With all of the blogs, threads, and comments about blowing up the Twins and promoting all prospects to the big club, I would like to remind you of a few things:

1) Calling players up starts the clock on these individuals toward arbitration and higher salaries. Even the Harpers and Trouts of the world where kept in the minors for periods of time to slow down their service time.

2) Calling players up before they are ready can have a negative effect on their development. Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young were both rushed through the minors only to find they were not adequately prepared. Neither of them has, or probably will, reach their full potential. You can say the same about Revere and Parmalee not quite being ready for the show, but being pressed into service. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to improve.

3) The minors are set up more for teaching. Yes, they play to win, but there is more emphasis on learning and improving on specific things in game situations. There is less opportunity for that in the majors.

Everybody needs to slow down and stop overreacting to the Twins current predicament. Pushing up prospects when they are not ready is neither the short term or long term answer.

Good article... I agree with what you've got here.

I agree. I think it is important not to hold guys back when they are ready. I think certain guys can be fast tracked a little bit, but on the whole rushing guys to the bigs when they aren't prepared can hurt their confidence and stunt their development as players. I think if the season continues to go the way it has been, there will be some guys ready for a taste later in the year.

Age is a huge consideration.

Very few players have significant careers when the reach the 1000 plate appearance threshold after their age 26 season (July 1 age of given season). Any player who is in the age 24 season needs to be on track towards getting significant playing time by next year. A players best years center 26-29. A team should want those years to be in the majors and not adjusting to the majors.

If they are called up after the super two deadline at age 24, the arbitration should not be a consideration. They will be under team control through their prime. The clock is not a factor for these players.

These players are old enough to meet that threshold

Diamond, 25

Slama, 28

Dozier, 25

Benson, 24

If they are called up after super 2 is not a possibility, they will not be eligible for arbitration for 3 more seasons. None of them is a super prospect. If the biggest problem the Twins have is that they will be due a huge salary as they near or pass 30, they will have been a very productive player by then.

Guerra should be added to the list also. Though he is younger, he will be out of options next year and the Twins will better be able to decide if he is part of the bullpen solution. Herrmann is also 24. However, he is learning to catch.

Your second point about development cited Gomez who came up at age 21 and had 600+ plate appearances at age 22. Young came up at 20 and had 600+ plate appearances at 21. I agree with your point and wouldn't suggest that Sano or similar should be promoted to the majors soon. The Harper/Trout comment also fits Sano but not the above list. Any player 24+ years old has had years of instruction and teaching. It is time to see if they can adjust to the major league level. There will be growing pains. The Twins can afford to suffer through those pains the second half of this year.

All good points, FDG. I think a lot of fans tend to overrate and overestimate prospects; they are eternally convinced the solution to everything is to bring of a bunch of guys from AAA. Some of them even want to move every veteran off the team and basically make this Rochester West.

I'm fine with giving young guys who have earned it a shot, but when you blow the whole thing to smithereens and go in full-scale rebuild mode, it can be hard to get out of.

Look at Kansas City, they've been the team of the future for 10 years now.

I think if you looked at Kansas City you would see that it was only recently that they went young. They built a cycle of mediocrity around the signing of players like 36 year old middle infielder Mark Grudzielanek. Look at their 2006 roster and decisions. Looks like the blue print Ryan is following. I don 't want the Twins to follow the same path.