The Pirates' mere mention of Kubel's name in trade talks last month was quickly rebuffed by the Minnesota Twins. Jason is the future, coming to a Metrodome near you very soon.
"It's a crowded outfield situation in Minnesota," Roof says, "but Kubel is too good. They'll move someone out to make room for him."
Take I-90 West
Kubel, 22, started 2004 at Double-A New Britain. The battle plan was to take him on a boat ride through the minors, giving him adequate seasoning along the way.
"We like our players to experience success at one level before we jump to another," says Jim Rantz, the Twins' longtime farm director.
Yet even the long-suffering Minnesotans couldn't ignore the numbers: Kubel was leading the Eastern League, batting .377 in 37 games when he was promoted to Rochester on May 21, a move necessitated by the Twins' recall of Morneau from the Red Wings.
Through Aug. 1, he was hitting a combined .358 with 35 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs and 77 RBI in 100 games.
No speed demon, Jason still had swiped a respectable 10 bases in his first 73 games with Rochester.
Rochester's last IL batting champion was Steve Finley, who hit .314 in 1988. Scouts have drawn comparisons between Kubel and Finley, who developed into a home-run hitter later in his career.
Joe Altobelli, who led Baltimore to the 1983 World Series title and is now a radio analyst for Red Wings games, called Kubel a "young Roger Maris" because he is fundamentally sound and has a great work ethic.
Altobelli should know: He and Maris were close friends and teammates in the Cleveland Indians' farm system 50 years ago.
About the only person who seems unimpressed by Kubel is Kubel himself.
"He really doesn't get too excited about anything," says Justin Morneau, (See Justin in FAB50 "Ones To Watch") a teammate in Rochester and now the Twins' first baseman.
Kubel speaks softly but carries a big stick. A .310 career hitter entering this year, his worst batting average was .298 for Class A Fort Myers last season. He has been an All-Star in each of his first four seasons.
The puddle jump to Triple-A often slows down a fast-track career, when the pitching gets that much better and the elbows of other quality talent cause even the cocky to take a moment of pause.
Not Kubel. He went on a 10-game hitting streak after joining Rochester and was hitting .337 with 29 RBI in his first 35 games. During one stretch, he went 53 at-bats between strikeouts.
"It's hard to explain," Kubel says modestly, when asked about his seamless adjustment from Double-A to Triple-A. "I know the pitchers here are better and they throw harder. When they throw strikes, I swing."
He rarely misses. He entered the season with 125 strikeouts in 1,046 at-bats. Jason entered this season with a career .310 batting average. The Twins added him to the 40-man roster in the off-season, and he attended his first big-league camp last spring.
He homered in his first game for Minnesota and hit .308 (4-for-13) with 2 RBI and a .538 slugging percentage before reporting to minor-league camp.
"It was an incredible experience," he says. "It was the most fun I've ever had playing baseball."
"He's got great eye-hand quickness and tremendous strength in his hands," Roof says. "We've been high on him since we signed him."
Kubel hits to all fields with authority. He slammed 17 homers for Quad City in 2002. Then, oddly, he dropped to five in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League last year.
Jason homered in three consecutive games for Rochester last month and hit a pair of three-run shots against Syracuse on Aug. 1.
"He has great tools," Syracuse manager Marty Pevey says.
Rantz expects Kubel's power to develop in time.
"I think he's the the type of player who can hit for 15-to-20 homers a year in the majors."
Traffic Jam At the Metrodome
Kubel is well aware of the Twins' crowded outfield, but things can change fast when a super prospect hits the scene. Ask Doug Mientkiewicz. He was the entrenched Twins first baseman, until Morneau sent him packing to the Boston Red Sox on July 31.
The payroll-conscious Twins are thinking young. Morneau and catcher Joe Mauer (See: Joe Mauer's Summer of Dreams). Kubel could be part of that mix, even though he modestly dismisses any suggestion that a spot awaits him.
"It's a very crowded situation," he says. "I just want to do my job, and hopefully I'll get a shot someday."
That shot may be in the form of the slot currently occupied by the Twins' Jacque Jones, who becomes a free agent after this season. Or Kubel's to lose.
"The door is open for him," Roof says.
Not that he would have all that much competition within the organization. Jason has blown past Michael Ryan and Michael Restovich, players with solid minor-league credentials, but little to show for it in terms of big-league time.
Kubel is so good that his teammates have made him the standard for success, and failure.
During a recent offensive slump in which Rochester hit just .205 in five games, center fielder Josh Rabe commented that "Even Kubel is coming back to Earth."
Jasonhad hit only .384 in his previous 10 games.
Some slump.
Did We Mention the Glove?
Kubel's hitting is so effortless that it often overshadows his defense, which is also solid. A year ago, he was named "Best Outstanding Arm" in a poll of Florida State League managers. He's done nothing to dispute that claim this season. Although not flashy, he has perhaps the strongest arm in the organization.
Kubel may have come straight out of right field, but the best is yet to come.
"The kid is going places," Roof says.
Born in Belle Fourche, S.D., Jason grew up in Palmdale, California. He loved the Dodgers, Angels and Padres while idolizing stars such as Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Jim Thome.
He played football as a freshman at Highland High School, as a wide receiver and defensive back, but his devotion to baseball quickly made him a one-sport athlete.
He was offered a baseball scholarship to prestigious powerhouse Division I Long Beach but decided to turn pro after the Twins made him their 12th-round pick in the 2000 draft.
"When the Twins drafted me, I decided to give pro ball a shot and see what I could do."
What he can do is technically impressive, made more so by his maturity and his authority on the field. Passing BJ Upton, who struggled a bit more with the latter half of the season, and fending off upstarts like IL 2004 MVP Jhonny Peralta, we think Mr. Kubel possesses the kind of franchise-building career that anchors a ballclub like the Twins.
Jason Kubel's talent and maturity, along with his value to his club make him the definitive choice for the MLN 2004 Player of the Year.
