Twins assistant GM brutally honest about center field 'position battle'

Now playing center field for the Minnesota Twins...

Heck, your guess is as good as theirs. When the media in Fort Myers, Fla. surrounded assistant general manager Rob Antony on Wednesday and asked him how the "position battle" in center field between Aaron Hicks and Ryan Presley was going, this is what he said:

His name is Antony? Should be Brutus, with such savage honesty. You've got to love it. Or hate it.

So it sounds like the Twins are incapable of even keeping the position warm for megaprospect Byron Buxton, who will begin the 2014 season in the minors. Hicks was a solid prospect before a disastrous rookie season in which he posted a .597 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He's batting .269 this spring with a home run, three doubles and no walks in 25 plate appearances. Presley has been OK in the minors and so-so in the majors and doesn't seem to be grabbing the bull by the horns with the Twins. He came into play with a .409 OPS in 33 plate appearances this spring.

No wonder Antony isn't too jazzed about he's seeing. Neither of these guys appears to be Kirby Puckett reincarnate. It's just refreshing that Antony, who is filling in for GM Terry Ryan while he gets treated for skin cancer, isn't going to sugar-coat the situation.

Buxton, while he's expected to be the next big thing in the majors, has zero experience above high Class A ball. And with the Twins being historically close to their money, aren't going to be bring him up soon. Then again, if the Twins went to the trouble of signing Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes and spending a decent amount of money to do it, they might want to put a major league outfielder in center.

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David Brown edits Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rdbrown@yahoo-inc.com and follow him on Twitter!

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