Cody Christie

With the Twins up and down start to the year, it is hard to know if the team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Most likely the team will be selling. There will be plenty of talk about Justin Morneau being dealt in the coming months since his contract is up at the end of the year. Another important name to watch out for in the hot stove reports is Josh Willingham. Willingham is coming off his best season and there might be more than one team looking to add a powerful corner bat for the stretch run. In a story published this weekend, the Boston Globe talked about the possibility of a Willingham trade. According to one National League GM, "He's a powerful right-handed bat that any contender could stick right in the middle of their lineup and get outstanding production." He went on to say, "You'd have to give something up, but he'd be worth the expenditure. He can really hit." ESPN's Rumor Central mentioned the Pirates as a possible trade fit. They need an upgrade in their outfield and they have some players in the minor leagues that could be enticing for the Twins. It also helps that Willingham has a very club friendly contract. He is in the second year of a three-year, $21 million deal. Another wrinkle in the Willingham trade rumors is the ascension of stud prospect Oswaldo Arcia. It has been a whirlwind couple of days for Arcia. He made his MLB debut on Monday, he played for Rochester on Tuesday, and he got called back up to the big leagues after last night's game. Darin Mastroianni's injury will mean a longer look at Arcia this time around. Arcia won't turn 22 until next month becoming the youngest position player to debut with the Twins since 20-year old Joe Mauer. He was killing the ball at Triple-A and he certainly deserved this call-up. In ten games for Rochester, he was hitting .394/.474/.727 with three home runs, two doubles and eight runs scored. If Arcia kept putting up those types of numbers, it would have been hard to keep him at Triple-A. The problem for the Twins could be finding him a place in the line-up. Arcia is primarily used as a corner outfielder or designated hitter. The Twins have plenty of these types of players with Willingham, Chris Parmelee, and Ryan Doumit. It might take a trade for Arcia to stick with the club for the long-term. Morneau could be dealt creating a spot (first base) for Parmelee to move to. Willingham could also be traded to open a hole in the outfield. Both of these men could be traded away before July and then there would be plenty of playing time for Mr. Arcia. Things might be moving a little fast for Arcia. He started the 2012 season at the High-A level so he only played 69 games at Double-A before getting the bump to Rochester. He had a grand total of nine Triple-A games under his belt before he made his MLB debut. There should be tempered expectations for Arcia as fans have seen how much Aaron Hicks has struggled in his first 10 big league games. The Twins need Arcia to be a cornerstone of the franchise as the team tries to get back to winning baseball. This might be just the first taste of what is yet to come. Players are blocking the path of Arcia and he most likely will get more playing time at Triple-A. If the Twins are looking like sellers at the trade deadline, a deal including Willingham could pave the way for Arcia's permanent spot on the roster. Willingham has done some great things in his Twins tenure but Arcia is the wave of the future.

With the Twins up and down start to the year, it is hard to know if the team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Most likely the team will be selling. There will be plenty of talk about Justin Morneau being dealt in the coming months since his contract is up at the end of the year. Another important name to watch out for in the hot stove reports is Josh Willingham. Willingham is coming off his best season and there might be more than one team looking to add a powerful corner bat for the stretch run. In a story published this weekend, the Boston Globe talked about the possibility of a Willingham trade. According to one National League GM, "He's a powerful right-handed bat that any contender could stick right in the middle of their lineup and get outstanding production." He went on to say, "You'd have to give something up, but he'd be worth the expenditure. He can really hit." ESPN's Rumor Central mentioned the Pirates as a possible trade fit. They need an upgrade in their outfield and they have some players in the minor leagues that could be enticing for the Twins. It also helps that Willingham has a very club friendly contract. He is in the second year of a three-year, $21 million deal. Another wrinkle in the Willingham trade rumors is the ascension of stud prospect Oswaldo Arcia. It has been a whirlwind couple of days for Arcia. He made his MLB debut on Monday, he played for Rochester on Tuesday, and he got called back up to the big leagues after last night's game. Darin Mastroianni's injury will mean a longer look at Arcia this time around. Arcia won't turn 22 until next month becoming the youngest position player to debut with the Twins since 20-year old Joe Mauer. He was killing the ball at Triple-A and he certainly deserved this call-up. In ten games for Rochester, he was hitting .394/.474/.727 with three home runs, two doubles and eight runs scored. If Arcia kept putting up those types of numbers, it would have been hard to keep him at Triple-A. The problem for the Twins could be finding him a place in the line-up. Arcia is primarily used as a corner outfielder or designated hitter. The Twins have plenty of these types of players with Willingham, Chris Parmelee, and Ryan Doumit. It might take a trade for Arcia to stick with the club for the long-term. Morneau could be dealt creating a spot (first base) for Parmelee to move to. Willingham could also be traded to open a hole in the outfield. Both of these men could be traded away before July and then there would be plenty of playing time for Mr. Arcia. Things might be moving a little fast for Arcia. He started the 2012 season at the High-A level so he only played 69 games at Double-A before getting the bump to Rochester. He had a grand total of nine Triple-A games under his belt before he made his MLB debut. There should be tempered expectations for Arcia as fans have seen how much Aaron Hicks has struggled in his first 10 big league games. The Twins need Arcia to be a cornerstone of the franchise as the team tries to get back to winning baseball. This might be just the first taste of what is yet to come. Players are blocking the path of Arcia and he most likely will get more playing time at Triple-A. If the Twins are looking like sellers at the trade deadline, a deal including Willingham could pave the way for Arcia's permanent spot on the roster. Willingham has done some great things in his Twins tenure but Arcia is the wave of the future.

With the Twins struggling to find offense in the club's games this weekend, there have been a few boo birds roosting in the stands at Target Field. Some of these might be angry fans sitting out at a cold baseball game with nothing better to do. For others, it could be the frustration of the last couple of seasons coming to a head. Aaron Hicks has found himself in a bit of a rough patch to start his MLB career. According to FanGraphs version of WAR, Hicks has been the worst player in all of baseball this season. He has a -1.0 WAR and that places him ahead of the next closest competitors Victor Martinez, Matt Kemp, and Adam Dunn. The Twins have seen this with Hicks in the past because he has a track record of struggling when he is promoted to a new level. He usually finds a way to work out the kinks but this was a bigger jump than he has ever made before. It is hard to know how patient the Twins can be with their young outfielder. There might be to be some ways to try to ease the struggles for Hicks. Here are a few different ways the Twins front office could approach the situation. 1.) Send Hicks to Triple-A: He has never played at the Triple-A level and the team might need him to find success at that level before they give him another chance with the big league club. Hicks earned the starting job this spring with his performance but player's numbers can be deceiving in exhibition games. He looks lost at the plate against big league pitching and he needs to regain some confidence. Triple-A could give him a chance to get out of the spotlight and get his head back on his shoulders. 2.) Move Hicks down in the order: Last weekend when Ron Gardenhire was asked about moving Hicks down in the order, he was against the idea because he didn't want to hurt the rookie's confidence. It has been another full week and Hicks hasn't shown any signs of breaking out of his slump. Moving him down in the order would take some pressure off the rookie and it could help the team's offense. Gardenhire even said he wasn't opposed to having Mauer take over the lead-off role. 3.) Take away some playing time: It can be tough to get used to life at the big league level. Maybe Hicks just needs some time to adjust and a little less playing time. This could allow him to get some wind in his sails and maybe it would produce some better performances on the field. The team has given him a couple of days off but he didn't exactly come back from the hiatus hitting the cover off the ball. Of these possibilities this seems the least likely since they want Hicks to continue to get at-bats no matter where he is playing. 4.) Be Patient: So far, the team has followed this plan but it is hard to know how long this patience will last. There might need to be some positive signs from Hicks for the club to continue to follow this course of action. His defense has been good in center field but the offense has been terrible. The strikeouts continue to add up and it seems like the boo birds are going to continue to fly. Will the rookie have enough to overcome his early season struggles or will the team have to follow a different plan? If you were in charge of the Twins, what would you do? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

With the Twins struggling to find offense in the club's games this weekend, there have been a few boo birds roosting in the stands at Target Field. Some of these might be angry fans sitting out at a cold baseball game with nothing better to do. For others, it could be the frustration of the last couple of seasons coming to a head. Aaron Hicks has found himself in a bit of a rough patch to start his MLB career. According to FanGraphs version of WAR, Hicks has been the worst player in all of baseball this season. He has a -1.0 WAR and that places him ahead of the next closest competitors Victor Martinez, Matt Kemp, and Adam Dunn. The Twins have seen this with Hicks in the past because he has a track record of struggling when he is promoted to a new level. He usually finds a way to work out the kinks but this was a bigger jump than he has ever made before. It is hard to know how patient the Twins can be with their young outfielder. There might be to be some ways to try to ease the struggles for Hicks. Here are a few different ways the Twins front office could approach the situation. 1.) Send Hicks to Triple-A: He has never played at the Triple-A level and the team might need him to find success at that level before they give him another chance with the big league club. Hicks earned the starting job this spring with his performance but player's numbers can be deceiving in exhibition games. He looks lost at the plate against big league pitching and he needs to regain some confidence. Triple-A could give him a chance to get out of the spotlight and get his head back on his shoulders. 2.) Move Hicks down in the order: Last weekend when Ron Gardenhire was asked about moving Hicks down in the order, he was against the idea because he didn't want to hurt the rookie's confidence. It has been another full week and Hicks hasn't shown any signs of breaking out of his slump. Moving him down in the order would take some pressure off the rookie and it could help the team's offense. Gardenhire even said he wasn't opposed to having Mauer take over the lead-off role. 3.) Take away some playing time: It can be tough to get used to life at the big league level. Maybe Hicks just needs some time to adjust and a little less playing time. This could allow him to get some wind in his sails and maybe it would produce some better performances on the field. The team has given him a couple of days off but he didn't exactly come back from the hiatus hitting the cover off the ball. Of these possibilities this seems the least likely since they want Hicks to continue to get at-bats no matter where he is playing. 4.) Be Patient: So far, the team has followed this plan but it is hard to know how long this patience will last. There might need to be some positive signs from Hicks for the club to continue to follow this course of action. His defense has been good in center field but the offense has been terrible. The strikeouts continue to add up and it seems like the boo birds are going to continue to fly. Will the rookie have enough to overcome his early season struggles or will the team have to follow a different plan? If you were in charge of the Twins, what would you do? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Everything was nice and fuzzy last Friday when the Twins had pulled off some nice wins and they had themselves near the top of the American League. Things have changed in the last week as the club got swept by the Kansas City Royals and the Twins are near the bottom of the AL Central. It is still early in the year so there is plenty of things that could change. Joe Mauer wasn't hitting the ball very good for the first few games of the year but he has started to come around. Josh Willingham powered a couple of home runs over the fence and Chris Parmelee has been on quite the roll at the plate. Pitching will continue to be the biggest wild card for the Twins. If the starters can keep the scores close, Minnesota's offense might be able to score enough to keep them in games. It also helps to have a strong bullpen to cover up a poor pitching staff. There was plenty of good material across the web this week. Check out the latest edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks" and have a fantastic weekend! Eduardo Escobar seems to have found a good niche with Minnesota. The Twins front office looked pretty silly after the $15 batting practice story came out. Miguel Sano is the youngest player in the Florida State League. Minnesota has the fourth most money to spend on the international market this year. Denard Span might have the whole beating traffic thing figured out. Vance Worley is an interesting character. Fans are going to have to be patient with the Twins youngsters. Jake Mauer has a new job and some interesting prospects to tutor. Supplemental draft picks have a tough decision between college and professional baseball. Is the glass half empty or half full for the Twins? We talked about this on this week's episode of Talk to Contact so here is Bryce Harper's older brother and his fantastic mustache. It's real and it's spectacular. One of the most powerful stories from this week looks at Ken Griffey Jr. and his attempt at suicide. It is hard to believe "The Sandlot" turns 20 this year. Here is a look at where the stars are now. The most valuable baseball card in the world was altered even though people suspected this for years. Vin Scully can make anything sound better even when he doesn't know the meaning of hashtag. A goat's head showed up on the doorstep of Wrigley Field. The Kansas City Royals almost ended up with a dome but thankfully they didn't. Who does this Justin Verlander bobblehead look like? My vote is for Jamey Carroll. Plenty of fans don't like the wave but these Nats fans are going to the extreme. Will there be an MLB International Draft for 2014? MLB is going to establish a training academy in Puerto Rico. Those fancy pink wireless phones haven't shown up in the dugout yet. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 32 Tuesday: Anthony Swarzak could be key to the bullpen Wednesday: Will the real Twins base stealers, please stand up? Wet Wednesday in the Minors Video of the Week: A terrible strike call end a game with the Rangers and the Rays earlier this week. One of the biggest parts of this strike was the fact that it capped Joe Nathan's 300th save in the big leagues. Twins fans got to see Nathan climb the club's all-time list before he broke the record. He continues to rack up saves and it will be interesting to see how high he can get on MLB's all-time list.

Everything was nice and fuzzy last Friday when the Twins had pulled off some nice wins and they had themselves near the top of the American League. Things have changed in the last week as the club got swept by the Kansas City Royals and the Twins are near the bottom of the AL Central. It is still early in the year so there is plenty of things that could change. Joe Mauer wasn't hitting the ball very good for the first few games of the year but he has started to come around. Josh Willingham powered a couple of home runs over the fence and Chris Parmelee has been on quite the roll at the plate. Pitching will continue to be the biggest wild card for the Twins. If the starters can keep the scores close, Minnesota's offense might be able to score enough to keep them in games. It also helps to have a strong bullpen to cover up a poor pitching staff. There was plenty of good material across the web this week. Check out the latest edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks" and have a fantastic weekend! Eduardo Escobar seems to have found a good niche with Minnesota. The Twins front office looked pretty silly after the $15 batting practice story came out. Miguel Sano is the youngest player in the Florida State League. Minnesota has the fourth most money to spend on the international market this year. Denard Span might have the whole beating traffic thing figured out. Vance Worley is an interesting character. Fans are going to have to be patient with the Twins youngsters. Jake Mauer has a new job and some interesting prospects to tutor. Supplemental draft picks have a tough decision between college and professional baseball. Is the glass half empty or half full for the Twins? We talked about this on this week's episode of Talk to Contact so here is Bryce Harper's older brother and his fantastic mustache. It's real and it's spectacular. One of the most powerful stories from this week looks at Ken Griffey Jr. and his attempt at suicide. It is hard to believe "The Sandlot" turns 20 this year. Here is a look at where the stars are now. The most valuable baseball card in the world was altered even though people suspected this for years. Vin Scully can make anything sound better even when he doesn't know the meaning of hashtag. A goat's head showed up on the doorstep of Wrigley Field. The Kansas City Royals almost ended up with a dome but thankfully they didn't. Who does this Justin Verlander bobblehead look like? My vote is for Jamey Carroll. Plenty of fans don't like the wave but these Nats fans are going to the extreme. Will there be an MLB International Draft for 2014? MLB is going to establish a training academy in Puerto Rico. Those fancy pink wireless phones haven't shown up in the dugout yet. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 32 Tuesday: Anthony Swarzak could be key to the bullpen Wednesday: Will the real Twins base stealers, please stand up? Wet Wednesday in the Minors Video of the Week: A terrible strike call end a game with the Rangers and the Rays earlier this week. One of the biggest parts of this strike was the fact that it capped Joe Nathan's 300th save in the big leagues. Twins fans got to see Nathan climb the club's all-time list before he broke the record. He continues to rack up saves and it will be interesting to see how high he can get on MLB's all-time list.

With last night's loss, the Twins failed to win a series for the first time in 2013. Things didn't go much better tonight for Minnesota as the club fell to the Kansas City Royals. It was the first time the team had been swept in 2013 and the Twins only scored five runs in the series. Miguel Sano hit his first home run of the year on Tuesday evening. He has only been held hitless in one game so far this year and he was hitting .421 entering play today. The Miracle had a 5-0 record entering play tonight and new manager Doug Mientkiewicz has to be pleased with his team performance. How long can they keep it going is another question. Two of the best pitching prospects in the Twins organization were suppose to be on the mound in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Both Kyle Gibson and Trevor May were scheduled to make their second starts of the season and each man was looking for his first win. Let's see how things went on a wet Wednesday night in the minor leagues. Rochester Red Wings --, Scranton/WB RailRiders -- (Postponed) Kyle Gibson didn't get to take the mound on Wednesday due to inclement weather. The game will be made up on Monday, June 17 as part of a doubleheader at PNC Field. The first game will be scheduled for 5:35 pm (Eastern Time) with the second game following shortly after. Rochester was trying to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. On Tuesday, Chris Colabello cranked a solo home run to break a 1-1 tie in the ninth inning. Anthony Slama closed the door in the ninth inning for his first save of the year and the 101st of his career. The Red Wings will now travel to Pawtucket to open a four-game series with the Red Sox beginning on Thursday night. New Britain Rock Cats 17, Harrisburg Senators 5 Boxscore The Rock Cats found themselves in a tight contest with the Senators before back-to-back four run innings put the club out in front for good. A rain delay wasn't even enough to slow down the Rock Cats offense as the team pounded out 17 hits and 17 runs including 15 runs in the last four innings. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Josmil Pinto each had two home runs. Rodriguez finished the game going 3-for-5 with two bombs, a two-bagger, and four RBI. It was quite the game for Rodriguez considering he didn't have a hit so far this season. Daniel Ortiz, Danny Lehmann, and Nate Hanson joined the mash party as New Britain pounded out seven home runs in the game. Trevor May started for New Britain and gave up two earned runs on four hits including one long ball. It took him 82 pitches to get through four innings so he wasn't exactly being efficient. He struck out seven batters and walked three. May was replaced by Edgar Ibarra who three two perfect innings and struck out four. New Britain starts a four game series at Portland tomorrow night. The club sits one game over .500 and they will try to continue to play winning baseball. Fort Myers Miracle 7, Jupiter Hammerheads 6 (10 innings) Boxscore The Miracle found themselves in an early 4-0 hole and this could have spelled trouble but the team was able to complete the comeback. The win improved the Miracle to 6-0, the club's best start since 2006. In the bottom of the tenth inning with two outs, a pitch hit Kyle Knudson with Jonathan Goncalves already on first base. The next batter was Stephen Wickens and he sent the fans home happy with a line drive single to center field. Miguel Sano went 2-for-5 in the game with his third double of the year. With a double and a triple, Angel Morales had his first multi-hit contest of 2013. Kenny Vargas and Jonathan Goncalves added two hits of their own while Goncalves rocked his first home run. Tom Stuifbergen pitched six innings and only allowed one earned run. Sano had two errors in the first inning and this caused a few unearned runs to score. Corey Williams earned his first blown save and Adrian Salcedo picked up his first win out of the bullpen. He struck out two of the four batters that he faced in the 10th inning. The Miracle will finish out their series with the Hammerheads tomorrow night. The team looks to remain unbeaten on the season before heading out on the road for a weekend series with Charlotte. 
 Cedar Rapids Kernels -- , Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- (Double Header- Postponed) For the second day in a row, the Kernels game against the Timber Rattlers was postponed. The team was supposed to have a double header today but it was too cold in Wisconsin to be playing baseball. Cedar Rapids was off to a very good start with a 4-1 record so it is disappointing that they haven't been able to play the last couple of days. Hopefully, the team can get in some action tomorrow as they head back to Iowa to play the Clinton LumberKings.

With last night's loss, the Twins failed to win a series for the first time in 2013. Things didn't go much better tonight for Minnesota as the club fell to the Kansas City Royals. It was the first time the team had been swept in 2013 and the Twins only scored five runs in the series. Miguel Sano hit his first home run of the year on Tuesday evening. He has only been held hitless in one game so far this year and he was hitting .421 entering play today. The Miracle had a 5-0 record entering play tonight and new manager Doug Mientkiewicz has to be pleased with his team performance. How long can they keep it going is another question. Two of the best pitching prospects in the Twins organization were suppose to be on the mound in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Both Kyle Gibson and Trevor May were scheduled to make their second starts of the season and each man was looking for his first win. Let's see how things went on a wet Wednesday night in the minor leagues. Rochester Red Wings --, Scranton/WB RailRiders -- (Postponed) Kyle Gibson didn't get to take the mound on Wednesday due to inclement weather. The game will be made up on Monday, June 17 as part of a doubleheader at PNC Field. The first game will be scheduled for 5:35 pm (Eastern Time) with the second game following shortly after. Rochester was trying to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. On Tuesday, Chris Colabello cranked a solo home run to break a 1-1 tie in the ninth inning. Anthony Slama closed the door in the ninth inning for his first save of the year and the 101st of his career. The Red Wings will now travel to Pawtucket to open a four-game series with the Red Sox beginning on Thursday night. New Britain Rock Cats 17, Harrisburg Senators 5 Boxscore The Rock Cats found themselves in a tight contest with the Senators before back-to-back four run innings put the club out in front for good. A rain delay wasn't even enough to slow down the Rock Cats offense as the team pounded out 17 hits and 17 runs including 15 runs in the last four innings. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Josmil Pinto each had two home runs. Rodriguez finished the game going 3-for-5 with two bombs, a two-bagger, and four RBI. It was quite the game for Rodriguez considering he didn't have a hit so far this season. Daniel Ortiz, Danny Lehmann, and Nate Hanson joined the mash party as New Britain pounded out seven home runs in the game. Trevor May started for New Britain and gave up two earned runs on four hits including one long ball. It took him 82 pitches to get through four innings so he wasn't exactly being efficient. He struck out seven batters and walked three. May was replaced by Edgar Ibarra who three two perfect innings and struck out four. New Britain starts a four game series at Portland tomorrow night. The club sits one game over .500 and they will try to continue to play winning baseball. Fort Myers Miracle 7, Jupiter Hammerheads 6 (10 innings) Boxscore The Miracle found themselves in an early 4-0 hole and this could have spelled trouble but the team was able to complete the comeback. The win improved the Miracle to 6-0, the club's best start since 2006. In the bottom of the tenth inning with two outs, a pitch hit Kyle Knudson with Jonathan Goncalves already on first base. The next batter was Stephen Wickens and he sent the fans home happy with a line drive single to center field. Miguel Sano went 2-for-5 in the game with his third double of the year. With a double and a triple, Angel Morales had his first multi-hit contest of 2013. Kenny Vargas and Jonathan Goncalves added two hits of their own while Goncalves rocked his first home run. Tom Stuifbergen pitched six innings and only allowed one earned run. Sano had two errors in the first inning and this caused a few unearned runs to score. Corey Williams earned his first blown save and Adrian Salcedo picked up his first win out of the bullpen. He struck out two of the four batters that he faced in the 10th inning. The Miracle will finish out their series with the Hammerheads tomorrow night. The team looks to remain unbeaten on the season before heading out on the road for a weekend series with Charlotte. 
 Cedar Rapids Kernels -- , Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- (Double Header- Postponed) For the second day in a row, the Kernels game against the Timber Rattlers was postponed. The team was supposed to have a double header today but it was too cold in Wisconsin to be playing baseball. Cedar Rapids was off to a very good start with a 4-1 record so it is disappointing that they haven't been able to play the last couple of days. Hopefully, the team can get in some action tomorrow as they head back to Iowa to play the Clinton LumberKings.

Twins fans have been spoiled in the last two seasons. Ben Revere made base stealing look easy. Even Denard Span could swipe a base or two if the club needed it. Both of these men are in different uniforms to start the 2013 season. In fact, three of the top four base stealers from the 2012 Twins are no longer with the organization. Last year the Twins stole 135 bases, which ranked first in the American League. In 2011, the club finished in 10 place in the AL with 92 stolen bases. The team only had 68 steals in 2010 and that was bad enough to rank 12th among the 14 AL clubs. It obviously helps to have Mr. Revere on your club for any part of a season. Stealing bases is an art form. Unfortunately for the Twins, the club is going to have to find some different artists for the coming year. Chris Parmelee was thrown out trying to steal second base in the late innings of Monday afternoon's game. This meant the Twins have only been successful in two of their six stolen base attempts. The current team leaders in steals are Trevor Plouffe and Parmelee with one steal apiece. It is obvious that these two men aren't the fleetest of foot. So where are the steals going to come from for Minnesota? One man the Twins will rely on for steals this year is Aaron Hicks. He has gotten the year off to a bad start and this has meant he has only been on base four times. If a batter isn't getting on base, he obviously isn't going to be able to rack up steal attempts. In his one attempted steal this year, he was thrown out pretty easily (see photo above). Hicks had an outstanding year last season at Double-A and his solid offensive output was only helped by his ability to steal bases. He stole 32 bases last year and was caught stealing 11 times. Before last year, he had never had more than 21 steals so this was a step in the right direction. The Twins can't just rely on Hicks for steals so there will have to be some other men to reek havoc on the base paths. Darin Mastroianni had 21 steals in 24 attempts last season. These were very good numbers for someone that played in only 77 games. He has been hampered be a nagging injury from the end of spring training. When he is able to get back to being fully healthy, he could get more playing time and the chance to steal some more bases. The middle infield core of Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon, and Eduardo Escobar has yet to join the steal parade. Dozier had nine steals for the Twins last season but in his last full season in the minors he took 24 bags. Florimon and Escobar have a track record of getting double digits in steals but they will have to be selective with when to take an extra base. One dark horse when it comes to stealing bases could be Joe Mauer. He usually gets on base at one of the best rates in the AL and being on first base a lot can lead to some opportunities to swipe second. Mauer's athletic ability can always make him a threat but he has never stolen more than 13 bases. This could be the year for him to set a new career high. Steals might be few and far between this year unless the Twins get some other players into their everyday line-up. The opportunity to swipe bags might be there but the club will need to be selective in sending some runners with less ability on the base paths.

Twins fans have been spoiled in the last two seasons. Ben Revere made base stealing look easy. Even Denard Span could swipe a base or two if the club needed it. Both of these men are in different uniforms to start the 2013 season. In fact, three of the top four base stealers from the 2012 Twins are no longer with the organization. Last year the Twins stole 135 bases, which ranked first in the American League. In 2011, the club finished in 10 place in the AL with 92 stolen bases. The team only had 68 steals in 2010 and that was bad enough to rank 12th among the 14 AL clubs. It obviously helps to have Mr. Revere on your club for any part of a season. Stealing bases is an art form. Unfortunately for the Twins, the club is going to have to find some different artists for the coming year. Chris Parmelee was thrown out trying to steal second base in the late innings of Monday afternoon's game. This meant the Twins have only been successful in two of their six stolen base attempts. The current team leaders in steals are Trevor Plouffe and Parmelee with one steal apiece. It is obvious that these two men aren't the fleetest of foot. So where are the steals going to come from for Minnesota? One man the Twins will rely on for steals this year is Aaron Hicks. He has gotten the year off to a bad start and this has meant he has only been on base four times. If a batter isn't getting on base, he obviously isn't going to be able to rack up steal attempts. In his one attempted steal this year, he was thrown out pretty easily (see photo above). Hicks had an outstanding year last season at Double-A and his solid offensive output was only helped by his ability to steal bases. He stole 32 bases last year and was caught stealing 11 times. Before last year, he had never had more than 21 steals so this was a step in the right direction. The Twins can't just rely on Hicks for steals so there will have to be some other men to reek havoc on the base paths. Darin Mastroianni had 21 steals in 24 attempts last season. These were very good numbers for someone that played in only 77 games. He has been hampered be a nagging injury from the end of spring training. When he is able to get back to being fully healthy, he could get more playing time and the chance to steal some more bases. The middle infield core of Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon, and Eduardo Escobar has yet to join the steal parade. Dozier had nine steals for the Twins last season but in his last full season in the minors he took 24 bags. Florimon and Escobar have a track record of getting double digits in steals but they will have to be selective with when to take an extra base. One dark horse when it comes to stealing bases could be Joe Mauer. He usually gets on base at one of the best rates in the AL and being on first base a lot can lead to some opportunities to swipe second. Mauer's athletic ability can always make him a threat but he has never stolen more than 13 bases. This could be the year for him to set a new career high. Steals might be few and far between this year unless the Twins get some other players into their everyday line-up. The opportunity to swipe bags might be there but the club will need to be selective in sending some runners with less ability on the base paths.

When word came out following TwinsFest about the injury suffered by Anthony Swarzak, it had to be embarrassing. He suffered a fractured rib after wrestling with some teammates during the Twins annual fan festival. Swarzak would open the season on the DL and it was tough for him to watch the Twins fight the Tigers and the Orioles before he could get on the field. Swarzak returned to the mound on Sunday and got four big outs for the Twins on their way to a second series win in a row to start the year. He entered in the sixth inning and allowed two hits and a walk along with one strikeout. He was forced to toss a lot of sliders because he didn't have a great feel for his fastball. It would be his first victory of the year and he made the appearance without making any rehab starts in the minor leagues. Swarzak is back and he has a little something to prove. One of the biggest surprises for the Twins in the first week of the season has been the performance of the pitching staff. There have been positive signs from almost every starting pitcher but only Kevin Correia has pitched seven innings. This leaves the bullpen in charge of getting a lot of outs. The Twins could be relying heavily on Swarzak during the coming season. The long relief pitcher could be called on for some big outs when the starting staff doesn't make it into the late innings. In recent years, he has even been called on to make a start or two. Players like Jared Burton, Glen Perkins, and Brian Duensing are going to have important late-inning roles out of the bullpen. It might take a bridge to get from the starting pitcher to those back of the bullpen arms. That is where Swarzak can make his mark. As one would expect, his numbers are much better as a relief pitcher versus his time as a starter. For his career, he ERA is 1.19 points lower out of the bullpen. His WHIP is .153 points lower and he has a higher strikeout per nine. Opponent’s batting average against him is 60 points lower when he is used in relief. Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson know the bullpen is one of the team's strengths in 2013. This could mean a lot of use out of some of the more consistent arms in the bullpen. The team has relied on the bullpen to keep their games close so far and that trend will likely continue in the coming weeks. Swarzak wants the ball as much as possible. He said, "As long as they want me to pitch, I'll pitch. That's always been my attitude here, and that will always be my attitude anywhere. I'm a pitcher before anything else. As long as they want me to have the ball, I'll take the ball." The Twins might need Swarzak to take the ball a lot this season. It looks like the bullpen is going to be one of the most important parts of the roster and Swarzak could be a key figure for the success of the 2013 Minnesota Twins.

When word came out following TwinsFest about the injury suffered by Anthony Swarzak, it had to be embarrassing. He suffered a fractured rib after wrestling with some teammates during the Twins annual fan festival. Swarzak would open the season on the DL and it was tough for him to watch the Twins fight the Tigers and the Orioles before he could get on the field. Swarzak returned to the mound on Sunday and got four big outs for the Twins on their way to a second series win in a row to start the year. He entered in the sixth inning and allowed two hits and a walk along with one strikeout. He was forced to toss a lot of sliders because he didn't have a great feel for his fastball. It would be his first victory of the year and he made the appearance without making any rehab starts in the minor leagues. Swarzak is back and he has a little something to prove. One of the biggest surprises for the Twins in the first week of the season has been the performance of the pitching staff. There have been positive signs from almost every starting pitcher but only Kevin Correia has pitched seven innings. This leaves the bullpen in charge of getting a lot of outs. The Twins could be relying heavily on Swarzak during the coming season. The long relief pitcher could be called on for some big outs when the starting staff doesn't make it into the late innings. In recent years, he has even been called on to make a start or two. Players like Jared Burton, Glen Perkins, and Brian Duensing are going to have important late-inning roles out of the bullpen. It might take a bridge to get from the starting pitcher to those back of the bullpen arms. That is where Swarzak can make his mark. As one would expect, his numbers are much better as a relief pitcher versus his time as a starter. For his career, he ERA is 1.19 points lower out of the bullpen. His WHIP is .153 points lower and he has a higher strikeout per nine. Opponent’s batting average against him is 60 points lower when he is used in relief. Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson know the bullpen is one of the team's strengths in 2013. This could mean a lot of use out of some of the more consistent arms in the bullpen. The team has relied on the bullpen to keep their games close so far and that trend will likely continue in the coming weeks. Swarzak wants the ball as much as possible. He said, "As long as they want me to pitch, I'll pitch. That's always been my attitude here, and that will always be my attitude anywhere. I'm a pitcher before anything else. As long as they want me to have the ball, I'll take the ball." The Twins might need Swarzak to take the ball a lot this season. It looks like the bullpen is going to be one of the most important parts of the roster and Swarzak could be a key figure for the success of the 2013 Minnesota Twins.

There have been two series so far for the Twins and each one has produced the same result, a Twins win. Minnesota is tied with the Chicago White Sox for first place in the Central Division. It is very early in the season but the Twins are finding ways to keep games close and to come out victorious. Aaron Hicks isn't in the minor leagues any more and there were some struggles in his first week in the majors. He did knock in the go-ahead run for the Twins in Sunday's game. It was a big hit for the rookie and hopefully it will help him to get going at the plate. One pitching staff combined for a no-hitter and plenty of the top prospects in the organization are off to hot starts. There were a few other surprises as we take a look around the Twins minor league system. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Beloit Snappers 1 Box Score It was a special day in Cedar Rapids as three Kernels pitchers combined to toss the organization's first no-hitter of the 2013 season. Tyler Duffey started for the Kernels and tossed seven perfect innings before being removed. He struck out seven and picked up his first win of the year. Duffey, the Twins fifth round pick last year, was starting his first game with the organization after being used as a relief pitcher in Elizabethton at the end of last year. Josue Montanez would pitch the eighth inning and he surrendered the only run of the game for Cedar Rapids. He walked three batters in the frame and this allowed Beloit to get on the board. Tim Atherton struck out the side in the ninth inning to close out the no-hitter. On the offensive side of the ball, Bryon Buxton continued his strong start to the season. He went 4-for-5 with his first double and his first triple of the year. Buxton is now hitting .563 with three extra-base hits and four runs scored as the leadoff hitter for Cedar Rapids. Dalton Hicks went 3-for-4 with a couple doubles. Travis Harrison also notched a couple of hits including his third double of the year. Ft. Myers Miracle 9, Bradenton Marauders 8 (10 Innings) Box Score Fort Myers continued their hot start to the year by winning their fourth consecutive game. The Miracle jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on the strength of a five run third inning. Michael Gonzalez hit his second home run of the year to give the Miracle the go-ahead lead. He knocked in three runs in the game. Miguel Sano had a three hit game to raise his batting average to .438. Eddie Rosario went 4-for-6 with a double and two runs. Andy Leer also had his first home run of the season. Scott Diamond made his first rehab start in this game. He pitched five innings and gave up four earned runs including one long ball. All of the runs came in a long fourth inning. Madison Boer pitched in relief of Diamond and gave up four earned runs of his own. There were some control problems as he had three walks in a little over two innings of work. Chad Rodgers got the win and Corey Williams picked up his second save with a perfect bottom of the tenth inning. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 (11 innings) Box Score New Britain was the lone Twins affiliate to lose on Sunday. It was a tough luck loss as the club fell in extra-innings to mark their third loss on the season. The Rock Cats were leading for most of the game after the team scored a run in the second and the fourth innings. Michael Tonkin gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to blow the save and let Richmond back in the game. Highly touted pitching prospect Alex Meyer made his Double-A debut and did well. He threw five innings and gave up one run on six hits. He struck out eight and issued one walk. Meyer threw 75 pitches in the game and 53 were for strikes. It was a slow offensive day for New Britain. The Rock Cats combined for five hits in the game. No hitter had more than one hit. Josmil Pinto cracked his first home run of the year in the second inning. Daniel Ortiz got his first triple of the year. The team was 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and the club left 15 men on base. Rochester Red Wings 14, Buffalo Bisons 5 Box Score The Red Wings were riding a three game losing streak to start the year but they made sure to snap that skid on Sunday. The team pounded out 17 hits and scored 14 runs. There were home runs from a trio of players including Brandon Boggs, Chris Colabello, and Clete Thomas. Colabello would finish the game 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and two RBI. It was the first four hit game of the Red Wings season and of his career in affiliated baseball. He is hitting an eye-popping .600 through four games. Thomas would knock in five runs with a homer and a two-bagger to his credit. Oswaldo Arcia continued his hot start to the year by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored. The 3-4-5 hitters combined to go 10-for-13 with two home runs, two doubles, 9 RBI, and 8 runs. Virgil Vazquez had plenty of run support as his team scored 10 runs for him in the first two innings. He threw six frames by allowing eight hits and four earned runs, all solo home runs. Michael O'Connor pitched two innings in relief and gave up one run on two hits. Anthony Slama got the final three outs of the game for the first Red Wings W.

There have been two series so far for the Twins and each one has produced the same result, a Twins win. Minnesota is tied with the Chicago White Sox for first place in the Central Division. It is very early in the season but the Twins are finding ways to keep games close and to come out victorious. Aaron Hicks isn't in the minor leagues any more and there were some struggles in his first week in the majors. He did knock in the go-ahead run for the Twins in Sunday's game. It was a big hit for the rookie and hopefully it will help him to get going at the plate. One pitching staff combined for a no-hitter and plenty of the top prospects in the organization are off to hot starts. There were a few other surprises as we take a look around the Twins minor league system. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Beloit Snappers 1 Box Score It was a special day in Cedar Rapids as three Kernels pitchers combined to toss the organization's first no-hitter of the 2013 season. Tyler Duffey started for the Kernels and tossed seven perfect innings before being removed. He struck out seven and picked up his first win of the year. Duffey, the Twins fifth round pick last year, was starting his first game with the organization after being used as a relief pitcher in Elizabethton at the end of last year. Josue Montanez would pitch the eighth inning and he surrendered the only run of the game for Cedar Rapids. He walked three batters in the frame and this allowed Beloit to get on the board. Tim Atherton struck out the side in the ninth inning to close out the no-hitter. On the offensive side of the ball, Bryon Buxton continued his strong start to the season. He went 4-for-5 with his first double and his first triple of the year. Buxton is now hitting .563 with three extra-base hits and four runs scored as the leadoff hitter for Cedar Rapids. Dalton Hicks went 3-for-4 with a couple doubles. Travis Harrison also notched a couple of hits including his third double of the year. Ft. Myers Miracle 9, Bradenton Marauders 8 (10 Innings) Box Score Fort Myers continued their hot start to the year by winning their fourth consecutive game. The Miracle jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on the strength of a five run third inning. Michael Gonzalez hit his second home run of the year to give the Miracle the go-ahead lead. He knocked in three runs in the game. Miguel Sano had a three hit game to raise his batting average to .438. Eddie Rosario went 4-for-6 with a double and two runs. Andy Leer also had his first home run of the season. Scott Diamond made his first rehab start in this game. He pitched five innings and gave up four earned runs including one long ball. All of the runs came in a long fourth inning. Madison Boer pitched in relief of Diamond and gave up four earned runs of his own. There were some control problems as he had three walks in a little over two innings of work. Chad Rodgers got the win and Corey Williams picked up his second save with a perfect bottom of the tenth inning. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 (11 innings) Box Score New Britain was the lone Twins affiliate to lose on Sunday. It was a tough luck loss as the club fell in extra-innings to mark their third loss on the season. The Rock Cats were leading for most of the game after the team scored a run in the second and the fourth innings. Michael Tonkin gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to blow the save and let Richmond back in the game. Highly touted pitching prospect Alex Meyer made his Double-A debut and did well. He threw five innings and gave up one run on six hits. He struck out eight and issued one walk. Meyer threw 75 pitches in the game and 53 were for strikes. It was a slow offensive day for New Britain. The Rock Cats combined for five hits in the game. No hitter had more than one hit. Josmil Pinto cracked his first home run of the year in the second inning. Daniel Ortiz got his first triple of the year. The team was 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and the club left 15 men on base. Rochester Red Wings 14, Buffalo Bisons 5 Box Score The Red Wings were riding a three game losing streak to start the year but they made sure to snap that skid on Sunday. The team pounded out 17 hits and scored 14 runs. There were home runs from a trio of players including Brandon Boggs, Chris Colabello, and Clete Thomas. Colabello would finish the game 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and two RBI. It was the first four hit game of the Red Wings season and of his career in affiliated baseball. He is hitting an eye-popping .600 through four games. Thomas would knock in five runs with a homer and a two-bagger to his credit. Oswaldo Arcia continued his hot start to the year by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored. The 3-4-5 hitters combined to go 10-for-13 with two home runs, two doubles, 9 RBI, and 8 runs. Virgil Vazquez had plenty of run support as his team scored 10 runs for him in the first two innings. He threw six frames by allowing eight hits and four earned runs, all solo home runs. Michael O'Connor pitched two innings in relief and gave up one run on two hits. Anthony Slama got the final three outs of the game for the first Red Wings W.

The Rangers sure like to get within one out of accomplishing something big. A couple of years ago, Texas was an out away in more than one game from the club's first World Series title. On Tuesday night, Yu Darvish did his best to fit in with the Rangers by getting within one out of a perfect game. He too would fall short of making history. Since the Twins moved to Minnesota in 1961, there have five times when a Twins pitcher has taken a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Many fans might remember Scott Baker's almost perfect game back in 2007. There have been other men to get close only to fall short for the club. Here is a look back at the five Twins pitchers that made it within three outs of throwing a no-hitter. September 27, 1961: Minnesota vs Cleveland Pitcher: Al Schroll (9 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 SO) Out of Minnesota's last seven games in their inaugural season, this was the lone win for the Twins. It was definitely a strange no hitter as Indians put four runs on the board. All of the runs for Cleveland came in the final frame. Schroll's control had been all over the place and this was evident in the ninth. He gave up a single to lose the no-hitter and a couple walks followed this. Terry Francona was the next batter and he knocked a triple to clear the bases. Schroll calmed down enough to get the next three outs and Minnesota was victorious 10-4. June 26, 1964: Minnesota vs. Chicago (1st Game of Double Header) Pitcher: Gerry Arrigo (9 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 SO) In a game that barely lasted two hours, Arrigo only allowed one hit and it was to the leadoff man in the top of the ninth. One man reached second base for the White Sox and this was only after Arrigo hit two batters in an inning. All of the offense for the Twins would come off the bat of Harmon Killebrew. Following a Tony Oliva double, Killebrew smashed a go-ahead ahead home run to seal the Twins 2-0 victory. June 1, 1968: Minnesota at Chicago Pitcher: Dean Chance (8.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 SO) Chance got no support from his teammates as he took a no-hitter into the ninth and still ended up with the loss. Minnesota left nine runners on base and the team was 0-2 with runners in scoring position. When Chance headed to the mound for the ninth, he still had to feel pretty good about his chances. He was able to get the first out of the frame before back-to-back singles had the Sox sitting pretty. Chance coaxed a groundout to get the runner at second and this left runners on the corners with two outs. Dick Kenworthy would win the game with a single and the Twins fell 1-0. August 7, 1976: Minnesota at Texas Pitcher: Steve Luebber (8.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 SO) The Twins took an early 1-0 lead in this game and it looked like that was all Luebber would need on the mound. He was perfect through six innings before a couple of walks in the seventh. When he came out for the ninth inning, the Twins were up 3-0 and the frame got off to a good start. He got a groundout and a flyball to record the first two outs. The next two men would reach on singles and a throwing error by the outfielder didn't help matters. Minnesota would turn to Bill Campbell for the final out and he struck out Jeff Burroughs to end the game. August 31, 2007: Minnesota vs. Kansas City (2nd Game of Double Header) Pitcher: Scott Baker (9 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 9 SO) This game happened six seasons ago but it is probably still fresh in the minds of Twins fans. Baker had been untouchable for eight innings and he looked to be on the way to the first perfect game in franchise history. The Twins put together a long bottom of the eighth inning by piecing together three hits and scoring a couple of insurance runs. This might have let the pressure mount for Baker. He walked John Buck, the first batter of the ninth, to end the perfect game. After a groundout, Mike Sweeney pinch-hit and knocked a single to center field. It was the only hit of the game and Baker was that close to being perfect.

The Rangers sure like to get within one out of accomplishing something big. A couple of years ago, Texas was an out away in more than one game from the club's first World Series title. On Tuesday night, Yu Darvish did his best to fit in with the Rangers by getting within one out of a perfect game. He too would fall short of making history. Since the Twins moved to Minnesota in 1961, there have five times when a Twins pitcher has taken a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Many fans might remember Scott Baker's almost perfect game back in 2007. There have been other men to get close only to fall short for the club. Here is a look back at the five Twins pitchers that made it within three outs of throwing a no-hitter. September 27, 1961: Minnesota vs Cleveland Pitcher: Al Schroll (9 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 SO) Out of Minnesota's last seven games in their inaugural season, this was the lone win for the Twins. It was definitely a strange no hitter as Indians put four runs on the board. All of the runs for Cleveland came in the final frame. Schroll's control had been all over the place and this was evident in the ninth. He gave up a single to lose the no-hitter and a couple walks followed this. Terry Francona was the next batter and he knocked a triple to clear the bases. Schroll calmed down enough to get the next three outs and Minnesota was victorious 10-4. June 26, 1964: Minnesota vs. Chicago (1st Game of Double Header) Pitcher: Gerry Arrigo (9 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 SO) In a game that barely lasted two hours, Arrigo only allowed one hit and it was to the leadoff man in the top of the ninth. One man reached second base for the White Sox and this was only after Arrigo hit two batters in an inning. All of the offense for the Twins would come off the bat of Harmon Killebrew. Following a Tony Oliva double, Killebrew smashed a go-ahead ahead home run to seal the Twins 2-0 victory. June 1, 1968: Minnesota at Chicago Pitcher: Dean Chance (8.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 SO) Chance got no support from his teammates as he took a no-hitter into the ninth and still ended up with the loss. Minnesota left nine runners on base and the team was 0-2 with runners in scoring position. When Chance headed to the mound for the ninth, he still had to feel pretty good about his chances. He was able to get the first out of the frame before back-to-back singles had the Sox sitting pretty. Chance coaxed a groundout to get the runner at second and this left runners on the corners with two outs. Dick Kenworthy would win the game with a single and the Twins fell 1-0. August 7, 1976: Minnesota at Texas Pitcher: Steve Luebber (8.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 SO) The Twins took an early 1-0 lead in this game and it looked like that was all Luebber would need on the mound. He was perfect through six innings before a couple of walks in the seventh. When he came out for the ninth inning, the Twins were up 3-0 and the frame got off to a good start. He got a groundout and a flyball to record the first two outs. The next two men would reach on singles and a throwing error by the outfielder didn't help matters. Minnesota would turn to Bill Campbell for the final out and he struck out Jeff Burroughs to end the game. August 31, 2007: Minnesota vs. Kansas City (2nd Game of Double Header) Pitcher: Scott Baker (9 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 9 SO) This game happened six seasons ago but it is probably still fresh in the minds of Twins fans. Baker had been untouchable for eight innings and he looked to be on the way to the first perfect game in franchise history. The Twins put together a long bottom of the eighth inning by piecing together three hits and scoring a couple of insurance runs. This might have let the pressure mount for Baker. He walked John Buck, the first batter of the ninth, to end the perfect game. After a groundout, Mike Sweeney pinch-hit and knocked a single to center field. It was the only hit of the game and Baker was that close to being perfect.

There were a few surprises on Opening Day at Target Field but for the most part, the game went according to plan. Justin Verlander pitched well. Joe Mauer got his hits. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder know how to get RBI. The inexperienced Minnesota bats didn't know how to get an RBI. This all led to the Tigers coming out on top. One interesting move made was actually a player left on the bench. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ron Gardenhire turned to his bench and tabbed Wilkin Ramirez to pinch-hit for Pedro Florimon. This move wasn't a surprise as Florimon is a light hitting middle infielder and Ramirez was added to the roster for some pop off the bench. The surprise came later in the bottom half of the inning when the Twins turned over shortstop to Eduardo Escobar. It's not that Escobar is a bad pick to play shortstop, in fact he might have been the best defensive option available to the manager. Jamey Carroll was left on the bench and with this decision came question marks about his role with the 2013 Minnesota Twins. At the beginning of last season, Carroll had to be riding high. He signed a very lucrative free agent deal for a player closing in on 40-years old. The Twins named him the Opening Day shortstop and he found himself batting between Denard Span and Joe Mauer. Life was good! A slow start began to muddle the role of Carroll. He didn't record a hit in his first four games and it would take awhile to get his average back to a respectable point. The team moved him out of the number two spot in the batting order and he would spend time playing a variety of different infield positions during the rest of the year. Entering this spring, the front office made it be known that there was an open competition for the middle infield jobs. Carroll, Florimon, Escobar, and Brian Dozier were all in the running for starting jobs. Florimon had the leg up for the starting shortstop job since the end of last year. That left three men fighting for the other spot. The Twins want Dozier to be a part of their rebuilding process. This was evident last season when they continued to use him at shortstop even with his struggles. Dozier is 14 years younger than Carroll and he is under team control for multiple years. It makes sense to start Dozier but there are still questions about Carroll's role with the club. Carroll will make $3.75 million this year, which is a lot of money for someone that looks like a bench player at this point. There are incentives in his deal if he accumulates over 550 plate appearances this season. If he gets 401 plate appearances in 2013, he will have the option to return to the Twins for $2 million or become a free agent. If he doesn't reach that number of ABs, the Twins can pick up his option or buy out his deal for $250,000. All of these things could be a factor in his diminishing role. It was only one game and a couple of bench decisions made by the manager. The 39-year old Carroll will likely get playing time when one of the other players struggles or when an injury arises in the infield. There will be important at-bats for the veteran infielder and the Twins have to hope he will be ready when the opportunity comes. Carroll's role might be shrinking but his time in Minnesota isn't over yet.

There were a few surprises on Opening Day at Target Field but for the most part, the game went according to plan. Justin Verlander pitched well. Joe Mauer got his hits. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder know how to get RBI. The inexperienced Minnesota bats didn't know how to get an RBI. This all led to the Tigers coming out on top. One interesting move made was actually a player left on the bench. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ron Gardenhire turned to his bench and tabbed Wilkin Ramirez to pinch-hit for Pedro Florimon. This move wasn't a surprise as Florimon is a light hitting middle infielder and Ramirez was added to the roster for some pop off the bench. The surprise came later in the bottom half of the inning when the Twins turned over shortstop to Eduardo Escobar. It's not that Escobar is a bad pick to play shortstop, in fact he might have been the best defensive option available to the manager. Jamey Carroll was left on the bench and with this decision came question marks about his role with the 2013 Minnesota Twins. At the beginning of last season, Carroll had to be riding high. He signed a very lucrative free agent deal for a player closing in on 40-years old. The Twins named him the Opening Day shortstop and he found himself batting between Denard Span and Joe Mauer. Life was good! A slow start began to muddle the role of Carroll. He didn't record a hit in his first four games and it would take awhile to get his average back to a respectable point. The team moved him out of the number two spot in the batting order and he would spend time playing a variety of different infield positions during the rest of the year. Entering this spring, the front office made it be known that there was an open competition for the middle infield jobs. Carroll, Florimon, Escobar, and Brian Dozier were all in the running for starting jobs. Florimon had the leg up for the starting shortstop job since the end of last year. That left three men fighting for the other spot. The Twins want Dozier to be a part of their rebuilding process. This was evident last season when they continued to use him at shortstop even with his struggles. Dozier is 14 years younger than Carroll and he is under team control for multiple years. It makes sense to start Dozier but there are still questions about Carroll's role with the club. Carroll will make $3.75 million this year, which is a lot of money for someone that looks like a bench player at this point. There are incentives in his deal if he accumulates over 550 plate appearances this season. If he gets 401 plate appearances in 2013, he will have the option to return to the Twins for $2 million or become a free agent. If he doesn't reach that number of ABs, the Twins can pick up his option or buy out his deal for $250,000. All of these things could be a factor in his diminishing role. It was only one game and a couple of bench decisions made by the manager. The 39-year old Carroll will likely get playing time when one of the other players struggles or when an injury arises in the infield. There will be important at-bats for the veteran infielder and the Twins have to hope he will be ready when the opportunity comes. Carroll's role might be shrinking but his time in Minnesota isn't over yet.

The last two Aprils have been rough for Twins Territory. Slow starts out of the gate meant the club would only accumulate single digit wins in 2011 and 2012. As fans know, the team never recovered from those slow starts and Minnesota finished at the bottom of the American League for two consecutive years. It's a new year and the Twins are hoping not to repeat the slow starts of the last two season. For some people, there is plenty riding on the start by the Twins. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract and the team might need to get off to a decent start for him to keep his job. Since 1987, there have been only two men to be at the helm of the Minnesota Twins. Tom Kelly took the team to two World Series titles before stepping down after the 2001 season. Gardenhire was named as his replacement and there have been plenty of good things during his tenure. The team won the AL Central in his first three years as manager. There was a surprise run to the ALCS in his first year. He also led the team to six division titles in his first nine years. Gardenhire had multiple runner-up finishes for the AL Manager of the Year before winning the award in 2010. Those were the good times. 2011 and 2012 have been dark days in Minnesota. Injuries plagued the 2011 team and the club would finish with the second worst record in baseball. Things didn't get much better in 2012 as the organization waffled to another last place finish. The future looked bleak and something needed to be done. During this offseason, the front office decided to overhaul the coaching staff around Gardenhire. Steve Liddle, Rick Stelmaszek, and Jerry White were all replaced. Scott Ullger and Joe Vavra were reassigned to new positions. Only Rick Anderson and Gardenhire would survive to stay in their same positions. It was a surprising set of moves for an organization that had only one coaching change in the last 11 seasons. There was a stability that stemmed from the ownership throughout the organization. Voices in the locker-room can get stale and sometimes change is needed. There are some fresh voices on Gardenhire's staff and he has to hope there will be a new energy in the clubhouse. New faces will fill-in multiple positions on the Opening Day line-up. The only starting pitcher back in the rotation from the beginning of last year is Liam Henriks. Changes were made and Gardenhire has to work with the roster he was given. This Twins team isn't destined to bring home a World Series crown but it could be a team to surprise at the start of the year. There are plenty of players with something to prove. Justin Morneau wants to put his injury plagued past behind him. Aaron Hicks wants to prove he belongs at the major leagues. Joe Mauer wants to prove he can spend more time behind the plate. Vance Worley, Mike Pelfrey, and Kevin Correia want to prove they can handle the switch from the NL to the AL. Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee want to prove they can be everyday players. Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier want to prove they belong in the middle infield. Josh Willingham wants to prove that last year's numbers weren't a fluke. Jamey Carroll wants to prove that he has something left in the tank. Gardenhire hopes the drive behind these ambitions will get the team off to a better start in 2013. His job might be counting on it.

The last two Aprils have been rough for Twins Territory. Slow starts out of the gate meant the club would only accumulate single digit wins in 2011 and 2012. As fans know, the team never recovered from those slow starts and Minnesota finished at the bottom of the American League for two consecutive years. It's a new year and the Twins are hoping not to repeat the slow starts of the last two season. For some people, there is plenty riding on the start by the Twins. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract and the team might need to get off to a decent start for him to keep his job. Since 1987, there have been only two men to be at the helm of the Minnesota Twins. Tom Kelly took the team to two World Series titles before stepping down after the 2001 season. Gardenhire was named as his replacement and there have been plenty of good things during his tenure. The team won the AL Central in his first three years as manager. There was a surprise run to the ALCS in his first year. He also led the team to six division titles in his first nine years. Gardenhire had multiple runner-up finishes for the AL Manager of the Year before winning the award in 2010. Those were the good times. 2011 and 2012 have been dark days in Minnesota. Injuries plagued the 2011 team and the club would finish with the second worst record in baseball. Things didn't get much better in 2012 as the organization waffled to another last place finish. The future looked bleak and something needed to be done. During this offseason, the front office decided to overhaul the coaching staff around Gardenhire. Steve Liddle, Rick Stelmaszek, and Jerry White were all replaced. Scott Ullger and Joe Vavra were reassigned to new positions. Only Rick Anderson and Gardenhire would survive to stay in their same positions. It was a surprising set of moves for an organization that had only one coaching change in the last 11 seasons. There was a stability that stemmed from the ownership throughout the organization. Voices in the locker-room can get stale and sometimes change is needed. There are some fresh voices on Gardenhire's staff and he has to hope there will be a new energy in the clubhouse. New faces will fill-in multiple positions on the Opening Day line-up. The only starting pitcher back in the rotation from the beginning of last year is Liam Henriks. Changes were made and Gardenhire has to work with the roster he was given. This Twins team isn't destined to bring home a World Series crown but it could be a team to surprise at the start of the year. There are plenty of players with something to prove. Justin Morneau wants to put his injury plagued past behind him. Aaron Hicks wants to prove he belongs at the major leagues. Joe Mauer wants to prove he can spend more time behind the plate. Vance Worley, Mike Pelfrey, and Kevin Correia want to prove they can handle the switch from the NL to the AL. Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee want to prove they can be everyday players. Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier want to prove they belong in the middle infield. Josh Willingham wants to prove that last year's numbers weren't a fluke. Jamey Carroll wants to prove that he has something left in the tank. Gardenhire hopes the drive behind these ambitions will get the team off to a better start in 2013. His job might be counting on it.