Where will E-Rod end season in organization?

[bowserthedog]

AA i don't think he needs to be rushed or anything. He can move up very quickly after this season if he stays healthy. 

[rgvtwinstalk]

They are going to be careful with Rodriguez coming off knee surgery.  He will start at Fort Myers to get the kinks out in May or June.  He will then head up to Cedar Rapids and after that it will be on performance for E-Rod with the Kernels.  I think he will play in the playoffs whether that is in Cedar Rapids or Wichita..  I think he is so good I expect him to end 2023 in Wichita.  However, whether it is Cedar Rapids or Wichita it will be up to him and his performance in Cedar Rapids.  As he rehabs I think it will be important for the Twins to not send him to the cold.  That is typically the way Twins have handled rehab as he is recovering from the injury.  So I don't think we will see Rodriguez in Cedar Rapids until it warms up in late may early june.

[nicksaviking]

On 3/28/2023 at 9:04 AM, chpettit19 said:

MLB.com just ran a story showing where the top 100 prospects are all starting the season. They have Rodriguez at High A to start the year. If that's where he's starting I think reaching AA should be a minimum goal for him this year. AAA should be the highest mostly realistic goal. I don't disagree that MLB isn't out of the question if he's truly a star, but there's a lot of guys to jump in front of him for that to happen. But reaching AAA at the age of 20 would be gigantic. My guess is they don't rush him and he tops out at AA, and that's still great. 20 year old in AA means he has a legit chance of being a 21 year old in MLB in 2024, and that's plenty soon enough.

That would be great, but the Twins have Buxton DHing during the early cold part of the year and Royce Lewis already said the Twins were sending him to Wichita instead of St Paul when he's ready, simply to play in the warmer weather. So I'd guess that the also recovering Rodriguez will stay in sunny Florida, while Beloit thaws out.

The good news is that they don't seem to hold prospects in Beloit too long. Wichita on the other hand seems to have a longer layover for one reason or another.

[nicksaviking]

On 3/28/2023 at 1:23 PM, Major League Ready said:

You and I have really been aligned lately but I am not sure Lee unseats Miranda.  Maybe I just hope Miranda is good at 3B but he looked fine at 3b last year (sucked at 1B) and hopefully he improves.  He is just not nearly as valuable as a DH/1B so I don't see them wanting to move him off 3B.  I like Lees ceiling just like everyone else but I need to see some significant success above A ball before I start assuming he replaces Miranda at 3B.  Even if Lee continues to impress, I like Lee at 2B and Lewis OF and back-up  for SS.  Now if Julien improves defensively, we have a high-class problem.  I really hope we have to figure that one out.

I think Miranda will end up at 1B, not because of his inability to play 3B, but because I think it's more likely that Kirilloff will either remain unhealthy or won't develop as hoped. Not saying he will, I just think the odds that he ends up developing into a cornerstone player are lower than the odds of Julien, Lewis and Lee at the moment.

And if Julien, Lewis and Lee force the issue, I don't think the Twins will be inclined to give Kirilloff a long leash. Fair or not, there's just other prospects that are just as talented if not more.

[tony&rodney]

44 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I think Miranda will end up at 1B, not because of his inability to play 3B, but because I think it's more likely that Kirilloff will either remain unhealthy or won't develop as hoped. Not saying he will, I just think the odds that he ends up developing into a cornerstone player are lower than the odds of Julien, Lewis and Lee at the moment.

And if Julien, Lewis and Lee force the issue, I don't think the Twins will be inclined to give Kirilloff a long leash. Fair or not, there's just other prospects that are just as talented if not more.

The answer about Kirilloff is coming. When AK tore the cover off the ball last year in St. Paul against some decent AAA pitching, he proved that his bat is a topic that makes baseball people perk up and notice. The surgery could be successful, but the proof will not be shown until Kirilloff gets consistent at bats and plays regularly. Everyone is in the dark as to what can be expected.

I'm still both hoping and believing that Alex manages to work his way into the St. Paul lineup by May and is a regular in the middle of the batting order for the Twins by June at the latest. 

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I think Miranda will end up at 1B, not because of his inability to play 3B, but because I think it's more likely that Kirilloff will either remain unhealthy or won't develop as hoped. Not saying he will, I just think the odds that he ends up developing into a cornerstone player are lower than the odds of Julien, Lewis and Lee at the moment.

And if Julien, Lewis and Lee force the issue, I don't think the Twins will be inclined to give Kirilloff a long leash. Fair or not, there's just other prospects that are just as talented if not more.

I see your point.  There are many possible scenarios.  It definitely opens up a lot of possibilities if Kirilloff fails for whatever reason.  I think Julien at 1B in that scenario if his defense is not adequate at 2B is equally as likely as Miranda moving to 1B.  That makes more sense at least for the next year or year and a half than making a whole at 3B by moving Miranda.  Lee has a handful of Abs at AA so I just don't see them taking that kind of leap this year.  I guess you could play Lewis at 3B but that seems like a waste of athleticism.  2B or OF seems like a better utilization of his ability to me.

 

BTW ... I sure hope we don't have to explore any of the options made possible by Kirilloff failing.

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

That would be great, but the Twins have Buxton DHing during the early cold part of the year and Royce Lewis already said the Twins were sending him to Wichita instead of St Paul when he's ready, simply to play in the warmer weather. So I'd guess that the also recovering Rodriguez will stay in sunny Florida, while Beloit thaws out.

The good news is that they don't seem to hold prospects in Beloit too long. Wichita on the other hand seems to have a longer layover for one reason or another.

I may be mistaken, but I don't believe Beloit is a Twins affiliate any longer. Cedar Rapids is the Twins high A affiliate now. Now Iowa isn't exactly Florida, but they don't play there until the 11th. No idea if he'll be on the roster or not when the Kernels go to Peoria on the 6th, but those places are typically in the 60s in April. I can't say I know what their forecasts are for the end of next week in Peoria, or Cedar Rapids for the week after, but if it's the 60s I wouldn't expect the Twins to start Rodriguez in FL because of weather.

[Mike Sixel]

Plus ERod is ready to roll.....he's further into his recovery than Royce and he's not being protected like Buxton. I hope he blows thru high A by June at the latest. 

[nicksaviking]

34 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I may be mistaken, but I don't believe Beloit is a Twins affiliate any longer. Cedar Rapids is the Twins high A affiliate now. Now Iowa isn't exactly Florida, but they don't play there until the 11th. No idea if he'll be on the roster or not when the Kernels go to Peoria on the 6th, but those places are typically in the 60s in April. I can't say I know what their forecasts are for the end of next week in Peoria, or Cedar Rapids for the week after, but if it's the 60s I wouldn't expect the Twins to start Rodriguez in FL because of weather.

Yup, Cedar Rapids, not Beloit. Guess I'm getting forgetful.