DocBauer

For those of us a bit longer in the tooth, you might recall Brian Downing batting lead for the Angels back in the 80's. He could hit, provided power, and gave the Halo's quality OB%. This would provide an arguement for Mauer to do the same for the Twins, though his obvious deterioration would limit power numbers, or so it would seem. And YES, Grossman could be a very similar option here, DH or OF here and there, when Mauer sat against LHP. It's really not a bad idea. I don't like Dozier there, though he can do it, simply because his overall ability, production and power seems to scream hitting lower to drive in and manufacture runs. I believe Buxton is the best and most dynamic choice, all things being equal. I have felt for a while now that he just might be a top of the order 1-2 hitter before sliding down to the #3 spot eventually as he aged a bit more, gained additional experience, and his power continued to develop. But I could easily him in the 9 hole to begin the season, lessen pressure, let him just play and let the game come to him more before moving up top. In an ideal situation...and it's not far fetched at all...the ideal situation would be Buxton or Polanco hitting first and the other hitting second. Which variation is better I don't know. Throughout their individual milb careers, each has been a top of the order hitter, though Polanco has invariably been dropped to the 3 hole on each of his team's the past few seasons as one of the best, most consistent and clutch hitters on his team. Either scenario offers very interesting combinations for these two. (And drops Mauer/Grossman to an OB%/hitting spot closer to the bottom third). I would continue to work Buxton at the top throughout ST. 1 or 2, he will eventually be there. But if the season started tomorrow, I'd probably bat Polanco 1.

This is incredibly bad news, not only for May of course, but for the Twins. I really hate to re-visit the past, but he lost real development time in 2015 with the inexcusable decision to move him instead of Pelfrey to the pen. One guy had 2 pitches and was struggling and would not be back with the team, and one had a better miss of pitches and upside. Huge blunder. Then May lost development time in 2016 for an even greater blunder. Now he misses all of 2017. I firmly believed two things: 1] May was going to be solid in the rotation, and get better as the season went along and he got more and more comfortable, establishing himself as a solid starter. (Though I did worry a bit about wearing down late in the season after his limited IP the past year and a half). 2] My expectations for May would make it all the much easier to move Santiago to allow for room for Berrios or Mejia at some point. What a massive, massive bummer. As to your other points, I think Santana will still be solid. (Though May's injury could halt any potential trade during the season now). I also believe Gibson will make a strong comeback. How strong, of course, is to be determined. I am also currently surprised by Hughes and fairly impressed FOR NOW by what he is doing. I honestly thought he was a dark horse before ST began and thought for sure he would begin the season in EST before a month of rehab assignments. Instead, he feels good, is throwing free and easy, working a lot on his change, and hitting low 90's. Many pitchers ramp up velocity, and IIRC, Hughes has usually been one of those guys. He's been getting ahead of hitters and throwing a good number of strikes. A few bombs or bad offering while working so hard on his change doesn't bother me FOR NOW. If there could be any sort of silver lining to the May's injury, it would be that it came early, and seems to be a "clean" injury, and could allow for a allow for a better/earlier/longer audition for young arms like Berrios or Mejia.

Feel awful for May. I think he was poised for a really solid year. Not be sparky, but about Berrios AND Mejia as someone else will invariably get hurt or not be ready?

For various reasons, the 3 guys in the OF every day, players actually playing the right position (Sano), the defense will be better this season despite questions about the left side of the infield. I am absolutely not sold on Kintzler as the closer and wonder how long he will keep the job, but I feel the bullpen will be much better this season, with some solid to excellent arms getting ready at Rochester. It still comes down to the starting Pitching though. I hate to use this as a source of optomism, but really, they could be bad and STILL be better than last season. IF...and it's still a mighty big IF...Hughes can regain his 92mph velocity and feel better about his change going forward, he is a huge boost. Santana is solid and sometimes excellent. Personally, I believe Gibson is going to rebound and surprise a bit. I like May and liked what I saw of him the other night. Now, if we can just get Berrios out there every 5th day.....

Harrison is still pretty young, fairly athletic and has real power potential. Sooner or later though, he has to produce a quality season again. I believe this is his make or break season. Goodrum is a guy I feel good about. He's one of those raw but "toolsy" players the Twins have loved drafting. It's taken a while to get his bat going and he has had some injuries, but he offers pop and speed and vast positional flexibility. I believe he has a pretty good shot to be what we had hoped DanSan would become. I just don't understand the handling of Wheeler at all. He was fast-tracked initially, added to the 40 man, then was removed after a poor season. Fine. Makes sense. But he pitched well last season and even went to the all star game. He may not throw very hard, but for a 100 loss team he couldn't have been added to the roster and given a shot as a back end SP in place of Albers or Dean? He's going to be passed up pretty quickly, in fact probably already has been, but last season would have been the perfect time to audition him for a role.

I missed part of the top of the first and didn't see the 2 runs score. What I saw after that left me pretty impressed by May. His velocity and control seemed pretty sharp. Threw a couple really nice breaking balls. Thought he got jobbed on a couple nice pitches. All in all, I was pleased by what I saw.

Personally, I believe Garver ranks ahead of Murphy in just about everyone's mind, IMO. By all reports, he's quality behind the plate and is definitely quality AT the plate. But with a pitching staff filled with questions, coming off injury and poor performance, I can see the initial thought being a veteran BACKUP catcher with experience and acumen while Garver gets to play almost every day for Rochester to begin the season. I want Garver on the team and have high hopes for him...but I get it.

I would also like to see Gonsalves begin the year with Rochester. It would seem he's proven himself at AA and ready for the challenge of Rochester. Plus, there is a bit of a crunch, potentially, for the Chattanooga rotation. Still, these guys are all young enough that I would be OK with Gonsalves at AA and Romero or Rosario at Ft Myers for the first month to get off to good starts, pun intended, and let a few things play out at each level above before some immediate promotions. I really like Mauer being at Chattanooga this season to follow the players he was managing last season. I like the familiarity and continuity aspect.

And it's good food for thought, as well as an interesting point. I agree, with a new regime in place, there may be other coaches and instructors Falvey and Levine are familiar with that they might feel more "comfortable" with going forward. Of course, I think it will greatly depend on the current coaches and how they embrace new formats.

I have to admit, I'm almost as excited for the milb season to start as I am the Twins season. And not just because I love to follow the minors and miss the daily reports. To me, there is a different vibe in the system this season, despite the "graduation" of so many top prospects to the ML level and a "lowering" of the Twins milb rankings. The pitching starved Twins will have Gonsalves, Mejia, Jay, Stewart, Jorge and Romero all at AAA and AA. Relief wise there will be Hildenberger, Melotakis, Reed and Burdi. Any or all of these guys have the potential for really good seasons and at least a couple of them could debut this season. Could Thorpe be this season's version of Romero? Remember, he missed last season due to mono but is anot her full season removed from his surgery. Just how good could young Brusdar Grater OL be? Could he also be another Romero, but at a lower level? Granite has not looked out of place in ST. I have a good feeling about Palka overall. (Too many SO's but he has hit everywhere and is not immune to BB). I have a lot of faith in Garver. With his overall talent and ability, and such a strong AFL, could Gordon make a big leap this season? And there are guys like Blankenhorn and Cabbage in the lower levels I'm anxious to see break out. Despite the lower prospect rankings to begin the season, I still feel there is a lot to be excited about here.

I am very intrigued by Goodrum and his overall talent base and seeming positional flexability, especially after his production last season once healthy. Unless I'm mistaken, however, he has yet to play a single game above AA. For this reason, I just don't see him breaking camp with the Twins. Hut he is a guy I'd be watch for in the future.

Right now, today, I think I would agree with your roster. Two interesting points, however: 1] Still not entirely sold on Gimenez. I get he's an experienced vet and offers some positional flexability. The new FO is obviously familiar with him and Garver not only has options, but also limited AAA time. But I don't think he's locked in just yet. 2] Is it really possible that the disappointing DanSan could actually be turning in to the versatile and sometimes exciting bench player we all hoped he might be?

On the one hand, we caution not to get enamored with Park's production...or anyone else's...because it's so early in ST. On the other hand, despite not improved second performance, we are upset Hughes isn't throwing 92. We can't have it both ways. Many, many pitchers not only ramp up their innings during the spring, and get feel for their pitches, but vamp up their velocity. The fact that he is actually hitting 90 at this point coming off such an unknown injury repair has me far more optomistic than I was coming into ST. Now, if he's only hitting 90 in a couple of weeks I have to question rehab or a bullpen move.

I would say Berrios over Mejia at this point with Vogelsong and Haley as possibles. There are always injuries, trade possibilities and guys who flat out stink. (Though you always want to avoid 2 of those). The rotation that starts the season is not the rotation we'll see at the end of the year, and could be different by the break, or even a month in.

Agreed. First pitch strikes, ahead in the count, Hughes himself feeling better about his feel and control is encouraging and beyond what I have been expecting. Many pitchers ramp up their velocity throughout the spring. If I recall correctly, this has been pretty standard for Hughes himself going all the way back to 2014 even. He's honestly further along than I ever expected based on this last outing. Doesn't mean he will make it all the way back and be the same pitcher he was in 2014, but I'm surprised and encouraged at this point.

I agree on Haley and that his competition is someone like Vogelsong and not Tonkin or a similar shorter IP RP. Could he end up as a starter still? Yes, but this would be his best role for the time being, and the best fit for the team. I appreciated the comments on Berrios. I want him in the rotation and believe he will be there sooner rather than later. There are always injuries, trade possibilities, etc. He is young and still working on tweaking a few things. And sometimes, whether we like it or not, there can be a numbers crunch coming out of the gate to begin the season. "Youngest pitcher to start a game in the AL last season" speaks volumes to me.

Right now, today, only a few games played, I'm not all that worried about a roster filled with a plethora of mid to late 30yo FA invites. These guys are not on the Twins 40 man, or anyone else's, for that matter, for a reason. And the TWINS are not the only team to bring in such players to camp every year, we're simply focused on the Twins. Every team brings in a bunch of guys like this for game depth in the spring, to help fill the AAA roster, and because you sometimes find a useful piece or two to be the 24th-25th man on your roster until someone better is available/ready. Despite the rebuild and general youth movement taking place, to say there aren't holes in the roster, or that every prospect on the 40 man is ready for the majors is a bit naive. Is there room borderline a Breslow until Melotakis is ready? Yes. Is there room for a 4th OF so that Granite can play everyday at Rochester for now? Again, yes. Even if a couple of guys do make the club, it doesn't mean they are permanent fixtures by any means.

To me, pausing for a moment to simply state the obvious that everyone is healthy and producing at some sort of expected or anticipated level, what to do with Mauer is not about the platoon, but simply where to hit him at. Either Vargas or Park will be the other half of this scenario, and spend time in the DH spot. (Barring a surprise player joining the fold). Mauer sits against LHP with Vargas/Park playing 1B and Grossman is the RH DH that day. (*Grossman also play a little OF here and there-TBD) You can make a strong arguement for the Mauer/Grossman spot to be second in the lineup after Polanco or Buxton. It makes a ton of sense. Ideally, at some point, you'd really like to see Buxton and Polanco both at the top of the order with Mauer/Grossman further down the lineup in either the 6th or 7th hole, providing solid bats and OB behind the power hitters, and getting OB ahead of the bottom of the order.

Even though Santiago's overall numbers look better than Nolasco the past couple of seasons, the trade was done, from the Twins perspective, to unload a poor performing player that didn't fit for a younger player, with better recent performance, who could help. The Angels made the move, primarily, to see if lightening would strike, in a good way, for Meyer. A return to previous form for Nolasco wouldn't stink either. In a lot of ways, it was about change of scenery for the guys involved to see what happens. Santiago has, more or less, outperformed his peripherals. But even still, he does have a career 3.84 ERA and a 2-1 SO/BB ratio and has topped 180IP twice. He did finish last season looking much better than when he first arrived with the Twins. Frankly, while not good, he's not terrible either. All in all though, I hope his Twins tenure is short lived as it means we've found someone better to take his place. And if you had told me someone like Vogelsong...even at 40...supposedly healthy and tread on the tires despite his age...would be brought jn, I may have stayed away from Santiago. But other than Santana and Gibson, the Twins entered ST with no-one else who's name you could write in the rotation with ink. Yes, absolutely yes, I want Berrios and May in the rotation and think it's time and they deserve the opportunity and I believe in both. But there are question marks with each, at least initially. And there remains huge questions regarding Hughes coming back, and when, and to what degree. So for now, Santiago is an OK option and a necessary one. Here's hoping he performs well and has trade value at some point.

Under last season'starts payroll and we'll below the ML average payroll, and with questions surrounding the roster, I don't see a single guy here being cut or traded. Despite major concerns with the rotation, Santiago would be the most likely to go with Santana and Gibson locked in with Berrios and May hopefully ready and a few remaining options for the 5th spot. But questions remain regarding Hughes while May and Berrios are still in a bit of a "prove it" mode, though each needs and deserves the opportunity. Just don't see a single move taking place unless someone has an injury, the rest of the rotation candidates step up, and it makes sense to trade Santiago.

What troubles me is the fact that had the surgery been done sooner, for his own career sake, he might be able to play part of this season. But what I don't know is, how long should an expected treatment/rehab take place normally before a decision should be made? I totally understand choosing rehab and treatment first. And I don't know enough medically to know when the time is right to opt for surgery. But it sure does seem to take a long time before the surgery decision is made.

I would say Stubbs as the 4th OF, assuming he can find a bit of his old magic, and Adrianza would be my loop choices, along with Breslow. Stubbs used to be good defensively, could hit and run a bit and flashed some power from the RH side. He could definitely be a fit. Adrianza obviously brings the leather, and actually didn't hit badly in the minors. Defensive replacement/utility? Breslow has experience, his new arm angle and spin rate to help the pen. I find these three at least...interesting. I still have this gut feeling the Twins will be adding a cut OF late in the spring .

Someone recently mentioned Wade as resembling Lawton for his all around skill set and ability. Solid all areas. Boy do I hope that turns out to be true. He'd be a quality starter or outstanding 4th OF. Can a healthy Thorpe be this year's version of Romero? An all around catcher so close to bogs I think I'd have Garver higher too. Nice write up!

Someone recently mentioned Wade as resembling Lawton for his all around skill set and ability. Solid all areas. Boy do I hope that turns out to be true. He'd be a quality starter or outstanding 4th OF. Can a healthy Thorpe be this year's version of Romero? An all around catcher so close to bogs I think I'd have Garver higher too. Nice write up!

I'd be curious to know just how well Giminez actually plays the corner infield and outfield positions. He sure doesn't hit much, but if he was solid defensively at those 4 additional spots, it could increase his value.