Twins Fan From Afar

I've been spoiled. This summer, I've been able to watch Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, from right over the home dugout, for $15 a ticket. You might think that having Sano and Rosario on the same minor league team, at the same time, is an affiliate's dream come true. To be sure, I'm confident that ticket sales increased after Sano and Rosario arrived, but the life of an affiliate is much more complicated. I've heard it stated that the Twins control everything on the field, and the Rock Cats control everything else. I wouldn't call that a 100% accurate statement, but you get the general idea. Put yourself in the seat of a (relatively) small business owner -- a MiLB affiliate owner, to be precise -- for just a second. It's difficult to imagine giving away control over the on-the-field product, while retaining control only over the relatively ancillary things, such as ticket prices and promotions. (Granted, ticket prices and concession prices go a long way in determining profitability). If I was the Rock Cats' owner, I'd certainly want a large say in the roster, but that's not the way that the system works. In fact, if Terry Ryan calls New Britain and says that Angel Morales is going to play every inning of every game for the next week because he's going to be the "minor league part" of a trade, well, that's the way it's going to be. [TABLE] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G5voEsiX99s/UhVn3sCEbuI/AAAAAAAAAqA/GZC6T-TeUwk/s320/Smiddy.jpg [TD=align: center]Rock Cats' Manager Jeff Smith. Courtesy of Richard Messina, Hartford Courant[/TD] [/TABLE] Since I've been following the Rock Cats, it's been up-and-down. They will not make the playoffs this year, and fell just short the two prior years. Meanwhile, the Twins minor league system, as a whole, continues to ascend the organizational rankings. As I write this, the overall consensus is that the Twins have a Top 5, and probably even higher, minor league system. Why, then, haven't the Rock Cats been more successful? I'm not about to place a large amount of blame on the coaches. Looking at this season only as an example: Alex Meyer (best pitching prospect on the roster) was injured half the season; Trevor May (second best pitching prospect on the roster) under-performed; and Sano and Rosario were only in New Britain half the season. The majority of the rest of the roster (excepting maybe half a dozen guys) are unlikely to play major league baseball for more than the proverbial cup of coffee. In other words, although there were top prospects, the deeper levels of talent might not have been there. Having a few good guys on paper does not a postseason team make. But back to the managing. Jeff Smith is in his third year managing in New Britain, after working his way up from Beloit and Ft. Myers. He spent a lot of time in New Britain as a minor leaguer, but never made the majors. I have yet to hear anything on-the-record concerning his managerial skills and I actually do believe that he had the full support of the Twins' organization when he benched Sano last month. But I'm not sure what role the Smith has in the organizational future, and I'm honestly not sure in what regard the current players hold him. Without any particular knowledge base, I'd put both Jake Mauer and Doug Mientkiewicz (today named as manager of the year for the Florida State League) above Smith. I do believe that the Twins are going to go a different direction this off-season with Ron Gardenhire. And I also believe that a Gardenhire decision will have a significant trickle-down effect on the affiliates. Much in the same way, I'm not sure what the future holds for pitching coach Stu Cliburn (longtime member of the organization) and new hitting coach Chad Allen. Yep, Chad Allen, the same former Twins player who was named in the Mitchell Report, and who was never a great hitter (not that that is a prerequisite, necessarily, to be able to teach hitting). In short, it's a very interesting mix of young and old that converged this season to coach the Rock Cats. Far be it from me -- or probably anyone reading this -- to speculate with any accuracy whether they did or did not do their jobs, but I can guess that the effect of 3 Twins seasons of 90+ losses is likely to have a very direct effect on the New Britain coaching staff. I want to end with this: Is there is something to be said for the fact that Cedar Rapids (definitely), Ft. Myers (definitely) and Rochester (likely) are all headed to the playoffs this season, but the Rock Cats are not? Is it simply bad timing on the Rock Cats' part, or is there something more? Coaching is very difficult to judge. I generally agree with the sentiment that managers get too much credit on winning teams, and too much blame on crappy teams. But at the same time, I do think that, in almost any business, change is necessary after a protracted period of losses -- whether that be earnings per share in a Fortune 500 company or a win-loss record in a professional sport. I will be curious to see what happens this off-season. Even if Gardy keeps his job, I expect some change in the Twins' AA ranks. Thanks, as always, for reading. I welcome any comments. Click here to view the article

[TABLE] http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_MLB/201302191444530758115-p2.jpg [TD][/TD] [/TABLE] There's Joe Mauer. Then a big, big gap. Sure, Ryan Doumit can technically sit there and intercept a pitch before it hits the umpire. But to call him a full-time catcher -- or even an adept one -- may be a stretch. Nothing against Doumit as a baseball player and hitter, but a reliable catcher he is not. And of course there was Wilson Ramos, but enough has been written on that chapter. And finally, Drew Butera. Calls a great game and has a great arm, but cannot hit his way out of AAA. Long story short, the Twins have been searching for their next catcher for quite some time.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Last season, I was on the Chris Herrmann bandwagon. And I still am, to an extent. He put together a very nice 2012, demonstrating that he could hit, he could catch and that he could even play left field. Rightfully, he started 2013 at AAA Rochester. Unfortunately, 2013 has been rough thus far for Herrmann. He's hitting only .242/.308/.274 with 3 doubles. Yes, it's still very early in the season, and that's important to note. But it's also accurate to state that the first month-plus of 2013 has been disappointing for Herrmann. There's no reason to write him off -- he still has more than 300 at-bats to accumulate this summer -- but I am disappointed that Herrmann has been so slow out of the gate in what is a very important season for him. This preamble brings me to Josmil Pinto. While Herrmann has struggled, Pinto has flourished. Pinto, who turned 24 at the end of March, earned an "August call-up" to the Rock Cats last season after batting .295/.361/.473 with the High-A Ft. Myers Miracle. As I've written before, Pinto didn't disappoint. In 47 Rock Cats at-bats last season, he hit a nice .298/.365/.553. It's too small a sample size to determine anything other than that Pinto did indeed belong in AA. This brings me to 2013. Pinto has undoubtedly been the Rock Cats' best hitter. As New Britain's starting catcher, Pinto has hit .341/.414/.550 in his first 129 at-bats. He has 7 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, and 29 RBIs. Here's some league-wide information on Pinto, as of the date of this post. He's 3rd in the entire Eastern League in runs with 25; 2nd in hits with 44; tied for 2nd in home runs with 6; 1st in RBIs with 29; 1st in total bases with 71; 7th in on-base percentage at .414; 4th in slugging percentage at an even .550; 2nd in average at .341; and 2nd in OPS at .964. I should reiterate that we are only in the second week of May. Pinto has not yet been around the league that proverbial "second time." But at the same time, he's demonstrating thus far that he has improved from 2012, that he can catch a good game (he has a good arm from what I've seen, but I have heard that he needs work framing pitches), and that it's time to start considering where he sits on the Twins' depth chart. For my Twins' catching depth chart, I'm simply not going to count Drew Butera. It's the fan's prerogative, right? Nothing personal, but I've seen enough. He's earning more than major league minimum and the Twins have 2 other catchers that can do his job for less. So as of today, my Twins' depth chart at catcher is: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, Chris Herrmann, Josmil Pinto. If Pinto keeps that average above .300, keeps hitting for extra bases -- and if Herrmann fails to correct his early season slide -- I'm prepared to switch those final two positions as soon as July, when Pinto more than likely will catch at New Britain Stadium as a member of the Eastern League All-Star Team. But calling Pinto the next Twins' catcher is too simple a conclusion. Herrmann had a very good year last season and in my opinion, from having seen both catch a handful of games, Herrmann is a better receiver. There's a lot of baseball to go in 2013 and I'd like to see both Herrmann and Pinto have strong campaigns that force the Twins' front office to make a tough decision in 2014. As this team rebuilds, isn't that what we, as fans, want -- competition from qualified applicants for a spot on the team that will cost only $500,000? And competition that might make Ryan Doumit a tradeable asset this season or next? There's a long way to go in 2013. But so far, so good with Josmil Pinto. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Aaron Hicks.jpg Just 5 months ago, I questioned whether Aaron Hicks had earned his promotion to AA. At that time, he was coming off a less-than-impressive High-A slash line of .242/.354/.368 in 2011. More importantly, he was repeating High-A that season, so I had reason to be suspicious. Boy, was I wrong. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Hicks unquestionably had a breakout season in 2012 that, at least for me, firmly places him in the top five Twins prospects going into 2013. His numbers tell most of the story: .286/.384/.460; 21 2B; 11 3B; 13 HR; 61 RBIs (even though he served as leadoff hitter the last half of the season); 79 BB; 116 K; 32 SB; 11 CS. He accumulated 472 at-bats and scored in even 100 runs. Hicks led the Rock Cats in several offensive categories, but I want to examine him compared to Eastern League batting leaders. After all, he profiles as a future major league regular, so we should be comparing him to the best players in his division, not just on his team. His .286 average is good for 15th in the league. The 11 triples are tied for first in the league, and the 100 runs are solidly in first place in the entire league. Hicks tied for first in walks, was third in stolen bases, and eighth in on-base percentage. All of these numbers boil down to this: an incredibly solid season. It was disappointing that he did not receive a September call-up. I understand that the outfield is relatively full with Ben Revere, Josh Willingham, Chris Parmelee and Darin Mastroianni. I get it -- Hicks would not have received regular playing time, and it would cost the Twins money to have him sitting on the bench making major league minimum salary. But September call-ups can serve another function aside from helping to ensure that a team has enough healthy bodies at the end of the season: they can be a reward. And Hicks certainly was deserving of a reward. (For the record, I also believe that at least one of Chris Colabello (fantastic story and hit the cover off of the ball), Oswaldo Arcia (professional hitter), or Chris Herrmann (catching depth) could have been selected for an extended look at Target Field this final month of the season, too. But Hicks, above all others, looked like he had earned a call-up in 2012.) But there is another reason to like Hicks: he is one of the most polite and well-spoken professional athletes that I have ever met. I spoke to him just a couple nights ago, and am not sure that I recall meeting an athlete as humble. I'm certain, of course, that I have seen the last of Hicks in New Britain. I suspect he'll open 2013 in Rochester as their every day center fielder, and will be in position for a call-up next season at this time, if not a little sooner (especially if either Denard Span or Revere is traded). Congratulations, Aaron, on a fantastic season, and good luck in the future. Click here to view the article

Is it just me? I went to post a blog tonight, but couldn't get past the terms and conditions. My only option was "continue," so I clicked that, but it brought me back to square 1.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LNxZoVqMnpg/T8uwq_-e_SI/AAAAAAAAAYM/dlqtJMBfYWk/s400/Herrmann.jpg Chris Herrmann (courtesy of Tia Ann Chapman, Hartford Courant) [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The Minnesota Twins used their sixth round selection in 2009 to draft Chris Herrmann, a native of Tomball, Texas. Herrmann transferred from Alvin Community College to the University of Miami. He had been drafted in the tenth round of the 2008 draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but did not sign. Herrmann is in his fourth season in the Twins' minor league system, currently playing for the Rock Cats. He is the team's starting catcher, but also plays left field and serves as designated hitter. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] His ascension through the minor league system has been steady. He played 59 games for Elizabethton in 2009, played the entire 2010 season in Ft. Myers, and started 2011 in Ft. Myers but quickly was promoted to the Rock Cats. Last season, Herrmann batted .258/.380/.392 for New Britain, with 14 doubles and 7 home runs. So far in 2012, Herrmann is hitting .253/.309/.405 with 14 doubles and 5 home runs. As you can see, although the on-base percentage is lower, Herrmann is hitting for more power this season (the exchange of more power for fewer walks is interesting to note). He has thrown out 36 percent of base-stealers this season, and has yet to commit an error. This is notable because he has played 33 games at catcher, 11 in left field, and 1 at third base. As I have recently mentioned, I believe that Herrmann is a candidate for promotion this season. Aside from the pitchers that the Rock Cats have sent up to Rochester this season, there haven't been many standout position players worthy of promotion. My guess is that Herrmann will probably be the first. If he can get that batting average and on-base percentage up just a little bit, I would not be at all surprised to see him in a Twins uniform this September. He's 24, he is hitting for more power this season, and he is a good catcher. Also -- and just as importantly -- there's not much depth behind Joe Mauer. Drew Butera, Rene Rivera and J.R. Towles certainly should not stand in Herrmann's way. In the best case scenario, I believe that Herrmann can take the place of Ryan Doumit next season, for about 15 percent of Doumit's salary, and make a positive difference for the Twins. Herrmann's emergence in Minnesota next season also would solve the Drew Butera problem. Finally, Herrmann is also useful because he has the ability to play the outfield when necessary, and is not a defensive liability in left field. Yes, he's not a perfect prospect, but looking at the Twins' catching depth chart, he might already be second in the entire organization. Herrmann would be a very good part-time catcher in 2013, and it's not tough to think that he could be a good full-time catcher in a couple years if Mauer makes a move to another position in order to save his knees. Before Saturday's game, Herrmann was kind enough to sit down and chat with me for a few minutes in the New Britain Stadium dugout. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: You're from Texas originally, so who did you watch growing up -- what were your favorite teams and players? A: I'm from the Houston area, so growing up I always just watched the Houston Astros play, caught a few games. Got to watch them live, so that was fun. Also was a Rangers fan, liked them a lot too. Now I am Twins [fan], so that's the main team I'm focusing on and watching all the time. I definitely looked up to [ivan] Pudge Rodriguez a lot, especially when he was with the Rangers. I just grew up watching him -- always had his mitts. He was kind of my idol growing up. Q: If you had to use one word to describe life in the minor leagues, what would it be? A: Tough. You know, we don't get paid a whole lot, our living situations aren't always great, you know it's just something you have to battle. It's hard when you have 3 or 4 roommates, you don't really get much personal time. So, it's fun, but it's tough at the same time. Q: How do you like being in the Twins organization? A: It's great. Everybody in the staff are good guys, and they treat you good, and I'm having a lot of fun here right now. Q: Have you been to Minnesota? A: Yea, my first time was Twinsfest this year, so I got to check out the Metrodome and saw a little bit of Target Field. But other than that it was cold, which I'm not really used to being from Texas. Overall it was a good experience. Q: Last week you had consecutive games with 4 hits. Was that a first for you as a professional? [Note: in those 2 games, Herrmann was 8-for-9 with 2 doubles] A: There's been a few times where I've gotten 4 hits in a game, but there's never been a time where I got 4 hits in back-to-back games. [Laughs.] You don't ever really see that coming. Q: Did you feel more dialed-in, or do you think it was just a mix of making good contact and the usual luck that goes along with hitting? A: I was definitely dialed in, and I had a few balls that I got lucky on, so that helped! Q: Is it ever tough to focus on the day-to-day stuff. You're 1 or 2 steps away from getting the call. I can imagine you have to focus on the day-to-day stuff to get your job done, but how much do you look to the future? A: Yea, when things are going good you tend to look to the future a little bit. I really don't like to do that too much, cause, like you said, we have to focus on our day-to-day stuff. I'm here right now so that's what I need to focus on to get to the next level. Q: I know you've been in big league camp at Spring Training Have you talked to any of the Twins players like Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau? A: In big league camp I got to spend a little time talking to Joe about catching stuff. He's a nice guy -- kind of keeps to himself. I talked to some other guys, too. They all treat you like you're part of the team, which is great. I hear that some organizations aren't really like that. Q: How do you like living in Connecticut? A: Ahh . . . it's ok. The weather's not too great. There's been a lot of rain. I feel like we had a lot better weather last year. With the rain, it's tough --- we can't get much [work] done before the game. Q: Last question: when you close your eyes and think about it, where do you see yourself in 2 years? A: Hopefully I'll be in the bigs by then. Obviously I gotta keep working hard. Nothing's going to get handed to me, so I have to prove myself ready for the big leagues in 2 years. That's my main goal -- keep working hard and proving to the staff and the managers that I'll be ready to go by then. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Herrmann was extremely kind, very down-to-earth, and just seemed like a nice guy. Easy to root for. I'm hoping to interview a couple other players before the season is over. I want to thank the Rock Cats, especially Jeff Dooley and Patrick O'Sullivan, for arranging this for me, and of course Chris himself, for taking a little time during what is a really busy pre-game schedule that the players are kept on. Click here to view the article

The Twins are currently throttling the Indians. It's nice to see. Josh Willingham continues to demonstrate that he was an excellent off-season signing, and Alexi Casilla even got in on the action. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ROCHESTER 5, COLUMBUS 8 Liam Hendriks had a bad start. In 5 innings of work, he allowed 12 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), walked 3, struckout 1, and allowed a homer. Daniel Turpen allowed an unearned run in 1 and 1/3 innings on 3 walks and a strikeout, and Caleb Thielbar threw 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 3. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Right fielder Matt Carson led the way on offense, hitting 2 home runs and a single, and driving in 4. Sean Burroughs had 2 doubles, Brian Dinkelman had 2 hits, including a double, and Chris Parmelee and Clete Thomas each singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, READING 5 (GAME 1 -- 7 innings) Steven Hirshfeld took the loss for the Rock Cats tonight. He went 5 and 1/3 innings, gave up 5 runs on 9 hits, and struck out 3 while walking 1. Thereafter, Jose Gonzalez walked the only batter he faced, and Marty Popham tossed 2/3 of an inning, allowing 1 hit. Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Colabello and Joe Benson each had 2 hits, Benson with a double and Colabello with his 14th home run of the season. Deibinson Romero was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs, and James Beresford had a single in 2 at-bats. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 0, READING 6 (GAME 2 -- 7 innings) Aaron Thompson had a solid start, up until the 6th inning, anyway, but the offense didn't come through. In 5 and 1/3 innings, Thompson gave up 6 runs on 8 hits, striking out 6 and walking 2. Thompson had allowed 2 runs through 5 innings, but ran into trouble in the 6th inning, allowing a triple, sacrifice fly, a walk, a home run and a double before being replaced in favor of David Bromberg. Bromberg allowed 2 hits (and 1 inherited runner to score) in 2/3 of an inning, striking out 1. There were only 5 hits in this second game, a double by Daniel Rohlfing, and singles by Joe Benson, Rene Tosoni and Shawn Roof (2 for Roof). Benson, by the way, has now hit safely in his past 5 games. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 0, BREVARD COUNTY 3 Pat Dean went 4 innings in his start today, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits. He struck out 2 and walked 2. Ryan O'Rourke allowed an unearned run in 2 innings of work, allowing 2 hits and striking out 3. Ricky Bowen was very good today, throwing 3 innings and allowing only 1 hit. There wasn't very much Miracle offense to speak of tonight -- only 4 total hits. Daniel Ortiz doubled in 3 at-bats, and Kyle Knudson, Lance Ray and Michael Gonzales all singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 10, PEORIA 4 Tyler Jones was on the rubber for the Snappers tonight. He went 6 and 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs (only 2 earned) on 5 hits. He struck out 11 and walked 2. Tim Atherton threw 1 and 2/3 innings, striking out 1 and walking 1. Zack Jones threw a scoreless 9th, walking 1 and striking out 1. First baseman Kenny Vargas had a great game. He was 2-for-4 with a home run and a triple. He drove in 4 runs, and also walked once. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-for-5 with a double, Stephen Wickens doubled in 3 at-bats, and Nate Roberts, Drew Leachman, Miguel Sano, Matthew Koch and Jairo Rodriguez all singled. Sano, 1-for-2 on the day, walked 3 times and had 2 RBIs late in the game. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 5, GREENVILLE 0 Angel Mata had a solid start today. In 5 innings of work, he only allowed 2 hits, striking out 8 and walking none. Kaleb Merck threw 2 scoreless innings in relief, giving up 2 hits and striking out 2. J.T. Chargois closed out the game, also throwing 2 innings, striking out 1. E-Town had 8 hits today, 3 coming off the bat of Candido Pimentel, who was just a home run shy of the cycle, and had 2 RBIs. Joshua Hendricks had 2 hits, including a double, and an RBI. Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco doubled, and Niko Goodrum singled in 4 at-bats. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 4, GCL RED SOX 1 32nd overall pick Jose Berrios started for the Twins today, and was good. He threw 4 innings, allowed only 2 hits, and struck out 6. Austin Malinowski threw 3 and 2/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 6 and walking 1. Trent Higginbotham tossed 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and issuing 1 walk. Top prospect Eddie Rosario was 3-for-5 with 3 doubles and an RBI. Joel Licon had 2 singles in 5 at-bats. Byron Buxton and Aderlin Mejia each doubled. Buxton is batting .197 on the season, but is hitting .290/.389/.742 in his last 10 games. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Saturday, July 28 Hitter of the Day: Eddie Rosario Download attachment: Eddie.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Angel Mata Download attachment: Mata.jpg ------------------------------------------- Schedule for Sunday, July 29 Rochester @ Columbus --- RHP Shairon Martis New Britain @ Reading --- LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers vs. Breavard County --- RHP Matthew Summers Beloit @ Peoria --- LHP Matt Tomshaw Elizabethton @ Bristol --- LHP Hein Robb ------------------------------------------------ If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here! Thanks. Click here to view the article

http://1.bp.blogspot...0/Rock Cats.bmp There is breaking Twins-related minor league news this afternoon in Central Connecticut, where it has been announced that the New Britain Rock Cats, which had done very well in the community and in terms of attendance, under owners Bill Dowling (former attorney for George Steinbrenner) and Coleman Levy (local attorney), is being sold to an investment group. [Originally posted at my blog, http://twinsfanfromafar.blogspot.com] DSF Group, the purchaser, is a real estate and sports investment firm, and also owns the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (same division as the Rock Cats and AA affiliate of the Blue Jays), and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Class A affiliate of Tampa Bay Rays). Interestingly, John Willi, who left the helm as the Rock Cats' general manager in 2010 to take a position at DSF, will be returning to that post.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I have a feeling that this is going to be an interesting story, especially as rumors have been floating around that the Rock Cats may change affiliation. I will be keeping track of this story and any further developments. But as a fan, as long as the ticket prices remain affordable, and the quality of baseball is good, I'll be happy to continue to support the Rock Cats. Here's the article from the Hartford Courant detailing the sale. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: download+(3).jpg It's one thing to predict an Opening Day lineup after things begin to shake out in Spring Training. It's another to do it a full month before pitchers and catchers arrive. So in the spirit of good fun, what follows is my January 26, 2014 prediction for the New Britain Rock Cats' Opening Day lineup. The first several spots in my batting order pack a little punch. Between guys like Byron Buxton and Danny Santana that hit and have speed, and guys like Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas (throw in C.J. Ziegler, too) with power, this is an offense that should score some runs. Danny Ortiz and Matt Koch are no slouches, either! Predicting the Opening Day starter is more or less impossible. Part of me wants to say Alex Meyer. I don't think there's any way he's joining the Twins to begin 2014, but the real question is whether his injury-plagued 2013 regular season temporarily stunted him. In other words, I tend to think that both Meyer and Miguel Sano could start in New Britain, but would be eligible to be promoted after just a month or so. If he's in New Britain, Meyer should be the Opening Day starter. However, I'm going to predict that Meyer will join Trevor May and start 2014 at AAA Rochester. Instead, I think D.J. Baxendale, who was unstoppable at High-A Ft. Myers, but struggled considerably in New Britain, will get the nod. This is a big year for him. Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar 1. Byron Buxton (CF) 2. Danny Santana (SS) 3. Miguel Sano (3B)** 4. Kennys Vargas (DH) 5. C.J. Ziegler (1B) 6. Daniel Ortiz (LF) 7. Mike Kvasnicka (RF) 8. Matt Koch © 9. Levi Michael (2B) Pitcher: D.J. Baxendale **This particular pick involves a little of my own personal bias. Part of the bias is that I want to see him play a few more games at AA because, well, that's where I watch baseball games. The other part is my opinion (admittedly, not a scout's opinion) of his play last summer. There was still work to be done on defense, and I really want to see him become even more willing to take a walk (I recall several at-bats where he'd swing at a questionable -- not hitters -- 3-and-1 pitch, when it very likely would have been ball 4). Can he make those improvements during Spring Training and at AAA? Certainly. Is there a little less stress for him to do it in New Britain? Perhaps. Finally, his health is still a question. Yes, all indications are that his elbow is in much better shape, but I'm not ready to believe that until I see him in the field throwing bullets to first base without effort. I'll be happy with any decision, aside from sending him to Minnesota to begin the season. In the end, I bet I'm about half right on the players. Buxton, Vargas, Ziegler, Ortiz, Koch, Michael, seem locks. So, where do you think I was right, and where'd I go wrong? Click here to view the article

Last night I had a brief, and sort of strange, Twitter exchange with Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press. He tweeted "I'm still waiting for the Twins organization to hand Miguel Sano a first baseman's mitt." We exchanged a few respectful replies - this definitely wasn't a Twitter argument or war -- but it was still very confusing to me, and I still firmly believe I'm correct. (Here's the link to the first of the Tweets.) First, let's agree on one thing: Powers is correct that Sano's defense had nowhere to go but up. Improvement was expected, for sure. But let's look at the data: Sano currently has 21 errors on the season (in 111 games thus far); in 2012 he had 42 errors in 126 games. He's playing at higher levels in 2013 than in 2012, and his fielding percentage has increased from .884 to .932. In fact, he's likely to cut his errors almost in half. Yes, that's not deep analysis, but it's something. I've watched Sano in person about 10-12 games this summer. He is not going to be elite defensively, but I hope if you were fortunate to watch this past week's game on FSN, you saw Sano make a fantastic play coming in on a slow roller down the line. He fielded it expertly and made a strong throw to get the runner. He still makes bad plays, but fans who think he's some kind of stone-handed giant at the hot corner are simply wrong. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wxQ3gI13Xic/UhkyW7RwlTI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/0n6proboJSs/s320/Sano+Futures.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Miguel Sano for the World team at the 2013 Futures Game. Image courtesy of me. [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Sano's defense is not where it eventually needs to be -- just like his bat is not yet at the major league level. But would the Twins really move him, at age 20, to an "easy" defensive position and give up on him playing third base, which has been a position of need for this team for many years since I have been born (excepting the Gary Gaetti and Corey Koskie years)? In one word, that sounds foolish. Moreover, here is a short list of guys who could play first base for the Twins in 2014 that are not Miguel Sano: Justin Morneau (if the Twins got him for a year cheap); Chris Colabello (will he get a shot at a long stint in the majors starting to see if he is better than a AAAA player?); Joe Mauer (he almost certainly will play fewer games behind the plate in 2014 than in 2013, but the team needs that bat in the lineup); and Chris Herrmann (Twins fans, please pay attention: he is arguably the most versatile player on this team). The Twins certainly don't need him at first base, and that's certainly not his only shot to the majors. Let's talk about third base depth for just a minute. Trevor Plouffe, 27 years old, is hitting .231/.292./.386 for the Twins this season. He has 9 errors in 88 games at the hot corner, and his fielding percentage at third base is .959 this season. I'd be an idiot to state that his defense isn't better than Sano's -- of course it is. But is he that much better? Will he eventually be that much better on defense than Sano might? Open question, but I tend to think that the guy who is 20, a better prospect than Plouffe ever was, and -- let us not forget -- is still learning to play third base after growing up as a shortstop -- will eventually equal or surpass Plouffe defensively. Not to mention that Plouffe's hitting has been awful this season. Finally, I should mention Deibinson Romero for a second. I like him, and he has some pop in his bat. I watched him all last season at New Britain, and he's a fun guy to follow. This season, he has a .952 fielding percentage up at Rochester, to go with a .264/.369/.418 line. He'll turn 27 next month. I'd hardly call him a legitimate prospect, but it's possible he could see major league time. Hypothetically, though, if the Twins are going to invest time and innings (while the team is bad) in a prospect that needs to improve defensively (and offensively), wouldn't you rather Sano get the chance, than Romero? In fact, I'd rather Sano get the chance at some point in 2014 (assuming continued improvement in the minors) over Plouffe. The bottom line is this: when the Twins are next competing for a division title, Miguel Sano -- and not Trevor Plouffe or Deibinson Romero -- is going to be playing a crucial role. To give up on him at third base now, when things honestly don't matter since the reset of the team is so bad, is incredibly short-sighted. The idea that the Twins -- headed for their third straight 90 loss season -- would give up on their second best prospect, who just turned 20, at a position of defensive importance for the franchise -- is preposterous. Perhaps Powers was trying to drum up conversation or say something provocative, but I think it came off as crazy. Yes, maybe someday, if Sano doesn't continue to improve defensively, he will become a right fielder (he does have a good arm) or a first baseman. But that day won't occur in 2013. In fact, I'd be shocked if it came before the end of the 2015 season. Click here to view the article

The minor league season is about to wrap up. A couple teams -- E-Town and Beloit -- are headed to the playoffs, which is great for fans of the minor league system. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ELIZABETHTON 4, DANVILLE 0 The 2012 Appalachian League Playoffs, Series 1 (the semi-finals), pits familiar post-season foes the Twins and the Braves. The E-Town Twins got the first victory in this best-of-3 series, so they hold a major advantage now. E-Town won on the road, so they will play tomorrow night at home, hoping to wrap up this series with consecutive wins. Here's the rundown of tonight's action:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] This game was all about E-Town's pitching. 2012 draft pick, and sure-fire top Twins pitching prospect Jose Berrios turned in a great start, going 6 innings, allowing only 1 hit, striking out 7 and walking 1. Tyler Duffey threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 4, and J.T. Chargois tossed a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 hit and fanning 1 batter. With pitching performances like that, you don't need too much offense! Luckily, E-Town was able to string together more than enough offense to make the pitchers comfortable. Right fielder Adam Walker had a big game. He was 3-for-4 with a double, home run and single, and had 2 RBIs. His 2-run homer came in the second inning, thus giving Berrios some breathing room. Shortstop Niko Goodrum was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jorge Polanco had 2 hits in 4 at-bats. Byron Buxton was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and D.J. Hicks and Candido Pimentel were each 1-for-4, Hicks' hit being a double. Buxton and Walker each stole a base, as well. Here's the link to the box score. ROCHESTER -- OFF NEW BRITAIN 3, TRENTON 1 It still has been a solid season for the Rock Cats, but their performance in August has been dreadful. Unfortunately, they're fighting a very uphill battle for the final playoff spot. They did, however, turn in a good performance tonight. Logan Darnell had a quality start, going 6 innings and yielding 0 runs. He struck out 3 and walked 2. David Bromberg allowed 1 run 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 2 and walking 2. Bruce Pugh tossed 2 scoreless frames, fanning 3. Deibinson Romero was 3-for-4 tonight with 2 doubles and an RBI, demonstrating why he was a season-ending All-Star in the Eastern League. MN's own Nathan Hanson was 2-for-4 with a double. Oswaldo Arcia had a triple in 4 at-bats, and is hitting .321. Aaron Hicks also tripled, his only hit in 5 at-bats. He's hitting a solid .285. Rene Tosoni had a double, and Chris Colabello and Daniel Rohlfing each singled. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 9, BRADENTON 8 There was no shortage of offense at this nearly 3 hour game. Tom Stuifbergen started, and went 5 innings. He gave up 7 runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out 1. He allowed 2 home runs. The bullpen was better, though. Miguel Munoz allowed 1 run on 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 1. Ryan O'Rourke tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and allowing only 1 hit. Michael Tonkin tossed a scoreless 9th, fanning 3 and allowing 1 hit. There were 12 hits for the Miracle this evening. 3 players each had 3 hits. Levi Michael was 3-for-5 -- all doubles -- and had 3 RBIs. Nice to see some power from Michael. Daniel Ortiz was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, and also had 3 RBIs. Angel Morales was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and 2 walks. Steven Liddle, Jonathan Goncalves and Aderlin Mejia all singled. Morales also had 2 stolen bases tonight. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 6, WISCONSIN 5 (12 innings) David Hurlbut got the start for the Snappers, and went 7 innings. He gave up 4 runs (only 2 earned), allowed 6 hits and struck out 2. Corey Williams threw 1 and 2/3 scorleless out of the bullpen, surrendering 3 hits and striking out 1. Zachary Jones tossed 1 and 1/3 innings, allowed an unearned run, struck out 2, walked 1, and gave up one hit. Steven Gruver earned the win for the Snappers tonight, throwing the final 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1 batter. JaDamion Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk, Weng-Wei Lin was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a walk, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen was the hero of the night, delivering what turned out to be the game-winning single in the top of the 12th. Pettersen was 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Kennys Vargas and Nate Roberts were 1-for-6 with doubles, and Steven Wickens had singled and walked in 4 trips to the plate. There were 7 combined errors tonight -- 4 from the Snappers (Wickens, Hurlbut, Roberts, and Eddie Rosario). Miguel Sano watchers: he did not play tonight. Here's the linkto the box score. ---------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 29 Pitcher of the Day: Jose Berrios http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/berrios.jpg Hitter of the Day: Levi Michael http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfMooX0G0nU/T-p4OnmHUiI/AAAAAAAACa4/hioU-yzjRo8/s1600/LeviMichael.jpg ----------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 30 Rochester vs. Buffalo --- RHP P.J. Walters New Britain @ Trenton --- RHP B.J. Hermsen Ft. Myers vs. Charlotte --- ??? Beloit @ Wisconsin --- RHP Cole Johnson Elizabethton vs. Danville (Playoff Game 2) --- LHP Brett Lee ----------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments here, and thanks for reading. Click here to view the article

Originally posted at Twins Fan From Afar I've written before, as have others, that Joe Mauer isn't only valuable to the Twins for his contributions as the star catcher and third batter in the lineup. Make no mistake, that's how he earns his paycheck. But it's also evident that, over the last few years, he has become his own brand. Download attachment: 32-07776-F.jpg Even where I live, far removed from Twins Territory, I have noticed more Twins hats, and even the occasional Mauer jersey or t-shirt, than I did even five years ago. Sure, part of it is undoubtedly due to the presence of the New Britain Rock Cats, but part of it is simply because Joe Mauer is regarded as one of the best players in baseball and has helped popularize the Twins' brand. For the 2010 season, Joe Mauer jerseys ranked as the second highest selling jersey in all of baseball, trailing only Derek Jeter. Damn Yankees. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Cliff Lee rounded out the top five. Without putting too much thought into it, I had assumed the Twins derived some specific financial benefit from the sale of so many Mauer jerseys. In turn, I had always credited Mauer's popularity with respect to apparel sales and revenue as part of his off-the-field value. I decided to look into this just a little bit more, and was a bit surprised at what I found. MLB's revenue sharing arrangement, part of which is comprised of a central revenue fund, gets its money from national TV and radio deals, the MLB network, and merchandise sales. Thereafter, the money in the central fund is distributed equally to the 30 teams. In 2009, for instance, each team received approximately $30 million from this arrangement. (There also is another revenue pool that deals with local TV contracts, concessions and ticket sales -- and it is a large source of disagreement between small market and big market teams -- but that is another post for another day). In other words, the fact that more Joe Mauer jerseys are sold than almost any other jersey does not specifically benefit the Twins more than it benefits any other baseball team. Interestingly, the fact that Mauer jerseys are so popular might not even provide extra cash in Mauer's own pocket. The Major League Baseball Player's Association states, regarding player licensing revenue, that "[p]layers receive a pro rata share of licensing revenue regardless or stature," and that the amount of the share is dependent on that player's actual days of MLB service in a given season. But don't worry, fans, Joe has Gatorade, Nike and Head & Shoulders royalty checks coming in, so I'm sure he's able to afford gas to fill his Chevy, and the weekly Cub Foods trip. So, it might have been premature on my part to think that Joe Mauer jersey sales bring in a considerable amount of revenue for the Twins. That being said, a healthy Mauer does put people in seats, and those people purchase food and booze at Target Field, maybe even if the team is not playing great. That is money in the Twins' pocketbook. Finally, I also don't think it's completely incorrect to give Mauer at least a tiny portion of the credit for helping the Twins land Target Field. Yes, the deal was years in the making, and yes, taxpayers pretty much footed the bill. But it's a lot easier to sell a fan base on a new stadium when the team is winning -- as the Twins did several times in the years leading up to 2010 -- than when it is losing and being threatened with contraction. And there was no player more instrumental to many of those winning seasons than Mauer. The concept of "value" is tricky. Clearly, for franchise players like Mauer or Jeter, it extends beyond the foul lines. Click here to view the article

The Twins actually won a game today. It's tough to complain about too much from today's Twins performance. Jason Marquis earned the win, and picked up the 4th Twins quality start along the way. The Twins scored 4 runs in the first, 2 runs in the third and 1 in the seventh, on their way to a 7-4 victory. Josh Willingham (a home run short of the cycle, go figure) and Danny Valencia (3 hits including a triple) led the way on offense, and the only Twins starters without a hit were Trevor Plouffe and Alexi Casilla. Matt Capps, as he is want to do, made it a little interesting in the 9th. But a win is a win! Here's a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, BUFFALO 8 Red Wings starter Scott Diamond, on many fans' short lists for a spot in the Twins' rotation, didn't have his best stuff Sunday, picking up his first loss on the season (4-1). In 6 and 1/3 innings, Diamond allowed 11 hits and 7 runs, striking out 6 and issuing 0 free passes. Diamond's ERA, even after this subpar outing, is 2.84. Jeff Manship pitched the rest of the game, 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 run, striking out 1 and walking 2. The Red Wings didn't accumulate much offense today, scattering 6 hits. Joe Benson hit is second triple of the year, and Ben Revere was 1-for-4. Top prospect Brian Dozier was also 1-for-4 with a 2-out RBI single to score Drew Butera. Dozier is batting .274 on the season. Aaron Bates picked up the other RBI for Rochester with a 2-out line drive single to drive in Benson. NEW BRITAIN 5, RICHMOND 2 After losing the first 2 games of the series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels (love the nickname), the Rock Cats had a better effort today. Starter Logan Darnell picked up the win (3-0). He pitched 6 and 2/3 innings, gave up 7 hits and 2 runs, and struck out 8 while walking 1 along the way. His ERA stands at 4.56. He has been the recipient of some solid Rock Cats offense when he has pitched this season. Reliever Daniel Turpen pitched the rest of the game, 2 and 1/3 innings, and earned the save, his second of the season. He was very effective, giving up no hits and no walks, while striking out 2. This effort improved his ERA to 4.5. On offense, the team had 9 hits. Every starter except for Estarlin De Los Santos and Evan Bigley tallied at least one hit. Chris Herrmann was 2-for-3 with a walk, and also reached base on an error in his other plate appearance. He scored 3 runs. Nathan Hanson also had a good game, going 2-for-4 with a double and accumulating 2 RBIs. Aaron Hicks was 1-for-4 with a single and a stolen base (his 3rd of the season), and is batting .265 on the season. Deibinson Romero hit a triple, and shortstop Pedro Florimon had a double. If you haven't heard, reliever Deolis Guerra was promoted to AAA Rochester, and starter Alex Wimmers, on the disabled list with an elbow strain, is now in Ft. Myers rehabilitating that injury. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 1, ST. LUCIE 5 The Miracle lost their third game in a row today. Starter Jose Gonzalez picked up the loss, lasting 3 innings. He was responsible for 4 runs, walked 2 and struck out 2, and gave up a home run. The Miracle bullpen was solid, though. Righty Ricky Bowen picked up the slack, tossing 4 innings. He gave up just 1 run (on a solo home run), struck out 2 and walked 1. After this outing, Bowen's ERA is 1.96. Bruce Pugh pitched the 8th and 9th innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 1. As you could guess from the score, the Miracle's offense struggled today. Only 4 players tallied hits. Shortstop Daniel Santana was 2-for-4, as was second baseman and first round draft pick Levi Michael. Oswaldo Arcia and Wilkin Ramirez each had one hit. There were no extra-base hits for Ft. Myers today. The Miracle's lone run came on a Lance Ray sacrifice fly that scored Arcia. It was also announced today that pitchers BJ Hermsen and Caleb Thielbar were promoted to New Britain. So, congratulations to them! BELOIT 4, DAYTON 3 On the mound, Snappers starter Tim Shibuya had a good effort. He threw 6 and 1/3 innings and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits, for a quality start, but struck out 11 batters, including 6 of his first 7. After this outing, his ERA stands at an even 3.00. Reliever Michael Tonkin tossed 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Corey Williams pitched a scoreless 9th inning, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. He earned the win in relief. Beloit's offense tallied 12 hits today. Right fielder Daniel Ortiz had a great day, going 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and a double (his second), and knocked in 3 runs. He's batting .299 on the season. Center fielder Jonathan Goncalves and DH Adam Pettersen were each 2-for-3 with doubles, and Eddie Rosario, playing second base, was 1-for-4 with a double (but was thrown out at home trying to score following an error on the play). Adam Bryant was 2-for-5, and Miguel Sano was 1-for-4 with a single. The Snappers won in dramatic fashion. The teams entered the bottom of the 9th tied at 3-3. Jairo Rodriguez led off with a single, and JaDamion Williams came in as a pinch runner. Adam Pettersen walked, sending Williams to second. Wang-Wei Lin sacrifice bunted Williams to third. Then, with 2 outs, Adam Bryant drove in Williams with a ground ball single to center field, giving the Snappers a 4-3 victory. ----- Players of the day for Sunday, April 29 Hitter of the Day: Daniel Ortiz Download attachment: Daniel Ortiz.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Tim Shibuya Download attachment: Tim S.jpg ----- A Look Ahead: Monday, April 30 Schedule Rochester @ Buffalo--RHP Cole DeVries New Britain @ Harrisburg-- RHP David Bromberg Ft. Myers vs. St. Lucie--RHP Adrian Salcedo Beloit vs. Dayton--LHP Jason Wheeler ----- If you have any questions or comments, leave them here and I'm sure Seth will answer them! Click here to view the article

Late this afternoon, the Hartford Courant placed a story on its front page suggesting that the Rock Cats' owners may be moving the team to Hartford in 2016. It's only about 10 miles away, but would be significant for many local reasons I won't get into now. Journalism is funny in the Internet age. The original title of the piece was "Rock Cats Close to Deal to Move to Hartford." It now reads, "Rock Cats in Talks to Move from New Britain to Hartford." There are confirmations and denials from various parties, but the fact that it was written by, among other reporters, Hartford's Government Watch reporter (as opposed to a sportswriter, who might not have the political connections to piece together the story), suggests to me that the Courant was pretty confident in its report. [/hr] Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar [/hr]http://twinsdaily.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7658&stc=1 Note that this is talking about the minor league organization, not the Twins affiliation. What does this mean for the Twins? Nothing, perhaps. Regardless of any deal, the Rock Cats will play 2014 and 2015 in New Britain. And the Twins and Rock Cats must decide this season whether to renew their player development contract. This is about the stadium. New Britain Stadium is owned and operated by the city -- not the team. I can't opine on this, as I have not seen other Eastern League ballparks, but it's been said to me more than once that the New Britain playing field, and perhaps the facilities, are not as good as they could be. Like I said, I have nothing to compare this to. But assuming that's true to an extent, a new ballpark would appeal to the Twins, or most any other team moving from a non-state-of-the-art-facility. It's way, way too early to speculate any more, though. When there are developments, follow me on twitter for the latest. ~~~ Kennys Vargas continues to hit. After missing a few games with a strange wrist injury (suffered in batting practice), Vargas hasn't missed a beat. 40 percent of the way through the minor league season, Vargas has a .323/.398/.508 line, which is good for a .906 OPS. He has 11 doubles, 8 home runs, 24 walks and 34 strikeouts. The .323 average is nearly identical to Vargas' career-best season -- 2010 in the Gulf Coast League. Something interesting has happened in the last couple weeks, though: Vargas isn't hitting for much power, but he is hitting for average. In fact, he hasn't homered in a couple weeks, and has only 1 double in that time frame. But in his last 10 games, he still has 14 hits, 8 RBIs, and a .378 average. So although the power has tapered a little (perhaps the wrist isn't 100%), Vargas is still extremely effective. If he makes it through June still hitting and reaching base at this rate, I'd like to see him promoted. Most important, however, is playing time. It makes no sense to Vargas to share at-bats with whoever's in Rochester (Colabello/Parmelee/Arcia -- you get the point). I was at last Saturday's game where Vargas had two hits. One thing that stood out to me was that he was comfortable taking what the pitcher gave him -- in that game it was two singles to opposite field. Neither was that well hit, but it's so much better than what many big guys do: roll over the outside pitch for a grounder to first or second. ~~~ Danny Ortiz was the Rock Cats' best hitter in the month of May. After hitting only .227 in April, Ortiz heated up with an amazing .388/.402/.660 line in May, including 4 homers, 2 triples and a whopping 12 doubles. In fact, New Britain Herald sportswriter Matt Straub noted that Ortiz, who is 24 years old this season, has been perhaps the team's most consistent player. I've always been pleasantly surprised with Ortiz' arm, but he's an under-the-radar guy, mostly due to a pretty low career average, and the fact that he simply doesn't walk. On the season, Ortiz has a respectable .324/.340/.500 line, but notice that on-base percentage. He's struck out 34 times, and walked only 3. Unless he can sustain a .330 average -- which he hasn't been able to -- that's problematic. But, it's great to see him hitting the ball hard. Perhaps plate discipline can come later for Ortiz? ~~~ Eddie Rosario is back! Or, he will be back. Soon. We hope. Working his way back up to New Britain, Rosario started off 1-for-11 with the Ft. Myers Miracle, but was 2-for-3 in Sunday's game with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base. I have no particular knowledge, but my guess is that Rosario will put in another week, give or take, before he comes back to Connecticut -- provided he has good at-bats. I think they'll keep him in the outfield predominately. The Rock Cats' lineup could use more help at the top, and Rosario -- after foolish behavior cost him 50 games -- needs to put himself in a position to compete for a 2015 MLB position. ~~~ Mark Hamburger is back! The former major leaguer, former St. Paul Saint, is in New Britain, hoping to make his way up to the Twins' bullpen. I saw his only appearance thus far -- a 2 inning, 2 hit, 2 strikeout, 1 walk outing. He was all right. Nothing much more to report on him now, except for wishing him good luck and hoping he can revive his career and resist the temptations that got him in a little trouble in the past. ~~~ Finally, I tend to focus so much on the individual players (or, perhaps only a couple individual players), that I lose sight of the team's win-loss record. But baseball is a team game, and even in the minor leagues -- where player development is primary -- I want these guys to learn winning baseball at every level. The Rock Cats had a better May, and currently stand at 25-29, riding a three-game win streak. What they could use: better starting pitching; more offensive threats. Click here to view the article

Last week, I was in the right place at the right time: the AA debuts of top Twins' prospect Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. One big takeaway from Sano's and Rosario's first couple AA games was that their reputations preceded them; in other words, pitchers knew who these guys were. Take a look at the (grainy amateur) video I shot of some early at-bats -- the pitches weren't even close. As a result, Sano and Rosario, but Sano especially, seemed to only get maybe 1 pitch per at-bat in his wheelhouse. I suspect this is a problem that has plagued him his entire career, and probably won't stop until he he has someone equally or more talented hitting behind him.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Today I thought I would take a look at the very, very sample size that has been Sano's AA career. I want to see how pitchers are approaching his at-bats. As of the writing of this article, Sano has compiled 19 plate appearances for the Rock Cats: 1 hit, 6 walks, 3 Ks, and 9 other outs on balls in play. I'm going to use screenshots. As a caveat, please be aware that the Gameday information is imperfect: it's a good tool, but is, of course, subject to human error. That being said, let's take a look. 1: 5-pitch walk. Arguably 1 pitch to hit, and he fouled it off. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2vGxHB35FZw/Ub-snjZL1bI/AAAAAAAAAjI/5rnRM7Ts7q0/s320/IMAG0467.jpg 2: 2-pitch ground out to third http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-velJSvId9u8/Ub-s50fKY4I/AAAAAAAAAjU/342LdSl50PE/s320/IMAG0468.jpg 3: 3-pitch sac fly. All hittable pitches. 2 called strikes and the fly ball. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyqEvPejxIM/Ub-tH23kowI/AAAAAAAAAjc/Hhkp9ySBVPY/s320/IMAG0469.jpg 4: 4-pitch swinging K. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UWtp88yGBLo/Ub-t_PiJfZI/AAAAAAAAAjs/xDFgnCZ_0_s/s320/IMAG0470.jpg 5: 5-pitch sac fly. The 3 balls appeared pretty far off the plate. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0471.jpg 6: 6-pitch called strikeout. Looked like some hittable pitches up in the zone. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0472.jpg 7: 5-pitch flyout to left. http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0473.jpg 8: 3-pitch flyout to right. http://1.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0474.jpg 9: 1-pitch single to left. Looked like a good pitch to hit. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0475.jpg 10: 2-pitch groundout to shortstop: http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0476.jpg 11: 5-pitch walk. http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0477.jpg 12: 3-pitch flyout to center. http://1.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0478.jpg 13: 8-pitch walk. Looks like he was consistently worked outside. http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0479.jpg 14: 6-pitch walk. Again worked outside. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0480.jpg 15: 6-pitch pop-out to first base. He was worked inside. Perhaps only the second or third plate appearance of thus far where a pitcher deliberately challenged him on the inner half. http://3.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0481.jpg 16: 6-pitch walk. Again worked inside by Harrisburg starter Blake Treinen. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0482.jpg 17: 3-pitch grounder to shortstop. Treinen went inside on the third pitch. http://1.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0483.jpg 18: 3 called strikes. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0484.jpg 19: 6-pitch walk. Check out those inside pitches. http://3.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0485.jpg Some quick takeaways from this very small sample size: With the exception of the final game (appearances 15-19), teams are really working Sano outside. Not a big surprise. But the strange part is that the inside pitches, thus far, haven't produced big results. Sano is probably used to being pitched outside so much that the inside pitches might surprise him.Sano has swung at the first pitch in 7 of these 19 plate appearances.He has a strange, strange line of .091/.368/.091. This suggests at least 3 things: 1) the sample size is so small as to be meaningless; 2) Sano is not hitting yet; 3) he is reaching base via the walk at a high, high rate.He's not striking out at a higher rate than he did at High-A.Sano is taking good at-bats, even if they aren't ending with hits. He has only 1 one-pitch at-bat (it was his lone hit, by the way); he's averaging 4.3 pitches per plate appearance (for comparison, right now Joe Mauer is 6th in baseball with 4.24 pitches per plate appearance).My quick take: Sano is doing what he should be doing. He's seeing pitches from pitchers that are new to him; he's managing to reach base at a good clip despite not getting base hits; he's "just missing" -- his words not mine -- baseballs. In other words, just be patient. I'm curious what others think, or can glean, from these screenshots (again, taking them for what they are -- an imperfect tool). It's going to be interesting to see how pitchers plan to approach Sano as spring becomes summer, and as Sano eventually starts to see some of these guys a second time. It will also help matters greatly if those batting behind Sano prove a formidable threat. Click here to view the article

Just like their parent club, the New Britain Rock Cats have hit a tough spell. In fact, their last victory was May 11 vs. Portland and since that 5-4 win the Cats have lost 8 consecutive games. In those 8 games, the Rock Cats have combined to score a grand total of 18 runs while allowing 52. It's not tough to see the problems: they aren't scoring enough and are allowing too many runs. (How's that for analysis?). But let's dig a little deeper. There are other things -- some good -- at play. First, infielder James Beresford, who had been on the disabled list with a pulled groin, just returned to action this past weekend. Beresford had been off to a hot start before missing 2 weeks. In his first 4 games back, he has 6 hits (in 17 at-bats) and is batting .340 on the season.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I frequently write about Beresford for a good reason: although he isn't a top Twins prospect, he has a very good glove and has demonstrated this season that his bat has caught up to AA pitching. If the hot bat continues, I'd be surprised if the 24-year-old isn't promoted by July. So keep checking his stats! [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YUz9OOZOUOE/UZv1lIymlrI/AAAAAAAAAik/ExZxLKexMvA/s320/New-RockCats-cropped-1024x766.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]If you're familiar with this blog, you know that this image signifies that the Rock Cats are in the midst of a losing streak[/TD] [/TABLE] Second, for a couple weeks New Britain had been playing without a dedicated third baseman after Minnesota's own Nate Hanson was promoted to Rochester. Luckily, Deibinson Romero's visa issues have been resolved and he joined the team earlier this week. He's off to a good start, hitting .370 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs in the first 7 games. In fact, he had 3 hits in each of his last 2 games. Romero, not a fantastic defender, was dependable on offense last year, so in the long run, his presence in the middle of the Cats' lineup will create more punch. Don't forget, last season Romero hit 19 home runs and 23 doubles for New Britain, so he's no slouch with the bat. Now, let's discuss our top starting pitching prospects: Meyerand May, perhaps our next "M & M Boys." They haven't been as successful the proverbial second time around the league. In his starts this month Meyer hasn't lasted longer than 5 and 1/3 innings, but has 17 K's to go with 7 BB's. The problem, though, is that he's been allowing more than one hit an inning, and has given up 9 earned runs in these last 3 starts (a cumulative 15 innings). So yes, he's still missing bats -- 51 Ks and 18 BBs in 43 innings this year -- but he hasn't been going as deep into games. If these last 3 games are like the game I attended last month, it's because Meyer is struggling to either finish off hitters with a strikeout (instead, he would allow them to come back in a count), or locate his fastball. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Meyer has a 3.56 ERA. He's 23. He's tied for 3rd in the Eastern League in strikeouts. Yes, areas for improvement have been identified, but isn't that the point of the minor leagues? Instruction. Opportunity for improvement. Finally, Trevor May. This month, May had 2 very good starts, and 1 clunker. His first 2 starts both lasted 7 innings, and he gave up only one earned run, striking out a combined 13 and walking 3. His most recent start was tough: 4 innings, 5 earned runs, 3 K's and 2 BB's. After allowing only 5 total hits in those first 2 starts, May surrendered 9 in the most recent. Let's talk about progress, though: May has not allowed a home run in his last 5 starts, after allowing one home run in each of his first 3 starts. His overall strikeout-to-walk ratio is 40-21. In the last 3 starts, the ratio is 16-5 -- better than 3-to-1. Both Meyer and May still have some distance to go before they are ready for Target Field. Meyer needs to better locate his fastball and May still has to work on control so that he can work deeper into games on a more consistent basis. One final note: after a very slow start, shortstop Danny Santana is hitting .280/.297/.354, including .366/.395/.415 over his last 10 games. Again, with this team, this year, I'm looking for individual progress and development. Check back in a couple days. I'm attending Wednesday's Rock Cats game. Alex Meyer is scheduled to throw. But if Tuesday's game is cancelled, there's a chance that Trevor May will be on the hill. Either way, there will be something to write about, and I'll be tweeting from the press box. Click here to view the article

[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The Twins certainly don't have a surplus of major league ready talent at most positions, such as catcher, third base, middle infield, starting pitching, and the bullpen. -- just to name a few areas of concern. But if there is one position where there is a good amount of talent, both on the major league club and in the minor league system, it probably is centerfield. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.../s320/Hicks.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Is this a make-or-break year for Aaron Hicks?[/TD] [/TABLE] Denard Span is an above average defender, and has matured into a good leadoff hitter. He was having one of his best seasons in 2011 before a concussion deralied him, but we hope he'll bounce back in 2012. He just turned 28, and is under contract for $3 million in 2012, $4.75 million in 2013, $6.5 million in 2014, and there is a $9 million team option in 2015 (with a $500,000 buyout). If Span is healthy and continues to perform, it seems like a reasonable contract. If Span plays in 2012 like he did the first few months of 2011, and shows that he is completely recovered from the concussion, it's also a contract that the Twins could move. Ben Revere, who will turn 24 in May, is speedy and can track down almost anything hit to center field, but lacks an arm (not physically lacks an arm, but it's almost that bad); he is at best a good contact hitter who can wreak havoc on the basepaths, and at worst a player that will only get on base 30 percent of the time. Importantly, he is still under team control for the near future. Joe Benson, also 24 this season, has the most potential for power among the centerfield group. He also is reportedly just a shade slower than Revere, which is impressive. He didn't look quite ready for the big leagues in his September call-up last season, with a .239/.270/.352 slash line, but he is still a very good outfield prospect. Finally, there is Aaron Hicks, age 22, the Twins' first round (14th overall) draft pick from 2008. It's not an understatement to say that Hicks' star has fallen. Baseball America rated him the 19th best prospect pre-2010, the 45th best prospect pre-2011, and the 72nd best prospect pre-2012. That's not the direction Twins fans would like to see Hicks moving on the prospect charts. In 2012, he also vanished from Baseball America's top 10 outfield prospect list, which is not a good sign. All that being said, he is one of the Twins' top prospects, and he is expected to see a promotion to AA New Britain this year (at least according to Bill Smith). My point in outlining these players is that, even if none ever become stars, the center field position is perhaps the deepest in terms of talent for the Twins. And interestingly, three of the four players listed are within roughly two years of age. Aside from Span, the veteran, we're talking about 22-24 year old prospects. Finally, Hicks is the only one without a day of major league service time, so to an extent (a small extent for Benson), they have been MLB-tested. It's tough to imagine all four players being in the Twins organization two years from now. By that time, Benson will be 26 and will either be playing centerfield, which would be the best use of his speed and arm, or a corner outfield position. I have no doubt he's next in line for a promotion. Who knows where Revere will be? I still believe he can be a good (but not great) major league outfielder, but he will need to show major plate discipline this season, as well as the ability to bunt successfully. Hicks needs to have a solid and consistent season in order to regain his status as a Twins top prospect. And Span needs to stay healthy. There are two things that excite me about this group of players. First is the prospect of having Span and Benson in the same outfield. I think it could be great defensively and offensively. The second thing is the prospect of trading one of these guys for something the Twins desperately need, such as pitching. It would be great if the Twins could make a "sell high" trade, if they come the realization that there are not enough outfield positions for the number of established major league outfielders, and legitimate major league outfield prospects, currently in the organization. Of course, we'd have to avoid a Wilson Ramos-type trade, but given these 4 players, the odds of that kind of an error in judgment don't seem quite as high. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. If Benson is good at AAA Rochester this season, how long can we keep him there -- and whose place does he take in Minnesota? Could we get anything on the trade market for Revere? And if Hicks has a great season between A and AA in 2012, what do we do if he suddenly re-emerges as our #1 outfield prospect? Click here to view the article

The Twins, looking to continue a pretty good stretch of baseball, started off rough. Starter P.J. Walters lasted only into the first inning, and his velocity was reportedly way down. Walters (or the coaching staff) put the Twins in a hole, and I'm curious what the post-game reports are going to indicate regarding Walters' health to start the game in the first place. Jim Thome hit another mammoth home run at Target Field, an estimated 466 feet. Even at 41 years of age, he still has something left in the tank! If you like offense, this ended up being a very good game, and the Twins proved that they have some comeback in them. As I write this, the Twins have almost come all the way back, trailing 9-8 after being down 6-0 after the top of the first. Let's take a look at how the Future Twins did tonight.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER -- day off. NEW BRITAIN 3, AKRON 1 (Game 1 -- 7 innings) This game started and ended with pitching. Starter Steve Hirschfeld had an excellent outing. In 6 innings of work, Hirschfeld allowed only 3 hits and 1 run, and struck out 8 and walked 1. Caleb Thielbar earned the save, his 4th of the season, striking out 2. Thielbar's AA ERA is a tidy 1.96. There wasn't a whole lot of offense in this game. The Rock Cats had 6 hits on the night. Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson had 2 hits and a sacrifice fly, and had 2 RBIs on the day. Deibinson Romero also had 2 hits. Matt Rizzotti and Chris Colabello each had singles for the Rock Cats. Rene Tosoni had an RBI ground out. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 1, AKRON 4 (Game 2 -- 7 innings) Although he gave up a first inning solo home run and took the loss, starter Logan Darnell pitched pretty well. In 4 and 2/3 innings of work, Darnell gave up just that 1 run on 2 hits. Control was a problem, though: Darnell walked 4 and struck out 5. Daniel Turpen wasn't effective out of the bullpen, allowing 3 runs and 3 walks in 2 innings of work. He only gave up 1 hit. Blake Martin gave up a double, allowing 2 inherited runs to score, but secured the final out of the 7th for New Britain. There was very little offense in this game, as well. Daniel Rohlfing, recently called up (in place of injured Danny Lehmann) had a double in 2 at-bats, Mark Dolenc, Evan Bigley and Chris Colabello singled, and Chris Herrmann had a pinch-hit single. The lone run scored on Bigley's single. That was it. Here's the link to the box score. The teams play again tomorrow night, and I'll be in attendance at New Britain Stadium. Be sure to check back Friday morning at Twins Fan From Afar for a "beyond the box score" post and some pictures. FT. MYERS 8, BRADENTON 4 This was a "staff day" for the Miracle. Matthew Hauser, normally a reliever, got the start, and went 3 innings, giving up only 1 hit and striking out 3. Nelvin Fuentes tossed 2 innings and gave up 2 runs, allowing 3 hits and striking out 3. Edgar Ibarra also threw 2 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs, also striking out 3. Daniel Sattler threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 2 and walking 2. The Miracle racked up 12 hits tonight, and it was a team effort, with 8 of the 9 starters getting at least 1 hit. Third baseman Anderson Hidalgo was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, second baseman Andy Leer had 2 singles and an RBI, first baseman Lance Ray had 2 hits, including a double, and an RBI. Daniel Ortiz, Josmil Pinto, Oswaldo Arica and Michael Gonzales each had hits, as well. The big hit of the night came off the bat of Angel Morales -- a 3-run home run. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 1, PEORIA 7 Steven Gruver started for the Snappers tonight, and went 3 and 2/3 innings. He allowed 10 hits and 6 runs (4 earned) , striking out 3 and walking 2. Tim Shibuya was better out of the bullpen, tossing 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings and striking out 2 along the way. Ryan O'Rourke threw 2 innings and gave up 1 run on 2 hits, including a solo home run. He struck out 1 and walked 1. Miguel Sano had his 22nd error of the season tonight. There was only 1 extra-base hit for the Snappers tonight, a double by right fielder JaDamion Williams. Wang-Wei Lin, Sano, Matthew Koch, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen all singled. Pettersen and Sano also walked. Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------ Wednesday's TwinsDaily Pitcher and Hitter of the Day Pitcher of the Day: Steve Hirschfeld Download attachment: Hirschfeld.jpg Hitter of the Day: Anderson Hidalgo Download attachment: Hidalgo.jpg ------------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, June 14, 2012 Rochester @ Louisville --- LHP Luke French New Britain vs. Akron --- RHP Brett Jacobson Ft. Myers vs. Bradenton --- LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs. Peoria --- RHP Tyler Jones ------------------------------------------ Please leave any questions or comments here, and either Seth or I will try to answer. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Giftbasket.jpg This is the 6th story in "Those Damn Yankees" series, stories about Twins-Yankees rivalry by some of our favorite Twins Daily writers, leading up to the Bombers visit July 1st to the 4th. You wake up hazy -- perhaps a little hung-over and still tasting those apple-tinis from the previous night. Across from you in the king size bed, an aging baseball superstar stirs, gently clutching a bear-skin blanket. His eyes open. He kisses you gently on the nose and says "that was nice." He informs you that he's called a Towncar to take you home. Derek Jeter then rises, stretches, and waves a nude hello to Manhattan from his apartment at the top of Trump Tower. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] You quickly grab your undergarments, what is left of your pride and head down the elevator, wishing he had given you, at least, time to brush your teeth or take an awesome Vine to show your friends. After you walk out the Trump Tower door, you enter the black Lincoln Town Car. The driver says, "Good morning, Ms. Walter. Mr. Jeter has left something for you." Of course you're hoping it's a key to his apartment (*his heart*), or his phone number. But no. To your surprise a cellophane-wrapped gift basket rests in the adjacent seat. After the initial disappointment sets in, you think, "OK, at least this jelly of the month club is going to be pretty awesome. I mean, I didn't think asparagus preserves would be good but I'm willing to give it a try." Then you look closer, and see the following: A Derek Jeter stamp-signed knock-off baseball. You're pretty sure it's not authentic because it's a little un-round and you don't remember "Rollings" being a legitimate baseball company. A gift certificate for a bikini wax. Jerk. A voucher to be a "seat filler" for the wealthy New York businessmen that don't occupy the seats behind home plate at Yankee Stadium. $5 worth of those McDonald's gift certificates you used to get when you were a kid. You're actually pretty happy with that one.[TABLE] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bT-jn-_T3pM/Uce4CAX92SI/AAAAAAAAAm8/lTeA9D-FvHw/s1600/Mcdonalds.jpg "Thanks, Captain. Now I can get most of anExtra Value Meal." [/TABLE] What you just read was a rendition (with artistic license) of what reportedly happened to a woman whom Jeter had taken home. After the Yankees' captain ditched Minka Kelly, he apparently was enjoying the single life. If you believe the story, Jeter failed to remember taking this particular woman home not once, but twice. When she got in the towncar the morning after their second encounter, there, in the seat next to her, to her surprise, was the identical gift basket she had received after the first go-around. This leads to two somewhat logical conclusions: 1) Jeter does this for all or most of the women he takes home; 2) he did not remember that he previously had -- spent time -- with this lady. In terms of real-life, sports news, and the Twins-Yankees rivalry, this was, and still is, a "nothing story." As far as the Yankees go, I have a strong dislike for them. But I really respect Jeter. He's always seemed like a classy guy on and off the field, and has had one hell of a career. This story -- even if true, and that's a big if -- does nothing for me. But it is humorous. In the comments section, please share what other items Jeter could/should have included in the gift basket. Be creative and funny, but not disgusting. Or, what would be good items in a Twins one-night-stand gift basket? Embers giftcards, a night at the FantaSuites in Burnsville, wild rice? For more of Those Damn Yankees, check out.... The Cuzzi Call by Nick Nelson The Twins and Yankees Go Way Back by Thrylos Confessions Of A Twins Fan by Brad Swanson Chuck Knoblauch by Cody Christie Dealing with Yankee Fans by PeanutsFromHeaven Click here to view the article

This is always an interesting time of year, with the rampant trade speculation. Will the Twins trade Francisco Liriano? Denard Span? It's curious, but understandable, that they're listening on Josh Willingham. Make no mistake -- just two weeks from now, this team could, and probably will, look quite different. Let's take a look at how the affiliates performed today. With the potential for change in Minneapolis comes the likelihood of promotion for some of these kids. ROCHESTER 4, NORFOLK 1 This game took forever -- 15 innings, in fact. Liam Hendriks had a great outing. He threw 7 innings and allowed only 1 run on 5 hits. He struck out 6 and walked 1.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Lester Oliveros was also excellent out of the bullpen, throwing 3 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit and striking out 3. Kyle Waldrop threw 1/3 of the 11th inning, allowing a single, getting a sac bunt, and intentionally walking Lew Ford before being removed in favor of Caleb Thielbar, who quickly induced a double play to get out of the jam. Thielber threw 3 and 2/3 innings, striking out 2 and allowing only 1 hit. Daniel Sattler threw a scoreless 15th. Matt Carson got the scoring started with a solo home run in the first inning, and also singled later. After Carson's homer, the Red Wings did not score until the 15th inning. In the 13 innings between runs, Chris Parmelee doubled and walked twice, Ray Chang had 2 singles in 5 trips to the plate, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka was 1-for-5. In the 15th inning, Rene Rivera and Pedro Florimon each singled, then Matt Carson was intentionally walked to get to Parmelee. Parmelee doubled to left field to clear the bases, and that was that. Here's the linkto the box score. NEW BRITAIN 8, NEW HAMPSHIRE 0 This game didn't quite make it 6 innings due to rain. Heavy rain, if New Britain's weather was the same that I saw in and around Hartford this afternoon. David Bromberg wasn't brilliant today, but he was effective enough to get the win. He threw all 6 innings, gave up 2 hits and struck out 2, but he walked 3 along the way. His ERA is 3.16 after today's performance. In only 5 and 2/3 innings of offense, the Rock Cats did some damage. Deibinson Romero had 2 doubles, a walk, and scored twice. Chris Colabello also doubled and drove in 2 runs. That was his 28th double of the season. Aaron Hicks was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, and is batting .275 on the season. Chris Herrmann had a single and 2 walks. Estarlin De Los Santos was 1-for-2 with a single and an RBI, Joe Benson singled in 3 at-bats, and Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson singled and drove in 2 runs. Top prospect Oswaldo Arcia left the game in the third inning with stomach issues from the heat, but is expected back tomorrow. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 1, DUNEDIN 4 Pat Dean took a tough loss for the Miracle today. He threw 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. He struck out 5 and issued 0 free passes. Clint Dempster threw 1 scoreless inning in relief, allowing 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 1. Ricky Bowen tossed the last 2 innings, and gave up 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 1. Dean fell to 6-6 on the season, and his ERA is 3.89. Shortstop Daniel Santana committed his 21st error of the season. There wasn't too much Miracle offense to speak of today. The team mustered only 5 hits, and 3 came off the bat of Levi Michael -- all singles. A good sign, though, that last season's first round pick is starting to hit the ball. Michael is batting .240 now. Daniel Santana and Daniel Ortiz both singled, as well. The Miracle's best chance was in the 8th inning, when the bases were loaded with no outs. But Rene Tosoni lined out to second, Josmil Pinto had a sac fly to right, and Daniel Ortiz struck out looking to end the threat. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT _, LANSING _ -- CANCELLED This game will be made up Thursday as part of a double-header. First game at 5:30. ELIZABETHTON 4, JOHNSON CITY 6 Angel Mata got the start for E-Town, and went 4 innings, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 3. Corey Kimes was up next, and only threw 2/3 of an inning, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. Brett Lee threw 1 and 1/3 scoreless, allowing 2 hits, striking out 3 and walking 2. Luis Nunez tossed 2 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 walks and a strikeout. The final pitcher of the evening was J.T. Chargois, who threw 1 perfect inning. In all, there were 10 walks issued by E-Town tonight. Young prospect Max Kepler hit his third home run of the season tonight, and singled, and is batting .312 on the season. Rory Rhodes and Adam Walker each had 2 hits, and Niko Goodrum, Travis Harrison, Joshua Hendricks, Michael Quesada and Romy Jimenez all had one hit. Jimenez drove in 2 and walked, as well. Here's the linkto the box score. GCL TWINS 6, GCL RAYS 7 Kyle Gibson threw 2 innings and 27 pitches today on his way back from Tommy John surgery. Honestly, the stats don't even matter. But here they are: 2 runs on 2 hits, no strikeouts or walks. After the game, Gibson tweeted: "Another healthy day on the mound! 2 innings and by no means the #s I want but 27 more pitches closer to 100%. Going for a clean 1 inning on Saturday." After Gibson, Matthew Tomshaw threw 1 scoreless inning, Kuo Hua Lo gave up 2 runs (1 earned) in 2/3 of an inning on 2 hits and 2 walks, striking out 1. Thereafter, Yorman Landa tossed 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 1. Felix Jorge was very good, throwing 2 scoreless innings, allowing no hits or walks and striking out 2. Finally, Alexander Muren took the loss, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) in 1 inning of work. Muren gave up 2 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 1. Right fielder Kelvin Ortiz was 2-for-4 with 2 doubles, first baseman Bryan Haar was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and catcher Jorge Fernandez was 2-for-4 with an RBI, as well. Second baseman Jose Ramirez doubled in 4 at-bats, and third baseman Aderlin Mejia, DH Joel Licon, left fielder Javier Pimentel and shortstop Will Hurt all singled. Here's the link to the box score. -------------------------------------------------------------- Players of the day for Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Hitter of the Day: Max Kepler (courtesy of JC from Knuckleballs Blog) Download attachment: Kepler.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Liam Hendriks Download attachment: Liam.jpg --------------------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, July 19, 2012 Rochester @ Norfolk --- ??? New Britain @ Harrisburg --- ??? Ft. Myers @ Lakeland --- ??? Beloit vs. Lansing --- ??? Beloit vs. Lansing (game 2) --- ??? Johnson City vs. Elizabethton --- ??? GCL Twins @ GCL Rays --- ??? ---------------------------------------------------------- If you have any questions or comments, leave them here! Click here to view the article

[Originally published with pictures at Twins Fan From Afar] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQnbI0K-uYA/T30KG1tXEAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/ejWVyL4Ga0w/s320/Dinner+1.jpg As much as I love going to Twins games, there's something special about minor league baseball. It's intimate and personal. It's real and unadulterated -- both the good and the bad. Every year, the New Britain Rock Cats host a "welcome home" dinner for the team, the front office and the fans. This year, it was held at the New Britain Elks Lodge #957, just a stone's throw from New Britain stadium. Walking in, I was reminded of my own baseball past -- spaghetti dinners at the White Bear Lake VFW, with the veterans wanting to see what their $500 uniform sponsorship had purchased that season, and post-season American Legion awards banquets held in the basement of the Roseville American Legion. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] This welcome home dinner felt substantially similar. We were in the basement of the lodge. It was warm, the decor was old, as were the Elks in attendance. There were all sorts of fans there, including tons of kids, which was great. And most importantly, every player on the Rock Cats' roster was in attendance. And I'll say this: the Twins organization does a fantastic job of making sure that each and every player coming up through the system -- even those from the Dominican Republic that hardly speak a word of English -- does their very best to be polite and considerate to all fans. I saw a couple dozen kids walking around with baseballs signed by literally every player on the roster. The Miller Lite was flowing. A beer at the Elks Lodge cost just a fraction of what it will cost tonight at the stadium for the opener, and was hardly more than the cost of buying beer at a liquor store. When I walked in, some of the players (all wearing name tags) were frequenting the bar. I'm sure some of them had not participated in too many of these events. And as I learned later, many were just getting to know each other. At this dinner, one player sat at every table. The previous evening, I had told my brother-in-law that, if I got to choose one player to sit with us, it would be Alex Wimmers. I think he's interesting, and has great potential. You have to like the fact that, although he suffered great difficulties early last season, he came back and threw a no-hitter in his final start of 2011. Clearly, the Twins are high on Wimmers, because they promoted him to AA after only 40 innings in Ft. Myers. After we all sat down for dinner, Jeff Dooley, the voice of the Rock Cats, introduced the roster one-by-one, and assigned each player to a table. To my surprise, Wimmers was assigned to our table. For three hours, talking to 6 adults and a 10 year-old kid across the table, Wimmers was awesome. He answered a lot of questions, initiated conversation on a bunch of different topics, and was especially cool with the little kid. We learned a lot of stuff. First, Wimmers had only been in Connecticut for a couple days, and had just found an apartment to rent (with 3 other players) that same day. He didn't have transportation to and from this event -- he didn't even know how he was getting home when the dinner ended! Like some others, he had shipped his car up from Ft. Myers, and it wasn't scheduled to arrive for a couple more days. He talked a lot about coming up through the system. Wimmers really looks up to Joe Mauer. It almost sounded like hyperbole, but he talked about Mauer's work ethic and how all the younger guys learn a lot from Mauer just by being around him during drills and stuff. Wimmers said he got to pitch to Mauer one time in a spring game, and that it was pretty cool. Wimmers definitely believes he's on the fast track. According to Wimmers, Terry Ryan impressed on the AA crew that top performers will not necessarily have to stop in Rochester. Although that's the normal course of events, Ryan has made these guys believe that they are close to the show. Wimmers knows he has a lot to prove this season, and he looked like a guy ready to go to work. He was confident without being arrogant. Wimmers also talked about the daily schedule. I once attended a baseball camp where the coaching staff called pitchers "non-athletes." Sort of jokingly, sort of not. Wimmers is an athlete. On his 4 non-pitching days, the physical routine is rigorous. Lots of lifting, running, stretching and throwing. No down time. And he looked the part. Having seen Scott Baker, Carl Pavano and a few other pitchers in person, Wimmers is in considerably better physical shape. He's pretty ripped, in fact. The biggest thing, however, that I took out of my evening with Wimmers is that he's a young man pretty far away from home in Ohio. He's a Cincinnati Reds fan (and a Twins fan, of course). He's far away from his parents, who won't be in attendance at Rock Cats games. It sounds like he comes from a normal family. To Wimmers, his new family -- the Rock Cats -- is largely a cast of unknowns. Yes, he knows some of them from Spring Training, but others are strangers. He's living in a state he knows nothing about, working in a city that is not an especially fun place to hang out, and staying with 3 other pitchers in an apartment that's not even close to his place of work. It's an interesting life. For a guy that signed a $1.332 million bonus to join the organization, Wimmers was down to earth. It's interesting to see both sides of the guy: the competitor that's confident that he has what it takes to make the show sooner rather than later; and the guy who was up at 6:30 that same morning trying to find a crappy apartment to share with three other players for the foreseeable future. And I bet the fans at other tables would tell you the same thing about their player, and so would the fans from the Beloit Snappers banquet and the Rochester Red Wings dinner. The minor league baseball experience is real. It's visceral. Tonight, it smelled like an Elks Lodge basement. It's guys driving old cars to the stadium, players living together in strange apartment complexes in strange towns. It's playing double-headers to crowds of 2,000. It's signing autographs for kids that, in 2 days, will have completely forgotten who you are, or will use that baseball that you autographed to play catch. It's having to attend fan banquets and lunches at Elks Lodges when you would rather be out partying or sleeping. Still, though, it was a pretty cool moment when Jeff Dooley mentioned that Mauer, Justin Morneau, David Ortiz, Torii Hunter, Scott Baker and Glen Perkins had all attended this event. The history and promise of it all -- that might be the best part of minor league baseball. Tonight at New Britain Stadium the process starts anew. Wimmers is set to start Monday's game. As we were leaving, I told him that I hope he dominates, and that he's not in Connecticut for very long. Wimmers is smart -- he knows the potential vacancies with the Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano contracts expiring. He knows that Jason Marquis is probably a one-year deal. And he knows that Kyle Gibson is no longer on the fast track that he was just a year ago. In the Twins' system, there is room for good, young pitching. Hopefully Wimmers can put together a solid season, and be in Rochester -- or even Target Field -- sooner, rather than later. I went into this event expecting roast beef and a fun time. I ended up with roast beef, a fun time and a chance to sit at a table with a guy who might, by 2014, have locked down a spot in the Twins' starting rotation. *********************************************************** If you're interested, check out a few pictures from this event at my website. Click here to view the article

I was at the Rock Cats game this evening. It wasn't a great game for New Britain -- not nearly enough offense, and our pitchers had some trouble keeping the ball down. Terry Ryan was in attendance. I spoke to him for a few minutes, and it sounds like he plans to follow the team through its upcoming weekend series in New Hampshire, as we get closer to the date when a few players on this team might get a call-up to Minnesota (or, if the Rock Cats make the playoffs, after their playoff stint ends). Ryan was scoring the game and taking furious notes, but he was very nice in person and willing to chat between innings. Here's a rundown of tonight's minor league action: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]ROCHESTER 0, LEHIGH VALLEY 1 Nick Blackburn (hey, remember him?) started for Rochester tonight, and went 7 innings. He gave up 1 run on 7 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Anthony Slama had a solid performance, going 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and walking 1. The Red Wings mustered only 4 hits all night. Evan Bigley had 2 singles in 3 at-bats, and Chris Parmelee and Wilkin Ramirez also singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 2, PORTLAND 7 I went to tonight's game. The Rock Cats didn't look very good. Lucas French started, and gave up 4 runs on 9 hits in 6 innings. He struck out 2 and walked 1. He didn't miss many bats tonight. Blake Martin tossed 1 inning, and gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 1 and walked 1. Aaron Thompson was effective, tossing 2 scoreless innings and allowing 3 hits. In addition to the shaky starting pitching, New Britain didn't get nearly enough offense. I liked what I saw from Josmil Pinto -- he hit a no-doubt homer to left field in the 4th inning, after walking in his first AA plate appearance. Oswaldo Arcia had a nice line drive double down the right field line, and also struck out and walked. Chris Colabello, Deibinson Romero and Rene Tosoni also singled. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 1, BRADENTON 2 Tom Stuifbergen took a tough, tough loss tonight. He tossed a complete game, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 3. As with the Rock Cats, there wasn't enough Mircale offense to get the job done tonight. Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-3 with a double, Daniel Santana had 2 singles, and Daniel Rams and Kyle Knudson each singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 6, PEORIA 9 This game went 12 innings, until Peoria scored 3 runs in the top half to take what proved to be the final lead of the game. Tyler Jones went 5 innings in his start, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks, but he did strike out 8. Corey Kimes tossed 2 and 1/3 innings, and also gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. Kimes walked 3 and struck out 1. Taylor Rogers was very effective in relief, going 2 and 2/3 innings and allowing 2 hits, striking out 2. Tim Atherton worked 1 and 2/3 innings out of the pen, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Corey Williams worked a scoreless 1/3 of an inning, walking 1 and striking out 1. Snappers pitchers walked 10 hitters this evening. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-for-7, JaDamion Williams was 2-for-5 with a walk and 3 Ks, Eddie Rosario had a single and 3 Ks in 6 at-bats, Kennys Vargas was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a K, and Drew Leachman, Matthew Koch, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen all singled. Rosario, Pettersen, and Stephen Wickens all stole bases tonight, as well. Here's the linkto the box score. ELIZABETHTON 3, GREENEVILLE 4 Angel Mata went 4 and 1/3 innings in his start today, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3, walked 5, and allowed 2 home runs. Joshua Burris went 2 and 2/3 innings, and allowed only 1 hit while striking out 5. Great performance from him. Tyler Herr tossed 2 scoreless frames, striking out 3 and walking 1. Byron Buxton had a great day, going 3-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base. Candido Pimentel and Max Kepler each doubled (Kepler with an RBI), and DJ Hicks, Romy Jimenez and Travis Harrison all singled. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 2, GCL ORIOLES 0 Andre Martin got the start, and went 4 innings. He allowed only 3 hits, struck out 5 and walked 1. Sam Gibbons also tossed 4 innings, giving up only 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 1. Felix Jorge tossed the final frame, striking out 1, as well. Joel Licon had the big hit today, a 2-run homer that accounted for all of the Twins' runs. John Murphy doubled, and Aderlin Mejia and Bryan Harr both singled. Here's the link to the box score. -------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 22 Pitcher of the Day: Tom Stuifbergen https://encrypted-tb...YGLAO9Lwok4bcjn Hitter of the Day: Byron Buxton http://t1.gstatic.co...l4Ui9BeDivsH0di --------------------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 23 Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley --- RHP Shairon Martis New Britain @ New Hampshire --- RHP Steven Hirschfeld Ft. Myers vs. Bradenton --- LHP Pat Dean Beliot vs. Peoria --- ??? Elizabethton @ Pulaski --- RHP Jose Berrios GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles --- ??? --------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading, and please leave any questions or comments. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Hicks.jpg Spring turned to summer a couple weeks ago here in Connecticut. We're beginning a stretch of 90 degree weather and high humidity. Over the past couple weeks, the Rock Cats played great baseball, winning a franchise record 11 in a row. As you would expect, pretty much everything was clicking -- timely hitting, solid pitching, and it certainly didn't hurt that Eddie Rosario was getting comfortable with regular game action. But, then, as happens in baseball, things caught up with New Britain. Monday's loss made it 6 straight losses for the Rock Cats. Over those 6 losses, the Rock Cats scored a combined 10 runs -- just 1.66 runs a game. By contrast, in the 11 consecutive wins New Britain scored 73 runs -- over 6.5 runs a game. I was at most of Monday's game, and what I saw were tired, tardy at-bats and very few hard-hit balls. Kennys Vargas has struggled lately. He looked sluggish. Over his last 10 games, he's hitting a mere .147/.256/.147 with no extra base hits and no RBIs. Aaron Hicks, looking to get things together -- and apparently now trying to switch hit again -- has hit a disappointing .143/.342/.286 with 4 hits in his last 10 games. A bright spot, though, is that he has 9 walks in that period. Eddie Rosario -- not any better. .105/.150/.105. 4 hits, none for extra bases. Just to generalize about these guys tonight: off-balance swings, fooled on breaking pitches. With those guys occupying 3 of the top 4 spots in the lineup and absolutely failing to produce, it's tough for the rest of the lineup -- generally regarded as non-prospects -- to produce. That night's bright spot, and really a bright spot on the entire season, was Reynaldo Rodriguez. He hit his 13th and 14th home runs this evening and is hitting a very solid .305 on the season. If you're asking who this stud is and why I don't talk or tweet about him very often, don't get too excited: he's 28 with limited defensive ability. But still, it's no reason to root against the guy, and he's shown marked improvement over last season, when he hit .231/.305/.482. Going into the evening, I was most excited to see Taylor Rogers pitch. His start wasn't bad by any means, but it was one of his weaker starts in an otherwise great season. He made it 6.2 innings, but gave up four runs, striking out three and walking two. He was stretched out to 106 pitches, which is good to see as we hit July. Aside from the rare strikeout, he didn't miss bats, and generally speaking the contact, even many of the outs, was pretty hard tonight. What's the end result? Well, the minor league season is long. No planes, small apartments, bad food, low pay. Add in really hot weather and a long stretch of ballgames, and every team is bound to have ups and downs. Now, however, would be a good time for the guys we expect to be in the majors next year (Vargas & Rosario for sure, and hopefully Hicks) to show a little leadership for the rest of the team. Click here to view the article

This year's Twins are better than the 2012 edition, who thankfully were better than the 2011 edition (well, it was hardly possible to be any worse). All signs indicate that the 2014 edition will continue on that track of improvement. The trend is slow. Painfully slow. But the direction is undoubtedly positive. I've been thinking a lot recently about when the Twins can next win the AL Central -- not just "compete for it" -- and what their roster might look like. My opinions are mostly based on watching several of the Twins prospects in New Britain: Chris Parmelee, Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Colabello, and even "new guys" like Alex Meyer and Trevor May. In the coming months, I'll watch Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. My best guess for the division-winning year is 2016, and what follows is a bunch of crazy roster projections. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption]Download attachment: Sano 2.JPG Miguel Sano: Probably a cornerstone to the 2016 Twins [/TABLE] Keep in mind, many, many prospects don't pan out. Even guys that dominate all levels of the minors routinely fail when they get to the majors. Also keep in mind that my projections don't take into account front office moves that may (I'm cringing typing this) move a few of our best prospects in coming years. I hope Terry Ryan & Company are still in a mindset of collecting, not dealing, prospects, but you never know. With those caveats in mind, here's a position-by-position look at how the Twins are going to win the AL Central in 2016. Catcher: Joe Mauer: He's still under contract, still catching some, and is now playing some combination of first base/DH/right field in the 50 percent of games he doesn't catch. He can still hit .300, by the way, because he's awesome at the game of baseball and his knees are getting very routine rest. Josmil Pinto: I hope he continues to produce and grow as a catcher. There's no reason he can't be catching half the Twins' games in 2016 and batting .280 with some power while doing so. I've watched him play probably a dozen or so games, and he is a professional hitter. Chris Herrmann: He can, at the very least, be a third catcher/outfielder. I have every confidence that he can, in time, be a .270 hitter with a good eye at the plate. An all-star -- probably not. But an affordable back-up that can call a good game, absolutely. Third Base: Miguel Sano: He's not a gold glover, but we don't need that. He plays adequate defense and is a force to be reckoned with at the plate. As I'm writing this post, he was just promoted to AA New Britain, so rest assured the Twins are not going to let their top prospects languish in the minors. If Sano cannot hack it at third base, he can always play first. But here's a question -- when was the last time that you heard a legitimate source claim that Sano was a serious question at third? Probably the very beginning of this season or the end of last season. Clearly there has been improvement! Centerfield: Aaron Hicks. He will continue to improve, just as he did in 2012 with the Rock Cats, and just as he is slowly doing in Minnesota. Byron Buxton: He might be one of the top 2 prospects in baseball right now. It's crazy to type that, but legitimate writers claim that as the truth. Buxton has a long way to go before he pans out, but I have yet to read any report suggesting that he does not have the skill set to become a solid major league player. Corner Outfield: Oswaldo Arcia. He's already gotten a taste in Minnesota this year, and I was pretty impressed. Although he slumped at the end, he didn't look in over his head, and he demonstrated why he was named the Twins' minor league hitter of the year last season. He's good now, but he'll be great in a few years. Aaron Hicks: If Byron Buxton becomes the player we hope he becomes, he will eventually win the centerfield job, pushing Hicks to a corner position. Angel Morales: I honestly don't know much about him, but am looking forward to finding out more. He's 23 and now is in AA. Joe Mauer: The guy has a cannon, and is just an all-around great athlete. I predict he'll get a 20-30 games in left field or right field. Danny Ortiz: I've really like what I've seen from him in New Britain. I'm not sure what the scouting reports say, but I saw a good arm, and his batting stats have been impressive. Middle Infield: Eddie Rosario. Rosario is young, and is still learning to play second, but has demonstrated that he is up to the challenge. By the way, he's probably one of the best offensive second base prospects we have had since Chuck Knoblauch. As with Sano, the reports of Rosario's difficulty learning the position have subsided this season. Brian Dozier: 2013 is a little better than 2012. His glove is better, anyway. Will he get it together? Time will tell. In any event, if he does, he'll be an affordable option in 2016. Levi Michael: I have yet to see Michael play, so I'm hesitant to judge. I'd love to see him have a breakout second half of 2013 and turn some heads. James Beresford: He was just promoted to AAA today. Congratulations, James! He's not a first-tier prospect, but he has an excellent glove. Can he continue to hit .300? We'll see. Beresford, however, could be a great utility infielder, as shortstop is his natural position. If he was called up to the Twins today, the bat would be an issue, but I'd put his glove right up there with anyone in this organization. Pitching: In short, pick 5 starters from this list: Alex Meyer Trevor May J.R. Berrios Alex Wimmers Kohl Stweart Kyle Gibson Logan Darnell D.J. Baxendale Sam Deduno Scott Diamond Ryan Eades Now, add a bullpen out of guys that didn't quite make it. This list of players, of course, is conjecture. Archives of this post will live on in 2016, and some parts will undoubtedly be laughable. Others, however, I'm willing to bet will be very accurate. Here's the best part about this list: Every position player on it is home-grown. Every player on it will be under team control in 2016. In fact, with the exception of Joe Mauer's $23 million, there are few players on this list that would command more than a couple million dollars per season. In short, there's ample room to spend on free agents in an area of weakness. Otherwise stated, there's TONS of money on the table if the Twins want to add an extra power bat as a DH, a top-of-the-line shortstop, or an "ace pitcher" to lead our young rotation. The other reason that I listed 2016 as the year to win the AL Central is because of the learning curve of major league baseball. If we can learn anything from watching Aaron Hicks this season, it's that there is a gigantic difference from the minors to the majors. Sano, Rosario, and even Meyer might all have tough rookie seasons. Picking 2016 gives these young guys a chance to make it through the league a couple times, learn from mistakes, and learn to succeed. So you've heard it here first: Don't count on the Twins the next couple seasons, but by 2016 this is going to be a dominating team. Click here to view the article

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UqDW4rI70uo/T5lGaRGuc8I/AAAAAAAAATE/t9Ls1VQ9BHI/s320/Mauer.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]I get it: Joe Mauer is getting paid $184 million and doesn't hit many home runs [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] When a team is losing, like the Twins are so far this season and did all of last season, it's easy to complain. In fact, it feels really, really good to complain. I sincerely think that us fans deserve better than the product that the Twins have been putting on the field, and that we deserve better than some of the excuses we have heard from the front office and management. Still, though, there is only so much complaining one can do. I read almost every Twins blog, as well as the Star Tribune Twins content, and I peruse TwinsDaily -- and post and comment there -- very often. For the most part -- not counting the Star Trib -- the comments sections of the blogs and of TwinsDaily are great places for discussion. Sure, people often disagree, but it's mostly respectful disagreement. When I write something, I could care less if people disagree with me. In fact, that's one of the fun things about blogging -- going back in forth, in a good-natured way, about our shared interest -- the Twins. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There are, however, a few things that just keep popping up in the comments sections that drive me crazy. It seems that, no matter what the topic, people keep drifting back to these issues. Not that they are not important or do not warrant discussion, but they are simply played out. Without further ado, here are three of those complaints. 1. Joe Mauer's contract. It doesn't seem to matter if the topic of conversation is Ben Revere as a fourth outfielder, pitching to contact, or the 2012 amateur draft. People always manage to drift back to Mauer's $184 million contract. For the record, I still support it and am not going to change my mind on that. I certainly, however, understand and respect the arguments to the contrary. But I think it's time to get past it. It was entered into 2 years ago, and it covers the next 6 seasons after this one. Yes, it absolutely impacts the ability of this team to sign other players. Yes, it's possible -- and even likely -- that Mauer won't be "worth" the money in the end (but see Fangraphs "value" indicator for Mauer for 2012, suggesting that he's already been worth $3.2 million this season -- close to $20 million over the course of the season if he maintains this moderate, but successful pace). And yes, it was a great topic for debate in 2010, and even last year when he wasn't playing much. But I think we should move on. It is what it is. Maybe, as fans, we should have been a little smarter and realized that the 2009 Mauer was the aberration, and not the rule? To me, the Mauer contract is sort of like purchasing your first house: it's a significant financial investment; it may or may not prove to be a wise choice; and it hampers your ability to do other things with your money. But after you sign the mortgage and note, it's a done deal. Start to focus on other things. I hope that Twins fans can start to focus on other things. There's a lot of good -- and bad -- things happening with this organization that have nothing to do with Mauer that are worthy of discussion, debate and attention. 2. The Public Financing of Target Field. Minnesotans, primarily residents of Hennepin County or people that do their shopping there, are footing the bill for a large portion of Target Field, and will continue to do so until the stadium has been paid for -- 30 years in total. The Target Field sales tax adds an extra .15 percent to Hennepin County's existing sales tax. Not much money on the purchase of a sandwich, but it's the principle, not the pennies, that angers this contingent. And rightfully so. I disagree with the way that stadiums are often funded. Why should the Twins -- the profit-making entity -- only foot 1/3 of the bill for the stadium, leaving county residents, regardless of whether the have any interest in the Twins, to pay the rest? It is fundamentally unfair. But that's life. It's no different than when my town decided that the annual bill I receive to connect to the town water and sewer was going to go up 10 percent, or when my property taxes were raised. This tax stinks for Hennepin County residents. They got the short end of the stick, no doubt. But it's a tired argument. Nothing is going to change until 2037, when Target Field has been paid for. Finally, it's worth noting that not all the revenue generated from the Target Field tax goes toward paying for the stadium: some is placed in a capital reserve fund, some is allocated to improve library hours, and some helps to construct amateur sporting facilities. I side with the complainers on this one, but it's time to move on. 3. Justin Morneau as a "Soft" Player. Admittedly, this one has started to dwindle, as Morneau has been healthy and fairly productive (great double last night) in 2012. Honestly, though, I was often astounded at what I read about Morneau, his concussions, and his recurring post-concussion symptoms on the Star Tribune message boards last season. It actually made me glad that I wasn't at Target Field last season -- I didn't want to hear that kind of stuff in person, because I would be tempted to respond. I suspect that the Morneau detractors were a minority, but they certainly were a vocal minority. All I can say is this: the medical profession, and all of the different professional sports, have begun to recognize (just in the past couple years) the serious and debilitating long-term effects that concussions -- especially multiple concussions -- have on athletes. There's a reason why retired athletes, including 40 retired NFL players, pledged in 2009 to donate their brains to science. There's a reason why Sidney Crosby has hardly played hockey in the past year. And there's a reason why the Twins have been extremely cautious with Morneau. Science has advanced significantly just in the past 10 years with respect to the study of concussions. I don't know how players played with concussion symptoms in the previous decades, but they did it. It was probably a result of several things: the medical profession not really knowing the danger to player health; organizations not looking out for player safety; players wanting to be perceived as "tough"; and athletes concerned with keeping their roster spot. Maybe, for some, it makes these old guys seem "tougher." And maybe they are. But that's an outdated, ill-informed view, in my opinion. No one wants to see a 45 year old retired player, perhaps coming back for a special event at the stadium, looking like a shell of the man he once was because his brain is severely and permanently damaged. Someday, the Twins will retire Morneau's #33. When that day comes, I hope we see a somewhat older, probably heftier Morneau, with his wife and kids by his side, looking and sounding 100 percent healthy. Ironically, this post is basically just me complaining about complainers. I hope I don't sound like (or look like) Andy Rooney. But that's the great thing about America. We can praise or complain about just about anything, without fear of getting dragged out of our houses in the middle of the night. So, have I missed anything? Are there other "played out" complaints? And another great thing -- if you think I'm way off base, you can complain to me, about me, right in the comments section. What a country! Click here to view the article

Where I live, I only watch the Twins on TV when they play the Yankees, Mets or Red Sox. Last night, though I missed seeing the comeback! It was definitely great to hear that both Morneau and Carroll had 4 hits -- Morneau, especially. Let's take a look at how the affiliates performed last night. Also, sorry this is late -- my internet was down this morning! ROCHESTER 3, TOLEDO 1 Shairon Martis had a very solid start for the Red Wings, going 7 innings, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 8 and walking 2. Bobby Lanigan pitched the remaining 2 innings, striking out 2. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Chris Parmelee and Rene Rivera (both with 3 hits including a double) led the way on offense. Matt Carson was 2-for-4 with a double, Eduardo Escobaro had 2 singles in 5 trips to the plate, and Evan Bigley and Brian Dinkelman each singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 5, ALTOONA 4 Aaron Thompson went 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 3. The Altoona offense got to the bullpen, though, as David Bromberg gave up 2 runs in 1 inning of work, allowing 2 hits and walking 3. Bruce Pugh also tossed 2 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 1 and walking 1. 5 Rock Cats players had 2 hits apiece tonight: Aaron Hicks (inc. a double); Chris Herrmann; Chris Colabello (inc. a home run); Daniel Rohlfing (inc. a double); Nathan Hanson (inc. a home run). Deibinson Romero added a single, and James Beresford doubled. Colabello's home run -- a 3-run walk-off, nonetheless -- was his 17th, and he had 3 RBIs, giving him an impressive 80 on the season. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 0, ST. LUCIE 6 Matthew Summers went 3 innings in his start, giving up 7 hits a 5 runs (3 earned), striking out 3 and walking 2. He allowed 3 home runs. Clint Dempster threw 3 and 2/3 innings, allowing 3 hits and 1 run. He walked 2 and struck out 3. He allowed a home run, as well. A.J. Achter tossed 1 and 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 2. Offense was at a premium for the Miracle. Anderson Hidalgo doubled in 4 at-bats, and Daniel Santana and Andy Leer each singled. Here's the linkto the box score. BELOIT 8, KANE COUNTY 1 I'm sure Seth and Jeremy will have a much more detailed recap, but here's the basic rundown. Matt Tomshaw had a great start, going 7 innings, allowing only 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 5 and walking 1. Dallas Gallant tossed a scoreless innings, striking out 1, and Corey Kimes also threw a scoreless frame, allowing 2 hits. There were a bunch of hits for the Snappers tonight. Stephen Wickens was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs. Then there were a bunch of singles: Eddie Rosario (3); Miguel Sano (2) and 2 RBIs; Nate Roberts (2); JaDamion Williams (2); Jairo Rodriguez (2); Drew Leachman (1). In addition to Sano's RBIs, Rosario, Leachman, Wickens and Rodriguez all drove in at least 1. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 4, GCL RED SOX 5 This is a game where the score truly doesn't matter. Andrew Albers, on a rehab assignment, went 2 and 2/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 1 and walking 3. Kyle Gibson threw 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. Randy Rosario threw 3 innings, allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits, striking out 4 and walking 4. Trent Higginbottham went 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 2. Byron Buxton was 1-for-2 with a single and 2 RBIs and a walk. Jose Ramirez had 2 singles in 5 at-bats, and Derek Rodriguez and Logan Wade each added singles, as well. The Twins walked 9 times today, which is nice to see. They also struck out 9 times. Here's the link to the box score. ----------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Friday, August 3 Hitter of the Day: Chris Colabello (for the big walk-off HR) Download attachment: Colabello2.jpg Pitchers of the Day: Matt Tomshaw and Shairon Martis (similar pitching lines, solid starts) Download attachment: Tomshaw.jpg Download attachment: Martis.jpg ------------------------------------------- Schedule for Saturday, August 4 Rochester @ Toledo --- ??? New Britain vs. Altoona --- LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie --- LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs. Wisconsin --- LHP Jason Wheeler Elizabethton vs. Danville --- RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins vs. GCL Red Sox --- LHP Austin Malinowski ----------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments, and thanks for reading! Click here to view the article