nicksaviking

His size isn't going to change and that does seem to be an issue with some clubs. He's not small, but fair or not 6'2" 185 isn't what most clubs ideally look for in a top 5 pitcher is my guess. Also, while control has come into play with Rodon, Beede and Hoffman this spring, do we know that it isn't still a concern for Toussaint? His numbers are going to look the same with great control or spotty control, he's in a different class than the guys he's facing.

I'm not watching this on TV but I would love to hear that come out of Dick's mouth.

I can't believe that I was the only one who advocated for Kubel to make this club. You guys were all just flat out wrong and I was totally right. No need to go back and check on my posts regarding the situation, you can trust me.

Nor the woman you were trying to please. The Kama Sutra's not for amatures.

If 2013 Dozier = 2012 Plouffe And 2014 Dozier = 2013 Plouffe And 2014 Plouffe = 2013 Dozier Than 2015 Dozier = X What is X? A) 2014 Plouffe 2014 Dozier C) 2013 Dozier D) Eddie Rosario

7 is 7 for 7 this year on infield ground outs. Tough to do AND he's gotten the infield cycle in two games groudning out to each position.

[h=2]Dalton Hicks[/h] Dalton (nee DJ) Hicks http://www.milb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_543306.jpg Hicks is a 6'5" 250 lb 1B drafted out of Central Florida in the 17th round of the 2012 draft. His size is indicative of his expected talents. He is an all-or-nothing hitter who, if he makes it to the majors, may very well turn out to be a true three outcome hitter. He is only suited to play 1B as he is slower than Adam Dunn with his leg caught in a bear trap, but he does possess great power potential; a quality most clubs seek in a firstbaseman. Out of high school he was drafted by the Giants in the 46th round. He went to college instead, but he was included on the Maxpreps 2008 All-American team with the likes of Danny Hultzman, Garrit Cole, Kyle Skipworth, Eric Hosmer, Tim Beckham, Casey Kelly, Zach Hood, Matt Hobgood and fellow Twins BJ Hermson and Aaron Hicks. Very strong company by any evaluation. Hicks ended his first season of pro ball in dramatic fashion, hitting a walk off grandslam in the decisive game of the Appalacian Leage championship. He finished the season with a .270/.382/.435 slash to go along with four HR, although the last one was probably worth more than the first three combined. The four HR was a little light for the all-or-nothing slugger but he did miss three weeks in the end of July/beginning of August. In 2013 Hicks split his time between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers putting up a combined slash of .289/.358/.486. At the time of his promotion to Ft. Myers, he was leading the Midwest League in RBI and among the league leaders in HR and 2B. Upon his promotion, his SLG% dropped as is the case for many players in the pitcher friendly FSL. However his OBP increased due to a 4% jump in his BB rate while his K rate remained the same, 21%. Hicks will open the season in Ft. Myers.

I also think Colabello may have a better grasp of the MLB strikezone. I'm guessing the front office belives so. Let's not forget they tried to sell him to Korea three months ago, now he made the opening day roster (and lineup). I think Swarzak is also turning into an asset. I know some still don't like Duensing, but he really turned the corner in the second half last year gaining MPH and really improving his K%. Watching game one, it looked like Swarzak might be on the same path hitting 95-96 MPH Monday. That's pretty encouraging.

That releif depth is really starting to pile up. It's a little sad that the Twins strenght is overwhelmingly in the bullpen, but it certainly is well stocked throughout the system. I really hope the team has let it be known that they are ready and willing trade partners in this department. Achter and Oliveros may have made the 25-man in lesser years and they're sitting in New Britain. Aside from missing a closer, having every healthy Rochester bullpen arm at the MLB level right now would have my attention.

I can't think of any players that have bypassed Ft. Myers completely and I don't see Walker as such an exceptional talant that they'd bend those rules for him.

Ha, Miley? Typo or are you making fun of him? He certaily has concerns about all three, but interpreting his notes, it seems like Hoffman' issues are more correctable than Rodon and Turner's. He seems to think Hoffman is rushing his delivery compared to his Cape Cod breakout. He also questions his catchers' pitch calling abilities. Certainly those are both coachable improvements.

Dalton Hicks.

I think it's an idictment on the decision to put this bench together the way it is. Question: How often will the Twins be in a position that it needs a righty to pinch hit for Florimon against a tough lefty late in the game? Answer: Way too often.

I'm all for making the team better, but I don't want it to come at the expense of making the team worse in the long run. I'd take Drew on a one year deal, but then you're giving up a high draft pick for a SS who will be here in another throwaway year. However, I think the chances of him being a servicable player going forward are slim and I don't want $10 million per year tied up in a SS who is no longer usable. It would take away from available future money and more importantly, it would be a roadblock for any future SS opportunities. I seriously doubt the Twins would target another SS upgrade in 2015 or 2016 if they are still paying Drew $10-12 million to sit on the bench, which is where he will belong.

Take two: No diapers? Ryan's showing a lot of faith that these twins aren't going to crap all over themselves.

Are those actual Twins or is that a before and after splice with the one on the left representing our wide-eyed optimism of opening day and the one on the right depicting the rest of the summer?

If they didn't can Gardy in the offseason, I don't think they'll can him now.

If we're basing the results on WAR, I'd bet you'd only get more out of Drew simply because playing SS virtually promises positive WAR. Drew is nearly washed up and his numbers away from Fenway and against lefties support that idea. I think the odds that Drew is a useful player for the next 2-3 years is also about 9%.

Yes agreed. This is partly how the old system worked. Previously the buying team would lose a pick AND a secondary comp pick was created out of thin air. They should just award the manufactured pick in a compensation round immediately following the first 30 picks.

The financial commitment would have been even less had they started in Rochester.

It's not working to help the small market teams though. The Yankees and Red Sox tagged six players this year for a QO and there was only 13 total players in all of baseball that even got one. The Pirates on the other hand didn't feel they could afford to offer AJ Burnett a QO as $14.5 million is a lot of money for a small market team to commit to. Burnett was a better player the last two years than Napoli, Drew and Granderson and probably equal to Kuroda. Gambling on an overpay is no big deal to the large market teams but it could cripple a payroll for a small market. No doubt when the CBA is renegotiated, it will be the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers who are in favor of keeping this provision while the Pirates, Twins and Royals would want to get rid of a system where they have to gamble $15+ million that a player won't take the bird in the hand.

The article listed 5-6 reasons why optimism might have waned, I think those things are all justifiable concerns. As others said, putting more aging veterans on the roster during another almost surely losing year instead of younger players is another reason for any pessimism. I think one article by (Reusse? Souhan?) detailing how the Pohlad's wanted to spend money but the front office was once again reluctant and another article where Anthony or another front office member said the Twins tried to upgrade the offense but couldn't give their money away (using that line for the 2nd year in a row by the way) will naturally make people lose optimism. I also think reassigning Buxton and Meyer with the first cuts probably hurts spring optimism. People want to see these guys and Twins spring training games were finally being broadcasted regularly this year. Sorry to Jamie Mitchell, but no one was tuning in to watch him and he clearly had next to no chance of making the team.

I don't think that's true. I counted last year, and I think there were something like eight healthy collegiate pitchers drafted in the first five rounds in 2013 that didn't pitch in at least low A ball. I'm guessing a good majority of them will get to graduate to high A if they didn't already last year. The Twins starting pitchers didn't get out of Rookie League last year, plenty of clubs didn't even bother putting their early round college arms in those leagues. I'm not making any judgments here but the Twins college age pitchers, at least from 2013, are further behind most of their peers.

Awful deal. He hit well last year but already looked to be starting to break down. Though I also thought the Prince Fielder contract was bad and they somehow managed to wiggle out of that one. Any way, this certainly doesn't bode well for the Twins chances of keeping any potential superstar in the coming years. The Twins got their stadium so they would be able to afford the going rate for star players of the time and now the bar is raised again, likely out of their reach.

They have one of them managing the Rochester team. I hated the Morneau trade simply because just like the Liriano trade, the Twins had to take back two guys who needed to be placed on the 40-man. This is what you get; uncomfortable roster decisions about equally inadaquate replacement level players. Well maybe not equal. Presley got claimed by the first team eligible to do so. I'm guessing no one here actually thinks Bartlett would have been snatched up and given a MLB roster spot.