Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer does everything well on the diamond, but above all he is a premier batsman with three American League batting titles on his resume. Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe some day Joe Mauer will wear out and throw away his catcher’s mask and shinguards, morphing into a full-time designated hitter-first baseman. But for the moment he is still primarily a catcher and he is one of the best-hitting catchers of all time.

Now that he is 30, the Minnesota Twins want to do their best to preserve Mauer’s skills at their top level and not put him through quite as much abuse at home-plate where runner collisions, foul tips, and such dangers lurk. So it won’t be terribly long before Mauer gives up catching altogether (a few years, say).

It seems amazing that Mauer is in his 10th season already, but he broke in as a 21-year-old. During the decade he has established Hall of Fame credentials. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds Mauer is sturdy enough to withstand most anything that occurs in the traffic jams at home plate. And one of the greatest of blessings for the Twin Cities franchise is that he is a local, born in St. Paul and attending high school in that city.

Throughout the course of Major League history one of the givens has been that catchers can’t hit and they have not been counted on to do much of it, either. Their value has always been calculated by the way they field, take charge on the field, handle pitchers, and call games. If they could also hit, gravy.

There have been several Hall of Fame catchers who could do more than their share at the plate, and were relied on as sluggers and run producers. Yogi Berra with the Yankees, Johnny Bench with the Reds, and Roy Campanella with the Dodgers, are three that fit that description. They were not easy outs.

Mauer is a five-time American League All-Star–and with a .351 batting average going into Sunday he is a likely choice for the 2013 team, too. What sets Mauer apart from nearly all of his predecessors behind the plate has been his sustained excellence hitting for average. The common wisdom is that catchers work harder than anyone else on the field and that their bodies wear down quicker because of all the stress they put on them in a squat, and that all costs them in concentration and reflexes at the plate.

So it has evolved over time that managers don’t expect .300 seasons out of their backstops. Mauer is one the grandest exceptions to the rule. His lifetime batting average is .324 and his career on-base percentage is .406.  The 2009 AL Most Valuable Player, Mauer also owns three batting titles. He won crowns in 2006, 2008, and 2009, with respective averages of .347, .328, and .365.

There are 13 catchers in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Only four of them have .300 lifetime averages: Mickey Cochrane, .320; Bill Dickey, .313; Lombardi; and Buck Ewing, .303. Only Cochrane, at .419, has a higher on-base percentage. Mauer is in elite company.

Mauer’s most distinguishing characteristic is his three batting titles. Catchers do not lead the league in hitting, not the American League, not the National League. A lifetime .306 hitter, Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi won NL batting titles in 1938 and 1942 for the Reds. The San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey in 2012 joined Mauer and Lombardi as the only catchers ever to win batting crowns. That goes back to 1876.

Mauer seems to be in the hunt for another shot this year, but he may never win another batting title again, either. He has already proved that he can do things that almost no one else has ever done and whatever happens from here on he has proved to be one of the greats at his position.

Mike Napoli had some big home runs during his time with the Rangers. (Image Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

Five home runs by five different players in five consecutive innings. That’s what the Texas Rangers did on this date two years ago, defeating the Kansas City Royals by an 11-6 final. Mike Napoli got things started, connecting for a two-run shot in the 3rd off of Jeff Francis. Francis would give up a solo shot in the 4th to Ian Kinsler before coming out of the game. David Murphy added a two-run homer in the 5th, off of reliever Blake Wood. Adrian Beltre and Mitch Moreland hit solo shots in the 6th and 7th innings off of Nate Adcock.

To some degree the game was a microcosm of the Rangers season, as they rode a powerful offense (Napoli, Kinsler, and Beltre all topped the 30 HR mark) all the way to the World Series before losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Kinsler, Murphy, Beltre, and Moreland are all still parts of the Rangers lineup. Napoli has since left for Boston, for whom he homered yesterday against the Royals.

It takes both a deep lineup and some good timing to go on a run like that which the Rangers accomplished in this game. We’ve got a deep lineup of writers here across FanSided MLB so let’s check in once again with some of the work from this past week.

Patience is key for fans of the Houston Astros right now, as the team appears to be in the midst of a lengthy rebuilding process. There have been, however, a few glimmers of hope to come out of the this team so far on the young season. One of those happens to be the timely contributions that the team received from right-handed reliever Paul Clemens in the past week. The 25 year old rookie has twice come up clutch, shutting down an opposing offense that had torched the Astros pitching early in each game. As Greg Thurston, our Senior Editor at Climbing Tal’s Hill, writes, however, this could just be the beginning of Clemens’ legacy in Houston:

Clemens would leave the game after 74 pitches, one mangled finger, and one legendary performance. The cameras stayed on Clemens in the dugout as he pulled on the pinky to try and straighten it out a little better. Then, as he talked with pitching coach Doug Brocail, Clemens delivered a fist-bump with the same hand that housed the damaged digit. Legendary status achieved!

Major League Baseball has already taken some flack for their scheduling practices this month, despite the fact that there’s little way to predict snow storms in Denver, Chicago, and Minneapolis would end up postponing multiple games already this season. The Twins, in particular, have been taking a lot of heat for the weather – something that’s clearly out of the team’s hands. The frustrations have led to some openly questioning the Twins’ decision to make Target Field an outdoor stadium. Chris Holm at Puckett’s Pond argues, however, that the team made the right call in bringing outdoor baseball back to Minnesota:

Retractable roofs tend to lead to more games being played under the roof than necessary. Because they take time to open and close, teams with them often err on the side of caution and close the roof at first sign of inclement weather.

Finally for this week, we have one more conversation surrounding Giancarlo Stanton’s eventual fate – because the Miami Marlins have to trade him at some point. To date there have been many discussions but few reasonable solutions offered as to what the Marlins could reasonably expect to receive when/if they look to move Stanton. Old friend John Parent took a stab at a reasonable proposal over at Grading on the Curve, our recently rebranded minor league and prospects site. John’s idea wasn’t half bad, though it’s still unclear if either side would actually go for it. We’ll leave the specifics of his proposed deal for John to explain, but he comes up with a solution that just might be viewed as fair by even the sharpest of critics:

When all is said and done, if this trade were actually proposed it would take a lot of guts for either side to pull the trigger. It may take even more to walk away, however. The deal is probably the best one Miami could imagine in return for Stanton, whose escalating salary and unhappiness with the organization combine to mean he’s probably eventually going to be traded anyway. By holding on, you risk injury and the player losing value. It’s better to deal while interest is its highest.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after acquiring Harang, the Rockies designated the 34-year-old starter-turned-reliever for assignment, and they viewed him as future trade bait from the very start. The Rockies have been talking to teams interested in acquiring the pitcher set to make $7 million in 2013 (money the Rockies will most likely have to partially eat up), and we now know who those three teams are.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Houston Astros are interested in trading for Aaron Harang from the Rockies to add to the back of their starting rotation (at least, that’s how I think those teams will use him). Harang’s trade saga is one of the most perplexing in the MLB, because he was basically acquired as trade bait. It leaves fans such as myself wondering, “Why didn’t those three teams just directly trade for Harang from the Dodgers?” Either way, the Dodgers came out OK overall by adding the backup catcher they wanted and getting rid of Harang’s $7 million salary.

Opening Day is officially here. (Image Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)

Opening Day is without question one of the greatest days of the year and there are plenty of notable moments that have happened on the day if you look back through the halls of baseball history.

In 1940, Bob Feller threw a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Hank Aaron swung at the first pitch he saw of the 1974 season, connecting on his 714th career home run. Walter Johnson started 14 Opening Day games for the Washington Senators, throwing nine shutouts. Tom Seaver started 16 (with New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago). George Bell (1988), Tuffy Rhodes (1994), and Dmitri Young (2005) hit three home runs on Opening Day.

As we’ve mentioned in the past, Call to the Pen is just one part of a broader network of sites – the FanSided Network. There are some very talented writers across our collection of sites, particularly the other 31 that make up FanSided MLB, so we’ve decided that coinciding with Opening Day it was time to start a new weekly feature here at CttP to bring you to some of that work. Each Monday morning we’ll be bringing your attention to some of the best work from the previous week. Since these will lead off the week for us, we hope it will for all of you. It’s your Starting Lineup of all that’s gone down in the past week, setting us up for the week ahead. It’s just one more way we can be sure we’re bringing you all of the MLB coverage that we possible can. Feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

One of the many additions to the Cleveland Indians roster is outfielder Drew Stubbs, who’s had as some have called it, a “strikeout problem” over the course of his career. Brian Heise of Wahoo’s on First (click to read the post in full) took a stab at dissection this “problem”, openly wondering (and answering) if the high strikeout rate is really the chief cause for Stubbs’ terrible 2012 season.

From Brian:

The bottom line in here is that while Stubbs was still striking out a lot, it wasn’t significantly more than his career strikeout rate and was only marginally higher than 2011 when he struck out 205 times yet still hit a reasonable .243/.321/.386. In other words, while everyone likes to point at strikeouts for the cause of Stubbs’ problems in 2012, the numbers show that simply wasn’t the case.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the AL Central Brad Swanson of Puckett’s Pond runs through some quick predictions, touching on a couple of subjects, for the upcoming Twins’ season, sort of a good news/bad news type of thing. Here’s more from Brad on part of Minnesota’s bullpen:

As far as late-inning relievers go, I think Glen Perkins and Jared Burton are extremely good values. Both have great talent and both are signed to a reasonable contract.  I am not a huge fan of the “closer role” because I think that certain players are overpaid because they can close games.  However, both of these players can close out games and aren’t overpaid when doing that job.

There are countless questions facing the Boston Red Sox this season, but few have talked about a potential sophomore slump for third baseman Will Middlebrooks. That’s just the subject that Aidan Flynn of BoSox Injection attempted to tackle, examining whether his strikeout rate and BABIP will improve enough.

From Aidan:

For those that haven’t yet figured it out yet, what scares me the most regarding Middlebrooks’ sophomore campaign is that he won’t hit for a high enough average to maintain an even acceptable on base percentage. By now, most understand the importance of on-base percentage in today’s game and even with secondary skills such as power and strong defense, a player can lose a ton of value if he cannot get on base at a decent clip. For some, Middlebrooks is expected to be an all-star and anchor for a lineup that could be without David Ortiz for some time. This year I just don’t see that happening.

Toronto made a number of big moves this winter and made another bold one this past week, sending left-hander Ricky Romero down to the minor leagues to work some things out in his mechanics. The move received some mixed reviews, but Daniel George at Jays Journal thinks that it could ultimately prove to be a good thing for both Romero and the Blue Jays.

More from Daniel:

There are some positives to this news. First off, this means that fans won’t have to see 2012 staff ace Ricky Romero get completely shelled every 5 games for the club. Nothing hurts more than to see an organization keep a guy in the majors to protect his ego while he continues to get smacked around.

Finally, we’ve got one more for you this week. John Burgess at Climbing Tal’s Hill thinks that enough is enough. There’s too much talk about the historically low Opening Day payroll of the Houston Astros (who look like they might be a fun team to watch this year after last night’s win against their new division rivals). So John looks to justify the process as we await the results.

From John:

While losing really sucks, I would rather my team be horrendous for a few years than to go on a 20-year losing streak like the Pirates. Luhnow has decided to go with the “quick band aid removal method” to rebuilding so that we only have to deal with the pain for a short while instead of feeling each hair and piece of scab being ripped off with the slow rebuild.

The Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander is just about the best pitcher in baseball and gives his team a head start in locking down the American League Central Division.Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Although the Detroit Tigers were picked apart in the World Series by the San Francisco Giants in 2012 and their closer situation is iffy, they should be strong enough to take command of the American League Central Division early and hold it all summer long.

Fireballing Justin Verlander on the mound and triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera at bat give the Tigers two major components in putting a winner on the field at Comerica Park.  They’ve also got slugger Prince Fielder manning first base and Victor Martinez coming back from a year sidelined with a knee injury and they added outfielder Torii Hunter. The starting rotation is solid and Phil Coke is Mr. Reliability in the bullpen however he is used. Bruce Rondon was supposed to be the closer, but the Tigers sent him to the minors Thursday, leaving a rather large hole in the bullpen.

Having a dependable closer is generally a must cornerstone for choosing a team to finish first, but the Tigers have all the other ingredients dominate the division. If they have to go to closer-by-committee, though that weakens their position, it might mean the difference between advancing in the playoffs and not.

The fact that Rick Porcello claimed the fifth starter spot over Doug Smyly is a sign of strength on the mound. Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Anibel Sanchez make for an otherwise sturdy rotation and Verlander may be the finest pitcher in the game. His numbers weren’t quite as gaudy last year as they were in 2011, but he was just about as effective–his teammates didn’t perform as well for him as they had the year before.

Generally speaking the Tigers are so much more talented across the board than the other four teams in the AL Central that it would be hard to see them losing the division crown. If anyone has an outside shot at the Tigers–and it really is a longshot–it’s the Cleveland Indians. The Indians worked harder than anyone else in baseball to upgrade without adding a superstar. They brought in a new manager in Terry Francona and played the free-agent market aggressively. The Indians were big spenders without being complete break-the-bank spenders.

Nick Swisher was a big-ticket item and they may have overspent for his services. But the Indians also brought in Michael Bourn, a National League All-Star, Drew Stubbs, an ace fielder, and Mark Reynolds, among others. The Indians are sick of losing and they don’t even have too many fans lef alive who remember their last World Series triumph in 1948.

Doormats for so long, there is something to be said for the Kansas City Royals, too. They have cast their lot with homegrown talent and much of its is coming of age. At the least the days of 100-l0ss seasons are in the rearview mirror. It might be a lot to ask for a winning record, but the Royals could eke out a .500-plus mark by a game or two.

Forget the hopes of the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins. Not very long ago they were both division challengers or winners, but in 2013 they will be in a dogfight for the basement.

I feel a bit bad for White Sox second-year manager and veteran slugger Paul Konerko. I just don’t see much help for Paulie on the roster. Designated hitter Adam Dunn could hit 40 home runs with 100 RBIs and still bat under .200. That would be something to see. Also possible rescuers of Konerko’s lonely success might be some members of the starting rotation. At one time or another Chris Sale, Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd and John Danks have all done well. But they almost all no longer seem to have good years at the same time or all stay healthy at the same time. Danks is on the 15-day disabled list now.

Joe Mauer may be king of the Twin Cities, but his royal court is substandard.

This is how I see the American League Central playing out this season: 1) Detroit Tigers; 2) Cleveland Indians; 3) Kansas City Royals; 4) Chicago White Sox; 5) Minnesota Twins.

A strong Spring Training may have put Aaron Hicks in the lineup on Opening Day. (Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Left to find a new starting center field following a pair of winter trades that shipped both Denard Span and Ben Revere to the NL East, the Minnesota Twins could turn to a rookie to fill the role when the season begins in a few weeks. Aaron Hicks has been impressive in camp this Spring, both in the field and at the plate, and appears to have positioned himself as the favorite to win the job.

The 23 year old Hicks was originally a 1st Round pick (#14 overall) by the Twins in the 2008 Draft and he’s done nothing but positive things since, four times appearing among Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects. This past season at Double-A New Britain (the highest level he’s played at to date) he batted .286/.384/.460 in 563 PA, adding 11 3B, 13 HR, and 32 SB. He’s also shown great discipline/patience at the plate, walking 79 times (for the third season in a row). Over five seasons in the minor leagues he’s hitting a combined .271/.379/.421.

So far in Spring Training he’s hitting a robust .371/.378/.800 with 7 extra base hits in just 37 PA. He’s hit four home runs this Spring, including three in one game late last week against the Philadelphia Phillies (including leading the game off with a moonshot against Cliff Lee).

Hicks’ competition this Spring hasn’t done much to keep him from the job. Joe Benson has hit a meager .114/.262/.257 in 42 PA coming off a terrible 2012 season (.202/.288/.336 in 312 PA across multiple levels). Darin Mastroianni has hit well this Spring (.412/.450/.588) but has struggled to stay on the field (just 20 PA) thanks to a strained hamstring.

With Opening Day in under three weeks, the Twins will soon need to make a decision regarding the immediate future of the trio and their opening in center field. Hicks appears to be the favorite to win the job, with Mastroianni slated to come off the bench as his backup. At this point, the only real justification for not handing the job to Hicks is the fact that having him start the season in the minor leagues could buy the Twins another year before he reaches free agency.

Justin Morneau will need to regain his old form to stick around in Minnesota. Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

With every free agent not named Kyle Lohse pretty much settled in with his new team, transaction attention has shifted toward contract extensions for players and teams wanting to avoid free agency after the 2013 season. One player who has found himself in the news wires over the past week or so is Twins first baseman Justin Morneau. Morneau has been very open about wanting to remain in Minnesota, the team he has spent his entire career with. But should the retooling Twins even consider keeping him around?

Morneau was a top prospect in the Twins organization after being selected in the third round of the 1999 amateur draft. He took home the 2006 American League MVP and was on track for a banner career before various injuries (notably a severe concussion) derailed him, and he hasn’t ever been the same hitter since. Up through the point in 2010 at which Morneau suffered his injury, he was having a career season. The first baseman was hitting .345/.437/.618 with 18 homers in 348 PA, and he was showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, Morneau was a career .286/.358/.511 hitter up to that point, and it really looked as if his approach would enable even better performance.

Unfortunately, Morneau suffered a head injury in 2010, and ever since his bat has gone missing. Morneau managed only a .618 OPS in 288 PA in 2011, but things did improve a bit in 2012. Morneau hit .267/.333/.440 with 19 homers in a mostly full season, showing that some of the tools that briefly made him a star were still there. But does Morneau’s previous success and slight rejuvenation give the Twins cause to celebrate?

Morneau did get a bit better past the All-Star break last season, so he appears to be steadily (albeit slowly) gaining momentum toward once again becoming a quality hitter. The big difference after the break last season for Morneau was simply a few singles; his power numbers stayed steady and his walk rate didn’t spike. Morneau may have logged a .793 OPS in the second half to better the .752 OPS he put up in the first half, but there isn’t much evidence to suggest there was a real reason for it.

I know Morneau has discussed extensions publicly when asked about it by the media, but a deal just doesn’t seem likely to get done. The Canadian ex-slugger endeared himself to Twins fans just as Joe Mauer did, but things just haven’t worked out favorably. Now 31 years old, it looks like Morneau will be moving elsewhere once the 2013 season is completed, and no one can really be blamed for that.

The only thing that could turn this ship around now would be a vintage Morneau campaign right when he needs it most, and I think that’s something we’d all like to see. The guy has been through enough, and a monstrous season may be the only way he has a shot at staying with the team that drafted him. Otherwise the Twins and Morneau will likely have to part ways after the season, and if that happens, I think we’ll all still be rooting for him to have a better future.

If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, read his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct.

The good news for Twins fans is that GM Terry Ryan is up to his old tricks.  From 1995 through 2007, Ryan built the Twins through a sound farm system and shrewd trades. After a four year absence he returned to his GM post after the 2011. This offseason he traded for young pitching, signed middle of the pack rotation help while waiting for highly regarded prospects to mature.

Feb 19, 2013; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Charlie Kerfeld look a like Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Vance Worley (49) poses for a portrait during photo day at Hammond Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

To acquire the major league ready Vance Worley and minor league prospect Trevor May from the Phillies, Ryan parted with middling outfielder Ben Revere. Worley had an excellent 2011, going 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA. He struggled a bit in 2012 falling to 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA. The 25 year old is due less than $500,000 in 2013 and is under team control through 2017. He projects as a middle of the rotation starter,but may be the Twins opening day starter.

May projects as a middle to back end starter. At Double A Reading he went 10-13 with a 4.87 ERA.

To help the rotation Ryan signed a pair of National League veterans Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey. Correia made 54 starts for the Pirates the past two seasons with a 24-22 record and a 4.48 ERA. He was signed to a two year $10 million contract.

Pelfrey is a former top prospect who could never put it together for the New York Mets. His best season was in 2010 when he went 15-9. Pelfrey was signed to a one year $4 million contract.

Important setup man Jared Burton signed a two year $5.45 million deal this offseason. He had a 2.18 ERA/0.92 WHIP in 62 IP in 2012.

Brian Duensing appeared in 55 games for the Twins in 2012, pitching to a 5.12 ERA with a 4-12 record in 109.0 innings. He signed a one year $1.3 million one year deal avoiding arbitration.

In November Ryan traded for the Washington Nationals top pitching prospect Alex Meyer in return for outfielder Denard Span. Meyer, a 23 year old 6’9” flamethrower,is Baseball America’s #59 prospect entering 2013. He regularly hits the high 90’s with his fastball and went 10-6 with a 2.86 ERA in 2012 at the A and AA level and could be lighting up the radar gun at Target Field by 2014.

Another top pitching prospect Kyle Gibson started the Arizona Fall League All-Star game in November, but is coming off Tommy John surgery. Gibson could be in the Twins 2013 rotation but he threw less than 30 innings in 2012, and his innings will need to be watched.

Aaron Hicks has been in the Twins organization since 2008 and will be given the opportunity to win the center field spot vacated by Span. He hit 13 home runs, stole 32 bases and posted a .844 OPS at Double A New Britain in 2012.

Oswaldo Arcia drove in close to 100 runs between the A and AA levels. His healthy .557 slugging percentage at Double AA New Britain suggest he may be ready to contribute in the outfield in 2013.

The Twins best hope is to execute a long term plan and develop their young players. They do not have the  lineup to realistically compete and the rotation has more fourth starters than Minnesota has lakes. But if Myer and Gibson can become frontline starters and top prospects Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton develop as planned, Ryan may have the Twins back in the hunt in the near future.  

The Twins on Thursday traded Ben Revere to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for starting pitcher Vance Worley and right handed prospect Trevor May. Both teams have confirmed the deal.

Revere, 24, has elite speed and can cover a ton of ground. He also has a throwing arm that scouts would rate somewhere between that of Johnny Damon and that of Juan Pierre. The lefty-swinging center fielder enjoyed a terrific season at the plate in 2012, posting a .294/.333./.342 line in over 550 plate appearances.

Revere swiped 40 bases in 49 tries for the Twins in 2012. Image: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

He has virtually no power and his on base percentage is almost entirely dependent on his batting average, which is never ideal. As long as the hits are dropping, it looks great but when they aren’t, Revere won’t draw too many walks. Basically, he’s no where near the complete player that Denard Span, traded to the Nationals, is.

The Phillies woke up this morning and realized that their quest to land a center fielder had moved too slowly and all that was left on the market was Michael Bourn. Bourn was considered the best pure center fielder available, but he comes with an asking price North of $15 million per year.

With Bourn in need of a team and the Phillies figuring they should actually put someone in center field next season, it looked like Bourn’s agent, Scott Boras, had Ruben Amaro Jr. over a barrel. Instead, Amaro (known to some disgruntled Phillies fans as “Ruin Tomorrow Jr.”) lived up to the moniker and traded away a young, cost-controlled starter and the organization’s number two prospect to get a guy that, if all goes well, will have a career that rivals that of Scott Podsednik.

Worley will immediately help the Twins, who are in dire need of pitching both at the major league level and throughout their organization. In parts of three seasons with Philadelphia, the bespectacled righty has posted a very solid 3.50 ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly two-and-a-half-to-one. In 2012, Worley made 23 starts, going 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA. He underwent a minor procedure to clean out his elbow at the end of the season, but it is not expected to be a lingering issue.

In May, the Twins get Baseball America’s 69th-highest rated prospect in the league and one who has put up dominant strikeout numbers in the minor leagues. He walks too many hitters at this point, but having just turned 23 he has time to right the ship. If there is one strength of the coaches throughout the Minnesota system, it’s teaching pitchers how to throw strikes.

The Phillies made a move that saves them money over having to submit to the demands of Scott Boras and Michael Bourn, but they also made a move that took one solid starting pitcher off of their big league roster and another potentially outstanding starter out of their organization. They did this to get a guy who was Minnesota’s second-best center fielder a week ago.

The Braves and Nationals are the class of the NL East. Instead of gaining on the elite  with this trade, the Phillies got a little closer to the Mets and Marlins.

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps a perennial 40-steal player, Revere was worth 3.4 WAR last season in just his second year in the Majors. He’ll never be a star, but Revere will consistently be a solid player for a team. His hitting isn’t that bad, and it’s easier to deal with if he is placed in center field. The CF/RF doesn’t hit as well as most other corner outfielders, and his defense is still excellent in center. He is definitely best utilized in center, because a team can that pick up a better hitting corner outfielder to slot into right field.

Revere’s offense isn’t even that bad, because he did post a .333 OBP last season and can get on base. However, there is no doubt that hitting isn’t his strongest suit and that he is a well below-average hitter when compared to other right fielders. In center, he’s fairly mediocre compared to his peers. The biggest problem with playing him in right is that he provides virtually no power (no career home runs, career ISO under .050) at a position that is usually known for its power.

The Phillies are wise to inquire about Revere, and I could see him being a good fit for them. We’ll see what the Twins asking price is for the young, talented OF who is usually compared to Juan Pierre.

Update: The Phillies have acquired Ben Revere for starting pitcher Vance Worley and top prospect Trevor May; not exactly a good deal for the Phillies. What a steal for Minnesota.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.