goulik

Sometimes the sarcasm is missed... Guess I should have used this:

Let's face it, Grossman and Rosario until Palka and Granite.

That was my first thought as well, Not to say there couldn't be improvement. Considering the number of Latin players in the organization and professional baseball as a whole, having some cultural Liasons seems appropriate.

TheJcKmp, I see your logic but all the major sports have their Monopolies at the top. To make matters worse, most of them have salary caps and more profit sharing than baseball which I would argue makes them more of a single business vs 30-32 businesses competing in the same league. I like your European Soccer comparison and agree that is a more Capitalistic set up but it is often dominated by the big boys and lacks the competitive balance we like. There are always trade offs. The problem with baseball and the "indentured servants" is who is allowed into the Players Union. The Major leaguers negotiate the contracts and those contracts include the unrepresented minor leaguers. The minor leaguer can't even join the union representing them. That is not fair. As a union member on our leadership team, I can tell you sometimes the problems can be the way the Union runs things not just the guys in suits.

OK, so looking at the 40 man roster, I see D San and Grossman are the fourth and fifth outfielders followed by Palka and Granite. I see some logic there from a lack of depth perspective but I think I'd run with one of them and Palka as fifth. We sure screwed up our outfield trading Span and Revere and we've yet to fully recover out there. *Heavy sigh* Hey Revere is a free agent...

This would be my question. D Santana provides some versatility defensively but we have guys that can fill his roles with more upside. I thought he'd be gone by now.

I like Escobar as a utility guy that can hold his own at SS, 2B, or 3B for extended periods of time in case of injuries. He gives a roster flexibility without being costly yet. Solid decision.

I'm going to buck the trend and say only the top 4 need protection. I doubt Granite or Vielma stick to an MLB roster all year and I don't see anyone below them on the list sticking either. Even if selected, we will get them back (see Jones). Now if I was PBO or GM, I may protect others because I am on the inside and know the off season plan and actual roster openings. From the outside looking in though, I am mostly only concerned about those 4.

Shane Peter Gunderson was born October 16th 1973 in Faribault, Minnesota. He was initially drafted in the 50th round by the San Diego Padres out of Faribault High School in 1992. He opted to attend the University of Minnesota and was again drafted in 1995 in the 6th round by our own Minnesota Twins. Shane toiled as a Catcher, 1st Baseman and Outfielder through 6 minor league seasons but played most of his career in the corner outfield positions. He was in Elizabethton and Fort Wayne (FW) in '95, Fort Meyers (FM) in '96, FM, FW, and New Britain (NB) in '97, FM and NB in '98, and NB in '99 and 2000 before being forced from the game by injuries. He had the pleasure of playing with some pretty big names along the way. Out of baseball, Shane still lives and teaches in Minnesota. I have known and worked with him for a few years now but only this year did I learn about his professional baseball background. I thought it would be fun to ask him some questions to share with the TD fan base. Thank you Shane for this informative and fun experience. G: What was it like to be drafted that first time? SG: It was exciting, I had gone to a tryout camp put on by the Atlanta Braves when I was in 10th grade so I knew the scout who had drafted me for a couple of years. The process helped me out later when I was drafted in college. G: What was the decision like to choose college out of high school? Was it a hard decision or a no brainer? Did the Padres try very hard to lure you away from college? SG: Choosing the University of Minnesota was an easy decision. They had just had a great run of really good professional players get drafted in the early rounds (Denny Neagle, Dan Wilson, Brent Gates) and they had an incredible reputation for building talent. G: What was your reaction to being drafted by the Twins? SG: It was incredibly exciting to be drafted by your hometown organization. I grew up seeing them win two World Series, so being drafted by them was a dream come true. G: You played at 4 different levels in the Twins organization for 6 years. What is it like living the minor league life? What was your favorite part? What did you dislike the most? SG: Minor League baseball is a grind. The biggest realization a young player has to figure out is that it's a job. Playing the game of baseball is so much fun but in the minors you have to approach it like work. You don't get many if any days off and you will be playing for no money. You will make enough to pay the bills but not enough to live on the rest of the year. My first experience was in rookie ball where we had 4 guys living in a 2 bedroom apartment, taking turns sleeping on the bed and the couch. My favorite part of the entire experience was the friendships. I have friends all over the country and we are all part of this unique fraternity. G: You were quite the athlete when you were growing up. Did it go to your head and was there a moment where you realized you needed to change your attitude or were you able to stay grounded along the way? SG: I'm sure like any athlete it went to my head at one time or another but I was lucky I had a great group of coaches in all sport that kept all of us grounded. I still remember the quote “you're never as good or as bad as you think you are.” G: In or outside of Sports, What are you most proud of in life and what's one thing you would like a do over on? SG: I'm most proud of the fact that I was able to earn my undergraduate and master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. When I retired from baseball I wasn't clear on my future. As an athlete you spend so much of your time trying to reach the pinnacle of your sport, when it's over you're not quite sure what to do. Fortunately for me, I had some good direction and some good people at the University who were able to help me accomplish that goal. I'm not sure there would be one thing I would do differently if I had it to do over again. All the experiences I've had were incredible. G: What was your favorite sports moment? What was your favorite professional moment? SG: I think my favorite moment was putting on the uniforms. There was just something about all the sports I've played from grade school to professional baseball that I've enjoyed. I have memories from all levels that has made athletics such an important part of my life and given me the greatest satisfaction. G: You already told me about some of your injuries. How hard is it on a body to play at that level and what are some lessons you learned about taking care of your body as a professional athlete and since leaving the game? SG: It’s incredibly difficult on your body, in hindsight some of the injuries I played through I would have taken days off now. At the time, I really didn't feel like I wanted someone else to play and possibly take my starting job. It's difficult at that level when you're competing for a position to take time off. I just always wanted to be on the field. G: There has been a lot of media discussion the past couple years about minor league pay. How did you feel about the pay then and how do you feel about the system in retrospect? SG: It's a very tough question. I can see both sides of the issue. One problem, in my opinion, is the amount of time and effort needed to devote to being a professional athlete. There is really no time for another job but you hear stories all the time about how guys worked two different jobs in the offseason and still found time to workout. So it can be done. I do think they should increase the pay some for the younger guys. Many of them are living check to check. G: Who did you most enjoy playing with and who was your favorite Coach(Es)? SG: I have the utmost respect for my college coaches. They still are incredible coaches and even better human beings. They have molded some great people, not just baseball players. They are able to get athletes to compete at a high level every year and when they're done they are ready for whatever life has in store for them. In professional baseball my favorite coach was John Russell. He taught me to be a student of the game. He was always thinking and many times more steps ahead of the other managers we played against. During the times I was injured, I watched him handle the running game of other teams, how he handled the bullpen and how he was able to connect with all players on our roster. He is really good, which is why he is still with the orioles. G: What was the most important thing you learned along the way? SG: Perseverance, you really have to grind out days in the hot summer. I remember Ft. Myers in late August and we had played 35 days straight without a day off and our manager at the time looked at us and said “boys time to go to work.” It struck me that if I can play through this I can do a lot of tough things much more difficult in life. G: What is one thing you would hope all Minor and Major League Baseball fans would learn or know about the profession and professional athletes? SG: That it is a job for these guys and they take pride in it. It seems glamorous because most of the time all we see is the big contracts. Many of these guys are away from their families for weeks on end and it wears on them. Most of the time they are at the park for 12-14 hours working their tails off to get better.

No Santiago among the starters... I don't know if he is definitively out...

Did you read the article and comments? It was suggested that Dozier could bring back 3 prospects but one of the top two would probably require a potential mid rotation return. I was going with their thinking and adding the mid rotation potential guy they suggested in Gibson (I know he was not that this year but some still believe in that potential). Two catching prospects were also suggested as the second or even third level prospects by another one of their posters since they had two higher on the depth chart making them expendable. I didn't research the names. I just responded to the original article and comments Seth linked...

Give them Gibson to sweeten the deal and get the Potential Ace and possibly a Catcher?

They could also acquire him in the off season with the insurance aspect of being able to flip him at the upcoming deadline if the acquiring team is not performing at the level they hope.

Nope, Internet wasn't mainstream for sure. People were just starting to hear that it could be some day. My college had a computer lab where all the computers were interconnected to each other but that did not extend beyond the campus. A friend from MIT was telling me how ALL the computers there were interconnected and that everyone had a computer of their own. My mind was full of rainbow dreams of what could be.

So Falvey in the middle, Lavine on the left and Pohlad on the right?

I too was going to throw Pat Lights name out there. I wonder if he was suffering from the same nerves as Chargios and also just needs a little more time to settle in.

2016 Wrap Up Sean Miller is proving himself to be a useful utility man in both levels of A ball. He spent most of his time in Cedar Rapids but got the call to Fort Meyers twice. He spent a week there in May but was back up for good in August. Listed as a SS he began the season playing third. After the first few weeks, he began bouncing between 2nd and SS (the injuries to Polanco and Valera helped him get that time) by the end of the season he had played significant time at all three. 2nd base 193 innings CR, 53 Innings FM, 1.000 FPCT (obviously no errors) 3rd base 270.1 innings, 4E, .951 FPCT CR. 24 innings, 1E, .889 FPCT FM Short 295.1 innings, 5E, .967 FPCT CR 63 innings, 3E, .914 FPCT FM That 2nd base defense sure stands out to me... With the bat, Miller started the year ice cold at both levels, but At mid season his BA was in the mid 280's. He cooled off again in July and his CR final slash was 263/287/366 in 361 at bats. He stayed cool in FM to finish the year but cool was actually warmer than his first week so he raised his slash to 186/210/237 with 59 total at bats in high A. On the year he hit a combined 20 doubles and 4 home runs. 2017 Outlook A solid utility man that can be bounced around is useful on any team. He is not hitting the high light reels but he helps his teams. Look for Miller to spend most of the upcoming season in High A with a shot at a short appearance or two in AA. Millers future will be determined by his ability to improve his defense at SS and Third as a utility man or for his bat and glove to really come around and settle into a really good defensive 2nd baseman. As a 22 year old, he has time to do both.

2016 Wrap Up Fernandez spent 1 game catching, 141 innings at first and 772.2 innings in RF where he had a 970 fpct. His 225/293/363 final slash isn't gonna cut it in RF but apparently he is not seen as a serviceable catcher. Repeating CR after an injury plagued 2015 wasn't surprising but he needed to dominate in his second season there. He didn't. Outlook for 2017 He did hit 26 doubles and 10 home runs and he did hit .304 over the last 10 games but I really don't see Fernandez sticking with the team. JJ did not earn a promotion to high A so If he is back in CR next year he needs to be hot early or he will be gone by mid season.

2016 Wrap Up After seeing AJ live in Cedar Rapids, I really fell in love with his offensive game. What I saw were a lot of hard hit balls and his stats the first half of the year reinforced what I saw. After hitting 262/346/415 with .761 OPS, he made an all star appearance, whacked the ball hard and moved up to Fort Meyers. Fort Meyers was not as kind to AJ as he hit 209/286/337 for a .623 OPS. In 435 combined innings he hit 26 doubles and 10 homers. Defensively he knelt behind home plate for a total of 713.1 innings and held up a .989 FPCT. He allowed 11 Passed balls. AJ's ability to throw out runners disappeared in FM. In 2015, he threw out 32% and seemed to be doing the same in Cedar Rapids (22 of 62) but then only threw out 3 of 22 in FM. 2017 Outlook Murray will start in High A and hopefully can repeat what he did this year. I would like to know what scouts, pitchers and coaches say about his defense, pitch framing, and game calling. Stats and a weekend eye test can only tell you so much. Murray could emerge as a real big Catching prospect in our future if he can do over a full season what he did the first half of this year.

2016 Wrap Up After spending most of his season in Pawtucket and 2.2 innings in a Red Sox uniform, Pat light was traded to the Minnesota Twins. After a short stint in Rochester, Light was called up and pitched 14 innings for the Twins. Combined MLB 16.2 innings, 11.34 ERA, 16 K's, 16 BB's, 2.28 WHIP, 5 wild pitches Combined AAA 38 innings, 2.37 ERA, 42 K's, (9.95 K/9), 19 walks, 1.18 WHIP, 6 wild pitches. 2017 Outlook It's hard to know why Light has been so wild in the majors but it was only 16.2 innings. 16.2 BAD innings. Light will be back in the Majors next year and if his MiLB numbers mean anything, Twins fans will eventually like seeing Light come out of the bullpen for years to come. Due to numbers he may start in AAA, but he just may earn a spot in Spring Training. If you don't like Light, look deeper at his MiLB stats and I think you will be ready to give him another chance.

2016 Wrap Up Cedar Rapids: 33 At bats, 121/231/121 slash for a whopping 352 OPS Elizabethton: 103 At bats, 194/211/272 slash for a 483 OPS Combined he committed only 3 errors and allowed 6 passed balls in 271 innings as a catcher. He threw out 15 of 43 runners 2017 Outlook At 24 years old and struggling in Rookie Ball, Hayman is probably concerned about being cut again. Hayman needs to show more with the bat if he gets a chance in Cedar Rapids again next year but there is a very good chance he is playing Indy ball next spring.

2016 Wrap Darnell finished 2016 at 8-8 with a 3.53 ERA in 109.2 innings. He started all 18 games he appeared in this season with 2 Complete games. He struck out 53 and walked 36 so his K9 was a little lacking. For the second year in a row, Darnell finished his season on the DL 2017 Outlook Darnell has watched his prospect status pass before his eyes. If he was to get a shot at becoming a back of the rotation MLB pitcher, he needed to be healthy when the GM called. Instead, Albers and Dean got Darnell's innings and he will quickly be behind the up and coming true prospects like Gonsalves. Logan will probably be stuck in AAA for the remainder of his Twins career and relegated to AAAA status.

Because it was Cedar Rapids 4 seasons ago? I don't expect Walker to ever get back to those numbers but maybe with some more time he can get half way there and that would be more than enough to force his way up I would think/hope.

And the most controversial round up of the 2016 Season: As everyone knows ABW did not get a Sept Call Up. He finished the season at 243/305/479 for a nice .784 OPS which to me was call up worthy despite the 202 strike outs. (Yeah, he topped 200) He took 44 BBs plus a few more IBB and HBP. His BABIP finished at .348 Walker had 54 xbh with 22 doubles and 27 HRs but I'm equally impressed with the 5 triples. Anyone know his 40 time? That's a total of 229 Total Bases. I am also impressed with the .80 GO/AO rate. In 478 at bats, he hit into only 9 DPs and only had 7 SFs hinting to me that there were not a lot of guys on base in front of him (see above discussion about fewer RBI's). But if he's putting it in the air so much, that would reasonably suggest fewer DPs right? He also had 7 stolen bases in 11 attempts. Outlook for 2017 Walker will start in AAA. If He can lower the K rate, he could easily force his way up. The sooner he shows that the sooner he will be in Minnesota. If he doesn't, he could see himself passed by Palka and potentially packaged in a trade.

2016 Review Valera began the year by being aggressively placed in Low A Cedar Rapids. After 115 at bats, he was off to the DL and a one game rehab that ended his season in the GCL. In those 119 At Bats, Valera hit 261/367/412 for a solid 779 OPS. He had 32 K's and 18 BB's. 2017 Outlook After some off season rest and rehab, I would expect to see Valera back in CR for most of the season.