Seth Stohs

I think the only way would be if it's live, but I'm not sure.

They'll invite non-roster guys in mid-to-late December. Walker won't need an invite because he's an easy choice to add to the 40 man roster after this season. Turner is tremendous behind the plate. Rogers has been very good with the exception of one inning that he gave up four runs...

I watched a bit of this when it was on Monday, but I had to go do something and didn't think Walkre/Turner would get up again... That was a blast by Walker. He's seriously has the most power in the organization. Sano and he are close, but it might just be Walker. I watched him quite a bit this year online. There are some games and at bats where he does a really nice job of laying off breaking pitches. Then there are games he looks silly. But he is must-watch! And, Burdi throwing fastballs 97-100 with the slider 89-91, and sharp... CRazy!

No question Hunter is a Twins Hall of Famer. It may not even be all that long before they do it. I also think he's done enough in his career to be one of those guys that stays on the MLB HOF ballot for a few years. His numbers, coupled with his defense are very impressive. However, for me, retiring a number is bigger and needs to be more exclusive. In my opinion, it should be just about their Twins career. When it comes to bWAR, Hunter during his Twins years only, is tied for 15th all-time in Twins history (1961-present) with Jim Perry. That said, I would be fine if no one wore that uniform number again, just not formalizing it in the banners.

Very sad. That press conference was excruciating to listen to. So emotional. If someone listened to or watched that without getting goosebumps or without their eyes sweating a little bit, I feel sorry for them. It's another great reminder that these are people, with families, spouses, kids, parents... Tough!

I talked to Alex at spring training. He had just returned from his grandfather's funeral. He struggled with that, but there were a couple of other things going on at the time that he told me about that also affected him and his fiance (They are getting married one of these next few weekends, I believe.) It was a tough year, and I do think he will take well to the bullpen. I do think he needs a fresh start, a new season. Giving up on his potential and talent would be silly. The stuff is all there. The control, if he can get that BB/9 under four, even just a little bit, he can be terrific. Like Doc, Age just doesn't matter to me in this situation. As others have said, sure, it'd be nice if everyone came up at 22, but that's not the way it is. Few do. He's working on things, and I think he'll get there. I think he'll be very good. And, frankly, the Span deal is done and over. I don't like comparing that because the two were at very different points in their career and there is risk in any trade.

A year ago at this time, Travis Blankenhorn was beginning his senior basketball season at Pottsville High School. A tremendous athlete, he was named his league’s Player of the Year and reached over 1,500 points. He was also touted as a fantastic defensive back in his prep years. However, it was on the baseball diamond that Blankenhorn made a name for himself. Recently, Twins Daily had the chance to get to know a little more about Travis Blankenhorn. Image courtesy of Evan Ellis A year ago at this time, Travis Blankenhorn was beginning his senior basketball season at Pottsville High School. A tremendous athlete, he was named his league’s Player of the Year and reached over 1,500 points. He was also touted as a fantastic defensive back in his prep years. However, it was on the baseball diamond that Blankenhorn made a name for himself. Recently, Twins Daily had the chance to get to know a little more about Travis Blankenhorn. After taking hard-throwing college pitchers with their first two draft picks in 2015, the Minnesota Twins used their third-round pick (80th overall) to select infielder Travis Blankenhorn. He signed pretty quickly and reported to Ft. Myers. He played 14 games with the GCL Twins before moving up to Elizabethton where he played the final 39 games. He participated in the Twins Florida Instructional League and will head to spring training for the first time next March with a chance to begin his first full season in Cedar Rapids. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs: Drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round... is that about where you thought you might be selected before the draft? Travis Blankenhorn: Yes, that is around where I expected to be, but that draft is unpredictable so you never know what could happen. I was hoping to be in the 100 picks of the draft, so I was happy to be able to meet that goal.SS: You had the commitment to play for Gary Henderson at Kentucky. How difficult was the decision to sign, or did you know you wanted to sign all along? TH: It was an extremely difficult decision for me and my family. Kentucky is an excellent program, competing in one of the best conferences in the NCAA. Coach Henderson and Coach Bohannon were great to me during the process and that made making a decision even more difficult.SS: What was the biggest adjustment you had to make, going from the high school and amateur season to the pro game? On or off the field? TH: I would say the biggest adjustment was adapting to the pitching. The level of competition from the high school game to the pro game is noticeable.SS: You played shortstop primarily in high school. You played various places in your short GCL stint, and solely third base in Elizabethton. Defense is obviously important to the Twins and any team, but where do you feel most comfortable and where do you think is the best position for you? TH: I feel like I am a versatile player, and I am able to play many positions, but after playing 3rd base, I feel comfortable there.SS: In these early stages of your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths as a player? TH: I think the strongest part of my game is when I am at the plate trying to help my team win the game.SS: What are the things that you feel you need to improve over the offseason and going forward? TH: Just trying to improve every aspect of my game so that I can be the best possible player.SS: Growing up in Pennsylvania, who was your favorite team to follow, and who were some of your favorite players? TH: The Pirates were always my favorite team to follow growing up. My favorite player is Andrew McCutchen.SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school and amateur career? (What other sports or activities did you participate in?) TH: I played football for three years going both ways, along with punting and kicking, and received all-state honors my junior year. I played basketball for four years and my team won three league championships and a district championship. I also reached 1000 points in my career and rank second all-time in scoring at my school. I also received all-state honors in basketball my senior year. I played baseball for four years and my team won two league championships and a district championships.SS: What was the highlight of your first professional baseball season? TH: My favorite memory of pro ball is my first home run at Elizabethton.SS: What are your plans for the offseason? Baseball Training, but also what do you enjoy doing away from the game of baseball? TH: My plans for the off season are to work out with my trainer, Russ Frantz, and continue to improve myself physically. Away from baseball, I plan to do some hunting.SS: Who are some of the coaches and others who have helped you get to this point in your career? TH: There have been many coaches who have helped me along the way. My travel coaches, Mark Helsel and Greg Kinneman, were very influential and helpful to me. My high school baseball coaches, Mike Welsh and Ed Terefinko and my high school basketball coach Dave Mullaney all played a role in my development. Also, my family, for supporting me and helping me throughout the whole process.We would like to thank Travis Blankenhorn for taking time to answer our questions. Please feel free to comment or ask questions View full article

It'll be interesting to see who the writers vote for.

But you've said many times in the past that none of it matters is they don't win a World Series title. I believe that is the case, right? Angels didn't make the playoffs. Twins made a move that may not have been seen as significant, but where would they have been without Kevin Jepsen? The Cubs added a couple more young players... So did the Twins. Miguel Sano was a pretty impressive pick up for the team in July.

Of course... They're paid to be right... but sometimes the right things still don't work out... and vice versa.

There aren't any 16-year-old American's signing. These guys are signing anywhere from 18-30 months earlier than the Americans.

Correct... the thinking behind the trade (the process) was right... how it will turn out is to be seen. Right now, not looking great, but they have his rights for like 6-7 more years, so he could prove valuable.

They could have, but I don't know enough about the international market to know what's out there. Signing the big name guys makes the splash, but sometimes the guys who sign for $10,000 do just as well. So, I'm in no position to question their international signing strategy.

My thought is the Meyer to the 'pen is how it will go. If I'm wrong, great. He's a great person, so no matter which role he ends up in, I'll wish him the best. I think with the Twins starting pitching depth and his struggles last year, I think he's in the bullpen from now on. Again, if I'm wrong, that's fine. I've been wrong on several things before and will be again.

Tonight, the 2015 World Series begins with the Kansas City Royals facing the New York Mets. The Royals are representing the American League Central Division. So, here's your chance... what are your predictions for the World Series? I'm saying Mets in 5 games...

The Sporting News named Paul Molitor their Ameriican League Manager of the Year for his work with the Twins in 2015. Houston's AJ Hinch was the runner up in the vote by Major League Managers.

Kirby Puckett was my favorite player of all time. After the news came out of his transgressions, I stopped thinking of him as more than my favorite player of all time. I can acknowledge that he wasn't a great person. That doesn't change what he is as a teammate, friend, all those things. Puckett remains my favorite player of all time. Torii Hunter has had a tremendous baseball career. He has put up great numbers. It's OK to say that he's one's favorite player while not agreeing with his personal beliefs. It's also OK to acknowledge that he was a great leader and teammate.

There's a pretty good reason that Vielma is 8-12 places lower (don't want to give too much away) on the prospect ranking than Nick Gordon.

There's not much more uncertain in baseball than international signings. Sano is one who appears to have made it, but most of the international guys who have signed for more than $3 million haven't made it. So there are no guarantees with any of them. See Michael Ynoa (brother of Twins minor leaguer Huascar Ynoa). Javier has all the tools. But for me, I'm combining so many factors. Some of the guys ahead of him on this list are much closer to the big leagues and are almost certain to be big leaguers. They have higher floors. Javier has as high a ceiling as the guys you'll see in the top 5 prospects, but his floor is that he may never get to Low A ball. My assumption is that he'll spend some time in the GCL in 2016 and next year at this time, he'll be a Top 5 guy.

they're all within a small range of about 5-6 prospect rankings spots, so there's not really a significant difference. They all throw hard. They all have sliders. They all have struggled with their control. They all have the ability to be dominant relief pitchers. As those who have followed my prospect rankings for the last decade, I don't usually rank relief pitchers real high... So, to have these three guys this high is a positive for all three of them.

Yeah, no secret here... Buxton was the easy choice for #1... Yes, I saw the struggles, but it was his first big league time. He wasn't ready (Mientkiewicz said as much when he was called up, and Ryan acknowledged that he was called up out of need rather than readiness). Buxton's all about the tools. His speed, defense and arm strength are all elite. He could hit .250 for his career and be a solid major leaguer. But what's exciting is that he can be much more than that. He can be a good leadoff type of hitter. He'll hit a lot of singles and we saw his ability to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples... At the end, we saw that he has the ability to hit for a little power too. His first homer went to left, but his second homer went just to the right of centerfield. The guy is an elite talent... What she showed in 129 at bats means pretty much nothing.

If he could hit more, he'd be a top 8 type of guy... he'll never hit for any power, but if he can continue to grow and hit a few doubles, his defense will make him a big leaguer.

Regarding International Players, in signing Wander Javier for $4 million, they went over their limit... Not sure how much more they could do without some negative effects.

Today, my preliminary Top 50 Minnesota Twins Prospect countdown continues today with numbers 11 through 15. This group contains a couple of young, talented shortstops with room to grow. It also contains a couple of hard-throwing relievers and a southpaw with big upside coming back from major surgery. As always, please feel free to discuss these prospects in the comments below. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of JT Chargois) Today, my preliminary Top 50 Minnesota Twins Prospect countdown continues today with numbers 11 through 15. This group contains a couple of young, talented shortstops with room to grow. It also contains a couple of hard-throwing relievers and a southpaw with big upside coming back from major surgery. As always, please feel free to discuss these prospects in the comments below. Previous installments of this prospect ranking: · Part 1 (41-50) · Part 2 (31-40) · Part 3 (26-30) · Part 4 (21-25) · Part 5 (16-20) As a quick reminder, players eligible to be on this list include players who remain eligible for Rookie of the Year voting in 2016. That is to say, hitters with less than 130 at bats and pitchers with less than 50 innings. (The list is preliminary. Following research for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2016 - which Cody Christie, Jeremy Nygaard and I are working on - I’ll provide my final Top 30 prospects list.) Top Prospects 11-15 #15 – Engelb Vielma - 22 – SS – Ft. Myers Miracle Vielma was signed by the Twins out of Venezuela in September of 2011. He’s listed at 5-11 and 150 pounds, though he might be up to 155 pounds. He spent 2012 in the Dominican Summer League. In 2013, he played 42 games in the GCL and ended his season with six games in Elizabethton. Despite the lack of Appy League time, he began the 2014 season in Cedar Rapids. In 112 games, he hit .266/.313/.323 (.636) with 13 doubles, four triples and a home run. He moved up to Ft. Myers for the 2015 season. In 120 games, he hit .270/.321/.306 (.627) with nine doubles, two triples and one home run. Over his final 90 games, he hit .298/.357/.329 (.686). Vielma has good speed. In 2015, he stole 35 bases in 47 attempts. He is a singles hitter who will need to gain strength to hit enough in the big leagues. However, it is his glove that gets him noticed. He has very good range and a strong arm. He will likely move up to Chattanooga for the 2015 season. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A #14 – Wander Javier - 16 – SS – Did Not Play The Twins signed Javier out of the Dominican Republic for $4 million, a number over their international slot figure. It’s also the highest amount that the Twins have paid an international free agent from the Caribbean, topping the $3.15 million they signed Miguel Sano for. At 6-0 and 165 pounds, he has room to grow, gaining strength and speed. Most believe that he will be able to stick at shortstop though, as he is likely six years from the big leagues, a lot can happen. Though many believe his swing is long now, he could develop into an above average hitter with some power. It is likely the Twins will have him follow the same path as other top signings from the Dominican, such as Sano, Jorge Polanco, and Amaurys Minier. They began their first seasons in the Dominican Summer League but came to the States in time to play for the GCL Twins. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A #13 – Alex Meyer - 25 – RHP – Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins A year ago at this time, Meyer was coming off of a solid season as a starter in Rochester. To say 2015 was disappointing for Meyer is likely a huge understatement. He struggled in spring training. Then he couldn’t get many out as a starter early in the season for the Red Wings and was moved to the bullpen. As he was starting to pitch well, he was called up to the Twins and his two appearances did not go well at all. He was optioned back to Rochester and finished the season by pitching pretty well over the final six weeks. So there is the set up. The reality is that Alex Meyer still has all of the tools and the pitches that could make him a very good pitcher in the big leagues. Most likely, that will now happen out of the bullpen. However, he still throws very hard (upper-90s), has a very good slider, a bit of a change and the ability to miss bats. His primary problem in 2015, and years prior, was control, both in and outside the strike zone. However, in the latter part of 2015, control was not as much of an issue as it had been in previous years, so it’s very possible he comes back in spring training ready to contribute in the big leagues. Or, if he begins in Rochester and does well there, he could be brought up fairly early in the season. He has tremendous makeup and works hard. He’s got good perspective and it would be silly to discount his potential. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (6), 2014 (3), 2013 (4) #12 – Lewis Thorpe – 19 – LHP – Did Not Pitch Thorpe missed the entire 2015 season after having Tommy John surgery in early April. He had signed with the Twins in July of 2012. He became a big prospect in 2013 when he grew, gained weight and started hitting 94 and 95 on his fastball. He also has a good curve ball and a strong change up. He also went 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA. In 2014, he started the season at extended spring training, but before the short-seasons began, he moved up to Cedar Rapids. In 16 starts there, he went 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA. He walked more than he had in the past (4.5 per nine), but he struck out 10 batters per nine innings despite being nearly four years younger than the average player in the league. It is likely that Thorpe will remain in Ft. Myers following spring training. He could return to game action as early as June. 2016 will be about getting some innings and keeping healthy. Previous Top 30 Rankings: 2015 (12), 2014 (10) #11 – JT Chargois – 22 – RHP – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts Chargois was the Twins second-round pick in 2012 out of Rice University where he was co-closer with Tyler Duffey. Coming into the 2015 season, he had pitched just 16 innings as a professional, all at Elizabethton in 2012. He had elbow problems and the Twins had him rehab throughout the 2013 season only to have Tommy John surgery in mid-September of 2013. He missed the entire 2014 season as well. He did return to the mound during the Instructional League. Everyone was talking about his upper-90s (and occasionally triple digit) fastball. The Twins had him begin the 2015 season in Ft. Myers. In 16 games (15 IP), he posted a 2.40 ERA, walked five and struck out 19. He earned a mid-season promotion to Chattanooga. In 32 games (33 IP), he had a 2.73 ERA, walked 20 and struck out 34. Clearly the control will need to improve, but his big fastball and sharp slider make him very intriguing. They make him an easy choice to add to the 40-man roster in November as well. He will come to big league spring training and probably get a legitimate shot to compete for a bullpen job. Previous Top 30 Rankings: N/A So, what do you think of Part 6, Prospects 11-15? On Thursday, we will begin our Top 10 Twins prospects and finish out with the Top 5 on Friday. View full article