Dman

I think this makes a ton of sense for Kyler. It was gonna be real hard to find room with the Twins and his clone Kendle is looking good right now as well. I will miss him as I cheered him on through the levels, but I think moving on works out best for all in this case. Wishing him the best as he recovers for next year. It's a good get for the Pirates.

This move makes sense to me. He's a right handed bat who like Kreidler can play all over the infield and outfield. He might not have as much power as Fedko, but he has greater versatility. While his bat had fallen off a bit at AAA recently he was one of the only position player I thought the Twins would need to add for Rule V purposes, so adding him now just gets ahead of that potential issue. He has a nice Utility guy toolkit and if he can up his game as a hitter could be a regular as he can play good defense. Congrats on beating the odds Ben Ross!! Here's hoping you can make it at the MLB level.

Great to see Duran make the FCL All Stars. He has the Wheels for center field which is nice as we don't have a ton of those types of players. It's been a tougher transition to A ball for him, but at least he get some experience there. He's only 18 and off to good start.

It was always just a matter of time. Congrats to Jenkins for forcing their hand. He has been looking like a star player recently. Let's hope it translates at the next level.

Congrats to Tinney on a well deserved promotion. His power has shown up right away. He has kept the K rate below 30% and is walking at a good clip 21% as well. It's somewhat expected for good college players to do well at A ball so just nice to see he is passing that first test. The defense is likely a work in progress for a while, but he has the arm to throw runners out which is a step up from what the Twins usually find when they go with offensive minded catchers. Hopefully he dominates High A and isn't there all that long either. Super small size, but right now it's looking like that was a really good pick in the second round. Heck with the power in his bat I'd be fine he ended up a first baseman. long way to go, but looking good so far.

While I don't know how serious they were I was one who wanted them to go after Valdez. He seemed like a good fit as the Twins could have used a lefty. Given the price it would have cost for the results he's had I feel lucky the Tigers got him.

Tinney with the HR and maybe more impressive caught two stealing showing some defense. It's early, but that Goodman comp is looking pretty good right now. Not to be outdone Lackey with agood night at high A. The Twins first two picks in the draft are looking pretty good right now. Quick has the stuff, but he most always gives up a home run or walks a bunch of guys at some point to ruin his outing. I still love the stuff, but in time hope to see more consistency. For as good as Tinney has looked Isaiah Lane's OPS is right there with him. Not sure how the Twins found this guy, but he is off to a good start.

I would also say there is some draft bias versus DSL players that move through FCL to A ball. We've seen several International guys get rated highly only to fall off quickly so I think they get discounted more than high school drafted players IMO. Fragosa is about the same age with much better stats than Young and Duran looked good in the complex league but has struggled at A ball. There are others in his range so I get your point. Still we know development is not linear and lists are potential based not results based which can leave younger players rated higher on lists than likely warranted. It's just the nature of projection IMO. There just aren't many young players at 6'6" and 225 that move as well as Young does. That's why he had steam for the back half of the first round. Most teams didn't care for the bat though and so far that is not working out well for the Twins. We'll see how he looks in a couple of years. I'm fine moving him out of the top 20, but not giving up on him as a prospect.

I get the very real concerns on Young, but it is his first year and they pushed him to A ball early. Lot's of young DSL hitters take some time to adjust to pro ball and Young still has plenty of time to make improvements. I definitely can see dropping him out of the top 20 given the extremely high K rate and poor defense. Still there is time for him to turn things around as he grows into his body. He was always going to be power over hit and those types generally take longer to make it. I do think we have to remember that lists are projection based not results based. Young has tantalizing athleticism and power at a young age which generally puts them high on lists mainly due to potential. That being said with the K rate and contact rate at such poor levels dropping him does make some sense. Even at a young age it is tough to overcome that level of swing and miss. He could stand to hit the gym and focus on defensive positioning in the off season.

I don't think that is a huge factor in their decision. Yeah it might take him a bit longer to shake off the rust, but he is a pretty complete player as is so I don't think he'd be hurt all that much missing some AAA time next year. I think Zoll's biggest concern was Walker showing power. Why bring up a player early who isn't completely ready? Walker needed to work on his power at AAA not MLB. It looks like he sacrificed some K's for more power, but that is what they needed to see. He'd already proven he has plate discipline and can hit around .300. The only thing left for him to really work on was power and given the results this last month it looks like he has conquered that as well. He looks like a complete hitter now and or well on his way to being one. I think given his recent results they can feel confident adding him early. Now if and or when they add him they need to get him consistent playing time otherwise why add him? I think they'll wait until September unless there is an injury that clears his way sooner than that, but it does look like he is forcing their hand with how well he is playing right now.

I agree with everyone. The only thing Jenkin's hadn't really shown was power. His OPS hadn't been overly impressive for the league he is in. He has changed all that the last month. Bringing even his full season OPS into the .900's which is what you want to see. I don't think there is anything left for him to prove. I guess they can wait until September if they want, but he looks ready to me. Larnach hasn't been all that great recently. Roden doesn't have the ceiling Jenkins has. Rodriguez has been getting hot as well just not as hot as Jenkins and he could use MOre AAA time. It's starting to make too much sense to bring Jenkins up IMO.

Nice to see Quick with a dominant outing at AA. He's no Zebby when it comes to walks, but he sure has had the stuff to K batters from his first start in pro ball. Really excited about Quick, but the lack of control worries me. More work to do, but he sure look like a front of the rotation starter if he can find some decent control. Kendle 2 for 4 with walk. Both extra bases a double and home run to keep his BA at .,400 and up his OPS 1.151 at AA. He's been on a heater since July and doesn't appear to be slowing down. If they move some guys from AAA to MLB I wonder if Kendle gets a shot at AAA this year.

Looking at his year to date stats it's hard to find many guys hitting better than he has. Larnach. is the only one who like Clemens has been healthy all year that has a higher OPS. Jeffers and Buxton are better but have been out with injuries so not the same grind IMO, but they are better. Clemens still has a 106 WRC+ and almost 2 WAR so he's holding his own. I do agree with the OP that it looks like he might need to make an adjustment. He seems to waiting for off speed so might need to be more ready and or sit on the fastball if that is what they are going to throw more often. Still with his ability to play defensively at multiple positions he looks like a really solid player IMO.

Kendle still hitting .400 in a league where good bats go to die. If you watch this guy in the field or at the plate you will fall in love with him as a baseball player. He plays the game hard and makes things happen. I know I get too excited too early about these types, but if he can stay healthy he seems different. I think this is a guy who can be a 4th outfielder on a MLB team and be a difference maker. I have said similar things about Prato, Eeles and others only to have them fall back down to earth, but It doesn't matter as I am a Kendle believer.

Yeah I think this assessment is pretty spot on. I don't know if many people have watched him go back on a ball in the outfield, but in general it isn't pretty. I assume he would have Larnach type range and skills out there in time. Like many have mentioned he seems better suited to 1st Base DH IMO as I can't see him as anything but negative in the outfield. I still like his bat and think he could be a Larnach type replacement if they trade Larnach or let him walk after next year. If he can't play 1st then DH seems his best position though he can play in the outfield in a pinch. If they wanted to bring him up it would seem he would need to replace Larnach or Bell in the lineup. Not opposed to them bringing him up as he is burning an option no matter what this year. I haven't seen much HR power from him recently. Still it likely wouldn't hurt to get him exposed to some ML pitching and see if he can hit any of it.

I'd been pounding the table for Fragoza to move up for a while now. Glad they finally moved him up. Just when it looked like he might be slowing down he's had an amazing August. I had to look at the numbers four times but I mean just his slugging in August .938 for an OPS of 1.543. Granted that's just two weeks of data so a SSS. Still those numbers are amazing especially this late in the season for a 19 year old. Hoping he is the real deal.

Yeah that's the trouble with SSS. Hot streaks happen all time as well as cold streaks. I haven't checked the numbers, but I thought I read somewhere they were asking him to be more aggressive early in the count and am wondering if that change has made a difference the last few weeks? Hard to say, but like you said given his production to date I'd want to see more than 2 weeks of data before making a move. He seems to finally be flashing some power so hopefully that bumps his numbers up more. We'll see what happens, but I kind of hate batting data in August and September at AAA as MLB teams are using most of the good talent that was there and arms are more worn down at the end of the year and I feel like it inflates stats for the hitters.

Objectively I think he has a point. This hasn't been a "great" market for Baseball IMO. There is a reason the TV deals weren't that great as they don't have the viewership that other clubs have. Maybe it's the baseball product, but I tend to agree that Minnesota fans are a bit ambivalent about baseball. I know several Die Hard Vikings fans and Wild fans, but I feel like I am one of the few that follows the Twins with that same level of passion. I'm not saying there aren't big time fans of the Twins out there, but I would say the experience is different than St Louis, LA Dodgers, and other places. Again maybe it is just the way baseball is setup with small markets generally struggling to compete, but I don't think he is completely wrong given other baseball environments.

I tend to agree, though with Jenkins getting hot in August with a 1.144 OPS it's getting harder for me to hold that opinion even if a SSS. He seems to be finding more power and already has a good approach. At this point I guess it's just how long you want him to show that. Another week or two of that level of production and odds are he gets the call IMO. Rodriguez's bat has been fine since coming back as well. I think he has an OPS over .900 though most of that is at High A. We'll see how he looks at AAA, but I agree it would be nice to see him this year if possible. It looks like the Twins might be dropping back in the race so we'll see if it is sooner or later for those two.

I haven't been high man on Tait, but I can't remember a 19 year old with 20 HR's since maybe Miguel Sano? Sano was only at A ball when he hit 25 that year IIRC. Complete stat line for Tait isn't as pretty as Sano's was though Tait is at high A. That's pretty impressive and if he can get better behind the plate he could be very valuable in the future. Not sure I see 2028 with all the issues he has, but we'll see what happens.

First let me say I know I am a weirdo for analyzing a minor move this much, but here it goes. My numerous thoughts on Alex Jackson start with the fact that I understand the move to some degree. While he currently has a .300 batting average he also has a 1% walk rate and 33% K rate. I don't know that I have 'ever seen a walk rate that low for a MLB player. If I'm the other team I know he is gonna be aggressive at the plate and would work outside the zone as much as possible. Throw him stuff that looks like it might be in zone but isn't like sweepers and changeups and high fastballs. Given the walk rate he's likely to just get himself out as his 33% K rate indicates. He does have an OK slugging that is helping his OPS stay around .700 but his BABIP is .450 and that kind of luck won't last. Offense for catchers doesn't have to be great, but he has some serious offensive flaws that can be exploited. He has been a fairly good defensive catcher as he was positive there in 2024 and 2025 but at least at Fangraphs is negative there this year with a 12% caught stealing rate. He hasn't had a ton of chances behind the plate, but he hasn't been that great back there either. Why it makes sense to try and sneak him through waivers. The Twins have three catchers and don't really need three catchers on the 26 man. Moving him off might allow a better bat or more versatile defender to be added to the bench. If he does sneak through they have lost nothing as he can get more playing time and be added at a later date. Why it doesn't make sense. Trading for a guy with no options left seems a bit odd to me if you never really planned on keeping him on 26 man. There is a decent chance that despite his flaws he might get picked up on waivers. Now, does appear to be the best time to get Jackson through waivers as most of the playoff teams seem to have settled on catchers at the deadline . Still, even if he isn't a good fit for a playoff team, teams that recently traded away a catcher like the O's or had one injured like the A's could be interested in a low cost option for this year and beyond. If the Twins lose him to waivers then they don't really have a backup catcher for next year and beyond. While I get his production looks to be easily replaced it would likely cost more to get a vet in that role. Or If they think he will be claimed does this move signal that the Twins might actually try and sign Jeffers in the offseason? Is Mr. Pohlad interested in ponying up for one of the better offensive catchers in the league? Or is this just a low wattage move on a guy they don't really care if he makes it back or not. Probably the later. It's just with the system so bare on catchers for next year and the fact he is cheap and controllable it seemed prudent to make sure they hung onto him. It's far from the end of the world if he gets claimed. I just thought that if they had lived with three catchers up to now they would keep it that way. I guess they might want to add another player or two to the main team. My guess would be Rodriguez and Jenkins might be in play and they need the room. We'll see what happens. If they were always going to try and sneak him through I guess there is no better time to try.

Love that he can throw out runners. The ability to control the running game is such a great skill to have in a catcher. Last year Houston wasn't overly impressive in his first looks at pro ball with the bat. I'm not too concerned about Lackey there. I do like the plate discipline as that generally bodes well for him getting good pitches to hit. Defense for a catcher is what usually takes the longest to develop to be pro ready. If he has that it will just be his bat that needs to be ready so he could move fast, especially for a catcher. We'll see what happens, but I am very excited about Lackey.

It's a brutal batting average .171 for Tinney but the home runs have him at an .800 OPS. Small sample size but hopefully a little more consistent contact will be there at some point. Gallagher with another great outing. Not sure what to think about him. It seem like if he can keep the ball in the park he is gonna look pretty good. Hoping he can be another option at some point.

I guess that's my point. ERod might have trouble breaking in and not be good enough right a way to contribute. You said you are fine just DFAing him then without giving him enough opportunity to get better. That could be very short sighted IMO. We see guys have bad years and rebound all the time. Heck Royce Lewis rebounded from the beginning of the year to now in his last 30 games with a near 1.000 OPS. His WRC+ the last two years is nothing to write home about. Sometimes it takes time to get there and him getting a AAA reset seemed to help. ERod won't have that opportunity. That's the point being made by some. Hey maybe he hits the ground running and this is all moot. Maybe the Twins won't be hard up for that last spot on the 26 man. Still it is a disadvantage he has trying to break in. There's no safety net to fall back on.

Well he was traded and two other teams gave up on him until the A's gave him consistent playing time where he finally made some headway. That's not just the Twins. If you look back his defense in left was not good with the Twins. How do you feel about Matt Wallner who had a WRC+ of 141 and 154 a few years back? Lot's of people here feel he is not a good defender and too strikeout prone. Pretty much Rooker like. Do you see them bringing Matt back soon?