kab21

The list above that I posted (all pitchers #1-#9 from 2001-2009) indicate that their floors were probably not Scott Baker and that it was unlikely that they hit it. Despite evidence to the contrary, I will believe what I want. Awesome:th_alc:

The list above that I posted (all pitchers #1-#9 from 2001-2009) indicate that their floors were probably not Scott Baker and that it was unlikely that they hit it.

Hicks spot in the order will be determined by how good he is and team needs. it's really not something to worry about. Ideally I see him as a #2/3 hitter but if he hits .260/.330/.400 he might end up in the lower half. I'm optimistic about him but reasonable expectations should be much higher than that although he has a lot of upside.

Edwin Jackson is nowhere close to Shields. He's not an ace but that's also why he's potentially available. I would be absolutely thrilled to have a 2/3 starter in this rotation. If you really like Jackson then it's still possible to pick him up also. I think a guy like Shields is the best direction in a trade of Span or Willy. I would love to get a couple of great prospects for them but teams are very hesitant with giving up prospects and most likely the return will be borderline awful if you push to deal either of them. I wish Shields was locked up for a 3rd yr but this beats the hell out of shelling out a 4+/60+ contract for someone like him that is probably older.

I believe that Sickels is the first guy that is ranking buxton near Arcia and Rosario instead of Sano. I would like to hear his thoughts on that but luckily he always does the Twins first (I think). I'm very surprised that Hicks wasn't even on the list. This will be interesting to read about when he does the Twins.

I never responded to this but I don't think the Twins will rank anywhere near #19. The twins were 20th last year and there were several players that had great seasons while they only had a few disappointments and graduations. they also added Buxton and Berrios to the system. I think they will fall just outside of the top ten. tbh they even have a chance to crack the top 10. this is a pretty strong farm system even if there isn't a lot of pitching.

I'm going to contend that this is a bunch of garbage. Every team has a rough stretch in the draft and you can't pick out one team that has been successful to say otherwise. Kobs is absolutely right that the Twins can't have another draft stretch like 04-08 but that horrific stretch is still producing big league regulars which some teams haven't even been able to do. They don't have a lot of arms in the system still but overall the Twins have a very strong farm system and Ryan was part of that effort even if he wasn't GM. I think you're also exaggerating when you say 6-8 years. there are 4-5 yrs that are unimpressive but if you want to go further than that then you are going to need to include drafts that featured Hicks and Gibson or drafts that featured Baker, Span and Mauer. Replacement level at best? i call complete bull. Plouffe just hit 24 HR's in 2/3's of season that included an injured hand. Even if you call this season his best that is WAY ABOVE replacement level. Parmelee was just named the 5th best int'l league prospect by BA. Neither of these guys will be all stars but replacement level? try not to exaggerate.

I had the same problem and same youtube ad last night while typing up a post. I wasn't able to close it and it just kept playing until I finally clicked the link.

I guess you're right about the complaining part. After all there was complaining this year that the Twins didn't take a toolsy OF'er named Trout instead of a top 5 talent pitcher. and that was before Trout played like Mays this year. And there has been complaining that the Twins didn't take Appel instead of Buxton. There was even complaining that the twins didn't take ethan Martin because he had the magical stuff instead of Aaron Hicks a few years ago. some are just born complainers. I'm not sure if you know this but there's only one Appel in the draft this year. I like him at #4 (if he's there) but I'll take another OF'er if he is the BPA. Of course that toolsy OF'er might bust but the track record of pitchers in the top 9 picks for nearly a decade is pretty mediocre also. Let's not forget that some consider this to be a mediocre year for pitching. The list looks even worse if you take out the 3 no doubt elite draft prospects (Prior, Verlander, and Price). Pitchers in the top 9 from 2001-2009

Hmm, I call BS. Nobody should complain, but they will. They will certainly complain on draft day but they won't be complaining when that OF'er has a >.900 OPS in the majors instead of getting a high 3's ERA starter.

Wow, that list is your argument for maintaining the status quo? They ran off Garza, Perkins was basically ready to be run off when he failed to develop as a starter and they stumbled on him as an effective bullpen option with the injury collapses of Nathan and Capps, every other pitcher on this list is: a has-been who was also run off- a "I don't know how to use a lefty who can only get out lefties"- and- a wish, a hope and a prayer that he will ever pan out as anything above a #4-5 starter. The jury is still out on every single one of the position players you mention, as well- not one "can't-miss" guy among them. While the two FA pickups worked out, they were replacements for the losses of 4 players- Thome, Cuddyer, Young and Kubel. The two FAs also had career years in 2012, can they do it again or should they have been flipped so that for once, the Twins could be sellers when their value was at its highest? perhaps you missed what I wrote the first time. How much blame should ryan get during BS's time as GM? Absolutely awful decisions were and he was still in the FO but I don't how much control/input he had. I also said it might be too early to tell about the horrific drafting and development the Twins had from '04-'09. I'm guessing you don't really understand what horrific means. They haven't had a lot of success from the draft recently but they are still getting solid ballplayers. I'm not sure how you can be critical of last year's offseason. they picked up better ballplayers at half the cost and got 3 extra draft picks. I think that is a pretty outstanding job. I'm also not sure I would call them career years. willingham has a .845 career OPS and this year he had a .890 OPS. Doumit had a .777 OPS this year and a .771 career OPS. Ryan has made bad decisions (Capps definitely) and I'll criticize him but I think you are being ridiculous.

Despite the lack of depth in the system you still take the BPA. Nobody will complain if they end up with an elite OF'er instead of an average starter. You can find average players elsewhere but elite players are what puts a team over the top. And if possible that's what you should be targeting at #4. I hope that the BPA is a pitcher though because the Twins definitely need one.

I guess your thoughts on Ryan's ability should hinge on how responsible he was for the awful BS era. the 90's were awful and despite losing in the playoffs the 2000's were very good for a team on a shoestring budget. At that time many wondered what Ryan could do with an adequate budget. He now has a budget to work with and he made two outstanding FA pickups last season. It might also too early to call the drafting and developing horrific. The horrific years of the draft (2004-2009) include Plouffe, Perkins, Slowey, Garza, Duensing, Parmelee, Hicks, Benson, Revere and Gibson. they made an awful trade with Garza but they still drafted and developed him. It's also worth pointing out that once you get outside of the top the draft is largely hit and miss and that is where the Twins drafted for the entire decade.

I'm not sure what's considered the nastiness of the site. I would encourage BBwriter to do more than just popping in to drop a link to drive traffic to his website. There are a lot of great content (both articles and forum topics) here that he could participate in.

There are things to question and complain about and then there are things like this. You haven't even seen the prospects on both lists that ranked ahead of Arcia yet you object.

BA forms its opinions not by scouting or reading stuff on the internet but by talking to a giant network of scouts and FO types. It's not a perfect system but they aren't just copying what others are saying. they do try to see a lot of games and watch video but that isn't the focus of their methodology.

I think people are over analyzing the whole Boras angle and the fact that he is only a #2/3. Appel can't afford to not sign in a 2nd draft. It's true that he might be gone in 6 years but that is the pretty common among above average players. And honestly I'll worry about 2020 in 2019 instead of 2013. Appel is exactly what the twins need. They need above average starters that can be in the majors fast. IF he's the best available player then you take him.

Yeah, I don't understand how someone can be labeled as a sabr guy that hates the triple crown just because he makes an argument that Trout should win a very close MVP race. Cabrera's having a great year and Trout is having a great year.

No it isn't more complicated. But there is some STRONG nay-saying going on around here. The Twins were a COMPLETE mess at the beginning 1/6+ of the season. 7-21 DUE to players who are not going to be around anymore (Pavano, Liriano, Blackburn, and Marquis) is a big deal. And the woes continues for some of them for 1-3 months later. The Twins are truly about 10 games under performance, but most of that is the result of the disaster at the beginning of the season. Let's ignore that just about everything (aside from MI) went perfectly for the Twins on offense. And they still had an average offense. Or that there's only one starter on the team that anyone has any confidence in.

Just try to ignore the d**k heads or you'll never survive here, besides his Mom probably grounded him and took away his PS3. To answer your question, I think yes, on a 1 year, incentive heavy deal with an option. You show a lot of maturity yourself. I get sick of people dropping in with links to their blogs like it's something that hasn't been discussed before. And it's discussed in some thread almost weekly.

Perhaps if you read TD more often then you would know that this has been discussed many times already including an article. http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1044-Should-Twins-Sign-Scott-Baker-Now

I have no problem with Baez in the top spot. Both will probably be in the top 25 overall so this isn't a slight imo. Lindor is a really good prospect but some aren't as excited about his offensive upside. i would put him at #3 easily. It's kind of disappointing that Rosario is that low but that is a pretty talented group on that list.

I like how thrylos somehow thinks that the Phillies knew less than he did and that he was available.

they have Jennings but they still need OF'ers and DH's. They really need offense but they have also always had great defenses to go with their pitching staffs. They could definitely match up with Span or Willingham. I'm not sure why there's so much interest in Niemann. He's the kind of guy you pick up not using your best trade chips. He's a 4.00 ERA guy that is 2 yrs from FA. He also has a long injury history and not many think he can stay healthy. The scouting report on McGee for at least 5 years was that he was going to end up a RP. And he currently looks like an elite RP'er so he would cost an arm and a leg to get. I wouldn't target a project starter with 1-2 of your prime trade chips.

Is this a joke? half full or half empty? How about damn near completely empty for the next season or two? I don't think the Twins need to do a slash and burn rebuild. That is for really poor teams that don't have any talent anywhere. They should be trying to find some good deals on Morneau, Willingham and Span in the next year though. They can go out and sign a decent mid tier starter for around 3/30. The important thing is that they avoid a 5/75 contract for a MOR starter that could hamstring the team right when the team should be on the upswing. Luckily they've said that they aren't looking there.