Seth Stohs

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?217-Four-Words-that-Make-Me-Smile-Pitchers-and-Catchers-Report!

I don't know what you guys do. I just save an image to my desktop, then insert the file. That has worked.

When he was in the minors, I would get beat up in comments and such for saying that "if Revere has a career near what Juan Pierre has had, Twins fans should be thrilled.' I agree with that. I do think that his value offensively will primarily be determined by his BA. I hope he hits that ball on a line more often going forward, and I think he will, and that some of those line drives can find gaps because he could rack up some doubles and triples and eventually he'll get one of those inside-the-park HR that he tried to get last year! John's right about Pierre being very valuable... until he became a free agent. I say that for the obvious reason, that he got paid too much. But also because when the biggest attribute a player has is his speed, that's going to disappear pretty quickly after 30/after free agency. So he didn't cover quite as much ground in the OF, making his arm more of a liability. He didn't get quite as many infield hits. His SB% dropped. And now he's a Phillies backup OF where, at minimum (or so) wage, he'll provide a little bit of value. Revere gives the Twins a ton of value with his range in the OF and what he can make happen on the basepaths, assuming he gets on base more. He'll be an asset until a year or two into arbitration.

Hard-throwing lefty... soft-tossing righty... it can be hard to differentiate!!

He has to do two things to get a shot in 2011 with the Twins... 1.) He has to stay healthy. That was an issue last year. 2.) he has to throw more strikes. Too many walks.

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Our good friends over at Twinkie Town have spent the past couple of months working on their community Top 50 Twins Prospect list. Each day, those who went to their site were able to cast their vote for a player. The player with the most votes gets the spot, and the next day they would vote for the next spot. They started at #1 and worked all the way to #50 and the best part was community discussion each round. I thought it would be fun to compare and contrast my Top 50 Twins Prospect list to the Twinkie Town list. The top five on each list are the exact same, but after that, there are some significant differences, and by the time it reaches the end of the list, there are several names that don’t appear on both lists. So, as pitchers and catchers are set to report to Ft. Myers on Saturday and SethSpeaks.net is winding down, discuss these lists and feel free to post your own rankings. [TABLE] Rank SethSpeaks Top 50 Twinkie Town Top 50 1 Miguel Sano Miguel Sano 2 Eddie Rosario Eddie Rosario 3 Oswaldo Arcia Oswaldo Arcia 4 Aaron Hicks Aaron Hicks 5 Joe Benson Joe Benson 6 Liam Hendriks Kyle Gibson 7 Kyle Gibson Chris Parmelee 8 Adrian Salcedo Liam Hendriks 9 Alex Wimmers Brian Dozier 10 Chris Parmelee Chris Herrmann 11 Brian Dozier Max Kepler 12 Travis Harrison Levi Michael 13 Tom Stuifbergen Adrian Salcedo 14 Angel Morales Alex Wimmers 15 Chris Herrmann Angel Morales 16 Manuel Soliman Carlos Gutierrez 17 Levi Michael Tom Stuifbergen 18 Max Kepler Travis Harrison 19 Niko Goodrum Niko Goodrum 20 Hudson Boyd Hudson Boyd 21 BJ Hermsen Logan Darnell 22 Danny Santana Madison Boer 23 Madison Boer Manuel Soliman 24 Terry Doyle David Bromberg 25 Logan Darnell BJ Hermsen 26 David Bromberg Lester Oliveros 27 JD Williams Matt Hauser 28 Matt Hauser Deolis Guerra 29 Jairo Perez Tyler Robertson 30 Pat Dean Scott Diamond 31 Matt Summers Terry Doyle 32 Danny Rams Nate Roberts 33 Scott Diamond Matt Summers 34 Angel Mata Cole DeVries 35 Corey Williams Corey Williams 36 Danny Ortiz Matt Bashore 37 Carlos Gutierrez JD Williams 38 Nate Roberts Danny Rams 39 Lance Ray Pat Dean 40 Deolis Guerra Andrew Albers 41 Michael Gonzales Dakota Watts 42 Lester Oliveros Tim Shibuya 43 Ryan O’Rourke Lance Ray 44 Hung-yi Chen Evan Bigley 45 James Beresford James Beresford 46 Bobby Lanigan Tony Davis 47 Tyler Grimes Danny Lehmann 48 Anderson Hidalgo Jorge Polanco 49 Tim Shibuya Angel Mata 50 Luis Nunez Jairo Perez [/TABLE] Any thoughts? Please feel free to e-mail me or use the Comments Section!

That is pretty much correct. The Twins took Jared Camp with the first pick in that 1999 Rule 5 pick, and then traded him to Florida for the #2 pick (Santana). Here are their Rule 5 picks since: 2000 - Brandon Knight 2001 - None 2002 - Jose Morban (later spent time with O's) 2003 - None 2004 - Ryan Rowland-Smith (The Aussie has spent a lot of big league time) 2005 - Jason Pridie (was returned to TB, but obviously came back) 2006 - Alejandro Machado (spent year on DL, next year in Rochester, when healthy) 2007 - None 2008 - Jason Jones (spent one year in Rochester) 2009 - None 2010 - Scott Diamond 2011 - Terry Doyle

I know, I know!

I think that there is some room to work at the back of the 40 man roster. I think that Gray and Maloney and Doyle may have an inside track due to their situations (out of options, Rule 5), but at the same time, there are som good arms that could be interchangeable that signed to minor league contracts. If you believe in Jared Burton and he performs in spring and Gray struggles, then you DFA Gray and have Burton take his spot on the 40 man roster and on the 25 man roster. I don't necessarily believe that the best 25 players are the ones who should come up. If as an organization, you believe it is in the best long-term interest to keep Lester Oliveros and/or Alex Burnett in AAA for a couple of months, then someone like Gray (who may or may not be lesser, frankly, I don't think any of us Twins fans know for sure yet), then it makes sense to not (potentially) lose a right-handed option like Gray. I have a hard time believing Maloney is an option for a big league spot without some injuries. (which, of course, happen)

That is correct.

Doyle was their Rule 5 pick. He has to make the 25 man roster and stick all year or else he goes back to the White Sox (or work out a trade). If they work out a trade with the White Sox, he comes off the 40 man roster. Same as Diamond last year. The Twins later added Diamond to the 25 man and 40 man roster when he was called up. When he was sent down, that was his first option. Manship has one option remaining.

Yeah, I meant 25 man roster... my projections a couple weeks ago had - Capps, Zumaya, Perkins, Duensing, Swarzak, Gray and Terry Doyle.

why are they 'surprises'? We knew when they were acquired that they were out of options? I think Jeff Gray is a given to make the 40 man roster. I think Maloney has a good chance to clear waivers and start in Rochester. I should say, I hope Gray is a given to make the 40 man roster in hopes that that means that 1.) they've decided to keep Terry Doyle, and 2.) they plan to start Burnett and Oliveros in AAA to help them develop. Those two still have a chance to be solid, so keeping them down is probbably in their best interest. Gray isn't great, but he's good enough to pitch in the 6-7 innings. And, if he proves not to be, you take him off the 40 man and add Bulger, Burton, Vasqez, Perdomo, French, whoever. As Aaron has talked about frequently on the podcasts, the back of the 40 man roster will allow for some flexibility.

Based on comparables, it's where he should be... if he only played more games, he could have jumped up to Emilio Bonifacio territory, but this is where he should be.

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Is it really that hard to get excited about the Twins upcoming season? Geez, I can't wait until pitchers and catchers report!!

Aside from Ben Revere (who they were proven right in taking), when else since Adam Johnson have they signed someone below "slot" or to some pre-arranged agreement. They have gone over-slot in recent years on Gibson, Michael, Harrison and Boyd (plus later round picks like Williams, Higginbotham, Hermsen, Manship, etc.). They met slot on Wimmers, Hicks, Gutierrez, Parmelee and others. I had Richardson on my podcast back when he was drafted by the Twins. Good guy, but I agree that I bet he wishes he had signed. Great athlete, but yeah, he's Revere-like in size. I talked to Pat Light back then, and he knew he was going to Monmouth at the time unless overwhelmed.

I hope like crazy that he has a tremendous year in his contract year. I recall talking to Bill Smith about a year ago, and asked him what factors go into whether or not they will talk to a player about a long-term contract. One of those factors was the player's maturity and how they think he would handle to security of a long-term deal. I think it's fairly clear at this point that Liriano isn't the most mature person. I hope for him that he can find something to click and regain that 2006 form, or even the 2010 form. At this point, I'm not willing to give him a long-term contract unless it is well below market value. Also, if the Twins are out of contention in July, I hope he's pitching to Ace-like form so that they can get a ton for him at the deadline!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?204-Aces-of-Baseball

Throughout the past few offseasons, the comments I hear most regarding the Twins needs involve the need to acquire an Ace. In fact, I’ve said it a few times myself. Of course, that isn’t completely true and it is never the full story. You see, for the mid-90s, the Twins had not only an Ace, but the best pitcher in baseball, and that didn’t get them to the second round of the playoffs. The 2011 Phillies boasted a starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt and didn’t get to the World Series. That rotation has two definite Aces, a borderline ace and a former ace. I’d also caution that many people, one year ago, felt that Francisco Liriano fell into the borderline ace category. That is just one example of why I believe that to be a true ace, there has to be greatness over several seasons. Another example would be Ubaldo Jimenez who was dominant for half of the 2010 season but hasn’t been great since. Like Liriano, Jimenez has a chance to return to ace-like status, but we shall see. With that, I took to Twitter yesterday where I asked my ‘followers’ which current major league pitchers would or should be classified as True Aces. The response was great, and I will break this into the true aces (my opinion), and those on the borderline (my opinion). True Aces: Justin Verlander (Year 3 of five year, $80 million contract - $20M) Clayton Kershaw (Year 1 of two year, $19 million contract - $7.5M) Tim Lincecum (Year 1 of two year, $40.5 million contract - $18M) CC Sabathia (Year 1 of five year, $122 million contract - $23M) Felix Hernandez (Year 3 of five year, $78 million contract - $18.5M) Cliff Lee (Year 2 of five year, $120 million contract - $21.5M) Roy Halladay (Year 2 of three year, $60 million contract - $20M) Jared Weaver (Year 1 of five year, $85 million contract - $14M) Dan Haren (Year 4 of four year, $44.75 million contract - $12.75M - $15.5M club option for 2013) Yovani Gallardo (Year 3 of five year, $30.1 million contract, $5.5M) Matt Cain (Year 3 of three year, $27.25 million contract, $15M) Chris Carpenter (Year 1 of two year, $21 million contract - $10.5M) Borderline Aces: Josh Johnson (Year 3 of four year, $39 million contract - $13.75M) Cole Hamels (avoided arbitration, $15M) Adam Wainright (Year 5 of four year, $15 million contract – Cardinals picked up $9M option for 2012 despite Tommy John surgery) Zach Greinke (Year 4 of four year, $38 million contract - $13.5M) Matt Garza (avoided arbitration, $9.5 M) Jon Lester (Year 4 of five year, $30 million contract, $7.625M) Josh Beckett (Year 2 of four year, $68 million contract - $15.75M) David Price (avoided arbitration, $4.25M) Ricky Romero (Year 2 of five year, $30.1 million contract, $5M) Anibal Sanchez (won arbitration, 1 year, $8M) Could be an Ace quickly: Matt Moore, Stephen Strasburg, Mat Latos, Yu Darvish, Michael Pineda, Jeremy Hellickson, Tommy Hanson, Julio Teheran, Gerrit Cole, Dylan Bundy. So, when I hear Twins fans say, “We (meaning, the Twins) need an Ace,” I will frequently say, “I agree. How are the Twins going to get one?” Not one pitcher in that top list is available. Part of the reason they are in that top list is that, so far, they have been able to stay healthy. Johan Santana used to be in that category, but now that he hasn’t pitched for over 18 months, I’m not so sure he should be there any further. In the “Borderline” category, there are some guys who have been really good for a short period of time, or there is some injury concern or some inconsistency. We can argue what an Ace is, who is or who isn’t. That’s not really the point here. The point is that they are not easy to come by. These guys are not available, and after the Mat Latos trade earlier this offseason, it’s understandable to see why. Latos was traded to the Reds from the Padres in exchange for Edinson Volquez, Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Brad Boxberger. Part of that is because Latos is not even arbitration-eligible for another year. However, the Cubs have been trying to trade Matt Garza much of the offseason and either are not getting any interest or the asking price is beyond what anyone is willing to pay. Santana is probably a big reason why. When the Twins traded the two-time Cy Young winner to the Mets, he was baseball’s best pitcher. He was good for another year and a half and then he did what most pitchers do, he got hurt. Of course, he could still come back. We shall see. But will he ever be what he was again? Probably not. More than half of the players listed above were drafted in the first half of the first round. The Twins have had one pick in the first half of the first round since 2002. The Twins have a big opportunity in the June draft when they have the 2nd overall pick. Mark Appel’s name is frequently mentioned as a possible choice. The Stanford right hander doesn’t really profile as an Ace, more like a 2 or 3 starter (like Kyle Gibson, Alex Wimmers or Liam Hendriks). Not that there is anything wrong with a 2 or 3 starter. Those are very good pitchers who will make a lot of money when they hit free agency. Lucas Giolito is another pitcher, a high school pitcher, who gets mentioned as a possible #2 pick. He profiles much more like a future Ace, but there is much more risk with a high school pitcher than with a college pitcher. Of course, by the time of the draft in June, there may be another name (pitcher or hitter) who is the best available player at that #2 spot and that’s who the Twins should take. The Twins have five picks in the top 100 picks this June. Along with signing Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Javier Pimentel and other talented Dominican hitters, the Twins have also done a good job signing several top Dominican pitchers in recent years. They have signed two top young pitchers from Taiwan. I completely agree with people who say that the Twins need an Ace. Frankly, the best way for that to happen is for Francisco Liriano to gain a little self-confidence, trust his stuff and become that pitcher again. He was there in 2010. It’s a contract-year for him, so it would be to his benefit if he did regain that form this year. Scott Baker was pitching as well as anyone last year before his elbow injuries. He really needs to step up too. And then they just have to find a way to sign the right draft picks and international players and develop them. Frankly, I’m not as worried about getting a True Ace. That doesn’t guarantee anything. But I do think that pitching does win, and if they had more #2s and #3s that were consistent, they would be just fine. Any thoughts? Please feel free to use the Comments Section! ----- Last night, Travis Aune and I co-hosted a new Twins Minor League Weekly episode and discussed our Top 50 Twins prospects as well as the Top 100 rankings of several national writers. If you enjoyed last week’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins podcast with several guests (Kyle Waldrop, Alex Margulies, Cory Provus, Jeff Manship, and Dan Rohlfing), you should tune in tonight at 9:00 for this week’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins podcast with several more Twins guests. Finally, be sure to check out this week’s episode of Gleeman and the Geek. Nick wrote a first in a series of Things to Watch in 2012. He started with Glen Perkins’ Slider.

http://tobtr.com/s/2884263 -

Vazquez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Rochester. 66 players in camp!