Cody Christie

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MEN91q2weg0/T1OmFEAiBWI/AAAAAAAABHI/xWKOZXlzyBE/s320/SpanFall.png The Twins are only three games into their Grapefruit League schedule but Denard Span is making sure to put all of his concussion worries behind him. Over the course of the last handful of days, Span has been forced to make numerous plays on the ball that could be troublesome for a player who suffered a concussion last year. Even with all of these rough plays, Span has not suffered any major setbacks and he has started this spring off on the right foot. The first incident took place during a simulated game on Thursday, which was played on a side field next to Hammond Stadium. Trevor Plouffe was at the plate and he hit a ball that looked to be heading over the fence in center field. Span went back on the ball looking to make a play and he crashed into the fence at almost full-speed. Other than a busted lip from hitting the chain-linked fence, he seemed to be fine following the incident. He would continue to workout with the team for the rest of practice with no lingering effects. More tests came for Span in the Twins' first action of the spring against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. In the third inning Span went back on a ball and made a falling catch on the warning track. This caused him to get up a little slow but he was able to shake it off and stay in the game. The very next inning he was forced to battle the sun and the wind to make a falling catch. He was very successful from the offensive side of the plate in the game as he went 2-3 with two singles. The more promising sign might have been that both of his hits came after he made the falling catch on the warning track. The Twins had a split-squad schedule on Sunday with games against Boston and Tampa Bay but four plays from the team were staying back to work on some hitting at Hammond Stadium. Span was one of those players along with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Josh Willingham. The team has another game on Monday at home so all of these players should be back in the line-up in front of the home fans. Span tried to make multiple comebacks after he suffered a concussion in the middle of last season. He missed most of the month of June and all of the month of July before making his first comeback at the beginning of August. During that month, he would play nine games before before some other complications forced him to sit out until the last week of the season. In September, he played three complete games and he also played in two partial games. He played a vital role in the Twins 1-0 win in the last game of the season by smacking a double to start the ninth inning and he would eventually score the winning run. At the time of Span returning to the field with only a handful of games left, it seemed like a questionable move for the Twins because there was a chance he could get hurt again. But by returning to action, he was able to prove to himself that he could get on the field. In those five appearances, he batted .278/.278/.611 with two doubles, two triples, and four runs scored. He seemed to fit back into the top of the Twins line-up as he helped the team to finish out a miserable season. It would have been easy to skip out on those games but Span wanted to prove to the team and to himself that he was able to stay on the field. The Twins will keep an eye on Span as the spring training schedule continues to play out in the coming weeks. Span has passed quite a few tests in the first handful of opportunities and the hope is that the team won't have to worry about him once the season begins. For the Twins to be successful in 2012, Span is one of the key pieces that needs to be in the line-up on a more regular basis. He is the table setter ahead of the bigger bats in the middle of the batting order and his success can go a long way to determining how the Twins will perform this year. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

It's hard to believe that another week has gone by and the Twins are one step closer to beginning their 2012 season. The first Grapefruit League action for the Twins will take place on Saturday and it sounds like Joe Mauer, Denard Span, and Justin Morneau could all be available to play. Span ran into the center field wall during a simulated game on Thursday and as of right now he only had a cut lip to deal with. Fingers are crossed that he will show up to the facility on Friday without any lingering effects from the collision. All of the minor league players for the Twins are due to report to Ft. Myers on Tuesday of next week. This means the complex in southwest Florida will be overrun by Twins players and coaches from all levels of the farm system. With the severe winter weather that hit a good portion of Twins Territory this week, the Florida sun is sounding pretty good right about now. The company formerly known as Twins Train has switched their name to Territory Train. They have a variety of great trips scheduled for 2012 so make sure to check them out. The top high school pitching prospect for next year's draft supposedly hit 100 mph in his first start of the year. Talk about getting the year off to a good start. The tenth inning stretch has a recap of the Twins B game from Thursday. Seedlings to Stars composed their first 2012 MLB Mock Draft for the First Round and the Supplemental Round. Who will the Twins snag at number 2? Seth Stohs is preaching patience with the bullpen and he had some great guests during his podcast on Tuesday night. One of the most valuable pieces of sports memorabilia ever is up for auction. After the social media world blew up from some of Morneau's comments, he made some clarifications following a few days of working out with the team. Glen Perkins posted a picture of himself with a shark and he made NotGraphs because of it. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H8-xEMu10V0/T1AUHh7AjkI/AAAAAAAABHA/lJfV6yxGQh0/s320/GlenPerkinsShark.jpg Twins Fan From Afar asks the question, "Did Joe Mauer-- and Twins Fans -- need his 2011 season to happen?" Ozzie Guillen is already making headlines in Miami. The New Britain Rock Cats were sold to an investment group earlier in the week. The Fort Myers Miracle are going to be celebrating their 20th season this year and they have special caps in honor of the milestone. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBSEHaqonI4/T1AOxW2DF4I/AAAAAAAABG4/ix3cJyhfcW8/s320/Miracle20thAniv.png A former Twins first round pick retired earlier this week but he never played for the Twins organization. The Yankees can't find a better spot than the bathroom to take their team pictures?!?! Jose Mijares switched teams this offseason but he still couldn't figure out how to get to spring training on time. Twinkie Town wonders if Trevor Plouffe can be the player the Twins need him to be. The writers over at Puckett's Pond have been busy with their "Back to Baseball" series so make sure to visit their page and check it out. Twins Rubes has started a series call "Our Stadium Adventures." The first post was on Target Field and the second installment was on Safeco Field. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Zumaya's injury leaves right-handed hole to fill Tuesday: How long will Dozier stay in the minors? Thursday: Tough schedule could put Twins in early hole Video of the Week: A tip of the cap to the blog Classic Minnesota Twins! for their post with this video earlier this week. It is Kent Hrbek as a guest on the David Letterman Show all the way back in 1987. The Twins were coming off their first World Series Championship and Hrbek had some fun stories to tell.

It's hard to believe that another week has gone by and the Twins are one step closer to beginning their 2012 season. The first Grapefruit League action for the Twins will take place on Saturday and it sounds like Joe Mauer, Denard Span, and Justin Morneau could all be available to play. Span ran into the center field wall during a simulated game on Thursday and as of right now he only had a cut lip to deal with. Fingers are crossed that he will show up to the facility on Friday without any lingering effects from the collision. All of the minor league players for the Twins are due to report to Ft. Myers on Tuesday of next week. This means the complex in southwest Florida will be overrun by Twins players and coaches from all levels of the farm system. With the severe winter weather that hit a good portion of Twins Territory this week, the Florida sun is sounding pretty good right about now. The company formerly known as Twins Train has switched their name to Territory Train. They have a variety of great trips scheduled for 2012 so make sure to check them out. The top high school pitching prospect for next year's draft supposedly hit 100 mph in his first start of the year. Talk about getting the year off to a good start. The tenth inning stretch has a recap of the Twins B game from Thursday. Seedlings to Stars composed their first 2012 MLB Mock Draft for the First Round and the Supplemental Round. Who will the Twins snag at number 2? Seth Stohs is preaching patience with the bullpen and he had some great guests during his podcast on Tuesday night. One of the most valuable pieces of sports memorabilia ever is up for auction. After the social media world blew up from some of Morneau's comments, he made some clarifications following a few days of working out with the team. Glen Perkins posted a picture of himself with a shark and he made NotGraphs because of it. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H8-xEMu10V0/T1AUHh7AjkI/AAAAAAAABHA/lJfV6yxGQh0/s320/GlenPerkinsShark.jpg Twins Fan From Afar asks the question, "Did Joe Mauer-- and Twins Fans -- need his 2011 season to happen?" Ozzie Guillen is already making headlines in Miami. The New Britain Rock Cats were sold to an investment group earlier in the week. The Fort Myers Miracle are going to be celebrating their 20th season this year and they have special caps in honor of the milestone. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uBSEHaqonI4/T1AOxW2DF4I/AAAAAAAABG4/ix3cJyhfcW8/s320/Miracle20thAniv.png A former Twins first round pick retired earlier this week but he never played for the Twins organization. The Yankees can't find a better spot than the bathroom to take their team pictures?!?! Jose Mijares switched teams this offseason but he still couldn't figure out how to get to spring training on time. Twinkie Town wonders if Trevor Plouffe can be the player the Twins need him to be. The writers over at Puckett's Pond have been busy with their "Back to Baseball" series so make sure to visit their page and check it out. Twins Rubes has started a series call "Our Stadium Adventures." The first post was on Target Field and the second installment was on Safeco Field. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Zumaya's injury leaves right-handed hole to fill Tuesday: How long will Dozier stay in the minors? Thursday: Tough schedule could put Twins in early hole Video of the Week: A tip of the cap to the blog Classic Minnesota Twins! for their post with this video earlier this week. It is Kent Hrbek as a guest on the David Letterman Show all the way back in 1987. The Twins were coming off their first World Series Championship and Hrbek had some fun stories to tell.

Everyone should try and make a trip on the Territory Train. I have gone the last two years to Detroit and Milwaukee. It is a great time with a bunch of other hardcore Twins fans.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jvPqmEC0Vk/T07zkszcmtI/AAAAAAAABGw/2-kEtGFuqe0/s320/twins-yankees.jpg One of the downfalls of having an unbalanced schedule in MLB is that teams will end up facing a lot of competition from the other divisions in their league earlier in the year. For the Twins this means a healthy dose of the AL East and AL West to start the 2012 campaign. The AL East has three of the top teams in the entire American League and the AL West has put together two of the best rosters at the top of that division for 2012. This leaves the Twins with a lot of tough competition when their season gets underway at the beginning of next month. The Twins start the year in Baltimore but almost all of the rest of the month is against teams that won 86 or more games during 2011. The Angels, Rangers, and Red Sox make trips to Target Field in the first month of the season. An east coast road trip sees the Twins visit New York and Tampa Bay. The month ends with a west coast swing into Los Angeles to face the Angels for the second time in the month. Overall, it looks like a very tough schedule to start the year so here's a brief look at each of these teams. Following a 99-loss season, the Twins will want to get off to a good start but it could be hard with the teams they will be facing off against. Los Angeles Angels 2011 Record: 86-76 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 9th, 11th, 12th, 30th The Angels made some of the biggest waves in the offseason free agent market by bringing in Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. After seeing the success of the Rangers during the last two seasons, the Angels are looking to unthrone Texas from the top of the AL West. Top prospect Mike Trout could provide a lift to an aging outfield but recent reports have him starting the year in the minor leagues. By the fifth full week of the season, the Twins will have played the Angels nine times with six of those contests coming at Target Field. In the early part of the year, these teams will be very familiar with one another so it will be interesting to see how the match-up shakes out. Texas Rangers 2011 Record: 96-66 2011 vs. the Twins: 3-5 April schedule vs. Twins: 13th, 14th, 15th The Rangers made some of their own noise in the free agent market by paying a kings ransom to sign Japanese phenom Yu Darvish. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan was also lured away to Texas for the opportunity to fight for a World Series title before his career is over. The Twins first weekend series of the year at Target Field is a three-game set with Texas and this could mean Nathan coming out of the bullpen in center field. During the last two seasons, the Rangers have represented the American League in the World Series and they look poised to make the playoffs again in 2012. These two teams won't face each other again until the later months of the season so it will be interesting to see how much these team's change in the middle portion of the year. New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-2 April schedule vs. Twins: 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th A four-game series in the Bronx was probably not very high on the Twins early season wish-list but that was the way the schedule was put together. Unlike the other teams listed above, the Yankees didn't make a huge mark on the free agent market but that doesn't mean that they weren't busy with other moves. The biggest free agent signing for the Bronx Bombers was in the form of Hiroki Kuroda a 37-year old starting pitcher. Other than this signing the Yankees also traded away top prospect Jesus Montero for pitching phenom Michael Pineda from the Mariners. The Twins have struggled with the Yankees in recent years and Yankee Stadium has been full of horrors for the Twin Cities squad. Here's hoping the Twins find a little early season luck in the Big Apple. Tampa Bay Rays 2011 Record: 91-71 2011 vs. the Twins: 7-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 20th, 21st, 22nd The Rays have become the model franchise for small market teams with their ability to develop young talent and produce a winning baseball team. Tampa's front office usually stays away from messy free-agent deals because they have the talent in their system to replenish the major league squad. Carlos Pena will make a return trip to Tampa Bay and he represents the biggest offseason signing for the Rays. A stocked rotation with David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson will only get deeper with the edition of top pitching prospect Matt Moore. With all of their talent, the Rays will be picked to finish near the top of the AL East for the fourth year in a row. Boston Red Sox 2011 Record: 90-72 2011 vs. the Twins: 5-2 April schedule vs Twins: 23rd, 24th, 25th After a heartbreaking end to the 2011 season, the Red Sox will be looking to get 2012 off to a positive start. Manager Terry Francona left the team following the team's collapse and veteran manager Bobby Valentine replaced him. The only multi-year free agent signing for the Red Sox was former Twins utility-man Nick Punto but they also brought in outfielder Cody Ross to add some depth to their line-up. One of the biggest questions facing this team in spring training a starting rotation that ranked 13th in innings pitched pitched last season with only the ninth best ERA in the AL. The offense should continue to produce if the team can find away to hold the other team from scoring. A rough start by the Red Sox at the beginning of 2011 was the talk of baseball and the team will be looking for some positive conversations to start 2012. With 16 straight games against this tough competition, the Twins could find themselves looking up in the standings before the team ever faces a AL Central foe. Of those 16 games, 15 of them come in a stretch without a single off day. The Twins could be in good shape for the rest of the year if they can find a way to get out of April without digging themselves a giant hole in the standings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jvPqmEC0Vk/T07zkszcmtI/AAAAAAAABGw/2-kEtGFuqe0/s320/twins-yankees.jpg One of the downfalls of having an unbalanced schedule in MLB is that teams will end up facing a lot of competition from the other divisions in their league earlier in the year. For the Twins this means a healthy dose of the AL East and AL West to start the 2012 campaign. The AL East has three of the top teams in the entire American League and the AL West has put together two of the best rosters at the top of that division for 2012. This leaves the Twins with a lot of tough competition when their season gets underway at the beginning of next month. The Twins start the year in Baltimore but almost all of the rest of the month is against teams that won 86 or more games during 2011. The Angels, Rangers, and Red Sox make trips to Target Field in the first month of the season. An east coast road trip sees the Twins visit New York and Tampa Bay. The month ends with a west coast swing into Los Angeles to face the Angels for the second time in the month. Overall, it looks like a very tough schedule to start the year so here's a brief look at each of these teams. Following a 99-loss season, the Twins will want to get off to a good start but it could be hard with the teams they will be facing off against. Los Angeles Angels 2011 Record: 86-76 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 9th, 11th, 12th, 30th The Angels made some of the biggest waves in the offseason free agent market by bringing in Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. After seeing the success of the Rangers during the last two seasons, the Angels are looking to unthrone Texas from the top of the AL West. Top prospect Mike Trout could provide a lift to an aging outfield but recent reports have him starting the year in the minor leagues. By the fifth full week of the season, the Twins will have played the Angels nine times with six of those contests coming at Target Field. In the early part of the year, these teams will be very familiar with one another so it will be interesting to see how the match-up shakes out. Texas Rangers 2011 Record: 96-66 2011 vs. the Twins: 3-5 April schedule vs. Twins: 13th, 14th, 15th The Rangers made some of their own noise in the free agent market by paying a kings ransom to sign Japanese phenom Yu Darvish. Former Twins closer Joe Nathan was also lured away to Texas for the opportunity to fight for a World Series title before his career is over. The Twins first weekend series of the year at Target Field is a three-game set with Texas and this could mean Nathan coming out of the bullpen in center field. During the last two seasons, the Rangers have represented the American League in the World Series and they look poised to make the playoffs again in 2012. These two teams won't face each other again until the later months of the season so it will be interesting to see how much these team's change in the middle portion of the year. New York Yankees 2011 Record: 97-65 2011 vs. the Twins: 6-2 April schedule vs. Twins: 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th A four-game series in the Bronx was probably not very high on the Twins early season wish-list but that was the way the schedule was put together. Unlike the other teams listed above, the Yankees didn't make a huge mark on the free agent market but that doesn't mean that they weren't busy with other moves. The biggest free agent signing for the Bronx Bombers was in the form of Hiroki Kuroda a 37-year old starting pitcher. Other than this signing the Yankees also traded away top prospect Jesus Montero for pitching phenom Michael Pineda from the Mariners. The Twins have struggled with the Yankees in recent years and Yankee Stadium has been full of horrors for the Twin Cities squad. Here's hoping the Twins find a little early season luck in the Big Apple. Tampa Bay Rays 2011 Record: 91-71 2011 vs. the Twins: 7-3 April schedule vs. Twins: 20th, 21st, 22nd The Rays have become the model franchise for small market teams with their ability to develop young talent and produce a winning baseball team. Tampa's front office usually stays away from messy free-agent deals because they have the talent in their system to replenish the major league squad. Carlos Pena will make a return trip to Tampa Bay and he represents the biggest offseason signing for the Rays. A stocked rotation with David Price, James Shields, and Jeremy Hellickson will only get deeper with the edition of top pitching prospect Matt Moore. With all of their talent, the Rays will be picked to finish near the top of the AL East for the fourth year in a row. Boston Red Sox 2011 Record: 90-72 2011 vs. the Twins: 5-2 April schedule vs Twins: 23rd, 24th, 25th After a heartbreaking end to the 2011 season, the Red Sox will be looking to get 2012 off to a positive start. Manager Terry Francona left the team following the team's collapse and veteran manager Bobby Valentine replaced him. The only multi-year free agent signing for the Red Sox was former Twins utility-man Nick Punto but they also brought in outfielder Cody Ross to add some depth to their line-up. One of the biggest questions facing this team in spring training a starting rotation that ranked 13th in innings pitched pitched last season with only the ninth best ERA in the AL. The offense should continue to produce if the team can find away to hold the other team from scoring. A rough start by the Red Sox at the beginning of 2011 was the talk of baseball and the team will be looking for some positive conversations to start 2012. With 16 straight games against this tough competition, the Twins could find themselves looking up in the standings before the team ever faces a AL Central foe. Of those 16 games, 15 of them come in a stretch without a single off day. The Twins could be in good shape for the rest of the year if they can find a way to get out of April without digging themselves a giant hole in the standings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

Welcome to the blogging world!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q9yTJA0HubY/T0u2kqT2SdI/AAAAAAAABGo/0my5j4SyCow/s320/Dozier+Twins.jpg One of the Twins biggest offseason investments was in the form of 38-year old middle infielder Jamey Carroll. The versatile free agent was brought to the organization to help solidify a middle infield that waffled through a gargantuan amount of issues in 2011. He seems to get better with age and the Twins are hoping their two-year investment in the elder statesman can continue to lead to success from this player. Some look at Carroll as the stopgap to another middle infielder who is working his way through the minor league system of the Twins. Last season Brian Dozier found great success on the field in his time with the Miracle and the Rock Cats. In 2011, he led the Twins organization in runs scored (92) and triples (12) and was third in hits (157), stolen bases (24) and total bases (241). This performance led the Twins to honor him with the team's Minor League Player of the Year Award. Dozier is a former 8th round pick of the Twins back in 2009 and he has spent the last three seasons moving his way up to the Double-A level. Since he has never seen time at the Triple-A level, there is a good chance he will start the 2012 season in Rochester. But what happens if he gets off to a hot start with the Red Wings? How long would the Twins wait to call him up? In the middle of May, Dozier will turn 25 and this comes out of the fact that he was drafted out of college and this makes him a little older than some of the other top prospects for the Twins. Many of the other top prospects that he played with in New Britain have already made their debut with the Twins at the end of last year. Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee were both call-ups in September but they had each been in the Twins system for longer than Dozier and they were higher draft picks. Dozier started the 2011 campaign with Fort Myers and the situation was different for Benson and Parmelee. Benson played all of 2011 with the Rock Cats and Parmelee got a taste of New Britain in 2010 and ended up back there for all of 2011. Out of all of the players in the same draft as Dozier, none of them have made their debuts with the big league squad. Kyle Gibson, the team's first round pick from 2009, seemed like he was on his way to debuting in 2011 but an elbow injury kept him from reaching the MLB level. Chris Herrmann, the club's best catching prospect, has shown the organization a lot of positive things over the last three years but he might still be a year away from making it to Target Field. The organization was impressed with the way that Dozier handled himself in the Arizona Fall League at the beginning of this offseason. In 26 game for the Mesa Solar Sox, Dozier hit .296/.358/.454 with 27 runs scored and 11 extra-base hits. In an interview on 1500 ESPN on Monday, Paul Molitor talked about Dozier needing to work on his consistency and this could be one of the reasons the team decided that Dozier needed time in the AFL. If he can continue his patient approach at the plate, the consistency should follow him to the start of his big league career. In a farm system in desperate need for middle infielders, Dozier stands out as the one player most ready to make an impact for the Twins in 2012. In search of other middle infielders, the Twins have switched Eddie Rosario, one of the organization's top prospects, from outfield to second base. All of last season was spent in the Appalachian League with Elizabethton for Rosario so he still has multiple seasons before he could make it to the big leagues. This move might help the Twins with their long-term plans but right now Dozier is the one middle infield prospect who looks ready to become a major league player. How long will fans have to wait for this to happen? Only time will tell... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q9yTJA0HubY/T0u2kqT2SdI/AAAAAAAABGo/0my5j4SyCow/s320/Dozier+Twins.jpg One of the Twins biggest offseason investments was in the form of 38-year old middle infielder Jamey Carroll. The versatile free agent was brought to the organization to help solidify a middle infield that waffled through a gargantuan amount of issues in 2011. He seems to get better with age and the Twins are hoping their two-year investment in the elder statesman can continue to lead to success from this player. Some look at Carroll as the stopgap to another middle infielder who is working his way through the minor league system of the Twins. Last season Brian Dozier found great success on the field in his time with the Miracle and the Rock Cats. In 2011, he led the Twins organization in runs scored (92) and triples (12) and was third in hits (157), stolen bases (24) and total bases (241). This performance led the Twins to honor him with the team's Minor League Player of the Year Award. Dozier is a former 8th round pick of the Twins back in 2009 and he has spent the last three seasons moving his way up to the Double-A level. Since he has never seen time at the Triple-A level, there is a good chance he will start the 2012 season in Rochester. But what happens if he gets off to a hot start with the Red Wings? How long would the Twins wait to call him up? In the middle of May, Dozier will turn 25 and this comes out of the fact that he was drafted out of college and this makes him a little older than some of the other top prospects for the Twins. Many of the other top prospects that he played with in New Britain have already made their debut with the Twins at the end of last year. Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee were both call-ups in September but they had each been in the Twins system for longer than Dozier and they were higher draft picks. Dozier started the 2011 campaign with Fort Myers and the situation was different for Benson and Parmelee. Benson played all of 2011 with the Rock Cats and Parmelee got a taste of New Britain in 2010 and ended up back there for all of 2011. Out of all of the players in the same draft as Dozier, none of them have made their debuts with the big league squad. Kyle Gibson, the team's first round pick from 2009, seemed like he was on his way to debuting in 2011 but an elbow injury kept him from reaching the MLB level. Chris Herrmann, the club's best catching prospect, has shown the organization a lot of positive things over the last three years but he might still be a year away from making it to Target Field. The organization was impressed with the way that Dozier handled himself in the Arizona Fall League at the beginning of this offseason. In 26 game for the Mesa Solar Sox, Dozier hit .296/.358/.454 with 27 runs scored and 11 extra-base hits. In an interview on 1500 ESPN on Monday, Paul Molitor talked about Dozier needing to work on his consistency and this could be one of the reasons the team decided that Dozier needed time in the AFL. If he can continue his patient approach at the plate, the consistency should follow him to the start of his big league career. In a farm system in desperate need for middle infielders, Dozier stands out as the one player most ready to make an impact for the Twins in 2012. In search of other middle infielders, the Twins have switched Eddie Rosario, one of the organization's top prospects, from outfield to second base. All of last season was spent in the Appalachian League with Elizabethton for Rosario so he still has multiple seasons before he could make it to the big leagues. This move might help the Twins with their long-term plans but right now Dozier is the one middle infield prospect who looks ready to become a major league player. How long will fans have to wait for this to happen? Only time will tell... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com

I was listening to the radio when he made the comment. I blew it off because he was basically saying that all Twins bloggers should be in the press box if they want to form an opinion about the organization. As bloggers, we don't know what is going on behind the scenes.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ulWg3yFFHgg/T0qAasJmnII/AAAAAAAABGg/21V2xjLUogM/s320/ZumayaTwinsInjury.jpg Terry Ryan tried to make a move that he thought could be one of the important additions to the Twins prior to the start of the 2012 season. Joel Zumaya had been often injured since his rookie year in 2006 but the thought of a hard throwing right-handed pitcher was too much for the Twins to pass up. The honeymoon phase did not last long for Zumaya and the Twins as bad news came out of Ft. Myers over the weekend. The team had only been in spring training for a handful of days before Zumaya left the mound on Saturday with right elbow discomfort. An MRI on Sunday revealed the hard throwing righty has a torn ulnar collateral ligament and this type of injury usually results in Tommy John surgery. The recovery time from this injury is usually around 12-months so Zumaya's time with the Twins was over before it even really started. Before his injury, Zumaya offered hope to a bullpen that struggled to produce on the field last season. The thought of a healthy Zumaya in a seventh inning role leading up to Glen Perkins and Matt Capps was something fans could look forward to at Target Field. Now the Twins will be looking for a variety of right-handed options with little experience at the big league level to step up and produce on the big stage. There are a handful of familiar names that will now be fighting for a late inning role with the club. Anthony Swarzak and Alex Burnett saw time out of the bullpen last season with Swarzak also filling in as a started on 11 occasions. Burnett found some struggles in his 50.2 innings as he posted a 5.51 ERA with a 1.401 WHIP. Swarzak had some up and down moments but showed he could handle a long relief role and making the occasional spot start. There is a good chance that the organization will be looking to these players to prove they can handle some of the pressure of late inning situations. Lester Oliveros was one of the key pieces brought to the Twins as part of the Delmon Young trade and the rookie showed some positive signs in his limited action with the club. After dominating in the lower levels of the minor leagues, Oliveros found some sticking points in his travels to the MLB level. His marginal experience at the big league level is a strike against him and the club will surely take this into account when making a final decision on the bullpen. For the second year in a row, the Twins have a bunch of pitchers in camp in hopes of finding a few options that will be serviceable as bullpen arms. The team had to add Danny Rams, another catcher, to the big league camp in order to have enough men to catch the 33-pitchers with the club. Names like Jason Bulger, Casey Fien, Jeff Gray, and Esmerling Vasquez will be given every opportunity to show they belong as right-handed options for the 2012 Twins. Most of the available free-agent right-handed relief pitchers have been scooped up by this time of year as clubs were making their final additions before pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. MLB Trade Rumor lists five right-handed relief pitchers who are still on the market. This list includes Dany Baez, Jason Isringhausen, Sergio Miltre, Tony Pena, and Michael Wuertz. All of these options are bottom of the barrel relief arms but the Twins could take a flyer on Wuertz who is a Minnesota native and only a couple seasons removed from a career year in 2009. Overall, the Zumaya signing was a good move but luck didn't fall on the Twins side. Luckily for the Twins they are left with a big chunk of the rest of spring training to find out who will be able to fit into a right-handed relief role with the team. To some of the players mentioned above, this should be seen as a major opportunity to be part of the bullpen turnaround for the Twins. Let's hope some of them take the opportunity and run with it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from: http://nodaktwinsfan.com

Well spring has sprung across the baseball world. Pitchers and catchers from MLB teams have reported for duty in Florida and Arizona. The position players for the Twins have also made their way to Ft. Myers and the team will begin full squad workouts in the coming days. It is a great time of year to be a fan of baseball. There is hope in the air and every team is on an even playing field. There can be surprises around every turn and no one knows who will take home the World Series Trophy at the end of the year. I got my season tickets delivered this week and I got to pick out seats for Opening Day at Target Field. The offseason is over and it is time to get the 2012 campaign underway. Enjoy this weeks version of "Friday Links-N-Thinks" with plenty of headlines coming out of camps at this early juncture of spring training. To correspond with the start of a new season, a brand new Twins mega-site was launched by the TwinsCentric crew. Make sure to bookmark Twins Daily as some of my work has already been featured on the site. A Minnesota Twins fan has made the top 30 finalists for the MLB Fan Cave. Lindsay Guentzel is headed to Arizona to see if she can make it to NYC for 2012. The Twins Armchair GM looked at the Keith Law's Top 50 prospects for the June Draft and how the Twins will fare with the number two pick. In preparation for the draft, Seth Stohs took a look back at the Twins draft history since 1987. NBC's Hardball Talk site gave Ron Gardenhire the quote of the day earlier this week. Over at Twins Rubes, they tackled the issue of who should start in CF for the Twins. After I posted the Rays terrifying new mascot in last weeks links, they have a promotional giveaway that might be just as scary. Twins Fan From Afar tries to decide what the Twins should do with Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Brian Dozier at the start of 2012. The Twins haven't had an All-Star left fielder since before I was born. Former Twins prospect Wilson Ramos showed up to Nationals camp with a new tattoo as a reminder of the horrific events surrounding his kidnapping in Venezuela. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z2U8jAZbyLI/T0bE40f7RKI/AAAAAAAABGY/JKhzcfqxNSo/s320/RamosNewTatoo.jpg Everyone kind of already knew the Yankees didn't push themselves to win the division in 2010. They were content getting healthy and playing the Twins in the first round. Former Twins infielder Cristian Guzman found his way back into the AL Central. Prospect list continue to trickle out with Baseball America releasing their top 100. Miguel Sano is high on the list but who else joins him? Is there one postseason award the Twins could be favored for this year? Seedlings to Stars tried to make sense out of the new CBA and how it will impact the 2012 MLB Draft. Puckett's Pond posted about the players who are out of options for the Twins and there is a good chance that not all of them will make the team. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Twins will use Nathan's blueprint for Zumaya Tuesday: Blackburn shooting for a bounce back season Wednesday: To block the plate or not to block the plate? Thursday: Twins headlines turned into Oscar movie plots: 2012 edition Video of the Week: As I mentioned before, Lindsay Guentzel is trying to be one of the fans selected to watch every MLB game this season from the comfort of the MLB Fan Cave. First she made the top 50 finalists and now she has qualified for the top 30. This means she is getting closer to representing Twins Territory on a big stage. Here is a look at her audition video: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http//nodaktwinsfan.com

Well spring has sprung across the baseball world. Pitchers and catchers from MLB teams have reported for duty in Florida and Arizona. The position players for the Twins have also made their way to Ft. Myers and the team will begin full squad workouts in the coming days. It is a great time of year to be a fan of baseball. There is hope in the air and every team is on an even playing field. There can be surprises around every turn and no one knows who will take home the World Series Trophy at the end of the year. I got my season tickets delivered this week and I got to pick out seats for Opening Day at Target Field. The offseason is over and it is time to get the 2012 campaign underway. Enjoy this weeks version of "Friday Links-N-Thinks" with plenty of headlines coming out of camps at this early juncture of spring training. To correspond with the start of a new season, a brand new Twins mega-site was launched by the TwinsCentric crew. Make sure to bookmark Twins Daily as some of my work has already been featured on the site. A Minnesota Twins fan has made the top 30 finalists for the MLB Fan Cave. Lindsay Guentzel is headed to Arizona to see if she can make it to NYC for 2012. The Twins Armchair GM looked at the Keith Law's Top 50 prospects for the June Draft and how the Twins will fare with the number two pick. In preparation for the draft, Seth Stohs took a look back at the Twins draft history since 1987. NBC's Hardball Talk site gave Ron Gardenhire the quote of the day earlier this week. Over at Twins Rubes, they tackled the issue of who should start in CF for the Twins. After I posted the Rays terrifying new mascot in last weeks links, they have a promotional giveaway that might be just as scary. Twins Fan From Afar tries to decide what the Twins should do with Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Brian Dozier at the start of 2012. The Twins haven't had an All-Star left fielder since before I was born. Former Twins prospect Wilson Ramos showed up to Nationals camp with a new tattoo as a reminder of the horrific events surrounding his kidnapping in Venezuela. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z2U8jAZbyLI/T0bE40f7RKI/AAAAAAAABGY/JKhzcfqxNSo/s320/RamosNewTatoo.jpg Everyone kind of already knew the Yankees didn't push themselves to win the division in 2010. They were content getting healthy and playing the Twins in the first round. Former Twins infielder Cristian Guzman found his way back into the AL Central. Prospect list continue to trickle out with Baseball America releasing their top 100. Miguel Sano is high on the list but who else joins him? Is there one postseason award the Twins could be favored for this year? Seedlings to Stars tried to make sense out of the new CBA and how it will impact the 2012 MLB Draft. Puckett's Pond posted about the players who are out of options for the Twins and there is a good chance that not all of them will make the team. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Twins will use Nathan's blueprint for Zumaya Tuesday: Blackburn shooting for a bounce back season Wednesday: To block the plate or not to block the plate? Thursday: Twins headlines turned into Oscar movie plots: 2012 edition Video of the Week: As I mentioned before, Lindsay Guentzel is trying to be one of the fans selected to watch every MLB game this season from the comfort of the MLB Fan Cave. First she made the top 50 finalists and now she has qualified for the top 30. This means she is getting closer to representing Twins Territory on a big stage. Here is a look at her audition video: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from http//nodaktwinsfan.com

Last year I had fun writing a post about two of the things I am passionate about, the Twins and the Academy Awards. It was a fun post for me to compile and I got positive feedback from multiple sources after last year's post. With the Oscars around the corner and spring training already started in Florida, I figured it was time for another rendition of my "Twins headlines turned into Oscar movie plots." Below you will find all of the films nominated for Best Picture in this weekend's ceremony and a Twins plotline that connects to that film. I hope you enjoy the following. Lights, camera, action... The Artist http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PguB5faDmEA/T0W-K_ZOUvI/AAAAAAAABFQ/AwhXBZazxlI/s320/Slide1.jpg Plot Summary: In Hollywood during the year 1927, a silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion. As the movie goes on, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break. Twins Plot: A former top prospect tries to find a spot on the Twins roster before he fades into oblivion. Could he beat out a younger third baseman for the starting role in 2012? Only time will tell if the veteran player has enough to make an impact. The Descendants http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lhKigOCmJFc/T0W-QYExlFI/AAAAAAAABFY/l4937VpkJr0/s320/Slide2.jpg Plot Summary: A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident. The eldest daughter informs the father of his wife's extra-marital activities and he sets out on a path to find his wife's lover. Twins Plot: A center fielder tries to re-connect with his team after he suffered an accident at home plate last season. He tells the team that he is ready for the rigours of the season and he sets out on a path to prove the doubters wrong. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NP0T8JkYqY4/T0W-hRhGbRI/AAAAAAAABFg/Fo94Amfx0yM/s320/Slide3.jpg Plot Summary: A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Twins Plot: A 23-year-old former first round pick, outfielder, and speedster searches the Target Field outfield for any balls that come his way. He follows in the footsteps of other great center fielders like Puckett and Hunter as he tries to find his place in the big leagues. The Help http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8EH91bya-Us/T0W-0Pc87PI/AAAAAAAABFo/0PeipvzvCFs/s320/Slide4.jpg Plot Summary: An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. Twins Plot: An aspiring shortstop during a rough time for the Twins is asked to take over a role in the outfield. His transition to this new position could be "the help" that the organization needs to succeed in 2012. Hugo http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOMjV7kSmVM/T0W_Fxtco8I/AAAAAAAABFw/mJKeOPeHk0I/s320/Slide5.jpg Plot Summary: Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton. The mystery he uncovers jeopardizes his secretive way of life. Twins Plot: The secretive way of life for this superstar player was brought into question during the previous year. The organization is paying him to be the face of the franchise and to perform on the field. Can this young man step out of his secretive ways and lead the team? Midnight in Paris http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4dy63tS6Pc/T0W_Q2cZAQI/AAAAAAAABF4/s-uEA4WuxY0/s320/Slide6.jpg Plot Summary: A family travel to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple who are forced to confront their differing views of a perfect life. A young man finds out there is plenty of truth to the phrase about the grass being greener on the other side. Twins Plot: A player travels to another country to try and succeed after a disastrous year. His view of a perfect life has fallen apart in the last 12 months and he will try to see if the grass can get greener on the other side. Moneyball http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpHV1dLfS00/T0W_dLMJ7_I/AAAAAAAABGA/UopY_6ig_sU/s320/Slide7.jpg Plot Summary: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to compile his roster. Twins Plot: The Twins turned the reigns over to their former GM to try and scale back the payroll while still producing a winner on the field. He was able to lead the team to success in the past but how will he fair during his second time around? The Tree of Life http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MU24UXrjKII/T0W_pbwUJJI/AAAAAAAABGI/8MoxuElI64g/s320/Slide8.jpg Plot Summary: A family with three boys growing up in the 1950s has to deal with an overbearing father. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and is changed for the future. Twins Plot: A former MVP slides into second base and sees his entire life changed for the future. He must deal with the nagging effects of concussion symptoms as he tries to prove to the team he can still succeed on the field. War Horse http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WPfR2Q3-EUg/T0W_0ieXklI/AAAAAAAABGQ/KBwvuefVKGA/s320/Slide9.jpg Plot summary: Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on. Twins Plot: The Twins enlist a variety of players to try and piece together a bullpen that can find success on the field. There is a full cavalry of players in camp for the team and it is hard to know who the team will turn to in the late innings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from: http://nodaktwinsfan.com

Last year I had fun writing a post about two of the things I am passionate about, the Twins and the Academy Awards. It was a fun post for me to compile and I got positive feedback from multiple sources after last year's post. With the Oscars around the corner and spring training already started in Florida, I figured it was time for another rendition of my "Twins headlines turned into Oscar movie plots." Below you will find all of the films nominated for Best Picture in this weekend's ceremony and a Twins plotline that connects to that film. I hope you enjoy the following. Lights, camera, action... The Artist http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PguB5faDmEA/T0W-K_ZOUvI/AAAAAAAABFQ/AwhXBZazxlI/s320/Slide1.jpg Plot Summary: In Hollywood during the year 1927, a silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion. As the movie goes on, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break. Twins Plot: A former top prospect tries to find a spot on the Twins roster before he fades into oblivion. Could he beat out a younger third baseman for the starting role in 2012? Only time will tell if the veteran player has enough to make an impact. The Descendants http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lhKigOCmJFc/T0W-QYExlFI/AAAAAAAABFY/l4937VpkJr0/s320/Slide2.jpg Plot Summary: A land baron tries to re-connect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a boating accident. The eldest daughter informs the father of his wife's extra-marital activities and he sets out on a path to find his wife's lover. Twins Plot: A center fielder tries to re-connect with his team after he suffered an accident at home plate last season. He tells the team that he is ready for the rigours of the season and he sets out on a path to prove the doubters wrong. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NP0T8JkYqY4/T0W-hRhGbRI/AAAAAAAABFg/Fo94Amfx0yM/s320/Slide3.jpg Plot Summary: A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Twins Plot: A 23-year-old former first round pick, outfielder, and speedster searches the Target Field outfield for any balls that come his way. He follows in the footsteps of other great center fielders like Puckett and Hunter as he tries to find his place in the big leagues. The Help http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8EH91bya-Us/T0W-0Pc87PI/AAAAAAAABFo/0PeipvzvCFs/s320/Slide4.jpg Plot Summary: An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis. Twins Plot: An aspiring shortstop during a rough time for the Twins is asked to take over a role in the outfield. His transition to this new position could be "the help" that the organization needs to succeed in 2012. Hugo http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UOMjV7kSmVM/T0W_Fxtco8I/AAAAAAAABFw/mJKeOPeHk0I/s320/Slide5.jpg Plot Summary: Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton. The mystery he uncovers jeopardizes his secretive way of life. Twins Plot: The secretive way of life for this superstar player was brought into question during the previous year. The organization is paying him to be the face of the franchise and to perform on the field. Can this young man step out of his secretive ways and lead the team? Midnight in Paris http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w4dy63tS6Pc/T0W_Q2cZAQI/AAAAAAAABF4/s-uEA4WuxY0/s320/Slide6.jpg Plot Summary: A family travel to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple who are forced to confront their differing views of a perfect life. A young man finds out there is plenty of truth to the phrase about the grass being greener on the other side. Twins Plot: A player travels to another country to try and succeed after a disastrous year. His view of a perfect life has fallen apart in the last 12 months and he will try to see if the grass can get greener on the other side. Moneyball http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpHV1dLfS00/T0W_dLMJ7_I/AAAAAAAABGA/UopY_6ig_sU/s320/Slide7.jpg Plot Summary: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to compile his roster. Twins Plot: The Twins turned the reigns over to their former GM to try and scale back the payroll while still producing a winner on the field. He was able to lead the team to success in the past but how will he fair during his second time around? The Tree of Life http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MU24UXrjKII/T0W_pbwUJJI/AAAAAAAABGI/8MoxuElI64g/s320/Slide8.jpg Plot Summary: A family with three boys growing up in the 1950s has to deal with an overbearing father. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and is changed for the future. Twins Plot: A former MVP slides into second base and sees his entire life changed for the future. He must deal with the nagging effects of concussion symptoms as he tries to prove to the team he can still succeed on the field. War Horse http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WPfR2Q3-EUg/T0W_0ieXklI/AAAAAAAABGQ/KBwvuefVKGA/s320/Slide9.jpg Plot summary: Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on. Twins Plot: The Twins enlist a variety of players to try and piece together a bullpen that can find success on the field. There is a full cavalry of players in camp for the team and it is hard to know who the team will turn to in the late innings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Original Post from: http://nodaktwinsfan.com

Original post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the hottest topics across the baseball universe as pitchers and catchers have reported is surrounding whether catchers should block the plate. The Giants suffered a major blow last season when their budding superstar Buster Posey was bowled over at home plate by outfielder Scott Cousins. As a result of the collision Posey suffered a broken leg and ligament damage that required multiple surgeries to repair the damage. The Giants offense suffered without their star and the manager of the Giants felt that changes needed to be made for 2012. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zeD5_88el9k/T0RMnNl4faI/AAAAAAAABEw/95WNdofUJ4M/s320/buster-posey-injury.jpg On Monday Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced that Posey would no longer be blocking the plate. He told reporters that the decision was "out of Buster's hands," and he went on to say, "As a manager, that's my job. I certainly don't want people to think he's backing off on his own. It's something we'll work on with him this spring." Bochy is a former catcher so there might be lessons he could teach his young catcher about the art of making plays at the plate. The Twins have millions and millions of dollars tied up in their MVP catcher so the thought of Joe Mauer getting taken out at the plate is a scary thought for fans to process. Twins General Manager Terry Ryan told the Star Tribune that Mauer wouldn't be told to stop blocking the plate. The Twins claim that their All-Star catcher knows plenty of techniques to help protect himself in event of a collision. But even knowing this, there will be a collective gasp from Twins Territory every time there is a collision involving Mauer. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1RixgKLmfYE/T0RaYzZAR8I/AAAAAAAABFA/iTQwhZzX9J8/s320/jackson_mauer.jpg The debate over plays at the plate has intensified with the spotlight shining so brightly on Posey's return to the Giants. Executives from across baseball have discussed a potential rules change and it seems there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue. Regardless of all of the talk, it seems that a rule change will not be coming in the near future. Even though the play at the plate can be dangerous, it is part of the history of the game and it is very hard to make a significant change to the rules in baseball. After Posey's ugly injury last year, I wrote a piece about the debate over collisions at home. In that post I took a look at the history of plays at the plate. The most famous home-plate collision came in the 1970 All-Star Game when Pete Rose charged into Ray Fosse. Fosse's left shoulder was injured on the play and he, at age 23, was never the same player again. At the end of July in 2004, the White Sox and Twins found themselves in the heat of a pennent race. That heat would turn into an all-out fire when Torii Hunter leveled White Sox catcher Jamie Burke on a play at the plate. Burke would suffer a mild concussion as a result of the hit he took at the plate. The Twins would be spirited by this play and some look at the collision as the turning point for the team on the way to their third consecutive AL Central Division Championship. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bZURUbs2M7c/T0Tk0A-lOuI/AAAAAAAABFI/ejtOaXzznBY/s1600/ToriiHunterCollision.jpg In the end the question still remains, should catchers block the plate or should they try to avoid collisions? The moral of the story seems to be for catchers to be smart about how they go about blocking the plate. If catchers are taking the proper precautions and setting themselves up in the proper position, the risk of injury can be greatly reduced. Sometimes the speed of the play and the throw to the plate can put a catcher in a precarious position. It is important for the catcher to also know the tendencies of the runner who is coming in hard. Will that runner slide to try and avoid a tag or is that runner not planning on slowing down until he crosses the plate? Teams like the Twins and the Giants have a lot invested in keeping their catchers off of the disabled list. The debate will continue in regards to plays at the plate but for now it looks like they are still part of the baseball world.

Original post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the hottest topics across the baseball universe as pitchers and catchers have reported is surrounding whether catchers should block the plate. The Giants suffered a major blow last season when their budding superstar Buster Posey was bowled over at home plate by outfielder Scott Cousins. As a result of the collision Posey suffered a broken leg and ligament damage that required multiple surgeries to repair the damage. The Giants offense suffered without their star and the manager of the Giants felt that changes needed to be made for 2012. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zeD5_88el9k/T0RMnNl4faI/AAAAAAAABEw/95WNdofUJ4M/s320/buster-posey-injury.jpg On Monday Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced that Posey would no longer be blocking the plate. He told reporters that the decision was "out of Buster's hands," and he went on to say, "As a manager, that's my job. I certainly don't want people to think he's backing off on his own. It's something we'll work on with him this spring." Bochy is a former catcher so there might be lessons he could teach his young catcher about the art of making plays at the plate. The Twins have millions and millions of dollars tied up in their MVP catcher so the thought of Joe Mauer getting taken out at the plate is a scary thought for fans to process. Twins General Manager Terry Ryan told the Star Tribune that Mauer wouldn't be told to stop blocking the plate. The Twins claim that their All-Star catcher knows plenty of techniques to help protect himself in event of a collision. But even knowing this, there will be a collective gasp from Twins Territory every time there is a collision involving Mauer. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1RixgKLmfYE/T0RaYzZAR8I/AAAAAAAABFA/iTQwhZzX9J8/s320/jackson_mauer.jpg The debate over plays at the plate has intensified with the spotlight shining so brightly on Posey's return to the Giants. Executives from across baseball have discussed a potential rules change and it seems there are strong opinions on both sides of the issue. Regardless of all of the talk, it seems that a rule change will not be coming in the near future. Even though the play at the plate can be dangerous, it is part of the history of the game and it is very hard to make a significant change to the rules in baseball. After Posey's ugly injury last year, I wrote a piece about the debate over collisions at home. In that post I took a look at the history of plays at the plate. The most famous home-plate collision came in the 1970 All-Star Game when Pete Rose charged into Ray Fosse. Fosse's left shoulder was injured on the play and he, at age 23, was never the same player again. At the end of July in 2004, the White Sox and Twins found themselves in the heat of a pennent race. That heat would turn into an all-out fire when Torii Hunter leveled White Sox catcher Jamie Burke on a play at the plate. Burke would suffer a mild concussion as a result of the hit he took at the plate. The Twins would be spirited by this play and some look at the collision as the turning point for the team on the way to their third consecutive AL Central Division Championship. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bZURUbs2M7c/T0Tk0A-lOuI/AAAAAAAABFI/ejtOaXzznBY/s1600/ToriiHunterCollision.jpg In the end the question still remains, should catchers block the plate or should they try to avoid collisions? The moral of the story seems to be for catchers to be smart about how they go about blocking the plate. If catchers are taking the proper precautions and setting themselves up in the proper position, the risk of injury can be greatly reduced. Sometimes the speed of the play and the throw to the plate can put a catcher in a precarious position. It is important for the catcher to also know the tendencies of the runner who is coming in hard. Will that runner slide to try and avoid a tag or is that runner not planning on slowing down until he crosses the plate? Teams like the Twins and the Giants have a lot invested in keeping their catchers off of the disabled list. The debate will continue in regards to plays at the plate but for now it looks like they are still part of the baseball world.

Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It seemed no one was safe from the plethora of injuries suffered by Twins players in 2011 as it seemed to hit every part of the roster. From position players to the pitching staff, there was hardly anyone who was safe from the injury bug. One of the players that missed a big chunk of the second half of the year was Nick Blackburn. In the midst of a multi-year contract extension, Blackburn was limited to 148.1 innings and 26 games on the mound. After averaging 200 innings pitched in 2008 and 2009 with a 4.04 ERA, the Twins locked up the rest of Blackburn's arbitration eligible years by signing him through 2013 with a club option 2014. Since Blackburn was still under team control for multiple seasons, a long-term contract extension seemed a little pre-mature. The Twins wanted to make a commitment to him and the results of this commitment have not been the greatest. The 2010 campaign was a nightmare for Blackburn as he suffered through inconsistencies on the field and he was even sent back to Rochester at one point in the year. For the months of June and July, Blackburn posted an ERA of over 10.00 and he finished with a record of 1-6 in those months. After his pit stop in Rochester, the numbers did improve slightly to leave hope open for Blackburn entering the 2011 season. Blackburn started the 2011 season slow out of the gate as he fumbled his way to a 1-4 record in the first month of the year with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.643 WHIP. The month of May would be his best month of the 2011 season as he pitched a season high 42.2 innings. Over the course of the month, he posted a 2.53 ERA with an outstanding 1.102 WHIP. The rest of the season would be a downhill fall before ending up on the disabled list with a right forearm injury. This leaves the Twins with plenty of questions entering the 2012 season. What can they expect from Blackburn? Can he stay healthy and on the field for the entire season? Is there any way he can get back to pitching the same way he did in 2008 and 2009? On the FanGraphs.com website there are two player projection estimates for Mr. Blackburn as the 2012 season is about to begin. Bill James has him pitching 162.0 innings to the tune of a 6-12 record over the course of 28 starts. Using the James estimation system, Blackburn would finish with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP during the coming season. The other prediction tool on FanGraphs is from RotoChamp and it aligns pretty closely with the Bill James projection. RotoChamp has Blackburn finishing with a 9-9 record, a 4.44 ERA, and a 1.52 WHIP in 160 innings pitched. Almost all of the Twins starting rotation will be free agents at the end of the coming season. The only member of the projected starting rotation that has a contract for next season is Blackburn. Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, and Jason Marquis will all need to show the Twins they are worthy of another contract during the 2012 season. Blackburn doesn't have this immediate burden on his shoulders but he could still be looking to the future. Following the 2013 season, the Twins will have a club option on Blackburn for $8 million. The Twins need to see more of the Blackburn from the early part of his career to make that option a little easier to swallow. The Twins are never going to look at Blackburn as the ace of their staff but he can provide productivity as a fourth or fifth starter. Some of the other pitchers on the staff are looking directly at free agency but Blackburn needs to show the Twins he was worth the investment they made in him a few seasons ago. 2012 should be the year for him to turn the corner and for him to prove his doubters wrong.

Original Post from http://nodaktwinsfan.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It seemed no one was safe from the plethora of injuries suffered by Twins players in 2011 as it seemed to hit every part of the roster. From position players to the pitching staff, there was hardly anyone who was safe from the injury bug. One of the players that missed a big chunk of the second half of the year was Nick Blackburn. In the midst of a multi-year contract extension, Blackburn was limited to 148.1 innings and 26 games on the mound. After averaging 200 innings pitched in 2008 and 2009 with a 4.04 ERA, the Twins locked up the rest of Blackburn's arbitration eligible years by signing him through 2013 with a club option 2014. Since Blackburn was still under team control for multiple seasons, a long-term contract extension seemed a little pre-mature. The Twins wanted to make a commitment to him and the results of this commitment have not been the greatest. The 2010 campaign was a nightmare for Blackburn as he suffered through inconsistencies on the field and he was even sent back to Rochester at one point in the year. For the months of June and July, Blackburn posted an ERA of over 10.00 and he finished with a record of 1-6 in those months. After his pit stop in Rochester, the numbers did improve slightly to leave hope open for Blackburn entering the 2011 season. Blackburn started the 2011 season slow out of the gate as he fumbled his way to a 1-4 record in the first month of the year with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.643 WHIP. The month of May would be his best month of the 2011 season as he pitched a season high 42.2 innings. Over the course of the month, he posted a 2.53 ERA with an outstanding 1.102 WHIP. The rest of the season would be a downhill fall before ending up on the disabled list with a right forearm injury. This leaves the Twins with plenty of questions entering the 2012 season. What can they expect from Blackburn? Can he stay healthy and on the field for the entire season? Is there any way he can get back to pitching the same way he did in 2008 and 2009? On the FanGraphs.com website there are two player projection estimates for Mr. Blackburn as the 2012 season is about to begin. Bill James has him pitching 162.0 innings to the tune of a 6-12 record over the course of 28 starts. Using the James estimation system, Blackburn would finish with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP during the coming season. The other prediction tool on FanGraphs is from RotoChamp and it aligns pretty closely with the Bill James projection. RotoChamp has Blackburn finishing with a 9-9 record, a 4.44 ERA, and a 1.52 WHIP in 160 innings pitched. Almost all of the Twins starting rotation will be free agents at the end of the coming season. The only member of the projected starting rotation that has a contract for next season is Blackburn. Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, and Jason Marquis will all need to show the Twins they are worthy of another contract during the 2012 season. Blackburn doesn't have this immediate burden on his shoulders but he could still be looking to the future. Following the 2013 season, the Twins will have a club option on Blackburn for $8 million. The Twins need to see more of the Blackburn from the early part of his career to make that option a little easier to swallow. The Twins are never going to look at Blackburn as the ace of their staff but he can provide productivity as a fourth or fifth starter. Some of the other pitchers on the staff are looking directly at free agency but Blackburn needs to show the Twins he was worth the investment they made in him a few seasons ago. 2012 should be the year for him to turn the corner and for him to prove his doubters wrong.

Thanks John! I will add in a header with my blog for future posts that I make on Twins Daily.

One year ago the Twins were working with a relief pitcher who wanted to show he had fully recovered from an elbow injury. Joe Nathan had spent the last year trying to recover from Tommy John surgery. He hadn't been on a mound in a major league regular season game since the playoffs in 2009. When pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, he was ready to show the team everything he had and he told the team that he didn't "want to be babied if I don't need it." Fast-forward to 2012 and the Twins find themselves in a very similar situation. There is a hard throwing relief pitcher who is trying to come back from a major injury to his elbow. Joel Zumaya hasn't been on a mound in a major league game since his horrific injury at Target Field in 2010. Now he is in camp for the Twins and he is ready to prove he can regain the form he showed during his rookie season in 2006. He is in the similar mindset as Nathan as he told the team, "Don't baby me; I'm here to go full out now." The coaching staff stated on Sunday that they would take a similar approach to Zumaya as they did with Nathan in 2011. For Nathan there were many milestones along the way as he tried to prove to the Twins that he belonged as the team's closer. These milestones started in the spring with his first bullpen session, his first game action, and they would eventually lead to his first regular season action. The Twins knew the mindset of Nathan and this would lead him to be very eager to get back on the field. Ron Gardenhire and the Twins coaching staff put together a plan for easing him back in because they wanted to avoid another injury to a key piece of the bullpen. Even with the cautious approach towards Nathan there were some speed bumps in the early part of 2011. He struggled in the first month of the season as he ended April with an ERA of 10.00 with two blown saves out of five opportunities. He turned the closing duties over to Matt Capps to try and help the team be more successful. By June he would find himself on the disabled list with right elbow soreness but he found his way back in the second half of the season. His ERA dropped from 5.82 in the first half to 3.91 in the second half and he posted a 1.000 WHIP. Nathan found out during the regular season that he would need to change his approach as a pitcher. The Nathan that Twins fans were accustom to seeing on the mound threw hard most of the time to try and retire the batter. The post-Tommy John Nathan would need to use more than just fastballs to get batters out. During last year, I wrote this post about some of the changes in pitch speed from Nathan. It looks at him before the injury, at the beginning of 2011, and later in the season. The Twins have plenty they can learn from Nathan's injury and apply it to their situation with Zumaya. During the 2011 Grapefruit League schedule, Nathan appeared in seven games for a total of 6.1 innings pitched. Not all of these outings were good but he showed enough for the Twins to give him the closers role. In 2012 the Twins won't be looking at Zumaya for the closers role so that takes a little of the heat off of him. If the Twins are following the same type of plan with Zumaya then fans can expect to see him make about seven appearances during the spring schedule. Another interesting aspect for fans to watch will be how the Twins approach the use of Zumaya during the regular season. There has been some talk of the Twins not using him in back-to-back games at the start of the regular season. If the Twins are going to get a healthy season from Zumaya, it will be important to watch his workload. He has not pitched over 40 innings in a season since 2006 and the Twins will need more from his right arm in 2012. In the end, the Twins were given a blueprint for handling relief pitchers trying to comeback from a major elbow injury with Nathan during last year. Both of these pitchers didn't want to be babied but the Twins are still going to take a cautious approach. Zumaya could be one of the most valuable assets the team added this offseason but there won't be any value gained if he doesn't make it out of spring training as a healthy pitcher.