GMinTraining

The beautiful part is I haven't voted for anybody. Gotta love it :-)

Top three in International League in Home Runs and RBI (1st year in AAA). Worth the wait, plus defense has improved. Very good athlete and not a lumberer for his size (6'5" / 235 lbs.). (77%) Base Stealing success rate. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_hYvi0BJQrQ-q4QaR4s9ZKe06cXLhuyw

Not as bad a defender as advertised. His AAA manager and former Cubs Manager Mike Quade praised ABW II's outfield play this year, as well as his work ethic.

ABW has played a full season with a .278 BA and 20% K rate (115 SO) through 552 ABs / 129 games. Not like he has never done it before. Why did it work that season?

ABW had the same hitting instructor for the last 3 levels (Chad Allen). Chad is a hitting coach who has helped several guys, but maybe, just maybe, Walker could benefit from a new voice to correct his flaws. He has performed with a 20% K rate during a full season before. It could be that simple?

Last 4 Years (A - A+ - AA - AAA) 27 - 25 - 31 - 27 home runs (28 avg) 31 - 19 - 31 - 22 doubles (26 avg) 65 - 45 - 64 - 54 extra base hits (57 avg) 109 - 95 - 106 - 75 rbi (96 avg) 10 - 9 - 13 - 7 stolen bases (10 avg) What about these consistent numbers, tells anyone he will suddenly fail. If anything it tells me he is due for a spike in production next year (every other year is super special). I would keep him for 1 more year. Promise not to make a ABW thread.

Amen

You mean the Twins right - Lol

While we celebrate the number 1 pick in the draft and down play minor league accomplishments - recognize that ABW II has an incredible winning percentage in his 5 minor league seasons of: 2012 - 66% Champion 2013 - 64% Best MiLB Record in Entire & MWL MVP 2014 - 59% Champion 2015 - 55% Champion 2015 - 60% AFL Champion 2016 - 56% Missed Playoffs despite 81 wins When you talk about how ABW II can't win a championship by himself - Check to see how many championships Sano; Buxton; Polanco; Rosario, Berrios, Chargois, Kepler, etc. have (the young guns)? Kepler will be the only one with more than 1 championship. Before you tell me the downfalls of ABW II - Show me how to win and stop averaging a top 5 draft pick every year. [Intangibles of an Anomaly] Missed Opportunities

One would think that only a fool would give Ryan Merritt a chance as well. All Merritt did was take Cleveland to a World Series today despite giving up 19 hits, 12 runs, 4 HRs, 3 BB's, and 3 SO's through 12 innings to Rochester this season. Opportunity and belief is sometimes all people need. Off Ryan Merritt BTW w/ 0 Strike Outs

Besides Brian Dozier, no player in the Twins MLB or MiLB system has played in as many seasonal games as ABW II. Brian Dozier has played in 95% of the Twins games over the last 4 seasons. The next closest player (93%) over that span is ABW II. He has served as the most durable player in the system not named Dozier. He has led his team in games played in each of the last 4 seasons. Regardless to promotions - No player has played in as many games over that span either. Twins missed that rewarding opportunity for a player who obviously put in the work in the off season. Plus his teams averaged 82 wins per season during that span having only played 140 games. Agreed - Missed Opportunity.

Very Limited Major difference between potential power (Arcia and Benson) and every year proven power (35 HR & 120 RBI / Per 162 game average in minors). I want to see what those failed averages might look like in an MLB cup of coffee.

Doesn't Park fall in this category too?

What about PARK?

After keeping him up with the big club all of September, do you expect they will resign him this off season? With true intentions of making the squad as a 4th outfielder?

Talk About Consistency and Why I Think He has a Chance http://www.fangraphs.com/library/offense/woba/ wOBA Rules of Thumb (based on Fangraph Key) Rating wOBA Excellent .400 Great .370 Above Average .340 Average .320 Below Average .310 Poor .300 Awful .290 Despite #9 Walker's inability to make contact - He has been consistent throughout the years with his : Rookie: .357 w/OBA Low A: .373 w/OBA High A: .340 w/OBA AA: .367 w/OBA AAA: .347 w/OBA His ISO numbers grade out even better. His worst year was even above average in this category. Although I understand why people think the MLB will eat him up - His consistency tells me otherwise. Hope the Twins give him a meaningful chance in 2017. He has yet to drop below "Average in any meaningful statistical category other than SO. Even his BB% is slightly above Average. Hope he doesn't get burried in AAA all of next year again.

Glasnow was the MILB pitcher of the year in 2014. He has averaged 9+ strikeouts per 9 innings thus far in his limited MLB career. Definitely a staff uplift moving forward

I agree with most of your assessments except for Santiago. I think he becomes a solid #3 or #4. The problem is we have several of those type guys. I think they may take a chance of exposing Melotakis because of his injury history. Doubt teams will take a chance on selecting a guy for their 25 man roster (rule 5) who has been on DL every year and not has not been to AAA yet (+25 yrs. old).

Walker was 1 of 44 names I mentioned in the original post and I fell for the ropa dope. The thread was about who to protect and who to not protect. I take it Walker is not among your keepers (Cool) - What about the other 43 players? Who do you let go? Just put your GM hat on and show us how you build a winner? That's what the post was originated for - FYI

Let's talk pitching - I would like to see the young flame throwers get a shot this 2017 season. Similar to Kinzler and Boschers. Chargois and Light can start up with the 25 man roster and get optioned down if needed. Reed, Jones and Burdi (if healthy) can find their way up by mid season. Would be nice to see.

Is the same thought process used in projecting home runs and run production. Can't be more consistent than 3 years in a row leading your respective league. If you don't score - you don't win.

Where has that gotten the Twins in recent years - "Outside the Box" - Take a chance.....

By all means, please find any example of a player who has led his league in home runs and rbi's and total bases for 3 straight seasons and finished Top 3 in his 4th season who didn't make it as a successful MLB player? What we would discover right now is that Walker has yet to be embarrassed as it pertains to producing runs and winning. Consider this - He hit 27 homers and drove in 75 rbi batting 7th and 8th most of the year. Who was he driving in? Not Buxton - Not Polanco - Not Kepler. Just saying........... When he did have a star studded line up and hit in the heart of the order - He struck out 20% of the time and was the league MVP. Javier Baez had a MLB 41% K rate and dropped it to 24% while in the MLB - Not to embarrassed tonight for the Cubs.

Possible - Although he hit homers off of 15 pitchers who eventually played in the MLB this season. I guess it's relative to what we deem as crappy. [27 HRs overall / Second in the AAA International League in first year of AAA ball] He has also hit homers of Tommy Layne (Boston / now NY), Trevor May, Mike Pelfry, Phil Hughes, Matt Barnes (Boston), Anthony Swarzak, Scott Diamond, Sean Burnett, and a 500 footer of Brad Boxberger. Oh, and a double off Tanaka (Yankees). Maybe - just maybe - we'll never know? Just saying Let's talk about other 43 players, so I don't get started - Lol

Player Name - Why we should keep or release? Adalberto Mejia - Lefty with a Power Arm - Twins need! Adam Walker - Game Changer - 22-5 when he hit HR Alex Wimmers - Finally pitching to his ability - Keeper Andrew Albers - Soft throwing Lefty / must hit spots Brandon Kintzler - Solid Relief pitcher - a Pressly type Brian Dozier - Team MVP / 40+ HRs Buddy Boshers - Had many solid games for Twins Byron Buxton - Up and Coming Byung-Ho Park - At Age 30 - Needs to find old stroke Danny Santana - Versatility / Speed / Injury Prone Eddie Rosario - Excellent Talent - Only getting better Eduardo Escobar - Versatile infielder/Needs Opportunity Ervin Santana - Best Pitcher / Won't find better FA Glen Perkins - Needs to be healthy - Needs to refind Hector Santiago - Much better when getting run support J.T. Chargois - Closer potential - Finding Groove James Beresford - Versatile infielder/limited bat skill set Jason Wheeler - Made big strides - Needed call up Joe Mauer - Have to play with salary owed John Ryan - Murphy Solid behind dish/Needs bat to return Jorge Polanco - Most consistent young hitter Jose Berrios - Needs to refind his groove - Has Stuff Juan Centeno - Solid back up - Needs to improve Def. Kennys Vargas - 1st Baseman of the future. Improving Kurt Suzuki - Free Agent - Let Go Kyle Gibson - Solid #3 who needs new approach Logan Schafer - Free Agent - Let Go Mason Melotakis - Injuries - Zach Jones treatment Max Kepler - Right fielder - Only getting better Miguel Sano - Star Potential - More relaxed at 3B Mike Tonkin - Either way - Keep / Release Pat Dean - Think Albers Pat Light - Too much upside to let go (100 MPH) Philip Hughes - Get Healthy - #3 or #4 Randy Rosario - Great Upside - smart to protect Robbie Grossman - Free Agent - Minor leaue resign Ryan O'Rourke - Excellent Loogy only Ryan Pressly - Keeper - Stuff Taylor Rogers - Keeper - Showed that he can pitch Tommy Milone - Long Releiver - Great thru 3 innings Trevor May - Give a chance to start - Stop See - Saw Trevor Plouffe - Free Agent - Let Go Tyler Duffey - Excellent Reliever - Can uptick Velo Yorman Landa - Great Upside - smart to protect 44 NAMES Don't forget that there are probably 20 more other new guys who need to be decided upon - Protect or Not Protect? Who would you Protect on this list or Not Protect.