Tanner English - 2018

[TwinsFanGreg]

 

http://www.milb.com/images/605221/t509/180x270/605221.jpg

 

Tanner English (OF, Throw: R, Bat: R) was originally drafted by Tampa Bay out of high school in 2011 however elected not to sign with them and played college ball at South Carolina instead. He was drafted again in 2014 by the Twins in the 11th round after three seasons with the Gamecocks. He’s known for his speed and defense and someone who has a good approach at the plate.

 

English spent his first season with the Twins as most draft picks do, playing rookie ball in Elizabethton. In 2015 he ascended to A ball at Cedar Rapids where he batted .265/.359/.406 and stole 37 bases before heading to the disabled list with a sprained thumb near the end of the season. His 2016 season was a whirlwind and is chronicled in detail in this piece by Seth Stohs. To summarize, a few weeks after beginning the season in high A Fort Myers English had lasik surgery and missed three weeks and during his second game back he injured his ankle and missed eight more weeks. By the time he was back playing, it was early August and he’d missed a good part of the season. Back on track in Fort Myers he was the Twins minor league player of the week in late August and then got a late season call up to AAA Rochester when Buxton was called up to the big league club and Tanner finished the season in AAA. All in all for his shortened season he batted .248/.353/.434.

 

English was sent to the Arizona Fall League after the 2016 season to get him some extra at bats. Living in Phoenix, I try to catch AFL games when I can. I was able to see a game where English started in CF and got a few hits. I couldn’t get his attention for an autograph after the game but oh well, I did get one from Mitch Garver that day! English also made a Buxton-like grab in the AFL championship game that season.

 

After his injury shortened 2016 season, he was invited to big league spring training in 2017 and then started the season in AA Chattanooga. However in May he was sent back down to Fort Myers where he remained for the rest of the season where he batted .215/.330/.376.

 

One thing I really like about this guy is his approach to the game. Here’s a quote from the Seth Stohs article I mentioned above:

 

“I would like to be that table setter guy. No matter if I got a hit, if I walk, if I get hit by a pitch. Shoot, if I hit the ball and the shortstop makes an error. I want to get on base because I know that once I am on first base, we have a good chance of scoring one run. And in a lot of games, one run goes a long way.”

 

His batting stats seem to have taken a step backwards in 2017 however his speed and fielding abilities have not. His fielding percentage continues to be in the high 900s and he has good range and speed. He’s in spring training once again in 2018 and we’ll have to see where he lands to start the season. 

 

Extra stuff:

 

English batting in the 2016 AFL.

 

English making a great catch in college

 

 

 

[TwinsFanGreg]

 

English (pictured on the far right) getting some recognition and hardware for his amazing defensive play last season. Hopefully a sign of good things to come. 

 

[TwinsFanGreg]

How do you make an impression during the final week of spring training? You take a 9th inning Trent Thorton curve ball and smoke it onto the grass berm in left field for a game tying home run. 

 

https://www.foxsports.com/north/video/1193666115572

 

English provided the main offensive punch in the 2-2 tie against the world champs. His home run was only the second hit the Twins offense could come up with all day. Paul Molitor was quoted in this Phill Miller article saying “He gets a smile on his walk back across the street, I suppose,”. So, English will head back to minor league camp and hopefully have an injury free, productive season. 

 

 

 

 

 

[jimbo92107]

Tanner English = Zach Granite 2.0? Tempting comparison, except I don't recall seeing a clip of Zach Granite jacking a homer ten rows back. He did hit one home run in 2017.

[goulik]

In many ways English and Granite bring a similar skill set in speed and defense but neither has historically shown a lot of power. (Granite FWIW, has shown more ability to swipe bases)

 

I was at the game when English hit the home run. I had just told my wife that English was a fast guy, great defender and pinch runner but he just doesn't hit enough home runs. Seconds later the ball is flying over the fence and my wife is looking at me confused.    

 

Then after the third out everyone walked off the field including the umps and my wife asked what was happening. Sorry dear, no extra inning in ST...

 

 

[TwinsFanGreg]

Seth Stohs wrote about Tanner (and many others) in his spring standouts article. He talked about how he struggled at the plate which lead to his demotion from AA back to A last season. However Stohs mentioned he does still have the tools of a good ball player.

 

His speed and defense have always been his stronger attributes and if he can figure things out at the plate, I think he's got a shot to play at Target Field in the future. English is getting another chance at AA this season. Batting second behind Gordon for the first Lookout's exhibition game. Gordon/English is a pretty speedy combo to have at the top of the lineup. 

 

 

 

 

[TwinsFanGreg]

Except for his first few games, it's been a rough April at the plate so far for English. Through his first 9 plate appearances, Tanner went .250/.333/.625 including a 2B and a 3B. However has since gone 1-17 with 8 Ks. However, it's still early and the first few games shows that English can swing the bat pretty well. 

 

He had similar low offensive numbers through April and May of last season before being sent back down to Ft Myers. Hopefully he can overcome this early season slump at the plate and get back on track. His defense remains solid!