Nick Nelson

FT. MYERS – In his latest update from Twins spring training, Nick breaks down Minnesota's trade for a Yankees outfielder, as well as the resulting Kennys Vargas DFA. Plus, notes on Jorge Polanco's defensive struggles, Jose Berrios' fourth spring start, Miguel Sano's knee injury and more. Listen here!If you haven't yet, you can find step-by-step instructions to subscribe via your iPhone podcast app here. If you have any suggestions for improving these nightly wrap-up mini-podcasts, please feel free to share them in the comments. I'm literally talking to myself so any outside guidance is much appreciated. We are down here to dig up and deliver the details you all want, so please don't hesitate to help shape this content! Click here to view the article

FT. MYERS – It was only a matter of time until the Minnesota Twins moved on from Kennys Vargas, whose redundancy following the Logan Morrison acquisition combined with a lack of remaining options essentially punched his ticket off the 40-man roster. So it was no surprise to see the Twins announce on Friday they'd designated the slugger for assignment. It was, however, a bit surprising that the move made room for a newly acquired player: 25-year-old outfielder Jake Cave, who comes over from the Yankees organization.The Twins traded 19-year-old pitcher Luis Gil for Cave, who joins Zack Granite and Robbie Grossman in the mix for a backup job in the outfield. Paul Molitor indicated that he might get Cave, who had recently been designated for assignment himself when the Yankees signed Neil Walker earlier this week, into the lineup as soon as Saturday. A sixth-round draft pick out of high school back in 2011, Cave owns a career .767 OPS in the minors but experienced a breakout of sorts last summer with Class-AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .324/.367/.554 with 15 home runs in 72 games. He had previously never reached double-digits in the homer column. "He made some adjustments that we thought led to the power surge that he had, and we think those will continue going forward," said Derek Falvey, who added that the scouting staff gained familiarity with Cave while scouring New York's system during Jaime Garcia trade discussions last July. Gil had thrown only 65 innings in the Twins system, all in the Dominican Summer League, in which he posted a 3.32 ERA, 10.1 K/9 rate, and 6.4 BB/9 rate. He missed the 2016 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Falvey described him as a "hard-throwing right-hander." "He certainly has some upside and I think that's what they identified." Cave has played all three outfield positions in the minors but more center than anything else. Falvey suggested that he profiles better in the corners, but is usable in center. A left-handed swinger whose 1.000 OPS against righties towered over his .638 mark against southpaws last year, Cave seems a somewhat odd fit on a 40-man roster that already features Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Zack Granite. Falvey said that such considerations are secondary when trying to add a desirable talent. "With the way we're structured there're a few non-roster candidates or otherwise who fit on the other side of the coin there," explained Minnesota's chief baseball officer. "To just add another position player with three options remaining who we like has value to us, whether it's for now or in the future." Reading between the lines, it seems likely Cave will head to Rochester to open the season but he could be a useful depth piece, especially if the power strides stick as Falvey hopes. Meanwhile, the team will try to work out a trade with Vargas, or else see if he lands somewhere on waivers. The Rays, who beat the Twins 11-1 at Hammond Stadium on Friday, appear to be a logical fit and multiple Tampa media members noted as much in the press box. Click here to view the article

One of the most pleasant surprises for the 2017 Minnesota Twins literally came out of left field. With newfound discipline at the plate, Eddie Rosario turned the corner and went from frustrating underachiever to fearsome slugger. But with Rosario slowed by injury this spring, the depth behind him could quickly come into play.Projected Starter: Eddie Rosario Likely Backup: Robbie Grossman Depth: Ehire Adrianza, Zack Granite, Nick Buss Prospects: Alex Kirilloff, Akil Baddoo, LaMonte Wade THE GOOD Rosario's approach at the plate improved by leaps and bounds in 2017. Just take a look at how the strikeout and walk rates compare to his previous major-league campaigns: YEAR | K% | BB% --------------------------------------- 2015 | 24.9% | 3.2% 2016 | 25.7% | 3.4% 2017 | 18.0% | 5.9% That walk rate still wasn't good by any means, ranking as the 26th-lowest in the majors, but it was a massive step up from his stagnant bottom-of-the-barrel marks during those first two campaigns. With his quick wrists and outstanding hand-eye coordination, Rosario has always been capable of putting the bat on almost anything thrown his way. But as the Baseball Prospectus Annual 2018 puts it, he "started learning to separate the pitches he can hit from those he should hit." The result was a career-high .290 batting average despite a career-low .312 BABIP. He also slugged .507 with 27 home runs, surpassing his prior cumulative totals of .443 and 23. That might've had something to do with the juiced balls but also speaks to Rosario's highly impressive ability to drive scorching liners with authority from his 6'1", 180 lb frame. And here's the best part: Rosario isn't necessarily done fine-tuning his approach. Keep in mind the kid is only 26, and coming off a revelatory year with a new hitting coach who seems to be getting through. If Eddie can get those K/BB rates trending further in the right direction, continued offensive growth may be yet to come. An enticing proposition for a player who finished with the third-best OPS+ on the team in 2017. Even if those rates remain the same, simply gravitating back toward his .335 BABIP from 2015/16 could push Rosario's average past .300 and his OPS into the 900-range. Finally tapping into his true potential at the plate as he enters his fourth MLB season, Rosario represents one of the biggest reasons to love Minnesota's offensive upside this summer. THE BAD While Rosario has mostly erased any doubts surrounding his outlook with the bat, he still has some work to do defensively. He possesses all the tools to be an excellent left fielder, but brazen aggressiveness continued to lead to questionable decisions that hurt the team in 2017. Hopefully the more disciplined approach at the plate will carry to the outfield this year. Unfortunately, he hasn't had much chance to work at it this spring, with triceps tendinitis keeping him off the field for nearly two weeks. He finally returned to the lineup on Thursday, finishing 0-for-3 against the Rays as designated hitter, but there's no specific target date to get him back in the outfield. Paul Molitor did mention that the outfielder came away from throwing sessions pain-free this week and the manager expects to see him back in left soon. If there are any setbacks or hiccups in Rosario's recovery, Robbie Grossman and Ehire Adrianza would likely consume the balance of reps in left field. That's a major drop-off, both offensively and defensively, but it's not a disastrous fallback plan. In the event of a lengthier absence, Zack Granite would probably be called upon to fill in as a regular, likely providing superior glovework to Rosario with a good approach at the plate (albeit MUCH less power) and speed on the basepaths. THE BOTTOM LINE Though his arm ailment has kept him off the field for much of March, Rosario indicated on Thursday he is now throwing from 90 feet with no issue, so he should be back in the outfield soon and good to go by Opening Day. As things stand now, he is the present and future in left field, with a heightened floor and a lofty ceiling still within reach. Down the line, Alex Kirilloff and Akil Baddoo stand out as the brightest hopes to potentially succeed Rosario, who's four years away from free agency (though many feel Kirilloff profiles better in right). In the shorter-term, one player to watch is LaMonte Wade. Twins Daily's No. 14 prospect has put his signature patience on display this spring; he drew his team-leading seventh walk on Thursday. Click here to view the article

FT. MYERS – Who will be the starter on Opening Day for the Twins, now just two weeks away? What did Kyle Gibson have to say about his spring up to this point? How did Eddie Rosario look in his return to the lineup? Listen here and find out.If you haven't yet, you can find step-by-step instructions to subscribe via your iPhone podcast app here. If you have any suggestions for improving these nightly wrap-up mini-podcasts, please feel free to share them in the comments. I'm literally talking to myself so any outside guidance is much appreciated. We are down here to dig up and deliver the details you all want, so please don't hesitate to help shape this content! Click here to view the article

FT. MYERS – Carl Lewis once said that if you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win. As the Twins try to finally work Mitch Garver into the fold as a big-league catcher, they can be confident they've at least checked that box in the quest to set him up for success.A year ago, Garver was a fringe candidate for the backup catcher job that eventually went to Chris Gimenez. He was realistic about his chances at the time. "I'm excited to get the opportunity," Garver told me last March. "If that means I've gotta be in Triple-A for the year, that's fine with me. I just want to improve my game and be ready when I get there." Sure enough, that's about exactly how it went down. The Twins sent Garver to Rochester, and improve his game he did. In the International League, the 26-year-old experienced a breakout of epic proportions, slashing .291/.387/.541 to rank second in OPS (min. 350 PA). The only superior IL producer was Philadelphia's Rhys Hoskins, who of course went on to bash 18 homers in 50 games for the Phillies and place fourth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. To what does Garver owe his sudden offensive elevation? "I think it was just that confidence that kind of grew throughout spring training and then the early parts of last year," he said. "It carried over throughout the rest of the year." Now, it's the team's confidence in him that is most conspicuous. The Twins let Gimenez walk during the offseason and didn't add anyone with significant big-league experience in his place. Garver rebuts the notion that the job is his – "By no means do I have a backup spot or a spot on this roster locked up" – but the reality is that he pretty much does, even with a .105 batting average thus far in Grapefruit play. And while the club's faith is both logical and commendable, it presents a key point of uncertainty for an offensive unit that is otherwise quite solidified. Garver was called up to the majors in August last year and went on to make 52 plate appearances, batting just .192 with a .636 OPS. During his six weeks with the big-league club, he started only three games at catcher. "When you’re in a playoff push, you’re not really going to throw a rookie behind the plate too often," he acknowledged. Of course, he's still got his rookie status heading into 2018 and the Twins hope to be making a playoff push from the get-go. But you've got to take the leap sometime, and the team is ready to do so. With confidence. A BETTER PLACE Asked for an assessment of Garver's performance behind the plate this spring, you'll never guess what Paul Molitor led with. "I think he's a lot more confident back there," the manager said. "You kind of watch him how he’s handling signal-calling and blocking and framing pitches. He watches [Jason] Castro. He’s learned a lot and he’s in a lot better place than he was even a year ago." Garver started at catcher in Port Charlotte on Thursday, with Kyle Gibson on the mound. Developing rapport and gaining the confidence of his pitching staff is a key priority for the backstop, even more so than carrying over his strides at the plate from last year. And at a time where even the incumbent starter Castro is in learning mode with recent additions Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn, Garver's going through an intensive crash course this month. Thursday's game represented his first time working with Gibson this spring, but the two do have history. "When I got sent down he was the guy in Triple-A and I felt like I developed a pretty good relationship with him there," Gibson explained, adding that he also had a chance to work with Garver a bit when both were in the majors late in the season. For what it's worth, the right-hander had his best outing of the spring Thursday, firing five innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts and no walks. Garver is also well acquainted with another critical member of the Twins rotation. He and Jose Berrios worked together a few times at Triple-A early last season, and one of Garver's three starts at catcher in Minnesota came with Berrios on the mound. It happened to be Berrios' best performance of the second half: seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts against the White Sox on August 30th. Those are the kinds of results that'll inspire confidence on both ends. THE RIGHT STUFF? As I mentioned on Wednesday's Nightly Wrap podcast, Garver is a pivotal piece of the Twins roster because of his defensive flexibility and right-handed bat. In addition to catcher, he spent time at first base, left field and designated hitter with the club in 2017. The Twins have lefty-swinging starters at all those positions. If Garver can prove himself an asset against southpaws he has a chance to increase his own playing time and reduce the lineup's vulnerability versus tough left-handed pitchers. Last year in Rochester, Garver was especially effective against opposite arms, slashing .290/.408/.530 with a disciplined plate approach evidenced by his 33-to-20 K/BB ratio in 120 appearances. And despite his lack of overall success in Minnesota, he did put up a .762 OPS against lefties, compared to .530 against righties. This will be a decisive factor in Garver's ability to provide substantial value. The Twins can live with middling results against right-handed pitching so long as he keeps delivering the goods in platoon situations. Fortunately, his history in that department should give him plenty of confidence. ALL SYSTEMS GO Coming off the best season of his career, with endorsements from rotation members and the full faith of an organization that's going all-in on him in a crucial role, Garver has every reason to be feeling as confident as ever. Best of all, he's beyond confident in the group around him, especially after some of the late additions. "You look around this locker room, we have a team that’s going to win a pennant," Garver said. "This is the team that’s gonna do it. So I’m really excited to be a part of it, we’ve really got a shot." Click here to view the article

As I said in the piece, surprises are always possible. But I don't see Aybar or Granite making the roster unless there's an injury. My read on Hildenberger is that the Twins are (wisely) valuing 42 strong innings in the 2017 regular season over a half-dozen bad innings in spring training. Possibly if he can't put together a clean outing the rest of the way he'll be left out. But I'd say he's pretty close to a lock. Those aren't position battles though. Those are contingencies.

You see incorrectly. I'm not sure what else to tell you. To suggest that this front office (or any front office, but ESPECIALLY this one) is going to let 6 roster spots be dictated by the last 2 weeks of spring training results is beyond absurd.

FT. MYERS – Nick reports on the battle for the final bullpen spot, Tyler Duffey's trouble with the change, Byron Buxton's run at history, and a whole lot more. Listen here!If you haven't yet, you can find step-by-step instructions to subscribe via your iPhone podcast app here. If you have any suggestions for improving these nightly wrap-up mini-podcasts, please feel free to share them in the comments. I'm literally talking to myself so any outside guidance is much appreciated. We are down here to dig up and deliver the details you all want, so please don't hesitate to help shape this content! Click here to view the article

FT. MYERS – There's been no shortage of intrigue at Twins camp, and even a little drama. But if you like to follow position battles during spring training, you've probably found yourself a little disappointed. Surprises are always possible, but realistically, there is only one spot on the 25-man roster up for grabs. On Wednesday, a prime contender took the hill looking to build his case.The first four slots in the Minnesota rotation are set with Jose Berrios, Lance Lynn, Jake Odorizzi and Kyle Gibson. The fifth spot is almost certain to go to Phil Hughes, who figures to function as sort of a starter/long reliever hybrid in the early going. With five off days in the first three weeks, the team's schedule is such that they can get through April while only needing a fifth starter two or three times. And by the time they'll require one on a more regular basis, Ervin Santana should be close to returning if not back already. That means barring injury, someone from the Opening Day staff will be bumped by Santana in late April or early May. So the competition doesn't end once camp breaks. Whoever wins that final bullpen job will need to prove his worth throughout the early part of the schedule. As things stand, there are four relievers remaining in camp to vie for that last relief gig. One could argue it's really a two-man race. Let's first take a look at the two longshots: Alan Busenitz, RHP Busenitz has a couple of very attractive numbers working in his favor: 1.99, and 95.7. The first is his ERA in 28 appearances during a sparking 2017 debut with the Twins. The second is his average fastball speed during that stint. Of the 462 pitchers to throw at least 30 innings in the majors, only 54 threw harder, placing Busenitz near the 10th percentile. But here's the problem with the 1.99 ERA: it came attached to a 4.20 FIP and 4.80 xFIP, owing to the fact that Busenitz benefitted from a .212 BABIP and 86.6% strand rate. Minnesota's analytically minded front office surely recognizes the suspect sustainability of those numbers. And as for the 95-MPH heater, it was really the sole pitch he used effectively. His other offering is a curveball and it was nothing special, helping explain why the righty produced just 6.5 K/9 and a 7.2% swinging strike rate, which nestled between relative soft-tossers Hector Santiago (7.4%) and Phil Hughes (7.2%). As a fly ball pitcher who allows quite a bit of contact, Busenitz walks a dangerous line. Only one qualified MLB reliever finished with a FB rate above 45% and a K-rate below 20% last year – Seattle's Nick Vincent, and he succeeded with a very different formula, drawing weak contact with a high-80s cutter. So there's reason for concern around Busenitz's long-term outlook unless he can crank up the K's or cut down the flies. But in the short-term, the biggest thing working against him is that – since he has multiple options remaining – the Twins have nothing to lose by sending him down to Rochester to work on those things. Gabriel Moya, LHP On the other end of the whiff spectrum lies Moya, whose 12.4% swinging strike rate during a very brief stint in Minnesota last year tied Pressly for best on the staff. Moya has also had an extremely impressive spring up to this point, allowing just one run (a solo homer in his first appearance) on three hits in six innings of work. Something that could work in Moya's favor is the Twins going with five right-handers in the rotation. Theoretically this might increase Paul Molitor's desire to have a third southpaw in the bullpen, but Moya – who relies heavily on an excellent changeup – has never had big platoon splits, and in fact last year he was much better against righties. Like Busenitz, he has options remaining so there's no harm in sending him to Triple-A to start the season. But I am confident Moya will be a solid weapon at some point. And now, the two leading contenders: Tyler Duffey, RHP On Wednesday, Duffey made his first start in almost exactly one calendar year, allowing two runs (one earned) over three innings with two strikeouts and two walks. Molitor indicated afterward that the team plans to have him make another start in five days, on March 19th. The right-hander has basically no shot at a rotation spot, so why is he getting starts? The answer is easy enough to see. "I've been told I've been just lengthened out," Duffey said. "That's just to make sure I'm ready for that long role and maybe if something happens like a rainout or whatever and they need a guy." In this capacity, Duffey looks like a very obvious fit. One thing lacking in the current bullpen makeup is a pitcher with such a profile. In 2017 he got six or more outs in 15 of his 56 relief appearances. He even completed three full innings a couple of times. "We know he can be that guy, he did it last year quite a bit," Molitor said of Duffey's capability to fill the long relief role. The manager didn't have an especially positive review of the 27-year-old's performance against a tough Boston lineup – "Overall you have to say that he battled really well, I don't think he had his best stuff" – and Duffey has generally been unspectacular on the mound this spring, but that seems almost immaterial. They need him. Or do they? Tyler Kinley, RHP Ah, the Rule 5 pick. Always fun for a skipper to deal with in spring camp. Kinley has certainly caught some eyeballs with his big velocity, including a heater that reaches 99 and a slider that can touch 90. His Grapefruit numbers have been about what you'd expect based on his track record; six innings, six strikeouts, five walks. It's becoming a little easier to understand what the Twins saw in Kinley – and Molitor had high praise for the 27-year-old earlier this month – but how does he fit? Another one-inning guy in a unit full of them? Isn't his signature short-burst velo a bit redundant with Pressly? Can a team with hopes of contending really dedicate a roster spot to such an unproven commodity? One would surmise no. But of course, if the Twins don't carry Kinley on the active roster or trade for him, they'll have to ship him back to Miami. That wouldn't be the biggest deal but Molitor is well aware of what Minnesota's front office has invested in the righty. Not financially, mind you, but with Kinley occupying a 40-man slot they've had to let some other promising players slip away – most recently J.T. Chargois, who is having a strong spring with the Dodgers. As such, the Twins owe it to themselves to get a good long look at Kinley. Could that mean bringing him north, even if it means sending Duffey down (he does have an option) and forgoing a traditional mop-up option? It's not unthinkable. Hughes can ostensibly handle that long relief role between his sporadic starts in April. I don't think Molitor's going to go with a guy he flat-out can't rely on in a key spot, but if Kinley is able to convince the manager he's worth counting on? Like I said, not unthinkable. But also not at all likely. If the team is sold on Kinley I suspect they'll try to work out a trade with Miami that would allow them to send him to Triple-A. Duffey is in the driver's seat until further notice. His flexible arm is just too useful to be sent away. Sorry to put the kibosh on whatever minimal suspense existed around the lone "position battle" in camp. But if you're into such things, the good news is that Duffey will essentially be locked in a battle with Hughes to maintain that long relief role upon Santana's return. Click here to view the article

Thanks! I believe Phil Miller had us covered in that capacity. Just don't tell him I said so

FT. MYERS – Nick reports on how the Lance Lynn trade came together, why Paul Molitor's concerns about Miguel Sano are dissipating, what to make of Jorge Polanco's uneven defense at shortstop, and more. Listen here!If you haven't yet, you can find step-by-step instructions to subscribe via your iPhone podcast app here. If you have any suggestions for improving these nightly wrap-up mini-podcasts, please feel free to share them in the comments. I'm literally talking to myself so any outside guidance is much appreciated. We are down here to dig up and deliver the details you all want, so please don't hesitate to help shape this content! Click here to view the article

FT. MYERS – Tuesday was Lance Lynn Day at Hammond Stadium. The newly signed starter was formally introduced during a morning press conference, and took the hill to make his Twins debut about two hours later. What did we learn about Minnesota’s latest acquisition during a busy first official day with the club?"I'm just looking forward to pitching," Lynn said when kicking off his presser, adding that he'd been prepping for the occasion with live bullpens and sim games. Luckily he didn't have to wait long. Despite getting a late start to spring camp, the 30-year-old exhibited no signs of rust in a masterful Grapefruit League debut against the Orioles. He pounded the zone and on multiple occasions his fastball touched 94 MPH, a number rarely seen on the Hammond scoreboard this month. Lynn opened his outing with a pair of swinging strikeouts and wound up hanging K's on half of the 10 Baltimore batters he faced in three near-perfect innings. "I walked a guy, so that sucked," Lynn said with a smirk afterwards. "Other than that everything was about as smooth as possible." His new manager thought so too. Paul Molitor summarized the performance in one word: "Attack." "You're not sure how sharp his command was going to be, but he poured it in there pretty good and he just kept throwing it." Here are some of the key takeaways I distilled from talking to Lynn and others around the park. He’s a Notoriously Intense Competitor This is a reputation Lynn brings over from his days in St. Louis. He’s well known as a player who likes to win and – even more so – hates to lose. He has a fiery presence on the mound and is expressive when frustrated. "You wanna get out of his way," said Derek Falvey. Lynn is aware of the perception, and addressed it in Derrick Goold’s profile for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last summer: “Early on in my career, it was my personality and my desire to win that looked like a bad attitude,” Lynn said. “Now, it looks like I’m a bulldog. I think the more success you have the more things are accepted in this sport. I would have high highs and low lows. I had to find a way to be in between, and then I could be myself.” In other words, he recognizes that being visibly upset when things go awry can come off as sulky if it's happening too often. Fortunately, Lynn hasn't experienced all that many downs in a career that's yielded a 3.38 ERA over six seasons – making his trouble finding work this winter all the more flummoxing. When asked if his slow offseason, which culminated in a deal much smaller than anyone initially expected, put a chip on his shoulder, the right-hander shrugged. “That chip on the shoulder has been there since the day I was born,” he said. But while he won’t admit it frontally, there’s little doubt that being snubbed by the market will add extra fuel to his motivation, as will the fact that he’s once again auditioning for his next contract. He Can Reach Back For Something Extra I was a little surprised to see Lynn flash 94 on the gun multiple times during his first spring start. He hasn't been in that range regularly with the four-seamer since 2014. "I've got a lot in there that I don't like to show unless I have to," he said after the outing. Given his heavy reliance on fastballs, even an extra sliver of velocity can make a big difference. It's probably no coincidence during that aforementioned 2014 campaign when he routinely operated at 93-94 with his four-seam and 92+ with his sinker, he worked a career-high 203 2/3 innings with career lows in ERA (2.74) and WHIP (1.26). He Doesn’t Mind the Cold The weather for Lynn’s first spring start was on the chilly side, at least by the standards of southwest Florida in March. Cool winds swirled throughout the morning, and the temperature barely eclipsed 60 degrees by game time. Of course, he’ll likely experience lower temps during the early and late parts of the season in Minnesota, where he has never pitched in his career. He embraces it. “I like the cold,” he quickly responded during his press conference when asked about what attracted him to the Twins. He added that growing up in Indianapolis instilled this in him. Lynn isn’t the first free agent acquisition to express an affinity for pitching in brisk conditions (Erv) but we’ve also seen it go the other way; Ricky Nolasco wasn't shy about voicing his displeasure about the cold. Unlike Santana, who grew up pitching in the Dominican Republic, and spent all but one season of his pre-Twins MLB career in Los Angeles and Atlanta, Lynn had formative experiences in cooler climates. That could play well for a team with aspirations of playing into October. His Arrival Erased Any Slim Hopes for a Rookie to Come North This isn't so much a fact about Lynn as the ripple effect of his signing. About an hour before his press conference got underway, the Twins announced they’d optioned five pitchers to the minors, including fringe rotation candidates Adalberto Mejia, Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero and Aaron Slegers. Of that group, only Mejia had a realistic shot of breaking camp in the rotation – and he’s no rookie anymore. But Romero was making about as good a case as he possibly could for a spot on the staff, spreading eight hitless innings across four appearances with eight strikeouts and one walk. With his success throwing in short bursts, there was some thought the Twins might try to sneak him in as a reliever, but they are rightfully sending him back to Double-A to keep developing in his most impactful role. "We see him as a starter," Falvey said on Tuesday morning, repeating it for emphasis. "We see him as a starter, despite the 1-2 inning stints this spring that looked pretty good." The Twins are setting up to boast a rather loaded rotation at Triple-A, and figure to have no shortage of reinforcements on hand over the course of the summer with Santana and Trevor May factoring in as well as the prospects. That is, of course, by design. "Depth in the rotation is the goal," Molitor said. "I think we've achieved that with flying colors." Click here to view the article

That's certainly possible, especially considering his ability to avoid strikeouts. I'm just trying to be objective as I can. Polanco hasn't yet hit .300 at any level above A ball.

In 2017, Jorge Polanco became the 11th player in 12 years to make an Opening Day start at shortstop for the Minnesota Twins. So long as he avoids injury for the rest of this month, he'll join Pedro Florimon (2013-14) as the only players to do so in consecutive seasons since Cristian Guzman left town. However, it is anything but assured that Polanco will be back at the position in 2019 and beyond.Projected Starter: Jorge Polanco Likely Backup: Ehire Adrianza Depth: Eduardo Escobar, Erick Aybar, Nick Gordon Prospects: Gordon, Royce Lewis, Wander Javier THE GOOD Around this time last year there was widespread skepticism surrounding Polanco's outlook as a major-league shortstop. By any fielding metric, his performance as a rookie in 2016 was brutal, magnifying the existing doubts tied to his defensive aptitude. From early on last year, Polanco softened the harshness of critiques by showing significant improvement at short. Although still far from a stellar defender, he was no longer a liability at the heart of the infield. His turnaround with the glove from 2016 to 2017 was overshadowed only by his emphatic rectification at the plate last summer following an utterly miserable first half. Up until the All-Star break, Polanco slashed .224/.273/.323. For a long stretch in the middle of the summer, he was one of baseball's least effective hitters. His .276 OPS in July was the worst monthly mark for any MLB player (50+ PA) in two years. Then, in August, Polanco went nuts, slashing a Troutian .373/.413/.686 with six homers to double his total from the previous fourth months combined. He came back to Earth in September with a .260/.345/.423 line that closely resembles his overall output in the majors (.266/.319/.415) and probably sets a fair baseline expectation going forward. That absurd August notwithstanding, the switch-hitting Polanco doesn't profile as significantly above-average with the stick. Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA system pegs him at .246/.322/.415, which is perfectly adequate if he keeps making all the plays he needs to. But very soon the shortstop will be pressed by rising quality depth within Minnesota's system. Twins Daily's 2018 top prospect list has three shortstops in the top 10: Royce Lewis (1), Nick Gordon (3) and Wander Javier (6). Teenagers Lewis and Javier aren't close to the majors yet, but have the makings of fast risers, and at 22 Gordon is knocking on the door. Even fierce Polanco advocates would have to admit his skill set is more ideally suited for second base than short. If one of the prospects behind him establishes himself as a superior defender at the position, the door will be wide open after this year for Polanco to slide to the other side of the bag. THE BAD You get the question of, "Don't you guys think you have too many shortstops?" My response is, "I also don't have too much money in the bank." No, I will work with this problem of having too many shortstops. General manager Thad Levine's response during an interview with Baseball Prospectus at Target Field last summer speaks to the luxury of possessing considerable depth at one of the most critical positions on the field. His remark rings true for two seasons: 1) Shortstops are always in demand, and good ones will forever hold trade value in the event of a logjam; 2) Many outstanding athletes begin their pro careers at short, but a large percentage move away from the position as they ascend the ranks and standards increase. That latter reality is weighing on Levine and the Twins even as they savor their present depth. Top-tier gloves at shortstop are huge difference-makers, and as discussed above, Polanco doesn't really have the upside to become one. Each of the upcoming talents in the system has his own set of question marks in this regard. Javier probably has the fewest as a tremendous athlete with natural infield mechanics and a great arm, but he is 19 and hasn't yet played above rookie ball. Scouts lean more heavily toward Lewis – who didn't play shortstop until his senior year of high school – ending up in center field unless he can make serious strides in the infield (certainly not out of the question given his abilities). Gordon is closest to the majors of the three but may have the slimmest chance of sticking at short in the majors. Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press published an article last July, just ahead of Gordon's appearance in the All-Star Futures Game, that included plenty of lukewarm (at best) assessments of his defensive chops at short. His hands? "Good enough. Special? Probably not. But good enough? Yeah. Good enough,” said VP of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff. Levine's take: "There are some things about his game which belie your prototypical shortstop. It’s not well-above-average foot speed. The arm is, I think, consistent but it’s not explosive." An anonymous scout was less charitable: “Watching Gordon, he never seemed to get the good hop. For him, it was always the in-between hop. That’s instincts. That’s footwork. That’s hands ... For me, those things just aren’t there when I watch Nick Gordon." None of these unflattering evaluations rule out the still-growing Gordon as a future shortstop, but they're in line with the rap on him (no pun intended) going back a ways. For what it's worth, he has made more than twice as many appearances at second as at short for the Twins this spring. So while Minnesota technically has substantial depth at shortstop, we don't know that this is true in practical terms. In fact, it probably isn't. THE BOTTOM LINE Finding stability at the shortstop position has been a never-ending battle for the Twins. They've finally found at least some short-term steadiness with Polanco, but his hold on the job is only as strong his arm – which is to say not extremely. With Dozier likely on his way out after this year, Minnesota appears poised to go with a keystone combo of Polanco and Gordon in 2019. As far as how the two will line up, that could well be dictated by the way things play out this summer. With Javier and Lewis in the rearview, neither will be able to get too comfortable. Nothing is set in stone, but the organization's shortstop depth – for now – is rock solid. Click here to view the article