Seth Stohs

If you're traveling, or even if you're just sitting at home and have a free hour and a half this weekend, one thing you'll want to do is listen to this week's Baseball America AL Central Prospect Podcast. I listened to it on my drive, and it was terrific. There is some great Twins content starting at about the 52 minute market. Appy League championship series best of the baseball season. John Manuel says Twins have best farm system in AL Central. JJ Cooper stands by Royals. "I don't think very many organizations have two true number one prospects, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. I'd almost take both of them over Wil Myers of the Royals." Oswaldo Arcia... he would be the #1 prospect in several organizations. Kyle Gibson would be #1, has been #1 in this organization. He has flashed in the Fall League 3 plus-pitches. The slider, his best pitch, is the one pitch he's struggled to get back. Aaron Hicks - may not be an impact player, but a solid big league regular... comp to Shane Victorino (12-18 homers, walks, .350 OBP, 420 SLG, terrific defensive centerfielder. Eddie Rosario - if he's a second baseman, he's an impact, first-division bat. JO Berrios - upside and polish, but he's a ways away. They have a very interesting discussion comparing the two organizations. Manuel says the Twins have depth, relievers. Buxton comp - Andrew McCutcheon. Nice discussion on Danny Santana. And there is much more, but I definitely recommend taking time to listen. http://media.baseballamerica.com/mp3/free/121121.mp3

If we're going to have a Twins Turkey of the Year forum, you know I'm going to also be posting a forum where you can either give some thanks to the Twins, or post a couple of the Twins-related things that you are thankful for. Could be Target Field, or the helmet-sized nachos. Could be a player or two. But again, be sure to explain your answers.

Over at the Star Tribune, Patrick Reusse handed out his annual Turkey of the Year awards. A couple of Twins-related people were mentioned as nominees. So, I ask you today... name you nominees for Twins Turkeys of 2012. Not just the names, but provide thoughtful reasoning.

In addition to the 40-man roster, teams have a AAA and AA reserve list. These lists aren't public knowledge, so it's hard to know who will be available and who won't be... but if you're not on the reserve lists, you're available to be selected. Yeah, we can assume that guys like Pugh and Salcedo will be on the AAA reserve list. Guys who will be eligible for next year's big league Rule 5 (Wimmers, Roberts) would need to be on the AAA reserve list this year. A player who needs to be added to the big league 40 man in two years (Michael, etc.) would need to be on the AA reserve list this year.

Dixon Machado. I saw him last year in Beloit, playing for West Michigan. He made me stop doing anything to watch him take infield at shortstop. Unbelievably smooth glove. He was their ninth hitter last year, and I"m sure he was again. Again, I don't know that I would have protected him, but there are so few pure shortstops that when teams find them, they protect them.

I talked to him last night. He's excited for the opportunity with a new team. He said he's been invited to some sort of camp with the in January. I wonder if it'll be the boot camp stuff?!

Agreed. The part that irritates me is that they add eight guys, six of which have ceilings as replacement-level guys, yet don't add Salcedo who still has potential to be at least a mid-rotation starter. I wouldn't have added Salcedo myself, but there's no way I add eight guys before him. I wouldn't have added 8 either, I don't think, but like I said above, I can see the case. Salcedo was so hurt last year that no one would take him this offseason and be able to keep him on the big league roster, and my assumptino is that he will be too healthy next year to just throw on the DL. So, he's an easy choice to not add whereas a guy like Thielbar or Wood could be selected and would have no problem sticking on the big league roster of a team that has an open spot, or a bad team just trying to add pieces.

Honestly, the Twins wouldn't put someone on the 40 man roster that they don't think would be taken in the Rule 5. In other words, they must feel that the likelihood of these guys being selected was worth adding them. Hicks and Gibson are the types of talents that people would take and probably play. It's not hard to 'hide' a 12th or 13th pitcher, so someone like Tonkin would certainly be in play, and Thielbar is left-handed with some good, intriguing stuff who pitched alright in AAA. Left-handed and breathing. Twins showed last year that it's not hard to hide a 3rd catcher, even when they went with 13 pitchers. And Pinto would be a pinch-hitting type. He may have been taken. I'm surprised by the Wood inclusion, but again, 29 and throws hard, so he easily could be hidden. Santana is a true, natural shortstop with great speed and athleticism. Not many of those out there, so I'm sure this was a pretty easy choice for the team to keep him. He'd be stashed as a 2nd utility infielder who mainly pinch-runs. Don't get me wrong... I was very surprised by Pinto, Thielbar and Wood. To be honest, I"m almost a little surprised by Hermsen, but I can certainly understand the case for each.

Just a correction... It's the Rule 5 draft, not the Rule V draft... Anyway, I like Anthony and I sincerely hope for him that he does get selected. But teams have had opportunities to pick him up and haven't. I'd be shocked if he was taken now. In part because the last few years only about 10-12 players get drafted in the Rule 5, few stick, and they're generally younger.

Yes on both counts. He did resign with the Twins last week, so he'll be back in 2013. He is in Australia, but he won't play in the ABL until after the holidays.

Not that I want to encourage a new thread for every player that becomes available, but I do think that Chone Figgins is interesting. The Mariners DFAd him and will own him $8 million for the season. No one is going to pick that up, so he should become a free agent. At that point, should the Twins be interested in signing him at league minimum. He earned the big contract with many good years with the Angels. He was a mid-600s OPS in his first year in Seattle, and he's been terrible the last two years. So, if he could even post those mid-600 OPS as a utility infielder, would that be worth it. At 34, does he have the ability or upside yet to have one more good year? Can he be the competition for Trevor Plouffe that Terry Ryan is talking about? Personally, the more I think about this, the more I think that I'd just go with Eduardo Escobar as the utility infielder. But I don't think Figgins would be a bad low-risk, medium reward candidate. What say you?

We had a forum when the Twins signed Wood 9 nine days ago. IT's got some scouting reporting kind of stuff. http://twinsdaily.com/showthread.php?4026-Twins-Sign-RH-RP-Tim-Wood-to-Min-Lg-Contract

I think it is a shame that Chris Colabello was not signed on the 40 man roster. He proved he can hit in AA ball and is tearing it up in Mexico for winter ball. What a shame. They must be saving him for trade. He wouldn't have to be added to the 40 man roster until after the 2014 season... so it's not worth taking a roster spot now since he can't be selected in the Rule 5.

Nate Roberts doesn't have to be added until after next season since he was a college draft pick in 2010. He and Alex Wimmers should hopefully lead the list of For-Sures. Lots can happen to make the roster less than 40 and they can sign free agents. Also, they can make trades.

Butera, Field easily moved. Swarzak isn't arb eligible so they'll definitely keep him. He would also be lost. Oliveros will be out for all of 2013, but that makes him an easy pick in the Rule 5 because the other team can keep him all next year on their DL and then bring him back the following year. Guerra could possibly sneak through. Mastroianni maybe could sneak through, but he's an ideal 4th OF, so I'd keep him. Herrmann would be claimed by a bunch of teams.

The Twins signed Boleska right after the season. He was the closer of the FM Redhawks this past year where he put up some crazy numbers. And he's Canadian.

Field is one of about 5-6 guys who could still be removed if needed.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1188-Gibson-Hicks-among-8-players-added-to-Twins-40-man-roster

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins announced the additions of eight players to their 40 man roster. This protects those players from being selected in the December 6 Rule 5 draft. They added pitchers Kyle Gibson, Caleb Thielbar, BJ Hermsen, Tim Wood and Michael Tonkin, along with catcher Josmil Pinto, infielder Danny Santana and outfielder Aaron Hicks. Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson were considered absolutes, the givens, to be added. Aaron Hicks, the Twins 2008 first round pick out high school in California, put together a terrific 2012 campaign at AA New Britain. He filled the stat sheet quite well. Overall, he hit .286/.384/.460 with 21 doubles, 11 triples, 13 home runs, 61 RBI, 100 runs scored and 32 stolen bases. There has never been any question about his defense. He has terrific range and speed and a very strong arm. In other words, he could be a future centerfielder, but he also has a typical right fielder’s arm. Kyle Gibson was the Twins top pick in the 2009 draft out of the University of Missouri. His career began in 2010, and he raced up the Twins system. He made seven starts at Ft. Myers, 16 starts at New Britain and finished the season with three starts in Rochester. Overall, he went 11-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 26 starts. In 152 innings, he walked 39 and struckout 126. He began the 2011 season quite well. He was among the Top Twins minor league pitchers during the first two months of the season, but then he really struggled. He was hurt, and in September, he had Tommy John surgery. Gibson followed a plan and was able to return to the mound. First, he pitched nine games (14.2 innings) in the Gulf Coast League. Then he made two starts for Ft. Myers before ending the season with two starts for Rochester. He just completed his final outing in the Arizona Fall League where he showed increased velocity and sink on his pitches. He appears to be quite close. Beyond those two, I think there were several who likely had to be considered. I thought Santana, Tonkin and Hermsen would be added, and they were, but three surprise names were added as well. Danny Santana just turned 22 years old. He hit .286/.329/.410 (.739) with 21 doubles, 9 triples and 8 home runs in his first season in Ft. Myers. He drove in 60 runs and scored 70 runs. He stole 17 bases. He is a prototypical shortstop, not real big, great speed and a big arm. BJ Hermsen was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2012 when he combined to go 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. In 26 starts and 162.2 innings, he gave up 161 hits, walked 30 and struck out 87. Michael Tonkin will turn 23 next week. He was the 30th round pick in 2008 and is Jason Kubel’s brother-in-law. Began at Beloit and went 3-0 with 6 saves, an ERA of 1.38 and a WHIP of 0.97. After MWL All-Star game, promoted to Ft. Myers. Went 1-1 with 6 saves, a 2.97 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Overall, in 69.1 innings, he gave up just 53 hits, walked 20 and struckout 97. Caleb Thielbar came to the Twins in August of 2011 from the St. Paul Saints. He took advantage of the opportunity. The lefty started this season in Ft. Myers, quickly moved up to New Britain and then quickly advanced to Rochester. His delivery is interesting and he pitches a lot like Glen Perkins (just in the low-90s instead of the mid-90s). Tim Wood just came to the Twins a few weeks ago as a minor league free agent. The Twins must believe that someone would have selected the hard-thrower in the Rule 5 draft as they did protect him. He was the International League Relief Pitcher of the Year last year, for what that’s worth. Josmil Pinto had a very nice season last year in Ft. Myers. He ended by playing a handful of games in New Britain. He is a catcher who has thrown out a good percentage of would-be base stealers, but he is on this list for his bat. --- Bruce Pugh is probably the biggest surprise omission from the list. Had he been healthy this year, Adrian Salcedo would have been a given to protect. What are your thoughts? The Twins now have a full, 40 man roster. These eight players need to remain on the 40 man roster until spring training, so if and when the Twins add some free agents, or make some trades, they may have to drop some others that are on the roster. Being honest, I am more than a little shocked at the number of players that the Twins chose to add to the 40 man roster, and I can’t necessarily say that as a positive thing. It may be good. We will see next year if Tim Wood can finally figure things out, and if Thielbar has a chance. The Twins now have five catchers on their 40 man roster. That said, the five players that I thought the Twins were most likely to add were added, and that’s important.

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins announced the additions of eight players to their 40 man roster. This protects those players from being selected in the December 6 Rule 5 draft. They added pitchers Kyle Gibson, Caleb Thielbar, BJ Hermsen, Tim Wood and Michael Tonkin, along with catcher Josmil Pinto, infielder Danny Santana and outfielder Aaron Hicks. Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson were considered absolutes, the givens, to be added. Aaron Hicks, the Twins 2008 first round pick out high school in California, put together a terrific 2012 campaign at AA New Britain. He filled the stat sheet quite well. Overall, he hit .286/.384/.460 with 21 doubles, 11 triples, 13 home runs, 61 RBI, 100 runs scored and 32 stolen bases. There has never been any question about his defense. He has terrific range and speed and a very strong arm. In other words, he could be a future centerfielder, but he also has a typical right fielder’s arm. Kyle Gibson was the Twins top pick in the 2009 draft out of the University of Missouri. His career began in 2010, and he raced up the Twins system. He made seven starts at Ft. Myers, 16 starts at New Britain and finished the season with three starts in Rochester. Overall, he went 11-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 26 starts. In 152 innings, he walked 39 and struckout 126. He began the 2011 season quite well. He was among the Top Twins minor league pitchers during the first two months of the season, but then he really struggled. He was hurt, and in September, he had Tommy John surgery. Gibson followed a plan and was able to return to the mound. First, he pitched nine games (14.2 innings) in the Gulf Coast League. Then he made two starts for Ft. Myers before ending the season with two starts for Rochester. He just completed his final outing in the Arizona Fall League where he showed increased velocity and sink on his pitches. He appears to be quite close. Beyond those two, I think there were several who likely had to be considered. I thought Santana, Tonkin and Hermsen would be added, and they were, but three surprise names were added as well. Danny Santana just turned 22 years old. He hit .286/.329/.410 (.739) with 21 doubles, 9 triples and 8 home runs in his first season in Ft. Myers. He drove in 60 runs and scored 70 runs. He stole 17 bases. He is a prototypical shortstop, not real big, great speed and a big arm. BJ Hermsen was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2012 when he combined to go 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. In 26 starts and 162.2 innings, he gave up 161 hits, walked 30 and struck out 87. Michael Tonkin will turn 23 next week. He was the 30th round pick in 2008 and is Jason Kubel’s brother-in-law. Began at Beloit and went 3-0 with 6 saves, an ERA of 1.38 and a WHIP of 0.97. After MWL All-Star game, promoted to Ft. Myers. Went 1-1 with 6 saves, a 2.97 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Overall, in 69.1 innings, he gave up just 53 hits, walked 20 and struckout 97. Caleb Thielbar came to the Twins in August of 2011 from the St. Paul Saints. He took advantage of the opportunity. The lefty started this season in Ft. Myers, quickly moved up to New Britain and then quickly advanced to Rochester. His delivery is interesting and he pitches a lot like Glen Perkins (just in the low-90s instead of the mid-90s). Tim Wood just came to the Twins a few weeks ago as a minor league free agent. The Twins must believe that someone would have selected the hard-thrower in the Rule 5 draft as they did protect him. He was the International League Relief Pitcher of the Year last year, for what that’s worth. Josmil Pinto had a very nice season last year in Ft. Myers. He ended by playing a handful of games in New Britain. He is a catcher who has thrown out a good percentage of would-be base stealers, but he is on this list for his bat. --- Bruce Pugh is probably the biggest surprise omission from the list. Had he been healthy this year, Adrian Salcedo would have been a given to protect. What are your thoughts? The Twins now have a full, 40 man roster. These eight players need to remain on the 40 man roster until spring training, so if and when the Twins add some free agents, or make some trades, they may have to drop some others that are on the roster. Being honest, I am more than a little shocked at the number of players that the Twins chose to add to the 40 man roster, and I can’t necessarily say that as a positive thing. It may be good. We will see next year if Tim Wood can finally figure things out, and if Thielbar has a chance. The Twins now have five catchers on their 40 man roster. That said, the five players that I thought the Twins were most likely to add were added, and that’s important.

It's good to have another strong voice for Common Sense here on the site... thanks Bill Parker for stopping by today and sharing your wisdom... When I say stuff like that, it goes on deaf ears!!

Arcia was added to the 40 man roster last offseason.

Sometime today, the Twins will announce their 40 man roster changes and additions. It's always a fun time for me to see who gets added. Generally speaking, teams will added anywhere from two to six players, maybe more. The Twins currently have 32 players on their 40 man roster, so technically, they could add eight players today. That is unlikely for a couple of reasons: 1.) There aren't eight players that NEED to be added. 2.) leaving the roster at 38 or 39 allows them to make a Rule 5 pick or two. 3.) leaves room for free agent signings between now and the December 6 Rule 5 draft. For the Offseason GM Handbook, I wrote about the 40 man roster decisions. I ranked the players in terms of likelihood (in my opinion) of being added: 1.) Aaron Hicks, 2.) Kyle Gibson, 3.) Danny Santana, 4.) BJ Hermsen, 5.) Michael Tonkin, 6.) Bruce Pugh, 7.) Adrian Salcedo. That was almost two months ago. In the time since, nothing has really changed. I think Hicks and Gibson remain givens. The only thing I might change would be to move Tonkin up to the #3 spot. What do you think will happen today?

I will always be a big supporter of guys from D2 or D3 or who came through the independent leagues. Make for great stories. And yes, with all the Twins left-handed bats, he could find a role on the team for a while if things worked out.