Minnesota Twins: Minor League free agents
Despite a generally quiet offseason, the Minnesota Twins have signed 20 Minor League free agents.
There’s no denying, outside of maybe the Minnesota Twins, the offseason was relatively slow and uneventful. As far as Major League contracts go, there’s been very few in comparison to offseasons past. Many teams have done little to nothing newsworthy all winter. The Minnesota Twins are no different.
The Twins has made five significant signings; Michael Pineda, Addison Reed, Zach Duke, Fernando Rodney and Logan Morrison as well as one major trade to acquire Jake Odorizzi.
The team has been quietly loading up on minor depth throughout the winter. A majority of the players signed are filling in as minor league depth. In other words, don’t expect many of these players to contribute at the major league level.
The overall group isn’t terribly exciting. Apart from Pacific Coast League batting champ Nick Buss, none of the players jumps out.
For the few, their chances of spending time with the Twins depends on injuries. Players such as Chris Heisey, Bobby Wilson, and Leonardo Reginatto top the list as players to quickly fill in.
Additionally, there are some valuable MiLB players with the Twins last season who signed elsewhere this offseason. Guys like Dereck Rodriguez (Giants), Niko Goodrum (Tigers), and Jonathan Rodriguez (Marlins) provided depth and had increasing value based on their respective season’s success.
The minor league acquisitions, while adding depth in the system, may also be temporarily holding the future spots of the Twins’ top prospects as they move through the ranks.
With that, let’s take a look at the list of minor league free agents.
Likely to get called up first
Position: Outfield Age: 33
Brief 2017 stats: 38 games, 79 plate appearances, 12 hits, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .162/.215/.270 at MLB
Heisey is a right-handed hitting corner outfielder who has always been a part-time player. Looking for a right-handed power bat to face lefty pitchers? Look elsewhere. Oddly, he hits 30 points higher against right-handed pitchers (.248 to .218). He has by far the most experience at the MLB level in the group of signees.
Heisey hasn’t played nearly as much as he did with the Cincinnati Reds. He has largely been used as a pinch hitter with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. There is a chance, with his MLB experience, Heisey makes an impact with the Twins this season.
Position: Catcher Age: 34
Brief 2017 stats: 75 games, 275 PA, 59 hits, 11 HR, 45 RBI, .243/.318/.428 at Triple-A
After spending five seasons the Los Angeles Angels, Wilson has played with four different teams in the last two seasons.
He’s a dependable fielder behind the plate. Wilson last played in the majors in 2016 with the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, and Detroit Tigers. A career .214 hitter in the MLB, he’ll most likely serve as the third catcher on the depth chart and would fill in where need if an injury occurs at the major league level.
Position: Infield Age: 27
Brief 2017 stats: 86 games, 315 PA, 84 hits, 3 HR, 38 RBI, .303/.369/.390 at Triple-A
Reginatto spent the entire year at triple-A and performed quite well. Although he didn’t hit for much power as evident in his .390 slugging percentage, he did slug 39 points higher than his career average. The .390 slugging percentage was also his highest since he slugged .393 in 2013.
A utility infielder for most of his minor league career, Reginatto spent most of his time last season at either third base or second base. He’ll play at Triple-A and may get a chance to moonlight with the Twins. However, he’s not on the 40-man roster currently.
Position: Outfield Age: 31
Brief 2017 stats: 114 games, 390 PA, 123 hits, 11 HR, 55 RBI, .348/.395/.541 at Triple-A
Buss played primarily in the corner outfield spots but also played 15 games at first base (first time playing 1B in his career).
He won the Pacific Coast League batting title and last played in the MLB in 2016 with the Dodgers where he played 36 games, most of them in left field. He as the potential to pass others signed this offseason as the fifth outfielder if he continues to hit well.
Needed in an emergency
Position: First Base/Outfield Age: 28
Brief 2017 stats: 51 games, 90 PA, 13 hits, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .167/.278/.295 at MLB level
50 games, 196 PA, 43 hits, 4 HR, 22 RBI, .249/.321/.341 at Triple-A
Stassi mostly played first base but also played a few games in the corner outfield positions. A fairly competent fielder, 2017 was his only year of MLB experience. He could be 2018’s version of Ben Paulson; a player provides depth at only the Triple-A level.
Position: Outfield Age: 33
Brief 2017 stats: 73 games, 297 PA, 71 hits, 4 HR, 30 RBI, .260/.283/.377 at Triple-A
Petit played all but a dozen games at shortstop even though he’s been a utility infielder much like Reginatto. He last played in the MLB in 2016 for the Los Angeles Angels (89 games) and has a lifetime MLB slash line of .249/.291/.353. Will most likely play alongside Reginatto as a utility infielder at Triple-A. Not on the 40-man roster.
Position: Pitcher Age: 28
Brief 2017 stats: Started 17 of 19 games, 95.2 innings, 105 hits, 42 ER, 73 K, 41 BB at Triple-A
Magill pitched predominantly as a starter his entire career. He last pitched in the MLB in 2016 with the Cincinnati Reds; appeared in 5 games, in 4.1 innings he had a 6.23 ERA. Magill will probably start at Triple-A. In a pinch, he could help out the Twins but he’d have to be added to the 40-man roster.
Position: Outfield Age: 29
Brief 2017 stats: 51 games, 194 PA, 42 hits, 0 HR, 19 RBI, .247/.328/.300 at Triple-A
LaMarre might be a familiar name to some as he has played 29 games in the MLB. He will certainly get a chance to compete for the fifth outfield role but his MLB batting line may hold him back. He has slashed .054/.103/.054 in the MLB while playing primarily in center field.
Position: Catcher Age: 26
Brief 2017 stats: 36 games, 128 PA, 41 hits, 4 HR, 22 RBI, .342/.370/.558 at Triple-A
One of the better hitters on this list, Astudillo already has eight minor league seasons under his belt. A career .311/.350/.401 in the minors, he has played foreign ball four consecutive winters in Venezuela. He could push Bobby Wilson out of third on the depth charts for catchers if he fields well behind the plate.
Position: Outfield Age: 32
Brief 2017 stats: 42 games, 169 PA, 41 hits, 3 HR, 22 RBI, .273/.351/.420 at Independent
Pacheco has played 377 games at the MLB level and has a career slash line of .272/.310/.365. Listed as first basemen, he has also played third base and catcher. Last season, Pacheco played for the Long Island Ducks in an independent league. The 2017 Ducks roster featured former MLB players David Aardsma, Rafael Perez, Lew Ford and more.
Position: Outfield Age: 28
Brief 2017 stats: Played one game in AAA with triple-A Tacoma
Ramsey as played all outfield spots and has played 266 games at Triple-A. He has a slash line of .256/.337/.404 in 266 games at Triple-A.
Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a player. Ramsey seems like he could benefit from playing with a new team. He could get a better chance with the Twins but will probably provide depth in the outfield at Triple-A for the entire season.
Likely to stay in the minors
Position: Pitcher Age: 28
Brief 2017 stats: 77 games, 291 PA, 61 hits, 7 HR, 35 RBI, .237/.316/.370 at Triple-A
Featherston is not going to light the world on fire with his fielding skills. His appeal is his utility use in the infield. Appearing for three teams in last three seasons in MLB with the most time spent with Los Angeles Angels. Last season the Rays bought him from the Phillies in June. Spent time at second base, shortstop and third base.
Position: Pitcher Age: 29
Brief 2017 stats: Started 14 of 16 games at Double-A and 4 of 6 at Triple-A, 92.2 combined innings, 105 hits, 51 ER, 92 K, 24 BB
In 2015, Bencomo pitched for the Twins at single-A Fort Myers in 2015. In 2016, he pitched for double-A Chattanooga and triple-A Rochester while starting in 11 of 24 games. Last season he was in the Miami Marlins minor league system, again pitching in both Double-A and Triple-A.
Position: Pitcher Age: 28
Brief 2017 stats: 46.1 innings, 42 hits, 20 ER, 45 K, 21 BB at Triple-A
Drafted in the 37th round by the Atlanta Braves, Harper has pitched exclusively as a reliever his professional career. In 2017, he pitched almost the entire season in Triple-A. Harper has never played in MLB.
Position: Infield Age: 30
Brief 2017 stats: 78 games combined, 329 PA, 80 hits, 1 HR, 32 RBI, .296/.412/.374 at Double- and Triple-A
Curtis has played most of his minor league career at third base but was used a DH a lot last season. He has just three at-bats in the MLB and has played six seasons at Triple-A where his slash line is .268/.377/.352.
Position: First Base Age: 28
Brief 2017 stats: 61 games, 274 PA, 59 hits, 12 HR, 44 RBI, .254/.358/.474 at Double-A
Along with his time in double-A Chattanooga, Wilkins also played 43 games for Sugar Land Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League playing a majority of his games at first base. He last played in the majors in 2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers and is a career .134 hitter. Wilkins will most likely play first base at either Double-A or Triple-A.
Position: Pitcher Age: 26
Brief 2017 stats: Started 25 games, 131.2 innings, 148 hits, 58 ER, 105 K, 46 BB combined
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Jaye has pitched the majority of the last two seasons in Double-A. However, he split the last season in Double-A (4.29 ERA) and Triple-A (3.58 ERA), and he made his major league debut last season with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched in five games with the Tigers, starting two of them. His short appearance in the MLB did not go well. He allowed 17 earned runs in 12.2 innings.
Position: Catcher Age: 26
Brief 2017 stats: 54 games, 201 PA, 51 hits, 4 HR, 17 RBI, .277/.333/.429 at Double-A
Sawyer played roughly ¾ of his games behind the plate, the other time was spent at first base. He spent 2011-2016 at either Single-A or High-A. His 2017 season was his first full year in Double-A. With the majority of his career spent in Single-A, Sawyer has the potential to back up at Double-A this season.
Position: Catcher Age: 21
Brief 2017 stats: 35 games, 121 PA, 24 hits, 2 HR, 18 RBI, .224/.306/.318 at Foreign Rookie League
Perez has played four seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He’s a catcher and has played just two games in his career at first base. He could potentially play a fifth season in the DSL. It doesn’t look good for the young catcher with many catchers ahead of him on the totem pole and his many years in the low minor league ranks.
Next: Taking stock of the Twins outfield
Giovahniey German
Position: Pitcher Age: 17
Brief 2017 stats: None
Searching for German and anything baseball related leads to a dead end. There aren’t any stats on him. Additionally, most of the popular baseball websites, with player profiles, do not even have one for German. Because of his age, he will play in the lower levels of minor league baseball with no chance of making the major league team this season.