Seth Stohs

Reasons for: if you can get him for 2/$20M or less, great. He threw 174+ innings last year, but was over 200 the two previous years and over 180 the two years before that. That will help the bullpen tremendously. It also allows them to be more patient with the likes of May and Meyer. Reasons against: 2014 rotation would include Saunders, Correia, Diamond, Gibson, Hendriks...and then the Hermsen, May, Meyer, group waits for injury (which may be good), and frankly, if they're doing that well, they won't stop them and will bring them up. So, in general, I'm good with two years, wouldn't do three years... wouldn't go over $10-11M per.

I agree with Shane on the whole promotion and demotion timing last year, and also on hardly ever playing him at 2B in Rochester. But I think he can be solid. I will back Dozier all day long, and people know that. But I had him ranked 10-12 even before last year which, to me, means solid big league regular. I don't think anyone who studies or follows minor league information thought he was going to be a big star in anyway. I know the media portrayed him as that last spring. I definitely believe that he can be about a league average MLB second baseman. I think people who have given up on him are within their rights, but I don't think that's fair yet. Worst case, I do think he can be a solid utility guy. For 2013, definitely better.

It's not 'rushing' but he was a 4-year college senior when he was drafted. Drafted at 22 and in the big leagues while still 24, less than three years later is pretty quick.

Today, LHP Brian Duensing and C Drew Butera were among 133 MLB players who filed for free agency. Duensing could get between $1.5M and $2.0M. Butera will likely get somewhere between $0.6M and $0.8M.

Thanks for ordering... We all know quite a bit about the main, known prospects, but the other guys in the book all work hard and deserve to be noticed. Also, you never know from year to year which prospect(s) will take a big step forward and suddenly be a guy you'll want to know more about, right? As for the error, Haar was drafted in 2012. I want to apologize for any errors you find. Jeremy, Cody and I did take a lot of time reading through it. I caught a lot of things. We all did, but some will sneak through. That's the beauty of self-publishing. I found a mistake when I was re-reading the Luke Bard profile this morning. I corrected it for this blog, but if you've got the e-book, you've probably already caught it too. There will be some. We tried, but we're not professionals. We just want to provide a lot of information about a lot of players.

No, I'm glad you brought it up because I now think it is funny. Like Jeremy said, we've all looked at it many times. I got a copy I ordered last weekend today in the mail, and it was wrong on there. I just think it's funny. It was good to correct it, but nothing we can do on those that ordered before that. It'll be a good thing to test your friends and family with... See if they notice.

Thank you very much. And yes, the Twins have some tremendous amateur scouts that have done well for a long time! And yes, I meant Trouble with the Curve... I don't know why I typed Thrown for a Curve... It should be updated shortly. Also... Don't forget Justin Timberlake was in that movie too!

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1306-12-Questions-With-Luke-Bard

Good morning! Thanks as always for making Twins Daily part of your every day reading. Today I am going to return to the 12 Questions format with a fun interview with one of the Twins first-round picks in 2012, RHP Luke Bard. As you know, the Twins selected him out of Georgia Tech with the 42nd overall pick. He wasn’t able to pitch much last year due to a couple of injuries, but he has a ton of talent, and as you’ll read below, a pretty strong baseball pedigree in his family. He was kind enough to put some quality time into answering our 12 Questions recently. To tell a little bit more about Bard before getting into the interview, I want to post for you what was written about him in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 by fellow-author and Twins Daily contributor, the Nodak Twins Fan Cody Christie. This is just one out of 85 Twins minor league pitcher profiles available in the 191 page book dedicated solely to the Twins minor league system. Yesterday, we made the paperback book available online for $13.99. I did that because four of the five players on the cover will be at Twins Fest and lots of people tell me they want to get books signed there. To do so, they should really be ordered within the next 24-48 hours. Today, you can now also order an electronic book (e-book) for just $8.99. (I do get a lot of questions about Prospect Handbooks from previous years. If you’re interested in those, click here.) I’ll be quiet about the book and give you the profile, and then… 12 Questions With… RHP Luke Bard. Luke Bard – RHP (11/13/90) Acquired: Supp 1st round pick in 2012 from Georgia Tech 2012 Team(s): GCL Twins, Elizabethton Twins 2012 Stats: 0-0, 1 Save, 3.86 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 7.0 IP, 7 BB, 7 K One of the trends for the Twins in the 2012 Draft was that the club decided to load up on powerful college relief arms. Bard was the first of these type of players selected by the Twins after finishing his junior year at Georgia Tech. He is the younger brother of Boston Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard, and the Twins will try to make him into a starter in the minor leagues. During his collegiate career, he was used mostly as a relief arm, but he does have a very good three-pitch mix. His slider is one of his best pitches, and it sits in the high 80s. Bard’s fastball sits anywhere from 92 to 96, and he can mix in a solid changeup with good arm action. He dealt with a strained right lat muscle this past spring but it wasn’t a serious injury. In his last season at Georgia Tech, he would put together a 0.99 ERA in 27.1 innings with 26 strikeouts, six walks, and zero home runs allowed. There were enough positive signs for the Twins to want to select him in the early portion of the draft. Bard appeared in seven games after signing with the Twins. He was roughed up a bit in his first three outings with the GCL Twins as he posted a 6.75 ERA with three strikeouts and five walks in four innings. He would improve when he got to the Appalachian League, as he didn’t allow an earned run over three innings. He had four strikeouts and two walks. His season ended with another minor injury. At the beginning of 2013, Bard will be given the opportunity to start at some level in the Twins system and it is up to him to show the club he is up to the challenge. (CC) [ATTACH=CONFIG]3054[/ATTACH] 12 QUESTIONS WITH… Luke Bard Twins Daily (TD): Growing up North Carolina, who was your favorite team? Who were some of your favorite players? Luke Bard (LB): I always followed the Braves and Red Sox growing up. The Braves were the closest team to Charlotte so my family would travel down to Turner Field every summer. I became a fan of the Red Sox because both my parents grew up in Massachusetts. Then my brother made it to the big leagues with the Red Sox in 2009 so I have rooted for them since. Now I am all for the Twins! TD: Tell us about your high school career at Charlotte Christian (baseball and/or other extra-curriculars). LB: I could not have asked for a better high school experience. I was fortunate to be surrounded by great coaches and friends who helped me succeed athletically and academically. Believe it or not, football was my favorite sport. You can't beat Friday night lights and if I was good enough then I would probably be playing football today. TD: When the Red Sox took you in the 16th round in 2009, how difficult was the decision for you to go to college instead of signing, especially with your brother in the Red Sox organization? LB: Like I said before, I was a Red Sox fan growing up so it was a great experience to be drafted by them. Things did not work out for me to sign but I believe everything happens for a reason and it turned out to be a blessing. I made friendships at Georgia Tech that will last a lifetime and cannot imagine my life any other way. I would not have traded my time at Georgia Tech for anything and am thrilled to be a part of the Minnesota Twins organization. TD: Talk a little about your career at Georgia Tech, one of college baseball’s traditional powerhouses. What were some of the highlights? LB: We had some extremely talented teams each year I was in college but could not get out regionals for whatever reason. Each season I had high hopes of going to Omaha and was frustrated when we would lose that final game. Baseball is a tricky game and in postseason play it seems like the team that gets hot wins. My sophomore year we played NC State in the ACC tournament. I was our closer but ended up throwing 5 innings and over 90 pitches in extra innings. The game ended up going 15 innings and we won by stealing home in the top of the 15th. It was fun to be a part of. TD: You have started and you have relieved. Do you have a preference? Do you prepare differently for either role? LB: Both roles are completely different but I love both. With starting, it's nice to get in a routine of pitching every fifth day so that I can work on different things in between starts. With relieving, there is the adrenaline rush that comes with pitching in the late innings of close games. I love being on the mound with the game on the line and you can't beat closing a 1 or 2 run game. If I had to pick one I would rather start. Starting over the course of a season I feel I can give my team more total innings and a better chance to win more games. TD: The Twins took you in the supplemental first round, with the 42nd overall pick. Heading into the draft, is that around where you were being told you might be selected? Did you talk to the Twins scouts much heading into the draft? LB: I had an interesting situation because I tore my right lat in March. Doctors felt my injury was caused by my transition from closing to starting in the middle of the year rather than mechanics or genetics which may have scared teams away. I went from throwing 12-15 pitches in an outing to throwing 90 in just a couple weeks which was really tough on my arm. And since my injury was just muscular, it is not something that would affect my career long term. It would have been fun to know how things would have gone if I pitched the rest of the year but I as I said before everything happens for a reason. Jack Powell is the Twins scout who drafted me. He has been awesome to work with and nothing but encouraging. I have had the pleasure of getting to know him and becoming friends over the past year. We talk on the phone every few weeks and I always love catching up. I had a pretty good idea of where I would get drafted and was happy when I heard the Twins call my name. TD: After signing, you got a few innings in rookie ball, but fought injuries throughout the college season and into the pro level. How frustrating were the injuries when you were starting your career, and where are you at physically at this time? LB: Frustrating would be an understatement. Nothing is worse than having to watch from the bench. As a result, I have been doing everything I can this offseason to get back to my old self. It's a long process but my arm has felt great this offseason. I am really looking forward to getting back on the mound in 2013. TD: How has your offseason been, and when do you start your preparations for the 2013 season? How will that routine differ from your college workout routine, if at all? LB: I've been preparing myself for the 2013 season since I left instructs in October. I have been up to Massachusetts twice this offseason to work at Cressey Performance. Eric Cressey trains professional athletes and is years ahead of everyone else in terms of detail in the workouts. Everything we do is pitching specific which will enable me to perform at a high level and stay healthy throughout the 2013 season. TD: Do you have any goals for the 2013 season? Are there certain statistics that you would like to meet, or that you look at while evaluating yourself? LB: I am not a big stat guy because stats are often misleading and out of my control. However, I can control my attitude, work ethic, and mental preparation each day. As long as I take care of those aspects, stats will take care of themselves. Going into my first season of pro ball, my goal to learn as much as I can and do everything I can to get better. TD: I looked and saw that your father spent five years as a catcher in the minor leagues. I assume that he did a lot of catching in the back yard for you and your brothers. Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? LB: God has blessed me with a wonderful support system. It was nice having a dad that played at such a high level. My dad coached me growing up and has taught me just about everything I know about baseball. Both my Mom and Dad have always been there for me in baseball and in life. My older brothers always pushed me to be my best growing up and have since always been encouraging and motivating. Last but not least, my fiancé has been at just about every game throughout high school and college. It is comforting to know that she and my family are always there for me no matter what. TD: How would you describe yourself as a pitcher? If you were a scout, what would the report be? LB: Tough question but I hope that scouts say I am a fearless competitor no matter what the situation. I want to be the player and teammate that always finds a way to help my team win. TD: Favorite baseball movie? LB: Sandlot. I used to tell people my name was Benny the Jet and rock the PF Flyers in elementary school. Thank you to Luke! Luke mentioned Jack Powell, the Twins scout that signed him. In the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013, Jeremy Nygaard had the opportunity to interview him and got lots of thoughts on Bard, Byron Buxton, Niko Goodrum and other Twins minor leaguers that he scouted. Powell was also in the movie Thrown for a Curve. Best of luck to Luke Bard in the 2013 season. Hopefully it’ll be a season with 100% health and plenty of success!!

Now Available as an e-book: Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 by Seth Stohs (eBook) - Lulu

I have a sinking feeling about many of the blog commenters who are posting on this particular string. Blackburn's a good guy who started his career with two solid years. He hasn't been as good on the mound since then, but he/no one deserves some of these comments. It's ridiculous! Show some class!! I hope the surgery goes well.

I think the reality is that we don't know... He did a nice job in the 4th OF role. The assumption is that he would be less successful as an every day guy because of more scouting reports. He'd be over-exposed. But, he's young enough that he could be a decent every day guy. But, he's certainly not in the level of Hicks or Benson when it comes to upside. My assumption is he's a fourth OF who could fill in admirably for a few weeks or a month at a time.

The cover has been fixed. Any ordered at this point forward will receive the corrected cover... The other one will be the (More Valuable) Error Cover.

These are all possibilities... US - Mauer, Perkins (confirmed) Canada - Morneau (confirmed), Albers could. Diamond won't be due to his elbow surgery, I believe. Venezuela - could Arcia be on the team? Dominican Republic - could they put Sano on the team? Italy - Chris Colabello is a strong possibility. Australia - I'm sure Beresford will be on the team. Netherlands - Stuifbergen will certainly be on the team, and Blyleven will be his pitching coach again. Shairon Martis could be on the team as well. Puerto Rico - Nelvin Fuentes has been a contributor on many of their international rosters. I even want to say he was on the last WBC team. Could they add Rosario?

Well... ummm... Good catch! I'd like to say that we left that on there intentionally to see if anyone would even notice... but that wouldn't exactly be true... Hmmm... And yes, the book was a lot of hard work. The last week has been spent editing... the inside pages of the book...

You can view the page at Twins Daily - Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 NOW AVAILABLE

The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 is now available for $13.99. To high-level summarize, the handbook contains 191 pages of content on the Twins minor league system. You may be asking yourself, “How could one book possibly contain 191 pages on one team’s minor league system?” I’ve asked myself that question, wondering if it’s too much. Hopefully below I’ll be able to show that there is a lot of value. Taking a step back though, I have to say that it is shocking to me that this is my fifth Twins Prospect Handbook. The first cover was plain white text on a red cover. Since then, the past four covers have had players on the covers. The first book had about 81 pages. We’ve clearly increased the output since then. Most important, however, in that first book the player profiles basically talked about when the player was drafted and/or signed and a few statistics. The content has increased because we talk about the players’ history before coming to the Twins, and we talk about statistics and some more advanced statistics (but without being overwhelming). However, we have been able to gain enough contacts to get very good scouting reports on players. In other words, there is more content, and it is significantly better. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3048[/ATTACH] Let’s talk about the profiles. I did something a little bit different this year. In year’s past, I put all of the players together, in alphabetical order. This year, it’s still in alphabetical order, but I did separate the pitchers and the hitters. There are about 85 pitcher profiles and 68 hitter profiles. That is a lot of profiles, and I need to thank and recognize Jeremy Nygaard and Cody Christie. As you at Twins Daily know, these two are very talented writers who have a passion for the Twins and for the minor leagues. I was honored that they were willing to help me out. They both put in a lot of time and now realize the work that it takes to put into each profile in research and writing. To be completely honest, due to life and such, without the help of those two, this year’s Prospect Handbook would not happen. So please, be sure to follow both of them on Twitter (Jeremy and Cody) and thank them. In addition to their profiles, they each wrote a couple of articles as well. Cody wrote an article looking back at the rookies who played for the Twins in 2012. How did they do and what is their future? He also wrote an article on the rise of Tom Brunansky, as well as other coaches/managers in the Twins farm system that are prospects themselves. Jeremy has an article looking back at the Twins 2012 draft. He also wrote an article looking at who some of the options might be when the Twins draft 4th overall in the 2013 draft. Finally, Jeremy was able to secure an interview with Jack Powell. Powell is a Twins scout, and they had a great discussion about the job, and several of the Twins recent draft picks. Jeremy also asked him about being a movie star!! In addition to Cody and Jeremy, a couple of other Twins bloggers were gracious enough to write an article for the book. Jim Crikket (Knuckleballsblog) is a long-time Twins fan and a Cedar Rapids native who has been going to Cedar Rapids Kernels for many, many years. He wrote a very nice article on the history of the Kernels and about the stadium and the atmosphere there. Also, Paul Pleiss (Puckett’s Pond and the Talk to Contact podcast) wrote a fun article talking about a baseball trip that included major league games and a bunch of minor league games. He did a nice job of illustrating why it is so much fun to attend minor league games. I wrote articles on my choices for Twins minor league hitter of the year (Oswaldo Arcia), starting pitcher of the year (BJ Hermsen) and relief pitcher of the year (AJ Achter). Achter and Hermsen provided some quotes to discuss their seasons, their sports histories (both were stars at their high schools in multiple sports) and what they are looking forward to in 2013. I did send questions to Arcia, but he is obviously busy bashing pitching in the Venezuelan Winter League playoffs (Where he has hit three home runs already), so I didn’t get quotes from him. However, I got some great quotes from his teammates about his value as a teammate and obviously as a monstrous hitter. If you are into autographs, specifically if you are going to Twins Fest of Spring Training in Ft. Myers, then the Prospect Handbook is a must-have. Of the five players on the cover of the book, four of them will be at Twins Fest. 17 players profiled in the handbook will be at Twins Fest. As I’ve mentioned before, the cover was put together by Josh Johnson, who also did last year. There are several photos on the covers but also throughout the book. New Britain photos were taken by Heather Cavalier, via the Rock Cats. Ft. Myers photos were taken by Greg Wagner, via the Miracle. The Byron Buxton photos were taken by Janet Carter Patton. Finally, a huge thank you to Justin Rinaldi and Rinaldi Photos. Justin has provided pictures of Snappers players the last few years. The Twins have been brutal the last two years, and as the roster sits right now, they could lose 95+ games again in 2013. That means that there are a lot of minor leaguers who could get the opportunity with the Twins during the season. You know a bit about Kyle Gibson, Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks, but do you know much about Caleb Thielbar, Michael Tonkin, Andrew Albers and Chris Herrmann? The book includes the newest Twins minor leagues like Alex Meyer, Trevor May, Ryan Pressly and Mark Sobolewski. Think any of them will be mentioned from time to time? The beauty of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook is that you can keep it by your coffee table. When Dick Bremer talks about a minor leaguer, or you want to find out what pitchers could come up to the Twins, just grab the book and do a little research. Find out which players are playing well in AA or AAA, get to know about them, and then impress your friends with how much you know. The Twins have not gone the free agency market this offseason, at least not with any players who will hold back any top prospects, so we will likely see several more players come up to the Twins. $13.99 for 191 pages of Twins minor league content seems fair enough. I really want it to be available for people to bring to Twins Fest. If you would like to have some copies before Twins Fest, you will really want to get them ordered within the next 24-48 hours. Get your copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 today! (Note – E-Books will be coming in the near future. I wanted to get paperback books available.) IF you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.

There will be an article posted in a couple of hours telling you all about the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013. It'll tell you much more about the fifth annual handbook. I'll credit Jeremy Nygaard and Cody Christie a bunch. I"ll also thank Jim Crikket and Paul Pleiss for each writing an article for the book. I'll write about how many Twins minor leaguers are profiled and much more. You've seen the cover. Four of the five guy on the cover will be at Twins Fest... In an attempt to make it available even a little earlier than anticipated, here is a Twins Daily special on the prospect handbook. From NOW until 10:00 p.m. tonight (central time), I will have the price on the site at just $12.99 ($1 off what it will be regularly) as a thank you to Twins Daily readers, all the supporters and all those who do a great job on this site discussing the Twins farm system... even if we disagree a bit! Here is the link to follow to order the book at this price: Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013 by Seth Stohs (Paperback) - Lulu Thank you again very much!! Seth Stohs

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1301-Twins-Draft-Kirby-Puckett

31 years ago today, January 12, 1981, the Twins made a decision that altered the history of the organization. On that date, the Twins used the third overall pick in the January portion of the MLB Draft. As you know, in June, players out of high school, junior college and those having finished three years at a four-year college are selected. However, from 1965 through 1986, there was also a draft in January for high school and college players who graduated in the Winter. Kirby Puckett fit into that category. I assume many know the history of Kirby Puckett. He's a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players in Minnesota Twins history. His legend grew as the leader of the 1987 and 1991 World Series championship teams. For someone in my age group, we know all about the Kirby Puckett story. However, consider that he has been retired since spring training of 1996. Anyone born after September 28, 1995, was not born while he was still playing. That means that no one under the age of around 23 or 24 would have memories of watching him during his playing career. Puckett was born and raised in the projects on the South Side of Chicago, some of the roughest neighborhoods in the country. Following his high school playing days, he didn't receive any scholarship offers. He went to work on the assembly line at a Ford Motors plant. He was given an opportunity to play at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, but after one year, he went to Triton Community College. That's where the Jim Rantz legend was born. Rantz went to Triton one day to watch his son play, but in the process, he got to see Kirby Puckett play. He was so impressed that he recommended the Twins continue to send scouts to watch him. Then 31 years ago today, they used the third overall pick to to select the outfielder. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3045[/ATTACH] As a 22-year-old, he went to Elizabethton where he hit .382/.438/.491 with 15 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 35 RBI. It may surprise some, but he also stole 43 bases (in 47 attempts) during the short-season. In 1983, he moved up to Visalia where he hit .314/.366/.442 with 29 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs and 97 RBI. He stole 48 bases in 59 attempts. Let me make a brief sidenote here. Puckett was putting up monstrous numbers in A-Ball, but he was already 23 years old, so I imagine had prospect rankings ben done by more at that time, he may have been dropped a few spots because he was "too old for the level." (of course, it did come out shortly after his playing career that he was born on March 14, 1960. He had been listed as being born March 14, 1961, throughout his career, although he never hid that information from the Twins.) In 1984, he jumped all the way up to AAA Toledo. 21 games into the season, he was hitting just .263/.294/.325 with two doubles and a home run. He was also 8 for 10 in stolen base attempts. The Twins were tired of their centerfield situation that included the likes of Bobby Mitchell and Darrell Brown, and they decided to promote Puckett. On May 8, Puckett debuted with four hits against the Angels. During his 12-year career, he played in 10 All Star games and won six Gold Glove awards and six Silver Slugger Awards. He finished in the Top 3 in MVP voting three times. He won the batting title when he his .339 in 1989, but the year before, he hit .356 and finished second to Wade Boggs (.366). Overall, he hit .318/.360/.477 with 414 doubles, 57 triples, 207 home runs, 1,085 RBI and 1,071 runs scored. He also stole 134 bases. Obviously his career ended way too short when, in the spring of 1996, he was diagnosed with glaucoma and could never play again. He became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2001. In 2002, a lot of information came out that destroyed the great guy persona that Puckett had throughout his playing career. There's no getting around that or excusing that, but those of us who were eight years old when Puckett debuted and remember all the great catches, the home runs, the All Star games, the World Series titles, choose (right or wrong) to remember those things and what Kirby Puckett meant to fans around the Upper Midwest. Puckett had a massive stroke in March of 2006 and passed away the following day. If I'm being honest, I had to leave work, 31 years ago today, the Twins drafted Kirby Puckett. He became the Minnesota Twins to so many. I wish I could have met him.