Steve Lein

All the rankings I've seen with Brown have him very firmly in the Top 30 pitchers. Borderline Top 10 High School arm.

I'm very interested to see how this draft shakes out. I don't think there's a single guy who deserves the full slot $ amount at #2, so I'm hoping whoever the Twins pick signs for their market (Maybe Buxton at $5MIL) not the slot, and somebody falls to 32 who we can throw the extra money at to sign. My big board: Appel, Zimmer, Correa, Gausman, Buxton. Not a big fan of Buxton because he doesn't help the Twins rebuild for 2014 or 2015 (need pitching for that), but whoever the Twins select at #2 will be their #2 prospect the second they sign.

Too bad he's Left-handed q;) cause that actually would be an awesome position!

Agreed. Don't think Hendriks will ever be a #2, top 45 pitcher in all of baseball. I'd put his ceiling at a 3 (this coming from a guy who likes him a lot). Frankly, I'm not so sure the Twins have a #2 ceiling or better starter in their entire system at this point, the pitching is that bad when it comes to upper-echelon starting pitching talent.

what shanewahl said. I've seen guys who love Buxton, saying they'd slot him just ahead of Bubba Starling last year, but I've also seen guys who don't even rate him the #1 Outfielder in this draft. Personally, he's the scariest of all the prospects who have the potential to go in the top 3 to me and has by far the most bust potential. Might also have the highest ceiling, but that then makes a very large spectrum of possibilities for what he might develop into. I also knock him down a few pegs because one thing the Twins have is OF prospects. If we're rebuilding, they absolutely HAVE TO address the starting pitching problem. And by that I mean Top End talent. They are only going to get that at the #2 pick. There's not a single guy in the system who the experts would rate as having a #1 ceiling (keep in mind, #1 is different than an "Ace"), probably not even any #2 ceiling guys. Was over at Jim Callis Baseball America chat today, and he answered my following question (http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/chat/2012/2613413.html): "Steve L. (Minneapolis, MN): I understand the "draft the BPA" ideology in baseball, but with the Twins SP prospects in the minors in dire straights, can you make the argument they have to draft a SP at #2? And as a follow up, is there another team in baseball worse off in high-end pitching prospects? Jim Callis: You can definitely make the argument. The Twins don't have any obvious pitching answers in their system." You don't rebuild for 2014 or 2015 by taking Buxton, that's my only issue with those who are referencing him when they say "get the best player available". I think you have to weigh "BPA" and "timetable-for/positional-need impact" if we're rebuilding for 2014, 2015. That heavily favors going after a SP. And just as a sidenote, I like Kyle Zimmer the best.

Not sure what this has to do with what I was getting at, you do remember him with the Twins, right?! But I do agree 1000% with your Marney Gellner assessment!

All I have to say is, would you rather go back to Telly Hughes?!

Just a note: Capps added a split-finger to use as sort of a changeup, not a cutter. It looks to me like Capps has always thrown 3 different fastballs, including a cutter. As for Guerra, I'd like to know if he throws harder out of the bullpen than he did as a starter. Something has to be going on where he's succeeding from the 'pen like this compared to his struggles as a starter. Maybe it's his makeup and it's much better suited to the 'pen, I don't know, but don't think "makeup" alone gets you the stark contrast in results like he has gotten with this transition. Take Perkins, added some ticks to his fastball and major bite to his slider that has him succeeding in the 'pen. Definitely a good thing to (continue to) see with Guerra though.

Fact is, Denard Span is the only player on the Twins roster that will bring back anything of worthwhile future value in what should now be the Twins rebuilding plan. As mentioned, people complain about the Twins "selling low". Well, this would go away from that. However, it's laughable to me that Drew Storen's name is still cited as a target. 1. he's hurt, and 2. We don't need a freakin' closer. Jordan Zimmerman is a great name to throw around. I don't think the Nats would move him, but they also do have Strasburg and Gio Gonazalez atop their rotation already. Maybe you try to go Anthony Rendon (Ryan Zimmerman is a Nats cornerstone at 3B) and a pitching prospect or 2 (Matt Purke, Alex Meyer, Sammy Solis). The Hunter Pence return is a great trade to compare too on what we might hope to get back.

Not bunting to break up a no-hitter is an "unwritten rule" in the sense if you're late in the game and it's out of reach. A buddy of mine basically got lynched by the opposing team for breaking up their pitchers no-hitter with a bunt a few years ago, but the thing about it was, their team had 3 hits and 1 run on the scoreboard and it was the 7th inning... He was trying to get something going for our team to tie it up or get a win, so be ready for it or don't complain in a situation like that.

What's the deal here with him being a Rule V pick?! I don't understand how he's not back with Washington after this and how the Twins could even claim him then?

This... is flat out ridiculous. Gardenhire has every right in the world to go be with his family on an occasion such as this, and it has absolutely zero relation to "abandoning" his team that isn't playing well. The situations you're trying to connect together are mutually exclusive.

Thing about Fargo-Moorhead, is they already have a very successful Independent League Team with a very good following, the F-M Redhawks. Their stadium is also pretty sweet (Newman Outdoor Field, seats about 5,000) and they share it with North Dakota State University (my alma-mater) already, I don't really see that connection happening.

You say that like the people replying in this particular forum are the ONLY ones in the world who do/will-do this... You hope your scouts pick out a guy at the #2 pick who will make it, and make it in a big way. But if I'm using the scouting scale as an overall rating of a prospect, there are certainly draft prospects who are, say a 30/50 (present/MLB potential) that will actually turn into a 70, and guys who right now are a 40/80 who never advance past a 40 or never make it. You're obviously going to pick the guy who you rate as a 40/80, though. There's nothing scientific about it. A guy's either got it, works really hard to get it, or squanders their skills by not working at it diligently after being drafted, and you never really know which type will show up once they start playing professional games and where or when those qualities might change as they move up the ladder. Hindsight is certainly 20/20, but don't belittle the forum on those terms, it's the same thing EVERYWHERE.

Also good points.

See my post from last week if you need specific numbers in situations as to why fans are frustrated, but the point of my post was also to say that booing Mauer is stupid. There's much more going on with this team that fans should be frustrated about. If the Twins record was 16-6, or even 11-11, I don't think we'd hear any boos, but that would probably also mean Mauer has been a big part of those extra wins. I like this take on the situation a lot. Fans don't want to see a bad baseball team (and face it, the new generation of Twins fan doesn't know what losing is), and are frustrated. So, there has to be scapegoat, right? The starting pitching staff is a much better choice for that, however.

I like that Hermsen got moved to AA. This will be where he makes it or brakes it. It's really tough to ignore his "stuff", but also really tough to ignore his results. Something has to give, and AA often times is where this happens.

While I wouldn't want the Twins to trade Span, as he's one of my favorite players on the team, the fact is, he's about the only player on the roster with trade value that could bring back a valuable future piece or two, so it's probably pretty likely he gets dealt if the Twins keep playing like this. It also is probably in their best interest as well, considering the glut of CF/OF prospects the Twins have.

Love this stuff Parker. I guess when I watch Span hit, I don't see him using his legs at all to generate any of the force behind his swing, or at least, not nearly in the way most players do. I see a swing that's all arms and wrists (but very quick ones). To me, this is why he goes the other way so much and often times inside-outs pitches on the inner half. His front foot always stays planted perpendicular with the batter's box through his swing (stays closed), instead of opening up to get hip rotation, which will also tends to help you go the other way more often and get better outer-half plate coverage. Not worried at all about Span at this point.

There are definitely different types of fans, but that is what makes a site like this great, getting them all together to voice their opinions and have discussions. Like twinsnorth49 says, if you weren't a fan who cares, why would you post here? I'm behind this team 100%, 100% of the time. But because of that, I'm certainly going to voice any frustrations I have with them and my displeasure with their losses, but in the same way that I'm going to celebrate their successes and victories. Personally, I came into this season with little expectations. I thought the Twins could be decent, maybe even contend in the AL Central if everything went right, but realistically, that just isn't possible. I'd prefer to just enjoy watching the games, and hope they score some runs and make it entertaining, but my fandom doesn't necessarily allow that to happen either. Letting Luke Hughes go irritated me. The ineptitude of the pitching staff irritates me. Not getting a runner in from 3rd with nobody out and your 3-4-5 hitters due up irritates me. But I wouldn't consider myself a "fan" if those things didn't.

If I have any problem with Mauer, it is this. Yes, it's great to work a count and draw walks, but as a hitter, don't you want to hit?! Like you, it discourages me that often times the best pitch Mauer is going to see in an at-bat, is this first-pitch grooved fastball, and 95% (or more) of the time, he lets it go by. Boo worthy? No. But irritating nonetheless because we know what he can do with those pitches. I'm not going to rag on Mauer for not living in Minnesota in his time off from baseball. Seems petty. If I had the means he does, I'd do the same things. (Plus, the taxes in MN are high )

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?478-Booing-Mauer-While-Asinine-Not-Hard-To-See-Why

Much has been made recently about the boo birds in Target Field singling out Joe Mauer while he’s up to bat. It is somewhat hard to understand this early in the season while he’s actually performing pretty well from a grand scheme perspective, batting .319 with a .410 On-Base Percentage. He’s played in every game, has knocked in some runners, and has even hit a HR over the limestone wall in right field. But people’s eyes (including mine) are seeing something different, and that’s a lack of production in big moments and late in games. Hence the boo’s. You can point to statistics like his .400 batting average with runners in scoring position, or his 1.125 OPS while the Twins have a lead in a game, and think to yourself, “Joe is back!” That’s fine. But here are some other (admittedly small sample size, just like all these statistics, good or bad) stats that demonstrate clearly why many fans are frustrated with him thus far. The Twins have not lead many games this year, and while they’ve been behind on the scoreboard, Mauer’s tri-slash line is .256/.304/.326, good for a .630 OPS. Not exactly bringing his team back into any games… In the 7th, 8th, and 9th inning of all games, that tri-slash line is .200/.360/.200, a paltry .560 OPS. In those same innings, he has just 1 RBI and no extra-base hits. Not exactly producing in crunch time… Baseball-Reference.com has a statistic that tracks situational hitting called “late and close” (admittedly, I’m not sure on the exact specifics of it), in those situations, his OPS is .397. You’re not reading that incorrectly. Here’s some season tri-slash lines for Player X: 2001: .327/.378/.415 2004: .326/.374/.407 2009: .308/.365/.392 Mauer in 2012: .319/.410/.403. Pretty similar, right? So, any guesses as to who Player X is? I’ll give you the answer in the form of another question: Would you pay Juan Pierre $23 million dollars?! Personally, you won’t find me joining the boo-birds in getting on Joe’s case, as the title of this post states, it’s asinine. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime hitter, playing the games most physically demanding position a vast majority of the time. He’s won 3 batting titles. He’s won an MVP. He’s Joe freakin’ Mauer, a born and raised Minnesotan. But I also think you’re a little off on your analysis if you feel this is the same Joe Mauer that won those batting titles and an MVP award. When it has mattered this year, when the Twins and their fans have needed him to come through up to this point, he simply put, hasn’t. It’s a “what have you done for me lately” situation. In New York that would get you run out of town. In Minnesota, I guess you just have to deal with some boo’s until everything regresses (or progresses) back to the mean (which it will). You can follow me on Twitter: @MNTwinsGUFS, send any thoughts or questions to: twins.gufs@gmail.com, or leave your comments below! (Also available at: http://Twins.GearUpForSports.com/blog/ )

Much has been made recently about the boo birds in Target Field singling out Joe Mauer while he’s up to bat. It is somewhat hard to understand this early in the season while he’s actually performing pretty well from a grand scheme perspective, batting .319 with a .410 On-Base Percentage. He’s played in every game, has knocked in some runners, and has even hit a HR over the limestone wall in right field. But people’s eyes (including mine) are seeing something different, and that’s a lack of production in big moments and late in games. Hence the boo’s. You can point to statistics like his .400 batting average with runners in scoring position, or his 1.125 OPS while the Twins have a lead in a game, and think to yourself, “Joe is back!” That’s fine. But here are some other (admittedly small sample size, just like all these statistics, good or bad) stats that demonstrate clearly why many fans are frustrated with him thus far. The Twins have not lead many games this year, and while they’ve been behind on the scoreboard, Mauer’s tri-slash line is .256/.304/.326, good for a .630 OPS. Not exactly bringing his team back into any games… In the 7th, 8th, and 9th inning of all games, that tri-slash line is .200/.360/.200, a paltry .560 OPS. In those same innings, he has just 1 RBI and no extra-base hits. Not exactly producing in crunch time… Baseball-Reference.com has a statistic that tracks situational hitting called “late and close” (admittedly, I’m not sure on the exact specifics of it), in those situations, his OPS is .397. You’re not reading that incorrectly. Here’s some season tri-slash lines for Player X: 2001: .327/.378/.415 2004: .326/.374/.407 2009: .308/.365/.392 Mauer in 2012: .319/.410/.403. Pretty similar, right? So, any guesses as to who Player X is? I’ll give you the answer in the form of another question: Would you pay Juan Pierre $23 million dollars?! Personally, you won’t find me joining the boo-birds in getting on Joe’s case, as the title of this post states, it’s asinine. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime hitter, playing the games most physically demanding position a vast majority of the time. He’s won 3 batting titles. He’s won an MVP. He’s Joe freakin’ Mauer, a born and raised Minnesotan. But I also think you’re a little off on your analysis if you feel this is the same Joe Mauer that won those batting titles and an MVP award. When it has mattered this year, when the Twins and their fans have needed him to come through up to this point, he simply put, hasn’t. It’s a “what have you done for me lately” situation. In New York that would get you run out of town. In Minnesota, I guess you just have to deal with some boo’s until everything regresses (or progresses) back to the mean (which it will). You can follow me on Twitter: @MNTwinsGUFS, send any thoughts or questions to: twins.gufs@gmail.com, or leave your comments below! (Also available at: http://Twins.GearUpForSports.com/blog/ )