Opening Day lineup?

I haven't been around in awhile, so I apologize if I'm duplicating a recent thread, but with ST close, I wanna start talking opening day.

In the hopes that the Twins give Podsednik a small deal to keep the OF from becoming too bad, here's my ideal lineup:

1: Podsednik - CF
2: Mauer - C
3: Willingham - LF
4: Mourneau - 1B
5: Doumit - DH
6: Plouffe - 3B
7: Parmelee - RF
8: Dozier - 2B
9: Escobar - SS

Bench - Mastroianni, Carroll, Butera, and whoever actually hits decent in ST.

Send Florimon to Rochester, but tell him to keep his bags packed.

Not going to go into pitching, because I can barely keep straight who all these guys are with minor league deals/ST invites.

If they stay don't sign Podsednik, at least for opening day I'd put Mastroianni in the leadoff spot and starting CF, and give backup OF to whomever plays better between Hicks and Benson

1. Hicks CF
2. Mauer C
3. Willingham LF
4. Morneau 1B
5. Doumit DH
6. Plouffe 3B
7. Parmelee RF
8. Dozier 2B
9. Florimon SS

SP: Diamond

I agree with Nick's but I think we'll see either Mastroianni or Benson in CF to open the season.

1. Bourn CF
2. Mauer C
3. Willingham LF
4. Morneau 1B
5. Doumit DH
6. Plouffe 3B
7. Parmelee RF
8. Dozier 2B
9. Florimon SS

SP: Lohse

So what's the argument for Florimon over Escobar?

Escobar has actually played more games in the majors, and spent a full season in AAA (which Florimon has not done), so I'd think he's a little more mentally prepared to play a full season in the bigs. Had he not been traded, he probably would have spent the entire year on the 25 man roster for the Sox. Florimon may have not even made it to the bigs if any one of Valencia/Burroughs/Hughes/Dozier had stayed healthy and played like a starter all year.

Neither guy is a candidate to be an offensive force, but Escobar seems to have a significantly lower strikeout rate (at the expense of power). In terms of offense, I'd rather have a guy in the 9 hole that gets a lot of singles than a guy who gets the occasional extra base hit but strikes out a ton. Defensively, I haven't seen either play enough to really tell if there is much difference.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spideyo

So what's the argument for Florimon over Escobar?

---

The same as the argument for Keystone Light over Busch Light.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ppearson50

1. Bourn CF
2. Mauer C
3. Willingham LF
4. Morneau 1B
5. Doumit DH
6. Plouffe 3B
7. Parmelee RF
8. Dozier 2B
9. Florimon SS

SP: Lohse

---

I like the idea of Bourn, but only if the price is right and the plan is to trade him around midseason for prospects. I would hate to see him block Hicks and Benson for the entire season.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by glunn

I like the idea of Bourn, but only if the price is right and the plan is to trade him around midseason for prospects. I would hate to see him block Hicks and Benson for the entire season.

---

He would also require compensation to sign.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snepp

He would also require compensation to sign.

---

But only a loss of a 2nd rounder? And an opportunity to regain the lost pick with a qualifying offer the year after, right?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jokin

But only a loss of a 2nd rounder? And an opportunity to regain the lost pick with a qualifying offer the year after, right?

---

True, if you keep him the entire year.

Or maybe someone gets desperate at the deadline and you trade him for better value than the pick lost (the front office doesn't exactly have a great track record of deadline deals though).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snepp

The same as the argument for Keystone Light over Busch Light.

---

Packs very little punch and is very underwhelming when compared to better alternatives if only you shelled out a couple extra bucks???

This thread smacks of Deux es Machina. You include players who aren't even on the team and inset him as the regular CF! Your logic of using this "cheap, place-holder type" CF as a regular, but ignore the already on-hand Carroll in favor of the "failed-once" Dozier is mystifying. There is no evidence provided to support a preference of Podsednik over any of the three CF candidates on hand.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by edavis0308

Packs very little punch and is very underwhelming when compared to better alternatives if only you shelled out a couple extra bucks???

---

I was going to say, "they both suck," but your way works too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snepp

True, if you keep him the entire year.

Or maybe someone gets desperate at the deadline and you trade him for better value than the pick lost (the front office doesn't exactly have a great track record of deadline deals though).

---

That would require thinking out of the box , which the current front office is unable to do

1. Mastroianni CF
2. Carroll 2B
3. Mauer C
4. Willingham LF
5. Morneau 1B
6. Doumit DH
7. Plouffe 3B
8. Parmelee RF
9. Florimon SS

This is what I expect it to be. I'd bat Mauer 2nd, but I don't expect Gardy to do that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jokin

But only a loss of a 2nd rounder? And an opportunity to regain the lost pick with a qualifying offer the year after, right?

---

Only if you keep him all year. That's why I'd be more in favor of Posednik, he'd be more willing to sign on to be a "placeholder". Bourn isn't going to want to do that

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by spideyo

So what's the argument for Florimon over Escobar?
.

---

I really don't know... I can only guess... Florimon has been thought of as the opening day starter from what I've been reading. He has never been a hitter... That tells me that the Twins think that Florimon is a defensive wizard because they would go with a better hitter.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kwak

This thread smacks of Deux es Machina. You include players who aren't even on the team and inset him as the regular CF! Your logic of using this "cheap, place-holder type" CF as a regular, but ignore the already on-hand Carroll in favor of the "failed-once" Dozier is mystifying. There is no evidence provided to support a preference of Podsednik over any of the three CF candidates on hand.

---

This is an opening day lineup only. I did say if they don't sign Posednik (who is on the market, and the twins have expressed interest in), that I'd put Mastroianni in his spot at #1. Mastroianni is the only CF option right now that has seen any big league action, and I'd rather him be a 4th OF that can come in and pinch run in late innings.

I think Dozier is worth a look at 2B, but with a very short leash. Carroll would be the obvious second in line there, but he's going to be 39 at the start of the season, and I'd rather not have to rely on him every day. He's also most valuable to us because he can backup 2b, 3b and SS reliably, if one of the kids is having a bad day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by raindog

1. Mastroianni CF
2. Carroll 2B
3. Mauer C
4. Willingham LF
5. Morneau 1B
6. Doumit DH
7. Plouffe 3B
8. Parmelee RF
9. Florimon SS

This is what I expect it to be. I'd bat Mauer 2nd, but I don't expect Gardy to do that.

---

That seems just about right for Gardy and with Diamond pitching if healthy.

Ideal for me :

1. Hicks CF
2. Benson LF
3. Mauer C
4. Plouffe 3B
5. Parmelee 1B
6. Doumit DH
7. Arcia RF
8. Dozier 2B
9. Florimon SS

Harden SP.

This assumes Morneau and Willingham are traded for prospects. Hopefully one of them is a middle infielder who would start in place of either Florimon or Dozier.

But it will happen when pigs fly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kwak

You include players who aren't even on the team and inset him as the regular CF! Your logic of using this "cheap, place-holder type" CF as a regular, but ignore the already on-hand Carroll in favor of the "failed-once" Dozier is mystifying. There is no evidence provided to support a preference of Podsednik over any of the three CF candidates on hand.

---

Cracks me up Kwak, I was thinking the same thing when I read this post earlier today. How can you assert that. Twins wouldn't bring anyone in to play CF until last week or two of Spring Training, seeing as the other options would all have to look overmatched and overwhelmed. Mastroianni hasn't shown that in his body of work yet. Benson has. Hicks, we're sure to find out.

Florimon isn't going anywhere unless someone else is brought in a la Diaz. Dozier, I guess, could be magically better, since he claims to have figured his stuff out, but I see him as making the club as a 2B. I see Carroll supplanting all three of them, much like Punto did back in the day. Escobar only makes the club if the Twins Dozier bombs in spring training.

I don't think Butera makes the big club even with the arbitration earning of 750k. At the outset of the season, there should be two catchers... Mr. 120 games this season and Doughboy. But what am I saying, who else are they going to have to weigh the bench down?

4th OF - Mastroianni (Hicks should earn the spot).
Backup INF - Carroll (Situational as Plouffe, Florimon and Dozier will be on rotation)
3rd guy?! - Maybe it is between Butera and Escobar. This should be a basher, masher, crasher type. Don't think that'll happen either.

The Twins keep 12 pitchers for sure, but this year, with Pressley and Harden, along with a few others... I actually think it will be 13. Especially given the Twins don't want to start out 5 or more games behind in the first few weeks.