Blog Comments

"ERA is the MOST important stat for a pitcher"

It is the most important stat for evaluating current performance, but it is not the best indicator for future performance, especially as a player moves up levels. Even at the major league level, K/W is a better indicator of future ERA than current ERA is.

I haven't really kept up on the predictive value of the newer metrics, but the rules "there's no such thing as a pitching prospect" and "there's no such thing as a prospect below AA" both apply. They had nice years, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for them (yet.)

These guys should not take innings away fromBerrios and Mata for Cedar Rapids

I will be surprised if any of them make the club as a starter.

Nice comparisons Seth. How bout the Taiwan kid eh? Must have insane command with those numbers.

I really like all four of these guys. What's encouraging is all four of these guys throw 92ish, with Rosario often hitting 94/95.

It might be fun to compare them to that 2009 (?) GCL Twins team that had Salcedo, Hermsen, Tonkin and Weller. Or that 2004 GCL Twins team that had Waldrop, Swarzak, Rainville.

Originally Posted by mgraves

Kepler posted K rates of about 20% his first two years, which then dropped to about 12%. It'll be interesting to see if he can maintain that level of contact going forward. If he can, I'd expect to see him at the big club before Sano. Sano strikes out a ridiculous amount and does not have a position. Both Sano and Kepler, however, I expect to skip AAA.

Haha! Nothing would make me happier than to see Kepler speed past Sano on their way to Minnesota. However, it looks like Kepler is a year behind Sano/Rosario for now anyway. YES, Kepler's ability to hit for power and limit his strikeouts is a major + in his quest to move fast up the ladder. Again, nothing would make me happier than to see these talented prospects skip AAA (if they prove MLB worthy at AA).

Kepler posted K rates of about 20% his first two years, which then dropped to about 12%. It'll be interesting to see if he can maintain that level of contact going forward. If he can, I'd expect to see him at the big club before Sano. Sano strikes out a ridiculous amount and does not have a position. Both Sano and Kepler, however, I expect to skip AAA.

Me too. Would be great to have some hard throwers with low mileage on their arms as starters.

But if we just trust trust trust, then we'd have nothing to talk about. jk

Originally Posted by lightfoot789

I loved the ETown outfield of Buton, Kepler, and Walker this past summer. Do you see all three going to Cedar and if so:
1) Will Walker start along side those two?
2) Will they keep some of the 2012 Beloit OF for part of the season?
3) How does this crowded OF play out to start 2013?
4) Will the Trio be as productive in a full season as they were in ETown? your oinion?

This is all my opinion, but 1) it looks like Walker will have a spot in the Cedar rapids outfield. Roberts will be moving up and the competition after that shouldn't stop any of your ELZ trio from starting on a regular basis. 2) see above. 3) Like I said, I think your trio will all get first dibs on playing time in Cedar Rapids. I can;t imagine why the organization wouldnt want to see each of the three in a full-season of hardball. 4) I really like Walker, he is a beast with a club, and he is smart (steals bases and such), so his chances of succeeding in low-A are very good. Buxton and Kepler are cant-miss-guys for A ball in my opinion and should tear it right up.

Originally Posted by righty8383

One mistake that you made Mnfan, was giving Credence to the prospect rankings submitted by mlb.com. Looking at the list, there are a lot of odd rankings 6-20. IMO Seth Stohs and several others on this site are way better at ranking prospects.

Totally agree. I might have to make my own list just to stay sane.

Who are the people in AAA that are ahead of Arcia? That would make the most sense by the Twins management in holding him back if they already have guys they want to see in AAA. There is no early season fuss to rush these guys. We are going to be good because of, off season trades, or we are going to be good (division contenders) in 2014, because of appropriate play development throughout the minors. Either way haste makes waste. Lets be good for the latter part of decade and trust managements organizational gameplan.

I loved the ETown outfield of Buton, Kepler, and Walker this past summer. Do you see all three going to Cedar and if so:
1) Will Walker start along side those two?
2) Will they keep some of the 2012 Beloit OF for part of the season?
3) How does this crowded OF play out to start 2013?
4) Will the Trio be as productive in a full season as they were in ETown? your oinion?

personally, i can't stand twinkies. even when they play like them... like the last two years. i love the baseball projects' song....... "please don't call them twinkies". a great baseball tune.

One mistake that you made Mnfan, was giving Credence to the prospect rankings submitted by mlb.com. Looking at the list, there are a lot of odd rankings 6-20. IMO Seth Stohs and several others on this site are way better at ranking prospects.

should be used sparingly

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

Definitely not a term of endearment!

just curious......... what is your call on "twinkies"?

You bet!

Plus, neither Morales nor Benson displayed the type of discipline that Max showed at the plate in 2012. Nothing is guaranteed but I see Kepler being much more MLB ready when he has the experience that Benson and Morales already possess

Correct, Kepler is certainly the better prospect right now with much higher upside. I certainly hope that Kepler can continue to improve. He's so raw as a baseball player that his tools are exciting and putting up strong numbers in his second year at Elizabethton are very encouraging.

By the way, three terrific blog postings here today... Keep it up. Great topics, well written, thought provoking. I did move one up to the front page as well. Thank you!

Definitely a term of endearment for me. And Morales has been hurt, its not his fault. But every year, I ask each prospect the question "What have you done for me lately?" And rate them accordingly. I would definitely say that Kepler has a comparable or higher upside as a major leaguer than Morales