nclahammer

* a definition of prayer- an earnest hope or wish.
- Blessings & thanks to all TD writers, who continue to give us great articles to discuss even amidst some opposition.
- Blessings to my friends at TD.
- Blessings & thanks to the moderators who keep the baseball forum civil & open
- Wisdom & insight to our FO so they can evaluate our needs & make the right decisions.
- Uplift the lowly & humble the proud.
- Health, soundness of mind & body to all our players so they can achieve their full potential.
- Qualify our coaches to help train our players
- Happy New Year to all & a prosperous season! Go Twins! 

Alright folks listen up I have some thoughts I want to get off my chest and I'm digging deeper then a home run hit by the REAL TC Bear at the Metrodome so buckle up.  In this essay, I will explore and evaluate Carlos Correa's performance as assistant general manager, 2 years in.
On January 11th 2023 a day that will live in infamy Carlos Correa who was turned down because of medicals by the giants and Mets came crawling back to Minnesota because no one else would take him and he got 200 million buckaroos to boot.  And that fateful day he was dubbed "assistant general manager of the Minnesota Twins" by Thad Levine and Scott Boris.  Miriam Webster defines assistant as "a person who assists someone" general as "not confined by specialization or careful limitation" and manager as "a person who conducts business or household affairs" so that means Correa is someone who assists the business of the Twins that is not confined by specialization.
Now I have a gripe to pick with that definition as Correa is confined by specialization he's just a defensive specialist stop me if you heard this before but he's just another Mark Belanger in the field and he shouldn't hit higher then seventh.  But I suppose that's besides the point because these days there changing grammar rules to fit what people are more comfortable with.  Just the other year the Associated Press (whom I would never want to associate with) said that "less" and "fewer" are interchangeable now. Folks,, that's fewer then ideal if you ask me.  Fewer refers to quantifiable entities but less refers to things you can't "count."  Theres less sand on the beach but fewer grains of sand I'll just leave it at that if you catch my drift.
But I digress.  With Correa's new title as assistant general manager (abbreviated to AGM henceforth) comes responsibility.  Just like Uncle Ben told Luke Skywalker, with Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.  So where is his assistant general manager responsibility when cheap pohlad issues a edict from on high that the Twins are cutting payroll.  The pocket protectors at the Athletic reported that it could be as low as 125 million but with how buddy-buddy those clowns are with the owners, I would guess it will be closer to 115 DESPITE the taxpayer funded stadium.
If Carlos Correa is really the AGM, why hasn't he stepped up to the plate and forced cheap pohlad to recant his ways?  A true leader would walk right up to that man and demand a bigger payroll, even if that meant he got cut and didn't get his 30 million dollars a year.  It's called integrity.  My first job I walked into the managers office and said "sir I would like a job" and look at me now I'm the floor supervisor.  It's called initiative.  cheap pohlad might even like his gumption.  The Twins are paying Correa enough that he shouldn't be afraid to step up and do the right thing but I guess that's just how baseballer are raised these days when they don't live in fear of Bob Gibson or Christy Mathewson or Eddie Cicotte putting one in there earhole.
Speaking of doing the right thing, the Twins never bunt except for scrappy infielder Jorge Polanco and my favorite player Michael A. Taylor who sneakily plays the game the right way.  Why hasn't Correa sat Baldelli (the "field manager") and told him "No Rocco, we're playing smallball now.  Its not 2019 anymore.  If it was good enough for the 1927 Yankees than why isn't it good enough for the 2024 Twins."  As AGM, he is Rocco's boss.  He's a puppet for the front office anyway and that includes Carlos.
And another thing, speaking about bunting.  How come bunting is only placed around the stadiums after the fourth of July (Independence Day).  I really like those little half-circle flags.  They really tie the field together and it reminds us of the greatest country God ever invented where we play the greatest Sport He ever invented,  It's like how there's no jobs for pumping gas anymore.  We just take things away that are useful and good to streamline the process, which is probably why Driveline is personally snipping 14 year olds' UCLs so they have to get Tommy John surgery.
Anyway, I want to point out some hypocrisy from our friend Carlos.  He exerted his influence to make signings like his old Astros friend Christian Vazquez and also Dallas Keuchel.  But he's refusing to put his foot down and challenge cheap pohald on one little thing?  And don't come at me siting things like "The Ballys's Situation" because that's a load of hogwash.  If Derek and Thad "the smartest guys in the room" couldn't see this whole thing come crashing down then why are they paid for?  But of course the whole Ballys's situation blew up in everyone's faces and now we have half the screen taken up by bally betting lines (there a gambling company like the Bellagio).  But of course you can gamble during the baseball game from your smart TV but Pete Rose, an upstanding public figure, bet on some games that he had control over and made in-game decisions based on whether or not he bet on that game and now he can't get into the Hall of Fame?  What a joke.
Speaking of fairness and equality, [Hi, this is Greggory's wife, Earnestine.  I have been editting this post and fixing type-os for Greggory, but I'm making the executive decisions to omit this paragraph.  While his head was in the right place, Greggory's calls to rename singles to "gentleman singles" and walks to "lady singles" in an effort to promote gender equality probably didn't come off in the right way.]
And so that brings me to my next point.  Carlos Correa needs to also reconsider the money he's making.  Instead of trading a team legend like all-American boy Max Kepler (who I would let date my daughter) to shave salary, maybe Carlos could consider a paycut.  Based on Fan Graphs WAR he was only worth about 15 million dollars which is a kings ransom for Buxton but okay for Correa, so maybe he should except the paycut down to 15 million.  IF he's as committed to winning as he said then maybe he's willing to do so.  It's what leaders do.  Or maybe he could restructure his contract a la Kurt Cousins.
I once had a offer to double my salary and jump over to the meat packing plant but I know the value of loyalty and look at me now I'm the floor supervisor.  So that's what's got this on my mind like a Sheboygan sausage, which reminds me whatever happened to the Hormel W***** Winner Row?  I never got one but I always wanted a free DomeDog.
This winter, if Carlos Correa wants to prove that he has earned the title of AGM, well then it's time to start putting the money where his mouth is.  It's just sad to watch this childrens' game become a big money grab for everyone involved.  Sure, back in the day you had your Chick Gandils and Billy Mahargs, but they were the exception not the rules.  Owners used to be willing to spend on their teams.  Remember the time that Tommy Lasorda beat up the San Diego Chicken?  But the game we used to love is now dominated by launch velocity and exit angle and seam shifted wake and they don't give away physical ticket stubs either.  I can only add it to my Apple Wallet which is the only billfold you can't put in your back pocket or else it will break.
Everything is just too streamlined and money focused these days which is probably why downtowns don't decorate for Christmas anymore.  I miss seeing wreaths and tinsel and statues of Santa now the only place I can go to get that ambiance is the hellhole that is Duluth, MN.  But even Duluth makes they're downtown look like that all year.  It's like they waited for Bing Crosby's song Winter Wonderland to hit the public domain then made a town around it.  just another sign of the corporatization of middle America.  Speaking of winters in Minnesota why didn't they build a roof on Target Field? Probably never expected to have a playoff game in October which is why cheap pohlad only invests enough to pretend to compete like signing Carlos Correa when they could have signed 42 minimum-salary players for the same money.  And don't even start with me about how having a roof on Target Field would mean fans can't see the Minnesota skyline because let me tell you about downtown Minnesota. Ever since [Earnestine again; we are going to skip this part].
Which brings me to my final point and thesis.  I think that the Twins rolled out the red carpet for Correa and he didn't deserve it.  Beyond the salary, he also got "Star Wars Night" instituted and I'm here to say that he's not even a real nerd because Kylo Ren and the Sequel Series are NOT cannon.  I consider myself more of a Trekkie myself they really have some good messages about inclusivity unlike Star Wars which is all about space wizards for children committing terrorism against the state.  But Correa has probably never even read Asimov or knows the rules to robots.
So the Twins did all that work to bring him in and the fans have nothing to show for it.  Just another Hershel Walker trade and Parise and Suter.  When will he earn his salary and demand cheap pohlad invest in this team?  Probably never.  Instead they'll probably trade all there good players for prospects who will just be traded again once there good.  And speaking of good I have one last thought.  I really miss seeing Mary Tyler Moore on the tube. She was a real fox and they don't make women like that [except for my loving wife Earnestine].  It's just frustrating that people these days don't value the same things anymore.  It says a lot about the state of our country, if you ask me.

Career minor leaguer Wilkin Ramírez had three cups of coffee in the bigs. He played 15 games for the Tigers in 2009, 20 with the Braves in 2011, and 35 with the Minnesota Twins in 2013.
Ramírez came to the Twins organization ahead of the 2012 season, batting .288 with 19 home runs and 61 RBI over 113 minor league games. He hit .404 with ten doubles in 57 at-bats during spring training in 2013, which earned him an Opening Day roster spot.
This was the best opportunity a team had ever given Ramírez at the Major League level, and things got off to a great start. His red hot spring carried over into the regular season. In a fourth outfielder role, he hit .381 with four RBI during April. But then health became an issue. Ramírez cooled off a bit in May, then had to miss 71 games due to concussion-like symptoms.
He returned to the diamond from his concussion in mid-August, and began to re-capture some of his April magic. Ramírez recorded a hit in nine of his first 12 games back, including two multi-hit games. But a fractured fibula on August 29th ended his season, and effectively his big league career.
The Twins removed Ramírez from the 40-man roster during the offseason. He re-signed with the club on a minor league deal, and spent the entire 2014 and 2015 seasons with Triple-A Rochester. Ramírez spent 2016 with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League, and then retired from professional baseball.

Henry Blanco was your classic journeyman backup catcher. Known for his glove, he hit just .223 over a 16 year career that was spent with 11 different teams.
Minnesota signed Blanco to a one year deal in December 2003. The expectation was that he would be the number two catcher behind top prospect Joe Mauer, who made his Major League debut on Opening Day in 2004. But a knee injury limited Mauer to just 35 games that season, and Blanco wound up playing a career high 114 games that season.
As expected, Blanco did very little with the bat. He slashed just .206/.260/.368 (.628). This came with a career high ten home runs and 37 RBI, but that was partly due to the fact that 2004 was the only season where he appeared in at least 100 games. His defense provided a lot of value though, as Blanco threw out an American League best 49.1% of base stealers.
Blanco drove in two runs during the 2004 ALDS against the Yankees. He had a sacrifice fly in game two off Jon Lieber, and launched a solo homer off Javier Vazquez in game four. They’re the only two RBI of his postseason career. His teams did reach October a handful of times, but this was the only instance where he was getting regular playing time. The only other playoff start he had came in game three of the 2002 NLDS when the Braves had to scratch Javy Lopez late.
He is now a member of the coaching ranks. Blanco currently the role of “catching and strategy coach” with the Nationals. Blanco has also been a coach with the Cubs and Diamondbacks, with various roles and titles with each club. He has two World Series rings as a coach, winning it all with the Cubs in 2016 and the Nationals in 2019.

Journeyman reliever Héctor Carrasco pitched for 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, which included two stints with the Minnesota Twins. He also played for the Reds, Angels, Royals, Red Sox, Nationals, and Orioles.
Carrasco first came to Minnesota through waivers just before the 1998 season. The Diamondbacks had selected him from Kansas City in the expansion draft that winter, but he waived right before Opening Day and the Twins picked him up. He went 4-2 with a 4.38 ERA and a save over 63 relief appearances in 1998. His 1.719 WHIP was the worst among any big league pitcher with at least 60 appearances that season. 1999 and 2000 weren’t that much better for Carrasco. His biggest highlight in a Twins uniform might be surrendering Cal Ripkin’s 3,000th hit early in the 2000 season.
Minnesota was able to trade Carrasco to Boston late in 2000. The return was a lottery ticket Single-A outfield prospect who had been a 12th round pick. Nobody really expects much from a trade like this. There are zero expectations for these moves to wind up producing a big league player. But this one did. The lottery ticket prospect was Metrodome fan favorite Lew Ford.
After pitching just eight games with the Red Sox, Carrasco returned to the Twins as a free agent that next offseason. He posted a 4.64 ERA over 56 appearances with the Twins in 2001. Over four seasons in Minnesota, Carrasco had a 4.53 ERA with four saves across 219 games.
He would keep pitching in the Majors through 2007. His career year came in 2005, when he had a 2.05 ERA over 64 games with the Nationals. Carrasco continued to pitch professionally until 2012, spending time in the Atlantic League and the Mexican League.

The Baltimore Orioles took Darnell McDonald with the 26th overall pick in 1997, but he never really found his footing in the Majors until 2009 at age 30 with Cincinnati. This long path included a four game cup of coffee with the Twins in 2007.
He did debut with the Orioles in 2004, but played just 17 games for them. McDonald spent time in the Guardians, Devil Rays, and Nationals systems on minor league deals after being released by Baltimore. Washington traded him to the Twins in June 2007 for the right to keep Rule-5 Draft pick Levale Speigner after taking him off the 25-man roster. McDonald went 1-for-10 with a walk in four appearances with Minnesota over four games in July 2007. He became a free agent after the season.
2008 was another year of exclusive minor league action for McDonald, but he got his first extended Major League look with the Reds in 2009. McDonald appeared in 47 games for Cincinnati, batting .267 and hitting his first big league homer off a 21-year old Clayton Kershaw.
This was followed up by a career year with the Red Sox in 2010. McDonald played in 117 games for Boston that season, getting to start in centerfield for an extended period of time after Jacoby Ellsbury was injured. He stuck around with the Red Sox as a fourth outfielder until getting waived in July 2012. McDonald had brief stints with the Yankees and Cubs, retiring after the 2013 season.
McDonald coached in the Cubs minor league system for a little bit, but he has since moved to broadcasting. NESN, the Red Sox television partner, hired him as a studio analyst ahead of the 2023 season.

Minnesota acquired veteran outfielder Sam Fuld off of waivers from the Athletics very early in the 2014 season. The 32-year old was hitting just .200 through seven games with Oakland, and carried a career OPS+ of 79.
Fuld then began to play some of his best baseball during his time with the Twins. He collected two hits in his Twins debut, including an RBI single against Rays reliever Brandon Gomes. That was followed up by two more multi-hit games, and a five game hitting streak to begin his Twins tenure. Fuld quickly became the team’s regular centerfielder, replacing a struggling Aaron Hicks.
He never hit for much power, but Fuld played good defense and had a .370 on-base percentage over 53 games in Minnesota. This is compared to the .307 OBP that Fuld sports for his eight year Major League career. His performance made him good enough to flip at the deadline. Ironically, the team who traded for him was the same team who had waived him in April. Oakland sent Tommy Milone back to the Twins for a guy they let leave for nothing just three months earlier.
Fuld would remain in Oakland during the 2015 season, batting .197 over 120 games. That would be the end of his big league playing career. He slashed .227/.307/.325 (.632) over 598 games with the Cubs, Rays, Athletics, and Twins. Fuld was also worth 30 defensive runs saved in the outfield.
The end of his playing career was not his final chapter in the Majors though. He was hired as the Phillies player information coordinator in 2017, and the industry immediately identified him as a rising front office star. The Blue Jays interviewed Fuld for their managerial job after the 2018 season, and he was seen as a strong candidate until withdrawing his name from consideration. Pittsburgh also showed interest in hiring Fuld as their general manager in 2019, but the job went to Ben Cherington instead.
Philadelphia eventually did promote Fuld to general manager in December 2020, making him the number two man for President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski.

It’s a frustrating situation. As we formulate our own opinions about what the Twins should do about the Byron Buxton conundrum, it’s important to understand all of the information we have.
Whether you hope to provide an opinion on how his recovery should be handled, whether he’ll play center field in 2024 if ever again, or if he should retire, we need to keep in mind the facts about Buxton’s knee that we personally know. Here they are:

The Minnesota Twins go into the offseason with an excellent combination of top prospects and serious depth throughout the organization. With plenty of young players putting up nice seasons, a recent end-of-the-year update to the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects list shows real movement.
For the Twins organization, prospect graduations took place this year in the form of rookies like Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner, and Louie Varland. It wasn’t just the guys that made it to the big leagues where substantial change was experienced. With a mid-October update to the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospects, it’s clear there are a few names that jump off the page.
As Minnesota looks to find ways to supplement the major league roster for Rocco Baldelli this offseason, utilizing prospect capital could be a plan for Derek Falvey. The organization could see a change in payroll realities on the heels of a new television outcome, and trades may be a more cost-effective way to add than the free agent market. Beyond that, we saw what rookies can look like as contributors in 2023, and identifying who creates the next wave is a must.
Here are some notable names that saw their stock rise in 2023:
1. Walker Jenkins
Taking over the top spot from Brooks Lee, Jenkins went from the draft to pro ball and didn’t skip a beat. He blitzed through rookie ball and contributed at Single-A for Fort Myers. He probably could have handled High-A and helped with the Cedar Rapids Kernels Midwest League title. Jenkins is already preparing for 2024, and while he will be less than 12 months removed from high school, betting against a meteoric rise doesn’t seem like a good proposition. He’s probably not making it to The Show in the upcoming season, but getting to Minnesota, specifically St. Paul, would be an incredible outcome.
11. Kala'i Rosario
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the performance of Rosario (and Marco Raya) has helped to withstand the blow of missing on Aaron Sabato. Rosario had an .832 OPS as a 20-year-old at High-A Cedar Rapids, and his 21 homers indicate that he has come into his power. The strikeouts are still substantial, so reigning that in as he develops is a must, but there’s a legitimate power hitter here. Minnesota sent Rosario to the Arizona Fall League this year, and he’s hit five homers in his first 15 games. Continued development is needed for the Hawaii native, but he’s still young, and seeing what his season looks like at Double-A should be fun.
15. Cory Lewis
It’s easy to call Lewis’ season the best among the pitchers on the farm, given he won both the Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Year award and the same designation from Minnesota themselves. He was a 9th round pick that immediately made noise, and while he throws a knuckleball, he’s not a traditional knuckleballer. Lewis was an integral part of the Kernels championship run, and after posting solid numbers with Fort Myers, he got better when he went up a level. Lewis recently turned 23-years-old and should begin the year at Double-A. That would put him in play as a potential late-season option for a major league debut should things go well. Lewis doesn’t have the ceiling of Raya, but he could elevate to David Festa prospect status with Minnesota by sometime in 2024.
Here are a couple of names that saw their stock fall in 2023:
13. Connor Prielipp
The second-round pick in 2022 was coming off an injury when selected and hadn’t pitched since 2021 for Alabama. Minnesota took the time to get him back healthy, but it resulted in just 6 2/3 innings before going back under the knife. There’s no question that Prielipp has the skills to be an ace pitcher, but his inability to stay healthy has been problematic for years. He hasn’t done anything statistically to account for his fall, but being unavailable while others pass him by has dropped him out of the Twins top 10.
14. Yasser Mercedes
Mercedes came stateside in 2023 and saw a substantial dip in production. He was just 18 years old but dropped over .300 points in OPS while playing in just 25 games. His Dominican Summer League numbers still reflect his abilities, but it’s a reminder that international youth can be challenging to project. The hope would be that Mercedes can remain healthy in 2024 and spend a significant portion of the season playing for Fort Myers. He’s a speed and power threat who already has a good idea of the strike zone. The athleticism in the outfield plays, and that combination is an exciting one to dream about.
17. Simeon Woods Richardson
Acquired as the second piece in the Jose Berrios trade alongside Austin Martin, it was more of a learning year for the former top-100 prospect. The success from 2022 evaporated, and his one major league outing went terribly. Woods Richardson threw a career-high amount of innings, but he looked ineffective for most of them. There was a positive trend at the end of the season, but the gaudy walk rate continued to hold him back. This offseason is an important one for the former Blue Jays prospect, and ensuring he’s committed to training and focused on taking a step forward will show up in 2024.
What prospects are you most excited about in the season ahead? Is there a name or two you might be worried about?

If you're like me, you find yourself scrolling baseball reference pages or Wikipedia to see what former Twins players are up to, post playing career. Maybe you're not like me, maybe you actually have a life. Well, I don't, but I do enjoy doing Wikipedia and bREF rabbit holes. Recently, I was talking with a friend on Twitter and he asked me what I thought the worst trade in Twins history was, the ones that came to mind immediately were more recent: Sam Dyson, Mitch Garver, Taylor Rogers, etc. But I decided to stick with the trades made since 2000. The reason for that is that is when the Twins really became relevant again, when we knew that contraction wasn't going to be moving our team. With that said, I scoured long and hard looking at almost every trade we've made since 2000 and although the Jamie Garcia trade is up there, I still think the trade I'm going to outline below is worse and I'll list my criteria. 
As always, please let me know what you think, follow me on Twitter @Devlin_clark84 and without any further wait, let's get to it:
Before I tell you what the trade is, I want to lay out the parameters of how I came about this. First of all, ALL stats shown below are courtesy of baseball reference. I wanted to also show the production over a 5 year period as I felt that this gives us a great sample size and can exclude fluke or lucky seasons, one offs, etc. So here is the breakdown:
I will say that some of the post trade stats are incomplete and you'll see why as we progress.
The trade happened on November 6, 2009. We will be looking at the 2008,09 seasons for each player, the 2010 season, as well as the 2011,12 seasons to see a wide scope of production and to try and fairly explain why this is the worst trade in Twins history. 
The Twins trade 24 year old Centerfielder Carlos Gomez to Milwaukee for SS JJ Hardy. 
Let's look at the 2008,09 seasons for both players so we can get a scope of who and why the trade was made.
(Stats shown below are for both seasons combined)
Gomez (age 22 and 23 seasons): 290 games, .248 AVG, 10HRs,87RBIs, 73 OPS+, 2.6 WAR. 
Hardy(age 25 and 26 seasons): 261 Games, .260 AVG, 35HRs, 121RBIs, 98 OPS+, 5.3 WAR
Coming into the trade, based on nearly 300 games the last two seasons, the Twins were going to be the clear beneficiaries of the trade. Hardy not only had better numbers, but also played a premium up the middle position. The Twins were poised to win the trade. Let's look at how the 2010 season played out for both guys (avert your eyes, Twins fans):
Gomez(age 24 season in 2010): 97 Games, .247 AVG, 5 HRS, 24RBIs, 18SBs, slashed .298/.357/.655 which produced a WAR of 0.6. 
Surely, Hardy would have a better season with the Twins than Gomez had with the Brewers? Well...
Hardy (age 27 season in 2010): 101 Games, .268 AVG, 6HRs 38RBIs, slashed .320/.394/.714 which produced a WAR of 1.3
Not as bad as Gomez, but still not great. Despite this, after the 2010 season, the Twins still looked like the obvious winners on this trade, it's when you look at not just the next two seasons, but what happened next that show this to be the worst trade in Twins history.
On December 9th, 2010 the Twins and Orioles pulled off a trade. The Twins sent SS JJ Hardy and UTIL Brendan Harris to the Orioles. We got $500,000 in return and two minor leaguers, Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey.
It's what happened next that show my point:
Gomez (2011-12 season with Milwaukee, ages 25,26 seasons): 231 Games, .248AVG, 27HRs, 75RBIs, 53SBs, 94 OPS+ which is a 4.5 WAR combined. 
Hardy(2011-12 in his age 28,29 seasons):
287 Games, .252 AVG, 52 HRs, 148 RBIs, 96 OPS+, good for 7.5 WAR. 
Hardy in the 3 seasons following the trade(2011,12 and 13) hit 30,22 and 25 HRs respectively. 
Gomez became a first time all star in 2013 and again in 2014. He finished ninth in MVP voting in 2013 and sixteenth in 2014. He also won a Gold Glove in 2013. 
Hardy won a Gold Glove in his second season in Baltimore in 2012 (also in '13), as well as the Silver Slugger and became an All Star in 2013. 
So why is this the worst trade ever for the Twins? Let's examine what they got from a numbers standpoint:
Brett Jacobsen never made the majors. So since I am using MLB stats, he's a non factor in this trade. Jim Hoey in 2011 for the Twins:
26 Games, 5.47 ERA, 75 ERA+, 5.58 FIP, good for a whopping -0.6 WAR. 
To summarize what the Twins gave up, received and then how the players did after the trade: 
From the trade in 2010 to the end of the 2012 season the Twins got a WAR of 0.7 (1.3 from the Hardy 2010 year, and a -0.6 from Hoey in 2011.) Hoey never played again after 2011 in the majors. 
The Brewers thrived and got 5.1 WAR between 2010-12 with Gomez and those weren't even his best years. (In 2013 he had a massive 7.6 WAR season and in 2014 had a 4.7 WAR season, all told, the five years after the trade through the end of 2014, Gomez produced a total of 17.4 WAR.)
The Orioles also won the trade with Hardy, getting a 7.4 WAR player the next two seasons, who played a premium position, was an All Star, Silver Slugger and GG winner. From 2010-14, Hardy was worth a massive 15.4 WAR(1.3 of those was 2010 with MIN)
So the Twins ended up getting $500,000, a player who never made the majors, and a pitcher who produced a -0.6 WAR, and gave up a SS who produced 14.1WAR the next four seasons and a CF who produced a 14.8 WAR and finished top-20 MVP twice. 
When you factor everything in, the fact the Twins were going to be the winners based on the two previous years of Hardy and Gomez' careers, the fact that Hardy produced a higher WAR then Gomez in the first full season of the trade, and then the ineptitude of the Twins to give him up and get absolutely nothing back (literally a Negative war player) makes this, for me, the worst trade in Twins history. 
As always, leave a comment below and let me know what your thoughts are! Can you think of a recent trade where we got less back and other players produced more in the last twenty three years?https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hardyjj01.shtml
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gomezca01.shtml

A few months back, I posted a Q&A I did with Matt about his injury, rehab and how things have gone since. Matt will be on my The Show About The Show Podcast in video form, and he is thrilled to answer as many Twins fans questions as possible! If you have any questions for Matt, leave them below an I will ask as many as I can. Also, be sure to subscribe to my podcast and watch recent episodes such as former Twins Matt Lawton, Marty Cordova and 1991 GM 7 hero Gene Larkin. 
https://youtube.com/@MLBTheShowPodcast?feature=shared
 
 

Thanks, folks. 
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog inviting feedback for some paint schemes for the wall in a room that has transitioned from our youngest son's bedroom to our office. Alas, he got married and moved to North Carolina -- we like the married part, just wish he didn't live so far from northern Indiana. That post is here: https://twinsdaily.com/blogs/entry/23701-help-design-my-man-cave/ 
The goal was to combine a Fathead with some shelving to create a space to display the set of Tony Oliva baseball cards I've gathered, along with some others. I invited feedback to the following ideas: 
 
And the one I chose was...
No. 6. 
So, next up was using a friend's table saw to rip some MDF board into 5/8" x 5/8" strips, followed by cutting a quarter-inch angled groove to hold the cards. Then Mrs. IT took over, handling the priming and painting. Finally, my brother-in-law, much more adept at such projects than me, helped me stick the Fathead and place and mount the strips. 
Here's what I got: 

 
I'm pretty pleased. Mrs. IT needs to do a little touch-up painting, touching up the screw holes and a few more spots. What you see here are a complete set of Topps, Kelloggs and Hostess Oliva cards on the left, plus a couple extra odds and ends. On the upper right are my Killebrew cards, with Carews underneath. Neither of those are complete.
Eventually, I'll tighten them up so I can add some other favorites from over the years -- Hrbek, Puckett, Gaetti, etc. Probably need to get a Wynegar and some others. It may not take long for Lewis to make an appearance on the IT Wall of Fame. And depending on how full I want to make the space, I may also include a few non-Twin favorites and/or legends from over the years, namely Brock, Aaron, Clemente, etc. I don't have any that are particular valuable (and none graded), but on the wall will at least bring more enjoyment than in boxes under the bed. The total space is about 84 inches by 40 inches.
Thanks to @Cornholio, @Rod Carews Birthday, @Wyotwinsfan, @davidborton, @DocBauer, @gil4, @nclahammer, @Original_JB, @dcswede, @Khaddie and @Puckett34 for great insights and suggestions.
I was originally thinking I'd go with No. 8, but after coming up with a number of mockups, I was starting to lean toward No. 6 by the time I posted. So to get a couple early affirmations of that option helped firm up that decision. Some other comments:
There were some good suggestions that would have given it a much more professional feel (and would have been beyond my capability or cost more than I was prepared to spend. A couple folks cautioned about covering up too much of the Fathead. With that encouragement, I did move the strips out a bit. They end up overlapping by about three inches, rather than the six inches I originally planned. I think that was an improvement, so thanks for those suggestions. If I was to do anything different with the layout, I'd give each row another quarter to half inch of space (starting at the bottom) to push the top row up to have even less overlap with the letters.  A few people had ideas for some additions, suggesting some autographed photos, Homer Hankies, etc. (And speaking of, I need to track down one of this year's.) I do plan some of those things with the next steps. The exterior wall of the room has about 43 inches on each side of a window, so I'm thinking of putting in a relatively high shelf for the four Wheaties/Kelloggs boxes (still full) from 1987 and 1991. I may do a second shelf with some autographed balls, but I really don't have any significant ones. I do have some other things, however, such as a Rod Carew RC Cola can and an Oliva-signed cap, etc. I'm only a few years from retirement, so I'll need to consider where to go with two jerseys. I'm perhaps the only person on TD with a game-used Travis Miller jersey. I never thought I'd buy a gamer of anyone, but when you're in the team store and see one with your last name on it, it's tough to resist. My congregation gifted me another jersey when transitioned from pastoring there to another ministry opportunity. In total, I have another 10 or so linear feet of wall space on this half the room to use for such things. Mrs. IT gets the other side of the room. So again, thanks. If anyone heads through northern Indiana on the toll road and wants to stop off for a visit, I'd be glad to show it in person! 😃
 

And while I'm at it, I do have another spot in the house that folks might find interesting. I've been fortunate enough to have been able to combine some work-related travel with vacations and have been to all 30 current stadiums (plus a dozen or so that have been closed)*. I spent some time to create some collages from photos I've taken along the way (plus a handful from the Web of stadiums that I went to before I started taking pictures). Here's what we have in our entry hallway. Each frame is a division, with the teams in alphabetical order from top to bottom.
 
 
*Lest you think that's impressive, what's more impressive is the amazing Mrs. IT. She's been to 24, even though she's not a baseball fan. When someone asked her about it, her response, "I don't like baseball, but I like some people who like baseball." 
 
 

So much was packed into two games!  A day later, I've put together a Top Ten list of moments, with no particular metric except my own sense of drama in the moment.  Ranking is influenced by impact on the game's outcome, but there is an "Oh No He Didn't!" factor that counts for a lot.  You will argue with some choices I am sure - I would probably have ranked them slightly differently yesterday and might change my mind tomorrow.
 
 
 
 
 
Game 1 Inning 4: Carlos Correa bails out Polanco, throws out Bichette at home Game 2 Inning 5: Carlos Correa pickoff of Guerrero at second Game 1 Inning 1: Royce Lewis HR #1 Game 1 Inning 3: Royce Lewis HR #2 Game 1 Inning 6: Michael A Taylor at wall for catch of flyball by Chapman Game 2 Inning 8: Griffin Jax unassisted putout like a blocking fullback on Biggio Game 1 Inning 9: Jhoan Duran taking throw to put out Springer and end 18 game losing streak Game 2 Inning 6: Caleb Theilbar 643 DP on Chapman after close foul ball Game 2 Inning 4: Carlos Correa RBI single for first run against Kikuchi Game 2 Inning 9: Jhoan Duran third out swinging strikeout of Varsho for the sweep Here also are my ten honorable mentions, ranked merely in sequential order of when they happened.
Game 1 Inning 2 Michael A Taylor coming in hard for the catch against Chapman
Game 1 Inning 4 Max Kepler with difficult grab of Guerrero smash
Game 1 Inning 5 Pablo Lopez strikes out Belt swinging with Chapman on third
Game 1 Inning 8 Griffin Jax two big strikeouts after Guerrero leadoff double
Game 1 Inning 8 Donovan Solano with unassisted putout of Kirk to end inning
Game 2 Inning 1 Sonny Gray strikes out Biggio to strand two baserunners
Game 2 Inning 4 Max Kepler single against Kikuchi in relief of Berrios
Game 2 Inning 8 Michael A Taylor with grab on tricky fly by Guerrero
Game 2 Inning 8 Carlos Correa hit on hand by pitch but stays in game
Game 2 Inning 9 Jhoan Duran finger cut, 2 bad pitches, then he locks in
Some may say this was the Royce Lewis Series, and obviously Game 1 is his to own forever, but Carlos Correa gets my series MVP vote, with that key RBI in Game 2 tipping the scales.
Notice how frequently Guerrero figured into the proceedings.  Chapman too.  We dodged some bullets, didn't we.
I also can't emphasize enough just how big the moment was when Kepler singled against Kikuchi.  They bring in the lefty, Kepler had his work cut out for him, and he finds a way.  None of the balls put in play that inning were things of beauty really, but conversely the moment was not too big for our hitters.  No moment was more key than Max's, and yet he can't even crack the Top Ten for me.  Wow, what a series!
 

Last night I was at the game and, of course, had to take my five-year-old souvenir shopping. We were checking out the game-used booth when this caught my eye. 

That's right my friends, an empty, unsigned, completely unremarkable EMPTY bucket of gum for the low, low price of $300. How do they sell this with a straight face?!
We got him a Duran jersey instead! 
 

We all know Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez is the best ballplayer since The Great Bambino, but exactly how good is he?
 
Following Grantland’s article earlier this year ranking The Sandlot characters, I scoured the internet only to discover The Sandlot gang’s slashlines are nowhere to be found. In order to correct this glaring error of omission, I watched the film and recorded every at-bat, hit, run, and “back of the baseball card” stat we the viewers see. Obviously, this presents some challenges, so a few notes up front:
Scotty Smalls tells us early in the film, “When I finally got up enough guts to go out there and try and make friends, I found out that they never kept score, they never chose sides, they never even really stopped playing the game. It just went on forever. Every day they picked up right where they left off the day before. It was like an endless dream game.” For this reason, in the Games Played column, all Sandlot games and activities are tallied as one big, long, continuous game. The game against the crosstown Tigers includes a montage of the kids putting balls in play, but only some are demonstrated to fall for hits. The ones that aren’t shown to land are assumed to be outs. If a ball is shown to land, it’s a hit. If it lands and gets passed an outfielder, it’s a double. Anyone shown on base in the game without explanation receives a boost to his OBP but not to his AVG. Also, for a stat to apply, the ball needs to be thrown by a pitcher. Benny hitting self-tossed grounders or pop-flies doesn’t impact anyone’s stat line. However, even if there’s no clear “game situation,” so long as the ball starts with a true pitch, the event is counted as in-game. While I’m excited to finally have a definitive accounting of each kid’s movie stat line, I’ll note that the most at-bats anyone racks up is Benny, with six. In addition to such abbreviated stat lines, I’ve also included an MLB comp to provide each player’s projected line over a full season.
 
So, without further ado, here are your Sandlot kids’ baseball card stats, ranked from worst to best player:
 
9) Tommy “Repeat” Timmons
Tommy is clearly the weakest link in the Sandlot Nine. In the single at-bat we see from him, he produces little more than a swinging bunt. It’s also difficult to imagine him producing even average defense in right field.

 
Player comp: 1983 Ron Roenicke

As a role player-level talent pushed into a starting spot, Tommy shared a lot with Ron Roenicke—including middling numbers with no major weakness in his game, just an overall below average level of play.
 
8) Bertram Grover Weeks
Bertram doesn’t show much with the bat, but based on his ability to go around the horn, he looks like he’d be pretty good at turning two.

 
Player comp: 1982 Dale Berra

Like Bertram, Berra’s a middle infielder with a perfectly average offensive stat line, while putting up a positive Total Zone (TZ) of 11. Also like Bertram, he’s only a few years away from a little off-the-field experimentation. Should’ve stuck with the white lines marking foul territory…
 
7) Timmy Timmons
Timmy actually looks like a decent player, but on a team this stacked, you’ve got to expect better production from first base. His bat doesn’t stand out, and that’s a problem.

 
Player comp: 1982 Gary Roenicke

Both Timmy and Gary have more to offer a ball team than their respective brothers. Over a full season, Timmy’s numbers would look good, though not stand out on a team of All-Stars.
 
6) Alan “Yeah Yeah” McClennan
Yeah Yeah lands a hit in his one onscreen at-bat, but more impressively, covers the entire left side of the infield with Benny at the plate. That kind of defensive prowess pushes him a little further up the rankings.

 
Player comp: 1979 Buddy Bell

Gold glover Buddy Bell played a solid third base while posting a 110 OPS+, something you could imagine Yeah Yeah doing over a full season. In addition, Bell’s ability to play games at shortstop reflects Yeah Yeah’s ability to cover the ground between third and second. Based on Yeah Yeah’s defensive alignment, however, you’d think Bells’ 1979 Rangers could’ve gotten away with a few more defensive shifts.
 
5) Scotty Smalls
Smalls comes a long way from his initial flubbed fly ball (the only error any Sandlot kid makes in the movie), and is one of only three players to pound a home run onscreen. In his rookie campaign, Smalls shows a lot of promise.

 
Player comp: 1967 Rick Monday

Monday’s first year in the bigs showed a capable ballplayer with some power. That began a career that would include multiple All-Star Game appearances before giving way to a position as a well-regarded play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He just might be Scotty Smalls incarnate.
 
4) Michael “Squints” Palledorous
Perhaps a little stretched in centerfield, Squints nonetheless plays an up-the-middle position, increasing his value. He also raps a double in his lone at-bat against the crosstown Tigers, suggesting that even though he’s on the small side, Squints can swing the bat.

 
Player comp: 2007 Nick Swisher

In 2007, Swisher showed good pop while starting a plurality of his games in center. It’s not hard to imagine Swisher calling a teammate an “L7 weenie,” even if overall, both he and Squints are good clubhouse guys. Plus, Swisher’s wife is decidedly Peffercorn-esque.
 
3) Kenny DeNunez
We know Kenny made it to AAA ball, so it would be difficult not to rank him near the top of the Sandlot Nine. He puts up two Ks in his shutout of the crosstown Tigers, but also struggles with giving up the long ball when facing his own teammates. As a hitter, DeNunez actually performs quite well, knocking a double the one time he comes to the plate.
 
In evaluating DeNunez, Innings Pitched is quite difficult to determine. Because we never see three outs occur on the same visit to the sandlot, I treat each visit as one inning. The game against the crosstown Tigers is worth 9 innings of work. I’ve also tracked Batters Faced to provide a more quantifiable measure.
 
For DeNunez’s won-loss record, he receives a no decision for the sandlot game, because it’s still going on.
 
As pitcher:

As hitter:

 
Player comp: 1966 Juan Marichal
Marichal as pitcher:

Marichal as hitter:

Marichal shows the same easy delivery as Kenny, and both managed an impressive winning percentage. Too, both held their own with the stick. In 1966, Marichal put up an eye-catching 2.23 ERA… while serving up 32 home runs. He’s a full season of DeNunez if I ever saw one.
 
2) Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez
The Jet at #2! Who saw that coming? It turns out that despite tossing himself what’s clearly The Most Clutch Hit of All-Time and placing the ball squarely in Smalls’s glove, Benny’s not perfect at the plate. He takes a pitch to left field that’s definitely an error on Smalls’s part (prior to the Clutch Hit), and later when he busts the guts out of the ball, Smalls catches the string ball left behind for an out. (It appears fly balls to left field are his kryptonite.)
 
Nevertheless, Benny hits a grand slam in the crosstown game, and an inside-the-park home run on the Fourth of July when his fielders lose interest, in true Kurt Suzuki fashion:
. And twice, we see him bust out a triple-into-a-rundown that he escapes to score. Without naming names, I’ll say I consulted with an official MLB scorer, who suggested the Benny Trademark Hotbox Run is best ruled a home run.
 
Benny plays all around the diamond, filling in for his teammates when it’s their turn to bat, and actually appears in four games—two more than his Sandlot counterparts—because the film starts with him playing a schoolyard game, and ends with the Jet subbed in as a pinch runner in the clutch situation of the season…

 
Player comp: 1998 Alex Rodriguez

Shockingly, a full season of Benny, surely one of the most beloved baseball movie characters of all-time, best matches the numbers of A-Rod, the most loathed player in the major leagues today. But there’s no denying it: Benny and A-Rod both put up a strong batting average, have the kind of speed that results in plenty of stolen bases, doubles, and triples, and swing a mean bat that’s always a threat at the plate.
 
But if the Jet’s not the best player in the sandlot, who could it be?
 
1) Hamilton “Ham” Porter
That’s right, Ham Porter turns out to be the best ballplayer on the team! We see him go two for two with two home runs, making him the true Kid Who Only Hit Homers—and that’s as a catcher. Turns out, the Great Hambino could’ve made his career in the MLB instead of the WWE.

 
Player comp: 1998 Mark McGwire

Imagine Mark McGwire in his prime, but offering his kind of production as a catcher. Take a .299 average, mix in a whopping 70 home runs, 162 walks, and 155 strikeouts for the Three True Outcomes-iest of Three True Outcomes players, then add a dash of Ham Porter’s mouth. You’ve found yourself a Hall of Fame talent with a reputation to rival the Sultan of Swat himself.
 
 
This blog post was written with assistance from John Buckeye and dsinner.

Saint Paul, Minnesota - David Festa made his Triple-A debut on Wednesday night. If a prediction were to be made one could say Bryon Buxton and Alex Kirilloff, who were both on MLB Rehab Assignments would have been the stars of the show. However, it was five strong innings from Festa that led the Saints past the Columbus Clippers 6-1 in front of 5,814. The Saints improved to 74-53 on the season.
Kyle Garlick and Anthony Prato singled in the second. With two outs, Jair Camargo hit an RBI single to left, which allowed Garlick to score. The Saints had a 1-0 lead. A passed ball by Columbus catcher David Fry allowed Prato and Camargo to advance. With runners on second and third, Andrew Stevenson singled. Prato and Camargo came into score, which gave the Saints a 3-0 lead. 
The lone run of the game for Columbus came in the third. David Fry hit a solo home run. Columbus trailed 3-1. 
The Saints added on in the fourth. Kyle Garlick walked to start the inning. Later in the inning, Camargo singled, which brought home Garlick. St. Paul led 4-1. Stevenson singled and Buxton walked. With the bases loaded and two outs Alex Kirilloff stepped to the plate. Kirilloff singled to right. Camargo scored and Stevenson attempted to score but was out at the plate. St. Paul led 5-1 at the end of four. 
In the sixth, Anthony Prato hit an RBI single, which gave the Saints a 6-1 lead. 
David Festa picked up his first Triple-A win on Wednesday. Festa worked five innings and allowed four hits and one run. He struck out seven and walked one. His lone mistake was the solo home run to Fry in the third. Ronny Henriquez threw the next three innings without allowing a hit. Henriquez picked up his third 'hold' of the season. Finally, Brent Headrick worked the ninth to finish the game for the Saints. 
Buxton played seven innings in center field. This was the first time Buxton was in center field in over a year. He went 1-for-2 with two walks at the plate. 
Alex Kirilloff was the DH for the entire game. He went 1-for-5 with an RBI and two strikeouts. 
The Columbus Clippers and St. Paul Saints meet in game three of a six-game series on Thursday night at CHS Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. Columbus will send RHP Zach Plesac (5-4, 5.97) to the mound while the Saints are TBA. The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, MiLB.TV, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM. 

It was baseball road trip BONUS time this past weekend with buddies Steve-O & TJ as the Cedar Rapids Kernels wrapped up their series with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Sunday, August 20.   During our intitial road trip to Cedar Rapids at the end of June, one of our games was suspended due to rain after three innings.  Despite seeing the completion of said game the following day, followed by the regularly scheduled contest, we were told we could exchange the suspended game tickets for another Kernel's game.  So we did.   This time we made it a day trip, and in case you ever wondered, "Of course" I would drive seven hours (round trip from Red Wing, MN) in one day to catch 3 hours of baseball. 
 Zebby Matthews toted the rubber for the home team and really stood out on the mound touching 95 MPH several times.  He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed 5 hits, striking out 5 and walking 2.  Matthews is listed as the #25 Twins prospect on the MLB.  Former Twins Daily top 20 prospect Noah Miller displayed his MLB ready glove multiple times at shortstop and paced the offense with two hits.   Miller is batting .219 on the season, but the team has had him leading off regularly since infielder Tanner Schobel was promoted to AA on July 18, and this Kernel is beginning to pop.  After struggling intially at the top,  Miller is now hitting .266 for the month of August, with nearly half of his 17 hits of the extra base variety (6 doubles and 2 HRs.)  And remember...the kid is just 20 years old.  The decisive blow in the game for Cedar Rapids was struck by #13 TD prospect Kala'l Rosario who broke open a 1-0 game with a 3-run HR in the fourth, his 18th of the year to go along with 77 RBI.  No runs were scored over the last five innings.  4-1 Kernels was the final score. 
A couple of notes from a very hot Sunday where it was mostly sunny and 96.  Kernel leftfielder Carson McCusker , who was promoted from Fort Myers on August 3, had one of the toughest defensive innings I've seen in quite awhile.  In the top of the 4th inning on a single hit out to left, McCusker picked up the ball and then dropped it...and then picked it up again...and dropped it...then picked it up a third time and dropped it, allowing the runner Hendry Mendez to move up to second base (and later score.)  He was not given an error for playing hot potato this time, but two batters later in the SAME inning, on a base hit to the gap, the exact same thing happened, and this time he was given an error.    We were left wondering if he has forgot to wipe some sunscreen off his hands or something during that one inning.  It was just very odd.
Twins Daily #3 prosect Emmanuel Rodriguez had the day off.  The good guys silenced the Rattlers in the series winning 5 of their 6 meetings.  It was Team Photo Day #2, which paired perfectly with the players signing on the field after a Sunday game (see pic below.)   Twenty-seven autographs in twenty minutes (without pushing or shoving any kids.)  I also caught a quick selfie with pitching prospect Andrew Morris, because I just knew he was going to be chosen as the Minnesota Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Week this week.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels are winding down their regular season with just one home series left, August 29 - Sept. 3 vs. Lake County, split between two series on the road at South Bend and at the Wisconsin Timer Rattlers.  If you've never been down to Cedar Rapids, they have a nice facilty, terrific fans, and a very good baseball team.  The Kernels will open the playoffs on Tuesday, September 12, at an opponent TBD, before hosting game two on Sept. 14, and game three if necessary on the 15th.

 

It was baseball road trip BONUS time this past weekend with buddies Steve-O & TJ as the Cedar Rapids Kernels wrapped up their series with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Sunday, August 20.   During our intitial road trip to Cedar Rapids at the end of June, one of our games was suspended due to rain after three innings.  Despite seeing the completion of said game the following day, followed by the regularly scheduled contest, we were told we could exchange the suspended game tickets for another Kernel's game.  So we did.   This time we made it a day trip, and in case you ever wondered, "Of course" I would drive seven hours (round trip from Red Wing, MN) in one day to catch 3 hours of baseball. 
 Zebby Matthews toted the rubber for the home team and really stood out on the mound touching 95 MPH several times.  He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed 5 hits, striking out 5 and walking 2.  Matthews is listed as the #25 Twins prospect on the MLB.  Former Twins Daily top 20 prospect Noah Miller displayed his MLB ready glove multiple times at shortstop and paced the offense with two hits.   Miller is batting .219 on the season, but the team has had him leading off regularly since infielder Tanner Schobel was promoted to AA on July 18, and this Kernel is beginning to pop.  After struggling intially at the top,  Miller is now hitting .266 for the month of August, with nearly half of his 17 hits of the extra base variety (6 doubles and 2 HRs.)  And remember...the kid is just 20 years old.  The decisive blow in the game for Cedar Rapids was struck by #13 TD prospect Kala'l Rosario who broke open a 1-0 game with a 3-run HR in the fourth, his 18th of the year to go along with 77 RBI.  No runs were scored over the last five innings.  4-1 Kernels was the final score. 
A couple of notes from a very hot Sunday where it was mostly sunny and 96.  Kernel leftfielder Carson McCusker , who was promoted from Fort Myers on August 3, had one of the toughest defensive innings I've seen in quite awhile.  In the top of the 4th inning on a single hit out to left, McCusker picked up the ball and then dropped it...and then picked it up again...and dropped it...then picked it up a third time and dropped it, allowing the runner Hendry Mendez to move up to second base (and later score.)  He was not given an error for playing hot potato this time, but two batters later in the SAME inning, on a base hit to the gap, the exact same thing happened, and this time he was given an error.    We were left wondering if he has forgot to wipe some sunscreen off his hands or something during that one inning.  It was just very odd.
Twins Daily #3 prosect Emmanuel Rodriguez had the day off.  The good guys silenced the Rattlers in the series winning 5 of their 6 meetings.  It was Team Photo Day #2, which paired perfectly with the players signing on the field after a Sunday game (see pic below.)   Twenty-seven autographs in twenty minutes (without pushing or shoving any kids.)  I also caught a quick selfie with pitching prospect Andrew Morris, because I just knew he was going to be chosen as the Minnesota Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Week this week.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels are winding down their regular season with just one home series left, August 29 - Sept. 3 vs. Lake County, split between two series on the road at South Bend and at the Wisconsin Timer Rattlers.  If you've never been down to Cedar Rapids, they have a nice facilty, terrific fans, and a very good baseball team.  The Kernels will open the playoffs on Tuesday, September 12, at an opponent TBD, before hosting game two on Sept. 14, and game three if necessary on the 15th.

 

It was baseball road trip BONUS time this past weekend with buddies Steve-O & TJ as the Cedar Rapids Kernels wrapped up their series with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Sunday, August 20.   During our intitial road trip to Cedar Rapids at the end of June, one of our games was suspended due to rain after three innings.  Despite seeing the completion of said game the following day, followed by the regularly scheduled contest, we were told we could exchange the suspended game tickets for another Kernel's game.  So we did.   This time we made it a day trip, and in case you ever wondered, "Of course" I would drive seven hours (round trip from Red Wing, MN) in one day to catch 3 hours of baseball. 
 Zebby Matthews toted the rubber for the home team and really stood out on the mound touching 95 MPH several times.  He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed 5 hits, striking out 5 and walking 2.  Matthews is listed as the #25 Twins prospect on the MLB.  Former Twins Daily top 20 prospect Noah Miller displayed his MLB ready glove multiple times at shortstop and paced the offense with two hits.   Miller is batting .219 on the season, but the team has had him leading off regularly since infielder Tanner Schobel was promoted to AA on July 18, and this Kernel is beginning to pop.  After struggling intially at the top,  Miller is now hitting .266 for the month of August, with nearly half of his 17 hits of the extra base variety (6 doubles and 2 HRs.)  And remember...the kid is just 20 years old.  The decisive blow in the game for Cedar Rapids was struck by #13 TD prospect Kala'l Rosario who broke open a 1-0 game with a 3-run HR in the fourth, his 18th of the year to go along with 77 RBI.  No runs were scored over the last five innings.  4-1 Kernels was the final score. 
A couple of notes from a very hot Sunday where it was mostly sunny and 96.  Kernel leftfielder Carson McCusker , who was promoted from Fort Myers on August 3, had one of the toughest defensive innings I've seen in quite awhile.  In the top of the 4th inning on a single hit out to left, McCusker picked up the ball and then dropped it...and then picked it up again...and dropped it...then picked it up a third time and dropped it, allowing the runner Hendry Mendez to move up to second base (and later score.)  He was not given an error for playing hot potato this time, but two batters later in the SAME inning, on a base hit to the gap, the exact same thing happened, and this time he was given an error.    We were left wondering if he has forgot to wipe some sunscreen off his hands or something during that one inning.  It was just very odd.
Twins Daily #3 prosect Emmanuel Rodriguez had the day off.  The good guys silenced the Rattlers in the series winning 5 of their 6 meetings.  It was Team Photo Day #2, which paired perfectly with the players signing on the field after a Sunday game (see pic below.)   Twenty-seven autographs in twenty minutes (without pushing or shoving any kids.)  I also caught a quick selfie with pitching prospect Andrew Morris, because I just knew he was going to be chosen as the Minnesota Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Week this week.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels are winding down their regular season with just one home series left, August 29 - Sept. 3 vs. Lake County, split between two series on the road at South Bend and at the Wisconsin Timer Rattlers.  If you've never been down to Cedar Rapids, they have a nice facilty, terrific fans, and a very good baseball team.  The Kernels will open the playoffs on Tuesday, September 12, at an opponent TBD, before hosting game two on Sept. 14, and game three if necessary on the 15th.

 

It was baseball road trip BONUS time this past weekend with buddies Steve-O & TJ as the Cedar Rapids Kernels wrapped up their series with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Sunday, August 20.   During our intitial road trip to Cedar Rapids at the end of June, one of our games was suspended due to rain after three innings.  Despite seeing the completion of said game the following day, followed by the regularly scheduled contest, we were told we could exchange the suspended game tickets for another Kernel's game.  So we did.   This time we made it a day trip, and in case you ever wondered, "Of course" I would drive seven hours (round trip from Red Wing, MN) in one day to catch 3 hours of baseball. 
 Zebby Matthews toted the rubber for the home team and really stood out on the mound touching 95 MPH several times.  He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowed 5 hits, striking out 5 and walking 2.  Matthews is listed as the #25 Twins prospect on the MLB.  Former Twins Daily top 20 prospect Noah Miller displayed his MLB ready glove multiple times at shortstop and paced the offense with two hits.   Miller is batting .219 on the season, but the team has had him leading off regularly since infielder Tanner Schobel was promoted to AA on July 18, and this Kernel is beginning to pop.  After struggling intially at the top,  Miller is now hitting .266 for the month of August, with nearly half of his 17 hits of the extra base variety (6 doubles and 2 HRs.)  And remember...the kid is just 20 years old.  The decisive blow in the game for Cedar Rapids was struck by #13 TD prospect Kala'l Rosario who broke open a 1-0 game with a 3-run HR in the fourth, his 18th of the year to go along with 77 RBI.  No runs were scored over the last five innings.  4-1 Kernels was the final score. 
A couple of notes from a very hot Sunday where it was mostly sunny and 96.  Kernel leftfielder Carson McCusker , who was promoted from Fort Myers on August 3, had one of the toughest defensive innings I've seen in quite awhile.  In the top of the 4th inning on a single hit out to left, McCusker picked up the ball and then dropped it...and then picked it up again...and dropped it...then picked it up a third time and dropped it, allowing the runner Hendry Mendez to move up to second base (and later score.)  He was not given an error for playing hot potato this time, but two batters later in the SAME inning, on a base hit to the gap, the exact same thing happened, and this time he was given an error.    We were left wondering if he has forgot to wipe some sunscreen off his hands or something during that one inning.  It was just very odd.
Twins Daily #3 prosect Emmanuel Rodriguez had the day off.  The good guys silenced the Rattlers in the series winning 5 of their 6 meetings.  It was Team Photo Day #2, which paired perfectly with the players signing on the field after a Sunday game (see pic below.)   Twenty-seven autographs in twenty minutes (without pushing or shoving any kids.)  I also caught a quick selfie with pitching prospect Andrew Morris, because I just knew he was going to be chosen as the Minnesota Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Week this week.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels are winding down their regular season with just one home series left, August 29 - Sept. 3 vs. Lake County, split between two series on the road at South Bend and at the Wisconsin Timer Rattlers.  If you've never been down to Cedar Rapids, they have a nice facilty, terrific fans, and a very good baseball team.  The Kernels will open the playoffs on Tuesday, September 12, at an opponent TBD, before hosting game two on Sept. 14, and game three if necessary on the 15th.

 

Saint Paul, Minnesota - The St. Paul Saints did not have a starting pitcher going into Saturday night. It was a bullpen game. Patrick Murphy opened the game and was supported by the offense, working in harmony the Saints secured an 8-4 victory over the Louisville Bats on Saturday night in front of 8,215. The Saints improved to 66-46 on the season. 
In the second, Noelvi Marte singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Marte stole third and scored. There were two errors in one play. First, a throwing error by Saints catcher Chris Williams. The ball was thrown into left field. Next, a fielding error by left fielder Trevor Larnach, which allowed Marte to score, and the Bats took a 1-0 lead. 
In the fourth, Austin Martin and Chris Williams walked. Next, Hernan Perez hit his fifth home run of the season. This gave St. Paul a 3-1 lead. 
Louisville got three in the fifth, but the Saints answered in the bottom half of the inning. Trevor Larnach walked and stole second base. Next, Yunior Severino doubled, which tied the game at four. This was his first double at the Triple-A level. Martin walked and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was hit-by-the-pitch, which brought Chris Williams to the plate. Williams hit a two-run single to center. This gave St. Paul a 6-4 lead. Things would only spiral downward for Louisville from here. A wild pitch was thrown by Bats pitcher Tony Santillan, which allowed Keirsey Jr. to score, and the Saints took a 7-4 lead.
The Saints would add an insurance run in the eighth. It was Bats pitcher Christian Roa that threw a wild pitch, which allowed Brooks Lee to score. St. Paul had an 8-4 lead, and this held for the final score. 
Patrick Murphy opened for St. Paul. Murphy worked four innings allowing two hits. He gave up an unearned run while striking out five and walking two. Ortega worked the final two innings of the night. He did not give up a hit and struck out three. 
Prior to Saturday's game the Saints made a handful of roster moves. The Minnesota Twins optioned LHP Brent Headrick to St. Paul. The corresponding move was the Minnesota Twins recalled RHP Cole Sands from St. Paul. Also, Carlos Luna was promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. 
Carlos Luna, 26, pitched in 19 games with Wichita this season. He posted a 1-7 record with a 5.54 ERA. Luna worked 76.1 innings, which is a team high. Luna was selected to play with Team Panama in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. However, he did not pitch in a game. 
The Louisville Bats and St. Paul Saints meet in the finale of a six-game series on Sunday afternoon at CHS Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:07 p.m. The Bats will send RHP Ben Lively (4-0, 2.33) while the Saints will counter with RHP Carlos Luna (NR). The game can be seen on the Saints Broadcast Network, MiLB.TV, and heard on KFAN Plus, 96.7 FM.

WARNING: THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY PERSONAL AND INTENSE BLOG POST. 
One thing I've always been interested in is history. It started with my dad when I was a kid growing up in the Macalester/Groveland area in St.Paul. My dad, who is the reason I'm the Twins fan I am today (thanks, dad!), loved baseball and history. As a lover of both, I wanted to share a little bit about how I became a Twins fan and I'd absolutely LOVE to have you guys all share and tell me how you became a fan. Did you grow up a fan? Are you a displaced fan in another state? Did you inherit it from a family member?
Me, I got it from my dad. It started by playing catch in the yard and him pitching me wiffle balls. Then as I got older it evolved into reading books about baseball superstars, past and (then) present: Griffey Jr, Gwynn, Clemens, Maddux, Ryan and of course Puckett. 
There was something about that guy and his 5'9" frame and high leg kick that got me hooked. I started watched games on MSC, then on WCCO radio, then the occasional Fox 29. I grew up with John Gordon and Herb Carneal on radio and Dick and Bert on TV. It became an obsession, soon I was scoring games at home, muting the TV and calling the games by myself. I remember going to 1 or 2 games a year as my grandpa would treat me for my birthday and the Dome dogs...man, even as a kid, I ate 5 each game! 
I also remember collecting cards in the 90s and eagerly ripping packs open every chance I got and always being ecstatic when I saw a Twins player...right into my binder it went!
I was fortunate enough to attend signings at the Twins Pro Shop in Roseville with my dad back when that was a thing for ninety minutes every Saturday. 
As the years grew, so did I and my dad. We never stopped loving or talking Twins. It became a constant source of love (and heartache in October!) for each of us. 
When my dad passed away in Jan 2018, just days before Twinsfest, I knew what I had to do. Dad always talked about Rod Carew and the summer of 1977. He would share stories about going to the Met and watching Carew on TV and how my mom had little to no interest and how it was the most exciting baseball summer he'd seen up to that point. From that point on, Carew was dads favorite player. So when I saw that Carew was going to be there, I knew I needed to try and find him. I was down at the basement level and I found out he was only appearing but not signing. I had a baseball ready nonetheless. I was walking around and saw Rod with his wife and a security guard and took my chance. I explained to Rod (after the security guy emphatically told me "Hes not signing today sir"), that I had lost my dad less than a week before and how he was my hero and how Rod was my dad's. He ended up signing a ball and giving me a hug, and I ended up burying that ball with dad. He never met Rod, but he got his autograph forever. 
This is just one of the many examples of stories that I have that made me a Twins fan to this day. 
What are some of yours? Do you have any cool stories, memories, experiences or autographs to share? I'd love to read about them!
Thank you for reading this unusual post and I hope to hear about how YOU became a Twins fan, below. 

One of the Twins strengths this season has been its ability to pitch. Whether it's from the starting rotation or the bullpen, the staff has been fantastic this year. However, one prospect who was moving up and hoping to be a part of this staff, Matt Canterino, the Twins #9 ranked prospect by MLB.com is out for the year with Tommy John surgery. I recently caught up with him to find out how things are going in his recovery, where he's at in the rehab process and a more!
DC: how's the rehab going? Where are you at in the process?
MC: Rehab is going very well! I am regularly throwing bullpens twice per week, and I have just started touching 90 miles per hour again. The elbow has been recovering well, and the goal is to start throwing to hitters around the middle of September.
DC: What has the process been like this time for you compared to previous injuries?
MC: It’s different this time because there is more of a set structure for a return from surgery. In the past, when I’ve attempted rest and rehab for my lingering elbow issue, the limiting factor was always waiting for my elbow to feel healthy enough to throw. With surgery, it’s been more about dealing with the slow progression of a 13 month long recovery.
DC: When you first got hurt with this injury, what was the biggest hurdle for you?
MC: My biggest hurdle was figuring out if surgery was the right course of action for me. My UCL tear was not something that obviously needed surgery at the time of injury, but after multiple failed attempts to rest and rehab my forearm and elbow, it became clear that Tommy John Surgery was the best option.
DC: Has this injury and rehab been more mentally or physically tough/challenging for you?
MC: I would say the mental aspect of seeing an entire season go by without playing is the toughest part. I really wanted to contribute and help the Twins organization this year, but it just didn’t work out. I’ve gotten over that melancholy feeling a bit by really honing in on some of my development goals as a pitcher during my current build up. 
DC: How do you feel you're progressing as it relates to being fully healthy?
MC: I feel extremely confident in my ability to come back as a better pitcher than what I was pre-surgery.
DC: Where have you been able to rehab at?
MC: I’ve been rehabbing at the Twins Complex in Fort Myers since the start of Spring Training, and will continue there through the season.
DC: How has your family support assisted you in getting through this rehab and your previous ones as well?
MC: My loved ones are the best at helping me keep my head on straight through this process. There are always ups and downs when dealing with injury and rehab, so to have someone I can vocalize those situations to and trust their input on how to keep level-headed and optimistic is beyond important.
DC: Have you heard anything from the Twins recently and how often do you keep in contact with them?
MC: I am in contact with coaching staff everyday at the facility, and they do a great job of mapping out the rehab process for me. Everyone is optimistic about my progression thus far.
DC: How far removed from your surgery are you?
MC: My surgery date was August 24th of 2022, so I am just over 11 months out.
DC: Last question Matt, what is your off-season rehab going to look like and will it ramp up as you approach ST, and do you anticipate being full healthy for ST?
MC: The goal is to be built up and healthy for next Spring Training. My buildup through the end of the season is still subject to some change, but, for the most part, the hope is to have a regular off season this Winter and be fully primed for a healthy 2024.
Thanks to Matt for taking the time to catch up with me via Twitter. 
Follow me on Twitter @devlin_clark84

System overview:
A lot changes in half a season. Royce Lewis finally departed the prospect list nearly 6 (six!) years after the team drafted him first overall in 2017. Edouard Julien and Louie Varland also lost their prospect status, weakening the high-end of the list despite a recent influx of incredible talent. Speaking of which…
Walker Jenkins! The Twins actually did it; they eschewed their conservative desires and simply took the best player available at number 5: a sweet-swinging high-schooler who drew incredible reviews for his makeup. You could probably write a book with the superlative ink spilled about Jenkins over the past few days, but there's a good reason for that: he’s a stud. He immediately gives the team a fascinating, dynamic top three of Brooks Lee, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and himself. He hasn’t even been signed yet, so let’s not get carried away, but it’s certainly an exciting time for the Twins system.
Which, I think, is the strongest it’s been in a few years. The team is now undeniably at the heart of the pitching movement, churning out and improving arms at a breakneck pace, making their pitching prospects that much more exciting. There are about four or five legitimately impressive arms in the system drafted in 2022, and with about 60 pitchers taken in this draft, a few more are certainly on their way. It’s madness. But it’s a good kind of madness. 
I’ve done something different with this list. As you’ll see, batters and pitchers are separated—something I’ve always felt should be done given the differences between the two. This is especially true these days, as any arm with one or two interesting characteristics is millimeters away from breaking out; hitters don’t currently enjoy such an advantage. Here’s the list:
Hitters:
Brooks Lee, 22, 5’11” / 205 - SS Now that Royce Lewis is finally no longer a prospect (for the first time since 2017!), Brooks Lee takes over as the best prospect in Minnesota’s system. There’s a lot to like in his tools; his defense isn’t consistently excellent at shortstop—he’s missing the kind of raw athletic force that, say, Carlos Correa possesses—but he’s nimble enough to make plenty of wow plays and could stick at the position in the majors. If not, he’ll be fine at third or second. The Twins appear dead-set on getting him reps here, as he’s barely started anywhere else in 2023. 
Offensively, he’ll likely hit, but his bat isn’t bulletproof. He doesn’t own any one overwhelming attribute, but he does most things pretty well and should never embarrass himself with poor swing decisions. Overall, he looks a lot like Marcus Semien with a little less pop—but I will warn that the lack of consistent game power is a concern. Really, though, most knocks feel like extreme nit-picking for a 22-year-old holding his own at AA in his first full year in organized ball. He’ll be fine and should join the Twins sometime in 2024.
Emmanuel Rodriguez, 20, 5’10” / 210 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez is a lesson in two parts: one, that monthly stat-worrying over prospects is often foolish; and slack should be handed to players returning from major surgery. Rodriguez spent April and May striking out at Gallo-ian rates before deflating his whiffs to palatable levels; he’s punched out at a 25.5% clip since June started. And while that cutoff is as arbitrary as any, I think it’s clear that Rodriguez is far more comfortable at the plate these days than when the season started.
He still has laughable power as his swing-as-hard-as-humanly-possible approach yields monster homers and titanic bullets shot all around the field, offering welts to fielders who stand in their way. The whiffs will probably always be present, though, as he has a habit of running deep counts. If he continues to evolve, he could be the toolsy stud center fielder of the future for the Twins. The bust potential is high, though.
Walker Jenkins, 18, 6’3” / 190 - OF Surprise! After blowing smoke around Jacob Gonzalez for a few months, the Twins took the sane route and drafted an excellent high school prospect. I’ll repeat the common refrain here; Jenkins could have gone 1st in any normal draft, and the Twins are deeply fortunate to have such an impact talent in their farm system.
It’s a little silly trying to rank recently-selected players alongside pros with hundreds of at-bats under their belt, but you have to put the guy somewhere, and I thought right behind Emmanuel Rodriguez was the best choice. I don’t really have a good reason for this choice; he can move up quickly with early success.
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Matt Wallner, 25, 6’5” / 220 - OF The man who just cannot find a roster spot. Matt Wallner is the antithesis of Max Kepler: he’s going to swing hard, clobber a lot of baseballs, and play bumbling, clumsy defense in right field. We’ve seen his style of play work at times, as apparent by his little MLB playing time this year, but his extreme contact deficiency will spell ugly hitting streaks, and I worry what major-league pitchers are going to do to him once they become comfortable. Still, he rakes. His max exit velocity is already elite, and it’s not impossible to imagine an Austin Riley-like metamorphosis from hulking slugger to well-rounded nuclear offensive force.
Defensively, Wallner is going to cost the Twins runs. He may earn some back with his arm—a true bazooka that will vex greedy baserunners, or just keep them stationary in fear—but the dropoff from Kepler to Wallner will be obvious. Minnesota’s favor towards flyball pitchers, and their insistence on playing Kepler and Gallo may keep him hidden on the periphery longer than most have the stomach for.
Tanner Schobel, 22, 5’9” / 170 - 2B/3B Tanner Schobel is something of a throwback to the 2000s Twins: a slick do-it-all infielder with above-average speed and a good chance at becoming a roughly 2 WAR player for more years than you realize. He’s even added more ISO (in a pitcher’s league!) as his extended play with Cedar Rapids has been powerful. The thump may not be a mirage; Schobel slugged .689 his sophomore season at Virginia Tech. He loads up like Eugenio Saurez, allowing the ball to travel a little further than most before the full power of his torque releases, usually in a punishing manner (to the ball).
Defensively, Schobel has mostly split time between second and third—his two most natural positions. He could potentially play shortstop, but that position has seen a lot of Noah Miller and Jose Salas, making it difficult for Schobel to earn playing time there. Overall, Schobel fits a likeable infielder mold that many good-to-great players have thrived in.
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Yasser Mercedes, 18, 6’2” / 175 - OF An expensive international signing from a few years ago, Yasser Mercedes showcased a dynamic offensive profile in 2022 before completely falling off a cliff in his first taste of stateside ball. Was he a victim of untrustworthy DSL stats? Is this a fluke? It’s far too early to tell; for now he’ll stay stagnant in my prospect list. 
Austin Martin, 24, 6’0” / 185 - SS/OF Oh what a fall for Austin Martin. You know the story by now: his flaming college performance capitulated immediately after the Blue Jays drafted him, and now the Twins are looking to get him back in the groove. 2022 was almost a complete loss, but Martin flashed life in September, and had a respectable enough AFL to soften his fall from grace.
Frustratingly, an injury knocked Martin out of commission until a few days ago, when he finally popped back up on the Saints’ roster. A strong showing could earn him a quick promotion, as Royce Lewis is currently on the mend well until August; José Miranda took his place but could be shuffled if his bat doesn’t turn around. Hopefully Martin finds the minimum power needed to become a quality major-league bat, because his potential is of a classic two-hole batter, slashing hits across the field while stealing at whim. 
Luke Keaschall, 20, 6’1” / 190 - INF The Twins selected Luke Keaschall—an infielder out of Arizona State—with their second-round pick in 2023. Plenty of excellent alumnus call that college home, and Keaschall could join them soon, as he absolutely smoked PAC-12 pitching with a .353/.443/.725 slashline. We’ll understand Keaschall more as a prospect in time, so consider this ranking very loose; he could move up or down easily. 
Noah Miller, 20, 5’11” / 190 - SS Alright, I was probably wrong about Noah Miller. I grasped tightly onto his excellent strikeout-to-walk rate in 2022, but now that has evaporated, leaving a powerless, on-base-less profile only buoyed by his excellent shortstop defense. He added a tinge of power in 2023, upping his ISO almost .030 points up to .094, but that hasn’t been enough to save his hitting, and infielders who hit like this need a legendary glove to stick around in MLB for any serious period of time. 
Noah Cardenas, 23, 5’11” / 195 - C/1B I still cannot fathom why Noah Cardenas is not more well-received as a prospect. He’s hitting for a 129 wRC+ with the Kernels—as a catcher, mind you—after crushing A ball with similar vigor. His pop is more in doubles than homers, but he can take a walk like no one’s business, and that kind of plate control should translate well as he progresses up through the minors.
The bugaboo: his defense. The Twins know this, and often spell time at 1st and DH (although Andrew Cossetti’s presence feeds into this decision as well). We don’t have public catching defensive metrics, but Eric Longenhagen rated him a 30-grade defender, and I’m willing to believe in his assessment. Still, the Twins were able to turn Mitch Garver into a workable defensive catcher—and Ryan Jeffers wasn’t a lock to stay at catcher either—so it’s very possible that Cardenas follows those two and blossoms into an everyday player. 
Danny De Andrade, 19, 5’11” / 190 - SS We’re finally seeing Danny De Andrade playing in full-season ball and the results have been… whelming. He’s walked a fair amount, but the power is merely ok, and he’s probably not going to play shortstop long-term. Still, this is a 19-year-old; picking on him too much seems like an unwise decision. He should rise up this list further with time. 
Jose Salas, 20, 6’0” / 191 - INF At this point, it’s unclear what Jose Salas does well. He’s in the middle of a dreadful repetition of A+ ball in which his slashline is so porous that I don’t even want to type it out. You don’t need to look it up; it’s bad. Normally this kind of performance would take a player completely off the list, but prospect evaluators swore he was around a 45 FV player coming into the year, and I’ll offer some slack in this regard. It won’t last long unless something changes quickly. 
Kala’i Rosario, 21, 6’0” / 205 - OF It’s been an impressive rebound for Kala’i Rosario, who wandered the prospect desert after being selected in the 2020 draft. Once a pure power threat, Rosario has improved in each stat of his triple slash-line, giving him a mean offensive profile that Midwest pitchers haven’t figured out yet. He even sliced a few points off his strikeout rate. 
Yet the hit tool remains shaky. There are major leaguers who can make it work with a swing-hard-and-maybe-something-good-will-happen approach, but it’s a wasteland of batters who pitchers figured out quickly; whether Rosario is any different will be seen shortly. He should see a promotion to AA soon, and his immense power could carry him to the majors. 
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Andrew Cossetti, 23, 5’10” / 215 - C/1B Andrew Cossetti mashed A-ball with a hilarious .330/.462/.607 slashline before the Twins showed mercy on poor Florida State League arms, sending the menace to Cedar Rapids. His offense has cooled, but he still settled into a firmly above-average performance—especially for a catcher holding a .262 BABIP. He often spends time at 1st also, perhaps signalling Minnesota’s thoughts on his ability to stick as a backstop, but the bat may be real, and that’s enough to make Cossetti an exciting name to watch. 
Jose Rodriguez, 18, 6’2” / 196 - OF Jose Rodriguez popped 13 homers in an impressive somehow-young-for-the-level DSL debut and is now hitting for a 93 wRC+ with the FCL Twins. Like Mercedes, the question regarding untrustworthy DSL numbers exists here, but I’ll give Rodriguez some benefit of the doubt considering his absurd youth and small sample of plate appearances at his new level. 
Yunior Severino, 23, 6’0” / 189 - 2B/3B This is now the third season in a row that Yunior Severino has mashed the ball; his profile still scares the crap out of me. He makes his bread with power and walks, but the walks have dropped off since he reached AA, and we’re left with a high ISO/high BABIP batting line that, to me, seems unsustainable outside the Texas League. Maybe that’s unfair, but there’s also probably a reason the team has been slow to send him to AAA. 
DaShawn Kiersey Jr., 26, 6’0” / 195 - OF Is this a toolsy outfielder finally breaking out, or an old-for-the-level batter picking on pitchers who don’t know any better? Who knows—and the truth probably lies outside my black-and-white dichotomy—but, there’s no way to say it any other way: DaShawn Kiersey Jr. is raking.
His season under-the-hood looks largely the same as 2022, save for a nearly .040 point bump in ISO, but Kiersey Jr. has already clobbered nine homers; it took him three minor league seasons after being drafted to hit his first longball. Throw in game-altering stolen base potential, and Kiersey Jr. is a compelling late-breakout outfielder who’ll need to claw past some other uber-talented players if he ever sees the majors. He’s blistered the ball since June started, turning in a .347/.407/.579 slash with seven steals.
Ben Ross, 22, 6’0” / 180 - INF If you want a guy who can rake across the field, Ben Ross is your guy. He’s bopped 13 homers in a notorious pitchers league, all while playing at 1st base, shortstop, 3rd base, left field, center field, and right field (he played second last year, but not this year). Whether he’s adept at all these positions or merely a warm body capable of moonlighting at them will be seen, but the profile is certainly fascinating. He could probably catch if need be. 
Misael Urbina, 21, 5’10” / 190 - OF Misael Urbina is continuing his every-other-year pattern of not hitting. It appeared he bounced back nicely after a truly awful 2021 season, but not one number of his A+ slashline starts with a “.3” and, yeah, that’s not gonna play. The talent is still evident, but smooth sailing it has not been, and I worry that Urbina is not going to live up to the promise he showed in 2019.
Aaron Sabato, 24, 6’2” / 230 - 1B It’s been a molasses-slow movement through the system for the 2020 1st-round selection. He hasn’t lived up to the hype he saw out of college, but—somehow—he’s dutifully earned promotions and usually turns in above-average performances after becoming acclimated to his competition. That’s not what you want from a 1st-round pick, but there’s still a very real chance Sabato can contribute to the major-league team.
Pitchers:
Marco Raya, 20, 6’0” / 170 - RHP The recently promoted Marco Raya represents Minnesota’s best shot at a top-of-the-rotation arm. That isn’t to say that he’s a lock to dominate—and, indeed, undervalued arms like Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober have proven that the best MLB pitchers aren’t always the well-known guys—but, if anyone here is a betting man, Raya would be the favored horse. He attacks batters with an ideal vertical fastball and a pair of devastating breaking balls, known to bring hitters to their knees if they swing improperly.
Despite being over three years younger than the average competition at A+ ball, Raya smoked hitters, punching out nearly 30% of batters faced while chopping two percentage points off his walk rate from last year. It’s difficult to parse whether this was Raya just being plain better than these hitters, as the Twins capped his innings total in his starts at four, but the numbers are hard to ignore, and the team may be off-setting their conservatism with an aggressive promotion to the Wind Surge. The Texas League is known for hitting; good luck to Raya with his new competition. 
David Festa, 23, 6’6” / 185 - RHP There’s a strong argument for David Festa as the better pitching prospect, and, in the end, Raya won by a sliver. This is no knock on Festa; the Seton Hall product followed a now well-paved road set by the Falvey Twins, as he almost immediately enjoyed and sustained a four-tick velocity bump. The strikeouts soon came. 
With effective offerings in his sharp slider and surprisingly effective changeup (surprising only in that every pitching prospect has a “developing” cambio), Festa has impressive peripherals at AA, even if the walks have trended up with subsequent promotions. He was recently added to the Futures Game roster, and could see time with the Twins in 2024 if the current glut of 40-man options prove insufficient. 
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Connor Prielipp, 22, 6’2” / 210 - LHP Almost a year after the Twins selected him, Connor Prielipp remains a mystery. He made exactly one start for the Kernels before hitting the IL, shuttled off to the grand nothingness that is the Twins’ prospect injury list, only evident through occasional tweets and whispers. The team finally ended his season, giving us 1 (one) start and no new knowledge on what Prielipp could become.
It’s frustrating given Prielipp’s potentially dominant slider; a healthy Prielipp could easily be one of the best prospects in Minnesota’s system, but he can now only claim a combined 34 ⅔ innings between his time at Alabama and in pro ball. What will eventually become of the 22-year-old is just as unclear as when the Twins drafted him in 2022. 
Charlee Soto, 17, 6’5” / 197 - RHP If you built a pitcher in a lab, this is what he would look like—6 foot 5 inches with a big fastball and yeah, you get the idea. Eric Longenhagen at Fangraphs described his heater as sink-oriented, which does differentiate him from your typical ride/carry guy so coveted by MLB teams these days.
Like Walker, ranking Soto is a fool’s errand. He’s even younger than your typical high schooler at 17, and I doubt we’ll understand Soto more as a prospect for at least a few years.
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Simeon Woods Richardson, 22, 6’3” / 210 - RHP Disastrous. Following a minor stabilizing season at AA and AAA last year, Simeon Woods Richardson is imploding in 2023. His K-BB% is 3.7%, far far far below the ground level acceptable for even a below-average major-league arm. 
This is nothing like the pitcher the Twins expected to receive in 2021—and he’s so far removed from his performance at any part of his minor league career that an injury is the only real explanation for his troubles. Minnesota pulled this same thing with Jordan Balazovic in 2022, allowing him to take drastic lumps while recovering from an injury, but at least Balazovic still had the Ks; Woods Richardson has nothing. With other arms clearly ahead of him in the depth chart, Woods Richardson’s path to the majors appears blocked, or at least heavily guarded.
Jordan Balazovic, 24, 6’5” / 215 - RHP I think Jordan Balazvoic has been ranked differently in each list I’ve made, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. He has rebounded nicely from his putrid 2022 season, and parlayed a strikeout/walk oriented AAA performance into… a BABIP-aided 1.80 ERA over 10 major-league innings. No, I don’t get it either.
There’s legitimate upside, though, with Balazovic’s killer vertical fastball/curve approach that could transform him into the new Griffin Jax. That may be a disappointment from the height of his prospect days in 2018 and 2019, but Jax is a valuable piece on the Twins; hopefully Balazovic will be as well. 
Blayne Enlow, 24, 6’3” / 170 (doubtful, but it’s what Fangraphs says) - RHP Risen from prospect ashes like the phoenix of old, Blayne Enlow might actually be a major-league arm. After being DFA’d and left out to dry last year, Enlow remained a Twin, crushing AA while halving his walk rate and adding a few more strikeouts to the mix. The promotion to AAA came soon.
His time with the Saints hasn’t been as fruitful, but 17 ⅓ innings is a small sample, and I’m willing to bet on a future where Enlow can find an effective role in the majors. 
Brent Headrick, 25, 6’6” / 235 - LHP I still don’t really know what to make of Brent Headrick. He has a tremendous and a disastrous fastball, leading me to believe that he’s going to be a reliever long-term, not a starter. His height, odd arm action, and command should secure him a spot on the team in some capacity, but that fastball problem is dire, and it may not be easy to fix. Headrick gets a leg-up on other, similar pitchers because of his major-league readiness. 
Cory Lewis, 22, 6’5” / 220 - RHP One of Minnesota’s many interesting pitchers from the 2022 draft, Cory Lewis has been a buzzsaw. There’s nothing overwhelming about his profile, but he can command the hell out of his fastball and slider while occasionally tossing in a knuckleball, just for fun. 
Lewis’ ordinary draft stock, and his status as a developed college arm makes it difficult to decipher his undeniable dominance; I’ll keep him here for now—right in the middle of the pitcher melee that separates the best pitching prospects in the system from the rest of the herd. This is not a slight. Minnesota has proven wise in turning arms like Lewis into quality major leaguers, so this isn’t your normal piece of the scrap pile of young pitchers.
Andrew Morris, 21, 6’0” / 195 - RHP Andrew Morris hasn’t been as overwhelming as his 2022 draftee peers, but he owns a potential outlier offering, and that buoys his profile while making him a real prospect. The pitch? A carry-monster fastball that usually sits in the lower 90s but can scratch 95—something that Bryce Miller has proven can dominate by itself. Throw in a solid slider, and Morris could easily be yet another college breakout arm for the Twins. 
Zebby Matthews, 23, 6’5” / 225 - RHP Zebby Matthews tore up the Florida State League with Maddux-like dominance, creating an air of excitement around the Western Carolina University product, before a promotion to Cedar Rapids shot that down. His xFIP is still fine, but his strikeout rate plummeted. The rest of the season will tell us who the real Matthews is.
There’s still a lot to like in his profile; he throws six legitimate pitches with good control, and that alone could carry him to the majors. The cutter appears to be the critical offering.
C.J. Culpepper, 21, 6’3” / 193 - RHP You could basically copy/paste the previous sentiments regarding A-ball dominance. C.J. Culpepper—no relation to Daunte, trust me—earned the second-highest signing bonus of any California Baptist University player ever (name me the two MLB players from that college without looking it up and I’ll give you five dollars) and almost immediately crushed his competition with the Mighty Mussels. A promotion to Cedar Rapids cooled his stats (in only two starts), so, again, Culpepper’s prospect status is unclear.
Still, a 27.9 K% cannot be ignored, and Culpepper soon could rise further up this list with more impressive starts.
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Alejandro Hidalgo, 20, 6’1” / 160 - RHP I haven’t seen many pitchers like Alejandro Hidalgo. His command is either fine—with maybe a walk or two here or there—or it’s disastrous, completely wiping out his outing with four, five, six walks over a shockingly low inning total. When he’s on, he has a devastating fastball/changeup combo and looks lethal; when he’s not, duck. 
Ronny Henriquez, 23, 5’10” / 155 - RHP Entering the season as a dark-horse, hipster pick to carry important major-league frames, Ronny Henriquez has stumbled through a difficult season. An elbow injury was the first culprit, then he walked everyone and their mother at AAA, and a recent oblique strain knocked him out of commission for two weeks. He’s only allowed one run since returning, but the walks are still uncharacteristically overwhelming; he’ll need to fix that issue before he can rebound on this list. 
Matt Canterino, 25, 6’2” / 222 - RHP Matt Canterino has not thrown a competitive pitch in over a year. Given his injuries and missing innings, it would be a miracle for Canterino to become an effective starter; the bullpen is his likely future home. If shorter bursts can keep him healthy, he could dominate in that role. 
Kyle Jones, 23, 6’1” / 200 - RHP Yet another 2022 draft pitcher, Jones isn’t quite the strikeout artist seen in his peers, but he acquires groundballs at a hefty rate while keeping his whiffs and walks around league average. This looks like a vanilla, but safe profile that could earn him under-the-radar promotions to the system’s higher levels.
 

I was looking at individual players on the team when I noticed a trend.  Correa who is having a terrible year by our standards is actually walking and hitting the same power numbers as years past.  but his batting average is way down.  last season he hit .291 This year he is at .217 and his average has been climbing.  If Correa was hitting closer to his career norms, say .270 what would his OPS be?  It would be over .800
So I looked at the next punching bag.  Gallo.  He is also having a good walk rate and extra base hit rate for the season but he was successful with a .230 batting average.  He just got his average up to .191 so he still needs to get his average up 35-40 points.  What would that do to his OPS?  It would be over .850 
Lets keep going.  Kepler has a higher ISO slg % then batting average.  in his best season Kepler hit .252.  If he was hitting closer to that say .240 his OPS would be close to .800 
If you look at the batting average of those who are having good years on the team.  over 100 OPS+ only Buxton and Gallo have below a .250 batting average.  
Now lets compare to other teams.  
The Yankees have the most similar lineup to us.  They have a similar team batting average, similar power, and similar walk rate.  We are 10th in the league in scoring they are 11th.  so obviously this type of lineup construction doesn't work.  not here or in New York.  
Who are the top 2 offenses.  the teams with the top 2 team batting averages.  The Rangers and Rays.  
I have more boring data that continues to show this over and over.  Maybe getting base hits is more important to scoring runs than originally thought.