There’s a popular phrase in the NFL that goes something like this: “You’re only as good as your back-up quarterback”. The sentiment meaning that a great NFL team can be derailed by an injury to their most important position.
In baseball, this occurrence is less common as there are no “quarterbacks” in a baseball lineup. Any given night, any of the starting nine can put together an offensive (or defensive) performance solid enough to carry a team to victory.
Still, the original sentiment is interesting – you’re only as good as your back-up implies that if a team wants to contend, they need not only have the stars to get them to the World Series, but also the bench depth to help bridge gaps caused by injuries or ineffectiveness.
Of course, with this being a Minnesota Twins focused blog, I had to apply this theory to the Twins roster as it currently stands. We’ll look at the starters and the next players and line, and see if we can find any decencies that the Twins should look to address in the coming offseason. Let’s get started by looking at the “quarterback” of the diamond:
Catcher:
Starter
Joe Mauer
2013 Stats: (113 Games) .324/.404/.376, .880 OPS, 11 HR, 47 RBI
We’re not even one player in to the depth chart and we’ve already got some controversy brewing. The big debate of the Twins offseason (so far) has been what to do with Joe Mauer. His late season concussion has some fans (myself included) worried about the longevity of Mauer’s career if he’s allowed to catch full time. Catchers take a lot of abuse behind the plate, and concussion symptoms are nothing you want hanging around a player (See: Koskie, Corey & Morneau, Justin).
The popular opinion is that Joe Mauer should shift to 1B fulltime, thus increasing his chances of being in the lineup on a consistent basis. The Twins have stuck to the “Joe wants to be, and will be a catcher” line so far when asked about their intentions with Mauer – but I think deep down they (and Joe) know that he’ll need to change positions sooner rather than later. I think Mauer gets between 70-80 games behind the plate this season, while spending a majority of the other games at 1B. That will allow the team to transition him to 1B fulltime in 2015.
So, for now when we list catchers on the Twins roster – Joe Mauer sits atop the list.
Next In Line
Josmil Pinto
2013 Stats (21 Games) .342/.398/.566, .963 OPS, 4 HR, 12 RBI
Josmil Pinto’s 2013 stat line is the very definition of “small sample size” and Twins fans need look no further than Chris Parmelee’s 2010 September stats to be reminded that late season call-up stats do not indicate future success. With all that being said, I’m still very excited to see what Josmil Pinto can do with a full season at the big league level.
Pinto had been a slow riser through the Twins system; he spent 2006-2011 in the low minors, never rising above A+ Fort Myers. In 2012, something clicked for Pinto and his bat began to heat up. He posted a combined split of .295/.362/.482 between Fort Myers and New Britain. In 2013, Pinto posted a split of .309/.400/.482 before getting called up to Minnesota and posting the respectable numbers listed above.
These past two seasons seem to indicate that Pinto’s figured something out at the plate, making him an offensively viable big leaguer. His defense has always been the question mark – with his slow footwork being listed as the largest detraction from his game.
Pinto is young enough to learn good defense from the Twins coaches, so that doesn’t concern me too much right now. I’m more interested to see how his bat will play in spring training. A strong performance there will likely earn him a spot on the Twins opening day roster – which means he’d likely split games with Mauer behind the plate (and maybe even DH on occasion).
The Twins have a deep farm system with some very impressive names on the verge of the big leagues. It’s always a wonderful surprise when a player that had been overlooked (like Pinto) bursts onto the scene and makes as much of an impact as some of the bigger names are expected to make. His emergence, if true, greatly helps the Twins going forward.
Also In Consideration:
Chris Herrmann
- Coming into 2013, Herrmann looked to be the ‘next in line’ for the catcher job if Mauer were to go down for a long period of time. Defensively, he holds his own quite well but offensively he’s swung a fairly weak and inconsistent bat. Josmil Pinto’s strong September basically guaranteed that Herrmann will see more time in the outfield than behind the plate next season– but I think that versatility will help Herrmann stick around as a utility player. He can provide that coveted “emergency catcher” coverage that Ron Gardenhire enjoys while also being a solid defensive replacement in the outfield. He may not catch too many games, but if Mauer & Pinto go down next season (eek!) he’d be the next man up.
Ryan Doumit
- Doumit makes this list only because he used to catch and I suppose, if the Twins were absolutely desperate (Mauer, Pinto AND Herrmann get in a car accident or lost in an airport) they could put him behind the plate. Defensively, Doumit is a nightmare behind the plate, frequently ranking at or near the bottom in defensive efficiency and pitch framing among all big league catchers. His bat is his only contribution, and while it’s solid, it’s not good enough to override his poor defense. Doumit is a DH now and should never make an appearance behind the plate again for the Twins.
Overall Grade: Even if Mauer isn’t listed at catcher anymore, the depth of Pinto / Herrmann is solid enough to earn the Twins a “B” ranking at catcher. With Mauer topping the depth chart, that ranking bumps up to an “A”.
1st Base:
Starter
Good Question
With the trade of Justin Morneau, the Twins have opened up a spot in their infield that has yet to be claimed. Chris Colabello and Chris Parmelee split time manning 1B to finish out the season, but neither one hit well enough to be named the outright starter.
This spot could easily be Joe Mauer’s or, perhaps the Twins will sign a veteran slugger to man first in a “timeshare” situation with Mauer. The Twins could also shift Trevor Plouffe to 1B fulltime once Miguel Sano is promoted to the big leagues.
The problem is there simply isn’t much in the way of quality players that the Twins can state with authority “This is our first baseman heading into 2014”. They have contenders in Parmelee, Colabello, Plouffe and a veteran free agent as well as players like Kennys Vargas and Travis Harrison in the minors who look to be first basemen in training – but there’s no one immediately here to help. Clearly this is a position the Twins will need to find a solution for in the offseason and during spring training.
Overall Grade: Simply because Mauer “might” be playing 1B in 2014, I’ll give the Twins a “D” here on the potential. Without Mauer, this is easily an “F”.
I’m going to break these depth evaluations down into parts so they’re easier to read. We’ll stop at C / 1B today. I’ll put up my overview of 2B / SS / 3B on Monday and the evaluations of LF / CF / RF on Tuesday.
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