Thread: Hicks leading candidate for CF job.

Originally Posted by snepp

What? That doesn't make any sense.

Just copy that post to a clipboard. It should serve you well in the months to come.

Originally Posted by SpiritofVodkaDave

Why is everyone so against this? I get the whole service time issue but people need to relax, if Hicks really is the real deal it is highly likely the Twins will lock him up years before he ever hits free agency anyways.

If Hicks has a good spring training and earns the job you give him the job, if he struggles, then send him down for a bit, if he kicks ass then it's a great "problem" to have in regards to service time. I'd prefer the youngsters get as many at-bats this year against ML pitching so we can go into 2014 as strong as possible.

Im guessing if Hicks breaks spring training as a twin , he will only be here till the next big thing arrives and then will go the way of Span

Originally Posted by Alex

No, it won't, but if he does well at AAA, it's more likely that those ratios are going to hold up in the majors. If he struggles more at AAA with those ratios, it would be a sign that he's not ready. I think it's tough to tell if a hitter like him is ready from AA stats, and frankly, I'm not confident in the Twins scouts right now.

I think everyone has the cart before the horse, lets see what Darren has and Benson does in spring training,
if Hicks is the flat out best player so be it , but if Mastroanni and Benson both are out shinning him , let Hicks start the season in rochester

Getting an extra year of control obviously should matter to a team that won't even spend over $4 million to offer to Marcum. There is also no reason to rush Hicks without first seeing AAA pitching. Skipping levels, in my view, is dumb. Very dumb.

Originally Posted by Shane Wahl

Getting an extra year of control obviously should matter to a team that won't even spend over $4 million to offer to Marcum. There is also no reason to rush Hicks without first seeing AAA pitching. Skipping levels, in my view, is dumb. Very dumb.

Hey we coughed up 10 million for Correia , what do you want to do bankrupt the team?

Point is that the Twins are better served, since they bothered with Correia instead of Marcum (which is just ****ing absurd and a half) and don't seem to care at all about making a real decision to either commit to a sub-75 win season or hope for it (not trading Morneau), by not "Revering" or "Parmeleeing" or "Doziering" Hicks right now. I do see value in AAA experience (and I would have hoped for a bit of that to have come in 2012 for Hicks). Mastroianni and Boggs works for me for a month or two. It should for everyone. Let Jamey Carroll bat leadoff (with Mauer second, obviously).

And I swear if I hear one more thing about Carroll's 2014 option for $2 million, I may go crazy. Look at what Nick Punto stole from this team . . .

It's still January wait 2 months and then decide.

Experience at AAA is overrated, all rookies will have to prove and verify at the MLB level anyway. It is also very true that delaying Hicks does "extend team control" and that there is financial gain--for the Twins (not we fans!). However, my slant is to have Mastroianni be the starting CF in hopes that he can produce a rather successful season--OBP, steals, runs scored, and defense--so he could be traded for the largesse received from the Span/Revere trades. Darin is likely a darn good guy and good ballplayer, but clearly he is not considered the long term solution at CF. 4th OF are easily found (often from within), and they garner little when traded. But, If Mastroianni could be "packaged" as a starting CF, quality, young, and with years of team control, I'm convinced that the Twins could really help themself. After all, it worked with Revere, why not Mastroianni?--and the "risk" is zero.

If he is good enough in spring start him at the big league level. If he struggles they can send him down for more seasoning rendering this whole service time issue moot. If he is good enough to stay up the whole year the Twins would sign him to an extension long before he hits free agency.

People whine and gnash teeth about sending guys down after they have been up and how that is messing their development but the hysteria here is vastly overblown. Most players have to take some lumps in the bigs, go back to AAA to work on adjustments and then come back much better.