MN_ExPat

I couldn't (and wouldn't) say which of them deserves to be in the Hall, I can only vote my conscience. This isn't meant that any of these players who I would not place a vote for weren't amazing baseball players. They were, and their careers showed just that. Here's who I would list a vote for if I was Sports Writer Talking Head King for a Day : Ortiz: Yes Nathan: Yes Hunter: No Morneau: No Pierzynski: No

College and HS baseball. That’s my spring and summer ?. Come and take them Manfraud!

Yeah the link probably would help wouldn't it. I'm such a rookie ?‍♂️??. You rock Nick!

Thanks Nick, and we the loyal readers love coming here everyday and just sharing that love of baseball, and all things Twins. - Example, Byron signed and personalized his jersey for my son's 18th birthday that was just on Christmas. I'd love to share the video, but in his excitement upon opening the present (my son's) he uttered a couple of colorful words that probably don't make it appropriate for a public environment or off the baseball field . Either way it was awesome for him to take the time to make that personal connection with a fan. -Also, I got bored and put together a Blog on the history and makeup of MiLB which I will openly and shamelessly admit to "re- appropriating" said material contained within. However I've always found that stuff really interesting and wanted to share it. Check it out

All I can say is thank god for HS and college baseball. My son and his fellow pitchers on the staff just started their official bullpens this week. So at least there is still some very good baseball out there to be found .

I think some of that some stems from teams perhaps being more cautious or deliberate with some of their arms. We've seen a large uptick in teams going with college arms as their earlier choices in the draft (at least it appears this way on a cursory glance) and a willingness or perhaps even a preference to let HS pitchers go to college and grow and develop there first. When looked at it from that perspective, you start to see the ages of some of the MLB debuts creep up a little as many guys are entering the pro ranks at 21/22/even 23 now instead of 18.

Thanks Lucas. Great write up.

That's 97% of all draft picks and amateur signings. I don't think ST will shine any magical light on these guys, but like Ted said (hehe... sorry Ted), these 5 have the talent and moxy to make a big statement this season.

Thanks Seth. Appreciate all the extra work on these lists (loving the separate pitcher/hitter lists). I like the idea of the subset of starters and relievers, as situational needs and differing priorities can often color where people would "rank" individual players. Seems like a lot of extra work, but if your willing to write it up, I am more than pleased to read it (and thank you for you work ).

I agree Nick. While this last year's team underperformed and underwhelmed, it was still baseball, and I will always take even bad baseball over none at all.

Sorry, meant Kirilloff in LF not Miranda.

AK to LF may not be ideal, but he's a good enough athlete that he at least wouldn't be a liability out there. Although I don't remember off the top of my head how much 1B Miranda has played before this year.

I legitimately have no words for this one ?‍♂️

Thanks Seth, love the write up. I realize splitting a list up and doing your rankings based on pitchers/non-pitchers makes for a lot more work, but I for one truly do appreciate it. I've personally always felt like having all your prospects on one list is often times trying to compare apples to oranges. So for what it's worth, thank you and hope you have a blessed and safe Christmas and New Years.

If you don't like it/these features.... don't read them.

Fair enough (and kudos to you mother, I understand the sacrifice involved). Although I would disagree and say this is just fine to discuss ?.

Thanks David. Love to hear this stuff .

How is this "desperate"? I 100% relate to this. My son is a Senior in HS (pitcher) and just recently committed to a college to play ball. We've been on this journey as a baseball family (albeit a much shorter version of that story to be sure) and I know how his mother feels.

Come on now. If you want to be an Ebenezer... go ahead, that's your right, but don't lash out at other fans who choose not to share your vitriol.

Would that honestly be so bad? Don't get me wrong, I/we all have our favorite players and "superstars" that we love to watch play. But if I'm being truly honest with myself... I love the game itself more, and a team that is like a swiss army knife, and truly gels and blends, is just fun to watch and follow.

Would you say he's gone Plaid? ?

Don't disagree with that sentiment, but also I can't say that agree with it either. There's a lot going on here, so I'll do my best at attempting to address each point (probably poorly, so bear with me): If you are a first or second round talent , maybe 3rd(or the parent or the agent) do you really want to sign with a team that basically says for the next 10 years you are going to be a 3 inning pitcher? I honestly think this depends on a lot of factors. First, every kid is different and wants different things. There are some who wouldn't accept a role like this, while others don't care at all and just want to play and do whatever it takes to excel and help the team succeed. And what team is going to draft a pitcher in one of those rounds and pay them the slot money to be a part-time pitcher? So basically the team will have said we won't ever go after healthy top end talent, we are going to settle for lesser? Again, this depends. There are so many variables that go into drafting and then getting an arm to the majors, that in the end a wise/good team usually winds up going with talent and projectability over role/status. Also, at no time has the FO EVER said, literally or figuratively, "we won't ever be going after healthy top end talent, we are going to settle for less." And yes it is bad for baseball to try and remove the star starting pitchers, quite a few of the games I have attended with my son revolve around who the Twins are playing and who is pitching that day. Multiple times we have decided not to go to a game on a bullpen day, because they tend to get long and boring and have went when Berrios or Odo, or a stud on the other team was pitching. I don't in any way feel that baseball is trying to remove "star" starting pitchers. This in many ways feels more akin to what I see in HS and many college settings these days. Multiple arms that can be interchanged and used in a variety of ways. MLB may be the melting pot of the worlds major talent of baseball, but it feels like the league lags behind HS/College/the Minors in being creative about how to mange the game and roster usage. I am not saying this year it would be a bad idea I am saying the philosophy is a bad idea, and I can't believe the players union would accept it. This isn't really a player's union type of thing in my opinion. Also, not a big fan of MLBPA in the regards that they don't (at least openly) campaign for the betterment of players in the minors, but that's a conversation for another time. I actually think pairing Winder with a Ryan and Ober with Balazovic, would be a great way to build them up. Sign a couple of pitchers, trade for a pitcher, then let the rookies thrive but not asking too much of them for too long. Honestly, I think this is more of what the team and others around the league may have in mind. For what it's worth, this is what I think.

You're forgetting a big piece of the equation here... the player, and what he wants or is willing to take on. Now I may be misunderstanding your post (it's been known to happen before), but at the end of the day the player makes the decision. Not the agent. Many guys coming out of college, or even high school just want to play and don't care where or how as long as they can contribute in a meaningful way and get consistent time on the field (I spend a LOT of time around HS players and I hear this sentiment a lot). As far as this being "bad" for baseball? Can't say that I agree with that wholeheartedly. Teams have already had success with some version of this (Tampa and KC come to mind). All it takes is someone getting the right formula and pieces together in one place, and then voila... magic happens.

I'll lead with that I'm not beating the drums that the FO signs either of these guys, However, just wanted to add that we don't truly know what's going through their heads when these guys are making their decisions. I think we (myself included first and foremost) often overlook that point. True, there are players who just don't like Twins/Minnesota/Twin Cities/Upper Midwest, etc., but this is true of everywhere in this country. There are places in the U.S. that I would rather be doused in gasoline and lite on fire than willingly choose to be assigned there for work. Baseball players are no different. What you're saying is true, just feel that the "winner" part is often just a tiny facet of the whole decision process.