The Chattanooga Lookouts began this season with arguably the most talent-rich roster in Class AA baseball, and they delivered with a 43-25 first half that included the Southern League North Division championship.
Minnesota Twins player development director Brad Steil, who oversees the Lookouts and other minor league rosters within the organization, was a guest Tuesday on "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 FM.
Q: How would you assess the Lookouts in the first half?
A: "I thought they did a nice job. Winning their division was important to us going into the season, and I think we had the second-youngest team in that league at the start of the year. We knew we could get off to a slow start, and we did, but those coaches and players did a nice job of adjusting and adapting to that league and improved steadily and ended up on top."
Q: Did you like the timing of Byron Buxton's promotion on June 13, or do you wish he had stayed a little longer?
A: "Sometimes you can't control those types of situations. I think he has handled it well to this point. He got off to a little bit of a slow start, but we put him in the leadoff spot last night, and he had a nice game. Hopefully that will be a good sign for him to come."
Q: Buxton had a slow start with the Lookouts before catching fire in May and again before his promotion. Did he accomplish what he needed here?
A: "You're right in that he did put together a nice 10 or 12 games before we called him up. He played really, really well, and you could see that he had knocked the rust off from being out for most of last season. He was making progress, and I think that made us more comfortable with the idea of bringing him up."
Q: Max Kepler didn't join the Lookouts out of spring training but comes in and leads the league with a .342 average. Could you have envisioned that?
A: "Max's performance has been a nice surprise. He's been outstanding. Max has been a good player for us in the past, but I don't know if he's ever put up numbers like this."
Q: Adam Walker has great power numbers but also has 101 strikeouts. Do you think he can he keep advancing at this rate?
A: "Yes I do. Despite the 101 strikeouts, I think he is showing signs that he is taking better at-bats and learning. His approach at the plate is better than it was last season. You obviously don't want to see that many strikeouts, but the positive is that when he does make contact, he does a lot of damage."
Q: The Twins certainly have surpassed expectations to this point. What is the excitement level like up there?
A: "We've been pleased with how we've played for the most part, and I think it's been a good fit with Paul Molitor as the manager. The fans up here are obviously excited, because we've had four years of 90-loss seasons. It's been a nice turnaround for us, and we've had some guys come up from the minors and contribute, which is always a positive.
"We haven't been swinging the bats great lately, but our pitching has been keeping us in games."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.