Seth Stohs

If the Twins do sign him for the rumored $4 million price tag, it will be a bit over their slot for international signing. They would need to make a trade or two to acquire more international slot value.

Probably too early to answer that but it was a good sign.

He weighs exactly the same this year as he weighed at this time a year ago. And, he's within about 5-8 pounds of the weight he played at in 2013.

I really like Herrmann, and I'm sure he wants to be an every day player, but in all likelihood, we're talking about a utility type, and a utility type that can catch well.

That would be the reason. I mean, he did miss an entire season.

The Minnesota Twins made a two-hour road trip early on Tuesday morning north to Dunedin. A couple of regulars made the trip, but most of the veterans stayed back in Ft. Myers and got in their work. I remained in Ft. Myers as well and made frequent treks between the big league workouts and the minor league workouts and below you can read some of my notes from the day. The Twins won their game in Dunedin 5-3. Kennys Vargas gave the Twins a 1-0 lead with a long home run off of former Twins pitcher R.A. Dickey. He wasn’t the only former Twins player to play for the Blue Jays against the Twins on Tuesday. Danny Valencia played third base and went 2-3. Steven Tolleson, who was on the Twins 40-man roster until they signed Jim Thome before the 2010 season, went 1-2 and played third base and right field. Lefty Andrew Albers pitched a scoreless inning and struck out one. Chris Colabello is also a non-roster invite with the Blue Jays. On Wednesday, the Twins are at Hammond Stadium, so I’ll be at my first of three games this week.It’s starting to get warm in southwest Florida. Some of the guys who live in Ft. Myers pointed out that it is pretty much 75 degrees every day through the offseason, but this week, the highs are in the mid-to-upper 80s. If you are going to Ft. Myers, be sure to bring the sunscreen, and a hat! If you missed it, I wrote a story earlier today about JO Berrios. I talked to him as he was going through Fan Mail and signing a lot of cards. Before diving deeper into some minor league stories, here are some quick observations from big league camp: Chris Herrmann was working with Doug Mientkiewicz over at first base this morning during PFPs (Pitchers Fielding Pactice). Obviously he has the athleticism and the ability to play all over the diamond. He has caught, played both corner outfield positions, some first base, and he played a lot of third base in college. However, when I talked to him he was pretty clear, “I want them to know that I am a catcher. That’s where I want to do the majority of my work.” To that point, he has only caught (and DH'd) in Twins games to this point.Josmil Pinto has been sidelined due to a strained quad. He is yet to play in a game. On Monday, he caught a couple of bullpens and took some batting practice. On Tuesday, he was doing full workout and catching activities as well as taking a round of batting practice. When I saw him launching baseballs well beyond the left-field fence, it appeared to me that he is getting very close to making his spring debut. Brian Dozier was taking some ground balls at third base this morning on Tom Kelly Field. Before you get alarmed, let me explain. They were working on various activities on the field. Sam Perlozzo was working on backhands with Dozier, Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe who were standing at third base. So no, we aren’t likely to see Brian Dozier at third base this season.For me, it's always so much fun when I see people from Twins history working with people from the Twins future. On Tuesday, Tom Kelly took time to work with Miguel Sano on some positioning at third base. Sano took it all in. O’ROURKE’S TWINS DEBUT The first person I talked to in the locker room was lefty Ryan O’Rourke. The southpaw received a non-roster invitation to big league camp following a strong season in 2014, all but one game with the New Britain Rock Cats. He is a native of Worcester, Massachusetts, which is just under an hour from Boston. Last Thursday, he made his first Twins appearance of the spring against the Boston Red Sox. O’Rourke, who held lefties to a ridiculous slash line of .114/.162/.129 (.291) came into the game with the bases loaded and Dustin Pedroia up to bat. As you recall, the Red Sox All-Star hit a grand slam. However, Paul Molitor talked to O’Rourke a day later about the outing. He acknowledged it wasn’t an ideal situation, but that he did a nice job of shaking that off and getting the next hitters out. They were also right-handed, big league hitters (including Mike Napoli). O’Rourke has been in Ft. Myers for about three weeks. He spent a little over a month in his hometown this winter. He spent over a month pitching in Venezuela. When he returned to Massachusetts, he taught pitching lessons to kids in the area. It was the first offseason as a pro that he didn’t work a 40+ hour work at a financial firm. He said, “Believe it or not, I did miss that job.” While O’Rourke knows he is a long-shot to make the Twins opening day roster, he is thrilled to have been given this opportunity to work with the Twins coaches and learn from some veterans. That said, he is very competitive and is competing for a job, if not now, then if needed during the year. JASON KANZLER AND THE MUSTACHE It’s funny. You never know what is going to grab people’s attention. Jason Kanzler’s mustache is one of those things. People ask me all the time about it. Yesterday, I wrote that he had the mustache, but it included some beard too. He said that he was planning to clean it up last night for the opening of the minor league practices. This morning, when he was between fields, he came over and I was able to get the first picture of his 2015 mustache. You have to enjoy the twists at the end of it. The Mustache gets a lot of attention, but Jason Kanzler is certainly worth getting to know. Mitch Garver, Kanzler’s teammate when he was with Cedar Rapids last year, was the choice for Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2014. Kanzler came in fourth. Between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, he hit .282/.344/.444 (.788) with 11 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs. He also stole 27 bases. He has played all three outfield positions, but he is best in centerfield. He was a two-time Gold Glove outfielder in college. He spent the offseason in Houston working out and feels really good going into the season. He said, “Getting here early and getting to hit against live pitching before the official minor league workouts really feels good.” LEWIS THORPE THROWS LIVE BATTING PRACTICE As you know, Lewis Thorpe’s offseason ended near the close of the regular season last year because of a “slight tear of his UCL.” Obviously that news created a lot of concern among the Twins and their fans. He has rehabbed in Ft. Myers for much of the offseason. On Tuesday, he warmed up in the bullpen. Moments later, he was on the mound. He said, “It was my first time facing hitters since my last outing last season.” Obviously it was a big step for him. He threw about 40 total pitches. He didn’t quite have his control all of the time, but obviously that isn’t the concern. That will come. He was happy with the outing. He said afterwards, “I felt good. Just control was a bit of a problem. Fastball was coming out real well, and my breaking ball and change-up need some touch up.” COREY WILLIAMS IN A BULLPEN Left-hander Corey Williams was the Twins third round pick in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. Last year at this time, he started feeling some elbow pain when he pitched. On April 1st, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season. He has spent most of the offseason in Ft. Myers, though he was able to get away for a few weeks to get married and go on a honeymoon. He has been working out and building up that arm strength. As an observer of his bullpen session, he really only threw fastballs, but they had good life, some good velocity. After his bullpen session, he said his elbow felt really good and continues to get stronger. He said that he is scheduled to face live pitching for the first time on Friday. As for whether he’ll be ready for opening day, he isn’t really thinking about it. He said he’s still got some things to get through before worrying about that. However, he thinks it is a real possibility to break with a club. The best scenario might be for him to stay in Ft. Myers with the Miracle so he can be monitored by the staff here. NICK GORDON The Twins top pick in 2014, Nick Gordon, is listed at 6-0 and 160 pounds. He may not be much heavier than that, but considering his size, he really has some pop in his bat. I’ve seen him hit quite a bit the last couple of days. He has a very smooth, fluid left-handed swing. He uses the entire field very well. He has good confidence at the plate. However, when he gets a good pitch, and he’s swinging hard, he can hit the ball well beyond the outfield fence. He has done that several times. One person with the Twins told me, “He has a chance to be really good.” Again, lots of photos of Day 2 have been uploaded to the Twins Daily Facebook Page and also the Twins Daily Twitter account. Be sure to “Like” and “Follow” those sites, respectively. Continue to keep story ideas coming from both the major league and minor league sides. Minor leaguers reported on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they have physicals and photos. Thursday is their first official workout. Click here to view the article

He's not on the 40-man roster, so they're not as worried about the injury concern with him as they would be with Sano (who is on the 40 man roster). That said, I think he'll go down fairly early because they'll want to stretch him (and Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey and Jason Wheeler) out so they're ready to start when the minor league seasons start. I'd be surprised if he's up by July, but nothing he does will totally shock me.

Rosario is the one of that group with the best chance of starting at Rochester. The other two will definitely start in Chattanooga.

More photos up on the Twins Daily Facebook page from today. Also on the Twins Daily twitter page.

I don't know if Miracle players aren't eligible to live in the dorm, but a lot of them are moving out toward the end of the week. It can be difficult because some guy who think they'll start with the Miracle may start in Chattanooga or Cedar Rapids.

I walked into the Twins clubhouse at Hammond Stadium this morning. There were a couple of games of cards being played. Some players were on their phones at their locker. 20-year-old Jose (JO) Berrios sat at his desk quietly. He had a stack of envelopes in his locker and one on the floor next to his chair. He had a Sharpie in his hand and was carefully writing his name on the baseball cards with his picture on them.As I approached him, he extended his hand and said, “Hi Seth. How are you doing?” After exchanging pleasantries, I said to the young pitching prospect, “Wow! That is a lot of envelopes! Is that normal?” He nodded and said, “Every day! It is this many almost every day.” Such is life for the Twins prospect, but he seems to enjoy it. Letters from all over the country and from his native Puerto Rico. Each starts with “Hi Mr. Berrios. You are a very good pitcher.” Or at least something to that effect. Some letters are long, and some are short. He takes the time to read them and sign. This isn’t JO Berrios’s first trip to big league spring training. Two years ago, Berrios was able to work out with the Twins during major league spring training because he had been named to Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic roster. He pitched out of the team’s bullpen as an 18-year-old that year. This year, his experience has already been different. He said, “That year, I was just here because I was training for the World Baseball Classic. This time, I am here competing for a spot.” The Twins supplemental first-round draft choice in 2012 took a big step forward in his career in 2014. He was named the Minor League Pitcher of the Year by the Minnesota Twins, as well as the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. He began the season in Ft. Myers and finished his season with a start on the final weekend for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. He started the Florida State League All-Star game as well as MLB’s Futures Game at Target Field. Overall, he went 12-8 with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. In 139.2 innings, he struck out 140 batters while walking just 38. This spring, he has pitched twice, both two-inning stints. Asked how he was feeling, Berrios said, “Everything is good. Arm feels really good.” He is also happy that his wife and their daughter are in Ft. Myers with him during spring training. They attend the home Twins games, and he enjoys being able to go home to them at the end of each day. Most likely, Berrios will begin his 2015 season at Double-A Chattanooga, but he is focused. That doesn’t surprise anyone who has seen the videos of his workout and the drive that he has. At this point, who are we to put it past him? Click here to view the article

Today is report day, so many minor leagues are just flying in today. Tomorrow is photo day and they get their physicals. They'll still do workouts, but it won't be the full squad, full practice stuff. I think that you can tell if a player has grown (physically or just as a ballplayer). It may not always show up in the stats, but I think a person could tell. Obviously the closer you are to that person, the more you'd notice for sure.

Good thing I put that toward the end!!

and it's because it can't be quantified that it bugs so many. It's huge, and frankly, it shouldn't be quantified. And, to be honest, it doesn't necessarily produce results. But it's there, and it can be noticed by those involved. There's no question in my mind that Hunter can be, has been and is a great leader. Hopefully some of it will wear off.

For the next month, Twins Daily will be in Ft. Myers, filing daily reports from The Fort. Seth made the trek to southwest Florida. On Monday, he arrived at Hammond Stadium. Despite few players being at the stadium, we were able to see a lot of baseball action and talk to a few players. Below you will find a quick report from Day 1. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs TWO TEAMS ON THE ROAD The Twins played two games in Bradenton on Monday. The regularly-scheduled game ended in a 1-1 tie, the Twins lone run coming on a long home run off the bat of Miguel Sano. The teams also played a “B” game earlier in the day and the Twins won that game 2-1. That game was for some of the guys in camp who don’t play as much, or needed to get innings. Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey and Jason Wheeler each pitched. They are in big league camp, but they need to be stretched out so that they can be ready to start when the minor league games start next month. The players who headed north left early, so I got there just after the bus left. So, it was a little quieter around Hammond Stadium. However, Torii Hunter and Joe Mauer remained back and worked. There were a lot of pitchers who stayed back as well. Phil Hughes and Mike Pelfrey threw bullpens. Glen Perkins was going to throw a bullpen, but he continued to experience pain in his right side. According to the Star-Tribune, he is going to see the Twins physicians on Tuesday. Other pitchers worked on Tom Kelly Field, with Tom Kelly and Doug Mientkiewicz, on more pitcher fielding ractice. Mauer fed them ground balls from first base. When the pitchers were done, they went to the bullpen and worked on bunting with Rod Carew. It was kind of interesting to see relievers working on bunting, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for anything. HANSON HELPS THE BIG LEAGUE CLUB Because of the lack of numbers for the big league workout today, Nate Hanson was called over to Hammond Stadium to help out. Hanson was the Twins 28th round pick in 2008 out of the University of Minnesota. He became a minor league free agent for the first time this last offseason, but after weighing his options, he chose to return to the Twins. During PFP’s, he played at 3B and caught the throws from the pitchers after the bunts. After the first “bunt” thrown by Tom Kelly, the pitcher threw to Hanson. It was a perfect throw, chest high, and Hanson caught it. He tossed it back to the pitcher and readied himself for the next throw. Before that happened, Kelly yelled “Great play, Nate!” He chuckled, and after most throws from the pitchers throughout the rest of the drills, they would say, “Great play, Nate!” as he tossed them back the ball. He took batting practice, and at one point, he hit two, long home runs over the left field wall that were hit further than others on the day. It will be an interesting year for Hanson. He has spent time in Rochester each of the last two seasons, though most of those seasons were spent in New Britain. In his professional career, he has played first base, second base, third base, left field and right field. He is usually the third hitter on his team and teammates describe him as “professional.” The former Gopher told me he was at the Gophers/Twins game last Wednesday night. He is still friends with some of the Gophers players, coaches and other personnel. MINOR LEAGUE CAMP Tuesday marks the official report day for Twins minor leaguers. However, in talking with Tommy Watkins, he said that there were 93 minor leaguers there on Monday to work out. When their first full workout takes place on Thursday, there will be as many as 145 on the four back fields. I had to ask if he thought that having the new Twins academy so conveniently close was the reason. He nodded and said that it definitely helps. The players are able to get three meals and live there for very little. The players there are fed three meals a day. There are nutritionists as well, so they do not have options that are not healthy. There are not “bad” options such as pop for the players. Understandably, the Twins invest money in these players and in their development. Nutrition is a part that had not been a focus. It was talked about, but having the academy allows them to push it even further. After spending time stretching and running, hitters took batting practice. Several pitchers threw live batting practice to the hitters. Pat Dean, Stephen Gonsalves, Ethan Mildren and Aaron Slegers were among pitchers who threw to hitters from the mound. HARRISON HOPES FOR A BIG YEAR 2011 Twins supplemental first-round pick Travis Harrison came over and spent a few minutes with me after the day’s workout. He spent the 2014 season in Ft. Myers where he hit .269/.361/.365 (.726) with 33 doubles, a triple and three home runs. He was also playing the outfield for the first time as a professional. Asked how he felt about his progression in the field went, he said, “It wasn’t bad at all. I played outfield in high school, including centerfield, so it wasn’t a problem.” He said that he is expecting to have a big year. He said, “I learned a lot about hitting last year from Doug (Mientkiewicz).” Despite the lack of home runs, he has no question that he can hit a lot of home runs. He has always had tremendous strength, but he said that he is stronger than he has ever been. For the first time, he spent the offseason in Ft. Myers. He worked out with Kyle Gibson and Twins Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator Erik Beiser. He says he can’t control where he starts the season but really believes that he’ll start in Chattanooga. THE RETURN OF DINKELMAN The Twins have several new coaches in the minor leagues in 2015. JP Martinez and Virgil Vazquez will be pitching coaches for the GCL Twins. Javier Valentin will be a coach in the GCL. Twins fans will also be interested to know that Brian Dinkelman will be a hitting coach in the GCL. I had a chance to talk to him at the end of the workouts on Monday. He arrived in Ft. Myers last Tuesday and has been working with the players who are there. Asked if he was always planning on coaching, he said, “It has always been something I knew I’d want to do. I spent last year coaching high school baseball, and then this opportunity came up.” THE RETURN OF THE MUSTACHE One of the most interesting stories of the 2014 season was the mustache of Jason Kanzler. It was one of those things that needed updated pictures throughout the season. The mustache is back, though on Monday, there was some beard that went along with it. After posting the above picture of the current mustache situation, Kanzler assures his fans (or the fans of his mustache) that he will “clean it up tonight. Me and the 'stache are coming out hot tomorrow.” Twins Daily is making an effort to get the first photo of the 2015 Mustache. If you like the six photos in this article, be sure to “Like” Twins Daily on Facebook and follow Twins Daily on Twitter. You can also follow Seth on Twitter as he will be tweeting from the stadium often. There were over 75 photos posted to the Facebook page, and more will be there throughout the week. There is so much going on between the seven fields that it is impossible to catch it all. However, my goal will be to see as much as I can and report it here again tomorrow. View full article

Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press wrote about Twins reliever AJ Achter. Now, if you've been following Twins Daily, you've obviously heard of Achter. I mean, he was my choice for minor league relief pitcher of the year 3-4 years ago. He's always put up numbers, but he's a smart guy who knows that he's had to work for everything he's got. He may remain a long shot for the opening day roster, but he has a chance and that's all he has ever asked for.

It was great to see Halsey again today! I get kind of overwhelmed the first day I'm there. So much going on, and minor league practice hasn't even officially started yet! Also today, the Twins had and "A" and a "B" team on the road, so there weren't as many big leaguers there today. They're on the road again tomorrow, but just one team.

Mike Berardino wrote about Jason Wheeler after he pitched very well in relief over the weekend. Wheeler is very intelligent. Law school is his backup plan. His brother Ryan has played in the big leagues for parts of the last three years.

Jim Souhan did the three-part story a year ago on Byron Buxton and today he wrote another really good article on Buxton's struggles in 2014 and how he looks to return healthy in 2015. There is a lot in this article, three pages in the feature. What stand out to you?

I like Herrmann. There's a lot to like. As mentioned above, he played 3B at Miami. Twins moved him to catcher right away but his ability in the corner outfield spots are pretty good. He's a good athlete with average speed for a corner OF. He's very athletic for a catcher. I think he's pretty solid behind the plate. Good arm. Offensively, he takes good at bats. He has line drive, gap power. It has only appeared in the big leagues a few times. His playing time has been very sporadic. He is still on the 40 man roster so they must really like something. Fryer was removed. Pinto remains a question mark.

I will be flying down to Ft. Myers on Sunday. My first day at the ballpark will be Monday. From that point forth, Twins Daily will have someone there through the rest of spring training. Each day, you will be able to read at least a couple of Reports from The Fort. I'd like to encourage Twins Daily readers to present us with ideas in this forum thread. What are the stories that you would like us to write while we are down there? Or, who would you like to see us interview, major leaguer or minor leaguer. We may or may not be able to do all of them, but we certainly would appreciate your thoughts on what you would like to read. If you were in the Twins clubhouse one day in spring training, who would you want to talk to, and what would you ask them? Post your thoughts and we'll try to get as many answers as we can while we're down there.