Post by The Vermont Bombers on Nov 13, 2014 17:01:03 GMT -5
Minnesota's Youth Movement Continues
Twins Strengthen OF, Swaps Brandt for Christopher
Red Povich, Lead Baseball Writer
Minnesota Courier Journal
January 31st
-
Bloomfield, Minnesota
,
Minnesota continued its rebuild this afternoon by completing a deal with St. Louis that has been developing since late last season. The newly named Twins swapped 26 year old Third Baseman and Outfielder Jackie Brandt for 25 year old Infielder/Outfielder Joe Christopher. The Twins had acquired Brandt from the Dodgers during the 1959 season along with Infielder Grady Hatton for Shortstop Yo Yo Davallilo and Pitcher Ralph Branca. He was originally drafted by St. Louis during the 1953 draft.
Brandt never got an opportunity to display his talents in Washington as he only got to play during the 1960 season. Brandt acquitted himself well in 170 at-bats, batting .294 with 5 Home Runs and 21 RBI while backing up Harmon Killebrew at Third and playing a few innings in Left Field. Brandt was expected to blossom into a middle order bat with a strong batting eye and good on base skills. Minnesota’s plan was to bat him 3rd in front of Killebrew while having him start at Third Base.
“We planned on having Jackie for a long time.” GM Adam Costa said in a telephone interview. “When our Scouts saw Joe and sent the tape of him to us, we saw a future cornerstone player. Our favorite aspect of Joe is that in addition to having a great bat, he can play anywhere on the field. He gives us a lot of options for how we can make the best use of his skills. When St. Louis told us that they wanted Jackie for him, it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we know that it’s the best decision for our ball club.”
Joe Christopher is by no means a finished product. Yet as unpolished as he still is, there’s a lot of shine to his game. Christopher has above average defensive range in both Right and Left Field and gold glove range in Center. His routes are much better in Left and Right than they are in Center and he could become one of the top defensive Left Fielders in the league for at least the next decade. It’s not as much of an issue that his fielding in Center leaves a bit to be desired because that spot is manned by an equally as gifted defender in Curt Flood. In fact, due to Flood’s arm, there have been rumors that Minnesota has considered converting him into a Right Fielder. Christopher has a below average arm at best and it plays better in Leftfield than it would in Right or even Center.
Offensively, Christopher also shows a lot of promise. He’s never going to be anointed “the next Babe Ruth”, or even the next Joe DiMaggio for that matter, as he hit only 20 home runs in his entire time in the Minor Leagues. That’s not a concern for Minnesota, let alone an issue. Christopher’s talents are in his ability to draw walks, avoid strikeouts and set the table along with Flood for the big hitters to drive in. Christopher earned his promotion to “The Show” last season by batting .337 and stealing 7 bases in his first 83 at-bats in Triple A. If he can come anywhere near close to those numbers in his first 83 at bats in Minnesota this season, the Twins will gladly take it.
Minnesota needs table setters in the lineup and Christopher has the talent to be the best on the team.
For those who choose to look at the anemic .186 batting average that he posted in St. Louis last season, there’s no real cause for concern. If one extrapolates his current numbers from his performance in the Minor Leagues, it is fair to say that the first season is the one where he learns the game at that level and begins making the necessary adjustments before applying those adjustments and taking a strong leap forward the next season. It may take more than half of this season, if not the majority of the season for him to make those adjustments at the Major League level. There’s every reason to believe that he will make them and flourish in the near future. Even if he struggles in 1960, it’s less of an issue for Minnesota as they aren’t expected to contend anyway and another low finish in the standings would benefit their rebuilding process. No one likes to lose, although it can be beneficial.
“We’re going to field the best team that we are currently able to field.” GM Costa said. “We hate losing, however we must be realistic in our expectations. This team has a lot of holes to fill and while we have talent down in Triple A that we believe will do exactly that, it’s going to take time for it to work. Most of our best prospects are at least a half of a season to a full season away. This won’t be a quick process. With that said, we’re very happy with what we’re developing and we’re confident that our team will be fun to watch this year.”
Minnesota had better hope that “fun” will be enough this season, because expectations aren’t high that they’ll exceed their total of 64 wins from last season. Still, in spite of that the acquisition of Joe Christopher only serves to make a mediocre outfield substantially better defensively while improving the lineup progressively over time. Once their top outfield prospect, Leftfielder Bud Zipfel is ready, the Twins will have some decisions to make about their defensive alignment.
It’s easy to postulate that they’ll be happy to have this problem when the time comes. The offensive potential of their future outfield is solid, especially if Zipfel can take a leap forward in the power department. Place them in the same lineup as current slugger Harmon Killebrew and future slugging Catcher Tom Haller, and the Twins have the making of a very good lineup.
With a couple of more good drafts, a little luck in player development and a few smart free agency moves, Minnesota could field a contender much sooner than anyone would predict for them. There is still a lot of work do in order to make Minnesota into the contender that Washington was perpetually unable to be. It’s within reach, but Minnesota has to be patient so that their reach doesn’t exceed their grasp. In the meantime, Minnesota’s reach should be all about grasping at high quality talent like Joe Christopher. If they can keep doing that, the franchise will be a contender sooner rather than later.
Twins Strengthen OF, Swaps Brandt for Christopher
Red Povich, Lead Baseball Writer
Minnesota Courier Journal
January 31st
-
Bloomfield, Minnesota
,
Minnesota continued its rebuild this afternoon by completing a deal with St. Louis that has been developing since late last season. The newly named Twins swapped 26 year old Third Baseman and Outfielder Jackie Brandt for 25 year old Infielder/Outfielder Joe Christopher. The Twins had acquired Brandt from the Dodgers during the 1959 season along with Infielder Grady Hatton for Shortstop Yo Yo Davallilo and Pitcher Ralph Branca. He was originally drafted by St. Louis during the 1953 draft.
Brandt never got an opportunity to display his talents in Washington as he only got to play during the 1960 season. Brandt acquitted himself well in 170 at-bats, batting .294 with 5 Home Runs and 21 RBI while backing up Harmon Killebrew at Third and playing a few innings in Left Field. Brandt was expected to blossom into a middle order bat with a strong batting eye and good on base skills. Minnesota’s plan was to bat him 3rd in front of Killebrew while having him start at Third Base.
“We planned on having Jackie for a long time.” GM Adam Costa said in a telephone interview. “When our Scouts saw Joe and sent the tape of him to us, we saw a future cornerstone player. Our favorite aspect of Joe is that in addition to having a great bat, he can play anywhere on the field. He gives us a lot of options for how we can make the best use of his skills. When St. Louis told us that they wanted Jackie for him, it wasn’t an easy decision to make, but we know that it’s the best decision for our ball club.”
Joe Christopher is by no means a finished product. Yet as unpolished as he still is, there’s a lot of shine to his game. Christopher has above average defensive range in both Right and Left Field and gold glove range in Center. His routes are much better in Left and Right than they are in Center and he could become one of the top defensive Left Fielders in the league for at least the next decade. It’s not as much of an issue that his fielding in Center leaves a bit to be desired because that spot is manned by an equally as gifted defender in Curt Flood. In fact, due to Flood’s arm, there have been rumors that Minnesota has considered converting him into a Right Fielder. Christopher has a below average arm at best and it plays better in Leftfield than it would in Right or even Center.
Offensively, Christopher also shows a lot of promise. He’s never going to be anointed “the next Babe Ruth”, or even the next Joe DiMaggio for that matter, as he hit only 20 home runs in his entire time in the Minor Leagues. That’s not a concern for Minnesota, let alone an issue. Christopher’s talents are in his ability to draw walks, avoid strikeouts and set the table along with Flood for the big hitters to drive in. Christopher earned his promotion to “The Show” last season by batting .337 and stealing 7 bases in his first 83 at-bats in Triple A. If he can come anywhere near close to those numbers in his first 83 at bats in Minnesota this season, the Twins will gladly take it.
Minnesota needs table setters in the lineup and Christopher has the talent to be the best on the team.
For those who choose to look at the anemic .186 batting average that he posted in St. Louis last season, there’s no real cause for concern. If one extrapolates his current numbers from his performance in the Minor Leagues, it is fair to say that the first season is the one where he learns the game at that level and begins making the necessary adjustments before applying those adjustments and taking a strong leap forward the next season. It may take more than half of this season, if not the majority of the season for him to make those adjustments at the Major League level. There’s every reason to believe that he will make them and flourish in the near future. Even if he struggles in 1960, it’s less of an issue for Minnesota as they aren’t expected to contend anyway and another low finish in the standings would benefit their rebuilding process. No one likes to lose, although it can be beneficial.
“We’re going to field the best team that we are currently able to field.” GM Costa said. “We hate losing, however we must be realistic in our expectations. This team has a lot of holes to fill and while we have talent down in Triple A that we believe will do exactly that, it’s going to take time for it to work. Most of our best prospects are at least a half of a season to a full season away. This won’t be a quick process. With that said, we’re very happy with what we’re developing and we’re confident that our team will be fun to watch this year.”
Minnesota had better hope that “fun” will be enough this season, because expectations aren’t high that they’ll exceed their total of 64 wins from last season. Still, in spite of that the acquisition of Joe Christopher only serves to make a mediocre outfield substantially better defensively while improving the lineup progressively over time. Once their top outfield prospect, Leftfielder Bud Zipfel is ready, the Twins will have some decisions to make about their defensive alignment.
It’s easy to postulate that they’ll be happy to have this problem when the time comes. The offensive potential of their future outfield is solid, especially if Zipfel can take a leap forward in the power department. Place them in the same lineup as current slugger Harmon Killebrew and future slugging Catcher Tom Haller, and the Twins have the making of a very good lineup.
With a couple of more good drafts, a little luck in player development and a few smart free agency moves, Minnesota could field a contender much sooner than anyone would predict for them. There is still a lot of work do in order to make Minnesota into the contender that Washington was perpetually unable to be. It’s within reach, but Minnesota has to be patient so that their reach doesn’t exceed their grasp. In the meantime, Minnesota’s reach should be all about grasping at high quality talent like Joe Christopher. If they can keep doing that, the franchise will be a contender sooner rather than later.
