travistwinstalk

I don't know how well many of you know me but my name is Travis Aune and I am a cohost of Seth Stohs every Thursday night this season on Twins Minor League Weekly. I have a blog over at travistwinstalk.blogspot.com and I do some Twins stuff, but my main focus because I truly enjoy it is the minor leagues. I am nowhere near the class of Seth as he is the Godfather of the Minor Leagues and he amazes me the amount of material he writes and knows. Seth is a giant and I am a midget compared to him. With that being said I know alot about the minor leagues as well and I am sharing some here at Twins Daily a great site that I am truly glad the Twin Centric guys developed. So every so often I am going to post blog postings and I will also be active in the forums so I am glad to be here. With that said over the next few days I am going to project rosters of the Minor League affiliates and most likely I will be wrong on most of them, but I think it can create a good discussion when the rosters are introduced. C- Drew Butera 1b-Aaron Bates 2b-Tsyoshi Nishioka SS- Brian Dozier 3b- Michael Holliman LF- Wilkin Ramirez CF- Joe Benson RF- Rene Tosoni DH Matt Carson Bench Ray Chang JR Towles Rene Rivera Pitching 1. Liam Hendriks 2. Scott Diamond 3. Daryl Thompson 4. Esmerling Vasquez 5. PJ Walters Bullpen Anthony Slama Jeff Gray Carlos Gutierrez Jeff Manship Tyler Robertson Cole Devries Deolis Guerra There is my picks of course I will be wrong on 90 percent of my picks. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices if I forgot someone or if someone you dont think will make it. Thanks again

I don't know how well many of you know me but my name is Travis Aune and I am a cohost of Seth Stohs every Thursday night this season on Twins Minor League Weekly. I have a blog over at travistwinstalk.blogspot.com and I do some Twins stuff, but my main focus because I truly enjoy it is the minor leagues. I am nowhere near the class of Seth as he is the Godfather of the Minor Leagues and he amazes me the amount of material he writes and knows. Seth is a giant and I am a midget compared to him. With that being said I know alot about the minor leagues as well and I am sharing some here at Twins Daily a great site that I am truly glad the Twin Centric guys developed. So every so often I am going to post blog postings and I will also be active in the forums so I am glad to be here. With that said over the next few days I am going to project rosters of the Minor League affiliates and most likely I will be wrong on most of them, but I think it can create a good discussion when the rosters are introduced. C- Drew Butera 1b-Aaron Bates 2b-Tsyoshi Nishioka SS- Brian Dozier 3b- Michael Holliman LF- Wilkin Ramirez CF- Joe Benson RF- Rene Tosoni DH Matt Carson Bench Ray Chang JR Towles Rene Rivera Pitching 1. Liam Hendriks 2. Scott Diamond 3. Daryl Thompson 4. Esmerling Vasquez 5. PJ Walters Bullpen Anthony Slama Jeff Gray Carlos Gutierrez Jeff Manship Tyler Robertson Cole Devries Deolis Guerra There is my picks of course I will be wrong on 90 percent of my picks. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices if I forgot someone or if someone you dont think will make it. Thanks again

Thats fine if they are going to run their business like that, but if I am a free agent and they want me to sign a incentive based contract I don't sign with the Twins because if I get hurt they are going to just cut me. Its fine to call this a business and if you are going to treat the players as employees then don't be surprised when they leave as free agent. If this is truly totally business then don't criticize guys like Hunter, Cuddyer, and Nathan for leaving for more money. This is a business and they left for a better deal so they shouldn't be criticized for that. I know this is a little off topic, but its either a business or its not you can't have it both ways. If you are going to treat it totally businesslike with Zumaya then don't criticize Nathan for making a business decision to go to Texas or Cuddyer making a business decision for going to Colorado. You can't have it both ways and sometimes lose sight of that. I think there is a grey area in Business and this is bigger than just Joel Zumaya it has ramifications for future free agents and the Twins made the predecent that everything is strictly business decisions and they will have to live with that going forward.

Today the Twins released injured reliever Joel Zumaya rather than pay him his whole 800,000 salary. Instead the Twins will only be on the hook for 400,000 of that salary. By rule this was a smart move, but I have a problem with it. First, this is not a good PR move by the Twins as a pitcher comes into your camp and gets injured and you cut him to save money. It comes off very cheap and very cold reminicient of when the Yankees cut Aaron Boone when he got hurt playing basketball. I got that as it saved them money to go after Alex Rodriguez. Here paying Zumaya the extra 400,000 was the right thing to do as on the field if he can come back keeping him would make him more apt to want to come back to the Twins if he can come back from TJ Surgery. I know there were some that were against signing him in the first place so I am sure they think this is a good move. However, for those that think of the Twins as a team that usually does the right thing then myopinion they made the wrong decision here. It is only 400,000 more and for a major league team that is nothing. Why would anyone sign an incentive contract again with the Twins because if you get hurt they are just going to cut you. This comes off as heartless and mean and I am not in favor of it. I really thought the Twins would keep him because in my mind it was the right thing to do. A player gets hurt in your camp so you take care of him. Maybe I am nieve, but that is what I expect out of my Minnesota Twins and today I am disappointed in them. Everyone let me know your thoughts if you think I am dead wrong or if you agree with me.

With the cuts today, I am going to post my projected Twins roster. I would love to hear others thoughts on this if you agree or disagree. C Mauer 1b Morneau 2b Casilla SS Carroll 3b Valencia LF Revere CF Span RF Willingham DH Doumit Bench Butera Plouffe Hughes Burroughs I don't know if Burroughs deserves to make the roster, but I think he will as the Twins won't want to rush Brian Dozier into a starting job from AA. It goes against everything Gardy usually likes to do, but Casilla will be the backup SS. I can see at some point in 2012 where Dozier gets called up and either Casilla or Carroll gets moved to utility role. I just don't think now is going to be the time and because of that I think Burroughs gets a job as a bench bat. Pitching 1. Pavano 2. Liriano 3. Baker 4. Blackburn 5. Marquis I look for Twins to not put Baker on DL instead skip him with the offday on April 10th and will make his season debut April 14th. That could change if Twins bullpen is abused in Baltimore then you DL Baker and bring up another arm, but I am projected that Baltimore series will go ok. Bullpen Capps Perkins Duensing Swarzak Waldrop Burton Manship This is tough to figure as each have had good outings and some bad ones. Capps, Perkins, Duensing, and Swarzak are locks in my opinion. That leaves 3 spots with 5 guys vying for it and the next 2.5 weeks will determine who makes it. I believe that you could put Waldrop, Burton, Manship, Burnett, and Maloney in a hat and pick any combination and have a good chance of being right. I picked Waldrop as the Twins love his ground ball rate and has been excellent again this spring. Burton I picked because he has been a little bit better than Burnett so far and is out of options while Burnett has options remaining. Manship I picked because even though I am not real high on him the Twins are high on him. I would pick Maloney because of him being left handed, but this role will be long relief so it really is not that big of a deal. That is my opening day Minnesota Twins roster let me know what you think if you agree or disagree.

Doesn't everyone think it is time to stop worrying about Joe Mauer. To me it is obvious that he is ready to go and the injury stuff can be put to rest atleast for him. I am not worried about Mauer's health at all anymore. The questions can be asked how he will do this year, but I think the injury concerns will not be the problem. What does everyone else think. I expect Mauer to be his all-star level self again and hit over .300 and get on base over 35-40 percent of the time. It is obvious that his days of hitting 28 homeruns were a fluke and likely will never happen again. However he is what he is and for that he will be the best doubles hitter in the game.

Maybe I am nieve to think this way, but I believe of the 66 players the best 25 will make the team. I don't think the option issue will have as big an impact as you seem to think geek. I agree with Nick that Maloney and Gray are far from locks they have so many bullpen arms that the only way they make team is if they earn it this spring its not like they are sure things that need to be protected. Terry Doyle is the same thing as if he was as good as some are making it out to be than the Sox wouldnt have left him unprotected. When it comes to Plouffe and Hughes I believe they will make it because they are the best options the Twins have right now for their bench not because they are out of options. Like I said it may make me seem nieve, but I truly believe the Twins will take the 25 guys who they believe will give them the best chance to win when the season starts and options will have nothing to do with it.

Francisco Liriano is going into a big contract year this year. In the last year of team control Liriano has a ton to prove as he is somewhat of an enegmatic figure. Before last year many myself included thought the Twins should offer Liriano a 4 year extension in the 40 million range like teams gave Zack Grienke and Josh Johnson. How Liriano went through a difficult 2011 season where he walked over 5 guys per 9 innings which was way too many. When he didnt walk hitters he gave up hits. However, he is the only power pitcher the Twins have in their rotation and really in their system right now so he is special. So my question for everyone is what should the Twins do with Liriano. Should they sign him after the season, let him go or will it depend on how he does this year. I view the Twins in a catch 22 situation when it comes to Liriano. If he is good this year he will likely be out of the Twins price range and if he struggles why would the Twins want him as he is so inconsistant. So my question to everyone is what would you do with Liriano?

if i remember right last years schedule wasnt that challenging in the teams they played it was the fact that 70% of the games were on the road. This year it is more even as they have 12 home games and 11 road games in April which is a change. I could be wrong about the level of competition last year, but it didn't seem like it was even close to the teams they play this year in April. By my count 19 of the first 25 games are against teams that either made the playoffs last year or are forcasted to be in contention for a playoff spot this year. That is tough especially counting the fact that the Twins have so many new pieces that they are trying to implement in the team. I believe the old saying is true that division titles can't be won in April, but they sure can be lost in April. If they go like 6-19 in April they will be playing catchup all season and with teams like the Tigers and Indians it will be almost impossible to catch up. If the Twins want to stay in the race they need to stay 3-4 games out of first going into May.

I looked at the Twins April schedule for the first time and wow is it challenging. After 3 in Baltimore, Go home for 6 against 2 playoff favorites in the Angels and Rangers. Then go on the road for murders row road trip with 4 in NY and three in Tampa against the Rays. Thats follwed with 3 at home against the Red Sox and end with 3 at home against the Royals. My question ifor everyone is this the toughest early season schedule for the Twins in recent years. I can't remember a more challenging April in a long time. Also what kind of record can the Twins expect to have coming out of April, if they can get to .500 I think it is a good month considering the schedule. What does everyone else think?

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Actually no I don't agree with every move the organization makes as I was disappointed they traded JJ Hardy. However, I don't see the point of always being critical its not like it is going to change anything. I am going to support the guys they put out there and not criticize every move they make because it is not worth it. Jack actually if Morneau retired he wouldnt get a cent. That is why regardless why he won't retire because he has a family to think about. He is 30 years old and if it was me i would continue trying until i couldnt do it anymore. The Twins would have been fine in 2011 if Mauer, Morneau, Span wouldnt of missed so many games and Liriano wouldnt have been a disaster. Yeah but I should have known that when I said they would be fine. I am a positive guy that is just how I am and think positive not just on the twins but everything i do in my life. I am not asking people to agree with that philosophy just give people the benefit of the doubt before you call them bums that should be cutting your grass.

As many can tell I am not a typical Twins blogger in that my posts are very infrequent. That is because I go to school in Texas and am very busy. I know everybody is busy, but for me my blogging is a hobby that I only do if I have time for it. I will blog more in the summer when I don’t have classes, but I felt the need the need to write my feelings with how everything is going with the Twins right now. As many of you know I was 30 years old when I went back to College and will graduate next spring. When I decided to go back to school there were tons of people that thought I was crazy. They said why would someone give up a job that were you were making a steady income to chase a dream. These people created a chip on my shoulder in that I am determined to prove to each of them including some in my own family that yes I can do this and do it well. I see this same chip on the shoulder of several Twins players. With the departures of Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Joe Nathan many have written off the Twins as a hopeless cause in 2012. Every prediction I have seen has the Twins fighting the White Sox and Royals for 3rd place behind Detroit and Cleveland. They say there are too many unknowns with the Twins with the injury situations of Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Denard Span along with the lowering the payroll by 13-18 million over 2011. However, when I look at Joe Mauer I see a guy who has a chip on his shoulder much like I do. He is out to prove that people have forgot just who is and that is one of the best players in the game. He is out to prove that 2011 was an aberration, and that he is a catcher first and foremost. I see that same chip on Denard Span’s shoulder who is sick of hearing about how the Twins should trade him, that Ben Revere is a better centerfielder than him. Denard Span is one of the top 5 leadoff men in the major leagues and people will give him the credit he justly deserves. As a whole I see a team with a huge chip on their shoulder with a manager in Ron Gardenhire who just knows how to win. In case anyone forgot he has won six division titles in ten years as manager. This team will be better than what the so called experts think and those that undersell this team your in for a rude awakening. For those that think that the Twins have no chance to hang with the Tigers you will be wrong. Much like you can’t ever discount Bill Belichek and Tom Brady in a big game, you should also never discount the Twins when expectations are low and the Twins can be the underdogs Gardy loves to be. When they are underdogs the Twins have a tendency of just finding a way of getting it done. I know many are perturbed that the Pohlad’s cut the Twins payroll and my response is simply who cares. Since when did payroll determine who wins the world series. If that was the case the Yankees would win it all every year. By my Minnesota math I believe the Yankees have only won 1 championship in 11 years while having the highest payroll by a large margin. Teams are build with cohesiveness and working well as a team. I would much rather play the Twins way and that is develop their talent and if that means letting free agents go then so be it. I have come to realize for some people it wouldn’t matter what the Twins payroll is it would be too low. Mr. Pohlad would get crushed no matter what he did as he should have done more. What people need to realize is as much as this is entertainment for us it is a business for him as it should be. In what business do you spend your own money on the product besides at the startup of a company. When your established the business should run on its own and you should get a profit out of it. The fact that he spends 52% on payroll is a credit to him and he should’t be expected to do more even though some people will never give him credit. Those bitching about the moves Terry Ryan has done this offseason should be ashamed of themselves as he is working inside a budget. There was no way that Michael Cuddyer is worth 10.5 million anymore. He was never a superstar and his defense has slipped to below average. Credit Ryan for knowing that there was no way to sign Cuddyer at that figure so instead he signs Josh Willingham for seven million and to be honest Cuddyer and Willingham are very similar players. To be able to get a similar player for 3.5 million a year is pure brilliance by Ryan. Signing Jamey Carroll was also a good signing if you ask me as the Twins did not have the money to sign Jose Reyes and after last years debacle at SS they needed a steady hand at SS and that is what Carroll is and that’s steady. The coup of the offseason was signing Ryan Doumit for 3 million. Doumit is a .800 ops guy who can catch if something happens to Mauer. So in my mind with the budget they had and the moves he made Terry Ryan should get credit and not get bitched about. For those that say the Twins are not contenders with this roster you are wrong and you will be proven wrong over the next 6 months. The guy that people are really wrong about is Aaron Hicks who for some reason people are starting to doubt. Seems like your average fan just looks at a few numbers and judge that he is a bust. If you look deeper with his walk rate and his gap power you are looking at a stud. It irritated me when I read Baseball America’s prospect list and saw that Hicks had dropped from 45 before last season to 127 this year. I followed every game that he appeared in and I really don’t get it. He has the chance to be a 6 tool player in that he will hit for average, hit for power, got speed, great range on defense, tremendous arm, and incredible intangibles. I talked to a fellow blogger about Hicks and he asked me on a scale of 1-10 how good he would be with 10 being a hall of famer and I said 8, but I think more of a 9 now. He has all the tools you want in a prospect and I truly believe that he is going to be a stud. For those worried about the Twins system don’t be they have 15-20 players in their system that I believe will have the chance to be major league players. Then with all the draft picks they have in June the system will get better. It is probably middle of the pack now, but by the end of the year it will be a top 10 system if you ask me. My biggest peeve with Twins fans is they believe everything they read instead of investigating things themselves. You don’t have to take my word for it think about it yourself and come to your own judgement. Just because something is written doesn’t mean that it is true so form your own opinions is my best advice. I thank you for taking the time to read this and look forward to getting to know all of you much better in the future. If you have any comments or questions you can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. This was dated Febuary 3rd just wanted to get everyone on heres opinion of it.

As many can tell I am not a typical Twins blogger in that my posts are very infrequent. That is because I go to school in Texas and am very busy. I know everybody is busy, but for me my blogging is a hobby that I only do if I have time for it. I will blog more in the summer when I don’t have classes, but I felt the need the need to write my feelings with how everything is going with the Twins right now. As many of you know I was 30 years old when I went back to College and will graduate next spring. When I decided to go back to school there were tons of people that thought I was crazy. They said why would someone give up a job that were you were making a steady income to chase a dream. These people created a chip on my shoulder in that I am determined to prove to each of them including some in my own family that yes I can do this and do it well. I see this same chip on the shoulder of several Twins players. With the departures of Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Joe Nathan many have written off the Twins as a hopeless cause in 2012. Every prediction I have seen has the Twins fighting the White Sox and Royals for 3rd place behind Detroit and Cleveland. They say there are too many unknowns with the Twins with the injury situations of Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Denard Span along with the lowering the payroll by 13-18 million over 2011. However, when I look at Joe Mauer I see a guy who has a chip on his shoulder much like I do. He is out to prove that people have forgot just who is and that is one of the best players in the game. He is out to prove that 2011 was an aberration, and that he is a catcher first and foremost. I see that same chip on Denard Span’s shoulder who is sick of hearing about how the Twins should trade him, that Ben Revere is a better centerfielder than him. Denard Span is one of the top 5 leadoff men in the major leagues and people will give him the credit he justly deserves. As a whole I see a team with a huge chip on their shoulder with a manager in Ron Gardenhire who just knows how to win. In case anyone forgot he has won six division titles in ten years as manager. This team will be better than what the so called experts think and those that undersell this team your in for a rude awakening. For those that think that the Twins have no chance to hang with the Tigers you will be wrong. Much like you can’t ever discount Bill Belichek and Tom Brady in a big game, you should also never discount the Twins when expectations are low and the Twins can be the underdogs Gardy loves to be. When they are underdogs the Twins have a tendency of just finding a way of getting it done. I know many are perturbed that the Pohlad’s cut the Twins payroll and my response is simply who cares. Since when did payroll determine who wins the world series. If that was the case the Yankees would win it all every year. By my Minnesota math I believe the Yankees have only won 1 championship in 11 years while having the highest payroll by a large margin. Teams are build with cohesiveness and working well as a team. I would much rather play the Twins way and that is develop their talent and if that means letting free agents go then so be it. I have come to realize for some people it wouldn’t matter what the Twins payroll is it would be too low. Mr. Pohlad would get crushed no matter what he did as he should have done more. What people need to realize is as much as this is entertainment for us it is a business for him as it should be. In what business do you spend your own money on the product besides at the startup of a company. When your established the business should run on its own and you should get a profit out of it. The fact that he spends 52% on payroll is a credit to him and he should’t be expected to do more even though some people will never give him credit. Those bitching about the moves Terry Ryan has done this offseason should be ashamed of themselves as he is working inside a budget. There was no way that Michael Cuddyer is worth 10.5 million anymore. He was never a superstar and his defense has slipped to below average. Credit Ryan for knowing that there was no way to sign Cuddyer at that figure so instead he signs Josh Willingham for seven million and to be honest Cuddyer and Willingham are very similar players. To be able to get a similar player for 3.5 million a year is pure brilliance by Ryan. Signing Jamey Carroll was also a good signing if you ask me as the Twins did not have the money to sign Jose Reyes and after last years debacle at SS they needed a steady hand at SS and that is what Carroll is and that’s steady. The coup of the offseason was signing Ryan Doumit for 3 million. Doumit is a .800 ops guy who can catch if something happens to Mauer. So in my mind with the budget they had and the moves he made Terry Ryan should get credit and not get bitched about. For those that say the Twins are not contenders with this roster you are wrong and you will be proven wrong over the next 6 months. The guy that people are really wrong about is Aaron Hicks who for some reason people are starting to doubt. Seems like your average fan just looks at a few numbers and judge that he is a bust. If you look deeper with his walk rate and his gap power you are looking at a stud. It irritated me when I read Baseball America’s prospect list and saw that Hicks had dropped from 45 before last season to 127 this year. I followed every game that he appeared in and I really don’t get it. He has the chance to be a 6 tool player in that he will hit for average, hit for power, got speed, great range on defense, tremendous arm, and incredible intangibles. I talked to a fellow blogger about Hicks and he asked me on a scale of 1-10 how good he would be with 10 being a hall of famer and I said 8, but I think more of a 9 now. He has all the tools you want in a prospect and I truly believe that he is going to be a stud. For those worried about the Twins system don’t be they have 15-20 players in their system that I believe will have the chance to be major league players. Then with all the draft picks they have in June the system will get better. It is probably middle of the pack now, but by the end of the year it will be a top 10 system if you ask me. My biggest peeve with Twins fans is they believe everything they read instead of investigating things themselves. You don’t have to take my word for it think about it yourself and come to your own judgement. Just because something is written doesn’t mean that it is true so form your own opinions is my best advice. I thank you for taking the time to read this and look forward to getting to know all of you much better in the future. If you have any comments or questions you can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. This was dated Febuary 3rd just wanted to get everyone on heres opinion of it.

I feel like Twins fans owe Morneau the benefit of the doubt. He has brought many great moments to Twins Territory and is our best power hitter. So the thought of him hitting 6th behind journeymen Josh Willingham and Doumit is inconceivable and disrespectful to Morneau. I guess I am more loyal to players than some as I don't forget what they have done for organization. I am not as quick to cut the cord on players as some. The ones that are critical of Morneau are the same that said Joe Mauer was a team cancer and would like to get out of that contract. Both Mauer and Morneau have been key cogs for years and I for one am not going to forget that and turn on them. Thats just me though everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

you guys negativity is unbelievable to me. What is he supposed to do retire, he is only 30 years old and is still very talented. There is nothing that I have heard that tells me he can't get back to where he was. Bottom line the Twins owe him 30 million over the next 2 years and trust me he is not going to retire and walk away from that money. So Twins fans we are stuck with Morneau so why be negative when there is nothing to say he can't be good again. His concussion problems appear in the past and the wrist problem is the only thing that gives me pause to guarantee a 30/120 type of year. I am not worried at all about the concussion symptoms anymore, but I know that none of you are going to believe in him. I realize it is easier to be negative than positive when it comes to Morneau, but I am not wired that way so I truly believe that Morneau will make it all the way back and be good again. I have 99.99 percent confidence taht he will play 130 games in 2012. I have 80 percent confidence taht Morneau hits 25/90 and 70 percent that he hits 30/120.