Article: Twins Minor League Free Agents

[Seth Stohs]

As the Twins front office, scouting department and others are in Ft. Myers for their organizational meetings, they have a lot of decisions to make. They have to decide on a manager and fill the coaching staff. They will discuss all free agents from around the game. They’ll discuss arbitration-eligible players. They’ll also consider which players to add to their 40-man roster.

 

The Twins have had a measure of success in recent years by signing minor league free agents. Today, I’d like to write about the players who were in Twins organization in 2014 who could become minor league free agents after the World Series. This list is a mix of guys who came to the Twins organization within the last year or two from elsewhere as minor league free agents and players who have spent their minor league careers in the Twins organization.We will start with the players who were drafted and/or signed by the Twins and can be free agents.

 

Deibinson Romero – The 28 year old Dominican debuted in the Twins organization in 2006 with the GCL Twins. He was added to the 40 man roster after his 2008, injury-filled season in Beloit. That lasted one year, but he has remained in the organization. This will be the third offseason that he could have become a free agent. He has re-signed with the Twins each of the last two years. In 2014 in Rochester, he hit .265/.364/.406 (.770) with 31 doubles and eight home runs. He had a strong showing with the bat in big league spring training as well.

 

Jairo Rodriguez – Rodriguez could also have become a free agent last year but re-signed with the Twins organization. He is a strong defensive catcher and a good leader for the pitchers but also all of his teammates. He is the catcher who went wherever there was a need in 2014. He split his time between Ft. Myers and New Britain, playing on occasion, but primarily just being the #2 or # 3 catcher. In fact, the Venezuelan played just 38 combined games and hit .220/.272/.276 with seven doubles.

 

James Beresford – The still-just-25 year old middle infielder continued his progression in 2014 with a full season at Rochester. He too has been a free agent each of the past two seasons, choosing to remain with the Twins organization. His role with the Twins would be that of utility infielder, but he was the everyday second baseman for the Red Wings. In 131 games, he hit .276/.323/.351 (.674) with 28 doubles, two triples and two home runs. The Australian is tremendous on the defensive side and a great leader in the infield.

 

Dan Rohlfing – The St. Louis native was the Twins 14^th round pick in 2007 out of high school. He slowly and gradually made his way up the Twins system. He also has been a free agent the last two years but came back as a catcher who can also play the corner outfield positions. He has been a spring training invite each of the past four years. The last couple of years, he was among the last players sent to the minors. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester and hit .205/.307/.311 (.618) with 17 doubles and two home runs.

 

Edgar Ibarra – The 25-year-old from Venezuela signed with the Twins and debuted in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. Last year, he was to become a free agent, but instead the Twins put the hard-throwing lefty on their 40 man roster. Unfortunately, he came down with Hepatitus in spring training and could not pitch. He returned to Rochester where he went 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA in 49.2 innings before being sent to New Britain for the final nine appearances.

 

Adrian Salcedo – He was once a Top 10 Twins prospect. In Beloit in 2011, he went 6-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 139 innings. However, in 2012, he missed a lot of time rehabbing both elbow and shoulder injuries. He returned in 2013 in the bullpen and in 2014, he was in the New Britain bullpen. Still just 23 years old, Salcedo went 3-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 39 games and 73 innings for the Rock Cats. In 73 innings, he struck out 76 batters. He throws hard, and I’m certain the Twins will want to bring him back.

 

BJ Hermsen – Hermsen was the Twins 6^th round pick in 2008 out of high school in Iowa. He turned down a scholarship to Oregon State to sign with the Twins. In 2012, between Ft. Myers (4 games) and New Britain (22 games), he combined to go 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 162.2 innings. Following the season, he was named the minor league pitcher of the year and added to the Twins 40 man roster. He pulled his oblique in spring training and struggled all of 2013 with the Rock Cats. Those struggles continued in 2014 and the 24 year old split time between New Britain and Ft. Myers, posting a 7.34 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in 38 innings.

 

Danny Ortiz – The 24-year-old was the Twins fourth round pick in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He missed the entire 2009 season due to knee surgery. In 2014, he began in New Britain and hit .324/.340/.500 (.840) before finishing with 73 games in Rochester in which he hit .256/.283/.434 (.717). Combined, he hit 29 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. The outfielder can play all three outfield positions.

 

Mike Gonzales – Gonzales was the Twins 9^th round pick in 2008 out of Diablo Valley College. When healthy, the 6-6, 260 pound first baseman has been able to provide some power to the middle of his lineups. He began 2014 in Ft. Myers and hit .274/.351/.448 (.787) before ending with 31 games in New Britain where he hit .264/.339/.415 (.754). Combined he hit 29 doubles and 12 homers.

 

Nate Hanson – The former Gopher (who graduated from Eden Prairie High School) was the Twins 28^th round pick in 2008. The last two years, he has split his time between New Britain and Rochester. In 119 games this year, he combined to hit .256/.327/.369 (.696) with 33 doubles and six home runs. The 27-year-old is described by teammates and coaches as the consummate professional. He has played all around the diamond, with the exceptions of catcher, shortstop and centerfield while hitting in the middle of the lineup.

 

Deolis Guerra – Though he was signed by the Mets as a 16-year-old from Venezuela, he developed in the Twins system after the 2008 trade. This is actually the third year that he’ll be a free agent. He missed all of 2013 after having a blood clot removed from his right shoulder/neck. After a strong showing in spring training, the 25-year-old went 2-2 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 52 innings for the Red Wings.

 

The rest of the guys have come to the Twins organization as minor league free agents within the last couple of seasons.

 

Virgil Vasquez – He pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2005 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007. Since then he has pitched all over the map. He has split his time the last two years between Rochester and New Britain. This year, he threw a 7-inning no-hitter for the Rock Cats. Combined, the 32-year-old went 7-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 139.1 innings.

 

Tony Thomas – The 28 year old was a former 3^rd round pick of the Cubs out of Florida State. He had spent the previous three seasons of his career with the Red Sox organization. He spent the season in New Britain where he was an All Star and hit .241/.302/.411 (.712) with 29 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He was also the Rock Cats recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service.

 

Eric Farris – The 28-year-old was the Brewers fourth round pick in 2007 out of Loyola Marymount. He made his Major League debut with one plate appearance in July of 2011. He got nine more plate appearances with them in 2012, including one hit and one walk. He came to the Twins before the 2013 season and has played in 250 games for Rochester. He was an infielder, but he was the team’s primary centerfielder in 2014. He hit .280/.316/.356 (.672) in 2014 with 23 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 16 stolen bases.

 

Reynaldo Rodriguez – The 28-year-old signed originally with the Yankees, spent some time playing in independent leagues and then signed with the Red Sox. The last two years, he has been one of the better hitters in the Twins farm system. In 2014, he hit a combined .278/.337/.495 (.832) between New Britain (126 games) and Rochester (10 games). He hit 36 doubles, two triples and 21 homers. He also moved from first base to the outfield.

 

Wilkin Ramirez – Ramirez made the Twins opening day roster in 2013 after previously being in the Tigers and Braves organizations. In 2009, he played in 15 games with Detroit, and in 2011, he played in 20 games for the Braves. The former top prospect played in 35 games with the Twins in 2013. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester where he hit .262/.305/.368 (.672) with 23 doubles, three triples and four home runs.

 

Dan Turpen – The 28 year old came to the Twins organization before the 2012 season from the Rockies in exchange for Kevin Slowey. He re-signed with the Twins as a free agent late last spring and spent the full year in New Britain. He went 5-2 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 62.1 innings. He struck out 62, but he walked 30.

 

Brandon Waring – The 28 year old came to the Twins as a free agent last year after several years with the Orioles organization. He had a good showing offensively and defensively in spring training. He was sent to New Britain where, in 106 games, he hit .212/.311/.406 (.716) with 28 doubles and 13 homers.

 

Corey Wimberly – The 30 year old came to the Twins before the 2014 season after spending time in six other organizations since being a 6^th round pick in 2007 out of college. He played 2B and center field for New Britain. However, he was limited to 72 games with the Rock Cats due to a hamstring injury. He hit .252/.307/.346 (.653) with 13 doubles and five triples. He was also 17/21 in stolen base attempts.

 

Chris Rahl – The 30-year-old was the Diamondbacks 5^th round pick in 2005. In 2011, he went to the Nationals. In 2014, he came to the Twins and was invited to spring training. He spent the year in Rochester where he hit .259/.272/.380 (.652) with 17 doubles and seven home runs.

 

Jim Fuller – After being in the Mets organization since he was drafted in 2008, the left-hander was a minor league Rule 5 draft pick of the Twins in 2013. He spent 2014 in New Britain where he went 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 56 innings. He walked 30, but he struck out 68.

 

Dutch Deol – He was the 17^th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 out of high school. In three years of rookie league ball (Which was also injury-laden), he hit .089, .176 and .188. The Twins took a flyer on him and in 32 games with Elizabethton, he hit .171/.263/.210 (.472) with three doubles.

 

Mark Hamburger – You know the story of Mark Hamburger. The Minnesota native signed with the Twins out of a tryout camp in 2007. In August of 2008, he was closing for the Elizabethton Twins when he was traded to Texas for Eddie Guardado. By September of 2011, he was promoted to the Rangers where he played in five games and got to be on the bench during the team’s World Series run. He spent 2012 in the Rangers minor leagues fighting injuries. In 2012, he was DFAd by the Rangers and claimed by the Padres. Then he was DFAd by the Padres and claimed by the Astros. They released him after the season. In early 2013, Hamburger voluntarily checked himself in to rehab after he received a 50-game suspension for failing a test for a Drug of Abuse. He signed with the St. Paul Saints where he impressed as a starter. Enough so that the Twins signed him in 2014. After serving his suspension, Hamburger wetn back and forth from New Britain to Rochester, as well as from the bullpen to the rotation. Combined, he went 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA. In 70.2 innings, he walked 27 and struck out 54. He still throws hard and I would expect that he and the Twins will come to a minor league contract for 2014 soon.

 

 

How many of these guys should the Twins bring back? Obviously that depends on many factors including where the prospects will play in 2014.

 

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[nicksaviking]

I'd like them to try to keep Iberra, Guerra, Salcedo, maybe Gonzalez and I suppose with the OF problems at the MLB level, Ortiz.  At this point Beresford seems like another guy that will get in the way of positioning for Polanco, Rosario, Michael, Mejia and Goodrum.  Though, it's still possible none of those guys actually have the potential we'd like, maybe Berseford is/will be better.

 

 I'm sure the club is most interested in keeping the catchers though, even considering neither Rodriguez or Rohlfing will likely ever get a chance to sniff the MLB.

[Brandon]

I get the feeling these guys like playing for the Twins as they usually resign with them when hey have the chance to go somewhere else.

[Rosterman]

Was amazed at the age of he minors free agent kept at New Britain all year. Of course, had a full roster of them at Rochester. The bigger question is who advances from within the system.

 

Do you want Farris, Rodriguez, Thomas and Vasquez at Rochester? Will Wilkin find another team that might give him a flyer. Is Rohlfing a replacement for Herrmann. Do you really need to protect Beresford and, if so, why did you promote Bernier over him in September. 

 

All these guys will weigh their chances of making the Twins in some way next season, or are they betetr served toiling in the systems of any other last place team.

 

Danny Ortiz was a surprise to me when they advanced him and not Vargas to Rochester, although Vargas ended up with the better deal. If Ortiz can play first, he is more valuable. I see him as a possibility of getting a Rule 5 claim if the Twins resign him right away. He should be able to find work elsewhere easily.

 

Hermsen is probably done. Will have to work his way back into an organization via the indy leagues.

 

Hamburger will find a minor league job somewhere. Do we need him more than Kris Johnson, or Logan Darnell? He seems blocked.

 

You hate to lose Salcedo, for example. And if you haven't felt the need to take a flyer on Guerra or Iberra yet, is there any season you will do so in the future. 

 

Gad, it is almost a complete roster of minor league free agents!

 

Are there 25 true prospects that can replace all these guys in the high levels of the minor leagues?

 

Yes and no. Just seems the Twins had a lot of AA-ball fodder last year. And AAA guys filling holes where you had no advanced prospects at AAA.

[biggentleben]

I know that Guerra was on the Braves' radar either one or two years ago, but I'm not sure where they'd be with him.  His pedigree would likely get him a deal pretty quickly if the Twins did let him go.  I'd love to see more of the medicals with Hermsen as well because he was a guy who looked destined for a career of backend starter production as a control-focused guy.  He's seemingly lost his control completely since returning from the injury.  The Twins tried him in the bullpen in 2014 a lot, but he's not got the type of stuff that you'd assume to play up in the bullpen.

[Seth Stohs]

If Sano and Buxton had been healthy, it's likely two of them wouldn't have been there. They signed Tony Thomas late in the year. There's a chance that if Rosario wasn't suspended, they wouldn't have signed him. I don't think any of them were holding anyone back that was ready to move up to the next level, and they have to fill rosters and try to win some games too. 

[stringer bell]

Of all the guys listed, I think Danny Ortiz has the best chance to help the major league team. He is young, has some versatility and has decent tools across the board, although none stand out.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think Guerra might make the 40 as a reliever this year. I could see Ortiz on the 40 as well given that there's some talent there. Beresford possibly as a utility guy. None of that is really set in stone as there isn't a guy there that I'd lose much sleep over losing.

[Brananorama]

I get the feeling these guys like playing for the Twins as they usually resign with them when hey have the chance to go somewhere else.

 

They have to know at this point that the recent Twins teams have promoted a LOT of AAAA players.

[Jeremy Nygaard]

It seems like every year about 85% of the AAA roster becomes MiL FAs. The Twins re-sign a handful, bring in a dozen as NRIs and promote a couple too. I don't think this year is any different.

 

Sounds like a good topic of discussion for tonight.

[HitInAPinch]

While I'm not seeing a lot of players that I'd think the Twins would miss, the more important part is having those experienced players in the minors.  Got to support the minor league teams and keep the fans coming on out to the ballpark!

[Rosterman]

You have approx. 150 minor league roster spots to fill come the opening of the season, x-amount of players are disabled or in the training camp. You add 25-35 thru the draft. The Twins have some south of the border teams to draw from, too. 

 

Be interesting to see the 15-20 guys that played around the leagues last year, with 1-2 years of service time, that do get cut.

[Monkeypaws]

Nice work Seth - this just goes to show how complex the life of a baseball executive can be. Hermsen is a good case; lingering results of injury? washed-up? Hate to give up on a 24 year old who has shown promise.

 

It is interesting how many guys choose to re-up with the Twins. It is a fundamentally good organization IMO.

[Rosterman]

What is the salary structure if you have been around the minors this long. If the Twins, say, reupped Hermsen, would they have to pay him more because he is staying with the organization? Does salary come into consideration, especially since some of these guys have made 40-man monies in the past, which is significantly more than a minor league salary. Any insight on this, Seth?

[Seth Stohs]

I've heard first year 6-year-minor league free agents get anywhere from $4,000 per month to $8,000 per month, and I'm sure some get more. From there, it goes up some each year. 

[DocBauer]

You certainly have to properly balance the 40 man roster, and sometimes, that leaves risks for the rule V draft. But there is only so much available on that 40 man roster. It always sounds like a lot, and then you start adding to it, and wishing like hell it was a 50 man roster.

 

Some of your milb FA have been on that 40 man a time or two. That, of course, is where that number limitation and risk come in. Similarly, you only have so many open spots to fill on your milb teams, and you have to balance newcomers and up and comers along with fill in pieces, and at AAA, those fill in pieces could be at the ML level at some point. There a couple tough calls here, all being said and figured.

 

Romero: I think he's got at least limited ML ability, can help at Rochester if Sano doesn't open there, and should have been brought up at some point last year when Plouffe was hurt...TWICE.

 

Beresford: Despite the Twins suddenly being blessed with infielder numbers they haven't enjoyed previously, Beresford offers some real potential help, is young, and a keeper.

 

Ortiz: also a keeper. Too young, too much overall talent and ability to still make a roster.

 

Gonzalez and Hansen: I don't see ML futures for either. Both could be solid depth somewhere, otherwise, might be time to move on.

 

Rodriguez: I'd probably keep him. A legit power bat For AA or AAA to help flush out the roster.

 

Of the pitchers, honestly, I don't know that there's anyone there I'd be all that interested in having back. Hamburger and Guerra are probably just young enough, still filled with enough potential that I might keep the two of them. But the staff at Rochester should be pretty tough to crack next season. In fact, the entire roster at AA and AAA could and should be pretty tough to crack next season.

[h2oface]

Great run down.  Thanks Seth.  Seems to be a lot of dead weight and old age.  That doesn't seem to really get a chance even if they have seasons in AAA like Colabello had...... speaking of which....... what is Colabello's status for the coming season?  

[nicksaviking]

I want to see Guerra retained, I'm still waiting for the payoff form the Santana trade.

[Steven Buhr]

The bottom line is that you have to figure almost the entire hi-A Miracle roster will be set to move up to AA either to start the 2015 season or not too deep in to it. That would include a few guys, like Polanco, who spent most of their season at FtM, but moved up to AA near the end of 2014.

 

That means you have essentially two full rosters of 2014 players, from New Britain and Rochester, that will only have one affiliate roster's worth of spots to fill, at AAA.

 

I suspect we'll see a lot of the guys on Seth's list in this article not brought back and maybe a few guys still not eligible for MiLB free agency who get released, as well.

[Mike Sixel]

The bottom line is that you have to figure almost the entire hi-A Miracle roster will be set to move up to AA either to start the 2015 season or not too deep in to it. That would include a few guys, like Polanco, who spent most of their season at FtM, but moved up to AA near the end of 2014.

 

That means you have essentially two full rosters of 2014 players, from New Britain and Rochester, that will only have one affiliate roster's worth of spots to fill, at AAA.

 

I suspect we'll see a lot of the guys on Seth's list in this article not brought back and maybe a few guys still not eligible for MiLB free agency who get released, as well.

 

I endorse this thought process.

[Steven Buhr]

Guess we have one answer. Mike Berardino reporting Virgil Vasquez will be the Twins' GCL level pitching coach in 2015.

[Rosterman]

http://m.twins.mlb.com/news/article/99486764/twins-re-sign-mark-hamburger-six-others-to-minors-deals

 

Hamburger, Oritz, Tony Thomas, Salcedo, Mike Gonzales, Jario and Reynaldo Rodriguez resigned.