Can the Twins Gain a Strategic Advantage at Second Base?

[DocBauer]

36 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Then is Miranda the third baseman? He has more issues defensively than Lewis. If Lewis goes to first base (something I've warmed up to), it should be done to provide Lee with a position that he is capable of being a good defender and which matches his skill set.

I have also warmed up to Lewis possibly moving to 1B, maybe in 2026 and not this season necessarily, as I stated before. I'm looking at Keaschall at 2B in the not too distant future and the best OVERALL infield. If course, that would place Lee at 3B.

Again, I think Lewis can be just fine at 3B as long as he gets his throwing motion in order. But his size, and athleticism could make him a very good 1B potentially, the other pieces fit where they can be best utilized, and the infield could be VERY good offensively, and solid defensively as well.

Not an indictment of Lewis's defensive ability/potential, just the best 4 man alignment to maximize everyone.

[dxpavelka]

Lewis makes no sense at 2B.  He doesn't want to play there, has not shown any reason to believe he will be particularly good there and I'm not sure I want base runners in the grill of an injury prone guy trying to break up double plays for a hundred and forty games.  Lee makes all the sense in the world.  Until Keaschall is ready at which point move Lee to 3B, Lewis to 1B and Miranda to either DH or STP.  Maybe Payton Eeles factors in as well by the end of 2025.  My gut says Willi Castro gets moved before the end of 2025.  Austin Martin, Keaschall & Eeles all look capable of doing much of what he does for less money.  Another possibility is Lee being a "Super Utility" guy ala Michael Cuddyer circa 2004.

[bean5302]

23 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

...Another possibility is Lee being a "Super Utility" guy ala Michael Cuddyer circa 2004.

Considering Brooks Lee has a weak arm and is among the slowest runners in all of MLB, there are going to be serious limits as to where he can play.
Any OF position is a no go as Lee doesn't have the speed.
3B/SS isn't ideal because he doesn't have the arm.
Lee profiles best as a utility infielder (if he can find a way to get his bat out of the depths) or at 2B.

[nclahammer]

Brooks Lee:  Avoiding the sophomore Slump?????

In order to avoid the sophomore slump, that implies the player had a good freshman year, which statistically was not the case with Brooks Lee.    He racked up a whopping -0.2 WAR while batting .221, those are already slumping numbers.  The headline should say something like Brooks Lee:  Hoping to prove the hype with sophomore campaign.

 

[Fatbat]

Lee is best at 3B. He needs to hit tho but Miranda/Lewis are also there. Lee is the better defender so he gets the spot. 
Lewis needs to either settle in at 2nd or platoon in LF/DH. That doesn’t make much sense but neither does Lewis at 1st.  Miranda needs to learn 1B by April and Lewis needs to learn to love 2B. 

[Whitey333]

Such a good article topic.  Reading all the responses reminds me of how many holes and question marks this team has.  It's daunting.  Many of the Twins prospects have not shown much at the major league level thus far.  Maybe that's due in part to them being relegated to part time status with their platoon system.  Very strange way to develop your prospects:  play full time In minors only to play part time on the major league squad.

[JD-TWINS]

Mid-season ultimate all-around infield is:

Lee - CC - Keaschall - Lewis

To me Royce’s bat projects well as a first baseman……..physically, 1B is the least demanding…….few opportunities for throwing errors…….this solves 1B void and no need to spend here………..if not at 1B, he should play LF 50% of the time along with Larnach. LF is not dangerous physically and it solves the need to “spend on a RH hitting corner OF”. (Santana might be a nice 1 yr sign if they pursue Lewis in OF)

CC is locked in at Short.

Keaschall seems to be an above average bat with OK skills at 2B…….at least that’s the trajectory. Start the season with Castro starting at 2B and give Keaschall til July 1 to get comfortable throwing again and to get back in form at the plate in St. Paul………Julien proves he can hit in St. Paul prior to getting a look at MLB level.

Miranda starts at 3B for most games through mid-May and hopefully, Lee has proven he can hit at a reasonable level…….then turn 3B over to him going forward.

Castro - Julien - Miranda can all provide depth as needed ……. even Martin could at 2B a bit, early in the year.

[David Maro]

Why are we talking about this when the FO and manager like daily lineup changes. The only positions that had minimal change was 1B and catcher. Yes injuries had something to do with it. But when you look at LF since Rosario left there has been more than 25 different players. Hopefully when someone comes in and buys the team the first thing they do is dismiss Falvey and Rocco. To get improved defense players need to have a position they play regularly.

[Jeff K]

On 11/9/2024 at 9:48 AM, Riverbrian said:

Apparently Julien is out of consideration. 

Julien has to prove he can hit and field at the MLB level.  The current answer is:  C for none of the above.

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, Jeff K said:

Julien has to prove he can hit and field at the MLB level.  The current answer is:  C for none of the above.

Indeed... he does have to prove these things. 

Same thing goes for Lewis... Wallner... Larnach... Miranda and Lee. Castro still has to prove it. Martin does... Erod... Jenkins... Eeles... Proving it is part of the process. 

Julien had a bad year last year... Yet still after that bad year... After 709 PA's in the majors. He's sitting at 106 OPS+

Kyle Farmer has a career 87. Miranda career 105. Larnach 102. Castro 95 for his career. 

Lots of people need to prove things. 

He got us into the playoffs in 2023. Polanco is expendable because of the presence of Julien as the front office prepares for 2024. Now he can't even be mentioned in an article for 2025.

 

 

 

 

[stringer bell]

4 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Mid-season ultimate all-around infield is:

Lee - CC - Keaschall - Lewis

To me Royce’s bat projects well as a first baseman……..physically, 1B is the least demanding…….few opportunities for throwing errors…….this solves 1B void and no need to spend here………..if not at 1B, he should play LF 50% of the time along with Larnach. LF is not dangerous physically and it solves the need to “spend on a RH hitting corner OF”. (Santana might be a nice 1 yr sign if they pursue Lewis in OF)

CC is locked in at Short.

Keaschall seems to be an above average bat with OK skills at 2B…….at least that’s the trajectory. Start the season with Castro starting at 2B and give Keaschall til July 1 to get comfortable throwing again and to get back in form at the plate in St. Paul………Julien proves he can hit in St. Paul prior to getting a look at MLB level.

Miranda starts at 3B for most games through mid-May and hopefully, Lee has proven he can hit at a reasonable level…….then turn 3B over to him going forward.

Castro - Julien - Miranda can all provide depth as needed ……. even Martin could at 2B a bit, early in the year.

I agree with almost all of this, but I think Spring Training is an opportunity for a lot of guys to win a job including Lee, Martin, Helman and Keirsey Jr.

Lee could win a starting job if he looks great in the spring IMHO. 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Why is it that we have seemingly cast aside any hope of Julien becoming a big league regular?  He had a terrible year last year, but was outstanding the year before with the bat.  In fact, his career numbers are still better than most of those who are being counted on.  What exactly has Lee done to give us confidence that he will be a big league regular?  Lewis can’t stay on the field.  Keaschall looks like a good minor leaguer right now with a solid future, but we don’t really know that either.  

I’ve said this before on here — an 850 OPS will excuse every fielding problem that we think he has.  I wouldn’t bet against him getting that if he gets the time on the field.  

[stringer bell]

1 minute ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

Why is it that we have seemingly cast aside any hope of Julien becoming a big league regular?  He had a terrible year last year, but was outstanding the year before with the bat.  In fact, his career numbers are still better than most of those who are being counted on.  What exactly has Lee done to give us confidence that he will be a big league regular?  Lewis can’t stay on the field.  Keaschall looks like a good minor leaguer right now with a solid future, but we don’t really know that either.  

I’ve said this before on here — an 850 OPS will excuse every fielding problem that we think he has.  I wouldn’t bet against him getting that if he gets the time on the field.  

Agree, but he really seemed lost after May 1 and never really found his stroke. As the season went on, his defense slipped as well IMHO. 

[djvang]

On 11/9/2024 at 8:48 AM, Riverbrian said:

Apparently Julien is out of consideration. 

I hope so. He looked terrified on the field.

[jorgenswest]

Do we know Keaschall can play 2B as well or better than Julien? He hasn’t played very much 2B in the Twins organization. He had 44 games at 2B, 24 in outfield, 13 at 1B and 2 at 3B. He also has 55 at DH but the bulk of those were after the arm trouble.

It seems like most second basemen start as shortstops. Players that start at 2B often move to a corner like Yunior Severino. I haven’t seen any of Keaschall’s games in person but his use in the minors makes me wonder if he will need to move to corner. In any case if they want him to develop at 2B they should give him the bulk of the season in the minors.

[dxpavelka]

23 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Considering Brooks Lee has a weak arm and is among the slowest runners in all of MLB, there are going to be serious limits as to where he can play.
Any OF position is a no go as Lee doesn't have the speed.
3B/SS isn't ideal because he doesn't have the arm.
Lee profiles best as a utility infielder (if he can find a way to get his bat out of the depths) or at 2B.

Dude was the # 8 pick less than 3 years ago and has less than 500 plate appearances above AA ball.  I think we can hold off on the angst for just a bit.

 

[bean5302]

39 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

Dude was the # 8 pick less than 3 years ago and has less than 500 plate appearances above AA ball.  I think we can hold off on the angst for just a bit.

 

His athletic limitations are not something you would expect improvement upon, and they are consistent with his pre-draft scouting reports saying he would be relying on instincts, smooth motion and good hands for his defensive value. He was a bat first guy, mostly based on a scouted elite hit tool. Few people thought Lee could stick at SS because of his limited range and the lack of a true plus arm.

There is no angst. There is a recognition of who Brooks Lee is as a player, and where he could excel. 2B/3B are the best options for Lee, though it would be better if Lee had a stronger arm for 3B. OF is off the table. SS is probably a stretch. His lack of power means 1B/DH are tough options as well, just like Jose Miranda's ceiling at 1B is limited without more power or better plate discipline. That's reality. 

When it comes to Lee's value as a starter, he is going to need to hit, and he's going to need to take walks. If he can't get his on base percentage up 60pts, his ceiling is going to be very limited. His OBP isn't going to improve unless he can figure out how to catch up to MLB fastballs.

[dxpavelka]

7 hours ago, bean5302 said:

His athletic limitations are not something you would expect improvement upon, and they are consistent with his pre-draft scouting reports saying he would be relying on instincts, smooth motion and good hands for his defensive value. He was a bat first guy, mostly based on a scouted elite hit tool. Few people thought Lee could stick at SS because of his limited range and the lack of a true plus arm.

There is no angst. There is a recognition of who Brooks Lee is as a player, and where he could excel. 2B/3B are the best options for Lee, though it would be better if Lee had a stronger arm for 3B. OF is off the table. SS is probably a stretch. His lack of power means 1B/DH are tough options as well, just like Jose Miranda's ceiling at 1B is limited without more power or better plate discipline. That's reality. 

When it comes to Lee's value as a starter, he is going to need to hit, and he's going to need to take walks. If he can't get his on base percentage up 60pts, his ceiling is going to be very limited. His OBP isn't going to improve unless he can figure out how to catch up to MLB fastballs.

Everything you've just said is TBD

 

[chpettit19]

On 11/9/2024 at 8:52 AM, DJL44 said:

He should be.

Falvey compared Royce Lewis to Ryne Sandberg the other day so I think he has tipped his hand.

The quotes I saw were Scott Boras calling him Sandberg-ish, not Falvey. But I may have seen different quotes than you.

[Reptevia]

That’s a long article to say, “Um…so, no”. 

[bean5302]

6 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

Everything you've just said is TBD

 

No, it's not TBD whether or not Brooks Lee is one of the slowest runners in all of MLB. It's virtual fact because we know his sprint speeds, he wasn't suffering from a lower body injury, and his scouting reports line up with the results. He's literally one of the worst runners in all of MLB. Trevor Larnach can literally outrun Brooks Lee based on published 90ft splits and sprint speed, and the only thing which makes Larnach passable in LF is great instincts.

No, it's not TBD whether or not Brooks Lee has a strong arm. He doesn't. The scouting reports are clear he makes accurate throws, but his arm was not a true plus tool. The published throwing data on Lee puts his avg/max throwing 82/83mph far below average for a SS 85/90mph or a 3B 84/87mph, but probably average or maybe a tick over for a 2B 77/85mph.

Brooks Lee struggled with both sinking and 4 seam fastballs last year. That's an indisputable fact. He had slow bat speed vs. the average major league baseball player, especially when he's swinging from the right side. That's an indisputable fact. It's virtually indisputable that MLB pitchers will challenge guys with fastballs until a player proves they can hit them as it's a time proven approach against rookies and young hitters.

Brooks Lee is not a viable starter unless he can get close to league average on base percentage, and that's like 60pts higher than it was last year.

These things are not TBD.

[dxpavelka]

6 hours ago, bean5302 said:

No, it's not TBD whether or not Brooks Lee is one of the slowest runners in all of MLB. It's virtual fact because we know his sprint speeds, he wasn't suffering from a lower body injury, and his scouting reports line up with the results. He's literally one of the worst runners in all of MLB. Trevor Larnach can literally outrun Brooks Lee based on published 90ft splits and sprint speed, and the only thing which makes Larnach passable in LF is great instincts.

No, it's not TBD whether or not Brooks Lee has a strong arm. He doesn't. The scouting reports are clear he makes accurate throws, but his arm was not a true plus tool. The published throwing data on Lee puts his avg/max throwing 82/83mph far below average for a SS 85/90mph or a 3B 84/87mph, but probably average or maybe a tick over for a 2B 77/85mph.

Brooks Lee struggled with both sinking and 4 seam fastballs last year. That's an indisputable fact. He had slow bat speed vs. the average major league baseball player, especially when he's swinging from the right side. That's an indisputable fact. It's virtually indisputable that MLB pitchers will challenge guys with fastballs until a player proves they can hit them as it's a time proven approach against rookies and young hitters.

Brooks Lee is not a viable starter unless he can get close to league average on base percentage, and that's like 60pts higher than it was last year.

These things are not TBD.

********