National Writers on Twins Prospects

[Mike Sixel]

Guest

1:39 Royce Lewis seems like he could leap into an end of year top... 15?

 

 

Eric A Longenhagen

1:40 Sure, that's not crazy.

[Mike Sixel]

Jarious

1:49 For about half a decade of bottom dwelling, why is the Twins farm system not better?

Eric A Longenhagen

1:49 Meh, I think it's pretty solid.

[Vanimal46]

Jarious

1:49 For about half a decade of bottom dwelling, why is the Twins farm system not better?

Eric A Longenhagen

1:49 Meh, I think it's pretty solid.

Jarious, pull up a chair. Uncle Van is going to tell you a story about college relievers being converted to SP, and failing in spectacular fashion!

[howieramone2]

 

Jarious, pull up a chair. Uncle Van is going to tell you a story about college relievers being converted to SP, and failing in spectacular fashion!

There is no downside, to trying to convert a college reliever to a starting pitcher. None whatsoever. At some point in time, pitching becomes a numbers game. Unfortunately, it did take us longer than many expected to get the numbers on our side. 

 

Let's try this one more time. What mid-market team went thru a complete rebuild faster than our favorite team. Start at the teardown, and go thru to the play-offs. No one has been able to cite any.

[Mike Sixel]

There is no downside, to trying to convert a college reliever to a starting pitcher. None whatsoever. At some point in time, pitching becomes a numbers game. Unfortunately, it did take us longer than many expected to get the numbers on our side.

 

Let's try this one more time. What mid-market team went thru a complete rebuild faster than our favorite team. Start at the teardown, and go thru to the play-offs. No one has been able to cite any.

Houston.

[James]

 

Jarious, pull up a chair. Uncle Van is going to tell you a story about college relievers being converted to SP, and failing in spectacular fashion!

It's hard to disagree with calling the system "pretty solid".  Especially with the graduation of some of the top prospects out of the system.  There are still a lot of good prospects in the system.

 

I am forgiving the college starters into starters thing, though.  That wasn't the best idea every thought up.

[gunnarthor]

 

Houston.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/

 

Six straight losing seasons, 7 out of 8 years. That seems to be a bit of a grade inflation on your part.

[Vanimal46]

There is no downside, to trying to convert a college reliever to a starting pitcher. None whatsoever. At some point in time, pitching becomes a numbers game. Unfortunately, it did take us longer than many expected to get the numbers on our side.

 

Let's try this one more time. What mid-market team went thru a complete rebuild faster than our favorite team. Start at the teardown, and go thru to the play-offs. No one has been able to cite any.

There's plenty of downside. We saw Chargois and Melotakis miss 2 full seasons because of blowing out their arms. Jay missed a year because of arm problems.

 

The only mild success was Tyler Duffey for 2 months in 2015.

 

Your second paragraph is a tangent that has nothing to do with my post.

[gunnarthor]

 

There's plenty of downside. We saw Chargois and Melotakis miss 2 full seasons because of blowing out their arms. Jay missed a year because of arm problems.

The only mild success was Tyler Duffey for 2 months in 2015.

Your second paragraph is a tangent that has nothing to do with my post.

In fairness, I don't think you can say those guys hurt their arms because they were starting. 

 

As a general philosophy, I don't think it was the worst idea to waste some 4-10 round picks on hard throwing arms in the hopes that one might turn into a useful starter and use them as relief pitchers as a backup plan. Most 4-10 picks don't make it so a success there might really help. But it just hasn't worked. 

[nicksaviking]

 

There is no downside, to trying to convert a college reliever to a starting pitcher. None whatsoever. At some point in time, pitching becomes a numbers game. Unfortunately, it did take us longer than many expected to get the numbers on our side. 

 

Let's try this one more time. What mid-market team went thru a complete rebuild faster than our favorite team. Start at the teardown, and go thru to the play-offs. No one has been able to cite any.

 

Don't we have to wait for the Twins "complete rebuild" first to make that judgment?

[nicksaviking]

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/

 

Six straight losing seasons, 7 out of 8 years. That seems to be a bit of a grade inflation on your part.

 

So 8 years for Houston? To keep up, seems to me the Twins are due to win the WS this year.

[gunnarthor]

 

So 8 years for Houston? To keep up, seems to me the Twins are due to win the WS this year.

I think the issue was how long it takes for a rebuild to get around. If we're saying a rebuild is complete only when a team wins a world series, than there are many, many teams with longer rebuilds than the Twins.

 

And the Twins could win the WS this year. They should be a playoff team again. Unless they face the Yankees, they'll have a punchers chance in any series. But the constant useless griping about the "rebuild" has gotten old. This team has an incredibly rich amount of young talent. They've been in the playoff hunt two out of the last three years. The rebuild is over. Now it's on Molly and the FO to see if the Twins can do anything in the playoffs but the minor league development people have done their job.

[nicksaviking]

 

I think the issue was how long it takes for a rebuild to get around. If we're saying a rebuild is complete only when a team wins a world series, than there are many, many teams with longer rebuilds than the Twins.

 

And the Twins could win the WS this year. They should be a playoff team again. Unless they face the Yankees, they'll have a punchers chance in any series. But the constant useless griping about the "rebuild" has gotten old. This team has an incredibly rich amount of young talent. They've been in the playoff hunt two out of the last three years. The rebuild is over. Now it's on Molly and the FO to see if the Twins can do anything in the playoffs but the minor league development people have done their job.

 

If the rebuild is over count me as extremely disappointed. They had a one-and-done playoff exit from a fluky team preceded by the worst year in club history and thus far followed by an embarrassingly incompetent first month of the season.

 

There were more fans than not last year saying that this team was still nowhere near close to actually being a real contender due to the abysmal MLB pitching staff and the lack of top end talent in the minors. I see different faces but not results.

[Mike Sixel]

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/

 

Six straight losing seasons, 7 out of 8 years. That seems to be a bit of a grade inflation on your part.

They won the world series. The twins haven't won a playoff game. I'm not convinced the twins are even good, let alone rebuilt yet.

[Mike Sixel]

I think the issue was how long it takes for a rebuild to get around. If we're saying a rebuild is complete only when a team wins a world series, than there are many, many teams with longer rebuilds than the Twins.

 

And the Twins could win the WS this year. They should be a playoff team again. Unless they face the Yankees, they'll have a punchers chance in any series. But the constant useless griping about the "rebuild" has gotten old. This team has an incredibly rich amount of young talent. They've been in the playoff hunt two out of the last three years. The rebuild is over. Now it's on Molly and the FO to see if the Twins can do anything in the playoffs but the minor league development people have done their job.

This started because someone asked for a name of a good rebuild, or fast, or whatever. You were the one that kept it going, and started a disagreement.

[gunnarthor]

 

This started because someone asked for a name of a good rebuild, or fast, or whatever. You were the one that kept it going, and started a disagreement.

I guess I'm just sick of everyone saying the rebuild hasn't finished yet. It gets old. The Twins aren't rebuilding. They are contending. Whether or not they are good at contending seems to me a better issue for the Twins threads and not the minor league threads. The development guys did their job. 

 

I'm not overly worried about three weeks of baseball. We've had too many missed games, nearly two thirds of the games have been on the road and we're missing a few key pieces. I'd still bet on us to make the playoffs. 

 

[gunnarthor]

 

If the rebuild is over count me as extremely disappointed. They had a one-and-done playoff exit from a fluky team preceded by the worst year in club history and thus far followed by an embarrassingly incompetent first month of the season.

 

There were more fans than not last year saying that this team was still nowhere near close to actually being a real contender due to the abysmal MLB pitching staff and the lack of top end talent in the minors. I see different faces but not results.

Or they had a fluky season in between two playoff quality ones. Glass half full, I guess. We'll see how this season progresses. 

[Mike Sixel]

I don't want to derail the thread. No one brought it up until you did and Howie did. Maybe don't bring it up next time?

[gunnarthor]

 

I don't want to derail the thread. No one brought it up until you did and Howie did. Maybe don't bring it up next time?

Agree that it should be it's own thread. 

[howieramone2]

 

Houston.

They are the closest I can think off, but they started 2 years earlier.

[howieramone2]

 

If the rebuild is over count me as extremely disappointed. They had a one-and-done playoff exit from a fluky team preceded by the worst year in club history and thus far followed by an embarrassingly incompetent first month of the season.

 

There were more fans than not last year saying that this team was still nowhere near close to actually being a real contender due to the abysmal MLB pitching staff and the lack of top end talent in the minors. I see different faces but not results.

I've always counted you as extremely disappointed. Surely members on this board recognize those who have felt from the less than heady days of 2013 and 2104 that they were smarter than the FO. Feel free to believe whatever you choose. 

[Squirrel]

Back on track, folks. This thread is about posting national media links on Twins prospects. The tangent on the Twins rebuild has gone far enough here. Start your own thread in the Twins Talk forum if you want to take it further.

 

Thanks.

[Mike Sixel]

I tweeted one of the fangraphs guys about Romero being a starter or reliever for them...

 

[Mike Sixel]

They seem to like Gordon ok...

 

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/top-30-prospects-minnesota-twins/

[gunnarthor]

Interesting write up on Wade - 

"Wade has an unusual profile: he’s an average runner with a below-average arm, but his instincts allow him to play an above-average left field. Meanwhile, his power is below average and his bat control is fringy, but his pitch selection is plus-plus. This rare skillset manifests itself in backwards strikeout-to-walk numbers with little power and a higher average than his hitting ability suggests he’d produce, since he’s swinging at better pitches than almost every player.

So, the traditional hit tool, which we grade as a 50, doesn’t capture the production of which Wade is capable with elevated contact and walk rates. While “underpowered, fringey-tooled platoon left fielder” isn’t a sexy profile, Wade is extremely likely to have a multi-year big-league career because of his elite feel for the strike zone."

[jkcarew]

"Garver has turned into an average defensive catcher due to hard work in pro ball..."

 

Someone needs to tell Molly.

[bluechipper]

Travis Blankenhorn at #6 is the surprise for me. He hasn't really put up many good numbers the last two years, especially this year's OBP of .297, and only a .260 career hitter. Those numbers don't inspire a whole lot of confidence.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Travis Blankenhorn at #6 is the surprise for me. He hasn't really put up many good numbers the last two years, especially this year's OBP of .297, and only a .260 career hitter. Those numbers don't inspire a whole lot of confidence.

 

concur.