Nils and I have finally done it. After talking about it for eight years, we've made it to the Arizona Fall League. While watching the Surprise Saguaros on Saturday afternoon, one player to standout was Edgar Santana of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Listed at 6'2" and 180 pounds he isn't intimidating and doesn't pack much of a punch as far as his heater goes. The stadium radar had him at 91-93 for two innings.
The pitch that caught my eye was the slider. Coming in at 83-85, the pitch had tight rotation and late movement. It generated a few swing and misses from right-handed batters and when it was put in play, it was hit weakly. The grade I would give it is a 65 on the 20-80 scale. It was clearly a plus pitch one hitters had trouble recognizing.
Based on typical bullpen construction, a 25 year old who throws 92 isn't going to cut it typically. Unless he has a pitch that gives hitters fits. Being that he pitches for one of the most progressive teams, Santana could try and throw the pitch something like 60% or higher similar to what Rich Hill does with his curve.
I'm not concerned about lefties as much as I normally would given that in double-A he nearly averaged two innings per appearance prior to his promotion to triple-A. If what I saw from Santana is true, he might be able to carry the momentum from his stellar fall (0.00 ERA and 18:2 K/BB in 12.2 innings so far) into big league camp and land on the big league roster.
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Monday, November 14, 2016
Monday, June 8, 2015
Twins 2014 Draft - A Year Out
Hey folks, the Twins are drafting again tonight, believe it or not.
That means that one year ago, they also drafted some guys. In 2014, Minnesota popped a high school shortstop with their first pick and then pick a ton of college pitchers. Let's see how those picks look after a year in the minors. Disclaimer: I'm wrong about everything and this will all probably be wrong just a year from now, maybe sooner.
Round 1 -- Nick Gordon -- Cedar Rapids (A)
Gordon did well in the second half of 2014 hitting .294/.333/.366 in 57 games at Elizabethton with defense that earned high marks. So far in full season ball, he hasn't found same the success. In 50 games so far, he's hit .242/.318/.293. Despite that unfortunate batting line, he's stolen 14 bases and walked 19 times, both acceptable.
What we've learned so far is that he's going to take some time, but he has continued to show that he's a legit shortstop, with solid approach at the plate and speed. If he can develop as a hitter there's no reason he can't be a major league shortstop. Look at Trevor Plouffe, he hit .223/.300/.345 in his first year of pro ball. If Gordon can make adjustments, this still looks like a solid pick.
Round 2 -- Nick Burdi -- Chattanooga (AA)
Just by the fact that he's spent all year in AA, this pick has been fine. That said, he's been plagued by poor control, walking 16 batters in 24 innings. But you can see the potential in his 25 strikeouts. All reports I've seen say he's still hitting 100mph with his fastball. All in all, he's not quite the instant impact player we hoped for last year, but he's still the Twins' top relief prospect (not counting Alex Meyer). As soon as he can start to locate his fastball he'll be setting up Glen Perkins.
Round 3 -- Michael Cederoth -- Cedar Rapids (A)
The first of the relievers-converted-to-starter projects, Cederoth has been similarly inconsistent to Burdi. However, he's been that at a lower level. As a college pitcher, I think it's fair to say he should have had more success at Low-A ball. Over the past three weeks or so, it looks like he has been transitioned back to a reliever. I wonder if the Twins are hoping to fast track him to the upper minors. This one isn't looking so hot yet.
Round 4 -- Sam Clay -- Cedar Rapids (A)
This lefty was also supposed to transition to the rotation, but never got a start. His main asset seems to be his handedness, as he's walked 18 batters in 18 innings in Low-A. Similarly to those above, he needs to get his command in order before we even think about him making any sort of impact in the upper levels. Also a college guy, it's hard to be optimistic.
Round 5 -- Jake Reed -- Chattanooga (AA)
Finally someone who has been relatively successful. Reed killed it last year in Low-A ball as a reliever - with 31/3 K/BB ratio. He then went into the Arizona Fall League where he allowed just one run in 12.2 IP. This year however, he's gotten off to a slow start in AA, allowing 14 ER in 22.1 IP. Although, most reports say that he has the stuff to perform in the big leagues and is striking batters out. So, I think he has a pretty good chance of making an impact, possibly as soon as this September.
Others of note:
John Curtiss (round 6) is a starter for Cedar Rapids and has a legit fastball, but is a long way away, Max Murphy (rd 9 and Andy's college teammate) has hit well for Cedar Rapids, looking like a solid org outfielder. Randy LeBlanc (rd 10), Zach Tillery (13), Matt Batts (17) and Trevor Hildenberger (rd 22) have all pitched very well in the lower minors, but don't have the pedigree or scouting reports that lead you to believe they will be major leaguers.
Overall Draft Grade -- D
Still too early to say for sure, but it's not looking good so far. The best case scenario is if Burdi and Reed can become solid bullpen pieces and Nick Gordon can develop into an everyday shortstop. If that happens, the draft was actually very successful. But that might be a long shot.
That means that one year ago, they also drafted some guys. In 2014, Minnesota popped a high school shortstop with their first pick and then pick a ton of college pitchers. Let's see how those picks look after a year in the minors. Disclaimer: I'm wrong about everything and this will all probably be wrong just a year from now, maybe sooner.
Round 1 -- Nick Gordon -- Cedar Rapids (A)
Gordon did well in the second half of 2014 hitting .294/.333/.366 in 57 games at Elizabethton with defense that earned high marks. So far in full season ball, he hasn't found same the success. In 50 games so far, he's hit .242/.318/.293. Despite that unfortunate batting line, he's stolen 14 bases and walked 19 times, both acceptable.
What we've learned so far is that he's going to take some time, but he has continued to show that he's a legit shortstop, with solid approach at the plate and speed. If he can develop as a hitter there's no reason he can't be a major league shortstop. Look at Trevor Plouffe, he hit .223/.300/.345 in his first year of pro ball. If Gordon can make adjustments, this still looks like a solid pick.
Round 2 -- Nick Burdi -- Chattanooga (AA)
Just by the fact that he's spent all year in AA, this pick has been fine. That said, he's been plagued by poor control, walking 16 batters in 24 innings. But you can see the potential in his 25 strikeouts. All reports I've seen say he's still hitting 100mph with his fastball. All in all, he's not quite the instant impact player we hoped for last year, but he's still the Twins' top relief prospect (not counting Alex Meyer). As soon as he can start to locate his fastball he'll be setting up Glen Perkins.
Round 3 -- Michael Cederoth -- Cedar Rapids (A)
The first of the relievers-converted-to-starter projects, Cederoth has been similarly inconsistent to Burdi. However, he's been that at a lower level. As a college pitcher, I think it's fair to say he should have had more success at Low-A ball. Over the past three weeks or so, it looks like he has been transitioned back to a reliever. I wonder if the Twins are hoping to fast track him to the upper minors. This one isn't looking so hot yet.
Round 4 -- Sam Clay -- Cedar Rapids (A)
This lefty was also supposed to transition to the rotation, but never got a start. His main asset seems to be his handedness, as he's walked 18 batters in 18 innings in Low-A. Similarly to those above, he needs to get his command in order before we even think about him making any sort of impact in the upper levels. Also a college guy, it's hard to be optimistic.
Round 5 -- Jake Reed -- Chattanooga (AA)
Finally someone who has been relatively successful. Reed killed it last year in Low-A ball as a reliever - with 31/3 K/BB ratio. He then went into the Arizona Fall League where he allowed just one run in 12.2 IP. This year however, he's gotten off to a slow start in AA, allowing 14 ER in 22.1 IP. Although, most reports say that he has the stuff to perform in the big leagues and is striking batters out. So, I think he has a pretty good chance of making an impact, possibly as soon as this September.
Others of note:
John Curtiss (round 6) is a starter for Cedar Rapids and has a legit fastball, but is a long way away, Max Murphy (rd 9 and Andy's college teammate) has hit well for Cedar Rapids, looking like a solid org outfielder. Randy LeBlanc (rd 10), Zach Tillery (13), Matt Batts (17) and Trevor Hildenberger (rd 22) have all pitched very well in the lower minors, but don't have the pedigree or scouting reports that lead you to believe they will be major leaguers.
Overall Draft Grade -- D
Still too early to say for sure, but it's not looking good so far. The best case scenario is if Burdi and Reed can become solid bullpen pieces and Nick Gordon can develop into an everyday shortstop. If that happens, the draft was actually very successful. But that might be a long shot.
Friday, March 27, 2015
2015 Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects
Last week I made a composite list of the Arizona Diamondbacks top 10 prospects using the five most popular prospects rankings. Just as a refresher, here is a list of the sources used:
1. Baseball Prospectus (BP)
2. FanGraphs (FG)
3. MLB Pipeline (Pipeline)
4. Baseball America (BA)
5. Keith Law of EPSN (Law)
With the Twins there are some notable names left off the composite top 10 which speaks to how deep the Twins' system is and how the future of the organization is looking up.
A quick reminder on the point system. A number one ranking will give a player 10 points, a number two ranking is worth nine points and so on. There aren't any scouting reports included as I think it is worth finding these rankings on the respective websites to explore and learn more about the future of the Twins organization.
Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects
1. Byron Buxton, OF - 50 points
BP=1; FG=1; Pipeline=1; BA=1; Law=1
2. Miguel Sano, 3B - 45 points
BP=2; FG=2; Pipeline=2; BA=2; Law=2
3. Alex Meyer, RHP - 35 points
BP=3; FG=6; Pipeline= 3; BA= 5; Law=3
4. Jose Berrios, RHP - 34 points
BP=5; FG=3; Pipeline=4; BA=3; Law=6
5. Kohl Stewart, RHP - 31 points
BP=4; FG=5; Pipeline=6; BA=4; Law=5
6. Nick Gordon, SS - 30 points
BP=6; FG=4; Pipeline=5; BA=6; Law=4
7. Jorge Polanco, SS - 14 points
BP=9; FG=7; Pipeline=7; BA=8; Law=9
8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP - 12 points
BP=7; FG=8; Pipeline=10; BA=NA; Law=7
9. Nick Burdi, RHP - 11 points
BP=8; FG=10; Pipeline=8; BA=7; Law=NA
10. Eddie Rosario, 2B/OF - 6 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=9; BA=10; Law=8
Also receiving votes: Stephen Gonsalves, Trevor May and Amaurys Minier
1. Baseball Prospectus (BP)
2. FanGraphs (FG)
3. MLB Pipeline (Pipeline)
4. Baseball America (BA)
5. Keith Law of EPSN (Law)
With the Twins there are some notable names left off the composite top 10 which speaks to how deep the Twins' system is and how the future of the organization is looking up.
A quick reminder on the point system. A number one ranking will give a player 10 points, a number two ranking is worth nine points and so on. There aren't any scouting reports included as I think it is worth finding these rankings on the respective websites to explore and learn more about the future of the Twins organization.
Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects
1. Byron Buxton, OF - 50 points
BP=1; FG=1; Pipeline=1; BA=1; Law=1
2. Miguel Sano, 3B - 45 points
BP=2; FG=2; Pipeline=2; BA=2; Law=2
3. Alex Meyer, RHP - 35 points
BP=3; FG=6; Pipeline= 3; BA= 5; Law=3
4. Jose Berrios, RHP - 34 points
BP=5; FG=3; Pipeline=4; BA=3; Law=6
5. Kohl Stewart, RHP - 31 points
BP=4; FG=5; Pipeline=6; BA=4; Law=5
6. Nick Gordon, SS - 30 points
BP=6; FG=4; Pipeline=5; BA=6; Law=4
7. Jorge Polanco, SS - 14 points
BP=9; FG=7; Pipeline=7; BA=8; Law=9
8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP - 12 points
BP=7; FG=8; Pipeline=10; BA=NA; Law=7
9. Nick Burdi, RHP - 11 points
BP=8; FG=10; Pipeline=8; BA=7; Law=NA
10. Eddie Rosario, 2B/OF - 6 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=9; BA=10; Law=8
Also receiving votes: Stephen Gonsalves, Trevor May and Amaurys Minier
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
2015 Arizona Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospects
Every year there are multiple outlets who come out with top ten prospect rankings for MLB teams and it is interesting to see how they differ. Some put an emphasis on the ceilings of the players while others favor players who seem to be safer bets and closer to the big leagues.
There are five major prospect rankings so I thought it would be fun to make a composite list for my favorite teams. The first team I will rank is the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The five major prospect rankings are the following:
1. Baseball Prospectus (BP)
2. FanGraphs (FG)
3. MLB Pipeline (Pipeline)
4. Baseball America (BA)
5. Keith Law of EPSN (Law)
If a player receives the number one ranking, it is worth 10 points. A number two ranking receives nine points and so on and so forth. I think you can understand the point if you've made it this far into the blog.
I won't include any scouting reports as I haven't seen all of these players live yet and don't want to give away the hard work these others have done to scout the players and if you wish to find out more about them I encourage you to go to all of these sites and look around. They're all well done and they're the result of hundreds of hours of work.
Due to the signing of some players and acquisitions after the publication of certain lists, the player may have been completely left off even though he is an obvious top 10 talent.
So enough chit chat and let's get onto the rankings.
Arizona Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospects 2015
1. Archie Bradley, RHP - 49 points
BP=1; FG=1; Pipeline=1; BA=1; Law=2
2. Braden Shipley, RHP - 46 points
BP=2; FG=2; Pipeline=2; BA=2; Law=1
3. Aaron Blair, RHP - 39 points
BP=3; FG=3; Pipeline=4; BA=3; Law=3
4. Touki Toussaint, RHP - 32 points
BP=4; FG=5; Pipeline=5; BA=5; Law=4
5. Jake Lamb, 3B - 28 points
BP=6; FG=6; Pipeline=3; BA=6; Law=6
6. Brandon Drury, 2B - 27 points
BP=5; FG=4; Pipeline=7; BA=7; Law=5
7. Yoan Lopez, RHP - 9 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=6; BA=NA; Law=7
8. Yasmany Tomas, 3B/OF - 7 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=NA; BA=4; Law=NA
9. Peter O'Brien, C/1B - 6 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=8; BA=8; Law=NA
10. Nick Ahmed, SS /Robbie Ray, LHP - 5 points each
Ahmed: BP=NA; FG; 7; Pipeline=NA; BA=10; Law=NA
Ray: BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=9; BA=NA; Law=8
Also receiving votes: Jimmie Sherfy, Sergio Alcantara, Marcus Wilson, Kaleb Fleck, Andrew Velazquez (Now with the Tampa Bay Rays), Justin Williams and Domingo Leyba
The next list will be the Minnesota Twins after MLB Pipeline releases their top 30 players later this week.
There are five major prospect rankings so I thought it would be fun to make a composite list for my favorite teams. The first team I will rank is the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The five major prospect rankings are the following:
1. Baseball Prospectus (BP)
2. FanGraphs (FG)
3. MLB Pipeline (Pipeline)
4. Baseball America (BA)
5. Keith Law of EPSN (Law)
If a player receives the number one ranking, it is worth 10 points. A number two ranking receives nine points and so on and so forth. I think you can understand the point if you've made it this far into the blog.
I won't include any scouting reports as I haven't seen all of these players live yet and don't want to give away the hard work these others have done to scout the players and if you wish to find out more about them I encourage you to go to all of these sites and look around. They're all well done and they're the result of hundreds of hours of work.
Due to the signing of some players and acquisitions after the publication of certain lists, the player may have been completely left off even though he is an obvious top 10 talent.
So enough chit chat and let's get onto the rankings.
Arizona Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospects 2015
1. Archie Bradley, RHP - 49 points
BP=1; FG=1; Pipeline=1; BA=1; Law=2
2. Braden Shipley, RHP - 46 points
BP=2; FG=2; Pipeline=2; BA=2; Law=1
3. Aaron Blair, RHP - 39 points
BP=3; FG=3; Pipeline=4; BA=3; Law=3
4. Touki Toussaint, RHP - 32 points
BP=4; FG=5; Pipeline=5; BA=5; Law=4
5. Jake Lamb, 3B - 28 points
BP=6; FG=6; Pipeline=3; BA=6; Law=6
6. Brandon Drury, 2B - 27 points
BP=5; FG=4; Pipeline=7; BA=7; Law=5
7. Yoan Lopez, RHP - 9 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=6; BA=NA; Law=7
8. Yasmany Tomas, 3B/OF - 7 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=NA; BA=4; Law=NA
9. Peter O'Brien, C/1B - 6 points
BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=8; BA=8; Law=NA
10. Nick Ahmed, SS /Robbie Ray, LHP - 5 points each
Ahmed: BP=NA; FG; 7; Pipeline=NA; BA=10; Law=NA
Ray: BP=NA; FG=NA; Pipeline=9; BA=NA; Law=8
Also receiving votes: Jimmie Sherfy, Sergio Alcantara, Marcus Wilson, Kaleb Fleck, Andrew Velazquez (Now with the Tampa Bay Rays), Justin Williams and Domingo Leyba
The next list will be the Minnesota Twins after MLB Pipeline releases their top 30 players later this week.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Greek God of Walks or Nah?
Kevin Youkilis was introduced to us as "The Greek God of Walks" in the 2003 book Moneyball. Fans of the book and stats nerds eagerly awaited his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox in mid-2004, hoping that Youkilis could prove the value of sabermetric thought - he didn't play flashy defense, hit for high average or light-tower power, but he also didn't make outs. He was considered an On-Base Machine, a Greek God of Walks.
Fast forward to today, Youk hasn't played since 2013 and his career can be considered with some distance. By any measure he was a great success, The GGoW made three all-star games, produced 32 WAR and starred on a World Series team. His reputation will always reflect that success and will also be linked to the popularization of sabermetric ideas. But was he really what we thought he was? Was his career misrepresented by a narrative?
Perception: The idea is that Youkilis, the GGoW, was a blue collar ballplayer who battled in every plate appearance to beat the pitcher. He would any victory he could get, be that a home run or a walk. He had to. Youkilis didn't have the physical tools to be noticed out of high school and was an 8th round pick out of college. But he made a great career by playing smarter than his opponents.
Reality: Kevin Youkilis was an awesome ballplayer in his prime. He did everything. He played a good third base, hit for average (career .281 BA) and for power (.478 slugging). He also walked. A lot. But not nearly enough to earn the title GGoW.
The reality is that only once in his career did Kevin Youkilis crack the top ten in the American League in walks. I brought this statistic up to a couple friends who know Youk's reputation and they both asked if this was maybe a misrepresentation. Maybe he didn't have enough plate appearances and his BB% (as a percentage of plate appearances) would prove his excellence. I went and looked up the supposed GGoW's MLB rank in BB% each year he had at least 400 plate appearances.
2006 23rd
2007 32nd
2008 62nd
2009 23rd
2010 20th
2011 15th
2012 51st
Even in BB% Youkilis was not an elite cultivator of walks. No doubt he was very good, but he was never in the league of Adam Dunn, Nick Swisher or Oakland's own Jack Cust. Maybe Youkilis was just a very good, well-rounded ballplayer. Not the cyborg with excellent strike zone judgement that many make him out to be.
P.S. Ideally, if I had access, I would have liked to look at Pitches/PA. Andy recommended checking that out to see if it told a different story. However, I'll leave that for somebody with better access to stats and more time.
Fast forward to today, Youk hasn't played since 2013 and his career can be considered with some distance. By any measure he was a great success, The GGoW made three all-star games, produced 32 WAR and starred on a World Series team. His reputation will always reflect that success and will also be linked to the popularization of sabermetric ideas. But was he really what we thought he was? Was his career misrepresented by a narrative?
Perception: The idea is that Youkilis, the GGoW, was a blue collar ballplayer who battled in every plate appearance to beat the pitcher. He would any victory he could get, be that a home run or a walk. He had to. Youkilis didn't have the physical tools to be noticed out of high school and was an 8th round pick out of college. But he made a great career by playing smarter than his opponents.
Reality: Kevin Youkilis was an awesome ballplayer in his prime. He did everything. He played a good third base, hit for average (career .281 BA) and for power (.478 slugging). He also walked. A lot. But not nearly enough to earn the title GGoW.
The reality is that only once in his career did Kevin Youkilis crack the top ten in the American League in walks. I brought this statistic up to a couple friends who know Youk's reputation and they both asked if this was maybe a misrepresentation. Maybe he didn't have enough plate appearances and his BB% (as a percentage of plate appearances) would prove his excellence. I went and looked up the supposed GGoW's MLB rank in BB% each year he had at least 400 plate appearances.
2006 23rd
2007 32nd
2008 62nd
2009 23rd
2010 20th
2011 15th
2012 51st
Even in BB% Youkilis was not an elite cultivator of walks. No doubt he was very good, but he was never in the league of Adam Dunn, Nick Swisher or Oakland's own Jack Cust. Maybe Youkilis was just a very good, well-rounded ballplayer. Not the cyborg with excellent strike zone judgement that many make him out to be.
P.S. Ideally, if I had access, I would have liked to look at Pitches/PA. Andy recommended checking that out to see if it told a different story. However, I'll leave that for somebody with better access to stats and more time.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Twins 5th Starter Battle by ZiPS
La Velle E. Neal wrote in today's Star Tribune about the Twins 5th starter battle. Phil Hughes and Ervin Santana are going to lead the rotation and La Velle calls Kyle Gibson and Ricky Nolasco locks behind those two. There's an argument that Gibson and Nolasco don't deserve spots, but we can tackle that another day. As it's laid out in La Velle's scenario, this leaves one spot open to competition between Trevor May, Alex Meyer, Tommy Milone, Mike Pelfrey and Tim Stauffer.
Here's a look at how the five candidates stack up by FanGraphs ZiPS projections -
Note that Stauffer's projection is mostly based on bullpen work and looks slightly better as a result.
I think this tells us more about who will end the season in the rotation than who will be there in April. It's likely that Stauffer, Milone and Pelfrey are allowed to wear out their welcome before May and certainly Meyer are asked to take the hill at Target Field.
Here's a look at how the five candidates stack up by FanGraphs ZiPS projections -
Note that Stauffer's projection is mostly based on bullpen work and looks slightly better as a result.
I think this tells us more about who will end the season in the rotation than who will be there in April. It's likely that Stauffer, Milone and Pelfrey are allowed to wear out their welcome before May and certainly Meyer are asked to take the hill at Target Field.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Hunter, Ervin and JR Graham
Crazy couple of months, huh? In any other year, $65MM of commitments would be huge news for the Twins. This year it's been pretty swamped by other teams (OK, mostly the Dodgers) wheeling and dealing like never before. I'm going to ignore all that noise and focus in on what the Twins have done and where that leaves them.
There should be no expectations of playoffs this year. But, unlike the past few years, next year might actually be good. Maybe. That's the position the Twins are in. They've spent the last four seasons tearing down the roster and rebuilding from within. The crop of young players developed has either reached the majors or is knocking on the door. Yet, with a young club comes many losses, probably about 90 of them.
Despite Kennys Vargas, Danny Santana, Oswaldo Arcia and Kyle Gibson earning their spot on ML team in 2014, there were still many holes to fill in the off-season. One corner outfielder was needed play opposite of Oswaldo Arcia. At least one starter was needed to prevent from Mike Pelfrey from depressing an entire fanbase. A reliever or two would be great to hold on to the few leads that happen.
Filling 'hole #1' will be Torii Hunter on a 1-year deal. He will likely take over in right field and let Arcia make his inevitable shift to left field. However, this is not the Torii that we remember from 2007 when he last played for the Twins. He's no longer the highlight reel generating centerfielder, he's now an old, quickly deteriorating corner outfielder who realistically, should have his 'glove' taken away from him the same way you might take away Grandma's driver's license. Seriously, it's best for everyone.
The damage in the field is minimized by the fact that he'll only be around for one season and is legitimately a very good hitter. He'll slot in nicely to the back end of the middle of the lineup and provide some nice pop. Especially with Target Field's short left porch, he has a real chance of topping 20 home runs for the first time since 2011. Only five Twins have reached the 20 HR mark in the last 4 years, but with Hunter, Vargas, Arcia and Brian Dozier, there are four guys who have a real chance of reaching that mark this season.
With the outfield corners set and players slotted in at every other position (except centerfield, but I believe that's by design), Terry Ryan and his comrades moved to the pitching staff signing Ervin Santana to the free agency deal the Twins have ever given a pitcher. Now 32, Ervin has been a slightly above average, work horse starter in his career. However, for providing 200 innings year in and year out, he's had very inconsistent results.
For example, 2012 was a complete disaster with the Angels. But he bounced back with an excellent season with Kansas City and then one of his best years ever based on peripherals in 2014. Over those two seasons, he contributed nearly 6 WAR (FanGraphs style). That easily makes him the Twins second best starter, but would probably be a #3 on most playoff teams. Going forward, that's the Santana the Twins are hoping for. Is that the guy they'll get? Who knows, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco showed us that we don't know anything about predicting success. I'll venture a guess that he has one very good season, one good season, one bad season and one injured season over the life of his contract. In what order? You're guess is as good as mine.
The Santana signing actually helped the bullpen, if you can believe it. It knocks one of the starters, probably Mike Pelfrey, into the bullpen. Starters are a crapshoot when they go into the bullpen. Some failed starters can't hack in the bullpen, but some have their career re-birthed. Andy passed along this tweet from Mike Berardino, with special guest Brandon Warne:
I will say, I don't expect him to be arguably the best reliever in baseball. I don't even suspect him to be very successful at all. But he might be a good replacement for Jared Burton or at least replace Anthony Swarzak in garbage time.
I would love to get into all the implications of rotation moves, but it's still so much up in the air. The only guys, in my mind, who are guaranteed a spot are Nolasco, Hughes and Santana. That leaves two spots for about six qualified candidates. It'll be an interesting topic for spring training but is hard to discuss at this time.
The third move the Twins made happened just today. They selected JR Graham in the Rule V draft. Twins fans may remember another Santana, Johan, who was once selected in the Rule V draft. They may not remember Terry Doyle, Alejandro Machado and Jesse Floyd. Hits are much less common than misses in the draft and it's impossible to expect anything, really, out of one of the picks. THAT SAID, I really like JR Graham! As recently as last off-season, he was considered a future middle rotation starter (think Ervin Santana). He is small, but he has power stuff and throws strikes. Baseball America had his fastball in the mid-90's consistently, with a heavy and very effective two-seamer in the lower 90's, a solid slider and serviceable change-up. The rub is that he injured his shoulder in 2014 and showed diminished stuff throughout the season. The Twins are gambling on some of that velocity to return and if it does, they'll look smart as heck. He's the type that could be an absolute beast out of the bullpen. If he is fully healthy, he may even become a good starting pitcher. There's also the chance that he never does much. He's never pitched above AA and wasn't very good at that level, so there is plenty of reasons for the move to fail. However, it's a good move that has the potential to make the Twins look a lot smarter than Ryan Pressly did in 2013.
There should be no expectations of playoffs this year. But, unlike the past few years, next year might actually be good. Maybe. That's the position the Twins are in. They've spent the last four seasons tearing down the roster and rebuilding from within. The crop of young players developed has either reached the majors or is knocking on the door. Yet, with a young club comes many losses, probably about 90 of them.
Despite Kennys Vargas, Danny Santana, Oswaldo Arcia and Kyle Gibson earning their spot on ML team in 2014, there were still many holes to fill in the off-season. One corner outfielder was needed play opposite of Oswaldo Arcia. At least one starter was needed to prevent from Mike Pelfrey from depressing an entire fanbase. A reliever or two would be great to hold on to the few leads that happen.
Filling 'hole #1' will be Torii Hunter on a 1-year deal. He will likely take over in right field and let Arcia make his inevitable shift to left field. However, this is not the Torii that we remember from 2007 when he last played for the Twins. He's no longer the highlight reel generating centerfielder, he's now an old, quickly deteriorating corner outfielder who realistically, should have his 'glove' taken away from him the same way you might take away Grandma's driver's license. Seriously, it's best for everyone.
The damage in the field is minimized by the fact that he'll only be around for one season and is legitimately a very good hitter. He'll slot in nicely to the back end of the middle of the lineup and provide some nice pop. Especially with Target Field's short left porch, he has a real chance of topping 20 home runs for the first time since 2011. Only five Twins have reached the 20 HR mark in the last 4 years, but with Hunter, Vargas, Arcia and Brian Dozier, there are four guys who have a real chance of reaching that mark this season.
With the outfield corners set and players slotted in at every other position (except centerfield, but I believe that's by design), Terry Ryan and his comrades moved to the pitching staff signing Ervin Santana to the free agency deal the Twins have ever given a pitcher. Now 32, Ervin has been a slightly above average, work horse starter in his career. However, for providing 200 innings year in and year out, he's had very inconsistent results.
For example, 2012 was a complete disaster with the Angels. But he bounced back with an excellent season with Kansas City and then one of his best years ever based on peripherals in 2014. Over those two seasons, he contributed nearly 6 WAR (FanGraphs style). That easily makes him the Twins second best starter, but would probably be a #3 on most playoff teams. Going forward, that's the Santana the Twins are hoping for. Is that the guy they'll get? Who knows, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco showed us that we don't know anything about predicting success. I'll venture a guess that he has one very good season, one good season, one bad season and one injured season over the life of his contract. In what order? You're guess is as good as mine.
The Santana signing actually helped the bullpen, if you can believe it. It knocks one of the starters, probably Mike Pelfrey, into the bullpen. Starters are a crapshoot when they go into the bullpen. Some failed starters can't hack in the bullpen, but some have their career re-birthed. Andy passed along this tweet from Mike Berardino, with special guest Brandon Warne:
I will say, I don't expect him to be arguably the best reliever in baseball. I don't even suspect him to be very successful at all. But he might be a good replacement for Jared Burton or at least replace Anthony Swarzak in garbage time.
I would love to get into all the implications of rotation moves, but it's still so much up in the air. The only guys, in my mind, who are guaranteed a spot are Nolasco, Hughes and Santana. That leaves two spots for about six qualified candidates. It'll be an interesting topic for spring training but is hard to discuss at this time.
The third move the Twins made happened just today. They selected JR Graham in the Rule V draft. Twins fans may remember another Santana, Johan, who was once selected in the Rule V draft. They may not remember Terry Doyle, Alejandro Machado and Jesse Floyd. Hits are much less common than misses in the draft and it's impossible to expect anything, really, out of one of the picks. THAT SAID, I really like JR Graham! As recently as last off-season, he was considered a future middle rotation starter (think Ervin Santana). He is small, but he has power stuff and throws strikes. Baseball America had his fastball in the mid-90's consistently, with a heavy and very effective two-seamer in the lower 90's, a solid slider and serviceable change-up. The rub is that he injured his shoulder in 2014 and showed diminished stuff throughout the season. The Twins are gambling on some of that velocity to return and if it does, they'll look smart as heck. He's the type that could be an absolute beast out of the bullpen. If he is fully healthy, he may even become a good starting pitcher. There's also the chance that he never does much. He's never pitched above AA and wasn't very good at that level, so there is plenty of reasons for the move to fail. However, it's a good move that has the potential to make the Twins look a lot smarter than Ryan Pressly did in 2013.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
AFL Notes October 22-25, 2014
AFL Notes October 22-25, 2014
It’s been six years since my last trip to the desert to watch the Arizona Fall League so when I had the chance to finally make it down I couldn’t resist. I was able to watch parts or all of four games and see many talented players who will be Major League contributors. I didn’t prepare ahead of time to take great notes on players nor was I able to really evaluate many players because I was mainly focused on a select few I found intriguing. Here are the those notes.
October 22
When I got to the park with my uncle and saw that neither Byron Buxton nor Eddie Rosario were in the lineup I rather zoned out and just enjoyed watching high caliber baseball because there were no players I was dying to see. One player who stood out on the Salt River Rafters was the first guy out of the bullpen, Brian Ellington.
Brian Ellington (Marlins): His frame stands out as a lanky right hander standing 6’ 4” and 200 pounds. Then you see his first pitch and the radar gun says 97. He had a bit of an issue throwing strikes as the inning got started by walking the leadoff hitter and throwing balls on six of his first seven pitches but after that he settled down. He had a long, loose arm that acted as a powerful whip to unleash upper 90’s heaters. He also threw a slider that was in the upper 80’s and some downward tilt and when he stayed on top of the pitch, it looked like something that would generate many swing and misses.
October 23
This was the game I was most excited about. First, I was able to see the beautiful Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The players are very spoiled being able to call that park home. For a spring training base, it really doesn’t get any better.
Second, the Rafters’ lineup was filled with players I was excited to see.
Byron Buxton (Twins): Coming off two major injuries I expected to see a Buxton who didn’t look like he was in midseason shape and that’s what I got. His timing looked a little off but what I saw was a balanced swing that showed his quick hands. He did lunge for pitches on the outer half of the plate instead of letting them travel a little more but that is just a sign of rust. One ball he lunged for with two strikes was a slow grounder to short and he showed the speed that leaves scouts drooling as he put pressure on the shortstop who bobbled the ball and even if he had fielded it cleanly would not have had a chance to throw him out. He did get a fastball in on his hands that he was able to fist into short center for another base hit. He would come around to score and it was apparent how quick he is on the bases. Later in the game there was a line drive into left center that looked like a base hit off the bat and he glided over to the baseball and caught it on the run to make it look like a routine play.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Assistant General Manager and VP or Pitching/Position Player Consultation
There is a change in the way Major League Baseball organizations are structuring their front offices. They are expanding and roles are being redefined and even defined in the case of newly found positions.
There are three teams who come to mind when I think about the new structures. The first is the Cubs and how Theo Epstein is now the President of Baseball Operations. He has the final say on every matter but it is still Jed Hoyer’s job as general manager to assemble the 25-man roster and 40-man roster along with other various aspects.
The second team I thought about was the Arizona Diamondbacks. Never in baseball has a person had the position “CBO” or Chief Baseball Officer. What is that? I don’t think anybody can clearly define it so why not give the position to Tony LaRussa who is a very respected baseball guy with an intelligent baseball mind. From the sounds of it, he is in a similar position to Epstein and has final say on all baseball matters. So after months of observation he fired Kevin “ The Gunslinger” Towers and restructured the organization. Dave Stewart (player turned pitching coach turned assistant GM turned agent) is now the GM and he is in charge of constructing the major league roster.
Arizona also hired De Jon Watson as senior vice president of baseball operations. In an interview during a D-backs game this season he’s basically there to fill in the gaps of where the organization might be lacking. Remember the game has changed a lot since Stewart was last in a front office so Watson’s experience will come in handy helping him right a very wrong ship in the desert.
The third front office with a new structure is something that doesn’t have to be described much as it has been well documented in the past and that is the Houston Astros. They created a position called Director of Decision Sciences for Sig Mejdal. GM Jeff Luhnow is an extremely intelligent baseball man so I’m not going to question him and I don’t think I could do the position any justice by trying to explain it.
So the five paragraph introduction is basically is to say that I think something interesting could be done in a front office to help a GM with difficult decisions. Two men would be responsible for filling the positions of “Assistant GM and VP of Pitching Consultation” and “Assistant GM and VP of Position Player Consultation.”
Don’t those just roll of the tongue?
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Predicting the Top Prospect Lists
I'll start off with the disclaimer that I know little about scouting and this almost entirely based off reading way too many box scores and what I see on sites like Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and Twitter. I'm doing this purely for fun and it's complete speculation.
So what I'm going to do here is post what I predict the various Twins top prospect lists will look like before they come out. FanGraphs is already releasing theirs and BP and BA will roll out over the fall and winter months.
Kennys Vargas (who I would have ranked between Rogers and Thorpe), Danny Santana (between Meyer and Gordon), Josmil Pinto (between Polanco and May) exhausted their prospect eligibility this year. We'll get an idea for their standing on BP's list as they usually include players 25 and younger on a separate list (depending on the cutoff, Pinto may not be eligible). Trevor May will still be eligible unless he somehow pitches 11 innings in his next/last start.
1. Byron Buxton - Hard to move him down as he's still the biggest talent in the entire minor leagues. We'll get to learn more about how he's recovering in the Arizona Fall League but I don't see much of any chance he falls from the #1 prospect in this system.
2. Miguel Sano - Much the same story as Buxton, however, I think he could have been jumped by a very good year from one of the other guys. That said, nobody made that kind of statement this season, leaving Sano at #2.
3. Jose Berrios - Berrios had the best season of any Twins minor leaguer, jumping from Hi-A to starting in the playoffs in AAA. His total pitching line is 25 starts 140 IP 140K/38BB 2.76 ERA. Not bad for a 20 year old in the high minors. He'll likely spend most of next year in AAA Rochester building up his innings total.
4. Kohl Stewart - Stewart put up a 2.59 ERA in 87 innings in his full-season debut. And that's without the use of his best pitch (slider, which the Twins are limiting). He could be on the Berrios path for 2015.
5. Alex Meyer - I struggled moving him below Stewart (Berrios seemed like an easy call), but his control regressed as he walked nearly a batter every 2 innings. We know he can dominate a lineup, but he beats himself far too often. I still have hope that he can be a frontline guy, but I'm thinking more and more that chance is shrinking.
6. Nick Gordon - The Twins' first round draft pick started off great in rookie ball, leading Elizabethton in hits en route to a .294/.333/.366 until he broke his finger. He was a top 5 draft pick and has looked good, but his ranking will all depend on how the scouts review defense and bat speed, the type of things we can't find in a box score. I, personally, would have him behind Polanco, but this being my prediction list, I'll slot him just ahead.
7. Jorge Polanco - Jorge is one of my favorite prospects on the Twins, anyone who follows us on Twitter knows that much. He's a 20 year old who's already hit well in AA and can play anywhere in the infield. He's got some pop for a middle infielder as well and could turn into the second baseman we hoped Eddie Rosario would be.
8. Trevor May - Don't think of this as an overreaction to his MLB starts this season. He's clearly nervous and it would be unfair to make too strong a judgement of his slow adjustment to the bigs. I still believe he could be a middle of the rotation guy, I just like the 1-7 guys more than him. He pitched plenty well in AAA to merit at least #8 ranking - which, remember, would be top 3 or 4 in most organizations.
9. Taylor Rogers - This is the biggest jump in the Twins system. Rogers added a few ticks to his fastball and crushed AA. Bits from scouts over the past six month have gushed about the Kentucky left-hander. I wouldn't be completely shocked if one of the lists from BP, BA or Fangraphs had him in their top 6 ahead of May and Polanco.
10. Lewis Thorpe - This is the lefty that everyone dreams on. Scouts have loved him since he signed in 2012 out of Australia. He started out slow in Cedar Rapids but finished as one of their top pitchers. He could also have some helium and move into the top 6 or so of some lists.
11. Stephen Gonsalves - I'm going to 11 just to include Gonsalves. He seems like the type of guy scouts might really love. He's a big, young lefty who struck out 44 in 36.2 IP in his full-season debut while walking just 11. It will be very interesting to see what the scouts who saw him over the year say about him.
A few others I considered: Eddie Rosario (perhaps I'm being too reactionary with Eddie, I wouldn't be shocked to see him in the 9-11 range), Travis Harrison, Adam Walker, Amaurys Minier, Nick Burdi and Zack Jones.
I would guess there are 7 top 100 prospects in all of baseball on the list, with the top 10 of these guys in consideration.
Also interesting to note that there are only four hitters on the whole list. Another reason the Twins don't really have to worry about paying for pitching this winter.
Let us know if we missed or under/overrated anyone @Pitchers_Duel on twitter!
So what I'm going to do here is post what I predict the various Twins top prospect lists will look like before they come out. FanGraphs is already releasing theirs and BP and BA will roll out over the fall and winter months.
Kennys Vargas (who I would have ranked between Rogers and Thorpe), Danny Santana (between Meyer and Gordon), Josmil Pinto (between Polanco and May) exhausted their prospect eligibility this year. We'll get an idea for their standing on BP's list as they usually include players 25 and younger on a separate list (depending on the cutoff, Pinto may not be eligible). Trevor May will still be eligible unless he somehow pitches 11 innings in his next/last start.
1. Byron Buxton - Hard to move him down as he's still the biggest talent in the entire minor leagues. We'll get to learn more about how he's recovering in the Arizona Fall League but I don't see much of any chance he falls from the #1 prospect in this system.
2. Miguel Sano - Much the same story as Buxton, however, I think he could have been jumped by a very good year from one of the other guys. That said, nobody made that kind of statement this season, leaving Sano at #2.
3. Jose Berrios - Berrios had the best season of any Twins minor leaguer, jumping from Hi-A to starting in the playoffs in AAA. His total pitching line is 25 starts 140 IP 140K/38BB 2.76 ERA. Not bad for a 20 year old in the high minors. He'll likely spend most of next year in AAA Rochester building up his innings total.
4. Kohl Stewart - Stewart put up a 2.59 ERA in 87 innings in his full-season debut. And that's without the use of his best pitch (slider, which the Twins are limiting). He could be on the Berrios path for 2015.
5. Alex Meyer - I struggled moving him below Stewart (Berrios seemed like an easy call), but his control regressed as he walked nearly a batter every 2 innings. We know he can dominate a lineup, but he beats himself far too often. I still have hope that he can be a frontline guy, but I'm thinking more and more that chance is shrinking.
6. Nick Gordon - The Twins' first round draft pick started off great in rookie ball, leading Elizabethton in hits en route to a .294/.333/.366 until he broke his finger. He was a top 5 draft pick and has looked good, but his ranking will all depend on how the scouts review defense and bat speed, the type of things we can't find in a box score. I, personally, would have him behind Polanco, but this being my prediction list, I'll slot him just ahead.
7. Jorge Polanco - Jorge is one of my favorite prospects on the Twins, anyone who follows us on Twitter knows that much. He's a 20 year old who's already hit well in AA and can play anywhere in the infield. He's got some pop for a middle infielder as well and could turn into the second baseman we hoped Eddie Rosario would be.
8. Trevor May - Don't think of this as an overreaction to his MLB starts this season. He's clearly nervous and it would be unfair to make too strong a judgement of his slow adjustment to the bigs. I still believe he could be a middle of the rotation guy, I just like the 1-7 guys more than him. He pitched plenty well in AAA to merit at least #8 ranking - which, remember, would be top 3 or 4 in most organizations.
9. Taylor Rogers - This is the biggest jump in the Twins system. Rogers added a few ticks to his fastball and crushed AA. Bits from scouts over the past six month have gushed about the Kentucky left-hander. I wouldn't be completely shocked if one of the lists from BP, BA or Fangraphs had him in their top 6 ahead of May and Polanco.
10. Lewis Thorpe - This is the lefty that everyone dreams on. Scouts have loved him since he signed in 2012 out of Australia. He started out slow in Cedar Rapids but finished as one of their top pitchers. He could also have some helium and move into the top 6 or so of some lists.
11. Stephen Gonsalves - I'm going to 11 just to include Gonsalves. He seems like the type of guy scouts might really love. He's a big, young lefty who struck out 44 in 36.2 IP in his full-season debut while walking just 11. It will be very interesting to see what the scouts who saw him over the year say about him.
A few others I considered: Eddie Rosario (perhaps I'm being too reactionary with Eddie, I wouldn't be shocked to see him in the 9-11 range), Travis Harrison, Adam Walker, Amaurys Minier, Nick Burdi and Zack Jones.
I would guess there are 7 top 100 prospects in all of baseball on the list, with the top 10 of these guys in consideration.
Also interesting to note that there are only four hitters on the whole list. Another reason the Twins don't really have to worry about paying for pitching this winter.
Let us know if we missed or under/overrated anyone @Pitchers_Duel on twitter!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Twins Free Agent Targets
2015 is when the Twins are going to start their turnaround. The cream of the prospect crop is reaching the majors - Arcia, Santana, Vargas, Pinto, Hicks, Buxton, Sano, Gibson, May, Meyer and Berrios. There are some skilled veterans who aren't yet past their expiration date - Mauer, Dozier, Plouffe, Suzuki, Perkins, Hughes and (hopefully) Nolasco. Combining these two groups will make for the core of the next great Twins team. At least, that's what they tell us.
In reality, the Twins struggled to improve as much as they may have liked in 2014. The pitching improved, but is still among the worst in the league. The lineup was actually very good, but still has some gaping holes. And at the end of the day, the team is going to need some help to make it out of the cellar of the American League.
The front office will be looking at a payroll of under $70 million for 2015 and have indicated that they intend to spend. The positions the Twins will attack, according to what I've read online and the general feel around the Twittersphere, are starting pitching and outfield. Let's take a look at some guys they will likely kick the tires on, starting with pitchers:
Current state:
Phil Hughes is the only pitcher to earn a guaranteed spot in the rotation next year. Ricky Nolasco will almost certainly be given every opportunity to pitch as he enters his second out of five years under contract. Kyle Gibson and Tommy Milone will be on the team, but haven't locked down a rotation spot necessarily. Mike Pelfrey is also slated to make $5.5 million next year and could be a factor at the back end of the rotation. And lastly, Trevor May, Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios are all extremely talented guys who pitched in AAA last season and should get a shot at some point in 2015. Not to mention a slew of extra lefties who could be serviceable, Kris Johnson, Logan Darnell and Sean Gilmartin.
What the Twins should look for:
Given this outlook, rotation spots are going to be difficult to earn next season. However, most of the candidates are young, injury-prone, unproven, not that good or some combination of those. So, that combo of uncertainty plus money to spend plus a need to improve the squad means that the Twins will likely invest in a pitcher. The situation also suggests that the Twins should invest in a certain type of pitcher. There's no need to sign an inning's eater type, like Correia, Nolasco or Pelfrey. They need a guy to pair with Hughes at the front of the rotation. However, it's unlikely they'll be able to draw one of the top pitchers on the market like Jon Lester, James Shields or Max Scherzer. That restricts them to a certain second-tier type with the upside to lead a rotation. This is our prototype.
Who fits the mold:
Josh Beckett -- I'm starting out with the most ridiculous suggestion. Beckett has the talent to be one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball but is inconsistent and often injured. Perhaps the Twins could strike at the right time and get next year's version of Phil Hughes.
Francisco Liriano -- A reunion with this strikeout artist would make sense as the Twins are lacking in frontline left-handed pitching and should be reasonably priced because of his injury history.
Ervin Santana -- Over the past 5 seasons, he's averaged 205 innings and 3.84 ERA. He's been home run prone and may resemble Nolasco too closely, but he has front-line potential as he showed with the Royals in 2013.
James Shields, Jon Lester and Max Scherzer -- Pipe dream of most Twins fans. I would hope they stay away from dishing out huge money on any of these guys who would help, but have their best years behind them and would be a financial drag for years to come.
Outfield!
Current state:
Oswaldo Arcia has right field on lock for the foreseeable future. Beyond that, there's nothing set in stone for next season. Center field could be occupied by Jordan Schafer or Aaron Hicks until Byron Buxton is ready - but we really aren't sure how long that will take. Left field could also be handled by Schafer, Hicks, Chris Parmelee or a prospect such as Eddie Rosario. Clearly, at least one outfielder is very much needed at least for 2015 and possibly beyond.
What the Twins should look for:
I've read they want a slugger. A big right-handed bat, like another Willingham or Cuddyer. This type of player would fit nicely in left field and the middle of the lineup. Howeveooking at the current construction of the roster and assuming Buxton isn't ready opening day, it's pretty clear they need a guy to man centerfield at least adequately. I would expect this to be where they spend most of their money, with only Cuban Yasmani Tomas probably out of play, as he's expected to make $75 million.
Who fits the mold:
Nelson Cruz -- If the Twins get their dream to come true, they'll end up Cruz. He can be slotted into left field and the #4 slot in the lineup between Mauer and Arcia. Not to mention the damage that right-handed sluggers have done in Minnesota. His gaudy home run total this season might drive up his price while his mediocre plate discipline and injury history tell us more about his actual value. Signing Cruz would almost certainly be an overpay but he is a good fit.
Colby Rasmus -- His career slash line of .246/.313/.438 isn't attractive. But it's excusable when you consider that he plays a solid centerfield, has thunder in his bat and is a solid-average baserunner. He might carry a higher price tag than some others but he also has more upside. He'd fit well on the Twins on a two year deal, starting 2014 as the centerfielder and then providing huge value off the bench once Buxton reaches the majors or taking over left field.
Emilio Bonifacio -- Emilio's triple slash line as journeyman isn't too outstanding .264/.320/.343. But he provides great flexibility in that he could play pretty much any position on the field. Flexibility would be very helpful if team officials think Buxton will be ready early on in the season and could use Bonifacio as a backup at nearly every other position.
So it appears Byron Buxton is the key to the puzzle. If the Twins want him to spend an entire season between AA and AAA getting reps, Colby Rasmus makes the most sense, potentially sharing the outfield with Hicks or Schafer. If Buxton could be ready early in the season, Bonifacio would be an excellent complementary piece and provide flexibility. Nelson Cruz would fit in left field regardless of what's going on in centerfield as Eddie Rosario looks less and less like a big piece of the future in left field. The Cruz scenario is more related to the Pohlad's grip on the purse strings.
I'd love to hear what you guys think about the off-season as well - any trade targets? Do they need bullpen help? How about leaving Santana in the outfield and signing JJ Hardy back? Tweet us @Pitchers_Duel or leave a comment!
In reality, the Twins struggled to improve as much as they may have liked in 2014. The pitching improved, but is still among the worst in the league. The lineup was actually very good, but still has some gaping holes. And at the end of the day, the team is going to need some help to make it out of the cellar of the American League.
The front office will be looking at a payroll of under $70 million for 2015 and have indicated that they intend to spend. The positions the Twins will attack, according to what I've read online and the general feel around the Twittersphere, are starting pitching and outfield. Let's take a look at some guys they will likely kick the tires on, starting with pitchers:
Current state:
Phil Hughes is the only pitcher to earn a guaranteed spot in the rotation next year. Ricky Nolasco will almost certainly be given every opportunity to pitch as he enters his second out of five years under contract. Kyle Gibson and Tommy Milone will be on the team, but haven't locked down a rotation spot necessarily. Mike Pelfrey is also slated to make $5.5 million next year and could be a factor at the back end of the rotation. And lastly, Trevor May, Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios are all extremely talented guys who pitched in AAA last season and should get a shot at some point in 2015. Not to mention a slew of extra lefties who could be serviceable, Kris Johnson, Logan Darnell and Sean Gilmartin.
What the Twins should look for:
Given this outlook, rotation spots are going to be difficult to earn next season. However, most of the candidates are young, injury-prone, unproven, not that good or some combination of those. So, that combo of uncertainty plus money to spend plus a need to improve the squad means that the Twins will likely invest in a pitcher. The situation also suggests that the Twins should invest in a certain type of pitcher. There's no need to sign an inning's eater type, like Correia, Nolasco or Pelfrey. They need a guy to pair with Hughes at the front of the rotation. However, it's unlikely they'll be able to draw one of the top pitchers on the market like Jon Lester, James Shields or Max Scherzer. That restricts them to a certain second-tier type with the upside to lead a rotation. This is our prototype.
Who fits the mold:
Josh Beckett -- I'm starting out with the most ridiculous suggestion. Beckett has the talent to be one of the 10 best pitchers in baseball but is inconsistent and often injured. Perhaps the Twins could strike at the right time and get next year's version of Phil Hughes.
Francisco Liriano -- A reunion with this strikeout artist would make sense as the Twins are lacking in frontline left-handed pitching and should be reasonably priced because of his injury history.
Ervin Santana -- Over the past 5 seasons, he's averaged 205 innings and 3.84 ERA. He's been home run prone and may resemble Nolasco too closely, but he has front-line potential as he showed with the Royals in 2013.
James Shields, Jon Lester and Max Scherzer -- Pipe dream of most Twins fans. I would hope they stay away from dishing out huge money on any of these guys who would help, but have their best years behind them and would be a financial drag for years to come.
Outfield!
Current state:
Oswaldo Arcia has right field on lock for the foreseeable future. Beyond that, there's nothing set in stone for next season. Center field could be occupied by Jordan Schafer or Aaron Hicks until Byron Buxton is ready - but we really aren't sure how long that will take. Left field could also be handled by Schafer, Hicks, Chris Parmelee or a prospect such as Eddie Rosario. Clearly, at least one outfielder is very much needed at least for 2015 and possibly beyond.
What the Twins should look for:
I've read they want a slugger. A big right-handed bat, like another Willingham or Cuddyer. This type of player would fit nicely in left field and the middle of the lineup. Howeveooking at the current construction of the roster and assuming Buxton isn't ready opening day, it's pretty clear they need a guy to man centerfield at least adequately. I would expect this to be where they spend most of their money, with only Cuban Yasmani Tomas probably out of play, as he's expected to make $75 million.
Who fits the mold:
Nelson Cruz -- If the Twins get their dream to come true, they'll end up Cruz. He can be slotted into left field and the #4 slot in the lineup between Mauer and Arcia. Not to mention the damage that right-handed sluggers have done in Minnesota. His gaudy home run total this season might drive up his price while his mediocre plate discipline and injury history tell us more about his actual value. Signing Cruz would almost certainly be an overpay but he is a good fit.
Colby Rasmus -- His career slash line of .246/.313/.438 isn't attractive. But it's excusable when you consider that he plays a solid centerfield, has thunder in his bat and is a solid-average baserunner. He might carry a higher price tag than some others but he also has more upside. He'd fit well on the Twins on a two year deal, starting 2014 as the centerfielder and then providing huge value off the bench once Buxton reaches the majors or taking over left field.
Emilio Bonifacio -- Emilio's triple slash line as journeyman isn't too outstanding .264/.320/.343. But he provides great flexibility in that he could play pretty much any position on the field. Flexibility would be very helpful if team officials think Buxton will be ready early on in the season and could use Bonifacio as a backup at nearly every other position.
So it appears Byron Buxton is the key to the puzzle. If the Twins want him to spend an entire season between AA and AAA getting reps, Colby Rasmus makes the most sense, potentially sharing the outfield with Hicks or Schafer. If Buxton could be ready early in the season, Bonifacio would be an excellent complementary piece and provide flexibility. Nelson Cruz would fit in left field regardless of what's going on in centerfield as Eddie Rosario looks less and less like a big piece of the future in left field. The Cruz scenario is more related to the Pohlad's grip on the purse strings.
I'd love to hear what you guys think about the off-season as well - any trade targets? Do they need bullpen help? How about leaving Santana in the outfield and signing JJ Hardy back? Tweet us @Pitchers_Duel or leave a comment!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Twins Prospects in the Arizona Fall League
With opening day just a few weeks away for the Arizona Fall League, Pitchers’ Duel gives a quick look at all seven Minnesota Twins prospects who will be making their way to the deserts of Arizona. Some will be looking to extend an already solid 2014 campaign while others are looking to make up at bats and innings due to missed time. The scouting reports are compiled from Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. For the players’ rankings, the BP ranking is from Jason Parks’ preseason rankings. MLB Pipeline updates their rankings as deals are made and are current. The Baseball America rankings are from their preseason reports.
Jason Adam (RHP)
6’4” 225 lbs
Acquired by the Twins from the Royals in exchange for outfielder Josh Willingham, Adam has split time between AA with the Twins and Royals and pitched eight games (all in relief) at the AAA level for Kansas City. Between those three stops, he had a 4.70 ERA in 29 games (19 starts). He totaled 120.2 innings and struck out 103 and walked just 36. Jason Parks (formerly of Baseball Prospectus and now a scout for the Chicago Cubs) said his ultimate role is a number four starter at best or a long reliever out of the pen. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s with an above-average breaking pitch and occasional change up.
2014 Prospect Rankings:
Baseball Prospectus: #9 (Royals)
MLB Pipeline: NA
Baseball America: #9
Thursday, August 14, 2014
The Most Exciting Twin
I've had a few of my friends, some of them Twins fans, ask me how I could watch continue watching the Twins with any regularity. My response is always the same, "there are some good young kids who I want to watch". At times I barely believe the words coming out of my mouth, for example, when those young kids are a struggling Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia or Kyle Gibson.
But for the past two months, I've been able to say it with conviction because of Danny Santana. He's young, he hits and boy can he run. 61 games into his major league career he's hitting .331/.369/.483 and as that line suggests it's not an empty, Ben Revere-esque batting average - Santana has been hitting the ball hard. Despite playing in roughly half the team's games, Santana has hit 15 doubles, 3 triples and 5 home runs - good for 5th on the team in extra base hits (1 more than both Arcia or Mauer despite fewer plate appearances).
It's plenty exciting to watch a 23 year old switch hitter have success hitting in the majors even if that's all he's doing. But the most exciting part of watching Danny play is what happens after he hits the ball. Singles stretch to doubles and doubles stretch to triples. Pitchers spend time worrying about him on basepaths and then he steals anyway. He's bringing a kind of excitement to the field Twins' fans haven't seen since Christian Guzman.
Speaking of Guzman, I think he is an excellent model of what we should hope to expect out of Danny Santana in his career as a Twin. Over his career, Guzman hit .271/.307/.383 and averaged 27 doubles, 10 triples, 7 home runs and 14 stolen bases per 162 games. Some years were better and some years were worse, obviously, so don't get me wrong and say that's anyone's absolute maximum production. Further, Guzman provided average to slightly above average defense at shortstop - something today's Twins sorely lack. I think we should all be very satisfied if he can mimic Guzman and make two all-star games in his career.
Right now we're seeing Danny Santana play completely out of position at center field but he will have to move back to shortstop eventually. He is a horrendous outfielder, rarely making good reads on flyouts and misses cut-off men regularly. However, all reports are that he's a very good shortstop with a cannon arm. If he can provide that strong defense along with his flashy production on offense, Santana should be an important part of Minnesota's future plans and a great reason for us to keep watching.
But for the past two months, I've been able to say it with conviction because of Danny Santana. He's young, he hits and boy can he run. 61 games into his major league career he's hitting .331/.369/.483 and as that line suggests it's not an empty, Ben Revere-esque batting average - Santana has been hitting the ball hard. Despite playing in roughly half the team's games, Santana has hit 15 doubles, 3 triples and 5 home runs - good for 5th on the team in extra base hits (1 more than both Arcia or Mauer despite fewer plate appearances).
It's plenty exciting to watch a 23 year old switch hitter have success hitting in the majors even if that's all he's doing. But the most exciting part of watching Danny play is what happens after he hits the ball. Singles stretch to doubles and doubles stretch to triples. Pitchers spend time worrying about him on basepaths and then he steals anyway. He's bringing a kind of excitement to the field Twins' fans haven't seen since Christian Guzman.
Speaking of Guzman, I think he is an excellent model of what we should hope to expect out of Danny Santana in his career as a Twin. Over his career, Guzman hit .271/.307/.383 and averaged 27 doubles, 10 triples, 7 home runs and 14 stolen bases per 162 games. Some years were better and some years were worse, obviously, so don't get me wrong and say that's anyone's absolute maximum production. Further, Guzman provided average to slightly above average defense at shortstop - something today's Twins sorely lack. I think we should all be very satisfied if he can mimic Guzman and make two all-star games in his career.
Right now we're seeing Danny Santana play completely out of position at center field but he will have to move back to shortstop eventually. He is a horrendous outfielder, rarely making good reads on flyouts and misses cut-off men regularly. However, all reports are that he's a very good shortstop with a cannon arm. If he can provide that strong defense along with his flashy production on offense, Santana should be an important part of Minnesota's future plans and a great reason for us to keep watching.
Friday, May 9, 2014
2014 Japan All-Star Series
Today MLB announced that as earlier as this November, they will send a team of All-Stars to Japan to resume the Japan All-Star Series. The series was last played in 2006 and has not been scheduled due to the World Baseball Classic. I love making rosters for these types of exhibition games and this is the team I would send across seas. Past rosters have included 27 players made up of 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Enjoy!
Pitching Staff
Rotation
Justin Verlander - DET
Jose Fernandez - MIA
Clayton Kershaw -LAD
Max Scherzer - DET
Bullpen
Fransisco Rodriguez - MIL
Sergio Romo - SF
Craig Kimbrel - ATL
Glen Perkins -MIN
Koji Uehara - BOS (he could play for team Japan as Japanese players have done in the past)
Aroldis Chapman - CIN
Brad Ziegler - ARI
Will Smith - MIL
Kenley Jansen - LAD
Position Players
C Yadier Molina - STL
C Buster Posey - SF
C Jonathan Lucroy - MIL
1B Paul Goldschmidt - ARI
1B Miguel Cabrera - DET
2B Robinson Cano - SEA
SS Troy Tulowitzki - COL
3B Matt Carpenter - STL
UTL Ben Zobrist - TB
OF Giancarlo Stanton - MIA
OF Carlos Gomez - MIL
OF Mike Trout - LAA
OF Jose Bautista - TOR
Monday, April 28, 2014
An Old Memory: The Bob Feller Museum
When I traveled to Evansville, Indiana this past weekend, the Evansville Courier brought back a memory that I hadn't thought about in a long time. The article, Feller museum struggling to survive by Luke Meredith, brought me back to the spring of 2009 when I was making a trip down to the University of Iowa and we made a stop in the small town of Van Meter.
This town is so small if I blinked, we would've been out of the city limits. But I had to make a stop at the Bob Feller Museum. It was fascinating.
I learned that Feller was offered a $1 signing bonus from the Cleveland Indians and he never even received that money. I also learned he is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day.
Meredith's article though was about how the museum is struggling to stay open. Obviously, being in such a small town, it does not get many people through its doors which makes it hard to turn any sort of profit.
This saddens me because I think this is what baseball is all about. The history and the great players of the past who have made the game so enjoyable for me and millions of other people around the world.
This isn't the typical Pitcher's Duel post but just a friendly reminder that if you ever have the chance to honor the great history of baseball by visiting Cooperstown, reading a biography on a former player or by stopping in Van Meter, take the time to soak it all in. Life is short and it should be everybody's goal to learn something new and honor America's Pastime.
Here is a link to Meredith's article: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/iowa-baseball-museum-struggles-when-namesake-dies
This town is so small if I blinked, we would've been out of the city limits. But I had to make a stop at the Bob Feller Museum. It was fascinating.
I learned that Feller was offered a $1 signing bonus from the Cleveland Indians and he never even received that money. I also learned he is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day.
Meredith's article though was about how the museum is struggling to stay open. Obviously, being in such a small town, it does not get many people through its doors which makes it hard to turn any sort of profit.
This saddens me because I think this is what baseball is all about. The history and the great players of the past who have made the game so enjoyable for me and millions of other people around the world.
This isn't the typical Pitcher's Duel post but just a friendly reminder that if you ever have the chance to honor the great history of baseball by visiting Cooperstown, reading a biography on a former player or by stopping in Van Meter, take the time to soak it all in. Life is short and it should be everybody's goal to learn something new and honor America's Pastime.
Here is a link to Meredith's article: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/iowa-baseball-museum-struggles-when-namesake-dies
Monday, April 14, 2014
Some Early Trends in Twins Territory
-Trevor Plouffe has shown great plate discipline to the tune of a .326/.446/.413 batting line. He's walking (16.1% of PAs) at a rate almost double of his career rate and cut his strikeout rate from 21% to 14%. It appears the change in approach has traded off on-base skills for power as he only has 4 extra base hits on the young season.
It's difficult to say if this trend will continue, but at the very least it's a bright spot for the future of third base with top prospect Miguel Sano sidelined by injury for 2014. If Plouffe can continue to shrink his strikeouts and take walks, he could be an excellent role player for the Twins.
-Dozier's Pop: He's not turning into Robinson Cano, but it looks like Dozier has legit home run power. A lot of people believed that last year's 18 home runs were a fluke and a number in the low teens would be more realistic in the coming seasons.
That said, he will likely see more of his home runs turn to doubles in the coming months. I would tack him as a good bet to repeat a home run count in the high teens with a chance to top 20 bombs.
-Josmil Pinto. It's clear he can hit based on what we've seen so far this season. I still expect him to hit a rough patch in the middle of the season as he's forced to adjust to pitchers who know will have a book on him, but I still love what I see. Additionally, Kurt Suzuki is doing very little to keep Pinto on the bench and we should see Pinto getting more and more time behind the dish.
-I still do not believe in Jason Kubel at all.
-Kyle Gibson has put up a shiny 2-0 record and 1.59 ERA but I'd be shocked if he kept it up. I've been a big Gibson fan in the past, but not right now. He's stranding 87.5% of runners on base and surrendering hits on just 23.5% of balls hitters put in play. I'd expect him to be good at both of these aspects of the game because he is a groundball pitcher, but nowhere near these rates. For now, Gibson is just a back-end guy with the pitching repertoire to be a mid-rotation guy in the future.
-I still really like what I've seen from both Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco. Neither will be aces and both have been frustrating in the past, but they both have really impressive pitching ability.
It's difficult to say if this trend will continue, but at the very least it's a bright spot for the future of third base with top prospect Miguel Sano sidelined by injury for 2014. If Plouffe can continue to shrink his strikeouts and take walks, he could be an excellent role player for the Twins.
-Dozier's Pop: He's not turning into Robinson Cano, but it looks like Dozier has legit home run power. A lot of people believed that last year's 18 home runs were a fluke and a number in the low teens would be more realistic in the coming seasons.
That said, he will likely see more of his home runs turn to doubles in the coming months. I would tack him as a good bet to repeat a home run count in the high teens with a chance to top 20 bombs.
-Josmil Pinto. It's clear he can hit based on what we've seen so far this season. I still expect him to hit a rough patch in the middle of the season as he's forced to adjust to pitchers who know will have a book on him, but I still love what I see. Additionally, Kurt Suzuki is doing very little to keep Pinto on the bench and we should see Pinto getting more and more time behind the dish.
-I still do not believe in Jason Kubel at all.
-Kyle Gibson has put up a shiny 2-0 record and 1.59 ERA but I'd be shocked if he kept it up. I've been a big Gibson fan in the past, but not right now. He's stranding 87.5% of runners on base and surrendering hits on just 23.5% of balls hitters put in play. I'd expect him to be good at both of these aspects of the game because he is a groundball pitcher, but nowhere near these rates. For now, Gibson is just a back-end guy with the pitching repertoire to be a mid-rotation guy in the future.
-I still really like what I've seen from both Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco. Neither will be aces and both have been frustrating in the past, but they both have really impressive pitching ability.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Opening Day is So Close
We're so close you guys! Like three or four days depending on your team of choice.
Pitcher's Duel will remain active this year. It's kind of sad that I even have to post that but we've been producing nil content over the winter so I feel like it needs to be said.
While you're here... So how about that winter? Those trades and free agent happenings and all the injuries! Right?
See you all very soon. Hopefully.
Regards,
Nils
Pitcher's Duel will remain active this year. It's kind of sad that I even have to post that but we've been producing nil content over the winter so I feel like it needs to be said.
While you're here... So how about that winter? Those trades and free agent happenings and all the injuries! Right?
See you all very soon. Hopefully.
Regards,
Nils
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Scouting Archie Bradley
I haven’t had the opportunity to see Archie Bradley in person yet so I’m relying a lot on YouTube clips and word of mouth. Here is one clip that the Google machine brought up that shows his mechanics very well.
As an avid Diamondbacks fan, I’m excited to see what Bradley could bring to the table as soon as this spring. The Diamondbacks rotation, which could change in the coming days with the Winter Meetings tomorrow, looks like it will be Patrick Corbin, Brandon McCarthy, Wade Miley, Trevor Cahill as the shoe-ins and there will be a battle between Tyler Skaggs (assuming he isn’t traded), Randall Delgado and Bradley.
When I look at this rotation, I see a lot of mediocrity and middle-of-the-rotation arms rather than a first-division player who could lead a pitching staff. With what scouts have said about Bradley, he could be the type of arm to do just that.
Now, onto the actual scouting of Bradley. I’ll start from the bottom and make my way to the top. His high leg kick is what sticks out first when you see him pitch. His lead knee comes up to his chest level (I’d say the typical pitcher raises his knee to his belly button) and his toe is pointed toward the sky when most pitchers are taught to let the foot relax at the top of balance.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Replacing the Replacements
It's a busy time for Andy and I, with finals and all, so please excuse the lack of actually posts. It also doesn't help that our favorite has been a train wreck and made baseball as a whole much more dreary. Never the mind, Terry Ryan has spelled our malaise for at least a few weeks by handing out moderate free agent contracts (or by Twins' standards, humongous big contracts) to Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes.
By this time, if you care enough to come to this site, you've probably read a bit about how Nolasco and Hughes will hopefully be average to a touch above that this season. Nothing special, but not awful.
In a vacuum, that's a fine assessment; one I'd expect from the national media. But it's not that easy to remove the signings from their context. That context being the Twins rotation. Nolasco and Hughes will be replacing the two worst starters on by far the worst rotation in baseball. Their bar to hurdle is set so incredibly far in the basement they won't even have to worry about tripping over it.
Twins starters allowed 546 runs in 871 innings, so 0.627 runs per inning.
Nolasco is projected to pitch 198 innings and allow 95 runs by the Oliver projection system: 0.480 runs per inning.
Hughes is projected to pitch 174 innings and allow 94 runs (Oliver): 0.540 runs per inning.
So if we expected the Twins rotation to stand pat and fill those 372 innings with Andrew Alber, Sam Deduno etc. they could be expected to allow 233 runs. Replacing them with Nolasco and Hughes could be expected to allow 189 runs. That's 44 runs saved over the course of the season.
This is a pretty simple analysis, as the average Twins pitcher isn't replaced, it's the worst two pitchers being replaced. For that reason and that Oliver isn't quite as bullish on Hughes as others, this estimate is fairly conservative and I'm inclined to bump my personal estimate up to the 50-55 run range.
So basically those are my thoughts on the signing. Nolasco and Hughes aren't fantastic, but given the no-production hurlers they're replacing, it's a massive upgrade. That's probably why the Twins paid more than any other team for the pair, Nolasco and Hughes offered more value to this team than any other in the league.
By this time, if you care enough to come to this site, you've probably read a bit about how Nolasco and Hughes will hopefully be average to a touch above that this season. Nothing special, but not awful.
In a vacuum, that's a fine assessment; one I'd expect from the national media. But it's not that easy to remove the signings from their context. That context being the Twins rotation. Nolasco and Hughes will be replacing the two worst starters on by far the worst rotation in baseball. Their bar to hurdle is set so incredibly far in the basement they won't even have to worry about tripping over it.
Twins starters allowed 546 runs in 871 innings, so 0.627 runs per inning.
Nolasco is projected to pitch 198 innings and allow 95 runs by the Oliver projection system: 0.480 runs per inning.
Hughes is projected to pitch 174 innings and allow 94 runs (Oliver): 0.540 runs per inning.
So if we expected the Twins rotation to stand pat and fill those 372 innings with Andrew Alber, Sam Deduno etc. they could be expected to allow 233 runs. Replacing them with Nolasco and Hughes could be expected to allow 189 runs. That's 44 runs saved over the course of the season.
This is a pretty simple analysis, as the average Twins pitcher isn't replaced, it's the worst two pitchers being replaced. For that reason and that Oliver isn't quite as bullish on Hughes as others, this estimate is fairly conservative and I'm inclined to bump my personal estimate up to the 50-55 run range.
So basically those are my thoughts on the signing. Nolasco and Hughes aren't fantastic, but given the no-production hurlers they're replacing, it's a massive upgrade. That's probably why the Twins paid more than any other team for the pair, Nolasco and Hughes offered more value to this team than any other in the league.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Quick thoughts on The Joe Mauer transition
Well, it’s about time. The Joe Mauer is moving to first base on a permanent basis and I don’t think it could come at a better time. Justin Morneau is gone and I don’t think anybody actually thinks Chris Parmelee or Chris Colabello are worthy of taking on the role of full-time Major League first baseman.
The offensive production is what everyone is asking about. He flat out rakes. But can he match what first baseman are asked to do? Hit homers and produce runs? I say yes. Remember in 2009 when Mauer missed the first month of the season and came out swinging to hit 28 homers? Could it have been that his body had that extra time to rest? Possibly. Maybe he’ll be able to get back to the 18-25 homer range with a fresh body.
In 2012, The Joe Mauer played in a career-high 147 games. 30 of those games came at first, 42 at designated hitter and just 74 (72 starts) at catcher. Is it a coincidence that keeping Mauer from behind the plate put him in more games? Probably not. He also produced a just a 4.4 WAR, however, his lowest total for a full season since 2007.
This goes to show that a lot of his value comes from behind the plate but some people in the industry believe he has the athleticism to become a top defensive first baseman that can not only prevent runs by himself but provide a large target for his infielders.
Anywho, instead of rambling, I’ll share my humble opinion. The Joe Mauer will most likely provide the Twins fair value at his now home. If he can improve his power numbers, play in at least 150 games and still show that All American smile, Terry Ryan and co. will be happy the transition is finally being made.
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