longstrangetrip wrote:Knee jerk reaction to Jake Cave homering in three consecutive games:
Might he be a better alternative to Kepler in RF starting out next season? I like how he plays in most facets of the game (power, baserunning, defense), although he hasn't shown he can hit lefties and has a poor K/BB ratio. Still, he hits the ball a long ways, and currently has an OPS almost 100 points higher than Kepler, and seems to be getting better as he adjust to MLB. I hear the arguments for Max's upside since he started playing baseball later than most guys, but he also seems to have plateaued at a mediocre level. Max is just on a one-year deal, so I would not be shocked if the Twins decided to move on from him. They might have to find someone to pair with Cave in RF if he continues to struggle against LHP though...Brent Rooker is a possibility, although this season he also hits RHP better than LHP.
LST I think Cave probably has shown enough to be considered more of an option than some guy that they picked up in a small deal. I'd rather consider him more of a plan B guy though. Still the power looks legit and he is 25 with around 200 Mlb ABs so there is a chance he really breaks though to some extent...and a chance he drops off into nothing that great. His defense the last few weeks has been a bit uneven at times.
Back to Kepler who has had a bit of a poor stretch lately. He is still on pace for over 50 extra base hits and to strike out less than 100 times. 57-85 walk to strike out rate is promising. Let say we were going to move him because of OF depth Im honestly not sure what I would be targeting. Obviously it's not like the Twins are so loaded that they don't have any needs. I'd want something pretty decent in a trade (or trade package) with Kepler or i'd Just keep him around he is arbitration eligible for the first time so he has 3 total years of team control left. Cave should be under team control for quite a while right? I'm not as up on the rules there and I haven't found a site that has his status easily spelled out for me. :)
bleedspeed177 wrote:What will our OF look like next year if we do nothing? Who would be the 4th guy?
Grossman is on just a 1-year deal and he's not so good in the OF, so I think he would be the odd man out if Buxton comes back healthy and effective. Kepler and Cave would likely battle it out for the RF spot with the other ending up the 4th OF.
bleedspeed177 wrote:What will our OF look like next year if we do nothing? Who would be the 4th guy?
Grossman is on just a 1-year deal and he's not so good in the OF, so I think he would be the odd man out if Buxton comes back healthy and effective. Kepler and Cave would likely battle it out for the RF spot with the other ending up the 4th OF.
LST you went right where I was going to start as well. Is Grossman sticking around? I've been a Grossman guy but at this point idk if he has done enough to prove he is worth having around. I would say that he is probably a MLB player with some faults but he has been too inconsistent this year and doesn't offset his meh ability in the OF. His down year at the plate is a little sliver of why this team wasn't as good this year. If Mauer doesn't come back maybe there is more of a place for him. I'm alright if we move on from him.
To me Buxton is the biggest question mark. Will he be healthy? Will he be able to hit? I have faith in him being able to hit but the healthy thing is concerning even if they are kinda freak happenstances he still hasn't stayed healthy.
The other question is whether or not some other guy emerges like Field (he is getting an audition so..idk probably not) or some other cheap FA signing or another young player in the organization. The OF isn't a spot I worry too much about it's probably one of the places this team is in relatively good shape and even though people say Buxton HAS to turn out or this team is in trouble I don't think that is quite the case.
Yeah, it's essential that Buxton play to his potential for this team to go where I think they can go. Rosario has had 2 1/2 consecutive solid seasons, so I'm confident we know who he is. But the range of outcomes for Buxton is wide. I still think he helps this team if he is healthy even if he doesn't hit because of his game-changing speed and defense.
Will Brent Rooker be able to contribute next year as a corner OF? Maybe. And then Alex Kiriloff looks like a star in the making, but being only 20, we probably don't see him until 2020.
And of course, I'm still hoping the Twins spend the available payroll they will have in the off-season on a true all-star bat. Harper is the only guy who I see out there in free agency that does much for me, so they may have to look at making a trade for a stud OF who is under contract. We know the money will be there. Can they make a deal?
