Cody Christie

Pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout on Wednesday morning and that can be exciting for multiple reasons. There is hope at the beginning of any baseball year that your club will be able to put it all together and come through a long season with a World Series Championship at the other end. Yesterday I wrote about some of the major story lines that fans can follow during the course of spring training with the pitchers and catchers. There is at least one spot open in the rotation and a couple of question marks in the bullpen to be sorted out in the coming weeks. There will be some prospects in the big league camp that could play an important role in the coming year. If you want information on all of the prospects in the Twins minor league system, make sure to order a copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. There are plenty of other minor leaguers out there and this is just a taste of some of the young men working through the system. For now, here are a few pitchers and catchers that could be getting closer to playing a role with the club in 2013. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3255[/ATTACH] Catchers: With Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, and Drew Butera scheduled to take up most of the playing time on the big league roster at this position, there won't likely be room for younger players. There are still a couple of promising catching prospects that will be one step closer to the big leagues. Chris Herrmann: Twins fans got a brief taste of Herrmann at the end of last season when he got a September call-up. His performance wasn't memorable but it is hard to be remembered over seven games and 19 plate appearances. After racking up 97 games at Double-A in 2011, the Twins sent him back to New Britain and his 2012 season was one of his best as a professional. His ability to play catcher and outfield is an asset that could be very valuable in the future. He will start the year at Rochester but an injury to one of the big league catchers could mean a return trip to Minnesota. Josmil Pinto: The 23-year old has slowly been working his way through the Twins system. Last season, he spent most of the year at Fort Myers before getting a taste of New Britain at the end of the year. A second season in the Eastern League is likely for Pinto and a strong start to the year could see him being bumped up to Rochester. His 2012 season was his best as he hit .295/.362/.482 with 14 home runs and 26 doubles. He combined a high batting average with a good amount of power. On the defensive side of the ball, there are a few holes in his game. Pinto has a couple of levels to work out the kinks before he can make his Twins debut. Pitchers: All eyes will be on recent acquisitions Alex Meyer and Trevor May since there is plenty of hype following these two powerful arms. Kyle Gibson will be making his long awaited debut this year after spending most of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery. There could be at least one open spot in the starting rotation and others in the bullpen. BJ Hermsen: The team honored Hermsen with their minor league pitcher of the year award and he will look to have a repeat performance this year. He threw almost 140 innings at the Double-A level last year so it will be interesting to see if he gets the bump up to Triple-A. There is probably a slim chance that Hermsen makes the Opening Day roster. There are plenty of other players in camp that have big league experience so those arms will likely get first crack at the rotation. He could still spend time in upper levels of the minor leagues and he is already on the 40-man roster so that helps his cause. Caleb Thielbar: It has been quite the story for Thielbar as he bounced around the Brewers organization before playing in the for the St. Paul Saints. The Twins signed him for a few brief appearances in 2011 and this led to wild ride in the 2012 season. He played at three different levels from High-A to Triple-A. His time at Rochester wasn't outstanding but he made it one step closer to the big leagues. The Twins sent him to the Arizona Fall League this offseason. In what most experts consider a hitters league, he struggled in the AFL over a small sample size of 13 innings. Hopefully, this experience will serve him well in the future. Michael Tonkin: It looks like Tonkin could end up being a very good relief arm at the back end of the bullpen. He put together a very good 2012 season and he seemed to get better throughout the year. He averaged 12.2 SO/9 with Beloit but he increased that number to 13.1 with the Miracle. Like Thielbar, Tonkin got to face some of the best prospects in the game during the AFL. He fared a little better by not giving up an earned run in his first eight appearances. In the last couple of outings, he surrendered a couple home runs and four earned runs. It was still a very good AFL season as he never gave up more than one hit in an appearance.

It might have seemed like it would never come (especially with the recent snow storm that hit a chunk of Twins Territory) but Twins pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers today. The first workout is tomorrow morning and there are plenty of questions to be answered before the start of the year. For the rest of the position players, the reporting date is on Friday with the first full squad workout taking place on Saturday. It sure doesn't feel like it is close to the start of baseball season but there is light at the end of the tunnel. On Friday, I will go over five story lines to watch for the players that will report on that day. For now, here is a look at some of the top stories to follow as pitchers and catchers begin their trek to Opening Day. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3242[/ATTACH] Who will make the starting staff? At the beginning of the offseason, it was clear that Scott Diamond was the lone player that looked to be a lock for one of the five starting spots. There have been plenty of moves since that point to bring in a variety of arms with big league experience. Vance Worley was added to the club from Philadelphia in the Ben Revere trade. He will slide into the rotation behind Diamond. Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey were added on free agent deals and they are both expected to be in the starting rotation for a bulk of the year. This leaves the fifth spot open for a few different arms. Former first round pick Kyle Gibson is coming off Tommy John surgery and he could have the upper hand at winning the spot. Other options of players on the 40-man roster are Liam Hendriks and Cole De Vries. How much will Joe Mauer catch? Word out of TwinsFest was that Joe Mauer wants to spend more time at catcher in 2013. This comes a year after Mauer played a career high 147 games but only 74 of those games were behind the plate. From 2005-2010, Mauer caught over 110 games and getting back to that mark could be a goal for him this year. Mauer will also have to be ready earlier in spring training to catch a full game since he will be one of Team USA's catchers in the World Baseball Classic. It will be interesting to see how USA Manager Joe Torre uses Mauer and if the Twins will try to control how many innings he logs. As I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, the right formula for Mauer could be finding the best time for him to catch. Manager Ron Gardenhire and Mauer seem to have a good relationship when it comes to his playing time. They will try and work out a plan that will be best for Mauer and the Twins. What will the role be of Kyle Gibson? As mentioned before, the Twins are going to need someone to fit into that fifth spot in the rotation. The hope is that Gibson can be part of the rotation for the foreseeable future. That being said, the team isn't sure of where he will begin the season. If the team wants him to start games from the beginning of the year, the best spot for him might be in the rotation of the Rochester Red Wings. This way the club can have an easier time controlling his innings while not put strain on the big league bullpen. It might also be nice to get some starts under his belt before making his debut. The club has also talked about using him in a relief role to start the year. This will keep his innings lower at the beginning of the year so he is available for the majority of the season. He will likely have an innings limit for 2013 so the organization has to be careful with how he is used. How can Scott Diamond avoid the sophomore slump? Diamond is looking to improve upon what was a good rookie campaign in which he led Twins starters in almost every statistical category. His hot first half start was tough to duplicate in the second half. He posted a 2.62 ERA in the first half with a 1.18 WHIP. Those numbers jumped to a 4.31 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. The Twins hope they can see more of the Diamond from before the break when he was one of the best pitchers in the American League. Other teams and hitters might be coming more familiar with Diamond so it will be even more important for him to locate his pitches in his second full season. With other experienced pitchers around Diamond, there might not be as much pressure on the 26-year old Canadian. He has a chance to be the Opening Day starter versus Justin Verlander and the Tigers. From there, it is about making his pitches and hoping the defense holds up behind him. Can Glen Perkins and Jared Burton continue to find success? One of the biggest strengths for the Twins last season was the bullpen. There were strong performances from multiple members of the relief core but two men stood out above the crowd. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton are two of the key pieces that will look to find continued success in 2013. Perkins will officially enter the season as the team's closer for the first time. He has put together back-to-back strong seasons after he found his place as a relief pitcher. His velocity has increased and he has become a major threat in the late innings of games. Burton had a marvelous season after struggling to find his place in Cincinnati. He was one of the best set-up men in the game last year so the Twins signed him to a multi-year contract. It helps that he is right-handed and Perkins is left-handed so there are two different options for the club. Their continued success could go a long way in helping this club get back to .500 this year.

For the second year in a row, Twins fans can help to send a local representative to New York City for MLB's Fan Cave. Michael McGivern, a resident of St. Paul, is one of 52 finalist for this year's version of the Fan Cave. He needs help from everyone in Twins Territory by voting for him as much as possible. Fans can vote at MLB.com and you can see his video below. The MLB Fan Cave started in 2011 as two "cave dwellers" were selected to live in NYC for the entire season. As part of their position's in the Cave, they would be charged with watching every MLB game live, interviewing players that stopped to visit, and interacting with fans across a wide variety of social media. Last season, Lindsey Guentzel was one of the nine finalist that was elected to the Fan Cave. It was nice for Minnesota fans to have a local connection in last year's Fan Cave. The hope for McGivern is that he can continue the tradition of the Twins being represented in NYC. I recently had a chance to ask McGivern a few different Twins related questions. After reading through some of his great responses, make sure to vote for him as much is possible. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3235[/ATTACH] NoDak Twins Fan (NDTF): What's your earliest memory of the Twins? McGivern (MM): My earliest memory of the Twins is probably just being in the car with my Dad listening to games. I don't know what was going on, but Herb Carneal had a way to keep you engaged. The first game I could remember going to was the day the Twins retired Kent Hrbek's number and the guy next to us had a sign that read "HRBEK! HOF!" NDTF: If you could go back and be at any Twins game in history, what game would it be? Why? MM: Game 7 of '91. I think game 163 against the Tigers was the most nerve-wracking three-and-a-half hours of my life, but wouldn't the Jack Morris game be 10-fold? NDTF: What are your predictions for the Twins 2013 season? MM: I think they are improved. If Willingham and the pitchers can stay healthy, they'll be closer to .500 than they will 90 losses. I wonder what the lineup will look like on August 1st? NDTF: With some recent moves, the Twins farm system has become ranked as one of the best in baseball. Which prospects are you most excited to see over the next couple of years? MM: Miguel Sano, Aaron Hicks, and Byron Buxton are going to get the most attention, and rightfully so, but I'm interested most in Alex Meyer because he wasn't a homegrown player who I could keep an eye on since he got drafted; we need high-upside arms' and the Twins have bee in a rut particularly because player we have received in big trades over the last several years have fizzled. Is Oswaldo Arcia in that aforementioned lineup Aug. 1? NDTF: Which MLB player would you be most excited to meet if you are elected to the MLB Fan Cave? MM: Other than a Twin I'd go with Mike Trout. Such an electrifying young player who has the potential to be his generation's Griffey or Mantle. There are a myriad of others, but he is at the top of my list. Thanks again to Michael McGivern for the interview and fans across Twins Territory should get out and vote for him to make it to the MLB Fan Cave!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have looked back at some of the worst players to ever suit up in a Twins uniform. There have been some poor players to wear these colors and it can be fun to look back on their careers. Some of these men went on to have successful careers in baseball or even outside of the baseball world. Here is a rundown of all of the players that have been covered so far in the "Worst Twins of All-Time Series" with links back to the original articles: Butch Huskey Terry Felton Scott Klingenbeck Matt Walbeck Dave McCarty Today's addition to the "Worst Twins of All-Time Series" had been an All-Star the year before the Twins traded for him. His trade helped to bring a critical piece to Minnesota for their title runs but he ran into some rough patches along the way. Mr. Ron Davis, welcome to the "Worst Twins of All-Time Series." ---------- [ATTACH=CONFIG]3221[/ATTACH] Davis was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the third round of the 1976 amateur draft. His professional career would start at the Low-A level where he had some rocky seasons. He would start 17 games in his first season and throw 12 complete games. After he got a couple of minor league seasons under his belt, he was sent to the Yankee organization where he would start to make his mark. The Yankees saw the future for Davis as being a relief pitcher. He would never start a game in their organization and he would become one of the best set-up men. When Rich "Goose" Gossage got hurt, the Yankees had to turn to Davis as their closer. He won 14 games out of the bullpen in 1979 and he finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting. Over the next three seasons, the duo of Gossage and Davis would be formidable in late inning situations. Davis was one of the first pitchers to be used exclusively as a set-up man leading up to the closer. During this stretch, Davis averaged almost 100 innings a season with a 2.86 ERA. He was 25-years old and he looked to have a bright future in front of him. On April 10, 1982, the Twins and the Yankees would work out a deal that would bring Davis to Minnesota. The Twins sent shortstop Roy Smalley to New York in exchange for Davis, Greg Gagne, and Paul Boris. For the Twins, Boris would only get a taste of the big leagues. Gagne would become a vital part of the team ‘s two championships. The Twins would shift Davis from set-up man to closer and this switch came with some disastrous results. In his first season with the club, he pitched over 100 innings with 22 saves. Unfortunately, he had a 4.43 ERA and he had five blown saves. He was often asked to pitch more than one inning but it was still rough going after the numbers he put up in New York. Davis would improve for the 1983 season by lowering his ERA to 3.34 and the team cut back on some of his workload. He wasn't asked to pitch as many multiple inning situations and he only blew two saves. This was a step in the right direction but it was still far from great. The 1984 season would be a record breaking season for Davis and not in a good way. He would tie the record for most blown saves in a single season with 14. No closer since that year has blown that many saves in a single campaign. He would end that year with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Ouch! Minnesota continued to use Davis as the closer but this didn't last forever. Some terrible outings in 1986 forced the team to take away his closer duties. There were wild pitches, walks, home runs, and too many headaches for the coaches to handle. He would be sent to the Cubs in a mid-season deal to end his Twins tenure. For his Twins career, Davis finished with a 19-40 record and a 4.51 ERA. He racked up 108 saves, which ranks fourth in club history. Davis would finish in the top five for saves in the AL in three of his five seasons with the team. Over 381.1 innings, Twins fans suffered through a 1.49 WHIP and plenty of blown saves. He tallied a -0.2 WAR in his five years with the club including a -2.1 WAR in 1986. Davis wouldn't record another save after he left the Twins organization. He would make appearances with the Cubs, Dodgers, and Giants with his last big league appearance coming in 1988. The Giants and Yankees would keep him at Triple-A in '89-'90 but he never made it back to the top. The son of Davis, Ike, has emerged as a regular with the New York Mets. He was selected in the first round of the 2008 draft and it only took him a couple of years to make it to the big leagues. Last season, he clobbered 32 home runs but he only hit .227/.308/.462 with 141 strikeouts. As far as the worst Twins players of all-time, the elder Davis doesn't exactly rank at the top of the list. He had some positive moments along the way. Even with his high ranking on the all-time saves list for the club, Twins fans will always associate his name with ineffective relief pitching.

The road back to the top of the AL Central isn't going to be easy for the Twins and the organization has already started their rebuilding process. Players have been traded away, some of the top minor league players are getting closer to making their big league debuts, and new coaches have been brought in to provide a fresh voice. Over the last couple of days, I have taken a look at a few of the different topics that will help the Twins on the road to rebuild. Kyle Gibson could be a key figure in the starting rotation of the future. Minnesota also could have a couple of tough decisions to make when it comes to the expiring contracts of Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham. There are going to be plenty of things that need to break right for the Twins to find success in the next couple of years. That's the same story for many teams in the baseball world. No one thought the Orioles would make it into the playoffs last season with their run differential being negative for most of the year. The game of baseball is filled with quirks and this can allow for some surprises on the way to the top. The Twins are trying to get back to their winning ways and it is going to take a little luck along with some better performances on the field. Last season, the Twins had one of the most important drafts in the history of the franchise. The team switched their draft strategy and there could be a big payoff in a couple of seasons. ---------- [ATTACH=CONFIG]3216[/ATTACH] Something needed to change because the draft strategy for the Twins had left the organization without many pitchers with upside in their system. The team got in the habit of taking the same kind of pitcher, college arms that threw strikes. Out of the five pitchers to throw the most innings last season, Nick Blackburn was the only player to be drafted by the Twins and brought up through the organization. The pitch-to-contact formula wasn’t working for the organization. Minnesota had three first round picks in 2012 and one of those picks was the second player in the draft. The team needed to find a way to get some arms with more upside into the organization. One way to do this is by trading away major league players but eventually a team will run out of big league talent. So something needed to change. On draft night, the Twins were lucky enough to get the player many considered the best in the draft with the number two overall pick. Byron Buxton is already considered one of the top prospects in baseball and his selection wasn't all that different for Minnesota. The team is known for taking toolsy high school outfielders but the picks that followed Buxton would be a change for the franchise. For most of the rest of the draft, Minnesota would load up on pitching. The team had 43 selections in the draft and 24 of them were used on pitchers. In 2011, the Twins had 52 picks and 35 of them were used on pitching. The team knows this is a major weakness for the organization and it will be very important for the club to stockpile young arms for the future. Of the 24 pitchers taken by the Twins in 2012, 20 of them were college arms. The team was adding arms with a lot of potential for what seemed like the first time in quite awhile. JO Berrios and Luke Bard were Minnesota's other two first round picks and both men can hit 96 mph with their fastball. Mike Radcliff, vice president of player personnel, told MLB.com after the draft, "I know everybody says we're the pitch-to-contact Twins and all that, but that's really not our preference at all. It's how it played out over time with all the different pitchers we drafted, signed, and brought in." He went on to say, "But we have just as much preference and desire to sign guys that throw hard as anybody else. It just hasn't played out that way. We did take a lot of guys with some arm strength, some power to their pitches." Even outside scouts and prospect writers took note of the switch for Minnesota in last year's draft. ESPN's Keith Law is the main prospect writer for that company and earlier this week he ranked the Twins as the second best farm system in baseball. Law also had good things to say about the switch for the Twins in last year's draft. In his farm system overview, he said, "They're stacked, with center fielders, athletes, power bats and, in a new development for the Twins, a few power arms sprinkled in there as well -- this ain't your father's Twins system, packed with college command-and-control pitchers with 45-grade fastballs." He went on to add, "They went for upside in the 2012 MLB draft more than they'd done in the previous few seasons. It will be a couple of seasons before the Twins know if this new draft strategy worked for the club. Most of these players, especially the starting pitchers, won't be making their debuts in 2013 or even 2014. The organization had to make a switch and last year's draft might be one of the steps that helps the club to rebound on the road to rebuild.

Yesterday was the first part of a series that will look at the road that lies ahead for the Minnesota Twins as they try to rebuild after back-to-back 90 loss seasons. The team has already started the rebuilding process by trading away two of their most valuable major league assets in Denard Span and Ben Revere. In the first part of the series, Kyle Gibson was looked at as one of the key pieces to helping the rebuild get off to a good start. He might not end up being an ace for the Twins but he could end up being a solid starter for the better part of the next decade. The Twins might be relying on him to form the first part of the rotation of the future. There are plenty of things that will be part of the rebuilding process but many fans are only going to notice some of the big changes. Today, “The Road to Rebuild” looks at trading away some of the team’s assets to get players for the next time the team will be competitive. ---------- [ATTACH=CONFIG]3205[/ATTACH] Denard Span and Ben Revere were two fan favorites over the last couple of years but the team jumped at the opportunity to trade these two players for young pitchers with upside. The Twins turned two former first round picks into three pitchers that should figure into the team’s equation over the next handful of seasons. It can be tough to trade away players that have been with the organization since they were teenagers. At TwinsFest, Terry Ryan made it clear that trading away Revere was one of the toughest decisions of his professional career. He said, "Ben Revere is like a son to me." These are decisions that the front office has to make with their head and not with their heart. There are a couple of other valuable pieces that the Twins could potentially trade in the next two years. This could help add more depth to a farm system that is already considered one of the best in all of baseball. Trades are one of the best ways to help rebuild a team. It seems that there will be plenty of other tough decisions for Mr. Ryan to make along the road to rebuild. Two of the team's best players will have their contracts with the club expire before the end of the 2014. The way the Twins are shaping their roster doesn't make it seem like the team will be competitive before the end of those deals. This could leave Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham on the trading block. Trading Morneau could be another tough decision for Ryan. Twins fans have cheered for Morneau through thick and through thin. The former MVP has had a couple of rough years in a row but the end of 2012 was a step in the right direction. He hit .289/.354/.439 in the second half of the year. If Morneau could get the 2013 season off on the right foot, he could increase his trade value. Morneau is in the last year of a six-year, $80 million deal. With Chris Parmelee on the roster, the Twins have a replacement for Morneau waiting in the wings. Parmelee will be a much cheaper option since he has yet to reach arbitration. A team looking to add a powerful left-handed bat for the stretch run might be willing to give up some pieces to acquire Morneau. Last offseason, the Twins signed Willingham to a very reasonable three-year, $21 million contract. He more than lived up to the deal during his first season in a Twins uniform. MLB honored him with a Silver Slugger Award after he knocked 35 home runs, the most by a Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew since 1963. This tremendous season helped to add value to a player the Twins got for a good deal. Willingham's contract will run through the end of the 2014 season but he will be 36-years old by that point. He is closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning so it is hard to imagine him gaining any more value on the field. If the right deal is on the table from another club, the Twins might have to pull the trigger. For fans, it can be tough to watch their favorite players leave for another team. Especially when the players the Twins get back are still a couple years away from making an impact at the big league level. Trading away veteran players is part of the rebuilding process. And hey, fans can be rest-assured that Joe Mauer will be around for this rebuild... ...and maybe even the next one too.

Over the next couple of days I will be looking at a few different topics as it relates to the Twins getting back to their winning ways. It has been a tough couple of seasons for Twins fans but it looks like there is hope for the future. This might not come in 2013 but it is only the first step in the process. "The Road to Rebuild" series will look at some of the key figures or events that will be critical for the long-term success of the organization. There are plenty of things that need to go right and these are just a handful of those topics. The first article in the series looks at a young man that was on the fast track for the big leagues before an arm injury forced him to the sidelines. ---------- [ATTACH=CONFIG]3192[/ATTACH] During the next couple of seasons, there is going to need to be more than one thing that breaks in favor of the Twins for the team to get back to the top of the AL Central. There will be plenty of young talent ready to emerge for the club but this will mean that some things need to go right in the minor leagues. For Minnesota, the road to rebuild has already started and there will be plenty of other important steps along the way. Kyle Gibson could be one of the key pieces for the Twins on their road back to the top. The former first round pick back in 2009 will undoubtedly make his MLB debut this year after missing most of last season due to Tommy John surgery. Reports from the Arizona Fall League have his slider looking sharper and there seems to be a little more life on his pitches. This is great news for the Twins. The Twins hope their rotation of the future will include Gibson and recent acquisitions Alex Meyer and Trevor May. It will be a year or two before Meyer and May make it to the big leagues. This leaves Gibson as the first cog in the rotation of the future. He should have the most big league service time under his belt and this could help him to be a leader to these other young pitchers. When Minnesota looks ahead, the front office probably isn't considering Gibson a front of the rotation starter. His track record in the minor leagues didn't put him on the path for that elite level. But the team might not need him to get to this point; he still could be a very good number two or number three pitcher. If he can reach this level, he could be in the middle of the Twins rotation for the better part of the next decade. Gibson has a fastball that can hit in the mid-90s but it usually rests in the 91-92 range. His plus slider will be a pitch that could be fun to watch for Twins fans. The other above average pitch in his arsenal is a change up. Between the end of last season and the AFL, Gibson got plenty of work in so there shouldn't be any restrictions on the type of pitches that he throws. The plan for Gibson in 2013 is still up in the air. Since it will be his first full season since surgery, there will most likely be an innings limit placed on the right-hander. The other thing yet to be decided is where the 25-year old will start the season. He could be asked to begin in Rochester so he can be a starter and the team can have better control over his innings. The other option is to have him start the year in the bullpen for the Twins. In an interview conducted by Seth Stohs of Twins Daily, Ron Gardenhire had good things to say about Gibson and the coming year. Gardenhire said, "The first thing is to get him out on the field and get him going through the same thing as everybody else. I'm sure he can't wait to do that. And get right into the middle of the program. HE's ready to do that with no restrictions. Get back on the programs and do all the drills. I'm sure he's fired up about getting back in there. I'm excited to see the young man. He's a very talented young man." If Twins fans think Gibson is going to win multiple Cy Young awards and be a perennial 20-game winner, this might be setting the expectations a little too high. It does seem that at minimum he should be a strong middle of the rotation pitcher with the potential to do some very good things along the way. The road to rebuild is going to be an extended process and Gibson is a key figure. The Twins need some of their young starting pitching to succeed and Gibson will be the first of that young core to make his debut. Eyes across Twins Territory will be keeping their focus on Gibson and it will be up to him to perform at the big league level.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3189[/ATTACH] Most sports fans are well aware that the Super Bowl was played last night. Those that watched the game also know that one of the biggest story lines of the night was when a power surge caused the lights to go out in the Superdome. It took about a half an hour for the whole ordeal to get worked out and for the players to get back on the field. The Twins played under the Metrodome roof for close to three decades and there are bound to be a few mishaps along the way. but that came after the Twins had moved across town to Target Field. There were some other delays when the Twins played at the Dome including multiple roof tears caused by heavy snow. A power outage also fits into the history of the Twins in their time under the roof of a domed stadium. On August 29, 1992, there was a power outage that caused a 23-minute delay in the game versus the New York Yankees. The outage happened in the third inning but there wasn't as much excitement after the outage as there was in last night's game. The Yankees would get out to a 3-0 first inning lead after some ineffective pitching from Bill Krueger with two outs in the frame. Don Mattingly cracked a double to get the rally started. After a walk to Danny Tartabull, Roberto Kelly hit a single that would score Mattingly from second. Another walk would load the bases before Jim Leyritz knocked a single to drive in two runs. Krueger would run into some similar issues in the second inning. He gave up a single to leadoff hitter Bernie Williams before walking Randy Velarde. Don Mattingly would be retired without any damage but Tartabull would provide all the pop for New York. His three-run home run would open up a 6-0 lead for the Yankees and they seemed to be well in control of the game. Minnesota would mount a small comeback in the bottom of the second inning to cut the lead in half. Shane Mack would coax a walk from Bob Wickman to start the frame. After Brian Harper advanced Mack to second, a single from Gene Larkin would put runners on the corners. Scott Leius would single and then steal second ahead of a double from Greg Gagne. Minnesota was getting closer and there was still plenty of baseball left in the game. The power outage would come in the next inning and it didn't seem to have too much of an impact on the game. Both starting pitchers would stay in the game. Wickman would go on to pitch eight innings and earn his first big league win in only his second start. Krueger got pulled after four innings and he was saddled with his six loss of the season. If the power outage had any impact, it was to cool down the offenses for both teams. There would only be five more hits in the rest of the game, three for New York and two for Minnesota. Also there would be no runs scored by either team. The power outage was just that for the two offenses in what looked like a slugfest after two frames. Close to 35,000 fans were there to witness the lights going out in the Metrodome. It wasn't nearly as big of stage as the Super Bowl but these things happen in stadiums of this size. San Francisco was able to turn the game around after the lights came back on. Too bad Minnesota couldn't do the same back in 1992.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3183[/ATTACH] Based on the lines for the minor league autograph station at TwinsFest, Miguel Sano fever has hit the Twin Cities a couple years before he will most likely make his MLB debut. The team's top prospect had fans lining up for hours to get his signature on a ball, a bat, or their favorite photo. It was fun for fans to see the future star in person and it helps to give some hope to the future. Sano will be entering his fourth season as a member of the Twins organization next year. He has worked his way slowly through the Twins system and he continues to rank as one of the best prospects in the game of baseball. In the recently released MLB.com rankings, he finished in the top 20. His power is undeniable but his biggest flaw is his defense at third base. When the Twins signed Sano as a 16-year old shortstop, there wasn't too much hope of the "man child" sticking it out at a middle infield position. The team let him play a handful of games there in his first two seasons in the minor leagues. But last season, he made the shift to playing full time at third base and it was his first time playing in a full season league. In 2010, Sano played 36 games at third base and 18 games at shortstop between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League. Over 54 games and 190 chances, Sano had 22 errors between his two positions. Most of those errors, 17 of them, came at third base but he was 17-years old. He was also becoming accustomed to a new position and baseball in a foreign country. The 2011 season saw Sano play the entire year with the Elizabethton Twins. He would play 16 games at shortstop but the bulk of his work would come during his 48 games at third base. Sano had double-digits in errors at both spots as he started to add some bulk to his body. His 26 total errors weren't great but there were some positive signs at the hot corner. Minnesota made a decision going into 2012 to have Sano play exclusively at third base. With his bigger frame and increased muscle mass, it only seemed like a natural progression for the young man. The Twins have been a defensive oriented club since their days back at the Metrodome and the focus hasn't changed in recent years. There were going to be some improvements made along the way. It would be a rough start to the season in the field as Sano tried to adjust to the colder weather in the Wisconsin spring and a longer schedule. In 69 games before the All-Star Game, Sano had 24 errors. He would improve in the second half of the year by having 18 miscues in 60 games. It was a small improvement but it was another step in the right direction. Following the season, Sano went to instructional league and one of his focuses was to improve on the defensive side of the ball. There were positive reports from Florida that the third baseman was making strides in the right direction. Jonathan Mayo, the top prospect writer for MLB.com, even did a featured article about his improvements. The Twins and other scouts seem to believe that Sano will be able to stick at third base. One of the biggest benefits for Sano on the defensive side of the ball could be the man that will likely be his coach at the start of next season. The Twins hired Doug Mientkiewicz to be the new manager for the Ft. Myers Miracle. A former Gold Glove winner at a corner infield position, Mientkiewicz might have a few lessons to teach his new third baseman. Sano will most likely be listed as weighing 235-240 pounds next season. This is a big man to be playing at third base. Nick Nelson of Twins Daily wonders if Sano is too big to stay at third. He compares his weight with the other regular starters in MLB. There are only a couple that are in that weight class and that might be a scary proposition for Twins fans. When there is as much hype surrounding a player like Sano, the fans are going to pay attention to plenty of what he does on his path to the major leagues. His defense will be a focal point for improvement and there have been some positive signs. Baseball America thinks he has the best infield arm in the Twins system and that is a skill that wouldn't be very useful if he had to move to first base. The Twins are going to give Sano every opportunity to stick at third. And with a talent like his, there is no reason to stray from that plan...yet.

Terry Ryan talked about this at TwinsFest. He said that they messed up and they should have taken Manny

There are plenty of things that can go into making a player fit the mold of playing bad at the major league level. Being a high draft pick, signing a big free agent contract, or being part of a big trade can get hopes higher for a player than they ever should be. So far in the Worst Twins of All-Time Series, there have been a variety of ways that the players featured have joined the organization. Butch Huskey was a free agent signing by the club to try and fill a hole at DH. Terry Felton was a second-round pick out of high school so there are expectations with that high of a pick. Scott Klingenbeck was traded to the Twins as part of the Scott Erickson deal. Matt Walbeck was given the starting catcher's job after being traded to the Twins. As you can see, there are plenty of ways for a player to find futility as a member of the Twins. One of the easiest ways to not reach high expectations is to be a highly drafted player. There are a lot of bumps along the way to the big leagues and not every high draft pick is going to make it big. The Twins teams of the 1990s had plenty of high draft picks that went bust on the road to "The Show." This is only part of the story for the latest installment of the "Worst Twins of All-Time".... Dave McCarty ---------- [ATTACH=CONFIG]3175[/ATTACH] Things were flying high in the Twin Cities in 1991, as the team would be heading for their second championship in less than five years. It was a worst-to-first turnaround for the Twins. This meant that the 1990 club had done poor enough to give the Twins a high draft pick the following summer. The organization would look to the college ranks with the third pick in the draft and find a first baseman named Dave McCarty. McCarty's college experience would help him to move quickly through the Twins minor league system. He would skip a couple of levels to start his minor league career and he made it all the way to Double-A. Over 43 games, he hit .304/.422/.486 with 13 extra-base hits. The team would start him back at Double-A in 1992 and he would make his Triple-A debut that year. The 1993 season was one the best for McCarty in the minor leagues. His second stint in the Pacific Coast League was some of his best baseball. He batted .385/.477/.629 with eight home runs and 11 doubles in 40 games. The power wasn't exactly where the Twins would have liked it to be but it didn't seem to make much sense to keep him in the minor leagues. Minnesota would call-up McCarty in the middle of May and he would stick with the club for the rest of the season. His hot hitting streak from the minor leagues followed him to the big league level. During his first 18 games, he hit .365/.390/.514 and that included a 13-game hitting streak. He also had eight multi-hit games so things were off to a fast start. Things went in the tubes from there for McCarty. In his last 75 games of the season, McCarty would hit .178/.229/.233 with 61 SO and only 11 extra-base hits. It also didn't help that he was pretty awful on the defensive side of the ball. He had six errors in the corner outfield positions and three errors at first base. This all added up to a -2.9 WAR for the 1993 season. Over the next couple of seasons, McCarty would spend more time at the Triple-A level than at the big leagues. The Twins were disappointed with his performance and he didn't really redeem himself during the 1994 and 1995 season. It was time for a change of scenery and McCarty was sent to the Giants for left-handed pitcher John Courtright, an eighth round pick from the same draft as McCarty. For his career with the Twins, McCarty hit .226/.275/.310 with 34 extra-base hits over 575 plate appearances. His poor first season was tough to overcome and he finished with a -3.4 WAR during his Twins tenure. He was bad on the offensive side of ball and the defensive side of the ball wasn't much better. McCarty would actually put together a professional career that stretched all the way to 2005. He would make stops in San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Boston. The Royals had him play over 200 games with their club in 2000-01 and these were his most productive years. He would be a World Series Champion in 2004 with the Red Sox and he even got to pitch in three games during that title run. As part of those appearances, he struck out Jayson Werth and Rafael Palmeiro. The Red Sox wanted to send him to the minor leagues at the beginning of the 2005 season but he refused so the club was forced to release him. He would be hired as a Red Sox analyst for the NESN later that season. McCarty would stay in that position until the end of the 2008 season. Minnesota had high hopes for McCarty when they drafted him with one of the highest picks in franchise history. He didn't live up to those expectations but he did put together a serviceable MLB career. He made close to $4 million and he got to play parts of 11 seasons at the big league level.