Cody Christie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The story of Miguel Sano's benching after a slow home run trot has certainly taken on a life of it's own. There have been multiple websites and media outlets that have picked up the tale. He didn't play again on Friday and it will be interesting to see when he will get back on the field. He can be a difference maker for the Rock Cats offense and the team wants to try to get back to the .500 mark: Sano can help make that happen. Sano might be getting a lot of the attention for the Twins farm system but the guys actually on the field need acknowledgement as well. There were some great performances through multiple levels of the farm system on Friday night. It starts in Triple-A with the man on the mound...[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 5, Norfolk Tides 2 Box Score Andrew Albers pitched a two run, three hit, seven strikeout complete game which helped propel the Red Wings into sole possession of the wild card lead. Before a lead off homer by Luis Exposito in the 7th inning, Albers had stretched his scoreless streak to 13.1 innings and his earned run-less streak to 18.1 innings. He is the first Red Wings starter to win 11 games since Brian Duensing in 2007. Download attachment: Andrew Albers.jpg Oswaldo Arcia continued his hot hitting since being sent down. He hit his third home run in eight games and he has hit safely in seven of those contests. He finished the night 2-for-4 and he is batting .478 (11-23) with three home runs, two doubles, and six RBI since his demotion. Deibinson Romero is in the middle of quite the run at the plate as well. He had reached base safely in eight straight at-bats until a flyout in his last plate appearance on Friday. During that streak, he went 5-for-5 with a home run, a double, and three walks. He was 3-for-4 on Friday with three singles. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Reading Fightin' Phillies 7 Box Score The Rock Cats out-hit the Phillies on this night but a victory was still well out of reach. New Britain left nine men on base and the team went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Phillies were also able to pound out three home runs against the Rock Cats pitching staff while New Britain had only one extra base hit. Miguel Sano was out of the line-up again after he "pimped" a home run earlier this week. This left the offense in the hands of the other men on the team. Danny Santana collected his sixth triple of the season. Eddie Rosario and Adam Pettersen each had two hits. Pat Dean took the loss after throwing seven innings and giving up four runs. He struck out eight and walked one but he did give up two home runs. It was the third straight loss for Dean but it was the first time, in his last three starts, he has pitched more than four innings. Fort Myers Miracle 7, Clearwater Threshers 3 Box Score Byron Buxton showed why he is considered by many to be the best prospect in baseball. He belted two triples on the way to 2-for-3 night at the plate. He scored a run and drove in two. Anderlin Mejia also helped the offense and extended his hitting streak to 14 games. The bottom three in the Miracle batting order provided some offensive punch. J.D. Williams, Andy Leer, and Levi Michael each had a double and a run batted in. Jason Wheeler picked up his eighth win of the season by tossing five innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. Wheeler got into trouble in the sixth as he hit a batter and gave up three straight hits. The Threshers scored two runs and the bullpen took over from there. Nelvin Fuentes and Tyler Jones pitched four shutout innings to close the door on another Miracle victory. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Peoria Chiefs 2 Box Score The Kernels used a six-run seventh inning to slip past the Chiefs on Friday night. It took a while for the offense to wake up as the club had one hit through six frames. Niko Goodrum and Jorge Polanco led off the inning with back-to-back doubles. Adam Walker hit a sac fly to tie the game. Eventually, Joel Licon hit a two-out double to plate two more runs. Jonathan Murphy capped the big inning with a two-run single. Kernels starter Brett Lee went five innings and allowed one earned run on six hits. He walked one and struck out four. Tim Shibuya earned the victory in relief by throwing two innings and giving up one hit with three strikeouts. It was the first victory for Shibuya since he moving up from Elizabethton. David Hurlbut pitched two hitless innings to finish the game. Elizabethton Twins 1, Johnson City 3 Box Score Hein Robb did his best to keep the E-Twins in it but the offense wasn't there to back him up. He pitched into the eighth inning for the first time this season, scattering eight hits and three earned runs. He struck out eight and walked one but two home runs were tough to overcome. Andre Martinez recorded the other two outs of the game on strikeouts. The E-Twins were held to five hits and the team struck out nine times. Rory Rhodes led the offense with a 2-for-4 night after being held hitless in his last four games. Stuart Turner, Romy Jimenez, and Tanner Vavra added the other hits, but they were all singles. Six runners were left on base and the team batted with a runner in scoring position only four times. GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 7 Box Score Jonathan Hinojosa was the lone member of the Twins to collect two hits in this game. He went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Engelb Vielma scored two runs out of the leadoff spot. Alex Swim and Joel Polanco each added their fourth doubles of the season. Plenty of pitchers saw action in this game. Leonel Zazueta started and went three innings by allowing one run on three hits. Luke Bard pitched in relief and he was asked to get only the first two outs of the fourth inning. Brandon Easton took his third loss of the season by giving up four runs on five hits in a little over an inning of work. Fernando Romero had some control issues as he walked four men over 2.2 innings. Click here to view the article

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_K-DX5eBVo/T4QgMZD4xAI/AAAAAAAABLI/FUQ7vY1Wz6Q/s1600/BrianDozier.jpg At the end of spring training when Brian Doizer was sent down to the minor leagues, he seemed to leave the Twins facility with a chip on his shoulder. His time in the big league camp had been sufficient with him hitting .277/.333/.511 with three home runs and nine RBI in 47 at-bats. With him only having spent part of a season at the Double-A level, it seemed like a very long shot for him to make the club out of spring training. Dozier felt like he had played well enough to be on the team and now he has been determined to show the Twins they won't be able to hold him down for too long. The 24-year old middle infielder for the Red Wings has gotten off to a hot start in the first five games of the season in Rochester. He has been a spark plug for the offense by batting .474/.545/.789 with three doubles, a home run, and three runs scored in five games. In all but one of those games, he has multiple hits with his best game coming yesterday when he was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and three RBI. He is hitting like a man on a mission and he mission is clearly to get to the big leagues as soon as possible. Last year was a breakout season for Mr. Dozier in the minor leagues as he won the Twins Minor League Player of the Year. Since he left the rookie leagues, Dozier had tried to find his swing at the Low-A and High-A level but he never hit over .278 and his power numbers weren't outstanding. Something clicked for Dozier last year when he started the year back in the Florida State League. With the Miracle at the start of last season, he hit .322/.423/.472 and he had 18 extra-base hits. The Twins promoted him to New Britain and his hot hitting continued to the tune of .318/.384/.502 with seven home runs, seven triples, and 22 doubles. The Twins didn't have many positives in 2011 but the season of Dozier might have been near the top of their list. During this past offseason, the Twins sent Dozier to the Arizona Fall League to better prepare him for the 2012 season. His time in this highly touted prospect league seems to have eased his transition to the Triple-A level after playing only 78 games for New Britain last year. The Twins organization has struggled in recent years to produce much in the middle infield so Dozier could be a beacon of hope for the future of the franchise. If he can lock down one of the middle infield positions for the foreseeable future, he can bridge the gap to some of the other talent in the lower levels of the minor leagues. While Dozier has been hitting the cover off of the ball in Rochester, the offense of the Twins has struggled to do anything in their first four games of the year. The players who have started in the middle infield for the Twins are a combined 1-for-24 with three strikeouts at the plate. There are plenty of other question marks with the Twins offense at this early point in the year. But if Dozier continues his hot start and the middle infield continues to struggle, it will be hard for the team to hold him in the minor leagues. It is good to see Dozier finding success at the Triple-A level during this very early junction in the season. The short amount of time he spent at the Double-A level could have meant he would go through some problems with the transition to Rochester. This has not been the case so far this year and that is a great sign for one of the top prospects in the Twins organization. If he continues to hit well and the Twins offense remains stagnant, it will only be a matter of time before Dozier is making his debut with the Twins. Click here to view the article

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FFgRnR1HgUo/T6bT_Z9h9VI/AAAAAAAABP8/F-u9e8GnaoA/s320/DozierTwins.jpg The offense for the Minnesota Twins has been horrendous in recent games with Jered Weaver throwing a no-hitter and Felix Hernandez tossing a one-hit shutout. Granted these are two of the best pitchers in the American League but the stagnant offense was too much for the front office to ignore as the Twins end their West Coast road trip. The Twins will turn to Brian Dozier, the 2012 Twins Minor League Player of the Year, to try and spark an offense that ranks near the bottom in baseball.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Dozier performed well for the Twins in spring training and he could have easily made the club's Opening Day roster. He had yet to play a game at Triple-A so it did make sense for him to at least get a taste of Rochester before he got his call-up. Unlike players like Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee who each spent all of last year at Double-A before their call-up, Dozier spent part of the 2011 season playing in Fort Myers before he got called up to New Britain. He still had a great season and Ron Gardenhire has been keeping a close eye on the young infielder since last year. When the Twins sent Dozier down to Rochester at the end of spring training, it seemed like he would have a chip on his shoulder and this can lead to go performances on the field. He would start the season trying to prove to the front office that they made a mistake by leaving him in the minor leagues. As I wrote about at the beginning of April, Dozier got off to a hot start and he had a batting average of over .400 with decent power numbers as well. His performance was hard to ignore for fans and for the front office with the middle infield not exactly hitting the cover off of the ball. Dozier's numbers have cooled down significantly as the season has progressed but this still didn't deter the Twins from calling him up to get his first taste of the big leagues. He leaves Rochester hitting .276/.339/.371 with eight extra-base hits. During his last eight games, he has been on base in every contest and he raised his batting numbers during this time. Since the beginning of May, he is hitting .286/.385/.333 with a double and four walks. With the way the Twins offense has been struggling, any boost of energy seems like it could help improve their offensive firepower. The Twins were terrible on their West coast road trip and there were some historically bad numbers to back up just how bad they were in their six games on the road. Dozier is being brought in to help the team try and turn things around but he shouldn't be looked at as the savior of the Twins offensive woes. Some players struggle as they try to adjust to their first taste of the big leagues. During last September, Joe Benson found his first handful of games with the Twins to have its fair share of challenges. There are going to be lessons to learn for him as a major league player and the Twins are going to give him every opportunity to succeed as the starting shortstop for the club. There is a lot wrong with the Twins offense at this point in the year and inserting Dozier into the line-up is not going to fix how bad the rest of the team has been in recent games. According to Elias, the Twins have tied the record for fewest hits for a major-league team over a five-game span during baseball's modern era. The 14 hits for the Twins in the last five games have been tough to watch but Ryan Doumit looked good with a couple of home runs on Sunday afternoon. If the team is going to be competitive again this year, the rest of the club is going to have to fix their swings. With a team struggling as much as the Twins, it is great to give Dozier a chance to prove he belongs in the major leagues but the debut of Dozier should be taken in stride. He could get off to a great start and the rest of the Twins could still be struggling at the plate. On the other hand, he could struggle and the team could find a way to fix their offensive funk. It is always fun to see what young players can do and all of Twins Territory hopes that Dozier can take the opportunity and run with it. Click here to view the article

The calendar turned to September over a week ago and change can stay with a failing team into the final month of the year. On the Minnesota Twins, younger players continue to get more playing time over veterans like Ryan Doumit and Josh Willingham. It is the time of year for the Twins to see what the future might hold and changes like this can bring up other questions. Download attachment: Standings.jpg The last two seasons, the Twins have been able to see the value of having a high draft pick. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Byron Buxton and Kohl Stewart were added to the fold over the last two years to bolster a minor league system that is considered one of the best in baseball. The higher a team can draft, the more money the club can spend and, we hope, receive better prospects. This can lead to some questions about tanking in the final month of the year. Over at ESPN's SweetSpot Blog, the idea of tanking was discussed since there is a cluster of team's battling to be in the top 10 draft picks for 2014. For example, the Mets are trotting out a final month rotation that includes Daisuke Matsuzaka and Aaron Harang. These aren't your father's "Amazing Mets." Minnesota hasn't signed a bunch of aging veterans in the last couple weeks to fill their rotation but some might argue that was the team's overall strategy during last offseason. Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey have pitched the most innings on Minnesota's staff and each man has an ERA north of 4.00. One expected this kind of production from these two and it doesn'thelp that other members of the rotation have failed to live up to expectations. At the end of 2012, the Twins finished with 96 losses but it wasn't because of terrible play in September. The club went 13-15 during the final month and their .464 winning percentage was their second highest for any month. June was the only month the club finished over .500 with a 14-13 record. Minnesota entered the month in the fourth draft position and that's where they finished. The month of September in 2011 was a bit different story. Minnesota started the month in fourth place in the AL Central and they were in line to get the fourth pick in the 2012 draft. An awful final month saw the team go 6-20 to post a monthly .231 winning percentage. It was their worst record for any month and the team ended up improving their draft position from fourth to second. As the final month of the 2013 season got underway, the Twins were in the sixth position for next year's draft. There were only four games separating them from the Angels, the team that started the month positioned to get the13th draft pick. Entering play on Tuesday, Minnesota had accumulated a 5-6 record for the month and they are now tied with Milwaukee for the fifth pick. With two fewer wins, they would be in the fourth spot. There are plenty of benefits to having a top 10 pick in the draft. Obviously, a team gets more money to spend in their draft pool for next June. Also, a team with a top 10 pick has a protected first round pick. This means the front office can approach top tier free agents without fear of losing the club's top draft pick. Some teams have run into this issue with the recent switch in the collective bargaining agreement and it doesn't seem fair for clubs trying to rebuild. The Twins haven't been known to spend a ton in the free agent market so this wrinkle in the free agent system might not be a huge issue for them. Willingham has been the club's biggest free agent acquisition in recent years and he wasn't in the top tier. Players like like Doumit, Pelfrey, and Correia haven't been huge names but they have found their way to Minnesota. There are going to be plenty of openings in the starting rotation for Minnesota. It might be nice for the team to have the opportunity to go after a top free agent. This likely will only happen if the team's first round pick is protected. It has never been Terry Ryan's strategy to spend big money on pitchers but the club might need to change this behavior to be more productive next year. September can be a time to try out plenty of pieces for the future. Minnesota will continue to audition some of their younger players to see what they have lined up for next year. The losses might continue to pile up but the team isn't exactly in tank mode. At least not yet... Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Minneapolis_Summer.jpg The Minnesota Twins actually got all their games in so far this week. Texas is in town for the weekend and it sounds like the weather is actually going to start acting like spring. Daily high temperatures will continue to rise and we all hope the Twins can continue to play .500 baseball. The weekend is almost here so make sure to check out some of the top stories from the last week. Enjoy! [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Maybe Ron Gardenhire isn't a lame duck after all.Forbes came out with their list of the most valuable players in baseball. Joe Mauer ranks fourth and the men ahead of him are all on the disabled list.Mauer is in his prime and it might be in the team's best interest to accelerate the rebuild timeline.Twins fans will agree that there is a lot wrong with Mike Pelfrey.With other pitchers' struggles, Kyle Gibson could be closer to making his debut.The history of switch hitters with the Twins is interesting to see.MLB's All-Star Game ballot came out this week. Brian Dozier was left off the ballot in favor of Jamey Carroll.Do you want to hear 20 minutes of a Twins versus White Sox game called by Harry Caray? I thought you might.Minnesota has entered the "Moneyball" era behind a mystery man.The early returns on Kevin Correia look good.Oswaldo Arcia might be good at break dancing. Here's another post about Jack Morris and pitching to the score.The campaign has started if you want to "Vote for Delmon"Ben Revere has a chance to climb this list by the end of the season.Target Field is going to have quite the day of baseball when they show "The Sandlot" on the big screen following a game with the Red Sox.Troy Tulowitzki had a mullet as a child and it was fantastic.This Bazooka Joe book looks pretty coolespecially for baseball fans who remember gum in their trading cards.It's not very often that a fan is given an opportunity to approach a player that did something against his favorite team when he was a child.Hawk Harrelson was in a sabermetrics debate with Brian Kenny. As you can imagine, there were some good moments.One of the coolest things of the entire week, all of Yu Darvish's pitches at one time.My Weekly Rundown Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 34Tuesday: Two strike counts and Joe MauerTuesday's Minor League TidbitsThursday: Is Kevin Correia's performance just smoke and mirrors?Video of the Week: Oswaldo Arcia had a whirlwind week last week by making his MLB debut, being sent down for one game, and then getting called back up. He has played a much bigger role in recent games by being a steady fixture in the line-up. There have been some struggles along the way but he hit his first home run earlier this week. It was, we hope, the first of many in a Twins uniform. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Hicks_Aaron_Profile_US_720.jpg On May 24th the Twins were in San Francisco for the second game of a three game series. Aaron Hicks was the starting center fielder that day and this day would mark a turning point in his career. Whether it was a turning point for the better or for the worse remains to be seen. Ryan Vogelsong, a right-handed pitcher, was the Giants starter that day. This meant the switch-hitting Hicks was batting left-handed. Hicks struggled on this day, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He was removed in the late-innings of the close game for a pinch hitter. This was the end of Hicks being a switch hitter. A couple days later he entered Ron Gardenhire's office and told him he was done from the left side of the plate. Hicks had been a switch hitter since little league but he lost confidence at the plate and it was time for a change. Hicks is only 24 years old and the former first round pick was supposed to be the team's center fielder of the future. What does the future hold for Mr. Hicks? Bait and Switch Hicks is not that far removed from seemingly putting it all together at Double-A. During the 2012 season, he was a .286/.384/.460 hitter with 13 home runs, 21 doubles and 11 triples. Even from the left side of the plate he had an .828 OPS with 29 extra-base hits. His triple total was a New Britain team record and this gave the Twins plenty of confidence in him moving forward. In the Eastern League that season, Hicks was almost 2.5 years younger than the other hitters. This made his performance all the more impressive. He made one of the hardest jumps in the minor leagues and compiled the best numbers of his professional career. It was hard to imagine that he would be giving up switch-hitting in a little over a year and a half. Playing Rushin' Roulette Twins fans know the tale of Terry Ryan trading away Denard Span and Ben Revere during the same off-season. This meant Hicks was rushed to the big leagues after never seeing a pitch at the Triple-A level. There were plenty of struggles during his rookie season and the Twins sent him down to Rochester to finish out 2013. He has a grand total of 22 games played in Rochester. The Twins talked about sending him down after he switched away from switch-hitting. At the time, the team didn't really have any other options for center field, so he stayed with the big league club. There have been some positive signs since Hicks gave up switch-hitting. In a very small sample size of 24 plate appearances, he's hit .263/.391/.316 with a double and four walks. Rising Stars Hicks was put on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to last Tuesday with a right shoulder strain. With Sam Fuld recovered from his concussion, it seems likely that the Twins will send Hicks to Rochester after he's healthy. Minnesota has other options in center field and Hicks needs to spend more time seeing right-handed pitching from the right side of the plate. Danny Santana has burst onto the scene as a viable fill-in option in center. He's been a lifetime infielder during his time in the Twins organization but his bat has been so hot there is no reason to keep him out of the line-up. Byron Buxton has taken over the title of the center fielder of the future but he's been hurt for most of the year. This could leave a surprise candidate like Eddie Rosario as the center fielder to bridge the gap to Buxton. Time Will Tell The career of Hicks is far from over. Players like Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe both struggled in their first tastes of the big leagues. It took them time to develop and now they are both important parts of the current Twins line-up. Hicks is young and the Twins are going to give him every opportunity to succeed. If he can rekindle some of his Double-A magic in Rochester, the Twins will make sure he is back in Minnesota. Only time will tell when Hicks will make his way back into the Twins starting line-up. Click here to view the article

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hEnUEQv6SHU/UAOQotUCM9I/AAAAAAAACyU/nBWJzKxqgXU/s320/SwingSun.jpeg Since the Twins took Aaron Hicks with their first round pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, there has been plenty of talk about the athletic outfielder fitting into the future plans of the Twins organization. Hicks was one of the highest draft picks the Twins had prior to drafting Byron Buxton in this year's draft and he seemed to have all of the tools to make him a very valuable player. It hasn't been a fast rise to the top for Mr. Hicks during his five years in the farm system for the Twins but he looks like he might slowly be figuring things out at the Double-A level with the New Britain Rock Cats. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] There has been an up and down trend to the career of Hicks with there being more downs than ups. He can go through extreme hot stretches were he looks like a power threat from both sides of the plate and he follows that up with a rough couple of months that brings his statistics back down to earth. This roller coaster ride has been something that the Twins have tried to solve in recent years as they try and push the outfielder to find more consistency in his approach at the plate. The trend of ups and downs has continued in 2012 with some poor months mixed in with some very good offensive months. The month of July has been one of those very good months for Hicks. In his 14 games played in July, he is hitting .358/.452/.566 with five extra-base hits including two home runs and four RBI. This is also following the month of June where he hit .288/.377/.424 and all of those numbers were higher than his career averages. So it seems that the last couple of months have slowly been improving for Hicks as he starts to get more experience at the Double-A level. For the most part, his 2012 campaign would be excellent if not very a rough month of May at the plate. It could be a season of new personal records for Hicks on the offensive side of the ball. He has a career high nine home runs and he is closing in on some other personal bests. He is one triple away from tying his career high of six triples in a season and he has 19 stolen bases which is two short of his own record. There is over a third of the season left so this should give Hicks plenty of time to set some offensive highs for himself in the coming months. One of the biggest problems for the switch-hitting Hicks has been the change in his splits versus right-handed or left-handed pitchers. He is traditionally much better from the right side of the plate versus left-handed pitching. While this trend has continued in 2012, the gap is closing between his splits and he has shown the ability to hit for power from both sides of the plate. As a right handed hitter in 88 at-bats, he is hitting .295/.370/.466 with four home runs and three doubles. He has more than double the at-bats from the left side, 203 plate appearances, and he is hitting .266/.365/.424 with five home runs and five triples. It is great to see his numbers improve from both sides of the plate but it is also very good to see him become a more well-rounded hitter in the box. In the past, the Twins have seen some other high school outfielders take their time while developing in the system for the Twins. Denard Span didn't debut until he was 24 and his first full season in the big leagues didn't come until the next season as a 25-year old. Torii Hunter made his debut as a 21-year old but he only go into one game and he was used as a pinch runner. His first full season would come a couple seasons later when he was 23-years old. He hadn't been blowing the cover off of the ball in the minor leagues but he became an All-Star caliber player for the Twins. It is also important to remember that the Twins teams of the late 1990's were not very good so it allowed for younger players to get more playing time. Could this situation play out with Hicks in the next couple years? With Hicks playing all of this season so far at Double-A, there are plenty that are wondering when the young star will be making his debut with the Twins. The 22-year old might be a long shot to debut in 2012 because there are a few things working against him at this point. He is not on the 40-man roster and that means another move would need to be made to clear a spot for him even though that wouldn't be too difficult. There are a couple other young outfielders, Oswaldo Arcia and Joe Benson, that are already ahead of him because they have 40-man roster spots. Arcia is having a tremendous season but he spent the first part of the year at the High-A level so it might be pushing it to say he will get a chance this year. During last September, Benson got a taste of the big leagues but he has struggled in 2012. It will be a toss up to see if any of these players get the call this year. It seems the Twins front office would be satisfied with Hick showing that he can be a consistent offensive threat from both sides of the plate. His speed and defense have always been his best attributes and it seems that his hitting is slowly coming along. Twins fans can hope that he will follow some of the other high school outfielders that took some time to develop in the minor leagues before becoming solid regulars with the club. For now, Hicks will continue to refine his approach at the Double-A level in hopes that he can call himself a major league player at some point in the next two years. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Escaobar_Eduardo_batting_600.jpg When the Minnesota Twins traded Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox last July, it seemed like the club was getting a bag of balls and some chewing gum in return. There wasn't much to get excited about with names like Pedro Hernadez and Eduardo Escobar. Flash forward a couple of months later and it is starting to look more and more like the Twins got some servicable players.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Escobar has built himself a nice little niche in the Twins clubhouse. Manager Ron Gardenhire uses him as a late inning defensive replacement a couple of times a week and he also makes his way into the starting line-up on occasion. In small doses, he has been very good for the team this year. In fact, it seems like Escobar has been a thorn in the side of Minnesota's opponents. This season he is hitting .438/.455/.625 with a home run, a triple, and a double in 32 at-bats. His six runs scored rank higher than two current regular starters, Chris Parmelee and Pedro Florimon. The switch-hitting middle infielder is finding ways to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. As a left-handed batter, he is slugging .636 and when he switches to the other side that number stays at .600. His career slugging plus on base percentage is only .639 so it has been a very good start to the year. The Twins seem to be getting the best out of Mr. Escobar. Which brings up the question, how valuable is Eduardo Escobar? According to FanGraphs, Escobar has been the second most valuable Twins player in 2013. Since he is still pre-arbitration eligible, the club is paying him $520,000 this year. His value according to FanGraphs has been $3.1 million and only Joe Mauer has been worth more at $3.8 million. There are also some other interesting numbers from FanGraphs. Escobar has been the second most valuable offensive player with Josh Willingham being ranked ahead of him. Escobar's solid defense makes him more valuable in the field so his WAR ranking is second to Mauer. When looking to the other reputable online baseball database, Baseball Reference, Escobar is also doing well there. Only Mauer and Willingham have higher WAR marks and his offense WAR ranks right behind both of these everyday players. His Win Probabilty Added ranks sixth in the American League. This puts him ahead of perennial MVP candidates like Robinson Cano and Miguel Cabrera. It seems strange to talk about Escobar in the same breath as Mauer, Willingham, Cabrera, and Cano. For the most part, it is comical to think of the scrappy infielder in the same light as these great hitters. Compared to his Twins counterparts, he has less than a third of the number of plate appearances as Mauer and fewer than half of Willingham's A small sample size can do wonders for Escobar and his value to the team. His numbers might look promising at this point in the season but things could come back down to earth in a hurry if he got more playing time. Minnesota seems to have found the best way to get the most value out of Escobar. The team can only hope that his value continues to increase as the season progresses. It turns out that he might have been worth more than a bag of balls and some chewing gum after all... Click here to view the article

It's hard to believe the middle of the minor league season is fast approaching. This will mean the announcement of the mid-season All-Star Team rosters over the next few weeks. On Tuesday the Florida State League announced their teams and the Miracle have four players on the roster. Pitchers Jose Berrios, David Hurlbut and Brett Lee will be joined by outfielder Adam Brett Walker on the FSL South Division Team. Berrios, Hurlbut and Lee have all been fantastic pitchers with each posting an ERA of under 2.40. Walker is the only position player in the group but he leads the FSL in home runs. In transaction news, Daniel Ortiz has been called up to Rochester from New Britain. You will have to read on to see how he did in his Triple-A debut. Download attachment: Jason Wheeler edit.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Charlotte 2 Box Score Rochester wanted to get their nine-game road trip started off on the right foot and the Red Wings took a come from behind victory. The Wings found themselves trailing 2-1 in the top of the sixth before Deibinson Romero cracked a game-tying home run. He also knocked in the go-ahead RBI in the 8th inning as part of a three-run frame for Rochester. Eric Farris and James Beresford each had a couple hits including a double apiece. Daniel Ortiz went 0-for-4 after being called-up. AJ Achter earned his second victory after the team received a strong start from Logan Darnell. He allowed two runs on five hits over 6.1 innings. Over his last 16 starts with Rochester, he has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his games. Achter entered the game with a runner at second and one out but he got out of the jam to keep the game tied. He has stranded all 12 runners he has inherited this season. Ryan Pressly pitched a perfect ninth for his third save. The Wings have been hot lately winning 16 of their last 21 including four of their last five on the road. Rochester hasn't lost two straight contests since way back on May 12. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 3, Akron 5 Box Score New Britain found themselves in an early hole and it took too long for their offense to get up and running in this one. Taylor Rogers pitched seven innings but he surrendered five runs on eight hits to suffer his fourth loss of the season. It was the first time he has been charged with a loss since his second start of the season on April 18th. Cole Johnson and Matthew Summers didn't allow a base runner over the final two frames but they couldn't help the team score runs. Tony Thomas had a double and a run scored as part of a two-hit night. Reynaldo Rodriguez also had a double, his 16th of the season. The offense didn't record a hit until the fourth inning and the team was 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Overall, the team left five men on base. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for New Britain. Coming into the night, the club had won five of their last six games. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 8, Tampa 0 Box Score Miracle pitcher Jason Wheeler improved his record to 5-4 by throwing seven shutout innings. His ERA is down to 2.59 as he struck out five and walked two. It was his third consecutive victory and he hasn't allowed a run over his last 16.2 innings of work. Mason Melotakis completed the shutout by pitching the final two frames without allowing a hit. The top of the order did all the damage on the offensive side of the ball. The first four batters in the Miracle line-up all had multiple hit nights including three hit performances from Stephen Wickens and Adam Brett Walker. Eddie Rosario, with two hits, scored two runs and Jorge Polanco reached base in all five plate appearances. He finished 2-for-2 with a double, three runs scored, and three walks. With a St. Lucie loss to Dayton, the Miracle now have a 1.5 game lead in the Florida State League South Division with 12 games remaining in the first half. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids (Scheduled Off Day) TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Jason Wheeler, Fort Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Deibinson Romero, Rochester Red Wings SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (5:05 CST)- Kris Johnson (Listen) Rochester @ Charlotte (Game 2)- Scott Diamond Akron @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- Tyler Duffey (Listen) Lakeland @ Fort Myers (6:05 CST)- DJ Baxendale (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST)- Aaron Slegers (Listen) [/hr]The Twins evened up the series vs the Brewers yesterday, winning 6-4, so you can get 50% off your large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com with the promo code 'WINTWINS' on Wednesday. [/hr] Click here to view the article

The game was a struggle for Kyle Gibson on Tuesday night. The Rays pounced on him for seven runs and he was saddled with his first loss of this young season. David Price pitched nine strong innings and showed why he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The good thing is that it appears as if Brian Dozier is going to continue to hit a lot of home runs this season. Chris Colabello also seemed comfortable at the plate as he collected his second home run. He also saw 20 pitches over his four at-bats while no other Twins player saw more than 14. Download attachment: Chad Christensen.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Pawtucket 5 Box Score The Red Wings offense was very balanced as six different men had an RBI in the game and most of the damage came in a six-run seventh inning. Chris Parmelee extended his hit streak to a season-long seven games. Eric Harris went 2-for-4 and scored two runs. Chris Rahl hit his fifth double and Wilkin Ramirez hit his second triple of the season. The team went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Logan Darnell started for Rochester and pitched five strong innings. He allowed two earned runs on three hits including six strikeouts and two walks. Yohan Pino did some fantastic work in relief by striking out nine hitters in only four innings of work. With their 10th win of the season, the Red Wing matched their win total from last April. The team hasn't had a winning month of April since 2007 and they currently sit with a record of 10-8. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, New Hampshire 1 Box Score This low scoring affair saw the Rock Cats squeak out their fifth victory of the season. Virgil Vasquez didn't pick up a decision in this game but he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits on only 84 pitches. It was his first start of the season after being used in relief in his first two appearances this year. Jim Fuller allowed the only run scored by New Hampshire but he ended up "earning" his first win of the season. It was a doubles party for New Britain as Tony Thomas, Reynaldo Rodriguez, and Brandon Waring all collected a two-bagger. Rodriguez had a multiple hit game for the fourth time in his last seven games. Anderlin Mejia didn't join the doubles party but he had two hits and he scored a run. Because of some bad weather and poor play, this was New Britain's first victory since April 13th. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 1, Jupiter 5 Box Score The Miracle couldn't get to Jupiter starter Scott Lyman as he tossed six scoreless frames. Jason Wheeler got hit around over 4.2 innings as the Miracle starter. He allowed five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Tyler Jones and Mason Melotakis combined to pitch the last 3.1 innings without allowing a hit. Levi Michael was the lone Miracle batter with more than one hit. He went 2-for-4 and he has three multiple hit games out of the last eight. Travis Harrison cracked his first triple since 2012 in the rookie leagues. Max Kepler knocked in Harrison with a single to score the only run of the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Peoria 4 Box Score In three out of his four starts this season, Ryan Eades has allowed three runs or fewer but the Kernels continued struggle to find ways to support his efforts. Tonight Eades tossed 5.2 innings of two-run baseball with five strikeouts. It was his third loss of the season. Josue Montanez took over for Eades and allowed one run over the last 2.1 frames. Chad Christensen did his best to keep the Kernels in the game as he went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. He was also the only batter in the line-up that didn't strikeout at some point in the contest. Tanner Vavra had the only extra-base hit for Cedar Rapids, his fourth double of the season. The team left six men on base and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Virgil Vasquez, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:15 CST)- Alex Meyer New Hampshire @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- DJ Baxendale Jupiter @ Fort Myers (6:05 CST)- Tyler Duffey Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (11:00 CST)- Ethan Mildren Click here to view the article

Download attachment: AARON-HICKS-Venezuela.jpg This offseason, some minor leaguers have provided plenty of excitement. Kyle Gibson looked dominant in his first Arizona Fall League starts before a rough start yesterday. But he isn't the only player making some noise in a winter league as Aaron Hicks has put together some strong numbers in the Venezuelan League during his first handful of games. This comes on the heels of his best season as a professional while playing at the Double-A level for the Twins. As was mentioned on Twins Daily last week, his stock will be rising this offseason so it is interesting to consider where he could end up at the beginning of next season. The Twins have a surplus of outfielders at the moment so some of the players at the major league level would need to be moved before the start of next year. Could that open up the opportunity for Hicks to begin the season as a starting outfielder for the Minnesota Twins? Since the Twins took Hicks with their first round pick back in 2008, things haven't gone perfectly for the toolsy outfielder from California. The problem hasn't been defensive; he was named by Baseball America as the top defensive outfielder and having the best outfield arm in the Twins system at the conclusion of last season. However, the offensive side of the ball has been a little sketchy on his way through the minors. He is a switch hitter so finding his stroke from the left side of the plate was a little bit of a challenge. Something clicked this year and the organization finally started to see the player they were looking for when they took him in the first half of the first round of the draft. Hicks saw his batting average rise 44 points from the 2011 season to finish at the highest point since he started playing in full season leagues back in 2009. Reports have him shortening up his stroke from the left side to make more contact and this helped to get on base at a more consistent rate from both sides of the plate. After hitting 41 extra-base hits in 2011, he hit 45 extra-base hits in 2012 and he hit double digits in home runs for the first time in his career. Last year, he hit 31 doubles and only five home runs while this year his home runs went up to 13 and his doubles dropped to 21 for the year. His speed has always been a threat and he set the Rock Cats record for triples in one season with 11 three baggers. He has gotten almost 40 at-bats in Venezuela and his line is consistent with his minor league track record. There has been a little bit of power with a home run and a couple doubles. Hicks is also getting on-base at a .370 mark but he is striking out in a third of his at-bats. He has three multi-hit games so far and it's nice to see him getting a few stolen bases. So far in this league, he has reached base 17 times and he has scored a run in almost half of those appearances on the base paths. His team, the Bravos de Margarita, is in first place at the moment so he is having the opportunity to play for a winning team in a very competitive league. It's a long shot that Hicks would gain serious consideration for a starting spot unless injuries struck, but there are some factors in his favor. During spring training the last two years, Hicks has been part of the major league camp for at least a portion of the schedule. This has given Ron Gardenhire a closer look at the young outfielder and now the coaching staff at the major league level is composed of plenty of men with minor league experience so they could be even more familiar with the ins-and-outs of Mr. Hicks. If the coaches and front office think the time is right, Hicks could get an extra long look for the job as starting outfielder for the Twins. With Denard Span, Ben Revere, Josh Willingham, and Chris Parmelee all ahead of Hicks on the outfield depth chart, there would need to be some kind of trade to make room. Willingham might be a prime trade candidate after having a career year in 2012 and Span's name has been out in the rumor mill for more than one season. The Twins have made it clear that they need more starting pitching for 2013 and the surplus of outfielders seems like the most likely place to find value on the trade market. Justin Morneau could also be dealt to free up a spot for Parmelee in the infield and this could give Hicks a quicker path to a starting role in Minnesota. But the Twins have been patient with Hicks since they drafted him four seasons ago and it seem most likely for the club to continue this philosophy for the beginning of next year. Hicks hasn't made an appearance at the Triple-A level so it seems more likely for him to get the opportunity to prove himself at that level before being asked to come up to the major leagues. If the Twins were seriously thinking about him being a starter for 2013, there is a good chance he would have been given a call-up at the end of this year. It's still great to be having a positive conversation about Hicks after multiple disappointing years in the minors. He seems to have turned the corner and fingers are crossed for him to continue on the path to making his debut sometime in 2013. <br> <br> Click here to view the article

Even though they are a last place team like the Twins, the pesky Seattle Mariners have seemed to have the Twins number in 2012. For the second night in a row, the Twins couldn't get much offense going and it's tough to win games without scoring runs. The good news is that the Twins are getting closer to getting the second pick in next year's draft. Only the Cubs and the Astros have a worse record than the Twins so this recent stretch of poor play has pushed Minnesota ahead of Colorado. I spent the evening taking in some Independent League Baseball as the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks returned to Newman Outdoor Field. There was a Bobblelection held as fans had to pick between getting an Obama bobblehead or a Romney bobblehead. The first candidate to run out of bobbleheads would be declared the winner.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It turns out that the Fort Myers Miracle are having a similar promotion on Thursday evening at their home game. ROCHESTER 10, BUFFALO 4 The Red Wings used a 5-run top of the ninth inning to separate themselves from the Bisons on Tuesday evening. Buffalo struck early for a couple runs but Rochester slowly pecked away before coming up big in their last at-bat. Rene Rivera and Tsuyoshi Nishioka each drove in three runs. Rivera had a home run and a double to his credit while Nishioka settled for a three hit night. Brian Dozier continues to struggle since his demotion as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts. Chris Parmelee had a hat trick with three strikeouts in the game. Shairon Martis picked up his third win of the year in a very strong outing. Over six innings on the mound, he gave up two runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Anthony Slama made things a little more interesting in the ninth by giving up a two-run bomb but he still picked up his 13th save on the year. NEW BRITAIN 4, TRENTON 7 A big 5-run second inning put the Thunder up big and the Rock Cats couldn't recover on this night. Steve Hirschfeld was roughed up for six runs in less than two innings of work. This made it a long night for the bullpen but Edgar Ibarra, Dakota Watts, Aaron Thompson, and Jose Gonzalez managed to make it through the rest of the game by only allowing one more run. The lone run came on a solo home run so it was a pretty good 6.1 innings from the bullpen forces. Josmil Pinto went 3-for-4 on the night with his first double since being promoted from Fort Myers. In the fifth inning, Deibinson Romero hit his 19th home run of the year. Nate Hanson also went 2-for-4 in the loss. FORT MYERS 10, BRADENTON 11 (7 INNINGS) FORT MYERS 4, BRADENTON 2 (7 INNINGS) The first game of the night turned into quite the slugfest as the teams combined for 21 runs on 19 hits. The Miracle entered the last inning down by six runs and they would storm back before falling a run short. Steve Liddle hit his third home run of the season and he had three RBI. Most of the dirty work was done by Angel Morales as he hit a grand slam in the final frame to make things interesting. With his RBI from earlier in the game, he finished with five RBI in the contest. Clint Dempster took the loss after giving up six runs in less than an inning on the mound. Compared to the first game of the night, the second game was a nice, tidy win for the Miracle in their double-header. A couple runs in the third and sixth innings were enough to push the team to a victory. Steve Liddle hit his second home run of the day and his two-run shot turned out to be the difference in the score. Daniel Ortiz was the only member of the Miracle to have more than one hit by going 2-for-4 with his 23rd double. Pat Dean earned his 10th victory by pitching five innings and surrendering two runs with five strikeouts. BELOIT 0, CEDAR RAPIDS 5 The Snappers put seven hits on the board but the pitching staff for the Kernals kept them from scoring a run in this game. Beloit only had one extra base hit in the game, a double off of the bat of Drew Leachman. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-for-3 and he was the lone player with a multi-hit game. The team left nine men on base and they missed the presence of Miguel Sano who was out of the line-up for the second straight night. Matt Tomshaw had an okay outing but he was still saddled with his fifth loss of the year. The team had three errors in the game including two from Adam Pettersen trying to fill in for Sano at third base. This meant that Tomshaw only gave up two earned runs during his five innings pitched. It was the third consecutive start that Tomshaw has lost. ELIZABETHTON 6, PRINCETON 4 A solid offensive outing from the young E-Twins helped the team to the victory on Tuesday evening. Top draft pick Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with two steals and two runs scored out of the lead-off spot. He was backed up by Niko Goodrum as he was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple in the game. Max Kepler continued to show his power stroke by hitting his 10th home run and stealing a base. Hein Robb started the game and gave up two earned runs on seven hits in a little less than five innings. Joshua Burris improved to a perfect 7-0 with the victory on this night out of the bullpen. He threw the last two innings and only allowed one man to reach base. --- Players of the Day for August 28, 2012 Hitter of the Day: Steve Liddle Download attachment: SteveLiddle.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Shairon Martis Download attachment: ShaironMartis.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, August 29th Schedule Rochester: Off Day New Britain @ Trenton: LHP Logan Darnell Fort Myers @ Bradenton: RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit @ Wisconsin: LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton @ Danville: RHP JO Berrios --- If you have any questions or comments on the minor league system, leave them in the comments sections so they can be answered by myself or one of the other readers. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: 10331_2.jpg After a rough road trip over the last week, the Twins returned home to face a Phillies team with it's own struggles. Minnesota won the first two games of the series but both games were close. The Tigers come to town for Father's Day weekend and this marks the start of nine straight games against AL Central opponents. This can become a crucial part of the schedule if the Twins want to stay in the hunt for a division crown. The club has a winning record so far in June and that is a good way to get back to the .500 mark. So far this season though the Twins are 9-15 versus AL Central foes. There has been plenty of news from around Twins Territory this week so let's dive into the latest edition of "Weekly Links-N-Thinks." While watching the FSN broadcasts, it might not seem like advanced stats are being used but Dick Bremer delves deeper into this world. Miguel Sano was promoted to Double-A this week and there were a variety of signs he was ready.Bookmark this site as there will be plenty of coverage from New Britain on Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. With the move to Double-A, is it time to shift Sano over to first base? A couple of Twins prospects have been terrorizing the minor leagues. Paul Molitor sees a lot of what happens in the Twins minor league system. There is plenty more to the Cedar Rapids Kernels beyond Byron Buxton. The pitcher the Twins got back for Denard Span is suffering some shoulder soreness and that can be a bad omen. Target Field has more than enough options when it comes to stuffing your face. Joe Mauer has eyes in the back of his head. The Twins had an interesting situation play out on the mound earlier this week. It sure seems like a time when a bullpen car would have been helpful. Former Twins prospect Wilson Ramos suffered another set-back as he reinjured his ailing hamstring. That's not a good injury for a catcher. My favorite baseball movie of all time turned 25 years old this week. The Twins might have been interested in the always injured Grady Sizemore. Next year's draft is less than a year away! It's never too early to dig into some of the top college arms. It's impossible to hit the ball over Carlos Gomez's head. As Twins fans know, Alexi Casilla can make some outstanding plays on the defensive side of the ball. The Royals farm system was one of the strongest a couple years ago but those players haven't panned out. This serves as a good reminder for Twins fans that prospects aren't always sure things. A sick Oakland A's fan used a robot to throw out a first pitch. JJ Hardy really doesn't like the center fielders for the Angels. Be careful when you walk behind the mound in Texas. Mariano Rivera continues to deliver pizza to important employees as he makes his last trip around the American League. It turns out that Superman was bad at coaching baseball.My Weekly Rundown Sunday: Deibinson Romero is knocking on the doorMonday: Twins' center field depth to be tested Wednesday: Twins Top 10 Prospects: Post-Draft Edition Twins Minor League Report (6/12): Double-A DebutsVideo of the Week: Byron Buxton and the Cedar Rapids Kernels were featured on FSN North earlier this week. Buxton didn't disappoint as he had a great day at the plate and he made one of the best defensive plays you will see all year. If you haven't seen this catch yet, here it is. If you have seen it, you should probably watch it a few more times. It will never get old. Click here to view the article

Minnesota starts into a West Coast swing of baseball action on Tuesday. The club will play two games in San Diego before heading up the coast for a weekend series in San Francisco. This means some late night baseball action for Twins Territory, as most of the team's games won't be starting until 8:00 pm or later. The Twins have won each of their last three series including two out of three from Boston and Detroit. If the Twins want to continue to be relevant in the AL Central, they will need to continue to win series. The Tigers are out to an early lead in the division and they are playing at a very high level. Down in the minor leagues, there were three very strong starts by pitchers in New Britain, Fort Myers, and Cedar Rapids. Were their teams able to pick up the victories? You'll have to read on to find out! Download attachment: Danny Ortiz2.JPG RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Toledo 3 Box Score The loss by Rochester ended a seven-game winning streak and a 10-game home winning streak. It was the third time the Red Wings have been shut out this season and Toledo has done it to them twice. Scott Diamond started and lasted seven innings while giving up three runs on six hits. He tied his season high in strikeouts with six and he hasn't allowed a walk in his last 13.1 innings. James Beresford went 1-for-4 in the game and extended his hitting streak to seven games. He also has a 13-game home hitting streak in front of the Frontier Field faithful. Doug Bernier started at first base and he has now started at six different positions (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, and RF) for the Wings this season. Pedro Florimon had two hits and his sixth error in the field. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Richmond 2 Box Score Daniel Ortiz powered the Rock Cats past the Flying Squirrels on Tuesday night. Ortiz went 3-for-4 with two doubles and it was his second consecutive multi-hit game. The first four hitters in New Britain's line-up all had multi-hit games and they combined to go 9-for-15 with three doubles and five runs scored. Overall, the team is hitting almost .500 with runners in scoring position and this certainly helped the pitching staff on this night. Sean Gilmartin had plenty of run support and he didn't need it all. Over 8.0 innings, he allowed two runs on four hits, struck out a season high nine batters and issued no walks. It was his first win since May 2nd and it was the first time he had pitched more than 6.2 innings this season. Lester Oliveros struck out one in a perfect ninth inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Dunedin 2 Box Score A four-run fourth inning helped the Miracle break open a tie game. Travis Harrison started the frame with a double and Dalton Hicks followed that up with a walk. A few pitches later Niko Goodrum drove in both base runners with triple. Adam Brett Walker knocked in Goodrum with a single and a few batters later he scored on a Jonathan Murphy single. The Miracle were up 5-1 and they didn't look back. To cap off a solid day of starting pitching by Twins minor leaguers (Cedar Rapids played an afternoon game), Matt Tomshaw went seven frames, allowing two runs on five hits. Both runs scored against him were home runs but they were solo shots, helping keep his team in the game. He struck out four and walked one. Madison Boer pitched two shutout innings to finish the game. He allowed one hit and stuck out two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 2 Box Score JD Williams played the hero in this game as his pinch-hit, two run single in the bottom of the eighth turned out to be the difference. Bryan Santy had a good day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with his third double of the season. He also scored two of the team's four runs. Ivory Thomas and Carlos Avila each went 2-for-2 at the dish. Kohl Stewart didn't figure into the decision but he was outstanding on the mound. He tossed six frames and allowed one run on four hits. He struck out three and walked one. It was the first time he has pitched at least six innings since April 25th and it was only the second time all year he made it that far into a game. His ERA is down to 2.21 for the season over 40.2 innings. Alex Muren picked up his first win of the season, allowing one run in two innings of relief work. He struck out three and didn't walk any. Todd Van Steensel earned his second save by pitching a scoreless ninth frame. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Sean Gilmartin, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Daniel Ortiz, New Britain Rock Cats SUNDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester- Scheduled off day Richmond @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- Pat Dean (Listen) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 CST)- David Hulbut (Listen) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Felix Jorge (Listen) [/hr]The Twins beat the Padres last night so on Wednesday you can get a half price large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com with the promo code TWINSWIN. Click here to view the article

When the Twins left spring training, there were multiple Twins players in line to get playing time during their sophomore seasons. The second year can be a huge year for players trying to make their mark at the big league level. There can be positive signs during a rookie season but continuing those early impressions and making adjustments is key to solidifying a player's future. Download attachment: Diamond_Dozier_Anderson_Mauer_US_720.jpg Two of these second year players were set-up for very different starts to the season. Scott Diamond had seemingly come out of nowhere to be the Twins best starting pitcher in 2012. Brian Dozier had struggled mightily during his first trip through the American League. Diamond was lined up to fit into the rotation for multiple seasons while Dozier had plenty of question marks around him as he shifted to a new defensive position. Early Season Impressions Diamond started this year on the disabled list after having a bone chip removed from his elbow late in the offseason. This might have taken away from his offseason routine and this definitely showed up on the field. By the end of June, Diamond had an ERA of 5.40 with opponents batting .320/.355/.502 against him. It wasn't exactly a dream start to the year. Dozier didn't exactly set the world on fire at the beginning of the year. In the middle of April, he was hitting under .200 and things did not improve quickly. For the month of May he hit .190/.227/.286 while being limited to four extra-base hits. There were some positive signs at his new defensive position but his offense was still reminiscent of his poor rookie campaign. Mid-Season Changes Things would continue to go downhill for Diamond in the middle portion of the season. July was another bad month as opponents hit .264/.336/.500 with six home runs in the five games he started. Other teams were hitting the ball hard and Diamond's 1.538 WHIP continued to be tough to swallow. Minnesota decided to make a change and Diamond was sent to Rochester in August for the rest of the Triple-A season. While Diamond was busy trying to figure himself out in the minors, Dozier made some adjustments to put himself on a record-breaking pace. He knocked five home runs in June while boosting his batting line to .257/.389/.514. July saw Dozier hit 11 doubles, more than the first three months of the year combined. Ron Gardenhire developed more faith in Dozier batting near the top of the order and the second baseman made the most of this opportunity. Late-Season Adjustments Rochester needed every win the team could get down the stretch and Diamond helped solidify their rotation. He made six starts at Triple-A and posted a perfect 4-0 record with a 2.40 ERA. Opponents hit .217/.259/.336 against him and he averaged almost seven innings per start. Minnesota had seen some positive changes in Diamond so they brought him back to the big leagues for the team's last handful of games. There are open spots in next season's starting rotation and Diamond needs to show that he deserves a spot. Dozier continued his hot hitting as the Twins season has progressed. August turned into his best offensive month, as he became a power hitting threat. He hit .276/.333/.535 with six home runs, 11 doubles, and three triples. This outburst of power put Dozier on pace to set the franchise record for home runs from a second baseman. Minnesota has used Dozier at the bottom of the line-up, as a leadoff hitter and now he has worked his way to the middle of the order. Focus on the Future Diamond has a lot left to prove to the Twins before the 2014 season starts. There is going to be some room in the team's pocket book to court some free agent pitchers. If the Twins pursue multiple starting pitching options, Diamond could end up back in Rochester. This seems like a long shot at this point but Mr. Diamond won't feel nearly as comfortable this offseason. Maybe it is better for him to have to earn a spot than be guaranteed one. Minnesota has Eddie Rosario pushing towards the majors but Dozier looks to be blocking his path. Fans are going to want to see Dozier continue his impressive offense for another full season. It has been rare for the Twins to have a successful middle infielder molded in their own farm system and the team seems pleased with Dozier. He has slowly become a team leader and the Twins' future plans seem more likely to include their current second baseman. Sophomore years can be tough but Dozier and Diamond have sure taken different paths in their second year in the big leagues. Diamond in the middle of a year long sophomore slump and Dozier showing that there can be some success in a player's sophomore season. Two different players... And Two Different Sophomore Seasons... Click here to view the article