Hicks' Development Could Decide Two Positions For Twins

Escobar and Hicks could play key roles for Twins

Generally baseball managers like to build teams ‘up the middle’ with a catcher, middle infield, and centerfielder. For the Minnesota Twins, outside of second base, these positions have yet to be decided. Kurt Suzuki is a strong bet to be behind the dish. We know who we want at shortstop and centerfield, but the battle for those spots are heating up. The positions are intertwined, and the final say on each could be on one man’s shoulders….Aaron Hicks.

The saying goes, ‘hit and we’ll find a spot for you,’ what if you do everything but hit, is there still a spot available? Hicks’ fielding percentage in centerfield is .995. He already has a short list of highlight reel catches and stolen home runs. He’s 25-years-old and a defensive wizard on a team where the previous two staples in centerfield were gold glove winners Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter.

Defensively, he’s the best option. His top competition in center is 28-year-old Jordan Schafer who has a comparable .992 fielding percentage in five major league seasons. Last year’s rookie phenom Danny Santana had a .977 fielding percentage, not bad for a shortstop playing out of position, but certainly inferior to Hicks and Schafer’s defensive skills. On top of that, Santana is expected to become the everyday shortstop in 2015.

Santana finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting in 2014 hitting .319 with seven home runs and 40 RBI.

That leads us to Eduardo Escobar who would fit nicely into a utility role, mainly serving as Santana’s backup at short. Thing is, Escobar dating back to late 2014, has been arguably the Twins best player.

Last year Escobar finished with the second-highest doubles total among MLB shortstops. This spring, he's picked up where he left off. Through five games he’s hitting .400 with a 1.067 OPS. A .986 fielding percentage at short makes for a rarity in baseball, a solid fielding shortstop who can hit. By comparison Santana on a smaller sample size fielded at a .983 clip.

If things weren’t getting cluttered enough, enter Eddie Rosario, a top Twins prospect who early on this spring has shown signs of being ready for the show.  

Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony has said about Rosario, “He's a guy that can play center field. He's a guy that could jump right into that competition with the Schafers and Hicks and of the world. So keep an eye on him as spring progresses."

Rosario is hitting .313 with a .750 slugging and two home runs in seven games thus far in spring ball while playing the centerfield spot. A guy who was looked at as the future second baseman of this franchise, up until Brian Dozier cemented his spot as one of the game’s best at the position.

What makes the Hicks situation all the more challenging is his mental makeup. After his rookie season in the big leagues, he decided against playing winter ball because he wanted some time away from the game. A point where most guys, after a taste of the show, would work harder just to stay there, Hicks pumped the breaks much to the dismay of former manager Ron Gardenhire.

He has already caught the ire of new manager Paul Molitor with a mental lapse and base running blunder.

On Tuesday, Hicks was on first base with two outs when Eddie Nunez lofted a fly to right. Instead of running all out, Hicks went halfway between first and second. When the ball was caught for the third out, he ran back to first. It was his second mental mistake in as many days. The day before, he got caught too far off second base and was picked off by the catcher.

So the scenario goes, should Hicks live up to expectations, the centerfield spot is his for the taking, should he falter, be it at the plate or mentally, the Twins have options with Schafer who is steady and reliable, but limited talent wise. Or do they give the young star to be Rosario his first taste of big league action?

As for shortstop, the Twins have two strong candidates, should Hicks struggle and Escobar continue to overachieve, perhaps they revert to 2014 and send Santana back to centerfield.

It’s quite a quandary Paul Molitor has inherited. As he builds his team up the middle, we’re left wondering, are the Twins deep at two key positions, or thin at both? The answer rests upon on the shoulders of Aaron Hicks.

Vikings Have Options In Free Agency

Rick Spielman just had his mind blown

As the NFL Draft approaches teams are licking their chops for March 10^th, the day when the wheeling and dealing becomes official. The draft is to build for future success, but NFL free agency is an opportunity for the quick fix. The Vikings have plenty of positions to fill and just over $14.5 million in cap space (18^th in the league). Surely they’ll look to fill one with the eleventh overall pick, but that leaves a handful of other question marks. Let’s take a look at the biggest needs on both sides of the ball and some viable options to fill the void.

Offense

Left Guard: The Vikings released Charlie Johnson and need to fill that void or we can get used to saying ‘Damnit! Who is David Yankey!?’ all season long. To answer that rhetorical question, he’ll be our guard if we do nothing about it.

James Carpenter (Sea): Basically a younger version of Charlie Johnson, a very serviceable player without taking much of a cap hit. He’s only 25 and has plenty of experience with 23 starts. His weakness is in pass protection where he was bailed out many times by Russell Wilson’s scrambling in Seattle. Teddy would…and could do the same. It’d give the fan base a reason to be optimistic by not really upgrading the position.

Orlando Franklin (Den): Franklin made the move from tackle to guard this past season proving his versatility, which considering the Vikings injury history on the line this past year, would be a huge plus. He’s a fantastic run blocker who has a high IQ in locating blitzers. His weakness comes against speedy pass rushers and his love for the color yellow (flags).

If nothing else, this guy is available! http://youtu.be/Y0BZW478tCQ

Wide Receiver: Cordarrelle Patterson had a brutal 2014, Greg Jennings is old, and we’re probably way too excited about Charles Johnson. Should we opt to not draft a wideout at #11, let’s see what options we have.

Torrey Smith (Bal): If we’re going to sign a wide receiver via free agency, we have to go big or go home. Smith can stretch the field which is something the Vikings haven’t had since Randy Moss, and yes I’m talking 2010 Randy Moss, that’s how bad it’s been. Although he recorded career lows last season in receptions (49) and yards (767), those numbers will probably earn him a key to the city in Minneapolis and an invite to Fed Smoot’s next sex boat party on Lake Minnetonka. Plus he’s only 26, did I mention he can stretch the field?

Randall Cobb (GB): The Vikings loooooove signing former Packers. Brett Favre, Greg Jennings, Darren Sharper, Ryan Longwell, and Brandon Bostick, who is every Vikings fan’s favorite player right now. First he botches the onside kick in the NFC title game, then he signs with the purple and gold…suck it McCarthy. I digress, Cobb is an elite slot receiver who can wreak havoc on opposing defenses, he’s Percy Harvin without the headache/migraine. The challenge will be outbidding other teams.

Running Back: Who cares. If Adrian Peterson exits this team then really, who cares, it’s not the same.

DeMarco Murray (Dal): He’s really the only guy worth mentioning here. If AP is gone, then we need an elite back, behind Murray are a bunch of guys I’d rather pass on and let the 2-headed beast of Jerrick McKinnon and Matt Asiata take over (It’s like AP split in two!). Murray led the league in rushing yards running behind the league’s best offensive line. How good was the Cowboys O-Line? They didn’t have to call Jon Kitna to finish the season, that’s how good. Cripes I hope AP comes back.

Defense

Cornerback: The signing of Captain Munnerlyn last year was made with the thought he would be playing in the slot, then the Vikings realized they still had Josh Robinson pegged for the outside and frantically put Captain out there telling everyone that was their plan all along.

Byron Maxwell (Sea): A 6’1” 207 lb. physical corner who has 24 passes defensed and six interceptions in the past two years. He’s excellent in man-up coverage and can adapt to all types of offensive schemes. He’s been opposite of Richard Sherman for years now which means he’s been targeted often and continues to make plays. While everyone praised Sherman for the broken up pass in the 2014 NFC title game, the real question is, why didn’t they throw to Maxwell’s side? They were scared that’s why. We’ll probably get outbid for him.

Brandon Flowers (SD): Pro Football Focus actually has Flowers rated higher then Maxwell, waaay higher! Flowers is only 5’10 but he can be a lockdown defender. Some thought the Chiefs cutting him in 2014 was a sign of their doubt in his abilities. His lone season in San Diego proved otherwise. Rumor has it his man coverage style didn’t suit what KC wanted, a style that Mike Zimmer is looking for.

Bonus DB for lack of RB:

Kareem Jackson (Hou): Again a smaller corner (5’10, 187 lbs.) but a nose for the ball. Jackson will likely be looking to strike it rich coming off his best professional season, in which I say….let’s just save the money and give Adrian Peterson a raise to come back.

Linebacker: Chad Greenway’s time in Minnesota is over, Anthony Barr is the future, what does this mean? We found another OLB, and unless the 2009 EJ Henderson returns to this team, we’re STILL looking for an inside linebacker. Middle backer is the Quarterback of the defense, so naturally the Vikings struggle to find one.

Rolando McClain (Dal): Probably the best talent out there, if you can ignore the fact that he’s suspended for the first four games for PED use. Plus you never know when he’ll decide to retire then comeback a month later, he’s the Brett Favre of Linebackers…without the Hall of Fame credentials.

Sean Witherspoon (Atl): All around talent who is injury-prone. If Derrick Rose played MLB, this is him.

Brandon Spikes (Buf): Good run-stopper, would most likely come off the field in pass situations, similar skill-set to McLain but for a lower price tag…

Let’s just give the job to Audi Cole and end it. He looks like Clay Matthews out there, so the talent has to be similar.

Strong Safety: Harrison Smith is the next big thing at safety in this league. The hammer that Thor uses should be called Harrison Smith. As for his partner in crime, it’s been a revolving door. Much like the 49ers had to decide to play either Joe Montana or Steve Young, the Vikings are dealt the same question with Robert Blanton and Antone Exum Jr. Just for arguments sake, let’s see what’s available.

Rahim Moore (Den): Best known for blowing the coverage in the playoff loss to Baltimore three years ago, he’s actually developed into a pretty solid player. At age 25 he’s still very young and recorded four interceptions last year. After breaking the hearts of an entire fan base in 2013, he’d be a welcome addition to a fan base that is accustomed to having their hearts broken in the postseason.

Devin McCourty (NE): 28 years-old and as wise as you’ll find at the position. Durable and can cover anything from a speedy wideout to a physical tight end. The downfall here is Bill Belichick knows his value and will want him back. If we sign McCourty, that’ll set the wheels in motion from Belichick-Kraft-Goodell, and Teddy Bridgewater will be put on the comissioner’s exempt list for not wearing an NFL issued hat during his postgame press conference. Sign him with caution.

Well there it is, the Vikings best options at the positions most needed, what do we take away from all this nonsense? Please bring Adrian Peterson back.