stringer bell

This will close out my postseason reviews of position players. Parmelee and Nuñez spent a majority of the season with the Twins. Even absent significant injuries, they didn't start many games. Schafer was claimed from the Braves and played regularly. All three players had their moments, but most likely won't seriously compete for a starting spot in 2015. There is a significant possibility that one or more of these players will be cut loose in the offseason.Parmelee: Chris Parmelee had chances to claim a regular position with the Twins in 2012 and 2013. In 2012 Parmelee started at first base to start the season after a very successful September audition. Justin Morneau was coming off a severe concussion and was slated to be the DH. Parmelee was given first base. He played acceptable defense, but failed to hit. Parmelee was sent to Rochester where he crushed AAA pitching, but failed to sustain his swing when recalled by the Twins. In 2013, Parm got the starting nod as the right fielder. He surprised many by being an acceptable right fielder, although he lacked speed. Again, his bat failed him and he was eventually sent to Rochester. In 2014, Parmelee competed again for a roster spot and lost out. Out of options, he was outrighted to Rochester when no one claimed him. In 32 games, Parmelee hit well, coming up with a .920 OPS and maintaining a batting average over .300. When the Twins suffered a rash of injuries, Chris was recalled and did not return to the minors. Parmelee split his playing time three ways, starting 14 games in left, 28 in right, 16 at first, and one in center field. Parmelee was inconsistent at the plate, at some points hitting in the middle of the order and other times slumping dramatically. His final numbers were so-so--a .691 OPS (94 OPS+). Probably the most striking stat was Parmelee's platoon split. Despite batting left-handed, his OPS vs. left handed pitching was .859, with a .325 batting average. Chris was also the Twins top pinch hitter. He was 5-13 with 7 RBI. Parmelee didn't get much of an audition late in the season, indicating that the coaching staff pretty much knew what they had. It appears Parmelee's chances of competing for a starting spot are over with the Twins. I think that if other roster moves work out that Parmelee could be a pretty good bench player. As a hitter, he has shown he can hit against lefties and has been pretty effective as a pinch hitter. He's shown he is an acceptable corner OF, as well as a good defensive first baseman. Nuñez: Eduardo Nuñez was once regarded as the probable successor to Derek Jeter. Bad defense and unspectacular offense lowered the expectation to that of competing for a utility spot on the Yankees. In spring training, he lost out for that job and was designated for assignment. The Twins claimed Eduardo and early in May, he was recalled. Nuñez was primarily a backup, and he got at-bats at several positions. He started 17 games at short, 12 at third, and 11 in the outfield (10 in left, one in right). Metrics indicate that Nuñez was pretty good in the outfield, decent at short, but subpar at third. He seemed uncomfortable in the outfield, surprisingly good at short and third. With the bat, Nuñez had some moments, but overall was not a great hitter. He showed very good speed on the bases and a bit of pop. Like Parmelee, Nunez also had "reverse" platoon splits. The right-handed hitter put up solid numbers against right-handers (716 OPS), but struggled against lefties (586 OPS). The future for Nuñez is fairly cloudy, partly because he is eligible for arbitration. With no more additions, he has a good chance of claiming a utility spot on the 2015 Twins. As noted, he offers good speed, some versatility and some pop for a utility player. His defense isn't outstanding and he is 27, so it is unlikely he will get substantially better either at the plate or in the field. In short stints, he has provided a shot in the arm for the Twins. Schafer: Jordan Schafer was once a top prospect for the Braves. However. poor performance, off-field problems and injuries combined to short circuit his trials with the Braves and the Astros. Schafer was designated for assignment at the trade deadline and the Twins claimed him and immediately used him regularly, mostly as the left fielder. More regular play netted improved performance. Schafer eclipsed almost all of his Brave stats in a month, reaching base at a good clip, stealing bases and playing good defense in both left and center. Schafer hit .333 with an OPS of .831 in August. He tailed off in September, compounded by a non-throwing shoulder injury. He finished his two-month trial with the Twins with a .285 average, .707 OPS (100 OPS+) and 15 stolen bases in 147 plate appearances (roughly a quarter of the season). The left-handed hitting Schafer posted severe platoon splits for both the Braves and the Twins in 2014. He had an OPS of .822 (.326 BA) against right handed pitchers, but had a near-helpless .388 OPS (.171 BA) against same-handed hurlers. Schafer displayed one outstanding skill -- he is an very good base stealer. He swiped 15 bases in his limited time with the Twins. His defense rated as good, especially in left field which is a new position for him. Going forward, the Twins must decide what to do with the arb-eligible Schafer. Given his good performance late in 2014 and the lack of great internal options, I expect the Twins will find a way to retain him. Schafer will likely compete for a starting spot, but his probable landing spot is fourth or platoon OF. Having the skill of an accomplished base thief gives him a leg up to be a helpful bench player. His poor performance against southpaws would limit him to being a platoon player at best. At 28 years of age, the most the Twins can hope for from Schafer would be to see what they saw in August and September. Schafer could be a helpful player for an improving Twins team. I think all three players profiled here are big-leaguers, but none of them will ever be more than part-time players. None of them are really young (Parm 26, Nuñez 27, and Schafer 28), but all seem to have skills that could help them be helpful bench guys. Nuñez plays both infield and outfield, Parmelee plays first and the outfield corners and Schafer looks like a three-position outfielder. Nuñez and Schafer have good speed and Schafer appears to be an elite base stealer. Parmelee had a good season (SSS) pinch-hitting and facing LH pitching. Ideally, bench players would provide high-quality defense, but that's not the case here. Acquisitions and DFAs will probably determine whether all three guys remain with the Twins. Click here to view the article

Barring injury, Phil Hughes will be the opening day starting pitcher for the Twins in 2015. Hughes pitched in 2014 as a 28-year old, so he was one of the younger free-agent signees inked in the offseason. He was the Twins best and most reliable starting pitcher last year by far. Hughes was signed to a three-year $24M contract coming off a 4-14 season with the New York Yankees, a team that won 85 games. Hughes had allowed 24 homers in 145+ innings for the Yanks and the thought was that a new location and less pressure would allow for improvement.It was not just improvement, but a sea change. Hughes started rather slowly in April, not getting his first win until his fourth start and recording a 5.14 ERA for the month. Hughes walked six batters in his first four starts, then proceeded to walk 10 (10!) in his final 28 starts. He was regarded as a pitcher with good control, but nothing like what he put up this season. He kept his team in the game almost every outing. He struck out eight hitters per nine innings while walking .7 per nine, setting a record for the highest K/BB ratio in a single season and leading the league with fewest walks per innings pitched. Hughes' 3.52 ERA was good, but his FIP of 2.65 was much better. Hughes this week earned Twins Diamond Award hardware as both Pitcher of the Year and MVP. His fine season was arguably the best by a free agent signee this year. Now, as we turn the page to 2015, we all wonder if Hughes can sustain his excellent 2014 campaign. He did set a career high for innings pitched and batters faced, and he's coming off a season when he allowed only .7 homers per nine, about half his mark in New York. Also, Hughes has had strong seasons in even-numbered years. Can he break the jinx and put up good numbers in consecutive seasons? There are reasons to expect some regression, but also reasons to believe Hughes has "found it". there isn't really another season where he practically walked no one. However, there is hope he will be backed by an improved defensive outfield. I also can't see Hughes continuing to suppress home runs as well as he did in 2014. It does make sense that Hughes would perform closer to his FIP and perhaps allow a lower number of hits per inning pitched. Hughes' ability to "pound the strike zone" seems ingrained in his approach and has, no doubt, been effective for him. Hughes was regarded as an extreme fly ball pitcher and indeed he has allowed many balls to be put in the air. His air out percentage is one of the higher ones in the league, but it has worked for him. With all the failures of pitchers brought in to the Twins, Hughes was both a pleasant surprise and an advertisement that finding the right free agent is possible. Any thought of contending revolves around him backing up last year's success with another strong season. Click here to view the article

70 wins can turn into 85 with improved pitching from Starters #3-5, improved offense and defense from left field and no drop-offs elsewhere. Improvement and full season from Arcia, a return to form for Mauer and some help from the farm system should offset regression from guys who surprised last year. Pitchers get hurt and are ineffective. I think adding one more starter (Masterson) would solidify the rotation a bit. I also think adding a RH defense-first guy (Bourgos or Gentry) would help the OF. I say that Schafer showed more in two months than Hicks showed in two seasons, plus at 28 he isn't a prospect to be protected.

Doing well so far. 4-11 with a homer and three walks. However, I don't see any major leaguers playing in Winter League. Do they usually play later in their season?

This will close out my postseason reviews of position players. Parmelee and Nuñez spent a majority of the season with the Twins. Absent significant injuries, they didn't start many games. Schafer was claimed from the Braves and played regularly. All three players had their moments, but most likely won't seriously compete for a starting spot in 2015. There is a significant possibility that one or more of these players will be cut loose in the offseason. Parmelee: Chris Parmelee had chances to claim a regular position with the Twins in 2012 and 2013. In 2012 Parmelee started at first base to start the season after a very successful September audition. Justin Morneau was coming off a severe concussion and was slated to be the DH. Parmelee was given first base. He played acceptable defense, but failed to hit. Parmelee was sent to Rochester where he crushed AAA pitching, but failed to sustain his swing when recalled by the Twins. In 2013, Parm got the starting nod as the right fielder. He surprised many by being an acceptable right fielder, although he lacked speed. Again, the bat failed him and he was eventually sent to Rochester. In 2014, Parmelee competed again for a roster spot and lost out. Out of options, he was outrighted to Rochester when no one claimed him. In 32 games, Parmelee hit well, coming up with a .920 OPS and maintaining a batting average over .300. When the Twins suffered a rash of injuries, Chris was recalled and did not return to the minors. Parmelee split his playing time three ways, starting 14 games in left, 28 in right, 16 at first, and one in center field. Parmelee was inconsistent at the plate, at some points hitting in the middle of the order and other times slumping dramatically. His final numbers were so-so--a .691 OPS (94 OPS+). Probably the most striking stat was Parmelee's platoon split. His OPS vs. left handed pitching was .859, with a .325 batting average. Chris was also the Twins top pinch hitter. He was 5-13 with 7 RBI. Parmelee didn't get much of an audition late in the season, indicating that the coaching staff pretty much knew what they had. It appears Parmelee's chances of competing for a starting spot are over with the Twins. I think that if other roster moves work out that Parmelee could be a pretty good bench player. As a hitter, he has shown he can hit against lefties and has been pretty effective as a pinch hitter. He's shown he is an acceptable corner OF, as well as a good defensive first baseman. Nuñez: Eduardo Nuñez was once regarded as the probable successor for Derek Jeter. Bad defense and unspectacular offense lowered the expectation to competing for a utility spot on the Yankees. In spring training, he lost out for that job and was DFAed. The Twins claimed Eduardo and early in May, he was recalled. Nuñez was primarily a backup, and he got at-bats at several positions. He started 17 games at short, 12 at third, and 11 in the outfield (10 in left, one in right). Metrics indicate that Nuñez was pretty good in the outfield, decent at short, but subpar at third. I thought he was uncomfortable in the outfield, surprisingly good at short and third. With the bat, Nuñez had some moments, but overall was not a great hitter. He showed very good speed on the bases and a bit of pop. Probably most surprising was the platoon splits. Eduardo hit well against right handers, but struggled against lefties, putting up an OPS of .716 vs. righties, but of .586 against southpaws. The future for Nuñez is pretty cloudy. With no more additions, he has a good chance of claiming a utility spot on the 2015 Twins. As noted, he offers good speed, some versatility, and some pop for a utility player. His defense isn't outstanding and he is 27, so it is unlikely he will get substantially better either at the plate or in the field. In short stints, he has provided a shot in the arm for the Twins. Schafer: Jordan Schafer was once a top prospect for the Braves. He had had opportunities, but poor performance, off-field problems and injuries combined to short circuit his trials with the Braves and the Astros. The Braves DFAed Schafer at the trade deadline after poor performance as the last man on the bench for a contending team. The Twins claimed Jordan and immediately used him regularly, mostly as the left fielder. Regular play netted improved performance. Schafer eclipsed almost all of his Brave stats in a month, reaching base at a good clip, stealing bases and playing good defense in both left and center. Schafer hit .333 with an OPS of .831 in August. He tailed off in September, compounded by a non-throwing shoulder injury. He finished his two-month trial with the Twins with a .285 average, .707 OPS (100 OPS+) and 15 stolen bases in 147 plate appearances (roughly a quarter of the season). Schafer posted severe platoon splits for both the Braves and the Twins in 2014. He had an OPS of .822 (.326 BA) against right handed pitchers, but had a near-helpless .388 OPS (.171 BA) against same-handed hurlers. Schafer displayed one outstanding skill--he is an outstanding base stealer. He swiped 15 bases in his limited time with the Twins. His defense rated as pretty good, especially in left field, a new position for him. Going forward, the Twins must decide what to do with the arb-eligible Schafer. Given his good performance late in 2014 and the lack of great internal options, I expect that the Twins will find a way to retain him. I expect that Schafer will compete for a starting spot, but his likely landing spot is fourth or platoon OF. Having the skill of being an accomplished base thief gives him a leg up to be a helpful bench player. His poor performance against LH pitching would limit him to being a platoon player at best. At 28 years of age, the most the Twins can hope for from Schafer would be to see what they saw from him in August and September. I think that Schafer can be a helpful player for an improving Twins team. I think all three players profiled here are big-leaguers. I don't think any of them will ever be more than a part-time player. None of the guys is really young (Parm 26, Nuñez 27, and Schafer 28), but all seem to have skills that could help them be helpful bench guys. Nuñez plays both infield and outfield, Parmelee plays first and the outfield corners and Schafer looks like a three-positon outfielder. Nuñez and Schafer have good speed and Schafer appears to be an elite base stealer. Parmelee had a good season (SSS) pinch-hitting and facing LH pitching. Ideally, bench players should provide high-quality defense, and that's not the case here. Acquisitions and DFAs will probably determine whether all three guys remain with the Twins.

Isn't it likely that the two things are interrelated? In order to get on base more, he seems to have sacrificed power. I didn't see him hit the ball hard at all this year and he increased his OBP mostly by taking more walks. Hicks used his good strike zone judgment to go deep in counts, but the passive approach also robbed him of power perhaps. I'll say again that his offense isn't good enough to be a regular in the major leagues. Until he proves he is a good enough hitter, he should be working on it in the minors.

I'm trying to be evenhanded here. Aaron Hicks' OBP increased substantially from 2013 to 2014. but it was at the expense of power. In '13, Hicks had 22 XBH in 313 PAs and had a slugging avg of .338, this year Hicks' slugging decreased to a miserable .274, with nine XBH in 181 PAs. That's Jamey Carroll and Nick Punto territory for slugging. This version of Hicks isn't good enough to play in the majors. I think there is a better player there, but he needs to prove it and develop in Triple A. In light of the last two disappointing seasons, I think it is unconscionable to give him a starting position, no matter what he does in the spring. It would be great for a guy with the tools of Aaron Hicks to become a good enough hitter to man a corner outfield position. I just don't know if that will ever come to pass.

I wouldn't be surprised if the position players aren't changed much. Basically the 12 who were on the squad when rosters were expanded and why not? That group scored runs as well as anyone. As others have pointed out, any additions need to help the team play better defense. On the other hand, the Twins need to shake up their pitching staff. I think the bullpen needs turnover and at least two starting jobs are wide open.

Barring injury, Phil Hughes will be the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Twins in 2015. He was the Twins best and most reliable starting pitcher last year by far. Hughes was signed to a three-year $24M contract coming off a 4-14 season with the New York Yankees, a team that won 85 games. Hughes had allowed 24 homers in 145+ innings for the Yanks and the thought was that a new location and less pressure would allow for improvement. Hughes pitched in 2014 as a 28-year old, so he was one of the younger free-agent signees signed in the offseason. It was not just improvement, but a sea change. Hughes started rather slowly in April, not getting his first win until his fourth start and recording a 5.14 ERA for the month. Hughes walked six batter in his first four starts, and walked 10(10!) in his final 28 starts. He was regarded as a pitcher with good control, but nothing like what he put up this season. He kept his team in the game almost every outing. He struck out eight hitters per nine innings while walking .7 per nine, setting a record for the highest K/BB ratio in a single season and leading the league with fewest walks per innings pitched. Hughes 3.52 ERA was good, but his FIP of 2.65 was much better. Hughes this week earned Diamond Award hardware of both pitcher of the year and MVP. His fine season was arguably the best by a free agent signee this year. Now, as we turn the page to 2015, we all wonder if Hughes can sustain his excellent 2014 campaign. He did set a career high for innings and batters faced, and he's coming off a season when he only allowed .7 homers per nine, about half of his mark in New York. Also, Hughes has had strong seasons in even-numbered years, can he break the jinx and put good numbers in consecutive seasons? There are reasons to expect some regression, but also reasons to believe Hughes has "found it". I can't really see another season where he practically walks no one. However, there is hope he will be backed by an improved defensive outfield I also can't see Hughes continuing to suppress home runs as well as he did in 2014. It does make sense that Hughes would perform closer to his FIP and perhaps allow a lower number of hits per inning pitched. Hughes' ability to "pound the strike zone" seems ingrained in his approach and has, no doubt, been effective for him. Hughes was regarded as an extreme fly ball pitcher and indeed he has many balls put in the air. His air out percentage is one of the higher ones in the league, but it has worked for him. With all the failures of pitchers brought in to the Twins, Hughes was both a pleasant surprise and an advertisement that finding the right free agent is possible. Any thought of contending revolves around him backing up last year's success with another strong season.

Good post, ChrisKnutson. Yeah, lets bring in Denorfia and Young. We could have Herrmann, Colabello, Denorfia, Parmelee and Young. The Twins would lead the league in guys named Chris for sure. Seriously, I don't know much about either Denorfia or Young, but they would appear to be upgrades who could bridge the team to when the prospects are here. Of the current outfield candidates, Arcia, Schafer, Rosario, Daniel Ortiz, Parmelee, and Herrmann all hit left handed. It makes perfect sense to bring in a RH hitter who can play good defense. It looks like both Chrises fill the bill in that respect.

Rosario with three more singles yesterday. He is second in the AFL in batting average, second in SB, and first in hit (12 in 6 games). Kepler had a hit, walk and stolen base. He is holding his own (.250 BA). Adam was the only other farmhard that played yesterday. He went an inning and gave up two runs.

Two more hits for Rosario today (Wednesday). He is playing CF for the River Rafters, after making all of his other starts in left. Finished 3-5. So far, so good for Rosario!

While the topic is left field, the reality is that both left and center are probably unsettled. The Twins have to decide about Danny Santana. If he goes to shortstop, two positions need to be filled. If the Twins decide that Santana is a shortstop, I think the club has to go outside the organization to get a major leaguer who is a plus fielder, most likely to play center. I think they should lean on internal options for left in that scenario. If Santana is your regular CF, then the competition should be wide open between several options. I really don't want to see Aaron Hicks in a Twins uni to start to 2015. He hasn't performed when the games count and he has shown the folly of believing in spring training numbers. I would peg the competition as between Schafer, if he is retained, Rosario, Parmelee and perhaps Daniel Ortiz. All but Parmelee would qualify as a step up defensively from the pretty bad defense we saw last year. All are LH hitters. It seems to me that the Twins could use a good defender who hits right handed. Peter Bourjos has been mentioned a lot, another guy to look at might be Craig Gentry. Gentry had concussion issues last year and would have to be acquired by trade unless Oakland cuts him loose.

I don't know about Ortiz winning a starting job, but I think he might get a shot as a fourth/fifth OF, depending on the exact roster makeup. From what I've seen and read about Ortiz plus a handful of PAs in Spring Training, he is a three-position OF who doesn't possess any one outstanding tool, but can do a little bit of everything. Right now, the Twins have LH hitters Schafer, Parmelee, and Rosario along with switch hitter Hicks all in the mix and probably ahead of Ortiz, but Parmelee and Schafer might not be retained. Hicks and Rosario are both coming off disappointing 2014 campaigns. Ortiz is a minor league free agent, but I have to believe the Twins will re-sign him.

OK, you have Schafer, Parm and Rosario who all hit LH. Schafer and probably Rosario would be considered pretty good defenders. Hicks is a prospect who has always hit better RH. If he were strictly platooned, he will have reached his floor and ceiling at the same time and he would start between 40 and 50 games. Nuñez would be a fast infielder playing outfield. In his 16 games out there he made some really nice plays and looked totally lost a couple of other times. Add to this soup the fact that Parmelee and Nuñez both had reverse platoon splits last year. Finally, how many guys can the team carry to man left field? I think two is really the max and one of them has to be a backup center fielder.

Continuity and an outstanding defensive center fielder will improve the Twins outfield a lot. Having a good/better than good left fielder would also help a lot. In looking at available outfielders (free agent or trade), there just aren't many the fit the bill. Schafer in left is pretty good defensively, but as others have noted, his upside is negligible and his continued good performance is questionable.

2011--minor leagues with Sept callup. 2012--bench for thw Whities, traded for Liriano, mostly bench for the Twins 2013--bench/utility for the Twins, regular play for the Red Wings when sent down. No injuries, he had just played sporadically when in the majors until 2014. The 73 starts in 277 games is correct.

That is correct. Going into this year, Escobar had 1.128 years of service over two years plus September of 2011. I calculated that to be 273 games, it actually is 277. He started 73 games in those 277 games that he was active, less than 27% of the games he could start. Yes, he sat on the bench a bunch while accumulating his 1.128 years of service. Many, including me, thought Escobar's only role was utility infielder, despite some indications that he is a better hitter than assumed. For this year, at least, he showed he was a pretty good hitter.

Agree to disagree. 332 PAs in 1.7 years means that Esco was previously a guy who got to play a game here and there but never got consistent at-bats. By my count Escobar started 73 games out of a possible 273, so about a start every four games. Not exactly a formula for good offensive performance. He got his chance to perform and he thrived. Santana got a chance to perform on the big stage and he thrived more.

I think last season is a better apples-to-apples comparison. Both had over 400 PAs and played pretty much regularly. Including Escobar's stats from partial seasons when he was a bench player aren't really a fair comparison. Still Santana is younger (about a year and a half) and had the superior offensive season. Santana's BABIP was .405 while Esco went for .326.

Santana's BABIP was .405. Which would be easier to sustain? I think I know, but I would like to be convinced that the other is possible.

Of all the guys listed, I think Danny Ortiz has the best chance to help the major league team. He is young, has some versatility and has decent tools across the board, although none stand out.

Santana certainly has the tools to be a decent or better SS. He was so raw in ST, I thought he was a long way off defensively. There weren't any red flags, to me, from his play at short with the Twins, but I would have to put his defense as "unproven" at best.