stringer bell

Great news! Time to scoop up some talent!

Cousins, in terms of ability, is much closer to Wilson, but that contract makes his value probably closer to Wentz.

I thought if everything went wrong that the Twins would be playing for second place and maybe third if Cleveland managed to score enough runs. The failure of Columé right away and the early injury to Donaldson combined with an early run of bad luck and extra-inning losses early doomed the season. The bad luck balanced out, but the Twins saw fit (properly) to trade their best hitter and best starting pitcher, so then there wasn’t much mystery to why they finished last.

This really greases the skids to trade Cousins—1) chance of winning the North went down precipitously and 2) available QBs would list Cousins at or near the top.

Sano has turned out to be closer to Mark Reynolds than Miguel Cabrera or Frank Thomas. Given the hype that surrounded him as a minor leaguer and then as a rookie, he has been a disappointment. The power is there, but making contact has been a perpetual problem. He has hurt the team in the field, despite a rocket arm and more quickness than one might expect from such a large man. The problem with Sano has not been his work ethic or commitment. He has gaps in his game that he has not been able to fill and he approaches his 29th birthday.

I'm an old guy dealing with arthritic knees and my PT is exactly what bean has stated. I would think that Arraez would benefit from both strengthening the muscles to relieve stress and losing weight. It will be interesting to see his condition when he reports for whatever kind of spring training they have. One thing to remember is that this is a young man at age 24.

While Arraez didn't play much left field in the second half of the season, I think who was on the roster had more to do with that than his perceived ability to play there. When Donaldson was out and later when he couldn't run, Arraez had a home at third base, but the rest of the season, there really wasn't a place for him to get regular at-bats. I'd much prefer seeing Arraez in left field than Rooker and I think he's superior offensively, as well, although they are totally different types of hitters. I don't think left is Arraez' long-term spot though. As for Arrraez' skills--great contact, excellent strike zone, superior on-base skill--Martin projects to be similar and also have the ability to play the same positions, probably with a better glove. The key word though is "projects", we don't know if Martin will pan out and if he doesn't no one else at the top of the prospect list or on the roster can provide what Arraez brings to the table. Another prospect who compares in some respect is Miranda. Again, infielder, but not a shortstop with a plus bat. If the Twins are confident that Miranda and/or Martin are ready to contribute, then I think Arraez is expendable. The injury history and the prospect of recurring knee problems tell me that he can't be relied upon to give the club enough plate appearances to be an All-Star.

I think the trophy for MLB is runner-up to Lord Stanley’s Cup. IMG_1400 2.HEIC

Okay, Rooker vs. Larnach--Larnach is two and a half years younger and IIRC, he was minor league player of the year in 2019. Yeah, he was brutal last year--he probably shouldn't have been called up and he was beat up for much of his time on the Twins roster. The first 50 or so PAs were fine, after that he got caught in between and he continued to play even though he probably should have been sent back to St. Paul. I'm not sure if Larnach will be a major league regular but I think he has an infinitely better chance than Rooker. As far as defense goes, according to BBRef, Larnach's numbers were poor, but Rooker's are simply brutal. I believe Rooker has at least one option year remaining, so I would expect him to start the season in St. Paul. Larnach should have one or two option years, and it is probable that he will spend time in St. Paul, as well. If the team wants to make 40-man room, Rooker is my #1 candidate to be traded or outrighted, but if he has an option, someone else would most likely go. Regarding Gordon, the question that didn't get answered last year was whether he can be relied on as a viable option at shortstop. If he can't, I don't see much future for him on the Twins. The club really needs two shortstops, and maybe Gordon is one and maybe Polanco is one. I think Gordon has no options, so perhaps the Twins will hold on to him or maybe they'll decide he is a capable shortstop. I've followed baseball for a long time and I really can't tell whether Gordon has the ability to be a major league shortstop or not. If neither Polanco or Gordon is one of the shortstops, it is a near guarantee that the Twins will bring a utility infielder on a minor league contract north (Beckham or Robertson) creating more roster squeeze. It's also possible the Twins will find a fourth OF who is on a minor league contract. Yes, there is room with Enlow and Maeda both going to the 60-man IL, but they will fill up spots pretty quickly especially if a free agent pitcher or two is signed.

I think it was a reasonable gamble that hasn't really worked out. I think Miggy's improved health the past two years bodes well for a productive 2022. I hope the Twins make a good decision about whether to pick up his option for '23. He should be the primary DH this year. I just don't think he'll ever be a good defender. If the Twins don't contend, he might be playing elsewhere in August.

I think Rocco is top half, but maybe not Top 10. As noted above, it appears he has a good clubhouse and I think his handling of the bullpen has been good. I’d like to see him stress more aggressiveness on the base paths including using pinch runners if they are also superior in the field. In today’s game small ball has been discouraged, but extra bases provide opportunity.

It would be a good idea if the utility infielder could play shortstop. The Twins management team seems to have misgivings about Gordon’s ability to do so. Apparently Robertson and Beckham are competent shortstops. Of course, there is still a need for a regular shortstop.

He's young. He may well be the first Twin to make the majors born in this century/millennium. The guy has the pitches and the makeup to be a star, as well as the body type to be durable. So much could go wrong, of course, but having the tools and makeup to be great moves him up the prospect list.

Picking nits a little here, but I wouldn’t consider either Carew or Tovar part of the “early 60s” teams. Carew’s first season was ‘67 and Tovar had a “cup of coffee” in ‘65, but was a rookie in ‘66.

Two very good players in the first years of the Twins. Unfortunately, one of my most vivid memories of Battey is him being thrown out by the right fielder on a line-drive “single”. The outfielder was Lu Clinton, I believe. Battey was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in an era when offensive numbers weren’t as high. Lenny Green led off almost every game for the Twins, but hit #2 in their very first game against the Yankees.

It seems that Miller's upside is tied to his ability to stay at SS. When the scouting report says "average speed", I wonder if he'll be able to stay at the position. Speed doesn't necessarily equal range as Simmons has shown and I also wonder about arm strength, any report on that? Finally, we have an older brother who is in MLB--he was a shortstop, but came to the Guardians as a second baseman (played one game at short) so I wonder if Noah would follow the same path as Owen.

Sure, Sanó as the primary DH makes sense. No matter where he has been put on the Diamond, he isn’t a good defender. There will be several occasions where he will log time at first base, but he is a threat with a bat in his hands. Some guys don’t adjust to being a full-time or almost full-time DH. I would hope Sanó adjusts to not playing in the field on a regular basis.

One-time Twin Juan Centeno (2016 Twin) signed a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks.

Really will be a conundrum for Minnesota. If Adams and Rodgers leave Green Bay, Minny will definitely have the most proven talent in the division. It is pretty hard to imagine gutting the team with a good chance to win the North in the coming year. However, if the decline of the defense continues, they won't really be contenders to advance in the playoffs.

There appear to be tiers in the prospect lists—Lewis, Martin and Miranda are at or near the top for basically three different reasons to whit: Lewis has superstar tools and temperament, Martin is nearly ready, has an interesting and rare skill set and a high floor and Miranda blew the doors off the high minors. Beyond those three there isn’t a lot to be excited about in the near future. The next tier would include a large number of pitchers who could at least be solid rotation/bullpen pieces and perhaps more. Most of the pitchers have had recent health issues, but could blossom with a full season. As most have stated, pitching has been a scarce commodity for years, so I’m a bit more excited about the arms than the position players. Let’s hope the owners and players can work something out soon so that we can see another full season play out.

Great stories and great rationale for all of the players, including "Country" Davidson. I have had many favorites as time has gone on--first Harmon, then Gaetti and Gagne and finally Cuddyer. I was a kid when the Twins moved here and Harmon was the kind of guy you looked up to as a father figure. Gaetti and Gagne weren't ever the best player on the championship teams (Gaetti was close), but they were essential pieces in those World Championship teams. They are roughly my age who I would have liked to hang out with as an adult. Cuddyer was/is the kind of guy I would have liked my daughters to bring home. Cuddyer is my all-time favorite though. He always put the team first and always was popular with his teammates. After he left the Twins, he was highly regarded by his subsequent teams and younger players were glowing in their praise. He played the game the right way.

A little late to the party here, but put me in the “Arraez is tradable” camp. Arraez is elite in making contact, has a very good idea of the strike zone and gets on base. All of the above skills are rare and in demand in this “three true outcomes” era. In addition, Luis has seen considerable action at three defensive positions—second, third and left—providing versatility. That gives him a lot of value, particularly with four years to go to free agency. The Twins have another player in the pipeline, Austin Martin, who approximates Arraez’ skills with more speed and who yet may develop power than Arraez will ever possess. Who knows? Perhaps Martin is the Twins’ shortstop of the future, although I’m not banking on that. Assuming that his contributions are replaceable and that his skills have value, combined with four years of team control, Luis Arraez should have a lot of value and net the Twins either frontline pitching or an everyday player (shortstop?). A couple more thoughts. If the Twins we’re to start the season with the current roster, Arraez would be my pick to be the Opening Day left fielder. Secondly, from both the eye test and BBRef fielding stats, Arraez is an okay defender at all three of the positions he played last year. Finally, and perhaps the deciding factor would be his durability. Troublesome knees usually don’t improve.

Vikings talent is good, but not overwhelming. The coach wasn’t able to get more out of them than .500 since Cousins was acquired. That’s enough for dismissal right there. The nepotism on the coaching staff required a playoff team for them (the coaching staff) to be retained. Didn’t happen. I think Spielman has an eye for talent, but the pieces never fit and the contract extensions to Smith and Cook don’t look smart. The acquisition of Cousins was make or break and they broke.

I think Sanó will be the team’s principal DH. Garver and Donaldson figure in as well as perhaps others. Kirilloff should be penciled in to start a majority of games at first, with some left or right field duty. When AK is in the outfield, Miggy would be the second choice at first. With an expiring contract, Sanó would be considered by many contenders at the trade deadline, if the Twins are not in the hunt. I don’t see the point in moving him now. One more point, I think Sanó works just as hard on his game as the next guy. He is a big man, but not sloppy out of shape. Getting sleeker might help, as it did for Abreu in Chicago, but Sano’s big league career has been limited most by inability to make contact and secondly by being a defensive liability.

I don’t have much information at my fingertips, but was such a list made last year? If so, where was Ober rated? My point is that pitchers seem to be more unpredictable than position players and anyone on this list could boom or bust. What is needed is volume and depth and I think the Twins are in pretty good shape in that regard.