Twins Sent Nine Players To Minor League Camp

I was disappointed to see Vargas get sent down. I was looking forward to a Twins lineup with Sano, Park, Vargas, Dozier and Plouffe lumber in it...

All of this makes sense. Berrios will be called on soon enough. How many other teams in the league can actually improve their rotation by having one of their "Top 5" starters go down?

 

I know you have listed the numbers for each position, but it would be really great if TD would maintain a roster on its page showing who is left at each position.  I am sure we will be down to 2 catchers and 12 pitchers which means there will be seven additional cuts. And if we cut the 6 non-roster players from infield and outfield that still leaves one more.  Of course if we keep 13 pitchers one more must go.  I need help following all these moves.

ROSTER NON-ROSTER   ROSTER NON-ROSTER
  
CATCHERS                        PITCHERS
SUZUKI    CENTENO           E.SANTANA    ABAD
MURPHY  PAULINO            GIBSON          BOSHERS
HICKS                                   HUGHES         DARNELL
                                             DUFFEY          KINZLER
INFIELDERS                        MILONE          RUNZLER
MAUER   BERESFORD       PERKINS
DOZIER      BRITTON          JEPSEN
ESCOBAR   TOVAR             MAY
PLOUFFE                             FIEN
PARK                                   NOLASCO
NUNEZ                                GRAHAM
                                             PRESSLEY
OUTFIELDERS                   O'ROARKE
ROSARIO MASTRIONNI    ROGERS
BUXTON   QUINTON          TONKIN
SANO       SWEENEY 
D.SANTANA  
ARCIA

 

Personally, in this period of the Twins rebuild, I would have explored selling high on Dozier, and going with Polanco. But that's just me.

Not just you.

 

Anyone know the situation with Zach Jones over in Milwaukee? I don't see any stats on him. Chance the Twins get a return in the Rule 5?

Read somewhere that Zach Jones was suffering some physical issues and may start the season on the DL. If so, there is a limit on how long he can be protected on the DL and when that limit is reached, the Brewers may want to return him to the Twins.

I guess I understand why Berrios was sent down, but first off I feel there is hardly anything Berrios can learn in AAA that will ready him more for the Bigs, and secondly if you WANT Berrios to be successful looking at his track record he has been successful on every level, but when he moves up a level it takes some time for him to acclimate himself to that level (except when he pitched in Ft. Meyers). I'd rather see him struggle early rather than watch him struggle at a crucial point in the season. I like him a lot, for being such a highly touted prospect he seems to have the drive, mental, and physical abilities to make it despite his 6' frame. I just hope the Twins don't screw him over just to save a few $$ or service time. But that is just my opinion.

I agree. I think Berrios should have been up last August. But I seriously doubt the Twins are set on gaming Berrios over service time, but rather that there's a belief among many of us here that the Twins front office inherently places too much trust in veterans and older guys at the expense of the younger guys.

That may be true, but honestly I think Berrios is even better than Tyler Duffey and yet Duffey is some how "more MLB ready" than Berrios even though Berrios has by MLB scouts been seen as a much better prospect with a greater pitch selection and simply better pitches as well. Yet one 10 start season has them literally in the corner saying "no, Duffey is virtually a lock even though another pitcher could crack the rotation and be even better than him. And also IMO, Duffey should have been shopped around instead of being treated like a mainstay on the staff, especially when the likes of Stephen Gonsalves, Kohl Stewart, Tyler Jay, and Lewis Thorpe all will be waiting for their turn to crack the rotation as well. Duffey is okay for the present, but not so much the future of the team IMO.

Duffey earned the shot last year, he ran with it and the as it should be gets first crack.  Berrios goes to AAA to get a bit of seasoning at a level he hasn't spent much time at and has every chance to force his way onto the team. 

 

Duffey is an interesting case because of his reliever roots, hes their first transition type that they have picked a few of recently.  A converted closer with the pitch mix to start, if he ends up being a 4 or 5 kinda guy because of stamina/ control/ pitch-ability whatever you can transition him into a back end bullpen role because of stuff. 

 

May is currently the prototype (not knocking May at all!) for this and there are multiple similar profile types in the system.  What is the value of a 4th/5th starter vs a setup guy in today's game?