Cody Christie

In the Twins Daily 2014 Offseason Handbook, the writers' blueprint plans are one of the best parts. There are plenty of ways to go about trying to fix the Twins team but some patience might be required as the club waits for younger pieces to work their way through the minor leagues. Download attachment: blueprint.jpg Here is how I would go about trying to fix the team. Some of these ideas will happen and some won't but that's what makes this fun. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Starting Line-Up C- Josmil Pinto- $0.5 million 1B- Joe Mauer- $23 million 2B- Brian Dozier- $0.5 million 3B- Miguel Sano- $0.5 million SS- Pedro Florimon- $0.5 million LF- Oswaldo Arcia- $0.5 million CF- Aaron Hicks- $0.5 million RF- Trevor Plouffe- $2.0 million DH- Josh Willingham- $7 million ------------------------------------------------- $35.0 million committed to nine hitters Breakdown: Sano has an impressive spring with the major league club and earns the starting third base job. Mauer's concussion concerns are enough to push him to spend more time at first base than catcher for the first time in his career. He could get some playing time behind the plate but the Twins need to protect their most important asset. Willingham's injury concerns last season make it much easier to move him to full-time DH to take some of the wear and tear off his legs. The outfield can be a little shaky with a couple young players. Hicks has the entire offseason to mull over his terrible 2013. This should give him the drive to earn back his starting job in center field. Plouffe shifts to right field with the emergence of Sano. Bench C- Ryan Doumit-$3.5 million IF- Eduardo Escobar- $0.5 million 1B/OF- Chris Parmelee- $0.5 million OF- Darin Mastroianni- $0.5 million ------------------------------------------------- $5.0 million committed to four bench positions Breakdown: Parmelee and Mastroianni will likely get at-bats at first base and in the outfield, respectively, so they will be semi-regular players. It will be a make it or break it year for Parmelee with some young prospects making their way toward Target Field. It would be nice to add some veteran catching depth but I think the Twins will use Pinto, Doumit and a sprinkling of Mauer behind the plate. Escobar is a nice piece to have and he has the ability to fill in at multiple positions. Starting Pitching 1. Josh Johnson- $7 million 2. Phil Hughes- $8 million 3. Kevin Correia- $5.5 million 4. Kyle Gibson- $0.5 million 5. Johan Santana- $1.0 million (+ incentives) Johan insurance: Scott Diamond, Vance Worley, and/or Sam Deduno ($0.5 million each) ------------------------------------------------- $22.0 million committed to top five/ $23.5 million with Johan insurance Breakdown: Target Field would be a perfect place for Johnson to rebuild some value on a short-term deal. Hughes signed to a two-year, $16 million deal to earn his place as a top of the rotation arm. Correia and Gibson can fit nicely in the middle of the rotation with less pressure to perform as top of the rotation guys. Does it make sense to sign a guy like Santana coming off his second shoulder surgery? Probably not but it would still be fun to see him back in a Twins uniform. Also, the team has other guys that could fit into the fifth spot if Johan doesn't work out. Bullpen Righties: Jared Burton, Casey Fien, Anthony Swarzak, Michael Tonkin- $5.5 million Lefties: Caleb Thielbar, Brian Duensing- $2.5 million Closer: Glen Perkins- $3.75 million ------------------------------------------------- $11.75 million committed to seven relievers Breakdown: The bullpen was the best part of the 2013 team so there is no reason to make any drastic changes. It could make sense for the club to non-tender Duensing but the team might like having another lefty to go along with Thielbar. Tonkin has a chance to turn into a late-inning pitcher of the future but the Twins can rely on Burton and Perkins for the time being. If Minnesota can get any trade value for one of their veteran righties, the team could let Duke Welker take over a bullpen spot. Minnesota Twins 2014 Checkbook Starting Line-Up: $35.0 million Bench Players: $5.0 million Starting Pitching: $22.0 million Bullpen: $11.75 million ------------------------------------------------- $73.75 million committed to Opening Day 25-man roster Click here to view the article

Download attachment: BDD_JS_twins_1.29.08_getty.jpg It has been five seasons since Johan Santana last wore the uniform of the Minnesota Twins. In the mean time, he has been dealing with multiple injuries and ineffective pitching performances. He missed all of the 2011 season as he dealt with a shoulder problem and he won't pitch in 2013 because of another shoulder issue. Last season with the Mets, he tossed 117 innings with a 4.85 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Not exactly the numbers Twins fans were used to seeing from their former ace pitcher. Santana believes he will be able to pitch next season. In a recent interview with the New York Daily News, his agent said that Santana has been able to do things a lot easier after this surgery compared to his first procedure. He went on to tell one of his agents that he "isn't going out like this." The 34-year-old left handed pitcher will see his six-year, $137.5 million contract expire at the end of the season and this will make him a free agent for really the first time in his career. The Mets don't look to be players for Santana on the free agent market since they have a young rotation of arms as they look to rebuild in the strong NL East. This opens the question about where Santana will head this offseason. Would it make sense for the Minnesota Twins to reunite with their former Cy Young winner? There were good years and bad years for Santana in New York. Over the span of his six-year contract, he posted a 3.18 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. Over his 717 innings on the mound, he had 607 strikeouts compared to 203 walks. His final record was 46-34 but his numbers don't tell the whole story. He is coming off one of his worst statistical years and his second major operation on his shoulder. One shoulder surgery can be a death sentence for a pitcher and a second surgery leaves more than one question mark. Minnesota has taken on some recent low-risk chances on the free agent market. In 2012, the Twins signed Joel Zumaya to an incentive laden contract with the hopes of him rekindling his career. The same could be said about the contract signed by Rich Harden this offseason. Both players would never make it on the field at the big league level but this might be the type of contract facing Santana this offseason. When looking at the Twins rotation situation for 2014, there hardly seems to be anyone with their name penciled into the rotation. Kevin Correia will likely get a spot since he is signed for $5 million. Others in the mix will be Sam Deduno, Kyle Gibson, Liam Hendriks, Vance Worley, and Andrew Albers. This isn't exactly a star-studded crew and none of these men are likely to be guaranteed spots going into spring training. This could mean that there is room to take a flyer on someone like Santana. One of the reasons Santana originally wanted to leave the Twins was to get to a bigger market. There can be some benefits to being in this type of market. A player has the chance at more endorsement deals and the chance to play in front of a larger audience. He spent six seasons in the Big Apple and had to deal with their media and plenty of scrutiny along the way. Maybe it is time for him to get away from the hustle and bustle. At the beginning of next season, Santana will be 35 years old and it's not really clear how much he has left in his throwing arm. He may never be able to get back on the mound at the big league level. He also has never had the opportunity to get back to the postseason since he left the Twins. A player in his position might want to head to a team with a chance to contend instead of a team rebuilding like Minnesota. Some Twins fans might love to see Santana back in Minnesota because of the many years he spent dominating the American League. This isn't the same Santana though and no one knows what to expect as he rehabs his shoulder for the second time in two years. There are over 2000 big league innings on his left arm and that might be all of the juice he had in the tank. Reuniting with Santana might be fun but it probably isn't in the cards... 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. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 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. 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

Download attachment: RichHardenTwins.jpg The Twins have multiple pitchers in camp recovering from different surgeries in the last year. Scott Diamond and Vance Worley had bone chips removed from their throwing elbow. Mike Pelfrey and Kyle Gibson are recovering from Tommy John surgery. Another interesting name in camp is Rich Harden and he is trying to overcome some shoulder problems that have haunted him in the past. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Harden is attempting to make his way back to the big leagues after missing all of last season. In 2011, he started 15 games for the Oakland Athletics at the end of the season. He didn't put up outstanding numbers as he threw almost 83 innings and had a 5.12 ERA. The hope was that he could rekindle some of the magic from his early years with Oakland but that wasn't the case. Last season, Harden didn't throw a pitch as he worked to recover from shoulder surgery. The last time he threw over 100 innings was in 2009 with the Chicago Cubs. His best years at the major league level were in 2004-2005. He threw over 300 innings with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Minnesota signed Harden in the middle of December and his name was the most known out of any of the club's offseason signings. In the team's promotional video for the up-coming year, Harden was featured in the same section as Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Correia. These other two names figure to have more of a role this season so where does Harden fit in? At the beginning of spring training, Harden was throwing off the mound. The team has taken a more cautious approach in recent days as he has only been playing catch. Harden has been throwing from 150 feet so it will be interesting to see when he gets back on the mound. Since Minnesota signed Harden to a minor league deal, there is a good chance that he will open the year in the minors. His deal also includes an opt-out clause but he doesn't have the option to do this until July 31. Usually players have the option to opt-out after a month or so if they aren't added to the MLB roster. The Twins still are unsure of what role they will ask Harden to fill. He has served as a starter and as a relief pitcher so the club can decide between either role. If the front office wants to have less stress on his shoulder, this could come in a relief role. His most successful seasons have been as a starter but his health is still a question mark. It is also tough to figure out a place for Harden on the 25-man roster. The team has plenty of other options for the bullpen and the starting rotation. It might take an injury or two to even give Harden a chance to crack the big league roster. Since some of the other starting pitchers are on their way back from injuries, there could be more than one trip to the DL this year. Harden is going to be an interesting player to keep tabs on this season. He seems destined to start the year in the minor leagues and that might be best for him as he comes back from injury. The team could start him at Double-A or Triple-A and he could be a veteran presence to some of the younger pitchers at those levels. Is Harden ever going to get back to the pitcher he was at the beginning of his career? Probably not…. But the Twins took a low-risk chance on a guy that could make an impact for the team this year. It seems like a good deal to me no matter what his role ends up being. Where do you think Harden should end up? Starter? Bullpen? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: mlb_g_trout_cabrera.jpg Over the weekend, the Twins got a first-hand look at one of the front-runners for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Miguel Cabrera is trying his best to be the first Triple Crown winner in the American League since Carl Yastrzemski won it back in 1967. There are other deserving candidates in the American League and it looks like the main competition for Cabrera will come in the form of standout rookie Mike Trout. The debate has been swirling over the last couple of weeks as the end of the season is closing in and voters are going to have to decide between the outstanding seasons put together by the top two players in the American League.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It seems to be a debate between fans that like the old-school statistics such as home runs and RBI versus new-school fans that turn to Sabermetrics for much of their statistical analysis. There have been plenty of opinions circling from writers, coaches, and other players. For voters in the Baseball Writers Association of America, the choice will be up to them and there are plenty of things for them to consider before they make their final choice. What weight do the Triple Crown categories hold? For Cabrera, it has been arguably his best offensive season in his outstanding career that has spanned the last decade. He sits at the top of all three Triple Crown categories with a .331 batting average, 42 home runs, and 133 RBI. If Cabrera ends up winning the first Triple Crown since the 1960s, there is a good chance the vote could swing his way. There are still plenty of older voters composing the electorate in the BBWAA and a push by these elder statesmen could put the trophy in the hands of Cabrera. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like Trout was going to run away with the batting title in the American League. The month of September hasn't been the best for the young Trout as he reaches the end of his rookie campaign. His recent late-season slump has dropped him from the top of the leader-board in batting average and it might be hard for him to reclaim the lead. He also isn't sitting high in the other Triple Crown categories because he missed the first month of the year while he was toiling in the minor leagues. Should defensive value be considered? When the Tigers signed Prince Fielder in the offseason, it meant Cabrera would need to move from first base back to his previous position at third base. There were many that thought his transition to third base would make for some terrible defensive line-ups for the Tigers but it hasn't been as bad as some thought it would be. He has 13 errors in 363 chances at third but when you look a little deeper things can get more dicey for his defense. By looking at the defensive runs saved statistic, he has cost the Tigers four runs over the course of the year and this translates to a negative defensive WAR for him. Trout is one of the best defensive players in the game with his ability to take away hits in center field. If you take a look at the numbers, his defensive runs saved total is an eye-popping 25 so far this year. According to Baseball Reference, this translates to a 2.6 WAR on the defensive side of the ball. His ability to take away home runs has been well chronicled in highlight reels across the country. He also plays a premium defensive position so his team can rely on him to track down balls in parks across the country. Does the MVP have to be in the playoffs? When the Tigers made the playoffs last year, their ace pitcher Justin Verlander was named MVP of the American League. There were other candidates for this award but Verlander put together a very good year on a team that would be competing in October. At this point, it seems the Tigers have a shot to make the playoffs out of the AL Central since they trail the White Sox by one game with a week and a half to go in the season. Some of the voters might consider the Tigers getting into the playoffs as their deciding factor in the vote for the MVP award. Jacoby Ellsbury had an outstanding final month of the season last year but his team was in the midst of one of the worst collapses in baseball history. When the last month of the season started, he looked like a clear-cut favorite for the MVP award. His team didn't make the playoffs and he didn't win the hardware so it's possible the same thing will happen to Trout. The Angels are currently 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot so they are left on the outside looking in at the Orioles and the A's playing in the new Wild Card game. His team's poor play in the first month of the year might cost him the MVP and he wasn't even on the team at that point. WAR, What is it good for? According to Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Cabrera is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his professional career. He currently sits at 6.6 rWAR and 6.9 fWAR depending on which site you turn to for your statistical analysis. The only season he had a higher WAR was last year and he would need to put together a decent final week to reach his total from last year. Obviously, his defensive numbers take away from his total WAR so this hurts him in the long run. His totals are still hard to ignore on a team fighting to get into postseason play. Some of the Sabermetric categories are in love with Trout and his magical season. His numbers at the plate combined with outstanding defense and his threatening speed on the base paths have him off the charts. He is the first player to compile a WAR of over 10 since Barry Bonds did it back in his heyday. The last center fielder to reach this mark was Willie Mays so Trout is in some good company with the season he has put together. Will recent play make a difference in the vote? The month of September has been very good for Cabrera as his team gets closer to the playoffs. He is hitting .356 since the calendar turned from August and he has nine home runs during that time. The voters can sometimes have long-term memory loss and they might look with favor at the hot streak by Cabrera over the last month. This could push the vote towards the Tigers slugger. It would be hard for any player to continue to perform at the level Trout was at earlier this year. So it's not too hard to believe he has come back down to earth for the final month of the season. His batting average has dipped to .256 in September but he has still shown good defensive ability and speed on the bases. If he could put together a good last week and a half of the season, voters might remember all of the good things he accomplished in 2012 Who should win versus who will win? In my opinion, the best player in the American League this season has been Mike Trout. His overall season is something baseball hasn't seen in quite awhile and it would be a shame if he wasn't honored for his historic year. His offense, defense, and speed make him one of the most exciting players in the game and he should win the award no matter how his team finishes the year. Cabrera has a shot to win the first Triple Crown in a long time and this might be hard for some of the older voters to ignore. It also helps for the Tigers to be so close to making the playoffs. There seems to be a late-season push for Cabrera to come out on top and it seems more likely for him to end up with his first MVP award in his very good career. Cabrera has been close in the past so it might be his turn to win and Trout could be left to win the award in another season. Click here to view the article

It has been a rough season for some of the top position players in the Twins minor league system. Eddie Rosario is serving a 50-game suspension after he tested positive for marijuana use. Miguel Sano had to undergo Tommy John surgery and the earliest he could be on the field is very late in the summer. To cap it all off, Byron Buxton, the consensus top prospect in all baseball, has played a whopping five games this year because of a wrist injury and its aggravation. Download attachment: Byron Buxton.jpg Byron Buxton Original Outlook (2014): After tearing up both Low-A and High-A last season, Buxton was expected to spend most of the season at Double-A. This would have left him with an outside chance at making his big league debut as a September call-up. Injury Issue: Buxton missed all of the first month of the season with a wrist injury. This forced the Twins to send him back to Fort Myers to work himself back into form after the injury. He played five games and went just 3-for-20 with a double and a home run before he re-injured his wrist sliding into third base. Consequences of Lost Playing Time: One of the things that made Buxton move up the prospect charts so quickly was his achievement at each level for his young age. Last season he was two years younger than the average age of position players in the Midwest League. He dominated the Florida State League and he was almost four years younger than players in that league. There are comparisons between him and Mike Trout and Buxton's numbers are even better at the same point. Every at-bat is important for development and he is losing precious development time. Miguel Sano Original Outlook (2014): After producing some of the best power numbers in the minor leagues, Sano was expected to get the majority of his playing time at Triple-A. This would have left him knocking on the door to the big leagues shortly after the All-Star Game. Injury Issue: Something wasn't right with Sano's elbow for most of the off-season. He wasn't able to fully participate in Winter League action but the Twins wanted him to try to rest his sore elbow. After he reported to big league camp, the reports were mostly positive as he tried to stretch out his arm. It was eventually decided that Tommy John surgery was the only option as he continued to deal with pain. Consequences of Lost Playing Time: Much like Buxton, one of the reasons Sano was so highly touted was his advanced ability at such a young age. When he was playing with New Britain at the end of 2013, he was almost 4.5 years younger than the competition. He has more professional playing time than Buxton and he reached a higher level even though they are close to the same age. Sano's injury is frustrating especially since he was dealing with elbow problems for much of the off-season. He'll try and get back in games at the end of this year and this will push back his debut into 2015. Eddie Rosario Original Outlook (2014): After transitioning to the middle infield and getting some extra at-bats in the Arizona Fall League, Rosario was supposed to end up in Rochester to push for the big leagues. He and Sano have followed much of the same path so a late season call-up was not out of the question. Injury Issue: Rosario reported to Twins camp three weeks after the other minor league players. The only word out from the Twins front office was that he was dealing with "personal issues." After he reported to extended spring training, word came out that his suspension was due to smoking marijuana during the Arizona Fall League. He is also rehabbing a sore elbow. Consequences of Lost Playing Time: While Buxton and Sano are trying to get healthy and back on the field, Rosario is dealing with a different kind of recovery. He made a mistake in the off-season and he is dealing with the consequences. Rosario's suspension will be over at the end of May so he will likely beat the other two players back onto the field. There was an outside chance of him making his debut this year but that likely won't happen because of his lost at-bats. It will also be interesting to see if the Twins continue to use him at second base because of Brian Dozier's emergence. [/hr]Twins held on to beat the Mariners 5-4 last night, and you win today. Get a half-price large or extra-large pizza today (Saturday) from PapaJohns.com when you use the promo code TWINSWIN. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Buxton_Byron_Batting_Rinaldi_686.jpg In Monday’s Twins game, Danny Santana made his rookie debut as a pinch runner in the late innings. He would collect his first MLB hit later in the game. Tonight he got to make his first big league start at shortstop and he batted ninth in the order. He went 0-for-3 but he showed off his strong arm while turning a tough double play. Byron Buxton has been trying to work out the kinks in his swing as he returned from an early season wrist injury. The first few games were rough as he went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. Understandably, there would be some rust in the early going but could he shake off some of that rust on Tuesday evening? RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5. Columbus 3 Box Score Rochester jumped out to an early 2-0 lead but the pitching staff couldn't hold on and the offense went cold. Oswaldo Arcia had the team's lone extra-base hit as his double helped to give the team an early lead. Deibinson Romero had two hits and he knocked in a couple runs but he also had his seventh fielding error of the season. A night after knocking his second career home run, James Beresford was quiet at the plate as he went 0-for-3 with a walk. Kris Johnson was making his first start back in Rochester since he made a spot start for the Twins at the end of last week. He struck out eight and pitched into the sixth inning before running into some trouble. In the end, he was only charged with one earned run. Matt Guerrier took the loss as he gave up three runs on three hits including a home run. It was the first time Rochester has lost back-to-back games since April 25-26. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Trenton 0 Box Score The month of May has been very kind to the Rock Cats. After finishing the month of April with a 6-16 record, New Britain has won six of their first seven games since the calendar turned. Taylor Rogers certainly helped the club continue their winnings ways. He tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball by scattering five hits. He struck out five and walked two. His ERA was over 8.00 entering the game but his effort tonight dropped it to under 6.50. Offensively the Rock Cats got help from all parts of their line-up. Daniel Ortiz and Reynaldo Rodriguez each added a couple hits and they combined for three of the team's RBI. Both of the RBI for Ortiz came with two outs and he is up to 11 RBI for the year. Kennys Vargas was also highly involved in the offense as he knocked in two runs and scored two runs. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Bradenton 0 Box Score In only his third game since returning from injury, Byron Buxton snapped back in a big way. He launched a two-run shot in the bottom of the first innings. The Miracle would stay on top the rest of the way. Max Kepler also hit a two-run homer, his second long ball of the year. Levi Michael and Niko Goodrum both had multi-hit nights to help pace the offense. Goodrum also stole his fifth base of the season. The Miracle used four different pitchers for the shutout. Replacing scheduled starter Brett Lee, Steven Gruver pitched the first four frames while striking out two and walking two. Tim Shibuya earned his third victory by tossing the next three innings and only allowing one hit. Brandon Peterson struck out the side in the eighth and Tyler Jones shut the door in the ninth. It was the second straight win for Fort Myers after a four game losing streak to start the month of May. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 10 Box Score Bryan Haar hit his fifth home run of the season and JD Williams reached base safely in all five plate appearances. Williams was credited with a single, a double, two walks, and a hit by pitch. This still wasn't nearly enough as the trailed 8-1 after just two innings. The River Bandits pounced on Josue Montanez early as he was knocked out after only 1.2 frames. He allowed eight earned runs on seven hits with one strikeout and three walks. Todd Van Steensel, Christian Powell, and Alex Muren did a good job of stopping the bleeding. The bullpen crew limited Quad Cities to two runs over the last 6.1 innings to keep the game from getting too out of hand. Last year's top pick Kohl Stewart will get the start on the mound tomorrow. He looks to set the pace and get the team headed back in the right direction. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Taylor Rogers, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Niko Goodrum, Fort Myers Miracle SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (5:35 CST)- Trevor May New Britain @ Bowie (5:35 CST)- Tyler Duffey Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST)- TBD Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (6:35 CST)- Kohl Stewart Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Albers_Andrews_Portrait_US_720.jpg It's day two of Major League Baseball's Draft and the Twins continued to add new talent to an already strong organization. A variety of pitchers and one college catcher highlight the Twins' second day of making picks. Those players haven't signed yet but there are plenty of other players already in the system and on the field Friday night. Let's see how the organization fared under the Friday Night Lights. Rochester Red Wings 11, Gwinnett Braves 0 Box Score [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Seven runs in the first inning and the Red Wings jumped all over the Braves. Twelve men came to the plate in that frame and Jeff Clement provided the biggest hit with a three-run home run. Doug Bernier and Eric Fryer had doubles to keep the runners moving around the bases. Poor Eric Farris accounted for the first and the last outs of the inning. Originally posted at http://www.NoDakTwinsFan.com Clement ended up putting together quite the game. He finished the night 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Deibinson Romero was 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored. The team went 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position, pounding out 13 hits. Andrew Albers was terrific on the mound. He tossed a complete game shutout to improve his record to 4-2 on the season. He allowed six hits and struck out seven without any walks. Albers hasn't lost a game since May 11th and he has won his last three decisions. His ERA dropped almost half a point from 3.53 to 3.06 with this start. It was the third series win of the season for the Red Wings. The club has won 11 of their last 16 games. It was also the first road series win over a Braves Triple-A affiliate since 1995. Rochester returns home for an 8-game, 9-day homestand beginning on Saturday night. New Britain Rock Cats --, Bowie Bay Sox -- (Postponed--Rain) Tropical Storm Andrea not only impacted the Twins game on Friday, it also forced the cancellation the Rock Cats game. These two clubs will try to play two games on Saturday but one wonders if weather will be a factor for the second day in a row. This month, New Britain has won four of their first five games. Tom Stuifbergen is scheduled to make his first start at the Double-A level, if the clubs can get back on the field. In Fort Myers, Stuifbergen was 2-3 with a 3.65 ERA with 28 strikeouts and two walks. Fort Myers Miracle 5, Bradenton Marauders 6 (10 innings) Box Score The bullpen for the Miracle gave up three runs in the last three innings, allowing a victory slip away. Corey Williams and Zach Jones were the men most responsible for these runs as the Miracle suffered only their 18 loss of the season. Jones gave up a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth. Matthew Summers started for Fort Myers and tossed five innings before being removed. He gave up three runs, only one of which was earned, as Eddie Rosario and Kennys Vargas were each charged with an error. Summers struck out eight batters but he needed 85 pitches to get through five frames. Vargas tried to make up for his error in the field by going 2-for-4 with his 12th home run of the year. With the 2-run home run, he took over the league lead for RBI. Rosario also hit a homer, his fifth, but it was his only hit in five trips to the plate. Levi Michael had two hits and his sixth stolen base. The Miracle return home with a chance to clinch the Florida State League South Division first half championship on Saturday. It could be a big night tomorrow so stay tuned. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Quad Cities River Bandits 6 Box Score The Kernels got on the board first in this game by plating a run in the bottom of the first. Cedar Rapids didn't cross the plate again and the River Bandits walked away with the victory and a series win. It was only the ninth home loss of the year for the Kernels. There wasn't a lot of action on the offensive side for the home nine. Dalton Hicks went 1-for-3 with his 20th double of the year and his 51st RBI. No other Kernels was able to get an extra-base hit. In fact, the club put together only four hits in the game. Byron Buxton went 0-for-4 with a strike out. Christian Powell, a 2012 eighth round pick, made his first start in the Twins organization. Things didn't go exactly as planned for Powell. He gave up six runs on eight hits with five strike outs and one walk. The Kernels bullpen didn't give up a run after Powell exited, but the offense failed to help. Cedar Rapids will get a fresh start on Saturday when Kane County comes to town. The Kernels sit three games ahead of the Beloit Snappers for first place in the Midwest League Western Division. The club will likely need to resume their winning ways to become the first half champions. Click here to view the article

The Twins found themselves in quite the battle at Target Field on Tuesday night with the Phillies in town for some interleague action. There was plenty of offense for both clubs as the Twins scored runs in four of the first five innings of the game. Early home runs were hit by Denard Span and Trevor Plouffe to help the Twins get the lead but it was hardly over from that point. By the time Matt Capps entered in the ninth inning, there were already a combined 31 hits on the board for the Phillies and the Twins. There were big nights at the plate from multiple players including some big 2-out hits from Jamey Carroll to help the Twins to stay on top of the charging Phillies. In the end, the Twins survived by a final score of 11-7. Here's how the rest of the Twins affiliates fared on "Tuesday's Trip through the Minors."[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 0, INDIANAPOLIS 2 The Red Wings managed more hits than the Indians on Tuesday evening but Rochester was never able to come up with the big hit to push some runs across the plate. Three pitchers for Indianapolis combined to shutout Rochester for the second game in a row. Rick VandenHurk started for the Indians and pitched seven strong innings with a runner making it to third base on one occasion. Samuel Deduno pitched the first four innings for the Red Wings without allowing a run but he was removed after only throwing 64 pitches because it was his first start mid-April. Esmerling Vasquez was charged with the two earned runs in 2.2 innings of work for his fourth loss of the year. The problem for Vasquez was he threw more balls than strikes and found himself in bad counts for most of the evening. There were no extra base hits for the Red Wings and the team left six runners on base over the course of the game. Danny Valencia had two hits as the designated hitter and Wilkin Ramirez was also able to get a couple of singles. The only other Red Wings batter with a hit was Tsuyoshi Nishioka. It's been a tough couple of nights for the Red Wings. NEW BRITAIN -, AKRON - Inclement weather forced the Rock Cats to postpone their game with the Akron Aeros. The contest will be made up as part of a double header on Wednesday evening. The Rock Cats have won back to back games but this came on the heels of losing six games in a row. Even with the rough week last week, the Rock Cats are only one game out of first place in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Akron is leading the Western Division so it is setting up to be a good double header tomorrow night. FORT MYERS 5, BRADENTON 3 A big first inning put the Miracle up by five runs in this game as they tried to separate themselves from the Marauders. Levi Michael got things started with his third double of the year. Jario Perez singled to drive in Michael and to start the scoring for the Miracle. It has been a rough start to the season for Danny Rams but he capped the scoring in the first by hitting a grand slam, his first home run in 2012. It turned out that those five early runs would be all that the pitching staff of the Miracle would need on this night. Cole Nelson started the game on the mound and ran into a rough spot in the fourth inning that allowed Bradenton to score three runs. Jose Gonzalez and Dakota Watts each pitched two innings of scoreless baseball to preserve the lead. Watts picked up his first save of the year and it was the second hold of the year for Gozalez. No one in the Miracle line-up had more than one hit and only five batters managed to get a hit in this game. The two-out grand slam from Rams in the first inning would be the biggest hit that the team needed on Tuesday. BELOIT 5, PEORIA 4 The Snappers found themselves in a tight battle with the Chiefs as both clubs held the lead at different points in the game. In the second inning, the Snappers were able to score the first run of the game on a single from Adam Pettersen. Peoria would come back to take the lead in the third with three runs of their own.A big bottom of the fourth put the Snappers on top for good as four runs were scored. With his sixth win of the year, Matthew Summers is starting to look more comfortable on the mound for the Snappers. He pitched 6.2 innings with seven strikeouts while allowing three earned runs on five hits. Michael Tonkin had to pitch two innings to earn his fifth save of the year but he struck out all six batters that he faced. Adam Pettersen was the one player to record multiple hits in the game to go along with a couple of RBI. He was also scored a run and was the only member of the Snappers to bat in a run with two outs in an inning. Tyler Grimes and Drew Leachman added the other RBI for Beloit. Miguel Sano was held hitless for the third time in the last four games. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Both photos courtesy of Rinaldi Photos Hitter of the Day- Adam Pettersen http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fijcNhEdlx4/T9f9UgGBjUI/AAAAAAAACB4/nUDGd2-L-HU/s320/AdamPettersen.jpg Pitcher of the Day- Michael Tonkin http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sBvUH8_iUtE/T9gDeobaYxI/AAAAAAAACEk/tdBp-PEfBbc/s320/MichaelTonkin.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, June 13th Schedule Rochester (Off day) New Britain vs Akron (1)- LHP Logan Darnell New Britain vs Akron (2)- RHP Steve Hirschfeld Fort Myers vs Bradenton- TBD Beloit vs Peoria- TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 9780306822766_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG The 1991 World Series will always hold a special place in the heart of Twins fans. Kirby Puckett's heroics in Game 6 and the magnificent pitching performance of Jack Morris are legendary moments etched into the minds of a generation of baseball fans. Many consider this World Series as the best of all time and it all comes into focus in the newly released book "Down to the Last Pitch." To get a better understanding of this legendary World Series, author Tim Wendel breaks down every game by using the words and stories from the players who were in the middle of the action. Wendel was a founding editor of USA Today Baseball Weekly and he has authored ten books. His years of being around the game of baseball are evident throughout the book's chapters. This specific World Series will always be marked as a special time in baseball. Changes would hit the game hard in the coming years. Performance enhancing drugs and labor unrest would be baseball's themes for the next decade. "In a lot of ways it will always be a sweet spot in time," said Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau. "Not only did this one Series have everything you ever wanted in terms of pressure games and great performances, you also look back on it fondly because of what was to come, the challenges the game would soon face." Each chapter of this 253-page book is dedicated to one game in the Series. However, Wendel doesn't just retell the story of each pitch or each at-bat. He delves into the back-stories of the players on the rosters for the Braves and the Twins. He explores other stories from around the baseball world, like Ricky Henderson's stolen base record, Nolan Ryan's final no-hitter and Pete Rose being banned for life. Baseball is never about one team or one player. It is about the stories and the history that take place on an everyday basis. One of my favorite stories in the book took place in spring training 1991. The author, a man who covered National League baseball until '91, was trying to get to know the teams and players of the American League. He showed up late one evening to the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers and he heard someone taking batting practice. What he ended up finding was Kent Hrbek, Chili Davis and Dan Gladden watching Kirby Puckett taking hacks in the batting cage. Some interesting conversations took place as a strange reporter showed up to their impromptu batting session and it ended with an interesting back-and-forth between the parties involved. Did those extra spring training BP sessions pay off for the Twins? No one may ever know but the team wound up in the middle of a World Series for the ages. Five of the seven games were decided in the home team's last at-bat, four games were decided on the last pitch and three games finished in extra-innings. Wendel's baseball acumen and historical knowledge make this a book for any baseball fan. This isn't just a story of the Twins winning or the Braves losing. It is a snapshot of baseball in the early 1990's, a simpler time when "everyone involved was left with memories of the last fine time in baseball." Click here to view the article

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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