Seth Stohs

Ryan told Doogie just two days ago at the press conference that they have Meyer planning his offseason to be a reliever, not that there was much question about that role anyway at this point.

Completely agree with this. Fien was fine in the 8th innings for a couple of seasons. If he can pitch 6th and 7th innings, with May, Tonkin, maybe Meyer and Jepsen ahead of him on the depth chart, then not a problem. He can be a place holder while Chargois, Burdi, Reed, others get their final preparation in. The other thing to note is that if he doesn't make it out of spring training and gets let go, the contract isn't guaranteed. So, at $2.5 million, which I think could be up to $0.5M too high, he would then only cost like $400,000. He might also be someone they can trade and get something like a C-level prospect for.

Well, it can't be Pat Dean. I wouldn't think they would DFA Graham. My guess is that it would come from a trade. They could DFA those guys, but there's a decent chance both would be claimed. O'Rourke, John Hicks. Those guys are options for DFA as well. At the same time, Jeremy Nygaard pointed out the other day on Twitter, that they have to decide which is better. Using John Hicks as an example... He is a solid backup, #3 catcher that they can ship up and down from AAA to the big leagues for two years yet. That's probably more valuable on the 40 man roster than anyone they could pick at #17 in the Rule 5. That's kind of what they need to ask themselves.

At one time, the Winter Meetings were solely for minor league teams and leagues. Then MLB decided to coordinate their meetings at the same time and in the same place. It has been a huge event. This year’s Winter Meetings are in Nashville, Tennessee. They officially start on Monday, though most will arrive on Sunday and start having some discussions. So, what is likely on the Twins agenda for the week? Today, we’ll consider what they’ll look to do.Before we get into what the Twins checklist of needs is this offseason, here are a couple of quick reminders: 1.) The Winter Meetings host a whole bunch of meetings. That’s what they are for. Minor League leagues and owners will have meetings together. Minor League coordinators may meet together. There are committees. All kinds of meetings. Yes, GMs and agents are there and they meet in between the scheduled meetings, or they have drinks at the bar in the hotel together at the end of the day. 2.) There are going to be a ton of rumors that will come out throughout the week. Probably 95% of them will be based on very little. Team A was talking to GM who has the rights to players C, D, E, and F. So, Team A may be interested in players C, D, E and F. It’s a tough week for fans because of all the rumors. Each one piques your interest and makes you wonder how that player will help the Twins. It’s fun, but it’s hard to know what to believe. At least, until Ken Rosenthal or Jon Heyman call it official. 3.) There is so much going on. Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor will meet with media, probably also be interviewed on MLB Network or other places. The managers all meet together. There will be college graduates in suits passing out resumes to major league and minor league teams, looking for an opportunity to find a career in baseball. There is a lot going on that has nothing to do with player transactions. There will be moves made by teams during the Winter Meetings, but if the Twins come out of the meetings having not signed or traded for anybody, it doesn’t mean they didn’t accomplish anything. They will likely have a lot of meetings with GMs from other teams, looking for trade partners, laying the groundwork for deals that could happen later. The Twins will have meetings with agents as well. Agents will talk to a lot of teams about their players. Those conversations will be brought back to the players who could decide where they want to play next week, the following week or even into January. So, with all that as the background, let’s develop a checklist for the Twins at the Winter Meetings. What are they areas that they should address during the four or five days that they are in Nashville? 1) Although they have said that they will not trade Travor Plouffe, Ryan will certainly be asked about his availability by a number of teams. Of course, he’s likely talked with each of those teams already, but during this week, they’ll be able to continue those discussions, maybe even setting some parameters. And who knows, there could be a trade by the end of the week. 2) Bullpen. Terry Ryan said in his interview with Twins Daily for the Offseason GM Handbook that the bullpen would be very high up on his priority list this offseason. Does that mean signing a Tony Sipp or Antonio Bastardo for three years, or does it mean waiting until a few of those top guys are gone and the second-tier is willing to sign for more reasonable prices. The Twins are certainly going to be having discussions with the agents of some of the better free agent relievers. 3) James Shields rumors seemingly won’t go away. Who knows if there is anything to those rumors, but it would certainly take some creativity. The point of this bullet point is that Terry Ryan and his staff could consider adding a starting pitcher via trade, if it makes sense. 4) The Twins may look to trade Tommy Milone. The assumption is that by himself he wouldn’t land a top-notch prospect. Maybe they could get a couple of B- prospects for him, and that would be OK. Maybe they could package him with a minor leaguer or two and bring back something of relative significance. Right now, candidates for a starting role with the Twins in 2016 include Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Tyler Duffey, Trevor May, Tommy Milone, Rick Nolasco, Taylor Rogers and JO Berrios. I would expect them to deal a starter, and right or wrong, Milone makes the most sense. Milone was tendered arbitration on Wednesday. Casey Fien and Eduardo Nunez were as well, and they could be traded as also. 5) The Twins do need to add an outfielder. As of today, the Twins outfield could include Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. Danny Santana is in the picture, as is Oswaldo Arcia. Depending upon Plouffe, Max Kepler could also be an early-season add. If I were the Twins, I wouldn’t sign a big name, high priced outfielder. I can see them adding a Shane Robinson type of outfielder. In other words, a guy who is comfortable playing just once or twice a week. A good defender with speed, who can pinch run when necessary. This is not a high priority, but it should be addressed at some point in the offseason. 6) Rule 5 draft. It’s not the Rule V draft, it’s the Rule 5 draft. The Twins 40-man roster is currently at 40. They could DFA someone to make room so that they could make a pick. They could make a trade before Thursday to reduce the 40-man roster. They could make a pick still. However, it just doesn’t seem real likely, especially since they have the 17th pick. However, the Twins are usually active in the AAA portion of the Rule 5. Last year they added Greg Peavey and lost Matt Tomshaw. Again, it isn’t a requirement to accomplish all of these during the next week, just sometime in the offseason. Timing is a strategy. The fourth outfielder and some of the bullpen moves could likely wait until early January. Click here to view the article

It's fine. Depth is good. The contract won't be big. It'll be fine for the 7th inning. Those young guys won't start the season with the team. He's had success in the past. He was hurt last year and late the year before.

This week, Byung Ho Park came to Minnesota, agreed to a deal, and yesterday met the Twin Cities media in a press conference. Since news broke that the Twins had signed Park to a four year, $12 million contract (with a fifth-year option that could make it 5 years, $18 million) plus incentives, there have been a lot of interesting topics discussed. I think there are also quite a few misconceptions out there that I thought I would touch on briefly today and encourage more discussion.Here are a few of the misconceptions that I’ve noted in recent days. Expectations Should Be Lowered For Park Based On His Contract Should they be lowered? No. Will some lower them? Certainly. In my opinion, he is the same player whether he signed for $3 million a year, as he did, or would haive signed for $8-10 mllion a year, which was rumored. He is the same player. He will go through the same struggles as he adjusts to life in the States, playing with a new team, playing in a new league. It’s like expecting Joe Mauer would suddenly become an even better player because he signed a huge contract at age 27. Expectations based on contract are hardly ever fair. The Twins Low-Balled Park That was the first reaction of some Twins fans. It was also the reaction of many in Korea who thought he would make more coming to MLB. That showed in yesterday’s press conference when two members of Korean media started with questions about the contract. The reality is that the Twins worked within the current rules set up for players who are posted from Korea. Even Park’s agent, Alan Nero from Octagon, said that they played by the rules. He was a better player than Jung Ho Kang who signed a year earlier after putting up great numbers in Korea, and he got a little bit more than him. Was the contract fair? That could be debated. Is any contract fair when one party is negotiating solely with one other party? But that’s not the Twins fault. If anything is to blame, blame the system. We Have a Good Idea of How Productive Park Will Be Like any player, or especially any free agent, we have no idea how productive Byung Ho Park will be for the Twins in 2016 and beyond. Can we compare his stats in the KBO to the stats of Jung Ho Kang’s numbers in the KBO and then consider Kang’s number in MLB last year and assume that Park’s will be a little better than that? Sure, we can do that. Does it mean anything? Maybe, but probably not. Park could come in and put up the types of numbers that Jose Abreu did in his rookie season for the White Sox two years ago. He could run away with rookie of the year votes. He could become a fixture in the middle of a strong Twins lineup. Who knows? He could hit 40 home runs every year. Or, he could hit .185, strike out 210 times a year, and really struggle in the adjustment. I hope people are already over the misconception that we can compare Park coming to the Twins with Tsuyoshi Nishioka coming to the Twins half a decade ago. However, it is fair to say that Nishioka’s resume in Japan (in the NPB which is generally considered a better, more talented league than the KBO) was almost as impressive as Park’s in Korea. Nishioka was an All-Star, a batting champ, a gold glove winner. He had a ton of accolades. Park has been an MVP, a gold glove winner, a home run champion and more. I think this signing will be great, but clearly, time will tell. The Twins Have To Trade Trevor Plouffe Terry Ryan surprised several people yesterday at the news conference when he flatly said that he would keep the rest of the lineup intact. He said Plouffe would be his third baseman, and Miguel Sano would move to the outfield. Most have been working under an assumption that the Twins would deal Plouffe for pitching (or other talent) and clear the way for Miguel Sano to play third base. There is this thought that Miguel Sano can’t play in the outfield. He’s too big. Not fast enough. Hasn’t played the position in his life. Of those three things, only the last one is probably true. Yes, he weighed in at 268 pounds at the end of the season. Yes, that is a number that he and the Twins will need to watch closely as he moves forward. It’s likely a weight that will hold him back as he ages. But for 2016, he is a great athlete. He can get going. There are many slower outfielders out there. I mean, Oswaldo Arcia and Josh Willingham come to mind. Michael Cuddyer was not any faster than Miguel Sano is, and he was able to handle right field. The phrase “once he gets going” would likely be uttered a lot. His size isn’t the concern at this time. The fact that he hasn’t played in the outfield is a concern, but that is a concern whether he weighs 268 or 208. It will be an adjustment. He is talented and knows the game enough to catch fly balls. That’s the easy part of the position. But positioning, playing the ball off the wall, knowing where to throw, hitting the cut-off man, adjusting for slices, playing the ball hit directly over your head. Those are not easy. However, there have been a lot of infielders that have moved out to the outfield. Chipper Jones moved from third base to left field. Miguel Cabrera came up for the Marlins as a 20 year old in 2013 and played left field, a position he hadn’t played before on a World Series champion team. Last year, the Cubs played Kris Bryant in the outfield in 16 games, and Kyle Schwarber was an outfielder in the playoffs. These guys weren’t great (or even good) outfielders defensively, but it does show that winning teams can make these types of decisions. The best example, from a positive perspective, might be the Royals Alex Gordon. He was a questionable third baseman who was pushed to left field and has become a multiple Gold Glove winner. The idea of a Rosario, Buxton, Hicks outfield was very exciting for Twins fans (and Twins pitchers), but it's likely that two very good outfielders will be in the outfield. Ryan also said that the offense was a problem in 2015, and I think we would all agree, so trading Plouffe isn’t a great plan. I think we can all agree with that. The team does need to score runs and having Plouffe and Sano in a lineup gives it a better chance to do so. Plouffe Won’t Be Traded I have to add this one as well. While I believe that the Twins won’t be actively looking to deal Trevor Plouffe during the Winter Meetings next week, I don’t believe that they won’t listen to anyone who is interested. If a great package of players that can help the Twins win in 2016 and beyond is offered, it could happen. Terry Ryan shouldn’t trade Trevor Plouffe just to make room at third base for Miguel Sano. However, if he gets an offer that he can’t refuse, well, he shouldn’t refuse it. Some have even said that because of the contract that Park signed, and the fact that it was less than assumed, the Twins no longer have to trade Plouffe. The Park and Plouffe contracts are not restraining the Twins if they’re both around. They can still go out and sign a reliever or two and address other needs with both on the roster. The idea of trading Plouffe is about opening up third base for Sano and adding arms, not about money. The Winter Meetings should be interesting for Twins fans. How will it all play out? Well, I guess we’ll find out. Click here to view the article

I think the second point of the article is to say that things are changing, and that's a good thing. There have been changes in recent years that hopefully will help this situation continue to improve.

Yes... the TV feed would do little to help them mechanically. They have video from the dugout areas usually.

This is awesome!! As I was reading that, I kept thinking of names... The whole "pitch to contact" philosophy seemed to come out of the success of Brad Radke, who was tremendous during his career by simply throwing a lot of strikes and a great changeup. So, Rick Anderson and the organization's philosophy on pitching seemed to be based on that success story, rather than saying "that's what worked for him, but it may not work for Pitcher X or Pitcher Y." You look at Paul Molitor, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. They all have very quiet swings, and found a ton of success. But it can't be cookie cutter. I get that those are good guys to emulate and pattern yourself after, but only if it works. Cuddyer kind of took off when he added the leg kick. One of the best ever, Kirby Puckett, took off with the leg kick. Cookie-cutter is never good.

It was an e-mail Q&A, and he does speak English. I wouldn't ask him to do an interview via e-mail in his second language. In person, sure. LA Sports Management represents Rosario... and several other Twins minor leaguers. They helped facilitate the request (and maybe future requests...).

Correct on all counts... And I consider Japan the superior of the two leagues, though that gap may be getting smaller too.

Beresford is a minor league free agent again.

The Twins have reached agreement on a contract with Korean 1B/DH Byung Ho Park, according to multiple sources. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the deal and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports followed up with the specifics: four years, $12 million. The contract also includes a $6.5 million team option for 2020.If you're surprised by how low that number is, you're not alone. Five years ago, the Twins signed Tsuyoshi Nishioka to a similar three-year, $9.25 million deal despite his being a far less accomplished player in Japan. Last year, the Pirates signed fellow Korean Jung Ho Kang to a four-year deal worth $11 million, so Park's commitment is only a shade bigger even though Kang paved the way with a highly successful rookie year in Pittsburgh. Of course, the Twins also will pay a $12.85 million posting fee to Nexen, Park's club in Korea, so the total investment here is more substantial than either of the aforementioned examples (Nishioka's posting fee was $5.3 million, Kang's was $5 million). Still, if Park's production translates to the major leagues as the Twins are hoping, he could prove to be a tremendous value. Park is 29, so this contract will lock him up through through his age 32 season. With the big power bat now officially locked in, the Twins will turn their attention to other matters, including a potential Trevor Plouffe trade that would open up third base for Miguel Sano. The Winter Meetings get underway in Nashville next Monday. UPDATE: Here are the specifics of the deal: 2016: $2.75M 2017: $2.75M 2018: $3.00M 2019: $3.00M 2010: Club option for $6.5M with a $0.5M buyout. Max Deal would be 5 years, $18M. Click here to view the article

Stuff-wise, I think it's a good, fair comp. Of course, comps are always with really good players, so they're probably not really all that fair in the big picture, but that is the type of upside he has.

I will agree with this. I don't like any of the three-year reliever types. I just don't think they make any sense. If Fien is healthy and popping 93-94 like he was when he was on, that's a very solid 7th inning guy in front of Perkins, Jepsen and probably May.

I think you go year-to-year with Escobar for at least another year. See where he is after a year as the guy at shortstop. See where Engelb Vielma is at the end of 2016. See where Nick Gordon is. I do think that Escobar is a decent extension consideration. If the dollars are low enough so that you feel like if he is "just the utility guy" he isn't way overpaid. But I think Escobar is a guy that they will and should want to keep around for awhile.

By Wednesday night at 11:00 p.m., the Twins – and every other MLB organization – will need to decide whether or not to offer arbitration to their eligible players. The Twins have six players who are eligible for arbitration. Some of the decisions are easy. Some may not be quite so straightforward. Players with three years of MLB service time, but less than six years of MLB service time, are eligible for arbitration. There are also Super-2 arbitration players with nearly three years of service time. Teams can either tender them a contract for 2016, or decline to offer them arbitration, making them a free agent before next week’s Winter Meetings.Below, we’ll take a look at the six arbitration-eligible Twins players and discuss the options. In the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook, we went more in-depth on these players, so pick up a copy for yourelf today. TREVOR PLOUFFE The Twins third baseman had the best season of his career in 2015 when he hit .244/.307/.435 with 22 homers and 86 RBI. It was his best, most consistent season of his career. He also was healthy for the first time throughout the season. And, his defense continues to get stronger. The 29-year-old made $4.8 million in 2015 and is in line for a big raise in 2016. Will he remain with the Twins? We shall see. But he has earned the contract and tendering him a contract won't affect his trade value at all. Arbitration Projections: Twins Daily: $8.0M MLB Trade Rumors: $7.7M Percent Chance Twins Will Offer Arbitration: 100% KEVIN JEPSEN Kevin Jepsen has been a solid, unspectacular, middle reliever since debuting in the big leagues in September of 2008. In 2014 for the Angels, he posted a 2.63 ERA in 74 games (65 innings). He pitched in 46 game for the Rays to start the 2015 season, posting a 2.81 ERA, before being traded to the Twins at the July trade deadline. In 29 games for the Twins, he posted a 1.61 ERA. In 28 innings, he gave up 18 hits, walked seven and struck out 25. He stepped up when Glen Perkins was hurt and recorded 10 saves. After making $3.0 million in 2015, he will get a significant raise for 2016, even more thanks to the saves. He is also a possible candidate for a multi-year contract. Arbitration Projections: Twins Daily: $6.0M MLB Trade Rumors: $6.0M Percent Chance Twins Will Offer Arbitration: 100% TOMMY MILONE Milone came to the Twins late in the 2014 season and was hurt. In the offseason, he had a benign tumor removed from his neck. Fully healthy in 2015, he pitched pretty well, posting a 3.92 ERA over 128.2 innings in the big leagues. That said, he also spent a month in Rochester where he was unhittable. The 28-year-old made about $2.8 million in 2014 and will be in line for a raise. Like Plouffe, Milone is a guy who could be traded this offseason. Arbitration Projections: Twins Daily: $5.5M MLB Trade Rumors: $4.5M Percent Chance Twins Will Offer Arbitration: 90% CASEY FIEN To look at Fien’s 2015 numbers, you could say that it was pretty well in line with his 2013 and 2014 seasons when he was a solid seventh and eighth inning guy for the Twins. However, in 2015, he fought shoulder injuries throughout the season and his performance was quite inconsistent. The 32-year-old came to the Twins on a minor league deal before the 2012 season. His walk rate has decreased each year, but his strikeout rate has dropped from 10.6 to 7.2 to 5.8 over the last three seasons. Some of that can be attributed to the injuries. If healthy, Fien is a solid seventh inning guy. Arbitration Projections: Twins Daily: $2.5M MLB Trade Rumors: $2.2M Percent Chance Twins Will Offer Arbitration: 51% EDUARDO ESCOBAR Escobar came to the Twins in a July 2012 trade from the White Sox (for Francisco Liriano). He was already with the White Sox as a utility man at age 23. That is something he has since had to overcome. In 2014, he became the starter after Pedro Florimon struggled for six weeks. He responded to playing every day by hitting .275/.315/.406 (.721). Last year, the Twins chose to give the shortstop job to Danny Santana and stick with him. Escobar played all around the diamond, as a utility man, until around the All-Star game. One he took over the job, he was one of baseball’s best shortstops. Overall, he hit .262/.309/.445 (.754) with 31 doubles, four triples and 12 homers while playing solid defense. Escobar should be handed the Twins shortstop job in 2016 and let him run with it. This is his first year of arbitration. Arbitration Projections: Twins Daily: $2.5M MLB Trade Rumors: $1.8M Percent Chance Twins Will Offer Arbitration: 100% EDUARDO NUNEZ The Twins acquired Nunez from the Yankees before the 2014 season in exchange for LHP Miguel Sulburan. He hit .250 with a .654 OPS in 2014. The Twins offered him arbitration and they agreed at just over $1 million. Nunez played in just 72 games but played well in a utility role. He hit .282/.327/.431 (.758) with four homers. He also played around the diamond and pinch hit. With Escobar the likely starter, and Danny Santana being out of options, Nunez would be a 2nd utility infielder which makes this decision a little bit more difficult. Arbitration Projections: Twins Daily: $2.0M MLB Trade Rumors: $1.8M Percent Chance Twins Will Offer Arbitration: 60% So, if you’re the GM of the Twins, what do you do? Which players do you offer arbitration and which do you non-tender? And, more important, why? Click here to view the article

Last week, the Twins announced seven new additions to their 40-man roster. There were some predictable names announced, but there were a couple of surprises. Arguably the player added who was least-known was left-hander Randy Rosario. Today, we get a chance to learn a little more about him in the following Q&A. The 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic signed with the Twins in 2010. He worked his way up the system. He began the 2014 season in Cedar Rapids, but after just three games, he hurt his elbow and needed the Tommy John surgery. He missed the rest of the 2014 season. He rehabbed and returned to the mound for the Kernels in early July. We would like to thank Randy Rosario for taking time to respond to our questions. We would also like to thank his agency, LA Sports Management, for helping to facilitate the interview and for translating. You can follow them on Twitter (@LASportsMgmt) for news on Randy Rosario and many other Twins prospects. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up, who were some of your role models in the game of baseball? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Siempre quise ser como David Ortiz porque yo soy zurdo también. Randy Rosario (English): I always wanted to be like David Ortiz because I'm a lefty too. SS: Tell me a little bit about your youth baseball in the Dominican Republic. Did you play Little League? Did you play other positions besides pitcher? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Yo comencé como todos los dominicanos jugando en la calle y una vez un señor me vio y me invitó al play y después comencé a jugar pelota. Y jugué outfield primero. Randy Rosario (English): I began like every Dominican, playing in the streets, and one time a man saw me and invited me to play in his field and from then on I started playing a lot of baseball! I played outfield first. SS: When did you start hearing from professional, MLB teams and what was it that caused you to decide to sign with the Twins? Randy Rosario (Spanish): La primera vez que comencé a escuchar sobre eso fue cuando Boston contrató a un pitcher asiático y ahí decidí que quería jugar como profesional algún dia. Randy Rosario (English): The first time I started hearing about that was when Boston signed an Asian pitcher, and from there, I decided that I wanted to play professionally one day. SS: What was the adjustment like for you when you moved from the Dominican to Ft. Myers? What were the biggest challenges? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Solo tuve inconvenientes con la comida y el idioma. Me sentí frustrado cuando llegue allí sin saber demasiado, por eso le dediqué tiempo y aprendí. Randy Rosario (English): I mainly had issues with the food and the language. It was frustrating when I arrived without knowing enough and that's why I dedicated the time and learned. SS: How frustrated were you when you had the elbow injury and had to miss time? What was the rehab like? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Pensé que mi carrera se había terminado y que nunca más iba a volver a lanzar Randy Rosario (English): I thought that my career was over and that I was never going to pitch again. SS: What was the highlight of your 2015 season? What did it mean to get back on the mound in Cedar Rapids this year? Randy Rosario (Spanish): ¡Fue maravilloso después de mi primera salida porque todos me felicitaron por haber regresado!! Y me sentí muy bien en el montículo después de haber estado afuera durante todo el año 2014. Randy Rosario (English): It was great after my first outing because everyone congratulated me for coming back! I felt very good on the mound especially after being out all of 2014. SS: What type of pitcher do you think you are and can be? What were your keys to your success on the mound? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Creo que puedo ser como Francisco Liriano. Por lo menos eso es lo que dicen muchos managers y entrenadores de las ligas menores cuando me ven lanzando. Tengo la esperanza de ser tan bueno o quizá mejor si me esmero. Randy Rosario (English): I think I can be like Francisco Liriano, at least that's what many coaches and managers tell me in the minor leagues once they see me pitch. I hope to be as good or hopefully even better with hard work. SS: How did you find out about making the 40-man roster and what does that mean to you? Randy Rosario (Spanish): ¡No recuerdo exactamente, pero cuando me dijeron que estaba en el róster de los 40, me sentí muy emocionado y me sentí muy bien!! Y para mí al igual que para todo jugador de Liga Menor, ese es uno de los sueños que quieres lograr y gracias a Dios estoy ahí ahora. Randy Rosario (English): I can't recall but when they told me I felt very emotional and I felt really good! And for me and for every minor leaguer, that is one of your dreams you want to achieve and thank God that's where I am now. SS: Are there certain areas of your game or preparation that you’d like to focus on during this offseason, looking to 2016? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Sí, tengo a mi entrenador aquí y siempre estoy hablando con él sobre prepararme para la temporada que viene y ya comenzamos a trabajar para estar listos para eso. Randy Rosario (English): Yes, I have my trainer here and I'm always talking with him about being ready for the season, and we have been working to be ready for that. SS: What are some of your goals for the 2016 season? Are there certain statistics that you will focus on? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Mi primera meta es mantenerme sano y mantenerme lo más fuerte que sea posible. Quiero tirar más de 100 inings este año. ¡Esa es otra meta! Randy Rosario (English): My first goal is to remain healthy and be as strong as I can be. I want to throw more than 100 innings this year. That is another goal! 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? Randy Rosario (Spanish): ¡Ese es el sueño de mi familia y el mío!! Estar allí y que todos ellos puedan verme por televisión. Randy Rosario (English): That is the dream of my family and mine! Being there and for everyone to be able to see me on TV. SS: Away from baseball, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? Randy Rosario (Spanish): Me gusta mucho jugar al playstation, siempre hago eso cuando tengo tiempo libre. Randy Rosario (English): I love playing PlayStation, I always do that when I have free time. We would like to thank Randy Rosario for taking time to respond to our questions. Click here to view the article

Are you on twitter, facebook, instagram or periscope? Those pictures are all over the place.

2015 was a big year for JO Berrios. He was the Twins Daily (and the Twins) Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. However, like so many members of the Twins organization, Berrios also does a lot off the field to contribute to his community. He has organized a pretty neat event in his hometown of Bayamon, in Puerto Rico, for December.Last month on social media, Berrios sent out a challenge to fellow young Puerto Ricans Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez. The two young future stars accepted the challenge. On December 12th and 13th, there will be clinics for teenagers between 14 and 16 years old. On December 19th and 20th, there will be a series of games. According to Berrios, "The idea came out during a training session with my staff, brainstorming about what can we do to help keep teenagers away from the streets." Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor recently finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting (behind fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Correa). He has a tremendous combination of great defense and offense. Javier Baez debuted with the Cubs in 2014 and came up late in the 2015 season again. When Addison Russell was hurt in the playoffs, Baez was thrown into the spotlight and into the lineup. Berrios said the trio has been close for a long time. “We played Little League since (we were) 5 to 6 years old. We are friends. We are family.” Berrios feels that it is important to use his celebrity to help others is important. He takes his role as a role model seriously, as seriously as his offseason workouts. He wanted to do something to help others. “Not only being role models, but we want to be able to help those in need.” Berrios set up a Go Fund Me account today and hopes to generate $30,000 for Fundacion Lake Makina. Asked what his foundation would use any raised money for, he said there were three things at this time. “The money will be distributed as follows: 1.) Hogar Foriadores de Esperanza, 2.) The Spina Bifida Association, and 3.) the Luis Rodriguez Olmo family. Luis was a famous catcher. He is now diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his family has made public their financial situation in order to take care of him. We want to help them. And any special case we understand needs help, we will do our best.” The Hogar Foriadores de Esperanza is “a homeless kids home” in Bayamon. Spina Bifida I the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. It happens when a baby is in the womb and the spinal column does not close all the way. Every day, about eight babies born in the United States have Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. It is a defect that is very personal to Javier Baez. In April, his 21-year-old sister Noely, passed away from Spina Bifida. Twins fans are very excited to see Berrios reach the big leagues. Most fans wanted to see him late in the 2015 season, but they will have to wait until 2016. Berrios said, “2016 will be my year.” But it is impressive that a 21-year-old with so much in front of him is willing to take a step back in an effort to help those less fortunate. “I’m praying to God to be able to help more kids through the years. That is one of my fuels to keep pushing the game. In the future, (I want to) do something in Minnesota too, with my teammates,” Berrios continued, “In addition to pursuing a World Series championship.” Again, if you are interested and able to contribute, you can go to the Go Fund Me account here. Click here to view the article