Cody Christie

A day after being part of a no-hitter that he started three weeks ago, Trevor May did something else that was a little strange: he pitched in relief in the Twins game. This was something he hadn't done since 2010 at the High-A level. After a rough big league debut, it was probably nice for May to get back on the mound and prove he belongs at the big league level. It was a strange day in the minor leagues.Two Twins' affiliates had weather interfere with their games and one team had to finish a game they had started at the end of June. Let's see how things shook out after all of the weather issues. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 1 (3rd Inning- Suspended) Box Score These two teams couldn't get their game completed as rain interrupted things after two innings of play. A double-header is scheduled tomorrow with the first game being a nine inning contest and the second game being a shortened seven inning game. Look for a full report on this game as part of tomorrow's minor league report at Twins Daily. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, Bowie 0 Box Score For the first time since the beginning of July, Jason Wheeler was credited with a victory. He tossed 7.1 shutout innings by striking out five and walking none. He limited the Baysox to four hits with only two of them for extra-bases. Ryan O'Rourke and Daniel Turpen collected the final five outs to keep the shutout intact. It was the second save for Turpen and the tenth hold for O'Rourke. Mike Gonzalez provided the big hit for the Rock Cats. He cranked his third home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning. After two quick outs to start the inning, Tony Thomas singled. He advanced to second on a balk ahead of the Gonzalez home run. Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco both went 1-for-3 with each reaching base a second time with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Game One Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 8 Box Score The post-Byron Buxton era in Fort Myers didn't go as planned as the team dropped a pair of games. The first game was a the resumption of a game that had been rained out in the top of the fifth with the Miracle leading 3-2. The team held the lead for most of the game before the bullpen allowed five runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Tyler Jones was the man on the mound for all of the late inning damage. The five runs were scored on five hits including a home run. Tim Shibuya had started the game on June 26th and limited the Mets to two runs, one earned, on six hits in a little over four innings. Fort Myers used a balanced offensive attack to build up their early lead. Six different players drove in a run. Anderlin Mejia and Niko Goodrum did a good job at the top of the order. They combined to go 4-for-9 with two doubles and three runs scored. Dalton Hicks added a double of his own and he came around to score. Game Two Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 5 Box Score Aderlin Mejia kept his hot hitting going in the second game, recording another two-hit performance. In his last six games he has four multi-hit games so he's in the middle of quite an offensive run. Tyler Grimes knocked in three with a home run as part of a two-hit night. Jairo Rodriguez only had one hit but he scored two of the team's runs. Adam Brett Walker added his 88th RBI of the season. Ethan Mildren got knocked around for seven hits and he allowed six runs. Only four of the runs were earned following a couple defensive miscues by Mejia and Bryan Haar. It was the first time in his last three starts that Mildren has not pitched six innings. Madison Boer struck out the side in the sixth and DJ Johnson pitched a perfect seventh. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels used a small ball approach to rack up 12 runs in this game. Cedar Rapids didn't have an extra-base hit but they used a balanced attack with every batter besides Ryan Walker, the lead-off man, getting at least one hit. Chad Christensen plated three runs. The bottom three men in the order (JD Williams, Engelb Vielma,and Tanner Vavra) all drove in two runs. The Kernels went 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Ryan Eades was able to coast to his second straight win and he hasn't been charged with a loss since July 20th. He scattered nine hits and allowed two earned runs for his eighth victory. Josue Montanez got into a little bit of trouble as he allowed three runs in an inning of work. Hudson Boyd limited the Snappers to two base runners over the last two frames. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton --, Bristol -- Rain got in the way of this contest between the E-Twins and the Pirates. It was the second time in the three game series that rain caused a postponement. The game will be made-up as part of a double header on August 24th when the E-Twins return to Bristol. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 5 Box Score The GCL Twins were only out-hit 11 to 10 but the team struggled to get runners across the plate. Overall, the Twins went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and they left nine runners on base. Joel Polanco and Zack Larson each had a double as part of a two-hit day. Amaurys Minier reached base three times but his teammates couldn't push him across the plate. Zach Tillery took his second loss of the season after throwing three innings and allowing one earned run on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Josh Burris relieved Tillery and four runs were scored against him but they were all unearned because of a couple defensive errors. Jhon Silva, Callan Pearce, and Miles Nordgren shut out the Rays offense the rest of the way. 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 – Aderlin Mejia, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (4:05 CST)- Completion of 8/12 Game Durham @ Rochester (30 minutes after Game 1) – Mark Hamburger (Listen) New Britain @ Trenton (6:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (4:05 CST) – TBA (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (30 minutes after Game 1)- TBA Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) - Chih-Wei Hu (Listen) Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - John Curtiss GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Click here to view the article

Thanks for the article. I have a blogger/prospect man-crush on Thorpe so this article made me happy.

A day after being part of a no-hitter that he started three weeks ago, Trevor May did something else that was a little strange; he pitched in relief for the Twins game. This was something he hadn't done since 2010 at the High-A level. After a rough big league debut, it was probably nice for May to get back on the mound and prove he belongs at the big league level. It was a strange day in the minor leagues. Two Twins' affiliates had weather interfere with their game and one team had to finish a game they started at the end of June. Let's see how things shook out after all of the weather issues. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 1 (3rd Inning- Suspended) Box Score These two teams couldn't get their game completed as rain interrupted things after two innings of play. A double-header is scheduled for tomorrow with the first game being a nine inning contest and the second game being a shortened seven inning game. Look for a full report on this game as part of tomorrow's minor league report at Twins Daily. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, Bowie 0 Box Score For the first time since the beginning of July, Jason Wheeler was credited with a victory. He tossed 7.1 shutout innings by striking out five and walking none. He limited the Baysox to four hits with only two of the hits being for extra-bases. Ryan O'Rourke and Daniel Turpen collected the final five outs to keep the shutout intact. It was the second save for Turpen and the tenth hold for O'Rourke. Mike Gonzalez provided the big hit for the Rock Cats. He cranked his third home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the fourth inning. After two quick outs to start the inning, Tony Thomas singled. He advanced to second on a balk ahead of the Gonzalez home run. Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco both went 1-for-3 with each reaching base a second time with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 8 (Game 1- 9 Innings) Box Score The post Byron Buxton era in Fort Myers didn't go as planned as the team would drop a pair of games. The first game was a resumed game that had been rained out in the top of the fifth with the Miracle leading 3-2. The team held the lead for most of the game before the bullpen allowed five runs over the last two frames. Tyler Jones was the man on the mound for all of the late inning damage. The five runs were scored on five hits including a home run. Tim Shibuya had started the game on June 26th and limited the Mets to two runs, one earned, on six hits in a little over four innings. Fort Myers used a balance offensive attack to build up their early lead. Six different players drove in a run. Anderlin Mejia and Niko Goodrum did a good job at the top of the order. They combined to go 4-for-9 with two doubles and three runs scored. Dalton Hicks added a double of his own and he came around to score a run. Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 5 (Game 2- 7 Innings) Box Score Aderlin Mejia kept his hot hitting going in the second game recording another two-hit performance. In his last six games he has four multi-hit games so he's in the middle of quite an offensive run. Tyler Grimes knocked in three with a home run as part of a two hit night. Jairo Rodriguez only had one hit but he scored two of the team's runs. Adam Brett Walker added his 88th RBI of the season. Ethan Mildren got knocked around for seven hits and he allowed six runs. Only four of the runs were earned following a couple of defensive miscues by Mejia and Bryan Haar. It was the first time in his last three starts that Mildren hadn't pitched six innings. Madison Boer struck out the side in the sixth and DJ Johnson pitched a perfect seventh. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels used a small ball approach to rack up 12 runs in this game. Cedar Rapids didn't have an extra-base hit but they used a balance attack with every batter besides Ryan Walker, the lead-off man, getting at least one hit. Chad Christensen plated three runs including two of them with two outs in an inning. The bottom three men in the order (JD Williams, Engelb Vielma, and Tanner Vavra) all drove in two runs. The Kernels went 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Ryan Eades was able to coast to his second straight win and he hasn't been charged with a loss since July 20th. He scattered nine hits and allowed two earned runs for his eighth victory. Josue Montanez got into a little bit of trouble as he allowed three runs in an inning of work. Hudson Boyd limited the Snappers to two base runners over the last two frames. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton --, Bristol -- Rain got in the way of this contest between the E-Twins and the Pirates. It was the second time in the tree game series that weather postponed due to rain. The game will be made-up as part of a double header on August 24th when the E-Twins return to Bristol. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 5 Box Score The GCL Twins were only out hit 11 to 10 but the team struggled to get runners across the plate. Overall the team went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and they left nine runners on base. Joel Polanco and Zack Larson each had a double as part of a two-hit day. Amaurys Minier reached base three different times but his teammates couldn't move him in to score. Zach Tillery took his second loss of the season after throwing three innings and allowing one earned run on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Josh Burris relieved Tillery and four runs were scored against him but they were all unearned because of a couple defensive errors. Jhon Silva, Callan Pearce, and Miles Nordgren shut out the Rays offense the rest of the way. 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 – Aderlin Mejia, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (4:05 CST)- Completion of 8/12 Game Durham @ Rochester (30 minutes after Game 1) – Mark Hamburger (Listen) New Britain @ Trenton (6:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (4:05 CST) – TBA (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (30 minutes after Game 1)- TBA Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) - Chih-Wei Hu (Listen) Greeneville @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - John Curtiss GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and toread his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com

The biggest Twins story of the weekend was the call-up and debut on right-handed pitching prospect Trevor May. Fans have been clamoring for months to see May or his Rochester counterpart Alex Meyer. This new version of the M&M boys is supposed to provide some stability to a lack-lust Twins rotation but only time will tell. One of the stories lost in the hype of May's debut was the demotion of Chris Colabello. The 30-year old former independent league standout is heading back to Triple-A for the second time this season. In 114 games over the last two seasons, he's hit .214/.284/.364 with 13 home runs and 16 doubles. These aren't exactly the power numbers a team likes to see from a first baseman that will turn 31 before the start of next year. It took quite the fairy tale to imagine how Colabello made it to the big leagues. He went undrafted out of college and spent six seasons toiling in the Canadian-American Association as he waited for his chance. The Twins finally gave him an opportunity after Baseball America named him the Independent Leagues Player of the Year. Colabello certainly made the most of his opportunity over the next couple of seasons. His career in affiliated baseball would start in Double-A where he was over 3.5 years older than the average age of the other hitters in the league. Even with the age difference, he would go on to have a monster year for New Britain in 2012 by leading the Eastern League in doubles and ranking second in RBI. Colabello seemed better than advertised and it was hard not to wonder what he could do as he moved up the ladder. The 2013 season turned out to be even better as he jumped to Rochester in the International League. He led the league and the minors in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. He would be handed plenty of accolades at the end of the season as he was named the MVP and the Rookie of the Year in the International League. Even the start of the 2014 season looked like Colabello had turned over a new leaf. During the first week of year, he hit .391 (9-for-23) with four doubles, one home run, 11 RBI and four runs scored. He lead all AL players in RBI and he ranked second in doubles. He would be named co-recipient of the American League's Player of the Week Award. Things would slowly unravel for Colabello as the league made adjustments to him. After his hot start, he would hit .264/.321/.417 for the rest of the month of April. Out of his 19 hits, seven of them were for extra-bases and his strikeout to walk rate was 20 to six. He was leading the team in RBI but by the end of May he would be back in the minors. Colabello was recalled by the Twins near the start of July but his latest audition didn't go much better. In 19 games he hit .222/.288/.389 with five extra-base hits and 16 strikeouts. This could leave Colabello's roster spot in jeopardy. Kennys Vargas has shown some good signs in his first handful of games and Joe Mauer is scheduled to return from injury. The Twins might also need Colabello's 40-man roster spot for a player like Alex Meyer. If this is the end of Colabello's time with the Twins, his story will always be one to remember. From independent baseball to minor league All-Star, he had to fight to live out his dream of becoming a big league player. The Twins gave him the opportunity to live his dream and I for one am glad they did... For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com

Besides swapping Sam Fuld for Tommy Milone, the Twins didn't make a major trade at the non-waiver trade deadline. But one move made by the front office signals a lot for the future make-up of the franchise: Kurt Suzuki signed a two-year, $12 million contract extension. After Joe Mauer’s move to first base this past off-season, the Twins didn't have a clear plan at catcher. There were rumors the club tried to sign some of the bigger free agent names but ended up settling for Suzuki. He’s now in the midst of his best professional season and he will be the Twins catcher for multiple years. Josmil Pinto is one person whose future might be most impacted by the Suzuki signing. He made the Twins roster to start the season but saw limited playing time. The Twins send him to Rochester to get some more catching experience and Glen Perkins called him out for not being the best person to throw to behind the plate. Perkins is one of the clubhouse leaders and I doubt he would call out a younger player unless it was necessary. Pinto might not see a lot of time at catcher moving forward. There are other catchers in the system that should be ready by the time Suzuki’s contract expires. Here are some names to watch for the next two years.Stuart Turner, Fort Myers Miracle Turner was the Twins third round pick in 2013. The college-experienced catcher was expected to move through the system quickly and he is already at High-A. His offensive numbers are adequate but he has been known more for his defensive skills. If he continues to move at his current pace, he'll be making his debut near the end of Suzuki's current deal. Mitch Garver, Cedar Rapids Kernels Garver has had over 35 extra base hits in his first full professional season. These totals put him near the top of the Midwest League in home runs, doubles and slugging percentage. He was a ninth round pick in 2013 so he has turned into a nice surprise. If Turner fails to make it all the way to big leagues, Garver is shaping up as a viable offensive threat. Alex Swim, Cedar Rapids Kernels Swim has spent most of this season in Cedar Rapids and his average would rank second in the league if he had enough at-bats to qualify. While his average has been great, he hits for very little power. In over 135 plate appearances, he has yet to hit double digits in extra base hits. Pitchers are going to be able to attack him as he moves up the ladder especially if he doesn't hit for more power. For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Click here to view the article

Besides swapping Sam Fuld for Tommy Milone, the Twins didn't make a major trade at the non-waiver trade deadline. There were rumors about Kurt Suzuki or Josh Willingham ending up in a new uniform but those rumors never came to fruition. Even though the team has been in the midst of a rough three year stretch, the club hasn't been very active around July 31st trade deadline. One clear move made by the front office signals a lot for the future make-up of the franchise. Kurt Suzuki signed a two-year, $12 million contract extension. The Twins pitching staff and coaches have lauded over Suzuki for his leadership and professional approach to the game. There had been plenty of voices that made it clear that they wanted Suzuki to remain in a Twins uniform. After Joe Mauer’s move to first base this past off-season, the Twins didn't have a clear plan at catcher. There were rumors that the club tried to sign some of the bigger free agent names but ended up settling for Suzuki. He’s now in the midst of his best professional season and he will be the Twins catcher for multiple years. Josmil Pinto is one person whose future might be most impacted by the Suzuki signing. He made the Twins roster to start the season but saw limited playing time. The Twins send him to Rochester to get some more catching experience and Glen Perkins called him out for not being the best person to throw to behind the plate. Perkins is one of the clubhouse leaders and I doubt he would call out a younger player unless it was necessary. Pinto might not see a lot of time at catcher moving forward. There are other catchers in the system that should be ready by the time Suzuki’s contract expires. Here are some names to watch over the next two years. Stuart Turner, Fort Myers Miracle Turner was the Twins third round pick in 2013. The college experienced catcher was expected to move through the system quickly and he is already at High-A. His offensive numbers are adequate but he has been know more for his defensive skills. If he continues to move at his current pace, he'll me making his debut near the end of Suzuki's current deal. Mitch Garver, Cedar Rapids Kernels Garver has combined for over 35 extra base hits in his first full professional season. These totals put him near the top of the Midwest League in home runs, doubles, and slugging percentage. He was a ninth round pick in 2013 so he has turned into a nice surprise. If Turner fails to make it all the way to big leagues, Garver is shaping up as a viable offensive threat. Alex Swim, Cedar Rapids Kernels Swim has spent most of this season in Cedar Rapids and his average would rank second in the league if he had enough at-bats to qualify. While his average has been great, he hits for very little power. In over 135 plate appearances, he has yet to hit double digits in extra base hits. Pitchers are going to be able to attack him as he moves up the ladder especially if he doesn't hit for more power. For more from Cody Christie make sure to follow him on Twitter @NoDakTwinsFan and to read his other work at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com

Download attachment: hand-cursor-clicking-a-link.jpg The Minnesota Twins continue their longest road trip of the year so far with games in Cleveland over the weekend. A four game series with the Boston Red Sox is looming at the beginning of next week but for now Minnesota needs to concentrate on beating opponents from the AL Central.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] To the surprise of many experts and fans, the Twins are still sitting around the .500 mark. The team recorded their 12th win on the first day of May. Last year, the Twins didn't record win number 12 until May 17 so it is easy to see that the club is off to a better start. The first month of the minor league season ended and many of the Twins top prospects are doing very well. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton have posted numbers that have them in the discussion for best hitter in the minors. Kyle Gibson, Alex Meyer, and Trevor May have all shown positive signs on the mound. There were plenty of other stories from the week in baseball. Let's take a look at this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." It was a tough choice picking out the Minor League Player of the Month. Who won Byron Buxton or Miguel Sano?Both Buxton and Sano top this list of the best minor league players through April. Their actual ranking in the post is "Conflagrent." Baseball America named the Fort Myers Miracle as April's top team in the minors. The folks at Baseball America also named a couple of Twins players to their All-Prospect Team for April. Mike Pelfrey has been frustrating to watch so maybe it's time to put Pelf on the shelf. What is the matter with Joe Mauer? Or maybe it is nothing at all... Have the Twins already won the Francisco Liriano trade? Compared to the last two seasons, the Twins start this year has to bode well for the club. Is there a pitching resurgence in Minnesota? Glen Perkins sure came through for a Twins fan on Twitter. Maybe I should hit him up for tickets the next time I am in town. So Liam Henriks baseball cards can be worth $380!?! It's a rare card but still... Aaron Hicks hit his first career triple on a 101 mph pitch from Bruce Rondon. It was the fastest pitch hit for extra bases since 2010 and then he did his best Superman impression. It's tough to see a future Hall of Famer go out this way.Delmon Young made his first appearance with the Phillies and proceeded to smack a home run. The bat used (possibly) by Roger Maris to tie Babe Ruth's all-time HR mark is up for auction. Would MLB be better without the playoffs? Former big league pitcher and actor from the movie "Little Big League" passed away this week. Last month was the strikeout-i-est April in baseball history. Some members of the Twins helped to make this a reality. A.J. Pierzynski returned to Chicago for the first time as a member of the Rangers and he was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat. The seven most mammoth home runs of April include one former Twins player. Here are the candidates for longest name of the year in baseball.My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 35Tuesday: How valuable is Eduardo Escobar? Wednesday: The Future of Ron Gardenhire Minor League Report (5/1): Darnell Dominates Thursday: Miracle Blogapalooza: Game BallsVideo of the Week: The first episode of the Miracle Insider Show came out at the end of last week. Since the club was named as the best team in the minors for the first month of the year, it seems only fitting for fans to take a behind the scenes look at the club. Miracle shortstop Stephen Wickens and pitcher Ryan O'Rourke are each featured in the episode. If you are a fan of the Twins minor league system, it is a must-watch series to follow. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: morrishall.jpg For the first time since 1996, the Baseball Writers' Association of America did not select anyone to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This was the eighth time that no one was selected by the writers but most onlookers could see this coming. The influx of suspected steroid users on the ballot makes it tough to judge players and there has been plenty of debate surrounding who should be elected in the coming years. Craig Biggio was the closest person to getting 75% of the vote needed to be enshrined but he only mustered 68.2% in his first year on the ballot. Twins World Series hero Jack Morris came in second with 67.7% of the vote in his 14th year on the ballot. Rounding out the rest of the top five were Jeff Bagwell (59.6%), Mike Piazza (57.8%), and Tim Raines (52.2%).[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In my ballot that I released last week, I hoped that Biggio and Bagwell would comprise the Class of 2013. I knew this was a long shot but it seemed fitting for two of the former "Killer B's" from the Astros. With so many other worthy candidates, I had a full ballot of 10 players but I divided them into different categories. Those categories included: "Future Inductions," "May Never Get In (But Still On My Ballot)," and the "Under-Appreciated Duo." Check out the entire piece to see the reasons I gave for each selection. For Morris, it was discouraging to see that he only made a small jump in the voting. In the 2012 voting, he finished in second place with 66.7% of the vote and it was looking like he could make the jump needed to get to 75%. His 1% increase this year doesn't bode well for the 57-year old former pitcher that will be on the ballot for one last time in 2013. As more players from the steroids era enter the ballot, the numbers for Morris look more likely that they won't stack up to the competition. The clock is ticking for Jack Morris since there will be some very strong first time candidates on next year's ballot. Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and Frank Thomas will all have strong cases to be elected in their first time on the ballot. There will also be some strong returning candidates like Biggio, Bagwell, and Piazza. Morris will get one more chance but the odds are not exactly looking like they will be in his favor when it comes to election time next January. When compared to Glavine and Maddux, Morris doesn't seem to stand a chance on the 2014 ballot. Maddux has a career WAR of 101.6 and this should make him almost a lock to be a first ballot selection. Glavine has a very good 76.8 WAR, which isn't as high as Maddux but it is still very good. Morris is much further down the list with a 39.3 WAR and that would rank sixth among pitchers on next year's ballot. There are plenty of people on both sides of the debate surrounding Morris. Some writers have loudly pushed for Morris to get in as he runs out of years on the ballot. Other's have compared Morris to other top pitchers and his numbers don't exactly stand out above the crowd. With one year left, the voices against Morris seem to be bringing down any momentum that he had building in the last couple of years. Twins fans saw Bert Blyleven get elected in his 14th year of eligibility so there were some that thought this might be the year for Morris. Blyleven had much better numbers for his career and his induction should have come much sooner than it did. The extra years on the ballot helped to build the narrative in favor of Blyleven. The problem for Morris has been the fact that the narrative has been building as much against him as it has been for him. Morris pitched one of the biggest games in World Series history and he happened to be wearing a Twins uniform when he did it. On my ballot, I voted for Morris because of the nostalgia involved with Game 7 from 1991. He was the last addition to my ballot so if I had to remove one player it would have probably been him. Does this mean that he probably doesn't deserve to be in the Hall? Most likely... Click here to view the article

The Twins seemed to be sitting pretty on Tuesday evening after a couple of long balls from Josh Willingham and a very solid start from Cole DeVries. The bullpen took over in the seventh inning and the White Sox decided to put on a slugfest for the rest of the game. During the explosion by the bullpen in the final two innings, the Twins offense failed to score any more runs and the game ended with a final score of 11-4, an ugly blowout loss at the hands of the White Sox. Tomorrow afternoon, the Twins will try and salvage one game out of the series before heading home for six-games against Central Division foes. Nick Blackburn will take the mound to face off against Jake Peavy. But before we turn our heads to tomorrow, let's look at what happened today across the farm system for the Twins.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 1, SYRACUSE 6 After scoring a run in the first inning, the Red Wings were shutout the rest of the way by the Chiefs pitching staff. It was the third loss in a row for Rochester after going 14-5 to start the month of July. Syracuse seems to have Rochester's number in recent games by beating the Red Wings in eight consecutive games, their longest current losing streak against any opponent in the International League. Brian Dinkelman, the lead-off hitter, started the game with a bang by knocking out his third home run of the season. He was also the only member of the Red Wings to manage more than one hit in the game with his double later in the game. In his last four games, Dinkelman is 8-for-14 (.571) with three doubles, a triple, and a home run. Danny Valencia hit his 16th double of the season but was left on base. After a brief trip back to the big leagues, Chris Parmelee returned to Rochester and went 1-for-3 with a walk. Shairon Martis made his second start since being called up from New Britain and it was his first quality start even though he got the loss. Over the course of six innings, he gave up three earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Bobby Lanigan gave up multiple runs for the first time in his last ten games with the Red Wings. All of the runs off of Lanigan came on a three-run home run in the seventh inning to turn a two run lead into a five run lead. NEW BRITAIN 3, BINGHAMTON 4 New Britain did their best to claw their way back against Binghamton but the Mets proved to be too much for the Rock Cats. There wasn't a single hitter in the Rock Cats line-up with more than one hit and New Britain still out hit Binghamton in the game. There were plenty of extra-base hits with Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, Joe Benson and Deibinson Romero all hitting doubles in the game with Benson driving in two runs during an eighth inning rally. In the end, there was not enough offense to get the victory for the Rock Cats. Blake Martin started the game and he was saddled with his fourth loss of the season after giving up three runs on three hits. It was his first loss since joining the rotation for the Rock Cats at the end of June. Marty Popham pitched over an inning of scoreless baseball by striking out two of the four batters that he faced. Jose Gonzalez gave up a run for the first time in his last three outings. It came on a home run off of the bat of Eric Campbell in the eighth inning. It was the second loss in a row for the Rock Cats but New Britain is 7-4 since July 16th. FORT MYERS 5, CHARLOTTE 6 The Miracle took a two-run lead into the bottom of the ninth inning but the Stone Crabs would not go away quietly. Michael Tonkin surrendered a single with two outs that pushed two runs across the plate to tie the game and send the contest to extra innings. An error by Levi Michael in the bottom of the 11th allowed a runner to reach base and the next batter smacked a double to make Charlotte the victors on this evening. From reports out of Fort Myers, it was a weird play in which the runner fell down twice on his way around third and he still managed to score. There were some positives for the Miracle with Angel Morales hitting a two-run home run that stretched the Miracle lead to 5-2 at the time. Kyle Knudson, Lance Ray, and Anderson Hidalgo all had two hits in the game with Knudson hitting his eighth double of the season. The top of the order had a rough night with the first two batters, Jonathan Goncalves and Levi Michael, combining to go 0-for-10 with two strikeouts. Matt Summers was solid for the Miracle even though he was given a no decision. He pitched five innings and gave up two runs on five hits. Michael Tonkin gets the blown save for giving up the lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. The loss was charged to Ricky Bowen even though the lone run that he gave up was unearned. BELOIT (OFF DAY) A night after three Snappers pitchers combined to throw a seven hit shutout on Monday night, the team enjoyed an off day on Tuesday. The Snappers are playing .500 baseball in their last six games and now they hit the road for a stretch of six games away from home. Miguel Sano has gone hitless in his last four games to see his batting average drop to .240 for the season. This came on the heels of six games where he went 7-for-18 with two home runs, six RBI and six runs scored. At the beginning of the season, it looked like Sano was destined for Fort Myers by the middle of the season but he continues to need to work on his consistency. ELIZABETHTON 12, KINGSPORT 5 Two three-run home runs helped to separate the E-Twins from the Mets. DJ Hicks hit one three-run shot in the first inning to put the Twins on top and Max Kepler hit his own three-run homer in the next frame. Jorge Polanco had a couple of hits and two RBI out of the nine spot in the batting order. By the end of the third inning, the Twins were up 10-0 and it seemed like the game was all wrapped up at that point. Even with the blowout loss, the E-Twins had to use seven different pitchers during the course of the game. Kaleb Merck got his second victory of the year by throwing two innings and allowing one run on a single hit. Travis Huber got hit hard in the final inning by allowing three runs on four hits. The team had to bring in Tyler Herr to get the last out of the game after Huber struggled during his time on the mound. GCL TWINS 6, GCL ORIOLES 1 (7 innings) In his second game since returning from the DL, Byron Buxton hit his second extra-base hit in as many days. He went 1-for-3 in the game with his second double of the season to raise his batting average to .258 in his last ten games. It is good to see Buxton finding his swing after missing almost two weeks with a hamstring injury. Joel Licon and Zach Larson each had two hits to pace the GCL Twins. Jose Ramirez managed to get two RBI without recording a hit. Kyle Gibson made his fifth start since coming back from Tommy John surgery and he didn't give up a run for the second start in a row. His two innings on the mound were perfect and he struck out two of the six batters that he faced. Gonzalo Sanudo picked up his first professional win by throwing three innings and giving up one run on four hits. He pitched last season in the GCL but never earned a victory so congratulations are in order for Mr. Sanudo. GCL TWINS 5, GCL ORIOLES 4 (7 innings) While the other game on this day was a little one sided, this game was much more of a nail biter with the GCL Twins squeaking out the win. Luke Bard, the 2012 Draft pick, made his first start as a professional and he lasted two innings by giving up one run on one hit with two strikeouts. The back and forth contest meant that Markus Solbach was the pitcher of record when the Twins took the lead for good. It was his second victory of the season for the native of Germany. Trent Higginbotham earned his first save for the 2012 year by throwing the last two innings and only giving up a single run. The offense of the GCL Twins was lead by a pair of 2-run home runs from Bryan Haar and Javier Pimentel. For both players, it was their first home run of the season. Kelvin Ortiz had a perfect day at the plate by going 3-for-3 with three singles spread out across the game. Byron Buxton didn't play in this game as the team tries to slowly bring him back from his injury. --- Players of the Day for July 24, 2012 Pitcher of the Day- Matthew Summers (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BL_KYZGsmoU/UA9jlrPf4cI/AAAAAAAAC_4/ywPS3Ei8H_8/s320/MatthewSummers.JPG Hitter of the Day- DJ Hicks (3-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hFhY4r70kXc/UA9j66S-ykI/AAAAAAAADAA/PTCryrVjMLE/s200/DJHicks.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, July 25th Schedule Rochester vs Syracuse- RHP Esmerling Vasquez New Britain vs Binghamton- RHP BJ Hermsen Fort Myers @ Charlotte- RHP Matthew Hauser Beloit @ Burlington- LHP David Hurlbut GCL Twins @ GCL Rays- TBA --- If you have any questions or comments on the minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will certainly answer them. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: andre_hemer_hyper_links_web.jpg It wasn't the best week for the Minnesota Twins as the team lost the rubber game of their three game set with the Orioles on Sunday. This was followed by losing two out of three games to the dreaded White Sox. Now Boston's in town for a three game series but don't forget to check out some of the top baseball news from the last week. Byron Buxton smashed a walk-off grand slam and his teammates even let him get all the way around the bases! (The Kernels didn't do this on a walk-off a couple weeks ago.)[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Is there a connection between pitching to contact and the runs a team scores? Tom Brunansky is starting to get a feel for his new job. It also helps to have one of the best hitters in the game for the players to watch every day. With his performance earlier this week, there certainly has to be hope for Hicks. Some might even call it "The Aaron Hicks Game."Sometimes it helps to have 20/20 hindsight when it comes to free agent pitching. In the heart of the Twins offense, there has been a strong core this year. Chris Colabello took a different path but he certainly is making some noise this season. Sickels also wrote some prospect notes on a recent trip to see Cedar Rapids. Harrison and Walker were the subject of one post while Goodrum and Polanco headlined the other. Sports Illustrated's Fortunate 50 list came outand Joe Mauer ranks 20th. More top prospects are playing up the middle positions and this has cut back on production with first basemen at the big league level. Joe Mauer took over the active leader board for career batting average. Take that Pujols and Ichiro! Twins minor leaguer and Minnesota native Nate Hanson picked baseball over hockey. The offense has been great for Fort Myers but the pitching is helping the team to win games. There have been plenty of mock drafts posted in recent days and there starting to be a consensus for the Twins with the fourth pick: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo: #4 Sean Manaea Baseball America: #4 Kohl Stewart ESPN's Keith Law: #4 Kohl Stewart Minor League Ball's John Sickels: #4 Kohl Stewart Here are some interesting notes on how players fared in games when their bobblehead was given out. Torii Hunter has changed his approach and the results have been very good for the veteran. The Marlins believe new manager Mike Redmond has their back (even if their team isn't very good) This deployed dad sure made a memorable return home. Mariners shortstops are hitting worse than pitchers so far this year. A campaign has started to push Mariano Rivera to start this year's All-Star Game. Apparently, they want to "Start Mo." Rawlings is changing some of the standards when it comes to baseball helmets. Have you ever wondered what Yankee Stadium would look like if it was made out of match sticks? A player in Korea celebrated a knock like it was a home run... then the outfielder caught it on the warning track.My Weekly Rundown Saturday: Talk to Contact: Episode 37Monday: Mauer's hot streaks and chasing doubles Tuesday: Are the Twins a .500 club? Wednesday: Contemplating Cole De Vries Twins Minor League Report (5/15): Colabello CrushesVideo of the Week: As mentioned multiple times in this post, Aaron Hicks put together quite the effort earlier this week. In one game, he hit two home runs and he took a home run away from Adam Dunn. Like Puckett, Hunter, Span, and Revere before him, Hicks can scale the wall and bring one back into the park. Check out the smile on his face when he shows off the ball he caught. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Joe+Mauer+Minnesota+Twins.jpg It has been a season of streaks so far this year for Joe Mauer. Things started well in the first couple weeks of the season. Through 14 games, he was hitting .393/.439/.574 with two home runs and five doubles. His batting average was high, he was hitting the ball out of the park and the Minnesota Twins were surprising the experts with their .500 record. Over the next twelve games things were not quite so pretty for Mr. Mauer. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]His batting line over these dozen games was .136/.269/.159, with only one extra-base hit and 12 strikeouts. He almost seemed lost at the plate and the team suffered because of his streak. Minnesota went 5-7 over these games before Mauer finally snapped out of his cold spell. The friendly confines of Fenway Park were a welcome sight to Mauer. He put on an offensive clinic in Boston and he was back to being on another hot streak. Over the last seven games, Mauer has hit 533/.600/.833 with nine doubles and 10 runs scored. The Twins have also improved during this stretch going 4-3 to push the team back near the .500 mark. Even with a cold streak, Mauer sees himself near the top of the leader board in multiple categories. He ranks second in all baseball with 15 doubles; Mike Napoli is only two ahead of him. His on-base percentage is good enough for 8th in baseball and ranks 6th best in the American League. Since Mauer has already won multiple batting titles, the race for the batting crown could be a fun one to watch. Mauer's recent hot streak has him near the top of the leader board. After Sunday's two-hit effort, Mauer has a .341 batting average. This places him behind Miguel Cabrera (.379) and James Loney (.376). Cabrera is the defending batting champ so he will probably stay near the top of this list for most of the season. Loney has never hit higher than .289 in a complete season and he is a career .285 hitter. There is a good chance Loney won't be able to keep this pace for the entire campaign. Other important metrics have him highly ranked. Of the position players in baseball, he has the 10th best WAR. There are a number of National League players near the top of this list so Mauer is good enough for 5th on the AL list of WAR. Many fans will be happy with the increase in power from Mauer this season. His career record for doubles is 43 in his MVP season of 2010. With 15 doubles in 33 games this year, he is well on his way to breaking that record. His personal home run record of 28 looks safe unless he goes on a weird batting streak during the rest of the season. With the weather starting to warm up, it will be interesting to see if some of his long doubles end up turning into home runs. Target Field has never been a great place to showcase Mauer's home run power but some of the team's road trips could allow for this to happen. The MLB record for doubles in a season is 67 (currently held by Earl Webb) and Mauer has a chance to break that mark if he continues on his current pace. Mauer is one of the best hitters in the game of baseball. In a season that is 162 games long there are going to be hot and cold streaks for any hitter. At the end of the year Mauer will be near the top of the leader board in batting average and on-base percentage. He has been an on-base machine when he has been healthy in his baseball career. If there are more hot hitting streaks than cold streaks during the rest of the season the MLB record for doubles could fall. It might not be the most important record in the world but it could something fun to follow for the rest of the summer. Watch out Mr. Webb, Mauer is coming for you! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: eddierosario.jpg With a variety of top prospect list coming out at this time of year, there is plenty of talk about the high-ranking prospects in the Twins farm system. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton could be on their way to multiple All-Star appearances. Alex Meyer and Kyle Gibson could make up the starting rotation of the future. The Twins have some talent at the top of their farm system and this makes the next couple years of development very important. Some of these younger players will be working through their most important years in the minor leagues before they make their debut. An injury or poor play could see their stock fall exponentially. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Plenty of the big name prospects for the Twins haven't made an appearance above the Single-A level. Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, and Alex Meyer are just a few of the players that will be trying to get to Double-A at some point in 2013. When it comes to minor league players, the Twins tend to take a conservative approach to moving players from one level to the next. The team doesn't want to rush players before they find success at their current level. This can help their confidence for the future and it can hurt their development if they are rushed. One player that could be a fast riser in the next couple of years is Eddie Rosario. He is considered a top 10 prospect in the organization but he has some attributes that could make it easier for him to rise to the top. Last season, the 20-year old spent the entire year in Beloit. This could be the year for him to jump multiple levels. Rosario was a fourth round pick by the Twins back in 2010. He signed quickly and got into over 50 games that year with the GCL Twins. He showed the ability to hit for average and mix in some power. These were great signs from an 18-year old but the best was yet to come. The 2011 season was amazing for Rosario. He had a stretch of baseball to finish the year that was eye-popping. As I wrote in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, "Rosario went on a hitting hot streak for the ages to help lead the E-Twins to the playoffs. During the team’s last 17 games, he hit 10 home runs to go along with four triples, a double, and an eye-popping .477 batting average." 
His swing is very advanced for the level he is at in the minor leagues. Rosario's quick wrist allow him to power the ball to all fields and this could help him get to the top faster than his peers. For his career in the minor leagues, he is .310/.362/.538 hitter. The only thing holding him back at this point might be the Twins decision to move him to second base. He was a fine defender in center field but the team has a surplus of other prospects at that position. It seems like the Twins always need middle infield help. If he can continue his strong offensive showing and play adequate defense, he could be well on his way to Target Field. Another item helping Rosario in his development is his inclusion on Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic. He gets to spend the first few weeks of spring training in big league camp. This gives some of the coaches and front office personnel a closer look at him. His performance has been very good so it will be interesting to see how he does in the WBC. For the coming year, Rosario will likely start the year in Fort Myers but this shouldn't be his only stopping point in 2013. Getting to New Britain should not be out of the question for Rosario and he could even go as far as Rochester. Either way, Rosario should be knocking on the door to the big leagues by season’s end... Click here to view the article

It has been quite the wild ride for Mr. Caleb J. Thielbar on his way to the major leagues. The 26-year-old left-hander was called-up by the Minnesota Twins on Monday after the team demoted fifth starter Pedro Hernandez. Thielbar is not a starter so the team will need to make another roster move before Friday's game to fill out the rotation. Options for this spot include Kyle Gibson, Sam Deduno, and PJ Walters. Thielbar was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB draft. The Minnesota native went to college at South Dakota State University. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]He spent the first two years of his professional career in the lower levels of the Brewers’ system. During his first season, in rookie ball, he posted a 6-1 record with a 1.53 ERA. Most of his appearances were out of the bullpen as he was asked to make only two starts. Over 48 innings, he struck out 48 and walked eight. These were the types of numbers that one would expect from a college-aged pitcher in rookie ball. In 2010, Thielbar found a few more bumps in the road as he tried to make his mark in the minors. He played nine games at rookie ball and his ERA jumped to 3.68 over 14.2 innings. His time in low-A produced even worse numbers. Over 30 games, he had a 5.60 ERA and a 1.491 WHIP. He struck out 43 and walked 14 over 53.0 innings. The Brewers cut ties with him and it was time for Thielbar to make some changes-more on this later- and head to independent baseball. Thielbar would find a new team to latch on with for 2011. The St. Paul Saints were looking to add depth to their bullpen and Thielbar seemed to fit the job description. He went on to pitch 49.2 innings for the Saints with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.128 WHIP. He had a very decent strike out to walk rate as he struck out 62 and walked 15. The Minnesota Twins took notice of Thielbar's numbers and he signed a deal with the club. Since it was so late in the year, he was limited to three appearances with the Fort Myers Miracle. It was enough to earn his first win as a member of the Twins' organization. He didn't allow a single run and he gave up one hit in 7.1 innings. Last season was a whirlwind for Thielbar. He pitched very effectively at three different levels in the Twins' system. On a return trip to the Florida State League, he pitched 12.1 innings with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.486 WHIP. The next stop was New Britain where he threw 25.0 innings with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.840 WHIP. Rochester was his final stop and he threw 40.1 innings with a 3.57 ERA and a 1.438 WHIP. Minnesota wanted to see more out of Thielbar so he was sent to the Arizona Fall League this past year. He had pitched close to 80 innings in the minors so he had tired by the time the AFL started. Over 13 innings, he posted an 11.08 ERA. He gave up 21 hits, walked eight, and struck out 12. There was enough there for the Twins to add him to their 40-man roster. To start the 2013 season, Theilbar was sent back to Rochester. He was 1-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 17 relief appearances at Triple-A. In 26.1 innings, he struck out 34 and walked eight while holding lefties to a .159 batting average. Since his primary responsibility with the MLB club should be to get out lefties, he seems to be up to this task. Over his last eight appearances with the Red Wings, he has not allowed a run. In those 11.1 innings, he struck out 15 and limited his walks to five. Things seemed to be clicking on all cylinders for him and the time was right to have him join the Twins roster. According to the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, (which you can still order here for a discounted price): "When Thielbar was pitching in the Brewers system, he threw a fastball in the mid-80s. After being released, he completely reworked his mechanics and got himself in much better shape. In 2012, he was hitting 92 mph. He has very good control of his curveball, and also throws a change-up. Some compare his delivery to that of fellow-Minnesota left-handed reliever Glen Perkins." One of the strengths of the Twins has been their bullpen and Thielbar can be another important piece of the puzzle. It looks like he is ready for the big leagues and this move to the Twins will complete quite the journey. Click here to view the article

Original Post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It felt good to get back to a full week of Twins coverage here at NoDak Twins Fan and after my vacation in Arizona it was great to get caught up on all of the happenings across Twins Territory. We are only a few short weeks away from baseball being played under the sun at Target Field. It will be a welcome sight to see the hometown nine take the field for the first time and for the memories of an awful 2011 to go away. The NFL continues to get all of the major headlines in the sports world but for fans of baseball there continues to be a ton of content to peruse through on a weekly basis. Here are a handful of the stories that I enjoyed from the last week with some fun stuff sprinkled in for a little spice.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Twins Fan From Afar took a look at the Twins surplus of center fielders and which ones might be expendable in a trade. He even got a link on ESPN's Sweet Spot Blog.One of the biggest Twins stories of the week was the demotion of Tsuyoshi Nishioka to Triple-A.The NFL has the "Bounty-Gate" situation taking all the headlines and Seth Stohs wonders what the equivalent would be for MLB.Nick at Top of the First worked on some Twins roster analysis by examining the outfield situation.A Twins fan will be heading to NYC as part of the MLB Fan Cave. Lindsay Guentzel explained everything she went through to win the spot and thanked everyone who helped her.Baseball Reference released their Negro League database that covers 1903-1948. This is an awesome resource for an fan of the game.Forbes magazine ranked the Twins as the 14th most valuable franchise among MLB teams. The Houston Astros are one better so that's not a positive sign.It looks like former Twins shortstop JJ Hardy went skipping through the woods in his attempt to catch this ball.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I1BaW-FLXL8/T2vnNslI2LI/AAAAAAAABJQ/Z40QQ2I8vf4/s320/hardyskipping.jpg ESPN's SweetSpot Blog has been doing their "Over/Under" series in recent weeks and the good news is 65% of America thinks the Twins will win over 74 games.The Twins Armchair GM thinks the current crop of Twins players missed their World Series window but the next window could be right around the corner.With Nishioka being sent to Rochester, is there new life for Brian Dozier? Andrew at Off the Mark tackles this question.If you believe all of the rumors floating around at the trade deadline, Drew Storen almost became a Twin. He has a personalized Batmobile so that's pretty sweet.The Twins had the second pick in the Rule 5 Draft but Terry Doyle, the player they picked, was sent back to the White Sox this week. So much for that investment...Apparently I got out of Arizona right in the nick of time...On a more serious note, the Twins released six minor leaguers with a couple of surprises. It is part of the game but it is tough for guys that make their living playing baseball.My Weekly Rundown Monday: Grapefruit League could learn from Cactus LeagueTuesday: Seeing Lincecum made me miss having an aceWednesday: Should Butera follow Nishioka to Rochester?Thursday: Rosario's infield transition continuesVideo of the Week: The Twins have another Mauer who plays a prominent role in the organization as the manager of the Fort Myers Miracle. Jake Mauer joined Brice Zimmerman to talk about the spring training experience for fans and the players with a focus on the minor leagues. Click here to view the article

2012 has come and gone and there were plenty of story lines that comprised the year that was for the Minnesota Twins. After a decade of winning baseball, the Twins have suffered through back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2000. Minnesota has been the worst team in the American League for two seasons but there were still some signs of life from the hometown nine. Willingham's monster year: Last offseason the Twins had a choice to make when it came to free agent outfielders. Michael Cuddyer had been with the team since he was drafted and he had become a fan favorite but it was time to go in another direction. Josh Willingham became the man for the job and to say it was quite the year for the burly outfielder would be an understatement.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Josh+Willingham+Joe+Mauer.jpg The 35-year old had career highs in home runs, slugging percentage, runs, and he crossed the 100 RBI mark for the first time in his career. On a team that didn't manage many victories, Willingham provided multiple walk-off hits. He was awarded a Silver Slugger Award at the end of the season after being one of the best offensive players in the American League. Mauer back and healthy: 2011 was a nightmare year for the Twins on many different fronts but Joe Mauer being sidelined for most of the season was tough for a lot of fans to take. It didn't help that he was in the first year of the biggest contract in team history. Some changes had to be made to keep Mauer on the field but those changes led to a rebirth for the star catcher. Mauer appeared in a career high 147 games and he was back to his old offensive ways. He fought for the American League batting title for most of the season and he ended up leading the league in on-base percentage. The Twin Cities native son was elected to his fifth All-Star Game and it looks like he will be back to his old ways for years to come. Hicks, Arcia emerge at Double-A: The Twins have been waiting for this type of season from Aaron Hicks since they drafted him in the first round. Oswaldo Arcia had been looking for a healthy season after sitting on the sidelines for parts of 2011. Both of these players would emerge with terrific seasons in the minor leagues. Hicks knocked double digits in home runs for the first time in his career and he also set the New Britain record for triples in a season. He was a threat on the bases by swiping 32 bases in 43 attempts. Arcia spent half the year at High-A but he got better when he was promoted to Double-A. As he had shown in the past, he is able to combine a powerful swing with the ability to hit for a high average. These two top prospects could be appearing at Target Field as early as next season. Winds of change hit coaching staff: At the end of the season, something needed to be done to shake up a team that had finished as one of the worst teams in baseball for the second year in a row. Jerry White, Rick Stelmaszek, and Steve Liddle were let go by the club. These were the biggest changes in the coaching staff since Ron Gardenhire took over as manager in 2001. Tom Brunansky, Bobby Cuellar, and Terry Steinbach were named to the coaching staff. Brunansky and and Cuellar served in similar roles at Rochester and Steinbach has been a spring training instructor with the club. These men will be in charge of trying to turn the franchise around in the next couple of seasons. There will be some young players moving to the major leagues as the franchise tries to return to their winning ways. Span, Revere traded away: There was a simple equation for the Twins when it came to the offseason. The front office needed to add pitching and there was a surplus of outfielders in the organization. This meant that Denard Span and Ben Revere would find themselves on different rosters and the Twins would gain some young pitching to add to a system that desperately needed a shot in the arm. After a couple years of trade speculation, Span was sent to the Nationals organization for top pitching prospect Alex Meyer. The flame throwing young pitcher has only pitched in the lower levels of the minors but he has huge upside. One week later, the Twins sent Revere to the Phillies for right-handed pitcher Vance Worley and pitching prospect Trevor May. These moves are meant to improve the Twins and the future looks brighter Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since the last time you joined me for an edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks," the Twins have only one one game and that was on last Friday. It has been a rough week for Twins fans as the team looked to get back on track against the struggling Red Sox. This didn't happen but the one consolation prize is the fact that the Royals come to town this weekend and they have their own share of problems to deal with this season. Hopefully this means the Twins can come out of the weekend with a series win before they head on the road again for a West Coast swing through Los Angeles and Seattle. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Last weekend a former Twins player, Phil Humber, threw the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. Humber was part of the Johan Santana trade but struggled at the Triple-A level and never made it past Rochester with the Twins. Overall, he spent six seasons in the minor leagues before the White Sox gave him a chance to be a starter. In only his 30 career starts, he was perfect with 27 batters faced and 27 outs recorded on the mound. As much as I don't like the White Sox, the transformation that this top draft pick has made is great to see from any player. Josh Willingham's wife having a baby, I "adopted" a prospect from the Twins farm system, and plenty more stories are all included in this weeks edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." Have a great weekend and enjoy! One of the highlights of the week over at TwinsDaily was the introduction of the "Adopt-A-Prospect" series for the site. I was lucky enough to get top pitching prospect Adrian Salcedo but there are plenty of other players to check out.The MLB Draft is fast approaching in June and Seth Stohs wants to know if taking a college pitcher is the right approach for the Twins.It's only the end of the first month of the season and the writers at Puckett's Pond want to know if it is too early to bump Miguel Sano up to Ft. Myers.Twins fans seem to have a lot to complain about but Twins Fan From Afar is sick of hearing three complaints from the fan base.Lindsay Guentzel is trying to survive the first MLB Fan Cave elimination and she needs your help to stay in NYC.Joe Mauer has appeared in every game for the Twins this year and Nick Nelson thinks Mr. Mauer is might be making a statement.Bobby Valentine needs to find a different way research his opponents because he apparently doesn't know how to use his phone.There have been some great nicknames in the history of baseball.Danny Valencia is off to a slow start at the plate and Parker Hageman thinks Valencia might have lost some of his swagger.Here's a contract strategy the Twins could use. Sign them young.Josh Willingham's family welcomed a new edition this week and this great photo started to speed around the internet.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7_JZ7BG_ePE/T5oKeUg08TI/AAAAAAAABN8/i5ymdnQKm6c/s320/WillinghamBaby.jpg John Sickels from Minor League Ball put together his April Edition of the 2012 MLB Mock Draft. Who will the Twins take at number 2?Jim Thome has survived so far with having to play first base since he is back in the National League.Luke Hughes found a new team this week but he has run into a few snags in the fielding department.The off-day for the Twins on Thursday felt good and Brandon Warne offered up some ways to fix the Twins.Twins pitchers and catchers held a 20-minute closed door meeting after being swept by the Red Sox. Hopefully this can improve some of the results on the field.Former Twins player Shane Mack is auctioning off some unique items from his baseball career.Finally, a great read about New Britain's Chris Colabello and his amazing path to the Rock Cats.My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Where will Liriano fit into the bullpen?Tuesday: Adopt-A-Prospect Introduction: Adrian SalcedoWednesday: Duensing ramping up his velocity in the 'penThursday: Attendance starting to dwindle at Target FieldVideo of the Week: There have been some crazy batting stances in the history of baseball but this college player might have found one of the most unique positions in the box. His name is Alex Buccilli and he is the DH for Coastal Carolina. Even the Batting Stance Guy has gotten in on the action. Click here to view the article

After ending their 10 game losing streak on Saturday, the Twins couldn't make it two wins in a row. The Tigers offense pounced on Mike Pelfrey for five runs on five hits in less than six innings of work. The offense didn't help him out much with three hits and a single run. There were a few different story lines to follow in the minors so let's see what went down![PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Rochester Red Wings 2, Charlotte Knights 3 Box Score Rochester collected only four hits in the game but the team was able to keep it close against Charlotte. The Knights got on the scoreboard first with three singles in the top of the fourth. This lead didn't last long as the Red Wings scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to regain the lead. The first three Wings' batters in the fifth inning reached on a pair of walks and a single, loading the bases for Oswaldo Arcia. He struck out for the first out in the frame before Deibinson Romero singled to plate a couple of runs. The Red Wings held the lead until the top of the eighth inning when Aaron Thompson came in, making his second appearance since being called up to Rochester. He gave up a couple singles and a double in the frame as the Knights grabbed back the lead. Thompson saw his 17.1-inning scoreless streak in New Britain and Rochester snapped. Romero was the lone Red Wings hitter with a multi-hit game. He went 2-for-4 with his first two hits of the season at Triple-A. He had gone 0-11 since being called up from New Britain. Clete Thomas and Eric Farris had a hit apiece. Virgil Vasquez started the game and pitched five strong innings. He allowed one run on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Shairon Martis earned his first hold of the year, throwing two scoreless innings. Anthony Slama made his first appearance since April 22nd and worked a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts. Arcia left Sunday's game with an injury to his right (throwing) shoulder. He made a strong throw to the plate and was removed at the end of the inning. According to some reports, he has been bothered by a shoulder injury since spring training. Rochester is 10 games under .500 but the club has gone 5-5 in their last ten games. Tomorrow the Red Wings continue their homestand with the first of four games against Lehigh Valley. New Britain Rock Cats 11, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4 Box Score For the first time since May 6th, the Rock Cats scored double digit runs. The win also helped to ensure at least a split of their series with New Hampshire. New Britain will try to earn a series win when the teams meet Monday afternoon. Trevor May got the nod on the mound and pitched five innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks. May has won three of his last four starts and has lowered his ERA to 3.88. Bobby Lanigan tossed two scoreless innings of relief to close out the game. Dan Rohlfing went 3-for-3 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored. He hit his seventh double of the year. Nate Hanson had a couple RBI of his own and his first triple. Danny Santana, James Beresford, and Josmil Pinto all had two hits. With the win, New Britain is only two games under .500. The club will finish their series with New Hampshire on Monday before heading home for a six game homestand. Fort Myers Miracle 2, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4 Box Score The Stone Crabs jumped out to an early lead a with run in the top of the first inning. They added to their lead with another couple runs in the third. Miguel Sano had his 11th error of the year at third base. His error allowed an extra run to score in the third. It took until the bottom of the fifth for the Miracle to get on the board. Jonathan Murphy hit his first home run this season. Kennys Vargas had two hits including his 13th double. Stephen Wickens tried to get a rally started in the eighth with a double but the rest of the team didn't follow suit. Tom Stuifbergen took the loss but he did a decent job on the mound. He gave the bullpen a break by throwing eight innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits. He didn't record a strikeout, nor did he walk anyone. It was the first time this season that he made it through eight innings. Fort Myers will enjoy an off-day on Memorial Day before starting a three-game series with the Bradenton Marauders. Cedar Rapids Kernels --, Burlington Bees -- (Postponed) The Kernels game against the Bees was rained out. The game will be made up as a special Memorial Day doubleheader beginning at 2:00 pm. Both games are scheduled to be seven innings. Cedar Rapids is in the midst of a four game losing streak and is in danger of falling out of first place in the Western Division of the Midwest League. The Beloit Snappers are sneaking up behind the Kernels in the standings. Following tomorrow's doubleheader, the club continues their homestand with a three game series versus the Clinton LumberKings. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Twins_Minnesota_Links_Oth_526.jpg After some miserable baseball in Twins Territory, this week wasn't so bad for the hometown nine. It helps to play the lowly Brewers. It was also nice to see the team pound out a bunch of home runs against former Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse. The latest edition of "Weekly Links-N-Thinks" are similar to the Minnesota Twins. You'll laugh. You'll cry. It's the best of times. It's the worst of times. Before the draft is a great time to look at what the Twins already have in the farm system.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Alex Meyer is missing high and that's not a good thing. Advanced stats are part of the game and it was interesting to hear how Cory Provus uses them in the Twins radio booth.There have been some struggles for Chris Parmelee and his time might be running out. A possible future member of the Twins rotation is serving as the Kernels stopper this year. With the draft approaching, it's always fun to look back on previous years. Here is a look back at the 2006 draft.This is one of the most important posts about Target Field EVER written. So far this year, there have been plenty of underachievers in the Twins line-up. It has been quite an interesting year for the Twins starting rotation and it could get even more intriguing as the year goes on. Did the Twins already lose the Worley-Revere trade? Bryon Buxton jumped all the way to the number two prospect in baseball for ESPN.com These two relief arms look to be headed to Target Field at some point. Greg Gagne went through a lot in his baseball career. Chris Colabello had a rookie mistake when he wore the wrong uniform in Milwaukee. Jason Giambi isn't fast so his attempt to steal third base was pretty funny. Minnesota's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year was named and he is from the school I worked at the last couple of years. "Casey at the Bat" was published 125 years ago this week. Brewers Manager Ron Roenicke has an interesting connection to one Twins player. You know you missed this beautiful swing in the Twins line-up this season. Skunk on the Field!!! Here's the last time each team drafted an All-Star. If you thought Joe Mauer was the Twins' name on the list, you would be wrong. There is a shortage of redheads in baseball. The Pirates have a new addition to their clubhouse. It's time for the Twins bullpen to have a cool nickname. Trevor Bauer gave the Cleveland Indians a terrible anthem for their season. One of the best sports physicians in the world, Dr. Lewis Yocum, passed away earlier this week. He was the man that performed Francisco Liriano's Tommy John surgery.My Weekly Rundown Saturday: Talk to Contact: Episode 39Sunday: Twins Minor League Report (5/26): Arcia Hurt Tuesday: The Many Sides of Carlos Gomez Twins MLB Draft Profile: Brandon Shipley, RHP Wednesday: Twins Minor League Report (5/29): Rochester ComebacksVideo of the Week: I love old baseball things so this video of Walter Johnson's throwing motion was something I had to share. Ty Cobb once said that Johnson's fastball "hissed with danger." It might be tough to tell if the ball is hissing in this video but is still cool to see him on the mound. These are some must watch clips for every type of baseball fan. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Mauer_Vote_Joe 600-434.jpg Down the stretch they come! Well, at least as far as voting for the 2013 MLB All-Star Game in New York City. There is some debate over who should make the club. Some voters like to pick the players that have had the best first half of a season in 2013. Others look at the last calendar year and try picking the roster based on those performances. Today I break down the American League roster. There are some tough decisions at a couple positions but there are some ways to break the ties. Take a look at my picks and leave a comment with your roster.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins Other Candidates: Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians; Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles One of the easiest picks in the AL might be the man behind the plate. Mauer easily has the highest WAR among catchers this season and that also holds true for his WAR over the last calendar year. Santana might be the only other man who deserves a chance to start. He hits for a bit more power than Mauer but the nod should still go to the Twins backstop. Matt Wieters has been a solid player on a good team in the last year but his batting average is pretty low. First Base: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles Other Candidates: Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers; Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays It has been quite the first half of the year for Mr. Chris Davis. He is on pace to hit over 60 home runs and in the last calendar year he has the highest WAR among AL first basemen. Prince Fielder might be the better known name on the list and Albert Pujols could also be in consideration. Edwin Encarnacion might be a surprise player to consider but in the last 12 months he has a higher WAR than Fielder and he has hit 43 home runs. He is actually on the ballot as a DH but I will slide him into this spot since he has started 45 games there in 2013. Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees Other Candidates: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox; Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians This is a tough pick because Cano and Pedroia's values over the last calendar year have been almost identical. Cano hits for more power and Pedroia hits for a higher average. On the defensive side of the ball, Pedroia is probably better so some might consider him the front-runner. As Twins fans saw earlier this week, Cano can be a one-man wrecking crew in a sub-par Yankee line-up. With many of the other star hitters on the DL, Cano has compiled some great numbers in the first half and he should get the start in New York. Third Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers Other Candidates: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles; Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays There has been a lot of hype around Machado and his tremendous first half. Unfortunately, he plays the same position as the defending AL MVP and Cabrera is having another tremendous season at the plate. He might be the best hitter in all of baseball and he could be fighting for another Triple Crown if Chris Davis ever slows down. Machado might be the wave of the future at third base in the AL but he will have to wait to make his first All-Star game start. Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, Detroit Tigers Other Candidates: JJ Hardy, Baltimore Orioles; Jed Lowrie, Oakland Athletics Of all the positions in the American League, this might be the weakest. Hardy will probably win the fan voting and end up the starter. The Orioles fans have been very good to some of their candidates this season. Peralta and Hardy have compiled similar numbers over the last calendar year so it is a tough call. My vote goes to Peralta but it was another tough pick at a middle infield position. Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox Other Candidates: Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals; Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels DH is such a weird position because fans don't get to pick out a DH from the National League. This can be a benefit to the NL because the manager can just slide a good hitter into the role. As far as the AL goes, Ortiz might be locked into this spot until he retires. Last season, Butler had a good story with the game being played in Kansas City but he won't have the hometown crowd to back him in NYC. After the famous speech in Boston by Ortiz, all of Red Sox Nation has been out in force to vote for one of the leaders on their team. Outfielders: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics Other Candidates: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays; Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers; Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox Mike Trout is one of the easiest picks for this team. He had a tremendous season last year and he continues to put up solid numbers in his sophomore campaign. The list gets a little dicey after that. Adam Jones is going to get voted in by the fans and I am fine with that. He has become the face of the franchise for a Baltimore team that continues to surprise people in the AL East. Picking the last outfielder was the toughest spot for me on this AL squad. Bautista is having a bounce-back season, Hunter, with his aging body, continues to play well and Ellsbury, before injuries last year, was an MVP candidate. I picked Cespedes because he provides an interesting dynamic to the game. He appeals to the international audience even though his home country wouldn't be able to watch the game. Also, the A's have been near the top of their division and they deserve a starter. That wraps up my picks for the starting line-up. Who would make your team? Leave a COMMENT and start your discussion. Click here to view the article

For the first time in quite awhile, the Twins game was very enjoyable to watch on Friday night. Scott Diamond had his best pitching performance in his big league career by throwing a complete game shutout with only three hits surrendered. He was remarkably efficient by throwing less than 100 pitches during his nine innings on the mound. With some not so smooth outings in his last few appearances, it was good to see Diamond get a fantastic start under his belt and hopefully he can stay on track for the rest of the season. While Diamond was busy tossing a gem, the Twins offense blew up for 11 runs on the strength of 15 hits. Justin Morneau crushed a huge 3-run home run in the first inning to put the Twins up from the early going. Later in the game, Josh Willingham hit his team leading 26th home run of the season by sending one into the bullpen and he now has 76 RBI. Joe Mauer had two RBI and three hits to raise batting average to .332 for the year. ROCHESTER 1, SYRACUSE 2 There was just not enough offense for the Red Wings on Friday evening. Danny Valencia was noticeably absent from the line-up with his call-up to the Twins so this could have taken a little away from the offensive output. But most of the credit should go to Yunesky Maya for holding the Red Wings to a single run over eight innings pitched with the lone run being scored on a home run from Chris Parmelee. Besides the home run from Parmelee, there were no other hits for the Red Wings during the entire game so there is not much else to discuss from an offensive standpoint. Jeff Manship pitched a very good game for Rochester as he tossed six innings with a couple earned runs. It was his first loss since May 11th and it's not often that a pitcher expects to get a loss when they only give up two runs. Lester Oliveros did very well in his three innings on the mound. He pitched three innings while allowing a single hit and striking out six to lower his ERA to 3.04 for the season. Before the game, there were a few different roster moves including the Red Wings. RHP Deolis Guerra was reinstated from the 7-Day Disabled List and he was replaced on the DL by RHP Daniel Sattler. As many fans heard about on Thursday's off day, Anthony Swarzak had to make a trip to the DL so RHP Luis Perdomo was called up to Minnesota for the first time. To take the place of Perdomo with Rochester, RHP Daniel Turpen was transferred from Double-A New Britain. NEW BRITAIN 9, READING 10 The Rock Cats tried their best to comeback against the Phillies by scoring multiple runs in the last three innings but Reading had too much of a lead. There were five members of the Rock Cats to collect multiple hits in the game including 2-for-4 nights from Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni. Benson hit his second home run with New Britain and he knocked in three runs. Chris Herrmann matched the three RBI of Benson including his 22nd double of the season, the second most two-baggers on the team. Logan Darnell started for the Rock Cats and lasted five innings while giving up six earned runs on 10 hits. He didn't walk any batters but he only struck out one hitter and gave up two long balls for his eighth loss of the year. David Bromberg pitched a scoreless inning by striking out two of the four batters that he faced while on the mound. Edgar Ibarra got roughed up for the second straight outing by giving up three runs and only being credited for one out. FORT MYERS 6, BREVARD COUNTY 3 Madison Boer picked up his first win since July 1st and his fifth win of the year. He threw six innings by giving up eight hits and three earned runs. The two home runs that he allowed were basically harmless since the Miracle jumped on starter Taylor Jungmann of the Manatees for six runs in under four innings. Clint Dempster and AJ Achter threw three hitless innings to finish out the victory for Fort Myers. It was the second hold fro Dempster and the fourth save for Achter. Steven Liddle was appearing in his fourth game for Fort Myers but he didn't waste any time making his mark with the Miracle. On this day, he went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI to raise his batting average to .583 during his second trip to the FSL. Lance Ray and Daniel Santana each had three hits to their credit but Ray knocked in three RBI including his 11th home run of the year. The only other member of the Miracle to have a hit was Michael Gonzales and he did collect an RBI. BELOIT 2, BURLINGTON 7 The Snappers didn't manage any extra-base hits against the Bees and the team went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position so it's hard to come out on top with very little offense. Adam Pettersen had the only RBI for New Britain with his two-out RBI in the fourth inning. Miguel Sano had a hit for the third straight game but he hasn't had an extra-base hit since he hit a home run on July 19th. Kennys Vargas had a hat trick by striking out three times to lower his batting average to .211. Beloit sent Taylor Rogers to the mound for his first start since being called up from Elizabethton. He took the loss by giving up three earned runs on six hits over four innings. The worst part of his outing might have been the six walks that he allowed compared to his three strikeouts. Cole Johnson did very well in relief with four strikeouts and no hits in two innings. He lowered his ERA to 1.16 in nine games with the Snappers. ELIZABETHTON 9, GREENVILLE 12 The Greenville Astros pounded out 17 hits against the pitching staff of the the E-Twins. Hudson Boyd got shelled for eight hits and four earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched. It was easily his worst start of the year as it only raised his ERA to 2.15 for the season and he hadn't given up more than one earned run in his last five starts. Christian Powell tried to relieve Boyd but he didn't fare much better by giving up four runs in a little over two innings on the mound. Tyler Duffey and Andrew Ferreira combined to give up three runs over the last three innings. Candido Pimentel lead the team with three hits in his four at-bats including his third double of the season and two RBI. The other E-Twins player with multiple hits was Adam Walker who went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI, and his seventh home run. Niko Goodrum only got one hit but his double did knock in his 26th, 27th, and 28th RBI of the year. Max Kepler seems to have found his man muscles by hitting his seventh home run of the season when he only had one home run during the last two years. GCL TWINS 12, GCL RED SOX 3 The Twins might have gotten a glimpse of their future with Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario in the same line-up on Friday afternoon. Rosario is rehabbing on the way back from an injury and he went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI before being lifted from the game. Buxton wouldn't be outdone by Rosario as he hit a home run of his own while going 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Joel Licon and Jose Ramirez helped pace the offense with three hits each. A few different big name pitchers got into the game for the Twins. Two former first rounders, Kyle Gibson and Luke Bard, pitched scoreless outings to help improve their ERAs in the GCL. Alexander Muren picked up his second win of the season by tossing two innings without giving up a hit but he did walk three batters. It was good to see Muren not give up any runs for the first time in his last two appearances but his three walks were the most this season. --- Players of the Day for July 27th, 2012 Hitter of the Day- Lance Ray (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-4GiMgniCA/UBNNk8PgpfI/AAAAAAAADFs/OTBWOGj4174/s320/LanceRay.jpg Pitcher of the Day- Lester Oliveros (3.0 IP, 1 H, 6 SO) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uoMLBTALO-A/UBNOQWxL3NI/AAAAAAAADF0/bCE64eVkwlk/s320/LesterOliveros.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Saturday, July 28th Schedule Rochester @ Columbus- RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Reading- RHP Steven Hirschfeld New Britain @ Reading- Game 2 Fort Myers vs Brevard County- LHP Pat Dean Beloit @ Peoria- TBA Elizabethton vs Greeneville- RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox- TBA --- If you have any question or comments about the minor leagues, leave them in the comments section and someone will be sure to answer them. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Scott+Diamond+Minnesota.jpg The Twins have been busy adding mediocre arms to their starting rotation this offseason but off in the wings Scott Diamond is preparing for his second full seasons as a big league starter. Diamond burst onto the scene last season with a very impressive first half of the season. He would come back down to earth a little bit in the second half but he was still the best starter out of a very mediocre starting core. In his second full season as a starter, Diamond will have to find a way to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There were a few different things that made Diamond successful in his first trip through the American League. Before the end of July, Diamond made 15 starts and posted a very good 2.88 ERA over 100 innings. Opponents hit .266/.299/.388 against him and he posted a very good 9-4 record. Most of his wins during that stretch, six of them, would come in the friendly confines of Target Field. In fact, over the course of the season Diamond would strike out batters at a higher rate at home and his WHIP was much better when pitching in Minnesota. From the beginning of August to the end of the season, Diamond ran into some struggles. He would lose two more games than he won during that stretch and his other numbers ballooned up a little. His ERA rose to 4.44 and opponents were able to hit .285/.320/.472 against him. Things would get worse after he was tossed out of a game in Texas for throwing at a batter. From that point on, his ERA jumped to 5.06 as his innings continued to mount. Entering last season, the most Diamond had pitched in the minor leagues was 162 innings back in 2011. Before being called-up to Minnesota in 2012, Diamond threw 34.2 innings in the minor leagues and he added that to 173 innings at the big league level. It was the first time he had thrown over 200 innings and there might have been a learning curve with his new workload. This could be the reason for some of his struggles down the stretch. Twins fans know that Diamond doesn't strikeout a ton of batters. He stays around the strike zone and this can cause some problems. Home runs became an Achilles heel for Diamond. Out of his 26 starts, he gave up a home run in 13 games and he gave up more than one home run in four games. In the games where Diamond gave up a home run, the Twins were one game under .500 and the team was 0-2 when he gave up more than one home run. One of the biggest areas of strength for Diamond is his ability to limit walks. He led the AL in BB/9 by averaging less than two walks per game. The most walks that he gave up in a game were three and both of those contests were in the last month of the year when Diamond might have been tiring. There were seven games when he didn't walk a single batter and he pitched over six innings in all of those starts. When giving up zero walks, Diamond had a 4-1 record and 1.07 ERA. Since Diamond is going to pound the strike zone, it is important to have a good defense behind him. The Twins will enter this spring with question marks at almost every up the middle position on the club. Joe Benson, Aaron Hicks, and Darin Mastroianni will be fighting for the starting job in center field. The middle infield is a complete question mark as the Twins are expected to have an open competition for shortstop and second base. It can tough for a pitcher to have consistency if there are different players behind him every time he takes the mound. Looking at all of these things, it is clear that there are a few areas for Diamond to concentrate on to find success in his second year. He needs to limit the amount of long balls that he gives up. It is also key for him to continue to manage the amount of walks that he allows. The defense behind Diamond will also be critical for the Twins and their starting staff. If the Twins and Diamond can find a way for all of these to come true, he might be set up to have an even better year in 2013. Click here to view the article

A couple of milestones happened for the Twins during the past week. The team won a series against the Indians but as part of that series, Josh Willingham crushed his 35 home run of the season and Liam Hendriks picked up his first victory at the big league level. These might not seem like very important numbers but the story behind those numbers gives a little bit more meaning to these milestones. For Willingham, he became the first Twins player to hit 35 home runs since Harmon Killebrew in 1970 to knock that many out of the park. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Other players like Justin Morneau, Gary Gaetti, and Kent Hrbek have gotten to 34 home runs but the Hammer becomes the first player since Killer to reach this plateau. There is a chance for Willingham to reach the 40 home run mark and that would be a cool milestone to reach in a miserable season. For Hendriks, the first victory might not seem like that big of a deal. Every pitcher in baseball can usually get lucky and find some way to earn a victory as a starter or as a relief pitcher. It took Hendriks until his 18th MLB start to finally get his first win. That is quite the stretch of bad luck for Mr. Hendriks and it wasn't all related to his bad performance on the field. He pitched a complete game against Seattle at the end of last month and still got the loss by giving up a solo-home run. Going into last start, the Twins were only averaging 3.38 runs of support for Hendriks so it was nice for him to get his first victory out of the way. But enough about the milestones from the last week, let's jump into this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." The Twins might have scored a lucky break with the deep pitching market this offseason.Denard Span's last hurrah with the Twins could be taking place in the coming weeks.Cedar Rapids is going to be the new home of the Twins Low-A affiliate. Bye-bye Snappers.With one affiliate moving, it brought up questions of a Twins minor league team in St. Paul.Every team in baseball has at least one 35 home run hitter since the last time the Twins accomplished the feat.Would a contract extension with Josh Willingham make sense? His value has been outstanding in 2012.A deal with Scott Baker could make sense for the club.It was the Twins annual rookie dress-up as the team headed to Detroit. Check out Ben Revere's Twitter account for a bunch of pictures.Rene Rivera was not happy the Twins called up Chris Herrmann this week.Miguel Sano and Oswaldo Arcia were both named to the Baseball America 2012 Minor League All-Star Team.The Rochester Red Wings GM Dan Mason was named the International League Executive of the year.In a sad bit of news, former Twins player Jack Kralick passed away this week.Left-handed pitching prospect David Hulbut of the Twins joined Twitter so everyone should give him a follow.Joe Mauer is going to have a tough time going for the batting title if the umps aren't on his side.It doesn't matter what your flavor is, Mauer's is better.Ever wonder what the lowest-attended home game in Twins history...This photo from photographer Brace Hemmelgarn gives a look into Target Field at 4:03 in the morning. Download attachment: TargetFieldMorning.jpg A bird relieved itself on the cap of Tommy Hunter this week.It's new school versus old school in the race for the AL MVP. Will Miguel Cabrera and his Triple Crown stats over take the Trout's rookie year?Jim Leyland doesn't like Sabermetrics and he doesn't think they should be used in the MVP race.Baseball teams are going to be getting a lot more money because of the new TV deal.NBC took away a World Series Championship from the Cubs this week.It sounds like Jim Thome is close to returning to the line-up for the Orioles (but I've said that over the last couple weeks...)I guess Royals games are getting a little out of hand in the underage drinking department. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Pedro Florimon lining up to be Opening Day StarterTuesday: Should Scott Diamond be shutdown?Wednesday: Joe Mauer racing for fourth batting titleThursday: Career of lost opportunities for Alexi Casilla Video of the Week: Trevor Plouffe had an odd moment the series finale with the Indians. He crushed a ball to deep center field and it looked like the outfielder was going to be able to make a play on the ball. It turns out the ball was well over his head but he faked out Plouffe in the process. Check out the video to see Plouffe's reaction to his "surprise" home run. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Josh+Willingham+Justin+Morneau+Minnesota+Twins.jpg It's getting close to the end of the first fourth of the season and the Twins are still flirting with the .500 mark. There is a lot of baseball left to play but it has been an encouraging first portion of the season for Twins fans. Some surprise pitching performances, a good offense and a stingy bullpen have the club in range of the top of the division. So how did this Twins team get here and is this pace sustainable for the remainder of the season?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The starting staff has been one of the weaknesses of this club and there have clearly been some holes in the rotation. Vance Worley, the team's opening day starter, has an ERA north of 7.00 and WHIP is almost 2.00. Mike Pelfrey's numbers are nearly as bad as Worley's and these two men were supposed to play key roles on this team. Kevin Correia has been a big surprise and he leads the starters in almost every major category. Scott Diamond has put together some solid efforts since he returned from injury. His addition to the staff should provide a nice boost to the club. Pedro Hernandez has filled in as the fifth starter but there are other arms hot on his heels. Even with some good performances mixed in, it is hard not to imagine the Twins rotation getting better as the season goes on. Kyle Gibson and Cole DeVries are scheduled to join the rotation at some point in the coming weeks. It will also be tough for the players like Worley and Pelfrey to be as bad as they have been so far this year. This leads one to think that the starting pitching could be able to help the Twins stay around the .500 mark. On the offensive side of the ball, thing have been off to a good start. Joe Mauer is near the top of the leader board in multiple offensive categories. Justin Morneau has helped pace the middle of the line-up and Josh Willingham is finding ways to get on base though his average is low. Even young players like Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia are starting to figure out MLB pitching. The team currently ranks 8th in the American League in runs scored and this has helped the club to a positive run differential. Minnesota's 69 doubles ranks sixth among AL teams and this is the second highest total in the AL Central. With some slow offensive performances in the early weeks, the Twins team batting average of .251 might not be as bad an omen as it seems. So far, the club is below league average in batting average, slugging, and OPS. With Hicks and Arcia already in the MLB line-up, there isn't a ton of offensive help in the high levels of the minors. The club might have their best offensive core in and playing on a regular basis. If the players not named Mauer and Morneau can raise their numbers, this could be a very good offensive team. Minnesota's recent offensive performance makes it hard not to think that the team can stay close to the .500 mark. Over the weekend, Terry Ryan was asked about the Twins still being around the .500 mark especially with a lot of underachievers. His response was that .500 is not good enough. He wants this team to contend. The .500 mark seems pretty good after the last two awful seasons. It's hard to know if the club will be able to sustain this pace for the rest of the year but there are signs that it could be possible. Underachieving players might start to figure it out and then the Twins could be a dangerous club in the AL Central. Click here to view the article