Miguel Sano's Defensive Future

When it was first brought up, the concept of a 4-man rotation of Mauer, Park, Plouffe and Sano rotating between 1st, 3rd and DH did not mean a merry-go-round type rotation.  If a play is on a hot streak, you don't mess with the streak.

Mauer and Park would obviously not be part of a 3rd base rotation.

Sano [1st, 3rd, DH, RF-maybe] and Plouffe [1st, 3rd, DH] have more flexibility.

The concept is to free-up positions and more time for guys like Kepler to get more playing time. 

I don't know where Sano will play in the short-term, but I'd keep my options open.  Wherever he plays on the field, Sano will not be confused for a ballerina.   In the end, I think he's a DH.

BTW:  Love that picture of Sano.  LOOK; up in the sky!  It's a bird!  It's a plane!

LOL

Since Santana mostly plays CF, he should be compared to CFs.

Santana has an okay arm for an OF.  Nothing special.  And, really, his speed being an argument for him is over-stated.  Just like Revere's speed in CF didn't make him a good CF, Santana's speed doesn't make him a good CF.  And on the offensive side of the ball, his speed isn't doing anything for him as far as stealing bases go, and it sure doesn't help when he can't get on base at a decent clip.  When speed is your only tool, that's a problem.

So now Sano is going to play the position he's been playing and improving at since his professional debut, instead of the position where the Twins had arguably the only logjam of actual present and future talent in the organization and where Sano looked entirely out of place.

And all it took was a discarded journeyman hitting like Frank Thomas for 30 games and the sudden maturation of a 23 year old player who grew up in a country where baseball is only a little more commonly played than it is on the moon.

The Twins Way^TM!

I can be happy with how the Twins played this one in exactly the same way that I can be happy with my dog for randomly darting across a busy road without getting hit: by focusing only on the result.

When Sano comes  back, I expect Park or Buxton to go to AAA.  Actually probably both should go for a month or two and Rosario comes back up.  That clears up the logjams and it will fix itself if Plouffe is traded, just do not think that will happen until the trading deadline.

Expect the young players to struggle for a year or two,  they did in the late 1990's and both the Royals and Boston's young player struggled for a year or two.  Patience everyone.

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:09 PM, nicksaviking said:

Liability or not, knowing that Sano can in a pinch play the outfield along with 3B and 1B is fine by me as any number of in-game moves can often call for unorthodoxed roster management. At the very least, I like having that in the back pocket.

Would it be ok if the Twins keep that Sano in RF thing in a secret compartment in the heel of their organizational shoe instead?

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:15 PM, wsnydes said:

Much easier to be preaching patience if they hadn't been already doing that for the last few years.  I was fine with that approach as long as there was a visible plan.  That disintegrated last season and only got worse during the offseason.  At this point, I think the fan base has every right to be irritated.  They can ask for more patience, that's fine.  Just don't expect us to spend our money on this mess until the patience we've already shown is rewarded. 

Last year upped the expectations, probably because of good years from some parts, who played way above their expectations(read Jepson).  Now we have to be in full rebuild mode,  but most of you would just give assets away, rather that get some value.  That is how good clubs remain good and bad clubs remain bad, by picking up useful assets from bad clubs for almost nothing or less than nothing(lottery tickets with bad numbers)

_{We had very advantageous sequencing last year.} 

_{Nobody on offense really exceeded expectations but the sequencing helped us be 8th in the AL in runs scored even though we were last in OBP, 13th in OPS, 14th in wRC+ and 14th in WAR (position players).  That kind of luck should never be expected to repeat.}

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:09 PM, nicksaviking said:

Liability or not, knowing that Sano can in a pinch play the outfield along with 3B and 1B is fine by me as any number of in-game moves can often call for unorthodoxed roster management. At the very least, I like having that in the back pocket.

Agreed...for the purpose of being repeatedly farted on only. 

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:35 PM, wsnydes said:

I can't agree that last year upped expectations.  They overachieved with what they had, added virtually nothing and played it off as "we going to contend."  It was a sell job that many around here saw right through.  Last season was possibly the worst thing that could have happened.  It made the FO complacent.  This club should have been in full rebuild mode 4 years ago and wasn't.  

this

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:35 PM, nicksaviking said:

Yes, right next to the Cuddyer to 2B card.

Well played.

On a related note, I imagine that Buxtion and his agent are thrilled beyond words that Byron will no longer be patrolling center field next to a guy whose name probably translates in some language to "charging bison".

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:35 PM, wsnydes said:

I can't agree that last year upped expectations.  They overachieved with what they had, added virtually nothing and played it off as "we're going to contend."  It was a sell job that many around here saw right through.  Last season was possibly the worst thing that could have happened.  It made the FO complacent.  This club should have been in full rebuild mode 4 years ago and wasn't.  

There was no farm system to rebuild from 4 years ago.  That was the legacy of the Bill Smith era.  (with Gardy's help).  It has taken this long and the Twins have been forced with half measures to keep the fan base as much as they have.  It will be interesting to see how many players are moved this trading deadline and I (like most) will be disappointed if it is less than 4).

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:48 PM, alarp33 said:

What do you mean by "there was no farm system to rebuild from 4 years ago"? Rebuilding means, rebuilding the farm system.  

 

Terry Ryan may have taken half measures, but I don't think anyone had a gun to his head.   Wouldn't there be more people in the seats now if he had rebuilt this team, rather than lose 100+ games this season?

 

Also, Arcia, Rosario, Sano, Kepler, Gibson (and the list goes on) were all in the system.  

Yes, a lot of the guys we are counting on, and are well thought of, came onto the team under Smith. Trying to remember all the prospects Smith traded away.  There was Ramos and, um.  Seriously, can't remember the rest.  I'm sure they're all all stars by now.

I guess it's just easier to blame Ryan's hand picked successor for everything.

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:48 PM, alarp33 said:

What do you mean by "there was no farm system to rebuild from 4 years ago"? Rebuilding means, rebuilding the farm system.  

 

Terry Ryan may have taken half measures, but I don't think anyone had a gun to his head.   Wouldn't there be more people in the seats now if he had rebuilt this team, rather than lose 100+ games this season?

 

Also, Arcia, Rosario, Sano, Kepler, Gibson (and the list goes on) were all in the system.  

At that time they were a long ways away, and no pitching help in sight.  Gibson would be a fourth or fifth starter on most good clubs unless you were in the Royal mode of cheap starters and a lights out bullpen.

To be competitive the Twins would have to have bought 3 front line starters.  Bill Smith lost his job over recommending the Twins up payroll into the $130 million range.  Ryan did not have that budget.   The difference was buying midrange starters, rather than ace or aces.  Twins will have to develop those, and they may be coming, but results are still out and it may be two years before we know how successful this was.

  On 6/21/2016 at 5:53 PM, wsnydes said:

That's my point, which seems to be your point from earlier.  The rebuild needed to come 4 years earlier.  They could have unloaded veterans to acquire younger talent.  Instead, they continued to sign decline phase vets and augment them with average prospects from a barren farm system.  That simply prolonged the middling of this squad and delayed the inevitable.  If they would have simply blown things up earlier, we may not be at this point now.  They've never actually started a rebuild.  They're still not in the midst of a rebuild, TR is trying to contend.  His moves and lack thereof show it.  His in-season moves and roster management still show it.  The managers distribution of playing time shows it.  The words that come out of their mouths show it.  None of the guys in charge understand where they sit.  None of them appear committed to right the ship.  Back to back 90+ loss seasons doesn't trigger a rebuild and five of six seasons 90+ losses doesn't, how am I as a paying fan supposed to believe that a 100+ loss season will be any different?  The FO certainly doesn't give me any hope that such a thing is understood by them.  

Most of the Twins players 4 years ago had less value than the Twins players have now.  You cannot sell if there are no buyers.