Seth Stohs

Nice meeting you too... It's been fun talking to so many TD readers this week!

The kids on the EST team are really young. The starting infield was Cabbage, Munoz, Montesino and Molina. Eduardo Del Rosario started and was very wild. Bethel is a solid college team with plenty of 20-22 year olds. They've been practicing as a team officially for 7-8 weeks already, and probably working out together since January. The EST guys started officially practicing together 5 days earlier. Pitchers were wild. Defense wasn't great. I talked to a coach from the Twins side and they thought it was a game they would probably lose for those reasons. If it was based solely on talent, sure, the pro guys would win.

Today, he was down there most of the time that the two teams were playing. In fact, lots were. Terry Ryan, Mike Radcliff, Rob Antony and others not only watched Berrios, Santana and Darnell but stayed throughout the minor league games. All were approachable, but Kelly was terrific, taking pictures with a lot of people. In fact, much of the coaching staff was there too. Joe Vavra was watching Trey (who had a double and a long home run off of Ervin Santana). Tanner didn't play as a precautionary measure after getting hit in the head yesterday. He said he feels just fine. Joe told me that they did a scan of his head and found nothing, so it was just normal. Pretty funny. Butch Davis stopped by for a bit. Tom Brunansky was there for a little while. I saw him talking to Steve Singleton. Even Kent Hrbek was there. He was filming a commercial (presumably for Carrier?) in front of the stadium this morning.

Kepler is about as humble as it gets so he would never say that but he gained a lot of confidence with the success last year and wants to build on that. That said, it's good that he can get time in AAA and see how it goes. He understands. He's very smart, and he admits there are things he can (and hopefully will) get better at. He'd rather be in the big leagues, but having never played in AAA, he isn't going to be unhappy about being there.

Right... but it may not be ERA and/or WHIP. It may be K rate, and certainly BB rate will matter. Number of pitches. Dominance, things like that.

All fair points and questions. Here are my thoughts; Walker - he's working on some things that really limit his ability to get in the lineup. I wish he would have got some more at bats, but they also weren't going to play him in the outfield for other reasons. He did play left field in the minor league game today. Kepler - I should start by saying that Process always matter. The article was more about which is more important during spring training in relation to making the Opening Day roster. Kepler has a chance to make it but would really have to show something and likely that would be in numbers. So for him to make the roster, he'd really have to do something special. So, for him, process is still very important. Buxton - Unless he was completely lost, he was making the team as the starting CF. So, the statistics don't matter as much as showing that he can take improved at bats, etc.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - On Monday, the Minnesota Twins sent a team across the state to Jupiter to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Before they left, Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan informed more players that they were heading to minor league camp. It was pretty quiet by Hammond Stadium, but things are really cranking up on the minor league side of the complex. Minor league action is in full form. Today, I wanted to post a bunch of minor league notes from the day. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Stephen Gonsalves) FORT MYERS, Fla. - On Monday, the Minnesota Twins sent a team across the state to Jupiter to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. Before they left, Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan informed more players that they were heading to minor league camp. It was pretty quiet by Hammond Stadium, but things are really cranking up on the minor league side of the complex. Minor league action is in full form. Today, I wanted to post a bunch of minor league notes from the day. The squads started their day with their morning routine. They get to the field around 9:30 to stretch. Then there is baserunning, throwing, ground balls, fly balls, PFPs, pickoff plays, situational plays, all the stuff from a normal baseball practice. They had lunch, but at noon, Work Group 4 (the guys who will most likely be sticking in Ft. Myers for Extended Spring Training) took on Bethel University. The Minnesota college in St. Paul has played five games previously in Florida the last few days and will play a few more. But, it’s a good challenge for both teams. The head coach of the Bethel team is New Ulm native, former Gopher, and former Minnesota Twins player Brian Raabe. For his team, it is an opportunity to play against some really good, talented players. However that talent is very raw, and they have only been practicing officially for the last four or five days together. As the game was starting, Tom Kelly walked slowly across the field, fungo in tow, and watched the first inning while talking to Raabe. I noted several times that even as pitches were being made, his back was to the batter, and they were standing outside the dugout. For the young Twins players, it’s a chance to play a team of 19-22 year olds who have been practicing for at least six weeks together. It’s also playing against someone other than yourselves. The EST Twins scored four runs over the last couple of innings to take a 7-4 win, but again, that is the least important part of the game. As has been mentioned many times, Tom Kelly and his fungo love to teach the fundamentals of the game. After catching up with Raabe, Kelly took 2015 draft pick Kolton Kendrick to a side field and worked with him on some things around first base. I looked back 45 minutes later… still instructing… Awhile later, Kendrick got into the game at first base… and Kelly was right there with him. That’s not an unusual happening at Twins minor league camp. When Kelly comes down from the big league side, he’s got his fungo and he takes time with players whenever he sees a coachable moment. At 1:00, Work Group 1 - which is currently comprised of players who will start 2016 in AAA or AA but will change as players move down from big league camp - played Work Group 2 (comprised of AA and Hi-A players) on the next field. The next field pitted Work Group 3 (comprised of Hi-A and Low-A players) against Work Group 4 (Low-A and some Extended Spring players). A lot of pitchers threw between the two games. Most worked just one inning, but three guys who will be starters also pitched. Stephen Gonsalves, Randy LeBlanc and David Hurlbut all threw 60 pitches, getting through four innings. Someone with direct knowledge told me that the starters will throw 60 pitches this time out. In their next outing, they’ll try to get to 75 pitches. Then 95 pitches. Then they’ll drop back to 75 pitches and be ready to roll for Opening Day. From watching Gonsalves, it is clear that adding a slider this offseason could be great for him. It can be death to left-handed hitters. It’s interesting as the Twins pitchers are just completing their third time through the spring rotation. They were to get 60 pitches in. In their fourth start, the goal will be 75 pitches. So, minor league starters aren’t given a lot of time to build arm strength. There were a couple of scary moments on the day. Early in one game, Levi Michael lined a ball right back at David Hurlbut. The left hander was fortunately able to get his glove up just in time and was unscathed. Infielder Tanner Vavra was facing Alex Wimmers later in the game. A pitch got away from Wimmers and hit Vavra right in the helmet. Vavra went down, but as people were trying to help him, he jumped up. He went to first base under his own power. He soon came out of the game and had to go through concussion protocols. Fortunately, he is all right and the tests came back fine. The next batter, Logan Wade, crushed a pitch well beyond the right field fence. Mike Berardino had the nugget on Twitter on Sunday about Levi Michael giving up left-handed hitting. He will only bat right-handed at this point. That’s what he did on Monday. Some Other Notes I chatted with Niko Goodrum for a little while before lunch. He definitely looks bigger and stronger. I asked him about Elite Metro Sports and Cages. It is a place in his home town of Fayetteville, Georgia. Goodrum wanted a way to give back in his community and thought that having a training facility for youth in his city was a good idea. He told me that he really didn’t have anything like that when he was growing up. Throughout the offseason, Niko worked with hundreds of kids of all ages in the cages, but also on all aspects of the game. They held several clinics. His uncles Donell and Otis Nixon came and helped at some base stealing clinics as well. His cousin, a third former big leaguer in the family, also has been a big influence on Goodrum. Niko said that he just really enjoys working with the kids. To be a good teacher, it helps to be a good learner. Here Goodrum is taking some instruction from former big leaguer (and GCL hitting coach) Javier Valentin. I chatted with Lewis Thorpe a little bit before lunch as well. He had thrown a bullpen that morning and said it felt really good. He feels like he is back to normal but he knows they will be patient with him in his return. It’s clear that he’s been working hard this spring. He has lost a lot of weight that had been gained throughout the injury. He expects that he’ll start throwing more and getting into a routine before joining a team later this spring. They’ll build up his in-game pitch count in the same way that others do in spring training, but just at a little slower pace. While Thorpe has lost some weight, there are a few guys who gained weight. We’ve already discussed that Nick Gordon has added 15 pounds in the offseason. In chatting with Mike Radcliff, he noted that it’s almost even more. He had been sick and lost a bit of weight so the fact that he’s gained 14 is encouraging. Ryan Walker missed time early last season with an injury. The gifted-defensive middle infielder has always been skinny and has tried to add weight. However, he often loses some during the season. He came to Twins spring training last year at about 170 pounds but by the end of the season, he was at closer to 160 pounds. He worked really hard in the offseason and is now sitting between 180 and 185 pounds and hopes to maintain it through the season. He may start the season in Chattanooga, but could return to Ft. Myers for some of the season depending upon the rosters above. The 12 players that were sent down from big league camp did not participate in the games on Monday. 40-man roster guys actually have the right to take a couple of days off after the are optioned. My guess is that they will be at practice today. Teams can expect non-roster guys to go straight to minor league camp. My guess is that the Twins (Terry Ryan) encouraged them to take Monday off. The Twins big league club has their one scheduled day off of the spring. They’re there for six to seven weeks officially and get just one day off, so I’m sure they’ll enjoy it. Not me though. I’ll be again spending the day at minor league camp. I did take about 400 pictures yesterday. We’ll see how many turned out. I’ll take more today and get to editing tonight. Again pictures taken here in Ft. Myers will be used throughout the season in Minor League reports. Some of them will be posted to the Twins Daily Facebook Page, the Twins Daily Twitter account, and I’ll also post some on my Twitter account. So, click those links, follow us on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook. View full article

Whether it is on Twitter, Facebook, or just talking to people here in Ft. Myers or back home, there is one question that seems to come up most frequently at this time of year. At what point to results (statistics) start to matter in spring training? It’s a good and fair question. So, I asked Twins GM Terry Ryan for his input. We often see a big leaguer hitting .170 and a minor league free agent signing hitting .350 in spring and inevitably, we’ll get the questions. And it is a good question, so it’s one I wanted to discuss a little bit. Image courtesy of Kim Klement, USA Today Whether it is on Twitter, Facebook, or just talking to people here in Ft. Myers or back home, there is one question that seems to come up most frequently at this time of year. At what point to results (statistics) start to matter in spring training? It’s a good and fair question. So, I asked Twins GM Terry Ryan for his input. We often see a big leaguer hitting .170 and a minor league free agent signing hitting .350 in spring and inevitably, we’ll get the questions. And it is a good question, so it’s one I wanted to discuss a little bit. We all understand that established, veteran players use spring training to get prepared for the start of the regular season. A starting pitcher may choose to go with nothing but fastballs the first time out, wanting to work on mechanics, work in and out, up and down, whatever it may be. The next outing, which will be more pitches, he may choose to use a pattern of fastball, changeup, curveball. That way, in 45 pitches, he is throwing 15 of each of his pitches. In the third start, They may try to see how going back-to-back changeups work by throwing three in a row. Each veteran pitcher kind of has a plan and works with the pitching coach and the catchers to establish how they can accomplish that in a spring start. Again, the goal is to ramp up so that by Opening Day, he is full go, ready to throw 100 pitches and use his pitches effectively. Veteran hitters like Joe Mauer or Trevor Plouffe or Brian Dozier also work on aspects of their games in preparation for the season. Joe Mauer likes to see a lot of pitches, and that’s worked for him. Brian Dozier may work on staying inside pitches and using the whole field. Whether they hit .100 or .400, they’ll be in the lineup Opening Day and again it’s most important that they be ready then. For the veterans, it is almost completely about process. Doing what they need to do to prepare for the season. The same isn’t necessarily true for the minor league free agents or the minor leaguers who are in big league camp. That is especially true this spring with the Twins. They had fewer position battles and question marks heading into this season than previous seasons. There are only a select few positions and spots on the roster that are even available. While the process is still the same, the urgency changes. For guys like Oswaldo Arcia, Danny Santana and Michael Tonkin (who are all out of options), spring is very important. Danny Santana has to show that he can play defense around the infield and outfield while showing that he can hit better than he did in 2015. Oswaldo Arcia has to show that 2014 was just a bad year, one to forget and move forward from. He has to take better at-bats and show he can have some value in the outfield. Michael Tonkin has shown that he can dominate hitters in AAA but this is yet to translate in the big leagues. The Twins have a lot of quality arms competing for the last couple of spots in the bullpen, so Tonkin will have to show something on the mound. Brandon Kintzler was signed as a minor league free agent after missing most of the 2015 season with a knee injury. He has to show that he’s healthy and able to jump right back into a bullpen with success. Guys like Buddy Boshers and Dan Runzler have plenty to show as well. Not only are they minor league signings but both pitched in independent baseball in 2015 which (right or wrong) may be something they will have to overcome. Then you’ve got the young players who are very close, trying to establish themselves as big leaguers. For Byron Buxton, it is about the process. It’s about showing that he can work a count, lay off those tough two-strike pitches and put together quality at- bats so that his athleticism can take over. Following Sunday’s game, Paul Molitor said of Buxton, “I think he’s seeing the ball better. Recognition is getting better. That’s going to be a huge part of how quickly he’s going to be able to develop offensively. Bat speed and those types of things. Trying to keep the ball in the zone with two strikes.” All part of the process. For guys like Ryan Pressly, JR Graham, Ryan O’Rourke and the like, it is about results. The Twins have to decide whether to have two lefties in the bullpen or three. If they have just one lefty available to set up for Glen Perkins, another right-hander (obviously) would fill that spot. These guys have some experience and varying levels of success. All certainly could fill a role if asked. But something is going to have to differentiate the eventual “winners” of the final bullpen spots. For them, results are going to matter, especially over the next couple of weeks. For younger players, guys like Yorman Landa, Randy Rosario, Adam Brett Walker, Alex Swim, JT Chargois, Mason Melotakis, Engelb Vielma, it’s back to fully being about process. Sure, if they perform well, it can make a strong impression on coaches. That said, they are there to learn from veterans, to work on their games, and to prepare to be better in 2016. They knew they weren’t going to be on the opening day roster, so they needed to use the time to soak up as much information as they could from coaches and veterans to incorporate into their games in 2016 and beyond. To summarize, my response to everyone has been the same. The results in games on the field are much more important to Joe Benson than Joe Mauer. Stats and performance are much more important to Taylor Rogers than it is to Glen Perkins. I ended with that example intentionally. Taylor Rogers was in big league camp last year as a non-roster invite. Last year, he was there solely to soak up information. His situation is different in 2016. Not only is he there to learn as much as he can from veterans and coaches, but he is also one of the guys who is still competing for a spot in the Twins bullpen. So for a guy like that, results and process are both important. Now, that is all my thinking, and it is based on following spring training for years. Listen, there’s a reason that Luke Hughes put up great spring training numbers for a few years. At the time, he was competing for the 24th or 25th spot on the big league roster. Because of that, he was a guy who played a lot, made the road trips and started frequently. The team needed to decide if he should make the roster. He performed. Of course, once the regular season starts, he no longer played much, got very inconsistent playing time and struggled when called upon in that role. That’s probably a good example of the whole Results versus Process conversation as it relates to spring training. It’s why all spring training stats have to be looked at with a bit of context. So while in Ft. Myers, I asked Terry Ryan the same question that I get often at this time of year. I wanted to test my beliefs and thoughts on the subject with the Twins General Manager. “Terry, is there a point in spring training when results becomes more important than process?” We were specifically talking about the bullpen, and Ryan responded by saying, “There are certain guys where the results have been very important to this point. There are other guys where you let the process take place. There are guys that had to perform early and often because of where they are and who they are, and there are guys that you know you don’t have to worry about. One of them is Perkins. Another one is Jepsen. And Fien. Those types of guys that have been here and done it. They might be doing some things that you wouldn’t be get terribly concerned about if they had a horrible outing or two. That’s just the way it is.” That’s not to say that as camp goes along you don’t want to put up the numbers. The numbers should be fine because the process is working. Ryan continued, “You’re always looking for guys to be crisp, and sharp, and throw with some sort of command, but that doesn’t happen all the time. So when you get deeper into the camp and you start approaching the month of April, you’d like to see firm things up. But still, you’re going to take those guys regardless of what they do here, assuming they’re healthy.” When guys get to spring training, they have a good idea of where they are on the roster outlook, and based on that what might be expected of them during the spring. “I’ve said this before. Most of those guys know where they stand as prospects or guys that are on an invite, or guys that have four or five years. For the most part, I don’t think any of those guys are bewildered about who they are and where they’re at in their career.” To give one example of the situation, Ryan mentioned two left-handed relief pitchers who are looking to win a spot on the Opening Day roster, Fernando Abad and Taylor Rogers. “Abad is different than Rogers. Abad’s got three or four years of major league service. Rogers has zero. One’s on the roster (Rogers), the other isn’t (Abad). But they know where they’re at. I don’t have to worry about explaining too much to Taylor Rogers. I talk to him obviously. I know him. Abad’s in here because he’s a free agent who we had interest in. He knows where he’s at. If there’s a guy where it’s a mystery, that’s not good” Despite three left-handed pitchers being sent to minor league camp there are still ten more lefties in search of one, and maybe two, Opening Day jobs with the Twins. Each has his own unique situation and circumstance. And then the regular season starts, and it’s a long haul, a long process, in which results take on a new meaning. View full article

He's pitched really well, and he's not on the 40 man roster. Chargois is on the 40 man roster. That's why he's heading down earlier.

Also have to assume that neither Suzuki or Murphy wanted to make the trip to Jupiter today. I would think Turner and Garver will head to minor league camp soon, probably even by Wednesday.

Good trip so far. It is HOT though. Ha! I think they'll see how the Tonkin situation plays out. I think he'd be #1 unless they take him up north. If not, then I would say Strong is most likely. I haven't seen Vielma this year. I have seen him, and I would expect he'll play tomorrow.

FT. MYERS, Fla - Following Sunday’s game at Hammond Stadium, the Twins announced that five players had been reassigned to minor league camp. On Monday morning, Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan informed seven more players that their time in big league camp this year was complete. The Twins optioned outfielder Adam Brett Walker, LHP Pat Dean, and LHP Mike Strong to Rochester. LHP Mason Melotakis and RHP JT Chargois were optioned to Chattanooga. RHP Yorman Landa and LHP Randy Rosario were optioned to Ft. Myers. Image courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, USA Today FT. MYERS, Fla - Following Sunday’s game at Hammond Stadium, the Twins announced that five players had been reassigned to minor league camp. On Monday morning, Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan informed seven more players that their time in big league camp this year was complete. The Twins optioned outfielder Adam Brett Walker, LHP Pat Dean, and LHP Mike Strong to Rochester. LHP Mason Melotakis and RHP JT Chargois were optioned to Chattanooga. RHP Yorman Landa and LHP Randy Rosario were optioned to Ft. Myers. Those seven players optioned from the 40-man roster on Monday are part of the first round of cuts which included SS Engelb Vielma, C Alex Swim, RHP Jake Reed, IF/OF Reynaldo Rodriguez, and IF Heiker Meneses. Combined, that is a lot of players, and yet there really weren’t any surprises. This is the point, three weeks from Opening Day, when it is important to have a more manageable roster. Simply, hitters that will (or could) make the team need more plate appearances, starters work longer, and relief pitchers need more consistent work.These players were all long shots to make the Opening Day roster, and now they will head to the minor league complex and start preparing with their team for the 2016 season. It is normal that players on the 40-man roster with little shot of making the big league roster are sent down fairly early in camp. Along with prepping with their teammates and getting at-bats, if a 40-man roster player has a major injury at big league camp, he gets a big league salary for time on the disabled list. The experience working with the big league coaching staff and veteran players is still very valuable for them. Randy Rosario has the world of potential in his left arm, but he finished last year in Cedar Rapids. 2016 will be his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Yorman Landa is in a similar boat. After missing time in the 2014 season, Landa returned to Cedar Rapids midseason and was terrific. He, like Rosario, will likely begin the season in Ft. Myers with the Miracle JT Chargois showed his upper-90s fastball and three pitch mix. He could head to Chattanooga or Rochester. If he can harness his control, he has a chance to be special. Mason Melotakis has electric stuff, but just coming back from Tommy John surgery and not pitching at all in 2015, he will need to get some innings under his belt to continue shaking off rust as well as continue to develop. Pat Dean will return to Rochester where he will start. He had a bit of a breakout season in Rochester last year and hopes to build off of it. He credited his numbers to improving his curve ball and slider. Minnesota native Mike Strong will work in the bullpen, either at Rochester or Chattanooga. He was added to the 40-man roster in late January. The final player from the 40 man roster to be sent down is outfielder Adam Brett Walker who has had limited at-bats. There are still a lot of outfielders in Twins camp and some big decisions to make. Walker needs to start accumulating some plate appearances to work on the things he has learned in his time in camp. As you can see from that group there is a lot of potential but none of them have played very much this spring so they need to get some playing time at minor league camp before the season. The Twins now have 52 players remaining in camp (19 non-roster). There are 24 pitchers (8 non-roster), 7 catchers (4 non-roster), 11 infielders (3 non-roster) and 10 outfielders (4 non-roster). View full article

The message from the Twins most of the offseason, but especially strong since Twins Fest was that they all wanted Buxton to take the job and something strange would have to happen for it not to happen. Following the game, Molitor pointed out Buxton's better at bats. He actually said he had to talk to him about base running, when he didn't initially tag and go to 3B on a fly out to CF. But that's a teachable moment. Buxton is a different person in camp this year that in the past, and he's bigger and stronger. There'll be some rough patches, no doubt, but he'll be alright.

Rogers isn't even a possibility for coming off of the 40 man. His odds of making the opening day roster have likely decreased, but he's not coming off the 40 man.

1.) Yes, the Twins will continue to pay him. 2.) He hit .324/.404/.476 (.880) when his 2013 season ended with the concussion. 3.) They'll pay him. 4.) No, you spend the money because it is his salary. 5.) The Twins, and every team, know what they're getting into with all these deals. Injury is part of that risk. So is decline. Should Mauer be able to ask for the $30 million he earned in those seasons with he was making league minimum, or less than $10 million?

It's not football. There is no restructuring of contracts. Yes, they will pay him $23 million for the next 3 seasons. (unless he retires and they do some buyout or something) Also, you essentially said that he has coasted since signing the contract... but remind me what he was hitting when he went down with the concussion? Also, you say he's essentially coased

I mean, yes and no. Players reassigned are not on the 40 man roster, so as the roster keeps getting trimmed, and the team wants some backups to come over from minor league camp, these guys could come back. 40 man roster guys can't play in spring training games after they are optioned. However, I'd also say that they will now be working with the minor league coaches, and the major league staff works with those still in camp. But, they're a couple hundred yards away, so it's not like they're far away.

I would say... check back here tomorrow morning... Notice that that five transactions announced were all "reassignments." No 40-man roster guys. When I was trying to figure out how many would be sent down today, my list grew to 17. So, I would expect that there will be at least 5-6 players optioned tomorrow, and possibly a couple more reassigned. Will be interesting.

The Minnesota Twins announced their first batch of cuts from spring training this afternoon. They reassigned five players to minor league camp. Infielders Engelb Vielma, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Heiker Meneses, catcher Alex Swim, and right-handed pitcher Jake Reed will report to the minor league facilities on Monday morning. More transactions are anticipated by the club Monday morning. Image courtesy of Butch Dill, USA Today The Minnesota Twins announced their first batch of cuts from spring training this afternoon. They reassigned five players to minor league camp. Infielders Engelb Vielma, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Heiker Meneses, catcher Alex Swim, and right-handed pitcher Jake Reed will report to the minor league facilities on Monday morning. More transactions are anticipated by the club Monday morning. There were no real surprises among the list of players reassigned. The surprise was that, at this time, the Twins have not officially optioned any players off of their 40-man roster. (Again, expect information on that to come on Monday) Reynaldo Rodriguez is leaving Twins spring training to join the WBC-Qualifying team from Colombia. He will most likely spend the season in Rochester again. Engelb Vielma had a solid showing in his first big league spring. Earlier in the day, he was awarded the organization's top defensive infielder award in the minor leagues. He is likely to spend the season in Chattanooga. Heiker Meneses spent all of last season in Chattanooga and is likely to return there. He played a lot of second base, though he played shortstop when Jorge Polanco was with the Twins or Red Wings. Alex Swim spent last season in Ft. Myers. He could go back there after missing time in the second half due to injury, though he is likely to spend time in Chattanooga as well in 2016. Jake Reed pitched a clean inning today and has been solid in his first big league camp. As Paul Molitor said after the game, it is his command that will need work. He should go back to Chattanooga to start the season, but he could surface in the big leagues late in the season. Feel free to discuss this group, and remember to check back tomorrow for more roster decisions. View full article

Ha! He's a die-hard!

The Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles are about to begin a spring training game at Hammond Stadium. It is 82 degrees and sunny. I talked to a few players in the clubhouse this morning before heading over to the minor league facilities for a couple of hours. After taking about 180 photos yesterday (see our Twitter and Facebook pages), I took about 205 more this morning. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of James Beresford) The Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles are about to begin a spring training game at Hammond Stadium. It is 82 degrees and sunny. I talked to a few players in the clubhouse this morning before heading over to the minor league facilities for a couple of hours. After taking about 180 photos yesterday (see our Twitter and Facebook pages), I took about 205 more this morning. Here are some notes from the day: Chatted with infielder Austrailian James Beresford who has played around the infield this spring. I asked him if he was going to start using that first basemen's mitt around the infield. He laughed. We spent some time talking about playing in the WBC-Qualifier last month. He said it was really important for his country's baseball. There was a lot of anxiety when South Africa took a 4-3 lead in the 6th inning of the final in that series, but Australia came back to win and get a spot in next spring's WBC. Beresford smiled when talking about playing in the national team tournaments as far back as 2009 when he was just 19 or 20. He was the young guy and players like Trent Oeltjen were the "old" guys on the team. He said Oeltjen being part of that team was really great for the team but he now feels like he is the old guy on that roster. After an excessively long 30+ hours of travel to get to Ft. Myers, it took him a little time to adjust. Also, he is now the "old guy" among Australians, and he thinks it's an important role. He talked about taking guys like Logan Wade, Lewis Thorpe and Lachlan Wells out to eat and just talking with them. I also spent a couple of minutes with Joe Benson. As you know, he lives in Chicago, but he has spent most of his time since January in Ft. Myers, often working out at the Twins' facilities. He said it is very familiar being with the organization. A Bears season ticket holder, he said last year was a difficult season for him. I talked to Randy Rosario for a little while too. I thanked him for doing a Q&A for Twins Daily during the offseason. In it, he mentioned that he would often hear from people who had seen him pitch that he reminded them of Francisco LIriano. He said, "I signed with the Twins when I was 16 years old from the Dominican. Fred Guerrero signed me. He said, 'Do you know why I signed you? You look like (Francisco) Liriano at that age." Obviously that is a pretty high standard, but at the same time, Liriano is thin, left-handed, throws real hard and has a sharp slider. The comparison is apt. Let's hope he has a similar career. It was good chatting with righty Alex Meyer before the game as well. With his wedding in November and some other things going on, he did not teach again this offseason. He said he has been taking some online classes the last year or so and will continue to do so. He does hope to do more teaching in future offseasons. Mason Melotakis said he's really enjoyed working in big league camp, working with the veterans and learning from them. He talked a bit about LaTroy Hawkins and said he listened to everything that came from him. When I asked him which veterans he had learned from the most, I was expecting to hear the name of a pitcher. He said that Joe Mauer was the guy he had learned most from, just the way he went about his business. It's also fun to ask him about his parents. At Twins Fest, it looked like his mom and dad were really enjoying the moment. On Twins Fest Friday, they took pictures with Torii Hunter and truly enjoyed every minute. So, I asked Melotakis if his parents had been in Ft. Myers at all. He said they are here now and enjoying every moment. Proud parents. It was assumed that the Twins would be making their first round of cuts on Sunday. The last two years, they have made those moves and informed the players right away in the morning. So, as I got to the ballpark early and was making my way into the clubhouse, Engelb Vielma and Jose Berrios walked by, heading to the minor league complex. As always, Berrios smiled and said, "Good morning, Seth." I responded in kind. I took about three more steps, turned and watched them walk away with my head tilted. Had Berrios been sent down with the first round of cuts? It wasn't long before I found out that the two were heading over to the minor league complex where they were handing out their awards for the 2015 season. The Arizona Fall League championship players were given their rings. Here are the other awards handed out: Jose Berrios - Pitcher of the Year Max Kepler - Hitter of the Year Awards for Defense: Pitcher - Felix Jorge Catcher - Brian Navarreto Infielder - Engelb Vielma Outfielder - Tanner English English also got an award for leading the system in stolen bases. After their normal workout this morning (9:30-11:45), the Twins minor leaguers are playing their first intrasquad games of the season today. They will do the same tomorrow (Monday). On Tuesday, the Twins will start their spring training schedule. What will typically happen is that the AAA and AA teams will travel to play a game against the Orioles' (as an example) AAA and AA teams, while the High-A and Low-A teams will stay in Ft. Myers and play the Orioles' High-A and Low-A teams. Minor Leaguers are currently split into four work groups. As players come down from big league camp, those rosters will change such that they're continuing to work with players they will presumably be teammates with for much of the year. Like I said earlier, I took a lot of pictures and later in the day I'll get those posted to the Twins Daily Twitter account and/or the Twins Daily Facebook page. View full article