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The Twins desperately needed a good start this year to generate some enthusiasm following a stretch of four consecutive horrible seasons and a deflating development involving their top free agent acquisition just before Opening Day. Unfortunately, the first week has played out in the opposite fashion. One could hardly imagine a worse start to this 2015 campaign, as the first week of games has seen the Twins win just one of seven. For the most part, this club hasn't even been competitive. Some of the struggles are tied up in slumps that seem unlikely to extend much further. But this is a roster that was constructed sub-optimally from the start, as Twins decision-makers opted for veteran mediocrity over youthful upside in almost every possible instance. With that plan blowing up in the worst way, how long will Terry Ryan, Paul Molitor and Co. stick to their guns? How patient can they be before implementing major shakeups to prevent things from getting out of hand?One could paint the idea of drastic roster overhauls after one week of games as an overreaction, but in this case the horrors that have played out on the field only help to confirm the dubiousness of several choices made at the end of spring. In a sense, it's unfair to cast judgment on Blaine Boyer or Tim Stauffer or the current center field duo for struggling in such a small sample, especially with the team at large failing on almost every level. But these are easily addressed problems, where the solution is almost certain to pay better short-term and long-term dividends. What benefit is there to continually trotting out a veteran like Boyer or Shane Robinson? The minor-leaguers have done their parts in an even smaller slate of games. Aaron Hicks has an OPS above 1.000 through four games at Triple-A and Josmil Pinto is over .800 as usual. The Rochester bullpen, which includes several seemingly MLB-ready arms, has not allowed a run. Sample size be damned, it seems flat-out strange that these players are putting up numbers in Triple-A after being eschewed for ill-equipped vets that look overmatched in the majors. If things continue the way they're going, the Twins will face some tougher decisions. How long can Oswaldo Arcia continue to stumble around in left field while looking utterly awful at the plate? How lengthy is Kyle Gibson's leash if he keeps delivering starts that remotely resemble his first one? Can J.R. Graham be trusted to overcome his control woes and get outs? But those potentially long-term building blocks deserve more patience than veteran journeyman bench players and relievers who probably shouldn't have been on the roster to begin with, and carry little if any value beyond this season. Clear them out, and replace them with viable young players to energize this grossly underperforming squad. I'm not necessarily convinced that a roster with Hicks, Pinto, Michael Tonkin, Ryan Pressly and others is going to be substantially better, but it could hardly be worse and at the very least it gives fans something worth tuning into. At this point, that's got to be a major concern for this club. Click here to view the article

In baseball, spring is a time of optimism, hope, and endless possibilities. With the regular season days away, and anticipation at its highest following a long and cold offseason, just about everyone is feeling the buzz. The potential. The freshness. This year, we should be feeling that vibe more than ever. Things are moving in a legitimately positive trajectory, in terms of upcoming young personnel, and this is the healthiest I can ever remember the team being at the start of April. Yet, when you scan the roster that Paul Molitor and his staff have settled on taking north, it's hard not to feeling a sense of puzzlement and deflation.Shane Robinson. He's a 30-year-old career backup with a .612 OPS in the majors, and he hit .150 last year with St. Louis. Blaine Boyer. He's a 33-year-old who was out of big leagues for two years, between a trip to Japan and a brief retirement, before returning last year to throw 40 decent innings for San Diego. Chris Herrmann. He's a 27-year-old with a .196 average and .548 OPS in 276 MLB plate appearances. He plays a lot of positions, but none of them all that well, and he's a catcher who rarely catches. He's mostly been an emergency valve at the position, in fact. These are players that should generally be viewed as backup options, if not backup backup options. They are the guys who should be stashed in the minors or at the very end of the bench. But each has clutched a spot on the Twins' opening day roster and each is in line to play a fairly significant role from the get-go. Robinson, who struggled mightily in 47 games with the Cardinals last year before being released in November, is the only option in center field other than Jordan Schafer, who himself profiles as a backup. Paul Molitor has said he won't be straight-up platooning the two, but Robinson still figures to see some time. Boyer has a great story and an intriguing fastball, but there's not a whole lot of reason to believe he's going to be an above-average reliever. It's one thing to have a guy like that at the very bottom of your bullpen chain, but Boyer is not that. The Twins are also carrying Mike Pelfrey, who has zero experience as a reliever and whose usage will be tightly restricted early on. And also J.R. Graham, who hasn't pitched an inning in the majors or Triple-A. And also Tim Stauffer, who's been flat-out horrendous this spring. Boyer, at this point, looks like the No. 2 righty option out of the bullpen. Herrmann is not without value, and probably is a better hitter than he's shown in his altogether short big-league time. But with the rest of the bench looking rather thin, and with Herrmann's versatility, he's going to get some tread. As Kurt Suzuki's only backup, he'll probably start once a week behind the plate, where he played all of one inning in the majors last year. In fairness, it should be pointed out that there were some extenuating circumstances at play in all these cases. Herrmann may have only won his job because Josmil Pinto suffered a concussion late in camp that set him back. Chances are he won't be around long. Robinson was the fallback plan when Aaron Hicks was deemed unready. He was the best defensive option to complement Schafer and the Twins are trying to help their pitching staff, which is fair enough. Boyer probably wouldn't have stuck around if he didn't make the team, and for whatever reason the Twins want to get a look at him. I will say that much of the outrage about certain demotions this spring, often alluding to things like upside and age, strikes me as overblown. None of the moves mentioned above are permanent, and younger players like Trevor May and Michael Tonkin -- who were most likely better options than those that beat them out -- will head to the minors, where they'll wait in line and be available when the time comes. Still, the Twins are coming out of the chute featuring a roster that is overly dense with journeymen and long shots; players you expect to find on a last-place team. Like, say, the Twins in August. But, the Twins in April? Obviously, I hope some of these odd experiments work out. But if they don't, will Molitor show the same type of unwarranted patience that his predecessor tended to exercise in such situations? That could be a key area for the new regime to differentiate itself. Click here to view the article

This morning, first year manager Paul Molitor announced the next handful of roster cuts for the Minnesota Twins. As the team whittles down its roster to 25 players prior to opening day a week from Monday, the group of Fort Myers is going to get smaller. With 31 players now left in camp, Molitor has six more players he must send packing. The latest round however may have caused more confusion than clarity.Among the roster moves this morning, the Minnesota Twins elected to send out position players Eddie Rosario and Aaron Hicks. Both outfielders will head to Triple-A Rochester to begin the 2015 season. Relief pitcher Mark Hamburger was also optioned, as well as starter Trevor May. Both pitchers will also head to the Red Wings. With the moves, it was also announced that Tommy Milone would open as the Twins fifth and final starter, with Mike Pelfrey transitioning to the bullpen. No matter how you break it down, Saturday was by far the most integral day of roster shuffling the Twins have seen thus far. With the plethora of decisions made, the roster is taking shape. That being said, there's no doubt that a few of the moves made cause confusion. Starting with the outfield, particularly center field, both Hicks and Rosario were sent packing. Thus far during the spring, we have heard that neither Hicks nor Rosario would stick with the club in a rotational capacity. Either one would be named the starter or both would be sent packing. The curious part of the equation is that those sentiments seemed to be in unison with one another. It was thought that either Rosario or Hicks would start, as it never appeared likely that Jordan Schafer or Shane Robinson were viable candidates. That brings us to where we are now. The Twins are heading into 2015 with opportunity to outperform expectations. No one is banking on them being a playoff team, but if all things break right, they could squeak in. That being said, the upcoming season is about figuring out who you have to pair with the arrival of the talented youth on the way. Rosario still very much remains of that latter group, but the problem is Aaron Hicks. Hicks, a former first-round pick for the Twins, has struggled mightily at the major league level. After an impressive 2013 spring training, he was promoted to the starting role from Double-A, despite being more of a tools prospect than in the refined category of a Byron Buxton. Last year, for the first time in his career, a demotion allowed him to progress through both the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He did so while hitting for average, getting on base, and playing solid centerfield defense. Today's move suggest the Twins aren't looking to substantiate that at the major league level and the big question is why? Figuring out what Hicks has to give you prior to turning Buxton and Rosario loose seems to be an integral thing to unlock. Doing so out of the gate with a strong end to the 2014 season made the most sense. Now it would appear the Twins have created more questions than answers. In moving on from Hicks to start the season, Molitor is giving the center field job to Jordan Schafer and Shane Robinson. He has said he will "play matchups" but that it won't be a straight platoon situation. While that's great in theory, by and large, that is what will take place. The problem there is that a platoon is designed to allow a batter to exploit his talents against a certain type of pitcher. Neither Robinson nor Schafer possess any real ability at the plate. Schafer owns a .229 career average, and was under the Mendoza line last season before coming over from the Braves. Sure he hit .285 for the Twins, but there's no way the production is sustainable. As an outfielder owning a UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) of -8.4, he's not someone you ideally want starting in center, either. On the other side of the equation, Robinson fooled no one with a breakout season at the plate. He spent much of 2014 in Triple-A for the Cardinals. His career UZR of 7.8 is indicative of his billing as a defensive outfielder, but his career average suggests he's virtually a guaranteed out as well. At the end of the day, Molitor and the Twins appear to have looked past Aaron Hicks at this juncture and that may result in them getting another opportunity to do so. Looking at the mound, the rotation has been set. As Mike Pelfrey heads to the pen with Milone rounding out the rotation, the Twins know who will be in the rotation to start the year. Pelfrey voiced displeasure, suggesting he was told he would be given a chance to start, and that he didn't believe he'd be destined for the pen. This morning, he went as far as saying if there are clubs who believe in him as a starter, he would be open to moving on. To be fair, the competition likely never included Pelfrey from the get go. While he posted a sub 2.00 ERA this spring, 13.2 innings were never going to be enough to provide any information that multiple years of bad starting pitching wouldn't overshadow. Trevor May pitched well, and despite his rough outing on Friday, he was always going to be in an uphill battle. Milone is a proven commodity and pitched well on a solid Oakland team. Minnesota should expect him to return to that form this season. Despite being upset about his new role, Pelfrey actually could extend his career this way. With the ability to perhaps push the radar gun to around 97 in a less stamina-related role, he could overpower hitters to a greater extent. With Wade Davis as the prime example, if Pelfrey can follow that path and become even close to Davis' level, the Twins stand to gain a lot with this decision. Should Palfrey be focused on starting, the Twins could look to the Mets, Blue Jays, and maybe even the Red Sox as options as trade partners. The problem is that a bad starting pitcher is probably going to net them less value in a trade than the value of finding out what they have by having him relieve first. At the end of Saturday, we know a lot more about how the Twins will look when they head north. Some of it is easy to agree with (sorry Pelf, the pen is home now), and some doesn't make sense (Hicks now becomes a bigger question mark than he was before). As the Twins embark on their last week in Florida, look for the backup catcher role to be determined and Eduardo Nunez to continue to be evaluated. Let's hope we aren't having another frustrating discussion involving Kennys Vargas later this week. The Twins are at the mercy of injury when it comes to Josmil Pinto, and if they have to bring Chris Herrmann north because of it, so be it. That being said, lets shoot for a bit higher ceiling with the rest of the decisions, all right brain trust? For more, check out Off The Baggy's official site. Or follow on Twitter @tlschwerz Click here to view the article

At the beginning of this month, I projected the Twins Opening Day roster. When spring training begins, I’ll update that list. There are few questions marks in the roster. The fifth starter job will be up for grabs as well as a couple of bullpen spots. However, the centerfield job will certainly be one to watch.We know that Torii Hunter will be starting in right field. Oswaldo Arcia will make the move over to left field, but centerfield remains a question. The Twins did not address the position in the offseason, at least not in a big, obvious way. This leads me to what I believe to be Plan A. Plan A: Third Time’s The Charm I am of the belief that the Twins brass wants Aaron Hicks to have a strong spring training and take the reins on the starting job. That’s what he did in 2013. In 2014, he beat out Alex Presley for the starting centerfield job. In fact, the Twins DFA'd Presley near the end of spring training, meaning that there really wasn’t a backup plan for 2014. In fact, when Hicks was sent back to the minor leagues, the Twins tried Eduardo Escobar in centerfield for a game before the job was given to Danny Santana, who ran with it. Hicks will be just 25 years old throughout the 2014 season. That isn’t necessarily young, but I wonder if some think he might be older after being given the opportunity the last two seasons. He has never been a great hitter in the minor leagues, but in a good year, he can fill a stat sheet. He has all the tools to be good. Even in a poor 2014 season, he posted a .341 on-base percentage. It’s possible, so the team does have to have a Plan B, too. Plan B: Fourth Outfielder Platoon Jordan Schafer is going to be on the roster. If Aaron Hicks is the starter, Schafer is the fourth outfielder. If Aaron Hicks is sent to the minor leagues, Schafer gets a lot more playing time. The 28 year old was DFA'd last year after hitting just .163 in 80 at bats over 63 games for Atlanta. The Twins swooped in and claimed him. He was given regular playing time and showed what he could do. He hit .285/.345/.362 (.707) with seven extra base hits. The speedster combined to steal 30 bases over the course of the season. Schafer would be the primary starter. As a left-handed hitter, there would likely be a right-hand hitting option to play centerfield against southpaws. This offseason, the Twins signed 30-year-old outfielder Shane Robinson to a minor league contract. In parts of five seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit .231/.303/.308 in 452 plate appearances. The biggest tool that Schafer and Robinson have is their speed. Both play very good defense which will be important because of the perceived lack of range in the corners. There may not be much offense, but these two could play very solid defense in the outfield. Plan C: The Long-Shot 2014 was a rough season for Eddie Rosario. It began late due to a 50-game suspension for a second positive test for a drug of abuse. After eight games with the Miracle, he was quickly moved up to New Britain. He hit just .243/.286/.387 (.674) with 20 doubles, three homers and eight RBI with the Rock Cats. However, he was sent back to the Arizona Fall League and was one of the league’s best hitters. He hit .330 with four doubles and two triples. He had four hits including a home run in the AFL championship game. He played left field most of the season, but he is fully capable of playing center field. If Hicks struggles in spring training, and Rosario tears it up and looks and acts ready, this could happen. As mentioned in this section's header, it would be a long shot, but it is worth watching. Plan D: The Fall Back Plan If the Twins coaches, manager and front office feel that what is best for Aaron Hicks (and Eddie Rosario) is to go back to the minor leagues, and the Twins aren’t comfortable with giving regular at bats to Jordan Schafer, there is one other plan. If the team wants to start the season with their best lineup (and they don’t feel that Hicks gives them that right away), we could see Danny Santana return to centerfield with Eduardo Escobar remaining the primary shortstop. Although he had played very little outfield in the minor leagues, Danny Santana came up with the Twins and ended up playing doing an adequate job in the outfield and hit far better than his minor league track record indicated that he should have. At the same time, Eduardo Escobar put together a very solid season. In 133 total games, he hit .275/.315/.406 (.721) with 37 doubles, a triple and a home run. He played very good defense as well, something that isn’t certain with Santana. Escobar has been basically pigeon-holed into the idea that he is “just” a utility infielder. Obviously that role is very important to a team, and yet we forget that he just turned 26 years old. He could possibly be a legit starting shortstop in the big leagues. Center field will be a center of attention throughout spring training. It is an important position defensively, and any offense will be a bonus from the position. Byron Buxton needs more time to shake off the rust from last season and perform in the upper levels of the minor leagues. He could be up by July, or it could be in 2016. So the questions for you are: 1.) What do you think should happen at the position? 2.) What do you think will happen at the position? Click here to view the article