Gasper, Julien, Keirsey and Martin

[jorgenswest]

I think these four are fighting for the last two spots and I am glad to have all four. Which pairing of these two helps the roster the most?

Assuming Lee is healthy I am going to go with Gasper and Keirsey.

I dismiss the notion that Keirsey doesn’t fit becuase he bats left handed. I would start him against right handed pitching 3-4 times a week with Larnach at DH or Buxton getting a day off. His defense and speed will be an asset to the bench. I am not confident that he can hit well enough to be more than a 5th outfielder that goes between AAA and the major leagues while on options. I would give him a chance to prove me wrong.

I like Gasper’s bat off the bench. I hope he has enough trust at catcher that they would pinch hit for Vazquez on occasion but otherwise he duplicates positionally what they can get from Julien. I don’t know if he would start more than once or twice a week initially but I think there will be several games where he can help off the bench.

Keirsey and Gasper are also older than Martin and Julien. Martin and Julien have plenty to work on in AAA. I think Gasper and Julien have nearly maxed out their growth in AAA. I would give them the first opportunity to claim a spot and never give it up.

Note: If Brooks Lee can’t start opening day due to a back injury I would put him on the IL and add Julien.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I probably go with Julien? Then Gasper.

I'd like to see Keirsey get a shot, and I'm sure he will when an outfielder goes down, but I don't think I'd start Opening Day with him.

[tony&rodney]

The calls for Keirsey Jr. are almost sure to be in vain. Brooks Lee will need to show that his back is fine or he opens on the IL. Gasper is the latest darling. He can hit and makes the plays if the ball is right to him. The pitcher's union wants him to DH only. Martin looks like he will open in St. Paul. Julien is the 2B. Lastly, the Twins are always up for surprises, meaning we are all just guessing.

[jorgenswest]

5 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

The calls for Keirsey Jr. are almost sure to be in vain. Brooks Lee will need to show that his back is fine or he opens on the IL. Gasper is the latest darling. He can hit and makes the plays if the ball is right to him. The pitcher's union wants him to DH only. Martin looks like he will open in St. Paul. Julien is the 2B. Lastly, the Twins are always up for surprises, meaning we are all just guessing.

I need to reframe my question. I don’t care about guessing what the Twins will do or projections. We will find out the roster soon enough.

I think Keirsey and Gasper help the roster the most to start the season. @Brock Beauchamp has Julien and Gasper.

Any others interested in giving thoughts on the best for those two bench spots?
 

[thelanges5]

I think Keirsey and Gasper help the club the most. Julien’s bat has been better but the defense continues to be rough. 
 

Lee’s back may pull Castro into the dirt more so Martin may be needed in the OF. 
 

They are all playing at Phi today. 

[tony&rodney]

4 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

I think Keirsey and Gasper help the club the most. Julien’s bat has been better but the defense continues to be rough. 
 

It would be a surprising move if the Twins suddenly began to play Keirsey Jr., one that might prove useful. Still seems very unlikely. I thought the Twins should have traded Julien after the 2023 season. He is awkward defensively and whenever the bat tilts too steep his plate appearances suffer. The Twins simply do not have good defenders right now for second base. Gasper is stationary but people love him; mustache. Lee has a bad back but is too slow for the position. Castro is erratic and gets poor reads on ground balls. I thought we might see Martin at second, the Twins don't even give him repetitions. That leaves Eddie, who is the worst fielder but has the best range of the bunch (note - Julien does not have good range). 

Given the recent injuries, i would like to see a Buck, Julien, Correa, Larnach, Miranda, Wallner, France, Jeffers, Castro lineup versus Sonny Gray.

[jorgenswest]

51 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Given the recent injuries, i would like to see a Buck, Julien, Correa, Larnach, Miranda, Wallner, France, Jeffers, Castro lineup versus Sonny Gray.

Does that best roster have a bench of Bader, Vazquez, Martin and Lee? My premise of choosing two was that Lee would be healthy and make the opening day roster. It could be a bad premise and maybe you send a healthy Lee to AAA for Gasper. Again I really want to know what everyone thinks is the best and not what they think the Twins will do.

[tony&rodney]

3 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Does that best roster have a bench of Bader, Vazquez, Martin and Lee? My premise of choosing two was that Lee would be healthy and make the opening day roster. It could be a bad premise and maybe you send a healthy Lee to AAA for Gasper. Again I really want to know what everyone thinks is the best and not what they think the Twins will do.

Hard to know if Lee will be on IL at this time.

To your request, I would definitely keep Julien and Martin among the four players in the interest of winning games. Others will totally disagree with me and you should expect a wide number of choices between those four players.

[Linus]

On 3/21/2025 at 9:27 AM, jorgenswest said:

I think these four are fighting for the last two spots and I am glad to have all four. Which pairing of these two helps the roster the most?

Assuming Lee is healthy I am going to go with Gasper and Keirsey.

I dismiss the notion that Keirsey doesn’t fit becuase he bats left handed. I would start him against right handed pitching 3-4 times a week with Larnach at DH or Buxton getting a day off. His defense and speed will be an asset to the bench. I am not confident that he can hit well enough to be more than a 5th outfielder that goes between AAA and the major leagues while on options. I would give him a chance to prove me wrong.

I like Gasper’s bat off the bench. I hope he has enough trust at catcher that they would pinch hit for Vazquez on occasion but otherwise he duplicates positionally what they can get from Julien. I don’t know if he would start more than once or twice a week initially but I think there will be several games where he can help off the bench.

Keirsey and Gasper are also older than Martin and Julien. Martin and Julien have plenty to work on in AAA. I think Gasper and Julien have nearly maxed out their growth in AAA. I would give them the first opportunity to claim a spot and never give it up.

Note: If Brooks Lee can’t start opening day due to a back injury I would put him on the IL and add Julien.

I posted almost this exact thing on the other roster thread.