Seth Stohs

Nick Gordon isn't hungry?? And, there aren't many scouts or baseball people that would say 24/7/365 is a good thing.

It was his throwing arm.

Not sure that it matters, but I'll just throw this out there... Here is where Jermaine Palacios ranked in the 2018 Twins Prospect Handbook: Seth - 19 Cody - 20 Tom - 21 Jeremy - 17 I really like Palacios as a prospect, but to get a pitcher of Odorizzi's caliber for him, one-for-one, is terrific.

I wouldn't trade Tyler Wells for Dickerson.

Sanchez's deal is an MLB deal, pending a physical. No word yet from the Twins on the deal. But reports are that it's a non-guaranteed MLB deal. But, since it'll mean a 40-man roster spot, a few things need to be done before the Twins announce it.

The Twins haven't announced that move yet. At least not officially.

According to multiple reports, the Twins have acquired RHP Jake Odorizzi from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for shortstop prospect Jermaine Palacios. Michael Pineda moved to 60-Day Disabled List to make room on the 40-man roster to make room for Odorizzi. Image courtesy of Derek Hamilton, USA Today According to multiple reports, the Twins have acquired RHP Jake Odorizzi from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for shortstop prospect Jermaine Palacios. Michael Pineda moved to 60-Day Disabled List to make room on the 40-man roster to make room for Odorizzi. One day after Twins fans were frustrated by the signing of Anibal Sanchez, the Twins have acquired a hard-throwing right-hander from the Tampa Bay Rays. Odorizzi went 10-8 in 2017 with a 4.14 ERA for the Rays. In his four full major league seasons, he has had ERAs between 3.35 and 4.14. After compiling a 9.3 K/9 rate in his first full season, he has averaged 8.0 K/9 exactly in his last three seasons. The Twins acquired a guy who will be fit well at the top of the Twins rotation with Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios. Tweet from Twins PR director Dustin Morse: https://twitter.com/morsecode/status/965059891277762560 The Twins gave up shortstop Jermaine Palacios. The shortstop had a return to prospect status in 2017 after a disappointing and injury-plagued 2016 season. He was just outside of the Twins Daily Top 20 prospect rankings, but was in most Top 30s. But the Twins have strong shortstop depth throughout the organization. Jorge Polanco is in the big leagues. Nick Gordon should spend most of 2018 in Rochester. And Royce Lewis and Wander Javier are high-ceiling prospects in the lower levels. Jermaine Palacios was appreciative of the Twins and excited about this trade. Here is what he told Mariana Guzman after the deal. One day after the Sanchez signing frustrated Twins fans, the Derek Falvey/Thad Levine Twins pulled off what appears to be a very good trade on its surface. What are your thoughts? View full article

News came out late Friday afternoon that the Twins have reached an agreement with free agent right-hander Anibal Sanchez. The veteran will be 34-years-old before the calendar changes. Jon Heyman reported the agreement - which, of course is pending a physical - and later said it was a $2.5 million deal with incentives that could make him another $2.5 million. Image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, USA TODAY Sports News came out late Friday afternoon that the Twins have reached an agreement with free agent right-hander Anibal Sanchez. The veteran will be 34-years-old before the calendar changes. Jon Heyman reported the agreement - which, of course is pending a physical - and later said it was a $2.5 million deal with incentives that could make him another $2.5 million. Nick wrote about 24 hours ago of this winter of discontent about how the Twins have reportedly been in on Shohei Ohtani, and Yu Darvish, and Gerritt Cole, and even Chris Archer. There were, of course, other rumors that they may be talking to guys like Jaime Garcia and Chris Tillman. In Anibal Sanchez, the Twins got a right-hander who has been injured and ineffective the last three years of his big, six-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. In his past three seasons, his ERAs have been 4.99, 5.87 and 6.41. His WHIPs have been 1.28, 1.46 and 1.60. Last year, he asked to go down to the minor leagues to get another opportunity to start. Hey, the deal is low dollars, and if he reaches any of the incentives, he can make more money, but that likely means he's pitching well. It's also highly unlikely that he'll be particularly effective. The deal, according to Rhett Bollinger, is also not guaranteed. The other negative is that the Twins will have to remove someone from the 40-man roster in order to make room for Sanchez. Is there anyone on the 40-man that you would trade for Sanchez? That information will be interesting. Maybe there is another move up the sleeves of the front office. Or maybe they're just going to show a lot of confidence in the likes of Adalberto Mejia, Aaron Slegers, Felix Jorge, Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero and Zack Littell. For a team on the brink of perennial playoff possibilities, this is a strange move, especially when there are several other AL teams that they will be competing for a wild card spot with. Maybe some of our readers can explain this one to me? View full article

Our individual rankings: Seth (2), Nick (4), Cody (3), Tom (5).

Our individual rankings: Seth (5), Nick (5), Cody (6), Tom (7)

I would say there there are a lot of prospect similarities. Remember when Kubel was coming up, people said he could hit for average like Mauer and hit for power like Morneau.. and I think Kirilloff can hit for average and he's strong so he could hit for power too.

Our individual rankings: Seth (10), Nick (3), Cody (7), Tom (4)... I feel like I've ranked him too low, and yet as I look at the 9 names ahead of him, I don't necessarily feel bad about ranking them ahead of him. But then again, for me, 3-10 are all guys you could flip-flop in any number of ways.

A couple of the pitchers that you have already read about in our Twins Top 10 prospect series. One is known for a killer curveball. Today’s pitcher isn’t known for either of those things and yet he was likely the easiest choice to make when the front office was considering who to add to the 40-man roster in November. He is on the cusp of what many believe could be a long major league career. Find out today why Stephen Gonsalves finds himself securely among the Top 5 Minnesota Twins prospects. A couple of the pitchers that you have already read about in our Twins Top 10 prospect series. One is known for a killer curveball. Today’s pitcher isn’t known for either of those things and yet he was likely the easiest choice to make when the front office was considering who to add to the 40-man roster in November. He is on the cusp of what many believe could be a long major league career. Find out today why Stephen Gonsalves finds himself securely among the Top 5 Minnesota Twins prospects. Age: 23 (DOB: 7/8/1994) 2017 Stats (Rookie): 110.0 IP, 3.27 ERA, 118 K, 31 BB, 1.14 WHIP ETA: 2018 2017 Ranking: 2 National Top 100 Rankings BA: 97 | MLB: 78 | ESPN: NA | BP: NA What’s To Like? Stephen Gonsalves looks the part of a big league pitcher. The left-hander stands 6-5 and is lean, weighing in around 210 pounds, allowing himself to maintain his flexibility. He’s got a classic set up and delivery. While he may not throw his fastball in the upper 90s, once he got rolling in 2017, he was sitting 91 to 94 mph. Most of the time, he’s got pretty good control and command. Gonsalves is also said to have a plus-plus changeup. His smooth delivery and consistant release points make it a very effective pitch. He is also a very hard worker and some might even say he has had a chip on his shoulder since “falling” to the fourth round of the 2013 draft. “I just like to always think that there are guys ahead of me that I’m always chasing. I think that’s my biggest motivation. There’s always going to be someone better than you, and you just have to paint that target on their back and go after them. That’s what gets me going every day, and keeps me working and keeps me going after it. I like to think that I’m not there yet to give me something to work for and keep grinding.” What’s Left To Work On? At this stage, the still-just-23-year-old lefty is really just tweaking a few things in his game to prepare himself for the next step, the big leagues. He spent time this offseason working out with long-time major league veteran David Wells. “David Wells will help me out a little bit more to further my game, just being one of the older guys I’ve worked with. I’ve been working with Strasburg and Chris Young as well. So I’ve been able to lean on those guys a lot. I’m excited to work with David. He was one of those lefties. We all talk about how my curveball is slow and loopy, but he had one of those big, big loopy curveballs. So hopefully he can help me further that pitch so I can really get that fourth pitch down and I can come into this 2018 season with a bang. He’s also put a lot of work into a cutter/slider in recent offseasons. “That slider did get developed really well this season working with Ivan Arteaga in AA Chattanooga. We tweaked some things because it got a little slower - 82, 83 - when we were trying to get it to 86-88. It ended up becoming my second or third pitch. It’s almost as good as my changeup, I think. I am excited. As long as we can get that curveball going, I think we’ll be in a good place.” Gonsalves missed time in the Arizona Fall League in 2016, and midway through big league spring training last year, as he fought a shoulder issue which cost him the first six weeks of the season. But Gonsalves ended 2017 strong and looks to a healthy, full season in 2018. What’s Next? The pattern throughout Gonsalves’s career has been to start each season at the level he finished the previous, and he’s found benefit from doing that. That is likely what will happen again in 2018. With just three AAA starts under his belt, expect him to get at least a half-season with the Red Wings just to continue working on and tweaking a few things. (Quotes from Seth’s Twins On Deck Podcast Episode 1) TD Top Prospects: 16-20 TD Top Prospects: 11-15 TD Top Prospect: #10 Akil Baddoo TD Top Prospect: #9 Brusdar Graterol TD Top Prospects: #8 Blayne Enlow TD Top Prospects: #7 Brent Rooker TD Top Prospects: #6 Wander Javier TD Top Prospects: #5 Alex Kirilloff TD Top Prospects: #4 Stephen Gonsalves TD Top Prospects: #3 (Coming Soon) View full article

Well, I just think that baseball is too hard to put it all on his performance. This game is so difficult. He can work as hard or harder than he ever has on baseball, and he can work as hard or harder than Dee or whoever... That doesn't always translate to numbers. So, I'm comfortable with knowing that he put in his work on baseball this offseason, continued to work hard on the craft. That's all I want to or care to know. What he does outside of that is fine with me. (I mean, assuming it's legal)

I like it. I actually like the music too. But more important, he continued to work out with Barry Larkin and Dee Gordon and Francisco Lindor and that same group. He didn't put any less time into baseball. I don't think it's fair to question his work ethic or the time he's spent on baseball. I think that ballplayers or anyone in any walk of life should be able to have interest in multiple things. It'd be like my employer being upset that I write or I podcast or that kind of stuff outside of my standard work hours.

Yahoo Sports! has a really good article on Nick Gordon's budding rap career. He's got an album now. He's had three videos. It's been a busy offseason. The important stuff for a baseball fan or a Twins fan or the Twins front office comes toward the end of the article:

Rhett Bollinger wrote today that Phil Hughes threw his first bullpen of spring training today and felt good. https://www.mlb.com/news/twins-hughes-throws-first-spring-bullpen/c-266430350

And here are our individual rankings for Rooker: Seth (6), Nick (8), Cody (4), Tom 6).

Not to shamelessly self-promote another of my projects, but Brent Rooker was on the 2nd episode of my podcast a month or so ago (along with Alex Kirilloff, Royce Lewis and Aaron Slegers). It's very fun and interesting to talk hitting with him. He's got an approach and a plan... take a listen if you're able to... http://www.blogtalkradio.com/minnesotasportsweekly/2018/01/16/seths-twins-talk-episode-2

On Monday night, Episode 6 of Seth's Twins On Deck Podcast went live. It is available here for you to listen to. In this episode, Seth chatted with two right-handed pitchers who had tremendous 2017 seasons in Cedar Rapids. He also spoke with another member of the Minnesota Gophers program as they prepare for their first weekend of ball games. Finally, Twins radio voice Cory Provus was a fantastic guest near the show's completion. While you can listen to the podcast by clicking here, you can also search iTunes and subscribe to it. (search Minnesota Sports Weekly) Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo from L to R: Hector Lujan, Clark Beeker, Tyler Wells) On Monday night, Episode 6 of Seth's Twins On Deck Podcast went live. It is available here for you to listen to. In this episode, Seth chatted with two right-handed pitchers who had tremendous 2017 seasons in Cedar Rapids. He also spoke with another member of the Minnesota Gophers program as they prepare for their first weekend of ball games. Finally, Twins radio voice Cory Provus was a fantastic guest near the show's completion. While you can listen to the podcast by clicking here, you can also search iTunes and subscribe to it. (search Minnesota Sports Weekly) Seth was joined by four guests on Monday night's podcast. They were: Clark Beeker was the Twins 33rd-round pick out of Davidson in 2016. He began 2017 in Cedar Rapids where he went 11-3 with a 2.03 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. He was the right-handed starting pitcher on the 2017 Twins Daily Minor League All Star team. Get to know more about his youth, going to Davidson for five years and his fantastic 2017. Several of Clark Beeker's Kernels wins were with the assistance of closer Hector Lujan. Lujan was the second guest on this show. We discussed several topics including his fantastic 2017 season for the Kernels. What was the key to him taking a big step last year, and what does he hope to do in 2018. Find out about his community service which was recognized with a Harmon Killebrew Award, about his Eagles' fandom, and about his passion for cooking. We were also joined by another member of the Minnesota Gophers baseball program. Senior third baseman Micah Coffey hit .340/.396/.493 (.889) with 15 doubles, two triples, four homers and 46 RBI for the Gophers. How did the Illinois native get to Minnesota. What adjustments has he made over his first three college seasons? How has his time in the Northwoods League and the Cape Cod League helped him? He discusses the Gophers difficult schedule and how excited he is to get to play an exhibition game against the Twins on February 22nd in Ft. Myers. Also, what kind of statistical/analytical information do Gophers players get? Finally, Seth was joined for 23 minutes by Twins radio voice Cory Provus. They discusses several topics, baseball and other. It was fun talking to him about working college football, college basketball and MLB baseball and how the preparations are different. We talked about the Twins, the quiet offseason, his busy schedule and so much more. It was a very fun discussion that you will enjoy thoroughly. If you have any questions for any of these guests, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. I'll ask them during the show. If you are listening during the live show, I will also ask for questions on my Twitter feed, so you can ask questions there as well. To listen to Monday night's show, click here. Either way, you'll want to listen and learn more about some Twins minor leaguers and more. Also, if you subscribe to Minnesota Sports Weekly on iTunes, you'll also be able to listen to these shows. And, from what I'm told, Thursday night's Minnesota Sports Weekly episode will contain interviews with some very quality guests. PREVIOUS EPISODES While you're eagerly anticipating tonight's show, tune in to some of the previous episodes... Episode 1: Twins (LaMonte Wade, Stephen Gonsalves, Tyler Wells), Gophers (Luke Pettersen), MLB.com's prospect guru Jonathan Mayo. Episode 2: Twins (Aaron Slegers, Alex Kirilloff, Brent Rooker, Royce Lewis), Gophers (Toby Hanson) Episode 3: Twins (Bryan Sammons, Ryley Widell, Zack Littell, Travis Blankenhorn), Gophers (Alex Boxwell) Episode 4: Twins (Zack Granite, Nelson Molina, Lewis Thorpe, Josh Rabe), and Baseball HQ prospect guru, Chris Blessing. Episode 5: Twins prospects Charlie Barnes, Alex Robles, Tyler Watson, David Banuelos. View full article

The Twins drafted Brent Rooker in the 38th round of the 2016 draft following this third year at Mississippi State. He chose to go back to school for another year. It was a great decision. He his .397/.495/.810 (1.305) with 30 doubles, 23 home runs and 82 RBI. He won the SEC’s Triple Crown, the first to do that since Rafael Palmiero over 30 years earlier. Following the season, the Twins made him the 35th overall pick in the 2017 draft and signed him to a $1,935,300 signing bonus. Brent Rooker bet on himself and it paid off. The Twins are betting that his advanced bat can quickly contribute at the big league level. That could happen as soon as later in the 2018 season. The Twins drafted Brent Rooker in the 38th round of the 2016 draft following this third year at Mississippi State. He chose to go back to school for another year. It was a great decision. He his .397/.495/.810 (1.305) with 30 doubles, 23 home runs and 82 RBI. He won the SEC’s Triple Crown, the first to do that since Rafael Palmiero over 30 years earlier. Following the season, the Twins made him the 35th overall pick in the 2017 draft and signed him to a $1,935,300 signing bonus. Brent Rooker bet on himself and it paid off. The Twins are betting that his advanced bat can quickly contribute at the big league level. That could happen as soon as later in the 2018 season. Age: 23 (DOB: 11/1/1994) 2017 Stats (Rookie): .281/.364/.566 (.930), 11-2B, 18-HR ETA: 2019 2017 Ranking: NA National Top 100 Rankings BA: 92 | MLB: NA | ESPN: NA | BP: NA What’s To Like? As after the draft, “We like his power potential, obviously… We thought he had one of the best bats left on the board, and we’re glad we got him.After that historic SEC season, the Twins sent Rooker to Elizabethton for about a month just to get back into the baseball-playing groove. It didn’t take long. In 22 games in the Appy League, he hit .282/.364/.588 (.952) with five doubles and seven home runs. As promised, he was quickly promoted to Ft. Myers. Again, it didn’t take him long to adjust to the league. In 40 games with the Miracle, he hit .280/.364/.552 (.917) with six doubles and 11 home runs. The 11 home runs were one more than Todd Walker hit in 46 games for the Miracle during his draft season of 1994. His 18 combined home runs was the most by a Twins minor leaguer in his draft season since Paul Russo hit 22 for Elizabethton in 1990. Not only does he have power, but he’s also got a great approach and is willing to take his walks. With Elizabethton, he walked in 11.1% of his plate appearances. After moving up to Ft. Myers, he still walked 9.9% of the time. What’s Left To Work On? While Rooker is a guy who could fly through the minor leagues because of his bat, that doesn’t mean he’s a finished product. There are some question marks. Offensively, he’ll likely have to make some strides in terms of contact. In his 162 plate appearances, he struck out 29.0% of the time. That percentage is fine when providing the kind of power that Rooker is capable of, but it’s something that should be watched as he continues to move up that ladder. Defensively, he played in the corner outfield spots at Mississippi State as a sophomore, and then spent time at first base. Defense isn’t going to be his strong suit, but he can provide adequate defense at both spots. He’ll continue to work to improve at both spots to be able to be ready when he’s needed. What’s Next? Considering he was just drafted last June, it’s strange to think that he could appear in a big league uniform in 2018. He’s played just 40 games in Ft. Myers, so it’s possible that he could start the season in the Florida State League. But don’t be surprised if he is in Chattanooga early in the season. And, once a player finds success at AA, it’s about opportunity. If not in 2018, he is a candidate to be in the big leagues early in 2019. The Twins struggled against left-handed pitching at times in 2017. Throughout the offseason, we have heard that the Twins needed a right-handed power bat. While it won’t likely be in the first half of 2018, at some point in the near future, Rooker will be able to help fill that void. At some point in the not-too-distant future, Rooker could join the likes of Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton as right-handed power bats. TD Top Prospects: 16-20 TD Top Prospects: 11-15 TD Top Prospect: #10 Akil Baddoo TD Top Prospect: #9 Brusdar Graterol TD Top Prospects: #8 Blayne Enlow TD Top Prospects: #7 Brent Rooker TD Top Prospects: #6 (Coming Soon!) View full article