Tom Froemming

Here's my breakdown of the winners and losers, based on my very scientific formula, as well as some other fun stuff I recorded during the draft:

Looking for something to watch? Let’s take a look back at the 1999 Twins, revisit a creative live feature Fox Sports North rolled out a couple years ago and listen in on a great conversation a young baseball fan and collector has with Twins prospect Ben Rortvedt.Here are a few things I stumbled upon over at YouTube and enjoyed: "Twins '99": Minnesota Twins Magazine Show I started to follow the Twins closely back in 1999, so this video really speaks to me. The Twins were in the midst of a terrible stretch, and the ‘99 season wound up being another doozy, but they were starting to do a great job of marketing the team. There were no superstars on this club, even the guys we know well now were anonymous rookies to most Minnesota sports fans at that time. This was a couple years prior to the Get To Know ‘Em campaign, but you can see the beginnings of that philosophy of trying to put the players front and center in this video. The channel this is on, Classic Twins, boasts 169 videos. Hours upon hours of great Twins content, so dig in! Twins Live: Batting Practice This is one of the most creative things I think FSN has done the past few years. This is a live broadcast of the Twins taking pregame batting practice in September of 2018. If you’ve ever wondered what the players are up to during BP, or just would like to hear Justin Morneau talk about hitting for awhile, check this out. Later on in this video is a clip of Jason Castro talking about nutrition and how that’s changed over the years of his playing career to that point. I think that evolution has gone largely underappreciated. , which has more than 1,800 videos. Young Fan Interviews Ben Rortvedt Rortvedt was an honorable mention on Twins Daily’s 2020 Top Prospects list, but with Brusdar Graterol’s departure he would have slid into the No. 20 spot. In this video he talks with a young fan about his earliest baseball memories, day-to-day life in the minor leagues and more. The young man who runs this channel, Max’s Corner, has been publishing a ton of videos of late. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Kirby Puckett became a free agent after the 1992 season, and a Minnesota reunion wasn’t a foregone conclusion. So when his five-year, $30 million contract with the Twins was announced, Minnesota baseball fans had (yet another) reason to celebrate.Below is a half-hour segment from KSTP, hosted by Joe Schmidt, titled Keeping Kirby Puckett. The Puckett feature picks up at around the 50-second mark. Commercials were not edited out of this video, but that may be more of a feature than a flaw in this case. This YouTube channel, tcmedianow, has loads of old TV news segments like this. Included in the video are reactions from Kent Hrbek, Twins fans at Joe Senser’s and a nice look back at his career up to that point that includes all of his “greatest hits.” Sidenote: Looking back at this really hammers home how much consistency there's been with the sports media in the Twin Cities. Along with Schmidt, there’s also an appearance from Patrick Ruesse. Speaking of which, here’s wishing Sid Hartman a very happy 100th birthday. Wow. Anyway, I guess we’ll stick with the theme of “Keeping Kirby Puckett” because there are so many things as Twins fans we want to keep and hold dearly in regard to Kirby, but plenty others we’d rather not. Watching any coverage of Puckett now, with the benefit of hindsight, always results in a few cringes. The revelations regarding his conduct off the field, particularly his relationships and conduct toward women, were utterly shocking. That was all well-documented in George Dohrmann’s The Rise and Fall of Kirby Puckett for Sports Illustrated back in 2003. I don’t want to dive too deeply into that topic, maybe another time, but it’s interesting to note that in this video there’s both a mention of Kirby being voted the classiest player in all of baseball and an interview where he rejects the idea that he should be looked up to as a hero. It’s difficult for me to touch on Puckett without things getting a little heavy, but let’s finish with something to lighten up the mood. Here’s a fun video of some of his teammates and coaches questioning the authenticity of his Starting Lineup figure: MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Maybe the classic baseball show Home Run Derby was before its time. It pitted two sluggers head-to-head in an empty stadium and put big money (for the time) up for grabs. Here’s a look back at an episode that featured Harmon Killebrew and Willie Mays.These episodes were recorded at a minor league stadium in Los Angeles during December of 1959 and aired in 1960. Killebrew was just 23-years-old at the time of this taping, and was coming off his first full season with the Senators. Killer clubbed 42 home runs that season, which was tied for the most in the American League and third-most in all of baseball. I first encountered Home Run Derby show on ESPN Classic, but a YouTube channel named simply “Baseball” has preserved it for us to enjoy anytime we please. from that channel that features nearly every episode of the series. Not only does Harmon make several appearances, but so too do his Senator teammates (and future Twins) Bob Allison and Jim Lemon. Here's Killebrew vs. Mays on Home Run Derby: The action essentially equates to watching batting practice, but there is some great, intimate footage of these Hall of Fame players. We get to see them close up and hear them answer a few questions while they watch their opponent hit. The editing is also really enjoyable. Here’s an example: MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Bans on large gatherings, aimed to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus, have resulted in the Twins’ first road trip of the season being up in the air. MLB has a league-wide conference call scheduled for Friday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.The Twins were expecting to open their season Thursday, March 26 in Oakland. The City of Oakland and Alameda County announced today they would prohibit gatherings of 1,000 people or more through the end of March. The Twins’ second series of the season was scheduled to start Monday, March 30 in Seattle. Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced a similar ban on large group events through March. Both the Athletics and Mariners announced in press releases that they were working with the Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner on alternative plans for their games impacted by the bans. Greg Johns of MLB.com reported some alternatives being considered are playing those games at Seattle’s spring training complex in Arizona or keeping the games in Seattle, but playing them in an empty stadium. The Twins’ home opener is currently slated for Thursday, April 2. At this time (the evening of Wednesday, March 11) there have been no large group restrictions or any reports regarding the future of that game being up in the air, but it’s certainly a situation to monitor. The NBA suspended its season Wednesday evening after a player on the Utah Jazz preliminarily tested positive for COVID-19. The NCAA announced it plans on holding both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, among many other events, without fans in attendance. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I included a bit of video of Garry Jr. in this video, starting around the 3:20 mark.

Eddie Rosario went from looking like an All-Star to being below average as the 2019 season progressed. What happened? Well, there's no denying Eddie wasn't the same guy after returning from a left ankle sprain last year.Here's a look back at the ankle injury and some highlights that display how Rosario's athleticism and aggressiveness eluded him in the second half. If it's not a convenient time for you to watch that video, here are some of the big takeaways: ◆ Rosario's performance prior to going on the injured list and his numbers from his return forward are like night and day. Download attachment: Rosie19.png ◆ Defensively, his Outs Above Average dropped from +2 to -13 year over year and his jump vs. average went from +0.7 feet to -2.4 feet, per Baseball Savant. Both of those drops seem to be unusually large. ◆ Rosario's sprint speed went from being in the top 75.9% in 2018 to just the top 55.3% last year. Again, this feels like an abnormally large dip for one season under normal circumstances. ◆ Outside of anything related to the injury, the information below (via FanGraphs) suggests he's due to have better batted-ball luck in 2020. His BABIP has continued to decline despite his hard hit rate increasing every season Download attachment: RosieGraph.png Seth is currently down in Fort Myers (check out his latest report), and passed along this Rocco Baldelli quote from Friday regarding Rosario's health: "I think he's running in a more stable manner. I think he's more confident in the way he's moving around, cutting, accelerating. He'd have to answer if — there's 95 percent, there's 98 percent, and then there's no thought in his head at all. I can't answer that for him. We're happy with the way he's moving around and he's been motivated and I think he's moving well. Really, that's all I can really tell you about it, but that was a fairly significant injury that he was playing with last year. I can't say that at any point during the regular season last year that he was 100 percent running around out there. I think the offseason was good to him. He seems good out there now." This isn't the first time I've done a deep dive into these types of metrics for Rosario. Back in January of 2018, I wondered if Rosie was already losing a step, as the metrics were suggesting at the time. Here was my conclusion: So what do we make of all of this? Well, the pessimistic approach would be to conclude that Rosario’s athleticism is already eroding. But he’s still only 26-years-old, so I find that a little hard to believe. Is it possible that Rosario has played big parts of the past two seasons with undisclosed minor leg injuries that have sapped him of some of that speed? The only time Rosario has been on the DL was when he fractured his thumb in late 2016, but he’s surely played through a few scratches and strains. Sure enough, Rosario had a bounce-back 2018 season in terms of sprint speed and UZR/150. Now that Eddie's 28-years-old, however, it is more realistic to think his athleticism has peaked. It'd be unrealistic to expect him to be as dynamic as he was when he first emerged with the Twins, but I won't be surprised to see significant gains in his running and fielding metrics once again in 2020. Before we wrap up, I want to make sure to point out this is NOT my attempt to dunk on anyone who put out opinions or analysis that shed a negative light upon Rosario this winter. The plate discipline and on-base percentage concerns are both completely legit and far from new. I'm just trying to point out there should be some attempt to account for his health when trying to analyze especially his fielding, running and general second half performance. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Chacin didn't get an MLB deal, the ancient scrolls discovered during the founding of Fort Myers back in 1885 dictate that he shall be eligible. Thielbar would maybe be the best story, so I'll be pulling hard for him.

Or. Anybody who is not on the 40-man roster or has not played a major league game is eligible.

‘Tis time. The Minnesota Twins opened their spring training schedule, which means we must begin the search for a new Sire. Ryne Harper and Ryan LaMarre represented the crown admirably, both doing the unthinkable and cracking the Opening Day roster. Can a 2020 contender do the same? Hear ye, hear ye …Spring training stats don’t matter, right? WRONG. That was a test. Spring training performances definitely matter for some players. The main goal of the Sire of Fort Myers is to cast a spotlight on those players. We’re out to recognize the unheralded player who has the most impressive spring. So who’s eligible? 1. Anybody who’s not on the 40-man roster, regardless of prior MLB experience. 2. Anyone who hasn’t made their MLB debut. That’s it, pretty simple. The honor goes to the player who had the best spring, not the one most likely to break camp with the big club. It just so happens that the past two winners — Ryne Harper and Ryan LaMarre — did end up making the Opening Day roster. Here are the 10 players I view as the top contenders for this year’s crown. The Frontrunners Here are my favorites among the starters, relievers and position players. All three of these guys have time in the bigs, but are not on the 40-man roster. Starter: Jhoulys Chacin, 32, RHP This is the clear-cut favorite at the moment. The Twins signed Chacin, who has 255 MLB appearances under his belt, to a minor league deal on Feb. 1. Last season, Chacin went from Opening Day starter for the Brewers to released. Prior to that, however, Chacin pitched to a 3.89 ERA over 67 starts between 2017-18. He’ll be fighting for a spot either as the fifth starter or a longman out of the bullpen, so expect to see Chacin throw plenty of innings this spring. Reliever: Blaine Hardy, 32, LHP Hardy’s also a familiar name, as he’s pitched 233 games for Detroit over the past six seasons. Hardy endured elbow pain much of last season, and pitched to a 4.47 ERA in 44 1/3 innings. In 2018, however, Hardy posted a 3.56 ERA in 86 innings pitched. The Twins signed Hardy to a minors deal on Nov. 26. He’s by far the organization’s most experienced left-handed relief arm, aside from Taylor Rogers. Position Player: Tomas Telis, 28, C This may seem like an underdog pick, but I anticipate Telis getting plenty of work. This stocky, switch-hitting catcher has 122 MLB games to his credit, though he spent all of last season with Triple-A Rochester. Telis hit .330/.364/.490 (.854 OPS) for the Red Wings while striking out just 33 times in 327 plate appearances. He has a familiarity with the organization, just like Ryne Harper did a year ago. He has a contact-focused approach, just like Ryan LaMarre did two years ago. Can he follow in their footsteps? The Relievers Starting pitchers don’t eat up many innings in spring, so bullpen guys get a ton of opportunity to shine. Aside from Hardy, here are three more names to know. This trio also has some nice looking splits during their time in the big leagues. Cory Gearrin, 33, RHP 3.64 ERA in 336 MLB games (mostly with San Francisco) vs. RHB .232/.315/.332 (.647 OPS) in 826 PAs Danny Coulombe, 30, LHP 4.27 ERA in 153 MLB games (mostly with Oakland) vs. LHB: .237/.304/.327 (.631 OPS) in 287 PAs Ryan Garton, 30, RHP 4.90 ERA in 59 MLB games (mostly with Tampa Bay) vs. RHB: .241/.275/.407 (.682 OPS) in 173 PAs Cody Pirkl also recently wrote about Juan Minaya, another bullpen arm to watch. Here is a video that shows some highlights of Chacin, Hardy, Telis, Gearrin and Coulombe: The Prospects Here are some prospects in the system I could see getting plenty of looks this spring. Travis Blankenhorn, 23, 2B/3B/LF Blankenhorn made it to Double A for the first time last season and hit .298/.337/.521 (.857 OPS) in his first 70 games with the Blue Wahoos. He was primarily a second baseman, but has started to play more left field. That flexibility may afford him some more opportunities this spring. Nick Gordon, 24, SS/2B Gordon’s prospect stock has slipped, but he’s coming off a season in which he hit .298/.342/.459 (.801 OPS) in Triple A. The Twins have incentive to give him lots of looks this spring. They’ll likely need to make a call on Gordon one way or the other before too long. Brent Rooker, 25, LF/1B Unlike Blankenhorn and Gordon, Rooker isn’t on the 40-man roster yet. That didn’t stop the team from giving him an invite to big league camp. He hit .281/.398/.535 (.933 OPS) for Rochester last season. Rooker was hit by a pitch in the helmet and had to leave the opener against the Gophers, but passed the concussion protocols and is expected to be OK. Zander Wiel, 27, 1B/LF Another non-roster invitee, Wiel hit .254/.320/.514 (.834 OPS) with 24 home runs and 40 doubles for Rochester last season. He’s been a lefty killer down on the farm, posting an OPS of .922, .825 and .827 against southpaws the past three seasons. There are some other big-time prospects in camp with the Twins, but I chose not to include them due to expected lack of opportunities. Guys like Royce Lewis and Jhoan Duran will get some looks early, which will be awesome, but I don’t think it’s likely they’ll have the opportunity to build a beefy enough resume to garner consideration for the scepter and cape. This is far from a comprehensive list, and it’s worth noting that Harper didn’t crack my initial top 10 last year. I think Chacin is the obvious favorite, but you never know how things might turn out. Last year’s obvious frontrunner was Lucas Duda. He ended up being released so he could pursue opportunities elsewhere and made the Royals’ Opening Day roster. Who’s your favorite to be crowned 2020 Sire of Fort Myers? MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Thank you for the kind words, we appreciate it.

Brusdar Graterol is a Dodger, of course, but we passed the point of no return in terms of adjusting our list. Instead of our usual breakdown of what’s to like, what’s left to work on and what’s next, I thought it would be more interesting to have a conversation about ranking prospects in general.Position: RHP Age: 21 (DOB 8/26/1998) 2019 Stats (AA/MLB/AAA/A-): 70.2 IP, 2.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 25.7 K%, 9.1 BB% ETA: Debuted in 2019 2019 Ranking: 3 National Top 100 Rankings BA: 60 | MLB: 83 | ATH: 49 | BP: 32 I was very slow to come around on Graterol as a top prospect. Two years ago, I had him 17th on my list, eight spots lower than anyone else at Twins Daily. Seth called that out in the comments, I responded by saying “I try not to rank relief pitchers inside my top 10.” So here’s where I take my victory lap, right? Nope. Brusdar Graterol can be a starter. Well, as long as the organization who controls him has enough patience to see that path through. The triple-digit fastball obviously is the headliner, but Graterol’s slider is also a true plus pitch and his changeup shows enough potential. One of the things I find most amusing about prospect rankings is what I like to call the Proximity Penalty. Generally, the closer a guy is to the big leagues, the more pessimistic his overall outlook becomes. It’s easier to dream on an 18-year-old in rookie ball than a guy who’s moved up a bit and has been exposed to advanced hitters. Graterol is only 21-years-old, eight months younger than Matt Canterino, the Twins’ top pitching selection in last year’s draft. He’s also younger than Dustin May, the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, Jhoan Duran and he’s about the same age as Jordan Balazovic. Painting Brusdar into a corner seems extremely shortsighted at this point. He has time to develop pitches, adjust his mechanics and stretch out his arm. He just needs to be afforded that time. Prior to being shut down in late May, Graterol pitched to a 1.89 ERA and held opponents to a .188/.282/.279 (.561 OPS) batting line in 47 2/3 innings as a 20-year-old starting pitcher in Double A. That’s not a failed starter. Well, at least in terms of performance. The gorilla in the room is, of course, his health. Graterol has a lengthy injury history, but it seems strange to me a guy as young as him could be written off as not being able to shoulder (literally) a starter’s workload. We’re not sure exactly what Boston saw on the medicals that scared them off, but I’m confident of this: If Graterol had a significant injury, the Twins would have completely shut him down last season. I find it hard to believe they’d risk further injury by having him pitch a bunch of low-leverage innings out of the bullpen at the end of the year. There’s also the fact that he was sitting triple-digits at Yankee Stadium in early October. Seemed fine to me. Graterol was going to be in the bullpen for the Twins, and I’d assume that’s also where he’ll be with the Dodgers. But what if Los Angeles flips him to a non-contender willing take the time to develop him as a starter? Does he magically become a better prospect? I don’t know, maybe I was right back in 2018. In my writeup, I went out of my way to point out that a lot of people believe in the mantra “there’s no such thing as a pitching prospect” and called Graterol one of the highest ceiling/lowest floor prospects in all of baseball. I also said he definitely has true ace potential, and still believe that (pending medicals). Twins Daily 2020 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions 20. Jose Miranda, 3B/2B 19. Cole Sands, RHP 18. Travis Blankenhorn, 2B/LF 17. Misael Urbina, OF 16. Edwar Colina, RP 15. Matt Canterino, RHP 14. Matt Wallner, OF 13. Wander Javier, SS 12. Gilberto Celestino, OF 11. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 10. Blayne Enlow, RHP 9. Brent Rooker, OF 8. Keoni Cavaco, SS 7. Ryan Jeffers, C 6. Jhoan Duran, RHP 5. Jordan Balazovic, RHP 4. Brusdar Graterol, RHP Check back Monday for #3! Graterol may be gone, but you can learn more about 170 Twins minor leaguers in the 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. ORDER NOW: 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $14.99) ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $9.99) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

As we embark on our Minnesota Twins 2020 prospect list, it’s important to keep in mind this is a deep system. There’s not a huge gap between the 16th prospect and the 36th. Sorting everyone out is difficult, but that’s why we combined the opinions of four Twins Daily writers. Let’s get into it ...Find more on these five Minnesota Twins prospects and much more in the 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It’s available in paperback and as an ebook. 20. Jose Miranda, 3B/2B Age: 21 (DOB 6/29/1998) 2019 Stats (A+/AA): 483 PA, .252/.302/.369 (.671 OPS), 8 HR, 11.2 K%, 5.0 BB% 2019 Ranking: 20 We start this year’s list the exact same way we did in 2019. Miranda’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but keep in mind he still slugged better than the Florida State League average (.353) and was young for the level. He faced pitchers who were older than him in over 96 percent of his plate appearances last season. Miranda reached Pensacola to end the year. He played one regular season game, then hit .368/.429/.526 (.955) over five postseason games for the Blue Wahoos. That continued a trend, as Miranda has hit .350/.429/.583 (1.012 OPS) in 16 career playoff games. Once again, Miranda posted an insanely low strikeout rate. His 11.2 K% ranked 23rd among the 686 minor leaguers to log 400 plate appearances last season (inside the top four percent). He also mashed lefties, hitting .303/.330/.506 (.835 OPS), and continued to work on his defensive versatility. Sometimes the biggest thing that needs to happen for a player’s power to emerge is simply to get the heck out of Fort Myers. The guy at No. 18 on this list is a great example of just that ... 19. Cole Sands, RHP Age: 22 (DOB 7/17/1997) 2019 Stats (A/A+/AA): 97 1/3 IP, 2.68 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 28.2 K%, 5.0 BB% 2019 Ranking: NR The Twins drafted Sands in 2018, but he didn’t make his professional debut until this past season. He opened the year with Cedar Rapids and immediately outmatched Midwest League hitters. Sands made eight starts for the Kernels, nine for Fort Myers, then closed out the season by making his Double-A debut in the second leg of a doubleheader for Pensacola. I’d say that’s quite a busy first year on the job. Among the 667 minor league pitchers to log at least 80 innings in 2019, Sands’ 2.45 FIP ranked eighth. He did an incredible job of racking up strikeouts while limiting his walks, posting a K:BB ratio of 5.68. Another positive development was that Sands increased his workload from 75 1/3 innings at Florida State in 2018 to 97 1/3 innings this past season. 18. Travis Blankenhorn, 2B/LF Age: 23 (DOB 8/3/1996) 2019 Stats (A+/AA): 471 PA, .277/.321/.466 (.787 OPS), 19 HR, 22.3 K%, 5.7BB% 2019 Ranking: NR Blankenhorn slipped off our list and onto the honorable mentions last year, but was No. 17 on the Twins Daily 2018 list and No. 9 on the 2017 list. He opened 2019 back in Fort Myers, but was headed up the coast after just 15 games with the Miracle. Despite facing tougher pitchers, the move to Pensacola did wonders for Blankenhorn’s power production. After hitting 12 home runs in 139 total games for the Miracle, Blankenhorn needed just 49 games to reach a dozen bombas for the Blue Wahoos. He hit .298/.337/.521 (.857 OPS) in his first 70 Double-A games, but suffered an injury in mid-July and slumped upon his return. Blankenhorn also continued to display his athleticism in 2019. He spent most of his time at second base (70 starts), but played more outfield than he had in previous seasons, and had three outfield assists in just 24 starts in left field. He was also a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts. The Twins added Blankenhorn to the 40-man roster this offseason, so expect him to get plenty of looks during spring training. 17. Misael Urbina, OF Age: 17 (DOB 4/26/2002) 2019 Stats (FRk): 217 PA, .279/.382/.443 (.825 OPS), 2 HR, 6.5 K%, 10.6 BB% 2019 Ranking: NR This guy has a chance to be the Twins’ No. 1 prospect a few years from now. Urbina’s speed and overall athleticism were hyped when the Twins signed him to a $2.75 million bonus, but the Venezuelan dynamo also proved he can control his plate appearances in. Urbina’s 6.5 K% was the fourth lowest among the 343 hitters who logged at least 170 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League. He paired that with a strong 10.6 BB%. He also slugged nearly 100 points better than the DSL average and stole 19 bases in 50 games, oh, by the way. DSL stats aren’t particularly sticky. Taking a look back at prior years you’ll find quite a few guys who shine and then fizzle once they reach full-season ball. Still, Urbina’s tools, pedigree and now performance makes for a tantalizing player to pin dreams on. 16. Edwar Colina, RHP Age: 22 (DOB 5/3/1997) 2019 Stats (A+/AA/AAA): 97 1/3 IP, 2.96 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 25.4 K%, 8.0 BB% 2019 Ranking: NR Colina’s talent was on full display throughout July, where gave up just two earned runs in 31 2/3 innings (0.57 ERA) and struck out 36 batters. He was named Twins Daily’s Minor League Pitcher of the Month for that performance. Colina made 10 starts for Fort Myers and four more for Pensacola. In those outings, he pitched to a 2.29 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and struck out 89 batters in 82 2/3 innings. His overall numbers were dragged down a bit by five relief outings that didn’t go nearly as well. The product of Venezuela has always had a knack for keeping the ball in the yard, and tied Cole Sands for the lowest HR/9 in the system (minimum 90 innings). Both of them surrendered just four homers in 97 1/3 innings pitched. Over his entire minor league career, Colina has given up a grand total of just 16 home runs in 324 2/3 innings pitched. Twins Daily 2020 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions Stop by tomorrow for prospects 11-15 MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Here's some video of Duran:

I'VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY ABOUT BASEBALL IN JANUARY AND CAN'T STOP YELLLLLLLIIIIIIINNNNG WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jeff Passan of ESPN has reported this evening that the Minnesota Twins and Miguel Sano are in agreement on a three-year contract extension that includes a club option for 2023. As things stood, Sano was set to reach free agency after the end of the 2021 season.Here's the full Tweet from Passan, who broke the news: UPDATE: This Seth guy seems to know what he's talking about! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article