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Download attachment: Buxton.jpg Seth Stohs is reporting that the Minnesota Twins are promoting Byron Buxton from Low-A Cedar Rapids to High-A Fort Myers in time for the Miracle's next game on Tuesday. Buxton has dominated the Midwest League with the Kernels, hitting .340 with 8 home runs and getting on base in 43% of his plate appearances. He’s also shown his top-rated speed, playing center field and stealing 32 bases in a little more than half a season. The 19-year-old’s success has moved him to the top of national prospect lists, including second overall in Keith Law’s midseason review. His promotion means he will be one of the youngest players in High-A ball. Buxton is expected to fly to Florida on Monday morning, but will not be in Palm Beach in time to play in the Miracle's noon game. He will make his Florida State League debut on Tuesday night in Palm Beach. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Update - SD Buhr tweeted that he has heard from Kernels manager Jake Mauer that the move has been made. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: oswaldo_arcia_arms_600.JPG Like the Minnesota Twins, Twins Daily has a farm team on the blog page. Here's what you've been missing if you haven't been checking it out the writing from our top prospects... Cody Christie reminds us of a Twins starting pitcher who is about ready to rejoin the team. And it's not Kyle Gibson.Thrylos gives you 129 college pitchers that you will want to knowbefore the Twins start drafting them in June. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]When Oswaldo Arcia gets a big hit, he starts doing something with his arms. Brad Swanson explains.Twins Daily writers (and "Creative User Name" award winners Mr. Horrorpants and Peanuts From Heaven go beyond the box score, telling you what you REALLY need to know about the Twins latest series. Like, which Twins player proves magic exists.Finally, Jeff A is publishing biographies of Twins/Senatorson their birthdays over on his blog. Recently, that included Jack Morris, Billy Martin and Justin Morneau. We'd love to have you join us. If you register with Twins Daily, you get your own blog on which to discover your inner Hemingway (as well as be able to post comments). What have you got to lose? Click here to view the article

~~~ Sponsored by Ticket King ~~~ Baseball and beer go together like…well….they go together so well, they should be the comparison in that kind of sentence. Like when your friend finally finds a girlfriend that is legitimately good for him. You might say “They go together like baseball and beer.” Or imagine baseball staring very intently at beer and emphasizing “You COMPLETE me.” That’s how much they belong together. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Budweiser Roof Deck.jpg Fortunately, Target Field gets this. Since it opened in 2010, the Minnesota Twins have added all kinds of variety to their beer options, with an emphasis on local brewers. With the Brewers coming to town, it seemed like a good time to list Top Ten Best Seats in which to enjoy this natural pairing. #10 – Anywhere EXCEPT sections 310 and 311. Those are the family sections, so they’re alcohol free. If you get a Twins ticket for anywhere else, people called “vendors” will lug a variety of beers up and down stairs right to your aisle. Isn’t that nice of them? Tell them keep to the silver. #9 – Section 202/302 You can find Leinenkugel all over the ballpark, but there is a hidden kiosk near the right field foul pole on the third deck with a couple of taps and no line. You can be there and back and still catch some of the Underwater Camera gimmick. Sorry. #8 – Section 220/320 Similarly, right behind this section is a small kiosk of Grain Belt Nordeast on tap. It is a slight upgrade because of the view of downtown. You can sit (sip?) and enjoy if the game gets away from the hometown nine. Download attachment: Twins Brews.jpg #7 – Section 116 Great seats, right behind home plate. Also, a great selection of beers awaits you at the top of the stairs as this is where the “Beers of Twins Territory” stand is located. Despite the name, these aren’t just local beers; they have a wide selection, though they’re all in bottles. The only downside is there is almost always a line, so you’re going to miss some action. #6 – Sections 223/323 and 125 Behind both these sections is a smaller version of the “Beers of Twins Territory” called “Minnesota Brews.” These are only local beers, so the selection is smaller but so is the line and that moves it up to #6. #5 – Budweiser Roof Deck Minnesota Twins tickets for the Budweiser Roof Deck are not available every game as it often hosts private events, but for a little different experience, seek them out. You’re limited to Bud products and your view of left field is cut short, but they have bar stool and rail counter seating that overlooks the game, the lines are short, there’s a fire pit for when it’s cold and there is a party feel to the experience. #4 – Section 123 or 17 Right behind this section are two kiosks for Schell’s and Goose Island, both with tap beer and limited lines. This section gets extra points for being in the sunshine for afternoon games. If baseball and beer were interested in a threesome, sunshine would be at the top of their wish list. #3 - Twins Pub, near Section V These last three, in my humble opinion, separate themselves from the rest of the stadium. Most of the second level at Target Field is closed off to regular ticket holders but down the left field line is the “Twins Pub,” which was previously called the “Captain’s Deck.” It is similar in feel to the Budweiser Roof Deck, except that the views are better, it’s covered, and you don’t need a ticket to watch the game from there. In fact, you can’t get a ticket, because there are no seats, just a railing and counter from which to watch the game. Spots go to whoever gets there first and the party feel exceeds that of the Budweiser Deck. When I was there, there was even a distributor giving away samples of liquor. The beers at the Twins Pub are limited, but right behind it is the Townball Tavern, which has eight tap beers including four different Summit brews. And best of all, after the game (or after they cut off beer sales), you can meander into the Townball Tavern, where they serve beer for up to 45 minutes after the game. Download attachment: Sue Nelson.jpg #2 – Section 213 There are three sections – 213, 214 and 215 that are steps away from the 2 Gingers Pub on the lower half of the 3rd level. The view is good, there are a few kiosks a short distance away, and the 2 Gingers Pub (which does not require a ticket) has Summit Pale Ale and a few other beers on tap, though the crowd at the bar can be daunting. Finally, the Kramarczuk sausage stand next door is a nice addition. Those are all fine, but what launches 213 to the next level is that Twins organist Sue Nelson sits in the 2 Gingers Pub and watches the game, talks to customers, and deftly launches into her designated riffs as soon as a double-play is turned. That’s not an experience that you’re going to get in many (any?) other major league ballparks. Even if you don’t sit in this area, you owe yourself a visit to watch (and maybe get a picture with) Sue. #1 – Section 140 and 139 – the Great Clips Great Seats Here it is – beer nirvana. This is literally everything a beer drinker could want. Except maybe the organist. Let’s start with the beer. There are no fewer than four craft beer stands within a stone’s throw of this section, which is next to the right field foul pole. On one side is a Leinie kiosk which always has at least one tap of Summer Shandy. In the other direction is a Summit kiosk and a Blue Moon kiosk. Those three by themselves would make this a destination. But it’s the fourth stand that separates it from the pack. Download attachment: Section 140.jpg Directly behind this section is built-in stand which is unfortunately also called the “Twins Pub.” This is the only place in the ballpark that has taps reserved for Surly and Fulton beers. They also serve the “Summit Bomber” bottle, which is an incredibly large Summit Pale Ale, in case you don’t want to make too many trips. But honestly, that isn’t much of a problem with the Bomber. Unlike the lines at the Surly kiosk last year, fans haven’t found this stand, yet. This year I’ve never had to wait in any kind of line there. Finally, the section itself was redone this year, now having stool seating with a counter railing as you watch the game. The view of the infield is excellent, although you lose the view of deep right field. It gets sun through all the early and late afternoon games. And you have about as good a chance here as anywhere of catching a home run ball. One final tip: no matter which seats on which you settle, consider getting to the ballpark very early, as soon as the gates open, to watch batting practice. Warm sun, cold beer, green grass, blue sky, relaxed pace, no crowd and the occasional mad scramble for a home run ball. It does not get much better than that. No matter where you are, it feels like the best seat in the house. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Blog.jpg With all the coverage of roster moves, the minor leagues and the upcoming MLB Draft we’re having trouble finding room for all the quality blog entries members are cranking out. Here’s a few from yesterday you might want to check out: Cody Christie profiled new Twins Chris Collabello.Mr. Horrorpants recaps the Braves series. I can’t think of a more appropriate named author given that series.Barks’ Lounge laments the lack of an emotional leader on the current Twins team.And John Swol notes the depressing spiral in which the Twins find themselves.We would love to hear from you, either in our forums or our blogs. Register and let us hear your thoughts. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Polanco_Jorge_HighFive_US_720.jpg Aaron and John talk about the starting pitching (and podcast hosts) falling apart, Jorge Polanco's rushed arrival, Alex Meyer and Trevor May having issues in the minors, Chris Parmelee as a center fielder, puking in cabs, throwing out backs, Joe Mauer turning things around, Eduardo Escobar returning to earth, Aaron Hicks going back to Double-A, and Clayton Kershaw vs. Johan Santana. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. [/hr]Twins ended their losing streak yesterday so celebrate with a half-price L or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com by using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 247088_215274801837271_2720427_n.jpg John Bonnes sat down with the Sportive podcast crew on Thursday night to talk for nearly two hours on blogging, Twins Daily, baseball and a whole bunch of nonsense. You can listen/subscribe here or you can check out their web site here. If you're looking for a whole bunch of Twins talk, you can probably skip it. But if you're looking for talk about some of the history of Twins blogging, where it's going and the challenges that some of the writers here face, you might find it entertaining. Thanks very much to The Sportive for inviting John on. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have added Paul Molitor to Ron Gardenhire's coaching staff. Molitor will oversee bunting, base-running and infield positioning. He was added as part of a new MLB rule which allows teams to have a seventh uniformed coach on the bench during games. Download attachment: Molitor_600-321.jpg Molitor last coached with the Twins in 2000 and 2001 as Tom Kelly's bench coach on the same staff where Gardenhire was the third base coach. When Gardenhire was named coach for the 2002 season, Molitor was also a candidate. He was also a candidate last year to join the coaching staff this last year when three new coaches were added. Molitor is a Hall of Fame player who played for Milwaukee, Toronto and Minnesota during a 21-year career. He has recently been working as a roving minor league instructor in the Twins organization. Click here to view the article

The 2012 Minnesota Twins starting rotation was 29th our of 30 MLB teams in ERA. They identified this as their number one issue and responded with a major trade, several free agent signings, and a top prospect’s promotion. The result? The 2013 Minnesota Twins starting rotation ranked 30th in ERA. Download attachment: vance-worley-twins-demotion-e1369275959383.jpg Not all the moves were fruitless. The Twins biggest free agent acqusition of the offseason – signing starting pitcher Kevin Correia to a two-year deal – looked solid through the first year of the deal. He led the team in innings and compiled a league average 4.18 ERA. The most pleasant surprise of the year was when Andrew Albers, who had been rescued from the Can-Am independent league, provided some midseason excitement and ended the year with a 4.05 ERA. And Sam Deduno, when he was healthy, rode his eclectic pitches to an ERA under 4. But those positive developments were buried under an avalanche of disappointments. Vance Worley, who had been acquired in a trade with the Phillies and was the Opening Day starter, was brutal for 10 starts and didn’t look much better in AAA. Scott Diamond, the only member of the 2012 rotation who thrived, started the year hurt and bounced between AAA and the majors. Free agent signing Mike Pelfrey, rushing a return from Tommy John surgery, was brutal in April, and merely below average the rest of the year. And top pitching prospect Kyle Gibson made 10 late starts without generating much momentum. Those four were supposed to be the 80% of the rotation behind (and in front of) Correia this year. But you don’t finish dead last without a lot of additional support. Pedro Hernandez, who the Twins acquired for Francisco Liriano, had the 5th most starts on this team. He also had a 6.83 ERA. Liam Hendriks started eight games: 6.85 ERA. PJ Walters at least was under a 6 ERA in his eight starts. Cole de Vries was mostly hurt, still started two games late, and had a 10.43 ERA. Finally, lottery ticket Rich Harden never threw a pitch at any level. For the third year in a row, the story of the Twins season was the story of a starting rotation that failed. This offseason, the front office has been more aggressive financially in addressing this ongoing issue. That’s an appropriate response. Twins Territory hopes there is an appropriate result and that we’re not writing this story again next year. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: aaron-hicks-september1.jpg Two of the biggest stories from 2012 led to one of the biggest (and worst) stories of the Minnesota Twins 2013 season. Last winter, just one week separated the trade of center fielders Denard Span and Ben Revere to NL East teams. At that point, the writing was on the wall: Twins fans would see center field prospect Aaron Hicks in 2013.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The watch started in spring training and expectations sky-rocketed after he hit three home runs early in Grapefruit League action. His performance encouraged the Twins to start Hicks in center field on Opening Day, skipping AAA completely. The fairy tale for which Twins fans were hoping ended there. Hicks didn’t get a hit on Opening Day, and though he got his first hit by the end of the series, it was one of only two he had in his first 48 at-bats. He gradually improved, but the key word is “gradually,” reaching a .179 batting average by June ninth when he left the second game of a doubleheader with a hamstring strain. He returned in July, hitting .230 with a 671 OPS for the month, before being demoted to Rochester at the beginning of August. He was almost immediately benched with a quad strain followed by a heel injury followed by a sore wrist. He finished the year hitting just .222 in Rochester and .192 in the majors. And when the Twins traded Justin Morneau, they acquired Alex Presley, a 28-year-old center fielder who finished the season as the Twins starting center fielder. Hicks has some serious challenges facing him. Prior to his 2012 breakout campaign in AA-New Britain, scouts wondered if he should remain a switch-hitter, since he hit so poorly from the left side of the plate. His .559 OPS in the majors versus right-handers resurrected those concerns. He needs to show he can handle AAA pitching, let alone major league pitching. And with top minor league prospect Byron Buxton charging through the farm system, he can no longer count on being the organization’s future center fielder. On the other hand, he’s still just 24 years old, still a #1 pick and still the guy who came into last year as the 72nd best prospect in baseball. He now has a better idea of what is required to reach and survive in the majors, and demonstrated his speed/patience/power skill set last year, even if he forgot to hit. Finally, he was limited to 124 days of service time, meaning the Twins have several more years to see what they have or ease him into the majors as a fourth outfielder, if need be. In fact, he was only added to the 40-man roster last November, so the Twins can have him spend a couple years in AAA if necessary. It was a disappointing step backwards for Hicks and the organization, but perhaps that was a result of trying to take such a giant step forward. He’ll begin 2014 in the place where he clearly should have begun 2013: on the cusp of a promising major league career. That’s not such a bad place to be, even after a lost year. ~~~ More Top 13 Twins '13 Stories #13 – Twins in the WBC #12 – Drew Butera Traded to Dodgers #11 – Twins Sign Kubel, Trade Doumit #10 - Brian Dozier Breaks Through #9 - Kyle Gibson Promoted #8 - Aaron Hicks' Lost Year #7 - Twins Draft Kohl Stewart Click here to view the article

There was one 2013 Target Field game that felt like an event. It was June 29th, the opponent was the Royals and the Minnesota Twins starting pitcher was Kyle Gibson. Download attachment: kyle-gibson-futures-games.jpg The promotion of Gibson was anticipated for months, which is what led to it being such a big story. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Objectively, he was far from the best prospect in the organization, and ranked just 68th overall in the minor leagues by Baseball America. Furthermore, he was battling his way back from Tommy John surgery, and approaching a predetermined innings limit by the time he made his major league debut. But we had waited for this one; oh, how we had waited. A week before, we howled whe Pedro Hernandez was promoted over Gibson. Before that, Sam Deduno had taken precedence. Going into spring training, people wondered if Gibson might make the opening day roster. In 2012, before his elbow injury, we wondered how few starts in AAA he might make. Heck, go back to 2009, when the 1st round pick signed literally at the deadline. As the lone pitching prospect making his way through the high minors, Gibson received an undue amount of mindshare. For as long as the Twins have needed starting pitching, their fans have had basically one prospect from whom they could anticipate some help: Kyle Gibson. No wonder his promotion was announced a week early. His first start, which also happened to fall on a beautiful Saturday, was electric. He didn’t disappoint, recording a quality start with six innings, two earned runs and five strikeouts. He also got his first “Win” as his teammates jumped on Kansas City early, scoring five runs in the first inning on their way to a 6-2 victory. It felt like a long anticipated jump start to a bright future. But the rest of the year was considerably less hair-raising, and Gibson’s bright future is now less clear. In his next start he was knocked around for eight runs. His ERA never fell below 6 after that and he never pitched more than six innings in a start. He was shut down for the year after throwing 152.2 innings between AAA and the majors. Next year, he will likely begin the year back in the minors. He’ll be battling for the final rotation spot against three pitchers who have had more major league success than him – Sam Deduno, Scott Diamond and Vance Worley. He will be further hampered by a roster status that allows the Twins to safely stow him in Rochester. But Gibson’s promotion and initial success was a hopeful distraction in a gloomy season. That hopeful promise should yet provide some similar relief to tired Twins' fans in the future. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: microphone.jpg Jeremy, Seth and John talk about the breaking news surrounding two of the players recently associated with the Minnesota Twins. Jonathan Gray tested positive for a stimulant? Is Kohl Stewart's status at Texas A&M in doubt? And does either revelation shuffle the board for the top four teams, including the Twins? Listen to our second test podcast to find out. You can listen (or download) our second test podcast here. We would really appreciate any feedback you have, both on the topic as well as the production. This is something we're playing with and we're looking to improve it. So please fill up that comment section! How is the sound? Which person sounds the best?How is the music? Did you have any problems with playing it? How was the interaction of the hosts? How would you like to see this used? What kind of podcast would you like to hear? What would you change? What would you keep? Click here to view the article

Sponsored by Ticket King [/hr]Download attachment: Duffy_Danny_Facing_US_720.jpg Ten days ago, as the Minnesota Twins stumbled home from a difficult road trip, they could take solace that they were going to face a team they have traditionally beaten up: the Chicago White Sox. What’s more, they weren’t going to face the White Sox ace, Chris Sale. If you bought Twins tickets for that home stand you enjoyed yourself as the Twins swept a four-game series from the Pale Hose. Today, the Twins are again stumbling back from a tough road trip and again get to face a team against whom they have traditionally had success. Indeed, the Twins swept the Royals in Target Field earlier this year. The difference is that there are no weak spots in the Royals rotation, and the Twins get to face the heart of it this week. Monday On Monday the Twins face the Royals ERA leader, Danny Duffy, who enters the series with a 2.69 ERA. Duffy is a left-hander who underwent Tommy John surgery early in 2012. He came back to pitch a little last year, but experienced forearm tightness and was shut down again. He’s making up for lost time this year, especially lately. While the 25-year-old has just four wins, he’s had four quality starts in his last five outings, and seems to have tightened his control, which has been an issue for him in the past. He’s always been considered a solid pitching prospect, but to bounce back this fast and this strong after Tommy John is a pleasant surprise for the Royals. He’ll be facing the Twins own pleasant surprise – Yohan Pino, the 30-year-old rookie who will be making his third start for the Twins. The first one was excellent, the second was eminently forgettable. We’ll see how he bounces back. Tuesday The teams match their “aces” or at least those pitchers who were supposed to fill those roles. It’s gone according to plan for the Royals. James Shields is 8-3 with a 3.79 ERA and on pace for another 200-inning season. He was acquired from the Rays in a blockbuster prospect-for-veteran trade before last year and has been a big part of the Royals ascension to relevance. Whether he will remain so is unknown; he’s a free agent at the end of the year. He’ll face the Twins Opening Day starter, Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco, like Shields, has one of the worst ERAs on his team’s staff – except that Nolasco’s is 5.74. He’s also on pace to throw close to 200 innings, except that’s not a good thing. He had taken steps towards mediocre for most of the month of June, but was shelled for 11 hits and 6 runs in six innings versus the Angels last Thursday. If the Twins are going to compete this year, they need to get him turned around; cutting bait isn’t an option on a 4-year, $49 million contract. Wednesday The Royals send 31-year-old veteran southpaw Jason Vargas to the mound and the good news is that he got beat up pretty good in his last outing, surrendering six runs and nine hits in four innings versus the Angels the day after Nolasco was pounded by the same team. Maybe the Angels (who swept the Twins in that series) are just that hot right now. He’ll be facing, dare I say, the second best Twins starting pitcher for the month of June: Kevin Correia. Don’t laugh. Correia threw 29 innings in 5 starts with a 3.41 ERA in June, tying him with Kyle Gibson for the best ERA on the staff for the month. He was brutal in April (7.33 ERA), tolerable in May (4.72 ERA) and has been downright good in June. Of course, the calendar page turns again prior to this start. Things are certainly trending the right way. But he remains a low-strikeout pitcher that has given up 111 hits in 90.1 innings. That’s The Ticket If I’ve got to pick just one game, I’ll go with Monday over Tuesday. I’m very curious to see if Nolasco makes progress – it might be the single thing this Twins team needs most. Plus, it’s always interesting to watch Shields pitch; he’s just such a professional. So Tuesday night’s game is an awfully good one. But I haven’t seen Pino pitch live and most of us haven’t; his only home start was rain delayed by two hours. Duffy, I’ll admit, wasn’t even on my radar as the year started, so it’ll be interesting to see what this big lefty is doing that has made him potentially a big part of the Royals future. So I’ll choose Monday’s matchup and hope for a solid start to a homestand that is looking increasingly critical if the Twins want to stay relevant into the All-Star break. [/hr]You can see Pino up close on Monday as there are seats right behind the Twins dugout available. I don’t know if people are sick of watching Nolasco pitch or what, but I can’t believe how many lower level tickets down Target Field’s first base line are available for Tuesday’s game. And Wednesday is supposed to be gorgeous so grab a client and write off tickets for Wednesday’s nooner. All are an even better deal if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, which will get you 10% off and supports Twins Daily. Whatever your needs, your local ticket supplier,Ticket King, can help. Click here to view the article

I’ve got great news and really great news. Which is which depends on whether you already have a ticket for the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown or not. Download attachment: Scott-Erickson.jpg We’ve added a third speaker: Minnesota Twins pitcher Scott Erickson. In his second year in the majors, Erickson won 20 games and a World Series Championship which included starting the memorable Game 6 which Kirby Puckett won with a home run. Erickson pitched fifteen years in the majors, won 142 games and married Lisa Guerrero. So his life has turned out quite a bit better than yours, most likely. Hopefully, in addition to talking about pitching for the Twins, he’ll share some life secrets. But the next news is even bigger, because until now only 200 of you could come to the Meltdown. Not any more. Masons has agreed to shut down the entire restaurant for the event, which means we will begin selling more tickets at 8AM on Thursday morning. I don’t know how many just yet, but it will be more than a handful and could be as many as 100. You will be able to purchase them for $20 each by clicking on this link. But remember, we had a lot more to sell last time and the entire batch sold out in four hours, resulting in a lot of disappointed fans, and we had a lot more available. The event is January 25th at Mason’s Bar and Grill from 5:00 to 8:00. It’s just two blocks from TwinsFest. An advanced ticket gets you two craft brews, a Twins Daily Winter Meltdown Pint Glass, lots of baseball talk, and presentations from Minnesota President Dave St. Peter, Scott Erickson and Pelotero filmmaker Jon Paley. Plus we have some stuff we haven’t unveiled yet. You can find more information here. We’ll see you at the Meltdown! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: ballplayer-pelotero.jpg With four days to the #Meltdown, we’re very excited to announce that Jon Paley, the co-director of Pelotero, will be joining us to talk about the making of Pelotero and of the sequel, The Miguel Sano Story. Pelotero is an acclaimed documentary that shows the pressures that ballplayers from the Dominican Republic face when trying to escape poverty by drawing a major league team’s attention - and the resulting life-changing money. It follows two Dominican prospects, one of whom is Miguel Sano, the #2 prospect in the Minnesota Twins farm system. The sequel, which will follow Sano through his minor league career to the major leagues, was funded as a Kickstarter project and completed funding last April. Filming will continue until Sano is called to the major leagues, after which the film will be edited and released. Paley will answer questions about Sano, the process of being an independent filmmaker and give insights to the rewards and challenges that Sano faces making his way through the Twins minor league system. Paley will follow Minnesota Twins President Dave St. Peter, who will be speaking and also answering questions from the Twins Daily faithful. If you can’t be there, don’t sweat it – you can submit questions in our forum. And the event will also feature lots of baseball socializing with two complimentary craft brews and a free Twins Daily pint glass. And we may have some additional giveaways, too…. For those of you who were lucky enough to get tickets, the festivities start at 5:00 on Saturday, January 25th at Mason’s Barre and Restaurant. And for those that didn’t – stay tuned. I really hope go give you some better news later this week.... Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Pints.JPG First, a quick reminder: tickets go on sale at 8AM on Thursday (today). There are a limited number and they'll sell out, possibly very quickly. So you might want to go take care of that right here before you get to the rest of the story. I'm not kidding. Fire codes exist and we believe in them. Now let's get to the fun part: The Beer If you do make it, you'll be very happy to hear that 612 Brew has stepped up to be the primary sponsor of the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Attendees will be getting their choice of Six, 612 Brew's American pale ale, or Rated R, their Rye IPA (Editors note: and Twins Geek's personal favorite). Both are brewed locally out of their NE Minneapolis Brewery. And of course you'll be able to get as much other food and drink as you want from Mason's, who has been the best event partner possible. You'll especially want to support them if you bought tickets today, because they closed down to make those extra tickets possible. The Pint Glasses 612 Brew has also really outdone themselves on the pint glasses, as you can see above. And I'm afraid the only way you can get one of these beauties is to buy a ticket and come to the event. The extra tickets we sold have soaked up most of th extra inventory. The Speakers We've got three fantastic speakers who not only have firepower, they have brainpower. You're going to love listening to: Dave St. Peter (5:30-6:00)Scott Erickson (6:15-6:45)Jon Paley (7:00-7:30)Click on the links to see the announcement about each one and learn more. And notice that we're starting fairly early in the event. The Basics I probably should have started with this, huh? I get excited sometimes. First, it's Saturday, Jan 25th from 5:00-8:00 PM at Mason's Bar and Restaurant on 6th and Hennepin. You can walk over from TwinsFest. Second, you won't be receiving a ticket - just show up with your name and ID. More Free Stuff 612 isn't the only sponsor that wants to throw stuff at Meltdown attendees. And I rather like the symmetry of these new two. Proximo Spirits is going to be giving away tequila - and Uber is going to be giving you rides home. Download attachment: Dobel_LOGO-ONBLACK.jpg Proximo will be handing out samples of Maestro Dobel, "The Diamond Tequila" which is one of the nation's fastest growing ultra-premium tequilas. If you are a tequila connoisseur, you probably want to know that it is sourced from single estates, double-distilled, and matured in Hungarian White Oak barrels. If not, you'll want to know that the samples are free. Download attachment: Uber.JPG And Uber will be offering a $20 credit to anyone that signs up at the Meltdown to try Uber out. (Tip: In fact, you can sign up for it even if you aren't at the Meltdown, right now, by clicking here.) If you're not familiar with Uber, they're an app that connects you with a driver via your smartphone. You can track the arrival of your ride, payment is cashless (no need to tip!), and you’ll receive a text message when your driver arrives. And Yet More Free Stuff And throughout the event we'll be giving away prizes via a raffle. They include Twins tickets, 612 gear, Mason's Gift cards, Maestro Dobel gear, Uber rides and three items that Jon Paley is donating: Ballplayer: Pelotero DVD signed by directors and Miguel Sano"ask me about my #powerbanana T-shirt" (http://t.co/QUmur6xzli)and.... Ballplayer: Pelotero FULL SIZED movie Poster signed by directors and Miguel Sano.Whew. I think that covers it. If you can make it, please introduce yourself to us all. We can't wait to meet you. And if you have any questions, please add them to the comments below. Thanks! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: headphones-620x300.jpg A new rumor about the Rockies preferred choice has all heck breaking loose in the MLB Draft. In yet one more test podcast, Jeremy, Seth and John go through the possibilities, including what the Twins will do if Mark Appel falls into their laps. You can find the podcast here. We would really appreciate any feedback you have, both on the topic as well as the production. This is something we're playing with and we're looking to improve it. So please fill up that comment section! How is the sound? Which person sounds the best?How is the music? Did you have any problems with playing it? How was the interaction of the hosts?How would you like to see this used? What kind of podcast would you like to hear?What would you change? What would you keep? Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 30099-1.gif If you’re coming to Twins Daily for the stories, thank you – thank you very much. But you’re really only using about 45% of the site. The Twins Daily Forum is where the information can go yet a level deeper. For instance, we have threads where members break down the MLB Draft rumors, where the Twins Official Scorer has explained scoring decisions and game threads where there is discussion during each game. You’re likely familiar with the comments sections of each story, and each of those is also a thread on the forum. But here are some additional tips for navigating and using the forums. You need to register to post a comment or start a thread. We’re not big fans of anonymous posts.We have a pretty restrictive comment policy that basically boils down to “Don’t be a jerk.” We work hard to keep our discussion lively but civil, so we take that policy seriously and haven’t been afraid to ban people. If you want to comment, we would love to have you do so, but please play nice.If you see a comment you think is questionable, there is an icon with a triangle and an exclamation point on each comment. Just click it and our moderators will pay special attention to what is going on.If someone repeatedly gets under your skin, you can choose to ignore them, meaning you won’t see their posts. Just click on their name to go see their user profile page and click on “Add to Ignore List.”Alternately, if you like someone’s post, you can click on “Like” so they know that, or you can “Friend” them by clicking on their name and selecting “Add as Friend.” That makes it easy to see posts they have written in other threads. I’ll be honest – there is a lot more functionality here than I can possible cover (or even know) so if you have a tip or comment or questions, feel free to list it below. And if that means you have to register and take the personal risk of posting your thoughts – try it. You were given a voice for a reason. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Meltdown 2.jpg Aaron and John are joined live onstage at Twins Daily's inaugural "Winter Meltdown" event by special guests Twins president Dave St. Peter, former Cy Young runner-up Scott Erickson, and Miguel Sano documentary filmmaker Jon Paley, along with Parker Hageman, Seth Stohs, and 300 of their closest friends. You can listen by clicking below, download us from: iTunes,Stitcher orfind it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]<iframe style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/2648795/height/325/width/325/theme/legacy/direction/no/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/" height="325" width="325" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> Click here to view the article

[CENTER][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial][attachment=7231:4660.attach][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial][I]Sponsored by [URL="http://www.surdyks.com/Default.aspx?ISC_PageName=DirectionsDelivery"]Surdyk's[/URL][/I][/FONT][/COLOR] [/CENTER] [HR][/HR]Over his career, Phil Hughes has seemingly been one solid secondary pitch away from taking over the world. Since his prospect days, his curveball was considered this dangerous weapon. For Hughes, unfortunately, the pitch [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/content.php/2716-Phil-Hughes-Long-Curving-History?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter"]never manifested into that killer pitch as projected[/URL]. Eventually, the pitch was unceremoniously dropped from his arsenal in 2012. [HR][/HR][I]Every week, Surdyk's analyzes a Twins pitchers' delivery and reminds you that Surdyk's will deliver beer, liquor and even a sandwich to your doorstep.[/I] [HR][/HR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial][attachment=7232:4713.attach][/FONT][/COLOR]In his final year with the Yankees, Hughes certainly favored the pitch to start an at-bat off. While he threw the pitch just 11% of the time overall, he spun it up to the plate a nearly quarter of the time on the first pitch to a hitter. Opponents, trained to seek-and-destroy fastballs on the opening pitch, often allowed the big bend to sail past. But as you can see in the heat pitch graphic, Hughes it was exceptionally good at finding the low and outside corner. Batters found themselves down in the count no balls and one strike. As the at-bat would progress, Hughes had the tendency to then lean on his impressive fastball. Much like former Twin Scott Baker, Hughes would target the top of the zone with a 92+ heater and would register a high amount of swing[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]-and-misses with an equally insane amount of foul balls. [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]With two strikes, and fear that the looping curve would be tipped out of his hand, Hughes stuck to the fastball and slider -- demonstrating a near fifty-fifty split in usage between the two. The results left something to be desired as his .253 opponent batting average against in two-strike situations, the second highest in the game last year, suggested that the current plan was not working. On top of that, his 44% foul ball rate with two-strikes meant he handed out a lot of souvenirs to the ticket holders in the gated community areas of the stadium but also that his pitch count increased quickly. This translated to premature clubhouse showers.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]So with all that in mind, but without all the numbers to back it up and just ball guy-type intuitive stuff, Hughes focused on redeveloping the curve to be a legitimate weapon in those types of circumstances. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]“Coming into spring it was a conscience effort to make sure I finishing that pitch and keep my hand out in front so you don’t pick up any spin or have it pop out of my hand,” Hughes explained. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Camouflaging your secondary pitches is one of the biggest keys in pitching and, to Hughes’ concern of keeping the curve from “popping” out of his hand, is a big one from that particular pitch. The looping curve, as he described it, is one that has the tendency to come out of the pitcher’s hand a bit higher than a fastball. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]“A lot of times with curveballs, more than any other pitch, it will go above the fastball plane,” major league pitching instructor Tom House told the [/FONT][/COLOR][URL="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/nationals-pitcher-gio-gonzalezs-tricky-curve/2012/10/05/808c301a-08c6-11e2-a10c-fa5a255a9258_story.html"][COLOR=#1155CC][FONT=Arial][I][U]Washington Post [/U][/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#1155CC][FONT=Arial][U]in 2012[/U][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]. “And if it goes above the fastball plane, then the hitter knows it’s not a fastball.”[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Which means they sit and let it pass. Or they swing out of their cleats at it. Either way, it becomes a less effective pitch. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Through three starts in 2014, it is hard to tell if the tinkering has worked. He has thrown more curveballs throughout each plate appearance but the amount of times hitters have swung at it has decreased. Plus, no one is chasing after the pitch out of the zone, which means it is not getting buried for strike three. While his strikeout rate has climbed so far this season and may not be directly due to his curveball (12 of his 17 K’s have come on fastballs) it is possible that just occasionally flashing the curve keeps hitters off of his fastball. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]“It’s altering sequences,” Hughes said this spring, “I’ve gotten into some predictable sequences for the most part, so once I get my changeup and cutter going I can kind of alter those a little bit, you know, flipping a few first-pitch curveballs, always keeping it different, that will be good.” [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]In terms of his curve -- his large, looping pitch thrown around 74.1 mph on average -- hitters will see it mainly early in the count (16 of the 44 were thrown on first-pitch) or occasionally with two-strikes (another 18 were thrown in two-strike situations). In both instances, hitters refrained from swinging. Of the 44 thrown, just 14 (31.8%) have been offered at. That’s quite a low total for a curveball overall.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Does predictable sequencing explain why Hughes’ curveball has been roundly ignored by opponents? Or is the big loop helping hitters differentiate his curve from other pitches? Some attribute the modern hitters’ ability to lay off these slower breaking pitches to improved analytics and scouting reports. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]In Boston, a [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial][I]Providence Journal[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial] article noted that [/FONT][/COLOR][URL="http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/red-sox/content/20140413-trends-in-pitching-cutters-splitters-elbow-injuries.ece"][COLOR=#1155CC][FONT=Arial][U]the Red Sox staff was tightening up their pitch types[/U][/FONT][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial], moving to cutters and splitters instead of sliders and curves, because the late break of the former would confuse hitters better than the looping curve or long tilt of the slider.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]“There’s more knowledge in a game now of bat paths and technologies and studies and charts and hot zones, so you can get a picture of somebody’s bat path and where they like to hit the ball,” Red Sox catcher David Ross told the [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial][I]Providence Journal’s[/I][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial] Brian Macpherson. “Guys try to stay off that as much as they can off the fastball with a cut or a sink or sharp breaking stuff. The big breaking ball is pretty much obsolete.”[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]While Ross may consider the big breaking ball obsolete, Hughes still breaks his out, just not at the same rate as he did a few years ago while coming up with the Yankees when it was considered a plus-pitch for him. It was last year when Hughes started to feel that hitters were not reacting to the pitch the same and shelved it in favor of the late-break cutter. This season, while he’s thrown his curve more frequently than last year, it is still the cutter that is thrown in greater abundance. Unlike his curve, the cutter is (1) swung at, (2) swung at out of the zone and (3) missed at a higher rate. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]So maybe the curveball is the savior of a pitch for Phil Hughes that it was made out to be in spring training. He still is doing many things right at this juncture, such as leading the staff in strikeouts and avoiding home runs. If, however, he can find some help in reducing his unsightly batting average on balls in play or the amount of foul balls that has blown up his pitch count so frequently, he might be able to stay on the mound beyond the typical five innings of work. [/FONT][/COLOR] [/FONT][/COLOR] View full article

I've wanted to see this for a while. I'll need to look for it on Netflix.

[attachment=6878:4058.attach][I]Tuesday, 4/15 vs Blue Jays at 7:10 [/I]Tuesday night, the Twins not only play the Blue Jays but celebrate the life and impact of Jackie Robinson. It’s suitable that a Minnesota team plays a Canadian team on this celebration, since both areas played key roles in baseball’s integration and supported to the rise of three African-American superstars, only two of which were baseball players. When [B]Branch Rickey[/B], the Brooklyn Dodgers owner, signed [B]Jackie Robinson[/B], the Dodgers has two AAA clubs to which Robinson could report for the 1946 season: the Montreal Royals or the St. Paul Saints. He chose the Royals, believing that the American Association wasn't ready for an African-American player. But two years later, that barrier was broken too, by the Saints and [B]Roy Campanella[/B]. Covering Campanella that year was [B]Carl Rowan[/B], an African-American journalist who had recently received a degree from the University of Minnesota. Rowan covered the team for the Minneapolis Spokesman, an African-American newspaper, including Campanella’s promotion to the majors in June, writing “the Saintly City’s baseball fans weren't the least bit happy about it. Although the fans admitted they disliked the move, many paused to say that they wished Campy a lot of luck in the big show.” View full article