stringer bell

I expect at least one of the three guys to debut in 2015, maybe all three. I'd say the bullpen is due for some turnover and the new guys should be hard throwers. Those guys fill the bill.

I didn't include it in the write-up but my opinion of Santana's defense at short during Spring Training was that he was not ready, bordering on awful. He dropped balls, booted balls, and made several poor throws. He didn't look good going in and struggled on the double play pivot. No, his defense was subpar, to be kind. His defense at short looked okay during the season. Maybe he had made progress to "adequate" already, but it will take a bit more time to convince me. The one sure thing is that the shortstop position looks far better than it did a year ago.

Fryer started one game after Pinto was promoted. I don't find that excessive at all. Certainly, I would have liked Josmil to start more games behind the plate. As it turned out, the games against non-contenders were a couple series with the Sox and the three-gamer with the D-Backs. Suzuki had a fine year and he had the manager's confidence. There will be a new sheriff in town and Pinto should get a chance to win the confidence of the new guy.

Maybe we could swap problem first round draft choices. Their ages and stats are pretty similar and maybe both guys could benefit from a fresh start.

Nice to hear from you Madre Dos! We met at Ft. Myers last year. I'm mostly with you on Josmil. I sure hope he gets a better chance this year. He certainly is a hard worker and should be able to overcome whatever obstacles that are in front of him.

While I have mentioned several times that Pinto has been in the organization for most of a decade, he signed with the Twins when he was 16 or 17. A lot of changes go on between 16 and 25 for most of us. Pinto wasn't considered much of a prospect until 2012, when he turned a lot of flab in muscle (can't remember for sure, but I think he lost 15 pounds) and started turning on balls. It seems that the fine points of catching either weren't conveyed to him or he didn't get them. I like his power, plate discipline and use of the whole field, but going into next season at 26, he really needs to be able to catch acceptably.

Great start for Rosario, who really needed it. Also it is wonderful to see top prospect Buxton healthy and holding his own after missing 3/4 of the year. Until he proves otherwise, I want Eddie Rosario as the starting left fielder for the Twins in 2015.

I was absolutely convinced that Aaron Hicks needed to be sent down to AAA to start 2014, ask ChiTown. Now the season is over and what has he proven? To me, handing him the center field job would be the definition of insanity--"repeating the same mistakes over and over again and expecting different results," It seems to me that posters here want to give Hicks a regular position (or 4th OF slot) based on potential and tools. The performance hasn't been there. I know that the Twins won't be picked to contend next year, but I think they have to go into the season expecting to be in the race. If they are doing that, they can't send out a guy who has failed two years in a row to try the same plan for the third time. In regards to the player's development, I think absolutely it is best to send him back to AAA to master that competition. We can all agree that Hicks has shown he can handle AA, but a .740 OPS isn't mastering the next level. Hicks needs to improve his overall game, but specifically he has to hit better left handed. I think he would be much better off working on that specific thing in Rochester. If he continued to be anywhere near as poor from the left side for the Twins, he would almost have to be platooned and platooning a guy who has unrealized potential (especially the RH hitting half) is counterproductive IMHO.

The controversy over Pinto concerns both his offense and his defense. How good a hitter can he be with regular at-bats? He could be very good. He is strong and has demonstrated extra-base power for the Twins in his stints with the club. He also has a good idea of the strike zone and will take a walk. Pinto uses the whole field and has plenty of power to put balls over the fence. It is possible if he were given regular at-bats, he would be in the upper third of catchers offensively.September complaints about Twins lineups centered on two players--Danny Santana and Josmil Pinto. The fans remaining at Twins Daily wanted Santana to get reps at shortstop (with attendent opportunities for Aaron Hicks) and they wanted to see the state of Josmil Pinto's catching ability. The fans were largely disappointed. Santana mostly stayed in center field and Pinto started only eight games at catcher and left one of them before he either hit or caught. We will wait for answers, or at least more definitive evidence, in the spring. For his entire stay with the Twins in 2014, Pinto was a bit of a lightning rod. Many wanted him in the lineup every day either as the DH or catcher. Some are convinced that he can never be a regular catcher because he doesn't have the necessary defensive tools and skills. If anything, this season was evidence that as far as Pinto is concerned it can't be a half-in half-out proposition. Due to injuries, Pinto got a lot of at-bats in April and his hitting was decent. He didn't catch much and but when he did he was noticeably less than adequate behind the plate. This meant fewer games catching, and when everyone got healthy Pinto didn't get many at-bats at DH and was also sub-standard when behind the plate. He was optioned in June, reportedly to work on his defense. Many expected Pinto to be back before September 1st, but he didn't force his way back with his performance in Rochester and Kurt Suzuki had a career year. Defensively, the slings and arrows come from all directions. In 2014, he was 0-20 throwing out base runners in 2014. He has consistently graded out poorly when it comes to framing pitches. Pinto, after nearly a decade in the organization, has been called lacking in pitch-calling and blocking pitches. That is a whole lot of things to improve upon! In watching Pinto throw, there is no question that his arm is strong enough to stay behind the plate. However, there is also no question that his throwing mechanics were screwed up before he was optioned to Rochester. It is certainly not entirely his fault that he failed to throw out a single base stealer, but on the other hand, he should be in line for more of the blame than any other individual. As for pitch framing, Josmil was the personal catcher for the thoroughly inconsistent Samuel Deduno. If there was one pitcher on the Twins who probably didn't deserve having borderline pitches called strikes due to total unpredictability it was Deduno. It stands to reason that Pinto's pitch framing numbers would be bad. I think game calling and being a coach on the field is in the eye of the beholder. For what it is worth, an ump said it was "night and day" as far as viewing pitches after Pinto returned in September, and Kyle Gibson credited Pinto with calling a good game in both of his last two starts, which were both good starts for Gibson. There is good potential in Josmil Pinto's bat. I don't see anything that precludes him from being at least adequate as a receiver at some point. I do have a point and counter point though. Pinto has been known as a hard worker and no one has questioned his work ethic. However, he has been in the organization since 2006 and he, by all accounts, has quite a ways to go to get to competent as a major league receiver. Click here to view the article

I guess I wouldn't limit his competition to 4th OF. I would say that he will come to spring training battling for a spot, with no guarantees. If Eddie Rosario is better overall, Hicks past time in the majors shouldn't win him a spot. I'm half-kidding about Eddie, but he might be due for a major-league breakout. I don't think you want a 25-year-old with admittedly good tools as your fouth OF. If the Twins retain Schafer, he is ideal for that role especially with the elite base-stealing tool.

Physics Guy--yes Hicks is still young. Yes, he has impressive tools. However, there isn't much to suggest he can hit enough even to be a fourth OF. He hasn't been good above AA. He has successfully moved only one level at a time. If there is something there, he needs to show it in Rochester. It is close to folly to give him a spot as a starter again.

In 2014, I saw Danny Santana play in a lot of games in spring training. I was impressed with his swing and his speed, but thought that he was a long way from helping the Twins in 2014. But, Santana showed the baseball world that he was ready when he was recalled in early May.He hit early and continued to hit throughout the season. Danny finished with a .319 batting average and an OPS of .824, both of which would have led the team easily if he had had enough plate appearances. Danny made the All-Rookie team and is a cinch to be the Twins Rookie of the Year for 2014. Santana assumed the leadoff spot in the order at midseason and thrived there. He hit over .300 and stole 19 bases as the leadoff man. Santana scored 70 runs in just over 100 games and had 41 extra-base hits in 430 plate appearances. Danny's BABIP was .405, a very high number and it was an astounding .443 as a right- handed hitter. Beyond his offensive contributions, Santana saved the Twins by playing center field. Danny started 62 games there after playing center only a handful of games in the low minors. His defense wasn't good at the start, but he improved and was adequate by the conclusion of the season. Two questions loom over Danny Santana for 2015 and beyond: 1) Can he sustain his outstanding offensive performance? and 2) What will his defensive position be? First, it is hard to believe that Santana will continue to hit .319 next year and beyond. He's got great speed, a nice swing and unflappable attitude, but that BABIP is pretty close to otherworldly, especially from the right side. I expect the major regression will come on his right-handed hitting because his K percentage is much higher (32% vs. 19% as a LH hitter). Also, I think Danny has to learn to be a bit more selective at the plate. He chased a lot of pitches out of the zone making for short or defensive at-bats. Adding to his walk percentage would be a good idea, as well (only 4.4% in 2014). Where Santana should play going forward has been a top topic on Twins Daily. The team got solid production from last year's de facto starting shortstop, Eduardo Escobar, and did not get anything close to solid production in center field from anyone else on the current roster. Santana was a shortstop playing center field in 2014. He could be more than that if the team decides he is needed in the outfield. However, he has the arm and range to be an outstanding defensive shortstop. It is a quandary that the next manager will have to deal with. Any solution will be controversial. The hope is the team picks a position for Danny and leaves him there, at least for 2015. Click here to view the article

September complaints about Twins lineups centered on two players--Danny Santana and Josmil Pinto. The fans remaining at Twins Daily wanted Santana to get reps at shortstop (and opportunities for Aaron Hicks) and they wanted to see the state of Josmil Pinto's catching ability. The fans were mostly disappointed. Santana mostly stayed in center field and Pinto only started eight games at catcher and left one of them before he either hit or caught. We will wait for answers (or at least more definitive evidence) in the spring. For his entire length of stay with the Twins in 2014, Pinto was a bit of a lightning rod. Many wanted him in the lineup every day either as the DH or catcher. Some are convinced that he can never be a regular catcher because he doesn't have the necessary defensive tools and skills. If anything, this season was evidence that as far as Pinto is concerned, it can't be a half-in half-out proposition. Due to injuries, Pinto got a lot of at-bats in April and his hitting was decent. He didn't catch much and he was noticeably less than adequate behind the plate. This meant fewer games catching, and when everyone got healthy Pinto didn't get at-bats at DH and was sub-standard behind the plate. He was optioned in June reportedly to work on his defense. I expected Pinto to be back before September 1st, but he didn't force his way back from his performance in Rochester and Kurt Suzuki had a career year. The controversy over Pinto concerns his offense and his defense. How good a hitter can he be with regular at bats? I think he could be very good. He is strong and demonstrated extra-base power for the Twins in his stints with the club. He also has a good idea of the strike zone and will take a walk. Pinto uses the whole field and has plenty of power to put balls over the fence. I think if he were given regular at-bats, he would be in the upper third of catchers offensively. Defensively, the slings and arrows come from all directions. He was 0-20 throwing out base runners in 2014. He has consistently graded out poorly when it comes to framing pitches. Pinto, after nearly a decade in the organization, has been called lacking in pitch calling and blocking pitches. That is a whole lot of things to improve upon! In watching Pinto throw, there is no question that his arm is strong enough to stay behind the plate. However, there is no question that his mechanics in throwing were screwed up before he was optioned to Rochester. It is certainly not all his fault that he failed to throw out a single base stealer, but on the other hand, he should be in line for more of the blame than any other individual. As for pitch framing, Josmil was the personal catcher for the thoroughly inconsistent Samuel Deduno, if there was one pitcher on the Twins that probably didn't deserve having borderline pitches called strikes due to total unpredictability it was Deduno. It stands to reason that Pinto's pitch framing numbers would be bad. I think game calling a being a coach on the field is in the eye of the beholder. For what it is worth, an ump said it was "night and day" as far as viewing pitches after Pinto returned in September and Kyle Gibson credited Pinto with calling a good game in both of his last two starts (both good starts for Gibson). I see good potential in Josmil Pinto's bat. I don't see anything that precludes him from being at least adequate as a receiver at some point. I do have a point and counterpoint. Pinto has been known as a hard worker and no one has questioned his work ethic. However, he has been in the organization since 2006 and he, by all accounts, has quite a ways to go to be a competent major league receiver.

I saw Danny Santana play in a lot of games in Spring Training of 2014. I was impressed with his swing and his speed, but thought that he was a long way from helping the Twins in 2014. Santana showed the baseball world that he was ready when he was recalled in early May. He hit early and continued to hit throughout the season. Danny finished with a .319 batting average and an OPS of .824, both of which would have led the team easily if he had enough plate appearances. Danny made the All-Rookie team and is a cinch to be the Twins Rookie of the Year for 2014. Santana assumed the leadoff spot in the order at midseason and thrived there. He hit over .300 and stole 19 bases as the leadoff man. Santana scored 70 runs in just over 100 games and had 41 extra-base hits in 430 plate appearances. Danny's BABIP was .405, a very high number and it was an astounding .443 as a right handed hitter. Beyond his offensive contributions, Santana saved the Twins by playing center field. Danny started 62 games there after playing center only a handful of games in the low minors. His defense wasn't good at the start, but he improved and was adequate by the conclusion of the season. Two questions loom over Danny Santana for 2015 and beyond: 1) Can he sustain his outstanding offensive performance? 2) What will his defensive position be? First, I find it hard to believe that Santana will continue to hit .319 next year and beyond. He's got great speed, a nice swing and unflappable attitude, but that BABIP is pretty close to otherworldly, especially from the right side. I expect the major regression will come on his right handed hitting because his K percentage is much higher (32% vs. 19% as a LH hitter). Also, I think Danny has to learn to be a bit more selective at the plate. He chased a lot of pitches out of the zone making for short or defensive at-bats. Adding to his walk percentage would be a good idea, as well (only 4.4% in 2014). Where Santana should play going forward has been a top topic on Twins Daily. The team got solid production from last year's de facto starting shortstop, Eduardo Escobar, and did not get anything close to solid production in center field from anyone else on the current roster. Santana was a shortstop playing center field in 2014, he could be more than that if the team decides he is need in the outfield. However, he has the arm and range to be an outstanding defensive shortstop. It is a quandary that the next manager will have to deal with. Any solution will be controversial. I hope the team picks a position for Danny and leaves him there, at least for 2015.

Concur, Chief. Thanks for the eyewitness report. In Spring Training of 2013, TR told us that Buxton was the fastest guy ever in the organization.

Just checked the AFL Scoreboard and Salt River won their fourth straight game. Twins prospects led the way, SR only got four hits, two from Rosario, one from Buxton. Each scored a run in the 2-1 victory. Rosario stole his third base and is now 8-18 (2 hits in each of the four games he has played). Buxton is 5-18 in four games. Jake Reed got the save, despite allowing two hits and a walk.

I echo Levi comments about Hicks' potential and development. Further, the worst thing that could be done to Hicks is to platoon him, assuming that means only starting him against left handed pitchers. That would make him a bench player, probably starting between 40 and 50 games. As to believing that Hicks would provide value as a bottom of the order guy, aren't there better alternatives than that? The Twins got two guys off waivers that were better bottom of the order guys (Fuld and Schafer). Hicks two-year totals include more than 500 plate appearances. Comparing his two-year OPS with all qualifiers for this year puts among outfielders puts Hicks below all of them. If you are going to be a regular outfielder, you have to post an OPS within shouting distance of .700 and Hicks two-year number is .606. The "new improved" Hicks of September had an OPS of .648, still lower than all outfield qualifiers this year. No I don't believe that what we've seen from Hicks so far is good enough.

In the article I listed Hicks' absolute upside as Austin Jackson, who come to think of it could be a Twins' trade target (he bombed in Seattle), I almost included his floor--Joe Benson, who is/was athletically gifted but never showed he could handle pitching above the AA level. To me, so far that is all Hicks has proven. Is there someone who has seen something beyond three wind-blown homers all hit right handed in Spring Training, that demonstrate that Hicks can ever be solid .800+ OPS hitter? This is a big man all of 6'2" 190, and last year he had nine extra-base hits in 235 PAs. We've already got Mauer as a big singles hitter.

"Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you". Aaron Hicks has been the starting center fielder for the Twins the last two opening days. He was a thorough disappointment in 2013, eventually getting demoted to AAA and not being recalled in September. With the bar set considerably lower in 2014, Hicks still fell far short of expectations and offered much content for sports analysts with his supposed lack of preparation and short-lived decision to abandon switch hitting.Hicks spent much of this summer in New Britain and Rochester, but was recalled in September. Aaron got 70 plate appearances in September with the big club. There was talk of better focus and more confidence, but the result was something short of scintillating. Hicks hit .250 with a .648 OPS. His OBP was an entirely acceptable .348, but he had only three extra-base hits in those 70 plate appearances. The "eye test" left this observer equally unimpressed. Hicks hit the ball hard only a handful of times. Getting good wood on the ball is a part of his hit tool that seems to be missing to this point. On top of the offensive struggles, there have been whispers and inferences that Hicks is not committed to being a great baseball player. He skipped winter ball last year. He supposedly didn't know who was pitching one day and showed up late for a non-mandatory session with the training staff so that the manager felt he couldn't use him on that particular day. And then there is the switch-hitting debacle. Hicks has always been better as a right- handed hitter. Many on this site thought the answer was simple--abandon switch-hitting. Without consulting his manager nor discussing it with anyone else on the team, to public knowledge, Hicks decided to give up switch-hitting. When it became obvious he needed work to have an acceptable chance against right-handers and because he was able to rehab after a trip to the disabled list, Hicks was sent to Double-A and then optioned there when his rehab time ended. The idea was to work on the swing, but shortly after being optioned, Hicks went back to switch-hitting. The platoon splits are pretty stark--Hicks' combined OPS was .615, but his OPS was .792 against left- handed pitchers and only .512 vs right-handers. This is the contrast between tools and skills. Everyone remarks that Hicks has tools and he does--good speed, strong throwing arm and big athletic body. The tools are good, but they aren't exceptional, except for perhaps his outstanding throwing arm. The skills haven't caught up with the tools. Maybe they never will. I think Hicks' absolute upside is Austin Jackson--supposedly the next great all-around center fielder, who has been pretty good, but never an All-Star and a guy who hasn't become a high-average hitter, accomplished power hitter, stolen base threat or Gold Glove defender. Given the Twins' dearth of outfield options, Hicks will most likely get another chance to make good on his potential. I maintain that what is best for his development and ultimately best for the team is to go to Triple-A and build his confidence by dominating at that level. He has just turned 25 so there is a chance that he is a late bloomer who will thrive when he "gets it". The Twins, however, can't assume that he will. Fool them three times, shame on them. Click here to view the article

Rosario had two more hits and a SB last night (now 4-9 w/ 2 SB). Buxton didn't play. Rogers started and gave up one earned in 2.2 innings. Kepler had a hit and an assist from right field. Keep it up Eddie. There is a job to be claimed on the Twins and if you're undeniably the best player, last year shouldn't matter.

"Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you". Aaron Hicks has been the starting center fielder for the Twins the last two Opening Days. He was a thorough disappointment in 2013, eventually getting demoted to AAA and not being recalled in September. With the bar set considerably lower in 2014, Hicks still fell far short of expectations and offered a lot of content for sports analysts with his supposed lack of preparation and short-lived decision to abandon switch hitting. Hicks spent much of this summer in New Britain and Rochester, but was recalled in September. Aaron got 70 plate appearances in September with the big club. There was talk of better focus and more confidence, but the result was something short of scintillating. Hicks hit .250 with a .648 OPS. His OBP was an entirely acceptable .348, but he had only three extra-base hits in those seventy plate appearances. My "eye test" observation was equally unimpressed. Hicks hit the ball hard only a handful of times that I can remember. Getting good wood on the ball is a part of his hit tool that seems to be missing to this point. On top of the offensive struggles, there have been whispers and inferences that Hicks is not committed to being a great baseball player. He skipped winter ball last year. He supposedly didn't know who was pitching one day and showed up late for a non-mandatory session with the training staff so that the manager felt he couldn't use him on that particular day. And then there is the switch-hitting debacle. Hicks has always been better as a right handed hitter. Many on this site thought the answer was simple--abandon switch hitting. Without consulting his manager and not discussing it with anyone else on the team, to my knowledge, Hicks decided to give up switch hitting. When it became obvious he needed work to have an acceptable chance against right handers and because he was able to rehab after a disabling injury, Hicks was sent to Double A and then optioned there when his rehab time ended. The idea was to work on the swing, but shortly after being optioned, Hicks went back to switch hitting. The platoon splits are pretty stark--Hicks' combined OPS was .615 but his OPS was .792 against left handed pitchers and only .512 vs right handers. To me, this is the contrast between tools and skills. Everyone remarks that Hicks has tools and he does--good speed, strong throwing arm, and big athletic body. The tools are good, but they aren't exceptional, except for maybe his outstanding throwing arm. The skills haven't caught up with the tools. Maybe they never will. I think Hicks' absolute upside is Austin Jackson--supposedly the next great all-around center fielder, who has been pretty good, but never an All-Star and a guy that hasn't become a high average hitter, accomplished power hitter, stolen base threat or Gold Glove defender. Given the Twins' dearth of outfield options, Hicks will most likely get another chance to make good on his potential. I maintain that what is best for his development and ultimately best for the team is to go to Triple A and build his confidence by dominating at that level. He has just turned 25 so there is a chance that he is a late bloomer who will thrive when he "gets it". The Twins, however, can't assume that he will. Fool them three times, shame on them.