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After an exciting American League Championship Series, the Houston Astros are headed to the 2017 World Series. In an event that was determined destiny three years ago by Sports Illustrated, this home grown group is looking to knock off a very good Los Angeles Dodgers team. While the hometown nine has been eliminated, two former Minnesota Twins could be eyeing their first rings. If you need a local connection, both Francisco Liriano and Juan Centeno may provide it. Playing in 55 games for the T
Alright, as many of you know - and maybe many of you are - I'm a huge binge TV watchers. I've got access to Amazon, Hulu and Netflix and watch so many shows. I'll watch almost anything. I've watched shows like Highway to Heaven, and I've watched shows like American Horror Story. I'm currently watching old episodes of 7th Heaven, and I'm very excited for Season 8 of The Walking Dead on AMC! I was late to the show, to be honest. Season 7 was the first season that I watched on AMC as it was happe
Team development is the final step to building a winning team. Team Development is similar to player development but from a team aspect. A winning team doesn’t come from simply putting the best players on the field together. Talent, while a huge part of winning, isn’t the only trait needed to field a winning team. It might not even be the best trait of a winning team. A winning team has to have every piece of a winning team and those pieces have to fit together and have great chemistry in orde
Wheelin' and Dealin' - Off season trade targets Despite the undeniable successful season the Twins had in 2017, as tends to happen in the playoffs, deficiencies and holes in the lineup, rotation and bullpen become less transparent and more of a glaring, vacuous hole - clearly seen. For instance, Robbie Grossman started the American League Wild Card game for the Minnesota Twins, not as an injury replacement for a banged up regular - no, he was the starting Designated Hitter - a position he h
This is an excerpt from an article which appears in full at Zone Coverage here. This is a series of evaluations that will be done this offseason on every player that closed the season on the 40-man roster for the Minnesota Twins throughout the winter until each player has been evaluated. The plan is to start with Mr. Belisle and move all the way through the pitchers, then to the catchers, infielders, outfielders and finally those listed as designated hitters on the club’s official MLB.com rost
This is an excerpt from a piece that appears in full on Zone Coverage here. On Wednesday the Minnesota Twins announced the winners of their Sherry Robertson (Minor League Player of the Year) and Jim Rantz (Minor League Pitcher of the Year) Awards. Catcher Mitch Garver got the nod for the Robertson Award, and it was richly deserved after the numbers he posted at Triple-A Rochester. Garver was rewarded with a call-up to the big leagues after hitting a stellar .291/.387/.541 in 88 games with
In less than a month, Major League Baseball will enter the official hot stove season, the period in which some eligible players will be granted free agency and teams will look to sign and trade, trying to improve their clubs. A look at the free agent class, there will be plenty of steam surrounding the hot names and big contracts, while fandoms sit hopeful that their team will make the moves and fill the gaps in the rosters that propel them toward October baseball. The Twins have a few glaring n
This is a series of evaluations that will be done this offseason on every player that closed the season on the 40-man roster for the Minnesota Twins throughout the winter until each player has been evaluated. The plan is to start with Mr. Belisle and move all the way through the pitchers, then to the catchers, infielders, outfielders and finally those listed as designated hitters on the club’s official MLB.com roster. That means we’ll wrap it up with Kennys Vargas sometime before the season star
With broad smiles, infectious laughter, and more good baseball than bad, the 2017 Minnesota Twins actually looked like they were having fun more days than not. Gone were the memories of forgettable seasons, forgettable players, and milquetoast post-game interviews. The 2017 Twins showed personality, and a markedly improved product on the field. For their troubles, they got a small taste of the post-season to end their 2017 season. The crazy thing to think about is that only Joe Mauer and Glen
The Minnesota Twins are, just like the 26 other major league teams, watching the final four postseason clubs compete for a World Series victory. Unlike each and every one of those teams however, the hometown club may have just made the move of the offseason. John Manuel, former Editor in Chief for Baseball America, is now a Pro Scout for the Derek Falvey regime (or he will be as of November 1). You don't know who John Manuel is you say? Well then, let me introduce you. When it comes to great b
In looking back to some of the things I wrote about Derek Falvey and Thad Levine upon being hired last fall, I stumbled upon a piece that focused on Twins acquisitions. Namely, how well does Minnesota utilize the trade market, and does it work in their favor. You can read that piece here, but the conclusion was that Terry Ryan left plenty to be desired on that front. A year in, Falvey is providing reason for excitement. Over the course of 2017, the Twins found themselves in a unique position a
“Sure, we knew about racism – met it every day. But we loved playing ball and that field wasn’t black or white, just beautiful green grass. It treated everybody the same.” Negro Leaguer Joe Scott As one of the official reviewers for the Twin Cities Film Fest, I am provided with advance screeners for many of the movies selected to be shown at the annual October event. One of the best parts about it is discovering films that I may not otherwise see. Such is the case for “Legends of the Road,” a
To Extend, or Not to Extend ... The Case for Brian Dozier The 2018 Twins offseason will undoubtedly have many questions. The usual "will they, won't they" Hot Stove talk of free agent signings, the Winter Meetings and trade talk circulating. While there is no doubt the Twins have holes to fill (Relief pitching, Starting pitching, maybe a right handed power bat, etc.), one question seems to loom large: What is the future of Brian Dozier? Dozier entered the 2017 season for the Twins, his age
As the official beginning of the offseason looms just a few short weeks away, the Minnesota Twins have shown the fire of a spunky, up and coming, perennial playoff contender. The front office team of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine has already locked in Paul Molitor to captain the ship for the next three seasons, as well as parted ways with Neil Allen, Twins pitching coach of the previous three seasons. All of the Twins burgeoning stars, unofficially dubbed the "Core Four" - consisting of Miguel Sa
The Minnesota Twins sign for 3 more years of partnership with Paul Molitor. The Minnesota Twins, having come off a very good season where they made the playoffs for the first time since 2010, have re-signed their manager, Paul Molitor, to a 3-year contract. Terms of the 3-year deal have yet to be announced. Now, the 61-year old manager will do his best to get his team to take the next step from being a playoff contender to a championship contender. Coming off one of the worst seasons in base
With the Minnesota Twins now finished with both the regular and postseason portions of their 2017 Major League Baseball season, it's fair to look back on the year that was. This group matured, and turned around a catastrophic 2016 effort to once again give steam to a young team going places. It was a group effort, but breaking down individual performances is a must as well. In order to provide some brevity, we'll make this a three part series. Today, grades will be handed out to the starting pit
With the Minnesota Twins now finished with both the regular and postseason portions of their 2017 Major League Baseball season, it's fair to look back on the year that was. This group matured, and turned around a catastrophic 2016 effort to once again give steam to a young team going places. It was a group effort, but breaking down individual performances is a must as well. In order to provide some brevity, we'll make this a three part series. Today, grades will be handed out to the starting p
With the Minnesota Twins now finished with both the regular and postseason portions of their 2017 Major League Baseball season, it's fair to look back on the year that was. This group matured, and turned around a catastrophic 2016 effort to once again give steam to a young team going places. It was a group effort, but breaking down individual performances is a must as well. In order to provide some brevity, we'll make this a three part series. Today, grades will be handed out to the starting l
Not that anyone asked, but in the past day or so I posted in these Twins Daily threads... Who, besides Robbie Grossman himself, deserves credit for Grossman's improved defensive stats in the outfield, as well as improvement in the eye-test according to yours truly? My general recollection has been less wandering about in search of fly balls. If Jeff Pickler is in charge of coaching the outfielders, kudos to him. Now, about Buxton banging repeatedly into center field walls... On a post-season br
I'm very happy that Joe had a great year. It was nice to see him return to the .300 club. Many years ago I sat in a packed, humid gym for a taping of an ESPN special focusing on Joe - just as contract negotiations were heating up. He had just won the MVP, his second consecutive gold glove, and became the first catcher to lead the league in average, obp, and slugging. When I looked up the details of his contract I noticed that there are bonuses of $25k for each Gold Glove or All-Star Selecti
With the dust still settling on the Wild Card loss to the New York Yankees, it's probably early for some to be thinking about the offseason for the Twins. That being said, we've officially entered that portion of the program, and this will be the first true offseason for Derek Falvey and Thad Levine to tip their hand. A year ago, Falvey and Levine were new to the organization, and looking to evaluate more than they sought out making waves. Additions came in the form of low risk, low reward typ
Copied from my blog: https://takesallkinds.wordpress.com/ which has embeds and such. While watching the Twins invariably blow their 3-0 first inning lead to the Yankees yesterday, it got me thinking of how horrible it is to be a Minnesota sports fan. As I’m sure you know, the majority of sports fandom is based on where you’re from. A person who grew up in St. Louis, will obviously be more drawn to the local teams. Unfortunately, I was born in Minnesota and spent my formative years in the 90’
I am not a follower of Donald Trump. I have participated in several no kings rallies and am disgusted with what he and his followers have done to our country and the world. I would like to know what most Brazilians feel about the United States now and about the folks our citizens have elected to represent us.