We Should Be More Excited About Noah Miller

Did we have these same high hopes for Levi Michael?  

PS   I have these same high hopes for Noah Miller!  ?

I am reluctant to jump on the band wagon, but do appreciate the profile.  We have had so many SS prospects that just did not make it into the bigs and from HS to MLB is a long road to travel.  If he does it I will be really happy, but until I see a couple minor league seasons I cannot become as enthusiastic as many of you prospect listers.  We once saw Polanco as the SS of the future and now their is weeping and gnashing when he is suggested for playing there again. 

WIth all the anticipation of Lewis we keep reading he might not be a SS, same with Austin Martin.  We drafted Gordon high and SS might be his best position, but is not good enough for the major leagues.  miracleb mentioned Levi Michaels.  Wander Javier seemed to flame out, Cavaco is all promise and no results.  I remember when we brought up Palacios way to young, way to early and yet it looked like a sign - which of course meant he went away and then we got him back as a minor league free agent.  Thus my reservation about SS excitement.  

Thanks for the enthusiasm, now keep us informed as he progresses. 

Yes we should.  I’ve been saying that since the day he was drafted.  But then I have a soft spot in my heart for everything from the Badger state.

want to second what chipettit19 said because it is huge.  His brother moved quickly from college to the Indians with all reports indicating Noah is the better player/prospect.  That is huge!

seems to me he does everything well.  Isn’t that what we think of as a good baseball player.  Returning to my Badger side, will state that I believe we are gonna see him in a Twins uniform a lot sooner than most expect.

3 hours ago, miracleb said:

Did we have these same high hopes for Levi Michael?  

Wow, I forgot about him.  I know when he was drafted many were not that high on him and was talked about as a stretch. 

Although speed is fine for a SS, quickness and intuition are more desirable and of course arm strength would make him elite.

Many fans put power above all even for a SS. IMO I'll take a SS who has an elite glove who has an average bat than a SS with power and a below average glove. Just like when we evalute pitchers, we don't look to see if he has power or even if he can hit (therefore DH has come into the picture) we look at what he can do on the mound. SS is a critical position, so we need to put more importance on what he can do on the field.

Rarely a drafted SS ever thrives there or even sticks there especially for the Twins lately. So many moved onto to other  postions and thrived. So if the scouts think that Miller could thrive at SS, that gets me excited.

PS: I loved to watch Florimon play SS, was sad to see him so briefly.

Ok, so sign Story and we can transition to Miller - if and when that becomes realistic in 3-4 years. 
 

The point being that Cody nailed the critical point; namely, we have been historically weak with a revolving door strategy at the diamond’s most important position. 
 

So solve our SS issue and have a rich person’s problem if Noah (or any of the others) actually pan out. 

I like to read about another hot Twins SS prospect before I do my morning bathroom. By the time I get out, I'm so refreshed! 

It's a little like Sally holding the football for Charlie Brown. Now Imagine Sally holding 3 footballs just for the SS position (Lewis, Martin, Miller). I'm not even looking for a Tatis, just an everyday shortstop. 

So many footballs, so little time. Sally's holding what, 6 to 9 footballs for pitchers? That's why I'd just as soon watch them call 'em all up. Let the whiffing begin. At least we can chuckle at the chaos. 

"Lucy," said the Peanuts section.

5 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I am reluctant to jump on the band wagon, but do appreciate the profile.  We have had so many SS prospects that just did not make it into the bigs and from HS to MLB is a long road to travel.  If he does it I will be really happy, but until I see a couple minor league seasons I cannot become as enthusiastic as many of you prospect listers.  We once saw Polanco as the SS of the future and now their is weeping and gnashing when he is suggested for playing there again. 

WIth all the anticipation of Lewis we keep reading he might not be a SS, same with Austin Martin.  We drafted Gordon high and SS might be his best position, but is not good enough for the major leagues.  miracleb mentioned Levi Michaels.  Wander Javier seemed to flame out, Cavaco is all promise and no results.  I remember when we brought up Palacios way to young, way to early and yet it looked like a sign - which of course meant he went away and then we got him back as a minor league free agent.  Thus my reservation about SS excitement.  

Thanks for the enthusiasm, now keep us informed as he progresses. 

I have to agree with you and I am pretty jaded so likely biased when it comes to the shortstop position.  It seems to be a position where you can't be weak in any area of your player profile.  Too weak of an arm (i.e. Polanco, Martin) and you get moved off it.  Strong arm but unable to consistently make good throws from the position (i.e. Gordon) and suddenly a player doesn't look so good there. Start as a 45 or 50 runner in high school and most all of those guys end up moving off the position.  It is a really tough position to play and seems like players that are tooled up have the best chance to stay there.

There are a lot of things to like about Miller and having the footwork and arm to make good throws is a big part of the position and the most likely reason Law has him as high as he is.  And yet when the best thing he has to say about Miller is "he should be a guy whose performance always seems to rise above his tools".  That isn't exactly a ringing endorsement to me.

So given all the baggage of the Twins rarely finding players who can play the position plus the fact Miller is currently a player with mainly average tools count me in the biased camp that see's it as unlikely that he stays at short.  I know I have a pretty negative lens and I hope he proves me wrong but I guess we will have wait and see how things ultimately turn out.

I think in many ways shortstop is the hardest position to project for young players.  Sano started as a shortstop, Royce Lewis was a can't miss shortstop prospect (he may still fill the bill--this year is huge for him), Polanco came up as a shortstop, Martin played shortstop in college, etc., etc.  I actually believe shortstop is a position best filled by free agents who have demonstated the ability to stay in the position in the majors.  That is probably why great shortstops are gobbled up in free agency.  I think Miller has potential to stick at short, but it will all depend on his bat and if he retains his quickness as he gets older.  Some young players learn to drive the ball as they age, some don't.  One thing in his favor is that he seems like a smart kid who is coachable and that can make all the difference  in the world.  

With the shifts being used today, the Twins need 2 shortstops (like Houston with Bregman and Correa) to play SS and 3B.  Rifles for arms, quick feet, sticky gloves, smart leaders, able to hit above ,250 with some power (20 HR's) and  STRIKE OUT LESS THAN 25% OF THE TIME .  (Note: Caps were intended to make a point that I'm disgusted with the lack of contact in may hitters today.)

I'm cautious about Miller. I want to see some production before I get too excited.

as it is for all Minnesota teams: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is

19 hours ago, jimbo92107 said:

I like to read about another hot Twins SS prospect before I do my morning bathroom. By the time I get out, I'm so refreshed! 

It's a little like Sally holding the football for Charlie Brown. Now Imagine Sally holding 3 footballs just for the SS position (Lewis, Martin, Miller). I'm not even looking for a Tatis, just an everyday shortstop. 

So many footballs, so little time. Sally's holding what, 6 to 9 footballs for pitchers? That's why I'd just as soon watch them call 'em all up. Let the whiffing begin. At least we can chuckle at the chaos. 

Oh Jimbo...so much effort...so little research!     LUCY!

Many teams draft players that play SS for HS, knowing they most likely will not stay there.  Sano was signed as a SS, knowing full well he would not stay there.  Cuddy was drafted as a SS, ended up being a good RF.  It happens all the time.  It is not like when a player gets drafted as a hitter and shifts to pitcher, or other way round.  

I also feel some people are a little unrealistic at SS.  Very few SS are elite hitters and fielders.  The ones that are tend to be on way to HOF.  Some people, even think a SS is better defender than they are because of the offense, or they make some good looking plays but overall not that good at defending.  Derek Jeter for much of his career past age 30 was poor on defense, but he was the captain and for the Yankees so they just kept plugging him there, despite being well below average defender at that time. 

Even looking at todays SS not may are elite at both.  Last year the top defending SS were, Nicky Lopez, Fansico Lindor, Nick Ahmed, Simmons, Brandon Crawford, Correa.  Among the worst defense, meaning they were at least below average, Story, Bichette, Seager.  When you look at top offense guys, Brandon Crawford was one of best offense, Correa was up there as well.  Lindor was okay, but not elite last year.  The rest of the top defenders were generally either average offense wise, or below average, just like the top offense guys were either average or below average on defense. 

Really, if you can have a SS that can be above average at one, and average at the other you are doing just fine.  Too often we look at the offense and forget about the defense.  Mainly, as long as the player is not making terrible errors we do not think about the balls they did not get to, that top defenders would.  If we do not see an error, we do not think it was a bad play most of the time.  However, we can always see if the guy is terrible on offense.  

2 hours ago, Trov said:

Many teams draft players that play SS for HS, knowing they most likely will not stay there.  Sano was signed as a SS, knowing full well he would not stay there.  Cuddy was drafted as a SS, ended up being a good RF.  It happens all the time.  It is not like when a player gets drafted as a hitter and shifts to pitcher, or other way round.  

I also feel some people are a little unrealistic at SS.  Very few SS are elite hitters and fielders.  The ones that are tend to be on way to HOF.  Some people, even think a SS is better defender than they are because of the offense, or they make some good looking plays but overall not that good at defending.  Derek Jeter for much of his career past age 30 was poor on defense, but he was the captain and for the Yankees so they just kept plugging him there, despite being well below average defender at that time. 

Even looking at todays SS not may are elite at both.  Last year the top defending SS were, Nicky Lopez, Fansico Lindor, Nick Ahmed, Simmons, Brandon Crawford, Correa.  Among the worst defense, meaning they were at least below average, Story, Bichette, Seager.  When you look at top offense guys, Brandon Crawford was one of best offense, Correa was up there as well.  Lindor was okay, but not elite last year.  The rest of the top defenders were generally either average offense wise, or below average, just like the top offense guys were either average or below average on defense. 

Really, if you can have a SS that can be above average at one, and average at the other you are doing just fine.  Too often we look at the offense and forget about the defense.  Mainly, as long as the player is not making terrible errors we do not think about the balls they did not get to, that top defenders would.  If we do not see an error, we do not think it was a bad play most of the time.  However, we can always see if the guy is terrible on offense.  

Based on this analysis, Polanco should be the Twins SS this year. I would rather have a top defender at SS and a below average hitter, rather than a top hitter and below average defender. I can see both sides of this argument, however this is just my preference. .

Everybody is a shortstop..... and then they are not.

Levi Michael! What a timely memory. This is what a top Twins draft pick looks like. 2011 #1 Draft Pick, (30th overall) Never played for the Twins. Never made the Major Leagues. Last played in 2019. He may have been a nice guy and a good teammate, but for the Twins, it was a wasted pick.

PS. In 2012 Byron Buxton was the #1 Twins pick. (2nd overall, after Carlos Correa.) and Jose Berrios was the #32 overall compensation pick.

This is just pure optimism based on fandom.  If Noah Miller had been taken by another organization, you would have zero reason to believe he'd outdo his general consensus ranking of around 70 prior to being overdrafted by the Twins at 36.

The chances he's as good as Greg Gagne are miniscule.