Seth Stohs

First factor should have no bearing. Regarding Plouffe in the OF... that was about 5-6 years ago, and it wasn't very much, and there's a reason that he was quickly moved back to the infield. I should have said, "Of the options that they have on the roster to move to RF, Sano was the logical choice." But you're right, it's an old topic. They're going to go with it. As Nick said, the Twins aren't under some illusion that it's going to be pretty all the time. They know he's a great athlete, with decent speed and a strong arm, who is young, and that his bat being in the lineup is #1."

I don't see that as an issue at all, and neither should they. People often say, What if he gets hurt playing in the outfield? Well, he has been hurt a few times playing 3B, so unless they just DH him, then it's just a call they had to make.

Holy Weird Stat which tells us pretty much nothing. Ha! Is that in the big leagues or is that spring training? Because O'Rourke only has like a half-season. Runtzler was up a bit, but that was about 4-5 years ago. Just saw the later comment when you mentioned it was for the Spring. Then I'd say that it's also not too strong of a stat because they can only face the batters they're sent in to face. That's up to the manager, and the plan for the day.

Sano is faster. He's a better athlete. Any issue that Sano is having out in RF, Plouffe would too. Plouffe is a better 3B. They want Sano to stay in shape. Sano has the better arm. Easy choice really.

It wouldn't be close.

He won't be released, but he would go on waivers. It'd be interesting to see if he gets claimed. I would think someone might, and that's fine. If he isn't claimed, he can go to Rochester.

As we continue to work our way around the diamond, today we arrive at second base where Brian Dozier has played for the Twins the last three seasons. After being selected by Jose Bautista for the 2014 Home Run Derby at Target Field, he was named an all-star in 2015. He even got into the game and homered off of NL saves leader Mark Melancon. In 2015, the Minnesota Twins second basemen were 25th in MLB in batting average (.237) and 18th in on-base percentage (.308), but 2nd in slugging percentage (.447) and 6th in OPS (.755). Twins second basemen scored more runs (105) than second basemen from other teams. The 29 home runs that the Twins got from second base were eight more than any other organization.Obviously Brian Dozier accounted for most of the production. The 28-year-old played in 157 games and hit .236/.307/.444 (.751) with 28 home runs, 101 runs scored and 77 RBI. He also had career-highs in hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBIs. It is also well documented that Dozier has been much better before the All-Star break than after it the last couple of years. In 2015, he hit .256/.328/.513 (.841) in the first 88 games of the season. In 69 games after the All-Star break, he hit .210/.280/.359 (.639). As Nick wrote yesterday, Dozier doesn’t see it as a big deal. He said there are other ways to help the team win and that’s what’s important to him. Dozier will take on more of a leadership role in the clubhouse in 2016 after learning a lot from Torii Hunter a year ago. While Jorge Polanco waits in the wings for an opportunity at any of the infield positions, pending good health Dozier will get at least 95% of the starts at second base again in 2016. He’s having another terrific spring training and hopes to build on his all-star performance in 2015. KEY NUMBERS 148 - Along with his other career-high stats in 2015, Dozier also set the Minnesota Twins record with 148 strikeouts, topping Bobby Darwin’s 145 strikeouts in 1972. Nick’s article also talked about Dozier working with Brunansky on covering the whole plate, maybe fouling off more two-strike pitches or possibly slapping some singles to the opposite field. PREDICTIONS Brian Dozier: 596 At-bats, .255/.342/.457 (.799), 35 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs. I think that we will see Dozier be more consistent throughout the entire season. If he can put up his first half numbers all season, he will easily be the top second baseman in baseball, and likely receive a lot of MVP votes. Possible? Sure. I think Dozier, the Twins, and Twins fans will be happy with him being really good for two halves. YOUR TURN Now it’s your turn. Share your thoughts on and projections on Brian Dozier in 2016. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Kurt Suzuki/John Ryan Murphy Joe Mauer Click here to view the article

Molitor said as much about his ability to play OF last week when I was there. Basically said that his body has just been so beaten up over the years that playing the outfield isn't really realistic at this stage. It was good to get him out there to verify, but I don't see a scenario where it makes sense.

Another strong Notes column, Nick! The Quentin thing is interesting. I really think that agents, scouts and players generally have a ton of respect for the Twins organization, and specifically the front office. I spent a little time chatting with Antony by the minor league fields one day. Just a nice chat, but from it, you can glean a lot. People have a ton of respect for him in his contract dealings. Players, agents, they really respect how the Twins choose to pay pre-arbitration players. They are able to get guys like this on "gentlemen's agreements." As it relates to Quentin, it will be very interesting. I can't see a scenario where it makes any sense whatsoever to have him on the roster over Arcia or probably Sweeney. That said, I think he's had a solid enough camp that I could see him chatting with Ryan and Antony and Molitor at the end of camp. I can see them telling him that he isn't making the team, but they like what he showed. They don't see a "clear path" for him to get to the big leagues (meaning, they can't promise anything). I can see them telling him they would love for him to be at Rochester and play most every day because if he keeps producing, they could definitely see him coming up. But I can also see them telling him and his agent to feel free to talk to other organizations before reporting. Maybe there's a gentleman's agreement saying that team can't or won't be in the AL Central, but if he finds someone who has an MLB job available, they will let him go. If he doesn't find that, let them know and he can head to Rochester, still having that June 1 opt-out. I'm purely speculating, but I could easily see that type of scenario playing out.

Good photos... you even cropped the photo of me, and I appreciate it! HA!

Maybe, but I think others should make their predictions as well, and we can check them all at the end of the year.

It was two situations that Twins fans are familiar with. There are obviously many more samples, but that would make a much, much longer article and it won't help or hurt make any point because they're all different.

Yup, and that's why it's called a prediction. There's no way to know. There's no science to guessing the future of a person. They're guesses based on looking at numbers, talking to the person, the people around him, looking at other factors and then guessing.

But it's all part of it, and the biggest thing to note is that is does affect everyone differently, so there is no way to know how anyone will recover, if or when.

My initial thought was that Park would play 1B with Vargas at DH, but since Kepler is still in camp, I could see Kepler getting the nod at 1B with Park staying at DH. That's if it was at the very start of the season. Either of those two would work.

Yup, so the difference really is 0.020 points of batting average which moves the OPS up by 0.040. I think that's about one single ever 3 weeks difference.

I like Dozier's (and Brunansky's) point about covering more of the plate, sometimes meaning just fouling off a tough pitch instead of striking out. Extending plate appearances will definitely help in the long-run.

That's a good point... one defensive option and one power bat option for the bench. And yeah, Mastroianni is definitely nothing to be excited about, but he is still in camp and doing well. We know what he is... defense and base running. Sweeney and Quentin didn't play in 2015 either. And, at least Mastroianni, unlike Bartlett, is actually a good outfielder. But I think the odds of it being anyone but Santana and Arcia are pretty low. At least to start the season.

Yesterday, I posted my projections for the 2016 Minnesota Twins catchers, Kurt Suzuki and John Ryan Murphy. Today, we move to first base where Joe Mauer will again be the primary option. Byung Ho Park will also get some time at first base, though he’ll be the designated hitter most days. We’ll post his projections later. In his third season back from a concussion, what do we expect from Joe Mauer in 2016?In 2015, the Minnesota Twins first basemen were 14th in MLB in batting average (.265), 14th in on-base percentage (.334), 28th in slugging percentage (.392) and 25th in OPS (.726). While Joe Mauer played a career-high 158 games, it was the least productive offensive season of his career. On August 19th, 2013, Joe Mauer was hitting .324/.404/.476 (.880). He was on a 7-game hitting streak during which he had 14 hits and reached base 16 times. And that’s when he took the foul tips off the face mask and his season ended. It’s been clear ever since that things have not been clear for Mauer. That includes his vision which he admitted last month has been off at times. Not that the news was surprising, that’s ‘normal’ with a concussion, but it was the first time that Mauer had really acknowledged it publicly. Consider Justin Morneau’s concussion. It was midseason 2010 when he slid into second in Toronto and John McDonald’s knee impacted Morneau’s head. Morneau missed the rest of that season and half of the 2011 season when he posted a .618 OPS. In 2012, he hit .265 (.773 OPS). In 2013, he hit .259 (.734 OPS). Then he went to Colorado and won a batting title. In 2014, he hit .319 with an .860 OPS). In 2015, he was limited to just 49 games with another concussion, but he was hitting .310 at the time. Denard Span was hitting .294/.361/.385 when he had his concussion. After missing two months, he returned and went 2-35, dropping his numbers to .263/.331/.342. It took him two years to get back to “normal” but he has hit over .300 the last two years and his strikeout to walk ratio has been more like his pre-concussion days. Obviously those are two examples of players who came back strong three years after their concussions, but there is no magic formula when it comes to predicting anything about brain injuries. Mauer is now entering his 13th big league season with the Twins. He will turn 33 years old in a month. Ten of those seasons were as a potential Hall of Fame catcher, and the last two have been at first base. He is entering his third season after the concussion, so there is reason to believe that he can be better again in 2016. Or maybe that is me just being optimistic. With Byung Ho Park around, Mauer should be able to get a game or two a week at DH. We know that Mauer wants to play as often as possible, but 158 games from last year may have been too much. An occasional day off might be beneficial. Kennys Vargas is the backup option for first base and designated hitter. He’ll need to just play in Rochester and wait for an opportunity. KEY NUMBERS 1 - .394 and .338 - Mauer’s career on-base percentage dropped to .394 after his career-low .338 OBP in 2015. 2 - The place that he should hit in the Minnesota Twins lineup: There is no reason for Mauer to be hitting third in the lineup anymore. That said, the .338 on-base percentage was second to only Miguel Sano on the Twins roster in 2015. He is still an ideal top-of-the-order hitter because of his ability to get on base and take quality at bats. PROJECTIONS Joe Mauer: 557 At-bats, .294/.363/.426 (.789), 33 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs. I don’t think it’s fair to think that Mauer, at 33, will get back to what he was pre-concussion. He’s three years older and still has all those innings behind the plate on his legs. Also, offensive production across baseball has tumbled in the last few seasons. But, the further out from the concussion he is, the more likely he is to perform well. YOUR TURN Now it’s your turn. Share your thoughts on and projections on Joe Mauer in 2016. Click here to view the article

With split-squad games tomorrow, they won't do any more cuts until at least (and probably) Wednesday. Pretty sure Dozier, Quentin and Suzuki know what is supposed to be done with a runner on 3B and less than two outs. I wouldn't worry about it.

Great stuff, NIck! I noticed this afternoon (And it surprised me) that Darin Mastroianni is hitting .300 this spring (though we all know that, by nature, all Spring Training stats are small sample). He also is the best defensively of the Quentin/Sweeney/Arcia/Mastroianni group. I'm not saying I'd be willing to lose Arcia for Mastroianni, but I think he should at least be in the same discussion.

Which is a classic, by the way! Ha!

Today we begin a new series here at Twins Daily in which we will attempt to project how the Twins projected Opening Day roster will perform in 2016. Each day over the next week, we’ll consider a position at a time. Today we start with the catchers.In 2015, the Minnesota Twins had one of the worst, if not the worst, performing catchers in baseball. Offensively, the Twins catchers combined to hit just .224 (24th best in baseball) and a .596 OPS (29th in baseball). Defensively, Twins catchers combined to throw out just 19% of would-be base stealers, worst in baseball. As I wrote last week, the Twins subtracted a couple of catchers and added three new catchers. THE CANDIDATES Kurt Suzuki (32) enters his tenth big league season. After an All-Star season in 2014 (or at least 2/3rds of a season), he struggled offensively and defensively in 2015. In 131 games, he hit .240/.296/.314 (.610). While defensive metrics show that he is below average, teammates (and especially pitchers) appreciate the leadership that he brings. John Ryan Murphy (24) came from the Yankees this offseason in exchange for Aaron Hicks. In 67 games last year with the Pinstripes, he hit .277/.327/.406 (.734) with nine doubles and three home runs. He has spent time as a backup the last three years, serving primarily as a backup. John Hicks (26) and Juan Centeno (26) will be at AAA. SITUATION Suzuki could certainly benefit from playing less than the 131 games he’s played each of the last two seasons. In theory it should make him more productive. Meanwhile, the still-very young Murphy should get more time. Suzuki starts the season as the starter and will likely get more playing time than Murphy early in the season. However I would expect that over time, Murphy will eat into that playing time and eventually get more than 50% of the time. Theoretically, it should create a better situation. As much as Suzuki wants to play a lot, having fresher legs should help him offensively and defensively. Conversely, Murphy can benefit from playing more regularly. He’s still young enough and inexperienced enough that we don’t know how he’ll handle the fuller workload. KEY NUMBER 485. The number of plate appearances that would trigger Kurt Suzuki’s 2017 vesting options for $6 million. As much as Suzuki is liked and respected in the Twins clubhouse, it’s hard to envision a scenario where the Twins will let Suzuki approach that number. Even last year when he played in 131 games, he recorded just 479 plate appearances. PROJECTIONS Kurt Suzuki: 332 at-bats, .271/.320/.334 (.654), 15 doubles, two home runs. John Ryan Murphy: 353 at-bats, .280/.337/.407 (.744), 19 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs. YOUR TURN Now it’s your turn. Share your thoughts on and projections on the Twins catchers in 2016. Click here to view the article