Minnesota Twins 40-man in 40 days: Robbie Grossman
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.
Robbie Grossman will feel the impact of the Minnesota Twins signing Logan Morrison the most. It will now be an uphill battle for Grossman to make the Opening Day roster. However, battling for a roster spot is something he is used to at this point of his career.
Grossman doesn’t do any one thing spectacular so he doesn’t set himself apart from his competition. However, he is solid in most areas and provides quality at-bats each time he steps to the plate.
However, the Minnesota Twins now have Morrison and he will receive the bulk of the at-bats at designated hitter. Kennys Vargas is in camp to challenge Grossman for the last remaining bench role. With little more than a month before Opening Day, this will be a tight battle between Vargas and Grossman.
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Offensively, Grossman is easily the better option between the two. However, he has already reached his ceiling so there’s very little upside with him. Vargas on the other hand is still young and yet to reach his potential for Minnesota. Twins fans remember all too well what can happen if a team gives up on a young player too soon. However, Vargas is no David Ortiz, and looks out-of-place at the Major League level.
What Grossman brings to the table
There is a very real possibility that Grossman doesn’t make the Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster. He slashed .246/.361/.380 with only nine home runs and 45 runs batted in during the 2017 season. He has value in his ability to take walks while limiting his strikeouts. However, his low batting average and lack of power hurt him the most.
Grossman doesn’t bring much to the table defensively and it will hurt the Twins to carry him as a reserve outfielder. It’s always possible that Grossman could see time at first base this season. However, he has not appeared at that position during his career, so DH should be the only way he makes the team.
Grossman played a role in helping the Minnesota Twins reach the postseason a season ago and could contribute to a 2018 playoff run. He is hitless through his first five at-bats this Spring, so he’s not getting off the start he needs. However, there is still a month of Spring Training games and Grossman still has a chance to leave his mark on this ballclub.
Next: Who will start for the Twins in the outfield in 2018?
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