Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins is little more than a month away. Puckett’s Pond is here to keep you informed on every player currently on the Twins 40 man roster.
Outfielder Zack Granite made his Major League debut for the Minnesota Twins last season and the returns were promising. He showed an ability to work the count in his favor while flashing his above average speed in the field. However, he appeared in only 40 games so it’s too soon to tell how good he will be in Major League Baseball.
Granite hit a meager .237 with one home run and 14 runs batted in during the his debut season. However, he showed plate discipline not often seen in MLB, let alone in a young player. Granite walked 12 times and had only nine strikeouts in 140 plate appearances. Those numbers don’t exactly blow you away, but what he has done in the Minor Leagues will.
What the future holds for Granite
Throughout his Minor League career Granite has demonstrated superior plate discipline and that will help him stick in the Majors. In this era of Major League Baseball where it’s all about home runs, and strikeout numbers aren’t important, Granite is the ultimate outlier. He has struck out more than 45 times in a season only once and his OBP has never been lower than .347 when playing in more than 30 games.
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That type of plate discipline is hard to find and the Minnesota Twins are fortunate to have Granite. He finished the 2017 season as the number 27 ranked prospect in the Twins system. He doesn’t profile to hit for power, but his ability to barrel up a baseball will help him have success in MLB.
His best tool is his speed and he knows how to use it. He has 102 stolen bases over the last three seasons in the Minors and was thrown out 33 times. At worst, Granite will be a capable fourth outfielder in the Majors. With his speed and his capable abilities in the outfield he should have a long career.
Hitting home runs has become far to important across Major League Baseball and strikeout numbers have spiked for hitters. Watching Granite is almost like watching a hitter from 20-30 years ago, when 100 strikeouts in a season was rare, not commonplace.
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Minnesota Twins fans will enjoy watching his brand of baseball, and in 2018 we may just see it all come together for him. The Twins have playoff aspirations and Granite will play a big role in helping the organization reach those goals.