Twins

When the Minnesota Twins decided to non-tender C.J. Cron it immediately created another position of need for the 2020 club. Joining the necessity to add starting pitching and a backup catcher, they’ll now must figure out who plays first base. The question is, was the decision part of a grander plan?

When the Minnesota Twins claimed Ehire Adrianza off waivers prior to the start of the 2017 season, Twins fans could be excused for not being overly excited. The team was coming off a 59-win season and Adrianza was a light-hitting, glove-first shortstop who hit just .220/.292/.313 in parts of four seasons with the San Francisco Giants. Sure, Eduardo Escobar had had a terrible season as the Twin’s primary shortstop hitting .236/.280/.338, but Twins fans got an extended glimpse of the future with Jorge Polanco batting .282/.332/.424 in 69 games. With Miguel Sano, Polanco, Brian Dozier, and Joe Mauer covering the infield and Escobar as the utility man, Adrianza served as an emergency depth piece.

When the Minnesota Twins called Jose Berrios up to the big club in late April, the fan base was abuzz with excitement.

Berrios represented the system’s best hope for producing a top-of-the-rotation starter in over a decade. He had the velocity many of the Twins’ previous starting pitching prospects lacked and was able to put hitters away with one of two nasty secondary pitches. Minor league reports raved about his stuff and his numbers at the upper levels were highly encouraging.

Unfortunately, like so many other promising prospects, Berrios did not immediately live up to expectations. Major League hitters blasted him around the ballpark. Over 11 starts, they posted a .988 OPS off of Berrios while tagging him for 12 doubles and 10 home runs.

The laundry list of what Berrios needs to do in order to improve is long, but there is one that might be a quick path to having immediate success: Stop tipping his pitches.

When the Minnesota Twins became the mystery team in the three-way deal sending Mookie Betts to the Dodgers there was plenty of excitement. That is, until it was determined Brusdar Graterol was the piece going away. There’s a ton to unpack here, but the message from the front office is clear: More can be done.

When the Minnesota Twins acquired Josh Donaldson, they acquired the “Bringer of Rain” and the “Bringer of Passion”. Donaldson is known for wearing his emotions on his sleeve and isn’t afraid of getting into any scuffle. Let’s rank Josh Donaldson’s top five altercations of his career.

When the Minnesota Twins acquired catcher John Ryan Murphy from the Yankees, the Twins’ front office touted his potential to be an impact player both as a defensive catcher and an offensive one as well.

In the aftermath of the deal, Twins assistant GM Rob Antony told reporters that his staff felt that Murphy had the potential to be a solid “two-way” catcher -- meaning he would be able to contribute both behind the plate and next to it. Sharing that sentiment was Yankees GM Brian Cashman who felt that Murphy had the talent to start but was blocked by Brian McCann and being chased by catching prospect Gary Sanchez, making him the perfect trade piece to a team seeking a catcher with starter potential and nabbing Aaron Hicks, whom Fangraphs.com just determined as one of the game’s most “well-rounded” players, in the process.

So can Murphy be a two-way player? Let’s set aside the catching aspect and focus on the stick.

When the Minnesota Twins 2015 season came to an end after a three-game sweep at the hands of the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals, many fans (here at Twins Daily and all over) immediately started looking to 2016. One common assumption made by most was that Trevor Plouffe would be traded in an attempt to open up third base for Miguel Sano.

On Friday night at Twins Fest, Plouffe was still in a Twins uniform. Literally. He was wearing one of the new, red Twins Friday night uniforms just like all of the other Twins players at the event. He walked into an office, ready to be interviewed by a couple of beat writers, a television station and a Twins Daily writer.

On the desk in that office was the 2015 Kansas City Royals media guide. Plouffe was the first to see it. He immediately flipped it, over and said “I can’t look at that!”

When the life blood of an organization with a strong belief in player development, it is crucial that players continue to develop, continue to improve. That improvement is needed to work through the minor league system, but it is especially important once a player gets to the big leagues.

For the Twins to have improved from 78 wins to 101 wins, it required individual improvements from several players. There were many solid candidates for 2019 Twins' Most Improved Player, but ultimately the runaway choice was second-year backstop Mitch Garver.

When the Kansas City Royals won the World Series earlier this month after coming up just short in 2014, it spawned an army of articles on how every other team could learn from their success and implement aspects of their blueprint.

In reality, the foundations of Kansas City's rise to the top have been fairly simple: They get good enough performances from starting pitchers, play roundly excellent defense and consistently execute offensively. Perhaps the defining component of the club, though, has been a phenomenal relief corps that turns virtually every late lead into a victory.

When the calendar turns in just over a week the Minnesota Twins will play postseason baseball. They’ll host a game at Target Field for the first time since 2010. Rocco Baldelli will be looking to guide the franchise to its first October win since October 5, 2004. When constructing a 25-man roster for the playoffs teams often look to exploit opportunity on the fringes. An extra pen arm here, or a specific skill set off the bench. For the Twins, they could have a decision to make when it comes to the last position player.

When the calendar turned to 2015, I posted my first Minnesota Twins Roster Projection for 2015. It’s been two months since then, so it’s time today for Roster Projection, version 2.0. Spring training is less than two weeks old, but the Twins played their first exhibition game last night against the Gophers. Tonight, their Grapefruit League schedule begins with a game against the Red Sox. There are still a few jobs available and there will be plenty of competition. Twins Daily will again be in Ft. Myers starting Monday and through the rest of spring training.

When the Boston Red Sox signed Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada with a $31.5 million bonus last month, they were taking advantage of a flawed system that likely won't be in place much longer.

Although it's on a much smaller scale, the Twins appear to be preparing to make a similarly savvy move with 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Wander Javier when the international signing period opens on July 2nd.