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. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 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 7, DAYTON 16 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. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Gibson_Kyle_600-321.jpg The middle of June has come and gone and there is no sign of Kyle Gibson in the Twin Cities. Teams like the Rays and the Mets are calling up top prospects like Wil Myers and Zack Wheeler because the deadline has passed for players to qualify for Super Two status. This means the Rays and Mets can control these high level players for a big chunk of the next decade. Gibson has a different story than other players. The former first round pick entered the Twins system with three years of college experience. In 2010, his allowed him to move through the organization at a fast pace. An elbow injury and Tommy John surgery were what slowed him on his way to the major leagues. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Now, Gibson has worked his way back to the form he showed before the injury. Over his last 10 games, he has a 6-2 record with a 2.89 ERA. In 65.1 innings, he has 54 strikeouts and 20 walks. He also has two complete game shutouts during that stretch and that's more than he's had in any professional season. It sure seems like Gibson is ready, so what's the hold-up? At the beginning of June, the reasoning used by Twins general manager Terry Ryan was the team was looking for more "consistency." In each of his three starts since that interview, Gibson has pitched at least six innings and has given up three earned runs or fewer, while striking out a total of 14 batters. By looking back even further, Gibson hasn't been pulled from a game before the sixth inning since the middle of May. The consistency is there but Gibson isn't getting the call. One of the problems for Gibson is the improved performance of the Twins starting rotation. In May, the Twins staff had the third worst ERA (5.06) in all baseball. They ranked last in strikeouts and opponents had a higher batting average against the Twins than any other team. This led to some changes, like Deduno’s and Walters' call-ups and Vance Worley's demotion. Since the calendar switched to June, the Twins pitching numbers have been greatly improved. Minnesota ranks seventh in team ERA this month. The club's WHIP and hits allowed are in the middle of the pack. During the team's last 18 games, they have gone 11-7 and the starters have helped keep the team in games. So far in June, here is what the starting rotation has done: 1. Sam Deduno (3 Starts): 2.00 ERA, 18 IP, 1.28 WHIP 2. Kevin Correia (3 Starts): 4.00 ERA, 18 IP, 1.50 WHIP 3. Scott Diamond (3 Starts): 5.51 ERA, 16.1 IP, 1.47 WHIP 4. PJ Walters (3 Starts): 2.41 ERA, 18.2 IP, 1.55 WHIP 5. Mike Pelfrey (2 Starts): 4.05 ERA, 13.1 IP, 1.05 WHIP The Twins have said that Gibson will be on an innings limit, expected to be in the range of 130-140 innings. He currently sits at 85.2 innings; his next start will likely push him over the 90 innings mark. This would leave him with less than 50 available innings this season. All the Twins moves this season should be focused on the future. It might have been good for Gibson to get more experience at the Triple-A level and his performance this spring proved that he needed to work on some things. It is just tough to know how much longer the Twins can wait to call him up. As the starters continue to pitch well, Gibson gets one step closer to reaching his innings limit with each start in Rochester. If the Twins don't call him up before his limit, the club will be losing an opportunity for him to gain some big league experience. Rookies usually have some ups and downs and it would be nice to get some of those out of the way in 2013. Gibson is part of the plan for the future but it's hard to see what the club's plan is for the present. The 25-year old has been through a lot in his professional career and it’s time to take the training wheels off and see if he can ride with the big kids at the major league level. Click here to view the article

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.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 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 TidbitsTuesday'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 ProspectsVideo 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. Click here to view the article

"You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains."- Ebby Calvin LaLoosh, Bull Durham The rain came a tumbling down at Target Field on Saturday afternoon and the contest between the Twins and Royals was postponed because of the weather. By mid-afternoon, the skies had cleared up but the game had already been rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader on June 30.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Even with the rainout at Target Field, there was still plenty of minor league action across the Twins system on Saturday. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Saturday: ROCHESTER 3, BUFFALO 4 By the bottom of the third inning, the Red Wings found themselves in a 3-0 hole to the Bisons. PJ Walters started the game for Rochester and last five innings while surrendering the first three runs to Buffalo. In the sixth inning, Deolis Guerra made his first appearance at the Triple-A level since 2010 and he was solid. Guerra pitched three innings, allowing two hits, and striking out two. Esmerling Vasquez took the loss for Rochester in an interesting bottom of the ninth. He hit the lead off batter to start the frame and this was followed by a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning. The next batter was intentionally walked to set-up the double play but the problem was Vasquez walked the following batter to fill the bases. The fifth batter of the inning was struck out so the bases were loaded with two down before Vinny Rottino got a single to center field. Joe Benson was a big part of the comeback effort for Rochester with a 2-run home run in the fifth inning to cut the lead to one run. For the day, Benson went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double to raise his batting average to .187. Brian Dozier went 2-for-4 on the day with his ninth RBI of the year but he also had a throwing error in the fourth inning. Darin Mastroianni continued his hot streak with a triple in the contest as he is hitting .395 in his last ten contests. NEW BRITAIN 3, RICHMOND 5 No one in the Rock Cats batting order had more than one hit as the team lost for the third game in a row. Aaron Hicks followed up his big game at the plate on Friday night with a 1-for3 outing on Saturday. The only extra-base hit for New Britain came from Evan Bigley as he slapped a double in the sixth inning to bring the Rock Cats within a run. But this late inning rally would prove to be ill fated when Richmond scored an insurance run in the bottom half of the sixth. Steve Hirschfeld tossed six innings and gave up ten hits and five runs to the Flying Squirrels. It was Hirschfeld's second loss in his last two outings after winning his first two decisions of the year. Brett Jacobson looked good in relief by throwing the last two innings for the Rock Cats and not allowing a single hit. FORT MYERS 0, ST. LUCIE 4 There were a lot of hits in this game for both teams but the Miracle and the Mets both struggled to push them across the plate. In the game, the Miracle put together seven hits but failed to score a run and got shutout for the second time this year. The big boppers in for the Miracle were both able to put together a couple of hits. Angel Morales and Oswaldo Arcia each went 2-for-4 with a double. Both doubles went wasted as they were left stranded in scoring position. Jhon Garcia started the year as a relief pitcher but he was shifted to the starting rotation at the beginning of the week. In both starts he has gone five innings and allowed only one earned run. The Miracle have been unable to pull out the win for him in either of these trips to the mound. Matthew Hauser looked good in a little over two innings out of the bullpen. He only gave up one hit with one unearned run and three strikeouts. It was his third consecutive outing without giving up a run. BELOIT 3, DAYTON 7 All of the runs in this game were scored in the second inning and unfortunately for the Snappers, they came up on the short of the scoring spree. Steven Gruver started for Beloit and he never made it out of the second inning. Only three of the seven runs scored off of Gruver were earned but he allowed six hits and two walks. A.J. Achter did a good job of cleaning up the mess and he posted 4.1 innings pitched with no runs allowed and only three hits. Most of the offense came from the bottom portion of the line-up as the seven, eight, and nine batters each had an RBI. Matthew Koch was included in this group and he was the only Snappers batter to have more than one hit in the contest. Koch finished the day at 2-for-4 with a double. The other extra base hit for the Snappers came off of the bat of Eddie Rosario. It was Rosario's eighth double of the year and he leads the team in this category. Miguel Sano had a rough day by going 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts. He also had his fifth error of the season at third base. As a team, the Snappers were 1-13 with runners in scoring position so the opportunities were there but a comeback wasn't in the cards on this day. --- Players of the Day for Saturday Hitter of the Day- Joe Benson http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-65oIeqGONR4/T5ysWLi5sZI/AAAAAAAABOI/QwGPQTR8wZQ/s1600/JoeBenson.jpg Pitcher of the Day- A.J. Achter http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MyLdV8HSrLA/T5ysbLky_0I/AAAAAAAABOQ/_K1T9lbKH10/s200/ph_592091.jpg --- A Look Ahead - Sunday, April 29, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Buffalo - RHP Daryl Thompson New Britain @ Richmond - TBA Ft. Myers vs St. Lucie - RHP BJ Hermsen Beloit vs. Dayton - RHP Tim Shibuya --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and Seth or I will try and answer them! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Butera_Drew_Throwing_US_720.jpg At the beginning of spring, there was a question about what the Twins would do with the men behind the plate. Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit were locks to make the roster. Minnesota carried three catchers for most of 2012 so one assumed that a third catcher would be on the roster in 2013. Instead, Mauer and Doumit began the season as the only members of the Twins catching core. Middle infielder Eduardo Escobar was the emergency-only back-up. Drew Butera and Chris Herrmann were in the running for the third catcher role but both players started the season in Rochester.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It was a short run for Butera at Rochester. In his first at-bat, a pitch hit him on his hand; his pinky finger was broken and he hasn't been back on the field since. At 29 years old, Butera isn't exactly up-and-coming. He has over 500 plate appearances at the big league level and fans know what to expect from him. The front office has made some interesting choices with Butera so far this year. He could have been dropped from the 40-man roster on multiple occasions. The Twins have five catchers on their 40-man roster and Butera's .183/.232/.265 career MLB batting line is far below replacement level. His time might be running out in Minnesota, especially with other players' performances. Herrmann is getting his second taste of the big leagues after being a September call-up last season. His brief MLB stint last year didn't generate many memories but he is back now with more positive results. On Sunday afternoon, he hit his first career home run as part of his first multi-hit game. The ability of Herrmann to play multiple positions also makes him an intriguing roster option. On Sunday, he was starting in left field and this is a tendency that has continued from the minors. Over the course of his five seasons in the Twins system, he has played 169 games in left field and 220 games as catcher. When other members of the Twins roster begin to get healthy, it could get tough for the Twins to send him back down to Rochester. He is 25 years old and he has only 43 games of Triple-A experience. As the long 162-game schedule continues, the Twins are going to want a third catcher and it's looking more and more as though that will be Herrmann. Josmil Pinto is the other catcher on the Twins 40-man roster. He has played this year's entire schedule for Double-A New Britain. After a very strong season for Fort Myers last year, Pinto is putting together what might be his best year as a professional. Through 55 games, he is batting .332/.426/.535 with nine home runs, 12 doubles, and 42 RBI. New Britain has used him as a catcher and a DH this year but he is still very good behind the plate. He has thrown out 31% of base stealers. Pinto has also done a good job with some of the best young pitchers in the organization. New Britain pitchers Trevor May, Alex Meyer, and Logan Darnell could be on the same path as Pinto to the big leagues. Mauer and Doumit will likely continue to get most of the time behind the plate in the next two seasons. Herrmann can be a solid third catcher and part-time outfielder for the present and he is a viable option to take over the role of primary back-up when Doumit's contract expires. And if Pinto keeps playing like this, it will be hard to keep him out of the big leagues for very much longer. The present members of the Twins catching core continue to make their mark on the club. Players like Herrmann and Pinto make it fun to look at who might be future longer-term fixtures. Looking ahead, the Twins' catching roster looks to be in good shape. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Willingham.jpg Despite the Minnesota Twins' up and down start this year, it is most likely that the team will be sellers at the trade deadline. There will be plenty of talk about Justin Morneau being dealt in the coming months since his contract is up at the end of the year. Another name which will draw much speculation is Josh Willingham. Willingham is coming off his best season and there might be more than one team looking to add a powerful corner bat for the stretch run. In a story published this weekend, the Boston Globe talked about the possibility of a Willingham trade.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] According to one National League GM, "He's a powerful right-handed bat that any contender could stick right in the middle of their lineup and get outstanding production." He went on to say, "You'd have to give something up, but he'd be worth the expenditure. He can really hit." ESPN's Rumor Central mentioned the Pirates as a possible trade fit. They need an upgrade in their outfield and they have some players in the minor leagues that could be attractive to the Twins. It also helps that Willingham has a very club friendly contract. He is in the second year of a three-year, $21 million deal which any team could afford. Another wrinkle to the Willingham trade rumors is the ascension of stud prospect Oswaldo Arcia. It has been a whirlwind couple of days for Arcia. He made his MLB debut on Monday, he played for Rochester on Tuesday, and he got called back up to the big leagues after that game. Darin Mastroianni's injury will mean a longer look at Arcia this time around. Arcia won't turn 22 until next month, becoming the youngest position player to debut with the Twins since 20-year-old Joe Mauer. He was killing the ball at Triple-A and he certainly deserved this call-up. In ten games for Rochester, he was hitting .394/.474/.727 with three home runs, two doubles and eight runs scored. If Arcia had kept putting up those types of numbers it would have been hard to keep him at Triple-A. The problem for the Twins is finding him a place in the line-up. Arcia is used as a corner outfielder or designated hitter. The Twins have plenty of these types of players with Willingham, Chris Parmelee, and Ryan Doumit. For Arcia to stick with the Twins, they likely will need to make a trade. Morneau could be dealt creating a spot (first base) for Parmelee to move to. Willingham could also be traded to open an opening in the outfield. Both of these men could be traded before July and then there would be plenty of playing time for Mr. Arcia. His career is moving rapidly. He started the 2012 season at the High-A level so he played only 69 games at Double-A before getting the bump to Rochester this spring. He had a total of nine Triple-A games under his belt before he made his MLB debut. There should be tempered expectations for Arcia in the Majors, as we have seen how much Aaron Hicks has struggled. The Twins need Arcia to be a cornerstone of the franchise as the team tries to get back to winning baseball. This will be the first taste of what is to come. With (well-paid) players blocking Arcia's path, he most likely will get more playing time at Triple-A. If the Twins are looking to be sellers at the trade deadline a deal including Willingham could pave the way for Arcia settling in to a long-term spot on the roster. Willingham has done some great things in his Twins tenure but Arcia is the wave of the future. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hand-cursor-clicking-a-link1.jpg It was a rough week for the Twins- the losing streak stands at ten. The club hasn't won a game since May 13th. Two fifths of the starting rotation was replaced, including sending Vance Worley, the opening day starter, to Rochester. Even on a night where Josh Willingham hits two home runs, the club still could not find a way to win. Minnesota does have two of the best teams in all the minor leagues and two of the best players and the fourth pick in the MLB draft. And they've had some great links. Lots and lots of great links. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It was a busy week at NoDak Twins Fan. Make sure to check out all of my posts and some of the other great work from around the web. Oswaldo Arcia hasn't been playing and some recent struggles are to blame for his benching.Maybe it is just a case of an adjustment period for Arcia. I've liked Travis Harrison since the Twins took him in the draft. This Q&A will help you to get to know him a little better. Much like the MLB club, the Twins Double-A affiliate has fallen on some hard times. This link is worth a click just to see the picture. World Baseball Classic hero Sam Deduno is back in the rotation for the Twins. There will be walks, a few strikeouts, and hopefully some good defense behind him. The Twins have been telling the media that Kyle Gibson is staying in the minor leagues to find consistency but is the same standard being held for other pitchers? Is there a possibility that Aaron Hicks is improving? This Twins fan is keeping a close eye on his alcohol intake. Is it one of the best uses of a stadium promo ever? What happened to Vance Worley? According to Baseball America, the Twins have the top prospect tandem. The Twins Memorial Day jersey's look pretty cool. The Twitter feeds for the Twins and the Braves had quite the battle this week. Chris Colabello might be baseball's ultimate underdog. In 1997, the Twins drafted some very familiar names. If you were wondering, the Twins rotation has gotten worse. I was watching Seinfeld earlier this week and the kid behind the counter at the movie store was wearing a familiar baseball cap. MLB.com has quite the sense of humor when it comes to their error pages. The University of Cincinnati's baseball team has taken photobombing to an entirely new level. An employee at a Houston Astros game did something really gross this week. A rookie catcher for the Braves made a big mistake in a game against the Twins. Nick Punto is still making web gem gold in LA. A former member of the Twins organization is trying to revive his career after some drug problems. Nick Blackburn was very close to the devastating tornado in Oklahoma this week. The Royals broadcast sure screwed up a graphic this week. See if you can find all of the errors. The Orioles welcomed Kevin Gausman to the majors with lots of donuts. What if baseball had five bases? I had a dream this week that Francisco Liriano was 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA. Oh wait...My Weekly Rundown Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 38Who is Caleb Thielbar? Tuesday: Soul Patrol: Back with a Vengeance Wednesday: Who is Chris Colabello? Twins Minor League Report (5/22): O-fer Kind of Night Thursday: Twins MLB Draft Profile: Clint Frazier, OFVideo of the Week: Byron Buxton is already getting local sports media attention and he's still multiple levels away from the big leagues. His tremendous start in Cedar Rapids makes it look like the Twins made the right decision with the second overall pick in last year's draft. His interview skills might need a little improvement but his play on the baseball field is superior to the competition. Click here to view the article

With Justin Morneau's exit from the club in the last week, the Twins are searching for someone to take over his leadership role in the clubhouse. This seems to be a recurring theme for the Twins in recent years as the club shifts away from veteran leadership to a more youthful roster. Download attachment: Perkins_Mauer_600-321.jpg A couple years ago Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan were considered among the team's strong voices and both players left in free agency. Morneau filled the void left by Cuddyer and it seemed like a smooth transition from the outside looking in. There probably won't be a breaking news story to say who takes on more leadership behind the closed doors of the Twins clubhouse.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] For fans, it might be more of a talking point in a season that seems to be heading for another 90 losses. Here are just a few of the names that will be asked to take on more leadership this season and next. There are pros and cons with each player so it will be interesting to see who becomes the new voice of the Twins. Joe Mauer, Catcher Pros: He is the highest paid player and the face of the franchise so it makes sense for him to be the leader of the clubhouse. Mauer is a quiet but he has been known to approach younger players when something doesn't go right on the field. In the past, he has been a leader because of his strong play on the field. He leads by example and this can be very beneficial to future Twins players. Cons: Since Mauer is a catcher, he can be very busy with his catching related duties. There are extra meetings for him to confer with the pitching staff and he spends time studying video to learn more about opposing hitters. This is all time where he is not in the clubhouse with the other players. Injuries have also forced him to miss time and he can't be a leader if he isn't traveling with the team. Glen Perkins, Closer Pros: Much like Joe Nathan before him, Perkins can become a leader because of his importance to the bullpen. The Twins have him signed for multiple years and beyond Mauer, he is the longest tenured Twins player. He came up through the Twins organization with a few bumps and bruises but he found a way to be successful at the big league level. His involvement in the community continues to grow and this is an example for other players to follow. Cons: Since Perkins is a relief arm, he spends time during the game out in the bullpen. This keeps him from being able to speak to non-pitchers on the bench for different parts of the game. Also, he isn't an everyday player so his impact on a daily basis might not always be seen on the field. He has only been a full-time closer for the current season so he might not have built up the respect he needs. Brian Dozier, Second Baseman Pros: He is in the midst of a breakout season and this has helped him become a leader on the field. Media members have cited him as always being available after tough losses as well as wins. tough. During his minor league career he showed some leadership skills and this seems to be translating to his big league career. Dozier has been performing with his bat and his glove and this can help him continue to gain respect in the locker room. Cons: While Mauer and Perkins have been with the club for multiple seasons, Dozier is still relatively new to the scene. He has less experience and less of a track record than the two names mentioned above. There are also some questions about how long he will be with the team. Eddie Rosario is slowly working his way to the big leagues and he plays the same position as Dozier. Right now, it looks like Dozier could stay at second for multiple years but it is hard to know what the future will bring. Josh Willingham, Outfielder Pros: Throughout his career, Willingham has played with multiple organizations and he has seen what leadership means to different teams. He is the oldest player on the team and his experience is well-respected by the younger players around him. His monster season last year gave him respect on the field and he has tried to play through some tough injuries this season. Younger players can approach him for advice on a multitude of topics since he has spent time playing in both leagues. Cons: There is only one year remaining on his contract with the Twins and the team could trade him at some point in the coming year. Much like Mauer, he is a quiet leader so sometimes it is tough to notice the work he is doing for the clubhouse. His play has fallen off this year and he has missed time because of injuries. If a player isn't on the field or even with the club, it can be tough to build rapport in the locker-room. Click here to view the article

Chris Colabello's time in the major leagues this year hasn't been spectacular but he has been outstanding in his time in the minors. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins backup first baseman was named the Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year for the International League. This comes a year after finishing runner-up for MVP in the Eastern League. Download attachment: Chris+Colabello+Twins.jpg Colabello has been a hitting machine for the Red Wings. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]He currently leads the league with a .352 batting average, a .427 on-base percentage, and a .639 slugging percentage. To go along with those numbers, he entered play on Wednesday with 24 home runs (5th) and 76 RBI (3rd) over 89 games. It was quite the year for Colabello and the team will look for him to find some success at the big league level before the season is done. For now, here's a look at the minor league action from Wednesday across the Twins farm system. Rochester Red Wings 6, Syracuse Chiefs 3 Box Score Pat Dean hadn't made it out of the sixth inning in either of his last two starts but that all changed today. Over 7.2 innings, Dean gave up two earned runs and did his best to wriggle out of some jams. He scattered 11 hits and the Chiefs left multiple runners on base against him. It was the first win for Dean since August 5th. The Red Wings were outhit by the Chiefs 13 to 5 but Rochester came up with some timely hitting to push across six runs. No members of the Red Wings were able to collect more than one hit. Eric Farris had a big two-run double to cap a five run first inning. The team batted .500 with runners in scoring position and this was a big reason for their success. With the win, the Red Wings ended their six-game losing streak. It also means the club has assured themselves a winning season for the first time since 2008. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Trenton Thunder 5 Box Score New Britian got on the board first against Trenton but the Rock Cats were shut out from the second inning on. In fact, the club was limited to four hits in 30 at-bats. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Nate Hanson each added a double to their season totals. Jordan Parraz had the team's lone RBI and Miguel Sano scored the only run even though he was held hitless. Kyle Davies pitched the first two innings but he was removed after only allowing one hit and no earned runs. BJ Hermsen pitched the next four innings and the single run scored against him was unearned. Cole Johnson was saddled with the loss after surrendering two earned runs in the late innings of this one. Fort Myers Miracle 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 5 (Game 1-- 8 Innings) Box Score Fort Myers was able to mount a comeback and send this game to extra innings but the team ended up falling short. Palm Beach took a 4-0 lead in the top of the fourth before the Miracle started to claw their way back. Matt Tomshaw started for Fort Myers and he gave up four runs on four hits including two home runs. He struck out three and struggled with his control as he walked five men. Corey Williams relieved and pitched two hitless innings. Zach Jones was charged with the loss as he gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth but he was still able to strike out the side. Newly named Arizona Fall League player Byron Buxton went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. He also threw out a runner at third base. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-for-4 with two RBI to bring his season total to 39. The team went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Fort Myers Miracle 0, Palm Beach Cardinals 1 (Game 2-- 7 innings) Box Score The story of this game for Fort Myers was Manuel Soliman. He pitched all seven innings for the Miracle while limiting the Cardinals to one run on eight hits. The lone run was scored on a second inning home run and Soliman had to work out of some jams in the sixth and seventh frames. Unfortunately, he earned the loss because the Miracle's offense was absent from this contest. Byron Buxton had a hit, a walk, and a stolen base. It was his 21st steal since being promoted to Fort Myers and he has 53 steals on the season. Fort Myers had two hits in the bottom of the seventh but a tough luck double play ended the team's chances of a comeback victory. Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Peoria Chiefs 2 Box Score After a couple of errors from shortstop Ryan Walker, the pitching staff for the Kernels didn't allow an earned run in this game. Miguel Sulbaran earned his second victory in his third start of the year for Cedar Rapids. He pitched six frames while striking out eight. Christian Powell and Dallas Gallant held the Chiefs in check for the last three frames for the team's 84th win of the season. Mike Gonzales cracked his third home run to add an important eighth inning insurance run. Jonathan Murphy and Bo Altobelli added two hits apiece while Murphy stole his sixth bag. Joel Lincon plated a couple of runs that turned out to be the difference in the game. Elizabethton Twins 6, Princeton Rays 4 Box Score Mitch Garver helped pave the way to this victory for the E-Twins. His two doubles and three RBI were part of two big offensive innings. Engelb Vielma and Bryan Haar scored two runs apiece along with driving in a run. Hitters two through six in the order all had a hit for Elizabethton and the team was 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position. The E-Twins relied on the bullpen for a big chunk of this game. Andre Martinez pitched the first frame as he allowed three runs, one of them earned, on one hit with two walks. Josh Burris picked up his fourth win of the year as he pitched four shutout innings of relief. He struck out six men and limited the Rays to one hit. CK Irby and Aaron Slegers combined to pitch four innings without an earned run crossing the plate. GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 2 Box Score Fernando Romero was outstanding on the mound for the GCL Twins. Over six shutout innings, he gave up two hits and he had five strikeouts to go along with no walks. It was the first time this season that he made it through the sixth frame. He also hasn't allowed a run in four of his last five starts. The Twins managed four total hits in this game. Brian Navarreto led the way with a 2-for-4 effort including his 10th double. Alex Swim didn't start the game but he was an early defensive replacement for Jorge Fernandez. Swim knocked a double in four trips to the plate. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zw_MlMY_n8g/T7Ds4BCIBCI/AAAAAAAABRI/jscxapm3W00/s320/PavanoThrowing.jpg Word came out over the weekend that Carl Pavano underwent an MRI on his right shoulder to see if there was anything wrong with this important area for his throwing arm. The report came back saying he has a strained interior shoulder capsule and he could need a cortisone shot after his start on Monday night. At this point, he is not expected to miss any time for the Twins but he is sending his MRI to another doctor for a second opinion to make sure it is nothing serious. The reason for all of this concern around Pavano has been the large decrease in his velocity to start the 2012 campaign. Sometimes it can take pitchers a few starts to ramp up their velocity at the beginning of the year but he has already made seven starts this season for the Twins. Most of the offseason rust should be gone by now and his velocity should be closer to normal. This wasn't the case and the Twins needed to find some answers in relation to Pavano.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] During the last five years of his career, Pavano has averaged a fastball at 89.7 mph and last year he sat around 88.7 mph for the season. Velocity is usually going to drop as a player starts to get older and he has more wear and tear on his throwing arm. The problem for Pavano and the Twins has been the fact that the 36-year old pitcher has seen a drop in his fastball velocity to around 86.1 mph. This large drop in velocity can make a pitcher very ineffective against professional hitters and the results have shown on the field. In the last two seasons, Pavano has been the workhorse of the Twins pitching staff by throwing over 220 inning in 2010 and 2011. His ERA and WHIP have gone up in each of the last two years but he has 10 complete games and three shutouts during that time frame. His consistency was something the Twins could count on in the Target Field era and he could have put up much better numbers last season with a competent defensive unit behind him. The Twins seem to have a better defense lined up behind Pavano this year with the additions of Jamey Carroll and Brian Dozier. So if he was able to generate more ground balls, the defensive should be able to make the plays for Pavano to be successful. His first two full seasons with the Twins saw Pavano generate ground balls over 50% of the time. He has seen that number drop significantly to 44.8% in his seven starts so far for the Twins in 2012. The Twins outfield defense has some holes this year so the increase in fly balls from Pavano could also be a concern. With his drop in velocity, Pavano has been forced to change in pitching philosophy on the mound. For his career, Pavano has thrown fastballs as 62.0% of his pitches, sliders for 18.6% of the time, and change ups for 18.3% of his throws. His age and change in velocity have forced him to rely more on his off-speed pitches in the last two seasons and this switch has continued so far this year. His fastball has lost some velocity and Pavano has spent less time throwing his heater (58.2%) and started to throw more of his change up (25.4%). The mounting struggles for Pavano make it hard not to think about his future in baseball. The aging pitcher is not under contract for next season and his time as an impact starter might already be behind him. There is still plenty of time left in the season for Pavano to iron out the kinks with his shoulder issue but age can make recovery harder for a pitcher. Baseball has seen Jamie Moyer defy age and injuries to pitch in the starting rotation for the Rockies at age 49. With all the openings the Twins will have in their rotation for next year, the Twins can only hope that Pavano is able follow in the footsteps of Moyer and continue to pitch effectively as he gets closer to 40-years old. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan Baseball is back!!! It was great to get home from work early on Thursday to a ton of action already underway across the baseball universe. I flipped through multiple games because my cable company was nice enough to give me a free preview of MLB Extra Innings. It is very tempting to want to purchase the package for the entire year but I might have to settle for the free pass for the first few days of the season. I checked in on the Nationals with Stephen Strasburg on the mound and Wilson Ramos behind the plate. Jose Valverde was a perfect 49 out of 49 in save opportunites last season but his first chance this year was unsuccessful. The Marlins had a short turn around after they opened their new stadium on Wednesday night in Miami and they had to be in Cincinnati for an afternoon game the next day. I ended the night by listening to the best announcer in the game, Vin Scully. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Opening Day is the greatest time of the year. The Twins start their 2012 campaign in Baltimore tonight and they have their home opener on Monday afternoon. It's just a wonderful time to be a baseball fan. Here are some of the top stories I enjoyed from the past week. Have a great weekend with baseball back in our lives. Ron Gardenhire announced the Opening Day lineup for the Twins and the outfield defense could be scary.The Twins didn't have a game on Thursday but Scott Baker pitched for the Miracle and the news was not good.MLB released their annual list of the top 20 jerseys sold and there is one member of the Twins who made the list.Seth Stohs asked for a few writers (including myself) to project the top hitters and the top pitchers for the start of the Twins minor league season.Torii Hunter went from sitting on his couch one evening to having the police draw their guns on him.Have you ever wondered where walkup music came from?Andrew at Twins Fan From Afar got to spend an evening with Twins pitching prospect Alex Wimmers.Target Field unveiled their new food selections for the year and John Bonnes got to test out some of the new items.There are many reasons to be excited for the start of the new year but here are 100 different reasons to start your own list.There are a lot of tough jobs in the sports world but catching might be at the top of the list.This photo was floating around different websites on Thursday and I found it amusing.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgaE0VuxzEY/T35dveupRoI/AAAAAAAABK4/reNfCOnJ9SQ/s320/opening-day-friends.jpg After one of the worst seasons in baseball history, Adam Dunn will start the year as the number three hitter in the White Sox lineup.Jim Crikkett from Knuckelballs blog got his call up to the big leagues by getting to write a post on the Star Tribune website about his time in Florida.What do you get when you mix Bert Blyleven and singing animal puppets? It's a little scary...Rod Carew makes this list of top 10 baseball legends and humanitarians.Former Twins ace Johan Santana returned to the mound for the Mets. If his results continue to look good, could the Mets try to trade him to a contender?Justin Verlander eats a lot of Taco Bell before each of his starts.Ramon Ortiz pitched 28 ineffective games for the Twins in 2007 and the Yankees just signed him this week.My Weekly Rundown (Predictions Week): Sunday: A season of what could beMonday: 2012 American League PredictionsTuesday: 2012 National League PredictionsWednesday: 2012 Twins Award PredictionsThursday: 2012 Twins Minor League ProjectionsVideo of the Week: The Twins have released some very clever commercials over the years and this newest one fits into that mold. In this Big Lebowski-themed spot, Kent Hrbek is asked to take on the title role of the "Big Hrbowski." Span leaves the team in a tough spot with the 7/10 split but Hrbek is called on to make the impossible shot. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well the Twins made their series in the Bronx much more enjoyable than was originally anticipated by many fans in Twins Territory. The offense seems to be clicking on all cylinders and the bullpen has been surprisingly good in some tough situations against a very good line-up. Hopefully this positive momentum will carry over into their weekend series with the Rays and the Twins can start the climb back to the .500 mark. The baseball world had plenty of stories from the entire week and the headlines will continue to roll in as the season progresses. Ozzie Guillen returned to the Marlins, Matt Cain and Cliff Lee got caught up in a pitcher's duel, Jamie Moyer seemed to defy Father Time, and Ivan Rodriguez is set to retire as a member of the Rangers. There were plenty of stories from the Twins organization as well. So let's jump in and see what's in store for this edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks."[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Anthony Swarzak and Liam Hendriks are fighting for a spot in the rotation and Parker Hageman analyzes who has the inside track.Everyone knows the Twins cut payroll this year but how does that compare to the rest of the league.The Twins aren't going to carry 13 pitchers for the entire season so Minnesota Twins Musings looks at the roster shuffle that is coming in the near future.We are two weeks into the season and JC over at Knuckleballs tries to figure out who the Twins are.Luke Hughes was designated for assignment a couple of days ago and over at The tenth inning stretch they discuss how the Aussie got a rotten deal.At the beginning of the spring, Ben Revere was set to be a starting outfielder with the Twins. So how did he end up back in Rochester?Scott Baker went in for his elbow clean-up and woke up to find out the doctor's performed Tommy John surgery.Twins Fan From Afar continues to write some great coverage on the Rock Cats and he wrote about the lackluster coverage from the World Wide Leader in Sports.One of my favorite blogs to follow about the Twins is Baseball Outsider and he finally got a Twitter account so make sure to follow him.Twins top prospect Miguel Sano has been a beast for the Beloit Snappers by hitting his sixth home run of the season last night. MiLB wrote a feature article explaining his hot start.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O6rhjRlG80M/T5FNyo1hoXI/AAAAAAAABMw/0bf_7oKKbPE/s320/SanoSnappers.jpg Who would be on the All-Time Baseball Dream Team? Baseball: Past and Present come up with their starting nine.There are plenty of former Twins across MLB and Puckett's Pond took a look at how they have started the year.Current AL Central foe Prince Fielder stole a base earlier this week and it was a fun sight to see.Do you remember that famous blooper reel shot where Jose Canseco has the home run ball bounce off of the top of his head? Now you can buy the hat that was on his head for that famous play.Dear Football Writers, please don't write about baseball.Last week I had a link to a play where Delmon Young did a 360 trying to catch the ball. The ruling on the field after the play was a triple so MLB had to step in.The Twins just saw first hand how long a game can take in the Bronx. So which AL Central team has the fastest working rotation?Jim Leyland thinks the experts that make predictions at the beginning of the season are a bunch of idiots. He's probably right.My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Are we living in the "Golden Age" of catchers?Tuesday: Morneau's changing role leaving Parmelee behindWednesday: 2012 MLB Draft starting to come into focusThursday: Mixed messages might have messed up LirianoVideo of the Week: Since the Twins were in NYC, they made time to visit the MLB Fan Cave. It also made sense because Lindsay Guentzel, a Minnesota native, is one of the nine fans hanging out in the MLB Fan Cave. Check out this video done with Joe Mauer during his visit and you can even make out Brian Duensing in the background. Click here to view the article

For the Minnesota Twins, the last handful of trade deadlines have been mostly uneventful. This seems out of character for a team that has posted one of baseball's worst records the last few seasons. There are different ways for a team to rebuild and the Twins were very active during last offseason by dealing away Denard Span and Ben Revere. Minnesota doesn't necessarily need to now move pieces that will still be with the club in the offseason. That being said, it would make the most sense to say goodbye to Justin Morneau. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] His contract will be expiring at the end of the season and the Twins won't be in contention this year. This would give him a chance to help a contender and the club could go after him in free agency if they felt that was in their best interest. Here is a look back at the moves made during the last three trade deadlines. Even though there haven't been any major moves in the last couple years, there has been an impact on the depth of the organization. There have been ripple effects from dealing away the team's best catching prospect and last year's pair of players has helped the current team, a bit. Download attachment: Francisco-Liriano.jpg 2012 Headline: Liriano dealt to White Sox for pair of players The potential was always there with Francisco Liriano but the on-field results were spotty. Since his contract was expiring at the end of the year, it made sense for the Twins to deal him. Many fans thought the Twins should have been able to get more for Liriano. Instead the club got infielder Eduardo Escobar and pitcher Pedro Hernandez. Liriano went 3-2 with the White Sox and he posted a 5.40 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP over 11 starts. According to Baseball Reference, his time in Chicago was good for 0.3 WAR. Escobar has played 69 games over the last two seasons with the Twins. He has hit .217/.268/.303 with three home runs, two doubles and two triples. He got plenty of playing time at the beginning of this year when the Twins were still trying to sort out their middle infield situation. He has been worth 0.3 WAR for the Twins. Hernandez has started seven games and pitched in nine games for Minnesota. He has a 3-1 record with a 5.54 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. He has added some depth to the minor league pitching staff but he probably won't have a long-term impact on the big league club, unless it's as a reliever. 2011 Headline: To trade or not to trade, that is the question. There were expiring contracts for Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel but the team still wasn't able to make any moves before the deadline. After a brutal April and May, the Twins posted records above .500 in June and July. This might have given the front office a false sense of hope. Minnesota was only seven games under .500 in the first half of the year. At the end of July, the club had a 50-58 record and they were only seven games out of first place in the AL Central. Unfortunately, the second half of the season turned out to be dreadful. Fans were forced to have faith that the club would climb back into the race. This would never happen and Cuddyer and Kubel left the team in the offseason. There may not have been deals on the table for these corner outfielders and it is hard to know what goes on in the general manager's office. Still, it looked silly to have veteran players with expiring contracts on a club that was headed very close to a 100-loss season. 2010 Headline: Capps acquired for stretch run In one of the most scrutinized deals in Twins history, Matt Capps was acquired from the Washington Nationals for prized catching prospect Wilson Ramos. The Twins were in the middle of another tight division race and the back end of the bullpen might have needed a little boost. Joe Nathan had suffered an elbow injury in spring training and the club had used Jon Rauch as closer for most of the first half. Adding Capps to the mix only strengthened the bullpen and he could have been a key piece if the club had gone on a lengthy run in October. As fans know, this didn't happen but the deal would have looked better with Capps closing out games in the ALDS, ALCS, and even the World Series. The cost for Capps was steep. Ramos was working his way toward the big leagues and he had even had an impressive debut in Minnesota. The Twins already had Joe Mauer entrenched behind the plate so keeping Ramos around wasn't a necessity. Since joining the Nationals, there have been some injury concerns as he played only 25 games last season and a little over 30 games in 2013. He continues to hit for power and he has posted a career .271/.334/.447 batting line in the National League. Ramos hasn't turned into the next Johnny Bench and that might be a good thing for Twins fans. Click here to view the article

The Fourth of July holiday means that the All-Star Break is quickly approaching and the Twins are near a break that might be good for a team that is struggling to find pitchers for their starting staff. There has been a well-worn road from Rochester to Minneapolis as the Twins try to find players to record outs for the big league club. Casey Fien and Sam Deduno will be the latest Red Wings to get called up to play with the Twins. After putting together five consecutive wins, the Twins lost back to back contests in Detroit. The loss on Thursday afternoon might have been the most disappointing as the Twins looked to be in control after a strong start from Scott Diamond. In the end, the big bats for Detroit prevailed against the Twins bullpen and now the team will head to Texas to end the first half against one of the toughest teams in the AL.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Rangers are the two-time defending AL Champions and they will trot out eight All-Stars. At the same time, the Twins have one current All-Star and 14 more losses than the Rangers. It could be a rough weekend in Arlington but it will be fun to see what Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe can do in the heat of Texas. Could it be time for the Twins to think about a contract extension with Francisco Liriano?Some possible trade targets for the Twins include the Reds, the Yankees, the Braves, and the Dodgers.Denard Span could be one of the players traveling to a new team by the end of the month.One of the most controversial articles of the week had Reggie Jackson state that he thinks former Twins Kirby Puckett and Bert Blyleven don't belong with him in the Hall of Fame.The end of June meant it was time to name the minor league hitter of the month, the starting pitcher of the month, and the relief pitcher of the month for the Twins.Trevor Plouffe has been something to enjoy in Minnesota.Detroit's defense is fun to watch.AJ Pierzynski spoke out about his poor reputation across the baseball world.This squibber by Brian Dozier was amazing to see and hard to explain to someone that wasn't able to witness it happen.http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GNjDUCmQTiI/T_Y77q0m_9I/AAAAAAAACow/mGqgf6XxakI/s1600/Brian+Dozier+Squibber.gif With Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Matt Moore graduating to the big leagues, who is left as the top prospect in the minor leagues?There were two big hockey signings in Minnesota this week and Joe Mauer and Ron Gardenhire did their best to recruit Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.One of the biggest talking points of the 4th might have been explaining to friends and family about the Twins sending 30-year old Nick Blackburn to Triple-A.Ozzie Guillen blew up at reporters after Heath Bell blew another loss for the Marlins.A coach in the A's organization got banned from the bench after he ordered intentional balks to end an extra-inning affair.It's interesting to think of the Twins team as pairs of twins.The window for signing 16-year old international players opened earlier this week and the Twins scooped up the 12th best prospect according to Baseball America.There was some who questioned the Twins All-Star selection over the weekend but what about the All-Stars of the future.What should the Orioles expect from Jim Thome?My Weekly Rundown Monday: Mauer elected and "fans" revoltTuesday: Tuesday Morning TidbitsTuesday's Trip through the MinorsVideo of the Week: It is still an honor for any player to be selected to the All-Star Game even if it is Mauer's fifth trip to the Mid-Summer Classic. The Twins had a cool video that they threw together to see how the team announced that Mauer would be representing the Twins in Kansas City. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Plouffe_Trevor_Throwing_US_720.jpg Plouffe re-entered the Twins line-up this weekend with a bang. This was great to see from the former first round pick but one has to look at the future of Twins' baseball and wonder what his place will be. It seems as if the Twins are still a couple years away from contending and that could mean change for the 27-year-old Plouffe. Twins fans will best remember Plouffe for his Ruthian hot streak during the middle of last season. In a stretch of 14 games he hit .375/.397/.982 with 10 home runs and four doubles. It looked like the Twins had found their man at third base, but a hand injury slowed him down considerably. Fans were left wondering what version of Plouffe the Twins would have in 2013. So far this season, Plouffe has missed time on the 7-day concussion DL; this was quickly followed by another DL trip for a leg injury. He has played in 39 games and he has hit .264/.344/.457 with five home runs and 10 doubles. His batting average is higher than any point at last season and this has helped some of his other numbers improve. One of the problems facing Plouffe in the future might be the players coming up behind him. Deibinson Romero has put together strong numbers this season at Double-A and Triple-A. This leaves him a step away from the big leagues and the Twins might be willing to give him a look at some point this season. Further behind in Plouffe's rearview mirror is uber-prospect Miguel Sano. The Twins recently promoted Sano to Double-A and some of the best prospects in baseball don't even make the stop at Triple-A. Sano will probably be in New Britain for the rest of this season but that hardly means he couldn't be in the mix for the starting third base job in 2014. In the past, there have been questions about Sano's ability to stick at third. He originally was a raw at the hot corner, after starting out as a shortstop, and one of his biggest improvements over the last couple of years has been his defense. Last season, he had 42 errors in 361 chances at third. This season he has 12 errors in 170 chances. As we gaze into our crystal ball and look toward the future of Twins baseball, there are a few different situations that could transpire for Plouffe: 1. Move to a corner outfield spot: When Michael Cuddyer didn't work out at third base, the club moved him to a corner outfield spot and this is where he truly began to flourish. He went on to earn his lone All-Star selection as an outfielder and he became a strong veteran presence in the clubhouse. Plouffe would need to continue to make improvements at the plate and if he can make those adjustments, this seems the most likely path. 2. Stay at third base: If Sano has to be moved from third base to first base, Plouffe could more easily be seen staying at third. For the majority of his minor league career, Plouffe was a shortstop so he has been learning his third base skills on the fly. Plouffe has been below average on defense so he would need to continue to improve. 3. Find another team: There is a strong crop of minor league players moving through the organization and this youth movement could push Plouffe to the side. The Twins have control of Plouffe through the arbitration process until 2018. He then would be 32 years old and his production might be less than what the Twins would have to pay him. This could mean a new organization for Mr. Plouffe. Overall, the Twins hope Plouffe's performance on the field makes it an easy decision to keep him around and in the line-up on a daily basis. Sano's progress likely will have a lot of influence on Plouffe staying at third base or not, but a corner outfield spot might be a welcomed sight for Plouffe as he gets closer to 30. There are a lot of variables to the puzzle of Trevor Plouffe's future. Fans can hope he better figures things out at the plate and in the field to become a strong veteran player on some Twins' teams that should, in a year or two, be back near the top of the American League Central. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: hyperlink.jpg The week was dominated by the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon, but there were numerous positive stories coming out of the tragedy, such as when a former New England Patriots lineman carried a woman to safety. Many teams around the world of baseball paid tribute to Boston. "Sweet Caroline," which has become synonymous with Red Sox games, was played by most teams during a break in the action; even the rival Yankees stood united in support of Boston. Here are the fans at Target Field singing "Sweet Caroline." Baseball continued to go on and there were some great stories from across the web. Have a safe weekend and give someone you love a call.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Chris Colabello has one of the best stories in baseball.How does Joe Mauer do when it comes to catcher framing? Twins starters pitch to contact and that is killing them this year. AJ Petterson is playing with some very good players and he offers his early season highlights. There has been more than one Twins player who got a "cup of coffee" with the club. Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario are helping the Miracle to a record start. Sano already has one movie about his rise and they are working on a sequel. Glen Perkins is always an interesting interview. Aaron Hicks set a record and it wasn't one a player wants to set. Mauer and David Wright forged a friendship in the WBC. "Delmon's going to be as good as Delmon wants to be." Here is a cool list of all the players that have debuted this year with the scouts that signed them. A couple of Twins players are on the list. IMDb released their top 10 baseball movies of all-time.Here are my top 5 baseball films: Bull Durham Sandlot Major League A League Of Their Own Field of Dreams Beyond the Boxscore did some great research creating Pitcher Similarity Scores based on Pitchf/x data. Denard Span didn't know what a double-switch was. Jackie Robinson gets a lot the press but Larry Doby was just as important in the AL. Bert Blyleven never had anyone charge him but he did charge the mound once himself. Lance Berkman really doesn't like Wrigley Field.There is more than one way to deal with hecklers in the stands. Former Twins pitcher Kyle Waldrop had an impressive first start at the Triple-A level.My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 33Tuesday: Finding solutions for struggling Aaron Hicks Wednesday: Arcia's ascension could mean Willingham's exit Wednesday's Minor League Wrap-Up Video of the Week: It is hard for Ben Revere to amaze after some of the plays he made in a Twins uniform, but this catch from earlier this week might leave you with your mouth open. He misplays the ball a little at the beginning and has to make up for it at the end with a Superman like jump. It was a very cool play by a good defensive center fielder. Click here to view the article

Joe Mauer sat out his first Twins game of the season on Wednesday. But even with Mauer out of the line-up, the Twins were able to come away with a win and avoid being swept by the Detroit Tigers. Scott Diamond pitched six strong innings, giving up two earned runs and four hits for his second win of the year. Justin Morneau and Chris Parmelee each had a pair of hits and a couple of RBI. There were some other impressive performances down on the farm. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Unfortunately, there were no Trevor May sightings on May Day but let's take a look at Wednesday's results from the Twins farm system. On this week's episode of the Talk to Contact Podcast, we discussed a lot about the minor leagues so make sure to check it out. Rochester Red Wings (Scheduled Off Day) The Red Wings enjoyed a scheduled off day after finishing the month of April with a 10-16 record. The club sits eight games out of first place in the International League North Division. Rochester has turned it around a little in their last ten games by posting a 6-4 record. As part of their off day, the club announced that Rafael Perez was activated from the disabled list. Perez, a former member of the Cleveland Indians, was a minor league free agent this past offseason before deciding to sign with the Twins organization. He missed 26 games as he was recovering from the left shoulder surgery he underwent last September. To make room for Perez on the roster, the Red Wings sent Bobby Lanigan back to Double-A. Lanigan had only made one appearance since being called up last week. He earned the save of Friday while pitching 0.1 innings with a strikeout. Rochester used today as travel day to get to Columbus before opening a four-game series versus the Clippers on Thursday. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Harrisburg Senators 0 Box Score Logan Darnell and Daniel Ortiz stole the show for the Rock Cats on Wednesday evening. Both players were at the center of New Britain's 14th win of the season. Darnell threw seven shutout innings, scattering five singles. He struck out six and allowed only two walks. It was his third win of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.16. It was the most impressive start of the year for Darnell and it looks like his second time through the Eastern League will come with more positive results. Download attachment: Logan Darnell 3.jpg Aaron Thompson continued his very good season out of the bullpen. He recorded the last six outs of the game and allowed only one base runner. His 0.97 ERA is the best on New Britain’s pitching staff. In his six appearances this season, he has only allowed one run and one walk. Ortiz was the big man on the offensive side of the ball. He went 3-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, which ranks second on the team behind Josmil Pinto. In the last three games, Ortiz now has compiled a four hit game and a three hit game. Reynaldo Rodriguez and James Beresford each added two hits. Rodriguez had a triple and two RBI. New Britain will look to notch their third straight series win with a victory on Thursday. The club sits in the middle of the pack in the Eastern League Eastern Division. Only five games separate the first and last place club so there could be a lot of movement in the coming weeks. Fort Myers Miracle --, Clearwater Threshers -- (Cancelled) Inclement weather interfered with the Miracle's game in Clearwater on Wednesday afternoon. The teams don't meet again in the first half of the season so the game will not be made up. The Miracle are currently riding a seven-game winning streak after they won the first three games of the series against Clearwater. Fort Myers currently has a 21-4 record and the club sits five games ahead of their closest competitor in the Florida State League's South Division. The St. Lucie Mets are the team behind the Miracle in the standings and they happen to be the next team on their schedule. The two clubs will open a series in Fort Myers on Thursday night. It is the start of a seven-game homestand at Hammond Stadium. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 7 Box Score The Kernels jumped out to a two run lead but the Whitecaps pitching staff shut down the offense for the rest of the game. A big bottom of the fifth inning broke open the game and West Michigan walked away with the victory. The loss snapped a nine game winning streak for the Kernels. In the first inning, Byron Buxton walked to start the game. Niko Goodrum followed with a single and an error on the play allowed both runners to advance a base. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Jorge Polanco and Dalton Hicks put the Kernels up 2-0. Brett Lee started his third game of the year for Cedar Rapids and was saddled with his first loss. Through six innings he kept the game close but in the bottom of the seventh the first batter singled and this was followed by a home run that signaled Lee's exit. Tim Atherton didn't provide much relief as he would go on to allow three more runs in the seventh. He had a throwing error, gave up a home run, and allowed two stolen bases. Josh Burris pitched a hitless inning and gave up a walk. It was the second appearance for Burris since he joined the team earlier this week. The Kernels will look to get back to their winning ways as the team continues their series with West Michigan over the next two days. Today's game was the first in a 12-game road trip for Cedar Rapids. The team won't return home until May 14th so the team will have to find ways to win road games. Click here to view the article

It is officially the first day of summer and that means action will be heating up across the baseball world. The Twins found themselves in a pitchers duel in Pittsburgh with Francisco Liriano throwing one of his best games of the year. A rough seventh inning meant that Liriano wasn't able to pick up the win but a late inning home run from Josh Willingham pushed the Twins to a 2-1 victory. Some injuries to the Rochester bullpen forced the Twins to make some transactions in the farm system. Carlos Gutierrez (shoulder) and Lester Oliveros (elbow) are both going to miss time for the Red Wings and this means Bobby Lanigan and Caleb Thielbar will be joining Rochester from New Britain. Edgar Ibarra is moving from Fort Myers to New Britain and taking his place on the Miracle roster is Michael Tonkin. Cole Johnson was the other transaction on Wednesday as he moves from the E-Twins to the Snappers. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins officially signed RHP Luke Bard, taken 42nd overall in the 2012 draft. With his signing, the Twins have inked their first 10 picks in the draft. This is a good sign and it seems to show that players are more willing to sign early with the new rules in the CBA. Don't forget to check out the Twins Minor League Weekly Podcast tomorrow night at 9:00 pm. Seth Stohs should have plenty of topics to discuss with the transactions mentioned above and the start of the short-season leagues. ROCHESTER 7, DURHAM 6 It was quite the back and forth contest against the Durham Bulls in Rochester with the Red Wings managing to come out victorious. With Rochester leading by one in the top of the ninth, the Bulls managed to score two runs and take the lead back. In the bottom of the ninth, Tsuyoshi Nishioka started the inning by cracking a double. After a sacrifice bunt from Pedro Florimon, Wilkin Ramirez stepped into the box and fell into a 0-2 count. The next pitch was hit over the fence for a two-run walk-off home run and the fans got to go home happy. Cole DeVries had started the game and he lasted 6.1 innings by giving up four runs on 11 hits. Tyler Robertson picked up his second victory of the year after he got the last two outs of the ninth inning. Brian Dinkelman had three hits with an RBI to help the offense. In the second inning, Matt Carson hit his fifth home run on the year and he has three home runs in the last four games. NEW BRITAIN 4, ALTOONA 9 Gerrit Cole, the number one pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, made his debut at Double-A on Wednesday night. Unfortunately for the Rock Cats, he didn't have any issues with the transition to a higher league and threw five innings while giving up two runs and striking out six. He was also backed up by plenty of run support so this made his first victory at this level a little easier. Brett Jacobson was charged with seven earned runs in three innings on the mound. He walked five batters and gave up multiple home runs. Aaron Hicks had his first multiple hit game in his last ten contests and this included his ninth double and second triple of the year. Chris Colabello got half of the team's RBI with his two singles in the game. In his second game since being promoted, Oswaldo Arcia had his first hit, a double in the eighth inning. FORT MYERS 7, JUPITER 3 A solid offensive night was put together by the Miracle on Wednesday evening in Jupiter. They put up seven runs on 12 hits to back a good start from Madison Boer. In five innings of work, Boer surrendered two runs on five hits and struck out four. Ricky Bowen did a good job in relief by almost pitching 2 innings and only giving up a hit. For Boer, it was his third win of the year with all three of those wins coming in June. Five batters for the Miracle had multiple hit nights with Kyle Knudson leading the way with a 3-for-5 night. Andy Leer knocked in a couple runs with his two hits and he hit his six double of the year. The only other extra-base hit came off of the bat of Danny Rams, who also scored two runs in the game. BELOIT (All-Star Break) The Snappers are enjoying their All-Star Break and will resume play on Friday night with a series in Cedar Rapids. After qualifying for the playoffs in the first half of the season, it will be interesting to see how the Snappers come out in the second half. ELIZABETHTON 10, DANVILLE 0 The story on this night should be the pitcher that started the game for the E-Twins. Ricardo Arevalo, a 21-year old pitcher from Venezuela, has pitched in the Twins organization for the last three years for the DSL Twins and the GCL Twins. In those three years, he had never been able to pick up a victory on the mound but that all changed on Wednesday. He threw five shutout innings and the bullpen was able to cover the rest of the game for his first professional win. In this contest, the E-Twins found plenty of offense with multiple extra base hits on the way to double digits being scored by the club. There were four triples in the game for the E-Twins and Niko Goodrum hit two of those three baggers with three runs batted in. Rory Rhodes had three hits and Michael Quesada managed his first two doubles in the young season. GCL TWINS 6, GCL RAYS 2 A strong start from Josue Montanez helped the GCL Twins to get out to an early lead on the GCL Rays. Montanez tossed four scoreless innings while striking out six and allowing a single hit. Both runs for the Rays were scored off of Markus Solbach in his one inning of work. The Rays sloppy defense helped the Twins to a big bottom of the third inning. Three consecutive errors by the Rays fielders allowed the Twins to score four runs in the frame. Aderlin Mejia was 3-for-4 in the game with his second double of the year. Bryan Haar added a double of his own while going 2-for-3 with two RBI. --- Players of the Day for Wednesday, June 20, 2012 Hitter of the Day- Niko Goodrum http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xR7sglofICU/T-KFFf6JTkI/AAAAAAAACRw/Q6SnlZrGv3U/s1600/Goodrum-Niko.jpg Pitcher of the Day- Ricardo Arevalo (1st Professional Win) http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1yonnoNr2ZI/T-KFZ1cx_KI/AAAAAAAACR4/i2Tl1oaML90/s320/elizabethtontwins.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Thursday, June 21st Schedule Rochester vs Durham- LHP Matt Maloney New Britain at Altoona- LHP Aaron Thompson Fort Myers vs St. Lucie-LHP Pat Dean Beloit (All-Star Break) Elizabethon at Danville- LHP Corey Kimes GCL Twins at GCL Rays- 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. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Glen+Perkins+Minnesota+Twins.jpg For the first time since Eddie Guardado, the team will enter next season with a homegrown pitcher as the closer. Glen Perkins exploded onto the scene in 2011 and he continued that success into 2012 by providing dominant relief. All of this came after he failed to sustain success as a starter and looked like he might be out of the Twins future plans. Back in 2009, Perkins and his agent had the players association file a grievance against the Twins for a variety of reasons. He has come a long way from that point and has put together stellar seasons in back-to-back years. Last week the Twins ended their long, strange love affair with Matt Capps by declining his option for next season. There should be little doubt about who will be getting the majority of the save opportunities for the club going forward. Perkins has posted an ERA of 2.52 since the beginning of 2011 and his WHIP is a very good 1.129 in those two campaigns. Unlike Capps, Perkins has shown the ability to strikeout batters on a regular basis with his SO/9 averaging 9.8 in the last two years and he set a career high in this department last season with 10 SO/9. When Capps went down last season, Ron Gardenhire used an interesting approach for a few of the late inning situations. Since Perkins is a left-handed pitcher, Gardenhire would sometimes turn to right-handed pitcher Jared Burton for the ninth inning. usually when some key batters were right-handed hitters. A few weeks of using a double-headed closer was enough for Gardenhire; Burton wouldn't record a save in the last couple months of the season. Perkins was the man at the end of the game and it seems Gardenhire likes knowing which pitcher will be getting the final outs for his team. Finding other relief options like Jared Burton has helped the Twins to solidify their bullpen in the last year. The team took a flyer on Joel Zumaya during last offseason but that risk didn't work out. Casey Fien emerged as a very reliable option by keeping runners off of the bases and keeping the ball in the park. Alex Burnett had the best season of his career and Brian Duensing did fine when he was used out of the bullpen and not as a starter. Anthony Swazak, like Duensing, fared much better as a relief pitcher versus being a starter. There seems to be a decent core of arms building around Perkins in the bullpen. It has been a long journey for Perkins. The Twins drafted him in the first round of the 2004 Draft and he would make his debut by the end of 2006. Injuries forced him him to pitch a limited amount of innings in 2007, but he pitched a career high in innings during the 2008 campaign. The 2009 and 2010 seasons were his last as a starting pitcher and he struggled to keep his ERA anywhere near 5.00 in his time at the MLB and Triple-A. It was time to try a different approach with Perkins so he was sent to the bullpen to try and save his career. This decision turned out to be the right move as he made great strides in the last two seasons. Shifting to the bullpen added more velocity to his fastball and made him tougher to hit. He struck out a career high 78 batters this season in 70.1 innings when his previous high had been 74 batters - but that was in 151 innings on the mound. Perkins has reinvented himself as a relief pitcher and it seems like he continues to gain confidence on the mound with each late inning opportunity. There have been plenty of things to be down about in regards to the Twins in the past two seasons but the emergence of Perkins as the closer of the present and the future is not one of them. He has offered a small glimmer of hope to fans in back-to-back terrible years. His road to the role of full time closer with the Twins had plenty of bumps along the way but the transformation from starting pitcher to set-up man and finally to closer seems like the perfect path for the former first round pick. He'll start next year as the closer for the Twins and fans hope the team can follow the path of Perkins by reinventing the franchise for the future success. Click here to view the article

When a team has lost 90 games in three consecutive seasons, there can be plenty of finger pointing. For the Twins, there are questions to ask about how this current roster was created and what the team can do as they try to move forward. Download attachment: fishing.jpg Where are the holes in this roster? What needs to be done this offseason? Are there internal options to help remedy the situation? These questions and more need to be answered before the team heads to Florida for spring training. Let's take a look at each position and try to figure out how the Twins can get out of this mess.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] A fishing bobber ranking will accompany each position. One bobber means the position needs to be addressed, two bobbers means the position is steady, and three bobbers means the position is looking good going forward. Catcher 2013 Starter: Joe Mauer Other Options: Ryan Doumit, Josmil Pinto, Chris Herrmann There are questions about Mauer moving forward from his concussion-related issues. Doumit suffered some concussion issues of his own. At the end of the season, Pinto looked great but can he sustain this kind of production at the big league level? This should be a position for the Twins not to worry about but Mauer's concussion issues bring down this ranking. Ranking: One Bobber First Base 2013 Starter: Justin Morneau (Out of the Organization) Other Options: Joe Mauer, Chris Colabello, Chris Parmelee Mauer's head troubles could mean a change of position and first base might be his new home by the beginning of next season. Colabello and Parmelee have shown success at Triple-A but it hasn't translated to the big leagues. This could be a spot where the team looks outside the organization for help since there are three left-handed bats and plenty of question marks. Ranking: One Bobber Second Base 2013 Starter: Brian Dozier Other Options: Eduardo Escobar, Eddie Rosario In a breakout season, Dozier made Twins fans forget his disastrous rookie campaign. He seems to have locked up second base going into next season but Rosario is close to knocking on the door. Rochester will be Rosario's home to start 2014 but a stumble from Dozier could mean Rosario's rise to the big leagues. This position battle will be one to watch moving forward. Ranking: Three Bobbers Third Base 2013 Starter: Trevor Plouffe Other Options: Miguel Sano, Deibinson Romero Plouffe struggled for most of 2013 but ended the year with a strong month of September. The Twins are going to want to see Sano at the big league level sometime in 2014. After Hicks' terrible 2013 season, the club will probably take it slow with Sano. A hot start in Triple-A from Sano could mean the end of Plouffe's tenure at third base. Ranking: Three Bobbers Shortstop 2013 Starter: Pedro Florimon Other Options: Danny Santana, Eduardo Escobar Last season, Florimon showed his defensive prowess but his offense continues to be offensive. In the minor leagues, Santana continues to hit but there are giant question marks about his defense. Florimon is the likely starter but Santana's offensive ability is something to watch. Overall, shortstop is a tough spot in the higher levels of the organization. Ranking: One Bobber Left Field 2013 Starter: Josh Willingham Other Options: Oswaldo Arcia, Trevor Plouffe Willingham followed his tremendous 2012 season with an injury-filled 2013. Arcia had some up and down moments in his rookie year but he still showed the power stroke he had been known for in the minors. As the team looks to the future, it might make sense for Willingham spend more time at DH. Plouffe could see more time in the outfield when Sano arrives. Ranking: Two Bobbers Center Field 2013 Starter: Aaron Hicks Other Options: Byron Buxton, Alex Presley When the Twins handed the starting center field job to Hicks last year, they hoped the young man would take the position and run. Luckily for Twins fans, Buxton burst onto the scene in 2013. It could still be a couple years before Buxton makes it to the big leagues and this would leave a hole in center field. The future looks bright with Buxton but there are still questions about what Hicks will be able to do in 2014. Ranking: Two Bobbers Right Field 2013 Starter: Chris Parmelee Other Options: Aaron Hicks, Darin Mastroianni The Twins could be searching for options at this position moving forward. Parmelee and Hicks had disappointing seasons and Mastroianni was hurt for most of the year. Arcia could see some time at this spot if the Twins continue to use Willingham defensively. If Hicks can fix his offensive woes, this could be his spot when Buxton arrives on the scene. Ranking: One Bobber What kind of bobber rankings would you give the Twins position players? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another week has come and gone for Twins Territory and the hometown nine have started to stir the pot a little bit when it comes to their roster. Brian Dozier, the organization's minor league player of the year from 2011, made his debut earlier in the week. He has been impressive so far and the Twins hope he can continue to play at a high level. After leading all American League third basemen in games played in 2011, Danny Valencia has found himself back in Triple-A. In 2010, Valencia looked great for the Twins but he has failed to get back to that form in the last two years. His minor league track record suggested something like this might happen and now the Twins might try and trade Mr. Valencia. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Speaking of not being in form, Francisco Liriano has struggled mightily for the entire year and it was time for a change. After the team skipped his spot in the rotation, he still failed to produce results on the mound. For the time being, he has been moved to the bullpen and the front office called up PJ Walters to take his spot in the rotation. The Blue Jays come to town this weekend with a chance to gain ground in their division since the two teams in front of them will play each other. Toronto's best slugger Jose Bautista has been struggling to start the year and much like with the Angels and Albert Pujols, the Twins don't want to wake the sleeping giant. Baseball America released their first version of a mock draft. Who will the Twins take at number 2? Their pick may surprise you...Standford's Mark Appel will be one of the first pitchers selected in the draft but he doesn't seem to be pitching up to expectations.John Sickles at Minor League Ball put together his supplemental round mock draft where the Twins have two high picks.Chris Parmelee made the roster out of spring training and now he has been sitting on the bench. So what happened to Chris Parmelee?The Twins have seemed to rush some prospects to the majors in recent memory so it might seem like the club is opening their presents too early.It's looking like the Twins will be sellers at the trading deadline and Twins Fan From Afarlooks at the time of players they should target.Along the same lines as above, The Twins Armchair GM writes about the possibility of the Nationals still being interested in Denard Span.If you don't know a lot about Brian Dozier, make sure to read this post by Seth Stohs.A blind man named Reggie Deal is going to 30 parks in 30 days and he will be at Target Field on Friday.Former Twins pitcher Dan Osterbrock had some bad words to say about his former team.Alexi Casilla is near the top of the leaderboard in glove flips so far in 2012.This list of least productive positions in baseball has too many Twins on it.A few weeks ago I posted a picture of Robert Andino and how playing in Baltimore had taken away his smile. Well the Orioles are near the top of the division and this means his smile came back.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xje3IeZgtjI/T6w-Bb6nZLI/AAAAAAAABQ8/d52BODzZcQ4/s400/andinorevived.jpg Scott Diamond had a great first start for the Twins but what can be expected from him going forward?Pitching to contact seems to be the Twins method for selecting pitchers but is it a good thing?A high school baseball team in Arizona forfeited their championship game because the other team had a girl starting in the middle infield.Would Twins fans want to see the Pohlad family sell the team?Jim Pohlad did come out and voice his support of Ron Gardenhire and Terry Ryan this week.My Weekly Rundown Monday: Dozier won't be savior of Twins offensive woesTuesday: Tuesday Night Minor League Round-UpWednesday: Ranking the best debuts by current TwinsThursday: Guerra moving quickly toward Target FieldVideo of the Week: Earlier this week, . I think he would have went for four outs if he had the opportunity. Pretty sweet! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Deduno_Sam_Bench_US_600.jpg The Twins had one of the worst starting rotations in all baseball last year. In order to remedy the problem, the team has done its best to be aggressive in the open market, recently adding Mike Pelfrey via a two-year $11 million deal. This is the third free agent starter the Twins have added this season as the team has already agreed to terms with Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes. With Kevin Corriea under contract for another year, Minnesota's starting rotation is filling up rather quickly. Minnesota has a handful of players under team control for next season and they have to be wondering what happened. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Scott Diamond, Sam Deduno, Kyle Gibson, and Vance Worley were all part of the rotation at different points last season and it's looking more likely that a few of these players won't be with the organization when the team leaves Fort Myers. Scott Diamond, LHP After a rookie campaign where Diamond was the best starter for the Twins, his sophomore season was a slump. He walked more batters in fewer innings and struggled to keep the ball in the park. He looked better in his time at Rochester but he is out of minor league options. This could mean the Twins will have to try sneaking him through waivers and there is a chance another club would be interested in his services. Sam Deduno, RHP Deduno surprised a lot of people in his first year, 2012, with the Twins as he tended to give up walks and hits but he found a way to get out of some jams. His second season with the Twins was even better as he lowered his ERA by half a run per game and his WHIP dropped from 1.54 to 1.35 over close to 30 more innings than in his freshman campaign. Like Diamond, Deduno is out of options but it seems Deduno has the inside track for the fifth starter spot. Kyle Gibson, RHP There were high hopes for Gibson entering the season. The former first round pick had looked good in the preceding year's Arizona Fall League and the club was hoping he would make an impact during his rookie season. Gibson struggled throughout his rookie campaign. He still has options remaining so it's looking to be a lock for him to start the year in Rochester. His performance there will dictate when the Twins bring him back to the big leagues. Alex Meyer, RHP Considered by many the top rated pitching prospect in the Twins organization, Meyer will be knocking on the door to the majors next season. He pitched all last season at Double-A and he finished his year with a strong showing in the AFL. There is no need to rush him at this point but it could be hard to find a rotation spot for him unless a rash of injuries hits the guys in front of him. He has options left so the Twins will likely send him to Rochester for the start of the year. Vance Worley, RHP Last season's opening day starter struggled through his first season in a Twins uniform. His WHIP was almost 2.00 and his 7.21 ERA was tough to swallow. When Minnesota traded Ben Revere, Worley was supposed to add some depth to a struggling pitching staff. A year later it is looking more like Worley might not be part of the organization. He's out of options and the Twins will likely put some of the names on this list ahead of him for the fifth starter spot. Put yourself in Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire's shoes. Who gets the fifth starter spot? Is the player currently on the roster? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Darin+Mastroianni+Minnesota+Twins.jpg Over the last two seasons, the two men who accounted for most of the at-bats in the Minnesota Twins' leadoff spot were Denard Span and Ben Revere. Both were traded away this offseason, leaving a gaping hole at the top of the order (and in center field but that's a post for a different day). There will be a few different candidates to be the lead-off hitter, depending on who wins the vacancies in center field and in the middle infield. For now, the Twins will turn over the starting to duties in center field to one of three candidates. Joe Benson, Aaron Hicks, and Darin Mastroianni will all get a chance to earn the starting role in spring training. The middle infield situation is even more fluid and also will be determined this spring. Of the center field candidates, Mastroainni has the most big league experience and offers some skills suited for a leadoff role. In only 77 games last season, he managed 21 steals, which ranked third on the team behind Revere and Alexi Casilla. He hit .252/.328/.345 last season with a limited amount of power. The Twins even penciled him into the first spot of the line-up for three different games last season, though he only hit .133/.188/.333 in his 16 plate appearances. Hicks has been used as a lead-off hitter for most of his career in the minor leagues and also has the skill set to be a very good top of the order hitter. He is one of the most patient hitters in the minor leagues, drawing over 75 walks in each of his three full seasons at multiple levels. His on-base percentage is .379 for his professional career, despite posting some lower batting averages in his first few seasons. His speed is also very good as he stole 32 bases last year and he combined for 32 doubles and triples. The Twins are going to need to see quite the performance from Benson to give him a starting job out of spring training. He was injured for most of last season and this caused his on-field performance to take a dive. Benson is still very athletic and he has shown a good ability to get on base when he is healthy. If Benson wins the starting job in center field, it might mean the Twins look to their infield for their leadoff hitter. When looking at the infield candidates, Jamey Carroll played the most for the club in 2012. The 38-year old infielder had a rough start but found his swing through the course of the year. The Twins only used him as a leadoff hitter in one game last year so he might not be the likeliest candidate. He does know how to draw a walk and the Twins could use him at the top of the order until Hicks is ready to debut. The other candidates for the starting jobs in the middle infield are Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon, and Eduardo Escobar. These men aren't really leadoff hitter material since well... they don't really hit the ball. All three of these players struggled to hit for a decent average last season and they would most likely be suited for spots lower in the batting order. Dozier showed some ability to steal bases with nine steals in 11 attempts but his other numbers were too low to consider him a threat as a lead-off man. If some of these other candidates don't look appealing, the dark horse for the leadoff spot could be the Twins highest paid player. Joe Mauer is the best hitter for average on the Twins and he has led the AL in on-base percentage in multiple seasons. He doesn't have a ton of speed but he is athletic enough that can steal a base on occasion. There really seems like no way manager Ron Gardenhire would put him in the lead-off spot but maybe there is a chance that he moves up to the number two spot. Clearly, Hicks is the Twins leadoff hitter of the future but the future might begin after Opening Day. At this point, it seems most likely for Hicks to start at Triple-A with Mastroianni getting the job on Opening Day. Here is where I would rank the leadoff hitters at this point, and the only reason Mauer is at the bottom is because there seems to be a very little chance that he will be moved from the middle of the order. Leadoff Hitter Rankings: 1. Aaron Hicks 2. Darin Mastroianni 3. Jamey Carroll 4. Joe Mauer If you were putting together the roster for 2013, who would be your leadoff man for Opening Day? How about at the halfway point of the season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first week of Twins baseball has not been perfect by any means but the team has shown signs of life in the last couple of days. Those games were against two very good pitchers from the Angels, Jared Weaver and Dan Haren, so the team might be moving in the right direction. In a rare occurrence on Thursday afternoon, Joe Mauer hit a home run at Target Field for only the second time since the stadium opened in 2010. Besides glimmers of hope, the Twins offense needs to continue on it's upward trejectory if the team wants to find success in 2012.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The two-time defending American League Champion Texas Rangers are coming to town this weekend with a couple of issues themselves. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan has struggled in two of his outings with his new club and both times his team would end up losing the contest. Yu Darvish, the Japanese pitching phenom, is scheduled to pitch on Saturday along with the unveiling of Kent Hrbek's statue outside of Gate 14. The first weekend action of the 2012 season at Target Field should be full of some great games and the Twins hope to get their team moving in the right direction. Another work week has come to an end so I hope you enjoy the following stories that I found from throughout the last week. Baseball is back and it has been great to see my Twitter feed explode with excitement in the last seven days. The Twins aren't off to a perfect start but it is a long season with plenty of baseball left to play. Earlier this week, Seth Stohs had a great podcast with multiple guests including an interview with shortstop Brian Dozier.If you want to find out more about the New Britain Rock Cats, make sure to check out Twins Fan From Afar. He wrote about Alex Wimmers' first start of the year.ESPN's Jim Bowden (an Insider article) thinks it's possible for the Twins to move Justin Morneau at some point this year.A looks into the most infamous Twins jerseys of all time, the "Dairy Queen" red jerseys.John Sickels likes what Brian Dozier has been able to do so far this year at Rochester.Over at Circle the Bases, they examine the possibility of Scott Baker's career being done with the Twins.The Twins saw Peter Bourjos move around the bases at Target Field in under 15 seconds on Wednesday night.Jim Crikket at Knuckleballs wrote a very good piece on how the Twins need to strive for greatness and not just let it be a tradition for the franchise.Over at Twins Daily, they ask the question, "What kind of fan are you?"Twins relief pitcher Jeff Gray only had one-career win before the last two days and now three pitches later he has two more wins.Twins draft pick Hudson Boyd and three of his high school teammates are trying to make it to the big leagues.Shawn Berg over at Twins Target has been counting down his top prospect and he profiled his sixth best player this week.This picture of the Orioles Robert Andino shows how tough a few years in Baltimore can be for a player.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YlbbPWdbvvU/T4cqwe5CxDI/AAAAAAAABL4/sFfc-Nsh88E/s320/RobertAndinoSmile.jpeg A rare Bryce Harper trading card is listed on eBay for $25,000 and it isn't even autographed by the young star.During the Twins first game of the year a man ran on the field wearing only his underwear and a Batman cap. Now he is banned from Camden Yards for life.Even Babe Ruth's daughter doesn't like the Yankees.Baseball teams are getting a lot more money for the exclusive rights to broadcast their games.Torii Hunter got into a fight with the wall at Target Field... it didn't end well for somebody.My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Rough Opening Weekend has silver liningTuesday: Dozier's hot start is hard to ignoreWednesday: Lost generation of Twins fans brought back in 2002Thursday: Will April showers bring second half flowers?Video of the Week: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau homered in the same game for the first time since July 2010. The event also took place at Target Field where Mauer came into the game with only one career home run. Morneau's shot was a towering blast deep into the seats. Here is the video evidence of both of those balls leaving the park. Click here to view the article