Cody Christie

The Twins won both ends of a double header against Kansas City on Saturday but there was plenty of exciting action across the minor leagues. Let's check out how the Twins farm system fared as their seasons are coming to a close. ELIZABETHTON 2, BURLINGTON 3 In what looks like it will be a great Appalachian League Championship Series, the E-Twins lost an important first game to the Burlington Royals by a score of 3-2 in extra-innings. Angel Matta started the game for the Twins and pitched five strong innings while allowing one run on six hits with six strikeouts. His only trouble came in the bottom of the second when he allowed the first three batters to reach on singles. He got out of the jam by allowing a single run so it was a good job of sidestepping danger. There were a lot of zeros put on the board until the top of the sixth when the E-Twins were finally able to get on the board. Adam Walker started the inning by belting a solo-home run to tie the game. The next batter was DJ Hicks and he decided back-to-back home runs were in order. For the first time in the series, Elizabethton had a lead at 2-1. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last for the rest of the game. Tyler Herr was called on to relieve Mata on the mound and he was doing fine for the first couple of innings. Even the start of the eighth inning looked to be going well as Herr struck out the first two batters that he faced. Mark Threlkeld was the third batter of the inning for Burlington and he sent one over the fence to tie the game in the late innings, a devastating shot for the young E-Twins. In extra-innings, the E-Twins had their chance to take the lead in the top of the 10th when Romy Jimenez doubled with one out in the frame. There was a wild pitch with Travis Harrison batting to advance Jimenez to third. Harrison would walk but the next two batters would fail to knock in the runner. In the 11th inning, Byron Buxton would reach third with two outs but he was left there. A couple of golden opportunities missed by Elizabethton. The bottom of the 12th saw Burlington lead off with a single by Terrance Gore. He would make it to third on a sacrifice bunt to Travis Harrison at third base. The next batter was Bubba Starling and last year's first round pick for the Royals knocked a sacrifice fly to end the game. ROCHESTER 8, SYRACUSE 4 A back and forth contest between the Red Wings and the Chiefs saw Rochester get back to the .500 mark for the season at 71-71. The Red Wings took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning and the offense went cold for a few frames. Syracuse scored a couple in the third and added another in the fifth to push their lead to 3-1. A big 3-run seventh inning put the Red Wings on top but it would only last until the eighth. Jeff Manship started for Rochester pitched 5.2 innings by allowing one run on five hits. Caleb Thielbar was moving along at a decent clip before running into some trouble in the bottom of the eighth. With a runner on base, the Red Wings turned to closer Anthony Slama who gave up a triple and saw the lead disappear. Brian Dozier had a big night by going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Wilkin Ramirez was able to knock in a couple of runs with his single in the seventh inning. Clete Thomas went 3-for-5 and he knocked in a couple runs of his own. Thomas even scored on his triple after a bad play by the center fielder. Brian Dinkelman and Rene Rivera added doubles in the ninth to push the lead for Rochester. NEW BRITAIN 7, NEW HAMPSHIRE 3 New Britain got down early in this game but had some big at-bats in the later innings to put them on top for good. A four-run sixth inning and a three-run seventh inning were more than enough to cover up the two early runs given up by Luke French. For the second outing in a row, French would be strong on the mound by tossing 7.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits. The top of the order did a lot of damage for the Rock Cats. Aaron Hicks and Chris Herrmann put up big numbers out of the one and two spots in the batting order. Hicks had two triples and a couple runs scored as the lead-off hitter. He also set the team record for runs scored in a season (97) and triples in a season (11). Chris Colabello tied the Rock Cats season record with 97 RBI. Josmil Pinto, Deibinson Romero, and Herrmann all had multiple RBI performances to help push the Rock Cats to the victory. FORT MYERS 1, CHARLOTTE 4 The Miracle had a tough time getting on the board in this contest against the Stone Crabs. Charlotte starting pitcher Eliazer Suero threw seven innings of two hit ball to keep the damage to a minimum for the Miracle. Fort Myers pieced together a game by having three pitchers throw three innings apiece. Miguel Munoz started the game and only gave up a hit before Ryan O'Rourke took over. O'Rourke allowed two runs but only one of them was earned. Ricky Bowen allowed a couple runs on four hits during his three innings of work. When a team gets handled by the opposing pitcher, there isn't much to talk about on the offensive side of the ball. Angel Morales had the only extra-base hit of the night for the Miracle. It was his fifth triple of the year. Daniel Santana went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Levi Michael was 1-for-3 with a walk. Michael also added his 16th error of the season and this one came on a throw at second base. BELOIT 6, QUAD CITIES 5 With Miguel Sano out of the line-up, Eddie Rosario reminded fans why he should be considered among the best prospects in the organization. In the middle of the batting order, Rosario had a big night with his 31st and 32nd doubles of the season. Kennys Vargas knocked in a couple runs batting behind Rosario. Matthew Koch added a couple hits of his own at the bottom of the order. This was more than enough for Tyler Jones as he threw seven innings by allowing a single run on four hits with nine strikeouts. Jones seems to be ending the year on a strong note as he has tossed seven innings or more in each of his last two appearances. During that time, he has only allowed three earned runs. Quad City made things interesting by scoring four in the ninth but it wasn't enough. --- Players of the Day for September 1, 2012 Hitter of the Day- Aaron Hicks [ATTACH=CONFIG]2218[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day- Tyler Jones [ATTACH=CONFIG]2219[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead- Sunday, September 2nd Schedule Game 2 of the Appalachian League Championship Series Elizabethton vs. Burlington- LHP Hein Robb Rochester @ Syracuse- TBA New Britain vs. New Hampshire- RHP Steve Hirschfeld Fort Myers @ Charlotte- LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs. Quad City- LHP Matt Tomshaw

The 2014 All-Star Game was finally given to the Twin Cities this week but there were plenty of other happenings for Twins Territory. Joe Mauer was placed on waivers and the national media freaked out over what turned out to be a none story. After sitting for over a week and then playing in a handful of games, Denard Span was finally put on the DL even though rosters expand this weekend. Chris Parmelee destroyed Triple-A pitching for most of the year and he finally got called up. Now he has to show his stuff at the big league level if they can find at-bats for him. While the news surrounding the Twins has been exciting, the play on the field has not been in the exciting category. The team is scuffling to say the least and it could be a long final month for the faithful that still head to Target Field. A crowd of under 30,000 was announced for the first time at Target Field this week and it is hard to believe there were that many people in attendance. It is tough to watch a team that is putting a poor product on the field. Fans like me will continue to follow even if the wins aren't exactly piling up over the next few weeks. It's a long Labor Day weekend so before you skip out of the office early make sure to check out this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." So far this season, the Twins have gotten very good production from some signings that were minor at the time. The Twins are getting close to being unwatchable. During the next couple weeks, it will be important for Trevor Plouffe to rebound. It sounds like the Dodgers asked the Twins about Justin Morneau before moving on to their mega-deal with the Red Sox. Here are some highlights from FSN's coverage of MLB announcing the 2014 All-Star Game in Minnesota. Joe Mauer set the franchise record for games caught by passing Earl Battey, one of the best players in team history. This behind the back play by Mauer is pretty sweet to see. With the season being very dark, there are some beacons of light for the Twins. In their 52nd year in Minnesota, the team is now official under .500 since coming to the Twin Cities. How far are the 2013 Twins from contention? Kyle Gibson is back in the rotation for Rochester which makes him one step away from the big leagues again. Gibson is also one of six players that will compete in the Arizona Fall League as representative from the Twins organization. There were multiple players from the New Britain Rock Cats named to the Eastern League All-Star Team for the end of the season. The lone GCL Twin to be named the their post season All-Star list was Jeremias Pineda. ESPN's Keith Law went to Beloit to see Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and the rest of the Snappers. Former Twins outfielder Lew Ford hit his first home run at the big league level since 2007 (see Video of the Week). I loved this shot of him rounding third with a smiling coming across his face. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nxARY1FeXJQ/UEA2Z2xWIaI/AAAAAAAADME/_mRU-pXAVWg/s320/LewFordHR.jpg Poor Liam Hendriks indeed... Scott Diamond threw at Josh Hamilton and got in trouble for it so maybe he needs the ethics of throwing at hitters. For the second year in a row, the Twins will look to avoid 100 losses by the end of September. Adam Greenberg was hit in the head during his only MLB at-bat and he is campaigning for another shot at the big league level. Hank Aaron joined many other former sluggers saying PED punishments are not enough. Baseball might need to start thinking about getting collisions at home plate out of the game. Enjoy this week's edition of Mike Trout is amazing. Chipper Jones has gotten quite the wide collection of gifts as he makes his final stops in some NL cities. There are some bad things going on with the Rockies and their rotation plan is not the greatest. This song is going to get really old in the postseason. My Weekly Rundown Monday: What will the Twins do with Justin Morneau? Tuesday: Handling of young pitchers has changed Tuesday's Trip through the Minors Wednesday: If Joe Mauer was traded, where could he go? Video of the Week: Lew Ford hit his first home run since 2007 earlier this week. It was also great that it came off of Francisco Liriano. Ford would go on to hit another home run later in the week so he is on quite the nice run for the Orioles as they try to stay in the playoff hunt in the American League.

The 2014 All-Star Game was finally given to the Twin Cities this week but there were plenty of other happenings for Twins Territory. Joe Mauer was placed on waivers and the national media freaked out over what turned out to be a none story. After sitting for over a week and then playing in a handful of games, Denard Span was finally put on the DL even though rosters expand this weekend. Chris Parmelee destroyed Triple-A pitching for most of the year and he finally got called up. Now he has to show his stuff at the big league level if they can find at-bats for him. While the news surrounding the Twins has been exciting, the play on the field has not been in the exciting category. The team is scuffling to say the least and it could be a long final month for the faithful that still head to Target Field. A crowd of under 30,000 was announced for the first time at Target Field this week and it is hard to believe there were that many people in attendance. It is tough to watch a team that is putting a poor product on the field. Fans like me will continue to follow even if the wins aren't exactly piling up over the next few weeks. It's a long Labor Day weekend so before you skip out of the office early make sure to check out this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." So far this season, the Twins have gotten very good production from some signings that were minor at the time. The Twins are getting close to being unwatchable. During the next couple weeks, it will be important for Trevor Plouffe to rebound. It sounds like the Dodgers asked the Twins about Justin Morneau before moving on to their mega-deal with the Red Sox. Here are some highlights from FSN's coverage of MLB announcing the 2014 All-Star Game in Minnesota. Joe Mauer set the franchise record for games caught by passing Earl Battey, one of the best players in team history. This behind the back play by Mauer is pretty sweet to see. With the season being very dark, there are some beacons of light for the Twins. In their 52nd year in Minnesota, the team is now official under .500 since coming to the Twin Cities. How far are the 2013 Twins from contention? Kyle Gibson is back in the rotation for Rochester which makes him one step away from the big leagues again. Gibson is also one of six players that will compete in the Arizona Fall League as representative from the Twins organization. There were multiple players from the New Britain Rock Cats named to the Eastern League All-Star Team for the end of the season. The lone GCL Twin to be named the their post season All-Star list was Jeremias Pineda. ESPN's Keith Law went to Beloit to see Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and the rest of the Snappers. Former Twins outfielder Lew Ford hit his first home run at the big league level since 2007 (see Video of the Week). I loved this shot of him rounding third with a smiling coming across his face. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nxARY1FeXJQ/UEA2Z2xWIaI/AAAAAAAADME/_mRU-pXAVWg/s320/LewFordHR.jpg Poor Liam Hendriks indeed... Scott Diamond threw at Josh Hamilton and got in trouble for it so maybe he needs the ethics of throwing at hitters. For the second year in a row, the Twins will look to avoid 100 losses by the end of September. Adam Greenberg was hit in the head during his only MLB at-bat and he is campaigning for another shot at the big league level. Hank Aaron joined many other former sluggers saying PED punishments are not enough. Baseball might need to start thinking about getting collisions at home plate out of the game. Enjoy this week's edition of Mike Trout is amazing. Chipper Jones has gotten quite the wide collection of gifts as he makes his final stops in some NL cities. There are some bad things going on with the Rockies and their rotation plan is not the greatest. This song is going to get really old in the postseason. My Weekly Rundown Monday: What will the Twins do with Justin Morneau? Tuesday: Handling of young pitchers has changed Tuesday's Trip through the Minors Wednesday: If Joe Mauer was traded, where could he go? Video of the Week: Lew Ford hit his first home run since 2007 earlier this week. It was also great that it came off of Francisco Liriano. Ford would go on to hit another home run later in the week so he is on quite the nice run for the Orioles as they try to stay in the playoff hunt in the American League.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2193[/ATTACH] On a day when the biggest piece of news coming out of the Twins Cities should have been the Twins securing the 2014 MLB All-Star Game, most of the national attention was on the reports that Joe Mauer had been placed on revocable waivers. Fans and some members of the media got all in a tizzy by the thought that Mauer, the hometown boy, could ever leave the Twins. In the end, it seems like a whole lot of fuss for nothing because there doesn't seem to be much of a chance of Mauer and his massive contract leaving the Twin Cities. To the casual fan, it can be confusing at this time of the year to hear about players being put on waivers when the trade deadline has come and gone. The big deal pulled off between the Red Sox and the Dodgers can get fans thinking about what other big name players will be the next to move. It is rare to see big moves like this pulled off after the trade deadline because of all of the hoops that teams have to jump through to get a player to a team that truly wants to trade for them. A trade involving Joe Mauer would be similarly hard because he holds a full no-trade clause so any move for Mauer has to be approved by the catcher. A few notes about the waiver process: Many teams will place players on waivers at this time of the year and there is a pretty good chance that this isn't the first (or last) time Mauer has seen the waiver wire. Any MLB team can put a claim in on a player, the entire American League would get first crack at Mauer in reverse order of the standings. If no one in the AL claims, Mauer an NL team could put in a claim and once again it goes in reverse order of the standings. The club putting in a claim risks the chance that the Twins would just dump Mauer's contract on the without the Twins getting anything back in a trade. This means there are quite a few clubs that couldn't even think about it. Since no team put in a claim on Mauer, the Twins could work out a deal with any club at this point in the year. It would just need to be approve by Mauer because of his full no-trade clause. Reports have come out to say that the Twins place everyone on waivers so Mauer being place on waivers should be taken with a grain of sand. With all of that being said, it is interesting to think about the possibility of one of the best players in the game being dealt to a contender for a title run. There are plenty of obstacles in the way including Mauer's ridiculously large contract and his no-trade clause. Of course there would be teams interested in obtaining Mauer's services but only a few would be able to absorb this massive deal. There are plenty of clubs that are set in the catching department so they would have no need for Mauer but who else would be interested in the Twins' hometown boy? Let's take a minute and pretend that a deal for Mauer will take place. Here are five of the top teams that have the budget and room for a catcher to slide into their line-up. Yankees: The darn Yankees have the highest payroll in the game so adding one more big salary might not be too hard to handle. Before Mauer signed his big deal with the Twins, it was widely speculated that the Yankees would be interested and making a play for Mauer when he hit free agency. In the past, Mauer has performed very well at Yankee Stadium and the short porch in right field could help to bolster his offensive numbers. He has played 14 games at the new Yankee Stadium and he has hit .327/.439/.545 with three home runs and three doubles. One of the problems with the Yankees might be the age of the club and the fact that Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter could be forced to spend more time as the DH. The Yankees are set at first base with Mark Teixeria so where would Mauer get all of his at-bats? His catching duties have been cut back and it is expected for this trend to continue as he approaches age 30. Red Sox: The original report from Ken Rosenthal speculated about Boston being interested in Mauer because of their recent salary dump. Mauer has been a target for the Red Sox in the past and it is hard not to think that he could succeed in a Boston uniform. It's easy to imagine Mauer scattering balls off of the Green Monster on a nightly basis. David Ortiz is at the end of his career as a DH and Mauer could get some time at first without Adrian Gonzalez in the picture. With $142.5 million left on Mauer's contract, the Red Sox could have tried to jump for Mauer but this wasn't the case. Jacoby Ellsbury is due to get a contact extension at some point and the Red Sox just got rid of a lot of money in bad contracts. The idea of adding Mauer was probably too much at this point as the Red Sox look to go in a different direction. Angels: Los Angeles needs a catcher and they aren't afraid of spending money as they showed this past offseason with the editions of Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. Do the Angels need another star at this point? They have all of the pieces to one of the best rotations in the game. Albert Pujols is the best hitter in this generation and Mike Trout is emerging as a once in a generation star. There are plenty of big names in LA and Mauer might get lost in the shuffle. With Pujols getting most of the time at first base, Mauer would need to find time at other spots. Some other bad contracts in LA make it seem like this deal would be tough to pull off for the Angels. If I'm Terry Ryan, I say, "Mauer for Trout, straight up." Then I pull the phone away from my ear because of the laughter on the other end. Dodgers: The new ownership group has shown their willingness to spend big money and adding another contract might not be that big of a deal. The absence of a DH in the National League seems like a draw back from Mauer moving to the Senior Circuit. Gonzalez looks to be locked in at first base so Mauer would be out of the line-up on a more regular basis to give his legs a rest from catching duties. He could always try the outfield but the Dodgers are sitting pretty well in that department as well. Making another big move could be huge for the Dodgers franchise but it doesn't seem like their roster is a good fit for Mr. Mauer. Cubs: Since Theo Epstein moved to Chicago, the Cubs haven't made too much of a splash. Adding Mauer to the fold could be a franchise changing move for a team trying to dig out of the lower levels of the National League. If the Red Sox were in love with Mauer in the past, it makes sense to think that Epstein would like to get the player and maybe rub it in his old team's face. Much like the Twins, the Cubs and Epstein are attempting to fix a club after a couple of rough seasons. Mauer's addition to the Cubs would make a splash but they are trying to turn themselves around for the long haul. It doesn't make much sense to bring in a deal like Mauer for the rebuilding process. So what do you think? Where would Mauer end up if he was traded?

Even though they are a last place team like the Twins, the pesky Seattle Mariners have seemed to have the Twins number in 2012. For the second night in a row, the Twins couldn't get much offense going and it's tough to win games without scoring runs. The good news is that the Twins are getting closer to getting the second pick in next year's draft. Only the Cubs and the Astros have a worse record than the Twins so this recent stretch of poor play has pushed Minnesota ahead of Colorado. I spent the evening taking in some Independent League Baseball as the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks returned to Newman Outdoor Field. There was a Bobblelection held as fans had to pick between getting an Obama bobblehead or a Romney bobblehead. The first candidate to run out of bobbleheads would be declared the winner. It turns out that the Fort Myers Miracle are having a similar promotion on Thursday evening at their home game. ROCHESTER 10, BUFFALO 4 The Red Wings used a 5-run top of the ninth inning to separate themselves from the Bisons on Tuesday evening. Buffalo struck early for a couple runs but Rochester slowly pecked away before coming up big in their last at-bat. Rene Rivera and Tsuyoshi Nishioka each drove in three runs. Rivera had a home run and a double to his credit while Nishioka settled for a three hit night. Brian Dozier continues to struggle since his demotion as he went 0-4 with two strikeouts. Chris Parmelee had a hat trick with three strikeouts in the game. Sharion Martis picked up his third win of the year in a very strong outing. Over six innings on the mound, he gave up two runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Anthony Slama made things a little more interesting in the ninth by giving up a two-run bomb but he still picked up his 13th save on the year. NEW BRITAIN 4, TRENTON 7 A big 5-run second inning put the Thunder up big and the Rock Cats couldn't recover on this night. Steve Hirschfeld was roughed up for six runs in less than two innings of work. This made it a long night for the bullpen but Edgar Ibarra, Dakota Watts, Aaron Thompson, and Jose Gonzalez managed to make it through the rest of the game by only allowing one more run. The lone run came on a solo home run so it was a pretty good 6.1 innings from the bullpen forces. Josmil Pinto went 3-for-4 on the night with his first double since being promoted from Fort Myers. In the fifth inning, Deibinson Romero hit his 19th home run of the year. Nate Hanson also went 2-for-4 in the loss. FORT MYERS 10, BRADENTON 11 (7 INNINGS) FORT MYERS 4, BRADENTON 2 (7 INNINGS) The first game of the night turned into quite the slugfest as the teams combined for 21 runs on 19 hits. The Miracle entered the last inning down by six runs and they would storm back before falling a run short. Steve Liddle hit his third home run of the season and he had three RBI. Most of the dirty work was done by Angel Morales as he hit a grand slam in the final frame to make things interesting. With his RBI from earlier in the game, he finished with five RBI in the contest. Clint Dempster took the loss after giving up six runs in less than an inning on the mound. Compared to the first game of the night, the second game was a nice, tidy win for the Miracle in their double-header. A couple runs in the third and sixth innings were enough to push the team to a victory. Steve Liddle hit his second home run of the day and his two-run shot turned out to be the difference in the score. Daniel Ortiz was the only member of the Miracle to have more than one hit by going 2-for-4 with his 23rd double. Pat Dean earned his 10th victory by pitching five innings and surrendering two runs with five strikeouts. BELOIT 0, CEDAR RAPIDS 5 The Snappers put seven hits on the board but the pitching staff for the Kernals kept them from scoring a run in this game. Beloit only had one extra base hit in the game, a double off of the bat of Drew Leachman. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-for-3 and he was the lone player with a multi-hit game. The team left nine men on base and they missed the presence of Miguel Sano who was out of the line-up for the second straight night. Matt Tomshaw had an okay outing but he was still saddled with his fifth loss of the year. The team had three errors in the game including two from Adam Pettersen trying to fill in for Sano at third base. This meant that Tomshaw only gave up two earned runs during his five innings pitched. It was the third consecutive start that Tomshaw has lost. ELIZABETHTON 6, PRICETON 4 A solid offensive outing from the young E-Twins helped the team to the victory on Tuesday evening. Top draft pick Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with two steals and two runs scored out of the lead-off spot. He was backed up by Niko Goodrum as he was 2-for-4 with a double and a triple in the game. Max Kepler continued to show his power stroke by hitting his 10th home run and stealing a base. Hein Robb started the game and gave up two earned runs on seven hits in a little less than five innings. Joshua Burris improved to a perfect 7-0 with the victory on this night out of the bullpen. He threw the last two innings and only allowed one man to reach base. --- Players of the Day for August 28, 2012 Hitter of the Day: Steve Liddle [ATTACH=CONFIG]2172[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day: Shairon Martis [ATTACH=CONFIG]2173[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, August 29th Schedule Rochester: Off Day New Britain @ Trenton: LHP Logan Darnell Fort Myers @ Bradenton: RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit @ Wisconsin: LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton @ Danville: RHP JO Berrios --- If you have any questions or comments on the minor league system, leave them in the comments sections so they can be answered by myself or one of the other readers.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2153[/ATTACH] The biggest debate in the baseball world over the course of the last few months has been surrounding the Washington Nationals and their decision to shut-down Stephen Strasburg, one of the best young starting pitchers in the game. He is pitching in his first full season at the big league level and he only pitched at the end of last season since he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Nationals fans see their team in first place and they want Strasburg to help the franchise reach the playoffs for the first time since the team moved to DC. Even with pressure from outside sources, the front office for the team is holding their ground and telling the media that Strasburg will be shut down at some point in the next couple weeks. Almost a decade ago, the Cubs were in a similar position with a young pitcher of their own but their approach to handling their young arm was a little different. As Tom Verducci wrote about in his piece yesterday, the Cubs and their coaching staff seemed to beat Mark Prior into the ground in his first season as a big league pitcher. He had pitched almost 170 innings by the time September rolled around and he would average 125 pitches in his last nine starts of the 2003 season. It was by far his best season as a professional but he would never be the same from that point forward. Some blame his overuse and others look at his poor mechanics but teams have never looked at young pitchers the same way since Prior's breakdown. With his minor league seasons taken into account, Prior had thrown 379 innings by the time of his age 22 season. This number seems to be large for a player and it also includes some of those outings with high pitch counts that aren't common in the present day game. Prior was the number two pick out of college in the 2001 draft and the Twins had the same pick in the draft that took place the year before Prior left college. The Twins took Adam Johnson, a right-handed pitcher, out of Cal State Fullerton. He didn't have quite the pedigree of Prior but he was trying to work his way to the big leagues through the Twins farm system. By the time he reached the end of his age 22 season, he had thrown 357 innings in the minor leagues, a number very close to Prior's total number of innings. Johnson would be out of the Twins organization after the 2004 season as he went on to play in independent leagues, the Mexican League, and eventually he joined the A's farm system. Prior would pitch over 100 innings in 2004 and 2005 but he hasn't pitched at the big league level since 2006. Were the Cubs and Twins following the same plan by pushing their young pitchers too hard? Things have sure changed in recent years for young pitchers. As touched on before, the Nationals have a lot of money and one surgery under their belt with Strasburg. This has caused them to be very cautious when it comes to their precious arm. As the baseball landscape has changed so has the approach to innings limits and pitch counts for different players. Matt Garza was taken by the Twins in the first round of the 2005 draft and the team watched his innings limit more in his younger years. A shift happened in the baseball world and it's hard to get through this time of the year without hearing about minor league pitchers reaching their limit and being shut down for the year or sent to the bullpen. Flash-forward to the present day and it seems as if every player is forced to undergo some kind of operation during their career with Tommy John surgery leading the way. Stephan Strasburg might seem like the case study to follow for teams looking to model their innings limits and pitch counts for a pitcher. The nice things for the Nationals has been to see how fellow starter Jordan Zimmerman has done since his own injury. The team followed a strict pitch count with him during his first full season back in 2011 and now the team has been rewarded with him having his best season as a professional. The limits worked for Zimmerman and the team hopes that the same will hold true for Strasburg. Fans of the Twins minor league system have been following the recovery of former first round pick Kyle Gibson as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. He is currently pitching with the Rochester Red Wings and it sounds like the team is happy to see him finish the year with that club. From there, he will most likely go to the instructional leagues or to the Arizona Fall League to continue his comeback. The Twins will be in a similar position to the Nationals next season with Gibson as he will be in his first full season since the surgery. There will undoubtedly be an innings limit for the right-handed pitcher in 2013 and he might have to be shut down early much like Strasburg. The Cubs pushed Mark Prior to the limit and the rest is baseball history. Now the world of pitching is all about innings limits, 100 pitch outings, and trying to find the right combination of rest and recovery. Tommy John surgeries seem to be a right of passage to make it to the big leagues and this comes in an era that has seen plenty of perfect games and no hitters. With baseball toughening their stance on PEDs, pitchers seem to have gotten back a little bit more of their edge on the mound and this makes young arms all the more valuable. Baseball will never be the same because of Mark Prior but he can't have imagined that it would be for this reason.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2133[/ATTACH] The buzz around the baseball world this weekend surrounded the blockbuster trade between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. In the deal, the Dodgers got Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto. Besides dumping a ton of salary, the Red Sox got James Loney, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Jerry Sands, and Ivan De Jesus. It is pretty amazing to see a deal like this getting done since players need to pass through waivers before being traded at this point in the season. One interesting note for Twins fans that came out after this big deal went down was that the Dodgers turned to Adrian Gonzalez after failing to get Justin Morneau. It was the second time this season that the Dodgers had contacted the Twins about a deal for Morneau The first time was around the trade deadline but the Twins passed at that time and it seems that the team passed on a deal for him once again last week. Morneau struggled on the field at the beginning of 2012 as he adjusted back to being a full time player for the first time in two years. There were plenty of question marks surrounding his health in spring training but he has put many of these issues to rest. After appearing in a combined 150 games in the last two seasons, Morneau has played in 103 contests and he is showing no signs of slowing down. He has hit .322/.368/.517 with 6 home runs and 11 doubles in the second half of the season which is much closer to the old MVP version of the slugging first baseman. There is one season remaining on the big contract that Morneau signed with the Twins back in 2008. The 31-year old outfielder is due $14 million for next season and that is a lot of money for a team that doesn't know if they will be in contention. With his big contract and looming free agency, there will continue to be rumors about the future of Morneau with the Twins. So the question remains, what will the Twins do with Justin Morneau? Since the trade deadline has come and gone, the only way Morneau could be dealt at this point in the season is by being placed on waivers. From the sound of the reports out of Los Angeles, Morneau has already been placed on waivers. If he was claimed by the Dodgers, that means that all of the teams in the American League passed on Morneau and most of the National League followed the same path. With all of that being said, a waiver deal seems unlikely at this point in the season When the offseason rolls around, the Twins could play off of Morneau's positive second half and try to work a trade to another club. Terry Ryan is back in the saddle for a full offseason and a Morneau deal could bring some prized possessions back to the minor leagues of the organization. Allowing teams to see that Morneau is fully healthy for all of 2012 could also go a long way to increasing his value in the trade market. There will be plenty of rumors surrounding Morneau this offseason and the winter meetings will be full of discussion on the slugger. If the front office feels that there aren't any adequate deals for Morneau in the offseason, they could hold on to the first baseman for the beginning of next year. His strong bat fits well into the middle of a line-up and the team might want to get some more value out of their former MVP. He could be a very useful piece if the team finds themselves in contention next year in the AL Central. Chances are that the Twins won't be in contention next season and a trade deadline deal might have to be struck for the star. Fans were unhappy with this year's deadline deal for Francisco Liriano so it might not be in the team's best interest to wait until next July for a trade to get done. There is always the chance that the Twins will hang on to Morneau through all of next season before he becomes a free agent. This would allow the team to consider a contract extension for the player who has only known the Twins organization. He will be 32-years old during the 2013 season and he might want a change of scenery as he starts getting closer to the end of his career. The lure of going to a club with more recent playoff success could be too much to turn down. Money will no doubtably play some kind of role in his choice but the Twins saw Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan leave for greener pastures this past offseason. While the Twins will have to make a decision about Morneau in the coming year, the elephant in the room is Chris Parmelee and his hot swinging bat in the minor leagues. Parmelee has been with the Twins on a few different occasions this season and it has been tough for him to find at-bats with the club at the big league level. If Morneau is still on the roster during next season, it could still be hard for the Twins to find at-bats for Parmelee. For the Twins, Parmelee would be a much cheaper option at first base since he would be making the minimum salary. He will also be 25-years old for the entirety of next season so the Twins need to see if he can handle playing at the big league level. The Twins will have plenty of choice to make in the coming months with a variety of players on the roster but the future of Morneau will be watched closely by all of Twins Territory.

Happy Friday to everyone in Twins Territory! As a professional educator by day, I saw my summer come to an end yesterday with the start of another school year. It feels good to get back into the swing of things even though it's still hot and sticky outside. The Minnesota State Fair started yesterday and attending the State Fair is one of the things that I will miss most about living in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. The food, the fun, and the festivities of the State Fair are one of the great ways to put a close to the summer months. It has been a rough West Coast road trip for the Twins and it doesn't look to be getting any easier with a four game series versus the Texas Rangers this weekend. The Twins were swept by the last place Mariners of the weekend and they were only able to get one victory in Oakland. It could be a long weekend in Texas before the Twins head back to Minnesota for a four game series with Seattle, the team that just swept them. Let's not get down in the dumps on a Friday by looking back at the last dismal week for the Twins. There's no better way to spend part of your Friday than reading this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." At the beginning of spring training, it seemed like the Twins starting rotation could have a chance to keep them in contention but that plan went horribly wrong. There are still plenty of reasons to watch the Twins in the last few weeks of the season. Twins supplemental round draft pick JO Berrios has been making some noise on the field and he is hoping to make a difference in his homeland. Independent leagues can provide some solid minor league players to add depth to an organization. Is Ron Gardenhire's future in doubt? Sam Deduno has been a surprise so far for the Twins but it's hard to figure out how he is being successful. Who should be in the starting rotation for the Twins in September? Top prospect Miguel Sano and the rest of the Snappers got all dressed up for a recent game. It has been frustrating to watch the way that the Twins and their medical staff deal with injury situations. The latest installment includes Denard Span missing 10 days and we found out he's claustrophobic. Speaking of the medical staff messing up, Carl Pavano was given a new diagnosis this week and his season is done. The most exciting news of the week might be that RHP Kyle Gibson is returning to Rochester on his way back from Tommy John surgery. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydTPhBBulCc/UDbTQUlXUbI/AAAAAAAADKc/PgELAr5wpbc/s320/KyleGibson.jpg Umpires get a lot of grief sometimes but this story is one of the most amazing of the week. Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in Mets history but he was shutdown earlier this week and won't pitch again in 2012. But his no-hitter was worth it, right? For the first time in 15 years, Orioles fans have the opportunity to purchase postseason tickets and it's always good news when Lew Ford has a shot at October baseball. In other Orioles news, former Twins slugger Jim Thome is ahead of schedule and ready for a rehab stint. One of my favorite shows on TV is Pawn Stars and this original Willie Mays uniform was worth a lot of money to the shop. Fans in Seattle showed up to honor their King after his perfect game last week. The Cleveland Indians should be in the midst of quite a run in the AL Central but multiple injuries over the last half of a decade to Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner have stopped that from happening. This was suppose to be the year that the Royals made some noise in the American League but that hasn't happened in 2012. Former Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett signed a 2-year, $11 million contract with the Padres before last season and he was released earlier this week. Michael Cuddyer's first year in Colorado hasn't gone exactly as planned. Gary Gaetti will get to manage Roger Clemens this weekend in a independent minor league baseball game. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Mounting losses mean improving draft stock Tuesday: The Year in Twins Trading Cards: 2012 edition Wednesday: Thoughts on Blackburn, Nishioka moves Thursday: What could have been for Rene Tosoni Video of the Week: If you frequently visitor and reader of my post, you know that I enjoy the minor leagues and prospects in general. Cincinnati Reds farm hand Billy Hamilton stole his way into the record books this week by breaking Vince Coleman's record of 145 steals in 1983. Hamilton got his 146th steal and the speedster even made it third base for the record.

Happy Friday to everyone in Twins Territory! As a professional educator by day, I saw my summer come to an end yesterday with the start of another school year. It feels good to get back into the swing of things even though it's still hot and sticky outside. The Minnesota State Fair started yesterday and attending the State Fair is one of the things that I will miss most about living in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. The food, the fun, and the festivities of the State Fair are one of the great ways to put a close to the summer months. It has been a rough West Coast road trip for the Twins and it doesn't look to be getting any easier with a four game series versus the Texas Rangers this weekend. The Twins were swept by the last place Mariners of the weekend and they were only able to get one victory in Oakland. It could be a long weekend in Texas before the Twins head back to Minnesota for a four game series with Seattle, the team that just swept them. Let's not get down in the dumps on a Friday by looking back at the last dismal week for the Twins. There's no better way to spend part of your Friday than reading this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." At the beginning of spring training, it seemed like the Twins starting rotation could have a chance to keep them in contention but that plan went horribly wrong. There are still plenty of reasons to watch the Twins in the last few weeks of the season. Twins supplemental round draft pick JO Berrios has been making some noise on the field and he is hoping to make a difference in his homeland. Independent leagues can provide some solid minor league players to add depth to an organization. Is Ron Gardenhire's future in doubt? Sam Deduno has been a surprise so far for the Twins but it's hard to figure out how he is being successful. Who should be in the starting rotation for the Twins in September? Top prospect Miguel Sano and the rest of the Snappers got all dressed up for a recent game. It has been frustrating to watch the way that the Twins and their medical staff deal with injury situations. The latest installment includes Denard Span missing 10 days and we found out he's claustrophobic. Speaking of the medical staff messing up, Carl Pavano was given a new diagnosis this week and his season is done. The most exciting news of the week might be that RHP Kyle Gibson is returning to Rochester on his way back from Tommy John surgery. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydTPhBBulCc/UDbTQUlXUbI/AAAAAAAADKc/PgELAr5wpbc/s320/KyleGibson.jpg Umpires get a lot of grief sometimes but this story is one of the most amazing of the week. Johan Santana tossed the first no-hitter in Mets history but he was shutdown earlier this week and won't pitch again in 2012. But his no-hitter was worth it, right? For the first time in 15 years, Orioles fans have the opportunity to purchase postseason tickets and it's always good news when Lew Ford has a shot at October baseball. In other Orioles news, former Twins slugger Jim Thome is ahead of schedule and ready for a rehab stint. One of my favorite shows on TV is Pawn Stars and this original Willie Mays uniform was worth a lot of money to the shop. Fans in Seattle showed up to honor their King after his perfect game last week. The Cleveland Indians should be in the midst of quite a run in the AL Central but multiple injuries over the last half of a decade to Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner have stopped that from happening. This was suppose to be the year that the Royals made some noise in the American League but that hasn't happened in 2012. Former Twins shortstop Jason Bartlett signed a 2-year, $11 million contract with the Padres before last season and he was released earlier this week. Michael Cuddyer's first year in Colorado hasn't gone exactly as planned. Gary Gaetti will get to manage Roger Clemens this weekend in a independent minor league baseball game. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Mounting losses mean improving draft stock Tuesday: The Year in Twins Trading Cards: 2012 edition Wednesday: Thoughts on Blackburn, Nishioka moves Thursday: What could have been for Rene Tosoni Video of the Week: If you frequently visitor and reader of my post, you know that I enjoy the minor leagues and prospects in general. Cincinnati Reds farm hand Billy Hamilton stole his way into the record books this week by breaking Vince Coleman's record of 145 steals in 1983. Hamilton got his 146th steal and the speedster even made it third base for the record.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKqtytPyMi0/UDWCPR_ky7I/AAAAAAAADKM/tkqELruXtnM/s320/ReneTosoni.jpg At this point last season, Rene Tosoni was on the Twins MLB roster and he was playing on an almost daily basis for the club. Granted that team was on it's way to one of the worst finishes in franchise history but he was still an everyday player for a big league squad. He was 25-years old at the time and he was living his dream after reaching the big leagues in his fifth season as a professional. Things were looking up for Mr. Tosoni but things have gone in the complete opposite direction for him in 2012 as the team announced that he had been removed from the 40-man roster for the club. It has been a disastrous season for Tosoni so far this year as he has battle through multiple injures and poor play on the field. After appearing in 60 games with the Twins in 2011, Tosoni struggled at Triple-A to start the 2012 campaign by hitting .167/.267/.197 with two extra-base hits in 21 games. The organization demoted him to New Britain and his season hasn't improved much from there. With a combined 564 plate appearances between the MLB and Triple-A level, things should have gone better for Tosoni with the Rock Cats but he has struggled to the tune of batting .220/.293/.317 with 12 extra-base hits in 50 games. To say that it has been a rough year for him is a major understatement. Tosoni was taken by the Twins as a 36th round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of British Columbia but he wouldn't appear in a game until 2007. He was a draft and follow player that went to a Junior College in Canada. As a very late round pick, the Twins couldn't have been expecting a ton from Tosoni during his professional career but he showed promise in the first few seasons with the organization. He was 20-years old by the time he started in rookie ball but he hit .300/.402/.425 in his first professional season. A broken leg would shorten the next year for Tosoni but his batting numbers went up slightly by hitting .315/.417/.445 with almost all of his games played for Fort Myers. Before the 2009 season, Tosoni had only hit five home runs in his two seasons of play. By the end of the 2009 season, he would clobber three times that amount. He showed the ability to drive the ball with 25 doubles and four triples in his first full season as a professional. His batting average took a dip to .271 but he was still getting on base at a .360 clip and the extra power was great to see from the 22-year old. During the All-Star Break, he was named to the MLB Future's Game and he was named the MVP of that contest. He would go to the Arizona Fall League during the offseason to compete with the top prospects in the game. The future couldn't have been brighter and it was looking more and more like the outfielder could have a future with the Twins. The 2010 season might have been where things started to go bad for Mr. Tosoni. He had a sore shoulder to start the year and he eventually was forced to have surgery on his labrum. Following his breakout season in 2009, the Twins wanted to see more out of Tosoni but he only appeared in 52 games. In limited action, he hit .270/.369/.422 with 16 extra-base hits over 185 at-bats with New Britain. When the Twins called him up during the next season, he wasn't hitting the ball all that well with Rochester but the plague of injuries meant the team wanted a look at him. Tosoni showed some ability to knock the ball out of the park but he only batted .203 over the course of his 189 plate appearances at the big league level. After passing through waivers, it looks as if Tosoni will stay in the Twins organization. His future looked bright a few short seasons ago but that's how fast a player's stock can fall. It has been tough for him to stay healthy in his professional career and this has cost him at-bats in multiple seasons. The last two seasons have been horrendous for him in the minor leagues and it's tough to know what the future will hold for him. Twins fans and the front office of the organization are left wondering what could have been for this 26-year old outfielder.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKqtytPyMi0/UDWCPR_ky7I/AAAAAAAADKM/tkqELruXtnM/s320/ReneTosoni.jpg At this point last season, Rene Tosoni was on the Twins MLB roster and he was playing on an almost daily basis for the club. Granted that team was on it's way to one of the worst finishes in franchise history but he was still an everyday player for a big league squad. He was 25-years old at the time and he was living his dream after reaching the big leagues in his fifth season as a professional. Things were looking up for Mr. Tosoni but things have gone in the complete opposite direction for him in 2012 as the team announced that he had been removed from the 40-man roster for the club. It has been a disastrous season for Tosoni so far this year as he has battle through multiple injures and poor play on the field. After appearing in 60 games with the Twins in 2011, Tosoni struggled at Triple-A to start the 2012 campaign by hitting .167/.267/.197 with two extra-base hits in 21 games. The organization demoted him to New Britain and his season hasn't improved much from there. With a combined 564 plate appearances between the MLB and Triple-A level, things should have gone better for Tosoni with the Rock Cats but he has struggled to the tune of batting .220/.293/.317 with 12 extra-base hits in 50 games. To say that it has been a rough year for him is a major understatement. Tosoni was taken by the Twins as a 36th round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of British Columbia but he wouldn't appear in a game until 2007. He was a draft and follow player that went to a Junior College in Canada. As a very late round pick, the Twins couldn't have been expecting a ton from Tosoni during his professional career but he showed promise in the first few seasons with the organization. He was 20-years old by the time he started in rookie ball but he hit .300/.402/.425 in his first professional season. A broken leg would shorten the next year for Tosoni but his batting numbers went up slightly by hitting .315/.417/.445 with almost all of his games played for Fort Myers. Before the 2009 season, Tosoni had only hit five home runs in his two seasons of play. By the end of the 2009 season, he would clobber three times that amount. He showed the ability to drive the ball with 25 doubles and four triples in his first full season as a professional. His batting average took a dip to .271 but he was still getting on base at a .360 clip and the extra power was great to see from the 22-year old. During the All-Star Break, he was named to the MLB Future's Game and he was named the MVP of that contest. He would go to the Arizona Fall League during the offseason to compete with the top prospects in the game. The future couldn't have been brighter and it was looking more and more like the outfielder could have a future with the Twins. The 2010 season might have been where things started to go bad for Mr. Tosoni. He had a sore shoulder to start the year and he eventually was forced to have surgery on his labrum. Following his breakout season in 2009, the Twins wanted to see more out of Tosoni but he only appeared in 52 games. In limited action, he hit .270/.369/.422 with 16 extra-base hits over 185 at-bats with New Britain. When the Twins called him up during the next season, he wasn't hitting the ball all that well with Rochester but the plague of injuries meant the team wanted a look at him. Tosoni showed some ability to knock the ball out of the park but he only batted .203 over the course of his 189 plate appearances at the big league level. After passing through waivers, it looks as if Tosoni will stay in the Twins organization. His future looked bright a few short seasons ago but that's how fast a player's stock can fall. It has been tough for him to stay healthy in his professional career and this has cost him at-bats in multiple seasons. The last two seasons have been horrendous for him in the minor leagues and it's tough to know what the future will hold for him. Twins fans and the front office of the organization are left wondering what could have been for this 26-year old outfielder.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2079[/ATTACH] Most baseball fans can remember a time when they sat down to sort through shoe boxes full of cardboard with the faces of their favorite players on the front. I grew up in a small town in North Dakota without cable so one of the easiest ways for me follow my favorite players was to collect their trading cards. The hobby has changed a lot since the late 80s and early 90s but some fans still flock to get their hands on the latest edition of Topps Baseball Cards. The year on the field hasn't been that great for the Twins but there have been some unique and popular card that feature members of the Twins. Here is a rundown of all of the releases so far with a few of the best cards to feature the Twins in 2012. 2012 Topps Series 1 Baseball Release Date: January 28, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 62 Ben Revere 81 Liam Hendriks - RC 95 Chris Parmelee - RC 97 Jim Thome - Checklist 111 Kevin Slowey 164 Carl Pavano 179 Denard Span 230 Justin Morneau 235 Joe Benson - RC 249 Trevor Plouffe 276 Scott Baker 292 Ben Revere - Topps All-Star Rookie 303 Danny Valencia 316 Nick Blackburn Unique Cards: Tsuyoshi Nishioka had a short print variation card with him and Butera messing around on the bench. The hardest Twins card to get in the set was a 1/1 card featuring a cut signature of Harmon Killebrew. My favorite photo of the year for a Twins card came in this set (see awards at the bottom). 2012 Topps Tribute Baseball Release Date: March 9, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 43 Harmon Killebrew 51 Joe Mauer Unique Cards: This set is all about the autographed and relic cards. Mauer was the only Twins player featured in the autographed card section. As usual, there is a relic card of Mauer but there were also relic cards of Twins Hall-of-Famers Harmon Killebrew and Bert Blyleven. There were some unique cards that featured players debut digits from their first year. David Ortiz and Rod Carew were part of this set. 2012 Topps Heritage Baseball Release Date: March 14, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 26 Scott Baker 40 Chris Parmelee - RC 80 Jamey Carroll 89 Liam Hendriks - RC 95 2012 Rookie Stars - Joe Benson/Chambers/Brown/Taylor 125 Ron Gardenhire - Manager. 135 2012 Rookie Stars - Chris Parmelee/Lombardozz/ Florimon/Pacheco 159 Ryan Doumit 162 Twins - Team Card 186 Joe Mauer 191 2012 Rookie Stars - Liam Hendricks/Liddi/Moore/Schwinden 198 Joe Benson - RC 269 Justin Morneau 281 Jason Marquis 314 Alexi Casilla333 2012 Rookie Stars - Joe Benson/Hendricks/Parmelee/Waldrop Unique Cards: Everybody loves stickers and you can get a Joe Mauer Stick-Ons card from Heritage. It doesn't stop there with Mauer as he is also featured in their Clubhouse Collection Relic Cards. 2012 Topps Museum Release Date: April 6, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 18 Joe Mauer Unique Cards: Harmon Killebrew had a "Canvas Collection" short print card for collectors to hunt out. Joe Mauer's duel autograph card with Johnny Bench was one of the nicest cards in the set. As with most sets, Mauer gets all of the autograph/relic card love. 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Release Date: April 18, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 73 Ben Revere 119 Justin Morneau 121 Scott Baker 140 Joe Mauer Unique Cards: Joe Benson didn't have a base card in the set but he had autographed cards to be found. Ben Revere's amazing catch at Target Field in 2011 was one the set's "Glove Stories." Joe Mauer had an exchange card that got the holder an autographed relic card of the Twins backstop. Cards with Indian Head pennies were inserted into the set and Mauer was the Twins representative on this insert. One of my favorite Twins cards of the year was in this set (see awards at the bottom). 2012 Bowman Baseball Release Date: May 4, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 65 Ben Revere 73 Justin Morneau 87 Joe Mauer 208 Liam Hendriks - RC 215 Joe Benson - RC 219 Chris Parmelee - RC Prospect Cards (Regular & Chrome): Eddie Rosario, Michael Gonzalez, Levi Michael Unique Cards: Autograph cards of Eddie Rosario were doing very well in the secondary market. Miguel Sano was featured in their "Bowman's Best Prospects" insert series. Some of the coolest cards in the set had a silver ice finish to them. 2012 Topps Archives Baseball Release Date: May 23, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 90 Joe Mauer 175 Justin Morneau Reprint Cards: Rod Carew (2 different), Harmon Killebrew Unique Cards: Former fan favorite Chili Davis had an autograph card in the set but it wasn't in a Twins uniform. Bert Blyleven and Paul Molitor have framed mini autographed cards featuring 1983's design. The deckled edge cards of Mauer and Killebrew are among my favorites from the set. 2012 Topps Series 2 Baseball Release Date: June 6, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 337 Glen Perkins 389 Alexi Casilla 411 Tsuyoshi Nishioka 501 Matt Capps 512 Josh Willingham 517 Francisco Liriano 529 Luke Hughes 535 Joe Mauer 655 Ryan Doumit Unique Cards: Topps must really like Nishioka because he had cards in Series 1 and Series 2 but he also got a silk insert card. It's funny to think that Liam Hendriks can be part of the "Golden Moments" set when he doesn't have a big league win to his name. There's a ring implanted into this Harmon Killebrew card. 2012 Topps Tier 1 Baseball Release Date: June 20, 2012 No Base Cards in this set. Only relics and autographs. Unique Cards: This entire set is made up of unique cards. Joe Mauer had a "Prestigious Patch" card that was a 1/1 insert. One of the most unique cards is featured in the award section at the bottom of this post. There were also multiple relic and autograph cards from Mauer in this set. Ben Revere had multiple cards featured in their "On the Rise" Autograph cards. 2012 Allen & Ginter Baseball Release Date: July 11, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 78 Joe Mauer 125 Ben Revere 138 Josh Willingham 144 Joe Benson - RC 147 Tsuyoshi Nishioka 239 Liam Hendriks - RC 265 Chris Parmelee - RC 297 Justin Morneau Unique Cards: There were low numbered silk/cloth cards of Mauer and Morneau inserted into packs. Mauer's sweet signature could be found in a few different varieties in the set. In a set like Allen & Ginter, there are plenty of unique cards but most of them are not related to baseball. 2012 Bowman Platinum Baseball Release Date: July 25, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 2 Liam Hendriks - RC 3 Joe Mauer 84 Justin Morneau Prospect Cards (Regular & Chrome): Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Brian Dozier Unique Cards: Rosario, Levi Michael, and Oswaldo Arcia all had autographed cards included in this product. There were also low numbered (out of /25) black autograph cards of Michael and Rosario. Sano's low numbered autos are going for a lot on eBay. 2012 Topps Finest Baseball Release Date: August 8, 2012 Twins Base Set Cards: 77 Liam Hendriks - RC 83 Joe Mauer 88 Chris Parmelee - RC 96 Joe Benson - RC Unique Cards: Benson and Brian Dozier have autographed rookie cards in the set. Liam Hendriks has some very cool autograph/jersey cards that can be found in this product. There are a few different versions of Joe Mauer autographs in the set with the few on eBay going for over $200. 2012 Twins Trading Card Awards Photo of the Year: Topps Series 1 Baseball #62 Ben Revere http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5s2OJCEHuYE/UDKwywnsyLI/AAAAAAAADJc/UaoiCeIu-Z0/s320/2012-topps-62-ben-revere.jpg Favorite Card of the Year: Harmon Killebrew/Joe Mauer Gypsy Queen Autograph Relic Insert http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ib_X-OiXh38/UDKxTbccxBI/AAAAAAAADJk/wdnZthfihoo/s320/2012-gypsy-dual-auto-relic-killebrew-mauer.jpg Unique Card of the Year: Joe Mauer Bat Knob Tier One 1/1 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AZJln676mr8/UDKxvkDIuVI/AAAAAAAADJs/R-AVk27duoE/s320/mauerbatknob.JPG