Article: Three-Bagger: Minor Lefties, Carew & Aggie Agony

[Nick Nelson]

As we proceed through a festive holiday week and prepare for the downtime that always coincides with this portion of the offseason calendar, let's get caught up on three noteworthy Twins tidbits.* The Twins' efforts to address their need for a left-handed reliever have not yet yielded any big names or even guaranteed contracts, but Terry Ryan has at least built up a stable of interesting options.

 

Among the group of players signed to minor-league deals last week was Buddy Boshers, a 27-year-old who doesn't have much of an MLB track record but has averaged a strikeout per inning in the minors and is coming off an eye-opening season in independent ball. Later in the week the Twins added another southpaw on a minor-league contract and he looks like a better bet than Bosher.

 

Given his effectiveness and durability over the past three seasons (170 appearances, 2.90 ERA, 8.1 K/9 for Nats and Athletics), it is a little surprising that Fernando Abad couldn't land a big-league deal, but presumably the Twins will give him every chance to earn a spot in March.

 

Abad doesn't really qualify as a "lefty specialist" because he doesn't typically post stronger splits against left-handed hitters, but at his best he is a roundly effective reliever and could be a very solid bullpen piece. His velocity has declined in two straight years, and that's a troublesome sign that likely led to his settling for a non-guaranteed deal with a spring training invite. Still, there's quite a bit to work with there.

 

I'd consider Abad the front-runner among current lefty candidates for the bullpen, a group that now includes him, Bosher, Taylor Rogers, Ryan O'Rourke and Pat Dean (maybe Tommy Milone, too?). Out of that group, it's reasonable to believe that at least one will emerge as a quality big-league piece. The question is how effectively the coaching staff will be able to identify the best option, and how adaptive they will be when it comes to making in-season adjustments. Last year, the team's hesitation to remove Aaron Thompson from the bullpen even after it became clear that he wasn't getting the job done hurt them, repeatedly.

 

Even with these intriguing names in the mix, I would still like to see the Twins go out and acquire an established trustworthy southpaw, via free agency or trade, to serve as the top lefty in the pen. It's tough to dislike moves such as the Abad and Bosher signings in isolation, but if that ends up being all that Ryan does to address this blatant need, I think there's going to be a lot of justified disappointment and frustration.

 

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN relayed last week that the Twins may indeed have some interest in Antonio Bastardo, who is the best remaining left-handed reliever on the free agent market. The 30-year-old Bastardo reportedly is looking for a deal similar to the one Tony Sipp got from the Astros (three years, $18 million), so we'll see.

 

* The Orange County published a column from Marcia Smith over the weekend updating us on Twins legend and Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who suffered a massive heart attack two months ago and nearly lost his life. As Smith writes, Carew now wears a vest that controls and powers an implanted LVAD (left ventricular assist device), which helps his damaged heart by pumping blood continuously through his body. You can see a diagram of how it works on Mayo Clinic's website.

 

Smith's article, which also mentions a recent three-day visit from Tony Oliva, is well worth the read. I'm sure I speak for all of Twins Territory when I say that I'm very glad Rod is still with us, and wish him the best in his ongoing recovery.

 

* This note is only tangentially Twins-related, but we learned last week that Kyler Murray, one of the top-ranked quarterback prospects in college football, has decided to transfer from Texas A&M. He became the second highly-rated young QB to request a transfer from the school within a one-week span, following the departure of Kyle Allen.

 

Of course, A&M also lost out on another recognizable QB recruit not so long ago.

 

Prior to the 2013 MLB draft, Kohl Stewart had a scholarship to go play football for the Aggies. A four-star recruit after piling up 8,803 passing yards and 87 touchdowns in his high school career, Stewart was renowned for his pro-style skill set. Had he followed through on his college commitment, he would have likely been a redshirt sophomore with A&M right now. Instead, he signed with the Twins after being selected fourth overall, and he just finished his third season of pro ball, in which he posted a 3.20 ERA over 22 starts with the Ft. Myers Miracle.

 

Although his strikeout totals have been alarmingly low, Stewart remains one of the organization's top pitching prospects and he seems likely to reach Double-A as a 21-year-old in 2016. He's probably feeling pretty good about his decision to go with baseball. Texas A&M, suddenly starved for quarterback talent, might be feeling a little differently.

 

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[Devereaux]

Whew. From the headline I was afraid Rick Aguilera was in trouble.

[tobi0040]

I am just glad TR is taking the bullpen seriously this off-season and not looking around in the dumpster for minor league deals and guys in the independent leagues.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Shhh!

 

If Kohl Stewart is reading this, he might try a Chris Weinke on all of us. You may remember that Weinke, a Cretin Derham-Hall grad, spent six seasons in the Blue Jays minor-league system, before he enrolled at Florida State. 

 

Weinke went on to be a Heisman trophy quarterback at age 28. If Stewart's future as a pitcher begins to dim, Aggie Agony may become Twin Turmoil. 

 

A list of the pitchers that the Twins have taken out of high school in the first round reads like a chapter out of "Moneyball"

 

1987 Willie Banks

1990 Todd Ritchie

1992 Dan Serafini

2004 Steven "Kyle" Waldrop

2004 Jay Rainville

2011 Hudson Boyd

2012 Jose Berrios (Puerto Rico--an outlier?  We can hope!)

2013 Stewart.

[Thrylos]

Boshers has a 1.95 ERA, and 1.00 WHIP, 39 K and 11 BB in 37 IP (26 games) in Venezuela this winter...

[ashbury]

I am not intrigued by any of these lefty "names in the mix."

[Monkeypaws]

I think Abad will be good. Boshers - holy crap, would love a Boshers Twins jersey someday.

 

That's why I'd never be a good GM: sucker for a good name.

[thegambler]

I'd like to see Joe Mauer retire from baseball, enroll at the U of M, and walk-on as the starting quarterback. It would be a nice sunset walk-off for Mauer.

[Molitor4]

Has anybody provided any insight on WHY Stewart has such low strikeout levels?  Does he need a better second pitch? (Slider, Curve)?  How hard does he throw?  What is the average velocity of his fastball?  I thought the kid threw HARD when we drafted him.  I was convinced he wasn't going to be the second coming of Brad Radke, Joe Mays, Kyle Lohse et all.