The Twins in a sense closed the book Monday on a failed draft strategy by selling Tyler Jay to the Cincinnati Reds.
Jay was the Twins' first round pick in 2015, number six overall, a lefty who had been a dominant reliever for Illinois. At the time, it was thought that he could be very fast to the majors, and since the Twins were contending for a wild-card spot that year, there was some appeal to getting a bullpen reinforcement.
Didn't happen. Jay spluttered in high A out of the pen. Perhaps, had he dominated immediately in Fort Myers as he had in the Big Ten, the fast-track would have materialized. Or maybe not.
The Twins organization, then led by Terry Ryan, was conducting a multi-year experiment of sorts by drafting college relievers in an effort to add velocity to their pitching inventory. Some they kept as relievers; some they tried to turn into starters. Jay was one of the latter group. Starting didn't take. He developed arm problems and barely pitched at all in 2017. The new front office ended the Jay-as-starter approach, but returning to the bullpen didn't improve his pitching either.
The Twins really didn't get much out of the college relievers emphasis. Tyler Duffey -- another reliever-turned-starter-turned-reliever -- might be establishing a place for himself in the Minnesota bullpen. Jake Reed and Sam Clay are still in the organization but haven't gotten berths on the 40-man roster yet, and I expect they're destined for minor-league free agency.
J.T. Chargois, Luke Bard and John Curtiss have become up-and-down guys in other organizations. Nick Burdi is on the Pirates injured list and may be having a career crisis. And a bunch of others -- Michael Cedarroth, Mason Melotakas, Zack Jones -- from the 2012-2014 drafts are simply out of baseball.
The Twins moved Jay along to another organization on the same day that Seth Stohs reported that a handful of players had been released out of extended spring training. They're making room in the minors for the new crop of draftees. In Jay's case, his roster spot in Double-A will go to somebody in A ball, making room for a draftee or extended spring pitcher.
Showing posts with label Tyler Jay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tyler Jay. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Friday, December 14, 2018
Wrong again, Eddie
It says something that no team thought Tyler Jay was worth a Rule 5 selection. I was pretty sure that he would be too attractive a target, that somebody would take a flier on him.
It's not that his work in the minors has justified the opportunity. It's that the talent -- a live, left-handed arm -- to be at least a LOOGY is there.
So Jay remains in the Twins organization. And we have to consider his drafting -- the sixth overall pick in 2015 -- a painful mistake. After all, the next man taken, by the Boston Red Sox, was Andrew Benintendi.
Anyway: the Twins took nobody in Rule 5, as anticipated. And they lost nobody either. That was not what I expected.
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Another missed call: I correctly anticipated that Seattle would send Carlos Santana on his way. I hardly expected it to be back to Cleveland, which made little obvious effort to retain him as a free agent last offseason.
It was a three-way trade that sent Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle, Santana and Jake Bauers (from Tampa Bay) to Cleveland and a hard-hitting Cuban infielder named Yandy Diaz to Tampa Bay.
Encarnacion may not be long with Seattle either. But remember my complaint about the C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop additions: they lack the ability to reach base consistently. Encarnacion is of the same ilk.
Santana is much more the kind of hitter the Twins need than Encarnacion is. Or, for that matter, Nelson Cruz, who has been linked to the Twins all week in the rumor mill.
It's not that his work in the minors has justified the opportunity. It's that the talent -- a live, left-handed arm -- to be at least a LOOGY is there.
So Jay remains in the Twins organization. And we have to consider his drafting -- the sixth overall pick in 2015 -- a painful mistake. After all, the next man taken, by the Boston Red Sox, was Andrew Benintendi.
Anyway: the Twins took nobody in Rule 5, as anticipated. And they lost nobody either. That was not what I expected.
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Another missed call: I correctly anticipated that Seattle would send Carlos Santana on his way. I hardly expected it to be back to Cleveland, which made little obvious effort to retain him as a free agent last offseason.
It was a three-way trade that sent Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle, Santana and Jake Bauers (from Tampa Bay) to Cleveland and a hard-hitting Cuban infielder named Yandy Diaz to Tampa Bay.
Encarnacion may not be long with Seattle either. But remember my complaint about the C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop additions: they lack the ability to reach base consistently. Encarnacion is of the same ilk.
Santana is much more the kind of hitter the Twins need than Encarnacion is. Or, for that matter, Nelson Cruz, who has been linked to the Twins all week in the rumor mill.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Roster moves and new roles
A newsy weekend out of Twins camp. Let's start with the lesser stuff:
The closest thing to a surprise among those eight Saturday demotions is Mitch Garver, who was supposedly in contention for the backup catcher job. But he didn't get much playing time in exhibitions. Priority one among the catchers appears to be giving Jason Castro a chance to learn this pitching staff, and they are giving veteran Chris Gimenez a real opportunity to make the team as a non-roster invitee. Garver has plenty of options, and he has a future.
On to the more important decisions:
Nick Gordon was taken with the fifth overall pick in 2014. Tyler Jay was taken with the sixth overall pick in 2015. These decisions suggest that both were overdrafts.
Start with Gordon, He's been a shortstop, but the decision to have him start splitting time at second base suggests that the Twins are skeptical of his defense at short, particularly his arm. The problem with Gordon as a second baseman: He's not a strong enough hitter for the keystone. He has almost no power.
I keep coming back to this: The Twins have not signed and developed a quality shortstop since setting up operations in Minnesota in 1961. Their best homegrown shortstop in more than a half century was probably Pat Meares.
Jay is a lefty drafted out of college, one of the many collegiate relievers the Twins have drafted in the last three years or so. The idea was that Jay has the pitches to be a starter. But he didn't make it through a full season last year and only threw 83 innings, and the new regime has pulled the plug on that notion.
It's possible for Jay to shoot quickly to the majors as a relief pitcher. Indeed, when the Twins signed in in 2015, when they were in a pennant race, there was chatter that he could get to the majors that year.
But they didn't spend the sixth overall pick with the intent of getting a reliever, even if he proves the equal of Glen Perkins at his best. They took him with the intent of getting a quality starter. And the very next player taken was Andrew Benitendi, who will be the Red Sox' starting left fielder this year.
Deron Johnson, the scouting director whose name is on the decisions to draft Gordon and Jay, won't be making the decisions this June. The Gordon and Jay selections may have had something to do with that.
ROSTER MOVES: @Twins option Garver, Vielma, Granite, Palka to AAA. Rohlfing, Goodrum, Gordon & Reginatto reassigned to Minor League camp.— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) March 18, 2017
The closest thing to a surprise among those eight Saturday demotions is Mitch Garver, who was supposedly in contention for the backup catcher job. But he didn't get much playing time in exhibitions. Priority one among the catchers appears to be giving Jason Castro a chance to learn this pitching staff, and they are giving veteran Chris Gimenez a real opportunity to make the team as a non-roster invitee. Garver has plenty of options, and he has a future.
On to the more important decisions:
LHP Tyler Jay has indeed moved full-time to bullpen, #mntwins farm director Brad Steil confirmed. Decision was mutual.— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) March 18, 2017
Nick Gordon will continue playing SS/2B this year, Molitor said. Matter of keeping more doors open for "one of our best hitting prospects."— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) March 18, 2017
Nick Gordon was taken with the fifth overall pick in 2014. Tyler Jay was taken with the sixth overall pick in 2015. These decisions suggest that both were overdrafts.
Start with Gordon, He's been a shortstop, but the decision to have him start splitting time at second base suggests that the Twins are skeptical of his defense at short, particularly his arm. The problem with Gordon as a second baseman: He's not a strong enough hitter for the keystone. He has almost no power.
I keep coming back to this: The Twins have not signed and developed a quality shortstop since setting up operations in Minnesota in 1961. Their best homegrown shortstop in more than a half century was probably Pat Meares.
Jay is a lefty drafted out of college, one of the many collegiate relievers the Twins have drafted in the last three years or so. The idea was that Jay has the pitches to be a starter. But he didn't make it through a full season last year and only threw 83 innings, and the new regime has pulled the plug on that notion.
It's possible for Jay to shoot quickly to the majors as a relief pitcher. Indeed, when the Twins signed in in 2015, when they were in a pennant race, there was chatter that he could get to the majors that year.
But they didn't spend the sixth overall pick with the intent of getting a reliever, even if he proves the equal of Glen Perkins at his best. They took him with the intent of getting a quality starter. And the very next player taken was Andrew Benitendi, who will be the Red Sox' starting left fielder this year.
Deron Johnson, the scouting director whose name is on the decisions to draft Gordon and Jay, won't be making the decisions this June. The Gordon and Jay selections may have had something to do with that.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
BA's Top 10 Twins prospects
The dead tree edition of Baseball America arrived in my mailbox Friday with Byron Buxton on the cover and the Top 10 prospects writeups for the AL Central teams inside. No link here because BA will roll the Twins stuff out online sometime next week.
The list:
Buxton, who retained his rookie status for 2016 by two at-bats, was the obvious top choice; he's very likely to be BA's No. 1 overall prospect for the third straight winter when that list comes out in a few weeks. Nor are No. 2 or 3 -- Jose Berrios and Max Kepler -- startling selections. There are plenty of organizations for which either would be the headliner.
The list was compiled for BA by the Pioneer Press beat writer, Mike Berardino, A few comments on his rankings:
Gordon, who spent last year in low A, is above Polanco, who split 2015 between Double A and Triple A, this on the basis that Gordon is expected to stick at shortstop. I like both players, and I agree that Polanco is stretched as a shortstop. His problem right now, as for Berrios and Kepler, is the lack of obvious opportunity on the major league club.
Stewart, the No. 4 overall pick in 2013, the year the Cubs took Kris Bryant with the No. 3 pick, "slid" to No. 7 after seeing his strikeout rate decline in the Florida State League. Key sentence: "The Twins hope he'll start to miss more bats as he learns more about pitch sequencing."
Gonsalves, the Twins fourth-round pick in that draft, has essentially caught Stewart in the rankings. But Berardino figures Stewart will open 2016 in Double A while Gonsalves, who finished 2015 in high A Fort Myers, remains there for a few months.
Jay, college reliever, is likely to start in 2016, probably at Fort Myers. The Miracle figure to have some really interesting left-handed arms in the rotation this spring, with Gonsalves, Jay and Randy Rosario, who was added to the 40-man roster after a strong TJ-recovery season in Cedar Rapids. Of that trio, I assume Jay is both closest to the majors and has the highest ceiling but that Gonsalves is the most likely to be a major league starter.
The list:
- Buxton (CF)
- Jose Berrios (RHP)
- Max Kepler (OF-1B)
- Nick Gordon (SS)
- Tyler Jay (LHP)
- Jorge Polanco (SS-2B)
- Byung Ho Park (1B)
- Kohl Stewart (RHP)
- Stephen Gonsalves (LHP)
- Nick Burdi (RHP)
Buxton, who retained his rookie status for 2016 by two at-bats, was the obvious top choice; he's very likely to be BA's No. 1 overall prospect for the third straight winter when that list comes out in a few weeks. Nor are No. 2 or 3 -- Jose Berrios and Max Kepler -- startling selections. There are plenty of organizations for which either would be the headliner.
The list was compiled for BA by the Pioneer Press beat writer, Mike Berardino, A few comments on his rankings:
Gordon, who spent last year in low A, is above Polanco, who split 2015 between Double A and Triple A, this on the basis that Gordon is expected to stick at shortstop. I like both players, and I agree that Polanco is stretched as a shortstop. His problem right now, as for Berrios and Kepler, is the lack of obvious opportunity on the major league club.
Stewart, the No. 4 overall pick in 2013, the year the Cubs took Kris Bryant with the No. 3 pick, "slid" to No. 7 after seeing his strikeout rate decline in the Florida State League. Key sentence: "The Twins hope he'll start to miss more bats as he learns more about pitch sequencing."
Gonsalves, the Twins fourth-round pick in that draft, has essentially caught Stewart in the rankings. But Berardino figures Stewart will open 2016 in Double A while Gonsalves, who finished 2015 in high A Fort Myers, remains there for a few months.
Jay, college reliever, is likely to start in 2016, probably at Fort Myers. The Miracle figure to have some really interesting left-handed arms in the rotation this spring, with Gonsalves, Jay and Randy Rosario, who was added to the 40-man roster after a strong TJ-recovery season in Cedar Rapids. Of that trio, I assume Jay is both closest to the majors and has the highest ceiling but that Gonsalves is the most likely to be a major league starter.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Coming and going
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| Tyler Jay is reported to have gotten "slot money": $3.889,500 as the sixth overall selection |
The Twins intend to keep Jay in the bullpen for the remainder of this season and wait until 2016 to test him as a starting pitcher. Worth a second glance is this item: They intend to start his pro career at High-A Fort Myers.
That's unusually aggressive for them. To be sure, it's been a long time since they've used a pick this high (sixth overall) on a collegiate pitcher. But they've usually had even first- and second-round collegians open at Elizabethton, two levels lower than Jay will be. Nick Burdi, last year's second-rounder, went to Low-A Cedar Rapids to get started, and that was unusual. This is another level up. (Burdi, incidentally, has been at Double A all season and is not exactly forcing a promotion at this point.)
The assignment fits this theory: The Twins are leaving the door ajar to a 2016 major league debut for Jay. They're not going to drop that kind of expectation on him publicly, of course. But IF he dominates in the Florida State League, the next move up is Double A. And IF the Twins remain in the playoff hunt, from Double A he's in position to make the kind of move Brandon Finnegan did last summer with Kansas City.
Those are two important IFs, to be sure, and both have to align for Jay to get the majors in September. The Twins aren't going to start his option clock early unless it will help get them to the playoffs, no matter how well he fares in the minors the next two-and-a-half months.
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Going: Tim Stauffer, designated for assignment on June 10, was released Wednesday. The Twins wind up eating about $1.3 million of his $2.2 million deal. Or we can consider the entirety of his work with the Twins (6.60 ERA) and say they ate the whole contract.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Feeling a draft: The Twins on Day One
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| Tyler Jay pitches for Illinois in the Big Ten tournament last month in Target Field. |
The Twins's selection of Tyler Jay with the sixth overall pick fits two recent patterns in their drafting style:
- He's a pitcher from a Big Ten school (in the past decade they popped Matt Bashore and Aaron Slegers of Indiana and Alex Wimmers of Ohio State; Bashore is out of baseball, Wimmers is in Double A and Slegers in High A).
- He was used in college primarily as a reliever but is viewed by the Twins as a potential starter.
Sixth overall is too high for a straight-up bullpen guy, but it appears that there was an industry consensus that Jay was the best lefty in the pool. Some mock drafts I saw had him going as high as third overall.
While Terry Ryan downplayed the notion during his appearance on the Twins game broadcast, there was a buzz about the possibility of Jay getting to the big club this year, a la Brandon Finnegan last season with Kansas City.
And Ryan did say that he expects to keep Jay in the bullpen this year in the minors and begin the process of making him a starter next year, This would fit the hurry-him-to-the-majors theory. And watching Aaron Thompson and Brian Duensing struggle of late does prompt thoughts that the Twins need some southpaw help in the bullpen.
That kind of ambitious timeline can only work if Jay cooperates -- sign quickly and dominate from the get-go. And it will also require that the Twins remain in contention. There's no point in putting him on the 40-man roster for a late-season callup if the team's out of the running; that would start his option clock early and, perhaps, impede the long-term goal of making him a starter.
There's an obvious reason Jay was expected to be an early pick. He's a left-handed power pitcher, and there aren't a lot of those guys around. The perceived drawback is that he hasn't been a starter, but there's a plus to that as well: He hasn't been burdened with high pitch counts and lots of innings.
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The Twins lost their second round pick by signing Ervin Santana, but they did get a "competitive balance lottery" pick at the end of the second round, 73rd overall. They used that pick on Kyle Cody, right handed pitcher from the University of Kentucky. Which is another school the Twins have dipped into for pitchers quite a bit. Cody's a big guy with velocity.
They've drafted a lot of power arms in recent years. They haven't -- yet -- seen fit to bring them up to the big club.
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