Anticipating an Outfield Jam

Written by Andrew Kneeland

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 02:03

While we sit and wait for some meaningful news to float out of the Twins’ offices in Target Field, anticipating the future is one of the best ways to pass time.

As we saw last week, the Minnesota Twins have no shortage of elite outfield prospects. From the stars like Aaron Hicks and Ben Revere to the lesser-known Joe Benson, Angel Morales, Max Kepler, and Rene Tosoni, there is plenty of outfield talent in the Twins’ system.

Most of these guys are still quite a ways away from breaking into the major leagues, but by 2012, the Minnesota outfield could conceivably be bursting at the seams.

Currently, Denard Span and Michael Cuddyer are the best outfielders on the active roster, with Delmon Young and Jason Kubel close behind. Cuddyer is nearing the end of his contract, and will most likely finish his career with the Twins before Hicks reaches the Bigs. And Kubel is obviously better-suited for the role of a designated hitter.

That leaves Span and Young as the outfielders of the future, along with the hordes of minor league talent. Will all of these prospects find regular playing time? If so, where?

Most probably, Revere will be an offensive-minded corner outfielder with average defense. Hicks should be above-average both offensively and defensively, which makes him an ideal candidate for center field. Morales and Benson also have great defense, but their size and power may eventually push them to a corner. Tosoni’s lack of defense will relegate him to a corner, while Kepler is a complete wild card as this point.

(As a side note, you won’t necessarily see these guys playing in their designated/predicted spots this year in the minor leagues. I’m sure Hicks will get some time in the corner, while Revere, Morales, and maybe even Tosoni could get some reps in center field.

As a minor-leaguer, Span played almost exclusively in center field, but had to learn a corner position when he was promoted to the Twins because of the presence of Carlos Gomez. Hopefully Minnesota learned their lesson.)

The estimated-times-of-arrival for these players vary. Revere and Benson will beat Hicks and Morales to the major leagues by a year, Tosoni could be a September call-up as early as this season, while Kepler’s primary objective should be to finish his junior year of high school.

Outside of Tosoni, none of these prospects should be ready by the 2011 season, which very well could be Cuddyer’s last. Minnesota will most likely be forced to deal with an extremely crowded outfield for the 2012 season.

Span will most likely be shifted to the corner position opposite Revere, while Hicks will roam center field in Target Field in 2012. Admittedly, I have no idea what will happen with Young during these upcoming years. He could very well use the momentum he finished the 2009 campaign with and exceed all expectations, but he could just as easily fall flat on his face.

I do know, however, that not all prospects will pan out as expected. The scenario I just presented (an outfield of Revere/Hicks/Span) leaves out Morales, Benson, and Tosoni.

While they have serious issues to work out (strikeouts for Morales, left-handed pitchers for Tosoni) they are incredibly talented and could be potential trade chips.

This over-crowded outfield is certainly a good problem for the Twins. If one prospect gets injured or simply doesn’t live up to expectations, another one will be waiting in the wings.

What will the Minnesota outfield look like in 2012? Which top prospect am I too high on? Which one am I under-valuing? Be sure to let your voice be heard in the comment section!

Also, be sure to catch me tonight on Blog Talk Radio with Jack Steal a little after 9 p.m. central time.

Comments (3) Add Comment

Nice!
written by Josh Johnson, January 20, 2010

Nicely done, Andrew. It sure is a lovely "problem" that Twins may someday have.

If I had to make an early prediction, which obviously is just for speculation, I'd bet that the Twins will eventually trade Ben Revere.

Trade Revere? Probably...
written by Oldgoat_MN, January 20, 2010

I agree with Josh. He is excellent trade bait. I think he will be a MLB outfielder, but speed and hitting singles will be his forte, not defense.
With all the OF talent coming I am surprised that the Twins didn't offer Revere for Kouzmanoff. That would have given us a solid 3B for a couple of years at least.

Revere
written by TT, January 23, 2010

Revere's defense will be fine. His arm may make him more left fielder than center fielder, but he has plus range. You don't trade future stars for role players. At least the Twins don't, which is one of the reasons they are successful.

As for the outfield talent, I think people are way ahead of themselves making decisions based on projections five years out. Five years ago the Twins were loaded in the outfield with Lew Ford, Bobby Kielty, Michael Restovich, Dustin Mohr ... As it turned out, Cuddyer, Kubel and Span were the ones who developed. Cuddyer was a third baseman in the minor leagues and all three of them went through struggles before they were producing at the major league level. We can expect a similar process with Hicks, Revere, Morales, Tosoni, Benson, et al. They are all pretty young and there will be setbacks and injuries. Even "sure things" sometimes don't work out and no one can really project how good these guys will be at the major league level. Luis Rivas and Michael Restovich were future stars.