Article: Who Will Be The Twins' 4th And 5th Outfielders?

[Han Joelo]

 

There's 9 starting position players... DH is a position

Eureka!  Thank you.  And, umm, duh.  I'll shut up now.  

[nicksaviking]

Buxton has a lower chance of not coming north than Arcia and Santana.

 

And Buxton's odds are very, very high.

[Thrylos]

If Arcia does not make the team, the Twins do not have much LH power left.  He has to make the team.  Too many righties and most of the good pitchers out there, esp in the division (other than Sale and Quintana) are right handed.   They just need that LH power

[SydneyTwinsFan]

Barring injury, can't see Arcia and Santana not going North >95% chance IMO.

Only way Sweeney or Mastro gets a look in is if Buxton spends a month at AAA, and he would have to be flat out brutal at the plate for that to happen.

[Jham]

Twins release quentin if he asks, otherwise we'll option him to aaa as depth and try to keep him there in June. If there is anyone we don't want to lose, but can't justify keeping on the team, there will be an injury he was battling since last year, probably santanas wrist, arcias back, or sweeney will pop a hammy. 15 day Dl if no one else gets hurt, 60 day, rehab, rinse, repeat.

[GMinTraining]

 

My opinion...

 

Danny Santana 99%

Oswaldo Arcia 99%

 

Others combine for like 2%

 

Santana theoretically can play 6 positions, including CF. There's value in that.

 

Arcia's power and youth is still valuable and the fact that Rosario can play CF too, he'll be around.

 

My caveat would be that the Twins could get an offer for one of them in the last week of spring training and take it. 

I agree with all of this

[Winston Smith]

 

The author also makes it sound as if Sweeney can play CF, which he can't. He's got about a 5% chance to make the team.

Plus Sano can probably play center I hear he's very athletic!

[diehardtwinsfan]

people are talking about Buxton as a sure thing to head north.  I suspect that he's in AAA and Sweeney heads north in his place.  Arcia and Santana are locks as far as I'd guess. 

[70charger]

Plus Sano can probably play center I hear he's very athletic!

He moves really well for a guy his size! Plus, he owns a catcher's mitt, so hey! Third catcher.

 

Boom. Done. I'm having a drink.

[Lee-The-Twins-Fan]

I actually think the author, Mike Bates, has a valid point. If you consider spring training at all to this point, Sweeney has a .333 batting average and .500 OBP. Plus he can – and has - played center field (I don't know how well). He has played more right field. Just thinking out loud – I think the Twins might just bring him north to be a late-inning defensive replacement for Sano. He at least has some pop in his bat. I have nothing against Danny Santana, but if his spring training numbers don't improve at the plate, the Twins may put him through waivers. Sweeney and Arcia, would be left-handed options off the bench. But Arcia will also be on a short leash. 

[d-mac]

I think what should happen is Buxton starts the year in AAA (he's looked as awful this spring as he did during his cup of coffee) and Sweeney, Arcia, and Santana make the team. Reevaluate in a month. I bet Santana doesn't make it to Memorial Day with the club.

[bluechipper]

 

I actually think the author, Mike Bates, has a valid point. If you consider spring training at all to this point, Sweeney has a .333 batting average and .500 OBP. Plus he can – and has - played center field (I don't know how well). He has played more right field. Just thinking out loud – I think the Twins might just bring him north to be a late-inning defensive replacement for Sano. He at least has some pop in his bat. I have nothing against Danny Santana, but if his spring training numbers don't improve at the plate, the Twins may put him through waivers. Sweeney and Arcia, would be left-handed options off the bench. But Arcia will also be on a short leash. 

If Buxton doesn't make the team, Santana is probably the opening day CFer and Rosario is his backup. There's about .1% chance Danny doesn't make the team.

 

Sweeney has 23 HRs in over 2,200 major league plate appearances, so I'm not sure what pop you're talking about.

[alarp33]

We've got people evaluating Ryan Sweeney + Buxton on their 1st 12 (Sweeney) and 11 (Buxton) at bats of spring.  The season can't start soon enough.  

Edited March 9, 2016 by alarp33

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

We've got people evaluating Ryan Sweeney + Buxton on their 1st 12 (Sweeney) and 11 (Buxton) at bats of spring.  The season can't start soon enough.  

I don't think anyone is evaluating based only on spring training results so far.  We're speculating on possibilities and likelihoods, the whole darn point of a fan site.  Do you expect us to suspend such comments for a month?

 

I think it's fair to say that Buxton could go to AAA, opening the door for Sweeney to make the team.  Given how early it is, the last week probably hasn't moved the needle a whole lot in Sweeney's favor, but it certainly hasn't hurt him either.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I do have a problem with all the at-bats Quentin is getting right now.  I don't see him as the answer to any problem we have.

Looking closer, Quentin doesn't rank particularly high for spring AB so far, and it doesn't appear that he has taken playing time away from anyone, so I wouldn't read too much into it, yet.  If it's later this month and he climbs into our top 10 for spring AB, like Kubel and Bartlett did in 2014, then we might have a problem.  That's often a precursor to an opening day roster spot.

[Vanimal46]

Eventually we as fans need to let Buxton spread his wings and fly here.. I'd pencil him in as the opening day CF in the #9 hole and see what happens. If he's putting up 2013 Aaron Hicks-like numbers through the first month and change, then it'd be time to re-evaluate and mess with the 40 man to get Sweeney added.  

[Shaitan]

What's a BP hitter?

[Thrylos]

 

We've got people evaluating Ryan Sweeney + Buxton on their 1st 12 (Sweeney) and 11 (Buxton) at bats of spring.  The season can't start soon enough.  

 

Agreed on Sweeny.  Disagree  on Buxton.  Buxton has a fatal flaw:  He cannot hit major league breaking stuff or lay off major league sliders in the dirt.  It is a pitch recognition thing.  Hopefully he will grow out of.

 

It is like with a smoker:  seeing him/her smoke one cigarette is good enough to know that he hasn't quit.

[big dog]

 

What's a BP hitter?

Somebody who crushes balls in BP, making the fans ooh and aah.  Unfortunately, that term means that BP is the highest plateau they usually reach.  Nobody talked about Thome as a BP hitter.

[Thrylos]

 

  Nobody talked about Thome as a BP hitter.

 

Thomas.  As in Clete.  Not Thome 

[Jerr]

 

What's a BP hitter?

I was thinking Batting Practice....but I'm just guessing

[big dog]

 

Thomas.  As in Clete.  Not Thome 

Yeah, I get it.  I was just drawing a distinction between a BP hitter and a great hitter.

[Thrylos]

 

Yeah, I get it.  I was just drawing a distinction between a BP hitter and a great hitter.

 

Most of Thome's great hitting was done against the Twins (remember Blackburn's greatest moment?) so I tend to ignore the guy.  He is Brett Favre to me

[jimbo92107]

I have a good feeling about Arcia. I think he's decided to really take that professional athlete thing seriously. He spent all winter pounding his body into shape. He's lighter, stronger, faster... Cue theme from 6 Million Dollar Man...

 

If Arcia really does show better plate discipline, maybe this is the year he becomes a real live pro baseball player. A legit lefty power bat that plays respectable left field... The Twins could use that.

[jsteve96]

 

Clearly I am in over my head with some very basic math here.

 

8 starting position players

+

5 starting pitchers (even with the inevitable "don't need a 5th starter until April 20th or whatever_

+

8 relievers

=

4 bench players.  OK.  I'm not the only one who needs math help…not sure where the 6 relievers comment came from.

 

Anyway, if I wanted to keep a fifth bench player, and if I actually knew anything, I'd probably expose Dean to waivers if I needed a spot on the 40 man.

Hey bud, the Twins are an american league team and normally start 9 guys. we have the DH you know

[jsteve96]

 

people are talking about Buxton as a sure thing to head north.  I suspect that he's in AAA and Sweeney heads north in his place.  Arcia and Santana are locks as far as I'd guess. 

I actually agree with this!

[GMinTraining]

 

I actually agree with this!

Diddo

[HitInAPinch]

I just don't see Arcia as a bench player.  Pretty one dimensional and needs a lot of AB's to be successful.  I see Arcia as having a fair, but not great, spring at the plate.  The Twins get a trade offer from a team that still thinks Arcia has potential.  Twins take the deal and move on.

 

I don't think Santana is a lock, either.  Just like Buxton, he's gotta get on base.

[Old Twins Cap]

SSS but Sweeney looks like a professional hitter, patient, thorough, puts a good swing on the ball.  I could see those ABs, late in the game, really paying dividends.

 

You hate to ever give up on a Santana or an Arcia, especially if Arcia's power ever comes back, but, the Twins do have a surplus of young talent and they can't keep them all.

[bluechipper]

 

SSS but Sweeney looks like a professional hitter, patient, thorough, puts a good swing on the ball.  I could see those ABs, late in the game, really paying dividends.

 

You hate to ever give up on a Santana or an Arcia, especially if Arcia's power ever comes back, but, the Twins do have a surplus of young talent and they can't keep them all.

What's with all of this irrational love for Ryan Sweeney? He has a MLB OPS of .713 and minor league OPS of .765.

 

Arcia's MLB OPS is .741 and his minor league OPS is .875. He had more HRs last year than Ryan Sweeney has ever hit in any season, and he was dealing with an injury.