/9, 81.6%), albeit with less sample size but still fairly significant. I think the doom and gloom of predicting an awful season now that Revere's gone isn't rooted in the reality that he was overrated. Awesome, fun to watch, great for the fans, and a human highlight reel, but overrated and the Twins got a great deal from the Phillies for him, considering he's really not too different from Mastroianni at all.

[twinsnorth49]

Just shocking. This Cabrera fellow must be a terrible hitter.

 

Better put him at leadoff.

[nicksaviking]

No clue what the Blue Jays OF plans are yet (they may not either) but they have 6 players on their 40-man that can play CF. If Rajai Davis is the odd man out, I wonder if the Twins would be able to get him on the cheap. He'd be just fine as a stop gap solution for CF/leadoff and a great bench option once Hicks is ready full-time.

[Guest USAFChief]

Ricky Henderson says "sure Ricky would listen if the Twins called."

[TheLeviathan]

I think we'll see a lot of Mastro-Carroll at the top of our lineup. And we pray like all hell that Hicks is ready June 1.