Seth Stohs

The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 is now available through LuLu.com. If you order quickly, you could have it in time for Twins Fest! 22 players that are scheduled to be at Twins Fest are profiled in this book. If you are interested in order, you can Order Here. Download attachment: MN Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 Cover.jpg In my very-recently released Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, I unveiled my 2012 Twins Top 30 Prospects. I thought it would be fun to analyze the Top 20 prospects to see if any interesting notes, or even trends, emerge. I found a few, but maybe you’ll find even more. A reminder, these are my Top 20 Twins prospects. If you make a prospect list of your own, yours will likely look a little different, but most of the players will be the same with some variance. Here is my Top Top Twins Prospect List: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Ranking Name How Acquired From (Country/State) 1 Miguel Sano Free Agent Dominican Republic 2 Eddie Rosario Drafted – 3rd Round 2010 Puerto Rico 3 Oswaldo Arcia Free Agent Venezuela 4 Aaron Hicks Drafted – 1st Round 2008 US – California 5 Joe Benson Drafted – 2nd Round 2006 US – Illinois 6 Liam Hendriks Free Agent Australia 7 Kyle Gibson Drafted – 1st Round 2009 US – Missouri 8 Adrian Salcedo Free Agent Dominican Republic 9 Alex Wimmers Drafted – 1st Round 2010 US – Ohio 10 Chris Parmelee Drafted – 1st Round 2006 US – California 11 Brian Dozier Drafted – 8th Round 2009 US – Mississippi 12 Travis Harrison Drafted – supp 1st Round 2011 US – California 13 Tom Stuifbergen Free Agent Netherlands 14 Angel Morales Drafted – 3rd Round 2007 Puerto Rico 15 Chris Herrmann Drafted – 6th Round 2009 US – Texas 16 Manuel Soliman Free Agent Dominican Republic 17 Levi Michael Drafted – 1st Round 2011 US – North Carolina 18 Max Kepler Free Agent Germany 19 Niko Goodrum Drafted – 2nd Round 2010 US – Georgia 20 Hudson Boyd Drafted – supp 1st Round 2011 US – Florida Some Notes: ◦Nine of my Top 20 Twins prospects were 1st or 2nd round draft picks. There are two 1st round picks and two supplemental 1st round picks since 2006 that are not on this list. 2007 top pick Ben Revere is no longer a “prospect” since he has spent so much time in the big leagues. Matt Bashore was the Twins supplemental first round pick in 2009 from Indiana. He’s had a couple of arm surgeries and returned to limited action in 2011. Reports indicate that by the end of last season, he had regained most of his velocity and he may have the opportunity to move up prospect lists quickly next season. ◦Following the 2007 season, Torii Hunter chose to sign with the Angels instead of the Twins. Because of that, the Twins received the Angels first round pick in 2008 and the first supplemental first round pick of that draft. With the 27th overall pick, the Twins chose Carlos Gutierrez who does not appear on my Top 20 prospect list, but he is a good relief pitching option who throws really hard with a good sinker but needs to throw more strikes. With the 31st overall pick, the Twins chose a hard-throwing right-hander out of Tulane University names Shooter Hunt who fought Steve Blass Disease since the 2008 season. This past December, he was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. ◦The Twins have a strong scouting presence all around the world, and that is shown in their top prospect list. Three players are from the Dominican Republic, and there is one player from Venezuela, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. The Twins also have prospects from Cuba, South Africa, Mexico, Panama, Taiwan and the Czech Republic. ◦Of these top 20 prospects, 13 were drafted by the Twins. Of those, seven are high school hitters. The Twins have had great success drafting hitters out of high school (see Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Ben Revere).Aside from Revere and Mauer, most of these players took five or six years to make their big league debuts and more importantly make a big impression in the big leagues. Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee are also examples of this. Drafted in 2006, they made their big league debuts in September of 2011. Each will likely start making a bigger impression on the Twins in 2012. That’s why I always find it funny when people are so disappointed that we haven’t seen Aaron Hicks dominate at the upper levels of the minor leagues yet. Or, although he was drafted a year earlier, Angel Morales is younger than Hicks. Niko Goodrum is one of the best athletes in the organization as well and played very well in Elizabethton last year. Travis Harrison was one of the top power hitting prospects from the high school ranks in the 2011 draft. ◦Although not drafted, Miguel Sano, Oswaldo Arcia and Max Kepler were all signed as 16 year olds and certainly fit into the high-upside young hitter mold!! ◦The other thing that the Twins have done is draft college pitchers in the first rounds of the draft. Just two college-drafted pitchers appear on this list, and each of them has some question marks. Kyle Gibson was the team’s top prospect one year ago, and pitched very well the first two months of 2011. Unfortunately, as we all know, he had to have Tommy John surgery in September and will miss most, if not all, of the 2012 season. Alex Wimmers was the two-time Big 10 Pitcher of the Year at Ohio State. He was a control pitcher that draft experts said was closest to the big leagues. Unfortunately, he had a hamstring injury in spring training last year and it led to some very disturbing control issues. However, he seemed to be a rare example of someone overcoming Steve Blass Disease as he came back late in the season and pitched much better. He ended his season by throwing a 7-inning no-hitter for Ft. Myers. I would expect to see both make starts for the Twins in 2013. ◦The Twins did have three pitchers pitch at three levels in 2011. Reliever Matt Hauser (San Diego State) is my top ranked Twins reliever prospect (#28). Pat Dean (#30) was the Twins 3rd round pick in 2010 from Boston College. Lefty Logan Darnell (#25), the 6th round pick in 2010, was the third. All three pitched briefly with Beloit before spending most of their season in Ft. Myers. Darnell spent the most time in Double-A New Britain. The Twins have a history of being willing to promote college pitchers quickly through the minors. The following players have pitched at three levels in one season with the Twins: Scott Baker, Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, and Jesse Crain. Matt Garza actually pitched at four levels, including the Twins, in 2006. ◦The Twins hadn’t drafted a high school pitcher in the first round since 2004 when they drafted Kyle Waldrop with the 25th overall pick (Anthony Swarzak was taken in the 2nd round). The Twins used their second supplemental first round pick in 2011 on Hudson Boyd, who not only has shown good control, but he has touched 97 mph on the radar gun. He could move up quickly. ◦Here is a quick look at where these twenty players ended the season playing: Three Did Not Play (2011 draft picks), Four ended the season in Elizabethton, Two in Beloit, Four in Ft. Myers, Two in New Britain, two in Rochester and three with the Twins. You often hear that the Twins prospects are all at the lower levels of the farm system. However, Benson, Parmelee and Hendriks are all top ten prospects who made their big league debuts on September 6. Each figures into the Twins long-term future. Brian Dozier and Chris Herrmann were the high-risers among prospects and both will likely debut with the Twins in 2012 after strong seasons in New Britain and strong showings in the Arizona Fall League. ◦When Baseball America releases its Top 100 Prospects list, Miguel Sano will likely rank in the Top 25-30. It is possible that Rosario, Arcia, Benson and maybe even Gibson will appear in the Top 100 lists. ◦If you listen to Baseball America’s most recent podcast, they discussed their Top 10 rankings for AL Central teams. They clearly had the Royals as the best farm system in the division. They ranked the Twins with the second-best prospects in the division (and middle of the pack overall). They ranked the White Sox and Indians as having the two worst farm systems in all of baseball, with the Tigers very close to the bottom. Any other comments on these twenty prospects of the Twins farm system in general? I’ll be happy to answer them in the Comments. Here are some other thoughts and links: ◦On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins Caravan came to The Shed in Warroad. Ron Gardenhire, Joe Vavra, Brian Duensing and Glen Perkins were in attendance, along with TC Bear. TwinsBaseball.com’s Rhett Bollinger was there as well. It was a nice event, and very informal. The Twins contingency seemed to really appreciate and enjoy it. It was great to be up close with the players, talk to them and, as a couple of people told me, see them as regular people. I think we (many fans) forget that at times. I have been to several Twins Caravan events over the past five years. I definitely recommend going if you’ve got one in your area. It’s just a great opportunity to meet players, get autographs if you want, and start getting excited for a new Twins season. ◦Speaking of great events, Twins Fest is next weekend. I just got my tickets in the mail yesterday. I plan to be there on Friday night and Satuurday throughout the day. I don’t get the autographs, but I enjoy talking to people, players and fans alike. SO, if you’ll be there, be sure to say hi! ◦Baseball America will be posting its Top 20 Twins Prospectlist on its website today, so be sure to check there this afternoon. I want to welcome any questions or comments that you might have. Feel free to e-mail me or leave your thoughts in the Comments Section! Click here to view the article

After going through the top performing Hitters and Starting Pitchers from April, it's now time to check out which relief pitchers performed best in April. The Twins announced their choices of Byron Buxton and DJ Baxendale as their Hitter and Pitcher of the Month, respectively.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] As we saw with the starting pitcher list, using a beginning and ending point (such as a month) can alter how the numbers look. Alex Meyer may have be been #1 or #2 on the list if not for one inning in which he gave up four runs. Instead, he was #4. With relief pitchers, the low number of innings in a given month means that having one bad outing can really affect the numbers. However, we have a healthy list of relievers who started the 2013 season with a strong first month. Let's get to the Top 5 Relief Pitchers in April: Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – Tim Atherton - 0.82 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 13 K The 23-year-old from Australia originally signed with the Twins in 2007 as a position player. He was released a year later for some off-field stuff, but re-signed with the Twins, this time as a pitcher, in 2011. He has been quite good since then, and that was the case in April. He pitched the ninth inning of the Kernels’ early-season no-hitter. He struggled some with control last year with the Snappers, but has shown good control to this point in the season. He has a good fastball and a solid slider. He can be deceptive due to a very animated motion. He should move up to Ft. Myers during the season. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – Cole Johnson – 1.69 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 7 K This time last year, Johnson was still toiling in Ft. Myers with the Extended Spring Training group. He was promoted to Beloit when the short-season leagues started. He pitched well for the Snappers in the 2nd half last year and in this spring's minor league camp to earn a spot in the Miracle bullpen. The success has continued through the season’s first month as he gave up just two runs and opponents hit .143 off of him. The 23-year-old from Notre Dame was the Twins 44th round pick in 2011. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – Steven Gruver – 1.08 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 16.2 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 22 K A year ago at this time, the 23-year-old Gruver was in the starting rotation for the Beloit Snappers. Last year he made 18 starts and 12 relief appearances and posted a 3.61 ERA. The lefty began this season in the Kernels bullpen and has been pitching in long relief. He has pitched at least two innings in each of his appearances and has pitched as many as four innings in relief. He did go 4.2 innings in one spot start. The 2011 7th round pick from Tennessee throws strikes, hits 91 and has a good slider. He is another guy who just needs a spot to open in Ft. Myers to move up. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – Corey Williams – 2.31 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 8 H, 0 BB, 5 K In 2012, Williams led the Twins minor leagues with 17 saves while pitching in 47 games for Beloit. The lefty struck out 68 batters in 62.1 innings, but he also walked 33. In his first month in the Florida State League, Williams led the organization with six saves despite sharing save opportunities. However, as you can see, he didn’t strike out many. Encouraging though, he did throw strikes. He was the Twins third round pick in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. He throws hard and has very good stuff. Despite not being promoted last year, Williams is a guy who could move quickly. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: (Photo by Greg Wagner) Ft. Myers – Zack Jones – 1.64 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 11 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 13 K Zack Jones is one of the talented bullpen arms that the Twins selected in the 2012 draft. Unlike some, he will not be getting an opportunity to start. He will be a back-of-the-bullpen arm. When fans hear Zack Jones, the first thing you should think is fastball. Reports last year in Beloit said that radar guns consistently hit 98 mph, with several instances reaching triple-digits. In 2013 with the Miracle, the radar guns are consistently between 96 and 99. He has been splitting time pitching with late-inning leads with Corey Williams. Jones has five saves. Opponents hit just .139 off of him in April. Jones is highly touted and has a chance to move up quickly, but his role and level of success could be determined by his ability to continue to develop a second pitch. Jones said, “Right now, just a slider I’ve been working on. Spent some time messing with different grips and what not, but right now, I believe I have a better grasp of the pitch than I have had previously". “His slider is improving,” said Twins Director of Minor League Operations Brad Steil who added, “He’s being aggressive, throwing strikes and not walking many.” To what does Jones credit his first-month success? “In my opinion, a lot of my success this first month really came from attacking the hitter. I’m starting to develop more confidence with my slider and using that periodically in fastball situations so teams can’t just sit on the fastball,” he continued, “For me, I just try to keep it simple. Come into the game ready and throw strikes down in the zone. Do my best to compete with a relaxed intensity and not let the game speed up on me.” The Miracle are 22-4 on the season. They’ve had strong offense, solid starting pitching and, as you can see from this list, their bullpen has been very good. What’s it like to pitch late in games with Corey Williams, and what can he learn from him? Jones says he learns a lot and they push each other. “I’m lucky to be competing with a pitcher like Corey. I believe a lot of our success comes from us competing with each other and backing each other up. He is a well-rounded pitcher and has a very good mound presence. So, from watching from the bullpen, I try and study how he and other pitchers deal with adversity because that is what makes or breaks a pitcher. We both want the ball just as bad as the other at the end of the game, and we will continue to push each other to be the best we can be.” So, when he gets called in for a save situation, what’s his walk-in music? Jones chuckled and said, “Good question. Guys have different ideas on the walkout music. Some like calm, steady songs, but I’m the opposite. I like feeding my adrenaline when I pitch so I go with something heavy like Metallica.” It may be something he’ll have to have played in Target Field in the future! It was a terrific month for the Ft. Myers Miracle. They were the only team in baseball to end April with 20 wins. Miguel Sano was my choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. (The Twins officially chose Byron Buxton, which is completely understandable.) DJ Baxendale was my choice for Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. The Twins made him their pitcher of the month. And today, three of my top five relievers, including the top two, are from the Miracle. Hopefully May can be as exciting for the Twins minor league affiliates and their prospects. As always, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. View full article

The Twins and the rest of MLB just completed their 2012 draft. The Twins made 43 picks, six of them in the top 100. I know many expect a lot of first round picks, but also of Top 10 picks. It’s understandable, but I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the Twins 2002 draft. Obviously the Twins didn’t sign all 50 draft choices. Some went to college and were drafted later. I still think it’s good to look at those players because it is a direct reflection on the Twins scouting. I think it’s fun to look at all 50 picks. Please feel comment any of your thoughts on this. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 1st – Denard Span - High School Hitter – Colorado was rumored to be interested in him with the 9th overall pick. However, they feared his price tag and his football scholarship so they took a left-handed pitcher from the University of British Columbia instead by the name of Jeff Francis. Span finally got a chance with the Twins early in the 2008 season and became a full-time starter later that season. In over 510 big league games (and over 2300 plate appearances), he has hit .285/.360/.386 (.746). The Twins signed him to a long-term deal and it is fair to say that the Twins did very well with this pick. 2nd – Jesse Crain - College Pitcher – Crain went to the University of Houston where he was a Conference USA All Star infielder, a first team All-American Utility player (because he was a starting SS and the team’s closer). In 2003, he moved from Ft. Myers to New Britain to Rochester. In 2004, he was called up at midseason and went 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 22 games. In 2005, he went 12-5 with a 2.71 ERA. In 2006, he was 3-4 with a 3.52 ERA. He was signed to a 3-year deal before the 2007 season and needed surgery late that year. He really struggled until mid-May of 2010, and then something clicked. He was one of baseball’s best relievers the second half of 2010. He signed a big contract with the White Sox where he has gone 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA the last two seasons. Yes, a great pick. 3rd – Mark Sauls - High School Pitcher – The Panama City, Florida, native did not sign. Instead, he went to Florida State where he joined his brother Matt. He played there for four years and was never drafted again. He went 5-0 with a 3.27 ERA as a freshman. In 91.1 innings, he gave up 110 hits, 40 walks and struck out just 52. He was 6-2 with a 4.18 ERA in his junior year. Following his senior season, he signed as a free agent with the Angels. He went 11 innings and gave up 12 hits and walked six. He made the FSU Dean’s List and majored in Social Sciences. 4th – Alex Merricks - High School Pitcher – The Oxnard, California, native is a lefty that signed. He spent three years with the GCL Twins. In 2002, he went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in nine games, including two starts. However, in 15 innings, he walked 16 hitters. In 2003, he went 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA. In 15 innings, he had 37 walks and 14 wild pitches. In 2004, he walked 26 and threw 14 wild pitches in 14 innings. That was the end of his pitching career.” 5th – Michael Thomas - High School Hitter- Thomas was another selection from Panama City, Florida. He too did not sign. 6th – Pat Neshek - College Pitcher – As you all know, Neshek was drafted by the Twins in the 45th round of the 1999 draft. He went to Butler and improved his stock significantly. He signed with the Twins. In 2005, he went 6-4 with a 2.19 ERA and had 24 saves in New Britain. He was added to the 40 man roster. In 2006, he started in Rochester where he went 6-2 with a 1.95 ERA. In 60 innings, he had 14 walks and 87 strikeouts. That earned him a midseason promotion to the Twins. In 37 big leagues innings, he went 4-2 with a 2.19 ERA. He struck out 53 and walked just six. In 2007, he was so good in the first half of the season that he was on the ballot for the final AL All-Star spot (it went to Hideki Okajima). For the season, he went 7-2 with a 2.94 ERA. In 70.1 innings, he struck out 74 and walked 27. Early in the 2008 season, he hurt his arm and later needed Tommy John surgery which cost him his 2009 season. He worked really hard and came back and spent time with the Twins in 2010. He was claimed by the Padres in 2011, and he is currently with Norfolk, the AAA affiliate of the Orioles. 7th – Ricky Barrett - College Pitcher – Barrett is another pitcher on the current Twins 40 man roster. The Twins took him out of the University of San Diego where he was the 2002 West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year. He got to Rochester in 2005. He is a lefty who struck out more than a hitter an inning. He clearly has great stuff. His primary problem throughout his career has been trying to stay healthy. He spent some time in Japan in 2009 and has played in independent baseball two of the last three years. 8th – Adam Lind - High School Hitter – The Anderson, Indiana, native obviously chose not to sign with the Twins. Instead he went to the University of South Alabama. He then was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004. Obviuosly he signed with them. He did nothing but hit in the minors. In 2005, he hit .392/.456/.659. In 2006, he hit .310/.357/.543 at AA, .394/.496/.596 at AAA and .367/.415/.600 in 18 games with the Blue Jays. In 2007, he had to spend another 46 games in AAA before hitting .238/.278/.400 in 89 games with the Jays. In 2009, he hit .305 with 46 doubles, 35 homers and 114 RBI. He turned that into a four year deal, and he has been pretty poor since. His OPS in 2010 was .712, and in 2011 it was .734. It was .586 in 34 games this year before he was demoted to AAA where he is now. 9th – Doug Deeds - College Hitter – An Outfield/1B from THE Ohio State, Deeds has progressed through the Twins system. His breakout year was 2005 in New Britain where he had 52 extra base hits. He had to repeat the level in 2006 and had 51 extra base hits. In 2007, he moved up to Rochester where he was a bench player for the first time. In 86 games, he hit .243/.306/.404. But he did have seven doubles and nine home runs. That was the end of his time with the Twins. He has spent AAA time with the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rangers and now the Angels organizations. 10th – Kyle Phillips – HS Hitter – Phillips is the brother of former Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays catcher/1B Jason Phillips. Kyle Phillips signed and hit .289 with Elizabethton in 2003. Never again hit over .230 in his time in the Twins system (Quad Cities, Ft. Myers and New Britain). Since 2006, he has played in the Brewers, Blue Jays and Padres organization (until this year, he appears to be out of baseball). He got some big league time with the Jays in 2009 and the Padres in 2011. 11th – Evan Meek – High School Pitcher – Meek didn’t sign right away. Instead he went to Bellevue Community College and signed with the Twins as a draft-and-follow. In 2003, he went 7-1 with a 2.47 ERA. In 51 innings, he walked 24 and struck out 47. I’m sure his scouting report read something like, “Tremendous fastball, great potential, but he needs to harness his control to continue to advance.” Well, in 2004, he went to Quad Cities where he walked 15 and gave up seven hits in 5.2 innings. He went back to Extended Spring Training and went back to Elizabethton. There, he worked 22.1 innings and gave up 18 hits and walked 25 (with 11 wild pitches). In 2005, he went back to the Midwest League, to Beloit, where he pitched in 13 games. In 18 innings, he gave up 15 hits and walked 36. The Twins let him go. In 2006, he pitched for Lake Elsinore, the A-League team of the San Diego Padres. He made 25 starts. In 119.1 innings, he gave up 136 hits and walked 62. He did strike out 113 hitters. In August, the Padres traded him to the Devil Rays. In 2007, he made 44 relief appearances for the Rays AA affiliate. He went 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA. In 67 innings, he gave up 74 hits, walked 34 and struck out 69. The Pirates took him in the Rule 5 draft after the 2007 season. They offered him back to the Rays but the Rays told them to keep him so he stayed with the Piraated. By 2009, he was an important cog in the bullpen. In 2010, he was a National League All-Star and posted a 2.14 ERA in 80 innings. He was again good in 2011. He has struggled in 2012 and was optioned to AAA recently. 12th – Jeff Clement – High School Hitter – The Twins drafted Clement, knowing that it was quite unlikely that the Marshalltown, Iowa, native would not sign. At the time, he was the career high school home run king. He chose to go to USC where he hit 46 homers in three years. In 2005, the Mariners took the catcher with the third overall pick. He was injured for a good chunk of the 2006 season, but Seattle continued to push him. In 2007, he hit .275/.370/.497 with 35 double and 20 homers. He got a September call up and went 6-16 with two home runs. Unfortunately, Clement has accumulated a ton more plate appearances in AAA and played rarely in the big leagues. He is hitting .316/.398/.557 (.955) with 23 extra base hits in AAA this year so he could move up to the Pirates again soon. 13th – William Pettit – College Pitcher – The Twins took him out of LSU, but for some reason he did not sign. 14th - Garrett Mock - JC Pitcher – The Twins took Mock out of Grayson Junior College in 2002. He had been drafted by Cleveland in 2001. He finally signed after the Diamondbacks took him with their 3rd round pick out of Houston in 2004. In August of 2006, Arizona traded Mock with Matt Chico to the Nationals for Livan Hernandez. He pitched in just 15 games this year, 11 of them were for AA Harrisburg. He spent time with the Nationals big league bullpen from 2008 through 2010. This season, he is pitching in the Red Sox AAA bullpen. 15th – Adam Harben - CC Pitcher – Another draft-and-follow, Harben went to Westark CC. He had been drafted by the Tigers in the 38th round in 2001. In 2004, he went 9-7 with a 3.09 ERA at Quad Cities. In 2005, he went 10-5 with a 2.66 ERA in Ft. Myers and was added to the 40 man roster. In 2006, he got off to a quick start at New Britain, but went 4-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 122.2 innings. Then on September 5, 2006, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Phil Nevin. After the 2006 season, he had Tommy John surgery and missed most of the 2007 season. He pitched in Hi-A in 2008. He went to the Mariners organization and pitched in A-ball in 2009. He hasn’t played since. 16th – K.C. Jones - High School Pitcher – The 6-6, 220 pounder from Eatonville, Washington signed with the Twins. In 2002 with the GCL Twins he went 0-1 with a 3.10 ERA. In 29 innings, he gave up 20 hits, walked 21 and struckout 21. In 2003 he was 0-3 with a 7.22 ERA. In 33.2 innings, he gave up 50 hits, walked 23 and struckout 15. He did pitch for Chillethe of the Frontier League in 2005 and went 0-1 with an 8.55 ERA. IN 20 innings, he gave up 30 hits, walked 11 and struck out 14. 17th – Adam Hawes – High School Pitcher – Hawed decided not to sign with the Twins out of high school. Instead, he went to community college and the Twins took him in the 40th round in 2003. He signed in May of 2004. Hawes split the 2007 season between Beloit and Ft. Myers. He played independent ball in his native Canada in 2008. 18th – Javier Lopez- CC Hitter – The catcher/1B signed and played for the GCL Twins in 2002 and 2003 where he hit .253 and .237, respectively. In 2004, he moved up to Elizabethton where he hit .244/.276/.394. He was let go and spent 2005 and 2006 with Yuma in the Golden League. 19th – Adam Daniels - CC Pitcher – Daniels did not sign, but he was drafted plenty. The Blue Jays took him in the 27th round in 2001. Colorado took him in the 22nd round in 2003, and the Cubs drafted him in the 43rd round in 2004. Oh, and then in 2005, the Cardinals drafted him in the 15th round. In 2006, he pitched for the Cardinals Midwest League team and went 7-11 with a 3.07 ERA. He struck out 128 in 137.2 innings. He split 2007 between Hi-A and AA. He was released during the 2008 season and spent time in Mexico and the Northern League, where he pitched in 2009 and 2010. 20th – Ryan Schreppel - High School Pitcher – The Stockton, California, native did not sign with the Twins instead opting to go to Cal-State Fullerton. The Diamondbacks took him in 2005 in the 8th round. He signed with them and went 6-1 with a 1.92 ERA in 12 games. In 2006, he went 6-13 with a 5.00 ERA in 26 games for South Bend. 21st – TJ Prunty - College Pitcher – Prunty did not sign with the Twins when they drafted the St. Paul Academy grad in the 20th round in 2000. Instead he went and played football at Miami. The Twins took him again, and this time he signed. In 2003, he pitched at Quad Cities. He went 4-10 with a 4.97 ERA in 30 games (19 starts). He went back to Quad Cities in 2004 where he went 0-0 with a 5.93 ERA in 10 games. He gave up 14 hits and seven walks in 13.2 innings before he was released. 22nd – Justin Sims – College Hitter – Determining what college stats mean for a pro career is so tough. Sims was drafted out of Middle Tennessee State. In 2001, he hit .377/.416/.636 with 10 homers. In 2002, he hit .387/.446/.618 with 11 homers. Then he signed and hit just .248/.354/.358 for Elizabethton. In 2003, he hit just .197/.241/.289 and was let go. 23rd – Danny Matienzo – College Hitter – Matienzo had been drafted by the Twins in the 24th round in 1999 out of high school. He went to The U (Miami) and the Twins took him again. His big year came in 2005 at New Britain when he hit .282/.338/.488 with 36 doubles and 23 homers. Inexplicably, he was sent back to New Britain in 2006 and really wasn’t the same. He hit just .254/.287/.419 with 25 doubles and 17 homers. He was released before the 2007 season. 24th – Josh Peterson - High School Hitter – He did not sign. He then signed with the Mets as a free agent in 2004. He spent 2006 and 2007 with St. Lucie of the Florida State League. He is a utility type player, able to play both corner infield positions and corner outfield positions. 25th – Justin Keeling - College Pitcher – Keeling signed out of California Lutheran. In 2002 in Elizabethton he went 3-1 with a 6.16 ERA in 22 relief appearances. In 30.2 innings, he struck out 34 and walked 16. He pitched in just four games for Quad Cities in 2004. Since then, he has played for several independent league teams. 26th – Jared Johnson – High School Pitcher- The Las Vegas native didn’t sign with the Twins. The Marlins then took him in the 43rd round in 2003 and the 46th round in 2004. In 2006, he played for two independent league teams… as a hitter. He didn’t hit over .226 though. 27th – Ron Perodin – College Hitter – He signed quickly out of El Camino College. Speaking of quick, Perodin was one of the quickest players in the organization. After signing, he went to the GCL Twins where he hit .325/.371/.390 with nine stolen bases. He started 2003 with Quad Cities where he really struggled. He went back to Elizabethton and hit .335/.405/.418 with 15 steals. In 2004, he stole 24 bases in Ft. Myers. He played independent ball from 2006 through 2011. 28th – Hasan Rasheed – High School Hitter – The outfielder from Nashville did not sign. He went to Lake City CC and the Brewers selected him in the 26th round in 2003. He signed as an undrafted free agent in 2004 with the Brewers. In 2004 and 2005, he hit .299 and .305. In 2006 he hit .241/.337/.259. 29th – James Avery – High School Pitcher – The pitcher from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, did not sign, opting to pitch at Niagara University. He became the Reds 5th round pick in 2005. He went 8-8 with a 4.43 ERA in 26 starts in the Florida State League in 2006. In 2007, he pitched for AA Chattanooga and went 11-10 with a 5.22 ERA in 27 starts. In 2008, he played for Team Canada in the Olympics. He pitched in one AAA game for the Reds in 2006 and one in 2010, but that is it. He’s been in AA since 2007. He shifted to the Tigers for 2012 where he is pitching in AA. 30th – Roberto Martinez - College Pitcher – Martinez is a native of the Dominican Republic who went to St. Petersburg College. He didn’t sign with the Twins. He had been selected by the Rockies in the 21st round in 2001. In 2004, he signed with the Giants as a free agent after spending 2003 with the Expos organization. 31st – Terry Killion – High School Pitcher – From Austin, TX, he signed and spent 2003 with the GCL Twins. In 16 relief appearances, he went 0-1 with a 9.60 ERA. In 15 innings, he walked 22 and gave up 18 hits. 32nd – Jon Koch - CC Pitcher – Koch had been drafted in the 22nd round in 2001 by the Pirates, but instead went to Lake City Community College. He signed as a draft and follow with the Twins in May of 2003. He went 2-3 with three saves an a 2.73 ERA for the GCL Twins. He was released by the Twins in June of 2004. He spent the 2004 through 2006 season with the Brockton Rox. 33rd – Tom Ferrara - CC Pitcher – He did not sign. 34th – Christian Castorri- High School Pitcher – The Thomasville, Georgia, native did not sign. Instead her went to Georgia College and State University. He pitched or Gateway of the Frontier League in 2006. In 2007, he played with State College in the New York-Penn League for three games before moving up to Hickory (HI-A) where he went 5-2 with eight saves and a 1.93 ERA. He pitched in the Pirates system through the 2009 season. 35th – Tarrence Patterson - High School Hitter – From Bartow, Florida, Patterson signed and reported to Ft. Myers. He spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons hitting over .300 with the GCL Twins. In 2004, he hit just .224/.250/.406 for Elizabethton. In 2005 at Beloit, he hit .254/.331/.345 and stole 18 bases. He returned to Beloit in 2006 where he hit .257/.317/.306 with 35 stolen bases. He was released before the 2007 season. 36th – John Cahill - High School Pitcher – From Lakewood, California, Cahill signed with the Twins in June of 2002 and was released in April of 2003. For the GCL team, he went 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA in 14 relief appearances. In 17 innings, he walked 17 and struck out nine. He pitched for Yakima in 2005. In 12 innings over 8 games, he gave up 11 runs on 20 hits and seven walks. 37th – Mike Costantino – High School Hitter – The Somerset, Massechusetts, grab, did not sign with the Twins. Instead, he attended Maryland in 2003 and 2004. He hit .309/.385/.457 as a freshman and then in his sophomore year he hit just .246/.319/.308. He transferred to New Orleans where he hit over .300 both years. One positive is that he consistent walked more than he struck out. 38th – Toby Gardenhire - CC Hitter – Gardy’s son was taken by the Twins out of Westark Community College. He didn’t sign and went to Illinois. The Twins took him in the 41st round in 2005. He was a utility infielder for the Twins, up to AAA Rochester, through the 2011 season. In early 2012, he became the head coach at UW-Stout. 39th - Brandon Doddo – High School Hitter – From Cooper City, Florida, Doddo did not sign and went to Broward Community College. In 2003 he was drafted by the Angels in the 36th round. In 2004, he got 76 at bats with the Angels Arizona Rookie League team and hit .250/.278/.303. 40th – Rodney Story - CC Pitcher – Story was drafted out of Gulf Coast Community College. He didn’t sign and went to Southeast Louisiana. He pitched in 17 games (15 starts) and went 3-6 with a 4.14 ERA. In 78.1 innings, he gave up 83 hits, 31 walks and struck out just 50. In 2005, he made 15 starts again and was 5-5 with a 5.42 ERA. In 96.1 innings, he gave up 122 hits, 29 walks and struck out 53. 41st – Chris Brown – High School Hitter – The Cooper City, Florida, second baseman did not sign. 42nd – Kyle Geiger - CC Hitter – Geiger went to Rend Lake CC and signed as a draft and follow. He split 2003 between Quad Cities and Elizabethton. In 2004, he split time between Quad Cities and Ft. Myers. In 2005, he hit .257 at Ft. Myers .In 2006, he split time between Ft. Myers and New Britain. In 2007, he hit .250/.301/.362 for the New Britain Rockcats. In 2008, he played in Ottawa. 43rd – Jacob Jean – CC Pitcher – The Twins took him out of Consumnes Community College. He didn’t sign and went to the University of Kansas. In 2004, he gave up 30 hits and 15 walks in 19 innings. In 2005, he gave up seven hits and six walks in seven innings. He pitched in 16 games for the White Sox Bristol affiliate in the Appalachian League. He gave up 63 hits and 20 walks in 48 innings. In 2006, also at Bristol, he was 0-1 with a 20.06 ERA in 12 games. In 11.2 innings, he gave up 17 hits and 18 walks. 44th – Chris Beatty - High School Pitcher – The Kokomo, Indiana, grad went to Arizona State instead of signing with the Twins. In 2003, he pitched in eight games and in 6.1 innings, he gave up seven hits and five walks. 45th – John Stocco – High School Pitcher – Stocco, a graduate of Holy Angels Academy in Richfield, MN, did not sign. Instead he went to the University of Wisconsin where he was a starting quarterback for three seasons. He had been throwing to Larry Fitzgerald in high school. Wisconsin was 29-7 when Stocco was their starter. 46th – Wayne Renfrow- High School Pitcher – Another high schooler from Virginia Beach drafted, Renfrow decided not to sign. He went to Old Dominion where in 2003 he went 0-5 with an 8.57 ERA. In 34.2 innings, he gave up 46 hits and 33 walks. In 2005, he went to Virginia Commonwealth where he was 2-4 with a 7.36 ERA. In 47.2 innings he gave up 53 hits and 39 walks. In 2006, he pitched for Division III Virginia Wesleyan where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in criminal justice. He signed with the Dodgers and in 2006 he went 1-1 with a 0.60 ERA in three games. In 15 innings, he gave up nine hits, walked five and struck out 16. He then pitched one game with Ogden and gave up two hits and a walk (And threw two wild pitches) in just 1/3 of an inning. 47th – Brandon Carlton – High School Pitcher – Another Panama City draftee, Carlton also did not sign. He went to Gulf Coast Community College. In 2005, he went to Southeast Louisiana where he went 0-1 with a 5.13 ERA in 23 games. In 33.1 innings, he gave up 33 hits and walked 18. 48th – Brandon Cohen - High School Hitter – From Rivers Edge, NJ, Cohen did not sign. He went to Seton Hall for four years and graduated with a criminal justice major. His sophomore season, he hit .325/.472/.397. Then he hit .263 as a junior and .293 as a senior. 49th – Brock Peterson – High School Hitter – As we all know, Peterson signed out of his Chehalis, Washington, high school. He has simply worked his way up the Twins system, an incredible feat for a 49th round pick. He repeated Ft. Myers in 2006 and it was a great thing for him. In 2007, he moved up to New Britain and in 112 games, he hit .385/.382/.476 with 21 doubles, four triples and 15 homers. He began 2008 in New Britain but ended it with Rochester where he played in 2009 and 2010 as well. He spent 2011 with Bridgeport (independent) where he is playing again this year. 50th – Mike Ballard - High School Pitcher – Another Virginia Beach guy, Ballard did not sign and instead he went to the University of Virginia. The Twins drafted him again in 2005, in the 47th round. In 2006, the Texas Rangers took him in the 14th round. In 2007, he split the season between Low A Clinton and High A Bakersfield. He split 2008 and 2009 between AA and AAA with the Rangers. He spent all of 2010 in AAA. In 2011, he moved to the Orioles organization and pitched in AA and AAA. This year, he is 1-4 with a 3.12 ERA in ten starts for Harrisburg (Nationals AA). SUMMARY – So, what do you think? It took Span seven years to become a big league regular, but he has proven to be a great pick. Jesse Crain was a terrific pick. In all, eight of these players played some time in the big leagues, and many of them got up to AAA. In a vacuum, that seems like a very good number. In ten years, how many of the 43 Twins selections from the 2012 draft will call themselves big leaguers? Download attachment: Denard Span HS.jpg Click here to view the article

We are all very excited about the potential of Jose (JO) Berrios. DJ Baxendale has been the best pitcher in the Twins organization to this point of the season. Tyler Duffey has been strong and consistent through the year. Two other 2012 draft picks made impressive starts on Tuesday night. 2nd Round Mason Melotakis looked to end the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ six-game losing streak. 11th round pick Taylor Rogers looked to keep the good times rolling for the Miracle.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It would be nice to get Luke Bard and JT Chargois going, but even without those two starting yet, the Twins 2012 draft class is off to a very strong start. Check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings, Lehigh Valley IronPigs This game was suspended by rain with one out in the top of the 5th inning. Andrew Albers was working on his first clunker of the season. Jeff Clement had homered. When the game is completed, we’ll provide the game’s story. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Richmond Squirrels 2 Box Score Logan Darnell had another very good start but unfortunately the Rock Cats' bats were kept quiet. Darnell has been very good of late. In this game, he went six innings. The lefty gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out five. Cole Johnson came to the team from Ft. Myers and got into game action right away. He pitched a scoreless inning in his AA debut despite giving up two hits and a walk. Michael Tonkin came on and struck out five over two perfect innings. Jordan Parraz hit his second home run in the week. It was one of just three hits for the team. Down a run in the ninth, Reynaldo Rodriguez doubled to lead off the inning. AJ Pettersen bunted him to third base, but the team was unable to plate the game-tying run. Bruce Pugh was put on the disabled list. Cole Johnson and catcher Kyle Knudson were promoted to the Rock Cats. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Bradenton Marauders 0 Box Score Aderlin Mejia continues to impress with the Miracle, but it was different player who didn't start the season with the team who was the story tonight. In last year's draft the Twins selected Taylor Rogers in the 11th round out of the University of Kentucky. He began the season with the Kernels but was promoted to Ft. Myers at the start of this month. On this night, he worked seven shutout innings. He gave up seven hits, walked none and struck out seven to improve to 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.32 with the Miracle. Ryan O’Rourke returned to the Miracle bullpen and threw a scoreless inning. He struck out two. Matt Hauser struck out the side in the 9th. Photo by William Parmeter Mejia is supposed to be in Ft. Myers waiting for the Elizabethton season to start. If he keeps playing like he has, he may have to stick. In this game, he went 2-2 with three walks. He doubled for the fourth time and stole his eighth base. Eddie Rosario went 2-3 with two walks and his 10th double. Miguel Sano went 2-4 with his 14th double. Jhon Goncalves went 2-4 with his fourth double. Angel Morales was also 2-4. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Clinton LumberKings 4 Box Score The Kernels found a winning formula to end their six-game losing streak. They got some big hits, including a couple home runs, and a terrific start. Like Rogers and Baxendale, Mason Melotakis was a 2012 draft pick. He improved to 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA with seven strong innings in this game. He started with six shutout innings before yielding two runs in the seventh. In all, he gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out three. Tim Atherton pitched the eighth. He gave up two runs on a walk and a home run. Steven Gruver struck out two in a scoreless ninth. JD Williams led the offense. He went 3-4 with his fifth home run. Byron Buxton went 3-5. Travis Harrison knocked his eighth home run. Jorge Polanco hit his seventh triple. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Last week, we began to look at the Minnesota Twins organizational depth by looking at all of the outfielders and then all of the infielders in the in the system. Today, we return and take a look at all of the catchers. As with all spring trainings, a lot of catchers are needed just to catch bullpens and to allow players to gradually work up to squatting for nine innings.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] As we have done in the previous articles, we will consider which players may fill the rosters of the Twins minor league affiliates. Of course, this is all just an educated guess. As I’ve said, any of this could be altered by an unexpected free agent signing or a trade. For instance, if the Twins sign a big bat for their bench, the odds of a third catcher with the big league roster drops significantly. Sadly, not all of these players will remain in the organization beyond spring training. Some may wind up on the Disabled List. Others may find themselves looking for another job in baseball, or maybe not in baseball. Hopefully this list will remind you of which players are in the organization. So let’s get to it. Here are the Catchers in the Minnesota Twins organization: Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit (DH), Drew Butera In 2012, Manager Ron Gardenhire seemed to find the perfect mix among his catchers. Joe Mauer started 72 games behind the plate, 30 games at first base and DHed most of the other games on his way to career highs in games played and plate appearances. Ryan Doumit was the team’s primary DH, but he also started 52 games behind the plate as well as played some in the outfield. Having them in the lineup most days meant that Drew Butera was rarely a starter, just 27 games all season. Although Joe Mauer will want to catch some more in 2012, hopefully they will be able to maintain a similar balance and keep his bat in the lineup most days. Doumit also was able to stay healthy which will be important to the 2013 Twins. Butera remains the team’s third catcher, although it is possible he will being 2013 in Rochester, as he did a year ago. Rochester Red Wings Chris Herrmann, Eric Fryer, Danny Lehmann Chris Herrmann debuted with the Twins in mid-September after thinking his season was complete. He was able to record his first Major League hit, but he has had a rough spring training and will begin his first season in Triple A. The hope would be that he’ll hit a little bit and continue to improve his defense. He should also play some in the outfield and take over the third catcher role for the Twins by mid-season. Fryer is a 27-year-old backstop who has eight big league hits over the past two seasons. Lehmann is generally considered the top defensive catcher in the Twins system. He’s Butera without quite the arm. New Britain Rock Cats Josmil Pinto, Dan Rohlfing Rohlfing has had a very nice showing in big league camp this year. Of his four hits, two are doubles and one is a home run. He is an athletic catcher who plays left field well. He has also done well in his time at first base in the past week of spring training. Pinto had a breakout season in Ft. Myers in 2012 and ended it with a nice showing in his brief time with New Britain. For his efforts, the Twins re-signed him as a minor league free agent and then added him to the 40 man roster. Ft. Myers Miracle Kyle Knudson, Matt Koch, Jairo Rodriguez Kyle Knudson was invited to spring training after splitting 2012 between Beloit and Ft. Myers. For the first time since signing with the Twins after being drafted out of the University of Minnesota, he is healthy. Matt Koch started out the 2012 strong with the Beloit Snappers. He did a nice job behind the plate and also was the team’s DH sometimes. Jairo Rodriguez was the #2 catcher most of the year in Beloit a season ago. Cedar Rapids Kernels Jhonatan Arias, Tyler Grimes, Bo Altobelli, Bryan Santy Arias played primarily for Beloit in 2011, but he returned to Elizabethton in 2012 and finally put up some good offensive numbers. Grimes is likely to spend his third straight year (including his drafted year) in the Midwest League. However, he transitioned to catcher during the instructional league after the 2012 season and will continue to play there in 2013. Altobelli and Santy were both late round 2012 draft picks from colleges. Extended Spring Training/Short-Season Kelly Cross, Brian Compton, Jorge Fernandez, Joel Polanco, Michael Quesada (Suspended) Kelly Cross will be entering his fourth season in the organization. He spent two years in the GCL, and did move up to Elizabethton and played a little last year. He will have to take some major strides in 2013. Jorge Fernandez was a Twins draft pick in 2012 out of Puerto Rico. He has a chance to be solid, but patience will be needed. Brian Compton was signed a year ago for depth in the GCL and likely remains through EST for the same. Polanco is a 20-year-old who spent the last two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. Last year, he hit .254/.369/.381 (.749) with 15 doubles. He also threw out 56% of would-be base stealers. Quesada was drafted in 2010, and in 2012 made his first appearances in Elizabethton. Unfortunately, he received a 50 game suspension and he will need to serve that into the Elizabethton season, which will start in late June. TOP PROSPECTS 1.) Chris Herrmann, 2.) Dan Rohlfing, 3.) Jorge Fernandez, SUMMARY Fortunately the Twins have Joe Mauer locked up for the next half-dozen years. Ryan Doumit is likely to be around for two more seasons. Chris Herrmann is close and can fill a utility/catcher role for several years. Beyond that, there is not much in terms of upside catching prospects in the Twins system. If you have any further questions, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments Section! View full article

The Twins improved to 5-9 with a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Denard Span, Jamey Carroll and Joe Mauer each had two hits, but it was again Josh Willingham who played hero in this game. With the Twins down 4-2 in the 7th, the bases were loaded with two outs and Willingham came to the plate. With two strikes, Willingham drilled a opposite-field doubles to drive in three and give the Twins the lead. It extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Matt Maloney, Jared Burton, Brian Duensing and then Matt Capps finished out the game very well. Liam Hendriks started and gave up just one run through five innings. However, in the 6th inning, he gave up three runs, culminated by an Evan Longoria home run. The Twins are playing some exciting baseball, and the excitement is trickling down to the minor leagues. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday. Let's just say Miguel Sano had a pretty solid game![PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 5, LEHIGH VALLEY 2 The Red Wings got a big win against the International League’s top team on Friday night. PJ Walters improved to 2-1 with a decent start. In 5.1 innings, he gave up two runs on six hits. (He gave up back to back home runs in the 3rd inning to Derrick Mitchell and Tuffy Gosewisch.) He walked two and struck out three. Then the bullpen took over. Tyler Robertson got the two outs of the sixth inning. Jeff Manship pitched two scoreless innings. Casey Fien recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth. The Red Wings tied a season-high with 11 hits in this game. Michael Hollimon was 3-4. Drew Butera was 2-3 with a double and two RBI (in the three-run fifth inning). The RBI were his first since Opening Day. Darin Mastroianni was 2-4. Matt Rozzotti was 2-4. It was his third multi-hit game in his past three games. The Red Wings win pushes them back to .500, at 8-8. NEW BRITAIN 7, NEW HAMPSHIRE 3 This Friday afternoon ball game was tied 3-3 when the Rock Cats came to bat in the bottom of the eighth. With an out, Evan Bigley and Chris Colabello hit back-to-back doubles that gave the team the lead. One out later, Deibinson Romero walked and Pedro Florimon hit a three-run homer that broke that game open. Earlier in the game, it was Romero that supplied the offense. He also knocked a three-run homer. It was Romero’s third homer of the year while Florimon hit his second in as many games. James Beresford went 2-3. Luke French made the start for the Rock Cats. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits in five innings. He struck out three, but he walked an uncharacteristic six batters. Deolis Guerra struck out two in two scoreless innings. Daniel Turpen got the win as he struck out two in two innings. The Rock Cats improve to 11-5. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 3, BRADENTON 4 Adrian Salcedo and Gerrit Cole were matched up against each other in consecutive starts. Josmil Pinto hit a home run against Cole, and the Miracle scored all three of their runs against the talented right-hander who went the first five innings. Salcedo also went five innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits and three walks. He struck out four. Jhon Garcia gave up one run over the next two innings, a solo home to Drew Maggi. Matt Hauser gave up a hit and two walks but no runs in the 8th inning. The Miracle bats continue to struggle. In this game, they had just six hits. Pinto hit his first homer. Jairo Perez and Anderson Hidalgo each hit a double. Lance Ray was 1-2 with a walk and a stolen base. The loss is the fourth in a row for the Miracle, who drop to 6-8. BELOIT 13, SOUTH BEND 3 Big innings are always helpful for a baseball team. The Snappers scored four runs in the 4th inning, the 7th inning and the 9th inning and pulled away in this game. The Snappers scored their 13 runs on 15 hits and eight walks, but let’s start with the pitching. Lefty Jason Wheeler got the start. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and three walks. He struck out four. AJ Achter was good again, throwing two scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster threw the ninth. He gave up a run on one hit and three walks in the inning. OK, to the offense. Miguel Sano came into the game with six homers and a triple, but no doubles. In this game, he went 4-5 with a walk and his first three doubles of the season. JD Williams was 3-6. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with a walk. (Side Note – He also committed his fifth error.) Danny Ortiz had two hits. AJ Pettersen and Rory Rhodes each hit a double. Jhonathan Goncalves hit a triple. The Snappers jump back over .500 at 8-7. --- Players of the Day for Friday, April 20, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano Download attachment: Miguel Sano.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler Download attachment: Jason Wheeler.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, April 21, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley – LHP Scott Diamond New Britain vs New Hampshire – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers @ Bradenton – RHP Marty Popham Beloit @ South Bend – RHP Matt Summers --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

The news came from Twins PR Director Dustin Morse following Sunday's win in Cleveland. Kyle Gibson will be promoted to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday and will make his major league debut on Saturday at Target Field. Sunday's winning pitcher, Pedro Hernandez, was sent back to Triple-A. Gibson has been a big conversation piece for Twins fans throughout the season. There has been his recovery from Tommy John surgery. There is talk of an innings limit. There has been talk of Consistency. All the rumor and speculation can end now with Gibson getting the call. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In Rochester, he has made 15 starts. He is 7-5 with a 3.01 ERA. In 92.2 innings, he has given up 78 hits, walked 29 and struck out 79. He was very inconsistent through the season's first ten starts, alternating good and bad starts. Since then, aside from one clunker, he has been terrific. The Kyle Gibson Era is about to start, and Twins fans should be excited. View full article

Typically, the full season minor league affiliates do not have games scheduled for the night of the All-Star game. However, the New Britain Rock Cats played the middle game of a three-game series at Harisburg. And earlier in the day, the Gulf Coast League Twins played a game. The story of the day was that there were many minor league transactions throughout the system, and frankly, several more must be in the works. Here is what we have as this is written: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] LHP Edgar Ibarra has been promoted from New Britain to Rochester. OF Evan Bigley, LHP Ryan O’Rourke and LHP Jose Gonzalez have been promoted to New Britain from Ft. Myers. C Kyle Knudson went from New Britain to Ft. Myers. OF JD Williams, 1B Dalton Hicks, LHP Steven Gruver and RHP Tyler Jones were promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. C Jairo Rodriguez was sent back from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. RHP Dallas Gallant and RHP Tim Shibuya have been moved from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids. Here is a look at what happened in the two Twins games in the farm system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings No Game Scheduled. New Britain 4, Harrisburg 6 Box Score Lefty Pat Dean has pitched quite well of late, but this start didn't go so well for him. In 3.2 innings, he gave up five runs on nine hits. He walked two and struck out two. Tom Stuifbergen came on and after a walk, got the final out. BJ Hermsen gave up one run on five hits in 2.1 innings. Edgar Ibarra then gave up one hit and struck one out in 0.2 innings. Dakota Watts gave up two hits and a walk but no runs in his inning. Nate Hanson led the offense. He was 2-3 with two walks and his 17th AA double. Danny Santana was 2-4 with a walk. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with his ninth double. Jordan Parraz went 2-4 with his seventh home run. Josmil Pinto doubled for the 22nd time. Angel Morales went 1-2 with two walks and his second stolen base. Ft. Myers Miracle No Game Scheduled. Cedar Rapids Kernels No Game Scheduled. Elizabethton Twins No Game Scheduled. GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 11 Box Score Looking at the game score, and then finding out that Kohl Stewart made the start might give you pause. But, the Twins top pick threw three shutout innings. He gave up two hits and walked a batter but did not allow a run; he struck out two. In his two starts, he has now thrown six shutout innings. Brandon Easton came on and gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Miguel Gonzalez was next and he gave up five runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. He struck out one. Zach Hayden got the final out of the 6th inning after giving up one hit. Reyson Zoquiel gave up one run on two hits in his inning. He struck out two. Josh Guyer pitched one inning and gave up one run on a solo homer. He struck out two. Although they scored just two runs, the GCL Twins hitters did combine for nine hits. Zach Larson went 2-5 with his fifth double. Engelb Vielma went 2-4 with a walk. Chad Christensen also doubled for the third point. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

The Twins lost on Saturday afternoon to Max Scherzer and the Detroit Tigers. Justin Morneau’s ninth home run tied the game at two in the second inning. Unfortunately, in the top of the 5th, Carl Pavano gave up six straight hits (5 singles and a double) and gave up four runs. Denard Span cut the lead to 6-3 with his first home run of the season, but that was it. The Twins were able to get no closer and lost 6-3. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Span had a double and the home run. Ben Revere went 3-4 in the game. However, the rest of the lineup managed just three hits. The Twins tied a club record with 16 strikeouts in the game. Josh Willingham led the way with for strikeouts. Brian Dozier and Drew Butera each had three. On Sunday, the Twins will send PJ Walters to the mound in hopes that he can duplicate his last outing, a complete game. The bullpen could use that. Walters (2-1, 2.95 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) will face RHP Rick Porcello (3-4, 5.29 ERA, 1.47 WHIP). Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Saturday: ROCHESTER 2, GWINNETT 4 Luke French got the starting nod for the Red Wings on Saturday afternoon. The left-hander gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out six. Deolis Guerra took the loss. He gave up two runs on two hits and a loss in two innings. Michael Hollimon went 3-4 with his third home run of the season. Sean Burroughs went 2-3 with a walk. Following the game, Jeff Manship learned he was being promoted to the Twins. He was scheduled to start for the Red Wings on Sunday afternoon. The team may need to have a bullpen game. NEW BRITAIN 3, PORTLAND 4 (Completion of Suspended Game) As mentioned yesterday, Andrew Albers threw four scoreless innings on Friday night before the game was suspended due to fog. Brad Thompson came on when the game was resumed on Saturday afternoon. The righty gave up two runs on five hits in 2.2 innings. He walked none and struck out three. Daniel Turpen gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in one innings. He struck out two. Bobby Lanigan came in and got the final out. Matt Rizzotti was 3-4 with his second double in the game. Chris Colabello hit his seventh home run. NEW BRITAIN 3, PORTLAND 4 (Regularly Scheduled Game) The regularly scheduled game started well for the Rock Cats. Evan Bigley launched a big, three-run home run in the top of the first inning gave the team a 3-0 lead. Unfortunately, the homer was one of just two hits the team had in this game. Steve Hirschfeld started and gave up three runs on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out five. Luis Perdomo came in to start the bottom of the 7th inning. He got two outs, but he couldn’t get the third out before allowing the winning run. He gave up two hits and walked one. FT. MYERS 6, PALM BEACH 5 Danny Santana came into the game as a pinch hitter for Jairo Perez who was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 9th. Oswaldo Arcia attempted a bunt on the first pitch to him, but three pitches later he hit a double down the right field line. Santana raced to 3B, and when the cutoff play was bobbled, Santana headed toward home with the walk-off win. The game was delayed, so it didn’t even start until just after 9:00 eastern time. The game finished minutes after midnight on Sunday morning. Jhon Garcia got the start and gave up two runs on three hits in three innings. He walked two and struck out five. He left with an apparent elbow injury although details are not yet known. Edgar Ibarra gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out three. Ricky Bowen came in and went the final 2.2 innings without giving up a run, a hit or a walk. He struck out three and gets the Win. Arcia led the offense with his 12th and 13th doubles. Michael Gonzales went 1-2 with two walks and a two run homer, his fourth of the year in the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, Lancy Ray hit a solo homer, his sixth of the season. The Miracle had seven hits, walked seven times and twice reached after being hit by a pitch. BELOIT 1, KANE COUNTY 5 The Snappers lost the first game of their road trip on Saturday night. Adam Bryant went 2-4 with his seventh double. Miguel Sano was 1-3 with a walk, his tenth double and fourth stolen base. He also committed his 16th and 17th errors. Lefty Steven Gruver started for the Snappers and gave up five runs (just one earned) on four hits and four walks in three innings. He struck out three. Australian righty Tim Atherton made his Snappers debut and threw three perfect innings, with four strikeouts. David Hurlbut struck out two in two scoreless innings. Matthew Tomshaw was placed on the 7-Day Disabled List, with Atherton taking his roster spot. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, May 26, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Tim Atherton Download attachment: Tim Atherton.jpg Hitter of the Day – Michael Hollimon Download attachment: Michael Hollimon.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, May 27, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Gwinnett – TBD (Jeff Manship was to start, but he’s been promoted) New Britain @ Portland – LHP Logan Darnell Ft. Myers vs Palm Beach – LHP Pat Dean Beloit @ Kane County – LHP Jason Wheeler --- 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

Tommy Watkins has been in the Twins organization since 1998 when he was the team's 38th round draft pick of the Twins. He spent two seasons in the Gulf Coast League, one year in Elizabethton and one year in Quad Cities. He spent two years playing for his hometown Ft. Myers Miracle. After two-and-a-half seasons with New Britain, he was promoted to Rochester. He spent three-and-a-half seasons there before retiring. However, in late 2007, all the time and all the work paid off when he was called into his manager's office and told he was going to the big leagues. He played in nine games for the Twins and hit .357 (10-28). Watkins is now in his third season as the hitting coach of the Beloit Snappers where this year he gets to work with a team that is currently four games ahead of its nearest competition in its division. Tonight, I was joined by Watkins on the SethSpeaks Weekly Twins podcast. We talked about his career, but mainly about his coaching with the Snappers. We talked about Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, AJ Pettersen and more players. It was a fun conversation.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I was also joined by Ed Thoma of the Mankato Free Press who writes a terrific blog called The Baseball Outsider. Then TwinsCentric and Twins Daily's own Parker Hageman came on to talk about more Twins topics. He also let us in on some Twins Daily 'stuff' that you'll likely be reading about here in the near future. Check out the podcast here. Download attachment: TommyWatkins.jpg Click here to view the article

This much can be said. When the Rochester Red Wings have been in absolute need of a win, the bats have come through in big style. It has also helped to have Scott Diamond making those starts. That was again the case on Saturday night in Pawtucket. As you recall, on Labor Day, the final day of the regular season, the Red Wings needed to win and get a loss from Norfolk. Durham helped the Twins by beating the Tide in extra innings. The Red Wings scored nine first inning runs and beat Scranton/Wilkes Barre 13-3 behind a quality start from Diamond. On Friday, the Paw Sox topped the Red Wings to take a 2-1 series lead in this best of five series. That meant that the Red Wings were in a must-win situation in Game 4, and they would send Diamond to the mound. How did it go... See below! (or look at the title of this article) Diamond came through with seven shutout innings for the Red Wings. He gave up seven hits, walked none and struck out eight batters in the game. He had been 4-0 with a 2.41 ERA in the regular season with the Red Wings. After a scoreless eighth inning, AJ Achter gave up a run on two walks and a hit in the ninth for a final 9-1 score. Download attachment: Scott Diamond2.jpg The offense came up big again in a big game, and they were able to coast somewhat after a big fifth inning to break open the game and give them an 8-0 lead. The Anatomy of the Big Inning The Red Wings were up just 2-0 going into the fifth inning against Red Sox first-round pick Matt Barnes. Ray Olmedo and Eric Fryer led off with back-to-back singles. Following a wild pitch, Antoan Richardson walked to load the bases and end Barnes' night. In came Alex Wilson to face James Beresford. He got a ground ball back to himself, but a throwing error scored a run and kept the bases loaded. Eduardo Escobar singled to score one more run. With the bases loaded, Jeff Clement drove in two with an opposite field double. Deibinson Romero singled to score Escobar. An Aaron Hicks double scored one more. Wilson got a strikeout for the inning's first out, but his night was done. Jose de La Torres came on and got the final two outs. All nine Red Wings starters had at least one hit in the game. Clement led the way. He went 3-5 with two doubles and drove in three runs. Deibinson Romero was 3-4 with a walk and a double. Eric Farris was the only other hitter with two hits. On- base machine Antoan Richardson was back in the leadoff spot and went 1-3 with two walks. With the Jacoby Ellsbury foot issues, the Red Sox called up outfielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., following Game 3. What's Next? Game 5 will be played on Sunday afternoon at 12:05 (central time). According to play-by-play man Josh Whetzel, the Red Wings will likely send Virgil Vasquez to the mound opposite knuckleballer Charlie Haeger. Click here to view the article

The Twins lost again, this time to the Tigers. They scored six runs on ten hits which should be enough most of the time. Unfortunately, Anthony Swarzak wasn’t feeling well and it showed. He gave up six runs and didn’t get through the fourth inning. Francisco Liriano gave up four more runs without completing three innings. Denard Span had three hits including two doubles, but it just wasn’t enough. Ron Gardenhire was ejected moments after Jamey Carroll was ejected for the first time in his career. Gardy wasn’t the only manager in the Twins organization to be ejected, and Carroll wasn’t the only player. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 8, GWINNETT 13 Matt Maloney made his first start of the season, and it wasn’t what he would have wanted. The lefty gave up five runs on six hits in three innings. He had no walks and no strikeouts. Esmerling Vasquez tossed the next two innings and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. He struckout four. Lester Oliveros took the loss. He gave up two runs on three hits in 1.2 innings. Tyler Robertson gave up a hit but got the final out of the 7th inning. Brendan Wise pitched the eighth and gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and two walks. The Red Wings offense got off to a fast start. They scored five runs in the first frame and two in the second to take a 7-2 lead, but that would be about it. Sean Burroughs had two doubles and drove in four early runs. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was 2-5 with a walk and his fourth steal. Pedro Florimon and Matt Carson each had two hits. Danny Valencia had a two-run double. Unfortunately, he didn’t play after being ejected in the 4th inning for arguing balls and strikes. NEW BRITAIN 1, PORTLAND 0 (Game Suspended after 4 innings) It’s not every day that it happens, but the game in Maine was postponed by fog. Andrew Albers started and threw the four shutout innings. He had given up two hits, walked two and struck out six before the game was suspended. The Rock Cats bats managed only a single from Matt Rizzotti in their four innings. The game will be continued on Saturday, followed by the regularly-scheduled game (Which will be just 7 innings). FT. MYERS 2, CLEARWATER 6 The bats didn’t hit, and the arms didn’t pitch. Overall, this was just not a good game for the Miracle. The team managed just two hits. Josmil Pinto was 1-3 with a walk. In the fifth inning, he hit his fourth home run of the year. Levi Michael started the game by going 0-3 and dropped his batting average to .200. In his fourth at bat, he got a single to raise it to .205. Miguel Munoz got another start. The right-hander went the first five frames and gave up three runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out two. Cole Nelson gave up one run on two hits and two walks in his three innings. Nelvin Fuentes then gave up two unearned runs on two hits in the final inning. BELOIT 4, CEDAR RAPIDS 5 (12 innings) It took extra innings and a play at the plate, but the Snappers fell 5-4 to Cedar Rapids at home. Tim Shibuya got the starting nod. He gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out three. Ryan O’Rourke came in and gave up a run on three hits in two innings. He struck out three. Michael Tonkin struck out two and walked two in two scoreless innings. Clint Dempster threw two scoreless innings before giving up a single run in the top of the 12th to take the loss. Kyle Knudson led the offense. The former Gopher went 2-5 with a walk and his first double. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with a walk. Drew Leachman had two hits. Adam Bryant was 1-3 with two walks and his sixth double. Bryant led off the bottom of the 12th inning with a double and advanced to third on a bunt. Leachman came up and grounded toward shortstop. In a close play at the plate, Bryant was called out and at that point, Snappers manager Nelson Prada was ejected. One batter later, the game was over. Miguel Sano Update – Sano led off the top of the 10th inning with a single. It was his first hit since Thursday, May 17, when he hit a single in the 7th inning. It was an 0-24 stretch. Sano’s struggles of late have been well documented. Since getting the day off on his birthday (May 11), Sano has played 13 games and gone 4-45 (.089). In his last ten games, he is 2-36 (.056). I mention these numbers not to downgrade Sano. He is no less of a prospect because of a bad streak. Most prospects, especially 19-year-old prospects, have these types of stretches. My point is that if he had started the season on a bad streak like this, would fans be clamoring for him to be promoted to Ft. Myers? --- Players of the Day for Friday, May 25, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers Download attachment: AndrewAlbers.jpg Hitter of the Day – Sean Burroughs Download attachment: SeanBurroughs.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, May 26, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Gwinnett – LHP Luke French New Britain @ Portland – RHP Steve Hirschfeld Ft. Myers vs Palm Beach – RHP Jhon Garcia Beloit @ Kane County – 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

Miguel Sano did not play for the third straight game due to a tight hamstring. The Twins announced they expect 2013 top pick Kohl Stewart to pitch in about 8-10 days; Stewart was placed on the DL August 2 with a cut on his foot. On the other hand, Byron Buxton returned to the Ft. Myers lineup after missing about a week after losing a toe nail. Wilkin Ramirez played for New Britain. Darin Mastroianni, it was announced, will head to Rochester by Tuesday to continue his rehab. There, he will be joined by Josh Willingham. The Twins will call up a starting pitcher for their double header on Friday, and the belief is that it will be Liam Hendriks. Also, according to Baseball America, the Twins have signed Ivory Thomas, their 34th round draft pick from June and an outfielder from Cal St. Dominguez Hills. Check out what else happened in the Twins minor league system Sunday: Rochester 4, Syracuse 5 Box Score The Red Wings had another opportunity for late-game dramatics, but former Red Wings (and Twins) reliever Tyler Robertson got the final two out to record his second save with the Chiefs. Liam Hendriks started and gave up five runs (4 earned) on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Two of the runs scored as a result of a misplay in the outfield. AJ Achter came on and walked three and struck out four in 2.2 hitless, scoreless innings. Luis Perdomo gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth. Chris Parmelee led the offense. He went 3-5 with his fourth double. Eduardo Escobar was 2-4 with a walk and his first triple. Jeff Clement went 2-5 and drove in two more runs. Aaron Hicks was also 2-5. New Britain 5, Erie 9 Box Score I think it is fair to say that it was not a great day for Trevor May. The right hander pitched a scoreless first inning. That's the good. However, he gave up five runs in the second and three more in the third. In total, he gave up eight runs on eight hits and five walks in 2.2 innings. He struck out three. Cole Johnson came on and gave up one hit and one walk over the next 2.1 innings; he struck out two. Dan Sattler came in and got two outs, but he also walked three. Ryan O’Rourke got the final out of the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh. Dakota Watts gave up one run on four hits over two innings. Jordan Parraz led the offense. He went 3-3 with his ninth home run and three RBI. Dan Rohlfing was 3-5. Evan Bigley was 2-4 with a walk. Ft. Myers 6, Tampa 7 Box Score The Miracle headed into the ninth inning with a three-run lead. They had Tyler Jones on the mound. Jones had pitched a scoreless eighth. With the Miracle, he had not yet given up a run; he also did not up give up a run in all July. Unfortunately, he gave up four runs on four hits and got just one out in the ninth in taking the loss. He left with the tying runner on second base. Zach Jones came in, the runner stole third, and then scored the winning run on a wild pitch. It was a tough loss after the game went so well through the first eight innings. Matt Tomshaw provided a quality start. He yielded three runs on six hits and two walks in six innings; he struck out three. Nelvin Fuentes came on and walked two in a scoreless seventh inning. He also struck out two. Byron Buxton returned to the lineup for the first time in a week. He went 0-2, but walked three times and stole his seventh base; he was caught stealing for the third time. JD Williams, batting third for the Miracle after batting ninth most of the season in Cedar Rapids, went 1-2 with three walks. Jairo Rodriguez went 3-4. Aderlin Mejia went 2-5. Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 2 Box Score Carlos Correa gave Quad Cities a 2-1 lead with a single in the top of the 9th inning. It was his third hit of the game and, at the time, gave him more hits than the Kernels (3-2). However, the Kernels did get to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, and hit they did. With one out, Jorge Polanco singled. Adam Walker followed with a single, and an error on the outfielder pushed Walker to third base. Max Kepler walked, and with two outs, Joel Licon came up and drilled a single down the left field line to give the Kernels a 3-2 win. Jake Mauer didn’t get to see the end of the game as he was ejected in the 4th inning after a hitter’s interference call. Download attachment: Joel Licon.jpg JO Berrios made the start for the Kernels, and the start could be accurately described as “Damage Control.” The young right-hander gave up just one run over six innings. It’s remarkable because he gave up five hits and walked six. He struck out three. Brandon Bixler came on and gave up one hit and walked one in a scoreless inning. He struck out one. Madison Boer went the final two innings and gave up one run on three hits. Elizabethton 2, Johnson City 7 Box Score Felix Jorge was hit pretty hard, though he was not helped by three errors from his E-Twins infielders. He gave up six runs (3 earned) on eight hits over five innings. He did strike out five and walked none. Austin Malinowski came on and struck out two in two perfect innings. Ethan Mildren gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Shane Turner went 2-4 with his third and fourth doubles. Zach Granite went 2-5. He now has a seven game hitting streak. Over his past three games, he is 7-14 (.500). Bryan Haar hit his 10th double. GCL Twins No Sunday games scheduled. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Robby Incmikoski.jpg There have been many changes around the Minnesota Twins. When games start up again next season, you will also notice a change on the Twins telecasts in 2013. After four years as a sideline reporter for Fox Sports North, Robby Incmikoski is leaving FSN. Of course, unlike some of the changes with the Twins, this decision is fully his own. He has accepted a similar job with Root Sports in Pittsburgh. In a phone conversation last night, Incmikoski said that he will remain with FSN through the end of the month, keeping busy working Timberwolves games. (photo FoxSportsNorth.com)[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] According to Incmikoski, “I'm headed to do the Pirates in the same position. I will be a pregame reporter for the Penguins as well, but no travel.” The move makes sense for him in many ways. It allows him to be much closer to his family in Philadelphia. It is also a good opportunity for him professionally. In his time at FSN, Incmikoski worked Twins, Timberwolves and Wild games. There were many times he would be working a game a night for two to three weeks straight, traveling from city to city. It’s certainly understandable that he would enjoy a job with much less travel during the hockey season! Incmikoski added, “I love Fox Sports North and am extremely thankful for the chance they gave me.” After a year of Telly Hughes, Twins fans should be very thankful for the years that the hard-working Incmikoski provided insight into our homes via Fox Sports North. Best Wishes, Robby! Click here to view the article

There are a million ways to try to prepare for an upcoming season. In just four days, the Minnesota Twins will be at Target Field taking on the division-favorite Detroit Tigers. Everyone knows that the Twins starting pitchers will not be able to compete on paper with the other pitchers in the division, but what about the hitters? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let's check out the projected starters for the AL Central teams and compare them by position. Below, I'll go position-by-position with my ranking of the players. In the comments, be sure to post your rankings, and let's see how we did at the end of the year. Catchers Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins Carlos Santana - Cleveland Indians Salvador Perez - Kansas City Royals Alex Avila - Detroit Tigers Tyler Flowers - Chicago White Sox First Basemen Prince Fielder - Detroit Tigers Justin Morneau - Minnesota Twins Nick Swisher - Cleveland Indians Paul Konerko - Chicago White Sox Eric Hosmer - Kansas City Royals Second Basemen Jason Kipnis - Cleveland Indians Gordon Beckham - Chicago White Sox Omar Infante - Detroit Tigers Brian Dozier - Minnesota Twins Chris Getz - Kansas City Royals Third Basemen Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers Mike Moustakus - Kansas City Royals Trevor Plouffe - Minnesota Twins Lonnie Chisenhall - Cleveland Indians Jeff Keppinger - Chicago White Sox Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera - Cleveland Indians Alexi Ramirez - Chicago White Sox Jhonny Peralta - Detroit Tigers Alcides Escobar - Kansas City Pedro Florimon - Minnesota Twins Left Field Alex Gordon - Kansas City Josh Willingham - Minnesota Twins Dayan Viciedo - Chicago White Sox Michael Brantley - Cleveland Indians Andy Dirks - Detroit Tigers Center Field Austin Jackson - Detroit Tigers Michael Bourn - Cleveland Indians Aaron Hicks - Minnesota Twins Alejandro de Aza - Chicago White Sox Lorenzo Cain - Kansas City Royals Right Field Torii Hunter - Detroit Tigers Alex Rios - Chicago White Sox Jeff Francoer - Kansas City Royals Drew Stubbs - Cleveland Indians Chris Parmelee - Minnesota Twins Designated Hitter Billy Butler - Kansas City Royals Victor Martinez - Detroit Tigers Adam Dunn - Chicago White Sox Ryan Doumit - Minnesota Twins Mark Reynolds - Cleveland Indians So, there you have the postional rankings for the AL Century. Based on my rankings, if I were to add up the total numbers (of their placement within each position), there is a clear-cut paper projection winner. That is the Detriot Tigers. So, the Tigers have a starting staff of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Anibal Sanchez, Doug Fister and Rick Porcello, yet their offense will also be strong. Miguel Cabrera is coming off of a Triple Crown season. Prince Fielder was terrific in his debut season in Detroit. The also are adding Torii Hunter and they'll return the potent bat of Victor offense. On offense, the Twins are right with the rest of the division and with any pitching will help lead to some more wins in 2013. Here are my rankings: Detroit Tigers - 21 Cleveland Indians - 26 Kansas City Royals - 29 Minnesota Twins - 29 Chicago White Sox - 30 So again, how would you rank all of the positions, and how does your team, or your favorite? View full article

The Twins got a Quality Start from Jason Marquis, but the bullpen struggled mightily and in the end, it was too much Felix Hernandez as the Mariners topped the Twins 7-0. The King went eight shutout innings against the Twins and allowed just one hit, a ground ball single between first and second base in the fourth inning. It was the third time in their last four games that the Twins have been shutout. Earlier in the day, the Twins did announce that Justin Morneau’s wrist was not getting better and he will be put on the Disabled List. Check out the Rochester report below to see a couple of Red Wings coming up to the Twins on Monday. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Saturday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] GAME 1 - ROCHESTER 2, BUFFALO 1 PJ Walters gave the Red Wings exactly what they needed in Game 1 on Saturday. He was able to pitch all seven innings. Even better, he gave up just one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven. And as a bonus, he improves to 3-1 with the win. The team needed the great pitching performance because the offense managed just six hits in the game. Matt Rizzotti picked up his fourth double. Brian Dozier collected the game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 5th inning. GAME 2 - ROCHESTER 5, EMPIRE STATE 0 The second game became a bullpen game. Brendan Wise started and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up three this, walked two and struck out two. Deolis Guerra came in and struck out four over 2.1, one-hit innings. Tyler Robertson got the second out of the sixth inning. Anthony Slama came in and got the final out of the 6th inning and three outs in the 7th to record his seventh save. He walked one and struck out two. Darin Mastroianni was the leadoff hitter and went 2-3 with a walk and his first double. He also stole his eighth base. He also played run producer in this game with four RBI. Aaron Bates was 2-3 with his fourth double. Ray Chang walked twice. Since their eight-game losing streak ended, the Red Wings have now won four games in a row and can enjoy an off day on Sunday. Following the game, according to the Rochester Baseball Observer, manager Gene Glynn informed Scott Diamond and Brian Dozier that they were being promoted to the Twins. NEW BRITAIN 5, PORTLAND 0 David Bromberg appears to be back in a role the suits him and the results have been tremendous. Bromberg made another start and threw five more scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out five. Caleb Thielbar threw two innings and gave up just one hit. Luis Perdomo struck out two in two scoreless innings. The Rock Cats got a big, two-run triple off the bat of Estarlin de los Santos. Danny Lehmann went 1-1 with two walks and an RBI. Aaron Hicks went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI. More On Bromberg – Bromberg started the season by giving up nine runs in his first two innings. Since then, he has thrown 15 innings and given up just one run. More Bad News – It was announce that Alex Wimmers has a partial tear in his UCL, and that they will attempt to rest and then rehab it. FT. MYERS 3, LAKELAND 4 (11 innings) Last start, Adrian Salcedo was hit in the face by a one-hopper and broke his nose. He still made his next scheduled start. The righty went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked none and struck out two. (It is also great to see zero walks because in his pre-broken nose start, he walked five and had as many walks as strikeouts on the season) Nelvin Fuentes came in and gave up one run on two hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came in and was terrific, but he still gets the loss. He gave up one run (in the 11th) on three hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out five. Danny Santana went 2-5. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. BELOIT 4, KANE COUNTY 7 The Snappers played a double header in Cedar Rapids on Friday night, drove almost four hours back to Beloit, and then played an early-afternoon game on Saturday. Tim Shibuya was on the mound to start. He gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk. He struck out. Unfortunately, two of the three hits were home runs. He did leave with the lead. Ryan O’Rourke came in and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in two innings. Corey Williams pitched the ninth and gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-2 with two walks. Tyler Grimes was 2-4 with his eighth double. Drew Leachman went 2-4 with his first stolen base. Miguel Sano was 1-4 with a walk and his eighth double. Sano is on fire with the bat of late, but his glove has gone quite cold of late. In this game, he committed three errors and now has ten errors on the season. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, May 5, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – PJ Walters Download attachment: PJ Walters.jpg Hitter of the Day – Darin Mastroianni Download attachment: Darin Mastroianni2.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, May 6, 2012 Schedule Rochester – No Game Scheduled New Britain vs Portland – RHP BJ Hermsen Ft. Myers vs Lakeland – RHP Marty Popham Beloit vs Kane County – LHP Jason Wheeler --- 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

It’s the same with every team in every city, be it the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox , the Seattle Mariners, the Houston Astros, or the Minnesota Twins. Each team has fans that are willing to be patient, think logically and give the benefit of the doubt to players and front office personnel whose jobs are much tougher than it looks on TV. Each team has fans that are ready to jump off of a bridge with every loss, feeling the need to place blame on someone, a player, the manager, a hitting coach or the front office. And of course most fans lie somewhere on the spectrum in between those two extremes. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There are the fans who (semi-) jokingly suggest that the Twins will go 0-162. Well, to them, some might say, “Maybe they’ll go 158-4!” There are those that are very impressed with the stability that Jamey Carroll has brought to the shortstop position in the first four games. The other side will say, “Sure, but he can’t hit.” Then the other side will respond with, “but he’s already got three walks and has taken many very good at bats. He isn’t a power guy, but he does get on base!” Josh Willingham has a ton of brute power. He’s hit both of the Twins home runs so far, and just missed a third yesterday when the ball hooked just foul down the left field line. He is a right-handed Jim Thome and we should expect commercials with him walking around with a big, blue ox soon (at least when he gets done bowling!). Others will point out that he has two errors already and does a nice job of turning doubles into triples. The team is hitting just .153 through four games. Only Cleveland has a lower batting average. Some will say that the offense was overrated. Others will say that Joe Mauer won’t hit .150 this year. Jamey Carroll will hit and get on base. Ryan Doumit can hit. The offense will be fine. In reality, it’s probably somewhere in between. As good as Carroll’s and Doumit’s track records are, no one can predict the future, especially when switching leagues and being over 30, etc. The word “fan” comes from the word “Fanatic.” We all know that. But the definition of ‘fan’ can vary for every person. Some feel an obligation as a fan to bash every decision that a player, manager, coach or front office makes. Some fans are just fine with all of the decisions that a team makes, trusting that they have experience and know what they’re doing. Again, most are somewhere in between. For me, there have been plenty of moves that I haven’t agree with over the past few years, and yet, I’m willing to give the player and the GM the benefit of the doubt until I’m proven right or wrong. For instance, when the Twins traded Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps in 2010, it really upset me. No Twins blogger or prospect-ranker was higher on Ramos than I was. In fact, I had a blog back in 2008 when Ramos was still playing in High-A Ft. Myers, I first laid out my plan for 2012 that included splitting catching and DH time between Ramos and Joe Mauer. I was generally bashed for my feelings at the time. Ramos may never been an All-Star, but he would have been a nice piece to still have. I didn’t like Capps at the time of the trade, and yet, he did very well for the Twins in 2010. I wasn’t surprised when he pitched poorly in 2011, and I was shocked when the Twins brought him back in 2012 and gave up a draft pick. Then again, I’m willing to see how it turns out, and I certainly hope that Wilson Ramos pitches great. On the other side, I was a huge proponent of the Twins signing Mike Lamb before the 2008 season. They signed him for two years and $6.6 million. He was coming off of two straight seasons with an OPS over .820. He was only 32, and although no one expected him to be great, we certainly expected more than a .598 OPS in half of a season. There are no absolutes in baseball, at least not when it comes to free agency or other transactions. So, ask yourself… what kind of fan are you? If the “everything the team does is correct” belief is a TEN, and a “nothing this team does is right” is a ONE, what is your level of fandom? There is no right or wrong answer to this. It is OK to question decisions that the team makes. It is OK to give the team the benefit of the doubt. Does your fandom change when the team is winning versus losing? Should it? At the end of the day, what kind of fan are you, and what kind of fan do you want to be? Download attachment: TwinsFans.jpg Click here to view the article

When we heard the sad and unfortunate news on Monday afternoon that Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez has an elbow sprain, it made me feel awful. The assumption (true or not) is that sometime in the near future, he will have Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of this season and likely some of the 2015 season. If you’re a real, true baseball fan (and let’s face it, if you’re reading this web site, you are), you want to see the best performing. Jose Fernandez, despite being just 21 years old, is one of the best. Fernandez is just the most recent example of what has become an epidemic over the last couple of years. “Everyone” is having Tommy John surgery. No team, including the Twins, is immune to this surgical procedure. Fifteen Major League pitchers have already had Tommy John surgery in the last two months. Download attachment: Jose Fernandez TJ.jpg Jose Fernandez photo by Steve Mitchell IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE The Atlanta Braves have long been touted as an organization that develops pitching talent, and they are. This year, they have had no fewer than four Tommy John surgeries including a couple of big leaguers and a top prospect. Brandon Beachy and Kyle Medlen both had their second Tommy John surgeries this spring. Many like to tout the Tampa Bay Rays organization as the one to emulate, and they certainly do a lot of things well. They are said to have some special things that they do medically to study how to keep players healthy. Jeremy Hellickson hasn’t had Tommy John surgery, but he has missed a lot of time the last couple of seasons. Matt Moore, another one of baseball’s best young pitchers, had Tommy John surgery last month. Baseball America’s JJ Cooper tweeted last night that from 2010 through 2012, 15 high school pitchers were drafted. If Fernandez has Tommy John Surgery, he will be the sixth in that group. Two others on currently on the DL with elbow or forearm issues, and one had hip surgery. Count Dylan Bundy and Jameson Taillon among those who have already had the surgery. The two that are on the DL right now with elbow issues are Top 50 prospects Archie Bradley and Max Fried. Max Fried’s high school teammate, Lucas Giolito, had Tommy John while still in high school and still was a first-round pick. Two possible Top 10 2014 draft picks, Jeff Hoffmann (East Carolina) and Erick Fedde (UNLV), have or soon will have Tommy John surgery. And both still could get drafted in the first round. TOMMY JOHN AND THE TWINS Tommy John was a Minnesota Twins TV broadcaster from 1994 through 1996. Unfortunately, that is not the only connection to the Twins. The Twins have been affected in one way or another by Tommy John surgery over the past decade. I went back ten years of Twins and Twins minor league rosters and here is a list of guys who have had Tommy John surgery before, during or after their Twins career (This is not necessarily complete): Brian Duensing – in College at NebraskaMike Pelfrey – with Mets before coming to Twins as free agent.Kyle Gibson – in minor leagues, in September 2011Lester Oliveros – in September 2012Samuel Deduno – in 2008 with RockiesCorey Williams – on April 1, 2014Alex Wimmers – in minor leagues, in August 2012JT Chargois – in minor leagues, in August 2013Dallas Gallant – in minor leagues, 2011Andrew Ferreria – in college at HarvardJeff Manship – in college at Notre DameFrancisco Liriano – with Twins in November 2006Pat Neshek – with Twins in November 2008Scott Baker – with Twins in April 2012Carlos Silva – with Cubs in 2012Andrew Albers – with Padres in 2009Joe Mays – with Twins in 2003Kyle Waldrop – with Pirates in 2013Matt Maloney – with Twins in July 2012Carl Pavano – with Yankees in 2007Joe Nathan – with Twins in March 2010Bobby Korecky – in minors with Twins in 2005Matt Bashore – in minors in 2010Tom Stuifbergen – in minors in July 2013Carlos Gutierrez – in minors in collegeJhon Garcia – in minors in April 2013Dan Sattler – in minors in August 2012Brian Kirwan – in minors in 2006This list also does not include a couple of hitters. Remember Matt Macri? He made his Major League debut with the Twins in 2008 after coming to the team from the Rockies organization. They had drafted him in 2001 out of high school, but he went to Notre Dame. A shortstop, he had Tommy John surgery in 2004. And, of course, the big news this spring in Ft. Myers came when the Twins announced that Miguel Sano would have Tommy John surgery and miss most, if not all, of the 2014 season. WHY, OH WHY? So many fans seem to have a solution to this problem or what they would do to try to keep players from needing Tommy John surgery. That’s funny, of course, since the medical profession has not yet determined any preventative measures to avoid Tommy John surgery. Aside from not becoming a baseball pitcher, there are several theories out there right now about why there seems to be this influx of Tommy John surgeries. However, I’m not going to pretend to know with any certainty. I happen to agree with those who say that some pitchers do too much upper body weight lifting which creates less flexibility and more stress on the ligaments.I wouldn’t be surprised if specialization in high school (playing one sport year-round rather than playing two or three sports) has some correlation too. Of course, you will find examples on both sides of this as well.I don’t necessarily think pitch counts alone determines if a pitcher will eventually require Tommy John surgery.We have seen pitchers with “perfect” mechanics have Tommy John surgery, and we have seen pitchers with “poor” mechanics have long careers.TNSTAAPP – There’s No Such Thing As a Pitching Prospect. Eerily, that acronym is becoming more and more true. I do have one overriding belief in my head at this time on pitchers and Tommy John surgery. Here’s how you can determine whether or not a pitcher will have Tommy John surgery at some point in his career: Grab a coin and flip it. If it’s heads when it lands, he might have Tommy John surgery. If it’s tails, well, he might not have Tommy John surgery. Click here to view the article

On Friday night, the Elizabethton Twins topped Danville (Braves) by the score of 4-2. In doing so, they advance to the Appalachian League Championship series where they will take on Burlington (Royals). The Best of 3 series begins on Saturday. The E-Twins got going early on Friday. In the first inning, Max Kepler doubled. First baseman DJ Hicks then homered to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. Danville scored one in the top of the third, but the Twins came back in the bottom of the fourth. With Appy League Player of the Year Candido Pimentel at bat, a passed ball scored Travis Harrison. Then in the 5th inning, Hicks doubled and scored on an RBI single by Byron Buxton. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] With that, the E-Twins had a 4-2 lead, a lead that would hold. Hudson Boyd started for the Twins. He gave up two runs on four hits in 4.1 innings. He walked three and struckout four. Kaleb Merck came on and got the next five outs, three of them on strikeouts. Tyler Duffey struckout four over the next two scoreless innings. He turned the ball over to fellow Rice-alum JT Chargois who gave up two hits, but no runs, in the ninth inning to record the save. Hicks led the way, going 2-3 with a walk, a double and home run. Max Kepler was 2-4 with a double. The E-Twins last won the Appalachian League championship in 2008. They won five championships between 2000 and 2008. Download attachment: ETwins Logo.jpg Click here to view the article

The weather conditions have wreaked havoc on the baseball schedule for much of this week. Games from the Midwest to the Northeast have been postponed, and the story was the same for Friday night. The Cedar Rapids Kernels were weathered-out for the fourth straight day. New Britain was supposed to play a late-morning game on Friday but it was postponed. Finally, the Rochester Red Wings game in Pawtucket was postponed by rain. Doubleheaders are scheduled, hopefully for days that the weather will allow the games to be played. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] However, the team off to the fastest start in the 2013 season, the Ft. Myers Miracle, was back on the field, looking to improve on their 7-0 record. So how did they do? Well, come on, you’ll have to read a little further to find out. The game started as a bit of a pitcher's duel. Through the first four innings, just one run scored. In the top of the third, catcher Matt Koch singled to score Eddie Rosario with the game’s first run. Charlotte did tie the game in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out double off starter Matt Summers. However, in the top of the sixth, the Miracle loaded the bases. Angel Morales came up and cleared them with a double. He then scored on a Rosario double to make the score 5-1. Matt Summers left the game after five innings. He had given up just the one run on three hits. He had walked three and struck out one. He was relieved by Cole Johnson who was gave up a triple and the runner scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 5-2. However, the Miracle responded right away again with a single run when Andy Lee scored on a Michael Gonzales sacrifice fly. Johnson gave up the one run over his two innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out none. Adrian Salcedo came in for the eighth inning, and like Johnson, he gave up a run in his first frame. He gave up a quick double. The runner advanced on a groundout and then scored on a sacrifice fly to make the score 6-3. Salcedo gave up another run in the ninth to yield the final 6-4 score. Matt Koch went 4-5 on the game. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with his fifth double. The Miracle improved to 8-0 to start the season, the winningest team in minor league baseball. If they win in Charlotte on Saturday, a 9-0 record would match the 1994 team's record and be tied for the best start in Miracle history. Madison Boer is scheduled to make the start for the Ft. Myers club. Rochester is scheduled to start a doubleheader in Pawtucket on Saturday at 11:00AM, central time. Alex Meyer will take the mound for New Britain to start a game against Portland at 5:35PM, central time. Cedar Rapids is scheduled to play two games in Clinton, starting at 4:00PM, central time. Oh yeah, in case you missed it, the Twins got destroyed by the Mets in the first game of their three-game, inter-league set. View full article

The Twins lost 4-3 to Baltimore to split a series with the Orioles. Tonight, they start a weekend series in Kansas City against the Royals. The Territory Train is packed full and heading to KC. I’m certain many other Twins fans will be following the team, watching some baseball, visiting the Negro League Baseball Museum and likely eating some really good BBQ. Yes, I’m jealous and need to get down to KC some day! Anyway, it was an interesting night in the Twins farm system. Rochester remains absolutely on fire thanks to a big come-from-behind win. But on Friday, best wishes go out to Red Wings reliever Carlos Gutierrez who is undergoing shoulder surgeryl New Britain and E-Town weren’t able to finish what they started, so they’l do that today. The Miracle were one hit away from a nice win. And, it was a great day for Beloit where they doubled their pleasure and fans got to witness Miguel Sano. What did he do on this night? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Well, you’ll just have to continue reading to find that out and take a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Thursday games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER 14, NORFOLK 8 Shairon Martis was promoted to Rochester to make this start. He gave up seven runs on eight hits and four walks in 3.2 innings. When he left the game, the Red Wings were behind 7-2. Fair to say, it was all Rochester at that point. Bobby Lanigan relieved Martis and gave up just one run on two hits and a walk over the next 2.2 innings. Dan Sattler gave up just one hit in 1.2 scoreless frames. Brendan Wise then struck out two in a perfect ninth. Brian Dinkelman led the offense. He went 3-4 with his fifth double and third triple. Evan Bigley went 3-4 with his second double and three RBI. He also stole his first base. Pedro Florimon was 3-4 with a wakl and his 12th double. Ray Chang was 2-5. Danny Lehmann went 2-3 with two walks and his first two AAA doubles of the season. Martis and Lehmann are the 49th and 50th players to play for the Red Wings this season. Martis is the 15th pitcher to make a start. The Red Wings are now 50-49 and above .500 for the first time since they were 9-8 early this season. The team is now 13-4 in July. NEW BRITAIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE (suspended in Top 3) After two scoreless innings, the Rock Cats scored four runs in the top of the third inning. Oswaldo Arcia hit a double and Joe Benson hit a two-run triple. Blake Martin threw two scoreless innings and dropped his season ERA below 4 (3.98). However, the game was suspended by rain during the third inning. FT. MYERS 3, LAKELAND 4 Matt Summers made his first start for the Miracle. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Jose Gonzalez struck out two in two scoreless innings. Michael Tonkin struck out two in his inning. Levi Michael went 1-2 with a walk and was also hit by pitch twice. He came to bat in the bottom of the 9th with Danny Santana in scoring position. However, he grounded out to first base to end the game. GAME 1 – BELOIT 2, LANSING 1 Jason Wheeler won for the 11th time this season. He gave up just one run on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. Corey Williams recorded his 14th save of the year by striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning. Drew Leachman went 2-2 with a walk. Stephen Wickens went 2-3. He drove in both of the team’s runs with a two-run single in the 2nd inning. GAME 2 – BELOIT 7, LANSING 1 Miguel Sano led the offense in game two. He went 3-4 with his 20th home run of the season and drove in four runs. In his last eight games, he is 9-23 (.391) with a double, a triple, two home runs and eight RBI. He has also walked nine times and struck out just four times. Drew Leachman went 2-3 in game two. Steve Liddle went 2-3 with a walk and his 11th and 12th doubles. Cole Johnson made his first start for the Snappers. He struckout six (and walked one) in three no-hit innings. Mason Melotakis came in and threw two scoreless innings to record his first MWL win. Dallas Gallant gave up a run on no hits in his inning. He walked three and struck out two. Ryan O’Rourke struckout two in the final inning. ELIZABETHTON, JOHNSON CITY (suspended in 2nd innings) This game was suspended due to rain in the second inning. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 1 The Twins didn’t get much offense, but it was enough for the win. Joel Licon went 1-2 with two walks and his fourth stolen base. Sam Gibbons started. The Aussie went the first three innings and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Chris Mazza came in and struck out two over three one-hit innings. Melciades de la Cruz walked two and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Gonzalo Sanudo pitched the ninth and didn’t allow a run. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, July 19, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Brian Dinkelman Download attachment: Brian Dinkelman.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler Download attachment: Jason Wheeler 2.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Durham – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Harrisburg – Two Games Ft. Myers @ Lakeland – RHP Matt Hauser Beloit vs Lansing – LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton @ Johnson City – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – 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

It's been over four months since I have updated the Twins on Twitter feature. Some players have moved to other organizations. The Twins have also added several players to the organization who are on Twitter. Some are active. Some... not so much. Consider the below a resource for Twins fans who happen to be on Twitter to know who they can follow. I do ask your help, however. Am I missing anyone? Are there others (maybe media) that you would like to see added to this list?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Twitter.jpg This is a list of the Minnesota Twins, minor leaguers, affiliates and more (as of March 1, 2014), along with the number of followers that they have. Let's help add to those totals. Feel free to comment [TABLE=width: 448] [TD=align: left]First Name[/TD] [TD=align: left]Last Name[/TD] [TD=align: left]Twitter[/TD] [TD=align: left]3/1/14 Update[/TD] [TD=align: left]AJ[/TD] [TD=align: left]Achter[/TD] [TD=align: left]@ajachter35[/TD] [TD=align: right]860[/TD] [TD=align: left]Bo[/TD] [TD=align: left]Altobelli[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BoAltobelli[/TD] [TD=align: right]233[/TD] [TD=align: left]Oswaldo[/TD] [TD=align: left]Arcia[/TD] [TD=align: left]@arciaoswaldo[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,146[/TD] [TD=align: left]Ivan[/TD] [TD=align: left]Arteaga[/TD] [TD=align: left]@IvanArteaga[/TD] [/TD] [TD=align: left]Luke [TD=align: left]Bard[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Luke_Bard[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,061[/TD] [TD=align: left]DJ[/TD] [TD=align: left]Baxendale[/TD] [TD=align: left]@DBax24[/TD] [TD=align: right]4,444[/TD] [TD=align: left]James[/TD] [TD=align: left]Beresford[/TD] [TD=align: left]@JamesBeresford2[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,268[/TD] [TD=align: left]Doug[/TD] [TD=align: left]Bernier[/TD] [TD=align: left]@dougbernier[/TD] [TD=align: right]781[/TD] [TD=align: left]J.O.[/TD] [TD=align: left]Berrios[/TD] [TD=align: left]@JOlaMaquina[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,200[/TD] [TD=align: left]Evan[/TD] [TD=align: left]Bigley[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Bigley3[/TD] [TD=align: right]700[/TD] [TD=align: left]Brandon[/TD] [TD=align: left]Bixler[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BrandonBixler[/TD] [TD=align: right]380[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hudson[/TD] [TD=align: left]Boyd[/TD] [TD=align: left]@boyd_hudson[/TD] [TD=align: right]615[/TD] [TD=align: left]Joshua[/TD] [TD=align: left]Burris[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Josh_Burris_[/TD] [TD=align: right]234[/TD] [TD=align: left]Byron[/TD] [TD=align: left]Buxton[/TD] [TD=align: left]@OfficialBuck103[/TD] [TD=align: right]12,844[/TD] [TD=align: left]Chris[/TD] [TD=align: left]Colabello[/TD] [TD=align: left]@CC20rake[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,702[/TD] [TD=align: left]Logan[/TD] [TD=align: left]Darnell[/TD] [TD=align: left]@ldarnell15[/TD] [TD=align: right]425[/TD] [TD=align: left]Pat[/TD] [TD=align: left]Dean[/TD] [TD=align: left]@PDean15[/TD] [TD=align: right]489[/TD] [TD=align: left]Scott[/TD] [TD=align: left]Diamond[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Scott_Diamond58[/TD] [TD=align: right]16,465[/TD] [TD=align: left]Lewin[/TD] [TD=align: left]Diaz[/TD] [TD=align: left]@lewin_diaz[/TD] [TD=align: right]42[/TD] [TD=align: left]Brian[/TD] [TD=align: left]Dozier[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BrianDozier[/TD] [TD=align: right]16,538[/TD] [TD=align: left]Brian[/TD] [TD=align: left]Duensing[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BrianDuensing52[/TD] [TD=align: right]17,413[/TD] [TD=align: left]Tyler[/TD] [TD=align: left]Duffey[/TD] [TD=align: left]@TheDoof13[/TD] [TD=align: right]275[/TD] [TD=align: left]Ryan[/TD] [TD=align: left]Eades[/TD] [TD=align: left]@R_Eades37[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,013[/TD] [TD=align: left]Eduardo[/TD] [TD=align: left]Escobar[/TD] [TD=align: left]@escobarmaracay[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,574[/TD] [TD=align: left]Eric[/TD] [TD=align: left]Farris[/TD] [TD=align: left]@eRoc86[/TD] [TD=align: right]2,959[/TD] [TD=align: left]Andrew[/TD] [TD=align: left]Ferreira[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Get_Meaty[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,840[/TD] [TD=align: left]Casey[/TD] [TD=align: left]Fien[/TD] [TD=align: left]@CaseyFien[/TD] [TD=align: right]680[/TD] [TD=align: left]Pedro[/TD] [TD=align: left]Florimon[/TD] [TD=align: left]@DroFlo25[/TD] [TD=align: right]85[/TD] [TD=align: left]Eric[/TD] [TD=align: left]Fryer[/TD] [TD=align: left]@EJFryer[/TD] [TD=align: right]160[/TD] [TD=align: left]Dallas[/TD] [TD=align: left]Gallant[/TD] [TD=align: left]@DGallant18[/TD] [TD=align: right]533[/TD] [TD=align: left]Mitchell[/TD] [TD=align: left]Garver[/TD] [TD=align: left]@MitchGarver[/TD] [TD=align: right]822[/TD] [TD=align: left]Sam[/TD] [TD=align: left]Gibbons[/TD] [TD=align: left]@gibboo25[/TD] [TD=align: right]136[/TD] [TD=align: left]Kyle[/TD] [TD=align: left]Gibson[/TD] [TD=align: left]@KGib44[/TD] [TD=align: right]10,299[/TD] [TD=align: left]Brian[/TD] [TD=align: left]Gilbert[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BGilly1s[/TD] [TD=align: right]181[/TD] [TD=align: left]Stephen[/TD] [TD=align: left]Gonsalves[/TD] [TD=align: left]@TheSGonsalves[/TD] [TD=align: right]688[/TD] [TD=align: left]Niko[/TD] [TD=align: left]Goodrum[/TD] [TD=align: left]@NikoGoodrumTC[/TD] [TD=align: right]23[/TD] [TD=align: left]Zach[/TD] [TD=align: left]Granite[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Zgranite[/TD] [TD=align: right]281[/TD] [TD=align: left]Steven[/TD] [TD=align: left]Gruver[/TD] [TD=align: left]@sgruv30[/TD] [TD=align: right]151[/TD] [TD=align: left]Deolis[/TD] [TD=align: left]Guerra[/TD] [TD=align: left]@deolisguerra[/TD] [TD=align: right]10,037[/TD] [TD=align: left]Bryan[/TD] [TD=align: left]Haar[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BryanHaar24[/TD] [TD=align: right]210[/TD] [TD=align: left]Nate[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hanson[/TD] [TD=align: left]@NHans12[/TD] [TD=align: right]516[/TD] [TD=align: left]Matt[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hauser[/TD] [TD=align: left]@mhauser_17[/TD] [TD=align: right]373[/TD] [TD=align: left]BJ[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hermsen[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BJHermsen12[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,807[/TD] [TD=align: left]DJ[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hicks[/TD] [TD=align: left]@DHicksMTB[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,205[/TD] [TD=align: left]Aaron[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hicks[/TD] [TD=align: left]@AaronHicks31[/TD] [TD=align: right]15,892[/TD] [TD=align: left]Kent[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hrbek[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Hrbie14[/TD] [TD=align: right]4,832[/TD] [TD=align: left]Phil[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hughes[/TD] [TD=align: left]@PJHughes45[/TD] [TD=align: right]88,821[/TD] [TD=align: left]David[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hurlbut[/TD] [TD=align: left]@leftydh1989[/TD] [TD=align: right]220[/TD] [TD=align: left]Will[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hurt[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Will_Hurt[/TD] [TD=align: right]682[/TD] [TD=align: left]CK[/TD] [TD=align: left]Irby[/TD] [TD=align: left]@ckirbythe3[/TD] [TD=align: right]762[/TD] [TD=align: left]Tyler[/TD] [TD=align: left]Jones[/TD] [TD=align: 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left]Santy[/TD] [TD=align: left]@BKSanty41[/TD] [TD=align: right]242[/TD] [TD=align: left]Aaron[/TD] [TD=align: left]Slegers[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Aslegers[/TD] [TD=align: right]897[/TD] [TD=align: left]Manuel[/TD] [TD=align: left]Soliman[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Soliman30[/TD] [TD=align: right]604[/TD] [TD=align: left]Kohl[/TD] [TD=align: left]Stewart[/TD] [TD=align: left]@KohlStewart1[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,811[/TD] [TD=align: left]Tom[/TD] [TD=align: left]Stuifbergen[/TD] [TD=align: left]@TomStuifbergen[/TD] [/TD] [TD=align: left]Miguel [TD=align: left]Sulburan[/TD] [TD=align: left]@054_miguel[/TD] [TD=align: right]359[/TD] [TD=align: left]Kurt[/TD] [TD=align: left]Suzuki[/TD] [TD=align: left]@kurtsuzuki[/TD] [TD=align: right]31,666[/TD] [TD=align: left]Anthony[/TD] [TD=align: left]Swarzak[/TD] [TD=align: left]@ASwarzak51[/TD] [TD=align: right]9,996[/TD] [TD=align: left]Tony[/TD] [TD=align: left]Thomas[/TD] [TD=align: left]@GoldGlover2B[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,661[/TD] [TD=align: 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left]Wimmers[/TD] [TD=align: left]@AlexWimmers21[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,400[/TD] [TD=align: left]Vance[/TD] [TD=align: left]Worley[/TD] [TD=align: left]@VANIMAL_49[/TD] [TD=align: right]50,390[/TD] [/TD] [TD=align: left]FRONT OFFICE [/TD] [TD=align: left]First Name [TD=align: left]Last Name[/TD] [TD=align: left]Twitter[/TD] [TD=align: left]3/1/14 Update[/TD] [TD=align: left]Minnesota[/TD] [TD=align: left]Twins[/TD] [TD=align: left]@twins[/TD] [TD=align: right]189,680[/TD] [TD=align: left]Dave[/TD] [TD=align: left]St. Peter[/TD] [TD=align: left]@TwinsPrez[/TD] [TD=align: right]19,972[/TD] [TD=align: left]Dustin[/TD] [TD=align: left]Morse[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Twins_morsecode[/TD] [TD=align: right]12,336[/TD] [TD=align: left]Mike[/TD] [TD=align: left]Herman[/TD] [TD=align: left]@HermTT[/TD] [TD=align: right]2,463[/TD] [TD=align: left]Mitch[/TD] [TD=align: left]Hestad[/TD] [TD=align: left]@mitchhestad[/TD] [TD=align: right]204[/TD] [TD=align: left]Jack[/TD] [TD=align: left]Goin[/TD] 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[TD=align: right]763[/TD] [/TD] [TD=align: left]Ft. Myers [TD=align: left]Miracle[/TD] [TD=align: left]@MiracleBaseball[/TD] [TD=align: right]6,905[/TD] [TD=align: left]Bryce[/TD] [TD=align: left]Zimmerman[/TD] [TD=align: left]@ZimMiracle[/TD] [TD=align: right]595[/TD] [TD=align: left]Steve[/TD] [TD=align: left]Gliner[/TD] [TD=align: left]@stevieGFTM[/TD] [TD=align: right]572[/TD] [TD=align: left]Adam[/TD] [TD=align: left]MacDonald[/TD] [TD=align: left]@AdamMacMiracle[/TD] [TD=align: right]123[/TD] [TD=align: left]David[/TD] [TD=align: left]Dorsey[/TD] [TD=align: left]@DavidADorsey[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,424[/TD] [/TD] [TD=align: left]Cedar Rapids [TD=align: left]Kernels[/TD] [TD=align: left]@CRKernels[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,507[/TD] [TD=align: left]Mister[/TD] [TD=align: left]Shucks[/TD] [TD=align: left]@CRMrShucks[/TD] [/TD] [TD=align: left]Morgan [TD=align: left]Hawk[/TD] [TD=align: left]@Morgan_Hawk[/TD] [TD=align: right]419[/TD] [TD=align: left]Matt[/TD] [TD=align: left]Cozzi[/TD] [TD=align: left]@matt_cozzi[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,161[/TD] [TD=align: left]Steve[/TD] [TD=align: left]Buhr[/TD] [TD=align: left]@JimCrikket[/TD] [TD=align: right]554[/TD] [TD=align: left]Jeff[/TD] [TD=align: left]Johnson[/TD] [TD=align: left]@jeje66[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,635[/TD] [TD=align: left]Metro[/TD] [TD=align: left]Sports Report[/TD] [TD=align: left]@metrosportsrept[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,154[/TD] [TD=align: left]Andrew[/TD] [TD=align: left]Pantini[/TD] [TD=align: left]@stadium65[/TD] [TD=align: right]137[/TD] [/TD] [TD=align: left]Elizabethton [TD=align: left]Twins[/TD] [TD=align: left]@ETownTwins[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,070[/TD] [/TABLE] Click here to view the article

Lately, we have read a lot about the starting staff in Rochester, and for good reason. Yohan Pino has already been promoted to the Minnesota Twins. Logan Darnell and Kris Johnson are pitching well, and each has pitched once with the Twins already this year. Alex Meyer is a future ace and Trevor May is probably next in line for a promotion. Less is being said about a reliever in Rochester who appears ready for an opportunity to help the Minnesota Twins at the big league level. For AJ Achter, that phone call would mean the world. Achter (pronounced awk-ter) said recently, “I can imagine it would be an amazing roller coaster of emotions. Just to think of so many people who have invested so much time and made so many sacrifices over my career to even give me this opportunity is unbelievable. For me to get the ultimate reward of reaching that goal, would not just be a big deal for me personally, but everyone who has believed in me my entire life.” Download attachment: AJAchter.jpg Photo by Joe Territo/RedWingsBaseball.com As you know, Achter was the Twins 46th round pick in 2010 out of Michigan State University. He went to the Cape Cod League and then signed with the Twins twenty minutes before the August 16 deadline. He pitched in just four games that year for Elizabethton. In 2011, he went to Beloit where he made 19 starts. He returned to Beloit in 2012, this time in the bullpen. Since that move, he has flown through the Twins farm system. He posted a 1.70 ERA between Beloit and Ft. Myers in 2012 to earn the Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year ‘Award.' Last year, he split his season between New Britain and Rochester and posted a 2.54 ERA. Following the season, he was invited to participate in the Arizona Fall League, where he pitched well. It was an experience the right-hander enjoyed. “The experience in the AFL was unbelievable. It was a privilege to put on the Twins uniform every day and compete against the best prospects in baseball. My first seven or eight outings were great. Then I tired out and those guys out there make you pay for mistakes. But it was a great experience playing with so many outstanding players and forming lifelong friendships with them.” However, Achter was not added to the 40-man roster last fall and went undrafted in the Rule 5 draft. He also did not get an invitation to big league camp as a non-roster player. Then, after spring training camp, he began the 2014 season back a level at New Britain, a decision that likely disappointed Achter. He handled it well. “It was disappointing to start back there after having some success in Rochester the year before, but I understood that was the numbers game. I tried to turn it into motivation to get back to AAA as soon as an opportunity opened up and thankfully it did in mid-April.” That promotion to the Red Wings happened after just three games with the Rock Cats. In 6.2 innings, he gave up no runs on three hits and a walk while striking out 11. With the Red Wings, he has continued his dominance. In 20 games and 34 innings, he has a 1.85 ERA and a minuscule 0.77 WHIP. He has given up just 14 hits, walked 12 (five in his last two outings) and struck out 33 batters. Opponents are hitting just .124 off him. Achter has a solid three-pitch mix. He has a two-seam fastball in the low 90s which moves and sinks. He also is occasionally able to touch 95 with a four-seam fastball. He also has a sharp slider and a very good changeup. So, at 6'-5", he throws hard and gets ground balls, but is also able to mix his speeds well. He has always shown good control. So, to what does Achter attribute his success? “It's been a combination of everything. Aside from my last outing, my fastball command has been very good which is what I work off of. I've used a new slider grip that has helped that pitch be more consistent.” Achter has always been able to find motivation. He knows that 1,394 players were selected before him, and he uses that. “My motivation is working toward a dream that I've had since I've been a kid. With my dad playing in the NFL, I always had a dream of playing pro football, but baseball was always my true love. Regardless of obstacles or circumstances I've never lost sight of the same goal I had as a kid and that's being a Major League Baseball player. It is my motivation every day I wake up.” Achter’s father, Rod, was the Minnesota Vikings 9th round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The Rochester starting rotation and bullpen have both been tremendous. Gene Glynn and pitching coach Marty Mason have used them all very effectively. Achter has been used in save situations and in long relief. Achter gives a lot of credit to his pitching coach. “Marty has been one of the biggest reasons this staff has been what's it's been. He's an unbelievable influence, especially on us younger guys. He lets us do our own thing but if something needs to be corrected his knowledge of pitching is second to none. I cannot say enough good things about the impact he's had on me out on the mound.” In my mind, the 25-year-old has a chance to be a solid set up man, pitching in the 7th inning or even in long relief. In that way, I think he would profile similarly to Matt Guerrier during his early years with the Twins. The Minnesota Twins currently have eight men in their bullpen, one more than would be ideal. Should a time come this season when the Twins need another arm, Achter's name should come up prominently in those discussions. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Derek Jeter NYY.jpg Last night, in Game 1 of the ALCS, the New York Yankees lost an extra-inning game to Delmon Young and the Detroit Tigers. More important, they lost their captain Derek Jeter for the rest of the season because of a broken ankle. The news is devastating considering he is one Yankees hitter who is actually hitting. Alex Rodriguez is taking all of the heat, but Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson and others are doing very little. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The news is devastating to the Yankees and fans of the Yankees. It also is disappointing to fans who just want to watch greatness. The Yankees will go on, and they may even be able to win the ALCS and even the World Series. But to pretend that losing Jeter and replacing him with Jayson Nix at shortstop is anything but devastating is just not understanding. As Toronto Star columnist Richard Griffin tweeted on Sunday, “Jeter is to Nix as gift basket+limo is to Skittles+subway token.” It got me thinking again about what of the most perplexing things about some Twins fans. Why does Derek Jeter get booed so loudly when he comes to Minnesota?? I’m going to try to answer that question, or at least propose some ideas. Maybe you have more? Feel free to voice them in the Comments. “He’s Overrated” OK, we used to hear that one all the time, but when you can make a case that he is the greatest shortstop of all time, it kind of stops meaning much. The only shortstop in big league history that I think is probably a little bit better than Captain Clutch is Honus Wager, and his final season was in 1917. I think an argument could be made for the baseball of today being a little better than that of a century ago. Of those playing in the last few decades, there simply aren’t many to compare Jeter to. Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra joined Jeter as AL shortstop beasts for a while, but Jeter has far outlasted them. Garciaparra struggled with injuries before retiring several years ago. Rodriguez moved to 3B when he joined the Yankees. While Jeter has played 2,585 games at the position, A-Rod has played just 1,272 games there. Similarly, Hall of Famer Robin Yount played 1,479 games at shortstop before moving to the outfield when he played over 1,200 games. Ernie Banks played just 1,125 games at shortstop and 1,259 games at first base. Of course, Jeter’s career OPS (to this point) is .829, and Yount’s was .772 while Banks’ was at .830. Cal Ripken is the one that we can compare Jeter to as he played over 2,300 games at shortstop before finishing his career with another 675 games at the hot corner. [TABLE] Name Games H/AB BA/OBP/SLG (OPS) 2B/3B/HR RBI/Runs [/TD] Derek Jeter 2,585 3,304/10,551 .313/.382/.448 (.829) 524/65/255 1,254/1,868 398 SB Honus Wagner 2,794 3,420/10,439 .328/.391/.467 (.858) 643/252/101 1,475/1,739 723 SB Cal Ripken 3,001 3,184/11,551 .276/.340/.447 (.788) 603/44/431 1,695/1,647 Alex Rodriguez 2,524 2,901/9,662 .300/.384/.560 (.945) 512/30/647 1,950/1,898 Robin Yount 2,856 3,142/11,008 .285/.342/.430 (.772) 583/126/251 1,406/1,632 271 SB Ernie Banks 2,528 2,538/9,421 .274/.330/.500 (.830) 407/90/512 1,636/1,305[TD] [/TABLE] “Because he’s a Yankee” Jeter grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan and graduated from high school in 1992. With the 6th overall pick in that draft, the New York Yankees drafted him. He became a top prospect and was up with the team by September of 1995. He became a star, and like so many others throughout history, he has stayed with the same team. Kirby Puckett stayed with the Twins his whole career. Cal Ripken is synonymous with the Baltimore Orioles. The all-time great Yankees throughout history like Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimaggio, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra all stayed with the team their whole career. Derek Jeter is a lifelong New York Yankee, and that’s the way it should be. If you don’t like the Yankees because they spend so much money, well, I guess that’s cool. Lots of fans don’t, and that’s fine. But, Derek Jeter has nothing to do with those decisions. “He’s a Winner” In most places in society, that is considered a good thing, isn’t it? Has he been the sole reason for the five World Series championships (and two other World Series teams) that the Yankees have had in his career? Of course not, but no winning team has just one great player. Has he been a big part of those championships? Without question. Jeter has essentially played an extra season in his career, in the playoffs. He has played 158 playoff games and hit .308/.374/.465 (.838) with 32 doubles, five triples, 20 home runs, 61 RBI and 111 runs scored. (By the way, in case anyone is wondering, those numbers are not included in his career numbers listed above.) In the World Series, Jeter has been just as good. He has hit .321/.384/.449 (.832) in 58 games. “The Media Loves Him” Yup… and I can’t blame them. He’s great in interviews. He’s always been and shown tremendous class. He talks during good and bad times. It’s like the Brett Favre situation, or Duke basketball. Since Tim Tebow was added to the New York Jets this past summer, they certainly fit into this category too. I’m not sure what people want in these scenarios. What do people want Tim Tebow to do? Not be himself? Do they want him to become a jerk? Same thing with Jeter. Is he supposed to not act classy? Should he try to get in trouble with the law? He isn’t asking for all the extra attention, and he shouldn’t have to ask that people stop loving him the way they do. He’s put himself into the upper echelon of elite baseball players of all time, and he has handled it with class since day one. As a fan, that’s pretty impressive. As a parent, I would think he would be quite the role model for kids. He has even won the Roberto Clemente Award for community service. “He Dates Women that We Dream About” Mariah Carey. Jordana Brewster. Vanessa Minnillo. Miss Universe (Lara Dutta). Scarlett Johansson. Jessica Biel. Jessica Alba. Minka Kelly. Yup. He does. But let’s be honest here. If they weren’t dating Derek Jeter, they probably still would not have been dating you either. “If we boo him, it will distract him!” One of the things I’ll never understand is why home fans boo when the opposing pitcher throws over to first base on a pick-off attempt. It’s part of the game! I’ve been told that some fans do that in an attempt to distract the pitcher, and sometimes they take credit for a pitcher throwing wildly. The pitcher wasn’t distracted by the booing. He just threw wildly. Maybe there are some Twins fans who think that booing Jeter distracts him from hitting. Well, in 52 games at the Metrodome, he posted a .779 OPS, and in ten games so far at Target Field, his OPS is .778. So, it’s not working. Overall against the Twins, he is hitting (in 125 games) .323/.388/.470 (.857) with 32 doubles, two triples, 13 homers and 57 RBI. So yes, he is better at Yankees Stadium than he is when hitting in Minnesota, but I would venture to guess that is not unusual. “The Twins Can’t Develop a Shortstop” Since Derek Jeter took over as the Yankees shortstop at the start of the 1996 season, the Twins have used 31 players at shortstop. It may not be all that impressive, but I think we can all admit that it isn’t Jeter’s fault. In fact, the #1 on this list came to the Twins because he was never going to get a shot with the Yankees. This is a fun list to review, if only to remember some futility. Cristian Guzman (833), Pat Meares (433), Jason Bartlett (310), Nick Punto (248), Denny Hocking (243), Juan Castro (123), Brendan Harris (122), JJ Hardy (100), Brian Dozier (83), Alexi Casilla (77), Tsuyoshi Nishioka (60), Trevor Plouffe (55), Matt Tolbert (51), Adam Everett (44), Pedro Florimon (43), Jamey Carroll (37), Jeff Reboulet (37), Chris Gomez (17), Jason Maxwell (17), Luis Rodriguez (12), Luis Rivas (8), Augie Ojeda (7), Eduardo Escobar (6), Ariel Prieto (4), Cleatus Davidson (4), David Lamb (4), Brent Gates (2), Dave Hollins (1), Chuck Knoblauch (1), Jon Shave (1), Tommy Watkins (1). “He shouldn’t have won (those FIVE) Gold Gloves” You’re probably right, but he’s certainly not the only player to win a Gold Glove because of his offense. That happens all the time. Twins fans likely still remember when Rafael Palmiero won a Gold Glove at 1B despite playing just 17 games at first base (And the rest as a DH) while Doug Mientkiewicz was making all the plays with his first baseman’s mitt. He doesn’t have much range, but it’s not like Jeter is a butcher at shortstop. Jeter was also the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year. He has played in 13 All Star games. He won four Silver Slugger Awards. In 2006 and 2009, he was the Hank Aaron Award winner as the top hitter in the league. Three times he has finished in the Top 3 in the league in AL MVP voting. In fact, many very wise baseball people made the strong argument that Jeter, and not the Twins Justin Morneau, should have won the 2006 award. So, as Derek Jeter’s 2012 playoff runs comes to an end, I can’t help but ask, “Why do Twins fans boo Derek Jeter?” Why? Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins have certainly had a strong connection to Australia, especially the past dozen years. They have signed pitchers such as Michael Nakamura, Grant Balfour and Liam Hendriks. They have even signed hitters like Glenn Williams and Luke Hughes. In 2005, the Twins signed an infielder from Australia named James Beresford. Since signing with the Twins, he has represented Australia in several international competitions including the World Cup and the World Baseball Classic.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] He has had the opportunity to become a free agent each of the past two seasons, yet he has decided to remain with the Twins. Last year, he made it to the highest minor league level and put up his best offensive numbers. He is again at big league camp looking to make a positive impression. Download attachment: James Beresford 2.jpg Beresford is likely to spend much of the 2014 season in Rochester with the Red Wings, but he is being given an opportunity to compete for a bench job with the big league club. “It’s been fun. I can’t really control how much game time you get, but they’ve given everyone a bit of opportunity. It has been great to go out there and play. It’s been a good start. Just enjoying it and hoping to get a few more at bats in the next week or two.” Considering his long road to get to this point, these types of opportunities are pretty special. When he was signed, he was very young and very thin. He was the definition of a project and has had to work very hard to move up each level. He spent a year with the GCL Twins, a year with the Elizabethton Twins, two full seasons in Beloit and a year in Ft. Myers. In 2012, he played in New Britain. He returned to New Britain to start the 2013 season. He played 45 games and hit .316 before moving up to Triple-A Rochester. He played in 58 games for the Red Wings and hit .298 and helped the team get to the playoffs. Combined, he got on base just over 36% of the time as well. The 25-year-old has needed that time to develop properly. He needed to mature, physically and mentally. Each level gets a little bit tougher. Regarding the move to AAA, Beresford said, “It’s just been a progression. Moving up to AAA, I struggled for the first two weeks, getting used to the league and that type of thing. The pitchers… you’re typically not going to see guys who throw as hard, but they throw a little more offspeed in hitter’s counts. So you can’t always be gearing up for fastballs. You just have to adjust because they don’t have the 96 mph fastball. They tend to throw their sliders and changeups for strikes in hitter’s counts. That’s the biggest adjustment. It turned out to be a fun season, making the playoffs. It was a good year.” This past offseason, Beresford became a six-year minor league free agent for the second straight year. This time around, he quickly re-signed with the Twins. There were several reasons that made the decision pretty easy for him. “Just the things the Twins said to me. Pretty candid things. The positive things they had to say. The opportunities they said they were going to give me. And, I definitely saw a chance to get up to the big leagues this year provided I play well. I don’t see a big difference. I signed a little bit later last year just because I wanted to see what the market was like. After we saw what was going on, we decided that signing with the Twins was the best option. This year, they were just really aggressive and I wanted to get back straight away so it was a positive thing.” Beresford played almost exclusively second base in 2013. In 2012, he spent equal time between shortstop and second base. Prior to that, he played nearly exclusively short. The move to second base likely has much more to do with Danny Santana than Beresford who feels prepared to play all three infield positions as a utility player if needed. “I’m pretty comfortable playing all three positions. Probably most comfortable at shortstop and second just because that’s where I’ve played the last couple of years. The good thing about third is it’s just a reaction position. Ball is hit hard, you don’t have much time to move and think. So I think third is probably a little easier to pick up. Second base has been good to work on the pivots and double plays. It’s a lot different than shortstop where momentum’s taking you toward first base. At second, there’s a different turn, so that was the biggest adjustment I had to make last year.” Being an Australian playing baseball in the United States certainly presents challenges not only for the player but for his family. Beresford says that his parents come to the States every year, usually for about two weeks. However, technology has allowed them to watch him play most of his games. “They get to see me at home, which is nice. They follow at home. At AAA, it was nice because all the games are televised on the computer.” However, that isn’t as easy as it may appear. Beresford continued, “The day games, the 1:00 games, are usually like 3:00 in the morning. They’re usually up for those as well, provided I’m in the lineup, so they’re along for the ride too.” Asked if he was disappointed to hear about Zach Greinke’s comments about not wanting to play games this spring, Beresford understood. “Obviously you have to look at the bigger picture. These guys are established big leaguers and just want to be ready for the season. Obviously traveling to Australia is a long trip. I understand where he’s coming from, but at the same time, it’ll be a great experience. The travel is obviously going to be hard, but I think once they do it, they’re going to see how much of a nice place it is and enjoy it.” Back to the subject at hand. We’re about two weeks from knowing the Twins opening day roster, and James Beresford is still in camp. Still competing for a job. Still working hard to show the Twins coaches and front office that even if he’s not on the opening day roster, he can contribute to the team in a role when needed later in the season. What would it mean for him to get that call, whenever it is, that he is heading to the big leagues? “It would be pretty special. I think it’s so far away. That’s kind of how I look at it. I don’t look at it as trying to get called up. I’m just trying to play hard, have fun and enjoy it. If it does happen sometime, it would be pretty special.” “I know that if I go out there and do what I’ve been doing the past couple of years which is just take it day by day and as long as my process is right, then the results will take care of themselves.” Click here to view the article