Article: Minnesota Twins Set Opening Day Roster

[Seth Stohs]

Following the Minnesota Twins spring training game against Boston on Thursday night, the Twins finalized their Opening Day roster. Josmil Pinto was optioned to Rochester. Eric Fryer was reassigned to minor league camp. Doug Bernier was told that he will be reassigned to minor league camp at the end of spring training.So here is your Minnesota Twins opening day roster under the tutelage of manager Paul Molitor:

 

STARTING PITCHERS

• Phil Hughes
• Ervin Santana
• Ricky Nolasco
• Kyle Gibson
• Tommy Milone

RELIEF PITCHERS

• Glen Perkins
• Casey Fien
• Brian Duensing
• Mike Pelfrey
• Blaine Boyer
• Tim Stauffer
• JR Graham

CATCHERS

• Kurt Suzuki
• Chris Herrmann

Josmil Pinto was the favorite to be the backup catcher, but he just needs to get some at-bats down in Rochester. Missing over a week with the concussion really hurt his chances of making the roster.

 

INFIELDERS

• Joe Mauer
• Brian Dozier
• Trevor Plouffe
• Danny Santana
• Eduardo Escobar
• Eduardo Nunez
• Kennys Vargas

OUTFIELDERS

• Oswaldo Arcia
• Jordan Schafer
• Torii Hunter
• Shane Robinson

The Twins will play on Friday night and Saturday afternoon before packing up and heading to Detroit where they will take on David Price and the Tigers on Monday.

 

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[Homer Hanky]

Seth: Do you think the Twins would be interested in this Rule 5 guy?

 

"The Phillies have put Rule 5 Draft pick Andy Oliver on waivers, CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury reports.  If Oliver clears waivers, Salisbury notes that the Phils could try to fully obtain the lefty’s rights from the Pirates in a trade.  As a Rule 5 Draft player, Oliver must spend the entire season on a 25-man roster or else be offered back to his original club (Pittsburgh)."

 

The Twins did draft him back in the day... and he is a Lefty...

[OleJC]

This is the strangest rebuilding plan I've ever seen. Reminds me of the mid-late 90's with plug and play mediocre "veterans"...do we really have to wait a whole year more before they go all 99 and call up a bunch of kids??

[Seth Stohs]

 

Seth: Do you think the Twins would be interested in this Rule 5 guy?

 

"The Phillies have put Rule 5 Draft pick Andy Oliver on waivers, CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury reports.  If Oliver clears waivers, Salisbury notes that the Phils could try to fully obtain the lefty’s rights from the Pirates in a trade.  As a Rule 5 Draft player, Oliver must spend the entire season on a 25-man roster or else be offered back to his original club (Pittsburgh)."

 

The Twins did draft him back in the day... and he is a Lefty...

 

My sense would be no. I think they prefer Graham and his upside. Oliver is older. He has been available to the Twins (and all other teams) several times in recent years.

[Squirrel]

Was Pinto just deemed not ready?

[Seth Stohs]

 

This is the strangest rebuilding plan I've ever seen. Reminds me of the mid-late 90's with plug and play mediocre "veterans"...do we really have to wait a whole year more before they go all 99 and call up a bunch of kids??

 

Buxton and Sano are coming off missed seasons, so I think they'll be late-season (July or August) call-ups at best. Berrios may fit into that same time. Meyer and May should be up by June or sooner. That could be Rosario's timeline too. I think Burdi could be up by August. Tonkin, Pressly and Achter could be up any time. Darnell could come up and be ready any time. Then guys like Reed, Chargois and Zack Jones could be up early next year. 

[DocBauer]

Lousy luck for Pinto, but I get it. Injury and concussion, he just hasn't played much. Unless Herrmann really takes off, I think he'll be up before too long. Hats off to Herrmann for having a great camp and showing something, but also a tip of the cap to the Twins for not going the previously automatic route of "defense only" backup catcher by moving someone else to make room for Fryer.

[DaveW]

My views:

 

Catcher: League average hopefully. Pinto needs to be up ASAP.

INF: Could be above league average. No real qualms.

OF: Possibly the worst in baseball on opening day. Arcia is the only one who looks to be a league average player, the rest are pretty bad.

 

 

SP: Solid, but its very unfortunate they aren't giving May or Meyer a spot in the rotation, Milone isn't bad, but he is a low upside guy, on this team it's just wasting starts by tossing him or Pelfrey out there.

 

RP: Hot garbage, again, why fill it with proven mediocrity when you can give some youngsters with upside some innings?

 

Overall I think it's clear that the Twins continue to have no idea what the heck they are doing. Very uninspiring, the only chance we have at an interesting year is if Sano, Buxton, Meyer, May, Rosario etc all get called up sooner then later and give us a reason to actually SEE the future at play, instead of watching over the hill Hunter and whatever that CF situation is take at bats day in and day out and having Milone throw every 5 days.

[DocBauer]

That's actually a pretty solid rotation. And not just "for the Twins". Hughes, Santana, a healthy Nolasco, the talented young Gibson who I feel just may be out second best starter before this season is done, and Milone if he pitches like he did in Oakland....really not bad.

 

Of course....May and Meyer by the second half with Milone and Nolaco traded amidst solid seasons would look even better!

[DaveW]

 

 

Lousy luck for Pinto, but I get it. Injury and concussion, he just hasn't played much. Unless Herrmann really takes off, I think he'll be up before too long. Hats off to Herrmann for having a great camo and showing something, but also a tip of the cap to the Twins for not going the previously automatic route of "defense only" backup catcher by moving someone else to make room for Fryer.

Putting any stock into spring training is a mistake, Hermann, while I am sure is a nice guy, really has no business being on a 25 man major league roster on opening day, he is a decent org depth guy, but come on....he doesn't hit, he doesn't field well, he doesn't have speed. Pinto even with the injury should have been given the spot, no better way to bring him up to speed then having him face some major league pitching.

[OleJC]

 

Buxton and Sano are coming off missed seasons, so I think they'll be late-season (July or August) call-ups at best. Berrios may fit into that same time. Meyer and May should be up by June or sooner. That could be Rosario's timeline too. I think Burdi could be up by August. Tonkin, Pressly and Achter could be up any time. Darnell could come up and be ready any time. Then guys like Reed, Chargois and Zack Jones could be up early next year. 

Thanks for your views on this Seth. I totally understand the non-rushing of Buxton, Berrios, Sano, et. al., and those don't bother me as they aren't ready. I guess the Pinto, CF, and bullpen decisions were what bothered me the most. I'd rather see the "could be up any time" guys up now as a bridge to the future rather than spending more time at AAA. But that's why these guys make the big buck and I teach High School Social Studies I guess!

[DaveW]

 

Thanks for your views on this Seth. I totally understand the non-rushing of Buxton, Berrios, Sano, et. al., and those don't bother me as they aren't ready. I guess the Pinto, CF, and bullpen decisions were what bothered me the most. I'd rather see the "could be up any time" guys up now as a bridge to the future rather than spending more time at AAA. But that's why these guys make the big buck and I teach High School Social Studies I guess!

The CF situation is absolutely maddening, they are going with two guys that have next to zero major league future. Hicks has been a disappointment, but good lord, at least he has some upside. Hunter serves no purpose on this roster whatsoever, he is just taking much needed at bats away from players who can help in the future.

 

Ditto with the bullpen decisions, I just don't get it, especially for a team coming off of a horrendous last 3 years, why you decide to stack the team with mediocrity throughout is beyond me. There is only one reason why Meyer or May shouldn't be up by May, and that is if somehow both Milone and Nolasco are pitching very well.

[JB_Iowa]

I hope the starting pitchers can each go 8 or 9 every night.

[TheDean]

I hope the starting pitchers can each go 8 or 9 every night.

This was my thought. Yeah, outfield is bad, rotation improved, infield the same as last year, but oh man, that bullpen doesn't inspire confidence.

 

I don't actually feel that great about Perkins/Fien for some reason (probably my recent game viewing history) and the rest of the relievers are question marks in some capacity.

I hope they prove me wrong.

[TheDean]

The CF situation is absolutely maddening, they are going with two guys that have next to zero major league future. Hicks has been a disappointment, but good lord, at least he has some upside. Hunter serves no purpose on this roster whatsoever, he is just taking much needed at bats away from players who can help in the future.

I'd argue that there was room for a FA outfielder due to the lack of outfield prospects near ML level, but I agree to an extent on Hicks. I hope this is just a "rake for a few weeks in Rochester to earn your spot at 8, on defense and in the lineup."

[Seth Stohs]

 

I'd argue that there was room for a FA outfielder due to the lack of outfield prospects near ML level, but I agree to an extent on Hicks. I hope this is just a "rake for a few weeks in Rochester to earn your spot at 8, on defense and in the lineup."

 

There's reason to believe that if Hicks has a good April, he could be up and starting in May. I personally feel good about Schafer getting 4-6 weeks to just see what he can be. Hopefully he can build upon what he did with the Twins last season. If not, Hicks is still there.

 

I think the same is true for Pinto. He's played in two minor league games (hitting only) and two MLB games (3 innings of catching?)... Let him get his legs back under him after the brain injury first. Herrmann is just find as the #2 catcher, much less for a short term.

 

I'd argue that there was room for a FA outfielder due to the lack of outfield prospects near ML level, but I agree to an extent on Hicks. I hope this is just a "rake for a few weeks in Rochester to earn your spot at 8, on defense and in the lineup."

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

The CF situation is absolutely maddening, they are going with two guys that have next to zero major league future. Hicks has been a disappointment, but good lord, at least he has some upside. Hunter serves no purpose on this roster whatsoever, he is just taking much needed at bats away from players who can help in the future.

 

Hicks does have upside, so he could play every day and get better. 

 

As for the Hunter comment, it's just not right. He certainly has a purpose. He can still hit. He can still make all the routine plays and catch what he gets to. He'll be a solid bat in the middle of the lineup.

[Shane Wahl]

 

Putting any stock into spring training is a mistake, Hermann, while I am sure is a nice guy, really has no business being on a 25 man major league roster on opening day, he is a decent org depth guy, but come on....he doesn't hit, he doesn't field well, he doesn't have speed. Pinto even with the injury should have been given the spot, no better way to bring him up to speed then having him face some major league pitching.

 

He pounded AAA pitching last year, is an average defender at four positions, and has average speed.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

For all we heard about Molitor's supposed baseball intellect, it sure is an uninspiring roster and opening day lineup. I think any TD member could have come up with that roster as well as Molitor and Ryan.

 

Free the prospects!

[Shane Wahl]

There's only one actual prospect I would "free" immediately, and that is May. Meyer is on an innings limit anyway, so it is ok if he spends a bit of time in AAA to get going. 

 

Tonkin isn't a prospect anymore and obviously Hicks and Pinto aren't either. Rosario still needs minors time.

[HitInAPinch]

After reading a whole bunch of Len III articles from the last 2 days and some of the comments here, I'm beginning to see a pattern.  Maybe, just maybe, a plan. 

 

On the team makeup, I see couple things:

 

1.  This team was put together before Molitor became the new manager.  And as a 1st year manager, he's not going to have that much of a say.  However, after a full Spring Training evaluation of players, he will have a significantly higher say during the season.

 

2.  Molitor did have a say on this roster in a "Tom Kelly" way. 

 

Josmil Pinto was sent down to get playing time, i.e.  you don't leave a potential starter for the future sitting on the bench. 

Chris Herrmann was selected because he can play a lot of positions other than catcher. 

Eduardo Escobar played a lot of non-shortstop positions in spring training.

 

Tom Kelly rotated players a lot to keep them fresh all year long and in time of injuries .  That seems to be the direction Paul Molitor is heading.

 

Almost forgot:  Aaron Hicks.  Molitor moved firmly past the hype and demoted him, basically saying it's sink or swim time for Hicks. 

 

Finally, that in-season review by Molitor could play heavy on the pitching staff as well.  A GM tuning down opinions of a highly baseball savvy HOF'er like Paul Molitor?  I don' think so.

[Seth Stohs]

 

There's only one actual prospect I would "free" immediately, and that is May. Meyer is on an innings limit anyway, so it is ok if he spends a bit of time in AAA to get going. 

 

Tonkin isn't a prospect anymore and obviously Hicks and Pinto aren't either. Rosario still needs minors time.

 

I agree with a lot of this, but why do we think that Meyer is on an innings limit? No one has said anything about that, have they? His pitch count in limited innings might be an issue, but he's not on an innings limit... Maybe others have heard that and I just missed it?

[brvama]

This roster is not all that surprising, IMO. It is also an improvement over LY opening day roster. Yes, CF and the pen have issues, but there are options almost ready to take over. There are many reasons why one is selected and others are not. We also don't know all the info on the individual players to say this one or that one should make it.

 

Herrmann place is a result of Pinto's injury. CF is waiting for a bit more seasoning form players that had short or no seasons last year.

 

For those who think several of the prospect should start the season with Twins should realize that very few rookies make it out of spring traing on most clubs. Exceptions are the truly top end prospects, positions of extreme weakness (see Hicks) or possibly in the pen. It's not the April roster that I am interested in, it's the May, Jun, and Jul roster.

[mikelink45]

 

Buxton and Sano are coming off missed seasons, so I think they'll be late-season (July or August) call-ups at best. Berrios may fit into that same time. Meyer and May should be up by June or sooner. That could be Rosario's timeline too. I think Burdi could be up by August. Tonkin, Pressly and Achter could be up any time. Darnell could come up and be ready any time. Then guys like Reed, Chargois and Zack Jones could be up early next year. 

This is the nicest thing I have read all spring - please send a copy to Terry Ryan.  Tell him it is okay to trade the wily vets even if we are playing near 500

[mikelink45]

In a discussion on Buster Olney's podcast yesterday they discussed the fact that teams are now realizing that leaving players in the minors does not extend their career, protect their arms, or even improve them after they have got their basics.  The comment was that teams are bringing players up earlier and getting their max value out of them.  Did the Twins management miss the message board?

[Giles Ferrell]

The pitching staff reminds me of the scene in Major League where the construction workers are sitting there reading the Indians lineup going "Who are these (expletive) guys?!"

[savvyspy]

I'm almost buying into the conspiracy theory that TR made the bullpen this bad to cover up the fact that he has the worst outfield in the 50+ year history of the team.

 

The starting staff, Mauer, Dozier, and Plouffe are going to need to have MONSTER years for this team to even be in the same zip code of .500.

 

This is really the most disappointing roster of the last few years. They did nothing to improve from outside the organization, don't trust any of their young guys, had a little bad luck (Pinto), and are going into year 5 of a rebuild by not starting the rebuild for the 5th straight year.

 

This front office is really a mess right now. No strategy, no plan, and they frankly are inept at managing a major league roster. This is like a random draw of players. None of them fit a specific plan.

 

You could make a VERY strong argument that none of the four outfielders should even be on the team. Arcia should be on a roster as a DH. He is a horrible fielder. Shaffer is going to be exposed playing everyday. He's a decent platoon player but they can't platoon because Robinson is a worse hitter from both sides of the plate than he is. But instead of finding suitable platoon opportunities Ryan needs to punish a young player, Hicks by sending him down to AAA again even though he hits lefties better than either one of your CF options.

 

You would think they'd be embarrassed to head north with that bullpen but nothing surprises me with this team anymore.

[Circus Boy]

 

From Vodka Dave: "Hermann... is a decent org depth guy, but come on....he doesn't hit, he doesn't field well, he doesn't have speed."

 

In other words, he's a triple threat in any league.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

This team was put together before Molitor became the new manager.  And as a 1st year manager, he's not going to have that much of a say.  However, after a full Spring Training evaluation of players, he will have a significantly higher say during the season.

Molitor was in the dugout all last season, and was a minor league coach for the previous ~9 years.  And he was hired before any real offseason moves were made -- Hunter, arbitration tenders, Rule 5, relievers, non-roster invites, etc.

 

I suspect Molitor's thinking on such matters is simply not that different from TR or Gardy.

[Thrylos]

a couple things re: Robinson

 

a. if he has a place on the 25 man roster of a World Series team, he should have a place on the 25-man roster of a 99+96+96+92 L team.

 

b. He is the best fielding OF of the bunch the Twins gave serious consideration.

 

c. He led all 4 potential centerfielders with a .277/.333/.362 slash line.