Nate Palmer

Part of the reason why I wanted to unpack the numbers of that '91 group is what you are pointing out. The Cy-Young finishes are also quite incredible regardless of how flawed award voting can be. I did personally like how good Johan was in addition to Radke being at that higher level as the #2. Thanks for the good thoughts!

I so badly wanted to put this group in the conversation. The memories of how dominant it felt the team could be with the one-two punch of Johan and Liriano are pretty cool. I just couldn't when the WAR was lower at every level of the trio for the whole of the season. I sure gave it a long look though!

The Minnesota Twins have set out this offseason to assemble a rotation that can compete for a World Series championship in 2020. Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, and Kenta Maeda look to form a great top-three for the starting rotation. Who was the last great trio of Twins pitchers?The last time the Minnesota Twins won a World Series. the year was 1991 and they had a pretty good trio of starting pitchers in Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson, and Jack Morris. With the World Series in their sights for 2020, the Twins have assembled what looks to be another pretty good trio of pitchers in Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, and Kenta Maeda. In his coverage of spring training for The Athletic, Aaron Gleeman in addressing the Twins excellent depth, correctly calls this season’s trio potentially the best the Twins have had in some time. What seems to be the next logical question to that assessment is, just when was the last time the Twins had a trio of starting pitchers this good? That 1991 group is a natural place to look first. Tapani (6.8 WAR), Erickson (4.4 WAR), and Morris (4.3) combined for a total 15.5 WAR. Tapani pitched his way to a 2.99 ERA, 143 ERA+, and finished seventh in Cy-Young voting. Erickson upped Tapani by finishing second in Cy Young voting with a 3.18 ERA and a 135 ERA+. Morris came in 4th for Cy Young voting a 3.43 ERA and 125 ERA+. The pure depth of that 1991 group is impressive. Although that group pitched almost three decades ago. The most recent trio that likely rivals the hopeful output of the 2020 version has to be one of the staffs led by Twins great Johan Santana. In 2004, Santana put together a season which according to WAR is only topped by Bert Blyleven’s 1973 performance in Twins history. Santana (8.7 WAR), was joined by Brad Radke (5.9 WAR), and Carlos Silva (2.6 WAR) which totals 17.2 WAR and made that trio worth more than the ‘91 trio. That season Santana won the Cy Young (but wasn’t an All-Star), had a 2.61 ERA, and 182 ERA+. Radke added a 3.48 ERA and 136 ERA+ over 219.2 innings pitched. Then Silva also topped 200 innings (203.0 IP), had a 4.21 ERA, and a 112 ERA+. It is those Johan Santana led and specifically 2004 rotation that Berrios, Odorizzi, and Maeda will be trying to make us forget. In order for the 2020 trio to in actuality place themselves among the performance level of the ‘04 and ‘91 group they will need to up their career best performances. If we pull each pitcher’s best season according to WAR it only totals up to 10.4 WAR. The easiest way to for this group to improve would be to see Berrios take the step to become the leader of this rotation closer to the level Johan was. Of course one of the X-factors of this rotation is they have a fourth starting pitcher in Michael Pineda and possible fifth in Rich Hill which makes the rotation have incredible depth as the season winds on. Both of those guys could also realistically challenge to be in that top trio as well. Can Berrios, Odorizzi, and Maeda challenge 2004 Johan, Radke, and Silva as a great Twins trio of starting pitchers? Is there a different more recent group I should have named in this “greatest since” conversation? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. To stay up to date, follow Twins Daily on Twitter and Facebook. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I don't think our points are as far off as you have made them. The point is that we shouldn't be afraid to trade even top tier prospects because a past trade of one didn't turn out well. It at the same time recognizes that as a whole it seems we have some fears when it comes to seeing talent and prospects leave Minnesota and what they might become. It is OK if you disagree with that take. That is the beauty of TD.

I am sorry if that is how the post came across. Not my intentions. My hope instead of simply writing why we should be OK with a trade of a top prospect is to look further down the line and ask why may we as fans struggle with trading top prospects. As I asked that question this post outlines what I see as potential explanations to why we react the way we do. We fear the repeat of the "ones who got away." I don't intend to in anyway try and put myself on some other tier than everyone else. The reality is I am a dude in Wisconsin with a keyboard who chooses to spend some of his free time digging through and writing about baseball. And I do that to further conversation with other baseball and specifically Twins fans. Especially since I live in Wisconsin and all anyone wants to talk about is the Packers. So I am sorry if I came off in anyway as an elitist. I am simply a nerdy guy looking for answers to questions and writing about them. I pinch myself to make sure this is real that I am allowed to post thoughts and ideas on a platform like TD.

Trades have the ability to catapult or scar fan bases. The Minnesota Twins latest acquisition of Kenta Maeda seemed to reveal that Twins fans are likely still scarred from the 2010 trade deadline deal for Matt Capps.As the saga of Kenta Maeda making his way to Minnesota unfolded one name got discussed and analyzed a lot. To the point where if Brusdar Graterol was a fine cut of steak he would have looked like a lump of hamburger in the end. One thought came to my mind as I read tweets, comments, and the like surrounding the trade...are we still haunted by Matt Capps? If you remember back to the summer of 2010 the Twins felt the need to trade for then “proven closer” Matt Capps and did so by sending off one of their top prospects of the time, catcher Wilson Ramos. Ramos was ultimately blocked by Joe Mauer but what still seems to be the critique of that trade is not necessarily that he was traded. It is that he was traded for a relief pitcher. Capps did finish 23 games for the Twins in 2010 with a 2.00 ERA and earned 16 saves over 27.0 innings pitched. Capps did help lead the Twins into the playoffs. No matter how good Capps performed, short of a World Series ring there was a high likelihood that fans would wonder if Ramos could have been packaged to bring Cliff Lee, Dan Haren, or another top name to position the Twins even better for the playoffs and beyond. Is it this trade that has created a group that has become lovingly been referred to as the “Prospect Protectors?" The old regime of the front office had some clunkers of trades and it seems those of us who were around for those days may have become a bit gun shy of seeing trades made because of what could be with our prospects. The hard thing is there have been several missed trades that are quickly available in our memories more than ones that have been successful. Denard Span for Alex Meyer didn’t end up working out. We finally in 2019 saw the first true fruits of Ben Revere for Trevor May and Vance Worley. The Twins were left standing with nothing after trading away Johan Santana and botched trying to turn Carlos Gomez into J.J. Hardy and eventually Jim Hoey. All of that and Capps for Ramos still likely tops the list for memorability. As painful as the memory of that trade is, we must remember that was the previous front office regime. There were still some good trades when it comes to the Terry Ryan-influenced front office so we don’t want to let the bad ones completely scar our memory of that regime. Where we can try and exorcise the ghost of the Matt Capps trade is acknowledging that the team is under the leadership of a different regime. And this front office is already proving to have a bit of a knack for pulling together some smart moves. We have seen success already from the Jake Odorizzi trade. The sell-off of veterans like Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar has helped build up the farm system into a strength that can be dealt from. Specifically without Jhoan Duran, trading Graterol may have been a full no-go. Hopefully acquiring Maeda by trading Graterol will help us become more comfortable with Falvey and Levine’s ability to make this sort of move. I say hopefully because there is a good chance more trades will need to come due to the volume of prospects the Twins will need to make decisions on soon. Hopefully we are no longer haunted by the ghosts of Matt Capps. Do we dare start trying to work on the ghost of David Ortiz’s release yet? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Well Done, Matthew! I do wonder if we undervalue Kepler at times due to Buxton's amazingness. It is hard to figure exactly how to, but I might try to bump centerfield up the list.

Minnesota Twins fans still are waiting for a significant upgrade to the starting rotation. Here is a look based on rumors of who may be available of the top 10 arms for the team to target between now and the trade deadline.It seems the Minnesota Twins will at some point return to the trade market for an improvement on the 2020 starting rotation. We may be waiting until the trade deadline for that move to come, but in the time until then let’s rank who may be available for the Twins to explore. 1. Joe Musgrove 4.44 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 3.3 fWAR 8.30 K/9 (21.9 K%), 2.06 BB/9 (5.4 BB%) Contact Rates: Med 43.8%, Hard 37.3% Swinging Strike 12.0% Musgrove looks ready to take a step now to fit in the #2-#3 place in the Twins rotation. He may not have elite velocity all the time but averages around 93 mph and tops out at 95-97 mph. Who knows what Wes Johnson might be able to add to that mix to help him take those next steps to join Odorizzi and Berrios at the top of the rotation. 2. Matthew Boyd 4.56 ERA, 4.32 FIP, 3.3 fWAR 11.56 K/9 (30.2 K%) , 2.43 BB/9 (6.4 BB%) Contact Rates: Med 41.8%, 40.7% Swinging Strike 14.0% I very easily could have put Boyd #1. His average velocity is similar to Musgrove but to this point has better swing and miss stuff. Call it a gut call and know I won't hate anyone for disagreeing with me especially on this ranking. 3. Jon Gray 3.84 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 2.9 fWAR 9.00 K/9 (23.6 K%) 3.36 BB/9 (8.8 BB%) Contact rates: Med 45%, Hard 39.8% Swinging Strike 11.7% I may kick myself for this ranking. For what feels like ever Gray has been my target and hope for the Twins to acquire. His velocity is a bit better than the first two but doesn’t have the swing and miss capabilities yet. What I think knocked him down was his 50.4% groudball rate in 2019. That works with Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado, but even with Josh Donaldson in the mix, does it work as well for the Twins? 4. Marco Gonzales 3.99 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 3.7 fWAR 6.52 K/9 (17.0 K%), 2.48 BB/9 (6.5 BB%) Contact Rates Medium 48.6%, Hard 33.3% Swinging Strike 7.9% Outside of the simple assumption that the Mariners won’t be competitive this year we haven’t heard Gonzales’ name nearly as much. He is not nearly as sexy of choice as the others before him on the list but just seemed to get things done in 2019. 5. Robbie Ray 4.34 ERA, 4.29 FIP, 2.4 fWAR 12.13 K/9 (31.5 K%), 4.34 BB/9 (11.2 BB%) Contact Rates: Med 40.3%, Hard 43.4% Swinging Strike 13.6% After the Diamondbacks acquired Starling Marte this seems like an even less likely trade at least until mid-summer. The one year deal also doesn’t feel like the sort of trade this front office would want to pursue. So maybe likelihood is creeping into my ranking but he also has the highest walk rate so far out of the pitchers we have looked at. 6. Sandy Alcantara 3.88 ERA, 4.55 FIP, 2.3 fWAR 6.89 K/9 (18.0 K%), 3.69 BB/9 (9.7 BB%) Contact Rates Medium 45.7%, Hard 34.6% Swinging Strike 11.0% The Twins have certainly been linked to the Miami Marlins this off-season. Alcantara seems to be the most attractive arm available. He doesn’t currently have the results of huge swing and miss stuff, but the tools seem to be there. Here is a deeper look into Alcantara. 7. Chris Sale 4.40 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 3.6 fWAR 13.32 K/9 (35.6%), 2.26 BB/9 (6.1%) Contact Rates Medium 47.1%, Hard 36.0% Swinging Strike 14.2% Sale is probably hard to get, but if he would be made available he continues to pitch well. We have also seen in the past his ability to be a true frontline ace. Is that ability still there? That would be the gamble that would be taken. 8. David Price 4.28 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 2.3 fWAR 10.73 K/9 (28.0%), 2.68 BB/9 (7.0%) Contact Rates: Med 43.4%, Hard 36.9% Swing Strike 11.2% Second Red Sox pitcher in row, similar story. Difference is we know Price is much more available due to his 3 year, $96 million contract. Is there enough in the tank to trade for that price tag is the question teams continue to ask. 9. Chris Archer 5.19 ERA, 5.02 FIP, 0.7 fWAR 10.75 K/9(27.2%), 4.14 BB/9(10.5%) Contact Rates Medium 43.5%, Hard 40.1% Swinging Strike 12.9% This will feel very low to many for Archer. On contract alone I considered flipping him and Price, but unlike many I don’t think Archer’s problem is just pitching in Pittsburgh. I wrote more here about how the signs were there for decline before the trade. 10. Caleb Smith 4.52 ERA, 5.11 FIP, 1.0 fWAR 9.86 K/9(26.0%), 3.52 BB/9 (9.3%) Contact Rates Medium 45.9%, Hard 37.4% Swinging Strike 12.6% Smith burst onto the scene a bit last season. The buzz around him made him feel much better than the numbers do. Nothing stellar but if the Twins see something that can be adjusted to get even more results the left-hander he is certainly an arm worth exploring. Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. To stay up to date, follow Twins Daily on Twitter and Facebook. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

If you are referencing the title, that is more a throwback to the comments made by the front office. I have gone as far on Twitter to wonder aloud if Pineda can be that better than Odorizzi impact arm the Twins were seeking. So the title is not meant to bring down the value of Berrios or Odorizzi.

The Minnesota Twins are starting the season without their full complement of preferred starters. Just what is ahead of the Twins until Michael Pineda returns from suspension and can they weather whatever storm could head their way?As the Minnesota Twins made their pivot from “impact pitching” to an impact Bringer of Rain, something became glaringly obvious. With Michael Pineda and Rich Hill not starting the season in the rotation, as the roster stands, two rotation spots are going to be open for one of the young guys to grab hold of. There is still time for the Twins to add another pitcher to bring that number down to one, whether through a trade or a nice little nonroster-invite signing like say, Taijaun Walker. There is no guarantee either of those things will happen or work, so in how bad condition are the Twins regarding their rotation? Michael Pineda has another 39 games to serve on his suspension as 2020 kicks off. If we divide 39 games by five rotation spots we get a nice round 7.8 games. For our purposes let’s round it and make it 8 games per rotation spot or 16 games total the fourth and fifth rotation spot may be responsible for before Pineda joins the team. Every year, to survive the dog days of summer, teams end up having to find games from outside their planned five starters. So how many of those did the Twins need in 2019? Exactly 16 games. They came from Devin Smeltzer (6), Randy Dobnak (5), Lewis Thorpe (2), Kohl Stewart (2), and Cody Stashak (1). The good news for 2020 is that three of those five names are the first three in line to get starts again. They’ve been there. The Twins were incredibly healthy for 2019, with 26 starts from Pineda being the lowest number among their preferred five starters. In 2018 the Twins needed to find 35 starts from outside of their preferred five. And we all know how that went. The 2018 Twins were given the relatively late blow that Ervin Santana was hurt and would not be able to start the season. That resulted in a heavy dose of Fernando Romero as the fifth starter and six games opened by Gabriel Moya. Trevor May, Zack Littell, Tyler Duffey, Stephen Gonsalves, Adalberto Mejia, Chase De Jong, Aaron Slegers, and Phil Hughes also recorded starts. The difference between 2018 and 2020 seems to be twofold. First, the Twins are currently walking into the season prepared to fill those fourth and fifth starter spots from within. And one of them for a determined period of time. The Santana injury in 2018 came out of nowhere and there was no clue exactly how long it would affect the right-hander. Second, the Twins are now much better equipped to fill gaps even if something does go horribly wrong. Thorpe, Dobnak, and Smeltzer are much more battle-tested. Jhoan Duran and Jordan Balazovic don't seem far away. Also Brusdar Graterol has been declared an MLB player for 2020. While the bullpen is his destination, maybe early in the season he fills some sort of opener-type roll. That is 16 games not counting any snow or rainouts or the ability to skip spots in the rotation. This team seems built to withstand 16 games. Ultimately some of those early season starts may help the Twins later in the summer as others need to skip a start and take some maintenance rest. That said, a trade for an impact starter would absolutely be welcomed right now. If it doesn’t happen until later at the trade deadline, the Twins should be fine. Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. To stay up to date, follow Twins Daily on Twitter and Facebook. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins signed the guy for whom Miguel Sano was willing to move to first. Now the question looms of just how well will Sano field his new position. The verdict is ultimately still out but there are some positive signs for the previous defensive liability.Minnesota Twins fans first learned that Miguel Sano was signing his brand new three year contract. We then heard the interviews. Where time and again Sano mentioned he had been working on first base among other aspects of baseball. Then came the official news of Josh Donaldson coming to Minnesota and the official start to Sano’s move across the diamond as a defender. We all know at this point that, albeit being very athletic for a man his size, Sano was not a good defensive third basemen. Now that he is on the move, what can we piece together about Sano, from the eye test as well as the numbers that may give us a clue to the type of first baseman Sano may be in 2020 and beyond. When watching Sano highlights there are moments where he looks absolutely incredible. He sprawls out for a zooming line drive, collects himself, and rifles the ball across the diamond. In watching, it may simply be his arm that makes some of these lateral plays look tremendous. At the same time he has these plays where he just seems to almost stumble around. That is where the concern comes in as Sano moves across the diamond. First base requires good foot work and does he have that? Trying to look through game highlights of Sano as a first baseman it is clear he can receive the ball well. It is also clear he hasn’t truly learned the craft of being a first baseman, but the ability is there. Within the same game last season against the Yankees on July 24th we can see Sano not quite get a good stretch on a play in the fourth inning that allows DJ LeMahieu to reach safely. Then later in the game he makes a better (although slightly unorthodox) stretch to record an out in the fifth. When using OAA to zone in on Miguel Sano we learn that our eyes do not totally deceive us and that he does lack lateral movement. What is good news in comparison to his third base numbers is that he sits much more in the “OK” range at first with OAA ratings of +2 (2017 on 11 attempts), 0 (2018 on 15 attempts), and -1 (2019 on 11 attempts). Very small sample size, but that's what we have to work with since Sano hasn’t spent much time at first. The first basemen skill that we worry about the most with theTwins infield in the past is how well can an errant throw be picked. Fangraphs Scoops stat ranks Sano favorable in his small sample size with +2 (2017), +2 (2018), and 0 (2019). Now scoops is another imperfect statistic where Sano is likely being compared most against his teammates and is a stat that is figured to only show us about 25% of a first baseman's defensive worth. (Read more in this explanation of “Scoops”) Sano does project as likely getting a plus on his ability to scoop compared to other first baseman solely due to his size. As the linked explanation of Scoops states, players who are right-handed and are over 6’1” see a 1.2 increase in runs saved on average. Sano standing at 6’4” has that working for him. Putting all these pieces together, it seems Sano has all the tools, and now with first base as his focus, to become an at least average first baseman. He may not win Gold Gloves, but his value is his bat. If Sano carries defensive abilities that don't hurt the team he will still individually translate into a very good player since his bat does wonderful things like hit 34 home runs with a .923 OPS. The looming question may be: Do the Twins have too many players like that in their infield as a whole? Individually though, Sano should be fine defensively which translates into a good player. What are your thoughts on Sano moving to first? How will he perform? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. To stay up to date, follow Twins Daily on Twitter and Facebook. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I may have needed to alternate between listening to music and puppy videos in my research for this post to avoid too many sad emotions for this exact reason.

Music always adds a little spark to the stadium experience. With Josh Donaldson now a member of the Minnesota Twins, here are some songs that need to be considered as additions to the Target Field stadium mix for 2020.Now that the Minnesota Twins officially have Josh Donaldson, the bringer of rain himself, on the 2020 roster it is time to think about the real important stuff. What are some great in stadium songs that need to be played with such a man joining the Bomba squad? Here are five songs that should be considered in no particular order. Purple Rain by Prince This is an easy one. A slam-dunk on the eight-foot hoop in your childhood driveway. It is so easy Pick and Shovel Wear already themed a shirt in the same vein. It is the true Bringer of Rain meets Minnesota with Minnesota’s own in Prince. And the Twins already did the umbrella thing with Purple Rain so it is a perfect match! The only disqualifier when it comes to this list is that I believe it is already in the song rotation. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head by B.J. Thomas See: World Series Champion Washington Nationals and Baby Shark. The Nationals ran with a kids favorite on their way to the championship this past season. While Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head isn’t quite the same in popularity at the moment, it is still a kids’ favorite. Since sports are often copycat in nature, why not? Plus, if it leads to people throwing Lemon Drops, Gum Drops, and other forms of candy in the air during a game for me to eat. Count me in! Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday In 2007 Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday became an internet and YouTube sensation out of nowhere. For many, that is where the Twins 101-win and playoff season came from -- out of nowhere. It is also how the Donaldson signing felt when the notifications started hitting each of our phones and Twitter timelines. To celebrate why not throw it back to this internet sensation from an unlikely place. **step away from mic to breathe** I Wish It Would Rain-The Temptations Just imagine it. It is the bottom of the ninth, Twins down but in striking distance and Donaldson is due up against the visiting team’s closer. In the lead up to the Twin’s half of the inning the fan base starts crying out for rain. The downgrade on this song is as it was recorded by the Temptations is it isn’t quite a stadium thumper. Maybe someone could remix it? Maybe Mauer can hit up TI to add some more bass to this classic. Who’ll Stop The Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival This selection is made with a similar thought process as the previous one. Although, this time instead of being played in order to encourage the Bomba squad, specifically Donaldson, to make in rain. This one asks who will stop it. It would be perfect to be squeezed in right as the visiting team needs to make a change after a Twins towering home run. Bonus: Rain is a Good Thing by Luke Bryan You know, because rain is a good thing! What are some songs you would consider and why? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

This is the infield only version of OAA. You would need to go look at the outfield version for those numbers. But since you asked he pulled in a -3 in the outfield version of the stat.

If we put any stock in FanGraphs scoop metric, Cron actually graded out better than Mauer when comparing 2018 and 2019. Cron at 31 and Mauer at 20.

The -6 is a combination of all of his lineup positions. When lined up traditionally as a 2B Arraez had a -5, as a 3B -1, and a SS -0. The negative 0 seems silly but I added it because the sight seems to for now differentiate between -0 and 0. No idea why but it can all be found on a players specific page on the site.

I don't know if there is a real clean way to look at the two stats quite the same way (but I could be missing something). They come to the number by each play a fielder is involved in having a weighted value assigned to it based on difficulty. Each play a player is involved with then gets added together. If you want the real long explanation of the stat here is a link to a thorough read! http://tangotiger.com/images/uploads/History_of_the_Fielding.pdf

The Minnesota Twins aren’t technically done putting together their roster for 2020. As it stands today, Statcasts newly rolled out Outs Above Average stat doesn’t have much but bad news for Twins fans. Of course, with anything there is always a glimmer of hope.It has always been tricky to figure out just how to use or trust Defensive metrics have when trying to evaluate baseball players as fielders. While it is clear stats like DRS and UZR tell part of the story for fielders, the jury continues to be out on exactly how reliable these stats can be for us when evaluating players. Statcast has been at work trying to help find a way of evaluating fielders with a stat that more fully tells the story of a player's performance. That is where OAA or Outs Above Average comes in. The big difference between OAA and stats like DRS and UZR is that OAA for the first time looks at infielders in a way that reflects today’s “positionless baseball”. Previously DRS and UZR have looked at players and rated them based on the traditional ranges of each infield position. Where DRS and UZR have fallen short is they are not able to shift with players as they shift in today’s style of baseball. OAA has found a way to better evaluate infielders even as they move around the diamond. For the most part, OAA has affirmed a lot of what we already knew about fielders. As you take a chance to run through the leaderboard most players will wind up where they would on some of the other leaderboards. Eno Sarris did take a look at the biggest movers between the traditional stats we are used to and OAA as part of his recent article in The Athletic. What is most important to us here at Twins Daily is what does this mean for the Twins infielders. According to OAA the Twins infield defense is still MIA. Ok, MIA may be strong but there isn’t much good to look at. Here is how the Twins starters from last year ranked among their position group followed by their OAA number. 1B C.J. Cron: 17th (+1) 2B Jonathan Schoop: 5th (+5) SS Jorge Polanco: 35th, last among qualified SS (-16) 3B Miguel Sano: 29th (-5) Schoop is viewed very favorably by OAA. Problem is that he will not be around in 2020. Same can be said for the only other positively ranked infielder out of last year’s starters, Cron. So here is where the currently projected starting infield ranked in 2019 according to OAA. 1B Marwin Gonzalez: +7 (+2 attributed to 1B) 2B Luis Arraez: -6 SS Jorge Polanco: -16 3B Miguel Sano: -5 As has been observed time and time again, the Twins infield defense is not looking good any way you paint it if each infielder repeats his 2019 performance. Marwin right now represents the only plus defender in the current starting lineup. One big hope has to be that Polanco just had an especially bad season in 2019 as in 2017 and 2018 he was rated at a -5. Some of the the same can be said for Sano as he was at a -3 the previous two seasons. Polanco may come out looking the worst with the release of OAA where he seemingly plummets from a +1 DRS to a -16 OAA. Even though Sano may not look great, he does look slightly more favorably and even ranks higher than old friend Eduardo Escobar amongst current third baseman. Many of us are still hoping for one more signing either at third or first so here are some infielders available (or rumored to be) that could give the Twins an upgrade in infield defense according to OAA. Nolan Arenado: +17 Josh Donaldson: +8 Brandon Belt: +3 Kris Bryant: +2 Mitch Moreland: -1 This is a real quick look at what this new tool Statcast has placed in our hands to look at infielders is telling us about the Twins. There are several different nuances that I personally still need to and want to explore to see what we can learn about infield defense. What are your thoughts about OAA. Are you excited for Statcast's newest stat? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Not registered? Click here to create an account. To stay up to date, follow Twins Daily on Twitter and Facebook. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook Available NOW! — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of a Potential Jose Berrios Extension — Nicholas Castellanos Can’t Play First Base Click here to view the article