Seth Stohs

This afternoon, the Twins made their official spring training debut and they came away with a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. This got off to an ominous start for the Twins. Starter Carl Pavano gave up a two-run, first inning home run to Matt Joyce. In the bottom of the first, David Price hit Jamey Carroll in the helmet with a fastball. Carroll quickly got to his feet and went to first base. (He said later he was fine. It was a glancing blow.) Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau each struck out looking to end that inning. Pavano pitched a scoreless second inning and then the Twins bullpen gave up just one more run the rest of the way. Here are some of the highlights from the Twins Spring Opener (Feel free to add to the list): Denard Span went 2-3, and the time he got out, he stayed down on a tough Price pitch and grounded out. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau left the game healthy. Mauer drove in a run with a 3rd inning single. Morneau drove in a run with a 5th inning. Ryan Doumit was 1-2 with a walk and a double. Danny Valencia drilled a double to the right centerfield gap. Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 2-3 with a long triple over the right fielder's head. Chris Parmelee went 2-2, although he did have a base running gaffe late in the game. Chris Herrmann came in late and drilled an RBI single. Matt Maloney pitched the 8th inning and struck out the side. My assumption is that Wayne Krivsky was smiling while watching that! Brian Duensing threw two scoreless innings. He was followed by one scoreless inning each from Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Alex Burnett and Maloney. Anthony Swarzak gave up one run in the 9th inning. Cory Provus made his debut as the Twins play-by-play voice and it's clear he will do a good job. What other observations did you take from the Twins first spring training game?

This afternoon, the Twins made their official spring training debut and they came away with a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. This got off to an ominous start for the Twins. Starter Carl Pavano gave up a two-run, first inning home run to Matt Joyce. In the bottom of the first, David Price hit Jamey Carroll in the helmet with a fastball. Carroll quickly got to his feet and went to first base. (He said later he was fine. It was a glancing blow.) Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau each struck out looking to end that inning. Pavano pitched a scoreless second inning and then the Twins bullpen gave up just one more run the rest of the way. Here are some of the highlights from the Twins Spring Opener (Feel free to add to the list): Denard Span went 2-3, and the time he got out, he stayed down on a tough Price pitch and grounded out. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau left the game healthy. Mauer drove in a run with a 3rd inning single. Morneau drove in a run with a 5th inning. Ryan Doumit was 1-2 with a walk and a double. Danny Valencia drilled a double to the right centerfield gap. Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 2-3 with a long triple over the right fielder's head. Chris Parmelee went 2-2, although he did have a base running gaffe late in the game. Chris Herrmann came in late and drilled an RBI single. Matt Maloney pitched the 8th inning and struck out the side. My assumption is that Wayne Krivsky was smiling while watching that! Brian Duensing threw two scoreless innings. He was followed by one scoreless inning each from Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Alex Burnett and Maloney. Anthony Swarzak gave up one run in the 9th inning. Cory Provus made his debut as the Twins play-by-play voice and it's clear he will do a good job. What other observations did you take from the Twins first spring training game?

Happy Opening Day of Spring Training Games! No, it doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as Happy Opening Day! Then again, Opening Day should be a national holiday (in my mind, at least). In about an hour, the Twins will take the field at Hammond Stadium to take on David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Twins are going with what should be their primary lineup (with the Ben Revere/Trevor Plouffe/Left Field “platoon”) much of the season. There are so many big dates and events in baseball. Last month, we were all excited to hear the phrase “Pitchers and Catchers report!” There is the All-Star game, the trade deadlines, September call-ups and the World Series. If you’re a big fan of the Hot Stove, you get excited about things like the GM Meetings, the Winter Meetings, the day that 40 man rosters need to be set, the day arbitration needs to be offered and later accepted or declined. For Twins fans, January brings the Winter Caravan and Twins Fest. So, why is opening day of spring training games exciting for me? Two words – Box Scores! That’s right! By later this afternoon, you can read them online and in tomorrow’s newspapers. Granted, the box scores of early spring training are typically much, much larger than in the regular season because so many players play. We can follow the Twins games and see several things. How are the players vying for roster spots performing compared to each other? How are the younger players and the non-roster invites doing? How are the stars from other teams doing, particularly those players who switched teams in the offseason? I also enjoy looking at box scores and seeing how former Twins and former Twins minor leaguers are faring elsewhere. Box scores have been a huge part of baseball and fandom since Henry Chadwick invented them in 1859! [ATTACH=CONFIG]243[/ATTACH] Over the next month, the Twins and all of the other teams in baseball will be playing games almost every day. With so many players in Twins camp, they even have a few split-squad games to allow many more players to play. With minor league camp starting next week, some of the players in big league camp will be sent across the parking lot by the end of next week. There may be a few roster spots up for grabs right up until days before Opening Day. Another reason for Twins fans to be excited today… Cory Provus will be making his debut this afternoon as the play-by-play voice of the Twins. And it all goes back to the fact that Opening Day should be a national holiday. The spring training openers are a reminder that Opening Day is fast approaching and another 162 game season is about to begin!!

How many drug tests did Barry Bonds fail? I don't think that PEDs help significantly. DWade wrote a great article about this topic for SI.com several months ago.

I'll be on the Beloit trip this June. Looking forward to it!

It appears that the polarizing Twins topic of the first ten days of spring training is the Twins bullpen. There are many who believe that the Twins messed up by not adding more veteran relief pitchers to major league contracts during the offseason. I’m firmly on the opposite side of that argument. I believe that the Twins took a good, calculated risk that Joel Zumaya could actually stay healthy in 2012. If that happened, they could have a difference-maker in the bullpen. As it turned out, his spring training was short and thanks to a torn UCL, his season is already over. As soon as Zumaya was hurt, many fans wanted the Twins to respond instantly by acquiring a proven, veteran bullpen arm. The one difference-making bullpen option that may be available would be Rangers’ righty Koji Uehara, but he will make $4+ million in 2012 and has a no trade clause that he has already used. The Twins have 32 pitchers in big league camp. Taking out the starting pitchers and the four relievers who are all but guaranteed a big league spot (Capps, Perkins, Swarzak, Duensing), and up to 21 players are vying for the remaining four spots. 11 of those are non-roster free agents. My opinion is that the organization has about a month to see if they can fill the three remaining bullpen positions from that group of 21. Here is a quick look at that list: On 40 Man Roster: Alex Burnett (24), Terry Doyle (26 - Rule 5 Pick), Jeff Gray (30), Deolis Guerra (21), Carlos Gutierrez (25), Matt Maloney (28), Jeff Manship (27), Lester Oliveros (23), Tyler Robertson (24), Kyle Waldrop (26). Non-Roster Invites: Jason Bulger (33), Jared Burton (30), Samuel Deduno (28), Phil Dumatrait (30), Casey Fien (28), Luis Perdomo (26), Aaron Thompson (25), Daryl Thompson (26), Esmerling Vasquez (27), PJ Walters (26), Brendan Wise (26). Some fans will choose to say that these guys either are not good enough, not ready, or that they were available to the Twins as minor league free agents because no one else wanted them. Some might say that some are too old to succeed at this point. Some will say that Pitcher X can’t succeed because we have seen too much of them. Others will say that Pitcher Y can’t pitch, in part, because we haven’t seen them and we know nothing about them other than they became available because another team let them go. Let me take you back through a little bit of Twins history. Specifically, let’s take a look at some of the Twins bullpen arms from the last decade, but also looking back a little further. Matt Guerrier came to the Twins after the Pirates placed him on waivers in November of 2003. He was coming off of a 2003 season in AAA Nashville in which he went 4-6 with a 4.53 ERA and just 78 strikeouts in 105.1 innings. The Twins were able to send him to Rochester in 2004, but out of options, he had to make the Twins roster in 2005, and he did. He made the team as the last bullpen arm, and gradually gaining the confidence of the coaching staff to use him in key, late inning situations. He was overused in 2008 and posted a 5.19 ERA. Many fans wanted him let go, but they brought him back and he had two more terrific seasons in the back of the Twins bullpen. [ATTACH=CONFIG]225[/ATTACH] Dennys Reyes came to the Twins before the 2006 season. In 2005, he posted a 5.15 ERA in San Diego. In 2004, he posted a 4-8 record with a 4.75 ERA in Kansas City. In 2003, he spent time with Pittsburgh and Arizona and posted an ERA over 10 with both teams. In 2002, he posted a 6.38 ERA in Texas. So, who would have expected him to, at age 29, go 5-0 with a 0.89 ERA in 66 games with the Twins. He spent two more seasons in the Twins and went a combined 10-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 126.1 innings. “Everyday” Eddie Guardado is one of the best left-handed relievers in Twins history. He was a failed starter. In 1993 and 1994, he combined to go 18-34 with a 5.22 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Once moved to the bullpen, he proved himself and eventually moved into the closer’s role. LaTroy Hawkins is another failed starter. Even after moving to the bullpen, it took him a couple of years to grasp the concept. From 1995 through 2001, he went 29-54 with a 5.78 ERA. Then in his final two seasons with the Twins (2002-2003), he was one of the best set up men in baseball. He combined to go 15-3 with a 2.00 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 157.2 innings. JC Romero went 3-11 with ERAs of 7.02 and 6.23 in 2000 and 2001, respectively. In 2002, he posted a 1.89 ERA in 81 games out of the Twins bullpen. Not all relievers come into the big leagues and dominate right away like Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon and Pat Neshek did. Of course, each of those three has also lived the up and down nature of being a relief pitcher in the big leagues. And sometimes, all you need is a guy to come in and have one good year. Check out these examples: Tony Fiore came to the Twins in May of 2001 after being released by the Devil Rays days earlier. In fact, the Twins had signed him almost exactly two years earlier and sent him to AAA. The Twins released him after the 1999 season. In 18 big league games in 2000 and 2001 with the Devil Rays and Twins, he posted a 7.30 ERA in 24.2 innings. He allowed 30 hits, walked 12 and struck out 16. Then somehow, he went 10-3 with a 3.16 ERA with the Twins in 2002. The Twins claimed lefty Craig Breslow off of waivers from Cleveland midseason in 2008. He had previously been released by Milwaukee, San Diego and Boston. The then-27 year old posted 1.63 ERA in 42 games with the Twins the remainder of that season. Let’s go all the way back to the 1991 Twins World Series championship team. He had previously posted an 8.25 ERA with the White Sox in 1988. He was let go by the White Sox, Angels and Indians before signing with the Twins. The 30 year old (in 1991) went 8-3 with a 2.63 ERA for the Twins in 89 innings. In 1992, he posted a 2.72 ERA in 79.1 innings for the Twins. In 1993, he posted a 3.10 ERA in 58 innings for the Twins. Last offseason, the Twins needed some pitchers to step up for the Twins in their bullpen. One pitcher did that. Glen Perkins posted 2.48 ERA in 61.2 innings out of the Twins bullpen. He was easily the Twins top pitcher despite the fact that most fans wanted him to be released after a couple of disastrous seasons. Most of these guys’ success occurred after players had turned 27 or 28 years old. When I see guys who have had big league success like Jared Burton and Jason Bulger brought in on minor league deals, I think it is exciting. Hard-throwers like Vasquez, Perdomo and Deduno are certainly at least intriguing. Youngsters like Alex Burnett and Lester Oliveros warrant some patience. A guy like Kyle Waldrop has put in his time in the minors and earned an opportunity in the big leagues. His ground ball rates are incredible. Brendan Wise is an Australian who hasn’t played in the big leagues but who profiles a lot like Waldrop. Carlos Gutierrez needs to stay healthy, but the hard thrower in another ground ball machine. Deolis Guerra is still the youngest player on the Twins 40 man roster and has a tremendous changeup and his numbers after moving to the bullpen last year were great. Jeff Manship profiles very much like Matt Guerrier. They throw with the same velocity, same control, same changeup and curveballs that are often described as the best in the organization. Unfortunately Manship was hurt last year, but he comes into spring training healthy and should perform. Two guys that seemingly have been forgotten but are not gone from the Twins could also factor into the Twins bullpen later in the season. Anthony Slama and David Bromberg were both removed from the 40 man roster and outrighted to Rochester. Neither was even invited to big league camp, but Slama has put up some of the best minor league bullpen numbers that we’ve seen in recent years. Bromberg will likely start the season as a starter, but cold be a bullpen arm to consider later in the season. Listen, I’ll be the first person to tell you that the Twins bullpen was a mess in 2011. I will also say that of the Twins biggest question marks coming into the 2012 season, the bullpen is atop that list. But based on an organizational history of giving guys opportunities to move up and contribute, I’m at the very least intrigued by some interesting roster and non-roster bullpen possibilities. I’m willing to get to the end of March before considering looking for a trade.

I was wondering. I noticed I hadn't seen him around Target Field. I did see him at Twins Fest with the helmet.

They'll work more on the bullpen mounds. They'll get their work in. It's really about getting out on the mound against other hitters, airing it out a little bit. Someone like Baker may only throw FB. It's highly unlikely that there will be any 3-8 pitch innings. Next time out, starters will go two innings, and maybe even jump up to 40 pitches.

A wonderful start!!

Good blog, Nick! I'm with you 100% Payroll isn't a direct link to win, as you mentioned, we need look no further than 2011 Twins. Take Mauer and Morneau's contracts at a combined $37 million, and Ryan has $63 million to put together the other 22-23 players on the roster. I'll take my chances, for sure.

This blog has been promoted to an Article. Feel free to comment here: http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?257-Breaking-Minor-League-News-New-Britain-Rock-Cats-Have-Been-Sold

Here we are, less than a week into full Twins spring training workouts. Games don’t even start for a couple of days. It’s time to start talking position battles, right? It appears to me that there are actually very few positions that are up for grabs at this stage of camp. Of course, as injuries mount through spring training, more position battles can spring up, but for now, there are a lot of givens on the roster. Hitters: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll, Ben Revere, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe (10 out of 13 positions are accounted for). Pitchers: Scott Baker, Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing (9 out of 12 positions accounted for). The biggest debate the last couple of days has been about the bullpen where one more job opened up with the loss of Joel Zumaya for the season. Let’s discuss that tomorrow. Let’s start today with the offensive (as in hitting!) side of the ball. 3rd Catcher The favorite at this point for the third catcher spot has to be Drew Butera. What does he have going for him? Two years of experience catching Twins pitchers in front of the Twins coaching staff, good catch and throw guy and he’s still a pre-arbitration eligible guy meaning he will basically make league minimum. The competition for the role comes from a couple of places, 28 year olds JR Towles and Rene Rivera. Towles was a big prospect in baseball and then hit .375 in 44 plate appearances in 2007. In 141 games spread over the past four years in Houston, he has hit .168/.251/.289. Of course, those numbers are better than Butera’s the last two years, but still not confidence-inducing. We got to see some of Rivera last year and realized that he is in the same category. No offense, solid defense guy. Prediction: I think that Butera ‘wins’ that third catcher job because, frankly, there isn’t an option that is much better, if at all better. Also, he’s on the 40 man roster and the other two are not. Frankly, Danny Lehmann’s name should be in this mix because he is just as good as any of these guys, knows the Twins pitchers, and has the respect of all pitchers in the organization. Chris Herrmann is certainly the top prospect in the group, and he should begin the year in AA New Britain. The Final TWO bench spots The starting lineup for the Twins is pretty much set. There will be a third catcher, and Trevor Plouffe will be the fourth outfielder. That leaves two spots. The favorites at this point are guys we saw in 2011. Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s debut season in the big leagues was pretty much a complete disaster. However, looking at the options for who could fill a utility role, he is the one that can play shortstop. He will have to play it (and 2B) better and also learn some 3B. He’ll also have to show an ability to hit. Although he’s a favorite, I don’t get the sense that he’s guaranteed a roster spot. If not for his shoulder injury, suffered while playing in the Australia Winter League, Luke Hughes would likely fit into the ‘given’ category. If he is healthy, I think he is a given. If he is not healthy, I think he goes on the Disabled List. I don’t think that the Twins should try to get Hughes through waivers because I think that he would be claimed and lost. The Competition for those two roster spots come from a couple of different angles. Sean Burroughs is the guy most are talking about now. His story is quite well known. He spent most of the 2011 season pinch-hitting with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He can play the corner spots solidly but would likely not have the range to play up the middle. His left-handed bat also matters as other bench options in the infield bat right handed. Steve Pearce can also play both corner infield spots and maybe be serviceable in the corner outfield. With Trevor Plouffe being the fourth outfielder, it may not be a horrible idea for the Twins to have a more proven defensive outfielder as a late-inning option. The Twins would likely prefer to have Rene Tosoni get every day playing time in Rochester, but he is an option. Recently acquired Darin Mastroianni is also a possibility as a true backup outfielder. Prediction: I believe that the Twins are likely to go with Nishioka and Hughes as the backups. Brian Dozier is probably the best infielder vying for a spot, but he hasn’t played above a half-season in AA and he’s got too much potential to waste on the bench. (That said, if he wins a starting spot, Jamey Carroll or Alexi Casilla could certainly move to the bench.) The same is true with Joe Benson in the outfield. He needs every day at bats. Chris Parmelee certainly enters the equation for a roster spot if Justin Morneau suffers any setbacks. I also believe that we will see plenty of Sean Burroughs on the Twins roster throughout the 2012 season. We’ll be back tomorrow with much more on the bullpen options, of which there are plenty.

Here we are, less than a week into full Twins spring training workouts. Games don’t even start for a couple of days. It’s time to start talking position battles, right? It appears to me that there are actually very few positions that are up for grabs at this stage of camp. Of course, as injuries mount through spring training, more position battles can spring up, but for now, there are a lot of givens on the roster. Hitters: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll, Ben Revere, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe (10 out of 13 positions are accounted for). Pitchers: Scott Baker, Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing (9 out of 12 positions accounted for). The biggest debate the last couple of days has been about the bullpen where one more job opened up with the loss of Joel Zumaya for the season. Let’s discuss that tomorrow. Let’s start today with the offensive (as in hitting!) side of the ball. 3rd Catcher The favorite at this point for the third catcher spot has to be Drew Butera. What does he have going for him? Two years of experience catching Twins pitchers in front of the Twins coaching staff, good catch and throw guy and he’s still a pre-arbitration eligible guy meaning he will basically make league minimum. The competition for the role comes from a couple of places, 28 year olds JR Towles and Rene Rivera. Towles was a big prospect in baseball and then hit .375 in 44 plate appearances in 2007. In 141 games spread over the past four years in Houston, he has hit .168/.251/.289. Of course, those numbers are better than Butera’s the last two years, but still not confidence-inducing. We got to see some of Rivera last year and realized that he is in the same category. No offense, solid defense guy. Prediction: I think that Butera ‘wins’ that third catcher job because, frankly, there isn’t an option that is much better, if at all better. Also, he’s on the 40 man roster and the other two are not. Frankly, Danny Lehmann’s name should be in this mix because he is just as good as any of these guys, knows the Twins pitchers, and has the respect of all pitchers in the organization. Chris Herrmann is certainly the top prospect in the group, and he should begin the year in AA New Britain. The Final TWO bench spots The starting lineup for the Twins is pretty much set. There will be a third catcher, and Trevor Plouffe will be the fourth outfielder. That leaves two spots. The favorites at this point are guys we saw in 2011. Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s debut season in the big leagues was pretty much a complete disaster. However, looking at the options for who could fill a utility role, he is the one that can play shortstop. He will have to play it (and 2B) better and also learn some 3B. He’ll also have to show an ability to hit. Although he’s a favorite, I don’t get the sense that he’s guaranteed a roster spot. If not for his shoulder injury, suffered while playing in the Australia Winter League, Luke Hughes would likely fit into the ‘given’ category. If he is healthy, I think he is a given. If he is not healthy, I think he goes on the Disabled List. I don’t think that the Twins should try to get Hughes through waivers because I think that he would be claimed and lost. The Competition for those two roster spots come from a couple of different angles. Sean Burroughs is the guy most are talking about now. His story is quite well known. He spent most of the 2011 season pinch-hitting with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He can play the corner spots solidly but would likely not have the range to play up the middle. His left-handed bat also matters as other bench options in the infield bat right handed. Steve Pearce can also play both corner infield spots and maybe be serviceable in the corner outfield. With Trevor Plouffe being the fourth outfielder, it may not be a horrible idea for the Twins to have a more proven defensive outfielder as a late-inning option. The Twins would likely prefer to have Rene Tosoni get every day playing time in Rochester, but he is an option. Recently acquired Darin Mastroianni is also a possibility as a true backup outfielder. Prediction: I believe that the Twins are likely to go with Nishioka and Hughes as the backups. Brian Dozier is probably the best infielder vying for a spot, but he hasn’t played above a half-season in AA and he’s got too much potential to waste on the bench. (That said, if he wins a starting spot, Jamey Carroll or Alexi Casilla could certainly move to the bench.) The same is true with Joe Benson in the outfield. He needs every day at bats. Chris Parmelee certainly enters the equation for a roster spot if Justin Morneau suffers any setbacks. I also believe that we will see plenty of Sean Burroughs on the Twins roster throughout the 2012 season. We’ll be back tomorrow with much more on the bullpen options, of which there are plenty.

I had to go back and listen again, just to see if I over-reacted... After calling Twins fans "stupid", he later said, "Suddenly everybody, because of their interweb, everybody is a baseball expert now. Everybody and their grandmother has a blog and their an expert on the game, a game they sit at home and watch at home on television. Go to Ft. Myers, go in the clubhouse, sit in the press box, cover it, and then form an opinion." So yeah, apparently if people don't cover the Twins and hang out in the clubhouse or the press box all day, they aren't entitled to an opinion.

That's the beauty of being a baseball fan... we can all have opinions. We don't have to always agree with each other, and that's OK.

Interesting point and very well stated. My initial thought was to try to disagree with you, but frankly, most players are "commons" at this point in the card collecting game. Mauer and Morneau likely aren't in the common bins. And guys like Benson, Parmelee, Hendriks, Gibson, Sano, Rosario... well, they likely won't start the season on the big league roster.

This is a great list. Thank you for compiling it! Like you, I always enjoy seeing where former Twins or Twins minor leaguers turn up. One that I would add is David Winfree, former Twins minor league player of the year, was added to the Diamondbacks' 40 man roster last fall, so he'll go to big league camp on the roster for the first time ever. I used to blog about this daily throughout spring. I don't know if I'll be able to continue to do so, but if you want to use your blog for that purpose, that would be great!

In 2011, he was 9-5 with a 3.95 ERA with the Rockies before going to the D-Backs, having a couple bad games and then getting his leg broken. 4.70 isn't ideals, but how much worse is that that where Pavano was last year? If he can eat 200+ innings with a 4.70 ERA on this team, that isn't bad for a 5th starter.