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Hopefully this story can bring you a little cheer for the holiday season, baseball season is right around the corner, hang in there! While we all expected Miguel Sano to debut last season, we are still waiting to see him at Target Field. Having played with him for about 250 games, I have seen him do some incredible things. Here is why I am excited to see him in a Twins Uniform and also why I think you will love watching him play in Minneapolis for many years. This is a two part story and it
Late last week word came out that the Atlanta Braves would not tender contracts to right-handed pitchers Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy. At one point in the not so distant past both of these players figured into Atlanta's long-term starting rotation plans but now both are recovering from their second Tommy John surgeries. Medlen has shown more promise than Beachy at the big league level. He won a combined 25 games in 2012 and 2013. He excelled as a reliever and starter in 2012, when he was 10-
The signing of Torii Hunter has brought off-the-field issues back to the fore for the Twins. Part of the reason for signing Hunter has been for clubhouse leadership, mentoring of young players, and also bring back fans to the park. Hunter's pros and cons in these areas have been analyzed more than the break on Phil Hughes' spike curve. I weighed in on several threads saying that it wasn't possible to measure if there would be any effect and I doubted there would be much effect anyway. This
Before the Arizona Fall League began I started beating the drum for Eddie Rosario to make the Twins out of spring training in 2015. The signing of Torii Hunter as a free agent makes an already long shot into a near impossibility, barring injury. That is all right because we can project and predict all we want on Twins Daily and only highlight when we are right! Since Hunter's acquisition has occurred, I decided I would try to project again who will come north with the 2015 Twins. Here's my
While the dark, cold days of winter can be an ideal time to dive into research on baseball history, as a lifelong baseball fan I have to ask...is there ever a bad time to talk about baseball history? I serve as co-chair of the research committee for the local chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research and invite other Twins Daily readers to get involved with our group. One of our projects is called the Origins of Baseball in Minnesota Project, where you can select a city to research
<img src="http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_10161152.jpg" alt="itunes pic" /><br />This week's show features the full fearsome foursome. With all hands on deck the gentlemen discuss the Torii Hunter signing and try to figure out if the press conference to announce the move was newsworthy in and of itself. We also review the Twins decision to offer arbitration with all of their arbitration eligible players, and some other Twins news tidbits before we are
The Twins are in an interesting place. The 40-man roster is, yet again, full. The Twins definitely have a lot of players, but they don't have a lot of great (or arguably even a lot of good) players. It is obvious the Twins won't win a championship with their current team, but that's not to say there aren't bright spots. I'd like to take a quick look at the position players on the Twins' 40-man roster and examine what future, if any, they have with the team. Catchers: Eric Fryer: Although h
One of the interview questions with Terry Ryan at the Torii Hunter introduction press conference was, "are you surprised it [he?] took a one year contract?". Terry twitched and suppressed a smile and basically used every single one of his facial muscles before replying "no". http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/12/04/twinsights-terry-ryan-defensive-metrics-twins-ignore/ (Second short video in the sequence.) My reaction is that, while poker is not my game and I am terrible at it, if by ch
It's hard to argue with the breakout season Jose Berrios put together in 2014. He dominated the Florida State League and held his own in the Eastern League while being over four and a half years younger than the average age of the pitchers in that league. He was already a top ten prospect in the organization but he solidified himself as one of the top three pitchers in a loaded farm system. Berrios was just one of the team's prospects to do well in 2014 as other prospects also put their name o
He's back. Torii Hunter is back, and in the 7 hours of his official presence in a Twins line-up again there are two clear camps in response to his return. In the blue corner, weighing in at 140 characters, 140,000 grey hairs in the last four seasons and 140 million liters of digital ink are the analytically minded, podcast savvy, SABR-metrical, writers, critics and yes...fans who wonder what the heck the Pohlad's were thinking. "This is not the Torii Hunter we fell in love with," they remi
Minnesota Twins’ GM Terry Ryan is putting his neck out, again, signing Torii Hunter to a $10.5 million, one-year deal. Frankly, this Twins reunion **** is getting old – literally. Hunter will be 39 years old next year, is the worst defensive right fielder in the game, and will be severely overpaid. He should be making low-end DH money, yet he’s being paid ten times more than any outfielder the Twins have, despite being worse than any outfielder the Twins have (I think Arcia will hit much better
Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ------ On paper the Minnesota Twins' reunion with 39 year old Torii Hunter last night, seems a bit puzzling. Rational thinking and looking at records and results of games, would suggest that a team coming back from seasons of 99, 96, 96 and 92 losses and hurting primarily in pitching and defense, would need an aging 39 year old outfielder with diminishing defensive skills being the marquee transaction of the season, as much as a painful communica
Can someone please explain to me what Terry Ryan is thinking? For three years we've been rebuilding. Guys like Correia, Marquis and Pelfrey were brought in as payroll was slashed. And now, in the past 3 hours, two pieces of news have convinced me that they have absolutely no clue what they're doing. First, we signed Torii Hunter to a 10.5 million dollar one year contract. No, I didn't meant to write 1.5 million, or 0.5 million. It is a 10.5 million dollar contract. To improve one of the worst
As the finishing touches are being put on the 2015 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (CLICK HERE to order last year's version for 30% off), my mind has been focused on many of the young players that are making up one of the strongest farm systems in baseball. There are a lot of big names like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano in the system and the hope is that those players turn out to be All-Star caliber players for years to come. There are also players that might not end up being in contention fo
<img src="http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_10146621.jpg" alt="itunes pic" /><br />This week we keep it short, under an hour, to discuss the new additions to the Twins coaching staff. It's just Jay (The master of underscores) and Paul this week, and they both started the podcast a couple of beers in trying to shake the remnants of a Thanksgiving Hangover. A little hair of the dog. Or just a good excuse to drink beers and talk baseball.
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My blueprint evolution Constructing Twins off-season blueprint has been an interesting exercise the past couple of years. There have been many needs to fill and the team tried to fill those needs with multiple trades and acquisitions. It is my humble opinion that the Twins limit their FA acquisitions & trades to one big transaction for each year for the next three years. The two obvious positions wind up on most everyone’s blueprint this off season would be corner-outfielder (left field) and
Swarzak outrighted to AAA and off the 40 man. https://www.fantasysp.com/player/mlb/Anthony_Swarzak/3766816/twins-sent-rhp-anthony-swarzak-outright-to-triple-a-rochester
A report has surfaced over the past week indicating that the Cincinnati Reds are exploring trading outfielder Jay Bruce if the right deal were to surface. With the Hot Stove season inching closer with each coming day, it should come as no surprise that trade rumors are floating at rapid rates. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Twins have yet to be linked to any big name free agents or potential trade candidates so far this offseason. This should not come as a surprise to most Twins’ fans as Terry Rya
For the last three years, the Murphy family has tried to answer a single question: how can we help get Tony Oliva in the Hall of Fame? http://votetonyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/VoteTonyO_Tony_Oliva_Official_Fan_Club-300x200.jpg The Vote Tony O Team No one asked them to answer that question. Not the Twins. Not Tony himself. They weren't deputized or drafted. They chose to do it themselves, coming together in a kitchen to found Vote Tony O to find out, "how can we help get Tony Ol
I think it's time to either pull the plug on Hicks as an OF and make him a pitcher or trade him to say like the Red Sox now for one of their "failed prospects". The Twins drafted Hicks as an everyday player but some in the organization thought he'd be a better pitcher out of HS. I think he was clocked in the upper 90's with a good CB. I think you could potentially get Middlebrooks, Betts, or Bradley Jr in a trade. Or find some other teams that has a prospect that hasn't panned out yet and se
After the inaugural season at Target field, the Twins brass made the fateful decision to remove the 14 black spruce trees from centerfield. When viewed in retrospect, this decision, it seems clear, has placed a curse on the franchise. Consider: The Twins won 58% of their games in the first season in which they called Target Field their home, including a whopping 65% of the games they played at home in the great outdoors, with a piney backdrop. Since felling the trees, the team has won 41% of
This is a fun time of year when everyone looks ahead to the possibilities of their team adding new personal by trades, free agency, or the farm system. The Twins and their fans are no different. If you are a re-building team (see Minnesota), this is a time for hope. New players, new coaching staff-everyone is excited. Please tell me how Torii Hunter, WillyMo Pena, and 26 year old pitchers from Korea are supposed to give Twins' fans encouragement? I thought we saw this last winter. Do the name
As a fan who's defended the Twins adamantly over the last four years, this start to free agency couldn't have been any more disheartening. I'm very aware that the gears of major league rebuilds turn slowly, particularly when you look at where the Twins organization was after the 2011 season. I staunchly defended signings like Marquis, Correia, and Pelfrey for two reasons. One, the starting pitching markets in those seasons weren't particularly deep, and two (more importantly), it didn't make
The 23-year-old from Cuba has just completed his first big-league inning. After a single, he got a double play. Walked Juan Soto but then got a fly out. Hit 98.4 mph with his second pitch.
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
