Article: How Does Carlos Quentin Fit In?

[Nick Nelson]

It gets lost in the big posting fee, the long-term contract, the monster numbers in Korea... But at this point in time, Byung-Ho Park should be viewed as a minor-leaguer. A prospect. A total unknown.

 

Perhaps Minnesota's latest free agent signing is, to some extent, a reflection of that reality.The level of competition in the Korean Baseball Organization, where Park turned himself into a superstar slugger before signing with the Twins this offseason, has been compared – perhaps generously – to Triple-A or Double-A, meaning that his resounding success should be viewed with at least the same degree of healthy skepticism that we apply a player's big numbers in the Eastern League or International League. They're encouraging, sure, but they don't come close to guaranteeing anything.

 

And given the cultural and stylistic adaptations that Park will face as he acclimates to baseball in the United States, one can argue that his climb will be much steeper than any typical homegrown pro baseball prospect.

 

So it might take more than six weeks of spring training exhibition games to bring the foreign masher up to speed. Pushing him into real big-league action too quickly could be a mistake with lasting ramifications, especially given the length of the commitment.

 

When the Twins signed Tsuyoshi Nishioka, he did little to impress during his first spring training, but was nevertheless in the lineup on Opening Day, starting at second base and batting second. He was blatantly overmatched through a week of games and then broke his leg on a play that could very much be chalked up to lack of familiarity with the MLB style of play.

 

Whether this incredibly brutal start to his career here played into Nishioka's ultimate inability to turn any kind of corner isn't clear, but you do have to believe it's a memory that remains imprinted in the heads of Twins officials. If Park appears overwhelmed to any extent in Ft. Myers, the club may want to consider sending him to Triple-A in order to build confidence before launching his big-league career with a head full of steam.

 

Could that help explain why Carlos Quentin was signed to a minor-league deal on Tuesday?

 

Quentin brings many of the same qualities to the table that attracted the Twins to Park. He is a bat-first player, best suited at DH, who offers proven power from the right side, having slugged .503 with 136 homers playing for the White Sox and Padres from 2008 through 2013.

 

But like Park, Quentin is also a major uncertainty. The 33-year-old endured a miserable, injury-riddled campaign with San Diego in 2014 and announced his retirement last May. He told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports in November that he was going to attempt a comeback, but it took him until February to finally land somewhere.

 

Accounting for all of these factors, Quentin is clearly a long shot to make the team out of camp. He has a June 1st opt-out date if sent to the minors, so the most likely outcome is that he heads to Rochester and becomes a nice depth option if his bat shows up.

 

Still, the weathered veteran will be another piece in spring training with some intrigue and upside. The Twins have assembled quite a few of those, and given that they're building around so many ambiguities and question marks on the roster, it's always good to have backup plans on top of backup plans.

 

With a risk-filled blueprint for the 2016 season, it looks like the Twins are trying to find safety in numbers.

 

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[Brandon Brooks]

If Park doesn't cut it for whatever reason and needs some minor-league conditioning, I'd rather see Vargas get the DH job over Quentin. Something tells me Quentin, if on the major-league roster, will be asked to occasionally play in the outfield, and I want no part of that!

[nicksaviking]

I'm not sure where he fits in, and maybe he doesn't. I'd hate to lose Arcia in any way because of him.

 

I also think Park will need time to adjust, but I do find the concern about his level of competition interesting particularly when compared to our minor leagues. If the Twins had a guy in AA who has done what Park did, there would be blood shed in efforts to get him up ASAP.

[Kwak]

There is no connection between Park and Quentin.  Maybe Park only has the skill level of a AA player--I don't know one way or the other.  But that doesn't alter the (non)relevance of Quentin.  It's decision's like this that make me conclude this Front Office is better suited for a team like The St.Paul Saints  than for any major league team.

[KGB]

It's a no-risk signing, so I think it okay.  If the Twins feel any pressure to keep him after June 1, it would be because he either crushing the ball or thing have gone horribly wrong with the major league roster.

 

This will probably end up being a non-relevant signing.  A little major league experience in AAA shouldn't be a problem.

[ThejacKmp]

I mean, let's cool down a bit. Carlos Quentin was signed with no risk to provide an insurance policy in the case of multiple injuries to start the year. If say, Sano tweaked a hammy and park struggles, Quentin is not a bad option to be the 4th or 5th of/dh for the first two weeks. The twins aren't going to lose Arica because of this.

[USAFChief]

The only way Park doesn't make the opening day roster is the DL.

 

The only way Quentin DOES make the opening day roster is multiple OFers on the DL.

[Mike Sixel]

We were told not to worry about Kubel and Bartlett and Stauffer......how'd that work out?

 

Signing old, bad, players is not something that you would expect a winning team to do, imo.

[y2jjj54]

I think this signing makes some sense.  If Buxton were to star the year in AAA I could see Arcia and Quentin platooning in LF, Rosario in CF, and Sano in RF. With Danny Santana being the backup.  I think he is only competing against Ryan Sweeney & Joe Benson.  

[barbarosa]

The key words I took out of this was "weathered veteran"...we have better options than this signing. We trade youth for an unknown quality in a catcher, then we play around with who is going to be in our outfield...we have more than enough young players in this organization who should be brought forward, who are continually thrown into the discussion, so this was another bizarre signing.

 

The only good signing of a weathered veteran that I have seen so far is Kintzler...

[Monkeypaws]

He ain't THAT old - he's a year older than Mauer. We've seen Thome and Hunter at Target Field: that's old.

 

 

[REPETE]

 

We were told not to worry about Kubel and Bartlett and Stauffer......how'd that work out?

 

Signing old, bad, players is not something that you would expect a winning team to do, imo.

True, but that was a different regime (Gardy), and a team with a glut of holes.  This team, it can be argued, has question marks in the OF, and this is just another risk-free signing in the event all of the "worst case' scenarios play out.  At least I HOPE that's what this signing is.  San Quentin has a long way to go to prove he can still play at the major league level.

[Winston Smith]

He's likely a defensive replacement for Sano.

[Loosey]

I usually don't HATE MiLB signings, but I hate this move.  It tells me Twins management is still scared to just let their youth take over.  The odds are slim Quentin sees time with the Twins.  However, he will take needed ST at-bats away from other players that will have meaningful time with the Twins at some point.  I would much rather see Arcia, Kepler and Buxton get a combined 50 more at-bats than give them to Quentin.

[mikelink45]

TR makes his move!  His M.O. seems to be to make a couple moves with some significance at the beginning of Free Agency then sit and watch the other teams maneuver before picking up dregs just before Spring Training.  Like players, general managers have tendencies and TR does not divert from his.  The only thing left is one we hope he avoids - signing an overrated vet for too much money and too many years - Nolasco, Santana, Correa...

[Mike Sixel]

 

I usually don't HATE MiLB signings, but I hate this move.  It tells me Twins management is still scared to just let their youth take over.  The odds are slim Quentin sees time with the Twins.  However, he will take needed ST at-bats away from other players that will have meaningful time with the Twins at some point.  I would much rather see Arcia, Kepler and Buxton get a combined 50 more at-bats than give them to Quentin.

 

Great point. It signals that they aren't going to sink/swim with youth. Or, maybe it doesn't, but that's how it looks.

[Platoon]

It would be hilarious if he hits .318 and 4 singers in ST, and comes north. I would laugh, until I cried!

[gmarais66]

 

It would be hilarious if he hits .318 and 4 singers in ST, and comes north. I would laugh, until I cried!

You know it's going to happen... And then he'll head north with the team, and by May 1, he'll be hitting .171 with zero homers and 2 RBI.

[TheLeviathan]

I'm fine with taking a flyer on a guy, I just can't imagine a scenario in which it makes sense for him to come north.

[Kwak]

The Twins are loaded with real ML prospects in the OF--more than they can actually play!  They need to be evaluated and separated into two groups--the future and those to be traded for help elsewhere (3B, C, and always pitching).  Every inning, AB, fly ball, practice time used (wasted!) on guys like Quentin is one less opportunity to evaluate the prospects and make the necessary decisions.  The "silver medalists" must be ascertained before the rest of MLB also determines that they don't "have it" and their trade value disappears.  The Phillies decided Meyer didn't "have it"--and traded him for a useful ML CF (Span) while the Twins are still trying to determine what to do with Meyer.  Similar logic applies to the Twins' MiL OFers--wait too long and you wind up with nothing.

[Drew]

If Buxton, Sano, Arcia, Kepler, Vargas, Park and Rosario are all hurt this signing starts to make sense. 

[Danchat]

If Park doesn't start the season at DH, Sano should be playing there. But somehow I think the Twins are adamant on keeping Sano in RF. I wonder when the experiment will fall apart... Kepler will be ready to take over RF soon.

 

But of course, injuries happen, and that will probably open a spot for someone. I think Quentin is just here for injury insurance.

[jud6312]

Granted, this is a no-risk, high-reward scenario for the Twins, I really see no way it works out. He was an OK player on a pretty rapid demise due to constant injuries and age. And now he's older and a year+ removed from the game.

 

However, I'm guessing he makes the team - it's such a TR thing to do.

 

Then it comes down to what do we as fans want to see more. A) A Kubel-like performance that's so sad and pathetic that the experiment is short-lived and we'll all easily forget that it happened, or He gets hot to start the season and takes away playing time from a Kepler, Buxton or Vargas, or even worse they lose someone like Arcia or Santana because of it.

 

I'm honestly rooting for the former ... after I root even harder for absolute spring training failure.

 

If Sano weren't patrolling third instead of the OF, I might feel differently about Carlos making the team. But you can only have so many bat-only guys on the roster when you're dealing with a limited bench.

 

They've preached patience and waiting for the prospects for many years now. And we've done that ... now it's time for them to see which of those prospects were worth waiting for.

[tobi0040]

 

The only way Park doesn't make the opening day roster is the DL.

The only way Quentin DOES make the opening day roster is multiple OFers on the DL.

 

I agree.  I mean Park will be 30 in July.  So we signed a 30 year old minor leager to a four year deal?

 

I also think these deals speak volumes about the Twins view of Vargas and Arcia, and even Danny Santana making it as an OF.

 

 

[tobi0040]

 

We were told not to worry about Kubel and Bartlett and Stauffer......how'd that work out?

 

Signing old, bad, players is not something that you would expect a winning team to do, imo.

 

Yup.  How quickly we forget about past low risk signings where guys would have to make the team.

 

Bartlett went 4 for 43 in spring training with 9 k’s and 0 XBH.  A .245 OPS.

 

Kubel went 9 for 46, 17 K’s and an OPS of .571.  Then got another 150 AB’s with the Twins with an OPS of .607.

[Shaitan]

Zero risk. His best bet at making the team is as a bench bat a la Rueben Sierra and that's unlikely.

 

This isn't Bartlett, it's Zumaya or Harden.

 

 

[dxpavelka]

 

The only way Park doesn't make the opening day roster is the DL.

The only way Quentin DOES make the opening day roster is multiple OFers on the DL.

And neither of those things would ever happen.  Right?

[Ex-Iowegian]

I’m thinking there is a side to all this that hasn’t been discussed.

TR in the past, has tried to push down from the top (when he could) to create competition from top and bottom for the younger guys. The Quentin signing might have everything to do with that without much risk.

With Quentin working to make the opening day roster, maybe that lights a little hotter fire under Arcia or Vargas to go north. Hard to say what the thinking is otherwise.

[Mike Sixel]

Some rebuilding teams bring up young guys and let them play, w/o signing guys to "motivate" them.....they trust the process.....

[Otto von Ballpark]

Yup. How quickly we forget about past low risk signings where guys would have to make the team.

 

Bartlett went 4 for 43 in spring training with 9 k’s and 0 XBH. A .245 OPS.

 

Kubel went 9 for 46, 17 K’s and an OPS of .571. Then got another 150 AB’s with the Twins with an OPS of .607.

To be fair, Bartlett and Kubel inexplicably got opt outs around March 30. Quentin's June 1st opt out suggests there is some understanding that Quentin will need minor league time.