You've Never Heard of This Twins Prospect, But His Story and Skills Should Change That

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I don't want to get my hopes up too much as I felt this way about Shuffield as well. 

That is the exact comp I was thinking about. He has a lot of hurdles to clear if he's going to make it to MLB, including perception. Like Shuffield, he may end up being a guy who bounces around the minors wherever the team needs him. Great story! Rooting for him.

Thanks Cody, he has been on my radar, his character is what stands out & I wanted to find out more about him. He basically plays 2B so it'll be super difficult to break through to MLB with MN with such a high glut of 2Bmen. But I'm rooting for him to find his way.

6 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Thanks Cody, he has been on my radar, his character is what stands out & I wanted to find out more about him. He basically plays 2B so it'll be super difficult to break through to MLB with MN with such a high glut of 2Bmen. But I'm rooting for him to find his way.

The Twins don't have a 2nd baseman. Is it Castro, Farmer, Lee, the cry is out to bring him up (bighats demand)Julien? Where's the glut? More like flavor of the day. And what kind of starter the Twins are facing that dictates who's playing there.

Cody - How does his defensive profile look?   Thanks for the article.   

great story and wish him the best, but a 24 year old with 21 at bats above A ball doesn't seem like a guy that is ever going to sniff the majors, but I would love to be wrong and hopes he rips it up in high A and quickly moves to AA and does the same.

Yeah, hopefully he continues to excel and gets another promotion up to AA by August where he should be if he's going to continue his career. Best of luck to him. 

3 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

The Twins don't have a 2nd baseman. Is it Castro, Farmer, Lee, the cry is out to bring him up (bighats demand)Julien? Where's the glut? More like flavor of the day. And what kind of starter the Twins are facing that dictates who's playing there.

Even on the roster we have Castro, Farmer, Martin, Lewis, with Lee & Julien ready to come up at the MLB level that can play 2B (that's the meaning of a 2Bman besides being able to have good range & turn a smooth DP). & the list is great throughout AAA, AA & high A. The glut is throughout the system. Forgive me if I don't make an exhaustive list. They are expanding Salas to the OF from the INF, because there is so many 2Bmen.

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Even on the roster we have Castro, Farmer, Martin, Lewis, with Lee & Julien ready to come up at the MLB level that can play 2B (that's the meaning of a 2Bman besides being able to have good range & turn a smooth DP). & the list is great throughout AAA, AA & high A. The glut is throughout the system. Forgive me if I don't make an exhaustive list. They are expanding Salas to the OF from the INF, because there is so many 2Bmen.

You just made my point. They have plenty of guys who can play 2nd base. They still don't have a 2nd baseman. They have a SS they have  1st and 3rd base covered. The have a RF. CF is covered when Buxton plays. Otherwise it's musical chairs. One day Castro one day Martin. Margot has played there. That doesn't make them CFers. If the Twins are moving guys in the minors, it's simply because they're not suited to that position. 

4 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Even on the roster we have Castro, Farmer

That is where the 2nd baseman who is good to OK stops.

Lewis is not going any where but 3rd, ever; Martin and is in the outfield because he is not good in the infield and Lee knows as much about playing 2nd base as he does about being a catcher.

I would rather have Wallner at 2nd than Julien.

9 hours ago, RpR said:

That is where the 2nd baseman who is good to OK stops.

Lewis is not going any where but 3rd, ever; Martin and is in the outfield because he is not good in the infield and Lee knows as much about playing 2nd base as he does about being a catcher.

I would rather have Wallner at 2nd than Julien.

I'm afraid that our opinion of good is a lot different than management and theirs is the one that counts. 

Terriffic story Cody and a guy easy to root for.  Look forward to seeing him play for the Kernels in July when we head to Iowa for our baseball road trip.

Not saying the kid will ever make majors or do anything if he does, but I hate when teams say because of height someone cannot get it done.  Yes, is it rare sure, but clearly they can do it.  Jose Altuve for years, even when he was getting it done at majors still was talked about that he will regress and never hit for any power. His first 4 years in league age 21 through hit for minimal power but had decent OBP.  Then he added the power. 

I bet if Puckett was around now, he would get passed over as well, he was only 5'8" and was not a power hitter when he first started.  Puckett played in era where getting hits was valued even if not for power, so he got a shot, then developed power.  No way would he have been given same shot these days.  Altuve, was signed when 16 so they may have thought growth was still coming, and he just kept hitting for average and a little power that he forced his way onto the team.  However, if he was born in US, I bet it would have taken much longer for him to get a shot, and similar to the kid in the article would have been passed over by teams. 

This is similar to Arraez situation, guy that has always hit for high average, but lacks the HR pop.  It really comes down to philosophy on do you want more power and extra base hits, or do you want guys that get hit generally and get on base?  Personally, I think a mix for a team is needed, and that is what used to be the norm, but many have switched to just extra base hits. 

I hope the kid keeps on hitting and forces some hands in next year.  At age 24 if he keeps hitting he could climb up to AA by end of year, and at 25 next year start there and move up to AAA and possible have a few good years in MLB.