BrianTrottier

Because I'm too lazy.

I admittedly didn't read the whole article, but he seems to base his argument on comparing the number of WAR accumulated by specific players as evidence the twins haven't been so hot at acquiring talent. I guess my first gripe with that is that it's not fair to use a cumulative statistic as a comparison when guys are playing different amounts of time (for example, saying Pelfrey was better than Santana this year based on WAR, even though he had less than half a win above in twice the length of time). I'm also not sure about the author's comparisons of WAR between pitchers and position players, but maybe that's just because of my misunderstanding of the statistic. I also wish he would actually show fWar leaders from other teams in the same timespan as he did for the twins. Without that he's not really comparing them to anything, other than a few cherry-picked anecdotes. I suspect the differences in WAR accumulated by Twins acquisitions wouldn't actually be as large as the author seems to suggest. So I agree with the others who think of this article as just a fluff piece.

A couple more wins would definitely have proven useful at this point in the year, but I'm sure there are a few wins that the local squeezed out that has other teams asking what if.

Throwing out past performance, who would be more valuable to a team today, AJ, or Willie Mays? I guess AJ is the better player...

Zero people.

Why does everyone buy into the narrative that Sano can't field? Is it because he's big, and we assume that big guys can't field? It's just wrong. As far as Buxton being in the "can't hit" group, why don't we give him some time to develop at the major league level? He's played all of 11 games, and appeared to be turning a corner right before he went on the DL. And yes, those other guys you mentioned have shown signs of being capable major leaguers. Some guys just need more time to develop. I'm not saying that they will all be ML regulars, but they do have upside. Finally, regarding the farm system as a whole, I'll believe the experts that have consistently ranked the Twins' in the top 3 over the past two-three years over individual Twins Daily posters venting their emotions on a message board.

Just curious what "debacle" you're talking about. He's played all of 11 games and was showing improvement at the plate on top of stellar defense before getting injured (which itself does not constitute a debacle). Cut the kid some slack and allow him to learn the major league game before dismissing his performance.

Does anyone know when they started putting corporate-clip-art-esque pictures of the Twins players in business casual attire on the jumbo screen during their at bats? I haven't been to Target Field in a couple of years, so maybe they've been doing it while, judging by the lack of reactions from the people around me.

If you want to get pedantic, by definition every player's ceiling is limited. That's why it's called a ceiling. And no, he won't "magically" start taking more walks, but he can improve his pitch recognition and command of the zone through repetitions, watching video, and hard work, which should translate to more walks. Also, you might be undermining your own point about Rosario. If he's league average or better at hitting, power, and defense (and I'd add base running to that list), and the only thing you believe he'll be below average at is taking walks, then how is he not a starter?

That probably has to do with Buxton being a super prospect and having the potential to become a generational talent. No such thing could have ever been said about Hicks. Apples and oranges.

"Statistical analysis isn't advanced knowledge, it's mainstream" Comments like this make me shudder. You don't just "learn" statistical analysis by reading the Economist (or TD, for that matter). It takes years of studying and hard work, and even then the professionals are still constantly reading, learning, and updating their tool kits.

Well this became outdated quite quickly. Early season frustration...

Let's put the over/under at 5. Any takers?

Why is it that Jordan Schafer, of all people, gets the respect of a major league starter when in his 1,100+ MLB at bats he's done nothing to prove that he even comes close to having earned that title, while guys like Mauer (i.e. arguably the best offensive catcher of all time, or at least the past 40 years) and Arcia (a guy with a legitimate 30+ HR power and .750+ OPS potential who is less than 25 years old) are consistently treated as liabilities? I just don't understand the sensibilities that are often exhibited on this site.

Jordan Schafer is not an enigma. He's a well known commodity and has demonstrated that he's nothing close to a major league starter. The only reason that he's even being included in a conversation as a fourth OF (let alone a GD starter) is that he plays for the Twins.

"John – ..220/.290/.400 (.690) with 15 doubles and 12 HR" Just curious how Arcia could slug .400 with only 15 doubles and 12 home runs. Are we assuming his season is done by June?

The thought of Schafer hitting .250 or better over the course of a season just seems fanciful.

I guess I thought that he already duplicated (and improved upon) his production last year from 2013. There's always risk when signing a player to a contract, but I think Dozier is a much better known entity than a lot of people here give him credit for.

Sorry if this was brought up in an earlier comment, but one thing to remember is that with Sano's arm he can afford to play back a bit, giving himself a little more time to react and get to balls. That could help lessen any negative impacts that could come from some lack of athleticism required to play third.

Care to explain that? How does Arcia not hit at least 20-25?

I don't think anyone is implying that he's mastered AA ball. But looking at the numbers it does seem that he more than held his own, especially considering that he was almost five years younger than the average competition (much of which also has seen major league pitching). I think Berrios has given Twins fans every reason to be very optimistic. But I also understand the healthy skepticism. My point is just that sometimes prospects do pan out, and Berrios has certainly shown signs of overcoming some of the harsher criticisms people have leveled at him.

Not to mention that Shields would actually have to have been willing to sign with the Twins.

Maybe not the best baseball move, but my 14 year old self likes it.

I like both thoughts of acquiring Kemp or Tomas. I was reading that a lot of scouts project Tomas to be about a 2 WAR guy per season which would value him at about $12 million a year, but Kemp hasn't put up 2 WAR since 2012 (baseball-reference). I suppose Kemp might be 'less risky' in that he's a known commodity whereas Tomas is essentially a prospect. I'm not sure that Kemp would be a better alternative defensively--his UZR and runs saved look to be on a pretty quick decline (Fangraphs). So I guess if there were a hypothetical choice to be made on the Twins' part maybe Tomas would be the better alternative since his glove is serviceable in left and he's got his prime offensive years in front of him if he develops as hoped. I don't know..who do people think we would have to give up in order to acquire Kemp and get the Dodgers to take on most of his contract?

I guess I'll stop with this comment since it's mostly off-topic and we're just not going to agree. I still don't see how athleticism is more important for outfielders than infielders, since the latter also rely on fast-twitch muscle movements, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, agility, etc.--the stuff that makes athletes athletic. The only real difference between the two that I can see is that outfielders might be required to have better acceleration and open field speed, especially when compared to corner infielders. But this does not mean that an outfielder's ability is immutable and incapable of improvement. But I do really like the point about other players on the field being able to mask a given player's deficiencies. Arcia will never be a gold glover and maybe never even above average. But I think he can develop into an outfielder who least pulls his weight. If he keeps along his current defensive trajectory (which in fairness is only made up of two years), he'll be a serviceable MLB outfielder who can actually add value defensively, especially once Buxton comes along to man CF.