Ryan has pitched well over the past couple weeks. He's only given up 1 run in his past 3 appearances and his ERA is sitting at 4.26. He's showing good pop with his fastball and still has his curve, change up, and his slider. I believe the move to the bullpen this season is going to serve him well in the long run.
On a personal note, my family and I were very flattered to read his blog about the living arrangements that we are providing to both him and AJ. I have to say this, as much as they have enjoyed living here, I think we have gotten the better end of the deal. I have a 4 year old son, Carson, who thinks baseball is a religion. He is constantly asking baseball related questions and the guys patiently answer every question he asks, sometimes repeatedly. They have taught him the catcher signals for the different pitches and have even taught him how to throw a change up. They even took time out of their schedule to go to his first baseball practice and work with him on the field before the other kids arrived. We have had some pretty intense whiffle ball games as well with my daughter getting involved also. This past Monday we had a small birthday party for Ryan, who turned 24, and it was touching to see my two kids give him their presents and cards that they picked out on their own, one of the cards was to their "big brother."
Ryan is truly a class act. His parents obviously did a great job. As much as he is a prankster in the bullpen and the clubhouse, he is one of the most intense players you will ever see while pitching in a game. As much as we enjoyed watching him play last season, we have truly been blessed to have him be a part of "our family" this season. As Ryan moves up in the Twins farm system, I hope people appreciate the kind of competitor and person he is. I promise to keep my future posts more on the baseball side. I just wanted to make sure that everyone understands that these guys aren't just robots wearing numbered jerseys on the field of battle. They are fine young men and I'm so happy that my wife and I decided to host players this season. I know one thing, we are definitely doing this again next year. Talk to you all later. Thanks.
