TwinsDr2021

IMO, if a pitcher that is in a long relief role can't step in a throw 5 innings in a start and maybe a more after a start or two, then that pitcher was never starter material in the first place. Look at what Winder did last year for example. If the Twins pitching staff is so good that a almost 28 year Ober is in the minors and the twins can put a throw away pitcher in the majors, this sets up to be one of the best seasons in Twins history at least from the pitching side.

This guy isn't young, isn't on the cusp and if he ends up on the Twins things have gone really, really, really wrong. IMO he is a guy that can take over in St. Paul when other prospects move up, that is it. Even if he is hitting .400 with an OPS of 1400 on the Saints I don't want to see him in a Twins uniform! (In this case trade him)

I find it interesting that we are calling a 3 inning game, with 3 base runners and a run as a hell of a day. If the choice is sending Ober down and having a lesser pitcher up for long relief, the choice is pretty obvious, the answer is Ober. Ober has pitched more innings in the major and has been better than Dobnack. De Leon is a nobody and shouldn't be anything more than a relief pitcher for the Saints and at no time should be taken innings from a prospect. Another question for Cody you typed - "Rather than putting one of their young arms in an inconsistent role, the Twins could opt for adding a veteran to fill this job " Is a 30 1/2 year old pitcher with a total of 48 major league innings really a Vet? Cole Sands is 5 years younger and has 17 1/3 less innings and while not good his ERA is almost 3 less?

Per ESPN Polanco's WAR in 19 was 5.7 4.8 in 21 and 2.8 in 104 games last year, if healthy he would have put up three straight full years of WAR over 4. Over those three years only Correa has had a higher WAR (5.4 in 22). He is vested for next year (10.5) and has a 12 million club option for 25, I say lets see how this year plays out before doing anything drastic with him. He is very good and very cheap right now.

Based on your rankings this Front Office should be fired? The two most positions you are worried about are the two where the front office went out and spent the most money? Isn't Correa's back up Farmer, two all world short stops prospects, Solano, Gordon and if all else fails putting Polanco back there? I get catcher and I am 100% on board with that being worrisome. But I am more worried about the depth at Outfield, because Taylor has basically been terrible with his bat his whole career, Gallo and Kepler are question marks, Gordon isn't a full time player at any position, and then it goes to AK and Larnach who are in their third year of this and haven't done really anything, and then we are on to Wallner who most say needs more time in the minors and Celestino, Martin. Thinking of starting outfield of Taylor, Gordon and Wallner made me throw up a bit in my mouth. I will say the Twins depth is better this year than last but a few injuries to key spots (including SS) could be bad, real bad.

invaluable to the Saints? If they think he can hit major league pitching does it matter if he is at 1B, DH or the OF? Currently ESPN has him listed as the 4th right fielder, they have Miranda as the 1st 3B and 2nd 1B behind AK and Farmer as the 3rd 1B. If AK can't start Miranda can't play both 1B and 3B, which means Farmer or Gordon is at 1B, since Gallo is listed as the 1st LF. He seems pretty buried on the OF depth chart which means quite a few bad things need to happen for him to start in the majors in the OF and if he spends the year in AAA he could get passed by Lewis, Lee, Martin or even ERod and in the mean time while in playing AAA as a 25 year old he could get passed by Julien at DH and 1B. It is in his best interest and the Twins to get a first basemen glove along with his outfielders glove.

Wallner is 25, so if they think his bat plays at the majors, there is no reason to send him to the minors to work on OF fielding, as it is now without an injury the outfield and possibly going forward with Lewis, Buxton, Lee and maybe ERog is fairly set and not much room for him there, so IMO if they are sending him to the minors to work on fielding, it is because they don't believe his bat currently will play in the majors and if that is the case he could be working on 1B and OF. If I was Wallner I would be begging to be given a chance at 1B with the current outfield. That way if he/I are hitting well and AK comes back he could move to the OF if Gallo or Kepler isn't getting it done. Gives him/me a set up on guys like Lee and Lewis because he/me is capable at multiple positions. Now if I am the Twins, I telling Julien and Wallner get a first baseman's glove broken in if you want to play in the majors any time soon.

Really? I said if he needs to go to the minors develop then he isn't really a prospect that we hope he is, if he is blocked that is a different story. I gave you a list of 30+ players that have appeared for the Twins in the last 22 years, and yes there were a few MVPS votes in the group and maybe an all star appearance. You could do this with every team and you are going to get the same results, yes there will be teams that have better guys (Judge, France, Cronenworth are examples but they are the exception not the rule)

You are saying there isn't data that players that debut at age 24 or older generally don't turn into above average or better full time players outside of catchers and relief pitchers? Are there players in the majors like this, absolutely there is, but in a game that revolves around statistics and odds I feel pretty comfortable saying that if a 24 year old player needs more time to develop in the minors he probably isn't the type of player we are hoping he is. In this case it seems he is blocked based on the other players on the Twins and possibly the lack of position flexibility and that is a different story. (Similar to Jeremy Pena in 21 with Houston, he didn't need more time to develop he needed a job opening, they had Correa, Altuve and Alvarez blocking him) EDIT - In the last 20 or so years on the Twins I found a few players that debuted at around age 24 or so. Dozier, Jacque Jones, Koskie, Mohr, Span, Coomer and Lecroy (both catchers and a bunch of other catchers), Ford, Maybe Punto, Bartlett, Tiffee, Maybe Hocking, Blake, Kielty, Chad Allen, Buchanan, Lamb, Mike Ryan, Prieto, Luis Rodriquez, Tyner?, Rabe, Garrett Jones, Darnell McDonald, Pridie, Macri, Tolbert, Repko, Plouffe, Hughes, Tosoni, Dinkelman, Clete Thomas, Matt Carson, Valencia, Florimon, Mastroianni, Colabello, Presley, Beresford, Robinson, Herrmann, Fuld, Granite, Goodrum, Austin, LaMarre, The Turtle, Field, Motter, Cave, Wade, Ian Miller, Nick Gordon, Rooker, Refsnyder, Garlick, Iidemoaro Vargas, Larnach, Wallner, Contreras, Palacios So yes a few of them had decent season and maybe even played a decent amount of seasons, but again the odds are if you need seasoning at age 24, the best you can hope for is a Koskie, Dozier, Barlett. Jones type of career .

I took the comment more to be if the FO wants to keep their jobs, the trades better start working out ( I think ODO and Maeda worked out, mostly because they teams did what they hoped for, making the playoffs). not that the trade in general was bad or the wrong thing to do. You can like the trade but still be disappointment in the season outcome. I mean I am/was 100% behind the Lopez trade, but if he gets hurt or doesn't get hurt and the Twins miss the playoffs, I am still going to call for their heads, you can't miss the playoffs three years in a row with the moves they have made. IMO

The Saints pitching staff better be good, Varland is 25, Headrick is 25, Ober will be 28 in July, Dobnak is 28, Winder is 26, Sands will be 26 in July, Balazovic is 24 1/2, SWR is 22 and a former top 100 prospect. Henriquez will be 23 in June, Donato is 28, De Leon is 30, Dereck Rodrigue is close to 31, Fundeburk is 26, Even Enlow turns 24 this month. Festa turns 23 in a few days. Canterino (I know he is hurt) just turned 25. Only SWR , Henriquez and Festa would be considered young and they won't be for all that much longer. Yes some of these guys are "just in case" depth, but as a whole they are either old or on the old side and IMO and only SWR , Henrquez Festa are real prospects. First Ober should be in the majors, either starting the season with a 6 man rotation or in the pen. Second none of of the players above should be blocking real prospects (the 3 above) and others like Prielipp or Festa. I am not really sure how you consider players in this age bracket with little or no major league experience a pitching pipeline, unless of course they goal is to keep pitching costs down by promoting old prospects. With that said I expect injuries and guys like Varland, Headrick, and Winder to be pitching in the majors this year, but if they aren't good there really is no reason to continue to have them taking up 40 man roster spots.

Jeffers career OPS+ is 88 and Vazquez is 85. With Jeffer's defensive liabilities you would hope his bat is better I get that, Based on my limited research I would say this year and maybe next will determine Jeffers future, if he gets better he could become a starting catcher, if not he will probably just be catcher depth for some team.

I agree with this take, I don't see a spot for him. If somebody is hurt I think he should be given the first chance (he is already on the 40 man) I will add he turns 24 next month so the talk about him needing to be in the minors is strange to me, by 24 you either can play (I believe he can) or you can't or you do need more time and end up just being a average player that bounces around, except in the case where you don't have a position, you have a real short career.

It is closer to realistic isn't it? Compare how it took a couple of years for France to be a 3+ WAR player and what Miranda could do to that or better quicker, Couldn't we compare Verlander's 2006 season to Ryan last year? Same type of comparison.

100% agree, but there is tons of those types of comparisons on this site, Arraez to Carew, and every prospect to a future hall of fame player. So why not Miranda to a future Hall of Famer that debuted at SS at 19 years old.