Seth Stohs

I think that's pretty accurate. As much as he has all the tools, the performance hasn't always been consistent and met the tools that he has... That said, he's 22 and has 1/2 season of pro ball under his belt. There's plenty of time for things to come together for him.

We have read so much about Nick Gordon, Nick Burdi and Jake Reed, but there is another Twins pick from 2014 who put together a very impressive professional debut. In fact, Max Murphy’s professional debut resulted in a league’s Most Valuable Player award. I had a chance to catch up with the talented outfielder at Twins Fest.In early March, Minnesota native Max Murphy will make the trip from Minneapolis to Ft. Myers for his first spring training. Murphy has never been to Twins spring training, even as a fan. With his local ties, he was invited to participate and sign autographs at Twins Fest this weekend. It marked the first time that he had been to the fantastic, fan-friendly event. Murphy graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in 2011. The school is located in New Hope, a suburb northwest of Minneapolis. In fact, the school is located just over 10 miles from Target Field. After a strong high school baseball career, he was not drafted. Murphy chose to attend Bradley University. Bradley is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Some Twins fans may recall that Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett began his unlikely climb by spending a year at Bradley. Murphy did have some options out of high school but was very happy with his decision to go to Bradley. “I could have gone to some of the D-1’s in the Midwest. I went on a visit to Bradley and I just really liked it. It was smaller, and that’s what I wanted. I’m happy with my choice.” He also had the opportunity to play right away. And he put up big numbers. In his three seasons at Bradley, he hit .293/.383/.518 with 27 home runs. His work led to being drafted in the ninth round in the 2014 draft. It was about where he thought and was hearing that he would be drafted. It was more surprising that it was the Twins who drafted him. Like most potential draft picks, Murphy was at his home, watching the draft take place online. “I thought somewhere in the top 10, so about there.” He continued, “I did talk to them, but it was a surprise. I was talking to some other teams more. I thought I was going to go to a different team. But it was a good surprise.” He signed quickly for a reported $130,000 and quickly made a name for himself in the organization with a very strong start to his career in Elizabethton. Often, there is an assumption that hitters struggle to adjust to using a wood bat since aluminum or composite bats are used in high school and college. For Murphy, he didn’t feel it was a big adjustment. He said, “I always hated the metal bat.” He played in wood-bat leagues during his summers in college. He spent time with the Rochester Honkers in the Northwoods League. He was also the MVP of the Great Lakes League one summer. If there was an adjustment, Murphy was able to make the change very quickly. Of professional baseball, Murphy noted, “I think it was just baseball how I always wanted it to be. It wasn’t different than college. You just go out and play. In college, it was a little different than that. I was just feeling good.” He felt good, to the tune of a .378/.483/.723 (1.206) in 35 games for the E-Twins. He added seven doubles, two triples, ten home runs and 26 RBI. “It is a lot about not having to go to school. Summer ball is always something I’ve been good at just because I can just focus on baseball. It’s just a different atmosphere, and you’re playing every day which I think it a lot better. When you’re hot, you’re hot. In college, it’s every weekend and one game during the week.” He was promoted to Cedar Rapids, which is very unusual for hitters sent initially to the Appalachian League. He struggled a little more in his 32 games in the Midwest League. He posted a line of .242/.314/.395 (.709), but he did hit seven doubles and four home runs. “There was a little bit (of an adjustment to the Midwest League). It wasn’t that much different as far as velocity and stuff, but I think pitchers knew how to pitch a lot better. You have a lot of guys in rookie ball that aren’t throwing good offspeed stuff. I think it was just adjusting to that environment. It was so much different than Elizabethton.” Defensively, he has the ability to play all three outfield positions. He played left field in Elizabethton. At Cedar Rapids, he replaced centerfielder Jason Kanzler (who was promoted to Ft. Myers). He isn’t considered a speedster, but he can cover some ground in centerfield. Despite spending only half of the season in Elizabethton before his promotion to Cedar Rapids, Murphy was named the MVP of the Appalachian League for his tremendous offensive performance. He said his first offseason as a professional baseball player has been “awesome.” Of the workouts and preparation, he said, “It’s basically just go, and you know what to do. You just get it done.” In early March, he will head down to Ft. Myers where he will participate in his first spring training. He is eagerly anticipating the start of a new season and where it will take him. “(I’m) excited to get there. I’ve never really had a preseason where you get to go and play games to get ready for the actual season. I think a lot of times early in the season, I’ve just not felt like I’m ready to play especially being in the Midwest. You hit in the cage and you just go right out and play. I think it will be good to get a nice three weeks of playing before we get to play real games.” Usually when asking players about the weather at Twins Fest in Minnesota, you get some great responses, especially from players from southern areas. For Murphy, and most of the Minnesotans in attendance at Twins Fest this year, the 40 degree temperatures were a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Murphy was a ninth-round pick in 2014. As you recall, 2013 ninth-round pick Mitch Garver was my choice for 2014 Twins minor league hitter of the year. Murphy has all of the tools. He can hit. He should hit for power. He has good speed. He can play defense. He has a strong arm. He has good strike zone judgment. Now a professional, he will have the opportunity to work full-time on those tools. He could be a sleeper and work his way up the system quickly. Murphy looks forward to hopefully surprising people again as he begins his first full season in the Twins organization. He turned 22 in November and should start his season where he ended the 2014 season, in Cedar Rapids. But a strong start and he should earn a midseason promotion to the Ft. Myers Miracle. Click here to view the article

I agree that I think they're both deserving... I definitely do NOT think that Tovar should be in because he played 9 positions in one game. I think he's deserving because of the value and role he brought to very strong Twins teams for 6-7 years and because of how he was viewed nationally and locally at the time. He had some years where he didn't hit a lot, but he had some very good year and was such a valuable piece. But yes, I think that Mack should be in too. His offensive numbers for those 5 years were as good as almost every other outfielder in the AL at that time. IT was on part with Puckett. The only one better was probably Griffey. The point is that there are candidates who are deserving.

Yeah, when I saw that tweet, it annoyed me, and yet, he doesn't pitch here in the Winter. He'll wear a jacket and it's not like he'll be outside. It's also 50 degrees warmer than it was a year ago at this time. Ervin Santana embraced it, saying he'd love to pitch in the cold. At the Diamond Awards last night, he acted like he was excited to be here. Nolasco at least year's Diamond Award made it look like he was told he needed to be there. That said, none of that will matter if he pitches better this year.

On Friday, Twins President Dave St. Peter announced that no players will be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2015. It is the first time since they started doing this in 2000. He said that no player reached 60% of the vote. Though he was said to be close, Cesar Tovar was again snubbed.A case could be made that Tovar is the most underrated player in Minnesota Twins history, something this announcement confirms, at least in my mind. Always referred to as a utility player, Tovar played in 1,090 games for the Minnesota Twins between 1965 and 1972. Though he did play all over the field, literally every position in one game in 1968, he was an everyday player for much of his career. In fact, in 1967, he led the league by playing in 164 games. He had over 4,000 at-bats in a Twins uniform and hit a combined .281/.337/.377 (.714). He hit 193 doubles, 45 triples and 38 home runs. He also stole 186 bases. He received MVP votes each year from 1967 through 1971, including a top 10 finish in 1967 when he received one first-place vote, from a Minneapolis writer, of course. I would argue that his best season in a Twins uniform came in 1970 when he hit .300/.356/.442 (.798) with 36 doubles, 13 triples, 10 home runs and 54 RBI. He also stole 30 bases. The native of Caracas, Venezuela, signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1959. He never reached the big leagues with the Reds. In December of 1964, the Twins acquired him in a trade for Gerry Arrigo. Tovar remained with the organization until after the 1972 season when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for three players. He spent time with the Rangers, A’s and Yankees before retiring following the 1976 season. He actually continued to play (and coach some) in the Venezuelan Winter League until 1985 at the age of 45. He passed away in 1994 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 54. His overall stats don’t jump out, but his role on some great Twins teams (’65, ’67, ’69, ’70) cannot be disputed. He was highly respected in his time. Honestly,it is time for the Twins to honor him with induction into their Hall of Fame. Dan Gladden and Mudcat Grant were also said to be close, but Tovar needs to be next. Click here to view the article

On Thursday night at Target Field, the Minnesota Twins hosted the 2015 Diamond Awards at Target Field. It was a good night to look back at the positives from the 2014 Twins season while at the same time raising a lot of money for the University of Minnesota’s innovative research and patient care for ALS, ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s diseaseThe night began with a social hour or two during which people were able to bid on a ton of incredible memorabilia from baseball history, but also from the other local professional teams such as the Vikings, the Wild and the Timberwolves. Walking to the banquet room, I ran into Twins minor league director Brad Steil and Twins General Manager Terry Ryan. The last time I had seen Ryan was one year ago at the Diamond Awards. He is thin, but says he is back closer to 100% and excited to get down to Ft. Myers. At 7:00, the program began with a welcome from Fox Sports North’s Dick Bremer. The dinner was a garden salad, followed by an entrée that I didn’t know how to interpret. I mean, it was a “Manhattan cut filet of beef with caramelized cauliflower, chianti braised cippollini onions, butter poached baby red potatoes, and a demi-glace.” I’m not sure what that all means, but it sure tasted good. There was a little dessert after that as well. As the meal concluded, Brian Dozier walked by and came over to the table to say hi. I asked him how the Twins Caravan went, and he said it was great. He really enjoys it, but he had just returned to Minneapolis a couple of hours before he needed to be at the Diamond Awards. I asked him how much time he got back at home in Mississippi between his time in Nicaragua (more on this later) and his flight to Minnesota for the Caravan. He said it was less than 24 hours. It’s been a whirlwind. The first award of the evening was the Jim Rantz Award for Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Although Rantz was at the event, Terry Ryan presented the award to JO Berrios. Ryan spoke for quite some time about all of what Berrios accomplished during the season, from not walking anyone, to striking out guys and pitching at three levels. But he spoke with great pride about how far his English has come along. Berrios was happy about winning the award. He also said, “One thing I learned is respect for the game. Veteran players, I learned that from them.” Next up was the Sherry Robertson Award for the Minor League Player of the Year. Brad Steil presented the award to Kennys Vargas. Dick Bremer asked Vargas about his 2014 bet with David Ortiz. Ortiz told Vargas in spring training that if he hit 25 home runs during the season, he would bling him out. Will Ortiz pay up? Vargas doesn’t know. “We’ll see at spring traning. Maybe he will. Maybe he won’t. He is a good friend.” Twins President Dave St. Peter presented the Kirby Puckett Alumni Community Service Award. Jim Kaat was the recipient which was very appropriate. The Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center at the University of Minnesota was founded by Allison, along with Kaat and Frank Quilici. Kaat has remained involved in the game, and also in the community, since his playing days. He was unable to attend the event. Jim Pohlad presented the Carl R. Pohlad Award to Brian Duensing. Well, kind of. He said that, “Since we are in arbitration with Brian, I can’t say much good about him.” Obviously he was joking. The list of charitable groups and activities that Brian, along with his wife Lisa, are involved in was a long and impressive one. Bremer asked Duensing one question (and Duensing said he was glad Pohlad brought up the elephant in the room), but then he asked Lisa a question. She clearly didn’t want to speak and be given that much attention, but when she spoke, she was great, eloquent and spoke from the heart. Larry Gallagher was a long-time umpire at all of the various levels of amateur baseball starting in 1955. He was a long-time umpire in the MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference), and as Paul Molitor said when he introduced him as the Play Ball! Minnesota Terry Ryan Award as a Friend of the Game, he said he even “somehow he even umpired in seven major league games.” The Bill Boni Award was presented to Danny Santana for his terrific, surprising 2014 season with the Twins. He put up terrific numbers while learning a new position. He also did his interview in English and was very proud of his season. Ron Gardenhire was named the Mike Augustin Media Good Guy Award. “Thank you to the local writers for this award. Good guy award. That’s a first. I certainly appreciate it.” He concluded his video acceptance by saying, “Good luck to the ball club this season. I’ll be watching. I’ll be rooting. Go get ‘em, Moli, it’s on your shoulders buddy.” The Charles O. Johnson Award for most improved went to Eduardo Escobar. In English, he said, “I’m so nervous. I’m so happy. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” However, he also made it clear that he intends to get regular playing time at shortstop. “I’m going to come into spring training, ready to compete. I love it when I play every day.” The Bob Allison Award for Team Leadership went to Kurt Suzuki. He credited his former teammates Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi and Mark Kotsay as being leaders of his teams when he was young. He is excited to play with Torii Hunter because of his leadership skills. He hopes that the younger players will watch how he plays the game and can learn from him. He was asked about getting to catch Ervin Santana after trying to hit against him when he was a member of the A’s and Santana was with the Angels. “I wasn’t lucky enough to get days off against him. Look at my stats against him. That should tell you how good he is. He’s a winner.” Brian Dozier was given the Jim Kaat Award for top defensive player. He gave credit to a lot of people who helped him, particularly in his move from shortstop to second base. He especially talked about Molitor’s help with that transition. He was also asked about what he and his wife Renee were doing in Nicaragua. They were helping to build a school, laying cement and putting up the framing. They were there for about a week. It’s the second straight year that they have made that trip. Phil Miller announced that Pat Neshek was the Dick Siebert Award recipient as the Upper Midwest Player of the Year. Miller spoke of Neshek’s amazing 2014 in which he signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals, made the team, gave up three runs in his first three months, made the All-Star team, pitched in Target Field in that game, and fathered a son. Miller said that Neshek was very happy to have won the award, something he reiterated in a pre-recorded video because he was unable to make it. Miller joked that that Twins offered to fly him to Minneapolis and give him an award, but the Astros gave him $12.5 million so he chose to go to Astros Fest this weekend. Finally, Mike Berardino announced that Phil Hughes was awarded the Joseph W. Haynes Award as the Twins Pitcher of the Year and the Calvin R. Griffith Award for the Most Valuable Twin. Hughes was very thankful to the Twins for the opportunity that the Twins gave him a year ago. When asked about his decision not to get one more out on that final weekend, he said Gardy called him into his office and made the offer, but after some thought, it was an easy decision to decline. He said it would have been a very selfish move. He said he doesn’t regret that decision, and then he thanked Terry Ryan and the Pohlads for giving him a lot of money this offseason. Throughout the awards, there were some other segments. Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor were brought up for some State of the Organization types of questions. Molitor said that he can’t wait for February 23rd to get here so that spring training can get started. He said he doesn’t want to change the groundwork of spring training established by Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire, but that they would tweak a few things. Ryan said he was tired of worry about the other teams in the division. He only cares about making the Twins better and he believes that they are improved. They will certainly need some guys to take steps forward. He pointed out Oswaldo Arcia, who came to the event, and is at Twins Fest for the first time. Later, they called out a couple of the new players, Ervin Santana and Torii Hunter. It became a great standup comedy show. The two were teammates with the Angels for several seasons. Torii calls Santana “Magic”, as in Ervin Magic (but not Johnson). The two spoke glowingly of each other. Hunter was always a big fan of Paul Molitor and said he learned a lot from him. Bremer asked him, now that Molitor is his manager, is he still a big fan? Hunter joked, “That depends.” He went on to tell a couple of stories about some little things that he learned from Molitor over the years, but then he focused his attention on the young players that were in the audience. He basically told them that they need to continue working hard, and learn from Molitor and learn from the veterans that are being brought in, and that they’re going to have some fun, but they’re going to work. And then he pointed at the players and said, “And… we’re going to win.” Listening to that speech, it’s clear that Hunter will be a very good leader for this organization. I know many, especially those who solely look at the numbers (and sometimes I’m guilty of that too), but the other things do matter. If he can hit like he did, even last year, and find ways to get the most out of other players (hopefully positive ones, not punching-related ones), it’ll be worth it. I tweeted after hearing him that I wish I could play and be his teammate! Finally, it was the 10th annual Diamond Awards. A lot of great research has been done over the years and these events have helped raise a lot of money for that. The goal, obviously, is to someday find cures. As that research is done, some of the proceeds are being used to help with patient care and treatments. There is still a lot of work ahead and a lot of hope that eventually there will be a cure. If you would like to contribute, you can. Go to give.umn.edu/neuro to learn more about the research on brain, nerve and muscle disorders and to find out how you can help. Twins Fest begins tonight at Target Field. It is another charitable event from the Minnesota Twins. Many players (former, current and future) will be in attendance to sign autographs, take pictures and spend time with the fans. If you have a chance, it’s a great event. And hey, spending time at Target Field is always a good thing! Click here to view the article

Pretty sure he isn't eating any Fruit Loops or Ice Cream anymore. He's completely revamped his diet as well in addition to his workout regimen. I will be quite surprised if Berrios opens the season with the Twins. I will be somewhat surprised if he's up in July. I would be very surprised if he got "just" a September call up. But I will never be completely shocked by anything that Berrios does because he is a very impressive young man.

If you follow him on Facebook or Twitter, you have seen the grueling offseason workouts that JO Berrios is putting in. He has some very lofty goals. He is working for a big season, and there is a new video to prove it. (Video Below.)As I'm typing this article on Thursday morning, Berrios is boarding a plane in Puerto Rico. He will arrive in Minneapolis this afternoon. Tonight, he will be at the Twins annual Diamond Awards where he will be presented with the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year award. He will remain in the Twin Cities through Sunday. He will be at TwinsFest, where you will be able to get his autograph and shake his hand if you like. It has been a whirlwind past 12 months for the Twins' top pitching prospect. He began the 2014 season with the Ft. Myers Miracle and pitched well enough to be named the starting pitcher in the Florida State League All-Star game. He saw his prospect status rise and he was named to the Futures Game, which was played at Target Field. In fact, he was named the starting pitcher for the World Team and threw a 1-2-3 first inning. He walked off the mound to an ovation from the fans, many of whom are looking forward to seeing him work off that same mound for years to come. He was promoted to Double-A and actually finished the season with one start for the Class-AAA Rochester Red Wings. He turned 20 years old in May. That same month he became father to a daughter, Valentina. In December, he was married. “Being a parent is a privilege. Thank God I have a beautiful, healthy girl whom I love with all my heart. Now I have a bigger reason to work harder. That feeling of being her first love [is great]! I love her with all my heart.” And yet, teammates, coaches and even front office marveled at his work ethic and drive. In this year's Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2015 (Berrios is on the cover), I asked several people about Berrios. Here are some of the responses. Matt Tomshaw, his teammate much of the last two seasons said, "Every day he's out there out-working everyone." Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year Brandon Peterson said of Berrios, “I would say obviously everyone can see the talent is there. But not everyone gets to see what kind of guy he is. He keeps his head down and works hard, which is great to see.” Matt Koch, who caught him with the Rock Cats, said, “What made him so successful this year was his outstanding work ethic and positive mentality. Everyone knows that he has outstanding command of his pitches, but what separates him from everyone else is that he never seems to succumb to pressure and never shows any chink in his armor. He has great work ethic when throwing bullpens and in his conditioning, and it shows up in the game. Nothing is better for me as a catcher when I know the guy on the mound has supreme confidence in every pitch he has.” His primary catcher with the Miracle was Stuart Turner. He said, "[berrios] was successful, first and foremost, because he is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever played with over the years." Twins Minor League Director Brad Steil said that Berrios “continues to get better in all areas – pitchability, stuff, and command. He’s a tough competitor with tremendous drive and work ethic.” That is certainly the theme when people close to him talk about Berrios. In the book, Berrios had big plans for his offseason after seeing success in 2014 with alterations to his routine. He said, “I believe my biggest improvement was getting in shape. Also, having better eating habits compared to the previous season. I began a new exercise routine in the offseason as well.” This offseason, that work and preparation has been recorded. We now have video proof. Here is a quick preview of what Berrios has been doing this offseason in his native Puerto Rico. (Video by his friend Jorge Soto.) Berrios told me this morning that this is likely a preview for a longer documentary to follow. Running in the ocean off the coast of his native Puerto Rico. Pushing around cards. Berrios is getting stronger while maintaining his pitching flexibility. Last week, Ash Marshall from mlb.com did an interview with Berrios in which we read more about his confidence and his lofty goals for 2015 and beyond. Looking to 2015, Berrios told me in an interview in the Twins Prospect Handbook that he has set a couple of goals. “I have a lot of great expectations for 2015. I’m focused on my daily training. Also to work hard on my numbers, less walks than 2014 and get double-digit wins. And hopefully at mid-year, I’ll get to be selected for the All-Star Game in Cincinnati.” But his goals are much bigger than even that. Getting called up for Berrios would be “a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to become a big leaguer. I’ve been working hard and hopefully I’m closer to it. But my dream is to be part of the Hall of Fame someday.” Those goals certainly seem lofty, and less than 1% of players who reach the major leagues will become Hall of Famers. But after watching the work he's putting in and the confidence he has, who knows, maybe JO Berrios has a chance. If nothing else, we won't be able to question how hard he is working! Click here to view the article

I just keep going back to May's performance in those first ten starts of his career (and I agree that the calf injury did derail some of the momentum, for sure). First Three Starts: 9 IP, 13 BB, 3 K Final Seven Starts: 36.2 IP, 9 BB, 41 K That's an impressive turnaround. Honestly, and I know many will disagree, but Rick Anderson was probably the right person to be there working closely with May through that transition. He was able to show that he can throw strikes and still get strikeouts. It also shows a lot about Trevor May that he was able to overcome that debut and pitch much, much better.

I know that when I did my first Roster Projection earlier in January, I put Tommy Milone in the rotation and had Meyer and May back in Rochester. I believe that is the most likely scenario. To be fair, Milone has proven a lot more than May... and yet, I would definitely say that if it was my choice, it would be May. Like you wrote, he has nothing more to prove in AAA. As I'm typing this, I would say that the same is true with Milone. Meyer could start in the bullpen, or I would have no problem with him getting two months in Rochester where he is told to focus on not walking batters and then get him up too. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Or at least a picture...

That was a great one!! It's about at the 1:07 point of this video:

On Saturday night, Twins Daily will be hosting the 2nd Annual Winter Meltdown. We are thrilled that we will be joined by Twins President Dave St. Peter, and former Twins Jacque Jones and Tim Laudner. Laudner was a member of the Twins 1987 World Series championship team and spent nine seasons with the Twins, from 1981 through 1989. He has been a Twins analyst the last several years for Fox Sports North.Along with the three guests who will be interviewed during the party, there will be several others in attendance that you can meet and talk Twins with. All five of the Twins Daily owners will be there, along with frequent contributors Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and AJ Pettersen. Some of the writers from Vikings Journal and Wild Xtra will also be there. There are still some tickets available for the Meltdown, so click here to secure yours today. In anticipation of our time with Tim Laudner, here are five of the most memorable moments of his professional career. (Check out Nick’s look at Jacque Jones’ Top 5 Moments from yesterday) 5. Drafted by his hometown Minnesota Twins in 1979 Though he was born in Mason City, Iowa, Laudner went to high school at Park Center in Brooklyn Park, MN. Following a strong high school career, he was selected in the 33rd round by the Cincinnati Reds. He didn’t sign, instead choosing to go to the University of Missouri. In 1979, he was the Twins' third-round pick. He signed and reported directly to Double-A Orlando. That year, the Twins used the 11th overall pick in the first round on a high school outfielder from Wisconsin named Kevin Brandt. Brandt played 45 games in Elizabethton in 1979. He played two games with the E-Twins in 1980, and that was it for his professional career. With their 2nd round pick, the Twins drafted Randy Bush out of the University of New Orleans. He debuted for the Twins in May of 1982 and remained with the organization until June of 1993. Laudner was the first Park Center grad to be drafted in the major league draft. Thirteen years later, Pat Neshek was drafted by the Twins out of Butler University. There may only be two Park Center kids ever drafted, but both had long MLB careers and each included a trip to the All-Star game. 4. Monster 1981 Season OK, it’s not really a moment, but it needs to be addressed. In 1981, Laudner spent the whole season in Orlando and had an incredible season. In 130 games, Laudner hit .284/.375/.628 (1.003) with 21 doubles and a tremendous 42 home runs. It’s very possible that he would have been promoted to the Twins earlier, but baseball was in the midst of a strike through much of the season. 3. Big-Time, Big League Debut After hitting those 42 home runs in Orlando, the Twins did promote Laudner to the big league club in late August. Manager Billy Gardner put him into the lineup on August 28, 1981. He was slotted into the eighth spot. He was also charged with catching right-handed veteran Fernando Arroyo against a strong Detroit Tigers lineup that included Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish and Kirk Gibson. Arroyo threw 6.1 shutout innings, and veteran left-hander Jerry Koosman (another Minnesota native who was a key component of the Miracle Mets in 1969) finished out the shutout with 2.2 scoreless frames. At the plate, Laudner took care of several “firsts” in his first game. His first at-bat came in the top of the third. He led off with a single to centerfield off Dave Rozema. Two innings later, he took his first walk. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Laudner connected for the first home run of his career, a two-run blast off of Rozema. He made out in his final at-bat of the day, but ended the game by going 2-3 with a walk and a homer in his major league debut. Fun Fact: The next day, Laudner hit his second big league home run (and 44th homer of his 1981 season). It came against lefty Dan Schatzeder who was his teammate on the 1987 team. 2. 1988 All Star Game The 1988 American League All-Star roster was very interesting, but particularly so to fans of the Minnesota Twins. A quick look at the starting lineup shows five Hall of Famers to go along with three guys associated with Tony LaRussa and the Oakland A’s. Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield and Terry Steinbach, all Minnesota natives, were in the starting lineup. The Twins were very well represented at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. As a result of winning the 1987 World Series championship, Tom Kelly was the manager of the American League roster. He brought much of his coaching staff with him. Dick Such (pitching coach), Rich Stelmaszek (bullpen coach), Rick Renick (bench coach) and Wayne Terwilliger (first base coach) were on his staff. Frank Viola was named the starting pitcher for the game. Kelly also named Kirby Puckett, Gary Gaetti, Jeff Reardon and Tim Laudner. After famously hitting just .191 during the regular season during the championship 1987 season, Laudner had a much better season in 1988 and earned a spot on the team. In the bottom of the 6th inning, Laudner replaced pitcher Mark Gubicza in the lineup but Terry Steinbach at the catcher position. He came to bat with no one on and two outs in the top of the 7th inning. Against Mark Davis of the Padres, a closer who went on to win the 1989 Cy Young Award in the NL, Laudner hit a double. 1. Game 2 of the 1987 World Series The Twins won Games 1 and 2 of the 1987 World Series at the Metrodome. The Twins won Game 1 by a score of 10-1. They used a six-run fourth inning to take a 7-0 lead and won the game 8-4. Laudner played a big part in that game. In that big fourth inning, Laudner stepped to the plate with the Twins leading 3-0 and runners on second and third. He singled to left field scoring Gary Gaetti from third base. Randy Bush was at second and was waved around third. There was a close play at the plate, but Twins fans old enough to remember 1987 will remember Randy Bush’s remarkable slide. In the sixth inning, Laudner hit a solo home run to give the Twins an 8-1 lead. Following the game, Laudner was interviewed on the field by Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson who was working for ABC Sports at that time. Laudner certainly had more great moments in baseball. He hit 77 home runs. Three times, he hit two home runs in a game. He hit a home run off of Roger Clemens, who should be a Hall of Famer. He hit homers against Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers and, another ’87 World Series teammate, Bert Blyleven. If you would like to hear more about these moments from Laudner’s career and other stories from the Fox Sports North analyst, join us at Mason’s on Saturday night from 5-8. Get your tickets here. Click here to view the article

That was awesome!!

Short answer... Suzuki has a ton of job security. Of course, that could change by about June, though not likely.

I was at that exhibition game against the Cardinals, first game at Target Field... I remember the ovation he got and his response to it... Was incredible!! I recall it getting rather dusty in there.

But again, the guys have been hurt. Can't promote players that are injured. And Burdi and Reed were in their first pro seasons after pitching since January. They were on a tight leash, pitching about every third or fourth day. No reason to promote them to the big leagues yet. Tonkin's had a few opportunities. Others were hurt. It's not that they didn't draft well. There's no way to know that yet. Getting hurt isn't a drafting problem, it's a thing that happens to pitchers. And, the success rate of college relievers rushed to the big leagues in their pro debut season or even early in their first full season is not great at all. Ryan Wagner comes to mind. The Royals called up their top pick in this year's draft and put him in their bullpen for the playoffs... but it was for the playoffs, not for a September call up. Huge difference. The thought is too that the Royals want him to start so he'll likely head down to the minors at least for a couple of months to start 2015.

The deadline for agreeing to terms before exchanging numbers is noon today. Check back here to find out what players agreed to. Any last minute predictions?

Yeah, way too many factors come into play when a team wins a World Series title.... the biggest might involve luck, health, guys getting hot at the right team, having a pitcher who pitches great for a 2-3 week period, getting "clutch" hitting from unlikely sources... A GM can try to put the best roster he can together and then the players kind of have as much control as anyone... I would never judge a player, GM, manager, Quarterback, basketball player by the number of titles his teams have won. Even though that, of course, is the ultimate goal for all organizations, GMs, managers and players.