lightfoot789

Having a defensive CF helps any team with their overall defense in the OF. Hicks / Santana / or Schafer will cover up for more than you think with the correct shifts by management. I love the post that stated Hunter had a better rating than Stanton in 2013. We jump on these saber metrics too quickly as if they are the end all. 9 LETTERS - CHEMISTRY

I hope he gets to mentor Rosario; Buxton; Kepler; and of course Walker on the ins and outs of RF / CF at the major league level (during Spring Training). Hicks needs help but at least he had a .341 OBP as a Twin last year (5th best on the Twins). Yet we say he sucks. His upside will never be clearly defined on this team. If Hicks hit .300 (all singles) and had the same .341 OBP we would be loving him as the next coming of Tori Hunter. Not sure the real Hunter can help fans change their perception of Hicks. He will be damned due to perception and expectations for the rest of his career. We as Fans are way too judge mental on what to expect from kids before they get to define who they are themselves. IMO

GREAT SIGN Tori will be worth his weight in gold come Spring Training alone, as the young'ins practice with him on a day to day basis. The little tid bits they receive will be unmeasureable. I disagree Seth. Leadership is important. As everyone complains about rhe Twins OF defense - Ask yourself who in the hell has been their OF defensive mentor. Anyone you marvel about? This church mouse team needs someone to light a fire under them from a player perspective and someone who does it the right way. The corner OF positioning depends on where the coaches want to shift anyway. They can take the burden off either guy with a shift during any AB. Great Sign. - Somebody ask Buxton and other young guys what they think.

The Harrisons; Walkers; Keplers; Goodrums; Etc.?

Do you guys ever ask FO personnel what they expect from prospects going into a season? What is their progression curve in terms of development? I'm not talking Buxton and Sano, but some of the next tier guys? Great Twinsfest question BTW

As you access the prospects - What is the best way to develop prospects? 1) Promoting Mid Season to allow player to test the waters of a level and prepare accordingly during the off season for a repeat of that level? 2) Stay at a level for an entire year and hope to master that such level? Despite the many new faces who enter the league at mid season (having to learn players all over again)? 3) Promote players toward the end of the season to allow them to learn a level going into the off season (at the expense of winning a possible championship by depleting the lower level team with promotions)? Paraphrase and share your thoughts.

I know AB Walker has OBP flaws, but when is the last time the Twins had a Prospect (ever) to lead his respective leagues in HRs for each of his professional seasons: 2012 (14) Appalachain League 2013 (27) Midwest League 2014. (25) Florida State League He has played in the highest percentage of games per season as any player in the system. He also has the highest winning percentage of any player in the minors over the last 3 seasons (along with (Hicks /Kepler /Harrison / & a few others). Our ability to wait for his failure as a potential (believable) prospect has definitely outweighed his accomplishments over the last 3 seasons. No other prospect in the system has been more productive in terms of helping his team win than Walker either. I say all that to say I think his future is as bright as any prospect in the system. IMO

I sure hope the Twins give JD Williams a chance to move up or release him. He brings a special intangible to his teams and deserves better than he got last season (injuries and all). IMO

When does organizational all star team get listed?

With Talk of Manager Doug Mientkiewicz going to AA Chattanooga - Do you think that the same hitting / pitching coaches should follow prospects throughout the minor leagues or is it better for young prospects to get new perspectives at each level? As a whole which is better for a group of prospects? - New teaching styles and perspectives at each level or Hearing the same voice throughout their growth within the system? Do minor league coaches truly have an impact on development? & If so how in your opinion?

As the Twins President - Are the "New" Twins built to replicate the Royals model of success or the Orioles recent model of success? Speed and Defense or Power and defense? We will assume the pitching is on the way too.

AB Walker was a 1st Team and 2nd Team All American at 1st Base in College. Perfect Game listed him as the 2nd best defender at the position during his sophomore season. He can do the splits to the ground and has a 30+ inch vertical. I prefer him in the OF for now, but like Sano and Harrison he provides an option down the road @ 6'5 225 lbs..

We are built more like the Orioles than the Royals moving forward. Gold Glove type centerfielder with some decent dudes around him and Lots of Smash and Bash in the line up. 2015 will show more signs and 2016 will be our KC Royal type year. Detroit in 2012 (good every year, but getting old fast. Cleveland in 2013 (surprise team) Royals in 2014 (surprise team) Twins in 2015 (surprise team and every year thereafter - Young Suds under contract )

As a professional Walker is 23 for 28 in stolen bases (82% success rate). Thru College and Professional Career Walker is 63 for 69 in stolen bases (91% success rate. He may not be a speed demon like Buxton, but he sure gets the most of his speed. Not many get from 1st to 3rd faster or from 1st to home faster than Walker. When he gets going he runs very well. You won't find many who have seen him or even his coaches tell you otherwise. Before you say that this is only "A" ball he is stealing bases in - Buxton is 72 for 96 in stolen base attempts (75% success rate). Intangibles . Rosario is 69 for 106 in stolen base attempts thru AA (65% success rate). And if you want to talk about his speed at a comparable level - Rosario was 4 for 11 in stolen base attempts while playing for the Miracle in his career. In Low "A" Rosario was 11 for 22 while Walker was 10 for 10 (100% success rate). Who did you say runs like Delmon Young again? Intangibles Like most people - we all assume lighter in weight means faster. Speed is about power and flexibility. No one has longer strides than Walker other than maybe Goodrum and I would imagine no one has more powerful legs either. He reminds me of a Cam Newton when he runs. Deceivingly faster than he looks.

ABW or Arcia will be your Left Fielder of the Future with Buxton in Center. Buxton will make whoever is around him that much better in the outfield. It might even be Kepler as one of the 3 or 4th OFer. All great centerfielders make the guys around them better. If the minor leagues are our future then it might not be as bad as we all think. Cedar Rapids (2013) and Fort Meyers (2014) had amongst the best records in all of minor league baseball (with 2013 being the best). All of them run fairly well, even for big guys. Their bats however have been the component that has won games and ultimately championships in the minors. The pitching hasn't been bad either (thanks to coach Lucaas). I'll take 80 - 85 HRs amongst the 3 outfielders to make of for the few lesser balls being reached in KC. We are built for mirroring Baltimore more so than KC. Adam Jones is the Gold Glover who makes their outfield work defensively in Baltimore. Buxton will be ours along with playmates Walker and Arcia. I know Walker needs to improve his contact rate if he is ever to play in the MLB. I'll just defer until he stops hitting HRs and driving in RBIs 1st (a play on words because he's always first - haha). Oh yeah - and stops winning. No one has a better winning percentage than Walker or has played in more games over the last 2 years in the Twins system. INTANGIBLES MATTER PEOPLE So whatever the upgrade - It needs to be short term, because their (young prospects) coming soon.

As Kepler gets placed in the AFL again - Is there any way you see the Twins not putting him on the 40 man roster again this year? Do AFL results matter? IYO

Would you trade away prospects for a big OF name (Kemp; Stanton; Crawford; etc;) or roll the dice with your potential future prospects at a lower cost? Knowing they will be up in a year or two and cost nearly $20,000,000 less?

TheTwins seemed to have placed several players in the AFL who have experienced injuries during this past season. Is that protocal for most teams in regards to their use of the AFL roster spots?

Players are alot more resilent than most give credit for. Terrance Gore is playing for the Royals in the NLCS and played against Buxton, Walker, Kepler, Polanco, etc., in the 2012 Appy League Championship and all season for that matter. He has a "particular set of skills" (like Liam Neeson lol) that the Royals weren't afraid to utilize at the MLB level. If he failed so what. The kid knows his destiny as you said, and will be that much better when he does "arrive" with his complete skill set in tact. If players know the pit falls that may hinder them throughout the way - They will bounce back just fine as they find their game at the MLB level. It just takes some belief by the organization not to yo yo them to AAA to the MLB to AAA to MLB. Let them learn on the job like all these Rookie NFL Quarterbacks. Might not be pretty, but 2016 should be less of a learning curve for the team overall.

I'm not hating on other posters views - I'm just more of a believer based on what I see and not what might be. I see winning and run production to gather those wins, as the end all. Tweek the engine, but don't change it. Especially, if that engine has gotten you to work without failure (all of your life). And got you there on time (22 years old) with no breakdowns (injuries). Sounds like a strong body / frame and engine with a little rust on it. A good Midwestern car that gets the job done! I can see buffing out the dents, but I'm not paying for a new car (free agents) when I have old reliable right here. I would imagine Walker wants to get better as well. He has handled each of his new challenges / levels in stride. Think of it this way. The only places where he repeated a level was high school and college. When given the chance in those environments - the results were .500 BA in H.S. and .400 BA his second year of college (with a .500 OBP). Still struck out, but major improvements in contact issues. Get him to his final destination and let him the opportunity to adjust to that level. Repeating in the minor leagues just means new faces and new pitchers during each half of a season. Let's think proactive when it comes to his development and move this kid along so he can adjust accordingly. Like he always has..........................

Adam Brett Walker has major contact issues. Can't argue that. My only argument is that I find it hard to look at the downside of someone who has Never - NOT been successful / productive at any level (H.S.; College; Collegiate Summer Leagues; Professional). I'm talking about a guy who regardless to level, seems to still serve as the most productive person on his random teams. My definition of successful is not how an individual can become better, but rather what have you done to make your team successful that season (that day). Helping your team to championships (several) by leading them (all) in HRs and RBIs means something to me. Teams don't win without pitching and run producers. It can't and shouldn't be overlooked. "We Play to Win the Game" - The thought of expecting failure when it hasn't come yet is not me. I say that to say - If he continues to produce at his current pace when he arrives at the MLB - people will love him. The overall history of "prospects" proves his potential for failure (agreed). The history of Adam Brett Walker II proves otherwise (just saying). • High School - Top run producer in his conference and most of state of Wisconsin • College - One of the Top run producers in the country (All American - 2 of 3 years) • Collegiate Summer League - 2 years and 2 championship teams (Top HR Hitter and RBI guy) • Professional (MiLB) - 3 years and 2 championships (Tops in HRs and RBI in every league) I've never heard anyone on the Twins say "we are concerned"? We talk about what scouts / experts say every day. What do the Twins say? Do they see him as a long shot like most do here? I need to hear from his bosses to end my fixation. I take the "No News is Good News" philosophy. When he stops winning and his numbers hurt his team from doing just that (just once in his lifetime) - I will join the bandwagon for "recipe for MLB failure". Other than that - I need to see failure first (Losing). Some guys are just: Built for Success - Have the Luck of the Irish - Have that Austin Power Mojo - Are Just Blessed - You name it. They have it. I feel the Twins would be crazy to get rid of this kid. Especially since winning has been our biggest problem. WINNERS are hard to come by. Ask Jack Morris!

That's higher than Dozier if we are making average more important than production. Both guys with low BA and high production numbers. What we deem important in minors is not as important at MLB level? Trout led league in Ks - go figure. Arcia's minor league numbers wouldn't indicate his struggles at MLB. Point being - predicting is hard to do and not a perfect science. I trust consistent production until it stops being productive. He's never not been productive. Ever. Unless someone has read something I've missed.

Walker will be more valuable next year after he hits .320 with 33 HRs in AA. If Carlos Gomez was a 26 year old rookie this year for the Twins - Would we be happy we held on to him or consider him not that good? We all need to be patient on some of these difference makers in the minor leagues. Some All Star players come from low draft rounds and require nurturing and patience (aka Carlos Gomez). Most Good teams have 2 or 3 studs for position players and some really good role players with an outstanding tool between them. We have those guys in our system and need to let them become them, in thier own time. All trades don't return what you expect. Patience

I'm the biggest Walker fan out there and I'm not even talking Walker over Arcia. Arcia is only 23 years old and has a helluva future. I heard yesterday that Mike Trout led the AL in strikeouts and is still the favorite to win the MVP. Trout also led the AL in RBI and hit loads of HRs. With that being the case for Trout, why would anyone become pestimistic about Arcia. He has the ability to maybe become not as great as the MVP, but damn sure good enough to be a big time player for the Twins. So many bloggers want MVP talent or bust. Arcia was a major factor in the Twins becoming one of the top scoring teams in baseball. Let the 23 year old grow without so much concern.