Written By Brandon Warne
Despite there being no shortage of candidates, center field remains a huge question mark heading into 2015 for the Minnesota Twins. For the past two seasons, Aaron Hicks has claimed the job out of the gates, only to relinquish it later in the season due to subpar play.
Hicks remains at the forefront of what the Twins want to do in center — at least for this season. Aaron was a highly-decorated prospect; he made Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus’ top-100 list four times and MLB.com’s list twice. And at all the steps up the ladder before his debut, he showed the same thing: a patient, perhaps even passive approach with good gap-to-gap power and excellent center field defense.
Hicks’ debut was a cataclysmic disaster, starting with his 8-for-April debacle which sullied his entire season — even when he was sent to the minors. But the tools remain, and they still flash just often enough to see something that still might be there. Hicks didn’t have his first two-hit game until his 31st game. Both hits were home runs, and for good measure he robbed Adam Dunn of a home run in the sixth inning in between the two.
It’s those kinds of games that keep Hicks right in the thick of it this season — his final season with a minor league option. Everyone seems to be waiting for the arrival of Byron Buxton, which is expected to move Hicks to a corner outfield spot. However, this year will be pivotal for Hicks to prove he deserves the chance to start in a corner, rather than being an immensely talented fourth outfielder backing up the likes of Oswaldo Arcia, Buxton and whomever else. Should Hicks take that next step, expect to hear almost ad nauseam the amount Torii Hunter played a role in his transformation. It’s a nice possible story, and one fans will love to hear. It’ll probably even be true. But expect that story to live on in Twins lore for years.
It’s impossible to ignore what Danny Santana did for the Twins last year in center. Despite playing a grand total of 25 professional games out there prior to 2014 — most coming in 2011 in Low-A Beloit, which is many rungs down the ladder — Santana proved capable in center while exceeding even the wildest expectations with the bat.
Santana can’t be counted on to replicate the .319/.353/.472 line that garnered him a seventh-place finish in Rookie of the Year balloting, but his speed combined with a swing conducive to line drives could still make him a guy that sustains high BABIP (batting average on balls in play) numbers year in and year out. His minor league numbers aren’t particularly strong either, so he’s not entirely out of the regression woods, so to speak.
The Twins desperately want Santana to take the shortstop job and run with it, but it’d be foolish to think he’s not still squarely in the center field discussion. He’s toolsy but by no means a polished shortstop, and as of this second, Eduardo Escobar is a stronger incumbent at short than Hicks is in center.
Another option in the mix is Jordan Schafer, who was acquired off waivers for the second time in less than two years. Schafer had a decent run with the Twins (.285/.345/.362) which more or less breaks down into a fast start (.333/.405/.427 in 88 August plate appearances) and a very cold finish (.218/.259/.273 in 59 September PA). Schafer is extremely fast and has shown a willingness to take a walk not completely unlike his predecessor Sam Fuld, but he is not a great defensive center fielder and bewildered Braves brass and fans alike with his lapses in the field.
Twins fans had to wait all of three innings — Schafer’s first plate appearance — to see what that was all about. Schafer singled to right, stole second on the next pitch, and on the third pitch of the inning found himself thrown out at third on a grounder to short.
Ideally, Schafer is a fourth outfielder on a good squad and rarely finds himself in center. If Schafer starts in center, that could create a chain reaction where Hicks finds himself in Triple-A Rochester and Chris Herrmann makes the team as enigma insurance for not only Hicks, but Josmil Pinto. Don’t be surprised if that happens.
But all of this is window dressing to what everyone truly wants to see, and that is Buxton roaming center at Target Field before school starts again. That could be a tall order considering he lasted less than one full game in Double-A, but don’t rule it out. Despite what the narrative is for the Twins and prospects, the club has pushed him aggressively, and when his body has cooperated he has responded thusly. It would not be stunning at all to have him in center come Labor Day. If he takes Chattanooga by storm, he could easily find a one-way ticket that doesn’t pass through New York. That is, unless he joins the big club for the trip to the Bronx Aug. 17-19.