Seth Stohs

I may be rare... but i hvae nothing against Jim Pohlad... 1.) it's his company, and he can run it as he sees fit, 2.) the Pohlad family didn't get rich by making foolish decisions, 3.) He has generally kept the Twins between the recommended/typical 48-52% of revenues. They went over that in the second year of Target Field and likely went a little under it in a couple of bad, rebuilding years. Contraction was Carl's thing... I'm obviously glad it didn't happen, but I'm not against contraction, in general. For instance, if the Rays and A's or Marlins were contracted, it wouldn't be a bad thing for baseball. I mean, except for the handful of fans in those markets.

Prospect Rankings are way easier than what Nick is trying to do. Prospect rankings contain a ton of variables, but for me, it's like 50% (or more) ceiling... another factor is proximity/likelihood of reaching near that ceiling (so floor), age-to-level of competition, scouting reports, personal opinions... They're absolutely subjective as there is really no official mathematical way to dig into it with confidence.

I'm not sure about that, and I'd probably have to give it more thought.. .but my quick response is that they gave opportunities to the guys who were performing at the time of the need. When Rosario was called up in June, most thought it would be Melotakis, but Rosario was pitching much better at the time. Nik Turley earned his call up. As much as I wanted to see Gonsalves, Tim Melville was pitching great. So, individually, I never really had any issue with the call ups... but overall, I can agree that it looks kind of scrambled... then again, there were definitely times when the pitching staff was more than a little scrambled...

I'd add Curtiss to that group and project that he'll be the best of them. And, Jake Reed is still around... There are definitely still some big bullpen arms out there.

As we reach the end of 2017, it’s always fun to look back at the year. One of my favorite things to do is to remember all of the players who made their major league debuts in a Twins uniform this year. In total, 14 players made their big league debuts for the Twins in 2017, a big number especially when you consider this was a playoff team.It will likely not surprise anyone to know that of the 14 players to debut, 11 of them were pitchers. The first four pitchers on the list below are no longer with the organization. Of the remaining players, it’s not difficult to see a potential role for each of them at some point in 2018 or beyond. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As someone who follows the Twins minor league system so closely, it’s fun to watch several of these players work their way through the entire minor league system and get that big league opportunity whether it’s a long-term gig or just a short-term opportunity. That’s part of why I write the Twins Prospect Handbook, and why I encourage Twins fans to do so each year. The 10th Annual Twins Prospect Handbook (2018) is now available in paperback or e-book. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Justin Haley - April 5 Haley was the Rule 5 draft pick who came to spring training. He made the Opening Day roster and in the team’s second game, he recorded the final three outs of a Twins win. Two outings later, he struck out six in 3.1 scoreless innings to record his first MLB save. He went on the disabled list twice before being offered back to the Red Sox where he finished the season in AAA. Jason Wheeler - May 30 Wheeler had worked his way up the Twins minor league system since being drafted out of college in 2012. He had been added to the Twins 40-man roster after the 2015 season. He was removed late in the 2016 season, but he kept working, making starts and finally got the call in late May. In his first inning (8th inning against the Astros), he issued a one-out walk but then coaxed a double play. Then the Astros scored two runs off of him, singles by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, in his second inning. He pitched in relief again the next night. After that series, he was DFAd and claimed by the Dodgers. He also pitched in the Orioles organization. Randy Rosario - June 2 Rosario was the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month in May. He gave up just one run on four hits and two walks in 13.2 innings in Chattanooga. He struck out 18. The Twins had a need at the start of June, and Rosario was called up directly from AA. In his first inning, he came into the 8th inning against the Angels with the Twins ahead 11-2. He worked a 1-2-3 inning. Former Twins outfielder Shane Robinson was his first strikeout. He also got Albert Pujols out. He came back out for the ninth inning and gave up three runs. He worked in one more game, and gave up five runs in 0.1 innings. He was sent down and finished the season with the Lookouts. He was DFAd after the season and claimed by the Chicago Cubs. Nik Turley - June 11 Turley signed a minor league deal with the Twins and didn’t even get a big league spring training invite. However, in the season’s first two months, he gave up 33 hits, walked 15 and struck out 84 batters in 52.2 innings. Fans (at least those who follow the Twins minor leagues) were clamoring for him to be called up. He made his debut in San Francisco. He gave up four runs on eight hits over four innings. He walked none and struck out four. He made two more (not-so-good) starts before being sent back to the minors. He came up twice more throughout the season and ended the year in the bullpen. Following the season, he was DFAd and claimed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alan Busenitz - June 17 Busenitz came to the Twins from the Angels in the Ricky Nolasco/Alex Meyer/Hector Santiago deal. Busenitz may be the best of the traded players. He came up for the first time in mid-June. He struck out the first batter he faced, MVP candidate Jose Ramirez. He walked a batter and gave up a hit in his first inning. He worked a second inning (and gave up a homer to Francisco Lindor). He went up and down a couple of times before coming up for good for the final two months. By season’s end, he became a reliable bullpen arm for Paul Molitor late in the season. Trevor Hildenberger - June 23 Hildenberger was well known to Twins Daily readers as he was the Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015 and 2016. He was well on his way to a third straight award when he was called up in late June. In his first game, he came in for the ninth inning with a 5-0 lead. Roberto Perez was the first batter he faced, and the first strikeout victim. After a double, Hildenberger got Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez to ground out to end the game. It didn’t take long for Hildenberger to become the most reliable, and used, reliever in the Twins bullpen. Felix Jorge - July 1 Jorge washttp://m.mlb.com/cut.../239860898/null directly from AA Chattanooga as the 26th man and started the second game of the doubleheader against Kansas City. He gave up two runs in the first inning, but then he put four straight zeroes on the board. He gave up a leadoff single in the 6th inning and was taken out. That man later came around to score. He recorded his first MLB Win. He went down after the game, but four days later, he came back up to make a second start. This time he didn’t get out of the third. He was sent down again after that game and didn’t return. However, he showed enough stuff that he should remain on the 40-man roster and continue to get opportunities. Zack Granite - July 8 Zack Granite was scheduled to play in the AAA All-Star Game, but Jason Castro went on the 7-Day disabled list and Granite was called up. When Castro came off the DL, Byron Buxton was hurt so he stayed, and he played well. In his major league debut, Granite was called on to pinch-hit late in the game. He worked an 11-pitch at bat before popping out. His first hit was a double just out of the reach of Jose Altuve. Late in the season, Granite got hold of one for his first Major League home run. And while he may not be quite Byron Buxton in center field, Granite can cover some serious ground in the outfield. Dietrich Enns - August 10 Enns came to the Twins with Zack Littell from the Yankees in exchange for lefty Jaime Garcia. Just a couple of weeks later, he was called up to make a start in Milwaukee. In it, he went just 2.1 inning and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits. The highlight of that game for him was probably getting his first big league hit. Five days later, he came out of the bullpen and gave up two runs in five outs. He was sent down, and then he spent most of the rest of the season on the disabled list. He remains on the 40-man roster. Aaron Slegers - August 17 Aaron Slegers has gradually worked his way up the Twins system, one year at a time, and in 2017, he was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year for a very good season in AAA Rochester. In mid-August, he was added to the 40-man roster and called up to start Game 2 of a doubleheader as the team’s 26th man. Through six innings against Cleveland, he gave up just one run. He got a strikeout to start the 7th, but then he gave up a hit and was removed. The game-tying run scored after he left. But Slegers gave up two runs on two hits and two walks over 6.1 innings. He was sent down after the game but came back up with the September call ups. He remains on the Twins 40-man roster and should be a candidate for starts in 2018. Mitch Garver - August 19 In mid-August, Robbie Grossman dove for a ball, collided with Byron Buxton and broke his thumb. Grossman was placed on the DL, and Mitch Garver was called up. In his debut, he struck out as a pinch hitter. The next day, he went 1-4 with a walk. His hit, as expected, was an infield single. He had a total of nine hits in 46 at-bats including three triples and a double. At this point, Garver appears to be the backup catcher option for the Twins heading into the 2018 season. John Curtiss - August 25 Curtiss was the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Relief PItcher of the Year in 2017. It’s been a quick ascension for Curtiss in the last two seasons. He began 2016 in Cedar Rapids, then was promoted to Ft. Myers a month later, and then pitched in the Arizona Fall League. He began this season in Chattanooga and moved up to Rochester midseason. He was surprised when he got his promotion to the big leagues. In his debut, he came into the 9th inning with the Twins leading Toronto 6-1. He struck out the first batter he faced, Steve Pearce, and then got fly outs from Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak to end the game. His fastball/slider combination make him a potential late-inning option for years to come. Gabriel Moya - September 12 Gabriel Moya came to the Twins in late July in a trade with the Diamondbacks for John Ryan Murphy. He was so good all year in Double-A, that MiLB.com named him the top relief pitcher in all of the minor leagues this year. He continued the dominance and helped the Chattanooga Lookouts to a share of the Southern League championship. As soon as that series was done, the Twins added him to the 40-man roster and called him up. He worked 6.1 innings over seven outings. In his debut, he came into the ninth inning with the Twins leading 16-0. He issued a one-out walk to Wil Myers, but he struck out Jabari Blash to end the inning and the game. Congratulations to each of these players! Share your thoughts on these debuts and these players. Click here to view the article

Hey everybody, I read this article early this morning, but I wanted to not comment on it for awhile and just allow whatever comments to surface. I want readers to know that I read through every comment to this point and really appreciate them. I jotted down lots of notes (3 pages worth) and will spend more time evaluating them. I do want to share my thoughts on several things... 1.) I like getting feedback like this. It's a good reminder of what we do well, but also what things we need to improve upon. 2.) Based on some comments, I do feel I need to explain a few things. First, none of us do this full time. We are bloggers who came together to create this community and we are very proud of what we have created. But I hope people know that we all have jobs that actually pay us money and help us pay our bills. The little bit that we get from this site is nice and helps, but there's no way any of us could do this full time, at least not yet... 3.) Twins Daily isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But we did want to provide this community with a way to continue developing more bloggers. The comment early in this thread about going to Thrylos's blog and looking at all of the Twins blogs that are no more was a big eye-opener. Blogging is a lot of work, and to do it almost 14 years like I have is crazy. But I enjoy it. But, life can get in the way and that's understandable. Right now, Nick and I are the two founders/owners that still write. Parker hasn't for 2-3 years. John has worked really hard behind the scenes. Brock does a ton that helps make things run smoothly. 3b) It is hard to come up with topics, and writers block is a real thing. During the season, I typically average about 9 articles per week. My point in this is that I am not a journalist. I have no journalism training. I don't even pretend to be a strong writer. I find spelling important, and I find punctuation and grammar important... That's something I'll look for in terms of quality... but a lot of that is fairly easily correctable, so then it comes down to interesting, well-reasoned and provocative. Could be analytical, but we really don't have a lot of deep analytical postings. We also don't have a ton of Twins history on the site. That's an area we would love to see more of, and will starting with the new year. WE don't cover other AL Central teams or competition. But there are a lot of angles. We do cover the minor leagues and the draft pretty well, but there are lots of things that can be discussed. 4.) There are success stories to this model. Cody Christie writes twice a week throughout the year. He's busy with his job, his wife and kid, and taking some classes. He's still writing, but he's busy. Jeremy Nygaard was huge for this site for the early years. He has the great contacts in the Twins scouting areas and really has a passion for the draft. He'll continue to do that, but he's married, has four kids, a new job, and has become a varsity coach. He has very little time. Ted has been posting blogs (from his site) in the Twins Daily blogs for a while. His topics and consistency made him a good choice for us to have post once a week. The biggest success story of our model has to be Tom Froemming. He's written some other places, but he started writing in the Blogs. We noticed, and we worked with him and we started promoting some of his blogs to Articles/Front Page. Over time, he wrote weekly. He wrote Minor League reports last year, and as noted, he found something that Twins Daily was lacking, a game recap that was different than what the beat writers are doing. It's been a huge success. The concern is that more and more people will continue to get busier, and it would be non-good to lose several writers without adding some consistent contributors. 5.) The Blogs are just that, a blog. It's a place that people can write anything they want. It can be Twins related. It could be Timberwolves, Vikings, Reality TV or any other topic you want. I wrote up a blog before Season 8 of The Walking Dead started and posted it as a blog. It wasn't appropriate for Twins Daily's front page by any means, but I promoted it on Twitter and got some readers. It was fun. I always say that I write stuff that I would want to read. That way, I can remain passionate about it. That's what the Blogs are to me, and maybe we need to define that better. 6.) Regarding forums getting shut down by a front page article coming out, I'm not sure what we need to do there. There needs to be a way to merge them. Frankly, we need an article on breaking news. While I could see something on twitter and go write a forum post in 15 seconds, we need an article, and that can happen as quickly as in 5 minutes. We're going to continue doing articles on big Twins news. So, we just need to find a good answer. 7.) I have so many other thoughts, but I do want to encourage people to continue adding more feedback. I personally really appreciate it. We aren't going to hire a consultant because we do care what you think. And we do welcome your feedback. For awhile, I was checking out the Blogs pages daily. I promoted several articles over the course of a year or so, when it was written well, thought out and something that warranted a front page spot. I've unfortunately gotten away from it. But I will commit to going to the Blogs pages daily and reviewing what's out there. I can provide comments to articles or click like. Moreover, I welcome anyone to send me a private message and I will try to reply within a day. I like to think it'll be quicker than that, but I do have an 8-5 job that in the last month or two has often kept me there until 6-7... and with the Prospect Handbook work the last 3 months, time has been at a premium... But please feel free to write me and I will really attempt to provide you as much feedback as I can. Again, please continue to leave feedback, it is appreciated!

Now that the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is complete (order paperback or e-book), it’s time to get to know or catch up with some of those prospects. Today, we get to know Mitchell Kranson. The Twins drafted the catcher from the University of California in Berkeley with their ninth-round draft pick in 2016. He put together a solid first full season. Berkeley has become a team that the Twins draft many players from. They didn’t draft any in 2017, but in addition to Kranson, the Twins took Alex Schick (6th) and Ryan Mason (13th) from Berkeley. In 2015, the Twins took Chris Paul in the sixth round. In 2014, the Twins took Trevor Hildenberger in the 22nd round and then Michael Theofanopoulos in the 30th round.Kranson spent four years at Cal, and after the draft, he went to Elizabethton for the remainder of the 2016 season. In 2017, he began the year in Cedar Rapids. After helping the Kernels to a first-half playoff berth, he moved up to Ft. Myers for the remainder of the season. Today, we have the opportunity to get to know a little bit about Mitchell Kranson. Thank you Mitchell! Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in California, who were some of your favorite players and teams? Do you follow other professional or college sports teams throughout the offseason? Mitchell Kranson (MK): I grew up an Oakland A's fan. I am a Golden State Warrior fan as most of my Twins teammates know since I put almost every game on the TV whenever they are on. SS: What was your recruitment as a high school athlete like for you, and what was it about Berkeley that made it the right choice for you? MK: My recruitment in high school was a lot of fun. Stressful at times, but I really enjoyed the whole process. I took my time and didn't commit to a school before I was ready. I did my research and visited many schools, but in the end, the combination of world-class academics and being able to play in the Pac 12 made my decision to go to CAL one of the best decisions of my life. SS: You played all over the field during your four college seasons. Tell us about your position history there, and do you think that has been beneficial for you as you’ve started your pro career? MK: I have always taken pride in being able to play multiple positions. I want to be in the lineup every day and if playing more positions gives me a better opportunity to be in the game, then I have no problem making sure I am ready to play all over the field. I think it has really helped me in my pro career so far! SS: What was the highlight (or two) of your time in college at Cal? Any memories that really stand out? MK: My biggest highlight of my time at CAL was hitting a walk-off home run in the 14th inning of the Texas A&M regional on ESPN. SS: What was it like for you leading up to the draft? Were there a lot of scouts, and specifically, did you speak with scouts from the Twins? MK: Leading up to the draft my senior year I had heard from nearly every team and spoken extensively with a few, including the Twins. It was a nervous yet exciting time! SS: The Twins selected you with their ninth-round pick in 2016. Was that about where you were expecting to be selected? What were your initial thoughts when it was the Twins that selected you? MK: I had a pretty good idea that I would be selected on the second day of the draft. I was extremely excited that the Twins decided to pick me and give me a chance to live out my dream of playing professional baseball SS: What was the transition to pro baseball like for you, both on and off the field? MK: I felt very prepared coming from Cal and playing in the Pac 12 for professional baseball. Nothing can completely prepare you for the grind of playing every day but after my first full season I learned it's all about preparation and sticking to a routine. SS: Your season has been done for a couple of months now. Have you had a chance to reflect on your season? In doing so, what are your thoughts on your first full season as a professional baseball player? MK: Yes, I have had a chance to reflect on my season. I was very happy with my season. I was a part of two great teams and had a bunch of great coaches make my first full season a memorable one. I have a lot to work on and that's what the off season is for so I will be ready for Spring Training. SS: You were part of a Cedar Rapids team that earned a playoff berth in the first half, and helped the Miracle to the second-half playoff spot. As a player, how do you weigh the idea of winning versus the idea of development and advancement up the organizational ladder? MK: It's always fun to be able to play for something. We were able to do that in Cedar Rapids and in Fort Myers. It was obvious that when our team was winning, our personal stats were better. It was an honor to be a part of both playoff teams. I think we have a really good group of guys. SS: What was that adjustment like for you from the Midwest League to the Florida State League? Did you notice much difference? MK: The biggest difference was the heat and humidity. Catching was tougher because you're just soaking wet of sweat. SS: What were your thoughts about playing for Tommy Watkins and Brian Dinkelman, and then Doug Mientkiewicz and Steve Singleton? Maybe some styles are different, but were you able to glean information from each of them? MK: Playing for Tommy and Dink in my first experience of full season ball was great. They were extremely loose but when it was time to turn it on, they were serious. They were great resources to have while in Cedar Rapids and with their help and knowledge of the game, they absolutely helped me get the mid season call up to Fort Myers. I loved playing for Doug. Both he and Sing really helped me with my hitting approach. It would be ridiculous to not listen to Doug after the career he had. I was all ears trying to learn as much as I could from him. SS: How would you describe yourself as a player? What are your strengths? MK: I would describe myself as someone who comes prepared to play everyday and will do whatever it takes to win. I love to hit, but I know that I have the defense to not just be a hitter. SS: What are the areas of your game that you hope to work on this offseason to improve as you look to 2018? MK: I felt pretty consistent last season hitting, but I want to keep improving on being consistent. I also have continued to improve my catching! SS: Have you been able to do to get away from baseball this offseason at all? What do you do outside of baseball for fun? MK: GOLF. and Golf a lot! SS: At what point do you not only start thinking about the 2018 season, but when do your workouts and preparation begin? Do you think you’ll do anything new or different after going through a full season? MK: After getting home, I took about a week and a half off. I think I did three weeks of pre training where I would go to gym and get my body ready for my actual training with my trainer that started October 1st. I've been in the gym since then, mostly twice a day working with my trainer getting my body ready. It really helped me last year so I have committed even more this year . SS: Did you learn anything about yourself, or did anything surprise you about working through a full season? MK: All the days seem to be the same. Some days I didn't know what day of the week it was because they all just started to blend together. With that said, I learned how to turn the switch on to be ready to compete each and every day! SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? MK: I have had a lot of people help me get to the point I am in my career. Of course, my family has helped me out with their constant support and then all of my coaches as well. They all taught me how to play the game the right way. Also, my trainer, JJ, has changed my career and my body! SS: There are probably some high school baseball players reading this. What would one piece of advice be that you would share with them, or share with a 14-year-old Mitchell? MK: I would say that when being recruited, enjoy it and take it all in, but make sure that you never give a coach a reason to cross you off his list of players for something that doesn't have to do with your baseball abilities. SS: Favorite Baseball Movie? MK: The Rookie Thank you very much to Mitchell Kranson for sharing his responses with the Twins Daily readers. Feel free to discuss or ask questions in the comments below. Click here to view the article

Very kind of you to say... thank you!!

Thank you very much. We hope you enjoy it!

First and foremost... best wishes for a successful shoulder surgery, and thank you for your support and kind words. It's a ton of work and time, but when it's complete, I know we're very proud of it!

Tenth Annual. It's hard for me to believe that I have now self-published ten Minnesota Twins Prospect handbooks. With the help of Cody Christie and Tom Froemming the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect handbook is now available. Below, maybe you'll find a way to place your order before then. You can now order the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook two ways. Order a print version of the handbook. (Note: If you order a print version, Lulu.com has a promo code (LULU20) that you can use to get 20% off of print versions.Order an e-book of the handbook (for immediate download).Order both!You can also order previous versions of the prospect handbook here.The 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is chock-full of information on the Twins minor league system and its prospects. The handbook is a must-buy for fans of the Twins who understand that to develop a long-term championship-caliber team requires a lot of building from within. 2017 Twins team that jumped into the playoffs. While they did add a few veterans via free agency, the core of the Twins roster consisted of players that were developed in this system. As much as things may change in the front office and in the minor league development staff, the importance of the minor leagues continues to be vital for every Major League organization. That is part of why I write this book. Twins fans should have a knowledge of the minor leaguers who could someday be members of the big league club. I always envisioned that there are copies of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook on coffee tables all around the Upper Midwest. When people are watching a Twins game on television and Dick Bremer mentions a minor leaguer, the fan picks up the handbook and learns even more about the player. A person who has already read the handbook will be able to impress their friends and family with knowledge of that player without even looking. As I've always written in the prospect handbooks, another reason I write the book is because I believe wholeheartedly that the minor leaguers deserve to be recognized for all the work that they put in. Most minor leaguers don't even make a minimum-wage salary for what they are doing. The players work hard in season and in the offseason in an attempt and with a goal to reach the Major Leagues. The Twins have a fairly strong minor league system with a lot of depth. There are a lot of players with the potential to be solid contributors at the big league level. Some will make it. Some won't. That's just the reality. But nevertheless they all deserve to be talked about and written about. Here is a listing of some of what you'll find in the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect handbook. Let’s start with what I consider the meat-and-potatoes of the Prospect Handbook, the prospect profiles. Can book contains 169 profiles of twins minor league prospects. That number is a little higher than it has been in previous years. Cody wrote the Header information, organized pictures, and put the book together. Tom wrote the 2017 Recap for each player. Seth wrote a background and a scouting report for all 169 players.As we have done in the past, we have stories on the Twins Daily 2017 Minor League Award winners. Jeremy Nygaard wrote a story on Hitter of the Year Mitch Garver. Tom wrote the story on two-time Starting Pitcher of the Year Stephen Gonsalves. Finally, Seth wrote an article on Relief Pitcher of the Year John Curtiss. Each story includes quotes from those players.In addition, we had a couple of guest writers. Ted Schwerzler wrote two stories; his annual timeline story, and a story on one of the other Twins top prospects. Ben Chase, who writes at Puckett's Pond, also wrote an article for this year's Handbook.You will also be able to see our top 30 Twins Prospect rankings. Find out who made my final list. It is a little bit different than what I posted last month. But I also share my historical top 30 rankings going back to 2005. It's fun to look back and remember those names and see who you are right about and who you may have missed a little bit on. You can also see the top 30 list or Cody, Tom, and Jeremy.And more. There are a couple more stories. There are 138 pages of Twins minor league content.Former Twins blogger Josh Johnson put together the cover of this year’s handbook and did a great job. It features Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis and Brent Rooker. I think it looks great. Here is a look at the full cover: It’s also fun for me to see several people getting their Prospect Handbooks signed by players. No one does it better that @TCAnelle who often posts photos of her signatures on her twitter account. The Release We had thought about waiting to release the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook until next week sometime, but it’s done, and it’s ready, so we thought we would make it available now. This way, you can actually order the book, print a copy of the cover, and give it as a Christmas gift or stocking stuffer. As we have in previous years, the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is available in two ways. You can buy the print version, or you can buy the e-book and immediately download the pdf. Maybe the best option is to buy both. You can order the e-book and read it now while waiting for the printed version to arrive in your mailbox. Again, use the promo code LULU20 for 20% off of print versions (through December 25th). As always, we welcome your feedback on the book. We are very proud of the end result. It’s been a three-month process to put it together, and yet it’s been a year in the making. We certainly appreciate your support of this effort. As you know, Twins Daily is the leader in terms of Twins minor league content. We take a lot of pride in that and do not take it for granted. We provide the daily Twins Minor League Reports throughout the season. We often post Q&As with Twins minor leaguers to get to know them. We focus heavily on the draft as well. This prospect handbook is a fun complement to all of that and something you can use for the entire year. One thing I am curious about, however… Which prospect handbooks have been your favorites, particularly the covers? Here is a quick look at the past prospect handbooks for you to rank. How does the 2018 cover rank for you? If you have any questions or comment, please let me know. And again, I hope you’ll consider purchasing a Prospect Handbook or six for the 2018 season! Click here to view the article

This is fantastic... thank you!

I think Robles will spend more time in the infield, 2B and 3B probably, though he could get some time in the OF too. But I think Pearson will be in the E-Town OF with Arias, Burns, maybe TJ Dixon (if he's not in CR by then).

I've never been able to get a real good answer on that. I don't think it's a ton... Several of them do other things in the offseason, or at least have.

Interesting... I don't know why I typed Hitting Coach, since he'll be their manager...

Nope, I think spelling people's names correctly is important. Thanks for the correction.

He lives and works in the Metro area, yes. Jake's got three kids, so I definitely understand him wanting to be home more. Too bad for the organization, but probably a very good thing for his family.

Derek Falvey was officially named the Minnesota Twins Chief Baseball Officer in early October of 2016. About a month later, he named Thad Levine as his General Manager. Rob Antony remained with the organization as the Assistant General Manager. While in most cases change was not immediate, change was certain to be forthcoming. Wisely, Falvey and Levine did not jump to conclusions on most personnel. People who worked under Terry Ryan were given time to work with the new regime so that they could evaluate them and how they might fit into the future of the organization in the same way that players are evaluated. As we look to 2018, there have been changes. There have been a lot of changes. Many in the front office remain. Rob Antony and Mike Radcliff are still around. Wayne Krivsky and Bill Smith are not. There are many scouts who remain with the Twins, and there have been many scouts whom the Twins have let go. And in large numbers, there have been many additions. While the Twins won’t be a Top 10 payroll team often (if ever) because their revenues are lower than most teams by a significant margin. However, they can be creative in their spending on infrastructure. They have hired the likes of Daniel Adler from the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars as Director of Baseball Operations. They have hired Jeremy Zoll from the Dodgers. They have hired many people for their analytics department. They have improved the nutrition of their players throughout the organization. They have added coordinators. They have spent money on analytic programs. Those are the types of spending that will help the Twins be better in the short-term and the long-term by making decisions by using many data points.Following the season, it was announced that Brad Steil had been promoted to the Director of Pro Scouting. He had been the Twins Minor League Director since 2013 when Jim Rantz retired. Jeremy Zoll is a 27-year-old who was an assistant in the Dodgers player development group the last couple of years. He has been quite busy since joining the Twins as Director of Minor League Operations. ------------------------------------ This is one article that will appear in the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook which is in its final stages of editing and review. It will likely be available in a week, maybe less. You can find much more information on this vital handbook for Twins fans. ------------------------------------ Likewise, in the minor leagues, some have stayed and several have gone. There will be many new faces in the system. Here is a rundown of the 2018 Twins minor league managers, coaches and coordinators: 2018 COACHING STAFFS Rochester Red Wings Manager: Joel Skinner Hitting Coach: Chad Allen Pitching Coach: Stu Cliburn Bullpen Coach: Mike McCarthy The Twins announced that Mike Quade was no longer the Red Wings manager and that he was taking a roving outfield instructor job in the organization. They have replaced him with Joel Skinner. The former nine-year big league catcher has been managing in the minor league system of several organizations since the mid-90s. He even managed part of a season for Cleveland in 2002. Former Twins outfielder Chad Allen returns as the Red Wings hitting coach (fourth year), and Stu Cliburn returns as pitching coach (many, many years). Bullpen coach is a new position, one that they have not had in the organization. Mike McCarthy pitched in the Red Sox organization from 2011 through 2016, reaching AAA that final year. Chattanooga Lookouts Manager: Tommy Watkins Hitting Coach: Javier Valentin Pitching Coach: Ivan Arteaga Jake Mauer managed in the Twins system for ten years. He was one of the best, most trusted leaders in the organization. In 2017, he led the Lookouts to the best record in minor league baseball and a share of the hurricane-shortened Southern League title. He should have been on the big league coaching staff by now. He was offered a roving instructor job. Instead, he has decided to spend more time with his family, which is also commendable and something he always prioritized. Tommy Watkins will take over as the Lookouts manager. In 2017, he led the Cedar Rapids Kernels to the Midwest League playoffs in his first year as a manager. He was the Lookouts hitting coach in 2016 after being the Kernels hitting coach for three years. This is his eighth season as a coach in the Twins system after spending a dozen seasons as a player in the Twins organization. Javier Valentin returns for his second season as the Lookouts hitting coach. It’s his fourth year as a coach in the organization. Ivan Arteaga is back for his third year in AA. He’s been in the Twins organization since 2001 when he was the pitching coordinator of the Venezuelan League Twins. Fort Myers Miracle Manager: Ramon Borrego Hitting Coach: Steve Singleton Pitching Coach: Henry Bonilla Doug Mientkiewicz was let go by the organization after another winning season at the helm. The former Twins player has found a job as the manager for the Tigers AAA team in Toledo. He will be replaced by Ramon Borrego who has been the GCL Twins manager for the past seven seasons. Steve Singleton will be the hitting coach. It’s his second season with the Miracle and third in the Twins organization as a coach. Henry Bonilla will be back for his third season as the Miracle pitching coach. It will be his seventh season as a coach in the organization. Cedar Rapids Kernels Manager: Toby Gardenhire Hitting Coach: Brian Dinkelman Pitching Coach: Cibney Bello, Justin Willard With Tommy Watkins moving up to Chattanooga, Toby Gardenhire gets his first managerial job in professional baseball. The son of former Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire played in the Twins minor leagues. After playing, he became the coach at UW-Stout. Before the 2016 season, he joined the Twins organization as a coach in the GCL. When Red Wings manager Mike Quade was in an auto accident in Ft. Myers in spring training and a shoulder injury meant he couldn't coach third base, Gardenhire spent the first half with the Red Wings before returning to the GCL. Gardenhire will be joined on the Kernels coaching staff by two guys who have been there the last two seasons. Brian Dinkelman enters his fourth overall year as a coach in the system. Cibney Bello played in the Mariners system. He then was a pitching coach in their system for four years. He worked with the Twins GCL pitchers the last two years. Justin Willard enters his first year as a Twins coach. He was previously at Radford University. Elizabethton Twins Manager: Ray Smith Hitting Coach: Jeff Reed Pitching Coach: Luis Ramirez Coach: Takashi Miyoshi If you want consistency, look no further than Elizabethton. Manager Ray Smith begins his 25th season as the E-Twins manager. This will be the former Twins catcher’s 32nd season managing or coaching the E-Twins. Another former Twins catcher and long-time big leaguer Jeff Reed returns for his 17th season as the E-Twins hitting coach. Luis Ramirez is back for his fourth season as the team’s pitching coach. He has coached in the Twins organization since 2006 when he became the Twins pitching coordinator in Venezuela. Takashi Miyoshi is new to the organization. He had played in several independent leagues as well as in Japan. In the last decade, he has been a coach on a variety of teams and leagues. GCL Twins: Manager: Dan Ramsay Hitting Coach: Luis Rodriguez Hitting Coach: Matt Borgschulte Pitching Coach: Virgil Vasquez The Twins hired Dan Ramsay to take Borrego's place as the GCL Twins manager. He was the head coach at Division III Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington for nine years. He became the coach immediately following his own graduation from the school. In his summers, he was the director of the Nike Baseball Camp. Virgil Vasquez returns for his fourth season as a pitching coach in the GCL. He had pitched for the Twins Double-A and Triple-A affiliates for a couple of seasons beforehand. Luis Rodriguez played in the Twins system from 1998 through 2007, including 206 games with the big league club in 2005-2007, He spent 2008 and 2009 with the Padres. He spent time with the Mariners in 2011. Borgschulte has been a scout and worked with the Cardinals in recent years. 2018 COORDINATORS Minor League Field Coordinator: Edgar Varela Varela was the Assistant Hitting Coordinator in the Pittsburgh Pirates system after managing in their rookie leagues the previous three seasons. He played at Long Beach State and was drafted by the White Sox in 2002. He became a coach in the Pirates system in 2008. Senior Pitching Adviser: Bob McClure McClure pitched in the big leagues for 19 seasons and pitched mostly in relief. He was a teammate of Paul Molitor from 1977 to 1986. He has been a long-time pitching coach including time in the big leagues with the Royals, Red Sox and with the Phillies the last four years. His job will be to work with new Twins pitching coach Garvin Alston and minor league pitching coordinator Paul Maki to make sure that the message is the same between player development stages and the big leagues. Minor League Pitching Coordinator: Paul Maki After the 2017 season, the Twins let long-time employee Eric Rasmussen go. In December, he was replaced by Paul Maki. He was hired after being the pitching coach at Duke the last two seasons. Before that, he coached at Columbia. Minor League Pitching Coordinator: JP Martinez After spending the last two years as the pitching coach for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, he becomes an assistant to Paul Maki. He will travel to all of the affiliates and work at spring training. Minor League Hitting Coordinator: Rick Eckstein Eckstein is the brother of former big league shortstop David Eckstein. He was named the Twins minor league hitting coordinator in July of 2016. He has coached at every level of baseball from college to the minor leagues to the big leagues. Minor League Catching Coordinator: Tanner Swanson The Twins hired Swanson in October of 2017 to be the minor league catching coordinator. He had just been named an assistant coach at Santa Clara a few months earlier. He worked a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Washington where he spent a lot of time working with the catchers. He is also the founder of D1Catching.com. Minor League Infield and Baserunning Coordinator: Sam Perlozzo Perlozzo remains with the Twins organization. The one-time Orioles manager joined the Twins organization in this role after Paul Molitor became the Twins manager. Perlozzo is busy working with infielders in spring training, and he travels to each of the affiliates throughout the season to keep working with players and managers. Minor League Roving Outfielder Instructor: Mike Quade Quade has been a baseball lifer. He had been the Red Wings manager the past two years. In 2010 and 2011, he was the manager of the Cubs. He has been reassigned for 2018 and will be moving around the Twins minor leagues throughout the season working with outfielders. Senior Advisor to Player Development: Joel Lepel Lepel has held a number of roles in his 26 years in the Twins organization including the minor league field coordinator, scouting and more. He takes on an advisory role. There has been a lot of change, and there may continue to be in the coming months and years. But we look to put a lot of attention on player development, and this is the new group in charge of it. What are your thoughts on these assignments? Click here to view the article

I got nothing... I kind of went off on Twitter last Thursday to the point that someone tweeted back at me saying I probably was losing an exclusive interview with Kinley. To be fair, Burdi and Bard were probably 5th and 7th on my list of prospects to protect. I definitely understood that likelihood. And I'm sure Falvey and Levine understood that likelihood as well. They clearly were ok with that risk. But then why select a right-handed relief pitcher who isn't nearly as good (in terms of stuff or MLB-readiness) as Bard. Burdi will miss probably all of 2018, but the Pirates can just put him on the 60 Day DL all season and then let him dominate starting in 2019. If they would have taken a pitcher who could start long-term, I may be OK with it. If they had taken Niko Goodrum from the Tigers, I would have been OK with that... but to watch two potentially strong RH RP go and then take one, made no sense. But, Kinley has pretty much zero chance of sticking with the Twins... and I think there's a decent chance Bard comes back to the Twins, so maybe it's much ado about nothing.

Earlier this offseason, I wrote about what potential long-term contract extensions might mean for Brian Dozier and several of the young core players. If you read my 2018 Twins Offseason Blueprint, you saw that I wanted to work out extensions with a couple more players. Today, I wanted to further dive into my reasons for thinking the Twins should approach Eduardo Escobar about a contract extension.While the priority should likely be working out long-term deals for the young core, like Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Jose Berrios, etc., it should not keep the Twins front office from also working toward - or at least having the conversation about - an extension for Eduardo Escobar too. Escobar was offered arbitration by the Twins. It’ll be his third and final arbitration experience. In 2016, he made $2.15 million. After a rough 2016 season, he got a small raise, to $2.6 million, in 2017. After putting together his best season in 2017, he is in line for a big raise in 2018. In the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook, we projected that he would make $5.0 million. MLB Trade Rumors predicted he would make $4.9 million. In 2017, Escobar posted a career-high OPS of .758, and hit a career-high 21 home runs. But even I was surprised to see that he’s been good in three of the last four years.In 2014, he played in 133 games (465 PA) and hit .275/.315/.406 (.721) with 35 doubles, two triples and six home runs.In 2015, he played in 127 games (446 PA) and hit .262/.309/.445 (.754) with 31 doubles, four triples, and two home runs.In 2016, he played in 105 games (337 PA) and hit .236/.280/.338 (.618) with 14 doubles, two triples, and six home runs.In 2017, he played in 129 games (499 PA) and hit .254/.309/.449 (.758) with 16 doubles, five triples, and 21 home runs.Fewer doubles, but more home runs. He drove in 73 runs. When Miguel Sano got hurt in August, Escobar stepped up and played his best baseball. In fact, right or wrong, Escobar hit in the middle of the lineup against left-handed pitching late in the season. If he performs as he did in 2014, 2015 or 2017, he will be worth a two-year deal. If Miguel Sano is unable to play third base and Escobar is playing there often, he will be well worth the contract. In addition to his work with the bat and with the glove, Escobar is a tremendous ambassador for the Twins in the community, in both Minnesota and his native Venezuela. For his efforts, Escobar was a finalist for MLBPA’s Man of the Year Award. Another thing to remember is that Escobar will only be 29-years-old in 2018. He came up as a utility man when he was just 22 with the White Sox. And, remember when we wondered why the Twins weren’t able to get more in return for Francisco Liriano? I think it’s fair to say that the Twins have won that trade by a huge margin. So, if you saw my 2018 Twins Offseason Handbook, here is what I proposed for an extension for Eduardo Escobar: 2018 - $4.5 million2019 - $4.5 million2020 - $4.5 million (with a $0.5 million buyout)While the $4.5 million is a little less than his 2018 projection, it comes with the guarantee of $5.0 million more. If Escobar ends up playing 125+ games again, $4.5 million will be very fair. If he ends up playing more of a utility role, he will be one of the higher-paid utility infielders in baseball. And, I would venture to say that he is deserving of that. Since then, I would also say that I would add some achievable incentives, and they would be based on plate appearances. I would add $250,000 for 450 plate appearances. I’d then add another $250,000 for every additional 50 plate appearances. And I would carry that forward through all three years (potentially) of the contract). In other words, if he gets 450 plate appearances, he makes $4.75 million. At 500 plate appearances, he gets $5.0 million. If he reaches 550 plate appearances, he makes $5.25 million. If he gets 600 plate appearances, he makes $5.5 million. If the Twins have to pay Eduardo Escobar $5.5 million because he got 600 plate appearances, they would likely be happy to do so. It means that not only is he playing a lot, but that he is hitting high enough up in the order that he’s being very productive. Of course, a lot of that may depend on the physical status of Miguel Sano. If Sano is back at 100% and able to play third base, the Twins would likely prefer that and it would likely push Escobar back into a utility role. Personally, I think $4.5 million for Escobar, even as a utility player is bearable. If he plays more, he gets paid more. He’s earned a payday with his performance not only in 2017, but in three of the last four years. He’s shown he’s a professional. He is a leader on the team. He is a competitor, and he’s shown that he will work. So what do you think? Should the Twins reach out to Eduardo Escobar on a multi-year extension? Click here to view the article