Seth Stohs

Per Rhett Bollinger on Twitter, Twins 11th round pick in 2015, Kerby Camacho (from the Carlos Beltran Academy in Puerto Rico) has been suspended 60 Games for use of a PED. Here is Rhett's Tweet:

Who knows? Maybe he already has a registered account and has been monitoring these forums at Twins Daily all year long!

This is my hope as well...

I like Milone and I enjoy watching him pitch. Obviously, like most pitchers, there will be the occasional game, or even stretch of a few games, that don't go well. But when Milone is pitching well, he is fun to watch. He'll give up base runners, but he nibbles and claws and finds a way. Also, 2014 - when there was an injury in play - is the only season in his four full(ish) seasons that he's had a K/9 of less than 6.4. His location, and that changeup, are really good.

That would be nice... but to move up a level and the cut your strikeouts in half seems a bit much. How about 150? maybe 160?

Adam Brett Walker has been a very polarizing figure in the forums of Twins Daily. Yes, there are the strikeouts, but he has immense power. In 2015, he hit .239/.309/.498 (.807) with 31 doubles, 31 homers and 106 RBI. He led the Southern League in extra-base hits, home runs and RBI. And strikeouts. He has led his league in homers and RBI the last three years. He had a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League and last month he was added to the Twins 40-man roster. Walker just turned 24 in October and will head to big league spring training for the first time in February. He was the Twins third-round draft pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville University which is where he spends a lot of his offseason time. However, he is a Milwaukee native so he won’t be intimidated by the weather in Minneapolis when he makes his first trip to Twins Fest next month. Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, USA Today Adam Brett Walker has been a very polarizing figure in the forums of Twins Daily. Yes, there are the strikeouts, but he has immense power. In 2015, he hit .239/.309/.498 (.807) with 31 doubles, 31 homers and 106 RBI. He led the Southern League in extra-base hits, home runs and RBI. And strikeouts. He has led his league in homers and RBI the last three years. He had a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League and last month he was added to the Twins 40-man roster. Walker just turned 24 in October and will head to big league spring training for the first time in February. He was the Twins third-round draft pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville University which is where he spends a lot of his offseason time. However, he is a Milwaukee native so he won’t be intimidated by the weather in Minneapolis when he makes his first trip to Twins Fest next month. Recently, Adam Brett Walker was willing to answer several questions for Twins Daily. Feel free to comment below. Seth Stohs (SS): What was that adjustment from the Florida State League to the Southern League like for you? Adam Brett Walker (ABW): I think the biggest change was the abilities for pitchers to have more control over their third and fourth pitches. They attacked the zone more and their misses were much smaller.SS: What were your thoughts when you got the invite to the Arizona Fall League? What were your hopes going into the Fall League? ABW: When I found out I was going to the AFL, I was very excited. I heard a lot of great things about the league. I knew there was going to be some very good competition and was looking forward to the challenge and see how it went.SS: Now that the AFL season is complete, you won a championship, and have had a little time away from it, what was the experience like there, and did you learn anything about yourself through it? ABW: It was an awesome experience on and off the field. It’s fun to be able to have new teammates and create friendships. We were able to try and learn from each other and help. Overall I was pretty happy with the way I played. Besides, the last week I was definitely happy. Was able to finish with winning a championship so that always helps.SS: You’ve won championships in Elizabethton (2012), Ft. Myers (2014), Chattanooga (2015) and Scottsdale (2015), and that Cedar Rapids team had the best record in the Midwest League in 2013. What does that say about you and your teammates and coaches, and how much fun is it to be part of a team where winning a championship is realistic? ABW: It is an awesome feeling to have been able to have been on so many winning teams. I've always been pretty competitive so I love winning. I've been with a lot of the same guys throughout my professional career with the Twins, and I believe we have created a winning mentality and expect to win wherever we go. In the AFL, I was lucky to have such a great group of guys on my team. I think we all came together as a team and decided we wanted to stay and win it all in the beginning. When a group of people decide to play as a team and expects to win every day it becomes very fun to play the game.SS: What do you do with all of the rings? ABW: I personally don't wear my rings very often but I am starting a nice collection that I definitely enjoy looking at. I want to keep working hard so I can add more to the collection.SS: You worked with Doug Mientkiewicz and Chad Allen the last two years. What does each bring to the table for your teams, and individually, how does each help bring out the best in you? ABW: Doug and Chad are two great coaches that I know what they want for us and push us to succeed. Doug has been very fun to play for as a manager. He loves to let us have fun as a team and enjoy coming to the field every day. He also holds the bar high and expects us to go out there and play our best every night. if we aren't playing to the best of our abilities, he will let us know. But that is why I respect him as a manager. Chad as a hitting coach is awesome as well. He has always been there for me to talk or go to the cage and work on things. He is very open to our thoughts as players and tries to learn from us as well. There is a lot of knowledge on the coaching staffs I've been on, and they love to help us become the best we can be.SS: How did you find out about being added to the 40-man roster? ABW: I was in Arizona at the time, and it was an off day so I had some time to relax at my apartment with my roommate. I received a phone call, and they talked to me about their selection to put me on the 40-man roster. It was a very exciting moment for me and a definite honor.SS: What's the plan for the rest of the offseason? How long before you start getting into baseball activities? ABW: I have been enjoying some time off after the AFL, spending time with my family and friends. It's been a crazy but fun offseason traveling around from Arizona to Wisconsin and a couple other places. I am enjoying this time, but I am starting to get back into baseball mode. After the holiday season, it will be time to really focus and get ready for spring training.SS: Are you looking forward to being at Twins Fest? Since you’re from Milwaukee, I can’t even scare you with tales of cold and snow storms! ABW: I am very excited for Twins Fest. I've heard it is a very fun time but very cold. I think I will be able to handle it though after growing up in Wisconsin. I am definitely looking forward to Twins Fest though.SS: What are you most looking forward to in your first big league spring training? ABW: First, I think spring training will be a great opportunity for me to show my talents and skills. I am definitely looking forward to being around and learning from guys though. Being able to see how some have been so successful for such a long time. You can learn a lot from just watching how players prepare for a season and day-to-day routines that may be able to help me. There is a lot of knowledge on the big league side, and I will always want to learn how to make myself a better player.A big Thank You to Adam Brett Walker for taking his time to answer our questions today. Feel free to discuss or ask questions below. View full article

I haven't talked to him, but I don't know that he would go to one of these leagues anyway. Maybe Australia, or maybe to one of these leagues' minor leagues.

Completely agree!! A lot of humility shown in this one, and an acknowledgement of work to do.

Honestly, that's what is fun for me in doing these. A lot of the guys that I interview aren't well known, but 1.) They deserve to be talked about and 2.) you get to find out some pretty neat things about them. But most of all, you get to see that love of the game, and it's shown in these responses.

Not that I'd share... Sorry!

It has been an interesting 12-13 months for Twins catching prospect Mitch Garver. He’s had some downs, but it has been a series of positives. Although he’s had a busy week, and now is out of the country, he took some time while waiting for his plane on Monday night to answer some questions for Twins Daily. Twins Daily named Mitch Garver its 2014 Minor League Hitter of the Year after he put up big numbers for Cedar Rapids. His efforts earned him an invitation to big league spring training. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where after struggling early, he hit well over the final four months. Well enough that he was invited to participate in the Arizona Fall League. He made a strong impression for Scottsdale and helped his team to the AFL championship. He recently found out that he will again be going to big league spring training with the Twins in 2016. Image courtesy of Linwood Ferguson It has been an interesting 12-13 months for Twins catching prospect Mitch Garver. He’s had some downs, but it has been a series of positives. Although he’s had a busy week, and now is out of the country, he took some time while waiting for his plane on Monday night to answer some questions for Twins Daily. Twins Daily named Mitch Garver its 2014 Minor League Hitter of the Year after he put up big numbers for Cedar Rapids. His efforts earned him an invitation to big league spring training. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where after struggling early, he hit well over the final four months. Well enough that he was invited to participate in the Arizona Fall League. He made a strong impression for Scottsdale and helped his team to the AFL championship. He recently found out that he will again be going to big league spring training with the Twins in 2016. That championship was the end of his baseball season. He was able to start his offseason. He may have been even busier when he got home to Albuquerque. He and his fiancé were married on Saturday. On Sunday night, while sitting through a long layover at a connecting airport, Garver took the time to answer our questions about his 2015 season. Seth Stohs (SS): How did you find out about getting the spring training invite? How quickly did you accept that?? Mitch Garver (MG): I woke up on a random day in the middle of December and I had a missed call from a Minnesota area code phone number. I called the number back and Terry Ryan answered the phone. I of course was a little embarrassed that I slept through a phone call from my general manager. He ended up inviting me to ML camp and I immediately accepted.SS: What was that experience like for you, being in the big league clubhouse and working with the players and coaches? MG: When I first walked in the clubhouse I was quite shy and didn’t want to do anything wrong to upset the major leaguers. After a week or so they made me feel very comfortable going about my own business. Torii Hunter was a huge presence in the clubhouse. He introduced himself to me and wanted to know who I was and I thought that was a really cool experience.SS: You had a slow start the first two months in Ft. Myers, but something seemed to click for you about June 1st and you hit well after that. What was that adjustment to the Florida State League like for you, and was there a moment where you felt things turned to the positive for you? MG: For me, this season was a good learning experience, but on September 7th when the season ended, I flushed it and started working towards 2016. Defensively I had a really good year and I learned a lot about controlling a bullpen and starting rotation. Offensively I failed to make an adjustment early in the year and I lost the sense of who I was as a hitter. I was searching for answers and I found success in a few at-bats in late June, but by then the season was only salvageable by my standards.SS: What were your thoughts when you got the invite to the Arizona Fall League? What were your hopes going into the Fall League? MG: My manager Jeff Smith called me into his office one day and asked if I would be interested in playing in the Arizona Fall League. Obviously I knew this league was very prestigious and I had known players who had been invited in previous years so I was excited. I also saw it as an opportunity to redeem my horrible 2015. I knew that I had to play and show well in Arizona to continue climbing levels in the Twins organization. I ended up playing a very good month of baseball while learning a ton of new information along the way. It was all I could have hoped the AFL to be and more (oh yeah, and we won a championship).SS: Now that the AFL season is complete, you won a championship, and have had a little time away from it, what was the experience like there, and did you learn anything about yourself through it? MG: The major theme I pulled from the AFL is that there are a ton of extremely talented baseball players in the world, and I can compete with them. Sometimes in baseball you can lose confidence in yourself, which makes the game even more difficult than it already is. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Arizona. I played with awesome teammates in an amazing stadium during the best time of the year as far as weather is concerned. It’s also very fun to expand your horizons on the baseball players in the MiLB. I loved meeting new people, facing some of the best players in the minors right now, and competing at the highest level to win baseball games.SS: What's the plan for the rest of the offseason? How long before you start getting into baseball activities? MG: I am currently answering these questions in the Salt Lake City airport during hour three of my five-hour layover. I am answering these questions sitting next to my fiancée wife because we were married on the 19th of December. We are in the airport because we are flying to our honeymoon in the Bahamas. We had an amazing wedding with the best friends and family that we could afford on our minor league budget. When I get back to Albuquerque it will be to focus on a big year in 2016. I will also be attending Twins Fest and I cannot wait for this awesome experience. Minneapolis in late January is not exactly the most appealing vacation destination, but it will be worth it to meet and greet with fellow teammates and fans. Before I know it, I’ll be in Fort Myers getting ready to compete for a spot!Congratulations to Mitch Garver on another solid season in 2015, a nice run in the Arizona Fall League and his wedding! Thank you for taking time to answer these questions! View full article

Yeah, that's not funny. My guess is that he goes unclaimed. I would assume he would elect free agency, at this point, rather than accept the outright assignment.

There's some of that, but at the same time, Cedar Rapids had Brian Navarreto and Brett Doe. Olson was in his pro debut... as a late round pick. They started him low and let him work his way up.

The Sporting News has an interesting look at the MLB managers, by their playing careers. Safe to say that Paul Molitor ranks pretty well on this list. Also fair to say that there is a pretty quick dropoff, especially after #5. What do you think? Is there any correlation between a manager's career as a player and his ability as a manager?

I don't know who Gary Petite is, but Buxton absolutely can have value even if he hits like .250/.310/.350 because of his speed and arm and defense. That said, obviously we'd all like to see more than that. There are a ton of 5-tool prospects. There are very few 5-tool big leaguers. I still believe that Buxton can get there, but obviously there are no guarantees in prospects. We can all acknowledge that he wasn't ready when he was called up. The Twins admit as much. Mientkiewicz said that he wasn't ready. He was called up for need, not readiness.

Wow!! I don't know how I did that, but i did completely miss Puerto Rico! Vargas has done well. Juan Centeno is catching there. Dereck Rodriguez has thrown about 10 innings. My bad!

On Saturday night, Boshers went 5 shutout innings (started). Improved to 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA on the season. Not too shabby.

Thanks man for sharing my secret site with everyone... I prefer everyone think that I worked really, really hard and did a bunch of number-crunching to arrive at this...

It wasn't the same... both were very good, but in very different ways. I prefer Wade's way, and I think he'll be successful, but it's just impossible to know for sure what will happen in a college guy's first full season.

Maybe Cody will answer with his opinion. I think if I wrote this one today, I would agree that I think Murphy will be the starting/primary catcher starting in May or June of 2016 and hopefully keep that job for a few years.

Wade is very interesting. Put up great numbers in the rookie league. Not Max Murphy domination of the Appy League, but very impressive. Most impressive thing to me was his walk rate.

A few weeks ago, we posted a Q&A with GCL outfielder Rowan Ebersohn. Today, we are fortunate to have a Q&A with the Twins other South African player. When Callan Pearce signed with the Twins in July of 2013 as a 17-year-old he was very raw. In reality, the now-20-year-old remains raw and yet he is very talented. First, Pearce is a very good athlete. He is 6-3 and 190 pounds. He is fast, and quick off the mound. He also has a fastball that sits in the low-90s, touching 93 at times. He’s working on his control. He’s working on his secondary pitches. He has a long way to go. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Callan Pearce) A few weeks ago, we posted a Q&A with GCL outfielder Rowan Ebersohn. Today, we are fortunate to have a Q&A with the Twins other South African player. When Callan Pearce signed with the Twins in July of 2013 as a 17-year-old he was very raw. In reality, the now-20-year-old remains raw and yet he is very talented. First, Pearce is a very good athlete. He is 6-3 and 190 pounds. He is fast, and quick off the mound. He also has a fastball that sits in the low-90s, touching 93 at times. He’s working on his control. He’s working on his secondary pitches. He has a long way to go. However, as you read the below interview, you can see how hard he’s working. You can see how much this opportunity means to him and his family. You can read his humility. With that, enjoy the following Q&A with Callan Pearce: --------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs (SS): Tell us a little about your youth baseball in South Africa. Did you play Little League or other formal baseball leagues? Callan Pearce (CP): South Africa unfortunately doesn't have the structures to those in The USA or to that of Europe therefore we didn't necessarily have a little league system up and running, we moreso had formal leagues in which we played. I played for my local club at home in Durban and traveled to a national tournament yearly to play against the other respective States or " provinces" as we call them. Other than that tournament we played local teams within my Hometown.SS: MLB has a camp in Cape Town that you attended. What is that atmosphere? Is it games, or skills, or a little of everything? CP: We recently had the MLB African Academy in Cape Town. It was and always is incredible returning to that camp whether it be as player or coach. The camp is over the duration of 10 days and looks to give players within the African continent an opportunity to learn the fundamentals and skills to take back to their respective countries/provinces to take African Baseball to a level that can help us compete at a higher level in the coming years. The atmosphere was great. It was a great experience. I loved it!SS: Growing up, who were some of your role models in the game of baseball? CP: We didn't necessarily have the opportunity to watch loads of baseball growing up as they only televised a game every now and then here in South Africa. However I loved watching Roy Halladay pitch. I used to love watching him!SS: Growing up, did you participate in other sports besides baseball? CP: Growing up I played cricket,field hockey, softball and outside of school, I play a little social golf with family and friends when I had free time.SS: As an amateur, how much contact did you have with MLB teams, and what was it that caused you to decide to sign with the Twins? CP: Around the age of 14, there were a couple teams looking at me and following my progress. I was fortunate enough to sign with the Twins from there. The Twins scouts that spoke with me were really great people, really accommodating and easy to communicate with. They were really approachable and that made my decision so much easier. Something just felt right going the Twins route.SS: What was the adjustment like for you last spring moving from South Africa to Florida? What were the biggest challenges? CP: I had to make loads of adjustments this last season, being my first spring training and second extended spring. Here in South Africa we are not accustomed to playing baseball every day. We would train twice a week and play a game on a Sunday. During spring, you have to grind every day. It was a lot more throwing than I was used to. However, it was a great challenge, and I loved every moment of the new experience! The heat in Florida is somewhat like my hometown, so it wasn't too bad in that regard. The biggest challenges I faced would have to be the amount of baseball I played. It was a lot more than I normally got to play which was great but also a little shock to the system!SS: What was the highlight of your 2015 season in the Twins organization? CP: The highlights of my season would have to be the numerous walk-offs our GCL team had at the beginning of the season. It was so exciting to be a part those moments! I loved it!SS: What type of pitcher do you think you are and can be? What are your keys to success on the mound? CP: It's hard to say what kind of pitcher I am. I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I'm still learning more about what I can do with the ball. I'm still developing as a pitcher so I feel only time will tell what kind of pitcher I will be. I'm not overpowering, nor is my stuff by any means great. I feel like right now my work ethic is just my best trait. .Hopefully 2016 will give me more of an idea as to the kind of pitcher I am.SS: Have you played in any international tournaments in a South Africa uniform? If so, what’s it like to play for your country? CP: Yet to represent my country in an international tournament. However, we are playing in the WBC Qualifiers in February in Sydney, Australia, and I'm hoping I will get that that opportunity then.SS: Away from baseball, what do you enjoy doing in your free time? CP: I enjoy any sort of friend and family time I can get. I'm hardly home throughout the year, so I love any time with them. I enjoy playing golf when I get the chance!SS: Are there certain areas of your game or preparation that you’d like to focus on during the offseason, looking to 2016? CP: The areas I'm working on for my 2016 season are just to get really strong and powerful. That's currently what I'm working on. I've got a couple innings in the league back home just to work on a few things so I'm excited for what 2016 will bring!SS: What are some of your goals for the 2016 season? Are there certain statistics that you will focus on? CP: I have many goals for 2016. First and foremost, to stay healthy, and then thereafter, I would like to earn myself a promotion to a higher level. I'm putting in loads of work for that, so it would be nice to tick that box. I have some personal goals I would like to achieve, but I'm hoping that what I'm doing now will take care of those goals.SS: What would it mean to you and your family to be able to reach the major leagues and put that uniform on for the first time? CP: I give up loads of family time for baseball. When I come home after season I have to go live in another province where the baseball is stronger so that I can get better. So it would be the greatest feeling for not only me, but my family too, to be able to watch me throw in the big leagues. Sounds lame, but I get teary thinking about it!SS: Are there certain people that you feel helped you get to this point in your career? CP: There are a couple people who have been instrumental in where I am - tough to name them all, but I feel my family have been great in understanding why I have to be away from home so much and their support through the good and bad times has been more than I could ask for!SS: Favorite Baseball Movie? CP: My favourite baseball movie has got to be Moneyball... No doubt! I loved it!------------------------------------------- Thank you to Callan Pearce for taking time to respond so thoroughly to our questions. Best wishes to him in the 2016 season. View full article