Seth Stohs

I'm a huge believer in Liam Hendriks. Having talked to him several times, he is very smart, great baseball IQ, knows how to pitch. I think he experiences a little struggle last year for the first time, and he probably over-thought. t kind of looked like that at least. He's got better control of three pitches than he showed in the big leagues last year. He's just got to relax. The comp to Slowey is fair, and it shows how you just never know with any prospect. Slowey missed a lot of bats in the minors without walking people, and to this point, he's only had some big league success. There are a lot of pitchers having good MLB careers who didn't put up nearly the nmbers that Slowey or Hendriks have put up in the minors. So, you never know, but I will stand behind my thinking that Hendriks can be a solid #3 for years. If I'm wrong, so be it.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1260-Report-Twins-to-sign-RHP-Mike-Pelfrey

CBS Sports's Jon Heyman is reporting that the Twins have agreed to terms with RHP Mike Pelfrey. The 28-year-old pitcher made three starts in 2012 for the New York Mets before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery. The deal is reportedly for one year at $4 million with incentives up to $1.5 million more. Pelfrey was the Mets first-round pick in 2005 out of Wichita State. He debuts with the team in 2006. He has made 149 starts (and four relief appearances) for the Mets in his career. He has a 50-54 record with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. In the four seasons prior to 2012, he pitched no less than 184 innings and twice topped the 200 inning mark. He is reported to be throwing well already, although it will be interesting to see how ready he is by spring training and by Opening Day. In his career, he has walked 3.2 batters per nine innings, but he has a career strikeout rate of just 5.1 per nine innings. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2909[/ATTACH] You may recall, the Twins wanted him to be part of the Johan Santana trade, but he was deemed untouchable. . See... the Twins aren't against signing Scott Boras clients after all. I guess due to the fact that he's four years younger than Kevin Correia, this is a little bit better of a signing. What do you think?

I guess if a minor league free agent signing can be called a Big Acquisition, then Brandon Webb would at least be a Big Name Acquisition.

In my opinion, I'd trade a C and a D prospect for either of them. No one with big upside, for sure. They're old. They're one year band-aids. The Dodgers are looking to trade them. Just to put some numbers, maybe a Twins 25-30 prospect and a 40-50 type?

Perkins and Duensing should not be considered. I'm definitely interested in either Capuano or Harang, but neither should cost that much.

Check out Miguel Sano's 4th home run last night in the Dominican Winter League. [video=youtube;tUOhfjxfl2Y]

Maybe someone else looked, but is Rod Carew in the list of 125??

Looks like 5 years and $80 million to stay with the Tigers. Sanchez actually went back to the Tigers to give them the final opportunity.

Ummm.... No.

Killebrew at 64, Blyleven at like 71, Molitor at 77. But no Puckett??

Earlier Nick asked if you would go 2 years and $30 million on RHP Ryan Dempster, who apparently signed with the Boston Red Sox for 2 years and $26 million. It sounds as though the Cubs and RHP Anibal Sanchez are nearing a 5 year, $75 million deal. So, the similar question for the forum is: Would you have signed Anibal Sanchez for 5 years and 80 million? They theory, of course, is that the Twins would have had to overpay a little bit to have "won" the Sanchez derby. I would have liked the deal at 5 years and $75 million, so I would be good with 5 years and $80 million just because he is very good, and unlike most free agents, he is still young and so the five years on him wouldn't scare me quite as much as a 3 year deal on some 33 year old.

I'd say no because that contract would likely make him untradeable without picking up a bunch of the contract anyway.

awful, maybe yes... but I find these great because it reminds of some of those more obscure names...

No.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1254-Twins-Hall-of-Fame-Ballot

The Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame began in the year 2000 when they inducted former owner Calvin Griffith along with Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, and Kirby Puckett. Since then, one or two people (players or other Twins-related personnel) have been added each year. Last year, Camilo Pascual was named to the Twins Hall of Fame. Recently, the Minnesota Twins put their online ballot for the 2013 Twins Hall of Fame. The ballot includes 18 former Twins players. Ten hitters and eight pitchers comprise the ballot. Today, I’m going to post some numbers for the hitters and the pitchers before I rank the candidates, 1 through 18. In the comments, let us know which former players you would vote for, and why. Then, go to the Twins website and make your actual votes. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2886[/ATTACH] Let’s take a look at the candidates. THE STARTING PITCHERS [TABLE=width: 485] Pitcher W-L IP ERA (ERA+) WHIP BB/9 K/9 WAR Dave Boswell 67-64 1,036.1 3.49 (101) 1.24 4.0 7.5 9.5 Dean Chance 41-34 664.0 2.67 (126) 1.07 2.3 6.8 12.0 Dave Goltz 96-79 1,638.0 3.48 (112) 1.31 2.7 4.9 22.5 Mudcat Grant 50-35 780.2 3.35 (107) 1.21 1.9 4.3 5.0 Kevin Tapani 75-63 1,171.1 4.06 (108) 1.27 2.0 5.6 17.8 [/TABLE] THE RELIEVERS [TABLE=width: 495] Pitcher W-L-S IP ERA (ERA+) WHIP BB/9 K/9 WAR Eddie Guardado 37-48-116 704.2 4.53 (105) 1.34 3.4 7.8 8.6 Jeff Reardon 15-16-104 226.1 3.70 (116) 1.15 2.2 7.4 4.0 Al Worthington 51-31-88 473.1 2.62 (134) 1.19 3.5 7.6 9.4 [/TABLE] THE HITTERS [TABLE=width: 540] Hitter H-AB BA/OBP/SLG OPS (OPS+) 2B/3B/HR/RBI WAR Tom Brunansky 829-3,313 .250/.330/.452 .782 (109) 154/13/163/469 14.5 John Castino 646-2,320 .278/.329/.398 .727 (97) 86/34/41/249 14.2 Dan Gladden 661-2,470 .268/.318/.382 .700 (95) 117/26/38/238 4.8 Brian Harper 767-2,503 .306/.342/.431 .773 (110) 156/6/48/346 12.2 Larry Hisle 697-2,437 .286/.354/.457 .799 (127) 109/23/87/409 15.8 Chuck Knoblauch 1,197-3,939 .304/.391/.416 .807 (114) 210/51/43/391 36.3 Corey Koskie 781-2,788 .280/.373/.463 .836 (116) 180/13/101/437 20.5 Shane Mack 668-2,161 .309/.375/.479 .854 (130) 119/24/67/315 18.7 Roy Smalley 1,046-3,997 .262/.350/.401 .750 (104) 184/21/110/485 19.1 Cesar Tovar 1,164-4,142 .281/.337/.377 .714 (102) 193/45/38/319 24.0 [/TABLE] THE RANKINGS Let me again say that this ranking is mine. Each of you will likely switch some players around and although it could look similar, it could also look completely different. #18 – Dan Gladden – OF – 1987-1991 Gladden came to the Twins before the 1987. He was the team’s leadoff hitter on the two Twins championship teams. He scored the World Series-winning run in the 10th inning of Game 7 of the 1991 World Series after his hustle double. He was a solid left-fielder, but he was a leadoff hitter with a .318 on-base percentage. Maybe he can make the Twins Hall of Fame several years down the line for his radio work. #17 – John Castino – IF – 1979-1984 Castino was the co-AL Rookie of the Year in 1979 along with Alfredo Griffin. Unfortunately, his career was shortened by back injuries. #16 – Jeff Reardon – RH RP – 1987-1989 Like Gladden, Reardon also came to the Twins before the 1987 season. Although he posted a 4.48 ERA that season, it was such an improvement from The Ron Davis days that people thought it was good. He was actually much better in 1988. #15 – Jim “Mudcat” Grant – RH SP – 1964-1967 Grant has done quite well for himself after his playing days with a career in music. He was also very good on the mound. He was a huge part of that 1965 World Series team when he won 21 games. He struckout pretty much no one, and he walked no one. He was also a pretty good hitter. #14 – Brian Harper – C – 1988-1993 Harper came to the Twins as a journeyman before the 1988 season. He established himself as a very good batting average-hitting catcher with some doubles power. Although he refused to walk, he put together solid at bats. He was a key to the 1991 World Series team. #13 – Dean Chance – RH SP – 1967-1969 Chance could probably be higher on this list, but he played for the Twins for just three years. He had a no-hitter, and he won 20 games in 1967. He was worth 12 WAR in just three seasons. #12 – Eddie Guardado – LH RP – 1993-2003, 2008 Guardado’s overall numbers certainly don’t look great. He was not good as a starter his first couple of seasons. Although he earned the “Every Day” nickname, his first several seasons in the Twins bullpen were not successful. However, from 2001-2003, Guardado did a tremendous job as the Twins closer. His ‘stuff’ was not all that impressive, but he was all guts. #11 – Larry Hisle – OF – 1973-1977 Hisle is another guy who did not spend a lot of time with the Twins, likely because he played so well he priced himself out of Mr. Griffith’s comfort zone. He posted hi 15.8 WAR in just four seasons. #10 – Tom Brunansky – OF – 1982-1988 “Bruno” came to the Twins from the Angels as a 21-year-old who had just made his big league debut. He joined the other young Twins who came up in 1982 and provided the nucleus for that 1987 team. He represented the Twins in the 1985 All Star game. He was quite durable in his time with the Twins, and although he didn’t hit for average, he averaged over 28 homers a season from 1983 through 1987. He is now the Twins hitting coach. #9 – Dave Boswell – RH SP – 1964-1970 Boswell is best known for his 1969 fight in Detroit with manager Billy Martin, but he also won 20 games during that season and was a solid performer for the Twins. He actually threw hard and unlike most pitchers from that era, he wasn’t afraid to try to miss bats. Boswell passed away this past June. #8 – Al Worthington – RH RP – 1964-1969 Worthington was the Twins’ closer during the pre-closer era. He actually came to the Twins in 1964 as a 35 year old reliever. He debuted with the New York Giants in 1953, and he was just a 5th or 6th starter and long reliever for parts of seven seasons. He was in the minor leagues in 1961 and 1962 before resurfacing. However, once he got to the Twins, he was a dominant reliever for five years. He didn’t post an ERA over 2.84 until his final (age 40) season. #7 – Roy Smalley – SS – 1976-1982, 1985-1987 Back in the 1970s, shortstops were supposed to be just good glove little guys. Smalley was the Twins shortstop during his first stint in the organization and provided 25-30 doubles and 18-20 home run power. He came back to the Twins as a part-time player in 1985 and ended his career with the 1987 World Series champion team. He now is an analyst for the Twins on Fox Sports North. #6 – Kevin Tapani – RH SP – 1989-1995 Tapani came to the Twins from the Mets in the Frank Viola trade. He put together several solid, innings-eating seasons. He was kind of Brad Radke before Radke as he walked hardly anyone. His career season was 1991 when he was 16-9 with a 2.99 ERA in 244 innings. #5 – Cesar Tovar – IF/OF – 1965-1972 Tovar was a player who could do it all. He played everywhere during his time with the Twins, and not just in the 1968 game in which he played all nine positions. From 1968-1971, he was a well-above average player. He played every day (and even played 164 games in 1967). He led the lead with 204 hits in 1971. He led the league in 1970 with 36 doubles and 13 tripled. He stole 186 bases during his time with the Twins. #4 – Shane Mack – OF – 1990-1994 As I wrote last week, the former Rule 5 pick is one of the most underrated players in Twins history. A bust with the Padres, Mack became one of the best outfielders in baseball during his first years with the Twins. His 130 OPS+ shows just how much better than league average he was for that entire time frame. He did it all. He hit for average, got on base, showed power, stole bases and played great defense. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2889[/ATTACH]#3 – Corey Koskie – 3B – 1998-2004 Speaking of underrated, the Manitoba native put up some very good numbers during his time with the Twins. He came up to the Twins as a project, a defensive liability at third base. Through hard work, he became one of the better defensive third basemen in the league. He had some power, and he took tremendous at bats. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2888[/ATTACH]#2 – Dave Goltz – RH SP – 1972-1979 The Minnesota native got to live a dream of playing for his home-state team. Goltz didn’t strike anyone out, certainly not unusual in that era, but he also had good control. He won 20 games in 1977 when he also threw 303 innings. From 1974-1978, he never posted an ERA over 3.67, and his best ERA was 2.49 in 1978. The innings caught up to him. After leaving the Twins, he fought arm problems and only had one more season in which he threw more than 90 innings. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2887[/ATTACH]#1 – Chuck Knoblauch – 2B – 1991-1997 By the numbers, Knoblauch is clearly the best player on this list. The 1989 first-round pick had an incredible debut in 1991. He was the AL MVP that season and was an ideal top-of-the-order hitter for the World Series championship team. He was a tremendous defensive second baseman who, if not for Roberto Alomar, would have won several gold glove awards. He became the team’s leadoff hitter and his .391 on base percentage. He stole 276 bases. He eventually added some doubles power. Things got a bit weird for Knoblauch and his career after he was traded to the Yankees, but Knoblauch is one of the greats in Twins history. So there you have my thoughts. I would probably cast a vote for my #1-5 choices, but it would be in this order. What do you think? Cast your vote in the Comments and then on the Twins site.

I could see Brandon Boggs getting plenty of play in CF in the spring. In his minor league career, he's played more CF than the other positions. In his big league years, he's played more in the corners.

FSN's Tyler Mason tweeted that the Twins announced some more minor league signings: "#MNTwins announce they've signed the following players to minor league deals: RHP Scott Elarton, LHP Michael O'Connor, LHP Jason Lane, RHP Virgil Vasquez, 1B Reynaldo Rodriguez, OF Brandon Boggs, RHP Bryan Augenstein and SS Ray Olmedo."

Whether he starts there or not, we can all assume that Roberts will spend plenty of time in New Britain this season. he doesn't have to be added to the 40 man roster until after this upcoming season, so in reality, there isn't a huge rush. That said, his plate approach and discipline certainly make him intriguing as yet another outfielder to watch in the system.

If he had walked even 20-25 fewer batters over the course of the season, he's probably closer to the 4-6 rankings, but instead, he should be in people's 7-9 range... I do like the upside here though!