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I can't say I know exactly how a new regime will accomplish it, or how long it will take, but if Sano and Polanco are standing next to each other on the left side of the IF, and Centeno is still on the roster, then the defense is still going to be sub par. If one looks at the roster, and wants to try and keep the core, that is an inescable fact. The only glove first player on that roster is Buxton. While I really hate to see almost any of these players moved, the sad fact is some trades have to be made to change the mix of the roster.

Maddon puts people in new positions on a regular basis. The article suggests Cleveland was smart to move Santana not once but twice. However, the Twins are incompetent fools when they use out fo the box thinking. Which player is more athletic, Sano or Schwarber? I would say Sano so difference does it make if Sano is bigger. Let's also remember the Twins and Sano had agreed that Sano would shed some weight. Some of you seem to forget that Sano's size is something that could have been relatively easily adjusted to better fix the position. There are a bunch of NFL players who would be much more athletic than alot of MLB corner outfielders so I just dont get how Sano's size should have disqualified him as a candidate to play a corner OF position. What's even more weird is the number of people who think Mauer or Plouffe who are both much slower than Sano should play OF. Somehow really slow is ok if you are not really big.

So, are you saying that Sano was no athletic enough to play the position. Nobody though tit was insane to suggest Plouffe or Mauer in the outfield. Sano at 270 is far more athletic than Plouffe and quite a bit faster than Mauer. He certainly is faster and more athletic than alot of guys that played the position because of their bat. Point is that size is not nearly as relevant a question as does he have the athleticism to play OF. He failed because he could not make the adaption. Size was not the primary problem. Also, to focus on the fact that he was 270lbs has to be the worst assessment of the core problem I have ever seen on this site. How much problem solving skill does it take to recognize he is 30 lbs over weight. I think a better assessment of the problem was that he should lose 30 lbs, not that he cant play the position because he weighs 270.

I stopped listening here.....

I find it interesting that we are looking to a new FO to come in and institute change, to shake up the system, but then we think that Mauer is locked in at first - how about a bench spot? We still can't figure out Plouffe and Dozier or Polanco and Sano. Rosario seems to be locked in to the OF, but why? Lets throw out the ideas and story lines we had in 2016. What if the new front office really does come in and make things different? Might be nice.

These moves definitely look better or worse based on team performance. But a couple things to remember about Schwarber are that he played some OF in college, so it isn't a completely new position for him, and it's not like using him out there has worked out for the Cubs. Plus, if they had a DH I'm pretty sure they'd just stick him there and let him rake.

This is a nice gesture. As an economist in real life, I'd be really curious to hear how this turns out. Will you tell us in a few months how much people voluntarily paid, how many more/less copies were "sold," and how much revenue was earned this year vs. last?

It should be real interesting for our Twins this winter. I'm super excited for our new regime to get to work. Go Twins!!! \m/

For the first time since adding Joe Mauer in 2001, the Twins are going to be first on the clock when the 2017 draft kicks off. It’s exciting. The opportunity to add the best amateur player to an already strong, young system is an encouraging step for an organization with a new leader. But before we examine the top five candidates to hear their name called at the top of the draft, we should look at some of the uncertainties that need to be cleared up before the draft happens in eight months.Ch-ch-ch-changes Terry Ryan was in the draft room, but wasn’t making the calls. Deron Johnson had the final say and many others had their voices heard. Ryan is out, obviously, and Derek Falvey has been named Chief Baseball Officer. Johnson is still in (for now), as is the entire scouting staff. But what role will Falvey play? How involved will his GM be? How many of the scouting department will he retain? How many will take jobs elsewhere? My guess is that Falvey will be more involved than Ryan, but that a majority of the scouting department remains unchanged. I don’t know what the future holds for Johnson, but I think there’s a chance his role changes. Many scouts stayed in the organization for as long as they have because of Terry Ryan. We could certainly see more changes than we’ve seen in the last few years. (Which isn’t saying much, because there have been hardly any changes in the last five years.) New Rules When poking around for information, one thing that continued to come up was the expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement. Having the #1 pick - and the draft bonus tied to it - has been an absolute benefit, one that many teams feel is unfair. Many expect the current rules to change and the benefit to… well, become less of a benefit. If the CBA rules doesn’t change, one A.L. scout told me the first pick would be “the guy who takes the best deal” before warning me to see how the new agreement shakes out. The Candidates It’s early. Really early. It’s likely not all four of these guys will be first-rounders, let alone the top four picks of the draft. It’s also extremely likely someone not on the top-four radar will be a top four pick. But as of today, here are the four I’ve been hearing tied to the first pick of the draft. Hunter Greene, California HS RHP. No right-handed prep pitcher has ever gone first overall, so despite the fact that Greene is the best prospect, there’s no guarantee that he’s going first overall. But he’s good enough to break that trend. Up to 98 on the mound, profiling as a potential ace, Greene also has legitimate two-way tools as a shortstop. How many prospects come around like this? Not many. But before you get too far ahead of yourself... no, he’s not Bryce Harper. But he is a pretty special prospect. Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt CF. Kendall wasn’t a huge name coming from a Wisconsin HS, but Vanderbilt doesn’t just take anybody… and now Kendall’s a future star in a five-tool package. After helping Vanderbilt to the College World Series as a freshman, batting .332 with a .964 OPS as a sophomore and being the biggest run-producer on the collegiate national team this summer, Kendall has surfaced as the best draft-eligible college position player in the nation. Alex Faedo, Florida RHP. Faedo was named Baseball America’s top prospect from the collegiate national team. Faedo is a big guy (6’ 5”, 220) with top-of-the-rotation stuff. He recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees, but is expected to fully recover by the spring. Faedo features a low-to-mid-90s fastball, a mid-80s slider and a change-up. Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt RHP. Wright was arguably the best pitcher in the SEC last year in a stacked conference. He showed well over the summer, featuring a high-80s heavy fastball and a plus curveball. He’s developing a change-up. Another A.L. scout told me that if he was making the call, he’d take Wright first overall right now. Other names to watch: J.B. Bukauskas, UNC RHP; Jo Adell, Kentucky HS P/OF; Trevor Rogers, New Mexico HS, LHP. Who do you take? Click here to view the article

This was a long, tough season. You all deserve a treat for hanging on and maintaining enough interest in this 100-loss campaign to keep the conversations flowing at Twins Daily. In that spirit, we have some exciting news.As usual, we will be releasing our annual Minnesota Twins Offseason Handbook shortly after the conclusion of the World Series. We have been selling this ebook as a premium content piece every year dating back to 2009. Laying out the offseason landscape from a uniquely Twins-centric angle, the Handbook is always very popular among hardcore and casual fans alike. There is no better way to prep yourself for Hot Stove Season. This year, however, we'll be doing it a little bit differently. When the Offseason Handbook goes live next week, you will have the opportunity to buy it and immediately download it. But unlike past years, there will be no specific price point for this new edition. Instead, the 2017 Offseason Handbook will be available on a 'name-your-price' basis. You can pay whatever you want, and that includes zero dollars. Yep, for the first time, this year's Handbook will be freely available to anyone who wants it. If you're inclined to contribute to the site as a token of thanks for the hard work put into this product, as well as our year-round coverage, that will be greatly appreciated. We are steadfastly trying to grow this destination for baseball fans into something bigger and better. However, Twins Daily was founded on the notion of providing excellent content to passionate readers at no cost. We didn't want any barriers stopping anyone from accessing this thing. That's especially true now, because we'll be integrating this year's Handbook into our offseason coverage more than ever before. Dynamic content, along with new site features, will tie to the ebook's overarching structure, with a goal of giving you all the resources and info needed to expertly follow the first offseason under Derek Falvey, Thad Levine and a new regime. We can't wait to get the 2017 Twins Daily Offseason Handbook in front of all our readers. It may drop as soon as Monday, so keep your eyes peeled! Click here to view the article

I think the days of Mauer selling even a single ticket are long gone. A handful of guys in baseball sell tickets by themselves, if that. If the new FO is putting fan input ahead of actual evaluation then nothing matters because we are doomed.

Twenty five years ago tonight, the Minnesota Twins played in one of the greatest World Series games in baseball. Jack Morris’s ten-inning effort, and Gene Larkin’s deep-enough fly ball single scored Dan Gladden, and the Twins were the 1991 World Series champions. It’s hard to believe that so many of the sports stars who make their in-season homes in the Twin Cities were not even born when that game was played. The Twin Cities is one of 13 Metropolitan areas in the United States to have teams in all four major sports (baseball, basketball, football and hockey). Each of those teams have undergone change in recent years, in the front office, in the coaches, or simply a turnover in players. The strategy appears to be the same for all teams, and it is not a unique strategy. Every organization in every sport wants to develop its own players and build a core which can later be supplemented when the team is ready to compete for championships. It would be fair to say that the Minnesota Vikings are furthest along that track. Despite their loss on Sunday, they are generally considered to be a contender, in large part due to their defense. The Minnesota Wild have played in the playoffs each of the last four seasons. They are looking to take the next step. The Minnesota Twins, or at least their fans, thought the team had turned a corner with their 2015 season in which they were not eliminated until the penultimate game of the season. They then lost 103 games in 2016. The team has not been in the playoffs since 2010, their first season at Target Field. Last night, the Minnesota Timberwolves opened their 2016-17 season. While so young, there are hopes and many reasons for excitement about this team.However, all four teams (and fans of all four teams) should have a measure of confidence, or at least excitement, that things could be better in the not-too-distant future. All four teams are loaded with young players who potentially have big futures in their leagues. And that’s not just homer-speak. Experts in those sports believe that the young talent has a chance to develop into stardom. Some of them are already there. Others are getting closer. Let’s take a look around the Twin Cities sports scene and see just much young talent there is. Below, I will focus on players who are 24 years old and younger. MINNESOTA TWINS Twins fans are sick of hearing about all the young talent that we keep touting, but a lot of it is already here. While many of these names no longer appear on prospect lists, a better way to review an organization’s young talent is to look at a Top Players Under 24 List. I’d put the Twins group up against anyone. My guess is that most would put the Cubs #1, but the Twins would certainly follow very quickly on that list. Miguel Sano - 23 Max Kepler - 23 Jorge Polanco - 23 Jose Berrios - 22 Byron Buxton - 22 These are all prospects that we heard and read a lot about from the time they were signed. Kepler and Polanco signed on July 2nd of 2009. Sano signed a few months later. Buxton and Berrios were the Twins 1st round picks in the 2012 draft. We’ve heard their names and we’ve read of their prospect status for a long time, so it is a good reminder of how young these guys are. Sano struggled some in 2016, but in 196 MLB games, he has 43 homers and 118 RBI. He’ll be fixture in the middle of the lineup. Byron Buxton struggled with the bat, but few have played better center field in the Twins organization, and that says a lot when you consider all the Gold Gloves. His September is a glimpse at what could be. Polanco finally got a chance, and he’s shown that he should be an everyday player in the big leagues, at some position. Kepler was the Twins rookie of the year in 2016 with a solid showing. In fact, he showed more power than he typically has in his career. Jose Berrios took his lumps in his first MLB season, but again, we saw glimpses of the stuff that should make him a quality starting pitcher for years to come. This is a strong group, a strong core, that the Twins and their fans hope will lead the way to a lot of wins in the coming years. Of course, the Twins still have several prospects that can either supplement the five guys above or become part of that core. Pitchers like Fernando Romero, Stephen Gonsalves and Tyler Jay certainly have a chance. Relievers like Jake Reed and Nick Burdi could be up soon. Nick Gordon could be the shortstop of the future. Meanwhile there are more high-ceiling prospects like Alex Kirilloff, Wander Javier and Lewin Diaz who are further down the line. MINNESOTA VIKINGS The Vikings have not played in a Super Bowl for 40 years, not since 1976. The team’s track record of tough playoff losses is well known. In fact, when some say that the Vikings are a Super Bowl contender, there is a large contingent of fans that roll their eyes at the notion. This year’s team is a contender because of their defense. Obviously they have some issues on the offensive line that will have to figure themselves out if they want a better chance, but the defense is legit. While there are several strong veterans around the defense, there are some under-25s that are a huge part of what they do now, or will be a big part of it within the next year. CB MacKenzie Alexander - 22 LB Anthony Barr - 24 OT TJ Clemmings - 24 WR Stefon Diggs - 22 DE Danielle Hunter - 21 S Jayron Kearse - 22 LB Eric Kendricks - 24 RB Jerick McKinnon - 24 WR Laquon Treadwell - 21 CB Trae Waynes - 24 There are several other players under 25 on the roster as well, playing on special teams. Linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks are both 24 and they’re both Pro Bowl caliber linebackers. Danielle Hunter is still just 21 years old and he is still learning how to be a force. Trae Waynes played little a year ago, but he’s been solid in his opportunities so far this year and will be more important as we go forward. MacKenzie Alexander is in the same situation Waynes was last year. With Andrew Sendejo’s injury, Jayron Kearse may have to learn under fire. Stefon Diggs has become a go-to wide receiver this year after bursting onto the scene the middle of his rookie year a year ago. Jerick McKinnon has been solid, when healthy and when given playing time. TJ Clemmings was placed right into the fire a year ago when Phil Loadholt was lost of the year. He struggled, as expected, but held his own. He’s struggled again at times this year, but I would not give up on him by any means. Finally, Laquon Treadwell is this year’s Trae Waynes. The team’s 2016 first-round pick is patiently waiting an opportunity. What he’s doing behind-the-scenes is more important right now because at some point, he will get a chance and hopefully be a big part of the team’s offense. MINNESOTA WILD The Wild have made it to the playoffs four straight years. Last year they lost in the first round to the Dallas Stars. The three previous seasons they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Wild have a really good mix of veterans and young players. They have veterans like Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and Eric Staal.Their goaltender turned 30 about six months ago. However, some of those under-25s have a couple of years of NHL service time. They have decisions to make on some of them after the season. The time table is tough. F Charlie Coyle - 24 F Mikael Granlund - 24 F Nino Niederreiter - 24 F Teemu Pulkkinen - 24 F Jason Zucker - 24 D Jonas Brodin - 23 D Matt Dumba - 22 F Joel Eriksson Ek - 19 Each of those forwards - with the probable exception of the recently claimed Pulkkinen - have had several huge moments in his Wolves career, and even in the playoffs. These are guys who were playing two years ago. Coyle appears to have taken a step forward. Others continue to have their moments yet fight to find a consistency, for whatever reason. Same thing with the defensemen. Dumba’s got the big shot that we all love, but on defense, he has some rough stretches. In fact, he was supposed to be a healthy scratch in a game over the weekend because of poor play. Illness put him back in the lineup and he played a strong game. Erikkson Ek is, of course, a different story. The team’s top pick just 16-months ago just made his NHL debut for the Wild last week. He scored a goal in his first game, and he had three assists in Tuesday’s game in Boston on Tuesday. Obviously the hope is that a new voice, Bruce Boudreau, will be able to get the most out of these young talents. Chuck Fletcher has some tough choices to make. Hopefully he chooses well and keeps some of these guys long-term and they help the team toward its first Stanley Cup. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES After making it to the playoffs eight straight seasons (including that fun 2004 run to the Western Conference finals), the Wolves have not made the playoffs for 12 years. In fact, they have not finished in 12th place in the 15-team conference ten of those 12 seasons. However, this year’s team is full of hope due to their extreme, but incredibly talented, youth. Shabazz Muhammad - 23 Kris Dunn - 22 Zach LaVine - 21 Andrew Wiggins - 21 Karl Anthony Towns - 20 Tyus Jones - 20 It’s interesting to think that Kris Dunn left Providence a year early, and yet he is older than four other former first rounders on his own team. The Wolves acquired Wiggins, the 2014 first-overall pick from Cleveland in the Kevin Love trade. LaVine, who has won the last two Slam Dunk contests, really came into his own in the second half of last season. They earned the #1 overall pick in 2015, and they were wise enough to take Karl Anthony Towns with the pick. They also acquired Tyus Jones from the Cavs in that draft after his stellar career at Duke (...after his stellar career at Apple Valley). photo by Mark J Rebilas, USA Today Towns was the unanimous choice for NBA Rookie of the Year last year, and with improvement this year, he’ll find himself in NBA Best Player conversations soon. Wiggins can score, but he’ll need to show he can do some of the other things in the game. LaVine took off in the second half last year, showing he is much more than just an athletic dunker. He will get to play more at the 2-guard rather than point guard this year, but I believe that time was very valuable to his overall development. Dunn will allow LaVine to not play point guard. He’ll push Ricky Rubio (who, by the way, is just 25 still). He’ll be an integral part of the lineup in the near future. Muhammad has shown his ability in his three previous NBA seasons that he can provide offense off the bench. Jones probably needed a couple more years of college to get bigger, but he has always shown an ability to lead as a point guard. His time will be limited, however, unless there is an injury to Dunn or Rubio. THE CHALLENGE That’s a quick overview of the 24-and-under players for the four major league teams in the Twin Cities. I encourage all kinds of discussion in the comments below. For instance, which team’s “build” was best? Rank which teams will be a championship contender soonest. Which players are most marketable in the Twin Cities, or nationally? But here’s what I would like everyone to think about. I would like you to rank the top five players in the Twins Cities (under 25) by value. It can be value today, or what you think their value will be over the course of the next few years. Yes, that almost undefinable term that MVP voters love to throw around. It’s not necessarily just who is the best player relative to others in their sport, but it is also about intangibles that you may have in your mind? Which are all stars in their sport? Who has a chance to be an MVP candidate? Which ones are just nice, solid, every single day contributors. Just to start it out, here is my list: 10) Mikael Granlund - Wild 9) Zach LaVine - Wolves 8) Charlie Coyle - Wild 7) Stefon Diggs - Vikings 6) Eric Kendricks - Vikings 5) Byron Buxton - Twins 4) Andrew Wiggins - Wolves 3) Anthony Barr - Vikings 2) Miguel Sano - Twins 1) Karl Anthony Towns - Wolves What do you think? How would your ranking look? I left out some big names, like Max Kepler and Jose Berrios, like Kris Dunn, like Danielle Hunter, and like El Nino, Jason Zucker or Jonas Brodin. Maybe it’s easier to make a Top 15 or 20 list. Note - this article will appear on Twins Daily, Vikings Journal and Wild Xtra. Check the Comments between sites. I’m curious if the rankings will look any differently based on your fandom. Let the discussion begin. Click here to view the article

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/evaluating-the-prospects-minnesota-twins/ Here's a 2014 Fangraphs scouting report saying RF or first is probably where Sano will end up. Unless we are also considering Fangraphs prospect evaluations horrible, the Twins decision to move him to the outfield can't be considered a crazy. Sano's lack of prep and gaining weight is more responsible for the failure than the actual move. Hopefully he works harder at being a competent third baseman this offseason. Overall it's a very interesting scouting report on Sano. Questions if his walk rate will continue (15% in 2015, down to 10% in 2016 and 7.5% for second half of 2016) and his weight issues.

#1 Riddle they must solve: "Why is Target Field so hot?" All the fans left.

Agreed. I would expect any outside evaluator would take one look at Mauer and say he's a platoon guy now. He hit .224/.291/.319 against lefties last season. You cannot live with that at 1B. Mauer's probably a lock to be on the roster all year, but that doesn't mean he has to play everyday. He can be valuable even if only against RHP (.272/.383/.410 last year) and maybe the extra rest will keep him stay fresh.

Bottom line is that no sane person thought Sano in the OF was a good idea. Also if Molitor was complicit in that decision and not just following orders he should have been fired along with Ryan. As far as Schwarber goes he hasn't really played enough game in the OF to make any definitive decision on whether he can or should play out there either. He probably needs to play on an AL team.

We are sitting here remembering that Joe Mauer is a lock at first base where so many current names could play (be it Sano, Park or Vargas). We talk of Dozier be moved as solving our problems. But we are still a ways from having Gordon at shortstop. Dozier talk (should he be moved, why isn't he being moved) is similar to the talk of Trevor Plouffe who, for all intent and purpose, is still in the Twins mix. And can any of them play the outfield, and where does that leave our three prospects of Rosario/Kepler/Buxton, not to mention names in the wings like Palka, Walker and Granite. And then you do start to look at the worth of ANY of the above names. We feel Dozier has worth, yet any team looking at him has to have a second base need (where else can he play) and do they think he is a viable player to resign in 2019 and beyond. I don't think we can move Park or Vargas or even Plouffe. Escobar is fumes. Teams would rather gamble on trading for Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Polanco at this point. Rosario is on the bubble. Santana is a placeholder. Anyone really feels Grossman is needed with Palka/Walker/Granite in the wings? The team is a mess in pieces to send elsewhere. As a general manager, I would just wait to see who the Twins jettison, and worry about trading pieces with other teams, who may fulfill my needs equally if not better than the Twins, or just waiting for those waiver wire moments that may see more Twins than any of us imagine.

Proud of you guys for taking the risk of naming your price. I know there's been periods in my life where even the low cost would have kept me from purchasing. Hopefully students and others take advantage, and those of who can afford to can help make up the difference.

The biggest key to the whole puzzle is still probably Dozier. If he's still with the Twins, you have to make room for Polanco somewhere. If it's 3B, then Sano has to move to 1B/DH. Could you move Dozier to 3B or 1B? I'm not sure either would be awful. If Dozier is traded for pitching help, obviously you slot Polanco in at 2B. So BD is a huge offseason chip in the defensive lineup of the next Twins team. And unless the new FO feels Polanco deserves a chance at SS, your next call is to give Escobar the job coming off a down and injured season and find someone to be the utility guy. I like Escobar a lot, but do you and the Twins feel comfortable with this scenario? Or is it better to bring in a proven SS, even for the short term, and use Escobar as a valuable and versatile utility guy who probably plays quite a bit? I like the OF as is, with someone to be a quality 4th guy.

One of my favorite parts about the handbooks you have released in the past is that they included an interview with Terry Ryan. I think many of the questions your team asks are ones that don't frequently get discussed and I enjoyed reading Ryan respond to a different perspective. Do you have any plans to find a new interview subject among existing staff (Antony, St. Peter, Goins, etc...) or have you reached out to any of the new staff? Thanks!

My guess is that gaining more defensive competence will take a couple years. I'm pretty sure the new PoBO and GM are going to need some ramp-up time. Who stays, who goes. An outfield of Rosario, Buxton and Kepler looks pretty darn good to me, defensively. Offense: still a work in progress. The infield. Ufda. Safe to say, not a Gold Glover in the group? I'm assuming Dozier is staying. So is Mauer. Sano losing weight = being in better shape and (hopefully) more agility. What I saw of Polanco: he was better at 2nd and 3rd than SS. Maybe more reps? IDK.

Moderator note: 1. Please keep to the topic: domestic abuse/violence at the hands of professional athletes. We aren't talking about serial murderers and capital punishment. 2. Please do so respectfully, i.e. --Stop trying to control the discussion and let others have their say without being dismissive. --Stop with the tone and put downs when you disagree. It's a bit ironic that of all topics, I have to put up a note in this one. Control and put downs are part of the subject matter, so step back a bit and follow the above directions.

Barring an injury, I would expect Sano to start the season at third base. The team is stuck with Mauer at one of 1B/DH. My guess is that the new FO will look to see what a Dozier deal looks like and possibly see if they can scare up interest in Kepler but probably not do a lot to that offensive side quite yet. They probably need time to evaluate and they have other priorities (pitching and catcher). I would imagine the lineup would look something pretty close to: C- FA and one of Murphy/Garver/Centeno 1B - Mauer 2B - Dozier SS - Polanco 3B - Sano OF - Rosario/Buxton/Kepler - if those three can hit, are they a good defensive OF? I think they'd be ok but only Buxton would really be elite. Bench - backup catcher/Park/UI/4thOF with the Twins trading one of Park/Vargas Obviously, trading Dozier would make a bunch of changes but several of the positions seem fairly close to set. Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, Mauer and Polanco will be starting at some position.

15 teams in the AL 11th in wRC+ (bottom third) 11th in OBP (bottom third) 13th in K% (bottom third) 8th in AL in HR (average) 8th in AL in OPS (average) 9th in AL in slg% (below average) 9th in runs scored (below average) 'Among the challenges that puzzled the 2016 Twins was putting an optimal defensive lineup on the field.' They intentionally chose to put a huge man in the OF who had never played OF as a pro before. I think the real challenging puzzle was the FO trying to figure out a way of trying to convince fans they cared at all about defense. The puzzle was not solved. So an average offense at best (and only if looked at in certain ways) that comes with those players playing a far below acceptable defense.

Awesome, now if we could just get rid of St. Peter and Molitor.. We'd be in an excellent position..

This is a fantastic article.

I'm not sure the problem is with identifying talent nearly as much as it is developing it. Too many guys do well in the minors only to get destroyed in the majors. I expect that to an extent, but the volume makes me wonder what is going on in getting these guys ready.

Only if you have Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Isn't Brad a car's name?

For me it isn't the velo for Chargois -- although that's great too -- it's that movement he gets. That is going to be tough to square up. https://twitter.com/ParkerHageman/status/779167113130881024

Week Two of the AFL season saw the Surprise Saguaros go 3-3, with Twins prospects being quite a bit more quiet than in the first week. The three hitters managed just four hits among them after collecting fourteen in week one, and their prized pitching prospect unexpectedly got the week off for unknown reasons. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of action between them in their team's six games, so read on to find out what happened with each player on the week.(links provided to each player’s overall stats by clicking their name) Stephen Gonsalves – Did not pitch. Although Gonsalves was listed as the probable starter leading up to Wednesday’s game against Scottsdale, he did not pitch in the game, nor make any appearances during the week due to a mild strain in his back. Hopefully he’s back in action this week! Nick Gordon – 3 games, 2-11, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K’s. Gordon wasn’t nearly as hot in week two as he was in week one, but his first extra-base hit of the AFL season was a big one. It came in Monday’s 3-1 win over Salt River in the third inning. With two outs and runners on first and third, he ripped a double to center field to score them both and put his team ahead 2-0. It was one of just six hits on the day for the Saguaros, and Gordon also drew a walk in the game. Back to hitting third in the lineup on Wednesday, Gordon was 0-3 but hit a couple of balls hard right at defenders. One of those turned into a double play as the runner at first was doubled off by the second baseman. Gordon drew a walk in the fifth inning that helped load the bases with nobody out, but they scored just one and he was left stranded at third. In Thursday’s 6-4 loss to Peoria, Gordon batted second and was 1-5 on the day. His hit came in the third inning when he got an infield single on a grounder into the hole at shortstop. Unfortunately he was then picked off on a steal attempt, and went down swinging in his final two plate appearances. Mitch Garver – 3 games, 1-13, RBI, 3 K’s. Garver also had a week far less productive than his first, as he collected just one hit in his three games out of the cleanup spot in the lineup. Like week one, he caught two games and was the designated hitter in the other. On Tuesday he picked up his lone RBI on the week in the first inning, and it would be his team’s only run on the game. His fielder’s choice ground ball to third brought in Yoan Moncado and gave them the early lead, but they got nothing else from there. He also reached base in the sixth due to an error, but ended up stranded on third. He also threw out the only runner who attempted to steal on him. In Thursday’s loss Garver was 0-5 with a couple of strikeouts in the loss, but again threw out a runner at second base from behind the plate. As the designated hitter on Friday, Garver finally picked up a hit for the week and it came in the third inning after Surprise had scored a run. His single was their third consecutive hit on the inning, and they loaded the bases with two outs but pushed across no more. He finished his day with a pair of groundouts in the fifth and seventh. Tanner English – 4 games, 1-13, 1 R, 3 BB, 8 K’s. Monday’s game was one English surely would have liked to forget as soon as possible. Batting sixth, he was 0-3 on the day with three strikeouts. Tuesday’s game was better, as he picked up a single to lead off the seventh inning, but would be left at second base and this was his only hit on the week. He struck out twice in this one. After a day off he batted leadoff on Thursday, but was 0-4 with another pair of strikeouts. These two came in his last two plate appearances, but at that point his entire team wasn’t faring much better. Over the final four innings that included those two K’s, he and his teammates went a combined 0-12 with seven strikeouts. He finished his week with his best game on Saturday, where he drew three walks and scored a run in the Saguaros win over Glendale. He led off the game for Surprise with a walk, and moved to third on an errant pickoff attempt before being thrown out at home on a fly ball to center field. His walk in the third inning was part of their five run burst, and he came around to score on a bases-clearing double. His walk in the fourth loaded the bases again, but he would end up only reaching third. Mason Melotakis – 2 games, 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 1 K, 2.25 ERA (overall). Melotakis pitched in two games on the week, getting the sixth inning in both of his squads two losses to the Salt River Rafters. On Tuesday, he had a quick one-two-three inning, throwing eleven pitches and inducing a flyout, groundout, and pop out. At the time the game was tied at one. On Friday, Melotakis ran into his first trouble of the AFL season and it came after he retired the first two hitters of the inning, including a strikeout. A single and a walk put a runner in scoring position, and the next hit a single that brought him home for a 3-2 Rafters lead. He got the third out of the inning on a ground ball back to himself to limit the damage, but his run allowed held up as the game winner and Melotakis was saddled with the loss. Randy Rosario – 2 games 3.0 IP, 2 ER’s, 5 H’s, 0 BB’s, 2 K’s. Rosario pitched two important innings in the Saguaros 2-1 victor over Scottsdale on the 19th, holding them scoreless in the sixth and seventh. He allowed two hits and no runs, while striking out two to keep the game 2-1 going into the late innings. On Saturday he wasn’t as lucky, but was thrown into a bad situation by Trey Ball, who had started the inning but walked all five men he faced before Rosario was summoned. He got a sac fly out, and allowed an RBI single before he was tagged for a three-run home run. He got the final two outs around a single to finish off the seven-run inning for Glendale, but luckily for his team that outburst only left the game tied. Surprise scored two in the bottom of the seventh and would hold on to win 10-8. John Curtiss – 2 games started, 2.2 IP, 0 R’s, 3 H’s, 0BB’s, 2 K’s. In Wednesday’s win, Curtiss pitched the eighth inning with his team up 2-1. It didn’t start out that well as he gave up a leadoff double, but he retired the next three hitters to preserve the lead. Of his twelve pitches, ten of them went for strikes. In Saturday’s 10-8 win, Curtiss came on in the middle of the fourth inning to relieve starter Josh Staumont, who got a little wild to start the frame. With runners on first and second and one out, Curtiss allowed one inherited runner to score on a single, but got a fly out and strikeout to end the inning with his team up 6-1. He came back out for the fifth and pitched a scoreless inning, allowing just a single and picking up another strikeout. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the performances during the week! Click here to view the article

Quick update on this week: Nick Gordon went 2-4 as a DH batting in the leadoff spot on Monday. Tanner English was 1-4 in the 7-2 loss. Mitch Garver hit his second home run and leads Surprise in RBI's with 7. He was 2-4 in their 4-0 win on Tuesday. English went 2-4 in this one and was caught stealing. Mason Melotakis pitched a one-two-three seventh inning that included a strikeout.

If Greene is the only guy with true ace potential, then I think you take him no matter how risky it is. I'd rather shoot for an ace and fail, then end up with Kyle Gibson at 1-1.

The college pitchers do not excite me as 1-1 fast track pitchers like past years. I want an ace

Yeah, I think I read the transcript of that chat, and as I recall, Law labeled both Wright and Faedo as guys that project to be #2 starters. I'm cringing at the thought that maybe no one emerges as a consensus staff ace. If that were the case, I can clearly see logic in taking the best position player if he projects to be a Benintendo type or something along those more predictable lines. It's gonna be interesting.

High 80's seems low for how hard I've read Wright throws. I don't have a good link in front of me, but he throws a fastball in the low to mid 90's, a heavy high 80's sinker, and a curve/slider in the low 80's. Keith Law has put him as his favorite for #1 (along with Faedo) and says the two of them project as top or the rotation arms. That said, I don't know if Law has seen Greene pitch yet. And we are still 9 months out, so a LOT could change.

He still does, but he wasn't quite as good last year....but I'd say he goes top 10, or top 5, if he's good next year. Legit.

I'm with ya on this one. There may not appear to be a clear-cut, surefire No. 1 pick at this moment, but I think by the time draft day rolls around Greene will have established himself as the guy. Dude just turned 17 and Perfect Game has him listed at 6-4, 205 lbs. He's already throwing 98 mph. Exactly the kind of guy you dream about at 1-1.

What happened to that college catcher that was supposed to have all that hype?

I take Wright. The only reason I take Greene is if Falvey truly believes Greene can be molded into an ace. I don't care if we have to wait longer, but if Wright is a true 1/2, and Greene is a true 1 with a bullet, I could see going for the higher potential. But yeah, as of now I'd take Wright. Thanks for doing this! I appreciate it.