Rosterman

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.

C'mon, You expected him to jump right to the Big Leagues? He got his feet wet in Ft. Myers. The Florida Leagues were notorious last season for pitching starters 3 innings, soemtimes 4 at the most. You were seeing such a wide variety of pitchers. Yes, it wasn't the Instructional League, but still...everyone of those guys you are facing are equal (and some better) than you. Plus you are adjusting from collegiate bats to the wooden ones. He advanced to Cedar Rapids, made some adjustments while facing more seasonsed (okay, that is an understatement) pitchers and did well. 2022 will be a good year to see what he does, starting with spring training, hopefully at Cedar Rapids, and then a kick to Wichita, maybe sooner rather than later if the Twins can stop signing minor league free agents. He has to learn to stay away from his weakness swings (like Sano), but is showing that he can at least get a base-on-ball. Coaches, film will hopefully make that better. Will he be a big bopper than can hit for average? Let's wait until he has at least two seasons under his belt.

Ultimately, the Twins need pitchers that will throw innings. You pay him for NOT pitching in 2022, and who knows what he will pitch in his walk season. You give up a player/s for someone you need to add to the 40-man until you can injure-reserve him come SPring Taring end. He contributes nothing for 2022. You lose out on players (unless you are trading, say, a Lewis Thorpe who needs to make the majors in 2022). Again, the Twins need to develop pitchers that can throw innings, as well as add pitchers as free agents who can also throw innings.

Grienke should be able to get a competitive offer from anyone but the Twins. A team would welcome him. Because he is a known innings eater. If he signs with a lesser team, it would behoove that team to flip him at the trade deadline if need be. Pineda has enjoyed success with the Twins. How much is he worth? I wondered after the Twins failed to find any takers at the tading deadline. I imagine he wants a multi year deal (two years with a third year option minimum). See if that happens. The Twins have to find a way to egt Arraez and Polanco and Donaldson and maybe Gordon and Miranda in the line-up. What all those names alck is shortstop ability. Watch the Twins pick up the lowest available opportunist that they can to fill this hole. I still feel the Twins need a bonafide closer...unless they have no desire to compete at all in 2022. Then, they can stick with what they have, tryout Alcala for the job, maybe even showcase Duran for their future.

I think Sano was always figured to be a permanent DH at some point in his Twins career. The question is, will he have a longtime career similar to Ortiz at Boston, or is his perceived value as a DH makes him a more movable commodity once DH is added to the National League and there is a sudden surge (need) for players that can just hit. Yes, Sano makes outs when you don't need an out. He is streaky. Does he stay in shape? Is playing in the field a way to keep him in the game and also in shape? Right now, he is more valuable because he is a bat thaty can also play first and, in a pinch, third. Yet the DH just being a bat is a problem. How many times did you want to play Nelson Cruz or Jim Thome in the outfield. When you play games with a National League team in the past, the DH became basically a bench bat. Sure, they were going to be used because you ended up pinch-hitting at least once for a pitcher. The Twins have a bunch of DH guys. Fist, Mitch Garver. The guy will be lucky if he could catch 80-100 games. But if his bat remains, it would be nice to get him into more games rather than sit on the bench. He ahs also been used at first, although I doubt that he would be a regular there like Mauer. We have Josh Donaldson. Age alone people think he should DH more. Maybe, but as long as he can play third base, he is the Twins best option there. Of course, the Twins may have Miranda or Lewis or Arraez or Martin needing a position, and any of those could factor into third, and all are expected to be Twins for the foreseeable future. Donaldson could also transition into a first baseman. Again, if he is a DH, does he suffer conditioning wise, because he does seem to enjoy staying in the game on the field. Alex Kirilloff. Pencilled-in as a future first baseman. But the Twins still need a corner outfielder to start the season. Musical chairs, perhaps. I would vote to let Alex play at first as much as possible. He is the future. I would ake the chance that there is another corner outfielder coming up in the system (Wallner, Celestino, Martin, Lewis, whomever). Sadly I don't want to see a replay in 2022 of Refsnyder, Cave, Garlick or any host of otehr guys not part of the future Minnesota Twins. And then we come to Rooker. This is his last chance to claim the fourth outfielder position. He is also a butcher at first. He could be a power bat threat. He is still cheap. Is he worthwhile to keep. Do we need a true cenetrfield backup option, or can we live with Kepler and Nick Gordon if need be, while Celestino plays everyday in the minors for another season. I like Sano. But I sometimes fear he is more Oswaldo Arcia than David Ortiz. That right now, he could be more valuable as a tade chip (probably tagged with another system player). Him gone would allow the Twins to cycle all of the above names thru the DH hole, getting them in the lineup. With him here, two just become bench bats in every game, compared to one.

You can keep track of other minor league free agent signings, as well as movements of former Twins into other minor league systems, at this long running link.

One and done, a snub for sure. That third Cy Young should've clinched it for Santana, but then even people would argue about longevity. (Us Twins fans still wonder what would've been Santana's career if he had stayed a Minnesota star forever rather than go to Big Market land). Players stay on the ballotting for multiple years because there is something to discuss regarding their careers. You can make many pros on factoring Santana as a Hall of Famer, but now it is moot. Especially for Joe Nathan. Criteria has to be established over every decade about the importance of relief pitchers (anyone want to talk about the sheer dominance, late in his game, of Al Worthington out of the pen, in multi-inning stints, during his Twins career and stats compared to msot relievers of the time?). More discussion needed to be made about Nathan and the save, but closers get shafted...forget about being a dominant relief pitcher who maybe closes some during a career. We can argue about how writers get to make this call. I like how many do share their picks (and why). But now we do have a players choice sub-committee that reconsiders people down-the-line.

Well, he is one of those guys you expect to be dazzling on the bases if he can get on base. Doesn't matter if he has power, but he can turn a walk or a single into an extra base when no one is looking. Unfortunately, more people are looking in the big leagues, and even if your BB/K ratio is betetr than most, you still need the occasional single to put you in a position to score. Is there a learning curve for any prospect? Sure there is. Gomez, Hicks, Buxton all started off slow. Celestino got some licks in, but at least he has shined at AAA so he isn't on the "let's move on" list -- yet. And, no matter how good a Granite may rock in the minors, you still get a bit more time if you are a bigtime bonus draftee. Granite was a fourth outfielder. You have to produce when called upon, or are replaced by the Grossmans or Caves of this world.

Back when Scouts had to visit small towns and more local games, rather than competitive showcases. Dick has always been a wonderful Minnesota Twins alumni. As an autographer, he was always kind to fans requesting his signature. And was a mainstay at every TwinsFest since they began, until newer fans started NOT knowing who he was. There is so much charm from players from the early days before big salaries and such. They really enjoyed playing the game and it was heartfelt when they no longer could and had to walk away, back into their real world. Often their communities where they were absorbed into the everyday workforce.

Brian Dinkelman, who was actually a second baseman and outfielder and split his time at each position for the 2011 Twins. He hit a whopping .301, which was higher than anything he ever hit in abseball before and definitely afterwards. He stayed with the Twins after retiring and will be starting his ninth in the organization, 4th as a minor league manager. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=dinkel001bri

If Joe Nathan can't make the cut, not sure if Glen can.

I seemed to remember Jason Bartlett expressing interest to return to the Twins as a systems coach. Never happened.

Thoughts about OPENERS. There seems to be a certain mindset amongst some starters that they do need to "start" a game, especially if they have a pregame routine. But can they just keep throwing in the pen? Also, the opener would face the first 3-5/6 batters. Part of the charm is that the "real starting pitcher" would make their start, facing the weaker part of the order, while they find the plate. Plus then the 1-2-3 batters would have to adjust to a whole 'nother pitcher, especially if you are from the school that your first two baeetrs in the order have the capability of making a pitcher throw 4-6 pitches at least so the players watching from the dugout can get a read on the arm on the mound. (WHich is why Luis Arraexz is a great leadoff hitter). And if you had two of these guys, capable of starting every third day (and maybe being available on other days to face a couple of batters), it would work because you should have at least two starters who want to start and can get you into a game. Using an opener, especially in the case of the Twins, might mean an Ober can go more than five innings. And, if can keep the lead, also get a win, which you don't when you have a short start. If there was one plus for still having Wisler on the staff, he could be a crafty opener, as well as a bullpen arm. But the whole reasoning is that the real starter will face a weaker part of the order...why have Jax pitch thru the order, then the starter gets to face the tough guys all over again anyways...might as well have him start and bring in a bullpen arm. Or, the real reason is that you hope the "real starter" will go further with his 100 pitches if he doesn't have to face the first 5-6 batters right away. Now with 8-man bullpens, you can basically have a guy be an opener, if you have guys on limited innings/pitch counts, of which the Twins have a whole slew for '22.

Well, if he had gone to college, then ALL of his past efforts would've been in that arena. Basically the same age as Austin Martin, and they both would probably be at the same level of play if Royce hadn't lost the last two years. That being said, if Lewis IS the shortstop of the future still, he will probably start at AA just to work on batting adjustments, while Palacios and Martin are the shortstop options at St. Paul. with Martin MAYBE getting refs in a crowded outfield situation there. Of course, if Miranda is in St. Paul, that complicates things even more on how plays what positions. Because Royce cannot spend all season at AA Wichita. He can't spend part of all of 2023 at St. Paul. That's when you start talking about fallen stock. But if he is to play at AAA, he needs a position to play. The Twins HAVE to be in a rebuild mode, I'm sorry. They will have to find time in the majors for Martin, Miranda, Lewis (not to mention Larnach, Kirilloff and Celestino).

Be lucky to catch half the games in 2022. Can he play first? Of course, Sano is there right now and Kirilloff is a better longtertm choice. Sano is always the guy messing things up. Do you keep (and extend) Sano as your DH of the future? Donaldson is also a roster problem. How many games does he play at third base. Is he your part-time DH. Suddenly, where does Garver play if he is a part-time aging catcher. If anyone is looking for a catcher, especially coming out of spring training, he could be a prize trade chip. I would not fear to make a trade.

Pressley was a strange commodity. He was a cheap Rule 5 pickup. He was entering his 30th year, still had one more year of arbitration, but the Twins didn't seem to need him, or feel he was worth a longterm committment. Let alone if he had pitched that way for the Twins as he did for Houston, would the Twins have made him one of their highest paid bullpen arms ever. Which makes you wonder: Why don't the Twins keep their own arms? Was Trevor May worth what the Mets paid? Would Pressley be a good longterm investment? Should the Twins sign Taylor Rogers to a multi-year expensive contract? Alcala will have a good year in 2022. Will it be a great year? Can he get into a mindset that might make him a potential closer? I felt the Twins were hoping that Alcala might be a rotation arm, rather than a bullpen arm. I'm also not totally sure about the reasoning behind Celestino, who was still quite raw and young. Future centerfield option if Buxton became too expensive, perhaps? Remember, if Buxton had full seasons, but put up the average of his part-time numbers, he would be commanding a lot more in arbitration. Would the Twins have done that? Regarding Baddoo vs. Celestino. Interesting that the Twins felt the need to add eitehr to the 40-man. Both were young. Both had not played above A+ ball. Looking at Baddoo and coming off an injury, that was a major gamble for the Tigers to take. Baddoo would've been at High-A and maybe AA for the Twins in 2021. Celestino would've spent all that Twins time he had at AA in 2022, but because of the outfield need got the quick advance to AAA, then the Twins, then seemed fruitless to send him back to AA ball...and he shined at AAA, compared to the other jumper Larnach, who could've easily gone back to AA. Is there something that doesn't allow major league guys to drop back down to AA anymore, unless on a rehab assignment? I rad soemthing about AA guys not being able to jump directly to the majors. What gives. At best, the Twins would've had the remainder of the season and the next with Pressley...because he would've tested the marketplace. Alcala has showed worth already and has at least four more seasons with the Twins. If he can dominate and become a closer, he could be that arm investment that the Twins have yet to make for their bullpen for a half-decade after that. Assuming he would want to stay with the Twins. Celestino will start at St. Paul and show if he can be a good fourth outfielder if the call comes, or a replacement at either corner in seasons ahead, showing power and speed. Solid trade for the Twins.