Seth Stohs

Wow... I think Celestino is probably a given too. Not sure Jax is... But good thing they have another year to wait on this group. Right now, it might just be that Gordon and Wade get added. That puts them at 38 and as they add free agents, there are certainly plenty of guys that they can drop at that time.

I thought I would start a discussion on the Twins 40 man roster decisions as the deadline for adding players is just 32 hours from now (Tuesday, November 20, 8 pm). I wrote about the options a couple of weeks ago ,and with it being so timely now, I think it'll be good to discus again here. You can even check out my polls on Twitter to vote if you want to. The Twins are currently at 36 players on their 40 man roster, though obviously that could change before tomorrow night too. Obviously we will create an article tomorrow night to discuss who was and wasn't added, officially. Here are the polls for the six players that will probably at least be considered: Nick Gordon: LaMonte Wade: Luis Arraez: https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1064574583943151616 Jake Reed: Nick Anderson https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1064578022676803585 Tyler Jay:

With Billy Boyer taking over a the minor league infield and base running coordinator, makes me assume that Sam Perlozzo is out... which would be unfortunate, unless he retired or something.

And Zach Bove comes from Central Florida this year too. Definitely a trend happening.

Yeah, Rudy Hernandez has probably been the one voice who spoke Spanish as his primary language. It will be good to have a second coach on the staff with speaks the language fluently.

I'm pretty sure that Baldelli could present several names and maybe got a couple of 'his' guys considered, but my assumption is that the decision is ultimately Falvey's since he's the Chief Baseball Operator and wants to make sure that the coaches are matching up with his philosophies.

On Friday afternoon, the Twins announced most of their 2019 coaching staff. While they are still looking to fill one spot on Rocco Baldelli's coaching staff, they did make seven of their coaches official.New Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has talked since he was hired that he felt that hiring his coaching staff would be his first big decision. On Friday, they announced most of his staff. Previously, they had announced that hitting coach James Rowson and assistant hitting coach Rudy Hernandez would return to their roles. When Derek Shelton finished runner-up to Chris Woodward for the Rangers job, it was clear that he would return as the bench coach. On Thursday, Dan Hayes from The Athletic broke the news that the Twins were hiring long-time college pitching coach (most recently at the University of Arkansas), Wes Johnson for that role with the Twins, his first job in professional baseball. Later Thursday afternoon, Derek Wetmore broke the news that Jeremy Hefner would be added to the coaching staff as well. He had been an advanced scout for the Twins in 2018. Friday the Twins announced that he will be the assistant pitching coach. On Friday, the Twins announced that Tony Diaz will be their third base coach. He has spent the last 20 years managing and coaching in the Colorado Rockies organization. Most recently, he was the first base coach in the big leagues.The Dominican Republic native authored a book called Practical English for Latin Players. Tommy Watkins will be their first base coach. Watkins was the Twins 38th round pick in the 1998 draft out of high school in Ft. Myers. He slowly worked his way up the organizational ladder, and in 2007, he played nine games in the big leagues. In fact, he was hitting .357 (through nine games) and had become the starting third baseman. Unfortunately, he was injured and missed the rest of the year. He spent another year in the organization before retiring as a player and becoming a coach. He was the hitting coach in Beloit and then also when the Twins moved their Midwest League affiliate to Cedar Rapids. He moved up to Chattanooga for a year as their hitting coach, but then became the manager back in Cedar Rapids. In 2018, he was the Lookouts manager, and on Saturday, he will lead the Salt River Rafters into the Arizona Fall League championship game. Watkins has worked very closely with the core of young Twins players through their minor league careers. Watkins said that he was "stunned" when he found out the news yesterday and is excited for the opportunity. In an interview with Ft. Myers News Press writer David Dorsey, he said, "I’m excited for the opportunity, I can tell you that. It’s what we all work for. We can’t all play in the big leagues, and we can’t play forever. The next best thing would be to coach in the big leagues." The Twins also announced that they will be hiring one more coach. Baldelli talked about putting together a collection of talented coaches who can teach. He talked about the importance of diversity. Hernandez is the oldest coach at 50. Derek Shelton is 48. Rowson is 42 while Johnson and Diaz are both 41. Tommy Watkins is 38, and Jeremy Hefner is just 32 years old. Is it possible that the staff is too inexperienced, or is this group of coaches with a vast array of experiences, strong people skills and willingness to be open-minded exactly what they need right now? Click here to view the article

The Rochester Red Wings today announced five Twins minor league signings. RHP Zach Harper and C Wynston Sawyer returned. Also,, they have signed infielder Randy Cesar (23), RHPs Preston Guilmet (31) and Zack Weiss (26). The two pitchers pitched briefly in the big leagues in 2018. Here is the Red Wings press release for more on each: Twins Sign Five Players to Minor League Deals ROCHESTER, NY – The Minnesota Twins have re-signed right-handed pitcher Ryne Harper and catcher Wynston Sawyer while also signing infielder Randy César and right-handed pitchers Preston Guilmet and Zack Weiss to minor league contracts, Twins Director of Minor League Operations Jeremy Zoll announced. Harper, 29, spent all of 2018 in the Twins organization while going 1-5 with six saves and a 3.60 ERA with 61 hits, 34 runs, 26 earned, two homers, two hit batters, 10 walks and 86 strikeouts over 65.0 innings in 38 appearances between Double-A Chattanooga and Rochester. He was a Southern League mid-season All-Star selection for the Lookouts. The right-hander from Clarksville, TN was originally selected in the 37th round of the 2011 Draft by the Atlanta Braves out of Austin Peay State University and has also spent time in the Seattle Mariners organization. Sawyer, 27, appeared in just 36 games between Chattanooga and Rochester before missing the rest of the season due to a left hamate fracture suffered on June 24 with the Red Wings. He batted .257/.387/.347 with three doubles, two homers, 13 RBI, 16 walks, 21 strikeouts and 17 runs scored in 36 combined games. Sawyer hit his first Triple-A home run on May 7 at Buffalo, a grand slam in the 7th inning that gave the Wings a 4-2 lead. The catcher from San Diego, CA was originally selected in the eighth round of the 2010 Draft by the Baltimore Orioles out of Scripps Ranch High School and has also spent time in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. César, 23, spent all of the last season with Double-A Corpus Christi (Astros) while batting .296/.348/.428 with 25 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 62 RBI, 36 walks, 112 strikeouts, three stolen bases and 59 runs scored in 116 games for the Hooks. His .296 average ranked seventh in the Texas League. The corner infielder from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by Houston on July 15, 2011. Guilmet, 31, opened 2018 with Triple-A Memphis (Cardinals) and would pitch for three other teams: the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Triple-A Buffalo. He combined to save 11 games and pitch to a 1.60 ERA (6 ER, 33.2 IP) in 24 Triple-A games and went 0-1 with a 11.70 ERA (13 ER, 10 IP) in eight MLB games. The right-handed pitcher from Roseville, CA was originally selected in the ninth round of the 2009 Draft by the Cleveland Indians out of the University of Arizona and has also spent time in Japan (2017, Yakult Swallows) and in the Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles organizations. Weiss, 26, spent all of 2018 in the Cincinnati Reds organization between four levels, including the big leagues. He made his MLB debut on April 12 vs. St. Louis and combined to go 3-3 with one save and a 5.40 ERA with 24 hits, 20 runs, 15 earned, three homers, 20 walks and 26 strikeouts over 25.0 innings in 21 minor league outings. The right-handed pitcher from Irvine, CA was originally selected in the sixth round of the 2013 by Cincinnati out of UCLA. Minnesota will announce all minor league signings that receive an invite to spring training at a later date.

Not really what youre asking as I know that your'e talking about MLB time... but I looked at my 2018 Opening Day Longest Tenured in the organization list... Mauer, Vargas and Dozier (1, 2, 3 at the time) are all gone, so here is the update:

From DJ Baxendale:

What's not to like at this point? He was arguably the best hitter on what may prove to be one of the best college baseball teams ever. He can hit for average and power, uses the whole field, has a strong approach and can play right field. Also, he was the 20th (or so) pick in this year's draft... So, he has to be this high. I can't imagine any of the guys drafted in the first 25+ picks are ranked any lower than 5th in their organizations at this point. (which of course may prove to be right or wrong as early as the end of next year.

http://www.startribune.com/twins-fan-banned-from-target-field-over-pursuit-of-baseballs-goes-to-the-plate-to-come-back/500642671/ According to the above article in the Star Tribune, the Twins banned Jason Gabbert from Target Field. Gabbert says he's just an enthusiastic fan looking for memorabilia. The Twins (and one judge so far) disagree. Gabbert, who is 49 (!), says he will refile in a federal court. Allegations have been that he has been physical, or that he negotiates with fans to get their game-used stuff. I think this is an interesting case, to be sure... and it could lead this thread in several directions. This case, or just how much is too much, or how far is too far, for adults to go to get game-used bats or balls. What do you think?

When Baxendale was in high school, not Johnson. HA!! Baxendale said that he played for him in the summer of 2005 and really learned a ton from him.

Fair to say that Brent Rooker is a fan of Wes Johnson:

So, I just threw this question out on Twitter to get more thoughts, but thought this would be an interesting discussion here. Which Twins bullpen arms from 2018 are GIVENS to be on the Twins 2019 Opening Day roster? For me, Addison Reed, Taylor Rogers, Trevor May and Trevor Hildenberger are givens. Gabriel Moya is probably pretty close to a given, but with Adalberto Mejia out of options, he could take a 2nd bullpen lefty job. Or, they could both be solid "Opener" options. What do you think?

The Twins made some changes this offseason already in their minor league system. Pitching coaches Ivan Arteaga and Henry Bonilla were let go, some traning positions. I'm sure over time we'll hear about new coaches, but the Twins have added at least a couple of people to their player development staff... https://twitter.com/ZachBove12/status/1061042111821348864 What I've heard is that he is likely to be involved on the pitching side in some way. Not sure specifically yet. Infield and Base Running Coordinator:

Sands was their 5th round pick this year out of Florida State. They determined he had thrown enough innings so he didn''t pitch this summer. RHP Widell was their 7th (I think) round pick the year before. He was probably going to go to Cedar Rapids, but he came down with mono, and as he was about to start pitching again, he got it again. Hopes to be ready. LHP. Injury is a tough thing to quantify on prospect lists. I mean, he didn't' get worse from a year earlier when he was in most people's upper teens and low 20s, but he is a year older. He dove for a ball late in spring training and messed up his non-throwing shoulder. He played some, but the pain was just too much. He''s still the same player, so when healthy, we should expect him to get back to his 2017 numbers. That said, the injury may have cost him some opportunity, with Jake Cave playing so well. So, he's' not in my Top 30, but he shouldn't just be forgotten or thought of any less.

Definitely some strange inclusions and Thorpe and Jeffers being that low is unusual.

Jay Jaffe looked at the careers of recent retirees Joe Mauer and Chase Utley. He put them up against others at their positions according to his JAWS Hall of Fame formula. Both definitely below in the conversation. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/retiring-mauer-and-utley-both-worthy-of-cooperstown/

Dude spends 4-6 hours a day working on baseball stuff (including strength, speed and baseball skills)... He's putting in the work.

I had him #4 this year... O fcourse, I was also bashed for keeping Kirilloff at #5 last year at this time after he missed a full season. Javier is probably more toolsie than Kirilloff... In fact, probably not "probably."

I don't know the specifics. I know he works out with his brother, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Gonzalez and a lot of MLB players at Barry Larkin's facilities in Orlando. He definitely works hard, and he's not going to get much bigger. I just am not going to make much of his struggles in Rochester in the 2nd half. He's just too talented. Swing is too nice. Makeup is great! Still so young.

A lot of fans wanted him to be something different than he was. If he would have tried, it wouldn't have been him. And he was incredibly competitive, but the ability to keep one's cool in tough situations kept him in games, and kept him calm during those clutch situations when he was so good.

I think Mike ranked him #8 last year. Scouts say that he can be a solid MLB player. He doesn't have any plus-plus tools, but he also doesn't' have any real weaknesses in his game either (for a prospect, obviously each level is a new adjustment). Agreed. I think he'll be in the bottom half of the Top 10 in most.