righty8383

The Twins used the #32 overall pick last year to select Jose Berrios. A RHP from Puerto Rico. Berrios was a high school pick who will turn 19 on May 27. About a week after being drafted, Jose signed for $1.55 million which was in line with the recommended slot value. He was assigned to the Gulf Coast Twins where he dominated for 16 and 2/3 innings. Over that stretch, he struck out 27 and walked 3. Giving up just 2 earned runs. Then he went to play for the Elizabethton Twins. Despite being a much more hitter friendly league, Berrios still dominated. He pitched 14 innings and allowed just 2 runs. He struck out 22 and walked just 1. Between the 2 rookie leagues, his opponents BA was just .140! Berrios is said to have a fastball that can reach the mid 90's. A plus slider/curveball and an improving changeup. At the moment, Berrios is in extended spring training. He participated in the WBC for his native Puerto Rico. Unfortunately he did not get much playing time so he needed to go to EST to be stretched out a bit. Hopefully in the next few weeks he will get promoted to Cedar Rapids. I am exited to see what he can do in the midwest league.

guys don'tbe afraid to take the big name;) Sano and Buxton are still both avaliable

Jose Berrios

I think I speak for a lot of people at TD when I say, the more first hand accounts regarding minor league games, the better. There are a lot of people here, including myself, that follow the Twins' farm system very closely. So welcome aboard Pioneer!

Agree. You can always put money aside and use it for college if baseball doesn'twork out

Hey seth they show pitch speed right? Any word on how hard these guys were throwing?

Morneau was playing defense there. He hit a really good pitch

Your memory is correct. He fixed his control problems and pitched fine in the 2nd half of 2011. His last start of the season was a (7 inning) no hitter. So I agree that his control issues were not related to his future elbow injury.

Adam Johnson was the biggest bust for sure. Garza was a solid pick. The jury is still out on Gibson and even Wimmers.

Zach Jones was the 4th round pick (130 overall) last year. He throws gas and could perhaps be a future closer.

The OP already pointed out this fact.

Is this thread grounds for a 24 hour ban?...It should be:angry:

Keith Law has submitted his thoughts from last nights game. Insiders only as always with Klaw. He obviously likes Manaea but expressed disappointment in what he saw. Saying he wasn't as "electric" as he hoped. He also says that at THIS POINT, he is not a top 5 pick. This stood out to me...

That direct tv add is bugging the hell out of me.

Stereotypes are often based on some level of truth. But often becomes exaggerated to make arguments stronger or to put a negative light on the subject. In the Twins case, there are many stereotypes that have stemmed from some kind of truth but winds up becoming exaggerated to the point that some people just look silly. Hitting the other way: It seemed to start when David Ortiz criticized the Twins for trying to get him to hit to the opposite field. I think one of his quotes from his book was "they wanted me to hit like a bitch." I'm paraphrasing a bit because I can't remember the exact words he used. Funny thing is, some of Ortiz' biggest hits have been to the left side of the field. JJ Hardy perpetuated things when he brought up some of the methods the Twins would use in BP. Having him spray balls around the field while his coaches in Baltimore encouraged him to go ahead and yank everything into the seats. He would later back off these claims and even credit Joe Vavra for helping reinvent his swing after a disastrous 2009 season. The damage had been done though. People went to the forums and used Vavra as another reason toe blast the Twins hitting methods. Twins' hitting coaches throughout the system teach pretty much the same way all high level coaches do. They want players to utilize their strengths and improve on their weaknesses. While using a balanced approach and having the ability to use the whole field. Pitch to contact, don't go for strike outs: "pitch to contact" has become a focal point of ridicule for the Twins over the last few years. Some of it is deserved. Not because of the way they teach guys to pitch, but because they had acquired an army of pitchers who could do nothing BUT pitch to contact. However, I have read on forums and comment sections, people who are concerned that the strikeout pitchers the Twins have acquired lately (Alex Meyer, Trevor May, Jose Berrios) will be discouraged from striking people out. This is a preposterous claim that has stemmed from the "pitch to contact" stereotype. Rick Anderson recently got so tired of the criticism that he banned the term "pitch to contact" throughout the organization. I'm sure he wasn't serious but it just goes to show how annoyed he was with it. Anyway, any smart baseball mind should tell you that pitching to contact is not always such a bad thing if done properly. Just ask last year World Series Champions San Francisco Giants. Twins are too slow promoting players: This is not entirely baseless, but it is often exaggerated. In the last 5 or 6 years, the Twins deserve some criticism for prospects moving slowly. Not because those prospects deserved to move faster, but because the Twins had so few players that deserved to move faster. This is a product of some poor drafting and lack of good international signings. Last year when Byron Buxton was drafted, I couldn't believe how many people expected him to take at least 5 or 6 years to reach the bigs. The truth is, if he performs, he will rise fast and could easily be up by 2015. Aaron Hicks was drafted in '08 and is expected to make the club this year. That is kind of slow for such a high pick. But who would argue that based on his production prior to last year, he should have moved faster? I have also read on more than one occasion that if Mike Trout was in the system, he would be in single or double A this year. Another claim based on virtually nothing. We have not had a position player dominate the minors at the same level Trout did. The last high drafted pitcher we had that really dominated, made his ML debut a year after he was drafted. That was in '06. This is just a few. Anybody else have any Twins' stereotypes that they would like to share, positive or negetive?

Stereotypes are often based on some level of truth. But often becomes exaggerated to make arguments stronger or to put a negative light on the subject. In the Twins case, there are many stereotypes that have stemmed from some kind of truth but winds up becoming exaggerated to the point that some people just look silly. Hitting the other way: It seemed to start when David Ortiz criticized the Twins for trying to get him to hit to the opposite field. I think one of his quotes from his book was "they wanted me to hit like a bitch." I'm paraphrasing a bit because I can't remember the exact words he used. Funny thing is, some of Ortiz' biggest hits have been to the left side of the field. JJ Hardy perpetuated things when he brought up some of the methods the Twins would use in BP. Having him spray balls around the field while his coaches in Baltimore encouraged him to go ahead and yank everything into the seats. He would later back off these claims and even credit Joe Vavra for helping reinvent his swing after a disastrous 2009 season. The damage had been done though. People went to the forums and used Vavra as another reason toe blast the Twins hitting methods. Twins' hitting coaches throughout the system teach pretty much the same way all high level coaches do. They want players to utilize their strengths and improve on their weaknesses. While using a balanced approach and having the ability to use the whole field. Pitch to contact, don't go for strike outs: "pitch to contact" has become a focal point of ridicule for the Twins over the last few years. Some of it is deserved. Not because of the way they teach guys to pitch, but because they had acquired an army of pitchers who could do nothing BUT pitch to contact. However, I have read on forums and comment sections, people who are concerned that the strikeout pitchers the Twins have acquired lately (Alex Meyer, Trevor May, Jose Berrios) will be discouraged from striking people out. This is a preposterous claim that has stemmed from the "pitch to contact" stereotype. Rick Anderson recently got so tired of the criticism that he banned the term "pitch to contact" throughout the organization. I'm sure he wasn't serious but it just goes to show how annoyed he was with it. Anyway, any smart baseball mind should tell you that pitching to contact is not always such a bad thing if done properly. Just ask last year World Series Champions San Francisco Giants. Twins are too slow promoting players: This is not entirely baseless, but it is often exaggerated. In the last 5 or 6 years, the Twins deserve some criticism for prospects moving slowly. Not because those prospects deserved to move faster, but because the Twins had so few players that deserved to move faster. This is a product of some poor drafting and lack of good international signings. Last year when Byron Buxton was drafted, I couldn't believe how many people expected him to take at least 5 or 6 years to reach the bigs. The truth is, if he performs, he will rise fast and could easily be up by 2015. Aaron Hicks was drafted in '08 and is expected to make the club this year. That is kind of slow for such a high pick. But who would argue that based on his production prior to last year, he should have moved faster? I have also read on more than one occasion that if Mike Trout was in the system, he would be in single or double A this year. Another claim based on virtually nothing. We have not had a position player dominate the minors at the same level Trout did. The last high drafted pitcher we had that really dominated, made his ML debut a year after he was drafted. That was in '06. This is just a few. Anybody else have any Twins' stereotypes that they would like to share, positive or negetive?

I barely consider Goodrum a prospect anymore. Maybe one more year to show us something. You should ask him about Nate Roberts. Perhaps a 4th outfielder in another year or so? I'm not sold on Hermsen having the stuff to be an effective ML pitcher. And I am NOT basing this on spring training. Hope he proves me wrong.

Towards the end of last seaon, I was thinking it would be cool if he was given a taste at some point this season. I have since moved well beyond that thinking. To the point where I would like to see him at Target Field on April 1.

Someone on Twitter mentioned that Vargas went deep of Trevor May today.

Great, now I want a beer and my fridge has none:cry:

Well sure, I guess. But Achter was not a subject in the article so I never brought him up. Not sure why you brought him up to be honest. I guess its probably a moot point regarding Tonkin. In another thread started by Parker Hageman, He says that (according to Dustin Morse) Tonkin will start in New Britain. So it sounds like its been decided.

There is absolutely nothing for Tonkin to prove in the pitcher friendly FSL. I don't agree with you Seth that he may start in Fort Meyers. If he does, that is just plain stupid.

It still says Beloit Snappers in the sub-header under "on the farm"

Yeah, It was Rene Tosoni that "ignited" this brawl:rolleyes:

What??? do you just makes stuff up? Why don't you go and check New Britain's record from last year. Its just a few clicks away...