bobby_baseball

Shane with all due respect - Borbon would platoon with Mastro in CF. That L/R combo could be as good as Revere was for the team last year. Borbon a a plus-defender and plus-base runner entering his prime at 27. Not to mention he's a .283 MLB hitter. Add that to some of the things Mastro can do and that's a nice little platoon for 2013. Not a long term solution by any stretch - but two guys who can compliment each other well. Boggs was brought in as an organizational filler - like Clete Thomas a year ago. They shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence.

I have no problem with Hicks earning the starting job. I think 30 AB's is a bit quick to send him down - if he's at 60-70 AB's and no sign of things trending in a positive direction you send him down to AAA and let him get some confidence back. You can live with a rookie hitting .200 and doing some other things to help the club NOT with a guy hitting .050. A LH/RH duo of Mastro/Borbon would be good enough IMO to carry us through the All-Star break and see where we are at that point.

Josmil Pinto was my pick-to-click. Had a nice year in '12 in a tough FSL. He's not Wilson Ramos - but could be a decent bet to replace Doumitt in a few years and catch 60-80 games alongside Mauer.

Gibson had 6 k's through 3 IP yesterday before falling apart in the 5th. Reports said he was sitting at 94 mph with the fastball. The stuff is there and he's healthy - he just needs to refine his comand and be stretched out. Gibson is in the rotation by July 1st. Arcia is up shortly there after. Alex Meyer, Michael Tonkin, Zach Jones are all in the big-leauges by September. Trevor May still a question mark in my mind - he needs to throw strikes.

Seth - 99 mph for Zach Jones? Twins havent had an arm in the bullpen that could do that since __________________. Have they ever had a guy that could do that?

Any word on JT Chargois - is he hurt or do they want to see if he can stretch out as a starter too?

Really I hadn't heard that anywhere - that makes sense though why he's not pitching right now. He does need to smooth out his delivery if he was going to be converted to a starter. Let's hope the change in mechanics dosent make him lose his mid-90's heater though...

We know Luke Bard/J.O. Berrios are being stretched out - and Max Kepler/Nate Roberts are nursing injuries - but I haven't heard anything about Chargois? He was supposed to be a quick mover in the system this year like Zack Jones. Is he hurt or are the Twins stretching him out with the hopes of trying him out as a starter?

Meaning the Twins are hoping he can throw in a few GCL games by mid-July. If Wimmers can pitch 20 innings and be healthy enough to go to pitch in the Winter League like Gibson - then that's a huge victory for the organization.

He was listed at Beloit last year as an outfielder as well, I'm sure he'll still be the starting 2B. Anyone have any information on Levi Michael's injury. Anyone know if Salcedo is 100% healthy? I thought he had arm surgery towards the end of last season? A couple other interesting nuggets; Angel Morales is repeating A+ ball again. DJ Baxendale will be in Fort Myers Rotation basically skipping Cedar Rapids. Pat Dean & Alex Myers must both be pitching in New Britain.

Also missing Berrios & Luke Bard...

Letting him go for nothing in return is a mistake... the guy is still only 25 and saw him pumping it up to 94-95 last year. Disapointed that we are selling 'low' after a poor Spring. I can think of 3-4 guys on the 40 man that I would have DFA over Burnett...

Traded to the Blue Jays it appears? "And thank you to the fans for being such great supporters, I'm now a part of the Blue Jays organization and I'm very excited to meet my new"

I'll add to this: I heard Jose Berrios and Luke Bard will stay back in extended spring before being sent out to Cedar Rapids. Is there a chance they skip Iowa and jump to Fort Myers. It's most interesting because those are the two guys that have a chance to move quickly through the minors... I expect both of those guys to be pitching in New Brittan this year before things are said and done?

I read on Twitter this morning that Tyler Grimes spent the winter making the switch to catcher after playing the last two seasons as a shortstop. Jake Mauer made it sound like he'll catch 4-5 days a week for Cedar Rapids this season. I remember being pretty excited when the Twins drafted him. Has the arm and athleticism - and maybe he'll finally hit in his 3rd stint in A-ball.

A look ahead to the 2020 season; look how many of these players will be in their primes (ages 26-32). There is a good chance that everyone on this list will at-least be serviceable big-leaguers as well as feature a few All-Stars. Reason #1 why the Twins need to go HARD after pitching againin this Summers MLB amateur draft. DH Joe Mauer(37) 3B TrevorPlouffe (33) 2B BrianDozier (32) 1B ChrisParmelee (32) OF Joe Benson(32) RF AaronHicks (30) LF OswaldoArcia (29) C JosmilPinto (31) SS DannySantana (29) 2B LeviMichael (29) DH KennysVargas (29) 2B EddieRosario (27) 3B MiguelSano (26) CF ByronBuxton (26) OF Max Kepler(27) 1B TravisHarrison (27) SS JorgePolanco (26) 3B AmaurysMinier (23) Includes ages for Opening Day 2020

The question basically is would you rather have Thome pinch hitting for Florimon/Carroll/Escobar in the late innings or a guy like Clete Thomas/Brian Dinkleman? You heard players rave about his mentorship from his previous stint. Would you hire Thome as your hitting coach for $750k, because that's basically what he would be. Hmmm... at this point it would be a Minor League deal and they would move him at the All-Star Break for a PTBNL. Seems like a no brainer from that standpoint.

It was his elbow and not his shoulder correct? I thought I read he was going under the knife - but they decided to rehab it like they did with Wimmers?

Prospects for Bounce-Back Years: Each of the Minor Leaguers have appeared somewhere on the Top-10 list at various times over the past few years. At least a few of them are due to have bounce-back campaigns when you consider - Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson probably would have made this list last spring. If even a few of the guys listed can bounce back – it will help the cause for the Twins being recognized as one of the Farm Systems in baseball. Who is going to “BUST” and who is going to “Bounce-Back” in 2013: CF Joe Benson (25) – The hype is on him competing for the opening in centerfield, but last season was an absolute disaster after two very nice seasons at Fort Myers and New Brittan. He dropped from a top 5 prospect heading into 2012 to not even listed on peoples top 10 lists this spring. Out of options next season - at this point I’d be satisfied with an MLB defensive replacement who can make a living as a 4th outfielder hitting lefties well. SP Adrian Salcedo (22) - Considered a top 3 starter and top 10 prospect heading into the 2012 season; obviously before his shoulder gave out and the Twins acquired Alex Meyers, Trevor May, Pedro Hernandez in trades and recent drafts that yielded the likes of: Berrios, Bard, Melotakis, Boyd, Summers, Boer, Wheeler, Duffey. Will Salcedo even be healthy to start the year – if so he might find a way to resurface onto the prospect map. SS Levi Michael (22) – Hopes were high after the Twins made the UNC product a 1st round pick. Reality is he’s probably on track for a repeat performance at Fort Myers after batter .246 with a .311 slugging. The good new is his numbers improved in the 2nd half in a tough hitters league and showed enough with the glove - to make those believe he can at least be a utility infielder in the big-leagues someday. The question is will he ever be more than that. SS Niko Goodrum (21) – Baseball minds still gush about Goodrum’s tools, but his numbers hardly improved in his second season at Elizabethton – which is widely considered a hitter league. Yet still has found a way to make it on some Top-10 lists. He’ll play in full-season ball in Cedar Rapids, but questions surround not only his bat, but if he can stay at SS long term. If he doesn’t hit this year – they might consider just moving him to the outfield so he can focus exclusively on his swing. SP Alex Wimmers (22) – His minor league career has been a wild-one to say the least. Underwent Tommy John surgery last August and I’m sure the hope is to get him back on the mound for a few starts before the season ends – and send him off to winter ball like Kyle Gibson last season. If he can come back and make even 2 or 3 successful outings he could sneak back onto some prospect lists. SP Madison Boer (23) – Looked like the Minnesota-boy might be on the fast-track after tearing up Elizabethton and Beloit after signing. & already earning comparisons to Scott Baker. Last year was dismal in Fort Myers as a starter. He’ll repeat that level in 2013 where hopefully he can have more success – if he continues to struggle expect the Twins to move him back to the pen by 2014 where his plus fastball might be better suited. CF Angel Morales (23) – Looks to have “BUST” labeled all over him. Will probably get a 4th try at Fort Myers after an anemic 2012 effort unless the Twins decide on a change of scenery and put him in New Brittan instead. He did miss most of 2011 with injuries – which can explain some of it. Before that he was considered a Top-10 prospect after crushing Appalachian League pitching in 2008 and having a nice year in 2009 in Beloit as a 19 year old. Still has all the tools – 5 to be exact – but there are serious question if they will ever materialize.

I think Joe Saunders is a good comp for Scotty Diamond... Mid-4 ERA a guy who will benefit from pitching at Target Field and will be hurt/helped by the defense. Can always hope for Jon Danks/Cliff Lee type season sprinkled in! The Twins 2014 rotation could look something like this anyway: Vance Worley Kyle Gibson Mike Pelfrey Scott Diamond Liam Hendricks ** Trevor May & Alex Meyer knocking on the door