The Hitter Who Does Everything Well: On the Extraordinary Approach of Luke Keaschall

[Jamie Cameron]

After two successful (if incomplete) professional seasons, he's on the cusp of contributing at the major-league level. How has the Twins' 2023 draftee become a consensus top-75 prospect in baseball? What does it tell us about the Twins' player development strengths?

Image courtesy of © Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

"We’re shooting for somewhere between March 17th and 24th," Luke Keaschall said.

That’s the window in which the Twins prospect expects to return to playing the field, in comments shared with reporters in the Twins' spring training clubhouse on Tuesday. He has an idea of where he'll be when that happens, too.

"I’ll probably start at second base, as it’s easiest on the arm," Keaschall said. "Throughout spring training, we’ll build up to the outfield and everything else." 

Keaschall’s long-term defensive home is one of the few questions remaining in the polished profile of the Twins' 2023 second-rounder, who spent a significant amount of his 2024 season at DH while managing the elbow injury that was eventually fixed surgically.

"I had good days and bad days, but you learn to manage it and find a way to help the team win," he said.

Indeed, Keaschall contributed plenty in 2024, in stops at High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita. He and the organization had already co-authored a plan to play every day and manage his injury for the majority of the year, before scheduling surgery to ensure a clear on-ramp to his 2025 season. When asked about the impact of his injury on his day-to-day ability to play, Keaschall kept it simple.

"It helps you focus on what you can do well."

What the 22-year-old right-handed hitter did well in 2024, was pretty much everything. Keschall was otherworldly at Cedar Rapids, hitting .335/.457/.544, with 19 extra-base hits in 44 games, good for a 181 wRC+.

He wasn’t quite as incandescent at Double A, managing a .281/.392/.439 line with 8 home runs in 58 games before being shut down for surgery (138 wRC+). He was 23-for-29 in stolen base attempts across both levels, though.

With the minor exception of a major but well-managed injury, it’s hard to imagine a better first two professional seasons for Keaschall, who will likely start 2025 at Triple-A St. Paul and has a shot to contribute to the big-league roster. I liked Keashcall as an option for the Twins before the 2023 MLB Draft, but turning a second-round pick into a consensus top-75 global prospect in under 18 months is an outcome the Twins couldn’t even have conceived of.

So, how did we get here? What does it tell us about the Twins' player development strengths? What can we expect from Keaschall in 2025?

Keaschall has one of the better approaches at the plate of any prospect I’ve written up. For ease of use, we’ll hone in on three important aspects of his skill set and nestle them in an MLB context. 

Extreme (and Improved) Patience
Keaschall has made a significant reduction in his swing rate since college. In his junior year at Arizona State, he swung around 50% of the time (extremely aggressive). With the Twins, his swing rate was 38%. If we want an MLB comparison, only Juan Soto had a lower swing rate (among qualified hitters) in 2024 (36.9%).

Simply not swinging as much isn’t necessarily a strength on its own, but in combination with Keaschall’s other skills, it becomes a major asset. This improvement speaks to the Twins' ability to coax better swing decisions from their players, and is an indicator of why they don’t shy away from drafting or trading for prospects with a high chase rate.

Rarely Expanding the Strike Zone
Speaking of chase rate. Keaschall’s overall chase rate was around 15% in 2024. That would be close to the best in the majors. That’s Lars Nootbar or Soto territory. Keaschall himself reflected on pitch selection as an important factor within his locus of control while playing through his injury.

"If I swing at good pitches, I can stay productive," he said. "If I waste a swing on a bad pitch, I know it’s going to hurt."

Can we assume a stable chase rate as Keaschall continues to progress to Triple A and the majors? No. However, the example is useful for contextualizing the degree of excellence in Keaschall’s approach.

Bat-to-Ball Skill and Hitting the Ball in the Air with Consistency 
So Keaschall doesn’t swing much overall, and almost never swings at pitches outside the strike zone. What about when he does swing? Does he make contact? Where does that contact end up? Keaschall has great bat-to-ball skills. His contact rate of 81% in 2024 would put him in the top 30 in the bigs, next to names like Marcus Semien and Jackson Merrill. When he does make contact, it’s consistently in the air. Keaschall maintained a ground-ball rate of just 35% in 2024. That would be in the best 25 in MLB. Most hitters at the top of that list are monsters (Francisco Lindor, Yordan Alvarez, Mookie Betts, et al.)

These MLB comparisons are crude at best, so let’s stitch this profile together. You have a prospect who doesn’t swing much, and rarely swings out of the zone. When he does swing, he makes contact at a good rate, and when he makes contact, it’s usually in the air. That’s a recipe for success, especially when you throw in average power and the ability to steal 20 bases. Keaschall’s approach yielded a 13% walk rate and 17% strikeout rate in 2024. More in a similar vein should be on the way in 2025.

So, what should we expect from Keaschall in 2025? It’s likely that he makes his MLB debut. It’s likely that he adjusts relatively quickly. It’s likely that, in time, he’s a good enough hitter for his defensive position not to matter much. Keaschall should be about as low-variance a prospect as you can get, given his approach, his bat-to-ball skills, and the fact that he’s already proven it in the middle levels of the minors (with a torn UCL and all). As much as you can feel confident in prospect prognostication, Keaschall should be a low-risk, productive (2-3 win) everyday player, and soon.

Keaschall himself said it best when asked where he sees his best defensive position, and perhaps about where he'll spend his time this year, geographically.

"Wherever they want me to play, I like to hit."

Twins Daily’s John Bonnes contributed reporting to this story.

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[Karbo]

I have very high hopes for this kid. I see him as the 2nd baseman soon.

[Cory Engelhardt]

He certainly FEELS like a bat that we will be happy to have around. Excited to see his 2025 season!

[jud6312]

Honestly, I wish he'd break camp with the team - DH to start, 2B or wherever needed once his arm is fully ready. Heck, I'd even take him at 1B over France.

 

 

[Fatbat]

LK seems to be special. Dedicated to his craft with a laser focus. He will be very entertaining to watch when he makes his debut in MLB! It wont matter who is in his way, he will likely just knock the door down and stick in the lineup. 

[Eris]

This is good read. Thank you. Finally a top prospect (2 including Walker Jenkins) who don’t strike out 25 - 30% of the time. 

[tony&rodney]

Fine article Jamie, pointing out how Keaschall has taken his strengths and worked to improve.

As far as comparisons to others, there are distinct differences between Brooks Lee and Luke Keaschall. They don't really compare along many lines. Lee is stronger defensively and comes as a high (#8) first round draft choice expected to play as a regular due to consistent approach. Keaschall is quite a bit more athletic in speed, quickness, and strength while carrying a rep as needing a position due to less than stellar glove work in college. Twins fans hope both succeed. My bet is on Luke.

The Twins have a large number of good coaches across their system. We can be confident that the players within the organization receive solid information and guidelines as they work to improve themselves to a level that is possible. That said, this is pretty much true across baseball. There just aren't secrets held solely by this coach or that organization. The variable is almost always the individual player and how said player receives information and then processes it in a manner that shows in results. Change is really difficult for some people and that is also true with some athletes. In sum, while Luke Keaschall receives solid ideas and feedback aimed at developing him as a baseball player, it is Luke Keaschall who is largely responsible for his success. Any coach recognizes that.

[tony&rodney]

56 minutes ago, jud6312 said:

Honestly, I wish he'd break camp with the team - DH to start, 2B or wherever needed once his arm is fully ready. Heck, I'd even take him at 1B over France.

 

 

At this point we pretty much must acknowledge that the Twins won't (or at least don't) put a rookie into the lineup until such time as that player has torched minor league pitchers for a predetermined number of at bats and an injury has opened a spot that no one else can claim. We hope for prodigious success at AAA (AA isn't sufficient apparently) and an injury, which feels a little odd as a fan. Patience, patience.

[Jamie Cameron]

1 hour ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

Good article to include stats that suggest success at the MLB level.  I will say that I recall very similar articles a few years back about Brooks Lee and we've yet to see that translate to the MLB level.  It's nice to forecast but let's not get too ahead of ourselves here.

Totally fine (and I appreciate) the healthy skepticism, but Keaschall has skills that Lee has never demonstrated consistently. Specifically, Lee has always chased a lot, and as a consequence, never shown much consistent ability to walk beyond the lower levels.

[DJL44]

The Twins seem to be collecting 2B/LF options. An opening in the OF could give him his first opportunity. Maybe he's the RH outfield bat who takes the job away from all the veteran retreads.

[jmlease1]

47 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

At this point we pretty much must acknowledge that the Twins won't (or at least don't) put a rookie into the lineup until such time as that player has torched minor league pitchers for a predetermined number of at bats and an injury has opened a spot that no one else can claim. We hope for prodigious success at AAA (AA isn't sufficient apparently) and an injury, which feels a little odd as a fan. Patience, patience.

I'm a big fan of Keaschall, and he's doing everything right so far, but the Twins are also promoting him aggressively, so I'm not really understanding the poke you're taking at the franchise for apparently not slotting him in as the every day 2B when he's coming off a significant injury in his first full professional season.

Technically, he's in his 2nd year as a pro, but "year 1" was 31 games at the end of the season. It's fantastic that he rolled all the way up to high A at age 20 in his first exposure to pro baseball, but 31 games is a small sample, especially when spread over 3 levels. he did great in his first full season in 2024...but that wasn't actually "full" because he had a significant injury that required surgery.

Keaschall looks like he has all the tools and the right attitude. he appears to be smart, hard-working, and coachable, with real talent and physical ability. but starting him back in AA coming off a significant injury is more than reasonable, and if he's as good as we think he is, he'll be in Saint Paul by midseason, and probably get a cup of coffee in MLB before the year is done. that's an awesome trajectory for any player.

 

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

The Twins seem to be collecting 2B/LF options. An opening in the OF could give him his first opportunity. Maybe he's the RH outfield bat who takes the job away from all the veteran retreads.

I think he's in the race with Emma and Jenkins for CF for 80+ games a year when Buxton is hurt. 2B may well be his best position, but he can run and could certainly steal an OF spot depending on how the rest of the roster shakes out over the next couple years.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

The Twins seem to be collecting 2B/LF options. An opening in the OF could give him his first opportunity. Maybe he's the RH outfield bat who takes the job away from all the veteran retreads.

Knowing the Twins he's the RH outfield bat who doesn't take the job from a vet retread because he doesn't get the chance.

[tony&rodney]

27 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I'm a big fan of Keaschall, and he's doing everything right so far, but the Twins are also promoting him aggressively, so I'm not really understanding the poke you're taking at the franchise for apparently not slotting him in as the every day 2B when he's coming off a significant injury in his first full professional season.

Technically, he's in his 2nd year as a pro, but "year 1" was 31 games at the end of the season. It's fantastic that he rolled all the way up to high A at age 20 in his first exposure to pro baseball, but 31 games is a small sample, especially when spread over 3 levels. he did great in his first full season in 2024...but that wasn't actually "full" because he had a significant injury that required surgery.

Keaschall looks like he has all the tools and the right attitude. he appears to be smart, hard-working, and coachable, with real talent and physical ability. but starting him back in AA coming off a significant injury is more than reasonable, and if he's as good as we think he is, he'll be in Saint Paul by midseason, and probably get a cup of coffee in MLB before the year is done. that's an awesome trajectory for any player.

 

Where did I suggest Luke Keaschall as the starting second baseman? I merely pointed out what statistical evidence supports, the Twins do not use rookies until failure or injury occurs elsewhere. This isn't controversial and applies to many players who are or were once rookies. There are teams who "take a chance" on rookies. The Yankees are a big market team who promoted Anthony Volpe. Volpe is decent but not exactly an All Star. There are many other examples. My point is that Twins fans need to be patient due to the current practices of building a roster. So I'm realistic, can identify the practice, and remain patient. I do wonder if Walker Jenkins might challenge that corporate ideology. 

[chpettit19]

36 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I'm a big fan of Keaschall, and he's doing everything right so far, but the Twins are also promoting him aggressively, so I'm not really understanding the poke you're taking at the franchise for apparently not slotting him in as the every day 2B when he's coming off a significant injury in his first full professional season.

Technically, he's in his 2nd year as a pro, but "year 1" was 31 games at the end of the season. It's fantastic that he rolled all the way up to high A at age 20 in his first exposure to pro baseball, but 31 games is a small sample, especially when spread over 3 levels. he did great in his first full season in 2024...but that wasn't actually "full" because he had a significant injury that required surgery.

Keaschall looks like he has all the tools and the right attitude. he appears to be smart, hard-working, and coachable, with real talent and physical ability. but starting him back in AA coming off a significant injury is more than reasonable, and if he's as good as we think he is, he'll be in Saint Paul by midseason, and probably get a cup of coffee in MLB before the year is done. that's an awesome trajectory for any player.

 

If he's as good as I think, and we all hope, he is he should be getting much more than a cup of coffee in the bigs. He shouldn't spend half a season in AA. He shouldn't have to go back there at all. 59 games and 267 PAs is more than enough to know he's concurred that level. He's back and playing already. The injury shouldn't mean he has to go back to a level he's concurred when the injury isn't a concern anymore. Guys debut in the majors with fewer PAs than that at AA. 

I'm not saying he should be on the opening day roster (unless he's clearly the best option during spring), but he's proven he's better than AA. He should start in AAA and be ready to take the first opening at 2B, 1B, or any OF spot. Most definitely shouldn't be spending half a season in AA. 

[jmlease1]

30 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Where did I suggest Luke Keaschall as the starting second baseman? I merely pointed out what statistical evidence supports, the Twins do not use rookies until failure or injury occurs elsewhere. This isn't controversial and applies to many players who are or were once rookies. There are teams who "take a chance" on rookies. The Yankees are a big market team who promoted Anthony Volpe. Volpe is decent but not exactly an All Star. There are many other examples. My point is that Twins fans need to be patient due to the current practices of building a roster. So I'm realistic, can identify the practice, and remain patient. I do wonder if Walker Jenkins might challenge that corporate ideology. 

there seemed to be implicit criticism of the Twins handling of Keaschall in your statement. i apologize if I misinterpreted.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

If he isn't going to even hit the field until March 17-20 or so, then he definitely shouldn't be on the opening day roster.  Let him go to AA or AAA and get some at bats and play the field to get back to a good comfort level before bringing him back up.  While he doesn't have a lot to prove at AA, just easing back in after pretty major surgery is important as well.  If he is as advertised, he will force his way to the majors soon enough. 

[Doctor Gast]

It tells me that loves to hit which is a great trait. But as far as development, I usually think of defense. I didn't hear anything about that aspect.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Start him at AAA when he is ready to take the field. He should be done with AA imo. If he progresses satisfactorily at St.Paul then a promotion by the all Star break should be up for consideration. I'm of the camp that guys spending 4-5 years in the minors is only hurting us. I believe that too long and guys get frustrated and they lose almost all trade value as well. 

If a guy is going to struggle when he is called up at 23 he is probably going to struggle at the ML level at 25 as well. ML struggle is part of the process for most every player, then again every so often Puckett or Mauer comes along and there is no struggle. Brooks Lee is a prime example. 2 more years in the minors would not have better prepared him. The 2024 struggles will help define him. If he can't cut the ML we know sooner rather than later. Keaschell should be offered more than a cup of late September coffee. 

[Jamie Cameron]

34 minutes ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

I thought that I recalled articles mentioning how good of an eye Lee had as a coaches son in college and in the minors.  Like I said, it has not translated to the bigs yet as I agree with you that he has chased.  I'm hoping as others on this thread the Luke maintains his discipline when he reaches the majors.

Appreciate the response. This is where i feel like pre-draft scouting reports can be a little murky (although they're getting more data driven). I think Lee's pure bat-to-ball skills mased some of his warts (I still think he'll be a good player), Keaschall hasn't yet had a weakness surface (so cue a billion to come up in 2025 lol).

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I'm not saying he should be on the opening day roster (unless he's clearly the best option during spring), but he's proven he's better than AA. 

Are you in favor of promoting everyone with an OPS > 800 and no defensive position to AAA? He's only played 34 games on defense at that level, spread out evenly between 1B, CF and 2B. It won't hurt him to play there again in April. I don't want to see him promoted to the big leagues and asked to "figure out" defense at the MLB level. That's what they did with Austin Martin.

Emmanuel Rodriguez had an 1100 OPS at Double-A. He was clearly ready for a promotion. Luke Keaschall had an OPS just 50 points above Jeferson Morales and 100 points higher than Diego Cartaya and Kalai Rosario. He isn't going to be hurt by a little more time at that level.

[DJL44]

FYI - while I was looking up Keaschall's stats I noticed that Noah Miller had the lowest OPS in Double-A at .521. Why were people worried about losing him?

[chpettit19]

30 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Are you in favor of promoting everyone with an OPS > 800 and no defensive position to AAA? He's only played 34 games on defense at that level, spread out evenly between 1B, CF and 2B. It won't hurt him to play there again in April. I don't want to see him promoted to the big leagues and asked to "figure out" defense at the MLB level. That's what they did with Austin Martin.

Emmanuel Rodriguez had an 1100 OPS at Double-A. He was clearly ready for a promotion. Luke Keaschall had an OPS just 50 points above Jeferson Morales and 100 points higher than Diego Cartaya and Kalai Rosario. He isn't going to be hurt by a little more time at that level.

I didn't say it'd hurt, but starting in AAA isn't going to hurt him either.

Diego Cartaya? The guy who got promoted to AAA? Kala'i Rosario? The guy likely to get promoted to AAA awfully quick this year? Jeferson Morales? The guy who got promoted to AAA? 2 of the 3 guys you listed got promoted to AAA already. I'm really confused by your point. He was better than multiple other players who've already been promoted but his performance isn't good enough to be promoted?

It's not the end of the world if he starts the year at AA, but it's also not unrealistic to say he should be in AAA if not the majors. 

Here's my 3 names: Michael Harris II, Jackson Merrill, Zach Neto.

Harris: OPS of .878 in 43 games/196 PAs in AA before going directly to the majors while skipping AAA completely.

Merrill: OPS of .782 in 46 games/211 PAs in AA before skipping AAA and debuting at a position he'd never played in his life on opening day for a team dead set on taking down the Dodgers for a division crown and making a World Series run. At the age of 20.

Neto: OPS of .874 in 30 games/136 PAs in his drafted year in AA. 7 games/34 PAs in AA with an OPS of 1.374 in his next year. Total of 37 games/170 PAs and an OPS of .968 before playing 4 games and getting 16 PAs in AAA and debuting on April 15th of the year after he was drafted. 100ish pts higher on his OPS in AA but lower OPS than Emma.

No, I don't believe in promoting everyone who's OPS'd >.800 in AA automatically, but I watched a lot of Keaschall last year and he's better than that level. Just like Harris, Merrill, and Neto were. Teams don't base their promotions on just looking at the stat line until it hits a certain number. And they don't make their top prospects go station to station half year to a year at a time through the system.

The other poster suggested Luke spending half the year in AA then moving up and eventually getting a cup of coffee in the bigs. That may be how it goes, but then he's not as good as we hoped. Or the Twins are holding him back. Big time prospects skip, or essentially skip, levels all the time. They don't need massive OPS numbers and 100 games played at each level. 

[Fatbat]

28 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

FYI - while I was looking up Keaschall's stats I noticed that Noah Miller had the lowest OPS in Double-A at .521. Why were people worried about losing him?

Only because he is a defensive wizard. Some of us believe that his bat will improve. 

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Only because he is a defensive wizard. Some of us believe that his bat will improve. 

Miller is an excellent defender and a legit SS. He's also a zero at the plate, and unless he shows he can do some damage soon, he's going to struggle to be anything more than an emergency guy. Because now he's facing AA pitchers who can control the strike zone better (he notably stopped taking walks after promotion) he's going to get overwhelmed by better pitching.

It's one of the things that's impressive about Keaschall: he kept taking the free passes at AA. Sure, the OBP went from ridiculous to simply excellent, but the approach was still there. Pitchers couldn't just pump a good fastball down the pipe on him, because he would punish them for it. Not bad for 21 in AA with a bum elbow.

I'm really high on him, he's doing everything right so far. But I'm not going to squawk if he starts in AA (where it might be warmer), plays every day, and gets in some good defensive work at 2B, CF, etc. I don't feel like he'll be there that long, but he's still so young and relatively inexperienced: he's basically at 1 full season's worth of ABs and DH'd for a pretty good chunk of those games because of the elbow.

Twins have pushed him pretty fast so far (faster than wunderkind Walker Jenkins, in fact) so I really don't have any concerns that they're going to hold him back.

[tony&rodney]

3 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Teams don't base their promotions on just looking at the stat line until it hits a certain number. And they don't make their top prospects go station to station half year to a year at a time through the system.

If I had to state my #1 concern for the Minnesota Twins, it is the above. My simple question - Do the Twins have people capable of determining who moves when based on their talent? I would not say no or yes because I'm not certain of the answer. It seems like a fair question though.

[chpettit19]

12 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

If I had to state my #1 concern for the Minnesota Twins, it is the above. My simple question - Do the Twins have people capable of determining who moves when based on their talent? I would not say no or yes because I'm not certain of the answer. It seems like a fair question though.

They're an interesting mix of aggressive and slow. Lee, Keaschall, Matthews, Jenkins to an extent, Emma to an extent, and Eeles (and probably more, those are just off the top of my head) have all been pushed relatively quickly through the system, in my opinion. But, and I think we agree here, the Twins slam on the breaks most of the time before debuting guys as they're far more likely to go with veterans and make rookies wait for injury openings. Sometimes multiple injuries.

To me, their decisions at the major league level are based too much on their expectations for the season/"the plan" from the offseason. I don't think many people would argue that they don't like to make drastic changes to their major league roster other than to fill in for injuries. That appears to be them refusing to give up any "depth." That decision making process has a natural effect on the minors as eventually there's nowhere left to send guys. If the guys at AAA can't get to the majors then the guys at AA can't get to AAA and so on. They are more willing to drop their veteran AAA depth they like to start the year with, but eventually you fill AAA with Keirsey, Helman, Martin, etc. types that you don't want to just cut because they are solid AAA depth but you also aren't willing to move on from the Gallo, Margot, Farmer types in the majors so everything comes to a stop. And you never really get a look at those depth guys to see if they can replace your low- to mid-priced vets because you didn't cut those vets when they were terrible. And I'd argue that's the bigger problem. Sticking to "the plan" at the major league level.

I'll start by saying I didn't mind the trade at all at the time, but the Mahle trade is an interesting example. What if, instead of trading Steer who was having a good year in AAA you call him up? I don't know if the Reds demanded Steer and there was no other option, but, if I recall correctly, there were a number of us wanting to see him debut. He ended up playing 23 AAA games for Cinci before debuting. And the Twins watched their season crumble because they didn't have anyone to play the OF which Steer has done. The Twins preferred to go with Kyle Garlick that season. He'd started the year in AAA then put up a .717 OPS (102 OPS+) in 66 games from April through the end of the year because they wanted him to hit against just lefties as much as possible. What if they skipped their veteran short side platoon bat and went with Steer? Steer isn't a star, but he's been a league minimum player that would've saved us from Margot last year and for sure Luplow if not Gallo in 2023. Give me the same production for the league minimum instead of 4 to 11 mil.

I think this regime is more aggressive in promoting prospects through the system than the TR times. But their over reliance on "the plan" and extra trust in vets causes ripple effects.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

They're an interesting mix of aggressive and slow. Lee, Keaschall, Matthews, Jenkins to an extent, Emma to an extent, and Eeles (and probably more, those are just off the top of my head) have all been pushed relatively quickly through the system, in my opinion. But, and I think we agree here, the Twins slam on the breaks most of the time before debuting guys as they're far more likely to go with veterans and make rookies wait for injury openings. Sometimes multiple injuries.

To me, their decisions at the major league level are based too much on their expectations for the season/"the plan" from the offseason. I don't think many people would argue that they don't like to make drastic changes to their major league roster other than to fill in for injuries. That appears to be them refusing to give up any "depth." That decision making process has a natural effect on the minors as eventually there's nowhere left to send guys. If the guys at AAA can't get to the majors then the guys at AA can't get to AAA and so on. They are more willing to drop their veteran AAA depth they like to start the year with, but eventually you fill AAA with Keirsey, Helman, Martin, etc. types that you don't want to just cut because they are solid AAA depth but you also aren't willing to move on from the Gallo, Margot, Farmer types in the majors so everything comes to a stop. And you never really get a look at those depth guys to see if they can replace your low- to mid-priced vets because you didn't cut those vets when they were terrible. And I'd argue that's the bigger problem. Sticking to "the plan" at the major league level.

I'll start by saying I didn't mind the trade at all at the time, but the Mahle trade is an interesting example. What if, instead of trading Steer who was having a good year in AAA you call him up? I don't know if the Reds demanded Steer and there was no other option, but, if I recall correctly, there were a number of us wanting to see him debut. He ended up playing 23 AAA games for Cinci before debuting. And the Twins watched their season crumble because they didn't have anyone to play the OF which Steer has done. The Twins preferred to go with Kyle Garlick that season. He'd started the year in AAA then put up a .717 OPS (102 OPS+) in 66 games from April through the end of the year because they wanted him to hit against just lefties as much as possible. What if they skipped their veteran short side platoon bat and went with Steer? Steer isn't a star, but he's been a league minimum player that would've saved us from Margot last year and for sure Luplow if not Gallo in 2023. Give me the same production for the league minimum instead of 4 to 11 mil.

I think this regime is more aggressive in promoting prospects through the system than the TR times. But their over reliance on "the plan" and extra trust in vets causes ripple effects.

Honestly, I'm just frustrated at the reticence to use rookies and count on a couple of younger players in the plan (if there is indeed a plan). Yes, the Twins will move players through the minor leagues but then they just accumulate at AAA. At this point, for the sake of some of these guys, I wish the Twins would release a few guys (Keisey Jr.) or bundle some prospects for a trade for a Falvdelli type of guy. FO is pleased, prospects get a shot with another team who will play them, everyone is happy. I'll let the brains sort out who for who. But ..... not happening so back to patience. Changes are coming. 

[LambchoP]

Keaschal has a great future ahead of him and I hope to see him on the Twins in '25. I do think he needs a little time in AAA though, if only to get some defensive innings. The team needs to figure out one or two positions for him to focus on. His bat will play, he just needs a home on the diamond. Seeing as first and second base are our most unproven positions, I'd put him there.

[nicksaviking]

On 2/28/2025 at 10:25 AM, tony&rodney said:

Honestly, I'm just frustrated at the reticence to use rookies and count on a couple of younger players in the plan (if there is indeed a plan). Yes, the Twins will move players through the minor leagues but then they just accumulate at AAA. At this point, for the sake of some of these guys, I wish the Twins would release a few guys (Keisey Jr.) or bundle some prospects for a trade for a Falvdelli type of guy. FO is pleased, prospects get a shot with another team who will play them, everyone is happy. I'll let the brains sort out who for who. But ..... not happening so back to patience. Changes are coming. 

Honestly, if there is one disconnect between the front office and the manager, I suspect it's this. Some of these guys do move fast, but the manager doesn't seem to want to use them or put them on the roster.

I mean, I get it. I would rather work with mature adults than a bunch of 21-year-olds using words like 'sus' and 'bussin' and having conversations I can't follow, but this is pro sports, not a bank. This job requires the best physical talent, not best inter-personal communication skills. Deal with it Baldelli.