Seth Stohs

I don't think that's true. I definitely think that both Perkins and Dozier have tremendous media/fan presence. I think this was more of an award for an outgoing (multiple meanings) manager. There are several guys in that clubhouse who have a very good media presence.

Plouffe's defense improved dramatically, and his offense took a small step forward, but Escobar went from utility infielder who was sent back to Rochester for about 6 weeks in 2013 to everyday shortstop with a ton of doubles who needed to be in the lineup most every day. I thought Escobar was an easy choice for most improved.

Tom Powers from the Pioneer Press apparently had a dream the other night about an ideal coaching staff: It's an interesting look and he goes into detail on each person he mentioned and why they make sense, so be sure to read the article. My opinion, I'd be good with Mientkiewicz, and I think Brunansky coming back makes sense. Gene Glynn, in my opinion, is going to be on the staff regardless. I'm a huge fan of Tommy Watkins and think he'd be a great add, though I also think that he will become a minor league manager in the near future too. I enjoy talking to Arteaga and he is a wealth of knowledge, is from Venezuela, and knows pitching and mechanics! Sam Perlozzo is also obviously a guy who has been in baseball a LONG time and knows this game. He has so much energy. Any other thoughts?

Very true. He should have pretty much nothing to do with player decisions other than maybe signing off. He can help set the budget for Ryan to work under, but he shouldn't know much about the personnel side. And, neither should the owner.

Second best Twins podcast out there!! Tied for second with the Talk to Contact guys, I mean. I hear that Twins Hangouts podcast is the best...

The Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino writes that 32-year-old righty Virgil Vasquez has signed up to be the GCL Twins pitching coach. He lives in Ft. Myers with his fiance. I've heard only wonderful things about him, his knowledge, his willingness to teach and more. Seems like a wonderful coaching decision.

The Twins announced the recipients of their 2014 Diamond Awards. Some great choices: Calvin R. Griffith Award (MVP): Phil Hughes Joseph W. Haynes Award (Pitcher of the Year): Phil Hughes Carl R. Pohlad Community Service Award: Brian Duensing Bill Boni Award (Rookie): Danny Santana Charles O. Johnson (Most Improved): Eduardo Escobar Mike Augustin (Media Good Guy) Award: Ron Gardenhire Jim Kaat Award (top defensive player): Brian Dozier Bob Allison Award (exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit, leadership): Kurt Suzuki Dick Siebert Award (Upper Midwest Player of Year): Pat Neshek Sherry Robertson Award (Minor League Hitter): Kennys Vargas Jim Rantz Award (Minor League Pitcher): Jose Berrios Kirby Puckett Alumni Community Service Award: Jim Kaat From the Press Release:

Best two outfielders in the organization. No doubt about that. Kanzler is so good defensively. But yes, I would expect that he will star the season back in Ft. Myers. That Chattanooga outfield is full! Rosario will probably start there too, though he could move up to AAA with a strong AFL. Who knows, he could be the Twins opening day LF (Reusse tweeted that this morning, I responded saying maybe by June).

The Kansas City Royals are going to the World Series. The AL Central team that was seemingly in a perennial rebuild suddenly has put itself in a great position. They won the 1985 World Series and this is the first time since then that they've been back in the playoffs. They have now gone 8-0 this postseason and will represent the American League in the World Series. The Twins have had a run of four-straight 90-loss seasons, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the Royals roster and see how their players were acquired. Are there similarities between the Twins and the Royals?THE CORE I always write and talk about how important it is for the Twins to develop their core and then supplement it with free agents or through trades to find final pieces. Both the 1987 and 1991 World Series championship Minnesota Twins teams had strong cores. Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek and Greg Gagne were part of both cores. The 1987 team included Tom Brunansky, Gary Gaetti and Frank Viola who were on the team when they were losing a lot of games. Dan Gladden, Juan Berenguer and Jeff Reardon were added. Gladden became part of the core of the 1991 team. At the core of the Royals roster have been four first-round picks. Billy Butler was the 14th overall pick in the 2004 draft. Alex Gordon was the #2 overall pick in the 2005 draft. Mike Moustakas was the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, and Eric Hosmer was the #3 pick in the 2008 draft. All four of these players have certainly had their ups and downs in their big league career. Fans complain about the lack of power shown by Butler and Hosmer. Alex Gordon struggled early in his career and switched positions. Mike Moustakas has struggled with the bat, and in fact, he was sent down to AAA this year because he was playing so poorly. Other guys whom they have drafted and developed are around the roster. Closer Greg Holland was the team’s 10th round pick in 2007. Lefty Danny Duffy was their third round pick in 2008. Jarrod Dyson was the team’s 50th round pick in 2006. Yes, I meant to type 50th. In addition, the Royals signed some of their new, expanded core as international free agents. Flamethrower Yordano Ventura was signed from the Dominican Republic in 2008. Fellow triple-digit tosser Kelvin Herrera signed in 2006. Salvador Perez, who is one of the best catchers in baseball offensively and defensively, signed out of Venezuela in 2006. In addition, reliever Brandon Finnegan became the first person, ever, to play in the College World Series and the Major League World Series in the same year. The lefty pitched for TCU this spring, was selected with the 17th overall pick in June, and was up in September. He played a huge role in the Division Series. TRADES The Royals then made a few trades that have had a huge effect on their roster, and on this year’s results. There were a couple of completely opposite trades. When the Royals were struggling and had a terrific starting pitcher in Zach Greinke, they were able to trade him to Milwaukee. The Brewers sent to Kansas City Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi, and the ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain in that deal. Odorizzi was on the other end of a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays two years ago. Instead of acquiring prospects, the Royals traded one of baseball’s top prospects, Wil Myers, along with Odorizzi and more in exchange for James Shields and Wade Davis. Shields had become an ace for the Rays and pitched in the playoffs and the World Series. Davis was a soft-throwing starter who was being moved to the bullpen. The Royals gave him a shot to start last year, but he became arguably baseball’s most dominant reliever in 2014. In addition, the Royals traded soft-tossing lefty reliever Will Smith to the Brewers last offseason for outfield Nori Aoki. They acquired reliever Jason Frasor at the trade deadline for a minor leaguer. They also got Josh Willingham from the Twins in mid-August. FREE AGENCY With that core having gained some experience and the Royals starting to show signs of life, they supplemented their team with some free agent signings. In July of 2012, the Royals traded lefty Jonathan Sanchez to the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie. Both pitchers had struggled immensely and maybe a change of scenery would help. Well, Guthrie pitched well down the stretch in 2012 and turned it into a three year deal worth $25.2 million deal with the Royals. Though he has been about league average in those 2 1/2 years, he has worked a combined 505.1 regular-season innings for the Royals. After letting Ervin Santana go elsewhere after the 2013 season, the Royals signed very soft-tossing left-hander Jason Vargas to a four-year, $32 million contract. The move was widely criticized at the time, but Vargas has pitched well in the first year. After trotting out guys like Johnny Giavotella and Chris Getz at second base in recent years, the Royals gave Omar Infante a four year, $30.25 million contract to be their second baseman. Granted, the 32-year-old hit just .252/.295/.337 (.632), but he has 13 years of big league experience which likely helped the club in some way. After getting released by the Angels in June, veteran Raul Ibanez signed with the Royals. He hit just .188 with six extra base hits in 90 plate appearances. Consider this: Had the Twins gone out and signed free agents like Guthrie, Vargas and Infante, would those moves have excited the Twins fan base? Do they scream "OK, now, we're heading to the World Series?" SUMMARY The Royals have a fairly young core of talent that should allow them to make a run for a few years. In their regular lineup, Omar Infante is the only hitter over the age of 30. Salvador Perez and Eric Hosmer are still under 25 while Billy Butler, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakus are all 28 or less. Yordano Ventura is 23, and Danny Duffy is 25. Meanwhile, James Shields becomes a free agent at the end of the year and the 32-year-old could bolt for big money. Jeremy Guthrie is 35 and Jason Vargas is 32. They’ll need to develop a couple more pitchers and possibly sign one or two to replace Shields. The bullpen is full of hard throwers, and they are quite young. The forgotten name might be 2009 first-round pick Aaron Crow who was very good the last couple of years before struggling a little bit in 2014. A reminder of the Royals first round picks in the last decade: · 2004 (14) – Billy Butler – High School · 2005 (2) – Alex Gordon – College – Nebraska · 2006 (1) – Luke Hochevar – College – Tennessee · 2007 (2) – Mike Moustakas – High School · 2008 (3) – Eric Hosmer – High School · 2009 (12) – Aaron Crow – College – Missouri · 2010 (4) – Christian Colon – College – Cal State Fullerton · 2011 (5) – Bubba Starling – High School · 2012 (5) – Kyle Zimmer – College – San Francisco · 2013 (8) – Hunter Dozier – College – Stephen F. Austin · 2013 (34) – Sean Manaea – College – Indiana State · 2014 (18) – Brandon Finnegan – College – TCU The Royals have had a boatload of very high draft picks and for the most part, they have made good on them. Hochevar was moved to the bullpen in 2013 and posted an ERA south of two. He had Tommy John surgery this spring. Colon made his MLB debut in 2014. Starling, Zimmer and Dozier are all participating in the Arizona Fall League. HOW DO THE TWINS COMPARE? Are the Twins doing any of the things that have made the Royals successful this year? The draft has been a struggle in the last decade, though they have had their successes as well: · 2004 – Trevor Plouffe (20), Glen Perkins (22) · 2005 – Matt Garza (25) · 2006 – Chris Parmelee (20) · 2007 – Ben Revere (28) · 2008 – Aaron Hicks (14) · 2009 – Kyle Gibson (22) · 2010 – Alex Wimmers (21) · 2011 – Levi Michael (30) · 2012 – Byron Buxton (2), Jose Berrios (32) · 2013 – Kohl Stewart (4) · 2014 – Nick Gordon (5) While the Royals were accumulating high first-round picks for a decade, the Twins were competing (and often winning) division titles. Only in the last three drafts (and the 2015 draft) have the Twins had high picks. It will be important for the Twins long-term success to have those guys hit. The Twins now have Kyle Gibson and Trevor May as young starters in their rotation. They have added free agents Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes last year. Hughes out-pitched all but a handful of starters in the American League in 2014 while Nolasco showed how hard free agent pitchers can be to judge with a rough first season. Obviously, for the Twins to compete in 2015 and 2016, Nolasco will have to return to at least mediocrity. The team also continues to have hope for Alex Meyer, hoping he can become a top-of-the-rotation starter. So will they add another high-priced free agent starter to the mix as the Royals have in recent years? The Royals bullpen is among the best in baseball, and they are a huge reason why the Royals have yet to lose a game in the playoffs. They are able to bring in hard-thrower after hard-thrower to dominate. They drafted Finnegan with the 17th overall pick this year. The Twins drafted Nick Burdi with the 46th overall pick and he has thrown a legitimate 102 mph fastball with a 90+ mph slider. Third round pick Michael Cederoth will get a chance to start, but he was clocked at 100 in college this year. Fifth round pick Jake Reed hit 98, and according to Jason Kanzler (in a Twins Hangouts interview on Tuesday night) he has just filthy movement on his pitches. He’s pitching in the AFL now, too. The Twins have about 10 guys in the system who reach 98 or better on their fastballs including Meyer, Zack Jones, JT Chagois and more. Each of these guys has a realistic chance to debut with the Twins in 2015. Joe Mauer was part of the core in the last decade and will be a big part of the team’s success the next few years. However, the core for the next winning team starts with Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton. Hosmer and Moustakas were both among Baseball America’s top 10 prospects prior to the 2011 season. Buxton and Sano were both in BA's top 10 prospects list prior to this season. Though both missed significant time in 2014, they remain among baseball’s elite prospects. Beyond them, Jorge Polanco and Eddie Rosario are guys who could come up in the next year or two and compete. JO Berrios took a huge step forward in 2014 as a prospect. It's certainly far to early to know how Kohl Stewart and Nick Gordon will fare over time, but both had good showings in 2014. Oswaldo Arcia made strides and continued to hit for big power as a 23-year-old in 2014. Danny Santana put up Rookie of the Year numbers this year, though White Sox 27-year-old Jose Abreu will win that award unanimously. Kennys Vargas showed great power in his surprise debut. Brian Dozier (eighth round, 2010) won’t turn 28 until mid-May. Trevor Plouffe will be 28 through the first half of 2015. The Twins need Aaron Hicks to step up in 2015 as well, but the Twins offense was actually pretty good in 2014. Free agent Kurt Suzuki played a role in that. Another trait of the Twins strong teams has been defense. The Royals defense all around the diamond has been incredible. There are web gems, yes, but there is also great positioning. This is an area where the Twins have fallen flat, squished, you could say. The Twins defense is dreadful, and in order to help their pitching staff save some runs, it will also have to be a focus. The Twins aren’t just suddenly going to compete in 2015 unless a lot of things go really well. However, it’s clear what the Twins are building. The next core of hitters and pitchers is just starting to arrive and will continue to do so over the next two years. They will have to take their lumps, no question, just like the Royals core did over the last several years. But there are certainly pieces in place for the Twins to contend within the next couple of seasons, and hopefully for an extended period of time again. As the Royals have shown this year, it’s about getting to the playoffs and peaking. They certainly aren’t the best team in baseball. They probably aren’t the best team in the American League. Frankly, they weren’t the best team in the American League Central Division this year. However, they have the right pieces in place, in the lineup, on defense and in that bullpen. And right now, Lady Luck is shining on the Royals and they are playing great. Hopefully it will continue through the World Series. Click here to view the article

Great to see that Anthony Swarzak passed Randy Johnson among all time Twins greats!!

Interesting topic. I like it. Baseball has 162 games, and only 5 of 15 teams make the playoffs, and 2 of those teams have a one-game play-in. So, I think there is an excitement early in the season, but then it can get long, and then playoff contending teams' games are very exciting throughout August and September, and hopefully into October. Hockey has a long regular season and about 1/2 of the teams make the playoffs and playoff seeding proves to mean pretty much nothing most of the time. I think the 162 game season tells us more about who the best teams in baseball are, but the excitement of the playoffs, the urgency certainly creates great excitement. I don't watch it, but it sure can for those fans. On the other side, we often hear from a small minority of fans who get upset when the Twins have a walk-off win in September, and they well out of contention, and they excitedly jump on each other on the field. They're still playing and creating their own urgency for themselves and their teammates. So, if the effort is there from the players in the game, I don't feel ripped off at all.

As Parker wrote today, the Twins obvious need on the offense short-term, at least, is in Left Field. I have no problem with them going out and getting a left fielder. If they want to go out and get starting pitching. Great! I'd love to see Lester or Scherzer come to the Twins. If they go after Masterson, fine, he's a good reclamation guy on a one-year make-good deal. But, if they sign a starting pitcher in free agency (the previous three mentioned, or another that they pay good money to), then we have to be OK with Alex Meyer starting the season in Rochester, which he might anyway.

Not necessarily, but I think it's fair to say that his long term (or even short-term - say, 2-3 years) will be completely determined by having this core of young players come up and be successful and win. Like the Royals, you have to have a core to supplement, and right now, the Twins (hopefully) next core is just getting their feet wet now. I don't know that there are pieces available in free agency that are worth it this year. Maybe there will be next year when you have a better sense of what the needs will be.

But that's the key. Developing players is the key...

That hit chart to left field was very interesting. I'm sure right field would look the same, but Arcia will have enough bat to carry it. The Royals were fortunate with Gordon because he can hit and field well. Remember when he came up? He struggled pretty mightily for a few years and some Royals fans were ready to call him a bust. Of course, they have also called Mike Moustakus a bust and yet his defense is remarkable at third base. That's why I'm looking forward to (or hoping that) Eddie Rosario's bat plays in 2014 because I believe his defense in LF will be above average which could make him fairly valuable there if he can hit at all.

Jim Souhan today wrote a terrific article on payroll and postseason baseball. Astutely, he basically points out that they have nothing to do with each other. It's more about decisions made and depth acquired (through development or other: The thought that spending money is what is going to mean wins and post season success should be a thing of the past. I know it isn't, especially after reading comments in the Phil Miller STrib article yesterday. Another point made that more people need to realize:

I've heard first year 6-year-minor league free agents get anywhere from $4,000 per month to $8,000 per month, and I'm sure some get more. From there, it goes up some each year.

I would agree with the premise that they need to play the younger guys now. I would just disagree with "we have not begun to build a young base of players." We have seen that the last two years in Arcia, Vargas, Santana, Gibson, May, Pino and others. And in 2015, we should see Meyer, Buxton, Sano, Rosario, maybe Burdi. Soon after, Berrios, Jones, Rogers, Reed. Etc. Those guys will be at league minimum for their first three years. So, of course, payroll will be lower overall. You can't just throw these guys under the bus by calling them up too soon. That would be worst for the long term.

But pretty much every team got new stadiums over the past 10-15 years, right? So, instead, look at the dollars spent each of those years and see how that compares to their last five years in the Dome. If the Twins were still in the Dome, they wouldn't have been able to keep up with the inflation and would likely be #30 on the list.

If Sano and Buxton had been healthy, it's likely two of them wouldn't have been there. They signed Tony Thomas late in the year. There's a chance that if Rosario wasn't suspended, they wouldn't have signed him. I don't think any of them were holding anyone back that was ready to move up to the next level, and they have to fill rosters and try to win some games too.

As the Twins front office, scouting department and others are in Ft. Myers for their organizational meetings, they have a lot of decisions to make. They have to decide on a manager and fill the coaching staff. They will discuss all free agents from around the game. They’ll discuss arbitration-eligible players. They’ll also consider which players to add to their 40-man roster. The Twins have had a measure of success in recent years by signing minor league free agents. Today, I’d like to write about the players who were in Twins organization in 2014 who could become minor league free agents after the World Series. This list is a mix of guys who came to the Twins organization within the last year or two from elsewhere as minor league free agents and players who have spent their minor league careers in the Twins organization.We will start with the players who were drafted and/or signed by the Twins and can be free agents. Deibinson Romero – The 28 year old Dominican debuted in the Twins organization in 2006 with the GCL Twins. He was added to the 40 man roster after his 2008, injury-filled season in Beloit. That lasted one year, but he has remained in the organization. This will be the third offseason that he could have become a free agent. He has re-signed with the Twins each of the last two years. In 2014 in Rochester, he hit .265/.364/.406 (.770) with 31 doubles and eight home runs. He had a strong showing with the bat in big league spring training as well. Jairo Rodriguez – Rodriguez could also have become a free agent last year but re-signed with the Twins organization. He is a strong defensive catcher and a good leader for the pitchers but also all of his teammates. He is the catcher who went wherever there was a need in 2014. He split his time between Ft. Myers and New Britain, playing on occasion, but primarily just being the #2 or # 3 catcher. In fact, the Venezuelan played just 38 combined games and hit .220/.272/.276 with seven doubles. James Beresford – The still-just-25 year old middle infielder continued his progression in 2014 with a full season at Rochester. He too has been a free agent each of the past two seasons, choosing to remain with the Twins organization. His role with the Twins would be that of utility infielder, but he was the everyday second baseman for the Red Wings. In 131 games, he hit .276/.323/.351 (.674) with 28 doubles, two triples and two home runs. The Australian is tremendous on the defensive side and a great leader in the infield. Dan Rohlfing – The St. Louis native was the Twins 14th round pick in 2007 out of high school. He slowly and gradually made his way up the Twins system. He also has been a free agent the last two years but came back as a catcher who can also play the corner outfield positions. He has been a spring training invite each of the past four years. The last couple of years, he was among the last players sent to the minors. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester and hit .205/.307/.311 (.618) with 17 doubles and two home runs. Edgar Ibarra – The 25-year-old from Venezuela signed with the Twins and debuted in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2006. Last year, he was to become a free agent, but instead the Twins put the hard-throwing lefty on their 40 man roster. Unfortunately, he came down with Hepatitus in spring training and could not pitch. He returned to Rochester where he went 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA in 49.2 innings before being sent to New Britain for the final nine appearances. Adrian Salcedo – He was once a Top 10 Twins prospect. In Beloit in 2011, he went 6-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 139 innings. However, in 2012, he missed a lot of time rehabbing both elbow and shoulder injuries. He returned in 2013 in the bullpen and in 2014, he was in the New Britain bullpen. Still just 23 years old, Salcedo went 3-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 39 games and 73 innings for the Rock Cats. In 73 innings, he struck out 76 batters. He throws hard, and I’m certain the Twins will want to bring him back. BJ Hermsen – Hermsen was the Twins 6th round pick in 2008 out of high school in Iowa. He turned down a scholarship to Oregon State to sign with the Twins. In 2012, between Ft. Myers (4 games) and New Britain (22 games), he combined to go 12-6 with a 2.88 ERA in 162.2 innings. Following the season, he was named the minor league pitcher of the year and added to the Twins 40 man roster. He pulled his oblique in spring training and struggled all of 2013 with the Rock Cats. Those struggles continued in 2014 and the 24 year old split time between New Britain and Ft. Myers, posting a 7.34 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in 38 innings. Danny Ortiz – The 24-year-old was the Twins fourth round pick in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He missed the entire 2009 season due to knee surgery. In 2014, he began in New Britain and hit .324/.340/.500 (.840) before finishing with 73 games in Rochester in which he hit .256/.283/.434 (.717). Combined, he hit 29 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs. The outfielder can play all three outfield positions. Mike Gonzales – Gonzales was the Twins 9th round pick in 2008 out of Diablo Valley College. When healthy, the 6-6, 260 pound first baseman has been able to provide some power to the middle of his lineups. He began 2014 in Ft. Myers and hit .274/.351/.448 (.787) before ending with 31 games in New Britain where he hit .264/.339/.415 (.754). Combined he hit 29 doubles and 12 homers. Nate Hanson – The former Gopher (who graduated from Eden Prairie High School) was the Twins 28th round pick in 2008. The last two years, he has split his time between New Britain and Rochester. In 119 games this year, he combined to hit .256/.327/.369 (.696) with 33 doubles and six home runs. The 27-year-old is described by teammates and coaches as the consummate professional. He has played all around the diamond, with the exceptions of catcher, shortstop and centerfield while hitting in the middle of the lineup. Deolis Guerra – Though he was signed by the Mets as a 16-year-old from Venezuela, he developed in the Twins system after the 2008 trade. This is actually the third year that he’ll be a free agent. He missed all of 2013 after having a blood clot removed from his right shoulder/neck. After a strong showing in spring training, the 25-year-old went 2-2 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 52 innings for the Red Wings. The rest of the guys have come to the Twins organization as minor league free agents within the last couple of seasons. Virgil Vasquez – He pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2005 and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007. Since then he has pitched all over the map. He has split his time the last two years between Rochester and New Britain. This year, he threw a 7-inning no-hitter for the Rock Cats. Combined, the 32-year-old went 7-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 139.1 innings. Tony Thomas – The 28 year old was a former 3rd round pick of the Cubs out of Florida State. He had spent the previous three seasons of his career with the Red Sox organization. He spent the season in New Britain where he was an All Star and hit .241/.302/.411 (.712) with 29 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases. He was also the Rock Cats recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award for Community Service. Eric Farris – The 28-year-old was the Brewers fourth round pick in 2007 out of Loyola Marymount. He made his Major League debut with one plate appearance in July of 2011. He got nine more plate appearances with them in 2012, including one hit and one walk. He came to the Twins before the 2013 season and has played in 250 games for Rochester. He was an infielder, but he was the team’s primary centerfielder in 2014. He hit .280/.316/.356 (.672) in 2014 with 23 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 16 stolen bases. Reynaldo Rodriguez – The 28-year-old signed originally with the Yankees, spent some time playing in independent leagues and then signed with the Red Sox. The last two years, he has been one of the better hitters in the Twins farm system. In 2014, he hit a combined .278/.337/.495 (.832) between New Britain (126 games) and Rochester (10 games). He hit 36 doubles, two triples and 21 homers. He also moved from first base to the outfield. Wilkin Ramirez – Ramirez made the Twins opening day roster in 2013 after previously being in the Tigers and Braves organizations. In 2009, he played in 15 games with Detroit, and in 2011, he played in 20 games for the Braves. The former top prospect played in 35 games with the Twins in 2013. He spent all of 2014 in Rochester where he hit .262/.305/.368 (.672) with 23 doubles, three triples and four home runs. Dan Turpen – The 28 year old came to the Twins organization before the 2012 season from the Rockies in exchange for Kevin Slowey. He re-signed with the Twins as a free agent late last spring and spent the full year in New Britain. He went 5-2 with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in 62.1 innings. He struck out 62, but he walked 30. Brandon Waring – The 28 year old came to the Twins as a free agent last year after several years with the Orioles organization. He had a good showing offensively and defensively in spring training. He was sent to New Britain where, in 106 games, he hit .212/.311/.406 (.716) with 28 doubles and 13 homers. Corey Wimberly – The 30 year old came to the Twins before the 2014 season after spending time in six other organizations since being a 6th round pick in 2007 out of college. He played 2B and center field for New Britain. However, he was limited to 72 games with the Rock Cats due to a hamstring injury. He hit .252/.307/.346 (.653) with 13 doubles and five triples. He was also 17/21 in stolen base attempts. Chris Rahl – The 30-year-old was the Diamondbacks 5th round pick in 2005. In 2011, he went to the Nationals. In 2014, he came to the Twins and was invited to spring training. He spent the year in Rochester where he hit .259/.272/.380 (.652) with 17 doubles and seven home runs. Jim Fuller – After being in the Mets organization since he was drafted in 2008, the left-hander was a minor league Rule 5 draft pick of the Twins in 2013. He spent 2014 in New Britain where he went 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 56 innings. He walked 30, but he struck out 68. Dutch Deol – He was the 17th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 out of high school. In three years of rookie league ball (Which was also injury-laden), he hit .089, .176 and .188. The Twins took a flyer on him and in 32 games with Elizabethton, he hit .171/.263/.210 (.472) with three doubles. Mark Hamburger – You know the story of Mark Hamburger. The Minnesota native signed with the Twins out of a tryout camp in 2007. In August of 2008, he was closing for the Elizabethton Twins when he was traded to Texas for Eddie Guardado. By September of 2011, he was promoted to the Rangers where he played in five games and got to be on the bench during the team’s World Series run. He spent 2012 in the Rangers minor leagues fighting injuries. In 2012, he was DFAd by the Rangers and claimed by the Padres. Then he was DFAd by the Padres and claimed by the Astros. They released him after the season. In early 2013, Hamburger voluntarily checked himself in to rehab after he received a 50-game suspension for failing a test for a Drug of Abuse. He signed with the St. Paul Saints where he impressed as a starter. Enough so that the Twins signed him in 2014. After serving his suspension, Hamburger wetn back and forth from New Britain to Rochester, as well as from the bullpen to the rotation. Combined, he went 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA. In 70.2 innings, he walked 27 and struck out 54. He still throws hard and I would expect that he and the Twins will come to a minor league contract for 2014 soon. How many of these guys should the Twins bring back? Obviously that depends on many factors including where the prospects will play in 2014. Click here to view the article

I like that there are several options. Could be Perkins still, and it could be Zack Jones. However, if I were to put money on it, I'd say Burdi.

The Arizona Fall League season started last week on Tuesday, and Minnesota Twins minor leaguers Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Taylor Rogers, Jason Adam, Zack Jones and Jake Reed all helped the Salt River Rafters compile a 4-1 record to open play. So let’s check out what each of those players did in the season’s first week!Byron Buxton – 4 games, 5-17, 4 R’s, 2 RBI, 2 BB’s, 4 K’s, 1 SB, 2 Errors. Buxton batted leadoff and played centerfield in all four games on the week, getting a day off after the first two games. In the season opener, Buxton was 0-4 but scored a run after drawing a walk and stealing second base. He also committed a fielding error in the first inning, misplaying a single up the middle. Buxton also committed a fielding error in game two as he works off some rust after missing almost the entire 2014 season. He collected multiple hits in games two and four during the week, going 2-5 and 2-4 with a BB and two RBIs. He finished the week by collecting a single in Saturday’s game to put his batting average at .294 after the first week. Above all else for now, it is good to see Buxton on the field! Eddie Rosario – 4 games, 8-18, 2 R’s, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K’s, 3 SB, 1 Error. Rosario had a rough 2014 season, like Buxton, but for different reasons. After missing the season’s first 50 games due to a drug suspension, he never really got going at AA with the New Britain Rock Cats. But whatever ailed him there hasn’t shown in his first four games in the AFL, as he notched two hits in each of his four games to compile a batting average of .444. He primarily was in the two-hole behind Buxton on the scorecards. In addition to the impressive start with the bat, Rosario has also swiped three bases to pace the league in that category. Max Kepler – 2 games, 2-9, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K’s, 1 SB, 2 outfield assists Kepler appeared in two games, playing RF in both contests. He collected a single in each game, and has also thrown out two runners on the bases with outfield assists, which is good to see. I also expect he’ll get some work at 1B with the Rafters, but for now they’re using his, and the rest of the Twins position player’s athleticism, to roam their outfield. Taylor Rogers – 1 game started, 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H’s, 2 BB’s, 3 K’s, 4.09 ERA. Rogers is the only Twins pitcher to be used in a starting role thus far, and though it wasn’t a bad performance by any means, he didn’t last very long as he racked up the general pitch limit of fifty for starters in the AFL relatively quickly, with only 29 strikes. In his first inning he struck out two batters, but also walked two before surrendering an RBI single. Kepler limited the damage for him as he notched one of his assists on a throw to third base on that same play. Rogers pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, before two singles in the third put an end to his day. Rogers took a line drive off of his shoulder. He recovered and recorded the inning's second out but left the game. The next day, Rogers told Twins Daily that he is "Doing good, just going to take some time". Jason Adam – 2 games, 3 IP, 4 ER’s, 6 H’s, 1 BB, 1 K, 12.00 ERA. Adam was roughed up in his first appearance, coming into the season opener for the fifth inning. Top prospect Brandom Nimmo led off that inning with a ground-rule double. A walk and a second ground-rule double scored Nimmo before Adam recorded his first out. A wild-pitch plated the second run, and an RBI single the third before he induced an inning-ending double play. In his second appearance Adam pitched two frames, allowing one run on three hits. The run scored in the sixth on (another) ground-rule double and except for a fielding error by Rafter shorstop Trevor Story, pitched a clean seventh inning. Zack Jones – 1 game, 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Jones had just one appearance during the week, but made the most of his two innings, pitching the seventh and eighth on Thursday. He surrendered only a walk and a single, while also picking up three K’s, including the last hitter he faced. 22 of his 34 pitches went for strikes, which is a good sign after he missed much of the season. Jake Reed – 2 games, 3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 5 K’s. 0.00 ERA, 1 Win, 1 Save. Reed was a very strong performer for the bullpens of Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids after he was drafted in the Twins in the fifth round this year. He compiled a 0.29 ERA in 31 IP, racking up 39 K’s and a WHIP of just 0.45. With a strong AFL performance, he could find himself on a very fast track to the Twins bullpen in 2015. In his first game on Wednesday, he pitched the fifth and six innings to pick up the win. In the fifth he struck out the side, Brandon Nimmo, L.J. Mazzilli, and Greg Bird. He also went 1-2-3 in the sixth while adding a fourth strikeout. In his second appearance on Saturday, Rafters manager Andy Haines brought him in for the ninth inning, and though he made it interesting, surrendering a walk and two singles to load the bases, he picked up the save while adding another strikeout. Notes -The Rafters lead the AFL East Division with a 4-1 record after the first week of the season. -None of the fifteen hits from Twins position players during the week went for extra bases. -Twins hitters combined to bat .341 with 7 R’s, 5 RBI, and 5 SB. -Twins pitchers compiled a 4.41 ERA in 10.2 IP, with 12 H’s, 5 BB’s and 12 K’s. Click here to view the article