Twins Fan From Afar

Without a doubt, the New Britain Rock Cats' most valuable offensive player this season has been Kennys Vargas. Vargas, a 23 year-old switch-hitting first baseman (destined to be a designated hitter), has been on our radar for some time. However, he has always been considered a work-in-progress. Yes, the raw power was always there, but the limited defensive ability, large strikeout totals and inconsistent spells kept Vargas off of some Twins top prospect lists. After a brief adjustment period, Vargas seems to have figured out AA hitting. He boasts an impressive .304/.380/.528 line (a .908 OPS), with 7 home runs, 7 doubles and 22 RBIs in 142 plate appearances. More importantly, though, he has 23 strikeouts and 15 walks. Last season, Vargas struck out 105 times in 520 plate appearances (a 20.2 strikeout percentage). This season, the 23 Ks in 142 plate appearances constitute a 16.2 strikeout percentage. Yes, we are still in the part of the season where some may attribute this to a small sample size -- and perhaps that's somewhat warranted -- but Vargas' decreasing strikeouts are noteworthy. Over his last 10 games -- to make that sample size even smaller -- I calculate a 13.6 strikeout percentage. Vargas' walk rate -- 10.6% this season -- is up just a tic from last season (9.6%). Long story short, Vargas is putting more balls in play because he's striking out less often, while walking at roughly the same pace. As Brad Steil, Twins' Director of Minor League Operations recently said -- with the requisite Twins modesty -- "Vargas has come on the last couple weeks." And those balls in play -- well, let's just say that Vargas' power tool is welldefined. One thing that impresses me about Vargas is that he can hold his own from the both sides of the plate. This season, for example, he has four doubles and two homers from the right side of the plate (43 at-bats), coupled with three doubles and five homers from the left side (82 at-bats). So often, switch hitters are much, much better from one side, and merely adequate from their less-dominant side. Can Vargas eventually bring to the Twins a power threat from both sides of the plate? If that's Vargas' ceiling, count me as a fan. http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=7416&stc=1 Kennys Vargas, courtesy of Scott Blanchette What impresses me most about Vargas' production this season is that he's doing it in a lineup that's largely barren of threats. Yes, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Danny Ortiz, Nate Hanson and Matt Koch have been dependable, but for other portions of his career, Vargas has batted in the same lineup with the likes of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario. In other words, he's missing another power threat, and guys with elite on-base and hitting skills. So what Vargas has done thus far in 2014, he's doing without tons of assistance. Vargas will likely play all of 2014 in New Britain. I'm excited to see what happens in a few weeks if and when Buxton joins the team, and then a little later, when Rosario is eligible to play. What has been a somewhat drab lineup suddenly will become exciting again. And I believe that there's tremendous value to having those three key players hit in the same lineup together in the minors. A few things to keep an eye on this season for Vargas: Can he keep those strikeouts down? A change in the right direction of four to five percent is huge. Can he keep that batting average near .300? 2013 was his first season since 2009 where he batted under .300 -- .267, in fact. Finally, can he demonstrate the ability to hit good pitching from both sides of the plate? Time will tell, but 2014 has been encouraging thus far for Vargas. Click here to view the article

It's time again for my recap of tonight's action in the Twins' farm system. The parent club couldn't pull out a win tonight, so let's see how the affiliates fared. The Rochester Red Wings were off tonight. They are in last place in the International League North, 9 games out of first place with a 16-26 record. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] New Britain 1, Binghamton 8 Today's game was quite a test for the Rock Cats, facing top Mets pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. He routinely hits 97 with the fastball, and probably won't be too long for AA. He looked good against New Britain this afternoon, throwing 8 innings and allowing 2 hits and 1 run. But David Bromberg, starting for the Rock Cats, also had a solid performance, going 6 strong innings, striking out 8, walking 3 and giving up just 1 run on 4 singles. Blake Martin relieved Bromberg, tossing a scoreless 7th and walking 1 batter. He gave up 1 hit to lead off the 8th before being removed in favor of Luis Perdomo. Then things got ugly. Perdomo walked one, but the Mets scored twice following a sacrifice bunt, a single, and a Danny Lehmann throwing error. Brett Jacobson threw 2/3 of the 9th, issued 5 walks and gave up 5 runs (2 earned) -- a 3-run home run and a bases-loaded walk. Bobby Lanigan came on to get the last out in the 9th, which he did after hitting a batter with the bases loaded to bring in the Mets' 8th run (charged to Jacobson). Martin ended up with the loss. To sum up: starting pitching was good; the bullpen wasn't. There wasn't much offense to speak of for the Rock cats. Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson had an RBI single in the 5th to score Aaron Hicks, who had walked and stolen second (stolen base #13 for Hicks). Reversing a recent trend, Chris Herrmann did not get 4 hits today, but he did coax a walk out of Wheeler. Danny Lehmann had a double. Here's the linkto the box score. Ft. Myers 3, Clearwater 4 With a lengthy rain delay, starter Pat Dean went only 3 innings for the Miracle, allowing no runs on 2 hits and striking out 1. His outing was cut short as a result of the delay. Reliever Jose Gonzalez was excellent out of the bullpen, going 5 innings and allowing 1 run on 2 hits, and striking out 2 and walking 1 along the way. Ricky Bowen had a tough night, giving up 3 runs after allowing 3 hits and a walk in the 9th inning, picking up the loss. The Miracle banged out 12 hits tonight, including 2 hits (1 double each) from Daniel Ortiz and Josmil Pinto, and 2 singles from catcher Daniel Rohlfing. Jairo Perez had a double, and Daniel Santana, Levi Michael, Andy Leer, Angel Morales and Lance Ray each had singles. Santana, Perez and Leer each had an RBI tonight, and Santana picked up his 5th stolen base of the year. Here's the link to the box score. Beloit 3, Cedar Rapids 5 The Snappers couldn't put it together tonight against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Starter Matthew Summers went 5 innings, gave up 7 hits and 4 earned runs. He struck out 2 and walked 2, but gave up 3 home runs. The bullpen, however, was better. Ryan O'Rourke, Clint Dempster and Corey Williams all pitched scoreless innings in relief. On offense, the Snappers had 7 hits, including 2 hits from first baseman Adam Bryant, as well as doubles from Jairo Rodriguez, Wang-Wei Lin, Drew Leachman and Eddie Rosario. Lin drove in all 3 Beloit runs. TwinsDaily's own AJ Pettersen also had a single for Beloit. Miguel Sano continued his slump, going 0-for-4 with 2 strikeouts, and his average stands at .250 now. He also committed an error, his 15th of the season. Here's the link for the box score. ---------------- Players of the Day for May 23, 2012 Hitter of the Day: Wang-Wei Lin (photo courtesy of Jim Crikket) http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/CapitalBabs/Baseball/Steve/Snappers/Lin.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Jose Gonzalez (photo also courtesy of Jim Crikket) http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/CapitalBabs/Baseball/Steve/Snappers/Gonzalez6.jpg ---------------- Thursday's Action Rochester @ Gwinnett -- RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain vs. Binghamton -- RHP B.J. Hermsen Ft. Myers vs. Clearwater -- RHP Madison Boer Beloit vs. Cedar Rapids -- RHP AJ Achter --------------- Feel free to leave any comments or questions in the comments section, and either Seth or I will get to them! Click here to view the article

Sweet Lord, the Twins swept a series. Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, Francisco Liriano. Those were all big names going into 2012, and they all had good performances at some point in this series. Bottom line: the Twins won 3 games in a row. Yes, it was against another bad team, and yes, there are still major problems with the Twins. But, as fans, isn't it nice to see a few wins grouped together, rather than many, many losses? I posted this earlier today at Twins Fan From Afar, but here's some food for thought: Justin Morneau is on pace for 29 home runs and 81 RBIs; Joe Mauer is on pace for 39 doubles, 107 walks and is currently a seeing-eye single away from batting .300; Josh Willingham is on pace for 113 RBIs and 32 home runs; and Denard Span is on pace for 45 doubles (which would come close to doubling his career high of 26 from 2010). Yes, there are many bad things happening in Minnesota, but there are some good things, as well. Let's take a look at how the Twins' affiliates fared tonight.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 11, CHARLOTTE 10 This was a crazy game! The Red Wings had a good offensive showing tonight, and despite the fact that the pitching simply didn't keep them in the game, the Red Wings managed to win. Rochester scored 4 in the 9th to tie, and 1 in the 10th to win. Starter Liam Hendriks had a rough outing. He went 5 innings, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits, striking out 1 and walking 2. He allowed 2 home runs -- both 2-run shots. Out of the bullpen, reliever Deolis Guerra had a rare poor performance. In 1 inning of work, he allowed 3 runs on 3 walks. He didn't allow a hit and struck out 1. Lester Oliveros also allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning, giving up 2 hits and walking 1. Carlos Gutierrez tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 4 and giving up only 1 hit. He earned the win. Anthony "why isn't he in Minnesota" Slama closed the door and earned his 9th save, tossing a scoreless 10th. There's a lot of offense to discuss. Rochester banged out 18 hits tonight. The big slugger tonight was the recently demoted Chris Parmelee. He was 3-for-4 with a 3-run home run, a walk, and 5 RBIs. Shortstop Pedro Florimon also had 3 hits and an RBI. Clete Thomas had 3 hits (2 doubles). Danny Valencia had 2 hits (1 double) and an RBI. Catcher J.R. Towles had 2 doubles, Matt Carson had 2 hits, including a double, and 2 RBIs. Sean Burroughs was 2-for-4, and Ray Chang had a single as a pinch hitter. Here's the link for the box score. NEW BRITAIN 7, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2 This was an evening about top Twins prospects. Let's start with pitching. Starter B.J. Hermsen had a great start: he was one out shy of a complete game! In 8 and 2/3 innings, he allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 4 and issuing zero walks. His ERA at AA is 2.68. His stock is rising, and it's tough not to be a little excited about that. Luis Perdomo struck out the final batter of the game. On offense, almost every Rock Cats starter contributed. Top prospect Aaron Hicks connected for his 6th home run of the year, and catcher Chris Herrmann hit his 5th of the season. Both were solo shots. Danny Lehmann and Matt Rizzotti both had doubles, Rizzotti's driving in 2 runs, and James Berersford had 2 hits, including a triple, and 2 RBIs. Shortstop Estarlin De Los Santos had 2 singles, and Deibinson Romero had a single and an RBI. Here's the link for the box score. FT. MYERS 4, BRADENTON 3 Miguel Munoz had a solid start for the Miracle tonight, going 5 innings, and allowing 1 run on 5 hits and a walk. He struck out 3 along the way. Nelvin Fuentes gave up 2 runs in 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Both runs came on a 2-run home run. Bruce Pugh earned his 5th save of the season, and he was great, going 1 and 2/3 innings and striking out 4. He allowed no hits. Top prospect Oswaldo Arcia had another great game, going 4-for-4 with a home run, his 5th of the season. Daniel Santana was also excellent, going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple, and driving in 2 runs. Levi Michael and Angel Morales also had singles. Here's the link for the box score. BELOIT 3, QUAD CITIES 20 This was not a good night for the Snappers. Starter Tim Shibuya only made it 2/3 of an inning, and allowed 12 runs on 10 hits. He walked 1, struck out 2, and allowed a home run. Ryan O'Rourke was somewhat better, going 4 and 1/3 innings and allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 1. Corey Williams allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 1 inning of work, giving up 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Michael Tonkin tossed the 7th, allowing 1 run on 2 walks and 2 hits. A.J. Pettersen -- yes the infielder of TwinsDaily lore -- tossed a scoreless 8th inning, issuing 1 walk. There wasn't much offense to speak of tonight. The Snappers amassed only 5 hits. Adam Bryant had a double, and Drew Leachman, Kyle Knudson, Eddie Rosario and A.J. Pettersen each had singles. Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------- Players of the day for May 30, 2012 Hitter of the day: Chris Parmelee (close call with Arcia, but 5 RBIs gets the nod) Download attachment: Parm.jpg Pitcher of the Day: B.J. Hermsen (close call with A.J. Pettersen, but I'll give the nod to the actual pitcher) Download attachment: Herm2.jpg ------------------- A Look Ahead: Schedule for Thursday, May 31 ROCHESTER @ CHARLOTTE -- LHP Matt Maloney NEW BRITAIN @ NEW HAMPSHIRE -- LHP Andrew Albers FT. MYERS @ BRADENTON --- LHP Cole Nelson BELOIT @ QUAD CITIES --- LHP Steven M. Gruver 4 road games, 4 lefties, one of which uses his middle initial! ---------------------- If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here and either Seth or I will respond. Click here to view the article

Here we are, probably the most boring couple days during the baseball season -- the All-Star break. It was nice to see Joe Mauer get a hit last night, and interesting to see him play first base. It's tough to be too positive about the Twins right now. Sure, Josh Willingham, Ben Revere and Scott Diamond have exceeded expectations, but there's not a whole lot else to hang your hat on if you just look at the Twins right now. So, let's take a look at the affiliates, the Future Twins (#futuretwins if you're following me on Twitterfor Rock Cats updates).[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] FT. MYERS 6, CLEARWATER 5 Tom Stuifbergen got the start for the Miracle tonight, and went 4 innings. He gave up only 1 hit, and struck out 4. Twins fans, take note: Matt Capps threw tonight, on his rehab assignment, after Stuifbergen. Capps tossed 1 inning, allowed 1 hit and no walks, but did surrender an unearned run. Thereafter, Adrian Salcedo tossed 3 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits, striking out 1 and walking 1. Michael Tonkin picked up the save, his first of the season, throwing a perfect 9th. On offense, Andy Leer and Anderson Hidalgo both homered. Daniel Santana had 2 hits, including a double. Joe Benson (yes, the Joe Benson that is still a top prospect rehabbing a wrist injury) had a double in 5 at-bats, as did Michael Gonzales in 3 trips to the plate. Kyle Knudson and Daniel Rams also singled. Here's the linkto the box score. BELOIT 3, FT. WAYNE 6 Tyler Jones started for the Snappers tonight, and lasted 3 and 1/3 innings. He gave up 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned), striking out 3 and walking 2. The bullpen was better: Cole Johnson threw 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed only 1 hit; Dallas Gallant tossed 1 and 1/3 scoreless, striking out 1; and Corey Williams threw 1 inning, allowing 1 run on 1 hit, striking out 2 and walking 1. On offense, let's start with the big guy, Miguel Sano. He was 2-for-3 with a triple, his third of the season. He had 2 RBIs, a walk and a strikeout (also he committed 0 errors). Stephen Wickens, Drew Leachman, Steven Liddle, Jonathan Goncalves and Jairo Rodriguez all singled. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 4, GREENVILLE 7 Ricardo Arevalo got the start for the E-Town Twins tonight, going 4 innings. He gave up 6 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. Brett Lee threw 2 scoreless innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 2. J.T. Chargois was also effective, tossing 1 perfect inning and striking out 1. Tyler Duffey threw the 8th inning, giving up 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 1. E-Town had ample offense, just not enough runs. Jhonatan Arias, catcher, had 3 singles in 4 at-bats, Jorge Polanco and Niko Goodrum each had 2 hits, Joshua Henkricks had a double, and Max Kepler, Adam Walker and Travis Harrison each singled. Here's the linkto the box score. GCL TWINS 5, GCL ORIOLES 2 (7 inning game) Felix Jorge tossed 4 scoreless innings, giving up only 2 hits and striking out 4. Alexander Muren threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1, and Gonzalo Sanudo was the only Twins pitcher to get into trouble, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, compiling 1 strikeout along the way. Center fielder John Murphy and Joel Licon each had 2 hits, Murphy with 1 double and Licon with 2 RBIs. Aderlin Mejia and Javier Pimental each singled. Here's the linkto the box score. GCL TWINS 6, GCL ORIOLES 1 Jouse Montanez was very effective, going 5 innings and allowing only 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 5 and issuing 0 free passes. Jose Berrios earned the save, tossing 2 perfect, scoreless innings and striking out 3. Rene Tosoni had 2 hits tonight, both doubles, and 2 RBIs. Second baseman Jose Ramirez had a double, and Joel Licon, Bryan Haar and John Murphy all singled. Mejia, Haar and Murphy also had RBIs. Here's the linkto the box score. ---------------------------------------------------- Hitter and Pitcher of the Day for Wednesday, July 11 Hitter of the Day: Miguel Sano (2 hits, including a triple, as a top prospect, and 0 errors gives you the nod) Download attachment: Sano.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Matt Capps (pitching establishes more trade value than not pitching) Download attachment: Capps.jpg -------------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, July 12, 2012 Rochester vs. Toleo -- RHP Jeff Manship New Britain vs. Trenton -- LHP Aaron Thompson Ft. Myers @ Clearwater -- RHP Madison Boer Beloit @ Ft. Wayne -- LHP Jason Wheeler Elizabethtown @ Greenville -- ??? GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles -- ??? ----------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments, and either Seth or I will be happy to respond. Click here to view the article

The Twins lost again, 6-2 tonight. I had hope that they would win this series against the Angels, especially after impressive performances last night by Brian Dozier and Scott Diamond, but it was not to be. Josh Willingham, with a home run and a double, continues to swing the bat well, but with the offense mustering only 6 hits, the chances of victory were slim tonight. Here's a look at how the Twins' minor league affiliates fared Wednesday night. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, PAWTUCKET 5 Cole DeVries wasn't terribly effective for the Red Wings tonight. Lasting 4 and 1/3 innings, DeVries gave up 10 hits, 5 runs, struck out 2 and walked 1. On a positive note, the bullpen was better. Brendan Wise and Tyler Robertson each pitched a scoreless 1 and 1/3 innings; each struck out 1 batter, and Robertson walked 1. Anthony Slama pitched a scoreless 8th inning, striking out 2. His ERA is at 0.59 after 14 and 1/3 innings pitched. There wasn't much offense for the Red Wings tonight. The team amassed 9 hits, but was only 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Joe Thurston homered, his second of the season, and Clete Thomas had a double. Ray Chang, Ben Revere and new Red Wing Pedro Florimon each had 2 hits. Additionally, Rene Tosoni had a stolen base, his second on the year. The Red Wings are 14-18 on the year. NEW BRITAIN 5, BINGHAMTON 1 The Rock Cats continue to be the best Twins affiliate thus far, defeating the Mets' affiliate for the second consecutive night. Starter Steve Hirschfeld had a solid start for New Britain, tossing 6 innings, giving up 5 hits and 1 run, striking out 6 and walking 1 along the way. The bullpen -- which has been a bright spot for the Rock Cats -- again was solid tonight. Luis Perdomo picked up the win, throwing a scoreless 7th inning, walking 2 and striking out 1, and new Rock Cat Caleb Thielbar threw both the 8th and 9th innings, striking out 3, walking none, and allowing only 1 hit. The Rock Cats scattered 10 hits tonight. Newly promoted Wilkin Ramirez hit his first home run as a Rock Cat, Deibinson Romero, Danny Lehmann and Ramirez contributed doubles, and Joe Benson was 1-for-5 with a stolen base. New Britain was 3-for-9 tonight with runners in scoring position. In the end, Ramirez, with 3 hits and an RBI, and Lehmann, with 2 hits and 2 RBIs, led the way. FT. MYERS 7, DUNEDIN 5 Our high-A team defeated the Blue Jays' counterpart this evening in a game that featured 22 combined hits and 4 combined errors. Jhon Garcia got the start for the Miracle, and lasted 4 and 1/3 innings, giving up 10 hits and 5 runs (4 earned), but exhibited good control, striking out 2 and issuing no free passes. Miguel Munoz picked up the win in relief, throwing 3 and 2/3 innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1 in the process. Righty Ricky Bowen earned his first save of the season, pitching a scoreless 9th and allowing 1 hit. It was a good offensive showing for Ft. Myers tonight. Lance Ray hit his 4th home run of the season, a 1st inning grand slam! Ray also had a single. Not to be outdone, first baseman Andy Leer hit 2 home runs, both solo shots. Daniel Santana, Levi Michael, Daniel Rohlfing and Jairo Perez also had hits for the Miracle. Santana also had his 4th stolen base of the season. But the baseball gods giveth and taketh away, because Santana was responsible for both Miracle errors -- both on throws. He has 9 errors on the season. BELOIT 2, PEORIA 1 Although the score doesn't suggest it, the teams combined for 18 hits tonight. Starter Steven Gruver for the Snappers picked up the win (now 2-3 on the season), going an impressive 7 and 2/3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 1 run, striking out 3 and walking none. His ERA fell to 3.67 on the season. A very solid performance from Gruver. A.J. Achter picked up the hold, throwing 1 scoreless inning, striking out 2. Corey Williams earned the save, his 5th on the season, tossing a scoreless 9th, also striking out 1. Wang-Wei Lin had a hit and an RBI, as did Adam Petterson, friend of and contributor to TwinsDaily. Rory Rhodes had 2 hits, and JaDamion Williams, Adam Bryant, Miguel Sano, Drew Leachman and Jonathan Goncalves also had singles for Beloit. Bad news for Beloit fans: Sano did not homer tonight. Sorry, it can't happen every game. Williams, though, had his 8th stolen base of the season, and there were only 2 Snappers starters (Eddie Rosario and Kyle Knudson) that were hitless tonight. --------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 9, 2012 Hitter of the Day -- Lance Ray Download attachment: RayB.jpg Photo Credit JimCrikket Pitcher of the Day -- Steven Gruver Download attachment: Steven-Gruver2.jpg ----------- A Look Ahead -- Thursday, May 10 Schedule Rochester @ Pawtucket -- LHP Lucas French New Britain vs. Reading -- LHP Logan Darnell Ft. Myers @ Dunedin -- RHP Adrian Salcedo Beloit @ Peoria -- RHP Tim Shibuya Click here to view the article

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://www.milb.com/assets/images/7/3/4/45176734/cuts/meyer480_yw1gwbv3_yjk0mgqz.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]Alex Meyer, probably throwing a really, really hard fastball. Courtesy of Kevin Pataky at MiLB.[/TD] [/TABLE] For a Twins fan, I had perhaps the best seat in the house. One row behind me -- same seat number in fact -- Minnesota Twins' General Manager Terry Ryan sat with a pencil, scorecard and notepad. In the two rows in front of me were radar guns, operated by a scout I didn't know, and by Rock Cats' pitcher Logan Darnell (who actually tossed a great game tonight). I saw the speed and location of every pitch. From right behind home plate I watched arguably the Twins' best pitching prospect since Johan Santana throw and I wasn't disappointed.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I'm not going to lie. I was pretty excited for the game. And I can tell you, Alex Meyer is as advertised. I'm not saying he's a perfect prospect -- obviously he was far from perfect last night -- but I can tell you, from this small, small sample size, I have no doubt that the Twins made a great trade. Let's talk specifics. I watched Alex Meyer's worst Rock Cats start. The start was not bad. One inning was bad, and here's the rundown: Meyer's third inning started off with a liner out to center, and then a weakly hit roller down the third base line. Mark Sobolewski couldn't make the play, and it went for an infield single. Thereafter, there was a sharp single to right field, and Meyer must have become rattled, because he walked the next two batters. He clearly was off -- the missed fastballs to righty batters were up and out, not even close to strikes. There was a mound visit. In other words, something with both his composure and control was off. That second walk resulted in a run, and the next batter singled on, what I remember to be, a sharply hit grounder to the hole between shortstop and third base. The next batter hit a legitimate sacrifice fly to left, and all the sudden it's a 4-run inning. Meyer's fastball throughout his start was consistently 94-95 and hit 96 multiple times. His stuff wasn't slower, or weaker, during that bad third inning, and his velocity was just as good out of the stretch. He simply lacked control and precision during those 20 minutes. One takeaway: AA players can hit a 96 MPH fastball down the middle, when they are expecting it. Meyer's breaking stuff -- see this excellent piece from the Hartford Courant's Dom Amore -- was consistently around 79. Here's the best part of the story -- and also the reason why I have no concern with Alex Meyer: that third inning was an aberration. Instead of giving up as Terry Ryan and other scouts watched him scuffle, Meyer battled and pitched 3 more innings, walking 0, allowing one single and striking out three. Rather than throw in the towel, Meyer demonstrated in innings 4-6 that he is the genuine article; he can be what we expect him to be. Alex Meyer dominated most of the hitters he faced. There were many embarrassing swings, many called strikes that baffled batters and many weakly hit grounders and fly balls. And I will note (as a fan, not a 100 percent objective observer), that Meyer did get pinched on a few pitches in that rough third inning. I did hear a couple of groans from Mr. Ryan. So here's the bottom line, based on this one Alex Meyer start: he throws really, really hard, and it intimidates batters. . The fastball reached 96 on a night when it was in the low 50s in Connecticut (he has reached 98 in better weather). He has a great knuckle-curve that breaks down sharply. He didn't give up an extra-base hit in his "worst" start, although there were a few deep fly balls. He did get rattled when he got in trouble in that inning, but again, the next 3 innings suggest that he can rebound from a rough frame. The "line": 6 inning, 4 earned runs, 5 hits, 8 Ks, 3 BBs and a loss. The real story: one very bad inning in front of a nerve-wracking crowd, and an otherwise dominating start. And one hell of a fastball. Please also check out New Britain Herald writer Matt Straub's write-up on this game here. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BBXRoUgvB18/UYHWyKFDgiI/AAAAAAAAAiI/fTy4HbIZ2w0/s320/nh-a13-james-beresford-front.jpg One other strange item from last night: James Beresford, probably my favorite Rock Cats player this season, was tossed from the game. I've been asked a few times what happened, so here is the story as I witnessed it: To preface this story, I should note that going back to last season I really have enjoyed watching Beresford play. He is an above-average defender, and although he will never hit for big power, I have held out hope that he can become a singles and walk machine such that he can keep advancing up the system. James is on his way. As of tonight, he's batting .333 on the season after having to fight off a couple of other players at the last-minute for a starting role. He's taking good at-bats, is walking when he can and he had extra-base hits in consecutive games last week. In short, a good start for Beresford. Last night, in a mid-game at-bat against a tough LOOGY, Beresford took a fastball for a strike, which I believed (from my home plate vantage point) to be a few inches outside of the zone. He took longer than normal between pitches, speaking with the ump. The next pitch looked like it hit the outside corner, but Beresford also took that one, again speaking with the ump. The third pitch was a breaking ball in the dirt, which Beresford swung at. The ump rung him up, and James indicated that there was a foul tip. Nonetheless, it was a third strike for the third out. As Beresford bent down and undid his shin guard, some words must have been exchanged, because he was immediately tossed. So there's the story as I saw it. It was a strange game. I went expecting Alex Meyer to dominate, and he didn't. But at the same time, I saw just how scary and dominating he can -- and will -- be. Going from 96 to a wicked 79 mph knuckle-curve is devastating. Not many AA pitchers can do that. Twins fans, rest assured, I believe that this was a great trade. Nothing against Denard Span -- one of my favorite Twins when he was in uniform -- but Meyer will be an excellent return for many, many years to come. Click here to view the article

Today's Twins game was disappointing on several fronts. The Twins lost a chance for a sweep, Ben Revere failed to extend his impressive hit streak, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka continued to look ... confused at second base. Oh well. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ROCHESTER 3, SCRANTON/WB 7 Shairon Martis turned in a quality start, tossing 7 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 2, but did allow 2 home runs. Deolis Guerra had a tough outing. In 1 inning of work he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits, striking out 1. Kyle Waldrop lasted only 2/3 of an inning, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk. Lucas French threw the remaining 1/3 of an inning.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Chris Parmelee was 2-for-4 with a double, and is batting .354 at AAA. Matt Carson (12) and Clete Thomas (11) both homered for the Red Wings. Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dinkelman singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 3, BINGHAMTON 8 It seems like most of the quality arms have left New Britain. Tonight, Aaron Thompson got the nod, and lasted 5 and 2/3 innings. He gave up 6 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks, and struck out 3. Marty Popham allowed 2 runs in 1 and 1/3 innings on 3 hits. Finally, Edgar Ibarra tossed a scoreless frame, striking out 2. Chris Colabello continues to impress. He was 2-for-4 tonight with his 18th home run and his 84th RBI. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-for-2 with his 12th double. He also struck out, walked, and had a sac fly. Aaron Hicks hit his 7th triple and walked. Chris Herrmann and Nathan Hanson also had singles. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 7, JUPITER 2 In this rain-shortened game (7 innings), Pat Dean picked up his 7th win of the season tonight, going 6 solid innings. He allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 3 and walking 2. Clint Dempster threw a scoreless 7th inning, allowing 2 hits. Daniel Santana was 2-for-4 with 2 doubles, Daniel Rams had 2 singles in 4 at-bats, and 2 RBIs. Lance Ray was 2-for-3 with a triple, and Levi Michael, Josmil Pinto, Michael Gonzales, Andy Leer and Angel Morales all singled. Leer's single drove in 2 runs, as well. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 4, QUAD CITIES 1 Matt Tomshaw picked up his 4th win of the season, turning in a great start. He went 7 and 2/3 innings and gave up 1 unearned run, allowing 6 hits and striking out 4. No free passes. Dallas Gallant earned the save, throwing 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and striking out 1. JaDamion Williams hit his 5th home run of the season tonight, a solo shot. Jairo Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with a double. Drew Leachman had 2 singles and a walk in 3 at-bats, and Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Stephen Wickens all singled. Sano (38) and Rosario (14) also had errors this evening. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 5, JOHNSON CITY 2 Brett Lee got the start and went 4 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 7! Kaleb Merck tossed a scoreless 5th, allowing 2 hits and striking out 1. Tyler Duffey threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 2. J.T. Chargois allowed 1 run on 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 1. Luke Bard tossed a perfect 9th. Max Kepler had a huge day. He was 4-for-4 with 2 singles, a double (10) and a home run (8). He drove in 2 runs, as well. Adam Walker hit 2 solo home runs in 4 at-bats, giving him 11 on the season. Byron Buxton was 2-for-4 in his E-Town debut, and Candido Pimentel and Niko Goodrum both singled. Here's the link to the box score. GCL Twins 6, GCL Orioles 7 Felix Jorge started for the Twins today, and went 4 innings, giving up 1 unearned run on 2 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. Gerardo Ramirez worked 1 inning and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk. Thereafter, Trent Higginbotham gave up 2 runs in 1 inning of work, surrendering 3 hits. Alexander Muren tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1 and walking 1. Anthony Slama, rehabbing an injury, threw 1 perfect inning, and Hung Yi Chen allowed 2 runs in 1 inning of work on 2 hits. Catcher Jorge Fernandez was 4-for-5 with 3 RBIs and a run. Great game for him. Joel Licon tripled and walked twice, and the following players all singled: Jeremias Pineda; Jose Ramirez; Dereck Rodriguez; Kelvin Ortiz; John Murphy; Javier Pimentel; and Logan Wade. Here's the linkto the box score. ---------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 8 Hitter of the Day: Max Kepler Download attachment: kepler-minors.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Matt Tomshaw (this is how he would look if he showed up at your door to take your daughter to prom) Download attachment: matt-tomshaw.jpeg ----------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 9 Rochester vs. Scranton/WB --- RHP P.J. Walters New Britain @ Binghamton --- LHP Logan Darnell Ft. Myers vs. Jupiter --- RHP Matthew Summers Beloit @ Quad Cities --- LHP Jason Wheeler Elizabethton @ Johnson City --- RHP Ricardo Arevalo GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles --- ??? ------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments. Thanks for reading! Click here to view the article

The Twins had a big victory tonight, 11-7, over the Tigers. Everyone except Erik Komatsu was involved in the hitting, and that's a great sign. It's tough not to be excited about Brian Dozier. True, it's a small sample size, but he has exceeded expectations so far, including a big 3-run home run early in tonight's game. But enough about the current Twins. Tonight's focus is about the Future Twins. All the minor league affiliates were in action tonight, and here's a recap of what transpired.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 4, Louisville 1 Jeff Manship got the start for the Red Wings tonight, and pitched well. In 5 innings, he only gave up 3 hits, while striking out 2 and walking 3. He picked up the win, and is 3-1 on the year. Matt Maloney allowed an unearned run in 1 inning of work, and allowed 1 walk and struck out 1 batter. New Red Wing Lester Oliveros was excellent out of the bullpen, going 3 innings, picking up the save (his first), striking out 4 and walking 1. Wilkin Ramirez had a great day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Pedro Florimon had a single and an RBI, Ben Revere contributed 2 hits, and Danny Valencia, Rene Tosoni and Rene Rivera all had singles. Game 1: New Britain 0, New Hampshire 3 The story of the first game of this day on which the Rock Cats and Fisher Cats played two 7-inning double headers is that hits came at a premium for Hardware City. Chris Herrmann, playing left field today, was 1-for-3 with a double, his 11th of the season, and new Rock Cat Matt Rizzotti, demoted from AAA, had a single in 3 at-bats. That was it. 2 hits all afternoon. Steve Hirschfeld took the loss, and is now 2-4 on the season. But he pitched pretty well -- 6 innings, 3 runs, 3 strikeouts and 2 walks. He did, however, allow 8 hits and 2 solo home runs, which is what did him on this day when the offense couldn't muster anything. Blake Martin pitched a scoreless final inning. Game 2: New Britain 6, New Hampshire 3 The Rock Cats salvaged a split of the double header tonight. Logan Darnell was decent on the mound, going 6 innings, giving up 3 runs. Importantly, though, he walked 1 and struck out 8. He did allow 2 solo home runs. Daniel Turpen picked up the save, tossing a scoreless 7th, allowing no hits and walking 1. New Britain had only 5 hits in this night cap, and Estarlin De Los Santos did the most damage, with a 3 run home run and a double. Matt Rizzotti also had a double, and Nathan Hanson and James Berersford each had singles. Joe Benson was 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts and a walk, and Aaron Hicks was 0-for-3 with three Ks. Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 3 The Miracle banged out 9 hits tonight, but it wasn't enough for a win. Jhon Garcia was charged with the loss tonight; he threw 5 innings, gave up 3 runs on 3 hits, struck out 4 and walked 4. Edgar Ibarra threw 3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 2, and Matthew Hauser threw a scoreless 9th. Oswaldo Arcia and Daniel Rohlfing each had a double, and Jairo Perez drove in Angel Morales for the only Miracle run. Daniel Santana, Daniel Ortiz and Morales each had 2 hits, as well. Beloit 4, Quad Cities 2 Jason Wheeler had another solid start for the Snappers tonight, throwing 6 innings, and allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits, while striking out 5 and issuing no free passes. David Hurlbut picked up the win in relief, tossing scoreless 7th and 8th innings and striking out 2, and Ryan O'Rourke picked up his second save of the season allowing 1 hit and striking out 1 in the 9th. Beloit only had 5 hits tonight, but the Snappers made sure they counted. Catcher Matthew Koch hit a big 3 run home run in the 7th inning, and AJ Petterson of TwinsDaily (and, well, professional baseball) fame hit a solo shot in the 8th inning. It was the first home run of the season for both players. Congratulations! JaDamion Williams and Jonathan Goncalves each had singles, and Adam Bryant had a double. ----------------------- Minor League Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 16 Hitter of the Day: Estarlin De Los SantosDownload attachment: Santos1.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Jason Wheeler Download attachment: Wheeler.jpg ----------------------- On Deck: Thursday, May 17 Rochester vs. Louisville -- RHP Daryl Thompson New Britain vs. New Hampshire -- RHP David Bromberg Ft. Myers @ Brevard County -- RHP Marty Popham Beloit vs. Quad Cities -- RHP Matthew Summers ---------------------- If you have any questions, leave them here, and Seth will answer them (or I will attempt to). Click here to view the article

Well, the Twins lost tonight, 7-2 to the Pirates. At least it was in a beautiful ballpark. I enjoyed watching the Twitter feeds of the Twins beat writers, reporters and other journalists this afternoon, as they were filled with pictures of PNC Park. I have to say, I love Target Field, but PNC just might have us beat. At the very least, it was nice to see Trevor Plouffe continue to swing the hot bat (2-for-3 with a walk), and Denard Span homered. Hopefully they have better luck tomorrow. Let's see how the affiliates did tonight. Spoiler alert: it wasn't pretty.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, DURHAM 8 Lucas French had a rough outing, lasting only 3 and 1/3 innings and giving up 6 runs on 8 hits, walking 2 and striking out 1. French's AAA ERA is 5.44. Deolis Guerra also ran into trouble. In 1 and 2/3 innings, Guerra gave up 2 runs on 3 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 3. Kyle Waldrop threw 2 scoreless innings, and Casey Fein and Tyler Robertson each tossed scoreless innings. The Red Wings amassed only 6 hits all evening. Right fielder Wilkin Ramirez was 1-for-4 with a 2-run home run. That accounted for all the scoring. Danny Valencia was 2-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Michael Hollimon had a triple and 2 walks, and Clete Thomas and Pedro Florimon each had a single. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 1, ALTOONA 8 The Rock Cats continued their slide in the Eastern League standings, getting hammered tonight. Logan Darnell was charged with the loss, throwing 5 innings, and allowing 4 earned runs (6 total) on 10 hits. He struck out 1. Daniel Sattler (recent St. Paul Saints signing) made his AA debut tonight. In 2 innings of work, he gave up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 2. Blake Martin allowed 1 run in 1 inning of work, allowing no hits, but walking 3 and striking out 2. Like the Red Wings, the Rock Cats only got 6 hits all evening. Top prospect Oswaldo Arcia had a debut he would probably like to forget. He was 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts. Oh well; he'll be back tomorrow and probably much better. Evan Bigley was the best offensive player tonight, going 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Bigley is likely to lose playing time to Arcia, so he is probably feeling motivated to play well when he gets the opportunity. Aaron Hicks returned to the lineup after being out about a week with an ankle sprain. He was 1-for-4. Deibinson Romero and James Beresford each singled for New Britain. Romero also had the only walk of the evening for the Rock Cats. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 2, JUPITER 6 This must have been another bullpen day for the Miracle. Tom Stuifbergen got the start for Ft. Myers, and gave up 1 earned run (3 total) in 2 innings on the hill. He allowed 4 hits, walked 1 and struck out 1. Jose Gonzalez threw 2 and 2/3 innings and allowed 3 runs. Gonzalez gave up 4 hits, but struck out 6. Kind of an interesting stat line. Edgar Ibarra was excellent tonight: in 2 and 1/3 innings, he allowed no runs on 2 hits, struck out 5 and walked 1. Finally, Dakota Watts threw a scoreless inning. Kyle Knudson was 3-for-4 tonight with a double and a run. Levi Michael was 2-for-2 with a double and 3 walks (he also committed his 9th error of the season, a fielding miscue). Daniel Rams hit his second home run of the year, and Josmil Pinto and Angel Morales each singled. The Miracle walked 8 times tonight -- it's disappointing they couldn't convert on more of the free passes. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT was not in action tonight, as it was the Midwest League All-Star game. I'll do a quick rundown of the Snappers' All-Star performances: Miguel Sano was 0-for-1 with a walk; Jonathan Goncalves was 1-for-2 with an RBI; Tyler Grimes was 0-for-1 with a walk; Jairo Rodriguez was 0-for-1 with a walk. Pitcher A.J. Achter went 2/3 of an inning, striking out 2 and allowing 1 hit; Jason Wheeler also threw a scoreless 2/3 of an inning, and Michael Tonkin threw 1/3 of an inning, allowing 1 hit. Here's the link to the lengthy box score. ELIZABETHTON 5, DANVILLE 7 It's exciting to see some guys that we have read about getting to play in real games. Hudson Boyd took the loss tonight. In 3 innings of work, he gave up 1 earned run (3 total) on 4 hits, striking out 3 and walking 3. Brett Lee also threw 3 innings, and allowed 1 unearned run, striking out 1. Steven Evans allowed 3 runs in just 1 inning of work, walking 3 and striking out 1. Tyler Herr allowed 1 run in 1 inning of work, giving up a solo home run. He also walked 1. Elizabethton had 7 hits in tonight's game. First baseman Rory Rhodes had 3 hits in 4 at-bats, with a double, a run, 2 RBIs and a walk. Right fielder Candido Pimentel was 2-for-4, designated hitter D.J. Hicks had a double and an RBI in 5 at-bats, and left fielder Romy Jimenez was 1-for-4 with a single. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 5, GCL ORIOLES 3 Dereck Rodriguez has a pretty famous father (future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez), but he is trying to make a name for himself. The outfielder went 3-3 with a walk in his first game of the season. John Murphy was 1-2 with two walks. Jose Ramirez went 2-4 with a stolen base. Yorman Landa made his first start of the 2012 season. The right-hander threw four no-hit, no-run innings. He walked two and struck out four. Chris Mazza came in and gave up one run on three hits in two innings. He struck out three. Gerardo Ramirez gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in one inning (and he got credit for the win!). Melciades De La Cruz got the save. He struck out four in two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked two. --------------------------------------------------- Players of the day for Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Hitter of the Day: Rory Rhodes Download attachment: Rhodes.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Edgar Ibarra Download attachment: Ibarra.jpg ----------------------------------------- A Look Ahead: Schedule for Wednesday, June 20 Rochester vs. Durham -- RHP Cole De Vries New Britain @ Altoona -- ?? Ft. Myers @ Jupiter -- RHP Madison Boer Elizabethton @ Danville -- RHP Ricardo Arevalo Gulf Coast League Twins vs. Gulf Coast League Rays -- ?? ------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments here, and Seth or I will be happy to respond. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Nate Hanson 2.jpg Last season, Twins fans (and minor league geeks like me) hung on Miguel Sano's and Byron Buxton's every at-bat. In fact, the night I covered (and live-tweeted) Sano's New Britain Rock Cats' debut, I gained something like 200 Twitter followers. Sure, Sano is exciting -- a kid with game-changing power and an electric personality. But behind every Sano or Buxton are hundreds of players that never get the recognition they deserve. Since I've been following the New Britain Rock Cats, my two favorite players to watch have been James Beresford and Nate Hanson. Nope, not Sano, not Eddie Rosario, not Josmil Pinto. Beresford, a superb defender, made the move midway last season to AAA, and hasn't looked back. In fact, he's been one of the Rochester Wings' best hitters in 2014. Hanson, however, was again assigned to New Britain to begin 2014. This -- along with A.J. Achter's assignment to New Britain (he since moved up to AAA) -- really surprised me, for several reasons. Hanson, 27, is experiencing his third April in New Britain (he played the final 60 games of 2011 for the Rock Cats, and had a very brief 20-game stint in Rochester in 2013 -- otherwise it's all been Hard Hittin' New Britain since 2012). He has been the definition of a utility player, a go-to guy, a gamer, and a teammate who doesn't whine. You can pick your sports cliches, but Hanson (and Berseford, too) is an example that sometimes cliches are used for a reason. One of Hanson's best attributes is his attitude. When I asked about starting 2014 in New Britain, again, instead of Rochester, Hanson said that it was a result of the talent in the system, "and it was just how the rosters played out. I saw it as an opportunity to play every day and get my at-bats while being one of the leaders on the team." To be sure, at-bats, regardless of the level of competition, are the most important thing: no one ever gets bumped up a level because they were good in a pinch-hit situation. Although a natural third baseman, Hanson has seen time at first base, left field, DH, and most recently, second base. He's in the lineup every night. He does his job -- and is capable of fielding any of those positions. Regarding his super-utility status, Hanson said that "versatility is my strongest asset, and I pride myself on being a very good defender regardless of the position." As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that Hanson reminds me a bit of Michael Cuddyer, with less power. For as much as some people complained at the prospect of Cuddyer playing second base or first base, or even pitching an inning, keep in mind, the Twins needed someone to occupy those positions, and Cuddy did it, even when it took him out of his comfort zone. There's huge value to an organization in a guy who can cover several positions in a pinch and not embarrass with the bat. There's huge value to an organization when it can get through a couple games using versatile players, without having to make a roster move. Hanson, though, is no slouch offensively. He's off to a hot start this year. In fact, he was 2-for-6 in this evening's game with a home run and a walk. In 15 games this season, Hanson has a .311 average with the homer, 5 doubles and 9 RBIs. Hanson said that he's "typically a slow starter, but feels good at the plate thus far." He also has the benefit of having "faced some familiar pitchers, so I have an idea of what they're trying to do on the mound." So after all is said and done, what is Hanson's path to the Twins? I'm not exactly sure. On the one hand, the Twins hope Sano quickly recovers from Tommy John surgery and is able to travel through AA and AAA to become the Twins' starting third baseman at some point in 2015. So it seems likely Hanson will be blocked at third base in the long run. On the other hand, though, there are so many paths for a guy that can play 4 defensive positions. First things first, though: Hanson deserves an extended opportunity to play every day in Rochester. I hope it's sooner rather than later, but it is warranted. If Hanson hits AAA pitching, I think he's a great candidate for a Twins' bench role. As the MLB season drags on, injuries always mount for the big club. So often, the Twins' bench options have either been defensive specialists with no bat, or guys that can hit but cannot field (Jim Thome 2011 comes to mind -- loved the guy, but it was always a tough situation when he'd come off the bench in a big situation, draw a walk, then have to be taken out for a pinch runner because he couldn't run or field). A player like Hanson (or even Beresford) bridges the gap between a typical "defensive specialist" and a limited "bench bat." Whatever his future, though, Nate Hanson will continue to conduct himself as a professional. In fact, the Rock Cats awarded him their annual "10th Player Award" at the end of last season. Minnesotans should be proud to say that Nate Hanson is "one of their own." Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Perk.jpg As July comes to a close, the inevitable discussion (at least in Twins Territory) turns to what assets the team could/should part with. This season, as the team slowly but surely heads to a fourth straight 90-loss campaign, names like Kurt Suzuki, Kendrys Morales, Josh Willingham, Kevin Correia and even Brian Dozier have surfaced. But there's another player -- a guy that not as many are discussing, but who has more value, perhaps, than most of these guys combined: Glen Perkins. Let's get a couple things out of the way. First, I'm a big Glen Perkins fan. He's roughly my age and he's from Stillwater, a short, short drive from my hometown of White Bear Lake. Except for the part where we didn't know each other, we could have been best friends. There's literally nothing to dislike about this guy. Even though I disagreed with him on Twitter a few weeks ago (and he actually responded to me directly, like a man), he's my favorite Twin. Second, he's an elite relief pitcher. I tend to think closers (by definition and pay) are overrated, but by any stretch, he's one of the best in the game. As such a valuable player and elite reliever, Perkins is likely the Twins' most valuable (meaning most value on the trade market) player. Is there any reason why Perkins should be "untouchable?" No. Some more detail on Perkins. He recently signed a relatively team-friendly (if unnecessary) extension. Here's how that plays out: Perkins will make $4.025 million this season, $4.65 million in 2015, $6.3 million in 2016, $6.5 million in 2017. And there is a team option for 2018 at $6.5 million. Perkins can select 3 teams each season in what is essentially a very limited no-trade clause. By comparison, they paid Joe Nathan $11.25 each year from 2009-2011 (yes, the 2009 and 2010 teams were much better, but you get the point). With Perkins' deal expiring in 2017 (or 2018 should the team exercise the option), it's fair at this point to question whether Perkins will ever have the opportunity to save an important game for the Twins. What's "an important game?" For this purpose, it's a game in August or September when the Twins are winning and within striking distance of the postseason. It won't happen in 2015. Sorry. Essentially lost seasons for Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano have pushed back the clock on when the Twins will next be competitive. I used to think the team would be fighting for a playoff spot by the 2016 season, but I don't feel that way any longer. For that to happen, one or both of Buxton/Sano would have had to be in a Twins uniform about now-ish. Here's my best guess: Glen Perkins won't be the closer for the next Twins playoff game. Why? Either his contract will have expired, or he will have aged to the point where there are better/cheaper options. Unless you think the Twins (and the front office) have what it takes to quickly go from 90 losses to 90 wins, it's not going to happen the next couple years. We're in the midst of a long and mostly painful journey. As it stands, the Twins are a 90-loss team. A 90-loss team does not need a proven, established closer -- especially a budget-conscious team like the Twins. The Twins have, or will have, other qualified relievers to do that job at a fraction of the price. For instance, Nick Burdi. He's still a young prospect, and yes, he might never get out of Low-A. But, by 2016 or 2017, Burdi could be a dominating back-end reliever closing games for the Twins. And, he could do it for 10% the price of Perkins. Burdi could be 90% as good as Perkins for 10% of the price. Even if you don't care about the Twins' payroll, the Twins do. This organization has a tough time parting with home-grown talent. And I get it. They couldn't get rid of Michael Cuddyer or Joe Nathan (not homegrown technically, but still) when there would have been at least some return. But look what happened when they bit the bullet: Ben Revere (great guy, but marginal talent) netted Trevor May, who is in the midst of a very solid season and is on the verge of joining the Twins' rotation. Denard Span netted Alex Meyer (having a not fantastic season, but is the best chance this team has had for a true "ace" in a decade). Prospects are no sure thing, but if Revere and Span can net such solid prospects (not at the trade deadline when GM's are under the gun), I have to imagine that Perkins -- a better player at his position than Span or Revere, and a "proven closer" -- could net a very good return. Remember when some team traded for Matt Capps and gave up a very good catching prospect?? Will a trade happen? Almost certainly not. Despite the fact that, as I write this, there are 14 teams within 3 games of their division lead, not to mention the additional teams within striking distance of the wild card, there seems to be no discussion about moving Perkins. Honestly, part of that blame lies with fans. We always clamor for the organization to do something, but when I brought this subject up on Twitter last night, there was some resistance. We as fans can't say, in the general sense, "I wish they (the Twins) would make big moves, but that's not their M.O.", and then say in the next breath, "but not Perkins. Gotta hang onto him." How about, instead: "Now is the time to break the mold that has helped contribute to what will be 4 straight 90-loss seasons from a once-proud franchise. Even though it's tough to part with good guys, I can see that this move helps with the future." It won't happen. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't. Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar [/hr] The Twins hung on to beat Cleveland on Monday so today you can get a half-price large or extra-large pizza at PapaJohns.com by using the code 'TWINSWIN'. Click here to view the article

Close to two years ago, the Minnesota Twins and the New Britain Rock Cats extended their Player Development Contract. That agreement is the "affiliation" between New Britain and the Twins, whereby the Twins send players and staff (and provide other things we don't really know about) to New Britain. The agreement could have been for varying lengths of time, with two seasons being the minimum. For whatever reasons, the parties settled on the minimum two years. Now, here we are again, in basically the same position, wondering whether the Twins and the Rock Cats will again choose to extend their (seemingly) successful business partnership. For the Rock Cats, I could see them potentially wanting to make a move at some point. There's a really good resource -- here-- for tracking player development contracts across all levels of the minor leagues. A quick look tells me that in the Eastern League (where New Britain plays), there are several player development contracts set to expire after this season: Cleveland, Baltimore, Detroit, San Francisco and Minnesota. The first question: do any of those franchises offer anything to New Britain that the Twins couldn't? Arguably Baltimore is somewhat close geographically, but I think they have a good thing going in Bowie, MD. The rest of the organizations are pretty much just as far away from the parent club as Minnesota is from central Connecticut. http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=7518&stc=1 As I mentioned a couple years ago, I think the story might be different if the Yankees, Red Sox or Mets had an opening, but that isn't the case right now. The Binghamton Mets (not surprisingly, affiliated with the New York Mets) are locked up through 2016. The Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox AA affiliate who happen to play in basically a replica of Fenway) are signed through 2018. And the Yankees for all intents and purposes own the Trenton Thunder (signed through 2022). In short, I'm not sure a substantially better partner exists for New Britain than the known entity they've been dealing with for a long time. How about for the Twins? Why the hell do they want to stay in central Connecticut? Quite frankly, unless they want to relocate their AA team to a southern city (potential 2014 openings include Chattanooga, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Arkansas, San Antonio, and more), they're probably just as well off in New Britain. It's fair to wonder if the organization sees any benefit to having High-A and Double-A in the same state, namely, Florida. It's not as if Jacksonville and Ft. Myers are neighbors -- it's about a 5 hour drive -- but there could be something to having half of the full-season teams within a reasonable drive. Even if the relationship is extended (and I suspect it will be), I do think the Twins could do a better job at a few things. First, I'd like to see them occasionally send a legitimate player here on a rehab assignment. (I'm not talking about Jason Marquis or Matt Guerrier). You'd be shocked at what it does for ticket sales and buzz, especially early in the season when drawing a big crowd can be tough. Naturally, most guys on rehab assignments go to Rochester, but once a season, just a few games in New Britain by a Willingham/Kubel/Arcia/Mauer would be great. Second, I'd like to see the Twins send a former player to New Britain every now and then for an appearance. The Rochester Red Wings do this, and I think it's a great idea. (Truth be told, I don't know who finances this -- the parent club or the affiliate -- but my point is the same). For example, a guy like Doug Mientkiewicz, a Rock Cats and Red Sox alum, could come for an evening (forget his day job for a minute). In short, I think there are opportunities for better cross-promotion that could be mutually beneficial. But the Twins do a great job of keeping their top prospects in New Britain for a relatively long time. Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Trevor May, Alex Meyer all come to mind. I'd even add Kennys Vargas, who is on pace for close to 30 home runs this season. And guess what -- Sano, Rosario (both for the second time), and soon-to-be-AA-player and consensus #1 prospect Byron Buxton, will all be Rock Cats players in the near future. Plus, the pipeline is rich -- guys like Jose Berrios, Kohl Stewart, Niko Goodrum, etc., are on the way up. If the Rock Cats choose to terminate their relationship with the Twins, it won't be because of minor league talent. In the end, I envision New Britain and the Twins agreeing to extend their agreement. It makes sense, I don't see other, better alternatives, and the parties seem to have a good working relationship. [/hr]The Twins beat the Padres last night so on Wednesday you can get a half price large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com with the promo code TWINSWIN. Click here to view the article

I've had time to process a bit on Minnesota Twins prospect Alex Meyer after having seen two of his not-so-good starts. And I've come to a conclusion: when Meyer misses it's because his pitches are high. Those misses are driving up the pitch count, gradually slowing down his fastball, causing him to tire and not go as deep into games as is necessary for the ace pitcher we expect him to become. I attended one of his recent starts, a losing effort last week against the Binghamton Mets. Meyer started off dominant, but had a rough 4th inning that ended up costing him the game. Instead of focusing on that inning, however, I want to focus on the third inning. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]It started off innocently enough, with a 4-pitch strikeout and a 1-pitch ground out. Just like that, 5 pitches and 2 outs. But then this: http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=4222&stc=1 Check out the pitch locations. Meyer started missing high with 2 outs. As this shot shows, all but 1 pitch was belt-high or higher. Meyer issued this 2-out walk -- a cardinal sin in any organization, especially the Twins. But Meyer wasn't done. How about the next batter? http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=4223&stc=1 As you can see, a 5-pitch walk with all the pitches high. Basically the same thing, except this batter only swung at a meaty 2-0 pitch. 12 unnecessary pitches and 2 unnecessary walks, before a 2-pitch groundout to end the inning. There is no doubt that several extra pitches in that frame caused mental and physical fatigue that were costly in the fourth inning. Meyer issued 3 walks on the night. Here's the screenshot of his final walk. Again, high misses. http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=4224&stc=1 The point of this post isn't to suggest that Meyer needs to alter his mechanics or anything like that. I have absolutely no specialized knowledge to that effect. He's 6 feet, 9 inches tall, and his fastball reached 96 on both starts I've attended; I'm 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and may have hit 76 on a hot summer day in White Bear Lake in 1999. Meyer has a knuckle-curve that falls off the table and embarrasses hitters who are expecting the fastball. He has all the makings of a phenomenal pitcher, but something is missing this spring. The point of this post is to suggest that, in the 14 or so innings I have seen Meyer pitch, when he misses, it's consistently high -- and it's very high. High to the point that batters aren't likely to offer. I could do screen shots from the other start I attended, and I'm confident they would be the same. In fact, I heard Terry Ryan mumble something to this effect when Meyer was laboring in a protracted inning last month. In other words, I wouldn't be writing this if it's not something that I had consistently noticed. What is the solution? Having watched Meyer, I have no doubt that this is mostly a mental issue. He'll get 2 outs, then walk a couple batters with high pitches. Or, alternatively, he'll have 2 great innings, then start walking batters in the 3rd inning. Something temporarily changes. It really strikes me as a composure issue more than anything else. On more than one occasion I've seen Meyer have difficulty with the batter who follows a guy who reaches on a fielding error or a weak infield single. It's a common problem, and it makes sense to me. It would annoy me to no end to be unable to rely on my fielders. But that's a part of the game Meyer is going to have to learn; he won't be able to strike out everyone, and not every fielder will be Gold Glove caliber. Some baseball lifers say that the jump from High-A to AA is the most significant. Meyer might be finding that this spring. Like I've said all along, I am certain he will become the pitcher that we all hope he will be. But it's also important to realize that he's a young kid working out physical -- and mental -- issues along the way. So if you're looking for something to watch for, I would recommend keeping an eye on the walks and composure issues. Is Meyer struggling after 2 outs for no reason? Does he start to miss very high with that fastball? Those are the signs that he's not ready, yet, for the show. But on the whole, those are fixable issues. You can teach a guy to work through a composure issue, but you can't teach a guy to toss 96. Click here to view the article

It was a veritable clash of the titans tonight, as the Twins took on the Royals. Without Joe Mauer and Denard Span in the lineup, the Twins were still able to plate some runs. As I publish tonight's TwinsDaily minor league report, the good guys are on top 4-2, so let's hope it stays that way! All of the affiliates were in action tonight, so let's see how they fared. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 4, NORFOLK 1 Steve Hirschfeld did well in his first AAA start of the season, going 5 innings, giving up 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Anthony Slama came out of the bullpen, but left almost immediately with a leg injury. He gave up 1 run on 1 hit, and struck out 1. Brendan Wise came on thereafter, throwing 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, surrendering 2 hits, and striking out 1 and walking 1. He earned the win. Lester Oliveros threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 2 and walking 1, and picked up the save, his third of the season. On offense, Rochester didn't get going at all until a 6th inning home run by Wilkin Ramirez. The other 3 runs came on a Sean Burroughs home run that also scored Chris Parmelee, who had walked, and a Tsuyoshi Nishioka single. That was Burroughs' first AAA home run this season, and Nishioka's first hit in professional baseball in the western hemisphere (OK, I made that last part up). Nishioka and Slama each had an error for Rochester. Interestingly, former Twin J.C. Romero pitched 1/3 of an inning for Norfolk, inducing a fly out. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, AKRON 6 Starter Brett Jacobson allowed too many hits tonight -- 10 in 4 and 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 runs, striking out 1 and walking 1. Out of the bullpen, Daniel Turpen pitched 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 1. Bruce Pugh struck out 2 in an inning of relief. Luis Perdomo gave up 1 run in the 8th inning, striking out 2, walking 2, and giving up a single. The Rock Cats scattered 9 hits tonight. James Beresford had 2 singles, Rene Tosoni had a solo home run (his first of the season at AA), Chris Herrmann had 2 hits, and Matt Rizzotti, Deibinson Romero, Shawn Roof and Evan Bigley each had singles, as well. Beresford, Tosoni, Bigley, and Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson had RBIs tonight. The Rock Cats did walk 6 times in this game, so at least that was encouraging. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 3, TAMPA 0 (Game 1) In game 1 on this day that was supposed to feature two 7-inning contests, the Miracle prevailed thanks in part to good pitching. Cole Nelson picked up the win (2-0 on the season), throwing 5 scoreless innings. He only allowed 2 hits, struck out 9 and walked 3. Ricky Bowen picked up his fifth save on the season, throwing 2 innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out 3. Solid performances for both -- 12 strikeouts combined in 7 innings is a good way to get things done! On offense, the Miracle tallied 5 hits all day, 3 of those coming off the bat of third baseman Anderson Hidalgo, who was 3-for-3 with 3 singles and a run. Michael Gonzalez had a double, a walk, scored 2 runs and had an RBI, Daniel Ortiz had a single, and and Levi Michael had a sacrifice fly. Second baseman Daniel Santana also drove in a run tonight. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS ??, TAMPA ?? (Game 2) The evening game was officially suspended in the 4th inning. Ft. Myers was leading 2-0. Starting pitcher Marty Popham had thrown 3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, and striking out 1 and walking 1 along the way. The offense had 4 hits on the evening, one each by Oswaldo Arcia, Daniel Santana, Josmil Pinto and Anderson Hidalgo. Arcia and Pinto each also had a walk, and Pinto and Hidalgo each had an RBI. According to the Miracle, play will resume tomorrow at 6 p.m., and tomorrow's originally scheduled game will be another 7 inning contest beginning a half hour after the resumed game finishes. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 0, BURLINGTON 5 Jason Wheeler was just OK tonight, giving up 5 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings, allowing 9 hits, striking out 4 and walking 2. He was charged with the loss. Out of the bullpen, Tim Atherton was very good, throwing 3 innings, allowing only 1 hit, striking out 6 and walking 1. Beloit compiled only 6 hits all night, all singles. Nate Roberts had 2 hits, and Wang-Wei Len, Miguel Sano, Jonathan Goncalves and Drew Leachman were each responsible for a single. Shortstop Tyler Grimes and Jason Wheeler were each charged with errors. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday's Minor League Hitter and Pitcher of the Day Hitter of the Day: Anderson Hidalgo (photo courtesy of Jim Crikket from Knuckleballs) Download attachment: Hidalgo.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Edina's own Cole Nelson Download attachment: cole_nelson.jpg ---------------------------------------------------------- A Look Ahead: Thursday, June 7 Schedule Rochester vs. Norfolk --- LHP Lucas French New Britain @ Akron --- LHP Logan Darnell Ft. Myers @ Tampa --- ??? Beloit @ Burlington --- RHP Matt Summers --------------------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments, and either Seth or I will respond. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: New Stadium.jpg Word of a potential deal to move the New Britain Rock Cats franchise to Hartford only broke on Monday, but today it became official: the Rock Cats will be leaving their longtime home of New Britain following the 2015 season, and relocating to nearby Hartford for Opening Day 2016. Twins fans, bear with me, as the first part of this story primarily is of interest to my Connecticut readers (all 3 of you). Here's what Connecticut-area people need to know: The Rock Cats' (meaning the owners') deal with the City of New Britain expires after the end of the 2015 season, so there will be one more full season of Rock Cats baseball in New Britain. How enthusiastic the city will be about the facility, team and ownership -- well, that's to be determined. A brand new, 10,000 seat baseball stadium will open in April, 2016, just north of Trumbull and Main Street in a currently undeveloped / underdeveloped area. The estimated $60 million cost will be financed by the city through bonds -- not the state, and not the team's owners. The stadium, according to a radio interview I heard with Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra, will not be baseball-only. I'm not sure what to make of that, but I'm guessing that just means it would be suitable for other athletic events and perhaps concerts. That would make sense, as there will only be minor league baseball there 71 or so days a year. The future of professional baseball in New Britain is less certain. Due to territorial restrictions, another affiliated minor league team would not be able to open shop in New Britain (or so I've been told). That does not foreclose the possibility of, for example, and unaffiliated minor league team (similar to the Bridgeport Bluefish) setting up shop in the Hardware City. The Rock Cats' owners have been intent on leaving New Britain for over a year. The choices were either Hartford, or Springfield, Mass. It sounds like Hartford was the only option to keep affiliated baseball in the greater Hartford area. They made absolutely no attempt to negotiate with New Britain. This deal gives Hartford two affiliated minor league teams: the Hartford Wolfpack (affiliate of hockey's New York Rangers) and whatever team the Rock Cats affiliate with (more on that below). In my opinion, that's about the best a small-ish city like Hartford can do. The Rock Cats' owners will very likely re-brand the team. So, no more lovable Rocky. I'm no expert, but I don't sense any litigation arising out of this; just hurt feelings. The team's owners wanted out, found (what they believe to be) their best deal, and are taking it, after their current contract with the City of New Britain expires. In other words, I can't imagine anything holding this up.Where does this leave the Twins? Well, on that subject I'm a lot less certain. First, let's review the known information: The Rock Cats-Twins player development contract ("PDC"), the deal that creates the affiliation, expires after the 2014 season. So, regardless of whether it's Twins prospects I'm seeing, there will be one more season of Rock Cats baseball in New Britain before the Hartford transition. Everything I have read (this, for example) suggests that PDC's are renewable every two years. The Twins and the Rock Cats are completing a two-year deal, but the deal could have been for four or six or more years. Therefore, the Rock Cats' owners will need to decide with whom they are going to affiliate for 2015 and beyond. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, I don't see any majorly attractive offers for the Rock Cats that open up this off-season. There is, however, one interesting hunch I have: The Mets' AA affiliation is currently in Binghamton, New York, which is about 200 miles away from Citi Field, the Mets' home. That PDC expires following the 2016 season. I've heard more than once that Josh Solomon, the Rock Cats' owner, is a Mets fan. Hartford to Citi Field is just over 100 miles away, and there are plenty of Mets fans in this area. Mets games are on TV with any normal cable package, and game recaps are part of news coverage out here. If I'm trying to fill a 10,000 seat stadium, a Mets affiliation is more of a draw for Connecticut residents than is a Twins -- or most other -- affiliation. Aside from a Yankees or Red Sox affiliation, it's probably the next best thing. If I'm the Twins, I'm interested in maintaining the Hartford affiliation, provided nothing better arises. The Twins should care first and foremost about the facilities insofar as they impact player development (things like adequate/maintained batting cages, bullpen space, and even the playing field conditions, are paramount). I would assume this new and expensive stadium would have what any parent club would want. Were I asked today to take my best guess as to what happens, here it is: The Twins and the Rock Cats agree to extend their PDC for two more years, covering the 2015 and 2016 seasons. After that, the Rock Cats enter into a longer-term agreement with the Mets. Again, all speculation. It was a busy news day here. Feel free to comment with any questions, or to share any other information you've heard. Also, follow me on Twitter for more information as it develops. [/hr]Thanks to the Twins win over the Brewers Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

I really do understand the argument about Perkins leaving millions on the table in order to stay here, and why that matters both to the Twins and Perkins, and also in other future deals. That being said, a few of these comments come close to making Perkins sound like a potential victim, or a martyr. And that's simply not the case. He's an absurdly highly paid professional athlete. And, because he approached the Twins, he has more guaranteed years and more guaranteed money than he did a year ago at this time. Yes, it's under what his open market value would be (if he was eligible for free agency now), but it's still tons of money for pitching 60 innings a season. Guaranteed money. I am a little bothered that people think this (this, meaning the "hometown discount") should be the paramount reason not to trade him. For sure, it is an important consideration, but it's still a business. He made a deal for more years, more guaranteed money, but with a stupidly inadequate trade clause. There's no "gentleman's agreement" or "handshake deal" -- it's a 3-team no trade clause, which indicates to me that the Twins want the ability to shop this contract at some point. Yes, I absolutely agree that there's no hurry to move Perkins, but if that magic deal comes tomorrow -- and not in 2016 -- I want the team to move on it. Of course, it's stupid to treat players like cattle. I'm not suggesting that should be the case. For any deal. Ever. I am suggesting, however, that if the right offer (a no-doubt home run absurd offer) comes along, it really doesn't matter to me that Perkins signed under value to stay here. That's far from a "kick in the nuts" to Perkins. That's the business of being a major league baseball player without a full no-trade clause.

So many good, passionate comments. Thanks for reading. A few thoughts: 1) There is a PR risk here with moving Perkins so close to this contract starting. Maybe it does send a negative message to free agents? That being said, the Red Sox moved Adrian Gonzalez in the infancy of his deal, and I didn't read much about that affecting their image. Also, they won the World Series the next season, and I'm sure they had to sign some guys to do that. Winning doesn't solve everything, but as long as guys are paid market rate (or a little better), I don't see that as a major issue. 2) Yes, I'm not exactly convinced the 2015 Twins are going to be a whole lot better. Sano/Buxton/Meyer/May are better prospects than Gibson/Arcia/Dozier, but it's worth noting that, when they do get promoted, it's not as if all these up-and-coming stars are going to make immediate positive impacts on the big club. I mean, Buxton (yes, still the best or second best prospect in baseball) hasn't even made the highest jump in the minors yet -- High-A to AA -- so we can't just expect immediate greatness from 5 studs next season. In fact, don't be surprised if 1 or more have to go back, even if just for a short time, for more seasoning. 3) There's no doubt Perkins left money on the table. How much, I'm not sure. But lots. If he wanted an absolute guarantee, he should have negotiated a more robust, or even full, trade clause. I'm positive that he tried, because a 3-team clause is basically worthless: it just means he doesn't want to work at the Trop or have to deal with New York traffic or something. I'm sure Perkins asked for a full clause, but the fact that the end number is 3 tells me that the team wanted the flexibility to move him at some point (not now, of course).

Thanks for all the good comments & discussion. After I wrote this, something really perplexed me: the 3-team no trade clause. Glen definitely wants to stay for life, and at a very reasonable rate. I'm curious how the parties arrived at that contract term, because it does very little (nothing, really) to protect Perkins. I just thought that was a funny number.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/3258-Trade-Glen-Perkins

Thanks for the comment. I was using Nolasco's situation as part of the larger point. For sure, though, no one situation has any bearing necessarily on another. I do think Gardy's comments -- which he made with general applicability -- were illuminating.

If you [URL="https://twitter.com/mnfanfromafar"]follow me on Twitter[/URL], you probably know that something clicked -- something changed -- Monday night. The most thorough and comprehensive Twins beat writer, [URL="https://twitter.com/MikeBerardino"]Mike Berardino, tweeted[/URL] a series of quotes from Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire on player injuries. And it set me off. In fact, it might be fair to say that I freaked out. I tweeted a bunch of things, but decided to wait a full 24 hours to write comprehensively on this. In that interim period, [URL="http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/07/08/twinsights-the-full-gardy-on-pitchers-and-their-health/"]Mike published Gardy's full quotes[/URL]. That's good and fair. Anyone can look really smart, or really stupid, in 140 characters. And I know that Gardy isn't stupid. He's been a ... good baseball manager on some very good teams. In fact, he has done a very good job some years. I've never disliked the guy personally, but based solely -- yes, solely -- on his comments regarding pitcher injuries yesterday, he's gotta go. I have to qualify what follows with a bunch of important factors. Please read these, because they are really important: 1) It is the player's responsibility to report injuries. There's no way trainers/coaches/manger can intuit that, absent glaring injuries that are visually apparent. 2) A manager does not have the time for or need a line of guys complaining every day about routine soreness. It's a long season and that's the way it works. Guys have to play through general soreness/routine injuries. They're premiere, professional athletes, and get paid as if they will only have a short career. Tough luck. 3) A team cannot control whether a player lies or covers for an injury. That team can observe and inquire, repeatedly, but that's about it until a medical exam is ordered. 4) This isn't about winning and losing, really. Firing Gardy won't cost this team wins or losses this year or next. And even if it does, the 2014 Twins were -- at best and fully healthy -- a .500 team. Few call Gardy a great "in-game" manager (like Joe Maddon is generally considered to be), but he's been dealt awful teams from 2011-now. Remember when Chris Parmelee played center field? Oh yeah, that was last week. And it happened [URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/parmech01.shtml"]multiple times[/URL]. Chris. Parmelee. But here's where it gets serious: 5) Soreness/injuries to starting pitchers are no joke, and [URL="http://espn.go.com/blog/stephania-bell/post/_/id/2426/the-rise-in-tommy-john-surgeries"]Tommy John surgeries are taking place in record numbers[/URL]. 6) The Twins have had their fair share -- probably more -- of Tommy John victims. It costs a season of activity, and really more than that, because very few guys come back ready to go. Many never return to their former ability. Jeez, it even affects non-pitchers like Miguel Sano. It's an epidemic right now. 7) The Twins have had among the worst pitching rotations in baseball much of 2011, 2012, and 2013. And although the 2014 rotation has been bolstered by good half-seasons from Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson, and a decent performance from Kevin Correia, this is far from an "elite" starting corps. 8) Great starting pitching costs tons of money on the open market. For a true "ace," $20-30 million per season. Good starting pitching is in the double millions of digits. It's a hot commodity -- and I can see why: the teams that go far in the playoffs have 3, and sometimes 4, very good pitchers. Now, let's get to the issue at hand. To begin, Ricky Nolasco has been awful this season. One of the worst starting pitchers in baseball. [URL="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24611710/ricky-nolasco-and-the-worst-offseason-signings-so-far"]He's not missing bats, and he's given up the most hits in baseball.[/URL] Why the hell would the Twins sign that guy to a 4 year, $49 million contract? Simple -- because he had been a good pitcher and he was about to move to a pitchers' park. But he's not good now, and he struggled most of the season. That's not Gardy's fault. Nor is it his fault that Nolasco [URL="http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_26110565/twins-place-ricky-nolasco-15-day-dl-strained"]did not come forward in a timely manner with that injury information[/URL]. But here's the exchange between Mike Berardino and Gardy that put me over the top: Mike: "At this point I asked a follow-up about whether Gardenhire wants his pitchers to inform him and team trainers when they are dealing with something health-wise." Gardy: "If every pitcher told me every day when they were feeling something, they would all be lined up out that door. You understand? Guys pitch with it. We play every day. You can’t just say, ‘Well, he was sore. How did you not know that then?’ Shoot, I don’t know what they do. I don’t know when they go to the bathroom. I don’t know anything about them out there. Other than if they walk in here or the trainer walks in here and they say, `I can’t play'". This is where I lose it (not the part where he doesn't know when pitchers go to the bathroom). The part where the Twins' manager indicated that he (as Mike himself paraphrased), didn't want to be notified about injuries until they reached a certain level. More precisely, there's something in-between a pitcher "feeling something" and a pitcher saying "I can't play." A big something. A something that a manger needs to be aware of firsthand. In this instance with Nolasco, thankfully, [URL="http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_26110565/twins-place-ricky-nolasco-15-day-dl-strained"]it appears that his injury is not significant[/URL] -- nothing that should require surgery. But Nolasco's fortunate medical outcome has no bearing on the larger point. Here's where the rubber hits the road for me: if I'm a manger at any level of professional baseball, I need to know about my starting pitchers that are experiencing pain when they throw. It doesn't matter if it's mild discomfort or serious elbow pain. Anything more than "normal-in-between-starts-midseason pain" needs to be reported to me all season long, on a daily basis, even if it's a nuisance at times. In fact, I'll go a step further. If I'm Gardy, I want that same information on top prospects like Alex Meyer and Trevor May, guys who should be pitching at Target Field this August. The fact that Gardy has the same attitude with respect to position player soreness as he does with pitching injuries is inexcusable in 2014. If we've learned anything, it's that pitchers generally shouldn't pitch through more than "normal" discomfort. Newsflash -- it always ends badly! And if -- and I mean "if," because no one reading this article knows firsthand -- there is a culture in the Twins' clubhouse promoting this attitude of pitchers throwing with more-than-normal discomfort, that also is inexcusable in 2014. So the problem isn't just player-related (that the athlete may not want to disclose an injury), it's also that the manager apparently is not receptive to hearing this news unless it reaches a certain level of severity. The "player" issue cannot be fixed overnight. The manager issue can. And the "manager issue" may very well be related to the "player issue" in this organization. I'm not accusing Gardy of causing past or present pitching injuries. I'm not accusing him of being insensitive to injuries -- to his credit, he protected guys like Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer concerning their concussion issues (a relatively recent epidemic that we still don't understand the severity of) -- and I'm not accusing him of being an awful manager. I'm saying that it's 2014, we know more, and the Twins need better. If I was Terry Ryan, I wouldn't fire Gardy now. This team is going nowhere. And this will just set up a new manager to go 25-45 down the stretch. I would, however, terminate Gardy's contract following this season and let a new manager (Paul Molitor, someone else) take over afresh, starting immediately after the World Series. View full article

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know that something clicked -- something changed -- last night. The most thorough and comprehensive Twins beat writer, Mike Berardino, tweeted a series of quotes from Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire on player injuries. And it set me off. In fact, it might be fair to say that I freaked out. I tweeted a bunch of things, but decided to wait a full 24 hours to write comprehensively on this. In that interim period, Mike published Gardy's full quotes. That's good and fair. Anyone can look really smart, or really stupid, in 140 characters. And I know that Gardy isn't stupid. He's been a ... good baseball manager on some very good teams. In fact, he did a very good job some years. I've never disliked the guy personally, but based solely -- yes, solely -- on his comments regarding pitcher injuries yesterday, he's gotta go. I have to qualify what follows with a bunch of important factors. Please read these, because they are really important: 1) It is the player's responsibility to report injuries. There's no way trainers/coaches/manger can intuit that, absent glaring injuries that are visually apparent. 2) A manager does not have the time for or need a line of guys complaining every day about routine soreness. It's a long season and that's the way it works. Guys have to play through general soreness/routine injuries. They're premiere, professional athletes, and get paid as if they only will have a short career. Tough luck. 3) A team cannot control whether a player lies or covers for an injury. That team can observe and inquire, repeatedly, but that's about it until a medical exam is ordered. 4) This isn't about winning and losing, really. Firing Gardy won't cost this team wins or losses this year or next. And even if it does, the 2014 Twins were -- at best and fully healthy -- a .500 team. Few call Gardy a great "in-game" manager (like Joe Maddon is generally considered to be), but he's been dealt awful teams from 2011-now. Remember when Chris Parmelee played center field? Oh yea, that was last week. And it happened multiple times. Chris. Parmelee. But here's where it gets serious: 5) Soreness/injuries to starting pitchers are no joke, and Tommy John surgeries are taking place in record numbers. 6) The Twins have had their fair share -- probably more -- of Tommy John victims. It costs a season of activity, and really more than that, because very few guys come back ready to go. Many never return to their former ability. Jeez, it even affects non-pitchers like Miguel Sano. It's an epidemic right now. 7) The Twins have had the among the worst pitching rotations in baseball much of 2011, 2012, and 2013. And although the 2014 rotation has been bolstered by good half-seasons from Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson, and a decent performance from Kevin Correia, this is far from an "elite" starting corps. 8) Great starting pitching costs tons of money on the open market. For a true "ace," $20-30 million per season. Good starting pitching is in the double millions of digits. It's a hot commodity -- and I can see why: the teams that go far in the playoffs have 3, and sometimes 4, very good pitchers. Now, let's get to the issue at hand. To begin, Ricky Nolasco has been awful this season. One of the worst starting pitchers in baseball. He's not missing bats, and he's given up the most hits in baseball. Why the hell would the Twins sign that guy to a 4 year, $49 million contract? Simple -- because he had been a good pitcher, and he was about to move to a pitchers' park. But he's not good now, and he struggled most of the season. That's not Gardy's fault. Nor is it his fault that Nolasco did not come forward timely with that injury information. But here's the exchange between Mike Berardino and Gardy that put me over the top: Mike: "At this point I asked a follow-up about whether Gardenhire wants his pitchers to inform him and team trainers when they are dealing with something health-wise." Gardy: "If every pitcher told me every day when they were feeling something, they would all be lined up out that door. You understand? Guys pitch with it. We play every day. You can’t just say, ‘Well, he was sore. How did you not know that then?’ Shoot, I don’t know what they do. I don’t know when they go to the bathroom. I don’t know anything about them out there. Other than if they walk in here or the trainer walks in here and they say, `I can’t play.’" This is where I lose it (not the part where he doesn't know when pitchers go to the bathroom). The part where the Twins' manager indicated that he (as Mike himself paraphrased), didn't want to be notified about injuries until they reached a certain level. More precisely, there's something in-between a pitcher "feeling something" and a pitcher saying "I can't play." A big something. A something that a manger needs to be aware of firsthand. In this instance with Nolasco, thankfully, it appears that his injury is not significant -- nothing that should require surgery. But Nolasco's fortunate medical outcome has no bearing on the larger point. Here's where the rubber hits the road for me: if I'm a manger at any level of professional baseball, I need to know about my starting pitchers that are experiencing pain when they throw. It doesn't matter if it's mild discomfort or serious elbow pain. Anything more than "normal-in-between-starts-midseason pain" needs to be reported to me all season long, on a daily basis, even if it's a nuisance at times. In fact, I'll go a step further. If I'm Gardy, I want that same information on top prospects like Alex Meyer and Trevor May, guys who should be pitching at Target Field this August. The fact that Gardy has the same attitude with respect to position player soreness as he does with pitching injuries is inexcusable in 2014. If we've learned anything, it's that pitchers generally shouldn't pitch through more than "normal" discomfort. Newsflash -- it always ends bad! And if -- and I mean "if," because no one reading this article knows firsthand -- there is a culture in the Twins' clubhouse promoting this attitude of pitchers throwing with more-than-normal discomfort, that also is inexcusable in 2014. So the problem isn't just player-related (that the athlete may not want to disclose an injury), it's also that the manager apparently is not receptive to hearing this news unless it reaches a certain level of severity. The "player" issue cannot be fixed overnight. The manager issue can. And the "manager issue" may very well be related to the "player issue" in this organization. I'm not accusing Gardy of causing past or present pitching injuries. I'm not accusing him of being insensitive to injuries -- to his credit, he protected guys like Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer concerning their concussion issues (a relatively recent epidemic that some still don't understand the severity of) -- and I'm not accusing him of being an awful manager. I'm saying that it's 2014, we know more, and the Twins need better. If I was Terry Ryan, I wouldn't fire Gardy now. This team is going nowhere. And this will just set up a new manager to go 25-45 down the stretch. I would, however, terminate Gardy's contract following this season and let a new manager (Paul Molitor, someone else) take over fresh starting immediately after the World Series.