Seth Stohs

The roster doesn't have an exciting bench or back-end of the bullpen, but I thought Nick told the story well. Herrmann will catch maybe one out of 4 games until Pinto is deemed at 100% He probably won't show his versatility as much since he's the backup catcher. Boyer's looked fine, and as Parker showed in his story earlier in the week, there's reason to believe that he could be pretty solid.Obviously we'll find out. As for Robinson, I expect he'll make one start most weeks (maybe a 2nd start some weeks), and he'll be a late-inning defensive replacement a couple times each week. The key to the Twins success isn't on the Fringes (As Nick calls them)... it's that starting lineup being able to score runs and help limit runs. And it's the starting pitchers being able to complete 7 innings most of the time so that just Duensing, Fien and Perkins need to be relied upon as Boyer, Pelfrey, Stauffer and Graham adjust to their roles.

Hicks does have upside, so he could play every day and get better. As for the Hunter comment, it's just not right. He certainly has a purpose. He can still hit. He can still make all the routine plays and catch what he gets to. He'll be a solid bat in the middle of the lineup.

There's reason to believe that if Hicks has a good April, he could be up and starting in May. I personally feel good about Schafer getting 4-6 weeks to just see what he can be. Hopefully he can build upon what he did with the Twins last season. If not, Hicks is still there. I think the same is true for Pinto. He's played in two minor league games (hitting only) and two MLB games (3 innings of catching?)... Let him get his legs back under him after the brain injury first. Herrmann is just find as the #2 catcher, much less for a short term.

Buxton and Sano are coming off missed seasons, so I think they'll be late-season (July or August) call-ups at best. Berrios may fit into that same time. Meyer and May should be up by June or sooner. That could be Rosario's timeline too. I think Burdi could be up by August. Tonkin, Pressly and Achter could be up any time. Darnell could come up and be ready any time. Then guys like Reed, Chargois and Zack Jones could be up early next year.

My sense would be no. I think they prefer Graham and his upside. Oliver is older. He has been available to the Twins (and all other teams) several times in recent years.

Following the Minnesota Twins spring training game against Boston on Thursday night, the Twins finalized their Opening Day roster. Josmil Pinto was optioned to Rochester. Eric Fryer was reassigned to minor league camp. Doug Bernier was told that he will be reassigned to minor league camp at the end of spring training.So here is your Minnesota Twins opening day roster under the tutelage of manager Paul Molitor: STARTING PITCHERS Phil HughesErvin SantanaRicky NolascoKyle GibsonTommy MiloneRELIEF PITCHERS Glen PerkinsCasey FienBrian DuensingMike PelfreyBlaine BoyerTim StaufferJR GrahamCATCHERS Kurt SuzukiChris HerrmannJosmil Pinto was the favorite to be the backup catcher, but he just needs to get some at-bats down in Rochester. Missing over a week with the concussion really hurt his chances of making the roster. INFIELDERS Joe MauerBrian DozierTrevor PlouffeDanny SantanaEduardo EscobarEduardo NunezKennys VargasOUTFIELDERS Oswaldo ArciaJordan SchaferTorii HunterShane RobinsonThe Twins will play on Friday night and Saturday afternoon before packing up and heading to Detroit where they will take on David Price and the Tigers on Monday. Click here to view the article

yeah, if Schafer plays enough to get 21 doubles, he'd have closer to 40 steals. The big question is how long he'll be the starter and how much he's the 4th OF.

In the last few days, we reviewed and made predictions about the 2015 seasons of the Twins infielders. Today, we continue to make our projections and rankings of the Twins outfielders by looking at the center field position. Jordan Schafer will go into the season as the Twins starting center fielder. At some point in the season, we may see Aaron Hicks getting another opportunity. And, by the end of the season, there is some chance that we could get our first glimpse of Byron Buxton. Today, we’ll make predictions for Jordan Schafer.MINNESOTA TWINS – JORDAN SCHAFER Once a top prospect in all of baseball, Jordan Schafer has been through some personal demons. However, he got another chance with the Braves in 2013 and became a solid fourth outfielder. He began 2014 with the Braves. However, through the midway point in the season, he had just 93 plate appearances in 63 games played. He was basically just a late-innings defensive replacement and pinch runner. It would be difficult for anyone to put up decent numbers with that infrequent playing time. The Braves designated Schafer for assignment. The Twins had just traded outfielder Sam Fuld at the trade deadline and wanted another outfielder. Schafer fits the Sam Fuld mold, probably a fourth outfielder, but capable of starting for a period of time too. In the season’s final two months, he played most every day. In 41 games (and 147 plate appearances), he hit .285/.345/.362 (.707) with 30 stolen bases. Did playing every day allow him to play well, or should we only note that in his 1,398 total big league plate appearances, he has a .229/.311/.310 (.621) slash line? The reality is that it’s probably somewhere in the middle. Schafer is a different person, more mature and more experienced at age 28 than when he first came to the big leagues. What he did as a 23- or 24- or 25- year-old isn’t necessarily what he is today. And yes, playing every day should be better for him (or most anyone) than playing in one of two games and maybe getting four or five plate appearances each week. Our Twins Daily writers make their predictions: Seth – .268/.324/.351 (.675) with 16 doubles and 4 HR. Nick – .250/.315/.340 (.655) with 15 doubles and 3 HR. Parker – .260/.330/.350 (.690) with 10 doubles and 1 HR John – .250/.330/.340 (.690) with 18 doubles and 2 HR (and 30+ SB). AL CENTRAL CENTER FIELDERS Opponent – Player – 2015 Age – 2014 Statistics Chicago – Adam Eaton – 26 - .300/.362/.401 (.763) with 26 doubles, 1-HR Cleveland – Michael Bourn – 32 - .257/.314/.360 (.674) with 17 doubles, 3-HR Detroit – Anthony Gose – 24 - .226/.311/.293 (.604) with 8 doubles, 2-HR Kansas City – Lorenzo Cain – 29 - .301/.339/.412 (.751) with 29 doubles, 5-HR AL CENTRAL CENTER FIELD RANKINGS #1 – Adam Eaton - Chicago #2 – Lorenzo Cain – Kansas City #3 – Michael Bourn – Cleveland #4 – Jordan Schafer – Minnesota #5 – Anthony Gose – Detroit NOW IT’S YOUR TURN Give it a little thought and then go to the comments section below and post two things. First, make your statistical projection for Jordan in 2015. Second, how would you rank the AL Central center fielders? Then discuss your thoughts with the rest of the Twins Daily community on the Twins center field position. How will it play out throughout the season? Check back throughout this next week as we’ll do these same things for each of the positions. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS AND RANKINGS Kurt Suzuki Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Trevor Plouffe Danny Santana Oswaldo Arcia Click here to view the article

It wasn't scientific, but it played a factor in the rankings, I guess.

In the last few days, we reviewed and made predictions about the 2015 seasons of the Twins infielders. Today, we will be posting our projections and rankings of the Twins outfielders. Oswaldo Arcia is moving over to left field and his ability to take a step forward in his career is one of the keys to the Twins 2015 season.MINNESOTA TWINS – OSWALDO ARCIA Oswaldo Arcia sped through the Twins minor league system and made his major league debut at age 21 in early 2013. He hit 17 doubles and 14 home runs in that rookie season in just 97 games. In 2014, he played in just 103 games. He hit .231/.300/.452 (.752) with 16 doubles, 20 home runs and 57 RBI. So, what are those things that will determine whether or not Oswaldo Arcia can take a step forward in his career in 2015? He will need to make more contact. He struck out 127 times in 410 plate appearances. He’ll need to be able to control the strike zone better as he walked just 31 times. He hit right-handed pitching to the tune of an .848 OPS. However, against southpaws, he hit just .198/.261/.313 (.574). Of course, defense will also be a struggle for Arcia. He won’t have a ton of range, but more important, will he be able to take better routes than he did in right field last year? If he can show better plate discipline and make more contact, Arcia has all the potential in the world. He has 30-homer potential and will be able to drive in a lot of runs. If he doesn’t make a couple of adjustments, we could see Eddie Rosario getting his first opportunity with the Twins. Our Twins Daily writers made their predictions: Seth – .255/.312/.485 (.797) with 23 doubles and 27 HR. Nick – .265/.325/.515 (.840) with 25 doubles and 35 HR Parker – .250/.310/.470 (.780) with 20 doubles and 25 HR John – ..220/.290/.400 (.690) with 15 doubles and 12 HR AL CENTRAL LEFT FIELDERS Opponent – Player – 2015 Age – 2014 Statistics Chicago – Melky Cabrera – 30 - .301/.351/.458 (.808) with 35 doubles, 16-HR Cleveland – Michael Brantley – 28 - .327/.385/.506 (.890) with 45 doubles, 20-HR Detroit – Yoenis Cespedes – 29 - .260/.301/.450 (.751) with 36 doubles, 22-HR Kansas City – Alex Gordon – 31 - .266/.351/.432 (.783) with 34 doubles, 19-HR AL CENTRAL LEFT FIELD RANKINGS #1 – Alex Gordon – Kansas City #2 – Michael Brantley – Cleveland #3 – Melky Cabrera – Chicago #4 – Yoenis Cespedes – Detroit #5 – Oswaldo Arcia – Minnesota NOW IT’S YOUR TURN Give it a little thought and then go to the comments section below and post two things. First, make your statistical projection for Oswaldo Arcia in 2015. Second, how would you rank the AL Central left fielders? Then discuss your thoughts with the rest of the Twins Daily community. Check back throughout this next week as we’ll do these same things for each of the positions. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS, PROJECTIONS AND RANKINGS Kurt Suzuki Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Trevor Plouffe Danny Santana Click here to view the article

Today we complete our projections, predictions and rankings for the Minnesota Twins infield by considering shortstop Danny Santana. My sense is that Santana might be the most polarizing in the series. We all know his 2014 rookie season with the Twins surpassed anything he had done in his seven minor league seasons, and he did it at a new position. What is in store for him in 2015?MINNESOTA TWINS – DANNY SANTANA Coming into 2014, Danny Santana had a lot to prove. He was an easy choice to be added to the Twins 40-man roster following 2013, but his shortstop defense was more than shaky. He has great speed and range and a very strong arm, but struggled most with routine plays. Offensively, his speed helps him to hit for average and he has extra base pop. However, he seemingly has an allergy to walking. So, in early May, shortly after he was a surprise call up to the Twins (he had played just 24 games in AAA), he found himself playing, and learning, centerfield. Before long, he was the Twins new starting centerfielder. Not only did he represent himself well in the field, he put up better offensive numbers with the Twins than he had at any level of the minor leagues. Although he didn’t walk much, he showed a good ability to take quality at-bats, swinging at strikes. He even showed surprising power. In 2015, he is being moved back to shortstop, where he remains a question mark defensively. Many also wonder whether he’ll be able to put up numbers anywhere near what he did as a rookie. Can he hit for average? Will he learn to take a few more walks? Can he maintain the power he showed in 2014? I have a feeling that the projections regarding Santana will be as polarizing as any Twins player. So, here are the projections of our Twins Daily writers: Seth – .284/.317/.423 (.740) with 38 doubles and 6 HR. Nick – .260/.300/.380 (.680) with 30 doubles and 5 HR. Parker – .270/.320/.400 (.720) with 32 doubles and 10 HR. John – .273/.319/.381 (.700) with 30 doubles and 6 HR AL CENTRAL SHORTSTOP Opponent – Player – 2015 Age – 2014 Statistics Chicago – Alexei Ramirez – 33 - .273/.305/.408 (.713) with 35 doubles, 15-HR Cleveland – Jose Ramirez – 22 - .262/.300/.346 (.646) with 10 doubles, 2-HR Detroit – Jose Iglesias – 25 - .303/.349/.386 (.735) with 16 doubles, 3-HR (2013 stats, missed 2014) Kansas City – Alcides Escobar – 28 - .285/.317/.377 (.694) with 34 doubles, 3-HR AL CENTRAL SHORTSTOP RANKINGS #1 – Alcides Escobar – Kansas City #2 – Danny Santana – Minnesota #3 – Alexei Ramirez – Chicago #4 – Jose Ramirez – Cleveland #5 – Jose Iglesius - Detroit NOW IT’S YOUR TURN Give it some thought and then go to the comments section below and post two things. First, make your statistical projection for Danny Santana in 2015. Second, how would you rank the AL Central shortstop? Of course, then discuss with the rest of the Twins Daily community. Finally, check back throughout this next week as we’ll do these same things for each of the positions. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS, PROJECTIONS AND RANKINGS Kurt Suzuki Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Trevor Plouffe Click here to view the article

The next Andrelton Simmons or Andruw Jones would be a good thing!!

Fair point, but we all know that if the following scenario would have played out, there are some that would have complained either way. If the Twins went with Eddie Rosario, they would have been upset saying they didn't learn from the Aaron Hicks situation. And, since the Twins didn't go with Rosario, they will say that they are being too slow.

Well, it is a business, and they do need to sell hope and optimism in spring training. Even if there are those that choose to be negative regardless of the situation, not matter what. I think they do have a lot more talent. I predicted 73 wins for the Twins a couple of nights ago, and I think 76-77 is realistic. But I do think the division is tough.

I would agree. I think that Molitor and Ryan would agree. I think Milone was the decision coming into camp (and that was who I had in pre-spring and during-spring roster projections), and May would have had to have been perfect this spring. His missed time is probably a bigger factor than anything else. Also, relax, man!

I could probably answer each individual question. I do agree with John in his comment that the Twins still believe in Aaron Hicks enough to think he can get better and learn in AAA. May's MLB performance last year didn't scream promotion.Meyer's BB/9 rate and tough spring don't scream promotion. Both of them have a chance to be solid in time, but do have things to work on. Guys like Schafer and Robinson are short-term stopgaps allowing those other guys (including Buxton) to continue to develop. Rosario didn't hit last year. He didn't hit this spring. I don't think anyone should make an argument that he should have made the team. What he did last year was FAR less than what Aaron Hicks did at AA before he got promoted. What can Pelfrey do that Meyer can't at this point? Throw strikes. These moves are short-term. They're about the bigger picture.

Where I agree more with Aaron is that spring training stats shouldn't come in to play... however, spring training performance should... In other words, it's not about the numbers, it's about the process and some other things that are more visual than the randomness of 40 at bats or 8-12 innings.

I think people can say that May should be up, thought I don't think that's an easy, obviously choice. The rest of the moves just make sense. If there are 2-5 of the young guys up by the end of June, then I'll be annoyed.

After discussing Kurt Suzuki, Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier on Tuesday, today we’ll consider Trevor Plouffe and the other third basemen in the American League Central. Be sure to check back later when we finish up the infield with the shortstops. As the week goes on, we will continue through this series. Next up will be the outfielders We’ll continue to make projections and compare the Twins players to the rest of the American League Central.MINNESOTA TWINS – TREVOR PLOUFFE 2014 was a big season for Trevor Plouffe. With uber-prospect Miguel Sano looming, Plouffe put together his most productive season. He set career highs in most offensive categories. As important to Plouffe and the Twins, his defense at the hot corner was markedly improved. Plouffe considers his job with the Twins to be a run producer, and his 80 RBIs led the team in that category. Unfortunately his season ended a couple of games early with a fractured left forearm. Sano is healthy again and still seems to be part of the Twins future, but unlike a year ago, it does feel as though there is a good chance that Plouffe will remain in the Twins plans as well. What kind of numbers can be expected from Plouffe in 2015? One key for him is, and has been, his health. 2015 is a big year for Trevor Plouffe on the field, but also off the field. He and his wife are excited to welcome their first child this summer. Here are the projections of our Twins Daily writers: Seth – .267/.337/.443 (.780) with 37 doubles and 19 HR. Nick – .250/.335/.410 (.745) with 25 doubles and 15 HR Parker – .260/.330/.420 (.750) with 20 doubles and 20 HR John – AL CENTRAL THIRD BASEMEN Opponent – Player – 2015 Age – 2014 Statistics Chicago – Conor Gillaspie – 27 - .282/.336/.416 (.752) with 31 doubles, 7 HR Cleveland – Lonnie Chisenhall – 26 - .280/.343/.427 (.770) with 29 doubles, 13 HR Detroit – Nick Castellanos – 23 - .259/.306/.394 (.700) with 31 doubles, 11 HR Kansas City – Mike Moustakas – 26 - .212/.271/.361 (.632) with 21 doubles, 15 HR AL CENTRAL THIRD BASEMAN RANKINGS #1 – Trevor Plouffe - Minnesota #2 – Conor Gillaspie - Chicago #3 – Lonnie Chisenhall – Cleveland #4 – Mike Moustakas – Kansas City #5 – Nick Castellanos - Detroit NOW IT’S YOUR TURN Give it some thought and then go to the comments section below and post two things. First, make your statistical projection for Trevor Plouffe in 2015. Second, how would you rank the AL Central third basemen? Of course, then discuss with the rest of the Twins Daily community. Finally, check back throughout this next week as we’ll do these same things for each of the positions. Click here to view the article