Jim Mandelaro, who writes about the Twins' Class AAA minor-league team, was surprised at some of the reaction to the organization releasing Joe Benson, the outfielder who spent some time with the Twins in 2011 but did little to warrant a return trip.
Rochester writer explains why Joe (Benson) had to go
The writer who covers Class AAA baseball for the newspaper in Rochester, N.Y., minced few works about Joe Benson's departure from the Twins organization.
May 28, 2013 at 8:11PM
You might hear more about it in some circles because Benson hit home runs in his first two minor-league with the Texas Rangers' Class AA Frisco team.
On a Class AAA roster with more than a few candidates to never-again see Minnesota, why was Benson chosen to be waived? Mandelaro writes: "Benson played himself out of any chance of a future with the Twins. He hit .192 with 1 homer and 9 RBI in 42 games. Let those numbers sink in for a minutes, because there's more. He also struck out 50 times and walked just 10 times in 151 at-bats. That's one K for every three at-bats. His on-base percentage was .256. His slugging percentage was .285."
More from Mandelaro: "Did the Twins have a safer option to make room for pitcher P.J. Walters on the 40-man roster? Maybe. But they did not see Joe Benson in Minnesota any more. And to be blunt, the Red Wings are a better team today without him."
You can read his entire piece here.
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