Seth Stohs

Not that I'd share... Sorry!

It has been an interesting 12-13 months for Twins catching prospect Mitch Garver. He’s had some downs, but it has been a series of positives. Although he’s had a busy week, and now is out of the country, he took some time while waiting for his plane on Monday night to answer some questions for Twins Daily. Twins Daily named Mitch Garver its 2014 Minor League Hitter of the Year after he put up big numbers for Cedar Rapids. His efforts earned him an invitation to big league spring training. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where after struggling early, he hit well over the final four months. Well enough that he was invited to participate in the Arizona Fall League. He made a strong impression for Scottsdale and helped his team to the AFL championship. He recently found out that he will again be going to big league spring training with the Twins in 2016.That championship was the end of his baseball season. He was able to start his offseason. He may have been even busier when he got home to Albuquerque. He and his fiancé were married on Saturday. On Sunday night, while sitting through a long layover at a connecting airport, Garver took the time to answer our questions about his 2015 season. Seth Stohs (SS): How did you find out about getting the spring training invite? How quickly did you accept that?? Mitch Garver (MG): I woke up on a random day in the middle of December and I had a missed call from a Minnesota area code phone number. I called the number back and Terry Ryan answered the phone. I of course was a little embarrassed that I slept through a phone call from my general manager. He ended up inviting me to ML camp and I immediately accepted. SS: What was that experience like for you, being in the big league clubhouse and working with the players and coaches? MG: When I first walked in the clubhouse I was quite shy and didn’t want to do anything wrong to upset the major leaguers. After a week or so they made me feel very comfortable going about my own business. Torii Hunter was a huge presence in the clubhouse. He introduced himself to me and wanted to know who I was and I thought that was a really cool experience. SS: You had a slow start the first two months in Ft. Myers, but something seemed to click for you about June 1st and you hit well after that. What was that adjustment to the Florida State League like for you, and was there a moment where you felt things turned to the positive for you? MG: For me, this season was a good learning experience, but on September 7th when the season ended, I flushed it and started working towards 2016. Defensively I had a really good year and I learned a lot about controlling a bullpen and starting rotation. Offensively I failed to make an adjustment early in the year and I lost the sense of who I was as a hitter. I was searching for answers and I found success in a few at-bats in late June, but by then the season was only salvageable by my standards. SS: What were your thoughts when you got the invite to the Arizona Fall League? What were your hopes going into the Fall League? MG: My manager Jeff Smith called me into his office one day and asked if I would be interested in playing in the Arizona Fall League. Obviously I knew this league was very prestigious and I had known players who had been invited in previous years so I was excited. I also saw it as an opportunity to redeem my horrible 2015. I knew that I had to play and show well in Arizona to continue climbing levels in the Twins organization. I ended up playing a very good month of baseball while learning a ton of new information along the way. It was all I could have hoped the AFL to be and more (oh yeah, and we won a championship). SS: Now that the AFL season is complete, you won a championship, and have had a little time away from it, what was the experience like there, and did you learn anything about yourself through it? MG: The major theme I pulled from the AFL is that there are a ton of extremely talented baseball players in the world, and I can compete with them. Sometimes in baseball you can lose confidence in yourself, which makes the game even more difficult than it already is. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Arizona. I played with awesome teammates in an amazing stadium during the best time of the year as far as weather is concerned. It’s also very fun to expand your horizons on the baseball players in the MiLB. I loved meeting new people, facing some of the best players in the minors right now, and competing at the highest level to win baseball games. SS: What's the plan for the rest of the offseason? How long before you start getting into baseball activities? MG: I am currently answering these questions in the Salt Lake City airport during hour three of my five-hour layover. I am answering these questions sitting next to my fiancée wife because we were married on the 19th of December. We are in the airport because we are flying to our honeymoon in the Bahamas. We had an amazing wedding with the best friends and family that we could afford on our minor league budget. When I get back to Albuquerque it will be to focus on a big year in 2016. I will also be attending Twins Fest and I cannot wait for this awesome experience. Minneapolis in late January is not exactly the most appealing vacation destination, but it will be worth it to meet and greet with fellow teammates and fans. Before I know it, I’ll be in Fort Myers getting ready to compete for a spot! Congratulations to Mitch Garver on another solid season in 2015, a nice run in the Arizona Fall League and his wedding! Thank you for taking time to answer these questions! 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There's some of that, but at the same time, Cedar Rapids had Brian Navarreto and Brett Doe. Olson was in his pro debut... as a late round pick. They started him low and let him work his way up.

I don't know who Gary Petite is, but Buxton absolutely can have value even if he hits like .250/.310/.350 because of his speed and arm and defense. That said, obviously we'd all like to see more than that. There are a ton of 5-tool prospects. There are very few 5-tool big leaguers. I still believe that Buxton can get there, but obviously there are no guarantees in prospects. We can all acknowledge that he wasn't ready when he was called up. The Twins admit as much. Mientkiewicz said that he wasn't ready. He was called up for need, not readiness.

Wow!! I don't know how I did that, but i did completely miss Puerto Rico! Vargas has done well. Juan Centeno is catching there. Dereck Rodriguez has thrown about 10 innings. My bad!

On Saturday night, Boshers went 5 shutout innings (started). Improved to 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA on the season. Not too shabby.

Thanks man for sharing my secret site with everyone... I prefer everyone think that I worked really, really hard and did a bunch of number-crunching to arrive at this...

It wasn't the same... both were very good, but in very different ways. I prefer Wade's way, and I think he'll be successful, but it's just impossible to know for sure what will happen in a college guy's first full season.

Maybe Cody will answer with his opinion. I think if I wrote this one today, I would agree that I think Murphy will be the starting/primary catcher starting in May or June of 2016 and hopefully keep that job for a few years.

Wade is very interesting. Put up great numbers in the rookie league. Not Max Murphy domination of the Appy League, but very impressive. Most impressive thing to me was his walk rate.

A few weeks ago, we posted a Q&A with GCL outfielder Rowan Ebersohn. Today, we are fortunate to have a Q&A with the Twins other South African player. When Callan Pearce signed with the Twins in July of 2013 as a 17-year-old he was very raw. In reality, the now-20-year-old remains raw and yet he is very talented. First, Pearce is a very good athlete. He is 6-3 and 190 pounds. He is fast, and quick off the mound. He also has a fastball that sits in the low-90s, touching 93 at times. He’s working on his control. He’s working on his secondary pitches. He has a long way to go.However, as you read the below interview, you can see how hard he’s working. You can see how much this opportunity means to him and his family. You can read his humility. With that, enjoy the following Q&A with Callan Pearce: --------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs (SS): Tell us a little about your youth baseball in South Africa. Did you play Little League or other formal baseball leagues? Callan Pearce (CP): South Africa unfortunately doesn't have the structures to those in The USA or to that of Europe therefore we didn't necessarily have a little league system up and running, we moreso had formal leagues in which we played. I played for my local club at home in Durban and traveled to a national tournament yearly to play against the other respective States or " provinces" as we call them. Other than that tournament we played local teams within my Hometown. SS: MLB has a camp in Cape Town that you attended. What is that atmosphere? Is it games, or skills, or a little of everything? CP: We recently had the MLB African Academy in Cape Town. It was and always is incredible returning to that camp whether it be as player or coach. The camp is over the duration of 10 days and looks to give players within the African continent an opportunity to learn the fundamentals and skills to take back to their respective countries/provinces to take African Baseball to a level that can help us compete at a higher level in the coming years. The atmosphere was great. It was a great experience. I loved it! SS: Growing up, who were some of your role models in the game of baseball? CP: We didn't necessarily have the opportunity to watch loads of baseball growing up as they only televised a game every now and then here in South Africa. However I loved watching Roy Halladay pitch. I used to love watching him! SS: Growing up, did you participate in other sports besides baseball? CP: Growing up I played cricket,field hockey, softball and outside of school, I play a little social golf with family and friends when I had free time. SS: As an amateur, how much contact did you have with MLB teams, and what was it that caused you to decide to sign with the Twins? CP: Around the age of 14, there were a couple teams looking at me and following my progress. I was fortunate enough to sign with the Twins from there. The Twins scouts that spoke with me were really great people, really accommodating and easy to communicate with. They were really approachable and that made my decision so much easier. Something just felt right going the Twins route. SS: What was the adjustment like for you last spring moving from South Africa to Florida? What were the biggest challenges? CP: I had to make loads of adjustments this last season, being my first spring training and second extended spring. Here in South Africa we are not accustomed to playing baseball every day. We would train twice a week and play a game on a Sunday. During spring, you have to grind every day. It was a lot more throwing than I was used to. However, it was a great challenge, and I loved every moment of the new experience! The heat in Florida is somewhat like my hometown, so it wasn't too bad in that regard. The biggest challenges I faced would have to be the amount of baseball I played. It was a lot more than I normally got to play which was great but also a little shock to the system! SS: What was the highlight of your 2015 season in the Twins organization? CP: The highlights of my season would have to be the numerous walk-offs our GCL team had at the beginning of the season. It was so exciting to be a part those moments! I loved it! SS: What type of pitcher do you think you are and can be? What are your keys to success on the mound? CP: It's hard to say what kind of pitcher I am. I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I'm still learning more about what I can do with the ball. I'm still developing as a pitcher so I feel only time will tell what kind of pitcher I will be. I'm not overpowering, nor is my stuff by any means great. I feel like right now my work ethic is just my best trait. .Hopefully 2016 will give me more of an idea as to the kind of pitcher I am. SS: Have you played in any international tournaments in a South Africa uniform? If so, what’s it like to play for your country? CP: Yet to represent my country in an international tournament. However, we are playing in the WBC Qualifiers in February in Sydney, Australia, and I'm hoping I will get that that opportunity then. SS: Away from baseball, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? CP: I enjoy any sort of friend and family time I can get. I'm hardly home throughout the year, so I love any time with them. I enjoy playing golf when I get the chance! SS: Are there certain areas of your game or preparation that you’d like to focus on during the offseason, looking to 2016? CP: The areas I'm working on for my 2016 season are just to get really strong and powerful. That's currently what I'm working on. I've got a couple innings in the league back home just to work on a few things so I'm excited for what 2016 will bring! SS: What are some of your goals for the 2016 season? Are there certain statistics that you will focus on? CP: I have many goals for 2016. First and foremost, to stay healthy, and then thereafter, I would like to earn myself a promotion to a higher level. I'm putting in loads of work for that, so it would be nice to tick that box. I have some personal goals I would like to achieve, but I'm hoping that what I'm doing now will take care of those goals. SS: What would it mean to you and your family to be able to reach the major leagues and put that uniform on for the first time? CP: I give up loads of family time for baseball. When I come home after season I have to go live in another province where the baseball is stronger so that I can get better. So it would be the greatest feeling for not only me, but my family too, to be able to watch me throw in the big leagues. Sounds lame, but I get teary thinking about it! SS: Are there certain people that you feel helped you get to this point in your career? CP: There are a couple people who have been instrumental in where I am - tough to name them all, but I feel my family have been great in understanding why I have to be away from home so much and their support through the good and bad times has been more than I could ask for! SS: Favorite Baseball Movie? CP: My favourite baseball movie has got to be Moneyball... No doubt! I loved it! ------------------------------------------- Thank you to Callan Pearce for taking time to respond so thoroughly to our questions. Best wishes to him in the 2016 season. Click here to view the article

The final touches are being put on the 2016 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook and fans can look for ordering details shortly after the new year begins. In the aftermath of writing profiles on every prospect in the Twins system, it's hard not to get excited about the direction the team is heading in 2016 and beyond. Predicting the future can be a tough task when it comes to prospects, especially when trying to decipher who will be part of the next playoff team in Minnesota. There is a plethora of high-end prospects ready to make an every day impact but the crystal ball can be a little murky when gazing into the future.Let's do our best to try and have our own lightsaber Force vision of the future. When the Twins are ready to make consistent playoff runs, what will the line-up look like in 2018? Catcher: This position is one of the hardest to get a read on as we look into the future. The Twins have a group of young catchers moving through the system. Mitch Garver, Brian Navarreto and Alex Swim could all play well enough to get some big league playing time. For now, it seems like Stuart Turner will be the team's likely option at backstop. The Twins have been aggressive with him during his time in the organization and he could make his big league debut this season. He has an experienced approach at the plate but his offense isn't his calling card. Turner is a defense-first catcher but that could be enough to give him the starting job by 2018. 2018 Prediction: Stuart Turner, Back-Up Plan: Mitch Garver First Base: It's crazy to think Joe Mauer's contract will come to an end at some point but that's exactly what will happen after the 2018 season. Mauer can be a free agent as he will be in his mid-30s at the time with the potential to still have some baseball in front of him. It's hard to know if that future will be in Minnesota but there doesn't seem to be a situation where he won't be part of the line-up in 2018. There will be other options on the roster. Newly signed Korean slugger Byung Ho Park has experience at first and he could be getting more playing time at first in the next few years. As Miguel Sano continues to grow into his body, it wouldn't be surprising to see him end up playing at first as well. 2018 Prediction: Joe Mauer, Back-Up Plan: Byung Ho Park Second Base: Brian Dozier is coming off an All-Star season but he's struggled offensively in the second half of 2014 and 2015. Minnesota just signed him to a deal through 2018 and he will be 31 years old by the end of that deal. This makes it pretty easy to hypothesize that Dozier will still be there by 2018. The Twins do have other infielders making their way through the system. Jorge Polanco has ranked high on Twins prospect lists and he's had a brief taste of the big leagues. There are some questions about his defensive abilities at shortstop so a switch to second base might be just what the doctor ordered. If Polanco continues to show promise, the Twins might be willing to deal Dozier before his contract expires. 2018 Prediction: Brian Dozier, Back-Up Plan: Jorge Polanco Third Base: The Twins have seen Trevor Plouffe evolve into a very good player at third base. The former first-round pick will be a free agent before the 2018 season so it seems likely that the organization will part ways with him. This could mean a shift for Miguel Sano back to the hot corner. There is talk from the Twins of Sano playing some outfield this season and that might be the only way to get all of their sluggers in the line-up at the same point. Sano will be entering his fourth big league season and he could still have something to prove if he hasn't played a ton of third base up to that point in his career. While someone like Polanco could switch from shortstop to third, the other options at third might be someone like Trey Cabbage. 2018 Prediction: Miguel Sano, Back-Up Plan: Jorge Polanco Shortstop: Shortstop has been a black hole in the Twins organization. The Twins have added multiple players like Nick Gordon and Wander Javier over the last couple seasons to try to turn a weakness into a strength. Javier signed for a ton of money but he won't be ready by 2018. This means the Twins future shortstop could be left to Nick Gordon. He has the potential to be an All-Star and a top-of-the-order hitter. The Twins have been aggressive with him so far in his professional career so it wouldn't be a surprise for him to spend the 2018 season as the club's primary shortstop. Engelb Vielma is another top-20 prospect that has all of the defensive skills to stick at the position. If Gordon isn't ready in '18, look for Vielma to fit the role. 2018 Prediction: Nick Gordon, Back-Up Plan: Engelb Vielma Right Field: Minnesota's 2018 outfield could be littered with talent. Top prospects like Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Eddie Rosario will all need homes especially if they establish themselves as everyday players. All three of these players have shown the ability to play center field so two of them will have to get pushed to the corners and combine for a solid defensive grouping. Kepler seems like the logical choice for right field since he could grow into his body more and he's played the position in the minor leagues. After being named the team's minor league player of the year, hopes will be high for Kepler and he has the chance to be an All-Star. A back-up plan could be slugging outfield Adam Brett Walker, particularly if he keeps mashing home runs. 2018 Prediction: Max Kepler, Back-Up Plan: Adam Brett Walker Left Field: With Kepler occupying right field, Eddie Rosario gets the reins to left field. Rosario is coming off a very good rookie campaign where he showed some positive signs at the plate. If he can continue to develop offensively, he could nestle snugly into the role of an everyday player who fits nicely into the second half of the line-up. Walker would be another back-up option for this position as he has played both corner outfield positions during the last two seasons. A middle of the order with Sano, Park, and Walker could be a murder's row for opposing pitchers in the American League. 2018 Prediction: Eddie Rosario, Back-Up Plan: Adam Brett Walker Center Field: The land once occupied by the likes of Kirby Puckett and Torii Hunter seems close to becoming the land of Byron Buxton. Baseball's top-rated prospect for much of the last two seasons should be a regular by the time the 2018 season rolls around. He has all the skills to be a five-tool player and he could be on his way to multiple All-Star appearances and potential MVP awards. There is still a lot left for him to prove but most of the baseball world seems confident that Mr. Buxton will be able to put it all together to be a well above-average player. 2018 Prediction: Byron Buxton, Back-Up Plan: Max Kepler Designated Hitter: When Minnesota signed Park this offseason, they made sure to refer to him as a designated hitter. Twins general manager Terry Ryan made reference to his ability to play first base but the Twins have another player entrenched at first base so this means Park will have to get playing time at another spot. There are also plenty of other names on this list that could fill into a DH role by 2018. Mauer might be aging too much to play first base or a combination of Sano and Walker could definitely add some power to the DH role. As long as Park adjusts well to baseball in the States, it seems like the DH role is his to lose. 2018 Prediction: Byung Ho Park, Back-Up Plan: Mauer/Sano/Walker What would your 2018 line-up look like? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

It's good competition, but it's probably a little better than independent leagues. You can see from the Twins players what the varying level of talent is. Anywhere from a guy like Luis Arraez, who had a solid season in the GCL to Eduardo Nunez and Eduardo Escobar who are in the big leagues. They can make some decent money.

It’s been awhile since we provided the Twins Daily readers with an update on how Twins players are performing (or have performed) in the Winter Leagues. There have been 13 Twins players to play in Venezuela so far this winter. Eight Twins have played in the Dominican Winter League. Seven current Twins (and several former Twins) have played in the Australian Baseball League this year. Finally, Reynaldo Rodriguez is playing in the Mexican Winter League.Below you will find how they’re doing. AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE There are six current Twins players who are participating in the Australian Baseball League. There are a lot of former Twins and Twins farmhands. For instance, Luke Hughes is hitting under .200, but he’s in the middle of the Perth lineup. Allan de San Miguel, twice a member of the organization, has six home runs. He spent time with Rochester last year. There are several, such as Josh Dean and Jacob Younis who didn’t get out of the rookie leagues with the Twins. For Melbourne, Tanner Vavra has played primarily shortstop and second base and bats second. He is hitting .317/.430/.416 (.846) with five doubles, a triple and a home run. He has 12 walks to go with 12 strikeouts. He has also been hit by a pitch eight times in 33 games.Trey Vavra has primarily been playing first base, but has made a handful of starts at second base as well. In 34 games, he is now hitting .281/.363/.469 (.832) with six doubles and six home runs. He has walked 14 times and struck out 16 times.Logan Wade has returned for Brisbane after missing about a month with injury. In 13 games, he has hit .256/.304/.349 (.653) with a double and a homer.Aaron Whitefield has played in 15 games for Brisbane. He is hitting .325/.325/.350 (.675) with a double.Aaron Thompson, who spent much of the first half of 2015 with the Twins, has pitched 8.1 innings over seven games with Canberra. He’s 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA. He’s given up nine hits, walked seven and struck out 12.Loek Van Mil has pitched just four times so far for Adelaine. He’s 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. In 3.2 innings, he has given up three hits, walked one and struck out three.Todd Van Steensel just returned to the mound for Sydney. He’s pitched just three times over the last week. He has given up two runs on two hits and three walks in just 2.1 innings.DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE The Dominican League can be tough as well. There are eight current members of the Twins organization who have played in the league at some point this winter. Five of them spent time with the Twins in 2015. Recently-signed Buck Britton played two games in the DWL in late October and early November and went 1-5.Miguel Sano played 15 games before being shut down to concentrate on his conditioning and learning the outfield. In that time, he hit .241/.344/.426 (.770) with four doubles and two homers. He walked eight times.Danny Santana has settled in at second base after playing around the diamond early in the season. In 25 games, he has hit .305/.320/.411 (.730) with five doubles, a triple and a home run.Eduardo Nunez just recently started playing. He has played in just five games, but he is hitting .316/.356/.368 (.718) with a double in those games.Jorge Polanco has played in 37 games. He is hitting .238/.329/.320 (.648). He has one doubles, three triples and a home run thus far.Catcher Carlos Paulino has played in 35 games. He is hitting .259/.322/.463 (.785) with five doubles, a triple and five home runs.Ryan O’Rourke pitched in four games in a one-week stretch in the Dominican. He worked three innings. He gave up three earned runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out two.Recently-signed Fernando Abad has pitched six times including two starts. He has worked a total of eight innings. He’s given up nine earned runs on 13 hits and four walks. He has also struck out ten.MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE As of right now, just one Twins player is playing in the Mexican Winter League. Reynaldo Rodriguez has already had 162 at bats over 46 games played. He is hitting .247/.346/.494 (.839) with eight doubles, a triple and ten home runs.VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE There are a lot of current, former and future Minnesota Twins playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. Eduardo Escobar has played in 14 games. In 51 at-bats, he has hit .314/.327/.412 (.739) with five doubles.Heiker Meneses was brought back and gets a second-straight spring training invite with the Twins. He’s played in 39 games already and has hit .230/.322/.270 (.592) with four doubles.Another non-roster invite to spring training in Wilfredo Tovar. He’s now played in just two games and is 2-8.Engelb Vielma began the year playing. He played in 18 games and hit .208/.269/.250 (519) with two doubles. He then spent some time in Ft. Myers working on his strength.Luis Arraez was an intriguing name to get to know in the GCL this year. He has played in 10 games and is 6-22. He’s hitting .273/.333/.364 (.697) with a triple.Levi Michael got off to a slow start in Venezuela, but through ten games, he is now hitting .314/.467/.400 (.867) with three doubles. He has eight walks to go with nine strikeouts.Omar Bencomo has made 11 starts in the VWL. He is 3-3 with an impressive 2.97 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. In 57.2 innings, he’s given up 57 hits, walked 12 and inexplicably struck out just 18.Logan Darnell has pitched in ten games including six starts. In 37.2 innings, he has allowed 39 hits, walked six and struck out 20. He is 1-2 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.Yorman Landa was recently added to the Twins 40-man roster. He’s pitched in 8.1 innings over 10 appearances. He’s given up five earned runs on five hits and five walks. He’s struck out four. He is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA but a 1.08 WHIP.Recently signed Buddy Boshers has pitched 32 innings over 25 appearances already. He is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He has given up just 22 hits, walked eight and struck out 35.David Hurlbut has made the most of his opportunity in Margarita. Last night, he threw five shutout innings. A week earlier, he threw five shutout innings. Six days prior to that, he gave up one run in five innings. So, in 15 total innings, he has given up just one run on ten hits. He has walked seven and struck out just five. He is 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.Sometimes opportunities are brief in Venezuela. DJ Baxendale made two appearances before Thanksgiving. In just 1.1 innings, he gave up five earned runs on four hits and two walks.Brett Lee made two appearances early in the season as well. In 6.1 innings, he gave up four runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out two.Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

I mean, sure... Buxton would probably be a solid 4th OF in a few years. When you've got starters of Rosario, Buxton and Sano, the 4th OF need is different than if you've got Arcia, Rosario and Sano...

The Twins used their 29th round pick in 2015 on a catcher from Indiana University, Brad Hartong. At 6-3 and 225 pounds, he can pack a punch with the bat. However, he's a good athlete behind the plate and may spend more time out in the outfield. At Indiana, he teamed with Kyle Schwarber for a year behind the plate. Schwarber did a lot of the catching with Hartong in the outfield. In his pro debut, Hartong hit .292 with nine doubles and a triple at Elizabethton. He went to Instructional League primarily as an outfielder. He is most likely to start the 2016 season in Cedar Rapids. So today, let's get to know a little more about him. Find out if he's even the best athlete in his own family! Thank you to Brad Hartong for taking his time to respond to our questions.Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in California, which was your favorite team to follow, and who were some of your favorite players? Brad Hartong (BH): Growing up my favorite team to watch was the Anaheim Angels. I grew up about 15 minutes from the stadium. Some of my favorite players growing up on those teams were Darin Erstad, Tim Salmon and Erick Aybar. Some people forget that Torii Hunter played with the Angels for about five years, and just like Minnesota, he was the fan favorite in Anaheim. People in Anaheim enjoyed watching him play. SS: You went to Cypress College for two years before spending two seasons at Indiana. What led to the transfer, and what were some of your favorite moments from your college years? BH: I started off at a junior college about 10 minutes from my house in Southern California. After two years there, I transferred to Indiana University. My junior college coach, Scott Pickler, had a huge role in helping me decide on becoming a Hoosier. Obviously at Indiana University, you're going to have great memories of the big plays you made and the bigger games you won. My favorite memory was the whole experience. Going to class and practice with your boys, then gearing up for Friday nights to start that weekend series. But one memory will stick out, in the first inning of the opening game in the Vanderbilt Regional, we got out of the jam with the old triple play. Never experienced a baseball play like that. SS: What was your interaction with scouts before the draft? Did you think you might be drafted or were you thinking to another career? BH: Before the draft, I had a feeling I would be chosen. I thought I played well enough, and showed enough people that I can play at the next level. However, I had a ton of help from the Indiana University coaching staff and Cypress College coaching staff to get my name out there with the draft. I never really lost sight of what I wanted to do. I made sure I got my degree from Indiana, but my eyes were on playing professional baseball since I can remember. SS: The Twins took you in the 29th round. How did you find out you had been drafted? BH: When the last day of the draft came around, I got a call early in the morning California time asking if I wanted to be drafted and after saying “yes, of course”, I was told to expect a phone call. The day continued to proceed and I was getting a little antsy when I finally got the call and found out I became a Minnesota Twin. SS: You had played at Target Field during the Big 10 Tournament. What were your thoughts on playing there, and did you get any sense that weeks later, the Twins might take you? BH: Yes, for the Big Ten tournament we got to play at Target Field this past year. When we had our first practice on the field, I tried to just soak everything in. What a beautiful ball field. In that one week in Minnesota, I saw the city, Mall of America, and of course had the privilege to play at Target Field. I had no idea I would become a Twin just a few weeks later. And after seeing Minnesota, it was almost like I took an official visit and got lucky enough to be drafted by the Twins. SS: What was the biggest adjustment you had to make, going from amateur/college season to the pro game, on or off the field? BH: Going from college to professional baseball, I would say one of the biggest difference is being able to handle your business like a true professional. In college, you have a set schedule for everything, meals at the hotel, a lifting schedule, getting your therapy in, and room checks on the road. In pro ball, you need to be able to make your own schedule by knowing your body, what you need to eat to fuel yourself, what you need to lift in the weight room to be ready to perform, and to make sure to get your therapy done if you need it. It is up to you in pro ball. SS: In your first year at Indiana, it appears that you and Kyle Schwarber split time behind the plate with the other playing in the outfield. With Elizabethton, you were primarily in the outfield but did some catching too. Where do you feel more comfortable and what do you prefer to play over time? BH: Yeah, my first year at Indiana University I split time with Kyle Schwarber behind the plate, but mostly played outfield. My senior year, I caught every game. To be honest, I am comfortable at both. In high school, junior college, and at Indiana, I was primarily a catcher. But after working a lot in the outfield, I feel comfortable at either corner outfield spot. In the long road, I will play wherever the organization tells me too, whatever the Twins need me to do. SS: In these very early stages of your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths as a player? BH: I would say some of my strengths would be experience coming from an up-and-coming college program. Played a lot of good teams with good arms, and played in a lot of big games. I think knowing the game of baseball is a strength of mine. It helps me process what is going on throughout a game and what decisions to make based on the situation. It helps put me in a position to help my team win. I am never surprised on a baseball field. SS: What are the things that you feel you need to improve over the offseason and going forward? BH: As a young professional baseball player, I think I have to work on every aspect of my game. Obviously the fundamentals are a must to work on, as well as strength and conditioning. But also the mental aspect to where I show up in Fort Myers for spring training I am so locked in and ready to perform. I have no distractions. SS: What are your plans for the offseason? (When do you start preparing for the 2016 season, but also what do you enjoy doing away from the game of baseball?) BH: This offseason, I have been working out at a workout facility down the street from my house, as well as another local LA Fitness. The junior college I went to is about 10 minutes from my house, and that is where I will be doing my baseball work. I plan on catching an uncountable amount of bullpens before I arrive in Fort Myers. Away from baseball, I enjoy being home with my family after not seeing them for a while. Except my twin sister is pursuing her professional volleyball career in South Korea, so I have not been able to see her. Don't hop on the bandwagon now, but she and Club Hyundai are in first place in their group. Also great being around my good friends and seeing how well they are doing with their lives. Who are some of the coaches and others who have helped you get to this point in your career? BH: To get where I am today, I have had great coaching along the way. My Dad introduced me to the game, and growing up always would help me with whatever I needed. All those days with him on the diamond really made me love playing baseball. After high school, once I got to Cypress College, I think that is where I made the most strides as a baseball player. Coach Pick, Pink, and Mahoney really turned me into a solid player. Then at Indiana University, I got help from every coach, but my last year with Coach Lemonis, Bunn, Cheeseboro and Roof, that was a really a great staff and they turned me even more. Thanks again to Brad Hartong. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write in the forum below. Click here to view the article

If that's the case, that's a pretty solid fourth outfielder... I'm not sure he's capable of that any more, but maybe.

And, Sweeney is from Cedar Rapids! My guess is of Mastroianna, Benson and Sweeney... Two will be in Rochester, one will be released, at the end of spring training. And, if Buxton starts in AAA, maybe one of them could be the 4th/5th OF for the first 4-6 weeks.

I'd say that Vielma's floor would be Pedro Florimon (if he gets to the big leagues). His ceiling is maybe Brandon Crawford. Most likely somewhere in between. That defense is very valuable. Gordon's potential is Barry Larkin, which is pretty good!

Happy Holidays to you and your family as well, Roger!! Hopefully you're in some warm climate visiting them! It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. If both continue to progress, I think Vielma is at shortstop with Gordon moving over to 2B. Of course, that's not to say at all that Gordon can't play shortstop. He can. But if Vielma can hit enough, this is how I'd see it. I think Gordon will hit and although I think he can play shortstop and well, Vielma might just be elite defensively.

On Tuesday evening, Pioneer Press’s Mike Berardino tweeted, “Source: #MNTwins will invite 21-year-old SS Engelb Vielma to major league camp. Rated best defensive IF in system. Bat came alive in June.” I had the chance to ask Engelb Vielma some questions recently, so continue reading to learn more about the best defensive infielder in the Twins organization. The interview is in both English and Spanish.Vielma signed with the Twins in mid-September of 2011 out of Venezuela. Had he signed a couple of weeks sooner, he would have needed to be added to the Twins 40-man roster or potentially be lost in the Rule 5 draft. He would have been added. No question. I talked to one person who has seen Vielma play quite a bit. I mentioned that Vielma was the best defensive shortstop I have seen in person, in spring training or in my trips to Cedar Rapids and Beloit. The one that I had previously said that about, Dixon Machado of the Tigers, is fantastic with the glove. This person chuckled and told me that there were two shortstops that he would put in Vielma’s category. The other one was Machado. Vielma was the Twins top defensive infielder in 2014 and should repeat for 2015. Offensively, he needs work, but really, he just needs strength. He has the mechanics and the swing to be a solid hitter. In the second half of the 2015 season in Ft. Myers, he hit very well. However, at probably 160 pounds, he just isn’t going to get a lot of extra-base hits. Overall with the Miracle, he hit .270/.321/.306 (.627) with nine doubles, two triples and a homer. However, after June 1, he hit .322/.380/.356 (.736) with eight extra-base hits. He’s fast. He’s a good base runner and he stole 35 bases bases on the year. I have had a couple of people – not Twins decision-makers, mind you, but people who have seen Vielma play extensively – tell me that if Vielma can hit .250, or maybe post a .620 OPS, in Chattanooga in 2016, he very well could be the Twins Opening Day shortstop in 2017. Lofty goals, but with Vielma, we are talking about Andrelton Simmons type of defense. Range. Arm. Hands. He’s incredible. And he’s still got plenty of room to grow. In fact, after starting the offseason playing winter ball in Venezuela, Vielma spent quite a bit of time in Ft. Myers working on his strength. He works hard, but he’s also touted as a great leader, a player who helps bring together English-speaking players with Spanish-speaking players. He controls the infield and the outfield from shortstop. For much more on Vielma and other Twins minor leaguers, the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook will be available shortly following the New Year. Keep watching for it here and on Twitter. We would like to thanks Engelb Vielma for taking some time to respond to our questions. We also need to thank his agency, LA Sports Management, for helping to facilitate the interview and for translation. You can follow them on Twitter (@LASportsMgmt) for news on Vielma and several other Twins prospects. ------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up, who were some of your role models in the game of baseball? (Cuando crecías, ¿quiénes fueron algunos de tus modelos a seguir en el juego de béisbol?) Engelb Vielma (EV): The main foundation to start playing baseball was my father who motivated me to play. (La base principal para empezar a jugar al béisbol fue mi padre que me motivó para que jugara). SS: Tell me a little bit about your youth baseball in Venezuela. Did you play Little League? Did you play other positions besides shortstop? (Cuéntame un poco sobre tu béisbol juvenil en Venezuela. ¿Jugaste en la Liga Infantil? ¿Jugabas otras posiciones además de shortstop (parador corto)?) EV: I started playing baseball as a child. I played in a little league called Cacique Mara. Apart from playing shortstop, I also played first base and I was a pitcher. Empecé a jugar al béisbol cuando era un niño. Jugué en una liga infantil llamada Cacique Mara. Además de jugar en la posición de shortstop, también jugué en primera base y fui lanzador. SS: When did you start hearing from professional, MLB teams and what was it that caused you to decide to sign with the Twins? (¿Cuándo empezaste a oír hablar de equipos profesionales de la MLB y qué hizo que te decidieras a firmar con los Twins (Gemelos)?) EV: I knew I had talent to be a professional baseball player. I started to know I had talent at age 15. I decided to sign with the Twins because I was offered good money and I saw I had a chance to go up fast in the minor leagues. (Pensaba que tenía mucho talento para ser un jugador profesional de béisbol. Empecé a darme cuenta de que sí tenía talento a los 15 años. Decidí firmar con los Twins (Gemelos) porque me ofrecieron una cantidad de dinero interesante y vi que tenía una oportunidad para subir rápidamente en las Ligas Menores.) SS: What was the adjustment like for you when you moved from Venezuela to the United States? What were the biggest challenges on and off the field? (¿Cómo fue la adaptación para ti cuando te mudaste de Venezuela a los Estados Unidos? ¿Cuáles fueron los mayores retos tanto en el campo de juego como fuera del mismo?) EV: The first thing I had to adjust to was the change of culture. I saw that on the field there was much more competition for good players, outside the field, the biggest challenge was the language change. (En lo primero que tuve que adaptarme fue al cambio de la cultura. Vi que el campo de juego ofrecía mayor competencia para los jugadores buenos. Fuera de eso, el cambio de idioma.) SS: What was the highlight of your 2015 season? (¿Cuál fue el punto saliente de tu temporada 2015?) EV: I know I had a good year in all, but the offensive was better. (Sé que tuve un buen año en todo, pero la ofensa fue mejor.) SS: Everyone talks about your defense. How much pride do you have in your defense, and how much do you work at it? (Todo el mundo habla de tu juego defensivo. ¿Estás orgulloso de tu juego defensivo? ¿Cuánto te dedicas al juego defensivo?) EV: I have good defense is what many people have told me, but I try to work a little more and learn something new every day so that my defense gets a lot better. (Lo que me dicen es que tengo buen juego defensivo, pero trato de dedicarme un poco más y de aprender algo nuevo cada día para que mi juego defensivo sea mucho mejor.) SS: Are there certain areas of your game or preparation that you’d like to focus on during this offseason, looking to 2016? (¿Hay alguna área de tu juego o preparación en la que quieras concentrarte durante el cese de la temporada con la mira puesta en 2016?) EV: Basically my body, I need to gain more pounds. My offense, also try to be more consistent. (Esencialmente, quiero aumentar un poco de peso. También quiero tratar de que mi juego ofensivo sea más consistente.) SS: What are some of your goals for the 2016 season? Are there certain statistics that you will focus on? (¿Cuáles son algunas de tus metas para la temporada 2016? ¿Hay determinadas estadísticas en las que vas a concentrarte?) EV: Of course. Statistics always help a little, but I really want to focus on my batting, trying to steal a few more bases and keep on improving my defense. (¡Por supuesto! Estadísticas pueden ayudar un poco, pero especialmente quiero enfocarme en mi bateo, en robar mas bases y tambien seguir mejorando mi juego defensivo.) SS: What would it mean to you and your family to be able to reach the major leagues and put that uniform on for the first time? (¿Qué significaría para ti y tu familia poder llegar a las Ligas Mayores y ponerte ese uniforme por primera vez?) EV: It means joy, satisfaction but not only to reach the major leagues but to try and settle. My family would be very happy! (Significa alegría, satisfacción, pero no solo llegar sino tratar de establecerme. Mi familia estaría muy feliz.) SS: Away from baseball, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? (Fuera del béisbol, ¿qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?) EV: Share with my family, with my girlfriend, my friends. I like to sleep a lot. I also like to take batting practice with my brothers. (Compartir con mi familia, con mi novia, con mis amigos. Me gusta dormir mucho. También me gusta hacer práctica de bateo con mis hermanos.) SS: Are there certain people that you feel helped you get to this point in your career? (¿Hay ciertas personas que sientes que te ayudaron a llegar a este punto en tu carrera?) EV: My parents and my girlfriend. (Mis padres y mi novia.) SS: Thank you very much!! EV: ¡Muchísimas gracias! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you again to Engelb Vielma and the good people at LA Sports Management for taking time to do this interview. Feel free to ask questions or comment below. Click here to view the article