DocBauer

The worst thing against Chargois coming up soon...and I can't believe I'm actually going to type this...is that the ML bullpen has been much better of late. For him, in the long run, despite his stuff and the results, a little more time honing his game at Rochester may prove beneficial. But unless he regress suddenly, I can't believe he's not up by July 1st to play the second half. I'm also mixed on Jay vs Gonsalves. I'd really like to see both move up, and they might. On the one hand, Jay has been kicking it, and he's a little older, but he's also new to full time starting. Gonsalves really has next to nothing to prove in A ball, but he's been a little off lately and is younger. (Let me state that Gonsalves being a little off is still pretty good!) I'm going to say Jay before Gonsalves just due to age and a better roll lately. I'd say another 2-3 starts for either and then they're both up...also July 1st at the latest. Puts them both on pace to begin 2017 in AA with possible mid-season moves to AAA. Wade has to move up and soon! I'd really like to see what AJ Murray could do at high A, but this is only his 1st full league season. He's still working on some fielding things, as any young infielder would be expected to, and improving his SB, but doesn't Gordon have to be up July 1st as well? Unless ML health suddenly sends Buxton and/or Kepler back down to Rochester again...and I hope it doesn't happen...I could see Palka at Rochester in the near future. I know his production has slipped since his first month, but the power is still there, he's got a decent number of BB to go with his SO totals giving him a still solid BA and OB.

While well thought of, I don't think Vargas was ever a TOP prospect, but a pretty good one nonetheless. And his 2014 season had us all convinced, I think, that he could be a solid fixture for us. Not an Ortiz kind of fixture, but solid BA, mid 20's HR, switch hitter, etc. And then 2015 happened for/to him. Again, he was probably my top pick for surprise minor leaguer this year. And he's been making me look smarter and smarter. What would be even smarter, IMHO, is a move of Sano to 3B, and an audition of Park and Mauer in a corner OF spot. It's not ideal to be sure, but is Sano the only guy not immune to an OF position switch to get him in the lineup? Just might a quality young DH in Vargas if given another shot.

All great points and I agree with all of them. To echo everyone else, "find out what you have" should be the mantra for the rest of the year. What are you going to do? Not find out and maintain the status quo in hopes of losing 99 games instead of 105??? Plouffe, Dozier and Polanco are all tied for 1st for me. Sano has the ability to play 3B, has shown he can do so, and will probably get better. The hard part is Dozier. If he makes some adjustments, we've seen he can be a fine player and better than league average. And he's young enough to still be part of the future. How awful do you feel if you move him and he continues to be better than ,eager average and maybe even goes to another All Star game or two? BUT, if Polanco is what we all think he can be, you might really have something there! If you trade Plouffe and Dozier, I'd keep Nunez. He, Escobar and Beresford offer depth until Gordon is ready. I know this version of Nunez is probably a mirage, but he offers a decent offensive package with positional flexability. Career year or not, unless a contending team is really hurting for INF help, I just don't know that his trade value is worth more than his value to the Twins. Yes to Centeno. I just wish there was SOMEONE to bring up, sign or trade for to make Suzuki replacable. I respect Suzuki very much, but he's toast. His experience might make him valuable to a contending team that suffers an injury. Otherwise, it sure would be nice if Dozief, Plouffe, Nolasco, or some various combination could bring back just a good, solid backstop to work with Centeno and just move on from Zuke.

Also a little disappointed Palka hasn't been brought up to Rochester with the shortage of OF there. I would assume a bit of a cold spell...not including the HR..is what's keeping him down. I get the 61 SO, but he does also have 22 BB to give himself a .351 OB% to with a .273 AVG despite a poor stretch. So it looks like there is something to work with there.

Very interesting, looking only at LHRP currently at AA or above, your list would include Rogers, Melotakis, Corey Williams and Westphal. Less highly regarded, but with a chance I'd say would be Darnell, Dean and maybe O'Rourke still. Just not sure what to think of Boshers. He's young enough, and a good story with a solid AAA numbers this year, that I think you'd have to at least consider him. And it remains to be seen if the Twins found a steal in Abad you'd like to keep, or offer up in trade if you could actually get something of value for him. But there some rather interesting options here to build the lefty side of the Twins future bullpen.

Nicely done SD. Agree just about 100%. I think there is more urgency in the rotation than you do. But while Nolasco may have value with a shorter contract, Hughes and Santana could be hard to move. (Though I'd argue on keeping Santana) Perkins is also unmovable, unless he gets healthy fairly quickly and shows he's got something in July.

We're going to agree to disagree on this. The previous way the Twins did things would have been to keep Hughes in the rotation because of money and seniority. Even last year, they blindly kept Pelfrey in the rotation and moved May to the pen. After sending Milone down, last year, they brought him back up. Now, they are allowing Dean to pitch...no clue what he may do with the opportunity...and keeping Milone down. Mastroianni was a poor choice of a potential call up. Grossman just may have been a solid spare OF. But they were brought up to keep Buxton and Kepler down and getting AAA time, and sending down Rosario to do the same. You can agree or disagree with them being at AAA is the right idea or not, but at least they were showing that had a form of a plan. Centeno may end up being nothing. He may be a solid backup. We don't know. But the Twins have shown a reluctance to catch almost anyone other than Suzuki, even the other options weren't necessarily good ones. So instead of a poor performing veteran getting the nod due to seniority and/or contract, Centeno has played a lot, and far more than any other catching option the past couple of years. And now, with Buxton and Kepler back up due to injuries, they are playing every day. Something we all complained about didn't happen earlier in the year, or last year even. So while there is a lot of work to still be done, there seems to be a shift in the whole "scholarship" situation many have complained about in the past. Perkins, Hughes and Santana may be untradable. Nolasco may be. Plouffe should be. Dozier is a hard one to call, but may be. Doing what can be done here would further the idea of a change in approach, as well as help open doors for additional promotions.

Yes, the ORIGINAL post was before Kepler's return it was before the recent Gibson setback. If my original post didn't make sense to you, my point was simply that I was and am seeing minor changes that I didn't feel you would have previously seen from this regime.there is a TON left to do for sure. But at the time of writing, before additional injuries and relapses happened, they FO wasn't operating by their previous mantras. Again, when is the last time they took a high salaried SP and moved him to the bullpen and kept a rookie in the rotation? A lot of us were disappointed in the far more talented Berrios lacking control but not getting another start or two. Instead of keeping Hughes in the rotation, or promoting veteran Milone, they are allowing Dean a shot. They probably screwed up with Duffey during ST, but rectified that situation by bringing him back pretty quickly. While Mastroianni wasn't a good choice to bring up, they did so as a bench option in order to KEEP Buxton and Kepler in Rochester for experience, a groove, and probably some confidence as well. At least, that was the plan originally. SOME kind of plan is better than the helter skelter way the roster seemed constructed. Same with Grossman...who MIGHT be a solid 4th OF signing...bringing him up and again keeping the young OF down, including sending Rosario down. Still a long way to go, but it looked like an approach, some kind of approach, with some logic behind it.

I would also pick Jay, though it's obviously really close. Being 1 level higher helps give him the nod, but also the SO's. We've got a long way to go here fellas, but the Jay pick is looking pretty smart at this point. Concerning IP, I would also think 130 is about right, but, I think it also depends on the pitcher and his mechanics. Smooth, sound mechanics makes it easier to pitch more innings, I'd think. But also, efficiency based on average nber of pitches thrown per start. I absolutely believe he should be in AA sometime the second half if this keeps up. I'd get try to get him 2-3 GS there and then finish in the bullpen. In theory, he'd begin next year at AA with a possible AAA promotion at some point.

Buxton is up, and Kepler, by injury or fortune sake. The Twins have stated they will play. Centeno may or may not be a decent backup catcher. But he's playing, not sitting on the bench in favor of Suzuki. Yes Duffey is up. And yes he was up last year. But he began the year in the minors. Now he's up and starting over Hughes or Milone. Dean is starting over Hughes or Milone, regardless of his ultimate floor and/or ceiling. Hughes has been demoted to the pen regardless of contract. We still need to over Nolasco and Plouffe. Maybe Dozier. Theres work that absolutely needs to be done. But I think to say there hasn't been the beginning of some sense of change in approach here is a bit naive.

He needs to go because of fit. I suppose, ultimately, a decent start, and a lul, before pitching better again recently, he MAY actually raise his value for some trade value. I wasn't opposed to his signing initially. Though he, Hughes AND Santana was a bit much and misguided. Nolasco needs to go because of the future. And I DO believe there is still a future here. Duffey is where he should be. I like Gibson. Santana is solid and provides a veteran influence, which can be a quality consideration. At some point, Berrios will be back. Hopefully soon. This leaves one more spot for Dean, or Wheeler, or Meyer, or May. But you need an open spot for this to happen. Traded or released, Nolasco needs to go for the future development for the team.

I want to contribute to this thread...but sure I can. I get he's the next man up. I get that he's performing well the past month. I get and hope this will turn out to be "his time" even if he doesn't knock anyone's socks off right away. And that is also OK. But I really wanted another few weeks, if not a month, to help insure that his "time" was really the right time. Blast him all you want, but of Mastroianni was healthy and available for a week or two, would this thread even exist? And if he was, keeping Buxton down longer, would that be a bad thing? It's just so damn frustrating! Our OF, of late, has been a miscast 3B in RF, a utility guy in CF, a d a waiver pickup. There is just something inherentlyrics wrong here with this picture.

Look, I live and die with my Twins and have for 45 years. I've seen multiple owners, GM's, players, a plethora of managers, etc. I've seen the highs and way too many lows. But I do think frustration colors issues a bit at the moment. The issue at hand, as I see it, is HOW should a shakeup be structured. I have no problem with bringing in a "baseball guy" to oversee things from a presidential standpoint. But part of the issue seems to be what has been mentioned here previously: most of us, me included, are unsure what the Twins presidency really means in regard to job function. It APPEARS to me that said job title has little to nothing to do with the running of the ballclub, but rather the business side of the Minnesota Twins. And the GM's is to dea, with the product on the field. We can argue, I suppose, about marketing and how family friendly Target Field is, etc. Not living in the Twin Cities, I'm sure my perspective on these and other topics, are different than those that do. From the outside looking in, and I'm not praising or blasting DStP, but the Twins enjoy one of the best ML facilities in Target Field, have a tremendous facility in Ft Myers, and seem to enjoy success with scouting across the globe with a real presence in Latin America. These are good things, real positives. And maybe said president SHOULD be a strong baseball guy who hires someone else to help take care of things. And I think that's part of the point here. Ownership will ultimately make their decision on structure within the organization. But knowing we don't know everything, is it better to have an overseer for baseball, and an overseer for the GM while having someone else involved in the business side of things. OR, is that too many cooks vs having a quality GM solely in charge of the baseball side of things? I'm not sure I know the answer to this question. But I think that is the issue and debate, without knowing everything we wish we knew. I think we all agree something needs to change. It's time. I agree with Brian...if I may paraphrase...that I also have accepted a lot and forgiven a lot, but now realize that a lack of vision, plan, action, non-action, etc, has lead to a dysfunctional baseball product. There is way too much potential here to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but it's simply time for new blood, and a real sense of a plan of action. I just don't know if that means a new and strong GM, or a combination of new GM and "baseball" president who let's someone else run the whole business/public part of the operstions.

Again, who knows what we really have in Dean. But thus far, he's actually looked like a ML pitcher, SSS sure. But one of the things the announcers brought up in his last start was how he went back to drawing board after a poor previous season. And his '15 season was solid, as was the start of this season. (I'm not so sure Wheeler isn't doing the same thing this year) But some of the optomism I'm feeling that the FO may actually be re-directing their energy and efforts...as I brought up in the first part of my post...is that even with Gibson coming back, and the Hughes move to the pen, there wasn't the typical knee-Jerk reaction to recycle a veteran and bring Milton back up. Now, of course, if Berrios can get back in his typical and expected groove, and our rotation can consist of Santana, Gibson, Duffey, Berrios and Dean-Wheeler-Meyer-May, I'll REALLY feel like we're looking to the future.

I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. Almost giddy. We still have a long way to go this season. (Ugh, I kind of hated to type that. Lol) I was down on Mauer coming in to the season. I was hopeful, third removed from his last concussion and such, but I couldn't bring myself to put a lot of Fath in the sunglass idea and his sudden revelation about not seeing the ball well. And then he went out and hate the great April and I encouraged like crazy! Then came the poor start to May, and fair or not, I was caught up in the idea that April as an early season mirage. But he has been finishing the month strong, punctuated with this past week and this reward. What I have noticed is a perceived aggression at the plate. In his day, one thing that set Joe apart was his ability to work counts and hit even with a couple strikes on him. One knock has always been that perhaps he was always too patient, and should have used his natural size and strength to be more aggressive early in his AB's. With the exception of his MVP season, Mauer has never been a slugger. And even at 1B, he doesn't have to be. A complete, hopefully effective and dangerous lineup, is made up of many parts. Healthy for 150 games as a 1B and DH, anywhere close to his old self as a hitter brings value to the lineup: .290-.300 AVG/ .370-.380 OB/ 34-40 DBLS/ double digit HR is very valuable, whether he hit 2,3, or maybe 5 between Sano and someone else. Let's hope April, and the past couple of weeks, are for real. Way to go Joe!

First, props to Pat Dean. I don't know what his future is, or if he even has one at the ML level or not, but after all the angst and debate about him even being on the 40 man roster, no matter what happens down the road, he deserves some props for the moment. He may be another Albers, a guy who others don't know much about and simply gets lucky for a stretch, or maybe a surprise mystery man, but his last start was a thing of beauty. (I didn't follow the game thread in his last start, so maybe he's already received a little love here at TD) But pitched an outstanding game his last start. It was soooo much fun to watch! His stuff is not special, but he's been solid in his brief tenure, and he was ON his last start. He mixed his pitches, hit his spots, worked in and out, up and down, and maybe pitched the best game for the Twins so far in this frustrating and disappointing season. But I find really interesting lately is the decisions the team is making in regard to its construction. And I'm wondering if we may actually be seeing the shift in construction that we've all been calling for. Now make no mistake, I'm NOT defending Ryan here, nor am I stating the the Twins are done with anything. But in subtle ways, it looks like a change in approach MAY be happening. Examples: (and bear with me here) *Mastroianni was brought up for speed and defense off the bench so Buxton could get in his AAA time to find his center. And it appears to be paying off. * Rosario was sent down for similar AAA time, which he needs, and has been better as of late. * Kepler has been looking good before his recent injury. Hopefully he's back soon. * The Grossman signing has been met with much debate. Deservedly so. But, he's only 26, a switch hitter with some ability and a solid milb history, and has actually helped provide a bit of a lift. No rose colored glasses here, and I'm not saying we got really lucky and found a really nice piece for the future...which teams, including the Twins, do find from time to time...but maybe we found a solid, still young, bench piece. In the short term, he's provided a decent option to allow Buxton, Kepler and Rosario to get the previously mentioned AAA time. * While inconsistent to be sure, Pressly, Tonkin and Rogers have been, and still are, part of the pen. * Duffey is back and has been largely the pitcher saw last year. * Dean has gotten a shot, looked decent thus far, and apparently will stick. At least for now. * Centeno, no super prospect to be sure, has played well behind the plate, and done OK at the plate. And he's been taking time away from Suzuki. We may have actually stumbled on a decent backup catcher....long term. * Despite his contract, service time, and previous speculation regarding veteran players having "scholarships", Hughes is being moved to the bullpen with Gibson coming back. If you step back for a moment, and put aside all the frustration with this season, management decisions, the lack of time for youngsters when they were brought up, it does seem to me there is a shift in philosophy taking place. Now, there is TON of heavy lifting to be done yet. Nolasco still needs to ge. Plouffe needs to go. IF someone could find use and value for Suzuki, maybe due to injury, he needs to go. I don't know if there is any hope to move Jepsen, or Perkins if he can ever get on the field eventually, but same thing there. Unless Hughes suddenly finds himself, SP or RP, we are probably stuck. But at least we are making some kind of necessary move with him. Dozier is a big question mark as a trade option, for various reasons, but should be considered at least. At some point...let's just say July 1st as a proposed date...Buxton will need to back up. Possibly Kepler and Rosario as well. Maybe Polanco, which I'd like to see, but he's spent half the year rotting on the bench. Beresford and Vargas? Maybe. Berrios? With any reclaiming of his previous excellent control. Chargois, definately. The Pohlad's aren't happy. Ryan has stated this fact, has alluded to their unhappiness with the season and the job he has done, and his needed to show and prove something. And now, maybe, we've been seeing the start of change. The start of a plan. Call me crazy if you will, and you probably will, but it feels to me as though a "begining" has actually been happening.

Rogers seems to be showing something. I think he stays. I think Boshers goes down, unless they want to give Pressly some AAA time, which I doubt, and he's looked a little better as of late. They wouldn't get crazy, smart crazy like a fox, and send May down to stretch, would they? He also has suddenly looked better recently, but wouldn't it be great to see him start again? I still think it's Boshers, seems to make the most sense, but I love Hughes to the pen. Completely unexpected, but smart and warranted. We have talked before about "scholarships" in regard to veteran players. But Hughes, despite gutting out some solid innings, has not looked at all like himself. Fewer innings, this could allow him to find himself again. And maybe, just maybe, this is his calling and his future.

A question for all of you based on a few basic assumptions. The general belief for all of us educated fans an amateur GM's is that Nolasco could and should be gone by whatever means necessary in order for the youth movement to take place. But unless the team actually find someone, probably a NL team, to take on the remainder of Nolasco's contract, or even half of it, the Twins could end up eating the entire $12M owed in 2017. Pretty much exactly the same with Perkins. No matter what, we probably hold his entire 2017 salary: closer, setup, cut, we're on the hook. But traded or not re-signed to make room for Sano at 3B, and Buxton and Kepler in the OF, we get over $7M in relief from Plouffe being gone. Suzuki gone means another $6M. Traded or not re-signed, Jepsen gone frees up another $5+M. Fien saves another $2M. Even eating or accounting for Nolasco and Perkins, that is $20M, roughly, gone for the 2017 season. Yes, there will be raises, of course. But the bulk of the remaining roster is either signed and accounted for already, or are, and will be, minimum salary players or small raise players not currently making big money. If Ryan suddenly lost his marbles, or got vindictive/super aggressive on his way potentially out, or ownership also suddenly bought in to the full rebuild and fully committed to letting prospects play, a move of Dozier could mean another $3M or so depending on if we had to pay a portion of his salary. In 2011, the Twins had their highest ever team payroll at $115.5M. Now, that was paying for a team ownership thought could compete. Finances change in sports, as they often do, between mass market and local TV and radio deals, etc. IN THEORY, with no evidence to the contrary, allowing for nothing more than a 10% increase in max payroll over 6 years, talking about 2017, that would leave a maximum, comfortable payroll, potentially, of $127M. Now, this based on a potentially winning, competitive team payroll. A team doing their best to dump players who don't fit in to the future, and are committed to youth, is probably not looking for a max payroll at this time. And I think that is more than understandable. But I think these rough numbers are good for perspective. So we cut $20M. If we keep Dozier, that number is $17M. A few small raises, and that's probably all that is due considering, once again, minimum salary players and relatively low salary players making up the rest of the roster, except for a few high cost guys already locked in, and it should leave the 2017 Twins with around $15 to spend just to equal the 2016 payroll. Assuming, of course, management wouldn't be tired of 5 out of 6 seasons losing 90+ games and wanting to make not only a major statement, but a wholesale statement with a new GM, etc. But let's be conservative, assume the youth movement, and a want to just keep the payroll the same. If you are a pessemist, you will say the Pohlad's want to cut payroll to save and make money. If you are optomist, and have read recent comments that indicate the Pohlad's are impatient and Ryan may be clinging to his job, you could see changes coming and a willingness to at least be competitive, make necessary moves to offer hope, and at least match payroll, even if you don't want to raise it at this time. What do you do if in charge? I'd think signing a mediocre SP is out of the question. And I dont see suddenly adding to payroll to sign a MAJOR FA SP for a very young team. Said stud FA pitcher probably would be on the decline when the rest of the roster was ready. So again, what do you do? Horde payroll for a couple of years, when Santana, Hughes and Mauer are off it, or close? Even though Chargois is achingly close to making a move as a potential stud, with Burdi, Melotakis and others seemingly a good year away still, do you FINALLY make a strong move for the bullpen? Assuming Buxton and Kepler in the near future, Rosario suddenly a question mark, other OF seemingly at least a year away, unless Grossman really is a young, switch hitting Mickey Hatcher, (a nod to us old/long term Twins fans), do you look to an OF? Do you try to sign the very best catcher you can, short term, to work with Centeno before Garver/Turner are available? If Ryan, ownership, the next GM, will ACTUALLY MAKE SOME MOVES and commit to the future before the 2016 season is over, there ARE some things to be excited about. And without going suddenly crazy with payroll, a few moves would allow flexability to add to the roster and, hopefully, prevent another 90 loss season even as the youth movement is in full flux. So again, what would you do if you were committed to tomorrow but also had $15 to work with?

I suppose this opens up a can of worms, but unless I can actually get something pretty solid in return, I'm not looking to trade Nunez. And it's not as simple as him having a career year. To hear some opinions, not necessarily yours, but in general from non-Nunez fans, you'd think he goes in to the field dressed as Edward Scissorhands. I just don't think that is fair or accurate. I have seen a mix of some really nice plays from Nunez, this year and before, as well as some boots. (Nobody is ever perfect, of course). But for the most part, day after day, I feel he's solid with the glove overall. And I repeat what I've stated before, if a guy was an excellent fielder AND quality hitter, he'd be a starter and not a utility player. I like the way Nunez plays the game; he hustles and seems to care. He's a solid hitter with pop and has quality speed as well. Plouffe really should be moved at some point. Given that, Sano now plays 3B full time, which is where he should be. Assuming, for now, Dozier is not traded...and I'm very open to this happening...Nunez and Escobar play SS and utility in some combination. Santana should not start, but still offers some talent and potential, and can be a useful utility/super utility type. This leaves Beresford, who is past deserving a shot, and Polanco, who needs to play daily, seems to have legit ML ability to play somewhere, currently at Rochester in reserve. This would seem to indicate an abundance of guys to play middle infield for the Twins. But despite having some young talent/depth in the middle infield, most of it is at high A or lower at the moment. If the Twins actually got bold and moved Plouffe AND found a solid deal for Dozier, now what? I believe Nunez's value suddenly increases. And beyond that, unless a quality bullpen arm is involved, or a young catching prospect somehow for a team desperate for help, it would seem the value for a solid and inexpensive Nunez is greater for the Twins to keep vs what he'd bring back. I really think the fate of Nunez, or Escobar, who is better than he's shown so far this season, depends on whether or not the Twins get really bold in their moves toward the future.

This is exactly 100% correct! There is little value in the trade assets we have. With some luck, over the next 30 days, a couple of these guys will start performing better just in time for July 1st and will look a bit more attractive to teams in need. I do believe Plouffe has some value. I believe Dozier has some value. Both could have a lot more with a good June. If a contending team has an injury bug hitch at catcher, Suzuki could have some limited value. He, at least, is experienced and been known to garner respect of players, coaches, etc. This isn't even about acquiring talent, though it would be nice if you could somehow come up with just a decent piece of two. And it's not about shredding payroll, because you're probably not going to be able to, or not much. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you're going to have to eat a big chunk of some of these deals, and probably toss in another prospect to complete them. But it's about making room on the 40. It's about making room on the 25 man for Polanco, Buxton, Kepler, Berrios, etc, etc. Trade what you can for what you can. Eat what you have to. Outright release if you have to. But it's time to be focused on putting 2016 behind us, and look to the future. And if the future doesn't start today, it damn well should start around July 1st

While no expert on the guys, and I know there are staff and posters here at TD that have actually seen them play in person who know a great deal more than I do, I've always liked both Garver and Turner. Both had quality college careers, and they finished 1-2 for the Johnny Bench award coming in to the draft. Garver has looked like the better hitter since day one, but Turner, apparently in an effort to separate the two, was advanced a level to high A that he probably shouldn't have been. Even when each of them has struggled to hit at times, they have always shown the ability to adapt and rally and have stronger second halves to their seasons. Additionally, all reports in regard to game calling, defense and throwing has been excellent for both. The fact that they are not both 22 doesn't bother me. Finding good catchers, as we all know, is not easy. And because the position is such a defense first position, finding someone who can do both with some degree of effectiveness is twice as difficult. And it's a position that generally seems to take a little longer to figure out and advance. I like both of these guys, and my hunch is still that Garver becomes the better overall player, and starter, with Turner a really nice backup who will hit a little, make some contact, take some walks, and show some pop. AJ Murray is a guy I'd like to know more about. There was a great article the other day concerning him and his college career. And it helped fill in some blanks. But considering how he is performing, I have to wonder why A} he wasn't drafted even higher, and B} despite having a top catcher in college ahead of him, why wouldn't you keep him at catcher regardless. He's a long way away from the majors, but he looks really good so far. Id love to hear more about his defensive ability. But yes, the Twins should definatly pick up a catcher early in the upcoming draft. Depth of prospects is always good, especially at key positions.

Walker will get a shot at some point, no doubt. There is something very real about his bat and potential production. Heven obviously has huge contact issues, but he has also flat out produced big power and RBI numbers at every level he's been at. I honestly don't know of any other player, past or present, that I can fairly compare him to. But I absolutely would be in no hurry for his promotional shot. If top prospects like Buxton and Kepler need AAA team, Walker flat out needs more. A September call up? Maybe. But I'd be thinking more about 2017 at some point. The lack of contact issue is concerning in the minors...despite all his production...but would be further concerning at the ML level. If Buxton and Kepler could be considered future "givens", I'm still wondering who the 3rd OF is.

How many shoes are going to drop this season? Sheesh! This is just really unfortunate. I'm not going to blast Allen for making a mistake. But I am shaking my head that he allowed this to happen. But it begs a question as to why it happened at all. I know NFL teams have security personnel in place 24-7 that players can take advantage of to avoid this kind of thing from happening. (Unfortunately, many don't take advantage) But do MLB teams have a similar program in place? I confess I really don't know.

While Nolasco should have been signed to a shorter term, and Hughes should never have been extended, each of the three signings, unto themselves, we're not bad ideas or mistakes. The problem, ultimately, is that all THREE were signed, at relatively the same time, and with contracts that have all three of them overlapping for multiple years.

I also thought Rosario would actually improve his second season. Hugely disappointed. And while he offers a ton of talent and potential still, I'm not as sold on him as a full time Twin. Buxton and Kepler are both givens, IMO. But if not Rosario for the 3rd spot, then who? Palka? Someone like Granite for even more speed and defense?