stringer bell

José Miranda was recalled due to injuries and has played very well. He's almost exclusively played third base and has showed no signs that he surgically repaired shoulder is limiting him. He's hitting .269 with an OPS+ of 113. He's hit left handed pitching well (.847 OPS) and held his own against right handed pitching (.702 OPS). That sounds like a middle-tier regular major league ballplayer. There won't be a defined place for José to play as soon as Royce Lewis returns (projected next month) to the Twins. I see a very narrow window for him to establish himself as a major league regular. #1--Advanced hitting metrics. Miranda's average exit velocity is 87.2 MPH, while his hard-hit rate is 31.9%, both pretty far below MLB average. This doesn't forecast improvement from his current numbers and wouldn't project to any more than average major league power numbers. #2--Physical limitations--Even with a healthy wing, Miranda has at best an average arm for third base. He has below-average speed and is not an adept base runner. #3--Low walk numbers. This is a bit of a double edged sword--Miranda has a low strikeout rate, but his walk rate is even further below the mean. Despite a decent batting average, José has only a .307 OBP so far this year and in 749 plate appearances in his career his OBP is .310. IMHO, José Miranda needs to be a far above average hitter in order to make up for his meh defense at low on the defensive spectrum positions. He has put up slightly above average numbers, but not enough to cancel out his so-so defensive value and lack of foot speed. Miranda is only 25 (26 next month) and an adjustment or two might raise his ceiling. In particular, if he could be more selective at the plate, he would get better pitches to hit and hit them hard. If he can develop into a true middle-of-the-order hitter, the Twins or another team would find a place for him to play.

Several topics here. 1) Keirsey Jr. is the bright, shiny object at St. Paul right now. I suspect he's most like Andrew Stevenson, except that he has no major league experience. That said (and this thread is about defense), he is probably the best defensive option not named Byron Buxton in the Twins' system. 2) Austin Martin is where he needs to be right now--getting experience in the outfield and raking at Triple A. Injuries have put Martin at a point where he is an "old" prospect without a defined position. If he can show top of the order on-base skills and abilities and be an elite base runner/stealer, he could be a regular. Otherwise, he's a "utility" player without a lot of utility (second base, left field and stretched in center). He hasn't put together his skill set to be even an average defender but the skills are there to be better than what he's shown. 3) Willi Castro should have been considered for a Gold Glove as a utility player last year IMHO. He was very good in left field and third base (where he'd previously hardly played) and satisfactory in center last year. This year, he's been called on to play shortstop and center in the absence of Correa and Buxton and has shown why he's not a big league regular at those positions. Playing Castro in center once a week is okay, but playing him there for five or six games a week isn't optimum. 4) Alex Kirilloff isn't a great outfielder, has never been projected to be a good outfielder and his eventual position has been pegged at first base. It's nice to have the versatility of having a first baseman that "can play" outfield, but having AK get 90% of his defensive reps as an outfielder don't serve him well. As a first baseman, I watched Kirilloff in ST work at the gateway and I thought he looked excellent as a 1B. Justin Morneau said the exact same thing on one of the broadcasts this year. I've always thought Kirilloff would be an elite hitter and that plus defense would be a bonus. So far we've gotten neither with a few glimpses of what is possible. Morneau has frequently pointed out the advantages a left handed first baseman provided and Kirilloff is a lefty. I'd like to see what he could do with an extended run at first base. 5) We don't know if Jeffers would hold up as a more regular catcher. I think we are at a point where that chance should be taken. Vázquez has given the Twins next to nothing as an offensive player.

"Not overpowering" would be an apt description for Richardson's stuff as illustrated by the low K rate. He doesn't get many swings and misses and as the pitcher he is now, he is going to be subject to some games where the BABiP is high. Except for one game, hitters haven't really squared up many pitches. He has been on a pretty short leash, which makes sense IMHO.

A truly historic win for a franchise that doesn't have much positive history. I see the early line is that the Wolves are a 4.5 pt. favorite against Dallas, so behind only Boston, Minnesota is the second pick to win it all. I expect a tough series vs. the Mavericks, but the Timberwolves could and should have a great chance to win.

I think Buck played consecutive games on consecutive days in center field only once or twice in April. I didn’t have the privilege of watching last night, so I have no opinion on Buxton’s health.

A good lefty traded for a good SS. Just think if the money he would earn if he was playing at this time.

The underlying numbers for Jackson aren’t bad. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone claims him. Dylan Floro couldn’t work a clean inning for the Twins. He’s compiling good to great numbers for the Nats with little change in exit velo, GB/FB rate, strand rate etc. So sometimes the stuff doesn’t change, luck does.

I don't think Alcalá has been down long enough to be recalled without a disabling injury. It probably makes sense for Boushley to occupy a long-relief spot. I hope he gets a chance this time.

Jackson DFA, Boushley recalled from St. Paul. This does create a 40-man spot.

Two former Twins died at age 79--Buzz Stephan (a pitcher) and Tom Tischinski (a catcher). Both had brief careers, primarily with the Twins.

Leadoff hit for the Twins leads to nothing, leadoff hit for Guards............

When a major league team isn’t hitting, they don’t look good. The Twins mistakesxof the past days would be largely papered over if they were scoring five runs a game. Sadly, they are not. Most of the hits that SWR allowed were softly hit, while the Twins hit a couple of missiles and also GDPed three times. The strikeouts haven’t been off the charts, but not enough (almost none) of the hitters are clicking.

I thought he was inches on the SS side, but the people in New York get more angles.

Shift violation?

Great play by Correa on the second softly hit ball of the inning.

Twins pitchers get a lot of strikeouts and fly balls. Not so much for grounders.

Still not sold on Sands, although I've seen a lot of good pitches from him. I still think his command is suspect and he doesn't have enough stuff when pitching down in the count.

On track to hit into nine double plays today.

Now 3-36. I didn't see the Yankee series, but it looked like he hit the ball hard a few times.

I was encouraged about Martin this spring by a positive article by Patrick Reusse (hardly a starry-eyed optimist) and later the decision by Rocco (a former CF) to put Martin in center over either Castro or Margot. My hope was that Martin could win near-regular playing time in left field and as an alternate when Buxton was rested or injured. It hasn't panned out that way. Martin is 25. It's hard to expect big leaps in the areas where he is lacking. Perhaps he can become an elite OBP guy who wreaks some havoc on the bases.

I think Martin will be headed back to St. Paul after the Yankee series, barring a disabling injury for a current Twins player and I think the demotion is fair, if not deserved. At the plate, Martin has performed pretty much as expected—good contact skills, little power. The batting average and OBP are low, but for essentially a maiden voyage in the majors, he’s done okay. Defensively, Martin has divided his time between left and center field, with just a cameo at second base. From what I’ve seen, the results are disappointing and I missed seeing the game last night and the one on Easter Sunday—two games where Martin’s play in the OF was panned. Teams have taken extra bases on Martin’s arm and he’s made that problem worse by throwing to the wrong base. His route running has been at best adequate. Austin has good speed and has been able to easily swipe bases, but from my observation that good speed hasn’t converted to great range in the outfield. Martin has played about twice as many minor league innings in the infield, but it does seem like opportunity with the Twins is in the outfield. If he wants to thrive, he needs to be a much better defensive outfielder and perhaps he will make better decisions with more experience, but it doesn’t make his arm an asset. So far, Martin looks like a marginal player with minimal upside. Unless his assets (base running, OBP) become elite or he improves his outfield defense significantly, his role in the majors will remain limited (IMHO obviously).

I’ve sung Willi’s praises for a while, but he’s not a regular center fielder. I didn’t see the game on Tuesday, but it sounds like he had a rough game out there. It’s a continuation of his defensive struggles at a key position. I think Willi’s best defensive position is left field and he’s been good at third base. He was passable at short filling in for Correa and has struggled in center.

It was only one game, granted one of their worst of the season. The Twins start two of their top guys the next two days. Winning today and tomorrow afternoon would make it a lot easier to forget last night's poor performance.

Life of Brian?

Ahem