Article: Twins 2019 Position Analysis: Designated Hitter

[Riverbrian]

 

Roster spots are tight in the NFL too, think of the extra flexibility a team could have on game day if, instead of rostering a punter, they just used that position to rotate in other position players?

 

 

I'm calling Zimmer... This is a great idea... Find a position player who can punt. Gain a roster spot for another position... Brilliant!!! 

[DocBauer]

I think you and Brooks are both right and I think Ash summed it all up pretty well. 

 

If you have a chance to grab a bat like Nelson Cruz... you grab it. But, it can come with a cost if you don't set up your team to support it. 

 

Cruz is a great signing unless you give back your gains elsewhere by using up valuable roster space on a guy who can't play in the field. .

 

If by utilizing the DH position and Brooks is right... it is a position. If by utilizing the DH position in the traditional fashion...  you can be forced by lack of alternatives (due to roster space limitations) to play a player every day hitting very poorly... anything you gain from the DH position is then neutralized.  

 

That's why I agree with you... I would rather see a 25 (or 26) man roster where the DH spot in the lineup can be used for overflow. If Tyler Austin and CJ Cron are both going nuts with OPS over 1,000... It would be sad that one has to ride the pine because there is only one first base bag and Cruz has got the DH spot. 

 

But... Nelson Cruz is a special bat so it's a good addition.. Give him the DH position and take the rest of your lineup... make it deep and flexible enough to cover the defensive void left by a full time DH. Then you got Cruz and a supporting staff that will may not marginalize his contributions.

 

I think you summed up both of our positions. I have no problem with Cruz, or a similar bat, assuming the DH spot. Especially with the 26 man roster next season. Said bat can be a difference maker!

 

I'd just rather have a roster "crunch" of Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, Cave, Sano, Kirilloff, Rooker maybe, and rotate and play matchups. Really good news this could be a good "problem" to have as early as late in 2019. (Not that I would dismiss or dump Cruz, of course).

[USAFChief]

I think you and Brooks are both right and I think Ash summed it all up pretty well.

 

If you have a chance to grab a bat like Nelson Cruz... you grab it. But, it can come with a cost if you don't set up your team to support it.

 

Cruz is a great signing unless you give back your gains elsewhere by using up valuable roster space on a guy who can't play in the field. .

 

If by utilizing the DH position and Brooks is right... it is a position. If by utilizing the DH position in the traditional fashion... you can be forced by lack of alternatives (due to roster space limitations) to play a player every day hitting very poorly... anything you gain from the DH position is then neutralized.

 

That's why I agree with you... I would rather see a 25 (or 26) man roster where the DH spot in the lineup can be used for overflow. If Tyler Austin and CJ Cron are both going nuts with OPS over 1,000... It would be sad that one has to ride the pine because there is only one first base bag and Cruz has got the DH spot.

 

But... Nelson Cruz is a special bat so it's a good addition.. Give him the DH position and take the rest of your lineup... make it deep and flexible enough to cover the defensive void left by a full time DH. Then you got Cruz and a supporting staff that will may not marginalize his contributions.

if you're playing a guy every day who cant hit, your problem is the guy who cant hit, not the DH.

 

The guy who cant hit would be playing anyway...if you had a better alternative, he'd already be playing.

 

And then the guy who cant hit would be your DH, which is what ends up happening too often when you just pick from your unused players to bat in the DH spot every day.

 

Cruz costs them very little flexibility. He takes the place of an extra futility infielder.

[Mike Sixel]

Nope I didn't ask but thanks for playing Mike!

 

Very cool! Been in South Dakota and Nebraska my whole life. No wonder I'm a Twins/Vikings/Husker fan huh? Any chance you bleed Husker Red as well? Or are you a Ducks or Beaver fan up there?

My family all bleeds red. Well, not my kids, but all my aunts and uncles and cousins and parents.

[Riverbrian]

 

if you're playing a guy every day who cant hit, your problem is the guy who cant hit, not the DH.

The guy who cant hit would be playing anyway...if you had a better alternative, he'd already be playing.

And then the guy who cant hit would be your DH, which is what ends up happening too often when you just pick from your unused players to bat in the DH spot every day.

Cruz costs them very little flexibility. He takes the place of an extra futility infielder.

 

Yeah

 

And it's all your fault because you are picking from "unused" players. You got to stop picking from "unused" players. 

 

The Twins have been killing themselves in the fashion you describe above for decades... You and I have been watching it... we both see it but have come to different conclusions. 

 

I love the Nelson Cruz signing... He's a special bat. He can help us win games. 

 

But... if I had the choice: I would take Nick Castellanos over Nelson Cruz because Nick can play OF and 3B and we simply can't anticipate our future needs at 3B and OF.  

 

Disclaimer: For everyone (Castellanos is named specifically by me for roster flexibility example purposes... this is not intended to take the discussion a different direction via a comparison of Castellanos to Cruz... I also understand that Castellanos would cost prospects to acquire and may be cost prohibitive while Cruz was a Free Agent... the inclusion of Castellanos is for example purposes only).

 

My dream is for a 25 man roster that can play. When that dream of mine is finally realized... we will need the DH spot to play the over flow that has been created. Over Flow is a good thing. It can give manager viable options and can be traded to restock farm systems. 

 

Yeah... we are miles from getting there and we have always been miles from getting there.

 

We have year over year over year failed to find 9 players who can play, let alone asking for 25 players who can play.

 

I understand this but I'm saying we will never get there as long as we trade away Aaron Hicks because we have no place to put the potential overflow in the OF.

 

In other words... We can't handle over flow... therefore... we can't strive for over flow and must settle for Robbie Grossman or Ryan LaMarre because... we can't handle over flow and if we don't have over flow... we will perpetually live among unexpected holes. 

 

So... if Nelson Cruz blocks a potential outlet for over flow while simultaneously taking a roster spot that could be used for potential over flow... you can't create overflow. Which leads to the problem you describe above. Playing a guy who can't hit.

 

I agree that the problem is the guy who can't hit... but you can't solve that problem with potential solutions eliminated. 

 

If Max Kepler is hitting .185 in June but must play every day because we don't have anyone on the roster to replace Max Kepler. We give back any potential gains from the Cruz signing.

 

Castellanos could play RF. And if Castellanos could play RF... then maybe we have a place to play both Cron and Austin who are both OPS'ing over 1,000. 

 

With that said... I am for the signing. Because Cruz is a special bat. 

 

 

Ash is 100% correct... By creating flexibility at other positions... It allows you to absorb the DH only and simply enjoy the production.  

 

 

 

 

 

[woolywoolhouse]

 

The only problem I see with this signing Cruz is how are we gonna get him in our lineup come WS time? For away games are we sticking him in the outfield or do we give him a first basemans glove and hope for he best?

 

That will be the best problem the Twins could have this year or any year.

 

In 1991 the Twins played Chili Davis in Game 5 in Atlanta in place of the slumping Shane Mack in a futile 14-5 loss, so ultimately it didn't mean much.

[railmarshalljon]

 

That will be the best problem the Twins could have this year or any year.

 

In 1991 the Twins played Chili Davis in Game 5 in Atlanta in place of the slumping Shane Mack in a futile 14-5 loss, so ultimately it didn't mean much.

Yeah I was mostly joking but I'm also a little curious what we'd do in that event. It will be interesting to see if he grabs a mitt when we play NL teams away.

 

But Chili also pinch hit a homerun in game 3 (according to wikipedia). Maybe if his bat is in the lineup the whole game we actually take a road game and '91 isn't the greatest world series of all time?