Twins Will Shake Up The 25 Man Roster

By Ted Schwerzler | Dec 24, 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, so officially does a time period that saw Ron Gardenhire manage the Minnesota Twins for the past decade. As we move into 2015, Paul Molitor has now taken full command of the club, and things should look significantly different going forward. Whether that’s good or bad is yet to be seen, but you can bet one of the most dramatic differences will be in the 25 man roster.

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If you remember correctly, there were some very consistent undertones when it came to roster construction with Gardenhire at the helm. To start off, let’s offer some full disclosure in saying that Terry Ryan undoubtedly had some hand in who was on the 25 man, but it was ultimately Ron Gardenhire who made the daily playing time decisions. Let’s take a look at some of Gardy’s go-to principles:

Catchers…Lots of em’: Gardy always seemed to want at least 3 guys who could catch on the roster, and that was even while Joe Mauer was moved to first base. More deserving bats were snubbed, and Josmil Pinto was underutilized as Gardy never wanted to be in a situation where he felt less than comfortable behind the plate.
Scholarships: Last season saw Jason Kubel, Jason Bartlett, and Matt Geurrier all take up spots on the 25 man roster. As the new wave of prospect talent is ushered in, you can expect Molitor to take a more no-nonsense approach.
More logical options: Because of the limitations the 25 man roster had in recent years, we saw guys like Eduardo Nunez, Eduardo Escobar, and even Danny Santana playing the outfield. Expect to see true outfielders and true infielders playing their positions this season. The Twins went into 2014 lacking outfield depth, so not all of that was on Gardenhire, but he didn’t push for change either.
Youth: I think this one speaks for itself, but as the Twins look to turn the page (and if they want to compete at a higher level), the turnover will need to be given to some of the young and promising prospects. Rather than giving an struggling or aging veteran at bats down the stretch, it would stand to reason that a Miguel Sano or Byron Buxton appearance may be the way the Twins look to ignite the offense.

As we draw within months of pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training, it is coming to be the time of the year where we look more closely at roster construction. Share some of your thoughts as to who you would like to see crack the Twins Opening Day roster. Make sure to check back Monday as we unveil our full 25 man roster projection.

Next: Projecting Your Minnesota Twins Opening Day Lineup

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