Twins sign Dutch first baseman

[Parker Hageman]

According to mister-baseball.com, the Minnesota Twins have signed Dutch first baseman, 26-year-old Curt Smith.

 

Smith, originally drafted by the Cardinals in the 2008 draft, has batted .301/.341/.461 with 47 home runs in five minor league seasons split between the Cardinals and Marlins organizations.

 

Born in Curacao, Smith is playing with the Netherlands team in the World Baseball Classic, hitting .375/.467/.542 with a home run and double in seven games. He will likely begin the season in New Britain.

[johnnydakota]

At 5 foot 10 inches and with only 47 homeruns in over 1700 at bats , he is not what you think of as a power hitting 1b man , more of a Dougie Alphabet type

[Seth Stohs]

Smith has some power and tools, but the question is whether he can get on base or not. I posted this on Twitter last night. Check out the power when he is way out front on a slow breaking ball. Also, later in the highlight, watch his stretch at 1B.

 

World Baseball Classic: Most Recent | 3/7/12: Schoop leads the Netherlands to a 6-2 win - Video

[johnnydakota]

The numbers show around 15 home runs per 500 at bats, is that enough o justify playing 1b?

[Mr. Brooks]

The numbers show around 15 home runs per 500 at bats, is that enough o justify playing 1b?

 

I would assume that he is minor league depth and nothing more.

[Mike Sixel]

Filler until they move Sano to first, imo.

[Mr. Brooks]

Filler until they move Sano to first, imo.

 

I can't see him getting even a cup of coffee at the ML level.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Sano isn't going to first any time soon, and as long as his defense improves over last year, he's going to be at 3rd against next year.

[Mike Sixel]

I never said at the ML level.....nor did I say Sano would move this year. This guy holds down first at AA / AAA until Sano is moved to first, which I still think happens. I get that other people don't think that. I do.

[Thrylos]

Right now the starting 1B in New Britain is projected to be Liddle's nephew who hit a Buteresque .198/.279/.347 at Ft. Myers at the second half or Mike Gonzalez who did not fare much better last season. Collabello/Clement will probably be at AAA. Really there is not much talent at 1B in this organization between Morneau and Vargas/Sano so it is not like they are blocking anyone with this. Smith played some 3B and OF as well, so just another body to have around...

[Seth Stohs]

I'm told that Smith can also play some 3B and there are not a lot of 3B in the Twins system right now.

 

And, this is absolutely a filler signing for the system, but you never know how those turn out.

[notoriousgod71]

Get Alfredo Despaigne to defect.

[jokin]

Right now the starting 1B in New Britain is projected to be Liddle's nephew who hit a Buteresque .198/.279/.347 at Ft. Myers at the second half or Mike Gonzalez who did not fare much better last season. Collabello/Clement will probably be at AAA. Really there is not much talent at 1B in this organization between Morneau and Vargas/Sano so it is not like they are blocking anyone with this. Smith played some 3B and OF as well, so just another body to have around...

 

What? More Twins nepotism? I'm shocked, shocked.

[spideyo]

I don't think they'll move Sano until they absolutely have to. Right now, they have Morneau, Parmelee, Colabello, Mauer, and Doumit that can cover first. They could even slide Plouffe over there in a pinch. Besides Plouffe, who else do they have in AAA and the bigs that can hit at all and play 3b?

 

An adequate fielding Sano at 3B is FAR more valuable to the Twins than a fantastic fielding Sano at 1b

[Seth Stohs]

What? More Twins nepotism? I'm shocked, shocked.

 

HE was a 15th round pick after a very good career offensively at Vanderbilt which is obviously one of the best baseball programs in the country. He hasn't necessarily hit like one would hope in the minors, but he's hit some home runs. He also missed the early part of last year after having shoulder surgery and it took him awhile to get going. Really rough start. It's not nepotism.

[DaveW]

The twins aren't the only team that sign related players etc

 

IMO the whole Mauer brothers nepotism has worked out pretty well for the Twins, we got an up and coming manager out of that deal, and it's not like Toby etc was ever taking at bats from people

[ashbury]

What surprises me a little about Smith is that the Cardinals let him go after only 3 years, age 21-23, with a decent (not stellar) developmental year at the plate in double-A. Does the need to add a player to the 40-man roster kick in that early with a college player who apparently didn't finish school? I see he was charged with ten errors as a first baseman that last year, kind of shaky but not grotesque. If it wasn't simply a 40-man issue, then you have to think there is some other reason the Cards simply cut him and no one else in organized ball snapped him up, leaving him to play in the new American Association as a 24-year-old. Of course he didn't progress so that his age-25 season in double-A for Miami's team was mediocre; but I'm interested in what the Cardinals apparently saw two years earlier. They're a smart organization, and apparently knew to cut ties.

[spideyo]

It very well could be that in the Cardinal's organization, he was clogging the way for guys who are projected to have a much higher upside. I don't know a darn thing about their farm system though, so couldn't say for sure.

[Mr. Brooks]

What surprises me a little about Smith is that the Cardinals let him go after only 3 years, age 21-23, with a decent (not stellar) developmental year at the plate in double-A. Does the need to add a player to the 40-man roster kick in that early with a college player who apparently didn't finish school? I see he was charged with ten errors as a first baseman that last year, kind of shaky but not grotesque. If it wasn't simply a 40-man issue, then you have to think there is some other reason the Cards simply cut him and no one else in organized ball snapped him up, leaving him to play in the new American Association as a 24-year-old. Of course he didn't progress so that his age-25 season in double-A for Miami's team was mediocre; but I'm interested in what the Cardinals apparently saw two years earlier. They're a smart organization, and apparently knew to cut ties.

 

The Cards already have a logjam of much better 1B'man than this kid. Matt Adams is one of the 2 or 3 best 1B prospects in baseball, and is probably already MLB ready, but they'll likely have to trade him, because there is nowhere to put him on the Cards roster.

Carpenter is being moved to 2nd base, and Allen Craig could move to the OF, but the problem is they are loaded there too.

[spideyo]

They also still had Pujols when they let him go I think

 

The Cards already have a logjam of much better 1B'man than this kid. Matt Adams is one of the 2 or 3 best 1B prospects in baseball, and is probably already MLB ready, but they'll likely have to trade him, because there is nowhere to put him on the Cards roster.

Carpenter is being moved to 2nd base, and Allen Craig could move to the OF, but the problem is they are loaded there too.

[David C]

This article was written by: Sam King / Contributor to MLB.com at: Cut 4 | twinsbaseball.com: News

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Curt Smith, a first baseman for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, lists his hometown as Lincoln, Neb., but he moved to the United States at age 17 from Curacao to Orono, Maine......

[David C]

The Twins signed first baseman Curt Smith to a minor league contract and will likely assign him to Class AA New Britain. Smith, 26, batted .261 with 9 homers and 48 RBI in 96 games at Class AA Jacksonville of the Marlins chain. Smith, born in Willemstad, Curacao, is batting .375 through seven WBC games for the Netherlands .

[FrodaddyG]

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