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While Major League Baseball has decided to lock out the players and freeze big-league transactions, Minnesota has continued making minor league moves. Daniel Robertson and Tim Beckham were signed recently and could be depth fits for the 26-man roster, but what if this club already has a utility player in the form of a new piranha? Back in 2014, the Minnesota Twins used their first-round pick, 5th overall, on Nick Gordon. Brother of Dee and son of Tom, Gordon had plenty of baseball running through his bloodlines. A speedy shortstop with a quick bat, he spent seven years in the minors before making his big league debut last season. Gordon isn’t the shiny top-100 prospect he once was, but it’s hard to look at his production last season and not see a future benefit. I don’t think you’ll ever be able to make a strong argument that Gordon is a starting shortstop at the Major League level. His arm strength is questionable there, and while he has speed, that caveat also limits his range. What he can do is be a swiss army knife that allowed the organization to put him where they wanted last season. What’s also interesting is that Gordon has a track record of finding more success in year two at every given level. Looking at Gordon’s Baseball-Reference page through 2019, we can see a pattern of advancement the second time through each of the upper-minors levels. His .906 OPS at Double-A Chattanooga was over 150 points higher than the year before, and that trend was repeated when he improved to the tune of 250 points at Triple-A Rochester. Following the season off due to the pandemic, in which Gordon dealt with his own health issues, he returned to post a strong .774 OPS at Triple-A St. Paul. For the Twins, Gordon slashed just .240/.292/.355 (.647). That’s not a line deserving of offensive consideration, but there’s a path forward here. Gordon needs to reign it in at the plate. A 39.5% chase rate and 25.9% CSW will not play with the rest of his peripherals. However, if he can follow down the established learning path and get closer to a 30% chase rate with a 16% CSW, the offensive production should be expected to level into the .750 OPS range. That becomes valuable for a guy who can also play a handful of infield positions and three outfield roles. Baseball has changed a lot since Ron Gardenhire employed the likes of Jason Bartlett, Nick Punto, and Luis Castillo, but Gordon could fit in as a throwback to those types. His skills are speed-focused, and he can be a menace on the bases. While bunting is an art, I’m all for staying lost, he’s a guy that can probably drop them down for hits occasionally too. If Minnesota wants something they haven’t had in recent years from a utility player, the best version of Nick Gordon could give them that. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

While the Minnesota Twins have been pretty good since Derek Falvey and Thad Levine took over the front office, we’re not far off from those awful Twins teams of a decade or so ago. I found myself scratching my head thinking, “remember these guys?” This isn’t intended to be a space where the thought process derives from guys being bad or otherwise unproductive, but more about remembering that these players wore a Twins uniform. Some of them were very brief, and some were in games that didn’t count, but they were there and going through the motions nonetheless. Here are a few of the more obscure ones I could come up with: Carlos Quentin This one may be my favorite and is where this idea came from. Remember Quentin being a two-time All-Star for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres? He had a pretty good career posting an .831 OPS and 154 homers. He retired in 2014, though, until he didn’t. In February of 2016, Minnesota signed Quentin to a minor league deal. He played 15 games for the Twins in Spring Training and posted an .833 OPS. However, instead of bringing him north, the Twins opted to play Miguel Sano in right field and asked Quentin to go to Rochester. He chose to be released instead. That Twins club lost 103 games. Jason Bartlett You remember the piranha Jason Bartlett, a scrappy shortstop for Ron Gardenhire clubs in the early 2000s. This is about the 34-year-old Bartlett that came back in 2014 and was all of a sudden a left fielder. In over 7,400 Major League innings, Bartlett had never played the outfield, but he acted as a defensive replacement for Gardy. That role lasted just two games and seven innings. It didn’t go well, and he hasn’t played since. Sean Burroughs Another former Padres player that had some name recognition. Burroughs played in 440 games at the Major League level from 2002 to 2006. He then didn’t resurface until 2011 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Coming to camp with the Twins in 2012, he played in 10 games compiling a .343 OPS before being released. John Ryan Murphy Minnesota acquired Murphy from the Yankees in exchange for Aaron Hicks. Both guys looked like they needed a fresh start, and after Murphy took star closer Glen Perkins deep at Target Field, apparently the Twins decided they needed to be that place. He played in just 26 games for Minnesota, posting a .413 OPS. Somehow, despite a .591 OPS in 143 Major League games since, Murphy was still getting big league jobs until 2020. Vance Worley One guy that will never forget his time with the Twins is Vance Worley. Ask him to sign a Minnesota baseball card, and he’d rather shred it. Acquired in the Ben Revere trade alongside Trevor May, Worley was the club’s Opening Day starter in 2013. He was beaten to a 7.21 ERA in just over 48 innings and never pitched with the club again. It was May who Minnesota wanted most in the Phillies deal, but the Major League-ready arm certainly didn’t work out. Sam Fuld One of my favorite acquisition stories in Twins history, Terry Ryan worked a laugher in Sam Fuld. Claiming him a couple of weeks into the season from Oakland, Fuld played 52 games for Minnesota before the Athletics needed his services back. In the deal, Tommy Milone was acquired by Minnesota and went on to pitch in 49 games for the Twins. Just the idea of flipping Oakland their asset back and gaining something in the ordeal was incredible. David Murphy Murphy’s Baseball Reference page ends at Triple-A in 2016, and that’s because he never actually played for the Twins. Needing outfield help, he was signed to Triple-A Rochester and played ten games before Minnesota needed his services. The 2016 Twins were an abomination, losing 103 games, and rather than accept his promotion to the big leagues, a 34-year-old Murphy called it quits. What are some players you remember being involved in weird Twins roster decisions? View full article