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Defense wins championships. In the baseball world, this cliche might not be completely true. Otherwise, there would be teams full of Andrelton Simmons-type players. There are a lot of other factors that go into the overall equation. Teams need offense, they need pitching, and sometimes a little luck goes a long way. Baseball line-ups aren't usually built with a defensive as the first priority. Rosters usually need to have the right combination of defense and offense. You can hide a Josh Will
Let's rewind back to March 2015. It was a simpler time for the Twins. Spring Training was well underway, and they were just on the brink of seeing their latest free agent acquisition pitching meaningful games at Target Field. Then a failed drug test happened, and it was followed by an 80 game suspension. Although Ervin Santana had plenty of promise for the Twins a season ago, I wondered before things went down hill, what exactly the expectations should have been. Taking aim at Santana's Fieldi
In 2015, the Minnesota Twins saw the year of the position player. With Eddie Rosario leading the charge during spring training, and into the regular season, Paul Molitor watched as his 25 man roster was transformed with youth. One of baseball's best farm systems is far from depleted after a handful of graduations, but growth now needs to take place. For two former first round picks, the year ahead couldn't be any more important. Enter Kohl Stewart and Travis Harrison. Earlier this week, Jim
This week, Brandon is joined by Dan Szymborski of ESPN to discuss Baltimore, Cincinnati chili, cat strategy, gaming, ZiPS, 'meh' rotations and everything in between. https://t.co/0gEaXmgHwU
When looking at the projected 25 man roster leaving Fort Myers for the Minnesota Twins, you would be hard pressed to find a player considered more of a lock than Brian Dozier. Minnesota gave Dozier a four-year, $20 million extension just a year ago, and he remains one of the best second basemen in all of baseball. What Dozier's situation does do is present a crossroads for the players behind him. Although depth is something the Twins seemingly have throughout the organization, the focus behind
While they differ in methodology, the major projection systems -- Marcel, OLIVER, PECOTA, Steamer, ZiPS et al. -- all abide by one central rule: Projections are not predictions. This mantra should be a source of comfort to Twins fans, since most experts are willing to predict that the team will be interesting and has at least some chance of making the playoff run they barely missed out on last year. The projections, however, are nowhere near as kind. The offense looks to be about league averag
There has been a lot of angst this offseason about the Twins not signing an experienced bullpen arm or two. I feel like January 2014 all over again. Everyone was saying we needed to sign some starting pitching. In back to back years we have signed Nolasco and Santana. If you go by salary our rotation would be Santana, Hughes, Nolasco, Milone and Gibson. If you went by actually trying to win you would probably go Hughes, Santana, Gibson, Duffy and Berrios. The 1st rotation would cost around
The Minnesota Twins announced the signing of outfielder Carlos Quentin to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league camp. The 33-year old last appeared in a game for Tacoma, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. His last big league appearance was in 20014 with the San Diego Padres. The former two-time All-Star was first round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2003. He played parts of two seasons at the big league level in Arizona before being dealt to the Chicago W
In part, the question has a very simple answer. What's left for Ricky Nolasco is two years and $24 million (with at least a $1 million buyout in year three), at least on a contractual level. The question really is, what's left for Nolasco when it comes to performance going forward? That question is much more difficult to answer, but there are a few clues to consider. First and foremost, it's worth noting that Nolasco's role appears certain to change for the Twins in 2016. When looking at the s
I haven't published a "Twins Top 15 Prospects List" this offseason, yet. There are plenty of other writers who do and many of them probably have better insight into who the top names should be than I do. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/BuxtonStage3-600x400.jpg This should be the last year that Byron Buxton's name shows up on any "Top Prospect" list. I didn't really make a conscious decision not to do a list this year. I just didn't get around to it, until now. (T
It's just February, but making predictions far after things play out isn't much of a leap. With Twins Fest now in the books, and the next big event for the club being Spring Training, it's time to take a look at what lies ahead. The Diamond Awards recently acknowledged the best of the organization for the year that was. This is a stab at who ends up being recognized for a great 2016 season. Bounce Back Pitcher Of The Year- Alex Meyer Few players had a more rough 2015 season than Meyer. After
When the Twins signed Joe Mauer to an 8-year, $184 million contract after the 2010 season, the team had high hopes for their hometown star as he started to age at one of baseball's toughest positions. Mauer was coming off an MVP season in 2009 and batting titles in 2006, 2008, and 2009. It looked like Mauer was on pace to be one of the best hitting catchers of all time. Things change and Mauer's career has taken a different turn in recent years. Twins fans are well aware that concussions cause
In the wake of MySpace founder Tom Anderson’s offer to pay for Tim Lincecum to return to the Giants, other celebrities have been similarly urging their hometown nines to make moves, and offering to foot the bill. We, at Twins Daily, have intercepted one such offer: Seems legit.
Jose Berrios has shot up the national "top prospect" rankings based on his performance the past couple of years in the Minnesota Twins organization and on Wednesday night, Berrios joined his former manager with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Jake Mauer, and Twins farm director Brad Steil to participate in a “roundtable” discussion at the Kernels’ annual Hot Stove Banquet. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/MauerSteilBerrios-600x400.jpg Jake Mauer, Brad Steil and Jose Berrios
Brandon does a one-hour soliloquy on his thought regarding the Twins and their payroll, with a little help from some of his friends on Twitter and Facebook. A Cold Omaha Podcast Network Production Direct Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/midwestswing2/MWS_0004_-_Twins_Payroll_and_Twitter_Qs.mp3 iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/midwest-swing-hosted-by-brandon/id1073026341?mt=2 Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/midwest-swing-hosted-by-brandon-warne-major-league-baseball
Has any one else been to these winter caravans? If so what was your take on the event. I brought my son to the Twins caravan last night in Marshall MN that hosted Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar and Dan Gladden. I found the question and answer session pretty humorous as it was mostly lighthearted and conversational. The one question that stood out was some kid asking Brian if Pete Rose deserved to be in the hall of fame, he looked around and asked if this was being recorded and someone told hi
In 2015, the Minnesota Twins had to know that their pitching staff was going to need some help. Considering that Ervin Santana was going to miss half of the season, and an expected contribution from Ricky Nolasco wasn't realistic, a different arm had to emerge. While Trevor May and Alex Meyer both served as prospect types that could fit the bill, it was another guy who stepped up; Kyle Gibson. During his second full season at the big league level, the former first-round pick and Missouri Tiger
Brandon is joined by Luke Widbin, who works in admissions for University of Northwestern in St. Paul. Widbin is a rabid collector of autographs and sports memorabilia, and operates a blog called Autographs Anonymous. http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/0/0/b/00b3385dc899568f/MWS_003_-_Luke_Widbin_-_January_27_2016.mp3?c_id=10789846&expiration=1453940344&hwt=119739a608a1d72db474bb2e4c1454cd
This offseason, few areas had more of an emphasis on them than that of the Minnesota Twins bullpen. While the situation as a whole needed addressing, it was the left handed contingent that no doubt left the most to be desired. Having significant deficiencies in late innings a season ago cost the Twins, and there appears to be two strategies at play when it comes to fixing things moving forward. On the left-handed side of the relief picture, the Twins have moved on from roster staple Brian Duen
When you have a farm system as stacked as the Minnesota Twins boast, you're bound to have a handful of prospects vying for recognition. 2015 was Miguel Sano's time to shine, and 2016 will see the spotlight cast on names such as Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios. Not lost in the shuffle however, there's a German born prospect that's ready for the bright lights. Enter Max Kepler. After making his debut in September for the Twins last season, Kepler is focused on getting to the next level for good. N
http://www.clevescene.com/images/blogimages/2009/04/29/1241034084-tiant.jpg 1968 was a pinnacle of pitching in the Major Leagues. Denny McLain won 31 games for the Tigers and Bob Gibson compiled a legendary 1.12 ERA for the Cardinals while throwing 13 shutouts. Easy to miss when browsing through the performances from that year was a Cleveland pitcher who went 21-9 with a 1.60 ERA, 264 strikeouts and only 152 hits allowed in 258 innings. When seen today, those numbers could easily be mistake
Brandon, Cole and Tom discuss more of the Twins' offseason, life in the Minor Leagues, and some of their favorite clubhouse pranks. https://www.spreaker.com/user/sbarnard4/the-breakdown-ep-20-the-pranksmen_1
I'm recording a special episode of Midwest Swing on Thursday, and I will answer EVERY question submitted in good faith about the team and their payroll situation. It's a hot-button issue, so please, don't be shy. Leave your question or comment below.
Start #3 for the 21-year-old went well again. He tossed three scoreless innings with no walks. He gave up one hit and had three strikeouts. In 8 IP through 3 starts, he's given up 0 runs, 1 hit, 3 walks, and 13 strikeouts.
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.
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hello Seth......you'll wanna correct the date in headline of today's minor league report. :-) Brad· 0 replies
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.· 1 reply
