MLB: Minnesota Twins Whatnot 5/7

Well if he keeps using his 'head', he can be around a long time. He is starting to swing the bat level and he proves time and time again how speed excels at this game. Anyone who has ever had any doubts has become a believer. He is proving himself a major-leaguer and is filling out his full potential. I expect to start seeing great things this year, possibly a new record for stolen bases?

Marty Andrade: A .678 OPS isn't exactly Mays or Mantle material. More worrisome for me is his .299 OBP and .029 Isolated OBP (ISoP, which is just OBP minus BA).

He's a superb athlete and could be a very good ballplayer for a very long time in a Twins uniform, but he should spend at least half of this season in AAA. I would prefer the entire season. This also preserves some service time and delays arbitration eligibility and free agency.

With Jason Pridie hitting .292/.349/.416 and Darnell McDonald hitting .342/.400/.603, the Twins have two fair options ready to go. Even Denard Span has a higher OBP than Gomez, and he would be good enough for the time being in CF.

Gomez is clearly the CF of the future for the Minnesota Twins. Gomez needs to learn the strike zone and how to be as disciplined as possible at the plate. That's not going to happen at the MLB level. But the Twins aren't likely to send him down now at all, barring injury.

Andrew Kneeland: I have been of the opinion that Gomez should be sent down to AAA for quite some time now. Though, I think I am changing my mind. There is nothing that Gomez can gain in the minors that he can't gain in the majors except confidence. That confidence will come with time, once he learns how to not strike out.

That ability will come with time, and it will come faster in the big league.

 

Mike Lamb has been struggling as of late. How soon could he lose his starting job to Nick Punto if he doesn't get into gear?

Dan Wade: Punto’s glove has earned him a spot on this team come hell or high water, that much is a given. He has not looked nearly as overmatched at the plate as he did last year, so that is a very good sign, whether he is starting at third, short, or coming off the bench.

Gardy LOVES Punto, serious man-crush territory. And Punto is clearly a better defender than Lamb, even with Everett making up for Lamb’s terrible glove. So, if Lamb continues to struggle, we may start seeing Punto making spot starts more frequently, especially if Tolbert continues to play well enough to take over as the Super Sub the Twins love having on their bench.

Lamb was a key addition this offseason, so I don’t see the Twins giving up on him completely anytime soon. That said, if we get into the summer months and Punto is around .260 to .280, and Lamb stays in the .220 area, we may see a switch. If they are close, I think they will start to share the job in some bizarre platoon based on the GB rate of the starting pitcher.

All this is contingent on Lamb continuing to look terrible at the plate. I’ve got a feeling that he will break out soon, but I’d say he’s got a month at the most to prove that he is a substantially better hitter than Punto.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?