Seth Stohs

I heard Koskie as a guest speaker probably 7-8 years ago. He's such a good story teller, and he did a great job in this interview.

Maybe, though relievers aren't going to rank real highly.

1500espn's Phil Mackey wrote another article discussing how the Twins need to emulate the St. Louis Cardinals., who are heading to another NLCS this weekend. So true. It's not about dollars spent, it's about drafting well, developing and then supplementing! What do you think?

The Sports Over Beers podcast (with Phil Mackey and Derek Wetmore and Judd Zulgad) this week shared an extended interview with former Twins infielder Corey Koskie. They talk about his post baseball career, Planet Fitness, his concussions, his time with the Twins, the managerial search and much more. Tremendous.

Sure, but presumably Byron Buxton will be in CF and Brian Dozier will be at 2B for awhile. So, you take Rosario and move him to LF where his defense will be likely above average and you take the batting average and doubles power that he provides. But I would agree... it'll be a little while before we see him in the big leagues. Midseason is best case, and there is no rush since he'll only be added to the 40 man roster in November.

Thanks for the great questions everyone. That was a fun show for me. AJ Achter is such a good guy and did a wonderful job answering out questions for a full half-hour. I enjoyed it. Aside from my one long-winded question that was inaudible (and yet somehow AJ was able to interpret and actually answer the question I was asking), it went well.

Thanks for the reminder... Lester was traded in-season which means he can't be offered arbitration.

Mike Berardino just passed along the information that Caleb Thielbar's mother, Janet, passed away. She was known as the shortstop on her high school boys baseball team in the mid-70s. She was a huge baseball fan and truly loved the Twins. She also was incredibly proud of her son. She and I exchanged a handful of e-mails over time. She would tell me how much she appreciated the minor league reports and articles on Caleb, or just talk to about baseball. I had the opportunity to meet her and her husband in Ft. Myers this spring. I was there early, walking the back fields. The couple was standing at the corner, watching the minor leaguers start their day with stretching and running. I went up and said, "Man, that looks like work!" The response was simply, "What a great job!! What a great way to spend a beautiful morning!" It wasn't long before Janet realized who I was. "Are you Seth from Twins Daily?" Surprised, I nodded. She introduced herself and continued to talk about how much she enjoys this website and "most of" the community here. We talked for a good 15 minutes and again, it was clear just how proud they were of their son. We talked several more times throughout the time I was there, and she was always smiling. I hadn't heard from her in a while, so when I saw Mike's article, it hit me. It's sad. I can only imagine how the Thielbar family is, and others who knew her. I know this isn't the type of thing we post here in the forums, but please take a minute to read Mike's blog. It's people like Janet Thielbar that I always think about when I write, and it's why I think it's so important to remember that these guys are so much more than just baseball players.

Per AP and MLB Trade Rumors, the Qualifying Offer for pending free agents will be about $15.3 million. That is an increase from the $14.1 Million that it was a year ago. Are there any free agents, outside of Jon Lester and Max Scherzer, who would not accept the one year, $15.3 million qualifying offer from their team?

Yeah, I had never heard the July 2013 thing, but you're right Steve, it is weird that they followed up that decision with a two-year extension.

It will also just be nice to have some box scores to look at again with some minor leaguers names in them.

1.) Yes, he's been given clearance and he has been playing in Instructional League. 2.) I'm not certain. Maybe consistency with secondary pitches... I'm really not sure.

That was awesome!! Ha!

I guess I hadn't even thought about not having basic cable and not having TBS and ESPN... I guess I was just referring to MLB Network and FS1 (which is new) and aren't in as large a percentage of homes.

I don't have MLB Network or Fox Sports 1. I haven't been able to watch the National League games. I've watched bits and parts of the AL games on mute, but to not have the NL games even available at all for such a large portion of the population is ridiculous... in my opinion.

Today marks the beginning of the Arizona Fall League season. The seven Minnesota Twins minor leaguers participating will play for the Salt River Rafters along with prospects from the Astros, Diamondbacks, Marlins and Rockies. Each team will play 32 games over the next six weeks with a championship game on November 15.In a rather unusual situation, four of the seven Twins minor leaguers will be returning to the Fall League. On the most basic level, each hitter has the opportunity to get more at bats while every pitcher gets to work more innings. They get to do that against some high-caliber competition from around the minor leagues. For each, their opportunity is a little different. ---------- For Byron Buxton, it provides him with an opportunity to get 22 to 25 games and 75 to 100 plate appearances. After missing so much time in 2014 due to injury, this is a great opportunity for him to regain some timing in real games. Timing at the plate, but also timing and confidence in the outfield following his concussion. This is about getting him time to alleviate some of the concerns that might pop up in his own mind going into 2015. Although he played in the league a year ago, he is the second-youngest player on the 2014 Rafters team, older than only Rio Ruiz. For Max Kepler, it provides more repetitions. He came on strong in the Ft. Myers Miracle’s second half at the plate, but various minor injuries hurt him in the first half. He continued to play all three outfield positions during the season as well as recording time at first base. Despite being a professional since he signed with the Twins in 2009, he is still young in his development. For him, there is an opportunity to show that he warrants a spot on the Twins 40 man roster. Kepler is the third youngest player on the team’s roster. Eddie Rosario is looking for an opportunity to redeem himself. Since the end of last year’s Fall League, his career trajectory has certainly gone in a concerning direction. Shortly after he left a year ago, news broke that he had failed a drug test and would be suspended. He was given permission to take some time off during spring training and did not arrive in Ft. Myers until the regular season. After serving the 50-game suspension and getting to New Britain, he didn’t hit like we know he can. This time will give Rosario more opportunities to regain his offensive prowess. He will be added to the 40 man roster in November, to be sure, but he can again raise his prospect status. Jason Adam is a right-handed pitcher who came to the Twins organization in the Josh Willingham trade on August 11. It’s an opportunity for Twins scouts to learn a little more about him. It’s an opportunity for him to work with some of the other top prospects to get to know him, and vice versa. The 23-year-old is also eligible for the Rule 5 draft this year so the Twins will need to determine whether or not to add him. Zack Jones’ season was cut short this year before it even started. In fact, it was toward the end of his run in the Fall League last year that Jones said that his right-hand’s fingers felt cold. After the New Year, doctors found an aneurysm in his right shoulder and he had surgery. After that, a blood clot was found in his leg. He didn’t need surgery for that but it further delayed his return to Ft. Myers and to the mound. He got back to the Miracle for the final two weeks of the regular season and reclaimed the closer’s role. He hit 96 and 97 many times, but as he was closing out games in the Florida State League championship series, he hit 98 on several occasions. Now he will get more innings against great competition. He replaced Mason Melotakis on the roster a couple of weeks ago. The truest test for college starting pitchers seems to happen in AA. Despite a rough first month in New Britain, Taylor Rogers passed the AA test with flying colors. He missed two or three starts with a biceps strain, but returned and continued to throw well. He doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts, so it’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to the offense-friendly Arizona Fall League. Baseball America reported that the lefty was hitting 95 on the radar gun this season, and he has a good slider. He should join the likes of Archie Bradley and Mark Appel in the Rafters’ rotation. Reliever Jake Reed was the Twins fifth-round draft pick just this year out of the University of Oregon. He dominated in four games in Elizabethton and 16 more appearances in Cedar Rapids. It will be a great opportunity for the 22-year-old to show what he can do against a higher level of competition, guys typically from AA. With a fastball reaching into the upper-90s, Reed has the opportunity to progress quickly with the Twins. ---------- It’s important to remember that the statistics accumulated in the Arizona Fall League are not as important as the plate appearances and the innings. A great showing doesn’t guarantee future success, and a poor showing doesn’t mean that a player won’t become a big leaguer. A quick look at the past Twins participants shows that to be the case: 2013 – AJ Achter, Zack Jones, Trevor May, Alex Meyer, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario2012 – Logan Darnell, Kyle Gibson, Caleb Thielbar, Michael Tonkin, Evan Bigley, Chris Herrmann, Nate Roberts, Dan Rohlfing2011 – Cole DeVries, Bret Jacobson, Bruce Pugh, Dakota Watts, Brian Dozier, Chris Herrmann, Aaron Hicks2010 – David Bromberg, Carlos Gutierrez, Tyler Robertson, Kyle Waldrop, Joe Benson, Chris Parmelee, Ben Revere2009 – Alex Burnett, Steven Hirschfeld, Michael McCardell, Spencer Steedley, Chris Parmelee, Steve Singleton, Rene Tosoni2008 – Rob Delaney, Tim Lahey, Jeff Manship, Anthony Slama, Dustin Martin, Steven Tolleson, Danny Valencia2007 – Nick Blackburn, Eduardo Morlan, Ryan Mullins, Anthony Swarzak, Drew Butera, Matt Macri, Trevor Plouffe2006 – Kevin Cameron, Jay Sawatski, Errol Simonitsch, Kevin Slowey, Doug Deeds, Matt Moses, Matt Tolbert, David Winfree2005 – Ricky Barrett, Travis Bowyer, Glen Perkins, Garrett Jones, Matt Moses, Denard Span2004 – Scott Baker, Jesse Crain, JD Durbin, Rob Bowen, Jason Bartlett, Jason Kubel, Kevin West2003 – Henry Bonilla, Pat Neshek, Brian Wolfe, Rob Bowen, Jake Mauer, Terry TIffee2002 – Willie Eyre, Brent Hoard, Brad Thomas, Rob Bowen, Justin Morneau, Michael Restovich2001 – Grant Balfour, Pete Fisher, Kevin Frederick, Rob Bowen, Michael Cuddyer, Matthew LeCroy2000 – Matt Kinney, Kyle Lohse, Lee Marshall, Ryan Mills, Bobby Kielty, Matthew LeCroy1999 – David Hooten, Matt Kinney, Nate Yeskie, Dan Cey, Michael Cuddyer, Chad Moeller1998 – Mike Lincoln, Joe Mays, Brent Stentz, Torii Hunter, Doug Mientkiewicz, AJ Pierzynski1997 – Tom Gourdin, Jeff Harris, Brad Niedermaier, Dan Perkins, Benj Sampson, Corey Koskie, Chad Moeller, Mike Moriarity1996 – Jason Bell, Mark Redman, Todd Ritchie, Dan Serafini, JJ Johnson, Jamie Ogden1995 – LaTroy Hawkins, Dan Naulty, Kevin Ohme, Matt Lawton, Jamie Ogden, Kevin Simons, Todd Walker1994 – Gus Gandarillas, Dan Serafini, Scott Watkins, Marty Cordova, Brian Raabe, Scott Stahoviak1993 – Sean Gavaghan, Todd Ritchie, Bill Wissler, Anthony Byrd, Mike Durant, Denny Hocking1992 – Jon Henry, Rex De La Nuez, Chip Hale, Ray Ortiz, Derek ParksIf you’re able to make a trip to Arizona over the next six weeks, the Salt River Rafters play in Scottsdale. Single game tickets are just $8. And, you’ll have a great seat as too few people attend the games. It’s a wonderful experience. I went for a couple of days in 2009 and sat right by the dugout for two games. It was fun to see the Twins prospects, but it was also fun to see the prospects I had read about online or in Baseball America and such. It’s a very laid back, relaxed experience that should be a Bucket List item for baseball fans. Click here to view the article

Also, I never expected to listen to a to a No Juice podcast where Dan and Parker weren't the biggest potty mouths on the show! Ha!

Creepiest video of all time, for sure!! Classic Lionel with the awesome song, but just weird!

Sure, that would be another data point that we don't have right now. He'll get another 80-100 at bats that will help tell the story.

I don't want to wait until 2016 to see them either, but after missing the entire 2014 season (or close to it in Buxton's place), I think two months of minor league time is more than fair. Mid-June, I want to see them!

Russell actually got his first managerial position with the Twins as a AA manager about 15 years ago. After leaving for a couple of years, he returned as the Twins AAA manager.

I'm definitely an Adam Brett Walker guy, as everyone knows. My assumption is that a player who will make it will make some adjustments. If Walker can continue to make adjustments each year, enough to put up similar numbers, then that would be great. It'll take work, but we shall see.

Thorpe is probably the name the surprises me the most. Not great numbers, walked too many, but also struck out a bunch as the 2nd youngest player in the league at times.

When I talked to Garver the other day, he talked about how Arteaga has pitchers working on pitching up in the strike zone for the purposes of getting strikeouts.