Cody Christie

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MPHHcivKpws/T46w_ubFOKI/AAAAAAAABMg/06qkEMGOJR8/s320/espnhs_byron_buxton_576x324.jpg There are less than two months left until the MLB Draft and this means clubs are starting to get a picture of who the top prospects are going to be when it comes to selection time. Many of the top baseball writing sites have started to put together their initial lists of who are the best players available in the June draft. Baseball America thinks there are five major players for the top pick. Keith Law of ESPN has a similar ranking with high school outfielder Byron Buxton named as the top player on his mid-season list. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QrjZTVD3j9Y/T46wscMNnSI/AAAAAAAABMY/lWcIofmMENg/s400/2012MLBDraftList.jpg The Twins will be selecting second in the draft and this puts a lot of pressure on the club to pick up a player that can be an impact arm or bat for years to come. This leaves the team in an interesting predicament when it comes to the second player to come off of the board. Should the team pick the best available player? Or since there are no clear-cut favorites for the top spots, should the team pick the best available player at a position of need for the organization? As I documented during this offseason, the Twins have a variety of options at their disposal with the second pick. Currently in the Twins farm system, there is a surplus of high quality outfielders and this could allow the team to focus on some other needs in the draft. During last year's first round, the Twins selected middle infielder Levi Michael with the 30th pick of the draft. The team also moved one of their top prospects, Eddie Rosario, from the outfield to second base. Does this mean the team is set in the middle infield? Both of these players are multiple years away from appearing at Target Field so it is hard to say they will be the cornerstones of the infield for foreseeable future. At the same time, pitching is a vital part of the game and finding top of the rotation starters can be hard to do. Free agent starting pitching is extremely costly so the best way to save money is to find arms in the draft. The Twins could be losing four out of the five members in their starting rotation at the end of the year. Former first round picks Alex Wimmers and Kyle Gibson might be ready to join the rotation at some point next year but both of those players are far from guaranteed to make it the big leagues in 2013. By adding a college arm like Kyle Zimmer or Mark Appel that could move through the system quickly, the organization might be benefited the most in the short term. With all of that being said, what happens if the Astros don't take Byron Buxton with the first pick in the draft? The young outfielder is being compared to players like the BJ Upton and Justin Upton who were top prospects coming out of high school. In the past the Twins have seemed to have a tendency to select highly athletic outfielders with some of their early round picks. Denard Span, Ben Revere, Joe Benson, and Aaron Hicks were all high school players with enough athletic ability that the club felt good about selecting them in the first or second round. Buxton would certainly fit into this athletic outfielder mold and the Twins could jump at the chance to pick him if he falls to their spot in the draft. If the draft were to play out as shown in the graph above, the Twins would be selecting the top college position player in the draft, Mike Zunino. The stud catcher from the University of Flordia was recently named as Baseball America's Midseason Most Outstanding Player for the collegiate level. He is the best player on the best team in the country and he continues to get better as the season goes on. As a junior he has hit .346/.408/.684 with 10 home runs and 15 RBI. At the same time he is an outstanding catcher behind the plate who can control the base paths and be in command of the pitching staff. The Twins have already seen Mauer move away from some of his catching duties this season and it would make sense to pick the player to replace him in this year's draft. There is still a little less than half of the season for players to separate themselves for the MLB Draft. The picture for the top players available has started to come into focus with Buxton and Zunino being near the top of the list. There will be plenty of options for the Twins when it comes to the selection in the second spot of the draft. But with no clear-cut favorites for the top spots in the draft, there are going to be some people who are unhappy with the team's selection. The Twins could take an athletic high school outfielder, the top college bat, or an experienced college pitcher. Now there are only a few weeks until June 4th for these players to stand out above the crowd.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MPHHcivKpws/T46w_ubFOKI/AAAAAAAABMg/06qkEMGOJR8/s320/espnhs_byron_buxton_576x324.jpg There are less than two months left until the MLB Draft and this means clubs are starting to get a picture of who the top prospects are going to be when it comes to selection time. Many of the top baseball writing sites have started to put together their initial lists of who are the best players available in the June draft. Baseball America thinks there are five major players for the top pick. Keith Law of ESPN has a similar ranking with high school outfielder Byron Buxton named as the top player on his mid-season list. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QrjZTVD3j9Y/T46wscMNnSI/AAAAAAAABMY/lWcIofmMENg/s400/2012MLBDraftList.jpg The Twins will be selecting second in the draft and this puts a lot of pressure on the club to pick up a player that can be an impact arm or bat for years to come. This leaves the team in an interesting predicament when it comes to the second player to come off of the board. Should the team pick the best available player? Or since there are no clear-cut favorites for the top spots, should the team pick the best available player at a position of need for the organization? As I documented during this offseason, the Twins have a variety of options at their disposal with the second pick. Currently in the Twins farm system, there is a surplus of high quality outfielders and this could allow the team to focus on some other needs in the draft. During last year's first round, the Twins selected middle infielder Levi Michael with the 30th pick of the draft. The team also moved one of their top prospects, Eddie Rosario, from the outfield to second base. Does this mean the team is set in the middle infield? Both of these players are multiple years away from appearing at Target Field so it is hard to say they will be the cornerstones of the infield for foreseeable future. At the same time, pitching is a vital part of the game and finding top of the rotation starters can be hard to do. Free agent starting pitching is extremely costly so the best way to save money is to find arms in the draft. The Twins could be losing four out of the five members in their starting rotation at the end of the year. Former first round picks Alex Wimmers and Kyle Gibson might be ready to join the rotation at some point next year but both of those players are far from guaranteed to make it the big leagues in 2013. By adding a college arm like Kyle Zimmer or Mark Appel that could move through the system quickly, the organization might be benefited the most in the short term. With all of that being said, what happens if the Astros don't take Byron Buxton with the first pick in the draft? The young outfielder is being compared to players like the BJ Upton and Justin Upton who were top prospects coming out of high school. In the past the Twins have seemed to have a tendency to select highly athletic outfielders with some of their early round picks. Denard Span, Ben Revere, Joe Benson, and Aaron Hicks were all high school players with enough athletic ability that the club felt good about selecting them in the first or second round. Buxton would certainly fit into this athletic outfielder mold and the Twins could jump at the chance to pick him if he falls to their spot in the draft. If the draft were to play out as shown in the graph above, the Twins would be selecting the top college position player in the draft, Mike Zunino. The stud catcher from the University of Flordia was recently named as Baseball America's Midseason Most Outstanding Player for the collegiate level. He is the best player on the best team in the country and he continues to get better as the season goes on. As a junior he has hit .346/.408/.684 with 10 home runs and 15 RBI. At the same time he is an outstanding catcher behind the plate who can control the base paths and be in command of the pitching staff. The Twins have already seen Mauer move away from some of his catching duties this season and it would make sense to pick the player to replace him in this year's draft. There is still a little less than half of the season for players to separate themselves for the MLB Draft. The picture for the top players available has started to come into focus with Buxton and Zunino being near the top of the list. There will be plenty of options for the Twins when it comes to the selection in the second spot of the draft. But with no clear-cut favorites for the top spots in the draft, there are going to be some people who are unhappy with the team's selection. The Twins could take an athletic high school outfielder, the top college bat, or an experienced college pitcher. Now there are only a few weeks until June 4th for these players to stand out above the crowd.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y1Eslm6GLr4/T41UsxyEbKI/AAAAAAAABMI/B3xE0G_OVoA/s320/MorneauHR.jpg In the final weeks of spring training, the Twins made a few adjustments to their line-up to align themselves for the start of the 2012 regular season. As part of these moves, Josh Willingham moved from right field to left field, Justin Morneau was going to be the full-time designated hitter, and Chris Parmelee was slated to see time at first base and in the outfield. All of these moves had trickle down effects for the other players on the roster and the Twins have seen some of those impacts during their first portion of the season. Morneau is trying to get back on the field after missing huge pieces of the last two seasons. He has also been trying to figure out what type of routine he should have when he is in the DH role. There can be a lot of down time between at-bats and some players who are new to the DH role have a tough time figuring out what to do with this extra time. Paul Molitor and David Ortiz have offered advice to Morneau about what to do between at-bats. For Morneau, his new routine has included riding an exercise bike and watching video of the opposing pitcher. On Monday night, there were a few changes to the Twins line-up before their contest with the New York Yankees. Josh Willingham had been swinging a hot bat and the American League honored him with Player of the Week so the Twins moved to the fourth spot in their batting order. Morneau had been struggling so it made sense to split up the left-handed duo of Morneau and Joe Mauer. When Ron Gardenhire went to talk to Morneau about this move, Morneau said it was fine if he got to play at first base. This was the first time since the beginning of March that Morneau would be slotted in to play in his familiar role as the first baseman. The results from Monday were very good for Morneau in his first game back on the defensive side of the ball. He finished the game by going 2-for-5 with a towering home run to one of the deepest parts of the outfield at Yankee Stadium. With the interleague portion of the Twins schedule approaching next month, the Twins needed to give Morneau a few opportunities to play first base. There is no DH when the Twins travel to NL ballparks and to get Morneau into the line-up the Twins need him to be able to play at first base. This first experiment for Morneau seemed to have been a success and the real test will be how he feels when he gets to the field today. With Morneau's role changing on the team, the one player left behind seems to be Chris Parmelee. Coming out of spring training, Parmelee was a surprise addition to the Twins roster but his play in the spring had earned him a spot on the team. With Morneau scheduled to be a full-time DH, it looked like Parmelee would see significant playing time at first base. Out of the team's first ten games, Parmelee has started six of them at first base. He hasn't exactly hit the cover off of the ball in those six games but this could be expect from a player who hasn't spent any time at the Triple-A level. If playing at first base is going to become more of a routine for Morneau, Parmelee's spot on the team might be in danger. The Twins have already used Mauer for multiple games at first base and by adding Morneau to the mix for time at first base, Parmelee could be relegated to more time on the bench. Do the Twins really need Parmelee sitting on the bench and not getting regular playing time? Ben Revere was in the same situation with the Twins and the team sent him to Rochester so he could get into the line-up everyday. There is no point in letting a young player like Parmelee sit around especially when he hasn't found success at the Triple-A level. It is still early in the season and Morneau's role continues to be adjusted as the Twins search for a way for him to be successful after everything he has tried to overcome. For the Twins to be successful in 2012, they need Morneau to be a force in the middle of the line-up to go along with Willingham and Mauer. If Morneau is going to be as successful as the team wants him to be, he might need to spend more time playing first base. But Parmelee looks like he has a bright future with the Twins and this means the Twins need to find at-bats for him at the big league level or send him to Rochester to get him ready for a more regular role with the team.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y1Eslm6GLr4/T41UsxyEbKI/AAAAAAAABMI/B3xE0G_OVoA/s320/MorneauHR.jpg In the final weeks of spring training, the Twins made a few adjustments to their line-up to align themselves for the start of the 2012 regular season. As part of these moves, Josh Willingham moved from right field to left field, Justin Morneau was going to be the full-time designated hitter, and Chris Parmelee was slated to see time at first base and in the outfield. All of these moves had trickle down effects for the other players on the roster and the Twins have seen some of those impacts during their first portion of the season. Morneau is trying to get back on the field after missing huge pieces of the last two seasons. He has also been trying to figure out what type of routine he should have when he is in the DH role. There can be a lot of down time between at-bats and some players who are new to the DH role have a tough time figuring out what to do with this extra time. Paul Molitor and David Ortiz have offered advice to Morneau about what to do between at-bats. For Morneau, his new routine has included riding an exercise bike and watching video of the opposing pitcher. On Monday night, there were a few changes to the Twins line-up before their contest with the New York Yankees. Josh Willingham had been swinging a hot bat and the American League honored him with Player of the Week so the Twins moved to the fourth spot in their batting order. Morneau had been struggling so it made sense to split up the left-handed duo of Morneau and Joe Mauer. When Ron Gardenhire went to talk to Morneau about this move, Morneau said it was fine if he got to play at first base. This was the first time since the beginning of March that Morneau would be slotted in to play in his familiar role as the first baseman. The results from Monday were very good for Morneau in his first game back on the defensive side of the ball. He finished the game by going 2-for-5 with a towering home run to one of the deepest parts of the outfield at Yankee Stadium. With the interleague portion of the Twins schedule approaching next month, the Twins needed to give Morneau a few opportunities to play first base. There is no DH when the Twins travel to NL ballparks and to get Morneau into the line-up the Twins need him to be able to play at first base. This first experiment for Morneau seemed to have been a success and the real test will be how he feels when he gets to the field today. With Morneau's role changing on the team, the one player left behind seems to be Chris Parmelee. Coming out of spring training, Parmelee was a surprise addition to the Twins roster but his play in the spring had earned him a spot on the team. With Morneau scheduled to be a full-time DH, it looked like Parmelee would see significant playing time at first base. Out of the team's first ten games, Parmelee has started six of them at first base. He hasn't exactly hit the cover off of the ball in those six games but this could be expect from a player who hasn't spent any time at the Triple-A level. If playing at first base is going to become more of a routine for Morneau, Parmelee's spot on the team might be in danger. The Twins have already used Mauer for multiple games at first base and by adding Morneau to the mix for time at first base, Parmelee could be relegated to more time on the bench. Do the Twins really need Parmelee sitting on the bench and not getting regular playing time? Ben Revere was in the same situation with the Twins and the team sent him to Rochester so he could get into the line-up everyday. There is no point in letting a young player like Parmelee sit around especially when he hasn't found success at the Triple-A level. It is still early in the season and Morneau's role continues to be adjusted as the Twins search for a way for him to be successful after everything he has tried to overcome. For the Twins to be successful in 2012, they need Morneau to be a force in the middle of the line-up to go along with Willingham and Mauer. If Morneau is going to be as successful as the team wants him to be, he might need to spend more time playing first base. But Parmelee looks like he has a bright future with the Twins and this means the Twins need to find at-bats for him at the big league level or send him to Rochester to get him ready for a more regular role with the team.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1esuYStD6M/T4t0WuGppoI/AAAAAAAABMA/1gDrtrSY07k/s400/GoldenAgeofCatchers.jpg There has been an influx of contract extensions for catchers in recent weeks with Carlos Santana of the Indians being the latest to sign on the dotted line. Some think the Indians might have locked up baseball's top catcher but that title can be debated with players from both leagues coming out on top. The Twins already have Joe Mauer their MVP catcher and hometown hero locked up to a huge deal but there are plenty of other big name catchers across the baseball world. There are players behind the plate in the American League and the National League who have already become stars or who are well on their way to becoming big name players. Here is a look at some of the top catchers in each league and even a few young players who could move from top prospect lists to being in the discussion for top catcher in their league. American League (2011 Baseball Reference WAR) Mike Napoli, Rangers (5.5) Alex Avila, Tigers (5.4) Matt Wieters, Orioles (4.0) Carlos Santana, Indians (3.9) Joe Mauer, Twins* (1.7) Salvador Perez, Royals (1.1) Jesus Montero, Mariners (Top 10 Prospect by Baseball America) Travis d'Arnaud, Blue Jays (Top 20 Prospect by Baseball America) *Injury shortened season National League (2011 Baseball Reference WAR) Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks (4.5) Yadier Molina, Cardinals (3.9) Wilson Ramos, Nationals (2.5) Brian McCann, Braves (2.5) Buster Posey, Giants* (1.5) Devin Mesoraco, Reds (Top 20 Prospect by Baseball America) *Injury shortened season The hardships of catching on a star player have been well documented in Minnesota with Joe Mauer and in San Fransisco with Buster Posey. Both of these star players missed large chunks of last season because of catching related injuries. Bob Harkins of NBC Sports wrote a couple of weeks ago that catching is the toughest job in all of sports. As he wrote in the article: "The catcher is a different kind of animal altogether. He's a scout and a coach. He's a psychiatrist and a self-help therapist. He's the first one to sacrifice his body and the last line of defense. And if he wants to make big-time money, he's going to have to hit, too." All of this pressure on catchers has forced some of the names listed above to find time playing other positions on the field. The Twins have used Mauer at first base on a more frequent basis to start the season and this has allowed his bat to be in the line-up for every game in 2012. Santana had a very good year with the Indians last year and he found himself on the field at first base for 66 games. Top prospect Montero is at the start of his first full season in the big leagues and the Mariners have only let him catch in one game so far. Many of these high level catchers are good enough from the offensive side of the game that their managers need to find ways for them to play almost everyday. After considering all of this information, it is easy to wonder if we are living in one of the best era's in history for players at the catching position. There have been many very good catchers in the past but the plethora of quality catchers seems to be very high across the baseball world. Could we be in the middle of the "Golden Age" of catchers? In an article written for ESPN's SweetSpot Blog, Dave Schoenfield examined every season since 1969 where there was a surplus of catchers with a WAR of 3.5 or higher. The two best seasons on this list were in 1977 and 1978 with nine and ten catchers that had a 3.5 WAR or higher. This was the era of Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Ted Simmons. Last season there were six catchers who reached this level in MLB but that didn't include some notable stars like Mauer, Posey, and McCann. The closest recent season with six catchers with over a 3.5 WAR was in 2004. Javy Lopez, Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Kendall, Jorge Posada, Jason Varitek, and Victor Martinez played well enough to easily make the 3.5 WAR mark. It is eight seasons later and many of these players will not be playing in baseball this year. Martinez is injured and some of the other prominent names have already hung up their catching gear and called it a career. It was time for a new era of catchers and they might have been the predecessors to one of the best crop of catchers in history. When it comes to catchers, it is hard to predict how the season will stack up at the end of the year. There can be injuries that push players to the disabled list for large pieces of the schedule or there can be sub-par play from players that are expected to do more on the field. Perez of the Royals will already miss a big chunk of the 2012 season so there is not much of a chance that he will reach the 3.5 WAR mark. But even with Perez out of the equation, there are 12 other catchers that could have a WAR of higher than 3.5 at the end of the year. As mentioned above, the record for any season since 1969 is 10 players and this means we could be in the middle of a very special season for catchers in 2012.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k1esuYStD6M/T4t0WuGppoI/AAAAAAAABMA/1gDrtrSY07k/s400/GoldenAgeofCatchers.jpg There has been an influx of contract extensions for catchers in recent weeks with Carlos Santana of the Indians being the latest to sign on the dotted line. Some think the Indians might have locked up baseball's top catcher but that title can be debated with players from both leagues coming out on top. The Twins already have Joe Mauer their MVP catcher and hometown hero locked up to a huge deal but there are plenty of other big name catchers across the baseball world. There are players behind the plate in the American League and the National League who have already become stars or who are well on their way to becoming big name players. Here is a look at some of the top catchers in each league and even a few young players who could move from top prospect lists to being in the discussion for top catcher in their league. American League (2011 Baseball Reference WAR) Mike Napoli, Rangers (5.5) Alex Avila, Tigers (5.4) Matt Wieters, Orioles (4.0) Carlos Santana, Indians (3.9) Joe Mauer, Twins* (1.7) Salvador Perez, Royals (1.1) Jesus Montero, Mariners (Top 10 Prospect by Baseball America) Travis d'Arnaud, Blue Jays (Top 20 Prospect by Baseball America) *Injury shortened season National League (2011 Baseball Reference WAR) Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks (4.5) Yadier Molina, Cardinals (3.9) Wilson Ramos, Nationals (2.5) Brian McCann, Braves (2.5) Buster Posey, Giants* (1.5) Devin Mesoraco, Reds (Top 20 Prospect by Baseball America) *Injury shortened season The hardships of catching on a star player have been well documented in Minnesota with Joe Mauer and in San Fransisco with Buster Posey. Both of these star players missed large chunks of last season because of catching related injuries. Bob Harkins of NBC Sports wrote a couple of weeks ago that catching is the toughest job in all of sports. As he wrote in the article: "The catcher is a different kind of animal altogether. He's a scout and a coach. He's a psychiatrist and a self-help therapist. He's the first one to sacrifice his body and the last line of defense. And if he wants to make big-time money, he's going to have to hit, too." All of this pressure on catchers has forced some of the names listed above to find time playing other positions on the field. The Twins have used Mauer at first base on a more frequent basis to start the season and this has allowed his bat to be in the line-up for every game in 2012. Santana had a very good year with the Indians last year and he found himself on the field at first base for 66 games. Top prospect Montero is at the start of his first full season in the big leagues and the Mariners have only let him catch in one game so far. Many of these high level catchers are good enough from the offensive side of the game that their managers need to find ways for them to play almost everyday. After considering all of this information, it is easy to wonder if we are living in one of the best era's in history for players at the catching position. There have been many very good catchers in the past but the plethora of quality catchers seems to be very high across the baseball world. Could we be in the middle of the "Golden Age" of catchers? In an article written for ESPN's SweetSpot Blog, Dave Schoenfield examined every season since 1969 where there was a surplus of catchers with a WAR of 3.5 or higher. The two best seasons on this list were in 1977 and 1978 with nine and ten catchers that had a 3.5 WAR or higher. This was the era of Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Ted Simmons. Last season there were six catchers who reached this level in MLB but that didn't include some notable stars like Mauer, Posey, and McCann. The closest recent season with six catchers with over a 3.5 WAR was in 2004. Javy Lopez, Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Kendall, Jorge Posada, Jason Varitek, and Victor Martinez played well enough to easily make the 3.5 WAR mark. It is eight seasons later and many of these players will not be playing in baseball this year. Martinez is injured and some of the other prominent names have already hung up their catching gear and called it a career. It was time for a new era of catchers and they might have been the predecessors to one of the best crop of catchers in history. When it comes to catchers, it is hard to predict how the season will stack up at the end of the year. There can be injuries that push players to the disabled list for large pieces of the schedule or there can be sub-par play from players that are expected to do more on the field. Perez of the Royals will already miss a big chunk of the 2012 season so there is not much of a chance that he will reach the 3.5 WAR mark. But even with Perez out of the equation, there are 12 other catchers that could have a WAR of higher than 3.5 at the end of the year. As mentioned above, the record for any season since 1969 is 10 players and this means we could be in the middle of a very special season for catchers in 2012.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first week of Twins baseball has not been perfect by any means but the team has shown signs of life in the last couple of days. Those games were against two very good pitchers from the Angels, Jared Weaver and Dan Haren, so the team might be moving in the right direction. In a rare occurrence on Thursday afternoon, Joe Mauer hit a home run at Target Field for only the second time since the stadium opened in 2010. Besides glimmers of hope, the Twins offense needs to continue on it's upward trejectory if the team wants to find success in 2012. The two-time defending American League Champion Texas Rangers are coming to town this weekend with a couple of issues themselves. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan has struggled in two of his outings with his new club and both times his team would end up losing the contest. Yu Darvish, the Japanese pitching phenom, is scheduled to pitch on Saturday along with the unveiling of Kent Hrbek's statue outside of Gate 14. The first weekend action of the 2012 season at Target Field should be full of some great games and the Twins hope to get their team moving in the right direction. Another work week has come to an end so I hope you enjoy the following stories that I found from throughout the last week. Baseball is back and it has been great to see my Twitter feed explode with excitement in the last seven days. The Twins aren't off to a perfect start but it is a long season with plenty of baseball left to play. Earlier this week, Seth Stohs had a great podcast with multiple guests including an interview with shortstop Brian Dozier. If you want to find out more about the New Britain Rock Cats, make sure to check out Twins Fan From Afar. He wrote about Alex Wimmers' first start of the year. ESPN's Jim Bowden (an Insider article) thinks it's possible for the Twins to move Justin Morneau at some point this year. A looks into the most infamous Twins jerseys of all time, the "Dairy Queen" red jerseys. John Sickels likes what Brian Dozier has been able to do so far this year at Rochester. Over at Circle the Bases, they examine the possibility of Scott Baker's career being done with the Twins. The Twins saw Peter Bourjos move around the bases at Target Field in under 15 seconds on Wednesday night. Jim Crikket at Knuckleballs wrote a very good piece on how the Twins need to strive for greatness and not just let it be a tradition for the franchise. Over at Twins Daily, they ask the question, "What kind of fan are you?" Twins relief pitcher Jeff Gray only had one-career win before the last two days and now three pitches later he has two more wins. Twins draft pick Hudson Boyd and three of his high school teammates are trying to make it to the big leagues. Shawn Berg over at Twins Target has been counting down his top prospect and he profiled his sixth best player this week. This picture of the Orioles Robert Andino shows how tough a few years in Baltimore can be for a player. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YlbbPWdbvvU/T4cqwe5CxDI/AAAAAAAABL4/sFfc-Nsh88E/s320/RobertAndinoSmile.jpeg A rare Bryce Harper trading card is listed on eBay for $25,000 and it isn't even autographed by the young star. During the Twins first game of the year a man ran on the field wearing only his underwear and a Batman cap. Now he is banned from Camden Yards for life. Even Babe Ruth's daughter doesn't like the Yankees. Baseball teams are getting a lot more money for the exclusive rights to broadcast their games. Torii Hunter got into a fight with the wall at Target Field... it didn't end well for somebody. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Rough Opening Weekend has silver lining Tuesday: Dozier's hot start is hard to ignore Wednesday: Lost generation of Twins fans brought back in 2002 Thursday: Will April showers bring second half flowers? Video of the Week: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau homered in the same game for the first time since July 2010. The event also took place at Target Field where Mauer came into the game with only one career home run. Morneau's shot was a towering blast deep into the seats. Here is the video evidence of both of those balls leaving the park.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first week of Twins baseball has not been perfect by any means but the team has shown signs of life in the last couple of days. Those games were against two very good pitchers from the Angels, Jared Weaver and Dan Haren, so the team might be moving in the right direction. In a rare occurrence on Thursday afternoon, Joe Mauer hit a home run at Target Field for only the second time since the stadium opened in 2010. Besides glimmers of hope, the Twins offense needs to continue on it's upward trejectory if the team wants to find success in 2012. The two-time defending American League Champion Texas Rangers are coming to town this weekend with a couple of issues themselves. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan has struggled in two of his outings with his new club and both times his team would end up losing the contest. Yu Darvish, the Japanese pitching phenom, is scheduled to pitch on Saturday along with the unveiling of Kent Hrbek's statue outside of Gate 14. The first weekend action of the 2012 season at Target Field should be full of some great games and the Twins hope to get their team moving in the right direction. Another work week has come to an end so I hope you enjoy the following stories that I found from throughout the last week. Baseball is back and it has been great to see my Twitter feed explode with excitement in the last seven days. The Twins aren't off to a perfect start but it is a long season with plenty of baseball left to play. Earlier this week, Seth Stohs had a great podcast with multiple guests including an interview with shortstop Brian Dozier. If you want to find out more about the New Britain Rock Cats, make sure to check out Twins Fan From Afar. He wrote about Alex Wimmers' first start of the year. ESPN's Jim Bowden (an Insider article) thinks it's possible for the Twins to move Justin Morneau at some point this year. A looks into the most infamous Twins jerseys of all time, the "Dairy Queen" red jerseys. John Sickels likes what Brian Dozier has been able to do so far this year at Rochester. Over at Circle the Bases, they examine the possibility of Scott Baker's career being done with the Twins. The Twins saw Peter Bourjos move around the bases at Target Field in under 15 seconds on Wednesday night. Jim Crikket at Knuckleballs wrote a very good piece on how the Twins need to strive for greatness and not just let it be a tradition for the franchise. Over at Twins Daily, they ask the question, "What kind of fan are you?" Twins relief pitcher Jeff Gray only had one-career win before the last two days and now three pitches later he has two more wins. Twins draft pick Hudson Boyd and three of his high school teammates are trying to make it to the big leagues. Shawn Berg over at Twins Target has been counting down his top prospect and he profiled his sixth best player this week. This picture of the Orioles Robert Andino shows how tough a few years in Baltimore can be for a player. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YlbbPWdbvvU/T4cqwe5CxDI/AAAAAAAABL4/sFfc-Nsh88E/s320/RobertAndinoSmile.jpeg A rare Bryce Harper trading card is listed on eBay for $25,000 and it isn't even autographed by the young star. During the Twins first game of the year a man ran on the field wearing only his underwear and a Batman cap. Now he is banned from Camden Yards for life. Even Babe Ruth's daughter doesn't like the Yankees. Baseball teams are getting a lot more money for the exclusive rights to broadcast their games. Torii Hunter got into a fight with the wall at Target Field... it didn't end well for somebody. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Rough Opening Weekend has silver lining Tuesday: Dozier's hot start is hard to ignore Wednesday: Lost generation of Twins fans brought back in 2002 Thursday: Will April showers bring second half flowers? Video of the Week: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau homered in the same game for the first time since July 2010. The event also took place at Target Field where Mauer came into the game with only one career home run. Morneau's shot was a towering blast deep into the seats. Here is the video evidence of both of those balls leaving the park.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fans of the Twins are well aware of the slow start the club has gotten off to at the start the 2012 season. It seems that a segment of the fan base is worried that the Twins are falling back into the same patterns that lead to a 99-loss season in 2011. Scott Baker and Liam Hendriks have already been forced to the sidelines with injuries, there are still question marks in the bullpen, and the offense has struggled mightily at the plate. The hope was that the Twins would start the season by winning some games and putting last year behind them but this hasn't been the case so far this year. Should this have been expected though? The Twins have a very tough schedule in the first month of the year that includes teams like the Angels, Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox. It would have been nice to get out of the first month of the year with a .500 record but maybe that was a long shot. Are the Twins just not an early season team? Do they struggle to win games in the first portion of the year? Since 2008, the Twins have only finished the month of April with an above .500 record one time. In 2010, the Twins got off to a hot start and the team would put together one of the best seasons in franchise history. The 2008 and 2009 seasons started slow but the team would end up in a one-game playoff for the Central Division at the end of each of those campaigns. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2YeFzwY048/T4WwShNg7kI/AAAAAAAABLg/pFeMnnZ13Ww/s320/AprilShowers.jpg During this same time span, it has seemed that the first half of the year was a time to figure out how the team was going to develop over the course of the season. Around the All-Star break, the Twins would be near the .500 mark with the trade deadline fast approaching. Should the team add players for a second half run or should the team sit tight with the players they currently have on the roster? Even last year when the team would suffer in the second half of the year, the Twins were seven games under .500 in the first half of the year. Being near the .500 mark around the All-Star break has allowed the Twins and their fans to have a semblance of hope for the second half of the year. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qqw6skxio3U/T4ZJ_LB7_wI/AAAAAAAABLo/V1uI9S3FXkA/s320/AllStarBreakBlues.jpg The second half of the season seems to be where the Twins make a name for themselves by playing well in the AL Central. The unbalanced schedule and divisional play has helped the Twins to be in the playoffs or on the brink of the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. During last year, the Twins thought they could still be in the pennant race at the trade deadline so they held on to a lot of their veteran players. The second half surge never happened for that club but strong baseball in the second half of the year helped to form the identity for the other three teams on this list. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_4hrWkK99Y/T4ZNo4Xr0uI/AAAAAAAABLw/cg0suN2P-2A/s320/SecondHalfSurges.jpg There is a good chance that the Twins are not on their way to winning 100 games this season but slow starts have been commonplace for Twins Territory in recent years. The baseball season is extremely long and a lot can happen between now and the end of the year. So there is no reason to overreact to the first handful of games. Like most of the last few seasons, the Twins will probably be near the .500 mark at the end of the first half of the year. What they do in the second half could be the difference in a 99-loss season and pushing for a spot in the postseason.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fans of the Twins are well aware of the slow start the club has gotten off to at the start the 2012 season. It seems that a segment of the fan base is worried that the Twins are falling back into the same patterns that lead to a 99-loss season in 2011. Scott Baker and Liam Hendriks have already been forced to the sidelines with injuries, there are still question marks in the bullpen, and the offense has struggled mightily at the plate. The hope was that the Twins would start the season by winning some games and putting last year behind them but this hasn't been the case so far this year. Should this have been expected though? The Twins have a very tough schedule in the first month of the year that includes teams like the Angels, Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox. It would have been nice to get out of the first month of the year with a .500 record but maybe that was a long shot. Are the Twins just not an early season team? Do they struggle to win games in the first portion of the year? Since 2008, the Twins have only finished the month of April with an above .500 record one time. In 2010, the Twins got off to a hot start and the team would put together one of the best seasons in franchise history. The 2008 and 2009 seasons started slow but the team would end up in a one-game playoff for the Central Division at the end of each of those campaigns. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2YeFzwY048/T4WwShNg7kI/AAAAAAAABLg/pFeMnnZ13Ww/s320/AprilShowers.jpg During this same time span, it has seemed that the first half of the year was a time to figure out how the team was going to develop over the course of the season. Around the All-Star break, the Twins would be near the .500 mark with the trade deadline fast approaching. Should the team add players for a second half run or should the team sit tight with the players they currently have on the roster? Even last year when the team would suffer in the second half of the year, the Twins were seven games under .500 in the first half of the year. Being near the .500 mark around the All-Star break has allowed the Twins and their fans to have a semblance of hope for the second half of the year. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qqw6skxio3U/T4ZJ_LB7_wI/AAAAAAAABLo/V1uI9S3FXkA/s320/AllStarBreakBlues.jpg The second half of the season seems to be where the Twins make a name for themselves by playing well in the AL Central. The unbalanced schedule and divisional play has helped the Twins to be in the playoffs or on the brink of the playoffs in three of the last four seasons. During last year, the Twins thought they could still be in the pennant race at the trade deadline so they held on to a lot of their veteran players. The second half surge never happened for that club but strong baseball in the second half of the year helped to form the identity for the other three teams on this list. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j_4hrWkK99Y/T4ZNo4Xr0uI/AAAAAAAABLw/cg0suN2P-2A/s320/SecondHalfSurges.jpg There is a good chance that the Twins are not on their way to winning 100 games this season but slow starts have been commonplace for Twins Territory in recent years. The baseball season is extremely long and a lot can happen between now and the end of the year. So there is no reason to overreact to the first handful of games. Like most of the last few seasons, the Twins will probably be near the .500 mark at the end of the first half of the year. What they do in the second half could be the difference in a 99-loss season and pushing for a spot in the postseason.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-USOtSqIeF9Q/T4V3GAwFj0I/AAAAAAAABLY/4Hj5SpCkt30/s320/2002TwinsReunion.jpg Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of highlights of Opening Day at Target Field was the 10-year reunion for the 2002 Minnesota Twins team, the last team from the franchise to play in the ALCS. There were 11 of the 25 members of the team in attendance at the game along with most of the coaching staff. There were plenty of cheers for fan favorites like Torii Hunter, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Eddie Guardado. It is hard to imagine how far the team has come since the beginning of the 2002 season and if that team was unable to succeed, would the franchise even exists at this point? After winning the team's first World Series in the late 80's and their second World Series in the early 1990's, the Twins would go through a stretch of eight years where the team would finish in fourth or fifth place in their division. The middle years of the 1990's became a tough time for the sport of baseball. There was the strike shortened year in 1995 without a World Series and from the next few years it would be hard to bring fans back to the sport. Rich owners and players had turned their backs on the fan base and it became a tough time for the baseball world. Poor baseball in Minnesota would make it tough to draw fans but some fans would start to trickle back because of a few factors in the late 90's. In 1998, there was the chase for the home run record that had been held by Roger Maris. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr. were hitting balls out of the park at lightning speed. Most of this chase for the home run didn't impact the Twins because a lot of that action was occurring in the National League. By seasons end, the team would finish 22 games under .500 and with the smallest attendance in the American League. The next couple seasons would be more of the same for the Twins but something was slowly changing. After finishing the 2000 season with the worst record in baseball, the Twins put together a surprise run in 2001 to finish second in the division. For the first time in multiple seasons, the Twins didn't finish last in attendance in the AL. The fan base was slowly starting to grow because nothing draws in fans like winning on the field. The young and upcoming Twins had plenty of talent that was blossoming but the upcoming offseason would be full of turmoil. Following this magical season, the Twins went through an offseason of unknowns. Tom Kelly, the winningest manager in club history, was stepping aside and an unproven manager by the name of Ron Gardenhire was taking the reigns. There were also rumblings across the baseball world of the possibility of contracting two teams from each of the leagues and the Twins were considered to be the front runner for deletion from the AL. After a bounce back year in 2001, the 2002 season looked like it could be the last hurrah for the Minnesota Twins. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-41yWxKdl8sM/T4V2oq4BysI/AAAAAAAABLQ/Ya6ryhIJ-k4/s1600/theteamthatsavedbaseball.jpg The Twins would get off to a decent start in 2002 but their second half winning percentage of .611 would truly separate them from the pack. They stayed above .500 for the entire season and destroyed the bottom feeders in the AL Central. They spent 161 days in first place in the AL Central and the furthest the team ever got behind in the division was four games out of first and that was in the early weeks of the season. The franchise would qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1991 and they surprised the baseball world by beating the mighty Oakland A's in the first round of the playoffs. The Twins were back and they would stay atop the AL Central for a majority of the next decade. One of the forgotten groups in all of this was the fans of the younger generation. They were too young to remember much of the success of World Series teams for the Twins. This meant they grew up watching painful baseball being played in an ugly white dome in downtown Minneapolis. The stands were mostly empty, the team failed to produce on the field, and the baseball world watched as the Twins were slowly dying. This lost generation of fans couldn't remember a time when the Twins had been successful but that would all change in the 2002 season. These fans of the younger generation would be able to attend their first playoff series in over a decade at the Metrodome. They would get to wave their first Homer Hanky and watch their team celebrate on the field after winning their first playoff series since 1991. The Metrodome would be packed and the fans could feel what it was like when thousands of voices made the roof shake off of the dome that didn't seem as ugly anymore. A new generation of Twins fan had been born and they would watch their team succeed at a high level over the course of the next decade. These fans that had been lost were now found and the course of the franchise's history would never be the same...

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-USOtSqIeF9Q/T4V3GAwFj0I/AAAAAAAABLY/4Hj5SpCkt30/s320/2002TwinsReunion.jpg Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of highlights of Opening Day at Target Field was the 10-year reunion for the 2002 Minnesota Twins team, the last team from the franchise to play in the ALCS. There were 11 of the 25 members of the team in attendance at the game along with most of the coaching staff. There were plenty of cheers for fan favorites like Torii Hunter, Doug Mientkiewicz, and Eddie Guardado. It is hard to imagine how far the team has come since the beginning of the 2002 season and if that team was unable to succeed, would the franchise even exists at this point? After winning the team's first World Series in the late 80's and their second World Series in the early 1990's, the Twins would go through a stretch of eight years where the team would finish in fourth or fifth place in their division. The middle years of the 1990's became a tough time for the sport of baseball. There was the strike shortened year in 1995 without a World Series and from the next few years it would be hard to bring fans back to the sport. Rich owners and players had turned their backs on the fan base and it became a tough time for the baseball world. Poor baseball in Minnesota would make it tough to draw fans but some fans would start to trickle back because of a few factors in the late 90's. In 1998, there was the chase for the home run record that had been held by Roger Maris. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr. were hitting balls out of the park at lightning speed. Most of this chase for the home run didn't impact the Twins because a lot of that action was occurring in the National League. By seasons end, the team would finish 22 games under .500 and with the smallest attendance in the American League. The next couple seasons would be more of the same for the Twins but something was slowly changing. After finishing the 2000 season with the worst record in baseball, the Twins put together a surprise run in 2001 to finish second in the division. For the first time in multiple seasons, the Twins didn't finish last in attendance in the AL. The fan base was slowly starting to grow because nothing draws in fans like winning on the field. The young and upcoming Twins had plenty of talent that was blossoming but the upcoming offseason would be full of turmoil. Following this magical season, the Twins went through an offseason of unknowns. Tom Kelly, the winningest manager in club history, was stepping aside and an unproven manager by the name of Ron Gardenhire was taking the reigns. There were also rumblings across the baseball world of the possibility of contracting two teams from each of the leagues and the Twins were considered to be the front runner for deletion from the AL. After a bounce back year in 2001, the 2002 season looked like it could be the last hurrah for the Minnesota Twins. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-41yWxKdl8sM/T4V2oq4BysI/AAAAAAAABLQ/Ya6ryhIJ-k4/s1600/theteamthatsavedbaseball.jpg The Twins would get off to a decent start in 2002 but their second half winning percentage of .611 would truly separate them from the pack. They stayed above .500 for the entire season and destroyed the bottom feeders in the AL Central. They spent 161 days in first place in the AL Central and the furthest the team ever got behind in the division was four games out of first and that was in the early weeks of the season. The franchise would qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1991 and they surprised the baseball world by beating the mighty Oakland A's in the first round of the playoffs. The Twins were back and they would stay atop the AL Central for a majority of the next decade. One of the forgotten groups in all of this was the fans of the younger generation. They were too young to remember much of the success of World Series teams for the Twins. This meant they grew up watching painful baseball being played in an ugly white dome in downtown Minneapolis. The stands were mostly empty, the team failed to produce on the field, and the baseball world watched as the Twins were slowly dying. This lost generation of fans couldn't remember a time when the Twins had been successful but that would all change in the 2002 season. These fans of the younger generation would be able to attend their first playoff series in over a decade at the Metrodome. They would get to wave their first Homer Hanky and watch their team celebrate on the field after winning their first playoff series since 1991. The Metrodome would be packed and the fans could feel what it was like when thousands of voices made the roof shake off of the dome that didn't seem as ugly anymore. A new generation of Twins fan had been born and they would watch their team succeed at a high level over the course of the next decade. These fans that had been lost were now found and the course of the franchise's history would never be the same...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_K-DX5eBVo/T4QgMZD4xAI/AAAAAAAABLI/FUQ7vY1Wz6Q/s1600/BrianDozier.jpg At the end of spring training when Brian Doizer was sent down to the minor leagues, he seemed to leave the Twins facility with a chip on his shoulder. His time in the big league camp had been sufficient with him hitting .277/.333/.511 with three home runs and nine RBI in 47 at-bats. With him only having spent part of a season at the Double-A level, it seemed like a very long shot for him to make the club out of spring training. Dozier felt like he had played well enough to be on the team and now he has been determined to show the Twins they won't be able to hold him down for too long. The 24-year old middle infielder for the Red Wings has gotten off to a hot start in the first five games of the season in Rochester. He has been a spark plug for the offense by batting .474/.545/.789 with three doubles, a home run, and three runs scored in five games. In all but one of those games, he has multiple hits with his best game coming yesterday when he was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and three RBI. He is hitting like a man on a mission and he mission is clearly to get to the big leagues as soon as possible. Last year was a breakout season for Mr. Dozier in the minor leagues as he won the Twins Minor League Player of the Year. Since he left the rookie leagues, Dozier had tried to find his swing at the Low-A and High-A level but he never hit over .278 and his power numbers weren't outstanding. Something clicked for Dozier last year when he started the year back in the Florida State League. With the Miracle at the start of last season, he hit .322/.423/.472 and he had 18 extra-base hits. The Twins promoted him to New Britain and his hot hitting continued to the tune of .318/.384/.502 with seven home runs, seven triples, and 22 doubles. The Twins didn't have many positives in 2011 but the season of Dozier might have been near the top of their list. During this past offseason, the Twins sent Dozier to the Arizona Fall League to better prepare him for the 2012 season. His time in this highly touted prospect league seems to have eased his transition to the Triple-A level after playing only 78 games for New Britain last year. The Twins organization has struggled in recent years to produce much in the middle infield so Dozier could be a beacon of hope for the future of the franchise. If he can lock down one of the middle infield positions for the foreseeable future, he can bridge the gap to some of the other talent in the lower levels of the minor leagues. While Dozier has been hitting the cover off of the ball in Rochester, the offense of the Twins has struggled to do anything in their first four games of the year. The players who have started in the middle infield for the Twins are a combined 1-for-24 with three strikeouts at the plate. There are plenty of other question marks with the Twins offense at this early point in the year. But if Dozier continues his hot start and the middle infield continues to struggle, it will be hard for the team to hold him in the minor leagues. It is good to see Dozier finding success at the Triple-A level during this very early junction in the season. The short amount of time he spent at the Double-A level could have meant he would go through some problems with the transition to Rochester. This has not been the case so far this year and that is a great sign for one of the top prospects in the Twins organization. If he continues to hit well and the Twins offense remains stagnant, it will only be a matter of time before Dozier is making his debut with the Twins.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c_K-DX5eBVo/T4QgMZD4xAI/AAAAAAAABLI/FUQ7vY1Wz6Q/s1600/BrianDozier.jpg At the end of spring training when Brian Doizer was sent down to the minor leagues, he seemed to leave the Twins facility with a chip on his shoulder. His time in the big league camp had been sufficient with him hitting .277/.333/.511 with three home runs and nine RBI in 47 at-bats. With him only having spent part of a season at the Double-A level, it seemed like a very long shot for him to make the club out of spring training. Dozier felt like he had played well enough to be on the team and now he has been determined to show the Twins they won't be able to hold him down for too long. The 24-year old middle infielder for the Red Wings has gotten off to a hot start in the first five games of the season in Rochester. He has been a spark plug for the offense by batting .474/.545/.789 with three doubles, a home run, and three runs scored in five games. In all but one of those games, he has multiple hits with his best game coming yesterday when he was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, and three RBI. He is hitting like a man on a mission and he mission is clearly to get to the big leagues as soon as possible. Last year was a breakout season for Mr. Dozier in the minor leagues as he won the Twins Minor League Player of the Year. Since he left the rookie leagues, Dozier had tried to find his swing at the Low-A and High-A level but he never hit over .278 and his power numbers weren't outstanding. Something clicked for Dozier last year when he started the year back in the Florida State League. With the Miracle at the start of last season, he hit .322/.423/.472 and he had 18 extra-base hits. The Twins promoted him to New Britain and his hot hitting continued to the tune of .318/.384/.502 with seven home runs, seven triples, and 22 doubles. The Twins didn't have many positives in 2011 but the season of Dozier might have been near the top of their list. During this past offseason, the Twins sent Dozier to the Arizona Fall League to better prepare him for the 2012 season. His time in this highly touted prospect league seems to have eased his transition to the Triple-A level after playing only 78 games for New Britain last year. The Twins organization has struggled in recent years to produce much in the middle infield so Dozier could be a beacon of hope for the future of the franchise. If he can lock down one of the middle infield positions for the foreseeable future, he can bridge the gap to some of the other talent in the lower levels of the minor leagues. While Dozier has been hitting the cover off of the ball in Rochester, the offense of the Twins has struggled to do anything in their first four games of the year. The players who have started in the middle infield for the Twins are a combined 1-for-24 with three strikeouts at the plate. There are plenty of other question marks with the Twins offense at this early point in the year. But if Dozier continues his hot start and the middle infield continues to struggle, it will be hard for the team to hold him in the minor leagues. It is good to see Dozier finding success at the Triple-A level during this very early junction in the season. The short amount of time he spent at the Double-A level could have meant he would go through some problems with the transition to Rochester. This has not been the case so far this year and that is a great sign for one of the top prospects in the Twins organization. If he continues to hit well and the Twins offense remains stagnant, it will only be a matter of time before Dozier is making his debut with the Twins.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C8edZPZZAcQ/T4LW3dM5TsI/AAAAAAAABLA/lC14MMH8deA/s320/JameyCarrollDefense.jpg Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Twins struggled mightily in their first series of the year against a team that is not projected to do very well this season, the Baltimore Orioles. The three starting pitchers for the Orioles looked like Cy Young winners even though each of them came into the contest with ERAs of well over 4.00 for last season. The offense struggled to push runs across the plate in all three contests and the pitching for the Twins looked very similar to last year with starters not lasting very long and relief pitchers coming in to allow more runs to score. This sounds like a miserable first three games of the season for any team but for the Twins and their fans it was tough to watch their team flounder in Baltimore with the organization coming off of one of the worst year's in franchise history. Now the team hits a devastating part of their schedule that includes some of the best team's in the American League. The projected pitchers for the Angels and Rangers during the next couple of series will look even more daunting than the crew sent out by the Orioles. Overall, this doesn't seem like a good start but there has to be a silver lining from all of this mess. 1. Baseball's long regular season: One of the best things about the baseball season is the length of the schedule. Even though the Twins lost their first three games, there are still 159 more contests for the team to prove they are worth a darn in 2012. It's way too early to panic for many of the clubs in baseball. Projected playoff teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox are off to slow starts themselves and their expectations of making a long October run have not changed in the past couple of days. There isn't anything that says the Twins can't turn it around in the middle of this slow start and make something out of this year. 2. JJ Hardy curse: This might not be a real thing but the Orioles have owned the Twins during this year and last year. Since JJ Hardy was traded away, the Twins are now a combined 2-9 versus Baltimore. In those contests the Twins have been outscored 59 to 21 so most of the games have not been very close. This might not seem like a very positive thing but it is good to remember that the Twins have struggled with team's from the AL East in previous years. Fans of the Twins expected them to do well on Opening Weekend but maybe those expectations should have been tempered a little bit. 3. Morneau's swing looked good: There weren't many positives from the offensive side of the ball but in the middle of this mess there was one bright spot. Justin Morneau is off to a hot start with four hits in his first ten at-bats of the year. Half of his hits have been doubles and Josh Willingham is the only other player who has managed an extra base hit so far in 2012. Mornea's good start is wonderful news for a player who is coming off of missing huge chunks of the last two years. He is also adjusting to being a full-time designated hitter and there can be some struggles with this switch. With much of the season still to come, the Twins will have to continue to watch Morneau's health and hope that his offensive output stays at a high level. 4. Carroll's upgraded defense: The Twins had a few goals during the offseason after Terry Ryan took back the role of general manager of the club. One of the biggest goals was to solidify the defense up the middle for a team that has a lot of pitch to contact starters in their rotation. Even with Carroll's struggles at the plate, there have been plenty of defensive gems for him at this early point in the year. After each of the plays made by Carroll, there were many comments flying around on Twitter about that play being something that Tsuyoshi Nishioka would never have been able to do. In all seriousness, it was just nice to see someone make the plays he needed to make at the shortstop position. 5. Duensing and Perkins have strong appearances: One of the biggest bright spots for the Twins last year was Glen Perkins but the 2011 season was really his breakout year. The Twins were hoping he would be just as strong in 2012 and his first appearance of the year did little to disappoint. He face four batters, struck out two of them, and allowed one hit in an innings worth of work. The other arm to watch out of the bullpen for the Twins was Brian Deunsing and his transition back to the bullpen. After the Twins saw Duensing struggle as a starter for most of last year, his move back to the bullpen was expected for 2012. His first appearance out of the bullpen was very good as he faced three batters and struck out two of them. The Twins will be happy to get back to Minnesota and play in front of their fans at Target Field. There are plenty of games left in the year for the Twins to show what they are made of in 2012. They haven't pressed the panic button yet and neither should you.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C8edZPZZAcQ/T4LW3dM5TsI/AAAAAAAABLA/lC14MMH8deA/s320/JameyCarrollDefense.jpg Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Twins struggled mightily in their first series of the year against a team that is not projected to do very well this season, the Baltimore Orioles. The three starting pitchers for the Orioles looked like Cy Young winners even though each of them came into the contest with ERAs of well over 4.00 for last season. The offense struggled to push runs across the plate in all three contests and the pitching for the Twins looked very similar to last year with starters not lasting very long and relief pitchers coming in to allow more runs to score. This sounds like a miserable first three games of the season for any team but for the Twins and their fans it was tough to watch their team flounder in Baltimore with the organization coming off of one of the worst year's in franchise history. Now the team hits a devastating part of their schedule that includes some of the best team's in the American League. The projected pitchers for the Angels and Rangers during the next couple of series will look even more daunting than the crew sent out by the Orioles. Overall, this doesn't seem like a good start but there has to be a silver lining from all of this mess. 1. Baseball's long regular season: One of the best things about the baseball season is the length of the schedule. Even though the Twins lost their first three games, there are still 159 more contests for the team to prove they are worth a darn in 2012. It's way too early to panic for many of the clubs in baseball. Projected playoff teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox are off to slow starts themselves and their expectations of making a long October run have not changed in the past couple of days. There isn't anything that says the Twins can't turn it around in the middle of this slow start and make something out of this year. 2. JJ Hardy curse: This might not be a real thing but the Orioles have owned the Twins during this year and last year. Since JJ Hardy was traded away, the Twins are now a combined 2-9 versus Baltimore. In those contests the Twins have been outscored 59 to 21 so most of the games have not been very close. This might not seem like a very positive thing but it is good to remember that the Twins have struggled with team's from the AL East in previous years. Fans of the Twins expected them to do well on Opening Weekend but maybe those expectations should have been tempered a little bit. 3. Morneau's swing looked good: There weren't many positives from the offensive side of the ball but in the middle of this mess there was one bright spot. Justin Morneau is off to a hot start with four hits in his first ten at-bats of the year. Half of his hits have been doubles and Josh Willingham is the only other player who has managed an extra base hit so far in 2012. Mornea's good start is wonderful news for a player who is coming off of missing huge chunks of the last two years. He is also adjusting to being a full-time designated hitter and there can be some struggles with this switch. With much of the season still to come, the Twins will have to continue to watch Morneau's health and hope that his offensive output stays at a high level. 4. Carroll's upgraded defense: The Twins had a few goals during the offseason after Terry Ryan took back the role of general manager of the club. One of the biggest goals was to solidify the defense up the middle for a team that has a lot of pitch to contact starters in their rotation. Even with Carroll's struggles at the plate, there have been plenty of defensive gems for him at this early point in the year. After each of the plays made by Carroll, there were many comments flying around on Twitter about that play being something that Tsuyoshi Nishioka would never have been able to do. In all seriousness, it was just nice to see someone make the plays he needed to make at the shortstop position. 5. Duensing and Perkins have strong appearances: One of the biggest bright spots for the Twins last year was Glen Perkins but the 2011 season was really his breakout year. The Twins were hoping he would be just as strong in 2012 and his first appearance of the year did little to disappoint. He face four batters, struck out two of them, and allowed one hit in an innings worth of work. The other arm to watch out of the bullpen for the Twins was Brian Deunsing and his transition back to the bullpen. After the Twins saw Duensing struggle as a starter for most of last year, his move back to the bullpen was expected for 2012. His first appearance out of the bullpen was very good as he faced three batters and struck out two of them. The Twins will be happy to get back to Minnesota and play in front of their fans at Target Field. There are plenty of games left in the year for the Twins to show what they are made of in 2012. They haven't pressed the panic button yet and neither should you.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan Baseball is back!!! It was great to get home from work early on Thursday to a ton of action already underway across the baseball universe. I flipped through multiple games because my cable company was nice enough to give me a free preview of MLB Extra Innings. It is very tempting to want to purchase the package for the entire year but I might have to settle for the free pass for the first few days of the season. I checked in on the Nationals with Stephen Strasburg on the mound and Wilson Ramos behind the plate. Jose Valverde was a perfect 49 out of 49 in save opportunites last season but his first chance this year was unsuccessful. The Marlins had a short turn around after they opened their new stadium on Wednesday night in Miami and they had to be in Cincinnati for an afternoon game the next day. I ended the night by listening to the best announcer in the game, Vin Scully. Opening Day is the greatest time of the year. The Twins start their 2012 campaign in Baltimore tonight and they have their home opener on Monday afternoon. It's just a wonderful time to be a baseball fan. Here are some of the top stories I enjoyed from the past week. Have a great weekend with baseball back in our lives. Ron Gardenhire announced the Opening Day lineup for the Twins and the outfield defense could be scary. The Twins didn't have a game on Thursday but Scott Baker pitched for the Miracle and the news was not good. MLB released their annual list of the top 20 jerseys sold and there is one member of the Twins who made the list. Seth Stohs asked for a few writers (including myself) to project the top hitters and the top pitchers for the start of the Twins minor league season. Torii Hunter went from sitting on his couch one evening to having the police draw their guns on him. Have you ever wondered where walkup music came from? Andrew at Twins Fan From Afar got to spend an evening with Twins pitching prospect Alex Wimmers. Target Field unveiled their new food selections for the year and John Bonnes got to test out some of the new items. There are many reasons to be excited for the start of the new year but here are 100 different reasons to start your own list. There are a lot of tough jobs in the sports world but catching might be at the top of the list. This photo was floating around different websites on Thursday and I found it amusing. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgaE0VuxzEY/T35dveupRoI/AAAAAAAABK4/reNfCOnJ9SQ/s320/opening-day-friends.jpg After one of the worst seasons in baseball history, Adam Dunn will start the year as the number three hitter in the White Sox lineup. Jim Crikkett from Knuckelballs blog got his call up to the big leagues by getting to write a post on the Star Tribune website about his time in Florida. What do you get when you mix Bert Blyleven and singing animal puppets? It's a little scary... Rod Carew makes this list of top 10 baseball legends and humanitarians. Former Twins ace Johan Santana returned to the mound for the Mets. If his results continue to look good, could the Mets try to trade him to a contender? Justin Verlander eats a lot of Taco Bell before each of his starts. Ramon Ortiz pitched 28 ineffective games for the Twins in 2007 and the Yankees just signed him this week. My Weekly Rundown (Predictions Week): Sunday: A season of what could be Monday: 2012 American League Predictions Tuesday: 2012 National League Predictions Wednesday: 2012 Twins Award Predictions Thursday: 2012 Twins Minor League Projections Video of the Week: The Twins have released some very clever commercials over the years and this newest one fits into that mold. In this Big Lebowski-themed spot, Kent Hrbek is asked to take on the title role of the "Big Hrbowski." Span leaves the team in a tough spot with the 7/10 split but Hrbek is called on to make the impossible shot.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan Baseball is back!!! It was great to get home from work early on Thursday to a ton of action already underway across the baseball universe. I flipped through multiple games because my cable company was nice enough to give me a free preview of MLB Extra Innings. It is very tempting to want to purchase the package for the entire year but I might have to settle for the free pass for the first few days of the season. I checked in on the Nationals with Stephen Strasburg on the mound and Wilson Ramos behind the plate. Jose Valverde was a perfect 49 out of 49 in save opportunites last season but his first chance this year was unsuccessful. The Marlins had a short turn around after they opened their new stadium on Wednesday night in Miami and they had to be in Cincinnati for an afternoon game the next day. I ended the night by listening to the best announcer in the game, Vin Scully. Opening Day is the greatest time of the year. The Twins start their 2012 campaign in Baltimore tonight and they have their home opener on Monday afternoon. It's just a wonderful time to be a baseball fan. Here are some of the top stories I enjoyed from the past week. Have a great weekend with baseball back in our lives. Ron Gardenhire announced the Opening Day lineup for the Twins and the outfield defense could be scary. The Twins didn't have a game on Thursday but Scott Baker pitched for the Miracle and the news was not good. MLB released their annual list of the top 20 jerseys sold and there is one member of the Twins who made the list. Seth Stohs asked for a few writers (including myself) to project the top hitters and the top pitchers for the start of the Twins minor league season. Torii Hunter went from sitting on his couch one evening to having the police draw their guns on him. Have you ever wondered where walkup music came from? Andrew at Twins Fan From Afar got to spend an evening with Twins pitching prospect Alex Wimmers. Target Field unveiled their new food selections for the year and John Bonnes got to test out some of the new items. There are many reasons to be excited for the start of the new year but here are 100 different reasons to start your own list. There are a lot of tough jobs in the sports world but catching might be at the top of the list. This photo was floating around different websites on Thursday and I found it amusing. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgaE0VuxzEY/T35dveupRoI/AAAAAAAABK4/reNfCOnJ9SQ/s320/opening-day-friends.jpg After one of the worst seasons in baseball history, Adam Dunn will start the year as the number three hitter in the White Sox lineup. Jim Crikkett from Knuckelballs blog got his call up to the big leagues by getting to write a post on the Star Tribune website about his time in Florida. What do you get when you mix Bert Blyleven and singing animal puppets? It's a little scary... Rod Carew makes this list of top 10 baseball legends and humanitarians. Former Twins ace Johan Santana returned to the mound for the Mets. If his results continue to look good, could the Mets try to trade him to a contender? Justin Verlander eats a lot of Taco Bell before each of his starts. Ramon Ortiz pitched 28 ineffective games for the Twins in 2007 and the Yankees just signed him this week. My Weekly Rundown (Predictions Week): Sunday: A season of what could be Monday: 2012 American League Predictions Tuesday: 2012 National League Predictions Wednesday: 2012 Twins Award Predictions Thursday: 2012 Twins Minor League Projections Video of the Week: The Twins have released some very clever commercials over the years and this newest one fits into that mold. In this Big Lebowski-themed spot, Kent Hrbek is asked to take on the title role of the "Big Hrbowski." Span leaves the team in a tough spot with the 7/10 split but Hrbek is called on to make the impossible shot.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan With Opening Day almost here, it is time for my annual predictions for the 2012 baseball season. It is always fun to sort through all of the teams, players, and divisions to find out who will be the best of the best in the coming year. There are always going to be surprises along the way like the Diamondbacks were in 2011. The edition of the new wild card spots in each league will also add some spice to the race for the playoffs in the 2012 season. Over the course of the week, I will release my picks from a variety of areas. For the National League and the American League, I will predict the division winners, the wild card teams, and the major award contenders. Later in the week I will focus on the Twins and decide who is going to stand out in the major and minor leagues. Here is the breakdown of the schedule for the week. Monday: 2012 American League Predictions Tuesday: 2012 National League Predictions Wednesday: 2012 Twins Awards Predictions Thursday: 2012 Twins Minor League Award Projections Friday: Links-N-Thinks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z46F_eU9msI/T3x5R4bYmeI/AAAAAAAABKw/2bxWqmfmTOM/s320/AlexWimmers.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Wimmers could be lined up for a big season[/TD] [/TABLE] Every year Seth Stohs of the TwinsCentric crew asks a handful of Twins bloggers to put together their list of the minor league players for the Twins who will stand out in the coming year. There are a wide variety of categories across each level of the minor leagues. The first section looks at the hitters and pitchers that will be having a breakout season in the upper levels of the minor leagues and those that will start the year in the lower level of the minors. The second section of categories looks at some players that have already broke out but that could end up being the top hitter or pitcher in their perspective level. You will also see some players who are currently with the Twins at extended spring training (EST) but some of those players could play a big role in the success of the farm system in 2012. Overall it is a very fun exercise to do after the rosters have been released for each level and it is fun to try and predict where these players will end up by the end of the year. If there are some unfamiliar names on this list, then you might need to order yourself a copy of the 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. Breakout Hitter (Upper Levels) - Aaron Hicks: Please...Pretty please. The Twins are giving him every shot and it's time to take the opportunity and run with it. There were some struggles for him during last season but the Twins saw some good things from him during his time in the Arizona Fall League. There is so much potential in this young athletic man that it seems like it will only be a matter of time before he becomes a monster at the plate. Even with his struggles last year there were glimpses of hope and now the hope is there will be more consistent play from Mr. Hicks. Breakout Hitter (Lower Levels) - Angel Morales: After missing a chunk of last year, it's time to prove he can be one of the team's best prospects. He only appeared in 37 games last season with the Miracle and this came after a year in which he split time between Fort Myers and Beliot. In 2008, he showed a ton of power in rookie ball but in more recent years some of that power has diminished. Since it will be the third season he has spent time at Fort Myers, a strong start could see him moving up to Double-A by the end of the season. Breakout Hitter (in EST) - Max Kepler: In only his second year in the Twins system, Kepler showed glimpses of power last year with the Elizabethton Twins. He will only be 19-years old this season so there is still time for his body to develop more power in the coming years. Kepler showed enough last year to look like he could explode onto the scene during the 2012 campaign. Overall, more consistency at the plate and less strikeouts will be key for him to succeed as he moves through the system. Breakout Pitcher (Upper Levels) - Alex Wimmers: The Twins need more starting pitching in the upper levels and Wimmers has to be that guy in 2012. Kyle Gibson is out for most of this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Wimmers struggles at the beginning of last year were well documented but his placement on the Rock Cats roster must mean that he is throwing well to start the year. At the beginning of last year, the Twins thought Wimmers would be on the fast track to Minnesota. He fell off of that fast track last year but he could be back in line to be a quick mover this year. Breakout Pitcher (Lower Levels) - Madison Boer: The Minnesota native was drafted out of Oregon by the Twins in last year's draft. He got a taste of two levels after he signed quickly with the club and he has already been to Low-A Beliot. His time last year with the team was spent as a relief pitcher but now the club will stretch him out and see what he can do as a starter. His high strikeout rate from last year won't be able to follow him when he is starting. But as a collegiate pitcher, he could move up the ladder quickly if he finds success. Breakout Pitcher (in EST) - Matthew Summers: Much like Boer, Summers joined the Twins out of last year's draft and got a brief taste of the minors with the the E-Twins. The 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher only allowed two runs over 20.2 innings on the mound with 36 strikeouts. At this point he could be used as a starter or a relief pitcher but it seems like he might be destined for a relief role. He has only been a full-time pitcher since his last year in college so there are plenty of tweaks that he might have to undergo in the coming year to be as successful as he can be. Best Hitter (Upper Levels) - Joe Benson: Benson and Parmelee have followed each other through every level of the minor leagues so seeing Parmelee in the majors should drive him on the field. His time with the Twins last September was not perfect but he showed the speed and defensive ability that he had been touted for during his seasons in the minor leagues. He could get some more playing time with the big league team this year but it might be best for Benson to spend the whole year at Rochester to perfect his game. He could be ready to make a splash by the end of the year and he is an injury or two away from heading back to Minnesota. Best Hitter (Lower Levels) - Miguel Sano: During last season the combination of Sano and Eddie Rosario were a dynamic duo for Elizabethton. By season's end Rosario would receive many of the accolades in '11 and now it will be Sano's turn to show he deserves to be the organization's top prospect. Sano will be playing in his first full season league with the Snappers and there will be many eyes on him from across the baseball world. His raw power is what separates him from the rest of the pack and it could be an exciting season for Sano. Best Hitter (in EST) - Niko Goodrum: At the end of last year, Goodrum was playing well and the team is hopefully of continued success from him. He was a second round pick in 2010 so the team thinks highly of the young middle infielder. He played almost exclusively at shortstop last season and the Twins have struggled in recent years with developing middle infielders. His defense needs to improve for him to stick at shortstop but his big frame could become an asset in the long run. He showed more ability to take a walk last year and now it will be time to cut down on some of the strikeouts. The tools are there and he should be able to put it all together in 2012. Best Pitcher (Upper Levels) - Alex Wimmers: The best hope for the Twins is that his control problems are behind him. As stated previously, the organization needs some of their pitching prospects to be ready to enter the rotation next season. Liam Hendriks seems ready to take on this challenge and Kyle Gibson continues to recover so there is a lot of pressure on Mr. Wimmers. In his last start of the 2011 season, he showed he had the stuff to dominate by throwing a no-hitter. He should be in Rochester by the end of the year with his eyes set on fighting for a roster spot next year. Best Pitcher (Lower Levels) - Adrian Salcedo: He has one of the best arms in the lower levels of the Twins system and he should continue to be a workhorse as he moves through the minor leagues. Last year was his first year in a full season league and he put up very good numbers in Beliot. Now he will start the year in the Florida State League as part of a very strong pitching staff with the Miracle. He has room to add some weight to his frame and this could help him to add some velocity to his pitches. Salcedo pounds the strikezone and refuses to give up many walks so he already seems to fit the mold of the typical Twins pitcher. Best Pitcher (in EST)- Matthew Summers: Extended spring training is full of last year's draft class and Summers is an intriguing option moving forward. His unique delivery could make it hard for batters to adjust to what they are seeing on the mound. His last season in college he was outstanding at UC-Irvine by tossing 116 innings with a 2.02 ERA. His offspeed pitches will need to be honed in the coming year but he should have enought stuff to be successul in the rookie leagues. The Twins will hope that he continues to find sucess on the mound even though he hasn't been a starting pitcher for an extended period of time.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan With Opening Day almost here, it is time for my annual predictions for the 2012 baseball season. It is always fun to sort through all of the teams, players, and divisions to find out who will be the best of the best in the coming year. There are always going to be surprises along the way like the Diamondbacks were in 2011. The edition of the new wild card spots in each league will also add some spice to the race for the playoffs in the 2012 season. Over the course of the week, I will release my picks from a variety of areas. For the National League and the American League, I will predict the division winners, the wild card teams, and the major award contenders. Later in the week I will focus on the Twins and decide who is going to stand out in the major and minor leagues. Here is the breakdown of the schedule for the week. Monday: 2012 American League Predictions Tuesday: 2012 National League Predictions Wednesday: 2012 Twins Awards Predictions Thursday: 2012 Twins Minor League Award Projections Friday: Links-N-Thinks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z46F_eU9msI/T3x5R4bYmeI/AAAAAAAABKw/2bxWqmfmTOM/s320/AlexWimmers.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Wimmers could be lined up for a big season[/TD] [/TABLE] Every year Seth Stohs of the TwinsCentric crew asks a handful of Twins bloggers to put together their list of the minor league players for the Twins who will stand out in the coming year. There are a wide variety of categories across each level of the minor leagues. The first section looks at the hitters and pitchers that will be having a breakout season in the upper levels of the minor leagues and those that will start the year in the lower level of the minors. The second section of categories looks at some players that have already broke out but that could end up being the top hitter or pitcher in their perspective level. You will also see some players who are currently with the Twins at extended spring training (EST) but some of those players could play a big role in the success of the farm system in 2012. Overall it is a very fun exercise to do after the rosters have been released for each level and it is fun to try and predict where these players will end up by the end of the year. If there are some unfamiliar names on this list, then you might need to order yourself a copy of the 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. Breakout Hitter (Upper Levels) - Aaron Hicks: Please...Pretty please. The Twins are giving him every shot and it's time to take the opportunity and run with it. There were some struggles for him during last season but the Twins saw some good things from him during his time in the Arizona Fall League. There is so much potential in this young athletic man that it seems like it will only be a matter of time before he becomes a monster at the plate. Even with his struggles last year there were glimpses of hope and now the hope is there will be more consistent play from Mr. Hicks. Breakout Hitter (Lower Levels) - Angel Morales: After missing a chunk of last year, it's time to prove he can be one of the team's best prospects. He only appeared in 37 games last season with the Miracle and this came after a year in which he split time between Fort Myers and Beliot. In 2008, he showed a ton of power in rookie ball but in more recent years some of that power has diminished. Since it will be the third season he has spent time at Fort Myers, a strong start could see him moving up to Double-A by the end of the season. Breakout Hitter (in EST) - Max Kepler: In only his second year in the Twins system, Kepler showed glimpses of power last year with the Elizabethton Twins. He will only be 19-years old this season so there is still time for his body to develop more power in the coming years. Kepler showed enough last year to look like he could explode onto the scene during the 2012 campaign. Overall, more consistency at the plate and less strikeouts will be key for him to succeed as he moves through the system. Breakout Pitcher (Upper Levels) - Alex Wimmers: The Twins need more starting pitching in the upper levels and Wimmers has to be that guy in 2012. Kyle Gibson is out for most of this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Wimmers struggles at the beginning of last year were well documented but his placement on the Rock Cats roster must mean that he is throwing well to start the year. At the beginning of last year, the Twins thought Wimmers would be on the fast track to Minnesota. He fell off of that fast track last year but he could be back in line to be a quick mover this year. Breakout Pitcher (Lower Levels) - Madison Boer: The Minnesota native was drafted out of Oregon by the Twins in last year's draft. He got a taste of two levels after he signed quickly with the club and he has already been to Low-A Beliot. His time last year with the team was spent as a relief pitcher but now the club will stretch him out and see what he can do as a starter. His high strikeout rate from last year won't be able to follow him when he is starting. But as a collegiate pitcher, he could move up the ladder quickly if he finds success. Breakout Pitcher (in EST) - Matthew Summers: Much like Boer, Summers joined the Twins out of last year's draft and got a brief taste of the minors with the the E-Twins. The 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher only allowed two runs over 20.2 innings on the mound with 36 strikeouts. At this point he could be used as a starter or a relief pitcher but it seems like he might be destined for a relief role. He has only been a full-time pitcher since his last year in college so there are plenty of tweaks that he might have to undergo in the coming year to be as successful as he can be. Best Hitter (Upper Levels) - Joe Benson: Benson and Parmelee have followed each other through every level of the minor leagues so seeing Parmelee in the majors should drive him on the field. His time with the Twins last September was not perfect but he showed the speed and defensive ability that he had been touted for during his seasons in the minor leagues. He could get some more playing time with the big league team this year but it might be best for Benson to spend the whole year at Rochester to perfect his game. He could be ready to make a splash by the end of the year and he is an injury or two away from heading back to Minnesota. Best Hitter (Lower Levels) - Miguel Sano: During last season the combination of Sano and Eddie Rosario were a dynamic duo for Elizabethton. By season's end Rosario would receive many of the accolades in '11 and now it will be Sano's turn to show he deserves to be the organization's top prospect. Sano will be playing in his first full season league with the Snappers and there will be many eyes on him from across the baseball world. His raw power is what separates him from the rest of the pack and it could be an exciting season for Sano. Best Hitter (in EST) - Niko Goodrum: At the end of last year, Goodrum was playing well and the team is hopefully of continued success from him. He was a second round pick in 2010 so the team thinks highly of the young middle infielder. He played almost exclusively at shortstop last season and the Twins have struggled in recent years with developing middle infielders. His defense needs to improve for him to stick at shortstop but his big frame could become an asset in the long run. He showed more ability to take a walk last year and now it will be time to cut down on some of the strikeouts. The tools are there and he should be able to put it all together in 2012. Best Pitcher (Upper Levels) - Alex Wimmers: The best hope for the Twins is that his control problems are behind him. As stated previously, the organization needs some of their pitching prospects to be ready to enter the rotation next season. Liam Hendriks seems ready to take on this challenge and Kyle Gibson continues to recover so there is a lot of pressure on Mr. Wimmers. In his last start of the 2011 season, he showed he had the stuff to dominate by throwing a no-hitter. He should be in Rochester by the end of the year with his eyes set on fighting for a roster spot next year. Best Pitcher (Lower Levels) - Adrian Salcedo: He has one of the best arms in the lower levels of the Twins system and he should continue to be a workhorse as he moves through the minor leagues. Last year was his first year in a full season league and he put up very good numbers in Beliot. Now he will start the year in the Florida State League as part of a very strong pitching staff with the Miracle. He has room to add some weight to his frame and this could help him to add some velocity to his pitches. Salcedo pounds the strikezone and refuses to give up many walks so he already seems to fit the mold of the typical Twins pitcher. Best Pitcher (in EST)- Matthew Summers: Extended spring training is full of last year's draft class and Summers is an intriguing option moving forward. His unique delivery could make it hard for batters to adjust to what they are seeing on the mound. His last season in college he was outstanding at UC-Irvine by tossing 116 innings with a 2.02 ERA. His offspeed pitches will need to be honed in the coming year but he should have enought stuff to be successul in the rookie leagues. The Twins will hope that he continues to find sucess on the mound even though he hasn't been a starting pitcher for an extended period of time.