Article: What '13 Twins rookie will have the biggest impact?

[Cody Christie]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1325-What-13-Twins-rookie-will-have-the-biggest-impact

[Oldgoat_MN]

Nice article Cody. Thanks

All Twins fans are hoping for Parmelee to have a great year and they should give him an extended opportunity. If June arrives and it's not working for Parmelee or the Twins then it will depend on how Arcia is doing in AAA.

Arcia is as sure a hitter as we have in the minor leagues right now. It could also come to pass that Willingham is traded at the deadline. Part of such a move could be that they feel that Arcia is ready.

[jimbo92107]

Hicks. He's the most solid of all the young outfielders. No major weaknesses as a hitter or fielder. Great arm and excellent range in center.

 

As for pitchers, it's a crap shoot, and the dice look dicey. Maybe the Twins will get lucky in this year's cattle call of damaged goods, maybe they'll find another Burton. Young pitchers, unless they're obvious stars, usually don't make a huge difference in their first year.

[Boom Boom]

Probably Gibson, maybe Hicks. When you say "biggest impact" I presume you mean positive impact.

 

This got me to thinking - which Twins rookie had the biggest impact in 2012?

[ashbury]

Probably Gibson, maybe Hicks. When you say "biggest impact" I presume you mean positive impact.

 

This got me to thinking - which Twins rookie had the biggest impact in 2012?

 

Scott Diamond still counted as a rookie, didn't he?

[lee_the_twins_fan]

Good story. I would put Arcia in the top five – I question whether Parmelee will be able to stick it out all year; I just don't think either his bat or glove will be as good as Arcia's.

[The Wise One]

Parmelee is no longer considered a rookie as he had more than 130 AB.

As many of the names were on the AA squad last year it would be hard to predict. At the end of the year if neither Hicks, Arcia nor Benson have an almost full season in then they had the biggest impact by not being ready yet. If one of them plays the whole season after May, then it would be one of them.

[Paul Pleiss]

I think KG has the biggest impact in 2013, he'll be a welcome addition to a starting rotation that I anticipate will struggle to put up quality starts. That being said, I expect Gibson will take his lumps and have some growing pains as he adjusts to MLB baseball. I hope all the youngsters get a chance to come up and play this year and start to perform at the big league level.

[Thrylos]

I just hope that it is the one who wins the CF job (either Benson or Hicks) for the Twins' sake. I think that they will really baby Gibson this season.

[Thrylos]

Upon further review, and since he is a rookie and has been invited to Spring Training with the big club, I'd have to say:

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Anthony Slama

[jimbo92107]

Upon further review, and since he is a rookie and has been invited to Spring Training with the big club, I'd have to say:

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Anthony Slama

 

Oooo, forgot about the Slamster. He get mofo out, mon! Very deceptive delivery, but arm fall off too much!

 

Twins might as well give Slama a full tryout, let him pitch himself off or on the team. If he breaks down again, I figure he'll disappear into AAA and elsewhere. You'd think by now the Twins would have learned, don't sweat the details when a man gets guys out. Ask R.A. Dickey.

[mlhouse]

Aaron Hicks must be the starting CF and Joe Benson the 4th OF. Kyle Gibson must be in the starting rotation, even if he is on innings restriction. For Benson and Gibson, the clock is ticking. Gibson is 25 and Benson will turn 25 in May. If they are not able to establish themselves now, they probably never will.

 

For Hicks, it is the chance to develop at the major league level, and for a player with his skills I think that is the best approach. He has already spent five years in the minors, he has all of the physical tools, let him take the last step in development at the major league level.

 

THiS IS A REBUILDING YEAR. Wins-losses, who cares. This should all be about player development. If our manager does not have the patience or skills to work with young players, then we simply need a new manager. It is that simple, and frankly, we have already wasted two years of 95+ losses that should have been dedicated to establishing a new core group of young players.

[raindog]

How is Joe Benson going to develop, sitting on the bench? Hicks has only spent one year above A level. If he blows Twins management away in Spring Training, (not just numbers-wise), by all means let him play in the bigs. But there is no reason to throw him to the wolves if he doesn't force his way on to the club.