Josh Johnson

I think Chris Herrmann has a real chance at becoming a very solid Major Leaguer. As you mentioned, his plate discipline is fantastic and his receiving abilities are highly touted by many pitchers in the organization. I remember a while back that Alex Margulies, the Ft. Myers Miracle announcer, said when Herrmann was patrolling the outfield in 2010, he was one of the best defensive outfielders in the Florida State League, making a slew of extraordinary plays with his glove. Whether or not Chris Herrmann can be an everyday player is a question that many people have asked. But from everything I've heard and read, I don't think there's any question that he'd be a very solid Major League backstop. In 2011, Major League catchers hit (on average) .244/.312/.388, and I have little doubt that he can post an OPS higher than .700 while playing (at a minimum) average defense. Another thing that is nice to mention is that he's proving to be very durable. He played in a (career high) 121 games in '11 (most of which were at catcher), and then played in 15 additional games shortly after the season finished. He's said several times that he wants to be out there everyday, regardless of where he plays. The only obstacle in Herrmann's way is Joe Mauer, of course. But if/when the Twins decide to move him, Herrmann would be a fine option behind the plate.

Some days, Ben Revere's arm will cost the Twins a run or two and some days his range will save a run or two. The problem is that giving up a run because of a lack of arm strength is typically easier for fans to see (than saving a run because of great range). I honestly think that with a larger left field at Target Field, I think Revere's value as a defender won't be completely lost if he plays there. And, obviously, his arm better suits him there than anywhere else. My bigger concern is that Ron Gardenhire will from time to time put Revere in right field. That makes me cringe. One thing that I cannot help but look forward to is a potential outfield that consists of Joe Benson, Aaron Hicks, Denard Span, and Revere. Hicks and Benson are premier defenders, both capable of playing in center field in terms of range and arm strength. That could be a real treat if everything works out for both of them at the plate.

If I recall, a bone-graft test was conducted. The results placed him between the ages of 16 and 17. There was fear that Sano had taken the identity of his sibling, who had died at birth a couple of years after Sano was born.

It's certainly an interesting issue. What makes me feel a little at ease in this case is that there were multiple tests that were ran to determine Sano's age. At the time, nothing came back to suggest that there's anything to worry about regarding age fraud (I believe it said he was a 16-17 year old). Having seen movies like "Sugar" and "Road to the Big Leagues," foreign players (especially those from Latin countries) have a lot more pressure to succeed, which is why many will obtain false identification. It does seem like this is a growing issue and I wonder what Major League Baseball will do to impose stricter sanctions on these kinds of things in the future (if they do anything at all).