Seth Stohs

Walker is certainly another name that fits into the "He could also play there" discussion. Mauer will be fine. I mean, I'm not sure if people think that a guy who caught in the big leagues for the majority of 10 years is going to keep hitting as Mauer did when he was 30 and under... but a nice .300/.380/.450 would be alright. Let's not forget the concussion either.

After what seems like such a long delay, the World Series begins with Game 1 tonight. When the Series is complete, players that are eligible will become free agents and the offseason will begin. I thought it would be good to take a look at the Twins by position to find their areas of organizational strength or weakness. Today, we start with the first basemen.Major Leagues Joe Mauer is signed through the 2018 season. The six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove winner and former MVP had a disappointing season in his initial year at first base. His defense improved through the season. It was his offense that was down. The career .319/.401/.459 (.860) hitter hit just .277/.361/.371 (.732) with 27 doubles and four home runs. Regardless of anyone’s thoughts, he will be the team’s first baseman for most games over the next four seasons Kennys Vargas came up straight from AA after the July trade deadline and was impressive. In 97 games in New Britain, he hit .281/.360/.472 (.832) with 17 doubles and 17 home runs. In two months with the Twins, he hit .274/.316/.456 (.772) with 10 doubles and nine homers. He really is a DH, but he can play some first base to spell Mauer. Chris Parmelee played some in the outfield and quite a bit at first base in 2014. After 32 games in Rochester, he was added back to the Twins 40-man roster and called up. In 87 games with the Twins, he hit .256/.307/.384 (.691) with 11 doubles and seven homers. He could stay on the 40-man roster this offseason and compete for a utility job next spring. Minor Leagues Chris Colabello was the co-Player of the Month in the American League in April, but things went south from there and he spent time in AAA. He remains on the team’s 40-man roster because he is a big, powerful man. If he stays on the 40-man roster, he could be an option for a bench role or he could head back to Rochester where he was the International League’s MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2013. Max Kepler is also on the 40-man roster and currently playing in the Florida State League. He got most of his playing time in 2014 in the three outfield positions, but also played a dozen games at first base. His youth and versatility, along with immense power potential, will likely keep him on the 40-man roster to start 2015. Mike Gonzales split his 2014 season between Ft. Myers and New Britain. Combined, he hit .271/.348/.439 (.787) with 29 doubles and 12 home runs. Like Vargas, Gonzales is a big man. He is listed at 6-6 and 265 pounds. The Twins ninth round pick in 2008 out of junior college, he can become a free agent following the World Series. Dalton Hicks was the Twins 17th round pick in 2012 out of Central Florida. At 6-5 and 250 pounds, he fits the mold with several other first basemen in the system. He spent his age-24 season in Ft. Myers where he hit .262/.344/.407 (.751) with 24 doubles, 11 home runs and 76 RBI. Chad Christensen was the primary first baseman in his home town of Cedar Rapids in 2014. After four years at the University of Nebraska, Christensen was the Twins 25th round pick in 2013. Christensen does not fit the mold of hulking first basemen you’ve seen above. He is 6-3, 210 pounds and a tremendous athlete who can play all over the field, including centerfield if necessary. He hit .272/.339/.404 (.744) with 24 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, and 73 RBI. He also was 30 for 35 on stolen base attempts. Bryan Haar split the season between Cedar Rapids and FT. Myers. He was the 34th round pick in 2012 out of the University of San Diego. In 108 games with the Kernels, he hit .267/.319/.446 (.765) with 20 doubles, five triples and 14 homers. He moved up to the Miracle and played in just 10 games. He played the majority of his games at third base but also got into 19 games at first base. At Elizabethton this summer, Tyler Kuresa played 39 games at first base. The Twins actually drafted him out of his high school in the 11th round of the 2010 draft, but he went to college. He was drafted in the 14th round by the Braves in 2013 but again went back to college. Following his senior season, he was selected by the Twins in the 16th round in 2014. He debuted by hitting .298/.381/.478 (.859) with 14 doubles and five home runs in 46 games for the E-Twins. Trey Vavra, the Twins 33rd round pick in 2014 out of Florida Southern, played 27 of his 50 games in Elizabethton at first base. Overall, he hit .319/.392/.454 (.846) with 20 doubles, a triple and a home run. Although he is a catcher, Joel Polanco played a majority of his games at first base. As a 21-year-old in 2014, he hit .248/.296/.350 (.646) with six doubles and two homers in the GCL. Jack Barrie is an 18-year old from Australia who made his debut in the organization in 2014. He hit .205/.284/.233 (.517) in the GCL with two doubles. Like others above, he is a big lad. He is listed at 6-4 and 250 pounds already. He will require patience, but his power potential is exciting. Lewin Diaz was a million-dollar signing in 2013 from the Dominican Republic. The 17-year-old is another big guy with power potential. There was talk that he might be able to play some outfield, but in his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, he played just first base. In 43 games, he hit .257/.385/.451 (.836) with 13 doubles and five home runs. He should debut in the States in 2015, likely in the GCL. SUMMARY Joe Mauer will be the primary first baseman, most likely, over the next four years. Kennys Vargas will have to fight a sophomore slump, but he certainly has all the power from both sides of the plate that you would want, especially since he will primarily be a DH. After that, Lewin Diaz is probably the player with the most upside in the organization. That said, players like Miguel Sano and Travis Harrison could also be looked at as guys who could move to first base if, or when, needed. Click here to view the article

Personal opinion and obviously a lot of variables, but here is my uqick thoughts on percent likelihood they play in the big leagues in 2015: Byron Buxton - 80% (doesn't have to be on 40 man roster for another year) Eddie Rosario - 80% (will be added to 40 man in November) Max Kepler - 20% (2nd of 4 option years) Taylor Rogers - 45% (doesn't have to be added to the 40 man roster for another year) Jason Adam - 25% (could be added to 40 man roster in November) Zack Jones - 50% (doesn't have to be on 40 man roster for another year) Jake Reed - 35% (doesn't have to be on the 40 man roster for 3 more years or so)

"likely to fit" with the Twins shouldn't be a criteria in Twins prospect lists. "likely to fit" on the field - OF or 1B - or in the lineup - middle of lineup or back third - is a very legitimate question. I dropped him from something like 9th to 16th from last year to this year. I'm definitely not willing to give up on him at all. Too much talent and athleticism, but obviously it does have to come together at some point.

I personally wouldn't do anything with Major League Free Agent bullpen guys. Andrew Miller is the one that is great. There are 3-5 others that are pretty solid but on the wrong side of 30. There are plenty of good options currently and in the upper levels, and there are some guys drafted the last 2-3 years that could (should?) surface quickly. I like the minor league free agent route with bullpen arms.

Best two outfielders in the organization. No doubt about that. Kanzler is so good defensively. But yes, I would expect that he will star the season back in Ft. Myers. That Chattanooga outfield is full! Rosario will probably start there too, though he could move up to AAA with a strong AFL. Who knows, he could be the Twins opening day LF (Reusse tweeted that this morning, I responded saying maybe by June).

The Kansas City Royals are going to the World Series. The AL Central team that was seemingly in a perennial rebuild suddenly has put itself in a great position. They won the 1985 World Series and this is the first time since then that they've been back in the playoffs. They have now gone 8-0 this postseason and will represent the American League in the World Series. The Twins have had a run of four-straight 90-loss seasons, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the Royals roster and see how their players were acquired. Are there similarities between the Twins and the Royals?THE CORE I always write and talk about how important it is for the Twins to develop their core and then supplement it with free agents or through trades to find final pieces. Both the 1987 and 1991 World Series championship Minnesota Twins teams had strong cores. Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek and Greg Gagne were part of both cores. The 1987 team included Tom Brunansky, Gary Gaetti and Frank Viola who were on the team when they were losing a lot of games. Dan Gladden, Juan Berenguer and Jeff Reardon were added. Gladden became part of the core of the 1991 team. At the core of the Royals roster have been four first-round picks. Billy Butler was the 14th overall pick in the 2004 draft. Alex Gordon was the #2 overall pick in the 2005 draft. Mike Moustakas was the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, and Eric Hosmer was the #3 pick in the 2008 draft. All four of these players have certainly had their ups and downs in their big league career. Fans complain about the lack of power shown by Butler and Hosmer. Alex Gordon struggled early in his career and switched positions. Mike Moustakas has struggled with the bat, and in fact, he was sent down to AAA this year because he was playing so poorly. Other guys whom they have drafted and developed are around the roster. Closer Greg Holland was the team’s 10th round pick in 2007. Lefty Danny Duffy was their third round pick in 2008. Jarrod Dyson was the team’s 50th round pick in 2006. Yes, I meant to type 50th. In addition, the Royals signed some of their new, expanded core as international free agents. Flamethrower Yordano Ventura was signed from the Dominican Republic in 2008. Fellow triple-digit tosser Kelvin Herrera signed in 2006. Salvador Perez, who is one of the best catchers in baseball offensively and defensively, signed out of Venezuela in 2006. In addition, reliever Brandon Finnegan became the first person, ever, to play in the College World Series and the Major League World Series in the same year. The lefty pitched for TCU this spring, was selected with the 17th overall pick in June, and was up in September. He played a huge role in the Division Series. TRADES The Royals then made a few trades that have had a huge effect on their roster, and on this year’s results. There were a couple of completely opposite trades. When the Royals were struggling and had a terrific starting pitcher in Zach Greinke, they were able to trade him to Milwaukee. The Brewers sent to Kansas City Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi, and the ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain in that deal. Odorizzi was on the other end of a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays two years ago. Instead of acquiring prospects, the Royals traded one of baseball’s top prospects, Wil Myers, along with Odorizzi and more in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis. Shields had become an ace for the Rays and pitched in the playoffs and the World Series. Davis was a soft-throwing starter who was being moved to the bullpen. The Royals gave him a shot to start last year, but he became arguably baseball’s most dominant reliever in 2014. In addition, the Royals traded soft-tossing lefty reliever Will Smith to the Brewers last offseason for outfield Nori Aoki. They acquired reliever Jason Frasor at the trade deadline for a minor leaguer. They also got Josh Willingham from the Twins in mid-August. FREE AGENCY With that core having gained some experience and the Royals starting to show signs of life, they supplemented their team with some free agent signings. In July of 2012, the Royals traded lefty Jonathan Sanchez to the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie. Both pitchers had struggled immensely and maybe a change of scenery would help. Well, Guthrie pitched well down the stretch in 2012 and turned it into a three year deal worth $25.2 million deal with the Royals. Though he has been about league average in those 2 1/2 years, he has worked a combined 505.1 regular-season innings for the Royals. After letting Ervin Santana go elsewhere after the 2013 season, the Royals signed very soft-tossing left-hander Jason Vargas to a four-year, $32 million contract. The move was widely criticized at the time, but Vargas has pitched well in the first year. After trotting out guys like Johnny Giavotella and Chris Getz at second base in recent years, the Royals gave Omar Infante a four year, $30.25 million contract to be their second baseman. Granted, the 32-year-old hit just .252/.295/.337 (.632), but he has 13 years of big league experience which likely helped the club in some way. After getting released by the Angels in June, veteran Raul Ibanez signed with the Royals. He hit just .188 with six extra base hits in 90 plate appearances. Consider this: Had the Twins gone out and signed free agents like Guthrie, Vargas and Infante, would those moves have excited the Twins fan base? Do they scream "OK, now, we're heading to the World Series?" SUMMARY The Royals have a fairly young core of talent that should allow them to make a run for a few years. In their regular lineup, Omar Infante is the only hitter over the age of 30. Salvador Perez and Eric Hosmer are still under 25 while Billy Butler, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakus are all 28 or less. Yordano Ventura is 23, and Danny Duffy is 25. Meanwhile, James Shields becomes a free agent at the end of the year and the 32-year-old could bolt for big money. Jeremy Guthrie is 35 and Jason Vargas is 32. They’ll need to develop a couple more pitchers and possibly sign one or two to replace Shields. The bullpen is full of hard throwers, and they are quite young. The forgotten name might be 2009 first-round pick Aaron Crow who was very good the last couple of years before struggling a little bit in 2014. A reminder of the Royals first round picks in the last decade: · 2004 (14) – Billy Butler – High School · 2005 (2) – Alex Gordon – College – Nebraska · 2006 (1) – Luke Hochevar – College – Tennessee · 2007 (2) – Mike Moustakas – High School · 2008 (3) – Eric Hosmer – High School · 2009 (12) – Aaron Crow – College – Missouri · 2010 (4) – Christian Colon – College – Cal State Fullerton · 2011 (5) – Bubba Starling – High School · 2012 (5) – Kyle Zimmer – College – San Francisco · 2013 (8) – Hunter Dozier – College – Stephen F. Austin · 2013 (34) – Sean Manaea – College – Indiana State · 2014 (18) – Brandon Finnegan – College – TCU The Royals have had a boatload of very high draft picks and for the most part, they have made good on them. Hochevar was moved to the bullpen in 2013 and posted an ERA south of two. He had Tommy John surgery this spring. Colon made his MLB debut in 2014. Starling, Zimmer and Dozier are all participating in the Arizona Fall League. HOW DO THE TWINS COMPARE? Are the Twins doing any of the things that have made the Royals successful this year? The draft has been a struggle in the last decade, though they have had their successes as well: · 2004 – Trevor Plouffe (20), Glen Perkins (22) · 2005 – Matt Garza (25) · 2006 – Chris Parmelee (20) · 2007 – Ben Revere (28) · 2008 – Aaron Hicks (14) · 2009 – Kyle Gibson (22) · 2010 – Alex Wimmers (21) · 2011 – Levi Michael (30) · 2012 – Byron Buxton (2), Jose Berrios (32) · 2013 – Kohl Stewart (4) · 2014 – Nick Gordon (5) While the Royals were accumulating high first-round picks for a decade, the Twins were competing (and often winning) division titles. Only in the last three drafts (and the 2015 draft) have the Twins had high picks. It will be important for the Twins long-term success to have those guys hit. The Twins now have Kyle Gibson and Trevor May as young starters in their rotation. They have added free agents Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes last year. Hughes out-pitched all but a handful of starters in the American League in 2014 while Nolasco showed how hard free agent pitchers can be to judge with a rough first season. Obviously, for the Twins to compete in 2015 and 2016, Nolasco will have to return to at least mediocrity. The team also continues to have hope for Alex Meyer, hoping he can become a top-of-the-rotation starter. So will they add another high-priced free agent starter to the mix as the Royals have in recent years? The Royals bullpen is among the best in baseball, and they are a huge reason why the Royals have yet to lose a game in the playoffs. They are able to bring in hard-thrower after hard-thrower to dominate. They drafted Finnegan with the 17th overall pick this year. The Twins drafted Nick Burdi with the 46th overall pick and he has thrown a legitimate 102 mph fastball with a 90+ mph slider. Third round pick Michael Cederoth will get a chance to start, but he was clocked at 100 in college this year. Fifth round pick Jake Reed hit 98, and according to Jason Kanzler (in a Twins Hangouts interview on Tuesday night) he has just filthy movement on his pitches. He’s pitching in the AFL now, too. The Twins have about 10 guys in the system who reach 98 or better on their fastballs including Meyer, Zack Jones, JT Chagois and more. Each of these guys has a realistic chance to debut with the Twins in 2015. Joe Mauer was part of the core in the last decade and will be a big part of the team’s success the next few years. However, the core for the next winning team starts with Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton. Hosmer and Moustakas were both among Baseball America’s top 10 prospects prior to the 2011 season. Buxton and Sano were both in BA's top 10 prospects list prior to this season. Though both missed significant time in 2014, they remain among baseball’s elite prospects. Beyond them, Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario are guys who could come up in the next year or two and compete. JO Berrios took a huge step forward in 2014 as a prospect. It's certainly far to early to know how Kohl Stewart and Nick Gordon will fare over time, but both had good showings in 2014. Oswaldo Arcia made strides and continued to hit for big power as a 23-year-old in 2014. Danny Santana put up Rookie of the Year numbers this year, though White Sox 27-year-old Jose Abreu will win that award unanimously. Kennys Vargas showed great power in his surprise debut. Brian Dozier (eighth round, 2010) won’t turn 28 until mid-May. Trevor Plouffe will be 28 through the first half of 2015. The Twins need Aaron Hicks to step up in 2015 as well, but the Twins offense was actually pretty good in 2014. Free agent Kurt Suzuki played a role in that. Another trait of the Twins strong teams has been defense. The Royals defense all around the diamond has been incredible. There are web gems, yes, but there is also great positioning. This is an area where the Twins have fallen flat, squished, you could say. The Twins defense is dreadful, and in order to help their pitching staff save some runs, it will also have to be a focus. The Twins aren’t just suddenly going to compete in 2015 unless a lot of things go really well. However, it’s clear what the Twins are building. The next core of hitters and pitchers is just starting to arrive and will continue to do so over the next two years. They will have to take their lumps, no question, just like the Royals core did over the last several years. But there are certainly pieces in place for the Twins to contend within the next couple of seasons, and hopefully for an extended period of time again. As the Royals have shown this year, it’s about getting to the playoffs and peaking. They certainly aren’t the best team in baseball. They probably aren’t the best team in the American League. Frankly, they weren’t the best team in the American League Central Division this year. However, they have the right pieces in place, in the lineup, on defense and in that bullpen. And right now, Lady Luck is shining on the Royals and they are playing great. Hopefully it will continue through the World Series. Click here to view the article

That hit chart to left field was very interesting. I'm sure right field would look the same, but Arcia will have enough bat to carry it. The Royals were fortunate with Gordon because he can hit and field well. Remember when he came up? He struggled pretty mightily for a few years and some Royals fans were ready to call him a bust. Of course, they have also called Mike Moustakus a bust and yet his defense is remarkable at third base. That's why I'm looking forward to (or hoping that) Eddie Rosario's bat plays in 2014 because I believe his defense in LF will be above average which could make him fairly valuable there if he can hit at all.

I've heard first year 6-year-minor league free agents get anywhere from $4,000 per month to $8,000 per month, and I'm sure some get more. From there, it goes up some each year.

If Sano and Buxton had been healthy, it's likely two of them wouldn't have been there. They signed Tony Thomas late in the year. There's a chance that if Rosario wasn't suspended, they wouldn't have signed him. I don't think any of them were holding anyone back that was ready to move up to the next level, and they have to fill rosters and try to win some games too.

As the Twins front office, scouting department and others are in Ft. Myers for their organizational meetings, they have a lot of decisions to make. They have to decide on a manager and fill the coaching staff. They will discuss all free agents from around the game. They’ll discuss arbitration-eligible players. They’ll also consider which players to add to their 40-man roster. The Twins have had a measure of success in recent years by signing minor league free agents. Today, I’d like to write about the players who were in Twins organization in 2014 who could become minor league free agents after the World Series. This list is a mix of guys who came to the Twins organization within the last year or two from elsewhere as minor league free agents and players who have spent their minor league careers in the Twins organization.We will start with the players who were drafted and/or signed by the Twins and can be free agents. Deibinson Romero – The 28 year old Dominican debuted in the Twins organization in 2006 with the GCL Twins. He was added to the 40 man roster after his 2008, injury-filled season in Beloit. That lasted one year, but he has remained in the organization. This will be the third offseason that he could have become a free agent. He has re-signed with the Twins each of the last two years. In 2014 in Rochester, he hit .265/.364/.406 (.770) with 31 doubles and eight home runs. He had a strong showing with the bat in big league spring training as well. Jairo Rodriguez – Rodriguez could also have become a free agent last year but re-signed with the Twins organization. He is a strong defensive catcher and a good leader for the pitchers but also all of his teammates. He is the catcher who went wherever there was a need in 2014. He split his time between Ft. Myers and New Britain, playing on occasion, but primarily just being the #2 or # 3 catcher. In fact, the Venezuelan played just 38 combined games and hit .220/.272/.276 with seven doubles. James Beresford – The still-just-25 year old middle infielder continued his progression in 2014 with a full season at Rochester. He too has been a free agent each of the past two seasons, choosing to remain with the Twins organization. His role with the Twins would be that of utility infielder, but he was the everyday second baseman for the Red Wings. In 131 games, he hit .276/.323/.351 (.674) with 28 doubles, two triples and two home runs. The Australian is tremendous on the defensive side and a great leader in the infield. Dan Rohlfing – The St. Louis native was the Twins 14th round pick in 2007 out of high school. He slowly and gradually made his way up the Twins system. He also has been a free agent the last two years but came back as a catcher who can also play the corner outfield positions. He has been a spring training invite each of the past four years. The last couple of years, he was among the last players sent to the minors. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester and hit .205/.307/.311 (.618) with 17 doubles and two home runs. Edgar Ibarra – The 25-year-old from Venezuela signed with the Twins and debuted in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. Last year, he was to become a free agent, but instead the Twins put the hard-throwing lefty on their 40 man roster. Unfortunately, he came down with Hepatitus in spring training and could not pitch. He returned to Rochester where he went 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA in 49.2 innings before being sent to New Britain for the final nine appearances. Adrian Salcedo – He was once a Top 10 Twins prospect. In Beloit in 2011, he went 6-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 139 innings. However, in 2012, he missed a lot of time rehabbing both elbow and shoulder injuries. He returned in 2013 in the bullpen and in 2014, he was in the New Britain bullpen. Still just 23 years old, Salcedo went 3-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 39 games and 73 innings for the Rock Cats. In 73 innings, he struck out 76 batters. He throws hard, and I’m certain the Twins will want to bring him back. BJ Hermsen – Hermsen was the Twins 6th round pick in 2008 out of high school in Iowa. He turned down a scholarship to Oregon State to sign with the Twins. In 2012, between Ft. Myers (4 games) and New Britain (22 games), he combined to go 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 162.2 innings. Following the season, he was named the minor league pitcher of the year and added to the Twins 40 man roster. He pulled his oblique in spring training and struggled all of 2013 with the Rock Cats. Those struggles continued in 2014 and the 24 year old split time between New Britain and Ft. Myers, posting a 7.34 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in 38 innings. Danny Ortiz – The 24-year-old was the Twins fourth round pick in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He missed the entire 2009 season due to knee surgery. In 2014, he began in New Britain and hit .324/.340/.500 (.840) before finishing with 73 games in Rochester in which he hit .256/.283/.434 (.717). Combined, he hit 29 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. The outfielder can play all three outfield positions. Mike Gonzales – Gonzales was the Twins 9th round pick in 2008 out of Diablo Valley College. When healthy, the 6-6, 260 pound first baseman has been able to provide some power to the middle of his lineups. He began 2014 in Ft. Myers and hit .274/.351/.448 (.787) before ending with 31 games in New Britain where he hit .264/.339/.415 (.754). Combined he hit 29 doubles and 12 homers. Nate Hanson – The former Gopher (who graduated from Eden Prairie High School) was the Twins 28th round pick in 2008. The last two years, he has split his time between New Britain and Rochester. In 119 games this year, he combined to hit .256/.327/.369 (.696) with 33 doubles and six home runs. The 27-year-old is described by teammates and coaches as the consummate professional. He has played all around the diamond, with the exceptions of catcher, shortstop and centerfield while hitting in the middle of the lineup. Deolis Guerra – Though he was signed by the Mets as a 16-year-old from Venezuela, he developed in the Twins system after the 2008 trade. This is actually the third year that he’ll be a free agent. He missed all of 2013 after having a blood clot removed from his right shoulder/neck. After a strong showing in spring training, the 25-year-old went 2-2 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 52 innings for the Red Wings. The rest of the guys have come to the Twins organization as minor league free agents within the last couple of seasons. Virgil Vasquez – He pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2005 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007. Since then he has pitched all over the map. He has split his time the last two years between Rochester and New Britain. This year, he threw a 7-inning no-hitter for the Rock Cats. Combined, the 32-year-old went 7-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 139.1 innings. Tony Thomas – The 28 year old was a former 3rd round pick of the Cubs out of Florida State. He had spent the previous three seasons of his career with the Red Sox organization. He spent the season in New Britain where he was an All Star and hit .241/.302/.411 (.712) with 29 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He was also the Rock Cats recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service. Eric Farris – The 28-year-old was the Brewers fourth round pick in 2007 out of Loyola Marymount. He made his Major League debut with one plate appearance in July of 2011. He got nine more plate appearances with them in 2012, including one hit and one walk. He came to the Twins before the 2013 season and has played in 250 games for Rochester. He was an infielder, but he was the team’s primary centerfielder in 2014. He hit .280/.316/.356 (.672) in 2014 with 23 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 16 stolen bases. Reynaldo Rodriguez – The 28-year-old signed originally with the Yankees, spent some time playing in independent leagues and then signed with the Red Sox. The last two years, he has been one of the better hitters in the Twins farm system. In 2014, he hit a combined .278/.337/.495 (.832) between New Britain (126 games) and Rochester (10 games). He hit 36 doubles, two triples and 21 homers. He also moved from first base to the outfield. Wilkin Ramirez – Ramirez made the Twins opening day roster in 2013 after previously being in the Tigers and Braves organizations. In 2009, he played in 15 games with Detroit, and in 2011, he played in 20 games for the Braves. The former top prospect played in 35 games with the Twins in 2013. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester where he hit .262/.305/.368 (.672) with 23 doubles, three triples and four home runs. Dan Turpen – The 28 year old came to the Twins organization before the 2012 season from the Rockies in exchange for Kevin Slowey. He re-signed with the Twins as a free agent late last spring and spent the full year in New Britain. He went 5-2 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 62.1 innings. He struck out 62, but he walked 30. Brandon Waring – The 28 year old came to the Twins as a free agent last year after several years with the Orioles organization. He had a good showing offensively and defensively in spring training. He was sent to New Britain where, in 106 games, he hit .212/.311/.406 (.716) with 28 doubles and 13 homers. Corey Wimberly – The 30 year old came to the Twins before the 2014 season after spending time in six other organizations since being a 6th round pick in 2007 out of college. He played 2B and center field for New Britain. However, he was limited to 72 games with the Rock Cats due to a hamstring injury. He hit .252/.307/.346 (.653) with 13 doubles and five triples. He was also 17/21 in stolen base attempts. Chris Rahl – The 30-year-old was the Diamondbacks 5th round pick in 2005. In 2011, he went to the Nationals. In 2014, he came to the Twins and was invited to spring training. He spent the year in Rochester where he hit .259/.272/.380 (.652) with 17 doubles and seven home runs. Jim Fuller – After being in the Mets organization since he was drafted in 2008, the left-hander was a minor league Rule 5 draft pick of the Twins in 2013. He spent 2014 in New Britain where he went 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 56 innings. He walked 30, but he struck out 68. Dutch Deol – He was the 17th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 out of high school. In three years of rookie league ball (Which was also injury-laden), he hit .089, .176 and .188. The Twins took a flyer on him and in 32 games with Elizabethton, he hit .171/.263/.210 (.472) with three doubles. Mark Hamburger – You know the story of Mark Hamburger. The Minnesota native signed with the Twins out of a tryout camp in 2007. In August of 2008, he was closing for the Elizabethton Twins when he was traded to Texas for Eddie Guardado. By September of 2011, he was promoted to the Rangers where he played in five games and got to be on the bench during the team’s World Series run. He spent 2012 in the Rangers minor leagues fighting injuries. In 2012, he was DFAd by the Rangers and claimed by the Padres. Then he was DFAd by the Padres and claimed by the Astros. They released him after the season. In early 2013, Hamburger voluntarily checked himself in to rehab after he received a 50-game suspension for failing a test for a Drug of Abuse. He signed with the St. Paul Saints where he impressed as a starter. Enough so that the Twins signed him in 2014. After serving his suspension, Hamburger wetn back and forth from New Britain to Rochester, as well as from the bullpen to the rotation. Combined, he went 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA. In 70.2 innings, he walked 27 and struck out 54. He still throws hard and I would expect that he and the Twins will come to a minor league contract for 2014 soon. How many of these guys should the Twins bring back? Obviously that depends on many factors including where the prospects will play in 2014. Click here to view the article

I like that there are several options. Could be Perkins still, and it could be Zack Jones. However, if I were to put money on it, I'd say Burdi.

The Arizona Fall League season started last week on Tuesday, and Minnesota Twins minor leaguers Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Taylor Rogers, Jason Adam, Zack Jones and Jake Reed all helped the Salt River Rafters compile a 4-1 record to open play. So let’s check out what each of those players did in the season’s first week!Byron Buxton – 4 games, 5-17, 4 R’s, 2 RBI, 2 BB’s, 4 K’s, 1 SB, 2 Errors. Buxton batted leadoff and played centerfield in all four games on the week, getting a day off after the first two games. In the season opener, Buxton was 0-4 but scored a run after drawing a walk and stealing second base. He also committed a fielding error in the first inning, misplaying a single up the middle. Buxton also committed a fielding error in game two as he works off some rust after missing almost the entire 2014 season. He collected multiple hits in games two and four during the week, going 2-5 and 2-4 with a BB and two RBIs. He finished the week by collecting a single in Saturday’s game to put his batting average at .294 after the first week. Above all else for now, it is good to see Buxton on the field! Eddie Rosario – 4 games, 8-18, 2 R’s, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K’s, 3 SB, 1 Error. Rosario had a rough 2014 season, like Buxton, but for different reasons. After missing the season’s first 50 games due to a drug suspension, he never really got going at AA with the New Britain Rock Cats. But whatever ailed him there hasn’t shown in his first four games in the AFL, as he notched two hits in each of his four games to compile a batting average of .444. He primarily was in the two-hole behind Buxton on the scorecards. In addition to the impressive start with the bat, Rosario has also swiped three bases to pace the league in that category. Max Kepler – 2 games, 2-9, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K’s, 1 SB, 2 outfield assists Kepler appeared in two games, playing RF in both contests. He collected a single in each game, and has also thrown out two runners on the bases with outfield assists, which is good to see. I also expect he’ll get some work at 1B with the Rafters, but for now they’re using his, and the rest of the Twins position player’s athleticism, to roam their outfield. Taylor Rogers – 1 game started, 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H’s, 2 BB’s, 3 K’s, 4.09 ERA. Rogers is the only Twins pitcher to be used in a starting role thus far, and though it wasn’t a bad performance by any means, he didn’t last very long as he racked up the general pitch limit of fifty for starters in the AFL relatively quickly, with only 29 strikes. In his first inning he struck out two batters, but also walked two before surrendering an RBI single. Kepler limited the damage for him as he notched one of his assists on a throw to third base on that same play. Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, before two singles in the third put an end to his day. Rogers took a line drive off of his shoulder. He recovered and recorded the inning's second out but left the game. The next day, Rogers told Twins Daily that he is "Doing good, just going to take some time". Jason Adam – 2 games, 3 IP, 4 ER’s, 6 H’s, 1 BB, 1 K, 12.00 ERA. Adam was roughed up in his first appearance, coming into the season opener for the fifth inning. Top prospect Brandom Nimmo led off that inning with a ground-rule double. A walk and a second ground-rule double scored Nimmo before Adam recorded his first out. A wild-pitch plated the second run, and an RBI single the third before he induced an inning-ending double play. In his second appearance Adam pitched two frames, allowing one run on three hits. The run scored in the sixth on (another) ground-rule double and except for a fielding error by Rafter shorstop Trevor Story, pitched a clean seventh inning. Zack Jones – 1 game, 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Jones had just one appearance during the week, but made the most of his two innings, pitching the seventh and eighth on Thursday. He surrendered only a walk and a single, while also picking up three K’s, including the last hitter he faced. 22 of his 34 pitches went for strikes, which is a good sign after he missed much of the season. Jake Reed – 2 games, 3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 5 K’s. 0.00 ERA, 1 Win, 1 Save. Reed was a very strong performer for the bullpens of Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids after he was drafted in the Twins in the fifth round this year. He compiled a 0.29 ERA in 31 IP, racking up 39 K’s and a WHIP of just 0.45. With a strong AFL performance, he could find himself on a very fast track to the Twins bullpen in 2015. In his first game on Wednesday, he pitched the fifth and six innings to pick up the win. In the fifth he struck out the side, Brandon Nimmo, L.J. Mazzilli, and Greg Bird. He also went 1-2-3 in the sixth while adding a fourth strikeout. In his second appearance on Saturday, Rafters manager Andy Haines brought him in for the ninth inning, and though he made it interesting, surrendering a walk and two singles to load the bases, he picked up the save while adding another strikeout. Notes -The Rafters lead the AFL East Division with a 4-1 record after the first week of the season. -None of the fifteen hits from Twins position players during the week went for extra bases. -Twins hitters combined to bat .341 with 7 R’s, 5 RBI, and 5 SB. -Twins pitchers compiled a 4.41 ERA in 10.2 IP, with 12 H’s, 5 BB’s and 12 K’s. Click here to view the article

There is no value in them doing that. They talked to Parker and they talk about shifts and stuff like this when asked, but they shouldn't get into the details. I do agree that the alignment would/will be nice. Parker showed the number of shifts that were used year-to-year. There is work being done, and that's what I want to see. Jack is good. He's really smart and I know he takes this stuff very seriously. Terry Ryan is very smart as well, and he knows that this information is important. As long as Jack is talking to Terry, and coaches and stuff, and the information is being translated, that's all we can ask. I have no doubt in my mind. That stuff happens.

This is awesome!!! I wonder how frequent these types of sessions are, and if we can promote them for TD readers and such.

Sometimes that comes back to haunt you though... For instance, in one league, we were to about the 22nd round, and I needed a 2nd Baseman. The options, in my mind, were Brian Dozier and Jedd Gyorko. Even though I'm a big Dozier guy, I figured I would take the other guy so that I wouldn't be a homer... Should have gone with Dozier... and all those homers!

Millions of people play fantasy baseball each year. In recent years, few Minnesota Twins players have been high draft picks in fantasy drafts. Today, I thought it would be fun to see how several Twins players ranked at their respective positions. (Looking for help with your Fantasy Football Lineup? Let Vikings Journal's Bo Mitchell help you with his Fantasy Football Week 6 rankings.)There are many types of fantasy leagues and each league can alter its rules, so the below won’t be an exact representation of every type of league. These are the rankings by position according to the rules of one of my leagues. The league is a weekly points league. Hitters score points for total bases, runs and RBI, and half-points for walks and hit by pitches, and two points for stolen bases. For pitchers, it’s ten points for wins and five points for saves. Pitchers receive points per inning pitched and for strikeouts. Pitchers also lose points for runs, hits and walks allowed. That’s more than you wanted to know, but it gives a basis for the numbers and rankings below. For those that don’t participate in fantasy sports, it’s just a different look at how some of the Twins players compared to others. Sure, you can look at OPS+ or ERA+ or WAR or other such statistics, but it is fun to look at it from a fantasy perspective. CATCHERS Kurt Suzuki was an All-Star and had a fantastic first four months of the season. For the season, he ranked 14th among players eligible at the catcher position. One of the players who ranked ahead of Suzuki among catchers in 2014 was Joe Mauer. No, he didn’t play the position during the season, but he remained eligible to play there throughout the year. Mauer ranked 10th among catchers. MLB’s Top Four: Carlos Santana, Jonathan Lucroy, Buster Posey, Devin Mesoraco FIRST BASE Though Mauer was still valuable in fantasy leagues as a catcher, his frustrating season ranked 34th among first basemen in 2014. It was two spots behind the Royals Eric Hosmer and three behind Mark Teixeira. In 2015, Mauer will only be eligible as a first baseman. Kennys Vargas, playing just the final two months, ranked 63rd and Chris Parmelee came in at 64. MLB’s Top Four: Jose Bautista, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Jose Abreu SECOND BASE Brian Dozier had a terrific season. Despite hitting .243, he took walks, crushed home runs, and scored a lot of runs. Just two players who qualified at second base ranked higher. The Astros Jose Altuve ranked first and Nationals 3B/2B Anthony Rendon came in second. Dozier ranked third, but well above the fourth-ranked second baseman. Check out the next group of second basemen behind Dozier; Ian Kinsler, Dee Gordon, Robinson Cano, Matt Carpenter, Howie Kendrick and Chase Utley. MLB’s Top Four: Jose Altuve, Anthony Rendon, Brian Dozier, Ian Kinsler THIRD BASE Trevor Plouffe had a much-improved showing in his defense, and his offense also took another step forward in 2014. Among all qualifying third basemen, he ranked 12th. He was just behind Adrian Beltre, Josh Harrison and Daniel Murphy. He ranked just ahead of Pablo Sandoval. MLB’s Top Four: Miguel Cabrera, Anthony Rendon, Josh Donaldson, Todd Frazier SHORTSTOP Though he primarily played centerfield, Danny Santana qualified at shortstop as well. Despite missing time at the beginning of the season in the minor leagues and a stint on the disabled list, he comes in at #16 among all shortstops. Eduardo Escobar, who played good defense and hit a ton of doubles, ranked 26th. MLB’s Top Four: Dee Gordon, Ian Desmond, Jose Reyes, Alexei Ramirez OUTFIELDER Santana was the Twins top performing outfielder in 2014. He was #16 among shortstops, but that same point total came in 59th among outfielders. Oswaldo Arcia ranked #75. MLB’s Top Four: Mike Trout, Jose Bautista, Giancarlo Stanton, Michael Brantley STARTING PITCHERS Phil Hughes had a remarkable season. In this league’s scoring, he ranked 14th among all starting pitchers. Kyle Gibson finished #86 in baseball. MLB’s Top Four: Johnny Cueto, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Kluber, David Price RELIEF PITCHERS Glen Perkins was the closer in the All-Star game at Target Field in July. Despite his struggles due to injury in the final month, he still ranked 14th among relief pitchers in baseball. MLB’s Top Four: Craig Kimbrel, Greg Holland, Francisco Rodriguez, Kenley Jansen Click here to view the article

Sure, but presumably Byron Buxton will be in CF and Brian Dozier will be at 2B for awhile. So, you take Rosario and move him to LF where his defense will be likely above average and you take the batting average and doubles power that he provides. But I would agree... it'll be a little while before we see him in the big leagues. Midseason is best case, and there is no rush since he'll only be added to the 40 man roster in November.

Thanks for the great questions everyone. That was a fun show for me. AJ Achter is such a good guy and did a wonderful job answering out questions for a full half-hour. I enjoyed it. Aside from my one long-winded question that was inaudible (and yet somehow AJ was able to interpret and actually answer the question I was asking), it went well.

Yeah, I had never heard the July 2013 thing, but you're right Steve, it is weird that they followed up that decision with a two-year extension.

It will also just be nice to have some box scores to look at again with some minor leaguers names in them.