Seth Stohs

Sawyer Gipson-Long was the Twins sixth-round draft pick in 2019 out of Mercer. He rose through the Twins organizational ladder until the trade deadline in 2022 when he was traded to the Tigers for reliever Michael Fulmer. This September, he received his first call to the big leagues and was fantastic in his debut and his first month in the big leagues. Find out more about his fun story, his call up, his stuff and his debut, but also how he continues to keep close tabs on many other Twins 2019 draft picks, like Louie Varland and Brent Headrick and others. View full video

Last in December, Baseball America was handing out its final awards of the year. One of those awards was minor-league manager of the year, and Cedar Rapids Kernels' Brian Dinkelman earned the honor. Look back at his story, from his playing days to his coaching and managerial career. And hear from several member of the 2023 Midwest League championship about what makes "Dink" such an admired coach. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr (photo of Brian Dinkelman talking hitting with then-prospect Royce Lewis in 2018) Recently, Baseball America named Cedar Rapids Kernels manager Brian Dinkelman the 2023 Minor League Manager of the Year. I caught up with several of his players about what it was like to play for him. The Minnesota Twins moved their Low-A Midwest League affiliate from Beloit, Wisconsin, to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before the 2013 season. That first season, the Kernels roster included the likes of Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Jose Berrios, Max Kepler, Tyler Duffey, and several other future big leaguers. Adam Brett Walker was the league’s leader in home runs and RBI and the league's MVP. That team made the Midwest League playoffs. Every season since then, the Kernels have made the playoffs. The only year they haven’t made the playoffs was 2020, when there was no minor-league season. Since 2021, the Midwest League has jumped up to a High-A league. It was a special season in Cedar Rapids in 2023. In my mind, expectations were low for this team. Their roster consisted of a lot of very talented but very young and inexperienced prospects. The pitching staff started with some 2021 draft picks but, by season’s end, was filled with starting pitchers finishing up their first full seasons. On paper, I thought this was a good year for prospects in Cedar Rapids, but it likely wouldn’t be a winning team. But, they don’t play the games on paper. They play the games on milb.tv. In the first half, the Kernels went 40-26 and won the Midwest League West division by seven games. That clinched another playoff spot for the Kernels. Then, in the second half, the Kernels were even better. They went 42-24 and led the division by six games. They had a +126 run differential overall and an 82-50 record, which was 13 games better than anyone else in their division. In the playoffs, the Kernels topped Peoria in three games. In the finals, they topped Great Lakes in three games to win their first Midwest League championship since 1994. Brian Dinkelman was not a highly-touted prospect coming out of Centralia (IL) High School. He made the 43-mile drive west to Lebanon (IL), home of McKendree University. Just east of St. Louis, the population of Lebanon is just over 4,000 people. McKendree is an NAIA baseball program. (Time Out for some Trivia: When Brian Dinkelman debuted in the big leagues, he became just the second player from Centralia High School and the second player from McKendree University to play in the big leagues. Both of the other players have ties to the Minnesota Twins. Who is the other former big leaguer from Centralia HS and McKendree U? Answers at the end of this article.) Over his four college seasons, “Dink” broke just about every McKendree hitting record. He led the team to four straight conference tournament championships. One could argue that he is among the best players ever to play NAIA baseball. When he graduated, he held NAIA records with 373 hits, 96 doubles, 303 runs scored, 670 total bases and 679 fielding assists. He was an NAIA All-American three times, including first-team twice. He was the conference Player of the Year three times after he was named the Freshman of the Year in his first season. He was inducted into the McKendree Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2006, the Twins selected Dinkelman with their eighth-round pick. He gradually, maybe even slowly, worked his way up the Twins organizational ladder. He was willing to play anywhere, learning the outfield (and becoming solid defensively). He was a solid all-around, line-drive hitter. He was a Harmon Killebrew Award winner for community service once. Finally, in June 2011, Dinkelman got The Call to the big leagues. Trevor Plouffe was optioned, and the Twins selected Dinkelman's contract. He made his big-league debut on June 4th in Kansas City against the Royals. What an interesting debut. Dinkelman reached by being hit by a pitch, walking, and with a single. Approximately two weeks later, he was returned to Rochester when Joe Mauer came off the 60-Day IL. In September, he returned to the Twins roster for the season's final month and played almost daily. He had three hits against the White Sox in his first game back. From September 17-21, he had a five-game hitting streak. He had three hits, four hits, two hits, one hit, and then two hits in those games. Overall, he had 78 plate appearances over 23 games. He hit .301 with a double. He stole two bases. He played 11 games at second base and five in each corner outfield spot. He was outrighted after the season and quickly re-signed with the Twins. He spent two more seasons with the Red Wings but never reached the big leagues again. After a year back in Centralia, the Twins contacted Dinkelman about coaching. He was interested and joined the organization as a hitting coach in the GCL. In 2016, he joined the Kernels as a hitting coach under Jake Mauer, Toby Gardenhire, and Tommy Watkins. In 2019, he became the Kernels manager and has a 300-223 record over those four seasons. He committed to the area when he joined the Kernels in Cedar Rapids as a coach in 2016. He and his wife moved to Cedar Rapids and live there year-round. He is active with the organization, community, fans, and front office. He knows how to coach, manage, and lead baseball players and young men. And most of the young players he interacts with have grown to appreciate him. Here are some thoughts from some 2023 Kernels in their own words: RHP Malik Barrington “Brian is one of the best managers I’ve played for. I think it comes from his time as a player. He understands us as professionals, what we need, and how to communicate with us, whether just joking with us daily or breaking down the fundamentals of the game. As a pitcher, I didn’t get “coached” by him a lot because we have pitching coaches, but to see him day in and day out work with and develop the infield guys, whether in BP or early work. He’s able to relate to the guys and makes it a fun atmosphere and team to be on.” Barrington recounted one day in particular. “I got to the field super early, and I was bored. So, as any pitcher would do, I hopped in the batting cage for some swings. As I’m in there by myself, Brian comes in. I’m expecting to get scolded for being in there, but instead, he hops in after me and starts to take some swings himself, and it just becomes a game. That’s the type of manager he is - just fun to be around and always welcomes anyone in.” LHP Jaylen Nowlin: “What makes Dink such a great manager, in my opinion, is his experience as a former player. He really understands how the game has its highs and lows. There was a time we went on a losing streak, and instead of telling us everything we needed to do better, he just reminded us that things like that would happen. So keep playing your game.” RHP Mike Paredes “What makes Dink such a good manager is his ability to keep the clubhouse relaxed and motivated. With his personal playing experience in both the minor and major leagues, you can tell he knows how to build strong team chemistry throughout an entire season.” He added, “Playing for Dink is a privilege. He’s one of my favorite managers to play for, and he truly understands what it takes to push through the hard times and to stay motivated through the good times.” LHP Christian MacLeod “Playing for Brian this past year in Cedar Rapids was a blast. He was fun to be around and always kept things loose, but he also had high expectations for the guys to work hard and play hard. Having Brian as the manager and an awesome group of guys in the locker room made the 2023 season one of the most fun years of baseball I’ve had.” RHP Regi Grace “What makes him a good manager is that he has already experienced what it’s like to be between the white lines. He knows the day-to-day frustrations and mindset it takes to prepare for baseball games.” He added, “We were at batting practice once, and I had a hat backward. All he did was whistle, and I know what that meant - turn my hat around. There’s power in people that don’t have to speak much.” RHP Kyle Jones “I really respected how he was the same guy every day regardless of how the team was playing or what happened the night before. One thing I will say is that I was with the Kernels since opening day, and I can't remember anyone on the team ever having an issue with anything he did or how he ran the team. Spending a whole season with a manager like that made the season much better and probably contributed a lot to our success this season. OF Kala’i Rosario “Brian’s got a good feel for the players, and he knows the game well, so it makes it easy for us to trust him and follow his lead. We started the year a little slow, but Dink always said we just had to get through April, and we’ll be fine. Right after that month, we took off and never looked back. (It was) Very easy to play for him. We know that he trusted us and that we would do our job, so it made the game a lot easier knowing that we all had that confidence in one another.” The 2023 Midwest League MVP continued, “I’ve got lots of respect for Dink. He’s got a lot of experience in the game, and we know he knows how to get us to the next level. Always a good vibe with him, and I believe it’s what made our team chemistry elite.” OF Willie Joe Garry “He’s a Skip who I really enjoyed playing for because we shared the same position. I valued his thoughts on the outfield positions. He’s a hustle-first type of coach, and his pushing on me helped my game in so many ways. For example, we were in a game, and I hit a single the other way on my first at-bat. I made it to first but didn’t get out of the box hard, so there wasn’t even an idea of going to second for the hustle double. I ended up at third, and he got on me for not getting out of the box hard because 'there’s a chance the left fielder bobbles the ball, and we can snag second.' Well, fast-forward to my very next at-bat. I hit the ball in the same spot and busted it out of the box. Of course, the left fielder bobbled the ball, and I got to second base easily. I looked at him and just laughed. It’s the small things like that that I feel add up and help players progress to the next level. Just another reason he’s so admired by players and coaches.” C Noah Cardenas “Dink has been one of my favorite coaches since I’ve been in pro ball. His ability to feel out situations and keep up with the players is great. What makes him such a good manager was that he brought a great attitude and personality to the field every day.” C Andrew Cossetti “There is nobody more deserving than Dink for that award. He is the ultimate players' coach. He can joke around with you and have fun but also put his arm around you and tell you what needs to be done. I think being a former big leaguer helps. Having the experience helps him to understand what players want in a manager. He’s a guy I can go up to and ask for advice on anything because I know he’s been there before. He has his players’ backs, and we all had his. I’d run through a wall for Dink. He made me play the game harder, knowing I could get him the ring he deserved.” Congratulations to Brian Dinkelman on a well-deserved honor! Answers When Brian Dinkelman made his MLB debut, he became the second person from Centralia (IL) High School to play in the big leagues. The other? Twins Hall of Famer Gary Gaetti attended Centralia High School before going to Lake Land College and then Northwest Missouri State. He was the Twins first-round pick in the 1979 draft and played parts of 10 seasons with the Twins. He spent 20 total seasons in the big leagues. The two-time All-Star won four Gold Glove Awards in his time with the Twins and later won a Silver Slugger Award. When Brian Dinkelman made his MLB debut, he became the second person from McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, to play in the big leagues. The other? Infielder Jay Ward came to the Twins in a July 1962 trade with the Kansas City Athletics (for Bert Cueto). He played in nine games for the 1963 Twins and 12 games for the 1964 Twins.He hit a combined .174 in 21 games and 53 plate appearances. played for several other organizations and even in Japan before he made his return to the big leagues with six games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1970. View full article

The arrest wasn't good, but yes, he definitely was the brunt of jokes that were accepted at that time as OK... no longer.

The other thread one what you're watching is like 35 pages deep, so I thought it would be good to start a new one. What are you watching? What have you watched? What are your recommendations? I'm all over the place in what I enjoy watching. I've watched stuff from a variety of genres. I feel like I should start a blog on all the different stuff I've watched. Maybe that would make it worth all the hours I've binged shows. Ha!

I LOVE '80s music!! (and early '90s) I often point out that 1986 is the greatest year in music history... 1987 too... but I would guess that most people's favorite era is their age 10-12 range.

My favorite song from the '80s... Glenn Medeiros ... Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You... I liked it because he was only a couple of years older than me, but he was able to hit low and high notes and transition so well. Of course, if you're on Tik Tok, you may follow his daughter, Lyric. She was also on American Idol. She's usually on with her mom, but her dad is now on quite a bit. He's something like a principal at a school in Hawaii now.

One of my favorite '80s singers, 20ish years later, and I think this appearance is fun. Billy Ocean... Suddenly... Love this song!

I've posted this a few other places... Lionel Richie's "Hello"... Great Song!! Incredibly Creepy Video!!

I enjoy lists like this, especially for those who play fantasy baseball. I am in one keeper league with a 29-man roster and a 30-man minor league roster. Definitely interesting. Dynasty is a keeper league in which once you have a player on your roster, you have that player until you make the decision to let them go. You could draft Justin Verlander and have him for 1 or 2 years, or you could draft Jackson Chourio and have him on your roster for the next 20 years. With that background, Baseball America is in the middle of a series in which they have been ranking the top 50 players by position in terms of their value in a dynasty league today... (please click on the link for much more... but discuss here). Here are Twins, AL Central players, and whoever is #1... I'll split these up by position so that we can get into more depth on the individuals. Third Base: #1: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles #4: Jose Ramirez, Guardians #6: Royce Lewis, Twins #14: Colt Keith, Tigers #26: Maikel Garcia, Royals #27: Bryan Ramos, White Sox #28: Michael Busch, Dodgers (Minnesotan) #30: Justyn Henry-Malloy, Tigers #41: Nick Loftin, Royals #43: Yoan Moncada, White Sox #44: Deyvison De Los Santos, Guardians #45: Mac Horvath, Orioles (Minnesotan) Good to see Royce Lewis up so high on the list. Yeah, I do think he could be a little higher, but this is a good spot, just ahead of Manny Machado. Fun seeing a couple of Minnesotans on the list too. Share your thoughts.

I enjoy lists like this, especially for those who play fantasy baseball. I am in one keeper league with a 29-man roster and a 30-man minor league roster. Definitely interesting. Dynasty is a keeper league in which once you have a player on your roster, you have that player until you make the decision to let them go. You could draft Justin Verlander and have him for 1 or 2 years, or you could draft Jackson Chourio and have him on your roster for the next 20 years. With that background, Baseball America is in the middle of a series in which they have been ranking the top 50 players by position in terms of their value in a dynasty league today... (please click on the link for much more... but discuss here). Here are Twins, AL Central players, and whoever is #1... I'll split these up by position so that we can get into more depth on the individuals. Second Base: #1: Mookie Betts, Dodgers #11: Andres Gimenez, Guardians #14: Edouard Julien, Twins #15: Luis Arraez, Marlins #29: Jace Jung, Tigers, #31: Jorge Polanco, Twins #39: Juan Brito, Guardians #44: Austin Martin, Twins #50: Michael Massey, Royals Betts is moving to 2B for the Dodgers. He's played there quite a bit and that's where he was originally playing as a pro. I'm biased, but I feel that Julien could be a little higher because he's so young and his on-base/power combo. Interesting to see him and Luis Arraez back-to-back. Age and injury likely have Polanco down the list. Question marks and opportunity might have Martin where he is at, but it'll be good to see him debut soon. What are your thoughts?

I enjoy lists like this, especially for those who play fantasy baseball. I am in one keeper league with a 29-man roster and a 30-man minor league roster. Definitely interesting. Dynasty is a keeper league in which once you have a player on your roster, you have that player until you make the decision to let them go. You could draft Justin Verlander and have him for 1 or 2 years, or you could draft Jackson Chourio and have him on your roster for the next 20 years. With that background, Baseball America is in the middle of a series in which they have been ranking the top 50 players by position in terms of their value in a dynasty league today... (please click on the link for much more... but discuss here). Here are Twins, AL Central players, and whoever is #1... I'll split these up by position so that we can get into more depth on the individuals. First Base: #1: Matt Olson, Braves #7: Spencer Torkelson, Tigers #9: Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals #10: Josh Naylor, Guardians #13: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Reds #16: Spencer Steer, Reds #17: Kyle Manzardo, Guardians #18: Andrew Vaughn, White Sox #21: Alex Kirilloff, Twins #24: Michael Busch, Dodgers (Minnesotan) #41: Luke Raley, Rays #44: LaMonte Wade, Giants Injuries are part of the game, and I believe that if Alex Kirilloff was able to stay healthy, he'd be the top 1B in the AL Central. But the reality is that he hasn't stayed healthy. It is interesting to see both CES and Steer on the list, especially when seeing that they have Jeimer Candelario ranked 25th on this list. What are your thoughts?

I enjoy lists like this, especially for those who play fantasy baseball. I am in one keeper league with a 29-man roster and a 30-man minor league roster. Definitely interesting. Dynasty is a keeper league in which once you have a player on your roster, you have that player until you make the decision to let them go. You could draft Justin Verlander and have him for 1 or 2 years, or you could draft Jackson Chourio and have him on your roster for the next 20 years. With that background, Baseball America is in the middle of a series in which they have been ranking the top 50 players by position in terms of their value in a dynasty league today... (please click on the link for much more... but discuss here). Here are Twins, AL Central players, and whoever is #1... I'll split these up by position so that we can get into more depth on the individuals. Catchers: #1: Adley Rutschman, Orioles #8: Bo Naylor, Guardians #19: Salvador Perez, Royals #20: MJ Melendez, Royals #23: Mitch Garver, Mariners #25: Ryan Jeffers, Twins #36: Edgar Quero, White Sox #46: Dillon Dingler, Tigers #47: Jair Camargo, Twins Personal Opinion... Ryan Jeffers is way too low... With his relative youth (26) and the production he had offensively in 2023, I think he could be up another 10 spots. Fun to see Camargo here. No Christian Vazquez, obviously. What do you think?

We have reached the final day of 2023, and we have also reached the Top 5 most-viewed articles at Twins Daily in 2023. This is a different, unique group of articles. Some certainly make sense to rank where they do. Others? Maybe not. Enjoy! Comment! And then have yourself a very Happy New Year! Image courtesy of Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports We have a repeat at #1 on this year's list. That is to say that the author of the #1 most-viewed Twins Daily article of 2023 also had the most-viewed article of 2022. And while he didn't have any others that ranked in the Top 25, it probably won't surprise you who that author is. It's been fun looking back at 2023 through these articles. It's been fun remembering the highs of the season and the playoffs and some of the transactions. It's been OK to look back at some more difficult decisions before or even during the season that fortunately didn't keep the Twins from the playoffs. There are also some fun, random articles included that just remind us that baseball and baseball fans can enjoy the game differently, and that's OK. Happy New Year to our Twins Daily readers!! Best wishes for a very happy (and ideally prosperous) 2024 to you... and the Minnesota Twins! #5 Time for Twins to Address the Elephant in the Room by Theodore Tollefson May 18 Emilio Pagan struggled in 2022. In 59 games, he posted a 4.43 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. In 63 innings, he gave up 12 homers, often in the most inopportune of times. Frankly, he hadn’t been very good since his 2019 season with the Rays. But the Twins front office offered him arbitration and another opportunity in 2023, all because his “stuff” really does have something to it. In 2023, he gave up a single run in his first outing. Then on April 20th in Boston, he gave up six runs on eight hits in 1 2/3 innings. Then nothing but zeroes until mid-May when he gave up a run on May 15th and three runs on May 17th. At that time, his season ERA was 5.60 despite a FIP at 3.09. Some fans were ready to cut the proverbial Pagan cord. From this point forward, he pitched in 50 games and posted a 2.09 ERA. He was as reliable as any other Twins reliever the rest of the way. Then, when the season came to an end, he very quickly signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds. #4 Trading Gio was a Mistake by Cody Pirkl Feb 5 Like this offseason, the Twins offseason a year ago started fairly slowly. However, very early in the offseason, they traded Gio Urshela to the Angels for 19-year-old right-hander Alejandro Hidalgo who spent the 2023 season in Cedar Rapids. We spent the offseason assuming that Max Kepler would be traded at some point, especially after they signed Joey Gallo in mid-December. With reports that Kepler was unlikely to be traded (once the calendar turned to February), it was clear Gallo would likely get a lot of time at first base since there were still so many questions about Alex Kirilloff’s return. But at some point, Kirilloff was expected to come back. With the keys at third base being handed to Jose Miranda, Urshela could have been insurance at third base, a platoon option at first base, and get some time at DH and as a pinch hitter. Ultimately Miranda struggled and played hurt. Kirilloff had moments and got hurt. Joey Gallo struggled. Fortunately, the Twins had added the likes of Willi Castro and Donovan Solano and Kyle Farmer. Unfortunately, Urshela’s season came to an end late in June after 62 games due to a broken pelvis. #3 Does Either Former Twins Slugger Have Anything Left? by Ted Schwerzler Jan 21 Two big-time sluggers with very different public personas were still available in January last year. The Twins didn’t pick up the 2023 option on Miguel Sano’s contract, making him a free agent. In addition, Nelson Cruz made such a strong impact on the Twins and their fans that if he’s available, there will be some that want the Twins to sign him. Shortly before this article was published, Cruz signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the San Diego Padres. Miguel Sano ultimately didn’t play at all in 2023, not until winter ball. For Cruz, it sure looked like the end. After just 49 games, Cruz was released by the Padres and didn’t sign with another team. So, for the first time in a long time, it’s very possible that the free agent market for Miguel Sano might be higher than that of Nelson Cruz. #2 LOL Mets Owner Steve Cohen Gets Petty on Twitter about Carlos Correa by John Bonnes Jan 7 More from the Carlos Correa saga, but honestly, this may be just be the moment when Twins fans let themselves again open up their hearts and minds to the possibility of Correa and the Twins reuniting. After the Giants backed out on a deal with Carlos Correa, the Mets owner was very quick to announce an agreement between Correa and the Mets. But weeks later, the Mets were in process of backing out of the deal and at the same time renegotiating. When Cohen started “Liking” tweets of Mets fans saying they didn’t really care of Correa signed with the Mets, it was quite clear that there was an opening. #1 MLB Apologizes to Yankees by RandBalls Stu April 27 For the second straight year, the most-viewed article of the year was authored by the great RandBalls Stu! It happens most every season, but maybe more with the new schedule (teams play all teams every year). The Twins and Yankees played seven games in April of 2023, and none the rest of the season. The Twins won four of those seven games to take the season series. That is when RandBall Stu went to work on this article. As you would expect, it is hilarious. And, maybe it helps when the Bronx Bombers are on this side of satire, but it was an incredibly popular article. Who knows? Maybe because in the eyes of some Twins fans (or any non-Yankees fan), it doesn’t seem to be too far-fetched. What were your favorite stories of 2023 for the Twins? On the field? Off the field? Do certain articles pop into your head? We certainly hope that you have enjoyed looking back at the 25 most-viewed articles of 2023 at Twins Daily. If you missed any of the segments, click below. Part 1 (21-25) Part 2 (16-20) Part 3 (11-15) Part 4 (6-10) Part 5 (1-5) View full article

Today we jump into the Top 10 most-viewed articles of the year. It's always interesting to see which articles readers chose to click into more often. Image courtesy of Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports One thing I enjoy most about looking into which articles were most viewed over the past year is seeing which seemingly random articles were clicked into and read and discussed. This group has at least one of those topics. There's also an article in this grouping that probably represented how many Twins fans felt in July, but almost immediately, things turned around. Rumors tend to bring an audience as well. Such was the case when the calendar changed to 2023 and Carlos Correa was still available. That is also the cast as 2023 winds down with Jorge Polanco. Feel free to discuss the articles, how they played out and if your mind changed on any of these topics. #10 Jorge Polanco’s Twins Tenure is Approaching an End by Cody Christie Aug 18 Jorge Polanco has been one of the top Twins players for most of the past half-dozen seasons. A solid, consistent performer at the plate and in the field, the 30-year-old second baseman’s days in a Twins uniform may soon be coming to an end. That appeared true in mid-August when this article was written. He was again struggling with injury and Edouard Julien was playing very well (and Brooks Lee and Austin Martin being nearly ready). There was never any question that his option for 2024 would be picked up, but his name has been popular in offseason rumor circles. #9 Can Either Miguel Sano or Kennys Vargas Get Back to the Bigs? by Ted Schwerzler Feb 7 The last time that Kennys Vargas played in the big leagues was with the 2017 Minnesota Twins. Since then, he has played in Japan, Mexico and all around the Caribbean. He has played for three teams in Mexico during this calendar year and in 140 games, he has hit .292/.373/.504 (.877) with 34 doubles and 25 home runs. Sano had not played at all since his time with the Twins came to an end late in the 2022 season. He had a scout day in May in the Dominican but no one signed him. This winter, he is playing in the Dominican. The now-30-year-old looks slim and trim. Through 26 games for Estrellas, he was hitting .221/.340/.395 (.735) with nine doubles and two homers . #8 The Twins Need to Shake Things Up with Two Obvious Changes by Adam Friedman June 29 Adam suggested two moves for the Twins to make at the end of June. First, he wanted to swap Matt Wallner for Max Kepler. Second, he believed that the Twins top hitting coach, David Popkins, should be fired. The offense was striking out a ton, not hitting in the clutch, or showing any sort of situational awareness. When this article was written, Kepler was hitting .198/.271/.401 (.672). Over 75 more games, Kepler hit .301/.371/.538 (.909) with 17 doubles and 14 home runs. He went from a guy whose 2024 option would clearly not be picked up to a guy that not only had his option picked up, but he may be the top outfield trade target. In general, the entire Twins offense turned things around right about that time as well. They ended up with one of the top 6-10 offenses in the major leagues. #7 Did the Twins Lose the Jose Berrios Trade? by Ted Schwerzler July 5 The Twins traded Jose Berrios to the Toronto Blue Jays at the deadline in 2021. He ended that season going 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA. That offseason, he signed a seven-year, $131 million contract extension to stay in Toronto. While he went 12-7 in 2022, he had a 5.23 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP and no AL pitcher gave up more hits or earned runs. While his record in 2023 was 11-12, Berrios came back to form. He posted a 3.65 ERA with 184 strikeouts in 189 2/3 innings. He finally received a Gold Glove Award. At the time this article was written, Austin Martin was finishing up his rehab games after missing most of spring training and the first three months of the season with an elbow injury. Woods Richardson was 1-5 with a 7.46 ERA. From this point forward, Martin went to Triple-A and hit .264/.387/.405 with 11 doubles and six homers for the Saints. He also had 16 stolen bases. Simeon Woods Richardson made 12 more appearances and went 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA. Opponents hit just .196 off of the 23-year-old after that point. #6 Are the Twins Frontrunners for Carlos Correa? by Ted Schwerzler Jan 8 He had already agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with the Giants, but that fell through after his physical. Soon after, he agreed to a 12-year, $315 million deal with the Mets, but as you know, that fell through. So, in early January, the Twins and their fans rightfully felt that they had as good a chance as anyone at signing the star shortstop. Earlier in the offseason, the Twins had offered Correa 10 years and $285 million. For his part, Carlos Correa said all the right things about loving his time with the Twins. This was during a time in which there was seemingly new Correa news every day. Two days later, he was back, having signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins that included options that could push the deal to 10 years and $270 million. It may not have been as shocking as when the Twins signed him a year earlier. Tomorrow we will share the top five most-viewed articles of 2023 at Twins Daily. If you missed a previous day: Part 1 (21-25) Part 2 (16-20) Part 3 (11-15) Part 4 (6-10) Part 5 (1-5) - Coming Tomorrow! View full article

On Thursday, we learned of the death of former Twins pitcher Carlos Pulido. The Venezuelan southpaw pitched in just 32 games for the Twins, but his career was quite interesting. Image courtesy of George Frazier Thirty-five years ago, there were some MLB players from Venezuela, but very few in comparison to today. The Twins signed Carlos Pulido as a 17-year-old in February of 1989. He jumped directly to the Gulf Coast League, where he went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA. In 36 innings, he had 46 strikeouts and issued 14 walks. In 1990, he moved up to Low-A Kenosha, where he pitched in 56 games out of the bullpen. He was 5-5 with a 2.34 ERA. In 61 2/3 innings, he had 70 strikeouts, but he also walked 36 batters. The following year, 1991, was a pretty good one in Twins history. Pulido pitched in 57 games for High-A Visalia. He went 1-5, but posted an ERA of just 2.01. He had 17 saves. In 80 2/3 innings, he struck out 102 batters. He also walked 23, a very respectable improvement. He ended the season with two appearances at Triple A. In 1992, he was 20 years old and moved up to Double-A Orlando. He pitched in 52 games, and for the first time as a pro, he made a start. In fact, he made five. He went 6-2 with a 4.40 ERA. Then, in 1993, he moved up to Triple-A Portland, where 22 of his 33 appearances were as a starter. He went 10-6 with a 4.19 ERA over 146 innings. Of course, as a starter, his pure stuff wasn’t as dominant. In 146 innings, he had just 79 strikeouts. However, some of you may remember 1994. The Twins struggled to a 53-60 record in the strike-shortened season. Their starting staff was comprised of Kevin Tapani (4.62 ERA), Scott Erickson (5.44 ERA), Jim Deshaies (7.39 ERA), Pat Mahomes (4.73 ERA). Eddie Guardado posted an 8.47 ERA over his first four MLB starts. On April 9th, 1994, Pulido made his MLB debut. In a Metrodome game against the Oakland A’s, he gave up six runs on nine hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings. In his second outing, he worked two scoreless innings against the A’s. Then, a week after his debut, he worked six innings out of the bullpen against the same club and gave up just two runs. On May 6th, Pulido completed eight innings and gave up only an unearned run on five hits against the Royals, for his first big-league win. His next outing came against the Red Sox. He gave up just one run on three hits and no walks over seven innings. The Twins won that game 21-2, and Pulido was 2-3. Then came some losses, and then in mid-June, he tossed six innings and gave up just two runs against the White Sox. That game marked the first time in MLB history that two pitchers from Venezuela started against each other. That we're still shy of the 30th anniversary of that milestone is rather jarring, considering the prevalence of venezolanos in today's MLB, and underscores the important trailblazing role Pulido played, even if it was partially incidental. Not long ago, Venezuela was considered the land of shortstops--but only shortstops, or mostly so. Now, many of the best players in baseball hail from that nation, and there's no one player type that is radically overrepresented. Pulido was among the first major wave of players who helped forge that new reality. Overall that year, Carlos Pulido made 19 appearances and 14 starts in the big leagues. He went 3-7 with a 5.98 ERA over 84 1/3 innings. He gave up 87 hits, walked 40 batters and struck out 32. The strike began in early August and eventually pulverized the rest of the season. He spent the 1995 season with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, which had moved to Salt Lake City. He pitched in 43 games and made just three starts. He went 8-1 with a 4.67 ERA. In 71 1/3 innings, he had just 38 punchouts. Following the season, the Twins released him. That’s when things got interesting in his career. After seven seasons in the Twins organization, he was a free agent. He signed with the Cubs. He split the 1996 season between Double A and Triple A. In 1997, he made 44 appearances for the Expos' Triple-A affiliate in Ottawa. In 1998, Pulido signed with Somerset, an independent team in the Atlantic League. In September, he signed with the Mets and made three Triple-A appearances. He pitched for Somerset again in 1999. In 2000, he headed to Japan and played for Orix for two seasons. In 2002, he went 13-7 with a 3.57 ERA for Oaxaca in the Mexican League. Then in November of 2002, the now-31-year-old re-signed with the Minnesota Twins. At Triple-A Rochester, Pulido went 12-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 25 starts and 149 1/3 innings. He returned to the big leagues with the team he had signed with (and then debuted with) years earlier. In late August, he was promoted. He worked two scoreless innings in relief on Aug. 29 in Texas, and then 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Rangers two days later. He then gave up only an unearned run on one hit over 3 2/3 innings against the Angels. However, he gave up seven earned runs over 7 1/3 innings the final four outings. In 2004, Pulido again began the season with the Twins. He pitched in six games and gave up runs in five of them, including five runs in three innings on April 21st and four runs (two earned) in one inning on April 24th. He was sent to Triple A following that game, and didn’t get back to the big leagues. He spent 2005 and 2006 in Mexico and then played two more winters in Venezuela before calling it a career. —------------------------------- On Thursday, Carlos Pulido passed away at the age of 52, at home in Venezuela. Long-time Twins minor-league pitching coach Ivan Arteaga was a very close friend of Pulido’s going back to their playing days. Pulido is the all-time winningest pitcher in the Venezuelan League. His nickname was “Domador de Leones” (Lion Tamer) because of how much he dominated los Leones de Caracas. Carlos Pulido is a Twins player that I always found intriguing. He was left-handed and debuted at a young 22 years old. But after debuting in 1994, he didn’t return to the big leagues for nine seasons… and it was again with the Twins. In all, he pitched professionally for teams in 10 US states, and in the highest pro leagues of three other countries. His was a meaningful and eventful baseball life, though perhaps not a widely remembered one in most corners. Condolences to his family, and to those who knew him. View full article

In Part 3 of the review of the top Twins Daily articles from 2023, there was... Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports In a season like the Minnesota Twins had in 2023, they got contributions from a number of player including some who they likely weren't expecting big things from. Donovan Solano was signed just before spring training and likely contributed much more. When determining their playoff rosters, they had plenty of good choices on the periphery of their roster. A 'new' position for a veteran sure didn't work out as the team hoped, but it also makes sense to move one of the team's brightest stars to a new position. Feel free to discuss these five topics today. #15 The Twins Found a Diamond in the Rough by Ted Schwerzler Apr 15 There was a lot of head shaking when the Twins signed veteran infielder Donovan Solano. Ultimately, it was a tremendous, valuable addition to a roster in which depth was supremely important. That proved true nearly from Day 1. Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff started the season on the Injured List. Early in the year, Kyle Farmer took a fastball to the face and missed significant time. Joey Gallo spent time on the IL early in the season. And Solano rewarded the Twins by starting fast. #14 Byron Buxton, Bailey Ober and Other ALDS Roster Decisions by Cody Christie Oct 6 After winning their first playoff game in nearly 20 years, and winning a playoff series for the first time in over two decades, the Twins advanced to the ALDS where they took on the Houston Astros. As there are with each new playoff series. For instance, needing just three starting pitchers in the Wild Card round, would Bailey Ober be on the second round roster? Yes, and he started Game 1. How about Byron Buxton? Would he be on the roster? Well, initially no, but when Alex Kirilloff re-injured his shoulder and was removed from the roster, Buxton was added. Who would be the Game 4 starter, if needed? Since the Twins played just two games in their sweep of the Blue Jays, they didn’t need a Game 3 starter. So, the assumption was that Joe Ryan would start Game 1. Instead, Ober made that start and Ryan started Game 4. #13 The Twins Continue to Deal in Distressed Assets by Cody Christie Jan 19 In mid-January, Cody considered the Twins trend of acquiring players with injury concerns. For instead, Kenta Maeda had long had a slight tear in his UCL, but the Twins traded for him and got a great season before he needed Tommy John surgery. Tyler Mahle was an injury risk when the Twins acquired him. Sam Dyson wasn’t an injury risk when the Twins acquired him, though it didn’t take long to realize he had been hurt for some time. Chris Paddack was an injury risk. The Twins were able to sign Josh Donaldson in large part due to his injury concerns. In the most obvious example, the Twins were able to sign Carlos Correa in large part due to potential injury concerns. #12 It’s Time to End the Byron Buxton Experiment at Designated Hitter by Matthew Taylor June 3 The Twins made the decision before the season began that keeping Byron Buxton’s bat in the lineup was a priority. It was logical based on the offensive production he put up in 2022 before injury. Just two months into the season, Buxton was struggling at the plate, and he had already suffered through a couple of long, extended slumps in which he failed to make much contact. While the Twins didn’t expect a lot of offense from Michael A. Taylor , he provided tremendous defense in center field. #11 A New Position for Royce Lewis? by Ted Schwerzler July 29 After returning from his second ACL surgery, Royce Lewis played well. Then he missed about a month due to an oblique strain. At that same time, Jorge Polanco was getting some time at third base so that he and Edouard Julien could both be in the lineup most every day. Should the Twins have considered moving Lewis back out to center field. While his fluke injury a year earlier occurred in center, many still believe that with his speed and athleticism, it might be his best position. Tomorrow we will jump into the Top 10 most-viewed articles of 2023. If you missed a previous day: Part 1 (21-25) Part 2 (16-20) Part 3 (11-15) Part 4 (6-10) - Coming Tomorrow! View full article

In Part 2 of our Top 25 most-viewed articles series, find out which articles rank 16th through 20th. Today we've got Hicks... some picks... and a lot of nicks. Oh, and find out what made the Twins so shady in 2023. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports There are some interesting topics in today's group of five frequently viewed articles. We had a look back at a Twins trade from nearly a decade ago. Initially, it looked real bad, but ultimately, it didn't work out great for either side. There are a couple of spring training articles on the Twins injury situations. They were two weeks apart, yet information had changed already. Coming into 2023, how were the Twins past decade of top picks doing? More important, how are they doing now, after the 2023 season? Finally, there is an article on the Twins still being a little shifty, even after rules involving shifting changed. #20 Aaron Hicks and a Complete Trade Result 8 Years in the Making by Matt Braun May 28 In November of 2015, the Twins traded center fielder Aaron Hicks to the Yankees in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy. With the Yankees releasing Hicks in May, Matt took the time to look back at the trade. The Twins basically got nothing. Hicks was very good for the Bronx Bombers and turned it into a seven-year, $70 million contract. The Yankees released him with three years and $31.5 million. Out from Yankees Stadium, Hicks signed with the Orioles for the remainder of 2023 and helped them. The Twins had Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Eddie Rosario. #19 Where are they now? The Twins last 10 First-Round Draft Picks by Cody Christie Jan 23 From Kohl Stewart in 2013 through Brooks Lee in 2022, Cody reviewed where the Twins top picks were heading into the 2023 season. The Twins first-round picks from 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 contributed to the 2023 big-league roster, though only two of them were on the playoff roster. That said, I think we can all agree that 2021 top pick Chase Petty helped the 2023 Twins as well since he was traded to the Reds in a one-for-one swap for Sonny Gray. #18 Injuries Already Impacting the 2023 Twins Roster by Cody Christie Mar 6 Shortly after spring training began, the Twins already had a significant number of injured players. We knew already at this time that Alex Kirilloff and Jorge Polanco would start their season’s a little late. Gilberto Celestino had already had thumb surgery. A couple of the injuries were believed to be minor, but obviously Jose Miranda’s shoulder issue affected him all season. #17 Injury Concerns Are (Sigh) Already Mounting for the Twins by Nick Nelson Mar 19 Two weeks later, Nick was in Ft. Myers and just 10 days before Opening Day, there were still a lot of question marks. The hope was Byron Buxton would be ready for Opening Day. The front office finally admitted that Jorge Polanco would not be ready for Opening Day. Along with Polanco, Jose Miranda and Alex Kirilloff had also not yet played in a spring training game. In addition, Nick noted that Max Kepler had left a spring game with hip soreness and that there were concerns about Tyler Mahle’s velocity and Kenta Maeda’s readiness. #16 The Twins Are the Shadiest Team in Baseball by Matthew Trueblood Dec 13 In 2022, the Twins shifted in the infield more than all but five other MLB teams. Heading into the 2023 season, baseball added several new rules, one of which altered how much shifting could be done in the infield. For instance, there had to be two infielders on each side of second base, and all four infielders had to be set up on the infield grass (not in shallow right field as had become “normal.”) The Twins played within those rules, but stretched them as much as they could and as often as they could. This is an excellent Caretaker article. More to come tomorrow, but if you missed a previous edition: Part 1 (21-25) Part 2 (16-20) Part 3 (11-15) - Coming Tomorrow! View full article