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In recent seasons, the Minnesota Twins have not been in the best position to make moves at the trade deadline. A winning club for the first time since 2010, Terry Ryan was awarded a new opportunity this season. With a handful of different upgrade possibilities at his disposal, it was the bullpen piece that he acquired making it two straight slam dunk deals for the Twins. A season after snagging major league quality starter Tommy Milone from the Athletics, Ryan turned his attention to a pitchin
So here we are, the 2015 Major League Baseball season is quickly rumbling to a finish, and the Minnesota Twins have made it a relevant year. In the playoff hunt, and playing meaningful September baseball, the Twins are in a good place. With the performance though, there are no doubt players that have taken steps forward. The question is, does Kyle Gibson qualify among them? Coming into the season, Gibson was a pitcher I expected a lot out of. A former first round pick and top Twins pitching pr
It's September, the Twins are above .500, and more importantly, in the midst of a playoff race. Outside of the calendar inevitably turning to September, none of those facts seemed guaranteed at the beginning of the 2015 Major League Baseball season. Regardless, here we are, and not it's time for the Twins to address the latter two. Minnesota has made their first wave of minor league call ups, looking to players like Kennys Vargas, A.J. Achter, Eric Fryer, and others. While many profile as litt
Prodded by a caller on his weekly radio show, Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor admitted the club was exploring their options with regards to the rotation spot of right-hander Mike Pelfrey. A number of factors make the situation difficult, including the shutdown of Jose Berrios, the presence of Tyler Duffey, and the current situations surrounding Phil Hughes and Trevor May. To be clear, the presence of Duffey is simply just that he’s already promoted, and thus not a candidate to take Pelfre
Today is Labor Day; in that vein, please remove your caps for the Curt Floods and Andy Messersmiths of the baseball world who challenge the reserve system and paved the way for the players union we know today. In any case, I'm doing some unrelated research on information found in some public domain newspapers, and thought it would be fun occasionally to take a detour and share some baseball writing from the turn of the century. Some of these account are both entertaining and fascinating, or, t
We talked about Fan mail, fantasy sports and had a really good laugh over a fan who sent coupons to Joe Mauer, of all people. Check us out: https://www.spreaker.com/user/sbarnard4/the-breakdown-ep-7
Bat flips. Comparable to sack dances, banging into the boards after a sick goal, and holding your shooting pose after a 3 in the NFL, NHL, and NBA respectively. Why do many American baseball fans hate a good bat flip? I’m not talking about the weak bat flips (tosses) you see on your TVs from time to time. I’m talking about a true show with flourish. The Korean Baseball Organization loves a good bat flip. Maybe it’s my heritage that has me looking for epic bat flips from time to time. Maybe my
For years, since he was 16 in fact, Miguel Sano has been billed as the next great star for the Minnesota Twins. Having been signed for a then record amount out of the Dominican Republic, the mammoth human being was eventually going to lay waste to major league pitching. Fast forward to 2015 and that time has come. Whether he has played the field enough or not, Sano is ready for his first piece of hardware. Sano debuted for the Twins on July 2nd. So far, he has played in 50 games, and compiled
The 2015 Major League Baseball season wasn't supposed to go the way it has for the Minnesota Twins for many different reasons. Most notable, is the fact that Paul Molitor's club is in playoff position a year before they were expected to be. Surprisingly, there are a few expected contributors that are missing from the fold however. Maybe most glaringly of the bunch are two relievers, Nick Burdi and Jake Reed. Minnesota selected both Burdi and Reed with 2014 draft picks. Burdi was taken in the 2
It's 2015 and the Minnesota Twins are playing baseball in September. While that happens every season, what doesn't happen often (or at least for the past four seasons), is meaningful September baseball. Paul Molitor's club finds themselves in the thick of a heated Wild Card race with just over a month to play. The unfortunate reality is that Terry Ryan and the Twins brass has decided to toe the middle this season, and it could prove costly. For whatever it's worth, the Twins were absolutely no
On July 29th I posted the following - I've added some additional comments. I enjoy reading everyone's comments on this great site and why I don't have much insight I thought I'd have fun and list five things that won't happen even though some people would like to see them take place. 1. Terry Ryan will not be fired. still stand by that 2. Joe Mauer will never catch again.still stand by that and hope people will realize that 3. Joe Mauer will not be traded. ditto 4. Jose Reyes, Cole
With August officially coming to a close, and the Twins just a game back in the Wild Card standings, Paul Molitor's club is in uncharted territory. For the past four seasons, losing has been all the Twins have known. Now with a chance to play meaningful September baseball, promotions take on a whole different meaning. As the Rochester Red Wings finished off a 4-2 win to end the month of August, Twins General Manager Terry Ryan watched the action unfold as he decided who he would bring back nor
The first days of school are right around the corner for many tykes in Twins Territory, so to help you with that summer reading you neglected, here's some more notes about that local best-seller: The Minnesota Twins Chapter 4: Post-All-Star Break to End of August Plot Summary: While the doldrums in Chapter 3 appeared foreboding, the climactic triumph of Glen Perkins and Brian Dozier's march to the All-Star Game (and accompanying 6-1 stretch) offered a great deal of hope to Twins fans. As I wro
If you go to the web site of the baseball program at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, you’ll find a link listing all of the Pacer ballplayers who are playing professional baseball. Well, not quite all of them. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Miller2015b.jpg Sean Miller (Photo: SD Buhr) Cedar Rapids Kernels infielder Sean Miller spent three years in a Pacers uniform and he’s now played for two minor league teams, but South Carolina-Aiken’s webmaster hasn’t
Just a few weeks ago, the Twins 2015 postseason hopes looked all but lost. In a season in which expectations had already been so vastly exceeded, it appeared that once again, September would be nothing more than a proving ground for 2016. Now on the back of another nice run, Paul Molitor's squad enters September with something to play for. With a perfect storm approaching, Minnesota has the chance to sink or swim. Heading into the final full month of the season, Minnesota finds themselves look
The Minnesota Twins got a brilliant start from Ervin Santana on Sunday afternoon, and held off a late rally to win two of three games from the American League West division leading Houston Astros, and remain in the thick of the Wild Card standings. That Miguel Sano guy hit another home run, too. (He might be good…) In the minors on Sunday, there were a few other brilliant starts from pitchers, a pair of double-headers, including one that went late into the night, and a Tropical Storm set its s
To wave, or not to wave. That is not a question. The wave is an abomination in sports, a selfish and childish unexplainable tradition that needs to stop. While it’s easy to point out the stupidity of the wave, there are still those who defend it. I took five defenses of the wave, and aimed to rip them to shreds. In my short time writing about sports, I’ve written a lot of things. I’ve written about the rise of Devan Dubnyk thanks to a developing technique he’s been taught, I’ve ranked every sw
September 1st is almost here. The Twins play Houston twice more and then they can have the luxury of an expanded roster going forward. They are certain to recall some players and a couple guys have earned a look with outstanding seasons. There are service time and 40-man roster considerations as well. This year, the Twins are in the wild card chase, so they won't recall young players just to get a look at them or grant playing time to see what they can do. The goal will be to recall players wh
Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano ran out of magic on Thursday night as the pair lost for the first time while playing in the lineup together, snapping the Twins' longest winning streak since 2011. With September call-ups less than a week away, let's take a look at some of the action down in the Minor Leagues. RED WINGS REPORT Syracuse Chiefs @ Rochester Red Wings Box Score The Red Wings pitching staff limited the Chiefs to just six hits while racking up thirteen strike outs and not a single wal
The Twins are a team known for producing their players from the minor league system. Although one of Minnesota’s biggest downfalls is the team’s inability to resign and sign big-time players. Many players from the likes of David Ortiz to Kyle Lohse have gone on to have success with other teams. Seeing countless former Twins crush their old Minnesota ball club got me thinking, what would a team look like made up entirely of former Twins players who are still active in the MLB. So without further
August comes to a close, the Twins have rebounded from a lackluster middle of the summer, and an AL Wild Card spot is once again in the cards. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton have paced the offense, and Paul Molitor's club is rolling. Heading into September, there's one more weapon the Twins have at their disposal however: La Maquina. Spanish for "The Machine," La Maquina describes and defines Jose Berrios in a way no other phrase can. The Puerto Rican superstar has put together another amazing s
Major League Baseball is quickly pushing towards September 1st; a day in which big league rosters are allowed to expand from 25 to 40 players. For many teams, this involves some roster reconfiguration. The Minnesota Twins are not an exception, and will need to re-evaluate who they view worthy of holding down an ever important spot. For the Twins, this season represents something a bit different, as they are in the midst of a playoff race. While they are likely going to be on the outside lookin
Houston reached base 3 times on Thursday. He's hitting .308/.398/.440 (.838) since joining the Surge and stole his 14th AA base. His 38 total SB is tied with Yasser Mercedes for organizational lead.
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Winning the Cedar Rapids Kernel prize from TD is far better than winning the FIFA World Peace Prize. Thanks.· 0 replies
