Cody Christie

[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

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tsW3GyF-KEc/UDG1EOTK9tI/AAAAAAAADJM/SyGahmUK1G0/s320/Ron+Gardenhire+Minnesota+Twins+v+Seattle+Mariners+_Qk4z35Cu-6l.jpg It has been rough for the Twins over the course of the last 10 games with the team managing one victory during that stretch. The lone victory since August 8th came in a fairly one-sided win versus the Tigers last Monday. It has been painful to watch the games and see the offense failing to score runs in important situations. Even this weekend, it was a struggling against Seattle, a last place team from another division. There are many fingers that can be pointed when a team is playing this bad and sometimes it is hard to find a silver lining in all of the negativity. So let's clear away some of those cobwebs and look towards next June and the 2013 amateur draft. The Twins are currently in last place in the American League, a position familiar from 2011, by 3.5 games. Cleveland and Kansas City are the next two closest teams in the AL and they are in front by 3.5 and 4 games in the division and in the race for the worst record in the AL. At this point last season, there were three teams behind the Twins in the race for the worst record in the league. The team was 54-70 on August 19 so the club that went on to lose 99 games had four more victories and the same amount of loses as the 2012 version of the Twins. This puts in perspective just how bad the Twins were at the end of last year. From August 19th to the end of the season, the team only won nine games. When taking a glance at the standings in the National League, it is clear to see that there are some pretty bad clubs pushing each other for last place. The Astros are awful for the second year in a row and they are the clear front runners for the worst record in the league with a commanding 8.5 game lead. The Rockies and the Cubs are in a close battle for the second worst record as they are only separated by .5 a game. All three of these clubs have a winning percentage under .400 and that means they are ahead of the Twins in the losing department. While it might feel good that the Twins aren't the worst team in all of baseball, it does put them in a worst position for deciding what pick the club will have in next June's amateur draft. If the season ended today, the Twins would have earned the fourth pick based on their win-loss record. The draft order would currently look like this: 1. Houston Astros: W-L 39-83 (Games Back: 0) 2. Colorado Rockies: W-L 46-73 (GB: 8.5) 3. Chicago Cubs: W-L 47-73 (GB: 9.0) 4. Minnesota Twins: W-L 50-73 (GB: 12.0) 5. San Diego Padres: W-L 53-70 (GB: 13.5) 6. Cleveland Indians: W-L 54-67 (GB: 15.5) 7. Kansas City Royals: W-L 54-66 (GB: 16) The recent stretch of poor play by the Twins has helped them to move past the Padres into fourth place in the standings. Over the last ten games, the Padres have been an under .500 club with a 4-6 record but the Twins have been even worse. Out of the the clubs ahead of the Twins in the race for the first pick, the Rockies have been playing better as of late with a 6-4 record in their last ten contests. The Cubs and Astros have posted identical 3-7 records over the last week and a half. This could put the Twins in position to jump a couple more spots before the season ends and they could find themselves all the way up with the second pick in the draft for the second year in a row. All of Twins Territory got frustrated at the end of 2011 as the loses continued to mount up and the team almost became unbearable to watch. There were injuries to the pitching staff and other positional players that kept some of the best talent off the field. The front office also wanted to get a look at young players like Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson, and Ben Revere. This meant that there would be some bumps and bruises along the way but the team was able to avoid losing 100 games. If the Twins want to follow a similar path in 2012, it seems that there will be ample opportunities for young players to be fit into the line-up and for a variety of starting pitchers to get a shot in the rotation. At this point in August of last year, there were four teams with worse records than Minnesota but this year there are only three so it could be easier for the Twins to move up. As a fan of the club, I want the Twins to win but the losses don't hurt as much when I know that it is leading to a better draft pick. The club was really bad last season but the team was able to turn that bad season into arguably the best player available in the draft. Bryon Buxton may never make it to the big leagues but the Twins got high picks in every round of the draft and all of those high picks should help the minor leagues if the club did their scouting right and got the appropriate players. Hope for the 2012 season might be lost for the Twins but each loss brings the team closer to building up hope in the minor leagues. The losses might stink now but the future could be bright for Minnesota.

It was a rough week across Twins Territory as the Twins have won a single game in the last seven days. The Rays came into Target Field and swept the Twins while the Tigers were able to take two out of three games in their series. At this point, the Twins sit at the bottom of the AL Central and they have the worst record in the American League. When the season is lost like it is now for the Twins, losing games might be more beneficial as the team can secure a better draft pick for next June. There are three teams in the National League with a worse record than the Twins. That means that the Twins would have the fourth pick in the draft if the season ended today. The Padres and the Royals are close to having the same record as the Twins so each loss can be considered a good thing at this point. A better draft pick can go a long way to improving the franchise over some meaningless wins in the middle of August. The draft is still a long way off and the weekend is almost upon us so sit back and buckle-up for another edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." Since he was a first round pick, Chris Parmelee has gone through different stages in his development. Liam Hendriks did an entertaining interview with John Sickels at Minor League Ball. It only took a little change to get Ben Revere to hit at a high level in the major leagues. It has been a disastrous rookie campaign for Brian Dozier. Pedro Florimon is getting called up to the Twins but who is this player that will replace Dozier? If the Yankees were looking to deal Phil Hughes, the Twins should listen. With the minor league seasons getting closer to ending, it's fun to look back at top prospect list from the offseason and see how players have done in 2012. It's only a couple weeks away from September call-ups and the Twins will have some decisions to make. Bryce Harper has been one of the most hyped prospects in the history of baseball. So would you trade the memories of the 2010 season for a chance to get him? The Twins spring training future might be in doubt because of the recent election in Florida. A new radio home for the Twins was announced this week. MLB put this picture up on their Facebook page wanting to know how people would caption this humorous photo. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-85hvVuFkk/UC2xMFT1i6I/AAAAAAAADI8/YxYYjZaOJyg/s320/Benny&Prince.jpg Every no hitter leaves a team on the bench wondering how they couldn't find a way to get a hit. Here's a look at the most recent victim of a no-hitter for each franchise. Former Twins slugger Jim Thome was recently recovering on the DL but he got a close up view of top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy and he liked what he saw. In other Orioles news, they have a creative way for figuring out what the order will be for their fantasy football draft. The recently released USPS stamp featuring Joe DiMaggio is a little confusing when you look at it. It has been a rough ride for Johan Santana since he threw his no-hitter in June. Twins fans might get spoiled seeing Miguel Cabrera in 18 games a year but it turns out that he is really good at hitting a baseball. So much for all of the big moves at the trade deadline... Adam Dunn might strikeout a ton but it can go a long way when he makes contact. How can AJ Pierzynski score from first on an infield hit? I'm glad you asked! My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Arcia, Hicks might have earned a look Tuesday: Piecing together the '13 starting rotation Tuesday's Trip through the Minors Thursday: What's the next step for Brian Dozier? Video of the Week: This play between Torii Hunter and umpire Greg Gibson could have turned out a lot worse. Some of the photo's are a little graphic when the cleat is right in his face and there was clearly going to be some kind of cuts on his face. It was a strange play to see develop but the umpire was down trying to make the right call.

It was a rough week across Twins Territory as the Twins have won a single game in the last seven days. The Rays came into Target Field and swept the Twins while the Tigers were able to take two out of three games in their series. At this point, the Twins sit at the bottom of the AL Central and they have the worst record in the American League. When the season is lost like it is now for the Twins, losing games might be more beneficial as the team can secure a better draft pick for next June. There are three teams in the National League with a worse record than the Twins. That means that the Twins would have the fourth pick in the draft if the season ended today. The Padres and the Royals are close to having the same record as the Twins so each loss can be considered a good thing at this point. A better draft pick can go a long way to improving the franchise over some meaningless wins in the middle of August. The draft is still a long way off and the weekend is almost upon us so sit back and buckle-up for another edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." Since he was a first round pick, Chris Parmelee has gone through different stages in his development. Liam Hendriks did an entertaining interview with John Sickels at Minor League Ball. It only took a little change to get Ben Revere to hit at a high level in the major leagues. It has been a disastrous rookie campaign for Brian Dozier. Pedro Florimon is getting called up to the Twins but who is this player that will replace Dozier? If the Yankees were looking to deal Phil Hughes, the Twins should listen. With the minor league seasons getting closer to ending, it's fun to look back at top prospect list from the offseason and see how players have done in 2012. It's only a couple weeks away from September call-ups and the Twins will have some decisions to make. Bryce Harper has been one of the most hyped prospects in the history of baseball. So would you trade the memories of the 2010 season for a chance to get him? The Twins spring training future might be in doubt because of the recent election in Florida. A new radio home for the Twins was announced this week. MLB put this picture up on their Facebook page wanting to know how people would caption this humorous photo. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-85hvVuFkk/UC2xMFT1i6I/AAAAAAAADI8/YxYYjZaOJyg/s320/Benny&Prince.jpg Every no hitter leaves a team on the bench wondering how they couldn't find a way to get a hit. Here's a look at the most recent victim of a no-hitter for each franchise. Former Twins slugger Jim Thome was recently recovering on the DL but he got a close up view of top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy and he liked what he saw. In other Orioles news, they have a creative way for figuring out what the order will be for their fantasy football draft. The recently released USPS stamp featuring Joe DiMaggio is a little confusing when you look at it. It has been a rough ride for Johan Santana since he threw his no-hitter in June. Twins fans might get spoiled seeing Miguel Cabrera in 18 games a year but it turns out that he is really good at hitting a baseball. So much for all of the big moves at the trade deadline... Adam Dunn might strikeout a ton but it can go a long way when he makes contact. How can AJ Pierzynski score from first on an infield hit? I'm glad you asked! My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Arcia, Hicks might have earned a look Tuesday: Piecing together the '13 starting rotation Tuesday's Trip through the Minors Thursday: What's the next step for Brian Dozier? Video of the Week: This play between Torii Hunter and umpire Greg Gibson could have turned out a lot worse. Some of the photo's are a little graphic when the cleat is right in his face and there was clearly going to be some kind of cuts on his face. It was a strange play to see develop but the umpire was down trying to make the right call.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wF5wpySfALc/UCxbEzXsVqI/AAAAAAAADIs/LUTpUAtfyDU/s320/Brian+Dozier+Minnesota+Twins+v+Boston+Red+4rKGNr9MUeal.jpg Word came out of the Twins organization on Tuesday night that Brian Dozier was going to be sent back to Triple-A Rochester after what has been a disappointing rookie campaign. There had been rumors of this happening for weeks but the timing seems strange since MLB rosters expand at the end of the month and there is only a few weeks left in the season for the Red Wings. Something hasn't clicked with Dozier during his time playing at the big league level and this could be a wake-up call for the 25-year old shortstop. A change of scenery might be just what the doctor ordered and the Twins hope he can fix himself in the minor leagues. His replacement on the roster will be Pedro Florimon, a player that joined the Twins organization as a waiver claim from Baltimore in the offseason. Florimon is in his seventh season in the minor leagues and he has only had a brief taste of the big leagues at the end of last season. His .251/.308/.344 batting line doesn't really jump off the page at you so it is hard to know what the Twins were thinking. During his time in the minor leagues, he has been known as a good defensive player so that might be one reason the organization is giving him a longer look. His offensive upside is far lower than Dozier's at this point in their careers. When a fan base watched Tsuyoshi Nishioka play 68 games in the middle infield in 2011, any player would seem like an upgrade for the team. Even in his most recent stint with the club, Nishioka looked lost in the field and at the plate. Fans just want consistent play from the middle infield and this only makes sense with a pitch to contact starting rotation. Dozier could provide that hope to a fan base that was trying to forget about the debacle that was Nishioka. Twins Territory was searching for something to cheer about and an up-and-coming shortstop seemed like a logical player for the fans to circle around. In a year where the Twins have seemed to be out of contention since the first month of the season, Dozier was given every opportunity to show that he should have the starting job at shortstop. He made his big league debut on May 7th and the coaching staff continued to pencil him in the line-up on an almost daily basis. There were some flashes of brilliance in the field and at the plate; but for the most part, he had a tough time finding his swing and there were some defensive miscues along the way. He hit .234/.271/.332 with 18 extra-base hits in 340 plate appearances. Following a season when Dozier was named the organization's minor league player of the year, there were high hopes for him at the start of 2012. As a 25-year old that had only spent part of a season at the Double-A level, some of those hopes might have been a little premature. The team also called him up from Triple-A after only playing 28 games with the Red Wings. He had hardly mastered that level as he batted .276/.339/.371 with eight extra-base hits over 105 at-bats. With his games from 2011 and 2012, Dozier has played less than a season between Double-A and Triple-A. This isn't a lot of time for him to develop in the higher levels of the minor leagues and some of that lack of development showed in his first taste of the majors. So the question now remains, what's next for Mr. Brian Dozier? The Twins want him to be their shortstop of the present but he has shown that there are some holes in his game. Players like Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee took a little bit of time to develop in the minors before showing their ability so maybe some extra time in the minors can help Dozier's swing. But the sad thing fact is that the Twins have not been able to develop much talent in the middle infield in recent years. Last year's first round pick Levi Michael and one of the team's top prospects Eddie Rosario are both playing middle infield but they are a couple years away from debuting at Target Field. The organization needs Dozier to fix his flaws and to be ready the next time he is asked to take over at shortstop. With a demotion at this point in the season, it seems that the Twins will let Dozier finish out the Triple-A season with the Red Wings before returning to big league squad. This will give him time to regain some confidence and to work on some of the little parts of his game. He hasn't had a lot of time to find success at the Triple-A level so the next few weeks can give him an opportunity to rediscover his stroke. Earlier this season when Ben Revere was sent back to Rochester, he made some slight adjustments to his swing and the results have been fantastic. Fans have their fingers crossed that the same magic can be worked with Dozier. There aren't a bunch of other players knocking down the door to take the shortstop position away from Dozier for next season. Free agency is always an option but the team looked there this season and Jamey Carroll was their solution. It seems that Dozier will have as good of chance as anyone to earn the starting job for 2013 but he could have a leg up on the competition. Since he is under team control for the foreseeable future, the Twins want him to succeed and paying for a shortstop on the open market is usually an expensive endeavor. The job is still waiting to be filled by you, Mr. Dozier. Just prove that you deserve it and the team will gladly call you back up to fill the hole at shortstop.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wF5wpySfALc/UCxbEzXsVqI/AAAAAAAADIs/LUTpUAtfyDU/s320/Brian+Dozier+Minnesota+Twins+v+Boston+Red+4rKGNr9MUeal.jpg Word came out of the Twins organization on Tuesday night that Brian Dozier was going to be sent back to Triple-A Rochester after what has been a disappointing rookie campaign. There had been rumors of this happening for weeks but the timing seems strange since MLB rosters expand at the end of the month and there is only a few weeks left in the season for the Red Wings. Something hasn't clicked with Dozier during his time playing at the big league level and this could be a wake-up call for the 25-year old shortstop. A change of scenery might be just what the doctor ordered and the Twins hope he can fix himself in the minor leagues. His replacement on the roster will be Pedro Florimon, a player that joined the Twins organization as a waiver claim from Baltimore in the offseason. Florimon is in his seventh season in the minor leagues and he has only had a brief taste of the big leagues at the end of last season. His .251/.308/.344 batting line doesn't really jump off the page at you so it is hard to know what the Twins were thinking. During his time in the minor leagues, he has been known as a good defensive player so that might be one reason the organization is giving him a longer look. His offensive upside is far lower than Dozier's at this point in their careers. When a fan base watched Tsuyoshi Nishioka play 68 games in the middle infield in 2011, any player would seem like an upgrade for the team. Even in his most recent stint with the club, Nishioka looked lost in the field and at the plate. Fans just want consistent play from the middle infield and this only makes sense with a pitch to contact starting rotation. Dozier could provide that hope to a fan base that was trying to forget about the debacle that was Nishioka. Twins Territory was searching for something to cheer about and an up-and-coming shortstop seemed like a logical player for the fans to circle around. In a year where the Twins have seemed to be out of contention since the first month of the season, Dozier was given every opportunity to show that he should have the starting job at shortstop. He made his big league debut on May 7th and the coaching staff continued to pencil him in the line-up on an almost daily basis. There were some flashes of brilliance in the field and at the plate; but for the most part, he had a tough time finding his swing and there were some defensive miscues along the way. He hit .234/.271/.332 with 18 extra-base hits in 340 plate appearances. Following a season when Dozier was named the organization's minor league player of the year, there were high hopes for him at the start of 2012. As a 25-year old that had only spent part of a season at the Double-A level, some of those hopes might have been a little premature. The team also called him up from Triple-A after only playing 28 games with the Red Wings. He had hardly mastered that level as he batted .276/.339/.371 with eight extra-base hits over 105 at-bats. With his games from 2011 and 2012, Dozier has played less than a season between Double-A and Triple-A. This isn't a lot of time for him to develop in the higher levels of the minor leagues and some of that lack of development showed in his first taste of the majors. So the question now remains, what's next for Mr. Brian Dozier? The Twins want him to be their shortstop of the present but he has shown that there are some holes in his game. Players like Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee took a little bit of time to develop in the minors before showing their ability so maybe some extra time in the minors can help Dozier's swing. But the sad thing fact is that the Twins have not been able to develop much talent in the middle infield in recent years. Last year's first round pick Levi Michael and one of the team's top prospects Eddie Rosario are both playing middle infield but they are a couple years away from debuting at Target Field. The organization needs Dozier to fix his flaws and to be ready the next time he is asked to take over at shortstop. With a demotion at this point in the season, it seems that the Twins will let Dozier finish out the Triple-A season with the Red Wings before returning to big league squad. This will give him time to regain some confidence and to work on some of the little parts of his game. He hasn't had a lot of time to find success at the Triple-A level so the next few weeks can give him an opportunity to rediscover his stroke. Earlier this season when Ben Revere was sent back to Rochester, he made some slight adjustments to his swing and the results have been fantastic. Fans have their fingers crossed that the same magic can be worked with Dozier. There aren't a bunch of other players knocking down the door to take the shortstop position away from Dozier for next season. Free agency is always an option but the team looked there this season and Jamey Carroll was their solution. It seems that Dozier will have as good of chance as anyone to earn the starting job for 2013 but he could have a leg up on the competition. Since he is under team control for the foreseeable future, the Twins want him to succeed and paying for a shortstop on the open market is usually an expensive endeavor. The job is still waiting to be filled by you, Mr. Dozier. Just prove that you deserve it and the team will gladly call you back up to fill the hole at shortstop.

Brian Duensing put the Twins in an early hole by giving up two runs in each of the first two innings but the Twins were able to make a game of it versus the Tigers. A big bottom of the third inning helped to even the score with Josh Willingham providing most of the damage with a 3-run home run, his 30th of the season. It is a new career high for Willingham and it breaks the previous record that he set last season with Oakland. Unfortunately, the Twins woudn't score again and the Tigers would come out on top in this game. Most of the minor league teams fared better than the Twins so let's take a trip through the minors on a Tuesday night. ROCHESTER 3, INDIANAPOLIS 1 Things got a little dicey for the Red Wings in the ninth inning with two outs as the team was clinging to a 3-0 lead. Daniel Turpen had already pitched a couple of innings and it seemed like the last out was going to be a little troublesome for him to get. A double followed by a single brought the score within a couple runs. He walked the next batter to have runners at first and second and it was time to turn to another arm. Anthony Slama came in and struck out the final batter of the game on four pitches to earn his 10th save of the year. PJ Walters continues to make his way back from injury as he started the game and threw a little over two innings. He struck out two and only allowed a couple of hits. David Bromberg picked up his first win of the season as a member of the Red Wings in his third appearance since being called up from New Britain. He pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball while giving up three hits. Matt Carson did most of the offensive damage by going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Chris Parmelee continues to punish Triple-A pitching with his 15th double of the season. Danny Lehmann had managed four total hits since being called up from New Britain in the middle of July and he almost doubled that total with three hits in this contest. It was the second time that he has hit two doubles in a game for Rochester. The Red Wings improved to 26-16 since July 1, the best record in the International League in that time. NEW BRITAIN 5, RICHMOND 1 Deibinson Romero notched his 17 home run of the year and knocked in three runs as the Rock Cats defeated the Flying Squirrels. Oswaldo Arcia scored a couple runs and hit his 16th double of the year with New Britain. Chris Herrmann and Nathan Hanson each went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. It was a very balanced offensive attack for the Rock Cats with 10 hits on the board by the end of the night. Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson were the only players to be held with out a hit in the game. Logan Darnell was the story of the game for New Britain as he held Richmond scoreless for six innings. He would finish the game with one run allowed on six hits and eight strikeouts. For Darnell, it was his ninth win of the year and his first victory since July 9th against New Hampshire. Bruce Pugh did a good job in relief by striking out four over two shutout innings. FORT MYERS 2, JUPITER 6 Kyle Gibson is continuing his trip back through the minor leagues as he tries to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. Tonight was his first start at Fort Myers since being promoted from the GCL Twins. It sounds like the Twins would like to see him reach Rochester by the end of the season and that would put him in a good position for next season. On this night, he would toss three innings and give up one run on three hits. The third inning could have been worse after he gave up back-to-back hits to start the frame. He worked out of the jam by only allowing one run and his night was done. Madison Boer came in for the next three innings and he was hit pretty hard to the tune of five runs on eight hits. By the end of the game, the Miracle posted ten hits but only two runs were able to cross the plate. Daniel Ortiz went 2-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season since being promoted from Beloit. Josmil Pinto had a three hit game for the second time in his last five games. His 49th RBI came in the third inning and he ranks second on the team in this category. Daniel Santana had his third multi-hit game in the last five appearances for Fort Myers. BELOIT (OFF DAY) Back-to-back homers by Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas gave the Snappers a spark on Monday night to help the team enjoy their off day a little more. Beloit has been on quite the stretch of baseball over the last week and a half as the team has rolled off eight victories in their last nine games. A look at the standings shows the Snappers three games out of first place as they start a series versus the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Miguel Sano has hit another one of his hot stretches by batting .371/.439/.771 in his last ten games. Over that stretch, he has three home runs, three doubles, and a triple. It will be fun to see how high Sano can get his numbers by the end of the season. ELIZABETHTON 7, BLUEFIELD 3 A big offensive output in the first inning made it easy for the E-Twins to come out on top in this game. By the time the team loaded the bases in the first, Joshua Hendricks followed with a double and Travis Harrison tripled to clear the bases. A couple batters later Jorge Polanco hit a 2-run home run to put the team up for good. First round pick Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 in the game with a run scored and an RBI. Since being promoted to Elizabethton, Buxton has managed at least one hit in every other game. Brett Lee won his fourth game for the E-Twins and it was by far his best start since being moved into the rotation. He threw five innings and the only run and the only hit that he allowed was on a home run. His eight strikeouts were a career high and he lowered his ERA to 2.12 over his 14 appearances. Tyler Duffey pitched two perfect innings and struck out four. The E-Twins have won seven games in a row and they are 8.5 games up in the Appalachian League's West Division. GCL TWINS 2, GCL ORIOLES 0 GCL TWINS 0, GCL ORIOLES 3 Gonzalo Sanudo pitched five strong innings to put the GCL Twins in position to come out victorious. Even though he wasn't awarded the victory for his start, he still pitched five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.03 in 31 innings pitched. Alexander Muren threw three perfect innings for his third victory and his first win since the middle of July. Melciades De La Cruz finished the game for his fifth save of the year. When a team scores two runs, there weren't a lot of outstanding offensive performances. Bryan Haar had the lone extra-base hit for the GCL Twins with a double that lead to a run in the ninth. Javier Pimentel knocked in a big second run in the top of the ninth to give the team a little bit more breathing room. The second game saw the GCL Twins compile six hits but the team left six runners on base and failed to score a run. There were no extra-base hits for the squad but Jermias Pineda and Logan Wade both had two hits in the contest. Pineda, the player acquired for Danny Valencia, has a .406/.439/.500 batting line during GCL play this season. He is an older player for the league but he seems to be performing decently well. Since this was a seven inning game, the Twins only had two pitchers take the mound. Yorman Landa pitched the first three innings and was charged for three runs on two hits with four strikeouts. His three walks allowed came back to haunt him and he was charged with his second loss in as many starts. Kuo Hua Lo pitched the last four frames without allowing a run. He gave up a couple hits but struck out five without walking a batter. --- Players of the Day for August 14, 2012 Pitcher of the Day: Logan Darnell (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 SO) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bln4Q51iMEI/UCsJPDj-ocI/AAAAAAAADIU/m03T8embCMI/s320/LoganDarnell.JPG Hitter of the Day: Matt Carson (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4qQ4cxEc-Fk/UCsJ984TsyI/AAAAAAAADIc/lcod7Mrpens/s320/MattCarson.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, August 15th Schedule Rochester vs. Indianapolis- RHP Esmerling Vasquez New Britain vs. Richmond- RHP BJ Hermsen Fort Myers vs. Jupiter- RHP Matthew Summers Beloit vs. Wisconsin- RHP Cole Johnson Elizabethton @ Bluefield- RHP Hudson Boyd GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays- TBA --- If you have any questions or comments on the minor league system, leave them in the comments section and someone will certainly answer them.

Brian Duensing put the Twins in an early hole by giving up two runs in each of the first two innings but the Twins were able to make a game of it versus the Tigers. A big bottom of the third inning helped to even the score with Josh Willingham providing most of the damage with a 3-run home run, his 30th of the season. It is a new career high for Willingham and it breaks the previous record that he set last season with Oakland. Unfortunately, the Twins woudn't score again and the Tigers would come out on top in this game. Most of the minor league teams fared better than the Twins so let's take a trip through the minors on a Tuesday night. ROCHESTER 3, INDIANAPOLIS 1 Things got a little dicey for the Red Wings in the ninth inning with two outs as the team was clinging to a 3-0 lead. Daniel Turpen had already pitched a couple of innings and it seemed like the last out was going to be a little troublesome for him to get. A double followed by a single brought the score within a couple runs. He walked the next batter to have runners at first and second and it was time to turn to another arm. Anthony Slama came in and struck out the final batter of the game on four pitches to earn his 10th save of the year. PJ Walters continues to make his way back from injury as he started the game and threw a little over two innings. He struck out two and only allowed a couple of hits. David Bromberg picked up his first win of the season as a member of the Red Wings in his third appearance since being called up from New Britain. He pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless baseball while giving up three hits. Matt Carson did most of the offensive damage by going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Chris Parmelee continues to punish Triple-A pitching with his 15th double of the season. Danny Lehmann had managed four total hits since being called up from New Britain in the middle of July and he almost doubled that total with three hits in this contest. It was the second time that he has hit two doubles in a game for Rochester. The Red Wings improved to 26-16 since July 1, the best record in the International League in that time. NEW BRITAIN 5, RICHMOND 1 Deibinson Romero notched his 17 home run of the year and knocked in three runs as the Rock Cats defeated the Flying Squirrels. Oswaldo Arcia scored a couple runs and hit his 16th double of the year with New Britain. Chris Herrmann and Nathan Hanson each went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. It was a very balanced offensive attack for the Rock Cats with 10 hits on the board by the end of the night. Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson were the only players to be held with out a hit in the game. Logan Darnell was the story of the game for New Britain as he held Richmond scoreless for six innings. He would finish the game with one run allowed on six hits and eight strikeouts. For Darnell, it was his ninth win of the year and his first victory since July 9th against New Hampshire. Bruce Pugh did a good job in relief by striking out four over two shutout innings. FORT MYERS 2, JUPITER 6 Kyle Gibson is continuing his trip back through the minor leagues as he tries to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. Tonight was his first start at Fort Myers since being promoted from the GCL Twins. It sounds like the Twins would like to see him reach Rochester by the end of the season and that would put him in a good position for next season. On this night, he would toss three innings and give up one run on three hits. The third inning could have been worse after he gave up back-to-back hits to start the frame. He worked out of the jam by only allowing one run and his night was done. Madison Boer came in for the next three innings and he was hit pretty hard to the tune of five runs on eight hits. By the end of the game, the Miracle posted ten hits but only two runs were able to cross the plate. Daniel Ortiz went 2-for-4 with his seventh home run of the season since being promoted from Beloit. Josmil Pinto had a three hit game for the second time in his last five games. His 49th RBI came in the third inning and he ranks second on the team in this category. Daniel Santana had his third multi-hit game in the last five appearances for Fort Myers. BELOIT (OFF DAY) Back-to-back homers by Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas gave the Snappers a spark on Monday night to help the team enjoy their off day a little more. Beloit has been on quite the stretch of baseball over the last week and a half as the team has rolled off eight victories in their last nine games. A look at the standings shows the Snappers three games out of first place as they start a series versus the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Miguel Sano has hit another one of his hot stretches by batting .371/.439/.771 in his last ten games. Over that stretch, he has three home runs, three doubles, and a triple. It will be fun to see how high Sano can get his numbers by the end of the season. ELIZABETHTON 7, BLUEFIELD 3 A big offensive output in the first inning made it easy for the E-Twins to come out on top in this game. By the time the team loaded the bases in the first, Joshua Hendricks followed with a double and Travis Harrison tripled to clear the bases. A couple batters later Jorge Polanco hit a 2-run home run to put the team up for good. First round pick Byron Buxton went 1-for-4 in the game with a run scored and an RBI. Since being promoted to Elizabethton, Buxton has managed at least one hit in every other game. Brett Lee won his fourth game for the E-Twins and it was by far his best start since being moved into the rotation. He threw five innings and the only run and the only hit that he allowed was on a home run. His eight strikeouts were a career high and he lowered his ERA to 2.12 over his 14 appearances. Tyler Duffey pitched two perfect innings and struck out four. The E-Twins have won seven games in a row and they are 8.5 games up in the Appalachian League's West Division. GCL TWINS 2, GCL ORIOLES 0 GCL TWINS 0, GCL ORIOLES 3 Gonzalo Sanudo pitched five strong innings to put the GCL Twins in position to come out victorious. Even though he wasn't awarded the victory for his start, he still pitched five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.03 in 31 innings pitched. Alexander Muren threw three perfect innings for his third victory and his first win since the middle of July. Melciades De La Cruz finished the game for his fifth save of the year. When a team scores two runs, there weren't a lot of outstanding offensive performances. Bryan Haar had the lone extra-base hit for the GCL Twins with a double that lead to a run in the ninth. Javier Pimentel knocked in a big second run in the top of the ninth to give the team a little bit more breathing room. The second game saw the GCL Twins compile six hits but the team left six runners on base and failed to score a run. There were no extra-base hits for the squad but Jermias Pineda and Logan Wade both had two hits in the contest. Pineda, the player acquired for Danny Valencia, has a .406/.439/.500 batting line during GCL play this season. He is an older player for the league but he seems to be performing decently well. Since this was a seven inning game, the Twins only had two pitchers take the mound. Yorman Landa pitched the first three innings and was charged for three runs on two hits with four strikeouts. His three walks allowed came back to haunt him and he was charged with his second loss in as many starts. Kuo Hua Lo pitched the last four frames without allowing a run. He gave up a couple hits but struck out five without walking a batter. --- Players of the Day for August 14, 2012 Pitcher of the Day: Logan Darnell (6.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 SO) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bln4Q51iMEI/UCsJPDj-ocI/AAAAAAAADIU/m03T8embCMI/s320/LoganDarnell.JPG Hitter of the Day: Matt Carson (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4qQ4cxEc-Fk/UCsJ984TsyI/AAAAAAAADIc/lcod7Mrpens/s320/MattCarson.jpg --- A Look Ahead- Wednesday, August 15th Schedule Rochester vs. Indianapolis- RHP Esmerling Vasquez New Britain vs. Richmond- RHP BJ Hermsen Fort Myers vs. Jupiter- RHP Matthew Summers Beloit vs. Wisconsin- RHP Cole Johnson Elizabethton @ Bluefield- RHP Hudson Boyd GCL Twins vs. GCL Rays- TBA --- If you have any questions or comments on the minor league system, leave them in the comments section and someone will certainly answer them.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTcG4nofx3g/UCmmRQdddOI/AAAAAAAADIE/iD7UqsRBjrY/s320/ScottDiamond.jpgStarting pitching has been one of the biggest weaknesses for the Twins in 2012 and it is tough to look to the future and think that there will be help on the way. The Twins seem to be parading every starter that they can from Rochester at different points of the season and the rest of the upper minors is not overflowing with top pitching prospects. The last two pitchers taken by the Twins in the first round, Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers, have both undergone Tommy John surgery and there are always questions marks surrounding a major surgery like this. It's bleak to try and piece together the players that will be given an opportunity to fit into the starting rotation for the start of next season. Here is a look at some of the names that will be tossed about by the Twins front office when they are making decisions for next year's rotation in the offseason. The Lock??? Scott Diamond, LHP: If the Twins don't sign a high caliber free agent, Diamond might be considered the ace of the staff for the team next year. The good news for the Twins is that Diamond is under team control for the foreseeable future but the team needs him to continue to pitch at a high level. His 2012 season has been one of the nicest surprises for the club especially considering that he wasn't in the plans for the team at the beginning of the year. His ERA is under 3.00 and he has a very good WHIP of 1.187 in 18 games started in 2012. If the 26-year old lefty can keep this up for the next couple of seasons, the Twins would be extremely happy. MLB Performance Issues Nick Blackburn, RHP: At this point, it is looking like Blackburn will be the most veteran pitcher to make the rotation for the 2013 Twins. There have been plenty of times where it looked like the Twins would give up on Blackburn since his performance has dipped so much in the last three seasons. In 2008 and 2009, he had been an adequate pitcher with an ERA around 4.00 while pitching almost 200 innings per season. This year has been a nightmare as Blackburn has a 7.33 ERA with a 1.682 WHIP in 18 starts. For better or for worse, Ron Gardenhire continues to put his faith in Blackburn and it looks like the team is going to stick with him for next season. Liam Hendriks, RHP: The Twins gave Liam Hendriks a spot in the starting rotation at the beginning of this year but there were some injuries and other situations that prevented some players from being ready. For the second consecutive year, Hendriks struggled during his time on the mound at the big league level. His time at Rochester has been a completely different story as he has been putting up very good numbers at Triple-A. He is averaging over 6.5 innings per start and his 1.99 ERA and 0.946 WHIP are off the charts. There is a good chance that the Twins will give Hendriks another shot when the season is over for Rochester and it will be up to him to show the team that he can translate his minor league performance to the big leagues. Tommy John Recovery Crew Scott Baker, RHP: When Scott Baker ran into elbow trouble during spring training, it was a tough blow to a starting rotation that had some question marks. He was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery and he is in the process of rehabbing from this injury. Since he didn't have the surgery until this spring, it is going to be hard for a team to know what they are getting from Mr. Baker but he has stated that he wouldn't mind staying with the Twins organization. He will be a free agent in the offseason but the Twins could sign him to an incentive-laden deal to remain in the organization. It would be nice to have a healthy Baker in the rotation but health is always the question with him. Kyle Gibson, RHP: Gibson might have already been a staple in the starting staff for the Twins if not for an elbow injury that caused him to miss most of the last calendar year. He is back pitching in the minor leagues for the Twins and the team moved him up to High-A in the last week. In his close to 15 innings pitched so far, he has been on a strict pitch count and he has yet to throw more than three innings. Reports from the minor leagues have him throwing harder than before the surgery and the team would like him to reach Rochester by the end of the season. There is also a good chance that the Twins will send Gibson to the Arizona Fall League to get some more innings under his belt. Minor League Journeymen Sam Deduno, RHP: The 29-year old righty is on his third team in the last three years but the Twins seem to be getting the best version possible of Mr. Deduno. He is undefeated at the big league level in 2012 and he has a very respectable 3.35 ERA in seven starts with the Twins. His walk rate is far to high for him to continue this level of success so it will be interesting to see what he can do in the coming weeks. The Twins have given him a chance and he is making the most of this opportunity. Cole DeVries, RHP: It has been a great story to see the Minnesota native work his way through the Twins system over the last six seasons. At 27-years old and with his tendency to give up home runs, it is hard to imagine him being a long term solution for the organization. There have been some good starts for DeVries but there have also been multiple starts where he has been charged with seven earned runs. He adds depth to the pitching of the organization but fans hope the Twins won't have to turn to him next season. The Reliever Brian Duensing, LHP: In an ideal world, Duensing could have spent the entire 2012 season in the bullpen to see what kind of pitcher he would be in a relief role. The team thought that he was a relief option in 2009 and 2010 before being forced to use him as a starter and that same story line played out in 2012. He has shown the ability to get lefties out at a very good clip but righties continue to hit him and that makes it difficult to succeed in a starting role. 5 Predictions for the 2013 Rotation: 1. Diamond, Blackburn, and Hendriks will all start the 2013 season in the starting rotation 2. Gibson starts at Triple-A but he will be in the majors by the end of April 3. Baker will resign with the Twins but he won't make an appearance until the middle of the season 4. Blackburn won't last the year as a starter 5. Another move will be made through trade or free agency to add at least one more starter

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTcG4nofx3g/UCmmRQdddOI/AAAAAAAADIE/iD7UqsRBjrY/s320/ScottDiamond.jpgStarting pitching has been one of the biggest weaknesses for the Twins in 2012 and it is tough to look to the future and think that there will be help on the way. The Twins seem to be parading every starter that they can from Rochester at different points of the season and the rest of the upper minors is not overflowing with top pitching prospects. The last two pitchers taken by the Twins in the first round, Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers, have both undergone Tommy John surgery and there are always questions marks surrounding a major surgery like this. It's bleak to try and piece together the players that will be given an opportunity to fit into the starting rotation for the start of next season. Here is a look at some of the names that will be tossed about by the Twins front office when they are making decisions for next year's rotation in the offseason. The Lock??? Scott Diamond, LHP: If the Twins don't sign a high caliber free agent, Diamond might be considered the ace of the staff for the team next year. The good news for the Twins is that Diamond is under team control for the foreseeable future but the team needs him to continue to pitch at a high level. His 2012 season has been one of the nicest surprises for the club especially considering that he wasn't in the plans for the team at the beginning of the year. His ERA is under 3.00 and he has a very good WHIP of 1.187 in 18 games started in 2012. If the 26-year old lefty can keep this up for the next couple of seasons, the Twins would be extremely happy. MLB Performance Issues Nick Blackburn, RHP: At this point, it is looking like Blackburn will be the most veteran pitcher to make the rotation for the 2013 Twins. There have been plenty of times where it looked like the Twins would give up on Blackburn since his performance has dipped so much in the last three seasons. In 2008 and 2009, he had been an adequate pitcher with an ERA around 4.00 while pitching almost 200 innings per season. This year has been a nightmare as Blackburn has a 7.33 ERA with a 1.682 WHIP in 18 starts. For better or for worse, Ron Gardenhire continues to put his faith in Blackburn and it looks like the team is going to stick with him for next season. Liam Hendriks, RHP: The Twins gave Liam Hendriks a spot in the starting rotation at the beginning of this year but there were some injuries and other situations that prevented some players from being ready. For the second consecutive year, Hendriks struggled during his time on the mound at the big league level. His time at Rochester has been a completely different story as he has been putting up very good numbers at Triple-A. He is averaging over 6.5 innings per start and his 1.99 ERA and 0.946 WHIP are off the charts. There is a good chance that the Twins will give Hendriks another shot when the season is over for Rochester and it will be up to him to show the team that he can translate his minor league performance to the big leagues. Tommy John Recovery Crew Scott Baker, RHP: When Scott Baker ran into elbow trouble during spring training, it was a tough blow to a starting rotation that had some question marks. He was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery and he is in the process of rehabbing from this injury. Since he didn't have the surgery until this spring, it is going to be hard for a team to know what they are getting from Mr. Baker but he has stated that he wouldn't mind staying with the Twins organization. He will be a free agent in the offseason but the Twins could sign him to an incentive-laden deal to remain in the organization. It would be nice to have a healthy Baker in the rotation but health is always the question with him. Kyle Gibson, RHP: Gibson might have already been a staple in the starting staff for the Twins if not for an elbow injury that caused him to miss most of the last calendar year. He is back pitching in the minor leagues for the Twins and the team moved him up to High-A in the last week. In his close to 15 innings pitched so far, he has been on a strict pitch count and he has yet to throw more than three innings. Reports from the minor leagues have him throwing harder than before the surgery and the team would like him to reach Rochester by the end of the season. There is also a good chance that the Twins will send Gibson to the Arizona Fall League to get some more innings under his belt. Minor League Journeymen Sam Deduno, RHP: The 29-year old righty is on his third team in the last three years but the Twins seem to be getting the best version possible of Mr. Deduno. He is undefeated at the big league level in 2012 and he has a very respectable 3.35 ERA in seven starts with the Twins. His walk rate is far to high for him to continue this level of success so it will be interesting to see what he can do in the coming weeks. The Twins have given him a chance and he is making the most of this opportunity. Cole DeVries, RHP: It has been a great story to see the Minnesota native work his way through the Twins system over the last six seasons. At 27-years old and with his tendency to give up home runs, it is hard to imagine him being a long term solution for the organization. There have been some good starts for DeVries but there have also been multiple starts where he has been charged with seven earned runs. He adds depth to the pitching of the organization but fans hope the Twins won't have to turn to him next season. The Reliever Brian Duensing, LHP: In an ideal world, Duensing could have spent the entire 2012 season in the bullpen to see what kind of pitcher he would be in a relief role. The team thought that he was a relief option in 2009 and 2010 before being forced to use him as a starter and that same story line played out in 2012. He has shown the ability to get lefties out at a very good clip but righties continue to hit him and that makes it difficult to succeed in a starting role. 5 Predictions for the 2013 Rotation: 1. Diamond, Blackburn, and Hendriks will all start the 2013 season in the starting rotation 2. Gibson starts at Triple-A but he will be in the majors by the end of April 3. Baker will resign with the Twins but he won't make an appearance until the middle of the season 4. Blackburn won't last the year as a starter 5. Another move will be made through trade or free agency to add at least one more starter

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-phUKBdlfscc/UChmJR7CrSI/AAAAAAAADH0/o2k7nbhMiWo/s320/HicksArcia.jpgWhile the 2012 season has been a little bit painful at the big league level, there have been plenty of positive stories out of the minor leagues for the Twins. Miguel Sano, the player widely considered as the best in the Twins organization, is showing his power potential by sitting near the top 10 in nearly every offensive category for the farm system. Byron Buxton and J.O. Berrios were the top two picks for the Twins in June's draft and they have both already been promoted to Elizabethton in the last week. Berrios has been nearly untouchable so far in his outings and Buxton has put together some decent numbers on the offensive side of the ball. But searching for positive performances is not just relegated to the lower levels of the minor leagues for the Twins. Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks are putting together their best seasons as professionals at the Double-A level with the New Britain Rock Cats. Hicks has spent the entire season with the Rock Cats and Arcia started the year at Fort Myers before being called up in the middle of June. Both of these players have been highly thought of in the past and they each seem to be putting together a season worth getting noticed for in 2012. Hicks was the Twins first round pick in 2008 when the Twins took him out of high school with the 14th pick. His minor league career has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride since that point but he has always had the tools to be thought of as one of the top prospects for the Twins. The switch-hitting outfielder has struggled in the past to even out his splits from each side of the plate. This season has seen some improvement as he has hit .293/.371/.526 with 13 extra-base hits in 116 at-bats from the right side of the plate. When he switches to the left side, he is batting .276/.385/.427 with 25 extra-base hits in 279 at-bats. His 12 home runs this season are split evenly between both sides of the plate and his 27 steals are a career high. Arcia is a year and a half younger than Hicks and he missed part of last season with an injury. This explains some of the reasoning that the Twins used to start Arcia in the Florida State League at the beginning of the year. He has made up for lost time since being called up to the Eastern League as he is hitting .330/.406/.553 in 49 games. Between both levels in the minor leagues, he has 31 doubles and 14 home runs with 78 RBI. He has appeared in a career high 104 games in 2012 so it is good to see what Arcia has been able to do over the course of what is really his first season of being healthy in the full season leagues. With Hicks batting at the top of the order and Arcia batting in the middle of the line-up, the New Britain Rock Cats find themselves in the middle of the playoff chase in the Eastern League. While fans of the Twins might not be concerned about the chase by the Rock Cats for the playoffs, it could have an impact on when (or if) the team will call-up these two young players at some point in September. Last season, the Twins looked to two position players to have a chance in the final month after the Rock Cats had been eliminated from contention. Chris Parmelee and Joe Benson got a shot to show what they could do with their first taste of the big leagues. Ben Revere got called up from Double-A at the end of the 2010 season and he only got 28 at-bats in 13 games with the club. This year it could be time for Arcia and Hicks to put on the Twins uniform and let the MLB coaches take a closer look at the future of the franchise. Looking ahead to September, it might be hard for the Twins to find at-bats for both of these up-and-coming players. They are both outfielders and the current roster for the Twins is not short in the outfield department. Denard Span, Ben Revere, and Josh Willingham have been relatively healthy in the outfield for the Twins so it would be tough to take at-bats away from these already established players. There could be an injury that would allow the Twins to give extra at-bats to a September call-up but all three of the current outfielders are going to want to finish the season on a strong note. Span took a tumble on Sunday and he might have to miss a little bit of time and there is always a chance of an injury with the way Revere goes after balls in the outfield. An injury to one of the starters might be the only way to free up a chunk of at-bats for Arcia or Hicks. Another obstacle in the way for Hicks is the fact that he is not currently on the 40-man roster for the Twins. Because Arcia was an international signee, the organization was required to add him to the 40-man roster during last offseason even though he is younger than Hicks. During the coming offseason, Hicks would have to be added to the 40-man roster so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see him added in September. The consistent play at the plate and in the field would need to continue for each player over the rest of August but they both seem to be hitting better as the season progresses. For both of these players to get a chance with the Twins in September, it is important for the at-bats to be there for them with the big league squad. There are certainly things that each of them could learn from sitting on the bench but it is much more important to be in the line-up on a regular basis against big league pitching. With both players being under 23-years old, it would be nice to see them get their feet wet in a season that is a lost cause for the Twins. They are two of the biggest bright spots in the organization for 2012 and they deserve to be rewarded for their production on the field. That reward should be a chance to step onto the grass at Target Field for the first time.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-phUKBdlfscc/UChmJR7CrSI/AAAAAAAADH0/o2k7nbhMiWo/s320/HicksArcia.jpgWhile the 2012 season has been a little bit painful at the big league level, there have been plenty of positive stories out of the minor leagues for the Twins. Miguel Sano, the player widely considered as the best in the Twins organization, is showing his power potential by sitting near the top 10 in nearly every offensive category for the farm system. Byron Buxton and J.O. Berrios were the top two picks for the Twins in June's draft and they have both already been promoted to Elizabethton in the last week. Berrios has been nearly untouchable so far in his outings and Buxton has put together some decent numbers on the offensive side of the ball. But searching for positive performances is not just relegated to the lower levels of the minor leagues for the Twins. Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks are putting together their best seasons as professionals at the Double-A level with the New Britain Rock Cats. Hicks has spent the entire season with the Rock Cats and Arcia started the year at Fort Myers before being called up in the middle of June. Both of these players have been highly thought of in the past and they each seem to be putting together a season worth getting noticed for in 2012. Hicks was the Twins first round pick in 2008 when the Twins took him out of high school with the 14th pick. His minor league career has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride since that point but he has always had the tools to be thought of as one of the top prospects for the Twins. The switch-hitting outfielder has struggled in the past to even out his splits from each side of the plate. This season has seen some improvement as he has hit .293/.371/.526 with 13 extra-base hits in 116 at-bats from the right side of the plate. When he switches to the left side, he is batting .276/.385/.427 with 25 extra-base hits in 279 at-bats. His 12 home runs this season are split evenly between both sides of the plate and his 27 steals are a career high. Arcia is a year and a half younger than Hicks and he missed part of last season with an injury. This explains some of the reasoning that the Twins used to start Arcia in the Florida State League at the beginning of the year. He has made up for lost time since being called up to the Eastern League as he is hitting .330/.406/.553 in 49 games. Between both levels in the minor leagues, he has 31 doubles and 14 home runs with 78 RBI. He has appeared in a career high 104 games in 2012 so it is good to see what Arcia has been able to do over the course of what is really his first season of being healthy in the full season leagues. With Hicks batting at the top of the order and Arcia batting in the middle of the line-up, the New Britain Rock Cats find themselves in the middle of the playoff chase in the Eastern League. While fans of the Twins might not be concerned about the chase by the Rock Cats for the playoffs, it could have an impact on when (or if) the team will call-up these two young players at some point in September. Last season, the Twins looked to two position players to have a chance in the final month after the Rock Cats had been eliminated from contention. Chris Parmelee and Joe Benson got a shot to show what they could do with their first taste of the big leagues. Ben Revere got called up from Double-A at the end of the 2010 season and he only got 28 at-bats in 13 games with the club. This year it could be time for Arcia and Hicks to put on the Twins uniform and let the MLB coaches take a closer look at the future of the franchise. Looking ahead to September, it might be hard for the Twins to find at-bats for both of these up-and-coming players. They are both outfielders and the current roster for the Twins is not short in the outfield department. Denard Span, Ben Revere, and Josh Willingham have been relatively healthy in the outfield for the Twins so it would be tough to take at-bats away from these already established players. There could be an injury that would allow the Twins to give extra at-bats to a September call-up but all three of the current outfielders are going to want to finish the season on a strong note. Span took a tumble on Sunday and he might have to miss a little bit of time and there is always a chance of an injury with the way Revere goes after balls in the outfield. An injury to one of the starters might be the only way to free up a chunk of at-bats for Arcia or Hicks. Another obstacle in the way for Hicks is the fact that he is not currently on the 40-man roster for the Twins. Because Arcia was an international signee, the organization was required to add him to the 40-man roster during last offseason even though he is younger than Hicks. During the coming offseason, Hicks would have to be added to the 40-man roster so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to see him added in September. The consistent play at the plate and in the field would need to continue for each player over the rest of August but they both seem to be hitting better as the season progresses. For both of these players to get a chance with the Twins in September, it is important for the at-bats to be there for them with the big league squad. There are certainly things that each of them could learn from sitting on the bench but it is much more important to be in the line-up on a regular basis against big league pitching. With both players being under 23-years old, it would be nice to see them get their feet wet in a season that is a lost cause for the Twins. They are two of the biggest bright spots in the organization for 2012 and they deserve to be rewarded for their production on the field. That reward should be a chance to step onto the grass at Target Field for the first time.