Cody Christie

Night two of playoff action saw plenty of stories to follow in the Twins farm system. Rochester was kicking off their postseason run with a game in front of their hometown fans and Cedar Rapids had to go on the road. Fort Myers was at home but their season was on the line and a loss would mean the end of their title chances. Rochester Red Wings 7, Pawtucket Red Sox 1 (Game 1) Box Score Rochester was out to prove that their last day qualification for the Wild Card spot was not a fluke. The team went out and scored runs in the first four innings to grab an early 6-1 lead. Antoan Richardson singled and James Beresford doubled to set up a 2-run first frame. Eduardo Escobar scored Richardson on a sacrifice and this was followed by an RBI-single from Chris Parmelee. Beresford found himself up in another important spot in the second. With runners on first and second, he cracked a single to center field to score the third run of the game. The third inning was characterized by multiple bunt attempts. Aaron Hicks and Eric Farris bunted in back-to-back at-bats but it took an Eric Fryer single to plate two runs. Hicks would also be responsible for a sac fly in the fifth to cap the early offensive onslaught. Cole De Vries started for Rochester and pitched into the sixth frame. While striking out six and walking one, he allowed one run on five hits. Aaron Thompson pitched two shutout innings of relief while allowing only one runner to reach base. AJ Achter closed the door in the ninth to cap a key victory for the Red Wings. What's Next: Rochester will host the second game of this series against the Red Sox on Thursday. The scheduled pitcher for the Red Wings is PJ Walters. He finished the regular season with a Triple-A record of 7-5 while posting a 4.18 ERA in 103.1 IP. The Red Sox will counter with big league hurler Clay Buchholz who is rehabbing on his way back to help Boston on a run for the AL East crown. In his one Triple-A outing this year, he lasted 3.1 innings and gave up one run on seven hits. Fort Myers Miracle 1, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2 (Game 2-- 10 innings) Box Score In the first game of the series, the Miracle were shut out and the Stone Crabs were able to sneak away with a 1-0 victory. This low scoring affair continued into Game 2 of the series with both starting pitchers posting zeros into the eighth inning. Fort Myers needed to find a way to get on the board or their fantastic season would come to an end. Taylor Rogers was outstanding on the mound and he did everything he could to keep the Miracle from being eliminated. Over nine shutout innings, Rogers limited the Stone Crabs to three hits with nine strikeouts and one walk. With two outs in the ninth, a Stone Crabs batter reached on a single but Rogers talked his way into staying in the game. He struck out the last batter of the frame to finish his nine innings of work. Download attachment: Cole De Vries.jpg The Miracle were forced to turn to the bullpen and pitcher Zach Jones. In the Stone Crabs' half of the 10th, the leadoff batter singled and then things started to get a little dicey. During the next at-bat, the runner broke for second but he actually came up short of second base. The throw was high to Levi Michael and the runner was able to pop-up and still make it in before the tag. A walk and a sac bunt put two runners in scoring position. Jones tried to intentionally walk the next batter but he threw the ball to the backstop and the first run of the game was on the board. After a pop-out bunt, Jones walked a batter but he followed this with another at-bat that included a wild pitch. The Stone Crabs left the top of the 10th with a 2-0 lead and survived a rally in the 10th to end the Miracle's campaign. What's Next: The Miracle have been eliminated from the Florida State League Playoffs. Plenty of Miracle players and the coaching staff have been honored for their terrific seasons. The offense just didn't show up over the course of this best of three series. Byron Buxton has been the talk of the prospect world this year and it was tough to see the Miracle season end this way. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Quad Cities River Bandits 2 (Game 1) Box Score The Kernels have been one of the best minor league teams in all baseball this year but anything can happen in the postseason. Players have come and gone from the Cedar Rapids roster but the team kept finding a way to win. Things got off to a good start in the playoffs with the Kernels scoring the first run of this game. In the top of the second inning, Adam Walker singled to lead off the frame. Mike Gonzales doubled to deep center and Walker was able to come all the way around to score from first. The Kernels would get two more runners on base in the inning but those men were left stranded. Cedar Rapids had their first lead of the series but it wouldn't last. Quad Cities tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when former first overall pick Carlos Correa worked his way around the bases. It was the only run scored against Kernels starter Brett Lee but it would be an important run for this game. Lee lasted five innings and struck out six. Alex Muren came on in relief and was fantastic. He struck out three over two innings and didn't allow a hit. Cedar Rapids looked to swipe the lead back from the River Bandits in the fifth. After a Niko Goodrum walk, there were men at first and second. Jorge Polanco hit one up the middle but the pitcher knocked it down and was able to record the out at first. This left two runners in scoring position and Max Kepler in the batters box. In an unfortunate turn of events, Kepler popped up to the first baseman in foul territory and the Kernels never had another runner in scoring position. What's Next: Game 2 of this series is scheduled for Thursday evening in Cedar Rapids. Tim Shubya will take his perfect 4-0 record to the mound for the Kernels. Over 37.2 innings, he posted a 0.96 ERA while striking out 25 and walking four. Single-A opponents were able to hit only .173 against him and he has pitched seven innings or more in his last three starts. This included a complete game shutout the last time he was on the mound. Click here to view the article

For the first half of the Twins game on Friday night, it looked like Francisco Liriano could be on the way to his second no-hitter in the last two years. With his pitch count rising in the sixth inning, he walked two batters and then he ran into the reigning National League MVP. Ryan Braun crushed a pitch to deep center field to switch a 2-0 Twins lead into a 3-2 Brewers lead. Lucky enough for the Twins, Trevor Plouffe is in beast mode and he can keep the Twins in any game. His two home runs on Friday night gave him seven home runs in the last seven games during the current home stand. It has been fun to see what Plouffe has been able to do at the major league level but there are plenty of notable performances in the minors from Friday. Here's a glimpse of what happened under the lights on Friday night in the Twins farm system.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 4, LOUISVILLE 1 On this night the story of the game would be the outstanding pitching performance from Cole DeVries. In his second start since being sent back to Rochester, DeVries pitched seven shutout innings while striking out four and only walking a single batter. It will be nice to see if his brief taste of the big leagues will help him for the rest of the season. There were minimal threats in the eighth and ninth inning from the Bats but Tyler Robertson and Brendan Wise were able to escape with minimal damage. Robertson allowed the only run to score for the Bats but he left two runners on base to keep the lead at four. Wise walked a batter with two outs in the ninth but he got a strikeout to finish the game for his first save. Sean Burroughs and Wilkin Ramirez each knocked in a couple runs to help the Red Wings to come out victorious on Friday night. Both hitters cracked a double and Ramirez smashed his third home run of the year in the second inning. Matt Carson hit his team leading 17 double of the year in the win. NEW BRITAIN 2, ERIE 5 The Rock Cats scored a couple runs in the second inning to take the lead back from the SeaWolves but it wasn't enough on this night. Erie pounded out double digits in hits and put together some late inning rallies to separate themselves from New Britain. Most of this rally came off of Blake Martin who gave up three earned runs in his inning on the mound. Aaron Thompson had his best start since joining New Britain at the beginning of June. He started the game for the Rock Cats and pitched six strong innings by giving up five hits and one earned run. He dropped his ERA from above 9.00 at the start of the game to close to 6.00 by the end of the game. Rene Tosoni and Chris Herrmann both had mulit-hit games with one of Herrmann's hits being a double. The man to drive in all the runs for the Rock Cats on this night was Estarlin De Los Santos with a 2-RBI double in the second inning. Mark Dolenc had his first double of the year but it was still not enough to help the Rock Cats on this evening. FORT MYERS (All-Star Break) The Miracle don't have a game on Friday night because tomorrow night is the Florida State League All-Star Game. Fort Myers had four players selected from their team to represent the club in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Fort Myers Miracle will be represented on the South team by catcher Josmil Pinto, infielder Daniel Santana, and pitchers Pat Dean and Rickey Bowen. Another Miracle player, Oswaldo Arcia, was added to the home run derby on Thursday. BELOIT 6, BURLINGTON 3 After celebrating their first trip to the playoffs in five years, there could be a chance the team would come out a little slow. This was definitely not the case on Friday night as the Snappers pounded out six runs in the first two frames. From there the offense cooled down and they hoped the pitching staff would be able to hold on to the lead. In only his second start since being shifted from the bullpen, David Hurlbut gave up three earned runs on two home runs with five strikeouts. AJ Achter threw three innings in relief and put up some impressive numbers. He pitched three scoreless innings by only allowing two hits while striking out six. Nate Roberts led the offensive charge from the leadoff spot by going 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Drew Leachman drove in a couple of runs and had his third triple of the year. The Snappers batted close to .500, 5-for-12, with runners in scoring position to help the team to another W in the win column. --- Players of the Day for Friday, June 15, 2012 Hitter of the Day- Wilkin Ramirez http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KLtv4EL7Y5g/T9vu8-b7UTI/AAAAAAAACMY/xaOr_XPO01o/s320/Wilkin+Ramirez.jpg Pitcher of the Day- Cole DeVries http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GPaKywwV_dI/T9vdnm9ng9I/AAAAAAAACKo/1vEcoaaduIA/s320/cole_de-vries1.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Saturday, June 16th Schedule Rochester at Louisville- RHP Cole DeVries New Britain vs Erie- RHP BJ Hermsen Fort Myers- FSL All-Star Game Beloit vs Burlington- TBA --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, leave them in the comments section and Seth or I will try to answer them. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Scott+Diamond+Minnesota+Twins.jpg The Rule 5 Draft can be an interesting test of an organization because of all of the rules and regulations involved in selecting a player. To understand the Twins mindset for the draft, it is important to know the rules involved in selecting a player and the purpose of the Rule 5 Draft. All of these things can go a long way into a team's decision to pick a player or to let their pick go to the wayside. When MLB instituted the Rule 5 Draft, the purpose was to keep teams from stockpiling MLB ready talent in their organization. This draft gives players that are ready the opportunity to sink or swim at the big league level. If a player has been with a team for an allotted amount of time and hasn't been added to the 40-man roster, he is exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rule 5 players must stay with their new big league club or be offered back to their old team. This means a club can’t pick up a Rule 5 player and stash him away in the minor leagues. The order of the draft is based on the win-loss record of the team's from the previous season. For the Twins, this means the club has the fourth pick after having the second pick last season. Here is a look at the Twins last five Rule 5 drafts: Download attachment: TwinsRule5Drafts.jpg None of the above listed Rule 5 picks were strong enough to stay on the 25-man roster for the entire season. Scott Diamond has been the only player in the last half decade to make an impact on the Twins from their Rule 5 selections. Even he had to be sent to the minors for a little more seasonin, which meant the Twins needed to work out a trade with his previous team, that Atlanta Braves. The Rule 5 Draft can be full of disappointments but there can be some "Diamonds" in the rough. One of the sticking points for the Twins at this point is they have no space available on their 40-man roster. For the team to use their fourth pick in the Rule 5 Draft, they would need to clear room on the roster. The organization just added eight players to the 40-man so there is a chance the team might not be looking to making any additions at this point. There are a few names left off of other team's 40-man rosters and this could be good news for the Twins. The club is in desperate need of adding some pitching and the Rule 5 Draft could help in this search. Below you will find three names of pitchers that could be available for the Twins to select with their fourth pick but they still need to make room on the 40-man roster. Josh Fields, RHP, Red Sox (Age 27) Fields is a former first round pick that has spent the last two seasons bouncing between Double-A and Triple-A with the Red Sox and the Mariners. He has been used entirely as a relief pitcher but he has posted good ERA marks on his way up the ladder. He can strike batters out with a SO/9 of 12 last year and he doesn't walk a lot of batters. Fields is a flyball pitcher but he does a good job of keeping the ball in the park and this would suit him well at Target Field. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he has a very good curveball. Fields seems like a player that could slide into a bullpen role with the Twins next year. Kyle Kaminska, RHP, Pirates (Age 24) The Twins love control pitchers and Kaminska might fit their profile. He worked his way up to Triple-A last season in a primary relief role. His low walk rate of 1.2 BB/9 sure sounds like it is right up the Twins alley. His fastball sits right around 90 mph and his breaking pitch isn't anything to write home about. Kaminska could fit into the middle of a bullpen and eat up some innings for a club. The Twins seem to need starting pitching at this point so Kaminska might be overlooked for a pitcher with more experience in that role. JC Sulbaran, RHP, Royals (Age 23) Sulbaran is a new member of the Royals organization as he was just traded to the team last season. This still didn't mean they wanted to protect him on their 40-man roster. At 23 years old, he is still young and there is plenty of potential in his right arm. His control has been an issue during his time in the minors and this might make the Twins look the other direction. He averaged 5.2 BB/9 last year but he had 9.3 SO/9. Sulbaran has a low-90s fastball and a decent breaking pitch that could make him useful in the future. If the Twins want to take a flyer on a player, he could turn into a back of the rotation starter. <br> Click here to view the article

Happy President's Day! Getting past this day means that the start of the baseball season is one step closer. Fans could start purchasing Twins single game tickets over the weekend. This is always a fun day for people across Twins Territory to pick out the games they want to attend and where they want to sit. Since today is a day set up to honor some of the greatest leaders in our countries history, I only thought it fitting to write a post that fit with that theme. Here is a look at the best players with presidential names to play with the Twins organization. There are a couple fan favorites and some other lesser-known players but it is a fun list to explore.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: lewfordTwins.jpg 1. Lew Ford CF, OF: Any Twins list with Lew Ford at the top is pretty cool. The scrappy outfielder had some very good years with the Twins. Fans would echo his name off the Teflon roof of the Metrodome. His comeback story with Baltimore last season was great to see. WAR 7.3 2. Mudcat Grant, RHP: He played for seven different organizations in his 14 year professional career but some of his best years were in a Twins uniform. He won 21 games for the 1965 Twins team that went to the World Series. He also picked up the win in two of those World Series games against the Dodgers. 5.0 WAR 3. Tom Johnson, RHP: Johnson only started one game during his five-year career with the Twins but he was able to have a couple of good seasons. In 1977, he won 16 games and had a 3.31 ERA out of the bullpen. His 1976 season was also good as he had a 1.08 WHIP and a 2.61 ERA. 2.8 WAR 4. Ron Washington SS, 2B: The current manager of the Rangers played the bulk of his career in a Twins uniform. He only played over 100 games in one season and his best year was probably the 1984 campaign. He hit almost .300 that season with 19 extra-base hits over 88 games. WAR 0.9 5(t). Mike Adams OF: He only played 58 games for the Twins and he had a .222 career batting average with the club. Adams played 55 games with 1973 Twins, the most games he ever played in one season. He did hit 21 homers in his last Triple-A season for the Twins. 0.2 WAR 5(t). Brian Buchanan OF: Buchanan didn't break into the big leagues until age 26. In 2001, he hit 10 home runs and 12 doubles while posting a .274 batting average. He was part of two important trades in club history. He came to the Twins along with Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman for Chuck Knoblach. Later he would be dealt for Jason Bartlett. 0.2 WAR 6(t). Otis Nixon OF: His lone season in a Twins uniform wasn't too bad. He hit for a high average but basically no power. Nixon was also third in stolen base percentage in 1998. 0.1 WAR 6(t). Randy Bush OF: Bush would be a staple in a Twins uniform from 1982-1993. He would be part of both championship teams with the club. He had three stolen bases and a triple during the 1987 ALCS. 0.1 WAR 7. Tack Wilson OF: It was a brief big league career for Mr. Wilson. He only made four plate appearances with the Twins and he had one hit to his name. 0.0 WAR 8. Roric Harrison RHP: His five-year big league career would come to an end in Minnesota. He threw 12 innings with the club and gave up 10 earned runs and 11 walks. -0.2 WAR 9. Mike Lincoln RHP: The Twins took Lincoln in the 13th round of the 1996 MLB Draft. He would break into the big leagues three years later and pitch a couple of seasons with the club. He fared much better when he switched to the NL later in his career. -0.6 WAR 10. Glen Adams DH: Someone had to be at the bottom of this list and it just happened to be Mr. Glen Adams. He played five years for Minnesota and he hit over .280 with the club. Most of his poor WAR comes from not being very good on the defensive side of the ball. WAR -1.7 Click here to view the article

Download attachment: GibsonTwins.jpg Some of the most intriguing spring training battles for the Twins are the race for the starting center fielder job and for the last spot in the rotation. Two of the best prospects for the Twins are in the middle of these battles and they both have been putting together decent starts this spring. But even if the rest of the spring goes great for Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson, they could be destined to start the year in Rochester. There are a few different reasons to think that the Twins will be patient with these two young players. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] irst, there is opportunity. The team isn't suppose to be contending in 2013 or maybe even 2014. This means there is no rush to get either of these men to the big leagues. They can both be given the opportunity to find success at Triple-A. Second, long-term control and money is a factor. If the team waits until a few months into the season, they can control these players for an extra season. There are also rules in place for players that get called up in the first couple months of the season to let them reach arbitration as a super two player. The Twins could avoid some of this hassle by letting other players take their spot on the roster until the middle part of the year. Finally, each player's history suggests a slower immersion could be beneficial. Hicks has a history of slow starts when he advances to a new level. He played all of last season at the Double-A level so making a two level jump could be hard on him. The team has been very patient with him up until this point and it makes a lot of sense for the club to continue their patient ways. The Twins have been clear that Gibson will be on an innings limit this season. It is his first full year back from Tommy John surgery and it is important to be cautious with a young arm. If the Twins want to control his innings at the beginning of the year, it will be easier to do this in Rochester. They don't want a player in the major league starting rotation that has to be pulled early to keep his innings down. Within the organization, there might be some debate. While the front office might want Hicks and Gibson to get a little more experience, the manager might not be in a position to wait for the future. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his deal and he can't really afford for the club to get off to a slow start. He has said that he wants Hicks to have a shot to start and Gibson has a brighter future than some of the other rotation options. With the moves the Twins have made this offseason, their farm system is considered one of the best in the game. Most of their top-level talent hasn't made appearance above the Double-A level. For now, it looks like a waiting game as these players work their way through the minor leagues. So when will the next winning team grace fans at Target Field? The estimated arrival time for Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer, Trevor May, and Byron Buxton might not be until 2014, 2015 or 2016. If those players make up the core of the next winning Twins team, it might be best to still have multiple years of control over Gibson and Hicks. There are going to be reasons to keep Gibson and Hicks with the big league team for the start of the year. However, the reasons to keep them in the minor leagues might outweigh those that are in favor of keeping them up. So what do you think? If Gibson and Hicks earn the jobs, should they start the year in Minnesota? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-phUKBdlfscc/UChmJR7CrSI/AAAAAAAADH0/o2k7nbhMiWo/s320/HicksArcia.jpg While the 2012 season has been a little bit painful at the big league level, there have been plenty of positive stories out of the minor leagues for the Twins. Miguel Sano, the player widely considered as the best in the Twins organization, is showing his power potential by sitting near the top 10 in nearly every offensive category for the farm system. Byron Buxton and J.O. Berrios were the top two picks for the Twins in June's draft and they have both already been promoted to Elizabethton in the last week. Berrios has been nearly untouchable so far in his outings and Buxton has put together some decent numbers on the offensive side of the ball. But searching for positive performances is not just relegated to the lower levels of the minor leagues for the Twins. Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks are putting together their best seasons as professionals at the Double-A level with the New Britain Rock Cats. Hicks has spent the entire season with the Rock Cats and Arcia started the year at Fort Myers before being called up in the middle of June. Both of these players have been highly thought of in the past and they each seem to be putting together a season worth getting noticed for in 2012. Hicks was the Twins first round pick in 2008 when the Twins took him out of high school with the 14th pick. His minor league career has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride since that point but he has always had the tools to be thought of as one of the top prospects for the Twins. The switch-hitting outfielder has struggled in the past to even out his splits from each side of the plate. This season has seen some improvement as he has hit .293/.371/.526 with 13 extra-base hits in 116 at-bats from the right side of the plate. When he switches to the left side, he is batting .276/.385/.427 with 25 extra-base hits in 279 at-bats. His 12 home runs this season are split evenly between both sides of the plate and his 27 steals are a career high. Arcia is a year and a half younger than Hicks and he missed part of last season with an injury. This explains some of the reasoning that the Twins used to start Arcia in the Florida State League at the beginning of the year. He has made up for lost time since being called up to the Eastern League as he is hitting .330/.406/.553 in 49 games. Between both levels in the minor leagues, he has 31 doubles and 14 home runs with 78 RBI. He has appeared in a career high 104 games in 2012 so it is good to see what Arcia has been able to do over the course of what is really his first season of being healthy in the full season leagues. With Hicks batting at the top of the order and Arcia batting in the middle of the line-up, the New Britain Rock Cats find themselves in the middle of the playoff chase in the Eastern League. While fans of the Twins might not be concerned about the chase by the Rock Cats for the playoffs, it could have an impact on when (or if) the team will call-up these two young players at some point in September. Last season, the Twins looked to two position players to have a chance in the final month after the Rock Cats had been eliminated from contention. Chris Parmelee and Joe Benson got a shot to show what they could do with their first taste of the big leagues. Ben Revere got called up from Double-A at the end of the 2010 season and he only got 28 at-bats in 13 games with the club. This year it could be time for Arcia and Hicks to put on the Twins uniform and let the MLB coaches take a closer look at the future of the franchise. Looking ahead to September, it might be hard for the Twins to find at-bats for both of these up-and-coming players. They are both outfielders and the current roster for the Twins is not short in the outfield department. Denard Span, Ben Revere, and Josh Willingham have been relatively healthy in the outfield for the Twins so it would be tough to take at-bats away from these already established players. There could be an injury that would allow the Twins to give extra at-bats to a September call-up but all three of the current outfielders are going to want to finish the season on a strong note. Span took a tumble on Sunday and he might have to miss a little bit of time and there is always a chance of an injury with the way Revere goes after balls in the outfield. An injury to one of the starters might be the only way to free up a chunk of at-bats for Arcia or Hicks. Another obstacle in the way for Hicks is the fact that he is not currently on the 40-man roster for the Twins. Because Arcia was an international signee, the organization was required to add him to the 40-man roster during last offseason even though he is younger than Hicks. During the coming offseason, Hicks would have to be added to the 40-man roster so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see him added in September. The consistent play at the plate and in the field would need to continue for each player over the rest of August but they both seem to be hitting better as the season progresses. For both of these players to get a chance with the Twins in September, it is important for the at-bats to be there for them with the big league squad. There are certainly things that each of them could learn from sitting on the bench but it is much more important to be in the line-up on a regular basis against big league pitching. With both players being under 23-years old, it would be nice to see them get their feet wet in a season that is a lost cause for the Twins. They are two of the biggest bright spots in the organization for 2012 and they deserve to be rewarded for their production on the field. That reward should be a chance to step onto the grass at Target Field for the first time. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: save_energy_while_using_your_pc_lk245_qde8y.jpg The Twins put together a solid series against the White Sox to earn a three-game sweep. The rival Sox are plummeting in the AL Central; it is still nice to beat a hated foe. Powerful offensive performances and some decent pitching helped the club in the series. Now it is time to see what the team can do when they hit the road for a couple series. Some other Twins headlines from this week included: Justin Morneau finally ended the longest home run drought of his career, Kevin Corriea put together a couple solid starts, and Sam Deduno (prior to last night) continues to impress. Everything seems to be going upward in Twins Territory but this has been a streaky team this season and it's going to take more than a few wins to impress the fan base. Here are some of the most enjoyable stories from around the web in the last week. Make sure to check them all out before you head out for the weekend. Byron Buxton has mastered the art of being good.Buxton is also putting up better numbers in Cedar Rapids than Mike Troutdid when he played for the club. Two roommates on the Cedar Rapids Kernels continue to impress with their performances so far this year. Antoan Richardson has put together a great season in the minors and this interview will help you to learn a little bit more about him. It's interesting to see how pitchers are approaching Miguel Sano since he transitioned to the Eastern League. One of my favorite prospects, Max Kepler, is going to need to try to re-establish himself. Mike Pelfrey has had a few struggles this season but there are a few keys for him to find success. In the history of the Yankees and Twins, this play has to be one of the most frustrating in recent memory. According to the most recent numbers for Twins on Twitter, my followers have gone up 3.6% in the last six weeks. I think we can improve that number for the next update. This might be the most entertaing article I read this week because it includes two thing I love, trading cards and the Minnesota Twins. Plus there's a Duck Tales reference so that's awesome. Kevin Correia might be one of a few starting pitchers available at the trade deadline. When it comes to fantasy baseball, Brian Dozier shouldn't be on your team. Aaron Hicks and Chris Parmelee are near the top of the list for most Web Gems this season. Pat Neshek's brother works for the Twins and he made a fantastic grab as the ball boy earlier this week. The Fort Myers Miracle are always creative with their promotions and this one for Miami Heat fans that exited Game 6 early is pretty good. What happened to the ball from Kirk Gibson's famous 1988 World Series home run? I've seen the sausage race in person and now it's celebrating 20 years in the big leagues. The story of the Black Sox scandal is one of the best known in baseball and now you can own a unique piece of memorabilia from that famous series. A complete replica of Wrigley Field was built; this one is unique because it is made of almost 58,000 Legos. Torii Hunter hit his 300th home run and it just had to come against the Twins. They have all-time great players but are the Tigers an all-time great team?My Weekly Rundown Sunday: Talk to Contact: Episode 41Monday: The Future of Trevor Plouffe The Curious Case of Kyle Gibson Wednesday: Those Damn Yankees: Chuck Knoblach Twins Minor League Report (6/19): Sano's 1st AA BlastVideo of the Week: After ending the longest home run drought of his career, the Twins had a little fun with their Canadian first baseman. Justin Morneau came into the dugout and he had to give high-fives to his invisible teammates. His real teammates were told by the manager to give Morneau the silent treatment. It was a funny moment especially since it had to be a big weight off his shoulders to finally hit one out. Click here to view the article

The Twins made it official on Monday... Joe Mauer's days behind the plate are over. Download attachment: Mauer_Joe_FirstBase_US_720.jpg After consulting with doctors at Mayo Clinic, it was felt that Mauer needed to avoid the chance of re-injuring himself at the roughest position on the baseball field. Even though Mauer is now symptom free and able to go about his regular offseason routine, the club felt this was in the best interest of the team and their star player. The move away from catcher has been something Mauer has tried to avoid in the past. Even after missing most of the 2011 season because of leg issues, Mauer wanted to prove he could handle the rigors of being a full-time catcher again. The seriousness of his concussion in 2013 must have been enough to convince him the time was right for a move. In my offseason blueprint, I listed Mauer as the primary first baseman for the 2014 Minnesota Twins. It seemed likely the club would give him more time at first base especially with the exit of Justin Morneau and the rise of Josmil Pinto. These two players are just part of the ripple effect of Mauer's move to first. Pinto's Chance to Start The Twins were impressed with the performance of Pinto in the final month of the season. Over 21 games, the rookie backstop batted .342/.398/.566 with four home runs and five doubles. His defensive skills might not be as good as Mauer's but he did throw out 33% of base runners with a .982 fielding percentage in his eight seasons in the minor leagues. Minnesota could always add a veteran catcher but Pinto deserves a chance at some point next year. Morneau Won't Return Within the inner circle of Twins Territory, there may have been hopes of a return of their former MVP. As Mauer shifts to first base, it seems there is no spot for Morneau on the roster. It probably didn't make sense for the Twins to spend money on Morneau with other first base options currently under contract. This allows Morneau to try to find a spot on a team that can contend before his career is complete. Parmelee and Colabello Left Searching for ABs Both Parmelee and Colabello have put together impressive numbers at Triple-A in the last two seasons. These performances haven't translated to the big leagues and this leaves question marks about them moving forward. Parmelee got some time in the outfield last year and this might be his best chance at sticking with the team long-term. Colabello's independent baseball story was great but he might be more of a organizational player. Sano's the Future at Third With a full offseason to prepare, Minnesota could have moved Mauer to third base. They didn't because Miguel Sano is making his way to Target Field. There is a small chance of Sano starting the year with the club so Trevor Plouffe will only be keeping his place warm at the hot corner. It seems a waste to use Mauer's athletic ability at a lowly position like first base but Sano has one of the best arms in the Twins system and the spot should be saved for him. What other ripple effects are there from Mauer's move to first? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

Anytime the Twins end a week with a .500 record, it is a step in the right direction. A sweep of a day-night double header in Kansas City last Saturday helped to get the team off to the right track for the week. The big offensive showing on Tuesday night against the White Sox was also fun to see even though the Twins ended up losing the series. It might be sad to be happy about a .500 record for a week but when your team is 18.5 games out of first place you look for any positive signs that you can find. One of the biggest positive signs for the Twins has been Chris Parmelee and his performance so far in September.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The first baseman turned outfielder has been on a tear since the team recalled him at the end of last month. In the last seven days, he is hitting .407/.448/.815 with three home runs and two doubles to go along with eight RBI. The front office for the Twins is giving plenty of players a chance to prove their worth and Parmelee seems to be making the most of his chance for the second September in a row. The Twins will return home tonight for a 10-game homestand against the Indians, the Royals, and the White Sox. It will be the last time the team faces the White Sox and the Royals in 2012. But before the weekend action kicks off, make sure to peruse this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." Tom Kelly's number will be retired this weekend and the former manager is humbled by the whole situation.After a breakout season for two players at Double-A, it's tough to pick out the MVP for the Rock Cats.Both of those hot hitting Rock Cats might have been snubbed from a September call-up.Make sure to take a glance at this great write up about the season in New Britain.It looks like the honeymoon might be ending for Target Field.There were some very good performances in the minor leagues for the Twins in the last month of the season. Check out the hitter of the month, the starting pitcher of the month, and the relief pitcher of the month.Joe Mauer's offense seems to be back to normal but his defensive skills seem to be going the wrong direction.It's never too early to start looking at the 2013 MLB Draft and some of the players that might be available for the Twins.Jamey Carroll ended the longest HR drought in baseballwith his long ball earlier this week.The Twins made their September call-ups in the last week and they were kind of a downer.If you missed the end of the Appy League Championship, it was a series for the ages as all three games went to extra-innings and the E-Twins came out on top.Download attachment: AppyLeagueChamps copy.jpg Former Twins pitcher and Cy Young candidate R.A. Dickey signed a deal to write children's books.Nick Punto brought his jersey shredding skills with him to Los Angeles.The title of most exciting player in baseball has changed a lot since the late 70s.Ozzie Guillen is back on Twitter and he is always entertaining.Insurance might have played a part in the decision to shutdown Stephen Strasburg.Attendance was low on Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, and Chipper Jones wasn't happy about it.Here is an epic tale of Johnny Damon trying to throw a ball to home plate.The rules for expanding rosters in September might be changing for 2013.Phil Humber threw a perfect game earlier this year and this week he got destroyed in an outing by the Twins.Lots of weird things can happen in a meaningless minor league game at the end of the year including a 350-pound relief pitcher stealing third.It sounds like Adam Greenberg's comeback isn't going to happen with the Cubs.Royals stud prospect Wil Myers was named Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America.My Weekly Rundown Monday: LABOR DAY Tuesday: What will another good September mean for Chris Parmelee? Wednesday: The Curious Case of Anthony Slama Thursday: Revisiting my preseason projections for the minors Video of the Week: Former Twins outfielder Jason Repko made one of those catches that will be shown in highlight reels for years to come. Granted it came in a minor league game for the Red Sox but he still went up and over a wall to make a catch. Make sure to check it out if you haven't seen this amazing play. Click here to view the article

Weather has been a factor in the early part of the minor league schedule. Rochester was forced to play two seven-inning games on Tuesday because of weather issues on Monday. The Miracle had some weather issues of their own on Tuesday as their game got called early in the day. For the coming weeks, it likely means there will be plenty of doubleheader action in the Twins system. The games have to get played but it has been a long winter in different parts of the country and it could take awhile for the weather to start cooperating. However, the weather did cooperate for a few of the Twins affiliates on Tuesday night...[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: CIMG8984.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Scranton/WB 0 (7 Innings) Box Score Rochester picked up their first win of the season behind a strong pitching effort from Kris Johnson. In his Red Wings debut, Johnson tossed five scoreless frames for his first victory. He's held the RailRiders scoreless over three consecutive starts dating back to last season (17.0 IP). Ryan Pressly pitched the last two innings to complete the shutout. Every hitter in the Rochester line-up had at least one hit and five different players knocked in runs. DH Darin Mastroianni did a good job out of the leadoff spot going 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Eric Farris had a two-out RBI double for his first extra-base hit of the year. Rochester 6, Scranton/WB 5 (7 Innings) Box Score In the Red Wings second game of the day, Trevor May made his Triple-A debut. May had a tough act to follow with Johnson's performance in Game 1 but his performance turned out to be fantastic. Over five solid innings, May struck out eight and maybe more importantly didn't walk a single batter. The lone run scored against May came after he gave up a leadoff triple in the top of the fifth inning. He ended the evening throwing 84 pitches, 51 for strikes. Darin Mastroianni kept up his hot hitting from earlier in the day with three more hits in this contest. Brad Nelson went 2-for-2 with an RBI before being lifted for a pinch runner. Doug Bernier has only played in two games this season but he's made the most of them by getting multiple hits in both games. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 2, Harrisburg 6 Box Score Sean Gilmartin got off to a rough start in his debut in the Twins system. The Senators pounced on him for three runs in the first inning and the Rock Cats were never able to recover. Gilmartin put up zeros in the second, third, and fourth innings before getting hit around again during the fifth. He lasted five frames and surrendered four earned runs. Corey Wimberly had his second double of the season, while Brad Boyer and Mike Kvasnicka each collected two hits. Boyer stole his first base of the year but he also had a error in the field. The team didn't capitalize on some key moments as the club went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers --, Charlotte -- (Postponed) Inclement weather at Hammond Stadium meant the Miracle and the Stone Crabs will have to play a doubleheader on Wednesday. Game one will begin at 4:05 CST and the second game will be approximately 30 minutes after the first game with each game scheduled to last seven innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Great Lakes 8 Box Score Zach Larson did his best to keep the Kernels close but it wasn't enough as the team suffered their third loss of the year. Larson finished the day by going 3-for-4 with two doubles. Jeremias Pineda clocked his first home run of the year and stole his first base. Bryan Haar collected his second home run and, his second game in a row with an extra-base hit. The Kernels pitching staff gave up eight runs on eleven hits with four walks. Felix Jorge made his first start out of the rookie leagues and struggled by giving up four runs on five hits including a home run. He struck out three and didn't walk a runner. Alex Muren did a good job cleaning things up by tossing 2.2 scoreless frames to end the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Trevor May, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Darin Mastroianni, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (6:05 CST)- Scott Diamond Harrisburg @ New Britain (5:35 CST)- Pat Dean Charlotte @ Fort Myers (4:05 CST)- Mason Melotakis Charlotte @ Fort Myers (30 minutes after Game 1)- Jason Wheeler Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (5:05 CST)- Aaron Slegers Click here to view the article

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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