Seth Stohs

On Thursday, the 2013 World Baseball Classic rosters were announced. The day began with MLB Network unveiling Team USA. In the afternoon, the rosters of the other participating countries were announced. Three years ago, Tom Stuifbergen became a household name for the team from The Netherlands when he, under the tutelage of Bert Blyleven, threw five shutout innings against the vaunted lineup of the Dominican Republic. He and several other Twins players (past, present and future) will be participating in this year’s tournament/exhibition. Before getting to those Twins related players, here is a rundown of where the games are taking place and which teams are involved. Pool A will take place in Fukuoka, Japan. It will include teams from Japan, Brazil, Cuba and China. Pool B will be March 2-5 in Taichung, Taiwan. The teams participating there will be Chinese Taipei, The Netherlands, Korea, and Australia. Pool C will be played March 7-10 in San Juan Puerto Rico. Teams there will be Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Spain. Finally, Pool D will be held in Phoenix on March 7-10. Along with Team USA will be Canada, Mexico and Italy. As we knew previous, Minnesotans and Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins will be on Team USA. As was reported here yesterday, Eddie Rosario will be part of a pretty impressive Puerto Rican outfield (Beltran, Rios, Pagan, Torres). As you read here earlier today, JO Berrios is also on the roster. So is former Twins LHP JC Romero. Team Australia is, as you would expect, full of players formerly in the Twins organization. The one current Twins player is infielder James Beresford. He is joined by former Twins Luke Hughes, Justin Huber and Brad Thomas. He’s also joined by former Twins farmhands Matt Williams, Brendan Wise, and Peter Moylan. Also, Ryan-Rowland Smith is on the roster. He was a Rule 5 pick of the Twins who was sent back to the Mariners. Liam Hendriks’ is not playing due to his elbow surgery in September. Jose Mijares will be playing for the team from Venezuela. Drew Butera will be on Team Italy. Former Twin infielder Nick Punto is also on the Italy roster, as is Twins minor leaguer Chris Colabello. What a 12-month period it has been for him! Former Twins first-round pick, Dan Serafini, is also on their roster. Team Canada will include 1B Justin Morneau. As we heard awhile ago, Scott Diamond is not playing due to his elbow surgery in December. However, minor league lefty Andrew Albers is on the roster. Former Twin Rene Tosoni will also be on the team. So will former RHP Jesse Crain. Ray Chang, from Kansas City and who has played in the Twins org the last two seasons, is again on Team China in the #WBC. Carlos Gomez will be on the Dominican Republic roster. Luis Ayala’s time with the Twins was short, and oh-so memorable. He’ll be on the team from Mexico. Finally, Tom Stuifbergen and Bert Blyleven will be reunited on the team from the Netherlands. Joining them will be tall, Also, Twins minor leaguer Shairon Martis will be on the roster. RHP Loek Van Mil, a long-time Twins farmhand. Who knows who will win the baseball exhibition? The primary thing for me is that all of the Twins players come back healthy! Feel free to discuss.

On Thursday, the 2013 World Baseball Classic rosters were announced. The day began with MLB Network unveiling Team USA. In the afternoon, the rosters of the other participating countries were announced. Three years ago, Tom Stuifbergen became a household name for the team from The Netherlands when he, under the tutelage of Bert Blyleven, threw five shutout innings against the vaunted lineup of the Dominican Republic. He and several other Twins players (past, present and future) will be participating in this year’s tournament/exhibition. Before getting to those Twins related players, here is a rundown of where the games are taking place and which teams are involved. Pool A will take place in Fukuoka, Japan. It will include teams from Japan, Brazil, Cuba and China. Pool B will be March 2-5 in Taichung, Taiwan. The teams participating there will be Chinese Taipei, The Netherlands, Korea, and Australia. Pool C will be played March 7-10 in San Juan Puerto Rico. Teams there will be Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Spain. Finally, Pool D will be held in Phoenix on March 7-10. Along with Team USA will be Canada, Mexico and Italy. As we knew previous, Minnesotans and Minnesota Twins, Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins will be on Team USA. As was reported here yesterday, Eddie Rosario will be part of a pretty impressive Puerto Rican outfield (Beltran, Rios, Pagan, Torres). As you read here earlier today, JO Berrios is also on the roster. So is former Twins LHP JC Romero. Team Australia is, as you would expect, full of players formerly in the Twins organization. The one current Twins player is infielder James Beresford. He is joined by former Twins Luke Hughes, Justin Huber and Brad Thomas. He’s also joined by former Twins farmhands Matt Williams, Brendan Wise, and Peter Moylan. Also, Ryan-Rowland Smith is on the roster. He was a Rule 5 pick of the Twins who was sent back to the Mariners. Liam Hendriks’ is not playing due to his elbow surgery in September. Jose Mijares will be playing for the team from Venezuela. Drew Butera will be on Team Italy. Former Twin infielder Nick Punto is also on the Italy roster, as is Twins minor leaguer Chris Colabello. What a 12-month period it has been for him! Former Twins first-round pick, Dan Serafini, is also on their roster. Team Canada will include 1B Justin Morneau. As we heard awhile ago, Scott Diamond is not playing due to his elbow surgery in December. However, minor league lefty Andrew Albers is on the roster. Former Twin Rene Tosoni will also be on the team. So will former RHP Jesse Crain. Ray Chang, from Kansas City and who has played in the Twins org the last two seasons, is again on Team China in the #WBC. Carlos Gomez will be on the Dominican Republic roster. Luis Ayala’s time with the Twins was short, and oh-so memorable. He’ll be on the team from Mexico. Finally, Tom Stuifbergen and Bert Blyleven will be reunited on the team from the Netherlands. Joining them will be tall, Also, Twins minor leaguer Shairon Martis will be on the roster. RHP Loek Van Mil, a long-time Twins farmhand. Who knows who will win the baseball exhibition? The primary thing for me is that all of the Twins players come back healthy! Feel free to discuss.

No, he couldn't... I don't think. Just not as much power as Sano... he'll likely have a higher batting average, and OBP will be close, but Sano will have higher SLG (although Rosario could rack up a ton of doubles).

I don't expect May or Meyer to be up at the beginning of 2014. But I expect that they, and other internal players, will start coming up in late 2013 and throughout 2014... I added the word "beyond" because I don't think they compete until 2015 and by then, I expect some of those early jitters and lessons learned start getting cleaned up on the younger players. And yeah, I like Worley. He's a solid, middle-of-the-rotation guy with controlled pricing for four years. Correia still being around is what keeps it at an A- instead of an A.

Fair deal... could argue he maybe should be at $650,000, but at the end of the day, what's $50,000. More and More, I'm completely on board with him being around in 2014, until Chris Herrmann is ready to be the backup catcher.

Transaction-wise, I'm good with the B-. I've liked the moves with the exception of Correia. 2013-wise, D might be kind. 2014 and beyond - A-

Yeah, there is no chance that Sano (assuming health) strikes out less than 100 times. I'd be shocked! I'm completely comfortable with both of them spending the full season in Ft. Myers.

Also heard: Along with Eddie Rosario, RHP JO Berrios will be named to the team from Puerto Rico. Quite an honor!

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1312-For-Better-or-Worse-Eddie-Rosario

The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 is now available, and I’m happy to have it out there for people to order. It’s a great tool for learning more about over 150 players in the Twins farm system. One of the players who received an extra-long profile was Eddie Rosario. This morning, you will find out why the timing of today’s Eddie Rosario, For Better or Worse article is appropriate. Read the following and decide for yourself: Will Eddie Rosario be better or worse in 2013? 2012 Recap When the Twins drafted Rosario in the third round of the 2010 draft, he was said to be the best bat from Puerto Rico that year. Since signing with the Twins, he has proven those people to be right. In 2011, he was the MVP of the Appalachian League. In 67 games, he hit .337/.397/.670 (1.068 OPS) with nine doubles, nine triples, 21 homers, 60 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Throughout the summer, it was a back-and-forth battle between Rosario and teammate Miguel Sano for the league leadership in home runs. Rosario won by just one homer. The ballparks are smaller in the Appy League than they are in the Midwest League. Some wondered if Rosario would be able to continue putting up those kind of power numbers in Beloit. Simply put, he is not the same type of power hitter as Miguel Sano. However, he is a much more well-rounded hitter than Sano. In 95 games with the Snappers, he hit .296/.345/.490 (.835 OPS) with a team-leading 32 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 780 RBI. Impressive extra base hit totals considering he missed just over a month after being hit by a line drive in the mouth during batting practice in early June. He stole 11 bases, but he was also caught 11 times. Something happened after his injury because he could not read pitchers and was thrown out a lot. Rosario made the transition from centerfield to second base. He is a terrific defensive centerfielder with good range and a very strong arm. The move to second base was not simple. When I saw him play in early June, he showed very little range and looked uncomfortable. When I saw him play in early August, he looked much more comfortable, turned a couple of double plays and did have some improved range. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3067[/ATTACH]Photo by Jim Crikket This offseason, he has been very impressive in the Puerto Rican Winter League. In the regular season, he hit .338/.386/.496 (.882) with nine doubles and four home runs. In 31 playoff at bats, he has hit .290/.378/.581 (.0959) with a homer and nine RBI. He has primarily been playing in right field, although he has occasionally played more at second base. When he reports to spring training, he will be playing second base. However, his spring training plans will be somewhat altered as he will be named to the Puerto Rican team in the WBC today when the rosters are announced. Why He’ll Be Worse As was mentioned last week when we discussed Miguel Sano, Rosario will also be moving up a level to play in Ft. Myers. The Florida State League is more advanced than the Midwest League. The dimensions of the ballpark are even larger, matching big league ballparks since they are used for major league spring training. One thing to watch will be his walk rate. After walking 9.1% of his plate appearances in 2011, he walked just 7.2% of the time in 2012. He will also need to show that his second half base stealer drought was just a slump. Why He’ll Be Better First and foremost, he hopefully won’t miss a month in the middle of the season due to a fluke injury. His numbers were very strong, and he was fairly consistent, at Beloit. His strikeout rate actually dropped from 20% to 16% When watching him, I found myself comparing his stance and swing are very similar to that of Denard Span. He has very quick hands so he is able to watch the ball a little bit longer. He also does a great job of using the entire field. He was also able to avoid long slumps. So, which will it be? Will Eddie Rosario get better or worse in 2013? Let us know what you think. If you missed my Live Chat last night, where many minor league topics were discussed, you can read the transcript here. Also, be sure to join us at Huberts (by the Metrodome) on Saturday night from 6-9 p.m., following Twins Fest. The Twins Daily guys will be there, as will Aaron Gleeman and many of your favorite writers.

The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 is now available, and I’m happy to have it out there for people to order. It’s a great tool for learning more about over 150 players in the Twins farm system. One of the players who received an extra-long profile was Eddie Rosario. This morning, you will find out why the timing of today’s Eddie Rosario, For Better or Worse article is appropriate. Read the following and decide for yourself: Will Eddie Rosario be better or worse in 2013? 2012 Recap When the Twins drafted Rosario in the third round of the 2010 draft, he was said to be the best bat from Puerto Rico that year. Since signing with the Twins, he has proven those people to be right. In 2011, he was the MVP of the Appalachian League. In 67 games, he hit .337/.397/.670 (1.068 OPS) with nine doubles, nine triples, 21 homers, 60 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Throughout the summer, it was a back-and-forth battle between Rosario and teammate Miguel Sano for the league leadership in home runs. Rosario won by just one homer. The ballparks are smaller in the Appy League than they are in the Midwest League. Some wondered if Rosario would be able to continue putting up those kind of power numbers in Beloit. Simply put, he is not the same type of power hitter as Miguel Sano. However, he is a much more well-rounded hitter than Sano. In 95 games with the Snappers, he hit .296/.345/.490 (.835 OPS) with a team-leading 32 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 780 RBI. Impressive extra base hit totals considering he missed just over a month after being hit by a line drive in the mouth during batting practice in early June. He stole 11 bases, but he was also caught 11 times. Something happened after his injury because he could not read pitchers and was thrown out a lot. Rosario made the transition from centerfield to second base. He is a terrific defensive centerfielder with good range and a very strong arm. The move to second base was not simple. When I saw him play in early June, he showed very little range and looked uncomfortable. When I saw him play in early August, he looked much more comfortable, turned a couple of double plays and did have some improved range. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3067[/ATTACH]Photo by Jim Crikket This offseason, he has been very impressive in the Puerto Rican Winter League. In the regular season, he hit .338/.386/.496 (.882) with nine doubles and four home runs. In 31 playoff at bats, he has hit .290/.378/.581 (.0959) with a homer and nine RBI. He has primarily been playing in right field, although he has occasionally played more at second base. When he reports to spring training, he will be playing second base. However, his spring training plans will be somewhat altered as he will be named to the Puerto Rican team in the WBC today when the rosters are announced. Why He’ll Be Worse As was mentioned last week when we discussed Miguel Sano, Rosario will also be moving up a level to play in Ft. Myers. The Florida State League is more advanced than the Midwest League. The dimensions of the ballpark are even larger, matching big league ballparks since they are used for major league spring training. One thing to watch will be his walk rate. After walking 9.1% of his plate appearances in 2011, he walked just 7.2% of the time in 2012. He will also need to show that his second half base stealer drought was just a slump. Why He’ll Be Better First and foremost, he hopefully won’t miss a month in the middle of the season due to a fluke injury. His numbers were very strong, and he was fairly consistent, at Beloit. His strikeout rate actually dropped from 20% to 16% When watching him, I found myself comparing his stance and swing are very similar to that of Denard Span. He has very quick hands so he is able to watch the ball a little bit longer. He also does a great job of using the entire field. He was also able to avoid long slumps. So, which will it be? Will Eddie Rosario get better or worse in 2013? Let us know what you think. If you missed my Live Chat last night, where many minor league topics were discussed, you can read the transcript here. Also, be sure to join us at Huberts (by the Metrodome) on Saturday night from 6-9 p.m., following Twins Fest. The Twins Daily guys will be there, as will Aaron Gleeman and many of your favorite writers.

The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 is now available, and I’m happy to have it out there for people to order. It’s a great tool for learning more about over 150 players in the Twins farm system. One of the players who received an extra-long profile was Eddie Rosario. This morning, you will find out why the timing of today’s Eddie Rosario, For Better or Worse article is appropriate. Read the following and decide for yourself: Will Eddie Rosario be better or worse in 2013? 2012 Recap When the Twins drafted Rosario in the third round of the 2010 draft, he was said to be the best bat from Puerto Rico that year. Since signing with the Twins, he has proven those people to be right. In 2011, he was the MVP of the Appalachian League. In 67 games, he hit .337/.397/.670 (1.068 OPS) with nine doubles, nine triples, 21 homers, 60 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Throughout the summer, it was a back-and-forth battle between Rosario and teammate Miguel Sano for the league leadership in home runs. Rosario won by just one homer. The ballparks are smaller in the Appy League than they are in the Midwest League. Some wondered if Rosario would be able to continue putting up those kind of power numbers in Beloit. Simply put, he is not the same type of power hitter as Miguel Sano. However, he is a much more well-rounded hitter than Sano. In 95 games with the Snappers, he hit .296/.345/.490 (.835 OPS) with a team-leading 32 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 780 RBI. Impressive extra base hit totals considering he missed just over a month after being hit by a line drive in the mouth during batting practice in early June. He stole 11 bases, but he was also caught 11 times. Something happened after his injury because he could not read pitchers and was thrown out a lot. Rosario made the transition from centerfield to second base. He is a terrific defensive centerfielder with good range and a very strong arm. The move to second base was not simple. When I saw him play in early June, he showed very little range and looked uncomfortable. When I saw him play in early August, he looked much more comfortable, turned a couple of double plays and did have some improved range. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3067[/ATTACH]Photo by Jim Crikket This offseason, he has been very impressive in the Puerto Rican Winter League. In the regular season, he hit .338/.386/.496 (.882) with nine doubles and four home runs. In 31 playoff at bats, he has hit .290/.378/.581 (.0959) with a homer and nine RBI. He has primarily been playing in right field, although he has occasionally played more at second base. When he reports to spring training, he will be playing second base. However, his spring training plans will be somewhat altered as he will be named to the Puerto Rican team in the WBC today when the rosters are announced. Why He’ll Be Worse As was mentioned last week when we discussed Miguel Sano, Rosario will also be moving up a level to play in Ft. Myers. The Florida State League is more advanced than the Midwest League. The dimensions of the ballpark are even larger, matching big league ballparks since they are used for major league spring training. One thing to watch will be his walk rate. After walking 9.1% of his plate appearances in 2011, he walked just 7.2% of the time in 2012. He will also need to show that his second half base stealer drought was just a slump. Why He’ll Be Better First and foremost, he hopefully won’t miss a month in the middle of the season due to a fluke injury. His numbers were very strong, and he was fairly consistent, at Beloit. His strikeout rate actually dropped from 20% to 16% When watching him, I found myself comparing his stance and swing are very similar to that of Denard Span. He has very quick hands so he is able to watch the ball a little bit longer. He also does a great job of using the entire field. He was also able to avoid long slumps. So, which will it be? Will Eddie Rosario get better or worse in 2013? Let us know what you think. If you missed my Live Chat last night, where many minor league topics were discussed, you can read the transcript here. Also, be sure to join us at Huberts (by the Metrodome) on Saturday night from 6-9 p.m., following Twins Fest. The Twins Daily guys will be there, as will Aaron Gleeman and many of your favorite writers.

My sense is that the minor league lines this year will be much bigger than the lines at the Autograph Corners 1 and 2 this year. They have a tremendous group of minor leaguers this year. Some big time prospects... Arcia, Hicks, Sano, Gibson, Meyer, May, etc.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1309-Live-Chat-with-Seth-Tonight-at-7

Tonight at 7, Seth Stohs will be answering your Twins-related questions here at Twins Daily. The chat room will be opened 15 minutes before then, and you can get your questions in right away. It'll be a good opportunity to discuss Twins topics, and particularly Twins minor league topics since the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 just became available this week. We can talk about Twins Fest, spring training, Twins in the WBC, Hall of Fame, whatever you like. So, stop by the site tonight and ask anything you'd like! Live Twins Chat with Seth Stohs

Tonight at 7, Seth Stohs will be answering your Twins-related questions here at Twins Daily. The chat room will be opened 15 minutes before then, and you can get your questions in right away. It'll be a good opportunity to discuss Twins topics, and particularly Twins minor league topics since the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 just became available this week. We can talk about Twins Fest, spring training, Twins in the WBC, Hall of Fame, whatever you like. So, stop by the site tonight and ask anything you'd like! Live Twins Chat with Seth Stohs

Doumit's got value due to position flexibility and especially as a catcher. Hicks will fill several categories if he's there... Other than Mauer, not much to draft for the Twins... Well, and Perkins.

Well, he's owed $31 million in 2013 ($25.5 million salary with a $25 million option for 2014 with a $5.5 million buyout).

I'm on board with Saunders for 2 years... but again, pick a number you're comfortable with... $20 million? 25 million? And stick to it. If he gets that third year, or he gets more than the per-year value, then don't.

Drew Butera tweeted that he has been added to the team from Italy. Also, heard today that Eddie Rosario has made the Puerto Rican team, which is pretty impressive.

I was told by someone closer to the Jurrjens camp that he would likely sign immediately if offered 1 year, $3 Million MLB contract. Not sure he'd get that at this point in the offseason, but he's got the right agent to get it.