Minor League Additions
The Twins have added a couple of new faces to the mix for minor league roster spots, and said goodbye to one lower level First-Baseman. Here's the rub on the newbies and the recently departed:
Brian Forystek - LHP
Forystek has been in the Baltimore Orioles system 2000, putting up a mix of solid and mediocre seasons as both a starter and a reliever. Forystek rose to AA on the back of some solid seasons as a reliever (putting up a 2.88 ERA in 41 games at High-A in 2001). He converted to a starter the next season at AA, and was promoted to AAA in the middle of 2004, despite an ERA of 5.74 at AA over the first half of the season. He didn't fare much better there, posting a 5.58 ERA. The Orioles busted him back down to AA, where he stayed a starter in 2005 (recovering a bit with a 4.22 ERA). He then went back to being a reliever, making 43 appearances and posting a 3.57 ERA in 2006 - again at AA. He'll probably compete for a AA/AAA job, adding some left-handed depth to the system.
Bradford King - C
King is an interesting case. He's a 32-year old who washed out of the major league system after the 2003 season, when he played at the AAA level for Pittsburgh. Since then, he's played with three different Atlantic League teams (that'd be one of those fancy independent leagues). The signing of King is another indication of just how desperate the Twins are for catching depth throught the minor-league system - he is not really a legitimate hitter, and of course you shouldn't expect to see him in a Major League uniform anytime - ever. Considering the weakness of the Twins system, adding anyone to the mix is a positive. If King doesn't play well enough early to justify a job, he probably won't be around for long.
Leaving Through the Back Door . . .
Joshua Dean - 1B
Dean was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2004, and had a solid season in 2005 with the GCL Twins, posting a .340 batting average in 34 games to go along with a .426 on-base percentage. The next year, he went up a level to Elizabethton, and bottomed out, hitting just .231 in 30 games. The Twins obviously decided that (1) Dean isn't going to improve enough to justify keeping him around, and (2) they have enough solid 1B higher in the system that there really is no reason to have him on the roster.
Brian Forystek - LHP
Forystek has been in the Baltimore Orioles system 2000, putting up a mix of solid and mediocre seasons as both a starter and a reliever. Forystek rose to AA on the back of some solid seasons as a reliever (putting up a 2.88 ERA in 41 games at High-A in 2001). He converted to a starter the next season at AA, and was promoted to AAA in the middle of 2004, despite an ERA of 5.74 at AA over the first half of the season. He didn't fare much better there, posting a 5.58 ERA. The Orioles busted him back down to AA, where he stayed a starter in 2005 (recovering a bit with a 4.22 ERA). He then went back to being a reliever, making 43 appearances and posting a 3.57 ERA in 2006 - again at AA. He'll probably compete for a AA/AAA job, adding some left-handed depth to the system.
Bradford King - C
King is an interesting case. He's a 32-year old who washed out of the major league system after the 2003 season, when he played at the AAA level for Pittsburgh. Since then, he's played with three different Atlantic League teams (that'd be one of those fancy independent leagues). The signing of King is another indication of just how desperate the Twins are for catching depth throught the minor-league system - he is not really a legitimate hitter, and of course you shouldn't expect to see him in a Major League uniform anytime - ever. Considering the weakness of the Twins system, adding anyone to the mix is a positive. If King doesn't play well enough early to justify a job, he probably won't be around for long.
Leaving Through the Back Door . . .
Joshua Dean - 1B
Dean was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2004, and had a solid season in 2005 with the GCL Twins, posting a .340 batting average in 34 games to go along with a .426 on-base percentage. The next year, he went up a level to Elizabethton, and bottomed out, hitting just .231 in 30 games. The Twins obviously decided that (1) Dean isn't going to improve enough to justify keeping him around, and (2) they have enough solid 1B higher in the system that there really is no reason to have him on the roster.
posted by JST @ Tuesday, January 23, 2007
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