Seth Stohs

On May 3, Aaron Hicks was on the 7-day concussion list. Danny Santana was called up from Rochester where he had only played in 24 games, all at shortstop. The club was ready to send shortstop Pedro Florimon to the minor leagues. However, given the struggles of Hicks and the attempts to play Eduardo Escobar in centerfield, it wasn’t long before Santana was the team’s leadoff hitter and centerfielder. He was 23 and far outperformed his minor league track record with the bat. He goes into the 2015 season looking to avoid a sophomore slump while moving back in to shortstop. On July 31, the Twins traded Sam Fuld to the A’s for Tommy Milone. Earlier, the Twins had traded DH Kendrys Morales to the Mariners. Soon after, the Twins announced that 1B/DH Kennys Vargas had been called up from AA New Britain to take Fuld’s spot on the roster. He turned 24 on August 1st, the same day on which he made his big league debut. Weeks earlier, Vargas had played in the Futures Game at Target Field. He was in a major slump with the Rock Cats, but came up and immediately provided the Twins with a power bat in the middle of the lineup. He hit 10 doubles and nine home runs in 53 games with the Twins. AJ Achter was the Twins 46th round pick in 2010 out of Michigan State. Since moving to the bullpen full time in 2012, he has been the most consistent performer of any reliever in the Twins system. When the Red Wings 2014 playoff dreams were dashed on the second-to-last day of the season, Achter found out that he would be heading to Target Field to debut with the Twins. He posted a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings over seven games. He picked up his first MLB win in Detroit against the team he followed as a child. UPDATE - Note that LHP Logan Darnell, RHP Yohan Pino and infielder Jorge Polanco also made their major league debuts in 2014. So, which Twins prospects could get that all-important call in 2015 to join the Minnesota Twins? Obviously being on the 40-man roster makes it easier for a player to be called up. However, adding a player to the 40-man roster is rarely an issue when needed. (Note: the percentage shown is the percentage chance that the player reaches the big leagues in 2015, in my opinion) 40-Man Roster Options JR Graham (51%) – As a Rule 5 pick, the Twins will need to keep Graham on the 40-man roster or offer him back to Atlanta. Few Rule 5 picks stay with the team that drafts them and Graham certainly has some things to prove, but with his skill set and talent, they may choose to keep him around anyway. And, there is some small chance that the Twins will be able to work out a trade to keep Graham in the system. Alex Meyer (99.999%) – Meyer is going to debut with the Twins in 2014. No question. When will he get that opportunity? That is the question. I think the odds of him starting the season in the Twins starting rotation is very low, maybe 10% However, there is a decent chance that he starts the season in the Twins bullpen, maybe as much as a 30% chance. It won’t be long before he gets the call and starts contributing in the big leagues. Miguel Sano (90%) – After missing all of 2014, it is going to take Sano time to shake off the rust. No doubt, that will take some time, and we will need to be patient. I expect that he will be up around July and certainly for September. Eddie Rosario (78%) – After a disappointing 2014 season, for various reasons, Rosario performed very well in the Arizona Fall League. He has made the move back to full-time outfielder. He’s got parts of his game he will need to continue to work on and improve, but he could surface as an option if the centerfield situation doesn’t play out well early in the season. He should certainly be in line for a September call-up and get time in left field as well. Max Kepler (10%) – Kepler had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League as well. I think there’s a decent chance that he will return to Ft. Myers for the start of the 2015 season before moving up to New Britain. If things go very well, he could get a September call-up. Fortunately, he has three option years remaining so the Twins can afford to be patient and let his performance catch up to his tools. Jason Wheeler (15%) – Four members of the Twins Opening Day starting rotation are set. Tommy Milone, Mike Pelfrey, Trevor May and Alex Meyer will all be given a shot at the fifth starter job. However, over the course of the season, other starters may be needed as well. Wheeler made 13 starts back in Ft. Myers. He made one start in Rochester, but has posted a 2.78 ERA in 12 starts at New Britain too. He still has room for improvement, but he’s definitely worth watching. Not on the 40-Man Roster Byron Buxton (51%) – Had he not missed so much time in 2014 due to injury, Buxton likely would have debuted with the Twins at age 20. Unfortunately, like Sano, Buxton is going to need to shake off some rust while at the same time moving up to Double-A. Expect that things won’t come easy at the start for the uber-talented outfielder. Even if he struggles, he remains one of baseball’s best prospects. That said, I think he figures things out quickly, and if healthy, he could be wearing a Twins uniform in August. Because he doesn’t need to be added to the Twins 40-man roster until after the 2016 season, it makes no sense to call him up for just September. Might as well save the roster spot and call him up in May 2016. Nick Burdi (75%) – The Twins drafted Burdi in June out of Louisville. The flame-thrower sits in the upper-90s and often hits triple-digits. Early in the year, he was throwing sliders in the low-90s. Relievers can move up more quickly than other positions, but a review of fast-moving relievers is a mix-mash of success and failure. I think it’ll be hard to keep Burdi, who will be 22 throughout the season, from Target Field. Taylor Rogers (21%) – Rogers just turned 24 in December and learned that he had been invited to big league spring training. After a slow start in 2014 in New Britain, he pitched very well the rest of the season and was selected to pitch in the Arizona Fall League. The lefty throws 92-94 with a good slider and has the makeup to be good. He will be a solid big league starter at some point in his career. Tyler Duffey (20%) – Like Rogers, Duffey was drafted out of college in 2012, just turned 24 and just learned that he too will be reporting to Twins big league spring training in February. He pitched well at three levels in 2014, from Ft. Myers to Rochester. Duffey was a part-time closer at Rice (with JT Chargois) but has been primarily used as a starter with the Twins. He touches mid-90s as a starter and gets a lot of grounders. Out of the bullpen, he can reach 97. JO Berrios (19%) – Berrios has very good stuff and really took major strides in 2014. As a 19-year-old, he pitched at Ft. Myers, New Britain and finished the season with a start in Rochester. That said, he has just nine starts above A-ball, so we might need to slow our timeline expectations. That said, there is no questioning his work ethic and his makeup. He is going to pitch for a long time in the big leagues, and he’s going to be successful. Will he get his first opportunity in 2015? Jake Reed (15%) – Reed was the fourth straight college pitcher drafted by the Twins in June. The fifth-round pick from Oregon threw 31 professional innings between Elizabethton (four games) and Cedar Rapids (16 games) and gave up just one earned run (0.29 ERA). He gave up just 11 hits, walked three and struck out 39 batters. He then went to the Arizona Fall League and continued to pitch well. He could move quickly. Zack Jones (15%) – Jones missed most of 2014 because of an aneurysm near his right shoulder followed by blood clots in his leg. He returned at the very end of the season to Ft. Myers and closed out their championship run. He was back to hitting 97 mph by season’s end. He didn’t give up runs in the AFL, though his control was not good. His control will determine his big league opportunity and success. If he can throw strikes, he can be very good. James Beresford (10%) – Doug Bernier, a similar player to Beresford, has received a call up each of the past two seasons. Beresford is a 26 year old who has been in the organization for a decade. Last year was his first full season in AAA and he played second base each day. He has a very good glove and if Brian Dozier were to require time on the disabled list, don’t be surprised if the Australian gets a call. Others (5%) – There are, of course, several others who we could see promoted to the Twins in the right circumstances. Reasons could include injuries, trades or performance. Ryan O’Rourke is devastating against left-handed hitters and could be called upon if a LOOGY is needed. Danny Ortiz could be a fourth outfielder option if needed. Jason Adam and Adrian Salcedo are guys who could debut in 2014 if arms are needed. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Levi Michael get a September call-up. Who else could make their MLB debut with the Twins in 2015? Are there players you think are more or less likely than the percentages that I gave them?

#5 Busiest Traffic Day at Twins Daily – December 11, 2014 We knew it would be a busy day. In fact, I took a day off of work in anticipation of a busy day. Of course, there were other reasons for that decision as well, including putting the finishing touches on the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 (which was completed at about midnight that night). On the site, the day started with a very interesting look at payroll from Jon Marthaler. $200 Million Is The New $100 Million discussed the changes in baseball’s revenue streams and how teams, including the Twins, needed to adapt. As you would expect with any payroll discussion, there were plenty of opinions shared. That morning was also the final day of the Winter Meetings which means it was time for the Rule 5 Draft. There was plenty of discussion on players that the Twins could potentially lose or add in the Major League portion. The Twins used the fifth pick of the Rule 5 to select right-handed pitcher J.R. Graham from the Atlanta Braves. Several picks later, the New York Mets drafted lefty Sean Gilmartin from the Twins. In the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Twins picked up right-hander Greg Peavey from the Mets organization. Unfortunately, the team also lost lefty Matt Tomshaw to the Marlins. However, that wasn’t the last news of the day. Less than two hours after the completion of the Rule 5 draft, it came out that the Twins had agreed to a four year contract with right-handed veteran Ervin Santana. Nick wrote about how the signing showed a shift in the Twins mindset. Parker wrote about what we should expect from Santana. #4 Busiest Traffic Day at Twins Daily – September 29, 2014 It was a day that many Twins fans and Twins Daily commenters had been waiting a couple of years for. A day after the 2014 season concluded, the Twins announced that Manager Ron Gardenhire had been fired. The press conference was certainly interesting and unusual as both Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire. Soon after, we started discussing the potential managerial candidates. The perceived Twins loyalty could not overcome four straight losing seasons from the Twins. Both the Gleeman and the Geek podcast and the Twins Hangouts podcast had special shows to discuss this move. It took a month, and a lot of interviews and rumors, before the Twins decided to hire Paul Molitor as the next Twins Manager. #3 Busiest Traffic Day at Twins Daily – June 5, 2014 The draft is one of the busiest times of the year for the Twins. Jeremy Nygaard is the most knowledgeable draft expert of anyone not in the Twins organization. He wrote a series of articles leading up to the draft on several topics. Twins Daily writers also profiled ten potential players that the Twins could have drafted with the fifth overall pick. It all led to the first day of the draft. The last couple of days, the draft has been broken into three days. On the first day, it is just rounds one and two and it starts in the evening. However, the Twins Daily MLB Draft Day 1 Thread got the conversation going throughout the day. Finally, with the fifth overall pick, the Twins took the player most assumed that they would select. The Twins drafted Nick Gordon, a shortstop from Orlando with great bloodlines and tool set. In the second round, the Twins drafted Nick Burdi, the flame-throwing closer from Louisville whose team was in the College World Series. The Twins had drafted Burdi three years earlier out of high school but were unable to sign him them. #2 Busiest Traffic Day at Twins Daily – July 31, 2014 When your team loses 90 games four straight seasons, you know that the July trade deadline will be a busy time. There were several rumors throughout the day that were discussed. In the morning, the Twins traded outfielder Sam Fuld to Oakland in exchange for left-hander Tommy Milone. Ironically, the Twins had claimed Fuld off of waivers earlier in the season when he had been DFAd by the A’s. He had played well in his time with the Twins. The A’s made several deals around the deadline, including trading outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to Boston. They needed an outfielder and Fuld made a lot of sense. In return, the Twins received Milone who had pitched well the last three seasons with the A’s and yet found himself in AAA due to a numbers crunch in the A’s rotation. As a side-note in the article, it was mentioned that there were rumblings that Kennys Vargas would be promoted from Double-A New Britain. The other big topic of the day revolved around All Star catcher Kurt Suzuki. He had signed a one-year deal with the Twins before the season. At the deadline, the Twins had to decide if they were going to trade him while his value was high. Instead, the Twins extended Suzuki for two years and $12 million with an option for a third year. #1 Busiest Traffic Day at Twins Daily – June 6, 2014 The Twins were about to start a series at Target Field against the Houston Astros. Sean Gilmartin also pitched well again for the Rochester Red Wings. However, those articles weren’t the big draw of the day. The first day of the MLB draft is a busy day at Twins Daily, but since the draft is later in the day on Day 1, Day 2 is actually an even busier day. A more in-depth story on Nick Gordon called Beyond the Bloodlines was written. Sure, Gordon’s father Tom was a big league pitcher for two decades, and his brother Dee was an All Star in 2014, but Nick Gordon has an incredible tool set and is very talented and isn’t in the same mold as either of his family members. The Twins also made their 3rd round through 10th round draft picks on Day 2. The discussion revolved around the fact that each of these picks was from college and also that they were drafting a lot of relief pitchers after selecting Burdi in the 2nd round. Of course, since then, we learned more about Michael Cederoth and his high-90s fastball. The Twins had him starting games for Elizabethton. And, at this point, Jake Reed looks like an absolute steal in the 5th round. Though it ranked just outside the top 10 busiest days of the year, Day 3 of the draft also was quite busy. That day, the Twins drafted 30 players (Rounds 11 through 40) and announced that they were signing DH Kendrys Morales now that he would not cost a draft pick. Later in the day, one of our favorite Twins Daily contributors, AJ Pettersen, announced that he was Moving On from baseball as a player. As you now know, he has been hired to coach the varsity baseball team at Chanhassen high school starting in 2015. (By the way, if you have read the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 already, I’m sure you enjoyed his article in it about finding joy in all things) There you have it, the Twins Daily Top 5 Busiest Days of 2014. I’m sure this brings back some memories. What were your favorite memories and story lines of 2014?