2016 Roster Projections: The Middle Infielders

MAJOR LEAGUES

Brian Dozier enters his fourth full season as the Twins starting second baseman. He made his first All-Star Game. However, for the second straight season, he struggled mightily after the All-Star break. However, despite those struggles, he ended the season with 39 doubles and 28 home runs. He’ll be 29 in mid-May.

Eduardo Escobar has lived with the title of “Utility” infielder since coming up with the White Sox in 2011. Despite performing well in the 2nd half in 2014, Escobar went back to a utility role last year. However, by the second half of 2015, he was back to starting and one of the most productive shortstops in baseball. In 2016, Escobar finally goes into the season as the starting shortstop. He recently turned 27.

Eduardo Nunez was tendered a contract after putting together a strong 2015 season as a utility player and pinch hitter. He hit .282/.327/.431 (.758). He played second base, third base, shortstop and left field. He is still 28 years old and should take Escobar’s utility role, along with the next player.

Danny Santana was terrific as a rookie in 2014 when he played centerfield. And he was a favorite of Paul Molitor, so he got the starting shortstop job on Opening Day. The Twins gave him every opportunity to run with the job, but by midseason, they had to go to Escobar. Santana is now out of options, so he’ll get an opportunity to play centerfield and both middle infield positions.

MINOR LEAGUES

Rochester Red Wings

James Beresford originally signed with the Twins in 2005. He reached AAA in the second half of 2013 and has been there since. In 2015, he was an All-Star and hit .307 for the Red Wings.He turns 27 next week.

Jorge Polanco remains one of the Twins better prospects. He debuted with the Twins due to roster rules in 2013 at the age of 20. He’s had a few cups of coffee since then. Some may forget that he’s still just 22 and has progressed nicely up the system. He split the 2015 season between Chattanooga and Rochester (with more coffee with the Twins). He can hit. He’s nearly big-league ready offensively, but can he play defense? Can he play shortstop? Can he play second base? 2016 is a big year for Polanco.

After spending seven seasons in the Red Sox organization, the Twins signed Heiker Meneses in 2015 and sent him to Chattanooga. He plays both middle infield spots pretty well. He’s still just 24 years old. He hit .259/.317/.300 (.617) for the Lookouts in 2015.

Wilfredo Tovar played in nine games for the Mets in 2013 and 2014. He was in that organization from 2007 through 2015. The Twins signed him to a minor league deal with a spring invite. Last year in Las Vegas, he hit .283/.327/.356 (.683) with 15 doubles and three triples. He is also 24. He has good range at shortstop or third base.

Chattanooga Lookouts

Levi Michael was the Twins' firsr-round pick in 2011 out of North Carolina. He has struggled, primarily with injury, since. However, the last two years, when healthy, he has hit. He also puts together quality at-bats. He posted an .804 OPS in Chattanooga. He’ll turn 25 in February. He could be a utility option down the line, but he has only played second base in the regular season in the minors.

Engelb Vielma is 21 and signed with the Twins in 2011. He has moved up quickly and last year in Ft. Myers he hit .270/.321/.306 (.627) with 12 extra base hits. But he hit well in the second half. Vielma is absolutely elite defensively at shortstop and does everything well. He is definitely one to watch in 2016 because if he plays well and hits at all, he could be in the big league picture in 2017.

Leonardo Reginatto signed with the Rays in 2008 and has spent his entire career with that organization. In December, he signed a minor league deal with the Twins (no spring training invite). Between AA and AAA in 2015, he hit .269/.323/.364 with 19 doubles and three homers. He played three infield spot with above average range at all three.

Ryan Walker was the Twins 18th-round pick in 2013 from Texas-Arlington. His season started late, but in 83 games with Ft. Myers, he hit .269/.311/.312 (.623). He’s very good defensively at both middle infield positions. He has really good range and a good arm.

Ft. Myers Miracle

Nick Gordon has been pushed quickly since being selected with the fifth overall pick in 2014. He spent 2015, his first full season, in Cedar Rapids. In 120 games, he hit .277/.336/.360 (.696). He had one rough month and was really solid the rest of the season. Defensively, he was above average and can stick at shortstop. He will be 20 years old through the 2016 season.

Tanner Vavra struggled mightily the first month of 2015, but he hit well the rest of the year, especially after he started playing more consistently. He ended up hitting .258/.346/.300 (.646) with the Miracle. He could move up to AA at the start of the season, but I’m just guessing he could get a couple of months of starting most every day (all over the diamond) for the Miracle before moving up. He recently turned 26.

Minnesotan Pat Kelly will also likely move up a level and be a utility type for the Miracle. With the Kernels in 2015, he primarily played second base, but also got time at first base and third base. The 23-year-old hit .220/.278/.312 (.590) in 95 games with the Kernels, so he could remain in Cedar Rapids as well.

Cedar Rapids Kernels

Jermaine Palacios will be 19 years old until mid-July. He is a prospect that kind of came out of nowhere in 2015. He came to the States and began the season in the GCL by hitting .421/.472/.589 (1.061) in 26 games. He moved up to Elizabethton and hit .336/.345/.507 (.852) in 31 games. His bat appears to be legit, but he has a long ways to go with the glove, which could slow his progress.

At 5-9 and 160 pounds, Manuel Guzman is one of the faster prospects in the organization. He played shortstop in Elizabethton until Palacios arrived and he moved to second base. He’ll turn 21 in a few weeks and should move up to Cedar Rapids. He was much better defensively at second base as well.

Alex Perez was the Twins 23rd round pick last year after playing four years at Virginia Tech. He played second base for Elizabethton last year where he hit .239/.331/.303 (.634).

Extended Spring Training

Luis Arraez came to the States for the 2015 season and had a solid debut. He hit .309/.377/.391 (.768) with 15 doubles. He played primarily at second base (and played well), but he also saw time at shortstop, third base and left field. He will turn 19 right after Opening Day.

Ariel Montesino began the short-season at Elizabethton, but when Palacios pushed his way up, Montesino was sent back to the GCL. He hit .243/.341/.324 (.665) in the GCL. He turned 20 after the season and should move up to Elizabethton this season.

Australian Aaron Whitefield signed last summer with the Twins. After some visa issues, he arrived in the States and played in seven games. He played softball his entire life until the last year. He’ll be just 19 throughout the season, so he’ll be fun to watch progress.

SUMMARY

The Twins go into the season knowing their keystone combination. It will be Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar. Dozier had the great first half. Escobar had the great second half. It could be a lot of fun if they both can put together full seasons.

James Beresford and Jorge Polanco are ready if needed at either of those positions, if and/or when needed.

Once an area of weakness, shortstop has become an area of strength in the organization to the point where it’s likely one or more of them will be moved off of the position, not because they can’t handle shortstop, but because they want more than one of them playing. For instance, by 2019, I can see a scenario where Engelb Vielma is the starting shortstop and Nick Gordon is the starting second baseman despite the fact that Gordon can probably be a quality shortstop.

And, the Twins gave Wander Javier $4 million to sign with them in 2015.

Middle Infield Prospect Rankings:

• Nick Gordon,
  
• Jorge Polanco,
  
• Engelb Vielma
  
• Wander Javier,
  
• Jermaine Palacios
  
• Levi Michael