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After a drama filled game on Tuesday evening in which the [B]Minnesota Twins[/B] rallied to beat the [B]Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim[/B] in 10 innings, the teams were back at it Wednesday afternoon with the Twins having a rare opportunity to sweep a road series. The game was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel throughout the game, but it was a blown call by an umpire that ultimately stole the show in the Twins’ 1-0 defeat. [attachment=6333:2959.attach] The Twins had runners on first and second base with [B]Justin Morneau [/B]up to bat and nobody out. Angels’ closer [B]Ernesto Frieri[/B] had been struggling mightily with his command and the Twins were poised to scratch across a few runs and possibly steal another game on the road, but all of that changed in the blink of an eye due to a crucial “judgment” error by the umpire. Morneau hit a soft, broken bat pop-up that was heading towards Frieri, who had plenty of time to make what appeared to be a routine play, when Frieri suddenly let the ball drop in front of him before throwing to first for the out. [CENTER] ~~~Originally published on [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/07/25/umpires-error-jeopardizes-minnesota-twins-sweep-in-los-angeles/"]RantSports.com[/URL]~~~ [/CENTER] Now why would Frieri let the ball drop you may ask? Well it’s pretty simple: if Frieri lets the ball drop, he can then pick it up and turn a double play because the runner at first—if he is a smart base runner—will freeze on such a slow and low-level pop-up and will head back to first. By letting the ball drop and throwing to first base, Frieri ensured he would get Morneau out and also catch the runner at first—[B]Doug Bernier[/B]—in a run-down for the second out. You may be asking yourself: where did the umpire make the error? The answer is that Frieri should never of had the opportunity to let the ball drop in front of him. The umpire should have ruled the play an infield fly, which would have held the Twins to one out, and the runners would have returned to their respective bases and could advance at their own risk. Too often, fans and media members believe that an infield field fly can only be called if there is a pop-up that has occurred in the confines of the infield with runners on first and second base and less than two outs; but that understanding is mistaken. According to the [B]MLB[/B] Official Rules, by definition, “An infield fly is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.” The key words to pay attention to in the infield fly definition are “caught by an infielder with ordinary effort”. The fact that Frieri had time to see the ball in the air, decide to let it fall and be able to make a double-play should be evidence enough that something wasn’t right. With ordinary effort—or below ordinary effort for that matter—Frieri could have easily caught the low-hanging pop-up; thus, the umpire should have called an infield fly because it was a play that the infielder could have made with ordinary effort. There is no way the umpire could have argued that Morneau’s pop-up was a line drive because, by definition, a line drive is a batted ball that goes sharp and direct from the bat to a fielder without touching the ground. Morneau’s hit wasn’t sharp and if it were, Frieri never would have had the chance or choice to let the ball drop in front of him like he did. This missed call may seem insignificant due to the fact that the Twins are so far out of contention; but the fact remains that this type of a missed call could cost a team a decisive game down the stretch and thus, it needs to be called correctly. Contrarians will argue that the play was a “judgment call” by the umpire; but in my mind, the only judgment conducted on the play was by Frieri himself as to whether or not he should let the ball drop. That, baseball fans, sure sounds like an infield fly to me. [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][I]Brian Wille is a [/I][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/minnesota-twins/"]Minnesota Twins[/URL][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][I] writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter[/I][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][URL="https://twitter.com/BeeWill15"]@BeeWill15[/URL][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][I] or “Like” him [/I][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][URL="https://www.facebook.com/BrianWilleRantsportscom"]on Facebook[/URL][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][I]or add him to your network on [/I][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][URL="https://plus.google.com/u/0/101730027510780138135"]Google[/URL] [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E][I]To view more articles by Brian Wille, click [/I][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR][URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/author/brianwille/"]here[/URL] View full article

[attachment=6036:2529.attach] Photo Courtesy of: Jesse Johnson- USA TODAY Sports Article originally published on [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/05/30/minnesota-twins-is-glen-perkins-recent-struggles-cause-for-concern/"]rantsports.com[/URL] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma]Since [B]Joe Nathan[/B] suffered a season-ending injury prior to the 2010 season, the Twins have seen a vast array of different pitchers to audition to fill the role of closer. Even Nathan himself came back for the 2011 season to nail down a few saves, but the Twins have seen players such as [B]Jon Rauch[/B], [B]Matt Capps[/B], [B]Jared Burton[/B] and [B]Glen Perkins[/B] try to lock down the closer job and few have succeeded.[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] Out of all of the candidates to emerge since 2010, Perkins has seemed the most dominant and successful of all of the pitchers, even though he ranks second among the players listed in blown saves over his Twins’ tenure with nine career blown saves in 37 career opportunities; only Capps has more with 12 blown saves in 57 opportunities over three seasons with the Twins. Now you can look at Perkins’ blown saves statistic and you may start to worry, but I caution you to take into consideration all of the factors before you worry yourself over nothing. Compared to the other candidates besides Capps, Perkins has appeared in more save appearances during his time with the Twins and since being named closer to start this season, Perkins has only blown two saves in 12 appearances. Compared to the days when Capps was blowing—whoops, I mean closing—games for the Twins, fans and coaches were on edge every time he took the mound because each save was a journey and Capps never looked confident or comfortable when he faced adversity or had to work out of tough situations. Perkins, on the other hand, has the pure stuff and mindset to dominate hitters in any situation and has lived up to that mantra so far as a closer; so compared to Capps, Perkins is a welcomed sight for a Twins’ bullpen that has been relied on heavily during the early portion of this season. The fact that Perkins has blown two saves early on this season and that Perkins has allowed a run in two of his last five appearances should be nothing to worry about for Twins’ fans. Perkins did come in to lock down his 11th save of the season on Wednesday night for the Twins in a 4-1 victory over the [B]Milwaukee Brewers[/B], but the irregularity by which Perkins has been asked to operate on has to be taking its toll on Perkins’ effectiveness because he can sometimes go days or weeks at a time without a save appearance. This can affect his ability to remain sharp on the mound despite the opportunities and appearances he makes when there isn’t a save opportunity in place. When given the ball during save opportunities on a consistent basis, Perkins can and will remain one of the more dominant closers in baseball today and will only get better as he gains more experience in the position. Although Perkins ERA is a bit on the high side at 3.20, he still posts very strong overall numbers with a 1.02 WHIP, a 13.98 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.83 strikeout to walk ratio with hitters hitting a combined .194 against him on the season. Those numbers, plus the eye-test, should be what Twins’ fans and analysts should focus on instead of his ERA or blown saves statistic. The season is early and like the rest of the Twins, Perkins is still growing into his role. It is crucial that Perkins gets the necessary development and experience over these next few seasons so he can be the dominant closer he is capable of being when the Twins return to contention over the next few seasons. Now is not the time for concern with Perkins, nor do I foresee a situation where there should be any cause for concern with Perkins at any point during the rest of this season. Make no mistake about it, Perkins is the Twins closer, he’s the best option they have at closer and he will remain the most dominant reliever and best option to close out games for the Twins for the remainder of the season and for the foreseeable future. [I] Brian Wille is a [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/minnesota-twins/"]Minnesota Twins[/URL] writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter [URL="https://twitter.com/BeeWill15"]@BeeWill15[/URL] or “Like” him [URL="https://www.facebook.com/BrianWilleRantsportscom"]on Facebook[/URL] or add him to your network on [URL="https://plus.google.com/u/0/101730027510780138135"]Google[/URL][/I] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial] [/FONT][/COLOR] View full article

[attachment=6035:2529.attach] Photo Courtesy of: Jesse Johnson- USA TODAY Sports Article originally published on [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/05/30/minnesota-twins-is-glen-perkins-recent-struggles-cause-for-concern/"]rantsports.com[/URL] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma]Since [B]Joe Nathan[/B] suffered a season-ending injury prior to the 2010 season, the Twins have seen a vast array of different pitchers to audition to fill the role of closer. Even Nathan himself came back for the 2011 season to nail down a few saves, but the Twins have seen players such as [B]Jon Rauch[/B], [B]Matt Capps[/B], [B]Jared Burton[/B] and [B]Glen Perkins[/B] try to lock down the closer job and few have succeeded.[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] Out of all of the candidates to emerge since 2010, Perkins has seemed the most dominant and successful of all of the pitchers, even though he ranks second among the players listed in blown saves over his Twins’ tenure with nine career blown saves in 37 career opportunities; only Capps has more with 12 blown saves in 57 opportunities over three seasons with the Twins. Now you can look at Perkins’ blown saves statistic and you may start to worry, but I caution you to take into consideration all of the factors before you worry yourself over nothing. Compared to the other candidates besides Capps, Perkins has appeared in more save appearances during his time with the Twins and since being named closer to start this season, Perkins has only blown two saves in 12 appearances. Compared to the days when Capps was blowing—whoops, I mean closing—games for the Twins, fans and coaches were on edge every time he took the mound because each save was a journey and Capps never looked confident or comfortable when he faced adversity or had to work out of tough situations. Perkins, on the other hand, has the pure stuff and mindset to dominate hitters in any situation and has lived up to that mantra so far as a closer; so compared to Capps, Perkins is a welcomed sight for a Twins’ bullpen that has been relied on heavily during the early portion of this season. The fact that Perkins has blown two saves early on this season and that Perkins has allowed a run in two of his last five appearances should be nothing to worry about for Twins’ fans. Perkins did come in to lock down his 11th save of the season on Wednesday night for the Twins in a 4-1 victory over the [B]Milwaukee Brewers[/B], but the irregularity by which Perkins has been asked to operate on has to be taking its toll on Perkins’ effectiveness because he can sometimes go days or weeks at a time without a save appearance. This can affect his ability to remain sharp on the mound despite the opportunities and appearances he makes when there isn’t a save opportunity in place. When given the ball during save opportunities on a consistent basis, Perkins can and will remain one of the more dominant closers in baseball today and will only get better as he gains more experience in the position. Although Perkins ERA is a bit on the high side at 3.20, he still posts very strong overall numbers with a 1.02 WHIP, a 13.98 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.83 strikeout to walk ratio with hitters hitting a combined .194 against him on the season. Those numbers, plus the eye-test, should be what Twins’ fans and analysts should focus on instead of his ERA or blown saves statistic. The season is early and like the rest of the Twins, Perkins is still growing into his role. It is crucial that Perkins gets the necessary development and experience over these next few seasons so he can be the dominant closer he is capable of being when the Twins return to contention over the next few seasons. Now is not the time for concern with Perkins, nor do I foresee a situation where there should be any cause for concern with Perkins at any point during the rest of this season. Make no mistake about it, Perkins is the Twins closer, he’s the best option they have at closer and he will remain the most dominant reliever and best option to close out games for the Twins for the remainder of the season and for the foreseeable future. [I] Brian Wille is a [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/minnesota-twins/"]Minnesota Twins[/URL] writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter [URL="https://twitter.com/BeeWill15"]@BeeWill15[/URL] or “Like” him [URL="https://www.facebook.com/BrianWilleRantsportscom"]on Facebook[/URL] or add him to your network on [URL="https://plus.google.com/u/0/101730027510780138135"]Google[/URL][/I] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial] [/FONT][/COLOR] View full article

[attachment=6034:2529.attach] Photo Courtesy of: Jesse Johnson- USA TODAY Sports Article originally published on [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/05/30/minnesota-twins-is-glen-perkins-recent-struggles-cause-for-concern/"]rantsports.com[/URL] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Tahoma]Since [B]Joe Nathan[/B] suffered a season-ending injury prior to the 2010 season, the Twins have seen a vast array of different pitchers to audition to fill the role of closer. Even Nathan himself came back for the 2011 season to nail down a few saves, but the Twins have seen players such as [B]Jon Rauch[/B], [B]Matt Capps[/B], [B]Jared Burton[/B] and [B]Glen Perkins[/B] try to lock down the closer job and few have succeeded.[/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR] Out of all of the candidates to emerge since 2010, Perkins has seemed the most dominant and successful of all of the pitchers, even though he ranks second among the players listed in blown saves over his Twins’ tenure with nine career blown saves in 37 career opportunities; only Capps has more with 12 blown saves in 57 opportunities over three seasons with the Twins. Now you can look at Perkins’ blown saves statistic and you may start to worry, but I caution you to take into consideration all of the factors before you worry yourself over nothing. Compared to the other candidates besides Capps, Perkins has appeared in more save appearances during his time with the Twins and since being named closer to start this season, Perkins has only blown two saves in 12 appearances. Compared to the days when Capps was blowing—whoops, I mean closing—games for the Twins, fans and coaches were on edge every time he took the mound because each save was a journey and Capps never looked confident or comfortable when he faced adversity or had to work out of tough situations. Perkins, on the other hand, has the pure stuff and mindset to dominate hitters in any situation and has lived up to that mantra so far as a closer; so compared to Capps, Perkins is a welcomed sight for a Twins’ bullpen that has been relied on heavily during the early portion of this season. The fact that Perkins has blown two saves early on this season and that Perkins has allowed a run in two of his last five appearances should be nothing to worry about for Twins’ fans. Perkins did come in to lock down his 11th save of the season on Wednesday night for the Twins in a 4-1 victory over the [B]Milwaukee Brewers[/B], but the irregularity by which Perkins has been asked to operate on has to be taking its toll on Perkins’ effectiveness because he can sometimes go days or weeks at a time without a save appearance. This can affect his ability to remain sharp on the mound despite the opportunities and appearances he makes when there isn’t a save opportunity in place. When given the ball during save opportunities on a consistent basis, Perkins can and will remain one of the more dominant closers in baseball today and will only get better as he gains more experience in the position. Although Perkins ERA is a bit on the high side at 3.20, he still posts very strong overall numbers with a 1.02 WHIP, a 13.98 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.83 strikeout to walk ratio with hitters hitting a combined .194 against him on the season. Those numbers, plus the eye-test, should be what Twins’ fans and analysts should focus on instead of his ERA or blown saves statistic. The season is early and like the rest of the Twins, Perkins is still growing into his role. It is crucial that Perkins gets the necessary development and experience over these next few seasons so he can be the dominant closer he is capable of being when the Twins return to contention over the next few seasons. Now is not the time for concern with Perkins, nor do I foresee a situation where there should be any cause for concern with Perkins at any point during the rest of this season. Make no mistake about it, Perkins is the Twins closer, he’s the best option they have at closer and he will remain the most dominant reliever and best option to close out games for the Twins for the remainder of the season and for the foreseeable future. [I] Brian Wille is a [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/teams/minnesota-twins/"]Minnesota Twins[/URL] writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter [URL="https://twitter.com/BeeWill15"]@BeeWill15[/URL] or “Like” him [URL="https://www.facebook.com/BrianWilleRantsportscom"]on Facebook[/URL] or add him to your network on [URL="https://plus.google.com/u/0/101730027510780138135"]Google[/URL][/I] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial] [/FONT][/COLOR] View full article

[attachment=6020:2514.attach] [FONT=arial]Image courtesy of: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports [/FONT]Originally published on [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/05/28/mlb-draft-preview-should-minnesota-twins-draft-for-need-or-best-available-in-2013/"]www.rantsports.com [/URL] The [B]Major League[/B] Baseball Amateur Draft is fast approaching and the [B]Minnesota Twins[/B] are currently slotted to pick fourth overall. With the way the season has been going for the Twins, many fans are already setting their sights back on the future and the draft is always a good place to drum up optimism and hope for a struggling team’s future. Last season, the Twins took outfielder [B]Byron Buxton[/B] with the number two overall pick in the draft and early indications are that the Twins hit a “homerun” with their selection. Buxton has lived up to the hype so far by hitting .324 with 59 hits, seven HR, 38 RBI, an astounding 35 walks and an OBP of .432 over 182 at-bats in 48 games for low Class-A Cedar Rapids. Buxton certainly has embraced playing at this level, but it soon may be time for the Twins to send Buxton on his way to high Class-A to see how Buxton matches up against better competition. Could the Twins have a fast-track outfielder on their hands like the [B]Los Angeles Angels[/B] did with [B]Mike Trout[/B]? It’s possible, but time will tell. When the Twins selected Buxton, he was widely considered the “best available” player on the board and some even argued that he was the most talented player in the draft; so by getting him with the number two overall pick, the Twins were very fortunate. Often, however, teams seem to debate whether or not to draft for “need” and “major-league readiness” or to take the “best player available” which may mean waiting a few years before the prospect is “major-league ready”. The Twins have often claimed to be subscribers to the “best player available” theory with their high picks and last year’s draft seems to fit that mold; but with another season underway and the Twins still struggling from a talent deficiency in their starting rotation, will need and “major-league readiness” overcome “best available” this year? There are plenty of pitching prospects that have been rumored to be on the Twins radar ranging from [B]Mark Appel[/B], [B]Jonathan Gray[/B], [B]Ryne Stanek[/B] and [B]Sean Manaea[/B] to [B]Braden Shipley[/B] and [B]Kohl Stewart[/B]. As of late, Stewart has been a hot name associated with the Twins; but no matter which prospect you take out of this list of pitchers—if the Twins decide to go in that direction—each comes with a certain amount of risk, weaknesses and talent. The same goes for position players like [B]Austin Meadows[/B], [B]Kris Bryant[/B] and [B]Reese McGuire[/B] who all have obvious talent, but are still raw and have their fair share of question marks surrounding their potential and future. So with that in mind, what should the Twins’ strategy be for the upcoming draft? Do they draft a pitcher simply because the rotation is in such bad shape or do they take the best available player and then continue to build pitching depth in the later rounds? For a team that is starting to restock its minor league system with some very talented players, I would personally subscribe to the “best available” theory once again for the Twins. Although money will play a significant role in who the Twins decide to choose, the position they play and their immediate readiness for the majors should not. The question the Twins should ask themselves, regardless of position, is which player is going to have the best overall career when it is all said and done; not which player will get here the soonest? I personally think a pitcher will still be the best player available when the time comes for the Twins to draft at number four and that is the position I believe they will choose from. The Twins are couple years away from returning to contention; not a few years from returning to the World Series, but a few from just returning to contention. With that in mind, the team has time to draft the best available prospect and let them develop in a timely fashion. There seems to be enough talented starting pitchers in the organization—albeit at low levels—that will soon be coming up to improve the major league staff; so drafting additional talent for the lineup would be ok as well. It is a crucial draft for the Twins, make no mistake about it; but if the team can continue to employ their theory of drafting the best available prospect, they will continue to inch closer to their return to contention and dominance. Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/"]RantSports.com[/URL]. Follow him on Twitter [URL="https://twitter.com/BeeWill15"]@BeeWill15[/URL] For more articles by [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/author/brianwille/"]Brian Wille[/URL] check out his latest articles about [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/05/27/carlos-gomez-another-former-minnesota-twins-player-that-got-away/"]Carlos Gomez's Departure from the Twins Nearly Three Years Later[/URL] or [URL="http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2013/05/24/minnesota-twins-in-no-rush-to-promote-kyle-gibson/"]Kyle Gibson Not Getting a Call to the Majors[/URL] View full article