Seth Stohs

The Twins got Win #1 in Game #5, and that has to be a relief to all the players, coaches, the manager and the front office. As a fan, it’s kind of nice as well! A very nice 6-5, come-from-behind win. At various times, Josh Willingham, Chris Parmelee, Jamey Carroll, Glen Perkins and Matt Capps played hero. Jeff Gray gets the win! Congrats to the Twins on the win. The minor league affiliates won three of their four games on Wednesday. In unusual fashion, two of the Twins affiliates played games in the morning. A couple of pitchers with limited time with the Twins pitched well for the Red Wings, while a future Twins player returned to action. The Rock Cats gave up some runs, but a top prospect added another double. The Miracle held on to a lead and getting a big home run from a guy who homered in a game with the Twins late in spring training. And a Minnesota native had a nice game with a lot of strikeouts to record a win for the Snappers. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, PAWTUCKET 1 Scott Diamond has started his 2012 season very well. In his first start, he threw 6.1 shutout innings. On this night, he threw six shutout frames. He gave up just four hits, walked three and struck out six. Esmerling Vasquez came in and gave up a run on two hits in two innings. He also struck out two. Anthony Slama came in for the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. He got the first two outs quickly, but just to make it challenging, he walked the next two hitters. He got a ground out to end the game and record his third save. Aaron Bates led the offense. He went 2-4 with an RBI double. Matt Carson hit his third double. Brian Dozier didn’t start but entered the game as a pinch hitter and went 2-2 with two singles. (Dozier is now 11-21 (.524) on the short-season and has at least one hit in all six games he’s played. He has at least two hits in five of those games.) NEW BRITAIN 4, HARRISBURG 8 The Rock Cats had an early morning game (10:30 local time) to end this series. Andrew Albers got the starting nod and was up for the challenge. He didn’t allow a run through the first four innings of the game. Unfortunately, he was tagged for four runs in the fifth inning. Bobby Lanigan came in and gave up four runs on four hits and a walk over the next two innings. Lester Oliveros and Blake Martin each threw a scoreless inning. Offensively, Deibinson Romero went 2-4 and drove in two runs. Aaron Hicks was 1-3 with a walk and his first double (batting left-handed). Mark Dolenc was 1-2 with a walk. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 6, JUPITER 5 Bruce Pugh came in to protect a one-run lead for the Miracle. He gave up a single to the first batter but got the next three outs to record his second save of the season. Manuel Soliman started and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in three innings. He struck out three. Tony Davis came in and threw a scoreless fourth inning, but he gave up three runs on the fifth. Jhon Garcia then threw three shutout innings in relief before Pugh pitched in the ninth. Josmil Pinto led the way going 3-4 with his second double. Lance Ray went 2-3 with a walk. His first home run gave the Miracle their 6-5 lead. Michael Gonzales went 2-4 with his first double. BELOIT 3, KANE COUNTY 2 In another morning game, the final game of the series in Kane County, the Snappers got a nice start from Madison Boer. The Eden Prairie native gave up one run on three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Ryan O’Rourke came in and gave up a run on three hits over the next two innings. Clinton Dempster came in and gave up just one hit over the final two innings to record his first save. Matt Koch was the hitting hero. He was 2-3 with a walk and two doubles (3 on season). Danny Ortiz went 2-4 with a stolen base. Adam Bryan was also 2-4. Tyler Grimes and Wang-Wei Lin each hit a double. --- Players of the Day for Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Matt Koch Download attachment: Matt Koch.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Scott Diamond Download attachment: ScottDiamond3.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Thursday, April 12, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs. Pawtucket – 6:05 (CST) – RHP Daryl Thompson New Britain vs Harrisburg – 5:35 (CST) – RHP Jason Marquis Ft. Myers vs Jupiter – 6:05 (CST) – LHP Pat Dean Beloit @ Kane County – 6:30 (CST) – LHP Steven Gruver --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

This blog was written by Twins minor league pitcher Tim Shibuya. The right-hander was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year last year, and he will be starting for the Beloit Snappers as the 2012 season begins. Here are his thoughts as spring training comes to an end. As the end of Spring Training nears, the positives and negatives that you only think about at the start of camp start to become a reality. Friends you have played with for a while might get moved to a higher level as they have earned a job and showed they can play at the next level. Others get bumped down by either poor play, a player being reassigned from big league camp, or a combination of the two. Download attachment: TimShibuya2.jpg [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Then there is the worst news a player can get, that they have been released and it is time to part ways. The usually quiet morning atmosphere in the clubhouse is always more sullen when teammates are cut. It is tough to see your friends, acquaintances, and teammates pack their bags and head for the airport for the trip home. Your only hope for them is that they are able to get picked up by another team and continue to follow their dream on the windy road to the Big Leagues. However, like many events down at Spring Training, you must take the information, digest it, and move on and get yourself ready for the day. You are never safe, so you must refocus and make yourself a better player that day. The coaches have emphasized focus and mental toughness this Spring and these days are perfect to be able to apply those skills to situations. As soon as you start worrying about if you are going to make a team, get cut or anything like that, doubt creeps into the mind and you cannot perform your best. Each day that I have a uniform on my back is a good day, and an opportunity to wear that uniform one more day. On the other side of things, a nice aspect about Spring Training coming to a close is that your team starts to become more defined and you get to play a few games with the guys who will be with you for most of your season. The number of players getting shuffled from different levels decreases and you are able to start building team chemistry and understanding how each infielder and outfielder does certain plays. Despite all of the time playing on different teams, we are starting to come together already and are having a good time doing it too. And now for the interesting Spring Training event of the week. On Tuesday of this week we were informed that if we are going to play for the Rochester, New Britain, or Beloit teams, we needed to pack up most of our stuff and put it in a duffel bag so a moving truck could take the bags to their respective locations. The truck left on Wednesday so we didn’t have much time to decide what we needed to keep in Ft. Myers, and what we could send off and be without for a week. I spent a fair bit of Tuesday night flipping a coin to see what I should send up to Beloit. And as is customary with my brain, I second, third, and fourth guessed myself packing and unpacking a variety of items, until I made an executive decision to just pack everything I could into one bag and just deal with it. I wish I had made this decision earlier in the night, but oh well, I guess it was a good way to pass the time. Click here to view the article

I was going to say... he has been up for about a week... That one surprised me a little.

Correct, but after posting a 6 1/2 ERA in AAA with the A's, giving him one or two starts in Rochester before promoting him might make sense too. The other stuff is a bonus.

Happy Twins Opening Day to all of you!! After a disappointing 2011 season, a long, cold offseason, here we are. Opening Day! It's a great feeling as a fan. I can only imagine what's going through the minds of the players who will be making their first Opening Day roster. Guys like Trevor Plouffe, Luke Hughes and Liam Hendriks have never experienced what they will today (or Monday at Target Field, for that matter). The Twins 25-man roster is set. Kyle Waldrop and Scott Baker are on the Disabled List, and Jason Marquis is in New Britain for a couple of starts. 28 Players. 28 Projections. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] If there is one over-riding theme for Opening Day, it's optimism. Or at least it should be. With that in mind, I'll give my predictions for each of the 28 players. Feel free to argue, dispute and add to this with thoughts, comments and predictions. The Pitchers: The key for any team is their pitching, so let's start there. It's impossible to predict wins and losses with any certainty, so I'll just give ERA, WHIP, and any other keys for a player. Carl Pavano: 4.55 ERA, 1.44 WHIP... 195 innings... 3.9 K/9... 1.9 BB/9 Francisco Liriano: 3.31 ERA, 1.19 WHIP... 193 innings... 9.1 K/9... 3.1 BB/9 Nick Blackburn: 4.29 ERA, 1.38 WHIP... 200 innings... 4.9 K/9... 1.9 BB/9 Liam Hendriks: 3.94 ERA, 1.26 WHIP... 7.2 K/9... 2.1 BB/9 Scott Baker: 5.15 ERA, 1.52 WHIP... 6.8 K/9... 3.4 BB/9 Jason Marquis: 4.61 ERA, 1.46 WHIP... 4.6 K/9... 3.1 BB/9 Matt Capps: 3.08 ERA, 1.11 WHIP... 6.8 K/9... 2.1 BB/9 (28 Saves) Glen Perkins: 2.42 ERA, 1.19 WHIP... 9.2 K/9... 2.6 BB/9 (8 Saves) Jared Burton: 3.12 ERA, 1.23 WHIP... 6.2 K/9... 3.8 BB/9 (3 Saves) Brian Duensing: 2.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP... 7.1 K/9...2.1 BB/9 Anthony Swarzak: 4.53 ERA, 1.39 WHIP... 5.1 K/9...3.1 BB/9 Jeff Gray: 4.10 ERA, 1.31 WHIP... 4.4 K/9... 3.6 BB/9 Matt Maloney: 3.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP... 7.1 K/9...2.7 BB/9 Alex Burnett: If he gets to go to Rochester for 2-3 consecutive months, he can come back and be good. If he stays up all year, it could be scary again. Kyle Waldrop: 3.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP... 5.5 K/9... 2.5 BB/9 The Hitters: Denard Span: .290/.375/.445 (.820) - 28 doubles, 8 triples, 6 HR, 50 RBI, 31 SB Jamey Carroll: .275/.345/.325 (.670) - 16 doubles, 3 triples, 0 HR, 30 RBI, 8 SB Joe Mauer: .320/.395/.490 (.885) - 38 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HR, 82 RBI Justin Morneau: .275/.340/.445 (.785) - 24 doubles, 0 triples, 17 HR, 71 RBI Josh Willingham: .255/.340/.465 (.805) - 23 doubles, 0 triples, 27 HR, 88 RBI Ryan Doumit: .270/.335/.420 (.755) - 18 doubles, 0 triples, 11 HR, 55 RBI Danny Valencia: .285/.335/.460 (.795) - 32 doubles, 0 triples, 19 HR, 75 RBI Chris Parmelee: .260/.330/.380 (.710) - 18 doubles, 0 triples, 9 HR, 48 RBI Alexi Casilla: .255/.310/.345 (.655) - 16 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 14 SB Trevor Plouffe: .260/.315/.450 (.765) - 19 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HR, 42 RBI Luke Hughes: .245/.305/.390 (.695) - 15 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 33 RBI Ben Revere: .290/.335/.350 (.685) - 9 doubles, 7 triples, 1 HR, 27 SB Sean Burroughs: .270/.315/.350 (.665) - 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR So, what do you think? Get your predictions into the comments. Who am I too high on? Who am I too low on? We can check back at the end of the year and see how these look! Download attachment: KeepingBook.jpg Click here to view the article

Well yeah, he was a Top 8 pick out of college.

Correia... but it might be a tie...

Just to make sure... I don't think a 6-man rotation is something that the Twins should do all year long. I'm just saying maybe in August and I think certainly in September. Also above someone mentioned shutting down Nolasco and then trying to trade him. The only way anyone would even consider trading for him is if he pitches, and pitches effectively in late August and September. Of course, if he pitches well then, why trade him? And yes, 40 man rosters can easily be made available when necessary.

Jeremy did the math on Milone's service time, and you can hear the details on last night's Twins Hangouts Trade Deadline show), but if he were to be called up and start on Sunday, he would likely end the season with exactly three years of service time (meaning 3 years of arbitration). If they wait a week and call him up, he would be just shy of 3 years, meaning he would have four years of arbitration and team control. Makes it interesting.

The Minnesota Twins have been aware of Ryan Doumit for more than fifteen years, but it was only in the last 15 months that he was in the organization. In 1999, the Twins drafted outfielder BJ Garbe with the 5th overall pick in the draft. In the second round that year, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Doumit from the same high school as Garbe, Moses Lake High School in Washington. Ryan Doumit debuted as a 24-year-old with the Pittsburgh Pirates in June of 2005. For the next three seasons, he split time at catcher, first base and right field but never played in more than 83 games in a season because of various injuries. In 2008, he had his breakout season. He played in 116 games and hit .318/.357/.501 (.858) with 34 doubles and 15 home runs. Following that season, he signed a three year, $11.5 million contract that included club options for the 2012 and 2013 season. However, after playing in less than 80 games in two of the next three years, the Pirates chose not to pick up his 2012 option after he posted an .830 OPS in just 77 games. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Pirates’ loss was certainly the Twins’ gain. Terry Ryan acted quickly and signed Doumit to a one year, $3 million contract before Thanksgiving 2012 for the 2013 season. 2012 Recap Signing the switch-hitting Doumit made so much sense to the Twins. Following a 2011 season in which Joe Mauer fought various injuries and illnesses, the Twins needed someone who could provide offense at the catcher position. Doumit allowed the Twins to play Mauer behind the plate less frequently and yet be in the lineup more. In fact, Mauer finished the 2012 season with a career-high in plate appearances (641). Doumit’s versatility allowed him to also play a career high 134 games and reach a career-high 528 plate appearances. Doumit started 56 games behind the plate. He also started at DH in 48 games. He started 16 games in left field and six games in right field. He even played three innings at first base. Sure, he had his issues with the glove at each of those positions, but the value of the versatility was in allowing Mauer and Justin Morneau to get time away from their positions and time at DH. Offensively, Doumit was very good. He hit .275/.320/.461 (.781) with 34 doubles, 18 home runs and 75 RBI. The 34 doubles tied a career high. The homers and RBI were also career highs. In late June, the Twins and Doumit agreed to a two year contract extension that could keep the catcher in a Twins uniform through the 2014 season. Why He’ll Be Worse To be truthful, the success of Ryan Doumit in 2013 is greatly dependent upon his ability to stay healthy. Of the eight years that he has spent in the big leagues, he has played more than 84 games just three times. The first two times he played over 100 games, the following season he played less than 80. Can he avoid injury in 2013? There are other reasons for some concern. His 5.5% walk rate was his lowest since he walked just 4.9% of the time in 2008. His 18.8% strikeout rate was the second-highest of his career. If those numbers continue to go in opposite directions, he could really struggle. Why He’ll Be Better Doumit’s first year in the American League was certainly a success. Ron Gardenhire did a great job of keeping Doumit, Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham and to a lesser extent, Justin Morneau, healthy. Doumit’s versatility is a great way for him to help the team while at the same time helping himself stay on the field, and more importantly, in the lineup more often. If Doumit is able to take a few more walks and drop his strikeout rate to rates that are closer to his career averages, it will certainly help. Although he posted a very solid .781 OPS, his career high OPS was .858, so if he can be healthy, he can be even more productive. Doumit is likely to hit sixth in the Twins lineup on most nights. Mauer, Willingham and Morneau will be on base in front of him. He will have Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee hitting behind him. Now, there is some debate about how much protection in the lineup truly means to a hitter’s statistics, but in theory, if those younger guys are productive, it can only help Doumit. Seth Projected 2013 Stats for Ryan Doumit – 127 G, 505 PA, 470 AB, .257/.305/.430 (.735), 49 R, 31-2B, 1-3B, 16-HR, 63 RBI, 33 BB, 92 K. So, what do you think it will it be? Will Ryan Doumit be better or worse in 2013? Let us know what you think. View full article

I've edited it to say that Tyler Duffey was the pitcher of the night.

He should be going to Rochester soon... I would think.

One of the bigger storylines of the offseason was the future of Ron Gardenhire as manager of the Minnesota Twins. Most years throughout his tenure, he signed a two-year extension before he got to the final year of his contract. However, after last season, Gardenhire did not receive an extension, so he is in the last year of his deal. On its own, that means very little. I mean, Terry Ryan could still choose to extend him any time during the season or following the season. Unfortunately, Gardenhire has been the man in charge on the field where the Twins have lost 195 games over the past two seasons. As you recall, last year, three of his coaches were not brought back for the 2013 season. Although Gardenhire is the same manager that won one AL Manager of the Year award and finished second in voting five other times, the on-field results have not been there the past two seasons. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] He has been at his best as a manager when expectations were low. He is beloved by his players. Unlike his predecessor, Gardenhire is willing to get thrown out of a ball game to back his players. Like his predecessor, he wants the little things to be done right and well, even though his players have frequently not been able to do those things well. Those who don’t like Gardenhire as manager will choose to bring up several topics as well. Many will tell you that he hasn’t won in the playoffs, an argument that can’t really be disputed at this point. Some will say that he can be tough on rookies, but he isn’t as hard on them as Tom Kelly was. Some will focus on his lineup construction, although that is something that likely every fan base complains about their manager. Some talk about how he uses his bullpen, but most in the industry say that he and Rick Anderson handle their bullpen as well as any. Download attachment: ron-gardenhire.jpg With Ron Gardenhire in the final year of a contract with a roster that Las Vegas thinks will lose 95 games again in 2013, what does he have to do to maintain his job throughout the season and beyond? For what it’s worth, Gardenhire says that he isn’t spending much time thinking about it. At Twins Fest, the manager told reporters, “I don’t even worry about that. Really, I don’t. It’s only talked about because that’s the way the business goes. I really manage, what is this 11 going on 12 years? I think my predecessor went one year at a time. I don’t think he ever signed more than a one year deal. You know what, I really don’t have a problem with it at all. It’s just the way it is. I laugh about it. I kid about it. You know what, you should be held accountable year by year. I have no problem with that. I’ll go about my business. It’s not going to change what I do.” Gardy may not think about it, but unfortunately Terry Ryan likely will. And, we know that Twins fans will as well. So again, what will be the determining factors in the decision to bring back Gardenhire, or not? Here are some ways to look at it. There may be more. WINS/LOSSES Some may simply look at the Win-Loss record and determine whether or not he comes back. However, this is not a case of looking for a certain number. As mentioned, the team has lost 195 games over the last two seasons. To expect them to suddenly win 85 to 95 games is just not very realistic. So, is there a win total that would mean you would keep him? Is it 81? Is it 75? COMPETITIVENESS I think that it should depend upon many more factors than just the Win-Loss record. Would you be willing to accept a lower number if various players are hurt? Maybe you just expect them to be competitive until mid-July? At that point, the Twins could decide to trade some veterans and go with younger players. Is it fair to expect that younger team to continue to win at the same level? How about just being more competitive from game to game? How many times in the last two seasons have the Twins been behind by four or more runs after the first couple of innings? But, depending upon who Gardenhire is able to put on the mound each day, he has little ability to control the results. IMPROVEMENT I think it’s important to see improvement from year to year, and even from month to month. A manager can try to motivate young players or struggling players. Of course, the player is the one who has to develop and perform. However, I would like to see guys like Liam Hendriks and Brian Dozier take a step forward in their careers in 2013. Both struggled in 2012, and both do have the talent to be solid big leaguers. That’s not to say that those are the two players who should determine Gardenhire’s future. Others will need to improve as well. Also, it will be important to see the team as a whole play better from month to month throughout the season. Again, that may or may not be measured by wins. HANDLING OF YOUNG PLAYERS It is likely that rookies such as Aaron Hicks, Kyle Gibson, Oswaldo Arcia and maybe others will debut in 2013. How will Gardy deal with them through the good times and the bad? In speaking out Aaron Hicks at Twins Fest, Gardenhire said, “I think one thing I know how to do is make these guys relax a little. Try to keep it as light as we possibly can. There’s a stress out there that I can’t control, and that’s him trying to make this baseball team. I can control how he handles himself, and I can try to keep him as relaxed as much as I possibly can with the rest of our staff and not put too much pressure on him.” This speaks beyond rookies though. It speaks to other young players, like Dozier, Hendriks, Darin Mastroianni, Joe Benson, Cole De Vries, Chris Parmelee and even Trevor Plouffe. How will their successes and their adversities be handled, and how will that be judged? INJURIES Let’s face it, the Twins roster, particularly the pitching staff, has a lot of question marks tied to health that will affect the 2013 season. Kyle Gibson and Mike Pelfrey are returning from Tommy John surgery. Scot Diamond may not be ready for Opening Day due to removing bone chips from his elbow. Liam Hendriks had the same surgery in October, and Vance Worley had it in August. Other pitchers could get hurt throughout the season. The hitters sound like they are at 100%, but Morneau has missed a lot of time the last couple of years. Josh Willingham played a career high number of games in 2012. Can he stay relatively healthy in 2013? Trevor Plouffe missed a lot of time last year. And there are always unforeseen injuries. The manager can’t control those things. Players get hurt, unfortunately. How he responds publically and within the locker room to those things is important. IN-GAME DECISION-MAKING This is a category that social media have seemed to make more important. Every decision a manager (or GM, or scouting director) makes is scrutinized. If a Manager goes with his gut, rather than the book on occasion, he will be called out by some. If he always does the same thing (even if that is what the book says to do), he will be scrutinized as being too predictable. Again, every fan base’s manager will make decisions throughout the season that the fans won’t agree with. I think this is a poor reason for firing, but some fans will think it’s important. There are likely many other reasons to either fire or keep a manager around. Ron Gardenhire is the same manager that won a lot of games for this organization over the past dozen seasons. He has dealt with more injuries and lack of talent the last two seasons than in any of those previous seasons. It is clear that the Twins are building for 2014 and 2015 and beyond, so the biggest question really needs to be, Is Ron Gardenhire the right guy to have leading a young and developing roster? That’s the most difficult question to answer as well. He has had a lot of successes with young players this century. I’m sure there have been some busts as well. That’s the same with any manager or any team. It’s a tough question to answer, and at the end of the day, it will be Terry Ryan’s question to answer. Hopefully the players will stay healthy and improve and the Twins will surprise a lot of people which will make Ryan’s decision easy. Click here to view the article

The Twins and Blue Jays sat in a rain delay of nearly two hours before getting their game going just after 9:00 central time. Although the game should be done and I should be sleeping, it is a good competitive game thus far, so I will be up for a while. There were some good performances on Friday night, and there were some poor performances on Friday night. In player news, Kyle Waldrop’s rehab in Ft. Myers has been successful to this point. He pitched in seven innings over seven games with the Twins Extended Spring Training squad. He was even able to pitch on back-to-back days earlier this week. He will begin an official rehab stint now with the Ft. Myers Miracle before evaluating what the next steps will be. Congratulations to Darin Mastroianni on his first big league hit and two RBI. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, SYRACUSE 8 The Red Wings needed to go to Jeff Manship to make another spot start thanks to losing 60% of their starting rotation over the past week. Manship has been very good in relief for Rochester, but on this night, he struggled as a starter. He gave up six runs on seven hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out one. Esmerling Vasquez gave up one run on two hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Brendan Wise gave up just one run over the final three innings. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out two. Ben Revere is definitely on a hot streak. In this game, he was 2-4 to raise his average to .319. JR Towles went 2-3 with his sixth double of the season. Aaron Bates was 1-2 with two walks in the game. NEW BRITAIN 4, READING 1 We have been pointing out the stats a lot in the last week, but David Bromberg added more to his incredible recent streak. In this game, he threw six shutout innings. He gave up only a fifth inning single. He walked four and struck out seven. Lester Oliveros came in and threw two perfect innings. Daniel Turpen pitched the ninth. He gave up a run on a hit, but he walked none and struck out two. As good as the Rock Cats pitching was, the Phillies’ affiliate was just as good. The Rock Cats managed just three hits in the game and didn’t get their first one until the 7th inning. In the 7th, Evan Bigley singled in Chris Colabello. Wilkin Ramirez led off the 8th inning with his third home run of the week for the Rock Cats. It gave the team a 2-1 lead. An Aaron Hicks walk was followed by a double from Chris Herrmann and an intentional walk of Colabello to load the bases. Deibinson Romero was walked to add an insurance run. Later, a wild pitch gave the Rock Cats the lead that they were able to hold. As you recall, Bromberg started the season in the Rock Cats bullpen. In his first three appearances, he gave up nine runs in just two innings. Since that time, he has made four starts and two relief appearances. In those six games, he has thrown 21 innings, given up eight hits, walked eight and struck out 22 batters. FT. MYERS 5, DUNEDIN 8 The Miracle lost the series finale against the Blue Jays. Marty Popham started and gave up six runs (5 earned) in 5.2 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked three and struck out four. Jose Gonzalez struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings. Matt Hauser struck out two in his inning, but not before giving up two runs. Josmil Pinto led the offense. He went 3-4 with his third home run and two RBI. Levi Michael added a two-run single. BELOIT 2, PEORIA 6 The world of social media sure was curious when we saw the Snappers Friday afternoon lineup and noticed that 3B Miguel Sano was not in it. It was his 19th birthday. Had he been promoted to Ft. Myers. Soon after, we were able to learn that he had not been promoted and was just getting a day off, his first of the season. The offense missed him. Jhonathan Goncalves was 2-3 with a walk. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-5. Jairo Rodriguez hit his first home run of the year. Jason Wheeler has been one of the best starting pitchers in the organization to this point, but it was a tough start for him on Friday. The lefty gave up six runs (5 earned) on nine hits and two walks in five innings. Ryan O’Rourke came in and struck out three in two scoreless innings. David Hurlbut struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning. --- Players of the Day for Friday, May 11, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – David Bromberg Download attachment: DavidBromberg.jpg Hitter of the Day – Josmil Pinto Download attachment: JosmilPinto2.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, May 12, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Syracuse – RHP Daryl Thompson New Britain vs Reading – RHP BJ Hermsen Ft. Myers @ Charlotte – LHP Pat Dean Beloit @ Clinton – RHP Matt Summers --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

At Twins Daily, we believe that the Minnesota Twins minor leaguers deserve to be recognized. They may not play in front of big league crowds or for big league pay checks. However, they work really hard and deserve to be noticed when they perform. Last year, we started Adopt-a-Prospect as a way to help players throughout the minor leagues to get recognized. TODAY, starting at 10:00 central time, we will begin Adopt-a-Prospect 2013. As we did a year ago, a separate forum thread will be set up for the Adoptions. (Here it is!) At 10:00, I will post that the adoptions can begin. See the remainder of the rules below. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It’s fun to “adopt” the top prospects, but it can also be great to “adopt” the lesser-known minor leaguers and learn all about them and be able to share that with Twins Daily readers. Be sure to check out the rules below, and if you feel that you can meet the requirements, please stop by on Tuesday and adopt-a-prospect. Download attachment: TwinsProspects.jpg Rules of Adopt-A-Prospect: 1) Twins Daily members can only ‘adopt’ ONE prospect at this time. Each Twins prospect can only be adopted once. It will be first-come, first-serve in a new thread here that will be opened at 10:00 a.m. CST on Tuesday morning. (There may be a second adoption between the MLB draft and the start of the short-season leagues.) 2) Once you have confirmed that you have that player, you can post a thread. The title of the thread you start should just be that player's name. First post must be an introduction of the player. The format of the post is up to the individual, but please be sure to get all the important information needed on the player. For Example, Name, Position, Handedness, Drafted/Signed/Acquired (out of where/what round), Previous Stats, etc. Feel free to make it as detailed as you want. (There are a lot of websites you could link to such as their Baseball-Reference, The Baseball Cube, First Inning, Fan Graphs, MiLB.com, affiliate’s websites, etc.) 3) After the initial post (and throughout the season), you MUST update the thread AT LEAST once every week. If you fail to do this, the prospect can be taken away from you. [if a player is inactive due to injury or suspension, this requirement is waived as appropriate.] If you would like to update more often, please feel free. Updates should, at least, include Year-To-Date numbers for the player. The more information given, however, the better. Brag up your prospect! 4) Any major event (i.e. Promotion/Demotion/Trade/Perfect Game/4 HRs in one game...) must be reflected in the thread within a day of the event. Failure to update for this purpose may result in losing your adoptee. 5) Threads will be closed one week after a prospect has been traded out of the organization. However, if the player is traded back to the Twins (for some reason), the member who had the prospect will have the option to regain the prospect. 6) If a player is placed on the 25-man roster, this is wonderful news and you can continue that player’s thread. Reward for your player getting to the big leagues is that you can adopt a second prospect at that point. Even if the first player is eventually sent back to the minor leagues, you can maintain both prospect threads. 7) All other rules which are enforced on the main board will be enforced here. Click here to view the article

The following question is asked in jest. Well, maybe in jest. Alright, maybe it is a legitimate question. Is the AAA Rochester starting rotation better than the Minnesota Twins starting rotation? Right now, the Twins rotation is in a state of flux.Phil Hughes was tremendous from mid-April until mid-June, but he has really struggled the last month. Kyle Gibson has had a solid first, full season in the big leagues, alternating very good performances with some really rough ones. Ricky Nolasco is on the disabled ist after being brutal for the season’s first two-and-a-half months. Mike Pelfrey went on the disabled list early and won’t be back in 2014. Kevin Correia has been pretty good over the course of his last dozen starts after nearly pitching himself out of the rotation. Yohan Pino has been adequate, if mediocre, in his half-dozen starts after ten seasons in the minor leagues. Logan Darnell made his first MLB start opposite Chris Sale, and gets to do the same tonight in Chicago. Meanwhile, down in Rochester, Trevor May appears ready for a shot in the big leagues. Alex Meyer has had terrible control and command most of the year and yet has put up very strong strikeout numbers and ERA. Sean Gilmartin was promoted to the Red Wings where he has been fine. Kris Johnson is one of the best pitchers in the International League. Mark Hamburger is a former big leaguer who has worked his way back to AAA and is getting an opportunity to start and is doing well. On Thursday, the Twins acquired lefty Tommy Milone from the A’s in exchange for outfielder Sam Fuld. He has had a sub-4.00 ERA in his 70+ big league starts over the past four seasons yet found himself in the A’s minor leagues because of their ace acquisitions in the last month. As the news of the trade sunk in, I have had one prevailing thought running through my mind. Could the Twins employ a six-man starting rotation? And, who would be in it? And, how would the bullpen look? Let’s just consider a few of these variables. Until rosters expand on September 1st, rosters can have just 25 men. We would not want a 14-man pitching staff . That would require a three-man bench. With 13 pitchers, the bullpen would still have just seven members and the bench would have just four options. Let’s start with the current starters in the rotation. Here are the candidates: Phil Hughes – currently in the rotation, has a big contract through 2016.Kevin Correia – currently in the rotation, couldn’t be traded by deadline. Could be dealt (or DFA'd) in August, though his ability to eat innings could prove important.Kyle Gibson – currently in the rotation, would like to finish the season strong and add innings.Yohan Pino – currently in the rotation, earned MLB debut at age 30, has been adequate.Logan Darnell – currently in the rotation, 25-year-old lefty has been solid at Rochester much of the season.Here are some of the other starting pitching options:Ricky Nolasco – currently on the disabled list, could soon be sent on a two-game rehab stint before returning to rotation.Mike Pelfrey – out for the year after surgery.Kris Johnson – one of the best pitchers in the International League, has struggled in three big league starts.Trevor May – Assume he would be up with the Twins by now if not for his calf injury. Threw 77 pitches on Wednesday. Could make one more AAA start to build to 100 pitches.Alex Meyer – Has a good ERA and leads the IL in strikeouts this year, but he is walking too many and at times is inefficient with his pitches. Throw hard. Has the pitches to be great.Tommy Milone – Has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues. Is 32-22 with a sub-4.00 ERA. Doesn’t throw hard at all, but he has made it work in the majors.In my opinion, now that the Twins are not contending and we’re into August, it is important that the remainder of the season be about evaluation of certain players. For some, it is about whether they should remain on the 40 man roster in the off-season. For some, it is determining if they can be a big league starter or more likely be moved to the bullpen. For others, it’s just about keeping them strong and healthy the rest of the way. I humbly submit this pitching staff for August: Starters: Phil Hughes, Kevin Correia, Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone, Trevor May, Yohan Pino Relievers: Glen Perkins, Casey Fien, Brian Duensing, Caleb Thielbar, Anthony Swarzak, Ryan Pressly, Sam Deduno Conspicuously absent from the bullpen is Jared Burton. Ideally, he could be traded in August, even if the Twins pick up the amount of his buyout. If not, he could be DFA'd. With six starters, it’s important to have a few guys who can eat two or more innings. Duensing, Pressly, Swarzak and Deduno can do that. Later in the month, it would be great to see Kevin Correia traded (or DFA'd) to open up a roster spot. (Note that it would be great for Twins fans, not so much for Correia, of course.) Then in September: Starters: Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone, Trevor May, Ricky Nolasco, Logan Darnell Relievers: Glen Perkins, Casey Fien, Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Alex Meyer, Ryan Pressly, Sam Deduno, Michael Tonkin, Yohan Pino, Kris Johnson (Jared Burton, Kevin Correia – if they are still there) By September, Ricky Nolasco should be back. It will be important to get him a handful of starts to go into the offseason strong and comfortable that he can succeed again. As you can see, I’d move Pino to the bullpen as another long relief option. You could, with the expanded rosters, have Darnell and Meyer piggyback each other in starts, maybe each throwing four innings, as both are part of the future. Kris Johnson’s role as a big leaguer could be in the bullpen at this point, and it would be good to see him in that role for a few weeks to determine if that is a real option for him. I am certainly not advocating a six-man rotation throughout a big league season as a rule. I’m saying that now that the Twins are not contending, it’s important to protect some arms while also getting to see some other arms in roles. It’s much more difficult to do in August when the roster is limited to 25, but in September, I think it makes the world of sense. I believe in giving guys opportunities, not just the top prospects, but also the guys who have paid their dues. I think September will be an important evaluation time for the front office on several players and that they need to use that month and the expanded rosters to find out what they have. It will be just a part of the evaluation, but an important part. What do you think? Is a six-man rotation feasible? What would you do? Click here to view the article

The Twins had a rough going in the early innings on Tuesday night. In the minor leagues, the Red Wings got a big, late-inning home run that led to a win. The Rock Cats scored nine runs for the second straight game yet they played a game that was close until the ninth. The Miracle won a 1-0 game thanks to great pitching and a big home run from a big prospect. Cedar Rapids’ game was postponed due to rain, but be sure to check out the rest of the Organizational Report.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins fell 7-4 to the Royals on Tuesday night, their first two-game losing streak of the season. Mike Pelfrey could only get through two innings for the Twins, but Anthony Swarzak saved the bullpen with four solid innings in relief. Ryan Pressly then pitched two scoreless innings. Eduardo Escobar, batting ninth, led the offense by going 3-4 including his first Major League home run. Josh Willingham was 2-3 with his second homer. Joe Mauer hit his first homer of the season in the first inning. Rochester Red Wings 2, Scranton/WB RailRiders 1 Box Score A day after being named the first International League Player of the Week of 2013, Chris Colabello gave the Twins a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth with a home run against Mark Montgomery. Anthony Slama came on and needed just nine pitches to close out his first save of the season, the 101st of his minor league career. PJ Walters made his second start of the early season. In this game, he gave up just one run on three hits in 5.1 innings. He walked four and struckout seven. He left the game with a runner on second and one out. Caleb Thielbar came on and struckout the next two batters. In the 7th, Thielbar gave up a hit, but he faced just three batters. With the score still tied, Bruce Pugh got the first two outs of the eighth inning before giving up two singles. Tyler Robertson came on and struckout the batter he faced to end that threat. Slama struckout one in his perfect ninth frame. There was not much offense from either side, but the Red Wings managed just five hits. Brandon Boggs had two of them, including his first double and a sixth-inning home run that tied the game at the time. Kyle Gibson will take the mound for the Red Wings on Wednesday to face right-hander Dellin Betances in a 5:35 central time start. New Britain Rock Cats 9, Harrisburg Senators 7 Box Score The score was tied 5-5 heading into the ninth inning. With two outs and one runner on base, the Rock Cats got singles from Josmil Pinto and Danny Ortiz. They were followed by a two-run triple from Evan Bigley. Bigley then scored the fourth run of the inning on a bunt single by Harold Garcia. It’s fortunate the got some insurance that inning because Harrisburg scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but Michael Tonkin was able to end the game before the lead was lost. Logan Darnell started and the lefty gave up just one run in five innings. He gave up five hits and three walks, but he found a way to limit the runs despite zero strikeouts. AJ Achter came in and threw a scoreless innings. He got the first two batters of the 7th inning out, but then a walk was followed by two singles. Jose Gonzalez came in and walked the bases loaded before giving up a bases-clearing triple to Destin Hood. He walked another before getting the final out, but the game was now tied. Bobby Lanigan struckout two in a perfect eighth frame. Michael Tonkin gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in the ninth before getting the third out. There were many contributors on the offensive side of the game as the team scored nine runs for the second straight game. Josmil Pinto went 3-5 with his second double. Danny Santana was 3-5 with a triple. Dan Rohlfing was 2-4 with a double. Nate Hanson and Danny Ortiz each had two hits. Evan Bigley contributed with a big three-run triple. Trevor May will take the mound for the Rock Cats at Harrisburg on Wednesday. Ft. Myers Miracle 1, Jupiter Hammerheads 0 Box Score D.J. Baxendale made his first professional start on Tuesday night and pitched well. The 2012 tenth round pick who pitched in last year's College World Series threw 5.1 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struckout eight. Cole Johnson came on and struckout two and walked one in 1.2 scoreless innings. Zack Jones came in and threw 99 for two scoreless innings for his second save. The Miracle improve to 5-0 on the season for manager Doug Mientkiewicz despite just four hits. Fortunately, one of those hits was a blast off the bat of Miguel Sano for his first home run of the year. Tom Stuifbergen will start for the Miracle on Wednesday, at home against Jupiter. The game will begin at 6:05 central time. Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Rained out on Tuesday night. Doubleheader on Wednesday, starting at 5:05. Brett Lee will start the first game before the six-man rotation rolls over and Taylor Rogers gets his second start. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. View full article

The Twins claimed 24 year old OF Erik Komatsu and Designated Clete Thomas for Assignment. Also, Sean Burroughs cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA Rochester. He was the Cardinals' Rule 5 pick and made the opening day roster. However, he has just four hits in 19 at bats. No surprise considering he played in AA last year with the Brewers and then the Nationals (after being traded in a deadline deal). He will need to remain on the Twins roster or be offered back to the Nationals. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Clete Thomas made a strong first impression with the Twins, hitting a ball to the warning track in his first AB against Neftali Feliz and then homering to deep right field in his second at bat. Since then, he has put up some very impressive strikeout numbers. Burroughs was signed to a minor league contract and got just 18 at bats with the Twins before being DFAd earlier this week. Feel free to discuss here. Download attachment: Erik Komatsu.jpg Click here to view the article

The last couple of weeks, Twins Daily readers have had the opportunity to vote for the preseason all-AL Central All Star Team. Here are those results: Catcher – Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins First Base – Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers Second Base – Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians Third Base – Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers Shortstop – Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians Left Field – Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals Center Field – Denard Span, Minnesota Twins Right Field – Josh Willingham, Minnesota Twins Designated Hitter – Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Now it is time to think about the preseason all-AL Central pitchers. Today, we’ll start with the starting pitchers. I’ll give you the 2011 stats for the starting five (or six) for each of the five teams in the division. In the poll, you will be able to vote for five, and in a few days, we’ll have our five preseason starting pitchers. MINNESOTA TWINS Scott Baker was amazing in 2011, well, until he got hurt. He is a very good pitcher, but based on his elbow problems last year and already this spring, will he hold up? Francisco Liriano is an enigma. He was terrific in 2010 and terrible in 2011. The differentiator? Watch his KK/B ratio and his BB/9. That’ll tell you all you need to know. Carl Pavano is a league average pitcher who eats innings and walks no one. Nick Blackburn probably isn’t as bad as we thing, at least not when he’s healthy. And Jason Marquis fits in the same category as Pavano and Blackburn. And Twins fans await Liam Hendriks arrival in the rotation! Scott Baker (30) – 8-6, 3.14 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, 8.2 K/9 Francisco Liriano (28) – 9-10, 5.09 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, 7.5 K/9 Carl Pavano (36) – 9-13, 4.30 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, 4.1 K/9 Nick Blackburn (30) – 7-10, 4.49 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 4.6 K/9 Jason Marquis (33) – 8-6, 4.43 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 5.2 K/9DETROIT TIGERS Justin Verlander’s incredible 2011 season earned him not only the AL Cy Young Award, but also the MVP award. Max Scherzer is very talented and should be better than his ERA indicates. Doug Fister is a control artist who was tremendous for the Tigers in the final months of the 2011 season. He relies on his defense and the Tigers won’t exactly have a strong defense in 2012. What will it mean? Porcello has been around forever and is still just 23 years old. He hasn’t improved which bring the required question, “Why rush young players?” That said, he is capable of being pretty good in any outing. The Tigers do have a question mark at fifth starter and Oliver and especially Turner provide some hope. Justin Verlander (29) – 24-5, 2.40 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 9.0 K/9 Max Scherzer (27) – 15-9, 4.43 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 8.0 K/9 Doug Fister (28) – 11-13, 2.83 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9, 6.1 K/9 Rick Porcello (23) – 14-9, 4.75 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 5.1 K/9 Jacob Turner (20) – 4-5, 3.44 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 7.6 K/9 (AA/AAA) Andy Oliver (24) – 8-12, 4.71 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9, 8.8 K/9 (AAA)KANSAS CITY ROYALS Hochevar, a former #1 overall pick, has made his starts, but he is what he is, a slightly below average control pitcher. Bruce Chen is the subject of much mocking because he doesn’t throw hard, but he knows how to pitch and a look at his 2011 numbers show that he can be a decent pitcher. Jonathan Sanchez is very similar to Francisco Liriano. The lefty has no-hit stuff (And threw on like Liriano with a bunch of walks a couple years ago), but he is also so wild and very inconsistent. Paulino has primarily been a reliever and is likely a stop-gap to more of the Royals prospects. Duffy is a terrific talent who took his lumps in his rookie season. However, the lefty throws really hard and has good secondary stuff, so he could be a surprise. Luke Hochevar (28) – 11-11, 4.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 5.8 K/9 Bruce Chen (34) – 12-8, 3.77 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 5.6 K/9 Jonathan Sanchez (29) – 4-7, 4.26 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 5.9 BB/9, 9.1 K/9 (Giants) Felipe Paulino (28) – 4-6, 4.11 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9, 8.6 K/9 Danny Duffy (23) – 4-8, 5.64 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, 7.4 K/9CLEVELAND INDIANS Ubaldo Jimenez pretty much better be good because Cleveland brought him in last year at the trade deadline (and traded Alex White and Drew Pomeranz and more to get him), hoping he would help them to a division title. Justin Masterson broke out in 2011 with a very good season and a lot of innings. Derek Lowe comes to Cleveland from Atlanta. He’s definitely seen his better days. Josh Tomlin was a surprise rookie performer in 2011 and showed incredible control. Kevin Slowey and David Huff are likely competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. Of course, how the Roberton Hernandez (aka, Fausto Carmona) situation plays out over the course of the season will affect the rotation as well. Ubaldo Jimenez (28) – 10-13, 4.68 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, 8.6 K/9 Justin Masterson (27) – 12-10,3.21 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 6.6 K/9 Derek Lowe (38) – 9-17, 5.05 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, 6.6 K/9 Josh Tomlin (27) – 12-7, 4.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, 4.8 K/9 Kevin Slowey (27) – 0-8, 6.67 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 0.8 BB/9, 5.2 K/9 Roberto Hernandez (28/31/?) – 7-15, 5.25 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 5.2 K/9 (aka Fausto Carmona)CHICAGO WHITE SOX The White Sox were supposed to be selling players all offseason and rebuilding, right? It didn’t happen, and their pitching staff in 2012 will most likely be filled with people who were in the organization in 2011. John Danks was involved in a lot of trade rumors, but the Sox were asking for way too much, so instead they signed him to a long-term deal. Can Jake Peavy stay healthy, and even if he is, what is his upside at this stage? Gavin Floyd remains in trade rumors, and he’s coming off of a solid 2011 season. Philip Humber finally showed a little of what made him the #3 overall pick in the draft all those years ago. Is he going to be able to keep it up? Chris Sale and his high-90s fastball and devastating slider move to the rotation. Moving dominant reliever types to the starting rotation makes sense in theory, but it doesn’t always work well in practice. How will he do? John Danks (26) – 8-12, 4.33 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 7.1 K/9 Jake Peavy (30) – 7-7, 4.92 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9, 7.7 K/9 Gavin Floyd (29) – 12-13, 4.37 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, 7.0 K/9 Chris Sale (22) – 2-2, 2.79 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, 10.0 K/9 Philip Humber (29) – 9-9, 3.75 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 6.4 K/9So there you have it, the probable starters for the five American League Central Division teams. So now it’s time to vote. Again, which five pitchers do you think will have the best season in 2012? Vote for up to five! Note that we are limited to ten candidates for the poll. If you would like to vote for someone who is not in the poll, be sure to write it in!! Download attachment: JustinVerlander.jpg Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Perez_Rafael_uspw_5431752.jpg Via Twitter, the Star-Tribune's LaVelle Neal announced the signing of left-handed reliever Rafael Perez to a minor league contract today. He had been non-tendered by the Cleveland Indians in November after pitching in just eight games for the team in 2012. He fought a side injury early in the season and later was out for the season due to a shoulder injury. However, in his seven seasons (all in Cleveland), he was a very good reliever, most of the time. In all, he worked 329 innings in 338 games. He posted an ERA of 3.64 with a WHIP of 1.33. In 2009, he posted a 7.31 ERA in 54 games. However, in his five other big league seasons, he never posted an ERA over 3.54.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The left-hander's platoon splits are actually quite similar. In his career, lefties have posted a .678 OPS while right-handed batters posted a .694 OPS. He has struckout 21% of right-handed batters faced and about 17% of left-handers. Although he is just 30-years-old, his best years were 2006 through 2008 when he averaged more than a strikeout per inning. His K-Rates the past four seasons have been 6.0, 5.3, 4.7 and 4.7, so expectations should be kept minimized. What does it mean for the Twins? Glen Perkins and Brian Duensing will be in the Twins bullpen. If the Twins choose to have a third lefty in the bullpen, Perez will compete with Tyler Robertson, who spent the second half of the 2012 season with the Twins, and Minnesotan Caleb Thielbar, who was added to the Twins 40 man roster in November after pitching well at three levels a year ago. Specifics of the minor league deal are not yet public. Click here to view the article

On Sunday morning, seven players from Minnesota Twins spring training were told that they would not be on the Twins Opening Day roster. The most intriguing name of the bunch was infielder Chris Colabello. This leaves the Twins with 42 players on their spring roster.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Here are the players sent to minor league camp: Chris Colabello was last year's feel-good minor league story. He has had a great past 12 months. At this time last year, he has just signed with the Twins after being named Baseball America's Independent Leagues player of the year in 2011. He made the New Britain roster and was a mainstay in the middle of their lineup all season. He received the invite to spring training and made a name for himself on a national (international?) level with some big games and big hits for Team Italy in the WBC. He returned to the Twins late last week. He will likely spend most of the season in Rochester this year, but don't be at all surprised if the Twins call his name if they have a need for a bat. Brian Dinkelman hit .301 for the Twins in 2011 in a part-time role. He spent all of 2012 with Rochester and didn't play a lot due to injury. He provides the Twins with depth in the corner outfield spots as well as the right side of the infield. Clete Thomas got some time with the Twins in 2012 after spending his entire career in the Tigers organization. He returned to the Twins on a minor league deal after hitting for power with the Red Wings. He'll return to Rochester this spring and play all around the outfield. Mark Sobolewski was selected by the Twins in the minor league portion of December's Rule 5 draft from the Blue Jays organization. He showed well for himself in Twins camp, displaying good defense. He likely would have competed with Deibinson Romero for playing time but Romero has still not arrived from the Dominican Republic due to visa issues. Deolis Guerra came off of the 40 man roster last November, but he returned on a minor league contract. He pitched very well in the Venezuelan Winter League and was excited to represent his country in the WBC. Unfortunately, shoulder pain was diagnosed as a blood clot. He will be having surgery in the near future. Shairon Martis was invited to big league camp after coming to the Twins in a minor trade last summer. He didn't pitch much for the Twins before joining Team Netherlands in Taiwan, and then Japan, and now in San Francisco for the WBC. He should factor into the Red Wings pitching staff this season. Eric Fryer got time with the Pirates the past two season. He played well in spring, but he could find himself in either New Britain or Rochester. The Twins now have 42 players in big league camp including 22 pitchers (5 non-roster), 4 catchers (1 non-roster), 9 infielders (3 non-roster) and 7 outfielders (2 non-roster). View full article

We are one week from Christmas Day and two weeks from New Year’s Day. Once past those holidays, many Twins players, including minor leaguers, start making their trek to Ft. Myers in preparation for the 2013 season. The Twins have now made announcements about the Twins Winter Caravan which leads up to the ever-popular Twins Fest. Following Twins Fest, we will be just three weeks from one of the greatest phrases known to man, “Pitchers and Catchers reporting.” Many of the US players have returned in preparation for their holidays, and to get a little bit of time away before it all gets started again. However, there are still quite a few from the Twins organization playing abroad. Here’s how they did during the week from December 10 through December 16:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Bruce Pugh, RHP On the week, Pugh pitched twice and threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struckout two. He has pitched 13 innings over the course of 15 games for Caribes de Anzoategui. He has given up just one run on eight hits. He’s walked seven and struckout nine. Pugh’s fastball sits in the mid-90s, but his overall Venezuelan numbers do express what we have seen in his career. Although he has generally struckout a batter an inning, he also walks about a batter every other inning. Oswaldo Arcia – 4 Games, 2-15 (.133), HR (9), 3 RBIEduardo Escobar – 3 Games, 1-9 (.111), 2B, BB, RBIDarin Mastroianni – 5 Games, 2-14 (.143), 2-2BJosmil Pinto – 1 Game, 1-3 (.333)Deolis Guerra – 1 Game, 0.2 IP, 1 strikeoutDakota Watts – 2 Games, 3.1 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts. MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Chris Colabello, 1B I think we’ll just name this one the Chris Colabello Award from this point forward. And, not just because he is now just one of two Twins farmhands playing in Mexico. For the week, he played in fix games. He went 6-19 (.316) with two doubles and a home run. Overall in Mexico, he has had 192 at bats in 54 games played. He is hitting .344/.414/.646 (1.0759) with 13 doubles, 15 home runs and 41 RBI. Gonzalo Sanudo – 1 Game, 0.1 innings, 3 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 walks. DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Samuel Deduno, RHP Download attachment: Samuel Deduno ArmsRaised.jpg Deduno made one start this week. The right-hander threw six shutout innings. He gave up just four hits, walked one and struckout nine. In 20.2 innings so far in the DWL, he has given up no runs on 13 hits. He’s walked nine, but he has struckout 26. Jhonathan Arias – 3 Games, 1-7 (.143), RBIPedro Florimon – 3 Games, 0-2 (.000)Wilkin Ramirez – 3 Games , 1-8 (.125)Miguel Sano – 2 Games, 1-5 (.200), HR (4), 2 RBIJason Lane – 1 Game, 0.2 innings, 6 runs, 3 earned runs, 5 hitsLuis Perdomo – 2 Games, 3.0 innings, 0 earned runs, 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts. PUERTO RICO WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Eddie Rosario, OF For the third straight week, Eddie Rosario is the choice for hitter of the week. In three games, he went 9-23 (.391) with a double. Overall, in 23 games, he is hitting .369/.400/.536 with five doubles and three home runs. Angel Morales – 4 Games, 2-10Danny Ortiz – 6 Games, 5-18 (.278), 3 BB, 2BKennys Vargas – 4 Games, 2-15 (.133), BBNelvin Fuentes – 1 Game, 0.2 IP, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 2 BB, 2 KJosue Montanez – 2 Game, 3.1 IP, 0 hit, 0 runs, 2 BB, 1 K. AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE Player of the Week – JD Williams, OF Williams hit .283 (3-11) with a walk, a double and three RBI. In 21 games Down Under, he is hitting .227/.318/.267 (.585) with three doubles on the season. Logan Wade – 3 Games, 2-8 (.250), RBIJosh Hendricks – 3 Games, 1-6 (.167)Tim Atherton – 1 Game Started, 3.0 innings, 4 runs (3 earned), 4 hits, 2 walks, 4 strikeoutsSam Gibbons – 1 Game Started, 3.1 innings, 6 hits, 6 BB, 4 earned runs, 2 KTyler Herr – 2 Games, 0.2 innings, 3 hits, 1 BB, 5 runs (3 earned runs)Virgil Vasquez – 1 Game Started, 6.0 innings, 3 earned runs, 7 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts Feel free to discuss or ask any questions that you like. Also, feel free to pick a player of the week. Here were the nominees: Venezuela – Bruce Pugh Mexico – Chris Colabello Dominican – Samuel Deduno Puerto Rico – Eddie Rosario Australia – JD Williams Click here to view the article

Today in our preseason AL Central vote, we finish out the offense by voting on the Designated Hitter. We will get to the pitchers soon. Be sure to vote for your choice for "Which AL Central Designated Hitter will have the best 2012?" Be sure to vote here. The Candidates (2011 stats) Minnesota Twins – Ryan Doumit - .303/.353/.477 (.830) with 12-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 30 RBI Chicago White Sox – Adam Dunn - .159/.292/.277 (.569) with 16-2B, 0-3B, 11-HR, 42 RBI[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Cleveland Indians – Travis Hafner - .280/.361/.449 (.811) with 16-2B, 0-3B, 13-HR, 57 RBI Detroit Tigers – Ryan Raburn - .256/.297/.432 (.729) with 22-2B, 2-3B, 14-HR, 49 RBI Kansas City Royals – Billy Butler - .291/.361/.461 (.822) with 44-2B, 0-3B, 19-HR, 95 RBI SUMMARY After seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Doumit comes to the Twins. He will be the team’s #2 catcher, get some time in the corner outfield spots and maybe even at first base. He will also likely be the team’s primary DH. In the National League, he posted a .777 career OPS. The Twins could use several players in the DH role in 2012. Think Adam Dunn would like to forget 02011 as quickly as possible? After a career in the NL, many believed that Dunn would put up major numbers with the White Sox, but the exact opposite happened. His previous career-low OPS was .819 and that was way back in 2003. His career numbers going into the 2011 season were .250/.381/.521 (.902). 2012 is suddenly a huge year for the 32 year old Dunn? Can he recover and to what level? North Dakotan Travis Hafner had a solid 2012, but as has become the normal of late, he played in just 94 games. It’s hard to believe that he will be 35 years old in June. He’s finished in the Top 5 in MVP voting before. If healthy, he can be a good producer in the middle of the lineup. Ryan Raburn will likely be one of several DHs in the Tigers lineup. The last two years, he has played all positions but catcher and shortstop. He will likely get plenty of time at 2B in 2012 as well. The soon-to-be-31 year old is coming off of his worst big league season, with the sub-.300 OBP and 114 strikeouts to go with just 21 walks, but he does have some power in his bat. Billy Butler seems older than 25, doesn’t he? Well, he will be 26 in April, but it is unusual to see such a young player limited to DH duties, but Butler has done it well. Butler hits the ball hard which helps him hit a lot of doubles and double plays. He hasn’t hit as many home runs and some still believe he still will. There is your information, now it is time to vote. Who will be the best designated hitter in the AL Central in 2012? My choice? Download attachment: BillyButler.jpg Click here to view the article

The Cleveland Indians are in Minneapolis, ready for a four-game, season-ending series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Twins watched the Oakland A's celebrate winning the AL West Division title last weekend. Last night, they watched the Detroit Tigers win the AL Central for the third straight year. It is possible that the Twins will also watch Cleveland celebrate a playoff berth this weekend. With four games to play, the Indians are currently one game ahead of the Texas Rangers for the second wild card position in the American League. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]They are one game behind Tampa Bay for the #1 wild card spot. While Cleveland gets to play the Twins, the Rangers will be hosting the Angels for four games. In 2012, Cleveland finished 68-94 after a massive second-half collapse. This year, they are 88-70 with four games to play and a playoff spot well within their grasp. I thought it would be interesting to check out the Cleveland roster to see how this team came together. It was quite interesting to see how they acquired their key 2013 contributors. DRAFTED: 2B Jason Kipnis - 2nd round in 2009 3B Lonnie Chisenhall - 1st round in 2008 RP Cody Allen - 23rd round in 2011 RP Vinny Pestano - 20th round in 2006 VIA TRADE: RF Drew Stubbs (12/11/12 - acquired from Cincinnati for Shin-Soo Choo in 3-team trade) IF Mike Aviles and C Yan Gomes (11/3/12 - acquired from Toronto for Esmil Rogers) SS Asdrubal Cabrera (7/30/06 - acquired from Seattle for Eduardo Perez) LF Michael Brantley (10/3/08 - acquires as the PTBNL from Milwaukee in the CC Sabathia trade) C Carlos Santana (7/26/08 - acquired from the Dodgers for Casey Blake) SP Justin Masterson and RP Nick Hagadone (7/31/09 - acquired from Boston for Victor Martinez) SP Ubaldo Jimenez (7/30/11 - acquired from Colorado for four players including Matt White and Drew Pomeranz) SP Corey Kluber (7/31/10 - acquired in 3-team trade from Padres. Cleveland sent Jake Westbrook to St. Louis) SP Zach McAllister (8/20/10 - acquired as PTBNL for Austin Kearns from Yankees) RP Chris Perez (6/27/09 - acquired with Jess Todd for Mark Derosa from Cardinals) RP Joe Smith (12/11/08 - acquired as part of 3-team deal from Mets) FREE AGENTS: 11/19/12 - signed former Twins OF Matt Carson to a minor league deal (OK, not a significant contributor throughout the year, but since his recall in late August, he is 7-10!) 1/4/13 - signed 1B Nick Swisher to a four-year deal 1/8/13 - signed SP Scott Kazmir to minor league contract 1/21/13 - signed IF Ryan Raburn to a minor league contract 2/15/13 - signed OF Michael Bourn to a four-year contract 12/18/12 - signed IF Mark Reynolds 1/1/13 - signed Brett Myers 2/19/13 - signed Jason Giambi Download attachment: Bourn_Swisher.jpg STAT PACK: Here is where Cleveland ranks in the American League in the following statistics: Runs Scored - 6th (717) OPS - 8th (.734) ERA - 7th (3.84) Strikeouts - 2nd (1,331) Errors/Fielding Percentage - 11th (99, .983)The offense has just two players (with enough at-bats to qualify) with an OPS over .800. Carlos Santana's OPS is .824, and Jason Kipnis's OPS is .804. Nick Swisher (.758) and Michael Brantley (.730) are the only others with an OPS over .700. All five starters who have made at least 23 starts have ERAs between 3.38 and 4.14. Four of the five starters have struck out at least 8.3 batters per nine innings. Justin Masterson's 2012 ERA was 4.93, and it dropped to 3.52 in 2013. Ubaldo Jimenez's 3.38 this season is impressive, especially considering it was 5.10 in 2012. Scott Kazmir pitched in the independent leagues in 2012 after making just one big league appearance in 2011. He had a 5.94 ERA for the Angels in 2010. The last time he was a solid MLB pitcher for an extended period before this year was 2008. Corey Kluber posted a 5.14 ERA in 12 starts in 2012 before posting a 3.61 ERA this season. Zach McAllister dropped his ERA by nearly a half-point from 2012 to 2013. Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen, Joe Smith and Matt Albers did very well in extensive relief duties.So, if you're looking for the reason that Cleveland will win 20-plus more games in 2013 than in 2012, look no further than a pitching staff that went from worse-than-the-Twins to league-average. Oh, I nearly forgot... On September 27 of last year, Cleveland fired manager Manny Acta. Sandy Alomar finished the season, but in early October, Terry Francona left his ESPN gig to be the team's new manager. Mickey Callaway was named the team's new pitching coach. Ty Van Burkleo was named the hitting coach. Summary Cleveland made several changes to their roster from 2012 to 2013, but the most significant difference between the two seasons was the performance of their pitching staff. That can't be over-emphasized. They signed Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn to four-year contracts. Swisher has always been an on-base machine who provides power. He is an Ohio native who played his college ball at Ohio State. Bourn was a Boras client who didn't have as many teams interested in him as they had projected. He was available to Cleveland, in part, because the Twins traded Denard Span to the Nationals and Ben Revere to the Phillies. Mark Reynolds was a nice signing, for the season's first month, and Brett Myers was hurt most of the season. However, they got lucky with the minor league contracts of Scott Kazmir and Ryan Raburn. Jason Giambi provides value off of the bench. The team's core came via trade. Jimenez had a successful run in Colorado. Masterson had done well in the Red Sox bullpen. However, guys like Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Asdrubal Cabrera, Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister all came to the organization as minor leaguers. It will be a nice story if Cleveland is able to get to the playoffs in 2013. It's fun to see a team make that kind of improvement from one season to the next. The Twins will come from different direction with so many potentially high-impact minor leaguers on the horizon. Maybe in 2015 the Twins will be able to make a 20+ game improvement and contend for a playoff spot. Click here to view the article