stringer bell

Berrios: I've met him and talked to him twice. He seems like a nice young man. The WBC messed up his 2013 and he came back with an outstanding 2014. I think he could see time in the majors next year, but the progression has to continue. As far as the K/9, he didn't pitch that much at NB, so it is SSS (in part). Next year, he should get a half season at AA and we'll probably get a better feel for his dominance or lack thereof. Meyer: I've heard him compared to Scherzer, in that Max didn't get deep into a lot of games in his minor league career, despite great stuff. We have the added factor of a shoulder injury, making the Twins hyper-cautious with him. I look forward to seeing what he can do in big league games and expect that will happen in 2015.

I agree with JB. Gardenhire is fine as a manager, but sometimes you just need a change for change's sake. The evidence (IMHO) is mounting that whatever message Anderson gives works with less than the average number of pitchers. He and the Twins have been walk-averse, first and foremost, and willing to believe in "pitch to contact", which has become a cruel joke. It worked a lot better when the Twins had above-average fielders at eight of the nine defensive positions. That isn't the case now, and doesn't look like it will be like that any time soon. The position player situation seems far more positive than the pitching despite the near-total loss of a season from two of the top five prospects in baseball. The pitching is poor and the prospects for improvement seem to be getting further and further away.

I would say that consistency is a quality of a good offense. I think that if a pitcher can reasonably count on 3-4 runs every day, he can pitch more comfortably, the infield doesn't have to play in early, the manager doesn't have to feel compelled to play for a run or two to take the lead early (read sacrifice bunts). Consistency would mean strength in the lineup, top to bottom, and production from different means of scoring runs--speed, power, bunching hits.

There is real progress this year. Look who has been jettisoned. The Twins started the season with a bunch of 30+ guys who were either past their prime or never were very good. Most are gone. They have two (TWO) pretty good options at short, when they started with Florimon. Trevor Plouffe has established himself (as Dozier did in 2013) and Dozier has proven that his breakout wasn't a fluke. The Twins acquired two nice players (Hughes and Suzuki) both now for three years. There is more to be done, no question. Somehow, some way, the pitching needs to be improved dramatically. On the position player front, one key acquisition plus improvement of young players would equal a pretty dynamic and effective offense.

An ace, yes. More Nolascos, Correias, etc., not so much. Adding an outfielder who can play decent defense in either center or left also makes a lot of sense. Beyond that, I like the position players and believe totally that barring further injuries, the Twins have two perennial All-Stars on the horizon in the next two years. The bullpen needs to be turned over and either from within or without, the startng rotation needs to take giant steps. I am hoping for a new manager and pitching coach next year. It is not that Anderson and Gardenhire aren't competent, but a new voice needs to be in charge.

I continue to believe Escobar has earned starting shortstop for the start of 2015, although his recent slump makes the argument more tenuous. I reluctantly agree that Santana should get the majority of starts at short the rest of the way. I don't think he will produce major league defense despite very good tools. He sure didn't look good in Spring Training. It is time to see. The bat has proven to be legit. It is unfair to Parmelee, but Schafer should be a regular through September. He has been very good in left field and a real spark plug from the bottom of the order. The walk he took to start the eighth inning yesterday was outstanding and his presence on the base paths changed everything that inning.

I'm not defending Bernier's promotion. If he starts more than one or two games, I'll be howling about that. Letting him sit on the bench and using him as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner is fine. Otherwise, maybe Doug can get a coaching gig. Does he speak Spanish?

Romero's future in professional ball isn't with the Twins IMHO. He wasn't promoted when the regular 3rd baseman and one of his primary backups were disabled on the same day. He turns 28 this month, so he's not young, he hit 8 homers for Rochester in almost 500 PAs, so not much power, 0 stolen bases, not much speed and his rep as a defender is substandard. Besides all of this, one of the Twins' mega-prospects is a third baseman--the only position Romero has played with any regularity (40+ games at first in his over 800 minor league games).

During the season, they have established youngsters Santana and Vargas. Regulars certain for next year are Mauer, Dozier, Plouffe, Arcia, and Suzuki. They are returning both Pinto and Hicks. I think that is almost all of the position players that will be heading north from Fort Myers in late March/early April. Within a year from now, we may see Buxton, Rosario, Sano and maybe Polanco. To me, the pitching side is much less defined and predictable. I'm almost certain that, if healthy, Meyer will be promoted before midseason. We'll also see much turnover in the bullpen. There really isn't much to promote right now.

Florimon played all three infield spots in Rochester after he was sent down. He made a lot of errors, but that seems to go with playing on minor league fields.

The top five farm teams all had winning records and three made it to postseason. New Britain had some brutal stretches, but finished just out of the playoffs and Rochester had most of their team recalled at one point or another and came up one game short. Good luck in the playoffs E-Town, Cedar Rapids, and Fort Myers!

I can't say that Hicks or Tonkin earned their promotions, but they displayed enough upside to get a chance to play in the majors in September. Achter was awesome in the first half, pedestrian in the second, but overall his numbers were good and his is a pretty good story. Darnell will probably be used in Deduno's role, and with the starting pitching as bad as it has been, there is a need for that. I really want to see Pinto a lot behind the plate the rest of the way. I would rather see Escobar play than Hicks, but the Twins need to see if there is improvement from a former top prospect and draft pick.

I consider Polanco to be quite a ways from ready. He got his few days in because he was on the 40-man roster. He's only just 21 and had <200 PAs at AA, .281 BA, but only .665 OPS, but he did finish strong.

I like Oliveros. He has done well, except when his arm was bothering him. He can make a case for being on the staff in 2015.

Bernier: He is being rewarded for his service to the organization for the last two years. They can't afford to keep him on the 40-man after the season is over, so Bernier will have the option to decide whether to stay with the Twins organization at that time. Bernier hit .280 with a .740 OPS, Florimon hit .257 with an OPS of .717 and is seven years younger. I am not a Florimon fan, but beyond this year, I'd rather have him than Bernier. Herrmann: He hit over .300 for Rochester with an OPS of .878. If one is to reward someone for a good season, Herrmann deserves promotion. The C-OF position flexibility will probably get him some playing time in 2015, while he's still a long-shot to make the club out of spring training. Herrmann caught plenty of games in Rochester. Using him behind the plate wouldn't be an emergency or desperation. Hicks: He was in a slump until the last two games, where he had two hits in each. That raised his line to an okay, but not overwhelming .329/.377/.706 in 24 games. He had a good run of 43 games in New Britain. Does that undo what he did in Minnesota? Doubtless, Hicks will be getting playing time, probably at the expense of Escobar. Should he be playing left (with Schafer in center) or center?

Aaron Hicks is hitting .246 with a .658 OPS at Rochester. I don't know if that screams "promote me". Last year, in the same number of games, he hit .222 with a .650 OPS. While the Twins might need another outfielder and Hicks has an upside, I don't see anything that shows Hicks is finally "getting it" at AAA. Herrmann is hitting over .300, so I guess if any rostered player has earned a promotion it is him. Pinto has slumped the last week, but he has been Rochester's best hitter and is catching about half the time. Of the non-roster guys, Oliveros, yes. Achter, maybe. I don't think adding guys you intend to DFA at the end of the season is very smart, especially if they've already been DFAed once before. They can declare free agency rather than accepting assignment. I know that Oliveros, Romero, and Guerra have all been on the 40-man, so if they are promoted and DFAed again, they can become free agents. In a typical year, I would say Beresford should get a look. However, the infielders have all been pretty healthy, and I think the Twins want to see Santana some at short and maybe see what they have in Nuñez. Plus, Escobar deserves to get playing time.

Plouffe was co-player of the week last week--a sign that this is a good player getting better or the pinnacle of a mediocre career? I can't believe he didn't win player of the week or month when he was on his home run binge in 2012. Someone else must have been just as hot or hotter or...reached a milestone like when Thome hit his 600th HR.

Plouffe has closed his splits considerably this year. His OPS vs RH pitching is .730, vs. LH pitching .751. One might be able to cherry-pick a couple dozen starts where he would be likely to struggle, but every right hander is not kryptonite.

Turned 28 this season. I believe I missed that.

Trevor Plouffe has been the Twins third baseman since the middle of 2012. He is the Twins' longest-serving starter at his current position on the team. That is a bit hard to believe, but every position has turned over since the Twins handed Plouffe third base out of desperation. Plouffe responded to his assignment by having a once-in-a-lifetime power surge. Most other parts of his game as a third baseman were substandard. Now, late in the 2014 season, we see a different player.Plouffe has improved his overall hitting and his defense. He has made far more good plays and botched far fewer routine ones. He has hit better with runners on base, he has hit better against right handers and seems fundamentally sound finally. For all the years that Plouffe has played third, he has been in the shadow of mega-prospect Miguel Sano. The question has always been "what do you do with Plouffe when Sano is ready". Of course, that is still a question. But I think there is a question to be asked before that--is Plouffe a third baseman or is he a stopgap? Plouffe ranks behind three outstanding third basemen in the American League, but after those guys Plouffe rates with anyone else. He now looks comfortable at the position, he now seems to show proper instincts and is in the right place. The throws from third were a crapshoot and are now expected to be chest-high and on line and most of all he takes his time when it is a catcher running yet makes the quick transfer and throw when a speedster hits a slow roller. I'm saying he no longer looks like a displaced hitter, he looks like a third baseman. Plouffe learned the position on the job. He had hardly played there in the minors nor until he was given the position. As a hitter, Plouffe still has some bad at-bats, but grinds through many more than he used to. He seems to have a better plan and the results have been better. He's not a high-percentage hitter, but he's had a bunch of extra-base hits and in terms of production, he is one of the better Twins' hitters. I don't know if he'll ever get any better, but at 27 he's a pretty good player. For those who use WAR, he is at 3.2 with 20% of the season remaining. I have long thought that Trevor Plouffe could be a regular at another position and still believe he could be the Twins' next left fielder. However, I am now not certain that what I've speculated about will come to pass. Plouffe may have enough trade value to be shopped as an established third baseman. It might be more prudent for the the Twins to hold on to Plouffe until Sano forces his way to the majors. At that point, they might be able to flip him for much more than I've thought possible. Congratulations to Trevor Plouffe for taking advantage of opportunities and establishing himself as a big league third baseman. Click here to view the article

I pretty much agree with OTwins. I would disagree with Arcia's OF defense. IMHO, Arcia has made substantial improvements in all facets. He's got a nice arm, enough range to play most small RFs and is taking better routes. He's still a work in progress (really unsure of himself close to the wall), but I've been pleasantly surprised by his progress on defense.

FWIW, when Pinto was playing a lot early in the season, he had reverse platoon splits (better against right handers) and Suzuki was very good against LH pitching. Drawing up a 100 to 60 split for next year would seem like a good plan if Pinto's defense qualifies as sufficient.

Trevor Plouffe has been the Twins third baseman since the middle of 2012. He is the Twins' longest-serving starter at his current position on the team. That is a bit hard to believe, but every position has turned over since the Twins handed Plouffe third base out of desperation. Plouffe responded to his assignment by having a once-in-a-lifetime power surge. Most other parts of his game as a third baseman were substandard. Now, late in the 2014 season, we see a different player. Plouffe has improved his overall hitting and his defense. He has made far more good plays and botched far fewer routine ones. He has hit better with runners on base, he has hit better against right handers and seems fundamentally sound finally. For all the years that Plouffe has played third, he has been in the shadow of mega-prospect Miguel Sano. The question has always been "what do you do with Plouffe when Sano is ready". Of course, that is still a question. But I think there is a question be asked before that--is Plouffe a third baseman or is he a stopgap? Plouffe ranks behind three outstanding third basemen in the American League, but after those guys Plouffe rates with anyone else. He now looks comfortable at the position, he now seems to show proper instincts and is in the right place. The throws from third were a crapshoot are now expected to be chest-high and on line and most of all he takes his time when a catcher is running and makes the quick transfer and throw when a speedster hits a slow roller. I'm saying he no longer looks like a displaced hitter, he looks like a third baseman. Plouffe learned the position on the job. He hardly played there in the minors or until he was given the position. As a hitter, Plouffe still has some bad at-bats, but grinds through many more than he used to. He seems to have a better plan and the results have been better. He's not a high-percentage hitter, but he's had a bunch of extra base hits and in terms of production, he is one of the better Twins' hitters. I don't know if he'll ever get any better, but at 27 he's a pretty good player. For those who use WAR, he is at 3.2 with 20% of the season remaining. I have long thought that Trevor Plouffe could be a regular at another position and still believe he could be the Twins' next left fielder. However, I am not so sure any more that what I've speculated will turn out. Plouffe may have enough trade value to be shopped as an established third baseman. The Twins might be more prudent to hold on to Plouffe until Sano forces his way to the majors. At that point, they might be able to flip him for much more than I've ever thought possible. Congratulations to Trevor Plouffe for taking advantage of opportunities and establishing himself as a big league third baseman.

I think that Pinto should catch a lot between his (expected) call-up and the end of the season. Then the Twins will need to decide whether his catching skills are salvageable. If they are convinced he's not a major league receiver, deal him for what you can. Otherwise, he needs to be the backup catcher all of next year. Unless there are injuries, I don't see Josmil as a DH very often and no, just no, to trying to put an outfielder's glove in his hands.