Cody Christie

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.

As the beginning of the season approaches, there can be a lot of focus thrown on different players for each team. Some fans will focus on starting pitching and other fans will look at the top players in the line-up. There are usually some players that sneak under the radar before putting together a very good season for the club. Last year, the Twins signed Josh Willingham and there wasn't a whole lot of buzz around him at the beginning of the year. Most fans were worried about the health of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Willingham would put together the best offensive season of his career and he was rewarded with a Silver Slugger. If someone would have told Twins fans that at the beginning of the year, there would probably be plenty of people that would be surprised. Surprises have always been part of baseball and this year Twins fans might be surprised by the performance of one player in particular..... Mr. Chris Parmelee. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3164[/ATTACH] There are plenty of signs that are pointing to Parmelee finally putting it all together in 2013. His round body was looking a little less round at TwinsFest, he finally has an everyday position at the MLB level, and he has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues. Over the TwinsFest weekend, Terry Ryan spoke candidly about Parmelee and his weight. The Twins GM has talked to the new right fielder about where the team thinks he should weigh in at for the coming year. Last season, he came in at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds. It looks and sounds like he will be a slightly slimmer version of himself for the start of the year. With the Twins trading away two of their outfield starters from last season, Parmelee finally has a position to play with the Twins. Last season, Parmelee broke camp with the club and he played in the team's first handful of games. It became frustrating to watch the way he was used from that point on because he would spend weeks at a time on the big league roster without getting to play every day. Parmelee figures that most of his playing time will come in the outfield this season. That's why he has been working on his first step quickness to help him get good jumps in the outfield. The loss of weight should also help him to get to balls. Out of his 673 minor league games, 282 of them have come as a right fielder. Most of those games were in the lower levels of the minors but the position isn't foreign to him so that should help. While the Twins were jerking Parmelee between the minors and the big leagues, he had plenty of time to show that he can destroy pitching at the Triple-A level. He hit .338/.457/.645 with 17 home runs and 17 doubles over 64 games in Rochester. If he got a few more at-bats in the minor leagues, there is a very good chance that the Twins would have named him minor league player of the year. When Parmelee was first called up at the end of 2011, he surprised a lot of people with his ability to hit consistently. He also added some power on top of that, which was nice to see. Parmelee's MLB numbers from last season don't look that great as he batted .229/.290/.380 over 64 games. Part of the problem was only getting sporadic playing time for the first portion of the year. In the last month of the season when Parmelee started to play on a more regular basis, he hit .262/.300/.452 with nine extra-base hits in 24 games. This included an eight-game hitting streak where he had five multi-hit games. His batting average for the season was sitting around .200 before this run so it made his numbers a little more respectable. Is Parmelee going to be the team MVP next season? No, probably not. But he could be a vital part of the rebuild that is taking place in Minnesota. He is ready to show that he belongs as an every day player for the Twins and there should be plenty of eyes watching his progress. All of the signs point to a breakout season from Mr. Parmelee.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3158[/ATTACH] The biggest topic of conversation (or at least one of the biggest) to come out of TwinsFest weekend surrounded Joe Mauer and how much he should be catching in the coming season. Mauer came out in multiple interviews and said that he wants to catch more next year. There are always positives and negatives when it comes to getting his 6-foot-5 frame crouched down behind the plate and it is up to the Twins to find the balanced formula for their All-Star player. One year ago, there were plenty of questions surrounding Mauer's health. The 2011 season had been a nightmare for the catcher and the team was looking for ways to keep him productive and on the field. With all of the guaranteed money the club had invested in Mauer, the team had to head back to the drawing board to find a solution to their problem. Mauer would finish back near the top of the AL in batting average (4th) and on-base percentage (1st). It took some creativity to get him to those numbers. He would play in 147 contests, the most games of his career, but he caught less than 100 games for only the second time. He played in 74 games at catcher, 42 as DH, and 30 at first base. This formula seemed to be one that worked to keep Mauer on the field. Last year in the American League, the leader board for games played at catcher looked like this: Defensive Games as C (AL) 1. Wieters (BAL): 134 2. Martin (NYY): 128 3. Pierzynski (CHW): 126 4. Avila (DET): 113 5. Saltalamacchia (BOS): 104 Mauer's game totals at catcher from 2005-2010 would have put him on this list. In fact, he finished second in the AL in games played in 2008 and he finished fifth back in 2010. Only 12 active players have caught more games than Mauer. Of those 12 other players, Brian McCann and Russell Martin are the only players with less years of experience and more time at catcher. The earliest Mauer can reach free agency is 2019 so this means he will most likely be in a Twins uniform for most of (if not all of) his career. It would seems that the most important thing is to find a way to get the most value out of him over the next six seasons. During that time, the debate will continue to rage over how much to use the hometown hero behind the plate. For the Twins to get the most value out of Mauer, he needs to play catcher as much as possible. His top four seasons for WAR have all been when he has been behind the plate for over 105 games. Terry Ryan said he would like to get Mauer back where he is close to the top of the leader board listed above and that will mean seeing Mauer behind the plate for close to 120 games. One idea brought up over the weekend was the thought of having Mauer catch as much as possible over the beginning portion of his current contract. His ticket to the Hall of Fame centers on his ability to continue to perform at a high level while still playing catcher. The problem with this method could be his knees holding up for the long haul. Twins fans will remember that Tony Oliva looked like he was bound for Cooperstown before injuries slowed down his career. The real value for Mauer comes from his ability to stay behind the plate especially with the type of player he has become. There were always hopes of Mauer developing more power as he was starting his professional career but that's not the Mauer fans are accustom to seeing. He is going to hit for a high average and get on base with a sprinkle of power mixed in. At his other major positions (first base and DH), his skills that are listed above are great but a little more power in those spots would be nice. He is also such a good athlete that it seems his skills get wasted when he is forced to DH for a game. He started more games at DH last season than in any other year. Look for that number to come down a little in 2013 and for his catching totals to increase. Finding the perfect formula for Mauer isn't any easy task but the Twins need to find someway to balance his health with getting him behind the plate for more games. To put it simply, Minnesota is a better team when Mauer is the catcher. His value is highest when he can control the pitching staff and put up consistent numbers at the plate. No matter what the Twins do to get to that point..... That is the solution to the Mauer Formula.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3154[/ATTACH] TwinsFest is one of the most fun weekends for fans of the Minnesota Twins and this past weekend was no different. There is excitement building for the new season, fans can gather to talk about their passion, and the players are happy to interact with fans of all ages. During the last couple of years, one of my favorite parts of the weekend has been the fan question and answer session with Terry Ryan, Jim Pohlad, and Dave St. Peter. It offers fans the opportunity to ask any of these men a question about the changes of the offseason and the new direction of the team. With a big group of fans asking the questions, there are going to be some good questions and some bad questions. It is still a very unique opportunity to interact with the men at the top of the Twins organization. One of the more interesting quotes to come out of this session surrounded the middle infield for next year. Ryan was asked a general question about the four men that will be fighting to play shortstop and second base. He would talk about Pedro Florimon, Eduardo Escobar, and Jamey Carroll but he made one statement about Brian Dozier that stood out above the crowd. Ryan said that it was his fault for Dozier's poor performance in his rookie year. He thought that Dozier was rushed to the big leagues and the team pushed him too hard to find success at that level. He would add that the Dozier that fans saw in 2012 was not the player that the organization knows he can be. Let's turn the clock back a year to last year's TwinsFest. At that point, Dozier had to be sitting pretty. He was coming off of his best season in professional baseball and he was named the Twins minor league player of the year. Ron Gardenhire had been speaking well of Dozier to the press and it seemed that his stock would continue to rise. Fans of the team wanted to forget about the disaster that was Tsuyoshi Nishioka. This might have gotten hopes higher for Dozier than they should have been but he was coming off of a very good season. A lot of faith was put into him before he could ever find success at a level higher than Double-A. He would start the 2012 season in the middle infield for the Rochester Red Wings and things didn't exactly get off to a roaring start. He hit .232/.286/.337 with 14 extra-base hits over 48 games. There were also a few issues in the field as he had six errors in 159 chances at shortstop. As a 25-year old player, he hadn't found success at the Triple-A level but that didn't stop the Twins from calling him up at the beginning of May. As I wrote in an article featured in the Twins Prospect Handbook, his first year in the big leagues didn’t go exactly as planned. There were plenty of struggles as he tried to adjust to the pace of MLB action. When Dozier did find his swing, there was some pop in his bat but his inconsistency on the defensive side of the ball was tough to take for the club. By the end of the year, he would be demoted to Triple-A and it seems like a little luster had rubbed off of his once promising stock. 2013 is a new season and the Twins have another opportunity to help Dozier find success at the big league level. It now seems much more likely for him to settle into second base. This might help him to become more successful on the defensive side of the ball and hopefully that good vibe would transfer to his time in the batter's box. He turn 26-years old near the beginning of next season and there might not be a whole lot of time left for him find success in the minor leagues. The Twins need him to put it all together with the big league club and for him to take hold of a middle infield position. If Ryan was right and the Dozier on the field last year wasn't the true version of that player, it could be a bounce-back season for the player whose stock was so high one year ago.

As the weather continues to stay cold across most of Twins Territory, the baseball season continues to seem like it is light years away. This week's Twins Caravan and this weekend's TwinsFest will help to get fans back in the baseball spirit. It also means that it is creeping closer to the start of spring training. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. This part of the deep offseason can be full of a lot of downtime for baseball fans. Lucky enough for readers of this site, I have been offering up profiles of some of the worst players in the history of the Twins franchise. So far, the series has covered Butch Huskey, Terry Felton, and Scott Klingenbeck. Huskey offered some entertaining moments in his brief Twins tenure. Felton had plenty of ups-and-downs as he tried to find a spot in the starting rotation and the bullpen. Klingenbeck showed some positive signs in the minor leagues before bottoming out at the big league level. In all three of the previous posts in this series, I have asked for readers to chime in with their picks for the worst Twins of all-time. This week's featured player got plenty of votes over the last couple week and it made it tough to ignore his terrible time with the Twins. Introducing, the latest installment in the "Worst Twins of All-Time Series"... Matt Walbeck ---------- [ATTACH=CONFIG]3118[/ATTACH] Walbeck was drafted into the Chicago Cubs organization in 1987 as an eighth round pick. The California native joined the professional baseball ranks straight out of high school. For his first season in the minor leagues, he was only 17-years old and he did well in the rookie leagues. Over the next three seasons, he would try and find his swing at the Low-A level. After playing over 90 games in 1988 and 1989, he would miss a chunk of time in 1990. An injury-plagued season meant he only made it into 25 contests but he was now 20-years old and it was time to move up. The Cubs consistently moved him for the next three seasons and he would make his MLB debut in 1993. In 11 games with the Cubs, he hit .200/.226/.367 with one home run and two doubles. He had put together decent numbers in back-to-back years in the minors so there was a little hope for the future. The Twins liked what they saw in his minor league numbers and they traded for Walbeck and Dave Stevens in exchange for Willie Banks. Walbeck would become the team's primary catcher over the next two seasons by playing in 97 and 115 games. There were some struggles at the plate as he tried to adjust to being a full time player at the big league level. In 1994, Walbeck hit .204/.246/.284 with 17 extra-base hits over 359 plate appearances. Not exactly the best start for the Twins' new backstop. He would make some adjustments for the next season and he compiled some of his best numbers as a professional. His 115 games played were the most of his career and he batted .257/.302/.316 in 115 games. It would be the only season of his career where he compiled over 100 hits. The 1996 season would be the last for Walbeck in a Twins uniform. He would lose the designation as the primary catcher to Greg Myers and he still struggled to make consistent contact. At the end of that season, he was hitting .223/.252/.298 and it was time for the Twins to part ways with Walbeck. During the offseason, the Twins would send Walbeck to the Tigers for Brent Stentz. It was an interesting journey for Walbeck in the rest of his career. The Tigers would use him sparingly during the ‘97 season before being sent to the Angels in a deal that would include future Twins player Phil Nevin. He would make it into over 100 games in the next two seasons and put up numbers that were higher than his career average. His career would end in 2003 after spending his last two professional seasons back with the Detroit Tigers. There would be plenty of problems in those last couple years for a catcher with a lot of miles on his knees. His last season he batted .174/.197/.239 with six extra-base hits in 144 at-bats. Walbeck makes this list of all-time worst Twins because of his ineptitude in the batter's box. He had a negative WAR in all three seasons with Minnesota and this added up to a -2.0 WAR for his Twins tenure. In all three seasons, he hit .230/.271/.300 but there were some positives on the defensive side of the ball. He had a positive defensive WAR in each of his three years and he led the AL in base runners caught in 1994. Since his retirement, Walbeck has turned his attention to being a manager. He got his first job with the Low-A Tigers affiliate and he guided them to the 2004 Midwest League title. His team would again win the Midwest League in 2006 and it was time for a promotion. He would go to the Tigers Double-A affiliate, the Erie SeaWolves in 2007 and things really took off from there. The Eastern League would name him Manager of the Year for 2007, a great honor for the former catcher. He would also be named 2007 Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America. Following that season, the Texas Rangers hired him as third base coach. This job would be short lived, as the club would fire him after one season in the position. He would land back on his feet with the Pirates organization 2009. He was sent back to a familiar league, the Eastern League, to resume his managerial career. He would led the Altoona Curve to the 2010 championship and he was named EL Manager of the Year for the second time. In a surprise move, the club would fire him after the season. It seemed there were some disagreements about his managerial style. His most recent coaching job was with the Rome Braves, an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves organization. He would lead them to a terrible first half record and he would be fired in midseason. This was the first time the Rome Braves had made a midseason change at manager. Walbeck now runs the Walbeck Baseball Academy in California.

On Tuesday night, one of the legs of the Minnesota Twins caravan made a stop in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The location for this event was "The Venue" at "The Hub." Doors opened at 5:00 pm but the event didn't start until 6:30 pm. The hour and a half "pre-game" was for fans to enjoy a ballpark meal of hot dogs, chips, and soda. Current Twins players Scott Diamond and Glen Perkins along with Twins great Tony Oliva were there to take part in the festivities. Cory Provus was there to give his voice to the evenings events. Also on hand was Dave St. Peter, the North Dakota native, on one of his few stops on this year's caravan. Many fans braved the below zero wind chill to get a small taste of baseball on the prairie. When the event started, they showed a promotional video to drum up support for the coming season. It started by explaining the team's need for pitching this offseason. Then it introduced fans to the players acquired in the Denard Span and Ben Revere trades. Alex Meyer and Trevor May probably won't be in the big leagues this year but it tried to paint a bright picture for the future. It went through the positional battles in center field and in the middle infield positions. It showed Darin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks, and Joe Benson as the likely center field options. For the middle infield, it talked about Pedro Florimon, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, and Jamey Carroll. All of these players should have a chance to start on Opening Day. The video also introduced fans to the plethora of new starting pitchers for the team. It also talked about Rich Harden more than I thought it should since he is a giant question mark. For other fans, I guess he would be one of the few names that people have heard of so it makes sense. There were interviews with Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire to explain some of the positional battles. They gave the positives for each player and the reasons for trading away some of the team's proven talent. One of the most important messages of the video was the fact that the team is not punting 2013. They feel the right moves are being made to be competitive next year and into the future. Following the video, the fans were able to ask a variety of questions to the panel on the stage. Dave St. Peter thanked the players for being willing to go on these caravan trips over the years because it wouldn't happen without them. This brought out some good stories from Oliva. He spoke about the first time he came to North Dakota back in the early 1960's. The weather was cold and he only spoke a couple words of English. Tony-O took over the microphone for awhile. He said that it was great for the players to interact with the fans because it showed the fans that they were real people and not just figures on TV. He also told the story of how he lost a tooth earlier that day while eating chicken wings. Oliva said the wings were really good and he jokingly blamed Glen Perkins for the incident. One of the more surprising quotes of the evening came from Dave St. Peter. When asked about the center field opening, he said that the hope of the organization is for Aaron Hicks to win the job. The team needs a lead-off hitter and Hicks should have the skills for that spot. He did say they were worried about his ability to hit consistently at the big league level but he knows how to draw a walk. There were a variety of other questions. Perkins hates to face Miguel Cabrera and Diamond said Jose Bautista is scary. Some of their favorite parks to visit are Safeco Field and Fenway Park. Diamond also explained the story of him having to throw near Josh Hamilton's head last year. He said that he was being a "rascal" and that the pitch got away from him a little. It was a fun night to get fans ready for the up-coming baseball season. There were door prizes and autographs at the end but it was more about getting geared up for the coming season.

On Tuesday night, one of the legs of the Minnesota Twins caravan made a stop in the Fargo-Moorhead area. The location for this event was "The Venue" at "The Hub." Doors opened at 5:00 pm but the event didn't start until 6:30 pm. The hour and a half "pre-game" was for fans to enjoy a ballpark meal of hot dogs, chips, and soda. Current Twins players Scott Diamond and Glen Perkins along with Twins great Tony Oliva were there to take part in the festivities. Cory Provus was there to give his voice to the evenings events. Also on hand was Dave St. Peter, the North Dakota native, on one of his few stops on this year's caravan. Many fans braved the below zero wind chill to get a small taste of baseball on the prairie. When the event started, they showed a promotional video to drum up support for the coming season. It started by explaining the team's need for pitching this offseason. Then it introduced fans to the players acquired in the Denard Span and Ben Revere trades. Alex Meyer and Trevor May probably won't be in the big leagues this year but it tried to paint a bright picture for the future. It went through the positional battles in center field and in the middle infield positions. It showed Darin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks, and Joe Benson as the likely center field options. For the middle infield, it talked about Pedro Florimon, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, and Jamey Carroll. All of these players should have a chance to start on Opening Day. The video also introduced fans to the plethora of new starting pitchers for the team. It also talked about Rich Harden more than I thought it should since he is a giant question mark. For other fans, I guess he would be one of the few names that people have heard of so it makes sense. There were interviews with Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire to explain some of the positional battles. They gave the positives for each player and the reasons for trading away some of the team's proven talent. One of the most important messages of the video was the fact that the team is not punting 2013. They feel the right moves are being made to be competitive next year and into the future. Following the video, the fans were able to ask a variety of questions to the panel on the stage. Dave St. Peter thanked the players for being willing to go on these caravan trips over the years because it wouldn't happen without them. This brought out some good stories from Oliva. He spoke about the first time he came to North Dakota back in the early 1960's. The weather was cold and he only spoke a couple words of English. Tony-O took over the microphone for awhile. He said that it was great for the players to interact with the fans because it showed the fans that they were real people and not just figures on TV. He also told the story of how he lost a tooth earlier that day while eating chicken wings. Oliva said the wings were really good and he jokingly blamed Glen Perkins for the incident. One of the more surprising quotes of the evening came from Dave St. Peter. When asked about the center field opening, he said that the hope of the organization is for Aaron Hicks to win the job. The team needs a lead-off hitter and Hicks should have the skills for that spot. He did say they were worried about his ability to hit consistently at the big league level but he knows how to draw a walk. There were a variety of other questions. Perkins hates to face Miguel Cabrera and Diamond said Jose Bautista is scary. Some of their favorite parks to visit are Safeco Field and Fenway Park. Diamond also explained the story of him having to throw near Josh Hamilton's head last year. He said that he was being a "rascal" and that the pitch got away from him a little. It was a fun night to get fans ready for the up-coming baseball season. There were door prizes and autographs at the end but it was more about getting geared up for the coming season.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3108[/ATTACH] In the 2013 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (which is now available in paperback and e-version copies), I wrote an article looking back at all of the players that were considered rookies in 2012. From Brian Dozier and Chris Herrmann to Scott Diamond and Tyler Robertson, there were 15 rookies to make appearances with the club. On a team fighting for every win, there were plenty of opportunities for some young blood to sink or swim. Now that the Prospect Handbook has been out and fans have been able to look through it, the future can turn to those prospects that have the chance to make an impact on next year's squad. It can be tough to guess which players will be given the opportunity but the Twins have made hints at a few different names. Joe Benson and Aaron Hicks will both have the opportunity to earn the starting center field job out of spring training. If one of these two young men sticks with the club for the entire year, there is a good chance they will have the big impact on next year's club. Hicks seems to have the best chance of making the club. There is also a chance that neither of them earn the job and that could make their opportunity to shine a little harder. When looking to the pitching core, there are a few names that could make a splash in 2013. Kyle Gibson, the former first round pick, should be making his big league debut this year. He missed most of last season following Tommy John surgery. At the end of last season, he came back healthy and he looked good for portions of the Arizona Fall League. His innings limit this year could hinder him but he could still make a big impact. BJ Hermsen was the organization's minor league pitcher of the year and he was strong at two different levels this past season. He accumulated most of his innings at the Double-A level so this could put him at the cusp of making his debut next year. If the Twins start him in Rochester, he is only an injury or two away from getting the call. Out in the bullpen, Caleb Thielbar or Ryan Pressly could factor into the team's plans for this year. Theilbar, a Minnesota native, has been slowly working his way towards the big leagues. He pitched out of Rochester's bullpen for all of last season so he only has one more level to conquer. Pressly was the Twins Rule 5 pick this year from Boston. This means that he will have to stay on the big league roster for the entire year or be offered back to the Red Sox. The one player that could be considered a dark horse for next year's squad is Oswaldo Arcia. His performance in 2012 earned him Twins Minor League Player of the Year honors so it would exactly be a breakout year. The surprise would come from the fact that he doesn't seem to have an open position on the roster. He fits into a corner outfield spot and the Twins are looking to use Josh Willingham and Chris Parmelee in left field and right field. This could leave Arcia at Triple-A hoping for someone on the big league roster to get injured. In the end, there are a few different ways to look at who will be making the biggest impact. Some of the names on this list are almost guaranteed to make their big league debuts and some of the others have less of a chance. Kyle Gibson is most likely going to pitch more big league innings than Caleb Thielbar. Aaron Hicks will probably get more at-bats than Joe Benson or Oswaldo Arcia. Here is a ranking of the top five players from the list above based on the kind of impact they will have on next year's team. This list isn't completely based on talent. It is based on what type of playing time each player is expected to get next year and what kind of impact he will have at the big league level. 1. Kyle Gibson RHP- He looked healthy at the end of last season and in the Arizona Fall League. Gibson is ready to prove that he is completely recovered from Tommy John surgery. 2. Aaron Hicks OF- He might have to start the year in the minor leagues and this could hinder his ability to make an impact. A hot start at Triple-A could have him in the big leagues sooner than expected. 3. Caleb Thielbar LHP- There is always a need for left-handed pitchers in the bullpen. Thielbar could make the team out of spring training and stick with the club for most of the year. 4. BJ Hermsen RHP- The Twins have been stocking up on questionable starting pitching this offseason. This could leave a hole in the rotation for Hermsen. 5. Ryan Pressly RHP- If the Twins want to keep him, he has to stick on the big league roster. They could make him a long relief man or use him as a spot starter since he has experience as a starting pitcher. Which rookie do you think will have the biggest impact on next year's squad? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3102[/ATTACH] Twins fans know the kind of mourning that Cardinals are going through. Stan Musial, the greatest Cardinals player to ever live, passed away this weekend at the age of 92. Less than two years ago the Twins were mourning the loss of their own great player, Harmon Killebrew. These two players are two of the best players in the history of the game and their character off the field shown just as bright as these stars did on it. Killebrew and Musial had their career path's cross for a few seasons near the end of Musial's career and the beginning of Killebrew's playing days. They would be on opposite sides of the field in three different All-Star Games but they never met in any other contests since there was no interleague play. Musial's NL squads would come out on top in all of those games but there were no hard feelings as a friendship was starting to form. Both men loved to be involved in the community and this was evident in their off the field activities. One of their most publicized events together was a trip to Vietnam in 1966 to help boost the morale of the troops. Musial and Killebrew would join other stars like Hank Aaron, Joe Torre, and Brooks Robinson on a trip overseas. The faced some dangers on the trip with their choppers being shot at and their barracks being bombed but they warmed the spirits of America's men in uniform. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3101[/ATTACH] "I got to know Stan very, very well (on that tour)," Killebrew said. "I got to know the kind of person he was, and it really magnified my feels about Stan Musial." Killebrew had grown up in a baseball culture where Musial was one of the best players in the world. In an interview with a St. Louis radio station on the day Musial was receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Killebrew offered a variety of thoughts on Stan "The Man." "I always admired Stan from afar as a youngster," noted Killebrew. "I've known him now for over 40-some years and we've been good friends. I've always marveled at the records Stan Musial put up. I always felt he did not get the credit he deserved... He has to rank, in my book, as one of the greatest players who every lived." Besides their trip overseas, there seemed to be a Midwest connection between these two players. The greatness of their careers is overlooked outside of their baseball market because of where they spent all of their playing days (Killebrew mentions a bit of this in the interview linked above). New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago would never be their homes and this might have been better for these gentle giants. Their quiet personalities might have never held up in a bigger market. To generations of Twins fans, Killebrew was the first star of a franchise when it moved to the frozen tundra of Minnesota. His statue greats fans as they arrive at games and the stories of his life will never die. There would be other greats to bring championships to his town like Kirby and Hrbek but he was still the living legend. His name will always be remembered and his gentle nature was one of his most enduring legacies. To generations of Cardinals fans, Musial will serve much of the same role. His statue greets fans when they arrive at the gate and his stories will continue to be told. Albert and Ozzie would bring titles to St. Louis but he was still "The Man" to that city. He will never be forgotten for what he meant to the game of baseball. Rest in Peace, Stan "The Man." I hope Killer was there to greet you at that big baseball field in the sky.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3076[/ATTACH] At different points yesterday, Major League Baseball and the other countries that will be represented in the tournament announced the rosters for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. This will be the third time for the tournament being held and the United States has finished in fourth place in both other tournaments. The Japanese team has taken home the championship twice and some of the other rosters will look to dethrone the two-time defending champs in 2013. There are Twins and former Twins scattered throughout the line-ups of many of the teams in the tournament. This includes some high profile minor league prospects and some of the best players on the major league roster. When teams allow their players to participate in the tournament, it can be a little bit of a tough decision. There are plenty of top-notch pitchers like Justin Verlander, David Price, and Clayton Kershaw that are staying with their team for spring training instead of representing their country. So this raises the question, should Twins players compete in the WBC? Both of the team's former MVPs will be representing their respective countries in the WBC. Joe Mauer will be a catcher on Team USA and Justin Morneau will man first base for Team Canada. Last offseason, there would have been plenty of questions around them competing in this kind of event. But Mauer looked back to his old self last year and reports say that Morneau is having his first healthy offseason in multiple years. With the WBC coming during spring training, these players will have to get up to game speed more quickly than in a normal year. Mauer could be asked to catch nine innings faster than he would in the spring. Morneau will be taking hacks for the fences earlier with his surgically repaired wrist. This could compile into some bumps and bruises along the way. Lucky (or not lucky depending on how you look at it) for the Twins a couple of their starting pitchers are coming off of clean-up surgery so they won't be able to participate. Scott Diamond most certainly would have been on the Team Canada roster if not for his minor clean up. Liam Hendriks would likely have been asked to be on Team Australia but he also had an elbow surgery last fall. They will be able to participate in spring training workouts and get ready for what could be the first full season at the big league level for both of them. Twins closer Glen Perkins will be on the roster for Team USA. But since he will likely only be used in a relief role, there shouldn't be too much to worry about with him. He would be pitching in spring training games on a regular basis so this gives him a chance to compete against some tougher competition. Some pitchers will have to get a little more hyped up for the tournament so hopefully Perkins can handle this kind of stress earlier in the year. Two of the Twins top ten prospects, Eddie Rosario and JO Berrios will be on the roster of the Puerto Rican Team. Rosario could have a tough time getting into games with a deep outfield that includes Carlos Beltran, Jesus Feliciano, Angel Pagan, and Alex Rios. Berrios is the youngest member of the team by three years and he might be asked to pitch in some tight situations. The international experience should be good for both players. It can be scary to think about what could happen if Mauer or Morneau were to get injured in the WBC. The team has a lot of money invested in Mauer over most of the next decade. Morneau could be the team's best trade chip at the deadline but that is only if he can stay healthy for the rest of the year. Even a small injury in the WBC could have a big impact on the 2013 season and the future of the club. An injury to Perkins could make it tough for the Twins in the late innings of games. Jared Burton would most likely be asked to take over the closer's role and that could leave a hole in the late innings of games. Team USA and Team Canada will probably be relying more on Morneau and Mauer than Perkins will be relied on by his manager since the US has a deep bullpen. He still should have a smaller workload so he most likely has a better chance of staying healthy. For younger players like Rosario and Berrios, it is going to be a couple of seasons before they step on the field at the big league level. The experience could help them for the future and an injury won't debilitate the 2013 Twins. This is also their first chance to show off their talents to a large audience. Mauer, Morneau, and Perkins are expected to play a large role in trying to turn around the Twins next season and it's not exactly ideal for them to compete in this exhibition. Some of the younger prospects will get to rub elbows with very good players for a couple of weeks. Hopefully they can be a sponge and take in a lot of knowledge over the course of the tournament and bring that back to the Twins organization. What do you think? Should the Twins let some of their star players compete in the WBC? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.