DocBauer

Interesting to see Goodrum playing AS for Rochester. Lost count, is that 2 or 3 games he's started there? I understand it's early, but it would appear the Twins are focusing on him there at this point.

I actually really like the creativity Monitor has shown with the lineup, see what he is doing, but would like the options better with Park on the roster. That being said, part of hitting is psychological, especially for a young player. Buxton may be applying his own self-induced pressure hitting in the 3 spot. It's only a few games, but moving him down, for now, doesn't remove him from the lineup, just, maybe, reduces the pressure he feels. I like moving him down for now. I'd have Polanco take the 3 spot for now. He has extensive milb experience there and it may ease Buxtons mind for now.

Man...i realize how long the winter has been when I get to read these reports. Love them! An early season thank you to all the moon reporters!

Maybe it's the angle, but that pitch almost looks like a power curve. Nasty whatever it Was! He can throw that consistently with his FB I'm all in. I know he's only 18 and in high school still, but I want to know he can repeat that over and over before I draft him #1. But he is interesting and tantalizing no doubt. What I struggle with is need vs potential vs safety. Whether you have a 1st round pick or THE 1st pick, you'd like to feel you made a "safe" choice in regard to potential to make the majors as a quality player. But at the end of the day, the ML draft remains the biggest crapshoot in all professional sports. Risk or not, don't you almost HAVE to draft Greene just based on so much upside?

I admire the he'll out of Molitor as a ballplayer. I admired him as a milb instructor, from all reports, which juxtaposes somewhat to what I have seen from him as a manager. But I have to say, while I am still confused and disappointed in the initial roster construction of 13 pitchers and no Park, I am enticed by his lineup creativity and experimentation. Again, as I posted elsewhere, this reminds me of a milb manager from a different organization some years ago, who constructed a roster of 1-3, 1-3, 1-3 hitters as he looked at his roster. I still think this idea works better with a successful Park and Grossman/Mauer as a quasi platoon, but the approach is interesting and sound, if a bit experimental.

Nick, well written, and a fair look at both sides of the current state of the Twins, positive and negative roster assessment. Well Done! I do have to say, as you alludes to near the end of the article, this is close to the team that finished last season, and has question marks to be sure, but not the same team that began the season. Kepler, Sami and Polanco did not begin 2016, or were in the wrong spot. The bullpen has at least been tweaked a bit. Mejia and Santiago were not even with the Twins to begin '16. Hughes and Gibson were injured, or were shortly. There is at least some hope here.

Yep. Not that it's a great benchmark but it sure is a better bench if Grossman is on it and DH and part time OF.

I think you about nailed it Seth, though I could see both Grossman, if used properly as a RH hitter, and Park with slightly higher BA and OB. Park hit a little better than listed above when healthy at the begining of 2016 and has apparently shown improvement. I think games played, and all numbers, are going to be predicated a bit by Mauer and his health. Not picking on Mauer, and more days off will probably help, but he does seem to miss time every year with at least one injury. Really need to get down to that 12 man staff ASAP.

Agree on the rotation candidates, Roster man. While it wouldn't shock me to see Stewart still take a major step forward, he's just too far away, at the moment, and there a couple guys at AAA that would probably be up first. Also feel Wade, Gordon and Rosario are just too far away, but a September cup of coffee is possible for any and all. Even though I'm always the optomist, I really like the guys on this list. Very excited about the future of the bullpen and don't believe it's that far away despite the hand wringing taking place about the current one. Love the way Granite plays and approaches the game. Intrigued by Palka a lot and very interested in Vielma as at least a utility infielder. Goodrum, believe it or not, is one of my favorite names on this list. Healthy and being productive now, he, reportedly, can play decent defense at 7 spots and has a decent bat with power and speed. He may never be good enough, or special enough in any area to be a starter, but he could end being what we all hoped DanSan would become.

I think this is pretty accurate. They are still evaluating the players in hand, the 40 man, and even the minors. (Not to mention the organization as a whole). Understand, I am not a really happy camper with this roster as it stands today. And I absolutely would have tried to make a trade to keep Haley and send him down, thus keeping Park and providing a more flexible bench. But I truly believe this is another 2-4 weeks of EST to conduct evaluations and make decisions.

One word...JEALOUS! Thank you for sharing!

The lack of inclusion of Park on the roster, depriving the team of a potential power bat, a backup 1B, and a shortening of the bench is just inexcusable.

Absolutely love and agree with this! I believe his biggest problems are still lack of experience and trying too hard to be great. (Something I think he shares with a couple talented young Twins). I want to laugh when I read he should be traded or is dismissed as a 4th OF when so young an inexperienced. When you watch him, much like Buxton, you can see the talent, the instincts and the enthusiasm in his game. Just give him some time to learn, grow and mature. I have said for some time that I believe he could be a consistent 20HR hitter when given time to settle in. I still believe that. Will it be this year? I'm not sure. I would argue the triples/doubles debate though. He has the speed and pop to hit double digit triples again, and maybe again, but triples are very hard to predict or expect based on placement within ballparks, OF ability and alignment and the such. But I think he is absolutely a .270-low .280 hitter with a .310-.315 OB hitter who should easily hit 30+ doubles...Unless he turns them in to triples.

Definitely some disappointment here, an initial funny/sparky post on my part, full empathy with everyone here after reading every post, (sorry if I happened to miss anyone but was trying to work as well, lol)....and a ton of reflection over the day. A few thoughts: 1} I stated in another thread, before this final roster one, that I simply HAD to believe the FO, and Molitor I'm sure, made some of these decisions based on a "let's not cut these guys loose just yet, see what sticks over the first few weeks or so, and then go from there. We can move forward but can't rewind" mentality. (Worded it differently the first time). EX: Tonkin, used appropriately, could surprise. But you can't bring him back once gone. Not saying he will, but he gets a little more rope. I almost feel the Twins will be using April, at least the first few weeks, as a sort of ML EST, this time in real games, to continue some evaluation. I'm starting to think this isn't such a bad idea for a rebuilding team. 2} I don't disagree with brining in a few solid veterans to augment the team in experience, leadership and hopefully ability. After all the gnashing of teeth, our catching situation is much better than a year ago. Belisle could/should be solid. Breslow was a cheap flier/filler who could help, and easily be cut. We DID NOT keep Vogelsong, spare part OF or INF. So the number of older, veteran players brought in and kept is only 3. 3} I KNOW it sounds trite, but this team is still rebuilding/retooling, and this roster will be fluid throughout the season and could absolutely change within the next 14-30 days. THE GOOD: 1} We still have the talented young OF plus the still young Grossman who has a role and no "last gasp" veteran OF. I understand the angst over DanSan, but he probably is on his last chance right now, and could be pretty easily replaced still, and possibly soon. 2} Sano, Polanco and Dozier is still 3/4 of a potentially fun/talented/exciting infield, and the one we expected all along. Escobar is still a solid player. Adrianza getting hurt was a disappointment because he was starting to hit and contribute. When healthy, I could still see him making the club, probably over DanSan. 3} The rotation. I know, I know...but...it is pretty much what we knew and expected. Santana has looked good. Gibson has looked good. Santiago hasn't been bad. Hughes at least offers a bit of hope and is much further along than I expected, despite some inconsistency. Instead of someone like Vogelsong, we actually get Mejia! Surprised and elated on this end! 4} The bullpen. NO, I'm NOT happy about some things here at all! But I think Duffey does help here. We are all terribly disappointed in Chargois's spring, but we are also crying out for young arms to get a chance. Can't say I'm disappointed Haley is getting a shot. I like Pressly and Rogers. I'm not happy about the pen, and I think it's going to change, hopefully soon, but I do like a couple guys here and am happy to see Duffey and Haley getting a shot. 5} Catcher. I still believe in Garver and want him here ASAP. But he gets to play everyday, for now, at Rochester and there is no way you can convince me our catching situation, overall, isn't better than a year ago at this time. THE BAD: 1} I sort of get the whole "hold on for now and see what sticks EST for the begining of the season, but an 8 man bullpen with a short and not very good bench to begin April? April? 2} Park AND the bench. And this is probably everyone's biggest gripe, even if they don't realize it. I get removing Park from the 40 man move and taking a chance. It worked. But the guy is healthy, worked hard, and lead the team in HR, RBI and slugging for ST. And you can't find a way to bring him north? Are you kidding me?! So we start the season without a potential everyday power bat, and nobody to platoon/back up Mauer at 1B? We turn Grossman in to a full time player and shorten our bench and options? I can understand a last shot for DanSan with the Adrianza injury, but come on! No Park to shorten the lineup AND the bench and our lineup options is just inexcusable!

Agree with the numbers overall, but I think there is enough pop there, alongbwith speed, to see his doubles in the high 20's.

I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

The Belisle signing was "solid". Breslow was a cheap flier that may work out. I simply HAVE to believe this bullpen is a deliberate "see what we have and how it shakes out and who stays and who goes when some kids start coming up" move by the new FO.

First, a couple quick hits: 1} I love what Molitor has done this spring. He's been experimenting with different lineups and options. He's shown an openness I don't think we saw last season. Is this more evidence of the FO changes allowing Molitor more freedom? 2} I've said for a while I thought Buxton would eventually develop more power and slide down in the lineup. I never expected it to happen this soon. I think we're all unconvinced he's ready for this role at this point, but wouldn't it be interesting as hell if he was? 3} Despite any comfort level and past production in the leadoff spot, I still don't like Dozier hitting there vs 3 or 4. But...see point #2. Now...I absolutely both love and hate this lineup. There was a milb manager about 10 years or so ago...forget who and what organization...who evaluated his roster and established a lineup of 1-2-3 hitters throughout his lineup. In other words, he had 3 leadoff hitters, 3 number two hitters, 3 number three hitters. And he was successful with this. This lineup reminds me of that somewhat. I love the "idea" of Mauer/Grossman in the 4 spot, (to me these two form a sort of platoon in the lineup), providing contact and OB behind the first three batters and a sort of "leadoff" hitter before Sano and others. It helps stagger the lineup, which I find very interesting. The bad part is Mauer has seemed devoid of even doubles power the past few years. But I àbsolutely love the creativity here.

Tired of hearing about Benintendi. So tired. How many teams passed on him before Boston selected him? This the Trout arguement all over again. "If only we knew...", well...you didn't. The MLB draft draft is the biggest crap shoot in all of sports. The Twins needed pitching. They went and did something we have never seen them do in recent memory, and often complained about, they drafted a top arm with projectability. That guy was Jay. In a reportedly weak draft, they went after a big, projectable LH arm they thought they could work with and develop. At worst, they had a LH arm that projected to being great in the pen. You draft for both need and BPA don't you? I'm relatively certain...please correct me if I'm wrong...that the Twins would have drafted a front line, ACE SP or future all star position player at this spot were it made known to them. We can certainly disagree whether or not Jay should be removed, at this point, from developing his talents as a SP. And I believe there is an arguement to be made there. But I'm tired of hearing the wasted draft pick debate. Baseball HAS changed and evolved over the years, very slowly. WAY gone are 4 man pitching staffs and a collection of 200 IP rotations. And at the end of the day, the best chance you have to win is with quality SP. But in my 40+ years of following the Twins specifically and MLB in general, I've seen winning teams based on power, speed, defense, SP, RP and combinations of such. The new regime has decided that Jay can have the biggest impact going forward being a top RP. Fine. Didn't the Twins in the past, and the Royals recently, reach the WS with a couple of top starters and deep bullpen? Just saying...a lot of ways to build a winning team.

I have to agree with Goat. I don't see any need to "save face" with letting Haley go just because he was the initial rule 5 pick by the new FO. He just hasn't pitched all that well, nor as well as I hoped or even expected. Wimmers was a SP in college and most of his milb career. At this point, he could easily be the long man you need and you could keep Tonkin and hope the BB go down. Not saying it matters in the long run, because I'm not sure it does. The truth is Chargois is simply better, but had a bad spring. Would anyone be surprised to see him up in a month and taking over a key spot? Reed and Hildenberger the same, really. Either or both could be ready very soon. I still like Duffey as a starter. Again, he throws 4 pitches. His problem last season was FB location, reported by himself and backed up by the coaches,and he has looked very good most of the spring. Some kind of change could absolutely help, as any kind of decent pitch offering could help anyone, but it still comes down to FB command. But if the variations of his 2 FB and 2 different curves aren't enough, he could still be moved to the pen where he would/should have more than enough to be solid to very good. Despite being un-enthusiastic about the pen overall to begin the season, I'm not bent out of shape because I know the options available, and how quickly things can change a mere month in to the season. And I believe they will. (And we're not even talking about Jay or Melotakis at this point). In a perverse way, I like the rotation more. Santana looks good. Gibson looks good. Still mixed on Santiago..but...his finish last season and overall ST has been OK, and I'm hoping for a "tradeable " performance from him. I know many are down on Hughes, but I didn't expect to see what we have seen from him thus far. And I'm not joking here. He's been working on his change, throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters...and then he throws a clunker! His next start, he throws another clunker in the very first inning! But then settles down to pitch 5 more innings of 1 run ball. We just don't know what we have here yet, but I am more than willing to give him a month to ramp up, feel his way back, build up velocity, and see what he can do. Still believe in Duffey if he actually has his FB command back. I believe he has earned his shot. But I am so excited to have Berrios and Mejia waiting in the wings for their opportunity. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see both with 15-20 starts for the Twins this year. Still want Vargas to get his shot and wouldn't be surprised if he rakes at AAA. The way he was playing, Adrianza might have forced DanSan off the roster. For now, he's safe. But I suspect his leash is very short and he could be done in about 30 days tops. (Though I'd re-sign him to Rochester if he goes unclaimed).

I'm thinking at this point Wimmers makes it just because. And that's not a knock. Chargois simply didn't capitalize on his ending performance last season and the open window this spring. Unfortunately for himself, as well as the team. And because of this, you may be right about Haley, but I'm just not sold on him. I wish I was, and was hoping I would be. I still think the team might be better with Duffey in the pen and Mejia in the rotation. But I'm not ready to give up on Duffey as a SP yet, and in the long run, his taking the final rotation spot is the right call. He can still move to the pen, but I think he's shown again the spring what he may be capable of. I absolutely don't believe this rotation or bullpen is what we will see a couple of months from now.

Echo enthusiasm for Molitor being willing to mix and match. I can't say for sure that Buxton is ready to hit in the 3 spot, but I find the idea intriguing to be sure. Has me thinking about Polanco first, followed by Mauer/Grossman, Buxton, then sano and Dozier in whatever order. And then Kepler, Park, Rosario and catcher. Sort of breaks up LH/RH and youth with experience thought the lineup. Would also place guys who can run well throughout the lineup.

Stinks for Berrios but makes sense. He saw little time with the Twins and you can say he was up to 55 pitches in bullpen, but it wasn't game action and the Twins weren't there to watch him and work with him. Next time he's up, it will hopefully be for good. Tough spring for Vargas, though I'm sure he wouldn't trade his WBC experience for anything. Thankfully he has the extra option and Park has looked much, much better.

I also agree with Hosken on Duffey. Still too early to give up him as a starter. While a 3rd pitch, or the threat of one, could help, he throws 2 different fastballs and 2 different curves. His biggest problem last season was his FB command.

Bummer about Chargois to be sure. I had him as a sure bet initially. I'm sure he will be back soon and probably for good. But I think there is still a difference between someone established and working on something vs a young arm just not throwing well. It's hard to say someone throwing better that he doesn't deserve the opportunity.