Jeremy Nygaard

Soriano is similar. Older, not as good offensively anymore. Probably would cost the Yankees less in money and players. I wouldn't debate that he would be a decent fit for the Yankees.

I hope to make this the first edition of a series where I weigh in on debatable topics at appropriate times. Maybe this particular one would be more appropriate at the trade deadline. In fact, I know it would be. However, given the news out of Tampa that Yankees LF Curtis Granderson broke his arm today and will miss 10 weeks, I think taking a look at this scenario during Spring Training seems somewhat appropriate. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3340[/ATTACH] (http://www.gogonzojournal.com) WILLINGHAM'S PROS: Power. The Hammer hit 35 home runs in his Twins debut. While Harmon Killebrew owns the Top 8 Twins single-season home run records, Willingham is tied with Bob Allison for 9th. Simply put, Willingham is one of the best home run hitters the Twins have ever had. Contract. There is no arguing that Willingham is signed to a very team-friendly contract. He is on the hook for $7 million this year. If he makes 525 plate appearances in 2013, he will trigger a clause that makes his contract worth $8 million in 2014, which is still very reasonable. Likability. While it's possible no one will ever be more likable than Jim Thome, Willingham is up there. While not hitting Jackjobs (that's for you, Parker), Willingham (or, more accurately, his wife) was tweeting pictures of him and his newborn son. Willingham is very active in the community and has his own charity. It should also be noted that if you google "Josh Willingham arrested" the results you're going to get are stories about Alabama and Auburn football. Value. We'll get more into this in the next topic, but Willingham's value might never be higher. WILLINGHAM'S CONS: Age. The Hammer just turned 34 last week. On a team that is struggling to compete - and appears to be rebuilding - it is unlikely that Willingham will be there when things turn around. Durability. While Willingham had career-highs in both Home Runs and RBI, he also set new marks in games played (145) and plate appearances (615). He's been sidelined due to varying degrees of back, neck, shoulder and ankle injuries. The likelihood that Willingham sustains improved durability as he approaches his mid-30s is not high. Which brings me back to why his "value" is not only high, but also delicate. Defense. Willingham's value is tied up in his bat, as his defense is below replacement-level and declining. His defense may even appear worse now that he's not sharing ground with Ben Revere and Denard Span. SUMMARY: I believe I share the same opinion as the Twins Front Office exhibited last season and this offseason: We'd have to be blown away to make Willingham available. So could the Yankees do it? Well, maybe would they want to is the first question. Losing Granderson (lefty) means that Matt Diaz and Juan Rivera assume his spot for now. Both are right-handed, but neither very good. Even if Granderson misses only 5 weeks, he'll return to a lineup that features Brett Gardner and Ichiro (both lefties) in the outfield and Travis Hafner (also a lefty) as the primary DH. Wouldn't they benefit from adding another right-handed hitter? I would think so. So begs the question again... could the Yankees blow the Twins away? That's a question I've been considering since the Granderson news broke this afternoon. The rumor last year was that a return on Willingham wouldn't be higher than a back-of-the-rotation starter. I thought it was crazy then and I think it's crazy now. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE: I don't think the Yankees would part with prospect C Gary Sanchez. Maybe I draw the line in the sand there: He'd need to be included in any deal. The 57th ranked prospect in baseball (so says BA) will probably be ready in 2015. He would fit into prospect rankings right next to Alex Meyer. Sanchez and a low-level "C" pitching prospect (like LHP Rony Bautista) would likely be enough of an offer to say "yes". Without Sanchez, is there any other way? I would never say never. My favorite Yankees prospect is OF Tyler Austin, who is the youngest of the Yankees top three OF prospects (Mason Williams and Slade Heathcott), but has already advanced to the highest level (AA). Austin, who bats right-handed, could join Oswaldo Arcia as the "Future of the Corners". The Twins could also give him another shot at 3B, where he logged a majority of his innings in 2011. Austin ranked #77 (BA) and #75 (MLB.com) on pre-season prospect lists. Like Arcia, Austin "flat-out rakes". In addition to Austin, I would ask for RHP Jose Campos (who has a checkered injury past) or LHP Manny Banuelos (who is out this year after having Tommy John surgery) and, for good measure, I still want that low-level pitching prospect included as well. If the Yankees balk - and Willingham plays out his contract as a Twin - I'm still a happy camper for all of the reasons I listed above. What are your thoughts? Is Josh Willingham part of the Twins solution as their Left Fielder? Or is what he could bring back in a trade a better part of the solution?

Strive, eh... I'm going to have to change that. He'll "make strides" and "thrive"... or strive. New meaning.

The Twins spring schedule kicks off tomorrow. I know many are looking forward to it, even without the belief that the Twins will be competing for an AL Central crown this fall. That doesn't make this spring any less interesting. So with that in mind, I'm going on record and making predictions... some bold, some not. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3327[/ATTACH] (www.examiner.com) TEAM *The Twins will finish in last place in the AL Central. They'll win between 69-72 games. *The Twins will be sellers at the deadline. Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham and Mike Pelfrey will bid farewell before the end of July. HITTERS *The battle to start in CF is already over. After trading Span and Revere, we've been led to believe Darrin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson are in a three-way battle to be the everyday centerfielder. Benson, who is far removed from a successful minor league year and not as far removed from microfracture surgery, has no shot at being the Opening Day Centerfielder. Hicks, for both service reasons and having taken zero at-bats at AAA, will get sent down until a) he absolutely proves he's ready or Mastroianni proves he absolutely isn't the answer. *The opening-day 4th OF will be a guy not currently on the 40-man roster. Clete Thomas, who blew our mind for about two at-bats last year, before making us want to blow our brains out, is the likely frontrunner. (I think the bigger question is, when Thomas gets DFA'd and clears waivers, does he accept his assignment to Rochester or elect free agency?) *Chris Parmelee will be the everyday Right-Fielder... until it's Oswaldo Arcia. It's going to be an interesting first couple of months. Parmelee isn't best-suited to play the outfield. He's likely good enough to keep the seat warm for Arcia, and that's likely - hopefully, in the Twins mind - going to happen when Morneau is traded away and Parmelee moves to First Base. But what happens if Parmelee can't get it done offensively or defensively? Who knows... *Oswaldo Arcia will have more impact on the 2013 Twins than Aaron Hicks. Arcia will hit and play serviceable D. Hicks will play a solid D but struggle to hit. Next year at this time, I see discussions being the same... is Hicks ready to be a leadoff hitter at the major league level? While the RF job is not up-for-grabs in Spring Training (only this time because Arcia has a stranglehold on it). *Chris Colabello will be a major-league player this year. Another guy that just rakes. Sign him up. *Trevor Ploufee will be frustratingly hot-and-cold both offensively and defensively, but TwinsDaily readers will rejoice that he's not Danny Valencia. *Drew Butera will spend less time in the major leagues in 2013 than any season since debuting in 2010... and TwinsDaily readers will still complain! *Jamey Carroll's option will vest with 401 plate appearances despite the Twins making an effort to see that it doesn't happen. *Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier will leave the fanbase wishing for Luis Rivas and Cristian Guzman. Or Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy. Or basically any 2B/SS combination you can think of. *Joe Mauer will be Joe Mauer. Many will be unhappy. PITCHERS *The rotation will be better than last year. Hardly went out on a limb there... *One year from now we'll feel really good about the rotation. 2014 will include Kyle Gibson (who won't compete for ROY, but be solid amid a limited-innings year), Scott Diamond (who will regress, but still be a solid lefty), Vance Worley (who fans will love because he goes after hitters and works quick), Liam Hendriks (who will actually look like he belongs in the major leagues this year) and Kevin Correia (who was signed to be a #5 pitcher). This isn't mentioning any of the prospects who could be knocking on the door. *The bullpen will be good - again. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton will be fantastic in their late-inning roles. *Brian Duensing will continue to thrive and/or make strides as a left-handed reliever. *Tim Wood will absolutely be in the Opening Day bullpen. This isn't the second coming of Jeff Gray. Tim Wood signed a $675,000 contract with the Twins. He has less than a year of service. Anthony Swarzak, who has over 2 years of service, got $502,500. No Twin who had their contract renewed got over $530,000. That makes Tim Wood, who has had no MLB success - and almost as little experience - the 12th highest-paid Twins player this year. Crazy? Just a little bit. *Sam Deduno will figure something out this year. Either, "Hey, I do know how to throw it through the zone" or "You know what, this baseball thing isn't for me." *Trevor May makes his September debut coming out of the bullpen. *Ryan Pressly doesn't make the team... and the Red Sox will not be willing to work out a trade, unfortunately. Go ahead, be bold... or not bold.

That has been a recurring issue. I'll let Brock know...

PFH: No comp picks, though the 2nd round gets under way much sooner. Jeff: I don't think either GA HS OF will get a grade high enough to be considered for the 4th pick, position need notwithstanding. I'm also hoping a pitcher is signable and available and worthy to go #4. This post was moved to the front page, so I'm sure they will be continued spirited debate over there.

Though we are nearly four months away from the draft – and there is still much baseball to be played – it’s an event that is very significant and may stay very much on some of our minds as we progress through the spring and into summer. I don’t know how often I’ll make changes to this – but this is my first installment of “Jeremy’s Small Board.” “Small” because only 1-4 matter, though I would anticipate having something more like a “Top 10” as the season progresses. In the last 20 years, the Twins have had 24 1st round draft picks (not counting supplemental picks). Of those 24 picks, 11 have been prep position players and eight have been college pitchers. The other two groups: college position players (4) and prep pitchers (1) have been much less represented. The Twins first pick (fourth overall) will come with an approximate $4.5m price tag. JEREMY’S SMALL BOARD (Keep in mind, please, that this is not a “mock draft”. This is not a reflection of my top players. This is my attempt at stacking a “Twins Draft Board”, based on a number of things.) 1a) Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford WHY HE MAKES SENSE: On talent alone, he was #1 on a lot of boards last year (and probably #2 on the Twins board). In what’s predicted to be a similarly weak draft, Appel has held the top spot since deciding not to sign with the Pirates last July. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: Scott Boras. Even though Appel might be a guy you can plug into the top of the rotation almost immediately, is that worth the price of dealing with Scott Boras, who will suck every last penny out of an organization who has opened up their wallet once… ever? (Note: Mike Pelfrey is a Boras-client. Chris Parmelee may be too.) MY TWO CENTS: If Appel is available at #4 and there is enough confidence in the draft room that Appel will come at a reasonable enough price as to not cripple the rest of the draft, I say go for it. PRICE TAG: Boras thought Appel was worth $7.2m last year and not a dollar less. This year’s #1 will be worth 6-8% more, so we’re talking $7.6-7.8m. The Twins entire draft pool will be around $8.2m. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3276[/ATTACH] Appel (right) with Colts QB Andrew Luck (photo from ESPN.com) 1b) Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State WHY HE MAKES SENSE: Manaea tore up the Cape Cod League last summer and the Twins have had a history of selecting guys who have had successful runs in that league. And it’s not like he was just successful either. He struck out 85 in 51.2 innings… in a year that was considered abnormally “offensive”. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: Manaea has been good - not dominant - in two college season and started off his junior year getting beat by Indiana University/Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IFPW). I don’t know if that’s enough reason to pass, but enough to not call him a “slam-dunk”… yet. MY TWO CENTS: The Twins will be very much in on Manaea and will be heavily-attending his March 15th tilt at the Metrodome. PRICE TAG: Last year’s 4th overall pick, Kevin Gausman, was able to squeeze an extra $120,000 out of the Orioles as a draft-eligible sophomore. The 5th pick, Kyle Zimmer, took half-a-million less than slot from the Royals. 3) Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas WHY HE MAKES SENSE: If the other two pitchers are off the board, Stanek is the next best pitcher. He’s considered to be a step below Manaea and Appel stuff-wise, but he’s been very good all the while competing against the nation’s best in the SEC. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: If either Appel or Manaea are still on the board, or if Stanek’s demands are unreasonable. Otherwise, he’s a solid #3 option. MY TWO CENTS: Stanek provides a nice fall-back option and can be considered "best available" as well as fill a need. PRICE TAG: He just missed being a draft-eligible sophomore last year and is considered similar to Kevin Gausman. If Gausman got $4.32m last year, I’d start there with Stanek this year. 4) Dominic Smith, 1B/OF, California HS WHY HE MAKES SENSE: Smith may not be the most well-known prep at this moment, but he’s got a great bat, a great arm and a great feel to play first. He could play either corner OF position, but is said to have a very high defensive-ceiling if he ends up at 1B. Though 1B is considered a landing-place for many prospects with defensive inefficiencies – for those inside the organization presently, as well – Smith would offer legitimate versatility. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: They need pitching. But like it will always come back to: Should the Twins take “Best Available” or “Best Available Pitcher”? Oh, the Twins are also light on catching prospects and middle infield prospects. MY TWO CENTS: The Twins could do worse, obviously. Is Smith’s D at 1B good enough to overcome for Sano’s shortcomings at 3B? And potentially Rosario’s D at 2B? He’s not a magician (that I’m aware of), but if Smith’s defensive prowess can make up for lesser defenders at 2B and 3B, sign me up. PRICE TAG: It’s hard to peg prep guys, but maybe you could bank a couple hundred thousand dollars taking a guy whose perceived value is a little bit lower, sort of like what the Astros did last year with the 1st overall pick and Carlos Correa. Others to watch: Bobby Wahl, Mississippi, is a pitcher that could really improve his draft stock with a solid college season. He started off his college season with a dominating performance against TCU and is considered to be close to a “finished product”. Jonathan Crawford, Florida, is a flamethrower that fits the mold the Twins were into last year. A rocky opener and a belief he’s best-suited to close, not start, games keeps him out of the top tier. Are you into “toolsy outfielders”? The Twins are and Clint Frazier (Loganville, GA) is one of the highest-rated players in his class, as is Austin Meadows (also from Loganville, different high schools). Frazier has been called a “redheaded Mike Trout” (to a lesser extent, obviously) and Meadows has been compared to Jay Bruce. Both figure to come off the board in the Top 10 picks, but neither, today, are the “toolshed” that Byron Buxton was at this point last year. Minnesota RHP Tom Windle and prep OF Ryan Boldt both figure to go off the board sometime between the Twins first and second picks. At this point in time, it’s difficult to picture either being drafted by the Twins, simply because of their draft position. Bonus watch: While the Twins scouted Jacksonville U. last year before drafting both Adam Walker and Jonathan Murphy, they no doubt were also aware of RHP Chris Anderson, now a junior, who hails from Centennial (MN) HS. If the draft were today, it’s unlikely you’d hear his named called in the first few rounds. But if he continues to pitch like he did in his season debut – 7 IP, H, 13 K, BB, while throwing in the mid-90s and featuring four pitches– it’s hard to say how high he could rise before June. Feel free to discuss.

It came up last night and in conversations with others. To paraphrase: The Twins sorely lacked power arms. They had drafted them before and didn't pan out and quickly. They didn't have plans to do anything differently last year. A point that Sean made last night was that everybody wants an Ace. And guys with that potential are taken early. The Twins did a good job of getting guys with upside last year. The guys the Twins took did have less innings on their arms, but that was really just a coincidence. He also said that the Twins will never take a prep arm really early (like Berrios) if they didn't completely believe that he would always be a starter.

As Spring Training approaches, we’ve hashed and re-hashed Prospect Lists. We’ve dissected the signing of Kevin Correia many times over. We’ve projected lineups of every affiliate. There are few things more informative than talking with those that are behind the information. So today let’s do something else. Let’s talk scouting with West Coast Scouting Supervisor Sean Johnson. ---- First off, huge thanks to Sean! As baseball is starting to get rolling, he took some time out of his schedule to answer some questions and shed some light on our favorite franchise. Sean had great things to say about the organization “from the top down” and exudes the “Twins Way positivity”. My original plan was the use quotes to formulate an article, but when you find all the quotes are worth using, it’s going to be presented in a Q and A fashion. I apologize for the lengthiness, but it’s should make for a great read. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3228[/ATTACH] (www.texastech.com) ---- Jeremy Nygaard: It’s great to catch you: A guy on the “front lines”. What’s the scouting life like? After seeing Trouble with the Curve, is that realistic? Sean Johnson: It’s not as gloomy as Clint Eastwood’s character. It’s not that bad. The time on the road is extensive in the spring. Guys are away from their family and friends. From now until draft day, you go where the players are. There’s not a lot of off days. I’m bouncing all over the country. It’s real hectic. I spend most of my time in California. If there’s a guy you have to see, it’s his last high-school start and his team isn’t going to make the playoffs, you have to make a decision. Deron [Johnson, the Twins Director of Scouting] might have to be in Seattle or might have to be in Miami for one last look before the draft. You have to be flexible. JN: You’re listed in the Media Guide as the “West Coast Scouting Supervisor”. Do the Twins have “crosscheckers”? SJ: Yeah, we have four regional supervisors. We have two “National Crosscheckers” that don’t supervise any areas. Tim O’Neil is dedicated to the amateur world year-round. Earl Frishman does national work too, but also spring training and pro scouting in the summer. Most teams have “crosscheckers”. Some have “scouting supervisors”. The only difference is that [as a supervisor] I’m directly in charge of the scouts on the west coast. We get to hire, or if a guy gets promoted. I talk to my guys on the west coast almost every day in the spring. We’re connected. We compile the information to get to Deron or Mike [Radcliff, Vice President, Player Personnel] and I get it to them. I basically see each one of my area scout’s best players, typically the guys that go in the top five or ten rounds. I see as many as I can and try to put them in some kind of an order. So take the catcher in Southern California versus the catcher in, say, Denver. Which one do I think is better? Or do I think that someone else might need to come and see? JN: How do you stack a draft board when not everybody is familiar with all the guys? SJ: We rely on the area scouts and their conviction levels in the lower rounds to help us figure out who to select. We don’t have enough time in the spring to get lots of looks at every player we turn in. JN: So when the draft rolls around, are you in the Cities for that? SJ: Yeah, we’ll come in and have about seven full days of preparation. From 9 am until we are done. We used to go crazy, get in at nine and leave at 11 pm. The way we set it up is that we have them ordered by the grades we’ve given them walking in the room. Now we can get it done in time to go grab a nice dinner and go get some sleep. JN: How many guys are there? SJ: The draft room usually has about 10 guys. Most teams don’t bring everybody in. The room in Target Field is much nicer than the room in the Metrodome. We were in a poorly vented room downstairs. Down in the dungeon, we’d have fans we’d have to bring in and coolers with ice for our drinks. It was really blue-collar. But it was what it was and we made it work. Since moving to Target Field it’s like we moved to Taj Mahal. We have a room with a projector. We can watch film. We have a place to make coffee and can bring some food in. It’s got air-conditioning. It’s not the biggest room in the world either, but it’s adequate. So we’ll have about ten of our scouts and Terry Ryan is there for the whole thing. JN: How has draft changed? A handful of years ago it was on ESPN2 in the middle of the day. Now it’s an event… SJ: Things haven’t really changed. Obviously we’re happy it’s becoming an event. It will never be as big as the NFL draft. Those guys are already famous. That’s what will prevent our draft from becoming extremely popular. No one knows who these guys are. We took Aaron Hicks. No one knew who he was. We’re projecting on a 17 or 18-year-old kid. Hopefully he’s good. Check in in five years and see how he’s doing. It’s a totally different dynamic. It’s great for our sport, but it doesn’t really change our approach. The draft used to go much faster. Last year it was more fun because we had more picks. Now there is more time in between picks. It used to be just one big conference call. It wasn’t on TV. It seemed like it was really fast. My first draft was 2002 and I couldn’t believe how fast it went. Now there’s a minute between picks, which gives you a little bit of time to collect your thoughts in case a guy you wanted gets picked. There’s a little more strategy to it, which is good. JN: Later in the draft it seems so rapid-fire. Does it happen very often where a guy you’re looking to take gets picked or is it that the draft pool is so large that the odds or your guy going is pretty small? SJ: It happens a lot more in the first ten rounds. Everybody has the same 90 or 100 guys at the top because their tools are much more evident. Those guys stand out, everyone has scouted them. They’re a little more famous. But once you get a little later – to the 3rd or the 4th round – you can see a guy taken that you didn’t like at all and he goes in the 3rd round. There could be a guy that goes that you’ve never heard of. That’s happens more on Day 2 and 3. Later though guys get picked off less than you’d think. At that point teams like different guys, scouts turn different guys in. You’re going to have 1500 players get drafted. Our scouts don’t turn all those guys in. Some teams will take guys [they have connections to] later. Maybe the Tigers take Ty Cobb’s great-great-grandson. We don’t have any of those “favor picks” as we call them. So-and-so’s whoever… we don’t typically do that. JN: How many guys do you typically have on your draft board? SJ: We usually turn in around 900 guys. We’ll have about 900 tags in our room - which is overwhelming. We’re only going to get 40 of them. JN: Up until last year – before the CBA changes – you had a pretty good idea about what teams might take a guy that slips. Last year, the Astros save money right away and take expensive guys later. The Blue Jays take expensive guys early and draft college seniors later. The Twins did what the Twins do. Take a guy, pay him near slot. Is there a lot of strategy? SJ: We contemplated doing all that stuff. It was the first year; there was a lot of feeling out. We didn’t know what other teams were going to do. We knew someone would re-arrange their money to squeeze out one more guy. First, you have to analyze the draft crop and see what the strengths are. Obviously we thought about all the scenarios, but you don’t want to save money up for a guy who might not be there. We really like Buxton. We saved some money here and there, but we always just tried to take the next best guy. Next year we have one of the biggest pools. We had a huge pool last year. We can explore. If we don’t like any of the guys that want a certain amount of money, we have options. There’s not clear cut group of four or five guys. It’s wide open. JN: But it’s still early… SJ: I mean, Bryce Harper isn’t going to come out of nowhere in March. We’ve seen all the guys. The high-school crop of pitching is down. Most of the better arms are college guys this year. There are not a lot of great bats in this draft. It’s a shallow draft this year. High-school right-handed pitching is way down. There’s some high-school catching, there’s some high-school left-handers. There’s some power armed college-armed at the top… Look at Dylan Bundy’s year. It would be Bundy and everybody else in this draft. Archie Bradley and everybody else, Rendon… JN: How about Appel? Do you treat him differently? SJ: Well he’s not going to come at a discount. His advisors aren’t going to let him take a discount. They think he’s the best guy in the draft and he will get a chance to prove it. He might be. I wouldn’t plan on him taking a discount, no. JN: Didn’t he want the full pick value for #1 no matter where he went last year? SJ: I can’t answer that. I don’t think anybody can answer that. JN: When he didn’t go first overall, was that a big shock to you in the Twins draft room? SJ: We knew from talking to other people that Houston was taking the temperature of a lot of guys, all who went in the Top 10. They weren’t dead-set on him, we could tell that. He seemed like the right fit, Houston-kid, it all made sense. But you never know. It was all tight-lipped and all hush-hush. But no, it wasn’t a shock. We knew there was a chance he wouldn’t sign, or be hesitant, if the money wasn’t right. Houston did a great job, we commend them. They got a great player - we like Correa too - and loaded up with Rio Ruiz and Lance McCullers. If you can squeak another player out of the draft… if you get two big-league players out of the draft, that’s a good draft. JN: Tell me about Zack Jones. SJ: Elliott Strankman, my area scout, really liked him. He saw him pitch a lot and everyone that saw him believed he would have one of the best fastballs in that draft. He was on a bad team at San Jose State and they started him. He’s a high-wired, amped-up guy who throws it hard and tries to strike people out. It’s going to come down to him developing a breaking ball, which we think he will add over time. We like his athleticism; he played shortstop back in the day. He’s got good life on his fastball throwing it 95 or 96. When we got him, we were pumped; we were high-fiving in the Draft room. To get to the big leagues, he’s going to have to have a secondary pitch to finish hitters off. It doesn’t matter how hard you throw it if that’s all you have. JN: A lot of the college relievers will get a chance to start, will Jones? SJ: No, he’s locked in the bullpen. JN: With a chance to move quick? SJ: Absolutely. We’ll keep challenging him. Our hope is that he’ll start in Fort Myers. Mason Melotakis and Tyler Duffey, those guys are going to be starters this year. JN: Speaking of that, are assignments determined in Spring Training? Or are they decided ahead of time? How does that work out? SJ: There are group of guys that put their heads together. There is some Spring Training element to it, when a guy shows up he needs to look like he can play. The rule of thumb is that you want to start a guy at a level he can handle and survive and succeed and build confidence at that level. And when he does, he’s ready for the next level. It’s one step at a time with us. No one is entitled by any means. There’s a lot that goes into it. More than people think. JN: Any feelings on other guys? SJ: I saw Buxton in Elizabethton. The sky’s the limit with that guy. He’s a gifted player. We really like Berrios. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s got a live arm and great feel. JN: How about Travis Harrison? SJ: I saw him this summer. He’s in really good shape. The power hasn’t come yet, but he can really hit. We’re counting on him. Where he’s going to end defensively, I don’t know. He’d tell you he’s a good hitter, not a slugger. He can go foul line to foul line. He’s hitting for a good average and taking good at-bats, a lot like Aaron Hicks was. Guys change a lot from 18 to 23. JN: He’s going to stay at third for now? SJ: I think that’s the plan. We hope he’ll start at Cedar Rapids. JN: It seems like the farm system has more “prospects” in it. That’s a testament to you guys doing a great job. SJ: We think we’re going in the right direction, but we’re not satisfied. We need to have another good draft next year. We feel good about last year’s draft. But that’s over with. Time to knock it out of the park again! JN: When does the page turn on the draft? As soon as the previous draft is over? SJ: It’s faster than that actually. We had one year where we took the tables down in the draft room and talked about our picks and literally 40 minutes later we’re in the press box watching the next crop of guys play for four days. It was a very quick turnaround. ---- Sean and I talked about other baseball-related happenings before our conversation took an interesting turn when we started talking about the Prospect Handbook. SJ: We follow the site. We get on there every now and then. Before it was TwinsDaily, when it was Seth’s deal, we go on there to see what you guys are saying. The thing with scouting is that you can get out of touch with reality. What we think and what other people think and the other 29 teams in the league think about our players. Most of the guys you get in the draft, you like those guys more than the other teams, that’s how you got them. It’s good to get that perspective: Are we really getting the right guy, or do we just think we are? We talked some about prospect rankings and how some publications form their opinions and how a lot of the publications and people involved are very informed. Sean put it all into perspective. SJ: I looked at Baseball America’s Top 30; I thought they did a good job. But who cares what order they’re in? They’re all prospects. Either they’re gonna make it or they’re not. And a tip for anyone who aspires to be a scout someday: SJ: Focus on what a guy can do, not what he can’t. We’ll spend the rest of his career telling him what he can’t do.

After months of writing, editing and revising, we sent the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook to the printer. It's available here. *** I wanted to take this opportunity to give you a little preview of an interview I was able to do with Twins scout Jack Powell. Powell is the Twins main scout in Georgia and Alabama, so their selection of Byron Buxton with the #2 overall pick in the 2012 draft came much at his recommendation. There was debate here about whether or not the Twins should have considered taking Mark Appel after the Astros passed on him. The Twins have always had an affinity when it came to drafting "toolsy" prep outfielders, so by the sounds of it, Buxton was #1 on their draft board. In addition to discussing a handful of recent addition to the Twins systems, I also asked Mr. Powell about his two most famous finds: Jose Bautista and Matt Moore. Mr. Powell goes into much more depth about Buxton and some of this other recent finds: Niko Goodrum and Luke Bard. He also answers questions about scouting and his scouting career. You may have heard about him playing himself in the movie Trouble With the Curve, so he dished on that too. All in all, Mr. Powell helped us writing the Handbook do what we are striving to do - give the readers as much information as possible about tomorrow's potential Twins. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3052[/ATTACH]

Originally, I planned to post a preview for the Handbook; but that is going to wait until tomorrow. Instead, I decided to go the direction of something that has been bothering me over the last couple of days. Ironically, it has nothing to do with shrinking payroll or lack of top-of-the-rotation starters. It has to do with the quantity of pitchers the Twins are bringing to camp. Though the Twins are bringing a franchise-record 34 pitchers to Major League Spring Training, I feel like they are not bringing enough. In 2010 and 2011, when the bulk of the staff was set, the Twins invited 24 and 26 pitchers to camp, respectively. Last year, coming off their first 90-plus loss season, the Twins invited 33. We could argue about the quality of those 33 - or this year's 34 - but when you have a lot of question marks on the staff, it can't hurt to give as many guys an opportunity as possible. So what gives? Well, a few things: Glen Perkins, who is written in pen as the 2013 closer, will be pitching for Team USA in the WBC. Lester Oliveros got a courtesy invite and will miss the 2013 season after having Tommy John surgery. Vance Worley and Scott Diamond are in ink as 40% of the starting rotation. They also are both coming off minor elbow surgery and should be eased into their workload even slower than normal. Kyle Gibson and Mike Pelfrey, both who figure to make a significant amount of starts this year, are recovering from Tommy John surgery. While Gibson is 100% coming into spring training, his innings will be limited. Pelfrey will not be ready by Opening Day and will be limited in camp before likely starting the year on the Disabled List. Rich Harden has been dealing with injuries for... well, forever. The Twins will need to be cautious with him to avoid having a Zumaya-repeat. Now, today the news came out the Nick Blackburn will be undergoing wrist surgery on Wednesday and be in a cast for six weeks. The likelihood is that he'll start the season on Rochester's Disabled List. So, despite the quantity of pitchers invited, the Twins will be opening camp with 26 pitchers full-go, which, historically, is on par for the teams that are coming off a Division Championship with their roster set, not a team that flirted with 100 losses and has more question marks than an interrogation. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3053[/ATTACH] http://spacestation11.blogspot.com

I think they're still looking... and, ultimately, I do think they'll add someone. I fear, though, it's not gonna be anyone worthwhile.

With the release just around the corner, I wanted to... well, you know... blog about it. *** [ATTACH=CONFIG]3036[/ATTACH] (Aaron Hicks autograph on a ball Hicks fouled off in Beloit.) I remember trying to follow the Twins Minor League system in the early-to-mid-90s. And by "follow", I mean "look at the team stats in the Sunday paper". I would always wonder why guys with really good stats stayed at certain levels longer than other guys who weren't "as good". Or why guys that appeared to be getting it done were sometimes never heard from. Unfortunately, there weren't a ton of places to go to learn, so I'd remember the names of the guys that were drafted in the 1st round and look at their stats once a week. And look how the times have changed. *** I don't remember how or when I stumbled onto SethSpeaks.net, but it quickly became a site I checked out every morning. I enjoyed that it was a one-stop shop when it came to Twins minor leagues... where else could you find it? Nowhere that I had seen. I purchased the 2009 Prospect Handbook (red cover, 91 pages) and brought it to TwinsFest as a "just-in-case I needed something for guys to sign." I flipped through it tonight and saw that it was signed by Ben Revere, Brian Duensing, Drew Butera and Cole De Vries among others. If you would have told me at that time I'd be helping out a handful of years later, I would have called you crazy. *** Fast forward a few years and, sure enough, I'm agreeing to contribute to the Handbook. It's been a gratifying experience, to say the least. I'm not going to spoil it, but I'll give you a few teasers: - It's the longest edition. Ever. When we have to talk about "scaling it back" because there is too much content, that's pretty awesome. Because then it got fifteen pages longer. - The writers are great. As I've looked over a couple of drafts, I find myself forgetting to edit... I'm too busy enjoying it. From Seth (obviously) to Cody Christie to Jim Crikket to Paul Pleiss, it's tough pick a favorite. It's tougher to put down. - The prospect profiles are loaded. I made the comment to Seth a few weeks ago that after writing the profiles, you like the player as a prospect even more. I'll give you an example: Upon hearing that the Twins wanted to push Trevor Plouffe, I assumed they'd go outside of the organization. I started doing some research to write Deibinson Romero's profile and came to the conclusion that he was ready for AAA; he deserved that shot. And then I started doing some research on Mark Sobolewski. I finished that one - which might be my personal favorite - and realized that he probably deserved that shot just as much. When I heard Terry Ryan tell Phil Mackey on ESPN1500 this past Monday that the Twins were looking for competition, but really liked both Romero and Sobolewski. I didn't bat an eye. I thought, "I do, too." - There are other gems, too. I'm not going to give too much away, but when I started to send out feelers for things to include in the book I expected to come up empty. I was able to secure one interview that epitomizes the reason this book is written. *** The book will be available soon. And I'm sure you'll see advertisements. Our main objective, though, is to get as much information to you as possible for an affordable price. The question I get a lot when writing things is, "Are you going to make any money?" The answer I've given about this project is, "Yeah. But it would be difficult to cut me a check small enough that makes me say, 'Well, that wasn't worth it'." I appreciate the opportunity that Seth has provided and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed working on it.

Good stuff, JC. Looking forward to seeing some of these prospects -and you - in CR this summer.