Twins sign yet another minor contract

Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

At this point, one would think I wouldn’t even roll my eyes when tweets like this make my phone buzz:

But yet, I can’t help myself.  I still have hope that the Minnesota Twins are going to get SOMEONE of established talent and value to join the major league roster soon, preferably in the pitcher’s position.  After all, there are FOUR ROTATION SPOTS OPEN.

But I digress.  I was going to talk about James Beresford, the infielder recently signed by the Twins to a minor league deal.

Beresford isn’t new to the Twins minor league system, as he first played on the Twins’ Gulf Coast League team in 2007 and has played for a Twins affiliate since then, with the exception of part of 2010, when he played in his native Australia.

With the invitation the Twins extended to him to spring training, my first assumption was that he was one of the the players Terry Ryan was hoping would give Trevor Plouffe competition at the hot corner.  But after perusing his statistics, I decided that was unlikely, as he’s played four game total at third base, and he’s never played above the AA level at any position.

Beresford has spent the majority of his playing time shifting between the two middle infield spots, with significantly more games played at shortstop (442) than at second base (132).  More than likely, the spring training invitation is a courtesy, and Beresford will likely play somewhere in the minor league system.  It seems probable that he’ll either start in or quickly make his way to AAA Rochester in 2013.

The Twins’ depth chart currently lists Pedro Florimon, Brian Dozier, Jamey Carroll, and Eduardo Escobar as the combined list of players at those two positions.  Carroll’s contract is only guaranteed through next season, Dozier seemed sometimes to have rookie jitters with the MLB team, and Florimon and Escobar were each underwhelming when taken as whole players, despite some fantastic plays, particularly on the part of Florimon.  It seems more likely that the Twins are looking ahead at the middle infield positions with this signing.

Sigh.  Even though I’m antsy, it’s still early in the offseason.  I’ll keep waiting for a significant signing for 2013.  I am, however, very close to creating a chart where I can cross off the pitchers the Twins miss out on.  Maybe the upcoming Winter Meetings will bring some hope and excitement.