Seth Stohs

We know it's Thorpe tonight and Eades tomorrow (Sunday)... they haven't announced after that.

Corrected... something about old habits?

This was contributed by a trevor.aufderheide on his Twins Daily blog (Tsuyoshi's Island) this week. If you would like to try your hand at writing (and getting promoted to Twins Daily's front page, which is seen by thousands of Twins fans each day) check out our primer on starting your own blog on Twins Daily.Anyone with even a peripheral understanding of Minnesota sports media understands the beating Joe Mauer takes on a regular basis from the area's mainstream sportswriters. The simplest of Google searches will quickly reveal a mass of articles from the likes of Jim Souhan, Patrick Reusse and others berating Mauer for his lack of perceived toughness. Ever since Joe Mauer's seminal 2009 MVP campaign, this narrative has only intensified, with many now viewing Minnesota's once-considered G.O.A.T. as a proverbial goat. Therefore, I will investigate the validity of such arguments, in addition to their underlying causes and bases. One of the standard claims levied against Joe Mauer is that he misses too much time to be a valuable player or a team leader. First, this argument ignores the fact that he played the game's most taxing position for the first 10 years of his career. Even then, Mauer accumulated more playing time than people give him credit for. To qualify for the batting title and other awards related to full season performance, players must average 3.1 plate appearances a game, or approximately 502 over an entire season. Mauer has averaged 506 plate appearances per season over his career, and that includes his two truly injury-plagued seasons (2004 and 2011). Many baseball diehards will still claim that Mauer could've "toughed it out" through more plate appearances, but that argument falters once you actually look at his injury history. As a starting point, here's a list of every Joe Mauer DL stint in the majors: 2004 - 15/60-day DL: torn meniscus. 2007 - 15-day DL: thigh strain. 2009 - 15-day DL: lower back sprain. 2011 - 60-day DL: bilateral leg weakness. 2011 - 15-day DL: pneumonia. 2013 - 15-day DL: concussion. 2014 - 15-day DL: abdominal strain. That's not the most promising injury history, but it's not exactly Grady Sizemore-status, either. The main point, though, is that it wouldn't have made sense for Mauer to have played through any of those injuries. In baseball, a game where healthy hitters have a hard enough time hitting 95-mph fastballs, playing someone whose swing and instincts are off due to injury makes no sense. Additionally, most writers and fans lack the medical knowledge and insider information that professional medical staffs possess, so who are they to demand playing time from afflicted athletes? The one injury that raised this question most was Mauer's 2011 bout with bilateral leg weakness. Critics latched onto the injury's funny-sounding name, but it took even professionals weeks to trace it back to a rare viral infection. One applicable modern legal-scientific method is the precautionary principle, which states that if an action has a suspected risk, the burden of proof lies on those demanding action to prove that it is not harmful. In a situation that involved so much medical uncertainty, the fact that people called on Mauer to play through the bilateral leg weakness was unfathomable, particularly considering he's the one whose long-term health was at stake. What only compounded the incomprehensibility of the scenario was that the 2011 Twins weren't very good in the first place, obviating the need for Mauer's presence on the diamond. One clear reason for critics blasting Mauer, as opposed to other injury-stricken athletes, is his large contract that pays him $23 million annually. This first requires one to prove that Mauer's performance isn't worth the money. Definitely so this year, but Aaron Gleeman and others have pointed out previously that his play as a catcher in '10, '12, and '13 was worth more than what he was paid ($26 million). That aside, maligned athletes draw almost unilateral responsibility for their contracts despite those documents existing as two way agreements. Mauer receives inordinate criticism for making a lot of money; money that the Twins thought he was worth. In fact, the easier argument to make is that the Twins aren't spending enough money. Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars funded Target Field's construction only a few years ago, yet the organization continues to spend under budget. The money component goes far in explaining Mauer-bashing, but still doesn't explain its viciousness in comparison to other overpaid Twins (Ricky Nolasco, Mike Pelfrey, etc.). Another aspect of Joe Mauer that does turn him into a lightning rod for those who value "grit" and "toughness" is his style of play. While he's had the occasional power surge (see: 2009), Mauer has long been a valuable player because of his on-base skills and finesse. However, for many, those don't hold the same appeal and sizzle that "power" stats like HRs and RBIs do. RBIs are an empty stat to begin with (another debate for another day), but Mauer hasn't had much to work with over the years, given the perenially sorry state of the number two position in the Twins lineup. Any lack of production in that category clearly isn't Mauer's fault, as he's posted a career .329 BA w/ RISP. And yes, the HR numbers dipped after moving from the Metrodome to one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball, but the power's still there. Mauer posted 43 doubles in '10, 31 in '12, and 35 in '13. All of which are numbers above his career average. In the end, it's almost impossible to divorce any discussion of Mauer from one fundamental question: why do we value perceived "toughness" so much if players can possess other attributes that contribute as much or more to victory? Answering that query involves discussions of masculinity and gender that could fill a hundred blog posts, but it's a necessary frame to consider when analyzing anti-Mauer sentiments. Despite popular perception, Joe Mauer is and has been an eminently valuable baseball player, whether one chooses to believe he's "tough" or not. Click here to view the article

When did I write this? I didn't see it anywhere in this forum. I remember saying/writing it a month or so ago.

The Twins acquired Tommy Milone recently, but left-handed pitching is always in demand. On Friday night, a couple of the top left-handed pitching prospects were on display. In New Britain, Taylor Rogers made his second start following a short DL stint. In Cedar Rapids, Stephen Gonsalves put together his best start of the season. Each of those pitchers was also given plenty of run support. In Rochester, a handful of guys with significant playing time with the Twins powered the Red Wings offense. Rain in Southwest Florida caused a couple of postponed games, but here is the Minor League Report for Friday:RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Syracuse 6 Box Score The Red Wings displayed some power early, but Kris Johnson had a rough start. The left-hander gave up six earned runs on nine hits and two walks in 6.2 innings. Stephen Pryor struck out four over the final 2.1 innings. He gave up no hits and walked two. Chris Colabello hit his eighth home run. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his 15th double and his sixth home run. Pedro Florimon went 2-4 with his second triple. Aaron Hicks went 2-4 and stole a base. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Harrisburg 1 Box Score In his second start since coming off of the DL, Taylor Rogers was back in fine form. He improved to 9-6 with five shutout innings. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out eight. Adrian Salcedo struck out five in two scoreless innings. Dan Turpen then gave up one run on five hits in two innings. He struck out four. In case you were counting, that’s 17 strikeouts by Rock Cats pitchers. Mike Gonzales went 3-4 with a walk and his second double. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 with his fourth and fifth stolen bases. Corey Wimberly went 2-3 with his fourth triple. Eddie Rosario hit his 16th double and Nate Hanson hit his 19th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Palm Beach Box Score This game was postponed due to rain. The Miracle are playing their home games in the short term at JetBlue Stadium due to renovations at Hammond Stadium. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 11, Peoria 0 Box Score The Kernels returned home and put together a nearly perfect outing for their fans. It all started on the mound, and Stephen Gonsalves was terrific. The lefty gave up just three hits over seven shutout innings. He walked none and struck out five. Jared Wilson and Dallas Gallant each worked a scoreless inning to complete the shutout. The Kernels bats also showed up. All nine starters had at least one hit, and the team scored runs in each of the first six innings. Chad Christensen went 3-5 with his 21st double and his 27th stolen base. Jonatan Hinojosa went 2-5 with his first double and triple, and he drove in four runs. Ryan Walker went 2-3 with his seventh double. Alex Swim added two hits. JD Williams was 1-1 with a walk and his second triple. He was also hit by a pitch twice. Mitch Garver doubled for the 25th time this season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Greeneville 5 Box Score This was a solid game with the exception of four E-Town errors. Sam Gibbons started and gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out three. Randy LeBlanc gave up three runs (one earned) on one hit and a walk in two innings. Keaton Steele threw a perfect inning. Jorge Fernandez went 2-4 with his fifth double. Trey Vavra went 2-4. Tanner English was 1-3 with two walks. Brian Navarreto hit his fifth double. Nick Gordon went 0-5 with three strikeouts and he stole his eighth base. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins, GCL Red Sox Box Score This game was postponed due to rain. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Josmil Pinto, Rochester Red Wings SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Logan Darnell Harrisburg @ New Britain (DH at 5:05 CST) – JO Berrios, Virgil Vasquez Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (DH @ 4:05 CST) – Matt Tomshaw, Aaron Slegers Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Lewis Thorpe Johnson City @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – Felix Jorge GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (DH @ 9:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

SDBuhr... did you get any video or audio of the gunshots in Beloit last night?

I think they'd send him to Hi-A Ft. Myers. He didn't really "master" High-A, still has plenty to work on, and keeping him in Ft. Myers makes a lot of sense in its own right.

It's always interesting to me at least... It seems I've become really TwinsCentric. It's what I write about 4-5 times each week. It's what I follow daily in season and in the offseason. But on Sunday's throughout the football season, I don't miss a Vikings game, and I enjoy listening to the postgame reaction from fans on the radio, especially when things are going poorly. I may not follow it as closely as I do baseball, but I've been a huge Vikings fan as long as I remember... I remember the pass in the flat to Darrin Nelson that wasn't quite caught. I remember sitting at home, writing out play-by-play in a notebook and constantly keeping up with the game stats. Add in the fantasy football aspect of a Sunday afternoon, and I'm hooked for that day. I'm really looking forward to reading more about the Vikings through the eyes of these incredibly talented, passionate writers (Bo Mitchell, AJ Mansour, Arif Hasan and Joe Oberle). I think it'll take my Sunday enjoyment to a different level. It'll also keep me engaged all week. I know that most sports fans in Minnesota have a favorite team but it does seem like most follow to some degree all of the local teams. Vikings fans are Twins fans and vice versa...

The Twins enjoyed an off day on Thursday, and begin a four-game series with the Royals on Friday evening. The Royals are red hot right now, having just taken over first place in the American League Central, and looking to do damage against a struggling Twins squad. While things might not go well at Target Field this weekend, there will be plenty of solid performances in the Minor Leagues. Let's take a look at what happened on Thursday.Red Wings Report Durham 9, Rochester 0 Box Consistency matters to the Twins front office, and Alex Meyer hasn't strung a bunch of solid starts together for a while now. Last night he had his second poor outing in a row, lasting just 3.2 innings, surrendering a home run, three walks, and five hits. With all of that damage he limited the Bull to just two runs, but threw 84 pitches, jut 45 for strikes. The lone positive from Meyer's outing is that he stuck out seven of the nineteen batters that he faced. A.J. Achter stranded both of Meyer's runners when he took over int he fourth, and then pitched two more innings without giving up a run. The floodgates opened up when Deolis Guerra gave up three runs in 1.2 innings, and then Aaron Thompson gave up four runs in 1.1. The Red Wings hitters did not have a strong night either, picking up only four hits, one walk and striking out 11 times. One hit for Wilkin Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Aaron Hicks picked up two more hits, and is playing very well in the week since he was promoted to AAA, continuing to earn a September call up. Rock Cats Review Bowie 11, New Britain 6 Box A day after the Byron Buxton/Mike Kvasnicka collision, the focus returned to the action on the field. Pat Dean started for the Rock Cats and went 5.2 innings. Dean gave up seven runs, five earned, in route to his ninth loss of the season. Dean's AA ERA is over five and he's given up five or more runs in four of his last five starts. Adrian Salcedo finished up the sixth and the newly acquired Jason Adam pitched the final three innings. Adam struck out one, walked one, and was tagged for four earned runs on six his. The Rock Cats had an opportunity to break this game open in the first inning with the bases loaded and one out, but managed to score only one run, likely costing themselves a chance to win. Levi Michael followed up his strong AA debut with another big day at the plate. He was 2-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and his first RBI in a Rock Cats uniform. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with two RBIS, and two strike outs. He's hitting just .245/.302/.386, while being used primarily as an outfielder. Tony Thomas had a nice evening as well, 2-4 with a double and a run scored. The Rock Cats had plenty of opportunities to win this game late, but combined for 13 strike outs and stranded eight runners. Miracle Matters St. Lucie 8, Fort Myers 9 Box The Miracle won via the walk-off hit by pitch, as Travis Harrison took one for the team to push home the winning run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Steven Gruver started for the Miracle and gave up ten hits through five innings. He struck out two, walked one, gave up a home run and was tagged for five runs, three earned. B.J. Hermsen came on and walked three batters in the sixth, giving up a run on no hits. Tyler Jones pitched a great seventh, striking out the side. Alex Muren struggled in the eighth, surrendering two runs on a long ball to Gavin Cecchini. D.J. Johnson pitched the ninth and vultured a victory. Johnson has now made seven appearances for the Miracle and has yet to give up an earned run. Opposing hitters are hitting just .192 against him, and he owns a 1.00 WHIP. The Miracle hitters took advantage of seven free passes from the Mets' pitching staff, and along with fourteen hits, managed to squeak out a victory. Max Kepler (perhaps angry that all four Talk to Contact hosts left him unprotected in their pretend MLB expansion draft) had three hits, including a triple, a walk, an RBI and three runs scored. Kepler is hitting over .350 in his last ten games, and has raised his batting average fourteen points in that time. Kepler is currently on the 40-man roster and hopefully he's taking the step forward the Twins have been hoping for from their German Wunderkind. Aderlin Mejia was 2-4 with a double and two walks, and Adam Brett Walker had a double of his own as part of a 2-5 night with an RBI a strike out and a run scored. Travis Harrison, despite driving home the winning run on a hit-by-pitch, as I mentioned above, was 0-3 but picked up a pair of free passes and two RBIs. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 10, Beloit 3 Box The Kernels were firing on all cylinders on Thursday night. Mat Batts picked up his first win as a member of the Kernels with six innings of five-hit baseball. He struck out seven and walked one. He's sporting a nifty 2.12 ERA for the Kernels over three starts and 17 innings. Batts was drafted in the 17th round of the most recent MLB draft, out of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and is now pitching at his third level of the season. He was successful in three appearances in the Gulf Coast League, not giving up any earned runs there, he was 2-0 in four starts in Elizabethton with a 2.05 ERA over 15 innings, and now has that nice 2.12 ERA in Low-A with Cedar Rapids. If you're curious about the uncommon spelling of Mat, his full name is Harison Mathis Batts. After Batts left, Brian Gilbert pitched the next two innings, giving up a run, and Brandon Bixler mopped up in the ninth, giving up a run as well but preserving the victory. The Kernels picked up fourteen hits and struck out just five hits en route to a 10 run game. Ever starter except for Logan Wade (0-4 with a walk and two runs scored) and Michael Quesada (0-5) had a hit, and six players had multi-hit games. Mitch Garver led the way for the Kernels on a 3-5 night with a double and three RBI. Chad Christensen had a double of his own, he went 2-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. The win on Thursday gave the Kernels a three-game sweep against the Snappers and moved them to 62-60. The Kernels have a four game lead for a playoff spot with just eighteen games remaining. E-Town E-Notes Greeneville 3, Elizabethton 5 Box Michael Caderoth earned his fourth victory of the year for the E-Town Twins with five innings of two run baseball. He struck out five, walked two and gave up only a single earned run. Flamethrower Brandon Poulson made his second appearance since being signed as a Minor League Free agent, and struggled. Poulson walked the first batter he faced, Edwin Medina, who then promptly stole second and third. The next batter singled home the run. A passed ball then moved the runner over to second. Poulson then induced a fly out and a strike out. Then the runner on second base stole third. Poulson then walked the next batter and was lifted for Cameron Booser. Not a great day for Poulson, but I'm sure his head is still spinning as he transitions into professional baseball. Booser pitched 2.1 scoreless, and Dereck Rodriguez picked his his fifth save of the year with a scoreless ninth (though he did give up a pair of hits). Jeremias Pineda led the way for the Elizabethton Twins, leading off and going 4-5 with a run and a double. Trey Vavra also had a nice night, he was 2-3 with a pair of doubles, a pair of RBIs, and a pair of runs scored. GCL Twins Takes GCL Rays 5, GCL Twins 3 Box Josh Guyer pitched five innings, walked two, struck out two, and was charged with a single unearned run. Reyson Zoquiel (whose name is listed in the box score but I am sure is a made up person) pitched only a third of an inning, giving up a walk and a hit. Zack Jones pitched 1.2 scoreless, and then Trevor Hildenberger came on and coughed up the lead thanks to three unearned runs. In fact, of the five runs the GCL Twins gave up on Thursday night, only one was earned. Tyree Davis was the only Twins player to record multiple hits, he was 2-2 with two doubles after entering the game for Frank Encarnacion. The GCL Twins had just seven hits, but three were for extra bases, all doubles. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mat Batts, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Kepler, New Britain Rock Cats FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:15 CST) – Kris Johnson Harrisburg @ New Britain (6:05 CST) – Taylor Rogers Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Aaron Slegers Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Stephen Gonsalves Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Sam Gibbons GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. Click here to view the article

2014 has been another frustrating season for the Minnesota Twins and their fans. Another 90 loss season is within reach. Late July and August has turned into a trade-your-veteran time yet again this year. Yet among all of the misfortune and poor play, there have been several positives as well. In my opinion, Kyle Gibson fits into that category even though few are talking about him.A year ago at this time, Kyle Gibson was really struggling and was about to be shut down due to an innings limit in his return from Tommy John. He made ten starts for the Twins and went 2-4 with a 6.53 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. It was clear that some fans were shaking their heads and wondering what all the hype was about. The Twins signed Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey to multi-year contracts this offseason. Kevin Correia was the team's top starter in 2013, so there were four starting spots already accounted for. At Twins Fest, Kyle Gibson said, "I'm glad there's still one spot that I can compete for!" Then came this spring when he appeared to be the odd man out coming into camp, fighting an uphill battle against Sam Deduno, Vance Worley and Scott Diamond, who were all out of options. However, he pitched well and won the job out of spring training. He has certainly experienced ups and downs this first full season in the big leagues. We have seen that when he is on, he's on. When he has lost, he has pitched very poorly. However, overall, he is now 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA, which is essentially league average. His WHIP is at 1.23. Some will focus on the 5.0 strikeouts per nine innings. You can also choose to look at the 2.6 BB/9 or the 0.5 HR/9 rates. That he isn't giving up home runs often makes sense since he gets ground balls about 54% of the time. He is likely in line for about eight more starts this season. If he can average six innings per start, he will end the year with over 180 innings. Phil Hughes certainly grabbed a lot of headlines in May and early June when he was walking no one and finding good success. On the season, he is 12-8 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. That may be where the comparisons end (Hughes is a fly ball pitcher who does record some more strikeouts), the end results to this point of the year have been very similar. While Hughes has earned the accolades he's received through the season, Kyle Gibson has quietly become a guy that the Twins (and us fans) can count on. If nothing else, his first full season is certainly a strong base to build upon. Click here to view the article

FYI - Here is a Tweet a few minutes ago from Byron Buxton:

The Minor League Report is meant to provide Twins Daily readers with an update on the goings-on throughout the Twins minor league system. We include who pitched, who had multi-hit games or home runs, and who was involved with transactions. However, something happened on Wednesday night to remind us again (as if we should need it), that these minor leaguers are more than just names in box scores and stat lines. Byron Buxton made his Double-A debut on Wednesday night against Bowie. Sure, he went 0-3 with three strikeouts. However, in the top of the 5th, he chased a fly ball to right center. It was caught by Mike Kvasnicka, but Buxton dove for the ball. His head collided with Kvasnicka’s hip. The game was delayed for 35 minutes. Buxton was knocked out, unconscious for about ten minutes. He was stabilized and left the field in an ambulance. Kvasnicka also went to the hospital for evaluation.Terry Ryan happened to be in New Britain. He went with the players to the hospital. He later told the Rock Cats radio announcers what he had learned. Mike Kvasnicka was back in the dugout with the team and had just a sore hip. Buxton was given several tests and found no broken bones. He did suffer a concussion and will likely be placed on the disabled list and miss more time. Though a concussion is not a good thing, things could have been much worse. By the end of the game, Buxton had returned to the clubhouse as well. (If you would like to, here is the video of the play.) To find out more about how that Rock Cats game ended up, and much more from around the Twins farm system, you’ll want to continue reading. A top Twins pitching prospect made his first start in nearly a month. Here is the Minor League Report for Wednesday: RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 7, Durham 8 (11 innings) Box Score Knowing they were playing two games on Wednesday, extra frames in Game 1, a continuation of a suspended game, is probably the last thing that either team wanted. Sean Gilmartin had started this game with two innings. He had given up one run on two hits and a walk. He struck out four. When the game resumed on Wednesday, Mark Hamburger took the mound. He was charged with six runs (five earned) on ten hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out five. Stephen Pryor struck out three over two scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson faced two batters in the 10th inning and both got hits. Michael Tonkin came in and gave up the game winning run. Game 2 – Rochester 4, Durham 2 Box Score It most likely was a one-start promotion, but right-hander Tyler Duffey made the most of this appearance with a terrific start. In six innings, he gave up just two runs five hits and two walks. In that sixth inning, he allowed a two-run homer to Nick Franklin. Duffey struck out seven to earn the win. Lester Oliveros struck out two in the 7th for his fourth save. In his last seven games, he has given up 0 runs in 13 innings and has struck out 21 batters. Josmil Pinto went 2-3 in the game. Doug Bernier and Chris Herrmann each doubled. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 8, Bowie 5 Box Score Obviously the big news in this game was the collision between Mike Kvasnicka and Byron Buxton, but the game did continue and the Rock Cats picked up a win. Buxton was 0-3 with three strikeouts before his injury. He also threw out a base runner at third base. Levi Michael also made his AA debut at second base. He went 2-3 and stole two bases. Eddie Rosario went 1-3 with two walks. The Rock Cats had seven hits, walked four times and four players were hit by a pitch. It was a bullpen game for the Rock Cats. Cole Johnson started and threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on and was charged with one run on one hit and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Alex Wimmers gave up four runs on five hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out two. Jim Fuller struck out two over the final 2.2 innings. He gave up no runs on three hits and recorded his first save of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 – Ft. Myers 1, St. Lucie 6 Box Score Brett Lee made the start in the first game of this doubleheader. The lefty gave up five runs on eight hits, three walks and a hit batter in 3.1 innings. Todd Van Steensel came on and gave up one run on a hit and two walks over 2.2 innings. Madison Boer pitched a scoreless inning. Niko Goodrum hit his third home run of the year. Aderlin Mejia was 2-3 with two walks in the game. Game 2 – Ft. Myers 7, St. Lucie 3 Box Score The Miracle were able to split their doubleheader with a Game 2 win. This was also a bullpen game. Brandon Peterson started and went the first 2.1 innings. He was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out two. Alex Muren came on and gave up just two hits over 2.2 scoreless innings. Nick Burdi made his Florida State League debut. He gave up a hit, but he struck out two in his inning. DJ Johnson got the final inning and gave up an unearned run on one hit. Dalton Hicks went 2-4. Tyler Grimes was 1-1 with two walks. Jason Kanzler also walked twice. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 1 Box Score It had been nearly a month since he had last pitched, but Kohl Stewart returned to the mound for the Kernels in Beloit on Wednesday night. Limited to just 50 pitches, Stewart completed four innings. He gave up a run on three hits. He walked none and struck out four. Chih-Wei Hu came on and earned the win with five shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked a batter and struck out three. JD Williams led the offense. He went 2-2 with two walks, his 16th double and his third home run. Max Murphy had a big game as well. He was 2-4 with his fourth double and third home run. Jonatan Hinojosa led off and went 2-4 with a walk. Mitch Garver was 2-4. Chad Christensen went 1-3 with his seventh triple. He was also hit by a pitch twice. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Greeneville 0 Box Score John Curtiss was a tremendous reliever in college, but he’s being given an opportunity to start in Elizabethton. He had a terrific game on Wednesday. The right-hander gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. He walked none and struck out ten. Sam Clay came on and walked two and struck out two over two scoreless innings. CK Irby struck out two in a perfect ninth inning. Jorge Fernandez went 2-2 with a walk. Trey Vavra went 1-1 with a walk, a sacrifice fly and his 13th double. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 9, GCL Rays 1 Box Score The Twins had a much-needed and rare big win. Zach Larson had a terrific game in his rehab from his hamstring injury. He was 3-4 with a walk, and he stole his first base. Amaurys Minier went 2-3 with two walks and his first triple of the year. He also threw out of base runner at home. Joel Polanco went 2-5 with two RBI. Lefty Brandon Easton improved to 2-1. He gave up just one run on six hits and a walk over the first five innings. He struck out six. Eduardo Del Rosario pitched a perfect inning. Zack Jones had his best outing. He struck out two in a perfect inning. Leonel Zazueta struck out two over the final two innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – JD Williams, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer Bowie @ New Britain (6:05 CST) – Pat Dean St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Steven Gruver Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) – TBD Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Michael Cederoth GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

Good one!

Nice summation in the final paragraph!!

Holy!! This is awesome!! This (and a few of the other blogs) is why this "Blog" section of Twins Daily can be so great. Seriously, this is very creative. It's unique. I't's fun!! I loved this!!

So, people will like him better as a player if he pulls off some pranks in the clubhouse and drinks? I often wonder this... what would have Twitter said about Hrbek during his playing days had it been around? My guess is that it would not have been kind!

Awesome Blog!!! I like this angle! Well done!

Good topic... Great discussion.

I think the idea of Buxton, and Levi Michael, moving up to AA is that they'll get to play in the Arizona Fall League... and they can still add two more from Ft. Myers to that group as well.

Maybe I'm weird, but I like when they bring in former players to be involved with the development of the next crop. Doug Mientkiewicz represents that type of player. So does Chad Allen. I really like when they bring back players during spring training as well. I think it's a good thing.

The last time the Minnesota Twins had a stretch of losing seasons like they are today happened in the late 1990s. From 1996 through 1999, the team lost more than 90 games each season. However, the Twins had a team in 1999 that played a lot of young players that would be part of the Twins turnaround last decade. One of those rookies was their starting left fielder, Chad Allen. Today, Allen is in his second season as the hitting coach of the New Britain Rock Cats. Last month, I had the opportunity to chat with him about Kennys Vargas, but also about his time with the Twins and his transition into coaching.Chad Allen was the Minnesota Twins fourth-round draft pick in 1996 out of Texas A&M University. After playing for Team USA, he signed late and spent the final week of the season in the Midwest League. In 1997, he started at Ft. Myers but finished the season in AA New Britain. That’s where he spent the entire 1998 season. He hit .262/.344/.399 with 31 doubles, seven triples and eight home runs. He came to big league spring training in 1999 and played so well that he was the Twins Opening Day starter. His greatest memories of that team involved playing with a bunch of his friends. Allen recalled, “I think the best thing that happened to the 13 guys who made it in ’99 is that we were all able to play with each other before we got to the big leagues.” Those guys had quite a bond. He continued, “To have them be able to know when you’re down, to know how to pick you up, to know if you need something, or that a guy will always have your back. That’s a special feeling. That’s something that I think all 13 kind of helped each other out with. We were always there to pick each other up, to have each other’s back.” 1999 was the best season of Allen’s career. He played in 137 games and hit .277/.330/.395 (.725) with 21 doubles, three triples and ten home runs. He spent parts of the next two seasons with the Twins. Some fans reading this may remember the final play he made for the Twins. Playing right field in a mid-August game in 2001, Kenny Lofton hit a ball to the wall. Allen took off for it, but a cleat got stuck in the grass and he tore his ACL. Somehow, Allen got to the ball and side-armed it back toward the infield, keeping Lofton from scoring. That was the type of player he was. He worked for everything and even in that moment,his playing was with maximum effort. It may not have been a long time, but Allen says that his bond to those teammates remains strong. He keeps in touch with several of his former Twins teammates from time to time. “(Doug) Mientkiewicz is managing in Ft. Myers. One of my best friends to this day is Mike Lincoln. He was my roommate my first, second and third years. He’s a great friend of mine. I stay in contact with him to this day. AJ Pierzynski? I saw this year at spring training when he was playing with Boston. He came over to the clubhouse and still says hello to all the coaches. Just a great teammate. Torii Hunter still lives in Dallas. I saw his wife and kids in Dallas a couple of times. It’s just like I say, when you play with guys for two or three years, even though you may not talk to them more than a couple of times a year, there still is that special place in your heart for them because you grew up with those guys, and it was a special time for us all to be rookies in the same year.” He remained in the game, spending parts of 2003 with Cleveland, 2004 with Florida, and 2004 and 2005 with the Rangers. He was with the Royals AAA team for 2006. So, what became of Chad Allen after his playing career? Allen told me, “Honestly, I left the game in 2008. For about two years, I actually went back to school, got my degree and got away from the game. Well, not really got away from that game, but really concentrated on getting my degree so I could get back into the game.” And then it took a bit of random luck for him to get back with the Twins. As Allen recalls, “It just so happened that I was actually coaching at a high school in Dallas, and we were playing a team in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was at third base, and I heard my name called. It happened to be Bill Springman who is now our minor league hitting coordinator. Spring yelled at me, and I looked up. I hadn’t seen him in probably ten to twelve years. So, we started to talk, and I said ‘Spring, I’d love to get back in the game, if there was ever an opportunity for it, I’d really appreciate it.’” It was left at that until the following year when an act of providence occurred. “Ironically enough, his son was actually playing football against our school. I was on the sideline as the sideline referee. He walked up behind me during the game and said, ‘Chad, what are you doing here these days?’ I said, ‘Spring, I’m still coaching here at the high school and would love to get into the game.” He said, ‘Well, you know, I think you might be a guy that we’d like to interview.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir, any time you would like, I’d be willing.’” Chad Allen flew up to Minnesota and interviewed with Terry Ryan and Brad Steil. Soon after, he was named the hitting coach of the New Britain Rock Cats. He has served in that role the last two seasons (2013 and 2014). He remains very thankful to Bill Springman for the opportunity. “To this day, I thank him all the time that he gave me this opportunity, and the Twins gave me this opportunity. It’s a blessing. I just pray to God that I can help develop these guys and get them to the big leagues and that they go on and have great careers.” So what brought him back? I don’t think the reasons will surprise you. “To me, it’s the love of the game. Even though I went to school for two years, the desire and the love of the game never left me. Even though I’m not playing anymore, I still have a passion and a love to see these guys go up and have the opportunity to go to the big leagues. You have the relationships that you build with these guys. You have the clubhouse atmosphere that you rarely get to see. Obviously I was fortunate enough to play. And now, to be able to again develop those relationships with players and our coaching staff. To me, it’s the best job in the world to have.” Do his players know that he spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues? Does it give him any credibility with the players? “I think the majority of the guys know that I did play in the big leagues, but no matter if you played zero years in the big leagues or if you have ten, the biggest thing I wanted to do when I became a coach was to gain the confidence of my players. I have to learn as a coach how to gain their confidence and I do that by learning not only what those guys do on the field mechanically and mentally, but what’s going on in their lives off the field. I think if I can gain their trust on and off the field, that’s going to help me in the future.” Allen looked back at his career and the type of coaches that he had and that he enjoyed playing for. “I think the greatest coaches I had were the ones that truly cared about me. If I was up or down, those guys were always behind me, always upbeat. That’s the kind of coach I want to be. No matter how things are going at the plate, I’m behind you and I have confidence in you. That’s just something that was most important for me when I was playing was I wanted my coaches to have confidence in me so I think by gaining their trust, knowing what makes them go is the most important thing for me.” The Twins coaching staff in his minor league days were the guys who became his coaches at the big league level with the Twins. The obvious question remains. Is getting to the big leagues as a coach a goal for Chad Allen? “Obviously that would be a phenomenal gift from God to be able to get back up there. Obviously I can’t tell the Twins that I want to go to the big leagues. That’s a decision that they’re going to have to make. But again, if I made it to the big leagues, would I thoroughly enjoy it? Absolutely! 100%. I think the most important thing for me is the passion and the love for the game is still there. Whether I’m in the big leagues or the minor leagues, I’m going to give my guys everything I’ve got. That’s just something that I… That’s how I played. I played as hard as I could. That’s something that I want to give my players. Whatever they need, I’m going to do the best I can for them.” There is one trait that I have seen from Twins minor league coaches that I have met and talked to. They have tremendous passion for the game of baseball. Chad Allen fits that mold. If you remember his playing days, you remember that he was a max-effort guy, always going at 100% It sure appears that his passion and love of the game has transferred into his coaching career. He has worked with Kennys Vargas this year and Miguel Sano last year. He credits Reynaldo Rodriguez for being a great on-field mentor for Vargas and Eddie Rosario. Starting on Tuesday, he will get the opportunity to start working with top prospect Byron Buxton in an attempt to get him ready for the big leagues. ------------------------------ Thanks to the Twins win against the Houston Astros on Monday night, it means that on Tuesday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza for the second straight day when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article