Seth Stohs

http://mcfeely.areavoices.com/2017/03/06/new-twins-baseball-chief-falvey-dozier-other-trade-offers-didnt-get-over-the-bar/ Mike McFeely of am970 radio in Fargo had the chance to chat with Twins CBO Derek Falvey before today's game against the Cardinals. He transcribed the interview and posted it on his Area Voiced blog. There are a lot of great questions about a variety of topics. He asked about Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer, coaching, analytics, the offseason and much, much more. Check it out. Anything stand out? Here's one of many questions and responses:

Spring training stats mean pretty much nothing at this stage. The most plate appearances anyone has so far (coming into today) is 19. And did some give up on John Ryan Murphy? He's 2-10... if he goes 2-2 in his next game, he'll be hitting .333...

No chance... but the org loves him, and he could have been a free agent after last season but chose to stick. He is a tremendous athlete. He's tall, and he's got really big legs. He should continue to grow and get stronger. He's got a chance, but not in spring training. He's a guy who could get added to the 40-man roster next year.

Pretty sure it wasn't "cheap."

It’s a busy time of year for the Gophers baseball program. On Tuesday, they played NDSU. On Thursday, they played a game against Hawaii. Today, they completed the Dairy Queen Classic by playing Iowa after playing Oral Roberts on Friday and Hawaii on Saturday. The schedule doesn’t slow down as they will play South Dakota State on Tuesday night and Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Then they’ll play a three-game series against Missouri State. That will end their 13-game homestand at US Bank Stadium. Image courtesy of GopherSports.com It’s a busy time of year for the Gophers baseball program. On Tuesday, they played NDSU. On Thursday, they played a game against Hawaii. Today, they completed the Dairy Queen Classic by playing Iowa after playing Oral Roberts on Friday and Hawaii on Saturday. The schedule doesn’t slow down as they will play South Dakota State on Tuesday night and Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Then they’ll play a three-game series against Missouri State. That will end their 13-game homestand at US Bank Stadium. Today, we get to know more about right-handed pitcher Tim Shannon. Coming into the season, he had pitched in 52 career games for the Gophers including 23 starts. This year, he has been working out of the bullpen for the Gophers (and making a fairly significant mechanical alteration). The Hopkins graduate grew up miles away from the Metrodome (and now Target Field) and was a big Twins fans. Let’s spend a little time today getting to know him. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Hopkins, were you a big Twins fan? Did you get to many games? Who were some of your favorite ballplayers? Tim Shannon (TS): I was always a huge Twins fan, and my family actually had season tickets for most of my childhood. I went to tons of games, and a good amount of playoff games as well, including Game 163 against the Tigers in 2009 which was definitely a highlight. My favorite players were Delmon Young, Alexi Casilla, and Michael Cuddyer. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school career? TS: High school baseball was a phenomenal experience for me, and I have a lot of great memories from it. If I had to pick one, it would be a win that I got against Wayzata in 2012 to get into the state tournament. SS: What was it about the University of Minnesota that made you decide to play for the Gophers? TS: I really wanted to be part of the Gopher baseball family. I knew many of the guys on the team, and had heard nothing but good things about the coaches and support staff. SS: Have you played summer ball through your college years? TS: I have played in the Northwoods League with the Waterloo Bucks. My time in summer ball has been some of my favorite in the sport, and I made a lot of good friends in my time there. The Northwoods League is also a tremendous place to grow as a collegiate player and gain experience. SS: Which pitches do you throw, and what makes you successful on the mound? TS: This is my first year as a submariner, and so far it has been a blast. I rely mostly on deception and movement, and throw a sinking fastball, a frisbee slider, and a ridiculously slow changeup. SS: What have been some of the highlights of your time with the Gophers? TS: The big one is obviously winning the Big Ten Title in 2016. The team we had that year was a special group of guys that were really close on and off the field, and the things that we had to deal with off the field, including the passing of Todd Oakes, only worked to bring us closer. As far as personal highlights, my first career start came on the road at the University of Texas and I pitched pretty well. The next day, Auggie Garrido came and found me and told me he was impressed with the way that I threw, and that was a really cool moment for me. SS: What are your goals for the 2017 season? TS: My goals for the 2017 season are to help out in any way that I can out of the bullpen. One of the perks of being a submarine guy is that it doesn't take much of a toll on my arm, so I should be available for many of the games which is exciting for me. I also hope to grow as a leader on and off the field, especially as one of the older guys on the team. SS: What is your major, and what are your career goals going forward? (How does baseball fit into that equation?) TS: I am a political science major, and a sport management minor. I am hoping to go to law school down the road, and would love to work as an agent within the baseball field. Thank you to Tim Shannon for taking time to answer our questions. We certainly wish him continued success throughout the season and beyond. GOPHER NOTES On Thursday, Hawaii topped the Gophers 11-2, though going into the ninth inning, it was a 5-2 game. Terrin Vavra went 3-4 with a stolen base in the game. Micah Coffey went 2-4 with a double. Jordan Smith added his first home run of the year. Friday night, the Gophers played Oral Roberts in their first game of the Dairy Queen Classic. It went to the 13th inning when catcher Cole McDevitt hit a sacrifice fly to win the game. McDevitt went 2-4 with a walk and two RBIs in the game. Jordan Smith went 2-5 with a walk and a double. Terrin Vavra also had two hits. Ben Mezzenga went 1-4 with two walks. Lucas Gilbreath had his best start of the year. He gave up two unearned runs in the first inning and ended with six innings of just one-hit baseball. He walked three and struck out five. Jackson Rose threw two scoreless innings. Brian Glowicki gave up a run in his two innings. Nick Lackney finished the game with three shutout innings with a walk and three strikeouts. On Saturday night, the Twins were unable to get the bats going against Hawaii, falling 4-0. Brett Schulze started and was solid again. The freshman worked five innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks. Tim Shannon struck out two over the final five outs. Terrin Vavra was 2-4 with a stolen base. Luke Pettersen was 1-3 with a walk. On Sunday, the Gophers played an afternoon game against Iowa. It won’t count as a Big 10 game, but the Gophers were able to pick up a 6-3 win. Toby Anderson was on the mound to start the game. He gave up a three-run homer in the first inning, but he settled down nicely. In total, he went six innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Nick Lackney got the next five outs, and Brian Glowicki recorded the final four outs for the save. Ben Mezzenga led off and went 2-4 with a walk. Luke Pettersen also went 2-4. Jordan Smith went 1-3 with a walk and his second home run. Micah Coffey was 1-3 with a walk, a double and a couple of RBIs. In the four games, shortstop Terrin Vavra went a combined 7-17 (.412) with a couple of stolen bases. After starting the season 5-27, it was a nice turnaround for the infielder. Vavra has more Twins ties that most. His father is Joe Vavra, the Twins current bench coach who has served the organization for a couple of decades. His brother Tanner Vavra spent three seasons in the Twins farm system, reaching Ft. Myers and twice being awarded a Harmon Killebrew Award. He spent 2016 with the St. Paul Saints. Another older brother, Trey Vavra, is a first baseman in the Twins system. He spent 2016 with the Miracle. He’s been named to his league’s All-Star team each of the last two years. Senior Jordan Smith also had a strong four-game weekend. He went 5-15 (.333) with two walks, a double and two home runs. The senior from Eden Prairie plays left field for the Gophers. Coming into the weekend, Luke Pettersen led the country with a .667 batting average. He went 3-13 with a walk in the Dairy Queen Classic. He is now hitting .529 (18-34) on the season. Micah Coffey leads the team with nine RBIs. Smith and Toby Hanson each have eight. Nick Lackney is a left-handed reliever from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He has appeared in four games and pitched nine innings. He has yet to give up a run. He has given up just one hit and struck out seven. He also has seven walks. Again, things stay busy this week for the Gophers. The 13-game US Bank homestand is eight games over. There will be five more games there for baseball fans to watch over the next week. Again South Dakota State will be here on Tuesday, and Milwaukee will be there on Wednesday. Missouri State then comes in for a three-game series next weekend. Then they are on the road for a couple of weeks. Feel free to discuss the Gophers, the Dairy Queen Classic and more. Feel free to ask questions and discuss college baseball. View full article

That's right... they're played on TV!

I saw the initial work groups. A few more names that hadn't previously been mentioned have signed with the Twins and will report this week.

When I chatted with Haley, he was so full of energy and excitement. Said he's pretty much only started in his career, but if they want him to relieve, be batboy, whatever, he was happy to do it.

Again, any evidence to this moping through changes thing would be welcomed... Feel free to share...

Oh... ummmm... selfish... I guess?? Huh?

http://www.startribune.com/owner-jim-pohlad-lays-it-out-twins-have-to-win-more-games/415406504/ Sid Hartman chatted with Twins owner Jim Pohlad weeks ago about his team. They discussed the front office, Joe Mauer, business stuff and much more. Check out the link, and see what he has to say.

Pretty sure Dozier is not selfish, and reading anything into those quotes isn't fair. He likes hitting leadoff. Nothing wrong with him saying that. Nothing wrong with him voicing that to Molitor. In the same paragraph, he says he's happy to do whatever to help the team win.

This makes no sense in the context of this forum. Why would what he says in this article have anything to do with trading him or not?

OK, it is an interesting article showing the different thinking in the game today. It also speaks to players wanting or caring about the analytics. Some do. Some don't. Has nothing to do with them as a player. And, Molitor sets the lineup, so Dozier and Mauer can say whatever they want, but they don't make the lineup. And, both basically just said whatever is best for the team.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/03/04/top-of-batting-order-remains-a-riddle-for-minnesota-twins/ Mike Berardino wrote an interesting article. He talked to Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer, asking them about where they would ideally fit into a Twins lineup. I find this article rather interesting. Berardino clearly is writing with the intent of encouraging a lineup that Jack Goin's projections might say scores the most runs. But the quotes from both Mauer and Dozier seem to have old school written all over them. Mauer talks about being able to see things. Dozier talked about the little things and the science of scoring runs. Berardino ends the article with quotes and isn't afraid to add a pointed opinion...

http://www.1500espn.com/twins-2/2017/03/notebook-stephen-gonsalves-spin-rate-justin-haley-role/ Jake Depue is down in Ft. Myers. He has written recently for 1500ESPN. Today, he talked to Stephen Gonsalves and Justin Haley. Gonsalves had some interesting comments about his spin rate. Depue wrote that it indicates that not only are the Twins getting the information but they're finding a way to provide it to the players. Also, he talked to Justin Haley about his potential role with the Twins this year.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/03/03/minnesota-twins-wearing-bracelet-to-honor-late-pitcher-yorman-landa/ Mike Berardino writes about several topics including: Twins minor leaguers will be wearing a bracelet in honor of Yorman Landa. Several in MLB camp are as well. The Twins have found a few ways to honor him.Pat Neshek wrote about Terry Ryan joining the Phillies since they acquired him from Houston. Neshek also acknowledged that the Twins offered him 2 years and $10 million following the 2014 season. He signed with Houston for 3 years at a little over $18 million and mentioned that he had several other offers.Jose Berrios is heading to the WBC after his outing today.Mason Melotakis threw 25 pitches off the mound today without any issues. Obviously that is quite positive. And a few more notes. Feel free to discuss.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/03/03/former-teammate-pat-neshek-predicts-big-things-for-jason-castro-with-minnesota-twins/ Mike Berardino chatted with Former Twins reliever Pat Neshek. The last two years, he pitched in Houston where his catcher was Jason Castro. He thinks that Castro is underrated and will be helpful for the Twins. Trying new things and trusting his framing also are important to Castro, according to the side-winding righty from Minnesota. Lots of good quotes from Neshek in this article.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/03/02/minnesota-twins-slugger-daniel-palka-finds-unlikely-mentor-in-shane-robinson/ Mike Berardino wrote a very nice article on Daniel Palka, talking about his relationship with former Twins outfielder Shane Robinson. The two met six years ago in Atlanta, and Palka says that he's learned a lot from him, despite the fact that they are polar opposites on the field. Robinson can help Palka with his outfield defense, and he is thought of as having a very strong mental-side of the game. I like this line from Mike: I'd say it's a big IF for both of them...

I get that, but I also wonder why. By definition, the Rule 5 is a draft of players that another team didn't put on their 40 man roster (much less their 25 man roster).

I'd agree... The only thing, as Nick wrote, is the injury factor. Very nice starting staff. Very nice bullpen. Cody Allen is pretty underrated. But yes, I think they need to be cautious with Andrew Miller. Just can't do what he did in the playoffs all year 'round.

The Twins won't be putting their best twenty five players on the Opening Day roster. That's never quite how it happens. Instead, much of how the final few roster spots are decided comes down to how the players fit into specific roles or whether or not a guy can be sent down to the minors without risk of losing him. The Rule 5 Draft, one of the most obscure and convoluted things in all of sports, can give players what equates to a golden ticket into the big leagues. The Twins ended up with Justin Haley once the dust settled on this year's draft (it's a long story), meaning they get to keep him just so long as he's on the 25-man roster (or the DL). Haley comes over from the Red Sox, where he put up very similar 2016 numbers to another recent Twins acquisition. Player A: 3.14 ERA, 1.121 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, opponents hit .241/.286/.366 Player B: 3.01 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, opponents hit .225/.291/.345 Player A is Adalberto Mejia, Player B is Haley. Mejia is the better prospect because he's two years younger, but Haley's probably a better bet to be of use to the Twins in 2017. Also, one big advantage to a Rule 5 draftee is development gets tossed out the window. The Twins wouldn't want to use Mejia as a long reliever because it would derail his development as a starting pitcher. With Haley, they can't send him to the minors for further seasoning as a starter. It's now or never. Image courtesy of Kim Klement, USA Today The Twins won't be putting their best twenty five players on the Opening Day roster. That's never quite how it happens. Instead, much of how the final few roster spots are decided comes down to how the players fit into specific roles or whether or not a guy can be sent down to the minors without risk of losing him. The Rule 5 Draft, one of the most obscure and convoluted things in all of sports, can give players what equates to a golden ticket into the big leagues. The Twins ended up with Justin Haley once the dust settled on this year's draft (it's a long story), meaning they get to keep him just so long as he's on the 25-man roster (or the DL). Haley comes over from the Red Sox, where he put up very similar 2016 numbers to another recent Twins acquisition. Player A: 3.14 ERA, 1.121 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, opponents hit .241/.286/.366 Player B: 3.01 ERA, 1.118 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, opponents hit .225/.291/.345 Player A is Adalberto Mejia, Player B is Haley. Mejia is the better prospect because he's two years younger, but Haley's probably a better bet to be of use to the Twins in 2017. Also, one big advantage to a Rule 5 draftee is development gets tossed out the window. The Twins wouldn't want to use Mejia as a long reliever because it would derail his development as a starting pitcher. With Haley, they can't send him to the minors for further seasoning as a starter. It's now or never. Yes, it's possible the Twins could try to work out a trade with the Red Sox (they traded for Rule 5 pick Scott Diamond in 2010 in order to be able to send him down to Rochester), but I don't see that as very likely in this case. I doubt Boston would be interested in cash considerations or lower level minor leaguers; they're flush with cash and trying to compete. Sure, they exposed Haley to the Rule 5 Draft, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't like to have him back if given the opportunity. Beyond anything else, the biggest reason I feel it would be wise for the Twins to make room on the roster for Haley is he can provide valuable insurance to the rotation and protection for the bullpen. Here's how I imagine the pitching staff shaking out right now: Rotation Ervin Santana Kyle Gibson Hector Santiago Trevor May Phil Hughes Bullpen (assuming Glen Perkins starts on the DL) Brandon Kintzler Ryan Pressly J.T. Chargois Matt Belisle Taylor Rogers Justin Haley Buddy Boshers Neither Gibson nor Santiago are known for pitching deep into games, and both Hughes (recovering from injuries) and May (transitioning from he bullpen) aren't exactly guys you want to count on to eat innings out of the gate. This staff needs a reliever who can be called upon to throw multiple innings early in games, and I'd rather not see another promising young starter moved to the pen (like May was) or a reliever miscast into a role he's not suited for (like Michael Tonkin was). Basically what I'm saying is Haley should be this year's version of J.R. Graham, the Twins Rule 5 pick in 2015. It's tough to point to a guy who had a 4.95 ERA and 1.48 WHIP and say he was a valuable member of a pitching staff, but Graham throwing 63 2/3 innings was essential to keeping the rest of the bullpen fresh that season. He even made one emergency spot start. Over his 38 relief appearances, Graham entered a game prior to the fifth inning 12 times, he pitched in multiple innings 25 times and in 20 of his appearances there was at least a five-run difference in the score (one way or the other) when he entered the game. He was basically the definition of a mop-up man. Another big thing to remember concerning the Opening Day roster is it can change the next week, the next series, hell, the next day if need be. Bringing Haley north with the big club doesn't necessarily mean committing a roster spot to him for the entire season. If he doesn't pan out, no big loss. You basically rented him from Boston in order to gobble up a bunch of low-leverage innings early in the season and you send him back once you're convinced he's nothing special. No harm done. Some people may take issue with Jose Berrios not being included on the Opening Day roster. While he has nothing left to prove in the minors in terms of performance -- he's dominated every level -- he does have plenty to work on. At this point I'd rather he work out the kinks in Rochester, where guys like he, Tyler Duffy and Mejia would stay stretched out to serve as rotation insurance. Berrios was the youngest AL pitcher to start a game last season, so it's important to keep in mind he's still way ahead of the curve. Leaving Tonkin off the roster would mean exposing him to waivers, but I think there's more of a chance that Tonkin would clear waivers than there's a chance the Twins could work out a suitable trade for Haley with Boston. But I do not view Haley and Tonkin as being in direct competition for the same spot. There needs to be a long man behind this rotation, and we saw last season, Tonkin cannot thrive in that role. Haley making the 25-man roster wouldn't be "blocking" any of the higher upside relievers. Would you rather see a guy like Jake Reed, Mason Melotakis, Trevor Hildenberger, Nick Burdi or (insert your favorite of the Twins 46 relief prospects here) getting abused in a mop-up role in the majors or pitching in the back end of the bullpen in the minors? To me, Haley's primary competition is against the guys like Ryan Vogelsong and Nick Tepesch, not any of the traditional one-inning relief guys. Is Justin Haley one of the Twins' best dozen or so pitchers? No, probably not. Is he an excellent fit to be the last man in the bullpen? Absolutely. View full article

Close enough.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/03/02/minnesota-twins-will-adjust-to-new-walk-replay-rules-paul-molitor-says/ Baseball announced seven new rule changes for 2017 this morning. Molitor was asked by media in Sarasota today for his thoughts on the changes. Specifically, he talked about the new intentional walk rule (automatic, rather than pitches) and the new 30-second limit for a manager to decide whether or not to challenge a play call. Here are the other changes: https://twitter.com/JakeInRealLife/status/837342019945033728