DocBauer

Forget the depth of the Twins OF situation in regard to the draft...in general terms. And forget any of the several talented OF's in A ball or lower specifically. Just at the ML, AAA and AA levels we have Arcia, Hicks, Rosario, Ortiz, Walker, Buxton, Harrison and Kepler. That's 8 guys not including any trades or FA signings to build the OF with. (Or positions switches) Even if you dismiss Ortiz as any sort of top prospect, a solid 4th OF type, that leaves 7 legitimately talented prospects to work with. I believe in taking the most talented player available. Guys wash out. Guys get traded. A HS OF could take 5 years to be ML ready, even if he's very talented, and things could change for a variety of reasons by the time that 5 year mark comes up. But in a draft that is this convoluted and ambiguous, and then/now considering the organizational OF depth, I just wouldn't take an OF unless I was just totally certain he was not only the best player available, but the BPA by a large margin. There is no Mauer-type prospect at C this year, or close, unfortunately. For while I feel the Twins have some interesting catching prospects in the system, it's probably the one spot, organizationally, where we don't have that top prospect we can really feel good about or seemingly count on. With the organization flush with upwardly mobile talent, the parent club not untalented and seemingly turning a corner, perhaps a year early in some's opinion, the Twins should NOT be in the top 5 again in regard to the draft, or even the top 10, for some time again. So while best overall talent selection theory exists, I feel the team should be taking a shot this year on best overall "projectable" talent. In other words there may be someone, maybe a pitcher, maybe a position player, that reports say is an after 10 pick...but...has projectability that carries some risk of failure...but has legit top of the line potential. This is a year where the Twins shouldn't make the safe talent pick, but the talent pick with the highest potential reward.

What's the old expression? "There are lies, damned lies, and there are statistics." For the sake of this umpteenth discussion, we could easily change that to; "there are statistics, damned statistics and lies." I don't have a problem with measurement, statistics or any sort of comparison. But I find it odd just how many different stats, measurables and comps have been created for baseball. My goodness, if you just put in the research, you could come up with a hitting statistic for Mauer, on weekdays, not raining, facing RH's with runners on base, less than 2 outs, against pitchers with at least 2 vowels in their last name. Hell, there probably is already! "You know, Mauer was clutch on Tuesdays and Thursday's against all the Smith's and Johnson's of the world, but don't EVER let him face a pitcher on Wednesday or Friday who has 3 vowels in his name. He's .25 below league average with runners on and no outs and the sun shining with the temperature above 55 with those guys on the hill." I mean, it gets ridiculous. If you think a stat is relevant, great. RBI is a great example. Overblown? Irrelevant? Tell that to the manager and the team trying to score more than the other guys. Someone hits lead off and #2 in a lineup. Why? To get on base and help set up RBI opportunities for the next guys to bat. Why does Plouffe hit #4 for the Twins? Because he's good at collecting RBI there. And he's better at it than other guys who DON'T hit there. If they were better, then they'd hit there instead of Plouffe. Are there multiple factors that can influence RBI opportunity and thus also RBI production? Absolutely. But to arbitrarily dismiss a statistic because it isn't perfect or old school is kind of ridiculous. We're never all going to agree on this stuff, but minds need to be open both ways.

I had picked Kepler to be my pick to click last year. Looks like I was a year early. But considering his youth, who cares missing the target by a year. Always been a believer and been expecting something to click. Scouting reports have always intrigued, along with reports of attitude and work ethic. I remember my father seeing him at ST year before last, and just talking about how smooth and athletic he looked in his movements. I seriously doubt his future is in CF. Despite depth of OF talent in the system starting to come to fruition, he could find himself owning one of the corner OF spots. But I keep seeing him as the Twins next 1B while backing up in the OF. Darin Erstad anyone?

I don't know who will end up doing what, ultimately. But then again, neither does anyone else. But I am going to deliberately take the other side of the fence on this one. Turner was voted the top defensive college catcher in the country. All evidence and scouting reports indicate this was well warranted. At the end of the day, defense and game calling are still the primary job responsibilities of a catcher. (Bob Boone anyone?) But Turner has shown some hit ability, some development possibilities, and some power potential. He started very slow in'14 before finishing the last 3/4 of his season actually hitting well. Suddenly his slow start this year has him as a bum? Garver was the runner up to Turner for the Johnny Bench award. His play last season, and various scouting reports, have him as no defensive slouch, and in college and the pros he's been a better hitter. Hell of a year last year. Again, a slow start early this season and suddenly he's lousy? Swim was a JB nominee, but to be honest, I don't know much about his defensive prowess as his short time with the organization has lead to comments about his hitting and OF play last season. I'd like to know more. Seems he has little power at this point, but he appears to have a major hit tool. Combine that with defense and any kind of pop that develops at all and WOW. Kind of hard to comment don teenage catchers at the rookie and low A level...so I wont. Except to say reports are there is some talent there to work with and mold. And unless you have a Mauer, you are probably talking a couple-few years to even know what you might have. So I'm not so sure the cupboard is bare at all. Talk to me at the end of the season, and not knocking on the door at the 1/4 point.

Let me be clear, I've seen very little of Sano at 3B. I'm sure there are many posters here who have seen him at least enough to form a fair and educated opinion. Most of what I know comes from what I read, near, and a few innings played here and there. But from all of that, here is what I know, or think I know: He can play 3B. His biggest problem is simply slowing things down and finding consistency. He's a good enough athlete and has a very big arm to handle the job. He will NOT play as good of a 3B, when he comes up, as Plouffe does now. But then again, Plouder didn't play this good of a 3B when he came up either. Neither did Koskie. Neither did Gaettit. Neither did half the quality 3B I've seen in my lifetime. I'm sorry, but you want a gold glove rookie 3B, look for a team with a bad hitting former SS at the hot corner. It takes time. Moving Sano off 3B now, due to some preconceived notion he can't play the spot, or will somehow rise quicker to HOF status by being an OF or 1B is misguided and short sided. His offense will play anywhere. It plays even better, with even greater impact, when he sticks at third. Plouffe is a very nice and under appreciated player despite some of the limited buzz around him the past few months. He could be of great value to a team, including the Twins. If Kepler doesn't become the next Twins 1B, Plouffe could. If the OF Doesnt become too crowded too quickly, I am a believer he is a good enough athlete, with a strong arm, that he could be an OK OF. While I don't know if "super sub" is realistic, he could, in fact, possibly play almost every day at a corner INF or OF spot or DH. He's valuable to the Twins now, and in the near future, at least, whether as a player or a trade option. But I think the entire "move Sano because he's a big frame guy with some errors and we're afraid he can't play 3B as well as we'd like as a rookie and we want to catapult him to ML stardom as quickly as we can so a position move should make that happen" mentality has got to be put in check.

Count me impressed by what Milone has done since his demotion. It's way too easy to simply say an experienced ML pitcher should dominate like that. Rehab starts or not, we've seen it doesn't just happen like that. He's working hard to prove a point and I comend him greatly for that! However, today, right now, I say don't promote him. Sucks for him, but I just don't think he's a reliever. And despite his Rochester success, there is just no justifiable reason to promote him at this time over any of the other Twins starters. Hughes is Hughes, quality, and like last year, starting a bit slow but seems to be rounding and gaining momentum. Talent and contract, you aren't messing around with him. Gibson is young, talented, has a bright future, is doing well despite also rounding, and no way he comes out. Nor should he. May? No way! The kid was ONE pitch away the other day from a 1run 7 IP performance. It was still a high quality start, the Twins still won, he pitched well, has outstanding ability and potential, seems to keep working and improving, and you shoot yourself in the foot with a shotgun if you pull him for any reason other than a bad, bad slump. The past couple of games, Nolasco hasn't made it through the 6th, but he's SO a ton without BB, won, flashed, and is owed money and time contractually. He's also owed patience due to injury. His OK career is that, solid and OK, not bad, and he shouldn't be dismissed. I still maintain the best case scenario is for a healthy Nolasco to produce and be traded at some point. That leaves Pelfrey. His career biography would state things like; injured, inconsistent, poor peripherals, disappointing. But he's healthy NOW and pitching well NOW. Is he really fully healthy, strong and developing? Or is he on a "flash" cycle? Odds and history say the latter. But who knows. And if you're riding a nag who is outperforming thoroughbreds, you don't put the horse down or send it to the glue factory just because it's a nag. You ride it as far as you can. I still believe Pelfrey will falter, is a better fit in the pen, can re-invent himself in the pen potentially, and carve out a nice niche worth real $. But for now, I don't know why you'd pull him for Milone. Besides, we're going to be overcrowded when July rolls around and Santana shows up. And that isn't even counting Meyer getting on track, Berrios continuing to heat up, or any other of the solid upper milb pitchers looking like they deserve a shot.

I am not comparing Rosario to Buxton or Sano directly...they are special and on a different level...but like them he shows/flashes the talent/ability to perform and succeed that seems to transcend current numbers. In other words, his abbreviated and rather disappointing 2013, along with sparks he showed in the AFL and in ST didn't speak of dominance or readiness, butter when you watch him, you can just see potential oozing, you can see how close he is to the light begining to brighten if not snap on completely. I admit to being surprised when he was called up. Not to say there were a lot of options other than him, but there were options, including Pinto with Herrmann seeing time in the OF. The fact that he is still up is a testament to his defense and hard work, but also Molitor's obvious belief in him. It's almost as if he just wants him to succeed so badly he's going to stick with him as long as he can.

Great point, but I'm kind of thinking the opposite. With no more top 10 picks in the near future, presumably, and such a deep and talented milb system, and such a mix of available draft talent WITHOUT consensus, it might be the perfect time to roll the dice. Even more than the NFL draft, I believe in drafting the best player available and not reaching for need. The hardest thing to find in all of baseball, I believe, is a top of the line SP, ace or not. A top of the line, front line, ace or not, LHSP is doubly difficult to find. There are a couple guys out there that may fit that bill. If the Twins believe one of those guys has that kind of potential, I'm not so sure we shouldn't roll the dice.

Clearly, all of these names and more would appear deserving of promotion. (Polanco) But there also has to be a corresponding move to be made ahead of them, from the Twins and Red Wings and trickling on down. I believe you will see a few of these guys move over the next month with the biggest jump around June 1st to co-incide with the draft, and give all these kids that full two months at their current level.

"Let Lester loose........let Lester loose......let Lester loose......."

Agreed. BUUUUT, to disagree, we are still uncertain about Hicks and his future. There is no certainty Plouffe will be kept when Sano is ready. While I am a huge Arcia believer, we are, unfortunately, unsure about him as well. Mauer could be gone in a couple seasons, (maybe), and Kepler could be at 1B, or as a multi position backup and versatile offensive piece on the bench. Walker, hitting .250, with consistent 30+ HR and Dbls power with decent range and a big arm, could be very useful.

Definitely a bit of good news/bad news to be had with Walker. About figuring it out, maybe he will, maybe he never will. But one thing he has done since the day he was drafted and signed is PRODUCE. People talk about RBI being bogus as it depends on the hitters in front of you, where you hit in the lineup, and to a degree, the protective hitters behind you. But while that is true to a degree, I say BS on RBI being BS. It doesn't matter who else is in the lineup ahead or behind you, or their OB or speed or anything else if you are unable to produce. Guys hit in a certain spot in the lineup, and guys collect RBI because they produce. Sometimes it's as relatively simple as being able to lift a sac fly instead of striking, grounding or popping out. Walker is producing. Not including the majors, the jump to AA this year concerned me more than a potential, eventual jump to AAA. He still has more than half a season to begin to "figure" some things out. If he could develop in TK .250 ML hitter with even a .300 OB he could be valuable.

To put an even more positive spin on the article in general, and to the comments more directly, this better play and hitting and pitching has taken place with Hughes not yet in form, with Gibson really close but not fully in form, no Santana, a Nolasco who has yet to shown the Twins what he's capable, with a bullpen just finding itself and missing a key option right now. So yeah, possibly playing above themselves. But then again, with a little more give and take, this might be who they really are.

Sorry to be echoing some very intelligent responses, but it's not numbers...or even a date...its approach. I don't care if Buxton is only hitting .250, as long as his approach is sound, he's taking walks and not striking out, and playing great defense and not making blunders on the base paths. I mean, what if he's doing everything perfect, with a .400 OB% but just hitting in to tough luck and being pitched around. Would you hold him back because of a low BA? Likewise, what if he's hitting over .300 but has a .350 OB, is only stealing bases at a 60% clip and making some tracking or throwing errors in the OF. Do you promote him because of his BA and you feel desperate? Don't mess with Byron. With a name like that, you know he's going to be great. (Wink) I don't know if TR's trip is going to be a decision maker or not, but my guess he gets all or most of May yet, then hits Rochester around June 1st. That would give him...potentially now...2 months of AA, 2 months of AAA, with the idea of coming up to the Twins around August 1st. I don't want to lose extra service time with Buxton either. And hopefully when he is up, he's up for good. And he probably will be. But if Buxton is close to the player he's expected to be, service time won't be an issue. Do you really think the Twins will just re-up him year to year? Or is it more likely he will be signed to something longer term anyway? BTW...except for the name thing...this applies almost identically to Sano as well.

I think this is about right. I was greatly disappointed in the Bernier move, especially as it feels of late Molitor and company are leaning more and more to youngsters. But if I saw correctly, Nunez's stay was back dated a few days already, so this is probably a short stay. Meanwhile, Beresford keeps playing daily. A little disappointing to be sure, but in this case, I think I get it.

At the risk of sounding a bit corny, it's a little bit like pornography; "I know it when I see it," to quote the now infamous line. Or in baseball terms, I know good defense or bad defense when I see it. I think there is a distinct difference between dominance and effectiveness. I could throw 100 and striker a bunch he of guys out, but still walk and hit batters and allow crunch time hits that lose the game despite posting "dominate" numbers. On the other hand, I might K 8-9 per IP vs 12-13, and have aSO-BB that is 2 or 2.5-1 vs 3 or 3.5-1....but I don't allow homers or many extra base hits. I don't hit batters or throw wild pitches. I induce a lot of ground balls to kill a rally. Etc. Personally, I think you could rank the whole top 6 by drawing the names out of a hat and still be correct. We're splitting awful fine hairs here. Buuuuuut, there is a part of me that feels Oliveros is getting a raw deal. And just from the Twins but baseball fate. He came back so strong from his TJ surgery, then had a lousy couple of appearances in Sept before settling in. I honestly felt he was going to make the roster, and possibly challenge Fien for the setup role by mid season. Call it a hunch, but I really felt he was ready. Then he's slowed early in ST, gets sent down early, (which I don't get) and is passed over a couple times already despite his dominance. There must be something that I and others are just missing here.

Nicely done. At the risk of repeating myself from a previous post, pleasantly surprised to see the Twins suddenly favoring the youngsters over vets and journeymen. To be fair, injuries are involved, but in some of the recent moves, they could have gone the opposite direction. So I bring up the point again, is this a shift in philosophy since the spring? Or was the plan all along to use the vets as fill in form time, get the youngsters innings and playing times, then begin to make moves later? (Releasing, trading, etc)

Very happy to see Hicks hot and reportedly making plays in the OF. I think he's right where he should be and needs to be for now, especially considering the past couple of seasons and his new leg kick. I just hope the Twins can resist brining him up too soon by either making a trade or getting Sam Fuld-like fortunate on the waiver wire again.

"Huuuuuuu are you? You. You. Huuuuuu are you?" May, Meyer and Berrios. A little further down the line; Stewart, Thorpe, (ouch! Still hurts) and Gonsalves. Seems like we need to make room for Hu in these top pitcher conversations.

Not so sure a B prospect or some of Nolasco's contract paid wouldn't entice them

A temporary solution would be for Nolasco to throw at least one more rehab start. That allows everyone to make at least one more start each. Is May really OK? Will it strike midnight for Pelfrey or has he really discovered something? Was Milone's last start an aberration or the solid starts before? Ideally, all is well, and a team suddenly finding themselves short a starter will come calling.

Wish there was someone to ask, for curiosity sake. Seems to me if I had a decent to potentially good bat projecting, and there was any chance at all he could play at least an OK 3B to increase his and roster flexibility, I'd be all over that.

Absolutely, 100%! Winning and learning to win are important, I believe. But development is still supreme. And to that end, there has been some pretty good to awesome pitching throughout the organization thus far, with a ton of strike outs. And knock on wood, thus far, only Thorpe has had a major injury setback. (Not that his only isn't a BIG only) And for the most part, all clubs are hovering around the .500 mark, or better. (Come on FTM!) I think we're of to a fine start.

FREE DALTON HICKS! FREE DALTON HICKS!

Where is the real Pelfrey? What have you done with the real Pelfrey? Can we keep this version of Pelfrey instead? OK, so I said the same thing in a blog elsewhere. I liked the comment. Lol I caught most of the game and was genuinely impressed. And I saw some of this wicked split fingers. And just when I thought he'd implode, he didn't. No guarantees, but I still think he has the right stuff to MAYBE re-invent himself as a quality bullpen arm: throw hard, mix in pitches, and only have to face a couple hitters,mor go through the lineup once. I just don't trust him. To me he's that friend or cool uncle who is a really neat guy, who everyone likes and roots for, who always has the best intentions...but who always lets you down in the end.