Rochester Red Wings Roster

The Red Wings will be the last of the Twins minor league full-season affiliates to get started this season, with their first game scheduled for tomorrow. Here's the opening day roster for what should be a very, very good Red Wings team:

Name / Position / Age / Organization Rank

Starting Pitchers
1.) Matt Garza - RHP - 23 - #3 SP
2.) Glen Perkins - LHP - 24 - #5 SP
3.) Kevin Slowey - RHP - 22 - #6 SP
4.) Scott Baker - RHP - 25 - #9 SP
5.) Jeremy Cummings - RHP - 30 - #19 SP

I don't even know what to say about this rotation -- it's phenomenal. The first three could all easily end up in the Majors before the season is over, and Baker and Cummings are both reasonably good pitchers. The big battle early on will be between Garza and Perkins, as both try to set themselves up for a chance with the Twins if one of the current starters at the Major League level falters. There really isn't much else to say, other than that Cummings may not get a chance to start a lot because of the presence on the team of lefty Dave Gassner, who I'm listing as a reliever at the start, largely because Cummings had a very solid spring and seemingly deserves a chance to start the season in the Red Wings' rotation.

Relief Pitchers
1.) Dave Gassner - LHP - 28 - #13 SP
2.) Brian Bass - RHP - 25 - NR (SP)
3.) Tristan Crawford - RHP - 24 - #16 RP
4.) Julio DePaula - RHP - 24 - #10 RP
5.) Bobby Korecky - RHP - 27 - #20 RP
6.) Jason Miller - LHP - 24 - #26 RP
7.) Mike Venafro - LHP - 33 - #7 RP
DL - Ricky Barrett - LHP - 26 - #17 RP
DL - Carmen Cali - LHP - 28 - #22 RP

Mike Venafro accepted his assignment to Rochester, which is good news for the Twins since they now have a very solid backup plan in case there is an injury to one of the current members of the bullpen, or a need for a 12th pitcher at some point early in the season. The bullpen is not quite as exciting as the starters (it would be pretty hard to be), but watching the continuing development of guys like DePaula and Crawford should be interesting.

Catchers
1.) Matt LeCroy - C - 31 - #13 C
2.) Jose Morales - C - 24 - #15 C

Chris Heintz was slatted to start the season as the Red Wings starting catcher, but a series of unusual events (including an injury to Lew Ford and the Twins decision to go with 14 position players anyway) have him in the big leagues to start the season. That means that Matt LeCroy (yes, that Matt LeCroy) will get a fair amount of time behind the plate for the Red Wings at the start of the season. The younger (and much more promising) Jose Morales should also get a fair number of starts. Morales has the potential to be a solid backstop, but hasn't done much since being injured in 2005. He hit just .211 in 80 games last season for the Rock Cats, so his promotion has to be related to (1) his defensive ability, and (2) the dearth of catchers in the organization capable of playing at the AAA level.

Infielders
1.) Garrett Jones - 1B/OF - 25 - #5 1B
2.) Alexi Casilla - 2B/SS - 22 - #2 SS
3.) Tommy Watkins - SS - 27 - #5 SS
4.) Matt Moses - 3B - 22 - #4 3B
5.) Matt Tolbert - IF - 24 - #9 2B
6.) Glenn Williams - IF - 29 - #5 2B
DL - Ken Harvey - 1B - 29 - #7 1B

Alexi Casilla and Matt Moses are the two to watch here. Casilla almost certainly will be the Twins starting second baseman by no later than the start of the 2008 season, and Moses could at least play himself into consideration for the Twins starting 3B job with a good season (he's more likely to have to wait at least an extra year, however). Garrett Jones could very well be used more in the outfield than at 1B this year, but the roster lists him as an infielder, so that's where he'll stay for now. He's entering his last option year with the Twins, so his development this season will be interesting to watch.

Outfielders
1.) Doug Deeds - 1B/OF - 24 - #3 1B
2.) Trent Oeltjen - OF - 23 - #10 OF
3.) Josh Rabe - OF - 28 - #6 OF
4.) Denard Span - OF - 23 - #7 OF

Span is the man to watch the closest this season, as he's been tapped as the likely successor to Torii Hunter in center field for the Twins in 2008. A good season for the Red Wings will likely make that a reality, while a sub-par season could have the Twins scouring the bargain bin looking for a serviceable replacement for 2008 while Span continues to develop. Josh Rabe is also a potential Twin in 2008, likely in left field. If the Twins need an outfielder this year from Rochester, he's almost certain to be the guy. Doug Deeds should, like Garrett Jones, play a little bit in the outfield and a little in the infield. This will be his first season at the AAA level. The same goes for Trent Oeltjen, who is a speed and average kind of guy. It's a sparse but fairly talented outfield.