stringer bell

In 2014, I saw Danny Santana play in a lot of games in spring training. I was impressed with his swing and his speed, but thought that he was a long way from helping the Twins in 2014. But, Santana showed the baseball world that he was ready when he was recalled in early May.He hit early and continued to hit throughout the season. Danny finished with a .319 batting average and an OPS of .824, both of which would have led the team easily if he had had enough plate appearances. Danny made the All-Rookie team and is a cinch to be the Twins Rookie of the Year for 2014. Santana assumed the leadoff spot in the order at midseason and thrived there. He hit over .300 and stole 19 bases as the leadoff man. Santana scored 70 runs in just over 100 games and had 41 extra-base hits in 430 plate appearances. Danny's BABIP was .405, a very high number and it was an astounding .443 as a right- handed hitter. Beyond his offensive contributions, Santana saved the Twins by playing center field. Danny started 62 games there after playing center only a handful of games in the low minors. His defense wasn't good at the start, but he improved and was adequate by the conclusion of the season. Two questions loom over Danny Santana for 2015 and beyond: 1) Can he sustain his outstanding offensive performance? and 2) What will his defensive position be? First, it is hard to believe that Santana will continue to hit .319 next year and beyond. He's got great speed, a nice swing and unflappable attitude, but that BABIP is pretty close to otherworldly, especially from the right side. I expect the major regression will come on his right-handed hitting because his K percentage is much higher (32% vs. 19% as a LH hitter). Also, I think Danny has to learn to be a bit more selective at the plate. He chased a lot of pitches out of the zone making for short or defensive at-bats. Adding to his walk percentage would be a good idea, as well (only 4.4% in 2014). Where Santana should play going forward has been a top topic on Twins Daily. The team got solid production from last year's de facto starting shortstop, Eduardo Escobar, and did not get anything close to solid production in center field from anyone else on the current roster. Santana was a shortstop playing center field in 2014. He could be more than that if the team decides he is needed in the outfield. However, he has the arm and range to be an outstanding defensive shortstop. It is a quandary that the next manager will have to deal with. Any solution will be controversial. The hope is the team picks a position for Danny and leaves him there, at least for 2015. Click here to view the article

September complaints about Twins lineups centered on two players--Danny Santana and Josmil Pinto. The fans remaining at Twins Daily wanted Santana to get reps at shortstop (and opportunities for Aaron Hicks) and they wanted to see the state of Josmil Pinto's catching ability. The fans were mostly disappointed. Santana mostly stayed in center field and Pinto only started eight games at catcher and left one of them before he either hit or caught. We will wait for answers (or at least more definitive evidence) in the spring. For his entire length of stay with the Twins in 2014, Pinto was a bit of a lightning rod. Many wanted him in the lineup every day either as the DH or catcher. Some are convinced that he can never be a regular catcher because he doesn't have the necessary defensive tools and skills. If anything, this season was evidence that as far as Pinto is concerned, it can't be a half-in half-out proposition. Due to injuries, Pinto got a lot of at-bats in April and his hitting was decent. He didn't catch much and he was noticeably less than adequate behind the plate. This meant fewer games catching, and when everyone got healthy Pinto didn't get at-bats at DH and was sub-standard behind the plate. He was optioned in June reportedly to work on his defense. I expected Pinto to be back before September 1st, but he didn't force his way back from his performance in Rochester and Kurt Suzuki had a career year. The controversy over Pinto concerns his offense and his defense. How good a hitter can he be with regular at bats? I think he could be very good. He is strong and demonstrated extra-base power for the Twins in his stints with the club. He also has a good idea of the strike zone and will take a walk. Pinto uses the whole field and has plenty of power to put balls over the fence. I think if he were given regular at-bats, he would be in the upper third of catchers offensively. Defensively, the slings and arrows come from all directions. He was 0-20 throwing out base runners in 2014. He has consistently graded out poorly when it comes to framing pitches. Pinto, after nearly a decade in the organization, has been called lacking in pitch calling and blocking pitches. That is a whole lot of things to improve upon! In watching Pinto throw, there is no question that his arm is strong enough to stay behind the plate. However, there is no question that his mechanics in throwing were screwed up before he was optioned to Rochester. It is certainly not all his fault that he failed to throw out a single base stealer, but on the other hand, he should be in line for more of the blame than any other individual. As for pitch framing, Josmil was the personal catcher for the thoroughly inconsistent Samuel Deduno, if there was one pitcher on the Twins that probably didn't deserve having borderline pitches called strikes due to total unpredictability it was Deduno. It stands to reason that Pinto's pitch framing numbers would be bad. I think game calling a being a coach on the field is in the eye of the beholder. For what it is worth, an ump said it was "night and day" as far as viewing pitches after Pinto returned in September and Kyle Gibson credited Pinto with calling a good game in both of his last two starts (both good starts for Gibson). I see good potential in Josmil Pinto's bat. I don't see anything that precludes him from being at least adequate as a receiver at some point. I do have a point and counterpoint. Pinto has been known as a hard worker and no one has questioned his work ethic. However, he has been in the organization since 2006 and he, by all accounts, has quite a ways to go to be a competent major league receiver.

I saw Danny Santana play in a lot of games in Spring Training of 2014. I was impressed with his swing and his speed, but thought that he was a long way from helping the Twins in 2014. Santana showed the baseball world that he was ready when he was recalled in early May. He hit early and continued to hit throughout the season. Danny finished with a .319 batting average and an OPS of .824, both of which would have led the team easily if he had enough plate appearances. Danny made the All-Rookie team and is a cinch to be the Twins Rookie of the Year for 2014. Santana assumed the leadoff spot in the order at midseason and thrived there. He hit over .300 and stole 19 bases as the leadoff man. Santana scored 70 runs in just over 100 games and had 41 extra-base hits in 430 plate appearances. Danny's BABIP was .405, a very high number and it was an astounding .443 as a right handed hitter. Beyond his offensive contributions, Santana saved the Twins by playing center field. Danny started 62 games there after playing center only a handful of games in the low minors. His defense wasn't good at the start, but he improved and was adequate by the conclusion of the season. Two questions loom over Danny Santana for 2015 and beyond: 1) Can he sustain his outstanding offensive performance? 2) What will his defensive position be? First, I find it hard to believe that Santana will continue to hit .319 next year and beyond. He's got great speed, a nice swing and unflappable attitude, but that BABIP is pretty close to otherworldly, especially from the right side. I expect the major regression will come on his right handed hitting because his K percentage is much higher (32% vs. 19% as a LH hitter). Also, I think Danny has to learn to be a bit more selective at the plate. He chased a lot of pitches out of the zone making for short or defensive at-bats. Adding to his walk percentage would be a good idea, as well (only 4.4% in 2014). Where Santana should play going forward has been a top topic on Twins Daily. The team got solid production from last year's de facto starting shortstop, Eduardo Escobar, and did not get anything close to solid production in center field from anyone else on the current roster. Santana was a shortstop playing center field in 2014, he could be more than that if the team decides he is need in the outfield. However, he has the arm and range to be an outstanding defensive shortstop. It is a quandary that the next manager will have to deal with. Any solution will be controversial. I hope the team picks a position for Danny and leaves him there, at least for 2015.

Concur, Chief. Thanks for the eyewitness report. In Spring Training of 2013, TR told us that Buxton was the fastest guy ever in the organization.

Just checked the AFL Scoreboard and Salt River won their fourth straight game. Twins prospects led the way, SR only got four hits, two from Rosario, one from Buxton. Each scored a run in the 2-1 victory. Rosario stole his third base and is now 8-18 (2 hits in each of the four games he has played). Buxton is 5-18 in four games. Jake Reed got the save, despite allowing two hits and a walk.

I echo Levi comments about Hicks' potential and development. Further, the worst thing that could be done to Hicks is to platoon him, assuming that means only starting him against left handed pitchers. That would make him a bench player, probably starting between 40 and 50 games. As to believing that Hicks would provide value as a bottom of the order guy, aren't there better alternatives than that? The Twins got two guys off waivers that were better bottom of the order guys (Fuld and Schafer). Hicks two-year totals include more than 500 plate appearances. Comparing his two-year OPS with all qualifiers for this year puts among outfielders puts Hicks below all of them. If you are going to be a regular outfielder, you have to post an OPS within shouting distance of .700 and Hicks two-year number is .606. The "new improved" Hicks of September had an OPS of .648, still lower than all outfield qualifiers this year. No I don't believe that what we've seen from Hicks so far is good enough.

In the article I listed Hicks' absolute upside as Austin Jackson, who come to think of it could be a Twins' trade target (he bombed in Seattle), I almost included his floor--Joe Benson, who is/was athletically gifted but never showed he could handle pitching above the AA level. To me, so far that is all Hicks has proven. Is there someone who has seen something beyond three wind-blown homers all hit right handed in Spring Training, that demonstrate that Hicks can ever be solid .800+ OPS hitter? This is a big man all of 6'2" 190, and last year he had nine extra-base hits in 235 PAs. We've already got Mauer as a big singles hitter.

"Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you". Aaron Hicks has been the starting center fielder for the Twins the last two opening days. He was a thorough disappointment in 2013, eventually getting demoted to AAA and not being recalled in September. With the bar set considerably lower in 2014, Hicks still fell far short of expectations and offered much content for sports analysts with his supposed lack of preparation and short-lived decision to abandon switch hitting.Hicks spent much of this summer in New Britain and Rochester, but was recalled in September. Aaron got 70 plate appearances in September with the big club. There was talk of better focus and more confidence, but the result was something short of scintillating. Hicks hit .250 with a .648 OPS. His OBP was an entirely acceptable .348, but he had only three extra-base hits in those 70 plate appearances. The "eye test" left this observer equally unimpressed. Hicks hit the ball hard only a handful of times. Getting good wood on the ball is a part of his hit tool that seems to be missing to this point. On top of the offensive struggles, there have been whispers and inferences that Hicks is not committed to being a great baseball player. He skipped winter ball last year. He supposedly didn't know who was pitching one day and showed up late for a non-mandatory session with the training staff so that the manager felt he couldn't use him on that particular day. And then there is the switch-hitting debacle. Hicks has always been better as a right- handed hitter. Many on this site thought the answer was simple--abandon switch-hitting. Without consulting his manager nor discussing it with anyone else on the team, to public knowledge, Hicks decided to give up switch-hitting. When it became obvious he needed work to have an acceptable chance against right-handers and because he was able to rehab after a trip to the disabled list, Hicks was sent to Double-A and then optioned there when his rehab time ended. The idea was to work on the swing, but shortly after being optioned, Hicks went back to switch-hitting. The platoon splits are pretty stark--Hicks' combined OPS was .615, but his OPS was .792 against left- handed pitchers and only .512 vs right-handers. This is the contrast between tools and skills. Everyone remarks that Hicks has tools and he does--good speed, strong throwing arm and big athletic body. The tools are good, but they aren't exceptional, except for perhaps his outstanding throwing arm. The skills haven't caught up with the tools. Maybe they never will. I think Hicks' absolute upside is Austin Jackson--supposedly the next great all-around center fielder, who has been pretty good, but never an All-Star and a guy who hasn't become a high-average hitter, accomplished power hitter, stolen base threat or Gold Glove defender. Given the Twins' dearth of outfield options, Hicks will most likely get another chance to make good on his potential. I maintain that what is best for his development and ultimately best for the team is to go to Triple-A and build his confidence by dominating at that level. He has just turned 25 so there is a chance that he is a late bloomer who will thrive when he "gets it". The Twins, however, can't assume that he will. Fool them three times, shame on them. Click here to view the article

Rosario had two more hits and a SB last night (now 4-9 w/ 2 SB). Buxton didn't play. Rogers started and gave up one earned in 2.2 innings. Kepler had a hit and an assist from right field. Keep it up Eddie. There is a job to be claimed on the Twins and if you're undeniably the best player, last year shouldn't matter.

"Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you". Aaron Hicks has been the starting center fielder for the Twins the last two Opening Days. He was a thorough disappointment in 2013, eventually getting demoted to AAA and not being recalled in September. With the bar set considerably lower in 2014, Hicks still fell far short of expectations and offered a lot of content for sports analysts with his supposed lack of preparation and short-lived decision to abandon switch hitting. Hicks spent much of this summer in New Britain and Rochester, but was recalled in September. Aaron got 70 plate appearances in September with the big club. There was talk of better focus and more confidence, but the result was something short of scintillating. Hicks hit .250 with a .648 OPS. His OBP was an entirely acceptable .348, but he had only three extra-base hits in those seventy plate appearances. My "eye test" observation was equally unimpressed. Hicks hit the ball hard only a handful of times that I can remember. Getting good wood on the ball is a part of his hit tool that seems to be missing to this point. On top of the offensive struggles, there have been whispers and inferences that Hicks is not committed to being a great baseball player. He skipped winter ball last year. He supposedly didn't know who was pitching one day and showed up late for a non-mandatory session with the training staff so that the manager felt he couldn't use him on that particular day. And then there is the switch-hitting debacle. Hicks has always been better as a right handed hitter. Many on this site thought the answer was simple--abandon switch hitting. Without consulting his manager and not discussing it with anyone else on the team, to my knowledge, Hicks decided to give up switch hitting. When it became obvious he needed work to have an acceptable chance against right handers and because he was able to rehab after a disabling injury, Hicks was sent to Double A and then optioned there when his rehab time ended. The idea was to work on the swing, but shortly after being optioned, Hicks went back to switch hitting. The platoon splits are pretty stark--Hicks' combined OPS was .615 but his OPS was .792 against left handed pitchers and only .512 vs right handers. To me, this is the contrast between tools and skills. Everyone remarks that Hicks has tools and he does--good speed, strong throwing arm, and big athletic body. The tools are good, but they aren't exceptional, except for maybe his outstanding throwing arm. The skills haven't caught up with the tools. Maybe they never will. I think Hicks' absolute upside is Austin Jackson--supposedly the next great all-around center fielder, who has been pretty good, but never an All-Star and a guy that hasn't become a high average hitter, accomplished power hitter, stolen base threat or Gold Glove defender. Given the Twins' dearth of outfield options, Hicks will most likely get another chance to make good on his potential. I maintain that what is best for his development and ultimately best for the team is to go to Triple A and build his confidence by dominating at that level. He has just turned 25 so there is a chance that he is a late bloomer who will thrive when he "gets it". The Twins, however, can't assume that he will. Fool them three times, shame on them.

Plouffe's split vs. RH pitching this year was a .738 OPS. That isn't near the platoon split of Mauer or Arcia. Plouffe, for 2014, showed himself to be an everyday player against all kinds of pitching.

Entering 2014, Eduardo Escobar was pegged by most as a standard-order utility infielder. He was a switch-hitter with a pretty good glove and OK speed who had demonstrated the ability to capably fill in at short, third and second. There was some chatter that EE shouldn't make the Twins coming out of spring training, but most viewed him as a good fit for the utility infielder role. Some wanted to see "Eddie 400" in 2014--that is at least 400 at-bats-- to see what the still-young Venezuelan could do with more consistent playing time.The early season gave Escobar his chance. Pedro Florimon, already seen as a subpar hitter, got off to a woeful start and Escobar got several early starts at shortstop. The rest is, as they say, history. Escobar hit .357 in April and backed that up with a .322 (.865 OPS) May. Florimon was demoted and Escobar became the de facto starting shortstop. Escobar returned to earth in June and July--his average fell to .274 at the end of June--and then he stabilized. Eduardo finished with a .275 batting average and his OPS ended at .721, good for a 102 OPS+. The season qualifies as a breakthrough. Escobar had more plate appearances than in his previous three years combined (over a year and a half in the majors). Escobar set career highs in almost every offensive category, played solid defense at three infield positions (metrics vary among the three) and showed durability. Esco still has some issues. He struck out 93 times and walked only 24, keeping his OBP relatively low at .315. Many, including myself, doubt he can replicate his extra-base numbers (35 doubles among 43 XBH). Escobar is not an explosive runner and thus will never have excellent range. All of this limits his upside to about what he was this year. Escobar ended with dramatic platoon splits. In just over 300 ABs, he had only a .654 OPS as a left-handed hitter, while in 131 at-bats as a right-handed hitter, his OPS was .877. It does appear that Eduardo has been a stronger RH batter throughout his limited major league career. If someone had said going into the season that the Twins would have a young switch-hitting shortstop who could field capably, and be an asset at the bottom of the order, most Twins fans would have been ecstatic and guaranteed the guy a starting spot for years. However Escobar's rise coincided with the emergence of Danny Santana, who has the speed and explosiveness that Eddie 400 lacks. Next year's role for Escobar is up in the air. He may revert to a 3-position utility guy or he could become a "10th starter" filling in for multiple infielders, but not having a specific position. If injuries occur, Escobar could slide in for whoever gets hurt. If Santana stays in the outfield, perhaps he could hold shortstop. Click here to view the article

There is a little bit of SSS going on there, but based on 2014, that is the best lineup the Twins can put out there. The thing is we're assuming that breakouts Santana, Vargas, Escobar and Schafer (in Minnesota) all sustain what they did last year. I, for one, don't want anything to do with Aaron Hicks starting the 2015 in Minnesota. I am on board for signing Masterson, as well. He will turn 30 in spring training and has experienced a successful season as recently as 2013.

Harmon started 40 games at third in '65. His OPS for the season was .885, so that probably lifted the OPS for the position over .700.

Physics guy--there is zero reason to sit Escobar against left handers. He was a better hitter against lefties than Plouffe, Dozier, or Santana. He was a far superior alternative to Mauer and Arcia against southpaws.

Responding to all of the posts in this thread: First, and foremost, the Twins need more players that are talented in all facets of the game. On the current roster only Dozier is a good bet to win a lot of games with glove, bat and legs. Mauer isn't fast, but he's a good base runner, is becoming a good defensive first baseman and has HOF hitting credentials, despite last year's disappointment. "Triple threat" guys aren't plentiful and usually cost a lot of money. I agree that Arcia has the tools to be adequate or better as a right fielder. Whoever is on the coaching staff should make a personal project of turning Arcia into a more complete hitter and a competent defender. It will take work, but he has the tools and I don't think there's any doubt that he wants to excel. Defense. If the Twins want to get better defensively, they need to stick with guys up the middle. I firmly believe that defense matters more at catcher, short, second, and center field. You can win with a Manny Ramirez or Delmon Young on a corner, but you need better-than-average gloves up the middle and continuity. Danny Santana will be starting at one of the up-the-middle positions. I hope he doesn't split his time. Individual defense--Escobar is decent at the most demanding position that lines up in fair territory. He won't make many "oh my" plays, but he turns outs into outs. Dozier had a terrific year with the glove in '13, not so much this year, but on the whole he's a good defensive second baseman. I still think he was better than average this year despite the high number of errors. I didn't see enough of Santana at short to say "yea or nay" on his performance there. I know he has the arm and the range.

I've been thinking about Rosario for a while. He had a disappointing season in New Britain, but the young man can hit and he would fill the bill for the Twins as far as being a good fielder, with some speed in either left or center. It certainly will require both a good AFL and spring training for Rosario to threaten for a roster spot, but if the Twins don't acquire an outfielder there is room for someone to step up.

Entering 2014, I had Eduardo Escobar pegged as a standard-order utility infielder. He was a switch-hitter with a pretty good glove, okay speed who had demonstrated the ability to capably fill in at short, third and second. There was some chatter that EE shouldn't make the Twins coming out of spring training, but most viewed him as a good fit for the utility infielder role. Some wanted to see "Eddie 400" in 2014--that is at least 400 at-bats to see what the still-young Venezuelan could do with more consistent playing time. The early season gave Escobar his chance. Pedro Florimon, already seen as a subpar hitter, got off to a woeful start and Escobar got several early starts at shortstop. The rest, as they say, is history. Escobar hit .357 in April and backed that up with a .322 (.865 OPS) May. Florimon was demoted and Escobar became the de facto starting shortstop. Escobar returned to earth in June and July--his average fell to .274 at the end of June--and then he stabilized. Eduardo finished with a .275 batting average and his OPS ended at .721, good for a 102 OPS+. The season qualifies as a breakthrough. Escobar had more plate appearances than in his previous three years combined (over a year and a half in the majors). Escobar set career highs in almost every offensive category and played solid defense at the three infield positions (metrics vary) and showed durability. Esco still has some issues. He struck out 93 times and walked only 24, keeping his OBP relatively low (.315). Many, including myself, doubt that he can replicate his extra base numbers (35 doubles among 43 XBH). Escobar is not a explosive runner and thus will never have excellent range. All of this limits his upside to about what he was this year. Escobar ended up with dramatic platoon splits. In just over 300 ABs, he had only a .654 OPS as a left handed hitter, while in 131 at-bats as a right handed hitter, his OPS was .877. It does appear that Eduardo has been a stronger RH batter throughout his limited major league career. If someone would have said going into the season that the Twins would have a young switch hitting shortstop who could field capably and be an asset at the bottom of the order, most Twins fans would have been ecstatic and guarantee the guy a starting spot for years, however Escobar's rise coincided with the emergence of Danny Santana, who has the speed and explosiveness that Eddie 400 lacks. Next year's role for Escobar is up in the air. He may revert to a 3-position utility guy, he could become a "10th starter", filling in for multiple infielders, but not having a specific position. Perhaps he can hold shortstop, if Santana stays in the outfield. If injuries occur, Escobar could slide in for whoever gets hurt.

Honestly, I don't expect much more than one free agent pitcher signing, someone like McCarthy or Masterson, perhaps up to Santana. There is a need for a good defensive outfielder who can hold his own at the plate, but almost all of the available free agents are bat-first players and there aren't many who would significantly improve the defense. If the Twins get an outfielder, it probably will be through trade. Secondly, it looks like the drumbeat has really started to bring up the top prospects, ready or not. Buxton would be expected to skip two level after playing less than fifty games last year, Sano would be expected to skip one level after playing zero games in 2014. Just not feasible IMHO. Finally, Shane, I know you really like Herrmann, I just don't know why. In parts of three seasons, he has 276 PAs and an OPS+ of 53. I wouldn't call him a defensive whiz behind the plate or in the outfield and he will turn 27 this year. The much-derided Pedro Florimon has a higher OPS+ (57) despite putting up a -11 in 86 PAs this year.

Halsey, I said that Dozier's personality is the polar opposite of Knoblauch. Away from the field, Dozier reminds me of Cuddy, while Knoblauch was driven and intense all the time. On the field, Dozier is pretty intense and seems determined to get better and make the most of his abilities, which summarizes Knoblauch's time with the Twins.

Joe Mauer is a former MVP and a three-time batting champion. As a catcher, he has won five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. These are Hall of Fame credentials for a 31-year-old. Last year, Mauer was shut down after suffering a concussion. The symptoms were present until well into the offseason. Mauer and his advisors decided it was time to give up catching. With the exit of Justin Morneau, a move to first base was an easy call.I was among those who thought that Mauer would be able to play more games and provide more power when he abandoned catching. For the 2014 season, I was wrong. Mauer had a career-low .277 batting average and managed only 518 plate appearances. Mauer's OPS and OPS+ approached career lows, as well, and he managed only four homers, about one homer per 130 plate appearances. In addition, Joe continued a disturbing trend of increasing strikeouts. He fanned 96 times, about 18.5 percent of the time, compared to maxing out at less than 12 percent his first eight years in the league. His strikeout percentage has increased dramatically each of his last three seasons. This year, Mauer suffered injuries, missing games with back spasms, an elbow injury and mid-year went on the DL with an oblique injury that reportedly bothered him for most of the rest of the season. It has also been reported that Mauer was rusty coming in to the spring because he didn't have his normal workout regimen due to the concussion. Combined with the adjustment of switching full time to first base, Mauer had an uncomfortable first half of the season. At the All-Star break, he was hitting .271 with a .695 OPS. Joe picked up the pace after the All-Star break. His OBP after the break was .397 and his OPS after the break was .805. Mauer also had fairly dramatic platoon splits. Against left-handers, he managed only four extra base hits and had an OPS of .654 (.776 against righties). No one can dispute that Mauer's numbers were far below career norms. The question is whether he is going hard in to decline mode or whether he can recapture his Hall of Fame- worthy form from his first ten years in the majors. No one really knows and no one knows the extent of the injuries, including the concussion he suffered in 2013. My speculation is that Mauer has long been a premier player using his somewhat unique approach. I think that he now needs to adjust that approach. He needs to be more aggressive early in the count and find pitches to drive. He also needs to be stronger, so that some of his 360-foot fly balls turn into 380-foot home runs. Defensively, Mauer looked uncomfortable at first at the beginning of the year. By playing 100 games at first, he got more comfortable and became a pretty good defensive first baseman. All of that matters little if he can't come back and again be a top hitter. Click here to view the article