In Brief: Center Field

by Jesse on Mar 11, 2008 1:22 PM EDT in News

Just a quick glance at how the three favorites for the center field position are faring this spring.

It's been an active competition so far this spring, as each of the candidates have had a little good to go with some bad. None of them are standing head-and-shoulders above the group, which isn't necessarily surprising. Let's take a look at their spring numbers to date.
Name Age AB 2B 3B HR BB SO SB Avg Obp Slg Carlos Gomez 22 24 1 1 0 1 2 3 .167 .185 .292 Denard Span 24 15 1 0 0 4 0 3 .267 .450 .333 Jason Pridie 24 22 0 0 0 0 4 2 .273 .261 .273
Carlos Gomez

Gomez has impressed in the field just as much as he's raised a questioning eyebrow, but management has expressed their excitement over him on more than one occasion. There's no doubt he has the range and the arm, as long as he gets it under control. Management has also encouraged his aggressive nature at the plate, so it stands to reason that mistakes (mental or physical) may be overlooked in lieu of all the promise. Offensively he has the least impressive line of the three contenders, but that speed is blinding.

Denard Span

Span's spring hasn't been disappointing, but he hasn't done enough to stand out from the crowd, either. In a recent interview he waxed philosophical about what the Twins are looking for in a lead-off hitter, saying that it wasn't about being a big bat, it was about scoring runs. That, and getting on base no matter what it took. Span has gotten on base, but all four walks he's taken thus far came in one game. If he can continue to work counts and can at least imply that taking a walk was more than a one-game affair, Denard Span won't be written off.

Jason Pridie

Pridie has flashed some leather this spring, and has about as many good plays under his belt as Gomez. His arm may not be as strong, but he hasn't had the errant throws either. At the plate he has yet to register an extra-base hit or a walk, but he'll have plenty of opportunity over the next two weeks to show what he an offer offensively. Pridie might have had a slight advantage over his competitors due to his age, skills, experience and history coming into the spring, but Denard Span won't be shaken loose and we've tasted the talents of Carlos Gomez.

This one won't be settled for a while.

Update [03-12-2008, 7:00 am]: Within hours of this post yesterday came some good additional material. Go here for a two-minute video clip on the center field gig, including comments from Jerry White, and then head over to MLB.com to read Kelly Theiser's piece on the competition, apparently already nailed down to Gomez and Span.

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Comments

I think

I think this battle is going to mostly come down to who the Twins want to go with philosophically. If they decide they simply MUST use someone from the Santana trade and they think Gomez can learn quickly in the majors, they'll go with him. If they would prefer to play it safer, I think they'll go with Pridie, at least for a time. I have difficulty trying to envision a scenario that ends with Span starting for the club, outside of an injury. His lack of at bats compared to the other two illustrates the disparity in interest (although, I suppose with walks, he's only about one or two games short in terms of late appearances).

Perhaps one of the three will enormously out preform the others going forward, but I don't particularly expect that to happen.

If I had to guess who would get the job today, I would have to GUESS it's Pridie. If Gomez shows improvement in a number of areas, though, (patience, arm accuracy, taking good swings, etc) I would expect it to be his job to lose.

Baseball is great because you cant take a knee or kill the clock. You gotta put the ball over the plate and give the other guy his damn shot E Weaver abridged

by AdamOnFirst on Mar 11, 2008 4:08 PM EDT 0 recs

Too close to call

The race will be decided in the next two weeks and not before. If Gomez takes Gardy's words to heart and starts taking better at bats, he'll get the nod. It's not as much about results as approach.

Span has stepped up this spring and put pressure on him. But he's also played poorly in the field, getting bad jumps on a few catchable balls that went for doubles. If he continues to play this well and Gomez continues to struggle with his approach, I think he'll get the job.

Pridie might have played the best so far, but it's not just about what they've done in camp. The Twins obviously have a lot invested in Gomez and Span, so Pridie would have to beat the crap out of the other two to win the job. He's not there yet.

I think the organization sees Pridie as a fourth outfielder in competition for the 25th man on the team rather than a starting center fielder. That is evident in his playing time so far this spring. He's started only one game in center and a couple of games in right. Otherwise, he's spelled both Gomez and Span. He could still make the team instead of Buscher or Jones as a lefty off the bench, especially if Gomez wins the starting job.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 11, 2008 5:27 PM EDT 0 recs

Pridie

"I think the organization sees Pridie as a fourth outfielder in competition for the 25th man on the team rather than a starting center fielder."

An article on the Twins homepage basically said that(Maybe you read it). Gardenhire pretty much says the competition is mostly between Span and Gomez now. Pridie has a slim to none chance of staying because of the glut of OF already assured a spot (Kubel, Monroe, 3 Starters).

"One cannot violate the promptings of one's nature without having that nature recoil upon itself." -Jack London

by clutchhit20 on Mar 11, 2008 10:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

I hadn't read that

But it makes sense, given the way they're using him this spring. Also, Gladden and Gordon had a long discussion during the action on Sunday (in which two batters reached and one went out without a ball or strike call) about who would make it between Buscher, Jones and Pridie. In it, they never even mentioned that Pridie is competing for the center field job.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 11, 2008 10:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

I think the issue is

where can Gomez grow best, at AAA or in the majors?

That's all that really matters is that Gomez get better. Personally, given his defense, given his speed, given that he might just do something amazing at any moment, the Twins will start him in center.

He'll have good Latino support on the mother ship, lots of professional models and hitting tips, plus Gardy and Vavra telling him how to become an all-star, like them (yeah, snark).

But seriously, the only way he gets sent down is if the Twins feel they need to send him a message. He's got some bad habits at the plate, but I don't see where they are more easily fixed at AAA. He's not being overpowered, he's just overexcited and lunging at balls.

His ceiling is like a Gothic cathedral, and who do you want managing that?

by Old Twins Cap on Mar 12, 2008 1:32 AM EDT up 0 recs

Source?

>>But he's also played poorly in the field, getting bad jumps on a few catchable balls that went for doubles.

Curious: are you in Florida?

If not, what is the source of this information?

"Man, the past is a long and twisty road." -- Satchel Paige.

by Firpo Marberry on Mar 13, 2008 9:37 PM EDT up 0 recs

TV and Radio

Gladden mentioned it a couple of times on the air. I saw it once on TV, when a high fly to left center dropped before the warning track. It's tough to judge balls down there because of the wind. But that was one any good center fielder would get to.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 15, 2008 4:34 PM EDT up 0 recs

Ultimately, I think it's an indictment

of the organization that it would even be conceivable that Denard Span would be the correct choice to be the Twins center fielder on April 1st.

Frankly, I think he's the worst choice, even among the current options. Pridie is a better choice to win games now if you aren't prepared to go with the upside of Gomez yet. Span offers the worst of both worlds.

Still, if you squint, you could see choosing him, and that's pretty sad. The essential problem is that he just isn't very good. This would be true even if he were actually playing well this spring--a few spring training games is not an appropriate venue in which to judge him.

I'm at a low point right now, I admit. But here's why I'm frustrated: this team isn't going to score enough runs to win this year. That's OK, I can live with a rebuilding year; I just have trouble seeing a path toward this changing in the foreseeable future.

by Eric in Madison on Mar 11, 2008 7:16 PM EDT 0 recs

Future runs

Really? You do? Even with Kubel, Young, and Gomez? What about Casilla?

Along with still having Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer. I'd say that's a pretty good young core.

Baseball is great because you cant take a knee or kill the clock. You gotta put the ball over the plate and give the other guy his damn shot E Weaver abridged

by AdamOnFirst on Mar 11, 2008 7:50 PM EDT up 0 recs

A couple comments

You are more confident, it appears, about Gomez and Casilla being quality offensive performers than I am.
That isn't a bad group, but there isn't a guy in that group who is a top 5 offensive player in the league. Or even really even top 10. You don't have to have that, but it helps. I suppose there is some chance that Young becomes that player.
This team, this year, has huge, gaping offensive holes at CF, 2B, and SS. I myself also don't much like Lamb. I have trouble seeing the quality solutions going forward.

by Eric in Madison on Mar 11, 2008 8:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

Hmm

I don't know. you said:

I can live with a rebuilding year; I just have trouble seeing a path toward this changing in the foreseeable future.

So you're saying that the emerging players: Young, Gomez and Casilla, will not become what most scouts expect them to become. I can see the point that they won't be quite there this year, especially Gomez and Casilla. But by 2009, most scouts believe they will be very good additions to the core.

You also said:

That isn't a bad group, but there isn't a guy in that group who is a top 5 offensive player in the league.

Mauer was a top 3 player in the league in 2006. Last year he was hurt a lot. But it's certainly within the realm of possibility that he can be in the top 5 again. Morneau was not far behind in 2006. That's two. Add Young to that, and you have an enviable middle of the order. Add Cuddyer, Kubel, Casilla, and Gomez and you've got one of the top line-ups 1-7 in the league in 2009.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 11, 2008 9:06 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yup

Well, I have trouble imagining Gomez or Casilla becoming impact hitters, yes. I suppose there's some chance that Gomez turns into Jose Reyes, but that strikes me as unlikely. I'm not sure what "most scouts" expect; I haven't seen anyone outside MN suggest that Casilla would be particularly special, and Gomez clearly has a lot of questions.

As for Mauer, he absolutely was a top 5 player in 2006--frankly he had a better MVP argument than Morneau did. He was 7th in OPS+ that year in the league, which is great for a catcher, but was driven by his .347 average, which isn't his true level of ability. He's a tremendous player when healthy, but it's based on him being a catcher, not purely on his offense.

As for Morneau, I like the guy. But realistically, he's Paul Konerko.

I don't know. Maybe this is excessively pessimistic, but I don't love this offense going forward. Further, there isn't one true impact hitter in the Twins minors right now.

by Eric in Madison on Mar 11, 2008 10:32 PM EDT up 0 recs

Well, it's a good thing

that we don't have to satisfy every Twins skeptic with a mouse and two thumbs.

Let them play before you empty a piss-pot on them, will ya? And, we need more to go on than your anxiety about them not scoring runs.

The reason that the Yanks, Angels and Sox score so many runs is directly proportional to their payroll.

And tell me again which two young left-handed hitters on the same team are better than Mauer and Morneau?

Add Gomez, Casilla and Kubel and the young core is competitive. No one can ever predict which young players break all the way through, like Sizemore and Granderson, and which just always have a lot of potential. Not even number crunchers.

And if you don't believe me, look up Robinson Cano's minor league stats and explain how he would turn into the offensive terror he now is.

by Old Twins Cap on Mar 12, 2008 1:25 AM EDT up 0 recs

Gomez and Casilla

Casilla's offensive celing isn't as a big basher, but a young Luis Castillo is awfully good. A .300 average with some decent walks (.350) and non depressing power (.400 SLG), coupled with blazing speed on the bases and very good up the middle defense is a good player.

Same kinda deal for Gomez, though Gomez has more power potentil. He could become a .300/.350/.500 hitter someday. Once again, not a masher, but that's from a speedy guy playing excellent defense at an up the middle position.

In fact, even if Gomez never reaches his offensive ceiling and becomes a .270..330.420 hitter, he's still a very valuable player between that respectable hitting line, speed, and premium defense.

Baseball is great because you cant take a knee or kill the clock. You gotta put the ball over the plate and give the other guy his damn shot E Weaver abridged

by AdamOnFirst on Mar 12, 2008 1:49 AM EDT up 0 recs

"As for Morneau...he's Paul Konerko"

What does this even mean? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

by TheMattWilke on Mar 12, 2008 12:25 PM EDT up 0 recs

What I meant by that is

that he's very comparable. That's a good thing. But I think Morneau's reputation is a little ahead of the results based on the MVP award, which I don't really want to debate.

by Eric in Madison on Mar 12, 2008 12:35 PM EDT up 0 recs

Scouts

Two years ago, scouts raved about this kid. A lot of services ranked him number 2 in the Twins system going into 2007, behind Matt Garza.

Over the winter, rumors suggested that the Red Sox's Lowrie would be included in a trade for Santana. I read reports quoting "unnamed high level scouts" saying Casilla was a better prospect than Lowrie. Ergo, he's a pretty good prospect. I know he has too much major league experience to be a prospect (like Gomez), but if he were a prospect he's be rated ahead of any other middle infielder in the system.

"You're thinking too much. Just have fun." -- Bennie "The Jet" Rodriguez in Sandlot

by cmathewson on Mar 15, 2008 4:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

Monroe

Is it time to start looking in Craig Monroe's direction? He says he's willing to play there. And he's absolutely destroying spring training against both lefties and righties since getting healthy. Rod Carew must have gotten through to him. I'd prefer him in CF instead of taking Kubel's at bats at DH.

by TheMattWilke on Mar 13, 2008 3:21 PM EDT 0 recs

Platoon again?

I know I've said it before but it seems like it might just make sense to have a Monroe/Pridie platoon to start the season and let Span and Gomez fight it out at AAA. I don't think anyone is hoping that Pridie develops into more than a fourth outfielder/stopgap CF guy for us so we wouldn't be hurting him by having him come up and play part time. Plus if we're going to pay Monroe we may as well see what the guy can do.

by halfchest on Mar 13, 2008 9:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

Monroe has 8 hits...

As in, I can count all of his hits with two hands and not even use my thumbs. He hasn't destroyed anything.

by ubelmann on Mar 13, 2008 10:15 PM EDT up 0 recs

I think

that's a good experiment for Runs Created. Monroe has been hitting very well this spring, so it'd be interesting to look to see if the runs he'd be giving up in center could be offset by the runs he'd create at the plate, versus what you'd get from Span/Gomez/Pridie.

by Jesse on Mar 13, 2008 6:30 PM EDT 0 recs