Cody Christie

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With the All-Star Break at hand, it marks the unofficial midpoint of the 2012 season for the Minnesota Twins. Coming off of one of the worst seasons in franchise history, it was hard to have optimism for the 2012 campaign. There were question marks surrounding players that missed large chunks of last season due to injury, the bullpen had some unproven arms, and the starting rotation needed to prove itself. All of these story lines have played out in different ways with some of them being much more positive than the others. The Twins have played a little stronger in recent games to give a semblance of hope to fans across Twins Territory. The scary part might be the fact that by the All-Star Game last year the club had put together 41 wins and sat 6.5 games out of first place in the Central. While the team was still seven games under .500, there was a chance for a strong second half run. Entering the break this season, the Twins are further back in the division and more games under .500 than last year. Overall, it looks like a tough hole to dig out of in the second half. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] At the beginning of the season, I predicted who I thought would win various awards for the 2012 version of the Twins. The All-Star Break allows for time to reflect back on the first half of the season and to see how close to being right (or being very wrong) that those predictions were. Each of the awards below has been named after someone that optimizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends from the past and even one current MLB player but all have had a significant place in Twins lore. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Nw5_5My7xw/T_rgXstjLRI/AAAAAAAACqg/XWMisSEYtV4/s320/ScottyD.jpg Harmon Killebrew MVP: Josh Willingham, LF-DH Preseason pick: Joe Mauer, C-1B-DH At this point in the season, it looks like a two man race for the top player on the Twins in 2012. Josh Willingham started off the season like an MVP and he carried the team through the early portion of their schedule. On the other hand, Joe Mauer has put together a very strong campaign after putting a dreadful 2011 season behind him. Either one of these players could be named MVP of the first half for the Twins so let's take a look at some of the numbers. To this part in the season, Willingham is batting .261/.376/.536 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI. His batting average is right around his career average but his OBP and SLG are both higher than his career marks. Joe Mauer is batting .326/.417/.452 with five home runs and 41 RBI. He sits in the top five for batting average in the entire American League and he has the highest OBP of any AL player. On FanGraphs and Baseball Reference, both players sit within .1 points of each other in WAR. It seems like the races is almost a tie so there must be some other way to figure out who should come out on top. The tie-breaker for me was looking at Win Probability Added and Willingham is the clear leader on the team. His clutch hits and RBI have helped to turn losses into victories on a team that needed him to provide a little spark. The race was tight but Willingham is the team's MVP through the first half of the year. Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year: Scott Diamond, LHP Preseason pick: Francisco Liriano, LHP This might be the easiest category to select through the first portion of the Twins schedule. Scott Diamond has emerged as the best pitcher on the staff for the Twins and his transformation has been fun to see so far this year.Since he started the season at Triple-A, he has only been able to log 79.0 innings with the big league squad. His seven wins are three more than any other starter this season and his ERA of 2.62 is very low. It is starting to look more and more like Francisco Liriano could win this award by the end of the season. His starts in recent weeks have been very good and his is able to strike out more batters than Diamond. Liriano's terrible start was tough to overcome at this point in the season so his numbers still look high at the All-Star Break. He does lead the team in games started and innings pitched but his ERA and WHIP need some time to recover from the early part of the season. With all of the trade rumors surrounding Liriano, it is hard to imagine him being with the club until the end of the season. That would seem to mean that this award is Diamond's to lose for the rest of the season. Diamond is the lone bright spot in a rotation full of holes and he looks like he might have to be the ace of the staff for the next handful of seasons. Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jared Burton, RHP Preseason pick: Brian Duensing, LHP When the season started, I picked Duensing for this award because he was shifting back to a successful role that he held with the club in the past. This was assuming that he would stay in the bullpen for the majority of the season but now he finds himself in the starting rotation. This leaves a couple of arms in the bullpen that have shown themselves to be very valuable in the first half of the year. Glen Perkins burst onto the scene last season as one of the most valuable set-up men in the American League. His transition from starter to relief pitcher allowed him to add some velocity to his pitches and he looked like a brand new man. It has been more of the same for Perkins in 2012 and he has even been given the opportunity to close some games with Matt Capps on the DL. His ERA and WHIP are a little higher than one would like for an arm out of the 'pen but his strikeouts per nine innings has increase over last year. Much like the race for team MVP, the competition for Relief Pitcher of the Year is a two-man race. Jared Burton has rediscovered himself as a 31-year old after two injury shortened seasons with the Reds. He has looked dominant at times with a WHIP under 1.000 and a 2.55 ERA for the year. His strikeout total will never match Perkins but Burton has been an unsung hero of the first half for the Twins. Rod Carew Rookie of the Year: Scott Diamond, LHP Preseason pick: Chris Parmelee, 1B-RF-DH Coming out of spring training, it looked like there would be a couple of different rookies in line for the Carew ROY Award. Chris Parmelee had made the squad after a strong spring training and a very good month of September at the end of last season. The Twins were unsure of what to expect from Justin Morneau and it made sense to have another strong first baseman on the roster. Liam Hendriks was another rookie that made the squad when the team headed north for the start of the year. Some injuries to the starting staff allowed Hendriks the opportunity to start the year in the rotation. The story line for each of these players has been a little frustrating to watch in 2012. Both players have found a lot of success at the Triple-A level but the results have been mixed with the big league squad. Parmelee has been sent back-and-forth to Rochester on multiple occasions and his last trip had to be tough for him. He sat on the bench for multiple weeks and he was given a handful of at-bats. Hendriks has really struggled at the big league level and it will be interesting to see if he gets another shot in the second half. For the reasons mentioned in the Santana Pitcher of the Year category, Diamond is the clear-cut winner of this award. Brain Dozier has gotten plenty of playing time at shortstop but there are still multiple things that he needs to work on. Diamond, Dozier, Hendriks, and Parmelee are all in line to have a big impact on this team in the future so it will be interesting to see what they can do. So who do you think should win each award? Leave a comment and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

The Twins needed to make some kind of change during the All-Star break after the team scuffled in the weeks leading up to the Mid-Summer Classic. There were going to be some players sent packing to Rochester and some fresh faces on the MLB roster. It had to happen. There has been pressure on multiple people in the Twins organization to find a way to be respectable in 2013. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract and he needs to show the organization something so they'll renew his contract. Terry Ryan had a hand in putting together this roster and he needs to see some of the talent translate into performance.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Coming out of the All-Star break, there will be a few new names on the bench and in the lineup. Maybe these new faces will help the team win a few more games. Overall, this wasn't a team that was going to be fighting for a World Series crown so all their moves need to be focused on the future. Here is a look at the players who were demoted and what the future might hold for each of them. Oswaldo Arcia Season (59 Games): .257/.317/.408, 6 HR, 11 2B, 25 RBI, 63 SO Last Month (22 Games): .262/.319/.676, 2 HR, 2 2B, 10 RBI, 26 SO Download attachment: arcia.jpg The Future: A few weeks ago, it looked like Arcia was one of the front-runners for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. A lot has changed in the last couple weeks. Over that time, he hit .108/.132/.108 with 16 strikeouts in 37 at-bats. There was no power from Arcia and one wonders if there was some kind of injury bothering him or maybe he was embarrassed about taking a pop-fly to the face. He is too valuable to be at the big league level and not getting consistent at-bats. Something had to be done to get him focused at the plate. Arcia is still only 22-years old and he has only a little over 100 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. It might be good for him to get a month or so in the minors. This can give him a chance to get his head back on straight because the Twins need him for the next few years. Chris Herrmann will get some of the at-bats vacated by Arcia and he figures to also be in the Twins rebuilding plans. This gives the club a chance to see a little more of Herrmann at the big league level. Arcia's power-hitting ability should be a staple in the Twins lineup as the team tries to rebuild but something just wasn't right going into the All-Star break. Eduardo Escobar Season (55 Games): .214/.268/.328, 3 HR, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 23 SO Last Month (11 Games): .120/.154/.240, 1 HR, 0 2B, 1 RBI, 7 SO The Future: Escobar surprised a lot of people with his performance in the first month of the season. He wasn't an everyday starter but he hit .378/.395/.541 with three extra-base hits in 38 plate appearances. Minnesota has struggled at different points of the first half to find production from the shortstop role. Pedro Florimon had a rough start to the season and Escobar did a decent job filling in when he was asked to do so. The Twins are basically swapping out the 24-year old Escobar for 33-year old infielder Doug Bernier. In 92 games for Rochester, Bernier was hitting .295/.370/.407 with 15 doubles. It seems there is more of a chance for Escobar to have a long-term role as a utility man for the Twins. He is younger than Bernier by almost a decade but age didn't stop the Twins from making the move. This demotion will allow Escobar to get more playing time at Rochester and then the Twins can see where he fits into their plans. Now the Twins have aging veterans Jamey Carroll and Bernier as back-up infielders. Maybe they can swap "back in my day" stories on the bench. Chris Parmelee Season (83 Games): .223/.303/.372, 8 HR, 12 2B, 20 RBI, 66 SO Last Month (22 Games): .222/.306/.444, 3 HR, 5 2B, 6 RBI, 20 SO The Future: This was supposed to be a make-or-break season for Parmelee. Things haven't worked out in his favor. He has struggled to make consistent contact at the plate and the power he showed in the minors hasn't translated to the big leagues. Some of his struggles might be due to playing most of his games in the outfield after being used more as a first baseman in the upper minors. The Twins still have time to figure out his position and some of his challenges in the batter's box. Maybe a couple weeks at Triple-A will wake up his swing since he had an OPS of 1.102 last season in Rochester. Since it seems likely Justin Morneau will be in a different uniform by the end of the month, one might think Parmelee would be the man to take over first base. It now seems more likely Chris Colabello will get most playing time at the corner infield spot. Colabello got a brief taste of the big leagues earlier this year and he continues to be a force in the minors. Last year he was one of the top five players in the Eastern League and this season he is in the discussion for the best player in the International League. His batting line of .354/.432/.652 with 24 home runs and 24 doubles looks like video game numbers. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Matt+Capps+Minnesota+Twins.jpg In last night's loss to the New York Yankees, Matt Capps made his return to the field after missing almost the entire second half of the season. It was the first action for Capps after not appearing in a game since the middle of July. The season has been injury plagued for the 29-year old relief pitcher and his time with the Twins has been full of plenty of ups-and-downs. Fans seem to hold a grudge against Capps for his poor play in the last couple of years but some of this hatred might be better aimed at the front office for the Twins. The past decisions with Capps have left fans scratching their heads and it's tough to know what the next move will be from the front office.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Back in 2010 when the Twins traded catching prospect Wilson Ramos for relief pitcher Matt Capps, there was plenty of uproar across Twins Territory. It was tough to see the Twins giving up on one of their best positional prospects for what looked like a mediocre relief pitcher. Capps would be under team control through 2011 so the team wasn't giving up a prospect for a couple months of a relief pitcher. The deal was still tough to swallow and it doesn't help that Ramos has looked good for the Nationals even though he suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year. It could go down as one of the worst trades in team history and it is one of the many things fans hold against former general manager Bill Smith. During last offseason, the Twins had the opportunity to part ways with Mr. Capps because the veteran relief pitcher was heading to free agency for the first time in his career. If the Twins had let Capps sign with another team, the organization would have been given a draft pick as compensation for him leaving the team. Instead, the Twins thought it was more important to sign him to a contract for 2012 and the scariest thing is the fact the team has an option for next season. The option is for $6 million with a low buyout of $250,000 so it seems tough to think the Twins won't buy him out but the team has made some surprise decisions with Capps in the past. Would the Twins ever consider bring back Capps on a one-year deal for $6 million? Some fans might shiver at the thought of Capps being back in a Twins uniform next year especially with how good the bullpen has looked in 2012. Glen Perkins is set-up to be the closer for the next handful of years and the Twins signed him to a cheap deal during last offseason. Jared Burton has burst onto the scene as another very good arm out of the bullpen and he has shown the ability to get some big outs in late-inning situations. Looking to the offseason, the bullpen seems to be the least of the worries for the Twins and the $6 million option for Capps could be better spent on starting pitching or help in the middle infield. It's hard to imagine what role Capps would serve if he was brought back for another season in Minnesota. Perkins and Burton seem to have the last couple innings of games under control so this would shift Capps to a set-up role in the 7th inning or earlier. The Twins have gotten a look at plenty of other options to fill-up the bullpen for next season and players like Alex Burnett, Anthony Swarzak, and Casey Fien will all come with a smaller price tag than Capps. There doesn't seem to be a place for him on the 2013 Twins but that doesn't mean he won't be back in Minnesota. The front office has made some surprising decisions surrounding Capps in the past such as trading for him in the first place and resigning him when they had a free draft pick sitting in front of them. So even though it seems unlikely, there is always a chance the front office surprises fans again and brings Capps back for next year. When the team signed him last offseason, there were a lot of comments about his attitude and make-up being one of the reasons the team wanted him back in a Twins uniform. After back-to-back poor seasons, his attitude might not be enough to get another multi-million dollar deal in Minnesota. Then again, I have been surprised with their decisions surrounding Capps in the past... Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Brian+Dozier+Minnesota+Twins.jpg TwinsFest is one of the most fun weekends for fans of the Minnesota Twins and this past weekend was no different. There is excitement building for the new season, fans can gather to talk about their passion, and the players are happy to interact with fans of all ages. During the last couple of years, one of my favorite parts of the weekend has been the fan question and answer session with Terry Ryan, Jim Pohlad, and Dave St. Peter. It offers fans the opportunity to ask any of these men a question about the offseason changes and the team's new direction. It is still a very unique opportunity to interact with the Twins organization's top men. One of the more interesting quotes to come out of this session surrounded next year's middle infield. Ryan was asked a general question about the four men that will be fighting to play shortstop and second base. He talked about Pedro Florimon, Eduardo Escobar, and Jamey Carroll but he made one statement about Brian Dozier that stood out. Ryan said that it was his fault for Dozier's poor rookie year performance. He thought Dozier was rushed to the big leagues and the team pushed him too hard to find success at that level. He added that the Dozier that fans saw in 2012 was not the player that the organization knows he can be. Let's turn the clock back a year to last year's TwinsFest. At that point, Dozier had to be sitting pretty. He was coming off of his best season in professional baseball and he was named the Twins inor league Player of the Year. Ron Gardenhire had spoke well of Dozier to the press and it seemed that his stock would continue to rise. Fans of the team wanted to forget about the disaster that was Tsuyoshi Nishioka. This might have gotten hopes higher for Dozier than they should have been but he was coming off of a very good season. A lot of faith was put into him before he found success at a level higher than Double-A. He started the 2012 season in the middle infield for the Rochester Red Wings and things didn't exactly get off to a roaring start. He hit .232/.286/.337 with 14 extra-base hits over 48 games. There were also a few issues in the field as he had six errors in 159 chances at shortstop. As a 25-year old player, he hadn't found success at Triple-A but that didn't stop the Twins from calling him up at the beginning of May. As I wrote in an article featured in the Twins Prospect Handbook, his first year in the big leagues didn’t go exactly as planned. There were plenty of struggles as he tried to adjust to the pace of MLB action. When Dozier did find his swing, there was some pop in his bat but his inconsistency on the defensive side of the ball was tough to take for the club. By the end of the year, he was demoted to Triple-A and a little luster had rubbed off of his once promising stock. 2013 is a new season and the Twins have another opportunity to help Dozier find success. It now seems much more likely that he'll settle into second base. This might help him to become more successful on the defensive side of the ball and hopefully that good vibe would transfer to his time in the batter's box. He turn 26 years old near the beginning of next season and there might not be a whole lot of time left for him find success in the minor leagues. The Twins need him to put it all together with the big league club and for him to take hold of a middle infield position. If Ryan was right and the Dozier on the field last year wasn't the true version of that player, it could be a bounce-back season for the player whose stock was so high one year ago. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Dozier.jpg On Tuesday, over at ESPN's Sweetspot, an article was penned about the golden age of leadoff hitters. Major League Baseball could be in the middle of one of the best years ever for the leadoff hitter. 1965, 1975, 1987, and 2004 were other great years for men at the top of the order but this year could be historic. Players like Shin-Soo Choo, Austin Jackson, Alex Gordon, Ian Kinsler, and Carl Crawford are leading a pack of leadoff hitters that are among the best in all of baseball. These men could help make this season one of the best for the men at the top. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins have struggled to get much production from the leadoff spot. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Batters in the first position for the Twins are hitting .197/.243/.244 with only three extra base hits. This .487 OPS is the lowest for any batting spot in the Twins line-up and it's also well below the league average. Overall, MLB hitters have an OPS of around .722 while leadoff hitters are even higher than that with a .759 OPS. Minnesota is almost .300 points behind the average for leadoff hitters. The team is also having trouble in the steals department. Aaron Hicks is the team leader with three. Brian Dozier and Pedro Florimon follow him with two apiece. Minnesota has gotten three steals out of their leadoff spot. Only one team has less. Hicks had most of the starts in the leadoff spot at the beginning of the year. His early season struggles brought down the team's totals from the leadoff spot. Dozier became the next man to take over the role and he has put together a solid performance at the top of the order. Jamey Carroll has made a few appearances at the top and even Escobar has gotten a chance. 2013 Twins Leadoff Hitters Hicks (10 Games): .047/.109/.047, 3 R, 0 SB Dozier (13 Games): .304/.333/.411, 7 R, 2 SB Carroll (3 Games): .286/.333/.286, 5 R, 0 SB Escobar (1 Game): .000/.000/.000, 0 R, 0 SB For the Twins to continue to be successful on the field, there needs to be more production from the top of the order. Hicks has been envisioned as the leadoff hitter of the future but his struggles in this role were evident. Dozier has put together some positive numbers but it is hard to know if he will be able to sustain this level of output. Since Hicks has moved down in the order, there have been some improvements to his approach at the plate. If he can continue those improvements (and not miss the cut-off man on the field), he could find himself back at the top of the order by the end of the season. The Twins hope Hicks can take back the leadoff spot because this will be a better team with a natural leadoff hitter at the top. MLB might be in the Golden Age of Leadoff Hitters; the Twins have some work to do to catch up to the rest of the pack. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6AG_1T_Rk34/T72NXHyhezI/AAAAAAAABTU/LlIkd5-7lzE/s320/JoeBenson.jpg In the last couple of weeks, the Twins have seen a concerning development with two players in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni were demoted to New Britain after starting the year with the Rochester Red Wings. The most concerning thing for both of these players might be the fact that both of them got playing time in the major leagues during last year's dismal season. Each of these players is on a different path but the front office for the Twins has to be frustrated with their performance so far this year.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] When the Twins drafted Benson in the second round of the 2006 draft, the team liked his athletic ability and the up side he could offer as a strong defensive player to go along with his offensive skill set. Since that time, Benson has gradually moved through the Twins minor league system and he saw himself be rated as one of the top prospects for the club. In my offseason rankings, I had Benson as the number two rated prospect for the Twins with him finishing behind Miguel Sano. The 2010 season was a break out year for Mr. Benson as he was awarded with the Twins Minor League Player of the Year. He started the year in Fort Myers and dominated pitching in the Florida State League for 21 games. Before being promoted to New Britain, he hit .294/.375/.588 with 11 doubles and four home runs. The power followed him to New Britain even though his batting average dropped a little bit. He ended the year with a very good final stat line of .259/.343/.538 with 27 home runs, 31 doubles, and 8 triples. Benson continued to play well last season and the argument could have been made for him to win the minor league player of the year for the second consecutive year. He would make his MLB debut as a September call-up but his first taste of the big leagues came with very little success. He would start the 2012 season in Rochester and it seemed like he should be knocking on the door to the big leagues. This dream was far from the reality. During his time with the Red Wings, Benson struggled at the plate to the tune of hitting .179/.269/.316 with seven extra-base hits in 28 games. The Twins felt a change of pace was in order and he was sent to New Britain to try and find his swing. Since he arrived in New Britain, his swing has continued to falter and he is batting .156/.250/.500 in eight games. As one of the top prospects for the organization, it is tough to watch him struggle in his seventh season as a member of the Twins farm system. Rene Tosoni has never been considered a top prospect for the Twins but he has shown some versatility since being a 36th round pick back in 2005. In 2009 and 2010, Tosoni had a batting average around .270 and he was able to show a little bit of power. Last season he spent time going up and down between Rochester and Minnesota but he was never able to find success for the Red Wings. He started the 2012 campaign back in Rochester and much like Benson, he struggled with trying to find his swing with the Red Wings. He missed some time in April with a lacerated left ring finger but this was still no excuse for his slow start. He went 5-for-5 on Monday and this still only raised his batting line to .167/.267/.197 in 21 games. He is on the way back to New Britain after not playing there since the 2010 campaign. There has been a lot of talk around Triple-A hitting coach Tom Brunsansky for his ability to work with young hitters on their approach at the plate. His message must not have been getting through to Benson and Tosoni and now they will be in the hands of Rudy Hernandez, the hitting coach for New Britain. It will be interesting to see how they handle the transition back to the Eastern League. With the Twins lacking a ton of prospects in the upper minor leagues, it is discouraging to see to players will major league service time being sent in the opposite direction. The Twins have seen plenty of players make the trip from Rochester this year but it looks like Benson and Tosoni won't be included in that group anytime soon. It will be important to see how they adjust to their demotion and hopefully they will both be able to regain their form in the coming months. Click here to view the article

If not for injuries to top prospects Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, it's likely both would be heading to their second straight Futures Game. With both players on the shelf, the Twins will have the opportunity to showcase some of their other top talent on Sunday of All-Star week. The rosters were announced for the MLB Future's Game on Tuesday and the Twins will be represented by first baseman Kennys Vargas and right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios. Vargas is near the top of the Twins minor league leader board in almost every major offensive category. Berrios is in the midst of a breakout season in the Florida State League and he could be considered a top 50 prospect in all of baseball. Berrios pitched on Monday night. Vargas has played at New Britain all season and Berrios could be well on his way to joining him with the Rock Cats. Let's see how New Britain did along with a jam-packed day in the minors. Download attachment: Pat Dean.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Scranton/WB 5 Box Score The Red Wings didn't make it easy on this night as they found themselves in a back and forth contest with the RailRiders. Of Rochester's ten hits, six were for extra-bases. The team was also able to overcome leaving ten men on base and only notching two hits with runners in scoring position. The win snapped a three game losing skid. Chris Colabello led the way offensively going 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and two RBI. It was his first home run since June 20th and only his second round-tripper in 29 Triple-A games this year. Eric Farris was back in the leadoff spot and he collected three hits and two RBI. Logan Darnell earned the victory but he wasn't sharp. He tied a career high with five walks and it was the second time in three starts he has allowed that many free passes. He yielded three runs over five frames. Michael Tonkin earned his fifth save with a perfect ninth inning. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Altoona 2 Box Score The Rock Cats ended their 12-game winning streak on Monday so it was time to begin a new streak on Tuesday. Pat Dean tossed 6.2 frames while allowing one earned run on seven hits for his sixth win of the season. Cole Johnson and Lester Oliveros took care of the rest of the game as Altoona had only one base runner over the final 2.1 innings. New Britain's offense showed some strength with a trio of home runs. Mike Kvasnicka hit a two-run bomb in the second inning to start the scoring for the Rock Cats. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Brandon Waring added solo shots later in the game. Aaron Hicks continued his rehab assignment and went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. Kennys Vargas got big news earlier in the day but he failed to pick up a hit in four trips to the plate. The Rock Cats are 13 games over .500 and the club has won 15 of their last 17 contests. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Charlotte 6 (10th inning) Box Score It took two late inning lead changes and a clutch RBI triple from Stuart Turner in the 10th for the Miracle to sweep the Stone Crabs. It was the first extra-innings win for Fort Myers in 2014. Travis Harrison started the top of the tenth with his pinch hit, team-leading 20th double and Turner followed with the game-winning hit. The Miracle pounded out 15 hits, including three hit efforts from Tuner, Lance Ray and Aderlin Mejia. Ray collected two doubles and he scored a run while Mejia had two RBI. The team went 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position to help the cause. Fort Myers had to rely heavily on their bullpen in this game. DJ Baxendale lasted 4.2 innings while surrendering five runs on eight hits. Steven Gruver finished the fifth and pitched the next two frames without allowing a run. Tyler Jones was asked to get a two-inning save but he blew the lead in the bottom of the ninth. With the comeback, Jones earned his first victory of the season and Mason Melotakis struck out the side in the 10th for his first save. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Peoria 3 Box Score Cedar Rapids scored the first run of this game but came up empty the rest of the way. The Kernels struggled to a total of five hits and one extra-base hit. Zack Granite led off the game with a double and he was knocked in a couple batters later by Chad Christensen. The four through eight hitters in the order didn't collect a hit and combined for eight strikeouts. Ethan Mildren pitched five innings and allowed three runs but he didn't get much offensive support. It was the second straight loss for Mildren after winning two starts in a row. He's pitched at least five innings in nine of his last ten starts. Brandon Bixler was solid in relief as he allowed two hits and struck out two over two shutout innings. The loss dropped Cedar Rapids 11 games under the .500 mark. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Pulaski 9 (10 Innings) Box Score The E-Twins jumped out to any early 6-0 lead after only two innings but the bullpen faltered down the stretch, allowing the Mariners to get back into the game. It was the second consecutive loss for Elizabethton after winning three of the team's first four games. On this night a wild pitch and a fielding error with two out cost the team the game. Three doubles in the first inning and two doubles in the second helped the E-Twins offense but the club didn't record another extra-base hit the rest of the way. Trey Vavra went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Max Murphy knocked his second double of the year as part of a two hit night. Every starter for the Twins had at least one hit. Michael Cederoth started and pitched 2.2 shutout innings. Dereck Rodriguez earned his first hold of the year by throwing two innings and only allowing one unearned run. CK Irby had his first blown save of the year and Josue Montanez took the loss. Montanez didn't allow an earned run as a wild pitch and a fielding error proved costly. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 9, GCL Orioles 1 Box Score The GCL Twins have struggled out of the gate, having lost their first three contests Things didn't start out too great here as the team found themselves in any early 1-0 hole. Luckily for the Twins, the Orioles didn't do much after that and the Twins offense found some life. Roberto Gonzalez had been hitless this season but that didn't stop him from collecting two doubles as part of a three hit effort. All three of Gonzalez's RBI came with two outs in the inning. Dubal Baez did a good job setting the table out of the lead-off spot. He went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Michael Theofanopoulos earned his first victory of the season by throwing two shut-out innings with four strikeouts. Wilfredy Liranzo started the game and allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts and three walks. Eduardo Del Rosario and Miles Nordgren locked down two innings apiece to notch the team's first victory. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Stuart Turner, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) – Kris Johnson (Listen) Altoona @ New Britain (11:05 CST) – Taylor Rogers (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – B.J. Hermsen (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) - Kohl Stewart (Listen) Pulaski @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – TBD (Listen) GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Click here to view the article

The Twins bullpen had been solid in recent weeks before laying an egg at the hands of the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday afternoon. Casey Fien gave up three runs and later in the game Glen Perkins and Ryan Pressly allowed some late inning runs. Joe Mauer had five hits and came within one hit of tying Kirby Puckett's team record of six in a game. There was some exciting action this evening as multiple teams were part of walk-off wins. Not all of those walk-offs were in favor of the Twins farm system so you will have to find out what happened down on the farm. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 3, Buffalo Bisons 8 Box Score The Red Wings are in the last leg of their season long 11-game road trip. Entering tonight's game the club had been 5-3 on the road trip and the club had won 14 of their last 20 games. The club will return to Rochester on Saturday and play 14 of their last 16 regular season games at home. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough magic on Wednesday evening. Rochester scored early to take a 3-1 lead through five innings but the Bisons would score seven runs over the last three innings. After making a spot start at the major league level last week, Liam Hendriks was back in the Red Wings rotation. Through six innings, he gave up three runs on six hits. Aaron Thompson took the loss after giving up three runs in less than two innings on the mound. Jeff Clement got the scoring started for Rochester by cracking his first triple of the year. The scored Chris Parmelee who had just notched his eighth double. Deibinson Romero would cap the first inning scoring with a double of his own. Clement was the lone batter to have a multi-hit game as the club was limited to five hits. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com New Britain Rock Cats 2, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 7 Box Score BJ Hermsen hasn't been used too much as a starter this season after winning the club's minor league pitcher of the year award last season. Today marked his 12th start of the year and it might have been one of his most effective. He pitched five innings and gave up two earned runs. It was his ninth loss of the season and three of those losses have come in his last four starts. Danny Santana continued his good offensive season with his fifth multi-hit game out of the last ten games he has played. He ended the night 2-for-4 with his 24th stolen base. Dan Rohlfing also added two hits including the team's only extra-base hit, his first home run of the year at Double-A. Evan Bigley and Reynaldo Rodriguez each had a hit. Fort Myers Miracle 3, St. Lucie Mets 4 Box Score The Miracle looked well on their way to their 71st win of the season but the Mets staged a 2-run rally in the bottom of the ninth to steal the victory. Fort Myers had gained the lead back in the eighth inning after a pitch plunked Stephen Wickens. DJ Hicks followed the hit by pitch with a double to score Wickens and the Miracle had a one run lead. Byron Buxton helped to get things going in the early portion of the game. He drew a walk in the first inning, stole second, and Wickens slashed a single to score Buxton from second. Buxton also helped with the second run of the game by advancing the base runner, JD Williams, ahead of a Levi Michael sac-fly. Buxton stole three bases in the game and extended his hit streak to eight games. Taylor Rogers did very well on the mound. He tossed seven inning and scattered six hits while giving up two runs. It was the third straight game where Rogers struck out five batters or more. Tyler Jones was saddled with the loss after coughing up the lead in the ninth. It was his second blow save of the year. Cedar Rapids Kernels 3, Beloit Snappers 2 Box Score A Tyler Grimes single in the bottom of the ninth made the the Kernels walk-off winners. Cedar Rapids has won six of their last seven games to push their lead in the Midwest League Western division to two games. After falling behind earlier in the game, the Kernels got their offense going in the bottom of the third. Joel Licon started the inning with a single and he extended his hitting streak to 12 games in the process. Jeremias Pineda scored Licon with a double later in the frame. Jonathan Murphy singled in Pineda to tie the game at two. Tim Atherton was fantastic on the mound as he went eight innings and struck out 11, the most by a Kernels pitcher in 2013. Both of the runs scored against him were unearned and he only gave up two hits. At one point in the game he retired 16 men in a row. The inning and strikeout totals were career highs for him. Download attachment: Tim Atherton 1.jpg GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 7 Box Score There have been some struggles for the GCL version of the Twins. The team has lost six of their last seven games while barely averaging two runs per game. This theme played itself out on Wednesday afternoon as the team came up short against the GCL Rays. On the offensive side of things, three members of the Twins were able to record hits. Alex Swim led the way with a 2-for-3 effort including his fifth double of the season. His extra-base hit set-up the only run the Twins would score. Jason Kanzler and Ryan Tufts had the other hits with Kanzler recording a double and an RBI. Pedro Hernandez made his second rehab appearance and the results were much better than his first outing. He tossed four shutout innings on two hits with four strikeouts. Seth Wagner ran into the most trouble on the mound as he allowed three earned runs in less than an inning of work. His control was a problem as he walked four men and struck out one. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Gibson_Kyle_Sitting_US_720.jpg The 2009 MLB Draft has to feel like eons ago to Mr. Kyle Gibson. He was supposed to be a high first round pick but some injury concerns caused him to drop to the Twins with the 22nd pick. In 2010, he went on a tear through the Twins farm system, starting the year in High-A and finishing at Triple-A. The club named him minor league pitcher of the year and he looked to be one step away from the big leagues. Tommy John surgery halted his progress in 2011 and he has been slowly working his way back, getting ready for a special moment this weekend. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] On Saturday afternoon at Target Field, Gibson will get to walk onto a big league mound for the first time. A life-long dream will be realized and there can be plenty of pressure on a player making his MLB debut. Here are some important tips for Gibson to keep in mind as he prepares for Saturday. 1. Don't shoot for a perfect game The only pitcher to toss a no-hitter in his first major league start was Bobo Holloman in 1953. He only pitched one season and accumulated a 5.23 ERA. The last American League rookie starter to have a no-hitter was Clay Buchholz in 2007 and he did it in his second major league start. So in your debut in the majors, it might not be the easiest mark to shoot for. 2. Don't try to strike everyone out There can be some worries surrounding pitchers as they come back from Tommy John surgery. Will they be able to regain their old form? Are they still going to be consistent on the mound? In his first full season back from Tommy John, Gibson has averaged 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings. During April, that number was close to 8.7 but he subsequently was unable to pitch deep into games causing this and his other numbers to suffer. In 2010, his last full season before Tommy John surgery, Gibson averaged 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He spent the first two months of that season dominating High-A so those numbers may be skewed by the level of competition. 3. There are going to be some rookie moments Bert Blyleven gave up a home run to the first batter he faced and still went on to have a Hall-of-Fame career. At some point, Gibson will give up a long ball and runs are going to be scored against him. He has done a fantastic job of keeping the ball in the park this season, limiting opponents to four home runs in 92.2 innings. In his minor league career, he had a 1.22 WHIP and he averaged 8.5 hits per nine innings. There will be base runners but it's important how he reacts in those situations. 4. This season is about development While the Twins are still in the vicinity of the .500 mark, this season is all about preparing players for the future. The key for Gibson is to be able to control his fastball. From there, his other pitches can be more effective. One of his biggest weaknesses this spring was with some of his off-speed offerings. He's had almost 100 innings to get back to his comfort level with his breaking pitches. Big league hitters will tee off on badly placed fastballs, especially if there isn't the threat of a breaking pitch being anywhere near the plate. He needs to use all his pitches and find some consistency. 5. Success can come in a variety of forms Some Twins fans might consider this the team motto for the last couple of seasons. Gibson isn't going to be Matt Harvey or Gerrit Cole. Fans might think Gibson is that level prospect because his name has been around in the Twins organization for a few years. Let's make something clear... he isn't an elite pitching prospect. In this Twins rotation, he could turn into the ace of the staff but that's not saying much. If he reaches his full potential, he should be in the Twins rotation for the better part of the next decade. He can be a solid number two or number three starter if he gets everything right. There will be flashes of brilliance and some rough outings along the way. He's the first of several high level pitching prospects to reach the majors and there will be plenty of pressure on him to succeed. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Mike+Redmond+Minnesota+Twins.jpg The biggest news from the Twins universe in the last 24 hours was the hiring of former Twins catcher Mike Redmond as the new Miami Marlins manager. He spent the last two years managing Toronto's Class A Dunedin squad so he will be making quite the jump to the big leagues. He was 40 games over the .500 mark over the last two seasons and he won Midwest Manager of the Year in 2011. There had been talk of Redmond's potential to be a manager all the way back to his playing days. Justin Morneau went as far as to call Redmond the "missing piece" on the last Twins team to make the postseason. Even though he didn't play everyday, Redmond was a positive influence on the teams he was a part of during his 13-year career. This reputation helped him to earn his first big league managerial gig. Last week, the Twins announced their own realigned coaching staff. This came on the heels of one of the biggest coaching shifts since the Pohlad family took ownership. The team bumped up two Triple-A coaches and brought in another coach with other experience. Twins players will have multiple different clubhouse voices to listen to and an interesting dynamic with their former hitting coach serving in a lesser role. Ron Gardenhire survived the coaching firestorm with his job but he is in the last year of his contract. The Twins will be looking for the team to turn the corner after back-to-back horrendous campaigns. Gardenhire knows he could lose his job if the team doesn't improve in a hurry. Last season marked his 12th year as Twins manager and it's tough not to think his 13th year could be unlucky. With a beloved former player getting a prominent job in the major leagues, it's tough not to wonder about the Twins future. It seems like there would need to be major changes next season for Gardenhire to keep his job. Redmond is under contract for the next three years so did the Twins miss out on his services as manager? It's hard to know if Redmond will find success in Miami. This is a franchise that has used five different managers since the beginning of 2010 and that number includes a full season of Ozzie Guillen. The Marlins might be forced to shift to a younger roster and it can be hard to predict success over the long haul. For Twins fans, it could be tough to take if the struggles continue in Minnesota and the Marlins do well over the next couple of years. There will be plenty of fans happy with the coaching success of a fan favorite. Others will wonder why the Twins didn't jump at the opportunity to hire a man from outside the organization. The question of "What if?' will continue to pop up in the minds of some Twins faithful. The loyalty of the Twins franchise to their coaches has been a topic of discussion in recent weeks. There aren't many managers that can keep their jobs following back-to-back 90-loss seasons. Gardenhire's success in the last decade is allowing him one more opportunity to prove he is still the right man for the job. It's still tough to wonder if the Twins missed out on a golden opportunity for Redmond to become the manager in Minnesota. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Twins have been playing a little bit better baseball and the team has been able to put together a few wins since the last time we were together for "Friday Links-N-Thinks." The rotation has been overhauled with a youth movement coming into the fold. The likes of Scott Diamond, PJ Walters, and Cole DeVries have been added to the roster to throw the ball over the plate. After the first game of the White Sox series, things looked to be going in the right direction for the Twins. A lot of fielding errors in the last two game put the team in a hole they would never be able to climb out of and the Sox won the final two games and the series. It was nice to see Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hit a home run in the same game and hopefully the offense will follow the Twins back to Target Field.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It's a long weekend so enjoy your time at the lake, at the ballpark, or where ever you will be spending the next few days. Before you leave, make sure to check out the links I have provided below. On last night's Twins Minor League Weekly podcast, there was a great list of guests with Kyle Gibson, David Bromberg, and Drew Leachman giving thoughts on the season.Right field has been a mess for the Twins and it is hard to figure out what the team will do to clean up this hole.With the MLB draft a couple of weeks away, Seth Stohs has been revamping his top prospect list for the Twins system. (Prospects 41-50, Prospects 31-40, Prospects 21-30)It seems that teams have been throwing Morneau a few more curves balls this season as compared to other years.One of the top prospects for next month's draft recently worked out for the Twins in Fort Myers.Bryce Harper has been very good in his debut season but Brian Dozier has also looked good for the Twins.Jamey Carroll and the Brewers had an interesting incident in on Sunday afternoon and the reasons for throwing purpose pitches has changed over time.Justin Morneau might have been awakened last night.Major League Baseball was awarded the "Sports League of the Year" this week and the MLB Fan Cave also took home some hardware.Seedlings to Stars has an interesting look into the minor leagues with their first edition of "fish" prospects from the AL Central.Former Twins player Torii Hunter has been dealing with some tough family issues but it looks like he could return to the Angels next week.PJ Walters pitched the first complete game of the year for the Twins and the first one of his career. This picture from after the game was one of my favorites from the week.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hyFdlnCX2bw/T77WrD1L32I/AAAAAAAABTg/nUnY4kQwBbU/s320/walters-anderson.jpg The Twins will be supporting the troops by wearing this hat on Monday for Memorial Day.The earliest known baseball jersey from Babe Ruth's time with the Yankees sold for $4.4 million at auction. It is now the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever purchased.Former MLB player Dmitri Young made $2.5 million by selling his rare collection of baseball cards.Even with mid-season prospect rankings being released, it is fun to see this consensus list of the top 71 prospects for the Twins. I was even included in the results.The Baseball Outsider recently made a trip to Beloit and he posted some of his photos from his adventure.Is this a substitute pitcher or a Twins starting pitcher?There are some great power hitters making their way to the major leagues and Miguel Sano is at the top of this list.Michael Cuddyer is trying to build chemistry on a bad team for the second year in a row.Chuck Knoblauch is still being a bone head...My Weekly Rundown Monday: Twins should go all in on GreinkeTuesday: Tuesday Morning TidbitsTuesday's Trip through the MinorsThursday: Benson and Tosoni moving in the wrong directionVideo of the Week: One player the Twins could be targeting in the draft next month is from Rochester. KSTP did a story on the young man as he looks forward to what could be one of the most important days of his life. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Pedro+Florimon.jpg "I love having him at shortstop."- Ron Gardenhire, 9/16/12, The Ron Gardenhire Show It didn't take very long for Brian Dozier to fall out of the good graces with the Minnesota Twins. The team gave him plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents as the shortstop of the future for the organization but he was unimpressive during his rookie campaign. This has left the door open for another player to step-in and get most of the reps at shortstop during the last couple months of the season. Pedro Florimon was the man the Twins turned to and he might be lining himself up to be a starter on Opening Day next season.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] On Sunday's edition of The Ron Gardenhire Show, Gardy had nothing but praise for Florimon and his performance so far with the club. There are obvious things to like about his defensive and those were the skills Gardenhire focused on when asked about his new shortstop. He likes his hands in the field and his ability to get to the ball seems to be as advertised from his time in the minor leagues. While there were some plays just out of the reach of Dozier, it seems like Florimon is able to complete almost every play that is asked to make. The offensive side of the ball is a little bit of a different story for Mr. Florimon. During his time in the minor leagues this season, Florimon didn't exactly strike fear into opposing pitchers. In time at the Double-A and Triple-A level, he hit .259/.318/.351 with only 27 extra-base hits in 424 at-bats. To say, his ability to hit for power is lacking would be an understatement. It is fine for a middle infielder to not have pop in his bat but this usually comes with the ability to be a contact hitter. For Florimon, his contact swing hasn't exactly developed in the minor leagues either. In 83 games with Rochester, he hit .251/.308/.344 so he wasn't exactly pounding down the door for the Twins to give him a look at the big league level. Since joining the Twins in the middle of August, Florimon has appeared in 29 games for the club with all of those appearances coming as a shortstop. His non-hitting prowess has followed him to the big league level as he has posted a batting line of .237/.290/.333 with seven extra-base hits in 29 games played. He has almost as many strikeouts (20) as hits (22) and this is another scary trend that has followed him during his trek through the upper minors for the Twins and the Orioles. It would be nice if he could steal a base or two but he was thrown out in 8 of his 21 steal attempts in the minors this season. He hasn't been asked to steal a lot with the Twins but his two attempts at the big league level have been successful. He is getting a shot with the team and it is hard not to wonder if this could turn into a more permanent role for next season. We have seen this before with Gardenhire falling in love with a slick fielding middle infielder with limited skills on the offensive side of the ball. It's not like Florimon is a young infielder working his way through the Twins system. He wasn't exactly fought over when he came to the organization as a waiver claim from the Baltimore Orioles organization. In December, he will turn 26-years old and it's hard to imagine his offensive skill taking a giant leap in the coming years. At this point in his development, he is what he is and the Twins have to deal with the player they have on their roster. The Twins entered this past spring with some question marks up the middle after signing veteran infielder Jamey Carroll as the team tried to forget about the nightmare of Tsuyoshi Nishioka. It seems more and more like next spring could have some of the same story lines playing out. Terry Ryan and the coaches for the Twins will tell the media about an opening contest for the middle infield spots but they will have an idea about where they want those positions to end up. Carroll, Florimon, and Doizer will all be in the mix for starting roles and even Eduardo Escobar might be given a look. Alexi Casilla is still arbitration eligible but it might be time for the Twins to part ways with him as his contract value starts to rise and his playing ability isn't where the club would like it to be. To most fans, Dozier might seem like a better option for the future of the club since he seems to have the vibe surrounding him about an up-and-coming prospect. The truth is Florimon and Dozier are both going to be 26-years old for the majority of next season and it could be make or break time for their careers as big league players. It seems like a situation where Florimon will be given the starting shortstop role out of spring training and the job will be his until he shows the team otherwise. Dozier will be sent to Triple-A to try and find success at that level where he could show the team he deserves a place with the big league club. Carroll will get the nod at second base but an injury or old age could mean Dozier gets the call. If I was making the roster, I would like to see Florimon sitting at shortstop to start the year because of his defensive ability. Dozier showed fans and the front office that he was lacking in some defensive areas at shortstop so I would give him the starting second base job. It could take some of the pressure off of him on the defensive side of the ball and let him relax when he steps in the batter’s box. This would leave Carroll as the utility man and it would also give the Twins some flexibility when it comes to giving players a day off in the field. Carroll has shown adequate ability to man most infield positions and this could be his role as he turns 39-years old before the beginning of the 2013 campaign. How would the middle infield look on Opening Day if you were in charge of the team? Click here to view the article

Happy Friday! I hope you made it through the week and you are looking forward to the weekend. It's hard to believe that it is already the 13th of July. Where is the time going from this summer? Make sure you spend some time this weekend enjoying the warm weather and the wonderful outdoors. It won't be long and we will all be stuck inside for another frigid winter across Twins Territory. At least the Wild should be worth watching this season with their newest additions.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins resume play tonight for the first time since the All-Star Break. For the first week, the Twins play all of their games at Target Field so that should be beneficial to the club. This weekend the A's come to town to match-up with the Twins for three games and that is followed by a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles. As I wrote about yesterday, there are still some headlines to follow in the second half that should make the Twins fun to watch. Before the Twins resume play and before you head out for the weekend, make sure to check out the links I have provided below. There were some great interviews and Twins stories this week so make sure to enjoy this edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." For those with hope, what would it take for the Twins to come back in the second half?Terry Ryan did a very good interview with FanGraphs about his experiences as GM of the Twins.It's getting close to the time when the Twins might need to be concerned about the payroll situation for 2013.Many Twins fans might not have known that Glen Perkins is a stat-head.One of the best pieces of news for Twins fans this week was that Kyle Gibson pitched in his first game since undergoing Tommy John surgery.Twins minor league pitcher BJ Hermsen made the Double-A All-Star Game but he still has plenty to prove.There are plenty of trade candidates for the Twins including the Orioles, the Nationals, and the Pirates.Watching the lightning strike during the Twins game on Sunday was scary and funny at the same time.A decade ago the All-Star Game ended in a tie but it still featured one of the best Twins All-Star moments with Torii Hunter robbing Barry Bonds of a home run.Here are the top five performances from Twins in the All-Star Game.Last year's first round pick Levi Michael is now on Twitter.This is a great picture of former Twins player Michael Cuddyer.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g3esZFWdRJk/UAAc_pKc9sI/AAAAAAAACvw/MN60ra1elHs/s320/pow20(cuddyer).jpg Cuddyer has also meant a lot to his new teammates in Colorado.After making some controversial comments about Kirby Puckett and Bert Blyleven, Reggie Jackson apologized earlier this week.A $3 million collection of baseball cards was found in an attic in Ohio. Guess it's time for me to sort through my old baseball cards.Slow down a minute. The A's are a .500 baseball team at the break. How did that happen?This new rule for baseball would really confuse the casual fans that attend games.Did you know that Buffalo, NY was close to getting an MLB franchise in the late 80's and early 90's?I hate being at Target Field and not getting to see close plays shown on the big screen. Apparently the Red Sox got in trouble for doing this in a game versus the Yankees.Are the Twins going to rename their spring training stadium? They would like to and there are some other plans in the works.The Saint Paul Saints are having a night specifically for atheists and the team will be called the Saint Paul Aints for the night.The Twins grounds crew has been working hard to get the field back in shape after the first concert in the history of the venue.A report came out that Danny Valencia is not happy in Triple-A but he needs to hit better if he wants to make it back to the big leagues.My Weekly Rundown Monday: Handing out Twins Mid-Season AwardsTuesday: Tuesday Morning TidbitsThursday: Twins second-half headlines to watchVideo of the Week: Season ticket holders for the Twins were asked to send in questions for Twins GM Terry Ryan. It was cool to listen to some of his answers and he even answered a question that I sent in. My question has about the lack of pitching depth in the entire organization but they took out some of the words that I used but it was still a cool concept. Click here to view the article

Over the weekend, seven members of the Twins farm system were part of a championship in the Arizona Fall League. Their team, the Peoria Javelinas, took the title in a championship contest that saw no runs scored in the final six innings. By the end of the game, the Javelinas were able to celebrate on the field and prospects for the Twins were right in the middle of all of the excitement. The only member of the Twins to start in the game was Nate Roberts, the 2012 AFL batting champion. He was penciled into the number two spot and he served as the designated hitter. Roberts would finish the game by going 3-for-4 with a run scored which raised his average to .446 in the fall league.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Evan Bigley would be the only other Twins player to make an appearance in the game. He entered the contest after star Reds prospect Billy Hamilton crashed into the outfield wall during the bottom of the eighth inning. Since Hamilton was the last out in the top of the frame, Bigley wouldn't record an at-bat in the contest. http://twinsdaily.co...3331183&thumb=1 During the multiple week season of the AFL, there were some good performances from this batch of future Twins. Here is look at the ranking of the top 2012 AFL performances from the Twins: 1. Nate Roberts, OF: In the course of his 19 games with Peoria, Roberts seemed like he could do no wrong at the plate. He batted almost .500 and his on-base percentage was creeping closer to .600. He hit three home runs in the AFL after only hitting four during the regular season. The AFL is considered a hitter’s league so it's a good thing anytime a prospect from your favorite organization can finish at the top of the batting leader board. 2. Logan Darnell, LHP: After being a starter for the entire year with the Rock Cats, Darnell split time between the starting rotation and the bullpen in the AFL. Out of the two games he started, he only allowed one earned run and he struck out seven. In fact, he never surrendered more than one run in appearance. He pitched less innings than Kyle Gibson but put together a very good 2.45 ERA. This has to be a confidence boost for Darnell as he looks towards next season with Rochester. 3. Kyle Gibson, RHP: Gibson started off on a tear in the AFL but he was tamed in his last handful of outings. In his first three trips to the mound, Gibson would pick up the win for Peoria. His first two outings were very strong as he pitched five innings in each outing and struck out eight batters per start. He would surrender 13 runs over 10.1 innings in his last three starts. He was even selected to start the AFL Rising Stars Game. Overall, the Twins were happy with his results and he made it healthy through the AFL. 4. Michael Tonkin, RHP: Tonkin had never pitched over the High-A level in the Twins system so there could have been some difficulties with the jump to the AFL. This wasn't the case as Tonkin was able to hold his own as a relief arm. Through his first eight appearances, he didn't give up a run. In his second to last outing, he gave up a home run and then his last appearance he gave up three runs. He still didn't give up more than one hit in any of his trips to the mound. 5. Evan Bigley, OF: Bigley was up and down during his time in the AFL. He hit a couple triples and four doubles but he wasn't able to get a home run. Unfortunately, he struck out at a rate of almost once a game but he did manage to knock in nine runs. Down the stretch, he put together a three game span where he went 7-for-15 with two triples, four runs scored, and four RBI. 6. Dan Rohlfing, C: Rohfling was sent to the AFL after Chris Herrmann was injured earlier in the fall season. This meant Rohlfing didn't get the entire AFL experience but he was still able to make his presence felt. He appeared in five games and hit .333 with five RBI and he started the AFL with a four game hit streak. He didn't rack up any extra-base hits but it was a small sample size and he really isn't known for his power stroke. 7. Caleb Thielbar, LHP: Thielbar was coming off quite the season where he pitched at three different levels in the Twins system. He finished the year in Rochester before being asked to head to the AFL. It was a rough time for Thielbar in Arizona. He pitched in 11 games and surrendered multiple runs in five of those appearances. His walk rate went up a little but he did strikeout batters at close to the same rate as the regular season. The AFL is supposed to be a tough environment for pitchers and this idea held true for Thielbar. Click here to view the article

My usual edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks" had to be pushed back because of some other commitments. Since I am in the process of moving back to North Dakota after two years in the Cities, it has been a crazy couple of weeks of packing boxes and moving furniture. Remember to keep checking in as I will continue to post about the Twins in the midst of moving back to my home state. My regular schedule just might need to switch itself up a little bit in depending on when I have internet access and when I am not busy moving boxes. The Twins put together a decent weekend in Kansas City with a series win for the first time in weeks. It was great to see Ryan Doumit get home runs from both sides of the plate on Sunday and Sam Deduno was able to pick up his first professional victory. Only a couple days before, Casey Fien had earned his first professional victory when the Twins won on Friday night. Now the team will head to Chicago to face a White Sox team that limped out of the weekend by being swept in Detroit. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] As the trade deadline starts to sneak closer, it is going to be interesting to see what the Twins are able to get for some of their veteran players. For now, sit back and enjoy this edition of "Links-N-Thinks." Every team can feel a little stress at the trade deadline.The affiliation of Twins minor league teams might be changing in the very near future so let the affiliation dance begin.For those that need help, here is a trade deadline cheat sheet for the Twins.It sounds like the Yankees have already asked about acquiring Denard Span but the Twins are asking for "a ton."A recent draft pick for the Red Sox was in the middle of a terrible stretch of play in the GCL. His final at-bat of the summer came on Friday against the GCL Twins and he ended the season 0-39 with 37 strikeouts.In a recently released documentary, Twins top prospect Miguel Sano is one of the 16-year old players followed before he signs with the Twins.Nick Blackburn is back with the Twins and it is still tough to know what to expect from him.Former Twins masher Jim Thome continued his climb up the all-time home run list by passing Sammy Sosa.Earlier in the season, Johan Santana had the first no-hitter in Mets history and he has struggled since that point.The Twins and the Royals wore throwback uniforms over the weekend to honor the Negro Leagues. After looking at this picture, it is hard to believe that Ben Revere didn't get hit.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WOM2x1T13N0/UAyjQI6XvoI/AAAAAAAAC8Y/8D15N00FHHk/s320/Reverethrowback.jpg Six new members were elected to the Irish-American Baseball Hall of Fame and one of the new inductees is former Twins manager Tom Kelly.If there were an inner circle of the Hall of Fame, who would make the cut?The Post Office released their much anticipated new stamps featuring four baseball legends. No former Twins made the cut.Small ads will start to appear on the jersey's of NBA players next season so does that mean that baseball will be the next sport to join this revenue stream?It's funny to watch Prince Fielder try to slide and it isn't just because he is a large man.With the trade deadline approaching, it is time to figure out what Terry Ryan should do.Francisco Liriano might be the Twins best trade chip when it comes to restocking their pitching inventory.Bert Blyleven offered up an amazing quote in response to all of the things Reggie Jackson said about Blyleven and others not being worthy of the HOF.Earlier in the week, Joe Mauer made a tremendous diving catch in foul territory.My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Hicks following the path laid by Hunter, SpanTuesday: Tuesday Morning TidbitsTuesday's Trip through the MinorsWednesday: Calcaterra wins 2012 Joe Posnanski AwardVideo of the Week: Oswaldo Arcia might be putting together a season that will place him very close to the top of the Twins prospect list. He started the year at Fort Myers and quickly outgrew his spot in High-A ball. Now he is playing well for the New Britain Rock Cats and he made the team a winner with this walk-off home run. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Mauer_Vote_Joe 600-434.jpg Earlier last week, I looked at the Minnesota Twins possible candidates for the leadoff hitter role in 2013. With Denard Span and Ben Revere traded to the National League, there is some question about who will step up and earn the leadoff spot out of spring training. Aaron Hicks looks like the leadoff hitter of the future but that doesn't mean that he will start the year in Minnesota. This could leave a big hole in the first spot in the batting order. One candidate I discussed was catcher Joe Mauer. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] He consistently gets on base and this is a huge part of being the first batter in the order. In the end, I know the Twins won't move their $23 million man to the leadoff role but he could still find success in that spot. But with Ron Gardenhire as manager, it seems most likely that Mauer will be penciled into the number three spot. That is where Mauer got the majority of his at-bats in 2012 and there is no reason to think that would be different in the coming year. However, for the Twins to find more success in 2013, I am offering up another option. Mauer should be moved to the number two spot in the order. This seems like a plan that plenty of fans could get behind and support. For too long, fans have been accustomed to seeing a light hitting middle infielder or an outfielder that slaps the ball take the second most plate appearances. It is time to take back the number two spot in the order! While it could be tough enough to find a body for the first spot in the order on Opening Day, it could make it twice as hard to find someone for the number two spot. If Hicks is sent to Rochester for a little more experience, that would leave Darin Mastroianni or Jamey Carroll for the first couple spots in the order. These players might be able to find success there but having Mauer at number two would be much more beneficial. Download attachment: Joe+Mauer+Minnesota+Twins.jpg The Twins tried Carroll near the top of the order at the beginning of last season and it didn't work out so great. As a number two hitter, he batted .260/.330/.296 over 42 games. He was much more effective as bottom of the order hitter. Other options for the Twins for the number two spot are even scarier. Depending on who wins the starting middle infield jobs out of spring training, there could be a host of very light hitting players fighting for the number two spot. The other candidates are Pedro Florimon, Brian Dozier, and Eduardo Escobar. None of these three men have a career OBP of over .300 and it is hard to imagine them getting the opportunity to hit that early in the line-up. That leaves Mauer as the obvious choice to move up one spot in the batting order. As Twins fans know, Mauer isn't going to hit for a ton of power so it isn’t essential to have him in the middle of the order. He gets on base at an incredible rate and that skill should be utilized higher as the number two hitter. The number two hitter role isn't completely foreign to Mauer, as he has started 73 games in this position during the course of his career. Besides the number three spot in the order, he has accumulated more at-bats in the number two spot than all of the other spots combined. It's a small sample size when compared to the rest of his career but he has a higher slugging percentage when he bats in this spot. As far as the rest of the batting order, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau would be able to slide up one spot to keep the middle of the line-up as a threat. Willingham is coming off the best season of his career and he could thrive as the number three hitter. Morneau will be entering next season after his first fully healthy offseason in multiple years. Overall, the Twins are going to need a lot of things to break right for them to find success next season. The rotation could be a mess and it doesn't look like there will be much help coming in 2013. Mauer moving to the number two spot in the line-up could be a small step to making the turn for the future. He seems to fit the mold of a number two hitter and this spot looks open on the current roster. It only seems natural to "Elect Mauer for the number two hitter!" Click here to view the article

Less than a week ago, the thought of pitching at Target Field had to be far from the mind of Cole DeVries. But on Tuesday evening, DeVries found himself making his home debut in front of a crowd full of family and friends. It can be nerve racking to pitch in front of the home crowd for the first time and it had to be even harder for the Minnesota native to be throwing so close to where he grew up. Throughout the contest, DeVries worked himself into some jams by walking batters but he always seemed to find a way to wriggle out of these sticky situations. In five innings on the mound, he gave up no runs on two hits with five walks and one strikeout. He wouldn't factor into the decision but it was a decent effort from the 27-year old rookie. It wasn't that long ago that DeVries was part of the Rochester Red Wings so let's see how some of his former teammates and the rest of the farm system faired on Tuesday night. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 7, CHARLOTTE 4 A big top of the fourth inning helped to separate the Red Wings from the Knights in Charlotte tonight. Danny Valenica singled to start the frame and this was followed by back-to-back doubles from Chris Parmelee and Matt Carson. After a sacrifice fly from Clete Thomas, Michael Hollimon would smack his fifth home run of the year. In his first rehab start on his way back from the DL, Nick Blackburn threw 3.2 innings and allowed three earned runs on 68 pitches. Esmerling Vasquez would put up three straight scoreless frames to help the Red Wings stay in the lead. Casey Fien had to pitch almost two full innings to earn his eighth save of the year. Chris Parmelee and Michael Hollimon seemed to playing a game of "anything you can do, I can do better" with their performances at the plate. Both players had multiple extra-base hits in the contest with each player knocking in a couple runs. Hollimon managed two long balls while Parmelee had to settle for one home run. NEW BRITAIN - , NEW HAMPSHIRE - The Rock Cats were washed out on Tuesday night and their game with New Hampshire will have to be made up at a future date. FORT MYERS 4, BRADENTON 5 Last year's first overall pick in the MLB Draft Gerrit Cole took the mound for Bradenton on Tuesday night and the Miracle had a tough time scoring on him. Cole pitched six innings and allowed a single earned run to cross the plate on a home run from Daniel Ortiz. Cole was not unhittable in this game but the Miracle failed to get more than two extra-base hit off of the young right-handed hurler. With the Miracle down by three runs in the ninth inning, the team mounted a mini-comeback to get the game within a run. Levi Michael hit his second home run of the year after Michael Gonzales had doubled to start the inning. The next three batters would be retired in order to end the hope for the Miracle. Jario Perez lead the Miracle with three hits in the game. When a starter gives up five runs in five innings and lowers his ERA, you know he came in with some rough outings. Madison Boer was the starter for the Miracle and his game might not have been great but it was better than some of his previous appearances. Kyle Waldrop pitched a scoreless inning of relief as he made his third rehab appearance. BELOIT 5, KANE COUNTY 4 (11 innings) The Snappers had a three-run lead when AJ Achter came into the game in the bottom of the eighth inning and the Snappers lead was gone by the time he exited the contest at the end of the ninth. Lucky enough for him, the team would come back in extra-innings to retake the lead and get their third straight victory. Beloit was helped out by home runs in the early innings of the game by Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Nate Roberts. For Sano, it was his second home run in the last two games after a recent dry spell from the home run department. Jonathan Goncalves had two doubles in the game and he has gone 7-for-13 in the last three games. Tyler Jones made the start for the Snappers and pitched four innings while only allowing one run to cross the plate. Tim Atherton was called on for the middle innings and he pitched three innings of hitless baseball with four strikeouts. The win went to David Hurlbut who pitched both extra frames by only allowing two runners to reach base. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 29, 2012 Pitcher of the Day- Tim Atherton http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJzODqCmE_E/T8V9_ZttaxI/AAAAAAAABaI/De762hDosOs/s320/TimAtherton.jpg Hitter of the Day- Michael Hollimon http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFcRBY61M64/T8V6yqp1c6I/AAAAAAAABYc/ELNDTOspavk/s320/MichaelHollimon.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, May 30th Schedule Rochester at Charlotte- RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain at New Hampshire- LHP Andrew Albers Fort Myers at Bradenton- RHP Miguel Munoz Beloit at Quad Cities- RHP Tim Shibuya --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them. Click here to view the article

Meyer's impressive Arizona Fall League performance hints at his path. There are plenty of questions for the Twins to find answers to in the coming months. One of the biggest conundrums swirling around the team is trying to figure out who will make up the starting rotation. Kevin Correia seems like the only lock for a starting job but the Twins don't really want him as the staff ace. So what direction should the team go? Download attachment: AFL-logo.jpg If the season started today, the Twins would likely enter the year with a rotation composed of Kevin Correia, Kyle Gibson, Scott Diamond, Vance Worley, and Sam Deduno. This isn't exactly the most exciting group of pitchers. If this is the starting rotation it seems the team would be destined for another less than mediocre year. Luckily, the team does have money to spend. If the Twins are allowed to get back to their 2012 payroll level of $100 million, the club has around $30-40 million in annual value to spend. This would leave the team will the money to go after a couple big name free agents. It certainly doesn't mean the club has to give away money but they do have some flexibility. Another solution to add depth to the Twins rotation might be an in-house option. Alex Meyer, the man most likely to get a chance in next year's rotation, just finished pitching in the Arizona Fall League. Last offseason, Meyer joined the Twins organization after being traded from Washington for Denard Span. One year later and he could be ready to make an impact at the big league level. Meyer pitched most of last year for New Britain in the Eastern League. He was limited to 78.1 innings (70.0 in NB and 8.1 in a rehab start in the GCL) because of an issue with his shoulder and that was one of the main reasons the club wanted him to build up some innings in the Arizona Fall League. His 11.5 SO/9 rate was the highest of his career and he recorded 100 strikeouts or more for the second consecutive season. The Twins were looking for a few things from Meyer in his time in the AFL. His secondary pitches needed some work and the team wanted to see better command-- he walked 32 in those 78.1 innings-- from a pitcher they feel is a front of the rotation arm. He ended up finishing second in the AFL in strikeouts and he did this in three fewer innings than the league leader. Reports on his fastball were good but his command and secondary pitches still don't sound like he is ready to make the jump to the big leagues. This likely means Meyer is headed to Rochester to start next season with the potential to make his Twins debut at some point in the second half of 2014. There are kinks to be worked out and the Twins don't need to rush Meyer. Minnesota hopes Meyer will be a boost to the rotation at some point in the near future but he needs to continue to work on command and his secondary pitches. This will help him to be a more successful pitcher at the big league level and the Twins need as much help as they can possibly get in the starting rotation. Click here to view the article

Welcome to July! Minnesota's offense busted out the fireworks a couple days early with a big performance against the Royals. The biggest news of the night might have been Joe Mauer being pulled from the game with what is being called an oblique strain. Mauer told reporters after the game that he has been dealing with a sore oblique for about a week and it doesn't feel good. This is bad news especially since Mauer's bat had seemed to be warming up in recent weeks. The Twins' offense wasn't the only one to explode on Tuesday. Let's look around the minor leagues to see who's hot and who's not. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 15, Norfolk 11 Box Score Rochester went on a scoring rampage of their own, pounding out 15 runs on 19 hits. Chris Colabello cranked two home runs and Wilkin Ramirez collected five hits to help the offensive charge. Chris Herrmann went 2-for-4 with a home run and he now has a season-high six game hitting streak. Eric Farris has a seven game hitting streak of his own and he leads the team with 29 multi-hit games. Download attachment: USATSI_7882842_154617946_lowres.jpg photo by Kim Klement On the mound, Kris Johnson did just enough to pick up his seventh win of the season. He lasted five innings and gave up four runs on six hits. Edgar Ibarra saw his 15.1 inning scoreless streak come to an end in a big way. In relief of Johnson, he was charged with five earned runs on only three hits. Aaron Thompson did well to stop some of the bleeding at the end of the game by tossing two shutout innings. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 9, Binghamton 6 Box Score New Britain rode a five-run first inning to an early lead and the team was able to hold back the charging Mets. Eddie Rosario and Mike Kvasnicka each hit a home run to help the cause. Rosario reached base in three at-bats and scored two runs. Aaron Hicks showed some positive signs by going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Reynaldo Rodriguez has been a doubles machine this year, hitting his 24th double in this game. Jason Wheeler picked up his second win in three starts since being promoted from Fort Myers. He went six frames and was charged with three earned runs. He struck out five and has yet to allow more than three runs in any of his Double-A action. Mark Hamburger struck out five batters in only two innings of relief work but it took him 45 pitches to get through those innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 5 Box Score The Miracle rallied for two runs in the ninth inning and three runs over the last three frames but it still wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit. Lance Ray got the scoring started early with a first inning home run. After that the Fort Myers offense went cold until the late innings. At one point 16 Miracle batters in a row were retired. Alex Wimmers was strong in relief as he threw five scoreless frames before giving up two runs in his sixth inning of work. BJ Hermsen took the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits over two innings. There was a lengthy weather delay after the second inning which caused Hermsen to be pulled early. Travis Harrison and Max Kepler each had a double, the 21st for Harrison and the 8th for Kepler. Jorge Polanco went 0-for-4 in his second game back after his brief taste of the big leagues. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Wisconsin 1 (12 innings) Box Score It turned into a long evening in Wisconsin as the Kernels and the Timber Rattlers decided nine innings weren't enough to choose a winner. In fact, it took 12 innings and the game almost lasted until after midnight in the Central time zone. After all those innings and all that time, the Kernels found themselves on the short end of the stick. Cedar Rapids had a grand total of four hits over 12 frames. Two of those hits came off the bat of Jason Kanzler. Bryan Haar and Zack Granite also added singles. The team went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and they left seven runners on base. They also couldn't capitalize on three defensive errors committed by Wisconsin. Aaron Slegers started the game but he was long gone before a decision was made in this one. He lasted five innings and limited the Timber Rattlers to two hits. Brandon Bixler and Dallas Gallant kept the shutout going by combining for four scoreless frames. Jared Wilson took the loss as he gave up a walk, a sac-bunt and then the game winning hit. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Johnson City 8 Box Score After ending the month of June on a three-game winning streak, the E-Twins saw that streak come to a screeching halt. The team was able to muster up only four hits including a 2-for-3 night from Dutch Doel. Nick Gordan went 1-for-5 including his third stolen base. He also committed his second error of the season on a throw. The team left seven runners on base. Stephen Gonsalves scattered seven hits and limited the Cardinals to four runs. Cameron Booser kept Elizabethon in the game by pitching three shutout innings with two strikeouts. Randy LeBlanc took the loss as he gave up three run in the bottom of the eighth inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Rays 8 Box Score There wasn't a lot of solid pitching in this match-up as the teams combined for 29 hits and 15 runs. The Twins held multiple leads in this game but a costly error meant three late unearned runs. Alexis Tapia tossed four innings of two-run ball to start the game but he didn't figure in the decision. Miles Nordgren took the loss but he didn't give up an earned run after Rainis Silva had a fielding error at first. Manuel Guzman and Amaurys Minier each had three hits and they combined to go six-for-nine in the game. Minier is batting .407/.500/.630 in eight games this season with four extra-base hits. The lone extra-base hit for the Twins came off the bat of Jack Barrie, his firs double of the year. The club went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position and that was the difference in the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chris Colabello, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester@ Pawtucket (5:15 CST) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen) Binghamton@ New Britain (6:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen) Ft. Myers@ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Tim Shibuya (Listen) CedarRapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) - Lewis Thorpe (Listen) Elizabethton-Scheduled Off Day GCL Rays @GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD [/hr]Twins beat the Royals on Tuesday so on Wednesday you can get a half price large or extra-large pizza at PapaJohns.com when using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'. Click here to view the article

Wednesday marked the end of a Download attachment: Matt+Capps+Minnesota+Twins.jpg sad love affair between the Twins and relief pitcher Matt Capps. The team turned down his multi-million dollar option for next season and instead decided to pay him a $250,000 buyout of his deal. Capps will become a free agent at age 29 and his time with the Twins looks to be over. It was an up-and-down ride for Capps during his stint in Minnesota but it seemed like plenty of more ups than downs. He came to the Twins in the middle of one of the team's best regular seasons on record and he stayed with the organization through two of their worst seasons ever. Throughout his career with the Twins, he has cost the team one of their top prospects, $13 million in salary, and a compensation round draft pick. This is a stiff price to pay for a man that accumulated mediocre statistics during his time on the mound. When the Twins acquired Capps back in 2010 at the trade deadline, there was a small uproar from fans that were upset about the deal. Bill Smith and the other members of the front office thought it was a good idea to trade away Wilson Ramos, the best catching prospect in the organization since Joe Mauer, for the closer from the Nationals. Joe Nathan's elbow injury had left the team with a hole at the back-end of the bullpen so the team had tried to fill that void with other arms including Jon Rauch. The first half of the season hadn't been terrible for Rauch and it didn't seem like Capps would be much of an improvement. This caused turmoil between Capps and the fans before he had even stepped on the field for the Twins. Capps would only throw 27.0 inning for the Twins in 2010 but he was very good in those appearances. He had a low 2.00 ERA and he only had a couple of blown saves down the stretch as the Twins made their way to the postseason. During the playoffs, he would make one appearance as the dreaded Yankees swept the Twins and he gave up one run on a couple hits in the frame. Fans of the Twins had seen the best of Capps in 2010 and the rest of his time with the club would not play out very well for the right-handed hurler. If Capps had been one of the integral pieces to lead the Twins to the World Series in 2010, fans would have forgotten about the deal to bring him to Minnesota. Instead fans had to deal with another playoff sweep by the Yankees and the loss of one of the team's best young players. With question marks surrounding the return of Joe Nathan from major elbow surgery, the Twins felt it was in their best interest to offer arbitration to Capps. He would end up making $7.15 million through the arbitration process and the Twins would have a ton of money tied up between the two men at the back end of their bullpen. It was a rough year for Capps as he fought through some injuries and other aches and pains to stay on the mound for the Twins. Nathan was ineffective at the beginning of the year so the team turned the closing duties over to Capps for the first part of the season. His ERA bubbled to over 4.00 and he gave up a whopping 10 home runs in his 65.2 innings pitched. Fans took out their frustration on him at the end of the season as the boo birds came out in full force when he would take the mound at Target Field. There were high expectations for the Twins after 2010 so the ineffectiveness of Capps became a point of anger for the fan base. At the end of 2011, it seemed like the Twins might be able to get away from Capps after his rough year with the club. He would be a free agent and the Twins would be compensated if he left the club and signed with another team. With some changes to the collective bargaining agreement, the Twins didn't even have to offer arbitration to Capps for the club to get the extra-draft pick. As long as Capps signed with another team, the Twins would get an extra pick in the round between the first and second round. It seemed like a no-brainer at the time for the Twins to let Capps pack his bags and to turn over the closing duties to Glen Perkins after a fantastic season from the left-handed pitcher. The Twins didn't see it this way and they brought back Capps on a deal that would pay him $4.5 million plus the $250,000 buyout for this year. It was a head-scratching move at the time and it is only more confusing after the injury-plagued season Capps put together. It seems like Capps was a very nice man and the coaches and front office for the Twins enjoyed having him be part of the team over the last few seasons. Looking back at the total cost of Capps to the Twins, it can be frustrating to think about how little the team got for their money. There was one lousy season, an injury plagued season, and a portion of a good season when he first joined the club. His final numbers: 3.61 ERA over 122 innings with 45 saves and 12 blown saves. And here is the final bill: Salary and buyout: $13 million Wilson Ramos (25-year old catcher): 2.1 WAR since being traded 2012 Compensation Round Draft Pick: Value unknown Total Bill: ????? Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Joe+Benson+Minnesota+Twins.jpg At the end of the 2011 season, Joe Benson had to be flying high. He just completed one of the best seasons of his professional career and he was rewarded by getting a call-up to make his major league debut. There was talk of him fighting for a more permanent role with the club in the future. It looked like the sky was the limit for young Mr. Benson. For how great the 2011 season ended, it was hard to imagine how far Benson fell during 2012 campaign.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] He started the year at the Triple-A level and it seemed like one major injury to an outfielder on the big league club would result in him making a return trip to Minnesota. This was far from the case as he fought through major injuries and poor play for most of the year. The struggles of Benson meant he ended the year back in New Britain. In 65 games between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit under .200 and the power promise shown in 2011 was almost completely absent. The front office for the Twins and fans following the minor leagues had to be left shaking their heads. This wasn't the way to follow a breakout season in the higher levels of a farm system. Injuries were one of the biggest contributors to his lousy season. He missed time in the middle of the year with a broken hamate bone. Near the end of August an injury to Benson's knee would mean the end of his nightmare season. He would undergo surgery on his knee after going 1-35 at the plate in his last nine games with no extra base hits and 17 strikeouts. Something was clearly wrong with Benson and it was time to shut him down. Baseball America has ranked Benson on the very edge of their top 100 prospects in each of the last two years. Prior to the 2012 season, he came in at number 99 and the previous year he sat at number 100. These rankings came after two very good seasons as he worked his way to the major leagues. After last season, there isn't much of a chance for him to finish in the top 100 before next season so he will have plenty to prove to himself and to the organization. Preliminary Twins prospect lists for the current offseason have Benson ranked right on the edge of the top 10. Seth Stohs of Twins Dailyand myself have Benson ranked at number 10 in both of our lists. John Sickels of Minor League Ball has Benson down to number 12 on his list. To those ranking prospects, Benson's tools continue to stand out; he is a strong defender, he has speed, and he has shown power in the past. Those tools haven't gone away and the hope is for Benson to reemerge next season. One of the toughest things for Benson might be the crop of outfielders waiting in the wings for the Twins organization. Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia compiled great numbers last year at Double-A so they should both be waiting in the wings at Rochester in 2013. At this point, each of these players might offer more upside than Benson but Benson has already made his debut and he is older than the other two rising stars. It could be imperative for Benson to get off to a strong start or these other two men could pass him by on the way to the big leagues. It's easy to look at Benson's 2012 season and brush off his poor play because of his multiple injuries. A healthy version of Benson could never look as horrible as the player that was on the field last year. He should be able to rebound in 2013 if the injury bug doesn't bite again. He needs to get back on track as soon as possible or Hicks and Arcia could start to take away from his major league playing time. Look for Benson to be on the comeback trail in 2013 but will it be too little, too late? Click here to view the article

The following song is dedicated to former Twins middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka as he exits the United States and heads back to resume his career in Japan. The tune of the song is "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John. Enjoy! Download attachment: Nishi.JPG Goodbye Tsuyoshi Though we hardly knew you at all You had the grace to leave the Twins Back to Japan is where you crawled Two seasons have gone by And it was a disaster from the start Swisher broke your leg 'Cause your defensive skills were not smart [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]And it seems to me you played your career Like a candle in the wind Never knowing where the ball was When you stepped in And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did Defense was tough It looked like you never played Japan created a superstar And the Twins were the one's that paid Even when you left Oh the press still hounded you All the papers had to say Was that Tsuyoshi really blew And it seems to me you played your career Like a candle in the wind Never knowing where the ball was When you stepped in And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did Goodbye Tsuyoshi Though we hardly knew you at all You had the grace to leave the Twins Back to Japan is where you crawled Goodbye Tsuyoshi From the young man in the 22nd row Who sees you flailing at the plate Back to the dugout is where you go And it seems to me you played your career Like a candle in the wind Never knowing where the ball was When you stepped in And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did Click here to view the article

The Twins put up a lackluster effort at home in getting swept during a short two-game series with the first place Cleveland Indians. Derek Lowe looked like Cy Young on the mound and the Twins continued to hit ground ball after ground ball to fall further behind the Tribe. Jason Marquis gave up three home runs in the fifth inning and five runs over five innings to put the Twins in a hole they would never be able to get out of in the game. Ron Gardenhire shifted up the line-up for this contest and moved Joe Mauer to the second spot in the order. This meant Brian Dozier had to move and he was placed in the fifth spot for the Twins. The move down in the line-up didn't seem to impact Dozier because he ended the contest with half of the team's six hits. Dozier showed some power again by hitting his second double of the year and his batting average continues to climb. Besides Dozier, there has to be some good news in other parts of the Twins organization. So let's peruse the minor leagues as we take Tuesday's trip through the Twins farm system. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 5, LOUISVILLE 4 The Red Wings trailed for most of the game on Tuesday night but a late rally helped Rochester to come out on top versus Louisville. With the Red Wings down by one run in the bottom of the eighth, the team mounted a two run rally to come out victorious. Wilkin Ramirez and Clete Thomas started the inning with singles and Danny Valencia grounded out to tie the game. Later in the inning Sean Burroughs had his second hit of the night, a double, to score the go-ahead run. Ben Revere continued his hot hitting for the Red Wings with a three hit night. He has six multi-hit games out of the last eight times he has been in the line-up for Rochester. Matt Carson had two hits in the contest and one of those knocks was his team leading 11th double of the year. Carson is in the midst of a 10-game hitting streak that he will look to continue tomorrow against the Bats. Luke French started the contest for the Red Wings and he allowed four runs over the course of five innings. The bullpen took care of the rest of the innings and helped to put zeros on the board so the offense could mount their comeback. Esmerling Vasquez pitched three shutout innings while allowing one hit. Tyler Robertson and Casey Fien were asked to cover the ninth and they managed to shut the door on the Bats. NEW BRITAIN -, NEW HAMPSHIRE - (PPD) The Rock Cats had a double-header scheduled for Tuesday but both contests were postponed. New Britain and New Hampshire will attempt to play two games tomorrow to make up for the action they missed today. FORT MYERS 2, CHARLOTTE 3 Unlike the Red Wings, the Miracle saw their opponent score late in the game to take the lead and steal a win in Fort Myers. The Stone Crabs took an early lead in the top of the first inning but the Miracle answered with their own run in the bottom half of the frame. Three consecutive singles from Jairo Perez, Oswaldo Arcia, and Daniel Rohlfing plated allowed the Miracle to tie the contest. The only other run of the game for the Miracle came in the bottom of the fifth when Daniel Santana tripled to lead-off the inning. Levi Michael was the next batter and he drove in Santana with a sacrifice fly to center field. Anderson Hidalgo along with Perez and Arcia would be the only players with more than one hit. It was almost like the Miracle had two different starters on Monday night with Miguel Munoz throwing four innings and being followed by Cole Nelson tossing four innings of his own. Munoz did okay by allowing two earned runs on six hits with a couple of strikeouts. Nelson was excellent by striking out five and only allowing one runner to reach base. Ricky Bowen took the loss for the Miracle after giving up a double to start the ninth inning. BELOIT 1, CLINTON 0 There was a pitching duel in Beloit on Tuesday night and the Snappers were lucky enough to come away with the one run they would need in the late innings of the game. The LumberKings had one base runner make it as far as second base and that happened all the way back in the fourth inning so the pitching for Beloit was the story of the game. The only player you needed to know on this night was Tim Shibuya because he pitched a complete game shutout for the Snappers. Shibuya was masterful by striking out nine in the contest and giving up three hits in the game. One of the other impressive things might have been his control of the plate by not giving up a walk in the entire contest. The Snappers put together seven hits but only one run was able to be pushed across the plate. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Beloit began the inning with Rory Rhodes and Jairo Rodriguez getting walked to start the threat. JaDamion Williams singled later in the frame to score the lone run the Snappers would need to back the impressive outing from Shibuya. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 15, 2012 Pitcher of the Day- Tim Shibuya http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw0pNV7IQVc/T7MUhyAxPbI/AAAAAAAABRo/-HePg7GtezE/s1600/TimShibuya.jpg Hitter of the Day- Sean Burroughs http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EpkhQjEojy4/T7MUdFCXQ9I/AAAAAAAABRg/bgJ84Sk__5Y/s320/SeanBurroughs.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, May 16th Schedule Rochester vs. Louisville- RHP Jeff Manship New Britain vs. New Hampshire (1)- LHP Logan Darnell New Britain vs. New Hampshire (2)- RHP Steve Hirschfeld Fort Myers vs. Charlotte- RHP Jhon Garcia Beloit vs. Quad City- LHP Jason Wheeler --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them. Click here to view the article

When a team could be heading for its fourth consecutive 90-loss season, the trade deadline can be a bit of a bummer. The Twins have had the opportunity to deal veteran players over the last couple of seasons but nothing has happened. Minnesota sticks with the players on their roster while not getting anything back for some of their expiring contracts. Earlier in the week, I took a look at some of the possible trade candidates on the current Twins roster. These players are all veterans and there's a good chance they won't be back with the club next season. The Twins aren't going to be in contention this year or even next year so it makes sense to deal assets while they are still under team control. There are a few players who likely won't be dealt over the next few days. Realistically the Twins should be listening to offers for any player in the Twins system with the exception of Byron Buxton. For now, the focus is on the major league side of the roster and these men will still be in a Twins uniform at the beginning of August. Joe Mauer- First Baseman Mauer's contract is huge and he can't play behind the plate anymore. These are two big red flags for other teams looking to make a trade. He doesn't fit the prototypical version of a first baseman as he doesn't hit for power. If the Twins wanted to move Mauer (that's a big if at this point), they would have to eat a big chunk of his salary. He also hasn't played a high level for a couple of seasons. His stock is low and his contract is high which means a trade is very unlikely. Brian Dozier- Second Baseman Dozier might seem like a young player but the 27-year old spent a lot of time working through the Twins minor league system. He won't even be arbitration eligible until 2016 which means he can't hit free agency until 2019. That's a long ways off and the Twins will have him at a very friendly price for a couple of more seasons. Since he is cost controlled, it makes sense to keep Dozier around. If another player in the system looks ready to take over second base, the Twins could make a deal but that likely isn't happening this season. Glen Perkins- Relief Pitcher Out of all the players currently on the roster, Perkins might have the highest trade value. Contending teams value relief pitching for the stretch run and Perkins is a high strikeout guy with closing experience. He also signed a team friendly deal that could keep him under contract through the 2018 season. At this point, it's hard to know how much the Twins will be in contention over the life of Perkins' contract. If the team wants to get the most value, it could be this year but the deal would have to be overwhelming. Perkins is staying in his home state. Trevor Plouffe- Third Baseman There probably isn't much of a market for a low average third baseman with some rough around the edges defensive skills. Plouffe is only a year older than Dozier but he has already reached his arbitration years because of his status as a Super 2 player. Even with this status, he can't become a free agent until 2018. He's not an outstanding player but it's important to have everyday regular players on the roster. It will be interesting to see where his salary goes in the coming years. The Twins will keep him for now but he will become more expensive in the next couple years. You can read more from Cody at his blog http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com or by following him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan.

One of the benefits of being a bad team for multiple seasons is the fact the Twins have been able to replenish some of their farm system with high draft picks the last two years. Add these players into a group that already included some top-notch talent and the future of the Twins organization continues to look bright. Download attachment: Buxton_Byron_Batting_Rinaldi_686.jpg In the Minnesota Twins case - very bright. At the beginning of last week, I released the first portion of my top 20 list. Now it's time for the Top 10: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 10. Adam Walker- OF 2013 Team(s): Cedar Rapids Kernels 2013 Stats: .278/.319/.526, 31-2B, 7-3B, 27 HR, 109 RBI, 10 SB Walker burst onto the scene with a power-packed performance in 2013. He led the Midwest League in home runs and he made improvements in most other offensive areas. If he can continue to improve, Walker could turn out to be a steal as a third round pick. He'll jump to Fort Myers next year and the Florida State League (High A) will test his offensive chops. 9. Max Kepler- OF/1B 2013 Team(s): Cedar Rapids Kernels 2013 Stats: .237/.312/.424, 11-2B, 3-3B, 9 HR, 40 RBI An arm injury cost Kepler part of this season but he still showed some promise in 61 games. His batting average wasn't good, but power is still part of his game. He was used primarily as an outfielder in his first three years with the organization but the club shifted him to spending more time at first base. With a healthier 2014 and some graduations off the top of this list, he could see his rating rise in the coming years. 8. Josmil Pinto- C 2013 Team(s): New Britain Rock Cats, Rochester Red Wings, Minnesota Twins 2013 MILB Stats: .309/.400/.482, 32-2B, 1-3B, 15 HR, 74 RBI 2013 MLB Stats: .342/.398/.566, 5-2B, 0-3B, 4 HR, 12 RBI This is the a name on the lips of many fans as the organization has moved Joe Mauer to first base. Pinto's outstanding offensive numbers in September make it easy to get excited about his future. He put together some very good numbers in the minor leagues as well and these have helped move him up prospect lists. His defense continues to improve but the Twins will likely want him to get more seasoning at Rochester before they will hand over the starting catching spot. 7. Jorge Polanco- SS/2B 2013 Team(s): Cedar Rapids Kernels 2013 Stats: .308/.362/.452, 32-2B, 10-3B, 5 HR, 78 RBI Minnesota is desperate to develop some middle infielders within the organization. Polanco fits this mold and he is slowly working his way into the organization's long-term thoughts. He continues to improve on the offensive side but there are still a few wrinkles to iron out defensively. This was one of the main reasons he continues to see time at both middle infield positions. His bat is for real and he was able to prove this in a full-season league for the first time this year. 6. Jose Berrios- RHP 2013 Team(s): Cedar Rapids Kernels 2013 Stats: 7-7, 3.99 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 103.2 IP, 40 BB, 100 K The small stature of Berrios doesn't fit the normal profile of a starting pitcher but that doesn't take anything away from what he has done since being drafted by the Twins. Indications continue to point toward him being able to team with Meyer and Stewart to form a formidable top of the rotation trio. Berrios will likely spend most of 2014 in Fort Myers and it will be interesting to see how he fares in a league that is considered tough for hitters. 5. Eddie Rosario- 2B/OF 2013 Team(s): Ft. Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats 2013 Stats: .302/.350/.460, 32-2B, 8-3B, 10 HR, 73 RBI, 10 SB Rosario has been in the news lately but for the wrong reasons. He will be suspended 50 games at the start of next season for taking a performance enhancing drug while he was recovering from an injury. This is a tough blow for one of the best hitting prospects in the organization. Rosario was on pace to make his debut in 2014 but this could get pushed back because of his suspension. His defensive transition to second base continues to take form and the club will need to decide if Brian Dozier or Rosario is the future at that position. 4. Alex Meyer- RHP 2013 Team(s): New Britain Rock Cats, GCL Twins (Rehab) 2013 Stats: 4-3, 2.99 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 78.1 IP, 32 BB, 100 K When the Twins traded away two-thirds of their starting outfield last offseason, the acquisition of Meyer signaled a shift in the Twins system. The team needed talented arms to rebuild a franchise coming off some terrible seasons. Meyer missed a little time in 2013 with a shoulder issue but he built up some innings in the Arizona Fall League. He will likely start the year in Rochester but this means he is one injury away from making his big league debut. 3. Kohl Stewart- RHP 2013 Team(s): GCL Twins, Elizabethton Twins 2013 Stats: 0-0, 1.35 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 4 BB, 24 K Minnesota entered the 2013 draft looking for a starting pitcher who could change the course of the franchise. That is a lot of pressure to put onto an 18-year old kid from Texas. There were some impressive signs from Stewart in his professional debut and there is a long road ahead for this young man. He has the tools and ability to be the ace fans have craved since Johan Santana was traded away. The only question remaining could be, "How fast can he get up to Minnesota?" 2. Miguel Sano- 3B 2013 Team(s): Ft. Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats 2013 Stats: .280/.382/.610, 30-2B, 5-3B, 30 HR, 103 RBI, 11 SB For the first time since the inception of my blog, Miguel Sano's name isn't at the top of my offseason top 20 prospects list. He didn't do anything negative to move down a spot but Buxton was just that good. Sano's defense continues to improve at third base and he might be the best power-hitting prospect in the minor leagues. Fans will likely see Sano at Target Field in the next year and the hope is he can stay there for a long time. 1. Byron Buxton- OF 2013 Team(s): Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle 2013 Stats: .334/.424/.520, 19-2B, 18-3B, 12 HR, 77 RBI, 55 SB There were questions and doubts about Buxton as the season started. Could he hit consistently? Would he be able to generate enough power? How good was his defense? All those doubts and more were taken care of in his first full professional season. He is widely regarded as the best prospect in the game and the sky seems the limit for this young man. There are other hurdles to overcome before he gets to Target Field but Twins fans have to be excited about his promise. Click here to view the article