Shane Wahl

Second base is a problem area for the Twins and has been since Luis Castillo. Here's a look at the state of the system from top to bottom, in detail: Minnesota: Brian Dozier: RH, DOB: 5-15-87. STATS: .205/.250/.279 (.529), 2/2/1, 8-29, 3-3. I was a fan of Brian Dozier up until May of this year. I worry about his ability to be a competent player in the major leagues at this point. His defense at second is good, but he is abysmal at the plate. His walk/strikeout rate is just inexcusable. It's frustrating because he can really get good swings on the ball sometimes (his homer in the ninth against Boston, for instance), but he is not good overall at the moment. Jamey Carroll: RH, 2-18-74. STATS: .304/.361/.339 (.700), 2/0/0, 5-13, 0-0. Carroll is getting fairly limited playing time this year, mainly because of Dozier. But Carroll is doing an OK job as a utility player and his OPS should climb over .700 with a bit more playing time, returning to 2010 and 2011 numbers. I like Carroll as a tradeable player to some N.L. team at the deadline (even if the Twins are somehow also competing for the playoff) since he is a good roster piece to move around in certain situations more likely to come up in that league. The return just needs to be competent, not overwhelming. I think the Braves, Nationals, Giants, Cardinals and Reds are notable teams to start considering for trade possibilities. Eduardo Escobar: SH, DOB: 1-5-89. STATS: .293/.328/.466 (.793), 2/1/2, 3-6, 0-1. I undervalued Escobar for several months now and am admitting that I was wrong, fundamentally, and could be very wrong about his ability and potential. I think that there is a fairly easy managerial decision to be made right now: play Escobar somewhere until that OPS drops below .730 or so. It's really simple: he spells Plouffe once a week, spells Florimon twice a week, and spells Dozier twice a week. Rochester: Eric Farris: RH, DOB: 3-3-86. STATS: .227/.278/.311 (.589), 3/1/2, 9-19, 7-0. I like Farris' ability to steal bases, but there is really no reason for Farris to have 138 plate appearances right now. For whatever absurd reason, Farris was batting 6th in the Red Wings lineup just last night. There is no excuse for that. Joe Benson was batting 9th in this lineup. And we will see below that there are AA players now deserving of a promotion. Nate Hanson: RH, DOB: 2/8/87. STATS (AA/AAA): .255/.318/.368 (.686), 3/0/3, 11-23, 0-0. Hanson is struggling in AAA now and hasn't played second base yet (for whatever insane reason--Deibinson Romero must be cringing in AA). He is a potential super-utility option as he has played 3B, 2B, 1B, and LF in significant doses. New Britain: James Beresford: SH, DOB: 1-19-89. STATS: .340/.413/.383 (.796), 4/0/0, 11-16, 3-0. I believe Beresford is an overlooked player right now in the Twins system. He plays great defense at second and perhaps great defense at shortstop, though the Twins are hardly bothered to put him at that position this year so far. Maybe that is because they know he can do and they are trying out Danny Santana there. The offensive numbers are good for Beresford this year and I am really impressed with his ability to make substantial improvements offensively while repeating at AA. That said, he belongs in AAA by now. He's basically ready defensively and is showing major strides at the plate. And below him are guys named Rosario and Michael. His SLG has jumped 69 points to MI respectability now. Jason Christian: LH, DOB: 6-16-87. STATS: .189/.271/.302 (.573), 2/2/0, 6-18, 2-2. Organizational filler who is taking plate appearances away from players with actual potential. This is what the Twins do, and there is no good reason for it. He's never been remotely good in the minors, yet the Twins signed him. Danny Santana: SH, DOB: 11-7-90. STATS: .280/.297/.354 (.651), 7/3/0, 5-28, 7-3. Santana has a lot of potential as a kind of Ben Revere of the infield. I list him here as a second baseman, because I see no future as a SS. He has been fairly bad his whole minor league career there. I am not sure what the Twins are thinking because swapping Santana and Beresford is such an obvious decision. Regardless, Santana did not initially do well after the jump this season to AA ball, but he has come on strong in last 10 games. Making these adjustments matters, and he is doing so. I would like to simply see him improve his now adequate defense at second base. Santana's long-term role with the Twins really depends on Eddie Rosario more than those above him. Do not be surprised if the Twins offer him up in a trade sometime down the road if they find themselves comfortable with Rosario at second, and a few other players as SS and UTIL players. That said, Santana does have CF experience and could position himself as another player who is Brian Dinkelman+ (well maybe ++). Fort Myers: Eddie Rosario: LH, DOB: 9-28-91. STATS: .318/.359/.487 (.846), 9/4/3, 10-26, 3-2. Rosario is a key component to the Twins future. As a second baseman, he could serve as a major re-shaping figure for this team. And the results are in so far: after a shaky transition in 2012, Rosario has improved his defense enormously at second base and he may be projectable as an above-average major league defender at the position. And this will come with significant doubles power and some other extra pop. His plate discipline has lagged only a tiny bit after the move to high-A ball. He could serve as the best 2-hole hitter ahead of Joe Mauer (Ben Revere 2012 for a few months is the only other contender) in the Mauer era. There is no reason that Rosario should not finish at AA. Levi Michael: SH, DOB: 2-9-91. STATS: .210/.278/.370 (.648), 6/2/1, 8-19, 2-0. Michael has returned to Fort Myers and has mimicked his numbers from a season ago, though he is coming off of an injury. His power is slightly up too, which is a really good sign. If he sticks at short that would be a plus, but he could very well end up competing at second base. And with Rosario there, he is going to have to improve offensively. And how. Cedar Rapids: Jorge Polanco: SH, DOB: 7-5-93. STATS: .325/.376/.491 (.867), 12/6/1, 16-20, 1-2. Polanco is exciting. Up until he turned 18, Polanco struggled at the plate. In the past two years, he has gone ballistic. His defense at SS was an attractive thing as a 16-year-old. He has now split time at SS and second overall is minor league career. He struggled at SS up until this year. In limited time there he has really improved his defensive stats. I think the Twins want to see if Niko Goodrum will stay at SS, but that may be doubtful. Polanco could move over and be the SS of the future for the Twins. For now, he is the primary second baseman for Cedar Rapids. Even though his numbers are great, I wouldn't expect a promotion to Fort Myers this year. Candido Pimentel: SH, DOB: 7/19/90. STATS: .262/.328/.299 (.627), 2/1/0, 11-27, 7-2. Pimentel blossomed last year in his third season of rookie ball, but he appears to be returning to the pre-2012 performance. He is rotating into the lineup with Polanco and Goodrum this year, but he really needs to improve if he has any chance. EST: Jose Ramirez: SH, DOB: 9-6-91. STATS (2012 in the GCL): .234/.294/.269, 3/1/0, 10-33, 3-5. Ramirez is likely going to Elizabethon when that season starts. He has not produced, but perhaps this year he gets acclimated to the U.S. and plays better. Logan Wade: SH, DOB: 11-13-91. STATS (2012 in the GCL): .234/.301/.371 (.672), 6/4/1, 12-29, 2-2 The Australian turned in an OK performance in 2012, but will need to improve significantly to advance out of rookie ball. Will Hurt: RH, DOB: 12-22-93. STATS (bad in limited time in the GCL, not even worth mentioning!). With a name like that, I really want him to succeed. He was drafted in the 16th round of the 2012 draft and played very little rookie ball. He should go back to the GCL and play, hopefully turning things around this year. Conclusion: Eddie Rosario alone makes this position adequate in the system, but now the Twins have significant depth at second base. There are some question marks about who's going to end up staying at second and short, but the middle infield situation has improved markedly in the past year with a successful move (Rosario) and very improved performances (Escobar, Beresford, Santana, and Polanco).

An absurdity. It's very clear what to do: Send Hicks and Arcia down. Promote Colabello and Richardson (figure out the 40-man issue easily). Give Hicks and Arcia the near max plate appearances in AAA as possible. In the meantime weight the value of Colabello, Ramirez, and maybe even Dozier or Florimon, and then make a decision. Bring Hicks and Arcia up and just fix the roster as one sees fit.

Yeah, I was wondering about the Mauer move down to CDR. I mean, maybe doesn't mean anything other than the assessment of working with certain talent and that everyone is just getting a bump up next year (AAA management, in my view, is currently a damn joke). I would not be totally surprised to see Steinbach the manager and Dougie the bench coach within two year.

Well, I was wrong about Buxton vs. Gausman. But now that it happened last year, I seem to be more justified in finding A PITCHER instead of AN OUTFIELDER for this pick. The context is now different. I am allowed to "flip-flop" and say that while BPlayerA worked well and I would not take it back, now BPitcherA really needs to take affect. Manaea is going to be available. I know of his abilities even while he was a "lazy student" in high school (dude could have gone to a Big Ten school otherwise) he is not lazy on the mound.

Just as an addendum because I don't want actually start a dumb thread of speculation and other bull****, but I have to wonder if the addition of both Terry and Dougie was not a short-term and long-term managerial change by Terry Ryan and co. (and if anyone suggests Molitor, I am going to punch him/her). If it implodes this year, there is this bench coach is working perhaps more closely with the hitting coach than I have ever seen in many orgs. If things are fine this year but they go south and Dougie is already promoted to AA, then maybe that would be the option. Or even if things went well through 2014 and Dougie would be the option . . .

I saw only those early innings and not the Pressly-Thielbar innings, nor the Gardy comments. I am NOT one for calling for a job, but for the past month this guy has driven me crazy. Making baseball judgment mistakes is one thing, but calling out players here and there for things and then covering up for players doing the same exact things is a MAJOR DAMN PROBLEM as someone who is, you know, LEADING A TEAM.

On stuff and an address to B Richard (you have a cool as hell avatar so I am not going to be mean): Colabello is in his prime RIGHT NOW. There's maybe a two-three year window of this production, yes. But that means that he isn't someone they have to treat as a "play everyday guy" at all. He is, quite clearly, the best bench bat this team has at its disposal right now and I don't hate on Wilkin Ramirez at all. I wish that pitchers were men still and that the Twins could simply have eleven of them. I will say one thing that Colabello may provide--coverage for a Morneau trade. They wouldn't be replacing Morneau with garbage, and Parmelee and Colabello could platoon. There's no rushing Sano next damn month to the bigs to play first--they could let him keep trying at 3B for another year. I will honestly say that I really don't know if there would be much difference in the performances for the Twins in 2013 between Colabello and Sano. In 2014, the gap is big. By 2015, its enormous. But the short-term has value. On the other hand, maybe the Twins keeps Morneau and try to get something decent (not great, but not minimal) for Parmelee. The same story still applies for Colabello. Finally, I like having pinch hitters who I can have at least a 10% of seeing smack a bomb. Wilkin doesn't do that. Colabello could.

I don't do this ever, but I have to say: sheesh, REALLY? This is not worthy of comment? I am finishing up the second base stuff for tomorrow, but damn. should I even bother?

An extra year of control for a potential MLB-record improvement over three weeks is ok. Hicks would bat leadoff for Rochester for three weeks and Arcia could bat third (with Herrmann batting second and Benson batting forth in my crazy world). Antoan Richardson and Chris Colabello are doing extremely well right now. They might actually improve the team in the meantime. Tell both Hicks and Arcia the damn truth, tell them also that is going to benefit them, and just pull the trigger. An added benefit is having viable fill-ins in case of a continued Mastroianni injury and a Ramirez offensive collapse in his role.

Boom. Exactly.

Here, here, Jim H. Good point. And besides, the Twins simply need big league-caliber pitchers right now anyway!

This is a decent post, though the "headcase" situations are different. Manaea was just a lazy student, there is nothing about his work as a baseball player since joining ISU to suggest that this is still a problem. I have Manaea as ranked third behind Appel and Gray.

Thanks for the update. Some of that is depressing (Roberts, in particular).

Yes, Ramirez would have to clear waivers. But that would already mean that the Twins had found Colabello as a replacement (not with the CF nonsense, obviously).

This is all over the place! Is the % issue correct? I think it is something like that for Super-2, but I am confused. In any event: The Twins somehow don't care about money, here. Or something. Gibson is not "stuck" in AAA (really, he's been good, but with some shaky starts here and there) because of money. No way. I imagine they may want to see him string along a number of good starts in row before they get all Hendriks on him (not comparing the two strictly, but you get the idea). I am just pissed about the innings limit that he is undoubtedly on and IF the Twins are actually someone going to get back in the swing of things (why are so many people freaking out over this last series???), it would suck to see Gibson be the best Twins pitcher in June, July, and August and then they have to shut him down. I don't really care about his service time, though. Hicks and Arcia can BOTH use time in AAA. There now seems to be a reasonable replacement for both: Antoan Richardson to get a shot leading off (I know he is playing out of his mind, but I kinda like giving a guy who is likely going to know that THIS IS HIS LAST CHANCE to play in the majors that chance). He is the only sensible leadoff possibility with good OBP in the minors this year and excellent speed. With regard to Arcia, Chris Colabello works. Arcia was getting plenty of DH time, Colabello doesn't need to play every day anyway. He is also could be useful as a starter against hectic lefties to give Morneau and Parmelee (with Ramirez) a non-start and perhaps a PH opportunity later on. Doing this can also turn into a valid competition between Colabello and Ramirez as bench bats during the AAA time for Hicks and Arcia. You all might look at Ramirez as sucky, but when he was primarily NOT starting (three out of his last games have been as a starter) he did his job well enough. It would be a bit prickish to just send him down without actually losing his role.

You get to draft another prospect now.

Herrmann is really struggling. His season numbers: .226/.293/.277 (.571), 5/1/2, 3-0, 13-29 are bad. Of note are two things: first, the slugging is abysmal. He's hit well in 2 of his last ten games; second, his K/BB rate was what made him intriguing before last season. Last season it became a problem and now it is only getting worse.

Season numbers for Williams: .255/.411/..511 (.922), 8/2/4, 8-4, 25-28. Williams has an OPS of 1.248 over his last 10 games and is now really starting to slug the ball to go with his speed. With Angel Morales starting to find his way in A+ ball, I have to wonder if Williams is going to make the jump there soon.

I posted a video of Buxton's triple in the Buxton thread. He gets to third in 11 seconds. It's crazy.

Haha! Yeah, I would LOVE to see that race.

Great geekery here. Keep it up!

That speed is ridiculous.

Well that would be a terrible idea right now. The Twins did their best to ruin Parmelee last year, and it is a bit precarious again this year for him.

Those numbers can't be avoided much longer. I actually like Wilkin Ramirez, but something's got to give here.

I really like this article a lot. That's pretty helpful. I also like Willihammer's response.