Seth Stohs

Most signing bonuses include the Twins paying for college tuition. High school draft picks usually get 4-5 years paid, and some international signings do as well (this is the first one I had actually heard).

In 2012, the Minnesota Twins drafted several college relief pitchers with the idea that some would get the opportunity to start. Tyler Duffey has been the success story of that strategy to this point. Others have been hurt or returned to the bullpen, but Duffey was one of the better minor league pitchers in the Twins organization in 2014. He was invited to big league spring training this year and has a good chance of surfacing with the Twins in 2015.The Houston native stayed home and attended Rice University. There, he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen. In 2012, his junior season, he was co-closer with JT Chargois (who the Twins drafted in the second round of the 2012 draft). “If he played first base, or he made a lot of throws, they’d call me in. If I was getting loose, they said ‘You take the 8th and JT will take the 9th.’ It just depended upon the situation. If we needed his bat or something, they wouldn’t mess with him. It was fun though. It wasn’t really a competition, but we kind of fed off each other a bit like I did with Tony Cingrani (now with the Cincinnati Reds) the year before. We had the same kind of role. I’d be the 8th and he’d be the 9th. We’d have strikeout competitions. It was fun.” That June, the Twins used their fifth round pick to select Duffey. He was sent to Elizabethton where the Twins chose to have him work out of the bullpen. As expected, he dominated the Appalachian League. In 19 innings, he walked two and struck out 27 batters. He made the transition to starting in 2013. “Except for a summer when I went to the Cape and somebody got sick and I made a couple of starts, but other than that, I was a closer/second inning panic guy to come in and throw four innings.” He began the season in Cedar Rapids where he made nine starts. In his first start, he threw the first seven innings of a no-hitter. After nine starts, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he made nine more starts before being ending the season in the Miracle bullpen to keep his innings down. He worked 121 innings in all. He began the 2014 season with the Miracle, but after just four starts (and a 3-0 record), he advanced to New Britain. There he made 18 starts and went 8-3. He ended last season with three starts for Rochester and went 2-0. Overall, in 149.1 innings, he went 13-3 with a 3.68 ERA. He walked 30 and struck out 113. He was happy with his season. “I exceeded all of my own expectations. I was just hoping to get to AA a little bit at the end of the season, just get a taste of that. But I’ve always been told to take advantage of the opportunities that you’re given. That’s all I really tried to do, and it really worked out for me.” Although he has made the transition to starting successfully, it has been a process for him. A starter has to pitch and think differently than a relief pitcher. He said, “Initially, I was trying to strike everybody out, but I realize that the less pitches you throw, the more innings you can throw. If I need a strikeout or try to get a strikeout, I will.” To be able to do that successfully, Duffey had to adapt a bit. “I’ve gotten better with my sinker as I’ve become a starter and I’ve used that a lot. I try to get ground balls. Not trying to strike everybody out is the only transition I made. Instead of worrying about that-- OK, get a guy out in less than three pitches. That’s something they’ve preached since I’ve been here. On or off in three or less, so I try to follow that. I try to go deep in games. That’s any starters’ goal, I think, to give your team a chance to win. That’s my goal at the end of the day.” Duffey has a four-pitch mix. As he explains, “I throw a four-seam and a two-seam which I throw a majority of the two-seam, to try to get ground balls or whatever happens with it. My curveball is, I consider it my best pitch. I relied on it in college. My change-up, I’ve messed with a couple of them, but I’ve been throwing one since I’ve been down here that I feel good about.” In late December, Duffey’s phone rang with some news. “I got a call from (minor league director) Brad (Steil), and he said, ‘Hey Terry’s on the phone. We wanted to talk to you.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I’m getting traded’ because I wasn’t expecting anything. Then he told me ‘great season, I’d like for you to come out (to Ft. Myers for big league spring training).” Obviously I was pretty excited about that. It’s was kind of a big deal.” He received the phone call while he was at the airport to get on a flight to Mexico with his fiance’s family. “I waited until I got there because I knew it was going to be a long phone call. Got there and called my grandmother and my dad. It was exciting.” Getting the opportunity to be a non-roster invitee is exciting for a prospect. It’s an opportunity to work with the big league coaches and have them see what he is about. “I’ve talked to Neil Allen and Eddie Guardado and just pick their brains on stuff that they know that I should know in the future. I think that’s the main reason guys like me are here, just to learn how to do it, and from there, hopefully, apply it to yourself.” However, Duffey was also able to learn from the veteran pitchers in the clubhouse. “I try and watch how guys carry themselves. I’ve got a routine that I’ve learned, but I’ve been starting for two years and there’s guys who have been doing it for 10, 15 years, or did it for 15, 20 years. They know a little more about the game than I ever will. So, I just try to pick up things here and there, just listen.” He continued, “Just being here is kind of crazy. Seeing guys that I watched growing up playing baseball. Watching TV, I saw highlights of Joe Mauer and Torii Hunter, it’s just like… and they’re right down the locker room from me. I can talk to them.” Soon after chatting with me, Duffey was called into manager Paul Molitor’s office and informed that he was being sent back to minor league camp, but he enjoyed the opportunity and learned a lot. The reality is that Tyler Duffey could make his major league debut as early as 2015. “It’d be pretty surreal. Getting that chance, that’s one out of a million. 1% guys who get drafted get a chance. I probably can’t put it into words, but it’d be pretty exciting.” Most likely, Duffey will return to AA, this time in Chattanooga, to make a few starts before returning to Rochester. So, what are his goals for 2015? “Stay healthy and give my team a chance to win. Wherever I end up, I end up. It’s not really up to me at this point. I just hope that, wherever I go, I want to pitch and hope that good things happen. That’s really all I can hope for.” --------- Regarding his college teammate JT Chargois, Duffey said, “If he’s healthy, he’s got really good stuff. I haven’t seen him throw, but I heard in Instructs, he was throwing 100 mph which I don’t doubt because he works really hard at everything he does. He’s got really good stuff. We were co-closers together, so I saw him throw pretty much every day. For everybody’s sake, I want him to be healthy, to have fun playing baseball. He’s been down here for I think almost two years, with rehab and surgery and then rehab again. That’s not fun for anybody. I just hope that he gets a chance to play a full season and let’s see what he can do.” Click here to view the article

I agree completely. International signings are always interesting.

In my opinion, that isn't the issue at all. It isn't something that the Twins have typically worried about. Parmelee, Mauer... they've started many players, even pitchers, right on Opening Day. That said, if waiting 2-3 weeks to bring a guy up gives them a 7th season, it's smart.

They're separated into Work Groups, but as players get moved down from big league camp, some players move down. So, Buxton is probably working with Work Group 1 (AAA), but when guys like Danny Ortiz and Eric Farris or Shane Robinson, or whoever get sent down, he'll move to Work Group 2... and again, that basically means Chattanooga. That said, even the final group of work group charts isn't the official rosters either.

The simple response is that it is a lot like what they're doing in spring training. They'll likely workout/practice from 9-12 or so every day. They will play some games against teams that are close (Bradenton, Sarasota, etc). They get a lot of work and there are a lot of coaches there as well. The coach to player ratio is good.

The Twins, and specifically Howard Norsetter, have a long history of signing top talent out of Australia. Some of the first included Grant Balfour and Michael Nakamura. Then players such as James Beresford and Allan de San Miguel signed with the Twins. In 2012, the Twins signed one of their top pitching prospects, Lewis Thorpe, out of Australia. Just over a year ago, the Twins signed their biggest Australian player yet, 6-5, 240 pound first baseman Jack Barrie.Barrie went to Kawana Waters State College in Queensland, Australia. The Twins scouted him at some national tournaments. At the Under-18 National Championship just over a year ago, he hit .636/.652/.1.136 with six doubles, two triples and four home runs in 44 at bats. It was shortly after that performance that the Twins were able to outbid several other teams -- including the Diamondbacks, Reds and Rangers -- and sign Barrie, reportedly for a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $250,000. Before signing, he put a lot of thought into his future. “I was going to eventually go to college and not even worry about the contract. I was tying up between college and the Twins. They gave me a really good college package with my signing bonus so I decided to go with them so I’d have a backup after baseball.” Did the fact that the Twins have so many players from Australia factor into his decision in any way? Maybe. As Barrie recalls, “I spoke to Lewis Thorpe before making my decision. It was nice knowing there were other Australians here. That just makes me feel a bit more at home. But other than that, it was more a decision for my personal benefit.” The interesting thing is that Barrie did not start out playing baseball in his early childhood. He said, “I’d only been playing baseball before I signed for maybe five or six years. I used to skateboard and swim and play AFL and rugby so that was my thing.” With his size, I would imagine he would be an intimidating force on the teams. However, he worked very hard this offseason to get himself into much better shape. About six weeks ago, he left Australia to attend the IMG academy in Bradenton, Florida for a month. The IMG Academy is a well-respected place where elite, young athletes in most sports (from golf, to tennis, to football, basketball, baseball and more) go for expert training. “I wanted to give myself a bit of a head start before spring training and get a little more work in, work with some really good coaches. That kind of stuff. Just use all of their facilities, which are all absolutely amazing. That was one of the biggest things.” He continued, “We mostly did gym workouts. We did a lot on running technique, body composition, and then we did our outfield work and ground balls and out work on our hitting, fundamentals, and that kind of stuff.” He was very happy with his decision to spend a month in Bradenton preparing for spring training. As someone who just turned 19 years old, but is still young to the game of baseball, he is immensely talented and strong but still has much to learn about the nuances of the game of baseball. He is certainly willing to work on the game, but also on his body. He worked hard all offseason and when he weighed in last week at his physical, he had lost 35 pounds. “It was a goal. When I left the Twins left year after the season. I had a goal to be 240 pounds and 18% body fat. When I got home to Australia, I was 270 pounds. I had put on a lot of weight. That was one of my biggest goals is to get down somewhere where I was comfortable. I feel better. I run faster. My body feels better. I’m not getting injured and I’m throwing harder as well. I’m really liking my body as well.” He struggled in his professional debut in 2014 with the Gulf Coast League Twins which was to be expected. In 25 games, he hit .205/.284/.233 with two extra base hits. The struggles were to be expected considering his lack of playing time against this kind of competition. To be completely fair, when Barrie came to the States a year ago, he wasn’t even sure what he was getting into. “I thought it was going to be completely different. As an international person, I had no idea about baseball in America. First time really being there. I was expecting something a lot different. I came in. The heat was crazy. The amount of work we were doing was insane. I just ran into a wall.” With the experience under his belt and the work he put in for the offseason, Barrie is hoping for improvement in 2015. “This year, I have a bit more of an understanding. Now I got invited to spring training which I’m really grateful for. I’m just playing it day-by-day.” Jack Barrie has a lot of potential. As an observer the last week in Ft. Myers, you can see that potential. He is a big, young man and strong. He shows good power in batting practice, and he looked fairly solid defensively. He’s got a lot of work yet to do to get to where he wants to get, and he knows it. You could see struggles and some confusion at times, but he really took instruction well and the next time, he did things right. That’s what you want to see in a young player with that much potential. The other thing that is clear is that he has great work ethic. He clearly has a strong drive to learn and to become successful. He’s a very bright kid. As fans, it is going to be fun to watch this young talent grow over the next few years. Fans will also need to be patient as he continues to learn and make adjustments physically, mentally and emotionally to a game that is still fairly new to him and in a country that is very much new to him. For his part, he is willing to learn, but he’s also excited for how far he has come in a short time. “Two years from playing, I made my first state team. Three years from playing, I made the national team. Two years after that, I got signed. It just kind of all worked together. I was playing on a club team all around Queensland, all around my state.” He is also gracious and appreciative of those around him in this game. “I had a lot of people that were trying to help me out, trying to get me to where I wanted to go.” Expect that Jack Barrie will remain in Ft. Myers for extended spring training and the play with the Gulf Coast League Twins in their brand new field later in 2015. Click here to view the article

1 - Sano didn't have inflated weight, and he had his moments of clear rust but he was OK. Why were they sent down? They weren't going to make the team and they have some tough decisions to make. Buxton needed playing time. He wasn't playing terribly much in big league camp. They can both go down to minor league camp and get more at bats and get ready for their seasons. 2 - Yes. yes. Rosario had 21 HR in ETown that year and Sano had 20. Of course, they were great hitters and the fences there were quite short.

I definitely am a big believer in track record, and Milone certainly has that. We all like velocity and strikeouts, but there have been a lot of guys in this game's history that have succeeded without those things.

After announcing that thirteen players were removed from the Minnesota Twins spring training roster on Sunday, three more Twins players were optioned and will report to minor league camp. Miguel Sano was officially included in the group, along with LHP Jason Wheeler and RHP Lester OliverosIn all, the Twins have now sent 16 players to minor league camp in the last two days.There are no surprises among the players cut from big league camp to this point. With Opening Day less than three weeks away, manager Paul Molitor has some tough decisions to make and needs to give opportunities to those who are competing for the final roster spots. As a quick reminder, those players who are on the 40-man roster need to be "optioned" when they are not on the active roster. These players are then assigned to the roster of one of the Twins minor league affiliates. Non-roster invitees are just "reassigned" to minor league camp. They do not need to be assigned to a specific roster. That will happen later in spring training. Miguel Sano certainly impressed with his power this spring, hitting two long home runs in big league games. He needs some time in the minors to shake off rust, both offensively and defensively. However, in his time in big league camp, he certainly showed again that he may not be far off. These moves reduce the current Twins spring training roster to 45. Eleven of those are non-roster players. They have 21 pitchers (two non-roster), six catchers (three non-roster), 10 infielders (three non-roster) and seven outfielders (two non-roster). Click here to view the article

I don't think all of these are true. Gardy did the pop up things on several occasions. Gardy had some NRI guys pitching late innings, but the Twins are sending several minor league pitchers on their road trip already tomorrow, so Molitor will do the same (and every manager does). So far, I agree on the outfield situation, I guess.

They won't have HIcks up as a pinch runner, so it's be Robinson... Unless Rosario starts, then Schafer remains the 4th OF.

He's most likely the backup catcher who gets to DH when they give Vargas or Mauer a day off. I think he's almost a given.

He's fine in the outfield and he's alright in the infield. Not great range, but he makes the routine play which is just fine. I don't have any problem with Nunez, or picking up his option. No real risk. And, I definitely am a fan of Herrmann too. I like versatility and think it's important.

Kanzler did shave his mustache for their photo, but I have a feeling it'll be back.

He was fun to talk to. When I approached him, he looked at me like, "How or why would anyone possibly know who I am?" We had a good conversation though. Very excited for an opportunity. And still just 25, left handed and breathing!

Hunter was clear about this at his introductory press conference too. He basically said if he played well and felt right he might keep playing.

In my opinion, Nunez is competing with Herrmannn for the 25th roster spot. They already know Escobar is the main utility infielder. If Herrmann beats out Nunez, they'll DFA or trade him.

Uti Utility infielder. At one of Terry Ryan's pregame chat, he said he thinks Escobar could get 300 at bats. I think an injury at SS or 2B is what it would take.

I'm not certain what changes you're looking for. The offense was pretty good last year. Centerfield was really the only question mark after Hunter signed and whichever guy plays out there will likely bat ninth. The lineup didn't need much change. Gary's lineup last year was fine. His pitchers just didn't all pitch very well.

I was there. Pictures to facebook and twitter shortly.

They did not. The four players that I tweeted showed up down there in the morning didn't play and the others didn't show up (excused). Guys on the 40 man roster get 48 hours to report to minor league camp. Non-Roster guys don't have that ability. They are generally expected to go there right away, but I'm guessing the Twins will give them a day.