Parker Hageman

The Minnesota Twins made a significant move today in the farm system, moving third base prospect Miguel Sano from Fort Myers (A+) to New Britain (AA) reported CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman and was confirmed by 1500ESPN’s Darren Wolfson. Sano was posting remarkable numbers in the Florida State League. Prior to today’s Miracle game – in which Sano belted his 15th and 16th home runs of the year – Sano’s .629 slugging percentage was leading the league. That power output looks even better compared to the rest of the FSL, a notoriously pitcher-friendly league, where the average slugging percentage is .378. Over the last few seasons, Sano had made some progress at the plate and has quieted his pre-swing movement, resulting in the best season to date of his professional career. Insiders have made comments saying that Sano is not necessarily a candidate for relocation away from third. After a season with 42 errors, Sano has trimmed that down to a more manageable 11 gaffes so far this year. Miracle manager told 1500 that he would be hesitant to move him from the position and also said that roving instructor Paul Molitor has been working hard with improving his defense. What can Sano expect from Double-A? At 20 years old, Sano will join just two other hitters in the Eastern League (Jose Ramirez and Xander Bogaerts) who cannot legally purchase beer. Competition and strategy increase significantly over the lower levels as well. The talent is greater and the pitching is more polished. Sano is now one level closer to making good on his promise to reach the major leagues this season. If he is able to rip apart Eastern League pitching like he did to the Florida State League, it would be difficult to keep him down. In addition to Sano, Eddie Rosario and Angel Morales will also move to New Britain and shortstop James Beresford will be promoted to Rochester.

Since 2010 the Minnesota Twins starting rotation has had an average fastball velocity of 90 miles per hour, which has been the lowest in the American League. In that time, they have struck out the lowest percentage of hitters (14.8%), had the third-highest ERA (4.76) and second-highest contact rate (83.6%). In an effort to improve in these areas the Twins selected Kohl Stewart, a fireballer out of a Houston prep school whose skill set is projected to eventually help the rotation out of the lowly doldrums. Armed with a mid-90s fastball that touches 97, Stewart, a Texas A&M recruited quarterback, has mowed down Texas hitters for several years and has jumped up on scouts’ radars of late. With a decent frame to grow into, the 18-year-old right-hander grabbed the Twins’ attention enough to make him their fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft. Stewart knows that his mid-90s fastball is the centerpiece of his burgeoning repertoire. All pitchers know that they need to key everything off their fastballs. Some have better fastballs than others; Stewart is not the others. His fastball reaches 97 miles per hour – a velocity only a few arms are ever blessed with attaining. For the Twins, it's just Glen Perkins who is capable of reaching that speed. “There are days where you’re not going to have that pitch, but my fastball is a very comfortable pitch for me,” Stewart told reporters on his post-draft conference call. “I like to use both sides of the plate and work off my fastball. My slider is probably my second best pitch, with my curveball and changeup. I’m really comfortable throwing any pitch at any count.” Of course, velocity means nothing without movement or location but Stewart is working on that. Although Stewart says he feels comfortable throwing his fastball regularly and in any situation, it is the success of his secondary pitches that will help him become a starter in the major leagues. After all, two-pitch pitchers wind up in the bullpen – not the intended destination of a fourth overall selection. A starter needs three or more offerings in order to thrive. Currently, Stewart is a currently a two pitch pitcher. He has his plus-plus fastball and his plus-slider but he has also worked on developing a slower curve as well as a change-up. He has also tinkered with a sinker, something that keeps right-handers off-balanced. “My slider is more effective right now, just ‘cause I started throwing my curveball just this year. My changeup has definitely come around. I’ve thrown that a lot more in the last year. And, I even have a little bit of a sinker just to give me something else to go hard in on righties. The sinker has kind of come to fruition, just in the last couple of weeks -- just throwing bullpens and messing around with some things.” Overall, Stewart has clean and effortless mechanics. He does not possess any herky-jerky movement or any red flags like an inverted W arm action or any wasted lower-half motion that would put added stress on his suddenly valuable appendage. The mechanics, velocity and make-up are things that can be built upon. Stewart, however, admits that there is plenty he needs to work on in order to become a successful major league starter. His slider, for one, is an area of his game he would like to improve. Scouts have called it a “wipeout” slider – one that has a ton of glove-side run for him – but ultimately does not look that appetizing to right-handed hitters as it disappears over the left-handed batter’s box. “There’s a lot of things I need to develop. I need to work on throwing my slider inside to righties. Sometimes I let it get away, throw it too hard and it will go away to righties.” No doubt Stewart has a ton of promise but the fact he is a high school arm does not necessarily mean he will produce the kind of return on investment like the collegiate counterparts like Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray do. A 2010 study in the Wall Street Journal found that high school pitchers taken in the first round tended to command more of a bonus than their college brethren, who were also able to realize their potential much swiftly. That doesn’t mean Stewart has any more likelihood of becoming Todd Van Poppel or Dylan Bundy than it a found quarter on the ground will be up heads over tails. Twins General Manager Terry Ryan made it clear what they are looking for when they make a selection, and it has little to do with the current status or statistics. The scouts are looking for the skills, tools, body, competitiveness and attention that will project well for the draftee when they are 22 or 23 years old. The scouting department loves Stewart’s makeup and his athleticism. Those two qualities mean more long-term than his current talent alone. The Twins are investing in the long-term future with their number one pick. Stewart can potentially give them a front of the rotation arm that can miss bats which has been desperately needed in Minnesota for a long time. http://apps.startribune.com/most_popular/?cmd=inc&type=view&section=/sports/twins/blogs&story_id=210525781

With the fourth overall pick waiting for them on Thursday night, the Minnesota Twins are poised to choose from one of several high profile picks. Rich with talent in the lower levels of the farm system, the organization has another chance at the fourth overall pick to backfill the minors with another highly-skilled player and continue to construct a solid future. Among the experts’ predictions for what could be available for the Twins at number four pick include pitchers Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray and Kohl Stewart as well as infielder/outfielder Kris Bryant. Of course, simply having a high pick does not ensure can’t miss talent. Equipped with a scouting background which dates back to 1980 with the New York Mets, Twins general manager Terry Ryan knows this time of year well. As a general manager, he is aware of the effects missed opportunities in the draft can have on team-building. After all, the mid-1990s picks provided very little return in later years, one reason for the team’s late decade decline. Not long ago, Ryan took the time to answer a few of our questions regarding the scouting process and his role in the identification of the upcoming fourth overall pick in the amateur draft. Terry Ryan on understanding the limitations of the capacity of the general manager in scouting draft pick: “Over the years I’ve realized that the less you do that, the more dangerous you are. If you are involved in that daily, you can slot guys very easily and put ‘em where they belong. If you just dabble in that thing …it’s not a good thing. I learned that when I became one of those special assignment guys. You shouldn’t get too wrapped up in the good days/bad days but you certainly don’t have a good flavor for what’s nationwide. We got plenty of people out there and if they want me to see a guy I probably will. But I don’t see it as a necessity as a General Manager to see them.” Ryan on letting his scouting staff do their jobs: “If I go see a guy and we got seven guys that are all over this guy and I go in and I don’t like him, what am I going to do? Overrule seven other guys? I don’t see it as a necessity to see the guys but if they want me to, I will.” Ryan on the difficulty of projecting Byron Buxton, who played a low-level of competition in Georgia: “Not at all. Especially a guy like [buxton] because there is no doubt he can throw – in fact, I saw him pitch, which wasn’t exactly what I had in mind – but you know he can run and you know he has range, ‘cause he’ll show you that when he goes to get a ball. The other things when you see a guy in a situation like Buxton in southern rural Georgia, I was fortunate enough to see him play against a good ballclub from Atlanta and that was a plus. Regardless of the competition, we’re still looking at skills and tools and body and competitiveness and attention and urgency. All that stuff.” Ryan on cross-checkers and seeing guys: “Now days players get seen so much more than we use to be able to back in the 1980’s. In Chicago, for instance, or Minnesota you might see a high school guy one game you got to make a decision. If you are a cross-checker – I’m not talking about an area guy – if you are a cross-checker and you get one look at a guy – and you’re probably fortunate – you make a decision, you put a number on him and then you move on to the next guy. That’s what cross-checkers are paid to do and it is a difficult job but it can be done.”

Who IS This Guy? The legend of the power of six-foot-five, 215-pound Kris Bryant has increased rapidly over his career at the University of San Diego, reaching He-Man-esque proportions in his senior year after he launched 30 bombs. It was not just the number of homers that drew scouts’ attention; it was also the distance that helped him ascend up teams’ draft boards. Reportedly, the corner infielder hit a blast that was estimated over 500 feet when it cleared an 80-foot tall light tower at his university’s home stadium. Some suggest that estimate was low. No matter, the 21-year-old Bryant has smacked 54 dingers in his three year collegiate career and has mashed his way into becoming one of the top draft choices this year. Who Could He Be? An offensive monster, that’s for sure. The right-handed hitting Bryant employs a wide base, a stance that seems to have developed in his more recent collegiate years. He has a minimal swing, keeping his head and lower half still during his weight transfer but creates a substantial amount of torque with his hips and a strong front side. Bryant’s swing was constructed, he said, by his father, a former Boston Red Sox draftee. Citing Ted Williams’ method from his book, The Science of Hitting, Bryant incorporated the upward swing to counter the downward flight of the ball, attempting to achieve a more flush point of contact. The slight uppercut swing – along with a minimalist weight transfer and extremely well-leveraged front side – has created a ton of big fly balls for the University of San Diego infielder. This year, he has jacked 30 in the regular season – a USD school record in addition to making him the NCAA Division I leader. In fact, the next closest total to Bryant’s was 18. Bryant’s home run power is not a mess created by the TING! of the aluminum bat either. College baseball has switched to composite bats which has muted some of the speed at impact – not nearly as much as a wood bat but the change has certainly quelled the home run totals since the bats' introduction. Judging from his big bop potential, it is not surprising that he had an abundance of walks. The 62 he drew led the NCAA in that category as well. Most of those were not necessarily the product of patience but simply that teams refused to pitch to him. Seeing a pitch in the strike zone was such an infrequent occurrence through the first 33 games of the season that Rich Hill, USD’s manager, moved him to the lead-off spot in order to get him a few more pitches to hit. That said, Bryant’s plate coverage is also reported to be thing of beauty. According to an LA Times story, during Bryant’s freshman year, the University of San Francisco’s coach ordered his pitcher to throw out of the zone to the San Diego slugger. After a majestic home run, the coach scolded his pitcher on throwing the ball over the plate. San Francisco’s catcher came to his pitcher’s defense, saying the pitch was at least two-and-a-half balls off of the plate. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? As a college draftee, Bryant is expected to move up the ranks quickly. One could easily envision him tearing apart Appalachian League pitching so his starting point following the draft is likely at A ball – either Cedar Rapids or Fort Myers. Slowing his development might be the switch to wood bats and facing tougher competition. While with USD teams did not challenge him, which led to a high number of walks. In the minors, he’ll start seeing hard-throwing, big-bending and precision-guided pitching as he moves up the ladder. If The Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because… The list is short: He’s not a pitcher. And the Twins need more top-tier pitching. Outside of that, there is not much else that would constitute a good reason for not selecting Bryant at number four. Additionally, massive power in college does not necessarily translate to massive major league success. Look at former collegiate slugger Pete Incaviglia. Inky hit 49 home runs in 75 games with Oklahoma State in 1985, setting the college record for home runs in a single season. While he displayed 25-30 home runs power for the Rangers in the mid-to-late 1980s, his inability to make consistent contact led to his move to a role-player position. Bryant obviously has more tools than Incaviglia, including speed and defensive prowess, but there is always the chance his hitting never translates. If The Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because… Bryant is not expected to be around at the fourth pick. The consensus among the draft experts is that he will be off-the-board by the third pick. If, for some divine reason, the three teams ahead of the Twins (Astros, Cubs and Rockies) decide to go another direction, the organization should be thankful to have a talent like Bryant available. Miguel Sano may be the third baseman for the foreseeable future, but Bryant is skilled enough – and definitely has the power stroke- to plausably move to a corner outfield position. --- Twins Daily MLB Draft Player Profiles: Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP Friday, May 24-- Clint Frazier, OF Tuesday, May 28-- Reese McGuire, C Wednesday, May 29—Braden Shipley, RHP Thursday, May 30 -- Kohl Stewart, RHP For MLB Draft Day Coverage, make sure you follow @TwinsDaily on Twitter!

With statistical analysis playing an ever more prominent role in major league front offices, some teams have tweaked their broadcast teams to help advance the decision-making conversation with their fan base over the airwaves. The Houston Astros hired Robert Ford and former major league knuckler Steve Sparks to push the envelope for the revamped front office, which includes plenty of brain power. The Astros are making decisions based on science rather than guts, instincts and chew spit. Yet for every progressive pair like Ford and Sparks, there’s the old school Hawk Harrelson types who denounce the stats guys at every turn. In fact, when asked if advanced stats would be something viewers would like in broadcasts during an MLB Network show, Harrelson scoffed. “It’s not ready yet,” the White Sox broadcaster said. “Down the road, 40 or 50 years, when you can put some of those categories, you get your OBPS and all that, your VORPs, when you put in TWTW [“The Will To Win”], and interface those numbers with TWTW, that category, then you might have something cooking.” Beefing up the numbers in a broadcast is a hard pill to swallow for some teams. After all, the concepts, stats and acronyms are still foreign to a significant portion of the fans. There is likely a percentage of listeners who fully believe The Will To Win trumps any number. Advanced statistics and sabermetrics are often thought of as a niche. Locally, the Twins hired Chicago-area native Cory Provus away from the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2012 season. Provus was kind enough to offer his insights about the broadcast industry and the challenges it presents in discussing and promoting some of those concepts on the radio: How do you feel about advanced stats and their role in the game today – particularly in your broadcasts? The more baseball I am around now, I think it is imperative to at least pay attention to the metrics that are in the game today. They are a prominent part of the game and they’re becoming vital to the way rosters are being assembled – and I’m not just talking about the 25-man, but I think throughout your system. At the same time you have to remember the medium, particularly the medium I work in, how often you use numbers – in the medium of radio – where you just don’t have the capability through numbers on the screen and let people digest that. For example, this is just me, but I process things visually, so if you are trying to explain to me – or anybody – if I had a question about balls in play…..I had a question for [Glen] Perkins about that in Detroit last week about the average that players and pitchers try to shoot for. Only he was explaining it to me and I was trying to process it and then I remembered the visual of it and it starts to sink in. So maybe I take that selfish approach to the broadcast and I am always conscious of the medium we work that we don’t have the ability to throw a graphic on the screen and let people visualize it and then digest it. Do you think you can convey the concepts of advanced metrics during the broadcasts? I think that you can, not so much metrics, but for example, I went on Fangraphs.com for a while this morning and I wanted to compare John Lackey in 2007 – that great year he had and won 19 games and finished like third in the Cy Young balloting that year – and looking at Fangraphs and what he was throwing, the average speeds he was throwing, to what he was throwing. Now, the sample is a lot smaller because of the injury aspect, but I was somewhat surprised that the fastball velocity is pretty constant, pretty consistent with what he did in ’07 compared to what he’s throwing now, he’s average is about 91 with his fastball which is exactly what he was throwing in ’07. However what I find interesting is the difference between ’07 and today is he is throwing more sliders now and less curveballs. And that’s I think probably because of the injury. I remember [Milwaukee Brewers’ radio broadcaster] Bob Uecker told me one time…I thought the slider was the most dangerous pitch on your shoulder on your arm on your elbow, and he always told me the curveball puts more strain, even though you throw it with less velocity, the tighter grip and the more torque you’re putting on it. So that makes sense when you look at the injuries [Lackey] is coming back and what he is throwing now and what he was throwing in the past. I found that very interesting. Do you use any other sites in preparation for your broadcasts? I look at BrooksBaseball.net just for my own knowledge. I’ll take a look at that from time to time. I am aware that there is a demographic of the audience that loves that stuff and thrives on that stuff and it is important. But also remember that I think my primary job is to tell a story. And I would rather tell stories based on person to person contact, based on what I found out that day from talking to the players and coaches. While I think stats are important, I also think stats are a crutch. I think that it goes back to the way I was brought up in baseball broadcasting where dead air isn’t the worst thing in the world. In baseball it is good to let game breathe; Let people hear the sounds, let people hear the emotions of the crowd, the vendors hawking programs and hot dogs, hearing the PA guy, hearing the crack of the bat. I would rather do that then get into stat after stat after stat. Are there any stats you prefer over others? I think on-base percentage is a stat I do rely on. I think too many times I go back and listen to my own stuff and I think, man I keep bringing up batting average. Danny [Dan Gladden] and I both think on-base percentage should trump batting average. We are of that belief that, maybe we should be better as a team to hammer that stat across more than batting average. Stats are important, they’re a vital part of the game but I think that often times, they are used as a crutch. And I would always rather tell a story than give a stat. Do you feel it to be part of your job to educate the listeners on understanding these stats and their context? Part of our job is to education as well. Educate about strategy, Educate about rules, and this day and age now, educate about metrics and the way they are applied to a current game and to the ways teams are being built. You worked with the legendary Bob Uecker in Milwaukee prior to working with the Twins. Is there anything different about the way that broadcast was approached? Was there any advanced stats discussions? Bob and I were telling stories and having fun. Trying to inform and education but keeping people entertained. That’s what we tried to do every night. I don’t think we got into sabermetrics in any way, shape or form. If it does not fit well in the broadcast, where do you see the conversation being had about statistical analysis on the air? I think it’s a good conversation during a rain delay. I think if we have time to kill during a rain delay, it’s not a bad thing to approach but I go back to how many people are really going to understand it with the medium of radio? Are we going to be throwing so many names and so many numbers across without the benefit of the visual, is everybody really going to get it? I don’t know. I would think that some people would be confused by it, because I would be confused by it. Summarize your approach to the broadcast. It’s fun. It’s a game. It’s baseball. It’s not rocket science; it’s not trying to solve the financial crisis around the world here. We’re trying to give people a break from their lives for three-and-a-half hours. Let them kind of laugh, let them learn, let them have fun, let them hear something that maybe brings them back to their childhood. That’s what I try to do each and every day.