Which Twins Utility Infielder Should Stick Around a While?

[stringer bell]

I said on another thread that all three have made at least a weak case to stay in the majors. Gray has some big hits, including two grand slams, although his hitting numbers are trending down and he has an unacceptable strikeout rate (30.7%). If he's going to be a utility guy, he has to be a better shortstop, otherwise Kody Clemens is the superior option at first and second and he also hits lefty.

Arcia has gotten his share of hits so far, but he's also stretched at shortstop at this stage of his career. He's almost 32 and I don't think there's really much tread left on the tire.

Kreidler can't be expected to hit anywhere near league average. He's hit some long balls and a few other extra base hits to make his OPS look pretty good, but it is almost certain that won't last. He's the best fielder of the bunch and is a pretty accomplished outfielder as well as playing the infield spots. Given the composition and fielding ability of the current Twins infield, I would keep the best defender and that is Kreidler. 

With each tough day Luke Keaschall has, the probability of him going back to the minors increases and then ther could be room for a second utility guy.

[Danchat]

12 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

There’s always a reason to wait, and never any urgency to get the dirty work done developing young players. There’s a reason why this team will miss the playoffs 5 out of the last 6 years. Biggest reason of all is holding back top prospects so they can pretend it’s a top farm system year after year. 

The main reason why they continue to miss the playoffs is because most of their prospects have disappointed to some degree - not a single Falvey draft pick has ever even made it to an All-Star game. I agree that they have been slow to promote their hitting prospects, but it's not the root to why the team has stunk most of these last 6 years.

[4twinsJA]

Besides Culpepper, not really an infielder pushing for callup at AAA.

[Cris E]

57 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

To answer the question. You send down either Gray or Kreidler because they have options. Our infield depth was not properly addressed in the off-season and we have nobody beyond Culpepper who is ready for a call up and if you call up Culpepper, we will need these guys in the future. Keep your depth until the team trades some players and acquires younger infielders close to major league ready to replace them. Acquiring younger infielders should have been a priority this off-season. The infield depth wasn't impressive in October, November, December, January, February or March it it was addressed with Gray, Kreidler and Arcia and look... Here they all are on the 26 man roster. It was all rather predictable and I'll say it. No matter if you percieve a player to be bench or a backup. There is no such thing. The team needing Gray, Kreidler and Arcia was completely predictable because it's the same story we have all watched every single year.  

The Twins left Fort Myers healthy. They had the 26 man chosen all neat and clean in a pretty little package with roles assigned for everyone. The two first games of the season showed the plan and the pretty little package of exact roles for everyone. 

Bell, Keaschall, Lewis, Lee, Buxton and Wallner were 6 full time players. 

Platoons: 1B Clemens vs RH and Caratini vs LH -- LF Larnach vs RH and Martin vs LH

Jeffers: Primary Catcher - Caratini Secondary

Gray: Occasional rest day backup against Right handed starters at 2B, 3B and SS. I heard Shelton say that Gray that the tiebreaker in the selection of Gray was his left handed bat with all right handed bats. 

Outman: Late game defensive replacement for Larnach, Pinch Runner and Buxton rest day. 

That's all 13. Defined roles for all 13. 11 of the 13 with starts planned either full time or platoon. Two that were rostered with the hope that they would not be needed for anything other than occasional fill in.

This plan could work if everyone chosen performs to the expectation that awarded them every day playing time in the first place. This plan could work if everyone stays healthy. The problem is that I don't recall a season for any of the 30 teams where everybody performed to expectation or stayed healthy. Those two things never happen and the pretty little package coming out of spring training was never going to last the month of April and now the guys that you rostered Gray and Outman are either being counted on or released because they were never trusted to play a larger role in the first place.      

I've said this multiple times and I'll say it again. You need to roster 26 players who can play and compete with each other because you don't know who is going to struggle or who is going to get hurt. Injuries are not an excuse because they happen frequently, poor play is not an excuse because it happens often enough to all 30 teams. You need to plan for that... not a pretty little package math'd together that won't even last the month of April. 

If you roster someone, they will be needed. You can't hide them. I know there are some who disagree with what I'm saying.

To those who disagree. Tristran Gray with significant playing time was inevitable when he was placed on the 26 man roster. Outman was always going to be jettisoned off the roster if they didn't trust him to play full time when needed so there was no point to roster him in the first place. Kriedler was always just a phone call away and so was Arcia with a little 40 man roster maneuvering.

And what do you know. All 3 are on the 26 man roster and nobody should be surprised and we still need them even after Culpepper is called up.   

 

I love this. The MLB roster is there to play and the manager is going to use the guys at hand to try to win. If you have people around who shouldn't be there then he's going to have trouble. When Buxton was missing half each season then the CF caddy needed to be good enough to play three days a week. But he's been healthier of late and so the quality of his backups has dropped.

To put it another way, when Earl Weaver was asked where his backup SS was and he'd say "Rochester" which was his AAA team at the time. Over the past two years Outman and Margot should have been left in St Paul.  And now that Shelton has been handed a handful of scarecrows instead of a full infield it's clear that the team is missing some important parts. 

[Cris E]

19 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Kreidler can't be expected to hit anywhere near league average. He's hit some long balls and a few other extra base hits to make his OPS look pretty good, but it is almost certain that won't last. He's the best fielder of the bunch and is a pretty accomplished outfielder as well as playing the infield spots. Given the composition and fielding ability of the current Twins infield, I would keep the best defender and that is Kreidler. 

With each tough day Luke Keaschall has, the probability of him going back to the minors increases and then ther could be room for a second utility guy.

To that I would reply that Clemens or Lewis are already here looking for roles and they can take over at 2B. 

I totally agree with keeping Kreidler though. 

[stringer bell]

5 minutes ago, Cris E said:

To that I would reply that Clemens or Lewis are already here looking for roles and they can take over at 2B. 

I totally agree with keeping Kreidler though. 

It appears that the Twins are trying to shoehorn Lewis into the lineup every day and there isn't room for Clemens, Keaschall and Lewis unless Lewis is playing third base or one of those guys is in the outfield. 

[Cris E]

I agree, and that 's what I meant. We already have too many IF right now so we don't need a second utility guy to cover Keaschall's spot while both of those guys are looking for work..  

[TheLeviathan]

2 hours ago, Danchat said:

The main reason why they continue to miss the playoffs is because most of their prospects have disappointed to some degree - not a single Falvey draft pick has ever even made it to an All-Star game. I agree that they have been slow to promote their hitting prospects, but it's not the root to why the team has stunk most of these last 6 years.

It really feels like there is a rot in the development process that has to be rooted out.  Other teams have players ride the wave of success/failure....but we never have our wave crest for more than an ever-so-brief glimpse at the outset of a player's career.  

[JBK]

Is Mickey Gasper still available?  I mean, at this point, why not?

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Kriedler is who I would keep. He has 5 years of team control left and he sets the highest floor defensively. He can backup shortstop and center field best out of any options on the team. 

Gray would be my first pick to go. He has been pretty terrible defensively and his clutch moments are unlikely to be sustainable. 

I like Arcia. He has a lower OPS but a decent batting average. Singles are still hits. Plus hes a better defender than gray. I'd keep him until the roster spot is needed. 

[jmlease1]

I'd keep Kreidler of the three; the defense historically has been quite good, he can play a very credible CF to go with the infield, and while I don't expect the offense to be great, he can at least run into a homer from time to time.

But it's predicated on calling up Culpepper. When they're ready to bring him up, I'd send Gray down. At some point I'd move on from Arcia for one of our OF down in AAA.

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, JBK said:

Is Mickey Gasper still available?  I mean, at this point, why not?

He's basically been the C for Boston this year, but thank goodness we are spending 7 MM on a guy who can't hit at all....