tony&rodney

Arraez is a very good OBP machine and he doesn't hurt too much playing infield. Rooker has unrealized power potential. They both look about the same in left field and the pitchers aren't happy to see their names penciled in there. Remember that mistakes in the infield are usually one base while two bases is the charge for a miscue in the outfield. Pretty much everyone loves to watch Arraez bat. The issue is that he does not have a position with the Twins. This is a tough situation and why this post has many comments.

Congratulations on completing the minor league report for the Twins current system. The videos and posts were absolutely terrific. The videos put a human touch to the names and one can feel the excitement and energy these prospects direct toward their craft. Many of us spend too much time on our addiction to baseball but you must be really driven to feed us these excellent posts. Finally, I sense that these young players can identify with and respect your love of the game because they have enormous commitment and love for the game as shown by their massive efforts to reach their goals and thus they enjoy the interviews and mentions they receive from your posts. Excellent series and wrap - a big thank you for the content.

Unfortunately, this is the crux of every discussion so far in building a team for 2022 and beyond. They have to rebuild the entire rotation from Opening Day 2021 and while the task is difficult it can still be accomplished through a free agent signing and two trades. I'm not yet prepared for 2-3 seasons of 90+ losses.

Simmons has an interesting past with some spectacular defensive seasons. Walls has a bright future and will never be compared to Simmons as a defensive shortstop. There isn't a single team in baseball today that would choose Simmons over Walls for their 2022 team.

Arraez is a great batsman and he does well enough against lefties too. His tenacity at the plate is awesome and may certainly benefit those who follow him in the batting order. The problem with Arraez is not an issue with his skills but rather the lack of a position right now for him in the lineup. This makes him a prime player to consider when looking to trade with another team. It is unlikely that the Twins would put Polanco out as an option in a trade and Donaldson is not very tradable right now. An aside, Donaldson was really good last year and remains a veritable star player. Maybe the Twins find a way to fill their holes in the pitching staff and then Arraez becomes a good offensive utility player.

Cold weather and we are all making our own hot stoves; it's all good. Nothing has changed, but we did learn something .... maybe. The Twins eschewed pretty much all free agent players. They may be waiting for a better value on a couple of players. We also did not see any trades or even read any real rumors concerning the Twins. Perhaps this is closely tied to the CBA. It is pretty clear that the Twins need pitching. Oh, they also need a shortstop and possibly an outfielder. At this point there still are a few free agents worth signing: Carlos Rodon, Trevor Story, and Michael Conforto. There are a ton of players worth trading for and this is why this post is popular. Luis Arraez leads a host of rostered players that can be used to upgrade the team. Donaldson and Sano can still contribute but it is quite unlikely they return anything in a trade right now. All options need to be on the table, including a few of the pitching prospects. The Miami option as submitted above is a positive move. Bassitt or Manaia are solid options and Montas is a great goal. It is unfortunate that Arraez does not have a clear position with the Twins. Polanco needs to stay at 2B and Miranda covers Donaldson at 3B. Arraez is not a DH or an outfielder. San Diego could use Arraez as could Oakland or Miami, but the bottom line is that the Twins must add at least two pitchers.

Aaron played his first dozen years in Milwaukee and was a beloved player for baseball fans in the Midwest, especially Wisconsin and Milwaukee. This is the obvious explanation but I get your point. The Braves may have moved to Atlanta but Milwaukee never left Aaron.

I always thought it would be cool if the Twins had their own Hall of Fame (like they do), put those numbers up around the stadium (they do), but did not retire the numbers. Maybe then fans could watch player X wearing #6 and patrolling the outfield at Target Field and trying to live up to the number. Nothing real against #82, but I can't relate to that number. I also think former players would like to see someone doing their number proud. Always loved Jim Kaat and very happy for him. Joe Nathan sure did the #36 proud playing for the Twins though too.

Polanco as a comparison is a wonderful compliment. Jorge is underrated imho. It is amazing to think about the journey these Latin players face on their efforts to reach the major leagues.

I'm not sure what you are trying to point out or respond to. The players, numbers, and who are all easily looked up and I am aware of each. I wonder if I could have been more clear in what caution I was attempting to convey. Prospect lists are constantly evolving and when someone is reluctant to use any prospects as members in trade for current MLB players because of the potential value of the prospects, there needs to be some understanding of the difficulty of finding success in The Show. Currently, the Twins have a number of pitching prospects and the posts on Twins Daily are overwhelmingly opposed to trading any of these prospects for current MLB pitchers on expiring or two years left contracts. My original comment was just an fyi that there needs to be an awareness and caution to the value of pitching prospects. Prospects that play the field are a different discussion. One can look at a number of years to see the past valuations of pitching prospects. The link you provided is one good example. This was a particularly strong prospect list and delivered a star, Jose Berrios. The Twins also had very high hopes for Tyler Jay, Kohl Stewart, Stephen Gonsalves, Alex Meyer, and Lewis Thorpe to be in their rotation for years and the relief pitching prospects were especially highly thought of and many are still pitching. This particular year was filled with high end prospects, arguably the best of any recent prospect lists. I have wondered whether it is best practice to place so much future planning on just the pitching prospects and wonder if the Twins might consider the use of some of these prospects to trade for current MLB players. An example where this was done was the trade of Brusdar Graterol for Kenta Maeda. Along the same lines, while I have followed the Twins pitching prospects closely and am excited to see a few of them get experience this year, I am in favor of attempting to trade for two experienced MLB pitchers such as Chris Bassit and Frankie Montas. Of course there are other experienced names to consider. This would necessitate a decision on trading two or three pitching prospects. While none of the Twins current prospects are currently rated as highly as Jose Berrios and others were from the 2016 list, a few of them will be good MLB pitchers. The reality is that all of them will not be stars and it seems prudent to use the strength of the current system to help the Twins current roster with just a couple of trades. It is always a risk to trade prospects but when one considers the value in 2016 of the Twins pitching prospects it seems that taking a few risks then may have paid off handsomely. It could now too or it may not; it is a risk for sure.

.... was only referring to past pitching prospects. This was just a note to mention that the Twins have had many pitching prospects through the years, but it is a tough road to be a MLB pitcher. We can look at past lists and see which pitchers made it and then be hopeful yet realistic concerning the current set of prospects.

Great story. Both Taylor and Tyler are fun to watch pitch. I hope they can keep their success going this season.

Sano, Kirilloff, Donaldson, Arraez, Garver, Miranda, Rooker - it's pretty crowded at DH and the corner infield spots. The DH in the NL may create an interest in Sano and there should certainly be some conversations taking place, but Sano is likely to be at first base on Opening Day. That is, he will be if a CBA gets signed. It sure seems like just yesterday the Twins were excited by a power hitting shortstop who might need to move to third base, but would crush home runs and hit for average. Now it's down to the last time or one more chance for the big guy. I'm still hopeful.

This is not about money for the owners, it is about power. Any owner can produce a budget that reflects income minus costs to leave the bottom line reasonably close to their desired line. If certain owners feel that the business of baseball ownership is not worth their investment they could sell their position in a heartbeat. If the owners feel as a group that there needs to be some sharing of economic resources for a common purpose, they need to work those details out within their consortium of MLB owners. The PA has a concern for those players whose careers are still worthy due to production who are set aside for players working at the minimum salary. The idea of a franchise tanking does not sit well with the PA even as it offers economic benefits and a chance to regroup to an owner. The minimum wage players also offer a chance for improved production in the future, but this comes at a short term cost of less competitive baseball, in some views. Their other concerns are mostly undefined. A shortened time, perhaps small, before arbitration and a year less of control should create some movement in bargaining. I wonder if the PA might consider a significant raise in the initial three years of team control as a benefit for their members. A prolonged work stoppage and the interruption of the MLB season will cost both sides, but be particularly difficult for those players whose careers are short. The system currently in place cannot just be blown up and looking to other professional leagues is problematic at best. The PA should be focused on the average salary rising at a commensurate level with baseball's growth in revenues and owners should be focused on the growth of their investment through attendance and fan participation (media). Currently, it seems, both sides are looking past each other and seem short-sighted in regards to growing baseball as a product. As just one example, I would think that the PA would be interested in seeing MLB expand by two teams in the near future. Two additional markets would also benefit the owners. In any event, if the two sides are actually interested in a quick resolution there is ample time for discussion and a host of ideas to exchange to resolve the current chasm. The importance of peace seems particularly important in light of 2020 and the lost participation of fans due to Covid. Any significant further loss of games will find a wider public populace increasingly comfortable with their own summer activities that do not include MLB. It is much easier to find something to do on a beautiful summer evening than during the cold darkness of a January night.

Why does this sound like Baltimore and Pittsburgh? Not your comment but the plan to fail.

I used to imitate Dean Chance and Luis Tiant. When I did this in games opponents were (righfully?) irritated and I was hit a few times as a result when my turn at bat came around. One particular HBP hurt and i stopped the imitations in games. Dean Chance was a terrific pitcher but he made Bert Blyleven look like a good hitter.

Manfredball. Ghost runners on second base will be his legacy.

I guess I don’t see Miranda as that much of a miracle? I don't either, yet he struggled in 2019 because that is what young players often do. I am hopeful that Miranda can take the adjustments he made last season into MLB this year. Rortvedt is a catcher though and the bar is significantly lower, especially if they are good with a glove and Rortvedt has a good glove. If he can duplicate his St. Paul numbers or come close, he would be quite useful. Catchers need to be looked at differently. There simply isn't any other position in baseball similar to it.

The series of reports on minor league prospects, by Seth Stohs in these sets, have grown increasingly detailed throughout the past forty years since Baseball America was founded and largely replaced The Sporting News as a source for baseball information. Seth does a terrific job and places a wealth of information in the hands of the Twins fans. It is always interesting to read and follow the prospects mentioned in the articles. Thank you Seth for such a fine job of setting out a brief report on so many prospects.

I can wait until the season starts to evaluate whether Falvine were "coming to work" enough.

A miracle like Jose Miranda? Rortvedt did ok in St. Paul; he was competent there. He hasn't projected to hit but the exposure and experience gained last year was eye opening for him and like Miranda and others a simple adjustment applied may bring results. This will be an interesting year for both Rortvedt and Miranda.

? - I'll play. LF - Michael Conforto RF - Alex Kirilloff SS - Taylor Walls 1B - Jose Miranda Bc - Ben Rortvedt bat - Brent Rooker utif/of - Nick Gordon utif - Ehire Adrianza Mostly young guys.

Ben Rortvedt. I think he already used up his rookie status and may not be on any of these lists but he was used on the roster much the same as Celestino, meaning before his time. Rortvedt has shown himself to be a good catcher and has displayed his strength. Now he needs to forge his swing to the ball and not be concerned with power. He could develop quickly as a hitter once he looks to just hit line drives. Last year he gave up quite a few at bats swinging out of his shoes at a pitch that was hittable. MLB pitchers usually only give a batter one pitch and wild swings play into the pitcher's hand.

Agree totally. You hit is on the head when you mention the skills of Buxton, Polanco, and Donaldson and I want them to have a reason to play all year. I listened to the first Twins game in 1961 and it isn't likely for me to walk away but it would be really hard to be excited for a team sitting on such excellent players to stroll into the season with a bottom five rotation in all of baseball. It just isn't necessary. I don't get worked up about it really and still expect a free agent or two and a couple of trades to balance the team. I cannot understand those who see a rotation of Bundy, Dobnak, Pineda, Ryan, and Ober and then fold in the prospects as viable as it is too odd to comprehend. We will see what happens. One aspect that is seemingly ignored in the ongoing lockout is the mental preparation that goes into getting primed for a season. This is nearly impossible to quantify and will be equally distributed in any event. One example, in my opinion, was the affect on Lance Lynn of being left behind for too long. These guys are professionals but also people and the psychological side of the game has importance to final production. The money seems pretty good for both sides and there should be a reasonable path to a positive conclusion. Two birds commented on - oh well. Twins win in 2022.

"That possibility makes it more important for the Twins to invest in the 2022 team." Right on. Buxton is primed to party in 2022 and your Option 2 is still very doable and the most effective course of action for now and the next five years. First, the CBA needs some attention which requires a few humans to gather together in a room and talk with each other.