Paul Pleiss

I don't know if people are in denial, I think most people will agree that the Twins do not have a lot of talent in the upper levels of their system.

Pitching well in the AFL is a far cry from the big leagues, and while it is quite promising, the return from elbow surgery will surely encounter a few more hurdles before we see Gibson pitching with the big league club. I do, however, expect him to be up with the Twins early in the season if things continue to progress well.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?1122-Down-on-the-Pond-Arizona-Fall-League

The Twins sent seven of their minor league players to go play in the Arizona Fall League that kicked off earlier this month. Teams each send a handful of their prospects to play in Arizona and each year several teams join together and field a team for the AFL (6 team league located in, you guessed it, Arizona). The Twins players play for the Peoria Javelinas (a 40-80 pound skunk pig, for those of you who are curious you can check out the wiki page) who join with players from the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. The AFL is typically offense heavy as teams are fairly stingy when it comes to sending top level arms to get more work and expose them to injury, and if you do see MLB quality arms they are typically coming back from injury and hoping to log some innings, like the Twins' Kyle Gibson. (This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com) http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1-300x180.jpg This year the Twins sent Evan Bigley (AAA right-fielder), Logan Darnell (AA Left-handed starting pitcher), Kyle Gibson (AAA Right-handed starting pitcher), Chris Herrmann (AA catcher who made his MLB debut late this season), Nate Roberts (Low-A outfielder), Caleb Thielbar (AAA Left-handed reliever) and Michael Tonkin (High-A Right-handed relief pitcher). Let's take a closer look at how each of the Twins selections have faired after a couple of weeks in Arizona. Kyle Gibson has been the most impressive of all the Twins prospects in the AFL, and maybe the most impressive in the AFL. Gibson has made three starts and is 3-0 with a shiny .069 ERA and 19 strike-outs in 13 innings of work. 14 games into the young AFL season Gibson leads the league in innings pitched and strike-outs and of the 35 pitchers who have logged more than 7.0 innings, only Seth Blair (St. Louis) and C.J. Riefenhauser (Tampa Bay) have given up less earned runs. If Gibson continues to pitch like this well and his arm continues to progress from surgery it will be hard to keep him out of the Twins rotation next spring. Nate Roberts has been the Twins brightest star on the offensive side of the game. Roberts has seen action in 6 games and is 9 for 17 w/ 3 extra-base hits and 5 walks, his slash line is an impressive .529/.640/1.346!!! Obviously this is a small sample size, but things look bright for Nate Roberts who will most likely start next season in high-A Ft Myers after repeating a second season in low-A Beloit. Chris Herrmann has also done well at the dish down in Arizona, but in an even smaller sample size. Herrmann has only played in 3 games so far, but is 5 for 10 in limited action. Herrmann is hampered by the Javelinas' roster which also contains uber catching prospect Mike Zunino (SEA) and fellow catcher Tommy Joseph (PHI). Update: Chris Herrmann has injured his left shoulder and has been replaced by AA catcher Dan Rohlfing. The injury is to his non-throwing shoulder and is believed to bemild in nature. Rohlfing started the season in Ft Myers before moving up to New Britain and hit .235/.295/.311 across both leagues in 2012. Thanks to Twins prospect guru, Seth Stohs of Twins Daily, for the news. Michael Tonkin has had four appearances for the Javelinas this season and has yet to give up a run, earned or otherwise, in his 5.1 innings of work while striking out 4 and walking just a single batter. Tonkin struck out almost 13 batters per 9 between low/high-A in 2012 and his ability to get out high-caliber batters in the AFL is very good news. It will be interesting to see if Tonkin has earned a promotion to AA to start 2013 or if he starts in high-A where he posted a sub-3.00 ERA in 30+ innings. Logan Darnell has also appeared in 4 games for Peoria and has done well for himself. Darnell spent all of 2012 w/ AA New Britain where he made 28 starts and logged 156 innings but was less than spectacular striking out well under a batter per inning and giving up nearly 1.3 HR/9. In his 6.2 innings of work in the AFL Darnell has given up only 2 runs (both earned) and 7 hits to go with 5 K's and 2 BB's. Caleb Thielbar has been, to be nice, less than spectacular. In 5.1 innings of work Thielbar has given up 8 runs (all earned) and has a fancy 13.50 ERA to show for it. The good news is that although he gave up 4 runs in each of his first 2 appearances, he's kept batters in check during his last 3 appearances allowing only a single hit and no walks in 3.0 innings of work. Thielbar, who started the year in Ft Myers before getting called up to AA New Britain and eventually AAA Rochester had a strong season and finished w/ a 2.43 ERA between all three levels, helped in large part to 12.1 innings in Ft Myers where he gave up only 1 run (unearned). It will be interesting to see what Thielbar's future is with the Twins, who picked up Thielbar from the Saint Paul Saints after the 2011 season. Evan Bigley rounds out the Twins seven selections to the AFL, and his performance has been unimpressive to date. In 7 games of work Bigley has managed to hit only 5 for 29, has struck out 6 times and has yet to take a walk. His slash like is scary bad, .172/.241/.441. Bigley hit .268 for the Rock Cats before getting moved up to AAA to join the Red Wings where he hit just .251/.289/.409. Bigley will need to turn things around in a big way if he wants to stay in the Twins organization as anything other than an organizational guy, especially as the Twins farm system is full of high-value OF prospects. This may be Bigley's last big chance to impress the brass in Minnesota. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

The Twins sent seven of their minor league players to go play in the Arizona Fall League that kicked off earlier this month. Teams each send a handful of their prospects to play in Arizona and each year several teams join together and field a team for the AFL (6 team league located in, you guessed it, Arizona). The Twins players play for the Peoria Javelinas (a 40-80 pound skunk pig, for those of you who are curious you can check out the wiki page) who join with players from the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. The AFL is typically offense heavy as teams are fairly stingy when it comes to sending top level arms to get more work and expose them to injury, and if you do see MLB quality arms they are typically coming back from injury and hoping to log some innings, like the Twins' Kyle Gibson. (This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com) http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1-300x180.jpg This year the Twins sent Evan Bigley (AAA right-fielder), Logan Darnell (AA Left-handed starting pitcher), Kyle Gibson (AAA Right-handed starting pitcher), Chris Herrmann (AA catcher who made his MLB debut late this season), Nate Roberts (Low-A outfielder), Caleb Thielbar (AAA Left-handed reliever) and Michael Tonkin (High-A Right-handed relief pitcher). Let's take a closer look at how each of the Twins selections have faired after a couple of weeks in Arizona. Kyle Gibson has been the most impressive of all the Twins prospects in the AFL, and maybe the most impressive in the AFL. Gibson has made three starts and is 3-0 with a shiny .069 ERA and 19 strike-outs in 13 innings of work. 14 games into the young AFL season Gibson leads the league in innings pitched and strike-outs and of the 35 pitchers who have logged more than 7.0 innings, only Seth Blair (St. Louis) and C.J. Riefenhauser (Tampa Bay) have given up less earned runs. If Gibson continues to pitch like this well and his arm continues to progress from surgery it will be hard to keep him out of the Twins rotation next spring. Nate Roberts has been the Twins brightest star on the offensive side of the game. Roberts has seen action in 6 games and is 9 for 17 w/ 3 extra-base hits and 5 walks, his slash line is an impressive .529/.640/1.346!!! Obviously this is a small sample size, but things look bright for Nate Roberts who will most likely start next season in high-A Ft Myers after repeating a second season in low-A Beloit. Chris Herrmann has also done well at the dish down in Arizona, but in an even smaller sample size. Herrmann has only played in 3 games so far, but is 5 for 10 in limited action. Herrmann is hampered by the Javelinas' roster which also contains uber catching prospect Mike Zunino (SEA) and fellow catcher Tommy Joseph (PHI). Update: Chris Herrmann has injured his left shoulder and has been replaced by AA catcher Dan Rohlfing. The injury is to his non-throwing shoulder and is believed to bemild in nature. Rohlfing started the season in Ft Myers before moving up to New Britain and hit .235/.295/.311 across both leagues in 2012. Thanks to Twins prospect guru, Seth Stohs of Twins Daily, for the news. Michael Tonkin has had four appearances for the Javelinas this season and has yet to give up a run, earned or otherwise, in his 5.1 innings of work while striking out 4 and walking just a single batter. Tonkin struck out almost 13 batters per 9 between low/high-A in 2012 and his ability to get out high-caliber batters in the AFL is very good news. It will be interesting to see if Tonkin has earned a promotion to AA to start 2013 or if he starts in high-A where he posted a sub-3.00 ERA in 30+ innings. Logan Darnell has also appeared in 4 games for Peoria and has done well for himself. Darnell spent all of 2012 w/ AA New Britain where he made 28 starts and logged 156 innings but was less than spectacular striking out well under a batter per inning and giving up nearly 1.3 HR/9. In his 6.2 innings of work in the AFL Darnell has given up only 2 runs (both earned) and 7 hits to go with 5 K's and 2 BB's. Caleb Thielbar has been, to be nice, less than spectacular. In 5.1 innings of work Thielbar has given up 8 runs (all earned) and has a fancy 13.50 ERA to show for it. The good news is that although he gave up 4 runs in each of his first 2 appearances, he's kept batters in check during his last 3 appearances allowing only a single hit and no walks in 3.0 innings of work. Thielbar, who started the year in Ft Myers before getting called up to AA New Britain and eventually AAA Rochester had a strong season and finished w/ a 2.43 ERA between all three levels, helped in large part to 12.1 innings in Ft Myers where he gave up only 1 run (unearned). It will be interesting to see what Thielbar's future is with the Twins, who picked up Thielbar from the Saint Paul Saints after the 2011 season. Evan Bigley rounds out the Twins seven selections to the AFL, and his performance has been unimpressive to date. In 7 games of work Bigley has managed to hit only 5 for 29, has struck out 6 times and has yet to take a walk. His slash like is scary bad, .172/.241/.441. Bigley hit .268 for the Rock Cats before getting moved up to AAA to join the Red Wings where he hit just .251/.289/.409. Bigley will need to turn things around in a big way if he wants to stay in the Twins organization as anything other than an organizational guy, especially as the Twins farm system is full of high-value OF prospects. This may be Bigley's last big chance to impress the brass in Minnesota. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

Episode 9 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here. http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/A3b_yWzCUAAbUYE.jpg-large-300x224.jpeg (This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com) It's been a slow week in Twins news, but we still found some things to talk about in episode 9. Eric talks about Twins related items that he's trying to acquire from Ebay for less than a quarter (shipping included) and why he hates the St. Louis Cardinals. We discuss JIm Rantz' pending retirement and what it means for the club and check in on the Twins players down in the Arizona Fall League, among other things. We also bring you a couple new beer selections and weigh in on the loveliness of Delmon Young's mustache. You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

Episode 9 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here. http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/A3b_yWzCUAAbUYE.jpg-large-300x224.jpeg (This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com) It's been a slow week in Twins news, but we still found some things to talk about in episode 9. Eric talks about Twins related items that he's trying to acquire from Ebay for less than a quarter (shipping included) and why he hates the St. Louis Cardinals. We discuss JIm Rantz' pending retirement and what it means for the club and check in on the Twins players down in the Arizona Fall League, among other things. We also bring you a couple new beer selections and weigh in on the loveliness of Delmon Young's mustache. You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

I'm not really a boo-er, but my hatred for all things Yankees gets the best of me, and to be fair, I don't just boo Jeter, I boo all of the Yankees. Jeter is the face of the franchise, I hate the Yankees, so by correlation I despise Jeter, not personally mind you, but as soon as he takes the field, he's just another cog in the Evil Empire

Episode 8 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here. (This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com) http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/pumpkin-beer.jpgI love beer, and baseball, and pumpkins. In Episode 8 Eric and I discuss the Twins prospects in the Arizona Fall League, 2013 Payroll commitments, Justin Morneau and possible infield arrangements for the Twins in 2013. We take a closer look at Aaron Hicks, make our declarations for the top 3 prospects in the organization and we talk about beer.You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

Episode 8 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here. (This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com) http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/pumpkin-beer.jpgI love beer, and baseball, and pumpkins. In Episode 8 Eric and I discuss the Twins prospects in the Arizona Fall League, 2013 Payroll commitments, Justin Morneau and possible infield arrangements for the Twins in 2013. We take a closer look at Aaron Hicks, make our declarations for the top 3 prospects in the organization and we talk about beer.You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

I'd like to see the Twins spend big money this off-season, and I'd also like to take a trip to the moon. Span has most likely played his last game as a Twin, get used to an OF of Revere, Hammer and Parm. Hopefully the Twins can sign at least one competant FA starter and get another in a trade and then just see what happens. I'd love to go into 2013 with some hope.

pseudo-White Sox scenario from last off-season, trade away some aging veterans, bring in some low-risk/high-reward guys off down seasons and let the young kids play. make a run at it. When the trade deadline rolls around you'll ether be in or be out, but either way you can make trades accordingly. I'd like to see them bring in 2 FA pitchers for the rotation or trade Span/Morneau for one of those and/or prospects, preferably Span as I think based on Morney's second half that good things will be happening for the big (well, not so big anymore) Canadian in 2013

Then they win the WS, and next season with Strass they start the season has heavy favorites to repeat. And if they lose? Who cares, they are banking on the future. If the Nats dont win this year, and then they never win with Strass then there will be a lot of banter about who was right in the end.

The part of the call which I found to be particularly bad was the untimeleness of the call. The rules specifically state it is for the benefit of the runners, such a late call, on this occasion, makes the call especially bad, as the runners were camped half-way and the call had no impact on them becuase of how late the call was made. But the call, as far as I'm concerned, was much BETTER than the recation of the fans. Bad show Atlanta.

I like the idea of Brunansky getting a shot to manage in the minors and bringing up AA coach Rudy Hernandez. As always, well done JC.

I like Mauer over Willy for Twins MVP. I think Dicky for NL Cy Young is risky, I agree he should get it, just don't think he will, same goes for AL MVP, I think Trout gets it, I can't explain why I think he will (aside from his awesome numbers this year, way better than Cabrera), but I think the voters get it right, and there is no way Braun gets the nod in the NL, just wont happen, MVPosey

I'm excited to see both the hitters, and the pitchers that the Twins have down towards the bottom of their system (EST, lower-levels), obviously projecting that far down is always a bit of a crap-shoot, but I think there is a lot of talent down there and I'm excited to watch those guys grow and mature as thay make their journy towards Minnesota. And I agree that Goodrum should have a bounce back season in 2013, too much talent there for it not to.

Who were the best pitchers in the Twins minor league system in 2012? Earlier this week I took a look at my predictions from this spring for who I thought would be the best minor league hitters in 2012 and who actually was. Today I'll look into the pitchers. See the predictions made by some of the other Twins bloggers here (position players) or here (pitchers). http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpgTwins related news and notes from the minor leagues Breakout Pitcher (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Tyler Robertson. Robertson will be back in Rochester for the first time since getting moved to the bullpen at the beginning of 2011. Although Robertson doesn't have any pitch that is outstanding, he commands his pitches well and I look forward to the lefty making big strides in his second full season working out of the pen. Robertson had a solid year out of the pen in 2012, 3.77ERA w 33 strike outs and 13 walks in 33 games (28.2 innings), but he was by no means the breakout star that I had him pegged for this spring. Many of the quality arms from both AA and AAA were called upon this season by the big league club who struggled finding quality arms to put in the rotation making picking the pitchers for awards from the upper levels even more difficult. Winner: Bruce Pugh (RP). Pugh started the season in Ft Myers where he put up great numbers out of the pen and was called up to New Britain where he performed even better. Pugh finished the season with a 1.94 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched between Ft Myers and New Britain. Bruce held AA hitters to a .182 average and struck out 48 in 42 innings of work giving up only 26 hits. Best Pitcher (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Alex Wimmers who moves up to AA New Britain this year after a season at Ft. Myers hopes to build off of the late season success from 2011. Wimmers who started 2011 by walking six batters is hoping that his control issues from last season remain in the past. Wimmers only pitched 40.2 innings in A+ last season in addition to the added competition of AA, Wimmers will need to log a bunch of innings. If Wimmers can get back to his 2010 form it's not unreasonable to expect him to move up to AAA by the end of the season. Alex Wimmers made one start for New Britain and was shut down eventually under going season-ending Tommy John surgery on August 2nd. The injury bug strikes again! So much promise for the 2010 first round draft pick who will miss most of, if not all of 2013 as he rehabs from the injury. What will become of Alex Wimmers who is already 23? Winner: B.J. Hermsen was selected by the Twins as their minor league pitcher of the year, who am I to argue with the organization I know and love? I'm a blogger, disagreeing with the Twins is practically my main duty, but you'll get no argument from me on this on. Hermsen had a good season, he made one start for Ft Myers and was called up to New Britain where he made another 22 starts. Hermsen finished the season with a 2.88 ERA to go with 87 strike outs and only 25 walks in 162.2 innings. Honorable mentions to Anthony Slama who dominated at the back of the AAA bullpen and Liam Hendriks who posted a 2.20 ERA in 16 starts for Rochester while striking out more than 5 batters per start. Breakout Pitcher (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Madison Boer. Boer is a hometown kid from Eden Prairie, MN and will be given a chance to start in Beloit this season and with a solid defense behind him and an offense that will impress, Boer should put up some eye-popping numbers in his first full season in Beloit. Madison Boer put up some eye popping numbers, but not in a good sense. Boer started the season in Beloit where he posted a 3.58 ERA but was then called up to Ft Myers where he struggled. Boer finished the season, between both levels, with a 5.84 ERA 86 strike outs and 42 walks. Batters hit .309 off of him, .322 in AA. Winner: A.J. Achter. Achter started the season in Beloit where he pitched 40 innings out of the pen before getting called up to Ft Myers where he walked only 3 batters in 34.1 innings of work and struck out 37, holding the high-A hitters to a .168 average. Achter was in the rotation last year for Beloit but moved to the pen this year where he thrived. A.J. finished the season with an ERA of 1.70 and 86 strikeouts to go with only 15 walks in 74.1 innings of work. Best Pitcher (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo was outstanding last year and although he's moving up from Beloit to Ft Myers this season I look for him to continue to be a shining star in the lower levels of the Twins organization. Unlike most "classic" Twins style pitchers Salcedo is not a pitch to contact control guy, and while his control is above average, he also misses a lot of bats, striking out 281 while only giving up 56 walks since singing late in 2007. Salcedo pitched only 30.2 innings in 2012 after getting hit in the face during a game in late April that broke his nose. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Salcedo going into 2012, but the injury bug took it's toll on the lanky right-hander, hopefully he'll be able to get back on track in 2013. Winner: David Hurlbut. Hurlbut pitched 111.0 innings for the low-A Beloit Snappers in his first full season of professional baseball. Hurlbut was drafted in the 28th round of the 2011 draft out of Cal State-Fullerton. He ended the season with 85 strike-outs and only 25 walks to go with his 2.76 ERA. Hurlbut will most likely start next season in high-A Ft Myers. He doesn't throw that hard, but he has good command and an above average change-up. Breakout Pitcher (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Hudson Boyd. Boyd was drafted out of HS last season and signed late so he'll make his professional debut this season in EST. As a high school pitcher he is a raw talent, but he throws hard and has good control. If he can stay healthy and keep his weight under control he should put up good numbers in 2012. Boyd led the Elizabethon Twins in innings pitched this season and had a nice 2.95 ERA for his 58 innings of work, however he only struck out 36 and walked 23. 2012 was a good season for Boyd but he gave up almost 2 home runs per 9 innings pitched (1.86 HR/9). He'll need to keep the ball in the park and work on an out pitch as he continues to move through the Twins system. He is young and talented. Winner: Joshua Burris. Burris finished his season a sparkling 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA, 40 strike-outs and 21 walks in 36 innings of work out of the Elizabethon bullpen. Burris has great stuff but has struggled with his command. He was drafted in the 17th round of the 2011 draft and signed late so 2012 was his first taste of professional baseball. Burris is one of several very talented pitches in the lower levels of the Twins organization. Best Pitcher (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Steven Evans was drafted in the 13th round last year, signed quickly and put up eye popping numbers after he reported to Elizabethon. Coming back for a full season Evans will continue to impress against hitters in the Appy League. Already with an impressive arsenal of pitches, 2012 should be a successful season for the young lefty. Evans pitched only 19.0 innings this season, 10 for Elizabethon and then 9 more after getting called up to Beloit. He was not dominant and ended the year with a 4.74 ERA to go with 12 K's and 5 walks. The tall lefty will have to work hard this off-season and come back ready to make an impact in 2013. Winner: Angel Mata. Mata signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2010. 2012 was his 2nd year in Extended Spring but his first with Elizabethon (he pitched for the Gulf Coast Twins in 2011) and he showed good stuff. Mata started 13 games for the E-Twins and struck out 55 in 53.1 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .171 average. Mata is only 19, look for him in Cedar Rapids in 2013.

Who were the best pitchers in the Twins minor league system in 2012? Earlier this week I took a look at my predictions from this spring for who I thought would be the best minor league hitters in 2012 and who actually was. Today I'll look into the pitchers. See the predictions made by some of the other Twins bloggers here (position players) or here (pitchers). http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpgTwins related news and notes from the minor leagues Breakout Pitcher (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Tyler Robertson. Robertson will be back in Rochester for the first time since getting moved to the bullpen at the beginning of 2011. Although Robertson doesn't have any pitch that is outstanding, he commands his pitches well and I look forward to the lefty making big strides in his second full season working out of the pen. Robertson had a solid year out of the pen in 2012, 3.77ERA w 33 strike outs and 13 walks in 33 games (28.2 innings), but he was by no means the breakout star that I had him pegged for this spring. Many of the quality arms from both AA and AAA were called upon this season by the big league club who struggled finding quality arms to put in the rotation making picking the pitchers for awards from the upper levels even more difficult. Winner: Bruce Pugh (RP). Pugh started the season in Ft Myers where he put up great numbers out of the pen and was called up to New Britain where he performed even better. Pugh finished the season with a 1.94 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched between Ft Myers and New Britain. Bruce held AA hitters to a .182 average and struck out 48 in 42 innings of work giving up only 26 hits. Best Pitcher (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Alex Wimmers who moves up to AA New Britain this year after a season at Ft. Myers hopes to build off of the late season success from 2011. Wimmers who started 2011 by walking six batters is hoping that his control issues from last season remain in the past. Wimmers only pitched 40.2 innings in A+ last season in addition to the added competition of AA, Wimmers will need to log a bunch of innings. If Wimmers can get back to his 2010 form it's not unreasonable to expect him to move up to AAA by the end of the season. Alex Wimmers made one start for New Britain and was shut down eventually under going season-ending Tommy John surgery on August 2nd. The injury bug strikes again! So much promise for the 2010 first round draft pick who will miss most of, if not all of 2013 as he rehabs from the injury. What will become of Alex Wimmers who is already 23? Winner: B.J. Hermsen was selected by the Twins as their minor league pitcher of the year, who am I to argue with the organization I know and love? I'm a blogger, disagreeing with the Twins is practically my main duty, but you'll get no argument from me on this on. Hermsen had a good season, he made one start for Ft Myers and was called up to New Britain where he made another 22 starts. Hermsen finished the season with a 2.88 ERA to go with 87 strike outs and only 25 walks in 162.2 innings. Honorable mentions to Anthony Slama who dominated at the back of the AAA bullpen and Liam Hendriks who posted a 2.20 ERA in 16 starts for Rochester while striking out more than 5 batters per start. Breakout Pitcher (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Madison Boer. Boer is a hometown kid from Eden Prairie, MN and will be given a chance to start in Beloit this season and with a solid defense behind him and an offense that will impress, Boer should put up some eye-popping numbers in his first full season in Beloit. Madison Boer put up some eye popping numbers, but not in a good sense. Boer started the season in Beloit where he posted a 3.58 ERA but was then called up to Ft Myers where he struggled. Boer finished the season, between both levels, with a 5.84 ERA 86 strike outs and 42 walks. Batters hit .309 off of him, .322 in AA. Winner: A.J. Achter. Achter started the season in Beloit where he pitched 40 innings out of the pen before getting called up to Ft Myers where he walked only 3 batters in 34.1 innings of work and struck out 37, holding the high-A hitters to a .168 average. Achter was in the rotation last year for Beloit but moved to the pen this year where he thrived. A.J. finished the season with an ERA of 1.70 and 86 strikeouts to go with only 15 walks in 74.1 innings of work. Best Pitcher (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo was outstanding last year and although he's moving up from Beloit to Ft Myers this season I look for him to continue to be a shining star in the lower levels of the Twins organization. Unlike most "classic" Twins style pitchers Salcedo is not a pitch to contact control guy, and while his control is above average, he also misses a lot of bats, striking out 281 while only giving up 56 walks since singing late in 2007. Salcedo pitched only 30.2 innings in 2012 after getting hit in the face during a game in late April that broke his nose. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Salcedo going into 2012, but the injury bug took it's toll on the lanky right-hander, hopefully he'll be able to get back on track in 2013. Winner: David Hurlbut. Hurlbut pitched 111.0 innings for the low-A Beloit Snappers in his first full season of professional baseball. Hurlbut was drafted in the 28th round of the 2011 draft out of Cal State-Fullerton. He ended the season with 85 strike-outs and only 25 walks to go with his 2.76 ERA. Hurlbut will most likely start next season in high-A Ft Myers. He doesn't throw that hard, but he has good command and an above average change-up. Breakout Pitcher (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Hudson Boyd. Boyd was drafted out of HS last season and signed late so he'll make his professional debut this season in EST. As a high school pitcher he is a raw talent, but he throws hard and has good control. If he can stay healthy and keep his weight under control he should put up good numbers in 2012. Boyd led the Elizabethon Twins in innings pitched this season and had a nice 2.95 ERA for his 58 innings of work, however he only struck out 36 and walked 23. 2012 was a good season for Boyd but he gave up almost 2 home runs per 9 innings pitched (1.86 HR/9). He'll need to keep the ball in the park and work on an out pitch as he continues to move through the Twins system. He is young and talented. Winner: Joshua Burris. Burris finished his season a sparkling 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA, 40 strike-outs and 21 walks in 36 innings of work out of the Elizabethon bullpen. Burris has great stuff but has struggled with his command. He was drafted in the 17th round of the 2011 draft and signed late so 2012 was his first taste of professional baseball. Burris is one of several very talented pitches in the lower levels of the Twins organization. Best Pitcher (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Steven Evans was drafted in the 13th round last year, signed quickly and put up eye popping numbers after he reported to Elizabethon. Coming back for a full season Evans will continue to impress against hitters in the Appy League. Already with an impressive arsenal of pitches, 2012 should be a successful season for the young lefty. Evans pitched only 19.0 innings this season, 10 for Elizabethon and then 9 more after getting called up to Beloit. He was not dominant and ended the year with a 4.74 ERA to go with 12 K's and 5 walks. The tall lefty will have to work hard this off-season and come back ready to make an impact in 2013. Winner: Angel Mata. Mata signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2010. 2012 was his 2nd year in Extended Spring but his first with Elizabethon (he pitched for the Gulf Coast Twins in 2011) and he showed good stuff. Mata started 13 games for the E-Twins and struck out 55 in 53.1 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .171 average. Mata is only 19, look for him in Cedar Rapids in 2013.

This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com Episode 7 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here. http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/moon_man_2.jpgNew Glarus Moon Man, one of the best Wisconsin has to offer In Episode 7 my brother Eric and I discuss who we believe are the Twins deserving of the Talk To Contact awards for rookie of the year, starting pitcher, reliever, position player and MVP. We go on to get into the recent coaching changes, prospect talk, beer and post-season predictions.You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com Episode 7 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here. http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/moon_man_2.jpgNew Glarus Moon Man, one of the best Wisconsin has to offer In Episode 7 my brother Eric and I discuss who we believe are the Twins deserving of the Talk To Contact awards for rookie of the year, starting pitcher, reliever, position player and MVP. We go on to get into the recent coaching changes, prospect talk, beer and post-season predictions.You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog. __________________ Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

Is it fair that I counted Parmelee as a minor leaguer even though he is officially a rookie this season? I say yes. If you have an issue, just substitute Arcia in his place to give him three victories.

This post originally appeared at http://puckettspond.com/2012/10/01/down-on-the-pond-twins-milb-awards-the-hitters/ The minor league seasons are all over. The prospects have played their final games (well, I guess officially the September call-ups still have 3 games left, but let's not get carried away) and the stats and progressions for 2012 are all in the books. Before the season began, several of the Twins bloggers, myself included, made some prognostications about who we thought would be the best MiLB players in the Twins system. You can see the predictions in full by going here (position players) or here (pitchers). Today I'll share my picks for the hitters and later in the week we'll take a look at the pitchers. My predictions are listed below with brief reasoning, followed by who I picked as the winner with a season full of stats and analysis to go on. The astute reader will notice my seemingly complete lack of ability to analyze MiLB players. I'm new to this, but I press on. http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpg Breakout Hitter (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Tsuyoshi Nishioka, while many think that Nishi will find his way back to Japan by the season's end, the demotion to AAA will give Nishi a chance to learn the American flavor of the game and get the instruction he needs to use the skills he acquired in Japan to become a productive hitter in MLB. Boy was I wrong on this one. Last week Nishi requested and was granted his release by the Twins. I fully expected Nishi to rebound in AAA, ultimate FAIL! I harbor no ill-will to the former Japanese All-Star and wish him fair winds and following seas as he embarks on his post MLB career. Winner: Oswaldo Arcia. Get used to that name, you'll be hearing it quite a bit in the next couple years, and at least once more in this post. Arcia started the year in high-A Fort Myers and after half a season that saw Oswaldo hitting .309/.376/.517 (BA/OBP/SLG) he was promoted to AA New Britain. Usually there is a natural regression when players are moved up a level, but not for Arcia he moved up and started hitting even better. In 69 games with the Rock Cats Oswaldo hit .328/.398/.557! The Twins have a glut of OF talent in their system, much of it at AA or above, so it's unclear exactly where Arcia will start in 2013, but AAA wouldn't be a bad idea. Last week the Twins named Arcia as their minor league player of the year. Congratulations Oswaldo Arcia on a magnificent 2012 Campaign! Best Hitter (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Brian Dozier was impressive last year splitting time between Ft Myers and New Britain. After an impressive spring I look to Dozier to continue to tear things up in Rochester. If there is any disarray with the Twins middle infield, Dozier will be the first guy up to fill the open slot. Another miss for me here. After spending 2011 in AA I expected Dozier to continue to play solid defense and hit will as he adjusted to AAA. The Twins called Dozier up to the bigs and his bat never really got going. In August he was sent back to AAA and was even worse. What will 2013 bring for Brian Dozier? Will he make improvements with his bat and hold off Pedro Florimon for the starting short stop job? Only time will tell. Winner: Chris Parmelee. After a hot September call-up in 2011 Parmelee started the season with the Twins as insurance on JustinMorneau, but was sent down after a miserable start. In 64 games with the AAA Rochester Red Wings Parmelee hit .338/.457/.645 (1.102 OPS). CP tore up AAA pitching and 35 XBH including 17HR in his half-season of work in AAA to go with 51 walks while only striking out 52 times. In short, he was a superstar. Breakout Hitter (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Levi Michael. Levi signed late and will be making his professional debut with the Miracle this season and as a fairly polished college player should perform well hitting for high average and working his way up through the Twins system, finishing the season in AA after a successful campaign with the Miracle. Another miss for the BaseballPirate. Levi struggled early in the season for Ft Myers and finished the year with a slash line of .246/.339/.311 thanks in large part to his second half numbers (.272/.368/.328). While Michael did not break out in his first year of professional baseball, he did settle in late in the season and had a .969 fielding% splitting time between second base and short stop. Winner: Josmil Pinto. The right-handed catcher really came into his own in 2012 posting his best numbers since 2009 when he was playing with the Elizabethon Twins in extended spring training. On the season Pinto hit .295/.362/.482 in 93 games with Ft Myers and earned himself a late season call up to New Britain and was named both a mid-season and post-season All-Star in the Florida State League. I'd like to throw in an honorable mention to Beloit first basemen Kenny Vargas who hit .318/.419/.610 in limited action this season (41 games). Best Hitter (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Miguel Sano or Eddie Rosario. Both are moving up to Beloit this season and it's a coin flip as to which will be the best hitter for the Snappers this season as both are coming off of monster seasons in Elizabethon. I look for Sano to continue to develop his power tool although he may have a slow start playing in colder weather of the Midwest League. You could probably still make a case for Rosario who had a great year in low-A Beloit (.284/.345/.490), but Sano was a little less impressive than I was hoping going into the season. He still had a great season, but his approach at the plate still needs some work as he appears to be trying to hit the ball out of the park every time at the plate. 2012 was by no means a "lost season" for Sano, but I think I was over estimating the development rate of the young third basemen. Winner: Oswaldo Arcia. See his accolades above. Hard to argue against Arcia Breakout Hitter (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Niko Goodrum. Nko will repeat EST for a second season, but if he can build off of late season success from 2011 Niko's a name that Twins fans will be talking about as the season progresses. Goodrum is also a twitter fanatic, @nikogoodrumTC, and like Ben Revere he just looks like he's having fun out on the field. He's still pretty raw, but look for Goodrum to make big strides at the plate this year. Niko didn't have a bad season in 2012, but he didn't hit as well as he did in 2011, but looking at numbers alone in EST doesn't tell the whole story. Goodrum took more walks and hit for more power in his second full season in EST and should start 2013 with the Twins new low-A affiliate Cedar Rapids Kernels. Niko has a strong arm and will hopefully be able to stay at short-stop as he continues to progress through the Twins farm system. Winner: Max Kepler. In his second season with the Elizabethon Twins Max Kepler really came into his own hitting .297/.387/.539. At only 19 Kepler continues to develop into what many believe will be MLB All-Star form. Kepler hit 10HR this season after mashing only 1 in his last 2 seasons combined and cut his strike outs by a third (54 in 2011, only 33 in 2012). He was named a post-season All-Star in the Appalachian League. Best Hitter (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Max Kepler is back in EST for a second year after coming off a 2011 where he hit .262/.347/.366. Look for Kepler to settle in early and build off his season ending six game hit streak in 2011. Kepler should continue to get stronger and should develop power as he progresses through the Twins system. Ooooooo! It looks like I got one correct! Finally. Kepler did exactly what I had called for this spring, and yes, I am gloating. Honorable mention to the GCL Twins' Aderlin Mejia (SS) who hit .324/.365/.402 and even garnered a late season call up to Ft Myers. Winner: Max Kepler. What do you think? Any arguments for other players form the minors? Weigh in with your comments below and make sure to check back later in the week to go over my picks for the Twins minor league pitching stars from the 2012 season.

This post originally appeared at http://puckettspond.com/2012/10/01/down-on-the-pond-twins-milb-awards-the-hitters/ The minor league seasons are all over. The prospects have played their final games (well, I guess officially the September call-ups still have 3 games left, but let's not get carried away) and the stats and progressions for 2012 are all in the books. Before the season began, several of the Twins bloggers, myself included, made some prognostications about who we thought would be the best MiLB players in the Twins system. You can see the predictions in full by going here (position players) or here (pitchers). Today I'll share my picks for the hitters and later in the week we'll take a look at the pitchers. My predictions are listed below with brief reasoning, followed by who I picked as the winner with a season full of stats and analysis to go on. The astute reader will notice my seemingly complete lack of ability to analyze MiLB players. I'm new to this, but I press on. http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpg Breakout Hitter (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Tsuyoshi Nishioka, while many think that Nishi will find his way back to Japan by the season's end, the demotion to AAA will give Nishi a chance to learn the American flavor of the game and get the instruction he needs to use the skills he acquired in Japan to become a productive hitter in MLB. Boy was I wrong on this one. Last week Nishi requested and was granted his release by the Twins. I fully expected Nishi to rebound in AAA, ultimate FAIL! I harbor no ill-will to the former Japanese All-Star and wish him fair winds and following seas as he embarks on his post MLB career. Winner: Oswaldo Arcia. Get used to that name, you'll be hearing it quite a bit in the next couple years, and at least once more in this post. Arcia started the year in high-A Fort Myers and after half a season that saw Oswaldo hitting .309/.376/.517 (BA/OBP/SLG) he was promoted to AA New Britain. Usually there is a natural regression when players are moved up a level, but not for Arcia he moved up and started hitting even better. In 69 games with the Rock Cats Oswaldo hit .328/.398/.557! The Twins have a glut of OF talent in their system, much of it at AA or above, so it's unclear exactly where Arcia will start in 2013, but AAA wouldn't be a bad idea. Last week the Twins named Arcia as their minor league player of the year. Congratulations Oswaldo Arcia on a magnificent 2012 Campaign! Best Hitter (Upper Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Brian Dozier was impressive last year splitting time between Ft Myers and New Britain. After an impressive spring I look to Dozier to continue to tear things up in Rochester. If there is any disarray with the Twins middle infield, Dozier will be the first guy up to fill the open slot. Another miss for me here. After spending 2011 in AA I expected Dozier to continue to play solid defense and hit will as he adjusted to AAA. The Twins called Dozier up to the bigs and his bat never really got going. In August he was sent back to AAA and was even worse. What will 2013 bring for Brian Dozier? Will he make improvements with his bat and hold off Pedro Florimon for the starting short stop job? Only time will tell. Winner: Chris Parmelee. After a hot September call-up in 2011 Parmelee started the season with the Twins as insurance on JustinMorneau, but was sent down after a miserable start. In 64 games with the AAA Rochester Red Wings Parmelee hit .338/.457/.645 (1.102 OPS). CP tore up AAA pitching and 35 XBH including 17HR in his half-season of work in AAA to go with 51 walks while only striking out 52 times. In short, he was a superstar. Breakout Hitter (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Levi Michael. Levi signed late and will be making his professional debut with the Miracle this season and as a fairly polished college player should perform well hitting for high average and working his way up through the Twins system, finishing the season in AA after a successful campaign with the Miracle. Another miss for the BaseballPirate. Levi struggled early in the season for Ft Myers and finished the year with a slash line of .246/.339/.311 thanks in large part to his second half numbers (.272/.368/.328). While Michael did not break out in his first year of professional baseball, he did settle in late in the season and had a .969 fielding% splitting time between second base and short stop. Winner: Josmil Pinto. The right-handed catcher really came into his own in 2012 posting his best numbers since 2009 when he was playing with the Elizabethon Twins in extended spring training. On the season Pinto hit .295/.362/.482 in 93 games with Ft Myers and earned himself a late season call up to New Britain and was named both a mid-season and post-season All-Star in the Florida State League. I'd like to throw in an honorable mention to Beloit first basemen Kenny Vargas who hit .318/.419/.610 in limited action this season (41 games). Best Hitter (Lower Levels) Pre-Season Pick: Miguel Sano or Eddie Rosario. Both are moving up to Beloit this season and it's a coin flip as to which will be the best hitter for the Snappers this season as both are coming off of monster seasons in Elizabethon. I look for Sano to continue to develop his power tool although he may have a slow start playing in colder weather of the Midwest League. You could probably still make a case for Rosario who had a great year in low-A Beloit (.284/.345/.490), but Sano was a little less impressive than I was hoping going into the season. He still had a great season, but his approach at the plate still needs some work as he appears to be trying to hit the ball out of the park every time at the plate. 2012 was by no means a "lost season" for Sano, but I think I was over estimating the development rate of the young third basemen. Winner: Oswaldo Arcia. See his accolades above. Hard to argue against Arcia Breakout Hitter (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Niko Goodrum. Nko will repeat EST for a second season, but if he can build off of late season success from 2011 Niko's a name that Twins fans will be talking about as the season progresses. Goodrum is also a twitter fanatic, @nikogoodrumTC, and like Ben Revere he just looks like he's having fun out on the field. He's still pretty raw, but look for Goodrum to make big strides at the plate this year. Niko didn't have a bad season in 2012, but he didn't hit as well as he did in 2011, but looking at numbers alone in EST doesn't tell the whole story. Goodrum took more walks and hit for more power in his second full season in EST and should start 2013 with the Twins new low-A affiliate Cedar Rapids Kernels. Niko has a strong arm and will hopefully be able to stay at short-stop as he continues to progress through the Twins farm system. Winner: Max Kepler. In his second season with the Elizabethon Twins Max Kepler really came into his own hitting .297/.387/.539. At only 19 Kepler continues to develop into what many believe will be MLB All-Star form. Kepler hit 10HR this season after mashing only 1 in his last 2 seasons combined and cut his strike outs by a third (54 in 2011, only 33 in 2012). He was named a post-season All-Star in the Appalachian League. Best Hitter (Extended Spring Training) Pre-Season Pick: Max Kepler is back in EST for a second year after coming off a 2011 where he hit .262/.347/.366. Look for Kepler to settle in early and build off his season ending six game hit streak in 2011. Kepler should continue to get stronger and should develop power as he progresses through the Twins system. Ooooooo! It looks like I got one correct! Finally. Kepler did exactly what I had called for this spring, and yes, I am gloating. Honorable mention to the GCL Twins' Aderlin Mejia (SS) who hit .324/.365/.402 and even garnered a late season call up to Ft Myers. Winner: Max Kepler. What do you think? Any arguments for other players form the minors? Weigh in with your comments below and make sure to check back later in the week to go over my picks for the Twins minor league pitching stars from the 2012 season.