Seth Stohs

Might have been using last year's Most Improved article as my template and didn't delete a paragraph. Oops!! Corrected.

A year after the Twins made massive improvements, jumping from 59 wins in 2016 to 85 wins in 2017, 2018 was a disappointing season for the Twins. Today we begin our week of handing out the Twins Daily 2018 Awards by looking at the players who showed the most improvement. In 2017, there were several players who showed significant improvement. In a difficult 2018 season, improvement was more difficult to find, but one player took some major strides forward this year, particularly in terms of consistency.2017 was a tough season for Kyle Gibson. The Twins top pick from 2009 was the Twins Daily choice for Best Pitcher in 2015 when he posted an ERA of 3.84. But he posted a 5.07 ERA in both 2016 and 2017. In fact, in 2017, he was demoted to Triple-A Rochester twice and told to work on certain things. Gibson has acknowledged that getting sent down was quite humbling, but instead of sulking, he went to work. He impressed those in Rochester with how much he worked, how well he listened and the adjustments that he worked on. He also discussed how he was able to work on the mental side of the game as much as the physical. “You’ve gotta have the right mentality about what you’re doing. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself, you can’t put too much importance on one start, one outing. It’s still a game.” Gibson told Twins Daily recently, “For me, I just had to switch my mentality a little bit and realize that if I never played another game of baseball I’d be OK. I try to keep things in perspective, try to keep my priorities straight and that allowed me to understand and be able to handle the failure a little bit better, learn from the failure a little bit better and eventually turn it into longer-term success.” Gibson responded late in the 2017 season. Over his final eight starts for the Twins last year, Gibson went 6-0 with a 2.92 ERA. Fortunately for the Twins, Gibson carried his lessons learned into the 2018 season and put together his best season. Maybe more important, it was his most consistent (in a positive way) season. Among his 29 MLB starts in 2017, he had 12 games in which he pitched at least six innings. Seven of them came over his final eight starts. Eight times he did not complete five innings. In 2018, he made 32 starts and completed six innings in 20 of them. Just three times, and twice in April, did he fail to complete five innings. He was a reliable starter and finished with a career-high 196 2/3 innings. If you’re still into Win-Loss record, you may not like this choice. Despite the 5.07 ERA in 2017, Gibson went 12-10. This year, while posting a 3.62 ERA, he went just 10-13. Most of the rest of his numbers showed improvement. WHIP: 2017: 1.53. 2018: 1.30bWAR: 2017: 0.3, 2018: 3.8fWAR: 2017: 1.2, 2018: 2.8Innings: 2017: 158.0, 2018: 196 2/3K/9: 2017: 6.9, 2018: 8.2HR/9: 2017: 1.4, 2018: 1.1K%: 2017: 17.5%, 2018: 21.7%Avg: 2017: .290, 2018: .238Aside from those stats, it is interesting to note that Gibson’s average fastball jumped from 92.0 to 93.0 in 2018. He was throwing all of his pitches harder. He threw the same percentage of fastballs, but he reduced his changeup usage, choosing to throw more breaking pitches. That helped him increase his swinging strike rate from 10.0% to 11.5% Through his struggles in early 2017 and his return to success throughout 2018, coupled with several midseason trades, Gibson finds himself in even more for a leadership role on this Twins roster. “I’m getting to the point where I’m one of the older guys in here. After the trades I ended up being one of the higher service-time guys, so you’ve got to have a good mentality. It’s up to us (veterans) to try to lead these guys in the right direction, and if we don’t have the right mentality just because the team’s losing, then what is that showing them?” And Gibson welcomes the leadership role for the young Twins starters and has already had some discussions with them, particularly about the struggles. He’s experienced it. He understands. ““We’ve got a couple guys in (Stephen) Gonsalves, Kohl (Stewart) and Zack (Littell) that have all gone through certain times of struggle, and that’s good for them. Hopefully I can be here and say ‘listen guys, a three-start struggle is nothing like a full-year struggle. Understand that these three starts really don’t really have that great of an impact on your career.’ They know my story, and the more I can share with them, hopefully it can help them through certain times of struggle.”” Hopefully he continues to progress and improve, and some of those young pitchers will improve right along with him. Gibson put up improved numbers, and he was one of three Twins starters to make 32 starts. He was certainly the Twins most consistent starter in 2018. That earned him our Most Improved award, unanimously, for 2018. THE BALLOTS Here's a look at the ballots from each of our seven voters. Opinions didn't vary much on this one. Seth Stohs: 1) Kyle Gibson, 2) Taylor Rogers, 3) Jose Berrios Nick Nelson: 1) Kyle Gibson, 2) Taylor Rogers,, 3) Jose Berrios John Bonnes: 1) Kyle Gibson, 2) Mitch Garver Tom Froemming: 1) Kyle Gibson, 2) Eduardo Escobar, 3) Taylor Rogers Cody Christie: 1) Kyle Gibson, 2) Eddie Rosario, 3) Eduardo Escobar Steve Lein: 1) Kyle Gibson, 2) Mitch Garver, 3) Ryan Pressly Ted Schwerzler: 1) Kyle Gibson, 2) Mitch Garver, 4) Matt Magill POINTS Kyle Gibson: 21 Mitch Garver: 6 Taylor Rogers: 5 Eduardo Escobar: 3 Jose Berrios: 2 Eddie Rosario: 2 Ryan Pressly: 1 Matt Magill: 1 PREVIOUS MOST IMPROVED WINNERS 2015: Aaron Hicks 2016: Brian Dozier 2017: Byron Buxton Do you agree with our committee's pick? Who would be your choice for Most Improved Twin and why? Click here to view the article

I know, but i was curious.

178 days...

Speaking of ending strong... to update this... the Twins win their final 6 games and 11 of them last 14 games. Very nicely done.

They're all like 25... No reason to give up on them yet. That said, if they're hitting 7-8-9 to start next season... I know I'll be very excited about the team at that point. I still stand behind my thought that Molitor managed better in 2018 than he did in 2017 despite 7 less wins. With the injuries, some poor performances, the suspension and then all the trades? To win 78 with all that is impressive!

Paul Molitor grew up in St. Paul. He put in a great career at the University of Minnesota, because a high draft pick and had a Hall of Fame career. Joe Mauer grew up in St. Paul. He was the number one overall pick out of Cretin-Derham Hall in 2001, soared through the minor leagues and has had a career that should receive strong Hall of Fame consideration. There is speculation that Sunday could be the final game of Joe Mauer's career. Before the game Molitor was asked about managing Mauer and Mauer was asked about how Molitor has been a mentor to him.Joe Mauer still would not tip his hand, too much, on whether or not he will return for a 16th season with the Twins in 2019. While we have seen on-field celebrations this season for Victor Martinez and David Wright, Mauer says that he's going to take a little time for other things before making such a big decision. "I’m doing nothing for the first week, besides just hanging out with the girls. I made it a point not to do anything for at least the first week, and then go from there." His wife Maddie is due in mid-November with the couple's third child. (No, they aren't going to find out the gender ahead of time) And that's probably wise. Making that decision after a long career can't be easy. And making that decision at the end of a long 162-game season (plus spring training) when he likely is experiencing plenty of aches and pains isn't necessarily fair to himself either. Certainly he doesn't want to regret whatever decision he makes, so taking some time to do so is smart. Paul Molitor retired from baseball twenty years ago (on Friday), and he acknowledged that he went back and forth in his mind a few times on when the right time to retire was. In fact, he contemplated that decision before joining the Twins for the final three seasons of his career. Asked if he would provide Mauer with any advice as he contemplates his future, Molitor said, "He knows that I’m an available resource; I don’t know where on his list that will land. So, we have had some of those discussions about -- not where you get down to maybe actually listing pros and cons -- but I do think we’re all kind of guessing about the order of priority. You think about physical condition, the work to prepare to play. Family considerations. How much does he believe this team has a chance to win?" And Mauer says that he believes that the players in the Twins clubhouse have a lot of talent and can win. "We had meetings, and I was telling the guys that this is a good team, there’s a lot of talent in this room, so it’s been fun to see guys step up. Guys you probably wouldn’t think would get an opportunity in spring training, and they’ve responded." Mauer continues, "You can go up and down the lineup, there are guys who got an opportunity and have taken advantage." Mauer specifically mentioned Willians Astudillo and Jake Cave as guys who have taken advantage of their opportunities this year. Molitor spoke also of how Joe Mauer has been a leader in the clubhouse, a resource for teammates and hard working in the community. He said, "In doing this job, the rewarding part is being around the people and relationships, somewhat true to when you were a player. But Joe, you know, you think about who he was coming off the sandlots in St. Paul, and what he’s done at this level, and being the same guy -- the consistency, the humility -- sometimes people don’t understand just how competitive he is, his desire to win. There’s a lot of things that make managing him pleasurable." Such as? Molitor continued, "I think just the way he goes about his job, the way he handles his relationships with his teammates, the way he gives back to the community, you just couldn’t ask for a more complete package of integrity." The admiration certainly goes both ways. With some question on whether or not Paul Molitor will return as Twins manager, Mauer talked about playing for the 2017 Manager of the Year. "l have the utmost respect for Paul. I really enjoy playing for him and just being around him. I hope he’s here for a long time, as long as he wants to be here. he’s great. It’s hard to describe my feelings toward him. He’s a great baseball guy, a great person, and I really enjoy playing for him." However, when asked if his return could be tied to Molitor's return, Mauer said that he hadn't heard of that possibility. "That’s the first I’ve thought about it, I haven’t even processed that. Hopefully he’ll be back if he wants to be." If one thing is known, it's that there will be a lot of emotion on Sunday at Target Field. According to Molitor, "Don’t know where it’s going to go, but I do know there’s been a lot of emotion around this week, and rightfully so -- no matter what the future holds. Today will be a great day. I think that whoever comes out are going to be very observant and aware of the potential here, as well as the guys in the clubhouse.I told the players yesterday, ‘We’ve all learned something from Joe Mauer.’ It might be different person to person, player to player, but he teaches life lessons well by the way he lives." For Mauer, it's been a great week on the field but also with his teammates and more. "Yeah, the last couple of days have been a little emotional, but it’s been fun. Just the interactions I’ve had with people here. Just having conversations on personal levels, with people inside, fans, teammates, all sorts of people." There has been a lot of emotion on the field and in the Twins clubhouse this week, but this has also been emotional for a lot of Twins fans, especially those whose baseball fandom began around the mid-'00s when Mauer was beginning his career. He's got a lot of family and friends in attendance, for just in case it is his final game. Mauer said that he is planning on playing nine innings on Sunday, but one would think that if he gets on base in the later innings, there is a chance that he will be removed for a pinch runner. Or, since he is playing at first base today, he could run out to his position only to be removed before the beginning of an inning. That will be a special moment for everyone at Target Field and any Twins fan able to watch the game today. Click here to view the article

The season started in March. They have played 160 games and have a record of 76-84. By almost any definition, it has been a long season for the Minnesota Twins and their fans. But despite not contending throughout the season, as they did in 2017, there are several themes to the end of the season. Whether you ask the players or the manager, the hope is to find a way to finish strong.Before Friday’s doubleheader, manager Paul Molitor was asked about what he’d like to see from his team over the final weekend of play. Molitor said, “More of the same, in terms of energy. There’s life in the dugout. You know that the win total isn’t critical right now, but it’s certainly more fun to win. Playing another divisional opponent, starting with a doubleheader today, a lot of these guys want to finish on good notes, particularly the pitchers. Hopefully Jose (Berrios) gets us off to a good start.” And Berrios did just that, starting right away in the first inning when he struck out the side. He also struck out the side in the sixth inning including a strikeout of Daniel Palka, his 200th of the season. He became the eighth Twins pitcher to reach the 200 strikeout mark, and it was the 21st time that it has happened in team history. The last time was Francisco Liriano who struck out 201 batters in 2010. Berrios ended with 202 strikeouts which is the highest number of strikeouts by a Twins pitcher since Johan Santana struck out 235 batters in 2007. It was a number that meant a lot to the Twins 2018 All Star. “It means a lot, obviously. That was one of my goals before the season started. That’s when I wrote it down and I accomplished it and I’m thankful to God for that.” In the second game, the Twins offense showed up early, particularly Mitch Garver. The Twins catcher hadn’t been in the Twins starting lineup since September 12th because of his concussion. He started at first base. Through the game’s first five innings, he was 4-for-4 with two doubles and six RBI. As much as the numbers were great, for him it was really important just to get back in the lineup before the season ended. Garver said, “That was definitely in the conversation, that we’re not going to come back at all, and just shut it down and take it into the offseason and get better. but I wanted to end on the right foot, i wanted to come back and get into the offseason knowing that I’m healthy and I can really shoot for 2019 like really feeling great.” But it was important for more than just Mitch Garver as he explained. “Peace of mind for myself and for the people that care about me, my family, my wife. She was pretty concerned about the whole deal, so just to show her I’m healthy and feeling great.” Chase De Jong was the beneficiary of of the big run support. He gave up just two runs over the first six innings to record his first MLB win. As a 23-year-old in 2017, he began the season in the Mariners pitching staff. He made three appearances in April. He made three starts in May, and pitched once against the Twins in mid-April. But his 2017 season ended poorly. So to end 2018 on such a positive note was important. “Last year, technically, I started in the big leagues and ended at Double A. This year was all about re-establishing myself as a quality starter and that I could go out there and put together quality innings. I've done that. I've proven that to myself and now I've proven to the Minnesota Twins. It's WONDERFUL to finish the year on a high note.” This week, pitchers have been making their final starts of the season. On Tuesday night, Kohl Stewart was the “primary” pitcher. He gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. He needed just 75 pitches as he struck out five and did not issue a walk. He gave up zero earned runs in three of his four September starts. He credited his catchers and pitching coach Garvin Alston. Stewart noted, “Short story, I just felt more comfortable.” Stephen Gonsalves was credited with his second big-league win on Thursday night when he threw 3 1/3 innings as the Twins “primary” pitcher. Over his final three appearances, he gave up just three runs (two earned) over 12 1/3 innings, nearly cutting his ERA in half. It’s been a challenging year for Gonsalves in some ways, but it was nice to end the year strong and feeling good about most of his pitches. He said, “This has probably been one of my worst years in my professional career, I mean, other than getting up here (which he called “A dream come true.”). The walks have been a mystery to me this year. I’ve lacked fastball command. Sometimes I’ve lost my velos. So, I think that I need to adjust my delivery a little bit to get rid of some of the inconsistencies. My offspeed feels great. My slider felt really good last night. My changeup, I can feel that and throw it blindfolded. It’s been the one that goes straight, we’ll have to figure out.” For Gonsalves, he’s happy with the end of the season and showed to himself that he can compete at the major league level, but he fully understands what he needs to do to be more successful. For Aaron Slegers, getting back into a game on Friday night, even just for the final three outs, was very important. He had been on the disabled list since July with a shoulder injury. Just getting back on the mound was important. One could argue that Kyle Gibson has been the Twins most consistent starting pitcher in 2018, something that had eluded him in the past. On Saturday night, he’ll have the opportunity finish his season strong. And on Sunday, Zack Littell will pitch for the Twins in their final game of the year. For Robbie Grossman, it’s been all about getting a consistent opportunity, and he’s taken advantage of it. In his past four games, he is 7-for-12 with five walks. Others have noted improved defense through the consistent playing time since Eddie Rosario’s season-ending injury. In his last 15 games, he is hitting .370 with a .988 OPS. Manager Paul Molitor has taken notice, “For him to play as well as he has, it’s going to help him moving forward. I enjoy having a player like that, because when he plays, he’s ready. And when he doesn’t play, he’s ready. What he’s done, he’s caught a lot of people’s attention. The defense, he understands that people have been critical at times, but he has gone about it very meticulously in terms of the drills and the work and the throwing, and angles and everything he can do to try to make himself a better defender. And for the most part, in running him out there all month, he’s held his own. There have been obvious signs of improvement.” And finally, Joe Mauer is ending his season strong. The 35-year-old is all the talk right now because he mentioned that he will contemplate retirement following the season. If this is the end of his (possibly) Hall of Fame career, he’s got some great moments and memories. Since August 31st, he’s hit .308. In his last 15 games, he is hitting .356 (.857). He’s on a seven-game hitting streak. He’s had multi-hit games in four of his last six games. In the five games so far on what could be his final homestand, he’s been nothing short of spectacular. He’s 8-for-21 (.388) with three walks (.458 OBP). There’s no doubt he’ll be in the lineup the next two days. Mauer told reporters before Friday’s doubleheader, “It hit me a little bit today. I’m looking forward to going out there today two times. It’s kind of the thing, the end of the season sneaks up on you. Here are we, the last weekend. Just trying to enjoy.” The Twins have won their past four games and nine of their last 12 games. Two games remain, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, in the 2018 season. There is still a lot to play for despite the team not competing for the playoffs. Click here to view the article

I think he starts back in Cedar Rapids, but he could move up quick. Two things... Royce will (most likely) start in Ft. Myers. Wander Javier will be back next year and he'll play in Cedar Rapids. Now, they could give Javier the month of April in Extended Spring to keep his shoulder out of the cold. At that point, maybe they'd be ready to move Davis up to FM, and maybe that's when Lewis moves up to AA (wherever that may be). And there's no rush. Dozier was an 8th round senior sign and he was in the big leagues 2 years after being drafted. That's moving up the system pretty quickly... Not sure how Davis compares to Dozier talent or scout-wise, but whether he gets to the big leagues at 24, 25, 26, doesn't matter a whole lot.

He brought it up.

The Twins have had a bit of success in recent years with four-year college draft picks. Brian Dozier played four years at Southern Mississippi before the Twins made him their 8th round pick in 2009. Mitch Garver played four years at New Mexico before the Twins made him their 9th round pick in 2013. Hey, Trevor Hildenberger spent five seasons at Cal-Berkeley, and didn’t pitch much until his last two years, and the Twins made him their 22nd round pick in 2014. In the 2018 MLB Draft, the Twins selected several more college seniors and will now give them the opportunity. While Chris Williams (8th round, Clemson) was our choice for short-season Minor League Hitter of the Year for his work in Elizabethton, 24th round pick Michael Davis made a strong first impression in the Twins organization this summer. Could he be one of those seniors who gets pushed and winds up in the big leagues? Time will tell. Recently we caught up with the shortstop to get to know him.Michael Davis grew up in west Texas, in the city of Lubbock. That is football country, to be sure, but there is a lot of great baseball. In fact, Davis noted that the Little League team the year before him went to the Little League World Series. His team finished one game shy of playing in Williamsport. Davis played some football into his high school years, but it was baseball that he loved. It was baseball that he loved to play, all the time. “I didn’t watch a lot of baseball growing up. I didn’t watch too much TV. I lived in a neighborhood where I had 13 buddies that we would play wiffle ball or some other sport. We went to a few Rangers games, it was fun. I wasn’t really glued to the TV. I cheered for them when they made their World Series run, but same with the Astros. I like the teams from Texas. That’s just kind of the way it’s always been for me.” Out of high school, Davis had some thoughts of going to a junior college. He had several offers and often thought it might be fun to leave home for a bit, but in the end, he stayed right in Lubbock and played four years for Texas Tech. As a freshman, he was a part-time player, splitting time around the infield. As a sophomore, he earned playing time nearly every game. He responded with a 20-double season. As a junior, he started seeing and talking to more scouts. He noted, “All the teams kind of talk to you and want to get to know you, and the teams were interested. They said I had a good arm, and I could play infield.” Teams told him that there was a chance that he could be drafted. Unfortunately, a late-season injury cut his season short and he ended up going undrafted. He returned for his senior season and really put together a terrific season. He hit .281/371/.524 (.895) with 18 doubles and 12 home runs. The 12 home runs was one more than he had hit over his previous three seasons. But even more than his individual success, Texas Tech returned to Omaha to play in the College World Series. It was a great way to end his college career. “I enjoyed it so much more the second time. Instead of taking phone pictures of everything, I was just able to take it all in.” Scouts were a bit different during his senior season. “The first question is ‘Do you want to keep playing baseball?’ Yeah. I do. And then just hoping the right team finds you.” The Twins liked him and took him in the 24th round of this past June’s draft. The Twins area scout is Trevor Brown. Davis said, “Trevor had called me a few days before, and talked to me a little bit about it. He said ‘We’ll see what happens.’ A couple other teams had done that also.We were actually at practice and just finished when that round came up. Trevor called me probably 30 seconds after (the pick) and talked to me for five or six minutes. I went in and celebrated with my teammates. Then I think we had three or four more guys got off the board in the next four rounds.” At that point, it was a bit of a whirlwind for awhile. Following the College World Series, Davis signed. He went to Ft. Myers briefly before joining the Elizabethton Twins. He played just three games for the E-Twins before being promoted to Cedar Rapids where he was able to spend the final seven weeks and the playoffs with the Kernels. Davis’s biggest worry at that time might surprise you. “Trying to find some wood bats. That’s what I was focused on, making sure I had a couple to hit with after I got moved.” But Davis, already 22 years old, was ready for the challenge. “It was quick, but I was ready for it. When I got to Elizabethton, I felt like I was playing with college kids. When I got moved up, I thought the same thing. They would have me here if they didn’t believe in me. Got there and just went after it.” Shortly after his arrival, the Kernels went on a bit of tear and carried it into the playoffs where they won a series before losing in the Midwest League Western Division championship series. After doing a lot of winning at Texas Tech, being part of a winning team in his professional debut was something Davis really enjoyed. “Awesome. We got on a huge hot streak. It was hard for us to lose. We won 16 or 17 out of 20. That’s more fun, I think. You don’t even worry about making the postseason or playoffs. You just go and play. To do it with those guys, that’s a lot of fun.” While he struggled with some swing-and-miss early in his time with the Kernels, he really turned it on late and provided a lot of power near the bottom of the lineup. In his 42 games in Cedar Rapids, he hit .294/.327/.559 (.886) with nine doubles, a triple and nine home runs. Steve Buhr The increased power that he showcased in his senior season at Texas Tech carried over into his pro debut. He credited his maturity and adjustments in college, but also showed appreciation for his Kernels coaching staff. “I think it has a lot to do with both. My knowledge of hitting is much higher. With the Twins, Dink (Brian Dinkelman) and Toby (Gardenhire) were able to help in a short period of time. They worked with me to find something that was comfortable and worked well for me. You get on a role that’s really nice to have. I think my consistency was getting better. I wasn’t necessarily getting a hit every time, but I was making more hard contact instead of striking out.” After playing around the infield in college, primarily at second base, Davis stepped right into the Kernels lineup at shortstop and played there the rest of the season. He thinks that his defense might be his biggest strength right now, but he also thinks his time at Texas Tech has really prepared him for this next challenge, professional baseball. “Probably playing defense right now. Just having a knowledge of the game. When you get to play four years at a college, you learn so many things and do so many things. Bringing that, and my ability to play defense at a pretty high level. You always want to say Hitting, but hitting comes and goes as a strength. I think it’s something I’ll continue to grown on and hopefully I’ll continue to get better.” While he played short, he’s fully aware that Royce Lewis is in the system. He sees that as a good thing. “It’s not always the easiest thing to have a guy like Royce Lewis in front of you, but I see it as a blessing because I know they believe I’ll get a chance as I’m doing the right thing for the organization.” But it will also be important for him to play around the field and provide himself, and the organization, with options to keep him moving on up. “I’ve played third a little bit throughout college here and there, but I’m comfortable anywhere you want to put me. I may not be the best out in centerfield, but Akil (Baddoo) does pretty well out there. If you need me to go stand out there because something happened, I can do it. I’m not nervous about playing anywhere. But I am really comfortable playing in the middle of the field and that’s where I want to stay.” Steve Buhr It is middle infielders that Davis enjoys watching and tries to emulate as well. “I really enjoy watching Brandon Crawford play defense. I think the way he does it is really hard for anybody to emulate, and he does it at such a high level. I see myself similar to Jed Lowrie of a Ben Zobrist. I can play around the field. I’m not going to Wow you with any numbers, but I can play the game the right way and play hard.” Davis is looking forward to his first offseason from baseball. It’s not something that college players are really used to. He’s got a lot of questions on how to handle his time off, but he’s got the right idea. “I think just everything that they had me build on once I got to Cedar Rapids. The working out aspect. Making sure I’m doing it the right way, the way they want me to do it. And also just taking care of myself and knowing my limits. It’s a little different than college baseball where you play in the fall and the spring, and then you can play summer ball. You can kind of play all year round. I’ve kind of had breaks like this before, but not for four to five months. So, trying to get ideas on what guys do in the offseason and asking questions and making sure I’m staying on top of things.” And in his spare time, his time away from the game of baseball, Davis enjoys doing something that a lot of Minnesotans can relate to. “I’m an avid hunter. I really love to hunt and be out at my buddy’s ranch. Work on guns. Anything hunting wise, you can pretty much count me in on it.” 2018 was a pretty special year for Michael Davis. He returned to college and played in his second World Series. He was drafted in the MLB Draft. He played really well in his pro debut and helped a winning team. It was certainly a nice block upon which to build. Click here to view the article

On Tuesday night at Target Field, Joe Mauer singled in the first inning to pass Harmon Killebrew for number of Times on Base in his Twins career. If you were to look at the Twins record books, you would find Harmon Killebrew’s name at or near the top of most career and single-season lists. On the field, Killebrew was a Hall of Famer. Ask most of his contemporaries or those who got to know him and they will likely tell you that he was a Hall of Famer off the field too. Following his death, the Minnesota Twins announced that they would hand out a Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service to one player at each of the Twins four, full-season minor league affiliates. Over the past week, we have announced three of the four recipients. Tonight, we announce the fourth Killebrew Award winner.Following the conclusion of the Twins minor league season, Twins Daily announced our choice for the 2018 Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Right-hander Tyler Wells split the season, making 16 starts for Ft. Myers and six games in Chattanooga. Combined, he went 10-6 with a 2.49 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He struck out 121 batters in 119 1/3 innings. It was a terrific season on the field for Wells. Wells was terrific in the community throughout the season as well and earned the Miracle choice for the Harmon Killebrew Award. The Miracle do a lot throughout their season in the community, and Wells stayed busy with it throughout his time in southwest Florida. Wells shared a list of some of the activities that he participated in. “During my time in Fort Myers, I participated in multiple camps, a special needs camp, a hospital visit to see kids with cancer, and helped promote and participated in a fundraiser with the VS. Cancer Foundation. I also participated in a kids camp up in Chattanooga.” The VS. Cancer event and fundraiser was something that meant a lot personally to Wells. Wells made several trips to Ft. Myers area hospitals with teammates throughout the season, and even in the offseason when he was there for various camps. Being community-minded is something that is very important to Tyler Wells, and having his name associated with an award named for the great Harmon Killebrew. “It’s a huge honor for me, as it would be for anyone to associated with the Minnesota Twins legend. Baseball is only part of the job for us, and Harmon Killebrew was the best example you could have for being so much more than a baseball player. And I’m hoping, as I continue my career, that I can set an example like Killebrew did! ” Previous Ft. Myers Miracle Killebrew Award winners: 2011 - Reggie Williams 2012 - Andy Leer 2013 - Stephen Wickens 2014 - Tim Shibuya 2015 - Tanner Vavra 2016 - Trey Vavra 2017 - Kevin Garcia 2018 - Tyler Wells Other 2018 Killebrew Award Recipients Rochester Red Wings - Jake Reed Chattanooga Lookouts - Chris Paul Fort Myers Miracle - Tyler Wells Cedar Rapids Kernels - David Banuelos Congratulations to Tyler Wells on earning the 2018 Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service for the Fort Myers Miracle. Click here to view the article

Starting tonight, the Minnesota Twins will play seven games over the next six days at Target Field to conclude their 2018 season. Is it possible that this week might be the last week that Twins fans get to watch Joe Mauer play in his illustrious MLB career?Did you have a chance to watch any of the highlights from Detroit this past weekend? Victor Martinez announced several weeks ago that 2018 would be his final season as an MLB player. Over the weekend, the Tigers played their final games at Comerica Park. The Tigers and Martinez announced earlier in the week that Martinez would be playing on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, Martinez beat out an infield single and was removed from the game for a pinch runner. Emotion ensued. Staring at my computer monitor through water-logged eyes, my first thought turned to the Twins and Joe Mauer. My response to that video on Twitter was: “Why I want Joe Mauer to let people know if he is going to retire... Why Joe Mauer probably won't let us know when he's going to retire...” Earlier in the month, Mauer told the Star-Tribune that he will think about his future after the season is complete. In other words, we most likely won’t know until after Sunday’s season finale whether or not Joe Mauer will play again in 2019. If this is indeed the final week of Joe Mauer’s playing career, Minnesota Twins fans should come out in droves to watch this generation’s best Twins player. If you can’t get to Target Field, hopefully you will be able to watch on TV, or listen on the radio. With his next hit or walk or the next time he is hit by a pitch, Joe Mauer will pass Harmon Killebrew for most Times on Base in Minnesota Twins history. Harmon Killebrew - 3,072 Joe Mauer - 3,072 Kirby Puckett - 2,810 Rod Carew - 2,718 Kent Hrbek - 2,613 Here is where Mauer ranks on the all-time Twins list in a variety of categories: Games Played (1,851) - 2nd (Killebrew) Plate Appearances (7,927) - 2nd (Killebrew) Runs (1,009) - 3rd (Killebrew, Puckett) Hits (2,112) - 2nd (Puckett) Doubles (426) - 1st Home Runs (143) - 11th RBI (921) - 5th Walks (935) - 2nd (Killebrew) And among Twins with 2,000 or more plate appearances, he ranks: Batting Average (.306) - 4th (Carew, Puckett, Mack) On-Base Percentage (.388) - 3rd (Carew, Knoblauch) From the time he was drafted by the Twins with the #1 overall pick in the 2001 draft out of Cretin-Derham Hall, Joe Mauer was destined for greatness. Among the #1 overall picks, Joe Mauer has been one of the best in the draft’s 54-year history. According to Baseball-Reference’s Wins Above Replacement, Mauer ranks behind only some recent Hall of Famers and another who may get there someday: 117.8 - Alex Rodriguez 85.2 - Chipper Jones 83.8 - Ken Griffey, Jr. 54.9 - Joe Mauer 42.2 - Daryl Strawberry 42.1 - Adrian Gonzalez What else? Six All Star game appearancesThree Gold GlovesFive Silver Sluggers2009 MVPFour Top 10 finishes in MVP votingThree batting titles (you may have heard that is rare for a catcher)Two on-base percentage championshipsWhile the career of Joe Mauer hasn’t been perfect, it’s been pretty great. Consider that he was hitting .324/.404/.476 (.880) with 35 doubles and 11 homers in 113 games when his career trajectory was altered by his concussion. As great as his career has been, one can’t help but wonder how great it might have been? Instead of being a Top 5 player in Twins history, he might be right at the top of the list. And hey, if we’re going to go there, how might Mauer’s legacy have been altered had Phil Cuzzi accurately called a line drive down the left field line in Yankees Stadium an RBI double, rather than a foul ball. Of course, beyond the baseball field, Mauer has been recognized for his philanthropy as well. His work with the Gillette Children’s Hospital has been incredible. He’s helped raise over $1 million for the hospital, but he and his wife Maddie are often found at the hospital visiting kids. And, I’m guessing I am not the only one reading this who has heard stories of Joe Mauer doing things without any publicity to help individuals or kids. Mauer was the Twins nominee for the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award. There is no question that Joe Mauer will be a Twins Hall of Famer and no Twins player will ever wear the number Seven again. Who knows? Mauer may come back for the 2019 season, and it’s possible he will chose to play beyond that. But just in case this is the end of the baseball road for Joe Mauer, hopefully Twins fans will take a step back and enjoy this final week of Twins baseball and maybe the final week of the Joe Mauer era. Selfishly, I want to see Joe Mauer continue to play. I love watching him take at bats and move up the Twins all-time lists. I enjoy watching him at first base and his calm in clutch situations. I like watching all-time greats play. The other side of me says that it's always better to leave a year too early rather than a year too late. But, if he enjoys the game and whatever role he's playing, I hope he gets to go out on his own terms. Hopefully this will be a week full of high fives and hand shakes, curtain calls and standing ovations. Click here to view the article

I mean, they can only have 40 players on the roster... no sense in calling up guys like Molina (split the season between EST, ET and CR). Moran split the season between Low A and High A. Harper is a minor league journeyman. I'd love to see Reed and Anderson, for sure, but again, service time has nothing to do with this at all.

Drake has put himself in good position to at least stay on the 40-man roster through the November additions. Vasquez ... I mean, the service clock thing doesn't really matter. With Rogers and Moya ahead of him, he would likely start 2019 in Rochester (pending injury, etc.) The service time thing has nothing to do with Vasquez. But, he hasn't been used for more than a batter or two in any outing as he's getting adjusted to MLB. He's obviously staying on the 40 man roster, so they're just getting his feet wet while they are likely looking to make decisions on guys like Duffey, Busenitz, Drake, Magill, maybe Curtiss and others.

This week, we started posting the 2018 Twins Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service recipients. Tonight, we share the 2018 Cedar Rapids Kernels recipient David Banuelos. I believe Banuelos becomes the recipient with the closest ties to Harmon Killebrew, indirectly. Killebrew was a monster on the baseball field. He was a three-true outcomes player decades before that became a baseball term. He struck out, but he hit a lot of home runs and a lot of walks. Off the field, Killebrew was known as a gentle, caring, respectful man. Following Killebrew’s death, the Twins announced that they would be handing out an award each year to one recipient at each of the four full-season affiliates. The award would go to the player who exemplified Killebrew’s generosity through their efforts in the community.David Banuelos was the fifth round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in June of 2017. This past offseason, he found himself in the middle of the Ohtani sweepstakes. The Minnesota Twins traded $1 million in international pool money to the Mariners and the Twins received the talented backstop. Banuelos came to spring training and spent the 2018 season in Cedar Rapids with the Kernels. He caught 68 games, and when the Kernels got to the playoffs, he was behind the plate. Touted for his work defensively, he proved the part. He also did tremendous work in the community. Ryne George is the Kernels Director of Community Relations and Entertainment. He is the person who organizes the community opportunities and with the players. Regarding Banuelos, George was very complimentary. “When David first arrived in Cedar Rapids back in April, he was pretty shy and kept to himself. A week or two into the season our first player appearance was inching closer and to my surprise David was the first one to sign up! From that moment on David ramped up his community appearances and by the end of the long season he did 16 of the 35 total player appearances for the Kernels. My goal is to get our players out in the community as much as possible while respecting their time and focus on baseball activities.” George continued, “With David being a catcher, I know games take a little more of a toll on his body so it’s extra special that he woke up early the day after a game and took the time to give back during his time here in Cedar Rapids. David made multiple visits to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, helped promote adoptable animals on the local news and was a vital piece in helping out with the Kernels “Catch with a Cop” youth program.” For his part, Banuelos enjoyed his experiences and opportunities to help others or make their days better. “Some of the things we did in Cedar Rapids included the Meals-on-Wheels program, catch with the cops, children’s hospital, and taking dogs from the shelter to the local news station to advertise adoption. Going around the community and giving back was an awesome experience. Helping make other people’s days is what it’s all about.” To win an award given in the name of Harmon Killebrew has special meaning to Banuelos. “It is an honor to win an award named after Harmon Killebrew. Knowing how much he gave back to the community, I thought, I can try and do the same and help make others days a little better.” However, for Banuelos has an additional level of special meaning because of a tie to Killebrew. “In high school, my really good friend Grant Hockin, a grandson of Harmon, would always tell me stories of his grandfather and all the things he would do.” The two went to high school at Damien High School in La Verne, California. The same school as several former big leaguers, including Mark McGwire. Hockin was Cleveland’s second-round pick in 2014 and pitched for the Low-A Lake County. In June, he underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career. He had previously missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Twins 12th round pick in 2018, Jon Olsen from UCLA, also went to Damien High School. Previous Twins Low-A Killebrew Award winners: 2011 - Ryan O’Rourke 2012 - Corey Williams 2013 - Niko Goodrum 2014 - Tanner Vavra 2015 - Jared Wilson 2016 - Nelson Molina 2017 - Hector Lujan 2018 - David Banuelos Other 2018 Killebrew Award Recipients Rochester Red Wings - Jake Reed Chattanooga Lookouts - Chris Paul Fort Myers Miracle - Cedar Rapids Kernels - David Banuelos Congratulations to David Banuelos on earning the 2018 Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Click here to view the article

When Minnesota Twins legend Harmon Killebrew announced that his health was deteriorating and he was entering hospice care, fans around the country, and especially in the Midwest, chimed in to tell tales of Killebrew. Amazingly, very few of those stories had anything to do with what occurred on a baseball field. Most of these stories involved something he had told a kid, shaking hands with fans, his impeccable autograph, or some charitable event that he came to and inspired masses. People talked about how great he was as a person. His baseball prowess was hardly mentioned. His 573 home runs. His 1,584 RBI. His MVP. His six AL home run championships. His 11 All Star appearances. Those are all part of his story, but the stories people told were of Harmon Killebrew, the great human being. Following Killebrew’s death, the Minnesota Twins established the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service, and each year, the Twins have named one winner for each of their four full-season affiliates. Each affiliate’s GM nominated a recipient who exemplifies Killebrew through their work in the community. Earlier this week, we announced that Jake Reed was the 2018 Killebrew Award recipient for the Red Wings. Today, we’ll discuss the 2018 Killebrew Award recipient of the Chattanooga Lookouts, infielder Chris Paul.Chris Paul came to the Twins as their sixth round draft pick in 2015 out of Cal-Berkeley. After signing, he went to Elizabethton but quickly moved up to Cedar Rapids. That’s where he began the 2016 season but just a couple of weeks into the season, he was promoted to Ft. Myers. In 2017, he hit .328/.380/.471 (.851) in 61 games in Ft. Myers. Unfortunately he broke his hamate bone. He made up for some of the lost time by representing the Twins in the Arizona Fall League last year. Paul has done a nice job representing the Twins on the field, but also off of the field, and that’s why he’s been selected the Chattanooga Lookouts’ recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award. Dan Kopf is the Lookouts Media Relations Manager. Asked about Chris Paul, he said, “Chris was our choice. He was also willing to get into the community. This year, Chris helped underprivileged youth go back-to-school shopping at Academy Sports. Chris was also always one of the first players to volunteer for player appearances or interviews.” Helping in the community, and especially working with kids, was something that Chris Paul really enjoyed. He pointed out, “I helped with some teammates to play games and hold camps for unprivileged kids, usually through the boys and girls club or YMCA. Also, I have helped these kids go back to school shopping and find things they needed to help them succeed in life and in school! It was very rewarding and humbling experience. You learn just as much from these kids as they do from you, and it reminds me to be grateful for everything and all the opportunities I have been given.“ It’s obviously a great perspective. Paul understands and appreciates what this award means and the legacy that has been left behind by Killebrew. “It’s an incredible honor to be given the Harmon Killebrew Award. Both on and off the field, Mr. Killebrew was held in very high regards by all; so obviously, I’m gratefully accepting this award hoping to live up to such a high standard set by such an outstanding individual and baseball player.“ Previous Twins Double-A Killebrew Award winners: 2011 - Bobby Lanigan 2012 - Shawn Roof 2013 - Dan Rohlfing 2014 - Tony Thomas 2015 - Tim Shibuya 2016 - David Hurlbut 2017 - Travis Harrison 2018 - Chris Paul 2018 Killebrew Award Recipients Rochester Red Wings - Jake Reed Chattanooga Lookouts - Chris Paul Fort Myers Miracle - Cedar Rapids Kernels - Congratulations to Chris Paul on earning the 2018 Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service for the Chattanooga Lookouts. Click here to view the article