Seth Stohs

Seth chats with Twins catching prospect Patrick Winkel about growing up in baseball, following his brother to UConn, an injury, getting drafted... twice, and beginning his pro career. For those interested in hearing from catchers, you will certainly enjoy the conversation about donning The Tools of Ignorance. View full video

On Monday, the Minnesota Twins announced the recipients of the Harmon Killebrew Awards for Community Service. The award is handed out by each of the Twins four full-season affiliates to a player who represents the affiliate, the Twins and the work of legendary Harmon Killebrew and his kindness in the community. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr, Twins Daily (L to R: David Banuelos, Frank Nigro, Alex Isola, Bradley Hanner, Noah Cardenas) When Harmon Killebrew passed away in 2011, the Twins developed the Killebrew Award for Outstanding Community Service. The players are nominated by each affiliate's general manager based on how much the players do in the community, whether it is reading for kids at school or participating in special camps or visiting hospitals. St. Paul Saints (Catchers David Banuelos and Frank Nigro) Banuelos was the Killebrew Award winner in 2018 when he played with the Kernels as well. In 2022, the Saints recognized him for his work at each of the team's kid baseball camps. He took a strong leadership role in those camps, making sure that the kids were having fun and getting to interact with all the kids. He also participated in the team's annual ACES bowling event. Banuelos has been in big-league spring training the past few years because he is fantastic behind the plate. While he hit just .204, he added seven doubles and eight home runs in 55 games. The Saints referred to Frank Nigro as an "unsung hero" involved in community service initiatives. When he was in St. Paul, he was always willing to volunteer his time. He encouraged kids as they headed back to school this fall with a video message. He also spent time visiting kids in the hospital. Nigro, 25, spent time in the FCL, at Ft. Myers, in Cedar Rapids, and with the Saints, and he had just 34 at-bats in 18 games played. Wichita Wind Surge (Catcher/First Baseman Alex Isola) Alex Isola is also now a two-time Killebrew Award recipient. He won the award in 2021 with the Kernels. The Wind Surge recognized Isola for being a "strong advocate for the team, its fans and the entire Wichita community." Isola went to the team's McConnell Air Force Base Nose Art Ceremony. He also helped the team announce their alternate identities, the Turbo Tubs and the Tumba Vacas. He was always signing autographs for Twins before and after home games. Isola is currently playing in the final week of the Arizona Fall League. The 24-year-old played in 58 games for the Surge this year and hit .286 with nine doubles, 10 homers and 40 RBI. He missed nearly two months with an injury. Cedar Rapids Kernels (RHP Bradley Hanner) Brad Hanner was the Kernels choice for the Killebrew Award as he kept busy volunteering throughout the 2022 season. He was a "standout" during the Twins' organization-wide Week of Service. He assembled boxes at the local Meals on Wheels location to help pre-package meals. He brought breakfast to the elderly several mornings with his host family. The 23-year-old went above and beyond, always spending talking to the fans and signing autographs. Hanner was one of the Kernels top bullpen arms, especially in the first half. In 39 games, he went 7-4 with a 4.60 ERA. In 58 2/3 innings, he had 65 strikeouts. Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Catcher Noah Cardenas) Noah Cardenas spent his first full professional season with the Mighty Mussels. The team's front office recognized Cardenas for "his fantastic participation and engagement in community events during the season." He was "always courteous to fans, employees, and community members." The 23-year-old backstop hit .261 with 18 doubles and nine home runs. He also walked 73 times and walked 70 times. Past Killebrew Award Winners 2011: Rochester: Kyle Gibson, New Britain: Bobby Lanigan, Ft. Myers: Reggie Williams, Beloit: Ryan O'Rourke. 2012: Rochester: JR Towles, New Britain: Shawn Roof, Ft. Myers: Andy Leer, Beloit: Corey Williams. 2013: Rochester: Brian Dinkelman, New Britain: Dan Rohlfing, Ft. Myers: Stephen Wickens, Beloit: Niko Goodrum. 2014: Rochester: Logan Darnell, New Britain: Tony Thomas, Ft. Myers: Tim Shibuya, Cedar Rapids: Tanner Vavra. 2015: Rochester: Logan Darnell, Chattanooga: Tim Shibuya, Ft. Myers: Tanner Vavra, Cedar Rapids: Jared Wilson. 2016: Rochester: Logan Darnell, Chattanooga: David Hurlbut, Ft. Myers: Trey Vavra, Cedar Rapids: Nelson Molina. 2017: Rochester: DJ Baxendale, Chattanooga: Travis Harrison, Ft. Myers: Kevin Garcia, Cedar Rapids: Hector Lujan. 2018: Rochester: Jake Reed, Chattanooga: Chris Paul, Ft. Myers: Tyler Wells, Cedar Rapids: David Banuelos. 2019: Rochester: Jake Reed, Pensacola: Hector Lujan, Ft. Myers: Calvin Faucher, Cedar Rapids: Brian Rapp. 2021: St. Paul: Sherman Johnson, Wichita: Hector Lujan, Cedar Rapids: Alex Isola, Ft. Myers: Jeferson Morales. View full article

Seriously impressive young man, I'd say. Four years of college under his belt and still just 21. Good stuff. Definitely one to watch in 2023! FYI - Two more Twins Spotlight shows coming this week. So, check back for those... hoping to do 2-3 per week. Also have a 3-part series with Brewers LHP prospect Brandon Knarr that kicked off today at Brewer Fanatic. I think @roger would really enjoy this interview. In Part 1 today, it's his younger years, and he talks about being a 12-13 year old and learning a pitch-grip from a future Hall of Famer. Also talks about his year at Notre Dame before joining the College of Central Florida where he played for Marty Smith. The hitting coach was Marty's son Ryan Smith who is now the Saints hitting coach. The pitching coach was Zach Bove for the first half of that season, until the Twins brought him aboard. He is now the assistant minor league pitching coordinator. Always fun to find those kinds of connections. But also Knarr is smart and discussed so many things in the detail we like.

In the (off)Season 3 premiere episode of Twins Spotlight, get to know Twins right-handed pitching prospect and 2022 fourth-round draft pick Andrew Morris. (includes VIDEO) Image courtesy of William Parmeter / Mighty Mussels Andrew Morris tossed his first college pitches at Division II Mesa State in Colorado as a 16-year-old. As a child, he moved around the country, from New York, Alaska, Oregon, and Colorado. While in Alaska, he was homeschooled for a little while and was able to skip second grade. That certainly created some challenges when he got to Monarch High School in Boulder. “Because of my age, I didn’t even make the C team. I was on the Level 3 team my freshman year which is below the C team somehow. C team was like the freshman team.” He continued. “The next year I made the C team, and then I was on JV the year after that. My senior year was the first that I actually played on varsity.” Looking to grow and mature, he went to Mesa State in Grand Junction, Colorado. Despite his youth, he went 7-1 with a 3.88 ERA during his freshman year. He was able to pitch in the Division II College World Series that year. He was 2-1 over five starts in the Covid-shortened. Then in 2021, he went 9-0 with a 2.19 ERA. After struggling some with his control earlier, he struck out 115 batters and walked just 19 batters in 78 innings. At that point, he was hearing some from scouts, but he decided to enter the transfer portal and ended up at Texas Tech. “I had some draft offers. I just felt like I needed to take the next step without going to the draft yet and face some better lineups and better competition. In his one season in the Big 12, he went 8-2 in 16 games. In 88 1/3 innings, he struck out 91 and walked 28 batters. The Twins drafted him in the fourth round. Trevor Brown is the Twins area scout. “I only talked to him once, and I didn’t really think they were interested. Oddly enough, I didn’t even fill out their questionnaire that you’re supposed to do, so I thought they were probably not going to take me but then they did.” For the draft, his parents rented a hotel suite in Las Vegas. His dad lives in Oregon with his little brothers. His mom lives in Colorado Springs with his stepdad. It was a good place to meet in the middle. His girlfriend and her family were there as well. And some of his high school friends. He was on the phone with Brown when he heard his name called on the television. This summer was more about introductions and physicals and adjusting to pro ball. He’d already thrown a lot of innings in the spring, so he spent time working with the Twins staff on weight training, diet, analytics and technology, and more. There were a lot of meetings on pitching and discussions on what has made them successful. He did pitch one inning in one game in the FCL. Then he joined the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels for their playoff series. He pitched once and worked three scoreless innings. The 48-minute video includes a ton of Morris’s thoughts on a variety of topics. How he feels about how the Twins use analytics and technology. His time on the Mighty Mussels playoff roster. Getting to know his 2022 draft class and seeing how much talent there is. For instance, he said, “Ben Rakes!” The work done at Instructs, workouts, throwing, scrimmaging, and more. Developing his offseason plan for working out and throwing. What he does away from baseball. Bordering the line between ‘routine’ and ‘superstition.’ And much more. A four-pitch mix (at least) means that he is very likely to spend his time developing as a starting pitcher. Despite playing four college seasons, Morris only turned 21 years old on September 1st. The future is bright. Your turn. Share your thoughts on this Twins prospect as he begins his pro career. And who knows, maybe he’ll check out the Comments, so feel free to ask him questions as well. View full article

Seth chats with the Twins 2022 fourth-round draft pick out of Texas Tech. The pitcher has a very interesting background which made him quite young for his draft class. In fact, he was pitching for Colorado Mesa State when he was just 16. He's grown and matured since then and after getting his feet wet in pro ball in 2022, he looks to really show what he can do in 2023. View full video

The NBA had (maybe still has, I don't really pay attention) sign-and-trade deals... which I never really understood. A player wants the most money he can get, and in the NBA, that was with his current team, but wants to play elsewhere, so they work out a trade. Of course, in the NBA, trades have to be even, so the player's new team has to give up a ton to get him, so is it really better? Anyway, can't do that in MLB.

I'm not buying it. Why would they spend what I assume is a ton of money to 'rebrand' and then do essentially nothing other than a slightly different font. As the kids say, this is a bit "sus." Also, aside from baby blues, I just don't care about uniforms. I'm not one of those guys who knows players number. Yeah, I know 34 and 7, 14, 3, 6, 29... I believe Cuddyer was 5. Denny Hocking was 7. Of the 60+ guys who put on a Twins uniform in 2022, I bet I coudln't accurately tell you 10 of their uniform numbers. Arraez 2. Lewis was 1. Correa was 4. That may be about it.

There are less than one steal attempts per game. Maye next year, that jumps up to 2 per game. How many pitches in a game get framed?

In recent years, Minor League Baseball has been the testing grounds for several potential rule changes designed to improve pace of play and encourage more action on the field. One of the rule changes that will go into effect for the 2023 season is larger bases, partially in an attempt to encourage more base-stealing. Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports In 2022, the Minnesota Twins went 38-for-55 in stolen base attempts. Those numbers are, by far, the lowest in Major League Baseball. In the AL Central, the Tigers had 47 steals, the third-lowest in MLB, but they were caught 24 times. The White Sox ranked 24th with 58 steals, but they were only caught 10 times. On the other side of the spectrum, the Cleveland Guardians ranked third in baseball with 119 steals, and the Kansas City Royals tied for sixth with 104 steals. The question now becomes, how will the new rules – specifically the larger bases – alter how the Twins manage the running game, if at all? Will the team suddenly start attempting a lot of stolen bases? Could they steal more, but remain behind other organizations that already incorporated a running game into their strategy? There are several reasons that the Twins don’t run a lot. First and foremost, their 2022 roster did not include much speed or certainly many base stealers. While Byron Buxton and Nick Gordon have tremendous speed, they also don’t run a lot. The two were tied for the team lead with... six stolen bases. The idea is that they can score from first base on a double, so why risk getting thrown out on a stolen base attempt? Buxton has stolen bases at a high percentage over his career. However, with his leg issues in 2022, it made little sense for him to run. And now, with his recent arthroscopic knee surgery, it’s hard to imagine that he will do a ton of running moving forward. What happened in the Twins minor leagues, where the larger bases have already been utilized? Here is a quick look at where the Twins affiliate ranks relative to their minor-league level: Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels - 179 SB, 67 CS (Ranked 13th of 30 teams) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels - 143 SB, 44 CS (Ranked 15th of 30 teams) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge - 170 SB, 50 CS (Ranked 7th of 30 teams) Triple-A: St. Paul Saints - 136 SB, 29 CS. (Ranked 15th of 30 teams) MLB: Minnesota Twins - 38 SB, 17 CS. (Ranked 30th of 30 teams) So as you can see, the Twins affiliates all attempted a lot of stolen bases throughout the year. So was that just a player or two on each affiliate that accounted for a big chunk of his team’s steals? Let’s take a look at the organizational leaders in stolen bases, noting which leagues they played in during the course of the year. Mikey Perez 48/55 (Ft. Myers, St. Paul, Cedar Rapids) DaShawn Keirsey 42/49 (Wichita) Michael Helman 40/45 (Wichita, St. Paul) Austin Martin 35/41 (Wichita) Will Holland 32/38 (Cedar Rapids, Wichita) Yasser Mercedes 30/35 (DSL Twins) Mark Contreras 23/25 (St. Paul) Noah Miller 23/30 (Ft. Myers) Anthony Prato 22/28 (Cedar Rapids, Wichita) Luis Baez 20/23 (Ft. Myers) Daniel Ozoria 20/25 (all over) Edouard Julien 19/26 (Wichita) Jake Rucker 19/31 (Ft. Myers, Cedar Rapids, St. Paul) Alerick Soularie 18/23 (Cedar Rapids) Willie Joe Garry 17/21 (Cedar Rapids) It is noteworthy that three individuals stole 40 or more bases. Three others had 30 or more, including Yasser Mercedes who stole 30 bags in just 41 games in the Dominican Summer League. A total of 11 players had 20 or more steals on the season. Whether it was simply situational or if it was an intentional effort to better understand the effect of larger bases, the Twins had a lot of players running often in the minors. It certainly appears that organizationally the Twins aren’t against stealing bases. It’s really just clear that the big-league club was made up of players that didn’t really work to be a running team. Over time, as the composition of the roster changes, they certainly could run more. As a rookie in 2003, Rocco Baldelli stole 27 bases and was caught ten times. The following year, he went 17-for-21 in stolen base attempts. Jon Berti of the Marlins led baseball with 41 stolen bases. Jorge Mateo led the American League with 35 steals, one more than his Orioles teammate Cedric Mullins. Trea Turner stole 27 bases for the Dodgers this year, the most by an impending free agent. On the other side, Twins catchers did not have a very good year in terms of throwing out would-be base stealers. The Twins allowed 92 stolen bases and threw out just 23 runners. Their 20% caught stealing was tied for 26th in the league. That certainly is not a good number, but it is important to note that the league average was just 25% Did teams run against the Twins more than average? Technically, yes. There were 115 stolen base attempts against the Twins in 2022. The average was 110, so negligible. As the Twins look for a catcher, the ability to throw out base stealers should be one consideration, but it shouldn’t be among the top considerations. It can be worked on, to some degree (footwork, transition, release time, pop times), but it is just as important, and I might argue more important, for the Twins to have their pitchers focus a little bit more on trying to give their catchers a chance (change pitch timing, slide steps, etc.). Of those 92 stolen bases, how many times were we able to say “The catcher didn’t have a chance.” So as the offseason approaches, how do you think that the larger bases will factor into decisions? Will the team add some speed to the roster in an attempt to steal more bases? As they look for a #2 catcher, how important will (or should) their ability to throw out would-be base stealers? Share your thoughts below, and make sure to check out our Offseason Handbook content to identify targets who could improve the team's overall speed and base-stealing proficiency. View full article

AL 1B: Vlad Guerrero AL SS: Jeremy Pena AL RF: Kyle Tucker Arraez, Correa and Kepler were robbed!!! Or not. I don't know.

You mean... besides "...because he's Carlos Correa", right?

I was going to say when he returns and wins a Cy Young Award, but I think Verlander was out a couple of times this season, though that may have been part of the plan to give him time off.

So, we don't want Rodon or deGrom or Scherzer... Or Verlander, or Kershaw, or Tyler Anderson... No Eovaldi.

Days after the conclusion of an injury-plagues 2022 Minnesota Twins season, head trainer Michael Salazar was relieved of his duties. On Thursday, the Twins announced his replacement. They have hired Nick Paparesta from the Oakland A's organization. Image courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports The Twins have found their Injured List to be as full as their Active Roster a lot the last few years. Whether it was his fault or not, Michael Salazar took the hit for the injuries when the Twins fired him after the season. On Thursday, Nick Paparesta, who has been the Oakland A's Head Athletic Trainer for the past 12 seasons, was hired in the same role for the Twins. Before getting that job, he had spent three seasons as an Assistant Athletic Trainer with the Tampa Bay Rays. He had spent two years in their minor league system. And before that, he spent 11 seasons in the Cleveland organization, including four at Triple-A Buffalo. 1996 Watertown card. It appears to be a lateral move for the veteran trainer, and yet, he grew up in North Ft. Myers, so at least for spring training and the offseason, it's a chance to return home. Did you know that each year MLB recognizes the "Major League Athletic Training Staff of the Year" with an award. His training staffs won the award in 2009 (with the Rays) and in 2018 (with the A's). Paparesta has even been selected as an All Star when he served as the head athletic trainer for the American League in the 2017 All Star game. The 49-year-old comes to the Twins organization hoping to find ways to keep the Twins players off of the Injured List and on the field. For much more on Paparesta, check out this 12+ minute interview from about a year ago. View full article

Thursday afternoon, Rawlings Baseball announced the 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists. The Twins had three players named as finalists. See who else was named a finalist and discuss how many are deserving. Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Keep up with which Twins, if any, are named 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove finalists. The finalists are being announced by Rawlings, approximately 5 minutes apart, so this article will be updated over the next hour. So check back often. In September, Cody Christie looked at which Twins players were on pace to be a Gold Glove finalist. Today, we find out which players are finalists. NL Pitchers: Tyler Anderson (Dodgers), Corbin Burnes (Brewers), Max Fried (Braves) AL Pitchers: Jose Berrios (Blue Jays), Shane Bieber (Guardians), Jameson Taillon (Yankees) Twins fans got to see the incredible athleticism that Berrios brought to the mound during his years with the Twins. It wasn't until after last season that he was first names a finalist. Can he win his first Gold Glove this year? NL Catchers: Travis d'Arnaud (Braves), Tomas Nido (Mets), JT Realmuto (Phillies) AL Catchers: Sean Murphy (A's), Cal Raleigh (Mariners), Jose Trevino (Yankees) NL First Base: Paul Goldschmidt (Cardinals), Matt Olson (Braves), Christian Walker (Diamondbacks) AL First Base: Luis Arraez (Twins), Vladimir Guerrero Jr.(Blue Jays), Anthony Rizzo (Yankees). Luis!! Coming into the season, Luis Arraez didn't have a full-time position. In fact, he wasn't in the Opening Day lineup. Since then, he has been named an All Star, won the Rod Carew American League Batting Championship, and now he has been named a finalist for Gold Glove at first base. NL Second Base: Jake Cronenworth (Padres), Tommy Edman (Cardinals), Brendan Rodgers (Rockies) AL Second Base: Andres Gimenez (Guardians), Jonathan Schoop (Tigers), Marcus Semien (Rangers) Jonathan Schoop has always been a solid defensive player, at least when he has played second base. The former Twins' defense has been acknowledged as a Gold Glove finalist. NL Shortstop: Ha-Seong Kim (Padres), Miguel Rojas (Marlins), Dansby Swanson (Braves) AL Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts (Red Sox), Carlos Correa (Twins), Jeremy Pena (Astros) The Twins star was a Gold Glove and the Platinum Glove winner a year ago. Can he repeat? Or will the kid who took his spot in Houston surpass him? NL Third Base: Nolan Arenado (Cardinals), Ke'Bryan Hayes (Pirates), Ryan McMahon (Rockies) AL Third Base: Matt Chapman (Blue Jays), Ramon Urias (Orioles), Jose Ramirez (Guardians) Twins fans may be a little surprised not to see Gio Urshela on this list. While he made a lot of very memorable, incredible plays, the defensive metrics are not quite as high on him. NL Left Field: Ian Happ (Cubs), David Peralta (Diamondbacks), Christian Yelich (Brewers). AL Left Field: Andrew Benintendi (Royals/Yankees), Steven Kwan (Guardians), Brandon Marsh (Angels) No Nick Gordon!? NL Center Field: Trent Grisham (Padres), Victor Robles (Nationals), Alek Thomas (Diamondbacks) AL Center Field: Cedric Mullins (Orioles), Myles Straw (Guardians), Michael A. Taylor (Royals) Again, it's a case of too few games and too few innings in center field for Byron Buxton. If he qualified, he would likely win every year. Maybe. NL Right Field: Mookie Betts (Dodgers), Juan Soto (Nationals/Padres), Daulton Varsho (Diamondbacks) AL Right Field: Jackie Bradley, Jr (Red Sox/Blue Jays), Max Kepler (Twins), Kyle Tucker (Astros). #MightyMax! After his defense has been snubbed in recent years, Max Kepler has been named a finalist for the AL Right Field Gold Glove. While he was unable to run during September, the defense he provided in right remained fantastic! NL Utility: Brendan Donovan (Cardinals), Tommy Edman (Cardinals), Daulton Varsho (Diamondbacks) AL Utility: DJ LeMahieu (Yankees), Whit Merrifield (Royals/Blue Jays), Luis Rengifo (Angels) Daulton Varsho was named a finalist for the Gold Glove at two positions on the same day that the Twins named him the Dick Siebert Award winner for the Upper Midwest Player of the Year. There you have it. The finalists for 2022 Gold Glove Awards. The Twins have three Gold Glove finalists, Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa, and Max Kepler. How do you feel about that? Should others have been finalists? Should those three have been finalists? Share your thoughts below. View full article

Not sure on that... Low average. Some power. Defense OK.

The way it was, up until like two years ago, is international signing could begin on July 2nd. Now it is January 15th. So, Javier signed on July 2nd of 2015, but those signings don't play until 2016. And that is spelled out in the contract. Now the guys sign in January and play already in June when the DSL starts up, so their timeline SHOULD now be the same as drafted players.