Note: The following entry is not in any way meant to mock or make light of those with real addictions. I know all too well the struggles that are associated with addictions of all types, and the effect it can have on lives. Please read this in the humorous spirit in which it is meant. It is mid-September. The Twins are twenty-four games under .500, getting their clocks cleaned 9-1 by Kansas City last night. It is raining and dreary out. So what is the highlight of my day? The release ...
Updated 09-12-2012 at 09:03 PM by IdahoPilgrim
With the emergence of Chris Parmelee as a Major League quality hitter, someone recently commented that the Twins could easily fit 7 players into 6 positions. So I tested the theory. If nobody is traded, the Twins have 7 players to use in 6 positions. Mauer C, 1b, DH Doumit C, LF RF DH Morneau 1b, DH Willingham LF,RF,DH Span CF,RF,LF Revere LF, CF, RF Parmelee LF, RF DH -------- Lineup 1 Maurer C Doumit DH ...
Every year following the long minor league season, the Twins invite many prospects and recent draft picks back to Ft. Myers for the Florida Instructional League. For the most part, this time is pretty self-explanatory. It is a place for extra instruction for young players. For 2012 draft picks, it is likely a preview of what to expect from minor league spring training next March. Sometimes, players go to “Instructs” to learn a new position or a secondary position. You’ll notice at least one position ...
Aaron and John start out with talk about Ben Revere's defense in center field, meander through the Minnesota Twins middle infield, rotation and bullpen, argue about Twins revenue projections and finish with mailbag questions and parenting advice. Here are: Here are: the podcaststhe rss feed if you want to subscribe andthe podcast on iTunes.
Do you love baseball? How about listening to things? If you like both, can I just take one dern second and suggest that you check out the Baseball Prospectus podcast - Effectively Wild? Thanks. Effectively Wild is hosted by Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller and sometimes co-hosted by some crickets. In the podcast, Ben and Sam each bring one topic per day to the table and then they present and discuss. Every so often, they each bring the same topic, which usually makes me drive right off the road. ...
Updated 09-12-2012 at 09:13 AM by Brad Swanson
This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. I’m kind of tired of reading and hearing about Stephen Strasburg and the decision by the Washington Nationals to shut him down for the season. That being the case, I’m not sure why I’m choosing now to actually write about him. But I am. I suppose the reason is that I’ve been trying to put myself in the shoes of those directly and indirectly involved with the decision to put an end to the hard-throwing phenom’s ...
It wasn't the best year for starting pitching in the Twins organization. Top pitching prospects like Alex Wimmers and Adrian Salcedo suffered through short seasons because of injuries. Kyle Gibson, the team's first round pick from 2010, spent most of the year recovering from Tommy John surgery and he will head to the Arizona Fall League to rack up some innings before the beginning of next season. The organization had to find other pitchers to fill roles with their clubs and this allowed for some ...
Updated 09-12-2012 at 07:08 AM by Cody Christie
What happened to all that offense that showed up for the Cleveland series? Or pitching for that matter? After scoring 24 runs, averaging six per game against the Indians, the Will Smith and the Royals stop the Twins bats cold and Kansas City would, as Ron Gardenhire would say after the game, hit the fire out of the ball. The Twins offense was far from the productive group it has shown against Cleveland, and gave the Royals pitchers very little to sweat about. ...
Many believe there's no way the Twins can possibly turn things around quickly enough to be a competitive team next season. They're on their way to a second straight 90-plus loss season, their starting rotation is an absolute mess and their best prospects are still probably a couple years away from making an impact. To those people, I present the 2012 Baltimore Orioles. A year ago, the O's finished last in the AL East for a fourth straight season, ...
Heading into Tuesday’s game, Joe Mauer had played in 131 of the 141 games. That was quite a remarkable run considering the amount of time he missed just a year ago. Mauer, however, would not make it to game number 132 just yet as back spasms prior to the game would keep him unavailable. Said Mauer after the game: "As soon as I got on the field to stretch, it just started to come on. It seemed the more I did the worse it got. Right before my BP ...
Author's note: I originally posted this on my blog last September but it still rings true for today. ~~~~~~~~~~It is hard to believe that it has been a decade since the most tragic day in American history. The events of that day and the recovery following it have been well documented over the last ten years. The anniversary will always be a time of remembrance but it will also be a time to reflect on how far America has come since the events of September ...
At the end of last week, I took a look back at some of the projections I made in regards to the minor league system for the Twins. When it comes to making predictions, there are going to be some hits and some misses. I had a few of those along the way but it's time to look back at the season that was in the minor leagues for the Twins. There were some good performances at all of the different levels that deserve to be recognized for their achievements on the field. The Elizabethton ...
This article was originally published on Monday, Sept. 10, at Knuckleballsblog.com. It was with much fanfare that Major League Baseball announced a new, slightly expanded, postseason format as a part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It was reportedly solely due to the will of Commissioner Bud Selig that a way was found to implement the new format for the current season, rather than waiting one more year, when the leagues would be balanced and the spacing of postseason games ...
Yesterday, we named AJ Achter the 2012 Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. He was the best among a very strong cast of Twins minor league relievers. Today, we will name the Twins Daily 2012 Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Starting Pitching was clearly a huge issue at the big league level for the Twins. The Rochester Red Wings had a .500 season despite losing starter after starter to the Twins. There were some very solid ...