SD Buhr/Jim Crikket

Like a lot of Twins fans, I think, I’ve been coasting a bit with my fandom. The results on the field have been disappointing.

http://knuckleballsb...600-600x401.jpg
Byron Buxton (photo by SD Buhr)

Ervin Santana, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco hadn’t even been on the field much, if at all,...

After the Cedar Rapids Kernels finished batting practice on a warm, humid July 4 afternoon, two of the most productive players on their roster agreed to sit down and talk about the season.

http://knuckleballsb...418-600x400.jpg
Jordan Gore and Randy Dobnak go through Kernels pre-game workouts on July 4,...

Happy birthday, Moneyball !

http://knuckleballsb...ook-600x295.jpg

Yes, as Yahoo’s Jeff Passan alerted us via Twitter over breakfast this morning, Michael Lewis’ seminal baseball book, Moneyball , was released 15 years ago today.

I have to admit, I was picturing the entire SABR community simultaneously...

The month of April was not kind to Cedar Rapids Kernels infielder Jose Miranda.

http://knuckleballsb...18a-600x400.jpg
Jose Miranda (Photo by SD Buhr)

After hitting .284 and putting up a .824 On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) for rookie level Elizabethton in 2017, Miranda was one of several highly-regarded hit...

When Brian Dinkelman hung up his spikes as a player after the 2013 season, a defensive shift with three infielders on one side of second base was still a relative novelty being employed occasionally by the Houston Astros and perhaps one or two other teams at the Major League level.

http://knuckleballsb...inkelmanLewi...

When this season was in its infancy, I had a lot of high expectations for the 2018 Cedar Rapids Kernels. I was not alone, of course, since the Kernels’ opening day roster was filled with big-bonus position players, highlighted by 2017’s first-overall draft pick, Royce Lewis, and the Twins’ 2016 first round pick, Alex Kirilloff.
http://knuckleballsblog.com...

After standing in a line of about 20 people for a few minutes, a couple of guys finally got the autograph they wanted during the Cedar Rapids Kernels regular Sunday post-game autograph session. They had secured the autograph of Royce Lewis, the Minnesota Twins first round pick in the 2017 MLB amateur draft and the first pick overall.

They stood for a mom...

Imagine for a moment that you grew up in an area where high temperatures each day run between 80 and 85 degrees, year-round.
http://knuckleballsb...18b-600x400.jpg
Edwar Colina (Photo by SD Buhr)

You enjoy sports, especially baseball, and you can literally play ball every day, all year, if you want.

You rea...

What a difference a year makes.
http://knuckleballsb...13a-600x400.jpg
Ben Rortvedt (Photo: SD Buhr)

A year ago, Ben Rortvedt was getting his first taste of full-season minor league baseball after having been drafted out of high school in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins....

The Cedar Rapids Kernels hit the frozen ground running this season, jumping off to a 6-0 record before finally suffering their first loss of the year on Friday night against Clinton.
http://knuckleballsb...13e-600x400.jpg
Bryan Sammons delivers a pitch Friday, April 13, against Clinton (Photo: SD Buhr)

Don’...