jokin

But the fact remains, the current situation has forced the Twins hand on their original timeline on Hicks, and he can easily be sent back down to Rochester if either- -he's not performing, or -he's squeezed in the numbers game by the 2 CF veteran guys without options- assuming the FO retains their perception that those two represent more value to the major league club in 2015

Yeah, this looks a lot more like they got to the end of the list of available OFers on the 40 man.... looks like Hicks and Kepler were all that was left to choose from in a pinch.

Hey JC, any position player standouts in Cedar Rapids (besides Granite who already got the nod), guys who look like they are beginning to stir and could earn a promotion by end of the first half of the season (and perhaps make room for some of the next wave)?

So... does this lighten the ballyhoo around the Hicks promotion just a bit?

Yeah, I'm not Schafer's biggest fan. But he isn't healthy right now, and is unable to utilize his only plus-asset, his speed. Based on recent history, when the Twins were poring over the waiver wire for a body and even considering Jason Bartlett in CF, keeping Schafer around, on the DL, or in the minors if he clears waivers wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Light, I've been following your reports for a while now, it was great to finally see ABW in person. I have to say I liked what I saw, I really liked that big power to the Opposite Field----- If... he, and the Twins, can deal with the issues we've interminably gone over over on TD whenever his name comes up (but didn't come up at all on Sunday), he could be part of a 21st Century version of the Bash Brothers North. (Buxton between Walker and Arcia in the OF wouldn't be the best possible defensive alignment, but it appears at least do-able).

The first time I saw Polanco was in Cedar Rapids, where he was the man amongst boys, even as one of the youngest guys on the Kernels. Now, he's more like one of many stars, but definitely seems the most major league ready to this point in the season. At the plate, he doesn't have Santana's quick wristed swing, but my own eyes told me it appeared that Polanco's confidence at the plate is off the charts, like he knows exactly what's coming. This has manifested itself into both his highest ever LD% and heightened power- his HR% is on a record pace (4 HR already, narrowly missing #5 on Sunday- he had 7 all season last year) . He has a ripplingly strong-looking body- a succession of mid-teens homer years seems possible- this is something I wouldn't have dreamed in uttering just two years ago- the ball jumps off of his bat. If this power upgrade isn't merely a mirage, Polanco could be suited for another position besides SS, perhaps 3B. but I'm going along with you, he might force the issue at SS with Santana, especially if Danny continues to regress from his unsustainable numbers in 2014.

DL Schafer or Hicks to LF/RF w/ Rosario going down?

On his first pitch, he threw directly from overhead and seemed to put everything he had into it, he got a swinging strike, but only clocked in at 96. Way too many 3-ball counts (about half of the batters faced) and long counts with multiple foul tips- just couldn't blow as many guys away as last season.

Let me tell you, it was well worth the trip--> talent everywhere you look on the field- I was able to see at least 8 guys with a real shot at being anywhere from major league contributors to major league superstars, and Dougie really seems to have them firing on all cylinders. (Consider spending some of your time there sitting directly behind home plate in the back row, I overheard a lot of good info from the Twins staff regarding the pitchers when they intermittently came out from the enclosed skyboxes- there were also plenty of seats available along and behind the Lookouts dugout, easy to snap pictures of players batting and in the on-deck circle right next to the wall.... and overhear more juicy tidbits of info). My only regret was not being able to see Reed, Jones, and especially Berrios, throw... perhaps for Rochester by some time later this summer?

Good point on Harrison. And no, he did not have extra body armor. And not only was he on top of the plate, so were Buxton and Sano, as well. Possibly, credit is due to the Lookout hitting coach, as the whole lineup from top to bottom seems to take a fairly aggressive approach in looking for their pitch to hit, yet also while remaining somewhat selective and avoiding chasing. Interestingly, the club is first or second in HBP, as well as both strikeouts and base on balls.

On a scheduled trip to Southern League country, I was fortunate to be close enough to include a visit to AT&T Park in Chattanooga on Sunday as part of my journey- and take in the power-packed Twins affiliate's destruction of the Jackson Generals, 16-3. Although it's a running joke, the game was actually more lopsided than it sounds- it would have been easy to assume that the Lookout opponent was actually the Washington Generals. Speaking of lopsided, so is AT&T Park, asymmetrically shoe-horned onto a small piece of real estate with a major expressway buzzing by just a few feet away. http://media.timesfreepress.com/img/photos/2015/04/15/lookouts_t618.jpg?ba5b5b122dd3d37cc13d83e92a6a0ec0d5bfa32a Although the park isn't atop Lookout Mountain (for which the team is named after, and which has a commanding presence just south of the city and along the Tennessee-Georgia border). the park does sit atop a steep promontory right at the edge of downtown, known as "Hawk Hill", and just above Ross's Landing Park along the scenic Tennessee River, along with close proximity to the downtown area's main tourist attractions. If you crave vigorous exercise, you can ascend four flights of steep stairs, sculpted into the side of the hill, if that's not your cup of tea, there's a long escalator ride awaiting you. Pretty neat location, all in all. http://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/AA/chattanooga.jpg While the park is fairly typical in size of the AA variety venues, it was in fine shape, both on and off the field- there were a number of scenic viewpoints, even with US Highway 27 practically running through the left field parking lot. The outfield is 335 down the LF line, 400 to dead center, and 325 down the RF line. There is a billboard-ladened fence that appears to be close to 20 feet high, most of the way around the entire OF..... And the park is configured such that the prevailing north and west winds blow in- all the way from the RF power alley to the LF foul pole.... There Are No Cheap HR hit by RHB to CF or LF at AT&T! The infield grass has been interestingly landscaped into the Lookouts twin-eyed logo. Although there is an attractive brick wall that separates the sidelines from the stands, the bulk of the park, both the seating and the base, is made of aluminum. And the exterior facade was uninspiring as well, a major miss for the local Chamber of Commerce . The one problem with it being a day game was the intense heat and sun, causing many folks, myself and family included, to abandon the 6 rows of reserved seating, and head for cover in the upper level general admission seats, equipped with both a protective canopy and a series of large fans. I was fortunate enough to secure seating in the last row (but still quite close to the field) directly behind home plate, and as it turned out, right next to Lookout utility man, Heiker Meneses' extended family, just arrived from Venezuela (and who were delightful). Directly behind us in one skybox, appeared to be Terry Ryan, and sitting in the open air, but private seating area of the box next door, and immediately behind me, was 2B Levi Michael (currently on the DL), and three Twins scouting staff, equipped with radar gun and computers, busily chatting while tracking, calling out and charting the pitches of both teams. Starting for the opposing team, was the Mariners #22-ranked prospect, Stephen Landazuri, which presumably promised the potential for an interesting pitching match-up with Twins' prospect, DJ Baxendale. Let's just say after watching Landazuri perform, it's safe to say that I'd take any of the Twins #20-25 ranked prospects over him.... in a Heartbeat! (Fernando Romero, JT Chargois, Amaurys Minier, Chih-Wei Hu and Zack Jones) Speaking of Baxendale, although he ended up with the win in the lopsided game, his performance was far less than impressive. He labored through 5 innings, giving up 2 runs, on 107 pitches, with only 67 strikes. The scouting group behind me openly speculated in both the 4th and 5th innings if he was about to get pulled- with his velocity on his FB and CB coming on the low end of his season averages. Giving Bax some credit, he did really bear down in the 5th inning, striking out the last two batters he faced, with a man on base and the game somewhat still in doubt; The following are other individual impressions of some of the key prospects, the "Cavalcade of Stars" if you will, who were seen on Sunday- DJ Peterson- The Mariners #2 prospect and ranked #49 overall. He was Mitch Garver's teammate at the University of New Mexico and was drafted in the 1st round of 2013. 1B-3B Peterson is coming off a year where he hit 32 HRs across 3 levels, including 13 at this level. While he had 2 singles and a BB in this game, it was clear that his HR swing is definitely absent at this point in time, and he has but one HR on the season, thus far. Based on the understanding that it's just one game from watching Peterson, it's easy to feel good about most of the Twins top 10 prospects, by comparison. Levi Michael- Another former 1st round draft pick, currently on the DL. One of the scouts behind me asked Michael if he was going to rehab in Florida. Michael said he wasn't sure yet, the only thing he knew for certain was the looming bus ride to Birmingham (for a 6-game series this week) and how he wanted to make sure "JT (Chargois) was going to be sitting next to "Doug" and not himself." He appeared to be moving around okay. Stuart Turner- Often billed as the Twins "catcher of the future", he appears competent and confident behind the plate, He wasn't asked to do anything spectacular today. He deserves credit for working with the 3 Lookout pitchers and helping them get through repeated streaks of wildness and less-than-impressive stuff. Hitting-wise, trying to be positive, he's definitely best classified as "a work in progress." Travis Harrison- Although his BB% is well-down from his career norms, he did show a discriminating eye today, drawing 3 walks to go with his ringing double. His OPS moved above .800 today and his BA and triple slash are all at 3-year highs. Not asked to do too much in the OF, he made all the plays in front of him in RF. Max Kepler- Max hit the ball, HARD, in 4 out of 5 PAs, resulting in a single, 2 straight doubles and only a great catch on a stinging line drive headed for the gap by the SS kept Max from a 3rd straight double in the 7th inning. After a slow start in coming off yet another injury, Kepler is now batting .370 in his last 7 games, with a .519 SLG and a .414 OBP. One to watch to see if he can get on a sustained tear like last year. Adam Brett Walker- Almost, but not quite, every bit as imposing at the plate as Miguel Sano, Walker scalded the ball 4 times in 5 trips, plus a fly ball out to CF, ultimately leaving him to settle for a massive opposite field HR that helped him re-take the Southern League lead in that department with 8, and a line drive double to left. Perhaps it had much to do with the quality of the Jackson pitching, but Walker showed great patience at the plate, as he didn't chase any balls away or in the dirt. Walker's SLG on the season is now .539. Jorge Polanco- Early and often on offense for Jorge, now batting in the 3 spot. He started the scoring with a SF in the first and proceeded to hit the ball hard all day, from both sides of the plate- four hits on the day, culminating with a triple high off of the RF wall in the 8th inning to end the scoring for Chattanooga. He appears major league ready at the plate. And also in the field.... Polanco made several strong throws from deep in the hole, and although he was charged with an error on a wide throw, it came on one of the most spectacular defensive plays of the day. Polanco ranged deep to his left, snaring a ball on the RF side of second base, doing a 360 degree pirouette. only to throw wide of first, allowing a runner to harmlessly advance one extra base. If anything, his arm has improved quite a bit from when I saw him play in Cedar Rapids two years ago, and his range on ground balls, especially to his left, appears to be superior to Santana right now. No DPs today, or short fly balls that require some range, I'd like to see how he operates in those situations before he gets a final grade from me. Nick Burdi- The box score says he did well, getting 3 Ks in two innings, with 0 runs allowed. But with a 16-3 score, this was as low a low leverage situation as one can imagine. It took 40 pitches for Burdi to get through two innings. Out of all those pitches, only 21 strikes to go with 19 balls. And also, as alarming as his wildness was, his velocity is down as well, topping out at 96 on the FB and mostly in the 80s on his slider. Compound that with two ringing doubles and a BB, definitely not a great performance. Clearly, Nick is struggling mightily at the moment, although it's hard from just one observation to pinpoint the problem more precisely. Miguel Sano- Very, very encouraging day for Sano. First off, I think I discovered part of the reason for Sano's slow start and for his lowly .200-ish BABIP. Sano has always been a fly ball hitter, this year is no different, his 43% OFB rate ranks 4th in the Southern League. The wind was blowing in at 7 MPH, not really all that high, but Sano hit 4 towering fly balls to LF and CF, the first off the 20 foot wall for a double, followed by two Sac Flies, one deep, the other at the wall, he then followed that with another fly ball out, at the wall, to the CF in the left field power alley in the crazy 6th inning. Perhaps learning his lesson on fly balls into the wind, Sano came up later in that same inning and hit a scorching line drive back up the middle, off the pitcher and into foul ground for a single. Two hits on the day, but it could have been so much more. Still, his numbers are quickly moving in the right direction. In the field, early on, Sano looked very good with the glove, with three strong throws to first, one of the spectacular variety, after knocking down a hot shot slightly to his left. He also showed some quickness afoot, tracking down a spinning, low trajectory pop fly in foul territory. One of the most amusing plays of the day came in the 4th, seemingly reminiscent of Plouffe's recent dropped pop-up on the pitching mound, only in this instance, with four infielders converging on the mound, at the last moment, Sano's decisively booming voice calling for the ball, plus his physical presence, sent everyone else scattering- he repeated the feat later on a less harrowing play. It appears that he's more than willing to be a leader out in the field, as much as at the plate. Of course, he soon followed all the leadership up with a muff on an easy two-hopper that resulted in an error. Error aside.... My recommendation is to watch Sano very closely in the month of May- it appears he could break out at any moment. Byron Buxton- Last but not least, Buck had a great, but not spectacular day at the plate. Of course, no one wants to start the game getting hit by a pitch just below your shoulder- which is just what happened to Buxton. He followed that up by reaching 3 more times, with a walk and two solid singles- he easily could have had 3 hits on the day, but the 1st base umpire appeared to mistakenly call him out at 1st on a close play bid for an infield single, after a throw from the SS. As usual, he was a terror on the bases, going 1st to 3rd with ease on three separate occasions, and scoring three runs on the day. Buxton's SLG remains strong at .486, while his OBP is slowly creeping northward, now at .336. This guy showed today that he is the dream leadoff hitter that we've all been waiting for, the time for his ascendancy to the major league level appears close at hand. In the field, the most noticeable and significant thing to me was what I didn't see happening- and that is- no reckless style of play as we've seen in the past- leading to potential career-threatening injury. Let's just say: Buxton gave wide latitude to the OF wall, and the corner OFers gave wide latitude to Buxton. One play in particular stands out- in the 4th inning, Buxton, slightly shading a hitter to RF, ran all the way across the OF on a line drive, coming to within 20-25 feet of Walker, who had barely moved, while Buxton proceeded to go airborne, careening for the ball, parallel to the ground, and very nearly made a spectacular backhand catch that undoubtedly would have been ESPN's Play of the Day. In the field, the guy not only knows how to play, he and the club now get what it's going to take to generally stay healthy, even with a constantly desperate need for speed.

At which point (which is admittedly imminent), he's bound to rank order his options based on contract $$$ owed and years remaining on said contract.

Oh, but he does.... (just look at the track record with struggling SPs, TR has given out enough rope to encircle the globe).

You're getting towards the issue, although their track record with him makes it seem unlikely they would let him pitch if there was the slightest hint of of a current injury. The occasional fits of wildness, followed by stints of extreme hitability like yesterday, makes it seem like they're experimenting with his delivery- perhaps to decrease some of the violence in his upper body motion.

Maybe.... maybe not. He's spinning his wheels right now, repeating a level he's mastered. Regular work, under the watchful eye of Neal Allen, 2-3 times a week, might be just the ticket.

The major league pen. And it's been the time for that since ST 2014.

"SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS"

That's inaccurate..

But this year's numbers for Gibson so far suggest that his ability to induce weaker contact has diminished, LD% up significantly, along with the 50% reduction in Ks, while his strand rate is over 20% above career norms. Still lots of luck involved for Gibson to this point, but definitely not "all luck."

I was slightly off.... actually, after last night, all five indicators worsened- SIERA is now 5.47, xFIP is now 5.10. They say "better to be lucky than good", could it be that Gibson is the statistician's worst nightmare? Or is Gibson "good" enough to sustain this "lucky" streak over a full season as some of his skewed stats normalize? Alarmingly, as of now, Gibson's K/9 rate is only ~half of what it was in 2014 (and many grumbled about his lack of Ks last year). It sure seems like something is going to have to give- either one direction or the other.

Rosario gets the start again in RF, the only LHB in the lineup v. Pomeranz. The skipper has a hunch?.

Check the timestamps.... the thread wasn't "swiped", as you actually posted second on the topic. No problem though, the mod overlords merge threads all the time. NIce action pix, btw.

Kyle Gibson entered tonight's game as the worst among all of MLB's qualified pitchers in these stats- xFIP (5.09), worst SIERA (5.42) and worst K/BB (0.77), K/9 (2.97) & K%(7.6%-- the latter three only got worse after tonight). And yet, his ERA now stands at 2.97. Is it mirrors or magic tricks? Feel free to discuss.

Darn it all. Why is the mop bucket always half full in your world, Stringer?