Seth Stohs

Twins Fest is a great opportunity for Twins fans to start really getting excited about the upcoming season. In just over two weeks, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Ft. Myers for the start of spring training. For the first time, Twins Fest was in Target Field. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of Twins players on Friday and Saturday and thought I would share one quote from each. Consider this a Best Of Twins Fest Quotes article. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be writing some more in-depth stories about some of these players.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] A portion of the Twins media (L to R): LaVelle E. Neal (Star Tribune), Mike Berardino (Pioneer Press), Rhett Bollinger (TwinsBaseball.com), Tyler Mason (FS North) ALEX MEYER on last season’s shoulder injury: “It wasn’t anything more than, I woke up one morning just sore. It wasn’t sore when I went to bed so I didn’t know what was going on. We went in and got checked out. It was funny, the MRI I got this time was more clean than the one when I got drafted. My shoulder looked better now than it did then. I knew nothing was wrong. I just didn’t know why I was hurting. I never had anything like that. Just a bump in the road now. It’s time to move past it and get back on the mound.” BYRON BUXTON on all the postseason accolades: “It’s really just an honor. God blessed me with a lot of talent and I just try to come out every day and use it and not let it go to waste.” ANDREW ALBERS when the first question he was asked in a small group was about the Korea situation: “Oh, here I thought we were going to do an interview about Saskatchewan.” ANDREW ALBERS on the Twins: “The Twins have been so great to me. They’ve given me so many opportunities. They took a chance on me when nobody else would. That makes it a really, really tough decision.” (By the way, the Albers situation should be resolved within the next couple days.) JASON KUBEL on Ron Gardenhire: “He’s great. I’ve only played for a few managers, but he’s the best. I wasn’t worried. He’s just too good for them to let him go.” TREVOR PLOUFFE on if he thinks 2014 is a big year for him personally with Miguel Sano being so close: “Not really. I mean, I’m not really concerned about that. I want to help the team win. That’s all I care about. Miguel is a great player, and if he comes up and helps our team, we want him. We want anyone that can help the team.” BRIAN DOZIER about his power in 2013: “Bruno (hitting coach Tom Brunansky) helped a lot, him being a power hitter. He kind of saw that I wasn’t actually getting everything out of my swing. We made a lot of adjustments to create more power. I think that you try to find the kind of hitter you are. I think I did that last year. Got comfortable. I like where I’m at.” SEAN GILMARTIN on which stat is most important to him: “For any pitcher, really, you look at the amount of innings pitched a starting pitcher throws. That’ll give you an indication of whether he’s doing his job or not.” JOE MAUER on changing diapers of his twin daughters: “I can, yeah. Well, they’re six months old, but I think I have 12 months of experience.” JOE MAUER on his brother Jake Mauer (manager of the Cedar Rapids Kernels): “Jake’s one of those guys. He’s got a high baseball IQ. I think when he played, you could kind of tell that whenever he decided to be done, he’d be a manager. He always thought two pitches ahead or a play before it even happened. It’s fun. We’re brothers. We talk about a lot of things. That’s one thing that we share, the love of the game. And trying to get better at it, and finding better way of doing things.” ERIC FRYER on his big league debut with the Pirates: “I got thrown at in my big league debut, and I had a collision at home plate with David Ortiz. So that was certainly memorable. He didn’t hit me super hard.” KURT SUZUKI on calling a game: “I love calling the game. I love preparing myself. I really take pride in messing with hitters and being able to get my pitching staffs through a game flawlessly. That’s my goal every game.” MIGUEL SANO on his home run goal for 2014: I asked Sano, “So, you hit 30 home runs in Beloit two seasons ago, and 35 last year. Do you have a goal to hit 40 this year?” You’ve already seen his response: “No… I hit 45 this year… more games… maybe 55, you never know. Working hard. Getting good pitch. That’s it.” ROB PLUMMER, Sano’s agent on what Sano wants to learn this spring training: “Joe (Mauer) says he’s going to try to see (Sano) in the cage and see how he is with his plate discipline and strike zone judgment. He’s going to try to give him hints about what pitchers are looking for in certain spots, and try to get him the plate discipline that Joe has. For me, I’ve been doing this 20 years, I think Miguel can walk 100 times a year. I think that he knows how important that is to add to his On Base-Slugging Percentage, to have an OPS over 1.000. We go over that stat a lot.” It was neat to hear what an agent views and finds important. Of course, ballplayers with OPS over 1.000 tend to make a lot of money! Asked if 100 walks is a goal, Sano said, “120… 150…” MIKE PELFREY on coming back last year from Tommy John: “There were a lot of times where I couldn’t get the necessary feel of the ball coming off my fingertips. That’s kind of important out there pitching. Obviously I think the results reflected that. I got a little better in the middle. Then I think I kind of wore down in September. In hindsight, I probably should have waited, maybe come back at 13 months which is June, when I started to get a little more of that feeling back. Obviously being a competitor, you want to be out there as soon as you can.” AARON HICKS on his decision not to play winter ball: “I thought a little about it, but I felt like it would be better for me to relax and think about stuff I need to do and get ready for another season rather than go right into another season. Just rest the body up. I’ve never had an actual offseason before. I’ve always played somewhere. It felt good to just relax.” KYLE GIBSON on his mental preparation: “I feel like this offseason, mentally, I’ve taken a lot of steps that I need to be prepared. I thought I was prepared last year when I got up there, and I think to a point, I was. But, as I started to struggle, I think I tried too hard to correct it. I was out there not allowing the adrenaline to help me, but rather making it force things and get in my own way mentally instead of doing what I’ve done my whole career, just getting out there, seeing the pitch I’m throwing. Picture it, and execute it and move on.” So there you have a taste of what was talked about at Twins Fest by some of the players. Certainly they are all looking forward to spring training and the start of another season. Dustin Morse and his PR staff deserve a ton of credit. Behind the scenes, they are the ones that get the players going to the right places and making Twins Fest go well. Dustin, along with Andrew Heydt, Mike Kennedy and Mitch Hestad aren’t the guys signing autographs, but they are the guys who make it all happen. Feel free to discuss the quotes above and ask questions that you may have.

Last night, Twins Daily had a small contingent attending the 2014 Diamond Awards. It was a fun night hanging out with John Bonnes, Jeremy Nygaard, Parker Hageman and the soon-to-be Mrs. Hageman. The Minnesota Twins, along with the University of Minnesota and the Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers of America, put on the event for the ninth year. It is a benefit for the University of Minnesota’s research and patient care focused on diseases such as ALS, Ataxia, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, and Parkinson’s Disease.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Play Ball!! It was such a fun night filled with great stories from emcee Dick Bremer, award winners, front office and a couple of the new Twins. Target Field opened at 5:30, and there was a social hour (or hour and a half, I guess) during which time there was a silent auction with some terrific items donated by the local teams and some restaurants and more. At 7, the dinner and program began. It was a nice dinner, but of course, the big event was the awards ceremony. The first award of the night went to Andrew Albers, who was the recipient of the Jim Rantz Award, given to the Twins minor league pitcher of the year. Terry Ryan introduced him and spoke highly of the lefty. He acknowledged concerns about signing him originally, not because of his stuff, but because of his injury history and the Tommy John surgery. He also mentioned that a team from Korea was trying to sign Albers, but that the Twins would help facilitate it. Albers came up and spoke. He comedically told his remarkable story of how he came to the Twins. He spoke so highly of the Twins and mentioned several times just how grateful he was to the organization for the opportunities they presented him. Next, Terry Ryan introduced the winner of the Sherry Robertson Awards for the Twins minor league player of the year. The award went to Byron Buxton. Now, Terry Ryan is not one to launch superlatives real readily, but he spoke glowingly on Buxton. He talked about his tools, but he also talked about the person that he is. He mentioned that he has a “Fire in his belly” and is the type of person and player that teams really want to have in their organization. Buxton is very quiet and very humble. He did talk about having been in track, so “I’m pretty fast.” That would be an understatement. Next, Joe Mauer came up to the stage. Over the speakers, we heard, “Coming up to present the Carl R. Pohlad Award for Outstanding Community Service, Twins first baseman, Joe Mauer.” Mauer said, “That sounds a little funny!” Perkins came up to accept the community service award, and was very appreciative. Despite also winning his second Pitcher of the Year award, he said that being given the community service award meant so much more to him. He said that it is instilled on players to be great in the community, that it’s not just what you do on the field but also off the field. Perkins has certainly done that and was very deserving of the award. Ron Gardenhire came up and introduced former Twins player, coach and manager Frank Quilici as the Kirby Puckett Alumni Community Service Award recipient. Quilici talked about how he grew up in Chicago and was a White Sox fan. However, “The White Sox didn’t draft me. The Twins did.” He has been a great ambassador for Twins baseball since his managerial days. He is active in fantasy camps and is at Twins Fest every year. He talked about his father remaining a White Sox fan even when Frank played for the Twins. His mother used to get upset at his father because he wasn’t a Twins fan, he was a White Sox fan. Frank’s father would say, “What? I hope that Frank gets two hits… and the White Sox win!” Though his name may not be as well-known as his brother Dave, Steve Winfield has contributed to baseball in the Twin Cities for almost a half-century. He has played, been an official in the Minnesota State High School League and he continues to be a coach in the RBI League. He was awarded the Play Ball! Minnesota Terry Ryan award as a “Friend of the Game.” During the social hour, I was talking to Darren Wolfson and Steve Winfield came over to talk to him. He also shook my hand as we were introduced. Now, we so often hear or read about the handshake of Adrian Peterson. If it’s any stronger than Steve Winfield’s handshake, I’m surprised there haven’t been stories of broken bones. Caleb Thielbar was introduced to the audience as the Boll Boni Award recipient as the Twins Outstanding Rookie. The Randolph, MN, native is very quiet, very humble. He did a nice job of speaking. At one point, he said, “It’s hard to imagine when I was over in St. Paul (playing for the Saints), that I’d be in this league much less on this stage.” Rhett Bollinger of twinsbaseball.com went to the stage and introduced Brian Dozier as a double award winner. Dozier was named the Charles O. Johnson Award winner as the Twins most improved player and the Mike Augustin Media Good Guy Award recipient. Dozier does a great job as a speaker He credited the Twins and specifically Gardy and Joe Vavra for helping him through the transition to second base. However, the highlight of his segment came when Dick Bremer asked him about any adjustments he hopes to make in 2014. Dozier said that he’s already had to make a big adjustment. He got married two weeks ago to his girlfriend of six years. He joked that he’s learned more in the last two weeks than he did in the previous six years. He also said, “I didn’t know that putting a dirty dish in the dishwasher could go so far!” Though he is no longer with the Twins, Justin Morneau was given the Bob Allison Award for leadership. He was out of town and unable to attend, but he did leave a video thanking the Twins and the fans for the award. Bremer asked Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire to come to the stage to talk about the offseason. The first questions to the two were about the decision for Gardy to come back. Ryan said that there are a lot of traits that you look for in a manager, and the Gardenhire has those traits. Ryan acknowledged, “I put him through a lot.” It was an indication of Ryan putting the blame for last season on himself. Gardy accepts responsibility for the losses. As much as he didn’t have the players, he never said that. He wants to win, and he’s done it before. He wants to be part of doing it again and sees the team as being very close to getting there again. Ryan talked about the need to go get pitching, and that they have addressed that. He believes that if the team gets better starting pitching, it will help the other aspects of the game. When asked about the decision to move Joe Mauer to first base, Gardy’s humor came out. “We are going to have the best looking first baseman and the best looking second baseman in the league. We’ll have all the chicks at the ballpark!” Brian Kraft is the chairman of the 2014 Diamond Awards. He has ataxia. He came to the stage, with his father whose ataxia is advanced. He spoke well about the advancements that have been made. He provided the illustration that his doctor gave him. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but we don’t know where the haystack is. 20 years ago, they found the haystack, and more recently, they think they may have found the needle. However, so much more work and research and testing needs to be done. The Jim Kaat Award was first presented a year ago (to Ben Revere). This year, shortstop Pedro Florimon was given the award. He came to the stage and talked about how, growing up in the Dominican, all he wanted to do was play baseball. He also talked about how it was about 90 degrees right now in the Dominican Republic, and he definitely likes warmth. Jordan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals is from the very small town of Auburndale, Wisconsin. After going 19-9 with a 3.25 ERA in over 213 innings in 2013, he was named the winner of the Dick Siebert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year. He was unable to attend. Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes came to the stage. They both talked about the opportunity that they feel they have with the Twins, to help bring things back to where they need to be. They’re both excited about the opportunity. When asked what pitches they throw, Ricky Nolasco talked about throwing the kitchen sink at the hitters. Fastball, slider, he tries to sink the ball. He wants to pick up on what the hitter is doing. Hughes said that he is a fastball pitcher. He said that he wants to work quickly and throw a lot of strikes. He said, “Sometimes you miss bats… and sometimes it gets hit a long ways!” Hughes deprecating humor played very well with the audience. In chatting with Bonnes and the Star-Tribune’s Phil Miller later, we wondered how that form of a humor might work in New York. The writers there might go after that. For me, I enjoy self-deprecation. Glen Perkins received his second award (Pitcher of the Year), and then Joe Mauer was given his third Calvin Griffith Award as the Most Valuable Twin. The highlight of the evening was saved for last. Rod Carew came to the podium to present Tony Oliva with the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award. A video showed all that Oliva has done on the ball field with the Twins, and all that he has done in the community. The list was long, and most likely, was not complete. Carew spoke of the Twins work in the community and all Oliva and others do, but he spoke passionately about his friend Tony Oliva. The two were roommates for ten years. Carew said that he used to lay awake at night, listening to Oliva cry because of the pain that he had in his knees. He talked about listening to Oliva struggle to walk, slowly, down the hall to get ice. He marveled at how Oliva would show up at the ballpark each day and hit line drives all over the field. He said, “We don’t call each other by our names, Rod and Tony, so come up to the stage, “Roomie.” And then Oliva put on a show for the crowd. The man is an incredible story teller. He talked about how he continues to go on the Twins Winter Caravan. However, he sees some of the young guys who are on the caravan, and he thinks that they need to do what he did. He said, “When I was young, 1964, 1965, I would go to Jamestown, North Dakota, and it would be 81 degrees below zero, wind chill.” He later confided, “This is a true story. When you’re Spanish, sometimes you lie a little bit.” Telling a story about when Carew was once batting against Nolan Ryan (then with the Angels), and “Nolan Ryan threw like 100 to 120 miles per hour.” He went on to act out how Carew’s stance against Ryan was different than normal so that he could get out of the way. In one case, Ryan threw a ball behind Carew’s back. At that point, Carew looked over at Oliva in the on-deck box and said, “Hey Roomie, I think that ball went right through me.” As the crowd at Target Field laughed, Oliva went on to say that Nolan Ryan was laughing out loud as well. In summary, it was a great night at Target Field. It was great to be rubbing elbows and shaking hands with many in and around the Twins organization. It was a nice dinner, and a very special program. Over the years, the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center and the University of Minnesota have raised more than $8 million in their 20 years. If you are interested in contributing and learning more about this program, click here. Next up, Twins Fest! It will be held for the first time at Target Field starting tonight. One of the big talkers at the Diamond Awards was how it would go at Target Field. The logistics will make it quite interesting! However, it is a great event that supports the Twins Community Fund which has done so much in Twins territory to help youth baseball and support other worthy programs. As I understand, there are still tickets available for both Friday and Sunday. And, maybe we will see many of you at the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown on Saturday night. It will be a fun night!

This is the English version of this Q&A. The Spanish version can be found here. Last week, I posted a couple of Q&As with players in the Twins farm system. I am continuing to attempt to line up more and more such interviews as I enjoy them, but I also get great feedback on them. It does appear that Twins fans are eager to learn more about players in the system. Today, I am happy to present a Q&A with top Twins prospect and 2012 supplemental first-round pick Jose (JO) Berrios. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The talented right-hander has made quite a name for himself in his short time in the organization. With the help of his aunt Maria, who facilitated and then translated the discussion, we are excited to bring this Q&A to JO Berrios. Let’s learn a little more about the young flamethrower. Twins Daily (TD): Growing up in Puerto Rico, who was your favorite team and who were some of your favorite players to watch? JO Berrios (JB): Even though I grew up not being a fan of any team in particular, mostly because I consider myself a baseball fan instead of a team's fan, when I was a kid I always wanted to be a catcher just like Puerto Rican MLB player Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. I liked his way of playing, his style on the field. I even had the honor to meet him personally and he gave me some coaching. TD: What are your best memories from your high school baseball days in Puerto Rico? JB: I have so many good memories from my high school baseball days. At that time, I was playing as shortstop and had the chance to represent the Island on several International Championships. It was a thrill for me. The year before I was drafted, I started playing as a pitcher and it went very well. I threw two no-hitters. And it felt so great! TD: Leading up to the draft, were you hearing from a lot of scouts? Did you spent much time with the Twins scouts? JB: Prior to the draft, I was contacted by scouts from several teams and had the chance to meet them. During a Perfect Game Tournament, a scout came to me and told me I had the quality to become a professional pitcher. That meant a lot to me. Unfortunately, at that time I did not have the chance to meet the Twins scouts. TD: Twins fans have seen the video of you when you were drafted. What was going through your mind when you heard your name selected by the Minnesota Twins? JB: Wow, it has been an unforgettable moment! My whole family and friends were there giving me support and strength on that special day. That moment when they call your name, when a baseball player begins to see his dream come true! A dream we (the baseball players) have since we were kids. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p-A5jDpHYk TD: You signed quickly and pitched for the GCL Twins. What was the adjustment to professional baseball, on and off the field? JB: When I started on the GCL, it wasn't much of a change or adjustment for me. I was used to waking up early in the morning to begin my training. I've always been very disciplined. I take seriously everything regarding baseball and my training. At the beginning, I missed my family as well as the Puerto Rican food. Then, everything was under control. TD: You were selected to represent Puerto Rico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. What did that opportunity mean to you? JB: It was a unique and unforgettable experience for me. Every player wishes to represent some day his country, his flag. It was a great honor for me to do that at my age. I was more than honored and proud. I learned so much about MLB from that experience. TD: In the WBC, I believed you struck out Robison Cano and faced some of baseball's best players. Did you learn anything from the experience? JB: Thank God, I had the opportunity to pitch to great baseball players such as Robison Cano. It was an excellent experience to remember. It gave me the chance to do what I do best, strikeouts. TD: If you were to write up a scouting report on yourself, what would it be? What would you say are your strengths and what is an area you want to work on to improve most? JB: I'm aware there's so much to learn. You learn new things each day. But one of my strengths are the strikeouts. My goal is to learn as much as I can during my time in the Minor Leagues and be ready when the time comes up for my MLB Debut. TD: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? JB: Since I was a little kid, my family has been by my side giving me great support. But my older brother, Angel A Berrios, Jr, has been my biggest inspiration. He, along with my father Angel A Berrios,Sr, have given me the knowledge and confidence I needed. They're both baseball players. Also, I would like to acknowledge my team from Build + Safe Sport Trainer for all the support and great training during these years. TD: Outside baseball, what do you enjoy doing? Hobbies, etc? JB: Besides playing this amazing sport, I enjoy Ping-Pong. I also enjoy going to the movies and of course, the beach. But to be honest, training each day is what I like the most. TD: Are you looking forward to coming to Twins Fest? Have you been to Minnesota before? JB: I thank the Lord for this great opportunity, to be part of this year's Twins Fest. I'm very excited to be there. This won't be my first time in Minnesota. I had the chance to be there after being drafted in 2012. TD: As spring training is now just a couple of months away, what are you most anxious and excited about? JB: For me, it's all about expectations. Each player is doing their best to achieve a better position on the team. TD: Have you set any goals for yourself for the 2014 season? Are there any certain stats you think are important for you? JB: My main goal is to have a productive, healthy season from the beginning to the end of it. I will be working on my strikeouts as well. I want to achieve double-digit wins this season. TD: Favorite Baseball movie? JB: My favorite baseball movie is Major League: Back to the Minors TD: What is one thing about yourself that you would want Twins fans to know? JB: I would like to share with you and the Twins Fans something very special for me. God has given my girlfriend and me the blessing of becoming parents soon. We are expecting a baby. Hopefully, he or she (we still don't know the gender) will be born this May. I'm very happy about it! This baby is giving us a new purpose in life. Thank you again to JO for taking his time, and especially to Maria for taking a lot of time to translate this Q&A twice! Please feel free to comment below!