Twins Fan From Afar

When Target Field opened, I was living in Connecticut (as I do now), but harbored a dream of moving back to Minnesota. I was naive. I thought -- even though I was an attorney licensed to practice in Connecticut only, even though I owned a home in Connecticut, and even though many of my professional ties to Minnesota had dwindled -- that I could somehow easily move across the country and re-establish things back home. For many, many reasons (the prolonged economic crisis being one of them), that didn't happen. I'd be lying if I said that a part of me doesn't dream of going back to the Twin Cities, but I am very happy personally and professionally now. But that's not the focus of this post, believe it or not (but for my self-help blog, ). No, I do aim to write about the Twins tonight. So read on, it's all connected. When I thought, or, rather, naively dreamed, that Minnesota was in the cards for me, I filled out a form and paid something like $200 to get in the "On-Deck Circle" for Twins season tickets. I was only interested in a 20-game plan, which was the lowest that was offered. Yes, there was a time when demand for season tickets -- any package, anywhere in the stadium -- was so significant that the Twins simply couldn't supply tickets and seats for everyone that was interested. Long story short, I ended up getting out of the "On-Deck Circle," and of course am still writing this blog from Connecticut (side note: there's no "On-Deck Circle" for my awesome Rock Cats seats, which I very much enjoy). The amazing part of this story is that my membership in the on-deck circle, and exit therefrom, took place in 2010. Only 3 years ago. Tonight, I could click on this link and place a deposit for up to 8 tickets for a 2014 20-game, 40-game, or full season plan for the team who will host next season's All-Star festivities, a team only 3 years removed from being one of the best teams in baseball playing in one of baseball's best stadiums. What frustrated me in 2010 was that there was a certain hubris in the Twins organization. "We can't offer you any season ticket plan this year, or maybe not even next year or the year after, but we will hold your $200 in trust in the event that something ever becomes available. Then, we'll give you a call and take the rest of your money. OK? Talk to you later." [TABLE] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J1TpJTrYsD4/Ui5yL3T0wBI/AAAAAAAAArI/ZpLD4HP7JhM/s320/Crowd.jpg Good Seats Still Available [/TABLE] And now, in September, 2013, here is the Twins' crowd tonight (first image from Brandon Warne's Twitter account) as Pedro Hernandez was taking his warm-up tosses just before the game started. Yes, many of these seats were paid for, so the Twins received that money, but they sure are missing a lot of food, merchandise and beer revenue from that American Legion-esque crowd. The part that bothers me, aside from the fact that the Twins are cruising toward their 3rd straight 90+ loss season, is that what I would consider to be the requisite humility from the front office simply isn't present. On the one hand, they are saying the right things, as in: "The losing is unacceptable"; "We're committed to doing better"; "This isn't the `Twins Way.'" But on the other hand, these are the exact sentiments fans heard after 2011. And after 2012. Heck, there was even anger in 2010 after they were swept -- again -- by the Yankees. I swear they recycle the same press releases. On paper -- in the win-loss ledger -- there hasn't been improvement. [TABLE] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fkk65tC52n0/Ui50YxbK-RI/AAAAAAAAArU/qfk3YnK7Wa4/s320/wheresthecrowd.jpg Thank you to @Tappen2Feet for this image [/TABLE] I'll be the first person to tell you that the organization is in much better shape than it was a couple years ago. To be sure, I watched it all summer with Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Josmil Pinto and others. But with the exception of Pinto, those guys aren't contributing to the major league team now, and probably won't be on Opening Day 2014. I hit a point where I need more. I need more than the promise of prospects (even though I understand that good prospects are the best way to build a sustainable winning franchise). I need actual accountability. I need results. On Twitter, I noted, after the Twins were swept at Target Field by the Yankees in a 4-game series over the 4th of July, that some managers in Ron Gardenhire's tenuous position would have been fired after that series. Not for losing 4 consecutive games, mind you, but for how those 4 games, against the Yankees, at home on a holiday weekend with fans having paid "premium prices," were representative of this organization's deficiencies. [TABLE] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9rEoUjDYM5g/Ui50-QSV34I/AAAAAAAAArc/_-kzkGgRWno/s320/UpperDeck.jpg As @Kayla_86 noted, the upper deck is empty [/TABLE] The Twins can't sell me, and many fans, on the All-Star Game in 2014. I wouldn't be there anyway, and it's really just a few events. At some point, the Twins have to sell fans on at least a few established players purchased in free agency. I'll just say it: they need to spend probably $30 million in free agency in order to make this team competitive for 2014. They have to make at least some changes at the very top levels of management, if for no other reason than that is the way it works in the business world. The problem with the Twins, though, is that unlike most businesses, even when their "product" is awful, they still turn a significant profit. So understand that the impetus might not be there to make the wholesale changes that some expect. There is no grand point to this post, so apologies if you are looking for it. I would, however, sum it up this way: The organization doesn't have the humility I would expect for a team that has been one of the very worst in baseball for the past three seasons, and I am not at all confident that losing records are sufficient -- on their own -- to force the organization into wholesale changes. As fans, I guess we are forced to hope that this solid group of prospects does indeed pan out. I have little faith in the Twins hitting a home run on each one of their Top 10 prospects. One final note: 2013 was the first year since Target Field opened that I didn't make it there for a game. In fact, I didn't make it to a Twins game in Boston, Baltimore or New York, either. I -- not intentionally, really -- didn't purchase any memorabilia related to a current Twins player. Heck, I didn't even renew my Twins radio subscription for $21.95 (or so) a season. I guess I'm unwilling to pay for this product. In the end, while I'll pay to watch the minor leaguers any day of the week, I'm unwilling to pay to watch the Twins waste the rest of Joe Mauer's prime years. Click here to view the article

I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend! All of the affiliates were in action today and this evening, and the Twins lost a tough one to the Tigers. There was some roster news, if you haven't heard it: Erik Komatsu was designated for assignment, and Jeff Manship joined the Twins. Best of luck to Komatsu in his professional career, and to Manship, as well. Additionally, starting pitcher David Bromberg was promoted from the AA Rock Cats to AAA Rochester. Congratulations to him! Let's take a look at what happened down on the farm today.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 0, GWINNETT 1 Brendan Wise started for the Red Wings today (best described as a spot start, because Manship was scheduled to start before his promotion), and threw 3 innings. He gave up 5 hits, struck out 3 and walked 1, surrendering no runs. Carlos Gutierrez tossed 2 scoreless innings in relief, striking out 2. Casey Fein was charged with the loss, giving up 1 run 2 hits in 2 innings. He struck out 2. Tyler Robertson threw a scoreless 8th. In all, the pitching performances were very good -- only 7 total hits, 7 Ks and 1 walk. On offense, it's safe to say that hits came at a premium for the Red Wings. There were only 3 all day: a single by shortstop Pedro Florimon, and 2 hits by Sean Burroughs, a single and a double. The Red Wings walked 0 times today. Danny Valencia was 0-for-4 today, but is batting .268 since his demotion. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, also hitless today, is batting .202 this season. Here's the link for the box score. NEW BRITAIN 5, PORTLAND 8 Logan Darnell got the start for the Rock Cats, and was solid, going 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 8 hits and allowing 2 runs. He struck out 6 and walked only 1. Bobby Lanigan relieved Darnell, and the wheels came off in the 7th inning. After getting the final out of the 6th, Lanigan allowed 6 consecutive batters to reach to open up the 7th, on 5 hits and a walk, and ended up giving up 5 runs in the 7th, and only got one out in that inning. He threw 2/3 of an inning total. Caleb Thielbar came on in relief. He threw the final 2 outs of the 7th (including a ground out that scored a run charged to Lanigan), but gave up a solo home run in the 8th. In all, Thielbar threw 1 and 2/3 innings, allowed the 1 run, and had no walks or strikeouts. On defense, third baseman Deibinson Romero committed his 6th error of the season. Mirroring a recent trend, the Rock Cats didn't get many hits today; 6, in fact. But, for the second consecutive game, Evan Bigley had a 3 run home run, his 4th in 2012. Deibinson Romero had a solo home run, his 5th of the season. Nathan Hanson had an RBI single, Rene Tosoni had a double, and Aaron Hicks and James Berersford each had a single. Hanson also stole his first base of the season. Here's the link for the box score. FT. MYERS 4, PALM BEACH 1 Pat Dean started for the Miracle today, went 5 innings, gave up 1 run on 3 hits, and issued 1 walk with no strikeouts. His ERA stands at 2.70 on the season. The bullpen was very good today. Kyle Waldorp pitched a scoreless 6th inning, striking out 2 and walking 1; Matthew Hauser tossed 2 scoreless frames, striking out 1 and walking 1; Bruce Pugh picked up his 4th save of the season, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. In all, the bullpen allowed 1 hit in 4 innings of work. Prospect Oswaldo Arcia had a great day. He was 3-for-3 with a solo home run, his 4th of the season, and 2 singles. He drove in 3 runs and walked in his other plate appearance. Arcia is batting .299 on the season. Daniel Ortiz had an RBI single, which accounted for the Miracle's other run. The other Miracle players with hits today were Daniel Santana, Jairo Perez, Anderson Hidalgo and Andy Leer. All singles. Here's another good stat: Ft. Myers walked 6 times today, including 2 walks by Hidalgo. Here's the link for the box score BELOIT 7, KANE COUNTY 2 Jason Wheeler got the start for the Snappers this evening, and he was great. He went 8 innings. Wheeler gave up 5 hits and 2 runs, striking out 5 and walking only 1 along the way. Corey Williams tossed a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 hit and and striking out 1. On offense, the Snappers banged out 12 hits tonight, and almost all the starters were in on the action. Designated hitter Jonathan Goncalves went 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Eddie Rosario was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Shortstop Tyler Grimes was 3-for-3 with a double, and first baseman Adam Bryant was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Miguel Sano had two singles and an RBI, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen had a single. Here's the link for the box score --------------------------------------- Sunday's Players of the Day Hitter of the Day: Oswaldo Arcia Download attachment: Arcia.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Jason Wheeler Download attachment: Wheels2.jpg ----------------------------- Schedule for Monday, May 28, 2012 Rochester @ Charlotte -- RHP David Bromberg New Britain @ Portland -- ??? Beloit @ Kane County -- RHP Matthew Summers ------------------------------ Leave any questions or comments here, and either Seth or I will try to answer them! Click here to view the article

Last season in New Britain, I watched 4 or 5 of Trevor May's starts. I'm still higher on him than most people are, because a few things became apparent to me after watching him -- all of which are fixable (to a degree, anyway): 1) The defense behind him was sometimes lousy (I'm looking specifically at the left side of the infield -- Danny Santana and Miguel Sano), leading to extra pitches made and extra batters faced to get the job done; 2) Control issues plagued May, despite the fact that his walks/9 decreased somewhat; and 3) He didn't get ahead of batters often enough, thus forcing him to work from behind in the count too often. It's that last item that I want to focus on in this post. (This is the condensed version of this story, believe it or not. Supersized version -- more stats and explanation -- available at Twins Fan From Afar) http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=6738&stc=1 Unfortunately, there's no data tracking first pitch strikes for minor league pitchers, like there is for major leaguers. But because this interested me, I decided to go through May's starts, game-by-game using Gameday so I could view what happened in each at-bat. This took a while, as you can imagine. Trevor May started 27 games for the Rock Cats in 2013, but no data was available for 2 starts. Accordingly, I compiled data the remaining 25 games. Here are my findings: Trevor May threw a first-pitch strike to 52.9% of batters he faced for New Britain in 2013. Yes, good that it's over 50%, but it is by no means an encouraging number. MLB DATA What's an average first pitch strike percentage in the majors? 59 or 60 percent. May, then, is well below. Does that matter? Over 15,000 MLB plate appearances in the 2013 season (same source as previous link), hitters that get ahead 1-0 have a .269/.383./.442 slash line, while hitters that fall behind 0-1 have a .221/.261/.341 slash line. That ends up being a pretty huge difference over the course of a single game, let alone an entire season. Now, I'm not suggesting that May (or any other pitcher) should just groove the first pitch of every at-bat, but it's also important to note that only 7.3 percent of those first pitch strikes turned into hits. Fangraphs also tracks the first pitch strikes in baseball. Here's the list for 2013's top first-pitch strike hurlers. The Top 30 are by no means full of all-stars, but is a list of generally solid pitchers. Read the list for yourself, but just for fun here are the Top 5: Patrick Corbin (70.2); Cliff Lee (68.5); David Price (67.7); Jordan Zimmerman (66.9); Ervin Santana (65.9). Other notables in the Top 30 include Bronson Arroyo, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, Adam Wainwright, Max Scherzer, Matt Harvey, John Lackey, Cole Hamels and Chris Sale. Those players are all over 62 percent. MAY IN DEPTH With that background, let's examine May. Here's a rough breakdown of his 2013 season with respect to first pitch strikes. There were 2 games with first pitch strike percentages in the 30s; 6 games with first pitch strike percentages in the 40s; 13 games with first pitch strike percentages in the 50s; and 4 games with first pitch strike percentages in the 60s. Additionally, May had 11 quality starts in 2013 (meaning at least 6 innings pitched and 3 or fewer earned runs). Of those 11 starts, May had 50% or higher first pitch strikes in 9 of those games. But there's not necessarily a magic correlation for May between first pitch strikes and dominant performances. May's most efficient performance -- in terms of first pitch strikes -- 67.8%, was in a 5 inning, 4 earned run performance in which he gave up 5 hits and walked 3 batters, proving that strike 1 isn't always effective when you are very hittable on the night and are still walking batters. Trevor May is an interesting case. Maybe he's at his best when he's throwing first pitch strikes somewhere in the 50s? Let's separate the high 50s from the low 50s, just for fun: When May throws first pitch strikes 55-59 percent of the time, he averages 6.57 innings pitched for those starts. That covered 46 innings and May had a 1.56 ERA. Now for the low 50s -- 50-54 percent first pitch strikes. In those starts, May averaged 5 and 1/3 innings pitched. That covered 42 innings and May had a 4.29 ERA. Incidentally, in those games where he was at or above 60 percent first pitch strikes, May's ERA was 7.25. I think there are 2 takeaways here. The first is that May needs to do a better job getting ahead of hitters. He's wasting pitches, is not maximizing his efficiency, and is allowing (approximately) 5-7 percent of batters to gain an unnecessary edge over him. The second is that perhaps, for May, having a first strike percentage of 65 or 70 percent of the time (like Corbin, Lee, or Price) isn't optimal. Every pitcher is different, and May has to find out what works for him. When he was grooving first pitch strikes last season, May was a little too hittable, too predictable perhaps. I don't expect Trevor May will be a #1 or #2 starter on the next Twins playoff team. I do, however, see him as a reliable starter who can strike out double digits in a game -- keep in mind he did lead the Eastern League in strikeouts last season. But in order to get to that level, I see reducing walks, putting hitters away and getting ahead in the count more consistently as the three major (and interrelated) things standing in his May's way. Click here to view the article

The Twins were swept by the White Sox. I didn't watch the game, but apparently this was ugly -- even by 2012 Twins standards. Luckily, there are other things on which to focus our attention, especially the Twins' affiliates. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ROCHESTER 5, SYRACUSE 3 Esmerling Vasquez got the win for the Red Wings tonight, throwing 5 and 1/3 innings, and giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, striking out 7 and walking 3. Luis Perdomo tossed the rest of the game, 3 and 2/3 innings, giving up only 2 hits and striking out 2 while walking 1.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 4 Red Wings players -- Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Chris Parmelee, Danny Valencia and Evan Bigley -- each had 2 hits. Valencia and Bigley each had doubles. Wilkin Ramirez and Ray Chang added singles. Valencia had his 7th error of the season. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 11, BINGHAMTON 2 B.J. Hermsen earned his 7th win on the season for the Rock Cats, tossing 7 innings, giving up only 2 runs, striking out 8 and walking 3. Daniel Turpen and David Bromberg each pitched scoreless innings in relief. On offense, this was Aaron Hicks' day. He was 5-for-6 and was just a triple shy of the cycle. He had 2 doubles, a home run (10th on the season), and 2 singles. He accumulated 10 total bases and 2 RBIs. Deibinson Romero quietly had 4 hits, including a double. Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Colabello, Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni each had 2 hits, and James Beresford had a single. Hicks now has a very respectable .284/.379/.456 line on the year. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 12, CHARLOTTE 4 Matthew Hauser had an excellent outing, throwing 7 scoreless innings, and allowing only 2 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 4. Cole Nelson tossed 2 innings, and had a rough outing. He allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, including 2 home runs, and struck out 2. Steven Liddle had 2 hits, including a home run, and 4 RBIs. Josmil Pinto was also 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Daniel Rams, Anderson Hidalgo (3 RBIs) and Andy Leer each had 2 hits, as well. Jonathan Goncalves, Daniel Santana and Kyle Knudson each had 1 hit in this mass offensive effort. In fact, 8 of the 9 Miracle starters registered at least 1 hit. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 4, BURLINGTON 1 Jason Wheeler picked up his 12th win of the season, throwing 6 scoreless innings. He allowed 4 hits , struck out 4 and walked 2. A great performance from one of Beloit's most reliable arms this season. Dallas Gallant threw 2/3 of an inning, allowing 1 run on 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 2. Mason Melotakis finished the game, throwing 2 and 1/3 innings, giving up only 2 hits and striking out 3. Matthew Koch was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, and Nate Roberts also had 2 hits. TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen, Miguel Sano, JaDamion Williams and Tyler Grimes all had 1 hit. Sano walked 3 times, and also picked up his 70th RBI on the season. Sano also stole his 7th base of the season. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 1, GCL RAYS 2 Felix Jorge was effective in 4 innings of work today, allowing only 2 hits, striking out 5 and walking just 1. Gerardo Ramirez picked up a tough loss, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, and walking 2 along the way. Melciades De La Cruz tossed 3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 1 and walking 1. Bryan Haar was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, and Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Aderlin Mejia, John Murphy, Kelly Cross, and Zach Larson all singled. Buxton also had a center field-to-second base assist. Here's the link to the box score. -------------------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 25 Hitter of the Day: Aaron Hicks Download attachment: AHicks.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Matthew Hauser Download attachment: Hauser.jpg ------------------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, July 26, 2012 Rochester vs. Syracuse --- RHP Eric Hurley New Britain @ Reading --- ??? Ft. Myers vs. Brevard County --- RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit @ Burlington --- ??? GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays --- ??? ------------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments, and either Seth or I will be happy to respond. Click here to view the article

Oh boy, it was a rough one for the Twins, who took the "pitch-to-contact" mentality to a new level when they gave up a combined 21 hits to the White Sox in what ended up being an ugly 12-5 loss. After the game, it was announced that pitcher Kyle Waldrop had been recalled to Minnesota, and Jeff Manship was optioned. It was also announced that the Twins acquired pitcher Shairon Martis from the Pirates. Don't get too excited; this sounds just like a move to acquire some minor league depth. The 25 year old is expected to join New Britain, where every pitcher that has been halfway decent has already been promoted to Rochester, where every pitcher there that has been halfway decent has seen time with the Twins. The other minor league news story of the day was that Rochester shortstop Pedro Florimon was selected as a reserve for the International League All-Star Game. He started off the season in New Britain, and was quickly promoted to AAA. He's hitting .260 on the season for Rochester, but is batting .333 over his last 10 games. Congratulations, Pedro! After that preamble, let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ROCHESTER 4, LEHIGH VALLEY 3 Samuel Deduno started for the Red Wings tonight, and threw 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits. He issued 4 walks, but struck out 9! Caleb Thielbar pitched 1 inning of relief, and gave up 1 run on 2 hits. Luis Perdomo earned the win, tossing 2 and 2/3 innings and allowing only 1 hit while striking out 2. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was an offensive catalyst tonight. Yes, Tsuyoshi Nishioka. He was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles, and RBI and a run scored. Danny Valencia, hitting pretty well lately, was 2-for-3 with a double, a run, and 2 RBIs. Ray Chang was 3-for-4 (all singles), and designated hitter Michael Hollimon contributed a double. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, TRENTON 9 Starter B.J. Hermsen had a rare rough start, and New Britain's 6 game winning streak was snapped. Hermsen lasted only 2 innings, and gave up 6 runs on 6 hits, walking 2 and striking out 1. Even after this outing, his AA ERA is a respectable 3.60. New Rock Cat Daniel Sattler picked up the slack, throwing 4 innings out of the bullpen, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, and walking 1. Daniel Turpen threw 2 innings, allowed only 1 hit, and struck out 2. Finally, Edgar Ibarra pitched the 9th inning, and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits, striking out 1. Hermsen, Sattler and Ibarra all surrendered a home run tonight. New Britain had 10 hits tonight, and most players got in on the action. Chris Colabello was 2-for-5 and hit his 13th home run. Chris Herrmann and Oswaldo Arcia were also 2-for-5, Deibinson Romero was 2-for-3, Aaron Hicks was 1-for-4, and Nathan Hanson had a double in 3 at-bats. Arcia also picked up his 7th RBI in his brief Rock Cats career. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 6, TAMPA 2 Pat Dean had a very solid start for the Miracle. In 6 innings of work, he gave up just 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Dean retired the last 9 batters he faced before being pulled. Following Dean's lead, Marty Popham tossed 2 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 1, and Nelvin Fuentes threw a scoreless 9th, giving up 1 hit, striking out 1 and issuing 1 free pass. 8 of the 9 Miracle starters had at least 1 hit. Jairo Perez was 1-for-4 with a 2-run home run, his 5th of the season. Lance Ray hit his 8th homer, a solo shot. Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-4 with a double. Kyle Knudson continues to swing a hot bat, and was 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBIs. Daniel Santana, Levi Michael, Daniel Rams and Anderson Hidalgo all contributed singles. There are lots of Daniels on this team. Here's the linkto the box score. BELOIT 1, KANE COUNTY 3 David Hurlbut took a tough loss in this one. He threw 6 strong innings, giving up 2 runs (none earned) on 6 hits, striking out 6 and walking only 1. Hurlbut's ERA stands at 1.71. Cole Johnson pitched the remaining 2 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Tyler Grimes and Adam Bryant had the errors that proved costly. Beloit only had 6 hits all night. Left fielder Nate Roberts had a double in 3 at-bats and walked twice, Steven Liddle was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, and Adam Pettersen, Drew Leachman, Jonathan Goncalves and Jairo Rodriguez each singled. The Snappers walked 7 times tonight, but couldn't convert. Miguel Sano had the night off, except for a pinch hit appearance, where he walked. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 5, BRISTOL 0 Angel Mata picked up his first win of the young season, throwing 5 scoreless innings. He allowed only 2 hits, and struck out 4 while walking only 1. Hein Robb was great out of the bullpen, tossing 3 scoreless innings. He allowed no hits and struck out 4. Finally, Mason Melotakis threw a scoreless 9th, striking out 2. In all, only 2 hits allowed, 10 strikeouts and 1 walk. E-Town compiled only 6 hits, but they also walked 6 times. Romy Jimenez was 2-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Candido Pimental, Niko Goodrum, Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco all contributed singles. Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------ Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 27 Pitcher(s) of the Day: The E-Town Trio of Mata, Robb and Melotakis Download attachment: Etown.jpg Hitter of the Day: Romy Jimenez (photo credit Thrylos from Tenth Inning Stretch -- thanks!) Download attachment: Romy.jpg ---------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, June 28 Rochester @ Lehigh Valley --- RHP Steven Hirschfeld New Britain vs. Trenton --- LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers @ Charlotte --- LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs. Clinton --- ??? Elizabethton vs. Pulaski --- LHP Taylor Rogers GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays --- ??? ---------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments and either Seth or I will be happy to respond. Click here to view the article

Well the big news of the day, of course, was the Twins selecting pitcher Kohl Stewart with the 4th overall pick in the amateur draft. Not surprisingly, all the MiLB experts at TwinsDaily are providing great draft coverage, so I'm pinch-hitting and piecing together the daily minor league report. Here's hoping that, in the coming couple years, we see Stewart's name popping up very often in this nightly report! It's fun to think about a rotation in, say, 2015 or 2016 that could feature Alex Meyer, Trevor May, Stewart, Kyle Gibson, and even Alex Wimmers. From where this organization was just a year ago (prospect-wise), it's tough not to be at least a little optimistic. Now to tonight's action:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 3 GWINNETT 11 Unlike in his previous start, Vance Worley was not very effective today. He lasted 3 innings and gave up 7 runs, but only 2 were earned. The big problem: he allowed 8 hits, including a home run, struck out 2 and walked 1. Blake Martin tossed 2 scoreless innings, before Anthony Slama came in and allowed 3 runs in 2 innings on 5 walks and a hit. Virgil Vasquez threw the final frame, allowing a run on 3 hits. The Red Wings had 10 hits tonight, just not enough runs. Eric Farris, Deibinson Romero and Brian Dinkelman all had 2 hits, and Oswaldo Arcia, Dan Rohlfing, Doug Bernier and Ray Olmedo each had 1 hit. Bernier tripled, and Romero doubled, incidentally. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 9 RICHMOND 4 Trevor May pitched well tonight. He went 6 innings and allowed only 1 run on 5 hits. The best part, though, is the 6 Ks and 2 walks. It's important that he limits the walks. AJ Achter tossed a scoreless 7th, before Cole Johnson ran into trouble in the 8th, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits and a walk. Daniel Turpen pitched a scoreless 9th. Download attachment: TrevorMay.jpg The Rock Cats only amassed 5 hits tonight, but they made them count. TwinsDaily contributor, nice guy, and occasional pro ballplayer Adam Pettersen was 1-for-3 with a double, 2 RBIs and 2 walks. Danny Santana had a double and 2 RBIs in 5 at-bats. Nate Hanson, Daniel Ortiz and Kyle Knudson also had hits tonight. Here's the linkto the box score. FT. MYERS --- CANCELLED There was a rumor floating around that Brevard County forfeited both games of this doubleheader because Miguel Sano is just too damn good, but apparently there was bad weather. CEDAR RAPIDS 5 QUAD CITIES 9 Well we learned that J.R. Berrios is human. Tonight, anyway. The young righty lasted only 3 and 1/3 innings, allowing 9 runs (6 earned) on 5 hits. He struck out 6, which is good, but walked 4, and also allowed a home run. But the home run was to last season's #1 overall pick Carlos Correa. Josue Montanez threw 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings, walking 2, striking out 1 and allowing 1 hit. Tyler Jones tossed 3 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and walking 2. A nice performance for him out of the bullpen. There just wasn't enough Kernels offense tonight. Dalton Hicks did his best, blasting 2 solo home runs, giving him 9 on the season. Travis Harrison and JD Williams doubled (Williams also had 2 singles and 2 RBIs). Candido Pimentel singled, and Jhonatan Arias had 2 hits. Jeremias Pineda tripled and scored a run, as well. Pimentel had a rough night in the field, committing 3 fielding errors. Here's the link to the box score. All 4 teams are back in action tomorrow night. Click here to view the article

New Britain only amassed 3 hits in the first of two 7-inning contests tonight, but to be completely honest, that wasn't the main -- or perhaps even secondary -- story. Make no mistake, fans and reporters (including this fan/reporter) were here to see Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Angel Morales, the newest additions to the Rock Cats. I was fortunate to be in attendance, to take a few pictures, and even produce an awful video of the debuts. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n1M9A5gvsug/UbkKbZgOh2I/AAAAAAAAAi0/Tj6D4qelVDo/s320/IMAG0464.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Miguel Sano (#24), nicknamed "Boacton," warming up[/TD] [/TABLE] One interesting item: the home plate umpire wore a camera on his facemask for the first part of the game. This was in connection with the documentary being filmed about Sano, The Miguel Sano Story. Here's more information on that. I loved the first documentary, Ballplayer: Pelotero, and it's pretty cool that the sequel is (partly) being filmed right here. I suspect, though, that the filmmakers hope that the end of the documentary takes place a little west of Connecticut. My biggest takeaway from the first game: Sano's defense looked good. The arm got the job done. Sano had to come in on a bunt early on and made a nice play; he also snagged a hard grounder right after (he actually took a few steps back to third base in a decent attempt to catch the runner on third, who had just broken home). At no point was there any awkward footwork or anything that would suggest that Sano was uncomfortable at that position. To be sure, he wasn't tested with a diving play, and didn't have to barehand a ball in this first game, but he looked good. Solid. At bat, he was decent. He wasn't challenged in his first plate appearance, which ended in a 5-pitch walk. He was, however, thrown out stealing second. Don't forget -- Sano does have some speed (he stole 9 bases with Ft. Myers this spring). In his second at-bat he grounded rather routinely to third base. His final at-bat was probably the best. He was just under a fly ball, which went for a sac fly. He didn't "connect" with the pitch, yet it ended up just shy of the warning track. You can check out awful videos of Sano's at-bats here. Again, the videos are jittery. I took them with my phone. I'll get better, maybe. I thought Rosario played well also. He took a 4-pitch walk in his first at-bat, hit a sinking liner to center in his second at-bat (that took a decent play from the centerfielder to produce an out), and singled with a grounder up the middle in his final at-bat. No big defensive challenges that I recall. Angel Morales batted 9th in the order. He struck out in his first at-bat, grounded out to second in his second at-bat, and grounded to short in his final trip to the plate. General thoughts: Rosario has a compact swing, and is not a huge guy, but you can see where the power comes from. For lack of a better word, he is coiled when he bats. I'm excited to watch him hit. Wow, Sano is huge. Look at that picture of him compared to the other professional athletes next to him. I think Sano is used to getting pitched around. The difference between High-A pitching and AA pitching is significant. Let's see if Sano gets tons of pitches to hit early on, or if pitchers try to paint the corners when he bats.In the nightcap it wasn't just Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario I was excited to see. This was also my first time seeing righty Trevor May in person. May consistently hit 93 with his fastball in the 1st inning, and was moving it in and out pretty effectively. Same control problems we have all heard about, though. Had a 4-pitch walk and a wild pitch in the first inning. 20 pitches to get out of it. The second inning, though, was much better -- 14 pitches, 1-2-3. Ironically, former Twins' farmhand David Bromberg got the start for the Altoona Curve. He pitched very, very well tonight. The Twins' big prospects: Rosario walked in his first at-bat. Sano K'd mightily. Morales -- who shouldn't be forgotten -- also struck out swinging. Control issues came back in the 3rd inning for May. He walked the leadoff batter and took 13 pitches to record an out (swinging strikeout). Then May came back with a convincing strikeout. He started off the next hitter with 3 balls before giving up a well-struck homer to left-center. With May, it's not just the walks -- it's the extra pitches the walks and control problems generate. One positive: I like May's curve. Another: he was still throwing the fastball 93 in the 6th inning, about 90 pitches into his outing. In Rosario's second at-bat, he really turned on a 1-1 offering for a hard single to right. It was a quick, decisive and powerful swing. Sano's second at-bat: worked a 3-1 count, got a pitch to hit, and again just missed it. Another high sacrifice fly just shy of the warning track, to put the Cats on the board. Morales second at-bat: half-swing strikeout. Not a good at-bat. Rosario's third at-bat, half-swinging strikeout. He did take a vicious cut on a fastball early in the at-bat. I can definitely see where the power comes from. Rosario made a great play at second -- picking a low throw from C Kyle Knudson and applying the tag just in time. Definitely an average to above-average play. The kind of thing that makes a manager curse: Trevor May immediately walked that batter with 2 outs. All in all, May had a decent start. 6 and 1/3 innings, charged with 3 earned runs. The control problems were on display, but so was his strikeout potential. 8 Ks and 3 walks; 106 pitches; 62 for strikes. The players were pretty tired after the doubleheader, and the locker room was already clearing out when I arrived. There was one guy at his locker, eating a plate of food in silence. It was Sano. I asked for just a moment of his time. Clearly Sano was tired from a whirlwind few days, but obliged. No translator, either! Regarding his 2 sacrifice flies tonight, Sano admitted that "when [he] hit them, [he] thought they were home runs," but he was just "a little under" the ball. On his call-up: "I was so happy, I have been working so hard." Describing the moment he was called up, Sano told me: "[Doug] Mientkiewicz said 'Sano, Rosario, Morales come here. You're ready to be promoted to Double-A.'" Regarding his defense, at third base, Sano confirmed that he is "totally comfortable there." And again, he looked very comfortable fielding tonight. In all, it was 2 Rock Cats losses, but solid offensive and defensive performances from Sano and Rosario. More notes forthcoming, but it's been a long night of baseball. Click here to view the article

Tonight's game was a laugher. No real offense to speak of for New Britain until the game was well out of hand. In fact, it's not even worth discussing Sano or Rosario (on offense, at least, where they were non-factors). Let's get right to what's worth covering tonight: Trevor May, and New Britain's defense. I've seen Trevor May pitch probably 3 or 4 times this season. I'd be lying if I said that May hasn't been frustrating, or that the Twins really pulled one over on the Phillies. Don't get me wrong -- May has been OK -- but not fantastic any means. Control problems have plagued him. Tonight, though, was not a bad outing, despite what the box score will tell you. May started off the game hitting 92-94 on his fastball, 83ish with the change-up, and upper 70s or lower 80s with a nice curve. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2VOxLNM-otc/Ug2WpSSKA3I/AAAAAAAAAps/zGUWT-GFVWQ/s400/May1.jpg Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar May lasted 5 and 2/3 innings and gave up 4 runs on 10 hits; he took the loss. He also struck out 9 and walked only 1 -- the last hitter he faced. On the night, he threw 107 pitches, 75 of them for strikes. In fact, perhaps he was a little too accurate, or threw too many strikes, leading to the 10 hits? He threw strike 1 to the majority of batters, consistently working ahead in the count. He changed speeds, and got a fair number of weakly hit pitches that were either choppers or pop-outs. In short, he did what you would coach any pitcher to do. The results just weren't there. But there's more to the story than that. New Hampshire's first run of the game, in the second inning, came partially as the result of an infield chopper up the middle that died behind the mound. The next batter hit a well struck opposite field double to right center. Just like that, 1-0 New Hampshire. In the third inning, a 2-out, 2-strike opposite field solo homer may have rattled May, as he gave up a single past Sano to the next batter, but then worked out of the jam. Aside from these hiccups and despite the runs allowed, May pitched to, generally, what his ceiling should be: low/no walks; the ability to strike guys out; and the ability to induce weakly hit balls by changing speeds. Of the hits he gave up, probably 5 were well struck, 3 were extremely weak (i.e., choppers or flares), and a couple were average. The fateful 6th inning started with a pop-up behind second base that went for a single (good argument for the "team error" category) after Eddie Rosario and Danny Santana either didn't communicate, or miscommunicated. Thereafter, a clean single, an out (a fantastic diving play by Miguel Sano), a double that Jordan Parraz just missed in CF (which then rolled to the wall) scored 2 more runs. And that was it for May. That pop-up behind second base felt worse than a lead-off walk. It was deflating, in fact. You just knew that it was going to be the death knell for May, who already was tiring. May deserved better this evening. Was he perfect? No. But it's important to note that 2 of the 4 runs were partially a result of infield singles -- one of which was really a "team error" type of play. And there was no offensive support, either. Sure, you can't take away infield singles, and sure, team errors happen, but I only count 2 things that went May's way this evening (Daniel Ortiz making a great play to throw out a runner headed to second, and Miguel Sano making a nice diving stop and strong throw to save a hit), while a few things definitely went the other way. It was 4 earned runs. It easily could (should?) have been 2 or 3, and May could (should?) have been able to complete 6 innings. Honestly, it's a strange, strange start to strike out 9 and walk 1 and not be able to make it through 6 innings. I hope people aren't ready to relegate May to the bullpen for his career. Look at tonight's start: 100+ pitches, still hitting 92 on the gun on his fastball when he came out. 9 Ks; 1 walk (on his last batter when he was gassed). The ERA doesn't support it, but I would absolutely argue that May has been better this year than last. Sure, it's not ideal that he's repeating -- and not dominating -- AA, but there has been improvement. His walks per 9 innings have decreased about .5 walks per game; Ks per 9 are consistent; HRs allowed per 9 have decreased a little; but hits per 9 have increased. Kyle Gibson, who just debuted a couple months ago, is 25. May is still 23 for another month. Let's not talk about May as if he's a Chris Colabello-esque journeyman. Sure, Gibson was delayed as a result of Tommy John surgery and recovery, but my point is only that May isn't "old," even if he is repeating AA. I'm still hopeful that he can figure it out; it just May take a little while longer than Twins fans would prefer. ******************************************************************* One final note. I'm having a Twitter contest to win a Rock Cats Joe Mauer bobblehead that was just given away in New Britain a few weeks ago. Of course, you have to be on Twitter and following me to enter. Go herefor details. Click here to view the article

ROCHESTER 14, NORFOLK 3 Deibinson Romero and Chris Parmelee led the offense tonight, each homering. Eduardo Escobar delivered 2 doubles. The Red Wings offense delivered 15 hits. A good night! Virgil Vasquez turned in a quality start, going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. Shairon Martis went the other 3 innings, giving up a run on 2 hits. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 9, READING 3 Miguel Sano returned to the lineup after a . . . hiatus, we'll call it.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] He helped the Rock Cats end an ugly losing streak. He was 1-for-3 with 2 RBI, 2 K's, and 2 BB's. For my take on Sano's suspension, click here. Eddie Rosario hit his third AA homer and his 12th double, leading the offense. Kyle Davies earned his first Rock Cats win, giving 7 innings of 1-run baseball. Dakota Watts and Jose Gonzalez finished the game. Download attachment: Sano Bocaton.jpg Sano was back after a brief "naptime." Here's the link to the box score. CLEAR WATER 5, FT. MYERS 4 The Miracle had only 6 hits tonight, and they fell just short. Number 1 prospect Byron Buxton led the way with a homer and a single, and is batting .277 since his promotion. J.D. Williams also had 2 RBI's on a double. Taylor Rogers took the loss for Ft. Myers, giving up 4 earned runs in 6 innings of work. He struck out 3 and issued 0 walks. Adrian Salcedo and Manuel Soliman turned in scoreless performances. Here's the link to the box score. CEDAR RAPIDS 3, CLINTON 1 Left fielder Jeremias Pineda led the way with a double and 2 RBI today. Max Kepler, playing first base, had 2 singles and an RBI. Jonathan Murphy and Travis Harrison also had hits. The real story was Mason Melotakis, who tossed 8 innings, gave up 1 unearned run, struck out 7 and walked none. What a good night for him! Madison Boer picked up his 7th save, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. Here's the link to the box score. JOHNSON CITY 3, ELIZABETHTON 1 Dereck Rodriguez and Bryan Haar each had 2 hits for the E-Town Twins, and Ryan Walker, Romy Jimenez, Kelvin Ortiz and Mitch Garver all singled. But there just wasn't enough offense tonight. Tanner Mendonca got the start, going 4 innings and giving up 1 run. He walked 5, though. Ryan Eades tossed 2 perfect innings. Brandon Bixler also threw 2 innings, giving up 1 walk, but striking out 2. Brandon Peterson was very good tonight, tossing 3 innings. He gave up 4 hits, but struck out 3. Finally, Andre Martinez gave up 2 runs on a walk and a hit in 2/3 of an inning. Here's the link to the box score. Every affiliate is in action tomorrow, so be sure to check back here for a rundown! Click here to view the article

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCa8MxdTpjY/T7o4SKD50wI/AAAAAAAAAWM/loUcirSMPdM/s320/Dozier.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Brian Dozier, new Twins shortstop[/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] One player you probably have heard of since he was 15 years old. Between the prodigious 500 foot home runs as a teenager, the eye black that could be mistaken for war paint, and an ego big enough to handle a $6.25 million signing bonus, he came into professional baseball already anointed as "the chosen one." Despite putting up fairly pedestrian numbers in relatively short stints at AA and AAA, it was of little surprise that the Washington Nationals promoted him early in the 2012 season: they want to sell tickets and be successful, and there's little doubt that he is a long-term solution to both those issues. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The other player only fans of the Twins minor league system had heard of up until this past spring. He is a college graduate and was a 4-year starter on the Southern Mississippi baseball team, he's 25 and just getting his first taste of the big leagues, was an 8th round draft pick, and (mostly) flew under the radar until he was named 2011 Twins minor league player of the year. He's not flashy, does not hit 500 foot home runs, and from what I have seen, he does not even wear eye black. He's not viewed as the second coming of Babe Ruth, and he's not expected to permanently change the face of the Twins franchise. But just for kicks, I thought it might be fun to do a side-by-side comparison of Bryce Harper and the Twins' new shortstop Brian Dozier. On paper, of course, they couldn't be less similar players: one is a power-hitting teenage outfielder that may hit 500 home runs in his career; the other is a solid middle infielder expected to hit for decent average and with moderate power. It's interesting, though, that both broke into the big leagues at almost the same time -- Dozier's first game was May 7; Harper's was April 28 -- and both were brought up to inject some life into their clubs. The point here isn't to compare Dozier and Harper to one another -- that would be senseless. Rather, I'm just comparing what they have done, in a similar time span, with what fans of both organizations might have hoped for or expected. As of today, Harper has a .244/.333/.449 slash line with 2 home runs, 2 triples, 6 doubles and 7 RBIs. His OPS is .782. Dozier stands at .279/.292/.426 with 2 home runs, 3 doubles and 8 RBIs, with an OPS of .719. Just looking at those basic stats, a couple things stand out: first, although Harper "only" has 2 home runs, his ability to hit for extra bases is noteworthy. Second, it's not surprising that Harper is batting under .250 -- he hit .256 in 37 games at AA, and .250 in only 20 games at AAA. Yes, you're reading that right: he only played 57 games above A level minor league baseball before being called up. As I mentioned, his promotion was not solely merit-based. With respect to Dozier, he has been as advertised: capable in the field, some power, and the ability to hit for a good average. In short, in the extremely small sample sizes, both players are performing pretty much like you might expect. Dozier has been good on defense, has hit for average, and has shown occasional pop; Harper's batting average is lower than it was at AA or AAA, but he has demonstrated that, when he does hit, the power is there. It's funny that there is so much hype for one player, Harper, and the other, Dozier, will play this season in relative obscurity (it doesn't help Dozier's case that the Twins will be out of the national spotlight all summer). Yes, I do think that Harper will be an excellent major league player for years to come, and I also admit that I have enjoyed watching the way he hustles on the field 100 percent of the time. But this season, while ESPN is cutting into other broadcasts to alert us as to what great athletic feat (turning a single into a hustle double) or crazy behavior (hitting himself in the head with a bat) Harper is engaged in, I'll be content to watch a solid-fielding shortstop, who seems like a genuinely decent guy, who hopefully can anchor the Twins' infield for the foreseeable future. Click here to view the article

It feels like almost every Wednesday night when I write this, the Twins have lost, or are in the process of losing. I didn't watch or follow today's game. It looked from the highlights like Max Scherzer had a pretty good day. Oh well. Let's take a look at tonight's minor league action. ROCHESTER 6, INDIANAPOLIS 2 Esmerling Vasquez had a great game tonight, going 7 innings, allowing only 4 hits, striking out 10 and walking 2. Deolis Guerra pitched the remaining 2 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Guerra struck out 4 and allowed a home run. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Evan Bigley had the big hit of the night (see what I did there??), with a 3-run homer in the 7th inning. It was his third AAA home run. Clete Thomas was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs, Wilkin Ramirez was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, "new" Red Wing shortstop Brian Dozier had a double in 4 at-bats (and 2 strikeouts), and Nishi and Rene Rivera each singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, RICHMOND 3 Starter B.J. Hermsen was very effective tonight until the 5th inning, when he gave up 4 hits and 1 run. He struck out 4 and issued no walks tonight. Blake Martin tossed a scoreless inning in relief, allowing 1 walk and striking out 1. Aaron Thompson also threw 1 scoreless frame, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1 batter. Dakota Watts had a tough night, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits in 1 inning of work, striking out 1 and walking 1. Jose Gonzalez also threw a scoreless inning, striking out 1. There was virtually no New Britain offense tonight until there were 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th. After Chris Colabello and Joe Benson singles, Deibinson Romero homered to tie up the game, his 18th of the season. A pretty exciting finish followed for those that stayed. After holding Richmond scoreless in the top of the 10th, the Rockcats walked off in the bottom half. Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson led off the inning with a single, and was replaced by Estarlin De Los Santos as a pinch runner. After James Beresford grounded out to advance De Los Santos to second, Aaron Hicks singled, and De Los Santos moved to third. Chris Herrmann walked, and it was up to . . . Oswaldo Arcia, who had been 2-for-4 on the night. He delivered with a walk-off single to score De Los Santos, and the Rock Cats won. Arcia finished the evening 3-for-5 with an RBI, and is batting .337 for New Britain. Joe Benson did have 2 outfield assists tonight, so that was a positive for him. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 2, JUPITER 16 A tough night all around for the Miracle. Matthew Summers started, and lasted 4 innings, giving up 1 unearned run on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 4. Ryan O'Rourke lasted only 1/3 of an inning, and gave up 6 runs on 5 hits, walking 1. Miguel Munoz finished that inning, not before giving up 5 runs on 4 hits and a walk. Munoz allowed 2 home runs. A.J. Achter and Ricky Bowen settled things down a little; each tossed a scoreless inning, striking out 1 and 2, respectively. Michael Tonkin also threw 1 inning in relief, and gave up 4 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Right fielder Lance Ray was 2-for-4 with a double, Jonathan Goncalves had a double and an RBI, and Daniel Santana, Levi Michael and Josmil Pinto all singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 13, WISCONSIN 10 Cole Johnson started and went 2 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 6 and walking 1. Tim Atherton went 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Corey Kimes gave up 3 runs on 3 hits in 2 innings. Kimes issued 2 walks and struck out 1. Corey Williams tossed 1 inning and allowed 2 runs, striking out 3. Zachary Jones allowed 1 run in his inning of work on 2 hits. Snappers pitchers gave up 4 home runs tonight. Luckily, the Beloit offense was better than its pitching. JaDamion Williams and Eddie Rosario both homered. It was Williams' 5th and Rosario's 8th. Rosario also doubled. Matthew Koch was 1-for-3 with a homer of his own, as well. Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas, Drew Leachman and Stephen Wickens all had 2 hits apiece, and Nate Roberts had a single, as well. Nate Roberts stole his 22nd base of the season. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON vs. BLUEFIELD --- POSTPONED GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 3 Felix Jorge started for the Twins today, and went 4 innings. He gave up 2 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 and issuing no free passes. Josue Montanez threw 2 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 4. Hung Yi Chen completed the game, going 2 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 1 hit, and striking out 1. Second baseman Logan Wade was 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and a walk. Great game for him. Aderlin Mejia, Bryan Haar and Will Hurt all singled. That was it for the offense! Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------ Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 15 Pitcher of the Day: Esmerling Vasquez https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQuau8PhlGYLf6As-k-CAnVJlwZaftXUcMhHFybj3vVSdxJS9ogkw Hitter of the Day: Deibinson Romero (bottom of the 9th, 2 out clutch HR gets the nod tonight) https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRgZU83AxrjGfoMk3cGE48QfkHShkj5cTmyO0YawbezEKfl_c-P ------------------------------------------ Schedule for Thursday, August 16 Rochester vs. Indianapolis --- LHP Pedro Hernandez New Britain vs. Richmond --- LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers @ Jupiter --- LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs. Wisconsin --- LHP Jason Wheeler Elizabethton @ Bluefield (Game 1) --- RHP Hudson Boyd Elizabethton @ Bluefield (Game 2) --- ??? GCL Twins @ GCL Rays --- ??? ------------------------------------------ Please leave any questions or comments! Thanks for reading. Click here to view the article

I'll be honest -- I was a little disappointed with the trade deadline. Aside from dealing Liriano, no big moves, no small moves. But if the offers weren't there, then they weren't there. But this is certainly a tough time to be a Twins fan! If you're reading this, though, you realize that there are other things to focus on besides the action/inaction at Target Field. So let's take a look at how the #futuretwins did tonight. ROCHESTER (OFF) NEW BRITAIN 3, BOWIE 11 A rough one for the Rock Cats. Logan Darnell had a tough start, lasting only 3 innings and giving up 5 runs on 8 hits, striking out 1 and walking 2. David Bromberg tossed 2 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 5 and walking 1. Edgar Ibarra lasted 1 and 2/3 innings, surrendering 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 3. Finally, Marty Popham went 1 and 1/3 inning, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 1. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Unfortunately, the offense couldn't keep pace. Chris Herrmann led the way, going 3-for-5 with his 8th home run and 2 RBIs. Joe Benson doubled and walked in 3 at-bats, and Aaron Hicks, Deibinson Romero and Rene Tosoni all singled. This was an ugly game. There were 3 Rock Cats errors tonight. I'm not going to name names, but they rhyme with Sherrmann, Nicks, and Feresford. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 1, DAYTONA 2 Madison Boer turned in a very good start for the Miracle, going 6 innings and giving up just 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 4 and walking 3. Ricky Bowen tossed an inning in relief and gave up 1 run on 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 2. Michael Tonkin pitched a scoreless inning, striking out 3 and giving up 1 hit. Daniel Santana and Josmil Pinto each had 2 hits, including a double, and Lance Ray doubled in 3 at-bats. Pinto was responsible for plating the Miracle's lone run, and also walked. Santana stole his 14th base of the season. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 8, KANE COUNTY 6 Taylor Rogers started for the Snappers, and went 5 innings, giving up 5 runs (only 2 earned) on 4 hits, striking out 5 and walking 1. Tim Atherton came on in relief, and threw 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, walking 1. Mason Melotakis lasted 2/3 of an inning, giving up 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 1 along the way. Finally, Zachary Jones threw 1 and 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and striking out 3. On offense, tonight was about two of the top Twins prospects. Miguel Sano was 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, and 5 RBIs. He now has 20 doubles, 21 home runs and 81 RBIs. Eddie Rosario was 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Nate Roberts had a great game, as well, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and 2 runs scored. Tyler Grimes was 2-for-4 with a triple. Kenny Vargas doubled and walked in 3 at-bats, and Stephen Wickens and JaDamion Williams each had singles. Notably, these young prospects are not perfect. Rosario had 2 errors, and Sano and Atherton each had 1. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 3, BURLINGTON 2 This was a pitchers' duel, to be sure. Ricardo Arevalo started for E-Town and went 4 innings, surrendering 1 run on 1 hit, walking 5 and striking out 3. Despite the walks, the lone run came on a solo homer. Luis Nunez threw 2 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 2. J.T. Chargois also tossed 2 innings, giving up 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 3. Christian Powell threw a scoreless 9th and 10th innings, allowing 1 hit and striking out 2. Tyler Duffey tossed a scoreless 11th, striking out 1. There wasn't much offense to speak of tonight for E-Town. Through the first 10 innings, this is what happened: Joshua Hendriks doubled, and Candido Pimentel, Niko Goodrum, and Michael Quesada singled. Jorge Polanco doubled and singled. Polanco and Goodrum had RBIs, and Quesada and Kelvin Mention walked. In the home half of the 11th, Adam Walker led off with a triple, and 3 batters later, Quesada drove him in with a game-winning, walk-off single. An exciting way to end the game! Here's the link to the box score. GULF COAST TWINS 2, GULF COAST ORIOLES 3 Felix Jorge started for the Twins today, and went 3 and 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up 2 hits, and struck out 3 and walked 2. In relief, Andre Martinez threw 2 innings, and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits, walking 1. Alexander Muren tossed 2 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits, striking out 1. Aderlin Mejia led the offense today, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and is batting .341 on the season. John Murphy, Jose Ramirez, Kelly Cross, Zach Larson and Will Hurt all singled. Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 1 Hitter of the Day: Miguel Sano Download attachment: Sano.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Madison Boer Download attachment: Boer.jpg ------------------------------------------ Schedule for Thursday, August 2 Rochester @ Toledo --- ??? New Britain @ Bowie --- ??? Ft. Myers @ Daytona --- LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs. Kane County --- RHP Tyler Jones GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles --- ??? ------------------------------------------ Please leave any questions or comments, and thanks for reading! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Hanson.jpg As of this writing, the New Britain Rock Cats sit at 4-6. It's important before reading this piece -- or really any piece related to baseball -- that we all realize that we're only 10 games (or so) into the season. Everything anyone says should be couched with the "small sample size" caveat. Still, it is worthwhile to start to look at how Twins' prospects are beginning to perform against what we, the fans, expect to see this season. The Rock Cats seem ... serviceable. Something is missing this spring. I've been fortunate, since I began closely following this team in 2012, to have had at least one Top 10 Twins prospect on this team at pretty much all times. Aaron Hicks; Oswaldo Arcia; Trevor May; Alex Meyer; Miguel Sano; Eddie Rosario. Not this year. Take a look for a second at Baseball America's 2014 Twins Top 10 Prospects List. The talent on that list is all above AA, below AA, injured (Sano & Buxton), or just elsewhere (Rosario). This will change, for sure. Once Buxton's wrist heals and he gets back into playing shape, he'll likely spend the rest of 2014 in New Britain. And that's just what this team needs: a game-changer. Eddie Rosario will also be back in New Britain later this season, I hope. And Miguel Sano will log another stint in Connecticut on his way back up. For now, though, New Britain needs to make do with their current roster. Indeed, there are bright spots, including some MiLB veterans who have been performing well. Offensively, New Britain veteran (really, a super-veteran) Nate Hanson has been leading the offense, hitting .350/.372/.475 with five doubles and seven RBIs in ten games. He's hit safely in 8 of the 10 games. Shortstop Aderlin Mejia has a line of .375/.464/.417, but also has four errors in eight games. Let's not forget emerging prospect Kennys Vargas. He only has a .216/.302/.405 line, but has two of the Rock Cats' three home runs, a double, and six RBIs. Additionally, after starting out 2-for-20, Vargas is 6 for his last 17 (which includes both homers and the double). Pitching results have been mixed. Pat Dean has had the most success of the starters, going 2-0 with a 4.76 ERA. He's struck out 12 and walked only two in 11 1/3 innings. DJ Baxendale, a really nice guy, hasn't had as much luck. After two starts, he has a 5.91 ERA. He's simply given up too many hits -- 14 in 10 2/3 innings. Atlanta Braves pick-up Sean Gilmartin has had one good and one bad start. Out of the bullpen, AJ Achter has already gone to Rochester (where he should have started in the first place). BJ Hermsen was recently reassigned to extended spring training, and former Twins reliever Matt Guerrier is now a member of the Rock Cats. Kind of interesting, to say the least. Adrian Salcedo, who I was looking forward to watching, has had a rough start, giving up runs in two of his four outings, including a six run one third-of-an-inning performance that will really skew his stat line. Ryan O'Rourke has been another bright spot in relief, giving up only one run in four appearances (3 2/3 innings). One of the things Rock Cats manager Jeff Smith stressed at the Annual Welcome Home Dinner was that he believed the 2014 Rock Cats would play as a team, as opposed to some minor league teams comprised of a few talented individuals who care more about individual stats. It's a nice thing to say, of course, but I do see what he was getting at. Let's not forget -- Smith doesn't choose his roster; he gets who he gets. This current team -- composed largely of MiLB vets and AA first-timers, with no Top Prospects -- will have to learn to play as a team. Plan to hear more from me next Tuesday -- if not before. The Rock Cats are wrapping up a road trip, and I should get to the ballpark over the weekend. A few things to watch for in the meantime: does Kennys Vargas continue to warm up to AA; how do the starting pitchers fare as their pitch limit increases (most are at a 75-85 pitch limit this early in the spring); and who steps up offensively and defensively while the Twins (and their fans) wait for Buxton to come back? One final note: I spent a lot of time covering/following Trevor May, James Beresford and Alex Meyer the last couple seasons. They are all off to strong starts at AAA. Christopher Fee is doing a great job covering the Red Wings for TwinsDaily, so be sure to check out his stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if all three ended up with the Twins in 2014. Click here to view the article

My article last week suggesting that the Twins trade Glen Perkins (for the right offer) is one of the most read things I've written. Although there were only a handful of comments at Twins Fan From Afar, over here at TwinsDaily there are nearly 200 comments (most of them well thought out). MLBTradeRumors also linked to the article, and it ran in the Star Tribune. In other words, more than the usual 5 found this article. I don't have anything to compare with for this week, so I'm going to beat the Glen Perkins horse until it's dead. Here are 7 more working titles about Perkins, all in various stages of completion. If you feel so inclined, submit your own titles and I will also consider writing about them. 1) "Demote Glen Perkins." 2) "Deport Glen Perkins." 3) "How Glen Perkins is Singlehandedly Keeping Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Trevor May and Alex Meyer in the Minors." 4) "Where was Glen Perkins when Dennis Martinez Hit Kirby Puckett with that Fastball in 1995? Oh That's Interesting No One Can Seem to Account for His Whereabouts." 5) "How Glen Perkins Almost Cost the Twins the '91 World Series: Part 1 of 47." 6) "Hey, Glen: Where's Your Birth Certificate? Are you Really Even `One of Us?'" 7) "Source: `The Neckbeard is Artificial.'"

After approximately the first two weeks of the 2013 season, the New Britain Rock Cats stand at a respectable 8-7, tied for second place in the Eastern League's Eastern Division. Reading, who always seems to put a good team together, stands at 7-6 -- a slightly better winning percentage. I try not to read much at all into small sample sizes, but there are several players that have had noteworthy performances thus far. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]I'll start with offense. One player I've been very impressed with is infielder James Beresford. He had to fight for playing time the first week or so, but has demonstrated that he deserves to be the Rock Cats' starting second baseman. In 36 at-bats, Beresford has a .333/.444/.389 slash line, including 3 stolen bases. There's not much power to speak of, but Beresford can be successful as a singles hitter with a good eye (7 walks already) and above-average speed. Additionally, Beresford is an excellent defender. This is his second full season in Connecticut, and he's 24 years old. If he keeps the batting average up, and continues to demonstrate a good eye, I think a promotion to AAA is in his future. As I've said before, aside from starting pitching, if there's one area where Twins prospects should quickly advance in the system, it's the middle infield. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EctjgVfwZLE/UXLSVCXvCbI/AAAAAAAAAhY/21kS0rHiBc8/s400/IMAG0425.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]This picture of Justin Morneau hangs in a suite at New Britain Stadium. The Rock Cats do a great job of paying tribute to the Twins' greats that have come and gone from this stadium. [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] With a .345/.391/.638 line in 58 at-bats, outfielder Daniel Ortiz has impressed. He has 3 home runs, 6 doubles, a triple, and 13 RBIs. He does lead the Rock Cats with 16 Ks, so there is room for improvement, but it's fair to state that the 23-year-old Ortiz has exceeded expectations, and has helped this club make up for the absence of players like Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia in the lineup. The final hitter I'm going to highlight for the moment is Josmil Pinto. He ended 2012 with the Rock Cats, looking good in 47 at-bats. Currently with a .295/.394/.574 line, Pinto leads New Britain with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs. He's also hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games, including 4 multi-hit games. On the whole, I've been impressed with the offense. They haven't quite replicated the Arcia/Hicks/Herrmann/Colabello power from 2012, but players like Beresford, Ortiz, Pinto, and even Antoan Richardson, have helped keep the team in games. Starting pitching has been exciting. Right now -- and probably only until the All-Star break -- the Rock Cats have both Alex Meyer and Trevor May, both top 10 prospects in the Twins' organization. Both have been as advertised. Meyer has a 1-0 record, a 1.69 ERA, and has struck out 19 and walked 7 in 16 innings. His WHIP is 1.25. Rock Cats broadcaster Jeff Dooley noted that Meyer hit 98 mph on the radar gun in one of his starts. He's doing exactly what we expect:: missing bats. Hopefully, the control will improve just a little, and he'll be in AAA by July. Trevor May has an 0-1 record, and a 3.14 ERA, but has 19 Ks and 10 walks in 14 and 1/3 innings. His WHIP is 1.60. Yes, there are control issues, but there's no reason that those can't be ironed out. May, who is 23, has a promising future, and he, too, can be out of New Britain later this season if he gets his control under control. As a fan, it's exciting to see Meyer's and May's (the new M & M Boys???) strikeout totals. Twins fans should be excited. The Rock Cats are currently on the road in Portland, Maine, and lost a tough one, 12-1, last night. I'll be in attendance and reporting when they return to New Britain Stadium next weekend, so expect some good content in the near future. Click here to view the article

Yes, I am aware that there are a couple weeks left in the season. But the Twins are dead. Dead as a door-nail. And they've been that way for months (years?). Shortly after this season comes to its pitiful end, the Twins' brass and field personnel will assemble, as they do every year, in Ft. Myers, for the organizational meetings. Among other topics, they will dissect the 2013 season, and what exactly caused this year's ineptitude. If Terry Ryan, Ron Gardenhire or Dave St. Peter needs to do some cramming on the Delta flight down south, what follows is a short(ish) list of causes for this season's horrid, embarrassing play. Make no mistake, this is not an exhaustive or detailed list. And I'm not adding very many stats this time around (it's 2013: if you need statistical support for my proposition that Darin Mastroianni wasn't spectacular offensively, check out any number of websites). Without further ado, and in no particular order of importance, here are my Cliff's Notes for the 2013 Twins Organizational Meetings. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54nrA06ATgQ/UjkCMObBZ9I/AAAAAAAAAr8/4SiRsD4Ooz4/s320/Gardy+2002.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]Ron Gardenhire: 2002[/TD] [/TABLE] 1. Aaron Hicks was Not Ready for Primetime The Twins made good trades, getting (potentially) quality arms for centerfielders Ben Revere and Denard Span. By getting rid of Revere and Span, however, the Twins' thrust Hicks into the spotlight. To be sure, he put on a good show at AA in 2012, and was dominant in Spring Training in 2013. But we know now -- hindsight being 20/20, of course -- that he was not ready for the major leagues. Yes, he had flashes of brilliance offensively, and was solid defensively, but this was too much, too soon, for Hicks, evidenced by the fact that he didn't earn a September call-up, and that the Twins selected a replacement-level centerfielder, Alex Presely, when they traded Justin Morneau to the Pittsburgh Pirates last month. 2. Low Power in the Middle of the Order Josh Willingham, who had a career year in 2012, was injured for a significant part of 2013, and his power numbers dwindled. He'll end up at around 15 home runs, and will be lucky to get 55 RBIs (last season, on an equally bad team: 35 dingers, 110 RBIs). Justin Morneau was serviceable, but also lacked the power that Twins fans enjoyed for the better part of a decade. Joe Mauer was good before his concussion, but his "power numbers" (dingers/RBIs) weren't high, mostly because no one was on base in front of him. In short, the guys that were penciled-in as the Twins' 3-4-5 hitters didn't do the damage that was expected. Make no mistake, RBI are very much a team stat -- so perhaps it's more appropriate to say that the Twins as a whole under-delivered in giving the meat of the order opportunities to do damage. 3. Starting Pitching was Disgusting Terry Ryan got what he (while spending Pohlad family money) paid for. It makes me physically ill reciting Twins' starting pitching stats from this season, so I'm not going to. But it's basically what you would expect: way too many hits, way too few strikeouts, way too few guys getting deep into games, and a batch of guys that probably wouldn't deserve more than a "cup of coffee" at the major league level being given multiple starts with the Twins this season. One thing to note: Vance Worley -- who projected to be not fantastic, but serviceable, failed this season. I didn't see that coming, and it's probably not fair to blame the front office for that (but note, at the same time, that Trevor May -- a better pitcher under team control for more years -- was the larger piece in that trade as far as the future goes). 4. Trevor Plouffe Showed Little Improvement The Twins have given Plouffe, now 27, every chance. I know -- he showed great promise last season (I was at one of those games last July where he was just on fire, and it was exciting). But so far, those couple months have been, more or less, a flash in the pan. Although his average is a little higher than it was last year (.252 to .235), the OPS is lower, the defense isn't as solid as the team would like, and I'm not even sure how dedicated Plouffe is to the game (not my opinion -- based on a smattering of articles/tweets the past couple seasons from those "in the know"). With Miguel Sano on the rise, 2013 would have been a good season for Plouffe to establish himself as the Twins' starting third baseman to beat. Now, I expect the competition will be on in March, 2013. Sure, Plouffe will be better defensively than Sano, but will Plouffe be able to compete with Sano's power, and, equally as important, Sano's desire -- desire to succeed, to improve on defense, to be an All-Star? 5. No Help from the Top of the Order Aaron Hicks failed to get on base when the Twins gave him lead-off hitter duties. Here are some other guys that hit out of the 1-hole this season: Clete Thomas, Eduardo Escobar, Jamey Carroll, Alex Presley (and Brian Dozier, who really hasn't been bad in that position, but is an ideal 2-hole hitter). Not quite Denard Span-esque, huh? It's tough to give Dozier (when he's batting second, that is), Mauer, Morneau, Willingham, Oswaldo Arcia and Ryan Doumit the opportunity to do much damage with that rather pathetic crop of players occupying what is supposed to be a high on-base percentage spot in the lineup. 6. Little Assistance from the Farm Long story short, when the Twins really needed talent to come up from their farm system and produce, they didn't get results. Yes, there were bright spots. In fact, I'm sure every guy called up this season performed well at some point. But in the aggregate, it was insufficient. Look at all the names that didn't give the Twins a boost this season: Hicks,Kyle Gibson (remember the "Free Gibson" movement?),Chris Parmelee,Chris Colabello (I hesitate to even put him here -- I'm a big fan, he performed so well at New Britain and in Rochester, and he's been up-and-down so much in 2013 that the Rochester-to-Minneapolis flight attendants probably know him by name -- but I've been let down),and Oswaldo Arcia (who started off well, and is doing all right now, but had a horrid stretch that resulted in a demotion to AAA).And I'm not going to mention the rest of the pitchers (but I am glaring at Liam Hendriks, and he knows it). 7. No Top Prospect Forced His Way Up Don't get me wrong. Miguel Sano had a great, great season. He exceeded expectations. But in the end, he didn't deserve a call-up -- unless you believe his call-up would have been just for the fans this season (not an unreasonable proposition, by the way). Sano slowed down at AA, and was inconsistent (though powerful and exiting). Trevor May was stable, in the sense that he was uninjured, but was never good enough to warrant a promotion to AAA, much less the Twins. And the best pitching prospect, Alex Meyer, was limited because of injuries, thus never even entering the equation for a mid-or-late season promotion. I need to be measured in my observations, because Sano and Meyer were very, very good, and May did improve. But make no mistake, none of these guys really forced Terry Ryan's hand when it came to a September call-up. Accordingly, they were unable to breathe life into the dead MLB team. But maybe that's for the best. I'm not sure I want Miguel Sano's first game to be one where Mastroianni is batting leadoff and one where the Twins are about to lose their 90th game of the season in front of an "in-the-stands" Target Field crowd of 8,000. The end results: The Twins stopped playing meaningful games back in May or June. Again. Payroll decreased. Again. The Twins sold off an asset (Morneau). Fans stopped coming to the ballpark like they used to (even if they had paid for tickets in advance). There is hope in sight (a very good farm system), but I am not at all convinced that the talented prospects, alone, will bring relevance to this organization. As I mentioned, this was a non-exhaustive list. Please, leave a comment. Add your thoughts on what else factored into the Twins' failures this season. Thanks for reading. Click here to view the article

[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] He wasn't a household name last year at this time, even among many followers of the Twins' minor league system, but much has changed in the past 12 months. Depending on whom you speak to in the front office, there seem to be differing interpretations on Dozier's role in the Twins' organization this season. Make no mistake -- everyone is speaking of him highly right now. Terry Ryan, for instance, recently mentioned that he would not hesitate to call a player like Dozier up to the major leagues straight from AA New Britain, saying, "[t]hat's not going to scare us off. If he looks like he's mature enough . . . ." And we all know, now, that Ron Gardenhire actually wanted Dozier on the team last season, but that request was refused by management (side note: what does that tell you about how dire the Twins' middle infield situation was?). If Dozier stays healthy, and remains productive, it's a matter of when, not if, he will make his Twins debut. But today, I want to give you 8 reasons I think the Twins should add Dozier to the 40 man roster, award him the starting shortstop job in Minnesota for 2012, and call it a done deal. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]  [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T7ELk_p2kng/T2t-Wof2ZzI/AAAAAAAAANI/bPEH7pE38As/s320/BD.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Brian Dozier can take the shortstop job and run with it in 2012[/TD] [/TABLE]  1. Defensively, I acknowledge that some aren't very high on Dozier, and actually view him as more of a second baseman. Even assuming that he is not the greatest defensive shortstop (although the reports have been pretty positive this spring), the falloff from 38 year old Jamey Carroll to 24 year old Dozier will not be significant. Carroll has limited range, and actually was not even predominately a shortstop earlier in his career. I simply don't see a downside -- defensively -- to having Dozier man the 6-hole, when compared with the alternative. 2. Correspondingly, if Dozier plays shortstop, Carroll could move to second base. Carroll can still bat at the top of the order and be that on-base guy that the Twins desperately need, but I think he would be better, and perhaps more comfortable, at second. The stats on Carroll seem to suggest just that: his total defensive contribution at second has been positive (49 runs above average), but has been negative (4 runs below average) at shortstop. 3. Taking this one step further, having Dozier at short and Carroll at second essentially solves the Twins' utility infielder conundrum: Alexi Casilla is the answer. The Twins do not need to think about looking outside the organization for a Nick Punto-esque player (or even Nick Punto himself) to play second and short in a pinch. 4. The Twins, in all likelihood, won't be winning the division this season. Even if things go right offensively, I think the starting pitching will again be problematic. I'm not going call 2012 a rebuilding year, because a team with a $100 million payroll is not in rebuilding mode, but still it's fair to point out that, with the Tigers perceived dominance and the Twins' perceived weaknesses, it could be a challenging year. What better time to bring in a young prospect. Sure, the expectations will still be high for Dozier, but it presents a good opportunity to let a young guy get a year of MLB experience under his belt. 5. The Twins haven't shied away from aggressive moves this month, most notably by demoting failed shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka to AAA Rochester. The organization, in my opinion, has effectively admitted that the $14.5 million investment in Nishioka was a bust -- but also that the team will not let Nishioka take up a spot on the Target Field bench just because of the paycheck he is "earning." Tough love, indeed, for Nishioka. But Nishioka's loss -- and the Twins' aggressive move to jettison him -- could bode well for Dozier. Additionally, if the Twins plan to use Nishioka at shortstop in Rochester, he will have to split time with Dozier there. From a practicality standpoint, if the Twins ever want Nishioka to get better, he will have to play every day somewhere, just like Dozier. Another aggressive decision -- this time a promotion instead of a demotion -- will send the signal to some of the other young prospects (and perhaps some of our veterans) that hard work can quickly be rewarded in this organization. 6. Dozier has not looked lost in Spring Training. I haven't been following every at-bat, but I have read enough to know that Dozier is holding his own (batting .273 going into Thursday's game), and there has been little mention of bonehead fielding plays or dumb baserunning gaffes. Not that these won't come with any rookie, but it's fair to state that Dozier has not embarrassed himself at all while playing alongside some guys he probably looks up to in a pretty big way. 7. Why should Dozier spend a superficial 3 or 4 months at Rochester? If the Twins expect Dozier to hit major league pitching in the very near future -- like July or August or September of 2012 -- and then to continue hitting major league pitching for the next 10 or more years, why not start now, especially if there are not very many good players at Dozier's position above him on the depth chart? In Rochester, Dozier would be seeing some pitchers on their way up, some on their way down, and maybe a couple major league pitchers rehabbing injuries, but the competition would not be as fierce. 8. Last, but not least, this move gives fans something to be excited about. Carroll is not by any means a sexy or dynamic player. Dozier, on the other hand, could be the first in a wave of "new Twins" (hopefully soon to include Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee), like Mauer and Morneau in the early 2000s, and gamers like Torii Hunter, Corey Koskie and Johan Santana before that, and Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti even before that. There are probably 8 or more reasons not to directly promote Dozier (including the issue of whether he is really going to be a solid defensive shortstop, the fact that having Casilla as the utility infielder raises an issue for a substitute third baseman, and the argument that the Twins should wait to promote Dozier to avoid him achieving Super 2 status), but I'm not convinced by any of them. Under my plan, the only thing that is really "lost" is a full season of Casilla at second base. But I guess I'm at the point with Casilla where I would rather gamble on Dozier, who admittedly is not a sure thing, than on Casilla, who most certainly is not a sure thing (and is no longer a young player, either). In the worst case scenario, Dozier cannot hack it in the majors yet, and will be sent down. This could be tough on Dozier, but it happens dozens of times a season, sometimes even to well established players -- but you know what -- adults learn to deal with it. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. Am I way off-base here? Or do you agree Dozier is ready for his shot? Click here to view the article

[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Chris Parmelee should be fine. He looked great last September in a Twins uniform, and was a bright spot during an otherwise dismal time. Of the three prospects called up -- Parmelee, Joe Benson and Liam Hendriks -- Parmelee looked the most ready for the show. After watching several Rock Cats games last year in person, I was a little surprised that Parmelee, and not Benson, looked better in his time as a Twin, but that is why I don't get paid to do anything baseball related. You can call it a small sample size, and you'd be correct, but for 21 games in a Twins uniform, Parmelee had a .355/.443/.592 slash line with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs, and most importantly, didn't looked overmatched at the plate or in the field. He also just looked comfortable playing in the majors, which some call-ups are not. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] To Parmelee's credit, he followed up his September cup of coffee with a nice glass of Florida orange juice. His numbers aren't quite as impressive, but with a .269 average, 3 home runs and 9 RBIs, he at least has demonstrated that the power he exhibited last September wasn't necessarily a fluke. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nk8l7j_Q7Dg/T3Ww4w4Ko-I/AAAAAAAAANo/XX608dNYa90/s320/Parmelee.bmp With Morneau presumably starting the season as the full-time designated hitter, and with Parmelee's success, Parmelee is the odds-on favorite to start the season at first base. Understandably, once fans got past the news that Morneau will now be a professional hitter, many are excited by Parmelee's potential. In fact, there have been a few blog posts, and even newspaper articles, suggesting that Parmelee might be the next big thing for the Twins. I just don't think that we should get ahead of ourselves. There's likely going to be a big difference between what Parmelee can provide at the plate over the course of a full season in the majors -- seeing pitchers and ballparks for the first time, and becoming accustomed to the rigorous travel schedule and time demands -- and what he demonstrated in New Britain and Minnesota in 2011, and in a few weeks of exhibition games in 2012. I think Parmelee will be a success, both this year and the future, but I also think that in 2012 he will much more closely resemble the player that hit a composite .282 at New Britain than the player that took Target Field by storm last September. As fans, we should be fine with that. Parmelee, who turned 24 last month, is a rookie in the truest sense, without even a game of AAA baseball under his belt. Though he has looked fairly consistent, be ready for slumps, and expect -- at least occasionally -- for him to look overmatched at the plate. It's been a while since the Twins had an exciting rookie prospect come up that both management and fans expected to have a good career (I won't even mention Wilson Ramos; and Danny Valencia, though he did well in 2010, by no means shot up through the minor league system and never batted at or above .300 in AA or AAA). In 2005, Justin Morneau's first season as a full-time first baseman, he batted .239/.304/.437 with 22 home runs, 79 RBIs and 94 strikeouts. The power was there, clearly, but he was still a little raw. The next season he was the American League Most Valuable Player. During his nacency, Morneau was also rated the #14 and #16 prospect by Baseball America. Parmelee, conversely, did not come up through the system with such expectations attached to him. Here's what I expect from Parmelee, assuming just for now that he is a full-time starter (though likely he will be splitting time at first with Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit and perhaps Morneau): .270/.345/.440, with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs. And I expect the defense to be solid, but not astounding. Yes, Parmelee is ready to play in Minnesota. And yes, he looks like a really solid first base prospect with perhaps an exciting future ahead of him. But there's a jump between AA, a September call-up and Spring Training exhibition games, and perhaps having to face CC Sabathia one night, and Justin Verlander or Cliff Lee the next night. The good thing, though, is that Parmelee has looked like a professional this spring, and I have little doubt that he is the type of player that will make the adjustments necessary for long-term success. Click here to view the article

Today was the first full day in Twins Territory without Justin Morneau. Although most people weren't too surprised to see him depart, it does leave a large, Canadian void at first base. He had one hell of a Twins career. I wrote a piece on my blog about his departure. So check it out if you're interested. Now, onto today's minor league action. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 3, SCRANTON W/B 2 As a result of today's win, the Red Wings' season will come down down to a final game Monday. Per the Red Wings: "The win pulled the Red Wings within a half-game of wild card leader Norfolk, whose game in Durham started at 8 pm Sunday night after a lengthy rain delay. If the Wings finish tied with, or ahead of, Norfolk at end of play Monday, Rochester will get the wild card spot and open the playoffs at home Wednesday night." In any event, I'm sure the good fans in Rochester have appreciated winning baseball this season. In tonight's game, Pat Dean earned the win, tossing 7 innings of 1-run baseball. A.J. Achter and Michael Tonkin also threw tonight, as well. Offensively, Aaron Hicks, Ray Olmedo, Chris Parmelee and Jeff Clement all notched 2 hits. Hicks, by the way, had a triple and an RBI. Here's the link to the box score. UPDATE - Norfolk went on to win their game against Durham which means that the Red Wings are one game behind the Tide for that final Wild Card spot with one game to play. So here is the playoff scenario heading into the final game. If Norfolk beats Durham or Rochester loses to Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Norfolk will go to the playoffs. However, if Norfolk loses and Rochester wins, the Red Wings will go to the playoffs as the team will be tied and the tie-breaker is head-to-head. NEW BRITAIN 5. READING 4 Unfortunately, New Britain is not on the cusp of the playoffs, as they had been the two previous seasons. Still, though, there's a lot to play for. Kyle Davies and Daniel Turpen each pitched 3 innings tonight, giving up 2 runs and 1 run (earned), respectively. Cole Johnson tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and walking none, and Dakota Watts earned the win throwing a scoreless 9th, striking out 2. Up until the 9th inning, it looked as though the Rock Cats were due for another loss. They were down 4-2. Then, with one out, Kyle Knudson, Brad Boyer and Angel Morales all singled (the latter scoring Knudson). The next batter, Danny Santana, reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Boyer, and Eddie Rosario ended the game with a sacrifice fly scoring Morales. On the night, Santana, Knudson and Morales had multi-hit efforts. Miguel Sano was 0-for-3. New Britain closes its season out Monday afternoon. I'll be there (after which I'm going to begin experiencing pretty substantial minor league withdrawal), so expect some sort of a recap tomorrow night. Here's a link to the box score. FT. MYERS 3, BRADENTON 2 (10 innings) The Miracle, of course, are already in the playoffs, but that didn't stop them from doing a little extra work today. Matt Tomshaw had a solid start, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs, striking out 4 and issuing 0 free passes. Luke Bard struck out 2 in a perfect 8th inning, and Adrian Salcedo picked up the win, tossing the 9th and 10th innings. He struck out 3 and gave up no hits or walks. Some encouraging pitching performances from the Miracle today. Kennys Vargas was the hero on the offensive side today. He went 3-for-4 with a home run (his 19th on the season), 2 RBIs and a walk. He also had the walk-off single to end the game. Minnesota's own Adam Pettersen had 3 hits and an RBI of his own, and Levi Michael was 2-for-2 with a double. Just because you're probably scanning for his name as you read this, Byron Buxton was 0-for-3 and, if I'm reading the box score correctly, actually grounded into a double play. But don't worry, he still has a .326/.415/.472 line at High-A. And he's like 15 years old or something. Download attachment: Kennys Vargas fm.jpg Here's a link to the box score. CLINTON 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 1 Cedar Rapids, much like Ft. Myers, has had one heck of a season. They finished at 87-50 and are headed to the playoffs. Say what you will about minor league playoffs, but I think that there's something to be said for these young guys learning to play winning Twins baseball early in the developmental process. Today Cedar Rapids came up on the short end, but there were some good performances. Starter Tim Atherton took a tough loss. He threw 6 innings, allowed 2 runs (only 1 earned -- the Kernels had 2 errors today), struck out 4 and walked 0. Alex Muren and Madison Boer tossed the other 2 innings, Boer giving up the third and final Clinton run. The Kernels amassed only 5 hits today, doubles from Jonathan Murphy and Tyler Grimes, and singles from Mike Gonzales, Niko Goodrum and Jeremias Pineda. Here's the link to the box score. That's it for today's minor league action. Please leave any questions or comments. Thanks for reading! Click here to view the article

I'll be the first to admit that the bulk of my Rock Cats coverage this season has centered around Miguel Sano. And it's for a reason -- he's the best prospect that has played for New Britain since I have been following the team. People were interested in watching grainy videos of his #PowerBanana shots, and were curious about his defensive progression. Also, he's simply an electric personality. Trust me, you'll experience it firsthand in Minnesota next season. But there was much more to this team than Sano. And in my opinion, Sano wasn't the team's most valuable player, even in the months he was here. That honor belongs to Josmil Pinto. [TABLE] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfGvYWNUy-U/Uiadg78Eu1I/AAAAAAAAAq4/5S1qwvRBrms/s400/Pinto.jpg Rock Cats, Red Wings, and now Twins catcher,Josmil Pinto [/TABLE] What a 6 months it's been for Josmil Pinto. He started in April as the Rock Cats' everyday catcher, and produced offensively and defensively. In fact, he hit .308/.411/.482. Watching him in person several games, it wasn't just his line drive swing that impressed me. He is a decent catcher with a very good arm. He was promoted on August 1 to AAA Rochester. That alone is a significant accomplishment. But Pinto didn't slow down. He continued to excel as a Red Wing, hitting .314/.333/.486, and is now a member of the Twins. He'll likely see significant playing time behind the dish, I expect, as the Twins would be wise to exercise caution with Joe Mauer. The Twins gave Pinto at least 2 major votes of confidence: first, giving him 2 in-season promotions; and second -- and just as important -- trading Drew Butera at the deadline. These moves suggest that, between Chris Herrmann and Pinto, the Twins' back-up catching spots are covered. To be sure, many guys offered great contributions this season in New Britain. Miguel Sano, Danny Santana, Trevor May, Michael Tonkin, Daniel Ortiz, Alex Meyer (pre-injury), and Nate Hanson (he played all over the field very well) all come to mind. But none of these guys was as valuable on both sides of the ball, and was as consistent, as Pinto. He hit over .300, had a good K-to-walk ratio, showed good power and continued to improve on defense. Yes, he still has a ways to go on the defensive front, but it won't stop him from being able to contribute to the Twins this September and next season. And in my opinion, the fact that he left the Rock Cats the last few weeks (give or take) of the season wasn't significant enough for one of the guys previously listed to trump his selection. Being completely honest, my decision is swayed in part by Joe Mauer's concussion. The concept of "most valuable" is subjective. I happen to see more "value" in places where it's needed. A prospect's value isn't tied solely to his current team so much as it is to the organization as a whole. In the Twins' present situation, we might see more value in prospects at shortstop, third base, starting pitching (ouch) and catcher, especially considering Mauer's advancing age and the recent concussion. In short, Herrmann and Pinto will need to step up. If not in 2014, then in 2015. The fact that Pinto has taken major strides this season, while Herrmann has had, for the most part, a rough go of it, reinforces that Pinto is going to get the shot to prove himself at the major league level. Congratulations, Josmil Pinto, on one hell of a season. Click here to view the article

If I told you that there was a Twins prospect at AA New Britain batting .243, you probably wouldn't blink an eye. If I told you he had some pop in his bat, and a good arm from the left side of the infield, maybe you'd express mild interest. But if I told you that the prospect was Miguel Sano, and that he had a combined 26 HRs and 80 RBIs in early August, playing in two pitchers leagues, you'd probably be interested. Anyone who is reading this piece likely knows what Miguel Sano might -- or could -- mean to this franchise: without exaggeration, he probably is the best power-hitting Twins prospect in the past 30 years. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe_DFyfgUMM/UgGyJgcu3rI/AAAAAAAAApI/t1er7a1Lqvg/s320/Sano+Xmas.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]If you can't tell, Miguel Sano is a kid[/TD] [/TABLE] He just turned 20, and he's holding his own at AA, which is generally considered the largest jump a hitter will make before reaching the major leagues. The purpose here isn't so much to cast opinion (to be sure, I have one, but I'm trying not to let it play out), but rather to to present arguments in favor of, and against, the idea of Sano finishing the season at Target Field as a member of the Twins. Without further ado, let's go through the pros and cons. ~~~Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar~~~ Call Him Up!!! 1. Sano is the best power hitting prospect the Twins have had in . . . well, forever. The Twins need power. Joshn Willingham and Justin Morneau are probably gone, and in any event they have been largely ineffective in 2013; Trevor Plouffe is sporadic. Right now, this club needs a middle-of-the-order bat that can do damage for the next several years. Anyone have a better in-house option than Sano? 2. Yea, his AA batting average isn't great, but look at that OPS (.915). When he is getting on base and making contact, he's doing big, big damage. He has performed in the clutch this season with the Ft. Myers Miracle and the New Britain Rock Cats, and absolutely nothing suggests he won't continue that trend. 3. Twins fans have been really screwed over these past few years. Sweet Lord: Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Jason Marquis, a billion injuries, shredded payroll. Come on, Pohlad Family and Terry Ryan, we really, really need a glimpse of the future, even if he's only 80% ready. You can't sell season tickets on mere All-Star promises. Or maybe you can, but good luck filling those seats for the 81 non-All-Star games next season. People, Let's Be Prudent 1. There is no rush with any prospect in this organization. The Twins need to be taking a long look -- this is a team that needs to be set up to win in 2015-2018. Forget the last month of 2013. And look at his maturity issues. This is a guy that needs to be taught "the process," taught humility, and then brought up when he's ready. 2. Miguel Sano is not dominating AA. Let's not talk about this as if he's tearing the cover off the ball. The guy has 42 strike-outs in 41 games. Yes, he can, and does, hit the ball out of the park, but there's much more to being a major league player than that. And how about his defense? It's undoubtedly improved, but there's work to be done. 3. A jump to the big leagues from AA isn't always in the player's best interest. Look at Oswaldo Arcia: a great hitting AA prospect, called up before he was ready. And it messed with his head. Let's not do that with Sano. Let's make sure he's ready, even if that means finishing this season in AA, or even starting 2014 in AAA. Sano is a rare, rare commodity. And the Twins can't screw this up. In short, this is a great dilemma. Again, Miguel Sano is 20 years old. And tearing the cover off the ball. Yet, even the biggest Sano supporter should concede that he's far from a perfect prospect. For me, going into the second week of August, I'm almost 50/50 as to whether Sano should spend September with the Twins. I'd love to hear you comments -- and arguments both in support and against -- Sano spending the last month of this season in Minneapolis. Click here to view the article

Originally posted at Twins Fan From Afar Much has been made over the past year or so of the physical injuries suffered by the Twins, especially injuries to Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Denard Span and, to a lesser extent Francisco Liriano. All of these players had a tough time staying in the lineup last season, and we are hoping for better health this year. But that might only be half the battle. Download attachment: peanuts-lucy-psychiatrist-234x300.jpg In yesterday's Spring Training game, for example, Liriano was perfect for two innings (striking out three), then imploded in the third inning, giving up four runs very quickly. "I started rushing like I always do," Liriano was quoted as saying. He also stated, "I can't get mad at myself like that." [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Then there's Mauer, who hit 28 home runs in a shortened 2009 season, and who has hardly hit any since then. It's abundantly clear that the not-so-friendly confines of Target Field have gotten in his head. I can scarcely remember Mauer pulling a ball in Target Field that even looked close to becoming a home run; rather, it seems that has become a singles and doubles hitter, with the occasional home run (on the road, no less). Would this change have occurred even if the Twins had stayed in the Metrodome, or was this brought on by Target Field? Or was it some combination in between? Finally, Span and Morneau are both recovering from concussions. The pair has been playing hard all spring, and despite the fact that Span sat out the last couple games with neck pain, there has been no indication that either is suffering from post-concussion symptoms -- right now. But you have to wonder what's going on inside their heads. We all know, because Morneau told us, that he is essentially one injury away from retiring. Span, though younger and with less of a history of concussions, has had a tough road to recovery, as well. Certainly, these players -- arguably the core of the Twins -- are thinking about more than balls, strikes, and what restaurant they're going to after the game. As far as I can tell, the Twins do not employ a full-time sports psychologist. A computer search reveals a few websites for professional sports psychologists that have consulted with the Twins. The Twins website listing their front office personnel notes four physicians: two orthopedic surgeons, and two preventative/occupational medicine specialists. There are also two trainers and one strength and conditioning coordinator. It appears that the physicians all have their own individual practices, which is no surprise, but as far as I know, the trainers and strength coordinator are full-time Twins employees. In other words, there are seven professionals on the Twins' payroll that deal exclusively with the body, but not one that is trained in dealing with the mind. Might it be a good idea to staff a full-time sports psychologist for this team? I can't see the harm. We have a would-be ace pitcher who is consistently inconsistent and gets too amped up, even for Spring Training games; a former MVP whose power has taken a nosedive after his team moved stadiums; and two very good players that are enduring a difficult physical and mental period. Granted, these players are all multi-millionaires, represented by premiere sports agencies, and have, at their disposal, access to first rate medical care across the globe. But just maybe, when the team is on the road, say in Kansas City, and it's two in the morning, and Morneau can't sleep because something is plaguing him, might it not be useful for the Twins to have a trained and experienced professional sports psychologist just down the hall at the team hotel? Or, think about Liriano, pitching in an important nationally televised game against the Tigers in August, with the Twins just two games back in the division. It's a situation where, if history is any indication, Liriano might be too amped up to be successful. Having someone on staff -- someone that can talk about something other that sliders, shoulders and arm angles -- seems potentially valuable to me. For all the money the Twins have spent on player payroll, and even on insurance for certain player contracts, it might be beneficial to bring a psychologist into the fold. What do you think? As always, I'm happy to hear your thoughts. Click here to view the article

The big club lost 6-0 to the Reds this evening. Starter Brian Duensing threw 3 shutout innings, and then hit a wall (his own words), giving up 4 runs in the 4th. The Twins accumulated only 3 hits all day. In the end, it was a recipe for yet another loss. All the affiliates were in action today, so let's take a look at all of the action. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 12, CHARLOTTE 1 Steven Hirschfeld pitched well tonight. In 6 and 2/3 innings, he gave up 1 run (unearned) on 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. Esmerling Vasquez threw 1 and 1/3 innings, and gave up a hit and a walk. Bobby Lanigan threw a scoreless 9th, allowing 2 hits. The Red Wings compiled 15 hits tonight. Danny Valencia led the way, going 3-for-4 with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs and a walk. Sean Burroughs had 3 singles in 5 at-bats, and Ray Chang was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Clete Thomas was 2-for-5 with a double, and Brian Dinkelman, Matt Carson, Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Rene Rivera all singled. Valencia is batting .252 on the year; Nishioka is batting .232. Here's the linkto the box score. NEW BRITAIN 6, RICHMOND 1 This was the Rock Cats' third consecutive win. Starter (but normally reliever) Blake Martin went 4 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 1. Luis Perdomo picked up the win, throwing 5 innings. He gave up 1 run on 1 hit, striking out 6 and walking only 1. A great night for Perdomo. New Britain had only 7 hits all night, but they made them count. First baseman Chris Colabello was 2-for-4 with a home run (11) and a double (11). Nathan Hanson also homered (2), and Evan "don't cut my playing time in favor of Oswaldo Arcia" Bigley doubled (15). Deibinson Romero, Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks also added singles. Additionally, Hicks stole his 16th base of the season, and Arcia had an outfield assist. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 3, ST. LUCIE 10 Starter Cole Nelson took the loss for the Miracle tonight, lasting only 2 and 2/3 innings, giving up 6 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits, striking out 1 and walking 4. Nelvin Fuentes tossed 2 and 1/3 innings and gave up 1 run on 1 hit. He struck out 1 and walked 3. Ricky Bowen threw 2 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, striking out 0 and walking 1. Finally, Matthew Hauser tossed a scoreless 8th, allowing no hits and striking out 2. Miracle pitchers walked 8 batters tonight. The offense got 6 hits this evening, half coming from right fielder Daniel Ortiz, who had 3 singles and a run. Andy Leer was 1-for-2 with a double and 2 runs, and Kyle Knudson and Daniel Rams also singled. The Miracle walked twice and struck out 8 times. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 1, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 This was a pitchers' duel, to be sure. 3 Snappers pitchers turned in excellent performances tonight. Starter Tim Shibuya picked up the win. He threw 6 innings and gave up only 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 1. Clint Dempster got the hold, throwing 2 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking none. Corey Williams got the save, throwing 1/3 of an inning. Right fielder JaDamion Williams had a double and drove in the only run of the game. Designated hitter Steven Liddle was 3-for-4, and Miguel Sano, Drew Leachman, Matthew Koch and Tyler Grimes all had singles for Beloit. Sano had his 25th error of the season, a fielding error. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 18, BURLINGTON 2 Starter Taylor Rogers earned his first win, throwing 5 strong innings. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 7. Hein Robb was good out of the bullpen, striking out 1 and allowing 3 hits in 2 innings of work. Steven Evans gave up the only Burlington runs of the game. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings of work, striking out 1. E-Town banged out 20 hits tonight! Left fielder Romy Jimenez had a triple and a home run, and drove in 3 runs. Max Kepler was 3-for-5 with a triple, Niko Goodrum was 2-for-4 with a triple, 2 RBIs and 3 walks, and Adam Walker was 2-for-7 with a triple, 4 RBIs and 4 strikeouts. That's right -- the E-Town Twins had 4 triples tonight! Candido Pimental had 2 singles, D.J. Hicks doubled and singled, Stephen Wickens had a single, Rory Rhodes singled twice in 5 at-bats, Travis Harrison was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 singles, and Michael Quesada had a double in 5 at-bats. E-Town also walked 11 times today. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 1, GCL RED SOX 9 Starter Austin Malinowski went 3 innings and gave up no runs, striking out 2 and walking 2. Trent Higginbotham took the loss, throwing 2 and 1/3 innings and allowing 3 runs on 2 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Melciades De La Cruz gave up 5 runs (2 earned) in 1 and 2/3 innings, striking out 1 and walking 1. Hung Yi Chen threw 2 innings and gave up 1 run, striking out 4. The GCL Twins had only 1 hit today, a single off the bat of catcher Jorge Fernandez. Top prospect Byron Buxton was 0-for-4, but let's not count him out quite yet. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Saturday, June 23 Pitcher(s) of the Day: Beloit Snappers trio of Shibuya, Dempster and Williams. Download attachment: beloit.jpg Hitter of the Day: Danny Valencia Download attachment: Valencia.jpg --------------------------------------------- Schedule for Sunday, June 24, 2012 Rochester vs. Charlotte -- RHP Cole De Vries New Britain @ Richmond -- RHP Brett Jacobson Ft. Myers vs. Tampa -- RHP Madison Boer Beloit @ Cedar Rapids -- ??? Elizabethtown vs. Bristol -- ??? GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles -- ??? --------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments here, and either Seth or I will be happy to respond. 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Yes, Chrome. I'll try again tonight and let you know. Thanks, Brock.

Download attachment: lunch1.jpg Here's some good trivia: In 2013, 9 former Rock Cats players made major league debuts: Caleb Theilbar; Josmil Pinto; Oswaldo Arcia; Aaron Hicks; Chris Colabello; Michael Tonkin; Kyle Gibson; Andrew Albers; and Brock Peterson. With the exception of Peterson, who saw some time with the Cardinals, the other 8 players wore Twins uniforms. I watched each of these guys play and, of the guys on this list, have had good conversations with Colabello and Hicks. The truth is, when the major league club struggles, like the Twins have, there isn't much between AA and the major leagues. That was kind of the theme of today's Rock Cats Hot Stove Luncheon.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Brad Steil, Twins Director of Minor League Operations, was today's keynote speaker. He was . . . very Minnesotan. Kind, soft-spoken. For instance, describing the 2013 Twins starting rotation, he said (not deadpanning like Terry Ryan or Gardy might), "we struggled a little bit." Not surprisingly, he's big into Byron Buxton, promising Rock Cats' fans that they will see the promising prospect at some point in 2014. Steil also noted that many believe Buxton has the best arm in the entire Twins' system. That's pretty impressive, especially when coupled with all his other tools. Other players Rock Cats' fans should expect to see in 2014: Kennys Vargas, Taylor Rogers, Matt Summers, Ryan O'Rourke, and Reynaldo Rodriguez. Steil mentioned that about half the 2013 team likely is returning this upcoming season. One thing Steil said that annoyed me -- and he basically opened up his keynote with this: "We're not a big market team. You're not gonna see us handing out a $100 million contract." True statement -- yes and no. The Twins aren't big market like the Yankees or the Red Sox, but they sure as hell aren't small market, and I simply hate that Metrodome Mindset (did I just coin that?). Steil's larger point -- which is true -- is that the Twins' talent comes predominately from the farm system, and that New Britain is arguably the most important stop on the path to Target Field. Bill Smith said the same thing 2 years ago regarding the importance of New Britain. I think it's mostly true. On the other hand, it kind of reminds me of when you go to a concert, and the lead singer says something like, "We love you, North Dakota! Fargo is our favorite city to play!!" I have some breaking Miguel Sano news to report: There will be a Miguel Sano bobblehead at Rock Cats Stadium in 2014. Oh. You were looking for actual news, like about Sano's elbow or where the Twins will have him start in 2014? I don't have anything related to that. In fact, apart from raffling off a Sano autographed picture, he wasn't even mentioned in this luncheon. It's clear the entire organization is holding their cards close on this issue. I'm going to be 100% shocked, even if Sano has a great Spring Training, if he starts 2014 in Minnesota. A couple small takeaways from today's event: First, I think the Rock Cats will be better in 2014 than they were in 2013. I expect several of last season's Ft. Myers Miracle roster to be up in New Britain for a good chunk of this season. Those guys put up some pretty good offensive numbers. As always, though, the other key is going to be pitching. Second, I think the both organizations are happy with the relationship in New Britain. The player development contract (essentially, the agreement the Twins and the Rock Cats have to partner as affiliates) is set to expire after the 2014 season. In June, 2012, the parties agreed to this current extension, but only for 2 years -- the minimum possible number of years. In those couple seasons, Smith has done essentially what he is hired to do: prepare talent for the next level. Yes, Hicks, Gibson, Arcia and others have struggled at the major league level, but that can hardly be blamed on the AA coaching staff. "They sure looked good when they were here," I recall saying. The other question is whether New Britain is happy with the relationship, or has better options. As I've mentioned before, the other regional teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Mets) are all locked into long-term player development contracts. Yes, there are other openings (Cleveland, Baltimore, Detroit, Giants) after the 2014 season, but it's tough to imagine what any of those organizations would offer New Britain that Minnesota wouldn't. Additionally, the Twins are pretty good about sending talent (Sano, Buxton, Arcia, Meyer, etc.) to New Britain, including players once or twice a season on rehab assignments. I'm biased, of course. I enjoy writing this blog, and if the Rock Cats component vanishes, I don't know .... Finally, Chris Colabello. He drove down from Massachusetts (as did Ryan O'Rourke) to speak to the crowd. Both were funny, sincere and professional speakers. Colabello's speech reminded me how great his story was. Seven years in independent baseball. Seven years! He was 29 when he made his debut, and it took a perfect storm of success in the Independent League, a need in the Twins' system for organizational depth, Colabello's own dominance at AA and AAA, and a struggling big league team, for it to happen. Obviously, with Joe Mauer expected to play "150-160 games" at first base this season according to Steil, Colabello's future in Minnesota is uncertain, at best. But you know what? I'm not ready to write him off yet. He has come this far. For every Buxton or Sano, there are literally hundreds of Colabellos. And that might be the best part of minor league baseball. You just never know. Click here to view the article