Seth Stohs

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

The Twins got a nice 2-1, 10-inning win in Chicago against the White Sox. Eduardo Escobar, who came to the Twins last July from the South Siders, beat out an infield single to shortstop. Ryan Doumit advanced to third base and then went home when Jeff Keppinger was unable to cleanly catch the one-hop throw from Alexei Ramirez. Finally, Glen Perkins came on to record the save. There were also a couple of one-run games in the Twins farm system. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]A big home run helped Rochester to a win, giving them their first back-to-back wins of the season. The Ft. Myers Miracle also played an entertaining one-run game, but you’ll have to keep reading to see whether or not they won. Byron Buxton’s batting average dropped to .420, but how did the Kernels play? Were the Rock Cats able to bounce back from a big loss a night earlier? Check down below, and please feel free to discuss. Rochester Red Wings 5, Pawtucket Red Sox 4 Box Score It was a back-and-forth game on Saturday afternoon between these two teams. Fortunately, the Red Wings managed to score last on Chris Colabello’s sixth home run of the season. Colabello went 2-4 with that organization-leading sixth home run. Clete Thomas went 2-3 with a walk. Joe Benson was 2-4. Andrew Albers started and really struggled. Typically an aggressive control pitcher, Albers walked three in just two innings. He gave up three runs on four hits and struck out just one. Caleb Thielbar came on pitched well. The lefty gave up two hits and a walk in three scoreless frames. He struck out three. Shairon Martis gave up a solo home run. He gave up just that one run on three hits and a walk in two innings. Tim Wood’s rehab stint continued with his first appearance in Rochester. He had been the International League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and struck out two on this day. Anthony Slama came in for the ninth and went 1, 2, 3 for his second save of the year. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 7 Box Score After losing 12-1 on Friday night, it was important for the Rock Cats to get off to a fast start on Saturday afternoon. Danny Santana led off the game with his second triple. James Beresford drove him in with a sacrifice fly. That was about it for the Rock Cats offense. Santana was 2-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his sixth double. Danny Ortiz hit his seventh double. Logan Darnell started for New Britain. The left-hander gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks. In five innings, he struck out six. AJ Achter gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in his 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Aaron Thompson came on and gave up two hits but no runs in 1.1 innings. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, St. Lucie Mets 6 Box Score So Close! On Saturday night, Ft. Myers was inches away from a Miracle win in St. Lucie. Down 6-2 going into the ninth frame, Eddie Rosario singled. Then three straight Miracle hitters walked which cut the lead to 6-3. Another reliever came on and gave up a single to Kennys Vargas to cut the lead to 6-4. Eight and nine hitters, Lance Ray and Andy Leer, struck out. That brought up AJ Pettersen. Pettersen hit a hard ground ball off of a diving first baseman. The single scored one run. However, pinch runner Stephen Wickens attempted to score from second on the play but was thrown out at the plate. The Miracle were that close to keeping the game going, but unfortunately, they fall to 14-2 with the 6-5 loss. Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up just one run through the first six innings. In the bottom of the 7th, a one-out single was followed by a controversial hit batter. The Miracle believed that the ball hit the batter’s bat. With the runner attempting to steal third, the next batter grounded to third base, but Miguel Sano committed his fourth error of the year which loaded the bases. TJ Rivera then hit a bases-clearing double that opened up the game. That was the end of the line for Stuifbergen. In total, he went 6.1 innings and gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits. He walked none and struck out five. Adrian Salcedo came in and gave up a run on three hits in 1.2 innings. Miguel Sano went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. photo to the right is courtesy of Cedar Rapids Kernels Facebook page. Be sure to "Like" it. Cedar Rapids Kernels 11, Peoria Chiefs 2 Box Score If you can put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard, it’s always a good thing. The Red Wings scored six runs in the first inning and another five runs in the fourth inning to jump out to a huge lead. The Kernels collected 17 hits in the game. Drew Leachman led the offense with a 4-5 day. He was playing for just the fourth time on the season and came into the game hitting .142 (2-14). He now is hitting .316 after missing almost two weeks with a shoulder injury. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 with two walks and had two RBI. Romy Jimenez went 2-4 with his second double and four RBI. He had a bases-clearing double in the first inning. Jhonatan Arias went 2-5, his first two hits of the season. Travis Harrison was 2-4 with a walk. Adam Walker was 2-4. Jorge Polanco was 2-6. Byron Buxton’s batting average dropped to .420 with an 0-4 game. He did, however, walk twice in the long first inning. Lefty Mason Melotakis started and gave up one run on four hits. Unfortunately with the run support he got, Melotakis was only able to go 3.1 innings, in part because of four walks. Steve Gruver came on for an “easy” “Win” but pitched well. The southpaw gave up one run on four hits in 4.2 innings. He walked none and struck out four. Tyler Jones pitched the ninth inning and gave up a hit, but no runs. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

As has been the case throughout most of the first two months of the 2013 season, the excitement tonight in the Twins minor league system came from the bottom two levels. The Ft. Myers Miracle and Cedar Rapids Kernels combined to score 28 runs. One prospect drilled two home runs in a game. Vance Worley made his second start with Rochester. Was he able to duplicate he quality of his first game? And which Alex Meyer showed up on Saturday?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins minor leagues have had quite a few walk-off wins already this year. It was also fun watching the big league club get a walk-off win Saturday afternoon. With that, check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Saturday, including the Dominican Summer League opener: Rochester Red Wings 3, Charlotte Knights 4 Box Score Vance Worley took the mound for his second Red Wings start. His first was a complete game shutout. His second- not so much. He gave up a first inning run. Then he gave up three runs in the second. Not a good start, but he did go on to throw five shutout innings. Overall, he gave up four runs on ten hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out seven. Luis Perdomo struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings had plenty of scoring opportunities. They had eight hits and they also walked 12 times. Somehow they managed to score just three runs. Antoan Richardson led off and went 1-2 with three walks and his fifth stolen base. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-2 with three walks. His sixth Red Wings home run came in the ninth inning and cut the deficit to one. Jeff Clement was 2-4. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Bowie Baysox 3 Box Score Alex Meyer has been, at times solid, but quite inconsistent for the Rock Cats this season. On this evening he was terrific. The lanky right-handed starter went 6.1 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks. He struck out a season-high ten. Blake Martin came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. AJ Achter came on and got the final five outs for his third save. He gave up two hits and a walk but no runs. James Beresford led the way offensively by going 3-4 with his fifth stolen base. He’s now hitting .338 and inexplicably remaining in AA. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. Danny Santana was very good in May and, in the first game in June, went 2-4 with his 10th and 11th stolen bases. Nate Hanson and Curt Smith each doubled. Ft. Myers Miracle 13, Palm Beach Cardinals 4 Box Score The Miracle offense exploded in this game. Angel Morales is also inexplicably still in Ft. Myers. It’s his third season with the Miracle and he had a terrific month of May. In this game he was 3-4 with two doubles. Kennys Vargas was 3-6. Eddie Rosario went 3-5 with his fifth triple. Andy Leer went 2-4 with two walks and his fourth home run. Aderlin Mejia was 2-5 with a walk. Jhon Goncalves went 2-6. Tom Stuifbergen was the recipient of the run support. The Dutch right-hander went six innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out three. Chad Rodgers threw two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out one. Nelvin Fuentes gave up a run on a hit in an inning. Cedar Rapids Kernels 15, Kane County 2 Box Score Byron Buxton was given a rare night off, and the Kernels’ bats took off. Fifteen runs on fifteen hits and nine walks make for a pretty good day. Dalton Hicks led the way. The burly first baseman went 3-4 with a walk, his sixth and seventh homers and four RBI. Tyler Grimes went 3-3 with two walks and a triple. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3 with two walks and his first home run. JD Williams and Niko Goodrum were each 2-5 with a walk and a double. Jorge Polanco and Adam Walker each added a double. Photo by Rinaldi Photos Lefty Brett Lee was appreciative of the run support, though he needed not much of it. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out four. Finishing the game, Manuel Soliman struck out four in two perfect innings. DSL Twins 5, DSL Orioles 6 Box Score This was opening day in the Dominican Summer League. The Twins squad used seven pitchers to get through nine innings. Onesimo Hernandez gave up one run on four hits (and a hit batter) in three innings. He struck out thre. Carlos Aponte gave up two runs on two hits and a hit batter in one inning. Sebastian Perez gave up one run on two hits in two innings. Robener Cabrera gave up an unearned run on one hit and a walk in one innings. Johan Quezada walked two and struck out two in one scoreless inning. Rendis Reyes got two outs, though he gave up one run on two walks. Ezequiel Zarzuela got the final out. The offense was led by 17-year-old catcher Rainis Silva who went 2-4. Rafael Valera and Carlos Martinez each doubled. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Tuesday marked the beginning of playoff season in full-season minor league baseball. Game 1's were played in the Florida State League, including the Ft. Myers Miracle. On Wednesday, Rochester and Cedar Rapids will begin their second seasons. Ft. Myers Miracle 0, Charlotte Stone Crabs 1 The Miracle had the best overall record in the Florida State League in 2013, and yet, after game one in the playoffs, they are on the brink of elimination. Remember, this is a best of three series. It takes just two wins to win the series. Of course, the Miracle will need to hold court at home to advance to the next round. Game one was played in Charlotte. The series will shift to Ft. Myers for games two and three. For Matt Summers, he saw several nights like this in the regular season. Despite leading the Florida State League in ERA and WHIP, he had a record of just 6-5. He was quite good. The right-hander went six innings and gave up just one run. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Tyler Duffey came on and threw the final two innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. Unfortunately, the Miracle managed just three hits in the game. The three batters at the top of the lineup (AJ Pettersen, Stephen Wickens and Byron Buxton) each had one single. Download attachment: Matt Summers 2.JPG What's Next? As previously stated, the Miracle series will now head to Ft. Myers for Game 2 on Wednesday night. Lefty Taylor Rogers will get the start for the Miracle in a must-win game. In Rochester, the Red Wings will open up game 1 of their best of five series against Pawtucket (the Red Sox AAA affiliate). The Twins will send Cole De Vries to the mound. In yesterday's playoff preview, I mentioned that Dakota Watts had been promoted to the Red Wings for the playoffs. It was learned on Tuesday morning that Trevor May will also join the Red Wings. Cedar Rapids will be playing in Davenport on Wednesday night against the Quad Cities River Bandits. Left Brett Lee will be the game 1 starter. Awards Eduardo Escobar was named the International League Batter of the Week. The Red Wings shortstop had a huge game on Monday for the, collecting three doubles, a homer and five RBI. He has also hit .307 in his 43 total games for the team. Tim Shibuya threw a complete game shutout for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. On Tuesday, he was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. He's been tremendous since coming back from his shoulder injury. With the Kernels, he is now 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA. He will get the nod in Game 2. Coming Soon... We will continue our playoff coverage as long as there is a Twins affiliate in the playoffs. There will also be a lot of minor league, season-ending coverage in the next week. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to let me know. Click here to view the article

Just for fun, let’s imagine that you have worked for a company for more than 25 years. Imagine you have been in a very important position within that company for a dozen years. You’ve given your heart and soul, worked hard and dedicated your energies to that company. You may not be the perfect employee. Frankly, for your job, there is no such thing as perfect. However, it’s not an easy job, dealing with personalities and performances of others. Download attachment: Gardenhire_Anderson_Looking_US_720.jpg Imagine now that the last three or four projects that you were in charge of had not gone as planned. Though the expectations of some were that the projects would be simple, each had unforeseen challenges. You did your job in the right ways, continued to work hard, continued to work with your teams. You performed your job and did all the necessary work, but the projects were not seen as successes. How would you want your boss and his or her superiors to respond? Well, there are two options, aren’t there? Option 1 – They could decide to terminate your employment or push you to a different area of the company. That’s probably the easier choice. Option 2 – Despite the loud voices to the contrary, your boss can stand up for you and talk about how the whole team, the whole organization is responsible and accountable. The boss can ask you to work on certain things, and maybe look in the mirror at areas you can improve, in an attempt to improve the overall performance. The boss can stand behind you to his or her superiors because there have been many successes along the way, big and small. With Monday’s decision to retain the services of Manager Ron Gardenhire for the next two seasons, GM Terry Ryan chose for Option #2, and my personal opinion is that it is the right decision. Ron Gardenhire is not without faults. There are times I may question some in-game decisions, or why he chooses to call out a young player through the media, but overall, Gardenhire has proven himself on the field. He and his coaching staff also put in their work and their time, all in the effort of making players better every day. There have been several successes, and like all walks of life, there are plenty of mistakes. The Twins lost 96 games in 2013, the third straight season they have lost at least that many games. The number of managers who have kept their job after three straight 90-loss seasons is very low. However, one such example of this is the Twins, and it was Tom Kelly. It should surprise no one that the organization wants to remain loyal and wants to build from within. In early September, the Twins found themselves with a 61-77 record. They proceeded to lose 14 of their final 19 games to end the year at 66-96. Of course, Justin Morneau had been traded and Joe Mauer missed the final six weeks with his concussion. “The players want Gardy to come back.” To nobody's surprise, players were quoted over the weekend that they wanted Ron Gardenhire to return and spoke glowingly about his managerial style and how hard he worked. Listening to the quotes of players who are loyal to their manager is definitely not something the GM should base his decision on. However, the only thing worse than making a move to appease the players is to make a move to appease the fans. Fans want wins, and that’s what everybody wants. There’s nothing wrong with that. The GM's job is to find ways to win as quickly as possible while also looking out for the long-term future of the product on the field. The idea of making a change just to make a change is obviously not smart. Consider this. A year ago, fans were screaming for Joe Vavra to lose the hitting coach duties so Tom Brunansky could take over. How well did that turn out for the Twins in 2013, a Twins team that struck out the third most times by a team in baseball history? Many will choose to look at the last three seasons. It’s also hard to ignore his first nine seasons. In that time, he had six division titles, and a second place finish (after losing a Game 163). Just once in his first nine seasons did the Twins have a sub-.500 record. Some choose to look at the Twins playoff record, and I understand that. However, what happens over a 162 game sample size is a more reliable indicator than a five game sample any day. Manager of the Year voting is always an interesting endeavor. However, he won the award in 2010 after finishing second in voting five times previously. The respect that Gardenhire has in the baseball industry is great. So, how much credit and how much blame should a manager get? The Cleveland Indians won more than 20 games more in 2013 than in 2012. Terry Francona took over for Manny Acta. The difference, however, was that Francona inherited a rotation in which four starters were able to strike out over eight batters per nine innings. They had a lineup of veterans that was supplemented with free agents Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. Ron Gardenhire worked with a starting staff that seemed allergic to missing bats. Remember: Ron Gardenhire could have been a free agent manager on Monday. He could have had his choice of open jobs in the coming weeks. I appreciate that he wants to stay here. As he said, he wants to be part of the answer for turning this around. He is going to need help from the front office to make that happen. Despite being 102 games below over the last three years, Gardenhire is still 51 games over .500 for his 12-year career. He has not forgotten how to manage, and he has the respect of his players. Brian Dozier and several bullpen arms took strides forward, and Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins played at their All-Star levels. Kyle Gibson, Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, Josmil Pinto, Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Pressly and Michael Tonkin came up, took some lumps, gained some experience, and should be better for it. In 2014, Twins fans should see the debuts of Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Alex Meyer, Trevor May, likely Byron Buxton, and maybe Danny Santana. Those guys will also likely take some lumps, so 2014 should again be a rebuilding year. The front office and the scouting staff have put together some great minor league talent that will be another year closer in 2014, but for the team to take a major step forward, starting in 2014, the front office will have to acquire some veterans that can be counted on. Also, Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit, if around, will have to be better. It's going to be 2015 before we see just how good this team can be. The youth and hopefully some complementary veterans will help. And Ron Gardenhire is the right guy to get this team back to contention. I can see Gardenhire doing just like his predecessor, Tom Kelly. After Kelly led the Twins to four straight 90+ loss seasons, he went with a youthful group that, in 2001, competed into the second half of the season. That’s what I can see happening in 2015. Should that happen, I can see Gardenhire saying, "OK, this team is back to where it should be" and turning it over to the next manager who will lead the way for the next decade or more. Click here to view the article