Seth Stohs

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.

A couple of years ago they added 8 players after the season, but I'd have to check who was added in September. Maybe a couple that were added for September came off. Not sure. Buxton and Berrios, if they're deemed ready and needed before August will come up. They won't hesitate at that point. However, there's no reason (other than stuff like PR) to call them up in September. Those 10-14 games they may play (2-4 games for a pitcher) aren't worth it in the long run over potentially protecting someone else in the offseason. (In my opinion)

I would say it would be rare for a team to have more than 1-2 players from their 2012 draft that will help them in 2015. This article isn't so much about 2015, but for years beyond. The college guys from the 2012 draft don't have to be added to the 40 man roster until after this year and can't become minor league free agents for like 4 more years. The high school guys drafted in 2012 don't have to be added until after next year.

I think I wrote that somewhere in the article. I would say anyone at this stage of their career, just 2 1/2 years in, should get an Incomplete grade... That said, I like the potential of this group. I've done LOOK BACK articles at the drafts. It's fun to do.

I dont know why I typed "outfielder" for Fernandez. I recall telling myself as I was typing NOT to type outfielder, but I still did. Each year at Instructs, he plays in the OF and there is talk about him playing out there, but he really hasn't yet. I think when Jeremy and I talked about ranking the catching prospects in the organization, I had Fernandez fourth (behind Turner, Garver and Navarreto, but I like Fernandez a lot. He may have been in the mid-30s for me.).

In 2012, the Minnesota Twins had an important draft. They had the #2 overall pick and six picks in the first 100 selections. At the time, they were coming off of their second straight 90-loss season and the farm system was not considered strong. They needed to add talent. There were certainly some dual strategies at work. Today we’ll look back at the Twins 2012 draft.After losing Michael Cuddyer to Colorado via free agency, the Twins acquired two additional draft picks, the Rockies' second round pick and a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds. Jason Kubel also left as a free agent to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Twins also got a supplemental pick for him. The MLB draft is incredibly difficult to judge or even analyze for more than a decade for various reasons. Top prospects don’t always make it big and there are hidden gems found in late rounds. However, when you have the opportunity to draft second overall in the draft, it is important to get it right. As Aaron Gleeman pointed out on this past week’s Gleeman and the Geek podcast, it’s important to get the early picks right, but even mid-to-late first round picks, much less picks in rounds two through forty, are mostly a crapshoot. HIGH-UPSIDE PREPSTERS The Twins have had a lot of success with athletic, toolsy high school hitters in the past. Torii Hunter (1993), Michael Cuddyer (1998), Joe Mauer (2001), Denard Span (2002) and Ben Revere (2007) are some examples of this. Byron Buxton certainly fits that model. His tools and athleticism are truly elite. When healthy (2013), he was the best player in minor league baseball and put himself on track to be in the big leagues as a 19-year-old. Unfortunately a smorgasbord of injuries cost him a lot of development time and delayed his big league debut. The Twins have had less success with drafting and developing high school pitchers. The most recent pitcher that the Twins drafted out of high school who made starts was Anthony Swarzak. Aside from Twins Hall of Famer Brad Radke, who the Twins took with their 8th round pick in 1991, others are few and far between. However, JO Berrios certainly displayed the potential and the work ethic to break that mold. He has a chance to be in the big leagues before he turns 22. DRAFTING COLLEGE RELIEVERS After that, however, we saw the Twins make another interesting shift in thinking. Five of their next six picks were college relievers. The Twins clearly focused on obtaining velocity through the draft. Although those five pitchers were relievers in college, the Twins made it clear that several of them would be given an opportunity to start. That makes sense. Starters have the opportunity to work 170 to 200 innings in a season whereas even the top relievers will likely top out at 70 innings in a season. Even if the pitcher does go back to the bullpen, the opportunity to start has other benefits. He can work on secondary pitches. However, as a starter, he will have to work out of many situations that he will see coming out of the bullpen. It’s just that he is able to go through those experiences in the 3rd or 4th inning rather than late in the game. That theory is sound, but there were certainly concerns with that strategy. One of them was an increased injury risk, whether real or perceived. Of course, that is going to be a concern with any pitcher. The thought was that a couple of these guys would get up to the big leagues and pitch out of the bullpen. The thinking was also be that if even one of them reached the big leagues as a starter, the strategy would be a success. So, two-and-a-half seasons into their professional career, how has this strategy worked out for the Twins? Here is a quick look at those five college pitchers: LUKE BARD – RHP – Georgia Tech With the 42nd overall pick (supplemental pick for losing Kubel), the Twins took the right-hander. The thought was that he would be given the opportunity to start. However, in 2012 and 2013, he worked a combined 19.1 innings in the minors and then missed the entire 2014 season. At the end of the 2013 season in Ft. Myers, observers pointed out that he stuff was absolutely filthy. However, while rehabbing from offseason surgery last spring, doctors found that he had a muscle completely detached in his shoulder area and there was debris in his shoulder joint. He had surgery in mid-May and will likely be out for 12 months. Bard is as classy as it gets and when healthy, has really good stuff. MASON MELOTAKIS – LHP – Northwestern State – Louisiana With the 63rd overall pick, the Twins took a hard-throwing left-hander. Mason Melotakis had been clocked in the upper-90s out of the bullpen in college. In 2012 and 2013, he spent most of his time as a starter. Very early in the 2014 season, he moved to the bullpen and it wasn’t long before he was promoted to AA. As a starter, he worked in the low-90s and worked on two additional pitches. Out of the bullpen, he was again throwing in the upper-90s and getting significantly more strikeouts. Unfortunately late in the season, he developed elbow pain and in August he had Tommy John surgery. He will likely miss most of the 2015 season. JT CHARGOIS – RHP – Rice University JT Chargois was a two-way player for Rice who was one of two closers on their roster. He was the pick the Twins acquired from the Rockies for Cuddyer. After signing with the Twins, he pitched 16 innings in 12 games at Elizabethton. He tried to rehab some elbow discomfort through much of the 2013 season before having late-season Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2014 season. However, he returned to the mound in the Instructional League and impressed everyone with a fastball that hit 99 mph. ZACK JONES – RHP – San Jose State The Twins used their third round pick on a hitter, but returned to the collegiate bullpen arms in the fourth round when they picked San Jose State reliever Zack Jones. His upper 90s fastball has been impressive. His first full season in the pros was spent in Ft. Myers in 2013. He pitched well while trying to work on his control and his slider. He pitched in the Arizona Fall League, but while there was shut down with a strange, cold sensation in his right hand fingers. A couple of months later, it was found that he had an aneurysm in his right shoulder. He required surgery and rest. While recovering, they found blood clots in his leg. He returned to Ft. Myers in May and started a rehab program. He returned to the mound and ended the regular season as the Miracle closer, leading a dominant bullpen that helped the team to their first Florida State League title. He returned to the Arizona Fall League where he struggled with control but didn’t allow a run. He is back at 100 percent and was throwing between 95 and 98 mph. TYLER DUFFEY – RHP – Rice University With their fifth round pick, the Twins took the other half of Rice’s closer share. Tyler Duffey was a hard-throwing reliever who, after signing, dominated at Elizabethton, walking two and striking out 27 in 19 innings. His first full season was split between Cedar Rapids (where he pitched the first seven innings of a no-hitter early in the season) and Ft. Myers. He made 18 starts before finishing the season in the bullpen. In 2014, he began with four starts in Ft. Myers before spending the majority of his season at New Britain. He finished the season with three starts in Rochester. He worked 149.2 innings. Recently, he was named as a non-roster Invitee to Twins big league spring training. A mid-90s fastball and two additional pitches and he is now considered a legit future big league starting pitcher. These five will have to be added to the Twins 40-man roster following the 2015 season or be made available in the Rule 5 draft in December. Duffey has been very good as a starter and has a chance to be a big league starter (or a successful reliever). The four other arms have all missed significant time due to injury and surgeries. These guys are all 24 years old and still have a good chance to get to the big leagues as relievers. They have big velocity and if things go well, they could still be late-inning, impact arms in the bullpen. Has the strategy proven wise? That’s to be determined. Time will tell. OTHER 2012 DRAFT PICKS Adam Brett Walker is a year younger than the above college arms. He’ll still be just 23 years old during the 2015 season. He has played at one level each year and been one of the most prolific power and production hitters in minor league baseball. He has led his league in home runs and RBI the last two years and has a total of 66 homers in his two-and-a-half seasons. Anyone who can hit 25 homers in the Florida State League is worth paying strong attention to. As has been discussed here a lot, he will need to make more contact, but he could have a big league future. He was the team’s third round pick, 97th overall. In the 17th round, the Twins drafted Dalton Hicks, a first baseman from Central Florida. The hulking left-handed hitter provides a lot of power and production. He spent all of 2014 in Ft. Myers. He led minor league baseball in RBI in 2013, barely topping Walker. MORE COLLEGE ARMS In the 10th round, they drafted DJ Baxendale out of Arkansas. He moved quickly up to Double-A after two months of his first full season as a pro, but he has struggled at Double-A, primarily just staying healthy. In the 11th round, the Twins took lefty Taylor Rogers from the University of Kentucky. He was my choice for Twins starting pitcher of the year in 2013 when he spent most of his season with the Miracle. Last year in New Britain, he started slowly but came on and pitched very well. He pitched a little bit--unfortunately he missed about a month after being hit in the arm by a line drive in his first start-- in the Arizona Fall League. Like Duffey, he received an invite to big league spring training. Alex Muren was the Twins 12th round pick out of Cal State-Northridge. He has quietly pitched really well and reached Ft. Myers in 2014. The right-hander is a groundball machine out of the bullpen. In the 35th round, the Twins drafted Jared Wilson, but he returned to UC-Santa Barbara for his senior year, but the Twins took him in the 19th round in 2013. He pitched in Cedar Rapids in 2014. HIGH SCHOOL BATS Byron Buxton signed for about $200,000 dollars below slot, so the Twins had a bit of money to spend on other picks. In the 20th round, the Twins selected Florida high school outfielder Zack Larson. They gave him about $200,000 to sign. He has hit well wherever he has been. Unfortunately, he missed three months of this past season because of a hamstring injury. In the seventh round, the Twins drafted Jorge Fernandez, an athletic outfielder out of Puerto Rico. He spent two years in the GCL and then posted an .802 OPS in Elizabethton last year. The Twins were able to sign 16th round pick Will Hurt away from a scholarship at Coastal Carolina. He went to the same high school as Ben Revere. His game is speed and defense. He hasn’t hit much in his three years in the rookie leagues but plays very good defense in the middle infield. There’s a quick look at the Twins 2012 draft. Incomplete would be the draft grade for each of the above players since they all remain in the organization. It’s very possible that anywhere from one to four of these guys will debut with the Twins in 2015. More likely, at least five of them will be added to the 40-man roster after the season if they aren’t already on it. Click here to view the article

I really enjoyed hearing the conversation with Marney... and her kids were great! But I think she did a great job of explaining her job and what isn't her job... It was fun, but I think people should listen to it because I don't think everyone knows what he job is and, more important, isn't.

Interesting discussion on what Mauer would get if he was a free agent. We discussed it here in November. I said 3/$45... I think Aaron threw out 4/$44. I don't know if John gave any sort of number, but said he was surprised at Aaron's 4/$44. Since our forum in November, Butler and Markakis signed, giving more data points. I feel good about my 3/$45 number, though I think 4/$56-60 might be likely too.