Cody Christie

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ml1ZioYWw4/T_D48dTN0oI/AAAAAAAACh4/2iQJMPGHdhI/s320/mauer_willingham_640.jpg On Sunday afternoon, the 2012 MLB All-Star rosters were announced for the American League and the National League. There were a few different candidates that had the opportunity to be selected to be the Twins representative. Joe Mauer is near the top of the AL in a variety of batting categories and he plays a premium defensive position. Josh Willingham started off the season on quite the run and he might be the team MVP to this point. Since his promotion at the beginning of May, Scott Diamond has been the ace of the Twins pitching staff. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton have been dominant in their appearances out of the bullpen. In the end, the Twins will have one representative for the second year in a row. Joe Mauer was selected to his fifth career All-Star Game and he is the lone representative for his team much like Michael Cuddyer last season. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There are three catchers on the AL roster so Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers and Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles will join Mauer. Napolit gets the start and Mauer and Wieters will be used in relief on a night where the temperature is suppose to be in the high 90s. When the announcement of the teams was made on Sunday, there was an uproar across the social media world that Mauer would get the only spot on the All-Star team for the Twins. Fans looked at Willingham and his high home run total and team-leading RBI total and they made the case that he should be on the team over Mauer. For the first month or so of the season, it looked like Willingham would be the only choice from the Twins roster. A rough month of May where he batted .220 brought his numbers back down to earth and might have pushed his first All-Star appearance out of reach. The outrage towards Mauer was painful to read in the moments following the announcement of the team. Twins President Dave St. Peter was left to defend Mauer in a few different tweets to angered fans. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qqozLmDtV6s/T_D0CwZJ_RI/AAAAAAAACgI/g7vtR23GbwM/s320/Picture+1.png It seemed like fans were attacking a player for his rough season in 2011 and not looking at the numbers that he has put up so far in 2012. He leads the entire AL in OBP and he ranks fifth in the AL in batting out of the players that have qualified for the leaderboard. According to FanGraphs version of WAR, Mauer has been equal to Willingham but Mauer is ranked number one among catchers. In comparison, Willingham ranks ninth among outfielders and the only outfielder with a lower WAR than him to make it was Curtis Granderson. For the second year in a row, the Twins are off to a poor start and it would be hard to imagine the team getting more than one representative to the Mid-Summer Classic. It would take a couple of magical seasons from Twins players to get more than one representative. If the Twins had gotten better starting pitching for the duration of the season, there is a good chance the team would be out of the cellar in the AL. This could mean that players like Willingham and Diamond could have joined Mauer in Kansas City. Even Mauer himself told reporters that he was upset that he would be making the trip from Minneapolis by himself. During the 2012 season, it has been disappointing to read and hear the hatred toward Mauer even though he is in the midst of a very good season. There have been plenty of double play balls hit to second base off of the bat of Mauer as he enters the second year of his monster deal. Only 35 of his 69 games have been spent behind the plate and he doesn't hit many home runs or rack up a ton of RBI. So for some people that consider themselves "fans" of the Twins, there will continue to be things to pick apart for the $23 million man. In a season that might already be lost, there is a long list of things to be frustrated about for the Twins and Mauer shouldn't be anywhere near the top of the list. The American League needed to fill a catching spot on the roster and the Twins had a player that was more than deserving of a place in the All-Star Game. If there had been some holes to fill in the outfield, the same case could have been made for Willingham. There seems to be a portion of fan base for the Twins that don't appreciate the greatness of the player they have the privilege to witness. Mauer deserves to be an All-Star even if a faction of the fan base doesn't think he should be there. Click here to view the article

The Pirates are looking for a left-handed relief pitcher. Let's make a deal. https://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/494173015601840128

It's the first Friday in August and that means the trade deadline came and passed in the last week. There was plenty of speculation that the Twins might be in the midst of a fire sale with the team on pace for their second straight 90-loss. Denard Span, Josh Willingham, and Justin Morneau were some of the players that other teams asked the Twins about but all of these players are still with the organization. Francisco Liriano was the only player to find himself wearing a different jersey over the course of the last few days. Many fans were disappointed with the players that the Twins got in return for Liriano and it is hard to think that the Twins turned the franchise around with this lone trade. On the field, the Twins have been in the midst of a very good stretch of baseball with the team winning five of their six games since last Friday. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The Indians came to town last weekend and the Twins went on an offensive tear in the series by scoring 28 runs in the three game set. Good starting pitching has put the team in position to win contests as some of the starters try to prove that they belong in the rotation for the 2013 season. It was an overall good week for a team that has struggled to get any closer to the .500 mark over the course of the last few months. It's been busy for NoDak Twins Fan this week as I have moved from the Twin Cities back to NoDak to live and work with in Fargo, ND. If my posts are sporadic in the next week, it might be for the fact that I don't have internet service in my new place and my sister is getting married next weekend. I will do my best to keep the content flowing here. But for now, enjoy this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." One negative piece of news from the week was the fact that former first round pick Alex Wimmers was forced to have Tommy John surgery.As mentioned above, the Twins didn't do anything at the deadline and it might have been a good thing.Others find it very disappointing that the Twins didn't do anything before the deadline.Liriano made his first start with the White Sox at Target Field so that meant he was going to be good.The Twins farm system might be weak but check out this in-depth look at the top 50 prospects for the club.Sam Deduno has looked good in his two starts in the last week but his fastball is all over the place.How many things did you hate about the Liriano trade?The Fort Myers Miracle had a weird moment in their game this week. An umpire threw out the sound guy for playing "Three Blind Mice" when the umps made a bad call.At least the Twins aren't the Astros.Terry Ryan might have to wait until the offseason to move some players like Span and Burton.Have you ever wondered what players increased/decreased their WAR the most from one season to the next?Trevor Plouffe and Danny Valencia are friends that are fighting for the same job with the Twins.So far this season, it seems like the Twins are just (Red) Wing(ing) it with their starting pitching.Rene Rivera had a big hit for the Red Wings earlier this week and it came the day before his birthday.The last two years have been a little crazy at the trade deadline for Span with all of the rumors swirling around him.Jerome Williams gave up five runs for the Angels and still earned a save this week. A former Twins player holds the record for most runs given up while still earning the save.Twins fans got use to some weird behaviors with Carlos Gomez but now he is revolutionizing the home run.One member of the Twins pitching staff can call himself an Olympian.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1G8szXohQdQ/UBsq3A5pslI/AAAAAAAADHE/G4-jJ8LXNtM/s320/Brian+Duensing+Olympics+Day+8+Baseball+HTFitr-tNKLl.jpg In a related note, baseball should be brought back to the Olympics.That large set of vintage baseball cards found in an attic were sold at action this week.Dave St. Peter is going to be answering questions at the MLB Fan Cave tomorrow and you can leave a question on their Facebook page.Here are some reactions from across the baseball world about Lew Ford being back in the big leagues (see more on Ford below).My Weekly Rundown Monday: Fans frustrated even when Liriano is dealtTuesday: Ford completes long journey back to MLBWednesday: Twins rebuilding strategy is going to be slowVideo of the Week: Since the Twins were quiet at the deadline, the best story line to follow for the week was the return of Lew Ford to the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles. He hasn't played in at the MLB level since 2007 with the Twins. During the meantime, he has played in independent leagues, in Mexico and in Japan. The 35-year old outfield didn't waste any time making the highlight reels as he gunned down a runner in his first game back. A couple of games later, his first hit since September 2007 was also a special moment. Click here to view the article

Happy Friday to everyone in Twins Territory! As a professional educator by day, I saw my summer come to an end yesterday with the start of another school year. It feels good to get back into the swing of things even though it's still hot and sticky outside. The Minnesota State Fair started yesterday and attending the State Fair is one of the things that I will miss most about living in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. The food, the fun, and the festivities of the State Fair are one of the great ways to put a close to the summer months. It has been a rough West Coast road trip for the Twins and it doesn't look to be getting any easier with a four game series versus the Texas Rangers this weekend. The Twins were swept by the last place Mariners of the weekend and they were only able to get one victory in Oakland. It could be a long weekend in Texas before the Twins head back to Minnesota for a four game series with Seattle, the team that just swept them. Let's not get down in the dumps on a Friday by looking back at the last dismal week for the Twins. There's no better way to spend part of your Friday than reading this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." At the beginning of spring training, it seemed like the Twins starting rotation could have a chance to keep them in contention but that plan went horribly wrong.There are still plenty of reasons to watch the Twins in the last few weeks of the season.Twins supplemental round draft pick JO Berrios has been making some noise on the field and he is hoping to make a difference in his homeland.Independent leagues can provide some solid minor league players to add depth to an organization.Is Ron Gardenhire's future in doubt?Sam Deduno has been a surprise so far for the Twins but it's hard to figure out how he is being successful.Who should be in the starting rotation for the Twins in September?Top prospect Miguel Sano and the rest of the Snappers got all dressed up for a recent game.It has been frustrating to watch the way that the Twins and their medical staff deal with injury situations. The latest installment includes Denard Span missing 10 days and we found out he's claustrophobic.Speaking of the medical staff messing up, Carl Pavano was given a new diagnosis this week and his season is done.The most exciting news of the week might be that RHP Kyle Gibson is returning to Rochester on his way back from Tommy John surgery.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydTPhBBulCc/UDbTQUlXUbI/AAAAAAAADKc/PgELAr5wpbc/s320/KyleGibson.jpg Umpires get a lot of grief sometimes but this story is one of the most amazing of the week.Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in Mets history but he was shutdown earlier this week and won't pitch again in 2012. But his no-hitter was worth it, right?For the first time in 15 years, Orioles fans have the opportunity to purchase postseason tickets and it's always good news when Lew Ford has a shot at October baseball.In other Orioles news, former Twins slugger Jim Thome is ahead of scheduleand ready for a rehab stint.One of my favorite shows on TV is Pawn Stars and this original Willie Mays uniform was worth a lot of money to the shop.Fans in Seattle showed up to honor their King after his perfect game last week.The Cleveland Indians should be in the midst of quite a run in the AL Central but multiple injuries over the last half of a decade to Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner have stopped that from happening.This was suppose to be the year that the Royals made some noise in the American League but that hasn't happened in 2012.Former Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett signed a 2-year, $11 million contract with the Padres before last season and he was released earlier this week.Michael Cuddyer's first year in Colorado hasn't gone exactly as planned.Gary Gaetti will get to manage Roger Clemens this weekend in a independent minor league baseball game. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Mounting losses mean improving draft stockTuesday: The Year in Twins Trading Cards: 2012 editionWednesday: Thoughts on Blackburn, Nishioka movesThursday: What could have been for Rene Tosoni Video of the Week: If you frequently visitor and reader of my post, you know that I enjoy the minor leagues and prospects in general. Cincinnati Reds farm hand Billy Hamilton stole his way into the record books this week by breaking Vince Coleman's record of 145 steals in 1983. Hamilton got his 146th steal and the speedster even made it third base for the record. Click here to view the article

With all of the talk before the game about Twins hitters destroying Gavin Floyd, it was bound to happen that he was going to put up a good performance. Over the course of seven shut out innings, he struck out nine Twins batters and only gave up five hits. Liam Hendriks had his best start of the season throwing over six innings to the tune of three runs with an Alex Rios home run being the big dagger. In the ninth inning, the Twins made things interesting by loading the bases with two outs in the frame. Jamey Carroll knocked in a couple runs with a single to cut the lead to 3-2 but that would be the final score. There was just too much Gavin Floyd on this night. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Tyler Robertson became the third player to make his debut for the Twins this season (Brian Dozier and Cole DeVries). He had a nasty slider that he used to strikeout all three batters that he faced. In his last ten games with the Red Wings, he never struck out more than two batters in one appearance so this was quite the night for Mr. Robertson. ROCHESTER 3, LEHIGH VALLEY 10 After finishing a good stretch of play outside of the their division, the Red Wings began a stretch of 14 straight games against division foes before the All-Star Break. It didn't get off to the best start with the IronPigs compiling 18 hits in the game against Red Wings pitchers. Former Twins farmhand Jason Pridie had four hits including three extra-base hits and Chase Utley had two hits in his last rehab start before joining the Phillies. The original starter for the Red Wings on Tuesday night was suppose to be Matt Maloney but he was placed on the 7-Day DL with a strained left elbow. This meant Brendan Wise was inserted into the rotation for his third spot start of the year. Wise lasted two innings but he only allowed one earned run out of the six runs that crossed the plate during his time on the mound. Caleb Thielbar tossed a good fifth inning by striking out the side while lowering his ERA to 1.59. On the offensive side of the ball, Matt Carson had a three hit night to raise his batting average eight points. Pedro Florimon continued his recent hot streak by going 2-for-4 including his second triple of the year. In his last 10 games, Florimon has five multi-hit games and he is hitting .333 during that stretch. Before the game, right-handed pitcher Luis Perdomo was promoted to Rochester from New Britain. He had a very good 2.75 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 16 walks in 39.1 innings for the Rock Cats. NEW BRITAIN 5, TRENTON 4 The Rock Cats found themselves in a nail biter on Tuesday evening against the Trenton Thunder. Two of the biggest names in the Twins farm system were in the middle of the action for New Britain. Aaron Hicks went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and his third triple of the year. It was his second three hit game in the last six games for Mr. Hicks. Oswaldo Arcia only had one hit in the game but it was a 2-run home run, his first long ball at the Double-A level. Aaron Thompson started the game for New Britain and won his second game of the season. He threw 6.2 innings by allowing eight hits and four earned runs. It was his second victory in as many outings. Dakota Watts and Bruce Pugh were outstanding in relief by throwing a combined 2.1 innings and striking out five while allowing a single hit. It was the first hold of the year for Watts since he was just called up to New Britain and the second save of the year for Pugh. FORT MYERS 7, TAMPA 6 (GAME 1, 8 innings) In what was suppose to be a seven inning contest for the first half of a double header, the allotted number of innings was not enough for this game. The Yankees jumped out to a big first inning lead by scoring four runs off of Madison Boer. He has struggled since being promoted to Fort Myers from Beloit to the tune of an 8.41 ERA in 40.2 innings pitched. The Miracle bested the big inning from the Yankees with a five run bottom of the second that was helped by three Yankee errors. Danny Rams went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to raise his batting average to .186 for the season. Daniel Santana, Levi Michael, and Jairo Perez each had two hits to help the Miracle offense. One of the surprises from the game was the fact that the Miracle had 11 hits and none of them were for extra bases. Danny Rams singled to get the bottom of the eighth inning off on the right track. Andy Leer stepped in next and was hit by a pitch to set up runners at first and second. After a sacrifice bunt from Angel Morales to advance the runners, Daniel Santana was intentionally walked to fill the bags. Levi Michael stepped into the box with one out and the chance to be a hero. His single to left field started the celebration for the Miracle. FORT MYERS 5, TAMPA 6 (GAME 2, 7 innings) After the Miracle fell behind 4-0 in the first two innings, it was time for Fort Myers to mount their comeback. Michael Gonzales started the rally with a double and the bases were loaded after singles from Anderson Hidalgo and Daniel Santana. Levi Michael came up with another big hit to make the game one run closer. A throwing error with Danny Ortiz batting allowed two more runs to score and Kyle Knudson tied the game on a fielders choice. Unfortunately for the Miracle, Michael Tonkin gave up a solo home run in the top of the seventh and Fort Myers wasn't able to mount another comeback. It was the first loss of the year for Tonkin in his third appearance since making the trip from Beloit. Jose Gonzalez was asked to make the spot start for the Miracle, his first start of the year. He threw three innings and gave up four runs on four hits while striking out two batters. In his first appearance since being promoted, AJ Achter pitched three innings and allowed one run to cross the plate. BELOIT 8, KANE COUNTY 0 On this night the man in charge on the mound was Matthew Summers. Over the course of nine innings, he scattered three hits and struck out five. It was his seventh win of the year and the fourth round pick in the 2011 draft as he tries to catch Jason Wheeler for the team lead. He is tied for fourth in the Midwest League in wins and he has thrown six or more innings in each of his last four starts. Behind the strong outing from Summers, the Snappers were in control of this game from the start by scoring in each of the first two innings and never looking back. Nate Roberts was leading the charge for the Snappers offense with a 3-for-5 night including a home run and a double with three RBI. Matthew Koch did his best to match the night put together by Roberts with a 3-for-4 evening with a home run and two RBI. Even with the big offensive output, Miguel Sano struggled by going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. His batting average is down to .236 for the season and he hasn't hit for many extra-base hits as the Midwest League has adjusted to his powerful swing. ELIZABETHTON 9, BRISTOL 0 A big offensive night for the E-Twins was lead by Michael Quesada and Stephen Wickens each accumulating three hits in the contest. Wickens had his first triple of the year while driving in two and Quesada had his fourth double in as many games played this season. Adam Walker hit his first home run of the year in the fifth inning. Corey Kimes pitched five shutout innings with five strikeouts to pick up his first victory of the year. Steven Evans tossed two innings and only let two runners reach base with three strikeouts. It has been an up and down year for Evans with him pitching well in two outings and getting roughed up in the other two appearances. Brett Lee finished the last couple innings for the E-Twins by surrendering a couple hits with four strikeouts. GCL TWINS , GCL ORIOLES (GAME 1) GCL TWINS , GCL ORIOLES (GAME 2) The wonders of Tropical Storm Debbie have made it difficult for the GCL Twins to get any games played this week. At this early junction in the season, the team doesn't really need a ton of rest either. Hopefully, the GCL Twins will be able to get back on the field tomorrow... fingers crossed. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Pitcher of the Day- Matthew Summers (9 shutout innings) [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E3T8ltNlU4g/T-p3xZYnpiI/AAAAAAAACaw/mzhkFvmMPvA/s320/4fbe5dc5a5c66.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Photo courtesy of The Beloit Daily News[/TD] [/TABLE] Hitter of the Day- Levi Michael (4-for-8, 3 RBI, Walk-Off Hit) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfMooX0G0nU/T-p4OnmHUiI/AAAAAAAACa4/hioU-yzjRo8/s320/LeviMichael.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, June 27th Schedule Rochester at Lehigh Valley- RHP Samuel Deduno New Britain vs Trenton- RHP BJ Hermsen Fort Myers vs Tampa- LHP Pat Dean Beloit at Kane County- LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton vs Bristol- RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins at GCL Rays- TBA --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them. 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Download attachment: Cole+De+Vries.jpg The Twins are getting a long look at plenty of different players as the 2012 season is coming to a close. There are a ton of questions about the future of the Twins organization and it is tough to know if all of them can be answered before the end of the year. Can Chris Parmelee earn a starting job at some position? Who will compose the outfield next year? Will any veterans be traded to try and add some pitching to the Twins system? Which players should compose the 2013 starting rotation for the Twins? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Cole De Vries is one player that is getting an extended look as the season is wrapping up. The 27-year old right-hander has spent the last six seasons in the minor league system for the Twins after not even being drafted by any club. There have been plenty of ups-and-downs for him on the way to his MLB debut with the Twins but he shown some promising signs in recent weeks. So far this year, De Vries has a 5-5 record with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 87.2 innings on the mound. This includes a stretch of baseball during his last four starts where he has gone 3-1 with a 1.54 ERA while averaging almost six innings in each start. The biggest key for De Vries recent success has been his ability to keep the ball in the ballpark. Before his recent hot streak, he had given up 16 home runs in 13 games for the Twins with 12 of those being starts. Opponents were hitting .264 off of him and there were three games that he gave up two or more home runs. Since getting manhandled by the offenses of Detroit and Tampa Bay in the middle of August, it has looked like a different De Vries on the mound. The batting average of opponents has dropped to .227 and he has over three times as many strikeouts as walks without a single home run allowed in that time. It was a long hard road to get to this point for De Vries. He signed with the team as an amateur free agent and he was sent straight to Beloit for his first season of professional baseball. For the Twins, it was most likely a move to fill out rosters in the minor leagues with little thought of him making an impact on the big league club. The Minnesota native stayed the course and worked his way through every level of the minor leagues. In 2010 and 2011, the Twins tried to use De Vries as a relief pitcher with him even picking up a few saves in New Britain. But the Twins have run into plenty of headaches with the pitchers at the upper levels of the system, this meant De Vries needed to shift back to a starting job. Besides one brief relief appearance with the Twins, De Vries has been used exclusively as a starter in 2012. He went 3-5 with Rochester and posted a 4.37 ERA over 12 starts. His ability to throw pitches in the strike zone was most likely one of the reasons the club gave him a chance at the big league level. In 70 innings at the Triple-A level, he only walked 10 batters while striking out 50 men along the way. His ability to stay in the strike zone isn't always a good thing since his pitching repertoire doesn't allow him to overpower batters. Opposing hitters averaged 9.6 hits per nine innings against him in the minors this year and that is close to his career average of 9.9 hits per nine innings. So what does the crystal ball hold for Mr. De Vries? In a perfect world, the Twins would love to have a plethora of starting pitchers waiting in the wings to take over the rotation for 2013. Unfortunately, the last two seasons have been as far away from perfect as possible for the Twins. There will be plenty of open spots in the rotation at the onset of spring training and there is a good chance that it will be an open competition for more than one of the spots. De Vries would need to continue his current hot streak and combine that with an impressive spring to show the front office that he deserves a spot. But behind Scott Diamond, there might not be any locks for a spot in the 2013 rotation. This leaves four other spots and not a whole lot of options for the Twins to pick from before the start of next year. If De Vries is in the rotation to start 2013, it might not be a good sign for the 2013 version of the Minnesota Twins. He could be holding a place for a player like Kyle Gibson to get some innings under his belt in the minor leagues but a full season of De Vries might be bad news for the Twins. His Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tendencies for giving up home runs are tough to handle and it's hard to imagine a situation where he will turn back into the pitcher that gave up so many home runs earlier this year. His track record as a professional has been full of plenty of holes and the Twins don't need those holes clogging up their rotation. Unless there aren't any better options to turn to... Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 721_-mlb_all-star_game-primary-2013.jpg The Minnesota Twins will host the 2014 All-Star Game at Target Field but a plethora of their former players will gather a year early for the Mid-Summer Classic. Seven former members of the organization will join current Twins players Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins. It would be great to see all nine men on the field in Minneapolis next year, so maybe they can all continue playing well for the next 162 games. Many Twins fans are familiar with the years being put together by Perkins and Mauer. Here's a look at the seasons being produced by the men that used to call Minnesota home:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
 American League Starting SS: JJ Hardy, Baltimore Orioles (2nd Appearance) .251/.290/.432, 15 HR, 16 2B, 46 RBI, 2.0 WAR Hardy gets the start at a relatively weak position in the AL. Frequent All-Star starter Derek Jeter has been on the disabled list for most of this season; this opened up a spot for a different starter. His defense continues to be strong and he has shown a good power stroke since joining the Orioles. He is one of three Orioles voted into the starting line-up so he might have gotten a bump from some ballot stuffing in the Baltimore area. He won a Gold Glove last season and he leads all shortstops with 52 home runs from 2011-2012. Starting DH: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (9th Appearance) .313/.399/.595, 17 HR, 19 2B, 61 RBI, 2.2 WAR Ortiz has gone on to quite the career with the Red Sox. This will be his fourth consecutive All-Star Game and his ninth overall appearance. The only member of the AL All-Stars with more appearances is Mariano Rivera with 13 trips to the Mid-Summer Classic. Last season, the Red Sox were a disappointment and the club ended up finishing last in the AL East. This season there has been a resurgence and Ortiz has helped his club to one of the best records in the AL. Relief Pitcher: Jesse Crain, Chicago White Sox (1st Appearance) 0.74 ERA, 1.145 WHIP, 36.2 IP, 46 SO, 11 BB, 2.5 WAR Set-up men don't usually make the All-Star Game but Crain has been that good this season. The 32-year old pitcher has been in the big leagues for 10 seasons and this could be his only opportunity to take part in the All-Star festivities. Players in the AL voted Crain in and that speaks volumes to his season. Earlier this year Crain made headlines by breaking the White Sox franchise-record of 29 straight appearances without allowing a run. He is though now on the disabled list with a shoulder injury and current Twins closer Glen Perkins filled his spot. Relief Pitcher: Joe Nathan, Texas Rangers (6th Appearance) 1.40 ERA, 0.776 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 40 SO, 10 BB, 2.0 WAR Nathan has made it to All-Star Games in the past but this one will be special since he is from the New York area. It is the second straight year he will represent the Rangers in the Mid-Summer Classic. He first four All-Star appearances came with the Minnesota Twins. For his All-Star career, he has pitched five innings, striking out four and walking one. He has given up one run on three hits. This year his 29 saves are tied for second in the American League behind the Orioles Jim Johnson. The 38-year old continues to be effective even as he gets further into his career. Outfielder: Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers (5th Appearance) .309/.348/.443, 6 HR, 22 2B, 42 RBI, 0.9 WAR It seems as if more players on the Tigers roster made the All-Star Game than those that didn't. Hunter is one of six players making a trip to New York City. Detroit's manager Jim Leyland is also the AL manager but he only added Justin Verlander as a managerial pick. Hunter has seemed to find a second life in the twilight of his career. Last season was his first year hitting over .300 and the 37-year old outfielder is hitting above that mark again this year. It doesn't look like the 17-year veteran is going to slow down and it will be his first All-Star Game since 2010. National League Outfielder: Michael Cuddyer, Colorado Rockies (2nd Appearance) .337/.392/.583, 15 HR, 18 2B, 52 RBI, 1.5 WAR Cuddyer made his first All-Star appearance in his last season with the Twins organization. He left the team in free agency and he suffered through some injury issues in his first year in Colorado. This season has been a rebirth for Cuddyer. The players elected Cuddyer after he made national news with a 27-game hit streak. He broke the franchise record for consecutive games with at least one hit. One other remarkable streak from Cuddyer was his streak of reaching base safely in 46 consecutive games. After his hot hitting, Cuddyer's batting average is near the top of the National League. Outfielder: Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers (1st Appearance) .312/.353/.559, 13 HR, 20 2B, 41 RBI, 5.4 WAR It will be something of a homecoming for Gomez who made his big league debut with the Mets. Since then, he has bounced to the Twins and Brewers before getting this All-Star nod. At the end of last season, there were some positive signs from Gomez and the Brewers rewarded him with a contract extension. He shot out of the gate in 2013 with a hot start and he has been one of the most valuable NL players. According to both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference, Gomez has the highest WAR in the National League. There were high hopes surrounding Gomez at the beginning of his career and he finally seems to be living up to those lofty expectations. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: KyleGibsonSpring.jpg While Pedro Hernandez was getting beaten-up by the Boston Red Sox line-up, Kyle Gibson was showing he is ready to take his spot in the major league starting rotation. It might have been Gibson's best start as a professional and it wouldn't be surprising if he makes his MLB debut within the next week. The rest of the Twins and Red Sox game looked like a slow pitch softball game. Minnesota scored seven runs in the second inning and Pedro Florimon did his best Babe Ruth impression with a home run and a two-run double. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] swaldo Arcia has his batting average at .300 after he had four hits in the Twins 15-8 win over Boston. There were plenty of story lines to follow in the minor leagues on Wednesday so let's go around the horn with the Twins farm system. Rochester Red Wings 3, Toledo Mudhens 0 Box Score It took 114 pitches but Kyle Gibson pitched a complete game shutout. He only allowed four hits and had eight strikeouts and two walks. It was a masterful performance as only five balls left the infield. He threw 70 strikes and 44 balls and faced only four batters over the minimum. It was his second complete game shutout and his first since 2010, when he was with the Fort Myers Miracle. Prior to this game, Gibson had made it into the seventh inning in one outing and his season high in strikeouts was seven. Both of those marks were passed on Wednesday and the 25-year seems on the cusp of making his big league debut. The Twins might need someone to take over the starting role of Pedro Hernandez; Gibson could be the guy. There wasn't a ton of offense on Rochester's side of the ball but it was enough to get the job done behind Gibson's gem. Evan Bigley got the scoring started with a two-run home run in the first inning. Chris Herrmann and Eric Farris each notched his first triple of the season. Doug Bernier was the only Red Wings batter with more than one hit. Chris Colabello went 0-4 in the game and he saw his nine game hit streak come to an end. It was the first time the club has won two games in a row since a four-game streak at the end of April. The Red Wings have not lost a series in their last five. Rochester continues their longest road trip yet this season with two more games in Toledo. Rochester has dominated Toledo in recent play, winning 11 of the last 12 match-ups. The team will return to Rochester for a week-long home stand that starts Friday night. New Britain Rock Cats 5, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4 Box Score A four-run first inning put the Rock Cats in control of this game from the start. The offense cooled down from there and Pat Dean looked in control of things on the mound. His 6.1 innings while allowing four runs was enough to earn Dean his first win at the Double-A level. Things got a little dicey in the bottom of the seventh when a double and a single from the Fisher Cats plated a run. This signaled the end of the day for Dean and the bullpen took over from there. Bobby Lanigan allowed one of the inherited runners to score but other than that the bullpen did its job. Michael Tonkin earned his fifth save of the year as he closed out the ninth. On the offensive side, Daniel Ortiz stole the show. He went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. He hit his team leading ninth double of the year and smacked his fifth home run. Danny Santana and Curt Smith both went 2-for-4. Smith added his fourth double of the year and Santana had his 13th RBI on the season. Mark Sobolewski had a rough day at third base with two fielding errors. With the win, the Rock Cats have a season high four-game winning streak and improved to 18-15. New Britain is in second place, one game behind the Portland Sea Dogs in the win column in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. The club will face that very Portland team for five games in the next four days. Fort Myers Miracle 1, Tampa Yankees 8 Box Score Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario were held out of the Miracle line-up for the second day in a row. On Tuesday night, Fort Myers found enough offense to win without these two players but at the end of Wednesday's game there weren't enough runs on the board to avoid a loss Matthew Summers got hit around for nine hits and six earned runs in five innings. He has pitched more than five innings in only one of his last four starts and he hasn't gotten a win since April 12th. His ERA sits at 4.29, so the Florida State League has been a little rough on him this year. Only four batters managed hits for the Miracle. The lone run was scored on a solo shot off the bat of Kennys Vargas. It was his fifth home run of the year but it wasn't nearly enough. Stephen Wickens continued his hot bat with two hits. Over the last 10 games, he has a hit in nine of them and a batting line of .351/.442/.459. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Quad Cities River Bandits 4 Box Score Much like the Miracle's game, it was a tough offensive night for the Kernels. The team had a couple extra base hits but the club left nine men on base and went 0-8 with runners in scoring position. It is the fewest runs the team has scored since May 1. Dalton Hicks provided all the offensive pop with a solo shot in the sixth inning. It was his fifth home run of the season. Candido Pimentel had his first triple of the year but he was stranded at third base. Tyler Grimes was the only Kernel to collect more than one hit with his 2-for-4 day at the plate. Byron Buxton reached base twice with a single and a walk but was caught stealing for the fifth time. The defense struggled to make throws on Wednesday night. Cedar Rapids compiled three throwing errors that led to two unearned runs for the River Bandits. Pimentel had his second error of the season. Brett Lee was the starting pitcher and his part in a botched double play turned into his first error of the year. Travis Harrison continues to struggle at third base with his team leading ninth error. Lee put up a decent effort on the mound but was still given the loss in this contest. He even outlasted the starter for the River Bandits by over an inning. His final line was 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 SO and 2 BB. Since joining the Kernels rotation he has pitched six innings in three of his four starts. Cedar Rapids continues their series with Quad Cities over the next two nights. The team holds a slim two game advantage over the second-place River Bandits so these next two games will be very important. Their 12-game road trip concludes with a three-game series in Beloit this weekend. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wait for it... Are you ready, yet? Don't adjust your monitor but the Twins just swept a two game series in Detroit. That's not a typo either. Over the course of the two games, the Tigers were a little error prone with six mistakes and the Twins were able to capitalize for five unearned runs. It has been great to see Trevor Plouffe find some semblance of power with two home runs in recent games. Maybe his new bald head is doing him some good. Justin Morneau and Ben Revere are back with the Twins and each of them has returned to their old ways with Morneau hitting a home run and Revere stealing a base. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Twins head to Milwaukee for the weekend and their first interleague series of the year. I am on the fence about whether or not interleague play should still be part of baseball but it seems like it is here to stay for the time being. It is always intertaining to watch the American League pitchers attempt to bat. From the sound of it, Jason Marquis could be the Twins diamond in the rough when it comes to pitchers at the plate. Enjoy this collection of links from the week and have a super weekend! There have been plenty of things to be annoyed with this season so read this post about the factors for frustration with the Twins.Joe Mauer seems to be spending a lot of time at first base and it could be possible that he is breaking down.Puckett's Pond takes a look at what type of player the Twins should draft with the number two pick.An interesting question was raised, "Are we ever biased towards umpire bias?"It has been tough to watch Jason Marquis on the mound this year and it can leave that sinking feeling in your stomach.It defiantly isn't time to pull the plug yet.One of the best stories to come out this week was about Anthony Swarzak and his search for Sasquatch.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KFxJm9U3ZGM/T7WzrUS_YHI/AAAAAAAABSc/-PN9ZEYvRbg/s320/SwarsakSasquatch.jpg This collection of old time baseball pictures is hilarious to see.With open seats at Target Field, I have snuck down to a better location more than once. Looks like that could be a bad idea at other ballparks.One of the most entertaining baseball people on Twitter, Ozzie Guillen, is calling it quits from the social media world.Only four closers have yet to blow a save this year and one of them happens to be the ninth inning man for the Twins.The Baseball Outsider was at two games in Beloit this week and he gives full reports on what he saw from two of the top prospects in the system.Another Beloit player, AJ Pettersen, got some press on the FSN North site.On of the top pitching prospects in the organization, Alex Wimmers, is trying to avoid surgery on his elbow by rehabbing it. This sounds like a familiar story for Twins pitchers.The 2013 All-Star Game location was finally announced this week and this means the next announcement could be that the Twins get 2014.A mysterious letter leaked out from Dave St. Peter's office this week. Read it for a good laugh.If you don't check out Minor League Ball, you should! Here's a post about Brian Dozier from earlier this week.Bert Blyleven was not happy about the way one of his former teammates was fired by the Angels this week.Jack Morris celebrated a birthday this week (along with Justin Morneau and Brian Dozier).My Weekly Rundown Monday: Concerns with Pavano's velocity continue to mountTuesday: Tuesday Morning TidbitsTuesday's Trip through the MinorsWednesday: Should the Twins have started with this roster?Thursday: Soon one year has passed...Video of the Week: This Little League umpire in Illinois needs to tone down his strikeout call a little bit. Very extreme but at least the kids should know if they are out or not. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: ChrisParmelee.jpg At this time last year, the Twins called up a couple of young prospects from Double-A to make their major league debuts. Joe Benson was the more highly-touted name out of the two young players but Chris Parmelee came up and made a much stronger impression in the final month of the year. Benson would bat .239/.270/.352 in his 74 plate appearances in September while Parmelee was putting on an offensive show. By season's end, Parmelee was hitting .355/.443/.592 with four home runs and six doubles in 76 at-bats. This strong impression in September left a mark on the Twins that carried over to the beginning of 2012.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] When the Twins broke camp at the end of spring training, Chris Parmelee was on the roster for a variety of different reasons. Parmelee had backed up his strong September with a very good showing during spring training so this definitely helped his cause. The team was also unsure what to expect from Justin Morneau after a concussion shortened season in 2011. It made sense to have Parmelee on the roster to get some time at first base and maybe find outfield playing time as well. For Parmelee, it was most likely a dream come true to skip the Triple-A level and begin the season on the big league roster. Those dreams wouldn't last for long as Parmelee struggled out of the gate to find his swing. From Opening Day to the middle of May, he hit .179/.250/.262 with no home runs and six extra-base hits in 27 games. The Parmelee that the Twins had seen at the end of 2011 and in spring training was nowhere to be found so the team sent him down. For Parmelee, it would be his first taste of the Triple-A level and he was going to have to hit his way back to the major league squad. He would do just that in the coming weeks. During the second half of May with the Rochester Red Wings, Parmelee hit .452/.575/.839 with three home runs and three doubles in 31 at-bats. He would be back on the roster for the Twins near the beginning of June but he failed to get into the line-up for most of the month. After hitting the cover off of the ball at Triple-A, Parmelee was relegated to late inning pinch hitting duties as he only started three games the rest of the month. It was a strange and frustrating situation for the young player to be at the big league level but not getting into any action. He would spend most of the months of July and August in the minor leagues and opposing pitchers got sick of seeing him step into the batters box. He hit over .320 in each of these months and he belted 13 home runs and 13 doubles during this stretch. It was quite the offensive run for the 24-year old but there didn't seem to be a place for him on the big league roster. Morneau had been healthier than originally thought and Joe Mauer needed to spend more time playing first base. The outfield was full with Josh Willingham, Denard Span, and Ben Revere. This left Parmelee in the minors to where he ended up hitting .338/.457/.645 with 17 home runs and 18 other extra-base hits in 64 games. It's September again and the Twins have finally found a spot for Parmelee to get some at-bats in the line-up at the big league level. Span has been dealing with a pesky shoulder injury and the team decided that he needed time on the DL. This left an outfield spot open and Parmelee was more than willing to take on the role. He hadn't played in the outfield at all in the minor leagues during the 2012 season but the team felt comfortable giving him a shot to prove himself. In previous seasons, Parmelee spent some time as a right fielder so the position was not foreign to him. His bat was the more important thing and his hot September swing seems to have shown up again. Through the first four of games in the month, Parmelee has three multi-hit performances and a couple of home runs to his name. Since getting called-up from Rochester at the end of August, he has managed a hit in every game that he has played in and he seems to be a man on a mission. It's a very small sample size but it seems that he is starting to regain his confidence at the big league level. September Stat Summary: .467/.500/1.000, 2 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI The question still remains, what will another good September mean for Chris Parmelee? By looking at the roster for next season, there is going to be the same problem for finding playing time for Mr. Parmelee. The outfield looks packed and first base will still be occupied by the M&M Boys. For Parmelee to get regular at-bats with the Twins, it seems like some kind of move will need to be made. One of the aging outfielders like Willingham or Span could be dealt for some pitching help. Morneau could be traded to take some money off the books and to free up a spot at a corner infield position. Parmelee has proven himself at the Triple-A level and he is a cheaper option than the players mentioned above. In a story published by the Star Tribune yesterday, it sounds like GM Terry Ryan wants to see who is deserving of a roster spot for 2013. Parmelee is expected to get as much playing time as possible between the multiple positions that he plays and it is up to him to show the front office that he doesn't expect to be making any return trips to Rochester for the rest of his career. A good September will start to wash away any doubts and it could make for some interesting speculation in the offseason. Where will Chris Parmelee start the 2013 season? Hopefully he will begin the year as a starter on Opening Day at Target Field. Click here to view the article

The New Britain Rock Cats didn't have a game on Wednesday evening but multiple players from their team participated in the Eastern League All-Star Game. New Britain was also the host city for the event and there were plenty of ESPN personalities at the event since it is so close to the headquarters of the four letter network. The Rock Cats' division, the East, lost the game 5-0. Danny Santana started the game at shortstop and was the lead-off hitter for the Eastern Divison. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Josmil Pinto was the only player on his team with multiple hits. He played the entire game at DH and he went 2-for-4 with a double. Daniel Ortiz started the game in center field; he was held hitless in two plate appearances.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Trevor May was asked to pitch the second inning in front of the hometown crowd. He faced the eight-nine-one hitters for the West squad so it wasn't exactly the meat of the order. He retired three batters in order with a fly out, a line out, and a strike out looking.

 Lefty reliever Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He walked one and struck out one. Rochester Red Wings 5, Scranton/WB RailRiders 1 Box Score Chris Colabello continued his tremendous season with his 23rd home run of the season. His three-run shot put the Red Wings on top in the first inning and the club didn't look back. It was his second home run in as many nights. He finished the day 2-for-5 and he was the only Rochester hitter with multiple hits. On the mound, Liam Hendriks looked like vintage Triple-A Hendriks seen in previous seasons. He threw eight shutout innings, striking out six and walking two. In his last three starts, he has averaged 7.1 innings and he has a 0.81 ERA. There have been some rough moments this season but Hendriks seems to be finding a better groove. Derek Jeter was on a rehab assignment, hitting lead-off and playing shortstop for the RailRiders; he was 0-3 on the night. Hendriks struck out Jeter looking in the sixth inning. Jeter also had some tough defensive moments at shortstop. Download attachment: Liam Hendriks.jpg Fort Myers Miracle 0, Jupiter Hammerheads 3 (Suspended- 5th Inning) Box Score Inclement weather forced the game between the Miracle and the Hammerheads to be suspended. The game was stopped in the bottom of the fifth inning with a runner at first and Andy Leer batting. The plan is to complete the game on Thursday starting at 5:05 pm and this will be followed by Thursday's regularly scheduled game. Look for a full report on both games at Twins Daily tomorrow. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Dayton Dragons 12 Box Score It was a rough night for Kernels pitchers. Christian Powell started the game and got knocked around over three innings. He surrendered six earned runs on nine hits. Caleb Brewer also had a tough night as he gave up five runs on four hits in two innings of relief. Dalton Hicks hit his 28th double of the year and he knocked in two runs. JD Williams did a good job out of the leadoff spot, going 3-for-5 and scoring two runs. Travis Harrison added two hits. Max Kepler had a rough night as he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. It was the first time since June 29 that he struck out more than once in a game. Elizabethton Twins --, Bristol White Sox -- (Postponed) Rain got in the way of this game between the Twins and the White Sox. The game will be made up on Thursday as part of a doubleheader. After getting out to a fast start, the E-Twins have struggled this week. The club has lost three in a row but still has a 12-6 record and sits at the top of the Appalachian League's West Division. GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 2 (10 Innings) Box Score The GCL Twins couldn't find enough offense to pull out the victory but there were some positives. First round pick Kohl Stewart made his second professional appearance. He tossed three shutout innings with only one hit allowed. Four Orioles were victims of a Stewart strikeout and he didn't walk a batter. Stewart didn't start the game because Brandon Easton was called to begin the day on the hill. He pitched the first three innings and scattered two hits. One seemed to be his magic number today as he allowed one run, gave up one walk and struck out one. Jose Abreu took the loss. There wasn't a ton of offense. The team managed four hits in ten innings. Zach Larson had his fourth double of the season. Brian Navarreto was responsible for the lone run with a solo home run in the second inning. Click here to view the article

Scott Diamond and Liam Hendriks switched teams for their starts on Tuesday night and both players found success at their different levels. Liam Hendriks had struggled in his outings with the Twins so he was sent back down to Rochester. He didn't make it out of the sixth inning but he only gave up one earned run with eight strikeouts. Diamond found himself on the mound at Target Field with a team struggling to score runs. He put together an outstanding start as he lasted seven innings and didn't allow a run. There were some excellent defensive plays made behind him especially by newly called-up Brian Dozier. The Twins would go on to win the game by a score of 5-0 and they will look for the series win tomorrow against the Angels. Here is a quick look at what happened in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 3, PAWTUCKET 1 As mentioned above, Hendriks was inserted back into the rotation for the Red Wings and he had very little problems with this transition. The only real issue for Hendriks came in the bottom of the sixth when the lead off man got a hit, was bunted to second, and eventually scored on another single. Otherwise, Hendriks faced the minimum in every inning that he pitched to earn his first win of the season. Deolis Guerra continued his impressive season in the minor leagues by pitching 2.1 innings of relief and allowing one hit. In his 9 innings with the Red Wings, he has only allowed six hits and no runs. This comes on the heels of pitching 12.2 innings with New Britain and only allowing 1 earned run. If he keeps this up, he should be in Minnesota sooner rather than later. Ben Revere was the only member of the Red Wings to have more than one hit as he went 2-for-4 with two singles. Pedro Florimon hit his first home run in Rochester in his second game since being called-up. A strong performance from the pitching staff meant the offense didn't need to score a whole lot of runs to get the Red Wings a win. NEW BRITAIN 4, BINGHAMTON 3 The Rock Cats found themselves in an early hole against the Mets but a strong top of the ninth inning turned a 1-3 loss into a 4-3 win for New Britain. Joe Benson was in familiar territory but it was the opposite direction he was hoping to go this year. He struggled to an 0-for-4 day at the plate in his first start since being demoted over the weekend. On the defensive side of the ball, he did have an outfield assist and it is nice to think of Aaron Hicks and Benson covering a lot of ground in the outfield. A walk and an error in the top of the ninth inning helped to spur the comeback for the Rock Cats. Chris Colabello reached on a walk to start the inning but the big hit would come off of the bat of Nate Hanson. His fourth double of the year would score two runs and give New Britain their first and only lead of the day. Evan Bigley and Colabello had the only other extra base hits in the contest with each of them cracking a double. The bullpen was outstanding for New Britain in relief of Andrew Albers. After Albers pitched five innings and gave up three runs, the relief arms would not surrender a run in the last four innings. Blake Martin and Lester Oliveros would combine for two perfect innings in their time on the mound. Daniel Turpen was able to pitch the last two innings and pick up his third win of the year by giving up one hit and no runs. FORT MYERS 4, DUNEDIN 16 There was plenty of offense in this contest but unfortunately for the Miracle, it came at the expense of their pitching staff. Last year's second round draft pick Madison Boer has struggled in his two starts since being promoted from Beloit. On Tuesday night, he only pitched two innings and surrendered nine earned runs with most of the damage coming off of three home runs. His ERA with the Miracle now stands at 14.09 so hopefully all it can do is get lower from this point going forward. The Miracle were able to accumulate 11 hits in the contest but there were no extra-base hits for the team. This made it tough to keep up with the Blue Jays. Daniel Santana raised his batting average to .313 with a 3-for-5 day at the plate. Last year's first round pick Levi Michael had two hits but also had his six error of the year on the defensive side of the ball. Almost all of the runs for the Miracle came in the last inning when the game was already out of hand. Hopefully this late inning offensive surge will carry into their next game so the team can get back to their winning ways. BELOIT 3, KANE COUNTY 4 The Snappers might have lost but Miguel Sano hit a home run for the second night in a row and the fourth time in his last six games. If you hadn't heard, this guy is going to be good. Wang-Wei Lin and Adam Pettersen both had two hits to set the table in front of Sano. Eddie Rosario is in a little bit of a slump as he was held hitless for the third time in the last four games. Matthew Tomshaw took the loss for the Snappers but his outing was not all that bad. He gave up six hits and three earned runs in five innings pitched. David Hurlbut did a fine job of relieving Tomshaw as he threw three shutout innings with the Cougars managing two hits off of him. Fans will continue to keep an eye on Beloit to see what Sano is able to do. It could be more important to see if his home run buddy from last year, Rosario, can get back on track and start hitting the ball over the fence. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Hitter of the Day- Nate Hanson http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HDNNX29Kq6w/T6nmMG5kB_I/AAAAAAAABQQ/eLpKXS22yVs/s320/nate20hanson.jpg Pitcher of the Day- Liam Hendriks http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EUmzht_IxWI/T6nnKz-vTgI/AAAAAAAABQY/2Y989e-4E0I/s1600/Hendriks+Rochester.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, May 9th Schedule Rochester @ Pawtucket- RHP Cole DeVries New Britain @ Binghamton- RHP Steve Hirschfeld Fort Myers @ Dunedin- RHP Jhon Garcia Beloit @ Peoria- LHP Steven Gruver --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them. Click here to view the article

It is hard to believe that it has been fifteen years since the most tragic day in American history. The events of that day and the recovery following it have been well documented over the last decade and a half. The anniversary will always be a time of remembrance but it will also be a time to reflect on how far America has come since the events of September 11th. It seemed that all of America came to a standstill as the events unfolded in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. The professional sports world took a time-out as people realized that there were more important things in life than the sports that can consume people's lives. MLB stopped all of their games for over a week in the middle of the pennant races. At the time, it was the right thing to do as the nation tried to piece itself back together. The Twins were in Detroit on September 10th and they found themselves in second place and only six games out of first place. It would be the last year Tom Kelly would manage the team. It was also the first year the team would finish higher than fourth in the division since 1992. For eight days, the Twins waited to get on the field again and all of America waited for relief that might not appear. "The only two things that got my mind off of [9/11] were baseball and my son's football games"- New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani The nation needed to get back to some semblance of a normal life and for many that meant the return of America's Pastime. The Twins took the field on September 18th for the first time since the tragic events of September 11th. There was a pre-game ceremony in the Metrodome where two hot air balloons were inflated. One bore the image of the American Flag and the other was black and white to honor prisoners of war and others still missing in action. Donnele Burlingame, the cousin of the pilot of the hijacked plane that crashed into the Pentagon, held an eagle at home plate during the pre-game ceremony. Brad Radke was masterful for the Twins after the long layoff. In front of a small crowd of 10,878 fans, Radke took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and he had a perfect game through six innings. At the end of the night, he would finish with a 7.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER. The Twins offense pounded out 18 hits including three hits from Corey Koskie and Luis Rivas. The team also got home runs from Koskie and Christian Guzman and three RBI from Torii Hunter. The final score was 8-3 and many of the players expressed their emotions after returning to the field: "I don't know how I did it. I don't think anybody's mind was on baseball."- Brad Radke "I was hoping he'd get [the no hitter]. It would've meant a lot with all that's been going on."- A.J. Pierzynski Radke was not perfect during this game but in a way that was a fitting tribute to the heroes of September 11th. There was much that still needed to be accomplished at Ground Zero and a perfect game from Radke might have taken some of the light off of the things that were left to accomplish. The focus of the nation was on recovery from the events of that day and rebuilding the crumbling parts of our lives. Baseball offered fans a glimmer of hope at the end of a dark tunnel. After being the team to watch in the first half of the season, the Twins struggled through some rough patches in the second half to finish in second place in the AL Central. On this night, it was not about playoff races, multi-million dollar contracts, or winning and losing. Baseball's return brought hope back to nation struggling to find it's identity. It brought groups of people together to celebrate something that is truly American and it allowed players and fans to pay homage to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. View full article

At the beginning of the season, I devoted an entire week to predictions about the upcoming MLB season. These predictions can be fun, especially with the surprises that surround the game of baseball. I had the Toronto Blue Jays winning the AL East... oops. There are going to be a few swings and misses. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] With the All-Star Game over and done with, let's take a look back at the first half of the season and see who's in line for each of NoDak Twins Fan's end-of-season awards. There are some easy choices and some tough choices at this point. Luckily, there is the entire second half for the best players to separate themselves. Each of the awards below has been named after someone who symbolizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends and one current MLB player; all have had a significant place in Twins lore. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Harmon Killebrew MVP Award: Joe Mauer, C Preseason Pick: Joe Mauer, C Previous Winners: Josh Willingham (2012), Michael Cuddyer (2011), Joe Mauer (2010) Josh Willingham has been banged up. Justin Morneau hasn't been hitting for much power. This leaves one clear option for the first half MVP. Joe Mauer was selected as the starting catcher for the American League All-Stars and he is one of the best hitters in baseball. His 4.0 WAR ranks him 9th among position players and he is the highest catcher on the list. On the Twins, the next closest WAR marks are Pedro Florimon (2.0 WAR) and Brian Dozier (1.7 WAR). Barring injury to the "face of the franchise", Mauer will walk away with the team's MVP award. Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year Award: Glen Perkins, LHP Preseason Pick: Vance Worley, RHP Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Carl Pavano (2011), Carl Pavano (2010) Download attachment: perkinsfistpump.jpg The starters for the Twins have been tough to watch, making it hard to consider one of them as the top pitcher. There is a lot of baseball left in the season so someone like Sam Deduno or Kyle Gibson could continue to pitch well and take over this award. For now, the first half honor goes to Glen Perkins. He got elected to his first All-Star Game and he has the highest WAR among the pitchers. His 21 saves are the 9th most in baseball and he has posted a very good 0.808 WHIP. If the Twins find the right deal Perkins their best trade chip, could end up on another team before the deadline. Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year Award: Glen Perkins, LHP Preseason Pick: Brian Duensing, LHP Previous Winners: Jared Burton (2012), Glen Perkins (2011), Jesse Crain (2010) One of the biggest positives this year has been the bullpen. There have been surprise performances from players like Casey Fien and Caleb Thielbar. After a breakout season in 2012, Jared Burton has run into some tough times this year. It shouldn't be any surprise then that Perkins isbeing named the winner for the first half. He has been consistent at the back end of the bullpen and fans have grown accustomed to "Perk" being the shutdown closer. The lone player with a chance to catch Perkins might be Thielbar, with the way he has thrown the ball in the last month. For now, Perkins gets the nod as the best bullpen arm for the Twins. Rod Carew Rookie of the Year Award: Oswaldo Arcia, OF Preseason Pick: Aaron Hicks, OF Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Ben Revere (2011), Danny Valencia (2010) This could turn out to be a pretty good two-man battle but the first half award has to go to Arcia. Hicks was the logical choice at the beginning of the year since he had earned the starting job in center field. A horrific start to the season left some wondering if Hicks would be sent to Rochester. He suffered an injury that cost him a couple weeks but he has steadily improved his offensive performance and he has been on fire of late. He has a chance to catch Arcia by the end of the year. A couple weeks ago, it looked like Arcia might be the AL Rookie of the Year. Things turned south quickly and he now finds himself at Triple-A. He is still near the top of the leader board in a variety of categories for rookies so he gets my vote. Now it's your turn. What would your ballot look like for the top awards in the Twins organization for 2013? Leave a COMMENT and start the debate. 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. Each of these awards is named in honor of a player that epitomized the role in Major League Baseball. Over the course of the week, I will release my ballots for each award and I will post the official announcements from the BBA with the combined votes of all member blogs. Below is the list of awards that have been announced and the others that will be announced in the coming days. The links lead to my choices for each. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) released Monday, October 8Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) released Tuesday, October 9 Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) released Wednesday, October 10 Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) released today Stan Musial Award (Top Player) Walter Johnson Award for Top Pitcher American League Download attachment: Justin+Verlander+Tigers.jpg 1. Justin Verlander- RHP - Detroit TigersW-L (17-8), 2.64 ERA, 1.057 WHIP, 239 SO, 60 BB, 238.1 IP, 6 CG It would have been tough for Verlander to match his MVP season from 2011 but he still showed the American League why he was the best pitcher on the planet. He was tops in the American League in complete games, strikeouts, and ERA+. His win total was a little less than in 2011 but sometimes a pitcher can't control the final outcome of the game. It could be the second straight Cy Young for the right-handed hurler and it most likely won't be his last. 2. David Price- LHP - Tampa Bay Rays W-L (20-5), 2.56 ERA, 1.100 WHIP, 205 SO, 59 BB, 211.0 IP, 2 CG Price sits at the top of the American League in wins and ERA so there is a chance the writers will name him the Cy Young winner. The Rays were suppose to have a strong pitching staff and Price lead the way in a disappointing year for Tampa Bay. He finished second in the Cy Young award two seasons ago and it might be his turn to end up on top in 2012. 3. Jered Weaver- RHP - Los Angeles Angels W-L (20-5), 2.81 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, 142 SO, 45 BB, 188.2 IP, 3 CG Weaver finished tied with Price for most wins in the American League even though he missed some time with an injury. His other numbers are a little lower since he missed time so there isn't much of a shot for him to finish at the top of the awards voting. It would have been interesting to see how good of a year he could of had if the injury bug didn't bite him. Weaver finished second to Verlander in 2011 and he will be behind the ace from Detroit in 2012. 4. Fernando Rodney- RHP - Tampa Bay Rays W-L (2-2), 0.60 ERA, 0.777 WHIP, 76 SO, 15 BB, 74.2 IP, 48 S The year Rodney put together was one of the best in the history of the game for a relief pitcher. It was especially amazing since he is 35 years old and his career ERA was 4.29 before this season. If there were no other dominant pitchers in the American League, this could be Rodney's award to win. The three men ahead of him on this list had more of an impact for their teams so his season for the ages won't be honored with the top-pitching award. 5. Chris Sale- LHP - Chicago White Sox W-L (17-8), 3.05 ERA, 1.135 ERA, 192 SO, 51 BB, 192.0 IP, 1 CG In previous seasons, Sale had been used primarily as a relief pitcher but it looks like the White Sox made the correct decision to move him to the starting rotation. In his first full year as a starter, there were some rough moments as the innings started to add up near the end of the year. He still was a strong starting presence on a team that was fighting for a playoff spot through September. ~~~ National League Download attachment: R+Dickey+New+York+Mets.jpg 1. R.A. Dickey- RHP - New York MetsW-L (20-6), 2.73 ERA, 1.053 WHIP, 230 SO, 54 BB, 233.2 IP, 5 CG It was a fantastic year for the 37-year old pitcher as he made his first All-Star appearance and he seemed to have a rebirth with the Mets. He finished the year with the most strikeouts in the league and he was the leader in innings pitched for the NL. There was a chance for him to finish near the top in most of the statistical categories in the league but he barely finished behind Clayton Kershaw for the ERA crown and he was third in WHIP. His five complete games were tops in the NL and he also had the most shutouts so Robert Allen deserves the award. 2. Johnny Cueto- RHP - Cincinnati Reds W-L (19-9), 2.78 ERA, 1.171 WHIP, 170 SO, 49 BB, 217.0 IP, 2 CG His season was great for one of the best team's in the National League and it might go slightly unnoticed because of the market he plays in during the year. Out of the top three men on my ballot, he was the only player to help his team reach postseason play. He is also forced to play half of his games in a very hitter friendly ballpark, which makes his season all the more impressive. It will be a close vote and he could finish in the top spot if the voters appreciate his contribution to a first place club. 3. Clayton Kershaw- LHP -Los Angeles Dodgers W-L (14-9), 2.53 ERA, 1.023 WHIP, 229 SO, 63 BB, 227.2 IP, 2 CG A year after winning the first Cy Young of his young career, Kershaw did his best to try and take home the honor again in 2012. He finished one strikeout behind Dickey for the league lead and he had six fewer innings to add to his total. His ERA and WHIP were tops in the National League for the second consecutive year. In what is shaping up to be a three-man race, Kershaw could slip in and steal the top spot from Dickey and Cueto. 4. Gio Gonzalez- LHP - Washington Nationals W-L (21-8), 2.89 ERA, 1.129 WHIP, 207 SO, 76 BB, 199.1 IP, 2 CG On a team where Stephen Strasburg was the most talked about pitcher, Gonzalez quietly went about his work and pitched his way to a league high 21 wins in 2012. He barely missed the 200 IP mark but he still managed to strikeout over 200 batters in his time on the mound, which translated to the highest strikeouts per nine in the NL. One of the biggest improvements with his switch to the NL was his ability to reduce his amount of walks. The 2012 season marked the first time in the last three years he had fewer than 90 free passes. 5. Kris Medlen- RHP - Atlanta Braves W-L (10-1), 1.57 ERA, 0.913 WHIP, 120 SO, 23 BB, 138.0 IP, 2 CG When Atlanta inserted Medlen into the starting rotation on July 31st, it was almost like they had traded for one of the best pitchers in baseball but he had been part of their team for the entire year. Medlen looked like an ace over the course of the last two months of the year and the Braves seemed to gain confidence with him on the mound. He rattled off six consecutive victories in August and September and Atlanta didn't lose a single game he started from the end of July to the last day of the regular season. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fRC9OEVVlKQ/T9ngZMJOLII/AAAAAAAACHI/G78d2ms7sR0/s320/Torrens,+Luis.jpg With the Twins playing better baseball over the last couple of weeks, there has been plenty of talk about whether the Twins will be buyers or sellers when it comes to the trade deadline. While that date at the end of July will be very important for the Twins, there is another important deadline coming at the beginning of next month. Teams like the Twins will turn their attention July 2, when international players that have turned 16-years old can be signed.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The biggest international signing in Twins history was Miguel Sano, who has turned into the best prospect in the entire organization. His $3.15 million signing bonus was the second largest in Twins history at the time but now ranks third behind Joe Mauer and this year's first round pick Byron Buxton. The rules for signing international players have changed with the new CBA and team's are not allowed to spend over $2.9 million on foreign talent. This means there can't be a deal worth as much as what Sano signed from a few seasons ago. According to the Star Tribune, there are a couple of players on the radar for the Twins as the signing deadline approaches. To get one of these top international players, the Twins would need to spend most of their allotted signing funds and there will be plenty of other teams interested in the services of the players listed below. Amaurys Minier, SS/2B Dominican Republic Height/Weight: 6'2"/200 Bats/Throws: S/R The switching hitting middle infielder might need to switch to corner outfield or third base when he starts his professional career but his sweet swing projects to be a big bat. He has the power to drive the ball to all fields from both sides of the plate, a rare thing to find in a switch hitting 16-year old. When he starts to fill out, his smooth swing will develop even more power. Even though he is currently playing positions he won't play at the next level, there are plenty of defensive skills for him to showcase. He has go movement from side-to-side to go along with soft hands and a very powerful arm. These are skills that will help him when he moves to a different position in the future. The biggest problem for Minier right now is his ability to recognize pitches and make adjustments to offspeed offerings. He can look a little lost when a pitcher throws a good offspeed pitch at him when he's in the box. This is one skill that should develop over time and he still has one of the highest ceilings of any player on the international market. Luis Torrens, C Venezuela Height/Weight: 6'0"/170 Bats/Throws: R/R Torrens has spent time at shortstop and third base but he looks to have found his home behind the plate. There are still plenty of things to work on with his defense since he has only recently started to adjust to being a catcher. His natural athletic ability and other tools should make his it easier for his transition to catcher. The Twins could use a high profile catcher in their system to be ready to take the place of Mr. Mauer in the coming years. His right-handed bat is what makes him standout versus some of his peers in the international market. Reports have him hitting doubles to all fields at this point but his frame offers room to add more muscle as he matures. This should allow some of those doubles to turn into home runs while he moves through a club's minor league system. He is one of the top players available from Venezuela this year and he has topped some lists at different points this season. There is plenty of offensive potential and his ability to stick at catcher should help his value on the market. He has shown the ability to play third base in the past so a team could convert him back into a corner infielder if catching doesn't work out. TORRENS SCOUTING VIDEO (CLICK HERE) Click here to view the article

Download attachment: swarzak_anthony_landscape.jpg When word came out following TwinsFest about the injury Anthony Swarzak suffered, it had to be embarrassing. Swarzak suffered a fractured rib after wrestling with some teammates during the Minnesota Twins annual fan festival. He opened the season on the DL and watched the Twins fight the Tigers and the Orioles before he could get on the field. Swarzak returned to the mound on Sunday [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] and got four big outs for the Twins on their way to a second series win in a row to start the year. He entered in the sixth inning and allowed two hits and a walk along with one strikeout. He was forced to toss a lot of sliders because he didn't have a great feel for his fastball. It was his first victory of the year and he made the appearance without making any rehab starts in the minor leagues. Swarzak is back and he has a little something to prove. One of the biggest surprises for the Twins in the first week of the season has been the performance of the pitching staff. There have been positive signs from almost every starting pitcher but only Kevin Correia has pitched seven innings. This leaves the bullpen in charge of getting a lot of outs. The Twins could be relying heavily on Swarzak during the coming season. The long relief pitcher could be called on for some big outs when the starting staff doesn't make it into the late innings. In recent years, he has even been called on to make a start or two. Players like Jared Burton, Glen Perkins, and Brian Duensing are going to have important late-inning roles out of the bullpen. It might take a bridge to get from the starting pitcher to those back of the bullpen arms. That is where Swarzak can make his mark. As one would expect, his numbers are much better as a relief pitcher versus his time as a starter. For his career, his ERA is 1.19 points lower out of the bullpen. His WHIP is .153 points lower and he has a higher strikeout per nine. Opponent’s batting average against him is 60 points lower when he is used in relief. Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson know the bullpen is one of the team's strengths in 2013. This could mean a lot of use out of some its more consistent arms. The team has relied on the bullpen to keep their games close so far and that trend will likely continue in the coming weeks. Swarzak wants the ball as much as possible. "As long as they want me to pitch, I'll pitch," he says."That's always been my attitude here, and that will always be my attitude anywhere. I'm a pitcher before anything else. As long as they want me to have the ball, I'll take the ball." The Twins might need Swarzak to take the ball a lot this season. It looks like the bullpen is going to be one of the most important parts of the roster and Swarzak could be a key figure for the success of the 2013 Minnesota Twins. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: tonkin.jpg The Twins announced on Tuesday that Michael Tonkin would be called up to make his MLB debut. The 23-year old right-handed relief pitcher has been in the Twins organization since 2008. He was drafted in the 30th round that year out of high school and he has spent the last six seasons working his way through the minor leagues. Tonkin was used as a starter in the lower level of the minors and he got mixed results.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In 2009, he started nine games for the GCL Twins and posted a 3.62 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 54.2 innings. The next year he was asked to start 12 games for Beloit in High-A and his ERA continued to rise; he threw 65 innings and finished with an ERA of 4.29. The front office decided to go in a different direction with Tonkin entering the 2011 season. He was moved to the bullpen to take advantage of his ability to miss bats. It was a tough transition as he threw 76.2 innings, again for Beloit, and had a 3.87 ERA. His WHIP was an ugly 1.383 but he did strike out 69 batters. It had to be a tough offseason for Tonkin, having taken some bruises in his first two trips through the Midwest League. When Minnesota sent him back to Beloit for the start of 2012 something finally clicked. He pitched 39 innings for the Snappers, compiling a 1.38 ERA with an eye-popping 53 strikeouts. He moved to Fort Myers and continued to post solid numbers. The Twins decided to send Tonkin to the Arizona Fall League during this past offseason. In what is considered a tough pitching environment, Tonkin held his own. Over 14.2 innings, he had a 2.45 ERA with seven strikeouts and three walks. His 0.75 WHIP was the second best mark on his AFL club. This performance stood out and the Twins were ready to put Tonkin on the fast track. Tonkin started 2013 by tossing 24.1 innings for New Britain. In 22 relief appearances, he had a 2.22 ERA with 30 strikeouts and eight walks. This was enough to earn him a promotion to Triple-A. After arriving in Rochester, Tonkin was very good. He threw 14.2 innings and limited opponents to two earned runs. He posted a 0.955 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and three walks. His 6-foot-7 frame carrying 220 pounds allows him to be quite the presence on the mound. It also helps that he can scare opponents with an upper-90s fastball that has some movement. His slider is also a very good pitch. It sits in the mid to upper 80s and can be thrown regularly for strikes. There have been some issues in the past with his mechanics but he seems to have gotten those under control. Tonkin was added to the 40-man roster this past off-season. The club probably didn't plan for him to make it this far in 2013; it will be an unexpected and good experience for him to get a taste of the big leagues. It sounds like the club might keep him around if he is able to perform well. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Joe+Mauer+Minnesota+Twins.jpg One of the biggest topics of conversation at TwinsFest this weekend surrounded Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer and how much he should be catching in the coming season. Mauer came out in multiple interviews and said that he wants to catch more next year. There are always positives and negatives to getting his 6-foot-5 frame crouched down behind the plate and it is up to the Twins to find the balanced formula for their All-Star player. One year ago, there were plenty of questions surrounding Mauer's health. The 2011 season was a nightmare for the catcher and the team was looking for ways to keep him productive and on the field. With all of the guaranteed money the club had invested in Mauer, the team went back to the drawing board. It worked. Mauer finished back near the top of the AL in batting average (4th) and on-base percentage (1st). It took some creativity to get him to those numbers. He played in 147 contests, the most games of his career, but he caught less than 100 games for only the second time. He played 74 games at catcher, 42 as designated hitter, and 30 at first base. This formula seemed to keep Mauer on the field. Last year in the American League, the leader board for games played at catcher looked like this: Defensive Games as C (AL) 1. Wieters (BAL): 134 2. Martin (NYY): 128 3. Pierzynski (CHW): 126 4. Avila (DET): 113 5. Saltalamacchia (BOS): 104 Mauer's game totals at catcher from 2005-2010 would have put him on this list. In fact, he finished second in the AL in games played in 2008 and he finished fifth back in 2010. Only 12 active players have caught more games than Mauer. Of those 12 other players, Brian McCann and Russell Martin are the only players with less years of experience and more time at catcher. The earliest Mauer can reach free agency is 2019 so he will most likely be in a Twins uniform for most of (if not all of) his career. It will certainly be important to get the most value out of him over those next six seasons. During that time, the debate will continue to rage over how much to use the hometown hero behind the plate. For the Twins to get the most value out of Mauer, he needs to play catcher as much as possible. His top four seasons for WAR have all been when he has been behind the plate for over 105 games. Terry Ryan said he would like to get Mauer back where he is close to the top of the leader board listed above and that will mean seeing Mauer behind the plate for close to 120 games. One idea brought up over the weekend was the thought of having Mauer catch as much as possible over the beginning portion of his current contract. His ticket to the Hall of Fame centers on his ability to continue to perform at a high level while still playing catcher. The problem with this method could be his knees holding up for the long haul. Twins fans will remember that Tony Oliva looked like he was bound for Cooperstown before injuries slowed down his career. The real value for Mauer comes from his ability to stay behind the plate especially with the type of player he has become. There were always hopes of Mauer developing more power as he was starting his professional career but that's not the Mauer fans are accustomed to seeing. He is going to hit for a high average and get on base with a sprinkle of power mixed in. At his other major positions (first base and DH), those skills are fine, but power is a prerequisite. He is also such a good athlete that it seems his skills get wasted when he is forced to DH for a game. He started more games at DH last season than in any other year. Look for that number to come down a little in 2013 and for his catching totals to increase. Finding the perfect formula for Mauer isn't any easy task but the Twins need to find some way to balance his health with getting him behind the plate for more games. To put it simply, Minnesota is a better team when Mauer is the catcher. His value is highest when he can control the pitching staff and put up consistent numbers at the plate. No matter what the Twins do to get to that point..... That is the solution to the Mauer Formula. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Download attachment: Duensing.jpg For the second season in a row, the Twins have taken a player who had previously served as a starter and given him a prominent role in the bullpen. Last year the Twins were very pleased with the performance of Glen Perkins as he developed into their most reliable arm in the bullpen. In a lot of tough situations, Ron Gardenhire turned to Perkins to get the team out of a jam. But in the middle of a miserable season, it was hard to see the true value of those performances. Flash forward to 2012 and the Twins have shifted Brian Duensing into a role as one of their most important relief arms out of the bullpen. Through the first 18 games of the season for the Twins, Duensing has appeared in half of them. There has only been one game in which he gave up any earned runs and he has been primarily used in the eighth inning. Out of the team's five wins, Duensing has appeared in four of those games so the team is using him when they need him the most. Last season, Twins fans were astonished with the ability of Perkins to ramp up his velocity with his new spot in the bullpen. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Perkins was primarily used as a starter for the Twins. His fastball velocity sat around 90.5 mph in 2008 and in the next year it dropped to 89.7 mph. These are not numbers that jump off of the page at you. But if a pitcher is able to control this pitch and have some movement on it, he can still be successful. Take a look at the change in his velocity as he started to find his spot in the bullpen. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4HdrY_DceMw/T5fhFLXY-UI/AAAAAAAABNI/eb4LO_KGNdQ/s320/PerkinsVelocity.jpg Much like Perkins before him, Duensing has spent a little bit of time as an arm out of the bullpen before. This means he has experience with the current role he is filling. But in many of the previous seasons when Duensing has started the year in the bullpen, he has found his way into the starting rotation by the end of the year. The least amount of games that Duensing has started in a year was nine games in 2009. He hasn't stayed in the bullpen for an entire year to show what he can do as a full-time relief option. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xp__Tla5jDk/T5fldf7UAII/AAAAAAAABNY/y6UoOjvRNNw/s320/DuensingVelocity.jpg Duensing hopes to find himself in the same territory as Perkins by the end of the year. The Twins were so impressed with the way Perkins looked in the bullpen that the club signed him to a contract extension during spring training. He will now be with the team through the end of the 2015 season and the organization has a option for the 2016 year. If Duensing is able to find similar success to Perkins in 2012, the team might consider giving Duensing a long-term deal. He will be arbitration eligible for the first time in 2013 so there is still time for the Twins to figure out what they have in Duensing. In an ideal world the Twins might have wanted Duensing to spend the entire year in the bullpen so he could be more accustom to this job. With all of the issues so far in the starting rotation, it makes it hard to imagine a situation where the Twins wouldn't have to turn to Duensing as a starter at some point in 2012. Scott Baker is out for the year, Francisco Liriano has been a disaster, and Nick Blackburn has been trying to come back from an injury. The Twins have already put Liam Hendriks into the rotation and Anthony Swarzak continues to be an option for making spot starts. In the minor leagues, Scott Diamond is off to a tremendous start but it is hard to imagine him being a long-term solution. It is nice to see Duensing showing the ability to transition back to the bullpen after spending most of last year in the starting rotation. There might be a chance that he moves back to the starting rotation at some point in 2012. But at this point, it looks like the team will give Duensing every opportunity to be a dominant relief option. If Perkins is in line to be the closer in the near future for the Twins, Duensing could be a dominant set-up man leading to the ninth inning. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Ryan_Terry_Landscape.jpg Three years ago, the Minnesota Twins were in an ideal position. The organization was proud to be opening Target Field on a beautiful day in downtown Minneapolis. Minnesota would be on their way to 94 wins, the most for the franchise since the 2006 season. It would be a memorable season for Twins Territory but there were some problems starting to bubble under the surface.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The dreaded Yankees were again waiting for the Twins in the first round. It was another quick exit from the postseason but things seemed to look fine to the blind eye. Those views of the team would quickly fall apart with injuries, poor play, and bad decisions. Minnesota has fallen far since that day in the Bronx. Teams that suffer this kind of defeat can find it hard to get back on their feet. Minnesota won six division titles from 2002-2010 but only one of those playoff trips resulted in a trip to the ALCS. The price of losing can start to add up and for some teams, that price can result in a decade long struggle to get back to the top. One of the toughest things to do when a team wins or when a team loses is to divide the credit or the blame. There are going to be plenty of people who want to take credit when things are going well for a franchise. If things are going the opposite way, there will be plenty of finger pointing. The bitterness in defeat can be a lot harder for a franchise to overcome. After the team's tough 2011 season, two of the most vocal members of the clubhouse left the franchise through free agency. Michael Cuddyer had been the longest tenured Twins player and he offered a veteran presence. Joe Nathan set the franchise record for saves but he saw a better opportunity to win in Texas. Now there are other veteran players on the club but most of their personalities are calm and reserved. There have been other casualties as the storm has continued to build. Bill Smith was given a lot of responsibility when the club handed him the reigns in September 2007. He would be the man in charge of trading away Johan Santana, signing franchise player Joe Mauer, and preparing the team to enter Target Field. These were challenging items and the team went in a different direction in 2011. Minnesota went back to Terry Ryan. There have been some tough decisions with him back in the saddle. Denard Span and Ben Revere were traded this offseason to try and build up some organizational pitching depth. Some other tough decisions could be on the horizon. Justin Morneau has been an important part of the franchise over the last decade. He won an MVP and was selected to four consecutive All-Star Games. Concussion issues and other injures have limited his playing time. The Twins made sure to sign him to a deal that would keep him in a TC uniform until the new stadium opened. That deal expires at the end of the year and he could be dealt before July's deadline. The coaching staff saw it's biggest shake-up since Tom Kelly resigned after the 2001 season. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract. There are fresh faces on his staff but it's hard to have hope that the club will get off to a good start. This could mean the end of Gardy's tenure as Twins manager and maybe that's the best path for the franchise. It seems the Twins are entering a new phase. There will be plenty of new faces on the roster for Opening Day. The minor league system is stocked and some of the best young hitters in the game could be getting closer to Target Field this season. One of the hardest things to do in sports is to reinvent an organization. Terry Ryan knows this. His job is to calm the gathering storm. There will be other changes but fans can have hope that the clouds will part and the sun will shine through on a bright future in Minnesota. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins struck out 1430 time last season, the third most strikeouts in the history of the game. On the offensive side of the ball, the team scored the third fewest runs in the American League while the pitching staff allowed the second most runs to be scored. The club also left the third most runners on base of any team in the AL. Download attachment: Kubel_Jason_Thinking_US_720.jpg There needs to be some changes to the roster and the pitching staff is the biggest priority. Numbers like the ones discussed above make it clear the offense is in need of a boost. The outfield has some open starting spots for 2014 and reuniting with a former player could solve some problems. Jason Kubel has become a free agent after the Cleveland Indians bought out the remaining part of his contract for $1 million. The former 12th round pick by the Twins became a mainstay in the club's outfield from 2007-2011. As a free agent, he headed to Arizona in 2012 and socked 30 home runs with a 120 OPS+. The 2013 season saw him suffer a quadriceps injury and flounder to his worst professional season. Before his injury-filled 2013, Kubel had been a consistent offensive player. From 2007-2012, his OPS+ ranged from 105-137 and he averaged 21 home runs a season. Those kinds of numbers would have ranked him near the top of the Twins team in 2013. Even though there were some concerns from hitters in the first two years of Target Field, Kubel didn't seem to mind hitting in the Twins home ballpark. In 2010, the inaugural season for Target Field, Kubel posted similar .746 and .753 OPS marks at home and on the road. Kubel slugged .377 at home and .476 on the road in 2011 but he had 63 more at-bats on the road. While Oswaldo Arcia and Josh Willingham should be penciled in as starters, there are some decisions to make in the outfield. Willingham was hurt for most of last season and he could probably use some more time at designated hitter. Chris Parmelee didn't impress last year and he might need to play more at first base. This leaves an opportunity for the club to add a veteran bat at a corner outfield spot. The confetti has hardly settled from the Red Sox championship parade so the free agent hot stove has just begun to get warm. Other teams might be interested in Kubel and there could be better offers on the table than anything the Twins are willing to shell out. For now, it is interesting to think about what he could offer to the club on a short-term deal. If Kubel's injuries are behind him, he could be poised for a bounce-back season at a discounted price. Minnesota could be just the team to offer him this possibility because of his history with the club. An incentive laden deal could help their former player regain some value and he could help Minnesota with some of their offensive woes. It also helps to know that he isn't opposed to a reunion tour with his original organization. Would signing Kubel to a free agent deal make sense for the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 7484376.jpeg Who IS This Guy? Braden Shipley is a former shortstop that only moved to the mound full-time last year. He is still among the top 10 talents in the draft because of his low-effort delivery and the effectiveness of some of his pitches. His recent performances for Nevada have him moving quickly up the draft boards. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In the past, he has hit 99 mph with his fastball but he is more consistently in the 92-95 mph range. His best pitch is his changeup, which counters his fastball nicely. His change sits at 83-86 mph and he uses great arm speed to deceive the batter. He does have a curveball but he doesn't have a feel for this pitch yet, probably because of his inexperience. Overall, he can throw strikes and this is a trait the Twins have coveted in the past. One NL scout recently said, "When he is firing on all cylinders, he's as good as any pitcher not named Appel in this class." That's high praise and it could be tough for teams to pass him by. Who Could He Be? His arm strength and athleticism make him an intriguing pitching option especially since he is so new to the position. He had a great start to the spring season and some hiccups in the middle. More recent starts have been better and this could help his draft stock. Shipley will need to work on his curveball if he is going to develop into a top of the rotation pitcher. He doesn't have much feel for this pitch and this is evident in the type of break he gets while throwing it. With more repetition, this pitch could move from the below average range and help to make him more effective. He might not be in the elite class of college arms in this draft but he isn't far behind. The ceiling for him might be a number two pitcher on most teams. With the Twins, he could end up being a front of the rotation hurler for multiple seasons. How Soon Could He Be Playing In Target Field? Out of all of the college pitchers taken early in the draft, Shipley might need the most development time in the minors. His fastball and change-up are great but he is going to need time to work on his curveball. This will only come with repetition in the minors. If he signed right away, the Twins would likely send him to the rookie leagues for the end of the 2013 season to pitch out of the bullpen. Next season, he would get the chance to be a starter for Cedar Rapids. After spending the entire season with the Kernels, he could move to Fort Myers for 2015. In 2016, he would make his way to New Britain with a shot at going to Rochester. Because of his inexperience, it would seem that 2017 would be the earliest he could make an appearance with the Twins. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Messed Up Because... There are more experienced college pitchers in this draft. Shipley could be a wild card especially if his secondary pitches aren't honed in the minors. His fastball and change-up combination could make him a deadly bullpen weapon. With the fourth pick in the draft, but a team doesn't necessarily want a good relief pitcher. The front office and the fans want a front of the line starter and Shipley might not have all of the tools to reach this lofty goal. It would also take some time for him to develop in the minor leagues and the Twins might be back in contention before he is ready to take over a rotation spot. If the Twins Draft This Guy, They Nailed It Because... The Twins need pitchers with upside. With Mark Appel and Jonathan Gray likely off the board, Shipley is the next best collegiate option. Other prep arms like Kohl Stewart could take even more time to develop in the minor leagues. Some members of this organization might lose their jobs before a younger arm makes it to the big leagues. Shipley's upper 90s velocity makes him a power arm this organization has been lacking. In recent weeks, he has shown more control over his curveball and this could make him a devastating pitcher. At the beginning of the spring season, there were other collegiate pitchers in front of him. But by draft day, he could be the third college arm off of the board. Twins Daily MLB Draft Player Profiles: Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SPTuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP Friday, May 24-- Clint Frazier, OF Tuesday, May 28-- Reese McGuire, C For MLB Draft Day Coverage, make sure you follow @TwinsDaily on Twitter! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Willingham_Josh_Hi5_US_720.jpg It is a little over a month away from the July 31st trade deadline. The season has started to look a little better for the Twins but the club is still in the bottom half of the AL Central. This should mean the club will be sellers at this year's trade deadline. As stated previously, the Twins focus should be contending again by 2015. Joe Mauer will be the veteran bat in the middle of the line-up, surrounded by young players like Oswaldo Arcia, Miguel Sano, and Eddie Rosario. Even last year's number one draft pick Byron Buxton could be ready for the big leagues in 2015.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Minnesota has one of the best minor league systems in baseball and the organization has the opportunity to improve its depth by trading away some veteran pieces before August. Productive power hitters and useful members of a pitching staff can be valuable commodities this time of year. We'll look at a few of the names that could be floating around as baseball's summer- time hot stove league begins heating up. Position Players Justin Morneau, 1B The former MVP is in the final year of his contract and it doesn't seem likely he will be part of the next winning Twins' team. His ability to play first base and history of hitting for power might be intriguing to more than one contending team. Morneau might be most desirable for a team that has suffered an injury to its first baseman. That said, there are recent injury issues for Morneau and his power has been almost nonexistent in 2013. A team trading for him wouldn't be making a long-term commitment; this could help to strengthen his market. Josh Willingham, LF/DH There were a few trade rumors swirling around last season when Willingham was in the midst the best season of his career. Things haven't gone as smoothly in 2013 but that doesn't mean other teams won't be interested in adding him for the stretch run. Willingham is under contract through 2014 at a reasonable salary and this could add to his trade value. He will turn 35-years old before next season and some teams might be scared away by his aging body, especially in the mostly DH-less National League. Dark Horse: Trevor Plouffe, 3B Minnesota has seen some flashes of good signs from Plouffe and these might lead some clubs to have interest in him. The former first round pick didn't work out as a middle infielder but he continues to improve at the plate and on the defensive side of the ball. Miguel Sano is working his way through the Twins system and he looks to be the Twins third baseman of the future. Deibinson Romero has also compiled some solid numbers in the minor leagues and might be able to fill-in for a little while. These make Plouffe expendable if the Twins want to move him. Pitchers Kevin Correia, RHP There is not going to be a ton of starting pitchers available and this could be a positive for the Twins. Correia has put together the numbers the front office thought he would produce when they signed him to a free agent contract. The Twins gave Correia a two-year deal so he is still under contract for 2014 at a salary of $5 million. It'd be nice to dump that salary on a team looking to add a back of the rotation starter for its playoff push. He might not net a big haul but he could be worth a mid-range prospect or two if the market continues to be weak for starting pitching. Jared Burton, RHP Things have been a little rough on the mound in the last couple weeks for Mr. Burton. After last season's outstanding job as the team's set-up man, the Twins gave him an extension. Something isn't quite right with him and this might be reason enough for the organization to ship him out of town. Contending teams can often use another reliever, especially a veteran arm like Burton. He even had the opportunity to close a few games and some teams value this "skill." In July, he will need to show some flashes of the pitcher he was last season or other teams will not consider him an option. Dark Horse: Glen Perkins, LHP Reports were out last week that Twins general manager Terry Ryan is going to want a haul in return for Perkins. The team's closer is under contract through 2015 with a team option for 2016. It's a very team-friendly deal and that's a good thing for the Twins and their fans. If Perkins stays with the Twins, he likely be the closer on Minnesota's next winning team. Ryan might get an offer that is too good to pass up, putting Perkins in another uniform by the end of July. It seems like a long shot at this point but anything can happen around the deadline. Click here to view the article

The Twins held their Download attachment: Scott+Baker+Minnesota+Twins.jpg organizational meetings last week and there are plenty of decisions for the club to make about the pending offseason. Some of those decisions might have already been revealed as the club announced the new members of their coaching staff and the readjustment of the men that were left after the firing frenzy. Phil Mackey from 1500 ESPN has the complete rundown of some of the items discussed by the organization but one of the most interesting items might be the fact the team is looking to add three starting pitchers in the coming months. These pitchers could join the Twins in a couple of different ways including trades and free agency but the team knows this is a weak point for the club. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] One intriguing option for the Twins is a man that could already be under contract for 2013. Scott Baker injured his elbow during last year's spring training and he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. The Twins hold a $9 million option on Baker but there doesn't seem to be much of a chance of the club exercising that option. This would leave Baker as a free agent when he is still recovering from the surgery he had seven months ago. There could be other team's interested in Baker but the 31-year old right-hander has only known the Twins organization and this could play to his favor. At the end of the season, Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire spoke to season ticket holders in a conference call to answer a bunch of different questions about the organization. The topic of Baker came up in one of the questions and Ryan had very positive things to say about the pitcher. His rehab was progressing well at the time and he called him "one of the good guys" for the organization. This could be a good sign of things to come with Baker and it seem like a strong relationship exists between the pitcher and the general manager. This isn't the only sign from the front office about the pending return of Baker to the Twins for 2013. Reports out yesterday have Ryan saying the Twins would like to keep Baker around for next season. With the very good chance of the Twins turning down Baker's option year, this would mean the team would be free to work out an incentive-laden contract for the future. It would also be nice if the team could include a reasonable option for 2014 for the chance Baker performs better than expectations on his way back from elbow surgery. The most recent medical reports have Baker on track to be ready to pitch in game action by the time the Twins are in spring training. This is great news for Baker but one would have to wonder if he will be on some kind of innings limit for next year. He has only reached the 200 innings mark in one previous season so some of the innings limit might take care of itself with time spent on the disabled list. When pitchers are in their first season back from a major surgery, there can be a few bumps along the way. For example, Joe Nathan spent a little bit of time on the DL in his first year back with the Twins. From the Twins point of view, they already have Kyle Gibson working his way back from Tommy John surgery so it might not be ideal to have two recovering pitchers on track to be part of next year's rotation. In the last season Baker spent on the mound for Minnesota, he got off to the best start of his career. He went 7-5 in the first half of 2011 with a 3.01 ERA and he was on pace to throw over 200 innings. Injuries forced him to the sidelines for much of the second half of the season and he would only make four more starts during that time. Even with his limited action down the stretch, he would still lead the pitching staff in WAR for the entire season. In his last three full seasons with the Twins, he has averaged 13 wins a year with 181 innings pitched and a 4.11 ERA. If Baker was able to reproduce these results in 2013, he would be a very welcomed member of the Twins starting rotation. There are plenty of decisions for the Twins to make in the coming months and Baker will only be a small part of a much larger plan. It's nice to think the Twins would be loyal to a player the organization drafted and developed to see if he can come back strong from a tough injury. Baseball is a business though and the Twins have been at the wrong end of the American League for two consecutive seasons. Loyalty to players might have to be thrown out the window if the Twins want to get back to the top. The comeback story of Baker would be great to follow in 2012 but only if the team can work out an appropriate contract for the team and the player. Click here to view the article