Cody Christie

Download attachment: Kubel_Jason_Thinking_US_720.jpg "I've got a fever and the only prescription is less Kubel." Those words don't taste good coming out of my mouth. I consider myself a Jason Kubel fan. I've liked Kubel since he was a budding prospect in the Twins minor league system. He was supposed to be one of the left-handed power bats to join Joe Mauer in the middle of the batting order. A devastating knee injury kept those dreams from becoming reality and it's looking more like his time is over in Minnesota. Things haven't been very good for Kubel this season. He is batting.238/.329/.313 on the year with eight extra-base hits. Those numbers might not seem horrendous but most of his good hitting came at the beginning of the season. According to FanGraphs' version of WAR, Kubel has been the second worst left fielder in the American League this season. Since the calendar turned to May, Kubel has looked like a shell of his former self. He has no extra-base hits this month and his slash line has dropped to .179/.295/.179 with 27 strikeouts. That's right, his batting average and slugging percentage match and that's not a good thing. It's tough to stomach Kubel being in the line-up as a corner outfielder with little defensive value. The value Kubel provided in the past was from his offensive power. With his power gone, what value does he provide? Corner Outfield Crunch When Oswaldo Arcia and Josh Willingham were recovering from injuries, it made sense to have someone like Kubel around for some outfield depth. Arcia is swinging a hot bat and he looks to be penciled into a corner outfield spot for the rest of the season. Willingham could be a trade candidate at the deadline so the Twins need him on the field as much as possible. There also might be more left in Willingham's tank compared to Kubel. Hopefully both Arcia and Willingham will be healthy for the rest of the year. Pinto Needs to Play Fitting Kubel into the line-up means that Josmil Pinto has been pushed to the bench. Pinto needs to be in the line-up on a more regular basis for a variety of reasons. First of all, he is one of the best offensive players on the roster and the Twins are struggling to score runs. Just because Ron Gardenhire is scared about having both catchers in the line-up on a given night doesn't mean he should shy away from using Pinto. Secondly,the team should be committed to him as the catcher of the future and that isn't going to happen with him on the bench while the team isn't scoring runs. Other Outfield Options While Chris Parmelee and Chris Colabello have gone through some struggles in the last two seasons, it would be nice for the Twins to continue to give each of them opportunities. Parmelee is barely 26-years old and he has shown the ability to produce at Triple-A. Colabello was the International League MVP a season ago and he produced some monster numbers in the first month of this year. There might be ups and downs with these two but they seem like more viable options than a depleted Kubel. Kubel was part of many special moments in Minnesota, but my fever is hot and it's time for the Kubel to stop ringing. Click here to view the article

MLB made it official on Wednesday afternoon. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton are the "future" and they will both be participants in this year's MLB Futures Game. This game features some of the best talent in the minor leagues from each organization. The teams are broken up into a World Team and a US Team so Sano and Buxton will be on opposite squads. Because of some rainouts on Tuesday, there were a ton of games in the Twins system on Wednesday. Let's see who else is part of the Twins future[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] . Rochester Red Wings 9, Indianapolis Indians 7 Box Score It took a whole lot of offense and some nail-biting in the late innings but the Red Wings were still able to pick up their 40th win of the season. The win also assured the team of their first winning month of the year and their first winning month since last July. Chris Colabello continues to destroy the International League. He went 2-for-4 with his team-leading 18th home run. So far this season in Rochester, he is hitting .369/.437/.663. Jeff Clement added two hits and his seventh double. Doug Bernier and James Beresford had two hits apiece. Colabello, Clement, and Beresford each had two RBI. After going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in his first Triple-A game, Aaron Hicks wasn't as productive in his game two. He played center field for the first time on his rehab assignment. He went 0-for-2 with an RBI and a walk; he was pulled early from the game. Rochester's starter Cole De Vries pitched five innings and kept the team in the game. He allowed four runs on eight hits including a home run. Cody Eppley ran into some trouble in the late innings as he gave up three earned runs in a little over an inning of work. Shairon Martis had to pitch the last 1.2 innings for his fourth save. New Britain Rock Cats 9, Altoona Curve 2 (Completion of 6/25) Box Score The transition to Double-A hasn't been the easiest for Miguel Sano and the hits have been few and far between. In this game, going 1-for-3 with a home run may have been a sign of good things to come. He has been hitting the ball hard but pitchers have been careful with him. Curt Smith had a fantastic day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Nate Hanson only had one hit but he made it count: a triple and two RBI. Josmil Pinto punched his 17th double and he came around to score. Matthew Summers had been the starter on Tuesday before the rains came. Bobby Lanigan picked up the game on Wednesday and he earned his third win, throwing three innings and giving up three hits and one unearned run. Dakota Watts and Matt Hauser didn't allow an earned run in the last four innings. Download attachment: Miguel Sano 2.jpg New Britain Rock Cats 6, Altoona Curve 3 (7 innings) Box Score With his home run earlier in the day, something must have clicked for Sano. He went 2-for-4 in the second game with a double and a triple. Of his nine hits at Double-A, six have been for extra bases. In the two games today he went 3-for-7 with three extra-base hits. Tom Stuifbergen earned his second win with the Rock Cats. Over five innings, he spread eight hits and limited Altoona to three earned runs. He struck out two and walked one. Edgar Ibarra finished off the last two innings, allowing one hit and securing his second save. Daniel Ortiz went 2-for-4 with his third triple. Jordan Parraz hit a two-run home run to cap off a six-run first inning for New Britain. This huge first inning supplied all the runs the Rock Cats needed. The club went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position and the win brought the team back to within two games of the .500 mark. Fort Myers Miracle 3, Jupiter Hammerheads 5 Box Score The Byron Buxton era in Fort Myers isn't off to the best start. The club hadn't won in his first two games. He got his first RBI at the High-A level in this contest. Buxton went 1-for-4 and he's had at least one hit in each game. Tyler Duffy made his fourth start since being called up from Cedar Rapids. He made it through six innings but he got knocked around for 12 hits and five earned runs. He struck out two and he didn't issue any walks. It was his third loss and he's given up five earned runs in each of his last two starts. Corey Williams threw two innings in relief and struck out four. Candido Pimentel was the lone Fort Myers hitter with more than one hit. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Mike Kvasnicka hit his fourth home run and it was only his 14th game. The Miracle will finish up their road trip with a three-game series against Jupiter. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Burlington Bees 2 Box Score Through May and June, Jose Berrios had yet to earn a victory, but that streak came to an end Wednesday. Last year's supplemental first round pick tossed seven outstanding innings. He struck out nine batters and didn't allow a walk. The Bees scored two runs off of him on five hits. In his last ten starts, it was the first time Berrios made it through seven innings. Max Kepler continues to do his best to replace the offense lost with Buxton's promotion. Kepler hit his second home run in as many nights. Dalton Hicks went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Niko Goodrum and Jorge Polanco each added a double to their impressive numbers this season. The Kernels improved to 46-28 with the win. Since the All-Star break at the beginning of last week, the club is a perfect 5-0. They look to continue that streak in the second game of the series against Burlington. Elizabethton Twins 5, Princeton Rays 4 Box Score The E-Twins pounded out 15 hits and the club needed every one of them to improve their record to 6-1. Bryan Haar went 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season. With three hits in the game, Bryan Santy had his first multi-hit game. Dereck Rodriguez, Javier Pimentel, and Ryan Walker all had two hits. Felix Jorge pitched 5.2 strong innings, allowing one hit. He struck out six, walked three and earned his first win. Austin Malinowski had a tough time finding the plate with three walks and his three runs allowed helped keep the Rays in the game. Dallas Gallant and Brandon Peterson finished off the last 2.1 innings. They limited the Rays to three hits and no runs. Each of these players struck out a batter and the pair has yet to allow a run this season. GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score Scoring two runs in each of the first two innings put the GCL Twins ahead but the GCL Orioles clawed their way back with a three-run eighth inning. The Twins had just enough offense to win their third game of the year and are now one game over .500. Mexican pitcher Leonel Zazueta made his second appearance of the year and his first start. He threw four shutout innings, scattering three hits and striking out two. He didn't issue any walks and he didn't figure in the decision. Bruce Pugh got hit around in his inning of work. He was charged with all three runs but he did strike out three batters. German born pitcher Markus Solbach earned his first professional victory with two scoreless innings of relief. Zach Larson hit a two-run homer to help the Twins to their early lead. Adonis Pacheco went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Alex Swim added two hits of his own. Overall, the team left six runners on base and they went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 8419329-standard.jpg This is the 4th story in "Those Damn Yankees" series, stories about Twins-Yankees rivalry by some of our favorite Twins Daily writers, leading up to the Bombers visit July 1st to the 4th. 
 Chuck Knoblauch. The name alone can bring up a wide-range of feelings for Twins fans. From World Series champion to the business end of a sea of flying hot dogs, Knoblauch suffered through highs and lows in Minnesota. Those opposite ends of the spectrum are what make his story so intriguing. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 
 One of the brightest highlights in Knoblauch’s career had to have been the Twins' run to the 1991 World Series. The rookie second baseman put up strong numbers in the Series, hitting .308/.387/.346. In the pivotal seventh game, Knoblauch and shortstop Greg Gange appeared to deceive Lonnie Smith, who was on first base. Terry Pendleton hit a clear double but Knoblach pretended to start a double play and Smith, buying the fake, only made it to third base. This run, or non-run, turned out to be crucial in a tight game. 
 Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com During his time with the Twins, Knoblauch compiled incedible good numbers. From 1991-1997, he hit .304/.391/.416 with 210 doubles, 51 triples and 43 home runs. His best three-year stretch was from 1994-1996 when he batted .330/.422/.491. Before he was traded, Knoblauch accumulated a career total of 37.8 WAR which puts him in some elite company for the Twins. 
 Knoblauch's Twins' tenure didn't end well as he suffered through some of the toughest years in Twins Territory history. A year after he signed a multi-year contract with the Twins, he decided he wanted to go to a winning team; the Twins didn't look to be moving in that direction. The club traded him to the Yankees following the 1997 season for a package of players. Minnesota got his best years and there would be some dark moments ahead for him. 
 Two future All-Stars, Cristian Guzman and Eric Milton were among the players who were part of the Knoblauch deal. In a bit of a strange turn, Knoblauch left town because he wanted to win and the players he was traded for became part of Minnesota’s new winning tradition. Here is how the package of players fared in their Twins careers: Eric Milton 14.7 WAR (6 seasons) Cristian Guzman 7.5 WAR (6 seasons) Brian Buchanan 0.3 WAR (3 seasons) Danny Mota 0.0 WAR (1 season) While the Twins got back a value of 22.5 WAR, Knoblauch produced 7.4 WAR during his time in a Yankees uniform. However, he got his wish, too. He helped New York to three consecutive World Series Championships from 1998 to 2000. Knoblauch had important home runs in the 1998 and 1999 series and the Yankees won the American League pennant every year he was with the team. 
 Things weren't all positive during his years in New York, though. In 1999, he began to have a tough time making throws to first base. This condition would worsen enough in 2000 that he began to spend more time at DH. In 2001, he didn't play a game at second as the team moved him to left field, allowing Alfonso Soriano to slide into the line-up. 
 One of the most memorable moments in Metrodome history took place after Knoblauch moved to the outfield. When the Yankees visited Minnesota at the beginning of May, 2001, things turned ugly in the outfield stands. It was "Dollar Dog Night" so fans had access to plenty of cheap ammo. Minnesota was still trying to get back to respectability in the AL so tickets were cheap. This led to some poor decision-making from the Metrodome faithful. 
 In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Twins took a three run lead on a Matt Lawton single. The fans had had plenty of rounds of beer and hot dogs in them by this time. As excitement ran through the crowd, hot dogs and other objects were thrown on the field. PA Announcer Bob Casey did his best to calm the raucous crowd but it wasn't until manager Tom Kelly walked out and spoke with the fans that things finally got back to order. 
 Overall, Knoblauch put together a solid 12-year MLB career. His post-playing career has been filled with more than one black eye and this has tarnished some of his on-the-field legacy. A portion of Twins fans remember the solid second baseman who helped the club win a championship. Others think of flying hot dogs and steroid accusations. Either way, Knoblauch is a very polarizing figure. It also doesn’t help that he was a Damn Yankee. ~~~ For more of Those Damn Yankees, check out.... The Cuzzi Call by Nick Nelson The Twins and Yankees Go Way Back by Thrylos Confessions Of A Twins Fan by Brad Swanson Click here to view the article

Download attachment: byron-running.jpg In Monday’s Twins game, Danny Santana made his rookie debut as a pinch runner in the late innings. He collected his first MLB hit later in the game. Tonight he got to make his first big league start at shortstop and he batted ninth in the order. He went 0-for-3 but he showed off his strong arm while turning a tough double play. Byron Buxton has been trying to work out the kinks in his swing as he returned from an early season wrist injury. The first few games were rough as he went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. Understandably, there would be some rust in the early going but could he shake off some of that rust on Tuesday evening? RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3. Columbus 5 Box Score Rochester jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but the pitching staff couldn't hold on and the offense went cold. Oswaldo Arcia had the team's lone extra-base hit as his double helped give the team an early lead. Deibinson Romero had two hits and knocked in a couple runs but he also had his seventh fielding error of the season. A night after knocking his second career home run, James Beresford was quiet at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a walk. Kris Johnson was making his first start back in Rochester since he made a spot start for the Twins at the end of last week. He struck out eight and pitched into the sixth inning before running into some trouble. In the end, he was only charged with one earned run. Matt Guerrier took the loss as he gave up three runs on three hits including a home run. It was the first time Rochester has lost back-to-back games since April 25-26. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Trenton 0 Box Score The month of May has been very kind to the Rock Cats. After finishing the month of April with a 6-16 record, New Britain has won six of their first seven games since the calendar turned. Taylor Rogers certainly helped the club continue its winning ways. He tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball by scattering five hits. He struck out five and walked two. His ERA was over 8.00 entering the game and his effort tonight dropped it to under 6.50. Offensively, the Rock Cats got help from all parts of their line-up. Daniel Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez each added a couple hits and they combined for three of the team's RBI. Both of the RBI for Ortiz came with two outs and he is up to 11 RBI for the year. Kennys Vargas was also highly involved in the offense as he knocked in two runs and scored two runs. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 0 Box Score In only his third game since returning from injury, Byron Buxton snapped back in a big way. He launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning. The Miracle stayed on top the rest of the way. Max Kepler also hit a two-run homer, his second long ball of the year. Levi Michael and Niko Goodrum both had multi-hit nights to help pace the offense. Goodrum also stole his fifth base of the season. The Miracle used four different pitchers for the shutout. Replacing scheduled starter Brett Lee, Steven Gruver pitched the first four frames while striking out two and walking two. Tim Shibuya earned his third victory by tossing the next three innings and allowing only one hit. Brandon Peterson struck out the side in the eighth and Tyler Jones shut the door in the ninth. It was the second straight win for Fort Myers after a four game losing streak to start the month of May. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 10 Box Score Bryan Haar hit his fifth home run of the season and JD Williams reached base safely in all five plate appearances. Williams was credited with a single, a double, two walks and a hit by pitch. This still wasn't nearly enough as they trailed 8-1 after just two innings. The River Bandits pounced on Josue Montanez early as he was knocked out after only 1.2 frames. He allowed eight earned runs on seven hits with one strikeout and three walks. Todd Van Steensel, Christian Powell, and Alex Muren did a good job of stopping the bleeding. The bullpen crew limited Quad Cities to two runs over the last 6.1 innings to keep the game from getting too out of hand. Last year's top pick Kohl Stewart will get the start tomorrow. He looks to set the pace and get the team headed back in the right direction. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Taylor Rogers, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Niko Goodrum, Fort Myers Miracle SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (5:35 CST)- Trevor May New Britain @ Bowie (5:35 CST)- Tyler Duffey Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST)- TBD Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 CST)- Kohl Stewart Click here to view the article

Weather was an issue in Minneapolis, as the Twins couldn't get in the first game of their series with the Dodgers. The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Thursday. Kyle Gibson was supposed to start on Sunday before a rainout and now he has been pushed back to Wednesday. He should be well rested. Some of the other speculation for Thursday is about who the Twins could call-up to be their 26th man for the doubleheader. The Twins could be looking at a starting pitcher to start one of the games. Some of the options on the 40-man roster are left-handed pitchers Kris Johnson and Logan Darnell. Otherwise Gibson would need to pitch on short rest over the weekend. (UPDATE - The Twins announced that Kris Johnson will be the 26th man and start on Thursday night.) Download attachment: Travis Harrison.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester --, Charlotte -- (Postponed) For the sixth time this season, the Red Wings were postponed due weather. This is their fourth home game lost due to weather. Since Charlotte isn't scheduled to return to Rochester this season, this game will be made up when the Red Wings visit the Knights at the beginning of June. The exact date is yet to be announced but the series runs from June 3rd to June 6th. Rochester will be considered the home team for one of the games and get to bat last. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain --, Harrisburg -- (Postponed) For the second time in five days, the Rock Cats were unable to take the field because of rain. It's been tough for the Rock Cats to get any rhythm as a club with all their weather issues in the last month. The team is in the middle of a three game losing streak. Today's contest is rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Thursday evening. Taylor Rogers was the scheduled starter so he will be pushed back to one of the other starts in this series with Harrisburg. New Britain needs to find a way to start winning some ball games. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 1 Box Score Matt Tomshaw got the Miracle off on the right foot by throwing four innings of one-run ball. He struck out four and walked one. It was his first start of the season as he has been building up arm strength over his first three appearances. Tim Shibuya covered the next two frames and allowed only one hit. There have been some rough outings for Shibuya this season so it was nice to see a clean couple innings. Five hitters had multiple hit games for the Miracle. Travis Harrison led the way with a 3-for-5 night including a double and two RBI. It was his second three-hit game in his last three appearances. Levi Michael and Aderlin Mejia each added a double to the hit parade. Meijia matched Harrison with two RBI. The Miracle have been on quite the roll during the last week as the club has won six of their last seven games. They will try to finish off the sweep of Bradenton tomorrow night with Brett Lee on the mound. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 2 Box Score In his longest start of the season, Ethan Mildren pitched six frames and scattered eight hits with four strikeouts. He allowed one earned run to lower his ERA to 2.50. Brandon Bixler picked a bad time to give up his first run of the season, a streak which lasted 11.1 innings and six games. He gave up a couple hits and a walk which turned into the winning run for Kane County. Mitch Garver was the lone Kernels hitter with more than one hit. He went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Chad Christensen ended a streak of 15 consecutive games reaching base after he went 0-for-4. Bryan Haar finally ended a rough hitless streak. He had been hitless in his last 21 at-bats coming into tonight but he went 1-for-4 to end the streak. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Ethan Mildren, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Travis Harrison, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester- Scheduled Off Day New Hampshire @ New Britain (6:00 CST)- Taylor Rogers* Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:05 CST)- Brett Lee Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Josue Montanez *Scheduled to changed because of today's postponement Click here to view the article

Before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, Justin Morneau penned an open thank you letter to Twins fans and the only organization he has ever known. He discussed how he has grown up in the organization from a "wide-eyed 22-year old kid" to now being "someone my friends and family could be proud of." Minnesota has become his "second home" and he will always have connections here because his "wife, kids, and family are Minnesotans." [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In the end, he apologized for never winning a World Series in a Twins uniform but this was really something that he couldn't fully control. He will have a good chance to play on a playoff team for the first time since the 2006 season and the Twins were able to get a couple of serviceable players for what was left on Morneau's expiring contract. Morneau took time to thank Twins fans and it seemed only appropriate that fans write their own thank you back to the slugging Canadian first baseman. Here's an open letter from myself to and about Morneau as he exits the organization: A certain type of player seems to come along once in a generation to grace the baseball diamond. Lucky enough for Twins fans there have often been times when two of these players were in the line-up on the same day. From Killebrew to Oliva and Puckett to Hrbek, great duos have called Minnesota home. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer were one of these duos and sadly those duos can't last forever. Morneau's play on the field seemed to be on track for legendary status. He won the American League MVP in 2006 and two years later he would finish runner-up to Dustin Pedoria for the same award. He would be selected to four straight All-Star Games from 2007-2010. In 2008, he won the Home Run Derby Championship and the next night he scored the winning run in the 15th inning of the Mid-Summer Classic. Things didn't seem like they could get any higher. In the summer of 2010, it looked like Morneau might be well on his way to his second MVP trophy. His monster first half had helped the Twins to be near the top of the AL Central. All of Twins Territory felt the pain of what happened from that point moving forward. John McDonald accidentally kneed Morneau in the head on a play at second base in Toronto. It would take large chunks of the next two seasons for Justin to try and recover from post-concussion syndrome and a variety of other injuries. His last month in a Twins uniform seemed to finally look closer to the Justin of old. He hit nine home runs in the month of August but he saved one of his most memorable home runs for his last game. With the Twins facing off against Yu Darvish, a candidate for the AL Cy Young, Morneau smacked the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning. It was a home run that moved him past Tony Oliva on the franchise's all-time home run list. Justin's mark on the field isn't the only remnant of his 14 years in the Twins organization. He was a two-time winner of the Bob Allison Award that is given to the Twins player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field. Morneau and his wife Krista are active members in trying to make a difference in the community. To say thank you to Justin for his time in Minnesota would not be enough. He gave 110% for this franchise from the time he was drafted in 1999 to his last game in 2013. Morneau has left his mark on Twins Territory and it is hard to imagine this team without number 33 in the line-up. My connection to the Minnesota Twins was strengthened because of the man Morneau was on and off the field. When my future kids ask me about players I loved to watch, the short list will include a slugging Canadian first baseman. Good luck to Justin as he gets a chance to pursue the ultimate goal of winning a World Series. And even though it doesn't seem like nearly enough... Thank you. Download attachment: Justin Morneau Last Home Game.jpg Photo by Betsy Bissen. Click here to view the article

With the Houston Astros having the number one overall pick for the third year in a row, there is some question about who will be selected first overall. Two years ago it looked like Mark Appel would be a lock for the first pick. The Astros saved a little money by taking Carlos Correa and this looks like a great decision. Correa is blossoming into one of the best position players in the minors and Appel ended up in an Astros uniform in last year's draft. Will Houston go with an expected player at the top of the draft or will they surprise the baseball world for the second time in three years? Who is this guy? Carlos Rodon attended high school in North Carolina and was drafted in the 16th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The appeal of playing in his home state to pitch for North Carolina State was too much and he made the decision not to sign with the Brewers. Download attachment: Carlos Rodon.jpg Carlos Rodon photo by Jeremy Brevard Entering the 2014 spring season, Rodon was considered by many to be the clear-cut number one pick in the draft. He burst onto the scene as a freshman at NC State. In 2012, he posted a 9-0 record with a 1.57 ERA over 16 starts. He struck out 135 and walked 41 in 114.2 innings. His sophomore campaign was also very good as he compiled a 2.99 ERA and struck out 184 in 132.1 innings. There have been some concerns about how he's been used during his junior season and this could cause him to fall in the draft. He's only thrown 98.2 innings and he has a 2.01 ERA but there have been some long outings. During one three game stretch, he was averaging 126 pitches per start. With Tommy John surgery seeming like a big league epidemic, teams will be cautious when it comes to his workload. Jeff Hoffman and Erick Fedde, two possible top 10 draft picks, have already had Tommy John surgery. Rodon's stock might not be as high as it was coming into the spring season but he should still be one of the first couple names called by Bud Selig on draft night. Why the Twins will pick him? Starting pitching is one of the weaknesses for the Twins and many of their top pitching prospects are multiple years away from the big leagues. Rondon's college experience could make him a fast mover in the organization and this could allow him to be an impact player in the next couple years. A possible rotation with Alex Meyer, Kohl Stewart, and Carlos Rodon is the stuff dreams are made of for Twins fans. While the prep arms will take time to develop, Rodon is already a proven pitcher who could likely make an impact at the big league level sooner rather than later. If Rodon were to make it to the Twins with the fifth pick and he is healthy, there is no reason to think the team wouldn't take him. Why the Twins won't pick him? Realistically, there doesn't seem to be a scenario where Rodon will drop to the Twins, especially with the injuries to other potential top pitching prospects. He's not going to be on the board at number five. Scott Boras is an advisor to Rodon and that could scare away some teams if he drops in the draft. Last year's top pick Mark Appel, another Boras client, was supposed to be the top pick in the 2012 draft but he fell to ninth and he didn't sign with the Pirates. That sounds like a headache the Twins would like to avoid even though they have shown a tendency to pay the full slotted amount for their top picks. Also, the Twins haven't used their first overall pick on a college pitcher since 2009-2010 when they selected Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers in back-to-back drafts. Gibson has finally found some big league success but both players underwent Tommy John surgery in the minors. Rodon's high workload in college might scare the Twins away. [/hr]The Twins evened up the series vs the Brewers yesterday, winning 6-4, so you can get 50% off your large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com with the promo code 'WINTWINS' on Wednesday. [/hr] Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Alexi+Casilla.jpg As the offseason is approaching, there are plenty of decisions the Twins will have to make in the coming months. The team needs to address some gapping holes in the starting rotation, there are issues with the middle infield, and even the training staff might need to be replaced. There are plenty of things the Twins could do to make some subtle improvements for the 2013 campaign. It isn't like the club's revenue stream is going to allow them to go out and spend a ton of money on the open market for free agents. There will be tough choices that have to be made and one of those decisions could surround middle infielder Alexi Casilla.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] When he made his debut with the club back in 2006, the expectations weren't off the board for him but there was hope that he could develop into a decent regular for the team. He had only joined the Twins organization in 2005 after a trade with the Angels to get JC Romero out of town. Since that point, it has been a career of more downs than ups on his roller coaster ride. He has yet to appear in more than 100 games with the Twins and the most games he has started for the club was 94 contests back in 2008. There was hope at the beginning but it hasn't resulted into many positive performances on the field from Mr. Casilla. It's not like the Twins didn't give him plenty of chances over the years because the organization has turned to him on multiple occasions to earn a starting role with the club. Since 2009, Casilla has been in the Opening Day line-up at second base or shortstop in three out of the four seasons. The only year he didn't crack the Opening Day line-up was 2010 when Orlando Hudson started at second base and Nick Punto was the starting shortstop. So the Twins have wanted Casilla to show that he could be a starter but to say he hasn't performed up to expectations is an understatement. In his career, Casilla has hit .248/.303/.331 with 95 extra-base hits over the course of 1566 at-bats. He is a middle infielder so the lack of power can be expected but his low on-base percentage and his inability to hit for a higher average have hindered him in his career. The 2008 season was his best as he hit .281/.333/.374 with seven home runs and 15 doubles but he also had a career high 437 plate appearance that season. There is a good chance for Casilla to set a career-high in games played with the 97 appearances he has made in 2012. But he hasn't been at his best in the batter's box because he is hitting .228/.269/.305 with 18 extra-base hits as a 28-year old. One of the problems for the Twins organization has been their ability to develop middle infield talent over the course of much of the last decade. This has given Casilla more than one opportunity to prove his worth to the club but his time with the organization could be running out. He is currently in his second year of being arbitration eligible and that means he could still be under team control for next year. The earliest that he could reach free agency is 2014 but his paycheck most certainly would go up for next year. In 2012, he is making $1.382 million to be a below average at the plate and adequate in the field. Mr. Casilla could be looking at a deal between $1.5-$2.0 million for next season and that might be too much for a back-up role with the club. As the season is winding down, the Twins are getting a look at some of the other infield options that could have a place with the team in the future. Pedro Florimon and Eduardo Escobar have gotten the opportunity to show they belong with this team next year and the price tag might be right for each player. These two players combined will be making less than Casilla would earn if the Twins went to arbitration with him. It seems that the team is becoming more comfortable with Florimon having the opportunity to earn a starting spot for next season and Escobar could back to serving in the utility role he had with the White Sox earlier this year. With the holes the Twins have to fill, it seems unlikely Casilla will make a return trip with the organization. Besides Florimon and Escobar, there are other options like Brian Dozier and Jamey Carroll to fit into the middle infield picture. There's always a chance the club would go out and sign a middle infielder but it looks to be a weak crop of free agents and hopefully the Twins aren't going to outbid other teams for the services of a mediocre player. It seems like the Twins middle infield picture is already overcrowded and Casilla might be the man pushed to the side. Casilla etched his place in Twins lore with his hit in Game 163 against the Tigers but the rest of his career was full of plenty of lost opportunities. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Mejia_AderlinSwinging_Seth_Orig.jpg With two rainouts on Tuesday, there was a duo of double-headers on Wednesday night. Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Angel Morales all made their Double-A debuts. Jason Wheeler helped the Miracle win with a new core of players in their everyday line-up. The Kernels had a chance to clinch a playoff birth. 
Earlier today I released an updated list of the top 10 prospects in the Twins organization. There was a new name at the top of the list and two other players sneaking into the top 5. Newly drafted high school pitcher Kohl Stewart is on the list but where does he rank?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Lots of members from my top ten list were in action on Wednesday. Let's see what happened down on the farm! 
Rochester Red Wings (Schedule Off Day) For Rochester it was the last scheduled day off in June. In fact, the club will play 20 games in the last 19 days of June. The Red Wings have lost four of their last six games so the team wants to get back on track as they play four games at home over the weekend. Rochester has a 30-36 record and sits eight games out of first place in the International League North. Over their last ten games, the Red Wings have gone 6-4 so things are moving the right way. The first goal: sneak back closer to the .500 mark and that can start this weekend. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Altoona Curve 7 (7 Innings-Game 1) Box Score The Double-A debuts for Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Angel Morales didn't exactly go as planned. New Britain's pitching staff was roughed up for seven runs in the loss. In this game, the trio of new players went 1-for-6 with a run scored and an RBI. Sano made three plate appearances. The result was a walk, a ground out and a deep sac fly that produced the team's lone run. Rosario had one of the team's three hits in the game and he scored the run. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with the team's only extra-base hit. New Britain went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Pat Dean lost his second consecutive start and he was hit around in less than six innings of work. He surrendered nine hits and five earned runs while striking out one. 62 of his 86 pitches were strikes so he was near the plate for most of the evening. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Altoona Curve 3 (7 Innings- Game 2) Box Score In the second game, the Rock Cats also struggled to push runs across the plate. Only three players were able to collect hits and that generally makes it tough to score. Danny Santana went 1-for-3 and scored a run. Eddie Rosario picked up his second hit at Double-A and Sano added his second RBI on a sac fly. The team left five runners on base and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Trevor May started and he did his best to keep the Rock Cats in the game. He pitched into the seventh inning and allowed three runs on five hits. He struck out eight and limited his walks to three. He was out-pitched on this night by former Twins minor leaguer David Bromberg. In six innings, Bromberg gave up one run on two hits and struck out 12. The loss drops New Britain three games under .500 but the team will look to salvage the last game of the series tomorrow. Fort Myers Miracle 6, Daytona Cubs 3 (7 Innings- Game 1) Box Score Jason Wheeler continued his stretch of strong starts in the Florida State League. In the make-up of Tuesday's washed out contest, Wheeler tossed five strong innings and limited the Cubs to two runs on four hits. There was some trouble with control as he walked five batters and struck out three. It was his sixth win of the season and he improved his record to 6-1. Anderlin Mejia paced the new-look Miracle line-up with three hits including his fifth double. Jhon Gonclaves and Stephen Wickens each added a double and two RBI. Former Gopher Mike Kvasnicka had his first multi-hit game since joining the team on Monday. Zach Jones picked up his seventh save of the season by getting the last four outs of the game. Three of the four batters he faced ended up striking out and he lowered his ERA to 1.46. Over his last ten games, Jones has given up only four hits and two earned runs. Fort Myers Miracle 5, Daytona Cubs 4 (7 Innings- Game 2) Box Score Dayton made things interesting by scoring four runs in the last three innings but the Miracle were able to hang on for a nail-biting win. It was the club's 43rd victory and they have lost only 20 games. Some of Miguel Sano's powerful swing must have stayed at third base for Fort Myers. Stephen Wickens, playing in the position formerly occupied by Sano, hit his first home run of the season. For the game, Wickens went 2-for-4 with a couple of RBI. Aderlin Mejia and Jairo Rodriguez each had two hits and an RBI. Matthew Summers only pitched four innings but he didn't allow a run and he struck out six. After not walking more than three batters in any of his last 10 games, Summers issued five free passes in this game. Taylor Rogers was credited with the win and Corey Williams picked up his ninth save. Cedar Rapids Kernels 12, Quad Cities River Bandits 4 Box Score A huge eighth inning helped the Kernels clinch a first half playoff birth. Cedar Rapids entered the frame tied with Quad Cities but the club then pushed eight runs cross the plate. With their win and the River Bandits loss, the Kernels are guaranteed one of the two playoff spots for the first half. Jose Berrios pitched six strong innings, not giving up an earned run and striking out six. There were multiple errors behind him that contributed to two unearned runs on his final line. Steven Gruver picked up the win but this came after he allowed two runs to score in the seventh. Travis Harrison had his 15th error at third base but he continued his strong season at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with his 10th home run. Jorge Polanco collected four hits including two doubles and two RBI. Uber-prospect Byron Buxton went 3-for-6 with his 15th double and his 48th and 49th RBI. Since the Kernels have now clinched, Buxton will probably be making his way to Fort Myers in the next week or so. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 2qoj.jpg Hardball history on the Minnesota prairie started long before the Twins moved to the Upper Midwest. Baseball legends like Ted Williams and Willie Mays called Minnesota home before making their big league debuts. There was a lot that went into the Twins becoming the franchise they are today and the club's entire history is summarized in the new book Minnesota Twins Baseball: Hardball History on the Prairie. There are plenty of people who know a lot about Twins baseball but author Stew Thornley is a little closer to the action than most. He is the official scorer for Twins home games and the unofficial historian of all Minnesota baseball. He has written more than 40 books, served as an officer of the local SABR chapter and even participated in Twins Daily threads surrounding official scoring decisions. His vast historical knowledge is evident to the reader. Minnesota's rich history of supporting teams like the Saints and the Millers gave way to talk of a major league team moving to Minnesota. The Giants and the Dodgers were some of the teams discussing a move, but Minneapolis wasn't attractive enough for their organizations; both team's moved west. Thankfully the Senators were also looking for a new home and their rich crop of young players helped to make the team successful early in the club's history. Throughout the pages of this 126-page book, Thorney does a good job of retelling the major events in Twins history one decade at a time. There have been good and bad times over the last five decades and the author employs his collection of knowledge to convey them to the most passionate of Twins fans. He tells stories that might not be familiar and even provides insights into his own private collection of baseball artifacts. Some of the best parts of this book are the stories before Minnesota had the Twins. One of the most interesting stories was that the New York Giants organization took out a full page ad in the Minneapolis Tribune to apologize for calling up Willie Mays after only 35-games with the Millers. As the Giants President Horace C. Stoneham said, "We honestly admit too, that this player’s exceptional talents are the exact answer to the Giants' most critical need." He was certainly right about Mays. The fight to avoid contraction and to build a new stadium has been central to the Twins organization in recent decades. The Minnesota Twins could have become the North Carolina Twins at one point but that story line never played itself out. The club started to play better, a new stadium was built, and it is truly hard to imagine a summer in the Upper Midwest without the Twins being part of this generation or the next. Even though this book is a quick read, there is great information packed onto every page. The inset stories and pictures provide a look at how baseball on the prairie has changed since the 1880s. For even the most dedicated Twins fan there will be stories in this book that one has forgotten or stories that one would love to relive. This book can be read over a long weekend at the lake but the memories will stick with you forever. When Calvin Griffith decided to name his team the Minnesota Twins, he said, "We want our new baseball enterprise to be for everyone in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest." Twins Territory has expanded beyond the boundaries of Minnesota and the history of baseball in the region is something every fan can cherish. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Trevor+Bauer+Arizona+Diamondbacks.jpg It's no secret that the Twins are looking for starting pitching. The free agent market is filled with plenty of intriguing arms but another way of accomplishing this task is to trade. There have been rumors of the Twins inquiring about a couple of different starting pitchers but a new name has emerged on the market. Word leaked out earlier this week about the Arizona Diamondbacks possibly being ready to shop top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer. It sounds like there is a division between Bauer and the D-Backs over his future with the club. Of course, it would take a lot to acquire a 21-year old pitcher with a ton of upside. If they are truly willing to shop Bauer, there will be plenty of interest from multiple club - for good reason. Bauer was the third pick of the 2011 amateur draft out of UCLA. During this past season, he made his debut with Arizona and was roughed up in his four appearances (6.06 ERA, 13BB in 16.1 IP) before being sent back to Triple-A. His numbers in the higher levels of the minor leagues have very good as he has a low 2.42 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 130 innings pitched. He made it to the big leagues in less than a year and still has plenty of potential. The one downside to Bauer looks like his command of the strike zone because he gave up 61 walks over his 130 minor league innings. In the cup of coffee in the majors, he averaged almost a walk an inning. This doesn't sound like the type of pitcher Terry Ryan and the Twins would target. Bauer doesn't fit the mold of soft throwing strike throwers but it could be time for Minnesota to go in a different direction. For Minnesota and Arizona, finding trade pieces could be tough for a couple of different reasons. The one area of surplus for the Twins is in the outfield and Arizona has enough outfielders that they are trying to trade away Justin Upton after already parting ways with Chris Young. This means the Twins could save Denard Span or Josh Willingham for a different trade but it also means the Twins would have to part with some top prospects. The results were not so good the last time the Twins traded a top prospect for pitching. Wilson Ramos looked to be ready to break-out at the major league level but the Twins sent him to Washington for Matt Capps. A trade with the D-Backs would take on a different light because Minnesota would be trading for a rising star in the pitching ranks and not a closer with mediocre stuff. This still leaves questions about what the Twins could send away from their prospect ranks. In my preliminary Twins prospect list for this offseason, there are some very good players at the top of the list. Would the Twins be willing to part with a couple of their top 10 prospects to get Bauer? How about a couple of players in the top 5? Which players would you say are untouchable? 1. Miguel Sano, 3B (Age 19) 2. Byron Buxton, OF (Age 18) 3. Aaron Hicks, OF (Age 23) 4. Oswaldo Arcia, OF (Age 21) 5. Eddie Rosario, OF/2B (Age 21) 6. Kyle Gibson, RHP (Age 25) 7. Jose Berrios, RHP (Age 18) 8. Travis Harrison, 3B (Age 20) 9. Max Kepler, OF (Age 19) 10. Joe Benson, OF (Age 24) It could take quite the haul to bring in Bauer and it's questionable how much the Twins should empty their farm system for the chance to acquire a young starting pitcher. The upside of Bauer is enough to get fans excited about the chance of him joining their organization this offseason. A deal might not be likely at this point but the right combination of prospects could make this trade a reality. If you were in Terry Ryan's GM chair, what would you offer? And would it be enough? Leave a COMMENT. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: KyleGibsonSpring.jpg The Twins are in the lull time of spring training - after players have reported and before the start of games. It is hard to get a lot of information about players at this stage in the spring training process. This still doesn't mean that there aren't some positive signs coming out of Fort Myers. Two pitchers have already made a strong impression in the first week of workouts. JO Berrios and Kyle Gibson were both high draft picks by the Twins but they are on opposite ends of the organization’s minor league system. Gibson will be fighting for a big league job and Berrios will be in the lower levels of the minors. For Gibson, this isn't his first time in camp with the big league club. It is, however, his first time in camp since he has recovered from Tommy John surgery. The coaches might remember the Gibson from before he went under the knife and now they have to familiarize themselves with Gibson version 2.0. In his first opportunity to face live hitters since the end of the Arizona Fall League, Gibson got plenty of swings and misses. He wasn't exactly squaring off with the heart of Minnesota's order. Joe Benson, Brian Dinkelman, and Eric Fryer stepped in against him and there were some good sliders thrown at them. Gibson told reporters after the session that his changeup is "pretty much where I want it." His fastball has been good in the bullpen but he missed some spots during his live throwing sessions. It will be critical for Gibson to hit his spots with his fastball so this is one area for him to improve in the coming weeks. Since the Twins only drafted Berrios in June, this is his first real opportunity to be in camp with the club. He didn't have a formal invite to big league camp but he is preparing to play in the World Baseball Classic for Puerto Rico. This gives many of the coaches a first chance to see the 18-year old. His breaking balls were sharp and he had good control of his other pitches. During his throwing session, Twins coach Scott Ullger asked, "And this kid is 18 years old?" I thought this quote from La Velle E. Neal summed up the situation quite nicely. "The guy looks like a clubhouse attendant when he walks around. But he has grown man stuff." It will be interesting to see how far Berrios will be able to rise this season. He did very well in both rookie leagues last year so he should get the opportunity to start in Cedar Rapids. If things go well there, he could find himself in Fort Myers by the end of the year. There is no reason to rush him since he is so young. Gibson will be another story. There isn't a whole lot left for him to prove in the minor leagues and he will be 25 years old for this entire season. He might end up in the minors to start the year but fans are anxious to see what he can do with the big league club. The future looks bright for both of these players even if they are at opposite ends of the Twins minor league system. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: PriorStrasburgGibsonJohnson.jpg The big debate in the baseball world has been the Washington Nationals decision to shut-down Stephen Strasburg, one of the best young starting pitchers in the game. He is pitching in his first full season at the big league level as he only pitched at the end of last season since he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Nationals fans see their team in first place and they want Strasburg to help the franchise reach the playoffs for the first time since the team moved to DC. But despite pressure from outside sources, the front office for the team is holding their ground and telling the media that Strasburg will be shut down at some point in the next couple weeks. Almost a decade ago, the Cubs were in a similar position with a young pitcher of their own.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] As Tom Verducci wrote about yesterday, the Cubs and their coaching staff seemed to beat Mark Prior into the ground in his first season as a big league pitcher. He had pitched almost 170 innings by the time September rolled around and averaged 125 pitches in his last nine starts of the 2003 season. It was by far his best season as a professional but he would never be the same. Some blame his overuse and others look at his poor mechanics but teams have never looked at young pitchers the same way since Prior's breakdown. With his minor league seasons taken into account, Prior had thrown 379 innings by the time of his age 22 season, which included some high pitch counts that aren't common in the present day game. Prior was the number two pick out of college in the 2001 draft. The Twins had the same pick in the previous year and took Adam Johnson, a right-handed pitcher, out of Cal State Fullerton. He didn't have the pedigree or expectations of Prior but he was trying to work his way to the big leagues through the Twins farm system. By the time he reached the end of his age 22 season, he had thrown 357 innings in the minor leagues, a number very close to Prior's total number of innings. Johnson was out of the Twins organization after the 2004 season as he went on to play in independent leagues, the Mexican League, and eventually he joined the A's farm system. Prior pitched over 100 innings in 2004 and 2005 but hasn't pitched at the big league level since 2006. Were the Cubs and Twins following the same plan by pushing their young pitchers too hard? As baseball's landscape has changed, so has the approach to innings limits and pitch counts for different players. Matt Garza was taken by the Twins in the first round of the 2005 draft and the team watched his innings limit more in his younger years. A shift happened in the baseball world and it's hard to get through this time of the year without hearing about minor league pitchers reaching their limit and being shut down for the year or sent to the bullpen. And it seems as if every player undergoes some kind of operation during their career with Tommy John surgery leading the way. As touched on before, the Nationals have a lot of money and one surgery under their belt with Strasburg. This has caused them to be very cautious when it comes to their precious arm. The Nationals have been down this road before. Fellow starter Jordan Zimmerman had his own injury, and the team followed a strict pitch count with him during his first full season back in 2011. Now the Nationals has been rewarded with him having his best season as a professional. The limits worked for Zimmerman and the team hopes that the same will hold true for Strasburg. Fans of the Twins minor league system have been following the recovery of former first round pick Kyle Gibson as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. He is currently pitching with the Rochester Red Wings and it sounds like the team is happy to see him finish the year with that club. From there, he will most likely go to the instructional leagues or to the Arizona Fall League to continue his comeback. Next year, Gibson will be in a similar position to Strasburg this year, as he will be in his first full season since the surgery. There will undoubtedly be an innings limit for the right-handed pitcher in 2013 and he might need to be shut down early much like Strasburg. The Cubs pushed Mark Prior to the limit and the rest is baseball history. Now the world of pitching is all about innings limits, 100 pitch outings, and trying to find the right combination of rest and recovery. Tommy John surgeries seem to be a right of passage to make it to the big leagues and this comes in an era that has seen plenty of perfect games and no hitters. With baseball toughening their stance on PEDs, pitchers seem to have more of their edge on the mound and this makes young arms all the more valuable. Mark Prior may have changed baseball forever, but he can't have imagined that it would be for this reason. Click here to view the article

Who IS This Guy? Clint Frazier is a high school center fielder from Georgia. He is widely considered to have the best bat speed in the entire draft, which enables him to have very good raw power. His 5-foot-11 frame has a muscular build at 190 pounds. This makes it tough to project him adding more weight but he looks like an MLB player. He also plays with a ton of energy and is recognized for his intensity. On the defensive side of the ball, there are some questions about whether he can stick in center field. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]He is starting to track the ball well and he continues to improve his ability to finish plays. His arm strength is very good, even with some tendonitis concerns, but he needs to work on his accuracy. Who Could He Be? There is the potential for Frazier to develop into a five-tool player at a premium position. He has the chance to make multiple All-Star teams or at least be a solid regular player. ~~~ Originally posted at http://nodaktwinsfan.com ~~~ One of the biggest holes in his game has been pitch recognition. He goes up to the plate looking fastball and he can destroy hanging breaking balls. Pitchers have been able to get him out with below average breaking pitches. If this improves, he could be a monster on the offensive side of the ball. Tendonitis issues have lowered Frazier’s arm strength from plus to above average. If he gets back to his previous level, his defensive value would pair nicely with his solid offensive projections. There is some risk with Frazier but he could reward a team by becoming a perennial All-Star. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? Frazier will be 18 years, 9 months old on draft day. This puts him on a similar path to the major leagues as Byron Buxton. He will likely spend the end of this coming summer in rookie ball. Like Buxton this year, he could start 2014 at Low-A. He would spend 2015 at High-A and 2016 at Double-A. This timetable would leave him close to making his big league debut. The Twins let Aaron Hicks skip Triple-A; Frazier has the potential to make that type of move. If he takes care of some of his flaws, he could be an everyday starter by 2017. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because... Frazier might end up busting out in the minor leagues. He doesn't have room to grow into his body so the potential to add power isn't there. There will likely be better players available at number four. He also has red hair and apparently a good big league player can't have red hair according to old school scout analysis. The Twins could work out a deal with Frazier before the draft, signing him for less than slot value. The team could then use the extra money for a pick later in the draft. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because... Without risk, there is never any reward. Frazier's bat speed and five-tool potential could help him move quickly through the system. Buxton might be the team's center fielder of the future but Frazier could slide into a corner spot and be an above average regular. Imagine the Twins starting outfield in 2017 with Buxton in CF, Frazier in RF, and Arcia or Hicks in LF. Frazier is an unbelievably hard worker and he shows this on the field. He is a natural leader and will push himself. There might be work ethic questions surrounding other prep players but there is no doubt about Frazier's make-up. Plus it would be cool to have a guy with bright red hair in the middle of the line-up on an everyday basis. MLB Draft Player Profiles: Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP For MLB Draft Day Coverage, make sure you follow @TwinsDaily on Twitter! Click here to view the article

One year ago the Twins were working with a relief pitcher who wanted to show he had fully recovered from an elbow injury. Joe Nathan had spent the last year trying to recover from Tommy John surgery. He hadn't been on a mound in a major league regular season game since the playoffs in 2009. When pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, he was ready to show the team everything he had and he told the team that he didn't "want to be babied if I don't need it."Download attachment: large_zumaya23.jpg Fast-forward to 2012 and the Twins find themselves in a very similar situation. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]There is a hard throwing relief pitcher who is trying to come back from a major injury to his elbow. Joel Zumaya hasn't been on a mound in a major league game since his horrific injury at Target Field in 2010. Now he is in camp for the Twins and he is ready to prove he can regain the form he showed during his rookie season in 2006. He is in the similar mindset as Nathan as he told the team, "Don't baby me; I'm here to go full out now." The coaching staff stated on Sunday that they would take a similar approach to Zumaya as they did with Nathan in 2011. For Nathan there were many milestones along the way as he tried to prove to the Twins that he belonged as the team's closer. These milestones started in the spring with his first bullpen session, his first game action, and they would eventually lead to his first regular season action. The Twins knew the mindset of Nathan and this would lead him to be very eager to get back on the field. Ron Gardenhire and the Twins coaching staff put together a plan for easing him back in because they wanted to avoid another injury to a key piece of the bullpen. Even with the cautious approach towards Nathan there were some speed bumps in the early part of 2011. He struggled in the first month of the season as he ended April with an ERA of 10.00 with two blown saves out of five opportunities. He turned the closing duties over to Matt Capps to try and help the team be more successful. By June he would find himself on the disabled list with right elbow soreness but he found his way back in the second half of the season. His ERA dropped from 5.82 in the first half to 3.91 in the second half and he posted a 1.000 WHIP. Nathan found out during the regular season that he would need to change his approach as a pitcher. The Nathan that Twins fans were accustomed to seeing on the mound threw hard most of the time to try and retire the batter. The post-Tommy John Nathan would need to use more than just fastballs to get batters out. During last year, I wrote this post about some of the changes in pitch speed from Nathan. It looks at him before the injury, at the beginning of 2011, and later in the season. The Twins have plenty they can learn from Nathan's injury and apply it to their situation with Zumaya. During the 2011 Grapefruit League schedule, Nathan appeared in seven games for a total of 6.1 innings pitched. Not all of these outings were good but he showed enough for the Twins to give him the closers role. In 2012 the Twins won't be looking at Zumaya for the closers role so that takes a little of the heat off of him. If the Twins are following the same type of plan with Zumaya then fans can expect to see him make about seven appearances during the spring schedule. Another interesting aspect for fans to watch will be how the Twins approach the use of Zumaya during the regular season. There has been some talk of the Twins not using him in back-to-back games at the start of the regular season. If the Twins are going to get a healthy season from Zumaya, it will be important to watch his workload. He has not pitched over 40 innings in a season since 2006 and the Twins will need more from his right arm in 2012. In the end, the Twins were given a blueprint for handling relief pitchers trying to comeback from a major elbow injury with Nathan during last year. Both of these pitchers didn't want to be babied but the Twins are still going to take a cautious approach. Zumaya could be one of the most valuable assets the team added this offseason but there won't be any value gained if he doesn't make it out of spring training as a healthy pitcher. Click here to view the article

At the conclusion of every season, the members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are asked to submit their ballots for the top awards across baseball. You can find more about them here. Today marks the final day of the awards and the other announcements from the BBA should be coming in the near future. Today we'll tackle the most contentious of this year's awards: the Stan Musial Award for Top Player.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Stan Musial Award for Top Player American League Download attachment: Mike+Trout+steal.jpg 1. Mike Trout2. Miguel Cabrera 3. Robinson Cano 4. Adrian Beltre 5. Adam Jones 6. Josh Hamilton 7. Prince Fielder 8. Joe Mauer 9. Yoenis Cespedes 10. Paul Konerko Summary: Near the end of the regular season, I wrote a post about the tight MVP race in the American League between rookie phenom Mike Trout and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. There are plenty of different things to consider when it comes to picking out a winner including WAR, defensive ability, the significance of the Triple Crown, being on a playoff team, etc. Make sure to check out the article for my entire explanation for choosing Trout over Cabrera. An argument could be made for Cano to finish ahead of Cabrera but it won't happen. Beltre and Hamilton had strong seasons for the team that most thought should win the American League. Jones was the spark plug for the Orioles offense and they needed every run they could score. Prediction: In the end, I think Cabrera walks away with the MVP but this takes nothing away from the outstanding year put together by Trout as a 20-year old rookie. ~~~ National League Download attachment: Buster+Posey+San+Francisco.jpg 1. Buster Posey2. Ryan Braun 3. Andrew McCutchen 4. Yadier Molina 5. David Wright 6. Chase Headley 7. Jason Heyward 8. Clayton Kershaw 9. Matt Holliday 10. Joey Votto Summary: The strong second half compiled by Posey on a team heading to the postseason should push him over the top for this award. He put up these numbers while playing most of his games behind the plate for the Giants so that should only help his cause. Braun put together an identical season to his MVP campaign in 2011 but the PED cloud surrounding him could keep him from the top spot. The Pirates looked like everyone's darlings in the first half of the year before falling off and McCutchen was a large part of their surge. An argument can be made for Molina to finish in the top spot because his offensive numbers are similar to Posey and he is better on the defensive side of the ball. Wright and Headley had wonderful seasons but it came on team's that struggled to win games. Prediction: This looks like it should be a runaway win for Mr. Posey. So what do you think of the ballot? Who would get your vote? And for additional awards, below are those that have been announced. The links lead to my choices for each. Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) released Monday, October 8Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) released Tuesday, October 9Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) released Wednesday, October 10Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) released Thursday, October 11Stan Musial Award (Top Player) released today. Click here to view the article

Minnesota added some top-notch talent to the organization at the end of last week. For the third year in a row, the Twins had a top five pick in the MLB Draft. Minnesota's farm system was already considered one of the best in the game and adding top tier talent can only help the organization. My last prospect rankings were released in conjuncture with the "2014 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook." There have been some changes since that time as minor league teams are almost halfway through their season. Some players have shined and others have struggled. Injuries have been the story for the Twins top two prospects this year but some pitching prospects have really started to shine as they get closer to the big leagues. [/hr]For more from Cody Christie, check out NoDakTwinsFan.com [/hr] 1. Byron Buxton- OF (Previously #1) 2014 Team(s): Fort Myers Miracle 2014 Stats: .150/.150/.350, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R (5 Games) Even though Buxton has missed most of this season with a wrist injury, he is still considered by many to be the best prospect in the game. The lost playing time is going to hurt some of his development but he was young for the levels he has played at so far. Hopefully, he can get into some games in the second-half of the year and show some positive signs. 2. Miguel Sano- 3B (Previously #2) 2014 Team(s): N/A Tommy John surgery Tommy John surgery took away most of this season from Sano. He likely won't be able to get on the field this season unless it is in a DH capacity at the very end of the year. It seems likely for the Twins to send Sano to the Arizona Fall League to get some extra at-bats before he plays in the Dominican Winter League. Download attachment: alex-meyer-twins.jpg 3. Alex Meyer- RHP (Previously #3) 2014 Team(s): Rochester Red Wings 2014 Stats: 3.30 ERA, 62.2 IP, 75 SO, 28 BB, 51 H (12 Games) Meyer will likely be making his big league debut this season and he has made some adjustments at the Triple-A level. He learned a new change-up grip and this has helped improve his strikeout totals. Opponents are hitting .223 against him for the season. Because of some injury issues last year, he's already closing in on the number of innings he pitched last year. 4. Nick Gordon- SS (Previously N/A) 2014 Team(s): N/A 2014 Draft The Twins haven't been able to develop a shortstop in the minor leagues for quite some time. Nick Gordon is hoping to be the man to end that streak. He add 15 pound of muscle in the last year and this should help improve his power numbers. He'll start in the rookie leagues once he signs a contract. 5. Jose Berrios- RHP (Previously #6) 2014 Team(s): Fort Myers Miracle 2014 Stats: 2.24 ERA, 64.1 IP, 74 SO, 17 BB, 57 H (11 Games) Berrios might be having the best season of any of the top prospects on this list. There have been questions in the past about whether his long-term role was going to be as a starter or as a relief pitcher. He is putting some of those questions to rest with his performance in the Florida State League. I would have moved him higher but I need to see more from him throughout the season. 6. Kohl Stewart- RHP (Previously #4) 2014 Team(s): Cedar Rapids Kernels 2014 Stats: 2.67 ERA, 49.0 IP, 36 SO, 15 BB, 37 H (10 Games) Stewart's ERA looks great but I was expecting him to strike out more batters. This is one of the reasons he dropped a little. It's still early in his first full season in professional baseball so he has a lot of time left to develop before reaching the big leagues. 7. Eddie Rosario- 2B/OF (Previously #5) 2014 Team(s): Fort Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats 2014 Stats: .350/.409/.450, 1 HR, 1 2B, 6 RBI, 9 R (10 Games) Rosario missed 50 games to start the season because of a drug related suspension. He's done fairly well since his return and the team has already moved him up from High-A to Double-A. It sounds like Rosario will be playing some in the infield and some in the outfield after transitioning to second base last year. He's still a very gifted hitter and he could make it to Rochester by season's end. 8. Jorge Polanco- 2B (Previously #7) 2014 Team(s): Fort Myers Miracle 2014 Stats: .289/.362/.395, 4 HR, 11 2B, 27 RBI, 40 R (57 Games) Polanco has consistently moved through the Twins system and he seems to improve at every level. He hit over .300 each of the last two seasons and continues to add power. The switch-hitter has close to the same batting average from both sides of the plate so he should continue to switch hit as he moves up the ladder. 9. Trevor May- RHP (Previously #13) 2014 Team(s): Rochester Red Wings 2014 Stats: 2.80 ERA, 61.0 IP, 63 SO, 24 BB, 45 H (11 Games) One of the biggest concerns for May has always been his control. He's made some positive strides this season, as he has been able to limit the number of walks he's allowing. His numbers are the best of his career and he's another player who is knocking on the door to the big leagues. If he continues to show consistency, the Twins will reward him with a call-up. 10. Lewis Thorpe- LHP (Previously #11) 2014 Team(s): Cedar Rapids Kernels 2014 Stats: 9.64 ERA, 4.2 IP, 1 SO, 3 BB, 6 H (1 Game) Thorpe exploded onto the scene last year and shot up prospect lists with his performance in the GCL. The Twins had him skip Elizabethton and he got roughed up in his first Low-A start. He's only 18-years old so he's much younger than the competition. The Twins had confidence in him skipping a level so they must believe he is ready for this level. Click here to view the article

In case you missed any Twins coverage this week... Download attachment: GlenPerkinsShark.jpg It's hard to believe that another week has gone by and the Twins are one step closer to beginning their 2012 season. The first Grapefruit League action for the Twins took place on Saturday and Joe Mauer, Denard Span, and Justin Morneau all played. Span ran into the center field wall during a simulated game on Thursday but only had a cut lip to deal with.Glen Perkins posted a picture of himself with a shark (top right) and he made NotGraphsbecause of it.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] All of the minor league players for the Twins are due to report to Ft. Myers on Tuesday. This means the complex in southwest Florida will be overrun by Twins players and coaches from all levels of the farm system. With the severe winter weather that hit a good portion of Twins Territory this week, the Florida sun is sounding pretty good right about now.The company formerly known as Twins Train has switched their name to Territory Train. They have a variety of great trips scheduled for 2012 so make sure to check them out.The top high school pitching prospect for next year's draft supposedly hit 100 mph in his first start of the year. Talk about getting the year off to a good start.The tenth inning stretch has a recap of the Twins B game from Thursday.Seedlings to Stars composed their first 2012 MLB Mock Draft for the First Round and the Supplemental Round. Who will the Twins snag at number 2?Seth Stohs is preaching patience with the bullpen and he had some great guests during his podcast on Tuesday night.One of the most valuable pieces of sports memorabilia ever is up for auction.After the social media world blew up from some of Morneau's comments, he made some clarifications following a few days of working out with the team.Twins Fan From Afar asks the question, "Did Joe Mauer-- and Twins Fans -- need his 2011 season to happen?"Ozzie Guillen is already making headlines in Miami.The New Britain Rock Cats were sold to an investment group earlier in the week.Download attachment: Miracle20thAniv.jpg The Fort Myers Miracle are going to be celebrating their 20th season this year and they have special caps in honor of the milestone. (bottom right)A former Twins first round pick retired earlier this week but he never played for the Twins organization.The Yankees can't find a better spot than the bathroom to take their team pictures?!?!Jose Mijares switched teams this offseason but he still couldn't figure out how to get to spring training on time.Twinkie Town wonders if Trevor Plouffe can be the player the Twins need him to be.The writers over at Puckett's Pond have been busy with their "Back to Baseball" series so make sure to visit their page and check it out.Twins Rubes has started a series call "Our Stadium Adventures." The first post was on Target Field and the second installment was on Safeco Field.My Weekly Rundown Monday: Zumaya's injury leaves right-handed hole to fillTuesday: How long will Dozier stay in the minors? Thursday: Tough schedule could put Twins in early holeVideo of the Week: A tip of the cap to the blog Classic Minnesota Twins!for their post with this video earlier this week. It is Kent Hrbek as a guest on the David Letterman Show all the way back in 1987. The Twins were coming off their first World Series Championship and Hrbek had some fun stories to tell. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: TwinsRevolvingDoor.jpg In recent seasons, it has seemed like a revolving door at some key positions for the Twins. One of the most problematic areas has been their search for a shortstop. This search continues and it's hard to see an end in sight. In the last decade, the Twins have used eight different Opening Day starters at shortstop. The only men to make the list twice in the last decade were Cristian Guzman and Jason Bartlett. What's more, in four of the last five seasons, the man to earn the job for Opening Day has failed to start the most games at shortstop over the course of the season. Download attachment: TwinsShortstops.jpg When the Twins traded away Bartlett and Matt Garza to get Delmon Young and Brendan Harris, it ended a nice run of consistency at shortstop. For the early part of the 2000s, the Twins had Guzman consistently leading the team at the shortstop position. Bartlett was there to take over after the team parted ways with Guzman. Since that point, it has been a hodgepodge of players at one of the most important positions on the field. The only year in recent memory with a semblance of consistency at shortstop was in 2010 after the Twins traded for JJ Hardy. He was the Opening Day starter and he led the team in games played at the position. There were still injury concerns with Hardy as he only played in 101 games but it was still more consistent than the last two years. But in 2011, the Twins put a lot of stock into Tsuyoshi Nishioka - and this plan failed miserably. He didn't work out at second base and he was even more of a disaster when they moved him to shortstop. After spending almost all of last season being less than mediocre at Triple-A, he went back to Japan. One of the biggest regrets (besides Nishioka being horrible) might be that the team parted ways with Hardy to make room for their Japanese import. Last season, the Twins started the year with newly signed free agent Jamey Carroll at shortstop. Brian Dozier was coming off a very good season in the minor leagues after being named the team's minor league player of the year. Carroll didn't exactly hit the cover off the ball so the Twins handed the reigns to Dozier. It wasn't pretty for Dozier either and he ended the year in the minor leagues. The future doesn't look any better. Pedro Florimon has the upper hand as the Opening Day starter in 2013 but there is still plenty of time before the Twins face the Tigers. Carroll, Dozier, and others might be in the mix for the starting role but the long-term solution doesn't seem like it will be in camp when the Twins head to Fort Myers. As far as prospects go, Daniel Santana is the next best potential shortstop in the organization. He spent all of last season at High-A with the Fort Myers Miracle. He put together the best season of his professional career by batting .286/.329/.410 with 38 extra-base hits. Levi Michael, the 2011 1st round draft pick, split time at both middle infield positions for Fort Myers. Baseball America also named him the best defensive infielder in the Twins system. If Santana or Michael is the long-term solution at shortstop, they are still multiple levels away from cracking the line-up for the Twins. There is always a chance the Twins could get a shortstop back in a trade this offseason, but starting pitching is most likely the priority. At this point, any hope for 2013 looks a little bleak. Revolving doors have their uses, but eventually one needs to leave get out or one becomes nauseous. Similarly, the Twins revolving door at shortstop needs to stop or the rest of Twins Territory is going to continue to have a sick feeling in their stomach. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Twins_Molitor_Coaching.jpg When the Twins announced the retooling of their coaching staff at the conclusion of the regular season, one of the first names to come to mind for most Twins fans was former Twins player and Twin Cities native Paul Molitor. The Hall of Fame player is currently employed by the organization as a roving minor league instructor and he served as bench coach for Tom Kelly from 1999 to 2001. In interviews since the Twins cleared out their coach staff, Molitor expressed interested in coaching with the team if he was asked. General Manager Terry Ryan has come out publicly and stated Molitor isn't a fit with the major league version of the Twins. When asked about the issues in another interview, Ryan said, "It's not a fit right now."[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] So the question floating through the minds of Twins fans has to be, why isn't Paul Molitor a coaching option at this point? From sounds of reports out of the Twin Cities, it sounds like Ryan and manager Ron Gardenhire made the joint decision to keep Molitor off of the major league coaching roster. Speculation can be made that one of these men has something working with Molitor. Before Ryan came back to his role as GM, he spent a lot of time working with the minor league system for the Twins. This should have given him plenty of opportunities to see Molitor working closely with the talent in the minor leagues. Both Gardenhire and Ryan see a lot of Molitor at spring training as he hops from field to field working with different groups of players. He knows the team and the organization so there must be something deeper to this dismissal of Molitor joining the coaching staff for the Twins. The last time the Twins organization needed a new manager there were a few different candidates for Terry Ryan to pick from. Obviously, Gardenhire became the man for the job for a few different reasons. He had served as manager in the minor leagues for three seasons before joining the club as the third base coach in 1991. Gardenhire would keep that job for 11 seasons and he worked closely with Tom Kelly during this time. Molitor was another candidate for the job back in 2002 but he was only three years removed from his own playing career. In the three years since his retirement, he had been working as the bench coach for the Twins but the team went for Gardenhire, the man with more experience. In your own life if you were going after a tough job opening, there can be plenty of pressures in the job interview process. If there was another candidate strongly considered for the position, it might be hard for you to work with them if they were hired to work below you in some capacity. This might be the thinking of Gardenhire as he assesses the situation this offseason. He knows his job is on thin ice after two terrible seasons in Minnesota and having Molitor on his bench as a coach could make his job even harder for next year. If the Twins were to get off to another rough start, Molitor could be the new manager in waiting. This can be a threatening situation for Gardenhire so maybe he put the axe on the thoughts of having Molitor added to his staff. The men picked to fill the open positions for the Twins include some of the members of the staff for the Twins Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. Triple-A hitting coach Tom Brunansky has moved through the Twins system pretty rapidly in the last few years and he is lined up to take over the hitting instruction. Triple-A pitching coach Bobby Cueller is now the bullpen coach since Rick Anderson kept his position as pitching coach with the Twins. Cueller could also be useful as a translator for Hispanic players on the Twins as this has been an area of concern for the club. Rochester manager Gene Glynn didn't have a perfect first season with the Red Wings and it looks like the organization wants him to continue working with players at that level. The most surprising hire was Terry Steinbach to serve as bench coach and catching coach. He has no prior coaching experience so it's hard to imagine what coach would take over if Gardenhire was fired in mid-season. In the end, it doesn't sound like Molitor will be joining the coach staff for the Twins at the beginning of the 2013 season. Ryan has made that point clear to the public over the last few weeks. The timing might not be right for Molitor to join the club but this doesn't take him out of consideration for future openings. Another bad season in Minnesota could mean the end of Gardenhire's time as manager and this could open up an opportunity for Molitor to rejoin the coaching staff. There are pressures surrounding all of the men at the top of the Twins organization and the coaching staff will continue to be scrutinized until the results change on the field. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Thomas_Clete_Batting_US_720.jpg Earlier this week, the Twins made a roster move to bring in some centerfield help for Aaron Hicks. For most of the season, the club has been without a back-up center fielder because Darin Mastroianni has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury. Last week, Chris Parmelee had to play a defensive inning in center field in the late portion of a game. The Twins need a back-up center fielder and Thomas is one of the few options.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] When Hicks was struggling at the beginning of the season, Thomas was destroying the ball for Triple-A. During the month of April, he hit .362/.456/.621 with four home runs and three doubles. There were some whispers of Thomas being brought up to replace Hicks in the line-up. A leg injury slowed down Thomas in more recent weeks so he isn't joining the Twins on the kind of tear he was on at the start of the year. In his last ten games with Rochester, he hit .225/.311/.525 with three home runs and three doubles. Thomas isn't exactly a spring chicken. He is 29-years old and he has 472 MLB plate appearances under his belt. The majority of those plate appearances came with the Detroit Tigers in 2008 and 2009. Since that time, he has bounced around in the minor leagues. Last season with the Twins, he played 12 games and hit .143/.172/.286 with a home run and a double. Recently, things have been going better for Hicks at the plate. In the last 12 games, he is hitting .279/.295/.605 with three home runs, a triple, and three doubles. Besides the improvement at the plate, he has also been making some very good plays on the defensive. He might not have yet completely figured out the big leagues but he sure looks better than he did earlier in the year. It is in the best long term interest of the team to continue to play Hicks on a regular basis. He is going to be the center fielder for this team for the next couple seasons. Eventually, he might have to shift to a corner outfield role but that would only be to allow a younger Byron Buxton to take over in center field. Hicks needs repetitions so he is able to figure out the big league level. Thomas took the place of left-handed relief pitcher Tyler Robertson on the 40-man roster. Robertson has some trouble controlling his breaking ball at Rochester; he walked 16 men in almost 21 innings. His 3.05 ERA is fine but it's not as though the Twins will be hurting without him on the roster. Overall, it's nice to have an option in center field if Hicks needs an off-day. For the most part, Thomas should be riding the bench so Hicks can get as much playing time as possible. Thomas provides insurance for the club in case of an injury to Hicks. There was also word out of the Twins' clubhouse that Hicks has been icing a foot after games recently. This might not be anything serious but it could be a sign of him dealing with an injury. Ron Gardenhire could give the rookie a day off in the next couple days. Before Thomas joined the team, there were few options to take over centerfield. The Twins have been playing well in the last week or so. This is a good sign but the club needs to continue to think about its future. Thomas is not going to be part of the next winning baseball team in Minnesota but he can help in the present. Hicks is working his way through some rookie stumbling blocks. As Hicks' career unfolds Thomas can be useful, helping the Twins shepherd Hicks through his challenging rookie season. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4jZfVSkFdIc/T7osi8xBYuI/AAAAAAAABSo/T9Dddu6sgOw/s320/ap-201205201432523667858.jpg The Twins didn't put up much of a fight on Sunday afternoon and their four game winning streak came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Brewers. When the starting pitcher doesn't make it out of the second inning in a game following an extra-inning affair, it is going to be tough for a team to find success. The Twins offense did score the first run of the game and they were able to put some runs on the board in their last at-bat but the innings in between were ugly. While the front office of the Twins might have been cringing when Twins pitchers were on the mound, their eyes should have been clearly fixed on the starting pitcher for the Brewers in this game. Zack Greinke had been a standout pitcher in the AL Central for multiple seasons with the Royals so the Twins are well aware of his outstanding ability on the mound. On Sunday, Greinke was given a big lead and he knew what to do with it by pitching into the seventh inning and allowing a single earned run to cross the plate.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] When the 2012 season comes to an end, Greinke will hit the open market as one of the most sought after free agent pitchers. He will turn 29-years old during the offseason and many teams will be lining up at his door to inquire about what it will take for him to sign with their club. According to sources, there have been no recent talks between the Brewers and Greinke. It sounds like the Brewers would like to resign their ace but money could be a big factor for a team playing in one of the smallest markets in baseball. Most projections of Greinke's value as a free agent have him getting upwards of $100 million when he signs on the dotted line this offseason. The San Francisco Giants recently signed Matt Cain to the largest contract in history for a right-handed pitcher. The six-year deal was for $127.5 million with $112.5 million being guaranteed and it will keep Cain in San Francisco through the prime of his career. Since Greinke is only a year older than Cain, Greinke's deal could be structured very similar to the Cain deal and that would put the Brewers out of the running to keep Greinke around. If the Brewers are out of the running, this leaves other teams with the opportunity to swoop in and add Greinke to their starting rotation. The Twins should be one of the team's taking a hard look at bringing Greinke into the fold for the 2013 season. Coaches, fans, and the front office have been frustrated with the performance of many of the pitchers that have been in the starting rotation for the Twins this year. Jason Marquis and Francisco Liriano have been disasters, Carl Pavano has been forced to pitch through some pain in his shoulder, and Nick Blackburn has been very underwhelming when he has been able to pitch. Lucky enough for the Twins most of the starting staff will be free agents at season's end. This means the team can do a complete overhaul of their rotation for the start of next year. The extra money freed up by letting these players go could also allow the Twins to go after a free agent starting pitcher like Zack Greinke. Liriano makes $5.5 million, Pavano earns $9.0 million, and Marquis signed this past offseason for $3.0 million. If you add all of those up with the $6.5 million lost on Scott Baker this year, the Twins will have quite the chunk of change to spend on pitching for 2013. In the past, Greinke has battled with some issues surrounding anxiety and he was even forced to leave the Royals for a short time to try and figure out a solution to these problems. This battle with stressed related issues has allowed writers to predict that Greinke might like to stay away from some of the major markets in baseball. His issues with anxiety might only be compounded if he were to sign and play in New York or Los Angeles. This could give the Twins a better opportunity to sign Greinke because he has pitched his entire career in the Midwest and he is already familiar with the AL Central. Since Johan Santana was traded away before the 2008 season, the Twins have been searching for an ace of their staff. Greinke could be that player but a big time contract for a starting pitcher always comes with some risk. In this case, I think the risk is worth taking and the Twins should go all in to sign Greinke for the foreseeable future. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Delmon+Young+ALCS+Detroit+Tigers.jpg Originally posted at nodaktwinsfan.com A strange thing happened during the first game of the American League Championship Series over the weekend. For Twins fans, a man familiar to their organization became the all-time leader in postseason home runs for a team with a history that stretches back to the beginning of the 1900's. For those wearing a Detroit jersey, Delmon Young stands alone on top of the leader board for most long balls when the games matter the most. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The man Young passed on the list, Craig Monroe, isn't exactly entrenched in the lore of the Tigers. It doesn't seem likely that either one of these men will be getting a bronze statue erected in the outfield of Comerica Park. But his is a team that has been to the World Series nine times and they have won the title on four different occasions. The team has also been in the playoffs in 14 different years so there has to be some reason for Delmon being able to reign supreme in the history of Tigers sluggers. (One reason the postseason home run list for the Tigers might be a little unpopulated could be the fact the team was really bad during most of the steroid era. The Tigers won the World Series in 1984 and lost to the Twins in the 1987 ALCS and it went downhill from that point. The franchise lost over 100 games in 1989 and 1996 and it would get worse in the early 2000's with the team having back-to-back 100 loss seasons. This also included a season where the club lost 119 games. From 1987 to 2006, there were no playoff appearances for the Tigers and there were plenty of home runs flying out of ballparks across the baseball world during this time period.) Since the Twins parted ways with Mr. Young around the trade deadline in 2011, his career with Detroit has been anything but spectacular. He has played 191 regular season games with the Tigers and he is batting average is .268 during that time. As during most of his career, there have been glimpses of power as he has 26 home runs and 32 doubles in his 786 plate appearances. He doesn't take walks so he gets on base less than a third of the time and it's hard to imagine that the former first overall pick has lived up to expectations for any of the franchises he has played for in his seven year career. The power-slugging version of Young didn't show in October during his time in Minnesota. In his two-playoff series as a member of the Twins, he went 5-for-24 which translates to a .208 batting average and he managed a double and a triple. His first taste of the playoffs in 2009 was horrendous as he finished the series 1-for-12 with five strikeouts. Both of these series were against the Yankees; Delmon joined the other members of the Twins in his struggles against the Bronx Bombers. The Tigers October version of Young has a little bit of a different feel. Since being traded to Detroit, Young has turned his bad playoff memories with the Twins into good feeling vibes in the Motor City. Last season, Young made up for lost time against the Yankees by going 6-for-19 in the series with three home runs and even showed the ability to take a few walks. The next series was against Texas and even though he only managed two hits, they were both long balls. Five home runs in two series was quite the postseason for Young since he only managed 12 home runs during the regular season in 2011. In the Tigers first playoff series of 2012, Young didn't go deep but he had a couple of RBI in victories for his club. His first game versus the Yankees on Saturday night made it look like he was starting right where he left off against them in 2011. He was pulled in the last inning for a defensive replacement but he finished the contest 3-for-6 with a home run, a double, and six RBI. On Sunday, he added to his RBI total by knocking in one of the three runs for Detroit. The Tigers are inching closer to the World Series and Young is one of the reasons for their success in October. The Twins outfield situation is one of the clubs least concerns, so it's not like fans are clamoring to see Young back in the Twin Cities. His play in the regular season has been the same old Delmon Young; he can't play defense, he doesn't take walks, and his power is spotty. The small sample size of the postseason can make anyone look like a legend and it will be interesting to see what someone is willing to pay for him when he hits the free agent market, which he'll do this offseason. For now, teams will have to settle for watching him hit balls out of the park in the postseason. Click here to view the article

On Tuesday it was announced that New Britain Rock Cats outfield Daniel Ortiz was selected as the Eastern League Player of the Week for the period of May 19th-May 25th. Over six games, he hit .480 with four doubles, a triple and two home runs. He had at least one hit in all six games and he post back-to-back three hit nights earlier in the week. During the last week, Ortiz led the league in slugging percentage (.960), OPS (1.460) and tied for the league lead in extra-base hits (7) Would Ortiz's hot hitting continue this week? Read on to find out. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Syracuse 10 Box Score Syracuse must have been sick of losing to Rochester. Coming into the game the Red Wings had beaten the Chiefs in three straight games and outscored them 24-10. Scott Diamond is not making it easy for Rochester to win the games he starts. After giving up seven runs in 3.1 innings, his ERA is up to 7.51 and his WHIP is the highest in the International League. He hasn't won a start since May 2 and he's given up five runs or more in four of his nine starts. Yohon Pino, Deolis Guerra and Edgar Ibarra did their best to clean up the mess as they combined to give up three earned runs over the last 5.2 frames. There wasn't much to speak of on the offensive side. Chris Herrmann and Chris Colabello made their return to the Rochester line-up after being sent down on Monday. Herrmann went 2-for-4 with a run scored while Colabello went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Chris Rahl had the lone extra-base hit, a double that scored two runs. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Portland 5 (2 Innings-Suspended for wet grounds) Box Score The Rock Cats didn't get very far into their game with the Sea Dogs but there was plenty of action. New Britain got on the board early with a big five-run first inning. Daniel Ortiz continued his hot hitting ways with two hits including a triple. Reynaldo Rodriguez cracked a two-run home run, his eighth of the season. Pat Dean got beat up in the rainy weather as he allowed five runs on six hits in 1.1 innings. He walked one and struck out one. The game is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday as part of a double-header. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Clearwater 0 Box Score Download attachment: Matt Tomshaw FM (2).jpg Matt Tomshaw twirled eight shutout innings and he faced just one batter over the minimum. He was able to get around his two walks and three hits because of four double plays turned behind him. It was his fourth straight win in May and he has only allowed two earned runs so far this month. Brandon Peterson had a strikeout as he closed out the ninth inning to preserve the shutout. Stuart Turner put together a very impressive night at the plate. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. It was his second consecutive multi-hit game and he's hit safely in eight of his last ten games. Five other hitters in the Miracle line-up had two hits or more. Max Kepler scored three runs and Niko Goodrum added a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 16, Beloit 5 Box Score The Kernels exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning and 16 runs, a season high, over four innings to pound the Beloit Snappers. Every Kernels starter had a hit besides JD Williams and he still scored three runs and had an RBI without recording a hit. Surprisingly, there was only one extra-base hit out of the 16 hits for Cedar Rapids. Mitch Garver went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI and Ivory Thomas hit a pinch-hit three run homer to cushion the lead. Jake Mauer was able to use a variety of pitchers in the late innings since his club scored so many runs. Derrick Penilla started things for Cedar Rapids and he went four shutout frames while walking three and striking out two. It was only his second start of the season and it was the most innings he has pitched this year. Brandon Bixler picked up the win but he was charged with five runs in less than three innings. Jared Wilson and Hudson Boyd combined to shut out the Kernels in the last 2.1 innings. The Kernels improved to 4-2 against the Snappers this season. After the series win, the Kernels won't face the Snappers again in the first half. The two teams meet again in August TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Matt Tomshaw, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Stuart Turner, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST)- Alex Meyer (Listen) New Britain @ Portland- Taylor Rogers (Listen) New Britain @ Portland (5:00 CST)- Competition of 5/28 Game Fort Myers @ Clearwater (12:00 CST)- David Hulbut (Listen) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Aaron Slegers (Listen) Photo of Matt Tomshaw by Linwood Ferguson, Ft. Myers Miracle. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Story.jpg Something clearly hadn't been right with Mike Pelfrey in his recent starts and the Twins finally did something about it Saturday morning. Pelfrey was placed on the disabled list with a left groin strain. Sam Deduno will take Pelfrey's spot in the rotation as he has continued to pitch well out of the bullpen. Danny Santana is the man taking Pelfrey's spot on the active roster. The Twins plan to use him in a variety of roles especially since the club already has two other shortstops on the roster. Santana is one of the top prospects in the Twins system and he was hitting .268/.311/.381 with seven doubles in 24 games at Rochester. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Louisville 0 Box Score Yohan Pino took it to his former team on Saturday afternoon. He tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season as he scattered three hits over nine innings. After throwing nine innings, Pino is in the midst of a 15 2/3 scoreless inning streak. In that streak he has limited opponents to seven hits with no walks and 17 strikeouts. His ERA is down to 0.84 and he has a perfect 5-0 record even though he hasn't been in the starting rotation for the entire season. Chris Parmelee went 0-for-2 with a couple walks to snap a career-high 15-game hitting streak. Wilkin Ramirez collected a couple hits and scored a run. Doug Bernier and Deibinson Romero both added a double while James Beresford had a single to run his hitting streak to five games. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, New Hampshire 5 (12 innings) Box Score New Britain had their backs against the wall at multiple points of this game. New Hampshire scored a run in the top of the tenth inning to take their first lead of the day. Kennys Vargas kept the team alive with a solo-shot in the bottom of the inning. In the twelfth inning, the Fisher Cats scored again to jump out on top. Cory Wimberly singled to start the bottom of the inning. A couple batters later, Tony Thomas, who was a late inning pinch runner, sent the fans home happy with a walk-off two run bomb. Pat Dean started the game for the Rock Cats. He pitched seven strong frames while limiting New Hampshire to three runs on nine hits. His five strikeouts were his second highest total of the season. The bullpen trio of Cole Johnson, Ryan O'Rourke, and Jim Fuller didn't allow an earned run after Dean's departure. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 3, Palm Beach 10 Box Score The Miracle pitching staff had a rough night. Alex Wimmers started and was all over the place with his control. He allowed four walks in only 3.2 innings. Palm Beach tagged him for six runs (three earned) on six hits. Brian Gilbert walked as many batters as Wimmers in only two innings of work. Madison Boer was charged with three earned runs over the last couple innings. Levi Michael offered a positive note in a rough game. He went 4-for-5 with a triple, a run scored and an RBI. It was the fifth straight game in which he has registered multiple hits. Travis Harrison went 0-for-1 but knocked in one of the team's three runs with a sacrifice fly. Stuart Turner hit his third double of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 0 Box Score While the Miracle pitching staff had their troubles on Saturday, the Kernels' staff gave a strong performance. Aaron Slegers picked up his third win of the year after he threw seven scoreless frames. He struck out six and walked two. Alex Muren pitched the eighth innings and didn't allow a base runner. The Kernels recorded four doubles on the offensive side of the ball to defeat Peoria for the first time this season. Chad Christensen went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Engelb Vielma added two hits of his own and scored two of the three runs for Cedar Rapids. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Yohan Pino, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Levi Michael, Fort Myers Miracle SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:05 CST)- Alex Meyer New Hampshire @ New Britain (12:35 CST)- Virgil Vasquez Bradenton @ Fort Myers (3:05 CST)- Jason Wheeler Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST)- Ryan Eades ~~~ The Twins beat the Orioles yesterday (Saturday) so you can get a half price large or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com by using the promo code 'twinswin'! Click here to view the article