MN_ExPat

Love it squirrel, super jealous though.  Pictures and videos are really great (I'm pretty sure that the unknown photo player with the red arm sleeve is Brooks Lee).

Thanks so much for this, Squirrel! Fun.
Brings me back a bit to when my sister lived in Lakeland, FL, and we would visit in March for spring break. I’m a Twins fan, of course, but I love watching all sorts of baseball.
Tigertown, with the Red Sox nearby in Winter Haven were our main spots to visit then (1980s & 1990s). Lakeland is stuck in the hot and humid middle of the state. Quite a ride from the Twins in Ft, Meyers, as Aaron G. and John B. complain about on their podcasts.
Now my sister lives in Stuart, FL, in the vicinity (less than a one hour drive) mostly of NL teams like the Cardinals and Marlins in Jupiter, the Mets in Port St. Lucie, and both the Nationals and Astros in West Palm Beach..
Three years ago it was a thrill for me to watch Don Mattingly as manager of a (woeful) Marlins crew in their opening spring training game against a powerful Cardinals team. I’ve long admired Donnie Baseball, despite him playing for the hated Yankees.

Good move to name that one field for Tom Kelly.  It was a highlight of my visits to watch him hold court at first base, especially teaching the fine points of the position to players not ready to learn them. 

Oh my gosh..your killing me!  So much fun there.  Always something going on.  Thanks for sharing.  My countdown is at T-11.  Best time of the year.

That's so awesome! Hope things went well and you were both able to enjoy it a bit!

I remember my first start and at bat at the University of Houston, it felt I was having a cardiac episode in the batters box.

Ole Miss is a pretty good team in a really tough conference. Even though they came up a little short, that really speaks to the talent they do have and their resilience. Gophers should definitely not hang their heads after that one. 

Thanks again Alex.  Love to hear about your former teammate's little brother.  Stories like that are just some of the things that make the college game so great.
On a more personal note (shameless plug 🤷‍♂️)... my son just told me he will probably make his first appearance of the season (and probably even more exciting to me) his first collegiate appearance this week.  Needless to say, I'm probably more nervous than he is.

Ole Miss is a pretty good team in a really tough conference. Even though they came up a little short, that really speaks to the talent they do have and their resilience. Gophers should definitely not hang their heads after that one. 

Gophers played a great game against #4 Ole Miss. In the beginning I thought that Ole Miss was going to run away with it, only for MN came back & tied it. Gopher's OFers made 3 great throw at home beating the runner 1st & 3rd were outs, the 2nd the catcher couldn't hold on. Gophers took the lead but Ole Miss came back & led 9-5 in the 9th. Gophers came back but lost 9-7. 
Proud of my Gophers valiant effort!

Thanks Alex (good name BTW... my brother and a fellow UM alum with you is also named Alex ).  I really love the college game, possibly even more than MLB, and it is really very cool to hear from a player such as yourself about the game. 
Living down south, the season starts waay earlier, as you know, and the SEC is larger than life... so it's really easy to forget that some really good baseball players hail from the land of the frozen tundra.  Getting my son to spill details about how his Freshman season is going is often like pulling teeth, so again, TYVM... I really love to read and follow story lines like this.
Looking forward to more as time permits, Godspeed and God Bless.

I’m thrilled Gopher baseball is going to get coverage on this website

John Anderson is dear to me, U of MN is blessed to have such a coach who also builds character in his players. Thanks Alex for this appropriate article. I still have my '10 Big 10 Conference Champion cap. Go Gophers!

This is really all that needs to be said.

I thought he played well enough to least get a shot at a debut. This year might be more difficult. He should be good enough to play MLB somewhere. I believe he should get more attention this year at AAA.

I was surprises and disappointed he wasn't brought up around August of last year when injuries decimated the team. There were days when the starting OF was Cave, Gordon, and Contreras. And that was even against a LHSP! They even ran Beckham out to the OF a few times.
Still no clue why Helman wasn't brought up. He may be a little long on the tooth for a top prospect, not have any single, dominating skill, but he was having probably his finest year and just sat in AAA while the OF was a mismatched MASH unit. 
Wouldn't surprise me a bit if he turns out to be the Twins 28th-30th man on the roster at some point in 2023.

Helman has been very interesting... 11th round pick in 2018. Played well that summer, but then really, really struggled in High-A in 2019 and then hurt his wrist which ended his season early. Then came the missed season. Then he started out the 2021 season in CR playing about half the time, and all over. Well, that ended up being a great thing because he can be a solid to above-average player defensively at at least six positions (and he could probably catch in an emergency). 
But he also got to work with Bryce Berg and started swinging different. He still uses the whole field, but he's also not afraid to take a big hack and has seen his power numbers increase, home runs and doubles. 
It was good to see him get the spring training invite because I do think he can be a guy they call up if they want or need a utility player. 

If you really want to know about Helman you will have to hope Seth responds.
The main issue I see is Helman doesn't have any plus tools not one.  His best tools are average at best per MLB.com . Still he is an over achiever and if he ups his power and finds a way to OPS in the high 800's to 900's he will get his chance.  If not with the Twins then elsewhere.  He just needs to distinguish himself and the best way would be with the bat.  Also the Twins are loaded with talented infielders and with Correa and Polanco blocking 2nd and short and Miranda third for now there isn't a place for Helman to break in.
I think he is a good player and there is a reason he made the top 30 prospects but making it to the big leagues is hard.  He has a lot of competition.  Hopefully he continues to hit and hit with power and he will get this chance.

Thank you MN_Expat, for that inspiring article! Hope in the face of failure, maybe that's why I love baseball. Maybe the best way to promote baseball is to take a young fatherless boy under your wing & teach him how persevere in this life of failure. And teach him how to love & play baseball.
And how we salute players not only by their accomplishments in the game but also their courage & perseverance in life while pursuing their dream.

Great article! Agree 100% that baseball is a game of failure. No participation ribbons in this game. No matter who you are or even how "talented" you are as a child you can play the game. If you practice and work hard you might even be good at the game. Now days so many kids want the instant gratification of success. Baseball teaches a team attitude and patience, not what many kids today want.

I still like Martin a lot. Just leave him alone and let him hit for avg. and get on base. He has good speed and with a question of how the new rules will effect base running, I see a lot of upside. Think Arraez with speed!

Thanks Lalo... It's good to see rational positive counter points to both sides of a discussion rather than what sometimes appear to be strong emotional reactions.  While I can understand, and often appreciate where those come from, emotions do little to provide positive direction for a discourse on any topic.

True, although Sano was never suspended. Bauer certainly has a more public profile, which creates some enemies for him. 

Thanks Lalo... It's good to see rational positive counter points to both sides of a discussion rather than what sometimes appear to be strong emotional reactions.  While I can understand, and often appreciate where those come from, emotions do little to provide positive direction for a discourse on any topic.

This is true.  Bear in mind, I'm not campaigning for the Twins to rush out and sign him after he clears waivers.
If I was Twins King for a Day, would I at least kick the tires on the idea of bringing someone of his "talent" into the fold?  Maybe, maybe not.  The team would have to take A LOT of steps to make sure it would be a good decision first.  
The reasons being why it could be at least considered...
He was not charged with a crime or indicted in a court of law LA/California court system found no evidence to continue the alleged victim's request for a restraining order He has already served the longest suspension in league history Again, I'm not saying they should sign him, or even that it is a good idea from a PR standpoint.  But everyone deserves a second chance at some point.