TJSweens

I felt a lot better about these picks until you listed the other players these area scouts recommended.

Lions bring down the water buffalo. Hyenas clean up the left overs. Vultures clean up the entrails. Twins come along and say...hey they left some gristle!

Roden vs Jenkins My take is that both are hitting well in AAA, but only one has reached the point where he is not going to get any better in AAA and that's Roden. Jenkins IMO has more levels he can unlock in AAA. Roden has roughly twice as many AB at AAA and he pretty much is what he is. The only thing remaining is to see if it translates to the majors. Given his status as a prospect, I expect Jenkins to make more strides and put up even bigger numbers than he has as his maturity catches up to the level of ball he is playing. I don't want to see Jenkins match Roden at AAA. I want to see him tear the league apart.

Keeping Outman simply because he was out of options was an abysmally stupid decision. The Twins kept a player, so bad he could only be used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. Wallner slumped and Outman was not an option to rotate into the lineup. Now Fedko has assumed that role. They've used Kriedler and Clemmens in CF, weakening an already bad defensive lineup. Meanwhile Roden went to AAA, hit the snot out of the ball, got hurt, came back and hit the snot out of the ball again. I was all for the Fedko experiment, but it failed. It's time to find out if Roden can hit major league pitching. If he can't we will add him to our growing scrap heap of LHB outfielders.

Is Clemmens a placeholder? His bat, to this point, is better than Lee's. Lee has been a bad fielder across the infield. Brooks might ultimately be best suited to DH if he can keep his production above league average. As far as Houston, I'm glad the Twins decided against "unlocking his power". If his current level of production carries to the majors along with gold glove caliber defense, he is an all star.

That might mean something if I put any stock in a stat from the WAR family.

He is a man of few words, but they are well chosen.

I bet Luke could field the DH position at an elite level. Unfortunately he doesn't hit well enough to play there. It's amazing how Keaschall has gone from an exciting hitting prospect to place holder status.

Keaschall continues to stink in the field.

Until Joe Ryan actually finishes a season strong, I would no chance. Something always happens to Joe after the AS break. One year it was a groin strain. Then it was virus. Then it was the shoulder strain. Last year he just faded.

My guess is that the sample size of success is too small to bring a significant return. It's already been pointed out that Gomez is exactly what the Twins tend to look for...a good young arm under team control for several years. I would like to see the Twins break the cycle of continuously trading for a future that never gets here.

It's like saying...if he could just keep hitters from pounding the snot out of him he'd be pretty good.

Average age in high A is 23.

Unbelievable Sam. He's 20 years old in a league of 23 and 24 year olds and you are already moving him to the bullpen. It's way to soon to question whether can stick as a starter. Let's give them enough time to refine his mechanics and see what they have.

His speed and his arm would also grade high. I would give his hit consistency an incomplete. The tools are absolutely there. It's a matter of knowing how to use them.