AlwaysinModeration

I have a feeling the Lookouts are going to get on a roll pretty quick.

During last nights game Blyleven mentioned in passing that Molitor was considering leading off with Mauer. Can't wait until that happens.

I second the leaderboard. Nice to see some context for the daily reports. I hesitate to make a further suggestion, but highlighting any players who amongst the league leaders in their respective leagues would be...even better.

..and definitely not "Keuriggers"

We don't like us no west coast hippies nor their weird ideas about "daylight savings time...and "Keurigs"

Good choice of Gonsalves for pitcher of the day. As noted on another thread, his no-hitter was broken up by a bunt single, and he promptly plunked the next hitter. Gonsalves perhaps has a chip on his shoulder for lasting until the fourth round.

Interesting topic. It strikes how long the slog is through the minor leagues.

I've said this before, but there is a weird disconnect when it comes to the draft. We are what, six weeks from the draft? And yet, there is evidently tons of time for things to change before the draft. Why then, can players have entire off years, and that can (accurately, in my view) be largely ignored in favor of the player's track record? For my money, if Aiken is there at 6, the Twins should absolutely take him. His upside and established level seems much higher than anyone else in the draft.

Hitter of the day...Red Wings Bullpen. That threw me for a loop.

I will go on record as agreeing that it is unlikely there will be seven players as good or better as Ted Williams in the 2015 draft.

Gunnarthor--in your first of two posts above, you mention that Rodgers is at the top, and Funkhouser and Kirby are top 5. And then that two of Happ, Cameron, Swanson and Buehler would round out top 5. Then later in a second post you cite Rodgers, Tate, Swanson and Funkhouser as the emerging top of the draft. Kirby and Tate are the two names on those lists that don't overlap, and also Happ is on neither. I've personally been holding out hope that Dillon Tate is around at #6. Although Aiken at #6 seems like a worthwhile shot....big chance at #1 overall upside. I suppose Happ as the top college bat is intriguing as well. Seems like the Twins should have an interesting choice at a minimum.

No worries TRex-I have warned that I am terrible at keeping up AAP's. Please help out with the posts if you see anything this year. I also just switched this from a blog to a forum, as I'd screwed that up.

In his second summer in the Twins organization, Minier stayed in the GCL, getting twice as many at bats in 2014 than he did at the level in 2013. While he has already moved down the defensive spectrum, after getting time at 3B in 2013, Minier was in LF and at 1B in 2014, about 60% in the OF, Minier put up a fantastic offensive showing, leading the GCL in homers (8), adding 11 doubles, and a couple of triples. Almost as importantly, from my view, Minier started taking walks in bunches. Add it up, and Minier hit nearly 300, got on base at a clip over 400, and slugged over 500 - for the highest OPS by a Twins prospect in that league for many years (h/t Aaron Gleeman). The switching-hitting teen (still only 19) will look to build on his great 2014 this year - he hasn't been assigned to a team yet this year. I will try to pull up where he ranks in various minor league rankings. Not sure if this is borrowing or not, but here is my write-up on Minier from 2013, which TRex borrowed in 2014 for his prospect write-up. BORROWED FROM Trex, who borrow it from me: BORROWED FROM A.M., who hosted Minier's page last year. German Amaurys Minier http://twinsdaily.co....E4DD/imagejpeg A 6'2", 200 pound, switch-hitting shortstop, Minier signed by was signed by the Twins in July of 2012 for a cool $1.4 million, the fourth largest international signing in 2012. He's 17 years old, and likely will shift over to third at some point. He's viewed as having plus power potential, but maybe not as strong plate discipline. Here is a video of him: 2012 DPL Prospect: Amaurys Minier, SS - YouTube Oh, and Seth says he prefers to go by the name German, as opposed to Amaurys. 6/22: Short-season start (finally!) update, Minier has reported to the GCL Twins. Last night he doubled and hit a 3-run homer in his professional debut. He batted cleanup, and started at 3B...so the shift may be sooner rather than later. Interestingly, his debut came in the same game as the other high-profile 2012 international signing, Aussie Lewis Thorpe, who started and gave up 2 runs in four innings while striking out four with no walks. As for questions about where he ranks in the Twins' system, I'd guess he fits into the 15-25 range. Gleeman had him at #22, and it is hard to compare his signing bonus to other high profile international signees, given recent changes (caps) to the signing bonuses. Safe to put him in the 15-25 range, with real upside potential for moving up. Regardless, great debut for the kid, we have been waiting! nytwinsfan and howieramone2 like this TRex Today, 09:41 AM Hey AM... sorry I blew it on keeping up the Minier AAP last year. He really did have a very successful year, as you document above. Glad to see you were able to claim him this year, and I look forward to keeping up on him through you!

Thanks for the comment Paul. Never underestimate a good subplot, especially in a sport as superstitious as baseball. I actually feel like Joe Mauer complained about the trees too.

And at this rate, it's not going be a long wait for Berrios to crack the Twins' rotation. Who had "Milone, Pelfrey AND May" in the rotation by the opening weekend? I'd say another time or two through and they'll need to go to JO.

I'll take Amaurys Minier again like two years ago. I'll confess, though, I never find the time.

Thanks Seth--this post was exactly what I was asking for the other day. Great overview of how they run the full camp. Really interesting to hear how they work on different skills. Is there video analysis built into their days?

Good reporting, Seth. Here's a request: with the official start of the minors camp, can you give a big picture view? How many players total, where are they assigned to the (7?) different fields, how many games, how long are people there, etc? I'm interested in the overall logistics of it; how many staff are there to manage the whole operation? Then a snapshot of the calendar; when typically are the big cuts, and any other major milestones through the month? Really like the quotes from the players and Molitor. Lastly, I like the visual of Dee and Tom checking in on Nick. Baseball is always about families; they have spent years and years attending each other's games.

Alex Meyer needs to be in the 2016 starting rotation.

That was a bullet. Looks like his elbow is recovered.

Have fun Seth. Two thing jump to mind: 1) Molitor change from Gardy - from the perspective of veterans. 2) Coverage of minor league camp...do the players have goals they set for the season? Could you get the some of the top 10 prospects' goals for their seasons? Looking forward to reading your reports.

Major League Ready-- You are replying to your own quote, which is somewhat maddening, and as you contradict yourself in your response, it also seems irrelevant. All that said, I am not worried about Sano's cavalier approach in one quote about eating. Maybe it could be a long-term concern, but it's probably going to be quite while before we see this play out.

While it is surprising to see Vegas put the Twins at 68.5, as it appears on the surface the team has a good amount of upward trajectory, the full equation includes the other teams. If Vegas see the other teams as significantly better, that might make the wins harder to come by for the Twins.

Very interesting umpire comments. I have had the privilege of umpiring a bunch of little league games the past couple of years, and what seems like a fairly straightforward job--especially for the casual fan--turns into a much more difficult proposition. Suddenly, there a are a lot more gray areas. There are 3-0 counts that make you want to expand the strike zone for the kid pitching who can't stop walking kids. Then there are the 0-2 counts that you want to squeeze the zone for the totally overmatched kid. Then there are the batters who are on top of the plate and the catchers who make audible sounds when they disagree with your call. And all of the sides if the zone suddenly have a lot more fuzzy spots that are hard to be consistent. And then there is when your son is batting, or worse, pitching, and you try to be sure to be objective...and usually give him a tougher zone than the rest of the kids. Rarely has pitch framing come into play, although the point about catching it well can have an impact. There are certainly some of the kids who will hold the pitches they think are strikes and even a bit of pulling pitches back into the zone a bit, but neither of those influence much for me. Overall, it totally changes your perspective. Not so easy. Fun, though. (Except for when you are behind the kid who doesn't get a glove on more than half of the pitches.)

That's an impressive amount of work Parker, nice piece. I wonder if the team will give Pinto the silent treatment the first time he throws a runner out this year.