tarheeltwinsfan

Great offensive comparisons, Seth. How do the three young shortstops compare at arguably the most important defensive position on the field?

Good grief. I am behind the times. I am sorry I missed it when it was first published on TD. My bad. Thanks Ben.

Very hope-filled report.

Notes from Elizabethton I spent an afternoon and evening there yesterday, The GM, Mike Mains, could not have been nicer. He gave me free access and took me around the field and clubhouse. Here are some random observations.1) One member of the organization (not Mike Mains) told me that this was the best group of players, both in skills and in character, in 16 years. 2) There were 8 to 10 scouts there (and based on what I saw, they were not there to see the Bristol Pirates players. The night before in Johnson City, there were 3 to 4 scouts to see the Cardinals and the Braves. Not sure what, if anything that says, but I found it interesting. I talked to a Brewers scout and without looking at any of his notes, he readily gave me the numbers for Trevor Larnach, Yunior Severino, Chris Williams and Ricky De La Torre. 3) A Twins coach said that Severino hit a ball over the light poles at Johnson City that week. 4) In batting practice balls hit by Williams andLarnach just sounded crisper than when others hit the ball. 5) Josh Windsor had a no hitter through 4 with only 1 BB, He allowed 1 hit in the 5th and was removed after 5. It was a planned move, because I talked to Moises Gomez, who told me before the game that he was scheduled "to pitch tonight". 6) I was in the dressing room while the players had a pregame meal about 4 pm for a 6 pm game. The menu was outstanding...skinless chicken breasts, diced roasted sweet potatoes, and cut up fresh cantaloupe and water melon..The strength and conditioning coach, Chuck Bradway,(he has a masters degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science from the University of Tampa and extensive experience in this area of conditioning, and who looked to be in top shape himself) was in charge of the meals. After the game, a post game meal was served, consisting of Lasagna and I'm not aware of the other dishes, if any. I was told that the nutritional clubhouse meals had been started several years earlier. 7)The old Washington Senators star, Jim Lemon, had coached there and was revered by long time manager Ray Smith, and long tome hitting coach, Jeff Reed. The4 coaches" lockers were labeled in large letters the following: COBB, RUTH, LEMON, and GEHRIG. 8).I met a new technical analyst, who was working on his computer. Reed told me his help was invaluable. 9) Cupping therapy was being used on several players' shoulders.Cupping increases blood flow to muscle strains and speeds healing by bringing more blood to the cupped areas. It leaves a 2 inch in diameter red circle where each cup hadbeen removed. About 4 cups were used at a time. 10) The first base coach is named Takashi Mioshi. Prior to his arrival from Japan this year, (his first year) he requested information about the history of Elisabethton and the surrounding area from the GM, so he could fit in better. 11) The Watauga River is a shallow river which flows by the Twins' stadium less that 200 yards away. Sometimes after a practice on a hot day, the players will go lie down in the shallow river to cool off and just relax. The players I met and talked with were all polite and friendly...maybe they were just a laid back bunch from the cupping and from lying in the river.

Interesting article in the Atlantic magazine about good team chemistry. Tell me what you think. Does good team chemistry result in winning teams, or do winning teams produce good team chemistry, automatically? https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/finding-the-formula-for-team-chemistry/561722/

Great article, Ted. I agree 100%. Brian is a dedicated Christian, having gone on mission trips in the off season. He is a wonderful example for young kids learning how to be a good man. Good luck Brian. Thanks for being the man you are.

Notes from Elizabethton I spent an afternoon and evening there yesterday, The GM, Mike Mains, could not have been nicer. He gave me free access and took me around the field and clubhouse. Here are some random observations.1) One member of the organization (not Mike Mains) told me that this was the best group of players, both in skills and in character, in 16 years. 2) There were 8 to 10 scouts there (and based on what I saw, they were not there to see the Bristol Pirates players. The night before in Johnson City, there were 3 to 4 scouts to see the Cardinals and the Braves. Not sure what, if anything that says, but I found it interesting. I talked to a Brewers scout and without looking at any of his notes, he readily gave me the numbers for Trevor Larnach, Yunior Severino, Chris Williams and Ricky De La Torre. 3) A Twins coach said that Severino hit a ball over the light poles at Johnson City that week. 4) In batting practice balls hit by Williams and Larnach just sounded crisper than when others hit the ball. 5) Josh Windsor had a no hitter through 4 with only 1 BB, He allowed 1 hit in the 5th and was removed after 5. It was a planned move, because I talked to Moises Gomez, who told me before the game that he was scheduled "to pitch tonight". 6) I was in the dressing room while the players had a pregame meal about 4 pm for a 6 pm game. The menu was outstanding...skinless chicken breasts, diced roasted sweet potatoes, and cut up fresh cantaloupe and water melon..The strength and conditioning coach, Chuck Bradway,(he has a masters degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science from the University of Tampa and extensive experience in this area of conditioning, and who looked to be in top shape himself) was in charge of the meals. After the game, a post game meal was served, consisting of Lasagna and I'm not aware of the other dishes, if any. I was told that the nutritional clubhouse meals had been started several years earlier. 7) The old Washington Senators star, Jim Lemon, had coached there and was revered by long time manager Ray Smith, and long tome hitting coach, Jeff Reed. The 4 coaches" lockers were labeled in large letters the following: COBB, RUTH, LEMON, and GEHRIG. 8).I met a new technical analyst, who was working on his computer. Reed told me his help was invaluable. 9) Cupping therapy was being used on several players' shoulders.Cupping increases blood flow to muscle strains and speeds healing by bringing more blood to the cupped areas. It leaves a 2 inch in diameter red circle where each cup had been removed. About 4 cups were used at a time. 10) The first base coach is named Takashi Mioshi. Prior to his arrival from Japan this year, (his first year) he requested information about the history of Elisabethton and the surrounding area from the GM, so he could fit in better. 11) The Watauga River is a shallow river which flows by the Twins' stadium less that 200 yards away. Sometimes after a practice on a hot day, the players will go lie down in the shallow river to cool off and just relax. The players I met and talked with were all polite and friendly...maybe they were just a laid back bunch from the cupping and from lying in the river.

Welcome back Miguel. I wish you well. Now it is up to you.

I'm ready for Royce Lewis...even though he may not be ready.

I did not see Chattanooga Lookouts on the list of teams available to watch. Did I make a mistake?

Mark Davidson, who played OF for the 87 World Champion Twins is an assistant baseball coach at Clemson as he pursues his 4 year degree under a new program which Clemson has for former Clemson athletes ( which Mark is one) to be able to come back to Clemson and get their degrees. Mark's daughter played tennis at Stanford and Mark's son, Logan, is the staring SS at Clemson and had a really good year last year as a freshman. Mark is from my hometown of Statesville, NC and used to beat me badly at racquetball. I wonder if the Twins checked on Chris Williams through Mark, before drafting Chris?

Why hasn't Astudillo caught some games while he was in the majors? He surely wasn't promoted for his speed...but he was a breath of fresh air when he played.

I sure hope the FO understands what this article clearly states. The Twins needed a catcher and got Castro for 1 year. That was good enough for 1 year, but stuff happens and now the Twins need another, full time, above average framing, fielding, and hitting healthy catcher. If the FO expects this team to win next year, this must be a top priority.

Well written, poetic opening ...watching the fans' goodwill "evaporating like the mists rising from the Kauffman Stadium fountains". That is some beautiful writing. Red Smith would have been proud.

If an ex-Twin had to hit an inside the park HR to beat the Twins, then I'm glad it was Drew Butera.

Any chance of seeing Vasquez on the Twins this year? What is his strikeout pitch? i

Sorry, I have not seen him pitch.

Much better analysis than my original statement. Thanks.

I agree. 6' 8" 215 lbs...Great strikeout to inning ratio. Already had TJ surgery and most importantly, his college coach said, "He's a great kid. He's why you get into coaching." I'm really excited about his future. He grew up 30 miles from where I live.

Good column. Your introductory paragraph was spot on. I enjoyed the new format. Thanks.

It took the US Army 8 weeks to change me from a carefree college boy to a lean, mean, green, killing machine. Seriously. 1967.

I have to trust the powers that be regarding whether Sano is ready to try again. If a demotion from the major leagues to class A ball does not get Sano's attention, then what will? Everybody falls down some in life...it's how you get back up that counts.

I hope they can build some momentum going into the 2018 post-season.

I sure would like to see the Twins sign an above average defensive, throwing, pitch framing and hitting for average and a little power, catcher.

Let's look to the future and try to trade for our weakest position...catcher.