The Top 5 Twins September Call-Up Options

[TNtwins85]

1 hour ago, Road trip said:

Wallner's July, which you seem to think is bad, is an .819 OPS.  That's quite good in 2023.  An OPS+ of 123.  The only Twins getting regular ABs with higher OPS for the year are Julien and Jeffers.  Too many strikeouts?  Yes, I also wish the number was lower, but he isn't striking out at the same rate as Gallo.

Do I know Wallner's a long term answer?  Heck no.  He could be the next Oswaldo Arcia, Marty Cordova, Bobby Kielty, or any other number of young Twins who looked good for a year, but then faltered.  Wallner's thoroughly scouted now, and he'll have to make adjustments.  In a year or two we will know if he can.  For now, give him a chance, as he's the best option the Twins have for 2023.  I'm not full bandwagon, but I do know at this point I like Wallner's chances at the plate more than Gallo's (or Larnach's, or other LF alternatives they could roster).

Also to add to this is the eye test and numbers aside. How many times has Wallner come into a big spot and battled with the pitcher to get a base hit? Or battled after a few strikeouts to hit that HR the other night. The ability to just make contact in a key spot. Now look at Gallo who is basically guaranteed to watch or swing at 3 straight pitches in general. Strikeout in key spots. Strikeouts to start the inning only to homer once a week. The ability to just move a runner along when you need a run counts for something as well.

[thelanges5]

Bullpen could use a Funderburk!

 

[DocBauer]

I would have had Williams up weeks ago to play 1B and provide some hopeful upside with the bat that Gallo isn't giving, and he might even help some against LHP. Said it before and will say it again, better to have a younger player with some upside than a veteran...who won't be back next year...who is performing at worse than replacement level. But it looks like he won't get a shot this year. 

I didn't realize Boyle was throwing as well as he has been this year. Like Stewart...who might make it back...and DeLeon...who is definitely out...Boyle is a 29yo veteran reclamation project I hadn't been paying attention to. The Twibs need BP help in general, and from the port side in particular. I'd make room for either him or Funderburk and give one of them a shot. There's absolutely nothing to lose, and a possible gain.

I have some faith in Henriquez's future potential considering age and stuff. I'm not convinced he's ready yet after a rather SSS of "turning it on/around" but he is on the 40 man so he might get a look. I mean, Balazovic is back down and Winder sure hasn't been doing the job. So maybe he gets a shot.

But what is there to lose trying to see if we can get some LH pen help?

[Hashim]

Funderburk Should be called immediately and Sands, Balz, and Winder should all be demoted. They’ve been horrible. DFA Gallo too. 

[Rosterman]

Nope, can't add any opf these guys to the 40-man. Bad enough that they need to find room for Buxton, Gordon, Kirilloff. Maybe add Varland and Headrick to the mix if they don't jettison anyone. I could at least 14 guys that shouldn't be on the 40-man come November, and as many as 21 to choose from (out of the current 44).

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, Rosterman said:

Nope, can't add any opf these guys to the 40-man. Bad enough that they need to find room for Buxton, Gordon, Kirilloff. Maybe add Varland and Headrick to the mix if they don't jettison anyone. I could at least 14 guys that shouldn't be on the 40-man come November, and as many as 21 to choose from (out of the current 44).

Sands and Gallo can make room on the 40, easy. They are in the bottom five in CF production. Are we trying to win, or just tread water? Martin now has five AAA homeruns...... Zero need to bring back Gordon..

[Doctor Wu]

14 hours ago, big dog said:

a big enough pile of sheep entrails

Love that expression!

[Doctor Wu]

13 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

Bullpen could use a Funderburk!

 

Hell, I'd even bring back MARK Funderburk at this point! Just kidding, of course., but this new Funderburk may be worth a look. Balazovic hasn't inspired much confidence, and I'm not sure about Winder either. 

[TwinsDr2021]

16 hours ago, RpR said:

Street hustlers thrive off of that attitude, and I have family connections to know that.

AAA rookies belong in AAA until they have proven they have outgrown the AAA, which is difficult as AAA pitching is a long way from Major League pitching, so what you desire is a fool's folly.

The idea that prospect can't be called up until he has outgrown AAA is silly. Mauer had 21 at bats as a 21 year old, Arraez 73 as a 22 year old (Kepler and Rosario are similar as well) and many other players have done the same. You might be better off saying if a minor league player is on the older side and needs to proven they have outgrown AAA, they probably aren't going to be a starting player in the majors.

[jorgenswest]

I do miss the September call ups where the AAA season ends in early September and teams can go to 40. It was fun to see some prospects and sometimes an opportunity for a long minor leaguer to put on a major league uniform for the first time. I don’t miss the constant switching of pitchers from the large bullpens though I think the three batter rule mostly would have solved that problem. 

This article would have made sense in that time.

[John Belinski]

17 hours ago, mnfireman said:

Buxton, Kirilloff and Castro are givens once eligible to return, with Luplow being sent out. I think the toughest call is if/when Gordon is ready - he is out of options - but I guess I can see Wallner getting sent down again.

It just not appear that Gordon is going to be with the Twins. He has played poorly and do not think he will fit into Twins plan.

[Otaknam]

An argument can be made for Funderburk, Williams and Martin. Another lefty in the BP would make sense. And of course the FO needs the Berrios trade to start producing dividends, so bringing up Martin, with his speed and versatility, helps the team and the FO too. And Martin’s last month shows he is starting to live up to the hype. Williams big right handed bat and ability to catch and play first also makes some sense, and he deserves a call up. But I think they’ll opt for Martin as a position player for the above reasons.

[Blyleven2011]

21 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Top 5 position player candidates for the extra roster spot

1) Byron Buxton

2) Alex Kirilloff

3) Willi Castro

4) Nick Gordon

5) Trevor Larnach

Top 5 pitcher candidates

1) Joe Ryan

2) Louie Varland

3) Jordan Balazovic

4) Brent Headrick

5) Jovani Moran

Chris Paddack is possible but he hasn't even started a rehab assignment yet.

 

Bottom line, I doubt they add anyone to the 40 man roster. I think they keep Keuchel in the bullpen and leave Funderburk in AAA.

Very reasonable selections ....

Would be nice to see another lefthander  in funderburk and sorry  Gallo but you are of no help to the team and funderburk  can have his roster spot on the 40 ...

We need pitching and can only carry 14 pitchers in September , funderburk makes the most sense to me ..

[Jkeady12]

Why not Andrew Stevenson, hitting over 300 most RBI's on the Saints and 16 Home runs??

[Battle ur tail off]

11 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Sands and Gallo can make room on the 40, easy. They are in the bottom five in CF production. Are we trying to win, or just tread water? Martin now has five AAA homeruns...... Zero need to bring back Gordon..

I'm with you bring up Martin. I still give MAT plenty of starts though. I just feel like he is a solid player. 

That said, ride the hot hand. Use it up until he loses it. Give him a taste of a pennant race. If he has to go back down so be it. 

For me the DFA would be Sands or any number of other losers from the bullpen. Then if Martin cools or doesn't produce, we just option him and call back up whichever pitcher on the 40 man is doing anything decent at all. 

 

 

[TwinsDr2021]

26 minutes ago, Jkeady12 said:

Why not Andrew Stevenson, hitting over 300 most RBI's on the Saints and 16 Home runs??

Because every one of his stats are worse than Jake Cave's stats this year in AAA (except stolen bases) and that is in 40 less games. 29 year old players are supposed to dominant the minor leagues. I wouldn't have been against having him come up to replace Castro when he got hurt.

[TwinsDr2021]

12 minutes ago, Battle ur tail off said:

I'm with you bring up Martin. I still give MAT plenty of starts though. I just feel like he is a solid player. 

That said, ride the hot hand. Use it up until he loses it. Give him a taste of a pennant race. If he has to go back down so be it. 

For me the DFA would be Sands or any number of other losers from the bullpen. Then if Martin cools or doesn't produce, we just option him and call back up whichever pitcher on the 40 man is doing anything decent at all. 

 

 

I agree with this, bring up Martin and see what he has. Doing what they did with Headrick last year just wasted a 40 man spot all year. They put a 25 year old minor league pitcher on the 40 man and then trusted him for all of 20 innings.  Martin is basically in the same boat if they don't bring him up now and get his feet wet and see if he looks the part of a future major league player, instead of not bringing him up, putting him on the 40 and then not trusting him to start the year with the Twins.

 

[jorgenswest]

1 minute ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Because every one of his stats are worse than Jake Cave's stats this year in AAA (except stolen bases) and that is in 40 less games. 29 year old players are supposed to dominant the minor leagues. I wouldn't have been against having him come up to replace Castro when he got hurt.

Jake Cave is probably a good comp. They both had 5 seasons with opportunities in the majors coming into this season. They both can play CF. They both hit left handed. They both have had success at AAA. Cave has a career OPS of 710 vs Stevenson’s 687. Defense in CF is a toss up. Stevenson has the better DRS. Cave has the better OAA. Cave is maybe a little better but it is close.

[RpR]

5 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

The idea that prospect can't be called up until he has outgrown AAA is silly. Mauer had 21 at bats as a 21 year old, Arraez 73 as a 22 year old (Kepler and Rosario are similar as well) and many other players have done the same. You might be better off saying if a minor league player is on the older side and needs to proven they have outgrown AAA, they probably aren't going to be a starting player in the majors.

They were shown to be beyond AAA, simple as that.

[TwinsDr2021]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

They were shown to be beyond AAA, simple as that.

So on one hand they have to prove they have outgrown AAA and the other hand they can show they are beyond AAA without actually playing?

When in reality the guys that spend little to no time in AAA are pretty young really good baseball players and the guys that spend more time in the minors generally aren't as good and it takes them longer to compete at each level and when they do (if they do get the majors) generally don't spend a great deal of time there. There are exceptions of course but as a general rule, guys like Wallner, Martin, Williams and others like them can have a bit of short success but it usually levels off fairly quickly.

 

[Jkeady12]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:05 AM, TwinsDr2021 said:

Because every one of his stats are worse than Jake Cave's stats this year in AAA (except stolen bases) and that is in 40 less games. 29 year old players are supposed to dominant the minor leagues. I wouldn't have been against having him come up to replace Castro when he got hurt.

Can't be any worse than Gallo. 

[TwinsDr2021]

3 minutes ago, Jkeady12 said:

Can't be any worse than Gallo. 

I am not a Gallo fan, and I believe he shouldn't be on the Twins. But has an OPS+ of 103 (which is higher than Buxton, Taylor, Correa, Farmer, Castro, and Vazquez) and a positive oWAR, so yes it could be worse

[Jkeady12]

10 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

I am not a Gallo fan, and I believe he shouldn't be on the Twins. But has an OPS+ of 103 (which is higher than Buxton, Taylor, Correa, Farmer, Castro, and Vazquez) and a positive oWAR, so yes it could be worse

No it can't,  apparently you don't watch games. You sound like Rocco. That is why he is not a good manager,  way to dependant on analytics.

[TwinsDr2021]

2 hours ago, Jkeady12 said:

No it can't,  apparently you don't watch games. You sound like Rocco. That is why he is not a good manager,  way to dependant on analytics.

yes I sound like Rocco?

I didn't like the signing at the time and been saying Gallo is terrible and should NOT be on the Twins. Saying there are players that could be worse than him is dependent on analytics? Gallo is a bad player but it could be worse.

But you are saying is somebody couldn't hit worse than .180? or couldn't be get OBP less than .304 or  SLG below .447.

[Jkeady12]

2 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

yes I sound like Rocco?

I didn't like the signing at the time and been saying Gallo is terrible and should NOT be on the Twins. Saying there are players that could be worse than him is dependent on analytics? Gallo is a bad player but it could be worse.

But you are saying is somebody couldn't hit worse than .180? or couldn't be get OBP less than .304 or  SLG below .447.

Are you saying you cant find somebody who can’t hit better than .180? Because there are plenty of them and can hit with runners on base and in scoring position. There is zero  reason not to replace him. everyone said Wallner wasn't good enough but he is and there are others. This is just stubborn management. 

4 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

I am not a Gallo fan, and I believe he shouldn't be on the Twins. But has an OPS+ of 103 (which is higher than Buxton, Taylor, Correa, Farmer, Castro, and Vazquez) and a positive oWAR, so yes it could be worse

No it can't,  apparently you don't watch games. You sound like Rocco. That is why he is not a good manager,  way to dependant on analytics.

[Mike Sixel]

Number 1 call up is Varland to the bullpen. There is no reason not to do this.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Jkeady12 said:

Are you saying you cant find somebody who can’t hit better than .180? Because there are plenty of them and can hit with runners on base and in scoring position. There is zero  reason not to replace him. everyone said Wallner wasn't good enough but he is and there are others. This is just stubborn management. 

No it can't,  apparently you don't watch games. You sound like Rocco. That is why he is not a good manager,  way to dependant on analytics.

math and science bad, posts guy from computer / phone.....

[TwinsDr2021]

4 minutes ago, Jkeady12 said:

Are you saying you cant find somebody who can’t hit better than .180? Because there are plenty of them and can hit with runners on base and in scoring position. There is zero  reason not to replace him. everyone said Wallner wasn't good enough but he is and there are others. This is just stubborn management. 

No it can't,  apparently you don't watch games. You sound like Rocco. That is why he is not a good manager,  way to dependant on analytics.

I didn't say they couldn't find somebody better, I said the opposite of that when I said he shouldn't have been signed and should have been cut a long time ago. I said it could be worse, and was told it couldn't be.

I sound like Rocco? why because he complained about the signing at the time, or because he has been saying he should have been cut for months? I haven't heard him say any of that. IMO I sound like you, other than I am willing to admit it could be worse and you seemingly aren't.

 

[NeverSeenATwinsPlayoffWin]

19 hours ago, Jkeady12 said:

Are you saying you cant find somebody who can’t hit better than .180? Because there are plenty of them and can hit with runners on base and in scoring position. There is zero  reason not to replace him. everyone said Wallner wasn't good enough but he is and there are others. This is just stubborn management. 

No it can't,  apparently you don't watch games. You sound like Rocco. That is why he is not a good manager,  way to dependant on analytics.

Batting average is technically a form of analytics. You just prefer to use outdated and imprecise analytics like batting average rather than more precise data like xwOBA, OBP, and wRC+. 

Every manager will use some form of analytics to make decisions. Some use traditional statistics like ERA, batting average, and RBIs, while others use newer analytics like WPA, wOBA, and SIERA.

Analytics is using numbers to tell a story, and you prefer narrower, less holistic analytics, to tell a narrow-minded and incomplete story about certain baseball players because they play a style which you don't agree with.

[USAFChief]

23 hours ago, NeverSeenATwinsPlayoffWin said:

Batting average is technically a form of analytics. You just prefer to use outdated and imprecise analytics like batting average rather than more precise data like xwOBA, OBP, and wRC+. 

Every manager will use some form of analytics to make decisions. Some use traditional statistics like ERA, batting average, and RBIs, while others use newer analytics like WPA, wOBA, and SIERA.

Analytics is using numbers to tell a story, and you prefer narrower, less holistic analytics, to tell a narrow-minded and incomplete story about certain baseball players because they play a style which you don't agree with.

Batting average is neither outdated nor imprecise.

It should absolutely be part of the evaluation of hitters. Not the only thing, but part. In fact, I'd say a slash line of BA/OBP/SLG is a better snapshot of a hitter than wOBA, which hides, rather than illuminates hitting ability. And OPS, for example, wildly overrates someone like Gallo. A .300 hitter with Gallo's OPS is a much better offensive player. Much much better.

And WPA? LOL. Junk.