tony&rodney

Small market teams are not allowed to defer contracts to the level of the Dodgers by MLB because they don't have the money to set aside.

Vegas just put the line at 2.1 of the these 10.

John Bonnes, Twins Daily people, anyone in Ft. Myers, Where is Payton Eeles? I'm guessing he must be injured. If not today was strange because most of the players in Lakeland are not on the 40 person roster and only a few will ever have the success in any minor league season or have the potential of Eeles. Or has Eeles been elevated to the A team? Someone must know something.

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Always enjoy watching the young players play. Does anyone know what happened to Payton Eeles? There were about 20 guys suited up today who would be overjoyed to ever put up numbers like Eeles did last year at AAA. Is he injured? Too short?

Correct. The reason I posed the question in that manner is because I have been wondering for a while about how little faith the Twins appear to have in their young players. I'm not trying to boost this player or that guy but the history of this front office is peculiar. We read often about "the Pohlads" but seldom hear much about the front office. I don't know if it is important or not but the Twins have spent more money on payroll than any team in their division and much more than many other squads including Milwaukee and Tampa Bay during the reign of the current FO. Meanwhile, there seems to be an aversion to playing rookies. So this was just things I wonder about and question.

Interesting thoughts. Seems almost a given from article that the best team possible is rostered later in the year.

I'm fine with Vazquez and Jeffers as the catchers. My concern looks forward. Last October my first thoughts and ideas were towards adding 1-3 catching prospects via trade. Naturally, teams may not be amenable to trading their guys no matter what the offers. Perhaps the Twins tried, I have no idea. Picking up Cartaya was a good start. I will throw out my first idea and one other, both which may not be enough, possible, and each player could crater. First idea is to offer Brooks Lee for Jeferson Quero. Add Jorge Alcala if Milwaukee is open to the idea but wants more. Another idea is to offer Trevor Larnach for Endy Rodriguez. That would hurt the Twins a little bit. The present situation is decent but the team should consider how the position looks going forward.

Good call. Max was a rookie in 2016. He did get some at bats in 2015. Good to see what players have been put out there though. I wonder if we shall see one during the current front office reign?

I shall allow someone else to delve into the specific numbers but only two rookies (Arraez, Julien) received any votes for ROY since 2017. This lags far behind the votes received previously for rookies under prior front offices in the 21st century. My best guess for 2000-2016 would be 9-12 players receiving votes for ROY.

FYI. My comment was a reference to last March when I went to a number of high school games involving nationally ranked teams and marveled at the number of kids throwing in the 90s. In every game there were kids throwing 75-85 and one throwing 90-95. The wide variety of talent on display was impressive and a couple of those kids signed last summer.

True, neither threw very hard. They couldn't have because that was long ago.

Doc Gooden

I'm not suggesting who is or who isn't ready. I'm questioning the decisions and record. "To add on to this if you bring him up before he is ready you start the service time clock ticking. So between that and the 40 man factor I don’t see him up with the Twins this year barring crazy injuries." - Linus You said that if you bring a player up before they are ready the clock starts and also the use of the 40 person roster spot. You don't think Keaschall gets a shot until something crazy or an injury happens. Is this close? I'm questioning the decision-making process over time of when a player is ready.

Never doubt yourself. It leads to the wrong path.

When is a player ready? Some teams have no problem bringing a player directly from A+ or AA. Even the mighty NYY put Anthony Volpe at shortstop after 22 games at AAA. Volpe is a good player but hardly an All Star. The service clock is never a reason to lose games playing inferior talent. I'm not expecting anything but it seems radical to never play a rookie until nobody is left as an option.

Aaron Hicks. Yes. Thank you, I missed him. Felt I was missing a player too. I didn't consider players who had played substantially in another country's MLB. Does Aaron Hicks and his failure to star make him responsible for no more chances for rookies? JK.

The number of tools used in the last decade plus to assist pitchers has led to an explosion of talented arms across baseball. Watching a few skinny high school kids throw in the 90s, you know that a college or MLB organization will boost that kid up a notch. Pitching has become almost scary. I was also pleased to see the Twins draft and sign Dasan Hill after reading about him. The placement of his draft position reflects that Hill was seen as a project but also worth going over slot. Health will be a crucial factor in his year as stated in the article.

I'm not in a position to judge who is talented enough or deserves a roster position for an MLB roster, a factual "no duh" comment. Numerous young players, who would qualify as rookies and a few with minimal experience, have quite a bit of skill yet to learn at the minor league levels. Repetitions and regular game action are, IMO, important to the development of any player. Luke Keaschall, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Payton Eeles, and others may need further skill development and consistent every day plate appearances to prepare them for the rigors of MLB competition. As a fan I cannot argue that point. However, are they already superior in talent to those holding a position above them and more likely to make a significant impact at the MLB level? When I look over the past 20 years of Twins baseball I couldn't find a single position player who was elevated to the lineup and given a shot to play at the MLB level. Did I miss someone? (Nishioka came over from Japan and had won a batting championship there. I don't consider Japanese baseball as a minor league experience.) That may be true of other teams as well, I simply don't know. The Twins have to go back to Joe Mauer. What does this say about the talent, development, or decision-making of the Twins? Anything? Maybe not. How many plate appearances will Walker Jenkins need? Emmanuel Rodriguez? If Julien needs time at 1B and Brooks Lee needs reps at 2B in St. Paul, how does that impact either Keaschall or Eeles? Jackson Holliday and Jackson Chourio were hyped prospects who received a long run before one succeeded and the other was sent back to AAA. Jackson Merrill had 300 PA at A+, 211 PA at AA, and zero at AAA before he was plopped into CF, a position he had never played, by the San Diego Padres. Merrill was not viewed in the same tier as either Holliday or Chourio (a tier where Jenkins currently resides) but was essentially in the same tier of prospect as Emmanuel Rodriguez and Luke Keaschall. Apparently the Padres saw something in their prospect that the Twins don't ever seem to see in their prospects. While I don't necessarily question any of the specific current decisions related to any specific rookies, I do question why it takes a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Fame player before the Twins take a chance on playing a prospect. I also wonder what some of the coaches believe, but from prior experience know this will never be known.

Leadership on a team is seldom something those outside a team are totally aware of because there are many facets. Puckett stood out whereas many others, including Correa and Buxton, may be identified and serve as go to interviews but not necessarily be completely identified as "leaders" for the entire team. It is complicated. Buxton seems to work hard at being friendly, available, and nonjudgmental. I laud him for those qualities.

The list of Twins core players stops after Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa. The catching tandem is fine and it is hopeful those two can fill the position one more time in 2025. After that it is a fair amount of hope based on promise, expectations, and health. Keaschall has a good shot at being a really good MLB player. The Twins need to find him a position at some point although he could easily just slide along as a DH, 1B, 2B, OF option until his arm and potential fielding skills allow him to settle at one position. One question remains - Can anyone identify the last Twins rookie to be inserted into an Opening Day lineup and given the time and at bats to prove themselves versus patiently waiting for an injury to open a spot?

Hold your to your instincts. Jacque Jones should be the answer. Feet and hands.

Jorge Polanco has bigger hands. I'll guess Jacque Jones.

"The Twins have the pieces to astound a lot of observers. It'll require some luck and unexpected consistency, but there is no reason to believe such an outcome isn't in its grasp. I might be guilty of rose-colored glasses, but I would forever prefer that to any other perspective." This, in a nut shell, is why every team including the Twins has optimism every Spring Training. My guess is the Twins win the World Series because it is possible as of today. As far as any anxiety related to payroll, I have never had a dose of that disease which so widely infected Twins Territory. The way I see it the Twins miraculously escaped signing the two most popular and called for free agent choices from last offseason, Rhys Hoskins and Jordan Montgomery. I guess a trade for Anthony Rendon might have been worse. I'm thinking positively for our guys. Go Twins in 2025.

" .... It fueled us in the front office to think about what we can do to be better." ?