Steve Lein

Those numbers would be awesome as a whole. Extremely optimistic. That's an average of a .762 OPS throughout the 'starting' lineup (which would have ranked 2nd in the majors last year). Not sure how far it would fall as a team with everyone else taken into account, but think that would put them in the top 10 for all of MLB pretty easily. The Twins ranked 23rd in OPS as a team last year at .704. Red Sox were 6th at .740.

What I was implying, is you literally have no data about a lefty-receiver taking pitches to review so it's impossible to make any such conclusion. It is an interesting thing. Studies I've seen do conclude right-handed catchers save more runs... Then you get into things like bunts down the third base line, having to backhand every throw up the line at home, and not being able to make a fundamental "sweeping" tag on close plays at the plate...

There's been only one player as a left-handed thrower to be a catcher for even one inning since like 1980, so this is not a thing.

This paragraph is the key for me: "But of course this overlooks the fact that, so many times in the past, those players that the Twins "haven't liked" ended up having successful seasons in which they could have been difference-makers for the club. Meanwhile, many of the players that they liked enough to sign, who invariably ended up being on the second or third tier in terms of monetary commitments, panned out as poor investments." And it doesn't just apply to free agents in the offseason, it applies to other moves they've made as well. 1. Kurt Suzuki's extension. He had a career year, and the Twins rewarded him for it. You can argue the total money given here wasn't a huge issue, but that doesn't change the fact it's been a poor investment since. 2. Phil Hughes extension. He was brilliant in 2014, though again, pretty much an outlier year for him. He also was still under contract for two more years... So they gave him a raise and more years. I said at the time it was a year too early. Would be nice to have that money available now, while he was trying to earn that value again this year, wouldn't it? Maybe someone else can add a few names to the list as well, but I would really like the Twins to stop this philosophy of rewarding career average players for a career year with them. This is a bigger issue to me than not spending money on a FA reliever they might need, but if they didn't hand out these extensions or wasted the 2.2MIL or whatever dollars on those poor, lower-tier investments, suddenly there is money available that would allow you to actually add a difference maker in the bullpen.

Raines checks quite a few boxes for me given what he was: -100+ runs 6 times (led league twice) -50+SB 8 times, 70+ 6 times (and 49 another year, led league 4 times, as a leadoff hitter) -.300+ AVG 8 times (one batting title) -.370+ OBP 15 times (led league once) -160+ hits 8 times (as a leadoff hitter) -60+ BB 13 times (as a leadoff hitter) -Struck out more times than he walked just ONE season of 23 (1330 to 966 overall career ratio, as a leadoff hitter) Raines' case is built on being one of the best leadoff hitters of all time taking into account all the traits of them that are desirable: High average, got on base, scored runs, stole bases, etc... I'd call his case a very legit one.

3 years ago I would have said Mauer was a no brainer. But since then it's changed and I honestly think that unless he bounces back into the type of hitter (.320+ Avg., .400+ OBP) he was as a catcher, that he's not going to make it. How ever many more years he plays with a ~.720 OPS at 1B is going to drop his overall numbers case off the table. I think the argument at that point would become "he was great, but not for long enough." 1 MVP season doesn't get you in either as good as it was, because it was an anomalous performance compared to the rest of his career. All that said, we need the old Joe back to make this discussion silly 10 years down the road!

I agree with this. I ignore it as a method of establishing "value" for a player, because quite frankly, it doesn't match up with reality. Nobody is going to sign Trevor Plouffe or a similar 2.5 WAR player for $20+MIL a year, which should tell you everything about its shortcomings. It shouldn't be a mostly linear idea as it is currently employed, it has to be logarithmic. The largest contract ever is as far as you can project, because that's the reality of the "value" ceiling to me. If it wasn't, Clayton Kershaw should be complaining because his contract isn't $50+MIL per year.

I don't think the Twins are all that inclined to keep him in the minors if he's producing since they're already burning options on him. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they've used two of his already (though he's near 100% bet for a fourth). However, with Arcia and Santana being out of options, you likely have to give them their chances first. Can't wait for Kepler to arrive full-time. I've said this here many times, but he was the first prospect I ever watched in person where the eye-test drastically changed my overall opinion and/or evaluation of a guy for the better. He was the best player on any diamond of the back fields in 2012 Spring Training while playing with the Beloit roster that had Sano, Rosario, and Vargas on it. It still boggles my mind he did not play in the MWL that year.

You guys all realize that if he comes over here and hits like .300/.350/.500, the Twins will tear this "cheap" contract up immediately and replace it with a new, not so cheap one, right?! (haha) Kidding aside, this is a no-lose type of deal for the Twins. Great job on this TR. You're still in the red on this offseason so far to me, though.

The Scottsdale Scorpions went 2-2 in the final week of the 2015 Arizona Fall League season, to finish with an 18-12 overall record and earn a place in the AFL Championship Game for winning the East Division. They faced off against the West Division winners, the Surprise Saguaros on Saturday. But before we get to that game, in which the Twins prospects played a big part, Adam Brett Walker went cold; catchers Mitch Garver and Stuart Turner were same old, same old; the bullpen trio of Trevor Hildenberger, Jake Reed, and Nick Burdi continued to shut down opponents; and Taylor Rogers added to his case for MLB roster consideration out of spring training.Read on to check out how they all performed in the final week of the 2015 Arizona Fall League season! (and 2015 Championship Game!) (links provided to each player’s overall stats by clicking their name) Adam Brett Walker – 3 games, 0-12, 1 RBI, 9 K’s. Walker had a rough go of it in three games on the week. He did not collect a hit, and struck out multiple times in each game, including all four at-bats on Monday. He did collect an RBI on Tuesday, with a sac fly in the eighth inning to make the score 5-2 in a game the Scorpions would win 8-2. He grounded out in one other at-bat, and struck out three more times. On Thursday, his 0-4 night included a fly-out, groundout, and two more strikeouts. Despite dropping his average nearly .050 points and his OPS over 100 pts in just three games on the week, Walker finished second in the circuit in home runs with five (two behind Yankees prospect Gary Sanchez) and fourth in RBI’s with eighteen, batting seventh in the Scorpions lineup through the season. In 20 games, Walker finished the AFL season with a .240/.326/.493 triple-slash line. Stuart Turner – 2 games, 1-7, 1BB, 2 K’s. Turner got the start at catcher in two of the final four games, batting eighth behind Walker in Monday’s 7-3 loss to Surprise and sixth ahead of Walker in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Salt River. In his first game of the week, Turner finished the day 1-4 with one strikeout. His single came in the third inning in his first at-bat of the game. While the Scorpions would score a run in this inning, it wasn’t Turner, as he was erased on a double-play to the next batter. On Thursday, Turner again reached base once in four plate appearances, going 0-3 with a walk. The walk came in his first at-bat in the second inning, but he would only get as far as second base before the end of the inning. Turner again flashed his defense in the seventh inning, when he cut down another runner attempting to steal second. Turner ended his AFL season with an offensive line of .171/.306/.220 in twelve games. Mitch Garver – 1 game, 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K’s. With the short week, Garver only played in Wednesday’s 5-0 win over Peoria, batting ninth In that game, Garver doubled in his first at-bat, to bring in the second run of the inning and give Scottsdale the early 2-0 lead. In his other two at-bats on the day, Garver went down swinging. In twelve games played on the AFL season, Garver finished with a .317/.404/.512 line, putting up a good offensive showing in limited action. Nick Burdi – 1 game, 1 IP, 0 R’s, 0 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Burdi kept his perfect ERA intact in the season’s final week, appearing in just one game, Tuesday’s 8-2 win, finishing the ninth inning for the Scorpions. He walked the first batter of the inning (giving him a total of one walk in the AFL slate), but would strike out the next two hitters and go5 a pop out in foul territory to end the game. In eight appearances on the AFL season, pitching one inning each outing, Burdi allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out eleven, to finish the year with a 0.38 WHIP. Those numbers provide a strong case for consideration in the Twins bullpen early in 2016. Trevor Hildenberger – 1 game, 1.1 IP, 0 R’s, 0 H’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Hildenberger also saw action in just one game of the season’s final week, and again he pitched more than just one inning. He appeared in Tuesday’s 8-2 win, and was the first reliever into the game after starter Austin Kubitz went four innings. In the fifth inning, Hildenberger made swift, dominant work of the Javelina’s lineup, setting them down one-two-three on a called third strike, and two more swinging strike threes. He was then asked to get just one out in the sixth, which he did with a ground ball to the shortstop. He was then relieved by lefty Phil McCormick of the Giants organization to combat two lefties coming up next in the lineup. Hildenberger finished second on the Scorpions roster in innings pitched by a reliever with 12.2 ininings in eight appearances. He allowed three runs on thirteen hits, did not walk a single batter, and racked up twelve strikeouts on the AFL season. He only added to the shine on his prospect status out of the bullpen, and may have earned a starting place for 2016 in AA with an outside chance of surfacing in the majors if he keeps up his dominant pace from prior seasons at the higher levels. Jake Reed – 2 games, 2.1 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Reed made appearances in Monday’s loss and Thursday’s win during the week. On Monday, Reed entered the game in the eighth inning in a tough spot despite there being two outs, as the prior pitcher had just walked Jurickson Profa, Gary Sanchez and Bubba Starling to load the bases. He shut down the threat by getting a fielder’s choice ground ball and stayed in the game for the ninth. He allowed a one-out single, but a strikeout and ground out followed to finish the game for Scottsdale. On Wednesday, Reed again finished the game for the Scorpions, closing out the ninth inning of their 5-0 shutout win. It didn’t start out the best, as the leadoff man singled and he walked the next batter, but a ground ball double play put an end to any threat to the game, and a strikeout shut the door on the game. In 10.2 innings on the AFL season, Reed allowed two runs (both unearned) on six hits and four walks, while striking out ten in 10.2 innings. It was the second straight year of fantastic performance for Reed in the AFL, and he’ll likely look to keep that going in AA this time to start 2016. Taylor Rogers – Did not pitch. Rogers did not pitch during the season’s final week, but that was likely by design as the team finished the season as the West Division winners with a spot in the AFL title game. He of course, was the starting pitcher for Scottsdale in that game. Daniel Palka - 2 games, 0-7, RBI, 4 K's. Palka, the recent power hitting trade acquisition of the Twins for catcher Chris Herrmann, also was playing in the AFL for the Salt River Rafters. He saw action in two games on the week but outside of an sac fly RBI, didn't have much success. He was 0-3 with the sac fly RBI and a strikeout on Tuesday in 4-2 Salt River win. On Wednesday, he was 0-4 with three strikeouts to pick up a sombrero. Palka finished the AFL season with a .278/.330/.444 line in twenty-two games. He collected six doubles, three home runs, seventeen RBI and four stolen bases in five chances. AFL Championship Game: Box Score As mentioned, with Taylor Rogers’ stellar performance on the season for Scottsdale, he got the start on the mound in the championship game. He did his part, pitching three scoreless innings, and the Scorpions lineup gave them a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth after he was done. It was a one-two-three first inning for Rogers, and after a leadoff single an error put a runner in scoring position, he got a soft line drive out to second base against Bubba Starling, and struck out Dustin Fowler to end the threat and keep the game scoreless. A two-out double in the third inning again put a runner in scoring position, but Rogers got a ground ball to end his final inning with a clean line. He finished his day with no runs allowed on two hits, and struck out two. It was errors from Surprise’s defense that got the Scorpions on the board in the fourth inning, as the first two hitters reached base on misplays. After a fielder’s choice ground ball and double to score the game’s first run, Adam Brett Walker delivered an RBI single to make the score 2-0. A sac fly plated the inning's third run, and Stuart Turner struck out for the final out of the frame. Trevor Hildenberger was the first pitcher out of the bullpen in relief of Rogers, and he set the lineup down in order, including one strikeout. Scottsdale added a fourth run in the fifth inning to take the 4-0 lead, but Surprise got a run back in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1. Walker went down swinging in a scoreless sixth, and Turner also went down swinging in the top of the seventh while the game stayed at the same score. In the bottom of the seventh, Surprise got itself back into the game after a leadoff single, an error, and another single made it 4-2. A sac fly followed to make it 4-3, then another single followed by a fly-out put runners on first and third with two outs. A call to the bullpen shut the door with Jurickson Profar at the plate; he grounded out to short to end the inning and preserve the lead. In the top of the eighth, Adam Brett Walker stepped up to the plate with runners on first and third and a chance to add some needed insurance runs. Some people say Walker is a clutch hitter, and he proved their point in this at-bat with a double to left field that scored both runners and put the Scorpions out front 6-3. It was then Twins prospects whom Scottsdale Manager Matt Quatraro called on to preserve their Championship Game lead. It was Jake Reed in the eighth, and though he walked that Gary Sanchez from the Yankees guy to start the frame, he struck out the next three hitters in swinging fashion to punctuate his season. Then for the ninth inning and the save opportunity, it was fireballer Nick Burdi. The first batter took him deep to right field for Burdi’s first run allowed in the AFL on the season and made the score 6-4, but an easy ground ball to first base, a looking strikeout, foul pop-out ended the game with a championship for Scottsdale. The save was also Burdi’s first on the AFL season. Walker finished the game 2-4 with a double and three big RBI’s, along with two strikeouts. Turner was 0-4 with two strikeouts. It was quite the season for Walker, Turner, Reed, and Burdi, who will collect their second championship ring on the season, after the Chattanooga Lookouts won the Southern League Championship during the regular season. It was also Rogers’ and Burdi’s second AFL Championship, as the Salt River Rafters team they played with in 2014 also won the league’s title. As for Adam Brett Walker, it’s hard not to label him as simply a “winner.” Walker has taken home a League Championship in Elizabethton, Fort Myers, Chattanooga, and now the Arizona Fall League. Congratulations to all the Twins prospects, Scottsdale and Chattanooga Lookouts hitting coach Chad Allen, and the rest of the Scottsdale Scorpions roster, on their 2015 AFL Championship! Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the performances during the week! Click here to view the article

The Scottsdale Scorpions went 2-2 in the final week of the 2015 Arizona Fall League season, to finish with an 18-12 overall record, and earn a place in the AFL Championship Game for winning the East Division. They would face off against the West Division winners, the Surprise Saguaros on Saturday. But before we get to that game, in which the Twins prospects played a big part, Adam Brett Walker went cold; Catchers Mitch Garver and Stuart Turner were same old same old; the bullpen trio of Trevor Hildenberger, Jake Reed, and Nick Burdi continued to shut down opponents; and Taylor Rogers added to his case for MLB roster consideration out of Spring Training. Read on to check out how they all performed in the final week of the 2015 Arizona Fall League season! (and 2015 Championship Game!) (links provided to each player’s overall stats by clicking their name) Adam Brett Walker – 3 games, 0-12, 1 RBI, 9 K’s. Walker had a rough go of it in three games on the week. He did not collect a hit, and struck out multiple times in each game, including all four at-bats on Monday. He did collect an RBI on Tuesday, with a sac fly in the eighth inning to make the score 5-2 in a game the Scorpions would win 8-2. He grounded out in one other at-bat, and struck out three more times. On Thursday, his 0-4 night included a fly-out, groundout, and two more strikeouts. Despite dropping his average nearly .050 points and his OPS over 100 pts in just three games on the week, Walker finished second in the circuit in home runs with five (two behind Yankees prospect Gary Sanchez) and fourth in RBI’s with eighteen, batting seventh in the Scorpions lineup throughout the season. In 20 games, Walker finished the AFL season with a .240/.326/.493 triple-slash line. Stuart Turner – 2 games, 1-7, 1BB, 2 K’s. Turner got the start at catcher in two of the final four games, batting eighth behind walker in Monday’s 7-3 loss to Surprise, and sixth ahead of Walker in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Salt River. In his first game of the week, Turner finished the day 1-4 with one strikeout. His single came in the third inning in his first at-bat of the game. While the Scorpions would score a run in this inning, it wasn’t Turner, as he was erased on a double-play to the next batter. On Thursday, Turner again reached base once in four plate appearances, going 0-3 with a walk. The walk came in his first at-bat in the second inning, but he would only get as far as second base before the end of the inning. Turner again flashed his defense in the seventh inning, when he cut down another runner attempting to steal second. Turner ended his AFL season with an offensive line of .171/.306/.220 in twelve games. Mitch Garver – 1 game, 1-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K’s. With the short week, Garver only played in Wednesday’s 5-0 win over Peoria, batting ninth In that game, Garver doubled in his first at-bat, to bring in the second run of the inning and give Scottsdale the early 2-0 lead. In his other two at bats on the day, Garver went down swinging. In twelve games played on the AFL season, Garver finished with a .317/.404/.512 line, putting up a good offensive showing in limited action. Nick Burdi – 1 game, 1 IP, 0 R’s, 0 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Burdi kept his perfect ERA intact in the season’s final week, appearing in just one game, Tuesday’s 8-2 win, finishing the ninth inning for the Scorpions. He walked the first batter of the inning (giving him a total of one walk in the AFL slate), but would strike out the next two hitters and pop out in foul territory to end the game. In eight appearances on the AFL season, pitching one inning each outing, Burdi allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out eleven, to finish the year with a 0.38 WHIP. Those numbers provide a strong case for consideration in the Twins bullpen early in 2016. Trevor Hildenberger – 1 game, 1.1 IP, 0 R’s, 0 H’s, 0 BB’s, 3 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Hildenberger also saw action in just one game of the season’s final week, and again he pitched more than just one inning. His appearance game in Tuesday’s 8-2 win, and was the first reliever into the game after starter Austin Kubitz went four innings. In the fifth inning, Hildenberger made swift, dominant work of the Javelina’s lineup, setting them down one-two-three on a called third strike, and two more swinging strike three’s. He was then asked to get just one out in the sixth, which he did with a groundball to the shortstop. He was then relieved by lefty Phil McCormick of the Giants organization to combat two lefties coming up next in the lineup. Hildenberger finished second on the Scorpions roster in innings pitched by a reliever with 12.2 ininings in eight appearances. He allowed three runs on thirteen hits, did not walk a single batter, and racked up twelve strikeouts on the AFL season. He only added to the shine on his prospect status out of the bullpen, and may have earned a starting place for 2016 in AA with an outside chance of surfacing in the majors if he keeps up his dominant paces from prior seasons at the higher levels. Jake Reed – 2 games, 2.1 IP, 0 R’s, 2 H’s, 1 BB, 2 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Reed made appearances in Monday’s loss, and Thursday’s win during the week. On Monday, Reed entered the game in the eighth inning in a tough spot despite there being two outs as the prior pitcher had just walked Jurickson Profa, Gary Sanchez, and Bubba Starling to load the bases. He shut down the threat by getting a fielder’s choice ground ball and would stay in the game for the ninth. He allowed a one-out single, but a strikeout and ground out followed to finish the game for Scottsdale. On Wednesday, Reed again finished the game for the Scorpions, closing out the ninth inning of their 5-0 shutout win. It didn’t start out the best, as the leadoff man singled and he walked the next batter, but a groundball double play put an end to any threat to the game, and a strikeout shut the door on the game. In 10.2 innings on the AFL season, Reed allowed two runs (both unearned) on six hits and four walks, while striking out ten in 10.2 innings. It was the second straight year of fantastic performance for Reed in the AFL, and he’ll likely look to keep that going in AA this time to start 2016. Taylor Rogers – Did not pitch. Rogers did not pitch during the season’s final week, but that was likely by design as the team finished the season as the West Division winners with a spot in the AFL title game. He of course, was the starting pitcher for Scottsdale in that game. Daniel Palka - 2 games, 0-7, RBI, 4 K's. Palka, the recent power hitting trade acquisition of the Twins for catcher Chris Herrmann, also was playing in the AFL for the Salt River Rafters. He saw action in two games on the week but outside of an sac fly RBI, didn't have much success. He was 0-3 with the sac fly RBI and a strikeout on Tuesday in 4-2 Salt River win. On Wednesday, he was 0-4 with three strikeouts to pick up a sombrero. Palka finished the AFL season with a .278/.330/.444 line in twenty-two games. He collected six doubles, three home runs, seventeen RBI, and four stolen bases in five chances. AFL Championship Game: Box Score As mentioned, with Taylor Rogers’ stellar performance on the season for Scottsdale, he got the start on the mound in the championship game. He did his part, pitching three scoreless innings, and the Scorpions lineup gave them a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth after he was done. It was a one-two-three first inning for Rogers, and after a leadoff single an error put a runner in scoring position, got a soft line drive out to second base against Bubba Starling, and struck out Dustin Fowler to end the threat and keep the game scoreless. A two-out double in the third inning again put a runner in scoring position, but Rogers got a groundball to end his final inning with a clean line. He finished his day with no runs allowed on two hits, and struck out two. It was errors from Surprise’s defense that got the Scorpions on the board in the fourth inning, as the first two hitters reached base on misplays. After a fielder’s choice ground ball and double to score the game’s first run, Adam Brett Walker delivered an RBI single to make the score 2-0 Scottsdale. A sac fly would plate the innings third run, and Stuart Turner was struck out for the final out of the frame. Trevor Hildenberger was the first pitcher out of the bullpen in relief of Rogers, and he set the lineup down in order, including one strikeout. Scottsdale added a fourth run in the fifth inning to take the 4-0 lead, but Surprise would get a run back in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1. Walker would go down swinging in a scoreless sixth, and Turner also went down swinging in the top of the seventh while the game stayed at the same score. In the bottom of the seventh, Surprise got itself back into the game after a leadoff single, error, and another single made it 4-2. A sac fly followed to make it 4-3, then another single followed by a fly-out put runners on first and third with two outs. A call to the bullpen shut the door with Jurickson Profar at the plate, who grounded out to short to end the inning and preserve the lead. In the top of the eighth, Adam Brett Walker stepped up to the plate with runners on first and third and a chance to add some needed insurance runs. Some people say Walker is a clutch hitter, and he proved their point in this at-bat with a double to left field that scored both runners and put the Scorpions out front 6-3. It was then Twins prospects whom Scottsdale Manager Matt Quatraro called on to preserve their Championship Game lead. It was Jake Reed in the eighth, and though he walked that Gary Sanchez from the Yankees guy to start the frame, he struck out the next three hitters in swinging fashion to punctuate his season. Then for the ninth inning and the save opportunity, it was fireballer Nick Burdi. The first batter took him deep to right field for Burdi’s first run allowed in the AFL on the season and made the score 6-4, but an easy ground ball to first base, a looking strikeout, foul pop-out ended the game with a Championship for Scottsdale. The save was also Burdi’s first on the AFL season. Walker finished the game 2-4 with a double and three big RBI’s, along with two strikeouts. Turner was 0-4 with two strikeouts. It was quite the season for Walker, Turner, Reed, and Burdi, who will collect their second championship ring on the season, after the Chattanooga Lookouts won the Southern League Championship during the regular season. It was also Rogers’ and Burdi’s second AFL Championship, as the Salt River Rafters team they played with in 2014 also won the league’s title. As for Adam Brett Walker, it’s hard not to label him as simply a “winner.” Walker has taken home a League Championship in Elizabethton, Fort Myers, Chattanooga, and now the Arizona Fall League. Congratulations to all the Twins prospects, Scottsdale and Chattanooga Lookouts hitting coach Chad Allen, and the rest of the Scottsdale Scorpions roster, on their 2015 AFL Championship! Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the performances during the week!

This seems like an odd bunch aside from Walker, Chargois, and Rogers... I think the Twins are gonna lose a few of the guys they didn't protect.

I don't think Dean will be selected, and if he is, I wouldn't feel too bad. I'd take Rogers in the only role that either of them have the opportunity to fill with the Twins 10 out of 10 times, and that's lefty specialist in the 'pen. So I'd protect Rogers, Walker, Chargois, Michael, and Harrison.

Hildenberger was fantastic all season... He was the Twins Daily MiLB Relief Pitcher of the Year and lights out for Cedar Rapids for most of it (0.80 ERA, 0.64 WHIP). He wasn't as good in his 19 innings at Fort Myers, but still fantastic (3.32 ERA, 0.90 WHIP). I think his stint in the AFL is a measure of if what he's done to this point at the lower levels of the system is sustainable for him as he moves up. So far so good.

He was my Adopt a Prospect this year and I got to catch him in Cedar Rapids in 2014 right before he was promoted to Fort Myers, I was impressed: http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/color-me-and-joe-mauer-impressed-r2962 He had a big problem with walks in AA this year, but he's not showing any signs of that in the AFL!!!

I saw him in the boxscores, I just forgot by the time I got through everybody else and I was tired from being up north in the woods all weekend! He plays on the Salt River Rafters roster. Played 5 games on the week: 6-23 (had three two-hit games and two 0-fers), 2 R's, 3 2B's, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB's, 4 K's. Is hitting .301/.359/.482 on the AFL season.

Twins prospects in the Arizona Fall League are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions this season, and they started off the week with three consecutive wins, scoring twenty-two runs in the process. They hit a wall on Thursday however, and lost the last three games of the week, scoring only once in each game. At this point of the season Scottsdale leads the East division with a 16-10 record.Twins hitting prospects didn’t have much success on the week, but the bullpen again displayed some dominance. Read on to check out how they all did in week five of the 2015 Arizona Fall League season! (links provided to each player’s overall stats by clicking their name) Adam Brett Walker – 4 games, 3-14, 2 R’s, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K’s. Walker played in four games on the week, collecting one hit in three of the games, including a two-run home run in Wednesday’s 7-5 win. His blast got the Scorpions on the board and closed the lead to 3-2. He drew his only walk of the week in the fourth inning to load the bases, but all runners ended up stranded. His RBI single in Monday’s 10-8 win over Salt River came in their five-run eighth inning to make the score 5-3. He came around to score the tying run and the game went extra innings before Scottsdale came out on top. He also struck out three times on the day. In Thursday’s 2-1 loss, Walker singled to lead off the third inning, but was erased on a Stuart Turner double play ball. He struck out two more times. On Friday Walker was held in check with an 0-3 day that included two more strikeouts, and was in the on-deck circle with the score 2-1 when a double-play ended the game. Stuart Turner – 2 games, 0-8, 1 RBI, 2 K’s. Turner again started two games at catcher during the week, but didn’t make much noise as he was held hitless. One of the times he did put the ball in play however, he picked up an RBI as he reached base on a throwing error. In Monday’s game, Turner allowed two steals, but cut another runner down on Thursday. Mitch Garver – 3 games, 1-9, 1 R, 3 K’s. Garver made the start at catcher in three games this week, and didn’t have much success at the plate either. His only hit on the week came in Tuesday’s 5-4 win, when he led off the three-run fifth inning with a single. He then came around to score from second on an infield single that was deflected by the pitcher. Garver cut down the only runner to attempt a steal on him during the week in Tuesday’s win. Nick Burdi – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 R’s, 0 H’s, 0 BB’s, 2 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Burdi made two appearances on the week, and continued his AFL dominance, though both of those appearances came in losing efforts. On Thursday Burdi pitched the ninth inning to finish the game, and set down in order the Surprise lineup that included Jurickson Profar and Gary Sanchez. He struck out one and got the latter two hitters to tap out to first base. In Saturday’s 5-1 loss, Burdi pitched the eighth inning, again finishing the game for the Scorpions. He again set the hitters down in order, bookending this one-two-three inning with strikeouts. Trevor Hildenberger – 2 games, 4.0 IP, 0 R’s, 3 H’s, 0 BB’s, 4 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Hildenberger also saw action in two games on the week, going multiple innings in each appearance. He was the first pitcher in relief after Taylor Roger’s start in Monday’s game, allowing three hits but no runs in two innings, helped by a runner who was caught attempting to stretch a single into a double. This resulted in a triple later in the inning resulting in no damage on the scoreboard. He struck out two. He was again the first pitcher summoned after the Scorpions starter was done on Friday. He made quick work of his opponents, setting them down one-two-three in each of the sixth and seventh innings. He struck out two in the sixth on six pitches, and needed only one more for the third out. Jake Reed – 2 games, 1 Win, 1 Save, 2.0 IP, 2 R’s (0 earned), 2 H’s, 0 BB’s, 2 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Reed managed to keep his ERA at a perfect 0.00 on the AFL season thanks to his defense in Monday’s extra inning win. He came on for the eleventh inning, and the leadoff man reached on an error. This runner and a second came around to score after Reed got the next two outs, resulting in each run being unearned. The walk-off home run from the Scorpions Sam Travis gave Reed his first AFL win. In Wednesday’s 7-5 win against Glendale, Reed picked up his third AFL save with a one-two-three ninth inning, striking out the last hitter of the game to slam the door. Taylor Rogers – 2 games started, 8.0 IP, 4 R’s (3 earned), 7 H’s, 4 BB’s, 7 K’s. 3.38 ERA. Starts from Rogers bookended the week for the Scorpions, and he went four innings in each contest. On Monday, after a Snapper-Mow-Em-Down first inning, Rogers got into trouble by walking the first two hitters of the second inning. A passed ball from Turner put a runner on third and a sac fly brought him home for the unearned run and an early 1-0 lead. In the third inning, a walk and stolen base put a runner in scoring position, and a two-out single brought in the second run of the game for Salt River. Rogers allowed a single in the fourth inning, but struck out one and escaped with no further damage. On Saturday, Rogers again started the game with a one-two-three first inning, and escaped a second and third threat after consecutive errors in the second inning. In the third, Mesa loaded the bases with two outs, but Rogers again got out of the jam with a ground ball to end the threat. They finally got to him in the fourth after he started the inning off with two strikeouts. A hit-by-pitch, single, and double to the next three hitters brought in two runs, but with the help of Garver’s heads up play, the third out was made at third base after the throw home on the double wasn’t in time. QUICK HITS -Nick Burdi is catching the eyes of a lot of people in the AFL. Check out this video of one his K’s on the week. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the performances during the week! Click here to view the article

Twins prospects in the Arizona Fall League are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions this season, and they started off the week with three consecutive wins, scoring twenty-two runs in the process. They hit a wall on Thursday however, and lost the last three games of the week, scoring only once in each game. At this point of the season Scottsdale leads the East division with a 16-10 record. Twins hitting prospects didn’t have much success on the week, but the bullpen again displayed some dominance. Read on to check out how they all did in week five of the 2015 Arizona Fall League season! (links provided to each player’s overall stats by clicking their name) Adam Brett Walker – 4 games, 3-14, 2 R’s, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K’s. Walker played in four games on the week, collecting one hit in three of the games, including a two-run home run in Wednesday’s 7-5 win. His blast got the Scorpions on the board and closed the lead to 3-2. He drew his only walk of the week in the fourth inning to load the bases, but all runners ended up stranded. His RBI single in Monday’s 10-8 win over Salt River came in their five run eighth inning to make the score 5-3. He came around to score the tying run and the game went extra innings before Scottsdale came out on top. He also struck out three times on the day. In Thursday’s 2-1 loss, Walker singled to lead off the third inning, but was erased on a Stuart Turner double play ball. He struck out two more times. On Friday Walker was held in check with an 0-3 day that included two more strikeouts, and was in the on-deck circle with the score 2-1 when a double-play ended the game. Stuart Turner – 2 games, 0-8, 1 RBI, 2 K’s. Turner again started two games at catcher during the week, but didn’t make much noise as he was held hitless. One of the times he did put the ball in play however, he picked up an RBI as he reached base on a throwing error. In Monday’s game, Turner allowed two steals, but cut another runner down in his game on Thursday. Mitch Garver – 3 games, 1-9, 1 R, 3 K’s. Garver made the start at catcher in three games this week, but didn’t have much success at the plate either. His only hit on the week came in Tuesday’s 5-4 win, when he led off the three run fifth inning with a single. He then came around to score from second on an infield single that was deflected by the pitcher. Garver cut down the only runner to attempt a steal on him during the week in Tuesday’s win. Nick Burdi – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 R’s, 0 H’s, 0 BB’s, 2 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Burdi made two appearances on the week, and continued his AFL dominance though both of those appearances came in losing efforts. On Thursday Burdi pitched the ninth inning to finish the game, and set the Surprise lineup that included Jurickson Profar and Gary Sanchez in order. He struck out one and got the latter two hitters to tap out to first base. In Saturday’s 5-1 loss, Burdi pitched the eighth inning, again finishing the game for the Scorpions. He again set the hitters down in order, bookending this one-two-three inning with strikeouts. Trevor Hildenberger – 2 games, 4.0 IP, 0 R’s, 3 H’s, 0 BB’s, 4 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Hildenberger also saw action in two games on the week, going multiple innings in each appearance. He was the first pitcher in relief after Taylor Roger’s start in Monday’s game, allowing three hits but no runs in two innings, helped by a runner who was caught attempting to stretch a single into a double. This resulted in the triple later in the inning resulting in no damage to the scoreboard. He struck out two. He was again the first pitcher summoned after the Scorpions starter was done on Friday. He made quick work of his opponents, setting them down one-two-three in each of the sixth and seventh innings. He struck out two in the sixth on six pitches, and needed only one more for the third out. Jake Reed – 2 games, 1 Win, 1 Save, 2.0 IP, 2 R’s (0 earned), 2 H’s, 0 BB’s, 2 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Reed managed to keep his ERA at a perfect 0.00 on the AFL season thanks to his defense in Monday’s extra inning win. He came on for the eleventh inning, and the leadoff man reached on an error. This runner and a second came around to score after Reed got the next two outs, resulting in each run being unearned. The walk-off home run from the Scorpions Sam Travis gave Reed his first AFL win. In Wednesday’s 7-5 win against Glendale, Reed picked up his third AFL Save with a one-two-three ninth inning, striking out the last hitter of the game to slam the door. Taylor Rogers – 2 games started, 8.0 IP, 4 R’s (3 earned), 7 H’s, 4 BB’s, 7 K’s. 3.38 ERA. Starts from Rogers bookended the week for the Scorpions, and he went four innings in each contest. On Monday, after a Snapper-Mow-Em-Down first inning, Rogers got into trouble by walking the first two hitters of the second inning. A passed ball from Turner put the runner on third and a sac fly brought him home for the unearned run and an early 1-0 lead. In the third inning, a walk and stolen base put a runner in scoring position, and a two-out single brought in the second run of the game for Salt River. Rogers allowed a single in the fourth inning, but struck out one and escaped with no further damage. On Saturday, Rogers again started the game with a one-two-three first inning, and escaped a second and third threat after consecutive errors in the second inning. In the third, Mesa loaded the bases with two outs, but Rogers again got out of the jam with a ground ball to end the threat. They finally got two him in the fourth after he started the inning off with two strikeouts. A hit-by-pitch, single, and double to the next three hitters brought in two runs, but with the help of Garver’s heads up play, the third out was made at third base after the throw home on the double wasn’t in time. QUICK HITS -Nick Burdi is catching the eyes of a lot of people in the AFL. Check out this video of one his K’s on the week. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the performances during the week!

Yuck. I know the Twins need a catcher, but not him, And not for Hicks. Yuck.

The Scottsdale Scorpions, whom host Twins prospects this season in the Arizona Fall League, had a dominant week with a 5-1 record. They outscored their opponents 41-21 and Twins prospects had a lot to do with that. The Scorpions are now tied with the Salt River Rafters atop the Eastern Division at 9-6. Taylor Rogers had a fantastic start on Wednesday but was betrayed by his bullpen (not his fellow Twins prospects), one catcher continued his hot hitting, and Adam Brett Walker came up big in multiple games. Read on to check out how each prospect did in week two of the 2015 Arizona Fall League season! (links provided to each player’s overall stats by clicking their name) Adam Brett Walker – 4 games, 5-15 (.333), 3 R’s, 1 2B, 2 HR’s, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K’s. Walker started the week off with a bang, collecting a home run and three RBI in his first two games. In Monday’s win, Walker punctuated the scoring with his three-run homer in the ninth inning to make the final score 10-3. He was also hit by a pitch in the game and singled in the seventh inning to reach base in three of six plate appearances. He struck out once. In his next game on Wednesday, Walker was even more pivotal for his team. His double in the fourth inning gave Scottsdale their first runs of the game and close the lead to 4-2. He would score the third run when the next batter (another Twins farmhand) followed with a double. The inning would end with the game tied 4-4. With the game still tied in the sixth, Walker sent a blast into the left field bleachers for a solo home run that proved to be the game winner, as the Scorpions went on to beat Glendale 5-4. Walker also singled in the game to finish 3-4. For the rest of the week, Walker cooled off with an 0-3 day in Scottsdale’s 4-2 win on Thursday, and 0-4 effort in their 6-2 win on Saturday. But positives from those games included the fact he struck out only once, and he also drew a walk in Saturday’s game. This is the type of week that one would want to see from Walker. Not many wasted at-bats, big impacts on a few games with his power, and clutch performances at that. Stuart Turner – 2 games, 2-7 (.286), 1 R, 1 2B, 2 K’s. Turner again made the start at catcher for the Scorpions in two games on the week, playing in the games on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday he followed Walker’s double in the fourth inning with one of his own to drive him in and make the score 4-3, and came around to score the game-tying run on a single. He finished the day 2-4 with two strikeouts. In Thursday’s second consecutive win against the Glendale Desert Dogs, Turner was 0-3, but picked up an RBI when his fly ball in the second inning was turned into a force out of a runner at second base, but the runner on third scampered home. Turner had one base stolen on him in the two games, and did not get any other chances to throw runners out. Mitch Garver – 2 games, 3-9 (.333), 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K. Garver saw action at catcher on Tuesday and Friday this week, and picked up hits in each contest. He has collected at least one-hit in each of his five games on the season, and has two in four of those contests. His average stands at .409. In Tuesday’s 9-4 loss to Salt River, Garver picked up an RBI on a single in the seventh inning to make the score 7-2, but did not reach base in any other plate appearance. On defense, he caught one runner stealing second base in the seventh inning. In Friday’s 12-1 blowout win for Scottsdale against Mesa, Garver got the three run fourth inning started with a double to right field. He would later score on Christian Arroyo’s three run home run to make the score 7-0. Then in the three run seventh inning, his single brought the tenth run of the game for the Scorpions. He finished 2-5 with the double, run scored, and RBI. Nick Burdi – 2 games, 2 IP, 0 R’s, 0 H’s, 0 BB’s, 2 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Burdi made two appearances on the week, pitching the ninth inning in Monday’s 10-3 win, and the eighth inning in Friday’s 12-1 win. He was flawless, recording one-two-three innings in both appearances. On Monday, he struck out the first two hitters he faced, one looking and one swinging, and a fly-out ended the game. On Friday, he got a quick three ground ball outs on just seven pitches. He’s allowed just one hit and walked none in his brief appearances so far, striking out one per inning. Trevor Hildenberger – 1 game, 2.1 IP, 2 R’s, 4 H’s, 0 BB’s, 1 K, 7.71 ERA. Twins Daily’s 2015 Minor League Relief Pitcher of the year got in on just one game this week, and it didn’t go as well as Hildenberger may have hoped as he was tasked with going multiple innings early in the game. Scottsdale’s starter Antonio Romero left the game after collecting just two outs in the first inning, as three consecutive walks scored the game’s first two runs. Hildenberger ended the early bases loaded threat by inducing a groundout. In the second inning, the leadoff man picked up an infield single, but was quickly erased on a double play ball, and another groundball ended the scoreless inning for Hildenberger. Hildenberger’s third inning is where he ran into trouble as his workload was extended. He struck out the first batter of the inning, but a double, triple, and single from the next three hitters brough in two runs and 4-0 lead for Glendale. He escaped the inning without any further damage by getting two more ground balls. Scottsdale came back to win the game 5-4 via the heroics of Walker detailed above. Jake Reed – 2 games, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 BB’s, 0 K’s, 0.00 ERA. Reed made two appearances on the week, pitching the ninth inning in Wednesday’s 5-4 win to pick up his first Save, and the ninth inning on Saturday to close out their 12-1 win. It wasn’t particularly pretty at times, but Reed got the jobs done with scoreless innings. On Wednesday, Reed ran into trouble with two walks and a throwing error that moved the first of those runners to second base, but got a double-play ground ball to end the game and pick up the save. On Saturday, a ground rule double and a walk put runners on first and third with two outs, but a ground ball to short ended that game as well. Reed threw thirty-six pitches in those two games, with twenty going for strikes and did not pick up any punchouts. Taylor Rogers – 1 game started, 5.0 IP, 4 ER’s, 2 H’s, 2 BB’s, 3 K’s. 0.00 ERA. Rogers got the start in Tuesday’s 9-4 loss, but it wasn’t because of anything he did. He was effective and efficient in his five innings, leaving the game with his team up 1-0 and in line for the win before the bullpen imploded behind him. He allowed no runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out three to lower is ERA in the AFL to 3.46. He retired nine in a row at one point and did not really get into any trouble as he scattered the two hits and two walks. He finished the fifth inning with runners on first and second for the best chance Salt River had to that point in the game. QUICK HITS: - MLB.com’s prospect guru Jonathan Mayo was in Arizona this week, and filed a report on Twins prospects. His main topic, the focus on improved plate discipline for Adam Brett Walker. - More details of Walker’s monster day in the come from behind 5-4 victory on Wednesday. First line of the article: “Adam Brett Walker II is a strong man” (duh). - More Walker details from Twitter, as Seth tells you how far, and how fast, Walker’s home run from Wednesday’s game traveled, Bernie Pleskoff adds some confirmation, and another observer shows us just how far it went. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the performances during the week!

Bigot is a term I don't think fits 100% correctly, and frankly goes right back to the person saying it by the very definition of it. (I'm not calling you one DaveW, it's just my opinion on the matter, which as I say, technically makes me one in reference to your own opinion. And this fact is also my reason as to why the term is an incorrect fit - we're not 'bigots'). It's as simple as that for me as well. Do I agree with Hunter's view on this or some other things? Hell no. How much do I care at this point? Pretty much the same amount that Nick outlines here. I learned very early that the player and the person are not the same, and it was in the best interest of myself to separate them. I will tell that to my children as well, and maybe then the guys they end up looking up to will fit both the on-field and off-field traits. There are far more guys like that in sports, believe it or not, and I will guide them towards those guys. That said, I would have no problem with my children looking up to a guy like Torii Hunter. They'll see the smile and fun he's having playing the game of baseball, and want to grow up doing that too.

Also, there's a lot of pitchers on the rosters (21 on the Scottsdale team), and they all essentially get a fair shake of the action. That means 1 start each week for starters, and a game or two for relievers usually. Just how it works, and gets them a bit more action against some better competition. Reed got 12.2 innings last year, Zach Jones got 11.1 for reference.