Minnesota Sports Forum

Crickets...... Anyone excited about spring training?

I'm excited, jester. I was down in Naples last weekend for a quick golf vacation, and stopped by the complex Monday afternoon on the way to the airport to see if I could watch a little practice. Unfortunately, the players had all left for the day, but it was still fun to see the complex and talk to a few people hanging around there. Here were a couple takeaways I had from my discussions from fans who have been watching practices (several players have been there working out even before pitchers and catchers reported last Sunday).

-Sano is spending countless hours on the back fields catching fly balls, and looks like he could become a good outfielder. He isn't in game shape yet (one guy told me he looked like he might be over 280), but he reported to camp at that weight last year too, and quickly lost it. Apparently he looks quick in the outfield even at that weight and is smooth out there tracking fly balls.

-Everyone wanted to talk about Berrios. We all know he has a fastball in the mid-90s and a plus slider, but a couple guys were talking about his changeup. One guy described it as Johan Santana-like...just disappears halfway to the plate.

Most of the sportswriters have Berrios starting the season in AAA, but I think Mollie is going to want him in the rotation. Gibson and Santana are givens if they are healthy, and although I'm not high on him, they love Hughes too ( I kind of wish he would incur a calf pull or something minor in spring training to clear they way for Berrios). The other guys I want to see in the rotation at the start of the year are Milone (the only lefty) and Duffey (didn't have a bad start last year after getting shelled in his debut in Toronto). That's six guys for five spots, with Nolasco and May in the bullpen.

The lineup will be interesting with lots of potential but also lots of question marks. Mollie is leaving a lot of hints that he wants Mauer to bat second, and also wants Buxton to earn the leadoff spot...he really wants that disruptive speed at the top of the order. If Park transitions to the bigs as quickly as his Korean teammate Kang did for the Pirates last year, here is my lineup:

Buxton CF
Mauer 1B
Sano RF (although I don't understand why Mollie doesn't play him in left and leave Rosario in right)
Plouffe 3b
Rosario LF
Park DH
Dozier 2B
Murphy/Suzuki C
Escobar SS

It's easy to get excited about that lineup, but it could also shatter the team record for most strikeouts...let's get this party started!

LST you forget this is an even year so Hughes is pretty much guaranteed to be good! Save that calf pull for the following odd year season where he doesn't do well. Lol

Thanks for the report. I need to pay more attention to the Twins this year and I am truly more excited this year than I have been for a while.

Ha. you're right, monster...my friends kept reminding me of Hughes every other year pattern last weekend! The funny thing is he's one of my favorite players...loved the way he handled his innings bonus situation 2 seasons ago. He just seems like a true professional and classy guy. The problem is he has a difficult time keeping the ball in the ballpark...35 HRs even in one of his good years (2012) and 29 last year in only 155 innings. I trust him less than Santana, Duffey, Gibson and Milone, and I want to see Berrios, so Hughes is my odd man out. Now, it's not unlikely that one of the 6 isn't healthy on opening day and the situation takes care of itself, but if not, Hughes is my 6th guy.

What rotation do you want to see, assuming everyone is ready to go at the start of the season?

longstrangetrip wrote:Ha. you're right, monster...my friends kept reminding me of Hughes every other year pattern last weekend! The funny thing is he's one of my favorite players...loved the way he handled his innings bonus situation 2 seasons ago. He just seems like a true professional and classy guy. The problem is he has a difficult time keeping the ball in the ballpark...35 HRs even in one of his good years (2012) and 29 last year in only 155 innings. I trust him less than Santana, Duffey, Gibson and Milone, and I want to see Berrios, so Hughes is my odd man out. Now, it's not unlikely that one of the 6 isn't healthy on opening day and the situation takes care of itself, but if not, Hughes is my 6th guy.

What rotation do you want to see, assuming everyone is ready to go at the start of the season?

In 2014 Hughes gave up 16 HRs and I don't really feel like looking up where that ranks but it seems pretty decent for a guy that pitched 200 innings. Like you said things will work themselves out. Berrios might be the young guy I am most excited about but I think it's gonna take a no-brainer performance from him and other guys poor performances to get him in to start the season which could happen. I like Duffy but I am not convinced he is gonna win a spot. The Twin have plenty of options and a lot of them are at least solid if not promising. Remember Pelfrey was the forgotten man and he ended up in the rotation and performed well for a while so...Nolosco is still an option and who knows.

Yeah, 2014 was a really good year for Phil, monster, but he just hasn't shown that he can consistently keep the ball in the park in his other years...including the most recent. That's why he's #6 on my list right now. My fear is that all 6 are healthy at the start of the season, though, and Berrios is held back...I hope not.

Some other talkers this spring:

Kennys Vargas had a terrific winter and is apparently in great shape with his weight down. Like Phil Hughes, he was really good in 2014 and really bad last year. If the 2014 Vargas is the real Vargas, that will provide yet another reason Joe Mauer is clogging things up at 1b.

Nobody improved more in the organization last year than Max Kepler as he shot up the list of top prospects. Can he continue to excel and earn a reserve OF position, or even a starting position if Buxton still doesn't get it?

Danny Santana showed great speed and quick hands when he was our starting CFer the last half of 2014, but looked totally lost at the plate as he struggled at SS last year. Maybe his best role is as a backup outfielder.

We have two young lefties that I love...Stephan Gonsalves who has been consistently outstanding his entire short career with the Twins, and Lewis Thorpe who is coming off TJ surgery. Either or both of them could be a top of the rotation lefty in 2-3 years, so I'm really interested in seeing how they progress.

Bullpen: I like Ryan's strategy of drafting fireballers the past few years, but at least one of them needs to step up and earn a bullpen spot this year.

Monster, Cam, Jester et al...what are you guys looking for this spring?

A lot of fans probably don't like it but I like all the flyers the Twins took on OFs who could be useful bench players. Mastro is back, Sweeney Quintin, Benson and it feels like I am probably forgetting a couple other guys. The Twins have seemed to get something out of some of these types even if it's for a couple months. The best was trading a guy they got for nothing and getting Milone.

Yep Kenny Vargas is just one of those guys like Santana or Arcia. Are these guys the sort of guys that have a couple nice months and then really never show anything more or are they going to be useful players? I know I follow the Twin more in depth than I did years ago but it feels like they have a bevy of young talent they could deal at any moment to a team looking for some guys to take flyers on and some other even more legit prospects without giving up really top level talent.

I forgot about Arcia, monster. There was a lot of excitement about him in Ft. Myers last Monday, but I don't remember if it was because he was there and these guys had been watching him in the cage or if it was just hearsay. Anyway, most of the guys I talked with thought Mollie would start the season with a Park/Arcia platoon.

longstrangetrip wrote:I forgot about Arcia, monster. There was a lot of excitement about him in Ft. Myers last Monday, but I don't remember if it was because he was there and these guys had been watching him in the cage or if it was just hearsay. Anyway, most of the guys I talked with thought Mollie would start the season with a Park/Arcia platoon.

I know a few weeks ago there was a tweet about how Arcia had been working out and was in terrific shape and his teammates that worked out with him said he was basically a beast ripped etc.

longstrangetrip wrote:Yeah, 2014 was a really good year for Phil, monster, but he just hasn't shown that he can consistently keep the ball in the park in his other years...including the most recent. That's why he's #6 on my list right now. My fear is that all 6 are healthy at the start of the season, though, and Berrios is held back...I hope not.

Some other talkers this spring:

Kennys Vargas had a terrific winter and is apparently in great shape with his weight down. Like Phil Hughes, he was really good in 2014 and really bad last year. If the 2014 Vargas is the real Vargas, that will provide yet another reason Joe Mauer is clogging things up at 1b.

Nobody improved more in the organization last year than Max Kepler as he shot up the list of top prospects. Can he continue to excel and earn a reserve OF position, or even a starting position if Buxton still doesn't get it?

Danny Santana showed great speed and quick hands when he was our starting CFer the last half of 2014, but looked totally lost at the plate as he struggled at SS last year. Maybe his best role is as a backup outfielder.

We have two young lefties that I love...Stephan Gonsalves who has been consistently outstanding his entire short career with the Twins, and Lewis Thorpe who is coming off TJ surgery. Either or both of them could be a top of the rotation lefty in 2-3 years, so I'm really interested in seeing how they progress.

Bullpen: I like Ryan's strategy of drafting fireballers the past few years, but at least one of them needs to step up and earn a bullpen spot this year.

Monster, Cam, Jester et al...what are you guys looking for this spring?

Hey Fellas sorry for late response, I was actually busy getting engaged at Disney World the last couple days lol

Im basically looking forward to everything you guys have already talked about, but I been saving this but I had about a 20 min conversation with Terry Ryan when I was at twins fest a month back and can answer some of your questions.

1. The organization wants Buxton to take the reigns of the centerfield job, but Terry made it perfectly clear to me if Max Kepler has a better spring training then Buxton that they will have no hesitation making him he opening day center fielder and start Buxton in the minors.

2. Trevor May needs to deal with his role as a bullpen guy, this was the touchy subject when I brought it up Ryan's face started getting a little red. Sounds like the same thing that Perkins went through with the organization.

3. Speaking of Perkins of healthy will be the opening day closer.

4. Idk how to spell his name and I'm typing on my phone and don't want to lose all this but Mason Metolakis is the bullpen arm we have in the minors.

5. Berrios will most likely start the year in Triple A with the exception of an injury. Terry was really high on Duffey and Hopes he doesn't go through the same groin pains as Gibson did in his second year with command.

6. Terry talked the orgnaztion on taking that lefty from Illinois in last years draft. His approached he told me is the same one the royals take. He said to me look at there orgnaztion there just not 2-4 guys there that are reliable, they are literally 8-10 deep.

7. Also at the time was very adamant that we were not trading Plouffe and that Sano can play RF. Quote from Terry "For God Sakes we signed him as a shortstop and people don't think he can play right field" then he shook his head.

This second time I've talked to Terry and he's always been very kind and willing to talk. I was with about 10 other season ticket holders, this was something you could bid on at twins fest to have like an hour lunch with him so it was pretty cool.

Sorry for all the grammar and spelling mistakes on my phone and this website doesn't work very well on phone.