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You're right that Santana needs to play SS.  He might be the best CF the Twins have until Buxton gets there, but Buxton will be there by July, barring injury, and Santana has to be able to handle short to play.

I'll take issue that Hicks doesn't need time at Rochester.  At Rochester he'll face a number of pitchers who have proven breaking balls and change-ups, at least at a superior level to AA.  That's what he needs to prove he can hit.  A good slash line at AAA is important for Hicks.

Another guy who needs to prove something at AAA is Arcia.  Unlike Hicks, though, it's not the slash line, because Arcia will have a terrific slash line there and has proven it in the past.  His problem at MLB is his K rate, and if you go back to his AAA numbers, his K rate there is alarming.  I've said before (maybe here, maybe elsewhere), and Roy Smalley mentioned it on the telecast yesterday, that Arcia can't identify pitches.  Until he is able to do so, his upside is Jacque Jones, and that would be a shame.  He's got way too much talent to simply be a "guess" hitter like Jones was.  This one is really on Twins management.  Arcia should not be flailing at the big-league level. He should be sent down with a complete understanding of why and what he has to do to get back, which is strike out less while maintaining decent hitting stats.

AAA pitchers are much better than AA (as a whole group), and Hicks will be more challenged there. He should be in AAA right now......to continue the growth. 

 

As for Santana, I disagree, and I know no one agrees with me, but I think he's your CF until Buxton is up. And, that might not be half way through next year. I also think they think Polanco has a chance at SS. 

 

Me? I'd leave Santana in CF until Buxton is up. IF Santana has been successful up until then, I'd move him or Buxton to LF. It's not like Santana is a great fielding SS. I don't expect these numbers to hold up, but it is possible he could 280/335/440 or something like that. With some speed, a good arm, and some steals? That's a good enough line if he can play defense out there.

 

 

I was going to say the same thing.

Schafer/Shafer/whatever.....he's got over 1000 PAs, and has terrible defense in CF. He's here this year to just to make sure they have a backup OF.

 

IMO, he should almost never, ever play.

Remember how upset we got when we a no CF options?  We keep trading our CF for solid rotation candidates whose last name starts with M. so we needed a replacement through this season and possibly next.  He has speed so he does have some value. May be we can find the hitch in his swing that is keeping him from being a solid hitter.

Gardy already said in an interview that Hicks will need to face AAA pitchers before he gets back to the majors. So that means Schafer may have to start for a little bit. Two weeks is okay but it better not be the length that Clete Thomas ended up playing in CF last year.

Love that Santana kid. His short, quick swing and surprising power reminds me a little of Paul Molitor. Speed, too. With his versatility, he could be a super utility guy, or settle in at CF or SS.

As for Hicks, I'm with Gardenhire - let him prove he can hit better pitching in AAA. Hicks was horribly overmatched at the mlb level. Needs to learn situational hitting, pitch recognition. He's going to be a long-term project that might not get back to Minneapolis before late next season. Better that then more unprepared embarrassment.

Meanwhile, it's time to bring up more of the kids like K-Var. There's at least five pitchers in Rochester that I'd rather see than Burton, who has really been looking mediocre. I'd like to see S-Gil, D-Gue, A-Mey, T-May, and maybe MarBurg.

Hicks needs to be in therapy.  He switches from switch hitter to one way hitter and back to switch hitter in one season! He doesn't know his own mind and he doesn't have the confidence to face adversity.

Hicks needs to be in therapy.  He switches from switch hitter to one way hitter and back to switch hitter in one season! He doesn't know his own mind and he doesn't have the confidence to face adversity.

This is very unfair.  Yes, he lost all confidence at the major league level but still he managed to post a .338 OBP which is pretty much average/above average for this Twins team.

He briefly gave up switch hitting -- searching for a way to improve his performance and probably taking advice from a number of quarters.  That experiment didn't last long.

Since he has been at New Britain, he has been switch hitting .297/.404/.468/.871 and I believe that someone commented elsewhere that there isn't a huge disparity between the left and right sides.

His line over the last 10 games is .371/.465/.657/1.122.  Those slugging and OPS numbers tell me that he is hitting with more confidence because there has been an uptick in his XBH.

Now he needs the next challenge.  The Twins need to move him to Rochester in the very near future -- while there are still some games on the Red Wing's schedule.

I don't mind Santana playing CF until someone better comes along. He seems to be getting better defensively there.

I would like to see Hicks go to AAA now and see if he can get a call up sometime next month. If he can get some confidence back, he still is a very talented player. Maybe when that happens you can put him in CF and get Danny some SS time. Anyway around it, I would like more playing time for guys who might be around next year.

Bring back Denard Span for a year. He's a great stopgap option.

Hicks needs to be in therapy.  He switches from switch hitter to one way hitter and back to switch hitter in one season! He doesn't know his own mind and he doesn't have the confidence to face adversity.

Look, the kid is 24. I remember my maturity level at that age, and it wasn't pretty at times. Everyone is down with Hicks, and I admit there have been issues with this kid, but, IMHO, the talent is there. Same with Arcia ( and Pinto, as well)- this is a lost year. Let's these kids learn in the bigs, against the best competition. I hate watching the K's persist with Arcia, but I believe he has enormous potential.

If you had a son or daughter failing or having a difficult time at their first job, I would hope your first response wouldn't be to send them to therapy!!

I am in the Hicks camp still. He is still quite young, and still posses very good talent. Hey, when Rod Carew believes in you, you have something going for you. No question he wasn't ready for the jump or the pressure. From a few things uttered from coaches and Carew, I think things have come pretty natural for him in the past, and he's finally learning that you have to really work at a certain point to advance and reach your potential. It's only a month, but I'd have him in Rochester tomorrow, just to face arms/guys that are a little better, a little more experienced, to at least get that small stepping stone. And with no promises for next season, I'd have him back up in September. An option has already been used this season, so it doesn't affect him in that regard to close out the year with the parent club.

I like Santana to continue in CF for now. For one thing, he doesn't deserve to sit, and he's our best option there. Of course, he should also still see some time at SS. We can't bank on Hicks, Rosario or Buxton for 2015. Whether to supplant Santana at CF or compliment him, I believe someone should and will be brought in. Span has been mentioned, and might be a choice option.

As to Santana in particular, his future is still somewhat in doubt, SS, utility or possibly LF. Obviously, Polanco, even Escobar could have a say in this as well. I am not discounting him as a full time SS to be sure. The skill set is there.

I wouldn't discount LF as a possibility. A team is made up of many different players and many options. With like the likes of Sano, Buxton, Arcia, say Vargas, Dozier and hopefully a healthy Mauer being Mauer, power and offense/power/RBI potential comes from many places. You also need, and have room for, guys who can hit and run and make things happen in different ways. LF does not have to be solely a power position. Think years ago of Mickey Hatcher playing LF for the Twins. No real speed, no great power, but some gapper and occasional HR power. He played good defense, hit well, made contact, and was a very nice #2 hitter. Santana could be a more exciting version of this.

Both Santana and Escobar are solid enough to be utility players on a good team. Escobar is more like a Punto and Santana a Bonifacio. While on a bad team, they have an opportunity to improve their command of the strike zone with regular play. Keep them both in place for the remainder of the year.

Even if Santana is moved back to shorstop it is good that he has played CF. When Sano comes up I would like to see Plouffe and Arcia platoon in one of the corner OF spots. Arcia can't hit lefties and Plouffe hits them well. Use Escobar at utility he can back up 2b,SS and 3B. Santana plays short and eliminates the need for the 4th outfielder to have to be able to play CF. Santana could be the back up CF and Escobar play SS when needed.