stringer bell

I just checked Gamecast today and it listed injuries to Alcala, Miranda and Rooker. I heard that Rooker had a minor issue, but this is the first injury news I’ve heard about Miranda and Alcala.

I think Celestino would be fine if Buxton has a disabling injury. The more time before this happens, the better. Unless the Twins make a trade of prospects for player, they are going to have 40-man issues I think.

Old people unite! ?

Okay, The Athletics are trying to make the best deal as they clear the shelves. One thing the Twins' FO is good at is being patient. I think the Twins have shown they are willing to make a big move. They shouldn't overpay at this point.

Blake Parker signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals.

Nothing unexpected. My question would not only be where Martin will be playing, but what position he will play, particularly since there are other options at AA and AAA.

Call me old school, but Buck would be better suited batting down in the order. He isn't very selective and OBP isn't his long suit. He could also do damage with runners on.

And today's lineup has some significant position moves. Polanco at ss, Gordon in lf, Kirilloff at first with Buxton batting leadoff and Arraez hitting third.

Tyler Clippard signed a minor league deal with the Nats.

Less than two weeks until Opening Day and some things are taking shape while other things remain undetermined. Some things won't really be determined in Ft. Myers, such as the split in playing time between Sanchez and Jeffers. Some things are taking shape. Here are some of my observations: 1) Byron Buxton has batted lead off. Would the Twins consider having a guy who homered once every 13 plate appearances on top of the order? Luis Arraez is more of the classical lead off guy, but he's hit down in the order when both he and Buxton have been in the lineup. 2) Positions played--Kirilloff has played left, right and first base, Gordon has played second and short, So far, Gordon hasn't played in the outfield and Urshela hasn't played shortstop, where a week ago he was projected to be the starter, 3) Taylor Rogers looks like he's going to be the closer. He is pitching in the early innings against as many major leaguers as he can. 4) The pitchers seem to be ahead of the hitters. The Twins haven't looked great at the plate, but the opponents aren't hitting much either. 5) The rotation seems to be taking shape, but it looks like there will be room for multiple-inning relief or openers. To start the season, it appears that the young arms won't be going even five innings. Gray and Bundy might be ready to go six by Opening Day. 6) There's a chance that a couple of rookies will be on the pitching staff. Duran has been impressive as has Winder. With Dobnak's injury, there would seem to be a starting job available for Winder (or maybe coming in after the opener). 7) It doesn't seem that any non-roster players have forced their way on the roster so far. Beckham has gotten in a lot of games, and Smeltzer has had two good performances, but there haven't been many wow moments from non-roster players.

I do have an honest question here. Can someone explain to me how Trevor Larnach ended up with a WAR of +0.6 while compiling an OPS+ of 88 while compiling a negative rating on defense while Rooker's WAR was -0.6 with an OPS+ of 89. He also had poor fielding marks. Was Rooker's defense in 45 games so bad that he lost 1.2 WAR? (BBRef WAR).

Kepler missed 40 games as well, including several when Buxton was also injured. When he returned, the club pretty much kept him in right field. Does that rule him out from being Buck's primary backup this year? I don't know for sure, but I don't think so. There is more need on this club for a right handed outfielder who can cover center and also be a candidate for platoon duty in left field than there is for a no-defense right handed power hitter with reverse platoon statistics and a converted infielder who lacks power.

Reports are that Enlow will be pitching in May.

Along with the recently claimed Ralph Garza Jr. now a Red Sox after being claimed, add JT Riddle to the ex-Twins list as he has signed a minor league deal with the Reds.

Well, the Correa signing claimed it’s first casualty for the Twins. Ralph Garza Jr. was claimed by the Red Sox and will head down the road to the Red Sox spring training site.

Regarding Kepler's spot in the lineup, he is the incumbent but other players will get chances to show they can supplant him. His 2 WAR season wasn't as bad as his traditional numbers--.211 BA, 19 HRs and 54 RBI. If the measuring stick is WAR, I don't think any candidates in the organization will project to be better.

Arraez is also an ideal lead-off guy. I do agree that the Twins don't have enough guys with the OBP skill set and I suspect that Martin will be ready soon . I said earlier in this thread that ultimately I think he ends up in the outfield (basically) full-time, and the added bonus is that he certainly can fill in during a Buxton absence.

Okay. I have composed a simple Google Doc which covers the month of April for Twins Game Thread introductions. It is a week short of a whole month, so it is pretty close to filled for the coming month there may be more willing volunteers than dates available. That probably will change in the coming months. https://docs.google.com/document/d/133Kk515FAq_Hl74qSsD9HKsYBFtkNqEMByWvvYtBKmQ/edit

I chose Gordon but woof, he has looked absolutely terrible this spring. Yes, I believe Kepler is a lock to be the "regular" right fielder for the first segment of the season. Hoever, if someone else steps forward and Kepler doesn't, it makes perfect sense to relegate him to part-time duty. 2019 is now three years ago and since he breakout that year, he has reverted to what he was before the breakout. He's a lifetime 103 OPS+ and that is exactly what he has compiled combining the last two seasons. That's fine for a shortstop or a catcher, but not a corner outfielder. Good fielder, good base runner, but he needs to hit more than that. Maybe he'll return to his 2019 form, probably not. Other guys may or may not break out and reduce his role. He's on scholarship right now and there aren't any viable options at this point, but I don't think the situation will last.

So, barring injury Seth, you’re saying the position players going north are 3 catchers (Sanchez, Jeffers, Godoy) 6 infielders ( Sanó, Polanco, Correa, Urshela, Arraez and Gordon) and 5 outfielders (Buxton, Kirilloff, Kepler, Rooker and Celestino). No non-roster guys and no Miranda?

He’s looked healthy this spring.

Sort of off-topic—do Beckham and Robertson have opt-outs in their minor league contracts? With Correa added and Martin/Lewis getting closer, they might want to move on.

I really don’t think Rooker is anything but an AAAA player. You’ve mentioned frequently that he is faster than most hulking sluggers. While that may be true, it doesn’t make him acceptable in the field or a good base runner. The numbers I’ve seen on his defense are brutal and given that along with decent speed, I must speculate that his routes to fly balls must be bad. Further, I see way too many holes in his swing to ever be successful plus he’s older (27?) so the likelihood of him developing more is really questionable. The final nail in the coffin IMHO is his inability to be a lefty mashing specialist.

Lots of TD love for Gordon, but to pretend he is an established outfielder or a proficient shortstop ignores how he was used until the Twins surrendered last year.

Cave was outrighted off the 40-man roster. He’d have to be put on the roster to play on the team, not exactly the same thing, but similar. He has good defensive numbers in left field and has had success in the majors as recently as 2019. As Brock said earlier, his handedness and less than stellar CF stats work against him as well as his inability to hit for two years.