Four Twins Who Need to Step Up in 2027

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

It was another year of coming up short for the Minnesota Twins. It’s frustrating for the players, for the fans, and certainly for ownership. Nobody wants to lose, and if things are going to change in 2027, the Twins are going to need more from their roster.

The front office can help address some of those issues this winter by adding talent to the roster. However, if this team is going to get over the hump next season, they’re primarily going to need some players already in the organization to take a step forward.

Whether it’s young players looking to establish themselves in the majors or veterans who need to get back on track, there are plenty of candidates who could make a significant difference with a strong 2027 campaign. With that in mind, here are four Twins who need to step up next season.

Connor Prielipp

Prielipp’s rookie year was filled with ups and downs. Overall, he finished with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP across 125 ⅔ innings. He also recorded 128 strikeouts against 44 walks, showing some promising traits despite the inconsistent results.

There’s reason to believe he was better than his ERA would indicate. His 3.73 FIP and 3.95 expected ERA suggest he was a bit unlucky, and there were plenty of things to like about his performance throughout the season. Both his strikeout and walk rates were better than league average, while his breaking balls consistently generated swings outside the strike zone. Those are important building blocks for a young starting pitcher, particularly one who could play a significant role in Minnesota’s rotation moving forward.

Of course, there’s still work to be done. Prielipp needs to find ways to limit hard contact and avoid putting himself in difficult situations against opposing hitters. His overall numbers suggest there’s room for improvement, and making those adjustments could go a long way toward turning him into a reliable rotation option. If he can clean up some of those issues in 2027, there’s a legitimate case to be made that he could break out next season after a highly encouraging rookie season.

The Twins have plenty of questions surrounding their rotation heading into the offseason, even with Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and a (hopefully) healthy Pablo López. The outlook gets even cloudier after next year. Minnesota needs young starters to emerge, and a big year from Prielipp would help address one of the organization's biggest needs.

Royce Lewis

This one comes with an asterisk. There’s some uncertainty surrounding whether Lewis will even be on Minnesota’s roster when the 2027 season begins. Still, assuming he remains with the organization, there’s really no way around it: the Twins need more from him.

Lewis slashed just .227/.287/.380 this season, finishing with an uninspiring .667 OPS. That marked the second consecutive year he posted an OPS below .700, which isn't nearly good enough for a player expected to be a key part of the lineup. His underlying metrics suggest he should have been slightly better offensively, but that only goes so far. At some point, the production needs to show up on the field, and he hasn't delivered enough of it over the past two seasons.

Defensively, there's also work to be done. His long-term home isn't on the left side of the infield, and regardless of where he eventually settles, his glove hasn't been good enough to make up for his offensive shortcomings. Lewis needs to make some meaningful strides this offseason, both in terms of his approach at the plate and his overall consistency.

We've seen what he's capable of when everything is clicking, even at times this season. Lewis has the talent to be a productive hitter, and there have been stretches when he's looked like the player Minnesota envisioned when he first arrived in the majors. The problem is that the cold spells have far outweighed the hot stretches. The Twins can't afford to keep waiting for Lewis to put everything together, especially if they're serious about competing in 2027.

Whether he gets that opportunity in Minnesota remains to be seen, but if he's still wearing a Twins uniform next season, he needs to take a significant step forward.

Walker Jenkins

Jenkins' first taste of the majors this season isn't enough to draw any definitive conclusions about what kind of player he'll become, and I'm certainly not suggesting he struggled beyond repair. However, this is a player who could have a much bigger role in 2027, and the Twins are going to need him to take advantage of that opportunity.

Jenkins finished with a .226/.293/.393 slash line and a .686 OPS. Those numbers aren't particularly impressive, but there were some encouraging signs as he adjusted to major-league pitching. In particular, Jenkins appeared to get more comfortable at the plate toward the end of the season. He showed above-average discipline, giving himself a foundation to build on as he gains more experience against big league pitchers.

The next step is making more consistent hard contact. Jenkins has the tools to become an impact hitter, but he'll need to translate his approach into more productive at-bats. Being selective is important, but it won't mean much if he's not consistently driving the ball when he gets pitches to hit.

That's a natural adjustment for a young player, and there's no reason to overreact to a relatively small sample of major league plate appearances. Still, the Twins need their top prospect to continue developing if they're going to build a competitive lineup around their young core. If Jenkins can pair his plate discipline with more consistent contact and power, the sky's the limit. He's arguably the organization's most important long-term piece, and a strong rookie campaign could accelerate his development into a legitimate cornerstone.

Kendry Rojas

Rojas' first taste of the majors was similar to Prielipp's in many ways. There was plenty to like, but there were also some clear areas that need improvement before he can become a dependable piece of Minnesota's pitching staff.

The swing-and-miss stuff was evident, and he did a nice job limiting hard contact. His ERA and expected ERA both finished around 3.40, suggesting his results were largely supported by the quality of his underlying performance. The foundation is there, but it's far from complete.

Rojas struggled mightily with walks, posting a 16.9% walk rate. That's a significant problem for any pitcher, especially for someone who’s been asked to work multiple innings at a time, even if it’s not in the rotation.  He needs to find a way to improve his command and limit the free passes. The swing-and-miss ability is valuable, but consistently falling behind hitters and putting runners on base will make it difficult to turn that talent into sustained success.

Health is another major concern. Rojas appeared in just 27 games this season, splitting his time between 14 relief appearances and 13 starts. Regardless of which role the Twins ultimately envision for him, none of his upside will matter if he can't stay healthy enough to take the mound. As the saying goes, the best ability is availability.

There's immense upside with Rojas, and his early results suggest he could become an important part of Minnesota's pitching staff. However, he needs to get out of his own way, improve his control, and stay on the field long enough to realize that potential.

The Twins have plenty of work to do this offseason, and adding outside talent will be important if they want to return to contention. But the organization's path forward will also depend on the players already in the building. If Prielipp can solidify his place in the rotation, Lewis can rediscover his offensive production, Jenkins can take another step forward, and Rojas can turn his raw talent into consistent availability, Minnesota could be in a much better position next season.

None of those outcomes are guaranteed, but the potential is there. And if the Twins want 2027 to look different from the past couple of seasons, they'll need more of their own players to start delivering.

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[farmerguychris]

I want to add one - Victor Caratini.  If we can't get Jeffers back for next year - we're going to have a hole consuming $10M behind home plate for 100 games next year.  Based on his 2026 production, he's going to have to step up his game a LOT in 2027 to be close to his salary in value.

[Linus]

The premise of the article confuses me. What does Prielipp, Jenkins and Rojas have to do with Lewis. The first three are rookies who are just getting their feet wet. There are a whole bunch of mediocre vets that need to step it up a lot more than three young guys who did fine in their first taste of the bigs. 

[tony&rodney]

Will Royce Lewis wear a Twins uniform in 2027?

[mikelink45]

Who do we have that? Can energize the team. Watching the playoffs I see Jose Ramirez willing his team to win and it's contagious. On the other side I see Milwaukee with Contreras and Bauer refusing to lose and pushing the rest of the team. I suppose people will think that's Buxton but as good as he can be. He can't drive the bus. 

[Riverbrian]

5 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

I want to add one - Victor Caratini.  If we can't get Jeffers back for next year - we're going to have a hole consuming $10M behind home plate for 100 games next year.  Based on his 2026 production, he's going to have to step up his game a LOT in 2027 to be close to his salary in value.

If he wants a decent contract after this year from one of the other 29 teams.

He better step up. 

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, Linus said:

The premise of the article confuses me. What does Prielipp, Jenkins and Rojas have to do with Lewis. The first three are rookies who are just getting their feet wet. There are a whole bunch of mediocre vets that need to step it up a lot more than three young guys who did fine in their first taste of the bigs. 

I love a nice Mount Rushmore discussion. 

Lewis would be George Washington. 

[Riverbrian]

51 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Will Royce Lewis wear a Twins uniform in 2027?

Keep him and make him earn his job back. 

[SE23]

59 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Will Royce Lewis wear a Twins uniform in 2027?

Not if we can dupe another team into taking him off our hands.

[HarmonK03]

5 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

I want to add one - Victor Caratini.  If we can't get Jeffers back for next year - we're going to have a hole consuming $10M behind home plate for 100 games next year.  Based on his 2026 production, he's going to have to step up his game a LOT in 2027 to be close to his salary in value.

If they go into the season with Caratini as the number 1 catcher, the position will be a black hole.  There is nothing in his history that says he is a #1 catcher and will be 34 next year.  He is an overpaid backup and is another one of many Falvey head scratching signings.

[Riverbrian]

14 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Who do we have that? Can energize the team. Watching the playoffs I see Jose Ramirez willing his team to win and it's contagious. On the other side I see Milwaukee with Contreras and Bauer refusing to lose and pushing the rest of the team. I suppose people will think that's Buxton but as good as he can be. He can't drive the bus. 

We will have to wait til next year. There are no guarantees with anyone. 

Keaschall has that potential. Emma had a real good energy on that field. Young players can come up big.

Ole' Petey Halpin with .594 OPS in the regular season energized the city of Cleveland with a big blast. 

Leaders just step up and take the job.  

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

If Royce Lewis is still in a Twins uniform at the start of spring training, this offseason will be a failure. There is no excuse to keep him around anymore. 

[tony&rodney]

25 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Keep him and make him earn his job back. 

So Lewis becomes the 13th guy but gets more time than previous end-of-bench fellas, maybe playing 2-3 times per week? If he outplays his replacement by a good bit, he gets more and more time? Regular playing time in June if he suddenly blossoms?

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

So Lewis becomes the 13th guy but gets more time than previous end-of-bench fellas, maybe playing 2-3 times per week? If he outplays his replacement by a good bit, he gets more and more time? Regular playing time in June if he suddenly blossoms?

Something like that. I don't want to attach numbers like 13th guy but let's call Royce the 5th infielder. He has to earn a job back. He can compete at 1B, 2B and 3B but we got to sign a good 1B.

His role is still important because... I'll bet anyone money that we will either have injury from those 3 positions or/and somebody at those positions will struggle. 

That's 3 positions and 4 players. He could play 3 out of 4 games if he earns it. He could play 9 out of 10 games if he hits like the Lewis that was promised to us. If he becomes a guy that truly can't be replaced and you can play him like he can't be replaced. I'm tired of players hitting like Lewis and the manager acting like they can't be taken out of the lineup.  

If he doesn't... if he continues to struggle. He could play 1 out of 4. 

Whoever is winning the job gets the job. 

If the front office decides to take those 4 starting pitchers and go for it. They can't put Royce's name down at 1B and hope he does something with no safety net. Let's make him the safety net. A good 1B via trade or a free agency signing needs to be the top off-season priority. 

You can't trade him now at his value. He showed us what he could do when he started. You gotta make him get it back. You don't get anything back in a trade.

After he hits 40 home runs with the Rockies. Twinsdaily would tear Zoll apart. 

You gotta try. Just not force it this time. 

[stringer bell]

I think fifth infielder is about what Lewis has "earned" with his performance in the last two years. He's still young enough, cheap enough and seems to have the talent to be more than he has been in '25-'26. 

Adding an infielder for either first or second would be what I would be looking for. Kody Clemens' performance the past two years has been decent and he probably merits playing time either at first or second at least to start the season. 

The Twins didn't have many infield injuries in 2026. It would be expected that they would have more in the coming season even with a younger roster, so being the fifth infielder may well get more playing time.

Willi Castro was a backup infielder and outfielder in 2023 and ended up with near-regular at-bats. Several other guys without defined playing time never really did enough to move off that role. Giving a 27 year old Lewis a last chance to show his talent at about $5M is wise in my book.

[LastOnePicked]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Who do we have that? Can energize the team.

No one yet. This organization needs to build a winning culture. But that can't happen until the younger players see this team do something other than step on rakes from August-September.

[tony&rodney]

10 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Something like that. I don't want to attach numbers like 13th guy but let's call Royce the 5th infielder. He has to earn a job back. He can compete at 1B, 2B and 3B but we got to sign a good 1B.

His role is still important because... I'll bet anyone money that we will either have injury from those 3 positions or/and somebody at those positions will struggle. 

That's 3 positions and 4 players. He could play 3 out of 4 games if he earns it. He could play 9 out of 10 games if he hits like the Lewis that was promised to us. If he becomes a guy that truly can't be replaced and you can play him like he can't be replaced. I'm tired of players hitting like Lewis and the manager acting like they can't be taken out of the lineup.  

If he doesn't... if he continues to struggle. He could play 1 out of 4. 

Whoever is winning the job gets the job. 

If the front office decides to take those 4 starting pitchers and go for it. They can't put Royce's name down at 1B and hope he does something with no safety net. Let's make him the safety net. A good 1B via trade or a free agency signing needs to be the top off-season priority. 

You can't trade him now at his value. He showed us what he could do when he started. You gotta make him get it back. You don't get anything back in a trade.

After he hits 40 home runs with the Rockies. Twinsdaily would tear Zoll apart. 

You gotta try. Just not force it this time. 

You are consistent in your thoughts and in theory I find it easy to agree. There are always mitigating factors for a team to consider. The first order of business relates to how much a team is willing to pay players that come off the bench? Is $5-6M too much. The Yankees and I may think it isn't but will the Twins? Another factor is how much utility can be stretched from the bench. Defense and running are important as is how a player feels about that role. Lewis isn't terrible with a glove and can run but will he be fully all in as a reserve infielder. If Lewis is seen as the best fit for that utility role I like the idea. I'm just not convinced he fits better than Ryan Kreidler, although Lewis is more capable to fill in as an injury replacement and is clearly a better bat. The front office decision last winter to have Wallner and Larnach as corner outfielders was not supportable, although both had wide support among many folks on Twins Daily. My thoughts on those two have been clear too - they are PH and DH only players. We saw what an outfielder should do with Emmanuel catching one or a couple balls per game more than Larnach. Keaschall, after his rough first month was far better than Big Matt. The manager fixed the defense to some extent with switches in season. In any event the Twins need to add players, roster a solid bench, and use everyone wherever it helps the team to win and be competitive.

[TNtwins85]

12 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Who do we have that? Can energize the team. Watching the playoffs I see Jose Ramirez willing his team to win and it's contagious. On the other side I see Milwaukee with Contreras and Bauer refusing to lose and pushing the rest of the team. I suppose people will think that's Buxton but as good as he can be. He can't drive the bus. 

Well, I suggested earlier in the offseason perhaps Contreras would be a good fit. A team that likes to flip expiring contract guys before hitting free agency. Puts a lot of money behind the dish in him and Caratini but damn does Caratini look cooked. Probably costs a pretty penny to get him in the form of a couple higher level prospects. “IF” the Twins hold true and look to improve and be competitive in ‘27 I don’t know how you do that with a black hole of Caratini/ Jackson behind the plate. The Twins are developing a log jamb of position players that might interest a Brewers club that always looks forward. 

[bean5302]

Royce Lewis can't be expected to contribute any more than Matt Wallner can at this point, but Lewis' point from 2024 stands true today as it did then. The guys making the money need to step up, not the pre-arbs or rookies.

Byron Buxton. Joe Ryan. Pablo Lopez. Bailey Ober. Dean Kremer. Victor Caratini. If the Twins don't get good production from the bigger paycheck guys, they're not going anywhere.

Oh, and some free agents or trade guys.

 

[TopGunn#22]

There is a "short-term" Twins plan that has Culpepper playing SS for the first 2-3 months of the season and a "long-term" plan that should have Marek Houston sliding in at SS and Culpepper moving over to 2B.  

With Brooks Lee at 3B and Cody Clemens in the mix Lewis is currently the 1B, but if a trade or FA signing happens that fills 1B, Lewis isn't even #5 infielder material.  Outside of his 2023 half season and playoff production it's been a LONG 3-years of sub-par production.

I just don't see a place for him on any future Twins roster, much like Larnach and Wallner.  I have no idea how low Lewis has seen his value drop, but it's time to cut bait and move on.  Maybe a trade to the D-Backs for a similar prospect disappointment like Jordan Lawler could be proposed.  Lawler is a SS/CF guy who could actually aid in the eventual move of Culpepper to 2B. 

Anybody whose primary defensive positions are SS and CF has a glove that will play at a major league level.  The D-Backs may move on from Nolan Arenado at 3B or want more competition at 1B for Pavin Smith/Tawa/Vargas.  Lewis could be a player they would be willing to take a chance on.  

I just don't see Royce Lewis being a part of a future Twins contender, and I hope the current FO agrees with me.  

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

You are consistent in your thoughts and in theory I find it easy to agree. There are always mitigating factors for a team to consider. The first order of business relates to how much a team is willing to pay players that come off the bench? Is $5-6M too much. The Yankees and I may think it isn't but will the Twins? Another factor is how much utility can be stretched from the bench. Defense and running are important as is how a player feels about that role. Lewis isn't terrible with a glove and can run but will he be fully all in as a reserve infielder. If Lewis is seen as the best fit for that utility role I like the idea. I'm just not convinced he fits better than Ryan Kreidler, although Lewis is more capable to fill in as an injury replacement and is clearly a better bat. The front office decision last winter to have Wallner and Larnach as corner outfielders was not supportable, although both had wide support among many folks on Twins Daily. My thoughts on those two have been clear too - they are PH and DH only players. We saw what an outfielder should do with Emmanuel catching one or a couple balls per game more than Larnach. Keaschall, after his rough first month was far better than Big Matt. The manager fixed the defense to some extent with switches in season. In any event the Twins need to add players, roster a solid bench, and use everyone wherever it helps the team to win and be competitive.

Agreed, there are indeed always mitigating factors to be considered. Mitigation is perhaps the biggest thing in itself in what I'm saying. Mitigation... Make something less severe, harmful. 

You mention "bench" a few times. That will be a sticking point. I recommend just removing "bench" by definition from your thoughts in regards to the roster. Just think of them as players and let them sort it out through performance. Don't roster lesser players on purpose... thinking of them as bench. They are just going to be the guys we end up relying on when the inevitable injury happens or if someone performs like Lewis did last year. If Kriedler is your choice for a bench role. Kriedler is going to be the guy that gets on the lineup card when they have to send someone down or if someone gets hurt. The front office, fans, everyone needs to stop being afraid of the accumulation of excess talent.

If Lee, Culpepper, Clemens and Bauers (Just using Bauers as a placeholder). All stay healthy and they are all playing up to our dreams and Lewis turns it around and he plays like we dream he can. Having 5 infielders with talent for 4 positions is not a problem. That's what every team in baseball should want. 

I openly complain about spending 5 million on a 1 year rental. I do indeed hate that because the player won't be back and then we can't get to the future if we are stuck in the merry go round present that you can't get out of.

Spending 5 million on a player that will be back... I have no problem with that. Spending 5 million on a player that entered the league a superstar. I have no problem with that. Now if he has third year in a row of what Lewis has been. We won't need to discuss it next off season. You let him go. Let someone else enjoy that last year of Royce Lewis before free agency. 5 Million for a player who can still become what was promised is sensible but you can't enter next season with him in your plans as 162 game at 1B. Tom Pohlad shouldn't have a problem with 5 million either because he needs to be serious when he says he will support this team. 

I don't worry about Royce Lewis being comfortable right now. My suggestion is to make him uncomfortable... Make him earn his job back. If he's the Royce Lewis that was promised... he beats out Clemens at 2B. He even beats out Lee at 3B or Bauers at 1B. The accumulation of talent is not something to avoid. It's something to strive for but if you are purposely choosing Kreidler over the unrealized potential of Lewis no matter how disgusted we are with him. You are purposely choosing lesser talent and if Lee gets hurt. We will need Kriedler to be what he isn't capable of doing. 

Defense... well... that can be subjective. If you think Kreidler is more valuable because of his defense than that is the path you would take and I'll respect that. However... if Kriedler's defense is that valuable and the reason you choose him... Play him then... Don't call him bench. He will get more innings to help us with his defense. If you play him. Choosing a defensive guy because of defense. He needs to play for that defense to be value to the club. He can't make plays from the bench. 

To honestly choose Kriedler... You need to be able to say that you prefer Kreidler over Lewis if Brooks Lee has a season ending injury in April. 

I'll take Lewis. 

[Parfigliano]

15 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Will Royce Lewis wear a Twins uniform in 2027?

Excellent question.

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

There is a "short-term" Twins plan that has Culpepper playing SS for the first 2-3 months of the season and a "long-term" plan that should have Marek Houston sliding in at SS and Culpepper moving over to 2B.  

With Brooks Lee at 3B and Cody Clemens in the mix Lewis is currently the 1B, but if a trade or FA signing happens that fills 1B, Lewis isn't even #5 infielder material.  Outside of his 2023 half season and playoff production it's been a LONG 3-years of sub-par production.

I just don't see a place for him on any future Twins roster, much like Larnach and Wallner.  I have no idea how low Lewis has seen his value drop, but it's time to cut bait and move on.  Maybe a trade to the D-Backs for a similar prospect disappointment like Jordan Lawler could be proposed.  Lawler is a SS/CF guy who could actually aid in the eventual move of Culpepper to 2B. 

Anybody whose primary defensive positions are SS and CF has a glove that will play at a major league level.  The D-Backs may move on from Nolan Arenado at 3B or want more competition at 1B for Pavin Smith/Tawa/Vargas.  Lewis could be a player they would be willing to take a chance on.  

I just don't see Royce Lewis being a part of a future Twins contender, and I hope the current FO agrees with me.  

I don't think it's reasonable to have Marek Houston in the plan at all for 2027. He performed okay at the plate in AA. wRC+ of 113 is barely good enough for a top prospect. I think he'll start 2027 at AAA, but expecting him being ready after 100-200 PA feels premature to me. I expect Houston will push Culpepper off SS if the Twins are ready to call Houston's number. If the Twins want to be competitive, they can't be playing with a handicap for two months out of the gate thinking Houston is going to "save" them. He's not likely going to be good enough to make that kind of impact. 2.5 WAR is treading water as a position player for a playoff team.

[stringer bell]

37 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I don't think it's reasonable to have Marek Houston in the plan at all for 2027. He performed okay at the plate in AA. wRC+ of 113 is barely good enough for a top prospect. I think he'll start 2027 at AAA, but expecting him being ready after 100-200 PA feels premature to me. I expect Houston will push Culpepper off SS if the Twins are ready to call Houston's number. If the Twins want to be competitive, they can't be playing with a handicap for two months out of the gate thinking Houston is going to "save" them. He's not likely going to be good enough to make that kind of impact. 2.5 WAR is treading water as a position player for a playoff team.

 

A million years ago (well, more than 50) I played high school basketball. We thought ourselves contenders to win our conference and district (in fact our district winner won the state championship) and played two other contenders in a Holiday Tournament. We won the tournament, defeating both teams soundly. One of those teams quickly added a center and moved four other players to new positions, benching their point guard. It improved every position and brought a sparkplug off the bench. They won the conference.  I think adding a Marek Houston at some point in 2027 could do that for the Twins' infield, not so much for his skills but to free Culpepper and Clemens to be above average players at a different position (second base for Culpepper and first or utility for Clemens), improving particularly on defense. How much is it worth to make other players more valuable?

Also, if Houston is as advertised (perhaps a top quartile defensive shortstop) how much does he have to hit to be a 2.5 to 3 WAR player, particularly if he can provide solid value as a base runner? I'll pick these numbers--.260 BA, .330 OBP, .370 SLG, which would compute to a high 90s OPS+. Fine defensive shortstops putting up those kind of numbers far exceed 2.5 WAR. 

Obviously, I'm making huge assumptions. It isn't certain that Houston will be a top quartile defender, he may never hit .260, he might never steal more than a handful of bases, etc. but the addition of a top defensive shortstop at minimum wage with average major league hitting ability and good base running would be worth a lot. 

[bean5302]

12 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

A million years ago (well, more than 50) I played high school basketball. We thought ourselves contenders to win our conference and district (in fact our district winner won the state championship) and played two other contenders in a Holiday Tournament. We won the tournament, defeating both teams soundly. One of those teams quickly added a center and moved four other players to new positions, benching their point guard. It improved every position and brought a sparkplug off the bench. They won the conference.  I think adding a Marek Houston at some point in 2027 could do that for the Twins' infield, not so much for his skills but to free Culpepper and Clemens to be above average players at a different position (second base for Culpepper and first or utility for Clemens), improving particularly on defense. How much is it worth to make other players more valuable?

Also, if Houston is as advertised (perhaps a top quartile defensive shortstop) how much does he have to hit to be a 2.5 to 3 WAR player, particularly if he can provide solid value as a base runner? I'll pick these numbers--.260 BA, .330 OBP, .370 SLG, which would compute to a high 90s OPS+. Fine defensive shortstops putting up those kind of numbers far exceed 2.5 WAR. 

Obviously, I'm making huge assumptions. It isn't certain that Houston will be a top quartile defender, he may never hit .260, he might never steal more than a handful of bases, etc. but the addition of a top defensive shortstop at minimum wage with average major league hitting ability and good base running would be worth a lot. 

I think everybody is banking on Houston being a very good shortstop, and he could provide value down the stretch. Do you think he'll.
1) be good enough at AAA to warrant a call up in 2 months.
2) hit well enough at MLB to provide that 3+ WAR full season value.
3) be so good, it's worth having a hole in the team's roster for 1/3 of the season?

[tony&rodney]

34 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I think everybody is banking on Houston being a very good shortstop, and he could provide value down the stretch. Do you think he'll.
1) be good enough at AAA to warrant a call up in 2 months.
2) hit well enough at MLB to provide that 3+ WAR full season value.
3) be so good, it's worth having a hole in the team's roster for 1/3 of the season?

We cannot know those answers. A year ago, Houston was coming off of a season where Cedar Rapids had owned him; Marek struggled.. Something changed during the offseason because Houston was able to put up similar numbers at both A+ and AA last season. It is possible that Marek Houston shows well in Spring Training, enough to play. We can't know that. I wouldn't have that as a strategy though for the season. Let's just trade for Elly.

[David Maro]

Time to be honest they had 3 player's that did anything with the bat. They were Bell,Clemens and Lee. Some may say what about Buxton,Jeffers and Keaschall. Both Buxton and Jeffers were terrible in the second half. Keaschall was average at best until moving to leadoff. The time has come to move on from Wallner,Larnach and Lewis. Those who say Larnach could be DH,why he can't hit LH pitching. Keeping Wallner in AAA for what reason. With Lewis he has had 2 years to show he is the player he once was and failed. 

The new PC should be meeting with the staff as we speak to work on control and location. That may mean a change in velocity of a mile or two to help with location. That would help Bradley and Rojas who have good stuff,but walk themselves into trouble. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

7 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Agreed, there are indeed always mitigating factors to be considered. Mitigation is perhaps the biggest thing in itself in what I'm saying. Mitigation... Make something less severe, harmful. 

You mention "bench" a few times. That will be a sticking point. I recommend just removing "bench" by definition from your thoughts in regards to the roster. Just think of them as players and let them sort it out through performance. Don't roster lesser players on purpose... thinking of them as bench. They are just going to be the guys we end up relying on when the inevitable injury happens or if someone performs like Lewis did last year. If Kriedler is your choice for a bench role. Kriedler is going to be the guy that gets on the lineup card when they have to send someone down or if someone gets hurt. The front office, fans, everyone needs to stop being afraid of the accumulation of excess talent.

If Lee, Culpepper, Clemens and Bauers (Just using Bauers as a placeholder). All stay healthy and they are all playing up to our dreams and Lewis turns it around and he plays like we dream he can. Having 5 infielders with talent for 4 positions is not a problem. That's what every team in baseball should want. 

I openly complain about spending 5 million on a 1 year rental. I do indeed hate that because the player won't be back and then we can't get to the future if we are stuck in the merry go round present that you can't get out of.

Spending 5 million on a player that will be back... I have no problem with that. Spending 5 million on a player that entered the league a superstar. I have no problem with that. Now if he has third year in a row of what Lewis has been. We won't need to discuss it next off season. You let him go. Let someone else enjoy that last year of Royce Lewis before free agency. 5 Million for a player who can still become what was promised is sensible but you can't enter next season with him in your plans as 162 game at 1B. Tom Pohlad shouldn't have a problem with 5 million either because he needs to be serious when he says he will support this team. 

I don't worry about Royce Lewis being comfortable right now. My suggestion is to make him uncomfortable... Make him earn his job back. If he's the Royce Lewis that was promised... he beats out Clemens at 2B. He even beats out Lee at 3B or Bauers at 1B. The accumulation of talent is not something to avoid. It's something to strive for but if you are purposely choosing Kreidler over the unrealized potential of Lewis no matter how disgusted we are with him. You are purposely choosing lesser talent and if Lee gets hurt. We will need Kriedler to be what he isn't capable of doing. 

Defense... well... that can be subjective. If you think Kreidler is more valuable because of his defense than that is the path you would take and I'll respect that. However... if Kriedler's defense is that valuable and the reason you choose him... Play him then... Don't call him bench. He will get more innings to help us with his defense. If you play him. Choosing a defensive guy because of defense. He needs to play for that defense to be value to the club. He can't make plays from the bench. 

To honestly choose Kriedler... You need to be able to say that you prefer Kreidler over Lewis if Brooks Lee has a season ending injury in April. 

I'll take Lewis. 

The talent level needs to be brought up on the team. Kriedler over Lewis does not attain that. I have no problem if Lewis is pushed off of the team. But it should never be by Kriedler.

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

The talent level needs to be brought up on the team. Kriedler over Lewis does not attain that. I have no problem if Lewis is pushed off of the team. But it should never be by Kriedler.

That's a good way to say it.

We wouldn't even lose Kriedler. 

He has options left. 

There is really no reason to toss Lewis aside. He will take care of that himself or he won't. He has this year to prove himself. If he goes into his last year of arb with another year like the last two. He will be on the waiver wire. It's up to Royce now. But... you got to make him earn it. 

You gotta bring in a 1B... longer than a one year deal. One that can HIT and I mean HIT in capital letters. 

No one year because you can't get a two year deal type players.