John Bonnes

I was caught off guard by the questions, and not being a National League guy, I replied my gut feel was he was a fringe candidate, not a sure thing. Looking at his career, it's hard to justify my cool attitude towards him. TWelve times he got MVP votes, 5 times in the top 10, twice in the top 5 and once he won it. He peaked during the height of the steroid era, so I overlooked some impressive power numbers. I also see 10,000 plate appearances with a 935 OPS. I'd be interested in seeing who else had that kind of impact for that long of a career. I was wrong. He's a HOFer.

I actually made this comparison to Gleeman, though I can't remember if it was on the podcast or not. Of course, a lot of guys match this comp. I think even Joe Nathan matches this comp. Let's see.... Manship: 3.54 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 Nathan: 4.90 ERA, 1.518 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 4.6 BB/9 Oh - Manship is GOLDEN! :-) I keed, but I do like Manship.

My two cents: I think there are a lot of guys overrating Twins "prospects" here. Dozier hasn't appeared in a top 100 list of baseball prospects ever, I don't think. Benson occasionally appears at the bottom of such a list. Parmelee does not ever rank that high. And NONE of them have played so much as a game above AA - and the youngest of them is 24. So while I respect everyone's right to get all amped up in the spring, we might want to temper our enthusiasm a bit. The Twins don't have anyone in the organization that matches these guys skill set right now. Nishi just stinks. Florimon has also never played above AA. Dozier is the exception, but he SHOULD play every day and it should probably be at Rochester because - well, go back to the first paragraph. Just for the record, I'm optimistic about these guys futures. I just think the smell of last year's desparation has people going a little nuts right now. AAA is where they belong. It's crazy to put them anyplace else, except maybe AA.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?342-Mining-For-Twins

When the Twins sent Tsuyoshi Nishioka down, they admitted that they might need to replace him with a guy from another team’s roster. They’re right. Looking at the guys that remain in camp, there isn’t another really good option, at least not one that can play shortstop. Fortunately, this is the right time to find just such a player. At the end of spring training, teams make all kinds of guys available: players without options, Rule 5 draft picks or just guys that are dropped from the 40-man roster to make room for someone else. In fact, the Twins took advantage of that just two years ago. They were faced with a similar problem – they didn’t have a great option to be the backup center fielder. Towards the end of spring training, the Dodgers released Jason Repko. A week later, the Twins signed him and he played here for the last two years. So let’s get a jump start on some names that you might see on the Twins roster in a couple of weeks, even if they’re with other teams now. All have their warts – we are talking about utility players after all - but some intriguing traits, too. Wilson Valdez – He’s the kind of guy you might expect the Twins to seek for this position. He’s old (33), has a good defensive rep, is on the Reds (who the Twins love to scavenge) and is full of veteran nougaty goodness. He’s also out of options, but is a long shot to be available. On the one hand, the Reds traded for him just a couple of months ago. On the other, it looks like they could have some similar, slightly younger options. If he is available, I gotta imagine the Twins will swoop in. Emmanuel Burriss – He’s just 27, he’s a switch-hitter and he has stolen as many as 68 bases in a year in the minors. He’s also out of options and batting for a bench spot with the Giants. However, he’s struggled to get on base in the majors with just a .311 OBP. More unfortunately, he’s having a fantastic spring and probably winning that last bench spot. Chris Nelson – This 26-year-old has struggled to find playing time with the Rockies and hasn’t done much (.254 BA/.284 OBP) when he has. However, he’s torn up AAA to the tune of .321/.371/.518 in 608 plate appearances. He’s out of options, and had only a mediocre spring so far, but a recent neck injury to Casey Blake might mean the Rockies will have room for him on the roster. Stay tuned. Donnie Murphy – He’s 29 years old (which is relatively old) and has only hit .202 in limited time over six years with three different teams. He also was hurt part of last year. Finally, he’s having a miserable spring with the Marlins and is out of options. He’ll likely be available. He’s intriguing because he represents a rarity – a middle infielder with some pop. His right-handed bat hit double-digit home runs in several minor league stops, and he has a .500+ slugging percentage at AAA. This is just a few of the guys, obviously, but they probably represent some of the more likely options. If you’ve got any other ideas, I’d love to hear them below.

When the Twins sent Tsuyoshi Nishioka down, they admitted that they might need to replace him with a guy from another team’s roster. They’re right. Looking at the guys that remain in camp, there isn’t another really good option, at least not one that can play shortstop. Fortunately, this is the right time to find just such a player. At the end of spring training, teams make all kinds of guys available: players without options, Rule 5 draft picks or just guys that are dropped from the 40-man roster to make room for someone else. In fact, the Twins took advantage of that just two years ago. They were faced with a similar problem – they didn’t have a great option to be the backup center fielder. Towards the end of spring training, the Dodgers released Jason Repko. A week later, the Twins signed him and he played here for the last two years. So let’s get a jump start on some names that you might see on the Twins roster in a couple of weeks, even if they’re with other teams now. All have their warts – we are talking about utility players after all - but some intriguing traits, too. Wilson Valdez – He’s the kind of guy you might expect the Twins to seek for this position. He’s old (33), has a good defensive rep, is on the Reds (who the Twins love to scavenge) and is full of veteran nougaty goodness. He’s also out of options, but is a long shot to be available. On the one hand, the Reds traded for him just a couple of months ago. On the other, it looks like they could have some similar, slightly younger options. If he is available, I gotta imagine the Twins will swoop in. Emmanuel Burriss – He’s just 27, he’s a switch-hitter and he has stolen as many as 68 bases in a year in the minors. He’s also out of options and batting for a bench spot with the Giants. However, he’s struggled to get on base in the majors with just a .311 OBP. More unfortunately, he’s having a fantastic spring and probably winning that last bench spot. Chris Nelson – This 26-year-old has struggled to find playing time with the Rockies and hasn’t done much (.254 BA/.284 OBP) when he has. However, he’s torn up AAA to the tune of .321/.371/.518 in 608 plate appearances. He’s out of options, and had only a mediocre spring so far, but a recent neck injury to Casey Blake might mean the Rockies will have room for him on the roster. Stay tuned. Donnie Murphy – He’s 29 years old (which is relatively old) and has only hit .202 in limited time over six years with three different teams. He also was hurt part of last year. Finally, he’s having a miserable spring with the Marlins and is out of options. He’ll likely be available. He’s intriguing because he represents a rarity – a middle infielder with some pop. His right-handed bat hit double-digit home runs in several minor league stops, and he has a .500+ slugging percentage at AAA. This is just a few of the guys, obviously, but they probably represent some of the more likely options. If you’ve got any other ideas, I’d love to hear them below.

On KFAN this morning, Terry Ryan said that they have whittled down the second overall pick to a half dozen guys. Let the speculation begin....

IN what order to you guys think those four players find themselves in a regular role on the Twins this year? I'll go with: Hendricks is first, because a starter breaks down for a bit. Parmelee is second, because he kills it in Rochester for a month or two. Dozier is 3rd as the Twins have some opening in their infield. Benson is last.

Yesterday's news that Morneau's wrist is still bothering him, along with the 3-30 spring training with no base hits and ESPECIALLY that Justin is talking about how he has been almost completely unable to pull the ball makes me wonder.... Under what scenario, outright of an obvious injury, do the Twins coax Morneau to begin the season on the DL? Is there one? Let's say he is stilll hitting .125 at the end of spring. He has asked to sit out every other day because swinging hard is making it hard for his wrist to recover. At what point do the doctors step in and say "It needs rest. You need rest." (And then come out and tell us all "He's got tendonitis. No biggee. He'll be ready in a couple of weeks.") I'm wondering if there is any scenario in which this happens and the club comes north with Parmelee. I'm not sure there is.

- Towles has to beat Butera to get that job, and so far I don't think he has. - I like Maloney over Waldrop. - I thought early in spring training that Burroughs might have a shot to make this roster. I haven't had much attention to pay to the games the last couple of days, but I think I would say it is more likely they bring in a true utility infielder from another team. - But I'll add one more....I'm not sure Baker is ready or that the Twins are confident he'll be ready. So I'd swap out him and Hendricks.

I wonder if any of them were an actual twin - i.e. had a bother or sister born on the same day.

Is Benson really a center fielder? I know he's played most of his time there in the minors, but it has been far from exclusive, even as recently as 2010. I can't imagine him playing center field if Span, Revere or Hicks is on the roster. and after a string of center fielders that include Torii, Gomez, Span and Revere, I have trouble seeing the Twins giving him that job.

Chris Jaffe at the Hardball Times has a story celebrating Jim Kaat's signing with the Washington Senators. It's at: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/20000-day-versary-jim-kaat-goes-pro/ He spends a fair amount of it examining Kaat's candidacy for the Hall of Fame.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?337-Gleeman-the-Geek-Ep-33-Nishi-Baker-and-Bullpen-Ace-Makers

In this week's episode, John and Aaron sip some Nordeast and talk about Nishi's demotion, Baker's injury, some surprising Twins performances, and what it all means for the Twins Opening Day roster. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes (where you can also subscribe and leave reviews).

In this week's episode, John and Aaron sip some Nordeast and talk about Nishi's demotion, Baker's injury, some surprising Twins performances, and what it all means for the Twins Opening Day roster. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes (where you can also subscribe and leave reviews).

It's hard to say. Maybe it was just a REALLY bad hop. And it's not like the same thing couldn't happen at first base against left-handers, though I suppose there is a reason they call third the hot corner. I do think playing him there is a mistake, certainly for this year and I'd say it is for next year, too. That's something that Dombrowski can worry about next offseason - four guys for three positions.

I can't see them carrying Dozier as a utility guy - better he develops in AAA. And hitting a little bit for a half season at AA as a 24-year-old is hardly proof that you're ready for a MLB job. The question is: who IS ready? I don't really see anyone. Which, by the way, is why I don't care if the Twins bring a 3rd catcher north. If it was going to mean an able bat, like DERREK LEE, wasn't going to make the team - that would be one thing. But I don't see that guy in the organization.

I gotta think the chances of Dozier making this team are close to nonexistant. There is no way, barring injury, they hand him a starting job based on a couple of extra hits in spring training - and they shouldn't. And I agree - you don't want Dozier on the bench in MLB - you want him playing in AAA, getting ready for a starting job in MLB. But I'll be honest, I have no idea who else they're going to take. I assume Plouffe (if he's healthy), Hughes (ditto) and 3rd catcher....Lord, I wonder if Hollimon really has a chance. I'm starting to think he does.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?332-Can-The-Twins-Afford-Scott-Baker

The news that Scott Baker is injured…. Geek Chorus: Hold it – NEWS? Is that really news? At this point, wouldn’t it be news if Baker got out of spring training completely healthy? Isn’t “Scott Baker is injured in spring training” the status quo? Nobody says it’s news when it’s 70 & sunny in San Diego. It’s only news here because it’s March and Minnesota. Touché. Anyway, with Baker taking those first critical steps to yet another underachieving and frustrating season, I wondered about a debate that Aaron Gleeman and I have been having on the Gleeman and the Geek podcasts: will Scott Baker be with the Twins next year? Let’s set the stage. Of the five Twins probable starting pitchers, three will be free agents at the end of the season: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano and Jason Marquis. Scott Baker could be the fourth, but the Twins have a $9.5 million option for him. I can’t imagine him making that much per year on the free agent market if he has another year anything like his last three. On the other hand, there is (almost) no such thing as a bad one-year contract. He still has promise. And it’s not like the Twins have a bunch of young arms in the high minors for which they’re anxious to find a role. They might like a little stability, even if it means overpaying for Baker. http://apps.startribune.com/blogs/user_images/2013_Payroll_1.jpg The question is: could they afford to overpay for Baker? To figure that out, one needs to take a look at what the roster might look like in 2013 and do a little back-of-the-napkin calculating, which you’ll find on the right. Can the Twins afford to pick up Baker's option? The short answer is: yes, probably. As things sit right now, the Twins would have $30 million to spend on four starting pitchers. Presumably, one of those is going to be prospect Liam Hendricks, who might very well take over Baker's spot in the rotation if he's out for any length of time. And he’ll make less than $500,000. The Twins aren't likely to drop $30 million on the three remaining starting pitcher spots, because pitchers who cost $10 million per year tend to only be available on longer multi-year contracts which the Twins avoid. The exception, of course, would be Baker and his option year. So even if Baker has yet one more substandard year, he could be in line for that extension. A mixture of need, promise, likeability and extra budget dollars means that Baker could be around in 2013. We'll watch this season unfold before we pass judgment on should. Other Notes The Twins have two other decisions to make next year, too. First, Alexi Casilla, if he plays the full year, will probably be up for at least a $2 to $3 million salary. Just because they Twins seem to be focused on other options long-term, I didn’t include him. I hope he has his breakthrough this year and I’m wrong about that. The other is Matt Capps. The Twins have a $6 million option on Capps for next year. I think the Perkins extension indicates the Twins have plans for him to ultimately take over the closer role, which might finally and mercifully end the Twins obsession with Capps. But I've been wrong about that before. TwinsDaily The hottest Twins topic is who is going to make the Twins roster, and Jim Crikket posted a nice primer if you want to catch up on who your newest Twins might be. If you want to be a little more specific, or check in on your favorite dark horse, check out Thryloss' dashboard look at how each bench and bullpen arm has performed. Seth, meanwhile, continues to take a look at how the Twins stack up against the rest of the AL Central at various positions. Surprisingly for a 99-loss team, they look awfully good. Of his latest two positions, I'd argue the Twins have the second best right-fielder in the bunch and the best center fielder. There just might be some hope after all.... Things are not so sunny in the Forum. First, we keep trying to put last year behind us, but it really is hard, especially for the morbidly curious. Plus, when we focus on the spring, we're reminded that Tsuyoshi Nishioka still looks lost out there. Just how are we going to keep him off the roster?

The news that Scott Baker is injured…. Geek Chorus: Hold it – NEWS? Is that really news? At this point, wouldn’t it be news if Baker got out of spring training completely healthy? Isn’t “Scott Baker is injured in spring training” the status quo? Nobody says it’s news when it’s 70 & sunny in San Diego. It’s only news here because it’s March and Minnesota. Touché. Anyway, with Baker taking those first critical steps to yet another underachieving and frustrating season, I wondered about a debate that Aaron Gleeman and I have been having on the Gleeman and the Geek podcasts: will Scott Baker be with the Twins next year? Let’s set the stage. Of the five Twins probable starting pitchers, three will be free agents at the end of the season: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano and Jason Marquis. Scott Baker could be the fourth, but the Twins have a $9.5 million option for him. I can’t imagine him making that much per year on the free agent market if he has another year anything like his last three. On the other hand, there is (almost) no such thing as a bad one-year contract. He still has promise. And it’s not like the Twins have a bunch of young arms in the high minors for which they’re anxious to find a role. They might like a little stability, even if it means overpaying for Baker. http://apps.startribune.com/blogs/user_images/2013_Payroll_1.jpg The question is: could they afford to overpay for Baker? To figure that out, one needs to take a look at what the roster might look like in 2013 and do a little back-of-the-napkin calculating, which you’ll find on the right. Can the Twins afford to pick up Baker's option? The short answer is: yes, probably. As things sit right now, the Twins would have $30 million to spend on four starting pitchers. Presumably, one of those is going to be prospect Liam Hendricks, who might very well take over Baker's spot in the rotation if he's out for any length of time. And he’ll make less than $500,000. The Twins aren't likely to drop $30 million on the three remaining starting pitcher spots, because pitchers who cost $10 million per year tend to only be available on longer multi-year contracts which the Twins avoid. The exception, of course, would be Baker and his option year. So even if Baker has yet one more substandard year, he could be in line for that extension. A mixture of need, promise, likeability and extra budget dollars means that Baker could be around in 2013. We'll watch this season unfold before we pass judgment on should. Other Notes The Twins have two other decisions to make next year, too. First, Alexi Casilla, if he plays the full year, will probably be up for at least a $2 to $3 million salary. Just because they Twins seem to be focused on other options long-term, I didn’t include him. I hope he has his breakthrough this year and I’m wrong about that. The other is Matt Capps. The Twins have a $6 million option on Capps for next year. I think the Perkins extension indicates the Twins have plans for him to ultimately take over the closer role, which might finally and mercifully end the Twins obsession with Capps. But I've been wrong about that before. TwinsDaily The hottest Twins topic is who is going to make the Twins roster, and Jim Crikket posted a nice primer if you want to catch up on who your newest Twins might be. If you want to be a little more specific, or check in on your favorite dark horse, check out Thryloss' dashboard look at how each bench and bullpen arm has performed. Seth, meanwhile, continues to take a look at how the Twins stack up against the rest of the AL Central at various positions. Surprisingly for a 99-loss team, they look awfully good. Of his latest two positions, I'd argue the Twins have the second best right-fielder in the bunch and the best center fielder. There just might be some hope after all.... Things are not so sunny in the Forum. First, we keep trying to put last year behind us, but it really is hard, especially for the morbidly curious. Plus, when we focus on the spring, we're reminded that Tsuyoshi Nishioka still looks lost out there. Just how are we going to keep him off the roster?