acrozelle

I'm mostly a lurker and haven't commented here in quite a while. But I just wanted to say, I've seen you make comments on Nick Gordon's music here and on Twitter multiple times and I don't understand your infatuation with it. He may not be the top SS prospect we all hoped he would become when the Twins drafted him, but overall he's been fine and I still think he can become an average everyday regular at the Major League level. Players are allowed to have interests outside of baseball. Get over it.

No. What the Twins have been doing - trading older players that will not contribute to this team in the future - is the right move. But I don't want to trade a player who actually has a chance to contribute to their success in the future.

It's nice to see Kepler turn it on a bit. In the second half of the season he's hit .294/.348/.405 (.753)

Well, to say Navarreto has been struggling so far this season would be putting it lightly. In 59 AB's he's hitting .153/.206/.271 (.478). That's 9 Hits (5 of them have gone for extra bases, FWIW), and 4 BB's. He's K'd 15 times. Hopefully he starts turning it around.

Brian has appeared in 9 games this season, splitting time with the other catchers on the roster. So far he has struggled with the stick, with only 5 Hits in 32 AB's for a .156/.206/.281 slash line. For what it's worth, 4 of those 5 hits have gone for extra bases. He has K'd 8 times, BB'd only twice, and has 3 RBI's so far on the year. Let's hope he can get it turned around.

Buxton - #1 Meyer - #12 Sano - #16 Stewart - #27 Berrios - #41

In Elizabethton's first game of the season, Navarreto played Catcher and batted 6th. He went 1-4 for the night, his lone hit came in the top of the 5th with a line-drive double to left. He also walked once, had one RBI, and scored two runs.

I wish I had something to report to you guys. But as far as I know, Navarreto is still in extended spring training and hasn't been assigned to a team yet. Once that happens, I'll keep the posts coming. For the time being here's a video of him taking batting practice and some live at bats. I, by no means, have any scouting ability. But as I stated above, scouting reports suggested that sometimes he doesn't transfer his weight all the way forward and stays back, forcing pop-ups. I believe you can see this happen in some of his cuts. That will be something for him and his coaches to work on moving forward. I hope this suffices for the time being.

The Basics: DOB: December 29, 1994 (Age 19) Position: C Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6' 4" Weight: 220 lbs 2013: Brian Navarreto was drafted in the 6th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft out of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, FL. While it is in the past, it needs mentioning that Navarreto scared a few teams off and fell to the Twins in the draft after getting in a nasty brawl during a game his senior year of high school. After being drafted, Navarreto reported to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he struggled in his first stint of pro ball hitting .226/.318/.365. In 158 PA's he struck out 38 times, but showed decent plate awareness and drew 15 walks. While he only had 31 hits, 13 of them went for extra bases and he showed some good pop at the plate. He'll be playing in extended spring training for the beginning of the 2014 season and will be assigned to a team to play short-season ball in June. Offense: Navarreto has a chance to hit for both power and average. From the right side of the plate he shows good bat speed and raw power. Scouting reports suggest that he gets to get a little too power conscious at times and tends to keep his weight back, causing his swing to get a little uphill. But with some hitting adjustments, he projects well at the plate. He has very intriguing tools and the potential to become an extremely good hitter. Defense: Navarreto is very athletic behind the plate, showing quickness and agility, which considering his large frame is quite impressive. He has a plus arm and shows accuracy when throwing down to second. If his big body allows it, he has all the tools to stick behind the plate. So what do we have here? With his top level tools as a catcher and potential to hit for power and average, Brian Navarreto is a very interesting prospect. While he has a long way to go as a prospect, his potential is visible and exciting. Catchers drafted out of high school not named Joe Mauer tend to be long-term projects and while he is a ways away from the bigs, he is a player that definitely deserves your attention and is worth keeping an eye on. I, for one, am looking forward to covering him this upcoming season.

Brian Navarreto

Hey guys, just letting all know that Byron Buxton is doing a short, 30-minute chat today over on ESPN. It is at 1:30 CST. So if you've ever wanted to ask him a question, here your chance! The link: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/49930/twins-of-byron-buxton I thought some of you would be interested in this.

I won't just straight up copy and paste, but someone asked about Sano's low ranking in the comments section, saying that he was surprised he wasn't in the top 5. Jason Parks replied and said he has too many questions about Sano's hit tool and defensive profile to rank him in the top 5 - Might have to sacrifice power to make consistent contact. He could still hit 30+ homers a season, but the power might not play to it's full potential.

Zero.. I came soooo close to catching one, though. For my 8th birthday, I went to a Twins game with a bunch of my friends. We were sitting in left field, probably doing something obnoxious, not really paying much attention when Torii Hunter hit a bomb right to us. Oh lord. I can still remember freaking out, scrambling to put on my glove that I stupidly stashed underneath my seat, and thinking to myself: 'OH SWEET JESUS. THIS IS THE ONE. I'M GOING TO CATCH IT AND IT'S GOING TO BE MIIIIIIIIIIIINE.' But, I didn't catch it... I missed the ball and it landed two feet to my left, on my friends foot, and he got it. Oh how I wanted that baseball.

That would be Tony Plush, or T-Plush, which is mainly just a Twitter thing.. I think. Unfortunately his Twitter game is a whole lot better than his on-the-field game at this point... https://twitter.com/TheRealTPlush/status/110366997790998529

Sweet Jesus... that GIF of Brian Dozier's hair is too good.

This is the one pitcher that I would really like the Twins to pursue and I would be ecstatic if they sign him. I know he is going to be pricey, but I think he would be worth it. I wouldn't be mad if the Twins even overpay a little bit just to ensure they land him. Like Nick said, overall Santana has been pretty consistent, and I think it's been stated over a million times on this site that the Twins need a consistent presence in the rotation that they can actually count on every 5th day. Santana can provide that. That being said, I would be shocked if the Twins actually dished out the money required to sign him.

I don't have much to post at the moment. That will definitely change once we see how the off-season plays out. But for now I have to say, this teams farm system makes me as giddy as a school girl.

I agree with you that Hicks has been far from stellar the first two months of this season, but who would you have play CF instead? Mastroianni will not be back any time soon, Wilkin Ramirez is a question mark with concussion issues. Clete Thomas? Antoan Richardson? Really? Whether we like it or not, Hicks is the Twins best option in CF right now.

Money doesn't buy championships. Just look how many the Yankees have won lately. True, but it without a doubt gives them a huge advantage over other teams in the league.

Who else is excited for the worst hitting middle infield in the league next season?

The Twins unwillingness to call up Slama is simply unfair. He consistently puts up the numbers in Rochester, what more can you ask from the guy? I don't think anyone here thinks Slama is going to be our next Joe Nathan or Matt Guerrier, but still, it's not like the Twins have anything to lose at this point. If they continue to refuse to call him up and give him a fair chance in the majors the Twins should at least do Slama justice and trade him to a club that will give him a fair opportunity to succeed. But, I'm sure they would be too scared seeing him excel for another team and proving the front office wrong. I hope he eventually gets the chance he deserves, I feel for the guy.