Cody Christie

It's playoff baseball time and for the first time in the history of the game there will be a play-in game between the two wild card teams in each league. The Twins missed out on postseason play for the second year in a row but there are plenty of other story lines to watch in the coming weeks. Can the Oakland A's continue their magical run? Will former Twins slugger Jim Thome be able to capture his first title? Are the Texas Rangers going to be able to recover after their collapse? Is Kris Medlen really one of the best pitchers in the game? Who can stop the St. Louis Cardinals from repeating? What is going to stop 19-year old Bryce Harper from having his coming out party? The list of things to watch could go on and on. But before the games get started, let's check out some of the top stories of the week from across the baseball world. Here's this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." You can pre-order the 2013 Twins Offseason Handbook from the TwinsDaily crew. There was quite the purge of the coaching staff at Target Field yesterday. I wish I had the funds to do this for one season with the Twins. Here is a review of the 2012 season for the Twins. Trevor Plouffe got a little excited on the base path this week so he had to get creative. Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario both made the list of top prospects in the Midwest League. This in-depth prospect report on Miguel Sano of the Twins is a must read. Should the Twins emulate the White Sox? Ryan Doumit has been a great fit with the Twins. This was the most tragic story of the week as former Twins pitcher Pat Neshek lost his newborn son within a day of him being born. Thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was let go by the Twins this week and he already agreed to a deal with a new team in Japan. The Mariners are making Safeco more hitter friendly and one has to wonder if the Twins will be next. One of the men in the picture below made the list of least popular MLB jerseys in 2012. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2467[/ATTACH] Does the Triple Crown still matter? I gave a few reasons to watch the postseason above but here are 100 more reasons if you needed the push. Curt Schilling might be forced to sell his bloody sock from the 2004 ALCS. There is a push in Minnesota to unseal Lou Gehrig's medical records. Attendance was up across the baseball world but the Twins didn't help in that department. Teddy Roosevelt finally won the President's race for the Nationals! Craig Kimbrel had quite the season in Atlanta and he became the first player to fan half his batters faced. Mike Schmidt would like players to make their autographs easier to read. Harmon would be proud! For the first time in 50 years, two 100-loss teams took the field to play each other. Someone had to win, right? A pitcher for the Tigers got injured during the celebration for winning the AL Central. Adam Greenberg got his one at-bat with the Marlins and it was a cool moment in Miami. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Tsuyoshi Nishioka was a "Candle in the Wind" Tuesday: Grading last season's free agent signings Wednesday: Twins Defensive Player of the Year: Denard Span Thursday: Handing out Twins End of the Season Awards 2012 MLB Playoff Predictions (sure to go wrong...) Video of the Week: Scott Diamond got back to his Canadian roots this week while the Twins made a trip up north to play the Blue Jays. In his final start of the year and his first start in his native country, Diamond made a kick save on a ball back up the middle. It was a great year for the left-handed pitcher so this was a cool play to end the year.

Yesterday, I started my awards season by naming Denard Span as the Defensive Player of the Year for the Twins. This was a first time I have looked at giving out that award and it was fun to dive into some of the defensive metrics to try and pick out a winner. Today I will hand out the rest of my awards for the Twins organization including MVP, Pitcher of the Year, Relief Pitcher of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. A few of the categories were close races and some of the battles were not so close and that is what makes this a fun exercise. There can be people on both sides of the MVP battle between Josh Willingham and Joe Mauer. One person might think Glen Perkins was the best relief pitcher and another person might put all of their money behind Jared Burton. When a team loses over 90 games for the second season in a row, it's nice to have some positive energy at the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, I made predictions for winners in all of the categories listed below. There were some duds when I looked into my crystal ball in April but it can be hard to predict what kind of season a player will have. During the All-Star break, I looked at the first half of the year and named the frontrunners for the awards at the half-way point. Things can change over the course of the second half of the year so let's jump into this year's awards. Each of the awards below has been named after someone that optimizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends from the past and even one current MLB player but all have had a significant place in Twins lore. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2464[/ATTACH] Harmon Killebrew MVP: Josh Willingham, LF-DH Preseason Pick: Joe Mauer, C-1B-DH Midseason Pick: Josh Willingham, LF-DH Previous Winners: Michael Cuddyer (2011), Joe Mauer (2010) There are a few different men to consider for the top honor with the organization, as there was some good seasons put together by multiple players. Joe Mauer had a very good bounce-back season after suffering through multiple injuries in 2011. In the last couple months, Justin Morneau put together some nice numbers to show he can be a force in the middle of the line-up. Denard Span put together excellent numbers at the plate with very good defense at a premium position. For a team destined to finish in the basement of the AL Central for the second consecutive year, there were plenty of good performances on the field. In the end, the vote most likely comes down to the same two men that faced off against each other at the midseason part of the year. It could really be a toss up between Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham. Mauer leads the team in batting average, on-base percentage, and hits while Willingham is at the top in home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. On the defensive side of the ball, Mauer played 74 games at catcher with his other 71 appearances being at first base or designated hitter. Willingham would play 119 games by rumbling around left field and 25 games as designated hitter. They both had an extreme amount of value to this club but Willingham's gets my vote for his clutch hits during the season and for having a higher win probability added than Mauer. Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year: Scott Diamond, LHP Preseason Pick: Francisco Liriano, LHP Midseason Pick: Scott Diamond, LHP Previous Winners: Carl Pavano (2011), Carl Pavano (2010) There wasn't much of a competition for this award since Diamond was head-and-shoulders above the rest of the members of the starting staff. He was the team leader in wins, ERA, and innings pitched. The only category Diamond failed to win was strikeouts since Francisco Liriano, my preseason pick for the award, had 109 even though he was traded to the White Sox at the end of July. It was a break-out season for Diamond and it will be exciting to see what he has to offer in 2013. He should get an entire season of playing time at the big league level and the Twins hope he can replicate some of his outstanding performances from earlier this season. Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jared Burton, RHP Preseason Pick: Brian Duensing, LHP Midseason Pick: Jared Burton, RHP Previous Winners: Glen Perkins (2011), Jesse Crain (2010) Much like the race for the team MVP, it came down to two men for the top relief pitcher on the 2012 Twins. Both players had very good seasons so it was a tough choice between Glen Perkins and Jared Burton. Perkins had more strikeouts with more innings pitched and he showed the ability to take over the closers role for the club after Matt Capps was shelved due to injuries. Jared Burton had the best season of his career and he led the Twins bullpen in ERA and WHIP. After his breakout season in 2011, the Twins expected Perkins to be one of their best relief options. Burton was a surprise find and his outstanding season earned him the award as the top bullpen arm for the Twins. Rod Carew Rookie of the Year: Scott Diamond, LHP Preseason Pick: Chris Parmelee, 1B-RF-DH Midseason Pick: Scott Diamond, LHP Previous Winners: Ben Revere (2011), Danny Valencia (2010) The Twins got looks at plenty of young players this season as Brian Dozier and Scott Diamond got plenty of opportunities. Chris Parmelee and Liam Hendriks made the team out of spring training but they were both sent back to the minor leagues for big chunks of the season. In the end, Diamond emerged as the ace of the pitching staff that struggled to find good performances on the mound. He finished third among American League rookies with 12 victories to his name and he did this in fewer starts than those ahead of him in the rankings. Diamond and Hendriks were among three AL rookie starters to throw a complete game in 2012 and Diamond was the only one in the group with a complete game shutout. Now it's your turn. What would your ballot look like for the top awards in the Twins organization for 2012? Leave a comment and start the debate.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2459[/ATTACH] On Monday, ESPN's Mark Simon wrote an article naming Mike Trout as the "Defensive Player of the Year" for MLB. Throughout the season, he and a team of twelve voters had picked out the best defensive player for every month and their overall choice for the year was Mr. Trout. This got me to thinking about who would come out on top for the Twins if the same award had to be given to a player on the roster for Minnesota. There are some good defensive players on the Twins and it's fun to try and pick out the player with the best year behind a lackluster pitching staff. The first step should be to name some of the top candidates on the defensive side of the ball for the Twins in 2012. In the outfield, there are a couple options with Denard Span and Ben Revere having very good seasons patrolling the deep outfield at Target Field. Jamey Carroll has done well in his time at multiple infield positions and Alexi Casilla has looked good in his limited action for the club. Since September started, Pedro Florimon has been impressive but he hardly has enough chances to be named as the top defender or did he... By digging into the statistics, it makes it easier to separate the leaders for the Twins. According to the Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) statistic, Ben Revere has the top marks on the team during his time in the outfield. UZR is based on zone rating and it measures a fielder's success at getting to balls determined to be in his "zone" of the playing field. The number attempts to quantify how many runs a player saved through their fielding skills or lack of fielding skills. Revere's UZR sits at 16.3 which is almost five and a half points higher than the next closest member on the team. He also gets some credit for going out of his zone in right field to track down balls. Here is the top five for the Twins: Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) Leaders 1. Ben Revere 16.3 (LF, RF, CF) 2. Jamey Carroll 10.9 (2B, SS, 3B) 3. Darin Mastroianni 10.1 (RF, CF, LF) 4. Denard Span 9.4 (CF) 5. Alexi Casilla 7.8 (2B, 3B) UZR isn't the only statistic of importance when it comes to grading defenders for the Twins. There are other categories to consider when trying to separate the boys from the men. Another metric that is easy for fans to understand is Defensive Runs Save (DRS). DRS captures a player's total defensive value by indicating how many runs a player saved when compared to the average player at his position. Much like UZR, DRS is measured in runs above or below average. Span ranks at the top for the Twins and some of the other members on this list might be a surprise. Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) Leaders 1. Denard Span 20 (CF) 2. Alexi Casilla 15 (2B, 3B) 3. Jamey Carroll 13 (SS, 2B, 3B) 4. Ben Revere 8 (RF, CF, LF) 5. Pedro Florimon 6 (SS) Since there are two different websites visited by fans looking for statistics about baseball players, there can be some differences in the numbers put out by those sites. Baseball Reference and FanGraphs each have their own version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) so there are some differences in how they look at the defensive side of the ball. FanGraphs uses the UZR numbers from above when calculating their WAR number. Baseball Reference has a specific value for the amount of wins a player was worth as a defender over a replacement level player. Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR) Leaders 1. Denard Span 2.4 2 (tie). Jamey Carroll 1.8 2 (tie). Alexi Casilla 1.8 4. Pedro Florimon 0.9 5. Ben Revere 0.6 One final category to consider in the balloting for top defensive player on the Twins in 2012 is Range Runs (RngR). In this metric, it rates players based on their ability to get to a ball also known as their range. As with most of the statistics looked at here today, it is measured in runs saved compared to the average for other players in the league at the same position. Much like UZR above, Revere gets quite a bump from being a center fielder shagging fly balls in the corner outfield spots for most of the year. Range Runs (RngR) Leaders 1. Ben Revere 12.6 2. Denard Span 9.5 3. Darin Mastroanni 8.9 4. Jamey Carroll 7.0 5. Alexi Casilla 6.6 It's clear that there isn't a perfect way to measure a player's defensive ability but there are plenty of statistics to help clear up some of the foggy mess. With that being said, the Defensive Player of the Year for the Twins is Denard Span. He ranks at the top of two of the above categories and he finished runner-up in another category. After dealing with concussion issues for a chunk of last season, it was good to see Span manning center field for over 120 games this year. A nagging shoulder injury cost him some time late in the season and his numbers might have been even better had he not been on the DL. It was still a terrific defensive season for Mr. Span and he continues the line of great defensive center fielders for the Twins.

The end of the 2012 season is closely approaching and this leaves time to reflect back on the season when the hometown team isn't going to be in the playoffs. For the Twins, 2012 was another season to forget but there were some bright spots amidst all of the dullness of the past few months. Some of the brightest stars for 2012 came from the crop of free agents the Twins signed during last winter. These players might not have turned the team around from the dismal 2011 campaign but there were some pieces to fit into the plans for the next few seasons. So how did the free agent crop for the Twins fair after signing on the dotted line to play in the Twin Cities? It's the end of the season so it's time to send out report cards to the front office of the Twins. Here are the final grades for the free agent signings that made an appearance with the Twins in 2012 (Author's note: The grades are for their time with the Twins even if it was a small sample size): Grading Scale A: Far above average player, goes above and beyond the club's dreams B: Above average player, exceeded expectations of the club C: Average player, met the expectations of the club D: Below average player, below expectations (or limited playing time) F: Far below average player, well below expectations (or cost us a draft pick) [ATTACH=CONFIG]2451[/ATTACH] Major League Crew Josh Willingham: LF, DH Stat Summary: .260/.366/.524, 35 HR, 110 RBI, 30 2B, 145 G In a surprisingly healthy season for Willingham, he set career highs in games played, home runs, and RBI. To say the Twins were surprised by his performance would be an understatement. The 33-year old outfielder had a career year and it looks like the Twins got a steal on the free agent market. He became the first Twins player to hit 35 or more home runs in quite a long time. For the next two years, he will me making a very reasonable $7 million per season and he was worth close to $18 million in 2012 according to FanGraphs. FINAL GRADE: A Ryan Doumit: C, DH, OF Stat Summary: .275/.320/.461, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 34 2B, 134 G The Twins wanted a better hitting catcher to back-up Joe Mauer and Doumit's versatility seemed to fit the needs of the club last offseason. He was originally signed to a one-year $3 million deal but his value became clear over the course of the season and the team signed him to an extension through 2014. Much like Willingham, Doumit has appeared in a career-high amount of games with other highs set for home runs and RBI. His defense behind the plate hasn't been atrocious and FanGraphs has him worth $7.2 million. FINAL GRADE: A- Jared Burton: RHP Stat Summary: (3-2), 2.18 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 62.0 IP, 55 SO, 16 BB One of the biggest surprises of the season has been Burton and his shutdown ability out of the bullpen (minus this weekend versus Prince Fielder). He has been solid for most of the season and it looks like the Twins have their set-up man to pitch in front of Glen Perkins for 2013. He is still arbitration eligible so the organization has control of him for next season at a decent price. Like the men ahead of him on this list, he played in a career-high number of games since he was healthy and on the field. FanGraphs has his worth almost $4 million for this year. FINAL GRADE: B+ Jamey Carroll: SS, 2B, 3B Stat Summary: .268/.343/.317, 1 HR, 40 RBI, 18 2B, 138 G It was hard to get too excited about the Twins signing a 38-year old player to a multi-year contract. But that being said, Carroll turned out to be right about what the Twins expected for 2012. His batting average is a little under his career mark of .276 but he is still getting on base at a decent clip. The Twins also liked his ability to play multiple defensive positions and he has needed all of his infield gloves for the team this year. Last year was the only season he appeared in more games than this year and FanGraphs puts his value at $9.9 million for 2012. FINAL GRADE: B- Matt Capps: RHP Stat Summary: (1-4), 3.68 ERA, 1.091 WHIP, 29.1 IP, 18 SO, 4 BB It was frustrating to see the Twins bring back Capps when the team could have gotten a compensatory draft pick if he left for another team. That frustration only grew with the injury plagued season put together by Capps. This season will be the least amount of innings he has thrown in any of his full seasons at the big league level. He also wasn't very effective during his time on the mound. According to FanGraphs, his value was $0.2 million and the Twins are paid him $4.5 million. FINAL GRADE: F Jason Marquis: RHP Stat Summary: (2-4), 8.47 ERA, 1.941 WHIP, 34.0 IP, 12 SO, 14 BB There isn't much to add here after looking at the above stats from Marquis during his time with the Twins. When the Twins signed him, they were hoping for a veteran starter to add to their rotation. That didn't work out so well. It also might have made things worse that he looked slightly better during his time with the Padres later in the season. FINAL GRADE: F Other Minor Deals Sam Deduno: RHP Stat Summary: (6-5), 4.44 ERA, 1.544 WHIP, 79.0 IP, 57 SO, 53 BB After a few decent outings since his call-up, it looks like Deduno has a shot to make the rotation for 2013. The minor league journeyman is 29-years old and he won't cost a lot to stay with the club. It's also amazing how often he has gotten out of jams without allowing a ton of runs to score. FINAL GRADE: C+ Casey Fien: RHP Stat Summary: (2-1), 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 34.2 IP, 32 SO, 9 BB He was another surprise member out of a bullpen that has been very good this season. Fien has most likely pitched his way into contention for the roster in 2013. His minor league track record has been up-and-down so it will be interesting to see how next season goes for him. FINAL GRADE: C+ Luis Perdomo: RHP Stat Summary: (0-0), 3.52 ERA, 1.696 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 8 SO, 11 BB In his last six outings, he has only allowed a single run so he has put together a nice little stretch of baseball to end the year. Plus his beard was pretty sweet at the beginning of the year so he gets props from the facial hair department. He could fit into next year's bullpen. FINAL GRADE: D Matt Carson: RF, DH Stat Summary: .224/.246/.241, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 24 G Doesn't seem to fit into the long-term plans for the club at the big league level since the organization has outfield depth. He did put up some decent numbers during his time at Triple-A so he was worth a look in September by the club. There just hasn't been much to offer on the offensive side of the ball. FINAL GRADE: D Sean Burroughs: 3B, DH Stat Summary: .118/.167/.176, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 10 G He was suppose to be the man to push Danny Valencia at third base but he couldn't really put it together in his limited time at the big league level. His numbers at Rochester were okay but he wasn't exactly a force in the line-up. FINAL GRADE: F What kind of grades would you give these players for their 2012 season with the Twins? The grades don't include their minor league numbers with the organization and some of them weren't suppose to contribute at the big league level in 2012 so getting a grade is plus for them. That's what happens after back-to-back poor seasons; the club has to turn to players they didn't think they would need.

The following song is dedicated to former Twins middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka as he exits the United States and heads back to resume his career in Japan. The tune of the song is "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John. Enjoy! [ATTACH=CONFIG]2445[/ATTACH] Goodbye Tsuyoshi Though we hardly knew you at all You had the grace to leave the Twins Back to Japan is where you crawled Two seasons have gone by And it was a disaster from the start Swisher broke your leg 'Cause your defensive skills were not smart And it seems to me you played your career Like a candle in the wind Never knowing where the ball was When you stepped in And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did Defense was tough It looked like you never played Japan created a superstar And the Twins were the one's that paid Even when you left Oh the press still hounded you All the papers had to say Was that Tsuyoshi really blew And it seems to me you played your career Like a candle in the wind Never knowing where the ball was When you stepped in And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did Goodbye Tsuyoshi Though we hardly knew you at all You had the grace to leave the Twins Back to Japan is where you crawled Goodbye Tsuyoshi From the young man in the 22nd row Who sees you flailing at the plate Back to the dugout is where you go And it seems to me you played your career Like a candle in the wind Never knowing where the ball was When you stepped in And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did And I would have liked a player But you're worse than a kid Your candle burned out long before Your legend ever did

It's the last Friday of the regular season and that means this will be the last Friday the Twins will be playing until opening week of next year. That might be sad to think about for some fans but it has been two tough seasons in a row. The 162 game schedule can be grueling for the players and it seems logical to think some of them are ready for their up coming break. It's been the second year in a row that the Twins haven't been close to making the playoffs and that hasn't happened since the 1999-2000 campaigns. Sigh... There are things to watch as the season comes to a close. Joe Mauer is inching closer to the top of the leader board for the batting title in the American League. It would be his fourth batting title and his first title since 2009, his MVP year and the last season in the Metrodome. Over the last six games with the Tigers and the Blue Jays, Scott Diamond could add to his already impressive season and Glen Perkins could increase his final save total. If Willingham is healthy, he could tack on a few more home runs to his final tally. After losing two out of three to the Yankees, the Twins will try to play the upset role with the Tigers over the weekend. Twins pitchers can help Mauer get closer to a batting title if they can hold Miguel Cabrera in check. Before the start of the weekend, check out the latest edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." Glen Perkins took a reporter pitch by pitch through his save against the Yankees and it turned into an interesting and entertaining article. Since 1990, there has been quite the variety of Twins prospects to crack Baseball America's Top 100 list. It has been quite the journey for Sam Deduno to get to this point. Jared Burton has looked good for the Twins this year so what should they do about his future? As the season comes to a close, it's time for the Twins to concede that it was a lost year. Josh Willingham has most likely been the most clutch player on the Twins in 2012. Is clubhouse chemistry something the Twins need to consider going into the offseason? Baseball America named Byron Buxton as the top prospect in the Gulf Coast League and later in the week he was named top prospect in the Appalachian League. For Liam Hendriks, it has been a homer happy season at the big league level. Since Ron Gardenhire took over as manager, the Twins have followed an interesting pattern. There are questions in the middle infield for the Twins and it's tough to know where Jamey Carroll fits into the picture. It was a turnaround year for Ben Revere. Kevin Love threw out the first pitch at a Twins game earlier this week. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2433[/ATTACH] In one of the coolest stories of the year, Adam Greenberg is going to get one at-bat in the big leagues after a tragic end to his only plate appearance. With every victory for RA Dickey this year, it looks like Twins had him on their roster a few years too early. Cleveland is making a managerial change with six games to go in the season. Luckily, they had their next manager wanting to take over. Doug Fister set a new American League record by striking out nine consecutive batters. An interesting Babe Ruth autograph was found in an surprising location. Brandon McCarthy suffered quite the head injury when he was hit in the side of the head with a ball off the bat. He doesn't think helmets should mandatory for pitchers though. Torii Hunter Jr. is a very good high school wide receiver and he committed to play football at Notre Dame. It might be tough for Ozzie Guillen to find another managing job if the Marlins fire him. Is it time to rethink Native America imagery in sports? The Wall Street Journal named the most bias announcers and there wasn't much of a surprise at the top. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Cabrera vs. Trout: The MVP Debate for the Ages Tuesday: Matt Capps and his looming option year Wednesday: The Killer Speed of Byron Buxton Thursday: Ryan and Gardenhire speak to season ticket holders Video of the Week: One of the best defensive plays of the year happened this week and it came from an unlikely source. Travis Snider did his best impersonation of Michael Jordan and Spider-Man while hauling in a ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I enjoy the fan underneath Snider and a little to the right that is standing up and pointing at him making the catch. Enjoy and have a great weekend

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2429[/ATTACH] One of the benefits of being a season ticket holder with the Minnesota Twins is the opportunity to participate in conference calls with current players, coaches, and front office personnel. Earlier this season, Scott Diamond and Trevor Plouffe discussed their breakout seasons with fans. It's fun to hear their answers to unique questions that might not pop up in a regular interview setting with reporters in the Twin Cities. There are also prizes handed out including memorabilia, bobbleheads of different players, and other experiences at Target Field. On Thursday night, General Manager Terry Ryan and Manager Ron Gardenhire were fielding questions from season ticket holders. This was intriguing to me because I thought it might turn into a blood-bath with the hard-hitting questions asked by the fans. It certainly didn't start off as all flowers and roses for the leading men for the Twins but there were some easy questions along the way. Below are some of the questions and thoughts from Ryan and Gardenhire. I tried to get as close to direct quotes as possible but some of this is general thoughts from the two men in charge of turning around a franchise in the dumps over the last two years. -What can the Twins do to improve the starting pitching of the club? Terry Ryan (TR): The biggest concern is with the starting rotation. There were some injuries this year to players like Pavano and Baker. It's time to go out and find pitching with trades, free agents, or in the international market. This can be a hard thing to do when the other clubs are searching for the same thing but no one is going to try harder than the Twins. -What has been the most frustrating thing about this season? Ron Gardenhire (RG): Some of the fundamentals haven't been there like getting bunts down and hitting the cutoff man. The Twins take pride in those things and it isn't showing up on the field. Coaches continue to work hard with the players in practice but the results haven't been showing up on the field. TR: One of the most frustrating things has been getting guys on base with no outs in an inning and not seeing more runs cross the plate. This line-up should be scoring more on the offensive side of the ball. There needs to be more innings with crooked numbers. -What are the differences in your second time as GM? TR: We need to get back to the way things were when the team turned around at the end of the 1990's. The organization has things going in the right direction but there are plenty of things to do before the Twins will be playing meaningful games in September. -Are you willing to give up Willingham or others for pitching? TR: We are always willing to deal but it's tough to find the right deal. There aren't many untouchable players on our club. It's about getting value back from the other club so we are willing to deal if the deal is right. -What is the plan for Ben Revere in 2013? RG: One of the most important things is to find him at-bats. He has shown the ability to player anywhere in the outfield but he is very exciting and we love having him out there. He still has shortcomings in his game and the coaches will continue to work with him. It's all about putting together a solid outfield for next year and we feel comfortable with him out there. -Why should we stay season ticket holders? TR: It starts with the front office making better decisions about the way money is spent and trying to stay away from injuries. We understand the frustration of the fans but there is nothing better to do than coming out to watch a baseball game. The team is going to have good years and bad years and our goal is to put a good club on the field. Nothing is more frustrating then seeing fans leaving the game in the 5th inning. -Besides starting pitching, what else needs to change? TR: The team needs to improve on the defensive side of the ball. The outfield did fine this year but there was a lot of other players switching positions. Carroll was a constant for the club but the defense needs to get better. (Author's note: They address this in other questions but this sounds like a good sign for Florimon.) -Why switch from Beloit to Cedar Rapids for the Low-A affiliate? TR: It simply came down to better facilities for the players and better attendance from the local fans. -What lies ahead for Chris Parmelee? RG: We like him an awful lot. He needed to hit better so it was a good move to send him to the minor leagues earlier this year. He seemed to find his swing in the minor leagues and his mind-set changed while he was down there. On the defensive side of the ball, he needs to spend more time in the outfield. The goal is to find him as many at-bats as possible for next year. -Any thoughts of moving Mauer to third base or to the two spot in the batting order? RG: I agree that he is a perfect two-hole hitter but the old-school baseball mentality says to put your best hitter in the number three spot. Our line-up isn't as deep as other clubs like the Yankees and for them it might make sense to bat Mauer second. We want him batting with the chance to drive in runs. There have been talks about moving him to third but all of those decisions haven't been run past Mauer. His arm action would need some work at third but it looks like the perfect move. It's always up to the player for approval before we do anything and he loves to catch. -What are your thoughts on Pedro Florimon and what will second base look like next year? RG: He is great on the defensive side of the ball but there are areas of improvement on the offensive side of the ball. There is still a language barrier as Florimon tries to learn English. He can be really hard on himself when he makes a mistake but at this point he looks like the front-runner for the shortstop position next year. TR: Florimon has surprising power and we are really happy with him. He was a pleasant edition especially as a waiver pick-up. As far as second base goes, it will likely be up to Jamey Carroll, Brian Dozier and Alexi Casilla to earn the spot. -Morneau is entering his final contract year, has there been talk of an extension? TR: When the season started, we were afraid of having him at first base. Justin has put a lot of those fears to rest. He has a lot more ceiling for the future and we think he can continue to get better. I am not going to get into contract discussions in a conference call. -Will there be any coaching changes like getting rid of Jerry White? RG: The coaching staff does great work with the players. Jerry White works hard with the outfielders and he has done that going back to Hunter, Span, and Revere. As a staff, we have put a lot of good years together even if the last couple years have been tough. They are my friends and these guys are out there getting it done. I have a lot of respect for the coaching staff. - I was wondering how Scott Baker is doing? TR: Baker is to the point where he is playing catch and he is on schedule to take part in spring training. The team will need to address the option year on his contract but he is one of the good guys that we've got. -Can you speak about the team leadership in the clubhouse? RG: Cuddyer moved on and now other players like Morneau and Mauer have been the on the field leaders. It has been a fun group of players and this group has really tried hard to win. They hang their heads when they lose but I have to go around and pick them back up again. I am happy with this group of players. -Are the Twins too nice and do they give too much time for a player to perform at the big league level? TR: We show patience with a player because we know their track record in the minor leagues. Sometimes a player like Parmelee or Dozier needs to get sent back down if it doesn't work out. Torii Hunter and Latroy Hawkins were examples of players we had to be patient with. -Are we keeping Willingham for next year? TR: As I said before, no one is untouchable on this roster. It's hard to find a player that can drive in this many runs and hit 40 home runs so we expect to see him in our line-up next year. -What is the status of Kyle Gibson? TR: He threw five innings in the instructional league today, as he gets ready to go to the Arizona Fall League. We are targeting around 80 innings for him to throw. He is throwing well and hard with good location of his pitches. He is getting close to the guy we had before the surgery. -How long before Byron Buxton gets to the big leagues? TR: For most players his age, it will take around four years for him to make it. He has a solid make-up and he is a good teammate. From talking to other coaches and Paul Molitor, he gets it as a player. There are a lot of positives surrounding him. -What has been wrong with Brian Duensing? RG: He has been bouncing around a lot from the bullpen to being a starter. That has been tough on him. His slider and change-up are better when he is coming out of the bullpen. In the rotation, he has trouble the second and third time he has to go through a line-up. We need to make a decision on what to do with him but the needs in the rotation have pushed him out of the bullpen in recent years. -What will the payroll be for next season? TR: There isn't going to be a firm number on the payroll. The Pohlad family gives us plenty of money to spend on this team. I need to make better decision on how to spend the dollars. We can't have a lot of money tied up in players at Triple-A like Nishioka and Blackburn. Better spending will lead to a better product on the field.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2402[/ATTACH] World came out on Tuesday morning that Byron Buxton had been named by Baseball America as the top prospect in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Last year's first round pick for the Twins didn't spend the entire season in the GCL but it was long enough to make his mark on the league. In 27 games for the GCL Twins, Buxton hit .216/.324/.466 with 11 extra-base hits including four home runs. He would spend the rest of the season with the Elizabethton Twins as they made their march to an Appalachian League Championship. It had to be a memorable year for Buxton as he graduated high school, became the second pick in the MLB Draft, and started his professional baseball career. Terry Ryan was asked about Buxton in an interview after Baseball America announced their pick for outstanding prospect in the GCL. He had nothing but glowing remarks for Buxton and his play with the Twins organization. One of the quotes included, "He's a great teammate, he cares, he tries to pay attention to detail-- all those things you can't scout." It sounds like the Twins are happy with the make-up of their blooming prospect but what about the rest of his game. "The only thing I was worried about was how much power he had. He's got power. He can hit the ball a long way," Ryan said later in the interview. As an 18-year old, Buxton had five home runs and 10 doubles across both levels he played at with the Twins organization. When Buxton was in the Twin Cities to finalize his deal with the club, he got the opportunity to take batting practice at Target Field. There were reports of him putting at least one or two balls into the bullpen in deep center field so his power seems to be legit. As a teenager, he is tall and lanky so there is room for him to continue to grow into his frame in the coming years. This should only add more power to an already powerful swing. One of the more interesting quotes in the article stated that Buxton is the faster player in the Twins system "by far," and he is faster than the current speedy outfielder for the Twins, Ben Revere. Buxton showed some of his speed in the GCL by stealing four bases in seven chances but that isn't the greatest steal percentage in the world. When he shifted to the Appalachian League, he racked up seven steals and he was never thrown out in any of those opportunities. The art of the steal can be something a player has to develop in the minor leagues. Fans of the Twins have been spoiled with Revere's speed in the last two seasons and it's fun to imagine Buxton being a faster version of Revere with plenty of more pop in his bat. Cincinnati Reds prospect Billy Hamilton set the minor league stolen base record this season by swiping 155 bases between two different levels. The thoughts of Buxton trying to break this record in the future might not be at the top of the wish list for fans of the Twins. Hamilton is more of a light-hitting middle infielder so he doesn't hit for a lot of power. This gives him the opportunity to steal more bases because he is on first a lot of the time when he gets on base. In his four seasons in the minors, Hamilton has seven home runs and Buxton already has five in his first season. It's nice for Buxton to have the speed but hopefully it will translate into turning doubles into triples over stealing second base. The outfield of the future for the Twins could be a conglomerate of some very talented and speedy defensive players. Ben Revere is still under team control for multiple seasons so he might have to be the player to mentor Buxton into the big leagues. Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia are going to be knocking on the door to the big leagues in 2013 and there's hope they can stay in the team's long-term plans. An outfield with Revere, Hicks, and Buxton manning all three positions might be one of the best defensive line-ups in the game and their speed on the bases could be exciting to watch. These happy thoughts of top prospects turning into wonderful major league players are still a couple of years away. Until then, we will have to be happy with beating the Yankees and trying to help the Orioles win the American League East.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2391[/ATTACH] In last night's loss to the New York Yankees, Matt Capps made his return to the field after missing almost the entire second half of the season. It was the first action for Capps after not appearing in a game since the middle of July. The season has been injury plagued for the 29-year old relief pitcher and his time with the Twins has been full of plenty of ups-and-downs. Fans seem to hold a grudge against Capps for his poor play in the last couple of years but some of this hatred might be better aimed at the front office for the Twins. The past decisions with Capps have left fans scratching their heads and it's tough to know what the next move will be from the front office. Back in 2010 when the Twins traded catching prospect Wilson Ramos for relief pitcher Matt Capps, there was plenty of uproar across Twins Territory. It was tough to see the Twins giving up on one of their best positional prospects for what looked like a mediocre relief pitcher. Capps would be under team control through 2011 so the team wasn't giving up a prospect for a couple months of a relief pitcher. The deal was still tough to swallow and it doesn't help that Ramos has looked good for the Nationals even though he suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year. It could go down as one of the worst trades in team history and it is one of the many things fans hold against former general manager Bill Smith. During last offseason, the Twins had the opportunity to part ways with Mr. Capps because the veteran relief pitcher was heading to free agency for the first time in his career. If the Twins had let Capps sign with another team, the organization would have been given a draft pick as compensation for him leaving the team. Instead, the Twins thought it was more important to sign him to a contract for 2012 and the scariest thing is the fact the team has an option for next season. The option is for $6 million with a low buyout of $250,000 so it seems tough to think the Twins won't buy him out but the team has made some surprise decisions with Capps in the past. Would the Twins ever consider bring back Capps on a one-year deal for $6 million? Some fans might shiver at the thought of Capps being back in a Twins uniform next year especially with how good the bullpen has looked in 2012. Glen Perkins is set-up to be the closer for the next handful of years and the Twins signed him to a cheap deal during last offseason. Jared Burton has burst onto the scene as another very good arm out of the bullpen and he has shown the ability to get some big outs in late-inning situations. Looking to the offseason, the bullpen seems to be the least of the worries for the Twins and the $6 million option for Capps could be better spent on starting pitching or help in the middle infield. It's hard to imagine what role Capps would serve if he was brought back for another season in Minnesota. Perkins and Burton seem to have the last couple innings of games under control so this would shift Capps to a set-up role in the 7th inning or earlier. The Twins have gotten a look at plenty of other options to fill-up the bullpen for next season and players like Alex Burnett, Anthony Swarzak, and Casey Fien will all come with a smaller price tag than Capps. There doesn't seem to be a place for him on the 2013 Twins but that doesn't mean he won't be back in Minnesota. The front office has made some surprising decisions surrounding Capps in the past such as trading for him in the first place and resigning him when they had a free draft pick sitting in front of them. So even though it seems unlikely, there is always a chance the front office surprises fans again and brings Capps back for next year. When the team signed him last offseason, there were a lot of comments about his attitude and make-up being one of the reasons the team wanted him back in a Twins uniform. After back-to-back poor seasons, his attitude might not be enough to get another multi-million dollar deal in Minnesota. Then again, I have been surprised with their decisions surrounding Capps in the past...