Seth Stohs

I watched a few innings of Skenes last weekend. He just made throwing 99 look easy. Nice slider too. .

While you were driving home from work, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Minnesota Twins have signed veteran infielder Donovan Solano to a major-league contract. Details still unknown. Image courtesy of Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports The Twins front office started the offseason by dealing Gio Urshela to the Los Angeles Angeles. Soon after, the traded recent-40-man roster addition Casey Legumina to the Reds for infielder Kyle Farmer. The latter was the likely primary shortstop until the Twins were able to bring back Carlos Correa on a six-year, $200 million deal. That moved Farmer into more of a utility role, able to play all four infield spots, potentially a little outfield, and be the third catcher. Jose Miranda was moving to third base. Jorge Polanco will be at second base. The hope is that Alex Kirilloff will be the primary first baseman. The infield depth was solid, especially considering Royce Lewis could return to the lineup by mid-summer, about the time that prospects such as Austin Martin and Brooks Lee might be deemed ready for the big leagues. In fact, the front office used that depth to acquire starting pitcher Pablo Lopez from the Marlins, with a couple of prospects, in exchange for Luis Arraez. So, it is certainly intriguing that the Twins would add the 35-year-old Donovan Solano on a big-league deal. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== The timing is certainly interesting. It could make a logical, overthinker like myself to wonder if there is an injury. Or, could a trade be coming? Those are logical thoughts. It's also possible that they believe that he can play enough places to make himself a solid contributor in a role. Let's start by looking back at the career of Donovan Solano to this point. While he's played in the big leagues, maybe some don't follow the National League or teams with homes outside of Minneapolis. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him when he was 16 years old in 2004. He remained in their organization through the 2011 season, having spent some time at Triple-A. As a minor-league free agent, he signed with the Florida Marlins. The Marlins called him up in late May and he played in 93 games for them. He topped the 100-games-played plateau in 2013 and 2014 despite playing multiple positions. In 2016, he played in 55 games with the Marlins before being released. He signed with the Yankees for the 2016 season and played in nine games while wearing the pinstripes. In 2017, he spent his whole Age-29 season at Triple-A. The Dodgers signed him in 2018 and he again played in Triple-A. He was kind of at a career crossroads. The Giants signed him in 2019 and sent him to Triple-A, but something happened. He got called up and in 81 games, he hit .33 with 13 doubles and four home runs. In the Covid-shortened 2020 season, he hit .326 with 15 doubles and three home runs in 54 games. He won a Silver Slugger Award. In 2021, he played in 101 games for the Giants and hit .280 with 17 doubles and seven home runs. Last year, he signed with the Reds, and in 80 games, he hit .284 with 16 doubles and four homers. He was a teammate in 2022 with Tyler Mahle and Kyle Farmer. Farmer and Solano both played around the infield for the Reds last year, especially after the team called up Spencer Steer in August. While he has played all four infield positions, he has primarily played second base in the big leagues. 368 of his 463 career starts (79.5%) have come at second base. If you've been listening to the Gleeman and the Geek podcast or John's recent Caretaker audio posts, you know that the Twins have said that Jorge Polanco will be brought along slowly and as his knee is ready. Speculation (fair or not) might be that the Twins just want to make sure they have another option there. While we don't know the dollars of the deal, it won't be real high. Last year, he made $4.5 million with the Reds. This late in spring training, odds are that you can guess the Twins will play him maybe half of that and possibly provide incentives to it. The other side of the transaction is also not yet known. The Twins roster is already at 40 players. To make room for Solano, someone will need to be removed from the 40-man roster. Most likely, the Twins will make room for Solano by placing Royce Lewis (or maybe Chris Paddack) on the 60-Day IL. (This post will be updated as we learn more about the transaction.) Your turn. Share your thoughts on this free-agent signing. Do you think it's a good move? Do you think it indicates something else? Leave your COMMENTS below. View full article

Olivar finished runner-up in the Twins Daily short-season minor league hitter of the year voting, just behind Jose Rodriguez, and just ahead of Yasser Mercedes. As for the future of Twins catching... I mean, not a lot of catcher prospects, but... Christian Vazquez just signed for 3 years and Jeffers is under control for 3-4 more years. Guys like Tony Wolters and Graysen Greiner and Chance Sisco are always available in the offseason. David Banuelos will get job offers for a long time because he's so good behind the plate. And I really like Jair Camargo and was glad he came back. I think I had him in the mid-40s... I see a lot of Jeferson Morales in him. And, his age doesn't matter at all.

Pitchers and Catchers Report Version 2.m4a The audio version... I just had to try it. Pitchers and Catchers Report. I'm not very good. I just won't deny it. Pitchers and Catchers Report. Gotta admit, I wish I was there. Grass that is green and the sun on my hair. (or lack thereof) Oh Scotty, please help me and Beam Me down there. Pitchers and Catchers Report.

Since the passing of Twins executive Mike Radcliff just over a week ago, many have sent their tributes and condolences. Today, I would like to share the thoughts of several people who have spent a lot of time with Radcliff and learned much from his leadership, scouts in the Twins organization. Terry Ryan hired Mike Radcliff from the Major League Scouting Bureau in 1987 as an area scout around his home in Kansas City. A year later, he became the team’s Midwest Supervisor. In 1994, he became the Scouting Director and remained in charge of the draft through the 2007 season. Since then, he has been involved in all Player Personnel decisions. In short, over his 36 years with the Twins, Mike Radcliff has worked with a lot of people, a lot of area scouts, supervisors, cross-checkers and front office personnel. I asked Twins scouts what they have learned over the years from Mike Radcliff, and while they each have their own stories and memories, the themes are often the same. To summarize: Mike Radcliff was one of the most respected people inside the Twins organization but also around all baseball circles. John Manuel certainly has a unique perspective as it relates to Radcliff. Manuel was a long time writer and editor at Baseball America. He has been in the Twins pro scouting department for about the past five years. He recalls a survey that they sent out around 2006. “I ranked the Twins prospects for the first time after the 2006 season, and that was just after Jim Callis conducted a survey of scouting directors, and 17 of the 28 voted for Mike as the best scouting director in the game.” Manuel continued, “So I knew that when I got to do the Twins’ list, first I needed to call Mike and I knew that he would be helpful. But I didn’t know just how helpful he would be and how much I would learn from him. He talked about scouting terms not as jargon but as a way to understand baseball and players. A specific example was when he explained an “uphill” swing to me with specific examples to watch, such as Mark Teixeira, and also the downside (and upside) of such swings. It was eye-opening, and I was jealous of Jim Callis because Jim insisted on keeping Mike as a draft source, meaning that I had to keep him just as a Twins source. I would sneak draft talk into my Twins calls with him, sandwiched around Roy Williams talk after he left Cliffy’s Kansas Jayhawks for my North Carolina Tar Heels.” Manuel had a ton of respect for Mike Radcliff and his opinion that he reached out to him before applying for the Twins scouting job. “When I stumbled into discussing a pro scouting job with the Twins, I literally gave Mike veto power over whether or not I would apply for the job. I called him the day after I had my first contact with Derek Falvey about the job and told him I would not actually apply unless he thought I would be a good fit for the organization, but he encouraged me to apply. I’m forever grateful that he thought I was worthy of being part of the organization. Now it's up to those of us who are still here to live up to the standard that he set, to get to the park early, to be last to leave, to know as much about the players involved as possible and to help the Twins acquire championship-caliber players.” In the days following the announcement of Radcliff’s death, I reached out to scouts. One of the first I heard back from was Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting, Tim O’Neil. He joined the organization in 1994. Of course, I heard from him late in the evening because he had what he referred to as a “Cliffy-type day.” He scouting a 9am game that morning, then went to an alumni game at a Division I college, and then a national workout featuring “all the best high school players in the West.” Of Radcliff, he noted, “Mike was the smartest guy in the room, the most talented scout in the room, the hardest worker in the room, and the humblest guy in the room. He was incredible Seth. Died with zero enemies - zero.“ O’Neil continued, “No one could accurately describe Mike's work ethic and passion for the Twins. He was in a hotel 320+ nights a year, sometimes 2-3 months straight, 2-3-4 games a day, if possible. Every decision, every acquisition, every hire, promotion, release, divorce, birth, death, etc went through Mike. He genuinely cared about everyone and treated everyone with incredible respect. One interesting fact - he didn't like to shake hands, I never saw him hug anyone. But he offered more love and kindness than anyone I've ever met.” Freddie Thon joined the organization 10 years ago as an area scout in Puerto Rico and South Florida. He is now an amateur cross-checker. “I knew Cliffy for a long time, but not as long as many others. I was fortunate enough to work with him on the draft side as well as on the International side. I am pretty sure that everyone will repeat this sentiment, but it’s just undeniable that his work ethic and his commitment to the Twins was A+.It simply can’t be topped.” Emphatically, Thon added, “Aside from that, I have wanted to share with people how great of a guy he was, how genuine he was with all of us younger scouts, how well he treated every single person he came across, and the fact that he was truly one of the funniest people I knew. He will be missed, but I know this group will continue to honor him for many many years.” Mike Ruth joined Radcliff and the Twins in 1989. After years as an area scout, he has been the Midwest Supervisor for many years. He described what Radcliff meant to so many in the organization. “I’ve been thinking a lot about all I learned from Mike these past few days. He hired me as a young area scout 35 years ago, and I can’t begin to tell you what a privilege it has been to work with him and see up close his unfailing dedication to the Twins and more importantly the scouts, players, coaches, and staff who make up the Twins. He drafted and signed so many Twins icons (Hunter, Cuddyer, Mauer, Morneau, Perkins, etc) but his real legacy is the way he poured into so many people’s lives and the bonds he built to connect and elevate everyone in the organization and in the entire baseball world. To the scouts and the staff he was our Puckett; a guy who gave everyone around him such energy and optimism no matter what the circumstance and would carry the day in the toughest of times. If you remember as a fan what a blow it was the day Puck retired that’s how all of us are feeling today times a thousand.” Ruth continued, “The two lessons that really stand out to me really don’t involve baseball, just how to author a life that honors the people around you and lets them feel appreciated and heard while making sure every success was shared and that his role in those successes was seen as secondary to everyone else. When you have a leader that sees life that way every day you work with them is a joy. When I was a young scout I was initially impressed with all the “famous” people he knew. You couldn’t go anywhere with him that a GM, ML player or coach, national writer or broadcaster wouldn’t come up and start talking with him and he was always so generous with his willingness to introduce me and allow me into the conversation. It was very heady stuff for someone just breaking into the business and he never did it to impress, only to be inclusive. But as I got older what really impressed me and taught me the most was all the “non-famous” people he knew around the game. It would have been easy for him to isolate himself among the elite and live in that world exclusively like many do. Instead he built relationships with the first-year scouts, not only with the Twins but anyone who just wanted to talk about the game and learn. With the interns and people just breaking into the game. The college assistant coaches. The office staff at the minor league affiliates. The beat writers and bloggers. The people who cleaned the offices at Target Field. If you wanted to talk and learn, he always made time and job title or status in the game was never a barrier to building a new friendship. Mike never took from relationships, he added to everyone he touched and the stories of his generosity and kindness are legendary. The second thing was his love of eating in groups. He had his favorite places and meals but for him eating was more about fellowship than food. At the table, everyone was equal and all ideas were worth consideration. Debate was encouraged without fear of embarrassment or retribution. All opinions had weight and worthiness and laughter was plentiful. I learned more about scouting and life during the hundreds of meals I had with him than anywhere else in my life. It was a Master course not only in every facet of baseball but in building a life well lived.” Billy Milos joined the Twins organization in 1994 as an area scout. He has spent time on the amateur side of scouting, in pro scouting and has been quite involved with the Twins signing players from independent leagues. The two worked together and watched a lot of baseball together over the past several decades. “He was my boss for decades. Even when he wasn’t my boss, he was still my boss. The number of lessons and “teachings” are too numerous to count. But the one that stands out is learning how to listen from him. It was something I needed as a young scout and something he excelled at with ease. He didn’t try to teach it, it just rubbed off on you by watching him.” He referred to Radcliff as “the hardest working person I’ve ever met in my life! A Hall of Fame scout, Scouting Director, Baseball Executive, and human being. He can not be replaced.” He continued, “Highly intelligent. A photographic memory. He could think and respond swiftly but yet in such a calm manner. Such great people skills, and a great sense of humor too. He was the type of leader that let you do your job. Never hovered over you. He loved having his work plate overflowing at all times. For him, that was comforting. He was so organized you would never know how much information passed through him each and every day until you listened to him. He could cover six completely different current events in one 10 minute conversation and be completely up to date on all six. It was dizzying! How did he keep up like this every single day of his life? An amazing individual that excelled in every single aspect of the human spirit. Mike knew everything going on in baseball. Here is a man fully immersed in the draft. That was his love. But he knew all the best players for the next two drafts as well. But more amazing, he knew everything going on across the big leagues, minor leagues and the world of International prospects. It was just plain scary that he could sit there and have a discussion with you that spanned across all the different segments of baseball. Organizations have different departments for each aspect of baseball, and many people working within each department. Well, he had all that stuff in his head at any one time and could talk to you about any of it without looking at his phone or opening up his tablet. That's the truth. And if that wasn’t enough you could start talking about college basketball, or some random current event in America, or finance.You name it, and he was on top of it. He somehow crammed 36 hours into every day.” Brad Steil joined the Twins organization as an intern and is about to begin his 23rd year in the organization. He has been involved in scouting and baseball operations. He was the Twins Director of Minor league League Operations for five years and is now in his sixth year as Director of Player Procurement. He said, “When I started with the Twins, I worked closely with Mike on a daily basis. So I owe a lot to him for teaching me as much as he did early on. On a personal level, Mike was truly a phenomenal human being and a great friend. His kindness, empathy, and integrity really set him apart. In the baseball world, nobody was more respected for their evaluation skills and work ethic. It was a true privilege working with him for over 20 years, and I will always be grateful for his friendship.” John Wilson joined the Twins in the early ‘90s. He can be seen in ballparks from North Carolina to Maine and everywhere in between. “Mike was my scouting director for 14 years. That's just not the norm anymore, but then again, Mike wasn't about ‘norms.’ One of Mike's strengths was that he supported and trusted his scouts. In my opinion, this allowed us to thrive and gave us confidence to create our own style and give our own opinions. Mike didn't teach us what to think, he taught us how to think. To look beyond the game, the field or a particular play. As a scout, you did your homework because you knew that is what he wanted, and you didn’t want to let him down. He led by example with his work ethic, so you followed his lead. One thing about Mike that was both challenging and humorous was that it was impossible to beat him to the ballpark, no matter how hard you tried. When it came to evaluating players, Mike was like your junior high math tutor. He'd let you work through and solve a problem, even though he knew the answer all along.” Wilson shared one story that illustrates his eye for talent. “One story that I'll always remember is at our organizational meetings in October 1996, Mike came up to me and told me ‘get to know Cuddyer, he’s gonna be our guy at pick 9’ (in the 1997 draft). This shows the depth and skill he had to be able to predict which guys would be available to us, even though the draft was eight months away.” Wilson also shared a story to illustrate one of Radcliff’s best traits. “A great example of his humility and how he preferred to stay behind the scenes, was when Michael Cuddyer was put into the Twins Hall of Fame. The Twins brought me out to Minnesota. Mike Radcliff was there but wouldn't go onto the field for the ceremony. I think he just preferred to sit back in the shadows and let others be recognized, even though so much of what was accomplished was because of him. Mike could have beat his chest with all he accomplished. He could have postured for GM jobs, but I believe Mike loved the Twins. He loved the people he worked with and enjoyed helping us grow. He was famous for starting a discussion and letting us run with it.” You may know Jack Powell from his cameo on Trouble with the Curve, but when he’s not acting, he is an area scout for the Twins in Georgia, eastern Tennessee and in the Florida Panhandle. “I learned to be patient and let the process work. “Know before you go” equals ‘gather up as much info about the player you are about to see so you can have an idea about him, especially on one you have never seen. Love God, your family, your friends, and job. Treat each other with the same respect you expect them to return to you. Mike was someone I respected for 40 years working across the aisle from him. I was blessed to have worked side-by-side with him over the past 15+ years. He will be missed and thought of forever.” Ken Compton is a professional scout with the Twins and has also learned a lot with and under Mike Radcliff. He said recently, “Not enough can be said about this amazing man, leader, and scout. I’ve learned so many things from Mike; preparation, work habits, humility, the list goes on and on. But the one that probably stands out the most is how to treat people. He treated everyone the same regardless of their position or status. He “genuinely” cared about people and made everyone feel special and validated. It’s hard to call it a leadership “style” because it wasn’t an act or something he learned in a book. It’s who he truly was.” Radcliff was the Twins Scouting Director for 14 years. When he was promoted, Deron Johnson took over the position and held it until late in 2016. Sean Johnson was named the Director of Amateur Scouting in 2017, and was promoted to Vice President of Amateur Scouting in January. He joined the organization as an area scout in 2002. In 2007, he became the West Coast Supervisor and remained in that role until 2017. Royce Lewis became his first, first-round pick. Sean Johnson has had a strong relationship with Mike Radcliff over the past 22 years. “Hard to boil down all of the things I learned from Mike, as he was the greatest teacher I’ve ever had in my life.” He noted four things in particular that he learned during his time with Mike Radcliff. They are as follows: 1 - Lead with Humility “Mike was a father figure to some, a mentor to many, and a friend to everyone who crossed his path. The way he handled people was remarkable. He had this unique way to make scouts feel comfortable and confident with their scouting opinions, even though you knew he probably knew more about the player being discussed than you did. You always walked away from Mike feeling like he valued your opinion and the work you had done coming up with that opinion. He treated everyone the same from first-week-on-the-job interns to hall of fame executives. He worked every single day for four decades with zero ego.” 2 - He was a Great Listener “Mike spent far more time listening than he did talking. His ability to build consensus on a baseball decision was masterful. He was the best at getting people to pull in the same direction in an attempt to make the best decision possible. He loved creating these spaces where lengthy, in-depth baseball conversations happened. He wasn’t afraid to stir the pot or side with the unpopular opinion. During player conversations in the draft room he would always say, 'Well, I hate to play devil’s advocate here…' - which we all knew was a lie. Mike believed healthy debate and discourse would help guide our group to the best version of our opinion on a player.” 3 - He Defined Consistency “When we start to mold and develop our new scouts, we preach a lot about consistency being the key to being a great area scout. Preparation, organization, communication, getting to the ballpark early, gathering more information about a player than the other 29 teams are, etc. Mike defined consistency. I never once saw him less than 100 percent prepared for any situation.” 4 - He Believed in a Player’s Makeup as a Separating Tool “Mike believed that knowing as much as we could about a player’s makeup and ability to compete was the separator in the draft room. If we knew how a player was wired and how that player was as a person away from the ballpark, we had a much better chance of making the right selection when it was our turn to pick. When Mike would ask you about a specific player on your draft list, it was a rare occasion when he wouldn’t ask you about what you knew about that player’s makeup.” A week ago, I shared my thoughts and experiences with Mike Radcliff, and we followed that up with comments from former Twins players such as Brian Dozier, Josh Rabe, and several others. Today I hope you have enjoyed the stories shared by some of the scouts that he worked with. Even more, it is fun to read what these scouts learned from Mike Radcliff on the baseball field, as a scout, and just in life. I’m sure there’s something in there that we all can learn from. John Wilson concluded by saying, “I think what I’ll miss most is the friendship. The ability to just call him up and hear him answer ‘Howdy,’ and we just talk about whatever; Players, children or just life, Mike had insight into all of it. I am extremely grateful for having Mike Radcliff in my life.” Finally, Mike Ruth shared, “His passing leaves a giant void in the lives of so many who he touched over the years. He was the greatest scout most of us ever saw but he was even better as a friend and leader.” Radcliff’s visitation and funeral will be on Wednesday, February 15th,at Lee’s Summit Christian Church in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. It is a suburb on the southeast side of Kansas City. Mike was passionate about the game of baseball and the Minnesota Twins. If anyone is interested, the family suggests any donations be made to the Minnesota Twins Community Fund or the Kansas City MLB Urban Youth Academy. These memorials will be used to promote and support youth baseball and soft-ball programs in honor of Mike’s passion for the game. View full article

There is something too this though... back then, a lot of times players in free agency were paid for what they had done in the past. Now? With the rise of analytics and the knowledge that most players don't get better after the age of 30, front offices are now paying players based on what they think they will be able to do in the future, years and dollars. I mean, both matter. What a player has done in the past gives some indication on future success.

While I'm the eternal optimist and try to find the positives in everything, I don't think I agree with this too much. I think it was a good offseason for the Twins. Correa is back. They have 6 starters with over a year of MLB experience now, and the pitching pipeline that I do see the early returns of is showing up but now they are options 6-10 instead of 3-7. The depth of pitching, some of which can help the bullpen as needed. Adding Gallo, Taylor, Farmer, Vazquez were all good moves. But I'm not sure we can say yet that they have found some consistency. Consistency in terms of what? They finished in 5th in 2021 and in 3rd last year. I believe they were fine last year if not for all the injuries, and I believe Nick Paparesta can help with some of that. But it's hard to know if the window is fleeting. I think we thought that when they won the division in 2019, and again in 2020. I think we thought that before that last place 2021. It's hard to call it sustainable yet when three of the five starters will be free agents after this season. Hopefully Paddack is back in 2024, but as of now, Lopez would be a free agent after 2024. I have a lot of hope in guys like Varland, SWR, Balazovic, Ryan, Ober, Headrick, Festa, Winder and even going down to maybe Raya and Prielipp. While that's good depth, it's hard to say that it will be sustainable at this time. Hopefully in 2024 we can feel that. From the lead paragraph, "As the front office was again rewarded for their patience, a consistent winner has been built." I don't think we know that, and don't most projection systems have this roster projected for 77-82 wins? Again, with health, my personal opinion is that they can win more games than that, but we need to see it first. Right?

How soon after the first surgery is the re-injury. Everything I'd heard is that that ligament is typically strong for 7-8 yeas before sometimes a second one is needed (which them is admittedly more 'scary' to me). And there are certainly examples of guys who do something through the rehab process and end up needing a second right away. Obviously having TJ is not preferred, but so many have it at some point.

I had Prielipp #4 in my rankings. I'm really excited about his potential. To me, Tommy John is not very scary anymore. His stuff is legit. And, the reports I've heard from people in Ft. Myers watching his bullpens is that he's looking really good. I also enjoyed @Jeremy Nygaard's creativity in the video game scores and building a pitcher. That was a fun read.

I watched quite a few Varland starts last year. Early in the season, I remember seeing his fastball 92-95 and touching 96... I know when it warmed up, he threw a little harder. We probably value velocity a little bit too much in terms of upside for pitching. And for good reason. It's probably even something that matters when we have to rank prospects because it's a real number. I ranked him #8 but I could argue as high as 4 or 5.

On Friday afternoon, Twins executive Mike Radcliff passed away after a long fight with pancreatic cancer. Over the past couple of days, many have been willing to discuss the impact that Radcliff had on them. Here are stories and well wishes from some Twins players. It is always unfortunate that we wait until someone passes away to honor them, and for people to speak glowingly of them and to share stories about that person. Over the past several years, Mike Radcliff has been given and earned many awards for his career in scouting, Scouting Hall of Fames, etc. In 2021, Radcliff was presented the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award at the Diamond Awards. All of it is very well deserved. He was well respected in the organization and all around the world of baseball. Mike Radcliff started as an area scout, because a regional supervisor, became the team's scouting director, and VP of Player Personnel. He has watched a lot of baseball players and developed relationships with most of them. And that’s why it is so nice to hear and read all the stories about how Mike Radcliff impacted various players, scouts, front office types and more over nearly four decades. Here are a few stories from some Twins players of the past: Denard Span was the Twins first round pick in 2002 out of high school in Tampa. He was scouted, drafted and signed by Mike Radcliff. Recently, Span shared, “I was very sad to hear of the news of Mike Radcliff. What I remember about Mike, especially in my younger days, was that he was a man of few words and observed, at least when I was around him. Our relationship grew more as I matured as a man and ball player. We had very good convos the last few years when I came back to Target Field for jersey retirements and Hall of Fame inductions. He was definitely a straight shooter, cut from the same cloth as Terry (Ryan).” Jeff Manship was the Twins 14th round pick in 2006 out of Notre Dame. He spent parts of four seasons with the Twins and four more seasons with three other organizations. He said simply of Radcliff, “I remember that he was a great man.” Manship is out of baseball and working for Boston Scientific Endoscopy in medical device sales and says he sees the effects of pancreatic cancer often. “Being in this job has raised my awareness so much about that disease.” Brian Dinkelman has known and worked with Mike Radcliff going back almost two decades when Radcliff used the Twins’ 8th round pick in 2006 on the infielder from McKendree University in Illinois. He worked his way up the ladder and earned a big-league promotion in 2011. He hit .301 over 23 games. Reached on Saturday, Dinkelman said, “Just awful news on Cliffy. He was a staple in this organization and was loved and respected by all. I remember him being at a pre-draft workout before I was drafted and always being so nice to everyone. He would always come visit our teams during the season to evaluate the players.” After a couple of years away from baseball, he returned to the Twins as a hitting coach in the GCL. He quickly moved up to Cedar Rapids in that role and is about to start his fifth season as the Kernels manager. So he and Radcliff have likely communicated in very different ways over his years. Dinkelman added, “Now since I have moved to the coaching side, I have got to know him even better. From visiting us during the season and being in meetings for the org. He was a very intelligent baseball man and we are going to miss him dearly.” Brian Dozier went from ninth round draft pick in 2009 out of Southern Mississippi as a “senior sign” to an All Star and 40-homer hitting second baseman. He retired before the 2021 season and tells me that things are “great in the Dozier household” and that he’s loving life even with three kids under the age of three! He told me about a strong relationship he had with Radcliff. “He was a phenomenal scout and even a better man. He was a part of bringing me to the Twins, and we became closer each and every year. He was so passionate about his job and wanted every player to succeed within the organization, whether he was the one who scouted him or not. He loved the game and loved the Twins. I don’t have any specific stories that come to mind about Mike, but he was a friend that impacted many. Fellow 2009 draft pick and current Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Gibson summarized his thoughts on Mike Radcliff by saying “He was an awesome person and a great baseball mind!” Josh Rabe attended Division II Quincy University in Illinois. The Twins made him their 11th round pick in 2000. He played parts of 2006 and 2007 with the Twins. After retiring from playing baseball, he became the head coach at his alma mater, Quincy University, and led them to the Division II College World Series a couple of times. Two years ago, he took over as the school’s Athletics Director. Of Radcliff, Rabe noted, “He obviously had a huge impact with building the Twins into perennial contenders.” He recalls a pre-draft workout with Radcliff and other scouts. “In 2000, right before the draft, the Twins invited me to the Metrodome for a workout. I had gone to a few of them leading up to this, and it was a select few guys working out at the MLB park of the team that invited you. Obviously a tremendous experience for any aspiring professional baseball player, but in my case, being from Mendon, Illinois, and attending Quincy University, it was special. My parents could not take me to this workout, so my college coach Pat Atwell took me. We arrived in Minneapolis the night before the workout, spent the night and drove to the Dome in the morning for this workout. To my surprise, I was the only player there. Billy Milos, the area scout who got me up there, told me Mike was going to see me in the NCAA tournament, but did not get the chance to see me because we did not get an at-large bid, so he wanted to watch me workout. It was the Twins pre-draft meetings, and every scout they employed was at the workout. All scouts and Mike introduced themselves, all but a guy in a Sports-Cream shirt and Twins shorts. This guy ran the workout with Mike by his side. I ran a couple of 60's, played catch with the guy in the T-Shirt and shorts and went to right field to throw to third base. Mike walked me out to right field and was on the line as the guy in the T-shirt hit grounders to me. One of the scouts had to go into my bag to grab a glove to catch the balls at third base. So, before I go to throw, the guy in the T-shirt yells, take it easy on the first couple. So after three throws, he yells one-hop it to third base! Being a kid from a D2 school, from the farm, I come up and just air mail one to third. I just let it fly. The man in the T-shirt hollers, ‘One-hop it please!!!’ I looked over to Mike, and I said, ‘Don't you guys want to see me air it out?’ Mike looks at me and says, "Son, when the general manager of the Minnesota Twins asks you to one-hop it to third base, I would do it!!" Terry Ryan did not introduce himself, as he was the guy in the T-shirt and shorts, hitting fungoes and throwing batting practice!!! I replied to Mike, ‘I swear I did not know who he was, he did not introduce himself!!!’ He and the other scouts that were around the right field line literally were laughing so hard I thought they were going to fall over..... 100 percent true story, I am sure Mike is still laughing about that one.” Jamie Ogden was the Twins third-round draft pick in 1990 out of White Bear Lake High School. He spent nine seasons playing in the Twins organization including the final three seasons at Triple-A. He has remained involved with the Twins organization at events like Twins Fest, youth clinics and more. Of Mike Radcliff, he said, “Had many conversations with Mike. Just came across as a guy in a pivotal role who didn’t act like it. Very humble and kind and made you feel good with stories he’d tell of you being scouted. Great heart.” Jacque Jones said, “Mike was a straight shooter, and you knew where you stood with him.” Taylor Rogers noted, “ All I know is he was highly respected.” LaTroy Hawkins was the Twins seventh round draft pick in 1991 by Terry Ryan. However, Mike Radcliff was able to scout Hawkins several times. He shared with me the following story. “It was probably 2000, and I was with the Twins. I was coming to the ballpark, and they were up in the front office getting ready for the draft. Larry Corrigan stopped me and asked me to come in. They had all the scouts in there, and Radcliff was up there talking. And in Larry Corrigan fashion, he said, ‘Hey Radi, LaTroy Hawkins.” On a dime, Radi says, “Magical Arm.” That’s the first thing Radcliff said when he saw me pitch in high school in Gary, Indiana. He said, “Magical Arm.” And every time I saw him after that, he would call me Magical Arm guy.” In the past six or seven years, Hawkins has been a very active Special Assistant to the Baseball Operations group. He has participated in many aspects of the game and in that area, including on the road with scouts at times. “His memory. His ability to break a player down, to evaluate. He was just the best at it. He cared. He loved the Minnesota Twins organization. He loved baseball. He had an unwavering passion for it that you don’t see all the time. A special individual.” As his voice softened, Hawkins repeated, “A special individual.” View full article

I ranked him #11. But I could just as easily make a case for him at #5-12. The tools are still there... at least, if you believe hat he can hit for some average. I think his approach at the plate helps with that. Maybe the power doesn't show up and he's just an 7-10 homer guy, but if he's getting on-base, that's OK. Probably not a SS, but could play 3B, 2B, 1B, and all around the outfield, wherever the Twins may have a need. In organizations that don't already have guys like Lee and Lewis, the chances for Martin to be an option at 3B and 2B would be higher.

My rankings of this group: Matt Wallner: 9 Yasser Mercedes: 10 David Festa: 13 Noah Miller: 19 Matt Canterino: 14

I wouldn't make too much out of a late-season start by a starter in his first full season of pro ball. He stayed healthy. He added velocity. He pitched well at two levels. Now he got an offseason and let's see what he is able to do in Season #2. Can he be this year's Varland? We'll see. And with that velocity, if he does end up being at reliever, he could be great.

Signing Bonuses: Rodriguez ($2.5 million), Mercedes ($1.7 million)... Tools. Both could hit. Both have a ton of power. Both have good speed. Both can legitimately play CF at this point. Both have strong arms. So, I'd say pretty even... Might come down to who walks more and strikes out less. But they're both 4-5 tool prospects at this stage, with a long way to go, but could be All-Star potential.

Unfortunate news came out Friday evening that long-time Twins executive Mike Radcliff has passed away after a three-plus-year battle with cancer. He was 66. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, USA TODAY Sports It is fairly easy to remember how long Mike Radcliff has been in the organization. He joined the Minnesota Twins as an area scout in 1987 after four years as a scout for the Major League Scouting Bureau. A native of Kansas City, he became the Twins Midwest Supervisor in 1988. In 1993, Radcliff was named the team’s Director of Scouting and was in charge of all of the area scouts, regional supervisors, and cross-checkers. It was in that role that he was ultimately responsible for the Twins draft picks. While no Scouting Director bats 1.000 with their picks, Radcliff had many successes during his tenure. He is the guy who drafted Twins first-round picks such as Torii Hunter (1993), Todd Walker (1994), Mark Redman (1995), Michael Cuddyer (1997), Joe Mauer (2001), Denard Span (2002), Trevor Plouffe and Glen Perkins (2004), and Matt Garza (2005). He found other good players in later rounds as well. In 2007, he was promoted to the team’s Vice President of Player Personnel. It was a step up. He continued to work in the scouting group with new Scouting Director Deron Johnson and his staff, but he also worked more with the international scouting and the pro scouting departments. He traveled all over the world to watch baseball talent. He worked with Fred Guerrero in scouting the Dominican and Venezuela. He played a big role in that 2009 international signing class that included Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, and Miguel Sano. He has been fighting pancreatic cancer for the past few years but was still involved with Player Personnel decisions. Mike Radcliff was always really nice to me. During the early years of SethSpeaks dot net, I would send him questions for Q&As on players, and he was always generous with his responses. He didn’t just give the short answer to get it done with. He always replied. From those responses, I learned a couple of things about him. First, he was obviously very knowledgeable about every player in the organization. I get that is his job, but he could provide detail on over 200 players plus past players and players from other organizations that he had watched. The other thing I learned from those interactions was that he could be brutally honest. Just because I was a blogger from Nowheresville, it didn’t matter. One example from probably 2006 or 2007. There was a prospect who had experienced several ups and downs in his minor-league career. Frankly, his numbers were not great. There was a second minor-leaguer who played the same position and had consistently outperformed the ‘prospect’. So, one of my questions was about the two and if the second player could be better than the higher-profiled prospect. Radcliff’s response was basically to say that the prospect was clearly the better player, much more highly thought of, and definitely part of the Twins' future. Brutal honesty, but after I posted the article, I got an e-mail from the second minor leaguer's dad just saying that isn’t what he wanted to read from someone whose opinions carried so much weight in the organization. Also, the “prospect” went on to play more than a decade in the big leagues. The other minor leaguer spent parts of three seasons and around 100 games in the big leagues, still a tremendous accomplishment. Remember back when Twins Fest was in the Metrodome? Back then, there was a ‘Down on the Farm’ area where fans could get in line and get autographs from Twins minor leaguers. I would primarily stay right around there and talk to some of the players I’d communicated with. But a lot of times, Radcliff was there too. He was just standing in the area, observing the players and interacting with fans that might have a question. I would always find him there and stand with him and talk about baseball things but also just other things. But I would come up with questions about prospects and he would answer, again, pretty honestly. At Twins Fest 2010, we were standing there talking as one group of players was leaving and a new group was entering the area. Radcliff was observing and said to me, “Danny Valencia... Who would have thought he’d be added to the 40-man roster?” Valencia had mashed throughout the minor leagues, but despite a solid college career at Miami, he fell to the 19th round of the 2006 draft. Oh, and just try to give him credit for a draft pick he made making it to the big leagues, or becoming a star. Radcliff would stop you short and make sure to credit the area scout who was convicted in his belief in the player. I would see Radcliff most years down in Ft. Myers. Not at Hammond Stadium. Not in the press box. But on the back fields watching the minor leaguers. For those familiar with the back fields, there is an observation tower in between the four fields that are together. Radcliff would be up there at times, but usually, he was positioned at ground level, where he would see two fields and a bullpen. Radcliff was quiet, and again, just observing, taking it all in. You could tell he loved it, being at the ballpark, watching young players. He had scouted many of them and was now seeing them going through the development process. It’s not an exact science. He always understood that these are people. People with flaws, and people who have a lot of talent. He understood how difficult the game can be. Again, standing by him, watching him watching ballplayers was interesting. Trying to figure out what he was observing. But again, I could ask him questions, and he would respond thoroughly. It was always funny when a member of the Twins front office staff would throw out a name to him, and without hesitation, Radcliff would respond with “6th round, 2004.” And he was always right. In 2011, Mike Radcliff was named the Scout of the Year in the Midwest. In 2014, he was inducted into the Professional Scouts Hall of Fame. In September 2021, he was elected to the Killebrew Root Beer Professional Scouts Hall of Fame. You can see his plaque at Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers. In 2016, he was given the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award in Scouting (given by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation). Finally, in 2021, he received the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award at the Diamond Awards. “The Minnesota Twins today mourn the loss of Mike Radcliff. Mike was the heart and soul of our scouting department for over 30 years, a man who was beloved and respected by staff, players, fellow scouts, agents, and his peers alike. One of baseball’s most revered talent evaluators, his character, work ethic, kindness, and sense of humor set the tone for our player development and evaluation processes. His baseball legacy lives on in the number of Twins Hall of Famers, All-Stars, and great teams that bear his fingerprints, while his impact as a person will be forever felt by those that knew him. In the words of his trade, Mike was the epitome of a five-tool player, and he will be greatly missed across Twins Territory. Our deepest sympathies are with his wife Sherry, son Brett, daughter Erin, and the entire Radcliff family during this difficult time.” In the Twins' 60+ years in Minnesota, few have had as much of an impact on the organization as Mike Radcliff. Best wishes to his family and all his friends in the Twins organization. View full article

See Nick's comment above.

He's young. Unfortunately had to end the 2022 season in Ft. Myers. He had visa issues that cost him about the first half of the season. No breakout yet, but let's get him out of the FSL. Good outfielder. Good speed. He's growing, getting stronger. Hopefully in time that translates to doubles and homers. Good approach. There's a lot to like.

Updated...

My rankings, if anyone is interested, and for transparency... Balazovic: 20 Henriquez: 17 Schobel: 22 (I kind of think that if you're looking for a future Dozier, I'd lean toward Ben Ross). Jose Rodriguez: 18 Misael Urbina: 15

Uffdah! First, not sure you'll like one of the next couple of rankings then... Second - I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this in the first two articles, but the rankings are based on the Top 30 rankings of 10 of the Twins Daily minor league writers or video content providers. So there will be some variance. We all have our prospects that we are probably too high on or those that we maybe are too low on. I can say that the Top 15 in our rankings (and 17 of the top 18) appeared on all 10 Top 30s. This range from 21-25 appeared on at least 7 of 10 rankings. From 26-30... generally the average was that they were on about 5-6 of the Top 30s. So this is a pretty volatile range. In an attempt at transparency, here is how I ranked these guys: Nowlin (16), Enlow (24), Sands (out of top 30), DeAndrade (27), Headrick (21), Acuna (26), Severino (28), Rosario (23), Sabato (out of top 30), Chourio (25). Also, guys from Honorable Mention category that I had in my Top 30: DaShawn Keirsey (29), Ben Ross (30). Honorable Mention guys to appear on at least 3 Top 30s: Alejandro Hidalgo (5), Brayan Medina (4), Sean Mooney (3), Cody Laweryson (3), Michael Helman (3),