Strib: Benson Excited For Second Chance

Benson is eager to put '12 season behind him | StarTribune.com

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"I can't even begin to describe how excited I am, going from the worst summer athletically of my entire life to kind of getting a second chance and getting a crack at it. I can't wait for the first day of spring training."

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Two takes:

1. Benson had better be excited by this second chance. Because I'm not sure there will be a third.
2. Is this a danger of the Twins not pushing guys up levels? That if they have a lost year, due to health or whatever, that there is little room for error?

One more...

3. I'd love for this to be a Span/Plouffe/Parmelee situation, where he suddenly shines way beyond his previous numbers in AAA. (i'm hoping the same thing for Dozier.)

Maybe I'm not as familiar with micro-fracture surgery, but hasn't that historically been a pretty hit-or-miss procedure? Seems unlikely that there would be no concern about it.

Agree with you, Geek, especially on point number 3. Joe seemed primed for a big year in Rochester, but never got going. I hope he is healthy and productive this year.

Injured or not, I think his issue historically has been plate discipline. I hope he figures it out.

I would be lying if I denied having watched this clip a mess of times. Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | CLE@MIN: Benson falls a homer short of the cycle - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

I would love to see him at Target field doing a lot of that.

Benson had a decent spring last year. If he does that again, do the Twins start him in CF and keep Hicks down until May 7?

I'm a Benson guy. I hope he takes CF to start the year and runs with it. Then the Twins can call up Hicks/Arcia when Morneau is traded or Parmelee fails.

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Originally Posted by Badsmerf

I'm a Benson guy. I hope he takes CF to start the year and runs with it. Then the Twins can call up Hicks/Arcia when Morneau is traded or Parmelee fails.

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That is my best-case scenario too. Honestly cannot wait for Arcia. He is a real baller. Hicks seems more like he will struggle for awhile. But I'm also excited to see Aaron play d in CF

When thinking about Benson's potential...maybe he sticks in MN and hits for power. He would be a great trading chip for the deadline. Hicks is going to debut this year or next, so maybe Joe can provide more prospects in trade once Hicks does come up for good

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | CLE@MIN: Benson falls a homer short of the cycle - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

I really hope he finds it. The attached clip is great I would love to see him do that a lot in 2013 and beyond.

Gotta agree on Benson, I'm pulling for him to make the team. On the other hand, we all know Aaron Hicks already would be an excellent defensive CF, and his bat is probably as good as Benson's, so something's got to give. Now we see why the Twins traded away Span and Revere. Even with them gone, it's still a logjam in the outfield with all these talented guys coming up. It's a safe bet that at least a couple of these guys will eventually become serious stars.

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Originally Posted by jimbo92107

Gotta agree on Benson, I'm pulling for him to make the team. On the other hand, we all know Aaron Hicks already would be an excellent defensive CF, and his bat is probably as good as Benson's, so something's got to give. Now we see why the Twins traded away Span and Revere. Even with them gone, it's still a logjam in the outfield with all these talented guys coming up. It's a safe bet that at least a couple of these guys will eventually become serious stars.

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Right, and these position battles are all to see who can play alongside Buxton in 2017. Bux might force Hicks to RF

On Saturday, Benson came over and spent about 20 minutes just chatting with me. He's a terrific guy who works incredibly hard. He know he needs to slow the game down, and he's trying. However, his hamate was bad within the first few games in Rochester last year, but he played through the injury for a month until he finally had surgery. Then when he came back, the knee went bad pretty quickly. There's a LOT more to it than any of this. But people forget that one year ago, people were as excited about Benson as they are about Hicks this year (the exception that there is an open spot this year).

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Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

On Saturday, Benson came over and spent about 20 minutes just chatting with me. He's a terrific guy who works incredibly hard. He know he needs to slow the game down, and he's trying. However, his hamate was bad within the first few games in Rochester last year, but he played through the injury for a month until he finally had surgery. Then when he came back, the knee went bad pretty quickly. There's a LOT more to it than any of this. But people forget that one year ago, people were as excited about Benson as they are about Hicks this year (the exception that there is an open spot this year).

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What was Joe Benson doing in Warroad? I thought he was more of a Strandquist type.

I'm hoping Joe has a great year this year... It will feel real good for him after last year. I felt really bad for him knowing how he close he was getting... These are hopes and dreams after all.

I hope the CF situation ends up being one of those "good problems to have" cliches.

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Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

That is my best-case scenario too. Honestly cannot wait for Arcia. He is a real baller. Hicks seems more like he will struggle for awhile. But I'm also excited to see Aaron play d in CF

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I am also afraid that Hicks struggles out of the gate, but more afraid that his confidence is shaken early. Benson having experience would at least be a little better in this respect, but hoping for the best for both gentleman!