Seth Stohs

No, but they're all within about a half-season of being big-league ready. And at that point, you never know where a need might be.

Twins Daily is very excited to announce that former Twins infielder Trevor Plouffe will be joining us during this Saturday’s Winter Meltdown event at Lumber Exchange Event Center (above The Pourhouse). Plouffe, who spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues with the Twins, is scheduled to take the stage shortly after Twins Hall of Famer Kent Hrbek in an event that will provide our audience with plenty of stories and memories.Trevor Plouffe is a very familiar name to Twins fans. Not only did he play in 723 games for the Twins between 2010 and 2016, he was, and continues to be, a fan favorite. Over his time with the Twins, his 148 doubles rank 25th in team history. He ranks 20th with 96 home runs. He is the Twins all-time leader in most buttons left unbuttoned on a game jersey. While he spent parts of seven seasons with the Minnesota, Plouffe actually spent 13 seasons in the Twins organization. Plouffe was the 20th overall pick in the June 2004 draft out of Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. --------------------------------------------------- Looking Back: 2004 MLB Draft, First-Round 7 - Homer Bailey (Reds) 20 - Trevor Plouffe (Twins) 22 - Glen Perkins (Twins, via Mariners for losing Eddie Guardado in free agency) 23 - Phil Hughes (Yankees) 25 - Kyle Waldrop (Twins, via Cubs for losing LaTroy Hawkins in free agency) --------------------------------------------------- He worked his way up the organizational ladder and made his debut in 2010 at shortstop. He spent a couple of seasons riding that Rochester-to-Minnesota train before establishing himself as a full-time big leaguer in 2012. He played all over the diamond before becoming a very solid defensive third baseman while developing his extra-base power. Plouffe became a free agent after the 2016 season. He spent time with the A’s to start 2017 before being traded to the Rays where he worked with current Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. He signed with the Rangers in 2018 but ended up playing seven games with the Phillies that year. He had three hits in 12 at-bats, but one of them was a walk-off home run. (Instead of showing you the Phillies walk-off, here’s a 2015 walk-off for the Twins!) He went to spring training with the Phillies in 2019 but was released before the season started. Plouffe has kept himself busy since his playing days came to an end. During the postseason, he provided analysis for Stadium. We are very excited that Trevor Plouffe will be joining us at the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown on Saturday night. For those who will be attending Saturday night’s Winter Meltdown (which is sold out), you will receive: The 2020 Twins Daily Winter Meltdown Pint Glass.Two complimentary local craft pints from 612 BrewDrink specials and tasting tables from Gray Duck Vodka and Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey.Food stations.Interviews with Kent Hrbek and Trevor Plouffe andSeveral raffle prizes Click here to view the article

To be fair, Garver has never hit at what is now Garver's level.

Some great points here... First, they have done a great job in CF and Catcher... I think that they have prioritized (at least they did in the past) high-end high-school hitting draft picks that are athletic and can play CF or SS. Not many end up there, but they want to make sure they give themselves options at those spots. Those athletes can typically move elsewhere. Hunter, Span, Revere, Benson (adding Gomez in a trade). Secondly, I know they always want to be semi-aggressive in the draft with catchers. Look at 2013 when they took Turner, Navarreto and Garver in the first nine rounds. Rortvedt. Jeffers. Chris Herrmann was a 6th round pick. And then they draft a bunch late too because they fully understand that the catching position can be a really tough position, physically and mentally, and it's hard to get to the big leagues. I also think the work Tanner Swanson did, and the philosophy of providing rest, especially for catchers all help. The one other point that I thought was interesting... Wilson Ramos was a terrific prospect, but I don't know that I agree that he was a better prospect then than Jeffers is now. I think the Twins system is much stronger, so him ranking 7th compared to Ramos ranking 2nd or 3rd probably doesn't show it. But I think they're more similar than it may appear. (I do think Ramos may have been a slightly better prospect, though there were a lot of age questions with him at the time too, I just think it's close.)

First and foremost... congratulations on the multi-quote... I've never even tried that, so nice job! And, I never mean to denigrate Rortvedt. He is a fantastic prospect, and is a future big leaguers, probably for a long time. I just happen to think that Jeffers is a higher-rated prospect. It's just that when we compare, it comes across as either/or, and it doesn't have to be. The nice thing is they'll both start at Pensacola... They have Telis and Astudillo probably at Rochester. Telis crushed at Rochester last year. So, there isn't any rush on either. They'll both likely be behind the plate half of the time. Jeffers will likely get more opportunity. Hopefully they both play really well and each is in a position to make the big-league roster by Opening Day 2021!

I've seen that quite a few times this past week from people on Twitter... usually it works within a few minutes again, and I have reached out to them and they are great in responding... I don't know why, but glad to hear from people that it fixes itself pretty quickly.

I think the latter... To Garver's credit, he always had a great attitude about it. He was always confident, and never complained. He always had a self-deprecation. On his Twitter bio, he would write "Minnesota Twins non-prospect." We used to joke about that too.

Garver had a long ways to go defensively. I think they switched prospect status appropriately. That happened when they both were at AA. Before then, we knew Garver could hit, and Turner woudln't as much. We also know that Turner was (Accurately) a plus-plus defensive catcher. I feel good about where I ranked them over the years.

You're right. By the time November rolls around, it generally is much easier to predict what will happen.

Yup, and a lot of times they get that information from talking to people with the Twins. Which is another reminder that the Twins love Jeffers. Rortvedt is fantastic (in my opinion and some others) at the throwing and blocking and that kind of stuff. Jeffers has had some really good framing numbers. The Twins are definitely promoting Jeffers.

I don't know if Rortvedt will get there first or if Jeffers will. Rortvedt was a half-season ahead of Jeffers coming into 2019. Hopefully Rortvedt is healthy and can stay healthy.

He's got the stuff to keep working up, for sure...

I'm sure if everyone is being honest, a 34th round pick probably isn't taken to be a "prospect." However, he had average tools across the board, or just below, and he can play good defense all over the infield. While he may be looked at as an infield reserve, he got 280 plate appearances in AA Pensacola last year... He has put himself in a spot to keep getting opportunities and stick around, and maybe you just never know. A cup of coffee is possible.

Because he is a catcher, I do think there is a really good chance that he is added, even if he puts up just decent numbers in 2020. With Avila on a one-year deal, I think Garver and Jeffers will be the two catchers in 2021, but I think Rortvedt will be in Rochester for when needed.

holy wow!! that's crazy!!

Watched recently: Messiah on Netflix... thought it was really good. You, Season 2 on Netflix... It was solid, but not as good as Season 1... though the last two episodes were interesting. Saved by the Ball: The College Years... I think that was on Hulu... that was fun. The Wonder Years... I'm currently watching that show from the late 80s/early 90s. Good stuff. Recently I also re-watched all the Leah Remini: Scientology episodes.

Normally we consider which players will need to be added to the 40 man roster after the season, leading up to the decision becoming official in mid-November. But let’s look ahead to that decision as it may affect decisions throughout the season. Plus, it never hurts to know who is playing for spots on the 40-man roster.Admittedly, so much can and will happen between now and November. There will be spring training, a 162-game regular season and a 140-game minor-season. There will likely be trades. The 26-man active roster will be enacted for the first time. There will be injuries. There will be breakouts. And there will be players who struggle adjusting as they move up the ladder. So primarily this is a fun exercise, an opportunity for you to read and see listed the players who need to be added. However, every year we also try to consider if there will be a logjam on the 40-man roster, and maybe some players who will be eligible could be considered as trade candidates. So, here is a quick reminder of what players will be eligible for the 2020 Rule 5 draft if not protected on the 40-man roster. Here is this year’s criteria: Players who signed when they were 18 or younger in 2016 (during the minor league season).Players who signed when they were 19 or older in 2017.Players who were eligible in previous seasons are also eligible again.Players drafted or signed during the 2014 season became free agents after the World Series was complete.But back to the players needing to be added or risk losing to the Rule 5 draft,.. In 10 months. I’ll break them into a few categories. The Givens are players that I think have to be added or there is a high likelihood that they will be selected by another team. The next category will be Possibly. I think there is a chance these guys could be added depending upon how many players the team chooses to add. Because we are so far out, I chose to add more names, so I included some that may be On the Bubble at this point. And then of course I jotted down the other players that are eligible. The final group is comprised of the players will be free agents at the conclusion of the World Series unless added before then. The Givens If I had written this article one year ago, I certainly would have had Wander Javier in the Givens category. Injuries can certainly alter perspective. The numbers game, mid-season acquisitions and other players stepping up can also be a factor. In addition, some of these guys could get called up before the season ends and won’t be on the list. OF Alex Kirilloff - 1st round pick in 2016 from high school in Pennsylvania. Top prospects are going to get protected. They won’t be non-tendered. Kirilloff won’t be non-tendered. In fact, there is a decent chance he gets called up during the season.RHP Jordan Balazovic - 5th round pick in 2016 from secondary school in Ontario. A Top 100 prospect coming into the 2020 season. Should spent most of 2020 in Pensacola.OF/1B Brent Rooker - Competitive Balance A pick in 2017 from Mississippi State. Likely to be called up in-season, but if not, he is likely to be added.RHP Edwar Colina - Signed from Venezuela in late September 2015. Colina wasn’t a big prospect when he was signed, now he’s hitting triple-digits and has the pitches to potentially be a starter.PossiblesSS Wander Javier - Left off the 40-man roster this offseason, he went unclaimed. Still immensely talented and could break out at any time. Again, by season’s end, he’s a candidate for the Givens section.C Ben Rortvedt - 2nd round pick in 2016 from Wisconsin. He has moved up the system pretty quickly and spent half of the season at Pensacola before a knee injury. Terrific defensively and very strong.3B Jose Miranda - The 73rd overall pick in 2016 draft from Puerto Rico, Miranda has hit some and displays a lot of power potential. Has played some second base but profiles to third base.OF Akil Baddoo - The 74th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of high school in Georgia. Missed most of 2019 season with Tommy John surgery, but is a great athlete who has a good approach at the plate and a great power-speed combination.RHP Bailey Ober - Twins 12th round pick in 2017 out of the College of Charleston, he has put up fantastic numbers when he has been on the mound. If healthy, he’s got a chance.RHP Griffin Jax - Jax was also left unprotected and went unclaimed this year. He’s already had success in AA and could be MLB ready sometime in 2020.RHP Luis Rijo - 21-year-old from Venezuela posted a 2.86 ERA in 107 innings in Cedar Rapids in 2019 but still went unclaimed in the Rule 5.LHP Jovani Moran - The lefty dominated the lower levels of the minors, but injuries cost him time in 2019. But, he’s young, left-handed and has a couple of plus-pitches. Definitely could contribute in 2021, if not 2020.RHP Tyler Wells - Wells may have been an easy add in 2019 if he hadn’t missed the season due to Tommy John surgery. He’ll rehab most of the year which means he’ll be closer to his return. Can he get back to his 2018 performance level?--------------------To learn more about all of these prospects, and about 150 more, purchase your copy(ies) of the 2020 Twins Prospect Handbook. From Melvi Acosta to Malique Ziegler and everyone in between, learn about their backgrounds, their 2019 seasons, their scouting reports and a forecast for 2020. Available in paperback ($17.99) and as a PDF ebook ($12.99). 145 pages of Twins prospect content. And hey, if you want the previous 11 Twins Prospect Handbooks, you can get them too. -------------------- On the Bubble OF Gabriel Maciel - Signed with the Diamondbacks in June 2016 from Brazil. Came to the Twins in the Eduardo Escobar trade in July 2018. Not a big guy, but he hits a lot of line drives, runs really well and plays good outfield defense.LHP Bryan Sammons - The Twins 8th round pick in 2017 from Western Carolina, he dominated at Ft. Myers before spending the final four months of the season in Pensacola. Left-handed, he has four quality pitches.2B Yunior Severino - Enough of an international prospect that he received two nine-figure signing bonuses. He had a solid season in E-Town in 2018. Unfortunately fractured his thumb early in the 2019 season. Could break out in 2020 if he stays in the lineup.LHP Lachlan Wells - Wells was well on track to be added a couple of years ago but Tommy John surgery cost him some development time. He missed the 2018 season and returned in the second half of 2019. Can he return to form in his first full season back?LHP Charlie Barnes - 4th round pick in 2017 from Clemson. He lefty pitched at three levels in 2019 (8 starts in Ft. Myers, 13 starts in Pensacola, 4 starts in Rochester).RHP Tom Hackimer - Twins 4th round pick in 2015 from St. Johns, the side-winder had surgery after the AFL in 2018. He pitched briefly for the Miracle before finishing the season in Pensacola.1B/OF Trey Cabbage - 4th round pick in 2015 from high school in Tennessee. Broke out early in Cedar Rapids in 2019 and showed some of his immense power potential in 2019. If he takes another step, he could be added.1B Zander Wiel - Twins 12th round pick in 2015 from Vanderbilt. Wiel wasn’t added or selected after his 2019 season in Rochester in which he hit 40 doubles and 24 home runs. He should get a shot in 2020 during that season.Others in their first year of eligibility:Tyler Benninghoff, Matt Jones, Kidany Salva, Jared Akins, David Banuelos, Andrew Bechtold, Mark Contreras, Ernie De La Trinidad, Calvin Faucher, Jordan Gore, Derek Molina, Ricky Ramirez, Joe Record, Petru Balan, Yeremi De La Cruz, Jesus Feliz, Osiris German, Taylor Grzelakowski, Jimmy Kerrigan, Fernando Martinez, Michael Montero, Junior Navas, Daniel Ozoria, Ruben Santana, Jesus Toledo, Frandy Torres, Janigson Villalobos.Others returning to Rule 5 eligibility after 2020.Melvi Acosta, Adam Bray, Joe Cronin, Miguel De Jesus, Yeltsin Encarnacion, Zach Featherstone, Moises Gomez, Caleb Hamilton, Hector Lujan, Ryan Mason, Alex Robinson, Alex Schick, Carlos Suniaga, Tyler Watson, Aaron Whitefield, Malique Ziegler.These players will become free agents at the conclusion of the 2020 World Series unless added to the 40-man roster.Sam Clay, Andro Cutura, Randy LeBlanc, Jose Martinez, Jake Reed.Again, this is mostly an exercise in looking ahead, information for you to consider throughout the 2020 season. It’s also something where, as the Twins talk trades and potentially see a 40-man roster crunch next offseason, maybe this information comes into play. And frankly, it will just be kind of fun to see which of these players move up or down the list and how this list looks different in November. ---------------------------------------------------------- To learn more about all of these prospects, and about 150 more, purchase your copy(ies) of the 2020 Twins Prospect Handbook. From Melvi Acosta to Malique Ziegler and everyone in between, learn about their backgrounds, their 2019 seasons, their scouting reports and a forecast for 2020. Available in paperback ($17.99) and as a PDF ebook ($12.99). 145 pages of Twins prospect content. And hey, if you want the previous 11 Twins Prospect Handbooks, you can get them too. Click here to view the article

2019 Twins Playoff Rotation: 1.) Berrios, 2.) Odorizzi, 3.) Dobnak, 4.) Bullpen game. 2020 projected playoff rotation: 1.) Berrios, 2.) Odorizzi, 3.) Hill, 4.) Pineda... with Bailey, Graterol, Dobnak, Thorpe, etc. at the ready. Will it play out perfectly? Probably not. Lots can happen. Including July trades. My main point would be just that they don't have to give up the farm for a guy at this time. As it relates to trades, which is what we're down to, there's likely to be more available in June and July than right now.

I think there is some hope in Bailey. He's shown enough at various times, including recently. He's a #4 at best, probably, and he makes them better than what Gibson or Perez was in 2018. I agree that we all agree that they don't need to sign the Ivan Nova's of the world. Again, my point is to give the 24, 25 years olds a shot to be just as good... and gain some confidence thanks to a strong offense. And no one is saying everything will go perfect. I pointed that out multiple times throughout the article. It's also OK to give guys opportunities when you have given yourself some great depth.

Thielbar hasn't been "kept for too long." He hasn't been in the organization for years... 1.) He's left-handed. 2.) he's breathing. 3.) He found some velocity last year. 4.) He's always had a good breaking ball. He's a lefty-reliever. While it's more fun to call up younger guys, all organizations keep veterans who can come up for a short period when needed and not be overwhelmed, and when they go back, they can get DFAd right away. Probably won't lose them, but if not, oh well. The Red Wings have more young players on their roster than most teams do. The Yankees and some other AAA rosters are basically all 29 or older.

The 2019 Minnesota Twins offense put up some historic numbers. On Tuesday, we learned that the team had added one of the best hitters over the last dozen years to the already-strong lineup. Twins fans got excited, thinking about the offensive numbers the team could produce. At the same time, many quickly jumped back to asking if the team still needs to add more pitching.Clearly the Twins went into the offseason hoping to add a top starting pitcher. Use the word “impact” if you like. The two impact starters on the free agent market weren’t coming here (Cole, Strasburg). Two of the free agent starters who fit in that next tier (Bumgarner and Wheeler) went elsewhere for non-baseball and non-dollar reasons. And it appears that the Twins just didn’t (understandably) want to give Hyun-Jin Ryu a fourth year. With that, they shifted their attention to adding to an already-great offense. They gave Josh Donaldson a guaranteed $92 million over the next four years, and an option for 2024 that makes it pretty likely he is retained. I am often told by Twins fans to expect the offense and several of its hitters to regress in 2020. First, my assumption is that something will be done with the baseball, which may reduce some offensive numbers, but that will be across the board, for all teams. And yes, teams will have more data points to develop a way to attack the Twins hitters. So, regression for some and for the whole, is certainly possible. However, much of the Twins offense is made up of a core of players between 22-year-old Luis Arraez and 29-year-old Silver Slugger Mitch Garver. And none of them had seasons that were so far out of the realm of their potential that makes you think that any regression would have to be major. Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler all had strong seasons, but none of them outside of what we thought they could do when they were prospects. Silver Slugger Nelson Cruz is going to turn 40 during the season. It’s silly to expect him to put up the same kind of numbers he put up in 2019, but his approach and his strength should still produce really good numbers in the middle of a lineup. Josh Donaldson replaces CJ Cron in the lineup. While he is older, he’s been one of the greatest hitters in baseball. If healthy, he should continue to put up eye-popping numbers. Injuries? Yes, injuries happen and they aren’t necessarily easy or possible to predict. But, there is one good way to alleviate some of those concerns. The first is simply to have depth. The Twins have depth. Simply in the form of Marwin Gonzalez there is depth. He can play the corner infield and corner outfield spots. LaMonte Wade and Jake Cave can man the outfield spots when needed. Ehire Adrianza is a terrific utility infielder. Alex Avila is the backup catcher. And there are prospects, high-caliber prospects at each position, who are close to MLB-ready. The Twins were able to keep Jake Odorizzi away from free agency for one more year by offering him the $17.8 million Qualifying Offer (and him accepting it). They also retained the services of right-hander Michael Pineda for the next two years. He will finish the final 39 games of his suspension and rejoin the team in mid-May. Jose Berrios is entering his Age-26 season. He will need to figure out August, but there’s a lot to be excited about it, and there is potential for him to find another level. Jake Odorizzi found his next level in 2019. Michael Pineda, at the time he was suspended, was being talked about as a possible Game 1 starter in the playoffs. That’s a solid first three. Homer Bailey? No, not exciting, but he has certainly had his moments. And, he was really good in the second half of 2019. Rich Hill? Man, if only he could stay healthy. Over the last five years, he has been a top 10-15 starting pitcher in baseball. Of course, he won’t be back until at least June after elbow surgery. There is no way to know how that recovery and rehab will go with 100% confidence. But they got him for a great contract and even if he’s back by the end of July, and can get close to what he’s been in recent years, that’s a nice pitcher to have in August, September and October. Can the Twins get the best out of him? With Hill and Pineda unable to start the season on the active list, the rotation will contain Berrios, Odorizzi, Bailey and… Well, for right now, that answer comes down to about four options; Brusdar Graterol, Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer. Yes, Blaine Hardy will be at spring training. Jhoan Duran is on the 40-man roster, so he’ll be at big-league spring training for a while. There may be other names mentioned early in spring training. But for all intents and purposes, it comes down to those four pitchers. All four pitched in the big leagues in 2019. Randy Dobnak: He was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2019 when he pitched in Ft. Myers, Pensacola, Rochester and ended the season with the Twins, pitching well enough in September to earn a Game 2 start in the playoffs. It didn’t go well, but it shouldn’t minimize how much he grew and improved over the course of the season. And, in addition to being a good story, he’s a good pitcher too. Lewis Thorpe: He was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2018. He spent most of 2019 in Rochester but came up a couple of times. He made a few starts and also pitched out of the bullpen. He had some good games and some not-so-good games, but what he did well is miss bats. Devin Smeltzer: He moved back into a starting role in 2019 and started in Pensacola. A month later he was in Rochester, and before the end of May, he made his major-league debut and it went very well. He was a frequent guest on the Rochester-to-Minneapolis travel list but experienced success in a variety of roles in the big leagues. Brusdar Graterol: He came up for September and worked out of the bullpen. He was off to a good start last year in AA, but he missed nearly three months in the middle of the season with a shoulder injury. He came back in the bullpen so that he could be called up and his triple-digit fastball could help the Twins late. He will be on some sort of innings plan, but most would think that it’d be ideal for him to continue developing as a starter. Could that be as a ‘Primary’ pitcher, or could he just be a regular starter until Pineda comes back, or until Hill returns? Derek Falvey is often given a lot of credit for the pitching development in Cleveland. We have seen them continue to develop a pipeline of quality starters. Several of their current pitchers were not top prospects when they came up but certainly have developed into that status. Corey Kluber might just be the best example of that development plan and process, though he will be with the Rangers in 2020. So, should we believe in Derek Falvey’s track record? Should we trust the processes that have been initiated by Falvey along with pitching guru Josh Kalk and minor league pitching coordinator Paul Maki, and each of the minor league coaches and coordinators brought in? How about their utilization of technologies in recent years? Why not give these guys a chance? Herein lies the question from today’s title, Do the Twins need to add another starter? In my opinion, the answer is obvious. No, they don’t NEED to add another starter. With this offense, the team will win a lot of games. Their top two pitchers (Berrios, Odorizzi) are good. Bailey certainly can be good. And, four young pitchers who got time in 2019 are certainly capable of being solid, and a few of them have the potential to be pretty good. Having that offensive support should certainly encourage them to throw a lot of strikes. Pineda will be back. Hill should be back a little later. But, it isn’t that simple. While they don’t NEED to add another starter, Falvey and Thad Levine should continue to monitor the starting pitcher trade market. I don’t think Jon Gray or German Marquez are going to be available this offseason, but those are the caliber of pitcher that the team should show interest in. Y’all know I’m not at all high on Matt Boyd, but if the Twins research and development crew says that he could be a pitcher of the Berrios/Odorizzi/Pineda quality in 2020, maybe try that. There may be names that we haven’t even thought of that they could get. But don’t just add any more pitchers just to add more pitchers. If they’re going to make a move, make it a good one. Get a pitcher as good as Odorizzi, or better. If not, take your chances with a strong offense and a pretty solid starting rotation (and a pretty solid bullpen too, mind you). Continue to evaluate and teach those inexperienced pitchers, Get Pineda back. Get Hill back… And keep an eye on the phone, always looking to make a big addition in July… or June… or May! For much more on Brusdar Graterol, Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer, along with Jhoan Duran, Jordan Balazovic and about 90 other Twins minor league pitchers, order a copy of the 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It is available in paperback or PDF ebook. 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