Cody Christie

Glen Perkins came into the ninth inning in Detroit with a two-run lead to work with and he sure made things interesting by allowing Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder to reach on singles. In the end, Perkins was able to get out of the jam and the Twins were victorious for the fourth straight game. It was interesting to see the Twins put together six runs without managing an extra-base hit. This was especially intriguing after a weekend where the team went homer happy against the Royals pitching staff. After Liam Hendriks looked to be in line for his first win at the MLB level, he ran into trouble in the fifth inning with too many walks. The bullpen was left to finish off the final five innings and the pitchers put together shut out frame after shut out frame to preserve the win. Anthony Swarzak ended up with the victory but Alex Burnett was also very good during his time on the mound. Since it is Tuesday, make sure to check back later tonight as I will recap all of the action from across the minor league system for the Twins. For now, enjoy this week's edition of "Tuesday Morning Tidbits." http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GzokFNoOgeo/T_JZ6yZFYaI/AAAAAAAAClI/3BnWdZIagMY/s320/ballplayer_pelotero.jpg Sano documentary under heat from MLB A documentary about the signing and development of players in the Dominican Republic is being released and MLB is not happy about the content covered in the film. The movie is called "Ballplayer: Pelotero" and it follows closely the lives of two players as they strive to make their way from the fields in the Dominican Republic to huge signing bonuses with MLB clubs. One of the young players followed in this film is Miguel Sano, the top prospect in the Twins organization. One of the most intriguing scenes in the movie is some hidden camera footage from the family of Miguel Sano when Rene Gayo, the Pittsburgh Pirates' director of Latin American scouting operations, tries to convince his family to admit that he lied about his age. Later in the film, the family attorney for the Sano's accuses MLB of trying to coax him into signing with the lowly Pirates. These were just some of the scenes that MLB was not happy about from the early screenings of the film. Overall, it seems like it would be a very interesting film for fans of baseball. There have been questions about the ages of players coming out of the Dominican Republic for years but it seems like baseball is trying to do a better job of cleaning up this mess. For fans of the Twins, it would be interesting to see behind the scenes of the player that might be the future of the franchise. VIEW THE TRAILER>>> [video=youtube_share;i9jfhRyoljA] Liriano's audition continues If the Twins want to get pass Liriano on to another team before the trade deadline, there seems to be more than one team that is interested in his services. During his last start on Sunday afternoon, there were scouts in attendance from the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. It seems like the Braves might have the most interest since they have sent one of their top scouts to attend the last two starts by Mr. Liriano. This would make sense with some of the problems that the Braves have gone through with their starting pitching this season. Since Liriano returned to the rotation at the end of May, he has done much better by posting a 2.95 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched. This has only translated to one win but his strike out to walk ratio has improved greatly as he has struck out 46 batters and walked 18. In his six starts before being banished to the bullpen, Liriano walked 19 and struck out 21 in 26.2 innings. This fast turn around in performance might have helped the Twins to squeeze some value out of Liriano. The Atlanta Braves have a lot of pitching prospects in their top propsects and it would be nice for the Twins to add some depth to their minor league system in this area of weakness for the club. Another intriguing prospect could be Christian Bethancourt, a 20-year old catcher that has already made his way to the Double-A level. Baseball America had Bethancourt ranked as the ninth best prospect in the Braves organization so that might be a high cost for Liriano. Sano rediscovers his HR stroke, errors mounting After seeing a steady stream of offspeed pitches for most of the month of June, Miguel Sano rediscovered his home run swing during the last few games. He has hit three home runs in his last five times in the line-up and he is now leading the Midwest League with 18 home runs on the year. His recent hot streak has raised his average back above .240 after a rough couple of months where he hit under .220 in 191 at-bats. This is a welcome sign for fans looking for Sano to be the next big thing for the Twins organization. In a less positive note, Sano continues to struggle mightily in the field as he uses his big frame at third base. He went into last night's game with 28 errors for the season and he had to be pulled from the game after having adding another three errors to that total. Until he shows that he can improve at third base, there will continue to be questions about whether he can stick at the hot corner. His high prospect status means that he will move through the organization but he might need to shift to a less vital position on the field.

Glen Perkins came into the ninth inning in Detroit with a two-run lead to work with and he sure made things interesting by allowing Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder to reach on singles. In the end, Perkins was able to get out of the jam and the Twins were victorious for the fourth straight game. It was interesting to see the Twins put together six runs without managing an extra-base hit. This was especially intriguing after a weekend where the team went homer happy against the Royals pitching staff. After Liam Hendriks looked to be in line for his first win at the MLB level, he ran into trouble in the fifth inning with too many walks. The bullpen was left to finish off the final five innings and the pitchers put together shut out frame after shut out frame to preserve the win. Anthony Swarzak ended up with the victory but Alex Burnett was also very good during his time on the mound. Since it is Tuesday, make sure to check back later tonight as I will recap all of the action from across the minor league system for the Twins. For now, enjoy this week's edition of "Tuesday Morning Tidbits." http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GzokFNoOgeo/T_JZ6yZFYaI/AAAAAAAAClI/3BnWdZIagMY/s320/ballplayer_pelotero.jpg Sano documentary under heat from MLB A documentary about the signing and development of players in the Dominican Republic is being released and MLB is not happy about the content covered in the film. The movie is called "Ballplayer: Pelotero" and it follows closely the lives of two players as they strive to make their way from the fields in the Dominican Republic to huge signing bonuses with MLB clubs. One of the young players followed in this film is Miguel Sano, the top prospect in the Twins organization. One of the most intriguing scenes in the movie is some hidden camera footage from the family of Miguel Sano when Rene Gayo, the Pittsburgh Pirates' director of Latin American scouting operations, tries to convince his family to admit that he lied about his age. Later in the film, the family attorney for the Sano's accuses MLB of trying to coax him into signing with the lowly Pirates. These were just some of the scenes that MLB was not happy about from the early screenings of the film. Overall, it seems like it would be a very interesting film for fans of baseball. There have been questions about the ages of players coming out of the Dominican Republic for years but it seems like baseball is trying to do a better job of cleaning up this mess. For fans of the Twins, it would be interesting to see behind the scenes of the player that might be the future of the franchise. VIEW THE TRAILER>>> [video=youtube_share;i9jfhRyoljA] Liriano's audition continues If the Twins want to get pass Liriano on to another team before the trade deadline, there seems to be more than one team that is interested in his services. During his last start on Sunday afternoon, there were scouts in attendance from the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. It seems like the Braves might have the most interest since they have sent one of their top scouts to attend the last two starts by Mr. Liriano. This would make sense with some of the problems that the Braves have gone through with their starting pitching this season. Since Liriano returned to the rotation at the end of May, he has done much better by posting a 2.95 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched. This has only translated to one win but his strike out to walk ratio has improved greatly as he has struck out 46 batters and walked 18. In his six starts before being banished to the bullpen, Liriano walked 19 and struck out 21 in 26.2 innings. This fast turn around in performance might have helped the Twins to squeeze some value out of Liriano. The Atlanta Braves have a lot of pitching prospects in their top propsects and it would be nice for the Twins to add some depth to their minor league system in this area of weakness for the club. Another intriguing prospect could be Christian Bethancourt, a 20-year old catcher that has already made his way to the Double-A level. Baseball America had Bethancourt ranked as the ninth best prospect in the Braves organization so that might be a high cost for Liriano. Sano rediscovers his HR stroke, errors mounting After seeing a steady stream of offspeed pitches for most of the month of June, Miguel Sano rediscovered his home run swing during the last few games. He has hit three home runs in his last five times in the line-up and he is now leading the Midwest League with 18 home runs on the year. His recent hot streak has raised his average back above .240 after a rough couple of months where he hit under .220 in 191 at-bats. This is a welcome sign for fans looking for Sano to be the next big thing for the Twins organization. In a less positive note, Sano continues to struggle mightily in the field as he uses his big frame at third base. He went into last night's game with 28 errors for the season and he had to be pulled from the game after having adding another three errors to that total. Until he shows that he can improve at third base, there will continue to be questions about whether he can stick at the hot corner. His high prospect status means that he will move through the organization but he might need to shift to a less vital position on the field.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?751-Mauer-elected-and-fans-revolt

There are too many other good outfielders in the AL. If Willingham had kept up his pace from the first month of the year, he would have been an easy selection for the Twins. His batting average fell off and he misses his chance at his first All-Star appearance.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ml1ZioYWw4/T_D48dTN0oI/AAAAAAAACh4/2iQJMPGHdhI/s320/mauer_willingham_640.jpg On Sunday afternoon, the 2012 MLB All-Star rosters were announced for the American League and the National League. There were a few different candidates that had the opportunity to be selected to be the Twins representative. Joe Mauer is near the top of the AL in a variety of batting categories and he plays a premium defensive position. Josh Willingham started off the season on quite the run and he might be the team MVP to this point. Since his promotion at the beginning of May, Scott Diamond has been the ace of the Twins pitching staff. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton have been dominant in their appearances out of the bullpen. In the end, the Twins will have one representative for the second year in a row. Joe Mauer was selected to his fifth career All-Star Game and he is the lone representative for his team much like Michael Cuddyer last season. There are three catchers on the AL roster so Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers and Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles will join Mauer. Napolit gets the start and Mauer and Wieters will be used in relief on a night where the temperature is suppose to be in the high 90s. When the announcement of the teams was made on Sunday, there was an uproar across the social media world that Mauer would get the only spot on the All-Star team for the Twins. Fans looked at Willingham and his high home run total and team-leading RBI total and they made the case that he should be on the team over Mauer. For the first month or so of the season, it looked like Willingham would be the only choice from the Twins roster. A rough month of May where he batted .220 brought his numbers back down to earth and might have pushed his first All-Star appearance out of reach. The outrage towards Mauer was painful to read in the moments following the announcement of the team. Twins President Dave St. Peter was left to defend Mauer in a few different tweets to angered fans. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qqozLmDtV6s/T_D0CwZJ_RI/AAAAAAAACgI/g7vtR23GbwM/s320/Picture+1.png It seemed like fans were attacking a player for his rough season in 2011 and not looking at the numbers that he has put up so far in 2012. He leads the entire AL in OBP and he ranks fifth in the AL in batting out of the players that have qualified for the leaderboard. According to FanGraphs version of WAR, Mauer has been equal to Willingham but Mauer is ranked number one among catchers. In comparison, Willingham ranks ninth among outfielders and the only outfielder with a lower WAR than him to make it was Curtis Granderson. For the second year in a row, the Twins are off to a poor start and it would be hard to imagine the team getting more than one representative to the Mid-Summer Classic. It would take a couple of magical seasons from Twins players to get more than one representative. If the Twins had gotten better starting pitching for the duration of the season, there is a good chance the team would be out of the cellar in the AL. This could mean that players like Willingham and Diamond could have joined Mauer in Kansas City. Even Mauer himself told reporters that he was upset that he would be making the trip from Minneapolis by himself. During the 2012 season, it has been disappointing to read and hear the hatred toward Mauer even though he is in the midst of a very good season. There have been plenty of double play balls hit to second base off of the bat of Mauer as he enters the second year of his monster deal. Only 35 of his 69 games have been spent behind the plate and he doesn't hit many home runs or rack up a ton of RBI. So for some people that consider themselves "fans" of the Twins, there will continue to be things to pick apart for the $23 million man. In a season that might already be lost, there is a long list of things to be frustrated about for the Twins and Mauer shouldn't be anywhere near the top of the list. The American League needed to fill a catching spot on the roster and the Twins had a player that was more than deserving of a place in the All-Star Game. If there had been some holes to fill in the outfield, the same case could have been made for Willingham. There seems to be a portion of fan base for the Twins that don't appreciate the greatness of the player they have the privilege to witness. Mauer deserves to be an All-Star even if a faction of the fan base doesn't think he should be there.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ml1ZioYWw4/T_D48dTN0oI/AAAAAAAACh4/2iQJMPGHdhI/s320/mauer_willingham_640.jpg On Sunday afternoon, the 2012 MLB All-Star rosters were announced for the American League and the National League. There were a few different candidates that had the opportunity to be selected to be the Twins representative. Joe Mauer is near the top of the AL in a variety of batting categories and he plays a premium defensive position. Josh Willingham started off the season on quite the run and he might be the team MVP to this point. Since his promotion at the beginning of May, Scott Diamond has been the ace of the Twins pitching staff. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton have been dominant in their appearances out of the bullpen. In the end, the Twins will have one representative for the second year in a row. Joe Mauer was selected to his fifth career All-Star Game and he is the lone representative for his team much like Michael Cuddyer last season. There are three catchers on the AL roster so Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers and Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles will join Mauer. Napolit gets the start and Mauer and Wieters will be used in relief on a night where the temperature is suppose to be in the high 90s. When the announcement of the teams was made on Sunday, there was an uproar across the social media world that Mauer would get the only spot on the All-Star team for the Twins. Fans looked at Willingham and his high home run total and team-leading RBI total and they made the case that he should be on the team over Mauer. For the first month or so of the season, it looked like Willingham would be the only choice from the Twins roster. A rough month of May where he batted .220 brought his numbers back down to earth and might have pushed his first All-Star appearance out of reach. The outrage towards Mauer was painful to read in the moments following the announcement of the team. Twins President Dave St. Peter was left to defend Mauer in a few different tweets to angered fans. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qqozLmDtV6s/T_D0CwZJ_RI/AAAAAAAACgI/g7vtR23GbwM/s320/Picture+1.png It seemed like fans were attacking a player for his rough season in 2011 and not looking at the numbers that he has put up so far in 2012. He leads the entire AL in OBP and he ranks fifth in the AL in batting out of the players that have qualified for the leaderboard. According to FanGraphs version of WAR, Mauer has been equal to Willingham but Mauer is ranked number one among catchers. In comparison, Willingham ranks ninth among outfielders and the only outfielder with a lower WAR than him to make it was Curtis Granderson. For the second year in a row, the Twins are off to a poor start and it would be hard to imagine the team getting more than one representative to the Mid-Summer Classic. It would take a couple of magical seasons from Twins players to get more than one representative. If the Twins had gotten better starting pitching for the duration of the season, there is a good chance the team would be out of the cellar in the AL. This could mean that players like Willingham and Diamond could have joined Mauer in Kansas City. Even Mauer himself told reporters that he was upset that he would be making the trip from Minneapolis by himself. During the 2012 season, it has been disappointing to read and hear the hatred toward Mauer even though he is in the midst of a very good season. There have been plenty of double play balls hit to second base off of the bat of Mauer as he enters the second year of his monster deal. Only 35 of his 69 games have been spent behind the plate and he doesn't hit many home runs or rack up a ton of RBI. So for some people that consider themselves "fans" of the Twins, there will continue to be things to pick apart for the $23 million man. In a season that might already be lost, there is a long list of things to be frustrated about for the Twins and Mauer shouldn't be anywhere near the top of the list. The American League needed to fill a catching spot on the roster and the Twins had a player that was more than deserving of a place in the All-Star Game. If there had been some holes to fill in the outfield, the same case could have been made for Willingham. There seems to be a portion of fan base for the Twins that don't appreciate the greatness of the player they have the privilege to witness. Mauer deserves to be an All-Star even if a faction of the fan base doesn't think he should be there.

He should be able to bunt for home runs in Baltimore so I am excited to see what he can do in black and orange (even if he will look weird in those colors)

With the way Plouffe and Willingham have been jerking home runs to left field, it certainly isn't looking like a pitchers park. Players are starting to figure out how to hit at Target Field and that is making the offensive numbers show up.

With the Carlos Lee deal falling through the cracks, I like the sound of this deal. It would also be nice to free up some playing time for Parmelee so he isn't just sitting on the bench.

If the Twins want to get Greinke, they aren't going to offer up anything major. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and they will go after him at that point if they want him. It will take a lot of money but it would be nice to have him at the top of the rotation for next season. Especially with all of the unknowns for the rotation in 2013.

I'm fine with leaving Dozier at shortstop and seeing what he can do for the rest of the season. The Twins are not close to being in contention so why not let him play? At the end of the season, the Twins can look back on the season and decide if a change needs to be made. For now, let him take his lumps and hopefully a few minor adjustments will make his second half look better than the first.

It will be interesting to see if they can work any magic with Dozier's batting during the rest of the season. That could be another turnaround story.

It will be Mauer as the back-up catcher for the AL

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After a rough series with the White Sox, the Twins had an off day on Thursday to enjoy the Harmon Killebrew Foundation Golf Tournament and other activities in the Twin Cities. The team will pick up play this weekend with four games against the Kansas City Royals and that includes a day-night doubleheader on Saturday. At this point last season, the Twins made a run to pull themselves a little closer before the All-Star Break and this series could do the same thing for this year's club. Earlier in the week, a tragic piece of news came out of the organization. Paul Bargas, a 23-year old minor league pitcher in the Twins organization, passed away at far too young of an age. He came to the Twins from the Rockies as part of the Jose Morales deal a couple of seasons ago but he never pitched in the Twins system after being diagnosed with brain cancer. The Star Tribune did a wonderful piece on him in the winter and if there is one thing you read off of this list, it should be this article. One of the most exciting developments of the week has to be former Twins player Lew Ford joining the Twitter world. There could be plenty of teams looking to trade with the Twins in the next month and that includes the Rangers, the Blue Jays, and the Phillies. With Francisco Liriano's hot play in recent weeks, it's hard to imagine what his value would be on the trade market. After the Yankees lost two lefties out of their rotation, it might be time to get to business on a trade for Francisco Liriano. WWTD? (What will Terry do?) I'm glad you asked... The Phillies are shopping Jim Thome to AL teams but a return trip to the Twin Cities doesn't seem to make much sense. The Twins Daily crew is holding a "Fracas on the Field" event in August and it sounds like it will be a great evening of baseball related activities. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ICyjEpOTEYw/T-0o_wLj7xI/AAAAAAAACeY/ppnoGjUMZh4/s320/Fracas-on-the-Field.jpg Michael Cuddyer and the Rockies are near the bottom of the NL but it looks like the former Twins player won't be traded before the deadline. Do Valencia's shortcomings hasten the arrival of Sano? The short answer is no but he has plenty to work on in the next couple years. The first five rounds of the MLB Draft can make or break an organization and the Twins need some home runs out of the 2012 Class. The jersey worn by Don Larsen in the most famous perfect game in history is going to be up for auction. Some writers don't think Brian Dozier should still be in the majors after all of his struggles this season. Twins fans will remember the bad call made on the Joe Mauer hit down the line in the playoffs and now there was another bad call at Yankee Stadium. A minor league team lost a game in extra-innings after a player failed to touch the plate on a home run. MLB attendance is way up this season but the Twins have the biggest drop of any club in fans attending their games. Frank Viola's daughter, Brittany, made the US Olympic team as a diver and she is quite the athlete. Here is a video used during the competition where the younger Viola talks about her dad's time with the Twins. Who should be the Twins representative in the All-Star Game? There are a few candidates. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Searching for a Revere home run Tuesday: Tuesday Morning Tidbits Tuesday's Trip through the Minors Thursday: Filling out the 2012 All-Star Ballot Diamond and Plouffe talk to Season Ticket Holders Video of the Week: Mike Trout made a tremendous catch earlier this week and you should check it out if you haven't seen it. It looked very similar to a famous catch made by Torii Hunter in the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee. Granted Trout's was in a game that actually meant something but Hunter's catch was in front of a major audience. Both videos can be found at the link provided.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After a rough series with the White Sox, the Twins had an off day on Thursday to enjoy the Harmon Killebrew Foundation Golf Tournament and other activities in the Twin Cities. The team will pick up play this weekend with four games against the Kansas City Royals and that includes a day-night doubleheader on Saturday. At this point last season, the Twins made a run to pull themselves a little closer before the All-Star Break and this series could do the same thing for this year's club. Earlier in the week, a tragic piece of news came out of the organization. Paul Bargas, a 23-year old minor league pitcher in the Twins organization, passed away at far too young of an age. He came to the Twins from the Rockies as part of the Jose Morales deal a couple of seasons ago but he never pitched in the Twins system after being diagnosed with brain cancer. The Star Tribune did a wonderful piece on him in the winter and if there is one thing you read off of this list, it should be this article. One of the most exciting developments of the week has to be former Twins player Lew Ford joining the Twitter world. There could be plenty of teams looking to trade with the Twins in the next month and that includes the Rangers, the Blue Jays, and the Phillies. With Francisco Liriano's hot play in recent weeks, it's hard to imagine what his value would be on the trade market. After the Yankees lost two lefties out of their rotation, it might be time to get to business on a trade for Francisco Liriano. WWTD? (What will Terry do?) I'm glad you asked... The Phillies are shopping Jim Thome to AL teams but a return trip to the Twin Cities doesn't seem to make much sense. The Twins Daily crew is holding a "Fracas on the Field" event in August and it sounds like it will be a great evening of baseball related activities. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ICyjEpOTEYw/T-0o_wLj7xI/AAAAAAAACeY/ppnoGjUMZh4/s320/Fracas-on-the-Field.jpg Michael Cuddyer and the Rockies are near the bottom of the NL but it looks like the former Twins player won't be traded before the deadline. Do Valencia's shortcomings hasten the arrival of Sano? The short answer is no but he has plenty to work on in the next couple years. The first five rounds of the MLB Draft can make or break an organization and the Twins need some home runs out of the 2012 Class. The jersey worn by Don Larsen in the most famous perfect game in history is going to be up for auction. Some writers don't think Brian Dozier should still be in the majors after all of his struggles this season. Twins fans will remember the bad call made on the Joe Mauer hit down the line in the playoffs and now there was another bad call at Yankee Stadium. A minor league team lost a game in extra-innings after a player failed to touch the plate on a home run. MLB attendance is way up this season but the Twins have the biggest drop of any club in fans attending their games. Frank Viola's daughter, Brittany, made the US Olympic team as a diver and she is quite the athlete. Here is a video used during the competition where the younger Viola talks about her dad's time with the Twins. Who should be the Twins representative in the All-Star Game? There are a few candidates. My Weekly Rundown: Monday: Searching for a Revere home run Tuesday: Tuesday Morning Tidbits Tuesday's Trip through the Minors Thursday: Filling out the 2012 All-Star Ballot Diamond and Plouffe talk to Season Ticket Holders Video of the Week: Mike Trout made a tremendous catch earlier this week and you should check it out if you haven't seen it. It looked very similar to a famous catch made by Torii Hunter in the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee. Granted Trout's was in a game that actually meant something but Hunter's catch was in front of a major audience. Both videos can be found at the link provided.

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Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CmydG0JkmKs/T-0AJJlItXI/AAAAAAAACco/K4BK-a6NIYg/s1600/300_fanforum.jpg As part of the Twins off day on Thursday, the Twins held their sixth Fan Forum with current third baseman Trevor Plouffe and left-handed pitcher Scott Diamond. This conference call allows season ticket holders, "On-Deck" members, and group organizers to ask a variety of questions in the hour long event. There were also multiple prizes given away including on-field passes, VIP parking, the opportunity to raise the Twins Territory Flag, and some autographed items. There were some interesting quotes from both players over the course of the night but one quote from Diamond stuck out to me. The fan that asked the question wanted to know what players on the Twins had made the biggest impact on their careers. Since Diamond is a pitcher, he mentioned Carl Pavano and a surprising name, Kevin Slowey. He made note of the fact that Slowey taught him different ways to think about his approach to pitching. After Slowey's rough exit from the organization, it is interesting to hear his impact on what is now the team's best starting pitcher. Diamond also talked highly about the welcoming environment in the Twins clubhouse when he joined the team last year. He said this was an improvement over what he had seen in the Braves organization. Later in the call, Diamond talked about using the other veteran players on ways to approach hitters in the American League. Other hurlers like Brian Duensing and Carl Pavano have helped to familiarize him with their opponents. On more than one occasion, Diamond praised the work of Rick Anderson to help him make his turnaround. He said that "Andy" gets him mentally prepared for each start in a variety of ways. There are times that Diamond can try and pitch to the scouting reports too much and this takes away from his game. Anderson helps Diamond by keeping him focused on his style of pitching and it seems to have worked so far. Here are some other random tidbits from Diamond's answers on Thursday night. Fellow left-hander Andy Pettitte is someone that Diamond admires because of their similar throwing style.His favorite park to pitch in is the Rogers Centre because it is close to his family in Canada. On his off days, Diamond likes to spend time outside and on the water. He came from a National League organization but he likes the DH. He said it takes away from his pitching when he has to think about all that goes into batting. There have obviously been some changes to Plouffe's approach at the plate during the 2012 season. While Diamond talked highly of Anderson, Plouffe had nothing but praise for Joe Valvra and the hard work that he has done. He credited Valvra with making his swing better and for having a vast knowledge about every pitcher the Twins face. Part of the changes for Plouffe have come in the last week. He referred to the last seven days as "slider mania" because of the way pitchers have changed their approach with him at the plate. This is just one more thing for him and Valvra to work on. One of the poll questions for the night was about who the fans thought would lead the team in home runs by the end of the year. A laughable choice in the live poll was Joe Mauer and needless to say, he didn't finish first in the balloting. When Plouffe was asked about his battle with Josh Willingham for leading the team in home runs, he said that he doesn't care who ends up on top. If Diamond and Plouffe had their way, both Plouffe and Willingham would finish tied with atleast 70 home runs. There are some other things that Plouffe has been focusing on as he finds himself in the line-up on a daily basis. Since he hasn't played much third base in the past, he is putting in a lot of work at the hot corner. There are new angles to the ball that he has to get use to at third. He has been working on his defense a lot and he stressed the fact that his defense is an important part of his game. Plouffe wants to be a good defensive player at third and not just an average defender. Here are some other tidbits from Plouffe's answers during the conversation. He has been taking more first pitches this season so he can work on tracking pitches. This has especially been the case with pitchers he has never seen before. He loves to play golf on his off day. Today he went with Anthony Swarzak, Brian Dozier, and Drew Butera. Apparently Drew Butera is a stud on the golf course. His favorite stadium to play in is Angels Stadium because his family is from the area. There were plenty of jokes about Plouffe being engaged and how daughters across Twins Territory are up in arms about him being off of the market.

Original post from North Dakota Twins Fan http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CmydG0JkmKs/T-0AJJlItXI/AAAAAAAACco/K4BK-a6NIYg/s1600/300_fanforum.jpg As part of the Twins off day on Thursday, the Twins held their sixth Fan Forum with current third baseman Trevor Plouffe and left-handed pitcher Scott Diamond. This conference call allows season ticket holders, "On-Deck" members, and group organizers to ask a variety of questions in the hour long event. There were also multiple prizes given away including on-field passes, VIP parking, the opportunity to raise the Twins Territory Flag, and some autographed items. There were some interesting quotes from both players over the course of the night but one quote from Diamond stuck out to me. The fan that asked the question wanted to know what players on the Twins had made the biggest impact on their careers. Since Diamond is a pitcher, he mentioned Carl Pavano and a surprising name, Kevin Slowey. He made note of the fact that Slowey taught him different ways to think about his approach to pitching. After Slowey's rough exit from the organization, it is interesting to hear his impact on what is now the team's best starting pitcher. Diamond also talked highly about the welcoming environment in the Twins clubhouse when he joined the team last year. He said this was an improvement over what he had seen in the Braves organization. Later in the call, Diamond talked about using the other veteran players on ways to approach hitters in the American League. Other hurlers like Brian Duensing and Carl Pavano have helped to familiarize him with their opponents. On more than one occasion, Diamond praised the work of Rick Anderson to help him make his turnaround. He said that "Andy" gets him mentally prepared for each start in a variety of ways. There are times that Diamond can try and pitch to the scouting reports too much and this takes away from his game. Anderson helps Diamond by keeping him focused on his style of pitching and it seems to have worked so far. Here are some other random tidbits from Diamond's answers on Thursday night. Fellow left-hander Andy Pettitte is someone that Diamond admires because of their similar throwing style.His favorite park to pitch in is the Rogers Centre because it is close to his family in Canada. On his off days, Diamond likes to spend time outside and on the water. He came from a National League organization but he likes the DH. He said it takes away from his pitching when he has to think about all that goes into batting. There have obviously been some changes to Plouffe's approach at the plate during the 2012 season. While Diamond talked highly of Anderson, Plouffe had nothing but praise for Joe Valvra and the hard work that he has done. He credited Valvra with making his swing better and for having a vast knowledge about every pitcher the Twins face. Part of the changes for Plouffe have come in the last week. He referred to the last seven days as "slider mania" because of the way pitchers have changed their approach with him at the plate. This is just one more thing for him and Valvra to work on. One of the poll questions for the night was about who the fans thought would lead the team in home runs by the end of the year. A laughable choice in the live poll was Joe Mauer and needless to say, he didn't finish first in the balloting. When Plouffe was asked about his battle with Josh Willingham for leading the team in home runs, he said that he doesn't care who ends up on top. If Diamond and Plouffe had their way, both Plouffe and Willingham would finish tied with atleast 70 home runs. There are some other things that Plouffe has been focusing on as he finds himself in the line-up on a daily basis. Since he hasn't played much third base in the past, he is putting in a lot of work at the hot corner. There are new angles to the ball that he has to get use to at third. He has been working on his defense a lot and he stressed the fact that his defense is an important part of his game. Plouffe wants to be a good defensive player at third and not just an average defender. Here are some other tidbits from Plouffe's answers during the conversation. He has been taking more first pitches this season so he can work on tracking pitches. This has especially been the case with pitchers he has never seen before. He loves to play golf on his off day. Today he went with Anthony Swarzak, Brian Dozier, and Drew Butera. Apparently Drew Butera is a stud on the golf course. His favorite stadium to play in is Angels Stadium because his family is from the area. There were plenty of jokes about Plouffe being engaged and how daughters across Twins Territory are up in arms about him being off of the market.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f_PHNj070Po/T-oBZjPoBhI/AAAAAAAACY4/Wy7rJR20WXA/s320/2012+All+Star+ballot.jpg Frequent visitors to this site might have noticed the logo on the right side of the page for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. There are a few different obligations that come along being part of this organization. Through out the year, the members vote on who should be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, all of the end of the season awards (MVP, Rookie of the Year, etc), and various other things. It is almost time for the All-Star rosters to be announced and that means it is time to post the players that I think should be starting in the Mid-Summer Classic. There are some tight races in the balloting but lucky enough for me I don't have to stick to what the ballots are saying. Here is the look at my starters for the American League and the National League in the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City. 2012 American League All-Star Ballot C: Joe Mauer, Twins- He ranks in the top five for batting average and he is near the top of the list for highest on-base percentage in the entire American League. It looks like Mike Napoli is going to easily win the fan voting and his postseason last year was very good. According to fWAR, Napoli is only the fifth best catcher in the AL and Mauer ranks number one. 1B: Paul Konerko, White Sox- He is off to a tremendous start in the 2012 for the White Sox and he ranks in the top two in the AL in batting average and OBP. There are some other candidates in the AL like Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols but Konerko deserves the start. At 36-years old, it would be cool for him to get a start in an All-Star game in the Midwest since he has played his entire career in that region. 2B: Robinson Cano, Yankees- There are some very good candidates in the American League at second base but Cano is clearly the best among the group. He plays outstanding defense and combines this with a powerful swing. In recent weeks, he has looked like the best hitter in the American League. The 2011 Home Run Derby Champion will be defending his title as the AL Team Captain in the event for 2012. 3B: Adrian Beltre, Rangers- Mike Moustakas and Brett Lawrie might be fighting over this All-Star spot in the coming years. But for right now, there are a couple of veteran players that deserve the honor. Miguel Cabrera has moved back to third base and he is considered one of the best hitters in the game. My vote goes to Beltre for his overall performance at the plate and in the field. SS: Elvis Andrus, Rangers- It seems like the AL shortstop position will belong to Derek Jeter until he decides to retire. That's fine for one of the most consistent players of the current generation. His defense pulls down his value at shortstop and he didn't even want to show up at the game last year so I am looking at other candidates. Andrus and Beltre combine for quite the left side of the infield for the Rangers and they should both be starting in Kansas City. OF: Mike Trout, Angels- Trout is having an MVP caliber season for the Los Angeles Angels and he is only 20-years old. The rookie outfield has shown tremendous speed, defense, and power after starting the year in the minor leagues. The biggest downfall to his All-Star resume is the fact that he isn't on the ballot. Fans will have to write his name in but he could get voted in as a reserve player. OF: Josh Hamilton, Rangers- For the first portion of the season, the Rangers looked like they were going to run away with the American League title for the third year in a row. Since that time, they have come back down to earth but they are still having a very good campaign. In a team full of very good players, Hamilton is near the top of the list which is good for him since he will be a free agent at the end of the year. OF: Adam Jones, Orioles- The Orioles have been sneaking around near the top of the division in the AL East for most of the season. Mr. Jones has been one of the biggest reasons for some of the team's success with some very good offensive numbers. He plays center field during the season; but in this outfield, he could move to a corner spot and let Trout take over the center field duties. DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox- Even with all of the craziness in Boston, Ortiz is on pace to have his best season hitting for power since 2007. Michael Young is piling up some votes since it seems that fans from the Rangers are stuffing the ballot boxes. This spot should still belong to Oritz but it is interesting to see Adam Dunn in third after his terrible season last year. SP: Justin Verlander, Tigers- The reigning AL MVP and Cy Young winner doesn't have as many wins in 2012 but he is still having a very good year. Chris Sale and CC Sabathia could also be considered for the starting job but Verlander would be the front runner on my ballot. Over the last full season, he has been the best pitcher in the league. 2012 National League All-Star Ballot C: Carlos Ruiz, Phillies- The fans look to be in favor of starting one of the last two World Series winning catcher behind the plate, Buster Posey or Yadier Molina, which are still good choices. On the other hand, Ruiz has been outstanding in a Phillies line-up that has been full of injuries this season. It would be a shame to see Ruiz left off of the NL roster but there are some very good catchers in the Senior Circuit. 1B: Joey Votto, Reds- He might be the best hitter in the entire game of baseball and there should be no doubt about him starting at first base. Many of the other big names from the NL at first base have shifted to the AL. Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Adrian Gonzalez have all left for bigger markets and this leave Votto as the hands down candidate for the next few years. 2B: Aaron Hill, Diamondbacks- How can Dan Uggla and his .240 batting average be leading the vote for second base? That just seems wrong and his power numbers aren't much better than the rest of the field. At a weak position in the NL, I will give the nod to Hill. He isn't even in the top five in the fan balloting but he has the highest BA, OBP, and OPS of all second baseman in the NL. 3B: David Wright, Mets- The Mets have surprised a lot of people by still being in contention at this point in the season. It helps to have some outstanding pitching from RA Dickey but Wright looks to be an MVP candidate at third base. His home run total has been lower since the Mets moved to Citi Field but he seems to have adjusted to his new home and he is in the hunt for the batting title. SS: Starlin Castro, Cubs- Much like at second base in the NL, there are no standout candidates at shortstop. Jed Lawrie is leading in fWAR and he is helped by his 14 home runs but doing this on a team in Houston isn't helping his cause. Troy Tulowitzki has missed a chunk of the year with an injury. Castro sits near the top at this position in a variety of categories so he gets my vote. OF: Ryan Braun, Brewers- After his MVP performance last year, Braun is not showing any ill effects from his steroid situation and the loss of Prince Fielder. His production has been among the best in the NL even with some nagging injuries throughout the season. While Matt Kemp has missed time with his injuries, Braun has fought through his pain and been in the line-up for most of the year. OF: Michael Bourn, Braves- Three of the Braves starting outfielders could be up for the starting job in the All-Star Game with Jason Heyward, Martin Prado, and Bourn playing at a very high level. Bourn has used his speed to be a threat on the base paths and he ranks second to Braun in the fWAR for outfielders in the NL. If Matt Kemp wasn't hurt, this spot would likely go to him but an injury to Kemp means that someone else has to take his place. OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates- For the second year in a row, the Pirates are surprising some people with their first half play in the NL Central. The man powering the Pirates on the offensive side of the ball is Mr. McCutchen. After signing a big contract extension in the offseason, he is showing his team that he was worth the money by putting together his best season as a professional. SP: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals- There are quite a few National League hurlers having outstanding seasons so it is going to be tough for Tony La Russa to pick out the man on the mound for the first couple of innings. RA Dickey has been on an incredible run, Matt Cain threw a perfect game, and Zack Greinke is in the middle of another fantastic season. If MLB wants to add a little more excitement to the game, Strasburg should be the man and it helps that he is having a Cy Young caliber season for one of the best teams in the NL.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f_PHNj070Po/T-oBZjPoBhI/AAAAAAAACY4/Wy7rJR20WXA/s320/2012+All+Star+ballot.jpg Frequent visitors to this site might have noticed the logo on the right side of the page for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. There are a few different obligations that come along being part of this organization. Through out the year, the members vote on who should be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, all of the end of the season awards (MVP, Rookie of the Year, etc), and various other things. It is almost time for the All-Star rosters to be announced and that means it is time to post the players that I think should be starting in the Mid-Summer Classic. There are some tight races in the balloting but lucky enough for me I don't have to stick to what the ballots are saying. Here is the look at my starters for the American League and the National League in the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City. 2012 American League All-Star Ballot C: Joe Mauer, Twins- He ranks in the top five for batting average and he is near the top of the list for highest on-base percentage in the entire American League. It looks like Mike Napoli is going to easily win the fan voting and his postseason last year was very good. According to fWAR, Napoli is only the fifth best catcher in the AL and Mauer ranks number one. 1B: Paul Konerko, White Sox- He is off to a tremendous start in the 2012 for the White Sox and he ranks in the top two in the AL in batting average and OBP. There are some other candidates in the AL like Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, and Albert Pujols but Konerko deserves the start. At 36-years old, it would be cool for him to get a start in an All-Star game in the Midwest since he has played his entire career in that region. 2B: Robinson Cano, Yankees- There are some very good candidates in the American League at second base but Cano is clearly the best among the group. He plays outstanding defense and combines this with a powerful swing. In recent weeks, he has looked like the best hitter in the American League. The 2011 Home Run Derby Champion will be defending his title as the AL Team Captain in the event for 2012. 3B: Adrian Beltre, Rangers- Mike Moustakas and Brett Lawrie might be fighting over this All-Star spot in the coming years. But for right now, there are a couple of veteran players that deserve the honor. Miguel Cabrera has moved back to third base and he is considered one of the best hitters in the game. My vote goes to Beltre for his overall performance at the plate and in the field. SS: Elvis Andrus, Rangers- It seems like the AL shortstop position will belong to Derek Jeter until he decides to retire. That's fine for one of the most consistent players of the current generation. His defense pulls down his value at shortstop and he didn't even want to show up at the game last year so I am looking at other candidates. Andrus and Beltre combine for quite the left side of the infield for the Rangers and they should both be starting in Kansas City. OF: Mike Trout, Angels- Trout is having an MVP caliber season for the Los Angeles Angels and he is only 20-years old. The rookie outfield has shown tremendous speed, defense, and power after starting the year in the minor leagues. The biggest downfall to his All-Star resume is the fact that he isn't on the ballot. Fans will have to write his name in but he could get voted in as a reserve player. OF: Josh Hamilton, Rangers- For the first portion of the season, the Rangers looked like they were going to run away with the American League title for the third year in a row. Since that time, they have come back down to earth but they are still having a very good campaign. In a team full of very good players, Hamilton is near the top of the list which is good for him since he will be a free agent at the end of the year. OF: Adam Jones, Orioles- The Orioles have been sneaking around near the top of the division in the AL East for most of the season. Mr. Jones has been one of the biggest reasons for some of the team's success with some very good offensive numbers. He plays center field during the season; but in this outfield, he could move to a corner spot and let Trout take over the center field duties. DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox- Even with all of the craziness in Boston, Ortiz is on pace to have his best season hitting for power since 2007. Michael Young is piling up some votes since it seems that fans from the Rangers are stuffing the ballot boxes. This spot should still belong to Oritz but it is interesting to see Adam Dunn in third after his terrible season last year. SP: Justin Verlander, Tigers- The reigning AL MVP and Cy Young winner doesn't have as many wins in 2012 but he is still having a very good year. Chris Sale and CC Sabathia could also be considered for the starting job but Verlander would be the front runner on my ballot. Over the last full season, he has been the best pitcher in the league. 2012 National League All-Star Ballot C: Carlos Ruiz, Phillies- The fans look to be in favor of starting one of the last two World Series winning catcher behind the plate, Buster Posey or Yadier Molina, which are still good choices. On the other hand, Ruiz has been outstanding in a Phillies line-up that has been full of injuries this season. It would be a shame to see Ruiz left off of the NL roster but there are some very good catchers in the Senior Circuit. 1B: Joey Votto, Reds- He might be the best hitter in the entire game of baseball and there should be no doubt about him starting at first base. Many of the other big names from the NL at first base have shifted to the AL. Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Adrian Gonzalez have all left for bigger markets and this leave Votto as the hands down candidate for the next few years. 2B: Aaron Hill, Diamondbacks- How can Dan Uggla and his .240 batting average be leading the vote for second base? That just seems wrong and his power numbers aren't much better than the rest of the field. At a weak position in the NL, I will give the nod to Hill. He isn't even in the top five in the fan balloting but he has the highest BA, OBP, and OPS of all second baseman in the NL. 3B: David Wright, Mets- The Mets have surprised a lot of people by still being in contention at this point in the season. It helps to have some outstanding pitching from RA Dickey but Wright looks to be an MVP candidate at third base. His home run total has been lower since the Mets moved to Citi Field but he seems to have adjusted to his new home and he is in the hunt for the batting title. SS: Starlin Castro, Cubs- Much like at second base in the NL, there are no standout candidates at shortstop. Jed Lawrie is leading in fWAR and he is helped by his 14 home runs but doing this on a team in Houston isn't helping his cause. Troy Tulowitzki has missed a chunk of the year with an injury. Castro sits near the top at this position in a variety of categories so he gets my vote. OF: Ryan Braun, Brewers- After his MVP performance last year, Braun is not showing any ill effects from his steroid situation and the loss of Prince Fielder. His production has been among the best in the NL even with some nagging injuries throughout the season. While Matt Kemp has missed time with his injuries, Braun has fought through his pain and been in the line-up for most of the year. OF: Michael Bourn, Braves- Three of the Braves starting outfielders could be up for the starting job in the All-Star Game with Jason Heyward, Martin Prado, and Bourn playing at a very high level. Bourn has used his speed to be a threat on the base paths and he ranks second to Braun in the fWAR for outfielders in the NL. If Matt Kemp wasn't hurt, this spot would likely go to him but an injury to Kemp means that someone else has to take his place. OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates- For the second year in a row, the Pirates are surprising some people with their first half play in the NL Central. The man powering the Pirates on the offensive side of the ball is Mr. McCutchen. After signing a big contract extension in the offseason, he is showing his team that he was worth the money by putting together his best season as a professional. SP: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals- There are quite a few National League hurlers having outstanding seasons so it is going to be tough for Tony La Russa to pick out the man on the mound for the first couple of innings. RA Dickey has been on an incredible run, Matt Cain threw a perfect game, and Zack Greinke is in the middle of another fantastic season. If MLB wants to add a little more excitement to the game, Strasburg should be the man and it helps that he is having a Cy Young caliber season for one of the best teams in the NL.

I was waiting for this move to happen at some point. I think Manship would have been gone earlier if Slama and Oliveros were healthy

Just terrible to hear. Thoughts and prayers to his family and friends

The Red Wings will have one representative in the International League All-Star Game on July 11 and that player is Pedro Florimon. The switch hitting shortstop is in his first season with the Twins organization after being claimed off of waivers from the Orioles in the offseason. He is batting .260 with seven doubles, three home runs, and 11 RBI since being promoted to Rochester at the beginning of May. As I wrote about in last night's minor league update, he has hit .333 in the midst of a hot streak over the last ten games.