MWLFan

One more very good game by Jason Wheeler as the Snappers won game one of what would be a sweep of the Lansing Lug Nuts. Six innings of work and 5 hits, one earned run, Six strike outs (All swinging!) and 3 walks. THis moves Wheelers record up to 11 and 4 with a 3.68 ERA. Wheeler is one a roll with 3 wins in a row, 20 innings of work, 16 hits, 6 earned runs, 14 strike outs and 8 walks. I know this is not overwhelming, but Jason had hit a bit of a rough patch in June with three of his four losses and seems to have righted his season so far in June. As we turn toward the seasons last month I have to say I have been very surprised and excited by the performance of Jason Wheeler, he has to moving up some prospect lists as the season continues and I hope he gets a shot at Fort Meyers before the end. If however he does not get that opportunity I hope to see him in the MWL playoffs on the mound for the Snappers.

I spend way too much time reading the comment sections of the Blogs. In doing so I have seen many people comment over and over again indicating that A. They are unemployed and are really filling time or B. They are employed and really avoiding work. But that doesn't interest me (For the record I am a B and that includes yard and house work.) What interests me is each of you.( Not in the Jerry Sandusky creepy way ok.) I read the comments from people, I am guessing they are people though I have never met them face to face though I have seen Seth at Twins fest, and have in my mind what I think of their general view of baseball as life. But I am curious on how you view yourselves. Are you a rose colored glasses kind who supports Gardy and the Pohlads and would have Terry Ryans Love Child if asked (I don't really think Mr. Ryan wants to know that by the way.) or have you not met a Twins executive you have liked since..ah..F**k them all. A one armed, drought stricken, stalk of corn could run this team better. Only me and those that think like me, of which I have never met anyone fitting that description, could run this club correctly. But that is too broad of a spectrum to fully capture the depths and nuances of the frequent denizens of Twins Daily. We need to narrow this down. Here are 3 to start with for the general Twins Daily Population. Who are you? Question number 1. Between 1 and 10. Organizational outlook. 1. Are you a nearsighted person who is only looking for instance gratification from each at bat, pitched game, daily outcome and lineup. We have Minor League Affilates? 10. Are you farsighted and what is really important is the performance of the Twins prospects in the DSL and how we are stacking up for our draft next year. When did the Twins move out of the Met? (I would put myself at a 7 here. Since I spend more time in Minor League Parks the performance of the E-Twins is actually important to me for next year hopefully. I need to watch my MLB TV in order to see a Twins game and if you have spent any time on MLB TV you might understand how frustrating that is. So the performance of the current Twins actually means less for me than that of the Minor League guys.) Question number 2. Between 1 and 10- How do you view the game day experience. 1. The most important thing to me at the game is what the current up to the at bat BABIP is for Joe Mauer, the UZR for Ben Revere, the xFIP for Scott Diamond and other performance metrics that will predict the outcome of this contest before I even arrive at the game. In Fact all this would be so much better on a computer and not have any of these pesky players and fans around me. It is also hot here and I burn easy. 10. Dude the beer is awesome and the hot girl in the 5th row is like falling out her shirt. I have got to get behind home plate and text my buds while on camera. Bert Circle This! Where do I find the Kent Hrbek Cuban Sandwiches? Hey Mauer get one over the plate..Boooooo. Hey lets come up with a nickname for that big guy Wilingham. How about the Willing Hammer! ( I see myself as a 6. Wishing I could still be 10. But going to games with Wife and Children means less beer and more soda. I also need to be a bit more subtle around the girl falling out of her shirt and then I feel guilty as I realise how old I am and how young she is..back to that creepy thing again. Also advanced stats bore me. I like the sun, the sounds, the smells and the symentry of the game far more then the spreadsheets. I understand them and their place, I do advanced businnes stats for a very large company so I get it, but it really strikes me as trying to make something simple so hard that only those with large brains and extra time can appreciate it. I know that is in't it, but it has that element in it's application and the communication. That being said I do look at them and think that if I was in the front office or field leadership of a Major League team it would NEED to be in the tool box and near the top. But I want to sit in the sun, sip a cool adult beverage and watch Oswaldo Arcia and think back to a time I would watch Tony O and his sweet lefty swing. Aside Best I have ever seen. Just awesome in its speed, power and grace. Tony Oliva in his pre knee injury days is maybe the best hitter I have ever seen.) Question number 3- How do you view the Radio or TV experience. 1.) That Bert Blyleven is so funny. I love it when he circles people. Dick Bremer is really insightful and calming. Dan Gladden must know what he is talking about as you know he scored the winning run in the 1987 World Series. I miss John Gordan, but this Cory kid may turn into something yet. Hey can we have more on field instruction with All Stars Ron Coomer, Tim Laudner and Roy Smalley. I learn so much. Anyone else like Chris Berman on the Homerun Derby as much as I do! 10.) They all suck. I prefer to get my Twins in game information from MLB Gamecast and follow updates on Twitter. Blyleven is a one trick Pony, the best thing about Bremer is when TK calls him Richard, Dan Gladden as a highly paid communicator...really. Stevie Wonder and Stephen Hawking would give me more insight and impart it more fully. Coom Dog, Smalley and Laudner. Looks like the best tips they could give me is on eateries in downtown and hair styling for men...or lack there of. I will go 8. I can stand Bremer and Bert doesn't get to me as much as the performance of MLB TV which reloads every 4 minutes it seems. Gladden does nothing for me, Provus I used to listen to him a lot on Brewer games and he is ok. I was hoping for Ryan Levebre though as I have listened to him on Royals games and think he is very good. I think the part of TV and Radio that grates on my most is the incessant commercials and sponsorships for everything. Has Kohler sponsored a Bert pee Break segment yet? Geez shouldn't give them ideas. For every dump Dick takes this year Kohler will donate $50 to Toilets for Troops. But I do miss the days of Herb, Kaat and Robinson. So how do you see yourself and are their any other ratings you can throw out there.

I spend way too much time reading the comment sections of the Blogs. In doing so I have seen many people comment over and over again indicating that A. They are unemployed and are really filling time or B. They are employed and really avoiding work. But that doesn't interest me (For the record I am a B and that includes yard and house work.) What interests me is each of you.( Not in the Jerry Sandusky creepy way ok.) I read the comments from people, I am guessing they are people though I have never met them face to face though I have seen Seth at Twins fest, and have in my mind what I think of their general view of baseball as life. But I am curious on how you view yourselves. Are you a rose colored glasses kind who supports Gardy and the Pohlads and would have Terry Ryans Love Child if asked (I don't really think Mr. Ryan wants to know that by the way.) or have you not met a Twins executive you have liked since..ah..F**k them all. A one armed, drought stricken, stalk of corn could run this team better. Only me and those that think like me, of which I have never met anyone fitting that description, could run this club correctly. But that is too broad of a spectrum to fully capture the depths and nuances of the frequent denizens of Twins Daily. We need to narrow this down. Here are 3 to start with for the general Twins Daily Population. Who are you? Question number 1. Between 1 and 10. Organizational outlook. 1. Are you a nearsighted person who is only looking for instance gratification from each at bat, pitched game, daily outcome and lineup. We have Minor League Affilates? 10. Are you farsighted and what is really important is the performance of the Twins prospects in the DSL and how we are stacking up for our draft next year. When did the Twins move out of the Met? (I would put myself at a 7 here. Since I spend more time in Minor League Parks the performance of the E-Twins is actually important to me for next year hopefully. I need to watch my MLB TV in order to see a Twins game and if you have spent any time on MLB TV you might understand how frustrating that is. So the performance of the current Twins actually means less for me than that of the Minor League guys.) Question number 2. Between 1 and 10- How do you view the game day experience. 1. The most important thing to me at the game is what the current up to the at bat BABIP is for Joe Mauer, the UZR for Ben Revere, the xFIP for Scott Diamond and other performance metrics that will predict the outcome of this contest before I even arrive at the game. In Fact all this would be so much better on a computer and not have any of these pesky players and fans around me. It is also hot here and I burn easy. 10. Dude the beer is awesome and the hot girl in the 5th row is like falling out her shirt. I have got to get behind home plate and text my buds while on camera. Bert Circle This! Where do I find the Kent Hrbek Cuban Sandwiches? Hey Mauer get one over the plate..Boooooo. Hey lets come up with a nickname for that big guy Wilingham. How about the Willing Hammer! ( I see myself as a 6. Wishing I could still be 10. But going to games with Wife and Children means less beer and more soda. I also need to be a bit more subtle around the girl falling out of her shirt and then I feel guilty as I realise how old I am and how young she is..back to that creepy thing again. Also advanced stats bore me. I like the sun, the sounds, the smells and the symentry of the game far more then the spreadsheets. I understand them and their place, I do advanced businnes stats for a very large company so I get it, but it really strikes me as trying to make something simple so hard that only those with large brains and extra time can appreciate it. I know that is in't it, but it has that element in it's application and the communication. That being said I do look at them and think that if I was in the front office or field leadership of a Major League team it would NEED to be in the tool box and near the top. But I want to sit in the sun, sip a cool adult beverage and watch Oswaldo Arcia and think back to a time I would watch Tony O and his sweet lefty swing. Aside Best I have ever seen. Just awesome in its speed, power and grace. Tony Oliva in his pre knee injury days is maybe the best hitter I have ever seen.) Question number 3- How do you view the Radio or TV experience. 1.) That Bert Blyleven is so funny. I love it when he circles people. Dick Bremer is really insightful and calming. Dan Gladden must know what he is talking about as you know he scored the winning run in the 1987 World Series. I miss John Gordan, but this Cory kid may turn into something yet. Hey can we have more on field instruction with All Stars Ron Coomer, Tim Laudner and Roy Smalley. I learn so much. Anyone else like Chris Berman on the Homerun Derby as much as I do! 10.) They all suck. I prefer to get my Twins in game information from MLB Gamecast and follow updates on Twitter. Blyleven is a one trick Pony, the best thing about Bremer is when TK calls him Richard, Dan Gladden as a highly paid communicator...really. Stevie Wonder and Stephen Hawking would give me more insight and impart it more fully. Coom Dog, Smalley and Laudner. Looks like the best tips they could give me is on eateries in downtown and hair styling for men...or lack there of. I will go 8. I can stand Bremer and Bert doesn't get to me as much as the performance of MLB TV which reloads every 4 minutes it seems. Gladden does nothing for me, Provus I used to listen to him a lot on Brewer games and he is ok. I was hoping for Ryan Levebre though as I have listened to him on Royals games and think he is very good. I think the part of TV and Radio that grates on my most is the incessant commercials and sponsorships for everything. Has Kohler sponsored a Bert pee Break segment yet? Geez shouldn't give them ideas. For every dump Dick takes this year Kohler will donate $50 to Toilets for Troops. But I do miss the days of Herb, Kaat and Robinson. So how do you see yourself and are their any other ratings you can throw out there.

I have seen Summers pitch (3) more times then Wheeler (1). He deserves the next step and was ready. Dempster, thats fine. Just looking at the Beloit staff and see Wheeler and Shibuya there and think, what are they working on to improve? I have seen Shibuya twice and one time it was ugly and the next man, lights out. Looked like 2 different guys. But also that defense behind these guys has not always been helpful. Wondering if it was maybe that both need some "seasoning" from a emotional standpoint. I have seen that more then once in Beloit and it is displayed by some guys who are not in uniform for every game and hang out in the stands with "patrons". Not wise in low A, but 19-22 year old guys...yeah might have other motivations going on.

Seth any idea on what they want Jason Wheeler to work on? He has run a few good games out there in a row now. Is it make up, velocity or consistency working down in the zone? Just wondering as we have seen quite a few guys move from the Beloit staff and he is still there. I am fine with seeing him on the Snappers as I may get to see him pitch and the Team has a real good shot at winning when he is out there. Considering he is a College Arm and has been pretty good at this level they must have some issues with his ability to succeed at the next level.

yes. The odds are we will have buyers remorse if he gets a big contract. I guess I don't believe that he can maintain the current performance. But this comes with risk that he might I know.

Thanks for the post. Always good to see ideas out there from people who have thought things out. I will say sorry but the words Torrii Hunter and discount do not fit together. If Torii signs for less money then anticiipated it is because nobody offered more. This from a person who loved Torii as a Twin. Don't over pay for a aging outfelder with a system of potential young stud outfielders. Also if Joe Benson is in the Majors, he should be playing everyday. Very creative ideas.

So the final analysis of this thread is that it is the Pohlads team, with maybe a few other people involved, the Team is run as a business by the owners, The Team spends about 50% of it's revenue on payroll, in order to spend more the team has to go beyond team money to sign a big name free agent with that has risk attached to the spend due to injury and performance drop, that this money would come from the Pohlad family who are very rich, that the Tax payers spent a lot of money on the beautiful state of the art stadium which is a major source of civic pride that the millionaire players play in and the billionaire owner gets revenue from in the form of 8 dollar beers and some cuban sandwiches, that people who have no financial interest in the teams performance on the balance sheet thinks they should spend more money on said risky free agents in order to make them feel better about spending a couple hundred $$$ to attend a game with a family of four, and if they don't they will not suppport the team with their money unless of course the team starts winning through some miracle and the beautiful park becomes full of rubes dropping their cash on the Bud and Steak Sandwiches. And did I mention that the Pohlads are rich and the Tax payers of Minnesota paid for the stadium? Does that cover it? Well I didn't know any of that before. Thanks guys. Actually I should have read Powrwraps original post and just stopped. But it sucked me in like a bad performance on American Idol or a Nick Blackburn start, so bad you just can't take your eyes off it even though you no the ending. I have learned my lesson and will not do this again I hope, but I am weak.

I have been disappointed in the starting pitching as a whole in the minors. Some bright spots has appeared, Hermsen and Hendricks have done very well in their respective leagues. (Liam is still working on that whole translating it to the Majors thing.) The Snappers have run some good arms out there in Wheeler, Hurlbut, Summers and Shibuya. And they have not been helped be the shaky Defense behind them, but I am under no delusions that any of them should be clearing space for mutliple CY Youngs on the mantle. I think we are looking to Beloit and lower for the quality and quantitiy of pitching prospects in the system and that may actually work out well. Young bats in Arcia, Sano, Rosario, Goodrum appearing in the Majors about time these college arms start to establish them selves in the big stage. Could be a nice confluence of talent if it plays out right. However as I always say, a lot can happen between Elizabethton and Target Field. Not all of it good.

Was he the guy on Save by the Bell?

A tear of joy has appeared in my eye with the news he would be included. Justice has once again been served on the Twins Daily site. God Bless America.

Like it the list. Particularly have Oswaldo so high. The guy can rake. I do have to give a shout out to one of the two pitchers with the most most organization wins...Jason Wheeler- 10 and 4. I think in the 50 he could have some slot maybe taken by a guy who has not thrown a professional pitch or has been out performed by him at Beloit. You know I have to defend the honor of my Adopt a Prospect.

Ten and Four. Pause and breath deep.There is a starting pitcher in the Organization with 10 wins for one team and his name is Jason Wheeler. Last night the Snappers Ace went 8 innings and gave up 2 runs on 5 runs, striking out 5 and walking one. The sinker was working with 11 groundouts versus 5 flyballs and he picked off a runner. Is it time for the 22 year old to move on up to Fort Meyers? Personally I would love him stay through the Play offs and give the Snappers a strong arm to start a game. But, I also know that we are just way stops on the trail and it is not always in the players best interest to stay. Minor league fans are always conflicted by this set of conflicting priorities.

One other interesting piece of this is that these players are moving up the ladder. For several years people have talked about the talent for the Twins all being in the lower levels of the minors and now this is all starting to bubble up. Next year Arcia and Hicks at least will be at AAA with Benson possibly, at least one will probably be spending significant time in Minnesota. Sano and Rosario will be at A+ and might get to AA by the end of the year, I actually hold out more hope for Rosario making that transistion quicker if he can get off the DL in Beloit soon. Behind them you have Harrison, Goodrum, Kepler and Buxton in Low A next year along with a whole bunch of arms from this years draft. That is a pretty good pipeline for 2014 onward. I have not even mentioned some prospects of various standing like Tosoni, Micheal, Hermann, Ortiz and Santana. The narrative on the Twins minor leagues is in transition this year. Also expect that at the current pace the Twins will have another Top 10 draft pick in what maybe a better class next year, with what looks like two high draft picks from this year dropping back in possibly. These are all ifs, performance can go south on any of these players, injuries can happen any game, ceilings can suddenly be reached and players plateau at AAA, and you can never predict what goes on in the brain on a 19-22 year old male that can lead to trouble. But the outfield and parts of the infield are looking hopeful. Pitching...well maybe we can get something for Span, Willingham and any other spare parts to help and possibly catch lightning in a bottle like we did with Johan, Frankie, Nathan and possibly Diamond.

My waistline would resemble that remark.

I always am reluctant to do lists as people seem to take offense if your view doesn't match theirs all the time. So much of this is subjective and can people just repeat what others say or what they want people to say. That being said I will do a quick rating of the best hitters I have seen move through Beloit as Snappers. I am not taking into account what happened past Beloit, but just what I have seen here. 1.) Sano. Really scary power. Ouch. Saw Morneau at QC years ago. Sano more advanced and more power. 2.) Revere. Flat out could hit line drives and beat the ball into the ground and out run the throw. 3.) Arcia. Best swing I have seen here. Sweet. Nice corner outfielder. Only saw him swing, never played field here. Did his damage while having a bad shoulder. Mauer at QC had better swing. That is about it from what I have seen. 4.) Rosario. Want him back. If he stays at 2nd could be a very special player. Could be 2nd best guy at that position in Twins history. Better then Knoblauch. But long way to go. 5.) Parmalee. Next to Sano best power. But way down the list in that regard. Sano on a whole different level. 6.) Angel Morales. Lost in the minors now, but a real good player for the Snappers. Great tools. Lost opportunity here. 7.) Danny Ortiz. Compact player with tight powerful swing. Gets through the zone quick. Sneaky prospect. 8.) Hicks. Plate discipline and speed get him on this list. He could work a count better then any player I have seen here. Sometimes worked against him as he had a better eye then the umps. 9.) Matt Koch. I like him. Has decent gap power and his bat is quicker then I would have thought. Could be me just taking someone I have seen recently, but he has some upside. A+ and AA will be interesting to watch him. 10.) James Beresford. Probably a little emotional here. Like this kid a lot. He is all of what is mocked and ridiculed by posters online. Scrappy, tough, overachieving, underdog, high motor, gets after it. You know Punto like. But he is the one shortstop that really imppressed me with his discipline, leadership, glove, deameanor and he could put the ball in play. No power, not that fast, and needed to work on plate discipline. But the Aussie just strikes me as a baseball player first athlete second. Not on list- Benson. I only saw a few flashes of his potential here. Most of what I saw from his was his defense in center and left. That was the Wow factor. Bat had not showed power yet. Plouffe- Cluster at short here. Bat was a problem and the errors were a issue. Sano light without the bat. Always like him thought he came across as a real good guy and class act. Hermann- Never got to see him much. No opinion. Santana- Thought Beresford outplayed him frankly. Henry Sanchez- Just kidding. Saw him in uniform one time I think. Matt Moses- A little QC Love. Great swing. Head, well that may have been another thing. Hit the one of the hardest balls I have seen in A ball one day. Line drive to Centerfield off the batters eye in QC that must have left a mark. Only Sano, Trout and Moustatkis have hit ones harder when I have been around. Just a rocket. Then preceded to strike out the rest of the weekend. These are just my impressions of guys in a one or two year window. (Some like Arcia, Rosario and Sano less.) As such have no heft beyond the confines of Pohlmann Field.

Nice outing for Jason on Friday the 6th as he beat the Lumberkings in Clinton for his 9th win of the Season. He gave up 3 runs, all earned, in 6 innings on 6 hits and 4 walks. That line is a bit of a worry, but he was able to work through the 10 base runners and hold Clinton to the 3 runs. He did not have his pattern on early runs repeat this evening as the runs came in the 4th and 5th Inning. Jason has had a pretty successful half season, it has been up and down a bit however the ups have far outweighed the downs for the big lefty. He has been the stalwart of the Snappers starting staff and has shown the ability to work out of jams created by a suspect infield defense, which for a ground ball pitcher can be the kiss of death. He still has things to work on and improve, but I am starting to wonder when he will get a shot at Fort Meyers. Would love to see him throw again, but having him join the Miracle would not be the overly disappointing.

Only if he can start the first inning and make it to the 5th without giving up 4 to 6 runs or get injured in some freak way and need to be pulled. To recap-Bullpen: good- Starters: historically awful. His prescence as cannon fodder would help once the bullpen is burnt out from having to come in every 3rd night or so in the fourth inning, but there are cheaper alternatives. Besides, he can see the writing on the wall here and knows that in August and September this Pen could be in tatters due to overuse. Why come here unless they can get someone besides Diamond to give them consistent innings?

How old are these guys? Both teenagers, correct. So I guess my reaction is, check back in a a couple of years when they both are at least in AA.

Since I last wrote about Jason he has had some good times and some bad. June 25th against Kane County-good. 5 innings pitched, 2 runs neither earned, 3 strike outs and 2 walks, 4 hits and all the damage happening in the first inning. Jason was able to notch his 8th victory. June 30th, not good. Only 3 innings, shortest outing this year, 7 runs of which 4 were earned. 2 k's and one BB. He gave up a home run which is one of his 5 this year in 16 starts. His GO/AO rate is still 1.44 andt his sinker can still induce those bouncers to his infield, whether the infield catches and throws it on target is the question quite a few times. His WHIP has been rising along with the ERA one sits at 1.40 and the other 3.88. Jason has also fallen into a bad trend of giving up early runs. In his last 4 starts he has given up 2 runs in the first inning each game, then in a couple he has followed it with a 3 run second in a couple of the games. Now some of these are on his D, but it is something I noticed in looking back at the last few games. Lets hope he can get through those early innings and move deeper into the game with less of a hole dug.

Keep up this winning and we will blow that high draft choice....just getting ahead of the glass half empty crowd here.

Yawn...when is the next Promote Sano thread? I miss those thrilling discussions. With you Barks.

I live in Wisconsin so I follow and see Brewers games. When I was a kid I liked the Reds during the Big Red Machine era, Pete Rose was one of my 2 favorite players of the time. I also like the Red Sox until they became the Evil empire light. My oldest son likes the Rays and Phillies, but hated that the dropped the Devil Rays. So I will watch some of their games with him. For me I have no real emotional attachment to any other team then the Twins everything else is kind of just on the edges.

I would miss my trips to Beloit and my 9 year old loves the Snappers, but Cedar Rapids is just as good for me as I am about half way between the two. The stadium in Cedar Rapids is an improvement and the town is a good place to visit.

As a person who goes to a lot of Minor League games I disagree with this whole heartedly. I missed seeing Morneau in Quad Cities and Manship in Beloit by a week because they moved up before the season ended. I see what is happening with Madison Boer who was the opening day starter in Beloit and has struggled in FM and wonder why he didn't stay down for half a season. I read a lot of Jim Mandelero in Rochester and I think Red Wing fans would laugh, maybe cry, at that statement. The Twins final end game is to get these guys to be productive Major Leaguers to the best of their abilities. Down the food chain we need to accept that we are stepping stones and as Mongo from Blazing Saddles would, "Just pawns in game of life." Now how good the Twins are at reaching that end game is debatable, but no one is developing Sano or Buxton to top out at Rochester. Also that some of these guys don't make it is not always the fault of the organization or the coaches or the front office, some personal responsibilty needs to be put on the individual here. These kids, and the are kids, have been given talents and opportunities that us less gifted and more robust shall we say dream of. It is a test of not only physical skills but will and attitude to make through E-Town, Beloit, New Britian and Rochester. We only see the product on the field, but the rest of life is what can trip the players up big time. Some like Josh Hamilton and Sean Burroughs survive the demons to play another day in the sun, most have their moments and move on to some other path knowing they gave it a shot and it didn't work out, some leave angry and confused about why they aren't Strasburg or Trout and blame the coaches and organization, and some drop off the radar and lose themselves like Brien Taylor. Unlike the other sports in or culture baseball is life in many ways.