Seth Stohs

For the most part, the Twins spring training rosters are pretty well set. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is another reliever brought in, and there could be some more minor league signings. I thought it would be late enough in the offseason to start taking a look at the Twins organizational depth. So, over the next two weeks, I’ll go position by position and name the players throughout the farm system with a few thoughts. In doing so, I’ll be trying to figure out what the Twins minor league rosters will look like. I’m going to start with the catcher position and work through all of the positions. First and foremost, I need to point out that these are my thoughts. I have no insider information to know where players will be. Obviously after spring training, some of these players will be let go. There will be Disabled List players, extended spring training and more. Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, Drew Butera Maybe it’s hopeful optimism, but I’m not worried about Joe Mauer in 2012. 2011 started out with injury, a bad diagnosis made public, and a not-so-subtle hint of confusion surrounding his health, his toughness and how even his teammates and managers didn’t always understand what the situation was either. If Mauer is healthy, he’s one of the best catchers in baseball, offensively and defensively. Ideally, he could again catch 110-120 games and if he does so, we know that he will likely hit .320/.390/.490 or so with 35 or more doubles and potentially a dozen home runs. Doumit was a tremendous signing early in the offseason. His career numbers in the NL show that he has posted an OPS very similar to Jason Kubel’s. Offensively, I expect the same type of hitter as Kubel. That’s probably a little optimistic. I think Doumit (along with Trevor Plouffe and Luke Hughes) will be the primary DHs, unless Justin Morneau can’t play 1B and they have him DH. Doumit can also catch 30-40 games a season to give Mauer a day off from behind the plate. He’s not too good back there. Butera is the opposite. He has no chance offensively, particularly when overexposed as he was last year. Butera is the actual backup catcher, in my mind, since Doumit should be starting every day. As a true backup catcher, he’s fine, plays good defense, does a good job against the running game, and works well with pitchers. When he has to play most days and gets 400 plate appearances, that isn’t the design. In reality, the Twins have a bunch of versatility on their major league roster, so I might prefer to have Butera in Rochester. If Mauer or Doumit is hurt one game, the other could catch the rest of that game, and Butera could be up the next day. Of course, that would assume the Twins utilized the DL well, something they did very poorly the last couple of years. Rochester Red Wings Rene Rivera, JR Towles We saw in 2011 what Rivera could do, and it was pretty much just as bad offensively as Butera. He just swung more crazy and more often. Defensively, he is obviously quite solid. JR Towles comes over from the Astros where he was once a top prospect in baseball. He never really hit with the Astros, although he never really got much consistent playing time. There may be some hope here for some optimism. New Britain Rock Cats Danny Lehmann, Chris Herrmann Butera, Rivera and Towles are pretty much the same. I may be wrong, but everything I’ve seen, read and heard from players throughout the system, Lehmann is the best of that group. He won’t hit a lot, but no worse than Rivera and Butera did, and his defense is just as good, if not better. I’ve talked to a lot of pitchers in the Twins system the last couple of years and all agree that they love throwing to Lehmann. Chris Herrmann is the Twins top catching prospect, and it isn’t terribly close. He made a very strong impression in 2011 at Ft. Myers and in New Britain. He didn’t hit for average, but he gets on base a lot. He also hits a lot of doubles with a smooth left-handed swing. He runs very well for a catcher. Part of his value is his versatility. In college, he played mostly in the infield. Early in his Twins career, he played mainly in the outfield and played well there. Pitchers say that his defense behind the plate has improved, and he now throws out a solid percentage of would-be base stealers. He could be a versatile backup player with the Twins by September, and he is also good enough to be the primary backstop for the team as well should they move the $184-million-dollar man to another position at some point. Ft. Myers Miracle Danny Rams, Dan Rohlfing, Josmil Pinto Rams made a good impression last year at big league spring training and was very good in April. At that point, he got hurt and played through it, but his numbers were not what he and organization would have wanted. Defensively, he has a strong arm, but isn’t touted as a great defender. It’s just a gut feeling, but Rams is very talented, and I think once he gets to New Britain, we’ll start seeing some of his power potential turn into some power numbers. Rohlfing played infield in high school and the Twins moved him to catcher. After awhile, he was moved to the outfield. Last year, he was pushed to New Britain where he held his own as a backup catcher. When he was sent back to Ft. Myers, he was in the lineup most every day, either behind the plate or in the outfield and he played well. He was invited to spring training this year because he has made an impression on the right people. Josmil Pinto put up huge numbers in E-town a couple of seasons ago, but he really struggled in 2010 in Beloit. He returned to Beloit and did alright before being moved up to Ft. Myers. He has a strong arm, but it’s likely he’s a DH because he does struggle behind the plate. Beloit Snappers Andy Leer, Philip Chapman, Matt Koch, Matt Parker, Jairo Rodriguez, Kyle Knudson This is where you start realizing that not all of these players will remain in the organization beyond spring training. There will likely be some injuries and others also added to the Disabled List for depth. Andy Leer is from North Dakota and went to college at the University of Mary. He was an infielder with the Snappers in 2011, and at Instructional League, he was moved behind the plate. Philip Chapman and Matt Koch were both drafted in 2011. Chapman hit well, but he was a college guy playing in the GCL. Koch signed late and played in a dozen or so games in Elizabethton. Both are old enough that they should move up to Beloit, but based on numbers, one could stay in Extended Spring Training. Matt Parker was a non-drafted free agent singing a couple of years ago. He’s a defensive guy. Knudson played with Beloit in 2011, but he missed most of the second half of the season with a groin injury. He’s one that they will need to keep because he is solid defensively and has some offensive potential. Jairo Rodriguez is a strong-armed backstop without much offensive upside. Elizabethton Twins Kelly Cross, Michael Quesada Cross was drafted out of high school in 2010 and signed late. He got into just a couple of games. He really struggled last year with the GCL Twins, but he’s a guy that they’re going to have to push quickly because he’s only got one more season that he can play in the short seasons. Quesada was one of the better hitters with the GCL Twins last year and showed good power. Some scouts really like his potential. The Twins typically draft a couple of college catchers in the first ten rounds or so, and they go to Elizabethton as well. So, it’s really impossible to predict who will play any position in Elizabethton or the GCL. TOP THREE PROSPECTS Chris Herrmann, 2.) Danny Rams, 3.) Dan RohlfingSUMMARY Joe Mauer is an All Star, an MVP, a Gold Glove winner, a Silver Slugger winner, and he’s paid like it. A couple more big seasons and he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But, he has to stay healthy. Chris Herrmann is likely a year away from being ready for the big leagues. He is likely the one player in the minor leagues that has the chance to be a starting catcher. There are several terrific defensive catchers whose ceiling is backup catcher, not that that is a bad thing! If you have any further questions, please feel free to e-mail Seth Stohs at sethspeaksnet@hotmail.com or leave your thoughts in the Comments Section! Click here to view the article

The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Ft. Myers Miracle booked their playoff seats more than two months ago by virtue of their first half success. The Kernels won a Midwest League playoff spot as a wild card from the first half. The Miracle team won their division in the first half. For the Rochester Red Wings, it came down to the last day. Because of a late-season plummet, the Wings did not control their own destiny. On Labor Day, the Red Wings had to win and hope that the Norfolk Tide would lose. The Tide lost 1-0 in 10 innings to Durham. The Red Wings' offense put together their best performance of the season, scoring 15 runs and following the game they were able to celebrate a playoff spot. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The minor league regular season is now over, and it's time for the playoffs. Here is a quick preview of the three playoff series involving Twins' affiliates: Rochester Red Wings vs Pawtucket Red Sox This is a best of five series. Game 1 will be played in Rochester on Wednesday night. Cole De Vries will get the start in the game. Game 2 will be played on Thursday night, also be in Rochester. From there, the series will shift over to Pawtucket. Game 3 will be on Friday. If needed, Games 4 and 5 will also be in Pawtucket. The Red Wings have not yet announced their starting pitchers after game 2. Candidates including left-handers Pat Dean, Logan Darnell and Monday's starter Scott Diamond. Right-hander Virgil Vasquez and one of the lefties would be available in long-relief. One name you will notice not included is Kyle Gibson. On Monday, it was announced that Gibson has been shut down for the season. Reliever Dakota Watts will take his spot on the Red Wings roster. He'll join a strong Red Wings bullpen that has really struggled over the last ten days. Michael Tonkin has given up eight runs in his last 4.1 innings (5 games), but he has been very good most of the year. So have lefties Edgar Ibarra and Aaron Thompson and right-handers AJ Achter and Shairon Martis. These two teams played each other 15 times in the regular season. Rochester won nine of those games. They played seven times in April, and Pawtucket won just two of those games. They met eight times in July, and Rochester won seven of those games. Chris Colabello was recently named the International League's MVP and Rookie of the Year. He hit .352 with an OPS of 1.066 and 49 extra base hits. He is now with the Twins. The Red Wings .258 team batting average is fourth in the league. Their .359 on-base percentage ranks second. A .392 slugging percentage ranks fifth, but their .732 OPS is third in the 14-team league. Andrew Albers is also with the Twins now. He was the Red Wings best pitcher all season, going 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA. However, when looking at where the Red Wings rank in pitching categories, it is alarming. They rank 14th (last) in ERA at 4.21. Their WHIP ranks tenth. I'm sure it would surprise no one that their pitching staff ranks dead last in strikeouts, though they have issued the third fewest walks. Projected Lineup: Catcher - Eric Fryer, 1B - Chris Parmelee, 2B - James Beresford, SS - Eduardo Escobar, 3B - Ray Olmedo/Deibinson Romero, LF - Antoan Richardson, CF - Aaron Hicks, RF - Eric Farris, DH - Jeff Clement. The Red Wings are in the playoffs for the first time since they were a wild card team in 2006. They ended the regular season with a 77-67 record. Gene Glynn is starting to be recognized, as he should be, because of leading this group of minor league veterans to a great second half. Ft. Myers Miracle vs Charlotte Stone Crabs The Miracle earned their playoff berth by being one of baseball's best minor league teams in the season's first half when they went 45-22. At that point, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, DJ Baxendale and others were promoted to New Britain. The Miracle added the likes of Byron Buxton, Dalton Hicks and JD Williams. In the second half, the Miracle went 34-34 and finished in fourth place in their division. Overall, their 79-56 record was tops in the Florida State League. This round is a best of three format and starts on Tuesday night. The Miracle will go with Matt Summers and Taylor Rogers in the first two games, and Jason Wheeler will most likely work game three. Starters Tyler Duffey, Matt Tomshaw and David Hurlbut will likely be available for long relief. The Miracle have a very strong bulllpen and people will try to keep up with the Joneses. Zach Jones and Tyler Jones are both hard-throwing right-handers capable of hitting 96 mph with their fastballs consistently. Luke Bard was added to the Miracle roster, as well, for a bullpen arm. The Miracle find themselves on top of most season-ending statistics in the Florida State League. They are first in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs and runs scored. But, they are not only a strong offensive team. They rank second in the league in ERA and third in WHIP. The Miracle and Stone Crabs have played each other 17 times, and the Miracle has won 11 of those matchups. However, the Miracle won 10 of the first 11 games. That means that Charlotte has won five of the last six, including a three-game sweep two weeks ago. Right-hander Matt Summers led the Florida State League with a 2.47 ERA. Lefty Taylor Rogers finished second in that category with a 2.55 ERA. He also won 11 games and led the league with three complete games and two shutouts. With Sano and Rosario out of the lineup, there are still plenty of weapons in the lineup. Kennys Vargas led the league in RBI with 93. He finished third in the league in slugging percentage. He was tied for second with 19 home runs, and third with 33 doubles. Byron Buxton is obviously the featured attraction with his all-around game. His power hasn't shown up yet in Ft. Myers, but his speed shows up in stolen bases, triples and great defense. Projected Lineup: C - Matt Koch, 1B - Dalton Hicks, 2B - Levi Michael, 3B - Stephen Wickens, SS - AJ Pettersen, LF - JD Williams, CF - Byron Buxton, RF - Mike Kvasnicka, DH - Kennys Vargas. This series pits the team with the league's top overall record (Miracle) against the team with the division's best record in the second half (Stone Crabs). Doug Mientkiewicz, Jim Dwyer and Ivan Arteaga have led this team to a great season. Cedar Rapids Kernels vs Quad Cities River Bandits Cedar Rapids got off to a fast start, but faltered late in the first half and ended up two games behind Beloit. However, their 40-28 record clinched the Kernels a playoff spot. In the second half, the team saw the promotions of Byron Buxton, Dalton Hicks, JD Williams and several more. Somehow, they were even better in the second half, boasting a 48-20 record and winning the second half division title by 4.5 games. Overall, their 88-50 record was six games better than anyone else in the Midwest League and six games better than Quad Cities. Brett Lee will get the Game 1 start on Wednesday night in this best of three series. Tim Shibuya will start Game 2, and if necessary, Tim Atherton will get the nod in Game 3. Byron Buxton was named the MVP of the Midwest League and its Top Prospect. Dalton Hicks led the entire organization with 110 RBI. However, the Kernels still have a lot of talent. They are led by powerful Adam Walker who led the Midwest League in Home Runs (27) and RBI (106). Jorge Polanco, Travis Harrison, Niko Goodrum and Tyler Grimes have been primary starters throughout the season as well. The Kernels led the Midwest League in on-base percentage (.346), slugging percentage (.413), OPS (.759), and runs scored (752, 86 more than the second place team). They were second in the league in batting average (.267) and home runs (108). Their 253 doubles ranked third. Their pitching was more middle of the road. They ranked fourth in WHIP (1.30) but eighth in ERA (3.69). Their 1,021 strikeouts rank seventh while they rank fourth with just 428 walks allowed. In the season's first half, the two teams split six games. In the second half, the River Bandits won five out of their seven matchups. Projected Lineup: C - Michael Quesada, 1B - Michael Gonzales, 2B - Jorge Polanco, 3B, Travis Harrison, SS - Niko Goodrum, LF - Max Kepler, CF - Jonathan Murphy, RF - Adam Walker, DH - Tyler Grimes. The Kernels have arguably been the best team in minor league baseball this season despite several key promotions. Jake Mauer, Tommy Watkins and Gary Lucas will shift credit to the players, but they deserve a ton of credit for the success. They will have their hands full with Carlos Correa and a very tough Quad Cities roster. Download attachment: Red Wings celebration.jpg Photo by Rochester Democrat & Chronicle Sure, it would be great if the Minnesota Twins were contending in 2013. They're not... even close. But, it is great to see that three of the Twins four full-season affiliates have played well enough this season to earn spots in the playoffs. Development is obviously the top priority for any minor league system. However, winning and learning how to win as a team can be a big part of that development. Also, the players on these rosters and the coaching staffs have put in the work since the beginning of April and they have earned the right to "go for it" here in September. Several members of the Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids teams were part of the 2012 Appalachian League championship for Elizabethton or the 2012 Beloit Snappers playoff roster. I'm sure they would love another title. We certainly wish them all the best of luck! Click here to view the article

This is really late. Typically, I post my choices for the monthly minor league award winners within days of the end of the month. Because of a trip to Cedar Rapids and a bum computer, the Hitter of the Month for June is a little tardy. But, better later than never, I guess. The players listed below performed well and deserve to be recognized. It was another good month for the hitters. We have a repeat winner and a few of the top prospects in this month’s report. In fact, there were enough who warranted recognition that I included a Top 6 and some Honorable Mentions. Let’s get to it. Here are my selections for the Top 6 Minnesota Twins Minor League hitters in June: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Number 6 – Rochester – Doug Bernier - (35-100) .350/.416/.540 (.956) with ten doubles, three triples, one home run and 15 RBI. Bernier signed a minor league contract with the Twins before spring training this year. The middle infielder played his college ball at Oral Roberts and then spent 2002 through 2008 with the Colorado Rockies. He played two games for the Rockies in 2008. He then spent 2009 with the Yankees AAA team. He spent 2010 with the Pirates AAA team. He had spent 2011 and 2012 with the Yankees AAA squad. Overall with the Red Wings, he is hitting .297/.368/.398 (.766) with 13 doubles, three triples and three homers. He was very good in June. Number 5 – Ft. Myers – Kennys Vargas - (28-79) .354/.420/.544 (.965) with nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBI. Vargas is still just 22 years old, but many forget how little baseball he has played over the last couple years. In 2011, he played in just 44 games. In 2012, he played in only 41 games. The Twins had him stick around Ft. Myers much of last offseason, and he remains with the Miracle, having now played 78 games in Ft. Myers. On the season, he is hitting .298/.373/.528 (.902) with 24 doubles, a triple and 13 home runs while driving in 63 RBI. Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano have moved up, yet Vargas hit well in June without them around. I suspect he will move up at some point this season. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – Byron Buxton - (33-93) .354/.412/.548 (.960) with five doubles, five triples, 1 home run and 19 RBI. After a tremendous April, Buxton had a more pedestrian May. He even went through a mini-slump. However, in June, Buxton did exactly what you would hope a top prospect would do; he made some adjustments and had a strong month. In 72 at-bats with the Kernels, he hit .361/.420/.597 (1.017) with ten extra base hits; he then got the promotion that fans had been clamoring for. Despite starting out his tenure with the Miracle going 2-13, he then proceeded to have five straight multi-hit games and ended the month strong. He was also named to represent the Twins in the Futures Game. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – Dalton Hicks - (36-108) .333/.372/.620 (.992) with ten doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI. The 23-year-old first baseman was the Twins 17th round pick out of Central Florida. He split time in Elizabethton last year, but this year he has been the Kernels every day first baseman. Overall this year he has hit .298/.359/.498 with 26 doubles and 13 home runs. His 77 RBI lead the Midwest League (by a large margin). Listed at 6-5 and 228 pounds, Hicks has a long, but very powerful swing. He was tremendous in June and is a leader on the Kernels roster. I believe that if (or when) Kennys Vargas gets a promotion to New Britain, Hicks will move up to Ft. Myers. Number 2 – Ft. Myers/New Britain – Miguel Sano - (19-82) .232/.336/.646 (.982) with three doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 22 RBI. Sano was named to the Florida League All-Star team in early June. However, the day after the Miracle clinched the first half title and a playoff spot, he (and Eddie Rosario and Angel Morales) were promoted to the New Britain Rock Cats. Let’s not pretend that the lack of batting average for Sano is not a big deal, especially when it comes with many strikeouts, but he’s still so early in his New Britain tenure that it’s not worth worrying about quite yet. Despite a lack of singles, Sano’s power has been tremendous in New Britain. In June with the Rock Cats, he had ten extra base hits in 62 at bats, with just four singles. His power potential is immense, and fans are rightfully excited about what he can become. He will just need to work on his K-Rate to help avoid a case of BrandonWood-itis. The June Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Rochester Red Wings 1B Chris Colabello (34-94) .362/.451/.660 (1.111) with four doubles, no triples, eight home runs and 26 RBI. I am certain I sound like a broken record, but the Chris Colabello story should be talked about more, and he should be getting even more attention. He debuted with the Twins in May and still was the choice for minor league hitter of that month. This month, he spent the entire time with the Red Wings and still was incredible. He hits for average, takes walks and hits for power. He is the force in the middle of the Red Wings lineup that has helped them get back over .500 again. Overall, in 77 games with the Red Wings this year, he has hit .358/.436/.653 with 22 doubles, 21 homers and 67 RBI. He was recently named to the International League All-Star team, and frankly, he’s been one of the best handful of players at any level of minor league baseball. There were several strong performances in June that weren’t included in the Top 6. Here are six Honorable Mentions: Josmil Pinto (Rock Cats) – (25-89) .281/.407/.449 (.856) with six doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI. Nate Hanson (Rock Cats) – (29-93) .312/.350/.516 (.866) with 11 doubles, one triple, two homers and 18 RBI. Matt Koch (Miracle) – (23-70) .329/.382/.586 (.967) with six doubles, four homers and 14 RBI. Travis Harrison (Kernels) – (23-90) .256/.382/.489 (.871) with nine doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI. Jorge Polanco (Kernels) – (31-96) .322/.377/.469 (.846) with seven doubles, two triples, one home run and 23 RBI. JD Williams (Kernels) – (29-91) .319/.404/.440 (.844) with two doubles, three triples, one home run, and 14 RBI. It was another very solid month for Twins minor league hitting prospects which is always fun to see. We hope that can continue into July Feel free to comment and discuss. View full article

Age: 18 (DOB: 05/27/94) 2012 Stats APPY: 3-0, 30.2 IP, 1.17 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, 49/4 K/ BB ETA: 2016 The 2012 draft was very important for the Minnesota Twins. Instead of drafting college players, the Twins used their first two picks on high school players. They took OF Byron Buxton with the #2 overall pick. With their first supplemental first-round selection, compensation for having lost Michael Cuddyer to the Rockies in free agency, the Twins took right-handed pitcher, Jose (JO) Berrios. The Twins made him the highest drafted pitcher every from Puerto Rico. It didn’t take long for him to agree to sign for a $1.55 million bonus, exactly the slot amount for the 32nd selection.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Berrios had a very impressive debut season. After reporting to Ft. Myers, he began his career with the Gulf Coast League Twins. He pitched in eight games. He was used in relief the first seven appearances before making one start. He went 1-0 with four saves. In 16.2 innings, he gave up just seven hits, walked three and struck out 27 of the 62 batters he faced. On August 6th, Berrios and Buxton were promoted to the Advanced Rookie Elizabethton Twins. Berrios made three starts for the E-Twins and went 2-0. In 14 innings, he gave up just eight hits, walked one and struck out 22 of the 51 batters he faced. What made him so successful in his first season of pro ball? According to the Twins new Director of Minor League Operations Brad Steil, “He was confident, aggressive, and attacked with his fastball. He also located his fastball pretty well and used his off-speed more effectively as the year progressed.” The Good Although statistics don’t tell the full story in the lowest levels of the minor leagues, Berrios posted some amazing numbers in the GCL and was even better once he started making starts in Elizabethton. The statistic that jumps off the page is the 49:4 strikeout to walk ratio that he posted. It speaks to his control, but when an 18-year-old kid dominates in a league (Appalachian) where the average age of the hitters is 20.2, we can also conclude that he has some pretty electric stuff. Berrios is blessed with a very strong arm. He touched as high as 98 mph although his average fastball was in the 93-95 range. More important, his fastball has a great amount of natural movement. Along with great control of his fastball, he has some secondary pitches that could become plus big league pitches. He throws a slider that is already quite good. It sits in the low 80s and is sharp. He also is throwing a changeup that has room for improvement but the mechanics with it are very good. Add in that he is very athletic and has a consistent, repeatable delivery. Mike Radcliff is the Twins Director of Player Personnel. Understanding the importance of the 2012 draft to the Twins future, he also played a very active role in scouting. He had several wonderful things to say about Berrios. “He has a very good fastball, with velocity and life. He also has good confidence. He has good command and keeps the ball down in the zone, “he added, “He has a focus, and an aggressiveness on the field and desire and dedication in his daily approach.” Steil said, “I would say that he showed good mound presence and pitch-ability for his age.” The Bad Berrios has a tremendous upside, but let’s not forget that he has a long ways to go to reach the big leagues and much more developing to do. According to Radcliff, “Like all young pitchers, he will have to improve his pitchability. He will have stuff and control, but he will need to develop his approach and style. The development of his breaking pitches and whether or not he’ll be able to use his changeup will dictate his ultimate role and ceiling.” Steil adds, “He will need to locate his off-speed pitches more consistently and develop at least one of them into a go-to out pitch.” Berrios is listed at just 6-0, a height that often is deemed “too short” to be a major league pitcher (or an NFL quarterback, right, Russell Wilson?). But Radcliff does not seem worried about that with the lanky Berrios. “He is a very good athlete with a durable frame. Despite his lesser bulk, he has a resilient arm which allows him to have upside and projection to all of his pitches.” The Bottom Line Although many teams did not think that JO Berrios would be drafted in the 1st round, the Twins were convinced of his talent, his stuff, his make-up and most important, his potential. His first-year, rookie league performance certainly was an indication that the Twins were right in their conviction. He had a remarkable season and showed the characteristics that made the Twins like him. He is just 18 years old and has room for improvement and development, as you would expect. He also has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. Will Berrios begin his season in Cedar Rapids, and how quickly can he move up? Mike Radcliff said, “Will will be diligent to place him in environments that will allow him to have success and develop simultaneously. His advancement will be determined by his ability to apply his talent along with his natural maturation to handle the pro baseball environment.” Brad Steil added, “I would say that he showed good mound presence and pitch-ability for his age. It’s possible he could move fairly quickly, depending on how quickly his off-speed pitches improve. The Midwest League will be a good challenge for him.” I had done quite a bit of research on potential Twins draft choices. I read quite a bit and watched several videos of Berrios. I immediately liked that the Twins made him the 32nd overall pick last summer. However, when I saw the below video of Berrios showing his reaction to being drafted by the Twins, I absolutely loved the pick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p-A5jDpHYk [TD’s Top Ten Prospects: #10: Max Kepler] [TD’s Top Ten Prospects: #9: Trevor May] View full article

On Monday, the Minnesota Twins announced more roster cuts. After five non-roster players were assigned to minor league camp on Sunday, the Twins optioned six players from their 40 man roster. This leaves the Twins with 56 players in their MLB camp.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Likely the biggest surprise is that catcher Chris Herrmann has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester (1st option). This is his third big league camp with the Twins, but it is the earliest that he has been sent to the minor league side of the complex. The reason? He is now on the 40 man roster. He was unlikely to make the Twins Opening Day roster. He will head down to make his Triple-A debut with the Rochester Red Wings. He will likely continue to catch quite a bit, but he will also get time in the outfield, and maybe even some at first base in an attempt to make him more versatile. Starting pitching prospect Trevor May showed his upside in camp, but he also had a couple of outings in which his control got away from him. That is to be expected because of nervousness, but it is also the biggest question out there for whether he can be a big league starter or reliever. He will likely go back to AA, this time with New Britain, to start the 2013 season, but he should debut in 2013 as well, if he throws strikes. BJ Hermsen was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2012 when he split time between Ft. Myers and New Britain. He showed his work ethic in his first big league camp, but he showed that he still has things to work on before he is ready. He will likely return to New Britain to start the season. Hard-throwing Michael Tonkin also made a strong impression during spring training, but he only spent the 2nd half of the 2012 season in Hi-A Ft. Myers. His strikeout numbers are noteworthy, and his pitches are sharp. He has a chance to advance quickly, but he may begin the season back in Ft. Myers. Shortstop Danny Santana jumped onto the prospect map with a strong showing offensively and defensively in 2012 in Ft. Myers. The speedy Santana showed the good and the bad in spring training. He showed tremendous range and a very strong arm, but he will have to improve his consistency to continue to advance toward the big leagues. He missed a couple of routine plays with the glove and made some aggressive mistakes on the base paths. He will likely start the season in New Britain. Josmil Pinto reclaimed his place as a prospect in the Twins system in 2012. He had a great season in Elizabethton a few years ago, but it wasn’t until his 2012 season in Ft. Myers that he put up solid offensive numbers again. He ended the season in New Britain, hitting well. He could have become a minor league free agent, but he re-signed quickly with the Twins and was added to the 40 man roster. He’ll return to New Britain to catch and DH. Hermsen, May, Tonkin, Pinto and Santana were optioned to AA New Britain. With 56 players in big league camp, 31 will still need to be sent to minor league camp, optioned, released of put on the Disabled List before April 1st, Opening Day. View full article

Anyone looking at the Minnesota Twins roster coming out of spring training knew that the team would not be competing with the Detroit Tigers in 2013. So, in my mind, 2013 would be all about development and improvement. Those two things would be the keys, the things I would be looking for, in 2013. From a development standpoint, the Twins farm system continues to add talent, and the top ranked players are continuing to improve as they move up. From an improvement standpoint, there were a couple players at the big league level we needed to watch. While a couple of players have seemingly reached a (we hope) temporary plateau, a couple of others have needed time at AAA. Fortunately, one player has taken a step forward in his career.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Brian Dozier.jpg Now, if you take a look at the season total numbers for Brian Dozier, they won’t create any excitement. In 94 total games this season, Dozier is hitting just .236/.307/.394 (.701). That makes him , offensively, a slightly below average major league second baseman. However, when you consider that in 84 games in 2012, Dozier hit just .234/.271/.332 (.603), it is a huge step forward. A nearly .100 point improvement is significant. One thing that I always look for is player improvement over time. Consider the comparisons below: [TABLE] [/TD][TD]Opening Day through 5/27 5/28 through 8/4 Games 37 57 H-AB 27-137 54-206 BB:K 8:33 24:38 BA .197 .262 OBP .238 .350 SLG .270 .476 OPS .508 .826 [/TABLE] Of course, if you want, you can pick apart many small sample sizes and come up with other numbers, but I do think that the streak that Dozier has been on for the last nine weeks is enough of a sample that we can draw something from it. What do I see? He’s walking significantly more, while also improving his strikeout rate some. His batting average jumped .065 points, but more important, his on-base percentage is suddenly up into the range where he is an asset near the top of the lineup. He’s also hit for much more power. What if Dozier had started the season by posting that .826 OPS over the first two months of the season, instead of struggling so much? Well, that .826 OPS would be behind only Robinson Cano and Jason Kipnis among AL second basemen. If Dozier can continue to control the plate as he has from the leadoff spot, I think an OPS of .750-.775 is reasonable. Is it something he can carry over into next year? People may forget, but he only turned 26 years old in mid-May. He still has just 725 plate appearances in his big league career. However, as much improvement as we have seen at the plate from Dozier, what he has done in the field is even more remarkable. A year ago, Dozier played 84 games with the Twins at shortstop and really struggled. This year, with Florimon playing tremendous defense at shortstop, Dozier has made the transition to second base, and he has done so nearly flawlessly. By the eye test, Dozier just looks like a natural at second base. He makes the routine plays look routine, and he has very good range to his left and his right, and enough arm to make the tougher throws from behind second base. He charges the ball well and goes out on pop-ups very well. He looks very comfortable at second base, but what do the defensive metrics tell us? He has just three errors and a .994 fielding percentage. That fielding percentage is tops in baseball, tied with Dustin Pedroia and Ben Zobrist. Zobrist has spent less time at second. It is interesting to note that despite playing in 19 fewer games than Pedroia, he has just two fewer putouts and five fewer assists, which means he’s getting to more plays per game than Pedroia. Is that more range, or just more ground balls from pitchers? That we don’t know, but it is impressive.When we look at a statistic called Range Factor, which is a good measure of range, Dozier is posting a 5.63. Neil Walker is number two in MLB with a 5.20 Range Factor. The runner-up in second-base Range Factor in the American League is the A’s Eric Sogard.His UZR/150 (Ultimate Zone Rating, calculated over 150 games) is 2.8, Dozier ranks fourth in the AL among second basemen. Of course, like any of these stats, they have to be taken as small sample size and could still vary over time.By any measure, Brian Dozier has been terrific defensively. If Dozier continues to post an OPS in the .750-.775 range (maybe even over .800?), and his defense remains tremendous, could you see a scenario where the Twins move Eddie Rosario back out to left or right field and play in an outfield with Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia for a couple years until Byron Buxton is ready? Who knows what will happen over the final two months of the season. Will Dozier continue posting an .800+ OPS, or will he revert to the sub-.600 OPS we saw from him in 2012 and early this season? Right now though, the trend is moving in the right direction. Click here to view the article

There were a number of solid performances throughout the Twins farm system. There were three wins, an extra-inning loss, some good pitching, some good storylines and some very good offense. However, in Sunday’s game, there was a moment that helps remind us that these players are more than prospects, more than pieces in an organizational puzzle.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] They are very young men with families. Sometimes we have to be reminded of that. Fortunately, in this case, the news by the end of the day was more encouraging than originally thought. (see the Cedar Rapids update of this story). With that, check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Sunday: Rochester Red Wings 6, Charlotte Knights 5 Box Score The Red Wings got a very nice win. Andrew Albers started, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, with four strikeouts in six innings. Aaron Thompson gave up one run on three hits in 1.1 innings. Shairon Martis then retired one batter. Tyler Robertson came on and recorded his first save by getting the final four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Antoan Richardson continues to be an on-base machine. He went 2-2 with two walks and his sixth stolen base. Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with a walk and his first stolen base. Clete Thomas and Brian Dinkelman each hit his eighth double. Oswaldo Arcia walked three times on Saturday and twice more on Sunday. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Bowie Baysox 4 Box Score Logan Darnell gave up four runs on ten hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out six. He improved to 5-4 with a 2.76 ERA. Though it wasn’t his best performance, he continues to rack up innings. In his last five starts, he has thrown 37 innings. Dan Turpen came on and struck out two in two perfect innings for his first save. In the fifth inning, Mark Sobolewski's second Rock Cat home run cut his team's deficit to 3-2. Josmil Pinto’s three-run sixth inning home run, his ninth, gave the Rock Cats a 5-3 lead. Nate Hanson was 2-4. Ft. Myers Miracle 8, Palm Beach Cardinals 1 (6 innings) Box Score The rain and the Miracle won on Sunday. With two outs in the bottom of the 6th, the game was called. Fortunately, the Miracle bats had gotten off to a very fast start and the team had a big lead when the game was called. The Miracle scored five runs in the top of the first. Eddie Rosario singled in a run. Kennys Vargas doubled in two. That was followed by a two-run homer by Matt Koch, his second. In the second inning, the Miracle scored three more runs. Vargas doubled in another run. Koch and Jairo Rodriguez each singled in a run. Vargas now has 17 doubles. Rosario and Levi Michael were both 2-3. Taylor Rogers was named the Twins minor league player of the week and he was also the recipient of the early run support. Rogers went all 5.2 innings. He gave up one run on six hits; he walked none and struck out one. He is now 5-1 with a 1.35 ERA since his promotion to the Miracle. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Kane County 3 (10 innings) Box Score The story of this game, both good and bad, was Niko Goodrum. In the third inning, Goodrum came to the plate in a tied game and gave the Twins a 2-0 lead with a two-run single. He proceeded to steal second base. The next batter, Jorge Polanco, singled to left. Goodrum rounded third and attempted to score. The ball beat him by plenty to the plate. There was a collision and Goodrum went down; he was on the ground for quite some time. His neck was secured, he was put on a back board and left the park in an ambulance. Before leaving, he did wave to the crowd. Niko went through some tests at the hospital and was then released. He will be put on the disabled list with a concussion. A corresponding move will likely be made early Monday morning according to manager Jake Mauer. Photo by Rinaldi Photos From a team standpoint, that was about it for the offense. In fact, they didn't score again. Tyler Grimes and Dalton Hicks were each 2-3 with a walk. Michael Quesada went 2-4 with his third double. Hudson Boyd started for the Kernels. The right-hander made a quality start., finishing six innings. He gave up two runs on six hits, walking two and striking out six. One of Kane County's runs came on the 8th home run of the season for 1B Dan Vogelbach. Interestingly, Vogelbach and Boyd were teammates at Bishop Verot High School in Ft. Myers. They had both committed to the University of Florida but in 2011 Boyd was drafted 55th overall by the Twins, and Vogelbach was selected by the Cubs with the 68th overall pick. They both joined the ranks of the professionals. Josue Montanez came on and threw two scoreless innings. He walked one and gave up two hits. Tyler Jones pitched a scoreless ninth, but he gave up a run in the 10th to take the loss. DSL Twins, DSL Reds (Game Postponed by Rain) Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

The Trade Deadline has passed... let's see if anything surfaces for the Twins.

He's swith hitting. His numbers left and right handed are very similar.

A tweet by Ken Rosenthal indicates that the Yankees are still considering Josh Willingham (among other OF).

It is definitely real... just hope to find a few good anomalies!

As Nick wrote yesterday, as the M&M Boys go, so go the Twins. On Monday night in the Bronx, Joe Mauer went 3-4 with a walk, two doubles and a stolen base. Justin Morneau had two hits, including a long home run. Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit also had multi-hit games in a game in which all nine Twins starters had at least one hit. Carl Pavano had a rought first inning, but was able to turn things around and give up just three runs in seven innings. Brian Duensing and Matt Capps each threw a scoreless inning of relief and the Twins had a 7-3 win over the Yankees in Yankees Stadium. Here is a look at the Twins minor league games from Monday: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 5, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 3 The Twins AAA affiliate also beat the Yankees AAA affiliate! Scott Diamond continues to pitch well, although his string of scoreless innings ended just shy of 15. He had another Quality Start and improved to 3-0. In six innings, he gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk. He struck out five. Casey Fien came in and recorded the three-inning save. He gave up one hit, walked one and struckout four. Ben Revere was in the lineup, hitting first. He had one hit. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was 2-5. Matt Carson was 2-4 with a walk, his fifth double and his first stolen base. Matt Rizzotti was 2-5 with three RBI. Ray Chang was 1-2 with two walks. Joe Benson was 1-2 with three walks and a double. NEW BRITAIN 10, PORTLAND 5 (11 innings) Down three runs with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth, Chris Colabello connected on his second home run of the season to send the game to extra frames. His fourth double came in the five-run 11th inning. Evan Bigley went 3-4. Pedro Florimon hit his first home run. Andrew Albers started and gave up four runs on eight hits. In five innings, he walked none and struck out four. Brett Jacobson gave up a run in his inning. He struckout two. Blake Martin pitched a scoreless inning. Luis Perdomo struckout three in two scoreless innings. Daniel Turpen gets the win as he threw two scoreless innings as well. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 1, JUPITER 5 The Miracle managed just three hits in this loss. Angel Morales, who was named the Florida State League Hitter of the Week, was 1-3 with a walk. Manuel Soliman started and gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He walked three and struckout two. Ricky Bowen came in and in the next three innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits and a walk. Matt Hauser gave up a run on two hits in two inning. Tony Davis pitched a scoreless inning. BELOIT – KANE COUNTY Weather was the issue in southern Wisconsin on Monday. The Snappers game against Kane County was postpone. But, hey, on Tuesday, they’ll play a double header and we’ll get twice the highlights!! --- Players of the Day for Monday, April 16, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Chris Colabello Download attachment: ChrisCollabello.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Casey Fien Download attachment: CaseyFien.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre – RHP Daryl Thompson New Britain @ Portland – Ft. Myers @ Jupiter – LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs Kane County (DH) – RHP Madison Boer, 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

The Twins fell to 50-70 on the season after a weekend sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners. On Sunday, Sam Deduno gave the Twins another Quality Start despite doing his best Deduno impersonation. The effectively wild righty gave up just two runs despite allowing five hits and walking six batters. He walked in the tying run and the go-ahead run scored on a double play. Jeff Gray pitched in the seventh inning and gave up three runs to put the game out of reach. Glen Perkins came in and struck out the side in the 8th inning. Ryan Doumit was the only played with two hits. Josh Willingham and Pedro Florimon each hit doubles. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]ROCHESTER 0, EMPIRE STATE 6 PJ Walters made his second rehab start (this rehab stint). He threw three shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out six. He threw 59 pitches, and 36 of them were strikes. Jeff Manship came in and had a rough one. He gave up six runs on four hits and an uncharacteristic five walks in 2.1 innings. Luis Perdomo struck out two in 1.2 scoreless innings. Anthony Slama pitched a scoreless inning. He gave up a hit and an intentional walk, but he struck out three. Kyle Waldrop struckout two in a scoreless inning. Wilkin Ramirez remained hot. He went 4-4 in this game and has hits in his last seven at bats. He has 13 hits in his last 23 at bats (.565). Chris Parmelee went 2-3 with a walk, his 17th double and sixth stolen base. NEW BRITAIN 4, PORTLAND 7 The Rock Cats had a rough one in Portland. Logan Darnell started and gave up five runs on five hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out one. Aaron Thompson and Blake Martin each threw a scoreless inning. Dakota Watts pitched the 8th inning and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Rene Tosoni went 2-4 with his third Rock Cats home run. Chris Herrmann and Nate Hanson were each 2-4 in the game. James Beresford hit his 11th double. FT. MYERS 4, PALM BEACH 6 Kyle Gibson made his second Miracle start. He gave up one run on three hits and a hit batter in four innings. He walked none and struckout six. The lone run he gave up was on a solo home run to Alan Ahmady. Miguel Munoz came in to start the fifth inning. One runner got on by an error and he walked three batters. With the bases loaded (and still no one out), Madison Boer came into the game and immediately gave up a grand slam. Fortunately, Boer settled down. He went four more innings without giving up another run. He walked none and struckout three. Anderson Hidalgo went 2-3. Josmil Pinto doubled for the 22nd time this season. Andy Leer was 1-2 with a walk. BELOIT 3, QUAD CITIES 5 Miguel Sano had a big day at the plate, but it wasn’t enough on this day. Sano gave the Snappers a 1-0 lead in the second inning with his 26th home run. For the game, he was 3-4 with his 26th double as well. Kennys Vargas went 2-4 with his 10th home run and two RBI. Wang-Wei Lin went 2-4. David Hurlbut started for the Snappers. The lefty gave up four runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out six. Corey Williams went the next two innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk. Zach Jones struckout two in a scoreless inning. ELIZABETHTON 3, KINGSPORT 2 Tied 2-2 going to the bottom of the 9th inning, Jorge Polanco led off with a walk. A second batter walked. The next batter hit a ground ball and on an error, Polanco scored the game-winning run. Polanco was 1-2 with the walk. He also drove in the Twins two other runs. Kelvin Mention went 2-4. Max Kepler hit his 13th double. Brett Lee started for the E-Twins and gave up two runs (1 earned) in 5.2 innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out eight. Tyler Duffey came in and gave up just one hit over 2.1 innings. He walked none and struck out five. Chris Mazza struck out two in the final inning. GCL TWINS No Game Scheduled. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, August 19, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano Download attachment: Miguel Sano Signing.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Duffey Download attachment: Tyler Duffey Rice.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Monday, August 20, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Pawtucket – RHP Esmerling Vasquez New Britain vs Portland – LHP Logan Darnell Ft. Myers – No Game Scheduled Beloit @ Quad Cities – RHP Cole Johnson Elizabethton vs Greeneville – TBD GCL Twins vs GCL Rays – TBD --- 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

Maybe Sam Fuld can platoon with Jonny Gomes for Oakland.

Darren Wolfson just tweeted: https://twitter.com/DarrenWolfson/status/494850006470246400

On Thursday, the Minnesota Twins got a big 8-2 win over the Detroit Tigers to improve to 2-1 on the season, the first time they have been over .500 since the 2010 season. However, the game was not the blowout that the final score would indicate. In fact, there was a very key moment in the 7th inning that could have altered the results of the game.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] With the Twins leading 3-2 going into the 7th frame, Josh Roenicke walked Omar Infante and gave up a double to Austin Jackson to put runners on first and second with nobody out. He struckout Torii Hunter for the first out and then was asked to intentionally walk Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to load the bases. Prince Fielder was coming up, and left-hander Tyler Robertson was coming in. On Monday, before the Opening Day game against the Tigers, I had the opportunity to talk to Robertson. I asked him about his role, and specifically asked if he was looking forward to a role in which he needed to come in to face a Prince Fielder in a key situation. His response? “I’ll do whatever they have me do. Prince is obviously a tough hitter. I think I’ve faced him 5-6 times last year and he got me once. I’m confident against anybody. I know if I execute my pitches, I’ll be fine. He’s just one of the guys that you really have to be careful with and make sure you execute because if you don’t…” I butted in by saying, “You’ll see what happens.” And Robertson chuckled and said, “Yeah, I’ve seen what happens! On the other hand, we’ve had some good at bats where I made some good pitches and I got him. Hopefully me and him are battling for a long time. I’d like that. I’m up for the challenge.” On Thursday, in his first appearance of the season, Robertson was up to the challenge. Last June 26, a 24-year-old Robertson made the jog in from the Target Field bullpen to the mound for his Major League debut against the Chicago White Sox. The first batter he faced was outfielder Alejandro de Aza, and he struck him out. He then struckout Kevin Youklis looking. Finally, he was able to strike out the side when he got Adam Dunn to swing and miss. Robertson looked back at the memory fondly. “It was unbelievable. I got here the day before. Got kind of settled in, but I knew the nerves were still going to be there until I actually got out there on the mound. I was confident going in. I was going pretty good in AAA. I knew that if I threw like I was throwing down there, I was going to be fine. It’s definitely not easy up here. This is the best of the best. It was reassuring to know that you can do it. You always believe you can do it, but until you actually see that you can do it. You just prove it to yourself.” Was that the biggest thing he learned from that rookie season? “Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, there was a lot of other things I learned about hitters up here and certain teams’ tendencies and all that stuff. But the biggest thing was, it doesn’t matter what level you’re pitching at, it’s confidence. You can have confidence up here and throw the ball in the minor leagues for the most part, I’ll be just fine.” There was no question that Robertson was thrilled to make the Twins Opening Day roster and happy to experience his first Opening Day. “(I’m) just really excited. I mean, I think the nerves got out a little bit last year with making the debut and being up here for a little while. That was just pure excitement. I’m ready to go. It’s going to be fun to get the season rolling.” It was fun picking his brain about his thoughts on facing tough lefties, like Fielder. What pitches does he throw and why? He provided a little bit of insight: “When I came up here last year, it (the slider) was going really good at the time. It was a little bit of a blessing and a curse because it was a good pitch for me up here, but I think I probably overused it a little bit because it was working so well. In ST, one of the things I did, especially against the lefties, I was mixing in more fastballs. In spring, I had a little success with it, left-on-left, mixing in the fastball. Guys were swinging at a lot more first pitches so I couldn’t do it left-on-left, probably didn’t want to get too deep into the count. I got more swings at fastballs earlier in the count, which is fine. I’m going to need to throw that more to set up the breaking ball and everything. I know that, and I’m confident in my fastball to do that left-on-left. It’s something I did in 2010 a lot when I was closing in AA. Shoot, I faced 5 lefties over a span of time and didn’t even throw a slider, so I feel comfortable throwing a fastball to them. I know I’m going to need to do that. Obviously the slider’s always going to be in the back of my mind, but that will help my fastball out if I can show a few more fastballs. Just got to keep it balanced. If they’re 100% sitting on slider, I mean, I can throw the best one I’ve got and it won’t be as effective.” The life of a relief pitcher is filled with ups and downs. When they do their job well, not everybody notices. When they don’t do their job well, everybody notices. On Thursday, he entered the Twins/Orioles game in the 8th inning with a tied game and the red-hot Chris Davis up to bat. Unfortunately for the Twins, on this day, the hitter won. Davis hit a grand slam that made a 5-5 game a 9-5 game in a hurry. Such is the role of a reliever. Robertson played hero on Wednesday, and he gets to play the goat on Thursday. It’s a tough job, and Tyler Robertson is more than happy to do it for the Twins. View full article

It's been about six weeks since the last time we updated the list of Minnesota Twins or minor league related players and personnel. If you're on Twitter, here is a list of nearly 170 people that you should consider following. Most of them are players, but we also have the Twitter accounts of the Twins front office personnel, minor league media and more. Several people have been added to this list. Most important, I encourage you to let me know if anyone is missing from this list. I'd love for it to be complete, but I'm certain that I will miss some. Leave any that are missed in the Comments.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Twitter pic.jpg I'm showing how many followers each player has as of today (8/4) compared to what they had in mid-June. It's fun to see how promotions increase people's followers. [TABLE=width: 646] First Name Last Name Twitter 8/4 Update 6/16 Update % Change AJ Achter @ajachter35 582[TD=align: right]528[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.2%[/TD] Bo Altobelli @BoAltobelli 178[TD=align: right]156[/TD] [TD=align: right]14.1%[/TD] Oswaldo Arcia @arciaoswaldo 1,237[TD=align: right]1,020[/TD] [TD=align: right]21.3%[/TD] Ivan Arteaga @IvanArteaga 79,343[TD=align: right]75,365[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.3%[/TD] Tim Atherton @TimAtherton89 238[TD=align: right]235[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.3%[/TD] Luke Bard @Luke_Bard 1,009[TD=align: right]1,002[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.7%[/TD] DJ Baxendale @DBax24 4,464[TD=align: right]4,441[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.5%[/TD] James Beresford @JamesBeresford2 1,140[TD=align: right]1,055[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.1%[/TD] Doug Bernier @dougbernier 634[TD=align: right]218[/TD] [TD=align: right]190.8%[/TD] J.O. Berrios @JOlaMaquina 1,062[TD=align: right]977[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.7%[/TD] Evan Bigley @Bigley3 678[TD=align: right]641[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.8%[/TD] Brandon Bixler @BrandonBixler 324[TD=align: right]295[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.8%[/TD] Hudson Boyd @boyd_hudson 513[TD=align: right]435[/TD] [TD=align: right]17.9%[/TD] Joshua Burris @Josh_Burris_ 218[TD=align: right]206[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.8%[/TD] Drew Butera @DrewButera 16,915[TD=align: right]16,501[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.5%[/TD] Byron Buxton @OfficialBuck103 6,107[TD=align: right]4,057[/TD] [TD=align: right]50.5%[/TD] Chris Colabello @CC20rake 2,754[TD=align: right]2,004[/TD] [TD=align: right]37.4%[/TD] Logan Darnell @ldarnell15 301[TD=align: right]221[/TD] [TD=align: right]36.2%[/TD] Pat Dean @PDean15 416[TD=align: right]370[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.4%[/TD] Scott Diamond @Scott_Diamond58 15,893[TD=align: right]15,157[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.9%[/TD] Lewin Diaz @lewin_Diaz 32 [/TD] Brian Dinkelman @BrDink 1,792[TD=align: right]1,719 [TD=align: right]4.2%[/TD] Brian Dozier @BrianDozier 14,107[TD=align: right]12,668[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.4%[/TD] Brian Duensing @BrianDuensing52 16,296[TD=align: right]15,565[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.7%[/TD] Tyler Duffey @TheDoof13 252[TD=align: right]229[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.0%[/TD] Ryan Eades @R_Eades37 4,905[TD=align: right]4,348[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.8%[/TD] Eduardo Escobar @escobarmaracay 1,500[TD=align: right]1,004[/TD] [TD=align: right]49.4%[/TD] Eric Farris @eRoc86 3,047[TD=align: right]3,037[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.3%[/TD] Andrew Ferreira @Get_Meaty 4,409[TD=align: right]4,612[/TD] [TD=align: right]-4.4%[/TD] Dallas Gallant @DGallant18 448[TD=align: right]412[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.7%[/TD] Mitchell Garver @MitchGarver 730[TD=align: right]665[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.8%[/TD] Sam Gibbons @gibboo25 70 [/TD] Kyle Gibson @KGib44 9,839[TD=align: right]7,697 [TD=align: right]27.8%[/TD] Jhonathan Goncalves @jhong1305 125[TD=align: right]112[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.6%[/TD] Stephen Gonsalves @TheSGonsalves 552 [/TD] Niko Goodrum @NikoGoodrumTC 1,339[TD=align: right]551 [TD=align: right]143.0%[/TD] Steven Gruver @sgruv30 121[TD=align: right]95[/TD] [TD=align: right]27.4%[/TD] Deolis Guerra @deolisguerra 2,365[TD=align: right]2,080[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.7%[/TD] Bryan Haar @BryanHaar24 178[TD=align: right]154[/TD] [TD=align: right]15.6%[/TD] Nate Hanson @NHans12 459[TD=align: right]463[/TD] [TD=align: right]-0.9%[/TD] Matt Hauser @mhauser_17 315[TD=align: right]292[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.9%[/TD] BJ Hermsen @BJHermsen12 1,601[TD=align: right]1,482[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.0%[/TD] Pedro Hernandez @HernandezP89 66 [/TD] DJ Hicks @DHicksMTB 1,072[TD=align: right]949 [TD=align: right]13.0%[/TD] Aaron Hicks @AaronHicks31 15,537[TD=align: right]14,260[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.0%[/TD] David Hurlbut @leftydh1989 126[TD=align: right]104[/TD] [TD=align: right]21.2%[/TD] Will Hurt @Will_Hurt 662[TD=align: right]646[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.5%[/TD] CK Irby @ckirbythe3 667[TD=align: right]629[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.0%[/TD] Tyler Jones @TmfJones 35[TD=align: right]36[/TD] [TD=align: right]-2.8%[/TD] Zack Jones @Jack_Zones04 451[TD=align: right]432[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.4%[/TD] Jason Kanzler @JasonKanzler 132[TD=align: right]121[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.1%[/TD] Max Kepler @kepleroni 586[TD=align: right]402[/TD] [TD=align: right]45.8%[/TD] Kyle Knudson @KKnudson6 491[TD=align: right]462[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.3%[/TD] Matt Koch @M_Koch4 77[TD=align: right]68[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.2%[/TD] Brett Lee @Blee092090 87 [/TD][TD=align: center]#DIV/0! Andy Leer @andyleer12 142[TD=align: right]135[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.2%[/TD] Austin Malinowski @AJMalinowski24 408[TD=align: right]369[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.6%[/TD] Trevor May @TrevMay54 6,265[TD=align: right]5,944[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.4%[/TD] Trevor May (MAZR) @TrevorMAZR 231[TD=align: right]234[/TD] [TD=align: right]-1.3%[/TD] Chris Mazza @ChrisMazza10 292[TD=align: right]255[/TD] [TD=align: right]14.5%[/TD] Tanner Mendonca @TanTheMan13 433[TD=align: right]393[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.2%[/TD] Kaleb Merck @TwinsMerckin 325[TD=align: right]323[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.6%[/TD] Alex Meyer @Meyer17A 5,376[TD=align: right]5,000[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.5%[/TD] Levi Michael @LeviMichael9 339[TD=align: right]319[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.3%[/TD] Ethan Mildren @EMildren4040 438[TD=align: right]398[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.1%[/TD] Jermaine Mitchell @jtrane24 796 [/TD][TD=align: center]#DIV/0! Angel Morales @AngelMorales24 381[TD=align: right]338[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.7%[/TD] Miguel Munoz @mikemunoz59 146[TD=align: right]139[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.0%[/TD] Jonathan Murphy @JMurph6 277[TD=align: right]269[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.0%[/TD] Brian Navarretto @Brian_Navarrero 78[TD=align: right]66[/TD] [TD=align: right]18.2%[/TD] Lester Oliveros @lesteroliveros 2,022[TD=align: right]1,984[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.9%[/TD] Ryan O'Rourke @RyanO_Rourke 622[TD=align: right]594[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.7%[/TD] Chris Parmelee @CParms27 8,349[TD=align: right]7,346[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.7%[/TD] Derrick Penilla @leftywayz 22[TD=align: right]21[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.8%[/TD] Glen Perkins @glen_perkins 22,304[TD=align: right]19,646[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.5%[/TD] Brandon Peterson @Bpeterson_12 314[TD=align: right]276[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.8%[/TD] AJ Pettersen @apettersen1 818[TD=align: right]791[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.4%[/TD] Trevor Plouffe @TPlouffe24 27,607[TD=align: right]26,041[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.0%[/TD] Jorge Polanco @Jorge_Polanco1 186[TD=align: right]116[/TD] [TD=align: right]60.3%[/TD] Christian Powell @BooPowell20 453[TD=align: right]429[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.6%[/TD] Ryan Pressly @pressly_ryan 1,449[TD=align: right]1,097[/TD] [TD=align: right]32.1%[/TD] Jake Proctor @JProc23 1,216[TD=align: right]1,202[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.2%[/TD] Michael Quesada @KSada55 224[TD=align: right]191[/TD] [TD=align: right]17.3%[/TD] Antoan Richardson @ARichardson242 369[TD=align: right]304[/TD] [TD=align: right]21.4%[/TD] Chad Rodgers @CMRodg 231[TD=align: right]228[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.3%[/TD] Dereck Rodriguez @DereckRodRF3 334[TD=align: right]329[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.5%[/TD] Josh Roenicke @JroPrimetime 1,881[TD=align: right]1,651[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.9%[/TD] Taylor Rogers @trogers34 334[TD=align: right]313[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.7%[/TD] Dan Rohlfing @DanRohlfing 1,048[TD=align: right]930[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.7%[/TD] Miguel Sano @SanoMiguel 4,770[TD=align: right]3,451[/TD] [TD=align: right]38.2%[/TD] Danny Santana @bigmen07 107[TD=align: right]94[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.8%[/TD] Bryan Santy @BKSanty41 209[TD=align: right]179[/TD] [TD=align: right]16.8%[/TD] Aaron Slegers @Aslegers 887[TD=align: right]520[/TD] [TD=align: right]70.6%[/TD] Manuel Soliman @Soliman30 594[TD=align: right]594[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.0%[/TD] Kohl Stewart @KohlStewart1 6,064[TD=align: right]5,581[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.7%[/TD] Tom Stuifbergen @TomStuifbergen 78[TD=align: right]752[/TD] [TD=align: right]-89.6%[/TD] Anthony Swarzak @ASwarzak51 9,245[TD=align: right]8,631[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.1%[/TD] Lewis Thorpe @LewisT18 227[TD=align: right]158[/TD] [TD=align: right]43.7%[/TD] Matt Tomshaw @matthewJTomshaw 254[TD=align: right]237[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.2%[/TD] Michael Tonkin @mtonkin37 513[TD=align: right]270[/TD] [TD=align: right]90.0%[/TD] Stuart Turner @sturn26 1,355[TD=align: right]1,219[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.2%[/TD] Daniel Turpen @DdTuRpEn 149[TD=align: right]147[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.4%[/TD] Kennys Vargas @kennysvargas 38[TD=align: right]38[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.0%[/TD] Tanner Vavra @tvavs5 445[TD=align: right]401[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.0%[/TD] Ruar Verkerk @ruarverkerk 402 [/TD] Adam Walker @walkoff28 880[TD=align: right]743 [TD=align: right]18.4%[/TD] Ryan Walker @Ryanwalker25 123 [/TD] PJ Walters @PJWalters39 3,081[TD=align: right]2,851 [TD=align: right]8.1%[/TD] Tommy Watkins @TommyWatkins 1,620[TD=align: right]1,559[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.9%[/TD] Dakota Watts @watts_22 922[TD=align: right]893[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.2%[/TD] Jason Wheeler @Lil_Wheels 200[TD=align: right]189[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.8%[/TD] Stephen Wickens @wicks1221 134[TD=align: right]131[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.3%[/TD] Corey Williams @coreyw24 346[TD=align: right]339[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.1%[/TD] Jared Wilson @DubsDeuces 122[TD=align: right]108[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.0%[/TD] Alex Wimmers @AlexWimmers21 1,447[TD=align: right]1,385[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.5%[/TD] Tim Wood @The_Woodpile 872[TD=align: right]863[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.0%[/TD] Vance Worley @VANIMAL_49 53,495[TD=align: right]54,340[/TD] [TD=align: right]-1.6%[/TD] [/TD] FRONT OFFICE First Name Last Name Twitter 8/4 Update 6/16 Update % Change Minnesota Twins @twins 166,829[TD=align: right]158,089 [TD=align: right]5.5%[/TD] Dave St. Peter @TwinsPrez 17,283[TD=align: right]16,606[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.1%[/TD] Dustin Morse @Twins_morsecode 11,638[TD=align: right]11,077[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.1%[/TD] Mike Herman @HermTT 2,334[TD=align: right]2,266[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.0%[/TD] Mitch Hestad @mitchhestad 143[TD=align: right]123[/TD] [TD=align: right]16.3%[/TD] Jack Goin @jdgoin 373[TD=align: right]364[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.5%[/TD] Bryan Donaldson @MNCommunityGuy 1,585[TD=align: right]1,559[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.7%[/TD] Andrew Heydt @AndrewHeydt 503[TD=align: right]473[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.3%[/TD] Mike Kennedy @TwinsPRMachine 546[TD=align: right]509[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.3%[/TD] Brace Hemmelgarn @bracehemmelgarn 1,394[TD=align: right]1,279[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.0%[/TD] TC Bear @TC_00 11,268[TD=align: right]10,851[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.8%[/TD] [/TD] Twins Daily 8/4 Update 6/16 Update % Change Twins Daily @TwinsDaily 2,850[TD=align: right]2,651 [TD=align: right]7.5%[/TD] John Bonnes @TwinsGeek 5,816[TD=align: right]5,598[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.9%[/TD] Seth Stohs @SethTweets 5,446[TD=align: right]5,246[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.8%[/TD] Nick Nelson @Nnelson9 2,864[TD=align: right]2,809[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.0%[/TD] Parker Hageman @OverTheBaggy 3,651[TD=align: right]3,463[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.4%[/TD] Brock Beauchamp @rocketpig76 79[TD=align: right]77[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.6%[/TD] [/TD] Jeremy Nygaard @JeremyNygaard 663[TD=align: right]481 [TD=align: right]37.8%[/TD] Cody Christie @NoDakTwinsFan 912[TD=align: right]883[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.3%[/TD] [/TD] Minor Leagues 8/4 Update 6/16 Update % Change Rochester Red Wings @RocRedWings 6,690[TD=align: right]6,204 [TD=align: right]7.8%[/TD] Josh Whetzel @JoshWhetzel 1,096[TD=align: right]1,060[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.4%[/TD] Morrie Silver @MorrieSilver8 341[TD=align: right]319[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.9%[/TD] Jim Mandelaro @JMand1 1,205[TD=align: right]1,164[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.5%[/TD] Christopher Fee @CJFee 195[TD=align: right]181[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.7%[/TD] [/TD] New Britain Rock Cats @RockCats 6,228[TD=align: right]5,705 [TD=align: right]9.2%[/TD] Ken Lipshez @KenLip1 120[TD=align: right]109[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.1%[/TD] Jeff Dooley @Jdooleysports 413[TD=align: right]349[/TD] [TD=align: right]18.3%[/TD] Andrew Walters @Mnfanfromafar 640[TD=align: right]515[/TD] [TD=align: right]24.3%[/TD] Matt Straub @MattattheHerald 133 [/TD] Scott Blanchette @ScottBPhoto8 94 Ft. Myers Miracle @MiracleBaseball 6,422[TD=align: right]5,965 [TD=align: right]7.7%[/TD] Bryce Zimmerman @ZimMiracle 538[TD=align: right]462[/TD] [TD=align: right]16.5%[/TD] Steve Gliner @stevieGFTM 424[TD=align: right]398[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.5%[/TD] Adam MacDonald @AdamMacMiracle 84[TD=align: right]83[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.2%[/TD] David Dorsey @DavidADorsey 1,190[TD=align: right]1,137[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.7%[/TD] [/TD] Cedar Rapids Kernels @CRKernels 4,923[TD=align: right]4,531 [TD=align: right]8.7%[/TD] Morgan Hawk @Morgan_Hawk 373[TD=align: right]351[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.3%[/TD] Matt Cozzi @matt_cozzi 1,002[TD=align: right]867[/TD] [TD=align: right]15.6%[/TD] Jim Crikket @JimCrikket 511[TD=align: right]476[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.4%[/TD] Jeff Johnson @jeje66 1,200[TD=align: right]1,112[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.9%[/TD] Metro Sports Report @metrosportsrept 882[TD=align: right]814[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.4%[/TD] Andrew Pantini @stadium65 102[TD=align: right]99[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.0%[/TD] Brandon Clemens @brandonclemens 313[TD=align: right]284[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.2%[/TD] Mr. Shucks @CRMrShucks 65 [/TD] Elizabethton Twins @ETownTwins 932[TD=align: right]704 [TD=align: right]32.4%[/TD] [/TABLE] Click here to view the article

Correct. I think scouts/evaluators are likely a little leery of giving up much for Suzuki and for him to return to Suzuki, circa last few seasons over the final two months. Certainly a fair concern. As for Willingham, he's hit alright the last two weeks, but scouts/evaluators may see him as just done. And that's not an unfair opinion. That said, he might be a nice power bat off of a bench who can DH. I think there's a better chance that lesser names would get dealt, like Butera last year. This year, I could see Florimon being a guy like that. I also think there are a few bullpen arms that might garner some late interest pre-deadline.

See the organization chart... there is a pre-set query that gives you everyone that's eligible.

It was an easy call on Nate Roberts, and frankly, probably was his call. From what I've heard, it took him 2-3 hours a day just to prepare himself to try to play that night. And then after the game, it was more of the same. Every day. And no, at this stage, he really couldn't run. And, you can't just trade everyone. I'd consider trading Duensing because I actually think he could bring back a solid prospect, but he's NOT making too much money. I'm guilty of this too. Sometimes we want players dealt just because, but you can't just do that. Also, it's not going to be easy to convince a team to want someone like Correia. I actually think there is a better chance that Pedro Florimon is traded that Kevin Correia.

Today, we'll round out the infield and vote for the preseason AL Central third baseman. Let's get the discussion going on "Which AL Central Third Baseman will be the best in 2012?" Vote now and comment your rankings. The Candidates (2011 stats) Minnesota Twins - Danny Valencia - .246/.294/.383 (.677) with 28-2B, 2-3B, 15-HR, 72 RBI Chicago White Sox - Brent Morel - .245/.287/.366 (.653) with 18-2B, 1-3B, 10-HR, 41 RBI Cleveland Indians - Jack Hannahan - .250/.331/.388 (.719) with 16-2B, 2-3B, 8-HR, 40 RBI Lonnie Chisenhall MLB - .255/.284/.415 (.699) with 13-2B, 0-3B, 7-HR, 22 RBI Lonnie Chisenhall MILB - .267/.353/.431 (.784) with 15-2B, 3-3B, 7-HR, 45 RBI Detroit Tigers - Miguel Cabrera - .344/.448/.586 (1.033) with 48-2B, 0-3B, 30-HR, 105 RBI Kansas City Royals - Mike Moustakus MLB- .263/.309/.367 (.675) with 18-2B, 1-3B, 5-HR, 30 RBI Mike Moustakus MILB- .287/.347/.498 (.845) with 15-2B, 1-3B, 10-HR, 44 RBI[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] SUMMARY Valencia burst on the scene in June of 2010 and hit .311. He hit .311 and came up big in many situations. 2011 was a very frustrating year for Valencia offensively and defensively. He was the lone Twins player who managed to stay pretty much healthy all year. He's off to a good start the spring, and hopefully that will carry into the season. Valencia will be 27 years old most of the season. (For much more, be sure to read Nick's Twins 3B Position Analysis.) Morel has been a prospect in the White Sox system for quite some time. He is solid with the glove, but he struggled at the plate in 2011. Morel will turn 25 years old in April. Cleveland has a little position battle brewing at third base. Cretin-Derham Hall grad and former Gopher Jack Hannahan is 32 and the definition of a solid, replacement level veteran. Lonnie Chisenhall was the team's 1st round pick in 2008 and has risen quickly up the system. He didn't hit as well as most believe that he will. He is just 23 years old. Miguel Cabrera is one of the best hitters in all of baseball. He has played in six All Star games. Although he's never been named league MVP, he has finished in the top five in voting five times. he has finished in the top three each of the past three seasons. He moves to third base this season with the Tigers' acquisition of Prince Fielder. That should be interesting for the soon-to-be 29 year old. Mike Moustakus has been a top prospect since being drafted by the Royals. He is a good combination of power and batting average. The 23 year old should hopes to make big strides in 2012 and give the Royals a great young nucleus with its corner infielders. There is the information, now it is time to vote. Who will be the best third baseman in the AL Central in 2012? My choice? Download attachment: MiguelCabrera.jpg Click here to view the article

The Twins announced this morning that left-handed relief pitcher Glen Perkins had agreed to and signed a three year contract extension worth $10.3 million. The contract includes an option for 2016. UPDATE - According to Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune via Twitter, "#Twins will pay Perkins $2.5 million in 2013, and $3.75 m in both 2014 and 2015. Option (2016) is for $4.5 m with $300K buyout." In January, Perkins and the Twins avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.55 million contract for 2012. We do not yet have the breakdown for his annual salaries going forward, but an average annual salary of $3.43 million puts him in line with other top young bullpen arms. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The contract essentially buys out his final year of arbitration and two years of free agency, with an option for a third year. The Minnesota native and former Minnesota Gopher will continue to pitch in key roles for the Twins through at least the 2015 season. Remember just one year ago today, most Twins fans would have been happy if the Twins had just released Perkins rather than offer him arbitration. However, the Twins insisted that his move to the bullpen would be fruitful, that the ball was 'really coming out of his hand well.' Perkins responded very well, posting an ERA of 2.48 and a WHIP of 1.23. In 61.2 innings, he walked 21 and struck out 65. The Twins haven't had the best of luck with long-term deals of late, but this one makes a lot of sense. What do you think of the deal and the Twins signing a long-term deal with one of its top bullpen arms? Download attachment: Glen Perkins.jpg Click here to view the article

Download attachment: DenardSpanTraded.jpg Last week, the Twins announced that they had signed Jeff Clement, the team’s 12th round pick in the 2002 draft. Clement chose not to sign with the Twins, instead going to USC and later signing with the Mariners as the #3 overall pick in 2005. Following the Twins Thursday trade of Denard Span to the Washington Nationals in exchange for RHP Alex Meyer, Clement is now the only player that the Twins drafted in 2002 that is with the organization. The Twins drafted Span with the 20th overall pick in the 2002 draft. The Colorado Rockies, who picked ninth that season, had offered him a pre-draft deal at $2 million, but Span declined it. He had a football scholarship to Clemson in his back pocket. However, at the end of the summer, just before the deadline, he signed with the Twins for about a $1.2 million bonus. Below will be a look back at the Twins career of Denard Span. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Hopefully it will jar some great memories for you, and I encourage you to post your thoughts and some of your highlights or memories of Span as a Twins outfielder. MINOR LEAGUE CAREER He began his professional career in 2003 by playing 50 games in Elizabethton. He hit .271/.355/.319 (.674) with seven extra base hits. He stole 14 bases. In 2004, he moved up to the Midwest League. The Twins affiliate at the time was in Quad Cities. He was limited to just 64 games due to broken bone in his hand. He hit .267/.363/.308 (.672) with four doubles and three triples. Span’s prospect status was moving down, but he was clearly already showing an ability to get on base via the walk. At SethSpeaks.net, I ranked him as the Twins #16 prospect. Despite missing so much time in 2004, he was pushed up to Ft. Myers to start the 2005 season. Through 49 games, he was hitting .339/.410/.403 (.813) with three doubles, three triples and his second professional home run. He already had 13 stolen base. His prospect status was returning. At that point, the Twins promoted him to New Britain where he played in 68 more games. He hit .285/.355/.345 (.699) with six doubles and five homers. He jumped up to the #8 spot in the Twins prospect rankings. In 2006, he returned to New Britain and spent the entire season there. He hit .285/.340/.349 with 16 doubles, six triples and two home runs. He also stole 24 bases. It was a solid season for Span, but he dropped to #12 on my Twins prospect list (one spot ahead of LHP Brian Duensing, and one spot behind 1B/RF Chris Parmelee). Following the season, the Twins added him to the 40 man roster. In 2007, he was finally promoted to Rochester where he played centerfield and was the leadoff hitter every day. He hit .267/.323/.355 (.678) with 20 doubles, 7 triples and 3 home runs while stealing 24 bases. At this point, I inexplicably dropped him to #30 in my prospect ranking and wrote, “I certainly do not believe that he is ready to take over the Twins CF position. However, I would say that Span could become a solid #4 outfielder in the big leagues. I would like to say that he could be a Jason Tyner-like player. He hasn’t shown an ability to get on base at a high rate, he has little to no power and he is not an efficient base stealer. ” In an October 2007 Q&A with Josh Johnson, Josh asked, “What is something people would be shocked to know about you?” Span’s response? “That I read Twins blogs. I read about people saying that I’m not ready and that I suck. But I read it to get motivated.” At Twins Fest in January of 2008, I had an exchange with Span. “I got to the front of the line, and I said, "Denard, I am one of those hated Twins bloggers you don't like, but would you still be willing to sign my card?" Denard looked at me and said, "Which one?" I had my SethSpeaks.net hat on which he seemed to notice just after he asked the question. I just said, "Seth... from SethSpeaks." He said, "I suppose, but you guys are tough on me!!" A few other sentences were uttered, and it really was nice. As I was moving to the next person in line, Denard looked over and said, "Hey Seth, I really do like your site. You do a really good job."” Torii Hunter, a mentor for Span, had signed a free agent contract with the Angels on Thanksgiving. The centerfield job was open. But as much as the Twins brass wanted us to believe that they believed Span could take the job if needed, it was clear during Johan Santana trade talks that the Twins would be requiring a MLB-ready centerfielder in return. Jacoby Ellsbury’s name was mentioned. And when Santana went to the Mets, Carlos Gomez was returned. Now only that, but don’t forget that Jason Pridie was part of that offseason’s Rays/Twins trade, in part because of lack of confidence in Span. Major League Career Span had a big spring training in 2008. Unfortunately, on March 24, less than a week before the season opener, Span was sent back to Rochester. After an impressive showing, Span was clearly and understandably disappointed. However, he went down and did his work. On Friday, April 4, Michael Cuddyer needed to go on the 15-Day Disabled List because of a lacerated finger. Span was promoted, and he would be playing right field, a position he had never played before. He debuted on April 6th against the Royals. He batted ninth and played right field. In his first at bat, he grounded back to Royals’ starter Brett Tomko. He walked in his second plate appearance, and then grounded out in his final plate appearance. The next night, against the White Sox, Span batted second. He was 1-3 with a walk. In his second at bat, he notched his first big league hit, a single to left field off of Javier Vazquez. He proceeded to steal second base. When Cuddyer returned, Span briefly went back to Rochester where he played in 40 games, but he was soon back. On July 28, he hit his first major league home run, a two-run homer off of the White Sox Mark Buehrle. The 24-year-old Span hit .294/.387/.432 with 16 doubles, seven triples and six home runs. He also stole 18 bases. At season’s end, he finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. In 2009, his first full season, Span hit .311/.392/.415 with 16 doubles, a league-leading 10 triples and eight home runs. He stole 23 bases. Span played terrific centerfield defense and was getting on base about 39% of the time, showing his value as a leadoff hitter. Although he struggled at times on the bases, he stole 41 bases. Before the 2010 season, the Twins and Span agreed to the five year, $16.5 million deal. That season, he played 153 games. He hit just .264/.331/.348 with 24 doubles, ten triples and three home runs. He was also 26/30 in steal attempts. Span was off to a terrific start in 2011. In the season’s first half, he hit .294/.361/.385 (.746). However, a simple, feet-first slide into a Royals’ catcher, and Span suffered a concussion in early June. He missed time. Despite the injury, there were consistent rumors following Span, primarily involving the Washington Nationals. He attempted to come back in August. In nine games, he went 2-35 (.057) in 35 at bats. He was shut down again and returned for five games late in the season. He went 4-18 with two doubles and two triples. At least he had something positive to go into the offseason. Because of Justin Morneau’s situation, Span, the Twins and Twins fans were understandably concerned going into the 2012 season. Some caution was used, but overall, he had a very nice season. He hit .283/.342/.395 with 38 doubles, four triples and four home runs. Span’s career was full of positive and some negative highlights. He made a lot of great defensive plays all around the outfield. He came up with some huge late-inning hits and walk-offs. He had that MLB-record tying three triples in one game. There was the spring training game in Tampa on ESPN when he hit his mom with a line-drive foul ball which thankfully was not a serious injury. Span had a lot of incredible moments in his five seasons with the Twins. He is an emotional person, and he certainly did not want to leave the organization. He is one who truly would have been happy to spend his entire career with the Twins. The Nationals’ Era Begins Which brings us to today, the first day in over a decade that Denard Span is not a member of the Minnesota Twins organization. Span found out when Terry Ryan called his cell phone. He remained quiet until Thursday night when he finally took to Twitter. “All I can say is wow right now!! Def glad I got unlimited calls and text lol.”“def gonna miss everything about Minnesota. From top to bottom as a organization. They gave me an opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream.”“Gonna miss my teammates first and foremost. Secondly gonna miss all the twins fans that showed me so much love.”“But on another note I'm very very very very very very excited to be joining the nationals organization. Def an exciting moment for me to be”“Going to a quality team and organization. I feel like a little kid again lol”Span is going from a team that lost 195 games over the past two seasons to a Washington Nationals team that led Major League Baseball with 98 regular seasons in 2012. He will be the leadoff hitter of a lineup that is very strong. He’ll be joined in the outfield by Jayson Werth and NL Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper. The infield includes Ryan Zimmerman with Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa up the middle. Will Adam LaRoche and his 33 homers and 100 RBI come back via free agency, or will they move Mike Morse, who has hit 49 homers over the past two seasons, to first base? They have former Twins prospect Wilson Ramos coming back from his knee injury, and Kurt Suzuki behind the plate. Span will play centerfield behind a pitching rotation that will include Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Ross Detwiler. And their bullpen was dominant and will include Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Craig Stammen, Ryan Mattheus, Sean Burnett, Mike Gonzalez and Tom Gorzellany. Span is going to a legitimate World Series championship caliber team. In a way, Span is returning home. Well, he is at least returning to his birth place. Span was born in 1984 in Washington DC. However, he never lived there. As Nationals’ writer Adam Kilgore tweeted, “His mother was visiting family in D.C. while pregnant. ‘I ended up just popping out.’” For the Twins, it really means a couple of things as well, especially depending upon or pending any other moves the team will make. First and foremost, it means that Ben Revere will have to step up as a lead off hitter. We all know what Revere is as a defensive outfielder. He’s a highlight film waiting to happen. His range is tremendous which generally makes up for his lack of arm. It also likely means that Chris Parmelee is currently the opening day right fielder. The 2006 top pick has done everything that he can in the minor leagues to show he’s ready for the opportunity. The front office now found a spot in the lineup for him, and he too will have to step up. His opportunity as an outfielder may be limited with Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks waiting in the wings for their opportunity as well. But What About the Trade? So, everything up to this has been talking up Denard Span, and rightfully so. We wanted to remind people of what he has meant to the Twins in his nearly five seasons in the big leagues with the Twins. We’ve been basically singing his praises. But does that mean that I don’t like the trade? Not at all. In fact, I think I had nearly talked myself into believing that the Twins would have to accept a lesser offer for Span than we believed he was worth. A couple of weeks ago, Terry Ryan told me, “we’re not going to take any shortcuts.” I was very encouraged by that. I am sure that a lot of fans are disappointed that the Twins didn’t get a pitcher who is ready to step into the big league rotation right now. Likely, the Twins had a choice to make. Do they want MLB-ready back-of-the-rotation starters, or is it truly about obtaining the most talent? This trade tells me that it was about getting the upside, and I think that’s the right decision. There are certainly risks with Alex Meyer. Many pitchers as tall as he is (6-9) struggle to find a consistent release point. In his first pro season after a college career, Meyer pitched in Low A and a little in High-A. Compare that to Kyle Gibson, who was drafted near the same position that Meyer (23) was in the 2011 draft. Gibson started in High-A and got the AAA that first full season. Gibson is more polished. No question. As someone close to the Twins told me last night, “he has big stuff, three high-end pitches.” There are not a lot of pitchers who throw in the upper 90s, with an upper 80s slider, a knuckle curve and a good change up. Alex Meyer has a chance to be really special. Sure, he could flop. But I am in agreement that the Twins need to be thinking about the future and with Meyer, they have a guy who they can control for the next 6-8 years. Meyer was selected by the Nationals out of the University of Kentucky with the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft. It’s likely the Twins have seen a lot of him. Consider, in 2010, the Twins drafted fellow-Wildcats LHP Logan Darnell in the 6th round, and 1B/OF Lance Ray in the 8th round. I asked each for their thoughts. Darnell said that they were teammates for two seasons. Darnell added, “He is a great guy, good teammate and very talented player! He throws in mid high 90s with a very good slider, and a pretty good change up, he’s excited to be a Twin too.” Ray noted, “Really excited about having the opportunity to play with Meyer again. He is a really talented pitcher, and I can’t wait to play defense behind him. Meyer is a guy who can dominate the game when he is on the mound.” Then again, he added, “On the other hand, Span will be missed. He was a great player and a really good person.” Ranking the 2002 1st round picks According to WAR, here is a ranking of the top 1st round picks in the 2002 draft, based on WAR. 1.) Zack Greinke (30.0) - #6 overall by Royals 2.) Matt Cain (29.7) - #25 overall by Giants 3.) Cole Hamels (28.2) - #17 overall by Phillies 4.) Prince Fielder (19.7) - #7 overall by Brewers 5.) Nick Swisher (17.9) - #16 overall by A’s (Moneyball draft!) 6.)Denard Span (16.5) - #20 overall by Twins 7.) Jeremy Guthrie (15.6) - #22 overall by Cleveland 8.) Scott Kazmir (15.2) - #15 overall pick by Mets 9.) BJ Upton (13.6) - #2 overall by Rays 10.) Jeff Francisc (10.0) - #9 overall by Rockies Span is one of nine players that the Twins drafted in 2001 that made it to the big leagues. As mentioned earlier, with this trade, Jeff Clement (who signed a minor league deal with the Twins last year) is the only 2002 Twins draft pick who is with the Twins now. Jesse Crain was the 2nd round pick that season out of the University of Houston. Pat Neshek was the Twins 6th round pick out of Butler University. 11th round pick Evan Meek didn’t last long with the Twins because of severe control issues, but he had a couple of good years in the Pirates bullpen. Like Clement, Adam Lind did not sign with the Twins, choosing to go to college. He was the Twins 8th round pick. Span’s youth team opponent and occasional teammate Clete Thomas was the Twins 5th round pick that season but chose not to sign. Kyle Phillips (10th round) spent some time in the big leagues as a backup catcher. Garrett Mock (14th round) got into 55 big league games as a reliever as well. Denard Span, Minnesota Twins Denard Span was very active in the Twins community. He went to hospitals and visited kids. He bowled. He signed and he signed. He did so with a smile on his face. He quickly became a fan favorite. To those that know him, it didn’t take long at all for people to realize what a good person he is. As news came out, Ben Revere tweeted, “gonna miss you big bro..!!! Do work over there..!!!”Scott Diamond tweeted, “Want to wish @thisisdspan all the best with the Nationals. He was a great teammate and a better friend. All the best buddy”Want to wish @thisisdspan the best of luck with the nats. Great player and even a better friend and teammate. Good luck homiePJ Walters tweeted, “Hate to see @thisisdspan leave. Great friend and teammate! Nothing but the best to you man! See you in the World Series!”Trevor Plouffe, who is enjoying his bachelor party this weekend, tweeted, “Going to miss @thisisdspan . I've learned a lot from him over the years and def respect the way he goes about his business. Good luck bro!”Twins broadcaster and Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven tweeted, “Good luck to Denard Span now with the Nationals. He wore the Twins uniform with a lot of pride and class.”Twins Director of Baseball Communications and Player Relations Dustin Morse tweeted, “I wish you well @thisisdspan - the way you treated the media, the Twins staff & the community - you will be missed. Thank you Denard.”Twins President Dave St. Peter tweeted, “@Twins family is going to miss @thisisdspan. A great contributor, both on field and in community. Class act all the way. Wish him well!!”The word “Class” may be over-used, but when it comes to Denard Span, it is a word that everyone seems to agree with. Like Michael Cuddyer before him, Span represents what it means to be a Minnesota Twins player. Great person. Great teammate. Great with the media. Great with the fans. Great in the community. Oh, and a very good baseball player. After a decade in the organization, it will be strange to see Span elsewhere, but in my mind, Span will always be a Minnesota Twin no matter the uniform. Click here to view the article

On Thursday morning, the Twins sent their third batch of players to minior league camp. There were: RHP Sam DedunoLHP Phil DumatraitC Danny LehmannIF Ray ChangOF Matt CarsonNone of these moves would be considered a surprise. Dumatrait spent a lot of time in the Twins bullpen in 2011, but with Glen Perkins and Brian Duensing already set in the bullpen and Matt Maloney's emergence, there wasn't room for him any more. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Ray Chang was in the running with the likes of Pedro Florimon and Michael Hollimon and Sean Burroughs for the final roster spot, but of the group, he has had the fewest opportunities this spring. Interestingly, Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson, Liam Hendriks and Brian Dozier all will remain in big league camp a little bit longer. Parmelee is likely there as Morneau insurance. Hendriks is sticking around as Baker insurance. And, Brian Dozier is around because he's not on the 40 man roster and the coaching staff seems to want to see as much of him as they can before sending him to Rochester to start the season. The Twins still have a bunch of guys to cut to get down to 25, but with Opening Day just two weeks from tomorrow, there isn't much more time to impress. Including the return of Rule 5 pick Terry Doyle to the White Sox, the Twins now have 39 players remaining in big league camp. Download attachment: RayChang.jpg Click here to view the article