Minnesota Twins: Grading, Reflecting on 2016 Predictions
D-. “My gut says Murphy. It will be pretty close but Suzuki is the starting catcher heading into the season. Murphy will have to out hit him to take over the job.”. 1. Who will catch more games, Murphy or Suzuki?.
John Ryan Murphy made 11 starts before the Twins demoted him to triple-A. Murphy spent the majority of the year in Rochester. He didn’t return until the Twins called him up in September.
Murphy was behind the plate for 24 games while Kurt Suzuki caught 96 games. Not at all close like I predicted.
The only reason I didn’t receive an “F” is due to the last sentence in the prediction. Murphy didn’t out-hit Suzuki and therefore didn’t take over the starting role. For this, I’m able to salvage my grade and walk away with a “D-“.
D-. Looking at ESPN, the projections say Sano will hit 38 home runs, and 26 for Park. I would be happily surprised if Sano hit over 35 home runs. As for Park, I am going to safely assume 20 to 25 home runs.. 2. How many home runs will Sano hit? Park?.
Here again, I avoid another potential “F” with one grade-saving line.
Miguel Sano didn’t come close to the ESPN projections as he hit 25 home runs. However, with the way he struggled all year long, 25 home runs isn’t terrible.
Byung Ho Park hit 12 home runs. Not quite in the range I predicted but not too far off.
Despite not reaching the projections, it’s worth noting both sluggers missed considerable amounts of time. Sano missed 46 games, mostly due to injuries. Park played in only 62 games before the Twins demoted him to triple-A.
For what it’s worth, both were on pace to hit more than 30 home runs.
. A. I ran a weekly reaction piece on Berrios in December talking about this issue. My thoughts then are confirmed by the Twins actions now. Berrios will be treated like the Chicago Cubs treated Kris Bryant. I expect Berrios on the active roster no later than May. Duffey (Milone?) and Nolasco are place holders at this point.. 3. When will Jose Berrios debut?
Even if the Twins didn’t give Jose Berrios the Kris Bryant treatment on purpose, Berrios did make his debut in late April. While Berrios didn’t stay on the active roster for long, he did debut before the month of May.
As far as predictions go, this one is a slam dunk.
B. Rosario may be “oblivious to failure” but that doesn’t he’s immune from it. I predict he will fall into a major slump at some point this year. I also predict that if he were to slump for about a month or longer, fans will dismiss him quickly. He is prone to Arcia-like growing pains.. 4. Is Eddie Rosario legitimate?.
I could have given myself another “A” for this prediction but instead gave myself a “B” because I’m not sure that fans necessarily dismissed him.
Regardless, Eddie Rosario did suffer through a horrific slump. From Opening Day to mid-May, Rosario slashed .200/.218/.313. Eventually, this led to his demotion to triple-A.
Rosario slashed a much improved .305/.335/.477 after being recalled in July.
Looking back, this prediction has me torn. On one hand, I’m proud of myself for finding a player who can and will decline from the previous year. Yet on the other hand, I don’t want the Twins or any of their players to fail.