GMinTraining

Good Luck ABWII The only player in system to make the Organizational All Star Team 4 consecutive Seasons. http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20161118&content_id=206746772&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb Great list minus 1 anyway

Hopefully he finds out now - Lol Only Organizational All Star for 4 consecutive years running - GONE.................. http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20161118&content_id=206746772&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb

Crazy how a college All American 1st baseman has to go to another team before somebody tries him out at 1B again. All in all - Best move for both parties. Best of luck to him - obviously hate to see him go.

AMEN - Thought he was worth the wait, to find these things out in a repeated level effort?

Good thing Major League Pitchers throw more strikes. These guys hit the ball when it's in the zone - Lol

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150703&content_id=134278096&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb 2016 12 of Walker's 27 (44% of) Home Runs this season were at Rochester which is listed as the 2nd hardest park in the (AAA) International league to hit Home Runs. 2015 21 of Walker's 31 (67% of) Home Runs last season were at Chattanooga which is listed as the 3rd hardest park in the (AA) southern league to hit Home Runs. ----------------------------- 2016 5 of Palka's 13 (38% of) Home Runs this season were at Rochester which is listed as the 2nd hardest park in the (AAA) International league to hit Home Runs. 12 of Palka's 21 (57% of) Home Runs this season were at Chattanooga which is listed as the 3rd hardest park in the (AA) southern league to hit Home Runs. 2015 9 of Palka's 29 (31% of) Home Runs last season were at Visalia Rawhide - Recreation Ballpark which is a more HR friendly ball park. Palka however hit his Home Runs at the more difficult HR ball parks in the California League that season - proving his power is legit and not ball park related. Both guys need to mashing for the Twins in 2017 IMO. Other than Sano - The Twins have not had that kind of power in the minors for decades. As it pertains to power numbers (results). They especially haven't had that kind of power off the bench in God knows how long?

This is from Baseball America Q&A: Two of the Top 3 Players on this list are Twins. Both players are only 10 days apart in age as well. Matt Eddy ‏@MattEddyBA A: Daniel Palka. Q: Which batter hit the most home runs in the minors from 2015 to 2016. Everyone with 45 HR or more for the two seasons: Daniel Palka 63 Matt Chapman 59 Adam Brett Walker II 58 Cody Bellinger 56 Bobby Bradley 56 Tyler O’Neill 56 Rhys Hoskins 55 Kevin Cron 53 Kyle Jensen 50 Peter O’Brien 50 Hunter Renfroe 50 Jesus Aguilar 49 J.D. Davis 49 Ryan O’Hearn 49 A.J. Reed 49 This is in roughly 270 games played as opposed to 324 games played in MiLB too. Not bad numbers for any of these kids.

Dodgers would probably would have better chance to make playoffs too - ha

I wouldn't trade De Leon for Dozier or Alvarez. They spent 16 million on a signing bonus for Alvarez. I can't see letting that go for a controlled Dozier.

How about Dozier for: Brock Stewart - Huge fastball (97) and pitched in MLB in 2016 (25 yrs old) Jacob Rhame - Another big arm (100+ MPH) - MLB ready (23 yrs old) Chris Anderson - former 1st rd pk - From Minnesota (24 yrs old) We gain 3 quality high velocity arms to add to a young core of bullpen relievers. The Twins would then have arguably the hardest throwing bullpen in the league. Great year for all those arms to find their way. Chargois Light Burdi Reed Tonkin Pressly May 95 MPH across the board - We are only going to get so much for Dozier IMO

No Duffey - Not even in the pen?

I did say prospects. Sale is the main piece here. Dozier and some key prospect(s) is the reality I'm talking about. Chicago is trying to get younger and not still suck. Dozier helps with that (some).

The guy we are trading to them is not a win now guy but prospects and maybe a helpful vet so they don't completely suck.

The Trade of the Off Season - Imagine Chris Sale as the Twins Ace for the next 3 years?

How about Brian Dozier and prospects for Chris Sale and let the Twins think about winning now? Get your ACE with solid number 2 (Santana) and potentials behind them.

I agree with Gagne that Baxendale will be gone if left off the Roster. I also agree with Seth (on 2nd thought) - Turner is probably a keeper as well. I also think that if Jones was a selection last year, he will be so again this year. Especially since he is healthy this off season and performed well in his healthy return to Chattanooga. 2.53 ERA in 21 games in Chattanooga with 46 strikeouts in 32 innings. Plus he throws - 95+ on most nights out the pen. Somebody will take a chance on him again.

Jose Berrios Byungho Park Miguel Sano Byron Buxton Robbie Grossman Max Kepler Eddie Rosario Danny Santana - released Adam Walker Brian Dozier Eduardo Escobar Joe Mauer Trevor Plouffe - released Jorge Polanco Kennys Vargas Juan Centeno - released John Ryan Murphy Buddy Boshers J.T. Chargois Tyler Duffey Kyle Gibson Phil Hughes Brandon Kintzler Yorman Landa - rule 5 eligible Pat Light Trevor May Adalberto Mejia Mason Melotakis Ryan O'Rourke - rule 5 eligible Glen Perkins Ryan Pressly Taylor Rogers Randy Rosario Ervin Santana Hector Santiago Michael Tonkin 36 current players listed on 40 man roster. I would take off the following (bold) players (above) to get my list down to 31. I would add the following 9 names to move to that 40 player max number: Mitch Garver © Zack Granite (OF) Daniel Palka (OF) Engelb Vielma (SS) Fernando Romero (P) Felix Jorge (P) DJ Baxendale (P) Jason Wheeler (P) Zack Jones (P) This would take my list to 40 with the understanding that somebody will be released or traded to open up space for a needed trade target. My bubble guy was Stuart Turner - I would be nervous all the way through the rule 5 draft.

I like Archer a lot, but think he and Sale are at 2 different levels. Sale is Kershaw good and Archer is better than E. Santana good IMO. Sometimes you need radical change to make things happen. I think my framework is outside the box thinking and doesn't hurt us long term. We might spend more money in the near future, but nothing crazy. As far as Starlin's defense - I think Castro's (SS) hitting, definitely outweighs his fielding woes at SS. Besides we have chips to trade as needs become evident next season.

Doc - Walker hit 10 points higher than Palka in AAA (just saying), although Palka does walk more. Walker is faster and probably a better defender than Palka (coverage wise). Palka's number in AA, before his promotion to AAA were identical (if not slightly lower) to Walker's the previous year in AA. And Walker was a year younger while staying the full year in AA. Don't get me wrong - I love Palka and what I think he brings to the table. FYI - Walker was a 2nd team All American in 5 publications at 1B. 6'5 - 235 lbs. - 35+ inch vertical and can do the splits, but can only play 1 position? My last comments on subject.

I for one promise not to mention ABW again in this thread. I do like my other ideas though. Only way we will ever get a top tier true ACE is through a trade. Sale seems like the type of player who could stay loyal to the Twins if things go as well as expected in near future. Thoughts: What about my Rajai Davis acquisition?

I probably should have added Polanco to that cornerstone group. Great hitter and solid 2B defender. He will be at the top of the order for many years to come, because he can just hit. What he does.

GMinTRAING 2017 FRAMEWORK Despite my love for you know who - I think the Twins have an excellent chance to be respectable in the central division next year. They have made a conscious effort to draft power hitters and power arms in recent drafts. They have also gone out and signed free agent power bats over the last 5+ years. It is my position that the Twins now need some coaches to cater to those particular players. Whether it's a Jim Thome serving as a spring training instructor to offer insight from a power hitting perspective or another hire (hint hint) that understands how to prepare their young power hitters mentally for the new season. The Twins need to help their young future stars maturation. As we look at the young power arms (Chargois; Light; Burdi; Reed; Z. Jones; Berrios; Duffy; Jay; Stewart; Hildenberger; Melotakis; etc.), we need to let them feed off of each other. These young arms have risen through the minors together and challenged each other along the way. While being successful in their efforts. We often want to surround our young guys with veteran leadership and incorporate them 1 by 1 into the veteran world of baseball. Times are changing and these young guys have more confidence when they have people around them that they can relate to. Having that specific veteran voice is definitely needed, but it doesn't have to be a team of veterans who need to lead. Let the leader emerge from the young guns and things will take care of themselves in terms of leadership (profound - I know). My game plan for the 2017 season is as followed: TRADE Brian Dozier; Kyle Gibson; and Glen Perkins Yankees Michael Pineda; & Starlin Castro We have both guys for a few years at arbitration level. They help us right now and provide veteran leadership while still being youngish. Great # 3 or 4 pitcher with stuff. TRADE Tyler Jay; Miguel Sano; Jose Berrios; Eddie Rosario and Pat Light White Sox Chris Sale; Todd Frazier; and Chris Beck We get our ACE and a quality All Star third baseman (Frazier), while the Sox get younger and better for the future. We have both at arbitration years thru 2018 and can always trade at another date if need be. We are talking about one of the Top 4 pitchers in the game. It is my belief that we need to make our acquisitions thru trades because not many high level players want to come to MN in free agency. A starting rotation of SALE - SANTANA - PINEDA - SANTIAGO & HUGHES, along with a bullpen of: May; Chargois; Duffy; Pressly; Kintzler; Rogers; Mejia; Baxendale; - These are excellent arms with more waiting in the wings (Burdi; Melotakis; Z. Jones; Reed; Hildenberger; Stewart; Gonsalves) FREE AGENCY Rajai Davis - offer 1 year 6 million deal: Davis is a great replacement for Rosario in LF and is that veteran leader you need in the clubhouse. He provides speed on the bases and can offer that occasional help in CF as Buxton finds his way. World Series know how and is familiar with Falvey. Jason Castro - offer 2 years 15 million deal: Castro offers a defensive presence and again offers great leadership for up and coming catcher, Mitch Garver, as it pertains to game management. INFIELDERS 1B / DH - Joe Mauer; Kennys Vargas; 2B - Jorge Polanco SS - Starlin Castro 3B - Todd Frazier UT - Eduardo Escobar Solid defensive line up that pitchers will appreciate behind them. We lose the pop of Sano and Dozier, but gain better defense and still quality power in Castro and (home run champ) Frazier. Polanco is a hitting machine and will come into his own in his natural position (2B). Vargas adds full season power in his 3rd MLB season and should be more comfortable in his role. Mauer is Mauer, but should prosper from being around veteran hitters who he can now bounce ideas off of in (Castro / Frazier / Davis). Mauer has always been the person people look to for hitting advice and the idea of a veteran needing help from his teammates is often dismissed. Now he has that outside soundboard for his own development. Even veterans need someone to talk to from time to time (who is not a coach). CATCHER Jason Castro Mitch Garver Murphy (starts back in AAA) Having a veteran back stop who knows how to handle a staff and frame pitches is important for any staff, but especially a staff with so many young arms. The nice part, is that these young arms have some swag and confidence in them. The pitching coach (Allen) is a guy who has had success working young players. His approach moving forward might be just what this new management team needs. Having a veteran catcher in Castro and a younger catcher (Garver) who has caught most of the young arms, is exactly what the Twins need in 2017. OUTFIELDERS Byron Buxton (CF) Max Kepler (RF) Rajai Davis (LF) Adam Brett Walker II (4th) This OF position is the cornerstone of the Twins future. That cornerstone is Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. The loss of Sano in the line-up changes things offensively, but not defensively. Both players should become excellent hitters with diverse 4 to 5 tool skill sets. 2016 showed great promise for both players. Adding Rajai Davis, brings speed and solid defense to the line-up. Davis is no spring chicken but still offers productive results. He has some pop and brings a versatile skill set to the club. Davis led the American League in stolen bases in 2016. His leadership in that area could and should help Buxton moving forward as well. Guys sometimes need that outside voice other than their Hall of Fame manager. Grossman becomes expendable as that right handed bat off the bench with the addition of Davis as well. Grossman was not helpful defensively and actually played for Cleveland and Favley last spring. Cleveland moved on from him in 2016 and I'm predicting new management will move on from him again. That brings me to ABW II (Walker) as the 4th OF option. I know Walker has serious issues with strikeouts, but I also think he can learn from the veteran bats of Todd Frazier and Davis. What he brings, is game changing power off the bench. MN has rarely had that kind of power on their bench. He is old enough now (25) that we don't need to wait, to let him develop in the minors. He plays hard when he plays and hits when he hits. But when he hits - HE HITS. His defense is better than advertised (according to his AAA manager/ Quade) and he has shown much improvement in that area in 2016. Walker has played the outfield in 86% of his career minor league starts. He has played in more minor league games than any other minor leaguer in the Twins system over the last 4 seasons. That should earn at least an honest spring training assessment from non believers. Not many people can say they saw him this season and were turned off by his overall defense. Walker's minor league teams have won 4 championships in 4 years and held a 60+% winning percentage while playing outfield. He is faster than Grossman too (43 for 56 in stolen bases & 20 triples). If Walker fails to produce, then I bring up Palka to add that lefty pop in the same mindset. SUPER UTILITY PLAYER Niko Goodrum (IF/OF) Has always been an OBP guy and provides great speed and great arm. Goodrum serves as this year's Danny Santana, but with better on base skill set. Depending on his spring training performance - I might take a chance on Goodrum (just a gut feeling). RELEASED or OPTIONED to start season: Byung-ho Park - starts in AAA Trevor Plouffe - Released Robbie Grossman - Released Danny Santana - Released Juan Centeno - Released Ryan O'Rourke - Released My GMinTRAINING framework puts the Twins in position to challenge for a playoff spot immediately and doesn't leave the cupboard completely empty. We have some key players still under arbitration years and some others not scheduled to get there for some time. We acquired possibly the best pitcher in the game and although giving up a potential GREAT hitter and GREAT pitching prospect, we did acquire ready-made talent and defense. We didn't spend too much extra money and can always flip people as needed or sign playoff help as needed. Pitching addressed! Defense addressed! Leadership addressed! Speed addressed! Catching addressed!

I thought most posters were happy with the draft picks when they made the picks. Maybe it wasn't the picks and just the development staff. That has nothing to do with Deron Johnson.

As I watched the game last night, I was amazed at watching the match ups between hitter and batter. So many story lines. I looked heavily at how a hitter like Baez , who was the NL Championship MVP, homers early and was asked to bunt in a crucial AB late in the game. There was a time a few years ago that evaluator's wondered if he would ever hit at the MLB level. His strikeout numbers were ridiculous, but his defense was always stellar. His K numbers were: AA - 29% 2013 AAA - 30% 2014 MLB - 41% 2014 MLB - 30% 2015 MLB - 24% 2016 As evaluators do their thing thru the minor league level, what is the tell all that makes their predictions? I look at 3 position players (corner infielder / middle infielder / & corner outfielder): Thru the minors these players average the following: RUNS Kepler 1 run in 58% of his games Baez 1 run 67% of his games Sano 1 run 68% of his games RBI Kepler 1 rbi every 59% of his games Baez 1 rbi every 75% of his games Sano 1 rbi every 75% of his games HRs Kepler 1 HR every 7% of his games Baez 1 HR every 22% of his games Sano 1 HR every 23% of his games 2B Kepler 1 double every 22% of his games Baez 1 double every 22% of his games Sano 1 double every 24% of his games Total Bases Kepler 1.6 TB per game Baez 2 TB per game Sano 2 TB per game As we saw in yesterday's game 7 - The bottom line is whoever scores more runs - wins! What becomes the most important element? Does it matter if you struck out more than others in the minors if you score more than everyone else (Sano/Baez)? Does it matter where you hit in the order and who hits in front of you? Does it matter your impact in games played? What is your positional impact? What is the most important element of a hitter? High OBP like Mauer, but low Run Scoring production? High K Rate like Sano, but major production impact? Great defender like Baez with production upside and improved K rate? Which of these 3 players would you want to start your franchise? No team has the perfect hitting model? Everyone has flaws. Think about what you've had in the Twins system for the last decade and decide. Which model is your future leader of the Twins and/or do we have that person in our system?

Twins B. Dozier (2B) Z. Jones (RHP) A. Walker (OF) S. Turner © M. Melatokis (LHP) Brewers Orlando Arcia (SS) Brent Suter (LHP) Wily Peralta (RHP) Jorge Lopez (RHP) Brewers are looking to get younger, but also have solid SS in Villar already. Why Dozier deal makes sense: Brewers get quality relief help and quality back up catcher (as they lost Lucroy and probably Maldanado (C)). They also get another power bat in little Miller Park to join Carter and Braun). Taking a chance on Dozier, allows the Brewers to possibly resign him or trade him for more young talent (ala Lucroy). The deal makes sense for the Twins because they get their SS of the future and can put Polanco back at his natural position at 2B. Arcia's ability to play SS defensively will also complement Sano at 3B. The pitching arms received are all upside arms that could benefit from a new voice and fresh start. There is a find in one of those arms. It allows Twins to trade Gordon or other infielder in the next year or two if Arcia pans out.