DocBauer

Great news on Benninghoff. Honestly, I don't know a thing about him other than what I read. But his injury, unfortunate for him of course, may have given us a HUGE steal in this draft!

I've never given up on him despite the poor start to this year. He is not Buxton talented, but he remains a tremendouslyrics talented young player. The walks are definately an issue. He will always be a free swinger probably. And that's OK when you realize what he is capable at the plate, on the bases and in the field. And we saw a glimpse of that last year after his sudden promotion. I've always believed that once he actually settles in at a level, like the ML, 20 HR might be a norm. But even high teens with 30+ doubles, triples, SB, etc, he could be effective and dangerous as a 7 hitter. What I find frustrating though, is that when you look at his milb career previously, I believe he never had an OB% that wasn't at least 43 points higher than his BA. So while he was a free swinger, and did SO quite a bit, his walk rate wasn't this poor. I keep thinking he's trying to hard to hit and mash his way back the Twins. I am pleasantly surprised and impressed by Grossman. But I'd love to see him play a lot, but as a 4th OF with a Twins OF of Rosario, Buxton and Kepler. Right now though, I'm still thinking I'd keep Rosario down at Rochester for a while longer and just try to get him to relax, and beat it in to his head that we know how talented he is, and what he is capable of, but even a little more patience will take him further and make him that much better of a ballplayer.

I know Rortvedt will be at least 4 years away, probably 5, but I just find his selection to be one of the most intriguing of the entire Twins draft. Along with the young HS pitcher from Kansas who's name I can't recallie at the moment.

The best part of this list is 4 really nice rotation candidates, all having fine seasons, and by the second half of this season, all 4 should be at AA or higher. It doesn't mean they are pending imminent ML appearances or success, with the exception of Berrios, but it means any or all of the other 3 could be up late in 2017, or ready by 2018. Just curious, considering the important nature of the position, a solid and potentially quality bat, and all the good things about his work behind the plate, how close do you place Garver to the top 10? Being a catcher should nudge him a couple extra points higher shouldn't it?

What encourages me about Palka is the much higher overall BA and a solid OB%. Yes, he does SO more than you would like, and your correct that there is a risk of an uptick whenever he reaches AAA. But thus far, his BB is not bad and he obviously makes better overall contact. I'm fine if he needs the full season at AA, though some time at Rochester to be challenged and acclimate for 2017 would be nice. At this point, he has to be considered a legitimate prospect and possible steal.

As to what the Twins need, it's debatable. It's possible any prospects we get back could be included in separate deals for other players this offseason, or, to replace anyone we offer up currently in the system. But #1, I'd like to see some firm of decent, quality, semi-hot young catcher involved. You're not going to get a top catching prospect in return. But that doesn't mean you can't get a solid one. Or someone currently blocked by a higher quality, more established starter. Other than a #1 SP, the biggest hole on this team for 2017 is behind the plate. We need depth and competition for Centeno and Murphy.

I am still in the camp of keeping Abad. RP don't seem to fall off the truck after 30 the way SP do. He's got a solid track history. Now, if someone offers something over value for him, of course you listen Nolasco has a shorter, lower contract than Santana and should be easier to move. Agree that in addition to salary pickup, the Twins may have to toss in a lower level prospect here or there to complete the deal. More than worth it to get this team moving in the right direction.

Unless we demote Buxton and/or Kepler again...man I hope not...Palka should at Rochester and soon.

Look at Polanco on the leader board, look at the tremendous success enjoyed in his milb career up until this year as well, and try to make a logical arguement that he doesn't belong up at the ML level for a losing, rebuilding team. Just ridiculous.

Short, sweet, to the point, and accurate. Nunez should be shopped, like a lot of guys on this team. And if someone really needs INF help in the form of Nunez and offers something actually solid...best we could hope for is a decent to good AA or A+ prospect, IMHO...then you probably do it. The problem, as I see it, is whether or not Nunez actually holds much trade value at all. Meaning, versatile, decent bat, pop, speed, and someone who brings enjoyment to the game, and is quite inexpensive, is he perhaps or more value for another year or two as a Twins bench role player than a low level milb RP, for instance? I like Nunez for what he is/has been, regardless of his tremendous first half. But is there a team out there that would actual VALUE him enough to even make a trade worthwhile? Unlike Plouffe, who I also have liked, he's not an expensive veteran blocking a young player from a spot or interfering with roster construction. I believe the more prudent move would be to trade Plouffe and Dozier, slide Polanco in to 2B, and have Nunez and Escobar at SS and utility along with Santana and/or Beresford. Top young prospect Polanco now has a home. SS is still open for Gordon when ready, but you still have decent options for SS and utility until then. Inexpensive options at that. Ideal? No. But aren't we talking about the future, building for the future, creating opportunities for the youngsters, and maybe even saving some payroll? We might even get lucky and find a halfway decent young catcher in one of these trades to compete with Centeno and Murphy for next year.

Jeremy, just from your quick comments, Andre Jernigan sounds like a guy who should have been picked higher. Is there a particular reason he lasted until the 14th round? Arm? Level of competition?

Benninghoff sounds interesting. An athletic HS talent who throws 90 with a "hammer" curve? Get this one done!

Palka....WOW. Felix Jorge...WOW. Could we see the entire Ft Myers rotation in AA at some point? Darnell...WOW. What a classy guy!

So far so good. Getting a little crowded in places near the top of the milb ladder, so replenish the lower levels with some talent with nice potential. We've been told the team might go a little position player heavy this year after concentrating a great deal on young pitchers as of late. Nothing perfect or polished here, but young athletes with actual upside. I like it!

I know Wisconsin isn't a hot bed for ML talent, but this pick intrigues me more than our 1st rounder. And I like Garver as a catching prospect. Guy is quality behind the dish from all reports and he can hit, and has potential with the bat. Let's not forget, catcher is generally not an offensive position. Secondly, catchers don't tend to be fast rise prospects the way Mauer was.

There is nothing wrong with this pick. He was rated to go right about where he did, and is clearly rated a 1st rounder by everyone. I get that some aren't enamored by a prep OF selection, or claim we have too many already. I don't see how that is true. First, you need at least 4 OF at every level. Second, guys wash out and don't make it for one reason or another. Third, you can't simply not take an OF for rookie ball and development, 4-5 years away from the majors, simply because it seems you're crowded at the top NOW There were actually a couple pitchers I was more excited about, but I can't complain about this pick, even if it doesn't push my "thrill" button fully. I think what bothers some people is just the whole "tools OF" comment because at this point it just sounds redundant.

There is nothing wrong with this pick. He was rated to go right about where he did, and is clearly rated a 1st rounder by everyone. I get that some aren't enamored by a prep OF selection, or claim we have too many already. I don't see how that is true. First, you need at least 4 OF at every level. Second, guys wash out and don't make it for one reason or another. Third, you can't simply not take an OF for rookie ball and development, 4-5 years away from the majors, simply because it seems you're crowded at the top NOW There were actually a couple pitchers I was more excited about, but I can't complain about this pick, even if it doesn't push my "thrill" button fully. I think what bothers some people is just the whole "tools OF" comment because at this point it just sounds redundant.

I've always stated that if you could translate what he was as a hitter while behind the plate, not counting his MVP season, but just have him healthy for 500AB he could be valuable and productive despite not being a slugger. I grew up watching Keith Hernandez, Wally Joyner, Mark Grace and others have quality, productive careers despite not being sluggers. Mauer hitting even .280 with an OB in the .370 range with 12-14 HR and 35 Dbls or so would be very productive, knocking guys in, around, and scoring runs himself. Right now, 3 years removed from concussion, familiar and comfortable at 1B, and re-inventing himself somewhat as a hitter, he's even better than that.

As of NOW, I am choosing, blindly or not, to assume the best for the current front office in regard to their view of our current situation, and what needs to be done. I say this due to obvious, public, frustration by the Pohlad's, as well as comments from Ryan that would almost have you believing he is fighting for his job. (you've heard and read them all) And while we can and have debated back and forth as to if the Twins have shown any sort of change recently in philosophy or agenda...and to what degree...I believe there has been a shift. (even if injuries have more quickly ushered in such changes.) To me, the entire trade, DFA, non-tender issue breaks down in to 3 different categories: 1} THE OBVIOUS: This one is just so obvious that I shouldn't even have to state it. Plouffe needs to go in order to move Sano to 3B. This does so much to facilitate the future of the roster and improve/make-room-in the OF. He's just not a match for the future and value should be received while we can. Same with Nolasco. At this point, eating a chunk of his contract, someone out there needs, or will need, help on the mound and would see the veteran as a solid option without an expensive or long contract situation. With all due respect to the tough and professional Suzuki, he's done as a Twin. Every year it seems, someone invariably needs catching help for the second half as they make a run at the post season. Zuke may have value to one of these teams, and could offer a tiny return potentially. Waiver wire, trade, or however, the Twins needs to find another decent, solid option at catcher to work with Centeno, Murphy later, and simply part with Suzuki sooner rather than later. Jepsen...is not going to be back, and should not be back. Chargois is ready or close. Pressly and Tonkin offer upside, are cheaper, and pitching better. Heck, even Kinzler is younger and throwing better and cheaper. Unless the idea is to bring Jepsen back on a minimum type deal for depth and competition, he's a former Twin in the waiting. For the sake of the future, sooner should come sooner rather than later. And for his sake as well as he may find a good landing spot, via trade or release. 2} THE DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE: *Perkins *Hughes *Santana The Twins still need guys to start, this year and next. I still like Santana to be one of those guys. Hes not been at the top of his game yet, but is solid, and provides a proven "veteran" presence in a rotation that could be real young real quick. Hughes and Perkins would be almost impossible to trade at this point. Perkins, maybe, if he has a strong rebound off the DL. 3} QUESTIONABLES: *Dozier *Abad *Nunez I'm in favor of moving Dozier at this point, though we could end up regretting it later. He's young enough and talented enough to be part of tomorrow. But actually getting Polanco playing time could give us an excellent young player to take over 2B. I don't know that Nunez, career season or not, brings back enough to warrant moving him and removing a useful piece. And I'd keep him for sure if Dozier was moved. Same with Abad. To me, I'd be in favor of an extension as long as it's only 2 years and not for an outrageous price. He's had a solid career, and would probably bring more value to the Twins over the next couple of years than what he would bring in return. Maybe.

I could get behind this one 100%

I also want Chargois up, believe he's an important part of 2017 and beyond, and believe he will be up no later than July 1st. Probably sooner. And I am not being snarky, nor am I trolling, but who would you propose is removed to make room at this time for him? Barring a trip to the DL, we appear to be stuck with Hughex, who will move to the bullpen when Gibson comes back. Pressly and Tonkin are FINALLY getting extended opportunities and performing pretty well, Pressly after a rough start and some adjustments. You don't want send down Rogers, and Abad has been excellent. (Personally, I wouldn't break the bank or go long term, but I think Abad may have more value being kept). Boshers? He's a fun story, but also pitched well at Rochester, and has been OK in limited ML time. Do we just release Jepsen at this point? Kintzler isn't part of the future, but he's been pitching decently. Is he the best candidate? Really, what is the right move here?

I know it's become an old arguement, but if we fast forward a bit and DO move Plouffe to the Mets, the Royals, whoever, and Sano is back at 3rd where he belongs, I'd still like to audition Mauer and/or Park in the OF somewhere. And I'm not talking about repeating the same issue as playing Sano out of place. I'm just talking about future roster construction and versatiliy. Park shows some real potential as a hitter, while battling to learn the ML game. Not a surprise there. But he's showing potential, and has less than a half season thus far. (To those who already are sour on him or think he should be moved) And I find him to be a quality defensive 1B. Mauer seemingly HAS rebounded from the past two years. And he's not going anywhere. But while Buxton and Kepler should be counted on for 2/3 of the OF, that leaves one spot open. Rosario could still claim that 3rd spot. Grossman could be a nice role player. We still don't know for sure what we have in Arcia and he needs to play. There is hope for Walker, but he's got a ways to go yet. Palka could be a player. Maybe a defensive speedster like Granite will be the final piece. But for roster and lineup construction...and the possibility of Walker or Vargas providing a potential big bat as a DH, why not just see if Mauer/Park could provide even more roster flexability?

I find Grossman to be an interesting, somewhat undervalued story at this point. And I wrote about him a few weeks ago in another thread. I didn't do extensive research on him so I'm not sure how high he has ever ranked as a prospect. But he is a switch hitter with a decent frame. He is no big power threat or speed demon, but he has shown pop and decent power at times, and had double digit SB most years. His career milb triple slash is: .271/ .379/ .392. Nothing spectacular, but solid. Thus far, 16 games I believe, still a SSS, but his defense has looked solid and he hasn't flailed away or looked over matched at the plate. While I'm sure his current production is in no way sustainable, 12 BB against 12 SO is encouraging. I'm not saying we got a star or steal here, but he's young enough with enough ability that we may have uncovered a useful player off the bench, or maybe, who knows, a solid, all around functional 3rd OF. Bit of a stretch maybe, but there might be something to work with here.

Making the Plouffe move, Sano counter move also helps settle the OF. I just don't think there's much question that Buxton and Kepler will be a part of it. Buxton may actually be ready to stick now. Hopefully, Kepler is ready "enough" now so that he can continue to grow and learn at the ML level. That's 2/3 of our OF. Who's the third guy? I don't know, could be Rosario if he starts playing good defense again and can hit like the player he was in the minors, and most of last year for the Twins. Maybe it's Palka. Maybe a defensive speedster like Granite. Maybe 26 yo Grossman is a better overall find than previously thought, and instead of being a 4th OF, maybe he's just a solid, all around ML OF. Maybe. But I'd rather settle my infield and settle settle 2/3 of my OF...including better defensively...with 1 final spot to fill

Fine job Nick! Especially in trying to keep something fresh that has been re-hashed so many times already. And I know I'll be repeating myself again....but.... * I got the idea of keeping Plouffe. At its base, it was not a bad idea. We had no clue what we were going to have with Mauer or Park, and initially, we didn't know we'd even have Park. But we pretty much know what we have now, going forward, how the pieces are fitting/going to fit, and it's time to move Plouffe for whatever we can get. That's not an unsalted to Plouffe, just urgency. * Sano stays and plays 3B. Everything I've seen of him says he can play the position solidly. Not perfect, not Gold Glove, but solid. And that's OK and enough, especially with his bat. (Especially compared to some other all bat 3B around) And do we have to once again explore how poor defensively Gaetti and Koski were when they cam up? And others on other teams before settling in? It's a process. It takes time. There is every reason to believe he will only get better. * I am now of the belief they shouldn't stop with Plouffe, but move on from Dozier as well. Not because I'm frustrated with Dozier...and I am...and not because I don't like Dozier...he's one of my favorite Twins the past few years, along with Plouffe...but because it just makes sense. Dozier is young enough to be part of the rebuild. But what about Polanco? ASSUMING he really can't play ML SS for anything other than fill-in, he should possess all the tools to be a quality 2B who could still fill in at SS & 3B occassionally. While his ML sampling is disgustingly small to this point, everything in his talent bases and past production indicates he can hit, make some contact, take some walks, drive the ball with XB and occassionally HR power, run well and steal some bases, and has been a clutch hitter. Every year he starts out batting in the 1 or 2 spot and slides to the 3 spot to drive in runs. (Same thing Gordon has been doing lately) Escobar and Nunez can share SS competition for now, with the likes of Santana and Beresford as addition INF support until Gordon is ready. This is not a bad INF overall, is young, and filled with potential.