Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Future Impacts of MiLB Signings
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 8: Rob Refsnyder
- Talent: 4
- Playing Time: 1
- Past History: 2
- Overall Grade: 2.33
What do you get when you cross a former top prospect with no speed and a loaded depth chart plus a fast start? Rob Refsnyder. The former No. 5 prospect in the Yankees’ system has some of the best tools on this list, but could never get it really going.
In 2015, Refsnyder made his debut, hitting .302 and 2 homers in his first 16 games, and it looked like the team had a future stud on their hands. Just two years later, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for struggling prospect Ryan McBroom and now has to settle for a minor league deal. What happened?
Well for starters, Refsnyder struggled to stay healthy, playing 230 games at the Major League Level and in the Minors, from 2017-2020. For context, Byron Buxton has played 334 games. While Buxton has been given more chances, it’s been very hard for Refsnyder to stay in good shape.
In addition to a lack of health, Refsnyder hasn’t had a lot of success at the big league level after that quick stint in 2015. Throw in the fact that he is buried on the depth chart behind Luis Arraez, whoever they bring in as the utility guy, and Nick Gordon at second base and at least six outfielders, he will likely face an impossible road to making an impact.
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 7: Tomas Telis
- Talent: 3
- Playing Time: 2
- Past History: 2
- Overall Grade: 2.33
We start this list off with a familiar face in Tomas Telis, the 29-year-old catcher who has spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Twins. Telis is technically the fourth catcher on the organizational depth, but he doesn’t have a good route to make an impact in 2021.
In terms of talent, Telis has never been considered an elite talent, despite going all the way up to No. 8 in the Miami Marlins Prospect rankings in 2015. He’s always been a very good hitter for average in the minors, his defense is solid, and while his power has always been non-existent, he’s still been seen to have some potential.
He’s never been able to translate that talent to the majors though, hitting just .230 at the highest level with just one homer in 122 games. His defensive chops haven’t transferred over either as he’s been a slightly below average defender at the next level.
Despite his ability to succeed in the minors, Telis has been consistently unable to produce in the bigs and is sitting behind Ryan Jeffers, Mitch Garver, and technically Willians Astudillo at the catcher position. That’s an uphill battle to make an impact, but he has a better chance than Refsnyder because he’s a catcher in a thin organization.
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 6: Glenn Sparkman
- Talent: 2
- Playing Time: 5
- Past History: 2
- Overall Grade: 3
We’ve officially made it to the first pitcher on this list, former Kansas City Royals swingman Glenn Sparkman. The 29-year-old probably isn’t the most talented player the Twins signed signed, but he does have the ability to be a useful piece on the 40 man roster if he can show something but that’s a big if.
As far as these rankings go, Sparkman isn’t talented. The twentieth round pick from 2013 doesn’t have any great pitches, but his biggest strength comes from his versatility. Sparkman serves as an okay swingman, good for both spot starts and relief outings, doing a good chunk of both for the Royals over the past couple years.
The issue for Sparkman has been his inconsistency. In the minors, he’s been dominant, going 23-19 with a 2.87 ERA over 99 games (63 starts). He’s not a great strikeout guy (no great pitches, lacking in talent), but he limits walks well. The only issue is that these stats don’t translate to the major league level.
Sparkman has done a good job of limiting walks, but that’s about his only strong suit, despite him getting a decent numbers of strikeouts (8.3 strikeouts per nine innings). He just can’t limit damage in terms of hits and runs with a 5.99 career ERA.
Working with Wes Johnson in spring training and the incredible pitching coaches in the organization will help Sparkman improve his pitch selection, and relievers/spot starters are always needed, but of all the relievers they’ve added, Sparkman has the lowest amount of upside.
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 5: Tzu-Wei Lin
- Talent: 3
- Playing Time: 3
- Past History 3
- Overall Grade: 3
The highest ranked hitter on this list, Tzu-Wei Lin is a former Boston Red Sox Top 30 prospect who was thought highly of for his versatility and hitting skill. While that hitting has never come to fruition, he has proved himself a useful player in the past.
Lin has always been a good defender who can play multiple positions, and that’s how he earns the 4 grade for past history. He did an exceptional job of being a solid glove, but outside of his first 25 game stint in the majors in 2017, he’s failed to hit above .250 since.
In addition to recent struggles, Lin also faces an uphill battle for playing time. In order for a player to have an impact, they need to see the field, and while once again, his versatility helps, Lin likely won’t see the field in Minnesota.
He has talent, and that’s been shown throughout his career, he just needs to stay healthy and use his versatility to show it off. The Twins giving him a minor league deal shows they think he can do that, but i’m not so sure.
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 4: Luke Farrell
- Talent: 3
- Playing Time: 5
- Past History: 2
- Overall Grade: 3.33
Another former Royals draft pick, Luke Farrell has a little bit more talent than Sparkman, but the situation is similar. Both are relievers without a lot of history of success, but enter a Minnesota team where they could find some opportunity.
Farrell is a former sixth round pick and was originally groomed to be a starter, but he was incredibly inefficient early on in his minor league career. The Royals made the decision to turn him into a swingman in 2015 and it worked out really well.
He significantly improved before being shipped to Cincinnati, but he could never quite make the jump to being a good player in the pros until 2019. His FIP of 5.01 was terrible over nine games, but his 2.70 ERA offered some hope.
He hasn’t shown anything at the highest level outside of that in his 43 career games, but the Twins have to believe that can change. Like Sparkman, he doesn’t have any elite pitches, but there is some talent to work with as a reliever.
With so many innings that need to be filled, the Twins could use Farrell to come in for doubleheaders or days after a blowout. That’s not a huge impact, but it’s a big enough possible impact to land him fourth on this list.
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 3: Danny Coulombe
- Talent: 2
- Playing Time: 5
- Past History: 4
- Overall Grade: 3.67
Arguably one of the pitchers with the best past history on this list, Danny Coulombe was drafted mainly as a reliever by the Los Angeles Dodgers all the way in the 25th round of the 2012 draft. He signed as a minor-league free agent in 2019 with the Twins and serves as the first re-signed player on this list.
Coulombe has always shown the potential to be a solid reliever, but never anything more, lacking the talent or plus pitches to truly dominate as a pitcher. His best season in the major leagues weren’t even that excellent.
He does have some advantages though. Coulombe was a member of the Minnesota Twins’ organization since 2019, so he does have a little bit of familiarity here. He also pitched in two games in 2020, striking out three as a call-up last year.
In addition, he also has put together one of the better stretches of any of the players on this list, as his time in Oakland from 2015-2017 was extremely solid. He wasn’t as good in 2018, and then lost the season due to injury, but he seems to still have something in him. His familiarity and opportunity gives him a good chance to have an impact in Minnesota.
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 2: Juan Minaya
- Talent: 3
- Playing Time: 5
- Past History: 4
- Overall Grade: 4
We’ve finally reached the high level guys on this list. The third and final player re-signed by the Twins, Juan Minaya joined the Minnesota Twins before the 2020 season on another minor league deal, and while he didn’t appear in a game in 2020, that doesn’t mean he won’t in 2021.
The Twins clearly thought enough of Minaya’s talent to keep him around for the 2021 season, and his major league track record is the most successful of any player on this list. Over his 125 game career, Minaya is the only one on this list with a sub-4 ERA, offering a lot of hope for future success.
Similar to the other relievers, he has a five in the playing time category, as he looks like a candidate to pitch at least 20 innings if injuries pop up in 2021, especially if the team opts not to add more relief pitchers for the upcoming season.
While he isn’t likely to offer any elite numbers, especially after the team felt he wasn’t a good enough option to play in 2020, he has the lengthiest history of success and could put together some good numbers for a team that loves to use a lot of relievers.
Minnesota Twins Minor League Free Agent Signing No. 1: Derek Law
- Talent: 3
- Playing time: 5
- Past History: 4
- Overall Grade: 4
The No. 1 spot on this list goes to a pitcher who I have written about before, and one that I think the Twins will really like in 2021. Derek Law is a former ninth round pick of the San Francisco Giants, and the player who had the single best season of any on this list.
Law’s 2016 season with the San Francisco Giants was a dominant one, where the league saw him break into the league, pitching in 61 games to the tune of a 2.13 ERA and a 2.53 FIP. He also showed the ability to get strikeouts too, earning 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
After that season, his ERA ballooned, but his strikeout numbers stayed relatively the same before improving to 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 2019. He’s got an excellent slider, a pitch that’s arguably better than any other offering that these other pitchers have.
This sticks out a lot, as it’s exactly how Matt Wisler had a successful season for the Twins just last year. No player has a clearer path to making an impact for the Minnesota Twins in 2021 than Derek Law, and I think he’ll make a splash for a team in need of more relief help.
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