Steven Buhr

It's certainly not fair to lay that kind of expectation on him. That said... After watching the first Kernels workout on the day they were introduced in CR, a sportswriter friend of mine who has been around much longer than I (didn't think that was possible, but it is) told me pretty much the same thing... that the way Buxton moved reminded him of a young Willie Mays. I just grinned at him because at the time I was already just shaking my head at the expectations he would be as good as Trout was when he was in CR. After watching Buxton for two months, I'll just say the Mays comparison is not as over-the-top as you might think it is. Just sayin'

Pitz, I didn't think your post was disrespectful of me or of Jake. Goodness, if I couldn't take some disagreement of that nature, I'd have no friggin business being on a message board! You're probably right about there being ways to coach avoiding contact. I just know that when it's you heading home, the only thing you're thinking about is scoring any way you can and sometimes sliding, either head/hands first or feet first, in to an armored set of catcher's shin guards, can be hazzardous to the runner, as well. I do suspect, however, that in this era of greater awareness of head injuries, we're more likely than ever before to see some kind of rule change designed to attempt to reduce this kind of collision.

I'm not sure if it was the shorter length because it was a test or if that's the plan going forward, but I like the idea of short one-topic podcasts like this. I tend to listen to podcasts for a few minutes at a time at the office or in the evening and this kind of thing is much easier to find time for than the 60-90 minute versions. I do, of course, expect the tabloids to be headlining the inevitable "breakup" of the Geek from Gleeman as a result of the Geek "cheating on" Gleeman with Seth and Jeremy.

First, I wasn't at the game in Kane County, so I didn't see the play Goodrum got injured on. Deciding when to send the runner and when not to is the toughest part of coaching 3B. Any coach who's never sent a runner he shouldn't have is probably too conservative. It happens. I'm sure nobody outside of Goodrum's family was more relieved to see Niko back in the clubhouse from the hospital than Jake Mauer was. Until the rulemakers agree with mike, above, collisions at the plate will be part of the professional game. I'm not sure you can tell players to avoid them in the minor leagues and then change their mentality when they reach the Bigs. A player who always avoids them in the minor leagues risks getting a reputation with scouts as being "soft." Until the rules are changed, perhaps the best that can be done is to at least make sure players know how NOT to collide with catchers... like in football, don't lead with your head/helmet.

Jim Souhan was in CR this past week and his feature on Byron Buxton (including a video) has been posted on the Strib site. Well worth a read imo. Twins prospect Byron Buxton is the next big thing | StarTribune.com

Source with Kernels tells me it was just a night off.

I think it's important not to tag the kid with a "bad attitude" at this point. From what I see, he just "wants it" so bad that he allows his emotions to cost him his focus at times. Over time, he'll figure out that it's a long season and you can't let every bad bounce get to you or you'll go crazy. Once they teach him that all he can control is what he does with the ball in his hand, he'll be fine, because he cand do plenty when the ball is in his hand.

Beresford has "only" hit .308 over his past 10 games, "dropping" his BA to .331 on the season. As long as he's in the lineup every day (which he has been), I'm less concerned about where he plays in the infield. If the Twins, for whatever reason, want to keep putting Santana out at SS until he gets it right, that's their call. The guys paying the price for that decision, of course, are the poor NB pitchers who keep seeing ground balls to SS result in baserunners instead of outs. In a couple of weeks, I have to imagine Beresford moves up to Rochester as Rosario comes up to AA from Fort Myers. He just needs to focus on staying healthy and productive a while longer #FreeJamesBeresford

I wouldn't sweat Duffey's K rate too much at this point. He has shown he can find an extra mph or two when he needs it (3 of his 5 Ks last night were for 3rd outs with at least one runner on base in a 0-0 game). 4 of the 5 Ks were swinging, I believe, so he missed bats, not just fooling hitters or benefitting from generous strike zones.

It would be unfair to judge Robb based on last night. He coasted through the first inning 1-2-3 with a routine fly ball to CF and a couple of ground outs. Then he got hit in the back of his left (pitching) shoulder with a rocket off the bat of the first guy he faced in the 2nd. He got the runner at first (not really, but the ump felt sorry for him or something and called the guy out) and got the next hitter to ground out, too. After that, he got lit up pretty good for the next 1.1 innings (4 hits, 3 for extra bases). His fastball started the game in the high 80s and dropped a couple of ticks after he got hit in the shoulder. Seemed to throw a lot of change ups after that. We're probably spoiled a bit by the other SPs the Twins have sent through CR this year already. Most of them pumping low to mid 90s. A year ago, compared to the guys the Angels sent to CR to fill out their rotation, Robb might have been a top of the rotation guy. Let's see what he does after a couple more starts.

I have to say, it's starting to feel that way, yes. Now the flooding is expected this weekend. Fortunately, the Kernels are packing the bus for the Chicago 'burbs and a 4 game series at Kane County this morning.

If I had to bet, I'd say it's unlikely he moves up this year. Maybe late, if injuries or other factors come in to play. More than once, I think he's let his emotions get away from him a little bit when things don't go well. Keep in mind, he's still a teenager. I think he would mature a great deal under the oversight of steadying influence like Gary Lucas for a full season. He's got talent though, no doubt about that.

It was a LONG friggin day at the ballpark in Cedar Rapids. But at least I don't have to get on a bus for Kane County in the morning like the Kernels do. After the game, Jake Mauer was quick to credit the grounds crew (which actually included almost every member of the Kernels front office staff) for being able to get the tarp on the infield as quick as they did. It was crazy how quickly the storm hit after the last out of the 4th inning. Sheets of rain and EXTREMELY high winds. It took most of that 3 hour delay to get the standing water off the warning tracks so it was safe for the players to play. If they hadn't gotten the tarp on the infield, there's no way the game resumes. Since the two teams don't play again this half of the season, the four innings of work by Duffey would have been wasted and the games would not have been made up.

CR game officially postponed due to lightning in the area. They will play two games tomorrow. Likely Kernels pitchers will be Tyler Duffey and Hein Robb.

I think it's a win-win for everyone, jokin. The Twins players and coaches seem genuinely happy with the level of community support and last I checked, attendance was running about 40% ahead of last year's pace. Just looking at the amount of Twins caps/shirts/jackets etc at Kernels games, it's clear the local Twins fanbase is turning out. Need to do something about this weather, though. Looking more and more like a possible washout again tonight. EDIT: CR game officially called due to lightning in the area. Doubleheader Thursday starting at 4 pm.

You clearly enjoy what you do, Seth, and it shows. Thanks for a great 10 years and I look forward to many more.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1799-Mason-Melotakis-Serves-as-Kernels-Stopper

Through May 21, the Cedar Rapids Kernels had built up an impressive 30-13 record and held a five game lead over their closest competition in the Western Division of the Midwest League. They then left town for a quick three-game road trip to Beloit after taking three out of four games from Kane County. They had no clue at that time that they not only would get swept by the second place Snappers on that trip, but would also return home and drop all three games of a series against the last place Burlington Bees. But that's exactly what happened to the Kernels as almost every part of their game seemed to fall apart at the same time over the past week. The defense not only started committing more errors than usual, but those errors seemed to come at precisely the worst possible time. The timely hitting that had almost become a trademark of the team through the first six weeks of the season disappeared as they hit safely just 13 times in 54 opportunities with runners in scoring position during their losing streak and scored just three runs in four of the six games. Perhaps most concerning, the Kernels' starting pitching rotation averaged less than five innings of work per game over the six losses. The rotation arms gave up a whopping 45 hits and 33 runs (28 of them earned) in 29 2/3 innings during that stretch of games. Kernels pitching coach Gary Lucas was asked what had gone wrong with the team's starting pitching. “I don't know. These teams that begin with the letter B, Beloit and Burlington, took it to us,” conceded Lucas, after Tuesday night's 9-4 win over Clinton. “I can't explain it. It's been a little bit of everything here. It's a bump in the road that all teams have, good and bad. Burlington's turning some things around, Beloit's turning some things around. We've got to overcome a losing streak and get back to our winning ways and hopefully this starts that process.” Tuesday's starting pitcher, Mason Melotakis, gave his team seven strong innings of work. That's the first game a Kernels starting pitcher has worked seven innings since Tyler Duffey went 7 2/3 innings in a May 18 extra-inning win over Kane County. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4212[/ATTACH] Mason Melotakis Melotakis and Duffey are two of the Twins organization's “conversion projects” this summer. Both were relief pitchers in college, but the Twins want to see if they are capable of playing a starting pitching role in the professional ranks. To be successful, both pitchers will need to refine their secondary pitches – their breaking balls and change ups - rather than just rely on their ability to throw fastballs in excess of 90 miles per hour. Melotakis feels the key for him is not letting hitters dig in against him. “I like to work in and out and make the hitters uncomfortable. I try to keep them uncomfortable and off balance in the box.” Lucas feels that Melotakis is making progress in that area. “He is always going to attack with his fastball and he's learning how to use it on both sides of the plate. The change up and the breaking ball are still a work in progress.” “I think the fact that he's using them over longer stretches, being a starter now and not a reliever, he's got to do different things with those pitches,” Lucas added. “He probably didn't use a change up much as a reliever. In fact, I know when he was with us last year he didn't. I think just staying on top of these kids and just developing touch/feel with their pitches. It's a little inconsistent right now, but hopefully with innings, it'll come. He (Melotakis) shows flashes of really being a consistent competitor with that fastball on both sides of the plate.” In addition to developing other pitches, Duffey and Melotakis will also have to throw a lot more innings over the course of a season than they have in the past. The Kernels are utilizing a six-man rotation that they hope will allow their starting pitchers to get through an entire season of rotation work without putting excessive wear and tear on their arms. It's also hoped that doing so will make the conversion process easier for pitchers like Duffey and Melotakis. But with the Kernels starting pitching struggling of late, could it be that some of these pitchers are tiring a bit as the team nears the half-way point of their season? “It's a good point. We should watch that to see at some point how they react and how their strength and how their stamina and their endurance (hold up).” Lucas said. But Lucas isn't ready to buy in to the theory already. “Both Melotakis and Duffey, the key guys that used to be relievers and now are starters, they've got durability on their side. They're strong. They're hard workers. So I think they'll be fine over the long haul. And they're on a six man rotation so they usually get an extra day. We're hoping that pays dividends as we move along.” The Kernels added Hein Robb, a lefty from South Africa who just turned 21 on May 12, to their rotation this week. Robb replaced Matt Tomshaw, who was promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle. Lucas indicated Robb would be inserted in to the rotation after Duffey, who is scheduled to pitch for the Kernels Wednesday night. That would mean Robb should make his Midwest League debut against Clinton on Thursday in Cedar Rapids. SD Buhr covers the Kernels for MetroSportsReport.com in Cedar Rapids.

Nice feature by the Des Moines Register over the weekend on Byron Buxton. Sounds like if you want to endear yourself to Buxton, offer him your Skittles. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013305220105&nclick_check=1

Matt Tomshaw pitched one inning tonight for Cedar Rapids and is on his way to Ft Myers. Story at MetroSportsReport.com Tomshaw leaving Kernels for Fort Myers Mauer said Tomshaw is tentatively scheduled to pitch for Fort Myers on Tuesday. "He's going to get an opportunity. Good for him," said Mauer. "He did a nice job starting for us."

I think this is a very legitimate strategy... for an organization that has, for example, decimated their minor league organization through trades or losing compensation picks recently (see: Angels). That's not the Twins. The Twins have the best organizational depth I can ever remember them having right now. It just isn't the time for them to worry about drafting several "good" players, while sacrificing their chance to draft a guy with a "great" ceiling. Even if the kid eventually busts, now is the time to take that risk.

Since coming back from the groin pull, Beresford has played all five games and hit .364 (8 for 22), putting his average at .343 on the season. You have to figure the time is coming when the Twins will need to make a decision with regard to James. At mid-season, he'll have a year and a half at AA. Santana has already moved him out of the SS position over to 2B almost exclusively and Eddie Rosario is a candidate for promotion from Ft Myers. If the Twins see Beresford as a legitimate Major League infield option at some point, it's probably time to make room for him at Rochester. On the other hand, if they see him as just an organizational player without a MLB future, I hope they'll do the right thing and let him find another organization that might have a need for his talents in the infield.

Are you trying intentionally to confuse me? I come around looking for the 5/21 Minor League update and I don't find one! Sheesh. The recent additions to the NB roster from outside the organization would seem to indicate the Twins are going to try really hard to keep the Ft Myers and Cedar Rapids rosters mostly intact for a couple more weeks. After that, though, I can't help but expect to see a greater than usual number of mid-season promotions, especially if the organization decides to pretty much throw in the towel on 2013 at the big league level and give the kids half a season of MLB experience before they go to spring training next year ready, hopefully, to compete.