Cody Christie

On last week's episode of Talk to Contact, Darren "Doogie" Wolfson spent some time with us discussing the possibility of a Brian Dozier contract extension. He mentioned that Dozier's agent has already approached the Twins about this possibility. By the end of the interview, he said he wouldn't be surprised if Dozier has a new contract in place by the end of spring training next year. From the perspective of the Twins front office, there might not be a reason to be in a rush with Dozier. He didn't make his big league debut until the age of 24. His first year of arbitration eligibility is 2016 and he can't be a free agent until 2019. Dozier would be 31-years old before he hit the free agent market and a lot can happen to a player over the course of multiple seasons. On the other hand, Minnesota might want to lock-up Dozier before he gets to arbitration because of the way he has played since the second half of last season. Dozier's power swing really showed up in the last year's second half. He slashed .253/.313/.443 with 10 home runs and 18 doubles. His batting average is never going to be the prettiest (he's a career .240 hitter) but his combination of stellar defense and base running ability make him very valuable. A hot start from Dozier in 2014 could mean his cost is starting to rise. He already has nine home runs to his name and his 34 runs scored leads the American League. The addition of Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor to the coaching staff must also be helping Dozier. One of Molitor's duties is base running coach and Dozier is closing in on a career high in steals. He collected 14 steals a season ago and he already has 12 in 2014. So what could a Dozier extension look like in the next year? A starting point for the Twins and Dozier could be the deal signed by Padres second baseman Jedd Gyorko. Gyorko was drafted a year after Dozier and he made his debut on roughly the same timeline. Even though he was still arbitration eligible, the Padres inked him to a 5-year, $35 million contract, which includes a team option for a sixth year. This could mean Gyorko is in San Diego through 2020. Another second baseman to sign a recent contract extension was Jason Kipnis. Like Dozier, he was drafted in 2009 but he made his debut a year earlier. He also has an All-Star appearance to his name and he was closer to free agency by a year. The Indians gave Kipnis a 6-year, $52.5 million deal with a team option for 2020. Looking at these two deals I would put Dozier somewhere in the middle of these two players. The Twins should offer Dozier a 5-year deal for around $40 million with a team option for a sixth year. His average salary would be less than Kipnis and higher than Gyorko. I could see it going a little higher than $40 million but not too much higher. This deal would lock up Dozier through his arbitration years and push back his free agent years.

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

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

Weather played 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 got 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 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. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester --, Charlotte -- (Postponed) For the sixth time this season, the Red Wings were postponed because of weather. This is their fourth home game that was 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 of 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 on 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 started 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 some arm strength over his first three appearances. Tim Shibuya covered the next two frames and only allowed one hit. There have been some rough outings for Shibuya this season so it was nice to see a clean couple of innings. Five hitters had multiple hit games for the Miracle. Travis Harrison lead 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 of their own to the hit parade. Meijia matched Harrison with two RBI of his own. 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 earn run to lower his ERA to 2.50 on the season. Brandon Bixler picked a bad time to give up his first run of the season, a streak that lasted 11.1 innings and six games. He gave up a couple of 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

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

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]For the second Tuesday in a row, weather played havoc on the Twins farm system. Only half the teams were able to get on the field and both of those teams didn't exactly like the results on the night. Some hitters continued their hot starts to the year but the pitching seemed to be the biggest problem on this night[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Fans who braved the weather at Target Field got to see Phil Hughes get off to a great start before giving up a chunk of runs in the sixth inning. The Blue Jays have had the Twins number in recent years. Since 2010, Toronto has a 21-7 record versus Minnesota and things haven't been pretty during that stretch.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]RED WINGS REPORT[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Rochester --, Pawtucket -- (Postponed)[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Today's game between Rochester and Pawtucket was postponed due to inclement weather. The teams will play one game tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2:35 CST and they will make up today's game as part of a doubleheader on Thursday. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled for 12:05 CST and game two will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Scott Diamond was scheduled to make his third start of the year before the weather acted up. He is off to a rough start after allowing eight earned runs in five innings of work through two starts.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]ROCK CATS REVIEW[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]New Britain --, New Hampshire -- (Postponed)[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]The weather in the Northeast part of the US was not cooperating when it came to baseball action. Much like Rochester, New Britain wasn't able to play their game on Tuesday evening. It will be made up at some point later this season. DJ Baxendale was scheduled to make his third start of the year. He currently has a 5.91 ERA after giving up seven runs over 10.2 innings. [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]MIRACLE MATTERS[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Fort Myers 4, Charlotte 6[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times][URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_04_15_ftmafa_chaafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Fort Myers held 2-run leads at two different points in this game but it still wasn't enough. Tim Shibuya surrendered four runs including a three-run home run in the eighth inning to see the victory slip away. Jason Wheeler started the game and gave up two runs on eight hits. He struck out three and walked two. It was the first time this season he allowed more than one earned run in a start. [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Levi Michael continued his hot hitting by going 3-for-4 with a run scored. He has gone seven for his last nine and has been on base in 9-of-11 plate appearances. Dalton Hicks collected the only extra-base hit for the Miracle, his third double of the young season. Max Kepler had two hits for the second time this season and he ended a six-game hitless streak.[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]KERNELS NUGGETS[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Cedar Rapids 5, South Bend 7[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times][URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_04_15_souafx_cedafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]The Kernels were off to a scorching start with victories in six straight games. Cedar Rapids starter Ryan Eades got beaten up as he allowed five earned runs in three innings. On the positive side, he did record five strikeouts but South Bend pounded out eight hits against him. Josue Montanez came on in relief and got six strikeouts among the eight outs he recorded while limiting the Silver Hawks to one run.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Mitch Garver has started 12 games for the Kernels and he has five home runs so far. His fifth home run of the season put him in first place in the Midwest League in home runs and total bases. Tanner Vavra collected a hit to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Bryan Haar hit a two-run homer, his second in three games.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Josue Montanez, Cedar Rapids Kernels[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Levi Michael, Fort Myers Miracle[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Pawtucket @ Rochester (2:35 CST)- Scott Diamond[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]New Britain @ New Hampshire (9:35 CST)- Taylor Rogers*[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]Fort Myers @ Charlotte (9:00 CST)- Tyler Duffey[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Ethan Mildren[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times]*Subject to change because of today's weather delay[/FONT][/COLOR] View full article

For the second Tuesday in a row, weather played havoc on the Twins farm system. Only half of the teams were able to get on the field and both of those teams didn't exactly like the results on the night. Some hitters continued their hot starts to the year but the pitching seemed to be the biggest problem on this night Fans who braved the weather at Target Field got to see Phil Hughes get off to a great start before giving up a chunk of runs in the sixth inning. The Blue Jays have held the Twins number in recent years. Since 2010, Toronto has a 21-7 record versus Minnesota and things haven't been pretty during that stretch. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester --, Pawtucket -- (Postponed) Today's game between Rochester and Pawtucket was postponed due to inclement weather. The teams will play one game tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2:35 CST and they will make up today's game as part of a doubleheader on Thursday. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled for 12:05 CST and game two will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Scott Diamond was scheduled to make his third start of the year before the weather acted up. He is off to a rough start after allowing eight earned runs in five innings of work through two starts. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain --, New Hampshire -- (Postponed) The weather in the Northeast part of the US was not cooperating when it came to baseball action. Much like Rochester, New Britain wasn't able to play their game on Tuesday evening. It will be made up at some point later this season. DJ Baxendale was scheduled to make his third start of the year. He currently has a 5.91 ERA after giving up seven runs over 10.2 innings on the mound. MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers 4, Charlotte 6 Box Score Fort Myers held 2-run leads at two different points in this game but it still wasn't enough. Tim Shibuya surrendered four runs including a three-run home run in the eighth inning to see the victory slip away. Jason Wheel started the game and gave up two runs on eight hits. He struck out three and walked two. It was the first time this season he allowed more than one earned run in a start. Levi Michael continued his hot hitting streak by going 3-for-4 with a run scored. He has gone 7 for his last nine and he has been on base in 9-of-11 plate appearances. Dalton Hicks collected the only extra-base hit for the Miracle, his third double of the young season. Max Kepler had two hits for the second time this season and he ended a six-game hitless streak. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, South Bend 7 Box Score The Kernels were off to a scorching start with victories in six straight games. Cedar Rapids starter Ryan Eades got beat-up as he allowed five earned runs in three innings. On the positive side, he did record five strike outs but South Bend pounded out eight hits. Josue Montanez came on in relief and struck out six of the eight outs he recorded while limiting the Silver Hawks to one run. Mitch Garver has started 12 games for the Kernels and he has five home runs so far. His fifth home run of the season put him in first place in the Midwest League in home runs and total bases. Tanner Vavra collected a hit to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Bryan Haar hit a two-run homer, his second in three games. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Josue Montanez, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Levi Michael, Fort Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (2:35 CST)- Scott Diamond New Britain @ New Hampshire (9:35 CST)- Taylor Rogers* Fort Myers @ Charlotte (9:00 CST)- Tyler Duffey South Bend @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST)- Ethan Mildren *Subject to change because of today's weather delay

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... 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. Jeremis Pineda clocked his first home run of the year and stole his first base. Bryan Haar collected his second home run and it was 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 of 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)- Logan Darnell 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

Another regular season is upon us and that means that it is prediction time for a lot of writers across the inter-web. There will be surprise teams, surprise players, and even some other surprises along the way. The unknown and unpredictability of baseball is one of the most enduring qualities of "America's Past-time." Through out the coming week, I will be making my picks for the National League and the American League, taking a closer look at the AL Central, and selecting awards for the Twins. Here is a look at the weekly schedule so make sure to stop in all week to get yourself primed for the season to come. 2014 Preview Series National League Preview American League Preview American League Central Preview Talk to Contact Preview Episode Minnesota Twins Awards Preview NL East Champions: Washington Nationals The Nationals were a run away favorite for the NL East last season but things didn't really follow that plan. This year will be different, as the Nationals will fend off the Braves and other competitors for the top spot in the NL. Doug Fister will join a rotation, which already includes Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Jordan Zimmerman (a sleeper pick for the Cy Young Award). Bryce Harper looks to stay healthy this season and live up to the major hype that has surrounded the former number one pick. Atlanta's pitching injuries will allow the Nats to coast down the stretch and this will be a team to watch out for in September. NL Central Champions: St. Louis Cardinals It's hard to imagine a time when the Cardinals weren't in the fight for the top spot in the NL Central. This organization seems to know how to scout, develop talent, and create a roster at the big league level. The Pirates and the Reds will field good teams this year but this is still the Cardinals division to lose. Top pitching prospect Michael Wacha proved his worth in last year's postseason and top outfield prospect Oscar Taveras will look to make his big league debut. Catching stud Yadier Molina will be in the MVP discussion again as he tries to lead the Cards to their second World Series in the last four years. NL West Champions: Los Angeles Dodgers Things didn't go the Dodgers way last year as injuries and poor play put the team in a hole that was tough to get out of. Yasiel Puig's rookie campaign was hard to ignore but his behavior might push manager Don Mattingly to the brink. Clayton Kershaw has established himself as the best pitcher in the game. He will lead a strong staff that also includes the likes of Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu. If Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramires, and Adrian Gonzalez can avoid the injured list, this team could score a lot of runs and see themselves pushing Washington for the best record in baseball. The Giants and Diamondbacks might be pesky but this division belongs to Los Angeles. Wild Cards: Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants Last season was tough for the Giants but this year will be a bounce back year for one of the strongest franchises in the game. If Buster Posey can be behind the plate for over 140 games, he will be back in the MVP discussion. The addition of Tim Hudson to a stacked starting rotation of Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Tim Lincecum will help. Atlanta has been dealt a ton of injuries this spring but their line-up is still enough to overcome any pitching woes. Justin Upton and Jason Heyward will be back in form to push Atlanta back into the postseason but it will be a close race with the Reds and the Pirates not far behind. National League Award Picks (Sleeper Pick) MVP: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves) Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (Jordan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals) Rookie of the Year: Oscar Tavares, St. Louis Cardinals (Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds) Manager of the Year: Matt Williams, Washington Nationals (Walt Weiss, Colorado Rockies)

This off-season has been a lucrative one for back end of the bullpen pitchers. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan signed with the Detroit Tigers for 2-years and around $20 million. That's good money for a man closing in on age 40 that had Tommy John surgery not that long ago. The Braves also locked up their ninth inning man, Craig Kimbrel, to a 4-year, $42 million contact that will see him be one of the highest paid closers by the end of the deal. It's safe to say it's a decent time to be a closer. Things took a different path in Twins Territory this off-season. The Twins weren't looking to strike a new deal with their closer Glen Perkins because he signed a deal a couple of seasons ago that would have under team control through 2015. Perkins approached the team about signing a long-term deal so he could be a Twin even longer. The Minnesota native wanted to make sure the majority of his career was played in his home state. It wasn't that long ago that Perkins and the Twins looked like they were heading for an ugly break-up. In 2010, Perkins filed a grievance against the Twins for the way they handled his shoulder injury that season. He was sent to Triple-A while dealing with a shoulder injury and he felt like he should have been on the MLB disabled list so he could accumulate more big league service time. Oh, how things have changed! Perkins will now make $22.5 million from 2014-2017 with a team option for 2018. This new deal means he will be in Twins pinstripes into his mid-30's at a relatively cheap price. The top 25 highest paid relief pitchers are all scheduled to be paid over $5 million this season. With Perkins new deal, he will get a little over $4 million. The most Perkins will make under his new deal is $6.5 million in 2017 and that amount would only rank him 13th on the current list of relief pitcher salaries. If MLB contracts continue to rise, the Twins will have a very good deal by the end of this contract. It has been hard to ignore how valuable Perkins has been since he shifted to a relief pitcher role. When compared to other left-handed relief pitchers, Perkins is in some elite company. Over the past three seasons among lefty relievers with 150 innings, his 5.5 WAR ranks second to Aroldis Chapman and their ERAs are eerily similar, 2.43 for Chapman and 2.45 for Perkins. Where Perkins ranks the best is when it comes to strikeout to walk rate, his 4.2 SO/BB rate is the best in this category by a significant margin. Minnesota has one of the best farm systems in baseball and now the team won't have to worry about the back-end of the bullpen during the club's rebuild. Perkins took a hometown discount to be part of the rebuilding process and this means the team will have extra money to spend on other parts of the roster. Perkins has become an integral part of the Twin Cities community and his value goes far beyond what happens on the diamond.

ESPN's Sweetspot blog posted an interesting entry earlier today looking at the top teams in relation to their "core five" players. They took the top five men from each roster and compiled their Baseball Reference WAR totals to come up with a top ten list. Obviously the better players you have, the more likely you are to be a very good team. Out of their top ten list, eight of the teams qualified for the postseason last year. There's no surprise that Minnesota didn't crack the top ten list. However, the Twins were on a different top ten list within the same post. Minnesota finished in eighth place because 74% of the team's total WAR came from the club's top five players. Against other American League teams the Twins would have come in fourth place. Here's a look at the Twins "core five" players and how their WAR helped the club last season: 1. Joe Mauer: 5.4 WAR Mauer missed a big chunk of time in the second half due to his concussion symptoms and he still easily led the team in WAR. In fact, Mauer accounted for 26% of the team's total WAR in 2013. His defensive WAR of 0.9 was helped by his time behind the plate so it will be interesting to see how much the switch to first base impacts his defensive value in 2014. His 4.6 offensive WAR was one of the lowest totals of his career so fans could expect a jump in WAR value from Mauer moving forward. 2. Brian Dozier: 3.8 WAR Dozier's breakout season at the plate and in the field helped him to finish second on the team in WAR. His 1.5 defensive WAR was second on the team behind Pedro Florimon. He finished second to Mauer according to offensive WAR. Dozier finished first on the team in home runs and he will be the top returning RBI man from 2013. Plus, who didn't love seeing his long locks making diving plays at second base? 3 (tie): Pedro Florimon: 2.1 WAR Most of the WAR value produced by Florimon comes on the defensive side of the ball. He was tops on the team when it came to defensive WAR and he hardly made a blip on the radar offensively.If Minnesota wants to get back to winning games, there is no way Florimon should be in the team's top three of their "core five." His 2.1 WAR was over 10% of the team's total WAR for 2013 and that's just way too much for a player whose skill set is completely on defense. 3 (tie). Glen Perkins: 2.1 WAR In his first All-Star season, Perkins was good enough to have the highest WAR of any Twins pitcher. The next three pitchers on the list threw 96 innings or more so Perkins was providing his value in shorter pieces of work. It's great to have Perkins as a core member of the team's roster but it would be much better to see some starting pitchers on this list ahead of him. This could change with the additions of free agents Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes. 5. Trevor Plouffe: 1.9 WAR Hope were high for Plouffe entering last season as fans hoped to witness some more of the power he had shown in the minor leagues. Some injuries force Plouffe to change his approach at the plate and this took away some of his power. The former first round pick is still trying to prove his value to the Twins and this could be an important year for him. Is he part of the long-term core in Minnesota? Only time will tell... Predicting 2014's "Core Five" 1. Joe Mauer 2. Ricky Nolasco 3. Oswaldo Arcia 4. Brian Dozier 5. Phil Hughes

Some of the buzz of the Twitter world yesterday was surrounding the Twins and who should be the lead-off hitter when the team heads north from spring training. Ron Gardenhire would like one of the center field candidates to run away with thelead-off job but he had a surprise name as a back-up plan. With the ways things are starting to take shape, the team might have to get crafty with men near the top of the order. Here is a look at some of the candidates for the lead-off spot. Some of the men have different traits that would suit him them for the job while other's would leave fans scratching their heads. The Center Fielders Either Aaron Hicks or Alex Presley will win the starting job in center field. Hicks is coming off a rough rookie season where he struggled in time at the big league level. In 10 games as the lead-off hitter, Hicks had two hits over 46 plate appearances for a .047/.109/.047 batting line. Presely was only with the Twins for part of the season but in his time with the Twins and the Pirates he had 41 hits in 146 at-bats including eight extra-base hits as the number one hitter. His .281/.323/.370 batting line looks far superior to Hicks but the Twins still have hope for Hicks to turn it around. It seems more likely for Hicks to end up in Rochester to start the year and this could mean Presley is the leader in the clubhouse for the lead-off role The Second Baseman Brian Dozier is coming off a breakout season where he set the club record for home runs by a second baseman. He goes into this season as one of the team's vocal leaders and he wants to establish himself as the second baseman for years to come. Minnesota struggled to find a lead-off hitter last season and this forced the team to turn to Dozier on multiple occasions. He started 74 games as the lead-off hitter last season and batted .253/.310/.462 with 38 extra-base hits including 12 of his 18 home runs.Ron Gardenhire likes to have Joe Mauer batting in the number three spot in the line-up so this could mean Dozier sees a lot more time as the number two hitter. If Presley or Hicks are struggling to start the season, look for Dozier to lead-off and Mauer to move up to number two. The First Baseman The Twins already moved Joe Mauer out from behind the plate this off season and maybe this means it's time to move him to a different position in the batting order. As a career .323/.405/.468 hitter, Mauer has shown the skills necessary to get on base at a very high rate. In fact, his .323 batting average is the highest among active major league players. He will already be in the line-up on a more regular basis since he won't be catching so moving him up a couple spots in the order could mean more chance to get on base. Over his 10 year big league career, Mauer has never started a game as the lead-off hitter and that trend will likely continue this season. Gardenhire likes to have Mauer batting in the number three spot so he gets more opportunities to drive in runs. It seems more likely for Mauer to get a little time as the number two hitter but most of his at-bats will likely be out of the three hole. The Catcher Out of all of the men on this list, Kurt Suzuki might be the most unlikely choice for the lead-off role (even though Gardenhire mentioned the possibility of using him yesterday). He is a career .253/.309/.375 hitter with very little speed on the bases. Last season, he barely hit over .230 and his OBP was under .300. He's started 25 games as the lead-off hitter in his career but his .207/.258/.267 batting line is well below his career numbers. In his age 30 season, there is no reason to think Suzuki will magically be able to fit into the lead-off role. Even if the Twins were in a crunch for a game, it would seem more likely to put any of the other men mentioned above into the lead-off role over someone like Suzuki. Considering all of the things mentioned above, here is how I would rank the candidates for lead-off hitter at this point in the spring. It seems more likely for Hicks to be in Rochester than leading off for the Twins. Mauer and Suzuki would only be turned to as last minute options if an injury bug hit the team. Ranking the Lead-Off Hitter Candidates 1. Alex Presley 2. Brian Dozier 3. Aaron Hicks 4. Joe Mauer 5. Kurt Suzuki

The Arizona Diamondbacks will be dealing with a problem this spring that many other organizations would love to have to deal with. There are two shortstops on their roster who look to be ready to be everyday players at the big league level. Incumbent Didi Gregorius will be battling with top prospect Chris Owings for the starting spot over the next few weeks. Owings, a 21-year, won the Pacific Coast League MVP last season by hitting .330/.359/.482 with 51 extra-base hits. He is-clearly a better offensive weapon than Gregorius who hit .252/.332/.373 with 26 extra-base hits in 103 games last year. For Gregorius, he was worth 1.4 WAR and that puts him in some elite company among rookie shortstops age 23 or less. From the sound of things out of Arizona, the Diamondbacks might be ready to hand the starting job over to either one of their candidates. The team also knows both players need to be playing on a regular basis. This could leave Gregorius back in Triple-A at age 24 with not much left to prove at that level. Many teams would be happy to have both players on their roster but it is all about development for these two at this point. It has been a long time since the Twins have been able to develop a long-term option at shortstop. Pedro Florimon has used some strong defensive skills to earn the starting job but his offensive skill leave something to be desired. Danny Santana is working his way through the system but there are questions about his long-term ability to play the shortstop position. This leaves Minnesota with an opportunity... By simple supply and demand, the Diamondbacks have a surplus of shortstops and the Twins are lacking in this department. This could set-up the opportunity for the two teams to make a deal.Arizona has a lot of value stored up in Gregorius as he was the key piece they got in return for Trevor Bauer when he was traded to Cleveland. This could price the Twins out of any kind of Gregorius deal. It would be nice for Minnesota to get some long-term stability at the shortstop position after trading away JJ Hardy and trying to work through the failed Tsuyoshi Nishioka experiment. If the Twins could form a trade package around a young player like Oswaldo Arcia or Eddie Rosario, it might only take another piece to get this deal done. If the Diamondbacks want an upper-level catching prospect,maybe start the conversation with Josmil Pinto. Overall, this could be a pipe dream at this point in the season. One injury to a player in the comings weeks and the Diamondbacks wouldn't have a surplus of shortstops. There also might be more value for a player like Gregorius as teams in contention get closer to the trade deadline. The absence of Terry Ryan from the Twins front office could also be a detriment to a big time trade. A young shortstop would be nice to have but maybe just not at this point.

Members of the Minnesota Twins struck out 1,430 times last season. In the history of the Twins organization, no team had struck out more than 1,121 times (1997 team). That was the only year since the team moved to Minnesota that the club recorded more than 1,100 times. Over the last three seasons, Minnesota strikeout totals have increased every year. It has been a rough couple of seasons and there have been some inexperienced players trying to make their mark at the big league level. Players like Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, and Oswaldo Arcia all struck out more than 100 times last season and the Twins know this is an area that needs improvement. One player consistently praised for his approach at the plate is Joe Mauer. His ability to work counts and get on base at a high rate has been one of his trademarks. Over his 10-year big league career, he has a .405 OPS and he averages 78 strikeouts per 162 games played. These are impressive totals but his strikeout totals have been rising along with the team's increase over the last couple of seasons. Mauer didn't play a game in September last year after suffering from a concussion near the end of August. Even missing the end of the season, he still set a career high with 89 strikeouts. This came a year after he struck out 88 times. Prior to 2012, Mauer had never struck out more than 64 times and that happened back in 2005, his first full season in the big leagues. Last season, Red Sox pitcher John Lackey owned Joe Mauer. Over seven at-bats, Mauer managed one hit, a single, and he struck out five times. Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Rich Hill did surprisingly well against Mauer with three strikeouts over five plate appearances. Anibal Sanchez was the only other pitcher to strikeout Mauer more than twice and those three strikeouts happened over eight at-bats. Mauer's Most Strikeouts vs. Pitchers 1. CC Sabathia 19 SO (52 Plate Appearances) 2. Justin Verlander 10 SO (74 Plate Appearances) 3. John Danks 8 SO (60 Plate Appearances) 4. Ryan Dempster 7 SO (13 Plate Appearances) 5. CJ Wilson 7 SO (24 Plate Appearances) In Twins team history, the most strikeouts in a season occurred in 1972 when Bobby Darwin struck out 145 times in 145 games. The only other men to strikeout more than 140 times for the club are Carlos Gomez (142 in 2008), Harmon Killebrew (142 in 1962), and Josh Willingham (141 in 2012). Mauer might not be on his way to the 140 strikeout plateau but he was on pace for 100 strikeouts just a season ago. Former Hall of Fame players for the Twins, Kirby Puckett and Paul Molitor, never struck out more than 100 times in one season. Puckett cracked 90 in four different seasons with 99 strikeouts in 1986. Molitor's highest total was 93 and that came when he was a member of the Brewers organization. Young pitchers are getting better and there isn't as much of a stigma around striking out on a consistent basis. Mauer will most likely be on the field on a more regular basis with his switch to first base and this could mean a continued increase in his strikeout totals. If it's up to his new coach Paul Molitor things might change for the Twins next year. He said, "We need to try and find a way to minimize strikeouts before the epidemic gets any worse." After last season in Twins Territory, that sounds like a good philosophy to follow.

Earlier this week, the Sporting News released their list of the most iconic moment for each MLB team. Some teams are tied to some of the best moments in the history of the sport while other teams top moments aren't too memorable outside of their home market. That's the nature of these kinds of lists. For Twins fans, it is pretty easy to put Kirby Puckett's walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series at the top of the list. The '91 World Series might be the best Fall Classic of all time and this was one of the signature moments that helped it to stand out above the rest of Twins history. There have been other iconic moments throughout the history of the franchise. This got me thinking about what other moments would end up on the Twins most iconic list. I polled the Twitter universe to see what other ideas people could come up with and there have been plenty of other iconic moments in the team's history. How would you rank the following moments in relation to how iconic they were for the Twins? The following moments are listed in chronological order starting with the most recent. Click on each link for a video or clip about the moment. Alexi Casilla's Walk-Off Hit, Game 163 (2009): For the younger generation of Twins fans, this is the closest thing to a walk-off World Series moment. It also helps that the game was back and forth with both teams seeming to be near a victory. The team got to swarm onto the field and celebrate in front of a packed house and it was a great way to say goodbye to the Metrodome's final season. This game belonged to Jack Morris but it's hard to call one entire pitching performance an iconic moment. Larkin's hit over the outfielders heads allowed Dan Gladden to trot home and the Twins to be World Series champions for the second time in five seasons. Morris was one of the first to meet Gladden at home plate and the legacy of this World Series was cemented in time. Before his walk-off heroics later in the evening, Puckett made a defensive play for the ages. His leap up against the Plexiglass outfield wall might have been the highlight of the game if not for his "See You Tomorrow Night" home run. The smaller sized Puckett seemed to defy gravity with his leap to pull in a sure bet extra-base hit. For Braves fans, this moment still burns deep in their souls. It is another story for Twins fans as this moment could have been one of the early turning points in the series. Hrbek might have helped to pull Gant off of the base but the umpires still called him out on the play. In recent years, this moment was immortalized in bobblehead form and it doesn't get much more iconic than that. While the 1991 World Series was full of iconic moments, it is tough to find one iconic moment from the Twins first championship run. Hrbek's grand slam in Game 6 helped Minnesota to push the Cardinals to a decisive Game 7. This would lead to Hrbek's leap at first base after collecting the final out of the team's first championship. Both of these moments were iconic but the home run was more important to the outcome of the series. The front office for the Twins wasn't expect more than a few thousand fans to welcome the Twins home after clinching the team's first AL Pennant since 1965. By the end of the evening the Metrodome was packed to the brim with fans even having to sit in the stairs to get a view of the team. Members of the 1987 team always talk about this moment and for them it might be the most iconic.Harmon Killebrew's 520 foot HR (1967): A seat still hangs on the wall at the Mall of America to commemorate this Ruthian blast off the bat of Killebrew. As the first face of the franchise, Killebrew never had a championship winning moment. His 1965 team made the World Series but fell short to the Dodgers. Out of all of his moments in a Twins uniform, this might be the one that stands the test of time. In only their fifth season since moving to Minnesota, the Twins were in the World Series. Minnesota would win the first two games at The Met and Allison's catch helped to keep Game 2 close. His slow dive down the left field line took away what was sure to be an extra base hit. Los Angeles would only score one run in the game and this might have been one of the first iconic moments in the club's history. CLICK HERE to rank the moments above.

A lot of the buzz coming out of Target Field this weekend surrounded top prospects Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. The lines for autographs from these two players was very extensive and neither of them has an at-bat at higher than the Double-A level. This is a lot of hype surrounding two men who are a few months removed from being teenagers. If Minnesota is going to get out of the rut of the last three seasons, top prospects like Buxton and Sano will have to come up and perform at a high level. These men are supposed to provide the light at the end of the tunnel but [URL="http://www.twinkietown.com/2014/1/23/5339436/what-if-byron-buxton-and-miguel-sano-dont-pan-out"]how much is riding on these top prospects panning out?[/URL] I've given each of the top five prospects in the organization a "Franchise Future Ranking" between 1-10. A ranking of one would mean the franchise should be able to survive without this prospect making a huge impact at the big league level. A ranking of 10 would mean the franchise is going to continue to lose unless this player is promoted to the majors and lives up to his potential. [U]Byron Buxton, OF [/U]Considered by many to be the best prospect in baseball. He is closer to being ready than Mike Trout was at the same age but it's tough to compare anyone to what Trout has done at the big league level. Buxton should be a perennial All-Star with his name in the MVP discussion. In a couple years, the AL MVP race could be decided between Trout and Buxton instead of Cabrera versus Trout. The Twins need Buxton to turn into the face of the franchise as Joe Mauer's career starts to wind down. If the Twins had a weaker system, he would like get a 10 ranking but for now he gets a nine. [B]Franchise Future Ranking: 9[/B] [U]Miguel Sano, 3B [/U]Before Buxton entered the Twins system, Sano had a lot of pressure on him to be the cornerstone of the Twins franchise. The emergence of Buxton has taken some pressure off of Sano but he is still arguably the best power-hitting prospect in the minor leagues. Some compare him to Miguel Cabrera but he probably won't develop the ability to hit for a higher of average. His power swing hasn't stopped at any level in the minors and his defense is passable enough at third to stay there. Minnesota's line-up could be one of the top offensive threats with Sano and Buxton batting in the middle of the order. [B]Franchise Future Ranking: 8[/B] [U]Alex Meyer, RHP [/U]When Terry Ryan took back over as Minnesota's GM, there was clearly a lack of power arms in the system. Ryan did his best to help the future of the franchise by trading for Meyer. A few injury issues marked his first year in the organization but he still managed to pitch a significant amount of innings between the regular season and the Arizona Fall League. The Twins need Meyer to be a top of the rotation pitcher so he can pave the way for younger arms like Kohl Stewart, JO Berrios and Lewis Thorpe. He might not be a Cy Young candidate but his importance can't be understated. [B]Franchise Future Ranking: 8[/B] [U]Kohl Stewart, RHP [/U]The list of home-grown pitching prospects that will compete for a starting rotation spot with the Twins next year is short. In fact, Kyle Gibson is the only man on that list. Stewart is one of a few younger pitchers in the lower levels of the Twins system trying to help change the future of the franchise. He is multiple years away from the big leagues but the three men above him on this list should already be at Target Field by the time he arrives. There are a lot of variables that could hold Stewart back from being a front of the rotation starter. He's got the potential but the Twins have insurance policies in some of the younger arms in the system. [B]Franchise Future Ranking: 7[/B] [U]Eddie Rosario, 2B/OF [/U]Brian Dozier seemed to handle himself pretty well at second base last season so this could make it difficult for Rosario to break into the big leagues. Rosario is widely touted as one of the best hitting prospects in the organization. He probably doesn't project to have enough power to fit into a corner outfield spot so a switch back to the outfield doesn't seem likely. His suspension to start the year is going to hurt some of his development time but the franchise could likely survive without him being an All-Star level player. If Dozier continues to shine, it would be nice to see a Rosario trade for more pitching depth. [B]Franchise Future Ranking: 5[/B] 
 Obliviously, these are five of the best prospects for the organization. This means they are going to rank higher than some of the other players in the system. Now it's your turn. How would you rank these players in relation to their importance for getting the team out of their recent losing ways? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article