Steven Buhr

James pulled up lame at second base in a game last night and has been placed on the Rock Cats' 7-Day DL. I'm hearing he may be laid up a few weeks. It's unfortunate, for him, because he was back on another roll, having raised his batting average to .338 and his OBP to .418. Even his OPS was up over .800. Wishing James the best as he recovers and hoping he can come back and pick right up where he left off.

Well, let's be honest... neither Dozier nor Florimon have exactly set the world on fire. I wouldn't have expected moves to get made this soon, but I certainly could see Nate Hanson get a call up that results in Beresford moving to Rochester. Petterson moving up behind him to NB and, conceivably, Polanco getting the jump up to Ft. Myers.

In an interview with MetroSportsReport.com writer Jim Ecker, Twins farm director Brad Steil had the following to say about the current CR Kernels" "I think off of this team, you could easily see six to eight of those guys eventually make it to the big leagues." Steil also provided a little bit of an explanation as to why the organization tends to keep players at a given level longer than perhaps other organizations do. "The second time through, teams are going to make adjustments and we want to see how they're going to handle that," he said. Click here for the article.

Any further specific word on Beresford's injury?

Thanks for sharing! I'm really glad you enjoyed your visit and that you got to see both Berrios and Buxton show a little bit of why everyone raves about them. Of course, getting to see a win just makes it that much better!

I posted this over at Knuckleballs a little over a week ago in response to some similar requests I had been getting. Knuckleballs ? A Tour of Jim Crikket?s Cedar Rapids

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1653-Kernels-9-Game-Win-Streak-Has-Had-Some-Drama

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have ripped through nine straight wins as they head in to a two-week long road trip, but it hasn't come without a little drama. Take this past Saturday, for instance. Most of you have probably already read or heard about the strange finish to that night's 8-7 Kernels win, but for those who haven't here are the basics of what you need to know: Adam Brett Walker hit a game-tying three-run home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game in to extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Kernels loaded the bases and Manager Jake Mauer sent Travis Harrison to the plate to pinch hit. Harrison had been the only Kernels player to have started every game this season up to that point and Mauer had told Harrison earlier in the game that he wouldn't be used unless the game was on the line. If you’ll pardon the quality of the video from my phone, I’ll share what happened next: [video=youtube;nGsS2lsjR14] Niko Goodrum, the runner on third base, trotted in to score the winning run, the other two runners, Dalton Hicks and Walker, apparently did not complete their advancement to home before peeling off and joining the celebration in the infield. It appears both eventually did make their way to home, ahead of Harrison. Whether Hicks and Walker crossed the plate in the correct order is certainly open to question. Great Lakes manager Razor Shines clearly is getting in the ear of the plate umpire by the time Harrison crosses home plate. In the end, the umpires ruled that while Goodrum scored the winning run and everyone else at least successfully advanced one base, Harrison and the other two runners abandoned their efforts to advance at some point. The result is that Harrison was credited with a walk-off RBI single, not a grand slam HR, and the Kernels won 8-7, rather than the 11-7 score that a couple thousand fans thought it was when they left the ballpark. Theark. The odd finish didn't seem to bother the Kernels too much as they went on to sweep a three game series with Lansing Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, to lift their winning streak to nine games. If the Kernels start their road trip with another W, they'll earn a dinner in the nearby Amana Colonies, compliments of the Kernels Board of Directors. Even if they earn the dinner, they'll have to wait a while to collect, however, since their next home game isn't until May14.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have ripped through nine straight wins as they head in to a two-week long road trip, but it hasn't come without a little drama. Take this past Saturday, for instance. Most of you have probably already read or heard about the strange finish to that night's 8-7 Kernels win, but for those who haven't here are the basics of what you need to know: Adam Brett Walker hit a game-tying three-run home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the game in to extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, the Kernels loaded the bases and Manager Jake Mauer sent Travis Harrison to the plate to pinch hit. Harrison had been the only Kernels player to have started every game this season up to that point and Mauer had told Harrison earlier in the game that he wouldn't be used unless the game was on the line. If you’ll pardon the quality of the video from my phone, I’ll share what happened next: [video=youtube;nGsS2lsjR14] Niko Goodrum, the runner on third base, trotted in to score the winning run, the other two runners, Dalton Hicks and Walker, apparently did not complete their advancement to home before peeling off and joining the celebration in the infield. It appears both eventually did make their way to home, ahead of Harrison. Whether Hicks and Walker crossed the plate in the correct order is certainly open to question. Great Lakes manager Razor Shines clearly is getting in the ear of the plate umpire by the time Harrison crosses home plate. In the end, the umpires ruled that while Goodrum scored the winning run and everyone else at least successfully advanced one base, Harrison and the other two runners abandoned their efforts to advance at some point. The result is that Harrison was credited with a walk-off RBI single, not a grand slam HR, and the Kernels won 8-7, rather than the 11-7 score that a couple thousand fans thought it was when they left the ballpark. Theark. The odd finish didn't seem to bother the Kernels too much as they went on to sweep a three game series with Lansing Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, to lift their winning streak to nine games. If the Kernels start their road trip with another W, they'll earn a dinner in the nearby Amana Colonies, compliments of the Kernels Board of Directors. Even if they earn the dinner, they'll have to wait a while to collect, however, since their next home game isn't until May14.

Well if Buxton is going to hit one out on to that street every home stand, we all might as well "see" what that really means. I'd guess the street is 425 or so at least. For perspective, the LCF corner where the fence cuts across in front of the batters eye is 409 ft from home plate. Dead center in front of the batters eye is 400 even.

Here's a picture that lets you see the LF wall from behind home plate. http://mlblogsrattlerradio.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/cedar-rapids-april-11-001.jpg

Here's an overhead view of the Veterans Memorial Stadium in CR. You can see the "notch" down the LF line where the fence is only 315 ft from home plate. What you can't see well in the pic is that the fence is about 20 ft high there. There's a couple rows of tiered picnic tables beyond the fence. You can also see 8th Ave beyond the LF fence. That's the street Buxton has put 3 HRs on to on the fly already this season. http://thegazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/0411_SPO_THEVET.jpg

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1645-Q-A-with-JD-Williams

Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder JaDamion (J.D.) Williams is in his fourth season with the Minnesota Twins organization. He was drafted by the Twins in the 10th round of the 2010 amateur draft. After a very productive 2011 season at Rookie League level Elizabethton, where he hit .324, Williams hit only .237 for the Beloit Snappers a year ago and accumulated an on-base percentage of .311. In his second year in the Midwest League, Williams is off to a much better start for the Kernels. Hitting out of the ninth spot in Manager Jake Mauer's batting order, Williams spent most of the first three weeks of the season with a batting average approaching .300. Perhaps more impressively, he was reaching base at about a .450 rate. He's also hit four doubles and three home runs, leading to a slugging percentage sufficient to put his OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) near the 1.000 mark. Those numbers are almost certainly not sustainable, but they reflect a new, more aggressive, approach to hitting this season. Williams sat down for an interview over the weekend to discuss his first few weeks in Cedar Rapids and his role, thus far, with the Kernels. SD Buhr: This is your second season in the Midwest League. Is there anything specifically different about how you feel going in to this year as opposed to starting last year in Beloit? J.D. Williams: Just the fact that I’ve had a year here in this league and I’ve learned a lot more. A lot more of a mature player, mature of a hitter and fielder. Learning from different guys. Our hitting coach Tommy Watkins, this is my second year working with him. Guys such as (Twins minor league hitting coordinator) Bill Springman, those guys just teaching me not necessarily the athletic side of the game but baseball mentality. Just learning to be a baseball player, not just running around. SDB: Was it disappointing to find out you were going to be coming back to the Midwest League or was that something you were pretty much prepared for happening this year? JDW: I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but like they say, as long as you got a jersey on, somebody likes you. I didn’t do what I wanted to do here (in the Midwest League) last year, so it doesn’t bother me that I’m back here. I’m playing a lot better this year, so it is what it is. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Williams11.jpg SDB: Did the Twins give you anything specific to work on? Did they say, “this is what we really want you to work on going in to the season. That’s what you're going to have to do to advance.”? JDW: Basically, they wanted me to cut down on my strikeouts put the ball in play a lot more because I can run but you cant steal first base, like they say. So, I think I’m doing a lot better at that this year. I’m walking a lot more, not just going up there swinging at every pitch I see, opposed to like I was doing last year. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/WilliamsBuxton.jpg JD Williams watches Byron Buxton as he waits his turn for batting practice SDB: They probably don’t exactly encourage you to run a lot with Byron Buxton coming up behind you, though. JDW: (Laughs) He talks to me a lot. He tells me he’s going to give me a few pitches to run. We’ve got our little sign for when I’m gonna run and whatnot. So we work on that a lot, try to get each other a couple of bases. SDB: Growing up, did you have a favorite player, someone you wanted to be like? JDW: Growing up I liked to watch Brandon Phillips. That was back when I was an infielder and I’m an outfielder now. Of course, I like Denard Span and those guys. Michael Bourne, Juan Pierre, those guys that can run, get on base, steal a couple of bases. I want to be just like those guys. SDB: Is there anything about coming to Cedar Rapids that you've found different than what you expected it to be? JDW: Yeah, I love the atmosphere here, the stadium, the people. It’s a lot bigger than Beloit, obviously. Just a lot louder atmosphere. It’s fun playing here. Much more fun team this year, the guys, everything is different this year. SDB: You’re making a statement at the bottom of the order. There’s a cliché about the number nine guy being a second leadoff hitter, but that’s not just a cliché with the way you’re getting on base. JDW: That’s what Jake told me at the beginning of the season. He told me I was probably going to bat ninth and I told him that didn’t bother me at all. If Buxton’s doing a great job at the top of the order, I’ll score a bunch of runs batting in front of Buxton so I’m not gonna argue with that at all. Basically, like I said, we’re just having fun, man. I enjoy hitting in the nine hole in front of those guys. SDB: Is there anything that Twins fans and Kernels fans don’t know about you that you’d like the fans to know about you? JDW: I’m not sure what they know about me yet (laughs), probably not a lot, yet. I’m going to try to change that in the future though, you know? Let these guys know who I am. Not many people know who I am. Williams and his Kernels team mates are off to a very good start, leading the Midwest League's Western Division by two games over Quad Cities through the first 20 games of the year. If they keep it up, Kernels fans will be getting to know him much better. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Williams2.jpg JD Williams with some pregame stretching

Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder JaDamion (J.D.) Williams is in his fourth season with the Minnesota Twins organization. He was drafted by the Twins in the 10th round of the 2010 amateur draft. After a very productive 2011 season at Rookie League level Elizabethton, where he hit .324, Williams hit only .237 for the Beloit Snappers a year ago and accumulated an on-base percentage of .311. In his second year in the Midwest League, Williams is off to a much better start for the Kernels. Hitting out of the ninth spot in Manager Jake Mauer's batting order, Williams spent most of the first three weeks of the season with a batting average approaching .300. Perhaps more impressively, he was reaching base at about a .450 rate. He's also hit four doubles and three home runs, leading to a slugging percentage sufficient to put his OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) near the 1.000 mark. Those numbers are almost certainly not sustainable, but they reflect a new, more aggressive, approach to hitting this season. Williams sat down for an interview over the weekend to discuss his first few weeks in Cedar Rapids and his role, thus far, with the Kernels. SD Buhr: This is your second season in the Midwest League. Is there anything specifically different about how you feel going in to this year as opposed to starting last year in Beloit? J.D. Williams: Just the fact that I’ve had a year here in this league and I’ve learned a lot more. A lot more of a mature player, mature of a hitter and fielder. Learning from different guys. Our hitting coach Tommy Watkins, this is my second year working with him. Guys such as (Twins minor league hitting coordinator) Bill Springman, those guys just teaching me not necessarily the athletic side of the game but baseball mentality. Just learning to be a baseball player, not just running around. SDB: Was it disappointing to find out you were going to be coming back to the Midwest League or was that something you were pretty much prepared for happening this year? JDW: I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but like they say, as long as you got a jersey on, somebody likes you. I didn’t do what I wanted to do here (in the Midwest League) last year, so it doesn’t bother me that I’m back here. I’m playing a lot better this year, so it is what it is. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Williams11.jpg SDB: Did the Twins give you anything specific to work on? Did they say, “this is what we really want you to work on going in to the season. That’s what you're going to have to do to advance.”? JDW: Basically, they wanted me to cut down on my strikeouts put the ball in play a lot more because I can run but you cant steal first base, like they say. So, I think I’m doing a lot better at that this year. I’m walking a lot more, not just going up there swinging at every pitch I see, opposed to like I was doing last year. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/WilliamsBuxton.jpg JD Williams watches Byron Buxton as he waits his turn for batting practice SDB: They probably don’t exactly encourage you to run a lot with Byron Buxton coming up behind you, though. JDW: (Laughs) He talks to me a lot. He tells me he’s going to give me a few pitches to run. We’ve got our little sign for when I’m gonna run and whatnot. So we work on that a lot, try to get each other a couple of bases. SDB: Growing up, did you have a favorite player, someone you wanted to be like? JDW: Growing up I liked to watch Brandon Phillips. That was back when I was an infielder and I’m an outfielder now. Of course, I like Denard Span and those guys. Michael Bourne, Juan Pierre, those guys that can run, get on base, steal a couple of bases. I want to be just like those guys. SDB: Is there anything about coming to Cedar Rapids that you've found different than what you expected it to be? JDW: Yeah, I love the atmosphere here, the stadium, the people. It’s a lot bigger than Beloit, obviously. Just a lot louder atmosphere. It’s fun playing here. Much more fun team this year, the guys, everything is different this year. SDB: You’re making a statement at the bottom of the order. There’s a cliché about the number nine guy being a second leadoff hitter, but that’s not just a cliché with the way you’re getting on base. JDW: That’s what Jake told me at the beginning of the season. He told me I was probably going to bat ninth and I told him that didn’t bother me at all. If Buxton’s doing a great job at the top of the order, I’ll score a bunch of runs batting in front of Buxton so I’m not gonna argue with that at all. Basically, like I said, we’re just having fun, man. I enjoy hitting in the nine hole in front of those guys. SDB: Is there anything that Twins fans and Kernels fans don’t know about you that you’d like the fans to know about you? JDW: I’m not sure what they know about me yet (laughs), probably not a lot, yet. I’m going to try to change that in the future though, you know? Let these guys know who I am. Not many people know who I am. Williams and his Kernels team mates are off to a very good start, leading the Midwest League's Western Division by two games over Quad Cities through the first 20 games of the year. If they keep it up, Kernels fans will be getting to know him much better. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Williams2.jpg JD Williams with some pregame stretching

James had another productive game Saturday and "Twins Fan From Afar" was there and spoke to Beresford after the game. Twins Fan From Afar: Anatomy of a Rock Cats Win & Postgame Conversation with James Beresford

Shines was clearly raising the issue about the walk-off with the umpires. Their conversation went on well after the Kernels cleared the field. The umpires then conferred with one another and then with Shines again to explain what they were going to rule.

My video finally downloaded. You can see it by clicking here

You don't have to wait for my video to download. Jeff Johnson of the Gazette has posted his and apparently has put it on YouTube. Jeff and I were sitting almost next to one another and captured roughly the same thing. It looks to me like Hicks and Walker did "abandon" their advances between 3rd and home and ran out toward the middle of the infield. Harrison made it past 2B before getting mobbed. It does kind of look like Hicks and Walker may eventually return to the baseline and jog home before Harrison gets there. Definitely bizarre. Kernels walk-off win - Travis Harrison - YouTube

Hold off on your criticism of Hicks and Walker. It was the craziest damn thing I've seen in a long time and I'm not convinced yet the umpires got it completely right. I shot video with my camera and it may take a month or two (slight exaggeration) for it to load so I can post it, but then you can judge for yourself.

It will be interesting to see what they do. Could put Hurlbut back in the rotation, I guess. I wa told they still want to use a 6-man rotation going forward, though they had penciled Lee in to pitch again Tuesday (didn't have a long outing Thursday night).

Kernels have officially announced RHP Burris has been added to their roster. CR had an open roster spot and with Hurlbut moved to the bullpen, needed a new 6th starter for their 6-man rotation. I assume Burris got stretched out in EST with the intent of giving him an opportunity to start games this season.

I don't think anyone expected James to continue hitting .364 and he hasn't. He did go 2 for 4 in Friday night's Rock Cats win, however, and that puts his batting average at .304 and his OBP at .397. He came through with a 2-out RBI single to put the Cats on the board in the bottom of the second inning and added a single in his team's 3-run sixth inning. James has settled in as NB's regular second baseman, while still getting occasional spot-duty at SS and 3B.