With Miranda ready, there won't really be 3B AB's for Arreaz IMO. And playing him in the OF is not ideal.
All Things 2021-2022 Minnesota Twins Off-Season Thread
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short ornery norwegian
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from all accounts, the Twins do not see Gordon as an everyday SS. That's why they played him at so many positions - as a try-out for the super-utility position.
One thing to consider for roster spots - La Tortuga is almost sure to be gone.
At C, they have to decide between Garver, Jeffers and Rortvedt. Garver would have some trade value. Jeffers and Rortvedt are the better defensive catchers. Jeffers also looks to have some power.
One thing to consider for roster spots - La Tortuga is almost sure to be gone.
At C, they have to decide between Garver, Jeffers and Rortvedt. Garver would have some trade value. Jeffers and Rortvedt are the better defensive catchers. Jeffers also looks to have some power.
I am against the idea of trading Garver. With Rocco. even if Garver stays healthy, the back-up catcher will catch 30-40% of the time anyway. I don't want Rortvedt getting 250 AB's.
BleedGopher
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Twins reassign their hitting coach with designs on updating their organizational philosophy
The Twins want someone who can break down a swing, but they’d also like to hire a hitting coach adept at using analytical tools. Those were two of the traits identified by Twins brass as desirable after the club announced Wednesday that co-hitting coach Edgar Varela has been reassigned to a new role following two seasons in the major leagues.
The Twins also announced the reassignment of major-league field coordinator Kevin Morgan. Morgan’s field coordinator position will not be filled, but the Twins still have three openings on manager Rocco Baldelli’s coaching staff. In addition to a co-hitting coach, the Twins are searching for a bench coach and another coach following the retirement of Bill Evers. Varela and Morgan are expected to remain in the organization in player-development roles.
“This person that we bring in next will be a very big voice on our hitting side,” Baldelli said. “We’re going to want to weigh that person’s thoughts but (also) the technical aspect of swing work and a lot of the other advancements that are going on in our game. … I do think a lot of different (offensive) advancements in the game are happening as we speak, and I think someone that can tap into those things — that will be a big part of what we’re doing here.”
Similar to the way pitching throughout baseball evolved through the use of analytics more than half a decade ago, the Twins see rapid development occurring on the offensive side of the sport and want to be on the cutting edge. They’d like a coach who’s adept in areas such as kinematic efficiency and wouldn’t be afraid to use biometric sensors to analyze a swing.
An alteration in offensive strategy should not come as a surprise. The Twins have embraced change under president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, particularly in the way they’ve approached pitching. Long gone are the days of pitching to contact. Through adjusted pitch sequencing, identifying underutilized pitches or even pitching coach Wes Johnson’s biometrics background, analytical information has helped Twins pitchers unlock more consistent swing-and-miss pitches than at any time in the organization’s history.
Though the 2021 season was an outright disaster, Twins pitchers led the American League in FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement from 2019 to 2020 and were second in baseball. Falvey sees a similar opportunity to improve on the hitting side.
“Your players are expecting to have some of those resources, have people that know how to use that information, how to translate it for them,” Falvey said. “I remember I had this conversation five to seven years ago about pitching, and now all of a sudden we’re here on hitting. It’s the same thing on the other side.
“We’ve all talked about it, our whole group has: What type of skills do we need? What are we missing? What communication styles do we have? And then, ultimately, how can we fill that as creatively as possible, both on the bench and off the bench as we build through the offseason?”
One internal candidate on the Twins’ list is Triple-A hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. Young hitters Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach sang Borgschulte’s praises after they worked with him this season. So did veteran Rob Refsnyder, who worked with Borgschulte to revamp his swing with Triple-A St. Paul in April and had an .871 OPS in 62 first-half plate appearances before a concussion and several hamstring injuries derailed his season.
“He’s really good,” Refsnyder said. “He’s young. He studies and he knows what he’s talking about. I think, shortly, he’ll be in the big leagues here soon as a hitting coach. I think he’s really, really good.”
theathletic.com
Win Twins!!
The Twins want someone who can break down a swing, but they’d also like to hire a hitting coach adept at using analytical tools. Those were two of the traits identified by Twins brass as desirable after the club announced Wednesday that co-hitting coach Edgar Varela has been reassigned to a new role following two seasons in the major leagues.
The Twins also announced the reassignment of major-league field coordinator Kevin Morgan. Morgan’s field coordinator position will not be filled, but the Twins still have three openings on manager Rocco Baldelli’s coaching staff. In addition to a co-hitting coach, the Twins are searching for a bench coach and another coach following the retirement of Bill Evers. Varela and Morgan are expected to remain in the organization in player-development roles.
“This person that we bring in next will be a very big voice on our hitting side,” Baldelli said. “We’re going to want to weigh that person’s thoughts but (also) the technical aspect of swing work and a lot of the other advancements that are going on in our game. … I do think a lot of different (offensive) advancements in the game are happening as we speak, and I think someone that can tap into those things — that will be a big part of what we’re doing here.”
Similar to the way pitching throughout baseball evolved through the use of analytics more than half a decade ago, the Twins see rapid development occurring on the offensive side of the sport and want to be on the cutting edge. They’d like a coach who’s adept in areas such as kinematic efficiency and wouldn’t be afraid to use biometric sensors to analyze a swing.
An alteration in offensive strategy should not come as a surprise. The Twins have embraced change under president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, particularly in the way they’ve approached pitching. Long gone are the days of pitching to contact. Through adjusted pitch sequencing, identifying underutilized pitches or even pitching coach Wes Johnson’s biometrics background, analytical information has helped Twins pitchers unlock more consistent swing-and-miss pitches than at any time in the organization’s history.
Though the 2021 season was an outright disaster, Twins pitchers led the American League in FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement from 2019 to 2020 and were second in baseball. Falvey sees a similar opportunity to improve on the hitting side.
“Your players are expecting to have some of those resources, have people that know how to use that information, how to translate it for them,” Falvey said. “I remember I had this conversation five to seven years ago about pitching, and now all of a sudden we’re here on hitting. It’s the same thing on the other side.
“We’ve all talked about it, our whole group has: What type of skills do we need? What are we missing? What communication styles do we have? And then, ultimately, how can we fill that as creatively as possible, both on the bench and off the bench as we build through the offseason?”
One internal candidate on the Twins’ list is Triple-A hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. Young hitters Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach sang Borgschulte’s praises after they worked with him this season. So did veteran Rob Refsnyder, who worked with Borgschulte to revamp his swing with Triple-A St. Paul in April and had an .871 OPS in 62 first-half plate appearances before a concussion and several hamstring injuries derailed his season.
“He’s really good,” Refsnyder said. “He’s young. He studies and he knows what he’s talking about. I think, shortly, he’ll be in the big leagues here soon as a hitting coach. I think he’s really, really good.”
Twins reassign their hitting coach with designs on updating their organizational philosophy
The Twins have reassigned co-hitting coach Edgar Varela and field coordinator Kevin Morgan, who will both remain in the organization.
theathletic.com
Win Twins!!
Ope3
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Twins reassign their hitting coach with designs on updating their organizational philosophy
The Twins want someone who can break down a swing, but they’d also like to hire a hitting coach adept at using analytical tools. Those were two of the traits identified by Twins brass as desirable after the club announced Wednesday that co-hitting coach Edgar Varela has been reassigned to a new role following two seasons in the major leagues.
The Twins also announced the reassignment of major-league field coordinator Kevin Morgan. Morgan’s field coordinator position will not be filled, but the Twins still have three openings on manager Rocco Baldelli’s coaching staff. In addition to a co-hitting coach, the Twins are searching for a bench coach and another coach following the retirement of Bill Evers. Varela and Morgan are expected to remain in the organization in player-development roles.
“This person that we bring in next will be a very big voice on our hitting side,” Baldelli said. “We’re going to want to weigh that person’s thoughts but (also) the technical aspect of swing work and a lot of the other advancements that are going on in our game. … I do think a lot of different (offensive) advancements in the game are happening as we speak, and I think someone that can tap into those things — that will be a big part of what we’re doing here.”
Similar to the way pitching throughout baseball evolved through the use of analytics more than half a decade ago, the Twins see rapid development occurring on the offensive side of the sport and want to be on the cutting edge. They’d like a coach who’s adept in areas such as kinematic efficiency and wouldn’t be afraid to use biometric sensors to analyze a swing.
An alteration in offensive strategy should not come as a surprise. The Twins have embraced change under president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, particularly in the way they’ve approached pitching. Long gone are the days of pitching to contact. Through adjusted pitch sequencing, identifying underutilized pitches or even pitching coach Wes Johnson’s biometrics background, analytical information has helped Twins pitchers unlock more consistent swing-and-miss pitches than at any time in the organization’s history.
Though the 2021 season was an outright disaster, Twins pitchers led the American League in FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement from 2019 to 2020 and were second in baseball. Falvey sees a similar opportunity to improve on the hitting side.
“Your players are expecting to have some of those resources, have people that know how to use that information, how to translate it for them,” Falvey said. “I remember I had this conversation five to seven years ago about pitching, and now all of a sudden we’re here on hitting. It’s the same thing on the other side.
“We’ve all talked about it, our whole group has: What type of skills do we need? What are we missing? What communication styles do we have? And then, ultimately, how can we fill that as creatively as possible, both on the bench and off the bench as we build through the offseason?”
One internal candidate on the Twins’ list is Triple-A hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. Young hitters Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach sang Borgschulte’s praises after they worked with him this season. So did veteran Rob Refsnyder, who worked with Borgschulte to revamp his swing with Triple-A St. Paul in April and had an .871 OPS in 62 first-half plate appearances before a concussion and several hamstring injuries derailed his season.
“He’s really good,” Refsnyder said. “He’s young. He studies and he knows what he’s talking about. I think, shortly, he’ll be in the big leagues here soon as a hitting coach. I think he’s really, really good.”
Twins reassign their hitting coach with designs on updating their organizational philosophy
The Twins have reassigned co-hitting coach Edgar Varela and field coordinator Kevin Morgan, who will both remain in the organization.
Win Twins!!
Wes?
GophersInIowa
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Miranda will only be in the Majors if he gets the opportunity to play everyday. I'm not sure that will happen right away next year unless there's injuries, Donaldson is going to be primarily a DH or someone's traded.
I would love to see him with the team ASAP, just not sure when it will be.
I think Donaldson will be the primary DH next season with Miranda at 3rd. He will probably still play 3rd 1-2 times/week. His defense is not what it once was.
short ornery norwegian
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FWIW - I know there are not a lot of Pat Reusse fans on here, but just want to recommend something -
Reusse does a weekly podcast on Skor North called "Reusse Unchained." On this week's episode, he spends a good deal of time talking about the changes in baseball brought on by analytics - first in pitching and now in hitting. really interesting stuff, including some perspective on how the Twins look at these issues, and what the analytics movement has meant in terms of changes in the way baseball is played. He suggests the Twins are closely watching what the SF Giants have done with their analytics-based approach to hitting.
well worth a listen if you're a baseball fan.
Reusse does a weekly podcast on Skor North called "Reusse Unchained." On this week's episode, he spends a good deal of time talking about the changes in baseball brought on by analytics - first in pitching and now in hitting. really interesting stuff, including some perspective on how the Twins look at these issues, and what the analytics movement has meant in terms of changes in the way baseball is played. He suggests the Twins are closely watching what the SF Giants have done with their analytics-based approach to hitting.
well worth a listen if you're a baseball fan.
JimmyJamesMD
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Ive spent the last 2 nights watching highlights of 1991 world series.
30 years ago....a long time for no championships
30 years ago....a long time for no championships
Gopher_In_NYC
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Your man crush on Eddie is showing
Gopher_In_NYC
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Per The. Athletic that’s why they fired their hitting coach.
Gopher_In_NYC
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Polanco had one of the best seasons ever on a crappy Twins team per The Athletic.STrib: Staying or leaving? An in-depth look at the Twins roster heading into the offseason
Jorge Polanco, 28
Relieved of pressure of playing shortstop, he morphed into Twins' most dangerous hitter, launching 35 doubles, 33 homers and slugging .503.
Contract: Guaranteed $5 million in 2022, $7.5 million in 2023
2022 outlook: Though trading him at his peak may be tempting, expect Polanco to hit in the heart of next year's lineup.
Miguel Sanó, 28
Survived the worst three months of his MLB career, putting his job in jeopardy, then made adjustments that made him a second-half juggernaut. Hit the year's longest home run in MLB.
Contract: Owed $9.25 million in 2022
2022 outlook: Playing first base and trying to make his second-half hitting performance permanent.
Byron Buxton, 27
With 4.5 WAR, had one of the greatest seasons in MLB history — by a player who missed 60% of his team's games. A breakout season, in other words, with the usual Buxton caveat.
Contract: Final year of arbitration, can expect to make $12 million or more.
2022 outlook: The Twins will try to sign him to a contract that figures to top $100 million; if unsuccessful, he's too valuable not to trade, because losing him to free agency for nothing would be disastrous.
Alex Kirilloff, 23
Nagging wrist injury spoiled his debut season, but Twins believe he's heart-of-the-order hitter for next decade.
Contract: Pre-arbitration
2022 outlook: Everyday starter in left field, or maybe right field, or perhaps first base. But count on 500 at-bats.
Staying or leaving? An in-depth look at the Twins roster heading toward 2022
An unexpected drop from first to last place and a revolving door of players leave a winter of decision-making ahead.www.startribune.com
Win Twins!!
Last edited:
Ope3
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I thought the comments Reusse relayed from Paul Molitor about Rosario were insightful, including the tagging up from 1st base Sunday not being as much of a risk as it would have appeared. With the play in front of him if he knew it was going to be a good throw, he could have retreated back.
Not really. He just had a bad year and might be a good bargain. If the postseason means he gets $10 million or multiple years, hard pass.Your man crush on Eddie is showing
Except that implied Eddie put that level of thought into it, which is a large assumption.
GophersInIowa
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I wish. They can't afford him with the pitching upgrades they need. Polanco is fine at SS.
Gopher_In_NYC
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Can I have nocturnal emissions in my 50s?
From the Parkinglot
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They could trade him for a pitcher. He doesn’t really have a position to play.
BleedGopher
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per Shooter:
While an extension for Fleck will depend on wins and losses the remainder of this season, an extension for Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is crucial. As was the case with Joe Mauer in 2010, when he ended up with a $184 million, eight-year deal, the Twins simply cannot allow Buxton to depart.
Buxton, 27, who can become a free agent after the 2022 season, changes games by himself. Not extending Buxton, who could become the best player in the game for five years, would be folding the tent.
Buxton’s cost would be at least $20 million a season over six years, with contract escalators on both sides depending on performance and injuries.
www.twincities.com
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While an extension for Fleck will depend on wins and losses the remainder of this season, an extension for Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is crucial. As was the case with Joe Mauer in 2010, when he ended up with a $184 million, eight-year deal, the Twins simply cannot allow Buxton to depart.
Buxton, 27, who can become a free agent after the 2022 season, changes games by himself. Not extending Buxton, who could become the best player in the game for five years, would be folding the tent.
Buxton’s cost would be at least $20 million a season over six years, with contract escalators on both sides depending on performance and injuries.
Charley Walters: Vikings face big offseason decisions, and Kirk Cousins’ future is one of them
Among the questions is how much the Vikings might be wiling to pay Cousins beyond 2022.
www.twincities.com
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BleedGopher
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With rehab on track, Twins prospect Royce Lewis looks ahead to 2022: ‘Let me off the leash’
The Twins gave Royce Lewis a well-deserved taste of live baseball action a few weeks back, and he can’t wait for more.
Sidelined for the entire 2021 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in February, Lewis finally returned to the field when he appeared in the last two games of the team’s Instructional League camp in mid-October.
Given how he feels after a lengthy, tedious rehab process, Lewis is excited about the 2022 season. The top Twins prospect remains grounded in his expectations for next year. He realizes there’s critical work ahead and the process will start slowly. But at the same time, Lewis said Tuesday he’s ecstatic when he thinks about his first real game action since he was named the most valuable player at the 2019 Arizona Fall League.
“Get on the field and play every day without a leash,” Lewis said during a video chat Tuesday. “Unhook the leash. Let me off the leash. Let’s get going, I’m ready.
“I know we’re going to start off slow … but hopefully we can get it going faster to when the season comes around I’m playing every day. I think that’s my main focus is to be able to have an opportunity to play. … I just want to help the team win, however I can do that. That’s my main focus right now and obviously staying healthy.”
theathletic.com
Win Twins!!
The Twins gave Royce Lewis a well-deserved taste of live baseball action a few weeks back, and he can’t wait for more.
Sidelined for the entire 2021 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in February, Lewis finally returned to the field when he appeared in the last two games of the team’s Instructional League camp in mid-October.
Given how he feels after a lengthy, tedious rehab process, Lewis is excited about the 2022 season. The top Twins prospect remains grounded in his expectations for next year. He realizes there’s critical work ahead and the process will start slowly. But at the same time, Lewis said Tuesday he’s ecstatic when he thinks about his first real game action since he was named the most valuable player at the 2019 Arizona Fall League.
“Get on the field and play every day without a leash,” Lewis said during a video chat Tuesday. “Unhook the leash. Let me off the leash. Let’s get going, I’m ready.
“I know we’re going to start off slow … but hopefully we can get it going faster to when the season comes around I’m playing every day. I think that’s my main focus is to be able to have an opportunity to play. … I just want to help the team win, however I can do that. That’s my main focus right now and obviously staying healthy.”
With rehab on track, Twins prospect Royce Lewis looks ahead to 2022: ‘Let me off the leash’
After living in Fort Myers since February while rehabbing his knee, Lewis is back home and set for a "normal" offseason training program.
theathletic.com
Win Twins!!
Gopher_In_NYC
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Let’s roll with him at SS. Be bold.With rehab on track, Twins prospect Royce Lewis looks ahead to 2022: ‘Let me off the leash’
The Twins gave Royce Lewis a well-deserved taste of live baseball action a few weeks back, and he can’t wait for more.
Sidelined for the entire 2021 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in February, Lewis finally returned to the field when he appeared in the last two games of the team’s Instructional League camp in mid-October.
Given how he feels after a lengthy, tedious rehab process, Lewis is excited about the 2022 season. The top Twins prospect remains grounded in his expectations for next year. He realizes there’s critical work ahead and the process will start slowly. But at the same time, Lewis said Tuesday he’s ecstatic when he thinks about his first real game action since he was named the most valuable player at the 2019 Arizona Fall League.
“Get on the field and play every day without a leash,” Lewis said during a video chat Tuesday. “Unhook the leash. Let me off the leash. Let’s get going, I’m ready.
“I know we’re going to start off slow … but hopefully we can get it going faster to when the season comes around I’m playing every day. I think that’s my main focus is to be able to have an opportunity to play. … I just want to help the team win, however I can do that. That’s my main focus right now and obviously staying healthy.”
With rehab on track, Twins prospect Royce Lewis looks ahead to 2022: ‘Let me off the leash’
After living in Fort Myers since February while rehabbing his knee, Lewis is back home and set for a "normal" offseason training program.
Win Twins!!
The Rays do it all the time
tmvander
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He'll be in the minors for 12 more seasons. He's a Twin.
short ornery norwegian
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Well, the guy (Austin Martin) they got from Toronto in the Berrios trade can also play SS.
Given that the Twins brain trust really seems to emphasize position flexibility, it's probably not a bad thing to have multiple options.
Given that the Twins brain trust really seems to emphasize position flexibility, it's probably not a bad thing to have multiple options.
BleedGopher
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After losing Akil Baddoo, Twins looking to reshape roster to avoid piracy of minor leaguers
The Twins will make a few changes to their offseason roster by Friday's MLB-mandated deadline, and they'll do so with a valuable tool that was missing last year: information.
"A year ago, with no minor-league season, we hadn't seen most of these guys play," Derek Falvey, Twins president of baseball operations, said of the process of promoting eligible prospects to the 40-man roster in order to keep from losing them in the Rule 5 draft next month. "Thankfully, there's not as much guesswork that goes into it this year."
Any player who has been in the organization for four or five seasons, depending on their age when they turned pro, is eligible to be swiped by another team in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 9 at a bargain price — $100,000 — unless his current team places him on the 40-man roster.Drafted players must then remain in the major leagues for the entire season, or be offered back.
The Twins have three players they are certain they would lose without a promotion to the 40-man. They are former first overall pick Royce Lewis, who sat out the 2021 season after tearing a knee ligament last winter; Jose Miranda, their minor-league player of the year who hit 30 home runs and posted a .973 OPS at Class AA Wichita and AAA St. Paul last year; and Josh Winder, a righthander who produced a 2.63 ERA in 72 innings with the same teams.
After losing Akil Baddoo, Twins looking to reshape roster to avoid piracy of minor leaguers
The annual draft prevents teams from stashing too many prospects in their farm system for four or five years.
www.startribune.com
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TruthSeeker
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Nah. Keep Cave for another year.
Gopher_In_NYC
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They’re no sold on him there yet - per Fakvey he’s getting reps there in the instructional league, He played more center at the end is season vs. short FWIW
Gopher_In_NYC
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He is a gamer
BleedGopher
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Top MLB trade targets: The 12 biggest names most likely to be dealt this winter
B: R T: R
WAR: 4.5 OPS+: 171
Several teams have inquired this offseason about trading for Buxton, and the Twins are listening as they weigh their options of signing him to a risky, long-term deal, dealing him for a big package or deferring the decision. (He is slated to become a free agent after the 2022 season. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal wrote about the Buxton situation earlier this week.) Buxton has always possessed superstar potential: He’s a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder who’s capable of hitting 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases in a season, if he could just stay healthy, something he hasn’t been able to do in his career. In fact, in Buxton’s seven years with the Twins, he’s played more than 92 games just once, never had 500 at-bats in a season, and surpassed 331 plate appearances only once, in 2017.
The Twins have tried to extend him, making multiple offers of more than $70 million, which Buxton’s camp has declined. Despite his elite potential, the Twins have to wonder if he’ll ever play enough games to truly realize the Eric Davis comparisons. But Buxton is such a great athlete: He ranked in the 94th percentile in outs above average, the 99th percentile in sprint speed and the 96th percentile in maximum exit velocity, per Statcast. Talent versus health. Risk versus trade return. This extend-or-trade decision won’t be easy for Minnesota.
theathletic.com
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8. Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins
Age: 27B: R T: R
WAR: 4.5 OPS+: 171
Several teams have inquired this offseason about trading for Buxton, and the Twins are listening as they weigh their options of signing him to a risky, long-term deal, dealing him for a big package or deferring the decision. (He is slated to become a free agent after the 2022 season. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal wrote about the Buxton situation earlier this week.) Buxton has always possessed superstar potential: He’s a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder who’s capable of hitting 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases in a season, if he could just stay healthy, something he hasn’t been able to do in his career. In fact, in Buxton’s seven years with the Twins, he’s played more than 92 games just once, never had 500 at-bats in a season, and surpassed 331 plate appearances only once, in 2017.
The Twins have tried to extend him, making multiple offers of more than $70 million, which Buxton’s camp has declined. Despite his elite potential, the Twins have to wonder if he’ll ever play enough games to truly realize the Eric Davis comparisons. But Buxton is such a great athlete: He ranked in the 94th percentile in outs above average, the 99th percentile in sprint speed and the 96th percentile in maximum exit velocity, per Statcast. Talent versus health. Risk versus trade return. This extend-or-trade decision won’t be easy for Minnesota.
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theathletic.com
Win Twins!!