Making Zack Granite Fit

Vargas would be the one likely demoted in this scenario to get consistant playing time. Also Granite could rotate through DH as well if he keeps hitting .360 up here

I would be cool with him replacing Adrianza and getting reps as you describe.

The issue. You have to keep Vargas (or eventually Park) because you do need a first baseman, not a fill-in...unless you give Kepler regular reps and thus eliminate that need.

Second, bringing Granite in means you now have five outfielders. Is he a better backup than Grossman (I would say yes). Is Grossman a better DH than, say, Park or Vargas? Not sure.

You have to eliminate a pitcher. Who do you send down. Busenitz? Boshers? Hildenberger? Plus we will have Haley coming back soon, too. But then that issue is WhY do we have Belisle, Breslow, Haley taking up bullpen space. Is Hughes going to be a plus or a minus (we will soon know). The rotation still has Santiago and Gibson. We have a lot of pitchers keeping other pitchers from pitching. And even if we jettisoned a whole slew of current pitching staffers, we know we have guys like Tonkin and Pressly that are no worse...or better...not to mention Hurley!

Can the Twins just go after the best 25 that they can put on the field and forget about salary commitment, long-term contracts, veteran presence, being nice to guys who WON'T BE HERE IN 2018 OR BEYOND! If the pieces aren't pulling their weight THIS YEAR and not expected to be here NEXT YEAR...then why just be a feeding ground for the player to maybe better themselves at the expense of the club.

Good writeup and thorough analysis of how the Twins could move pieces around to utilize Granite.

But if you subtract the 100 points he's exceeding his career babip by, Granite is a .270/.320/.410 AAA lefty bat whose real assets are his speed and defense.  Not sure that's the boost that an outfield which already features two lefties, speed, and defense really needs.

 

 

But if you subtract the 100 points he's exceeding his career babip by, Granite is a .270/.320/.410 AAA lefty bat

I wonder if his exit velocity has increased and that is the reason for the high babip. Or if he just has been the luckiest player in baseball this year.

A few points:

1. This is actually another referendum on our beleaguered pitching staff. When THREE starters in the rotation cannot be reliably penciled in for 5 or more innings, you have to have an extra pitcher (and a catcher who can pitch). This of course leads to 4 instead of 5 outfielders.

2. Rosario, Kepler, and Bux have not established themselves as unassailable outfield starters (though I do so like Kepler). I LIKE the idea of Granite up here pushing them in person. He will work extra hard to take their jobs when/if they think they are owed something.

3. Grossman has done great things with his OBP and is clearly a ‘sabermetrics’ asset at the top of the lineup. But flexibility is also key to succeed in a long baseball season. Granite provides that. Grossman is a one (very good) trick pony. Try to trade him, but if unsuccessful let him go catch on elsewhere. (I understand this will be very controversial). Give Granite a month as a 5th outfielder with Vargas in AAA. If he plays in MLB then move Grossman in the best way possible and bring Vargas back up.

I wonder if his exit velocity has increased and that is the reason for the high babip. Or if he just has been the luckiest player in baseball this year.

It's certainly possible that he's hitting the ball harder, and I don't mean that his numbers are entirely the result of good fortune. It's just that when a player of his age and history suddenly starts getting two hits on every five balls in play, there's cause for curiosity about how much is real improvement and how much is mirage.

I'm hoping the Twins focus on building a competitive team rather than on fielding a lineup every day that's optimized for the wildcard hunt. I'm hoping Granite can with the former more than the latter. It's just unfortunate that he's not a more natural fit with what the Twins have on their roster at the moment.

I think we are starting to see enough of Vargas to know he is a replacement level player.  I'm not giving up on him just yet, but that ob% is a problem.  

I think eventually Granite v. Rosario is a wash.  Granite, by all accounts, is fundamentally sound, and would offer similar value to rosario, although differently.  One has a better ops, one is a better fielder and will have a more consistent approach.  

I think the key is, and we have not discussed it much, is having Garver, a rh batter, play first base and dh, while being the 3rd catcher.  That way Molly may not be afraid to ph for gimenez.  Having Robby and Mitch as DH/1b to spell Joe and also add depth at catching would allow for us to carry Granite, who could be a legit 4th outfielder/ pinch runner, while also finding out if he is for real at the MLB level.

Something to think about...Vargas sample size is getting pretty big, and as Gleeman has pointed out, Vargas is a replacement level player.

Very Jason Tyner like if Granite gets dh reps.

If i remember Tyner didnt walk alot so that hurt his obp. If granite is on over 36% of the time he would be fine at dh every now and then

Granite isn't so young or well regarded that he couldn't be a 4th outfielder. But he's also not so good you rearrange your line-up let alone roster for. In my opinion anyway. I doubt he belongs more than Adrianza and Vargas. And he's not in the same level as our current 4 outfielders. He can wait, or we can trade him if another team thinks he's legit. Who fetches more, Grossman or granite? Of course, I've been saying that Kepler is one of a couple guys on the team capable of returning an ace. That window could be shutting already as well... But if it meant getting an ace, ruling with granite is a risk I'd take. I find it unlikely that he's better than what we have.

Garver isn't going to be a better hitter than Vargas.

Then Garver isn't a prospect and the we shouldn't think of him as a solution to any need.

The issue. You have to keep Vargas (or eventually Park) because you do need a first baseman, not a fill-in...unless you give Kepler regular reps and thus eliminate that need.

Why do you need to keep Park (not even on the 40 man) or Vargas? Between Mauer and Sano that position should be fine, and try Grossman or Kepler there.

Generally agree.

 

He certainly hits enough to be a backup catcher (even a really good backup or borderline starter), but not sure if he brings enough glove.

Granite isn't so young or well regarded that he couldn't be a 4th outfielder. But he's also not so good you rearrange your line-up let alone roster for. In my opinion anyway. I doubt he belongs more than Adrianza and Vargas. And he's not in the same level as our current 4 outfielders. He can wait, or we can trade him if another team thinks he's legit. Who fetches more, Grossman or granite? Of course, I've been saying that Kepler is one of a couple guys on the team capable of returning an ace. That window could be shutting already as well... But if it meant getting an ace, ruling with granite is a risk I'd take. I find it unlikely that he's better than what we have.

I agree with the first half of this, but no Twins player not named Miguel will land an ace. It takes package deals of 2+ top prospects for an ace, sometimes 3-5.

I think Granite shows promise, but he'll get his chance. These things tend to work themselves out as the season progresses.