Seth Stohs

A year ago, the Twins signed catcher Kurt Suzuki to a one year, $2.75 million contract. The general thought from Twins fans at the time of the signing was that it an OK signing. He would be a veteran presence to help mold Josmil Pinto into a big league catcher. However, the Twins and Suzuki never said that was the reason for his signing. He was brought in to start. And he did. And he played really well. He made his first All-Star team and really earned it. On July 31 of 2014, the MLB trade deadline, the Twins were faced with three options regarding their All-Star catcher. First, they could just do nothing. They could stand pat, keep him the rest of the season and let him become a free agent at the end of the year. They could join the other teams in bidding for his services at the end of the season, or just let him go. Second, they could have sold high and traded him. On July 31, Suzuki was hitting.306/.369/.391 (.760). The team wasn’t in contention, and he could have fetched a solid prospect in return. Maybe that wasn’t really an option. Maybe they tried to trade him and found that they were not getting the kind of return they had hoped for a veteran catcher in an All-Star season. As the trade deadline passed that afternoon, news came out that the Twins went with Option #3. They signed him to a two-year extension. Suzuki was given a two year, $12 million contract with a vesting option for 2017 at $6 million based on plate appearances in 2016. The big question was Would Kurt Suzuki continue to play like he did in the first four months of the 2014? Had he made some sort of alteration in his game that would help him sustain that success? Or, would the pumpkin burst? Let’s take a quick look at the numbers: 2012 (118 games) - .235/.276/.328 (.605) 2013 (94 games) - .232/.290/.337 (.627) Through July 31, 2014 (90 games) - .306/.369/.391 (.760) After July 31, 2014 (41 games) - .248/.290/.366 (.656) Through July 8, 2015 (68 games) - .227/.284/.309 (.593) Maybe I’m the only one, but all I can think of is the classic tune from Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the other.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ect-kgxBb4M Come on... it's always good to get a clip from Sesame Street into an article, right? Now good luck getting that tune out of your head today! Those are admittedly just the offensive numbers. Suzuki’s defensive metrics have never graded out well in terms of pitch framing. And in 2014, he threw out 25% of would-be base stealers and that number has dropped to 20% in 2015. To be fair, there are intangibles - especially important with catchers - in the game of baseball, and most of those things can’t be measured with statistics all the time. Just because they can’t be measured does not mean they are not valuable. It’s clear that Twins pitchers believe in Suzuki’s preparation, leadership and ability to work and call a good game. Those things do matter. On Monday night, the Twins sent Chris Herrmann down the Rochester and promoted Eric Fryer to the big league club. Herrmann was hitting just .156/.239/.281 (.521) in 25 games. Fryer had been working out with Team USA, preparing for the Pan Am Games when he learned that he’d been called to join the Twins. After going 0-3 in his first Red Wings game this season, he was on first his next seven games. He hit .625/.667/.750 (1.417) in those games. However, in 42 games since then, he hit .248/.344/.292 (.636), more in line with his career numbers. He had two hits in the Twins win on Wednesday afternoon. Fryer is touted as a strong defensive-minded catcher. Josmil Pinto hasn’t hit like himself most of the 2015 season. He suffered a concussion late in spring training that may have cost him a spot on the Twins Opening Day roster. He has again been on the DL with a concussion for the last month. His defensive skills have always been somewhat critically scrutinized by coaches and even teammates. Stuart Turner was pushed up to AA Chattanooga after a solid second half in Ft. Myers. He continues to be strong defensively and pitchers really enjoy throwing to him. However, his bat has not turned around this season. In 56 games with the Lookouts, he has hit just .183/.276/.267 with five doubles and three home runs. He will be a big league catcher, but he may need to repeat the level in 2016. Mitch Garver, our choice for Hitter of the Year in the Twins minor leagues in 2014, got a spring training invite, but he got off to a slow start with the bat in Ft. Myers this year. Through May 31, Garver was hitting just .185/.317/.215 with four doubles for the Miracle. Since June 1, he has been very good. In 32 games, he has hit .318/.429/.400 with nine doubles. There are some catchers in Cedar Rapids and lower that are certainly at least intriguing, but they have a long way to go. So, what are the Twins to do? With this year’s July 31 trade deadline approaching and the Twins actually being in contention, could they look for an upgrade at catcher? The other option at this point is to hope that Suzuki can have a strong final two months of the 2015 season while continuing to fulfill the importation leadership role that he does have on this year’s team.

In today’s report, you’ll read the names of the top prospects, but you’ll also read about the other guys who are putting in a ton of work. How many of them will get that opportunity to get that promotion, to get called up to the big leagues and make their debut? We shall see. TRANSACTIONS Following Tuesday night’s game, the Twins announced that catcher Chris Herrmann was being optioned to Rochester. Eric Fryer was being added to the 40-man roster and called up. The timing is interesting as Fryer just left the Red Wings over the weekend to start working out with Team USA in preparation for the Pan Am Games. To make room for Fryer, Ricky Nolasco was placed on the 60-day disabled list. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Buffalo 10 Box Score It was a tough night for the Red Wings who didn’t get pitching or hitting in this game. Four pitchers threw for Rochester and all four gave up at least two runs. Greg Peavey started. He gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits in 4.1 innings. He walked none and struck out four. Cole Johnson came on and was charged with four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk in two innings. Logan Darnell gave up three runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Alex Meyer went the final 1.1 innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Oswaldo Arcia provided much of the offense. He hit his sixth home run. It was his fourth homer in five games and his fifth in his last seven games. Jorge Polanco had a single. He has at least one hit in all four games he has played in. Unfortunately, he also had two more errors in this game and has four in four games. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Game 1 – Chattanooga 5, Jacksonville 0 Box Score The Lookouts were able to get back in the win column on Tuesday in game 1. This game began on Monday, but after four innings, it was suspended due to rain. Jason Wheeler had thrown four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. When the game resumed, newcomer, 39-year-old Scott Atchison came on. He gave up a hit, but no runs in his inning. Alex Muren gave up two hits and a walk, but no runs in his two innings. Brandon Peterson finished it out with two more scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and struck out one. That’s nine shutout innings with the Lookouts for Peterson. The last time he gave up a run was against Bradenton, way back on May 5th. That’s 16 games and 24.2 innings. In that time, he’s given up eight hits, walked five and struck out 33. Aderlin Mejia homered for the second straight game. He was 2-4. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-4 with his first double. Levi Michael gave the team a cushion with a two-run homer in the seventh inning. It was his third of the season. Adam Brett Walker went 1-3 with a walk and his 21st double. Game 2 – Chattanooga 4, Jacksonville 5 Box Score The Twins lost lefty Matt Tomshaw in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft in December. He is with the Marlins AA affiliate in Jacksonville, the same city he went to college. On this night, he went five innings and gets credited with the win. After throwing three zeroes on the mound, the Lookouts scored three runs against him in the fourth and another in the fifth. He is now 4-5 with a 3.10 ERA on the season. He faced his college teammate (and Twins minor league teammate) Adam Brett Walker twice in this game. The first time, Tomshaw was able to strike out Walker. The second time, Walker singled in a run, his 71st RBI of the season. Kennys Vargas went 2-3 and drove in a run. Levi Michael had a single and a walk. Tim Shibuya got the spot start for the Lookouts. He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits in just 2.1 innings. Jake Reed came on and gave up a hit and a walk over 2.2 scoreless frames. Zack Jones returned from the disabled list in fine form, striking out two in an inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Jupiter 3 Box Score Things got very interesting in the ninth, but the Miracle improved to 47-36 on the season. Aaron Slegers started on the mound. The right-hander gave up one run on six hits over seven innings. He struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. He improved to 6-4. Corey Williams struck out two in his perfect inning. Tyler Jay came on for the ninth, attempting to protect a three-run lead. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. However, he stranded a runner at third base to pick up his first professional save. Zach Granite and Engelb Vielma each had two hits in the game. The Miracle had nine hits in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 8 Box Score In an afternoon game on Tuesday, the Kernels hosted the Beloit Snappers. Luke Westphal made the start. The left-hander gave up three runs on four hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Luke Bard came on and deuces were wild. In two innings, he gave up two runs on two hits. He walked two and struck out two. Cam Booser threw two scoreless innings, but he gave up three runs (two earned) in the ninth. He struck out four and walked three in three innings. Tanner English had another strong game. The centerfielder went 2-4 with his 11th and 12th doubles. Brett Doe went 2-4 and stole his fourth base. Edgar Corcino, playing in his thirty-second game, doubled for the tenth time . E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Princeton 4 Box Score The E-Twins fall to 7-7 on their season with this loss in Princeton. Tyler Kuresa gave them a lead in the second inning with his third homer of the short-season. Down 4-1, Rainis Silva hit his first homer of the year in the ninth. Kuresa added his second double. Kamron Young doubled for the first time, and Austin DIemer hit his third double. Alexis Tapia started for the E-Twins. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out seven. Kuo Hua Lo came on and struck out two over 2.2 perfect innings. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 3 (11 innings) Box Score It was a good day in the GCL for the Twins' top two high school draft picks from last month. Third-round pick Travis Blankenhorn went 4-5 in the game with his second triple. Fourth-round pick, Trey Cabbage, went 3-6, but his 11th inning single scored Luis Arraez with the walk-off win. Arraez went 2-5 with a walk. Brian Olson went 1-3 with two walks. Eduardo del Rosario went the first five innings. He gave up three hits and walked one, but gave up no runs. He struck out five. He was replaced in the sixth inning by Matz Schutte. He was charged with three unearned runs on three hits in the inning. Miguel Gonzalez threw two scoreless innings. So did a rehabbing Yorman Landa. The hard-throwing right-hander walked two and struck out two. Johan Quezada struck out one in a perfect inning to get credited with the win. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Slegers, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, GCL Twins WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – RHP JO Berrios Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (12:05 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Elizabethton @ Kingsport (6:00 CST) – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to discuss the games from Tuesday night or as any questions you may have.

The Twins made one move on Monday night, but the bullpen is still full of questions. Today, I’m going to write about the internal options for the Twins bullpen should they go that direction. Left-Handed Relief Pitchers RYAN O’ROURKE O’Rourke, the 27-year-old from Massachusetts absolutely dominated same-sided hitters in 2014 at New Britain. He has done very well again in 2015 against left-handers in AAA. Right-handed bats have hit him very well, so O’Rourke should be considered a LOOGY. Of the 36 lefties he’s faced this year, he has struck out 20 of them. (O’Rourke was added to the 40-man roster on Monday night and will join the Twins at Target Field on Tuesday.) CALEB THIELBAR After spending all of 2014 and the final four months of 2013 in the Twins bullpen, Thielbar began the 2015 season in Rochester. He did come up for a six-game stint, but he is back with the Red Wings. He has struggled. In 26 innings, he has walked 17 and struck out just 13. Lefties have posted a .548 OPS on him this year. He remains on the 40-man roster. LOGAN DARNELL Darnell made four starts and three relief appearances for the Twins in 2014. This spring, he was moved to the bullpen exclusively. He has worked 30 innings over 23 appearances and has a 2.40 ERA despite a 1.57 WHIP. However, since May 19, he has given up an earned run in just one out of 11 outings including 23 strikeouts in 19 innings. Left-handers are hitting .306/.364/.306 (.670) against him. He is on the 40-man roster. Right-Handed Relief Pitchers AJ ACHTER Coming into Monday night, Achter had a 2.15 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. In 37.2 innings, he had just ten walks and 38 strikeouts. He was 13 for 13 in save opportunities. On Monday night, he gave up four runs on five hits in one inning, but that was really his first clunker of the year. Achter has been the most consistent relief pitcher in the Twins minor leagues since moving to the bullpen in 2012. He pitched in 11 innings over seven games last year with the Twins. All he does is get people out. He remains on the 40-man roster. MICHAEL TONKIN If anyone would benefit from frequent flyer miles, it’s Tonkin. He has been up and down from Minnesota to Rochester a dozen times over the last three seasons. In 50 big league games, he has a 3.92 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He also has walked too many and given up the long ball too often. In 17.2 innings at Rochester this year, he has walked three and struck out 27. At some point, the Twins need to just let him pitch in the big leagues and see what they have. He will be out of options in 2016, so they do need to figure out if he can produce in the big leagues. He is on the 40-man roster. ALEX MEYER The progression of Meyer has been well documented here in the pages of Twins Daily. After just nine games in the bullpen, the Twins called him up. It didn’t go well. His struggles with control of the strike zone were apparent. He was sent back to Rochester to continue to work from the bullpen. As a starter, opponents had an OPS of .845. As a reliever, it’s been .672. It’s clear how much movement he gets from his fastball and slider. The Twins can be patient with him. He is on the 40-man roster. MARK HAMBURGER Hamburger was one of the bigger stories of spring training. He made it to the final week of big league camp before being sent to Rochester where he began the season as a starter. After four starts, he had an ERA of 6.30 in 20 innings. He has made 22 appearances out of the bullpen since then and has a 3.47 ERA. He is not on the 40-man roster. SCOTT ATCHISON Over the weekend, the Twins quietly signed 39-year-old Atchison a few days after he was released by Cleveland. He has been placed on the Chattanooga roster for now. He pitched in the big leagues in parts of nine seasons between 2004 and 2015. He is a good reminder of the nature of most relievers. In 2014 with Cleveland, he posted a 2.75 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 72 innings over 70 games. In 23 games (19.2 innings) this season he posted a 6.86 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Most likely, he has an opt-out date and will have to be called up or lost. He is not on the 40-man roster. LESTER OLIVEROS After missing all of 2013 because of Tommy John surgery, he returned and was cautiously used in 2014. He ended the season with the Twins. He wasn’t 100% in spring training and began the season in Rochester. He got off to a fast start, but his performance has leveled off. Overall, he has a 3.79 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 35.2 innings. He has walked just 13 and struck out 46. Opponents posted an OPS of .947 off of him in June, and he missed seven days because he was suspended for throwing at an opposing batter’s head. He is not on the 40-man roster. STEPHEN PRYOR Pryor came to the Twins from the Mariners last August in exchange for Kendrys Morales. He didn’t get a September call-up. He was invited to big league spring training. However, he has been on the disabled list all season. Over the weekend, he began a rehab stint in the GCL. He has made two appearances and would likely go to Rochester (or even Chattanooga) before going further. He is not on the 40-man roster. Starting Pitchers TAYLOR ROGERS Rogers has been a starter since he was drafted in the 11th round out of Kentucky. In four seasons, he is 33-21 with a 2.96 ERA. More relevant to the here and now, he is 7-5 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with Rochester. With so much starting pitching depth, the bullpen is an option for Rogers. A quick look at his AAA splits this year shows that he has been really dominant against lefties. They are hitting .178/.197/.186 (.383). He has given up no home runs, two walks and 36 strikeouts. Right-handers have hit .296/.352/.423 (.775) with six home runs, 25 walks and 41 strikeouts. He is not on the 40-man roster, but he will need to be added following the season, so if he continues to pitch well, he could find himself In the Twins bullpen. TYLER DUFFEY Duffey has been the one example of drafting a college reliever and trying to make him into a starter can be successful. He was a co-closer at Rice with JT Chargois. Since going pro, he has primarily started. He began this season with eight starts in Chattanooga and posted a 2.56 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He now has made eight starts in Rochester and has a 2.44 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He’s got good control, throws strikes, and has a good mix of pitches. However, as a reliever, he can hit 97 which would make his secondary pitches look even better. Again, due to the Twins starter depth, Duffey may need to come up as a reliever. Like Rogers, he was a spring training invite and would need to be added to the 40-man roster following the season. He could come up before that. JOSE BERRIOS Berrios was recently promoted from AA to AAA. After 15 starts, an 8-3 record, a 3.27 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP with the Lookouts, he moved up to Rochester where he made his first start on Friday. He is clearly the Twins top starting pitcher prospect. He has great stuff, fastball, change-up and breaking pitches. He could come in out of the bullpen (which would be short-term) if the Twins remain in the pennant race. A September call up may be less likely as he doesn’t need to be added to the 40-man roster until after the 2016 season. So there you have it, the internal options that are there should the Twins decide to make more changes in the bullpen without trading away prospects and talent. We’ll be back later in the week to talk more about the Twins bullpen.

The Minnesota Twins used their 13th round pick of the 2010 draft to select O’Rourke, a four-year senior from Merrimack College. In high school, O’Rourke was a three sport athlete. He played football, hockey and baseball. He thinks that it is important for kids today to be involved in more than one sport. “I think playing more than one sport is crucial. All the kids that I talk to, or parents that ask me to talk to their kids, I tell them to go out there and find as many things as you can possibly do athletically and try to excel in them. Work as hard as you can because the stuff that translates to the mound is great, not just physically, but mentally. It’s great.” Though he skated with the Merrimack hockey team in college, he didn’t play on the team. However, he had a role in his years in high school hockey. “I kind of had to be the guy who checked a lot of people. I’ve taken that bulldog mentality, and I try to bring it to the mound. At this point in my career, I’m coming out there for one or two innings, so I need to bring my all for that point and time. All the sports I’ve played tell me that I need to come with everything I’ve got. I try to take that to the baseball mound as well. ” O’Rourke began his professional career splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. After a solid 2011 season in Beloit, he returned to the Snappers roster to start the 2012 season. Through mid-July, he was struggling with a 5.59 ERA in 29 appearances. Already 24, he could not help but wonder about his future in baseball. “Without a doubt, there’s a thought that creeps into everyone’s head. You could be the best or the worst player in the world, but there’s a point where that thought always creeps into your head. I did think about it. Am I out of my league? Is this too far above me?” Fortunately, O’Rourke had some supporters. “I had a few conversations with coaches and staff and the front office. They told me that they believed in me, that the numbers were kind of a fluke. I believed them. I think the confidence that they gave me really propelled me to the next year, 2013, and this year, 2014. Just knowing that someone is there in your corner, I think that really helps. Confidence is probably the most important thing that you can have on the mound. There can be days when your stuff is not there, but if mentally you think that you’re the top of the hill that day, then you’ll probably have a good day. Yeah, there was a time back then where I didn’t think I was very good. That’s always there. You just kind of have to kick that aside and focus on what you can control.” In Beloit, Jon and Erin Pingel decided that, for the first time, they would be willing to be a host family for members of the Beloit Snappers. They, along with their two young children, were fortunate to be able to host O’Rourke. According to Erin, “We were very excited those two stayed with us. We had met them the year before, and we really liked that Ryan picked AJ (Achter) to room with him.” O’Rourke is a very competitive pitcher on the mound, but what about off the field? According to Ping, “He was fun, just one of the kids. They played their games, and then they came home and played with the kids in the backyard.” O’Rourke made some adjustments and figured some things out the last two seasons. In 2013, left-handed batters hit just .173/.214/.250 (464) against him. Those are tremendous numbers. In 2014, the southpaw limited lefties to a .114/.162/.129 (.291) stat line. “I really can’t explain it. I don’t know if I attack them differently. I throw fastballs and sliders to lefties and righties, so it’s not like my pitches are different. Obviously my pitches are coming from different angles, one is seeing it break in and the other is seeing it break away. I’ve even asked lefties on my team to step in against me, and they just say it’s a really sharp breaking ball. I don’t know what it is I do. I just go out there. I’m just going to keep going out there and doing what I know how to do and what I’m blessed to do. I’m not really trying to change up anything at this point.” With that kind of success against left-handed batters, that sounds like a good plan. That said, he knows that he is not yet a finished product. He said, “I need to refine some things, yes, but with the success I’ve had against lefties, I’m just going to try to build on that. Work on whatever I was weak at and build my strength. You may be asking yourself, “Did Ryan O’Rourke cut down on the number of pitches he throws now that he’s pitching solely out of the bullpen? What is his strategy on the mound?" “I throw the same bag of tricks I had as a starter now as a reliever. I’ve thrown a couple of change-ups this year to righties and lefties. I’ve thrown a lot of curveballs to lefties and righties. I throw a ton of two-seamers to lefties and righties. I don’t know what it looks like to them. In my head, I try to speed up and slow down stuff depending on what the batter is doing. If he’s trying to cheat to a fastball, maybe I’ll throw a really slow breaking ball. If he’s trying to sit back on my slider, maybe I’ll throw a cutter, so they think it’s a fastball, jump on it and it tails away a little. I just try to mix things up with every pitch I have. There are not too many people in the world who can just throw two pitches and get away with it. Mariano Rivera only had to throw one pitch. I really just use everything I have and keep it down, keep it low.” O’Rourke has seen his role altered, particularly in 2014. Whereas previously he would typically pitch an inning or two, he now was being used as a LOOGY (left-handed one out guy). O’Rourke provided a scenario. “This past year, I really started focusing on it because I would see a left-hander is batting fourth next inning. The coach would be like ‘Ryan, you have the fourth hitter. The fourth batter gets up, you get it.’ That’s where I kind of saw my role of OK, here’s a lefty, you need to get a lefty.” As he saw more and more success against same-sided hitters, he noticed some changes. “I started seeing batters just kind of standing there and just being like, ‘I’m going to wait for him to prove that he can throw three strikes because I’m not going to swing at a ball and miss.’ Then toward the end of the year, the managers were just pulling every lefty. If a lefty was coming up, they’d just put in a righty.” Sure, O’Rourke probably would have liked to face more left-handed hitters, but he understood and looked at it the right way. “I just took it as a compliment.” After playing in Puerto Rico during the previous offseason, Ryan O’Rourke had the opportunity to play in Venezuela this year. He pitched 12.2 innings over 21 appearances for Aguilas del Zulia before coming back to the States for the holidays and for some rest before spring training starts. He was very excited about going to Venezuela and had goals to make the most of the opportunity. “I was told this is the hardest winter league. My goal was to go down there, enjoy myself, immerse myself in the culture and have a good experience. That was goal #1 for me. And goal #2 was to get better at baseball, learn what guys are going to do, everything. A lot of the hitters there are veterans, big leaguers. I mean, I faced Bobby Abreu down there. That was pretty cool!” There are many difficulties for American ballplayers in Venezuela. One of the obvious ones is the language barrier. O’Rourke worked on it, and he really thrived. “I took Spanish in college, but I’ve probably learned more in minor league baseball. Down there, it’s 100% necessity that you need to know. If you know broken Spanish, you’ll get by, but I got pretty close to conversational fluency. All the Americans were asking me to translate. We’d go out to eat and guys would ask me to sit with them so I could order for them.” All in all, it was a great opportunity for the 26-year-old left-hander from Massechusetts. “I went down there and it was a great experience. I was happy with what I accomplished on the field, and I was happy with everything I learned off the field. My time there, I think I spent it intelligently, and I’m happy I did it. I think that the Twins were happy I did it as well.” Whether it was his performance in Venezuela, or his performance with the New Britain Rock Cats (and one appearance with Rochester) in 2014, O’Rourke made an impression. Enough of an impression that while he was sitting on the beach in Venezuela one day, he received a call on his cell phone with a Minnesota number. “Terry Ryan called me and asked how are things were going down there. He talked to me about the season, said I had a good year and that there are always things to improve on. Then he told me that they were going to invite me into spring training. It was a short, quick conversation. It was a good conversation. I was excited, and surprised. You always think in the back of your head that you have a chance.” Being a non-roster Invitee to big league spring training guarantees nothing for a player, but as O’Rourke acknowledges, it is an opportunity. “That’s the way I look at it. In minor league camp, we always have a talk that someone in that room is going to get to the big leagues that year who didn’t pitch at all in big league camp. And it does happen every year. Look at AJ Achter last year. He was in minor league camp, pitched and got a call in September. But, the amount of guys that were in big league camp that pitched in the big leagues last year was exponentially higher. I’m hoping to make the team right out of camp, don’t get me wrong, but if that doesn’t happen, I want to get the first call. I mean, that’s just the reality of it.” He was very excited for his long-time friend AJ Achter when he got his September call up to the big leagues. “Everyone in the locker room that day was just pumped. Couldn’t happen to a better guy.” However, O’Rourke sees Achter’s situation as something more. “I was probably one of the first guys that AJ met in pro ball and we’ve been great friends ever since. It was just a great moment for me for it to happen to him because… this might sound weird, but look at my good buddy getting called up there. It’s motivation. I’ve been with him every step of the way. So, what’s to say I can’t do it too?” So, what will it be like when Ryan O’Rourke does, at some point, get that call that he will pitch in the big leagues? What will it be like to don that Minnesota Twins uniform in a regular season game for the first time? He quickly pointed out, “Don’t knock the spring training games. That will be a big moment too.” He continued, “Everything’s a step on the way. When you get the call from A-Ball to High-A, that was a good moment. High-A to AA was a cool moment. AA to AAA… They’re all cool moments. But getting the call to the peak of baseball is going to be… I don’t know… I don’t know. I’ll probably sit there and wonder if it’s real. When it happens, it’s going to be a great moment. I’ll just think of all the long bus rides, the struggles, the ups and downs, and all that culminating in the eventual biggest moment of your life when you get called up to the big leagues. I’ll probably call my Mom and my Mom is going to start crying. I’m going to work hard and if it happens, it happens. That’s why I play baseball. That’s why I give it all I have to put myself in a position to get that call.” On the morning of Christmas Eve, Ryan O’Rourke boarded a six-passenger plane in Venezuela. It traveled to Aruba where they encountered a storm that shook the plane. Somehow, the pilot landed the plane safely. Another flight later, and he was home with his family for Christmas and some time off before heading down to Ft. Myers in early February for his first spring training. He’ll try to get to some Boston Bruins games and hopes to get to a Patriots game in Foxboro if they keep their season alive. I’m sure that, on some level, O’Rourke has felt his career has been as shaky as that small plane ride. The Pingel family calls him “A kid at heart.” He is also a kid with heart, heart that has him attending big league spring training next month. O’Rourke has kind of always been an underdog, and he’s been able to get to this point. He’s certainly one guy to cheer for this spring. (Almost three years ago, in the early days of Twins Daily, Ryan O’Rourke wrote an article for our site which you can read by clicking here.)

Perkins has been the best closer in baseball in 2015. He is 27-27 in save opportunities, and he has been absolutely dominating. He has a 1.31 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. He is very deserving of another All-Star nod. Brian Dozier will be in the Final Five vote, but the Twins don't have a good history in the online voting. Lew Ford and Pat Neshek have been on the online vote. Through 81 games, Dozier is hitting .260/.331/.511 (.842) with 26 doubles, three triples and 16 homers. From primarily the lead-off spot, he leads the league with 62 runs. Jose Altuve was announced on Sunday as the starter for the AL in the fan vote. Jason Kipnis is the one second baseman who has a better WAR than Dozier in the American League. No other second baseman was named to the All-Star reserves. The Boston Red Sox are going to be represented by super-utility man Brock Holt. Dozier is in the final five vote. You can #VoteDozier. The other four up for the final spot are Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, OF Yoenis Cespedes, OF Brett Gardner, and 3B Mike Moustakus.