Shane Wahl

Great stuff! This is a real good mix of guys to talk about.

Very interesting read. I always cringe when people seem to think injury was in the essence of any player. Prior might still be pitching if it weren't for Dusty Baker.

My impression is that this happened with regularity in the latter half of the Gardenhire era (he was a good bullpen manager in the first half of his tenure, for sure).

O'Rourke brought in with the bases loaded to face Pedroia is a laughable situation! I totally prefer trying him out as a LOOGY instead of paying Duensing. If it goes south, a guy like Aaron Thompson is likely *still* better in that role than Duensing. Anyway, Williams might be ok. Not sure about him anymore. I think Taylor Rogers converting to a reliever might happen in 2016 (for his sake due to being blocked in the rotation).

Pinto's bat is going to push Suzuki out of the way.

2016 starting lineup: Byron Buxton, CF Joe Mauer (back and at 'em), 1B Miguel Sano, 3B Oswaldo Arcia, LF or RF Kennys Vargas, 1B Brian Dozier, 2B Josmil Pinto, C Aaron Hicks, RF or LF Danny Santana, SS

I don't like Nunez involved because he can do only one thing well and that is run. That's it. and I would like to see James Beresford get a chance in the big leagues, even if it is a limited cup of coffee. Milone instead of May is likely and also just ridiculous.

I hate wasting a few million on pitchers like Duensing. O'Rourke would be better than Duensing in that role. I bet they go with Perkins, Fien, Duensing, Thielbar, Stauffer, Graham, and Pressly. Not sure who is long relief there. Milone in rotation. May and Meyer in Rochester and perhaps Pelfrey there too (or something gets done with him). It's unfortunate.

Also, aside from the "I eat everything" anecdote, everything we actually here about Sano is that he really is a hard-worker and a very coachable player. Plouffe needed defensive coaching and has less overall athleticism as Sano. I think Sano can be fine.

Thank you! This whole thing again illustrates something about many Twins fans (not talking about Nick here) . . . ooh a home run monster hitter *but* maybe he strikes out too much or can't play average defense at a medium-defensive position . . . oooh, worry, worry, worry. My suggestion: shut up and watch the homers fly over your head. I am sure that Plouffe will be traded somewhat soon (deadline or offseason). I see no other real option. Even if Sano doesn't last as a third baseman, he is going to be there as much as possible through Mauer's contract.

The Twins must not give up on Sano at third at all right now. At all. I cannot stress the importance of this. There should be zero time defensively anywhere else right now. His value at that position could be Hall of Famer quality. That's the actual ceiling here. The floor could be a slugging DH who makes a few All-Star games.

Any decision that doesn't involve Pinto learning on the job as the backup catcher and backup DH (and getting some time when Mauer is just out of the lineup altogether) is just ridiculous. He clearly has to be the backup catcher.

Actually, forget A-level pitchers. Maybe international slots.

This is some thorough analysis. I am a little surprised, however, by your conclusion (the seven bullpen pitchers). You have Perkins, Stauffer, Pelfrey, May, Duensing, and then maybe Fien and Thielbar by scholarship. Clearly, the Twins are going to give consideration to Pressly. Graham will too, though I still have to think the Twins trade away somebody not very meaningful there (maybe Zach Granite or somebody) to move him to AAA. If I was actually seriously choosing: I would go with Milone (LR), Tonkin, Meyer, O'Rourke, Oliveros, Stauffer, and Perkins. If Meyer can't take on that role, then add in Pressly instead. I do think that the best of Fien, Duensing, and even Thielbar is behind us. I would trade all of them individually for A-level relievers who at least have a fastball. That said, I think all make the bullpen and that is going to be a damn problem. If O'Rourke (who has some real serious LOOGY upside) doesn't initially work, go with Thompson or Darnell in the same role. Oliveros is the real deal, I guarantee that. Hopefully, Tonkin works out.

You have a knack for timely and important articles. This was a great read and confirmed some things I had thought about Pinto last year. A. He wasn't just some terrible defender, but was also unlucky. B. Most of the throwing mistakes are due to being erratic and maybe trying too much with his throws (like Sano at third). C. Terry Steinbach's departure is quite warranted. D. Molitor is smart and isn't going to follow Gardy's lead here.

I think one can go two ways with this, though. Since they trust that his bat is going to develop, they may just not worry about it for the moment. Instead, they can value his defensive growth and make the case for needing to work with more advanced pitchers. On the other hand, they could just wait for his bat to dominate rookie ball. I am not sure I would do that.

Yes they are poor metrics for catcher defense, but for minor league catchers--and especially ones in the lower levels--any other statistics are hard to come by. From TD's very own Prospect Handbook: "Forecast for '15: Despite lackluster offensive numbers in 2013, Navarreto was still promoted to the Appy League. His defensive prowess was evident. He could use another year in the rookie leagues to work on his offense, but pairing him with more advanced pitchers defensively makes sense, too." kab21, when you say "at this point we don't know how good his defense is" it comes off rather strange given how adamant you are about how his defense isn't good. Seems like his first year went well defensively according to those writing the Handbook. And 2014's "bad metrics" indicated that the arm and footwork must be translating well. If you have access to any "recent scouting reports" then please share. I am the only one providing any evidence of any kind whatsoever here.

Yes, they are from his high school time. And his CS% is 46% in 46 games. He has 3 errors, for a .996 fielding percentage. He has a great arm and good footwork. I understand SSS, but his CS% and fielding percentage are better than Turner and Garver. Is there some report out there about a glaring defensive weakness that has developed? Evidence generally matters.

I actually had to look this up more thoroughly, then I did for Harrison or Walker. For one, quickly: http://www.perfectgame.org/Players/PlayerProfile.aspx?ID=341940 Another: http://macksmets.blogspot.com/2013/05/draft-13-adam-plutko-brian-navarreto.html Another: http://www.baseballfactory.com/AllAmerica/alumni/2012/National/Brian-Navarreto Clearly it doesn't say "close to major league ready." His arm is fantastic and accurate, though.

The first two entries in this series focused on players who are moving up in the system and the question was one of advancing to AA baseball, which is really (Jorge Polanco 2014 aside) the real first experience of closeness to the majors that a minor leaguer can see. For the final installment, I am turning to another level in the system--full season A-ball--and am profiling catcher Brian Navarreto as a "push candidate" for promotion to Cedar Rapids.The Player Brian Navarreto is 20 years old (DOB: December 29, 1994) and is 6'4", 220+ pounds. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 draft out of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Florida. He has played in only 73 games in the Twins organization. He bats right handed and is a superb defensive catcher. Navarreto has played in both rookie levels in the organization and it might be time for him to move on up to full-season baseball. The Situation While his defense has been excellent, his bat faltered in his time in Elizabethon last year. His 2013 season was decent at the plate, with a .683 OPS in 158 plate appearances for the Gulf Coast Twins. Moving to Elizabethon in 2014 meant that Navarreto was going to face more ex-college level pitching and he did struggle. In 116 plate appearances, he posted a .194/.241/.370 (.612) line, with eight doubles, one triple, three homers, seven walks and 33 strikeouts. He did however pound lefties for a .930 OPS. He is getting closer and closer to being a major-league-ready defender. He threw out a whopping 59% (16 for 27) of runners in 2014. It would seem to make sense to move him to Cedar Rapids to catch the next level of pitcher, and let his bat come along more slowly if need be. The Possibilities Navarreto could easily return to extended spring training and then report to Elizabethon to work on his offense. He could also just move up to Cedar Rapids, with the Twins not worrying about his bat. He has good power and should continue to improve offensively. Moving to Cedar Rapids would mean pairing with Jorge Fernandez behind the plate. Often times it makes sense to have a prospect and an organizational catcher at each level, but I think both Fernandez and Navarreto deserve their time in Cedar Rapids. Both of them could fly up prospect lists after solid 2015 seasons in A-ball. In the minors, the two of them have both spent time at first base and they are appropriately-sized for that position; this could help each get on the field every day. I would expect Cedar Rapids to keep both in the lineup every day between catcher, first base and designated hitter. Conclusion This wraps up the three-part feature on three players in the system who I think should be pushed to the next level for 2015. Walker and Harrison can find time in AA Chattanooga and that destination is going to be pretty malleable roster-wise with prospects like Buxton, Sano, Rosario and Polanco likely quickly moving up to AAA. Navarreto is still raw and needs development, but is excellent defensively and has intriguing power potential. Each of the three is at a crucial time in his development: Walker and Harrison need to improve various aspects of their approach at the plate, and Navarreto needs to get more at-bats and offensive development to take the next step toward top-20 prospect ranking. Click here to view the article

Bat him fourth then. I think the 4th guy comes up, on average, with more runners on base than anyone else.

I still cannot understand any justification for batting Mauer third, at least not in this lineup. Potentially I could see a Buxton-Polanco top of the order, but that is not close right now.

I love that 10 pages in we are talking about the merits of bunting for base hits and beating the shift.

Bunting is easy compared to most other things batters are trying to do.