Seth Stohs

Formula = Didn't look at anything, just picked an order based on any information in my head at the time the prediction was made. It's just a fun list, why would I want to bring math into it. It's just predictions. You can use some math, and I'll take my educated guesses, and at the end of the year, we'll both have some right and both have some wrong. Just a list for discussion.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1491-Ranking-th-AL-Central-Hitters

There are a million ways to try to prepare for an upcoming season. In just four days, the Minnesota Twins will be at Target Field taking on the division-favorite Detroit Tigers. Everyone knows that the Twins starting pitchers will not be able to compete on paper with the other pitchers in the division, but what about the hitters? [ATTACH=CONFIG]3603[/ATTACH] Let's check out the projected starters for the AL Central teams and compare them by position. Below, I'll go position-by-position with my ranking of the players. In the comments, be sure to post your rankings, and let's see how we did at the end of the year. Catchers Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins Carlos Santana - Cleveland Indians Salvador Perez - Kansas City Royals Alex Avila - Detroit Tigers Tyler Flowers - Chicago White Sox First Basemen Prince Fielder - Detroit Tigers Justin Morneau - Minnesota Twins Nick Swisher - Cleveland Indians Paul Konerko - Chicago White Sox Eric Hosmer - Kansas City Royals Second Basemen Jason Kipnis - Cleveland Indians Gordon Beckham - Chicago White Sox Omar Infante - Detroit Tigers Brian Dozier - Minnesota Twins Chris Getz - Kansas City Royals Third Basemen Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers Mike Moustakus - Kansas City Royals Trevor Plouffe - Minnesota Twins Lonnie Chisenhall - Cleveland Indians Jeff Keppinger - Chicago White Sox Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera - Cleveland Indians Alexi Ramirez - Chicago White Sox Jhonny Peralta - Detroit Tigers Alcides Escobar - Kansas City Pedro Florimon - Minnesota Twins Left Field Alex Gordon - Kansas City Josh Willingham - Minnesota Twins Dayan Viciedo - Chicago White Sox Michael Brantley - Cleveland Indians Andy Dirks - Detroit Tigers Center Field Austin Jackson - Detroit Tigers Michael Bourn - Cleveland Indians Aaron Hicks - Minnesota Twins Alejandro de Aza - Chicago White Sox Lorenzo Cain - Kansas City Royals Right Field Torii Hunter - Detroit Tigers Alex Rios - Chicago White Sox Jeff Francoer - Kansas City Royals Drew Stubbs - Cleveland Indians Chris Parmelee - Minnesota Twins Designated Hitter Billy Butler - Kansas City Royals Victor Martinez - Detroit Tigers Adam Dunn - Chicago White Sox Ryan Doumit - Minnesota Twins Mark Reynolds - Cleveland Indians So, there you have the postional rankings for the AL Century. Based on my rankings, if I were to add up the total numbers (of their placement within each position), there is a clear-cut paper projection winner. That is the Detriot Tigers. So, the Tigers have a starting staff of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Doug Fister and Rick Porcello, yet their offense will also be strong. Miguel Cabrera is coming off of a Triple Crown season. Prince Fielder was terrific in his debut season in Detroit. The also are adding Torii Hunter and they'll return the potent bat of Victor offense. On offense, the Twins are right with the rest of the division and with any pitching will help lead to some more wins in 2013. Here are my rankings: Detroit Tigers - 21 Cleveland Indians - 26 Kansas City Royals - 29 Minnesota Twins - 29 Chicago White Sox - 30 So again, how would you rank all of the positions, and how does your team, or your favorite?

I love St. Peter's tweet! That's great. Does the $81 million include Blackburn's $5.5 million?

I agree with John 100% I started blogging in May of 2003 and the audiences were not big. I would be happy if the page got 20-25 views a day. Then John would link to me and I'd get like 100 views for a day, and then it would level off at 40-50 a day. Then Aaron would link to me and I'd have 150 for a day, but then it would sit at 75-80 views a day. So the idea of paying it forward for other bloggers has always been important. I try to do that through retweeting on Twitter and other ways. So that was something that was very important to me when we were developing Twins Daily. We wanted a place to encourage others to write, to share ideas and opinions, lists or laughs. Some will get promoted to the front page. Some won't. But as John said, we want to encourage you to write if you want. We also want to encourage people to click on that "Blog" link at the top of the front page and just see what else has been written. Leave new posters some (respectful) comments and encouragement.

It's good to see him make the Opening Day roster. He pitched well in spring training, but let's hope it works out well! Hopefully it carries into the regular season!

With this move, the Twins have their Opening Day roster complete (pending trade, injury, other unforeseen circumstances). The bullpen will be: Perkins, Burton, Duensing, Fien, Pressly, Roenicke, Robertson (with Swarzak and Wood going to the DL).

Yeah, first, Gardy doesn't platoon. Second, he'll play Ramirez from time to time in the field, but he just wants a bat. Ramirez strikes out a ton, but he does have some pop in his bat. He'll DH against lefties and spell the corner OF from time to time. If there were a platoon with Parmelee, it would likely be with Mastroianni.

Matt, I'm shocked that we don't see Manaea listed in the 1st round. Is that even possible, that he could miss the first round?

From Cory Provus: "Bruised right hand. Listed as day-to-day."

I'd say how anyone handles struggles tells a lot. Hicks will be the same, Parmelee, Plouffe. What makes Mauer so great is his ability to handle them so calmly, and then quickly. I enjoy watching Carroll too. I truly think that Dozier will take off this year. Not like All Star level, but to a .700-.720 OPS which would be about league average for 2B. Florimon will struggle. Escobar is the youngest of the group by quite a bit. I think they'll be OK once they settle in.

GopherSports.com put their spotlight on the talented left-hander with a very good Q&A: Gopher Spotlight: Left-handed Pitcher Tom Windle - GOPHERSPORTS.COM - The Official Athletic Site of the Minnesota Gophers

That is the great, fair opposite question that is also fair to ask. Most Twins fans say that Drew Butera doesn't provide enough offense to make up for his lack of offense. But we rarely hear the opposite.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1483-Top-Stories-for-2013-What-to-expect-from-the-middle-infield

The Twins have long credited themselves with being able to throw strikes and then catch the ball. It’s well known that it is very important to be strong up the middle. In 2012, the Twins middle infield was a mess which didn’t help a pitching staff that was already behind the eight ball. The Twins addressed their middle infield deficiencies by, well, non-tendering Alexi Casilla. It appears that the Twins are counting on major improvements from the other guys that were there a year ago. Pedro Florimon will begin the season at shortstop. Brian Dozier played 83 games at shortstop last year, but he will move over to second base to start the season. Jamey Carroll is capable of starting at all three infield positions, but he will likely be the backup at all three. Eduardo Escobar will also be a utility infielder, as well as the emergency catcher. This is a story from a free ebook that TwinsDaily is publishing on Opening Day that previews the Minnesota Twins 2013 season. To get your free copy, just make sure you follow @TwinsDaily on Twitter or Like our Facebook page. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3586[/ATTACH] Worst Case Scenario It’s hard to imagine that both middle infield positions will be any worse than they were last year. Consider the following: In 2012, the Twins shortstops were 29th in baseball with a .580 OPS (.226/.277/.303). In 2012, the Twins shortstops were 21st in baseball with a .969 fielding percentage (with 25 errors) In 2012, the Twins second basemen were 28th in baseball with a .604 OPS (.245/.296/.308). In 2012, the Twins second basemen were 24th in baseball with a .979 fielding percentage. It is entirely possible that Pedro Florimon can’t replicate the .579 OPS that he had in 43 games with the Twins in 2012. Last year between New Britain and Rochester, he posted a .670 OPS, but he struckout 117 times while walking just 34. With the Twins, he struckout another 30 times with ten walks. It’s possible that he struggles enough to be let go in June or July. Eduardo Escobar could take over at shortstop. After being the Twins minor league hitter of the year in 2011, Brian Dozier really struggled in his debut with the Twins in 2012. He posted just a .603 OPS. He posted an uncharacteristic 16 to 58 walk to strikeout rate. He even struggled in the field. Although he’s been impressive at second base with the glove so far this spring and he has some playing time at the position in the past, it is a relatively new position for him. Jamey Carroll will likely get a lot of playing time regardless of how well Florimon and Dozier do. If he gets 401 plate appearances during the season, his 2014 option will vest, although it will be at just $2 million. Carroll got off to a slow start last year with his batting average. He turned 39 years old last month. At Twins Fest, he acknowledged that his goal is to play in the big leagues as a 40 year old. How much is left in the tank? If there are injuries, the likes of Ray Olmedo, Doug Bernier and Jason Christian are the middle infielders in Rochester. James Beresford will be in New Britain with Danny Santana. Best Case Scenario Much of the Best Case Scenario for the Twins middle infield will come from its defense. Pedro Florimon is known for his glove. He has great range and a very strong arm. If his performance can match the hype and he can play Gold Glove caliber defense a shortstop, there is a lot of value in that even if he posts an OPS below .650. It’s vital for a pitching staff that, aside from Glen Perkins, appears allergic to strikeouts. Likewise, all reports from Ft. Myers indicate that Dozier has taken to second base very well and very quickly. He has been making highlight reel plays on a regular basis. In 2011, he played 49 games in Ft. Myers, and as he turned 24, he was promoted to New Britain. Combined, he hit .320/.399/.491 (.890) with 33 doubles, 12 triples, nine homers, 92 runs scored, 56 RBI and 24 stolen bases in his second full minor league season. I don’t think that an .890 OPS is very realistic for 2013 for Dozier, but he certainly can be much better than the .603 OPS that he posted in his big league debut. Jamey Carroll is so steady, offensively and defensively. He makes all the plays he gets to, and he takes quality at bats. His .660 OPS in 2012 was the lowest he’s had since 2007 in Colorado. He was over .700 the last two years in Los Angeles. Eduardo Escobar was the late-inning defensive replacement for the White Sox throughout the 2012 season until he was dealt to the Twins. He will likely play a bigger role with the Twins in 2013. Signs to look for The biggest thing to look for, the most important thing, will be improved defense. Can Pedro Florimon make the routine plays consistently? Will Brian Dozier be able to smoothly make the move to second base? Florimon is not going to hit, but can he reduce the strikeouts a little bit? Also, how much offense will Twins fans want to see from Florimon to accept gold-glove caliber defense? How little offense will the manager require to keep him in the lineup if he is hitting ninth? As Parker wrote last month, will Brian Dozier be able to stay fundamentally sound with his approach at the plate. In the minors, he had very good plate discipline and walked nearly as often as he struckout. That will be an important number for Dozier. He will likely be batting second for the team, so it will be important for him to get on base and control the plate. And, it will be interesting to follow Jamey Carroll’s Countdown to 401 plate appearances. A strong defensive middle infield is very important to a team, and specifically to a pitching staff. Defense should be a strong factor in determining who plays up the middle. But again, it is the same question that we often ask with Drew Butera. How much offense is required if a player is providing great value with the glove? Brian Dozier has a chance to be a solid hitter, and Jamey Carroll has proven to be just that over the last decade. Florimon and Escobar come with plenty of questions, and until (or if) Eddie Rosario is ready with his glove, there are lot any high-upside middle infield hitters. You'll get to kick off Opening Day with your free @TwinsDaily Minnesota Twins 2013 Season Preview. Just add us to your Twitter feed by following us, or tell us you like us (we're pathetic like that) . We'll publish a link to the free ebook on Opening Day on both sites.

I would not necessarily think that this trade is a result of any plans to trade Butera. That said, I would not in any way be surprised if the Twins weren't talking to teams about Butera at this point. He certainly has some value.

What's puzzling? They get a versatile guy (who is a catcher!) who was a first-round pick just 2 1/2 years ago with some power potential who comes with risks in terms of contact rate, etc. For a guy with some talent who just spent two years in the Gulf Coast League. Catchers have value!

I guess I'm not going to try to pretend I'm smarter at baseball stuff than Gardy or Terry Ryan. Guys need backups. Backups need playing time to be somewhat fresh when they are called upon.

Side story - last Friday, the Twins released RHP Gerardo Ramirez who, like Sanudo, is from Mexico. Ironically, since then, Ramirez signed with the Astros, so they'll be teammates again, likely in the Appalachian League this year.

According to Dustin Morse (via Twitter), the Twins have acquired OF/C/3B Mike Kvasnicka from the Houston Astros organization in exchange for RHP Gonzalo Sanudo. Kvasnicka was the 33rd overall pick of the Astros (supp 1st) in 2010 from the University of Minnesota. He has not played above A-ball yet. His father, Jay, was the Twins 8th round pick in 1988 (also a Gopher) and played in the minor league ball through 1992. He got to AAA. Sanudo is a right-handed pitcher who spent the past two years in the GCL. He pitched very well there a year ago and held his own in the Mexican Winter League.

I've always liked Santana and ranked him much higher than most, and been ridiculed, but I don't think I rank him higher than about 13th on my Twins prospect list this year. To me, that is a solid major leaguer... I think a .720 OPS ceiling is where he's at. He's not a big guy, but he takes some big swings. He likely will never by a guy to walk. He'll never hit a lot of homers... I think Cristian Guzman is the ceiling, and I think that would be a great thing. As cmathewson said, he's got the speed and he's got a great arm. He'll have to improve his defense even more to be able to play SS in the big leagues. I really like santana, but I'd temper the expectations some.