Steven Buhr

The Cedar Rapids Kernels hit the frozen ground running this season, jumping off to a 6-0 record before finally suffering their first loss of the year on Friday night against Clinton. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Sammons0413e-600x400.jpg Bryan Sammons delivers a pitch Friday, April 13, against Clinton (Photo: SD Buhr) Don’t say the start surprised their manager, Toby Gardenhire, though. With a lineup as full of highly regarded prospects as this Kernels roster is, he’s not going to be too surprised with short term success. “I don’t know if I’d call it surprised,” Gardenhire said on Friday before that night’s frigid game. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are doing some really good things right now. Any time you can run off a stretch like we’ve done here, it means there are a lot of people doing their job and doing a really good job of it. “That’s the nice thing about our lineup,” he continued. “We have a whole bunch of guys that are really exciting. Whether they’re going to do it on a given night, that’s the question, but we’ve had a lot of guys step up and do some pretty impressive things, so it’s been fun.” Still, even if the early success isn’t surprising, this is not exactly how the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ season was supposed to start out. You simply don’t expect four of your first 11 games (including three of your first five home dates) to be postponed due to cold and snow. Cold or not, you can’t argue with success. Cedar Rapids opened the 2018 campaign April 5 with a 2-0 shutout of the Quad Cities River Bandits in Davenport, then had the next night’s game postponed. They topped Quad Cities again, 4-3, in Cedar Rapids’ home opener on April 7. Then had another postponement the next day. They did get an entire four-game series played in Peoria during the middle of the week and it’s a good thing they did, too! The Kernels swept all four games from the Chiefs. They won the first game of the series 3-1, which means they had outscored their opponents 9-4 through the first three games they played. It wasn’t exactly a demonstration of the kind of offensive fire power that fans were expecting to see from a lineup that included two first round draft choices and often saw “slot picks” (players drafted in the first 10 rounds of the amateur draft) at all nine spots in the batting order. That all changed as the weather crawled up to more normal levels over the final three games of the series in Peoria. The Kernels scored 8, 12 and 9 runs, respectively, in those games while posting their perfect 6-0 record through Thursday. In three of those four games against the Chiefs, Cedar Rapids had to mount comebacks after falling behind Peoria. That fact wasn’t lost on their manager, either. “That’s our lineup,” the manager said. “You don’t expect that, but I would say, at this point, right now, we don’t really ever feel like we’re out of it with the group of guys that we’ve got going. “Now that changes, it fluctuates throughout the season. There’s days when you’re going to be down and think, ‘uh oh, we’re never going to come back in this one,’ but with the way the guys are playing right now and swinging, their confidence level is very high right now and that helps out a ton, too. With these guys’ confidence level right now, being down doesn’t scare them.” Alex Kirilloff, the first round pick of the Twins in 2016, had a two-home run game in the series and 2017 first overall pick Royce Lewis notched his first home run of the season during the Peoria series, as well. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Gardenhire0413a-400x600.jpg Kernels manager Toby Gardenhire (Photo: SD Buhr) For our purposes, we’ll just try to pretend Friday night’s 2-0 loss to Clinton didn’t happen. I’m sure the Kernels hitters would like to, anyway, after managing just a pair of singles and one walk against the Lumberkings on a frigid night in Cedar Rapids. (Games 2 and 3 of the scheduled weekend series were postponed due to cold and snow). That one forgettable game aside, it’s been a pretty impressive opening act for this group of Minnesota Twins prospects. On a team with a pair of first round picks, it might come as a surprise that outfielder Mark Contreras has led the team’s offense, so far. The Twins’ 9th round pick out of UC-Riverside is off to a hot start in the five games he’s played, with a .444 batting average and a 1.029 OPS. And that’s after an 0-3 night against Clinton on Friday. Catcher (and 2016 2nd round pick) Ben Rortvedt also went 0-3 against the Lumberkings, but Rortvedt is still hitting .400 and has a healthy .979 OPS. Obviously, this early in the season, these are all small sample sizes and it would be unwise to put much (or any, really) stock in stat lines that accumulate over just a handful of games, most of which took place in very unpleasant weather conditions. Still, that 6-1 record is looking pretty good, so far. As encouraging as the way his young lineup is playing under challenging conditions, Gardenhire is just as happy with what he’s seeing from his pitching corps. “Our starting pitching has been good,” Gardehire observed. “They’ve been able to get us into the fourth or fifth inning just about every game.” That may not seem like much and, later in the season when temperatures warm up and arms are healthy and loose, the bar will be set at a much different level. But this is April and many of these games have had game time temperatures around 40 degrees. Maybe lower. “In the beginning of the season,” the manager explained, “(getting 4-5 innings) is all you’re hoping for. Get us 75 to 80 pitches and get us into the fifth. Past the fifth is great. And they’ve been doing that just about every game and keeping it close while they do it.” Bryan Sammons, the only Kernels starting pitcher to take the mound for two starts so far, has a 0.96 ERA in those two starts, spanning 9 1/3 innings, and a WHIP of just 1.07. But four or five innings is only half the game and the Kernels have been holding opponents in check after that, as well, as Gardenhire pointed out about his relief arms. “Our bullpen has been great. They’ve just done a really good job. Guys are starting to get comfortable. This early in the season, you expect a lot more of the yips and guys being pretty nervous going out there. And we haven’t had a ton of that. We’ve had some guys go out there and be a little bit nervous, but for the most part, guys have stepped up and done really well.” http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Molina0413a-600x400.jpg Kernels pitcher Derek Molina (Photo: SD Buhr) Three members of the bullpen, Jared Finkel, Calvin Faucher and Derek Molina, have yet to surrender an earned run. Finkel has made three appearances and Faucher a pair of them. Molina threw two scoreless innings of relief Friday night after joining the team as a replacement for Ryan Mason, who had been so effective in his three appearances that he earned a promotion to Class High-A Fort Myers. All told, ten of the fourteen pitchers who have made at least one appearance for the Kernels so far have early-season ERAs of 2.25 or lower. Of course, it’s early and nobody will claim ERA means everything (or even much) when it comes to judging a pitcher’s effectiveness, but up and down the stat list, several Kernels are striking out a batter or more per inning and walking less than half of the number of batters they are striking out. It’s an encouraging start. The Kernels have a scheduled off day on Monday, following the two unscheduled days off on the weekend. Then they head to Beloit for a three-game series against the Snappers, where temperatures are projected to run anywhere from a low of 25 to a high of 45 over those three days. Oh, and there’s a fair chance of snow on Wednesday. Of course there is. All of these postponements are going to wreak havoc on an already hectic schedule for the Kernels in May, too. They start out the month of May with series against Eastern Division clubs and will go on the road to Dayton and then Bowling Green. Their only scheduled day off in the entire month is Sunday, May 13. But since that’s the day after their series finale in Bowling Green the night of the 12th, how do you think that day is going to be spent? If you guessed a very long bus ride throughout the night and into the morning, you’d be correct. Then from May 14 through June 3, the Kernels will play 24 games in 21 days. Their make up game with Quad Cities will be on May 16. This will be a “split double header,” with the first game being the regularly scheduled noon game and the nightcap starting at 6:35. Both games will be 7-inning games, just as traditional double header games are in the Midwest League. Memorial Day weekend could be the real gauntlet for the ballclub, though. That’s the next time that Clinton is scheduled to return to Cedar Rapids and both of this weekend’s games will be made up as part of traditional double headers over the Holiday weekend. One on Saturday, May 26, starting at 5:05, and the other on Sunday, May 27, beginning at 2:05. I know it’s probably not going to be necessary, but I’m thinking I’m going to loosen up the throwing arm earlier that week. You just have to figure Gardenhire and his pitching coaches are going to be looking around for anyone who can throw the ball 60 feet by the time that Sunday evening rolls around. That’s next month’s concern, of course, so we’ll worry about that when the time comes. The next home series in Cedar Rapids kicks off this coming Friday night, April 20, and it’s a special one. Royce Lewis is the first “number one overall” draft pick to suit up for the club and the Kernels are celebrating with a “Royce Lewis Bobblehead” promotion. While the Kernels have done bobblehead promotions honoring past players with some level of frequency, this is the first time they’ve honored a current Kernels player in that manner. Only the first 1.000 fans through the gates will get a bobblehead, though, so if you want one, you probably should plan to get in line early. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Lewis-and-bobblehead-600x600.jpg Royce Lewis poses with his bobblehead (Photo lifted from Kernels Twitter feed, but if you don't tell them, I won't tell them, ok?) (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com)

There are a few places in CR with very good pizza, imo, but if you told me I could only have pizza from one place in town, it would still be Leonardo's at the top of my list, I think. Oh, and for the past several years, they've had a promotion with the Kernels where ticket stubs have a coupon for a couple bucks off the price of the pizza. Not sure if that will be the case this year, too, but I assume it will.

The tarp covering the infield in Cedar Rapids was wet from a mix of rain and snow flurries over the past couple of days, but fortunately the only "work" that this year's Cedar Rapids Kernels had to do on Tuesday was do a meet and greet with fans on the concourse and, for a select few, survive a brief media inquisition.As has almost become a tradition in Cedar Rapids, the weather for "Meet the Kernels Night" at the ballpark was cold and damp. The forecast for their Opening Day in Davenport on Thursday is for a mix of rain and snow with a high during the day around 50 degrees. The good news is that it's supposed to be sunny in Cedar Rapids for the home opener on Saturday. The less-good news is that the high temperature that day is projected to be 37 degrees. Welcome to Midwest League baseball in April. But let's worry about the weather later. For now, how about some snippets from the Kernels' introductory press conference? To start things off, manager Toby Gardenhire and coaches Brian Dinkelman, Cibney Bello and Justin Willard fielded questions from local media. One of those questions pertained to the evident shift in philosophies being ingrained by the Twins front office with regard to greater collection and use of analytical data at all levels of the organization. "We have definitely dug into the analytical part of baseball now," said Dinkelman. "We're definitely taking the next step trying to keep up with the game of baseball. Any information we can receive is good information. We try to just filter out what's good and what's bad and provide it to the players as necessary." Gardenhire concurred with his hitting coach. "I would say we're definitely diving into the more analytical way of doing things, the less old-school way of doing things, than we ever have before, with the new front office. They hired a lot of new people this year and a lot of those people are analytical-type people. "What happens with the analytical side of it is you get a whole bunch of information. All of these things that Dink was just saying, they give you a lot of information and how you deal with that information is going to be different with every organization. We have all that information now, so we're on the cutting edge." A lot has justifiably been made of the fact that the Kernels will have not just one first round draft choice, but a pair of them, in their everyday lineup. Royce Lewis was the first overall selection of 2017's draft class and Alex Kirilloff was the Twins' first round selection the year before. Dinkelman was asked about his impressions of the highly touted pair during spring training. "Royce got stronger since last year. One of the first things that I thought of when he came back hitting BP is that the ball is coming off his bat harder than it was last year. Alex, it was the first time I got to really look at him in spring training, but he looks good. He's a hitter first. He plays defense well. So it will be exciting to have both those guys on the team." One thing that's new within the Twins minor league system this year is that two pitching coaches have been assigned to minor league affiliates. In Cedar Rapids, Bello and Willard will fill those roles. "Two sets of eyes are always better than one," Willard explained. "And the theory is that the manager is usually a hitting guy and then you've got the hitting coach. You've got half the team that's pitchers, why not have another set of eyes on those guys? I'm excited to work with Cibney, for sure." While the lineup in Cedar Rapids is going to be full of high draft picks and highly regarded international prospects, Bello expressed confidence that his pitching staff would hold up their end of things, as well, despite perhaps being less heralded than their position-player team mates. "We have a few guys that are maybe not mentioned a lot, but it's going to be fun to see them pitching in the games," Bello said. "They're not afraid. They have good stuff, too. Maybe they were not drafted as a higher pick, but we're going to be fine. We're going to battle. We're going to compete and we're going to make people have fun." Next up, it was catcher Ben Rortvedt and pitcher Blayne Enlow at the table. Rortvedt is returning to Cedar Rapids for the second season while Enlow will be seeing his first "full season" in professional ball and is scheduled to pitch the home opener on Saturday. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSC_0078-2-1-600x400.jpg Catcher Ben Rortvedt and pitcher Blayne Enlow (Photo: SD Buhr) After pitching only for the Gulf Coast League Twins after being drafted in the third round last June, Enlow didn't enter spring training with any assurance that he'd be skipping the higher rookie league level in Elizabethton to open the year with the Kernels. Of course, that also means opening the season in temperatures that are likely to be well below anything he dealt with while playing high school ball in his native Louisiana. "I think spring went really good," Enlow said, "but still it's like you're unsure where you're going to go. When they finally told us, of course I was excited. And then they're like, 'it's cold.' I was like, 'it can't be that bad.' Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. But you've just got to get through it. It's just a new challenge. Just got to try to keep on pitching, keep on filling up with strikes, get people out and just win games." Rortvedt will be largely splitting the Kernels catching duties with David Banuelos. Ben Rodriguez, who has been a catcher by trade in previous seasons, is being converted to first base, though he likely will continue to get a few opportunities behind the plate. "I think me and David are going to split time pretty much the whole way this season," Rortvedt explained, while also mentioning that Rodriguez has been a successful catcher and will be filling the role of the team's third catcher. "(Banuelos) was very good back there in college at Long Beach State. So, yeah, I've been looking forward to it, just learning from each other and talking baseball, talking catching. So yeah it'll be fun." Rortvedt also spoke glowingly of some of the changes in the Twins' minor league operation. "There's a lot of new management with the Twins. We've got a new farm director and a lot of new people. There's a lot of younger faces now and a lot of people are very approachable, which I really enjoy. We've got a new catching rover, which we never had in the past, which is just amazing for the catchers, working one-on-one with us." http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSC_0081-2-1-600x400.jpg Shortstop Royce Lewis and outfielder Alex Kirilloff (Photo: SD Buhr) Finally, the Minnesota Twins' first-round draft picks from 2016 and 2017, Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis, took their turns addressing media questions. Lewis was asked how he felt he was different now than what he was as a player at the end of last season in Cedar Rapids. "To start, I've already gained 15-20 pounds, so that's a big step in my power," he answered. "And just the mental side of it, more relaxed and kind of know how to play the game of baseball a bit more. Knowing the surroundings in Cedar Rapids around here just makes me feel calm and relaxed." Kirilloff talked about the challenges he had to face as he sat out all of the 2017 season after elbow surgery. "Definitely never the news you want to hear," he conceded. "I got it around spring training (last year) where my arm wasn't feeling the way it should and the best option was to get surgery, so to get that news was tough. "For me, there's two ways you can look at it. You can harp on it and get down on yourself or you can take it as a challenge and try to make yourself better from it. I tried to do that. I got a lot stronger. Tried to pick up on things that maybe I wouldn't have if I was playing throughout the year. I think you've just got to try to make the best of it and come back better." Both players acknowledged that the roster they're a part of to start the season in Cedar Rapids includes an exceptional number of highly regarded hitting prospects, while also noting that the group can't just show up and expect to be successful on the field. "Yeah, it's like we're the Yankees on paper. That's what I'd say, for sure," said Lewis. "I mean, they've got the Bronx bombers, you've got a lot of home run hitters in this lineup. "A couple of people were joking back in spring training, there's a lot of money you've got involved with this team. Which is kind of funny, but it's kind of true. But as for being prospects, we're just going to have fun and we're a good young team. I'm excited and we're going to work as hard as we can to win all those games." "There's a lot of exciting players with the group and good people, as well," Kirilloff concurred. "I'm happy to be a part of the group. It's one thing to look at the paper and be impressed by it, but we've still got to go out and do our job and play hard every day." Weather permitting, the Kernels will open their season Thursday evening in Davenport against the Quad Cities River Bandits (Astros affiliate). The home opener is scheduled for Saturday in Cedar Rapids. Originally published at KnuckleballsBlog.com. Related Cedar Rapids Preview: Kernels Class Of 2018 "Should Be Pretty Entertaining" Fort Myers Preview: Miracle Hope Experience Translates On The Field Click here to view the article

The tarp covering the infield in Cedar Rapids was wet from a mix of rain and snow flurries over the past couple of days, but fortunately the only "work" that this year's Cedar Rapids Kernels had to do on Tuesday was do a meet and greet with fans on the concourse and, for a select few, survive a brief media inquisition. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSC_0075-2-1-600x358.jpg L to R: pitching coach Cibney Bello, manager Toby Gardenhire, hitting coach Brian Dinkelman, pitching coach Justin Willard (Photo: SD Buhr) As has almost become a tradition in Cedar Rapids, the weather for "Meet the Kernels Night" at the ballpark was cold and damp. The forecast for their Opening Day in Davenport on Thursday is for a mix of rain and snow with a high during the day around 50 degrees. The good news is that it's supposed to be sunny in Cedar Rapids for the home opener on Saturday. The less-good news is that the high temperature that day is projected to be 37 degrees. Welcome to Midwest League baseball in April. But let's worry about the weather later. For now, how about some snippets from the Kernels' introductory press conference? To start things off, manager Toby Gardenhire and coaches Brian Dinkelman, Cibney Bello and Justin Willard fielded questions from local media. One of those questions pertained to the evident shift in philosophies being ingrained by the Twins front office with regard to greater collection and use of analytical data at all levels of the organization. "We have definitely dug into the analytical part of baseball now," said Dinkelman.. "We're definitely taking the next step trying to keep up with the game of baseball. Any information we can receive is good information. We try to just filter out what's good and what's bad and provide it to the players as necessary." Gardenhire concurred with his hitting coach. "I would say we're definitely diving into the more analytical way of doing things. the less old-school way of doing things, than we ever have before, with the new front office. They hired a lot of new people this year and a lot of those people are analytical-type people. "What happens with the analytical side of it is you get a whole bunch of information. All of these things that Dink was just saying, they give you a lot of information and how you deal with that information is going to be different with every organization. We have all that information now, so we're on the cutting edge." A lot has justifiably been made of the fact that the Kernels will have not just one first round draft choice, but a pair of them, in their everyday lineup. Royce Lewis was the first overall selection of 2017's draft class and Alex Kirilloff was the Twins' first round selection the year before. Dinkelman was asked about his impressions of the highly touted pair during spring training. "Royce got stronger since last year. One of the first things that I thought of when he came back hitting BP is that the ball is coming off his bat harder than it was last year. Alex, it was the first time I got to really look at him in spring training, but he looks good. He's a hitter first. He plays defense well. So it will be exciting to have both those guys on the team." One thing that's new within the Twins minor league system this year is that two pitching coaches have been assigned to minor league affiliates. In Cedar Rapids, Bello and Willard will fill those roles. "Two sets of eyes are always better than one," Willard explained. "And the theory is that the manager is usually a hitting guy and then you've got the hitting coach. You've got half the team that's pitchers, why not have another set of eyes on those guys? I'm excited to work with Cibney, for sure." While the lineup in Cedar Rapids is going to be full of high draft picks and highly regarded international prospects, Bello expressed confidence that his pitching staff would hold up their end of things, as well, despite perhaps being less heralded than their position-player team mates. "We have a few guys that are maybe not mentioned a lot, but it's going to be fun to see them pitching in the games," Bello said. "They're not afraid. They have good stuff, too. Maybe they were not drafted as a higher pick, but we're going to be fine. We're going to battle. We're going to compete and we're going to make people have fun." Next up, it was catcher Ben Rortvedt and pitcher Blayne Enlow at the table. Rortvedt is returning to Cedar Rapids for the second season while Enlow will be seeing his first "full season" in professional ball and is scheduled to pitch the home opener on Saturday. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSC_0078-2-1-600x400.jpg Catcher Ben Rortvedt and pitcher Blayne Enlow (Photo: SD Buhr) After pitching only for the Gulf Coast League Twins after being drafted in the third round last June, Enlow didn't enter spring training with any assurance that he'd be skipping the higher rookie league level in Elizabethton to open the year with the Kernels. Of course, that also means opening the season in temperatures that are likely to be well below anything he dealt with while playing high school ball in his native Louisiana. "I think spring went really good," Enlow said, "but still it's like you're unsure where you're going to go. When they finally told us, of course I was excited. And then they're like, 'it's cold.' I was like, 'it can't be that bad.' Yeah, it is. Yeah, it is. But you've just got to get through it. It's just a new challenge. Just got to try to keep on pitching, keep on filling up with strikes, get people out and just win games." Rortvedt will be largely splitting the Kernels catching duties with David Banuelos. Ben Rodriguez, who has been a catcher by trade in previous seasons, is being converted to first base, though he likely will continue to get a few opportunities behind the plate. "I think me and David are going to split time pretty much the whole way this season," Rortvedt explained, while also mentioning that Rodriguez has been a successful catcher and will be filling the role of the team's third catcher. "(Banuelos) was very good back there in college at Long Beach State. So, yeah, I've been looking forward to it, just learning from each other and talking baseball, talking catching. So yeah it'll be fun." Rortvedt also spoke glowingly of some of the changes in the Twins' minor league operation. "There's a lot of new management with the Twins. We've got a new farm director and a lot of new people. There's a lot of younger faces now and a lot of people are very approachable, which I really enjoy. We've got a new catching rover, which we never had in the past, which is just amazing for the catchers, working one-on-one with us." http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DSC_0081-2-1-600x400.jpg Shortstop Royce Lewis and outfielder Alex Kirilloff (Photo: SD Buhr)[/caption] Finally, the Minnesota Twins' first-round draft picks from 2016 and 2017, Alex Kirilloff and Royce Lewis, took their turns addressing media questions. Lewis was asked how he felt he was different now than what he was as a player at the end of last season in Cedar Rapids. "To start, I've already gained 15-20 pounds, so that's a big step in my power," he answered. "And just the mental side of it, more relaxed and kind of know how to play the game of baseball a bit more. Knowing the surroundings in Cedar Rapids around here just makes me feel calm and relaxed." Kirilloff talked about the challenges he had to face as he sat out all of the 2017 season after elbow surgery. "Definitely never the news you want to hear," he conceded. "I got it around spring training (last year) where my arm wasn't feeling the way it should and the best option was to get surgery, so to get that news was tough. "For me, there's two ways you can look at it. You can harp on it and get down on yourself or you can take it as a challenge and try to make yourself better from it. I tried to do that. I got a lot stronger. Tried to pick up on things that maybe I wouldn't have if I was playing throughout the year. I think you've just got to try to make the best of it and come back better." Both players acknowledged that the roster they're a part of to start the season in Cedar Rapids includes an exceptional number of highly regarded hitting prospects, while also noting that the group can't just show up and expect to be successful on the field. "Yeah, it's like we're the Yankees on paper. That's what I'd say, for sure," said Lewis. "I mean, they've got the Bronx bombers, you've got a lot of home run hitters in this lineup. "A couple of people were joking back in spring training, there's a lot of money you've got involved with this team. Which is kind of funny, but it's kind of true. But as for being prospects, we're just going to have fun and we're a good young team. I'm excited and we're going to work as hard as we can to win all those games." "There's a lot of exciting players with the group and good people, as well," Kirilloff concurred. "I'm happy to be a part of the group. It's one thing to look at the paper and be impressed by it, but we've still got to go out and do our job and play hard every day." Weather permitting, the Kernels will open their season Thursday evening in Davenport against the Quad Cities River Bandits (Astros affiliate). The home opener is scheduled for Saturday in Cedar Rapids.

It seems like just yesterday, doesn't it? The Minnesota Twins and Cedar Rapids Kernels were entering the very first year of their brand new affiliation agreement in the spring of 2013 and there was plenty to be excited about with the baseball talent the Twins were planning to send through Cedar Rapids that season. Three of that year's Kernels had been handed signing bonuses of over $1 million and 11 more from their opening day roster that season had received six-figure bonuses. In short, it was as loaded as any Cedar Rapids roster had been in several years.http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Buxton31-600x437.jpg Byron Buxton as a Cedar Rapids Kernel in 2013 (Photo: SD Buhr) Optimism was high and not only for the Kernels. That Cedar Rapids class of 2013 represented, to many, the future of the Minnesota Twins franchise - a franchise that had fallen on tough times after nearly a decade of postseason participation. As with any roster of Class A ballplayers, you don't have to look too hard to find players that, despite being early round draft picks or well-regarded international free agents, would ultimately fall short of their goals of having successful Major League careers. But you also don't have to look far down that 2013 roster to find names that have since become part of the core group of players that led the Twins to a wild card berth in 2017, with even greater expectations for the next several seasons. Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco were on that opening day roster in Cedar Rapids in 2013, as were pitchers Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers. Then there were two more mid-season additions to the Kernels that are also now playing major roles in Minnesota, Max Kepler and Jose Berrios. But that was five years ago. Several additional Cedar Rapids alumni are poised to contribute to whatever success the Twins have in the near future, as well, but that class of 2013 will long be remembered by Kernels fans. But is it possible that the class of 2018 could end up being even better? It's certainly not impossible. The class of 2013 had Buxton, the Twins' 2012 first round pick in the amateur draft (second selection overall), but the 2018 Kernels roster will include a pair of first rounders. Shortstop Royce Lewis, the first overall selection in 2017, will start the season in Cedar Rapids after suiting up for the Kernels for the final month of the 2017 season. He will be joined by the Twins' first round pick in 2016, as well. Outfielder Alex Kirilloff missed last season after elbow surgery, but will wear a Kernels uniform on Opening Day this year. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Kirilloff1-2-600x400.jpg Alex Kirilloff (Photo: SD Buhr) That's not bad for a start, but when you look over the Kernels' roster, It's easy to find plenty of other players who were highly touted draft picks and international signings. That group includes two Compensation round picks, outfielder Akil Baddoo and infielder Jose Miranda, and a second rounder, catcher Ben Rortvedt (who spent 2017 in Cedar Rapids). http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/BaddooGardenhire-600x400.jpg Kernels manager Toby Gardenhire and Akil Baddoo (Photo: SD Buhr)http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Miranda1-1-600x400.jpg Jose Miranda (Photo: SD Buhr) http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Rortvedt2-400x600.jpg Ben Rortvedt (Photo: SD Buhr) Right handed pitcher Blayne Enlow was selected by the Twins in the third round of 2017's draft and will open 2018 in Cedar Rapids' rotation. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Enlow1-600x401.jpg Blayne Enlow (Photo: SD Buhr) Trey Cabbage, who is slated to be part of the Kernels' outfield, but could also play the corner infield spots, is also returning to Cedar Rapids, where he finished the 2017 season. Cabbage was the Twins' fourth round pick in 2015. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Cabbage2-400x600.jpg Trey Cabbage (Photo: SD Buhr) The Kernels will have 2017 fifth round pick Andrew Bechtold at third base and David Banuelos, who was Seattle's fifth round pick in 2017, will share time with Rortvedt behind the plate. Banuelos was obtained by the Twins from the Mariners over the off-season in return for a million dollars worth if international bonus cap space. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Bechtold1-600x400.jpg Andrew Bechtold[ (Photo: SD Buhr)http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Banuelos1-600x400.jpg David Banuelos (Photo: SD Buhr) Lewis, Rortvedt and Cabbage aren't the only Kernels alums who are returning to open the 2018 campaign. Randy Dobnak, Bryan Sammons and Tyler Watson are all slated to open the season in Cedar Rapids' starting rotation after seeing time with the Kernels last year. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Dobnak2-600x400.jpg Randy Dobnak (Photo: SD Buhr)http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Bryan-Sammons-2-600x450.jpg Bryan Sammons (Photo: Seth Stohs)http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Watson1-600x401.jpg Tyler Watson (Photo: SD Buhr) Logan Lombana and Ryan Mason return to the Kernels' bullpen after playing key relief rolls for Cedar Rapids in 2017. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Lombana16f-600x400.jpg Logan Lombana (Photo: SD Buhr)http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mason1-600x400.jpg Ryan Mason (Photo: SD Buhr) Infielder Jordan Gore and ouitfielder Shane Carrier also returning to Cedar Rapids to open the season. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Gore1-2-400x600.jpg Jordan Gore (Photo:SD Buhr) http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Carrier1-600x400.jpg Shane Carrier (Photo: SD Buhr) Other players slated to suit up for the Kernels for the first time to start the season include pitchers Nick Brown, Edwar Colina, Calvin Faucher, Jared Finkel, Kevin Marnon, Jose Martinez and Jovani Moran. They'll be joined by first-time Kernels position players Ben Rodriguez (1B) and Mark Contreras (OF). New Cedar Rapids manager Toby Gardenhire is optimistic about his Kernels and knows he's being entrusted with a number of the Twins' most prized young prospects. "It should be a lot of fun. We've got a really good group of kids," Gardenhire said as spring training was winding down. "They've been playing really hard and they're ready to get (to Cedar Rapids), I know that. "We're definitely young, but there's a lot of guys that have a lot of ability - a lot of talent, that the Twins think very highly of. It makes them fun to watch. I've been watching them all spring and we've got some exciting guys, so it should be pretty entertaining." Today's Twins fans are hoping that Buxton, Kepler, Berrios and other Kernels alumni of the past five years will lead the parent club through a period of postseason success. Five years from now, will the Cedar Rapids class of 2018 be preparing to step in and join - or perhaps take over for - their predecessors? Only time will tell. But Kernels fans in Cedar Rapids will soon be getting a good opportunity to see just how good this next wave of young Twins prospects can look. Click here to view the article

I'm afraid you don't understand the way minor leaguers get paid. It has nothing to do with whether minor league team owners are "getting rich." They don't pay the players, the billionaire MLB owners do. And that pay has absolutely NOTHING to do with how many people attend minor league games.

The US minimum wage is 7.85 in 2018, not 7.50. But either way, you are basing your calculations on a typical 40 hour work week. Take a look at a minor league schedule and see how many 5 day weeks those guys get. And consider that the "off days" are almost always "travel days" so they are spending most (if not all) of that day traveling for their work. People act like these guys only work 3-4 hours a day, but from the time they arrive at the ballpark to the time they leave is often, if not always 8+ hours. And, as I mentioned above, they don't just work 5 days a week. They aren't paid for spring training or extended spring training (for those players not placed on a full season roster at the end of spring training). Those top 10 round guys that get bonuses also make up the great majority of players who ultimately make the major leagues and make that big payday. The others are going to be career minor leaguers. You should also take a look at the size of the bonuses for guys drafted after the top 4-5 rounds and ask yourself how long that bonus would last as a "safety net." If you choose not to feel any "angst" for these players, that's fine. I'm sure the billionaire owners appreciate your support.

The players union represents it's members, which are the MLB players. As long as that's the case, they won't bend over backward to work for minor leaguers. One could argue they have enough problems right now trying to keep from screwing over their dues paying members. As of several weeks ago, my official voter registration category is "no party." The only specific elected official I've seen tied to this legislation is Senate Majority Leader McConnel (R-KY). My understanding, however, is that MLB has enlisted bi-partisan support.

If you believe that maintaining the status quo in minor league baseball is important, you aren't going to like this article. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/baseballMoney900-1-600x401.jpg However, if you believe that some things - like simple human decency in the area of fair pay - are more important than whether or not the current minor league model is continued, I suspect you'll be joining me in raising your voice in objection to what Major League Baseball (along with their weak sister organization, Minor League Baseball) are conspiring with members of the U.S. Congress to do as early as today. The Washington Post is reporting that MLB lobbyists and a handful of Congressmen plan to attach an amendment to the $1.3 trillion spending bill that must become law this week in order to avoid another government shutdown. That amendment would specifically hand baseball an exemption to federal labor laws for their treatment of minor league ballplayers. Congressmen in MLB/MiLB's pockets introduced a separate bill to grant this exemption a couple of years ago, but it has gone nowhere. So, now, it's apparently time to slip the provisions into a bill that has nothing whatsoever to do with anything related to baseball. It's what's commonly called a "Christmas Tree Ornament" amendment that gets attached to a big "tree," in this case the critical spending bill. And guess who's getting the big present? Yes, 30 multi-billionaires who simply don't want to share even a fraction of the enormous revenues that fans are giving them with the very poorest of their players. And the amendment's supporters aren't even being up front with their intention to hang this ornament on the spending bill tree. According to the Post report, the amendment has not been included in any of the drafts of the bill distributed thus far. The intent, clearly, was to hang this particular ornament on the tree at the last minute, when nobody was looking closely enough to even notice it. Let me pose this question, for any of you who may still think there's nothing wrong with 20 year old ballplayers working for far less than minimum wage. If giving MLB this exemption is the right thing to do, why hide it this way, even from other members of Congress? Players at lower levels (such as with the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels) are making maybe $1,200 per month. That's GROSS pay, by the way. The players that will be sent to Cedar Rapids at the beginning of April aren't getting paid that while they're down in Ft. Myers for spring training, either. They get paid only for time spent on an active minor league roster. In the minor leagues, that's five months... at most. Many players play in "short season" leagues that run only three months during the summer. Just for reference, I made better money working for a fast food burger chain... in 1976. MLB has obviously been threatening the minor league organization, along with those who own and operate affiliated minor league teams, with all manner of catastrophic consequences (up to and including contraction of teams/classes within the minor league system, no doubt) should MLB end up required to pay their minor leaguers anything remotely close to a livable wage. You see, despite the millions of dollars MLB's billionaires have paid their lobbyists, 30 wealth old white guys only can carry so much clout with Congress. But when you threaten the hundreds of minor league teams in Congressional districts across the country and get the front offices and fans of those teams involved with personal lobbying to save their local teams, now you've got yourself some effective lobbying. Lobbying that MLB didn't even have to pay for, just use a little not-so-subtle coercion. Don't think this is what's going on? Listen to this quote within the Post story from Pat O'Conner, the head of MiLB. “We’re in 42 states, 160 cities. We’ve got over $3 billion of infrastructure, much of which is still being paid off by the clubs and the communities where they exist,” he said. “This is about constituents, this is about jobs at home, and this is about quality of life at home.” So, obviously, the concern is for the, "quality of life at home," for the local fans, rather than the quality of life for players, many of whom are from poor Latin American countries and most of whom did not receive anything close to the large signing bonuses that get all the media attention when they sign contracts with a MLB team. The minimum wage in the big leagues is approaching $600,000. For the roughly price of one minimum wage big leaguer on each team, MLB could afford to pay an extra $1,200 per month to 100 of their minor league players (that's four rosters worth of players). For under a million of their precious dollars per year, MLB owners could effectively make this issue go away. The Twins reportedly will have an Opening Day big league payroll of $130,000,000 (and they are only in the middle of the pack among their MLB peers in payroll). Think about that for just a moment. It's not a coincidence that minor league pay is determined by negotiations with the MLB players' union - a union that minor leaguers are not actually members of. In effect, the billionaire owners are putting the screws to minor league operators and fans (not to mention the players) in order to save themselves from having to spend a small fraction of 1% of their annual revenues on additional minor league pay. The contract between MLB and MiLB that sets the terms for how affiliates operate together is due to expire in 2020 and MLB isn't going to renew it until this matter is resolved. They are obviously using the contract as leverage to get the minor league organizations to lobby Congress on their behalf. It's coercion, plain and simple, and it's shameful. Yet, because Congress is Congress, don't be surprised if it's also effective. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com.)

Wednesday night, the Cedar Rapids Kernels and their Major League partner, the Minnesota Twins, combined to put on a terrific program for eastern Iowa baseball fans as the Twins once again included a stop in Cedar Rapids for their annual Winter Caravan in conjunction with the Kernels' annual Hot Stove Banquet. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Caravan2018Panel-600x229.jpg Kris Atteberry (far left) tosses questions to Winter Caravan panelists (seated L to R) Brian Dinkelman, Toby Gardenhire, Jeremy Zoll, Zack Granite and Mitch Garver. (photo: SD Buhr) The Eastbank Venue & Lounge, along the banks of the Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids, was a new venue for the event and was a great choice (despite the predominantly purplish lighting, which resulted in a heavy blue hue in virtually every photograph I took at the event, with or without a flash). There was no shortage of both familiar and less familiar faces among the Winter Caravan panel the Twins sent to town for the evening. The program was emceed by Twins radio broadcaster Kris Atteberry, who distributed questions to the panel. Two new faces shared the stage with three that were more familiar to local fans. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Zoll2018-600x400.jpg Twins farm director Jeremy Zoll (photo: SD Buhr) New Kernels manager Toby Gardenhire (son of Ron Gardenhire, the longtime manager of the Twins who will be taking the reins in the Detroit Tigers dugout this season) was in attendance, as was his new boss, Jeremy Zoll. The 27-year-old Zoll enters his first season as the Twins' Director of Minor League Operations. Atteberry may have had the best line of the night, telling the crowd that his first question for Zoll was going to be the same question the bartender had asked Zoll, "Can I see your ID?" Kernels hitting coach Brian Dinkelman, who returns to the Kernels again in 2018, was joined by two other familiar faces: former Kernels Mitch Garver and Zack Granite. Both players have now made their big league debuts, finishing the 2017 season with the Twins, and will be going to spring training intent on earning spots on the Twins' opening day roster. The featured guests were made available to the media for interviews for a few minutes before the event kicked off and I had the opportunity to speak to Garver and Granite about the paths their careers had taken since their days with the Kernels. Garver played in 120 games for the 2014 version of the Kernels and hit for a .298 average. His career has steadily progressed each year since. Granite's time in Cedar Rapids was cut short by injury in 2014, but he returned in 2015 and immediately hit so well that he earned a quick promotion to Class A Advanced Fort Myers. Wanting to make the most of what time I had with each player, I asked them both the same question to kick off the interviews. If you could go back in time, knowing what you know now, and give the Cedar Rapids Kernels version of yourself one piece of advice, what would it be? "I would say relax," answered Garver. "Because when I was at this level, I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed. Being a senior sign, kind of having that rope get a little bit shorter as my age goes up. It's like, man, I need to get promoted. I need to prove well at every level. I need to do this and that and I need to do it quickly. And I think that kind of took a toll on me. "I did have a really good learning process while I was (in Cedar Rapids), but if I could have just told myself, 'just trust the process, you're going to get there. Believe in yourself.' It would have gone a lot smoother." But would he have been concerned that might have caused his younger self to relax too much? "No, I don't think so. I've always been pedal to the metal. I want to do the best I can at everything I do. "So if I'd have known all that back then, I'd have had the same thought process, going about my work and improving, but I could have gotten (to the Major Leagues) with a little more sleep maybe." http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GraniteGarver2018-600x400.jpg Zack Granite and Mitch Garver (photo: SD Buhr) And what would today's Zack Granite tell his younger self to do? "Probably to grow up," he said. "I was probably a little immature, took too many at-bats too seriously. "It's a long season. I kind of didn't really know that yet. I'd never played a full season (of professional baseball) yet. There's so many at-bats in a season and if you get out or make a mistake, it's on to the next one. That's how you've got to be. "I feel like that's the only way to be successful, to clear your mind. Every at-bat is different and don't take one at-bat into the next. I did that when I was younger. I've kind of grown out of that and that's helped me along the way." Was that a tough adjustment for Granite to make, after years where you get so many fewer opportunities to bat in a season? "It took some time for me to get used to that. Even when I was at Elizabethton, it's a short season. I never really played a full season until I got to here. "My first season (in Cedar Rapids) I got hurt, so I didn't play too much. Then I came back and did pretty well and went to Fort Myers. But even in that short time I was here, I was kind of taking at-bats into the next one. "I think if I would have done that at an earlier age, took every at-bat separately, I think I would have been more successful." The Twins and Kernels will enter their sixth season as affiliates this spring. Seeing young players like Mitch Garver and Zack Granite realize the big league dream they were working so hard to achieve when they were busing around the Midwest League, then come back to town as Major Leaguers, has been one of the best aspects of the Kernels/Twins relationship. -Steve P.S. Once again, apologies for the "blue-tinted" photos. I suppose I could have spent a bunch of time editing the color out, but frankly, I just didn't feel like devoting the time necessary to do that. So let's just pretend I did it all on purpose, as an homage to the Vikings' playoff run. (This article was originally posted at knuckleballsblog.com)

You know, IF you're the Twins and IF the Cole for Gordon/Jay/Granite deal is something you consider fair, why wouldn't you make that deal EVEN IF you do get Darvish signed? Those three prospects for 2 years of Cole seems a little high to me, but given my admitted bias toward Twins young players, that probably means it's pretty close to being a reasonable deal. I just don't quite understand why you would hold off on making it until you get an answer from Darvish. In fact, adding Cole might even show Darvish how serious you are about competing right now.

It all begins today with the National Football League's Wildcard games. This is the year that the Minnesota Vikings exorcize their demons one week at a time. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Joe-Kapp-600x405.jpg I'm calling it right now. The Vikes are going to erase the memory of past failures every time they take the field in the postseason. Think about it... what are arguably the biggest disappointments in Minnesota Viking history? For my money, I'd list them this way Every Super Bowl loss. I don't care if it was the first against the Chiefs or any of the other three against the Dolphins, Steelers and Raiders, they all sucked. Super Bowl Sunday was one dark blotch on the entire decade of the 70s. Gary Anderson's missed field goal in the 1999 NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons. I mean the guy NEVER missed. EVER. But that one time, he did. And the Vikings' shot at a redeeming Super Bowl win died. Bountygate and Brett Favre's ill-advised pass against the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 NFC Championship game that, once-again, ended what we all hoped would be a Super Bowl season. This is the year the Vikings settle all family business. Of course, it will require the Falcons and Saints to do their parts and win their Wildcard games this weekend. But once the Falcons eliminate the Rams and the Saints send the Panthers home, the Vikings' Redemption Tour can get underway. First up, they get revenge for 2010 and end the Saints' season. And if they just happen to beat up Drew Brees so badly that he retires from football, well, that would just be karma. To set up the next exorcism, the Falcons will have to dump the Eagles, but honestly, does anyone really see Nick Foles leading his team to a playoff win against, well, anybody? I don't. That sets up a do-over of 1998's gut-punch and this time the Vikings have a kicker that has already missed his first field goal of the season... and his second... and his third... and his fourth... and his fifth... and his sixth. Let's face it, the last thing Kai Forbath will have to think about as he lines up to kick a potential winning field goal is, "this would be a bad time to miss my first field goal of the season." Just to be safe, of course, it would be best if the rest of the team spends the first 59 minutes of the game destroying the Falcons so we don't have to wonder what Forbath is thinking when he sets up for a clutch field goal (or PAT attempt, for that matter). That brings us to what we've all been looking forward to - the Vikings hosting the Super Bowl in their own home stadium. Now, I know most of the prognosticators are saying they'll face the New England Patriots in the Big Game. And that would be fun, I agree. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Chuck-Forman.jpg It would also be very cool to see the Buffalo Bills somehow weave their way through the AFC playoff minefield and set up a contest between the two franchises with easily the sorriest Super Bowl histories in the NFL. After all, one fanbase would finally have something to really celebrate. But no, the Vikings must face either the Kansas City Chiefs, who topped the Joe Kapp led Vikings (yes, Joe Kapp actually led a team to the Super Bowl... I still don't understand how that happened, but it did) in the 1970 Super Bowl, or the Pittsburgh Steelers, who out-defensed the Vikings in 1975's version. Either the Chiefs or Steelers would serve as an appropriate representative from which the Vikings could garner vindication for all four past Super Bowl losses. That path, extinguishing the flames of the Saints, Falcons and either the Chiefs or Steelers and leading to the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy, all taking place in U.S. Bank Stadium, no doubt in front of Bud Grant, Fran Tarkenton and a host of past Vikings greats, would finally put to rest all of the ghosts that have haunted the Vikings over the past five decades. Make it so. (This article originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com)

I knew your May timeline was off a bit, but I was going to let it pass Interesting factoid I've mentioned before: Buxton and Kepler were on the CR roster together for exactly one series - the first series after the MWL All-Star game that June. But, years from now, if/when you hear fans talk about how they saw those two play together in Cedar Rapids, you can be pretty certain they're being less than 100% accurate. Their only series together was a road series in Appleton. I figured it might be Buxton's last games with CR and I wanted to get an early look at Kepler, so I drove up for the series and I'm pretty sure I was about the only Cedar Rapidian in the ballpark. I spoke with Terry Ryan for a bit and he told me that series was the first he'd seen of Buxton that season and he wanted to see him play firsthand before deciding on a possible promotion. Guess he liked what he saw. They announced his promotion on the bus during their ride back to CR after the final game of that series.

Welcome to the world of independent blog contributors at TD. We may be having jackets made. Two years ago, I'd have been 100% sure that Mauer would get the kind of 2-3 year deal being talked about here. As theBOMisthebomb said, "that is how we do things," in Minnesota. I think, though, the fact that he isn't already signed to some sort of extension is a reminder that this is not the Twins front office it used to be. Mauer is going to have to show that 2017 wasn't a fluke - that he is indeed once again the on-base machine he was this past season. This front office doesn't seem to be terribly prone to taking action based on sentiment. Not that they would want to treat a hometown hero with disrespect, but if Joe and his agent are disinclined to accept team-friendly terms and/or a reduced role - or if Mauer's productivity declines at all in 2018 - I don't think Falvine will hesitate to cut ties. There are too many unknowns for me to give odds on what happens with Mauer, yet. Rooker's progress, the uncertainty of Sano's situation, as well as Mauer's own health and productivity. But right this moment, I don't think the chances he returns are quite as high as we might otherwise think.

Yeah you never know who will be around in the 2nd half of the season, but it's quite possible the pitching could be better than it is in the first. I've been without internet a couple of days, but thanks to all of you who took the time to read and especially those who left comments.

Yes, I hope so. And most years, he'd have been mentioned as one of the top handful of prospects to possibly spend time with the Kernels. I probably should have. After getting to see Alex Robinson for much of 2017, we're spoiled when it comes to seeing near-100 mph fastballs. Graterol, from what I hear, could fill that need.

It's too early for this. It's too early to be looking at which of the hundreds of minor leaguers currently a part of the Minnesota Twins organization might take the field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids this summer. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/LewisWatkins17-600x400.jpg Tommy Watkins is moving up to AA Chattanooga to manage in 2018, but Royce Lewis could be back in Cedar Rapids to start the new season (Photo: SD Buhr) It's definitely too early to get excited about the possibility of seeing the most promising group of prospects in Cedar Rapids since, perhaps, the class of 2013 (which included Buxton, Kepler, Polanco, Berrios and more) in the first year of the Kernels/Twins affiliation era. Still, since it's been minus-10 degrees or so all day and I've had nothing else to do but watch a bunch of bowl games I generally don't care about at all, I'm going to share my excitement here anyway. Even as the 2017 was winding down, I found myself taking mental inventory of which members of the playoff-bound Kernels might be starting 2018 in Cedar Rapids, as well. Then I started looking at the talent that was on the field for Elizabethton's Appalachian League champion club and projecting a few that were likely to get their first exposure to full-season minor league ball with the Kernels in 2018 All of that informal mental note-making left me feeling pretty optimistic that the Twins would send a pretty competitive group to Cedar Rapids this spring. The Kernels have qualified for the Midwest League postseason in each of the five seasons that Cedar Rapids has been affiliated with the Twins and it was fine to feel pretty good about that streak continuing in 2018. But then it happened. A box arrived in the mail over this past weekend and inside was the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook.(Click here to get your copy.) I should have just glanced through it to make sure my name was spelled correctly everywhere I was given a photo credit, then set it aside for a few weeks until we were at least getting closer to the date when pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Florida (which is the date I unofficially consider the baseball season to begin each year). But knowing how much work the authors - Seth Stohs, Cody Christie and Tom Froemming - put into writing the Handbook and how packed with great content about every Twins minor league affiliate and literally every minor league player currently under contract to the Twins, well, just giving the book a glance through was something I couldn't limit myself to. So I started reading. The authors have some great articles in there, reflecting not only their knowledge of the Twins organization, but their writing skills, as well. I probably should have just read those feature articles and, perhaps, about their selections for Twins Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Year Awards. (All three are Kernels alums, by the way.) But that wasn't enough. Not when we're in the middle of a several-day stretch of sub-zero temperatures. I give myself some credit, though. I didn't read EVERY one of the player features in their entirety. It's far too early in the year to do that. No, I only read the features of those players that the authors suggested have some chance of playing ball for the Kernels in 2018. I think there were about 60 of them. That may seem like a lot, given teams are limited to a 25-man roster, but it's really only a little bit more than the 50 or so that you might typically see come through any MWL roster in any given season. Still, not all of them will wear Kernels uniforms this season. They mentioned 28, I think, that have played for the Kernels already that may return. That would be unusual. Some of those will start the season with a promotion to Ft. Myers, some could be injured or traded during spring training and some, unfortunately, could be released by the Twins before the season starts. That's just the harsh reality of professional baseball. But many of the players who WILL be coming to Cedar Rapids, either to start the season or as replacements during the course of the summer, have some very impressive backgrounds and credentials. The Kernels could feature not one, but two first-round draft choices. Shortstop Royce Lewis, who was the first overall pick of the 2017 MLB amateur draft, spent most of the last month of the 2017 season with the Kernels and likely will start the 2018 season in Cedar Rapids as well. He could well be joined by the Twins' 2016 first round pick, outfielder Alex Kirilloff, who had been expected to spend time with the Kernels last year, but missed the entire 2017 season following elbow surgery. Of course, both Lewis and Kirilloff got big signing bonuses as top draft picks, but they aren't likely to be the only million+ dollar bonus babies to put on Kernels uniforms in 2018. While Lewis is likely to see a mid-season promotion if his play develops as we'd expect it to, the Twins have another millionaire shortstop ready to step into his shoes - and position - with the Kernels. Wander Javier got $4 million to sign as an International Free Agent in 2015. A couple of teenaged pitchers could eventually find their ways to Cedar Rapids, though are perhaps less likely to start the season there. The Twins' 2017 second and third round draft picks, Blayne Enlow and Landon Leach, each got bonuses in excess of a million dollars to sign with the Twins, rather than play college ball. While he didn't get it from the Twins, catcher David Banuelos also got a million dollars to sign with the Mariners as their 2017 third round pick. He was acquired by the Twins in December. If Banuelos is assigned to Cedar Rapids, the Kernels could potentially have quite an impressive 1-2 punch behind the plate, since it would not be surprising to see Ben Rortvedt (who signed for $900,000 as the Twins' 2nd round pick in 2016) also return to start the season. In addition to Rortvedt, seven additional likely (or at least potential) 2018 Kernels pulled down signing bonuses of between $400,000 and $900,000, Those include some pretty heralded prospects such as outfielder Akil Baddoo and infielder Jose Miranda, both of which were "Compensation B" round (between 2nd and 3rd rounds) selections by the Twins in 2016. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Rortvedt2017d-600x400.jpg Twins 2nd round draft pick in 2016 Ben Rortvedt could well begin 2018 behind the plate for Cedar Rapids. (Photo: SD Buhr) Of course, signing bonuses aren't what matter the most once these guys get on the field. No matter what you got paid, what matters is what you do between the lines when you get a chance. Still, when you're looking at young players with limited professional experience to base judgements on, bonus money and draft position are simple means of projecting the level of talent any particular roster might consist of. In addition to those already listed, the 2018 Kernels roster could include, at some point: Two 4th round picks (pitcher Charlie Barnes - 2017, and third baseman/outfielder Trey Cabbage - 2015, both of whom spent time with the Kernels in 2017) and a 5th rounder (third baseman Andrew Bechtold). Six-figure International Free Agent signees like pitcher Jose Martinez ($340K in 2013) and catcher Robert Molina ($300K in 2013) Nine additional players drafted by the Twins in the top 10 rounds of drafts between 2014 and 2017, That is a lot of potential. And it doesn't even include Edwar Colina, who was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year last season. Are you beginning to see why I'm getting excited for the season to start already? I mean, if you're Toby Gardenhire, the recently announced new manager for the Kernels, you have to feel pretty good about the talent level that you're going to have to work with in your first year as a manager in professional baseball, don't you? Of course, the fun thing is that, even with all of these "prospects" on their way to Cedar Rapids, we know that there will be several guys not found on anyone's "prospect lists" that will grab hold of their opportunity to play baseball for a few dollars and show everyone they can play the game every bit as well as the guys getting all the attention... and money. It happens every season and it will happen this year, too. Cedar Rapids hasn't won a Midwest League title since Bengie Molina caught 45 games for the 1994 Kernels. No, that's not as long as the drought the Twins have endured since their 1991 World Series championship, but it's long enough. So pardon me if I get spend a few of these cold January days daring to get excited about Kernels baseball in 2018. If that's wrong, just blame Seth, Cody and Tom. That's what I usually do. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com.)

I agree. My point was just that I didn't want to take up space in this post addressing that issue. The "another day" absolutely should come soon. If the Twins were aware of any problems regarding Sano & his treatment of women (and it's hard for me to imagine they didnt if the Lookouts & his teammates did), they had a responsibility to address those issues & I would hope we find out that they did make a serious attempt to. If not, that is a significant problem.

No apology necessary. Honest, respectful discussion is always welcome in my book. Thanks for the extra information. Enjoy the rest of your evening.

I don't think I'll adjust my usage, given that the Oxford Dictionary defines misogyny as: Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. ‘she felt she was struggling against thinly disguised misogyny’ I'm pretty sure it was not your intent to insinuate that behavior such as what is alleged in this case could occur because someone "adored women" too much, but the impression left when I first read the comment comes dangerously close to that, imo. I would maintain that the extreme mistreatment is reflective of a person who has an "ingrained prejudice against women," whether that prejudice is due to "dislike of" or "contempt for" women or simply a strong feeling that they are entitled to control women. The level of extreme disrespect such behavior reflects comes close enough to me that I'm comfortable using the term in question to describe it. I understand if your opinion differs and I'm perfectly willing for us to agree to disagree. I appreciate those who have taken the time to read this piece and, especially, anyone who takes the additional time to offer a well-thought out comment.

If you're a Minnesota Twins fan, you're probably already well aware of the allegations that independent photographer Betsy Bissen went public via Twitter a couple days ago with her #MeToo experience involving Twins star Miguel Sano. I won't go into all the details but you can easily find them with a quick browser search. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com) http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/metoo-300x169.jpg In a nutshell, Betsy's account is that, following an autograph session at a memorabilia store in 2015, Sano forcibly attempted to pull her into a restroom. The struggle, from which she ultimately extricated herself, lasted several terrifying minutes. Over the past few weeks and months, we've seen victim after victim of male abuse of power/position come to light, most predominantly in the Hollywood, political and corporate environments. However, to my limited knowledge, this is perhaps the first allegation against a major league professional athlete, at least since the #MeToo movement came to prominence. Given the historically misogynistic world of professional sports, the only surprising thing is that it took this long for experiences such as Betsy's to become public. Her allegation may or may not have been the first involving a MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL player, but I think we can be pretty certain it won't be the last. MLB is beginning an investigation into the allegations regarding Sano, as is their responsibility and duty, apparently, under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement with the MLB Players Association. It is proper, I know, for those who know neither Sano nor Bissen personally, to decide they want to hold off on judgement until MLB does it's investigation thing. Most of us who know Betsy at all (I consider myself her friend, though we are not what either of us, I'm sure, would consider to be close friends) are not generally feeling compelled to wait out an investigation before expressing our unequivocal support for her. In fact, since she went public, she has received what would at least be considered public corroborative support from various parties who have, in the past, been at least somewhat familiar with Mr. Sano's treatment of women in manners not inconsistent with what Betsy described. One person, Mike Holmdahl, recounted via Twitter that he had observed Sano making a female usher in Chattanooga uncomfortable during Sano's playing days with the Lookouts earlier in the same season that the event involving Bissen took place. That person was told by a senior usher there that they were so aware of Sano's activities with regard to female ushers that they had made an effort to avoid posting females near the home dugout. (You can find Holmdahl's full recounting as part of Brandon Warne's excellent piece at Zone Coverage.) Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports wrote that he had been told by, "five people, including teammates, ex-teammates and confidants, with whom he has spent time," that they characterized Sano as someone who, "saw the pursuit of women as sport," One of them called Sano "a ticking time bomb." Jeff Goldklang, a member of the ownership group that currently owns the St. Paul Saints (for whom Bissen does some photography work) and previously owned the Twins' class high-A Ft. Myers Miracle related via Twitter that, "I've seen enough of both people to have absolutely no doubts in this story's veracity. I've personally seen Sano act inappropriately towards a woman- while in uniform, no less." In fact, given these statements of at least partial corroboration, it does lead one to wonder what the Twins' front office knew about Sano's issues with women and when they knew it. But that's a question for another day and, if the MLB and the media do their jobs, we'll possibly get some answers some day. All of this is just by way of saying that it would appear that Betsy Bissen is worthy of the support that her friends and many others are giving her. But I'm not writing this to say I support her. She deserves more than that. I'm writing to say, "Thank you," to Betsy for having the courage to speak out, knowing that the result would not be 100% supportive - that there would be a significant - and very vocal - segment of the population of Twins Territory who would demonize her for speaking out (conveniently hiding behind anonymous social media pseudonyms in most cases, of course}. I will admit that Betsy's public allegations made me uncomfortable, just as the whole #MeToo movement has made me uncomfortable. But you know what? It's SUPPOSED to make me uncomfortable. It's supposed to make me take stock of my own views and treatment of women - past, present and, in particular, future. And it has done just that. I'm a 61 year old man. And while I certainly have never behaved toward any woman the way that Betsy related that Sano behaved toward her, I'm absolutely certain my words and actions toward women at various points in my life would not stand up to the spotlight that #MeToo is shining on us today. I'm not naive enough to think #MeToo and people like Betsy Bissen are going to quickly and dramatically change the way we view and treat women in our society, especially, perhaps, in an era where our country has elected an openly misogynist President, sending a signal to a considerable segment of our population that it's OK to behave similarly toward our wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters and granddaughters. In fact, I doubt we'll see the kind of change that is needed take hold fully during my lifetime. But, thanks to people like Betsy and others possessing similar courage, I have hope that my two grandsons (ages 2 and 4) will grow up in a world where they don't even question whether it's appropriate to treat girls and women with respect and, frankly, just common decency. More importantly yet, I have hope that my not-quite-yet born granddaughter will grow up in such a world. I have hope that she will grow up knowing that, if she aspires to be a sports photographer (or an actress or a political aide or a corporate executive), she shouldn't have to accept that being subject to what Betsy Bissen went through (or much worse) is considered just the price of admission into her chosen profession or avocation. So, on behalf of my granddaughter and myself, let me just say it. Thank you, Betsy.

Thank you all for taking the time to read the article and for the comments. The next month or so should be an interesting stretch for Twins fans, Vikings fans and college football fans.

A whole LOT of sports stuff has been going on over the past week or so. Whether you're a Twins fan, a Vikings fan, a college football fan or a fan of one a team in one of those sports leagues I don't really give a crap about like the NBA and NHL, there's been so much stuff happening, that you could spend almost all day reading stories on every major sports site, just to try to understand all of it. Who has time for that? Well, I do, of course. I have time for pretty much anything. For me it's just motivation that's lacking. I just don't WANT to read all that crap. But I've read enough that I'm going to perform a public service and cut through all the BS and tell you what you really need to know about the things we care about. So let's get started. (This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com) Since the focus of this site has been baseball related and, specifically, Twins baseball related, let's start with Twins stuff. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/DSC_0834-2-600x400.jpg Twins GM That Levine is talking like the Twins are going after the big free agent fish in this season's free agent pool. Don't believe it. (Photo: SD Buhr) You may have heard that the Twins have a real shot at landing Japanese star Shohei Ohtani. He's the guy that would become the next Harmon Killebrew AND the next Johan Santana rolled into one if the Twins could sign him. That is BS, of course, but it doesn't matter because the Twins won't land this big fish. I can just hear you now. "But Thad Levine said on the radio..." I know. That was BS, too. Listen, no matter what you hear about all the stuff that Minnesota could offer Ohtani from his supposed "list" of things important to him, remember this: The New York Yankees can offer all of it, too. All of it. I figure the Twins are expressing interest to drive up the price and make sure the Yankees have to pay every nickel possible, up to and including having to cough up some bodies from their heralded farm system to get more international bonus money to make sure they get Ohtani. Come to think of it, the Twins have a bunch of international bonus money that could be made available in a trade. Say... you don't suppose that's what Levine had in mind when he went on about how serious the Twins are about Ohtanom do you? No, of course not. Anyway, Ohtani will be a Yankee, so that's all you really need to know. Part of the Ohtani chatter also involved speculation that the Twins would also go after starting pitcher Yu Darvish. Yeah, that isn't happening, either. Not because they can't afford it (they can), but because they're the Twins. The Twins don't sign premier free agents and premier free agents don't have interest in signing with the Twins. Don't waste your time hoping that will change. The Vikings have a similar amount of BS swirling through their fanbase. Seems they have won football games week after week after week... to the point where they have the second best record in their conference. This has people excited. Not so excited that they aren't willing to toss the quarterback who led the team to all those wins overboard for a guy who hasn't taken a snap in forever, but excited nonetheless. But real Vikings fans know we can cut through the BS because we know what's going to happen. We've been here before. Doesn't matter the QB or the coach or the stadium. We know how this ends. When it matters... when it REALLY matters... a kick will sail wide of the uprights and the Vikings' season will be over. If you accept that inevitability right now and just enjoy the ride until that happens, it will make life so much easier. I'd write something about the Wild or the Timberwolves if I really cared, but I don't. I'm not really sure anyone in Minnesota cares, either. All I hear about the Wild is that they suck. Always. But at least fans are consistent on the Wild, I keep hearing how the T-Wolves are great - or suck - or are great - or suck - except when they're great. Bottom line for both teams is, when they show signs they can win something, someone let the rest of us know, so we can start paying attention. And since nothing matters less in pro sports than what happens in the NHL and NBA regular seasons, don't bother talking about it until the playoffs or the offseason, whichever comes first for these two organizations. That leaves major college football. I know it really isn't fair to talk about big time college football when I've just said the NHL and NBA are irrelevant for these purposes, since both the Wild and T-Pups have been relevant since the last time the same could be said about Gophers football. However, since so many of the best Minnesota high school football players are on rosters in Wisconsin or other locations where football IS relevant (like North Dakota, for instance), it's understandable that Minnesotans still pay attention to the goings-on in the Big Ten Conference and elsewhere. If you haven't paid attention since back when the Gophers mattered, you may not be aware that the National Champion in football is no longer decided by who finishes first in the polls. Years ago, something called the BCS was formed to match up the top two teams in the nation and that evolved into the current "final four" playoff system for it's major college programs. There's a committee whose responsibility it is to decide who the top four teams are and then those teams play a mini-tournament in January to determine the National Champion. Or that's how it's supposed to work. Here's what really happens: the Committee gives one of the four spots to Alabama, one to the ACC Champion and one to the B1G Champion, then picks the one other team that they think have the best chance to give Alabama a game. You may have heard that the teams the committee ranks at the top keeps losing the following week. This is true. In fact the top two teams lost this weekend and one of those teams was Alabama. Now everyone is talking and writing about how the Tide won't even be in the SEC Championship Game, so is unlikely to be in the playoffs. Don't believe that BS. There are few things more certain in life than Alabama being in the college football playoffs. There have been three playoffs since the current system replaced the old BCS "one vs two" system. Alabama has been in all three. They were also in three of the last five BCS Championship games. That's the next best thing to a sure thing. The SEC Champion has been in the playoffs in each of the past 11 years - the final eight years of the BCS and first three years of the current playoff system. The inclusion of the SEC Champion is damn near the very definition of a "sure thing." Of course, that won't be Alabama this year. But before you think for a moment that it means Nick Saban's team will get left out of the party, keep in mind that the Tide didn't win the SEC in 2011, either, but that didn't stop the powers-that-be from matching them up in the BCS Championship game against LSU, the team that DID win the SEC title. Yes, even though they could select only TWO teams, they chose Alabama over the champions of every other conference in the country. And you think that now, with four spots available, they won't plug in Alabama over... well... pretty much anyone else? Fat chance. When the teams are announced, here's what you can be pretty certain will happen: The four teams will be the SEC Champion, the ACC Champion, the B1G Champion and... Alabama. When it comes to Alabama being selected, it will happen for one reason: It always happens. Always. Just like how the Vikings will always break your heart and any free agent that the Twins and Yankees both want will always sign with the Yankees. Until one of those things doesn't happen, we should just assume that anyone who tries to tell us otherwise is feeding us BS.