TonyDavis

I want to first start off my thanking Seth for writing me about posting some blog entries on this new Twins Daily site. I enjoy writing and think I can offer up some cool stories throughout the year. I think I’m a pretty positive guy so if your looking for any kind of dirt on any of my teammates, you wont find it in this section! I’ll try and write about once a week or so, and keep things interesting for you all. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: TonyDavis.jpg In my first post, I wanted to start off with a little background info about myself. I was born in Maryland, and lived there until I was 14, when my father and I moved down to South Florida in a motor home. We had one thing in mind when we left my entire family and everything we knew; that was baseball. There is really no baseball background in my family besides my late grandfather and hero who attended an open tryout at Fenway Park many years ago. He did not get to sign any contracts after that day, but I will never forget him saying to me that it was one of the best days of his life. My dad also used to joke with me and say that he hit a triple once when he was younger. That was about the extent of his baseball highlights. After attending 2 different high schools, I signed a letter of intent with the University of Florida. I wasn’t a prospect out of high school (or college, or now for that matter), but Florida saw enough in me to give me my shot. I could have gone to some smaller schools and possibly made a bigger impact right off the bat. However, I knew I would have rather gone to a big D-1, wait for my time, and learn how the top of college baseball was played. There are some freshman who go to school and perform right off the bat. I was not one of them! I had some bright spots, but mostly I took some hits and learned from my mistakes. I feel like throughout my career nothing in baseball has ever come with immediate results for me. However, with anything in life, if you put 100% of your passion and effort into something, your going to get better. I’ve always thought that if I make the conscious effort to improve on something every week, month, and year, that eventually I’m going to be a pretty dang good pitcher. After starting my college career putting up a 7 ERA as a freshman, I finished as a junior with a 2.25 who was drafted in the 12th round by the Twins. My time in the Twins organization has been awesome. Spring training, the season, the bus rides, the hotels, guys getting called up, ect.; these are all experiences that make minor league baseball such an incredible journey. I will be writing about most of these things throughout the season. In a huge sense, there is an entire minor league culture that the average fan can’t see or appreciate. I understand the great difference between looking at a stat sheet at the end of the year and watching, first hand, someone play 142 games. There are a number of my teammates who don’t get a lot of spot light, who I believe are going to be big leaguers for a long time. It is my hope that my writing about some of these hidden aspects of the game can bring this culture to life for the fans. Last year I was limited to less than 30 innings due to my ulnar nerve in my elbow constantly giving me problems. I had times when I’d be throwing, and it would feel like my arm, from my elbow down to my fingers, was asleep. This occurred several times over the course of the year. It ended in a surgical procedure where they went in and moved the nerve up a few inches, and into a muscle groove where it would no longer move and bother me. I spent 3 months rehabbing in Ft. Myers. By the 4th month, I was back on the mound. I can’t wait to take on a full year of being healthy and continue working on the things that are going to hopefully make me into a big leaguer. That’s all I have for now. But I will write again before Spring training and continue to update it throughout the year. Thanks for reading! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: TonyDavis2.jpg Well, I have exactly a week left before spring training, and I’m sure just like many of my teammates, there are plenty of things on my mind. The Emotions At one end of the spectrum, spring training brings about feelings of excitement and readiness that I cant really put into words. We’ve all quietly prepared ourselves. We know what we need to do. We can’t get moved up levels while we're at home in the off-season. This is what it's all about. It’s go time.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] At the other end of the spectrum, however, we are once again leaving our loved ones and the entire routine we’ve spent the last 5-6 months living. It’s part of being a ball player, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy transition. My fiancé and family are my biggest support system and doing things without them around takes some getting used to every year. The “Behind the Scenes” I’m sure every player in the system has people behind the scenes who help them prepare for the season year. That person for me this off-season was Walker Searcy. He played four years of Infield at Piedmont College in Northern Georgia from 2002-2006. He was basically a one-man wrecking crew for me, and he pushed me in many areas. We’d rotate lifting, and swimming, and would throw and run just about every day. Then on my bullpen days, Walker would strap the gear on and catch me. He showed up every day with a passion for the game much like my own. It’s the people like this in our lives who are behind the scenes but really help us get ready for spring training and the season. The Down Time Spring training consists of NO days off. I believe this year will be about 25 days or so of straight spring training. Going from your own workout schedule, to spending way more time around way more people at the field is draining. Naps are a must. But it’s always funny to see guys stroll down to dinner in the hotel who look like they’ve been asleep for days. I know a lot of us play cards (poker) in the evening. It’s something that’s relaxing, yet competitive, and passes the time. A lot of guys also utilize the hot tub down by the pool. About 9 out of 10 times, I go down there, I am provided with a free show of Kennys Vargas (and some of his buddies) dancing to their Latino musica. That guy is hilarious. To my Latino amigos, I’m not Tony Davis, but rather Tomy Dabie. Toward the end of the month, guys start getting released (or in real world terms, fired). It’s a part of the game, but it always sucks. Many of those guys are buddies, and it makes you feel sick to your stomach. What do you say to a guy that’s just been let go? Some guys are able to catch on with other teams, but for some others this day marks the end of their baseball careers. Days like that make you thankful you still have a jersey on, but also make you realize your job is never really safe. The odds I’m not sure the exact odds of a player in the minor leagues making it to the big leagues, but I acknowledge they are small. Trying to pursue this dream comes with a completely blank sheet of paper of what our lives will look like 5-10 years from now. Will we be big leaguers? Will we be minor league journeymen still chasing this crazy dream? Or will we have hung it up and are now playing beer league softball and working a 9 to 5? Who knows. And honestly, who cares. I don’t think any of us would trade it for the world. Spring training is filled with a bunch of talented, unique ball players who are hard nosed, stubborn at times, and some of the most determined individuals you’ll ever meet. Are all of us in minor league camp going to make it to the big leagues? Of course not. Do we all individually think that WE are going to make it? Absolutely. Most of these guys would rather sleep on air mattresses, take 10 hour bus rides, and eat cheap food than take "no" for an answer. As the great Tony LaRussa said, “I'd rather ride the buses in Triple-A than be a lawyer.” The Women behind it All That’s all I have for now, but I am going to leave you with some humor. I want to share a list that my fiancé, Brittany, gave me before I went to spring training last year. She is beautiful, brilliant, and knows this game very well. She is my rock, and with her permission, I share some of her words of wisdom from last year: 2011 How To Guide: to shoving it up their A**es, while not being a prospect.. 1. First pitch strikes 2. Throw curveball for strikes 3. Change up…for strikes 4. Slow the game down (you're in charge!) 5. Bring the heat 6. Put people away 7. NO WALKS 8. Prove ‘em wrong and shove it up their A**es!!!! 　 Smart girl, I know! … Thanks for reading. Don’t forgot to follow me on twitter as well at @_TonyDavis_ 　 　 Click here to view the article

Thank you all for the kind words! I'm ready or some ball.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?255-One-week-to-go-Minor-league-thoughts-Tony-Davis

Well, I have exactly a week left before spring training and, I’m sure just like many of my teammates, there are plenty of things on my mind. The Emotions At one end of the spectrum, spring training brings about feelings of excitement and readiness that I cant really put into words. We’ve all quietly prepared ourselves. We know what we need to do. We can’t get moved up levels while were at home in the off-season. This is what its all about. It’s go time. At the other end of the spectrum, however, we are once again leaving our loved ones and the entire routine we’ve spent the last 5-6 months living. It’s part of being a ball player, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy transition. My fiancé and family are my biggest support system and doing things without them around takes some getting used to every year. The “Behind the Scenes” I’m sure every player in the system has people behind the scenes who help them prepare for the season year. That person for me this off-season was Walker Searcy. He played four years of INF at Piedmont College in Northern GA from 2002-2006. He was basically a one-man wrecking crew for me, and he pushed me in many areas. We’d rotate lifting, and swimming, and would throw and run just about everyday. Then on my bullpen days, Walker would strap the gear on and catch me. He showed up everyday with a passion for the game much like my own. It’s the people like this in our lives who are behind the scenes but really help us get ready for spring training and the season. The Down Time Spring training consists of NO days off. I believe this year will be about 25 days or so of straight spring training. Going from your own workout schedule, to spending way more time around way more people at the field is draining. Naps are a must. But it’s always funny to see guys stroll down to dinner in the hotel who look like they’ve been asleep for days. I know a lot of us play cards (poker) in the evening. It’s something that’s relaxing, yet competitive, and passes the time. A lot of guys also utilize the hot tub down by the pool. About 9 out of 10 times I go down their I am provided with a free show of Kennys Vargas (and some of his buddies) dancing to their Latino musica. That guy is hilarious. To my Latino amigos, I’m not Tony Davis, but rather Tomy Dabie. Towards the end of the month, guys start getting released (or in real world terms, fired). It’s a part of the game, but it always sucks. Many of those guys are buddies, and it makes you feel sick to your stomach. What do you say to a guy that’s just been let go? Some guys are able to catch on with other teams, but for some others this day marks the end of their baseball careers. Days like that make you thankful you still have a jersey on, but also make you realize your job is never really safe. The odds I’m not sure the exact odds of a player in the minor leagues making it to the big leagues, but I acknowledge they are small. Trying to pursue this dream comes with a completely blank sheet of paper of what our lives will look like 5-10 years from now. Will we be big leaguers? Will we be minor league journeymen still chasing this crazy dream? Or will we have hung it up and are now playing beer league softball and working a 9 to 5? Who knows. And honestly, who cares. I don’t think any of us would trade it for the world. Spring training is filled with a bunch of talented, unique ball players who are hard nosed, stubborn at times, and some of the most determined individuals you’ll ever meet. Are all of us in minor league camp gonna make it to the big leagues? Of course not. Do we all individually think that WE are going to make it? Absolutely. Most of these guys would rather sleep on air mattresses, take 10 hour bus rides, and eat cheap food then take no for an answer. As the great Tony LaRussa said, “Id rather ride the buses in triple A than be a lawyer.” The Women behind it All That’s all I have for now, but I am going to leave you with some humor. I want to share a list that my fiancé, Brittany, gave me before I went to spring training last year. She is beautiful, brilliant, and knows this game very well. She is my rock, and with her permission, I share some of her words of wisdom from last year: 2011 How To Guide: to shoving it up their A**es, while not being a prospect.. 1. First pitch strikes 2. Throw curveball for strikes 3. Change up…for strikes 4. Slow the game down (your in charge!) 5. Bring the heat 6. Put people away 7. NO WALKS 8. Prove ‘em wrong and shove it up their A**es!!!! 　 Smart girl, I know! …thanks for reading. Don’t forgot to follow me on twitter as well at @_TonyDavis_ 　 This blog posting has been moved to the Front Page. Please feel free to comment here: http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?255-One-week-to-go-Minor-league-thoughts-Tony-Davis　

Well, I have exactly a week left before spring training and, I’m sure just like many of my teammates, there are plenty of things on my mind. The Emotions At one end of the spectrum, spring training brings about feelings of excitement and readiness that I cant really put into words. We’ve all quietly prepared ourselves. We know what we need to do. We can’t get moved up levels while were at home in the off-season. This is what its all about. It’s go time. At the other end of the spectrum, however, we are once again leaving our loved ones and the entire routine we’ve spent the last 5-6 months living. It’s part of being a ball player, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy transition. My fiancé and family are my biggest support system and doing things without them around takes some getting used to every year. The “Behind the Scenes” I’m sure every player in the system has people behind the scenes who help them prepare for the season year. That person for me this off-season was Walker Searcy. He played four years of INF at Piedmont College in Northern GA from 2002-2006. He was basically a one-man wrecking crew for me, and he pushed me in many areas. We’d rotate lifting, and swimming, and would throw and run just about everyday. Then on my bullpen days, Walker would strap the gear on and catch me. He showed up everyday with a passion for the game much like my own. It’s the people like this in our lives who are behind the scenes but really help us get ready for spring training and the season. The Down Time Spring training consists of NO days off. I believe this year will be about 25 days or so of straight spring training. Going from your own workout schedule, to spending way more time around way more people at the field is draining. Naps are a must. But it’s always funny to see guys stroll down to dinner in the hotel who look like they’ve been asleep for days. I know a lot of us play cards (poker) in the evening. It’s something that’s relaxing, yet competitive, and passes the time. A lot of guys also utilize the hot tub down by the pool. About 9 out of 10 times I go down their I am provided with a free show of Kennys Vargas (and some of his buddies) dancing to their Latino musica. That guy is hilarious. To my Latino amigos, I’m not Tony Davis, but rather Tomy Dabie. Towards the end of the month, guys start getting released (or in real world terms, fired). It’s a part of the game, but it always sucks. Many of those guys are buddies, and it makes you feel sick to your stomach. What do you say to a guy that’s just been let go? Some guys are able to catch on with other teams, but for some others this day marks the end of their baseball careers. Days like that make you thankful you still have a jersey on, but also make you realize your job is never really safe. The odds I’m not sure the exact odds of a player in the minor leagues making it to the big leagues, but I acknowledge they are small. Trying to pursue this dream comes with a completely blank sheet of paper of what our lives will look like 5-10 years from now. Will we be big leaguers? Will we be minor league journeymen still chasing this crazy dream? Or will we have hung it up and are now playing beer league softball and working a 9 to 5? Who knows. And honestly, who cares. I don’t think any of us would trade it for the world. Spring training is filled with a bunch of talented, unique ball players who are hard nosed, stubborn at times, and some of the most determined individuals you’ll ever meet. Are all of us in minor league camp gonna make it to the big leagues? Of course not. Do we all individually think that WE are going to make it? Absolutely. Most of these guys would rather sleep on air mattresses, take 10 hour bus rides, and eat cheap food then take no for an answer. As the great Tony LaRussa said, “Id rather ride the buses in triple A than be a lawyer.” The Women behind it All That’s all I have for now, but I am going to leave you with some humor. I want to share a list that my fiancé, Brittany, gave me before I went to spring training last year. She is beautiful, brilliant, and knows this game very well. She is my rock, and with her permission, I share some of her words of wisdom from last year: 2011 How To Guide: to shoving it up their A**es, while not being a prospect.. 1. First pitch strikes 2. Throw curveball for strikes 3. Change up…for strikes 4. Slow the game down (your in charge!) 5. Bring the heat 6. Put people away 7. NO WALKS 8. Prove ‘em wrong and shove it up their A**es!!!! 　 Smart girl, I know! …thanks for reading. Don’t forgot to follow me on twitter as well at @_TonyDavis_ 　 This blog posting has been moved to the Front Page. Please feel free to comment here: http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?255-One-week-to-go-Minor-league-thoughts-Tony-Davis　

Thank you and you better believe it..thats what its all about. Without the fans there would be no baseball! I remember being a kid at minor league games being so excited just to get an autograph. Now that i'm in that position I make sure I always take the time to do the same. We are all so blessed to be in this position it'd be a waste to be a jerk!!!

Really enjoyed reading this story..thanks for sharing!!

I absolutely thought about not getting the surgery. However every time I would feel this tingling sensation, it would be followed by weeks of soreness in that area. It wasn't an everyday thing that I had to deal with. It was more of something where I’d be feeling great, then out of the blue feel this numbness and tingling. That would then be followed by being shut down for several weeks until everything settled back down. Most people don’t know, but this happened in the last week of the 2010 season when I was in New Britain. After the season ended it began feeling better and felt great all off-season. Spring training rolled around and it felt awesome, but with about a week left to go in camp, it happened again. Once I spent about a month rehabbing it then, I went to NB for about 30 innings, before it happened for the 3rd time. The Doc in NB was very confident in what the problem was, and said surgery would be a sure way to get rid of it. Being hesitant, I remember asking if there were any other alternatives, and he replied “well if your girlfriend cheats on you 3 times, don’t you think she’s going to do it a 4th?” Putting a scary situation in a humorous light definitely helped me see things differently. I know I want to pitch for as many years as I can and I didn’t want to have to deal with this nagging nerve. The only other catch was the Doc couldn’t see my ligament (Tommy John) clearly enough in the MRI, and asked for my consent before the surgery to perform that while I was still under if necessary. Essentially he was going to “scope” my ligament and decide from there. So basically, there was a chance when I came to after my ulnar never transposition, that I would have also just gotten Tommy John. I guess you could say I almost Sh*t my pants. However, after some encouragement from family and time to think about it, I figured it is what it is and at least at the end of the day, I’m getting fixed and I will move on from this. So, in going back to your original question, if I was not a pitcher I guess there would have been no immediate reason for me to get this done. But for me after all the facts were laid out in front of me, it became a much easier and clearer decision. It really is a weird “injury”, and I am just so thankful it wasn’t something more serious.

Thanks to you both, and Congrats on the new site Parker. Looks awesome and i'm excited about being a small part of it!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?220-2012-Thoughts-of-a-Minor-Leaguer-A-brief-intro-Tony-Davis

I want to first start off my thanking Seth for writing me about posting some blog entries on this new Twins Daily site. I enjoy writing and think I can offer up some cool stories throughout the year. I think I’m a pretty positive guy so if your looking for any kind of dirt on any of my teammates, you wont find it in this section! I’ll try and write about once a week or so, and keep things interesting for you all. In my first post, I wanted to start off with a little background info about myself. I was born in Maryland, and lived there until I was 14, when my father and I moved down to South Florida in a motor home. We had one thing in mind when we left my entire family and everything we knew; that was baseball. There is really no baseball background in my family besides my late grandfather and hero who attended an open tryout at Fenway Park many years ago. He did not get to sign any contracts after that day, but I will never forget him saying to me that it was one of the best days of his life. My dad also used to joke with me and say that he hit a triple once when he was younger. That was about the extent of his baseball highlights. After attending 2 different high schools, I signed a letter of intent with the University of Florida. I wasn’t a prospect out of high school (or college, or now for that matter), but Florida saw enough in me to give me my shot. I could have gone to some smaller schools and possibly made a bigger impact right off the bat. However, I knew I would have rather gone to a big D-1, wait for my time, and learn how the top of college baseball was played. There are some freshman who go to school and perform right off the bat. I was not one of them! I had some bright spots, but mostly I took some hits and learned from my mistakes. I feel like throughout my career nothing in baseball has ever come with immediate results for me. However, with anything in life, if you put 100% of your passion and effort into something, your going to get better. I’ve always thought that if I make the conscious effort to improve on something every week, month, and year, that eventually I’m going to be a pretty dang good pitcher. After starting my college career putting up a 7 ERA as a freshman, I finished as a junior with a 2.25 who was drafted in the 12th round by the twins. My time in the Twins organization has been awesome. Spring training, the season, the bus rides, the hotels, guys getting called up, ect.; these are all experiences that make minor league baseball such an incredible journey. I will be writing about most of these things throughout the season. In a huge sense, there is an entire minor league culture that the average fan can’t see or appreciate. I understand the great difference between looking at a stat sheet at the end of the year and watching, first hand, someone play 142 games. There are a number of my teammates who don’t get a lot of spot light, who I believe are going to be big leaguers for a long time. It is my hope that my writing about some of these hidden aspects of the game can bring this culture to life for the fans. Last year I was limited to less than 30 innings due to my ulnar nerve in my elbow constantly giving me problems. I had times when I’d be throwing, and it would feel like my arm, from my elbow down to my fingers, was asleep. This occurred several times over the course of the year. It ended in a surgical procedure where they went in and moved the nerve up a few inches, and into a muscle groove where it would no longer move and bother me. I spent 3 months rehabbing in Ft. Myers. By the 4th month, I was back on the mound. I can’t wait to take on a full year of being healthy and continue working on the things that are going to hopefully make me into a big leaguer. That’s all I have for now. But I will write again before Spring training and continue to update it throughout the year. Thanks for reading!

I want to first start off my thanking Seth for writing me about posting some blog entries on this new Twins Daily site. I enjoy writing and think I can offer up some cool stories throughout the year. I think I’m a pretty positive guy so if your looking for any kind of dirt on any of my teammates, you wont find it in this section! I’ll try and write about once a week or so, and keep things interesting for you all. In my first post, I wanted to start off with a little background info about myself. I was born in Maryland, and lived there until I was 14, when my father and I moved down to South Florida in a motor home. We had one thing in mind when we left my entire family and everything we knew; that was baseball. There is really no baseball background in my family besides my late grandfather and hero who attended an open tryout at Fenway Park many years ago. He did not get to sign any contracts after that day, but I will never forget him saying to me that it was one of the best days of his life. My dad also used to joke with me and say that he hit a triple once when he was younger. That was about the extent of his baseball highlights. After attending 2 different high schools, I signed a letter of intent with the University of Florida. I wasn’t a prospect out of high school (or college, or now for that matter), but Florida saw enough in me to give me my shot. I could have gone to some smaller schools and possibly made a bigger impact right off the bat. However, I knew I would have rather gone to a big D-1, wait for my time, and learn how the top of college baseball was played. There are some freshman who go to school and perform right off the bat. I was not one of them! I had some bright spots, but mostly I took some hits and learned from my mistakes. I feel like throughout my career nothing in baseball has ever come with immediate results for me. However, with anything in life, if you put 100% of your passion and effort into something, your going to get better. I’ve always thought that if I make the conscious effort to improve on something every week, month, and year, that eventually I’m going to be a pretty dang good pitcher. After starting my college career putting up a 7 ERA as a freshman, I finished as a junior with a 2.25 who was drafted in the 12th round by the twins. My time in the Twins organization has been awesome. Spring training, the season, the bus rides, the hotels, guys getting called up, ect.; these are all experiences that make minor league baseball such an incredible journey. I will be writing about most of these things throughout the season. In a huge sense, there is an entire minor league culture that the average fan can’t see or appreciate. I understand the great difference between looking at a stat sheet at the end of the year and watching, first hand, someone play 142 games. There are a number of my teammates who don’t get a lot of spot light, who I believe are going to be big leaguers for a long time. It is my hope that my writing about some of these hidden aspects of the game can bring this culture to life for the fans. Last year I was limited to less than 30 innings due to my ulnar nerve in my elbow constantly giving me problems. I had times when I’d be throwing, and it would feel like my arm, from my elbow down to my fingers, was asleep. This occurred several times over the course of the year. It ended in a surgical procedure where they went in and moved the nerve up a few inches, and into a muscle groove where it would no longer move and bother me. I spent 3 months rehabbing in Ft. Myers. By the 4th month, I was back on the mound. I can’t wait to take on a full year of being healthy and continue working on the things that are going to hopefully make me into a big leaguer. That’s all I have for now. But I will write again before Spring training and continue to update it throughout the year. Thanks for reading!

I want to first start off my thanking Seth for writing me about posting some blog entries on this new Twins Daily site. I enjoy writing and think I can offer up some cool stories throughout the year. I think I’m a pretty positive guy so if your looking for any kind of dirt on any of my teammates, you wont find it in this section! I’ll try and write about once a week or so, and keep things interesting for you all. In my first post, I wanted to start off with a little background info about myself. I was born in Maryland, and lived there until I was 14, when my father and I moved down to South Florida in a motor home. We had one thing in mind when we left my entire family and everything we knew; that was baseball. There is really no baseball background in my family besides my late grandfather and hero who attended an open tryout at Fenway Park many years ago. He did not get to sign any contracts after that day, but I will never forget him saying to me that it was one of the best days of his life. My dad also used to joke with me and say that he hit a triple once when he was younger. That was about the extent of his baseball highlights. After attending 2 different high schools, I signed a letter of intent with the University of Florida. I wasn’t a prospect out of high school (or college, or now for that matter), but Florida saw enough in me to give me my shot. I could have gone to some smaller schools and possibly made a bigger impact right off the bat. However, I knew I would have rather gone to a big D-1, wait for my time, and learn how the top of college baseball was played. There are some freshman who go to school and perform right off the bat. I was not one of them! I had some bright spots, but mostly I took some hits and learned from my mistakes. I feel like throughout my career nothing in baseball has ever come with immediate results for me. However, with anything in life, if you put 100% of your passion and effort into something, your going to get better. I’ve always thought that if I make the conscious effort to improve on something every week, month, and year, that eventually I’m going to be a pretty dang good pitcher. After starting my college career putting up a 7 ERA as a freshman, I finished as a junior with a 2.25 who was drafted in the 12th round by the twins. My time in the Twins organization has been awesome. Spring training, the season, the bus rides, the hotels, guys getting called up, ect.; these are all experiences that make minor league baseball such an incredible journey. I will be writing about most of these things throughout the season. In a huge sense, there is an entire minor league culture that the average fan can’t see or appreciate. I understand the great difference between looking at a stat sheet at the end of the year and watching, first hand, someone play 142 games. There are a number of my teammates who don’t get a lot of spot light, who I believe are going to be big leaguers for a long time. It is my hope that my writing about some of these hidden aspects of the game can bring this culture to life for the fans. Last year I was limited to less than 30 innings due to my ulnar nerve in my elbow constantly giving me problems. I had times when I’d be throwing, and it would feel like my arm, from my elbow down to my fingers, was asleep. This occurred several times over the course of the year. It ended in a surgical procedure where they went in and moved the nerve up a few inches, and into a muscle groove where it would no longer move and bother me. I spent 3 months rehabbing in Ft. Myers. By the 4th month, I was back on the mound. I can’t wait to take on a full year of being healthy and continue working on the things that are going to hopefully make me into a big leaguer. That’s all I have for now. But I will write again before Spring training and continue to update it throughout the year. Thanks for reading!

I want to first start off my thanking Seth for writing me about posting some blog entries on this new Twins Daily site. I enjoy writing and think I can offer up some cool stories throughout the year. I think I’m a pretty positive guy so if your looking for any kind of dirt on any of my teammates, you wont find it in this section! I’ll try and write about once a week or so, and keep things interesting for you all. In my first post, I wanted to start off with a little background info about myself. I was born in Maryland, and lived there until I was 14, when my father and I moved down to South Florida in a motor home. We had one thing in mind when we left my entire family and everything we knew; that was baseball. There is really no baseball background in my family besides my late grandfather and hero who attended an open tryout at Fenway Park many years ago. He did not get to sign any contracts after that day, but I will never forget him saying to me that it was one of the best days of his life. My dad also used to joke with me and say that he hit a triple once when he was younger. That was about the extent of his baseball highlights. After attending 2 different high schools, I signed a letter of intent with the University of Florida. I wasn’t a prospect out of high school (or college, or now for that matter), but Florida saw enough in me to give me my shot. I could have gone to some smaller schools and possibly made a bigger impact right off the bat. However, I knew I would have rather gone to a big D-1, wait for my time, and learn how the top of college baseball was played. There are some freshman who go to school and perform right off the bat. I was not one of them! I had some bright spots, but mostly I took some hits and learned from my mistakes. I feel like throughout my career nothing in baseball has ever come with immediate results for me. However, with anything in life, if you put 100% of your passion and effort into something, your going to get better. I’ve always thought that if I make the conscious effort to improve on something every week, month, and year, that eventually I’m going to be a pretty dang good pitcher. After starting my college career putting up a 7 ERA as a freshman, I finished as a junior with a 2.25 who was drafted in the 12th round by the twins. My time in the Twins organization has been awesome. Spring training, the season, the bus rides, the hotels, guys getting called up, ect.; these are all experiences that make minor league baseball such an incredible journey. I will be writing about most of these things throughout the season. In a huge sense, there is an entire minor league culture that the average fan can’t see or appreciate. I understand the great difference between looking at a stat sheet at the end of the year and watching, first hand, someone play 142 games. There are a number of my teammates who don’t get a lot of spot light, who I believe are going to be big leaguers for a long time. It is my hope that my writing about some of these hidden aspects of the game can bring this culture to life for the fans. Last year I was limited to less than 30 innings due to my ulnar nerve in my elbow constantly giving me problems. I had times when I’d be throwing, and it would feel like my arm, from my elbow down to my fingers, was asleep. This occurred several times over the course of the year. It ended in a surgical procedure where they went in and moved the nerve up a few inches, and into a muscle groove where it would no longer move and bother me. I spent 3 months rehabbing in Ft. Myers. By the 4th month, I was back on the mound. I can’t wait to take on a full year of being healthy and continue working on the things that are going to hopefully make me into a big leaguer. That’s all I have for now. But I will write again before Spring training and continue to update it throughout the year. Thanks for reading!