Seth Stohs

David Price is certainly on... 3 IP, 5 K, one single.

I don't think he's been named the Twins starting CF, but I think they want to give him every opportunity to do that. His skill set also is that of leadoff hitter, more than the other two. But, what is clear is that he is the future at CF and leadoff hitter, and they're getting him prepared for that.

Having followed the Twins minor leagues pretty extensively for 8 or so years at least, I think a realistic look is always wise. Top Prospects don't always pan out. Guys who struggle early sometimes because very good players. Sometimes top prospects become stars, sometimes solid regulars and sometimes completely flame out. Guys like Dozier, Parmelee who are decent prospects (I had them ranked 10 and 11, or 11 and 12 last year), sometimes become All Stars, sometimes become solid regulars and sometimes don't make it. And non-prospects, guys that didn't get talked about coming through the system, sometimes (rarely) become all-stars, sometimes become solid regulars and usually don't make it. So, to speak in absolutes on any minor leaguer or prospect is never a good thing.

Aaron Hicks CF Brian Dozier 2B Josh Willingham DH Ryan Doumit C Trevor Plouffe 3B Joe Benson RF Wilkin Ramirez LF Jeff Clement 1B Ray Olmedo SS Mike Pelfrey SP

That's the forgotten piece. Dozier actually went to 4 years of college. He was in the big leagues just less than 3 years after being drafted. Also, I don't think anyone expects Dozier's ceiling to be more than a solid regular in the big leagues. No one is predicting All Star games and the like.

Dozier was 23 in AA, that isn't much older, it's just lower than league average. I just htink people make too big of a deal out of a rookie season that was admittedly rough. Who know what will happen in 2013? It's big for Dozier, but there's no reason to give up on him yet. And, if TK is seeing positive signs, that's good.

Gibson gave up a 2nd inning HR to Juan Carlos Linares

Gibson ended the first inning by striking out Lyle Overbay. In between, he got a ground out and a ground ball single up the middle.

Kyle Gibson beings the game by striking out Shane Victorino.

Gardy loves him too, even after last year. I think some fans are the only ones that may not like him.

Yeah, he doesn't have to be added to the 40 man roster until after the 2014 season, so there is really no reason to bring him up in September (which would mean he is on the 40 man roster, since he's also on the 25 man roster).

Mackey: Once critical, Tom Kelly has changed his tune on Brian Dozier - Minnesota Twins news | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities ? Minnesota Sports News & Opinion (Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, Gophers) | Sportswire: Minnesota Twins In a Friday interview with Phil Mackey and Patrick Reusse on 1500espn, Tom Kelly had a lot to say about a lot of players and prospects. The Twins Hall of Fame manager is not one to hold back any punches. He also can admit to changing his opinion on players, and that is the case with Brian Dozier: In the Twins organization, Tom Kelly's voice and his words are still as important as anyone's, so this is not just a minor thing.

Yeah, this is a non-story. It's completely due to Morneau, Mauer and Colabello being gone. Nothing more. Sure, he'll get some time at 1B just because he's a 1B, but he'll be the RF, and he'll be adequate out here.

Red Sox Lineup Shane Victorino, RF Ryan Sweeney, LF Will Middlebrooks, 3B Lyle Overbay, 1B Juan Carlos Linares, DH Mitch Maier, CF Daniel Butler, C Jose Iglesias, SS Jonathan Diaz, 2B RHP Clay Buchholz SP Twins Lineup Joe Benson, CF Jamey Carroll, 2B Joe Mauer, C Josh Willingham, LF Justin Morneau, 1B Ryan Doumit, DH Chris Parmelee, RF Eduardo Escobar, 3B Pedro Florimon, SS RHP Kyle Gibson SP (Other ptchers: Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, P.J. Walters, Esmerling Vasquez, Andrew Albers, Deolis Guerra, Anthony Slama, Caleb Thielbar)

The only one I can think of is Slama. He could have moved up much quicker. Other than that, I don't remember any in the last decade. An argument could be made for Nate Roberts, but his numbers at Beloit in half seasons weren't completely overwhelming.

I think what Arcia did in his month in Beloit made it pretty clear he could move up. But the trend is correct, very few young players move past the Midwest League. So of course it would not be taking a step back to not get up to Hi-A. One thing that will be interesting will be to see if the Twins protect him following the season. He, Sano and Polanco were the high profile international signings that year. Sano is a given, but will Kepler do enough to force the Twins to protect him, and/or would another team really take him at this stage of his career. I ranked Kepler #10, but I'm not the highest on him either. I've seen/heard a lot of what Molitor is talking about. That said, he has the tools and the athleticism, the genes and potentially the skills. I dont' expect an .800 OPS in Cedar Rapids in 2013, but probably close. Not a lot of homers, maybe 10. His double count will be what I will be watching. He's got talent, but I think we'll need to temper expectations. He is not in the Arcia, Rosario, Sano class of hitting prospect by any means. Maybe he will get there in 2014.

Just to be clear, I definitely accept that clutchness is a thing and it is important in baseball... There are clutch situations, for sure. I just don't think it's something that can be practiced or a skill that someone has.

That is true. Especially early in the season, he really struggled with Runners in Scoring Position. If you believe in WPA (Win Probability Added), his was a little negative for the full season, but was much better as the season went along. As someone who doesn't believe that "Clutch" is a tool or a skill someone can work on, I chalk it up to randomness.

As I've said in several forum threads here at Twins Daily, the Twins typically don't pay attention to the service time as much as others. The Rays have already said that Wil Myers won't come up until early May. Last year, the Nationals had Bryce Harper spend a month in AAA before making his debut. They did the same with Strasburg. The Twins had no problem bringing up Joe Mauer in 2004 from AA and having him on the roster the full season. Last year, Chris Parmelee and Liam Hendriks both began the season with the Twins. So, although we can all acknowledge the business benefit of gaining that extra year or team control, the Twins have plenty of track record of bringing players up to start the season rather than wisely waiting a month. in the minors.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1420-For-Better-or-Worse-Ryan-Doumit

The Minnesota Twins have been aware of Ryan Doumit for more than fifteen years, but it was only in the last 15 months that he was in the organization. In 1999, the Twins drafted outfielder BJ Garbe with the 5th overall pick in the draft. In the second round that year, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Doumit from the same high school as Garbe, Moses Lake High School in Washington. Ryan Doumit debuted as a 24-year-old with the Pittsburgh Pirates in June of 2005. For the next three seasons, he split time at catcher, first base and right field but never played in more than 83 games in a season because of various injuries. In 2008, he had his breakout season. He played in 116 games and hit .318/.357/.501 (.858) with 34 doubles and 15 home runs. Following that season, he signed a three year, $11.5 million contract that included club options for the 2012 and 2013 season. However, after playing in less than 80 games in two of the next three years, the Pirates chose not to pick up his 2012 option after he posted an .830 OPS in just 77 games. The Pirates’ loss was certainly the Twins’ gain. Terry Ryan acted quickly and signed Doumit to a one year, $3 million contract before Thanksgiving 2012 for the 2013 season. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3379[/ATTACH] 2012 Recap Signing the switch-hitting Doumit made so much sense to the Twins. Following a 2011 season in which Joe Mauer fought various injuries and illnesses, the Twins needed someone who could provide offense at the catcher position. Doumit allowed the Twins to play Mauer behind the plate less frequently and yet be in the lineup more. In fact, Mauer finished the 2012 season with a career-high in plate appearances (641). Doumit’s versatility allowed him to also play a career high 134 games and reach a career-high 528 plate appearances. Doumit started 56 games behind the plate. He also started at DH in 48 games. He started 16 games in left field and six games in right field. He even played three innings at first base. Sure, he had his issues with the glove at each of those positions, but the value of the versatility was in allowing Mauer and Justin Morneau to get time away from their positions and time at DH. Offensively, Doumit was very good. He hit .275/.320/.461 (.781) with 34 doubles, 18 home runs and 75 RBI. The 34 doubles tied a career high. The homers and RBI were also career highs. In late June, the Twins and Doumit agreed to a two year contract extension that could keep the catcher in a Twins uniform through the 2014 season. Why He’ll Be Worse To be truthful, the success of Ryan Doumit in 2013 is greatly dependent upon his ability to stay healthy. Of the eight years that he has spent in the big leagues, he has played more than 84 games just three times. The first two times he played over 100 games, the following season he played less than 80. Can he avoid injury in 2013? There are other reasons for some concern. His 5.5% walk rate was his lowest since he walked just 4.9% of the time in 2008. His 18.8% strikeout rate was the second-highest of his career. If those numbers continue to go in opposite directions, he could really struggle. Why He’ll Be Better Doumit’s first year in the American League was certainly a success. Ron Gardenhire did a great job of keeping Doumit, Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham and to a lesser extent, Justin Morneau, healthy. Doumit’s versatility is a great way for him to help the team while at the same time helping himself stay on the field, and more importantly, in the lineup more often. If Doumit is able to take a few more walks and drop his strikeout rate to rates that are closer to his career averages, it will certainly help. Although he posted a very solid .781 OPS, his career high OPS was .858, so if he can be healthy, he can be even more productive. Doumit is likely to hit sixth in the Twins lineup on most nights. Mauer, Willingham and Morneau will be on base in front of him. He will have Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee hitting behind him. Now, there is some debate about how much protection in the lineup truly means to a hitter’s statistics, but in theory, if those younger guys are productive, it can only help Doumit. Seth Projected 2013 Stats for Ryan Doumit – 127 G, 505 PA, 470 AB, .257/.305/.430 (.735), 49 R, 31-2B, 1-3B, 16-HR, 63 RBI, 33 BB, 92 K. So, what do you think it will it be? Will Ryan Doumit be better or worse in 2013? Let us know what you think.

That's not quite what he said... He pointed out that Rosario missed more than a month (about 6 weeks) of last season so his season-ending numbers don't compare to some of the guys ahead of him. Part of it is his move to 2B, but Ryan said that he's made great strides with the glove and they are optimistic.

Uh oh... this can't be good, but I'm finding myself agreeing with Thrylos on this one... Again, I'm as high as anyone on Rosario... but I once had Angel Morales ranked as my #3 Twins prospect, and Tyler Robertson #1. There are no sure things. Stay high on Rosario. We are all fans of his here and want him to succeed and be great. I believe in his tools and skills and talent, but I was similarly high on Morales and there are a lot of examples that remind me to always have a little bit of caution. It's also what keeps me high on Brian Dozier... I believe he can be a .700-.750 OPS guy for years in the big leagues. And as I said in the other Rosario/Dozier thread, if the Twins believe in a guy, they will make room, and that includes moving an All-Star like AJ Pierzynski to make room for a phenom, like Mauer.