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Cody Christie

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  2. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    After pulling out a victory in a 15-inning affair on Sunday afternoon and into Sunday evening, the Twins got a much needed day of rest yesterday before traveling to Pittsburgh. The Twins will play the Pirates and the Reds to complete their interleague schedule before returning home and getting back into American League action. Both of these teams have been playing well in the last couple weeks so it will be interesting to see how the Twins fare on their current road trip.
     
    Even with the off day for the Twins, there were plenty of interesting notes from across the organization. So let's get caught up with this week's edition of "Tuesday Morning Tidbits."
     

    Arcia moving up to New Britain


    With many prospects for the the Twins running into some kind of speed bump in the middle part of the season, it is good to see one of their top prospects succeeding enough to be moved to the next level. Oswaldo Arcia entered the season as one of the top prospects in the Twins organization but his play so far this year is separating him from the pack. After the Florida State League All-Star Game this weekend, Arcia was informed to report to New Britain.
     
    The left-handed slugging outfielder was batting .309/.376/.517 with 16 doubles and seven home runs in 55 games for Fort Myers. It was his second taste of the FSL after he missed a chunk of last season following left elbow surgery. One of the biggest changes has been his plate recognition that is being shown in his ability to draw more walks. Last year in about the same amount of at-bats he had nine total walks and that number has increased to 23 so far this season.
     
    He is only 21-years old and this is a fairly young age for someone to be entering Eastern League play. The Twins need to see how Arcia can handle the fire since he had to be added to the 40-man roster this past offseason. So far in his career, Arica has faced every challenge that has come his way and the Twins hope that trend continues in New Britain.
     

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AqDj6TXrPbU/T9_67_7sq2I/AAAAAAAACQA/c_MSFjsKHkU/s320/mauerweeks.jpgMauer getting beat up behind the plate


    The Twins have completed 65 games on their schedule and Joe Mauer has played in 60 of those contests. A couple of those appearances have been late inning pinch hitting situations but Mauer has been there for the most part. He has appeared in 92% of the team's games which is great to see after a 2011 season where Mauer only played in 50.6% of the team's schedule. Not all of Mauer's playing time has come with him at catcher but being able to place his name in the line-up on a daily basis is a big step over last year.
     
    After sitting out Saturday's game with a sore hamstring, Mauer was back behind the plate on Sunday in what might have seemed like a surprise move. If a player has a sore hamstring, the last thing a team would want to do is have him squat behind the plate for nine innings (or 15 innings). Mauer's hamstring seemed to be holding up fine until a collision at home plate with Rickie Weeks caused him to bruise his right quad.
     
    From the sounds of the postgame report, Mauer was not please with the way that Weeks slid into home. I don't think there were too many people who would think this was a dirty play by Weeks so there doesn't seem to be much basis for Mauer's argument. It also sounds like Mauer should be back in the line-up soon and the team is only listing him as day-to-day with his newest injury. This is a good sign if he wants to continue to play in over 90% of the Twins games this year.
     

    Slama out at least a month


    One of the best pitchers in the minor leagues so far this season had been relief pitcher Anthony Slama. He had almost been untouchable in his 22.2 innings of work for the Red Wings as he posted a 0.40 ERA with 37 strikeouts. It is the fourth season that he has spent at least part of the year at Triple-A so it was put up or shut up time for Slama. He had completed nine saves on the year and it seemed like he would be given a shot at the big league level at some point this season.
     
    In an unfortunate turn of events for Slama, he will miss four to six weeks after being hit by a comebacker on the mound. He has a broken bone in his right leg and it will take time to heal and recover. One of the brightest spots for the Twins in 2012 has been the bullpen so it remains to be seen if Slama would have even been called up. He isn't currently on the 40-man roster so the Twins would be forced to make another change if they wanted him on the big league roster.
     
    The Twins seem reluctant to give Slama an extended look at the major league level as a 28-year old relief pitcher. He has put up decent numbers at Triple-A for the last three years but this has only translated to a couple of games with the Twins. He has 7.0 total innings at the MLB level so it is hard to know what kind of player he could be. His numbers this year seem to indicate that he has mastered AAA and now it looks like a call-up will have to wait until the end of the year because of his injury.
  3. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mAFtdGjpK3M/T9602G7XrmI/AAAAAAAACOQ/UfaDWKM00f8/s400/PowerPitchers.jpg

    Twins fans are well aware of how great pitching has been across baseball this season. So far this year, there have been five no-hitters with two of those being perfect games. Two former Twins pitchers, Johan Santana and Phil Humber, accounted for two of the no-hitters. Unfortunately for the Twins, they were also on the wrong end of a no-hitter against Jered Weaver earlier this season. Combine all of these and it was a rough couple of weeks for Twins fans to watch.
     
    There seems to be something special in the air across baseball in recent years and pitching is at the center of this change. Following an era of baseball that was full of steroid filled sluggers, pitching seems to have regained the upper hand. Entering play on Sunday, the top 16 pitchers in the National League and the top 7 pitchers in the American League all had sub-3.00 ERAs. In contrast to the 2011 season, there were a combined 16 sub-3.00 ERAs between both leagues.
     
    For the Twins in 2012, there is only one starting pitcher that has a sub-3.00 ERA, Scott Diamond. He doesn't have enough innings under his belt to qualify for a position on the AL leaders board and the rest of the starters are in the same position. Most of the other Twins starting pitchers have an ERA that is well over 5.00 and the team's combined ERA of 5.12 is the second worst in all of baseball.
     
    But a change in ERA isn't the only sign of a shift in baseball, there seems to be a rise in the amount of hard throwing pitchers. There are plenty examples in both leagues with Justin Verlander winning the AL MVP last year and Aroldis Chapman emerging for the Reds. According to FanGraphs, the hardest thrower in both leagues out of the players that qualify is Stephen Strasburg at 96.1 mph. The top 15 fastballs for starting pitchers are all above 93.0 mph; but if you expand it to include relief pitching, there are 35 pitchers with a fastball that averages over 95.0 mph.
     
    Over the recent years of Twins baseball, the team has been known as a "pitch-to-contact" team and organization. This can be seen in the pitchers that make up the current roster for the Twins. Out of the starting pitchers, Francisco Liriano has the hardest fastball at over 93 mph but the rest of the starters sit around 90 mph or lower. The relief pitchers are lead by a former starter, Glen Perkins, and his fastball that averages over 95 mph. While there are plenty of relief pitchers across baseball with big fastballs, the rest of the Twins relief core sits around 93 mph with their heaters.
     
    There are teams across baseball that have been able to create outstanding pitching staffs based on their team's drafting and scouting departments. The San Francisco Giants have a rotation composed of three very good pitchers that were brought through the farm system of their organization. There are ups and downs with Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Madison Bumgarner but for the most part these three pitchers have been very good on the mound. Another team with outstanding homegrown pitchers is the Tampa Bay Rays. Their combination of James Shields, David Price, Matt Moore, and Jeremy Hellickson completes one of the deepest staffs in the game. Both of these organizations have used the draft to find pitchers from multiple rounds of the draft to build their pitching staff.
     
    With the Twins knowing that something had to change for the future, they changed some of their draft philosophy for the 2012 season. Instead of looking for pitch-to-contact players like the team had been doing, the Twins front office made a conscious switch to finding players with more upside. The main qualities the Twins were looking for were "power and raw speed" and the team took four pitchers in the first two rounds. For the entire draft, the organization took 24 pitchers out of the 43 picks the team was given. In the end, not all of these players will sign but it seems like the team is finally moving in the right direction.
     
    This change in draft philosophy could be a good start for the Twins but it will be quite some time before the team will know if they selected the right players in the 2012 draft. For now, the future of Twins pitching does not look like it is in the perfect place. There are plenty of question marks surrounding the 2012 Twins and how the rest of the season will go with the starting staff. Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, and Scott Baker can all leave via free agency and for most fans that would be a welcome sight. But the Twins would have to replace these pitcher and pitching doesn't come cheap. Scott Diamond, Nick Blackburn, and Liam Hendriks look to be the front runners for the 2013 rotation. But in the era of pitching, these three names leave the Twins and their fans wanting something more...
  4. Cody Christie
    For the first half of the Twins game on Friday night, it looked like Francisco Liriano could be on the way to his second no-hitter in the last two years. With his pitch count rising in the sixth inning, he walked two batters and then he ran into the reigning National League MVP. Ryan Braun crushed a pitch to deep center field to switch a 2-0 Twins lead into a 3-2 Brewers lead.
     
    Lucky enough for the Twins, Trevor Plouffe is in beast mode and he can keep the Twins in any game. His two home runs on Friday night gave him seven home runs in the last seven games during the current home stand. It has been fun to see what Plouffe has been able to do at the major league level but there are plenty of notable performances in the minors from Friday.
     
    Here's a glimpse of what happened under the lights on Friday night in the Twins farm system.
     
    ROCHESTER 4, LOUISVILLE 1
    On this night the story of the game would be the outstanding pitching performance from Cole DeVries. In his second start since being sent back to Rochester, DeVries pitched seven shutout innings while striking out four and only walking a single batter. It will be nice to see if his brief taste of the big leagues will help him for the rest of the season.
     
    There were minimal threats in the eighth and ninth inning from the Bats but Tyler Robertson and Brendan Wise were able to escape with minimal damage. Robertson allowed the only run to score for the Bats but he left two runners on base to keep the lead at four. Wise walked a batter with two outs in the ninth but he got a strikeout to finish the game for his first save.
     
    Sean Burroughs and Wilkin Ramirez each knocked in a couple runs to help the Red Wings to come out victorious on Friday night. Both hitters cracked a double and Ramirez smashed his third home run of the year in the second inning. Matt Carson hit his team leading 17 double of the year in the win.
     
    NEW BRITAIN 2, ERIE 5
    The Rock Cats scored a couple runs in the second inning to take the lead back from the SeaWolves but it wasn't enough on this night. Erie pounded out double digits in hits and put together some late inning rallies to separate themselves from New Britain. Most of this rally came off of Blake Martin who gave up three earned runs in his inning on the mound.
     
    Aaron Thompson had his best start since joining New Britain at the beginning of June. He started the game for the Rock Cats and pitched six strong innings by giving up five hits and one earned run. He dropped his ERA from above 9.00 at the start of the game to close to 6.00 by the end of the game.
     
    Rene Tosoni and Chris Herrmann both had mulit-hit games with one of Herrmann's hits being a double. The man to drive in all the runs for the Rock Cats on this night was Estarlin De Los Santos with a 2-RBI double in the second inning. Mark Dolenc had his first double of the year but it was still not enough to help the Rock Cats on this evening.
     
    FORT MYERS (All-Star Break)
     
    The Miracle don't have a game on Friday night because tomorrow night is the Florida State League All-Star Game. Fort Myers had four players selected from their team to represent the club in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Fort Myers Miracle will be represented on the South team by catcher Josmil Pinto, infielder Daniel Santana, and pitchers Pat Dean and Rickey Bowen. Another Miracle player, Oswaldo Arcia, was added to the home run derby on Thursday.
     
    BELOIT 6, BURLINGTON 3
    After celebrating their first trip to the playoffs in five years, there could be a chance the team would come out a little slow. This was definitely not the case on Friday night as the Snappers pounded out six runs in the first two frames. From there the offense cooled down and they hoped the pitching staff would be able to hold on to the lead.
     
    In only his second start since being shifted from the bullpen, David Hurlbut gave up three earned runs on two home runs with five strikeouts. AJ Achter threw three innings in relief and put up some impressive numbers. He pitched three scoreless innings by only allowing two hits while striking out six.
     
    Nate Roberts led the offensive charge from the leadoff spot by going 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Drew Leachman drove in a couple of runs and had his third triple of the year. The Snappers batted close to .500, 5-for-12, with runners in scoring position to help the team to another W in the win column.
     
    ---
     
    Players of the Day for Friday, June 15, 2012
     

    Hitter of the Day- Wilkin Ramirez




    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KLtv4EL7Y5g/T9vu8-b7UTI/AAAAAAAACMY/xaOr_XPO01o/s320/Wilkin+Ramirez.jpg 
     
    Pitcher of the Day- Cole DeVries
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GPaKywwV_dI/T9vdnm9ng9I/AAAAAAAACKo/1vEcoaaduIA/s320/cole_de-vries1.jpg


     

    ---



     

    A Look Ahead- Saturday, June 16th Schedule
     
    Rochester at Louisville- RHP Cole DeVries
    New Britain vs Erie- RHP BJ Hermsen
    Fort Myers- FSL All-Star Game
    Beloit vs Burlington- TBA
     
    ---
     
    If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them.
  5. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The Twins welcomed Jim Thome back to Target Field for what could be his last series in Minnesota. Over the course of the three game set, Thome made his presence known by hitting a monster shot over the batter's eye in one game and a three run bomb on Thursday night. Fans of the Twins still cheered his powerful swing as Thome got to do his best Paul Bunyan impression for the last time in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes."
     
    By losing the series to the Phillies, the Twins ended their streak of winning series that stretched back to the end of last month. Even in the series loss, Trevor Plouffe has been amazing to watch over the course of the last few weeks. He is locked-in at the plate and it seems like he is now expected to hit a home run every night.
     
    Over the weekend, the Twins will welcome the Brewers to town for their last home series as part of interleague play. Last month, the Twins took two out of three when these same two teams faced off in Milwaukee. Liam Hendriks should get called up to start Saturday's game so it will be fun to see if the Twins can get back to winning series.
     
    Before you sneak out of work early for the weekend, check out this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks."
     

    Scott Diamond had a rough night on Thursday but his shine might not have worn off at this point.
    The Twins will need to sort out some of their starting pitching before the weekend series.
    It's already the middle of June and that means the trade deadline is approaching. What will the Twins do at the end of July?
    There has been speculation of trading Josh Willingham but here is one reason why he should stay in Minnesota.
    Justin Morneau could also be out the door in the next couple of weeks.
    Thome's return to the Twin Cities made room for remembering some moments during his career.
    Former Twins pitcher RA Dickey has pitched himself into Cy Young contention.
    Even though Ozzie Guillen has switched to the National League, he is still the least respected manager in baseball (the Castro comments from earlier this year probably didn't help).
    It was Hope Week for the Twins and one blogger's wife almost spilled beer on Justin Morneau at one of the events.
    Byron Buxton, the Twins first round pick, signed this week and got to take batting practice at Target Field. Now fans wait to see what he can do in the minors.


    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V0ozrNfcmpI/T9q2xpeS5eI/AAAAAAAACI4/OhchD_9nGwc/s320/buxton-bp.jpg

     

    It could be time for Oswaldo Arcia to be challenged with a different level in the minor leagues.
    Miguel Sano is a big boy in the batters box and here is some photo evidence.
    The Snappers have already clinched a playoff spot by winning the first half title in the Western League so it is important to know the make-up of the key players.
    Ben Revere, Trevor Plouffe, and Scott Diamond seem to be forming the new young core for the Twins.
    One of the biggest stories of the week was the perfect game thrown by Matt Cain. This catch in the seventh inning by Gregor Blanco still amazes me.
    Joe Torre is going to manage the US Team in the World Baseball Classic and there is a chance that Joe Mauer could make the roster.
    After being on the Twins big league roster at the start of the year, Luke Hughes finds himself at Double-A for Oakland. His Twitter account has been fun to follow.
    Lew Ford continues to kill the ball for Baltimore's Triple-A squad and it would be great to see him get another shot in the big leagues.
    Michael Cuddyer seems to like the lighter air in Colorado and he is on pace for one of his best seasons yet.
    In a sad note, former Twins pitcher Dave Boswell passed away this week at the age of 67. He was a 20-game winner for the club in 1969.

    My Weekly Rundown:
     

    Monday: Diamond flourishes while Bullock struggles
    Tuesday: Tuesday Morning Tidbits
    Tuesday's Trip through the Minors
    Thursday: Twins looking toward international market

    Video of the Week: Unfortunately for the Twins, one of the team's top prospects Eddie Rosario has to undergo face surgery after being hit by a ball in batting practice. This is still a cool story on his emergence in the Twins system and how he has patiently moved through the different levels.
  6. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fRC9OEVVlKQ/T9ngZMJOLII/AAAAAAAACHI/G78d2ms7sR0/s320/Torrens,+Luis.jpg

    With the Twins playing better baseball over the last couple of weeks, there has been plenty of talk about whether the Twins will be buyers or sellers when it comes to the trade deadline. While that date at the end of July will be very important for the Twins, there is another important deadline coming at the beginning of next month. Teams like the Twins will turn their attention July 2, when international players that have turned 16-years old can be signed.
     
    The biggest international signing in Twins history was Miguel Sano, who has turned into the best prospect in the entire organization. His $3.15 million signing bonus was the second largest in Twins history at the time but now ranks third behind Joe Mauer and this year's first round pick Byron Buxton. The rules for signing international players have changed with the new CBA and team's are not allowed to spend over $2.9 million on foreign talent. This means there can't be a deal worth as much as what Sano signed from a few seasons ago.
     
    According to the Star Tribune, there are a couple of players on the radar for the Twins as the signing deadline approaches. To get one of these top international players, the Twins would need to spend most of their allotted signing funds and there will be plenty of other teams interested in the services of the players listed below.
     
    Amaurys Minier, SS/2B
    Dominican Republic
    Height/Weight: 6'2"/200
    Bats/Throws: S/R
     
    The switching hitting middle infielder might need to switch to corner outfield or third base when he starts his professional career but his sweet swing projects to be a big bat. He has the power to drive the ball to all fields from both sides of the plate, a rare thing to find in a switch hitting 16-year old. When he starts to fill out, his smooth swing will develop even more power.
     
    Even though he is currently playing positions he won't play at the next level, there are plenty of defensive skills for him to showcase. He has go movement from side-to-side to go along with soft hands and a very powerful arm. These are skills that will help him when he moves to a different position in the future.
     
    The biggest problem for Minier right now is his ability to recognize pitches and make adjustments to offspeed offerings. He can look a little lost when a pitcher throws a good offspeed pitch at him when he's in the box. This is one skill that should develop over time and he still has one of the highest ceilings of any player on the international market.

     
     
    Luis Torrens, C
    Venezuela
    Height/Weight: 6'0"/170
    Bats/Throws: R/R
     
    Torrens has spent time at shortstop and third base but he looks to have found his home behind the plate. There are still plenty of things to work on with his defense since he has only recently started to adjust to being a catcher. His natural athletic ability and other tools should make his it easier for his transition to catcher. The Twins could use a high profile catcher in their system to be ready to take the place of Mr. Mauer in the coming years.
     
    His right-handed bat is what makes him standout versus some of his peers in the international market. Reports have him hitting doubles to all fields at this point but his frame offers room to add more muscle as he matures. This should allow some of those doubles to turn into home runs while he moves through a club's minor league system.
     
    He is one of the top players available from Venezuela this year and he has topped some lists at different points this season. There is plenty of offensive potential and his ability to stick at catcher should help his value on the market. He has shown the ability to play third base in the past so a team could convert him back into a corner infielder if catching doesn't work out.
     
    TORRENS SCOUTING VIDEO (CLICK HERE)
  7. Cody Christie
    The Twins found themselves in quite the battle at Target Field on Tuesday night with the Phillies in town for some interleague action. There was plenty of offense for both clubs as the Twins scored runs in four of the first five innings of the game. Early home runs were hit by Denard Span and Trevor Plouffe to help the Twins get the lead but it was hardly over from that point.
     
    By the time Matt Capps entered in the ninth inning, there were already a combined 31 hits on the board for the Phillies and the Twins. There were big nights at the plate from multiple players including some big 2-out hits from Jamey Carroll to help the Twins to stay on top of the charging Phillies. In the end, the Twins survived by a final score of 11-7.
     
    Here's how the rest of the Twins affiliates fared on "Tuesday's Trip through the Minors."
     
    ROCHESTER 0, INDIANAPOLIS 2
    The Red Wings managed more hits than the Indians on Tuesday evening but Rochester was never able to come up with the big hit to push some runs across the plate. Three pitchers for Indianapolis combined to shutout Rochester for the second game in a row. Rick VandenHurk started for the Indians and pitched seven strong innings with a runner making it to third base on one occasion.
     
    Samuel Deduno pitched the first four innings for the Red Wings without allowing a run but he was strangely removed after only throwing 64 pitches. Esmerling Vasquez was charged with the two earned runs in 2.2 innings of work for his fourth loss of the year. The problem for Vasquez was he threw more balls than strikes and found himself in bad counts for most of the evening.
     
    There were no extra base hits for the Red Wings and the team left six runners on base over the course of the game. Danny Valencia had two hits as the designated hitter and Wilkin Ramirez was also able to get a couple of singles. The only other Red Wings batter with a hit was Tsuyoshi Nishioka. It's been a tough couple of nights for the Red Wings.
     
    NEW BRITAIN -, AKRON -
     
    Inclement weather forced the Rock Cats to postpone their game with the Akron Aeros. The contest will be made up as part of a double header on Wednesday evening.
     
    The Rock Cats have won back to back games but this came on the heels of losing six games in a row. Even with the rough week last week, the Rock Cats are only one game out of first place in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Akron is leading the Western Division so it is setting up to be a good double header tomorrow night.
     
    FORT MYERS 5, BRADENTON 3
    A big first inning put the Miracle up by five runs in this game as they tried to separate themselves from the Marauders. Levi Michael got things started with his third double of the year. Jario Perez singled to drive in Michael and to start the scoring for the Miracle. It has been a rough start to the season for Danny Rams but he capped the scoring in the first by hitting a grand slam, his first home run in 2012.
     
    It turned out that those five early runs would be all that the pitching staff of the Miracle would need on this night. Cole Nelson started the game on the mound and ran into a rough spot in the fourth inning that allowed Bradenton to score three runs. Jose Gonzalez and Dakota Watts each pitched two innings of scoreless baseball to preserve the lead. Watts picked up his first save of the year and it was the second hold of the year for Gozalez.
     
    No one in the Miracle line-up had more than one hit and only five batters managed to get a hit in this game. The two-out grand slam from Rams in the first inning would be the biggest hit that the team needed on Tuesday.
     
    BELOIT 5, PEORIA 4
     
    The Snappers found themselves in a tight battle with the Chiefs as both clubs held the lead at different points in the game. In the second inning, the Snappers were able to score the first run of the game on a single from Adam Pettersen. Peoria would come back to take the lead in the third with three runs of their own.A big bottom of the fourth put the Snappers on top for good as four runs were scored.
     
    With his sixth win of the year, Matthew Summers is starting to look more comfortable on the mound for the Snappers. He pitched 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts while allowing three earned runs on five hits. Michael Tonkin had to pitch two innings to earn his fifth save of the year but he struck out all six batters that he faced.
     
    Adam Pettersen was the one player to record multiple hits in the game to go along with a couple of RBI. He was also scored a run and was the only member of the Snappers to bat in a run with two outs in an inning. Tyler Grimes and Drew Leachman added the other RBI for Beloit. Miguel Sano was held hitless for the third time in the last four games.
     
    ---
     
    Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 12, 2012
    Both photos courtesy of Rinaldi Photos
     

    Hitter of the Day- Adam Pettersen
     
    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fijcNhEdlx4/T9f9UgGBjUI/AAAAAAAACB4/nUDGd2-L-HU/s320/AdamPettersen.jpg




    Pitcher of the Day- Michael Tonkin
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sBvUH8_iUtE/T9gDeobaYxI/AAAAAAAACEk/tdBp-PEfBbc/s320/MichaelTonkin.jpg



    ---




     

    A Look Ahead- Wednesday, June 13th Schedule
     
    Rochester (Off day)
    New Britain vs Akron (1)- LHP Logan Darnell
    New Britain vs Akron (2)- RHP Steve Hirschfeld
    Fort Myers vs Bradenton- TBD
    Beloit vs Peoria- TBD
     
    ---
     
    If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them.
  8. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Another Tuesday morning means that later tonight I will be posting about all of the minor league action for the Twins farm system. There are plenty of exciting things happening at each level of the Twins organization so make sure you are checking out the nightly updates on the Twins Daily homepage. It's only two weeks until the short season leagues start in the minor leagues so there will be a ton of action to follow across the Twins system.
     
    For now, here are a few headlines that are being discussed across Twins Territory. When a team is starting to play better baseball, the news is much more encouraging. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this weeks edition of "Tuesday Morning Tidbits."
     

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_lfmrTCwP-s/T9ZPcNW9ECI/AAAAAAAACAI/leFION1e0jQ/s320/Hendriks.jpgHendriks staying hot in Rochester


    One minor league player had such a good week last week that he was honored by the International League as the Player of the Week. This is a good sign as the Twins could need to call on the services of Mr. Liam Hendriks in the next week. After the demotion of Cole DeVries, the Twins are left with only four pitchers in the starting rotation. The team had a couple of off days to save them from needing another starter but Hendriks could be back in Minnesota by the end of next weekend.
     
    The time Hendriks has spent in the majors hasn't been outstanding but something might have clicked in his recent demotion to Rochester. Since being demoted at the beginning of May, Hendriks has gone 5-0 for the Red Wings with a 1.94 ERA and a 0.906 WHIP. His strikeout to walk rate of 42 to 13 is also excellent and it looks like there is little left for him to prove at the Triple-A level.
     
    In his last outing on Saturday, Hendriks threw 8.2 innings of scoreless baseball before exiting the game. This would put him in line to start on Thursday for Rochester but the Twins have an opening in their rotation that will need to be filled on Saturday against the Brewers. If the Twins don't want to use Anthony Swarzak as a spot starter, it seems that Hendriks could be facing off against the Brew Crew at Target Field.
     

    Plouffe finding a home at third



    Since the Twins have been winning in the last couple weeks, one of the top contributors to the club has been Trevor Plouffe. The team entered the season thinking that he would be spending most of his time in the outfield but poor play from Danny Valencia forced the club to go in a different direction. In the middle of May, the Twins started to use Plouffe more at third base and it sounds like he is spending a lot of time learning the new position. He defensive continues to improve but his offense has always been the key.
     
     
    During the last ten games, the Twins are 8-2 and Plouffe seems to have found his stroke at the dish. He is hitting .359/.390/.821 with five home runs and three doubles during that stretch. By averaging an RBI per game, the Twins have been able to use him more frequently in higher spots in the batting order. If he were to keep this pace up for an entire year, he would hit 82 home runs and knock in 162 runners.
     
     
    Obviously, this pace won't continue for Plouffe but it is nice to see him finally put something together at the big league level. His batting average has finally gotten over the .200 mark and he hopes to never see the .100s again in his professional career. The plan was for Valencia to stick at third base but it is nice to see Plouffe step up and take on the role. Plouffe has the talent to be the Twins third baseman for the next couple of years so let's hope his offense stays consistent and that he shows he can handle the defensive side of the ball.
     
     



    Buxton deal gets done


    Byron Buxton, the Twins first round draft pick and the second player selected during last weeks draft, is in the Twin Cities this week to finalize his deal with the club. Part of this process includes taking a physical on Tuesday and the contract could be announce on Wednesday if everything checks out. Late last night word came out that the two sides had agreed to a deal and all that was left was the physical.
     
    In previous years, the first round picks for the Twins took awhile to get their deal finalized. Kyle Gibson was in negotiations with the team right until the deadline before agreeing to a deal. The new CBA changed the slotting system for first round picks and the deadline for signing picks has been moved up by almost a month. At this point, the Twins and Buxton could have been in negotiations until July 13 but the earlier he signs the faster he can start his professional career.
     
    With the new slotting system, the recommended bonus for the second pick in the draft is $6.2 million. There is a chance that he will come in under the slotted amount because the first pick in the draft signed for less than the amount he was slotted to receive. Carlos Correa was a surprise pick by the Houston Astros but he signed for $4.8 million when the recommended slot amount was $7.2 million for the first pick. If the Twins can save money on Buxton, that money can be spent on other players taken in the higher rounds of the draft.
  9. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7mNspmKJf8/T9VryKzcHnI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/uRG9AuKuZHY/s320/ScottDiamond.jpg

    It has been a long strange ride to get to this point in the life of Scott Diamond. The Canadian-born pitcher was not even drafted out of college in 2008 and he had to sign with the Atlanta Braves as a amateur free agent. This forced him to have to prove his worth as he worked his way through the farm system of the Braves. The lower levels of the minors were very good to Diamond as should be expected from a left-handed pitcher with college experience. After not posting an ERA of over 3.52 at any level, he made it all the way to the Braves Triple-A affiliate in 2010.
     
    At the end of that season, the Braves left Diamond off of their 40-man so this allowed team's to select him in the Rule 5 Draft, a draft meant to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to have them in the majors. He spent all of spring training in 2011 with the Twins but near the end of camp the Twins wanted to send him to Rochester. Under the rules of the Rule 5 Draft, the Twins would have to work out a deal with the Braves or offer him back to the organization.
     
    The Twins and the Braves were able to work out a deal with the Twins sending hard throwing prospect Billy Bullock back to the Atlanta organization in return for the rights to Diamond. At the time, there were many, including myself, that questioned the move by the front office. It seemed like the team was giving up a decent level prospect for a pitcher who hadn't shown any reason to think he would be a major factor at the big league level. It seemed like it was a high price to pay for Diamond.
     
    Diamond's first year with the Twins did not take away from the doubts that surrounded his arrival with the club. The transition to a new organization was not a smooth one for Mr. Diamond as he struggled through his worst season ever in the minor leagues. His 5.56 ERA with Rochester was over two runs higher than any ERA he had in the Braves system. The 24-year old made his debut in July for one start before heading back to Rochester but the Twins would need him again at the end of the year for a handful of mediocre starts.
     
    During the same time frame, Bullock spent most of the season pitching at the Double-A level as a 23-year old pitcher. He was very consistent in the fact that he could strike out a lot of batters but he also allowed a lot of walks. The Braves allowed him to get some save opportunities even with an ERA north of 4.50 for the year. It was a rough 2011 season for both of these players and it was hard to know what the future would hold for these young men.
     
    Flash-forward to the 2012 season and the move by the Twins to acquire Diamond is starting to look like it was a steal. In the seven starts he has made for the Twins, Diamond has won five contests and posted an incredible 1.61 ERA over 44.2 innings. One of the most positive signs could be the fact that he is controlling the strike zone by not walking batters and by increasing his strikeout rate. After walking 17 batters in 39 innings at the big league level last year, he has only walked four batters in close to 45 innings in 2012. Diamond has stepped up and been the most consistent man on the moundwhen it looked like the Twins would fumble through the season with all of their starters struggling.
     
    Meanwhile Bullock is spending his third straight year at the Double-A level and he continues to struggle with different parts of his game. He is walking close to a batter an inning and his strikeout numbers have dipped significantly since last year. His ERA of 4.00 is lower than last year at Double-A but it is still too high for a 24-year old that is repeating this level for the third time. He is going to need to focus on his control or he will never be able to find success in the higher levels of the minor leagues.
     
    Diamond has looked like the ace of the Twins pitching staff for the last month and there are few who would argue that point. He has turned skeptics into believers with his performance on the mound and the hope is that he will continue to be a very strong presence in the rotation. Even with a wide-open race in the AL Central and a recent winning streak, the Twins find themselves in a huge hole as the calendar inches into the middle part of June. While Bullock struggles in the minors, Diamond can be one of the bright stars for the Twins, a role few thought he would occupy a short time ago.
  10. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    It's finally Friday and the Twins are coming home to welcome a couple of teams that have yet to make a trip to Target Field. Interleague play means the Cubs and the Phillies will make their inaugural trek to Minneapolis to explore the friendly confines of Target Field. Some people love interleague play and others hate it. I see both sides of the argument but I do enjoy getting to see some National League players that I wouldn't normally get to see otherwise.
     
    Lucky enough for the Twins, the Cubs and the Phillies have also been struggling through the early portion of the season. Both teams are under .500 and the Cubs are one of two teams in all of baseball that have fewer wins than the Twins. The Phillies do play very well on the road with a 16-12 record so far but the Twins should be able to put up a good fight in the next couple series.
     
    The MLB Draft was the main story for most of the week but there was still plenty of other news and notes from around the league. Check out this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks."
     

    The Twins selected high school outfielder Byron Buxton with the second pick in the draft on Monday. You can like his page on Facebook or you can follow him on Twitter for the latest updates.
    Here is the official video of Bud Selig announcing Byron Buxton as the Twins pick along with his reaction.
    If you want to know more about Buxton, check out this profile on him.
    Speaking of the draft, I was on the Seth Speaks Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast to discuss the draft and the current situation with the Twins.
    Former Twins pitcher RA Dickey is having an amazing year for the Mets and he seems to be one that got away.
    Twins catching prospect Chris Herrmann sat down for an interview with Twins Fan From Afar.
    After the draft, the next major milestone in the season will be the trade deadline and there could be more than one team vying for the services of Denard Span.
    Span was taken in the draft that took place 10 years ago. So what happened to all of those players?
    Trevor Plouffe was called out and he seems to have answered with a recent hot streak.
    Last Friday former Twins ace Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history and the ticket stubs are selling for more than games that have yet to be played.
    Here is the complete list of players that the Twins took in all 40 rounds of the draft.
    There was an issue with Jeff Manship's jersey on Wednesday night and something like this has happened to him before.


    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WCBMrV7E1gQ/T9FmK6u_B8I/AAAAAAAAB8o/i67bJY6drKM/s400/jeffmanshipormanhsip.jpg

     

    It didn't take long for Jason Marquis to get back to the majors but the results in his first start were similar to when he was with the Twins as he got the loss.
    There was a crazy first pitch at a Rochester Red Wings game this week.
    Jim Thome is back from the DL in enough time to make a return trip to Target Field.
    Earlier this week, it was the anniversary of D-Day and there are some baseball connections to this historically significant day.
    The Territory Train went to Beloit last week and here are some thoughts on some of the best players for the Snappers.
    Did the Twins stay with the pitch-to-contact approach in the draft for too long?
    Miguel Sano headlines a group of Snappers headed to the Midwest All-Star Game.
    The Twins have been winning more games lately but could this be a bad thing?

    My Weekly Rundown
     

    Monday: 2012 Twins MLB Draft Primer
    Tuesday: Twins go with Buxton over Appel
    Tuesday's Trip through the Minors
    Thursday: Liriano seems to be changing his release point


    Video of the Week: Denard Span did an interview with MLB Network's Intentional Talk while the team was in Kansas City. The whole interview is a lot of fun and it is always cool to see the players kick back and have some fun. So take a couple minutes and watch Denard talk about some silly topics
  11. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vSvl6iOahYM/T8-F17I5WOI/AAAAAAAAB3Q/EuFU9nXv3r0/s320/LirianoRelease.jpg

    When the Twins were forced to send Francisco Liriano to the bullpen at the beginning of last month, there was plenty of things for the left-handed pitcher to improve during his time away from starting. In his last four starts before being relegated to the bullpen, Liriano lost all four outings and posted an ERA of over 9.00 while only averaging a little over four innings a start. Opponents had an OPS of over 1.000 against him and it was time for something to change.
     
    His relief appearances were not outstanding as he walked too many batters but he managed to escape many of the outings without allowing a run. These little steps helped him to improve his low confidence and it helped the team to be able to trust him when they were ready to let him return to the rotation. Some other situations forced the team to return him to the rotation last week and so far the results have been very positive.
     
    In two starts since being back in the rotation, Liriano has pitched six innings in each outing and given up one earned run total. His 17 strikeouts compared to three walks is a far cry from where he was in the early part of the year. Opponents OPS has dropped to .437 and Liriano has dropped his ERA to 0.75 over the two games. Most fans are going to look at the two opponents, the Oakland A's and the Kansas City Royals, and say they are not prolific offenses. From the Twins point of view, any positive starts from Liriano are steps in the right direction as the team needs him to be a consistent starter to help the team to victories.
     
    So what changed for Liriano since the last time he was in the rotation? Some of his improvement can be chalked up to the poor teams the Twins were playing. But overall, there must be another reason for this new and improved version of Liriano.
     
    One of the changes that stands out from some of the different PitchFX data is the fact that Liriano seems to have changed the release point on some of his pitches. In the past, he has been known to change his position on the rubber because of the handedness of the batter. This can obviously impact his release point; but over the course of the game, his release point graphic should still end up looking somewhat similar.
     
    Take a look at the images below from Brooks Baseball of Liriano's release point in the two starts he made before his trip to the bullpen. Coincidentally, both starts came against the Angels at the beginning of May.

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EWjD7U8WpoU/T9AfEZkjoLI/AAAAAAAAB5A/AR2NxBapF0o/s400/release5-1.png 
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ddtl3-tgMGo/T9AfN7dBYTI/AAAAAAAAB5I/QyfScN-GdnY/s400/release5-7.png


    For the most part, his release point was very consistent for all of his pitches. This can be a good thing for a pitcher because then the hitter can't tell what kind of pitch that is coming because of where it is being released by the man on the mound. The problem for Liriano was that he was throwing too many balls and being hit very hard. Over the course of the two games shown above, Liriano gave up three home runs, walked six batters, and had an ERA near 7.00 when all was said and done.
     
    Since returning to the bump, Liriano's results on the field have been much better but take a look at his release point and how it compares to the pictures above.

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nn3-G7PGPmI/T9AhFx9WatI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/VnII6nb7FHY/s400/release5-30.gifhttp://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3e0Am_GCIwg/T9AhLB1YfJI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/xDV2zw5XAVA/s400/release6-6.png


    Instead of there being one solid grouping for all of his release points, there are two distinctly different release points in the new and improved Liriano. It's also important take note of the the results from this new release point. A majority of the pitches in this area are swinging strikes or balls that were put into play where outs were recorded. This subtle change seems to have a major improvement in the results on the field for Liriano.
     
    The next two starts for Liriano are scheduled to come at Target Field against the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. These teams have each faced their fair share of offensive struggles so far in 2012. If Liriano is going to continue his recently found success, it will help to play teams that are not prolific offenses. It will be key for him to continue to find the zone with his fastball so he can keep hitters off balance with different pitches and his multiple release points.
  12. Cody Christie
    Don't look now but it looks like Francisco Liriano might have remembered how to pitch. His last two starts have looked much better than the horrendous pitcher that was on the mound at the beginning of the year. This might be jumping the gun a little since his last two outings came against two poor offenses, the Oakland A's and the Kansas City Royals.
     
    The Twins offense couldn't back the strong outing by Liriano because Bruce Chen shut them down at the plate. Jonathan Broxton made the ninth inning a little interesting with two men getting on base but he was still able to preserve the 1-0 win for the Royals.
     
    After a couple more games with the Royals, the Twins will head home to start a couple weeks of interleague play. The Cubs, Phillies, and Brewers will all visit Target Field and there is a chance for the Twins to do well with the way some of these teams have looked on the field.
     
    For now, let's look at the abbreviate minor league schedule from Tuesday night.
     
    ROCHESTER 4, NORFOLK 6
     
    The Red Wings were facing a Tides roster full of players with major league experience in this game. Miguel Tejada, Brian Roberts, and even former Twins player Lew Ford were all in action on Tuesday evening. Roberts had the biggest game out of this grouping with a 3-for-5 night including two doubles. Red Wings manager Gene Glynn must not have liked all of the MLB talent on the Tides because he got ejected for arguing a close play at the plate.
     
    As far as the Red Wings go, there were some decent nights at the plate even though it was in a losing effort. Rene Rivera went 3-for-3 with a couple of RBI and his third home run of the year. Pedro Florimon added a couple doubles in four at-bats to help raise his batting average to .270 for the year. After quite the hot streak in recent weeks, Chris Parmelee was held hitless in three trips to the plate.
     
    Matt Maloney started the contest for the Red Wings and there was some rough defense behind him with three errors charged to Rochester. He pitched five innings and allowed four runs on nine hits but only two of those runs were earned. Carlos Gutierrez was saddled with his second loss of the year for giving up two earned runs in the sixth inning. Casey Fien and Tyler Robertson combined to pitch three scoreless innings to end the game but it wasn't enough on this night.
     
    NEW BRITAIN 2, AKRON 6
     
    Akron got to the Rock Cats starter BJ Hermsen with one run in the first and two runs in the third. It was Hermsen's first loss since the first week of May and he only gave up one earned run. An error by Estarlin De Los Santos cost the Rock Cats two runs in the fifth and it was hard for the team to recover from that point. It was a night for managers getting ejected as the Rock Cats manager Jeff Smith didn't stick around for much of this game as he was tossed in the top of the third.
     
    Andrew Albers followed Hermsen on the mound and he managed a very dubious distinction; he gave up two runs on no hits. The three walks he allowed came back to haunt him. The only pitcher to record an out for New Britain and not give up a run was Luis Perdomo and he only pitched one-third of an inning.
     
    Delbinson Romero went 2-for-4 with his seventh home run of the year in support of the Rock Cats. Evan Bigley also hit a home run but that would be all of the scoring for New Britian. Rene Tosoni had a double but he also had a couple of strike-outs in the contest. Aaron Hicks left the game after trying to break-up a double play at second base so hopefully this is nothing serious.
     
    FORT MYERS -, TAMPA -
    The field conditions in Tampa were unplayable on Tuesday night after hours of rain during the day. This means the Miracle and Yankees will have to play a double-header on Wednesday to make-up for the lost game. Both games are scheduled to be seven inning affairs tomorrow evening. On Monday, Oswaldo Arcia was named Player of the Week by the Florida State League so make sure you check out the press release on his award.
     
    BELOIT (Off Day)
     
    After back-to-back losses at the hands of Wisconsin, the Snappers got a day of rest on Tuesday before they start a series versus Burlington. Two weeks from tonight the MWL All-Star Classic will be held and seven Snappers were named to the team. Miguel Sano will start the game at third base and he will be joined by fellow position players John Goncalves, Tyler Grimes, and Eddie Rosario. The pitchers from the Snapper to make the team were A.J. Achter, Michael Tonkin, Jason Wheeler.
     
    ---
     
    Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 29, 2012
     

    Hitter of the Day- Rene Rivera
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x3B8LuXugOI/T87VjDXTAjI/AAAAAAAAB1Y/UWEMDyxyYRE/s320/ReneRivera.jpg




    Pitcher of the Day- Casey Fien
     
    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6tfPwtaIQU/T87VnH7LciI/AAAAAAAAB1g/nrBIAT-0qYc/s320/CaseyFien.jpg


    ---
     

    A Look Ahead- Wednesday, June 5th Schedule
     
    Rochester at Norfolk-RHP Steve Hirschfeld
    New Britain at Akron- RHP Brett Jacobson
    Fort Myers at Tampa (1)- RHP Marty Popham
    Fort Myers at Tampa (2)- LHP Cole Nelson
    Beloit at Burlington- LHP Jason Wheeler
     
    ---
    If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them.
  13. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lDXQDNRTNeE/T81-89L7ggI/AAAAAAAABzs/csxp8S1LVDU/s1600/buxton_draft.jpg

    When the Houston Astros made a surprise selection of Carlos Correa with the first pick of the 2012 MLB Draft, the Twins were left with a decision of picking between high school outfielder Byron Buxton and college pitcher Mark Appel. Before the draft started on Monday night, it seemed that Appel was going to be a sure bet for the number one selection. This didn't happen because of some perceived signability concerns and the Twins still took the player that they had highest on their draft board, Byron Buxton.
     
    Buxton was the number one ranked player by both Baseball America and MLB.com before the draft started on Monday night. The five-toll outfielder has been compared to many current outfielders but the one mentioned most often is Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Even Buxton himself thinks he plays a lot like Upton on the field.
     
    From the sounds of reports and tweets, the Twins scouting director Deron Johnson was extremely happy with the pick and it seems that the sky could be the limit for this young man. "He's a five-tool player," Johnson said. "Tremendous ceiling. He's a really good kid. Hard worker. Two-sport athlete. Everybody talks about his athleticism. He's got a really good swing. We think he's going to hit. We think he'll hit anywhere from No. 1 in the order to No. 3."
     
    To get a number one caliber pick with the second selection in the draft has to be a thrill for the front office of the Twins. He showed tremendous offensive skills this season by batting .513 with 17 doubles and 35 RBI. His tremendous speed helped him to be a plus defensive outfielder and to steal more than a base per game during his senior year. One of the most valuable tools could be his arm in center field. He showed off some of this ability by pitching in his high school state championship game last week and striking out 18 batters to lead his team to the title.
     
    The Twins will let Buxton focus his attention as an outfielder but he is a tremendous athlete that could have gone on to play college football for the University of Georgia. Buxton was the best player on the board but Appel could have provided the Twins some pitching depth in the system that seems low on top level arms. Appel could have been on the fast track to Target Field but Buxton will take awhile to develop in the minor league system. A lot of the Twins top minor league talent is in the lower levels so Buxton might have been the correct pick for the team that is a few years away from contending again.
     
    Buxton, who goes by "Buck," has until July 13 to sign with the Twins and become a very rich recent high school graduate. As of Monday night, the Twins expressed little concern over signing Buxton and it would be nice for him to get some time in the rookie leagues by the end of the summer. It might a few seasons before fans are wearing Buxton #3 jerseys (he will have to change away from his high school number) at Target Field, but he seems to be destined for big things in the coming years.
  14. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ftP6wghsQ4/T8wu4YaZSzI/AAAAAAAAByA/4U98fG4JcrQ/s320/2012MLBDraftPrimer.jpg

    A little after 6 p.m. CT on Monday night, the Minnesota Twins will be making a franchise altering pick when the scouting staff and the front office will decide on the number two pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. On the heels of a disappointing 2011 season, the Twins earned the second pick in the first round based on the fact that the team finished with the second worse record last year. The Houston Astros were the only team to finish with less wins than the Twins and this allows the Astros to take the first pick.
     
    The last time the Twins drafted this high in the first round was back in the 2001 when the team selected Joe Mauer with the first pick. Mauer has gone on to win an MVP and multiple batting titles since his selection and now he is being paid to be the face of the franchise. The other option for the top pick that year was Mark Prior and he has battled with injuries for most of his career. It looks like the team made the right decision in 2001 but that is not always the case.
     
    In the year before Mauer was picked, the team took Adam Johnson with the number two pick in the first round and he only made nine appearances at the MLB level. This is a mistake the Twins can ill-afford to make again in a draft class that, much like 2000, is considered to be weak. The team needs to hit a home run with their selection and find a player that can be a highly effective at the MLB level for multiple seasons.
     
    There will also be two compensation round picks made by the Twins on Monday night for to make-up for the loss of free agents Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. The first pick in the compensation round (No. 32) belongs to the Twins for the Rockies signing Cuddyer. Ten picks later (No. 42), the Twins will select another player since Kubel was signed away by the Diamondbacks. These picks are also very important in the grand scheme of things.
     
    There are plenty of aspects for a franchise to consider as they prepare for the draft. Previous draft picks, the organization's top prospects, and the scouting reports of the top available players will all be used to decide the fate of the franchise. Below you will find a few of the things that could impact the team's decision when they make the second pick on Monday night.
     
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    2007-2011 Twins Draft Capsules


    The Twins have followed some similar patterns in recent drafts with college pitchers and young high school outfielders often being taken in the first round. This trend could continue on Monday night with the Twins looking at a variety of college arms or a high school outfielder that is considered by many to be the best available player. There have been some hits and some misses along the way but the core of a franchise is formed from previous drafts.
     
    Full posts can be found by clicking on the links below:
     

    2011 MLB Draft Capsule: The team took college middle infielder Levi Michael with their first round pick to help solidify a position of weakness in the organization. Both of their compensation round picks are young but could offer some of the biggest upside of any players in the farm system.
    2010 MLB Draft Capsule: For the second year in a row, the Twins took a collegiate arm in the first round of the draft. Alex Wimmers has hit some bumps along the way and he is currently rehabbing his elbow. Eddie Rosario, one of the top prospects in the organization, was a steal in this draft for the Twins.
    2009 MLB Draft Capsule: It seemed the Twins got lucky when one of the top pitching prospects in the draft fell to the team because of some forearm injury concerns. Kyle Gibson quickly showed there was nothing to worry about as he flew through the minor leagues. A dreaded Tommy John surgery took away most of this season for Gibson but he should be pitching in games later this summer.
    2008 MLB Draft Capsule: The last time the Twins had a pick in the top 15 was when they took Aaron Hicks with the 14th pick in 2009. The switch-hitting outfielder has been tremendous on the defensive side of the ball while still working on his offensive approach. Carlos Guitierrez is another player who could make an impact from this draft.
    2007 MLB Draft Capsule: Ben Revere is the only first round pick out of the last five years to make a mark on the team at the big league level. His speed and defensive skills have been highly touted as he moved through the minor leagues and he has shown some positives signs with the Twins. Angel Morales was also taken in this draft and the Twins hope he can avoid injury concerns in 2012.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects


    Before entering the draft, it is important to know where a club's strengths and weaknesses are in regards to the prospects in the organization. The Twins hope their first round selection will jump to the top of this list in the not so distant future and that he will make a major impact in the minor leagues along the way. There are only a couple first round picks who made this list so the Twins need to make sure they find a top notch player with the number two selection.
     
    Miguel Sano is widely considered to be the best prospect in the Twins system and he could see himself near the top of the top prospect lists for all of baseball by the time this season is done. His powerful swing has been something to marvel at for the last couple of seasons and the Twins have their fingers crossed that he will be a superstar in the future. There has been some movement in the top prospects in the Twins organization but there are some very talented players trying to work their way toward Target Field.
     
    Who follows Sano in the top 10 list? You will have to read the full post to find out.
     
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    2012 MLB Draft Player Profiles



    With no clear-cut favorites near the top of the draft this year, there is a wide-pool of players the Twins could be considering for the number two pick. According to sources, the Twins have narrowed down their focus to three or four players but their true choice won't be known until some time on Monday.
     
     
     
    It seems that Mark Appel is likely to go to the Astros with the first pick so one of the other names listed below will most likely be in a Twins jersey whenever he signs on the dotted line. There are college pitchers, high school position players, and one college catcher and only one player can call the Twins organization his home.
     
     
     
    Full posts can be found by clicking on the links below:
     
     
     
    1. Byron Buxton- a high school outfielder that is ranked by many scouts as the best player available in the draft. He has the potential to be a five-tool player but it would take he multiple years to reach the MLB level.
     
     
    2. Mark Appel- a collegiate right-handed pitcher who most likely will be off the board with the first pick by the Houston Astros. With the roots of his childhood based in Houston, it seems like a perfect storyline for the franchise.
     
     
    3. Mike Zunino- a catcher that is considered to be the top collegiate position player in the draft. His poor play in SEC play this year might have hurt his draft stock but he will still be one of the first seven players selected on Monday.
     
     
    4. Kevin Gausman- a right-handed pitcher that might be the best college arm on the board and he could end up being even better than Appel. He needs to refine some of his offspeed pitches and his body could use some more weight but his 94 mph fastball holds plenty of potential.
     
     
    5. Carlos Correa- a shortstop that should become the highest player selected from the island of Puerto Rico. The Twins have held multiple private workouts for this young middle infielder in the last couple weeks and he has apparently been very impressive.
     
     
    6. Kyle Zimmer- the third college pitcher on this list and he might be the most polished arm besides Appel. His strikeout to walk rate is something the Twins front office has to love and this is only helped by his heater that reaches 97 mph.
     
     
    *Bonus Profile*
     
    Mitch Brown- a right-handed high school pitcher that is from Rochester, Minnesota and a top 50 prospect for the draft. The Twins have the No. 32 and No. 42 selections in the compensation round and this is right where Brown's name is expected to be called.


  15. Cody Christie
    On Friday night, the Twins watched Carl Pavano struggle through another rough outing as he tries to find a way to fight through the shoulder problems that have plagued him in 2012. In less than five innings of work, Pavano gave up two home runs including a grand slam. By the time he left the mound, the Twins were in a 7-0 hole and it can be a challenge to come back from that big of a hole.
     
    The three-game winning streak for the Twins came to an end on Friday night so let's look around the minor leagues to find some standout performances. Since there was not a minor league recap written last night for the Twins Daily site, you will find short summaries of the Thursday night games including the pitcher and hitter of the night.
     
    ROCHESTER -, COLUMBUS -
     
    The Red Wings were washed out on Tuesday night and their game with Columbus will have to be made up as part of a double header on Saturday. Both games will be scheduled for seven innings.
     
    Thursday Night Notes: Rochester lost 5-1 on Thursday evening versus the Charlotte Knights. The only member of the Red Wings with more than one hit was Chris Parmelee who has been on quite the run since being demoted to Rochester. Matt Maloney started for Rochester and he allowed two earned runs in 4.2 inning on the hill.
     
    NEW BRITAIN 10, HARRISBURG 3
    On Friday night, the Rock Cats exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the second inning to separate themselves from the Senators. Matt Rizzotti had one of the big hits in the inning by smacking a double with two outs to drive in two runs. He would add a second double later in the contest to help keep the offense moving in the right direction.
     
    In his first big game since being demoted from Rochester, Rene Tosoni had three hits and two RBI in support of the Rock Cats win. Evan Bigley added two RBI of his own with his fifth home run of the year in the seventh inning. By the end of the game, Chris Herrmann would be the only member of New Britain that failed to record a hit but he reached base with a walk.
     
    Steve Hirschfeld started for New Britain and pitched himself out of some jams over the course of seven innings. In the end he surrendered nine hits but he was able to escape with minimum damage as only two runs crossed the plate. Bobby Lanigan and Blake Martin covered the last two innings to help the Rock Cats to their 31st victory of the season.
     
    Thursday Night Notes: After the Rock Cats jumped out to a 6-1 lead, the team had to hang on to win by a final score of 6-5 versus New Hampshire. Chris Colabello had a tremendous night at the plate with a double, a home run, and six runs batted in. Andrew Albers picked up his second win of the year by throwing six innings and only allowing one earned run.
     
    FORT MYERS 16, DAYTON 7
     
    In direct contrast to the big second inning by the Rock Cats, the Miracle surrendered a big frame in the second inning of their game with the Cubs. Dayton pumped across six runs in the top of the frame and five of those runs were charged to Marty Popham, the starter for Fort Myers. The game would only get worse from there as the Cubs piled on the runs in the top of the fifth inning.
     
    Levi Michael hit his third triple of the year as he tries to dig himself out an early season slump. Daniel Ortiz racked up three extra-base hits with two doubles and a triple in the game and he finished with three RBI. In the fourth inning, Josmil Pinto hit his fifth home run of the year but it would not be enough on this night.
     
    Two errors in the game by Fort Myers lead to five unearned runs for Dayton. Even with the unearned runs, it was an ugly night on the mound for Miracle pitchers. In his first start since May 22, Popham would finish by giving up nine earned runs on 10 hits. Jose Gonzalez had a tough time in relief of Popham as he surrendered five runs in 1.2 innings.Dakota Watts stopped some of the bleeding by pitching the last three innings and only giving up one run on a solo home run.
     
    Thursday Night Notes: Every batter in the Miracle line-up had a hit except for Anderson Hidalgo but it still wasn't enough to beat the Marauders. One of the problems was Fort Myers managed one extra-base hit and that came off of the bat of Andy Leer. Matthew Hauser was saddled with his first loss of the year after giving up a run in 2.1 innings. The final tally was Bradenton 2 to 1 in 10 innings.
     
    BELOIT 11, QUAD CITIES 5
    Seth Stohs and a group of other Twins fans made the trip on the Territory Train this weekend to catch two games with the Beloit Snappers. They were treated to a powerful offensive outing from the Snappers with 12 total hits and 11 runs on the board for Beloit.
     
    The biggest offensive night was put together by JaDamion Williams who finished 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, and four runs batted in. Drew Leachman matched William's three hits and knocked in two runners of his own. Matthew Koch hit a 2-run shot in the fifth inning to cap a wild offensive night.
     
    The Snappers only used two pitchers in the game with Jason Wheeler starting the game and going five frames. Besides giving up five runs, he was still able to secure his seventh win of the year. David Hurlbut earned his first save of the year by pitching four scoreless innings to end the game. The River Bandits failed to get past second base after Hurlbut entered the contest.
     
    Thursday Night Notes: Eddie Rosario and Matthew Koch each had a home run to pace the Snappers offense in a night where five players had runs batted in. Miguel Sano hit his eleventh double and knocked in his 41st RBI of the campaign. Steven Gruver allowed a solo shot in the first inning but then he settled down and finished with 8.1 innings and the win.
     
    ---
    Players of the Day for Friday, June 1, 2012 (Thursday night too)
     

    Pitcher of the Day- Steve Hirschfeld (Steven Gruver)


     


    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5gU7yiFgke8/T8l4rDdkZaI/AAAAAAAABug/evuFE-rlcGA/s400/Slide1.jpg

     
    Hitter of the Day- JaDamion Williams (Chris Colabello)
     



    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uRMZiraunNs/T8l4xJhWAkI/AAAAAAAABuo/hFsX4oMXVIE/s400/Slide2.jpg

     
    ---
     

    A Look Ahead- Saturday, June 2nd Schedule
     
    Rochester vs Columbus (Game 1)- LHP Luke French
    Rochester vs Columbus (Game 2)- TBA
    New Britain vs Harrisburg- LHP Logan Darnell
    Fort Myers vs Dayton- LHP Pat Dean
    Beloit vs Wisconsin- RHP Matthew Summers
     
    ---
     
    If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them.
  16. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Get out the brooms because the Twins just got done sweeping the A's in a series at Target Field. It wasn't the prettiest of sweeps but a walk-off home run from Josh Willingham and an interesting outing from Francisco Liriano put the cap on the three game set. The A's aren't exactly the cream of the crop in the American League but at this point the Twins are just trying to play better baseball.
     
    The Twins head to Cleveland for a weekend series with the Tribe but many Twins fans have turned their attention to the MLB Draft that will take place at the beginning of next week. A franchise can be altered by the selection made by their front office and the scouting department. The number two selection in the draft will belong to the Twins and the team needs to hit a home run with this pick.
     
    Throughout the week, I've been been putting up posts related to the MLB Draft and I will continue to put together all of this information in a "2012 MLB Draft Primer" for the beginning of next week. Until then, enjoy these great links from throughout the week.
     

    It seems, for better or worse, that the Twins are going to be depending a lot on Brian Dozier at shortstop in the future.
    This reliance on Dozier could be tough with teams adjusting their approach with the young rookie.
    With the draft on Monday, it is important to reexamine the top prospects in the minor league system of the Twins.
    It might be too early to start all of the trade speculation with the trade deadline still a couple months away.
    That being said, Justin Morneau could be one of the players that exits the team when the July trade deadline rolls around.
    Liriano's contract is over at the end of the season and there is a good chance he will be on the trading block.
    A couple of days ago Liriano had a good start but what does that mean for the future?
    There have been plenty of throwback uniforms in baseball this year and the Twins will join the party with their Minneapolis Millers jerseys.
    With 30% of the Twins schedule behind them, there have been some interesting offensive numbers so far in 2012.
    For only the second time in the history of Target Field, there was a walk-off home run. There was a special surprise waiting for Willingham at the end of the day.


    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J4z8Mj_BI3I/T8gxUISIicI/AAAAAAAABkI/gTJIpN6cWVk/s320/WillinghamShower.jpg

     

    This list looks at the all-time draft roster for the history of the Twins.
    PJ Walters honors his daughter's memory before every game with a touching gesture.
    Former Twins player Jason Kubel is going to be a dad again.
    The Twins broadcast team isn't great but Hawk Harrelson is terrible.
    Sometimes the number two pick in the draft doesn't always produce a great player.
    After getting hit hard as a member of the Twins rotation, Jason Marquis is forced to prove himself at Double-A for the Padres.
    One of the most talked about stories of the week revolved around a former Twins prospect and his growth in the steroids era.
    Torii Hunter was finally able to return to the Angels after dealing with a terrible family situation.

    My Weekly Rundown
     

    Tuesday: Tuesday Morning Tidbits
    Tuesday's Trip through the Minors
    Wednesday: 2011 Twins MLB Draft Capsule
    2010 Twins MLB Draft Capsule
    2009 Twins MLB Draft Capsule
    Thursday: 2008 Twins MLB Draft Capsule
    2007 Twins MLB Draft Capsule
    Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects

    Video of the Week: One of the best moments of the year for the Twins happened earlier this week and this video celebrates Willingham's blast in very retro fashion. A shout out is in order to That's Twins Baseball for putting together this wonderful clip.
  17. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~
    The MLB Draft takes place next week and the Twins hope to be able to take some difference makers with the five picks they have in the first couple of rounds. With the number two pick, the Twins should be getting a player that will jump straight into the top 5 of the list below.
     
    It's great to see where the organization is sitting before they enter the draft. A team's future is decided by the players they select in the draft and a team can be made or broken because of some tough decisions. The team is always in need of adding more pitching depth especially with the onslaught of injuries that have hit some of the top pitching prospects for the team.
     
    Even since the offseason when I put together my last prospect list, the players have shifted around for a variety of reasons. There is still plenty of talent in the Twins system and the draft should only strengthen the future of the club.
     

    [/url] 
     
    1. Miguel Sano, 3B, Low-A Beloit Snappers
     
    Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (2009)
     
    .245/.351/.527, 13 HR, 10 2B, 2 3B, 40 RBI, 32 R


    He is hands down the best prospect in the Twins organization and you will get very few who will argue the fact. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus recently wrote an article that named Sano as the best power-hitting prospect in the entire minor leagues. He is off to a very good start with Low-A Beloit and one of the most positive signs could be his increased rate of walks. Many fans of the Twins pull up the box score of the Snappers on any given night to see what kind of game Sano had at the plate. He is still a work in progress at third base with 19 errors in 165 chances this year. His 19-year old frame continues to fill out and the Twins are excited about what Sano can mean to the future of this organization.
     

    2. Eddie Rosario, 2B/OF, Low-A Beloit Snappers
     
    Acquired: 4th round pick (2010)
     
    .284/.356/.458, 16 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 25 R


    The Twins saw Rosario blossom last season with the Elizabethton Twins and he continues to impress during his third season with the club. He put up monster numbers for the E-Twins in 2011 and he was named co-MVP of the Appalachian League. Rosario has shown power to all fields and his defense had been outstanding in the outfield. The word "had" is used in the previous sentence because the team decided to transition Rosario from outfield to second base. He has found a few struggles at his new position but he has multiple levels to make it through before the major leagues. This should give the 20-year old plenty of time to prove he can handle the rigors of second base.
     

    3. Liam Hendriks, RHP, Triple-A Rochester Red Wings
     
    Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (2007)
     
    W-L (3-0), 1.40 ERA, 0.896 WHIP, 23 K, 8 BB, 25.2 IP


    Hendriks has made eight starts in the major leagues with very little to no success but his return trip to Rochester seems to be just what the doctor ordered. He has been impressive so far in his four appearances for the Red Wings and he should get another shot in the major leagues before the season is done. The calling card for Hendriks during his time in the minor leagues has been his ability to control the strike zone and avoid walking batters. Last year he lead the Twins organization in strikeouts with 127 and he was second in wins with 12. The Twins will have openings in the starting rotation for next year and Hendriks should solidify a spot in the starting five in the coming months.
     

    4. Aaron Hicks, OF, Double-A New Britain Rock Cats
     
    Acquired: 1st round pick (2008)
     
    .246/.335/.392, 8 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 29 R


    At 22-years old, the Twins are still waiting for Hicks to break out and prove he can be the player he was when they selected him in the first half of first round of the draft in 2008. He played in the Arizona Fall League this past offseason and some scouts thought he was a little lost at the beginning of his tenure. Hicks was able to work through some of those issues and end the AFL by making some improvements to his approach at the plate. The switch-hitting outfielder still struggles as a left-handed batter by hitting .205/.313/.344 so far this year but 10 of his 14 extra-base hits have come from this side of the plate. His defense continues to be outstanding in the outfield and Baseball America ranked him as the top defensive outfielder and top defensive arm in the Twins system.
     

    5. Joe Benson, OF, Double-A New Britain Rock Cats
     
    Acquired: 2nd round pick (2006)
     
    .173/.264/.299, 3 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 11 R


    It has been a very rough start to the season for Benson in 2012 as he was suppose to be thriving at Rochester and busting down the door to the major leagues. Things haven't gone exactly to plan and he finds himself demoted to New Britain to try and find his swing. He struggled last season during his September call-up with the Twins but this still didn't take away from the promise he has shown in his minor league career. He was the 2010 player of the year for the Twins farm system and the team hopes he can get back to that level in the near future.
     

    6. Oswaldo Arcia, OF, High-A Fort Myers Miracle
     
    Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (2007)
     
    .298/.351/.482, 13 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 13 R


    It seems as if Arcia could find himself shooting up this prospect list with his performance in 2012. He is currently outperforming many of the names listed above him and it should only be a matter of time before he finds himself in the outfield of the Rock Cats. He has never played more than 81 games in a season so it will be interesting to see how he fairs towards the end of a long campaign.
     

    7. Kyle Gibson, RHP, Triple-A Rochester Red Wings
     
    Acquired: 1st round pick (2009)


    Gibson is in the midst of rehabbing his way back from Tommy John surgery and he should be throwing off of a mound at the beginning of June. The Twins hope to get Gibson into some minor league games by the end of the summer and he could be set to join the Twins starting rotation in 2013. When he was healthy, he moved through the minor league system very quickly so it will be great to see what he can do with his surgically repaired elbow.
     

    8. Travis Harrison, 3B, Extended Spring Training
     
    Acquired: Supplemental 1st round pick (2011)


    When the Twins took Harrison in the supplemental round of last June's draft, there were some lofty expectation thrown on the high school power hitter. As a prep player, he showed tremendous power potential and the team was happy to take him with one of their early round picks. His size and body type make it hard to believe that he will stick at third base but his bat projects to be one of the biggest in the system.
     

    9. Brian Dozier, SS, MLB Minnesota Twins
     
    Acquired: 8th round pick (2009)
     
    .228/.247/.337, 4 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 8 R


    It is looking like Dozier won't be on this prospect list for long as the team has inserted him into the role of everyday shortstop at the major league level. After getting off to a hot start in his first handful of games, the rest of the league has made some adjustments and Dozier has come back down to earth. The Twins are committed to Dozier at this point and he looks like he will be entrenched at shortstop until he proves he can't handle the job.
     

    10. Adrian Salcedo, RHP, High-A Fort Myers Miracle
     
    Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted free agent (2007)
     
    W-L (0-1), 5.64 ERA, 1.881 WHIP, 13 SO, 15 BB, 22.1 IP


    So far this year, Salcedo has run into some strange situations on the mound. He was forced to leave one start this year after a one-hopper broke his nose. A blister on his finger in a different outing caused him to leave the game. Now Salcedo is on the disabled list with an elbow injury as he tries to rehab his way back onto the field. Mr. Salcedo has seen success at every level of the minor leagues so hopefully the start of this year is just a small hiccup.
     
    Just missing the list: Chris Parmelee 1B, Alex Wimmers RHP, Hudson Boyd RHP, Chris Herrmann C, Levi Michael IF
  18. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    In preparation for next week's MLB First Year Player Draft, I have put together some short draft capsules to look at the prospects the Twins have taken with their early round picks in recent memory. In the coming days, I will release these list with some short profiles on what the players have done since joining the organization. Selecting the right players in the draft can separate a winning club from a losing club so it is important to know what the Twins have done in the past.


    ~~~~~~~~~~

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AhH4IioaBPk/T8ZIYfWrAnI/AAAAAAAABgw/ToJHE5MkI-A/s320/BenRevereCatch.jpg

    1st Round
    Pick 28: Ben Revere, OF
    Current Level: MLB Minnesota Twins
    .300/.344/.417, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 8 R
    Fans of the Twins saw a lot of what Ben Revere could offer the club in 2011 when he played in 117 games as a rookie. His speed and defensive skills thrilled fans across baseball and his tremendous catch in a game at Target Field will be replayed for years to come. In 2012, Revere started the year in Minnesota but the team sent him to Rochester to get more playing time and to find success at a level he basically skipped in the minors. He is back with the club and his offense has looked more promising because of the amount of extra-base hits he has managed to accumulate. Last season, he looked like he would only be a singles hitter; but if he can continue to find extra-base hits, he could be very valuable asset for the club.
    2nd Round
    Pick 92: Danny Rams, C
    Current Level: A+ Fort Myers Miracle
    .057/.195/.057, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
    Since signing with the Twins out of the draft, Rams has run into some difficulties with hitting the ball. So far in 2012, he only has two hits to his name in 41 plate appearances for the Miracle and neither of those hits are for extra bases. He is a decent defensive catcher but he is going to need to make some strides at the plate for the Twins to keep him around in the organization. As a 23-year old light hitting catcher that is in High-A for the second year in a row, time could be running thin for him to prove to the Twins that he was worth the second round selection.
    3rd Round
    Pick 122: Angel Morales, OF
    Current Level: A+ Fort Myers Miracle
    .214/.272/.277, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 16 R
    The 22-year old outfield prospect is spending his second summer in Fort Myers after missing a big chunk of last season with an injury. Morales ranks as one of the best prospects in the organization even though he is off to a slow start to the 2012 season. He combines power and speed to be an offensive threat and his defense is also above average in the outfield. Between 2010-2012, he has played 150 games at the High-A level so it would be nice to see him turn things around for the second half of this year. He is still young enough that there will be plenty of hope following him as he moves his way through the system.
    4th Round
    Pick 152: Reggie Williams, 3B
    Highest Level (w/ Twins): A+ Fort Myers Miracle
    Williams spent the last four years in the Twins minor league system and he never really put it together. After being drafted as a third baseman, the Twins wanted Williams to develop into a power threat but he failed to hit over seven home runs in any single season. With how uneventful his career was with the Twins, he might be more known for the homophobic Twitter rant he went on earlier this year.
     
    Other notables: Danny Lehmann, C (8th round, pick 272), Steve Hirschfeld, RHP (9th round, pick 302)
     
    (Statistics current as of games played on May 29, 2012)
  19. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    In preparation for next week's MLB First Year Player Draft, I have put together some short draft capsules to look at the prospects the Twins have taken with their early round picks in recent memory. In the coming days, I will release these list with some short profiles on what the players have done since joining the organization. Selecting the right players in the draft can separate a winning club from a losing club so it is important to know what the Twins have done in the past.


    ~~~~~~~~~~

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZI6cMhEu7tw/T8YZLZh0p0I/AAAAAAAABdw/Mwn9KlVCYRs/s320/AaronHicks.jpg

    1st Round
    Pick 14: Aaron Hicks, OF
    Current Level: AA New Britain Rock Cats
    .246/.335/.727, 5 HR, 8 2B, 1 3B, 29 R, 26 RBI
    When the Twins took Hicks with the 14th pick in the first round, he seemed to have all of the tools that would make him a very dangerous player in the field and at the plate. His defense has continued to be outstanding at every level of the minor leagues but his offense has not projected as well as the team would like. The 22-year old switch hitter continues to be one of the highest ranked prospects in the organization because of the potential he has yet to unlock. During last offseason, he competed in the Arizona Fall League with the majority of the other players being older than him. By the end of the AFL, he had improved himself at the plate and the Twins hope he continues to show improvement as he works his way to the major leagues.
     
    Pick 27: Carlos Gutierrez, RHP
    Current Level: AAA Rochester Red Wings
    W-L (1-1), 6.00 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 8 SO, 3 BB, 6.0 IP
    After Torii Hunter signed with the Angels as a free agent, the Twins were compensated by getting the first round pick from LA. Gutierrez was the player the Twins took with this pick and he is only one step away from breaking into the big leagues. He was taken as a starter in the draft and the Twins let him try and make it as a starter through the 2010 season. Now for the last two years, his primary role has been that of a relief pitcher and the transition has not been particularly smooth. Last season with the Red Wings, he posted an ERA of 4.62 with 57 walks in 62.1 innings on the mound. At one point Baseball America pegged Gutierrez as the closer of the future for the Twins but now the club would settle for him showing he can be a consistent relief option.
     
    Supplemental Round
    Pick 31: Shooter Hunt, RHP
    Highest Level (w/ Twins): A+ Fort Myers Miracle
    Hunt dealt with severe control problems during his time in the Twins organization and he was taken by the St. Louis organization in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. In his second season at Ft. Myers last year, he had 61 walks in 42.2 innings with 16 wild pitches. He has yet to pitch in a game since joining the Cardinals organization and it will be interesting to see if he is ever able to put it all together as a professional pitcher.
     
    2nd Round
    Pick 60: Tyler Ladendorf, SS
    Highest Level (w/ Twins): A Beloit Snappers
    The Twins dealt away the rights to Ladendorf in a deadline deal in 2009 to acquire Orlando Cabrera from the Oakland Athletics. Ladendorf was at Low-A at the time and the Twins needed some stability in their middle infield as they pushed for the playoffs. He has gotten a few tastes of Triple-A in the last two seasons but he has struggled with the adjustment to pitchers at that level. In 2012, Ladendorf has played the entire year at the Double-A level and he might have turned the corner by hitting .299/.386/.429 in 37 games. Now he spends more time at second base but it will be interesting to see if he ever succeeds at the next level.
     
    3rd Round
    Pick 92: Bobby Lanigan, RHP
    Current Level: AA New Britain Rock Cats
    W-L (1-3), 4.30 ERA, 1.304 WHIP, 23 SO, 4 BB, 23.0 IP
    For the third year in a row, Lanigan is spending time at the Double-A level with the Rock Cats. His college experience allowed the Twins to use him as a starter in his first four years in the organization but now the team has transitioned him to the bullpen. He fits the mold of Twins pitchers by throwing strikes and not walking batters. In his last appearance, he allowed five earned runs on five hits in less than an inning of work. One poor outing can throw off some of his statistics for his first year in the bullpen. His transition to the bullpen could be something to keep an eye on in the next couple years.
     
    Other notables: Daniel Ortiz (4th round, pick 126), Evan Bigley (10th round, pick 306)
     
    (Statistics current as of games played on May 29, 2012)
  20. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    In preparation for next week's MLB First Year Player Draft, I have put together some short draft capsules to look at the prospects the Twins have taken with their early round picks in recent memory. In the coming days, I will release these list with some short profiles on what the players have done since joining the organization. Selecting the right players in the draft can separate a winning club from a losing club so it is important to know what the Twins have done in the past.


    ~~~~~~~~~~

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8hzXhBKsqO8/T8WPBkJ0q2I/AAAAAAAABb0/H2WR3SMh_tk/s320/KyleGibson.jpg

    1st Round
    Pick 22: Kyle Gibson, RHP
    Highest Level: AAA Rochester Red Wings
    With the Twins struggling to find consistency from their starting rotation, it would have been nice to have Kyle Gibson as part of the starting rotation in 2012. Instead, the 24-year old pitcher has spent the greater portion of the last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is on pace to pitch off the mound at the beginning of June and he should be able to make some minor league appearances before the season is complete. The 2010 Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year will fight for a rotation spot during next year's spring training and there could be plenty of open spots for his revamped right arm.
     
    Supplemental Round
    Pick 46: Matt Bashore, LHP
    Highest Level (w/ Twins): RK Elizabethton Twins
    The Twins saw plenty of promise when they selected him as the 46th overall pick in the 2009 draft. Since then, the reliever has needed two Tommy John surgeries and he was released by the club. The Yankees have since signed the 24-year old southpaw but he has only appeared in 2 games for their High-A club in the last month. As a proven college arm, the Twins were not expecting Bashore to fail as miserably as he did but injuries can derail a pitching career in a hurry.
    2nd Round
    Pick 70: Billy Bullock, RHP
    Highest Level (w/ Twins): AA New Britain
    During last year's Rule 5 Draft, the Twins picked Scott Diamond from the Atlanta Braves organization. At the end of spring training, the team wanted to send Diamond to Triple-A but in order to do that the team had to work out a deal with the Braves. The player sent to the Braves as compensation for keeping Diamond was Mr. Bullock. In recent weeks, the deal is looking better for the Twins with Diamond looking decent in the rotation and Bullock struggling in his third year with time spent at Double-A.
    3rd Round
    Pick 101: Ben Tootle, RHP
    Highest Level (w/ Twins): A Beloit Snappers
    The fourth college arm the Twins took in the first three rounds and much like the names mentioned above, Tootle is no longer in the Twins organization. During his couple of seasons in the system, he struggled mightily with his command by walking 42 batters in 54.1 innings while throwing 14 wild pitches. No minor league affiliate was willing to take a chance with Tootle and he is now pitching for the Sioux Falls Pheasants.
     
    Other notables: Chris Herrmann (6th round, pick 192), Brian Dozier (8th round, pick 252)
     
    (Statistics current as of games played on May 29, 2012)
  21. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    In preparation for next week's MLB First Year Player Draft, I have put together some short draft capsules to look at the prospects the Twins have taken with their early round picks in recent memory. In the coming days, I will release these list with some short profiles on what the players have done since joining the organization. Selecting the right players in the draft can separate a winning club from a losing club so it is important to know what the Twins have done in the past.
     
    ~~~~~~~~~~



    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S-aclG6f1bw/T8WQAMIwL8I/AAAAAAAABb8/CsMuuATNtuw/s320/LeviMichael.JPG

    1st Round
    Pick 30: Levi Michael, SS
    Current Level: A+ Fort Myers Miracle
    .204/.305/.278, 2 HR, 2 2B, 2 3B, 18 R, 14 RBI
    Some thought Levi Michael would start the year with Low-A Beloit but his college experience was enough for the Twins to give him an opportunity with at the High-A level. He is off to a slow start in his first year of professional baseball and the 21-year old middle infielder is looking to put the ball in play at a most consistent rate. His 34 strikeouts make it seem like he is a little over matched when he steps into the box. On the defensive side of the ball, he has split time between shortstop and second base so it looks like the team has yet to decide where he will stick. He has eight errors with four errors coming during his time at each position.
     
    Supplemental Round
    Pick 50: Travis Harrison, 3B
    Current Level: Extended Spring Training
    One of the biggest power threats the Twins have taken during the early rounds of the draft in recent years. It will be interesting to see what kind of season he will put together in the Gulf Coast League. The hot Florida sun can make balls fly out of the yard and Harrison has the potential to be spraying home runs to all parts of the field.
     
    Pick 55: Hudson Boyd, RHP
    Current Level: Extended Spring Training
    The second high school prospect taken by the Twins in the supplemental round was a burly right handed pitcher who is very familiar with playing in Florida. He went to high school in Fort Myers and he will most likely play his first season of professional baseball in the GCL. Boyd's big frame should allow him to keep his velocity as he works his way through the system and the only question could be whether he sticks as a starter or a relief arm.
     
    2nd Round
    Pick 87: Madison Boer, RHP
    Current Level: A+ Fort Myers Miracle
    W-L (0-6), 11.22 ERA, 2.221 WHIP, 10 SO, 12 BB, 25.2 IP
    Even with an entire college season already in the books for Boer, the Twins let him pitch in 23 games last year between Elizabethton and Beloit. He put up modest numbers as a relief pitcher by posting a 3.91 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched between the two levels. So far this season, Boer has struggled with his command by allowing 19 walks with 29 strikeouts in 48.1 innings on the mound. His ERA with Fort Myers is close to 12.00 and he has yet to make it out of the sixth inning in any of his starts. The Minnesota native has some polishing to do if he intends to pitch at Target Field in the future.
     
    3rd Round
    Pick 117: Corey Williams, LHP
    Level: A Beloit Snappers
    W-L (2-1), 2.91 ERA, 1.338 WHIP, 24 SO, 10 BB, 21.2 IP
    Like Boer taken in the round before him, Williams signed with enough time to make some relief appearances at the end of the 2011 season. In 11.2 innings with the E-Twins, Williams put together a 3.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts and 5 walks. He allowed over a hit an inning in this small sample size so that was one area for him to improve on for this season. The Twins have continued to use Williams as a relief option during his time with the Snappers in 2012. He has finished 16 games for the club and has six saves to his credit this year. His high WHIP is still something to keep an eye on but the Twins need some left-handed arms to prove themselves in the system and Williams can be one of those guys.
     
    Other notables: Matthew Summers (4th round, pick 148), Dereck Rodriguez (6th round, pick 208)
     
    (Statistics current as of games played on May 29, 2012)
  22. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan

    In preparation for next week's MLB First Year Player Draft, I have put together some short draft capsules to look at the prospects the Twins have taken with their early round picks in recent memory. In the coming days, I will release these list with some short profiles on what the players have done since joining the organization. Selecting the right players in the draft can separate a winning club from a losing clubso it is important to know what the Twins have done in the past.


    ~~~~~~~~~~

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O9nqQnnR2jM/T8WQPePD3wI/AAAAAAAABcE/-26DwWaHD8g/s320/Wimmers.jpg

    1st Round
    Pick 21: Alex Wimmers, RHP
    Current Level: AA New Britain Rock Cats
    W-L (0-0), 4.15 ERA, 1.846 WHIP, 3 SO, 2 BB, 4.1 IP
    For the second consecutive year, the Twins took a college pitcher with their first round pick. Much like Kyle Gibson from 2009, Wimmers has run into some elbow issues during his second full season with the organization. Last season was full of ups and downs for Wimmers as he struggled with control problems early in the year but he was able to bounce back and pitch a seven inning no-hit by season's end. The Twins need some pitching prospects to develop in the higher levels of the system and the team can ill-afford for him to need a serious surgery.
     
    2nd Round
    Pick 71: Niko Goodrum, SS
    Highest Level: RK Elizabethton Twins
    After spending the last two seasons in rookie ball, the Twins have left Goodrum in extended spring training to start the 2012 season. This means the young shortstop could be getting a second taste of the Elizabethton before he gets a chance in a full season league. His first season of professional baseball was a little rough with the GCL Twins but he bounced back nicely in 2011. Last year, he hit .275/.352/.382 with 15 extra-base hits in 204 AB for the E-Twins. His 24 errors at shortstop last season might have been some of the cause for concern so hopefully he is ironing out some of these defense blunders before the season starts.
    3rd Round
    Pick 102: Pat Dean, LHP
    Current Level: Fort Myers Miracle
    (4-2), 2.70 ERA, 1.279 WHIP, 30 SO, 14 BB, 63.1 IP
    In his third season as part of the Twins organization, Dean might be off to one of his best starts to a campaign. He seems to be the ace of the staff in Fort Myers and he could be playing his way into a promotion to New Britain at some time in the near future. He has found ways to give up more than a hit per inning but still keep runners from causing too much damage. Last season, he pitched at three different levels from Low-A to Double-A with varying levels of success so it is nice to see his good start.
     
    4th Round
    Pick 135: Eddie Rosario, OF/2B
    Current Level: Beloit Snappers
    .284/.356/.458, 5 HR, 16 2B, 1 3B, 33 RBI, 25 R
    In what is looking to be one of the best steals of the 2010 draft, the Twins selected one of the top prospects in their organization with the 135th pick. Rosario came into his own last year with a monster year for Elizabethton and now he is competing in his first full season league. The Twins are trying to convert Rosario from a "toolsy" outfielder into a second baseman since the farm system is full of outfield prospects. He is still a work in progress at second base but his quick hands make him one of the top hitting prospects for the entire Twins system.
     
    Other notables: Logan Darnell (6th round, pick 195), Matthew Hauser (7th round, pick 225)
     
    (Statistics current as of games played on May 29, 2012)
  23. Cody Christie
    Less than a week ago, the thought of pitching at Target Field had to be far from the mind of Cole DeVries. But on Tuesday evening, DeVries found himself making his home debut in front of a crowd full of family and friends. It can be nerve racking to pitch in front of the home crowd for the first time and it had to be even harder for the Minnesota native to be throwing so close to where he grew up.
     
    Throughout the contest, DeVries worked himself into some jams by walking batters but he always seemed to find a way to wriggle out of these sticky situations. In five innings on the mound, he gave up no runs on two hits with five walks and one strikeout. He wouldn't factor into the decision but it was a decent effort from the 27-year old rookie.
     
    It wasn't that long ago that DeVries was part of the Rochester Red Wings so let's see how some of his former teammates and the rest of the farm system faired on Tuesday night.
     
    ROCHESTER 7, CHARLOTTE 4
    A big top of the fourth inning helped to separate the Red Wings from the Knights in Charlotte tonight. Danny Valenica singled to start the frame and this was followed by back-to-back doubles from Chris Parmelee and Matt Carson. After a sacrifice fly from Clete Thomas, Michael Hollimon would smack his fifth home run of the year.
     
    In his first rehab start on his way back from the DL, Nick Blackburn threw 3.2 innings and allowed three earned runs on 68 pitches. Esmerling Vasquez would put up three straight scoreless frames to help the Red Wings stay in the lead. Casey Fien had to pitch almost two full innings to earn his eighth save of the year.
     
    Chris Parmelee and Michael Hollimon seemed to playing a game of "anything you can do, I can do better" with their performances at the plate. Both players had multiple extra-base hits in the contest with each player knocking in a couple runs. Hollimon managed two long balls while Parmelee had to settle for one home run.
     
    NEW BRITAIN - , NEW HAMPSHIRE -
     
    The Rock Cats were washed out on Tuesday night and their game with New Hampshire will have to be made up at a future date.
     
    FORT MYERS 4, BRADENTON 5
     
    Last year's first overall pick in the MLB Draft Gerrit Cole took the mound for Bradenton on Tuesday night and the Miracle had a tough time scoring on him. Cole pitched six innings and allowed a single earned run to cross the plate on a home run from Daniel Ortiz. Cole was not unhittable in this game but the Miracle failed to get more than two extra-base hit off of the young right-handed hurler.
     
    With the Miracle down by three runs in the ninth inning, the team mounted a mini-comeback to get the game within a run. Levi Michael hit his second home run of the year after Michael Gonzales had doubled to start the inning. The next three batters would be retired in order to end the hope for the Miracle. Jario Perez lead the Miracle with three hits in the game.
     
    When a starter gives up five runs in five innings and lowers his ERA, you know he came in with some rough outings. Madison Boer was the starter for the Miracle and his game might not have been great but it was better than some of his previous appearances. Kyle Waldrop pitched a scoreless inning of relief as he made his third rehab appearance.
     
    BELOIT 5, KANE COUNTY 4 (11 innings)
    The Snappers had a three-run lead when AJ Achter came into the game in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Snappers lead was gone by the time he exited the contest at the end of the ninth. Lucky enough for him, the team would come back in extra-innings to retake the lead and get their third straight victory.
     
    Beloit was helped out by home runs in the early innings of the game by Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Nate Roberts. For Sano, it was his second home run in the last two games after a recent dry spell from the home run department. Jonathan Goncalves had two doubles in the game and he has gone 7-for-13 in the last three games.
     
    Tyler Jones made the start for the Snappers and pitched four innings while only allowing one run to cross the plate. Tim Atherton was called on for the middle innings and he pitched three innings of hitless baseball with four strikeouts. The win went to David Hurlbut who pitched both extra frames by only allowing two runners to reach base.
     
    ---
     
    Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 29, 2012
     

    Pitcher of the Day- Tim Atherton
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJzODqCmE_E/T8V9_ZttaxI/AAAAAAAABaI/De762hDosOs/s320/TimAtherton.jpg
     
     
    Hitter of the Day- Michael Hollimon
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFcRBY61M64/T8V6yqp1c6I/AAAAAAAABYc/ELNDTOspavk/s320/MichaelHollimon.jpg




    ---


     
    A Look Ahead- Wednesday, May 30th Schedule
     
    Rochester at Charlotte- RHP Liam Hendriks
    New Britain at New Hampshire- LHP Andrew Albers
    Fort Myers at Bradenton- RHP Miguel Munoz
    Beloit at Quad Cities- RHP Tim Shibuya
     
    ---
     
    If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them.
  24. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. It is great to start the week off on a Tuesday and it will only make the rest of the week go that much faster. Since I work in the local school system, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is the school year.
     
    As has become a weekly happening around here, I will post a few tidbits in the morning to hold readers over until I write the minor league wrap-up for Twins Daily later tonight. It's a fun way to get a bunch of stories out there for readers to enjoy as they kick off their work week.
     

    Draft day is quickly approaching



    By this time next week, the Twins hope to have made a difference making pick for the future of the franchise. The organization will have the second overall pick in the first round of next Monday's MLB Draft. There are no stand-out prospects like Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper at the top of this draft so it might be a tough selection for the Twins after Houston makes the first pick.
     
    The first four picks in last year's draft were all top notch pitching prospects that have been making noise in the minor leagues to start the year. This year's draft is not projecting to be that heavy with pitchers at the top because there are a couple of very good position players available for selection. The decision will be tough for the Twins on whether to take a pitcher or look at a position player.
     
    With an injury earlier this year to high school pitcher Lucas Giolito, the top pitcher to be taken in the draft will most likely be Mark Appel from Stanford University. It will be interesting to see who is willing to take a flyer on Giolito in the first round or if team's will be convinced that he is going to college to revamp his draft stock. Kevin Gausman from LSU could also be the Twins choice at number two but it sounds like Appel is the top pitcher on their board.
     
    In the last couple of weeks, the team held a workout for Carlos Correa, a high school senior shortstop in Puerto Rico. Correa isn't the highest ranked position player so there are others that could be taken before he is off the board. High school outfielder Byron Buxton is number one prospect on many draft prospect boards and it would be intriguing if he is still available when it is the Twins turn to pick.
     
    Sano ends home run drought


    It has been a rough couple weeks for Twins top prospect Miguel Sano after he started the 2012 season at a feverish pace. In the first month of the year, Sano had six bombs while hitting .276/.422/.586 in 25 games. The month of May has not been as kind to Sano as he is batting .219/.287/.458 but his strike out totals have dropped in the same amount of games.
     
     
     
    It looked liked Monday was going to be more of the same for Sano as he started the day 0-for-6 at the plate. The rest of his team was in the middle of a hit parade so it seemed like it should only be a matter of time before Sano joined in on the action. In the 12th inning after the Snappers had already took over the lead, Sano hit a 3-run shot to solidify the win for Beloit.
     
     
    Sano was failing to manage a single hit for much of last week so it will be interesting to see how he looks after finally hitting another home run. He now has a four-game hitting streak with a couple of extra-base hits. There was talk of moving Sano to Fort Myers but his recent struggles could push back his advancement to the next level.
     
     


    Valencia needs more consistency at Triple-A


    When the Twins sent Danny Valencia back to Rochester, there were plenty of things for him to work on. He was struggling at the plate against major league caliber pitching and his defense had been shaky at the hot corner. There need to be more consistency from the 27-year old third baseman and that consistency has yet to show up for Rochester.
     
    In his 15 games since being demoted, Valencia is hitting .267/.279/.417 with two home runs and three doubles. After getting over 1,000 plate appearances in the big leagues, it should have been easier for Valencia to succeed at the Triple-A level. Valencia has always seemed to be a very confident player and it appears that he needs to gain some of that confidence back before he can get another shot with the Twins.
     
    A recent hot streak has helped to boost his numbers as he has hit .325/.341/.525 in his last 10 games. Terry Ryan is still concerned that Valencia is swinging at pitches that are out of the strike zone. Ryan said, "A guy like Valencia needs to be looking for a strike, jump on it and drive it into the gap." Until the Twins are confident in his ability to recognize pitches, there is a good chance he will stay down. It is still kind of discouraging to think he needs this time in the minors when he is 27-years old and he has plenty of time in at the major leagues.
  25. Cody Christie
    Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    The Twins have been playing a little bit better baseball and the team has been able to put together a few wins since the last time we were together for "Friday Links-N-Thinks." The rotation has been overhauled with a youth movement coming into the fold. The likes of Scott Diamond, PJ Walters, and Cole DeVries have been added to the roster to throw the ball over the plate.
     
    After the first game of the White Sox series, things looked to be going in the right direction for the Twins. A lot of fielding errors in the last two game put the team in a hole they would never be able to climb out of and the Sox won the final two games and the series. It was nice to see Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hit a home run in the same game and hopefully the offense will follow the Twins back to Target Field.
     
    It's a long weekend so enjoy your time at the lake, at the ballpark, or where ever you will be spending the next few days. Before you leave, make sure to check out the links I have provided below.
     

    On last night's Twins Minor League Weekly podcast, there was a great list of guests with Kyle Gibson, David Bromberg, and Drew Leachman giving thoughts on the season.
    Right field has been a mess for the Twins and it is hard to figure out what the team will do to clean up this hole.
    With the MLB draft a couple of weeks away, Seth Stohs has been revamping his top prospect list for the Twins system. (Prospects 41-50, Prospects 31-40, Prospects 21-30)
    It seems that teams have been throwing Morneau a few more curves balls this season as compared to other years.
    One of the top prospects for next month's draft recently worked out for the Twins in Fort Myers.
    Bryce Harper has been very good in his debut season but Brian Dozier has also looked good for the Twins.
    Jamey Carroll and the Brewers had an interesting incident in on Sunday afternoon and the reasons for throwing purpose pitches has changed over time.
    Justin Morneau might have been awakened last night.
    Major League Baseball was awarded the "Sports League of the Year" this week and the MLB Fan Cave also took home some hardware.
    Seedlings to Stars has an interesting look into the minor leagues with their first edition of "fish" prospects from the AL Central.
    Former Twins player Torii Hunter has been dealing with some tough family issues but it looks like he could return to the Angels next week.
    PJ Walters pitched the first complete game of the year for the Twins and the first one of his career. This picture from after the game was one of my favorites from the week.


    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hyFdlnCX2bw/T77WrD1L32I/AAAAAAAABTg/nUnY4kQwBbU/s320/walters-anderson.jpg

     

    The Twins will be supporting the troops by wearing this hat on Monday for Memorial Day.
    The earliest known baseball jersey from Babe Ruth's time with the Yankees sold for $4.4 million at auction. It is now the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever purchased.
    Former MLB player Dmitri Young made $2.5 million by selling his rare collection of baseball cards.
    Even with mid-season prospect rankings being released, it is fun to see this consensus list of the top 71 prospects for the Twins. I was even included in the results.
    The Baseball Outsider recently made a trip to Beloit and he posted some of his photos from his adventure.
    Is this a substitute pitcher or a Twins starting pitcher?
    There are some great power hitters making their way to the major leagues and Miguel Sano is at the top of this list.
    Michael Cuddyer is trying to build chemistry on a bad team for the second year in a row.
    Chuck Knoblauch is still being a bone head...

    My Weekly Rundown
     

    Monday: Twins should go all in on Greinke
    Tuesday: Tuesday Morning Tidbits
    Tuesday's Trip through the Minors
    Thursday: Benson and Tosoni moving in the wrong direction

    Video of the Week: One player the Twins could be targeting in the draft next month is from Rochester. KSTP did a story on the young man as he looks forward to what could be one of the most important days of his life.
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