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This entire pace of play question is laughable - in the sense that it is clear that neither side really wants to solve it. Baseball rule 8.04: the pitcher must put the ball in play within 12 seconds of when he receives the ball (if the bases are unoccupied), with the penalty being a "Ball" called by the umpire - If umpires were instructed to actually enforce the rule, it would speed up the game clearly Baseball rule 6.02b (comment): ...the batter is not allowed to step in and out of the batter's box at will...the umpire should eliminate the batter walking out of the batter's box without reason...(there are other parts to the rule interpretation) - the intent is clear that "time" is not automatic, and should not be generally granted. if umpires did not grant time so liberally, it would speed up the game tremendously There is no need for new rules - or a clock - to speed up the game. If the rulebook is simply enforced, the changes would be meaningful.

What do we really have, and how close are they really? Isn't that the real question we always ask? After reading Baseball America and John Sickels and Keith Law, you want to know "how do these guys compare with the hype?" This year, I decided to travel a little bit and see some the Twins prospects for myself. Here are some quick observations based on seeing multiple games. The quick punchline -- the future is bright, but we're not there yet.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Miguel Sano (3b) The Good Okay, he really is a man-child. Various report here at TwinsDaily say that his stats suggest he may be major-league ready, and is dominating AA. When you see him hit a 90 mph fastball 420 feet, it's hard to argue too much. The young man has outstanding bat speed, and excellent pitch recognition. He takes a fluid, compact path to the ball. Has excellent hips combined with a steady head. He has never looked overmatched in anything I've seen. He has enough raw power that even contact off the end of the bat are line drives. In the field, he has above average range and arm. Moves well on plays, and shows situational awareness in the field. The Learning While he has gaudy power numbers, and has excellent pitch recognition, he still needs to learn to choose pitches better. He seems to love to sit "red" -- even on a 1-0 or 2-0 count with a (lefty's) two-seamer tailing down and away on the low and outside corner. That is all a long way of saying that he sometimes swings at pitcher's pitches in a hitter's count. This is the big transition at AA, and even bigger going to the majors. Right now he is an excellent mistake hitter, with enough power to crush pitchers when he overmatches them. With time and experience, he should refine his approach at the plate, and transfer his AA results to the majors. Quote After a homerun and double, my wife turns to me and says "Are they even going to pitch to him? It's like watching an adult against little leaguers." Eddie Rosario (2B) The Good Excellent hands and hips. Quick bat. Maximum power swing-style for a smaller body. Loves the high fastball, and fast enough to turn on it. Has gap power, but likes to elevate the ball somewhat. Can hit 380 foot homers, but won't blast 400+ feet. Does a decent job on the off-speed stuff. Makes consistent contact. Is able to foul off borderline pitches well. Has good speed. Looks smooth and natural at 2B. Download attachment: image.jpg The Learning Too aggressive -- but he's young, so what do you expect? Needs to learn to be satisfied with more line drives, and to cut down on elevating the ball. Needs to work on hitting the ball to the opposite field, and staying inside the ball. Has more work on developing an approach at the plate than Sano. Quote My son, sitting next to me - "Jeez, that's the 5th straight foul ball. Is the pitcher ever going to throw him a fastball so he'll just hit it?" Trevor May (RHP) The Good This guy's stuff is as good as advertised. If anything, his movement is too good. Fastball tails 2-4 balls worth. Curve is 11-5 (almost 12-6), and drops 5+ balls worth. He is able to add and subtract on the curve - looping one, and flat-planing a dirt-diver the next time. Change-up is a work in progress, but could be an average pitch. Works 93-94, and touches 96. Generally decent control -- misses weren't by much. Good mound presence, and ability to bounce back. The Bad Control is a work in progress, but this isn't the biggest issue. Loves his fastball, and sometimes gets suckered into throwing it when/where he shouldn't. (Example: #2 hitter, smaller lefty, crowds the plate. Mays tries to bust him inside with a heater; leaves it on the black at belt level, just trying to throw it past him [95]. hitter turns on it = 360 foot HR to RF.) More growth / experience here, and he'll shoot up to the majors quickly. Quote "Now that's a hammer!" (referencing his curve) Danny Santana (SS) The Good Above average defensive shortstop. Good range to both sides. Pretty good arm. Quick bat. Seems to make good contact. Line-drive singles hitter. Above average speed. Think Florimon with more accurate arm, higher line drive percentage, and better fastball hitter. The Bad Sits "dead red" on the fastball. Hasn't learned to adjust to the off-speed stuff sufficiently well to be anywhere other than where he's at. Hasn't developed a timing mechanism (toe tap, hand set, etc.) to sit on the fastball and adjust to the change. Needs to let the game slow down a little bit. Quote "Wow, he looked like he swung even before the ball was halfway to the plate." Fan behind us. Dan Rohlfing © The Good Adequate defensive catcher. Didnt' appear to be getting signs from the dugout. Given that, he called a pretty good game. Switched from fastball / changeup to curves on the 2nd to 3rd time through the lineup. Provided good target. The Bad Not as efficient as possible, especially throwing to 2B. Put the bat on the ball, but not a threat to drive it. Not a terribly big guy -- needs to be as efficient as possible. Seems to have physical limitations. Hard to see how he makes it to the majors as anything other than a short term emergency replacement. Quote "I don't know how that was a single, but it fell in somehow." Wife talking about Rohlfing's sole hit in one game. Dakota Watts (RHP) Good speed (95-97), ball flattens out, below average control, good curve (potential to be above average). Conclusion Yes, indeed, the Twins have got a load of talent at AA. While some of these guys are clearly better than the other players at the level (Sano, May, Rosario) and some are quite good on their own (Santana), they each have learning to do before they can take that jump to the majors. In other words, it looks like Twins have good reasons for keeping them where they are at, and not just sitting on service clock timing. So... that's it. Let me know what you think, and if you'd like more in the future. Going to see the Kernels again this weekend, and may do something similar on them if there is an interest. Click here to view the article

The Twins farm system is ranked highly, and for good reason. For the first time in recent memory, we have a number of very high ceiling prospects at AA (Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer, Eddie Rosario, Trevor May) and high-A (Byron Buxton). The ones at low-A (Max Kepler, Niko Goodrum, Adam Walker, Hudson Boyd, etc) in past years would have made us proud. How do they really look in comparison to the press, and in comparison to the more notable others on this list?The punchline: major leaguers are hard to come by, but there is projectable potential at low-A. Download attachment: 5861474822_942abc3514_o.jpg Max Kepler The Good Nice lanky body. Beginning to fill out, but with room for bulk. Fast bat. Swing is reminiscent of Chris Davis. Starts with hands and elbow a bit high. Has good, but not Ken Griffey Jr., wrists. Takes little to no step; just a quick turn on the ball. Has enough uppercut to launch the ball yard. Good pitch recognition for the level. Clearly different than many players at this level. Smooth to flyballs in the outfield. Growth Needed Will be interesting to see how he fills out. Swing can get a bit long, but is athletic enough that I never saw it hurt him. While he is "different than many players at this level" he is not "a man among boys" like Sano. Instead, think Jason Kubel before the knee injury. When playing outfield, allows baserunners to advance too easily on flares. Quote "No doubt about that one, but good thing he didn't launch it to dead CF" - son, commenting on a homerun to right-centerfield. Adam Walker The Good Nice swing. Hands move directly to the ball. Line drive swing. Quick bat (quickest on team). Everything moves in sync well. Surprisingly slender frame and narrow shoulders for his power. Has a "bubble butt" to borrow a football term. Will definitely fill out and broaden out, and when he does, watch out! Excellent power potential. Surprisingly smooth in OF. Growth Needed Below average pitch recognition. Looks like a classic mistake hitter right now. Swung over multiple sliders and curves, wishing they were fastballs. Needs to learn an approach at the plate, and to hit the breaking ball more consistently before he is promoted. Needs to wait on the ball longer before committing -- has the hand speed to do it. Fielding will almost certainly degrade as he fills out. Quote "He'll hit shots that don't get 20 feet in the air, but I wouldn't want to be in the way of one of them!" - Kernels fan before the game. Niko Goodrum The Good Good sized young man. Long legs that go way up. Looks like he can put on 20 extra pounds while still growing. Once he finishes growing into his body, should have the potential to really drive the ball. No problem hitting the fastball. Good movement. Nice arm. Made all the plays he was supposed to make. Growth Needed Not clear that he'll stay at shortstop as he grows. He has enough athletic ability, but it depends upon how his legs thicken (if they do). Will never be Pedro Florimon in the field, but could be average. Still developing a plan at the plate. Too willing to hit a pitcher's pitch. Swing can get a bit long (moreso than Kepler). Has some head movement - needs to consistently bury it. Quote "He looks a little out of proportion" - fan in front of us Hudson Boyd The Good It's clear why he was a supplemental first round pick. Has nice speed on his fastball, and is willing to attack with it. Sits 93 or so, but can reach back for a couple of extra mph when he needs it -- and chooses those spots well. Nice, repeatable arm slot. Seems to have a decent feel for pitching. Growth Needed The fastball flattens out sometimes, and the curve is sloppy (loose break, little command). Is inconsistent with his strike foot and stride length. Will vary stride length by a good 6 inches, and angle of strike foot by 5-10 degrees. It is easy to see why he is inconsistent, because his delivery isn't fully repeatable yet. Quote "Ugh. That just sort of rolled in there." - son talking about his curve. Mauer (Jake, not Joe) Okay, he's not a player, but I loved the way he worked the game and the umpires. Example: hard shot over 3B, hit the chalk, called foul. Mauer doesn't say a word. He just looks at the ump. Then he looks down. Then he goes over to the ball mark in the chalk and smooths it out with his foot. Looks into centerfield, and goes back to the coaches box. 'Nuf said. Seems to work well with the players. Works his way around the guys, without being over their shoulder. Mason Melotakis Moving to the bullpen added a few mph to his fastball. Good movement. Has an adequate breaking ball that he can throw for strikes more often than not, though it needs sharper break. Mound presence is impressive. Can't tell what the count is if it isn't in his favor, but bears down when he needs to punch a guy out. Conclusion Class A ball is fun. The players are still learning to play, and their bodies are still growing. There is as much projection of the body evolution as there is in baseball skills. Given that, it is hard to say that there any such thing as a "sure thing" among Class A ballplayers. Still, it wouldn't be a surprise if all five of these guys made it to the majors. Kepler seems to have the lowest floor of the group. Boyd and Walker have the highest ceiling -- and interestingly, both of those depend upon the breaking ball. Goodrum is a wildcard: lots of potential, and needs to continue to harness it as he grows. Would love to see if Melatokis can become a starter, or if he could potentially be the Glen Perkins of 2018. I would love to see Mauer rise up the ranks as well. Click here to view the article

Nice article and good view of different possible futures. Completely agree with the likely route -- growth and proving one's self are important. (Of course, now that I said that, they'll rush him up in September straight from AA!)

The Twins farm system is ranked highly, and for good reason. For the first time in recent memory, we have a number of very high ceiling prospects at AA (Sano, Meyers, Rosario, May) and high A (Buxton). The ones at low-A (Kepler, Goodrum, Walker, Boyd, etc) in past years would have made us proud. How do they really look in comparison to the press, and in comparison to the more notable others on this list? After seeings some Kernels games, the punchline: major leaguers are hard to come by, but there is projectable potential at low-A. Kepler The Good Nice lanky body. Beginning to fill out, but with room for bulk. Fast bat. Swing is reminiscent of Chris Davis. Starts with hands and elbow a bit high. Has good but not Griffey Jr. wrists. Take little to no step; just a quick turn on the ball. Has enough uppercut to launch the ball yard. Good pitch recognition for the level. Clearly different than many players at this level. Smooth to flyballs in the outfield. Growth Needed Will be interesting to see how he fills out. Swing can get a bit long, but is athletic enough that I never saw it hurt him. While he is "different than many players at this level" he is not "a man among boys" like Sano. Instead, think Kubel before the knee injury. When playing OF, allows baserunners to advance too easily on flares. Quote "No doubt about that one, but good thing he didn't launch it to dead CF" - son, commenting on a homerun to RCF. Walker The Good Nice swing. Hands move directly to the ball. Line drive swing. Quick bat (quickest on team). Everything moves in sync well. Surprisingly slender frame and narrow shoulders for his power. Has a "bubble butt" to borrow a football term. Will definitely fill out and broaden out, and when he does, watch out! Excellent power potential. Surprisingly smooth in OF. Growth Needed Below average pitch recognition. Looks like classic mistake hitter right now. Swung over multiple sliders and curves, wishing they were fastballs. Needs to learn an approach at the plate, and to hit the breaking ball more consistently before he is promoted. Needs to wait on the ball longer before committing -- has the hand speed to do it. Fielding will almost certainly degrade as he fills out. Quote "He'll hit shots that don't get 20 feet in the air, but I wouldn't want to be in the way of one of them!" - Kernels fan before the game. Goodrum The Good Good sized young man. Long legs that go way up. Looks like he can put on 20 extra pounds while still growing. Once he finishes growing into his body, should have the potential to really drive the ball. No problem hitting the fastball. Good movement. Nice arm. Made all the plays he was supposed to make. Growth Needed Not clear that he'll stay at SS as he grows. He has enough athletic ability, but it depends upon how his legs thicken (if they do). Will never be Florimon in the field, but could be average. Still developing a plan at the plate. Too willing to hit a pitcher's pitch. Swing can get a bit long (moreso than Kepler). Has some head movement - needs to consistently bury it. Quote "He looks a little out of proportion" - fan in front of us Boyd The Good It's clear why he was a supplemental first round pick. Has nice speedon his fastball, and is willing to attack with it. Sits 93 or so, but can reach back for a couple of extra mph when he needs it -- and chooses those spots well. Nice, repeatable arm slot. Seems to have a decent feel for pitching. Growth Needed The fastball flattens out sometimes, and the curve is sloppy (loose break, little command). Is inconsistent with his strike foot and stride length. Will vary stride length by a good 6 inches, and angle of strike foot by 5-10 degrees. It is easy to see why he is inconsistent, because his delivery isn't fully repeatable yet. Quote "Ugh. That just sort of rolled in there." - son talking about his curve. Mauer (Jake, not Joe) Okay, he's not a player, but I loved the way he worked the game and the umpires. Example: hard shot over 3B, hit the chalk, called foul. Mauer doesn't say a word. He just looks at the ump. Then he looks down. Then he goes over to the ball mark in the chalk and smooths it out with his foot. Looks into CF, and goes back to the coaches box. 'Nuf said. Seems to work well with the players. Works his way around the guys, without being over their shoulder. Melatokis Moving to the bullpen added a few mph to his fastball. Good movement. Has an adequate breaking ball that he can throw for strikes more often than not, though it needs sharper break. Mound presence is impressive. Can't tell what the count is if it isn't in his favor, but bears down when he needs to punch a guy out. Conclusion Class A ball is fun. The players are still learning to play, and their bodies are still growing. There is as much projection of the body evolution as there is in baseball skills. Given that, it is hard to say that there any such thing as a "sure thing" among Class A ballplayers. Still, it wouldn't be a surprise if all five of these guys made it to the majors. Kepler seems to have the lowest floor of the group. Boyd and Walker have the highest ceiling -- and interestingly, both of those depend upon the breaking ball. Goodrum is a wildcard: lots of potential, and needs to continue to harness it as he grows. Would love to see if Melatokis can become a starter, or if he could potentially be the Glen Perkins of 2018. Would love to see Mauer rise up the ranks as well.

What do we really have, and how close are they really? Isn't that the real question we always ask? After reading BA and Sickels and Law, you want to see "how do these guys compare with the hype?" This year, I decided to travel a little bit and see some these guys for myself. Here are some quick observations based on seeing multiple games. The quick punchline -- the future is bright, but we're not there yet. Sano The Good Okay, he really is a man-child. Various report here at TwinsCentric say that his stats suggest he may be major-league ready, and is dominating AA. When you see him hit a 90 mph fastball 420 feet, it's hard to argue too much. The young man has outstanding bat speed, and excellent pitch recognition. He takes a fluid, compact path to the ball. Has excellent hips combined with a steady head. He has never looked overmatched in anything I've seen. He has enough raw power that even contact off the end of the bat are line drives. In the field, he has above average range and arm. Moves well on plays, and shows situational awareness in the field. The Learning While he has gaudy power numbers, and has excellent pitch recognition, he still needs to learn to choose pitches better. He seems to love to sit "red" -- even on a 1-0 or 2-0 count with a (lefty's) two-seamer tailing down and away on the low and outside corner. That is all a long way of saying that he sometimes swings at pitcher's pitches in a hitter's count. This is the big transition at AA, and even bigger going to the majors. Right now he is an excellent mistake hitter, with enough power to crush pitchers when he overmatches them. With time and experience, he should refine his approach at the plate, and transfer his AA results to the majors. Quote After a homerun and double, my wife turns to me and says "Are they even going to pitch to him? It's like watching an adult against little leaguers." Rosario The Good Excellent hands and hips. Quick bat. Maximum power swing-style for a smaller body. Loves the high fastball, and fast enough to turn on it. Has gap power, but likes to elevate the ball somewhat. Can hit 380 foot homers, but won't blast 400+ feet. Does a decent job on the off-speed stuff. Makes consistent contact. Is able to foul off borderline pitches well. Has good speed. Looks smooth and natural at 2B. The Learning Too aggressive -- but he's young, so what do you expect. Needs to learn to be satisfied with more line drives, and to cut down on elevating the ball. Needs to work on hitting the ball to the opposite field, and staying inside the ball. Has more work on developing an approach at the plate than Sano. Quote My son, sitting next to me - "Jeez, that's the 5th straight foul ball. Is the pitcher ever going to throw him a fastball so he'll just hit it?" May The Good This guy's stuff is as good as advertised. If anything, his movement is too good. Fastball tails 2-4 balls worth. Curve is 11-5 (almost 12-6), and drops 5+ balls worth. He is able to add and subtract on the curve - looping one, and flat-planing a dirt-diver the next time. Change-up is a work in progress, but could be an average pitch. Works 93-94, and touches 96. Generally decent control -- misses weren't by much. Good mound presence, and ability to bounce back. The Bad Control is a work in progress, but this isn't the biggest issue. Loves his fastball, and sometimes gets suckered into throwing it when/where he shouldn't. (Example: #2 hitter, smaller lefty, crowds the plate. Mays tries to bust him inside with a heater; leaves it on the black at belt level, just trying to throw it past him [95]. hitter turns on it = 360 foot HR to RF.) More growth / experience here, and he'll shoot up to the majors quickly. Quote "Now that's a hammer!" (referencing his curve) Santana The Good Above average defensive shortstop. Good range to both sides. Pretty good arm. Quick bat. Seems to make good contact. Line-drive singles hitter. Above average speed. Think Florimon with more accurate arm, higher line drive percentage, and better fastball hitter. The Bad Sits "dead red" on the fastball. Hasn't learned to adjust to the off-speed stuff sufficiently well to be anywhere other than where he's at. Hasn't developed a timing mechanism (toe tap, hand set, etc.) to sit on the fastball and adjust to the change. Needs to let the game slow down a little bit. Quote "Wow, he looked like he swung even before the ball was halfway to the plate." Fan behind us. Rohlfing The Good Adequate defensive catcher. Didnt' appear to be getting signs from the dugout. Given that, he called a pretty good game. Switched from fastball / changeup to curves on the 2nd to 3rd time through the lineup. Provided good target. The Bad Not as efficient as possible, especially throwing to 2B. Put the bat on the ball, but not a threat to drive it. Not a terribly big guy -- needs to be as efficient as possible. Seems to have physical limitations. Hard to see how he makes it to the majors as anything other than a short term emergency replacement. Quote "I don't know how that was a single, but it fell in somehow." Wife talking about Rohlfing's sole hit in one game. Dakota Watts -- good speed (95-97), ball flattens out, below average control, good curve (potential to be above average) Conclusion Yes, indeed, we've got a load of talent at AA. While some of these guys are clearly better than the other players at the level (Sano, May, Rosario) and some are quite good on their own (Santana), they each have learning to do before they can take that jump to the majors. In other words, it looks like Twins have good reasons for keeping them where they are at, and not just sitting on service clock timing. So... that's it. Let me know what you think, and if you'd like more in the future. Going to see the Kernels again this weekend, and may do something similar on them if there is an interest.