Jonathan Schoop's three-hit day, which included his third home run of the season, was just a part of the offensive onslaught put forth by his Orioles teammates in their 14-1 drubbing on Sunday. Schoop is now hitting .349 over his past 10 games, but still just .268 on the season.
Nick Franklin hit a go-ahead home run in the 13th inning to seal the deal for his Mariners teammates on Sunday. For Franklin it was part of a 3.for-6 day that saw his batting average rise to .349 as he continues to make his case for a call-up.
Anthony Rendon had a perfect game at the plate, one which included his fourth home run of the season, and the Nationals prospect is now hitting .452 (14-for-31) since his return to the minors.
Jesus Aguilar hit his fourth home run of the season as part of a day in which he reached base three times. The Indians first base prospect has struggled to carry his 2012 success over into the Double-A level this year and is slugging just .381 on the season.
Anthony Ranaudo advanced to 5-1 on the season as the Red Sox prospect tossed six shutout innings while striking out five. The outing lowered his ERA to 1.38 on the season.
On-base magician Mike O'Neill reached safely three more times on Sunday, collecting a pair of hits and a walk. The Cardinals outfielder is now hitting .340 on the season with a .489 on-base percentage.
High-A
Clayton Blackburn struggled for the third straight start as the Giants prospect allowed five runs (four earned) in four innings. Blackburn has now allowed at least four runs in three consecutive outings after not allowing more than two in any of his first four starts.
After struggling in Triple-A this season and Double-A last season, Angels prospect Orangel Arenas is back in the California League and turned in a dominant start in his first outing, allowing just one run in seven innings.
Low-A
In a crazy offensive day, the Twins got impressive performances at the plate from two of their top picks from last year's draft. Byron Buxton, the second overall pick, went 4-for-7 to raise his batting average to .352 on the year, but he was outdone by third-rounder Adam Brett Walker, who went 4-for-6 with two doubles and two home runs.
Sean Gilmartin has been very sharp lately, and the Braves was at it again on Thursday, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings to take his first loss of the season, according to Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.
Mike Zunino and Nick Franklin weren't able to join in the offensive party with their Mariners teammates on Thursday, as both went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts each. Franklin, playing shortstop on this night, has been the subject of promotion rumors given the Mariners offensive struggles this season in the majors and his red-hot start.
Jonathan Villar had a huge day at the plate, as the Astros shortstop prospect went 4-for-4 with a home run, reports Robert Emrich of MiLB.com. Villar is now hitting .442 over his past 10 games and is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak.
Double-A
Jameson Taillon allowed at least three runs for the third straight start, although this time out, just two of them were earned. Taillon was able to strike out six batters in as many innings, but took the loss in the outing, the third of the year for the Pirates right-hander.
In a somewhat unlikely pitcher's duel, Yankees lefty Nik Turley struck out eight over six innings of one-run baseball to defeat Blue Jays right-hander Deck McGuire, who allowed just two runs over six innings of his own. Both pitchers entered the game with ERA's over 5.00.
It took Anthony Ranaudo 85 pitches to get though 5 1/3 innings before being removed due to the Red Sox pitch limit restrictions, but during his time in the game, he managed to allow just one run while striking out four.
Archie Bradley appeared to have no trouble making the transition to Double-A, as the Diamondbacks through a six-inning complete game in a shortened contest, striking out seven batters in six innings and allowing just one run. Bradley, recently promoted to Mobile, has battled control issues last season, but has showed much improvement this year and walked just two in his first start at his new level.
Yasiel Puig hit his fifth home run of the season, but it wasn't enough run support for fellow Dodgers prospect Chris Reed, who got roughed up in the start, allowing six runs in 4 2/3 innings.
High-A
Aaron Sanchez was dominant on Wednesday, striking out six batters and allowing just one run in 3 2/3 innings. Sanchez has been good again this season and now has a 3.16 ERA and a 2.54 FIP on the year.
Marlins pitcher Jose Urena got hit around in his latest start, allowing six runs (five earned) in five innings of work, but still managed to earn a win.
Sam Selman, the Royals second-round pick last year, struggled again, allowing five runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings of work. The left-hander is walking too many batters, having now allowed 18 free passes in 21 innings.
Low-A
Byron Buxton hit his fifth home run of the season as the Twins prospect continues to dominate the Midwest League. The second overall pick from last season is now hitting .388/.509/.694 on the season and could earn himself a promotion in the next month.
Rubby de la Rosa put together his second staight solid outing after struggling in his first three starts of the season, notes WPRI.com. The Red Sox prospect struck out five batters in three innings without allowing a run. He has yet to work more than three innings in an outing this season.
After a rough start of his own, Phillies outfield prospect Darin Ruf has been red-hot lately, hitting another home run on Tuesday night, giving him three in as many games. He's now eight for his last 13 with three doubles and three home runs.
Astros prospect Jarred Cosart out-pitched Brewers prospect Johnny Hellweg on Tuesday. Cosart struck out six while allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings while Hellweg battled his control, walking four over six innings, but did strike out seven.
Double-A
Alex Meyer showed flashes of dominance, striking out eight batters over six innings, but the Twins prospect allowed four runs over that stretch.
Following the lead of his major league counterparts on Tuesday, Indians top prospect Francisco Lindor went 3-for-3 with a home run in game two of a double-header.
Low-A
Byron Buxton homered on Tuesday, his fourth home run of the season. The second overall pick from last year's draft is now hitting .392/.510/.684 on the season.
Cubs slugger Dan Vogelbach continues to show off his power, hitting his fifth home run of the season on Tuesday as part of a four-hit day.
Twins outfield prospect Oswaldo Arcia may have had the best all-around game of the night, going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run at the plate and also throwing out two runners at second base.
Diamondbacks prospect Matt Davidson did on Thursday night what Matt Davidson does best, hitting a ninth-inning two-run home run to lead Reno to a 5-4 victory, despite a home run earlier in the game from fellow hot-corner man and Rockies top prospect Nolan Arenado.
Zack Wheeler struggled in his Pacific Coast League deubt as the Mets top prospect allowed two earned runs and walking three while taking 86 pitches to get through 3 1/3 innings. He got plenty of run support from Travis d'Arnaud, who collected a pair of doubles in the game.
Danny Hultzen had no such trouble in his 2013 debut, as the Mariners lefty fanned seven batters over six innings of work. His control issues, which plagued him after his call-up to Triple-A last season, were no where to be found, as Hultzen walked just 2 batters.
Double-A
The Double-A debut of Mets pitching prospect Rafael Montero couldn't have gone much better, as the right-hander struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings of one-run baseball.
Taijuan Walker wasn't as sharp in his 2013 debut, striking out eight batters of his own over five innings of work, but also walking four and allowing four earned runs and a pair of home runs to Marlins prospects J.T. Realmuto and Derek Dietrich.
After emerging as a prospect last season, Aaron Northcraft was able to carry his success over to his first start of 2013, also striking out eight over six innings of shutout baseball.
Tigers first base prospect Aaron Westlake hit his first home run of the season as part of a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Yankees catching prospect Gary Sanchez went 2-for-4 in the victory.
The A's jumped Addison Russell all the way to the California League in his first full season but the 2012 first-rounder struck out three times in his debut. He also singled and walked.
Low-A
After posting a 6.26 ERA in the Midwest League last season, Padres pitching prospect Joe Ross got off to a much better start to the 2013 season, throwing five scoreless innings on Thursday night while striking out four.
Reds prospect Robert Stephenson was dominant at times but erratic at others en route to racking up six strikeouts over five innings, but also allowing three runs.
Byron Buxton did his job as a leadoff hitter in his full-season debut, getting two hits, scoring two runs and stealing a base for the Twins new affiliate in Cedar Rapids.
Earlier this week, I wrote an article for The Hardball Times commending the Houston Astros for being willing to dedicate themselves completely to their rebuilding process, even though it means breaking things all the way down and dealing with some lean years in the process. If you haven't read it, the general gist is this - if the Astros rebuilding process doesn't lead to a successful run of contention, it will be because the pieces they're rebuilding with didn't pan out, not because of the philosophy behind the moves. The Astros have done the right thing by trading virtually every valuable asset they have to gather as many young, cheap pieces as possible, and can now begin heading in the right direction.
It's a difficult decision to rebuild, and the problem that many organizations run into is that they don't completely commit to the plan. Instead of completely tearing things down, they choose to keep a few pieces, typically fan favorite players or long-time team members, to save face in front of the fan base and keep some shred of respectability. It's these moves that, while they may help the short-term bottom line in terms of attendance and TV ratings, ultimately keep teams from rebuilding properly.
Not every team needs a complete overhaul to return to contention, but the Minnesota Twins are another organization that does.
What They've Done So Far
It's been a quick and drastic drop for an organization that won a back-to-back division titles as recently as 2009-10, but a rash of departing veterans and injuries have taken it's toll on the Twins, and it has unfortunately happened simultaneously with the opening of their new stadium.
The Twins did the right thing this off-season, entering rebuilding mode with gusto by trading outfielders Denard Span and Ben Revere to the Nationals and Phillies, respectively, in separate winter trades, and letting Francisco Liriano depart via free agency. Most importantly, they have said that team centerpiece Joe Mauer is not being traded (more on that later).
For the services of Span, the Twins acquired Alex Meyer, a tall, projectable former first-round pick who has made great strides with his control since his time at the University of Kentucky, but still has a way to go in developing his off-speed pitches. The 6'9" right-hander should be, at the very least, a back-end bullpen guy, thanks to a plus-fastball and an even better slider, but if he can keep his command together, he could be a frontline starter.
For Revere, the Twins got Vance Worley, a pitcher who can fill a rotation spot this year, but also develop into a piece of their future, and Trevor May, the top pitching prospect in the Phillies system. May had his issues in his first taste of Double-A in 2012, but there are few scouts who think he'll be much less than a mid-rotation starter.
Acquiring this kind of pitching talent was a strong first step for the Twins, immediately giving them two potential rotation pieces for their next competitive team.
But they can't be finished.
Going All-In
Span had two years left on his contract, with an option for a third. Revere, having yet to even hit arbitration, is signed through 2017. If those two players were expendable, it's difficult to make a case for keeping Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau around this season.
For Morneau, nostalgia plays a part, and I get it. A former MVP, and a Canadian-born player on a northern team that borders his home country, Morneau has been a fan favorite for years. Additionally, he's battled injuries the past three seasons and his production has dropped off dramatically. He can still do a few things (like hit right-handed pitching), but he's nowhere near valuable enough to justify his $14 million price tag. The Twins have had some nibbles, especially at last year's trade deadline, but they're not going to get much of value for Morneau. They should be trading any asset that won't be around for their next competitive team (which clearly Morneau won't be), but you could make the case that he has more value to the fan base and at the ticket window than he does on the trade market, and I wouldn't argue with you too much.
The same is not the case for Willingham.
Josh Willingham has been in Minnesota for just one season, and it turned out to be the best season of his career. For the Twins, that's the equivilent of winning $500 on your $5 scratch-off.
The Twins were lucky enough to sign Willingham for a reasonable contract before the 2012 season. He's signed for two more years at just $7 per season, which is enough to make him more attractive to teams than one-year rental players, but not long enough to justify keeping him in Minnesota. The Twins will simply not be good within the duration of Willingham's contract.
So why keep him?
The Twins have said since last year's trade deadline that they're not trading Willingham, with the only conceivable reason being to try to keep some kind of semi-competitive team on the field. You know, like the one that lost 96 games last year.
Willingham isn't some star, but he is an effective power hitter signed to a reasonable contract. The market this off-season for Willingham would have consisted of a number of teams, including, but not limited to, the Pirates, Phillies (before the Revere and inexplicable Delmon Young signing), Mariners (before trading for Michael Morse), and Braves, to name a few.
Willingham wouldn't necessarily bring back a player the calibar of Meyer, but he's doing the Twins no good whatsoever, and he does have value. He would have brought back some pieces that they could have used to build around.
The Joe Mauer Factor
In general the philosophy to a rebuilding process should be to trade all valuable assets in order to obtain younger assets that will hit their peaks at the same time. In theory, Mauer should be the Twins most valuable asset. But thanks to the massave contract that still owes him $138 million over the next six years, he does't have nearly as much trade value as his production would indicate. If he had just a year or two left on his contract, thus putting his remaining service time with the Twins outside of the window in which they can next compete, then the Twins only choice would be to trade him for a fraction of his value and get what they can for him.
But with six years left on his deal, there's no reason to think, if things are done properly, that the Twins can't be competitive within the length of Mauer's contract. Additionally, Mauer is a local product and is as much associated with his team as any player this side of Derek Jeter, and while making baseball decisions based on fan emotion is a dangerous game to play, in this case, it is somewhat of a factor. It wouldn't be a dealbreaker in trading Mauer if he was owed less money and was more tradable, but it is a factor nonetheless.
I Can't Leave Out...
...the draft.
An integral part of the rebuilding process is success in the draft. There's not much philosophy to discuss here other than "they should draft good baseball players," but it is worth noting that they appear to have done a good job of that in the 2012 draft, if you put any stock in early, half-season returns.
With the second overall pick, the Twins selected outfielder Byron Buxton, the consensus top overall athlete in the draft. He held his own in rookie ball and we should have a better sense of just what kind of player he could become by this time next season, but the Twins are no-doubt envisioning a top-of-the-lineup that features Buxton and 2008 first round pick Aaron Hicks, who had a strong 2012 season in Double-A and is part of what made Revere and Span expendable.
With their second first round pick, the 32nd overall, the Twins grabbed Jose Berrios, a 6'0" right-handed strikeout machine who will be pitching in the World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico this spring at just 18-years-old. The Twins couldn't have asked for a better start to his career than the 14.4 K/9 Berrios produced in rookie ball last season, and they could very well have stolen a top-of-the-rotation starter at the end of the first round, assuming his frame can handle the workload.
The Twins have done a good job of beginning the rebuilding process, but they can't stop here, especially with Willingham on the roster. There is absolutely no reason for them to keep a 34-year-old left-fielder coming off of a career year when they can turn him into something useful for their future. In order for them to be successful in this process, they have to commit to it completely, and be willing to deal with the short-term consequences in order to benefit from the long-term gain.
