Seth Stohs

On Thursday morning, the Twins front office performed one of their most difficult tasks. They informed six minor league players that their dream of playing in the big leagues for the Minnesota Twins was coming to an end, that they had been released. I like to highlight the players released because they have all put in some quality time in the Twins organization and deserve to be recognized one more time as they exit the organization. Some of them may be able to hook on with another organization. Some may play some independent league baseball. Some may end their baseball dream all together and go another direction. In any case, I certainly wish the best to all of them. Dan Osterbrock - He was the Twins 7th round pick out of Cincinnati. He signed quickly and was named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year that summer when he went 7-0 with a 3.00 ERA, eight walks and 104 strikeouts in 75 innings. He tossed a no-hitter for the Beloit Snappers in 2010 and was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week twice in a row before pitching very well in Ft. Myers the rest of that season. He fought arm injuries throughout the 2011 season and hoped to rebound in 2012. Mike Tarsi - The 6-8 left-hander was the Twins 12th round pick in 2007 out of Connecticut. After struggling as a starter in Ft. Myers in 2010, he pitched out of the bullpen in 2011 with a good level of success. He even made a couple of appearances in Rochester when needed. Although he was tall, he did not throw very hard. Kane Holbrooks - He was an All American at Texas State in 2009 when the Twins drafted him in the 21st round. In 2010, he began the season as the Beloit Snappers closer before moving up to Ft. Myers as a starter. He pitched so well that he ended the season in New Britain where he made a start. He went back to Ft. Myers to start 2011 and although he pitched well in April, he struggled the rest of the season. His season ended early and he came to camp this spring hoping to make a step forward in the eyes of the organization. Blayne Weller - The Twins drafted Weller out of his Key West high school in the 14th round of the 2008 draft. He signed in the last hour before the deadline. He teamed with Adrian Salcedo and BJ Hermsen and pitched great (5-1, 1.58 ERA) in the GCL in 2009. He struggled as a starter in 2010, and last year he struggled in the Beloit bullpen before ending the season making a couple of starts. Matt Schuld - He signed with the Twins after the 2010 season at the University of St. Thomas. He had an incredible career with the Tommies. He pitched well with the GCL Twins upon signing and held his own when he was pushed up to Ft. Myers. Last year, he quickly moved up to the Miracle and pitched well enough to be promoted to New Britain when there was a need. This one surprised me a little because he was a non-drafted free agent who got up to AA within a year of signing. Derek Christensen - This one surprise me more than any of the rest, by a lot. He was the team's 43rd round pick out of junior college in 2010. He debuted with the GCL Twins that year and posted a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings. Last year, he spent half of the season in the E-Twins bullpen before moving into their rotation. He went 5-2 with a 2.84 ERA. In 57 innings, he walked 26 and struck out 61. At one point, he through 19 consecutive scoreless innings as a starter. The 22-year-old throws from a 3/4 angle. I guess I'm just really surprised based on his numbers that he woudln't at least get an opportunity to start the season in Beloit. Again, each of these pitchers put in some time in the Twins organization, and each of them experienced quite a bit of success. We certainly wish the best for them in whatever their next steps are. Unfortunately, these will not be the last of the minor league releases.

On Thursday morning, the Twins sent their third batch of players to minior league camp. There were: RHP Sam Deduno LHP Phil Dumatrait C Danny Lehmann IF Ray Chang OF Matt Carson None of these moves would be considered a surprise. Dumatrait spent a lot of time in the Twins bullpen in 2011, but with Glen Perkins and Brian Duensing already set in the bullpen and Matt Maloney's emergence, there wasn't room for him any more. Ray Chang was in the running with the likes of Pedro Florimon and Michael Hollimon and Sean Burroughs for the final roster spot, but of the group, he has had the fewest opportunities this spring. Interestingly, Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson, Liam Hendriks and Brian Dozier all will remain in big league camp a little bit longer. Parmelee is likely there as Morneau insurance. Hendriks is sticking around as Baker insurance. And, Brian Dozier is around because he's not on the 40 man roster and the coaching staff seems to want to see as much of him as they can before sending him to Rochester to start the season. The Twins still have a bunch of guys to cut to get down to 25, but with Opening Day just two weeks from tomorrow, there isn't much more time to impress. [ATTACH=CONFIG]411[/ATTACH]

On Wednesday, the NFL decided to take the news headlines away from the other sports again by announcing the penalties for the Saints “Bounty” situation. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for a year and the team will lose its next two second round picks. Others, such as Rams’ Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was ‘credited’ with offering the bounties was also suspended. Bla Bla Bla… it’s football, so it really doesn’t matter. It’s baseball season. But the story did get me thinking… is there a baseball scenario that would be equivalent to Bounty Gate? What would a baseball manager have to do to warrant a one year suspension? Obviously, things like betting on baseball (see Rose, Pete) or accepting money to throw games (see Jackson, Joe and the 1919 Black Sox) will get a player or manager suspended for life. So that is a different scenario. Baseball has, and continues to fight, its steroid era in which players now get suspended 50 games for a first offense. Could a manager (or pitching/hitting coach) put a bounty on an opposing player? How would that scenario play out? One of baseball’s unwritten and very well known rules is that occasionally a pitcher will be instructed to hit an opposing player with a fastball in retaliation for one of his teammate’s being hit. Do you remember in 2006 when then-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was so upset at rookie pitcher Sean Tracey for not throwing at an opposing batter that he sent him to the minor leagues and never called him back up. Around the same time, Guillen was very upset at veteran Jon Garland for not hitting an opposing batter in retaliation. If you recall, Guillen was not suspended or fined for his comments, lashing out against his players for not hitting opponents. Of course, if the pitcher does intentionally hit (and potentially hurt) the batter, the most he would get would be a six game suspension. Even if the batter charges the mound, the pitcher will likely only get a six games off, and the batter will probably get three games off. What if a manager told a player to charge the mound? And then the manager told one of his bench players, his 25th man, to beat up the opponent’s best pitcher in an attempt to not have to face him the next game? Using Ozzie Guillen as an example again, what about AJ Pierzynski’s antics? What if we learned that Guillen had offered a bounty to Pierzynski for taking out first baseman Justin Morneau? Maybe he would get a few thousand dollars for stepping on Morneau’s Achilles every time he ran out a ground ball? Maybe that's why AJ continued to do it? So, give it some thought. What would the baseball equivalent be to the Bounty Situation? I really can’t imagine a situation in baseball which would ever bring about the kinds of ramifications that this New Orleans Saints “Bounty” situation has. Then again, baseball’s that sport where you think you’ve seen it all and then something new happens. [ATTACH=CONFIG]409[/ATTACH] ---- At TwinsDaily, there is a ton of Twins information. Nick posted his Twins Centerfield Position Analysis. Twins Fan from Afar posted a nice blog on the Twins possible Centerfield Trade Bait. Parker wrote about Ron Gardenhire saying Brian Dozier will start the season in Rochester. In the forums, there are a ton of topics being discussed including the Twins ranking as the 14th most valuable baseball organization by Forbes. John asked if Justin Morneau could start the season on the DL. There was also discussion on the Twins sending Terry Doyle back to the White Sox. Terry Ryan talked about having six guys in mind for the #2 pick in the June draft. There was also a fun discussion asking readers to rank what order Brian Dozier, Chris Parmelee, Liam Hendriks and Joe Benson will be called up by the Twins in 2012. As we like to say at Twins Daily, come for the content, and stay for the discussion!

This is awesome!! Thank you very much for sharing!

Is it fair to say that many Twins fans were pleasantly surprised when we learned on Monday morning that Tsuyoshi Nishioka had been optioned to Rochester? It was never really a question about whether he warranted a big league roster spot. It was clear to pretty much everyone that he wasn’t. It was the contract and the commitment that made it such a big decision. The Twins have three-million reasons to keep him at the end of their bench. However, Nishioka’s demotion appears to open up a spot on the 25-man roster for someone else. There are several names being discussed for that roster spot, and frankly, it is difficult to pick out a favorite among the bunch. Several of the options are not on the 40 man roster which although not a complete deterrent, it does require one extra step. A couple of the possibilities would likely only make the roster if they would be starting. Will Ron Gardenhire be willing to use Alexi Casilla as his back up shortstop, or would the utility player need to be able to play shortstop? I wanted to look at the candidates for that final roster spot. I’m making the assumption that the Twins infield will include Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll and Luke Hughes. I’m also making the assumption that the Twins will choose to keep three catchers on the big league roster, although that does appear to be excessive. If the Twins did decide to only keep Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit on the roster, then two of the seven players below could make the roster. I believe there are seven candidates in camp that have some case to make the opening day roster, and I wanted to find a way to organize my thoughts on each in a consistent way for each player. I considered what the categories are that could differentiate the options. Age: This is more just a reference number for readers. 40 Man Roster: Is the player on the 40 man roster or no? Must Start: Yes or No... is the player a prospect who should only make the big league roster as a starter? Positions Played: what positions has the player played, particularly in recent years. Offense: I’ll really just look at the 2011 numbers. That is recent performance-related information that isn’t completely small sample size. Defense: What is the reputation of each player with the glove? Spring Training Stats: This should be the last category and the most meaningless category at this point. Right now, the player below with the most appearances has just 26. And over the next two weeks, starters will play a bit more, so these candidate’s numbers over the next two weeks may mean a little bit more, but even that is a small sample size. Other information: Just an open spot for any other information. With all of that information, maybe there will be an answer that sticks out? Or, maybe we can eliminate a couple of candidates. Let’s take a look at the candidate’s in alphabetical order. SEAN BURROUGHS Age: 31 40 Man Roster: No Must Start: No Positions Played: 3B, 1B Offense: .273/.289/.336 in 115 plate appearance (78 games) in Arizona after not being in the big leagues since 2006. Has just 12 MLB HR in 1,805 plate appearances. Defense: average defensive third baseman Spring Training Stats: .286/.423/.381. 6-21 with two doubles, five walks and four strikeouts. Other Information: Left-handed bat who spent 2011 as a pinch hitter. Seth Opinion – I would much rather the Twins have Burroughs as a left-handed bench bat than a 3rd catcher. RAY CHANG Age: 28 40 Man Roster: No Must Start: No Positions Played: 2B, 3B, SS Offense: .271/.323/.368 in 65 games combined between AA New Britain and AAA Rochester. 22 HR in 1,789 minor league plate appearances. Defense: Above average middle infielder Spring Training Stats: .300/.462/.500 (3-10) with two doubles, 3 walks and no strikeouts. Other Information: Played for the Chinese team in the WBC. Bats Right-handed. Seth Opinion – Chang is probably a long-shot, but he might be the best combination of a little offense and solid defense needed to play all three infield positions as a utility player. BRIAN DINKELMAN Age: 28 40 Man Roster: No Must Start: No Positions Played: 2B, LF, RF Offense: .243/.316/.324 in 127 games at AAA Rochester. Hit .301 in 23 games with the Twins. 40 HR in 2,923 minor league plate appearances. Defense: solid but average in the infield and outfield. Spring Training Stats: .300/.348/.400 (6-20) with two doubles. Other Information: Left-handed bat who hit in limited time last year. Seth Opinion – He had a nice showing with the Twins last year, but the Twins need is more for a utility infielder and 2B is the only infield position the Dinkelman has played. BRIAN DOZIER Age: 24 40 Man Roster: No Must Start: Yes Positions Played: SS, 2B Offense: .320/.399/.491 last year between Ft. Myers and New Britain. 14 home runs in 1,413 plate appearances. Nine last year in 569 plate appearances. Defense: solid defender with average arm, average range Spring Training Stats: .273/.305/.500 (6-22) with triple and home run. Other Information: right-handed bat was the Twins minor league player of the year in 2011. Seth Opinion – The Twins are using a lot of the same adjectives to describe Dozier that they did when Joe Mauer came into spring training 2004 as a 20-year-old starting catcher who had not yet played in AAA. Dozier is older and has a lot of the same qualities. His possibility of making the opening day roster is only as a starter which would mean that either Jamey Carroll or (more likely) Alexi Casilla would move to the bench. There’s enough discussion to say that this is not a legitimate possibility. PEDRO FLORIMON Age: 25 40 Man Roster: No Must Start: No Positions Played: SS, 2B Offense: .267/.344/.396 at AA Bowie (Orioles). 27 HR in 2,428 career plate appearances. Played in four games for Baltimore in September. Went 1-8 with a walk and six strikeouts. He had a double and two RBI. Defense: smooth, flashy defender with good range and a strong arm. Probably the top defensive shortstop in the mix. Spring Training Stats: .188/.316/.250 (3-16) with a double, three walks and two strikeouts Other Information: Might be the best option if the Twins want a backup shortstop behind Jamey Carroll. He is a free-swinger who did have several extra base hits last year. Seth Opinion – He is a pretty solid shortstop, very good defensively although prone to make silly errors. Probably the weakest of the bats on this list but his role would be primarily defense. Although he profiles more as a utility guy, he did show enough with the bat at AA a year ago, that he should also get some every day work in Rochester. MICHAEL HOLLIMON Age: 29 40 Man Roster: No Must Start: No Positions Played: 3B, 2B, SS, LF Offense: .231/.326/.416 between AA (97 games) and AAA (29 games). 18 home runs. Defense: average all over with glove Spring Training Stats: .500/.526/.688 (8-16) with home run, two walks and three strikeouts Other Information: The switch-hitter was the Twins 49th round pick in 2003. He later was drafted by the Tigers and hit .261 with two doubles, a triple and a home run in just 25 plate appearances with Detroit in 2008. Hollimon and his bat have certainly been a story the first couple of weeks of spring games, but we will find out a lot more about him in the next week or two when he gets more at bats against big league pitchers. I think he could handle the utility role, and he has as much power as anyone on this list. CHRIS PARMELEE Age: 24 40 Man Roster: Yes Must Start: Yes Positions Played: 1B, RF Offense: .287/.366/.436 in AA New Britain. Hit .355/.443/.592 with six doubles and four home runs in 21 games with the Twins in September. He has 84 home runs in 2,663 minor league plate appearances. Defense: getting there with the glove at 1B Spring Training Stats: .308/.400/.577 (8-26) with a double and two home runs. Other Information: Left-hander has shown power in minimal big league time last September and this spring. Promoted straight from AA New Britain. Seth Opinion - His role with the Twins in 2011 seems to be directly tied to the health of Justin Morneau, or to Ryan Doumit to a lesser degree. I remain skeptical on what type of hitter he is. I’d like to see him get a half season in Rochester to find out if the power is legit or not. Terry Ryan has also said a couple of times that it is possible that the Twins would look outside the organization for a utility infielder. I could be OK with that as well, as long as the Twins wouldn’t have to give up a prospect to get it. Here is how I would rank these players’ likelihood of making the Twins Opening Day roster (assuming health all-around) as of right now. I am putting in this order with the hope that two of these guys make the roster while the Twins go with just two catchers. #8 – Brian Dinkelman #7 – Chris Parmelee #6 – Ray Chang #5 – Michael Hollimon #4 – Brian Dozier #3 – Pedro Florimon #2 – Terry Ryan acquires a utility infielder from outside the organization. #1 – Sean Burroughs [ATTACH=CONFIG]357[/ATTACH]

The Twins reduced their spring training roster significantly on Monday morning, and there was even a surprise or two. The biggest name on the list was Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Many believed that because he has some ability to play shortstop and the had an inside track on the Twins utility job. But he has struggled throughout spring with many of the game's basics, and the Twins optioned him to Rochester. Carlos Gutierrez and Rene Tosoni were also optioned to Rochester. Several non-roster players were assigned to minor league camp. Relievers Jason Bulger, Luis Perdomo, Daryl Thompson, Esmerling Vaszquez and PJ Walters will report across the parking lot. Catchers Chris Herrmann and Dan Rohlfing will start preparing for their minor league seasons in minor league camp. Infielder Aaron Bates and outfielder Wilkin Ramirez were also sent to minor league camp. Aside from Nishioka, there are not a lot of surprises. Gutierrez has good numbers but still lacks that second pitch that could make him very good. Tosoni really struggled in big league camp, with just one hit in 15 at bats. Aaron Bates, who blogs for Twins Daily, is a surprise to some degree. The first baseman was 8-20 this spring. He was posting a line of .400/.429/.450 and has had back-to-back multi-hit games. The spring training roster is now at 45 with 21 pitchers, six catchers, 11 infielders and seven outfielders vying for 25 spots. Maybe the most interesting thing about the Nishioka demotion is the possible utility infielders remaining in camp. The most intriguing is Brian Dozier who is now hitting over .300 this spring, and hit his first home run yesterday. The Twins won't keep him up to be a backup, but he could potentially win a starting job still. Michael Hollimon has been terrific the first half of spring training, hitting .533 albeit in just 17 plate appearances. Ray Chang, Pedro Florimon, Brian Dinkelman and Sean Burroughs also seem to be in the hunt for an Opening Day roster spot. Any thoughts on the transactions? [ATTACH=CONFIG]350[/ATTACH]

Last week, we looked at a projected Twins Opening Day roster. This week, we’re trying it again. I think that there are 20 “Givens” at this point, three weeks before Opening Day. Of course you can disagree, if you like. I also believe that the five remaining positions are all pretty intriguing and could have several possibilities at this point. There are still 57 players in Twins big league camp. If there are 20 ‘givens,’ it technically means that there are still 37 players in camp competing for the remaining five spots. Of course, we know that isn’t really true. Most likely there are two or three players competing for a possible third catcher job. There are maybe two or three players competing for the final utility spot. And there are maybe five to seven pitchers competing for the final three bullpen spots. That means there are nine to thirteen players competing for five roster spots. The remaining players are working to make a strong impression on the coaching staff and front office in case there are needs later in the season for call-ups. (The players in Red are players that I believe are givens to make the roster (obviously pending injury). Those in black are potentially up for grabs. Discuss my selections and be sure to post your roster projections in the Comments as well.) Catchers: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, JR Towles No change. I’ll stick with Towles again this week, although I feel less comfortable with that selection. None of the #3 catcher options is doing much this spring. In fact, they aren’t playing very much, and Butera is playing as well as any of them. I’ll stay with Towles just because I think the Twins brass is ready for that change. Infielders: Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll, Luke Hughes, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, No change, although I did make Luke Hughes a given at this point, now that he is healthy. Nishioka is probably a given as well since there isn’t much competition for a utility role and he is hitting a little bit in camp. Outfielders: Ben Revere, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe No change. Starting Pitchers: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis No changes. No surprises again. However, if Baker is more hurt, that helps the odds of Liam Hendriks making a few starts at the start of the season. Bullpen: Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Jared Burton, Kyle Waldrop, Matt Maloney The first four are givens. It is looking more and more like Waldrop and Burton are close to moving into that same category, but I can’t put either of them there quite yet. Maloney has been incredible, and with Terry Doyle’s struggles, he would appear to be the favorite to win the long-reliever spot. Waldrop and Maloney are new since last week while Doyle and Jeff Manship come off the list. Manship certainly deserves a strong look as well the next two weeks. Casey Fien is pitching well in camp’s small sample size so far. I think that Alex Burnett was nearly a given in the mind of Gardy and Rick Anderson at the start of camp, but I’d be surprised if he is a given at this point. He could still change minds in the next two weeks. Although the odds are likely against Doyle making the roster at this point, that could still change over the next couple of weeks. What are your thoughts? Discuss what your roster looks like? [ATTACH=CONFIG]334[/ATTACH]

On Thursday morning, the Twins made their first cuts of spring. The following 40 man roster players were optioned and will report to minor league camp. Scott Diamond - LHP - it's not a surprise at all that Diamond will not be making the big league opening day roster, but it is somewhat surprising that he is cut this early. However, he will be starting in the minor leagues and needs to be stretched out. Matt Maloney's emergence likely makes this an easy decision. Deolis Guerra - RHP - This is Guerra's final option year. He had a rough first spring outing, but he has been decent the last two. It's a big year for Guerra to show if he has a big league future. Lester Oliveros - RHP - It is also a little surprising that Oliveros is cut this early. He has pitched alright so far this spring, but he was unlikely to make the big league roster for opening day anyway. It is best for his development to get more AAA time. Tyler Robertson - LHP - Robertson was just added to the 40 man roster last fall, so this is his first option. He had a good showing in his first big league camp. Darin Mastriaonni - OF - There were some that thought that Mastriaonni was a candidate if the Twins went with a 5-man outfield because of his speed and ability to play centerfield, but he didn't show much offensively or defensively. Interesting that the guy the Twins took off their 40 man roster in order to claim Mastroianni (Esmerling Vasquez) will remain in camp. Oswaldo Arcia - OF - Like Robertson, this is Arcia's first camp. He spent just half of last season in Ft. Myers, so there was no chance of him breaking with the big league club. But he had a couple of good moments in spring including a long, opposite field home run in a B game. The following players were non-roster invites to big league camp that were re-assigned to minor league camp: Aaron Thompson - LHP - The lefty made his debut a year ago with the Reds and is still just 24 years old, so he has a chance yet. He'll go to minor league camp and it will be interesting to see if he starts or comes out of the bullpen. The fact that he's sent down this early tells me that he may be stretched out. Steve Pearce - 1B/3B/OF - Pearce was a very long-shot to make the big league roster anyway, but an injury that will keep him out about a week meant he had no chance. Danny Rams - C/1B/OF - Rams was invited to big league camp shortly after it started because the team wanted another catcher. So, it's no surprise that he's among the first cuts. Any thoughts on this first round of cuts? The Twins are now down to 57 players in camp. They will need to cut another 22 players before Opening Day, so much more to come! [ATTACH=CONFIG]328[/ATTACH]