Thrylos

I think that baseball should adopt the short center (aka "rover") The folks who invented softball new something /sarcasm

To answer this question you need to answer a couple more first: - Does Deduno belong in a championship caliber rotation? - Does Deduno belong in a championship caliber bullpen? I'd probably answer both "NO", YMMV.

Hope that Price has the year that Nathan has with the Tigers and the career that Cliff Lee has with the Phillies. Nothing personal, just the Tigers.

About his AAA ERA numbers: His PCL ERA is totally irrelevant either way. Feel free to check his IL ERA (and the rest.)

that is not this clear. Here are some WHIP normalized numbers: 2014 Home 1.115 WHIP, .248 BABIP, normalized WHIP: 1.304 Away 1.319 WHIP, .276 BABIP, normalized WHIP: 1.386 2013 Home 1.265 WHIP, .280 BABIP, normalized WHIP: 1.310 Away 1.279 WHIP, .298 BABIP, normalized WHIP: 1.245 2013 Home 1.054 WHIP, .274 BABIP, normalized WHIP: 1.116 Away 1.522 WHIP, .352 BABIP, normalized WHIP: 1.254 Might be a slight edge at home, but I think that the average league pitcher (or the league as a whole) has a slight edge at home too (here are the league splits for 2014) So not sure that he is much of Oakland product. He is much better than Albers or (the good) Diamond (fastball velocity similarities aside; remember he was traded for Gio Gonzalez at some point) for 3 reasons: - his change - his command and control - his cutter (and this is not much mentioned) which is a pitch with a lot of promise (and effective) and somewhat a work in progress for him. I think that he would round up the Twins' staff as a fifth starter better than the likes of Correia. But that is what he is: a bottom of the rotation starter/long man. Excellent deal for the Twins.

I have seen enough Santana play at SS the last 3 seasons to think that he is better suited as utility than Escobar at this point (and he can play the OF.) Polanco is now the starting SS at New Britain and would likely be the SS of the future (until Mr Gordon or Mr Vielma has anything to say about that.) I do like Nunez more that someone like Carroll, and he can play LF better than either Parmelee or Willingham right now that has some value as defensive replacement. Is Nunez a utility guy in a championship squad? Not that sure, but maybe. Santana would be a better choice for the job.

It is not a secret: the Minnesota Twins biggest problem the last few woeful seasons has been the lack of a reliable rotation. While a lot of fans are looking at 2015 or 2016, when Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton "come of age", as the potential contending point for the Twins, the dirty secret is that there are not, other than Alex Meyer and potentially Kyle Gibson, any sure bets for top of the rotation pitchers in the system above A-level, which almost certainly would guarantee mediocrity at best through the middle of this decade. Download attachment: Volquez_Edison_Followthru_US_720.jpg This offseason, the Twins have an opportunity to remedy this via free agency and be competitive in 2014. In order to do so, the Twins need to sign at least three pitchers better than Kevin Correia, who is in his last contract year and who can be a place holder for Alex Meyer and Kyle Gibson. Who should those three new pitchers be? What would it take to sign them? Remember, we are looking not only for 2014, but we are looking beyond. And we are looking for numbers one, two and three in the Twins' rotation, allowing Gibson to be number four and Correia number five. This would result in a competitive rotation. Potentially one of these positions could come internally: Alex Meyer might be one out of spring training; I have not given up on Vance Worley because of an awful injury-, out-of-shapeness and (BABIP-induced) bad luck, age 25 season. And nobody knows whether Samuel Deduno will take the next step. Originally posted at The Tenth Inning Stretch What characteristics should those free agents should have? If you look at the measurable characteristics the top pitchers have, two jump out right away, and these 2 happen to be the exact ones the Twins' rotation has been lacking: a. Hard throwing. The average Fastball velocity in MLB is 92 mph, including relievers. b. Missing bats. Average K/9 is around 7 in the majors, so we are looking for top of the rotation players with K/9 above 8. Since PitchF/X was introduced allowing the measurement of pitch velocities, only two Minnesota Twins starting pitchers,, both left-handed, satisfied both these criteria: Johan Santana (2004, 2005, 2006) and Fransisco Liriano (2005, 2006, 2010). And because of the long-term vision (we are looking for players who can get 3+1 or 4+1 contacts and would be with the team for the biggest part of the decade after Sano and Buxton come of age) the Twins need to look at pitchers who would at most be 31 years old in 2014, so they do not pay for a pitcher's declining seasons. One can argue that an older pitcher could be signed to a one or two-year contract as a place holder for someone like Kohl Stewart. This is a valid argument but at this point it does not guarantee competitiveness, since Stewart is not a sure bet now. Here are the 3 criteria (all measurable) the Twins should look for in a free agent: a. Average FB velocity >= 92 mph b. K/9 >= 8 c. Age in 2014 season =< 31 Here is a list of all 2014 free agent starting pitchers, from MLB trade rumors, alphabetically and with 2014 season ages in parenthesis: Alfredo Aceves (31) Bronson Arroyo (37) Scott Baker (32) Erik Bedard (35) Travis Blackley (31) A.J. Burnett (37) Chris Capuano (35) Chris Carpenter (39) Bruce Chen (37) Bartolo Colon (41) Scott Feldman (30) Gavin Floyd (31) Jeff Francis (33) Freddy Garcia (37) Jon Garland (34) Matt Garza (30) Chad Gaudin (31) Roy Halladay (37) Jason Hammel (31) Aaron Harang (36) Dan Haren (33) Roberto Hernandez (33) Tim Hudson (38) Phil Hughes (28) Ubaldo Jimenez (30) Josh Johnson (30) Jair Jurrjens (28) Jeff Karstens (31) Scott Kazmir (30) Hiroki Kuroda (39) John Lannan (29) Wade LeBlanc (29) Jon Lester (30) Colby Lewis (34) Ted Lilly (38) Paul Maholm (32) Shaun Marcum (32) Jason Marquis (35) Daisuke Matsuzaka (33) James McDonald (29) Randy Messenger (32) Ricky Nolasco (31) Sean O'Sullivan (26) Roy Oswalt (35) Mike Pelfrey (30) Greg Reynolds (28) Clayton Richard (30) Ervin Santana (31) Johan Santana (34) Joe Saunders (33) Kevin Slowey (30) Masahiro Tanaka (25) Jason Vargas (31) Ryan Vogelsong (36) We trim the list by age and list K/9 and average FB velocity for both 2012 and 2013. Then we disqualify pitchers who (because we are looking mostly for "sure bets") are projects and bargains and who might be a fit for one of these positions, but are out of the scope of this exercise. These pitchers: a. pitched less than 50 innings due to injury in 2013 b. pitched mostly in the pen in 2013 c. pitched mostly in minor or foreign leagues in 2013 We have this list, with K/9 and FB velocity fitting the criteria indicated in green, in yellow if it fitting when rounded up): http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/10710062884_1fb93bcac8_o.jpg The "A" list (at least two pitchers should be from this list) : Matt Garza, RHP, 30. Difficult to see a Garza reunion with Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson still on the Twins' staff. Documented personality conflicts when with the Twins Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP, 30. Received a qualifying offer, which means the Twins would have to surrender their second round pick to sign him. Price will be high because of monster second half. Josh Johnson, RHP, 30. No qualifying offers. Health and performance consideration (if one looks at W-L and ERA, but solid xFIP and peripherals) will drop the price Scott Kazmir, LHP, 30. The only lefty in the list. No qualifying offer. Great year suggests that recovered from injury nicely Edinson Volquez, RHP, 30 . No qualifying offer. Very quietly made it to the list. A sleeper, potentially low cost signing The "B" list (potentially one pitcher should be from this list, but there are questions) : Phil Hughes (28) He is intriguing; close with the K/9. Still in early prime. Can be the one from this group to target Jon Lester (30) Will likely stay with the Red Sox. Expensive. Lots of people think of him as an "A list" pitcher but is not. Mike Pelfrey (30) Interesting to see him in the list, but his K/9 is not in the ball park. Can he get his K/9 up? Great fit in the Twins' club house. Should the Twins take another flier with Pelfrey another year away from TJ surgery? Ervin Santana (31) Expensive. Lots of people think of him as an "A list" pitcher but is not. Received a qualifying offer. Stay away for the money. More expensive that all the pitchers in the A list, other than Jimenez. The rest: Gaudin was a reliever in 2012 when he met the criteria. Nolasco and Vargas are thought to belong in the "A list" potentially. They do not. Who are the three starting pitchers the Minnesota Twins should target in 2013 in order to be competitive in 2014 and beyond? They are: Josh Johnson Scott Kazmir Edinson Volquez Can they sign all three? The short answer is "yes", but I will examine the Twins' budget in another post... Click here to view the article

This is the second of the three 2013 Minnesota Twins Spring Training Guides. The first one was a guide on the logistics of how to get there and where to stay etc., including some ways to get there as inexpensively as possible, if that is a consideration. The next guide will be about food. This one is about the reason people go to Fort Myers: Spring Training baseball. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins' Spring Training Complex: Before we get into your options, it helps to have a big picture view of the Lee County Sports Complex where the Twins are based. Here is a satellite image (all images are screenshots from Bing Maps) : http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6870615187_617fab61b1_b.jpg Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch The complex is accessible via the Miracle on 34th St, either from Ben C Pratt Pkwy or from Plantation Rd. The best was to go is via the Parkway, especially if there is traffic. Miracle on 34th St divides the Twins' part of the complex from the four county softball field. Hammond Stadium, the site of the Twins Spring Training home games and the home of the Fort Myers Miracle (the Twins' high A, Florida State League affiliate) is on the Northeast corner of the Complex. Those parallel lines in the parking lot that can fit about 2000 cars. The stadium seats about 8000 people, so parking can be tight. In addition to Hammond Stadium, there are four full size practice fields and two infield practice fields. You can find Twins' major and minor league players working out in those fields throughout the day, so it might make sense to explore the whole complex or even catch a (free, other than parking) minor league game or two. Some hotels offer free shuttle service to the complex, so make sure you explore this option if it is available. During Twins' home games you have to pay for parking, however when the Twins are away, you can come into the complex and park for free and watch the Twins' minor leagues. (You can do that on game days in the morning, as well.) The minor leaguers are using the three full fields further away from the Ballpark and the infield right next to the clubhouse (the tin building). The practice field next to the ballpark is exclusively used by the MLB team. Two different camps take place there (the MLB and MiLB camp) but there is not a "dividing line" that folks who are cut from the big camp have to cross to get "down to the minor league" camp. As you can see, all the fields are next to each other. Often, non-travelling major leaguers (I saw Alexi Casilla and Jamey Carroll do that last season) play in minor league games. So do rehabbing major leaguers. The best way to watch the minor leaguers is to drive and park close to the clubhouse (there are not too many cars on non-game days, about as many as they are in the picture) and go between the three large fields. Usually AAA plays on the Northwest-most field and AA next to it. With a little bit of imagination, one can sit between both fields and watch two games. There are metal bleachers in the area. Bathrooms and a water fountain are in the south of the clubhouse building. Bringing water is a must here because there are no concessions. A lot of lower level or non-playing minor leaguers are around and in the stands watching the AAA and AA games. Actually pitchers are relegated to radar charting duty in tables in the common area behind the home plates and the fence, and standing around there is a good place to look at the radar readings. You can also find Twin Cities sports celebrities in the stands: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6881930842_2aaba33f03_o.jpg The "dugouts" and "bullpens" are just fenced in areas so you can get a great look of the Twins' minor leaguers. All minor league games are free. The new Twins' lease will provide for a dorm to be build in the area. I am not certain where it will be, but likely South of the fields and just west of the county softball fields. Hammond Stadium: Hammond Stadium (and the Lee County Complex) was officially opened in the Spring of 1991, the year of the Twins' last World Championship. It is the home of Fort Myers Miracle, a franchise that has Jimmy Buffett and Bill Murray as part-owners. It has been recently renovated and is one of the largest ballparks in the Florida State League, sitting up to 8500 people. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6870615335_f8962df2e6_z.jpg As with most minor league stadiums, most seating is on the infield between the two dugouts. Hammonds Stadium has a nose bleed 2xx level as well and a small grassy field in short right field for fans to sit picnic style. Spring training tickets cost from $45 to $10 or so, depending on the opponent and the seating. As far as tickets go, there are ticket outlets just outside the park. You can preorder tickets over the web, or you can frequently obtain them from locals in the parking lot who are not interesting in attending the game. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6873268706_ed1c6493c8_b.jpg One thing that you MUST note: bottled water in unopened containers is permitted in the stadium, as are bags up to 16x16x8 (think reusable grocery bags), so please take advantage of that. That said, the stadium has one of the best selections of beers, including more than 20 mainstream, import and microbrew beers and ales. The best variety of beer, including beer sold only for Twins' and Miracle's games, is at the bar at the far left (third base) end of the outside concourse, right before the bullpen They only sell Pepsi products as far as soft drinks go. I will have a food guide within a week, but I have to mention that there is an interesting variety of food, including pizza, sweet potato fries, fish tacos, deep fried nachos on a stick, and two artery clogging specialties: the Carolina Dog, a hot dog topped with pulled pork, baked beans and coleslaw and the Richard Simmons burger a behemoth featuring a 1/4 lb burger, a 1/4 lb chicken, a 1/4 lb brat, held together by 3 slices of cheese and six strips of bacon and contains more calories that the average developing world person eats in a week. There is an annual concession guide for the stadium that yet has to be published. Here is the seating guide from the Miracle web site. Also, this is a great article about Hammonds Stadium with a lot of detail about the ballpark. Also, hereis a must see panoramic view of the seating area from last year's spring training. The Twins' dugout is on the third base side and the bullpen on the end of the bleachers in short left. The new lease provides for major renovations to the ballpark including a catwalk area at the outfield. Not sure when this will start and whether it will be around for the 2013 Spring Training. Other things: Last but not least, the Twins do not play home games every day. So what to do in an off day? I would chose from one of the following: either drive to the complex trying to catch minor leaguers (my favorite choice) and non-traveling major leaguers in action, or drive to watch the Twins in an away game. Here is a map of Florida that shows all the Grapefruit League home team locations: http://farm8.staticf...450be9574_b.jpg The Rays play their home games about half an hour away and the Pirates and Orioles about an hour away or so. The Red Sox play in Fort Myers. Those are the most convenient ball parks to visit. Next: The Food Guide. Click here to view the article

The major priority of the Minnesota Twins' General Manager, Terry Ryan, has been to re-build a starting rotation that has been at the bottom of the major leagues in pretty much every statistical category in 2013. There is general agreement that the rotation was pretty much a mess in 2013 and needed fixing. There is also the general impression that the Twins' pen was the strength of the team and it is better left alone. However, in 2013 the Twins' pen ranked: 17th out of 30 MLB teams as far as ERA goes 17th out of 30 MLB teams as far as FIP goes 17th out of 30 MLB teams as far as SIERA goes 8th out of 30 MLB teams as far as WHIP goes 19th out of 30 MLB teams as far as K% goes In other words, the Twins' pen which, compared to the Twins' rotation, seemed great, when compared to the rest of the major league pens is average in a lot of ways. Busted myth number one: The Twins' pen was not great in 2013 and, while it might have been a bright point in 2013 compared to the rest of the team, it does not cut the mustard compared to the rest of league. There is a lot of room for improvement and I suspect Terry Ryan will address it before spring training, likely helping the Twins be competitive in 2014. Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch After the recent additions of new and returning starting pitchers there have been arguments that the Twins have too many starting pitchers and there is a logjam of pitchers on the Twins' roster. I thought it might be a good time to take a breath and look at what the Twins have on their 40-man roster as far as pitching goes and see whether this argument is true or not. Here is the Twins' forty man roster broken down in to, groups alphabetically (players in bold are out of options): Group A: Starting pitchers with no options signed to sizeable contracts the last two seasons. Kevin Correia (RHSP) Phil Hughes (RHSP) Rick Nolasco (RHSP) Mike Pelfrey (RHSP) Group B: Relief pitchers with no options signed to sizeable contracts the last two seasons or offered arbitration. Jared Burton (RHRP) Brian Duensing (LHSP/RP) Glen Perkins (LHRP) Anthony Swarzak (RHSP/RP) Group C: Starting pitchers with no options and small contracts who have played in the majors for more than three seasons. Sam Deduno (RHSP) Scott Diamond (LHSP) Vance Worley (RHSP) Group D: Starting and relief pitchers with options and small contracts who have played in the majors for at least one season. Andrew Albers (LHSP) Casey Fien (RHRP) Kyle Gibson (RHSP) Kris Johnson (LHSP) Ryan Pressly (RHRP) Caleb Thielbar (LHRP) Michael Tonkin (RHRP) Group E: Starting and relief pitchers with options and small contracts who have never played in the majors. Logan Darnell (LHSP) Edgar Ibarra (LHRP) Trevor May (RHSP) Broken down this way, the perceived logjam of Twins' staring pitchers becomes less of a logjam: The Twins usually have a 12 man pitching staff. They currently have 4 starters and 4 relievers (groups A and who are pretty much guaranteed a job. This opens 4 more positions, one in the rotation and three in the pen. If you assume the Twins value all pitchers in Group C who are out of options, they have the space to find them all a major league job, as well as allow another pitcher, likely from Group D or potentially outside the organization, to gain a rotation or bullpen position. The others will provide depth in AAA and be available in case of emergency or potentially be offered in trades to fill additional Twins' needs, like position players. Busted myth number two: There is no pitching logjam on the Twins' roster. In other words, the Twins do have a lot of pitching depth in their 40-man roster, but they are not in a logjam situation where they cannot accommodate all their pitchers without options on the 25 man roster. And this assumes Samuel Deduno who is recuperating from double (labrum and rotation cuff) shoulder surgery is available to start the season. While it is too early to name names to complete the rotation and the pen, this early assessment shows the Twins do not have any sort of a pitching logjam and also have plenty of options. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6927661912_db27f32dcc_z.jpg Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hyperlink.jpg Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- Here is this week's installment: When Nick Blackburn was put on waivers this week, there was some confusion about that meant. Blackburn and Nishoka did not get Designated For Assignment, they got outrighted. There are four types of waivers in baseball, all explained really well here (this is a must read and bookmark link) :[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Trade Waivers, Waivers for the purpose of granting a player his unconditional release (DFA), Outright Waivers and Option Waivers. The first and last kind are revocable, while the other 2 are irrevocable.The difference between DFA and Ouright waivers is that if a veteran (Blackburn is that and Nishioka is not) refuses, in both cases he becomes a free agent, but in a DFA situation the team in on the hook for his contract while in Outright Waivers, if he refuses assignment he loses what is owed to him. You can find all the transactions by the Twins' Minor League affiliates last week here. Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press is on a personal quest to find the scout who gave the thumbs up to the Twins to sign Tsuyoshi Nishioka. He also proposed some resolution, but leaves out door number three, which is exactly what the Twins are doing right now: Having discussions with Japanese teams to assume his contract. This is a great interview of Liam Hendriks by Minor League Ball's John Sickels. Hendriks admits that he has changed his delivery mechanics "several times this season", talks about his pitches and ponders why he has been so effective in AAA and not quite so much in the Majors, yet. Miguel Sano was the first draft pick in the Dominican Winter Leagues. He will play for his hometown Esrellas Orientales. The wife of a Twins' player wrote a guest blog here and she keeps her own full time blog here. Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah was defeated in a primary vote (link to a Dave St. Peter tweet). Not certain what that means for the future of the Twins there, since the county approved improvements in the Twins' Spring Training facilities and Hammond Stadium, which made the Twins renew their lease for 30 more years. Not sure whether papers were signed (I suspect so) but this is an intereasting story line to follow... And apparently this article in the Fort Myers paper, indicates that indeed there might be issues because the winner in the primary is lobbying against baseball spending and breaking the lease. Picture day for the Twins a week ago and a Matt Capps sighting. Top row to the left number 55. He looks like he gained a few because of the inactivity. Speaking of rehabing (or not) Twins' pitchers on the DL, Carl Pavano's fastball is sitting at mid 80s, which is not very good for the Twins' prospects to get something for him this August or for his prospects to continue playing baseball next season. Here is an interesting article about the Twins' A level affiliate Beloit Snappers' pitching coach Gary Lukas. Meanwhile, Beloit is the worst Twins' affiliate as far as attendance goes. Another killer article by Tyler Mason on food and major league vs the minors. Here is an interesting article that, among other things, lists what the Twins did when they moved from an air-conditioned environment to Target Field to battle hot and humid days. With the Twins looking more and more likely to get another high pick in the 2013 MLB draft, apparently, according to Baseball America the draft is pretty deep in high school Left Hand Pitchers, which is always desirable. One particular Twins' outfielder would not only be happy to move to the infield, it is where he played mostly before he became a pro. Also he was exclusively an infielder his first professional season. It seems that the Twins are looking for help at high places. This is great work looking at Twins contracts, projected payrolls, Options of minor league players, rule 5 draft exposure and related topics. Looks like Ron Gardenhire found his next shortstop. If you wonder what some major leaguers do during rain delays, check this out. And a certain Twins' player has been claiming falsely that he was his High School's mascot. And, no, it was not Drew Butera who was a professional clown for a while. Twins' product of the week is the Minnesota Twins Therma Base Hoodiehttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=biowriters&l=as2&o=1&a=B007V9B8CC. Because Winter Is Cominghttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=biowriters&l=as2&o=1&a=B007HJ84ZKThe parting shot today brings us to happier times in the Twins' land. Spring training. Last week of March. The team is ready to get up North hopeful for a new season with the slate wiped clean. Tabula Rasa. Rick Anderson is pitching batting practice to a group of Twins' infielders and catchers not in that days' lineup and he is using what it looks like a four-seamer, and not his signature two-seamer, grip. Happy days. This has been a long season. Spring training 2013 is (almost) around the corner. Hope Springs Eternal. Just about 190 days left until Spring Training 2013. Go Twins! Click here to view the article

His pitching coach was not wielding horse hair paint brushes, believe me It was a former pro pitcher and of about the same size. When I read that was wondering whether the Twins can get the pitching coach in a package from the Prune Pickers as well...

Sidd Finch? Deadspin had the exact story line...

"HELLS YES."

Originally published at The Tenth Innning Stretch ----- This is the first version of the 'who is hot in the Twins' minors' series for 2012. I have been doing this for a few years now and 3 weeks into the 2012 season, there are enough IPs and PAs and is about time I get the first version of 2012 out. I will be updating those in pretty much monthly basis. Download attachment: 7098789651_02fb66b359_z.jpg About a month into the minor league seasons now, it is not surprising to confirm that the Twins have a nice pitching depth in all levels of their minors (including LHP, which has been one of the organizational weaknesses in recent seasons. It is nice to see a balance between leftie and righty arms, even though it is early in the season) There are several pitchers in Rochester who might jump in and contribute with the big team, as necessary. The bats are a bit cool this time of the year, but it is nice to see that the Twins' top prospects are pretty hot. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Speaking on top prospects, Angel Morales after a lost 2011, is quickly putting himself back to the top prospect list. Also nice, as far as the big club goes, is the fact that Brian Dozier and Mike Hollimon are hot in Rochester, in case the Twins need middle infield help (the only position that is not backed up well in the major league club). Here is the list, going from AAA to A. The clubs represented are AAA Rochester Red Wings, International League, AA New Britain Rock Cats, Eastern League, A+ Fort Myers Miracle, Florida State League, A Beloit Snappers, Midwest League: Catchers: none Infielders: Brian Dozier (RHB, 25 AAA) .310/.375/.466 1 HR, 6 RBI, 64 PA Michael Hollimon (SHB, 30, AAA) .256/.341/.487 2 HR, 2 RBI, 44 PA Deibinson Romero (RHB, 25, AA) .293/.359/.552 3 HR, 13 RBI, 64 PA Miguel Sano (RHB, 19, A) .314/.453/.765 6 HR, 18 RBI, 64 PA Eddie Rosario (LHB, 20, A) .296/.397/.426 1 HR, 11 RBI, 6 SB, 63 PA Outfielders: Angel Morales (RHB, 22, A+) .382/.426/.509 1 HR, 7 RBI, 3 SB, 62 PA Lance Ray (LHB, 22, A+) .256/.333/.512 2 HR, 10 RBI, 51 PA Aaron Hicks (SHB, 22, AA) .255/.338/.491 3 HR, 10 RBI, 65 PA Evan Bigley (RHB, 25, AA) .295/.343/.459 1 HR, 10 RBI, 67 PA 1st basemen/DH: Chris Colabello (RHB, 28, AA) .333/.415/.711 4 HR, 12 RBI, 54 PA RH Starters: Cole DeVries (27, AAA) 2.87 ERA, 0.957 WHIP, 8.62 K/9, 3.75 K/BB Samuel Deduno (28, AAA) 3.94 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, 7.31 K/9, 2.17 K/BB PJ Walters (27, AAA) 3.38 ERA, 1.266 WHIP, 6.33 K/9, 7 K/BB Steve Hirschfeld (26, AA) 1.06 ERA, 0.941 WHIP, 7.94 K/9, 3.75 K/BB BJ Hermsen (22, A+) 0.50 ERA, 0.722 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 2.5 K/BB LH Starters: Scott Diamond (25, AAA) 1.47 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, 6.87 K/9, 2.80 K/BB Luke French (26, AA) 1.52 ERA, 0.930 WHIP, 5.32 K/9, 1.17 K/BB Logan Darnell (23, AA) 2.81 ERA, 1.188 WHIP, 5.63 K/9, 1.67 K/BB Andrew Albers (26, AA) 5.54 ERA. 1.231 WHIP, 6.23 K/0, inf K/BB Jason Wheeler (21. A) 2.40 ERA, 1.267 WHIP, 6 K/9, 2 K/BB RH Relievers: Casey Fien (28, AAA) 1.80 ERA, 1.100 WHIP, 8.10 K/9, 9 K/BB Jeff Manship (27, AAA) 0.82 ERA, 1.273 WHIP, 8.18 K/9, 2.5 K/BB Deolis Guerra (23,AA) 0.84 ERA, 0.469 WHIP, 8.44 K/9, 10 K/BB Dan Turpen (25, AA) 2.89 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, 8.68 K/9, inf K/BB John Garcia (25, A+) 2.53 ERA, 1.031 WHIP, 6.75 K/9, 2.67 K/BB AJ Achter (23, A) 0.87 ERA, 0.677 WHIP, 12.19 K/9, 4.67 K/BB Michael Tonkin (22, A) 0.96 ERA, 0.964 WHIP, 9.64 K/9, 5 K/BB LH Relievers: Tyler Robertson (24, AAA) 4.70 ERA, 0.783 WHIP, 11.74 K/9, 5 K/BB Caleb Thielbar (25, A+) 0.00 ERA, 0.545 WHIP, 11.05 K/9, 9 K/BB Jose Gonzalez (22, A+) 3.86 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, 9 K/9, 3.5 K/BB Edgar Ibarra (23, A+) 0.90 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 5.40 K/9, 6 K/BB Corey Williams (21, A) 3.86 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 9 K/9, 7 K/BB Ryan O'Rourke (24, A) 1.23 ERA, 0.818 WHIP, 8.59 K/9, 3.5 K/BB Matthew Tomshaw (23, A) 4.15 ERA, 1.269 WHIP, 10.38 K/9, 10 K/BB Click here to view the article

Last week, I discussed the reasons why the Minnesota Twins should select Sean Manaea with their first round and fourth overall pick. This week I am presenting, with brief profiles, potential second to fifth round picks for the Twins. The Twins do not have compensatory picks this season. Round 2, (43 overall): Hunter Dozier, SS, Stephen F. Austin State Will history repeat itself and have the Twins will select another college SS (and their second Dozier) in the high draft rounds, though their previous selections have not moved with the speed the they had hoped? We shall see, but Hunter Dozier is unlike previous college shortstops they have selected. He is Cal Ripken-sized (6-4, 220) with a lot of pop. He bats right handed. He is among the top three college sluggers with seventeen homers, is hitting .394 and has 12 SBs. His arm is very strong and he has good hands. Range is an issue (and this, with his size, makes some think that he projects as a 3B at the next level) but likely very workable at that next level. I think he has the tools to stick at short and this is a huge position of need in the Twins' organization. He was named Southland conference player of the year and hitter of the year. His up to date 2013 stats are here. http://www.collegebaseballtoday.com/files/2012/03/SFA-HunterDozierDef.jpg ~~~ Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ~~~ Round 3, (78 overall) Andrew Knapp, C, Berkley Catcher is another position of need in the Twins' organization, with no clear replacement for Joe Mauer down the line, though Josmil Pinto has potential. Knapp is not mentioned as one of the top catchers on the draft (that would be a trifecta of high school kids) but he might as well be. He calls an excellent game (he goes to Berkley for a reason) and has a strong bat that projects, but he will require a bit of work with his receiving skills and foot work. He hits left-handed and is 6'1" and weighs about 200 lbs. He is currently a line drive and doubles machine who likes to use the whole field (sound like another Twins' catcher?) but projects to have home run power. He can run a bit, too. His Dad was a catcher at Berkley. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/cal/sports/m-basebl/auto_action/8646904.jpeg Round 4 (110 overall) Edwin Diaz, SS, Ladislau Martinez Otero HS, Puerto Rico. From Jose Morales to Eddie Rosario to Jose Berrios, the Twins have been scouting and drafting high school kids from Puerto Rico in the early rounds and they will likely do it again this season. Diaz is close to the top of the 2013 draft class in Puerto Rico. He is a tall (6'2", 180#) kid who is still growing. Diaz is a lot like Pedro Florimon, but a bit more advanced than Floriman was at this stage of his career. He is good with the bat, hits line drives to all fields. Right handed. Slick fielder. I think he will be one of the first Puerto Ricans on the board. The 2013 draft class is not that great there. http://www.perfectgame.org/images/profilepics/1302-8-Purple-5.jpg Round 5 (140 overall) DJ Snelten, LHP, Minnesota The Twins usually make a point of selecting several players from the University of Minnesota. The ones that they have selected in the high rounds (the jury is still out for players like AJ Pettersen who were selected in lower rounds) have not worked out, other than a certain LHP; I think they'll take another. He is the lesser known of the two best U of M starters and somewhat in the shadow of Tom Windle, but Snelton might be the better pitcher. He is 6'7" and 230 lbs. He has a plus 91-93 mph fastball that peaks at 95 with great command, control, movement and positioning; his curve and change-up are works in progress but improving. He mostly pitched out of the pen his first 2 seasons. He could be a dominant reliever if his secondary offerings do not improve. http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nOienINN_Nh5vBBxul6wuw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD0zNjA7cT04NTt3PTUxMg--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_General/201305232220804293575-p2.jpg Here are highlights of his complete game one hitter this season against Ohio State (you can read about it here ) : (EDIT: I cannot embedded here, please go to the original post if you would like to see the video) Next: Rounds 6-12. As a reminder, you can find all 2013 MLB draft related posts the Tenth Inning Stretch. Click here to view the article

Unless the Astros (or anyone else with young Pitching) are willing to take someone like Nolasco or Pelfrey, it will not work. The Twins have 4 starters penciled in their rotation for next season and there is not even room for both Meyer and May as is. Is that optimal? No. But it is reality. As long as they are healthy and with the team, Nolasco and Pelfrey will be in the rotation. Hughes and Gibson belong there, so that is that. Baring a trade of the above four (and I'd rather see Hughes and Gibson with the Twins next season.)

Download attachment: 8606001039_53154c362b_z.jpg For a few years now, I have been doing a feature, pretty much on a monthly basis, which was called "Who is hot in the Minesota Twins' minors" (you can see last seasons' versions here.) This included a list of the best players in the Twins' system, based on cumulative performance year to date, broken down by position. I am giving it a new twist this year: I am listing the best team of 25 players in the Twins' organization, by position based on cumulative performance. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] This is listed as a 25-man roster squad with starters, bench, rotation and a pen. No batting order. Ages, handedness and team are listed along with the stats. This is the first one and I will be doing these every 3-4 weeks. ~~~ Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ~~~ This first version of the Twins' top 25 in the minors is led by players from the Fort Myers Miracle and Cedar Rapids Kernels, teams that are dominating their leagues. There is also representation from the Rochester Red Wings and New Britain Rock Cats squads. This is from a small sample size and the results can be skewed, especially on the pitching side. And of course there are some surprises. The 2013 Twins minor leagues best 25 are: Starters: C - Josmil Pinto (RHB, 24, AA) : .294/.400/.544, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 80 PA 1B - Chris Colabello (RHB, 29 AAA) : .328/.377/.642, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 77 PA 2B - Eddie Rosario (SHB, 21, A+) : .338/.368/.500, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB, 87 PA 3B - Miguel Sano (RHB, 20, A+) : .384/.439/.740, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB, 82 PA SS - AJ Petersen (RHB, 24, A+) : .345/.418/.448, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, 68 PA OF - Byron Buxton (RHB, 19, A) : .404/.514/.614, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 SB, 70 PA OF - Clete Thomas (LHB, 29, AAA): .347/.448/.571, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB, 58 PA OF - Danny Ortiz (LHB, 23, AA): .313/.356/.582, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 73 PA DH - Mike Gonzales (LHB, 25, A+) : .238/.338/.476, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 77 PA Bench: C - Kyle Knudson (RHB, 25, A+) : .432/.512/.649, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 43 PA IF - Nate Hanson (RHB, 26, AA/AAA) : .317/.405/.429, 2 HR, 11 RBI 1B - DJ Hicks (LHB, 23, A): .310/.385/.586, 3 HR, 12 RBI OF - JD Williams (SHB, 22, A): .270/.429/.514, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 SB, 49 PA UT - Matt Koch (RHB, 24, A+) : .405/.490/.548, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 49 PA Rotation: Tyler Duffey (RHP, 22, A) : 2-1, 2.29 ERA, 3 GS, 19.2 IP, 3 BB, 17 K, 0.661 WHIP (.184 BABIP), 7.78 K/9, 5.67 K/BB DJ Baxendale (RHP, 22, A+) : 2-0, 1.04 ERA, 3 GS, 17.1 IP, 3 BB, 15 K, 0.750 WHIP (.200 BABIP), 7.79 K/9, 5 K/BB Alex Meyer (RHP, 23, AA) : 1-0 , 1.69 ERA, 3 GS, 16 IP, 7 BB, 19 K, 1.250 WHIP (.317 BABIP), 10.69 K/9, 2.71 K/BB Kyle Gibson (RHP, 25, AAA) : 0-1, 4.43 ERA, 4 GS, 20.1 IP, 1.279 WHIP (.321 BABIP), 8.41 K/9, 2.71 K/BB Andew Albers (LHP, 27, AAA): 0-0, 3.09 ERA, 3 GS, 11.2 IP, 1.286 WHIP (.314 BABIP), 8.49 K/9, 2.75 K/BB Bullpen: Corey Williams (LHP, 22, A+) : 2.08 ERA, 7 G, 8.2 IP, 4 Sv, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.692 WHIP (.231 BABIP), 3.12 K/9 INF K/BB Adrian Salcedo (RHB, 22, A+): 4.82 ERA, 6 G, 9.1 IP, 0 BB, 11 K, 1.179 WHIP (.407 BABIP) 10.61 K/9, INF K/BB Caleb Thielbar (LHP, 26, AAA) : 3.68 ERA, 8 G, 14.2 IP, 2 BB, 18 K, 1.364 WHIP (.405 BABIP), 11.05 K/9, 9 K/BB Steven Gruver (LHP, 24, A) : 0.64 ERA, 4 G, 1 GS, 14 IP, 1 Sv, 2 BB, 16 K, 0.714 WHIP (.258 BABIP), 10.29 K/9, 8 K/BB Tyles Jones (RHB, 23, A) : 0.96 ERA, 5 G, 9.1 IP, 2 Sv, 2 BB, 11 K, 0.750 WHIP (.217 BABIP), 10.61 K/9, 5.50 K/BB Ryan O'Rourke (LHP, 25, A+) : 0.00 ERA, 5 G, 9 1P, 1 BB, 7 K, 0.333 WHIP (.100 BABIP), 7 K/9, 7 K/BB Zach Jones (RHB, 22, A+) : 1.00 ERA, 7 G, 9 IP, 5 Sv, 2 BB, 13 K, 0.667 WHIP (.176 BABIP), 12 K/9, 4 K/BB Click here to view the article

Good stuff. Lucas is one of the hidden gems in the Twins' organization. Cannot find a nicer and more soft spoken guy and he really has a long MLB pitching pedigree (being the Padres' closer for 3 seasons) but you would not really know it by the way he acts around both his pitchers and fans. Great guy, wish the Twins used him more but I am not sure how much he'd be into that (must be in his early 60s now) Interesting to see what the future holds for Berrios. They should definitely not rush him and should let him play at AA for most of next season. He needs to build endurance (as Lukas pretty much said) at this point, so he can potentially pitch a full MLB season when he gets called up.

Just looked at the A's 40 man roster and I have a hard time to see how Fuld fits in. They got 5 OFs already. I'd have no problem if the Twins traded him to them straight for Billy Burns.

Twins have made it official. Clete Thomas was claimed and Scott Baker has been transferred to the 60 Day Disabled List. Following today's game, the Twins will need to make a transaction to get back down to 25 on their roster. I would assume Ben Revere will go to Rochester so he can play every day, but you could make an argument that Sean Burroughs, Luke Hughes or a back-of-the-bullpen pitcher could be as well. Add your thoughts in our forum. (Seth) Originally reported here at Twins Daily by Thrylos98:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I guess he takes Baker's 40-man spot. Either Revere to AAA or Burroughs waived Download attachment: CleteThomas.jpg Click here to view the article

Originally published at The Tenth Inning Stretch ---- With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft. I have been presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here. I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer. Each profile will contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos. Because Mitch Brown is local, and the Twins have been linked with him, and there is a good possibility that they might select him in the supplementary or second round, I am presenting his profile, in addition to the other 22. Profile 23: Mitch Brown[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Profile/Stats: Mitchell Brown is a senior at Century High School in Rochester, MN. He committed to play for the University of San Diego. He is listed at 6'2" and 210 lbs. He was born on April 13, 1994 . He throws right-handed. Mitch is also playing the infield, but will be drafted as a pitcher. His father is a former Korean power lifter. You can find a web page with a lot of information on Mitch here. In 2012 he is 7-1 with 0.91 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 58 innings. Here is a recent 'CCO story and a video by Mark Rosen on Mitch Brown. He was recently named Minnesota Gatorade player of the year and this is a great story on him, by Tyler Mason. Mini Scouting Report: Mitch Brown throws an above average Fastball that sits in the low nineties and reportedly jumps to 95. He has excellent command and control of that pitch. He also throws a plus cut fastball in the low 90s that has good movement and deception. His breaking ball and changeup are works in progress. His delivery is nice and easy and his mechanics are good. Very coachable. Good strikeout to ball ratio at the high school level, but his breaking ball and change up need to improve to make the leap and they will improve with professional coaching. Videos/Photos: Due to the difficulties in embedding videos here, please go to the original post to see videos of Mitch Brown pitching http://www.perfectgame.org/images/profilepics/12iaind-y17.jpg Since this finishes the presentation of profiles of the top pitchers in the 2012 MLB Draft, here is a list of the pitchers presented with links to their profiles at Twins Daily: RJ Alvarez Mark Appel Jake Barrett Chris Beck Ryan Burr Zach Eflin Max Fried Kevin Gausman Lucas Giolito Andrew Heaney Brian Johnson Pat Light Lance McCullers Clate Schmidt Lucas Sims Matt Smoral Chris Stratton Marcus Stromen Hunter Virant Michael Wacha Walker Weickel Kyle Zimmer Click here to view the article

Don't look now, but Escobar has the second highest batting average in the team, his OPS+ is close to league average 97 and higher than that of Mauer, Arcia, Morales, Colabello, Nunez (to name a few.) Compare his slash line (.272/.315/.396) to Dozier's (.230/.325/.418) and you will see a decent complement of middle infielders (one hits HRs, the other can put the ball in play with a man on third) and at 25 he is the second younger regular after Arcia. Plus he is playing a solid SS by any measure (including eyeballs.) Not sure what there is not to like about Escobar at this point...

Speaking of Blogs, is the Link an External blog thing working, or it is future functionality. It's not working for me

This was first published at The Tenth Inning Stretch earlier this month. I know it is kind of old, but I think that the topic might be interesting for the Twins Daily readers, so I am republishing it here... February is African American/Black History Month, so I wanted to contribute by looking at the integration of the Twins franchise. It happened in the Senators' years. The Washington Senators were one of the first Major League teams to break the ethnicity barrier in 1913, by featuring two 17 year old lefty outfielders, Merito Acosta and Jack Calvo, both born in Cuba. (The team had a long pipeline of Cuban talent, pre-Castro.) But they were one of the last organizations to break the color barrier and integrate. Only the New York Yankees (1955), the Philadelphia Phillies (1957), the Detroit Tigers (1958) and the Boston Red Sox (1959) integrated later than the Senators. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The first black player made his appearance on the Senators on September 6, 1954, at Griffith Stadium. He was Cuban-born Carlos Paula (Conill). Carlos Paula was born in Havana on Monday, November 28, 1927. He made his debut in the US in 1952, at age 24, playing for the Decatur Commodores of the integrated and unaffiliated, Class D, Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. He played as a right fielder in 119 of the 127 games, hit .334 and slugged .495 mainly because of 23 doubles and 16 triples. He also had 6 HRs. The next season, he started again in Decatur, hitting .265 and slugging .490 in the first 26 games. He was traded to the Paris Indians of the unaffiliated Class B Big State (mainly Texas) League. Even though the Indians were in the League basement with a 48-96 record, Paula played 97 games, hit .309, and slugged .462 with 20 doubles, 9 triples and 6 Home Runs. This caught the eye of the Senators who purchased him from the Paris Indians in the off-season. Paula started his Senators' career with their Charlotte Hornets A league (South Atlantic) affiliate. He hit .309 and slugged .495, with a league leading 13 triples (he also had 24 doubles and 14 home runs) in 153 games. This gained him a call up to the big leagues in September. His first appearance in the majors was at Griffith Stadium in both games of a double-header against the Philadelphia Athletics. He started the first game as the Left Fielder and batted 5th, between Peter Runnels and Jim Lemon. His first action of the game was when he led off the bottom of the second of a 0-0 game against Arnie Portocarrero. He struck out swinging. His first action in the field was in the top of the 3rd inning when he caught a fly ball hit by Spook Jacobs. He finished that game with 2 hits, a double and 2 runs batted in, in 5 plate appearances. He also led the team (other than 1st baseman Mickey Veron) with 4 put outs and was perfect in the field. The Senators won 8-1. At that point, a new leaf was turned in the Twins' Franchice history. The team was finally integrated. Paula played in 7 more games that season (including three more starts in left field. started 3 more at LF. In those nine total games, he hit .167/.231/.208. His double and the 2 RBIs in his debut were it for the season. He just managed 2 more singles and a couple of walks in the other 8 games. Paula played the whole 1955 season with the Senators. He appeared in 115 games, had 374 plate appearances, and hit a very respectable .299/.332./.449 (111 OPS+) He finished the season with 105 hits, 20 doubles, 7 triples, 6 HRs, 17 walks (3 intentional) and 47 strike outs. 1956 season was his last in the majors. He played in 33 games with the Senators, hitting .183/.250/.341 and he was optioned to their AAA club, the Louisville Colonels of the American Association. After 53 games he was sold to the Yankees' affiliate Denver Bears, also of the American Association. After 25 games with the Bears, in order to make room in the club for future All-Star Norm Siebern, the Yankees sold him to the Philies who assigned him to their AAA club, the Miami Marlins of the International League. He played just 11 games with them before he was released. The next season he played with the AAA Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, then a New York Giants' affiliate. In 1958 he played with the AAA Sacramento Solons (unaffiliated) of the Pacific Coast League. In 1959, he started the season with the Solons who were now the AAA club of the Milwaukee Braves and mid-season 1959 he was traded to the International League (AAA) Cincinnati Reds affiliate, Havana Sugar Kings. We all know what happened in Cuba in 1959, but Carlo Paula's situation there is not clear. He played 31 games with the Sugar Kings and next season he surfaced in Mexico, playing 88 games with the Mexico City Tigres of the Mexican League who were the League Champions. That season, 1960, his age 32 season, was the last professional baseball season for Carlos Paula. Paula died at the age of 55 in Miami, FL on April 25, 1983. The Washington Senators did not sign a US-born African American player until they signed Joe Black (the first African American pitcher in the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952) as a free agent on August 7, 1957. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6802077409_009d8853f0_o.jpg Click here to view the article

There is luck and there is luck you make. If Mauer were catching Suzuki would not be around and Colabello/Parmelee would be manning first base. I think that this is a draw here. Let assume an MVP season for Mauer and a Cy Young season for Nolasco (the other extreme of "luck".) Do you think that this team would have been a contender for the AL Central? For the AL Title? For the WS Title? Remember the choices of Barlett and Kubel to start the season and the decision to have only one single Centerfielder on the 40 man roster. Nothing to do with luck...