Rosterman

Left-field and shortstop are still open. Even if the Twins sign a shortstop, and have Rooker play left...him and Gordon are pegged as the supersubs who can play infield and outfield. A n ice luxury to have.

Odorizzi can't pitch more than five innings. New rules MAY happen in which a player can only be sent back/forth five times in the season. GRIFFIN JAX is the workhorse and may make the roster jsut because of this factor. If you are going to tag-team starters (or use an opener), best to only do this with two pitchers at most. Which means the Twins NEED three pitchers to pitch 150+ innings, 35 starts. And ytou still need to burn thru bullpen arms. You can sign a bunch of minor league free agents, use them and lose them. But you still have to juggle the 40-man roster spot. Right now, the Twins have two openings, and will have at least two more once the season opens when Enlow and Maeda go on the DL.

When you can grab a prospect another team invested $7 million to possibly become a part of your own future, it is hard to take something less. Especially when there is only college numbers to go from. Yet, still, he started out the chute at AA and should be at AAA. Don't expect him with the Twins in 2022 unless he plays shortstop...the Twins will go thru many other folks in what will be a rebuilding year. Sadly, he SHOULD play in 2022 if you look at the big picture, at least at the end of the year. But, hey, 40-man roster decisions are hell.

The question is would he be a fixable gamble for the price. The Twins, in some ways, are pitching prospect rich. Again, you take the best affordable and signable prospect available to you and go from there.

He's going to have to deal with a lot of video and getting thru an order a second or a third time. The game plan, sticking to it, or making healthy adjustments is his key to success. Otherwise, mind willing, he could bvecome the top flight closer the Twins need. But let's give him all the rope he needs to be a top-line rotation arm.

Mor games,ore playing time. You can have a guy pitch fewer innings (thus the need of an opener or two), or just say don't care. Part of the love of baseball is the length of the season. So much can happen. Right now, Twins players need all the playing time they can get. If spring training camp opens a week late, picture the Twins sending out Rortvedt, Lewis, Miranda and Larnach sooner rather than later to get as much develoopment time before the minor league season begins. Last year, the Twins minors held tight to pitches thrown and innings pitched. I imagine we will see a lot of short starts at all levels with pitchers reaching four or five innings come July. The hope would be that ALL minor league starters pitch at least 100 innings and few push 150. Then would be pretty set for 2023. Of course, we want Ober and Ryan to push, in the majors closer to 150. I picture Griffin Jax being the workhorse in Minnesota, barring any free agent signings of note.

Cristian Guzman, who was talked about elsewhere...I keep remembering when he signed four years with the Nats for $14 m illion and our infamous Dark Star said "Nats signed him for $14 million, NATS SIGNED HIM FOR $14 million." Emphasis meaning that it was either a great deal, or they overpaid for someone who wouldn't have to really work hard to produce. Sometimes, I feel the same with Sano. He got that bonus. Put him in a good situation. And the Twins keep throwing money at him that he never ever thought possible. The player then has to decide that THIS IS GREAT or "I can make a ton more money if I really work hard, produce, and wow the sky is the limit." He strikesout. He kills a rally. He can surprise with a loud dinger. Sometimes he seems to be working hard and listening, then abck to chasing low and waaaay outside. If the contract continues into 2023 for the Twins, it is NOT a good contract. Can they trade him now, maybe if a DH happens in the NL. But any sign he shows of pop and average and fielding ability might make him tradeable during the season. Or teams will jsut wait the Twins out and see if they cut him loose, with a $3 million check for doing nothing.

The Twins need innings. Can they BUY or TRADE for two guys who can give them close to 200 over 35 starts? Then we have to be happy. They can sign Pineda or trade for Odorizzi. Only rasoning would be that if the Twins tanked, they would be tradable. Remember, no one called when Pineda as available in 2021. But they we need roster spots, and who do they temporarily push back to St. Paul...Ryan, Ober? Ryan and Ober will make me happy if they reach 150 innings. Jax could pitch more if we put him in the rotation. But pretty much anyne else (Thorpe, Strotman, Sands, Winder) would be hard=-pressed to do 100+ innings. That's the key, how the Twins balance the lightrail between Saints-land and Target Field. And we still have a team that if they wish to wn needs a real closer. Could use an upgrade at shortstop. Tell us who is playing left field. Also, who is on first or playing designated hitter. Can they find space for Arraez and Miranda. If so, where? They have two roster spots. Who comes off in a trade. How much fluff do they still actually have (okay, Enlow and Madea go on the long-term DL once the season starts). Two big starters added to the top would be a plus. Considering the next three would be tag-teaming in 2022 with another 2-3 guys.

At worst,. it jsut means major league players play sooner rather than later and 40-man guys destined for the minors go there on Day One.

If he shows up as a late season callup in 2025, we should all be glad. Of course, he needs to stay healthy and throw innings. Picture he will stay in instructional ball to start 2022 and probably pitch in short season, just so they can watch him make adjustments. Although having the low-A team also in Ft. Myers can be for his benefit. Petty will get a call-in there if the opportunity arises. 2023 is still all Ft. Myers so they can watch and work with him. If he shines, look for him to make a game jump to high-A or even AA JUST TO FACE SOME OLDER TALENT. 2024 he WILL SPEND THE SEASON AT HIGH-A BALL. 2025 HE WILL SPEND THE SEASON AT AA BALL. Sadly he will probably need Tommy John surgery or something like that right when the Twins need to consider adding him to the 40-man. But, if not, the Twins MIGHT see him on the major league roster in 2026, as he would probably have been added to the 40-man in the off-season. Vut he will spend most of the time at AAA ball, unless he has refocused into a bullpen arm by then. That means the Twins, under current MLB contracts, would have control of him up into the 2032 season. But I can only wonder "What If" he shines and comes to the majors at age 21 or 22.

The plus is: He is a starter and just needs the work, even if limited to 3-4 inning starts to begin his season. But this is the type of guy that will be hurt more with the lockout (not to mention any other arm prospect on the 40-man), since they have to go thru a training period before even reporting to Triple-A, which means they will get screwed on development when the major league club is trying to get the north 26 play. Balazovic and Strotman will start at St. Paul, but again , pushed back. Duran, Sands and Vallimont might all start, sadly, at AA ball. What a mess. Not to mention if Jax is a rotation or bullpen arm for the Twins. Players already hurt by a non-esixtent 2020 are getting killed with any lockout. Major league baseball is a broken broken mess...money rules.

Draft them young. A BIG International Signing. Throw them together in a competitive game where everyone wants to be a winner, a star, and you gotta see who succeeds, who listens, who works, and how they adapt. And then, in this list, you have two names: one who wasn't going to continue to find a 40-man spot for another team because he was being pushed by more talented arms, and one who you just hope will settle down and become a big-leaugue contributor. Those two, Vallimont and Strotman should pretty much be guarantee a chacne to pitch in the majors in 2022 (why Strotman didn't in 2021 is beyond me, giving innings to Albers and others). But then, again, the Twins seem to have too many names like that on the roster right now...will they shine in 2022 and be long-term Twins, or are they just placesetters: Thorpe, Dobnak (despite his contract), Jax, Stashak, Thielbar, Garza Jr. And waiting in St. Paul: Smeltzer, Coulombe, Sammons, Mason, and any number of minor league free agent signees hoping to take starts away from Balazovic, Sands, Winder and maybe Duran. Moran will be an interesting watch when spring training happens, as he needed more exposure last August and September but was kept back so we could see Barraclough, Coulombe, Farrell, Law, Minaya, Gibaut (especially him), Vincent, and Albers. There's not a lot of bullpen relief if people go down on the 40-man, unless you look at Thorpe or Jax coming out of the pen, so suspect there will be rotating 40-man chairs as the Twins finally take a look at Cano or Hamilton, amongst so many others. The pain there is you havce to add carefully if you want to keep the guy and he doesn't quite produce, or is forced back to the minors when the injured come back. Right now, I'm counting 152 names on Twins minor league roster after the jettisons of the Fall. Probably 20-30 or so will be gone by the end of spring training, and the Twins can still add another dozen or so minor league free agents depending on needs in the higher leagues. Always fun to see these annual lists and look back 3-5-7 years and see who continued in the organization, departed quickly, or are playing elsewhere, still.

I love it when we complain about first year (or even second year) guys not producing big numbers in the minors. Hey, once you leave the realm of high school, or college, you are suddenly playing with the best guy from everyteam on your team or an opposing team. Even in the majors, you can be a Denny Hocking and have a career because you fill a skillset. And you have to be darn good to hold your own at every minor league level, as you adjust to pitchers with control, great video, and the day-to-day of having fun but improving your skills. It is a job now and you have to come to the field everyday to work, work, work. If you don't you get passed by as 300 top names are added to teams systems every single season. That said, some rich names here. Enlow is the one that excites me the most, but we won't see him in action until mid-season. He might make his debut in 2023. Spencer Steer is a perfect example of a player who has improved. He is one of those surprise guys that could get a call if someone goes down and find himself in a major league career because he is ready to play in a variety of positions. Same for Eduoard Julien. You hate the thought that top prospects might be all-around good utility guys, but that can be valuable to a team. Maybe they can hone their skillset to fill just one position. No one here will help this year. Enlow maybe the next. We will see what 2024 ranks the others.

The whole age thing? You see enough to develop the player in your own way. Do they need a college program (and metal bats)? Right now, the Twins have Royce Lewis and Austin Martin. Both roughly the same age. They have to protect Lewis. But both, if Lewis hadn't missed a season, would be at the same level, fighting for the regular job at AAA. Hey, Lewis would be in the majors if he didn't m,iss a year to COVID, except for the slight setback at the plate in 2019 before Fall League play. Sands will get an opportunity in 2022 because he could be considered as much a relief arm as a starting arm. The question will be where does he pitch. In AA he will be able to start regularly as the mound will be full at AAA. Varland and Wallner need not be protected until next winter. Which means, beyond a mirale need, neither will see major league play until 2023 at the earliest (sadly, maybe). Celestino now has three more years of develoopment before needing to be a regular. The Twins will keep him as backup for Buxton and have him play his heart out in centerfield at St. Paul. If Buxton stays well, Celestino is still the choice to come up if Kepler would also go down (because he can play center as a backup). But the Twins can carefully watch and see him develop his skills further (at age 22 only here) to be a possible regular in a year or two or three. Who knows if Buxton will still be in center come 2025? Noah Miller is one of those guys. You don't know where he will be in 5-6 years. Will Martin or Lewis be our shortstop? Will Wander or Keoni be our shortstop? We have three solid bonus names in the system, still so young, still so far away from being called upon to be a regular. Remember, five years in the minors before needed a 40-man add. They four more years in the system playing backup. Do we want to push a Miller to be a star at 20, at 22, be happy at 24, by okay at 26?

Yep, didn't want to pay big money in a year or so to Hicks and they needed a catcher.

Elizabethton, which was the short season stop for so many of these players in 2017, has quite a current alumni list going into the six summers since. Colina was 20 (3-5, 3.34). Griffin Jax was an old 22 (0-3, 3.86). Bailey Ober, 21 (2-2, 3.21). Randy Dobnak, 22 (2-0, 2.39). Huascar Ynoa, only 19 (0-1, 5.20) and traded to the Braves where he pitched in the majors in '22. Jovani Moran, 21 (3-1, 0.36). Charlie Barnes, 21 (2-0, 1.19). Brusdar Graterol, 18 (2-4, 3.92). Bryan Sammons and Melvi Acosta still remain Twins pitching prospects. Rickey Ramirez was on the team, taken last year by the Orioles in the Rule 5. Calvin Faucher was traded to the Rays. Moises Gomez is in the Seattle system, Ryley Widell is in the Dodgers system. Juan Gamez is in the Cubs system. Jose Miranda was 19, Brent Rooker 22, and Akill Baddoo 18. Baddoo was lost in the Rule 5 and made the majors with the Tigers. Mark Contreras, Wander Javier and Andrew Bechold are still considered Twins prospects. Jordan Gore was a 22-year-old shortstop who is still a Twin prospect, now as a bullpen arm. Trey Cabbage signed with the Dodgers in the off-season. 20 others who were searching for the dream are no longer in any minor league system, although a couple played indy ball last season. Pretty good odds that over half of the players on that low-level team would still be playing after five years in organized ball, many drafted the previous season.

Yeah, Fernando Martinez instead of Gomez. Martinez did nothing, ended up being claimed on waivers by the Astros. The Twins also wanted Mike Pelfrey instead of Humber. Over in Boston Land, the Twins wanted Ellsbury and Jon Lester. Red Sox wouldn't give both. Countered with Coco Crisp. Then Bucholtz got added into the offer instead of Lester. Also as part of the package would've been infielder Jed Lowrie, and pitcher Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden. The Twins wanted Hughes and the Yankees were willing to add Melky Cabrera. But the Twins wanted more, asking for Ian Kennedy or another top prospect (Alan Horne or maybe Alan Jackson). Joba Chamberlain was also a mention. It was thought that the Yankees and Red Sox were going to outduel each other for the pitcher, but it also came down to money...did they want to add a $20 million a year arm to their alredy high payrolls. Here's an interesting look after-the-fact. https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/15979/baseball-proguestus-lose-lose-situation-revisiting-the-johan-santana-trade/ The Dodgers didn't thinbk they could pull it off, what with contract and DID Santana want to go West Coast. https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles/dodger-thoughts/post/_/id/1632/why-johan-santana-isnt-a-dodger And then later, there was talk of another Santana blockbuster deal as he wound-down his tenure in Mets-land. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/615792-mlb-trade-rumors-10-johan-santana-deals-that-make-sense-when-he-is-healthy

Yep, Danny Thompson, who played out the season, hung up his spikes, and passed on. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Thompson_(baseball)

Most all of these guys would be reporting to spring training right now and getting a jump on getting in shape with hopeful early game action. The fact that they can't even play in minor league games will hurt them. And that they have to go thru spring training before they can report to AAA/AA ball.

Don't forget Jim Mudcat Grant had a music career (with His Kittens, I think they were called). Also, I remember seeing Denny McLain play at the local Diamond Jim's during the off-season. Electric organist!

Well, with the hint that it is a million dollar contract, sounds like they would have him on the 40-man if possible right now. I don't really see him taking a paycut and working in St. Paul. The Twins have Palacios at shortstop there, possibly Austin Martins, and maybe Royce Lewis fast-tracked after starting in Wichita. By most account, I sadly expect Miranda to start the season at AAA until the Twins sort out Sano, Kirilloff, Garver and Donaldson for who plays when and where. The Twins could also advance Bechtold or Speer to St. Paul. And, heaven forbid, they need a spot for Gordon if they don't find room for him on their bench. So shortstop will probab,ly be Beckham's job to lose. And this makes me think the Twins will be dumpster diving for castoffs if and when spring training happens.

Enlow and Lewis, if they stay healthy, will come back. We keep forgetting that 2020 was a lost season for MOST ALL minor league players. All they did was get older, and lockup minor league service time towards their own free-agency. But MOST ALL flooundered by not advancing that season that they would've with competitive play., Keoni is 20 years old. Maybe he will blossom. The Twins have two more seasons to hope he thrives and they need to add him to the 40-man or lose him.

Well, they got their temporary shortstop on the cheap, and got him signed so he can work out early if there is still a lockout. Don't picture them signing anyone else. They think they got the one the need for a...bargain.

I'm more worried abaout Top Prospect of 2022, and sad that Martin and Leis probably won't happen until 2023, as well as a host of potential pitchers.

Sadly, I would picture Odorizzi just getting cut at some point if he can't work out of the pen and if there is no spot for him in the rotation. The Twins benefitted bigtime in 2020 with the shorten season and the need NOT to pay Odorizzi $19 million. Is he worth $8 million a year for the next two seasons? Maybe. But I see a guy who would be hard-pressed to pitch 150 innings. And he can't seem, to get out of the fifth inning and into the 6th with any consistency. Maybve this is a guy that gives you the best results if you have an opener pitching to the first 4-6 batters in a game. But trading anyone of value? No. And not sure the Astros need to take a Thorpe or Rooker or anyone else on the fringe of our "need to play" or "need to protect soon" or we lose them forever and ever guys.