Thursday,
March 25, 2010
Roster
Projections:
Ft. Myers Miracle
Before we jump into my Ft.
Myers (Twins Hi-A affiliate) roster projection, here
are a couple of quick notes on some upcoming podcasts:
·
On Wednesday, I was
on This Call to the
Bullpen, a Kranepool Society podcast. I talked about Mauer, Nathan, Target Field, and much, much more.
·
Then later on
Wednesday night, the Twins Geek and I will joined Fanatic Jack and Topper
Anton on Jack’s Twins Talk show
. We
discussed/argued the Twins bullpen, the backup catcher spot and much more.
·
There will be an episode of The Show on Thursday
night at a special time of 8:00 p.m. The show is
already filled with guests.
1.
I will be joined by Twins prospect Trayvone Johnson. The 2009 draft pick was
selected as a catcher, but he has been moved to the mound.
2.
Next, JJ Stankevitz from the White Sox Examiner site will come in
to talk about the team most of us believe will be the Twins primary competitor
in the AL Central.
3.
Finally, Twins 17-year-old outfield prospect Max Kepler
will join us for the last part of the show. Listeners to the show have been
asking for me to try to get Kepler on the show and it
finally appears to work.
4.
During The Show, we will also announce the regularly
scheduled night and time for The Show throughout the 2010 season. So be sure to
take in that show.
·
Finally, I just wanted to mention that the Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook
is now available through Amazon.com, so check that out here.
The Ft. Myers
Miracle’s season also begins on April 8th with a road game at
Bradenton. The following night, the two teams will play in Ft. Myers. The
Miracle will be managed this year by Jake
Mauer, who has managed the GCL Twins in Ft. Myers
the last couple of years, after spending a couple of seasons in the Twins farm
system.
So here are
my thoughts on the 2010 Opening Day roster of the Ft. Myers Miracle:
The Hitters
Analysis: If Danny Rams begins the 2010 season in Beloit, it
would probably be for the best, but with the catching situation and the higher
levels and the depth of catchers at Beloit, he may begin at Ft. Myers. Fellow
non-roster invite to Spring Training, Jair Fernandez will likely spend the summer with the Miracle. Jonathan Waltenbury had a disappointing offensive
season in Beloit in 2009, and I would anticipate seeing Nick Romero and Nate Hanson playing quite a
bit of first base, Hanson against lefties. Hanson and Nick Romero can play around the infield and back up any of the other infielders. It
will be good to see what Drew Thompson can do with a
full, normal offseason. Deibinson Romero came off of the 40 man roster after a disappointing 2009 season, so I
expect him to remain with the Miracle. James Beresford is definitely worth watching at shortstop. Joe Benson and Angel Morales are both
high-ceiling prospects. Evan Bigley and Michael Harrington are just good
hitters, both should hit a lot of doubles. I put Harrington as the DH because I
think they’ll get his bat in the lineup and he will play a lot in the outfield
too. Dominic de la Osa was shifted to the outfield from second base during the offseason.
Yesterday I mentioned that I thought Rene Tosoni would move from New Britain to Rochester and Joe Benson would be promoted to New Britain. I anticipate that happening six to
eight weeks into the season, and at that time, I would project Aaron Hicks to move up to Ft. Myers.
The Pitchers
Analysis: Apparently Kyle Gibson has been impressive already this spring, and the
team’s top 2009 pick has a chance to move quickly. I expect him to start at Ft.
Myers, spend a couple of months there and then move up to New Britain. There’s
even an outside chance he gets to Rochester. Lefty Michael Tarsi missed some time at the start of last season but did
adequately. I expect him to spend much of the season here. Bobby Lanigan finished
2009 in Ft. Myers’ bullpen, but I assume he will return to the role of a
starter. Dan Osterbrock was disappointed with his 2009 season with the Snappers, but I
anticipate him pitching better in 2010 with the Miracle. Finally, Brad Tippett is a guy
every Twins fan should know out. He has impeccable control, but he knows how to
pitch. I think he’s got a chance to be good.
Billy Bullock became a closer last year at the University of
Florida. He did well in his pro debut, and people are very excited about him.
This is also a very strong bullpen. Matt Williams is from Australia and has
always done well in the bullpen throughout his career. Steve Blevins had
a good year in 2009 in the Snappers bullpen with the exception of struggles
against one team. I really expect him to do well in 2010. Bruce Pugh is a guy that several of us have called a sleeper.
It will be interesting to see whether he is starting or if he’s going to pitch
out of the bullpen. I think this will be another case where he’ll start in the
Miracle bullpen and by midseason, he’ll be starting. Kyle Carr needs to be healthy, but the lefty has put up
terrific strikeout numbers when healthy. Dan Berlind needs to show something in 2009. It’s also possibly
the last chance for Michael Allen, or
Blake
Martin or Thom Wright.
If you would like,
you can e-mail me, or feel free to leave your comments here.
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