Obligatory Spring Training Preview Post
Well, we have spent most of the offseason debating who will start where, who will make the team, etc. So this preview seems a little unnecessary, but with the addition of Ayala, and the excitement of baseball in the air, lets do it.
As everyone knows, pretty much 22 of 25 roster spots are locked. Barring injury or freak under-performance the only battles will be for the two remaining bullpen spots, and the 4th bench spot.
Pitcher locks: Baker, Liriano, Slowey, Blackburn, Perkins, Breslow, Guerrier, Ayala, Crain, Nathan (10). This leaves two spots up for grabs. The guys fighting for the last two spots will be: Bonser, Humber, Mijraes, Korecky. If the Twins hadn’t signed Ayala, I would say Mijares would be a lock. Bonser’s recent shoulder trouble could complicate matters, but my guess is Boof and Humber make the team with Mijares being on the first flight out at the first sign of trouble.
Position Player Locks: Mauer, Redmond, Morneau, Casilla, Punto, Buscher, Harris, Cuddyer, Span, Young, Kubel, and Gomez. (12). That leaves one bench spot up for grabs. The favorite here has to be Matt Tolbert. He endeared himself to Twins fans and Gardy last year by trying really hard. He is valuable in that he can play many positions in the infield, which is great when we have 12 pitchers and a third base platoon. Harris will be able to backup at several other spots too.
So there you have it. Barring anything out of the ordinary, there are three roster spots up for grabs. We have two young pitchers who are out of options and might make the team because of that. I think they should both be given a shot, since I hate trading away pitching sight unseen. However, if we can get something good in return for one of them, do it.
Notice how I didn’t mention Joe Crede? If we do end up with him, I could see Buscher moving into the “fighting with Tolbert for a spot” category. Since Harris is more valuable than Buscher as a bench player. Thats all you get on Crede. Does anyone have a drastically different take on this? Or is this pretty much how everyone thinks things will pan out?
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Nothing on Juan Cruz, sounds like the Arizona GM is working hard to try and do a sign and trade.
So assuming we get Cruz, which is a big assumption, who would be the odd man out between Bonser and Humber?
Your guess is as good as mine. I think they would keep Bonser, because he has show flashes (however brief) of being a capable reliever. Hopefully this competition brings out the best in people during camp.
Is Bonser even going to be ready when the season starts? Apparently he just had a cortisone shot, so Boof could be on the DL on Opening Day. I hope that’s not what happens- I have (irrational) confidence that Boof will turn out to be a good reliever.
I have always liked Boof, so I also believe he will be good. It is totally baseless. We should know more about his shoulder this week. He is kind of screwed if he gets a late start. Does he have to break camp with the twins or can he stick around and do “extended spring training” with the other hurt guys? I would say the best bet is to start him on the DL if he can’t hit the ground running. We shouldn’t have to lose him to another team because of tendonitis.
I’m curious as to Jason Jones, our Rule 5 pick from the Yankees, he’d have to make the roster or we’d have to work out a trade with the Yanks in order to keep him
I would imagine Jones doesn’t make the team outright, but that the Twins should be able to work something out with the Yankees.