Twins Minor League Report (9/3): Regular Season Ends

I would have liked to see Wiel get his first crack at the majors instead of see Petit again. I guess you can't have enough AAAA players on the roster...

How about Erv to the 60 to make room for Jake Reed? This front office is losing me in a hurry.

Well, looks like the Twins don't want to add anyone that they really don't need to add in advance (except Vasquez and Stewart). Would Vargas have been a choice instead of Petit, see what he does against a couple weeks of 1B/DH off the bench and if it would push the Twins in a no-Mauer decision?

Chase needs to get a looksee to see if he is a keeper. Especially a try at long relief. 

Glad to see Curtiss get the nod. Means Willians and Gimenez won't be needed out of the bullpen anymore...wait, maybe both could be an...opener! Pitch to one batter, than move behind-the-plate for the rest of the game!

Reality, I would've more enjoyed seeing Gordon challenged than Petit getting play. But...

Will Pineda make an appearance this season? Otherwise, in the off-season the Twins need to find places for Castro, Mejia, Pineda on the 40-man. I would suspect that Ervin Santana could be 60-dayed. 

Zack Granite is the odd man out.

Good luck Zack.

Ahhh Septemer baseball out of contention. A time to see the young talent play to figure things out and get excited about the future. 

Like that Matt Belilse kid..... will be interesting to get a first glimpse of his future potential.

And that Gimenez prospect....could he be our Ohtani in the rough?!

AND unleashing our 'opener' strategy?!  Oh be still my heart....THIS IS HOW WE BASEBALL!!!!!

I share the call up frustration.  Fields - NO, Belisle - why ask? Same with Gimenez! Calling Byron Buxton........... Petit is okay, but we have plenty of room, why has Vargas no good-bye call up?  I do not care what Gordon did in AAA, put him up and let us see him, or are you telling me that Ironhands Polanco is the SS of the future. Glad to add two more pitchers, but this has been one crazy merri-go-round season ending.  

Gordon is a future big leaguer. Hee had a rough year. Unless there's an unknown attitude problem, getting him up just for the experience and a handful of at bats would have been useful in my opinion.

Vargas could sign a minor league deal depending on what happens with Mauer. At the very least, a call up for an audition and appreciation for 7 years would have shown some class. It seems he's done most everything he's been asked to do. Seems like a good guy. Could have used the major league $$.

The two aren't related though... Petit was the option in the middle infield as a utility guy. He can play 2B, 3B and SS... Wiel can play 1B/LF... not the same. And, we all saw the struggles Gordon had at Rochester, so we can understand him not coming up. So, I don't have any problem with Petit. 

Whoops, for some reason, this whole time I've thought Wiel was a 2B. That certainly puts a damper on Wiel's prospects as his numbers would be nice for a 2B but not quite as good for a 1B/corner OF.

....THIS IS HOW WE BASEBALL!!!!!

Lol no, no it really isn't shouldn't be

Anybody on the 40 man that are not Romero or Lewis, injured or allegedly so, have been called up. In the should have department. Anybody that should be protected from rule 5 could have been added to the 40 man now.  The list  of qualified candidates is sparse. Busenitz, Moya,  Drake, Magill, Vasquez, De Jong and Curtis all need to show what they can do.  That is a 7 man bullpen and leaves Reed, May, Rogers and Hildenberger if you are actually trying to win the game. As much as Reed and Anderson deserved a shot, there are plenty of others that the FO needs to make a decision on.  I don't see a position player that deserves a shot. If a middle infielder in 400 PA OPSed  .547 in AAA (not small sample size statistics) was not a first round pick, there would be no argument for not bringing them up.  You do not need to bring that up to the major league level to see what they have. 

I can't understand why the braintrust didn't let Vargas go. They really screwed him.

Thanks for the season, guys!

Now lets enjoy some playoff baseball.  Could three of six US based teams win it all?  Doubtful, but lets get at least one championship.

Gordon is a future big leaguer. 

Based on .... ?

1) $$$ in signing bonus

2) Being related to Dee and Flash

3) Draft position (Kinda like Dustin Ackley, Christian Colon and Bubba Starling)

I do not care what Gordon did in AAA, put him up and let us see him, or are you telling me that Ironhands Polanco is the SS of the future. 

Because there is such a bright light around Gordon's 60 errors the past three years against lesser competition ...

Because there is such a bright light around Gordon's 60 errors the past three years against lesser competition ...

Agreed, at some point and time, prospects have to earn their way up.  Gordon did not do that this year.  Not at all.  Disturbing year for such a high pick.  He's young and can bounce back.

Heck we are still trying to figure out if Polonco can play short in the field (I think the answer is becoming apparent he cannot).  As an organization we better hope Lewis can stick at short.

Honestly, the Buxton decision doesn’t bother me too much, but tell me FO, what makes Johnny Field, Tyler Duffey, and Matt Belilse any more deserving of a roster spot than Kennys Vargas, Nick Gordon, Lamonte Wade, Nick Anderson, Lewis Thorpe, and or Jake Reed???

I totally second all these motions.

Every single one of 'em. And you can DL A.Reed for good measure the rest of the year, and skip a start or two for La Maquina, who looks completely gassed.

Based on .... ?

 

1) $$$ in signing bonus

2) Being related to Dee and Flash

3) Draft position (Kinda like Dustin Ackley, Christian Colon and Bubba Starling)

Pretty much the SOLE criteria for 95% of "Top prospects". 

They did let him go. The Cincinnati Reds were going to remove him from the 40 and keep him on their AAA roster all year. So they picked him back up.

??? Exactly. They tried to pass him through waivers, and he was claimed, and then the Reds did the same thing, and the Twins claimed him and tried again, and he was unclaimed. So instead of really letting him go, they made the move to take him back. They could have just not reclaimed him, and let him get on with his life and career. Just really let him go. Now it looks like they will have to, and that will be the best for him. He will probably end up in Japan or Korea, and get a chance to make some money. Truly a wasted year for him.

Based on .... ?

 

1) $$$ in signing bonus

2) Being related to Dee and Flash

3) Draft position (Kinda like Dustin Ackley, Christian Colon and Bubba Starling)

Based on every scouting report I've ever read on him. I've hardly seem him play, but what I saw in spring training, he belongs. Will he ever be good? Who knows.

We have invested a lot. I think that was my point? I never said he deserves a call up. I suggested that the kid has had a rough year. Perhaps it would do him some good. Lift his spirits. Give him a positive note into the off-season. He's an important character in the story still at this point.

Based on every scouting report I've ever read on him. I've hardly seem him play, but what I saw in spring training, he belongs. Will he ever be good? Who knows.

 

We have invested a lot. I think that was my point? I never said he deserves a call up. I suggested that the kid has had a rough year. Perhaps it would do him some good. Lift his spirits. Give him a positive note into the off-season. He's an important character in the story still at this point.

Rewarding mediocrity ... That sounds like a great plan. Coddling is for 2nd grade house leaguers not million dollar pros.

Rewarding mediocrity ... That sounds like a great plan. Coddling is for 2nd grade house leaguers not million dollar pros.

I made that exact point about Buxton and Sano previously. I hope Buxton comes back next season and hits angry like Dozier did (and still agreed to buy out arb years and wanted an extension).

That said, your old school disciplinarian approach doesn't work for all, especially today's youth. Not everyone is motivated the same way. I have no idea what motivates Mr. Gordon. I'm not talking about giving him a spot or even seeing what we've got. He's a first-rounder with pedigree, tools, and minor league success. There's nothing mediocre about his talent and prospect status. He's bluish chip. The call up, as I stated, would have nothing to do with reward necessarily. I wanted to trade Gordon, but we didn't. So he figures in to our future. A month with the staff and teammates may be just what he needs. If not who cares? He's going back to AAA next spring regardless.

In short (too late) his player development trumps rewarding mediocre play in this particular situation, imo.