Seth Stohs

Following in John’s footsteps, I thought the For Better or Worse series might be fun to bring to a couple of the minor leaguers. Today, we’ll take a look at Minnesota Twins top prospect Miguel Sano. I’ll take a look at his 2012 season, give a few reasons why he could be better in 2013 and a few reasons why he could be worse in 2013. And then at the end of the article, you’ll be asked, “What do you think? Will he be better, or will he be worse?” [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 2012 Recap Coming off of a 20 home run season in 2011 in short-season Elizabethton, Sano was one of the youngest players in the Midwest League in 2012. He began the season as an 18-year-old. He led the league in walks and strikeouts, but he also led the league in home runs. He came into the season as the Twins top prospect, and Baseball America ranked him as the 18th best prospect in baseball. He did nothing to lessen his prospect status on the field. In 129 games, he hit .258/.373/.521 (.893) with 28 doubles, four triples, 28 home runs and 100 RBI. He made the transition from third base to shortstop full time. He played 125 games at third base and committed 42 errors. His fielding percentage was just .884. He was the #1 overall pick in the Dominican Winter League. Although he has not played a lot for Estrellas de Orientes. Although his playing time has been somewhat sporadic, he has had 49 at bats in 20 games. He hit .265/.373/.571 (.944) with three doubles and four home runs. Download attachment: Miguel Sano 2.jpg Why He’ll Be Worse First and foremost, he will be moving up a level to play in Ft. Myers. The Florida State League is more advanced than the Midwest League. He will again be one, if not the, youngest players in the league. Although he has the world of potential, he did strikeout 144 times, or ever 26.0% of his plate appearances. He has tremendous power, but the ball parks in the Florida State League are bigger than in the Midwest League as well. Why He’ll Be Better In reality, if Sano puts up the same numbers in a more advanced league, that is like an improvement. Sano is an incredible athlete. He’s about 6-3 and assumed to be around 245 pounds. He is like a shorter version of Lebron James. He has tremendous power to all fields. He may hit a few less home runs, but he also could hit a bunch of doubles. Although his strikeout rate is high, observers noted that he seemed to have much better control of the strike zone in 2012 than in 2011. He will need to continue to lay off tough pitches. However, Sano also walked 14.5% of the time in 2012 and had an Isolated Discipline of .115. That said, having Kennys Vargas hitting behind him all season should allow him to see a few more pitches. Sano is huge and powerful, but he is quite fast and runs the bases very well. Defensively, Sano had a lot of errors, but he was much improved in the second half. After posting 30 errors in the season’s first half, he had just 12 in the second half. Having seen him play in early June and then again in early August, he looked so much better at the hot corner, much more relaxed, and ready before each pitch. If he would stop growing, he could take big strides with the glove on the immaculate fields in the Florida State League. So, which will it be? Will Miguel Sano get better or worse in 2013? Let us know what you think. Something to Consider In 2002, Joe Mauer spent the entire season in the Midwest League (for Quad Cities). He turned 19 in mid-April. In 2012, Miguel Sano spent the entire season in the Midwest League (for Beloit). He turned 19 in mid-May. In 2003, Joe Mauer spent the first half of the season in the Florida State League for Ft. Myers. He then spent the second half in New Britain. The Twins traded AJ Pierzynski following the season so that Joe Mauer could be their Opening Day starting catcher in 2004, at the age of 20. Is it possible, in your mind, that Miguel Sano could be on the same path? If he starts the season in Ft. Myers and plays in New Britain in the second half, could he be the Twins Opening Day starting third baseman in 2014, at the age of 20? Click here to view the article

No, he had surgery on May 15. He's out for 12 months.

The Twins announced a couple of weeks ago that they're not going to have him play in any games this season, and he won't play in the Arizona Fall League... He may play in the second half of the Dominican Winter League.

There's a pretty good scouting report, if I do say so myself, in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2014... available at LuLu.com...

We can certainly talk about those guys. I'd encourage people to ask questions to the Twins Hangouts podcasts. We talk a lot about players that don't get talked about a whole lot. All those guys you wrote about have been discussed. Corey Williams had Tommy John surgery April 1. Wrote about Chargois and a bunch of other hurt players in a forum posted this morning. Wrote about Harrison in my Q&A on Puckett's Pond (there's a link to it in the minor league forum). I believe in his power despite his numbers.

Matt Tomshaw was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 42nd round of the 2011 draft out of Jacksonville University. Upon signing, he went to the GCL, but soon he was used by the Ft. Myers Miracle. Impressively, he became the Miracle’s best starter the last month of the season. Tomshaw is a 6-2, 200 pound left-hander who may not throw hard, but he knows how to pitch. In 2012, he began the season in the Beloit bullpen. It wasn’t long before he was in the rotation. He missed a month with injury, but he proved to be a consistent, quality starter for the Snappers. Overall, he was 4-6 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 86.1 innings. He should spend the 2013 season back with the Ft. Myers Miracle.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Matt Tomshaw.jpg He recently answered some questions for our newest 12 Questions segment, and it begins now. TWELVE QUESTIONS WITH… Matt Tomshaw 1.) Growing up in New York, who was your favorite team and who were some of your favorite players? MT: My favorite team growing up was the New York Yankees. When I started to fall in love with baseball at a young age Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez, Mariano Rivera, and Roger Clemens were all the Yankees that I would imagine myself being while playing in the back yard with my friends and family. 2.) Tell us about your high school career (baseball and/or other extra-curriculars). MT: Baseball by far was my favorite sport in high school, but I ventured out quite a bit, playing football in my first two years, and basketball for two years in the later part of my high school career. I had to stop playing football because of my crazy schedule with baseball. Traveling all over the country during the summer prohibited me from training with the football team so I gave that up and “fall ball” didn’t really give me time for basketball some years. All that time spent traveling really helped me to get seen and signed by Jacksonville University. Basketball is my second love. I am not the best at it but it pushed me to work harder trying to keep up with the guys that were faster and taller than me. I played varsity baseball for three years under Mike Groppuso, a former first round pick by the Houston Astros back in 1991. I developed and matured as a person under his watch. 3.) What were some of the highlights of your college playing days at Jacksonville U? MT: Some of the highlights I remember most from college include, going to two regional tournaments both in Gainesville, Florida, my sophomore and senior years were an experience that I will cherish forever. The atmosphere where every game was win or go home, every big play that was made I felt like a kid again. So happy to be playing baseball. One of my biggest wins was against University of Florida during the regular season at their stadium. They just came off taking two from Vanderbilt that weekend. At the time, Florida was ranked 4th in the nation, and we ended up beating them 11-2. After the College World Series was over and Florida finished 2nd only to South Carolina, did it hit me how big of a win that was. Also in my senior year in game 1 of the conference tournament against Eastern Tennessee State University, I threw a complete game allowing 5 hits, 1 unearned run and winning 2-1. 4.) The Twins drafted you in the 42nd round of the 2011 draft... were there a lot of other scouts talking to you? The Twins have drafted several players from the college. MT: Well truthfully the Twins were the only team that talked to me at all. Another reason why the UF game was so big my senior year was because that was the first time that any scout showed interest in me, at least to my knowledge. I didn’t receive letters or questionnaires at all during the season. The next game they came to watch me pitch was in that game one of the conference against ETSU. After the game, my coach let me know that the Twins were interested in drafting me. The final day of the draft I was watching the computer screen in my room wondering if I would have to go get a “real job” or get to play this game that I love some more. When I saw my name go across the screen I just fell backwards onto my bed and smiled. I was and am so thankful that someone gave me a chance to play baseball at the professional level. I’ve always dreamed about making it to the MLB ever since tee ball. I have to say it is pretty cool seeing some of the guys I played with in college like Jamaal Hawkins, Adam Brett Walker and Jonathan Murphy in the same farm system. It’s nice to see familiar faces and have relationships through the long season with all the ups and downs that occur. 5.) You signed quickly and went to Ft. Myers. After several appearances for the GCL, you moved across the parking lot to help the Ft. Myers Miracle, becoming one of their best pitchers down the stretch. How would you describe your adjustment to pro baseball and what did you learn from that first season? MT: The adjustment from college to professional baseball was something I liked. I liked going to class and taking tests and all, but I have to say after I graduated and went to Fort Myers, I was happy to just be waking up at the crack of dawn to play baseball. Some of the challenges I had were making the adjustment and staying mentally focused the entire day. The days in the GCL included an entire practice before every game, every day. One of the attributes that I like a lot is the laid back feel of pro baseball. Yes, you concentrate and work hard at improving yourself, but you also take a step back and have a good time because you’re doing what you love. 6.) You moved to the Midwest League and had a very good season despite missing some time with injury. You started in the bullpen but quickly became a mainstay in the starting rotation. What are your highlights from this 2012 season in Beloit, the team and the full-season? MT: Working with Gary Lucas, the pitching coach, was a blast. He brought all of his experience and knowledge that he attained from his Major League career and helped mentor us throughout the year on and off the field. I’m originally from New York and I have lived in Florida now since I finished with school so the Midwest wasn’t exactly a familiar place to me. Seeing all the farms and meeting such nice people everywhere made the year more enjoyable. In my first full season, I had some growing pains. After the injury, I knew what I had to do as far as maintenance for the arm which made it easier on me mentally, just knowing that everything is okay in there. The guys on the team were awesome. Playing with guys like Sano, Rosario and Vargas bring a comedic atmosphere to the ball club, which helps ease the tension when times are tough. 7.) How would you describe yourself as a pitcher? What pitches do you throw? What is your out-pitch, and tell us about… “The Thing.” MT: I think I’m a pitcher in the traditional sense; I mix up my pitching sequence and the speeds to hinder the batter’s sense of comfort in the batter’s box. I do my best to get hitters out with the minimum number of pitches thrown. I try to induce as many groundball outs as possible. That keeps the defense on their toes and in the game, and for the most part keeps me in the game as long as possible. The pitches I throw include two seam (sinker), four seam fastball, curveball, changeup, cutter, and what I call a knuckle split. I rely a lot on the two seam for the majority of the groundballs that I get. Well I started throwing “The Thing” when I was around 10-11 years old. My father was a good baseball player and knows quite a bit about the game and told me that I wasn’t allowed to throw any off speed like my friends because my arm wasn’t developed or strong enough to regularly throw them. Growing up a Yankees fan, I watched Tim Wakefield quite a bit. I tried to replicate the grip that he held the ball with, but I eventually found a grip that worked and my father approved. As a kid I always wanted to throw things as fast as I could and that didn’t change when I throw “The Thing”. Ever since then I’ve thrown it at every level. Usually everywhere I go, the pitching coaches are weary of it because it’s not what they are used to working with. I remember my freshman year of college my pitching coach wouldn’t call the pitch, but with a little bit of persuasion he allowed me to throw it and it created more opportunities for me. The reason I call it a knuckle split is because I hold it like one and when I throw it, I throw it with around the same effort level as the fastball but because of the grip it has a knuckling movement back and forth, with drop off when it reaches the batter. Some days I find myself getting around it a little more than normal and it will cut into a righty. Most of the time it will break down or even occasionally away from a righty. That messes with catchers sometimes. As for an out pitch I would like to say the knuckle split, but I also like to use my curveball to get out of many jams. The curveball is a safer pitch to throw with runners on base because of the fact that the knuckle split has a later break and with a little bit more of spontaneity. 8.) When did you start preparing for the 2013 season, and what did you learn from your first full season to help you prepare for the length of the season? MT: I started preparing right away. When I say that, I didn’t go right from Beloit to home and start working out. I would spend time thinking about what Gary Lucas suggested I worked on this off season, and what shoulder programs I would do to keep my arm as strong as possible. The first season was filled with new learning experiences for me when it came to eating healthy and preparing your body for the everyday grind that is asked upon all of us. Eating healthier will be my objective this year. It’s hard getting out around 11 at night and getting the proper nutrients to get you ready for the next day. I have some things I will be doing to ensure I’m making the right food choices majority of the time. 9.) Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career as a baseball player? MT: No doubt, without my parents’ support and help, I would have never gotten any of these opportunities that I have been grateful for. My father literally went on every tournament, every showcase all over the country with me. They both supported me and kept me on the right path to success. Every coach that I have ever had has shaped me in some way or the other to be the baseball player I am today. From my friend’s dad back in Tee Ball, Billy Stote, to my Travel coaches Bob Brinkman, Bob Schlanger and Bill Buckman, to my high coaches Mike Groppuso, T.D. Mills, to my college coaches Terry Alexander, and Tim Montez, to the pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen and the pitching coaches Ivan Arteaga, Steve Mintz and Gary Lucas. All of the teammates I’ve had have played a big part as well in my development. 10.) If you weren't playing baseball, what would you be doing (your career of choice)? MT: Well if baseball wasn’t an option, I would use my degree in finance and work somewhere in the financial world. This offseason I had a job as a Mortgage Professional helping people try to refinance their current mortgages. Before I could be licensed to be a Loan Officer I had to leave that job to start training longer and harder, and the hours didn’t mesh well with my throwing and training schedule. 11.) Favorite baseball movie? MT: I would say I’m torn between The Rookie and Major League. Major League is so funny and I can watch it multiple times a year and still laugh at the same jokes and antics every time like it’s my first time. But The Rookie just always gives me hope that one day I will be blessed enough to make it to the Majors and do my best. 12.) Favorite baseball book? MT: “The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams was a book my uncle gave to me as a kid. I still can picture to this day the hitter’s zone that Ted illustrated in the book showing where his weaknesses and strengths were as a hitter. I remember the different colors that were attributed with each zone. As a pitcher, I always shoot for the gray color zones which for Ted was in the outside bottom third of the zone where he would average a batting average between .230-.270. Thank you Matt! Best of luck in spring training and throughout the 2013 season! Click here to view the article

On Day 1, the Minnesota Twins used their first round draft pick on prep shortstop Nick Gordon. They followed that by selecting flame-throwing Louisville closer Nick Burdi with their second round pick. On Day 2, the Twins made eight selections and seven of their were pitchers. All eight came from the college ranks. So, what will the Twins do on Day 3? They will draft 30 more players. At noon, the draft will resume, and Twins Daily will continue to update you on the Twins selections. Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg Looking at the current Minnesota Twins roster, it becomes clear that although few from Day 3 will make it to the big leagues, it is where you can sometimes find a hidden gem. Jason Kubel was drafted out of high school by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2000 draft. He's had a very solid career. Twins cleanup hitter Josh Willingham was the 17th round pick of the Florida Marlins in 2000. Casey Fien was the Tigers 20th round pick in 2006. Caleb Thielbar was drafted by the Brewers in the 18th round of the 2009 draft. Michael Tonkin was a 30th round pick in 2008 by the Twins. Of course, in the 17th round of the 1978 draft, the Twins took a kid from Bloomington. Kent Hrbek went on to have a Twins Hall of Fame career. Of course, a year earlier in the 17th round, the Twins selected Scott Ullger, and he's still in uniform with the team! In all, 900 players will be drafted on Saturday. Which 30 will the Twins take? 11th Round (320) - Tanner English - CF - South Carolina English has game-changing speed and top-flight defensive ability. 12th Round (350) - Pat Kelly - 2B - Nebraska (from Red Wing, MN) Kelly helped recruit Ryan Boldt to Nebraska (and I thought for sure I had mentioned him in a draft story at some point, but can't find it) and now he's heading home. Eventually. Hopefully. He's homered at Target Field before, so there's that: And defense: 13th Round (380) - Zach Tillery - RHP - Florida Gulf Coast (Dunk City) 14th Round (410) - Tyler Mautner - 3B - U. of Buffalo When I saw this name the first time, I thought for sure I read "Taylor Lautner", which, of course, would be pretty radical if you're into werewolves. 15th Round (440) - Roberto Gonzalez - RF - High School (!!) My favorite Day 3 pick. I've heard great things about the Miami-Dade CC commit. He's almost like a Dominican guy, you're dreaming on him. He's raw, and that's an understatement. Has shown glimpses of plus power, speed and arm throughout the fall, but can't put them all together. Sounds like signing him could be an issue, but if that gets done, you're looking at a guy with all the tools. 16th Round (470) - Tyler Kuresa - 1B - UC-Santa Barbara (Twins drafted him in the 11th round in 2010) (Sr) 17th Round (500) - Mat Batts - LHP - UNC-Wilmington (5th-year Sr) 18th Round (530) - TJ White - 3B - UNLV 19th Round (560) - Jarrard Poteete - C - Connors State College (OK) - JC 20th Round (590) - McCarthy Tatum - 3B - Clovis (CA) high school Tatum is committed to Fresno State and will likely end up there. High school teammate of Jacob Gatewood. 21st Round (620) - Onis Farfan - LHP - Ridgewater (MN) College - JC - He's from New Hope, MN. 22nd Round (650) - Trevor Hildenberger - RHP - Cal Berkeley (5th-year Sr) 23rd Round (680) - Miles Nordgren - RHP - Birmingham Southern (Sr) 24th Round (710) - Alex Real - C - New Mexico 25th Round (740) - Taylor Hearn - LHP - San Jacinto College North (JC) 26th Round (770) - Blake Schmit - SS - Maryland (Sr) (from Eden Prairie) 27th Round (800) - Gabriel Ojeda - C - Puerto Rico HS 28th Round (830) - Austin Diemer - CF - CS Fullerton 29th Round (860) - Cameron Avila-Leeper - LHP - California HS 30th Round (890) - Theo Theofanopoulos - LHP - Cal Berkeley 31st Round (920) - Sam Hilliard - LHP - Crowder College (Missouri) 32nd Round (950) - Orynn Veillon - RHP - High School in Lafayette, Louisiana 33rd Round (980) - Trey Vavra - 1B - Florida Southern U (Joe's son, Tanner's brother) 34th Round (1,010) - Mike Baumann - RHP - Mahtomedi (MN) High School 35th Round (1,040) - Brad Mathiowetz - C - Rochester Mayo High School (MN) 36th Round (1,070) - Kirvin Moesquit - SS - High School in Florida 37th Round (1,100) - Tyree Davis - CF - High School in California 38th Round (1,130) - Brett Doe - C - Baylor University 39th Round (1,160) - John Jones - C - High School in Florida (Orlando, again) 40th Round (1,190) - Dalton Guthrie - SS - High School in Florida. He is the son of former Twins pitcher Mark Guthrie. Click here to view the article

That is correct.

David Ortiz hit the big ALCS grand slam that was nearly caught by a toppling Torii Hunter. It was a reminder of how many former Twins players had strong 2013 seasons. Each of the four remaining teams have at least one former Twins player. Very little annoys me more than people complaining about former Twins players succeeding with other organizations, forgetting the back stories when they left the Twins. Sure, letting David Ortiz go looks horrible in retrospect, but at the time it was a ho-hum decision. Seeing AJ Pierzynski still playing and contributing bothers some, yet who did the Twins get in that trade? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Torii Hunter? Yes, he has defied the normal aging process and been very good. There are bad losses in this group. Everyone loved the Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy trade, and no one understood (or understands) what the thinking was when the Twins traded JJ Hardy for Jim HJoey and Brett Jacobson. And, the Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps deal… Yeah. I think we all know the reasoning behind Joe Nathan and Michael Cuddyer leaving the Twins organization, but come on, no one was disappointed when the Twins let RA Dickey go. Hindsight is a beautiful thing. No question. But, I enjoyed all of these former Twins players during their time in Minnesota, and there’s no reason not to enjoy their continued success. But maybe I’m in the minority and I should just be bitter. Maybe? Here is a look at some of the top performances by former Twins in the big leagues in 2013! THE CATCHERS AJ Pierzynski ($7.5M) – Texas Rangers - .272/.297/.425 (.722) with 24 doubles, 17 homers and 70 RBI. Wilson Ramos ($0.5M) – Washington Nationals - .272/.307/.380 (.717) with 9 doubles, 16 homers and 59 RBI. A pretty nice lefty-righty platoon opportunity. Sure, neither gets on base, but both do show some power. Pierzynski was traded way back before the 2004 season to the Giants. Ramos was traded during the 2009 season to the Nationals. THE INFIELDERS/DHs David Ortiz ($14M) – Boston Red Sox - .309/.395/.564 (.959) with 38 doubles, 30 homers and 103 RBI. Garrett Jones ($4.5M) – Pittsburgh Pirates - .233/.289/.419 (.708) with 26 doubles, 15 homers and 51 RBI. JJ Hardy ($7M) – Baltimore Orioles - .263/.306/.433 (.738) with 27 doubles, 25 homers and 76 RBI. Nick Punto ($1.5M) – Los Angeles Dodgers - .255/.328/.327 (.655) with 15 doubles, 2 homers and 21 RBI. Danny Valencia ($0.5M) – Baltimore Orioles - .304/.335/.553 (.888) with 14 doubles, 8 homers and 23 RBI. Ortiz miraculously has had another spectacular season. The Twins non-tendered him more than a decade ago and no other teams claimed him. Boston decided to give him a chance in spring training. The rest is, as they say, is documented in various reports. Garrett Jones never really had a chance with the Twins since Jason Kubel was the DH, Justin Morneau was at 1B, Michael Cuddyer was in RF and Delmon Young was in LF. He had some good years with the Pirates, though not this year. Hardy had his injury-plagued season with the Twins and I’m sure they’d love to have given him another shot. Punto remains one of baseball’s better fielders. He played all over that Dodgers infield this year. Valencia was up and down between AAA and the big leagues, but was given a chance to play against left-handed pitching and came through. Download attachment: Michael-Cuddyer-Colorado-Rockies.jpg THE OUTFIELDERS Michael Cuddyer ($10.5M) – Colorado Rockies - .331/.389/.530 (.919) with 31 doubles, 20 homers and 84 RBI. Torii Hunter ($12M) – Detroit Tigers - .304/.334/.465 (.800) with 37 doubles, 17 homers and 84 RBI. Carlos Gomez ($4.3M) – Milwaukee Brewers - .284/.338/.500 (.843) with 27 doubles, 10 triples, 24 homers, 73 RBI, 40 SB. Denard Span ($4.75M) – Washington Nationals - .279/.327/.380 (.707) with 28 doubles, 11 triples, 4 homers, 47 RBI, 20 SB. Ben Revere ($0.515M) – Philadelphia Phillies - .305/.338/.352 (.691) with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 0 homers and 17 RBI. Delmon Young ($1.2M) – Phillies/Rays - .260/.307/.407 (.715) with 16 doubles, 11 homers and 38 RBI. I think it’s fair to say some of these former Twins outfielders came through with big seasons. Cuddyer was healthy and won the NL batting title. Hunter continues to defy the aging process and hit well with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder batting behind him. Gomez has finally put it all together, all those tremendous tools. He has become the five-tool talent the Twins acquired from the Mets but didn’t see. Denard Span had a solid inaugural season with the Nationals, though it’s fair to assume he’ll want a higher on-base percentage. He did a great job of patrolling the team’s outfield, with no errors on the season. Revere got off to a very slow start in Philly, but after losing some playing time he took off, and as things were getting really good, he unfortunately broke his foot and missed the rest of the season. Delmon Young wasn’t very good, but did show some power. The Phillies DFAd him, and he re-signed with the Rays. Download attachment: Francisco Liriano.jpg THE STARTERS Francisco Liriano ($1M + up to $3.75M in incentives) – Pittsburgh Pirates – 16-8, 3.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9, 9.1 K/9 Kyle Lohse ($11M) – Milwaukee Brewers – 11-10, 3.35 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, 5.7 K/9 RA Dickey ($5.5M) – Toronto Blue Jays – 14-13, 4.21 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 7.1 K/9 Matt Garza ($10.25M) – Cubs/Rangers – 10-6, 3.82 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 7.9 K/9 Jason Marquis ($3M) – San Diego Padres – 9-5, 4.65 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 5.2 BB/9, 5.5 K/9 It is fair to say Liriano exceeded all expectations in 2013 with the Pirates. Of course, we’ve seen this before. Liriano put up very similar numbers in 2010, so it will be interesting to see if Liriano has truly flipped a switch or if he’s only having another good year. Of course, he was set to make much more money but it got reduced when he hurt his right arm scaring his kids. Lohse signed late but he proved worth the contract, at least in its first year. Dickey came back down to earth a bit with his move to the American League, but he still ate a ton of innings. Garza has been really solid since coming up with the Twins in 2006, but he is yet to take that next step to be an ace, yet. THE RELIEVERS Joe Nathan ($7M) – Texas Rangers – 6-2, 43 Saves, 1.39 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 10.2 K/9 Grant Balfour ($4.5M) – Oakland A’s – 1-3, 38 Saves, 2.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 3.9 BB/9, 10.3 K/9 Craig Breslow ($2.325M) – Boston Red Sox – 5-2, 1.81 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 5.0 K/9 Jesse Crain ($4.5M) – Chicago White Sox – 2-3, 0.74 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 11.3 K/9 LaTroy Hawkins ($1M) – NY Mets – 3-2, 2.93 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 7.0 K/9 Pat Neshek ($0.975M) – Oakland A’s – 2-1, 3.35 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 6.5 K/9 Matt Guerrier ($3.75M) – Dodgers/Cubs – 4-4, 4.01 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 3.6 BB/9, 6.3 K/9 Joe Nathan has completely recovered from his Tommy John surgery to be just as good as he was when he was younger. Balfour was hurt often during his time with the Twins. He had Tommy John surgery and shoulder surgery within a two year period. But he has come back strong, ten years later, and become an intimidating closer. Breslow has been one of baseball’s best left-handed relievers since his days with the Twins. Crain figured out something in May of 2010 and he has been as good as any reliever in the game since then. He did miss the final three months of this season with shoulder problems. LaTroy Hawkins is another guy who defies age. He had his best season in years in 2013! Download attachment: David Ortiz Torii Hunter.jpg ALL FORMER TWINS LINEUP Denard Span LF ($4.75M) Carlos Gomez CF ($4.3M) Michael Cuddyer 1B ($10.5M) David Ortiz DH ($14M) Torii Hunter RF ($12M) JJ Hardy SS ($7M) Danny Valencia 3B ($0.5M) AJ Pierzynski C ($7.5M) Nick Punto 2B ($1.5M) Francisco Liriano SP ($1M) Closer – Joe Nathan ($7M); RH Set-Up – Jesse Crain ($4.5M); LH Set-Up – Craig Breslow $2.325M). Total salaries ($76.875 million) for 13 players. Total salaries for the 25 player roster mentioned above? $123.565. That’s a pretty impressive roster. I didn’t include Justin Morneau since he was only gone for a month. I didn’t include Jason Kubel, who made $7.5 million in 2013 and played horribly after a tremendous 2012 season. It didn’t include the $5 million that the Cubs gave to Scott Baker for three starts and 15 innings. It didn’t include Philip Humber, who went 0-8 with a 7.90 ERA before being DFAd by the Astros. It’s fun for me to see former Twins players sticking around and being very successful with other organizations. There have been plenty to follow! Click here to view the article

I mentioned when I wrote my Notes from Day 3 in Beloit that due to travel, returning to work and some other things, I may not get to Notes from Day 4 for a bit. I really didn’t want it to take almost a week. However, it has. That said, I still feel compelled to write more about my trip to Beloit because it was such a great time. The Snappers are playing really well. Their lineup is really coming together well. Their starting staff has been terrific, generally providing the team with a Quality Start. And, the bullpen is full of very hard-throwers. This weekend, the Snappers returned to Beloit after a brief road trip. Starting last night, they play three games against Peoria, the Cubs affiliate. They just promoted high-profile Cuban defector outfielder Jorge Soler to the Midwest League. Let’s get back to my Beloit trip. If you missed the first days, be sure to read my Notes from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Sunday started with a quiet morning of writing. After checking out of the hotel, we met Jim Crikket at Applebees for lunch before heading over to the ballpark. The crowds on Thursday and Friday night were fairly small. On Saturday night, the attendance doubled, in part due to postgame fireworks. On Sunday, the Snappers have a great promotion. The first 500 fans would receive a Prince Fielder Beast Mode bobblearms. The line outside Pohlman Field wrapped around the outfield fence and out into the parking lot. Wisely, the first 500 fans got wristbands, and after the 5th inning, they were able to claim their Fielder Bobble arm. The Snappers were playing the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the affiliate of Brewers. Milwaukee is about an hour from Beloit, so there are always a few more fans when this team comes to town. The teams didn’t take batting practice. However, in the batting cage behind the third base, manager Nelson Prada was throwing to Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas and Tyler Grimes. The game was great. The Snappers won handily. Miguel Sano ripped a long, opposite field home run. It’s probably about 375 to the right centerfield gap, and there is an advertisement board that is probably 20 feet high. The homer went over that. Later, JD Williams ripped a long grand slam that really put the game out of reach. Like Matt Tomshaw and Jason Wheeler the two previous games, David Hurlbut was terrific, giving up just one hit over the first six innings. Tim Atherton went two innings, and Mason Melotakis pitched an inning in relief. After talking to several players and coaches following the game, I enjoyed being a call-in guest of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast. We talked about the Beloit team, but we also talked a lot about Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia and more. I had a chance to see GM Matt Bosen and Director of Media and Community Relations Chrissy Scaffidi before leaving. These two are great. They both work so hard. So does the entire Snappers front office. Seriously, I need to thank especially Chrissy for making the four day trip so great. They were very helpful and accommodating. It was great to catch up with other Twins bloggers like Jeremy Nygaard and Jim Crikket. (be sure to read his blog on his two days in Beloit.) It was good to see AJ Pettersen, who as you know writes here at Twins Daily regularly, again. It was nice to see his brother Josh again. It was great to meet a few more players that I’ve chatted with or tweeted with. Beloit is a great place for minor league baseball. I know that you will likely read many opinions to the contrary, but for all its downfalls, Pohlman Field provides an atmosphere that encourages fan interaction. I enjoyed meeting the fans, and seeing the players talk to fans between the dugout and their clubhouse. That is not the case other places around baseball. Why they don’t get more fans there, I will never understand. I have now made the trip over to Beloit three straight seasons, and I hope to continue that trend in coming years. There is still nearly a month of regular season remaining, so be sure to consider a trip out there. Check out their website and see when they are at home. In fact, the Snappers are hosting the Peoria team the next couple of days. You could see Jorge Soler as well. This Snappers team is fun to watch. They won a playoff spot in the first half, and it appears that they are setting their roster for the playoffs. The lineup is pretty solid. Nate Roberts and JD Williams are doing a very good job at the top of the order. Then the 3-4-5 punch of Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas is powerful. Drew Leachman is coming on again. Their starting rotation has been pitching really well of late, and they have some very strong arms pitching well in the bullpen. We left Beloit at about 5:30, and we got back to the Twin Cities by shortly after 11. Of course, Monday was full of more driving for me. Left the Cities at about 8:30 and got to Perham at about 12:15. Left there about 2:15 and got back to Warroad by 6. Below, you will find a few more pictures from Day 4: Download attachment: Hurlbut Warmup.jpg David Hurlbut warming up before the game with pitching coach Gary Lucas watching. Download attachment: JD Williams.jpg JD Williams Download attachment: Wang-Wei Lin Sign.jpg Wang-Wei Lin signing autographs before the game. Download attachment: Corey Williams.jpg Corey Williams playing a game with a fan. Download attachment: Tyler Jones.jpg Tyler Jones Download attachment: National Anthem by Dugout.jpg National Anthem Line Up Download attachment: Sano Warmup.jpg Miguel Sano warming up Download attachment: Sano after HR.jpg Sano after home run Download attachment: Rosario AB.jpg Eddie Rosario at bat Download attachment: Kennys Vargas Connecting.jpg Kennys Vargas connecting. Download attachment: Sano Fielding.jpg Miguel Sano at third base. Download attachment: Melotakis Warmup.jpg Mason Melotakis warming up. Download attachment: PostGame 1.jpg Postgame - JD Williams Download attachment: PostGame2.jpg Postgame - Nate Roberts and his mustache and Tyler Grimes Download attachment: PostGame 3.jpg Tommy Watkins high-fiving Eddie Rosario with Kennys Vargas and Miguel Sano behind. Download attachment: PostGame4.jpg Postgame - Jairo Rodriguez and Drew Leachman Download attachment: PostGame 5.jpg Postgame - Dallas Gallant and other bullpen arms. Click here to view the article

Kyle Gibson returned to the mound and after struggling in recent starts, he recorded his first win in a month as the Twins topped the Mariners 5-4. Brian Dozier homered for the tenth time this season and Josmil Pinto hit his sixth home run. Glen Perkins made it interesting in the ninth, but recorded the save. In the minor leagues, Mike Pelfrey and Josh Willingham returned to the field in rehab appearances with the Red Wings. There is an unsung player putting up tremendous numbers in New Britain over an 11 game hitting streak while a hitting streak reaches 13 games in Ft. Myers. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are streaking in the wrong direction. Download attachment: Alex Wimmers.jpg Let’s look at the goings on in the Twins system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Columbus 2 Box Score Rochester’s game was the first opportunity for Mike Pelfrey and Josh Willingham to play for a while. Pelfrey made a rehab start for the Red Wings and threw 81 pitches in five innings. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk. He struck out three. Edgar Ibarra struck out three in two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one. AJ Achter gave up one run on one hit over two innings to record his third Red Wings save. He struck out three and walked none. Josh Willingham batted fifth and was the DH. He went 0-4 with a strikeout in his first game in over a month. Chris Herrmann’s torrid streak continued. He went 2-4 and his now hitting .467 (14-30) since his demotion. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4 and hit his second home run. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with his eighth double. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 4, Harrisburg 3 Box Score With how well Kennys Vargas has been hitting the last few weeks, Reynaldo Rodriguez is quietly putting up great numbers too. Coming into this game, he was hitting .476/.500/.738 (1.238) with two doubles and three home runs in his past ten games. On this night, he extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an eighth-inning, two-run home (his seventh) that gave the Rock Cats the lead, a lead they held on to. Corey Wimberly went 2-5. Nate Hanson and Brandon Waring each hit a double. Matt Koch and AJ Pettersen both went 1-3 with a walk. Pat Dean gave up some hits, but at the end of the night, he had another quality start. He gave up three runs on 11 hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked none. Dan Turpen gave up a hit and walked three over 1.1 innings. Lester Oliveros came on, walked three and got the final five outs to record his sixth save. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 2 Box Score Alex Wimmers was due. He had given up 23 runs in his last three starts. Although eight of the runs in his last start were unearned, he has been getting hit. On this night, the former #1 pick was back in good form. He gave up just one run on two hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out eight. Sometimes we forget that this is his first season after Tommy John surgery and a second arm surgery. There will be some ups and downs, but he needed a good start. Steven Gruver went the next two innings. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk. He struck out three. Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless ninth inning, walked one and struck out one. Jorge Polanco extended his hitting streak to 13 games. He went 2-4 with his eighth double. He drove in the Miracle run as well. Travis Harrison was also 2-4. The two combined for four of the team’s six hits in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 8 Box Score Aaron Slegers struggled and lost for the first time this season (4-1). He gave up six runs (5 earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Alex Muren pitched the final two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits. He walked one and struck out three. The Kernels’ bats managed just five hits in the game. Mitch Garver went 2-4 with his third stolen base. Michael Quesada hit his first home run of the year. JD Williams doubled, and Bryan Haar hit his second triple of the year. The loss was the seventh straight for the Kernels. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Alex Wimmers, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Oswaldo Arcia, Rochester Red Wings SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain @ Harrisburg (DH @ 5:00 CST) – Matt Summers, Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Daytona @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – Jason Wheeler (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – Ryan Eades (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday, it means that on Saturday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

After a one-day break, we return today with Part 3 of the Minnesota Twins Top 50 Prospects. After looking at prospects 41-50 earlier in the week, today I'll present prospects 36-40. Be sure to check the links to the previous pieces of this list at the bottom of this article for background into what is considered while making these lists. As always, feel free to discuss each of these players and the rankings of those discussed to this point. Part 3: Prospects 36-40[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In this group, there are some pitchers with #3 upside and some question marks. For one, the question is health and how well he will be able to come back. For others, the question will be whether or not the Twins should have them start or push them to the bullpen? This is definitely not an easy question to answer, and those answers are not needed right away. The fifth person within this list is a very talented, athletic catcher. #40 – Alex Wimmers – RH SP (24) The Twins made Wimmers their first round pick in 2010 out of Ohio State. In 2011, he fought control issues, but came back with a season-ending no-hitter. He made one start in 2012 for New Britain and went on the DL. Later in the summer, he had Tommy John surgery and missed all of the 2013 season with the exception of a few rehab appearances in the GCL. Will the Twins add him to their 40 man roster next month? Regardless, 2014 is a huge year for him. In four minor league seasons, he’s made just 16 starts (counting 6 rehab starts in the GCL in 2013). When healthy, he has a low-90s fastball and a very good changeup and a curveball. Despite injury, he still has the ability to be a mid-rotation type. #39 - Tim Atherton – RH SP (23) The Australian right-hander originally signed with the Twins in 2007 as a hitter, but after being released in 2008, he returned to the Twins in 2011, this time as a pitcher. At Cedar Rapids this year, he made 20 relief appearances before moving into the rotation for 11 starts. His numbers were similar in both roles. He struck out nearly a batter per inning as a starter after striking out 42 in 33.1 innings as a reliever. He has good stuff, tops 90 mph with a fastball and has a very deceptive delivery. Atherton pitched the final innings of a Cedar Rapids no-hitter in early April, a game started by... #38 – Tyler Duffey – RH SP (22) After the Twins used their 5th round pick a year ago on Duffey, he walked two and struck out 27 in 19 relief innings in Elizabethton. He moved into the starting rotation this year in Cedar Rapids and in his first start, he worked the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter. He made nine starts with the Kernels before moving up to Ft. Myers where he made nine more starts and six relief appearances. It would be great to see him strike more out, but he does have a good pitch-mix so it’ll be interesting to see if he can remain in the rotation. Download attachment: CR NoNo.jpg Photo by Rinaldi Photos L to R: Tyler Duffey, Jairo Rodriguez, Josue Montanez, Tim Atherton #37 – Mason Melotakis – LH SP (22) Melotakis was the Twins 2nd round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State (LA) where he was primarily a reliever. He made 20 relief appearances last year between Elizabethton and Beloit. He was moved to the rotation in 2013 with Cedar Rapids and spent the entire season with the Kernels. He went 11-4 with a 3.16 ERA. He made 16 starts before ending the season with eight games in relief. As a starter, his fastball sat between 89 and 92. As a reliever, he would occasionally hit 97. So, like Duffey, the question will be (and has been since he was drafted), do you want him to start and take longer to possibly get to the big leagues, or should he go to the bullpen where he could move up more quickly? #36 – Brian Navarreto – C (18) Navarreto was the Twins 6th round pick this past June out of high school in Florida. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he is a very strong, very athletic catcher with a powerful arm and powerful bat. In high school, he unfortunately made a name for himself for reasons that one would not want to be known, but he has tremendous talent. He hit just .226 in the GCL in his pro debut, but had 10 doubles and three homers. He also threw out 34% of would-be base stealers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there you have it, Part 3 of my Top 50 Twins Prospect list. We'll be back tomorrow with Part 4, prospects 31-35. Part 1: 46-50 Part 2: 41-45 Click here to view the article

If you take a look at the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month for April 2013, you will see some absolutely remarkable statistics put up by the likes of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Josmil Pinto, Eddie Rosario and Adam Walker. Buxton and Sano have not played due to injury. Rosario is serving a suspension. Pinto is up with the big league club, hitting pretty well. Adam Walker has struggled in April, but he does have five home runs. I don’t know if any of the top five on this list would have appeared in that report, but there were a few really strong offensive performances in the Twins system in this season’s first month. Download attachment: Mitch Garver 2.jpg Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in April: Number 5 – Ft. Myers – Travis Harrison - (28-87) .322/.368/.471 (.840) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run and 15 RBI. Harrison got off to a slow start this year. Through the first ten days, he struggled to get on base. However, he has been on fire during the second half of the month. A move to left field (from third base) has likely created some challenges. Once he started hitting, he transitioned from the bottom of the order to batting second. He’s hit doubles, and I believe he has the potential to bust out soon with a lot of home runs. He’s also sneaky-quick on the base paths, a very smart ball player. Number 4 – Rochester – Doug Bernier – (20-56) .357/.431/.571 (1.002) with six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. Bernier was one of the great, positive stories of the 2013 Minnesota Twins season. The 33-year-old had a two-game cup of coffee with the Rockies in 2008. He didn’t give up on his dream and got to spend the second half of the season with the Twins. He returns to Rochester where he has been playing all over the baseball field, including in the corner outfield spots. He is also off to a terrific start with the lumber, specifically showing a lot of extra base hits. Number 3 - Rochester – Chris Parmelee - (30-92) .326/.382/.511 (.893) with five doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. Parmelee, the former first round pick, had to be frustrated this spring when the Twins designated him for assignment to remove him from the 40 man roster. No team claimed him and he reported to the Red Wings. He didn’t start out hitting much, but he came on really strong late in the month. He ended the month on a 13-game hitting streak (which he extended on Thursday) and showed more of his power. Last weekend, one of his home runs was a walk-off for the Red Wings. Number 2 – Jorge Polanco – Ft. Myers Miracle - (32-93) .344/.421/.495 (.915) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and 15 RBI. Remember when the early reports on Jorge Polanco, when the team signed him as a 16-year-old, he was known for his glove. And, he does play good defense. However, this spring, they have decided to move him to shortstop at least for the time being and he has really struggled. He has not struggled at all with the bat. He is a top of the order bat. He takes quality at-bats and has good extra base power. In my opinion, the purpose of moving Polanco to shortstop is to give him a more clear path to the big leagues now that Brian Dozier has taken over at second base. That alone tells us how much the organization believes in him. The April Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Ft. Myers Miracle C/1B Mitch Garver (25-78) .321/.413/.628 (1.041) with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBI. Garver was a fourth-year senior selected in the 9th round last year out of New Mexico. He was runner-up for the 2013 Johnny Bench Award. Fellow Twins 2013 draft pick Stuart Turner won the award. Often a four-year senior taken in the top ten rounds is strategic. They don’t have much leverage, so they can be signed for less than slot value which allows the team to go above in other places. That said, Garver had a strong career in college and he has a strong bat. He showed that offensive potential in the month of April. Though he went hitless in his first game, he went on a strong run for the next two weeks. He hit for a lot of power and showed a willingness to take walks. He leads the Midwest League in several power categories including extra base hits, total bases and home runs. Drafted as a catcher, Garver spent a lot of time in spring training working with Tom Kelly at first base. He’s been a mainstay in the middle of the Kernels lineup. There were several solid performances in April that weren’t included in the Top Five. Here are some Honorable Mentions who just missed out on the Top Five. Kennys Vargas (22-79) .278/.363/.443 (.806) with four doubles, three homers and 12 RBI.Tanner Vavra (22-64) .344/.391/.438 (.829) with six doubles and eight RBI.Zack Larson (27-88) .307/.351/.455 (.806) with 10 doubles, one home run and 13 RBI.Feel free to comment and discuss. Click here to view the article

This afternoon, the Twins Gulf Coast League team will be playing its first game of the season. As is typical, this is a group with players from all around the world. It is a group of players from the Dominican, Venezuela, Germany, Taiwan, and Australia getting an opportunity. There are several players on this roster who have spent time in the Dominican Summer League. There are young players drafted the last year or two. There are some college picks who are more raw and there just isn’t room for on the Elizabethton roster. It is a mixed bag that manager Ramon Borrego will work with. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Right now, there are just a couple of names to know, to pay special attention to. Amaurys Minier and Kohl Stewart are the big names. However, over the course of the season, we’ll get to know more about several other players and most likely there will be a few more players that we will be excited about. PITCHERS (18) The first six pitchers will begin the season as the starters. Lewis Thorpe – Thorpe is a left-handed pitcher signed by the Twins last July. Still just 17 years old, Thorpe has a fastball in the upper 80s that touches 91-92. Sam Gibbons – The 19-year-old right-hander was signed out of Australia in July of 2011. Last year with the GCL Twins, he was 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA. In 35.1 innings, he walked eight and struck out 22. Fernando Romero – Romero signed out of the Dominican Republic in November of 2011. The 18-year-old went 1-4 with a 4.65 ERA last year in the Dominican Summer League. In 31 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 28. Damian Defrank – Another Dominican right-hander, Defrank signed in April of 2012. He went 0-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 14 starts in the DSL last year. In 53 innings, he walked 16 and struck out 27. He is still 18 years old. Leonel Zazueta – Zazueta signed last August from Mexico. He is an 18 year old who already throws in the mid-90s. This is definitely one prospect to watch. Kohl Stewart – Stewart, as you know, just signed a contract that came with a $4.5+ million bonus. He throws hard and has (at least) four pitches. His future is remarkably bright, but the work starts now. Brandon Easton – The Twins 24th round pick this month out of Lakeland Community College, he also played first base in school. But, at 6-6 with a big fastball, he struck out 78 in 59.2 innings this spring. Stephen Gonsalves – Like Stewart, Gonsalves was the Twins 4th round pick and signed for an over-slot value this week. The long lefty throws in the upper 80s and is very projectable. He’s got a long ways to go, but he has big potential. Derrick Penilla – The 21 year old lefty was the Twins 15th round pick this year out of Mount San Antonio College where he struck out more than a batter per inning. Reyson Zoquiel – The 19-year-old lefty signed with the Twins in July of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year in the DSL, he went 0-3 with a 6.34 Era in 32.2 innings over 23 games. He struck out 37, but he walked 35. The year before, he walked 15 and struck out 11 in 18 innings. Jose Abreu – Signed from the Dominican Republic in September of 2010, the 20-year-old right-hander went 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA last year in the DSL. In 40 innings, he walked nine and struck out 23. A year earlier, he was 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 41.2 innings. He had walked 12 and struck out 29. Miguel Gonzalez – An 18-year-old right-hander from the Dominican, he signed in July of 2011. Last year in the DSL, he went 1-4 with a 2.01 ERA. In 44.2 innings, he walked 20 and struck out 35. Josh Guyer – The Twins signed Guyer from Australia last August. He is a hard-throwing 19-year-old who will debut this week. Zach Hayden – The 21-year-old is a right-hander from the University of South Carolina in Aiken. He was the 23rd round pick of the Twins this month after striking out 43 batters in 21 innings. Of course, he also walked 23 batters. Chih-Wei Hu – Signed from Taiwan last August for $220,000, the 19-year-old righty is 6-1 and 210 pounds. He throws in the low-90s already. Markus Solbach – Solbach signed with the Twins out of Germany in February of 2011. This will be his third season with the GCL Twins. In 2011, he went 3-3 with a 1.91 ERA in 15 games in relief. Last year, he was 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 games, though he walked just one and struck out 14 in 17 innings. He is 6-5 and 195 pounds. Tyler Stirewalt – The Twins 21st round pick this month out of Fresno State, Stirewalt is the definition of a project. He is 22 and 2012 was his first year of baseball in college. He played football at the college before switching to baseball. He is a great athlete and has been clocked at 94 mph. Jared Wilson – The Twins drafted Wilson a year earlier, but he went back to UC Santa Barbara for his senior season. He was their 19th round pick this year. He has very good velocity on his fastball and a good curveball, he just has poor control. He’s also already 23. CATCHERS (4) Jorge Fernandez – Fernandez was the Twins 7th round pick a year ago out of Puerto Rico. He played 30 games for the GCL Twins last year and hit .263/.288/.283 with two doubles. He is 6-3 and 190 pounds, a switch hitter and does have a high ceiling. Joel Polanco – The 20-year-old signed out of the Dominican in December of 2010. In 44 DSL games in 2011, he hit .205/.366/.283 with eight doubles. Last year, in 39 games, he hit .254/.369/.381 with 15 doubles. Brian Navaretto – The Twins 6th round pick this year out of high school in Florida. He is 6-3 and 220 pounds already. However, he’s a very good athlete but very raw, as you would expect from an 18-year-old. Alex Swim – The Twins 22nd round pick this year, Swim is 22 years old. He caught all 46 games this spring for Elon University. INFIELDERS (5) Jonatan Ynojosa – Signed by the Twins in 2009, the 20 year old has played 119 games in the DSL over the past three seasons. Combined, he has hit .171/.297/.217. Will Hurt – The Twins 16th round pick last year from Lexington Catholic (Ben Revere’s alma mater), he got off to a slow start last year. He hit just .141/.221/.141 in 27 games. He is very fast. Nelson Molina – The 18-year-old was the Twins 11th round pick this year from Puerto Rico. He is already 6-3 and 170 pounds, so he’s got some room to grow. Scouts believe that he can stick at shortstop. Engelb Vielma – Vielma will turn 19 tomorrow. Last year in the DSL, he hit .268/.354/.331 in 44 DSL games. He added four doubles and three triples. Amaurys Minier – Minier is the player to watch on this roster. Signed last July for $1.4 million, he is already moving to third base in the GCL. He is 6-2 and 200 pounds, but he has great strength and bat speed. OUTFIELDERS (6) Chad Christensen – The Twins 25th round pick this month out of the University of Nebraska, he was the Huskers shortstop his first two years and played in the outfield the last two years. Jason Kanzler – The fifth-year senior has a very nice power-speed combination. The 22-year-old was the Twins 20th round pick this year out of Buffalo. Zack Larson – The Twins drafted Larson last year in the 20th round out of high school in Florida. The Twins had some bonus money to use and were able to use it to sign this talented player. He is 6-2 and 185 pounds. Lsat year in 15 GCL games, he hit .250/.318/.325 with a double, a triple and three stolen bases. Adonis Pacheco – Last year in the DSL, Pacheco hit .322/.408/.536 with nine doubles, 12 triples, four homers and 34 RBI. He also stole 18 bases in 23 attempts. He was signed by the Twins in September of 2009, and last year was the 21 year old’s third season in the DSL. Rick Schwarz – The Twins signed the 18 year old in May of 2012 from Australia. He was an infielder there, but is a great athlete and has some upside. Ryan Tufts – Tufts was signed recently out of a tryout camp in Florida. The last he played was at Palm Beach State Junior College. He is a very good athlete that the organization thought was worth signing and giving an opportunity. There is the roster. Let the games begin! It’ll be fun to get to know more about these players. View full article

Happy Minor League Opening Day! This is a great day for me. Opening Day with the Twins was tremendous, but when minor league opening day hits, we as Twins fans suddenly have as many as five games and box scores to follow! Last September, the Minnesota Twins made the business decision to leave Beloit and enter into a player development agreement with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. It’s fair to say that both sides are excited about this relationship. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Tonight, the Kernels will open their 2013 season, ironically, against the Beloit Snappers, now an affiliate of the Oakland A’s organization. Gary Keppel, Kernels Team President and Board of Directors member told a group of media before their Meet the Kernels night at Perfect Game Park, “We are truly, truly excited to have the Twins here. We had a great affiliation for 20 years with the Angels, but we are looking forward to a long, long relationship with the Twins. I think it’s going to be great for our fans that as the players develop and get toward the big leagues that they’ll be able to take a four hour trip up there to go up and see those players. They’ll be in the same time zone so they can catch more games on TV. But, from a selfish standpoint, we’re very, very excited that those folks are going to be coming down.” Yesterday, I hopped in my car in Eagan, Minnesota, at about 12:20 p.m. I headed south on I-35. Shortly after Mason City, Iowa, I exited and took highway 18 East/27 South and took that until Cedar Falls, Iowa, where I connected with highway 380 and headed south. At 4:45, I arrived in Cedar Rapids, the home of the Twins new Midwest League affiliate. With a quick stop to grab something to eat, and one stop to add some gas, I still arrived at the ballpark in just under four-and-a-half hours. It’s not a very long drive from the Twin Cities, and this summer, it will be worth your time to take a trip or two to see the Kernels. They have a group of very talented players on this spring’s roster, and more will be coming when the likes of 2012 first round picks J.O. Berrios and Luke Bard, as well as fellow Top 10 Twins prospect Max Kepler come to town. Byron Buxton, the 2nd overall selection in the 2012 MLB draft will be starting the season as the team’s primary centerfielder and leadoff hitter. Since being drafted, he has drawn comparisons to the likes of BJ Upton, Andrew McCutchen and Adam Jones. One long-time baseball person in Cedar Rapids, having seen him for the first time last night, observed that he looks so much like a young Willie Mays, facially, body type and his style and arm from centerfield. High praise, but he still has some work to do before he’ll be ready for the big leagues. Former Twins infielder and current Kernels hitting coach Tommy Watkins said of Buxton, “I got a chance to see him in instructional league last year. He has amazing ability. I mean, he’s got all the tools, and he’s a great guy to go along with it. I think you’ll be very happy with how he plays the game.” Kernels manager Jake Mauer said, “He is, tool-wise, what you expect a #2 pick to be. One thing that’s really struck me is the person that he is, and how he goes about his business. That’s very exciting. We had a meeting with all of our guys individually today. We go over objectives throughout the season, what we expect, roles and all that. When it came to Byron, we just want him to be himself and just to go out and play. Obviously there are some expectations and things like that, but once you’re between the lines, you’re the only man out there. All that other stuff doesn’t really matter.” I asked where he would hit, thinking he could be a leadoff hitter who steals a ton of bases, or a Number 3 hitter because of his power potential and all-around game. Mauer added, “he’s going to lead off for us to start here. He’s a young man that will be similar to Aaron Hicks and we’ve had this conversation with him throughout the minor leagues. He can lead off. He can hit third. Obviously Aaron is up there in the big leagues now getting an education on… that’s a tough draw, Justin Verlander right out of the shoot, that’s introduction to big league pitching there… Byron’s going to lead off and probably be our primary centerfield. You’ll see him out there quite a bit. Tools-wise, it’s kind of cultivating all of them. He’s going to learn some things, tendencies. He’s got a chance to steal a lot of bases. And then again, he’s got a chance to be a middle of the lineup type hitter, and that’s kind of rare. You don’t find a guy with that tool set and the things that he can do. But the biggest thing for him is to get through the season. It’s going to be a long year. It’s the first time he’ll get to play in over 140 games we’re going to play. So, it’s him getting prepared, not only physically, but also mentally. That’s something we’re looking forward to see how all these boys react to that.” When Buxton himself was asked what he was going to be working on the most, he hesitated for a couple of seconds. Teammate Travis Harrison jumped in saying, “He’s pretty good at a lot of things!” Harrison is another very exciting prospect in the Twins system. He was the team’s first supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. He gave up a scholarship to USC to sign with the Twins. He hit for average last year in Elizabethton, but did struggle early in that short-season with the glove at third base. It’s an area he knows he needs to improve upon. “I want all parts to see improvement. Everyone knows I need to get better at defense. I know that. That’s what I’ve been working really hard in the offseason trying to get better at. But then again, I can always be a better hitter as well, so, if you were to say a strength, I’d say hitting, but hopefully by the end of the season, it’ll be both.” Watkins also spoke well of what he’s seen from the 20-year-old. “I think Travis has made some tremendous strides. The good thing about it, he wants to get better. I think you just take it slow. One day at a time. It’s a process. It’s every day getting ground balls, getting games under your belt. But he’s doing a good job, and he wants to get better. I think that’s the main thing.” Mauer added, “He was an outfielder in high school, so he is fairly new to him as far as playing in the infield. Tommy hit the nail on the head, he wants to get better and that’s part of the battle. He believes that he can play third. We believe that he can play third. Just from the beginning of spring to where he is now, he’s made some pretty good strides and we just expect him to keep continuing to get better. If he wants to, which he does, I think you’ll see a big difference from April to August in him defensively.” And that is what the purpose of the Midwest League. The lower levels of the minor leagues are often designed to allow players to get instruction, get into games, and get better. A year ago, I saw the Beloit Snappers play two games in early June and saw some struggles from the likes of Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario defensively. When I returned in early August, I saw both of them had improved greatly. This is a talented roster. I talked briefly with shortstop Niko Goodrum, who said he is up to 200 pounds after being drafted at maybe 170 pounds. He looks ready to play. Last year’s Appalachian League MVP, Candido Pimentel will play a lot of second base this year. Jorge Polanco will play both middle infield positions. Dalton Hicks and one of the unsung players from last year’s Beloit Snappers run, Drew Leachman will get time at first base. Tyler Grimes has made the transition to catcher and reports are quite positive on how well that has gone. The starting pitchers in this rotation will be Taylor Rogers, Hudson Boyd, Mason Melotakis, Tyler Duffey, David Hurlbut and Brett Lee. The bullpen includes arms like Tim Atherton, Steve Gruver, Tyler Jones, Chris Mazza, Manuel Soliman and Matt Tomshaw. Following the press conferences, Kernels players were on the stadium’s concourse, meet and greeting fans and host parents. I talked to several players who were so impressed with the Kernels and with the Cedar Rapids community. Host parents volunteer to have the players stay with them. Players don’t have to pay them a dollar. Given the fact that most of the players on the Kernels roster will make just $1,500 per month during the season, that is an important factor. The Kernels will provide pre and post game food to the players. Tommy Watkins showed me around the clubhouse. It is very impressive. The manager has an office. The coaches have their own room. There is a room set up for when instructors like pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen, or roving instructor Paul Molitor come to town. Adjacent to the player’s clubhouse is a very impressive weight room with free weights and machines. There are two batting cages under the bleachers as well. In a word, the stadium and the atmosphere at Perfect Game Field and of the Kernels management is staff is “professional.” One new thing at Perfect Game Field in 2013 is their new LED scoreboard. It measures 30 feet tall by 48 feet wide. It’s huge, and it’s very clear. It was built by Daktronics who has built scoreboards for many Major League stadiums. It’s one of the largest scoreboards in the Midwest League, and they tout it as the biggest TV in Iowa. In fact, when the Kernels season opening game is complete tonight, they will show the NIT championship game between Iowa and Baylor on the scoreboard. Keppel talked more about the affiliation with the Twins. “You’ll see from Brad Steil, Bill Smith and Terry Ryan that it’s a high-quality organization. That they have the same values we do in terms of community service, developing players within the organization and having them develop within the framework of what they want to do.” Keppel also informed media that “the Twins have developed a Harmon Killebrew Community Service Award that they are going to give to one player at each of their affiliates. It’s just a testimony to how much they think of community service and how much they want to develop players off the field as well as on the field.” It was a lot of fun to be at Meet the Kernels night. Following the player’s time on the concourse greeting fans, they held a short practice on the field, under the lights. They stretched and threw. They took a solid round of infield, and then they took a full round of batting practice. Tyler Grimes launches home runs. Adam Walker hit a ball out of the ballpark in left field. Byron Buxton hit after him and hit some long home runs, but after Walker left the ballpark, Buxton hit one even further. The temps dropped throughout the evening, from probably 46 degrees to the upper 30s. Temperatures at game time tonight are expected to possibly touch 60, so it won’t even be all that bad. This will be a fun group to follow and watch develop, but it was great to see these young men truly enjoying playing baseball. If you have a chance, come down this weekend and see this group. Find a time during the summer and watch these guys, many of whom you may see playing in Target Field in a couple of years. You won’t be disappointed. Pitching Matchups this weekend: Thursday - 6:35 p.m. - LHP Taylor Rogers vs RHP Raul Alcantara Friday - 6:35 p.m. - RHP Hudson Boyd vs RHP Michael Ynoa Saturday - 2:05 p.m. - LHP Mason Melotakis vs LHP Seth Streich Sunday - 2:05 p.m. - RHP Tyler Duffey vs RHP Vincent Voiro View full article

Tonight, Brian Dozier made his Major League Baseball debut. He fielded a ground ball off the bat of Albert Pujols in the first inning and made all of the plays throughout he game. He was hitless in his first three at bats against Jered Weaver. In the bottom of the 8th inning, he singled right up the middle against reliever Dave Carpenter for his first big league hit. At first base, he as patted on the helmet and congratulated by Albert Pujols. Soon after he scored his first run. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It seems like we have heard a lot about Brian Dozier since this spring when he made a strong impression on the coaching staff and the media. Dozier has been on two or three SethSpeaks Weekly Twins podcasts, and I had the opportunity to meet him on a couple of occasions. Today, I'd like to share with the Twins Daily readers the story on Dozier that I wrote for my 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. I wrote articles, using quotes from the subjects, on my choices for minor league hitter of the year (Dozier), starting pitcher of the year (Liam Hendriks) and relief pitcher of the year (Andrew Albers). Here is my Dozier story, and I believe it shows why he is a person (And a player) that Twins fans should root for. ---- Minor League Player of the Year: SS Brian Dozier By Seth Stohs, SethSpeaks.net Brian Dozier grew up in the small town of Fulton, Mississippi. The town’s population is just shy of 4,000 in the northeast corner of the state. To Dozier, it’s the “best place on earth to me. Everything is always the same. You always know what you’re going to get when you come back here.” Occasionally, Dozier tells people that he’s from Tupelo. “I’m actually ten minutes outside of Tupelo. I tell people sometimes when I’m the road that I’m from Tupelo just because a lot of people have heard of Tupelo with Elvis being from there.” But Dozier is proud of his Mississippi roots. “It’s awesome. Everybody knows everybody. All of my best friends are still here. It’s just very laid back, and I love it here.” Brian Dozier was the choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year for 2011. It may be a cliché, but Dozier can be described simply as a “Baseball Player.” If you’re looking for someone in the Twins farm system that represents the organization perfectly, look no further than Dozier. “I grew up around baseball. My dad was my coach throughout all of my years. I had an older brother – two years older than I am – that I looked up to throughout my younger days, and even now. He has taught me a lot.” Although he grew up a big Mississippi State fan, watching all the greats that came through there, Dozier decided to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. “I had a lot of offers. I’m actually from right outside of Ol’ Miss and Mississippi State, two great SEC schools that kind of recruited me. I chose well by going to Southern Miss, I believe. It was also a great fit with me, a blue collar program, and I fell in love with the coaching staff.” Dozier was very successful in college. As a freshman, he played in 62 games and hit .368/.442/.488 with eight doubles, four triples and three home runs. As a sophomore, he played in 61 games and hit .339/.402/.456 with 17 doubles and four home runs. In his junior year of 2008, he played in 64 games and hit .342/.403/.476 with 17 doubles, two triple and five home runs. Despite these tremendous numbers, he went undrafted and returned for his senior year. Unfortunately, a broken collar bone cost him time during his senior season. It limited him to just 37 games, but he hit .391/.485/.587 with 13 doubles, a triple and four home runs. However, it was all worth it. “We had the opportunity to go to Omaha (to play in the College World Series) which was one of the best times of my life my senior year.” In his four seasons, he walked 87 times while striking out just 73 times. He was also hit by a pitch 25 times. The Twins used their 8th round pick in 2009 to draft the shortstop. “I was very blessed to be drafted by the Twins and believe it was a great fit for me.” He signed quickly and reported to Ft. Myers where he spent five games with the GCL Twins. He was then sent to Elizabethton where he hit .353/.417/.431 with 7 home runs in 53 games with the E-Twins. He was able to get off to a fast professional start, and he quickly credits the coaching staff. “Right out of the gate, we have the best managers in our rookie system in Elizabethton, Ray Smith, Reeder (Jeff Reed) and Shelly (Jim Shellenback). Those guys have been around the game so long, and they are just so knowledgeable about everything. I remember going to Elizabethton and Reeder being my hitting coach. I didn’t really have to ask him much. Rather, I just fed off his stories. The stuff he was telling, it just gave you goose bumps. He talked about playing with Barry Bonds, catching a perfect game, that kind of stuff. And, he taught me a lot. Right away, he found a little hole in my swing, and we got going on fixing that on Day 1. Elizabethton had a great influence on me.” He began 2010 with the Beloit Snappers. In 39 games, he hit .278/.347/.338 with seven doubles and a triple. On May 22, he was promoted to Ft. Myers. He played 93 more games and hit .274/.352/.354 with 11 doubles, one triple and five home runs. On the season, he walked 60 times with 57 strike outs. He had 16 stolen bases in 21 attempts. He successfully laid down 12 sacrifice bunts. It was a solid 2010 season for Dozier, his first full season in the Twins system. It came as a surprise to many when the Twins announced that Dozier received an invitation to big league spring training. Dozier said, “I was very much surprised. I got the invite on Christmas Day. We were opening presents and that was the biggest one of them all. Very blessed.” Merry Christmas, indeed! Dozier made a strong impression on the Twins coaching staff, but he also learned a lot from the experience. “For me, the experience to get to know all the guys. I came in the first day, and I was locker mates with Michael Cuddyer, who I’ve been watching for years on TV. He has become a friend of mine now. I learned a lot from him and the other older guys, how they are on and off the field, how they interact with fans. I think that’s the biggest thing. As a young guy, you worry so much about the baseball side, you also have to think about the stuff that comes with it. I had an awesome time and had a lot of fun.” Having ended 2010 in Ft. Myers, he knew that he would not be making the big club. He was sent back to Ft. Myers to start the 2011 season. He played in 49 games with the Miracle. He hit .322/.423/.472 with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs. Again, he credited his manager, Jake Mauer. “I tell you what, he’s a player’s coach. He’s been there, gone through the system and everything. He really relates to his players very well.” He moved up to New Britain and worked for former Twins hero Tom Brunansky, a member of the Twins 1987 World Series championship team. Dozier said, “He is one of the best when it comes to hitting. He knows how to hit. Actually, when I got moved up, he found a couple of little tweaks in my swing that I never knew I was doing. He showed me on film. I was like, ‘Well, that makes sense!’ Ever since then, since that first week, we worked really hard in the cage, and he found a couple of things, and it took off from there.” Under the tutelage of Brunansky and manager Jeff Smith, Dozier played in 78 games with the Rock Cats and hit .318/.384/.502 with 22 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. Just days after he was promoted to New Britain, he was hit in the face with a pitch and missed just a week. Mark Dolenc is a Minnesota native who spent the past two seasons in New Britain. He said, “When Dozier came up, he immediately stepped in and took on a leadership role.” Dozier said, “I think from a leadership aspect, everybody kind of looks to the shortstop. They are the captain on the infield. I know Gardy takes a lot of pride in his shortstop being like the quarterback on the field. I’ve taken that to heart a lot. Same thing with my college coach, he was the same way. I’m not a big vocal guy. I never have been. I do try to put myself into the right situations, the right place at the right time, not only on the field but off the field. We see a lot of guys that aren’t playing the game the way it is supposed to be played, but if you play the game the way it is supposed to be played and always give 110%, people respect that. I try to do that each and every day.” Not only did Dozier put up big numbers for the Rock Cats, but he did so while helping his team push for a spot in the playoffs. The team fell short on the final day, but it was a great experience. “We had a great year with the Rock Cats. Even in Ft. Myers, before I got called up, we were in the race for the first half of the division. I left a week early to go to New Britain and found myself in a great situation. They were in a playoff race the whole time I was there. You can’t ask for anything else when you come down to the wire. It just makes it that much more fun.” So how does he separate winning with personal development in the minor leagues? “Sometimes everybody is worried about stats and you want to move up, but at the same time, stats will come if you work hard and put yourself in the right position for when the time comes. So you have to sit back and let that take care of itself and just play the game of baseball. Sometimes, especially at this level, we get into this mindset that it’s such a business. We try to do too much, but it’s a game. It’s a game we all grew up loving to play. We’ve got a group of good friends that have we’ve made over the years. If we just go out and play that game, which we all love to do, we have a lot of fun, and that’s what we did.” Combined, Dozier hit .320/.399/.491 with 33 doubles, 12 triples and nine home runs. He scored 92 runs and drove in 56. He stole 24 bases. He was hit by 11 pitches. He successful laid down 10 sacrifice bunts. He primarily played shortstop (93 games), but he also played 28 games at second base and three games at third base. Late in the season, he found out that he was invited to participate in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. He was excited. “It’s a great opportunity to play with and against the best guys in the minor leagues. I’m truly blessed that they picked me for that.” In 26 games for the Mesa Solar Sox, Dozier hit .296/.358/.454 with eight doubles and three home runs. He scored 27 runs and knocked in 22. He was four-for-four in stolen base attempts. He was selected to play in the league’s Rising Stars game, and in his first at bat, he homered. Did he get out of the AFL what he was hoping to? “Yeah, I really did. The Fall League offers so much. You get to see where you are versus some of the best competition in the game at our level. I got to meet a lot of new guys, guys I’ve played against but never actually got to develop a friendship with. Now I have, and hopefully I can play many years against them down the road. I got to play under a great manager in Joe McEwing. He’s so intelligent with the game. I got to learn a few things from him. Actually, he gave me some insight on being set up for the play. I think that’s the biggest thing I learned from ‘Super Joe.’ I had a great time.” Between 1998 and 2006, Joe McEwing played in 754 games with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros. He was a very solid utility player. He played more than 45 games in the big leagues at second base (238), left field (161), shortstop (99), third base (92), right field (79), first base (61) and center field (46). McEwing ended his playing career after the 2008 season and has quickly moved up the coaching ranks in the White Sox organization. In 2011, he was the manager of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. After Robin Ventura was named the new manager of the White Sox, McEwing was named the Third Base Coach. McEwing was a great influence for Dozier. “He stressed to me that I’m still a young guy and primarily a shortstop, and the Twins want me to play shortstop, but down the road, you never know, may have to play second base. I may have to in the near future. He saw one little thing with my set up before plays, a tip, and it flew out from there, improved my range. I’m very grateful for that. Anything you can learn from a guy like Joe McEwing is always positive. He’s a great guy, and I’m lucky that he got to be our manager out there.” 2011 was a great year for Brian Dozier. But he knows that he still has more work to do before he reaches his goal of getting to the big leagues. “I’ve just got to be prepared. I have to get myself into the best shape possible. I’m not taking too much time off from baseball. Swinging that bat. Taking ground balls. All that footwork and stuff to put myself in the best possible position when I go to big league camp in February.” With all the Twins issues and injuries in 2011, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire mentioned Brian Dozier several times as a guy he would like to see up with the Twins. It didn’t happen for various reasons, many of them business-related. But Dozier said, “I’m going to get there, it’s just the fact that you’ve got to wait it out and prepare yourself so when that time does come, you’re fully prepared and ready to go. I felt like I had a pretty good year and put myself in the talk up there (with the Twins management) to actually be called up just two years into the system, which is great. Hopefully I can work hard this offseason and get that opportunity next year.” There is a strong likelihood that Twins fans will see Dozier in the big leagues sometime in 2012. And when he gets there, Twins fans will see a “Baseball Player.” They will see a team-first leader. They will see a guy who is proud of where he is from and appreciative of all those who have helped him get to where he is. He hasn’t played in a big league game yet with the Twins, but Brian Dozier is already a strong representative of what defines a “Minnesota Twin.” Download attachment: BDozierMiracleHit.jpg Click here to view the article

Under the lights of Friday night lights, several Twins minor leagues shined brightly. None more so than Miguel Sano, the Dominican third baseman whose tremendous power makes him one of the game’s top prospects. He wasn’t the only Twins minor league leaguer to have a strong night. Niko Goodrum returned to the Cedar Rapids lineup with a big game. One of the few prospects in Rochester had a nice game and then got some great news after the game. Elizabethton got a great start and five players got on base at least five times in their final game of the season. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Friday.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 3, Buffalo Bisons 6 Box Score The Red Wings tailspin continues as they lost for the eighth time in their last ten games. It was also the third time that the team blew a late lead in the last eight games. The big hit in this one was a 3-run homer off the bat of Andy LaRoche. Kyle Gibson made the start and worked the first four innings. He did not give up a run. He allowed two hits, walked four and struck out four. Logan Darnell, making his first relief appearances in the regular season since 2010 in Elizabethton, was charged with three runs (2 earned) on one hit and two walks in two innings. AJ Achter came on and gave up two runs on one hit in just 0.1 innings. Edgar Ibarra gave up one hit and struck one out in 0.2 innings. Virgil Vasquez gave up one run over the final two innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out one. Eric Farris went 2-3 with his 23rd stolen base. Antoan Richardson stole his 25th base for the Red Wings. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his eighth and ninth doubles. He was told after the game that he is heading for Minnesota and will be on the roster starting Sunday! New Britain Rock Cats 7, Reading Fightin Phils 3 Box Score Miguel Sano has had some big games this year, and this one ranks right up there. He went 3-4 with his 15th double and his 34th and 35 home runs of the season (19 with the Rock Cats). He drove in three runs and now has 102 combined on the season. Nate Hanson went 2-4. Jordan Parraz went 2-4 with his 11th double. Download attachment: Miguel Sano NB.jpg BJ Hermsen made the start and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits over five innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out four. Corey Williams gave up two hits and walked two batters over two shutout innings. He struck out three. He was credited with the Win in his AA debut. Dakota Watts struck out three over two perfect innings. Ft. Myers Miracle 4, Bradenton Marauders 3 Box Score Taylor Rogers was just getting in some more work before the playoffs. The left-hander started and gave up just one hit over the first four innings. He struck out five. Tyler Duffey came on and pitched a scoreless fifth inning. Chad Rodgers gave up three runs on four hits over three innings (but he got the Win to improve to 8-2). Zach Jones struck out the side in the ninth. Stephen Wickens led the offense by going 3-3 and stole his 20th base. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4. Matt Koch hit his 20th double. Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Kane County Cougars 2 Box Score The Kernels continue to roll toward the playoffs with a big win to give them an 86-49 record on the season. They used a big six-run fourth inning to do most of their damage. Niko Goodrum returned to the lineup after coming off of the Disabled List. He went 3-5 with his 21st double, fourth home run and three RBI. Jonathan Murphy went 2-5. Jorge Polanco hit his fifth homer, and Max Kepler hit his ninth of the season. Josue Montanez continued to pitch well. On this night, he gave up two runs on seven hits over seven innings. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out five. Dallas Gallant went one scoreless inning. Brian Gilbert gave up two hits, but no runs, in a scoreless ninth inning. Elizabethton Twins 8, Pulaski Mariners 7 (12 innings) Box Score I guess the E-Twins didn’t want their season to end, so they worked a little overtime. Yorman Landa started and went six shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out two. Tanner Mendonca came on to start the seventh inning and walked two, gave up a single, walked another and gave up another single to load the bases before being relieved by Ryan Eades. Eades gave up a bases-clearing double, and then a triple. Mendonca was charged with five runs allowed without recording an out. Eades was charged with one run on two hits and a walk over two innings. Andre Martinez came in and gave up one run on one hit and one walk in one inning. Austin Malinowski went the final three innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out three so his season ends with an impressive 2.01 ERA. Rory Rhodes led the offense. He went 4-6 with his 13th and 14th doubles. Zach Larson went 3-6 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Bryan Haar went 3-5 with a walk. Zach Granite was 2-4 with three walks and his fifth triple. Logan Wade went 3-6. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Click here to view the article

On Friday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins played the Baltimore Orioles to a 2-2 tie at Hammond Stadium. The big news of the day was that the Twins had restructured closer Glen Perkins’ contract. Meanwhile, on the back field, the two Twins' Class A affiliates were playing spring training games against the Class A affiliates of the Tampa Bay Rays. It may not sound all that great to many, but when the Cedar Rapids team threw three of the Twins top young pitching prospects, it made for must-see-MiLB! Kohl Stewart, Fernando Romero and Lewis Thorpe all took the mound for the Kernels. On the other field, minor league baseball’s top two RBI producers of 2013 started where they left off.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let’s start with the Cedar Rapids game? Why? Because pitching is what wins, right? And the (distant) future of Twins pitching was on display. Download attachment: Kohl Stewart 3.jpg Making the start for the Kernels roster was 2013 first-round draft pick Kohl Stewart. He struggled a little bit with his control the first couple of batters. The leadoff batter hit a leadoff single up the middle. He stole second before the next batter singled to right field, the lead runner stopping at third. It was at that point Stewart took off a bit. He got a weak ground ball to first base (the run scored). He then struck out the next two batters on curve balls. In the second inning, he struck out the first two batters, both also on the curve ball. He walked the third batter on a close, 3-2 pitch. He had a two-strike count on the next batter when the base runner was caught stealing. In the third inning, Stewart got a broken-bat grounder to the short for the first out. He fielded his position well on a comebacker from the second batter. The third batter got hold of one and hit a triple off the wall in left field. However, Stewart recorded the third out on a soft liner to the third baseman. That was it for Stewart in the outing. He gave up one run on three hits. He walked one batter and struck out four. He was consistently throwing 93-94 mph with the fastball and touched 95 (and he makes it look easy). The curveball was a very impressive pitch and had other pitchers sitting behind home plate shaking their heads. Asked for his thoughts on his first outing, he said, “I felt good. I was a little wild in the first inning, but the more I went on, the more comfortable I was. I kind of settled in the second and third inning. There’s a lot more out there.” He threw three of his four (or more) pitch mix in the game. He didn’t even throw what some believe could be his best pitch, the slider. Said Stewart, “I only threw fastball, curve, change today, two-seam. I didn’t throw the slider today.” Next in for the Kernels was hard-throwing 19-year-old Fernando Romero. He came in and was very impressive. The strong-legged, strong-armed right-hander made things look pretty easy in his first inning. He got a broken-bat groundout to first base on the first batter. He then struck out the next two batters he faced. In his second inning, he struck out the first batter. The second batter hit a bounding ground ball. Shortstop Jonatan Hinojosa made a terrific play but the throw to first was just a little late. The next batter reached out and hit a grounder through the right side for a single. Romero responded with a strikeout. However, the sharp breaking ball got by the catcher for a wild pitch and a run scored. Romero did get the final two outs without further damage. So, Fernando Romero gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struck out four. As impressive, the radar gun showed his fastball between 92-95 mph, touching 96 a couple of times. He breaking ball clocked in at about 84-86 mph. He also had a changeup in the 83 mph range. For the 6th inning, the Kernels brought Lewis Thorpe into the game. Things weren’t easy for him in his first inning. The first batter singled. The next batter hit a ball to shortstop that was an error. He recorded the first out with a fly out to center field. The next batter had a single to right to load the bases. At that point, Thorpe bore down. He got a strikeout on a sharp curve ball. Then, he pumped up his best fastball of the day to get a strikeout for the third out of the inning. In the 7th, Thorpe walked the first batter. The next batter bunted, and Thorpe fielded his position well and got the out. With a runner on second, he got a line out to third base which was turned into a double play when the runner was too far off second base. In his two scoreless innings, he gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. He sat between 89-91 mph with his fastball. His breaking pitch and changeup are in the low 80s. You can see the competitive fire, even in a game like this. When he had the bases loaded and just one out, he got the two needed strikeouts on two different pitches. The curveball was sharp, and the fastball hit 93 mph. He found that second gear, so to speak. Though the three pitchers threw for the Cedar Rapids Kernels work group today, it is unlikely that any of them will start the season with the Kernels. They will most likely start the season at Extended Spring Training. Christian Powell and Chris Mazza each pitched an inning as well. Offensively, Zack Larson had two singles in four at bats. Alex Swim caught the final six innings. He went 1-1 with a double and a walk. Chad Christensen went 2-2 with a two-run single. On the other field, the Ft. Myers Miracle played as well. They used five pitchers. Lefty Mason Melotakis went the first three innings and looked like he was throwing pretty hard and showing a good breaking ball. Minnesota-native Brandon Peterson worked the next two innings. The reliever from Wichita State throws really hard (I was unable to see a radar gun) and showed a sharp slider. He looks like he could be really effective out of the bullpen. Todd Van Steensel continues to impress. He looks like a guy who can come in and get hitters out. He gave up a couple of hits, but he looked strong. Finally, Alex Muren worked the final two innings. Pedro Florimon played for the Miracle. He batted each of the first three innings and played three innings in the field. In the first inning, he batted second and flew out to left field on the first pitch. In the second inning, he batted third and struck out looking. In the third inning, he batted second, swung at the first pitch and bounced back to the pitcher. In the second inning, he fielded a ground ball cleanly, but the throw short-hopped Dalton Hicks for an error. Two batters later, he got another ground ball, fielded it smoothly and made a strong, chest-high throw. Don’t be surprised if he gets a start for the Twins by Sunday. In 2013, Dalton Hicks led minor league baseball with 110 RBI. Coming in second was Adam Walker with 109. It appears that the duo is starting 2014 on the right track. In the second inning, Walker crushed a ball well beyond the fence in left field for a home run. In the sixth inning, he came up with the bases loaded and drove in two with a single up the middle. Logan Wade and Zach Granite scored. Hicks came to bat next and his double drove in two more. Walker was 2-4 with the three RBI. Max Kepler also hit the ball well. He had a line drive triple to the gap in left centerfield and displayed very good speed. He added a single later in the game. Hicks was 1-2 with a walk and the two-run double. Please feel free to comment and ask any questions that you would like. Click here to view the article

Saturday night was Minnesota Twins night at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids. The rains came, but there was an excitement because Twins great Rod Carew made the trek to Iowa. Before the game, he was briefly in the Kernels locker room. He then spent over an hour signing autographs and shaking hands with fans that lined up, around several corners, trying to meet the Hall of Famer. He joined Morgan Hawk, the Kernels radio man who was also on TV locally on that night, for the first two innings. At that time, he was made available to the media. He spent 15 minutes talking about all kinds of topics with the small group. Here is Part 1 of that interview, a look at his career. In the next two days, I'll post two more parts of the interview. Download attachment: Rod Carew Interview2.jpg Of course, the first question he was asked was if he had been to Cedar Rapids previously, he said that he had. “It was in the dead of winter and it was cold.” Carew never played in Cedar Rapids. The 68-year-old spent just over two years in the minor leagues before he advanced to the big leagues. He made us aware of an interesting rule from a previous era. “Back then, they could take 28 guys north, and at the end of the month they cut down to 25 man rosters.” The Twins history is rich. He played his first big league game with the Twins on April 11, 1967. Carew talked about debuting with the Twins, with some great teammates. “As a 20-year-old kid coming up and being on the same club as Harmon Killebrew, and Tony Oliva, and Jim Kaat, and Mudcat Grant, and Earl Battey. Those are guys that I learned a lot from, especially Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew, and we remained friends until his death.” He said that he continues to think about Killebrew frequently since he passed away a couple of years ago. “It’s still hard. We know we’re not going to live forever, but when you get close to someone. He was my mentor. I learned so much from him, and then to lose him. I still think about him. My wife and I were just talking about Harmon a couple of days ago, about his passing, so he’s always here, he’s always in my heart.” He continued, “One thing I learned from Harmon is that it doesn’t cost anything to be nice. And so, when he told me that, I thought to myself that I would go through the rest of my life, no matter what happens, I’m always going to be nice.” Last week marked 50 years since the Minnesota Twins signed Carew out of high school in New York City. Asked to reflect on that time, he said, “You know, I never thought that I would accomplish the things I accomplished in baseball. As a young kid, you hope that you do well, but I never thought I would go on and do the things that I did. But I was fortunate, I had people around me that worked with me and talked to me, so that helped. I was blessed with God-given talent, but having God-given talent is not all that it is. You also have to work. You have to continue honing those skills or trying to get better." And to be an all-time great, Carew had to have a competitive edge. “I was greedy. I was never satisfied. If I had three hits one day, I wanted four. If I had four hits one day, I wanted five.” He continued, “That was my mentality. I learned that from being Tony Oliva’s roommate for ten years. He always used to tell me, ‘Rookie, get as many base hits as you can.’ So I was very fortunate.” Carew's numbers are remarkable. In 19 years, he hit .328/.393/.429 (.822). He finished his career with 3,053 hits. He was an 18-time All Star. He won seven batting champions. He had six Top 10 finishes in MVP voting and won the 1977 award. That season was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in Twins history. He hit .388/.449/.570 (1.059). His OPS+ was 178! He had 239 hits including 38 doubles, 16 triples, 14 homer runs, drove in 100 and scored 128 runs. He played his final game on October 5, 1985, and in 1991, he was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame. What does it mean to be a Hall of Famer to Rod Carew? “HOF means you’re at the top of your profession. And to be in the same place with Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Christy Matthewson, and Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson and all those great players. As a young kid, you don’t think about that. You don’t think about playing to get to the HOF. You’re thinking about playing and surviving and hoping you stay healthy to do good things. I was fortunate to do that. It’s one of the greatest fraternities in the world. When we get together Hall of fame weekend, we have a good time. Pitchers talk about how they used to get you out, and hitters talk about how many HR they used to hit off of you. It’s just a great time that we have together.” Over the next couple of days, I'll continue to post Mr. Carew's comments regarding several topics including what he tells young players and how the game is different today than in his era. Click here to view the article

“It excites me a lot. Look at that line. Those guys have all been mentored by the guy in front of them. Me being mentored by Denard Span means I'm the next one in line. I've still got to get to the big leagues, still have to earn my place as a big league center fielder.”[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Those were the words of Aaron Hicks at Twins Fest when asked what it meant to follow in the Minnesota Twins centerfield lineage of Kirby Puckett to Torii Hunter to Denard Span. As Hicks looks to be the Twins next great, long-term centerfielder, I thought it would be fun to look back and the others, the other guys who got a chance to play some centerfield for the Twins and, for whatever reason, were not able to make their name for themselves. Assuming Aaron Hicks takes over the centerfield job, he will be the one to follow Denard Span. That said, it is important to note that Ben Revere, who was the Twins first-round draft choice in 2007, a year before Hicks was the Twins first round pick, did play a lot of centerfield the last two seasons as well. And also, don’t forget that the centerfielder who was the Opening Day centerfielder immediately following the departure of Torii Hunter was Carlos Gomez. So many think that Kirby Puckett passed the centerfield torch to Torii Hunter, but that is not technically the case. Hunter was the Twins first round pick in 1993. That was the last year in which Puckett was the Twins primary centerfielder. However, Puckett did still mentor the very young Hunter on and off the field. In 1994, Kirby Puckett moved to right field and the be-goggled Alex Cole was the primarily Twins centerfielder. Late in that 1994 season, Rich Becker took over as the team’s centerfielder, a position he would man through the end of the 1997 season. In 1998, the Twins brought in Otis Nixon and he played 108 games in center field. Torii Hunter took over the centerfield position in 1999, although he had his stint in Rochester in 2000. Matt Lawton and Jacque Jones each got some time at the position as well, but it was basically Hunter’s job until he left for the Angels following the 2007 season. Kirby Puckett debuted with the Twins on May 8, 1984, against the Angels. He was the Twins centerfielder for the better part of a decade. However, the position has been played by many over the previous decade, for various reasons. For some, it was poor play. For others, they left for greener pastures when the Calvin Griffith regime deemed them too expensive to keep. Let’s go back to 1961, when the Twins came to Minnesota. Their centerfielder was Lenny Green. He had come with the team from Washington where he had taken over the position in 1960. He was there into the 1964 season. However, in 1963, Jimmie Hall became the primary centerfielder. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in a year in which he hit 21 doubles and 33 home runs. He remained the starter through 1965. He lost playing time in the World Series because he hit left handed and the Dodgers had Sandy Koufax in their rotation. In 1966, Ted Uhlaender took over for Hall, who played other positions more often and then was traded to the Angels following the season. Uhlaender was the centerfielder through the 1969 season. Cesar Tovar played all over the diamond during his years with the Twins. In 1969 and 1970, he was the primary centerfielder. Jim Holt played a lot of centerfield in 1970 and 1971. In the 1970s, the Twins had some pretty good performers in centerfield, but they seemed to take turns a lot. Steve Brye played a lot of centerfield from 1972 through 1976. Larry Hisle played the position frequently from 1973 through 1977. Dan Ford was the team’s primary centerfielder in 1975 and again in 1978. He moved to the corner outfield in 1976 and 1977 because of the emergence of Lyman Bostock. For a couple of years in the ‘70s, the Twins would have had an outfield of Dan Ford, Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle. That’s a pretty strong outfield. The Twins and the Angels certainly seemed to enjoy trading with each other. The Angels also signed many free agents from the Twins during these years. Following the 1978 season, the Twins traded Rod Carew to the Angels in exchange a package of players that included Ken Landreaux, who was the team’s centerfielder in 1979 and 1980. He hit .294 with 50 doubles, 16 triples and 22 home runs in those two season and was an All Star in 1980. Following 1980, he was traded to the other Los Angeles team, the Dodgers, for a package that included Mickey Hatcher. Hatcher was in the Twins outfield for several years, primarily in left field. However, in the 1981 season, he played primarily in centerfield. Before the 1982 season, the Twins made another trade with the Dodgers to acquire Bobby Mitchell. He had 13 plate appearances in 19 games for the Dodgers in the two previous seasons combined. HE came to the Twins and was the primary centerfielder in 1982 and played some there in 1983. In 1983, Darrell Brown took over in centerfield. The Twins had acquired him as a free agent in December of 1982. He hit .272/.297/.304 (.601) with six doubles and two triples. He got another month in 1984 before the team called up Kirby Puckett, a singles hitting, speedy outfielder who would go on to become one of the greatest players in team history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. We read so much about the Twins line of centerfielders from Puckett to Hunter to Span. And now that will be handed over to Aaron Hicks and he is not taking that lightly. There is a good chance that, once he establishes himself, he will start mentoring Byron Buxton to take his position and run with it. Hopefully this review of the Twins centerfield position has been a fun look at the history of the Minnesota Twins. I always enjoy being reminded of names that I haven’t read or heard about in a long time. Those of you who have been fans of the Twins since the early years should really enjoy telling the rest of us stories you recall about some of these players. I hope you’ll use the comments to do just that. View full article

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be writing about some of the biggest topics of the Minnesota Twins' spring training. Some of those are position battles. One such ‘battle’ fans will be playing close attention to in 2014 is one that was pretty big in 2013. Who will go into the 2014 season as the Twins starting centerfielder? Though you will likely read about this being a three man race for the job, it is likely really just between two players. That said, the player who may get the most attention at the position is a fourth option.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] LOOKING BACK Before we start thinking about 2014, let’s take a look back to one year ago. The Twins had traded Denard Span and Ben Revere. By the time of Twins Fest, the Twins' front office was touting Aaron Hicks as ready to take over. Sure, they also often said that Joe Benson, coming off micro-fracture surgery, and Darin Mastroianni would also be competing for the job. However, there was little to no question who would open the season as the Twins starting centerfielder. It was called a competition through spring training. Since it was called a competition there had to be a winner, and there was no question who won that challenge. Aaron Hicks hit like crazy in the very small sample size of spring training. In 73 at-bats, he hit .370/.407/.644 (1.051) with six doubles, a triple and four RBI. He also was three for three in stolen base attempts. Darin Mastroianni played pretty well too, but he entered the regular season with an ankle injury that cost him the majority of the year. Benson struggled, as was expected after missing much of the 2012 season. He hit just .151/.286/.283 (.569) with two doubles, a triple and a home run. After continued struggles, Benson was DFA'd and claimed by the Texas Rangers. He signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins this offseason. Of course, what fans remember much better than the spring training stats of Hicks are the numbers he put up in the regular season. He hit just .192/.259/.338 (.597) with 11 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. He certainly flashed some talent. How about the game against the White Sox when he stole a home run with his glove and hit a home run from both sides of the plate? Or, how about the throw in Yankees Stadium to nail a runner at third base? However, for the most part, it was a disappointing season for Hicks. Download attachment: AlexPresley.jpg In August, the Twins received Alex Presley from the Pirates in the Justin Morneau trade. He made 28 starts for the Twins to end the season and hit .283/.336/.363 (.699) with four doubles, a triple and a home run. Presley has struggled in parts of four seasons in the big leagues. Overall, he has played in 232 games and hit .264/.304/.411 (.715). In 733 minor league games, he has hit .292/.352/.437 (.789). LOOKING TO SPRING Let’s start with the obvious. Wilkin Ramirez is likely not in competition for the starting centerfield job. He may be competing for the 25th man on the roster, but it’s fair to say he won’t be the Twins starter. Also, Darin Mastroianni may be involved in the competition this spring, but ultimately, he’s fighting for a fourth (or fifth) outfield job after being designated for assignment during the offseason. The big question for Twins fans (and frankly, the front office) has to be; what does Aaron Hicks have to do this spring to win the centerfield job? Think about it. If he puts up the remarkable spring statistics he did a year ago, will he win the job? What are the intangibles that manager Ron Gardenhire will need to see for him to get the job. Hicks certainly has the potential and the tools to be a very good, all-round outfielder. He may never hit for average, but he has shown an ability to get on base. He does have extra base power. He plays tremendous defense and has a very strong arm. The Twins certainly have not given up on him. He gained ten pounds this offseason in an attempt to get stronger. He did not play winter ball which allowed him to clear his head and rest his body. He should come to camp strong. We know he will be either the Twins starting centerfielder or the Rochester Red Wings starting centerfielder. He will not be a backup at this stage of his career. The Twins brass need to determine what is best for him, long-term. However, the incumbent right now is Presley. Though he hasn’t shown a lot in the big leagues, his minor league career implies he could become a decent player. Specifically, he has shown an ability to get on base, and he has shown some extra- base pop. He is a solid defender, though certainly not in the class of Aaron Hicks. He probably profiles more as a fourth outfielder than a starter. That’s probably what he is with the Twins as well. He is likely the favorite for opening day starter, but at the end of the day, he is most likely a stop-gap. He is a place-holder maybe for Aaron Hicks who should come up sometime in 2014 and get another shot. He is also, in the big picture, a stop-gap till Byron Buxton arrives. Oh, Byron Buxton… He will also be at big league spring training this year. The consensus #1 prospect in all baseball is the talk of minor league baseball. The question with him is not IF, but WHEN. When will Buxton come up to the Twins, and just how great can be become. Of course, we also need to remember he has just a half-season of High-A ball under his belt. He is likely to start the season in New Britain, but a midseason promotion to the Twins is not out of the realm of possibility. In spring training, he will be looking to make an impression on the coaching staff. SUMMARY This will be an interesting competition to watch. As noted, I really believe it is a two-man race between last year’s opening day centerfielder (Aaron Hicks) and the incumbent for the job (Alex Presley). Ask yourself the question I did above: What do you think Aaron Hicks needs to do, or needs to show, to be the starting centerfielder? Presley is out of options, and he’s a solid outfielder, so he appears to be a shoo-in for the opening day roster, but should he be the starter? And, ultimately, how long will Twins fans have to wait for Byron Buxton. Buxton could force Hicks to a corner outfield spot and Presley to the role of backup outfielder again. How do you see this position battle playing out throughout the spring? Click here to view the article

After eight Minnesota Twins minor league games to report on Thursday night, it was nice that all six Twins' affiliates played just one game on Friday night. There were a couple of one-run losses, and a walk-off win. Two teams had little offense, and the one team that seemingly gets big offense every day did so again. Brett Lee was easily the pitcher of the day with a complete game when his team needed it the most. With the extreme struggles and frustrations surrounding the Twins' big league team, it’s nice to have some good teams and terrific prospects to follow throughout the minor leagues. Here is a look at what happened in the Twins farm system Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 7, Pawtucket 8 Box Score PJ Walters returned to the Red Wings rotation Friday night. He started with three scoreless innings before giving up one in the fourth and three in the fifth. He allowed those four runs on five hits in 4.1 innings. He walked four and struck out three. Luis Perdomo gave up two runs on a hit and two walks over 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Blake Martin gave up two runs on two hits and two walks (while striking out two) in one inning. AJ Achter threw a 1-2-3 inning. Antoan Richardson provided much of the offense on this night. The speedster went 4-5 with three doubles (12 on the year). Chris Colabello went 1-3 with two walks. Doug Bernier hit his fifth triple. New Britain 1, Trenton 4 Box Score The offense was pretty much non-existent for the Rock Cats in this game. They managed just six hits. Miguel Sano and Josmil Pinto were both 1-2 with two walks. DJ Baxendale took the mound. The righty gave up three runs (2 earned) on nine hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out two. After that point, the bullpen got some usage. Cole Johnson came on and struck out two over the next four outs. BJ Hermsen gave up a hit and recorded a strikeout in his scoreless inning. Dan Turpen entered and gave up a run on a hit and recorded just one out. Tom Stuifbergen came on and got the final two outs of that inning. Matt Hauser worked a scoreless inning. Ft. Myers 0, Lakeland 5 Box Score Speaking of little offense, the Miracle were shut out Friday night. Jhon Goncalves went 2-3 with a walk and his 18th double. Byron Buxton went 1-3 with a walk. Levi Michael went 1-2 with two walks. Manuel Soliman started and went 4.1 innings. He was charged with four runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two. Chad Rodgers came on and gave up one run on two hits in 2.2 innings. He walked one and struck out two. Zack Jones pitched the final two innings. He gave up two hits and no runs; he struck out four. Cedar Rapids 7, Dayton 1 Box Score On Thursday night, Kernels pitchers gave up 13 runs on 11 hits and ten walks. Manager Jake Mauer was none too happy about it, and he told the Metro Sports Report after the game, “We’ve just got to get better. These guys have to find a way to throw the ball over the plate.” Later, he added, “You’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to compete. It’s your day. You just have to do it one day a week. That’s all we ask.” On Friday night, Brett Lee competed, giving Mauer and his Kernels teammates exactly what they needed. The left-hander went nine innings for his team. He gave up one run on five hits. He threw strikes, walked one and he struck out three. He improved to 6-4 with a 3.54 ERA on the season. Photo by Cedar Rapids Kernels Adam Walker led the offense. He gave the Kernels an early lead with a long, three-run home run, his fifteenth of the season. He was 2-4 and added another RBI. Dalton Hicks went 1-3 with a walk and his 29th double. Elizabethton 6, Bristol 5 Box Score The E-Twins came from behind to win this game. Down a run in the 8th frame, Stuart Turner doubled in the tying run. Then, with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth, Mitch Garver singled in Bryan Haar with the winning run. Haar was 3-4 with a walk and his second double in the game. Garver was 3-5. Turner was 2-5 and the double was his first of the year. Rory Rhodes and Ryan Walker each added two hits. Yorman Landa started and was charged with three runs (2 earned) on five hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out six. Brandon Peterson gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Andrew Ferreira gave up two runs on one hit and three walks in his inning. Brandon Bixler struck out four over two scoreless innings. GCL Twins 7, GCL Red Sox 8 Box Score The GCL Twins fell behind early in this one, tried to claw its way back and fell just short. Sam Gibbons started. He was charged with seven runs (3 earned) on seven hits; he walked one and struck out none. Lewis Thorpe came on and worked the next 3.2 innings. He gave up only an unearned run on three hits. He walked none and struck out five. Dan Sattler pitched another scoreless inning. Miguel Gonzalez gave up one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings. Amaurys Minier went 2-5 with his fourth home run. Jason Kanzler was 2-4 with a triple, three RBI and his fifth stolen base. Brian Navarreto and Jonatan Hinojosa each went 2-5. Adonis Pacheco was 1-2 with two walks and his fourth double. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

The Twins are always looking to add more right-handed power bats. It has been a need for a couple of decades. With their third-round draft pick in the 2012 draft, the Twins selected outfielder Adam Walker out of Jacksonville University. Just look at the numbers he put up in his three years of college. In 51 games as a freshman, he hit .312/.400/.635 (1.035) with 14 doubles and 16 homers. In 61 games as a sophomore, he hit .409/.486/.682 (1.168) with 23 doubles and 13 homers. Then in 2012 as a junior, he hit .343/.426/.581 (1.007) with 14 doubles and 12 home runs.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Adam Walker Jack.jpg Upon signing, he went to Elizabethton. He played in 58 games and hit .250/.310/.496 (.805) with seven doubles, four triples and 14 homers. In 252 plate appearances, he walked 19 times and struckout 76 times. However, he played a huge role in the Elizabethton Twins 2012 Appalachian League championship. As you recall, in the decisive Game 3 of the championship series, he came to the plate in the bottom of the 9th with his team down by four runs. Following a wild pitch, there were runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs. Walker got a pitch he was looking for and he launched a game-tying home run to send the game to extra innings. A couple of innings later, he was in the on-deck circle when teammate DJ Hicks launched a walk-off grand slam to give the team the title. That was his introduction to professional baseball. Now, he attempts to work on the things that will help him push toward advancing to the big leagues. He will work on learning the outfield. He will work to put the ball in play more frequently. He will continue to work on his power swing. One thing is a given. He will work. And today, he was willing to take the time to participate in our 12 Questions With series. Let’s get it started. Download attachment: Adam Walker.jpg --- Twins Daily (TD): Growing up, who was your favorite team, and who were some of your favorite players? Adam Walker (AW): Growing up, my favorite player was always Ken Griffey Jr. I always enjoyed watching him but I haven't quite found a new favorite players since he has retired. My favorite team growing up had to be the Brewers. Being from Milwaukee, it was hometown team. TD: Tell us a little bit about your high school career. Have you always played in the outfield? Did you participate in other extra-curricular activities? AW: In high school, I played football (Quarterback) and basketball (Forward) along with baseball. Baseball was always my favorite sport though. Growing up, until I got to college, I was a catcher actually. So I was recruited out of high school as a catcher but moved to the outfield and played some first as well in college. TD: Were you heavily recruited out of high school? What made you choose Jacksonville U? AW: I was recruited by a decent amount of schools in the Midwest area. A big part of my decision was getting south and having some better weather. So it was hard to get recruited being from the Midwest. My main options were between Jacksonville, Louisville, and Western Carolina. Jacksonville seemed like a good school for me being from a smaller high school. The coaches were great to me and they had a winning program. TD: You put up huge numbers all three years in college. What are some of the best memories from your collegiate years? AW: My best memories were in my sophomore year. We went to University of Florida and beat them by a good amount while they were the number one team in the country. Later that season, we made it to a regional and that was a great time. That experience was great and I enjoyed it a lot. TD: The Twins selected you in the 3rd round in 2012. Had you talked to Twins scouts, and is that about where you thought you might be drafted? AW: I had talked to the twins before the draft, and I knew they were interested in me. I went to a pre-draft workout in Target Field just days before the draft. I was not sure what team I would go to but I had an idea I would be taken some time around the 2nd or 3rd round. Download attachment: Adam Walker Leadoff.jpg TD: You signed quickly and reported to Elizabethton. What was the adjustment to pro ball like for you? AW: It was an interesting adjustment for me. The main adjustment was getting used to playing every day. Coming from college when you play 4 games a week to playing 7 was a big part. It wears on your body a lot more, and it was a grind. I would see better depth in pitching on teams and they attacked you with fastballs a lot more than I saw in college. Once I made some adjustments to that, I felt a lot better at the plate. TD: You had 14 regular season home runs and three huge homers in the playoffs. Discuss the championship series and particularly the monster home run you hit in the bottom of the ninth to complete a huge comeback in the championship game. Then to win the game in extras on DJ Hicks' walk-off grand slam! What a game! AW: That championship game was the most exciting game I have ever been a part of. The emotions I felt throughout the game were crazy. For me, hitting that game tying home run in the 9th was the biggest hit of my life. I just tried to tell myself to get a good pitch to hit. I was able to get a pitch up, and I didn't miss it. At the end of the game, I was on deck when DJ hit the game-winner. So I felt like I had the best spot in the stadium. I was extremely happy for him and it was a great experience. I am glad I was able to win a championship with that group of guys. TD: Were there any lessons you learned from your time in the Instructional League? AW: In the Instructional league, I learned a lot more about the defensive part of the game. This past summer was my first full season as an outfielder, so it was nice to be able to learn more about the position. I felt like I had gotten better defensively while I was there. As far as hitting went, there was not as much learning but just slight adjustments that would be able to help me not miss pitches I could handle. It was a good learning experience for me. TD: How would you describe yourself as a player? What are your strengths and what areas do you need to improve most to advance through the minor leagues? AW: I feel I can be a valuable part to a team because I bring a good bat to the order. I have always hit fairly well and I have power which helps with run production. I am working on being more consistent which will help be more of a game-changer. I have struck out a lot but with work, I will cut down and that will only make me a better hitter. Defensively, I am going to continue to keep working in the outfield, and I feel my athleticism will work well in the outfield. TD: How has your offseason been, and when do you start prepping for the 2013 season? AW: The off season has been going well for me. I took some time off after instructional league. Now I have been working out and lifting. I am trying to get stronger so I will be prepared to make it through the whole season next year. I am hitting and working on my defense as well. I am trying to come back to spring training prepared to be at my best. TD: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this stage in life and in your career? AW: My Parents have been a huge part of getting me to where I am right now. They sacrificed a lot to get me the work I needed to get better. They always push me to be the best I can be in all aspects of life. They are my best supporters and encourage me to keep working. TD: What do you enjoy doing when you're not playing baseball? AW: I am a pretty laid back person so I don't do too much outside the baseball field. I just enjoy being with my friends and hanging out. I love sports so when I have the opportunity to check out sporting games I usually watch those. TD: What is your favorite baseball movie? AW: My favorite baseball movie has to be The Sandlot. I just love watching it because it reminds me of when I was younger and just played the game for fun. It kind of reminds me that this game is fun and to enjoy it. --- It’s always fun to get to know the Twins prospects before they become household names. Thank you very much to Adam Walker for taking some time to answer our questions. Best wishes to him on a long and successful career. Please feel free to discuss in the comments. Click here to view the article

At Twins Daily, we believe that the Minnesota Twins minor leaguers deserve to be recognized. The success of Adopt-a-Prospect is evident. It provides a place on the internet where minor leaguers can be recognized for their achievement. Last week, 41 Twins minor leaguers were “Adopted” and you can learn more about them here. Starting at 9:00 a.m. central time on Friday, April 26, more players can be adopted. (Adopt HERE) For the first time, we are going to do a second round of Adopt-A-Prospect. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]We will allow people to adopt a second player. The other rules remain the same. Start a new thread with the player’s name, and in the first post, tell us all about your player. Brag up your players. It should be a lot of fun to “adopt” some of the lesser-known minor leaguers and learn all about them and be able to share that with Twins Daily readers. Be sure to check out the other rules below, and if you feel that you can meet the requirements, please stop by on Friday and adopt-a-prospect. Take a look at who has already been drafted below. Then check out the Twins Daily Rosters & Payroll list for the minor league rosters and decide who you would like to learn more about. Then, down below in the Comments, after I’ve kicked of Adopt-a-Prospect 2 on Friday morning, post your adoption! Download attachment: Kernels NoNo.jpg Adopted Players in Phase I (these players are not eligible): Alex Meyer - markos Mark Sobolewski - 5kfan Hudson Boyd - whanson16 James Beresford - SDBuhr Trevor May - Qirko Levi Michael - siouxjv Niko Goodrum - MarcusE Oswaldo Arcia - Anorthagen Jason Wheeler - MWLFan Eddie Rosario - Mr. Ed Jose Berrios - righty8383 Dalton Hicks - nicksaviking Mason Melotakis - stringer bell Chris Herrmann - Shane Wahl Kyle Gibson - Joe A. Preusser AJ Pettersen - Pogue Bear Miguel Sano - mntwinsforever Max Kepler - Sssuperdave Joe Benson - ashburyjohn Travis Harrison - 2wins87 Tyler Duffey - chance Chris Colabello - jay Byron Buxton - YourHouseIsMyHouse Danny Santana - chuchadoro Kyle Knudson - sbknudson Jorge Polanco - gunnarthor Luis Perdomo - PeanutsfromHeaven German Minier - AM. Felix Jorge - badsmerf Angel Morales - tw1ns1 Brett Lee - DAM DC Twins Fans Caleb Thielbar - goulik Drew Leachman - rcfarmer Zack Jones - MNFan4Life Nate Hanson - Mr. Horrorpants Tim Shibuya - Mike in SD Adam Walker - TRex Angel Morales - cmathewson Michael Tonkin - WatchThatBaseballSoar DJ Baxendale - Matt VS Josmil Pinto - Keenan Rules of Adopt-A-Prospect: 1) Twins Daily members can only ‘adopt’ ONE prospect at this time, in Adopt-a-Prospect 2. Each Twins prospect can only be adopted once. It will be first-come, first-serve in a new thread here that will be opened at 9:00 a.m. CST on Friday morning. (We will have another Adopt-a-Prospect after the Draft where you could draft a third prospect.) 2) Once you have confirmed that you have that player, you can post a thread. The title of the thread you start should just be that player's name. First post must be an introduction of the player. The format of the post is up to the individual, but please be sure to get all the important information needed on the player. For Example, Name, Position, Handedness, Drafted/Signed/Acquired (out of where/what round), Previous Stats, etc. Feel free to make it as detailed as you want. (There are a lot of websites you could link to such as their Baseball-Reference, The Baseball Cube, First Inning, Fan Graphs, MiLB.com, affiliate’s websites, etc.) 3) After the initial post (and throughout the season), you MUST update the thread AT LEAST once every week. If you fail to do this, the prospect can be taken away from you. [if a player is inactive due to injury or suspension, this requirement is waived as appropriate.] If you would like to update more often, please feel free. Updates should, at least, include Year-To-Date numbers for the player. The more information given, however, the better. Brag up your prospect! 4) Any major event (i.e. Promotion/Demotion/Trade/Perfect Game/4 HRs in one game...) must be reflected in the thread within a day of the event. Failure to update for this purpose may result in losing your adoptee. 5) Threads will be closed one week after a prospect has been traded out of the organization. However, if the player is traded back to the Twins (for some reason), the member who had the prospect will have the option to regain the prospect. 6) If a player is placed on the 25-man roster, this is wonderful news and you can continue that player’s thread. Reward for your player getting to the big leagues is that you can adopt a second prospect at that point. Even if the first player is eventually sent back to the minor leagues, you can maintain both prospect threads. 7) All other rules which are enforced on the main board will be enforced here. Click here to view the article

I wondered why the Twins called up Jonatan Hinojosa to Cedar Rapids. Now we know. From Bob Nightengale on Twitter: Class A #Twins IF Jonatan Hinojosa receives 50-game PED suspension for testing positive for metabolites of Nandrolone. Hardball Times' Bill Baer said this of Nandrolone: Because he was on the Cedar Rapids roster, his suspension can start right now. Had he stayed in EST, his suspension would not have started until the Elizabethton season starts in late June. Hinojosa is the fourth Twins minor leaguer currently suspended. Eddie Rosario, Dallas Gallant and Mark Hamburger are the others. They are all in Ft. Myers playing in Extended Spring Training games. Download attachment: Jonatan Hinojosa.jpg Download attachment: Jonatan Hinojosa 2.jpg ~~~ Since the Twins beat the Tigers 5-3 yesterday (Saturday), you can get 50% off a L or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com if you use the 'TWINSWIN' promo code on Sunday. ~~~ Click here to view the article