Twins Non-Roster Spring Training Invites

No Sano?

Add Nick Punto to the list as a minor league deal with a ST invite.

 

He was just released from the A's. 

Twins went from 3rd to tied for 1st  when Hunter and Santana left the team.  Twins went from first to worst when LNP left.   Just sayin.

Disappointed for AB Walker

2 League Championships (2012 & 2014)

Best Record in Minors / MiLB (2013)

Averages: 33 HRs / 124 RBI / 102 Runs / 82% SB Rate / .310 OBP

Midwest League MVP

Mid Season and Post Season All Star 2013 & 2014

Only Spring Training Game (2 for 2 w/Double and HR)

Never Promoted

No AFL appearances

Being a Top 20 Prospect in your 4th season really doesn't mean much within the Twins organization.  How helpful would it have been to learn under Brunansky and Hunter and Vavra and Glynn and Molitor for a kid with "All Star Potential".  Talk about killing a kids spirit.  WOW

Dogs get bigger bones thrown at them than this kid

Most 3rd rounders in their 4th year have received a taste of SS.  He can get sent back down after a week or 2 but at least get a taste.  Learn in practice from the MLB coaches and get a taste of what is expected.  Productive with Flaws deserves at least a week IMO.

No one truly expected Vargas to make that jump to the MLB last year.  Maybe as a September call up because he was on 40 man.  Noone thought he would be as good as he was.  I suspect that the MLB SS gave him much more confidence going forward into his AA season.   Just Saying

Most 3rd rounders in their 4th year have received a taste of SS.  He can get sent back down after a week or 2 but at least get a taste.  Learn in practice from the MLB coaches and get a taste of what is expected.  Productive with Flaws deserves at least a week IMO.

 

No one truly expected Vargas to make that jump to the MLB last year.  Maybe as a September call up because he was on 40 man.  Noone thought he would be as good as he was.  I suspect that the MLB SS gave him much more confidence going forward into his AA season.   Just Saying

I think you answered your own question, Vargas was on the 40 man, Walker is not. Walker was a 3rd round pick, not a 1st round pick like Buxton or Berrios. Walker doesn't need to build up confidence, he needs to improve his walk to strike out ratio, which he can do on the minor league side this spring, and then get a call over to play in a game or two on the big league side... just like Sano and Buxton did in pervious years. 

Lots of good points made here. Not saying it's necessarily the case with ab walker, but I am of the opinion that we could be about 10 percent more aggressive in advancing minor leaguers to the next level. Maybe ab walker to an extent is an example of this. He is sorta mashing.

Wouldn't do me any good if I was .   Just waiting on the kid to get a bone.

Any kind a bone.  He must be destined for the Nylabone (No Taste Walker).

I watched him in Cedar Rapids and became a huge fan.  I feel like I'm a great judge of talent and it just kills me that I'm the only one to be on his band wagon.  I guess that's my hang up.  I get where everyone is coming from - I'm just disappointed because I have never seen the kid shown any tangible love during his career.   I wanted him to practice with the MLB coaches and not just play in a couple of games (1 week). 

Still waiting on rationale for an individual who can have such a terrible OBP yet rank 1st or 2nd on his team in runs scored every year (on championship teams)?  What is the saber metric justification for that result.  I would argue that he probably has as many full counts as anyone on the team as well.  His problem to me is that he is not aggressive enough.  Those are one of the questions I would love to hear what management thinks.  Please ask that one day Seth if you get a chance. 

Surprised on Burdi and Reed or Jones as well.  Figured they would get a taste as well.  (1 week)

Everyone will get a look. But you do have to watch who you bring early to camp. Only so much playing time, folks. And then you start rewarding guys as the roadtrips happen. But your first concern are the guys on the 40-man. You want to see them and send them out soon. If they get disabled, they start the year with a major league salary. Looks like the Twins a pretty set on their minors rosters. They have enough guys to fill the first three levels easily with some spare change. Lots of people at Beloit/extended spring training.

Speaking of surprises, if O'Rourke is as good against LHers as we hear, he might also surprise, though I think it would require the Twins keeping 3 lefties instead of two.

 

Actually, they kept 3 LH relievers last year - Perkins, Duensing and Theilbar.  All 3 are likely to be back, unless they trade Duensing.  It's also unknown what they'll do with Milone.

Everyone will get a look. But you do have to watch who you bring early to camp. Only so much playing time, folks. And then you start rewarding guys as the roadtrips happen. But your first concern are the guys on the 40-man. You want to see them and send them out soon. If they get disabled, they start the year with a major league salary. Looks like the Twins a pretty set on their minors rosters. They have enough guys to fill the first three levels easily with some spare change. Lots of people at Beloit/extended spring training.

Good point that you made here about why some of the Twins' better prospects were the first to be sent across the street to the minor league complex. Always wondered why guys like Brandon Waring, Dan Rohlfing and Doug Bernier hung around to the last days of spring training when they had little chance of making the trip north,  Using this knowledge, I guess we can expect guys like Miguel Sano, Jason Wheeler and Eddie Rosario to get their looks early in the spring (1st couple weeks) and then be sent down. Byron Buxton may actually hang around longer than those guys because there is less risk.

Disappointed for AB Walker

2 League Championships (2012 & 2014)

Best Record in Minors / MiLB (2013)

Averages: 33 HRs / 124 RBI / 102 Runs / 82% SB Rate / .310 OBP

Midwest League MVP

Mid Season and Post Season All Star 2013 & 2014

Only Spring Training Game (2 for 2 w/Double and HR)

Never Promoted

No AFL appearances

 

Being a Top 20 Prospect in your 4th season really doesn't mean much within the Twins organization.  How helpful would it have been to learn under Brunansky and Hunter and Vavra and Glynn and Molitor for a kid with "All Star Potential".  Talk about killing a kids spirit.  WOW

Dogs get bigger bones thrown at them than this kid

Those aren't his stats. He's played three seasons, and you took his numbers and divided by two. He actually averages 22 HRs, 82 RBIs, and 68 R per year. 

He's 22 years old and played High-A last year. He's below the average age for the league, and he's been promoted twice. If he hadn't been promoted, he'd still be at E-town.

And frankly, if his make-up is such that not getting to spend about a week in spring training at age 22 is going to "kill his spirit", then we should trade him now before his psyche is completely crushed by the world.

Hamburger will get his chance during the season if he produces in the minors. He's probably drawing a decent salary, and the Twins will give him every opportunity, if they need to, avoid adding a long-term guy to the roster.

Anyone catch that the Twins have signed lefty Will Ledezma to a minor league contract?