Josh's Thoughts

Joe Mauer Sings in New Explore Minnesota TV Spot

2011-03-25T14:24:00.003-05:00

I received an e-mail about a new television ad for "Explore Minnesota" that features Twins catcher Joe Mauer singing. It's a fun advertisement, so make sure to check it out!

Dear Mr. Mauer,

On behalf of all Twins fans, please stick to baseball.

Josh

Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook - 2011

2011-02-04T02:05:00.003-06:00

Twins fans,

I'm pleased to announce that the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook - 2011 is now available to order. The book costs $14.95, but trust me, it's worth every penny and then some. Seth Stohs (Seth Speaks) asked me for a little help with the book and I jumped at the chance to help him. As many of you know, Seth has been a big help to me since I started writing and I'm happy to help him with anything I possibly can. As Seth has said, the meat and potatoes of the book is the prospect profiles of 150+ Twins minor league players, but the book also has a lot of other cool things that make the book whole:

An article on the Rochester Red Wings by Josh Whetzel, their radio and TV play-by-play guy since 2003.

An article on New Britain Stadium by Jeff Dooley, the team's Director of Broadcasting and their play-by-play guy on the radio.

An article on the Ft. Myers Miracle by their play-by-play broadcaster Alex Margulies.

An article on the Beloit Snappers by Jeff Vohs, the team's General Manager.

Q&A with Danny Valencia: Major Leaguer - an interview with Valencia after his rookie season came to an end.

Interviews with Minor League Player of the Year, Joe Benson, and Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Kyle Gibson.

Stories from the 2010 Draft - an article on the Twins draft and stories on five of the players that the Twins selected.

Nate Hanson: Minnesota's Own - Seth wrote an article on Chaska native (and former Gopher) Nate Hanson, who had a breakout 2010 season in Ft. Myers.

Winning vs. Development - an essay by Travis Aune (Travis Twins Talk).

In the Right Direction - I wrote an article on the progress made by Twins 1B/OF prospect Chris Parmelee.

Lists and Rankings - includes Top 10 lists from many of your favorite Twins minor league bloggers and other "experts." My top 30 prospects are included.

As you can see, this book is a must have for every Twins fan and minor league enthusiast. Seth has delivered non-stop Twins coverage - free of charge - since 2003 and buying this book would really go a long way in showing your support for not only Seth, but the rest of the Twins blogging community.

So what are you waiting for? Order a copy today!

An explanation

2011-01-20T18:53:00.003-06:00

I know it's been long overdue, but I think it's time for me to explain my absence from this site.

As many of you know, I'm in college. I started in 2006 and I'm still going at it. I went into college having no clue what I wanted to do with my life. Over the first three years, I switched my intended major four different times before finally deciding on journalism. Unfortunately, my indecisiveness (and my decision to transfer) ended up costing me a lot of time (and money). So in the Spring of 2010, I got to the point where I had enough of college and I just wanted to get out as quickly as possible (a decision many have told me they don't agree with). So in doing so, I started taking more and more credits. I took 18 last Spring and 19 this fall. Sadly, this made it too hard for me to write outside of class.

I still continued to watch a lot of baseball and I continued to pay close attention to the Minor Leagues, but after writing all day long at school, the last thing I wanted to do was to come home and write more. (If you're wondering, yes, I will probably delete this in the future so that my future employer never finds it. Haha!) I do apologize to anyone that actually does read this site, it was never my intention to be gone this long.

My initial "leave" came with the intent of starting up a new site. But I quickly found out that I knew very little about website design and it's created a lot of headaches over the past few months. I wish I could come here today to say that I'm close to a solution, but I can't. I thought I was "techie" enough to do it, but I quickly fell flat on my face and I'm still trying to pick myself off the pavement.

Over the past few months, I've been given the opportunity to write in Seth Stohs' "Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook - 2011" and the Minnesota Twins Annual 2011. Despite being M.I.A. in the blogging community, Seth and the rest of the Twins Centric crew both gave me the opportunity to write for them, which truly meant a lot to me. Both were great writing chances and I can't express how thankful I am enough.

Moving forward: I wish I knew what was going to happen with the website situation. I'm going to continue trying to find help, but at some point, I might just decide that I've had enough and resort to coming "back" here. Either way, I know I will be happy with my decision.

I know many people might not care, but I felt that it's better late than never to write an explanation. I hope to be writing more in the near future, but in the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter : @JoshsThoughts.

And as always, please feel free to e-mail me at jajohnson021@yahoo.com.

Guest Post: PokerJunkie.com

2011-01-20T07:51:00.002-06:00

The following is a guest post. The views expressed in the article are those of the author.

As most of you already know, earlier this month Bert Blyleven was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Roberto "I spit in your general direction" Alomar. For those of you younger Twins fans that are unaware of his accomplishments, Blyleven was an all-time great picture who spent 11 of his 22 years in the big leagues with the Twins. He finished with 287 wins, 3701 career strikeouts, and a career 3.31 ERA. He also had 242 completed games for his career. Clearly, Blyleven will go into the Hall of Fame wearing a Twins cap since it is obvious that he made his biggest contribution with the Twins. However, this brings me to the matter of whether the Hall of Fame should decide which cap a player should wear into Cooperstown.

The current policy of the Hall of Fame is to put the team cap on the player statue from the team that they are identified to have made their "most indelible mark" on the game. In the past, the hall has deferred to the player in choosing the cap, but that changed in 2001 after there were reports that some players were taking bribes to wear a particular cap.

Some of you may think that this policy would not have that big of an impact on players going into the hall. However, let's take a look at a few key examples. For those of you that remember Andre Dawson, what team do you identify him with? The Cubs right? Well, Andre must go into the hall wearing an Expos hat due to having spent most of his career there. When you think of Wade Boggs, you usually think of him as either a Red Sox player, or a Yankee. Boggs had requested to be enshrined as a Yankee since that is where he had his success. However, the hall decided to put him as a Red Sox. Gary Carter fans would expect no less than for him to be enshrined as a N.Y. Met. However, he went in as an Montreal Expo. (That would be the Washington Nationals for you younger fans.)

Luckily, we won't have that problem with Blyleven due to the two stints he had with the Twins, but imagine if he had been with another team for a reasonable amount of time and the Hall of Fame denied his request to be a Twin. I personally think that it is shameful that the hall does not defer to the players in this matter. If there is proof that the player is being bribed, that is one thing. However, in most cases the players are requesting to be enshrined with the team that they either had their best years with or the team that they consider "their team."

I have a lot of respect for the job that the Hall of Fame does. Unlike some sports, our Hall of Fame truly enshrines the great players throughout history, and not players that online poker sites rated as great. Deferring to the players to make a decision on their hat is a small concession that I feel that they should make, especially if you consider the fans. Andre Dawson will always be a Cub, Gary Carter a Met, and Bert Blyleven a Twin. In the end, the impact that a player makes with the fans is just as important as the impact made on the field, and that should in some part can be recognized by letting the players choose what hat they wear into Cooperstown.

This article is provided by PokerJunkie.com

Might as well have been for bottle Capps

2010-07-30T02:05:00.009-05:00

The Minnesota Twins made a surprising move last night when they traded away blue chip catching prospect Wilson Ramos and left-handed reliever Joe Testa to the Washington Nationals for closer Matt Capps and $500,000 in cash.

Ramos, who ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Twins system before the season, has been less than impressive in his first season of Triple-A. Testa was ranked as the No. 49 prospect heading into the season and is back in Single-A Fort Myers after struggling in Double-A New Britain. His inclusion into the trade doesn't bother me. He is a 24-year-old with control problems who is still three stops away from the Major Leagues. Capps, on the other hand, turned a bad situation into a good one when he was released by the Pirates last winter. He signed with the Nationals and was selected to this month's All-Star game (thanks in large part to the every team must have a representative rule).

Heading into the season, Ramos was considered a can't-miss prospect who was coming off of a Venezuelan Winter League where he hit .332/.397/.582 with 12 home runs in 54 games. He was one of the last cuts Ron Gardenhire made in Spring Training, and after hitting .400/.400/.733 with two home runs over 30 at-bats, it seemed Ramos' time in Triple-A may be short-lived.

He was summoned from the minor leagues in early May and spent a week with the club, while Joe Mauer nursed a bruised heel. Ramos came out swinging and went 6-9 with three doubles in his first two games before finishing up his time in Minnesota going 1-18. From that point on, nagging injuries, attitude problems and a .241/.280/.345 slash line proved to be enough for the Twins to rid themselves of one of their best prospects.

This is what I wrote about Ramos at the beginning of the season:

Wilson Ramos was signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 7, 2004. He didn't make it to the states until 2006, but he certainly has made his presence felt since. Admittedly, I flirted with ranking Ramos as the top overall prospect.

In 2006, Ramos began the season in Extended Spring Training before joining the Gulf Coast League. With the Twins, Ramos hit .286/.339/.435 with 16 extra-base hits in 154 at-bats. In 2007, Ramos again found himself in Extended Spring Training but he eventually joined the Beloit Snappers in June with the struggles of Greg Yersich. He went on to hit .291/.345/.438 with 26 extra-base hits in 292 at-bats. After the season, Ramos ranked in as my 13th best prospect in the Twins system. In 2008, Ramos moved up to the Florida State League where he hit .288/.346/.434 with 38 extra-base hits with the Ft. Myers Miracle. In 2009, Ramos continued to move through the system, this time playing for the New Britain Rock Cats in the Eastern League. He broke his finger in May and after returning in June, he missed two months with a pulled hamstring. All together, Ramos hit .317/.339/.496 with 25 extra-base hits including seven home runs in 224 at-bats. After finding himself healthy, Ramos hit .332/.397/.582 and drove in 49 runs in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Ramos' offensive prowess is mostly what he is known for, but Ramos is also a stout defender behind the plate. Pitchers like the way he calls the game and his strong arm makes it hard for base runners to steal on him. But two things stand in the way for Ramos are his history of injuries and a guy by the name of Joe Mauer. Ramos has the potential to be one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, but THE best is already on the roster, so it doesn't seem likely that he'll play an extensive role with the Twins (at least not as a catcher). The Twins could consider using using him at DH, but that seems like it'd really be diminishing his value. Ramos needs to prove in 2010 that he can stay on the field, which may be all that is separating him from being the top prospect.

Despite being blocked by Mauer at catcher, Ramos' value was not diminished. Many believed that with Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer's time in Minnesota possibly coming to an end after 2011, Ramos could have been saved to be not only Mauer's back-up, but an everyday DH.

Ramos' offensive potential, defensive prowess and position made him a valuable trading chip; one that Twins fans were really banking on to bring back a hefty return. Before the season, Twins fans moaned and groaned over the thought of the Twins trading Ramos to San Diego for Heath Bell. That's not to take away from Bell's or even Capps' ability, it's just that trading a top prospect for a reliever is a half-baked idea.

If we're talking about Joakim Soria, Jonathan Papelbon, Jonathan Broxton or Andrew Bailey, sure. But we're not. We're talking about a guy that posted a 5.80 ERA and was then cut by the second-to-worst-place-team Pittsburgh Pirates last winter. And the same guy who is will command a hefty price in arbitration this off-season.

Like Aaron Gleeman wrote, the Twins believe they're getting an "All-Star closer" when in-reality, they're just getting someone who isn't significantly better than what they already have.

While I do have a hard time supporting this trade, I do get what the supporters are saying.

Rauch has been questionable as of late and is very inconsistent. If the Twins want to make a run into the post season, they need to make sure their bullpen is lights out. While this trade doesn't give us that, it does make the bullpen (as a whole) a helluva lot better than it was before.

While we all cringe at Ramos being the traded player, Capps could provide us with a lot of value in 2011. With Nathan coming back from Tommy John surgery, there's no telling if or when he'll be able to be relied upon to close out ballgames. He could have a setback or he may never be right again. For that, the Twins prepared themselves by acquiring a guy they obviously feel comfortable going into next season as their closer if needed.

To recap, here are the pro's that I've found for the trade:

The Twins added to their bullpen depth by acquiring a good, capable reliever. Albeit, he's not a shutdown closer like we need.
They also prepared themselves for any complications they may have with Joe Nathan as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

For the con's, I have to put you in the direction of John Bonnes' post entitled "8 Things I HATE About the Capps-Ramos Trade." John touches on eight different things that I believe all could give Twins fans a reason to feel discouraged.

So what now?

I originally had a post ready (can you believe it) that was going to give my thoughts on the next few days. Basically, I felt that the Twins were probably a lot more likely to go after a reliever now, and wait for a starting pitcher until August, when guys like Ted Lilly, Tom Gorzelany and Brett Meyers (among others), will undoubtedly be passed through waivers. That is of course if the Twins still need a starting pitcher.

At this point, I think the Twins will still try to acquire a starting pitcher, but I don't believe they'll actually act on anything until August (if at all).

I will share one snippet from the post, which now I find to be both amusing and completely sad:

If the Twins are serious about going after Scott Downs or any other reliever, they'd be fools to overspend and use someone like Ben Revere, Angel Morales or Wilson Ramos as bait. Trading a top flight prospect for a reliever, who isn't a shutdown closer, is more of a cardinal sin than walking a pitcher is. You just don't do it.

Meh. What do I know?

My final thoughts: Is taking a baby step back from the ledge still considered "talking somebody off of it?"

Help wanted, help needed

2010-06-29T00:33:00.001-05:00

Put so elegantly by Aaron Gleeman, the Minnesota Twins have slumped away their lead in the A.L. Central and now, for the first time since April 5th, are not in first place. Poor offense and horrendous pitching is a baseball team's worst nightmare, and the Twins have had both. Other than a couple players, the Twins have been horrendous in a month they usually "get going."

The rumor mills have been churning and the Twins have found themselves caught up in the middle of a lot of them. Thanks to a new revenue and high expectations, the Twins have put themselves in position to be "buyers" at this July's trade deadline. But unlike in other years, the Twins have the opportunity to add a legitimate difference maker (which isn't to say the players we've added in past years didn't make a difference).

There have been three names that don't seem to be going away: Cliff Lee, Dan Haren and Roy Oswalt.

All three of these guys have something in common; they are all pitchers. And not only are they pitchers, they're great pitchers. Why not look for offense? Because good hitters are hard to come by this year, especially if you're comparing them to the quality of pitchers that are believed to be available. Or least that's the way I see it, feel free to disagree.

So looking at those pitchers, who should the Twins go after? If it were up to me, my choice is probably the most unlikely. Being a big fan of player development, I don't like the thought of acquiring a "rental" player. If the Twins don't believe they can re-sign the player they require, I don't want to see them give up a lot to acquire them. That philosophy has been the Twins M.O. for years, and it's one I completely agree with.

So do I believe Lee is the best fit? Well pitching-wise, yes. He's had success in the American League Central and fits the Twins model of pitchers who have great control.

But unlike Oswalt and Haren, Lee is a free agent at the end of the season, which means he'd likely be acquired as a "rental." Could the Twins re-sign him? Maybe, but I think that's highly doubtful with the New York Yankees already salivating about the thought of acquiring him.

How about Oswalt? He has two years remaining on his contract and he also has a history of success. But while his contract would ensure that he's here for more than three months, the salary he's receiving is probably a bit much for the Twins to absorb, especially if they're trading multiple highly-touted prospects to acquire him.

So that leaves Haren. While he's struggled this season, there's no doubt that he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Since joining the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008, Haren is 37-24 with a 3.51 ERA and 8.7 K/9, which includes his 4.65 ERA.

So what makes Haren so desirable? That he's under team control through 2012, with an option for 2013. And the salary? He's making $8.25 million in 2010, he'll make $12.75 in 2011 and 2012 with a $15.5 million club option in 2013. A very manageable price for a very good pitcher.

But all of this really means nothing unless you compare the packages that it'd take to acquire each player. The Twins most valuable trading chip is Wilson Ramos, a highly-touted catcher who is blocked by Joe Mauer. But while Ramos is expendable, trading him for Lee should be out of the question. Ramos' potential is too good to trade him for three months of Lee, unless you can guarantee two things: a clause which states, "If the Twins do not win the World Series, we will return Wilson Ramos to them," or a window of opportunity to work out a contract extension. Unfortunately, neither will happen. The most I trade for Lee is Nick Blackburn, Ben Revere and Anthony Slama. I'd assume another team could top that, but I do think the Mariners would accept that if they're that serious about moving him.

The Astros already have a young catcher named Jason Castro, who they selected in the first round of the 2008 draft, so Ramos probably wouldn't entice them as a centerpiece. They would probably ask for a package of young pitchers and outfielders, which the Twins definitely have. Other than Kyle Gibson, who is likely "untouchable," David Bromberg is the Twins best pitching prospect. And other than Aaron Hicks, who is also probably "untouchable," (at least in this case) the Twins have Angel Morales, Joe Benson and Revere as young outfielders.

And then there's the Diamondbacks. The hard thing about trading with Arizona is that for the most part, they have a very young team, with most of their positions "filled" for the next few years. So why would they want to trade Haren? Because for one reason or another, they're trying to free up cap space, and Haren's their highest paid player. Would Ramos entice them as a centerpiece? With Miguel Montero on the team, you wouldn't think so, but Montero is set to begin arbitration this winter, so they may look to move him to a club with catching needs. But Ramos, of course, would only be a starting piece. On top of him, I'm sure one of the three outfielders I previously mentioned would need to be included, as would a young pitcher.

So what would my offer be? Well...

Wilson Ramos
David Bromberg
Angel Morales
Anthony Slama

for

Dan Haren

There has been a lot of talk that some of these teams could target Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker or Nick Blackburn in a trade, but since I think the Diamondbacks are serious about saving money, I didn't include any of them in this offer. The only starter that they'd probably be interested in is Slowey, which (for me) would immediately eliminate both Bromberg and Morales from the offer.

Mentioning Slowey in trade talks amongst Twins fans is a form of sacrilege, but I have no problem saying that I'd trade him in a heartbeat, if it makes sense. However, I think the Twins would be better-off keeping all of their starting pitchers.

What are your thoughts? Should we focus on pitching? Who would you target? How much is "too much?" Feel free to send me an e-mail at jajohnson021@yahoo.com.

Is a major lineup change needed?

2010-06-16T01:33:00.005-05:00

[Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images]

Delmon Young is on fire. And that's probably an understatement. For those who haven't noticed, Young is now hitting .295/.333/.500 with 15 doubles, eight home runs and 41 RBI. He also has a 14-to-22 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Last year, Young had 12 walks and 92 strikeouts. It wasn't even a month ago that Young was hitting .250/.304/.438 with nine doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. But in the last 22 games, Young has hit .368/.386/.605 with six doubles, four home runs and 25 RBI.

As someone who has never ridiculed Bill Smith for acquiring Young, and someone who has always been a big fan of his (Young), I'm excited to see him hitting with such authority. Since joining the Twins prior to the 2008 season, Young has been awful until the second-half of the season. But the fact that he's on pace to hit 44 doubles, 22 home runs and drive in 111 runners at this point of the season is very encouraging.

A lot of people have been clamoring for Young to be moved up in the lineup, but people need to be more aware of the situation than what's on the surface. It's easy to see that Michael Cuddyer, the player who would likely swap places with Young in the lineup, is struggling, but he too is having a nice past couple of weeks. In the same amount of games as Young's stretch, Cuddyer has hit .321/.394/.536 with eight doubles, two triples and two home runs. He also hasn't hit into a double play since the Twins played the Boston Red Sox on May 19th.

At least swap Young and Jason Kubel, right? Again, no. Since May 25th, Kubel is hitting .323/.389/.692 with six doubles, six home runs and 16 RBI. As someone who has had a history of struggle against left-handed pitchers, Kubel's last two home runs have come against southpaws.

The middle of the Twins lineup is running on all cylinders right now, and nothing drastic needs to be changed there. If the Twins moved Young to fifth, would it make a big difference? Him hitting seventh is not the reason the Twins are 6-7 in June. Instead, that blame can be placed on players hitting .094/.164/.151 in the two-hole since his the injury to Orlando Hudson. Well, that and Justin Morneau hitting .255/.308/.468 over the same span, but that's besides the point.

I've singled out the offense (the two-hole in particular), because as a unit, it has only scored an average of 3.8 runs per game (not including Tuesday's game) since Hudson's injury. And to just show how much the Twins rely on Hudson, the offense averaged 4.9 runs per game (in the games Hudson played) before his injury.

I know people have grown tired of others saying, "the offense will turn around eventually" but I truly believe that the Twins lineup would benefit most by being healthy. When Hudson and J.J. Hardy return from injuries, it should be enough time for the Twins to decide what they want to do before the trade deadline. With guys like Mike Lowell and Mark Reynolds thought to be available, the Twins should have enough time to get a feel for their lineup before making their playoff run.

Give it time, there's no need to make any major changes just yet.

[Image courtesy of Yahoo.com]

Twins Minor League Month in Review: Rochester Red Wings - May

2010-06-01T22:25:00.001-05:00

Rochester Red Wings (19-32, 5th in the International League - North)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                  Team Leaders - Pitchers

             Hits: Danny Valencia - 54               Wins: Rob Delaney - 5
             Avg:  Jason Repko - .310                ERA: Kyle Waldrop - 1.47
             OPS:  Dustin Martin - .828              IP: Ryan Mullins - 46.33
             HR:   Brock Peterson - 6                K: Jeff Manship - 19
             RBI:  Dustin Martin - 33                Saves: Anthony Slama - 10
             SB:   Jason Repko - 8                   WHIP: Anthony Slama - 0.79

After a 10-19 May, the Red Wings continue to slide down the standings. Despite having a very talented group of hitters and pitchers, the team hasn't been able to find its rhythm yet. The offense didn't score a lot of runs and the starting pitchers have struggled keeping the team in the game.

The Red Wings starters had a 6.26 ERA in May. There were six quality starts in May, but only one before May 21st. The unit got better as the month went on, which could be a sign of things to come. Anthony Swarzak returned to the rotation after missing a-month-and-a-half with a broken foot. In just his second start, he went seven innings and gave up only one run. His return and Glen Perkins suddenly piecing together a couple respectable starts could help fuel the Red Wings in June.

Deolis Guerra (#16) was called up following the release of Yoslan Herrera, and at just 21-years-old, he's shown his inexperience. Through four starts, Guerra is 0-3 with a 6.26 ERA. He has walked just six and has struck out 16 while inducing 30 ground-ball outs. He probably belongs in Double-A, but there isn't anyone from New Britain that has earned a promotion to Rochester.

Short Hops: Matt Fox has done a good job filling in as a starter, going 2-2 with a 2.84 ERA in five May starts. He hasn't walked a runner in 15 2/3 innings but has struck out seven in that same span.

The bullpen has a group of very talented relievers, headlined by Anthony Slama (#17), Kyle Waldrop and Rob Delaney (#26). The three combined to go 3-2 with a 2.34 ERA in 36 May appearances. Waldrop was unbelievable, allowing just two earned runs in 21 1/3 innings while walking five and striking out 16. Slama remains solid, but he continues to walk to many batters. He converted five saves in May and had a 1.98 ERA. Delaney, however didn't have such a great month. While it's easy to look past the fact that he had a 4.80 ERA on the month, you can't ignore that he allowed four of his seven inherited runners to score.

Although everyone is clamoring for Slama to be the first reliever to be called up, Waldrop might be the most likely. He's pitching the best and is already on the 40-man roster.

The offense wasn't great, in fact the only players that didn't see their numbers regress are Jose Morales, Matt Tolbert and Danny Valencia (#7). Tolbert hit .269/.318/.410 with seven extra-base hits in 78 at-bats. Valencia had a 20-game hit streak in which he hit .388/.409/.518 with 11 doubles. He finished May hitting .330/.384/.408 including .353/.463/.382 over his last 10 games. He still hasn't hit a home run, but that shouldn't be a big cause for concern to anyone. He's still hit 15 doubles on the season, which is tied for seventh most in the International League. Morales didn't play in April, but he hit .309/.397/.382 with four doubles and eight walks in 55 at-bats.

Trevor Plouffe (#24), Dustin Martin and Jason Repko all lead the offense in April, but each took a step back in May. Still, they all put up respectable numbers. Each hit between .278 and .291 with an OPS between .719 and .756. Together, they had 14 doubles, five home runs and 40 RBI in May.

But perhaps the most disappointing player on the Red Wings has been Wilson Ramos (#2), who continues to play with no motivation. While his .175/.321/.407 tri-slash line probably isn't effecting his prospect status very much, it's very, very irritating to see him play so badly. There have been reports that he's just not motivated by playing in Triple-A Rochester, but the Twins aren't going to reward him if he's hitting like this. Especially with Morales getting closer and closer to returning.

What's Next?: In 20 of their 30 games in June come against either first or second place teams in the International League...Luke Hughes (#25) has been on the disabled list with a strained groin since May 11th, but he will hopefully return to the Red Wings lineup at some point this month.... June is typically a very active month when it comes to player movement, and while none of the current Triple-A guys really threaten to be "Super-2"-type players, the Twins may call up Slama or Waldrop if they find a spot open in their bullpen or Valencia or Plouffe if they find a spot open in their infield... Also, make sure to watch Ben Revere (#4) in Double-A, who could surprise people with a promotion.

Twins Minor League Month in Review: New Britain Rock Cats - May

2010-06-01T19:29:00.001-05:00

New Britain Rock Cats (14-36, 6th (last) in Eastern League Eastern Division)

               Team Leaders - Hitters                   Team Leaders - Pitchers

               Hits: Ben Revere - 57                    Wins: Kyle Gibson - 3
               Avg:  Ben Revere - .315                  ERA: Kyle Gibson - 1.37
               OPS:  Erik Lis - .812                    IP: Mike McCardell - 57.67
               HR:   Steve Singleton - 4                K: Carlos Gutierrez - 40
               RBI:  Rene Tosoni - 21                   Saves: Chris Province - 4
               SB:   Ben Revere - 18                    WHIP: M. Williams/K. Gibson - 0.95

New Britain continued to struggle in May, with little improved from April. After winning only 25% of their games in April, they finished May with a 30% win percentage. The starting pitching continued to do well while the bullpen continues to struggle. The offense, however did make a big improvement, scoring 1.5 more runs per game.

The offensive leader of the month was without doubt Ben Revere. Revere hit .274/.361/.306 through 62 at-bats in April, but hit .336/.412/.429 in 119 May at-bats. He hit eight extra-base hits, including his first Double-A home run and walked almost twice as many times as he struck out. He also stole 12 bases, giving him 18 on the season, which is good for second most in the Eastern League.

Steve Singleton also had a great month, hitting .313/.355/.509 with 14 extra-base hits in 112 at-bats. He continues to struggle against left-handed pitching and with runners on-base, but Singleton is a solid all-around player who will get everything to click eventually. He probably won't be able to follow the "trend" of being promoted mid-season, like he's done since 2008, but it won't be because of poor play.

Yangervis Solarte was promoted to New Britain on May 12th. Since his promotion, Solarte has hit .312/316/.494 with eight extra-base hits. Solarte was the only consistent hitter in Ft. Myers, so with New Britain's offensive struggles, the Miracle lost their offensive leader. The Rock Cats have won eight of 19 games since Solarte's promotion. He doesn't have a set defensive position, but his bat is too good right now to keep out of the lineup. The Rock Cats will continue to find a place for Solarte as long as he continues to hit.

After getting off to a great start, Rene Tosoni struggled a bit in May. A shoulder injury has summoned Tosoni to full time DH duties, which may be effecting him a little. Tosoni's numbers in May weren't horrible, but they were down from April. He hit eight extra-base hits and walked 17 times in May, but his OPS dropped .134 points. His shoulder injury has prevented him from being called-up to Triple-A Rochester, and until he's able to play the field, he'll remain in New Britain.

The starters, as a collective unit, wasn't as good as their numbers suggest. Yes, they had a collective 3.97 ERA. But it weren't for Kyle Gibson and Carlos Gutierrez, that 3.97 ERA becomes a 5.21 ERA.

Gibson made four starts for the Rock Cats and despite moving up a level, his numbers were even better than they were in Advanced-A. Gibson was 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA and a 42/13 GB/FB ratio. He struggled in his last start, but he still went five innings and gave up only two runs. He's one of the hottest pitchers in the Minor Leagues right now, but he probably won't be moving through the system as quickly as people would think. The Twins have made it known that they will be careful with Gibson this year, as he's just a year removed from a stress fracture in his right forearm. Gibson may be in New Britain for a while, but I still wouldn't be surprised to see him in Triple-A Rochester before the year is done.

Carlos Gutierrez had a great month, posting a 2-2 record and a 2.15 ERA. He struck out 24 batters, walked 13 and had a 2.95 GB/FB ratio. I still think Gutierrez's future is as a closer, but he'll remain in the rotation as long as he's pitching like this. He has now appeared in 32 games with New Britain (half as a starter), and he has a 4.87 ERA.

Tyler Robertson, David Bromberg and Michael McCardell all struggled in May. Robertson made six starts on the month, one of which came for Triple-A Rochester, and was 0-5 with a 5.93 ERA. On a bright note, he did have a 48/13 GB/FB ratio on the month, He has only made it through five innings two times and continues to walk too many batters. After four April starts, David Bromberg looked to be on cruise control. But when May came, Bromberg lost all control of his pitches and started becoming very hittable. He finished May 1-3 with a 6.15 ERA. McCardell, has made 10 starts on the season and still hasn't won a game. But not all of the blame cane be placed on him. In each of McCardell's five May starts, the bullpen gave up an inherited runner. Also, three of the team's seven blown saves came when McCardell had started. Still, all three of these pitchers need to turn things around quickly, which can hopefully salvage the season from being a complete embarrassment.

The Achilles Heal for the Rock Cats this season has been the bullpen. After a 6.04 ERA in April, the Rock Cats pen had a 5.44 ERA in May. The unit blew seven saves in 10 opportunities and had a 3-7 record. They have allowed 33% of their inherited runners to score, but there were only nine games in which they didn't inherit a runner in the first place.

The biggest turnaround came from Chris Province, who lowered his ERA to 6.23 after having a 10.03 ERA following April. He was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA and two saves in 13 appearances. Joe Testa also made an improvement, but he still had a disappointing month. His 5.17 ERA in May helped lower his season ERA to 8.22.

Matt Williams and Loek Van Mil were promoted from Ft. Myers, but neither have been lights out. Williams was 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA in 10 appearances for the Rock Cats. Van Mil only appeared in two games, and hasn't pitched since May 22nd.

Spencer Steedley, the Rock Cats best reliever, went on the disabled list with a forearm strain. He has been out since May 5th and there's no timetable for his return. The Rock Cats desperately need to revamp their relief corps, and getting Steedley back soon would definitely help.

What's Next?: June is typically a very busy month for promotions, and I do expect both Joe Benson (#11) or Chris Parmelee (#13) to return to New Britain at some point...The Rock Cats don't have a terribly difficult schedule in June, but they do face the Altoona Curve six times and the Trenton Thunder four times. The Curve lead the Eastern League West and the Trenton Thunder are second in the Eastern League East.

Twins Minor League Month in Review: Ft. Myers Miracle - May

2010-06-01T16:30:00.002-05:00

Ft. Myers Miracle (21-29, 5th in the Florida State League - South)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                  Team Leaders - Pitchers

             Hits: Evan Bigley - 40                  Wins: Michael Tarsi - 3
             Avg:  Chris Parmelee - .340             ERA: Bobby Lanigan - 2.67
             OPS:  Joe Benson - .925                 IP: Michael Tarsi - 52
             HR:   Joe Benson - 4                    K: Bruce Pugh - 47
             RBI:  Deibinson Romero - 40             Saves: Billy Bullock - 8
             SB:   Estarlin De Los Santos - 4        WHIP: Bobby Lanigan - 0.99

After winning just 38% of their games in April, the Ft. Myers Miracle improved in May to win 45% of their games. 7% isn't a lot, but it is improvement. What changed the most? The offense. After scoring just 2.9 runs per-game in April, the Miracle lineup scored 4.07 runs per-game in May. But while the lineup finally started to hit its stride, the starting pitching started to struggle.

Consensus top pitching prospect Kyle Gibson (#5) made just one May start for the Miracle before being promoted to Double-A New Britain. The Miracle replaced Gibson with Dan Osterbrock, which was thought to be a suitable replacement. Unfortunately, Osterbrock's success in the Midwest League hasn't been duplicated in the Florida State League, as he has had problems with consistency. Through five starts, three have been successful while two have not. He's struggled when runners have been on base, but hopefully he will turn it around in June.

But while Gibson's departure has hurt the Miracle, it wasn't the biggest blow the team suffered. Bobby Lanigan, who was arguably the best pitcher in the FSL in April, suffered an injury and hasn't pitched since May 6th. He's hoping to return in early June. But his injury allowed the Miracle to call up Beloit's ace, Liam Hendriks (#42). The right-handed Aussie has continued his 2010 campaign in Ft. Myers and is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four starts for the Miracle. With the exception of one start, Hendriks has been impeccable on the mound. If taking his one poor start out, Hendriks is 2-0 with a 1.39 ERA, a 19/2 K/BB ratio, a 21/14 GB/FB ratio and a .169 BAA. Hendriks has sky-rocketed up prospect charts and is someone Twins fans should become familiar with.

Bruce Pugh also went down with an elbow injury after making three May starts. He had a 1.89 ERA and 24/5 K/BB ratio in 19 innings. He will hopefully be back in early June.

Michael Tarsi, Adrian Salcedo (#10) and Blake Martin combine made 11 starts and the three accounted for six loses and a combined 6.11 ERA. Tarsi's stats are a little deceiving, considering that he's really only had two horrible starts out of his last seven. In those two starts, Tarsi has given up 12 earned runs in 10 innings, raising his season ERA to 4.85. Salcedo was promoted from Extended Spring Training to make a few spot starts before eventually heading to the Appalachian Rookie League or Midwest League. Martin has been placed back in the bullpen after giving up 12 runs in 12 1/3 innings of work.

While the starting rotation struggled, the bullpen has officially turned things around after a rough start to the season. The unit finished May with a 2.94 ERA in 104 innings. They converted 10 of 12 saves and allowed only 29% of their inherited runners to score.

Tony Davis, Andrei Lobanov (#31) and Billy Bullock (#20) were the stars of the bullpen in May. Davis gave up only four earned runs in 16 1/3 innings. After struggling with his control in April, he had a 16/7 K/BB ratio in May, giving him 19 strikeouts and 16 walks on the season. Lobanov continues to show impressive control and has walked only three batters in 11 1/3 innings. The Russian native was 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 10 strikeouts in May. At this pace, I wouldn't be surprised to see Lobanov extend his stay in the Florida State League, despite being only 20-years-old. Between April and May, Bullock looked like a completely different pitcher. The 2009 2nd round pick gave up only one run in 16 May innings, striking out 23 and recording five saves over that same span. Bullock's turnaround caught the eye of the Florida State League and he was one of four Miracle players selected to the FSL All-Star Game.

As noted above, the offense also turned things around in May. The return of 2009 Miracle mashers Joe Benson (#11) and Chris Parmelee (#13) has helped the Miracle score an average of 4.29 runs per game since their return.

Benson's demotion to Ft. Myers caused an uproar throughout Twins Territory, but the 22-year-old Benson is not going to finish the season in the Florida State League, so Twins fans need to remain patient. Since his demotion, Benson is hitting .263/.364/.561 with four home runs and four stolen bases. Benson now has nine home runs on the season, which leads the Twins Minor League system.

Parmelee's demotion was more warranted (than Benson's), but he's making more of his demotion than his teammate is. A 1st round pick in 2006, Parmelee has always shown outstanding power with a lack of knowledge of the strikezone. But in his demotion, Parmelee has struck out as many times as he's walked, all while having a .491 slugging percentage. If Parmelee continues to hit the way he is, he'll be back in New Britain sooner rather than later.

Shortstop Estarlin De Los Santos (#40) joined Benson and Parmelee in Ft. Myers following his demotion, but got off to a very slow start. The defensively-gifted De Los Santos committed 10 errors in New Britain and has committed four in Ft. Myers. His glove has never been a question, however his arm has been subpar to say the least. He's continually bounced balls to first base and, which has resulted in three throwing errors for the Miracle.

Brian Dozier (#44) was called up after Ramon Santana (#39) landed on the disabled list, and he's handled the promotion well. Through 30 at-bats, Dozier has nine hits (two doubles) and a 9/5 BB/K ratio.

Chris Herrmann (#41) and Evan Bigley (#47) continue to struggle, but the two took part in 28% of the runs scored, by either being the runs scored or driving in the run. Both have potential to be solid players, so hopefully they'll turn things on in June.

What's Next?: Shooter Hunt (#48) made his first start of the season on May 30th. The Miracle have been trying to ease him back into a starting pitcher, but he may be best suited as a reliever right now... The Miracle have an extremely difficult schedule in June. They will play host to both division leaders, both of the second place teams and a third place team.... Aaron Hicks (#1) and Angel Morales (#2) aren't knocking the stuffing out of the ball in Beloit, but if Benson and Parmelee get promoted to New Britain, I'd expect both of Hicks and Morales to take their place in Ft. Myers....Twins reliever Pat Neshek will begin a rehab assignment in Ft. Myers beginning June 2nd.

Twins Minor League Month in Review: Beloit Snappers - May

2010-06-01T06:30:00.007-05:00

Beloit Snappers (26-25, 5th in Midwest League Western Division)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                      Team Leaders - Pitchers

             Hits: Aaron Hicks - 44                      Wins: Tom Stuifbergen - 4
             Avg:  Anderson Hidalgo - .316               ERA: Tom Stuifbergen - 1.09
             OPS:  Aaron Hicks - .793                    IP: Miguel Munoz - 49.67
             HR:   Michael Gonzalez/Steven Liddle - 5    K: Miguel Munoz - 43
             RBI:  Angel Morales - 23                    Saves: S. Blevins/K. Holbrooks - 6
             SB:   Angel Morales - 14                    WHIP: Liam Hendriks - 1.06

(These stats are based on players being on the active roster only)

After getting off to a great start to the season, the Snappers found themselves at the top of the standings in the Midwest League Western Division. They were off to a 13-8 record and they were really playing well until a few promotions left the Snappers with a makeshift rotation. The thriving 2010 Beloit Snappers quickly turned back into the embarrassing 2009 Beloit Snappers, a team which finished with the second worst record in the Midwest League.

Upon first glance, it's easy to point fingers at the offense. After all, the Snappers offense ranks last in the Midwest League West in runs scored with 96 (an average of 3.84 runs per game). That number didn't change much as Beloit averaged 3.45 runs through the 31 games the team played in May. But what did change was that the pitching staff was giving up a lot more runs.

After giving up only 2.38 runs per game in April, the starters gave up 4.33 runs per game in May. Allowing two runs more per game will cripple any team, especially with this offense. Dan Osterbrock and Liam Hendriks (#42), the Snappers two best pitchers, were both promoted to Advanced-A Fort Myers in early May. Neither of their spots in the rotation have been adequately replaced, despite the promotions of top prospects Michael Tonkin (#30) and B.J. Hermsen (#12)

The 13-foot, 1-inch Tower of Tonkin and Hermsen has struggled to find consistency. Each has made four starts, one of which was good. Both Tonkin and Hermsen had 7 innings gems in which they didn't allow a run or a walk. But taking in account that both of these pitchers are a year younger than the league average, their combined 4.09 ERA in 40 innings looks pretty darn good. Their height gives them an advantage on the mound, and that advantage is that they're able to induce a good amount of ground-ball outs. The two have a combined 1.45 GB/FB ratio.

One player the Snappers expected were counting on was Michael Munoz. The 6'2'' right-hander from Venezuela was 0-0 with a 2.75 in four April starts. But in May, Munoz was 1-4 with a 6.30 ERA in six starts. Another player the Snappers were counting on was Tom Stuifbergen (#29). Stuifbergen was 4-0 with a 1.09 ERA in six appearances (five starts) until he strained his elbow after making just one start in May. He missed the remainder of the month, but thankfully he is now set to return after making an appearance as a reliever on May 27th. Stuifbergen is the Snappers best bet at replacing Hendriks.

While the rotation tries to find itself again, the bullpen continues to remain consistent. The bullpen had a 3.55 ERA through 109 May innings, lowering the units' season ERA to 3.67.

Eliecer Cardenas was recalled from Extended Spring Training on May 7th, and the 22-year-old right-hander has done a great job in his first month in the MWL. He is 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. He has a "live arm" with a lot of movement on all of his pitches, so it's not surprise that he's walked eight batters. But on the plus side of that, he's struck out 18.

After not allowing a run in April, Kane Holbrooks started turning the heads of many Minor League fans. And he continued his consistency in May, posting a 2.16 ERA in 16 2/3 innings. Holbrooks allowed four runs, three of which came off of two home runs. He struck out 27 batters while only walking four, to give him a 41/7 K/BB ratio on the season. He also has been able to induce a lot of ground-ball outs thanks to a great repertoire consisting of a fastball, slider and change-up. He has only been pitching since 2008, so he's still a work in progress. But so far, so good.

Offensively, the Snappers saw a lot of slumping hitters in the month of May. With the exception of a couple batters, everyone saw their offensive production drop significantly.

The offense relies heavily on Aaron Hicks (#1), and unfortunately, May was a month he'd like to forget. The 2008 first-round pick hit .214/.321/.313 in 112 at-bats. The one-time patient Hicks struck out twice as many times as he walked, putting him on pace for 138 strikeouts through 450 at-bats. At the same time, he'd also walk 83 times in that span. In April, Hicks hit three home runs in half as many at-bats that it took him to hit one in May. His 2009 stats and 2010 stats are eerily similar, so hopefully Hicks takes a step forward in June.

The only consistent offensive player the Snappers have had this season is Anderson Hidalgo. Hidalgo isn't a player a lot of Twins fans may not know, but he might be someone worth paying attention to. Since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2006, Hidalgo has hit consistently at each level he has played, and 2010 is no exception. Hidalgo hit .317/.349/.475 in May with 14 extra-base hits. With 13 doubles in May, he is now one behind the league lead of 16.

Short Hops: Since getting hit on the head on May 22nd, Angel Morales (#6) is hitting .296/.367/.556 with a double and three triples.

James Beresford isn't considered an offensively-gifted player, most of his value comes from his outstanding defense and other intangibles that don't show up on stat sheets. However in May, Beresford hit .291/.345/.345 with five extra-base hits. Those numbers aren't anything to write home about, but it speaks volumes of how bad the Snappers offense actually was in May.

Since I went to Beloit, I figured it'd be appropriate that I provided some kind of recap/thoughts from my trip (NOTE: Remember, I only saw two games, so a lot of this is based on knee-jerk reactions. But with that said, I feel very comfortable with everything I'm about to say. But take it however you'd like):

I feel Seth Stohs summed up Beloit (as a city) pretty well here and here, so I won't really add anything else to that except that Chicago is only a couple hours away, so maybe try to get there (or even Milwaukee) during a long downtime. While Beloit's not a podunk town, it's not titillating either.
Seth and I share the same opinions on a lot of players, however I feel I should emphasize some of the things he said in case you didn't read it.
Aaron Hicks is very quick and has a great arm, those things are immediately clear to anyone. He stands over the plate and has a very quick swing, which he shows in this video:

He took a few bad routes to balls, but he looks to be able to handle both center and right field effectively. He needs to improve on his base-stealing ability. Overall, I was impressed with him, but he has a lot of work to do.
Angel Morales has a very nice swing and just missed on a few breaking pitches. He also is fast out of the box and has a good arm. Despite having a problem with strikeouts over his career, he didn't look inept against breaking pitches. As mentioned, he fouled a few of them off and just missed on several.
Danny Rams' (#22) power impressed me, especially his opposite field power. He took a few pitches to right field, and the balls kept carrying. Even on Saturday when the wind was blowing to left center. Against breaking pitches though, unfortunately he looked absolutely lost. In his last at-bat that I saw, he struck out on a slider that bounced in the left-handed batters box.
Reggie Williams (#46) looks pretty raw both offensively and defensively, but there's clearly potential. He made a few nice plays at third plays and a few plays that made me uneasy, but overall he held his ground. I'd think that his best defensive positions would either be second base or left field. He doesn't throw very hard, but he does have accuracy from third to first. He also has a very quick swing and he drove the ball several times.
As Seth mentioned, James Beresford was the most impressive player, hands down. He has a good approach at the plate and takes a lot of pitches. He hit the ball hard, but it doesn't travel very far, and he'd probably benefit from a two-handed follow-through. Defensively, there's no question about his ability. If the ball is hit to him, he will get to it. He also is a leader on the field and was apart of every pitcher-catcher conference on the mound. His intangibles are impeccable and I think that he's more than ready for a promotion.
Michael Tonkin threw his fastball a lot, and he left a lot of his pitches up. Surprisingly, he doesn't look 6'7'' on the mound, but off of it, there's no question (not sure if that means anything, just something I observed. Could be because signs in the background). He has a lot of things to work on.
Edgar Ibarra was probably the most impressive pitcher I saw. It might be because I didn't have high expectations before seeing him play, but he certainly knows how to pitch. He has good control of his pitches, despite (surprisingly) walking a lot of batters, and his delivery is very smooth. His stat line for the game looked bad, but Eliecer Cardenas gave up three inherited runners when he came into the game. He doesn't overpower anyone, but he has good movement on his pitches.
Short Hops: Daniel Santana doesn't belong in the MWL, but he does have a rocket arm. He's also my size, when I was in 7th grade.
Short Hops: Brian Dozier (#44) is a singles-hitter who looks like J.J. Hardy on the basepaths.
Short Hops: Michael Gonzalez has a very, very long swing. Which is why he's an all or nothing hitter.
Short Hops: Dakota Watts throws gas.
Short Hops: Eliecer Cardenas has a lot of movement on all of his pitches.
Short Hops: Tobias Streich is frustrating to watch at the plate and doesn't have a strong throwing arm.
Short Hops: Josmil Pinto (#27) can sting the ball.
As for the field? It's pretty bad. I wasn't expecting much, but the infield was very bouncy and balls took a lot of weird hops. The complex as a whole is alright, but they definitely need a new field.

What's Next?: The Snappers will play four series against the Midwest League East before facing the Midwest League Western division leaders Cedar Rapids in the middle of the month. They will then play six games against the Clinton LumberKings (separated by the MWL All-Star Game) before heading home to face the Cedar Rapids Kernals again....Tom Stuifbergen will make his return to the Snappers rotation on June 1st against Lake County....With the short-season Rookie Leagues starting this month, several players may be sent to either Elizabethton, TN to play in the Appalachian Rookie League or to Fort Myers, FL to play in the Gulf Coast League.

Angel Morales video

2010-05-24T10:29:00.005-05:00

As both Seth Stohs and I mentioned, we went to Beloit over the weekend to watch the Snappers. I don't have a lot of time to post my thoughts right now, but here is a video I took of Angel Morales getting hit in the head by a fastball.

Looks pretty bad, but hopefully he'll be back soon (he was out of the lineup on Sunday).

Minor League News and Notes

2010-05-20T01:08:00.005-05:00

While I was about to write a Twins news/notes piece, I saw that Aaron Gleeman was working on his. I haven't been writing a lot recently, so I didn't want my "return" to be more meaningless than it already would be, so I figured I would go with a Minor League News and Notes. Hopefully you enjoy!

• When the Twins drafted Chris Herrmann (No. 41) they knew he was versatile enough to play in both the outfield and behind the plate. And so far this season, he's played in 30 games: 10 at catcher, 10 games in center field, nine games in left field, and one at DH. He has two errors, one in left field and one behind the plate, as well as a passed ball. All-around, he's been solid defensively.

Here are how his offensive numbers look (based on the position he is playing):

DH: 1-for-4 (.250/.250/.250) with a strikeout (no walks).
C: 7-for-39 (.179/.220/.256) with a home run and 10 strikeouts (no walks).
CF: 11-for-39 (.282/.317/.385) with four doubles, nine strikeouts and two walks.
LF: 11-for-31 (.355/.400/.516) with five doubles, six strikeouts and three walks (with a sac-fly)

I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with this, but I figured it was interesting to note. Another thing that is hard to ignore are his home/road splits.

Home: 20-for-56 (.357/.413/.518) with six doubles, a home run, 12/5 K/BB ratio and two stolen bases.
Away: 10-for-57 (.175/.230/.228) with three doubles, 13/3 K/BB ratio and a caught stealing.

When talking with Herrmann, he makes it clear that he doesn't care where he plays, despite acknowledging that there is a big offensive difference.

• Third baseman Danny Valencia (No. 7) recently ended a 20-game hit streak for the Rochester Red Wings. Over the streak he hit (33/85) .388/.409/.518 with 11 doubles. Why was his on-base percentage only .409? Because he walked just two times over that stretch. To put it in perspective, over 500 at-bats, that would be about 12 walks.

• Right-handed starter Adrian Salcedo (No. 10) was called up from Extended Spring Training to take Bruce Pugh's place in the Ft. Myers Miracle rotation. He made his first start on Wednesday and gave up five runs on six hits over four innings. However, taking into perspective that he's 19-years-old (the average age for pitchers in the Florida State League is 23) and that he threw 43 of his 57 pitches for strikes (75%), it's very impressive. Salcedo has a mid-90's fastball that he threw a lot. He also has a very good change-up that he has good command of. His curveball and slider still need work, but both have good break.

• Speaking of Pugh, he was placed on the seven day disabled list with an elbow injury (sorry, that's as much as I've heard). It's not considered serious and according to Alex Margulies (the Miracle radio announcer), he will likely miss two or three starts before returning. All of this is coming after Pugh was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week from May 10-16. In his lone start over that time, Pugh threw seven innings of one-hit ball against the Bradenton Marauders. He walked one and struck out 10 in the no-decision.

• Since returning to the FSL, outfielder Joe Benson (No. 11) has three hits in three game, two of which went for extra-bases. He also has walked twice and stolen two bases. Like so many others, I'm very confused as to why he was demoted.

• The Rochester Red Wings have had the unlucky task of facing the two most hyped minor league pitchers of year. Last Friday, Aroldis Chapman and the Louisville Bats came to Rochester to face the Red Wings, who had just lost six of their last seven contests. The Red Wings were ready and a three-run home run by Trevor Plouffe (No. 24) knocked Chapman out of the game in the fourth inning. His final line was 3 1/3 innings, 9 hits, 8 runs, 3 walks and 5 strikeouts.

Then yesterday, Stephen Strasburg brought his 0.00 ERA (through two starts) to Rochester. Unfortunately, things didn't go as well this time and the Syracuse Chiefs beat the Red Wings 5-1. Strasburg went six innings and extended his scoreless inning streak to 21 2/3 innings between Triple-A and Double-A.

Regardless, both of these starts helped put a lot more fans in the seats, which was great for the city of Rochester and the Red Wings.

• After a very strong finish to the month of April, outfielder Aaron Hicks (No. 1) has been ice cold in the month of May. Over his last 16 games, Hicks is hitting .196/.282/.213 with one double and a 23/8 K/BB ratio. Overall, Hicks is batting .259/.380/.378 with seven doubles, three home runs and 27 walks in 135 at-bats.

• During their most recent Twins Minor League Weekly podcast, Seth Stohs and Travis Aune discussed their Top Five Twins Prospects up to this point of the season. For those of you that have read this site over the last couple of years, it's no secret that I love ranking Minor League prospects. So I figured I'd give mine:

1. Aaron Hicks, OF
2. Kyle Gibson, RHP
3. Wilson Ramos, C
4. Miguel Sano, SS
5. Angel Morales, OF

Make sure to listen to the show to see who Seth and Travis in their top five.

• Make sure to check out Seth Stohs latest latest SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast. Topper Anton of Curve For A Strike and Jason Collette of Dock of the Rays are on before me. Make sure to check that out. WARNING: Save yourself some brain cells and turn it off at the 58 minute mark. That is when the wheels fall off and I start blabbing about things that don't make sense. And sorry for mumbling. Part of it is my phone, but I do mumble when I speak.

And speaking of Seth, he and I are hoping to go to Beloit this weekend to check out the Snappers as they face the Cedar Rapids Kernals. The Kernals trail the Snappers by 1.5 games in the Midwest League - Western Division.

• And finally, the Twins Centric crew hosted their latest viewing party last Saturday. I was fortunate enough to go and it was a blast. I got to meet a few people and converse with those I've already met. I'd list names, but I'm sure that I'd miss a few so I won't even begin. But all-in-all, it's a great experience and I hope you consider going to the next one. And for a little more persuasion, check out what Eric Johnson had to say.

Delmon Young Day - - Staying away from numbers

2010-05-12T01:07:00.004-05:00

Three months ago, Andrew Kneeland of Twins Target proposed that Twins bloggers take part in "Nick Punto Day." It was a day that turned into a big success, with a countless number of bloggers writing their thoughts on Nick Punto. So now, three months later, we have another day designated to another controversial player.

So without further adieu, here are my thoughts on Delmon Young:

(Warning: Most (ok, all) of what you're about to read is is scatterbrained.)

When the Twins acquired Young, I was ecstatic. On top of having enormous potential, he was one of my favorite players in baseball. Before going ahead, I'll explain why I liked him so much. You see, I have a personal vendetta against all umpires and when he did this, I couldn't help but fall in love with him:

I'm kidding of course. In all honesty, the (then) Devil Rays were my second favorite team in baseball. Was it due to their propensity for being one of the worst teams in baseball? A little. Who doesn't like the underdog? But it mostly stemmed from my love of Minor Leagues Baseball. The Rays were then (and now) known for an excellent farm system, so naturally, I followed them very closely.

Young was drafted with the first pick in the 2003 draft out of Camarillo High School (CA). He was immediately compared to the likes of Albert Belle and Gary Sheffield, so when he flew the Rays farm system, those comparisons looked began looking legitimate.

But besides enormous talent, what do both Belle and Sheffield have in common? They both have attitudes and are often seen as angry men. And unfortunately, neither of those were lost in Young. He was upset when he wasn't called-up to the Majors as a 19-year-old in 2005. And as it turns out, he was even more upset that he spent most of the 2006 season in the Minor Leagues (thanks in most part to his bat-throwing incident).

He was an undisciplined, immature kid both on and off the field, which the Rays had no answer for. They allowed him to walk all over the organization, letting him spout off to teammates and management whenever he felt like it. But what were they to do? He was the future of their team. But I can't fault the organization for giving up on him, instead I fault Young.

We all live and learn and I'm sure Young (if he could) would change a lot of things about his past. He knows he messed up, but all he can do now is try and move forward. But unfortunately, he hasn't been able to get over the hump.

While breezing through the Minor Leagues, Young didn't learn a lot of the fundamentals that makes a good baseball player. He was fed a heavy-dose of fastballs, and never learned how to hit a breaking ball. He's since had to learn how to hit sliders and curveballs at the highest level. This has been an ongoing struggle for Young, but he has made steady improvements in both areas. He also had to learn how to be a professional off the field, which has been perhaps his biggest challenge throughout his career.

He has always had problems fitting in with members of the clubhouse, but that looks to be changing. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said in Spring Training that some of Young's past struggles have helped make him into a great teammate. He put in a lot of work in the off-season and lost almost 30 pounds. I'm sure that has done a great deal of good to his self-esteem.

I still like Young. In fact, I probably like him more than most people. I admire the fact that he's been through a lot and that he's putting in the effort to try and ensure that his future is brighter than his past. But he still has a lot of work to do and unfortunately, he may never reach the potential he once had. But that's alright. Although we sometimes act like it's more, baseball is only a game and if Young continues to improve as a human, he'll be a winner.

Twitter

2010-05-11T11:55:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to post more on Twitter, so if you just can't get enough of me, you can find me there. I should be back tomorrow for Delmon Young Day, so check back soon.

@JoshsThoughts

Minor League Month in Review: Rochester Red Wings - April

2010-05-01T18:49:00.001-05:00

Rochester Red Wings (9-13, tied for last in the Florida State League - North)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                  Team Leaders - Pitchers

             Hits: Brian Dinkelman - 24              Wins: Rob Delaney - 3
             Avg:  Jason Repko - .345                ERA: Jeff Manship - 3.48
             OPS:  Dustin Martin - 1.004             IP: Ryan Mullins - 26.33
             HR:   Dustin Martin - 4                 K: Ryan Mullins/Anthony Slama - 19
             RBI:  Dustin Martin - 17                Saves: Anthony Slama - 5
             SB:   3 - tied with 2                   WHIP: Ryan Mullins - 1.18

A lot of excitement surrounded the Rochester Red Wings, but like in past years, the potential and the production haven't matched. The Red Wings have seven players that appeared in my top 50 prospect list including two players in the top seven. Unfortunately, a mixture of poor pitching and a lack of offensive production have the Red Wings at the bottom of the division.

The rotation was supposed to be anchored by a fleet of pitchers with Major League experience including Glen Perkins, Anthony Swarzak, Mike Maroth and Jeff Manship (#21). Swarzak made only two starts before breaking his foot and Perkins has managed to lose the little value he had left by struggling in each of his four starts. Together, Swarzak and Perkins have an ERA of 8.25. Maroth looked okay in his three starts, but he too was hit by the injury bug with an inflamed left elbow. Manship has been left to lead the rotation and has a 3.48 ERA in four starts.

Thankfully, other players have stepped up in the absence of these guys and have managed to keep the Red Wings in games. Ryan Mullins hasn't seen the International League since he was destroyed in four starts there in 2007. He's back and has been great since joining the rotation. He is 2-0 with a 2.74 ERA in four starts. He gave up six runs in three innings as a reliever, which is why he isn't leading the Red Wings in ERA. The Red Wings signed Charlie Zink who took Maroth's place on the roster. Zink, a knuckleball pitcher, made one start for Rochester. He only gave up two runs over five innings, but his six walks are very alarming and it's something to keep an eye on. Cuban-native Yoslan Herrerra has been fairly consistent over his first four starts for the Red Wings, but he hasn't pitched into the sixth inning yet.

The bullpen consists of four highly thought-after pitchers in Matt Fox, Kyle Waldrop, Anthony Slama (#17) and Rob Delaney (#26). Together, these four have combined for a very good, reliable bullpen. This quad has combined for a 2.28 ERA in 44 appearances. They also have a 58/22 K/BB ratio. Slama continues to show that he's ready for the Major Leagues, but he's not on the 40-man roster and the Twins aren't prepared to clear room for him yet, which has caused a lot of Twins fans to become frustrated.

Granted these guys are young, but the offense was relying on the success of Wilson Ramos (#2) and Danny Valencia (#7), who have both struggled. Many criticized the front office for not bringing Ramos to Minnesota, but he is hitting below the "Mendoza Line" through 67 at-bats. Valencia might be "clicking" after getting off to a poor start. He is hitting .406 with five doubles and five RBI in his last seven contests.

But the Red Wings have a good mix of veteran players as well, lead by Jason Repko, Jacque Jones and Dustin Martin have all played well in April. Perhaps the best option the Twins have at center field (besides Denard Span, of course) is Repko. The Red Wings signed him two days before the season started, and he's rewarded them by hitting .345/.448/.527 at the top of the Red Wings lineup. Jones has been slowed by a strained left quad, has hit .300/.382/.500 in 30 at-bats.

Martin struggled in 2009, but he's off to a great stat in 2010. Through 65 at-bats, Martin is hitting .338/.419/.585 with seven extra-base hits and 17 RBI. He has been more patient at the plate and is driving the ball as well as he has throughout his career.

Brian Dinkelman (#36) is getting his first taste of Triple-A and is off to a great start. He's played all over the field, but his offense has remained consistent with his career numbers. On the other hand, Trevor Plouffe (#24) is in his third season with the Red Wings but is finally looking better at the plate. Plouffe, who is three years younger than Dinkelman, is hitting .280/.362/.463 with eight extra-base hits and eight walks in 82 at-bats. I mention his eight walks because it is one more than the times he's struck out, which for Plouffe is a big thing. As his career 459/237 K/BB ratio shows, Plouffe has had a hard time with his plate discipline, which means we might finally see the Plouffe play to his potential. That is something that hasn't happened since he was drafted in the 1st round in 2004.

What's Next?: The Nationals have promoted phenom Stephen Strasburg to Triple-A Syracuse, which is a relief for the New Britain Rock Cats, but now a problem for the Rochester Red Wings. Rochester plays host to the Syracus Chiefs from May 18-21. The Red Wings face the Durham Bulls and Syracus Chiefs (division leaders) 12 times. But they also play the Norfolk Tides and Louisville Bats (last place teams) 13 times.

Minor League Month in Review: Ft. Myers Miracle - April

2010-05-01T16:40:00.002-05:00

Ft. Myers Miracle (8-13, tied-5th (last) in the Florida State League - South)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                  Team Leaders - Pitchers

             Hits: Yangervis Solarte - 20            Wins: Kyle Gibson - 2
             Avg:  Yangervis Solarte - .317          ERA: Bobby Lanigan - 0.81
             OPS:  Yangervis Solarte - .783          IP: Kyle Gibson - 30.67
             HR:   5 - tied with 1                   K: Kyle Gibson - 28
             RBI:  Drew Thompson - 7                 Saves: Billy Bullock - 3
             SB:   Chris Cates - 2                   WHIP: Bobby Lanigan - 0.90

The Ft. Myers Miracle won the South division in both the first and second half in 2009, but they were ousted by the Charlotte Stone Crabs in the semifinals. Manager Jeff Smith has been promoted to New Britain, which means that Jake Mauer will have to try and fill the shoes the man that has brought two different teams to the playoffs in each of the past three years. Unfortunately, a punch-less roster makes it unlikely that Mauer will be leading the Miracle to another division title.

The Florida State League is a pitcher-friendly environment. That's no secret. But it's also no secret that the Miracle lineup is the weakest it's been in years. But despite scoring a lead-worst 60 runs, the Miracle still managed to win eight games in April.

Not enough can be said about the success of both Kyle Gibson (#5) and Bobby Lanigan. The two-headed monster has a 3-3 record and a 1.33 ERA in nine starts. Gibson was roughed up in his first start, giving up three runs (five total) in 3 2/3 innings. But since that start, the Twins 2009 first round pick is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in four starts. He has a ground-ball/fly-ball ratio of 7.3 (51/7) thanks to inducing 16 ground-ball outs on two separate occasions. In his last start, Gibson threw a one hit, complete game shutout against the Jupiter Hammerheads. As Seth Stohs notes, Gibson was very close to hurling a no-hitter.

Without Lanigan and Gibson, the rotation would have a 4.05 ERA. While still respectable, it would rank 2nd to last in the FSL. But it's important to note that it is improving, which is the good thing. Both Mike Tarsi, Bruce Pugh and Brad Tippett (#43) have all had recent success. In three starts since joining the rotation, Tippett has a 2.51 ERA. Pugh struck out over seven scoreless innings in his last start. And Tarsi has a 3.27 ERA in his last two starts (but he's given up five unearned runs in that same span).

The bullpen has struggled, but since the season opener (when it gave up 13 runs), the bullpen has had a 3.87 ERA. The biggest improvement comes from Shooter Hunt (#48). Hunt gave up five runs in the opener, but since has a 2.02 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. He also has a 5/1 K/BB ratio over that span, which is probably the most important thing to note. 2009 2nd round pick Billy Bullock (#20) has been roughed up in two different outings, but he still leads the team with three saves.

The offense has averaged 2.9 runs/game, but when opponents are scoring an average of 4.9 runs/game, it's hard to believe that they've won any games so far.

Yangervis Solarte is at the top (or near the top) of nearly every single offensive category for the Miracle. Solarte made a couple impressive defensive plays in Spring Training, but I'm willing to bet that he's probably an unknown amongst most Twins fans. He has played second base, shortstop, third base and left field already this season, which is probably the main reason why he has four errors on the season (three of which came in one game).

Two oft-injured infielders, Paul Kelly and Drew Thompson have also made contributions on offense. Thompson is hitting .269/.324/.403 with six doubles and a home run. Kelly had a six-game hitting streak halted by an ankle injury he sustained on April 20th. He hasn't played since, but it's important to note that it is an ankle injury and not a knee injury (which is what has derailed his career up to this point).

Three players that the Miracle lineup is centered around are Evan Bigley, Chris Herrmann and Ramon Santana. But the are hitting a combined .226 (43 for 190) and have driven in only 15 of the team's 60 runs. All three are good hitters, so I'd expect them to "click" at some point, but until then, this offense will continue to flounder.

What's Next?: Aaron Hicks (#1), Angel Morales (#6) and Liam Hendriks (#42) may all be with the Miracle shortly, which should provide a big spark to both the offense and rotation. But with promotions, roster moves need to be made, which will likely mean the end of Gibson's stay in the Florida State League. They have a fairly easy schedule in May. They play both division leaders a combined nine times, but overall, their May opponents have a .488 win percentage.

Minor League Month in Review: Beloit Snappers - April

2010-05-01T14:17:00.002-05:00

Beloit Snappers (12-8, 3rd in Midwest League Western Division)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                     Team Leaders - Pitchers

             Hits: Brian Dozier - 23                    Wins: Tom Stuifbergen - 3
             Avg:  Brian Dozier - .319                  ERA: Liam Hendriks - 0.41
             OPS:  Aaron Hicks - .890                   IP: Tom Stuifbergen - 26
             HR:   4 - tied with 3                      K: Liam Hendriks - 26
             RBI:  Angel Morales/Steven Liddle - 11     Saves: Steven Blevins - 5
             SB:   Angel Morales - 8                    WHIP: Liam Hendriks - 0.41

2009 is a season that the Beloit Snappers would like to forget. They finished the season with a 57-83 record, the 2nd worst record in the Midwest League. And on top of that, they finished second worst in attendance, accounting for only 2.3% of the 3,629,038 people that attended Midwest League games.

Nine players have returned from last year's roster to help turn get the team off on the right foot. And so far, they're doing just that. Through 20 games, the Snappers have the fifth best record in the Midwest League and finished off the month of April with nine wins in their last 12 games. The team's success has hinged on the pitching staff. The starters have a collective 2.38 ERA in 102 innings of work. They also have a 93/30 K/BB ratio and a 113/82 ground-ball/fly-ball ratio.

Liam Hendriks (#42) has been astonishing thus far. The 21-year-old Aussie started 11 games for the Snappers last season and is off to a hot start in 2010. Through four starts, Hendriks is 1-0 with a 0.41 ERA. He has a 13-1 K/BB ratio and has induced 24 ground-ball outs. The only run he surrendered came in his last start. He gave up a lead-off double to Sean Halton of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and he scored on a ground-ball later in the inning. He won the "Midwest Pitcher of the Week" on April 19.

Another player off to a grat start is Tom Stuifbergen (#29). The 21-year-old Dutch has a 1.38 ERA through 26 innings. He has made four starts, and has thrown at least six innings in each of them (he also made a relief appearance in the season opener). He has a ground-ball/fly-ball ratio of 33/17 and a K/BB ratio of 23/7.

Miguel Munoz struggled in has last two starts, but he still has a 2.75 ERA on the season. Dan Osterbrock, on the other hand, has been great over his last two starts. He has a 3.10 ERA on the season and was named the "Midwest Pitcher of the Week" for the week of April 19-25. He was 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two starts.

Having four of the five starting pitchers with an ERA of 3.10 (or under) are a main reason that the Snappers are second in the Midwest League with a 3.01 ERA. But the bullpen has been great as well. The group has an ERA of 3.84 in 77 1/3 innings pitched.

Kane Holbroooks has not allowed a run in 12 1/3 innings out of the pen while Steven Blevins has converted five saves in as many opportunities. Edgar Ibarra gave up four runs in his first outing of the season, but has not allowed a run over his last 9 2/3 innings pitched. Over that same span, Ibarra has walked just one batter while striking out 12.

The biggest struggle has come from 2009 3rd round pick Ben Tootle (#32). Tootle has given up 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings and has struggled with his control. He has given up three runs in an appearance on three different occasions. He can throw in the upper 90's, but with no sense of control, he will not make it very far. He has a team lead four wild pitches, despite pitching in the second fewest innings.

The offense, unfortunately has been a cause for concern for the Snappers. It averaged only 1.7 runs per game through the first six games, but since has averaged 5.4 runs over the last 14.

And it's no surprise that consensus top prospect Aaron Hicks (#1) has been the reason for this offensive turnaround. Since starting the season 1-31, Hicks has hit .528 (19 for 36) with three home runs, six RBI and five stolen bases since April 17th. I was able to ask Aaron what has changed and he said, "I'm just trying to stay on the ball more and watch it as long as possible."

He now how has a team high .890 OPS and has walked six times more than anyone else on the team. He began the season hitting third, but has since been moved to the top of the order, which the Twins Minor League direct Jim Rantz says is another reason for his turnaround. Hicks remains versatile in the outfield, starting 11 games in center field and five games in right field. He has two of the team's six outfield assists, both of which came in the first two games of the season.

Like Hicks, Angel Morales (#6) is also back with the Snappers and is also off to a great start. He is tied for the team lead in home runs, RBI, outfield assists and leads the team in stolen bases and slugging. He and Steven Liddle join Hicks in the outfield and the three of them have done a tremendous job so far. Liddle is also tied with Morales in each of the three categories mentioned above.

But Liddle isn't the only 2009 draftee that has been a surprise for the Snappers offense. 9th round pick Brian Dozier (#44) is the team leader in hits and batting average (.319).

What's Next?: Before heading out on a grueling 13 game road trip on May 25th, the Snappers have a very favorable schedule, with no team above .500. They play state rivals the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers nine times this month, which bodes well for the Snappers since they've won five straight against them (dating back to last September). Watch out for the promotions of Hicks, Morales and Hendriks. All three are in their second season with the Snappers and all could be in the Florida State League sometime in the next 45 days. This will pose a problem for the Snappers who will have a hard time trying to fill the void of these three.

Minor League Month in Review: New Britain Rock Cats - April

2010-05-01T04:22:00.005-05:00

New Britain Rock Cats (4-16, 6th (last) in Eastern League Eastern Division)

               Team Leaders - Hitters                   Team Leaders - Pitchers

               Hits: Rene Tosoni - 24                   Wins: 4 - tied with 1
               Avg:  Rene Tosoni - .338                 ERA: David Bromberg - 1.13
               OPS:  Rene Tosoni - .878                 IP: David Bromberg - 24
               HR:   Juan Portes/Chris Parmelee - 2     K: David Bromberg - 19
               RBI:  3 - tied with 7                    Saves: Chris Province - 2
               SB:   Ben Revere - 5                     WHIP: Spencer Steedley - 0.75

On paper, the New Britain Rock Cats might have the best team in the entire Eastern League. But so far, they've been the worst. By a lot. The team finished April with a dismal 4-16 record, which is the worst record throughout all of baseball (in both the Major and Minor Leagues). The team certainly has great potential, having 13 players that appeared on my Top 50 Prospect list, the most out of any Twins affiliate. But a mixture of poor offensive production and disappointing pitching has resulted in winning percentage of .200.

The offense, lead by four top 13 prospects, has managed to score only 54 runs this season (or 2.7 runs/game). The only hitter that deserves praise thus far is Rene Tosoni (#9). Tosoni is hitting .338/.385/.493 with seven extra-base hits (all of which lead the team) in 19 games thus far. His OPS of .878 is 168 points higher than Mark Delonc's OPS, which is the second highest on the team. But even worse than that is the fact that Delonc doesn't have enough at-bats to qualify amongst the leagues leaders, which then puts Ben Revere's (#4).668 OPS the next highest on the team. Tosoni has cut his strikeouts down from last year, but he still has struck out nearly four times for every walk. Overall, Tosoni is a more mature player than he was last season.

Fun fact: Tosoni has started 16 of his 19 games at DH, but he leads the team with three outfield assists.

Revere, the highest-rated prospect on the Rock Cats has five of the team's 15 stolen bases this season. He has also displayed a good arm strength in center field, something he has struggled with in the past, by throwing out two runners at home plate. He has displayed good plate discipline and his average is heading north, but he will need to improve his hitting on the road as the season gets going.

The bullpen, as hard as it may be to believe it, is probably worse off than the offense for the Rock Cats. The bullpen appeared in all but one game in
April, and out of those 19 appearances, the bullpen surrendered a run in 15 of them. The bullpen has a collective ERA of 6.04 with a 1.73 WHIP and 54/40 K/BB ratio.

The only reliever to New Britain return in 2010 was Spencer Steedley (Cole DeVries was a starter in 2009), so it's no surprise that he's been the most reliable member of the Rock Cats bullpen. In 14 2/3 innings, Steedley has struck out 17 batters while allowing only two runs (both of which came in the same game). But sadly, the rest of the bullpen has struggled, a lot.

Joe Testa (#49) has appeared in seven games, but he's only been untouched in one of those appearances. He has an 0-3 record and has allowed 12 earned runs (15 total) in 7 1/3 innings for a 14.73 ERA. Chris Province, who the Twins acquired from the Boston Red Sox over the Winter in exchange for Boof Bonser has appeared in a team-high nine games, but his 10.03 ERA and 11 walks allowed are team highs. As a matter of fact, his 11 walks are the most amongst any reliever in the Eastern League.

But not all is bad in "The Hardware City." In fact, the starting rotation has been very good so far. The starters have a 3.61 ERA, but only have only factored into the decision seven times (including two victories). The starters have induced a 1.15 ground-ball/fly-ball ratio and have allowed the second-fewest home runs in the Eastern League.

David Bromberg (#8), the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in both 2008 and 2009, is already starting to make his case for himself in 2010 by allowing only three runs in four April starts for a 1.13 ERA (fourth best in the Eastern League). But the same pitcher who lead the minor leagues with 177 strikeouts two years ago has seen his K/9 ratio fall this season. It's still very early, but his K/9 in 2010 is 7.13, which is down from 8.7 in 2009, 10.6 in 2008, and 12.5 in 2009. But while his strikeout numbers have declined, he has managed to cut down on his walks this season and has a 2.25 BB/9 ratio. Again, it's very early, but this trend is noticeable. Bromberg just knows how to pitch. As he's matured, he has worried more about movement and location than velocity. I'm sure that he'll take a sub-2.00 ERA over being the strikeout leader any day.

Tyler Robertson and Michael McCardell have also pitched well, but not without their flaws. Robertson has only pitched into the sixth inning once, and he was pulled after recording one out. McCardell has given up 31 fly-ball outs, which is by far the highest on the team (yes, I am nitpicking). Both have sub-4.00 ERA's and have been reliable starters, which can't be said for Carlos Gutierrez (#14). The first round pick in 2008 continues to struggle against Eastern League hitters, and his time in the rotation may be numbered.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Rock Cats in this young season has been the strong play from Deolis Guerra (#16). The only remaining player from the Johan Santana trade put up strong numbers through three April starts. He has gotten significantly better in each of his three starts and has not surrendered a run in the 18 innings he's pitched. Obviously, two great starts is (way) too small of a sample size to get giddy over, but the fact that Guerra is only 21-years-old and has great potential makes it hard to not feel good about it.

What's Next?: Seven of the team's nine series in May are against .500 (or better) clubs. They will face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the Eastern League - Eastern Division leader) eight times. With no offensive help in Fort Myers, the hitters will need to give themselves a kick start. Pitching help isn't far away, but it's unlikely that either Kyle Gibson or Bobby Lanigan are promoted before the Florida State League All-Star Break, which is June 11-13 (although with the way both are pitching, I may be eating my words very shortly). Hopefully for the Rock Cats (and my fantasy baseball team) sake, Stephen Strasburg will be promoted before the next time they'd have to face him (which if the Harrisburg Senators keep the same rotation schedule, will be May 13th). EDIT: The Nationals have announced that Strasburg will be promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. Nice break for the Rock Cats.

Is Francisco Liriano the Boogy Man?

2010-04-28T10:00:00.017-05:00

If there is one thing that the Twins organization lacks, it's a front-of-the-rotation starter. Even in the minor leagues, very few pitchers project to be number two starters, let alone having the potential to be an ace. But one thing that has remained is that Francisco Liriano has the most potential out of of any pitcher in the system.

As a naturally optimistic person, I've dreamed of Liriano regaining his dominance. That's the reason I've gotten uncontrollably giddy whenever I've heard a report of him "turning a corner." And time, after time again, I've been disappointed by the reports not matching what Liriano does on the mound. I'm sure he's had positive bullpen sessions or positive Spring Training outings, but I couldn't help but wonder what was real and what wasn't.

And now, it looks like it's finally becoming true.

Last night, Liriano faced off against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. Verlander, if you don't recall, won the Rookie of the Year award in 2006; the same year Liriano broke onto the scene as a 22-year-old phenom. Had Liriano not missed the last two months with a torn ulnar collator ligament in his elbow, he not only would have ran-away with the award, but he also would have had a great shot at becoming just the second player in baseball history to win the Cy Young Award as a rookie. That's how good he was. And since that year, Verlander has gone on to have great success while Liriano has struggled to regain any sort of his 2006-self. But last night was a serious case of deja vu.

(Duane Burleson/AP Photo)

No Verlander didn't dominate, but that's not what I'm referring to. It was Liriano, who looked more like his 2006-self since, well, 2006. He didn't have a 98 mph fastball, but he threw 96 mph for the first time (at least, that I've seen) since undergoing Tommy John Surgery. He also struck out 10 batters, which was the first time that he's recorded double-digit strikeouts since July 28, 2006 against (ironically) the Detroit Tigers.

As Aaron Gleeman wrote, what can't be overlooked in Liriano's success is his regained ability to induce a high percentage of ground-ball outs. Through four starts (note: very small sample size), Liriano has a ground-ball out to fly-ball out ratio of 1.35; which is .02 points higher than it was in 2006.

In fact, many of his numbers are much better this season.

                              Year    BAA   OBPA   OPSA   P/PA

                              2006   .205   .260   .564   3.80
                              2010   .180   .255   .485   3.65

To be clear, in no way, by cherry-picking stats am I trying to imply that he's a better pitcher in 2010. Despite his success this season, he was still a more dominating presence in '06. But what I am hoping to show you is that despite striking out an average of 2.5 batters/per nine innings and having a decrease in velocity, he has learned the art of pitching, which (as Seth Stohs mentions) is a scary thought.

Liriano's slider has been arguably the best in baseball this season, thanks (as Parker Hagemen wrote,) to great control of his fastball. In 2009, Liriano's fastball was one of the worst in baseball. In 2010, FanGraphs shows that he's throwing an above-average fastball, despite a BAA of .310 against it. His slider has been outstanding and he proved last night that he's able to throw it for strikes, which absolutely baffled the Tigers.

Maybe he's not as electrifying as he was in 2006, but he still is dominant. Is he as dominant as he was in 2006? Maybe not. But dominance is dominance and I'll take it in any form. Liriano's success is just what the Twins needed and if he can continue to pitch like a number one starter, this team may be better than we all originally thought. And that thought is very scary.

This and that

2010-04-26T23:41:00.005-05:00

• Francisco Liriano faces off against Justin Verlander tonight in what should be a very interesting battle. This is the first meeting between the Twins and Tigers since game 163 last October. Liriano is off to a great start while Verlander continues his April woes for the third consecutive year. Being as both players are playing out of their "norm," there's really no use in posting their career numbers against the opposition. But I'm excited to see how Liriano fairs against the hot-hitting Tigers. Detroit (as a team) has a .796 OPS over the past seven games, which is fourth highest in the Majors. Minneseota's OPS is 73 points lower over the same span, but they've scored four more runs in one less game.

(Marc Serota/Getty Images)

• Heading into Monday, the Twins were the league leader in walks drawn (96) and were tied with the Houston Astros for the fewest walks allowed (47). In 23 1/3 innings, Carl Pavano has only allowed one walk, which is the league leader amongst those who have made at least four starts. Justin Morneau, who is not only possesses a .368 batting average also leads the league in walks with 20. Denard Span is hitting a disappointing .230 from the lead-off spot (which ranks seventh out of the nine qualified lead-off hitters), but he leads all lead-off men with 14 walks drawn.

• After hitting doubles in back-to-back games this weekend, Delmon Young already has six extra-base hits on the year. In 2009, Young didn't record his sixth extra-base hit until June 20th. That's a difference of 106 at-bats (159-53). He's hit the ball well this season, driving it several times in Target Field alone that may have been home runs at the Metrodome. The cold air certainly has played a role thus far, but when the air warms up, Young may hit 13 home runs (his 2009 total) by August. He also has only struck out seven times in 53 at-bats. In 2009, Young struck out seven times in his first 19 at-bats. It's obviously too soon to tell, but 2010 is already shaping up to be a big year for Young; despite his .245/.276/.434 tri-slash line.

• Nick Nelson wrote a synopsis of the Twins Train. He and a group of other fans made the trek down 35W to Kansas City over the weekend. After hearing several reviews, it sounds like a great time and I hope to make it aboard the Twins Train at some point this season.

• I love Ryan Howard as much as the next guy, but the five year, $125 million extension that he signed with the Phillies yesterday is absurd. As usual, Rob Neyer of ESPN.com's opinion is very comparable to mine. I only note this because Joe Mauer's contract extension looks like highway robbery compared to this.

On the farm...

• Since starting out 1-31, Aaron Hicks has an eight game hitting streak, hitting .552 (16/29) with two doubles and two home runs. He has also been a better base stealer, swiping four bases in his last five attempts. Obviously it was a horrible start, but Hicks is showing why there's no use in freaking out about stats after just two weeks. For more on Hicks, click here.

• On April 7th, I wrote an article titled, "Needing A Miracle." In the article, I wrote about Shooter Hunt making the Ft. Myers Miracle roster (hence the pun). Hunt appeared as a reliever for the Miracle on Opening Day and self-destructed on the mound. The 23-year-old right-hander hit the first batter he faced, walked the next three batters and gave up a grand slam without recording an out. It was hard listening to Alex Margulies announce the game. Hunt literally couldn't find the strike zone and it was hard to not feel sorry for the guy.

But since that appearance, Hunt has been very impressive for the Miracle. In six appearances since then, Hunt has given up five runs (four last night) but what's important is that he has walked only four batters while striking out 17. He hasn't walked a batter in his last three appearances and continues to give signs of optimism. Hopefully he keeps it up.

Book Review: We're Gonna Win, Twins!

2010-04-21T01:33:00.004-05:00

Since starting this blog, a door has been opened for several great opportunities. One such opportunity has been to review several books. As a college student, I can't tell you how much I hate reading boring material. We've all been there. But thankfully, the books I've had the honor of thumbing through have all been very thought-provoking. Obviously that's coming from a biased opinion as anything baseball-related is thought-provoking in my opinion, but I also think that some of these books would be interesting to you, which is why I'm going to share my thoughts on a few them. I will try to refrain from using cliché phrases like as "must buy" or "readable," but I wanted to apologize in advance because I'm sure they'll find there way into a review at some point.

We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a chronicle of the Minnesota Twins over the first half-century that the club has been in existence. Author Doug Grow provides a fantastic walk through time by discussing events which have unfolded during every season since the inaugural season in 1961.

As each chapter begins, there are several sections leading up to "The Season." These sections labeled "The World," "The Nation," The State," and "Pop Culture" gives the reader a snapshot of the important events outside of baseball, which helps puts things into context while reading. After "The Season," which sums up the year in Twins baseball into a short paragraph, there are pages of great stories, recaps and details of events which unfolded throughout the year in Twins baseball. And what's perhaps the greatest thing about this book is that every season of Twins baseball (from 1961-present) is accounted for in one way or another.

One chapter that I took particular interest to was "Press Box under Siege." Grow gives the reader insight into the Twins blogosphere and puts specific spotlight on John Bonnes (Twins Geek), Aaron Gleeman (AaronGleeman.com) and Anne Ursu (Batgirl). Obviously, as a Twins blogger, I take great pride in the Twins blogosphere and it's great to see other writers get the attention that they're so much deserving of. All three of the bloggers Grow mentions have been instrumental in forming one of the best blogging communities on the web and I'm elated that Grow included them.

What I find very important to note is that I truly believe it suits both younger and older generations of Twins fans perfectly. As a so-called "young fan," there area lot of events in Twins history that I had no knowledge of before reading the book. For the older fan, the events that are written could be a very pleasant to reminisce again and perhaps you'll learn something new as well.

There are some great player profiles that are quite inclusive. Players like Tony Oliva, Kirby Puckett, Bert Blyleven, Zoilo Versalles and Harmon Killebrew (as well as many others) are given particular attention. Grow also profiles the great World Series matchup between Sandy Koufax and Jim Kaat in 1965 and the chapters which cover the World Series victories in 1987 and 1991 are filled with quotes from players and great stories.

Pictures flood the book with great effect. Seeing pictures of the Met or of the parade that polluted the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul are ineffable. Especially for a fan that wasn't alive (or wasn't old enough to remember) either.

At $25.95, the price of the book may seem steep, but 328+ pages of Grow's writing will not disappoint you and the endless amount of information that you engulf will make the book seem priceless. The nostalgia runs thick and there are plenty of humorous stories to make this truly a fun book to read. We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a book that I truly and sincerely believe every Twins fan should read.

To purchase or to find out more information on the book, check out the We're Gonna Win, Twins! webpage from the University of Minnesota Press. To purchase the book, click here. It can also be purchased through Amazon.com.

Here is more information, including an event this weekend.

Saturday, April 24, 2010
2:00-4:00 pm

Town Ball Tavern
Target Field, 5th Street Gate Entrance
1 Twins Way
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Talk and signing with Doug Grow, featuring Twins memorabilia from Clyde Doepner, curator for the Minnesota Twins.

Open to the Public -- Limited Seating Available

In 1961, the Twins brought major league baseball to the upper Midwest. In We're Gonna Win, Twins! longtime sports reporter and columnist Doug Grow chronicles a half century of Twins baseball, season by season, from the scrappy stars of the Metropolitan Stadium through two World Series in the Metrodome to the opening of a new era at Target Field.

For more information, including the table of contents, visit the book's webpage:
http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/G/grow_gonnawin.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doug Grow covered the Minnesota Twins as a sports columnist from 1979 to 1987, and as a metro columnist he wrote about the 1987 and 1991 World Series as well as the long debates over stadium funding. He is currently a journalist working for the online publication MinnPost.

PRAISE FOR WE'RE GONNA WIN, TWINS!
"Throughout his career, Doug Grow has always found the true meaning in stories large and small. This account of the history of Minnesota Twins baseball is filled with that kind of personal understanding. There will always be people who say that baseball is just a game-until they read this book." - Don Shelby, WCCO-TV

"Doug Grow's writing has always been about the people and lives, not numbers, and that's why We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a winner." - Charley Walters, Former Twins pitcher and St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist.

"We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a winner for Twins fans! Great behind-the-scenes tales from every era of Twins baseball. IT invoked great memories for me and a lot of laughs as well. Stories about the tightfisted ways of Calvin to the 'championship era' started by Tom Kelly in '87. It's a fun read! - Jim Kaat

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #1 Aaron Hicks

2010-04-19T23:29:00.006-05:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #1 | Aaron Hicks

Position | Outfielder

Bats/Throws | Switch/Right

Born | October 2, 1989 (Long Beach, California)

School | Wilson High School

Height | 6'2''

Weight | 170 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 1

Breakdown
Aaron Hicks was taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He was widely considered one of the best all-around athletes in the draft. He reportedly hit 95 mph on the mound, which made several teams consider him as a pitcher, but Hicks is happy that he is playing outfield, "I liked pitching because I had to do what was best for my team at that point, but I'm truly a position player; that's my passion." He signed a week after the draft to a $1.78 million signing bonus.

After signing, Hicks was designated to the Gulf Coast League where He showed that he could do a little bit of everything. Through 45 games, Hicks hit .318/.409/.491 with 10 doubles, four triples, four home runs and stole 12 bases despite playing in a pitcher-friendly league. He also displayed a great amount of discipline at the plate, drawing 28 walks. In 2009, most believed Hicks should follow Ben Revere's footsteps by taking over center field for the Beloit Snappers. Hicks' "advanced" hitting approach and overall demeanor suggested that he probably would have handled the promotion just fine, but the Twins decided to hold Hicks back in Extended Spring Training to begin the season. The team had every intention of sending him to the Appalachian League when short-season Rookie Ball began in June, but a horrid Snappers team needed a boost, so the Twins decided to call up Hicks. He didn't have the same type of success that he had in the Gulf Coast League a year earlier, but he still managed to separate himself as the best prospect in the Twins system. Through 67 games with the Snappers, Hicks hit .251/.353/.382. Probably the biggest cause of optimism came from the fact that he got better as the year went on and he maintained great discipline at the plate.

Hicks is immensely talented, but he's also still very raw. He plays all three outfield positions very well, but his speed is best suited for center field. His history as a pitcher has helped him develop one of the best outfield arms in the minor leagues, but his bat is nowhere near as developed. He has a great awareness of the strike zone and he's shown the ability to drive the ball well, but it's still to be determined what kind of hitter he'll be. He has also had problems on the base paths. He runs the bases well, but he is not an effective base stealer as of yet. There are high expectations surrounding Hicks, especially since he has been named a top 30 prospect from major outlets such as Baseball America (19), ESPN (19) and MLB.com (29), but Twins fans shouldn't want to see him rushed through the system. Many have said he's easily comparable to Torii Hunter or Adam Jones, but it's important to remember that Hicks has a long way to go and there's little chance that he reaches the Major Leagues when he is either 20 or 21 (like Jones and Hunter).

2009 Statistics

          Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          A-        67    297    .251    .353    .382      22      4    106

2010 Outlook
Many believed that Hicks could begin the season in Advanced-A Ft. Myers, but Hicks has been sent back to the Midwest League where he'll begin the season. If everything pans out, he'll finish the season in the Florida State League.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2013

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #2 Wilson Ramos

2010-04-16T00:00:00.003-05:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #2 | Wilson Ramos

Position | Catcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | August 10, 1987 (Valencia, Venezuela)

School | U.E. Santa Ines

Height | 6'0''

Weight | 220 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 4

(Photo courtesy of Kevin Pataky of MiLB.com)

Breakdown
Wilson Ramos was signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 7, 2004. He didn't make it to the states until 2006, but he certainly has made his presence felt since. Admittedly, I flirted with ranking Ramos as the top overall prospect.

In 2006, Ramos began the season in Extended Spring Training before joining the Gulf Coast League. With the Twins, Ramos hit .286/.339/.435 with 16 extra-base hits in 154 at-bats. In 2007, Ramos again found himself in Extended Spring Training but he eventually joined the Beloit Snappers in June with the struggles of Greg Yersich. He went on to hit .291/.345/.438 with 26 extra-base hits in 292 at-bats. After the season, Ramos ranked in as my 13th best prospect in the Twins system. In 2008, Ramos moved up to the Florida State League where he hit .288/.346/.434 with 38 extra-base hits with the Ft. Myers Miracle. In 2009, Ramos continued to move through the system, this time playing for the New Britain Rock Cats in the Eastern League. He broke his finger in May and after returning in June, he missed two months with a pulled hamstring. All together, Ramos hit .317/.339/.496 with 25 extra-base hits including seven home runs in 224 at-bats. After finding himself healthy, Ramos hit .332/.397/.582 and drove in 49 runs in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Ramos' offensive prowess is mostly what he is known for, but Ramos is also a stout defender behind the plate. Pitchers like the way he calls the game and his strong arm makes it hard for base runners to steal on him. But two things stand in the way for Ramos are his history of injuries and a guy by the name of Joe Mauer. Ramos has the potential to be one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, but THE best is already on the roster, so it doesn't seem likely that he'll play an extensive role with the Twins (at least not as a catcher). The Twins could consider using using him at DH, but that seems like it'd really be diminishing his value. Ramos needs to prove in 2010 that he can stay on the field, which may be all that is separating him from being the top prospect.

2009 Statistics

          Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          R (GCL)    5    500    .316    .316    .947       5      3    263
          AA        54    500    .317    .341    .454      20      4    120

2010 Outlook
Ramos missed a lot of time in 2009 due to injury, but he showed enough during Winter Ball and in Spring Training to make the Twins feel comfortable enough with starting him in Triple-A.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

Target Field's impact on the Minnesota Twins

2010-04-12T00:22:00.003-05:00

First of all, if you didn't see, I posted my #3 Twins prospect for the 2010 season. Now, onto the post...

The Twins (officially) open Target Field at 3:05 pm today against the Boston Red Sox. Carl Pavano will take the mound against southpaw Jon Lester. Both pitchers have struggled against the opposition in the past, but it will be interesting to see what kind of momentum Pavano has in his first (real) start at Target Field. Many people have discussed the ambiance of Target Field after the Twins hosted the St. Louis Cardinals in two exhibition games earlier this month, but it's safe to say that whatever the atmosphere was then will be multiplied by a considerable amount today. This is one of the most exciting days in the history of the organization, so take it all in Twins fans. With that said, I thought that now would be the best time to post this:

Ryan Maus, who has blogged at Twins Chatter since 2004 and is now a PR rep at the University of Minnesota, wanted me to pass this along. It's a very interesting video about the effects that Target Field will have on the Minnesota Twins (obviously, this was made before the Twins signed Joe Mauer, but it's still completely relevant). Hopefully you enjoy it.

If you're on Twitter, you can find Ryan at @RPMaus.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #3 Miguel Sano

2010-04-12T00:16:00.004-05:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #3 | Miguel Sano

Position | Shortstop

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | May 11, 1993 (San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic)

School | Not Available

Height | 6'3''

Weight | 190 lbs.

2009 Ranking | Not Ranked

(Photo courtesy of Jenni Pinkley of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Breakdown
It's pretty easy to say that no Dominican prospect (or any international prospect for that matter) has ever been under more scrutiny than Miguel Sano was last summer. At just 16-years-old, Sano's enormous talent caught the eye of nearly every Major League baseball team, as did his physical stature. Standing 6-foot-3 and 190 lbs., Major League Baseball decided to investigate Sano's age to make sure he wasn't trying to appear younger than he truly was. Sano's mother, Melania Jean Sano, lost a son at birth several years after Miguel was born, which made the investigation even more extensive.

After months of trial and tribulation, the Twins signed Sano to a $3.15 million signing bonus on September 29. But the strangest part of all of this? The Twins played a leading role in Sano potentially losing out on millions of dollars. The organization is lucky that Sano didn't have a sour taste in his mouth about the investigation because that could have completely taken the Twins out of the running (even though it's likely that another team would have made the request for the investigation if the Twins hadn't).

Despite his age, Sano has drawn comparisons to players such as Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez and Albert Pujols. I understand all of these comparisons, and I'd be lying if I don't get excited when I hear that his bat compares to that of Pujols', but it's not fair to put those kind of expectations on a player his age (or any player for that matter). Sano is currently listed as a shortstop but scouts believe he'll eventually "grow out" of t he position and be forced to move to either third base or corner outfield. Regardless, his bat is what will get him to the Major Leagues and so far, all reports have been very positive.

Sano has gone on record of saying that he wants to make it to the Major Leagues sometime in the next two years, but I find that pretty unlikely. The Twins will not rush Sano and that's something I'm sure they've expressed to him since signing. Having a player like Sano in the organization is a real treat and watching him (and how the organization handles him) throughout the next few seasons will be very interesting.

2009 Statistics

Not Available

2010 Outlook
Sano will begin the season in Extended Spring Training before he joins the Gulf Coast League Twins in June. The Twins "tentative plan" is to have Sano play in the Dominican Summer League at some point in the summer.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2014

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #4 Ben Revere

2010-04-10T20:45:00.011-05:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #4 | Ben Revere

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Left/Right

Born | May 3, 1988 (Lexington, KY)

School | Lexington Catholic High School

Height | 5'9''

Weight | 175 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 2

....(Photo courtesy of Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)

Breakdown
When the Twins decided to draft Ben Revere, they were the talk of the draft, but not in a good way. Most "experts" expected Revere to be chosen somewhere between the 3rd-5th rounds, which is why it was so shocking when the Twins took Revere with the 28th overall pick. One aspect of Revere that the Twins were so attracted to was his signability. The Twins signed Revere five days after the draft (June 12) to a signing bonus of $750,000.

Revere was assigned to the Gulf Coast League where he appeared in 50 games and hit .325/.388/.461 with 10 triples in 216 plate appearances. In 2008, the Twins had Revere begin the season in Extended Spring Training where they planned to send him to the Appalachian League in June. In late April, Revere was called up to the Midwest League after the club found out that third baseman Deibinson Romero would miss a month after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Revere went on to flirt with hitting .400 for the majority of the summer before settling (if you could call it that) with a .379/.433/.497 tri-slash line with 28 extra-base hits and 44 steals in 83 games with the Beloit Snappers. In 2009, Revere continued to move through the system with the Ft. Myers Miracle being his next destination. Revere's OPS took a major blow, but he still hit .311/.372/.369 and stole 45 bases through 121 games in the pitcher-friendly confines of the Florida State League.

At 5'9'' and 175 lbs., it's hard to imagine Revere hitting more than just a handful of home runs in a year, but many believe that he could reach double digits someday. Revere has ++ speed and has both outstanding bat control and discipline at the plate as well. He's extremely athletic, which can be seen in the first 13 seconds of this video. He is best suited to hit at the top of the order, but he might be forced to hit near the bottom with the Twins due to a heavy left-handed lineup already intact. The biggest concern for Revere has been his defense. In the past, scouts haven't been in love with the routes he takes. His arm strength has also been a cause for concern, which has driven several people to suggest that he be moved to second base, a position he played on occasion in high school. But Revere improved leaps and bounds in both areas in 2009 and is looking to put them completely behind him in 2010.

2009 Statistics

          Level       G    PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          A+        121   517    .311    .372    .369      19      2    123

2010 Outlook
Revere is starting the season off in Double-A New Britain. Should there be an injury to Denard Span, Revere is probably the best option to play center field for the Twins.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2011

Twins Blogosphere Link-A-Palooza

2010-04-09T01:51:00.002-05:00

• On Saturday, the Twins Centric crew will be hosting their second Viewing Party of the year. The party will be tomorrow at the Majors in Blaine. The Twins Centric crew will be there to watch the Twins take on the Chicago White Sox at noon. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to attend, but hopefully you get the chance to.

• At the last Viewing Party, I got the pleasure of meeting Phil Miller. Miller used to cover the Twins for the Pioneer Press but has now covering the Twins for FSN.com.

• Topper from Curve For A Strike posted a new "Twins Bloggers: Get to Know 'Em" with Dan from Twins Jabber taking his time to answer a few questions.

• Ben from That's Twins Baseball tells us the 'real' story of why Ron Gardenhire left the bench late in the game.

• Twinkie Talk would like to see Alexi Casilla be replaced on the roster by... And speaking of Twinkie Talk, did you know that Erin from Picked Off At First is now co-authoring the blog?

• Sean from Hitting The Foul Pole has proposed a nickname for Pat Neshek.

• Adam from Just a Bit Outside... and Eric from Undomed give some of their thoughts on Opening Day.

• Alex from A Voice From Twins Territory posted two pictures of Target Field, the before (construction) and after (now). It's pretty awesome.

• Michael and Sam from Two Men On provide details from a private tour of Target Field.

• Hassertime from Alright Hamilton! summed up perfectly how I feel about those who wanted a retractable roof on Target Field.

• Seth from TwinsCentric gives us his thoughts from the Opening Day for Minor League Baseball. He also co-hosted the first episode of the Twins Minor League Weekly podcast with Travis of Travis Twins Talks.

• Seth also posted "Get to know: Alex Burnett" on Monday. Burnett made the roster as a result of reliever Clay Condrey landing on the Disabled List. Burnett made his Major League debut last night in front of friends and family in his hometown of Anaheim and was very impressive. He threw one perfect inning of relief and struck out Minnesota native Rob Quinlan for the final out. What was most impressive? The final three pitches he threw to Quinlan:

Change-up: 85 mph
Fastball: 92 mph
Curveball: 76 mph

The way he mixed up pitches made you forget that he has no experience over Double-A. It was a great debut for Alex and hopefully he'll continue to make a positive impression.

• Jon from JonColosimo.com broke down Scott Baker's first start and also took a look at the first four home runs hit by the Twins.

• Suzanne from SOOZE! posted a link about Target Field being the most environmentally friendly ballpark in America.

• Parker from Over The Baggy took a look at J.J. Hardy's new mechanics. And as always, he provides excellent analysis.

• Phil from PhilMacky.com discussed Delmon Young's habit of swinging at the first pitch. Last night, Young swung at the only pitch he saw and put it in the seats (okay, Angels bullpen).

Have a great weekend!

Note: Expect the rest of the Top 50 Twins Prospect list to be posted over the weekend.

Needing a Miracle

2010-04-07T01:20:00.004-05:00

Jake Mauer has been around baseball for his entire life. Of course he's known as "Joe's Brother" but it wasn't long ago that Jake was also trying to make a name for himself as a player. The Twins drafted Jake in the 23rd round of the 2001 draft, the same year they took Joe in the first round. But an ongoing elbow injury forced Jake from playing, so instead of riding off into the sunset, he remained involved with the game he loved, as a coach. He got his first managerial job in 2008 when he was given the reigns to the Gulf Coast League Twins. He finished second in the Southern division with a 35-21 record. In 2009, Jake lead the GCL Twins to a first place in the Southern division with a nearly identical record of 34-21.

During his time with the GCL Twins, Jake was applauded for the way he worked with such a diverse group of players. After the promotion of Jeff Smith to New Britain following the 2009 season, the Twins promoted Jake to Ft. Myers where he'll manage the reigning Florida State League South champions.

When taking a first glance at the roster, it looks like Jake will have his work cut out for him in 2010. The Miracle don't have nearly as threatening of a team as they had a year ago with top prospects Ben Revere, David Bromberg, Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee having all been promoted to Double-A New Britain. Other top prospects Aaron Hicks and Angel Morales will both start the year back in Beloit.

The Twins drafted Shooter Hunt in the supplemental first round of the 2008 draft after a successful collegiate career at the University of Virginia and (most notably) Tulane University. He was one of the best pitchers in the draft, but concern over his control made him available when the Twins took him with the 31st overall pick. He was handed a $1.08 million signing bonus and assigned to the Appalachian League where he struck out 34 batters and walked only six while giving up one earned run in four starts. He finished the year by making seven starts for the Beloit Snappers. He posted a 5.46 ERA and had a 34/27 K/BB ratio.

His struggles continued when he returned to Beloit in 2009. Hunt appeared in seven games - five of them starts - between April and May for the Snappers. In just 17 2/3 innings, he had an 18/33 K/BB ratio (no, those numbers aren't switched) with a 10.70 ERA.

He was placed on the disabled list with a strained groin muscle, which many hoped was the cause for his poor control. He was sent to Extended Spring Training and eventually joined the Gulf Coast League Twins in June, but Hunt's struggles persisted. He appeared in another seven games - five of them starts - and had an 8/25 K/BB ratio in 15 innings.

Hunt's season came to an end in July when the Twins sent Hunt home to "clear his head." Despite some believing he was struggling with poor mechanics, the Twins believed his problems stemmed from problems "upstairs." He hasn't pitched in a meaningful game since, so it remains to be seen whether or not the Twins prognosis was correct. Hunt has worked primarily as a starter throughout his career, but my guess is that he'll work out of the bullpen (at least at first) in Ft. Myers.

Hunt has perhaps the most electrifying 'stuff' in the organization, but he can't hit the strike zone to save his life. The Twins (and Jake) hope that they cured his yips on the mound, but at this point, they may need a miracle.

Opening Day

2010-04-05T02:05:00.002-05:00

The Twins begin the 2010 season against the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim). I'm generally annoyed by not having a game on at seven, but being that I have night class on Monday's (that gets done at 8:45) I'm thrilled that the game doesn't start until nine.

Since the end of last season, a lot has change has happened. The team bid farewell to Carlos Gomez in November by shipping him to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchanged for shortstop J.J. Hardy. The Twins are looking to Hardy to add certainty to a position that has been muddled for the past few years. Along with Hardy, the Twins signed free agent Orlando Hudson to a one-year $5 million contract in February to start at second base. Hudson and Hardy are two well-respected defenders with histories of good productivity at the plate. Hudson will hit in the two-hole while Hardy will likely hit eighth. In 2009, the Twins two-hitter was one of the most unproductive in all of baseball. So having a player with a career .282/.348/.431 tri-slash line hitting ahead of the American League MVP, it's pretty exciting.

The signing of Hudson was preceded by the signings of Clay Condrey and Jim Thome. Condrey, a right-handed reliever, was signed to a one-year, $900,000 contract after being non-tendered by the Philadelphia Phillies. He is experiencing stiffness in his right arm, so he'll begin the season on the Disabled List. Thome was signed to be a left-handed bench bat, which was music to the ears of Twins fans who experienced many of his 57 career home runs hit against Minnesota. Thome will probably appear as a late-inning pinch hitter, but he'll also get starts against right-handed pitchers on occasion.

The Twins also retained Carl Pavano, who they acquired in August, by accepting the Twins offer of arbitration. Pavano will join forces with Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn and Francisco Liriano in the rotation. Combined, these five had a were 55-48 with a 4.81 ERA in 2009. But despite those numbers, this group has the potential to be very strong from the top to the bottom and each has motivation heading into the season.

Denard Span (CF) will lead-off what should be one of the best lineups in all of baseball. The Twins finally have a productive two-hole hitter in Hudson hitting ahead of Joe Mauer (C), who's hitting third. Following Mauer is Justin Morneau (1B). Morneau missed the end of last season with a stress fracture in his lower back. Michael Cuddyer (RF), who caught flame after Morneau went down will hit fifth ahead of Jason Kubel (DH), who lead the Twins with 103 RBI last season. Next will come the 30 lbs. lighter Delmon Young (LF). Young lost weight in the off-season, but there's been nothing to suggest that he'll finally start reaching his potential at the plate as a result. Hardy (SS) will try to find his pre-2009 stroke in the eighth spot ahead of Nick Punto (3B). Punto is a sore spot in what is expected to be a lethal lineup, but the Twins are hoping his production won't be needed and instead will play him because of his strong defense.

Joe Crede is no longer with the team, but the Twins have Danny Valencia in the wings, which is another reason Twins fans should be able to fathom Punto starting at third base for the time being. Valencia is one of several top prospects who could make their Major League debuts in 2010. Alex Burnett, Anthony Slama, Wilson Ramos, Carlos Gutierrez, Ben Revere and Kyle Gibson are all players to keep an eye on. Other players, such as Drew Butera, Trevor Plouffe and Luke Hughes may see time in a much more reserved role. Butera and Burnett are just about guaranteed to see action at some point as both are with the club as replacements for the injured Condrey and Jose Morales.

Heading into the season, the bullpen is the biggest cause for concern regarding the Twins. All-Star closer Joe Nathan will miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery on his right elbow. To replace him, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire originally thought of going with a closer-by-committee, but that looks to have just been posturing during much of Spring Training as he named Jon Rauch his closer at the end of last week. Along with Rauch, the Twins should have a quality bullpen with the return of Pat Neshek from Tommy John Surgery. Neshek will likely be given 7th inning duties until he gets used to facing Major League hitting on a daily basis, but don't be surprised if he supplants Rauch from the closer's position of Rauch is struggling around mid-season. The eighth inning duties will belong to Matt Guerrier and Jose Mijares, with Jesse Crain filling in whenever he's needed. Brian Duensing will be used as the long reliever and Condrey will more than likely be used in mop-up duties when he returns. Slama and Burnett have late-inning potential and should be ready if called-upon.

On top of all of this potential, promise and optimism, the Twins will break-in a new ballpark that will keep fans in the seats to help them feel right at home. There are so many positives about the 2010 Twins that it's tough to be pessimistic in any facet. Homerism may be clouding my views of the team, but one thing that I do know for sure is that the Twins have a legitimate shot at not only winning the division but some playoff games as well.

Here are some predictions for the 2010 Season (if I've missed any, let me know!):

Aaron from Aaron Gleeman
Mike from Alright Hamilton!
Brian from BP's Baseball Blog
Eric from Call to the 'Pen
Emily from Chatter From The Cheap Seats
Topper from Curve For A Strike
Steve from Gear Up For Twins Baseball
TT from Granny Baseball
Louie from Hitting The Eephus
Adam from Just a Bit Outside...
j-bro from k-bro's baseball blog
Jim Crikket from Knuckleballs Blog
Joe from Little Big League
Matt from matt weighs in
Nick and Nick from Nick's Twins Blog
Andrew from Off the Mark
Sarah from Oh, It's THOSE Girls
Erin from Picked off At First
Seth from Seth Speaks
Ben from That's Twins Baseball
PanthersFTW from Twinkie Town
John from Twins MVB
Andrew from Twins Target
Eric from Undomed

Hopefully everyone is geared up for another great year of baseball and hopefully you'll continue to support the Twins blogging community. Classes will be over with (for me) in about a month, so between now and then, I'm sure there will be sporadic lapses in posts, but rest assure, I will finish my Top 50 Twins Prospect list and also post some variation of my Top 50 MiLB Propsect list as well. Whether or not it will just be a list or in another format is yet to be determined.

Go Twins!

2010 Twins and MLB Predictions

2010-04-02T00:22:00.005-05:00

I recently asked for other bloggers and readers to post their predictions for the 2010 season. Several bloggers have already posted their predictions, so I definitely suggest that you cruise around the Twins blogosphere to see them (I am hoping to make a list of links to the sites at some point today). On Twitter, several bloggers have started a hashtag of #2010TwinsPicks. If you're not following me already, you can find me @JoshsThoughts.

But without further adieu, here are my predictions for the 2010 season.

Twins-Specific Predictions

Twins MVP: Joe Mauer - No surprise here. Considered Denard Span, but how could I not choose the reigning American League MVP?

Twins Top Pitcher: Kevin Slowey - This pick has become a pretty popular choice among Twins fans, and for right reasons. Slowey had ten wins before being shut down last year due to a wrist injury. Through Spring Training, Slowey was absolutely dominant and showed no signs of his wrist holding him back. If he can stay healthy, I think Slowey will have a great season for the Twins.

Twins Best Rookie: Danny Valencia - If everything goes according to plan, Valencia will force a promotion sometime around June and from that point forward, he should receive most of the playing time at third base.

Twins Most Improved Player: J.J. Hardy - Hardy was awful for the Milwaukee Brewers last season and all signs are pointing to him turning over a new leaf. I'm not sure that I see him returning to his pre-2009 form just yet, but I do think he'll significantly improve his numbers.

Bold Predictions:
The Twins will have four All-Stars. Mauer, Justin Morneau, Span and Jason Kubel.
Jesse Crain will lead the Twins in saves. Yeah, I went there.
Delmon Young will hit 18 home runs.

A.L. Central Prediction (Standings):
1) Twins
2) White Sox
3) Detroit
4) Cleveland
5) Kansas City

Three Keys to Success for the Twins:
1) Health - We've already been hit with a huge injury and if we receive any others, it'll significantly lower our chances of winning the division. This is really something that is key to all teams, not just the Twins.

2) Strong Pitching - In both the bullpen and the rotation, the team needs to be solid through and through. Lest we forget how poor both performed at times last year?

3) Someone needs to step up - Young, Crain and Francisco Liriano are guys that I'm putting a lot of pressure on this year. All three have shown that they're talented, but the hype is over and now it's time to put up or shut up. No more babying.

Rest of the League Predictions

A.L. MVP: Joe Mauer - Don't accuse me of being a homer. Mauer's shown that he's arguably (with respect to Albert Pujols) the best player in baseball, and with both Span and Orlando Hudson hitting ahead of him, I can see Mauer driving in 120+ this season. I don't see him hitting as many home runs, but I don't think that it will be a significant drop-off.

N.L. MVP: Justin Upton - This pick is a little biased as Upton is my favorite non-Twins player, but I truly believe he'll become one of the elite players in baseball in 2010. He is only 22-years-old, but he is already one of the best hitters in baseball. He had a breakout year in 2009, but I think he'll open a lot of eyes in 2010.

A.L. Cy Young: Felix Hernandez - He plays in a pitcher's paradise and has stellar defense behind him. On top of that, he has some of the best 'stuff' and has quickly become one of the best pitchers in baseball at the age of 23.

N.L. Cy Young: Roy Halladay - One of the American League's best pitchers moving over to the National League. He has one of the best lineups giving him run support and there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be a runaway winner for the award. As good as he is, I don't see Tim Lincecum winning for a third straight season.

A.L. Rookie of the Year: Scott Sizemore. He's an offensively-gifted second baseman who will be taking over full time second base duties from Placido Polanco on the Detroit Tigers. As a Twins fan, I hope this isn't true, but I'm a sucker for good second basemen.

N.L. Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward. It's an obvious choice, but he looks to be the real deal. While both Aroldis Chapman and Stephen Strasburg are both attractive picks for this selection, I have to go with Heyward. He's widely considered the best prospect in baseball and the Atlanta Braves are forgetting about service time and are set to begin the season with Heyward as their starting right fielder. Both Chapman and Strasburg will start the year off in the minor leagues.

A.L. Breakout Player of the Year: Travis Snider - He's so young, but after cruising through the minor leagues, a lot of hype surrounded him in 2009. He struggled at the Major League level, but still held his own as a 21-year-old. He has a great power swing and has shown the ability to hit for average. If the Blue Jays are patient, which they should be, I think that this could be a big year for Snider.

N.L. Breakout Player of the Year: Carlos Gonzalez - Gonzalez turned it on down the stretch in '09 and he's primed for a breakout year in 2010. He has a sweet left-handed swing with good power. I think he'll emerge as one of the best center fielder's in baseball come this season.

A.L. Comeback Player of the Year: Brett Anderson - He was 11-11 with a 4.06 ERA last year but improved a lot after the All-Star Break. I think he'll become yet another good young pitcher for the Oakland Athletics in 2010 and I think 15 wins and 175 strikeouts with a 3.75 ERA is definitely in the realm of possibility.

N.L. Comeback Player of the Year: My initial reaction is to choose Jose Reyes, but being that he's already dealing with problems, I'm going to go with my other choice. Tim Hudson most of the 2009 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. I think that he'll help the Braves be a contender for the National League East.

A.L. Playoff Predictions:
East - New York Yankees
Central - Minnesota Twins
West - Seattle Mariners
Wildcard - Boston Red Sox

N.L. Playoff Predictions:
East - Philadelphia Phillies
Central - St. Louis Cardinals
West - Colorado Rockies
Wildcard - San Francisco Giants

World Series Prediction:
Minnesota Twins over Philadelphia Phillies. Call me a homer, but with one of the best lineups in baseball and the potential for the pitching staff to step it up, I think that the Twins could be the team to beat in the American League. The New York Yankees will be very tough, as will the Boston Red Sox, but I think that the Twins will finally get out of the first round and keep the momentum through the World Series. The Phillies are an easier selection. They were already the best team in the National League and with Halladay, they got even better.

2010 Twins Predictions Day - April 2nd

2010-03-29T15:44:00.001-05:00

I e-mailed this to a lot of Twins bloggers. If you didn't get it, there's a good chance it's due to my incredibly horrid internet connection (which made me re-send it about eight times) instead of me just forgetting about you. I sent it to nearly every e-mail address that I could find from the Twins blogs on my sidebar as well as others, so don't feel bad if you didn't get it because there's a good chance that you're not alone.

Last year, Seth Stohs posted a series of predictions at BaseballDigest.com on both the Twins and the rest of Major League Baseball. At the end of the season, I thought it was really interesting to look back on them and see how right (and wrong) we were. So with that in mind, I wanted to post this in case you'd be interested in taking part in some predictions for the 2010 season.

Much like Andrew Kneeland's "Nick Punto Day," post your predictions for the 2010 season on Friday, April 2. I apologize for the short notice (I sent out the e-mail last week), but if you're looking for something to post, this could be it!

Here are some example questions:

Twins-Specific Predictions
- Twins MVP:
- Twins Top Pitcher:
- Twins Best Rookie:
- Twins Most Improved Player:
- Bold Predictions (think of several if you'd like)
- A.L. Central Prediction (Standings):
- Three Keys to Success for the Twins:

Rest of the League Predictions
- A.L. MVP:
- N.L. MVP:
- A.L. Cy Young:
- N.L. Cy Young:
- A.L. Rookie of the Year:
- N.L. Rookie of the Year:
- A.L. Breakout Player of the Year:
- N.L. Breakout Player of the Year:
- A.L. Comeback Player of the Year:
- N.L. Comeback Player of the Year:
- A.L. Playoff Predictions:
- N.L. Playoff Predictions:
- World Series Prediction:

How you choose to post it is really up to you. Do what you want with it. If you want to post just the predictions, that's fine. If you want to write a paragraph along with each prediction, that's fine too. As long as you have fun and enjoy it, that's all I'm asking.

Go Twins!

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #5 Kyle Gibson

2010-03-29T13:51:00.004-05:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #5 | Kyle Gibson

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | October 23, 1987 (Greenfield, Indiana)

School | University of Missouri

Height | 6'6''

Weight | 208 lbs.

2009 Ranking | Not Ranked

Breakdown
Heading into the 2009 draft, Gibson was considered one of the best amateur pitchers in the country. Unfortunately for Gibson (and fortunately for the Twins), a forearm stress fracture made teams weary of taking him, which allowed him to drop to the 22nd spot in the draft where the Twins had a no-brainer in choosing Gibson. Signing him became a little more strenuous than the Twins probably would have liked, but the sides came together on a $1.8 million contract on the night of the signing deadline.

In Gibson's freshman season at Mizzou, he was used primarily as a reliever, appearing in 26 games out of the bullpen. He worked several innings at a time, which helped him in his sophomore season as he transitioned into being a starting pitcher. He won nine games in 2008 and was near the top of draft boards heading into 2009, even appearing as the fourth best prospect in the draft according to Baseball America. Gibson pitched well as a junior, but as the season wore on, he began feeling forearm tightness and during his last start on May 30th, he was reportedly only hitting between 83-86 mph on his fastball. Scouts worried about the possibility of Gibson needing Tommy John Surgery but was diagnosed with a forearm fracture. He fell to the Twins with the 22nd pick and the Twins surprised a lot of people by signing him well above the suggested slot value for that pick.

Gibson went 28-10 with a 3.65 ERA in three years at Mizzou. He has a good body frame and his repertoire features a low-90's fastball with (according to Baseball America) the best slider in the Twins system. Gibson also has a change-up and curveball, which he'll likely perfect while he's with the Twins. He'll be on the fast-track to the Major Leagues, so keep an eye on Gibson. Matt Garza jumped from Advanced-A to the Majors in one season, so it's not unfathomable to believe Gibson can do it as well.

2009 Statistics

Not Available (Signed Late)

2010 Outlook
Gibson will begin the season in Advanced-A Fort Myers. There's a very good chance he won't finish the season in Fort Myers, so make sure to keep an eye on him.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (90-92)
Slider
Curveball
Change-up

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2011

Mauer Contract

2010-03-25T00:56:00.006-05:00

Due to a family emergency that has come up, it's likely that I won't find a way to post anything new for the rest of the week. But in the meantime here's a news package that my roommate Nick Lenz made for the UTVS News here in St. Cloud.

Score one for the little man

2010-03-22T00:12:00.004-05:00

As noted here yesterday, the Minnesota Twins and Joe Mauer, the American League MVP, have agreed to an 8-year, $184 million contract extension, keeping Mauer in Minnesota through the 2018 season. Mauer will make $12.5 million in 2010 and will then make $23 million per season through the 2018 season.

This signing is not only great news for Minnesotans, not only for fans of Twins baseball, but for the sport of baseball in general. Forget about the fact that catcher's are more susceptible to injury than any other position player is and that he may be forced from the catcher's position at some point down the line. Just don't even think about that. Leave that be for another day. Instead, focus on the fact that the MINNESOTA TWINS, a team not a decade removed from looking down the throat of contraction, a team once forced to play inside a Teflon-roofed building not meant to host baseball, a team that had recently lost All-Star caliber players due to having insufficient funds, have signed a player for $184 million.

This move makes the Twins look like they were David taking down Goliath. It immediately instills faith into the fans of the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers whose teams are trying to sign their premier players to long-term extensions even with little to no chance of it happening. Those teams will remain hopeful that their franchise players will sign before being swallowed up by the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and other large market teams of Major League Baseball.

Is this the best move for the Minnesota Twins? Maybe not. It's hard to explain how one player making 25% of their team's payroll is a good move. However, this extension means a lot to the team's (and their fans) that have been unable to keep up with the large market teams who can lure players away by offering them a lot more money over more years without batting an eye.

Mauer, already one of baseball's most marketable and beloved players wasn't tempted by the thought of playing in a large city where he'd undoubtedly heighten his celebrity to disgusting levels. Instead, he's staying home to play baseball in the state that has made him their son. The organization that could have chosen Mark Prior, the best college pitcher in years to enter the draft. The team that he grew up cheering for as a child. Mauer's a rare breed, and he along with the Twins gave the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the other teams that have pushed smaller teams around a shot right in the groin.

This is a big win for the little man.

Twins, Mauer agree to 8-year deal

2010-03-21T18:14:00.004-05:00

Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has reported that the Minnesota TWins and Joe Mauer have agreed to an eight year deal worth $184 million.

This is a great day for Twins baseball.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #6 Angel Morales

2010-03-20T13:07:00.006-05:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #6 | Angel Morales

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | November 24, 1989 (Caguas, Puerto Rico)

School | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy

Height | 6'1''

Weight | 180 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 6

Breakdown
Angel Morales was taken in the third round of the 2007 draft out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy in Gurabo, Puerto Rico. He was originally thought to be a light-hitting outfielder with outstanding speed and great defense. But in just two-and-a-half short years, Morales has become one of the best power-hitting prospects the Twins have while maintaining great defense and his blazing speed.

After signing a $234,000 signing bonus, Morales was sent to the Gulf Coast League where he hit .256/.357/.405 in 38 games for the Twins. In 2008, Morales began the season in Extended Spring Training before joining the Elizabethton Twins in June. He appeared in 54 games with the Twins and hit .301/.413/.623 with 15 home runs but drove in just 28 runners. In 2009, Morales continued to move up the ladder, joining the Beloit Snappers for his first go-around in a full season league. He looked severely over-matched until he finally turned it on in July. He finished the season hitting .266/.329/.455 with 13 home runs in 376 at-bats.

Morales has as much potential as anyone in the organization, but he's equally as raw as he is talented. One thing that you must consider when evaluating a player like Morales is that he was playing in the Midwest League at 19-years-old, two years younger than the average age. Interestingly, he's almost two months younger than 2008 first round pick Aaron Hicks, whose plate discipline is light-years ahead of Morales'. His strikeout total is his biggest area of concern, but he's so young that it's hard to imagine that it won't improve at some point. Offensively, Morales reminds me of Alfonso Soriano while defensively I think that the Carlos Beltran comparisons fit nicely. Whether or not he actually comes close to reaching his potential is anyone's guess, but he's definitely a player worth keeping an eye on.

2009 Statistics

          Level       G    PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          A-        115   418    .266    .329    .455      40     13    122

2010 Outlook
Morales turned things around in the second half of the season which along with his talent will likely ensure that he starts the 2010 season in Advanced-A Fort Myers. Given that the Florida State League is tough on hitters and that he's only 20-years-old, Morales will likely stay there for the entire season.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #7 Danny Valencia

2010-03-16T23:00:00.006-05:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #7 | Danny Valencia

Position | Third Base

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | September 19, 1984 (Miami, Florida)

School | University of Miami

Height | 6'2''

Weight | 210 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 3

........................(Jerry Hale/MLB.com)

Breakdown
After a successful yet short-lived two year career at the University of Miami, the Minnesota Twins felt fortunate when Danny Valencia was still available in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. Valencia signed quickly and reported to the Appalachian League and in less than four years, he's gone from being a 19th round pick to the third baseman of the future for the Twins.

With the Elizabethton Twins, Valencia hit .311/.365/.505 in 190 at-bats. He moved up to Single-A Beloit in 2007 where he hit .302/.374/.500 before being promoted to Advanced-A Ft. Myers in June. He spent the rest of the 2007 season and the first half of the 2008 season in the Florida State League where he hit .313/.367/.469 with 43 extra-base hits in 450 at-bats with the Miracle. In June of 2008, Valencia was promoted to Double-A New Britain and spent the same time there as he did in Ft. Myers. He received 484 at-bats in the Eastern League and hit .287/.353/.483 with 55 extra-base hits. In June of 2009, Valencia got one step closer to reaching the Major Leagues when he was promoted to Triple-A Rochester. He finished off the season with the Red Wings hitting .286/.305/.454 in 71 games. He got off to a great start but cooled off, enough for the Twins to not promote him when rosters expanded in September.

Valencia is a very solid prospect. He's hit .299/.354/.480 through 1,635 at-bats he's hit 176 extra-base hits and has become a doubles-hitting machine, hitting a career high 38 doubles in 2009 after hitting 37 in 2008. There's little doubt that Valencia has the tools to be a solid Major League contributor with his bat. And at this point, the only thing holding Valencia back is his defense. He struggled a lot at third base in 2009, but he's been fine there throughout his career which gives promise that he'll turn things around.

2009 Statistics

          Level       G    PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          AA         57   252    .284    .373    .482      25      7    134
          AAA        71   282    .286    .305    .454      31      7    100

2010 Outlook
Valencia has a shot at making the Twins roster, but unless there's an injury, he'll begin the 2010 season as the starting third baseman of the Rochester Red Wings. Expect him up if the Twins infield suffers an injury or after

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

Span, Twins agree to new contract

2010-03-13T18:00:00.001-06:00

First off I want to apologize for my lack of writing as of late. I've been on Spring Break this past week and...well...lets just say that the computer I'm using isn't the greatest. I know it's a lame excuse, but it's the truth. So I apologize and I will certainly write about a lot of things this week (such as the Nick Blackburn contract extension, Joe Nathan injury, and I'll finally get around to finishing my Top 50 Twins Prospect list). Thanks for visiting.

This morning, Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune announced that the Minnesota Twins have signed Denard Span to a new five-year contract. The deal will be worth up to $16.5 million and it also contains an option year worth $9 million. The contract itself will buy out all of Span's arbitration years without dipping into any of his free agency. However, his first year of free agency will be covered by the option year if the Twins decide to pick it up.

I received several e-mails and saw several comments about the Twins not worrying about signing Joe Mauer and that they're almost admitting defeat by signing guys like Nick Blackburn and Span to contracts before him. I completely disagree that either of these signings are an indication of whether or not they've "admitted defeat." In fact, I believe these contracts will give the Twins a better idea of what future expenses will be which should help them see how Mauer's contract will fit into their plans. Consider that optimistic, but I believe that's every bit as possible as the Twins "admitting defeat."

Here's how the $16.5 million will be dispersed:

2010: $750,000
2011: $1 million
2012: $3 million
2013: $4.75 million
2014: $6.5 million
2015: Team option of $9 million (including a $500,000 buyout)

A very reasonable price to pay for arguably the best lead-off hitter in the American League. It's tough to say whether or not he would have made that money through arbitration, but the Twins are alleviating any headaches they may have encountered through that process.

This is the second vote of confidence that the Twins have given to Span sine the end of last season. The other being the trade of Carlos Gomez to Milwaukee, ensuring that Span remains the full-time center fielder. This coming not two years after everyone had already written him off as a viable Major League outfielder.

Span has recently credited LASIK eye surgery for helping him evolve into one of the game's premier lead-off hitters. In the past, he's credited motivation in helping him get better, "I read about people saying I'm not ready and that I suck, etc. But I read it to get motivated." As Rob Neyer of ESPN.com recently wrote, we'll probably never know what has helped Span the most, but whatever it is, it's working.

In response to the signing, Span said, "I'm definitely not angry today." But if motivation is what's kept him going, I think Twins fans will need to unite and have a "Bash Denard Span Day" to help push him further.

I'm glad to see Span get the extension, even if it's only for the purpose to avoid headaches during arbitration.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #8 David Bromberg

2010-03-10T01:49:00.003-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #8 | David Bromberg

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Left/Right

Born | September 14, 1987 (Santa Monica, California)

School | Santa Ana Community College

Height | 6'5''

Weight | 241 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 26

Breakdown
The Twins took David Bromberg with their 32nd round selection in the 2005 draft. Bromberg signed with the Twins as a 'draft-and-follow', which allowed him to play a season with the "Dons" of Santa Ana CC. He went 3-2 with a 4.28 ERA before making the move into professional baseball.

Bromberg was assigned to the GCL Twins in 2006 where he won three games and posted an impressive 2.66 ERA in 10 starts. In 2007, Bromberg began the season in Extended Spring Training before joining the Elizabethton Twins in June. Through 13 games (11 starts), Bromberg was 9-0 with a 2.78 ERA. He also struck out 81 Appalachian League batters in 58 1/3 innings, helping lead the Twins to an Appy League Championship. In 2008, Bromberg moved up to the Midwest League. At first glance, Bromberg looked to have regressed. He was 9-10 with a 4.44 ERA. So saying that isn't completly untrue, but his 177 strikeouts lead all of Minor League Baseball, which certainly put more eyes on him. In 2009, Bromberg welcomed the added attention and truly made a name for himself. With the Ft. Myers Miracle, Bromberg was 13-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 27 games (26 starts). After the season, he was named the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

At 6'5'' and 240+ lbs., Bromberg can certainly intimidate opposing hitters when he's on the mound. He has a good repertoire of pitches, headlined with a low-mid 90's fastball and a great slurve. He also has a good slider and an improving change-up as well. Some believe he could someday end up in the bullpen, but right now, he's proven to be a workhorse out of the bullpen (throwing 303 1/3 innings over the past two seasons).

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA      IP     K    BB     WHIP     FIP

          A+        13     4    2.70   153.1   148    63     1.23    3.28

2010 Outlook
Bromberg will be in Double-A New Britain in 2010. He'll likely spend the entire year there.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (91-94)
Slider
Slurve
Change-up

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #9 Rene Tosoni

2010-03-09T10:35:00.004-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #9 | Rene Tosoni

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Left/Right

Born | July 2, 1986 (Toronto, Ontario)

School | Chipola Junior College

Height | 6'0''

Weight | 195 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 20

Breakdown
Selected by the Twins in the 34th round of the 2004 draft, Tosoni chose to go the JUCO route instead of signing. He was selected in the 36th round a year later but this time chose to sign. Unfortunately, issues with his visa forced Tosoni to miss all of 2006 which meant he wouldn't be allowed to begin his professional career until 2007, two years after he was drafted.

Tosoni was sent to Elizabethton of the Appalachian League in 2007 where he hit .301/.407/.428 with 20 extra-base hits to help lead the Twins to an Appalachian League Championship. He hardly got a sip of coffee with the Beloit Snappers, but most believed he'd be back to the Midwest League for all of the 2008 season. But the Twins surprised many by promoting Tosoni straight to the Florida State League, and it looks to have been the right decision. Despite missing three months with a broken foot, Tosoni hit .300/.408/.414 in 42 games with the Miracle. In 2009, the Twins continued to move Tosoni up the the organizational ladder. He played the entire season with the New Britain Rock Cats of the Eastern League, hitting .271/.360/.454 with 44 extra-base hits in 122 games. He struggled in the Arizona Fall League, but being that he had 30 more at-bats in 2009 than he had in 2007 and 2008 combined, I think he deserves a free pass.

Tosoni is a very complete player. He has a very fluid swing and makes good contact. He isn't great on defense, but his strong arm will make the organization think hard about keeping him in right field. He has outstanding discipline at the plate, and he could be a good #2 hitter someday, but if he can't improve against left-handed pitching he might be nothing more than a bench bat for the Twins. Still, someone will eye Tosoni and the Twins may use him as trade bait given the amount of high quality outfielders the organization has.

2009 Statistics

          Level       G    PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          AA        122   490    .271    .360    .454      44     15    125

2010 Outlook
Tosoni should be in Triple-A Rochester to begin the season, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him spend a little more time in Double-A New Britain.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #10 Adrian Salcedo

2010-03-02T08:06:00.004-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #10 | Adrian Salcedo

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | April 24, 1991 (Moca, Dominican Republic)

School | Not Available

Height | 6'4''

Weight | 175 lbs.

2009 Ranking | Not Ranked

Breakdown
Adrian Salcedo signed with the Twins as a 16-year-old non-drafted free agent on December 13, 2007. He spent all of the 2008 season in the Dominican Summer League as a 17-year-old, but he didn't go unnoticed. He was the youngest pitcher on the team, but he was impressive nonetheless with a 1.65 ERA and a 6.25 K/BB ratio.

He came to the states in 2009 where he began the season in Extended Spring Training before joining the Gulf Coast League Twins in June. With the Twins, Salcedo put up similar numbers to what he had in the DSL the year before. He was 3-2 with a 1.46 ERA and a continued display of great command with his 0.05 BB/IP ratio.

Salcedo has a great repertoire of pitches and nearly all of them are considered "plus" at this point in time for his ability to command all of them. He used his change-up a lot in 2009 and (along with his sinking-fastball) induced a good amount of ground balls. He has a low-to-mid 90's fastball that one person I talked to said, "might have been the best fastball, in terms of command, in the Twins system in 2009." There has been some discrepancies as to whether he throws a curveball or slider, but I've heard more people describe it as a curveball. One person I talked to came up with a fair thought, perhaps he has both in his repertoire and it's just not easy to distinguish between the two? It's possible and if it were proven, I probably would have ranked him a few spots higher. Salcedo's size of 6'4'' and 175 lbs. is very projectable and it's always great to see that there's still room for growth. 2010 will be a big year for Salcedo. He has to prove that his 2009 season wasn't a fluke and that pitching in a pitcher-friendly environment like the Gulf Coast League didn't inflate his stats. With his advanced repertoire and ability to command all of his pitches, Salcedo should be considered for a spot in the Beloit Snappers rotation.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA      IP     K    BB     WHIP     FIP

          R (GCL)    3     2    1.46    61.2    58     3     1.01    1.92

2010 Outlook
It's tough predicting where Salcedo will go, but he'll likely begin the 2010 season in extended Spring Training before joining with the Elizabethton Twins when short-season leagues begin in mid-June. Don't be surprised though to see the Snappers call on him if they're in need of an arm.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (2 & 4 seam) (89-93)
Curveball
Change-up
Slider

Video
None

Estimated Time of Arrival
2014

Aaron Hicks Interview

2010-02-25T22:06:00.006-06:00

Aaron Hicks is a name most Twins fans are becoming familiar with. Not only is he considered the Twins top prospect by respected scouting establishments like Baseball America, ESPN (Scouts.inc) and Baseball Prospects (among others), he's also considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball, ranked as high as no. 19 in ESPN (Scouts.inc) and Baseball America's Top 100 Prospect lists.

Selected by the Twins with the 14th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Hicks wasted no time making a big impact, hitting .318/.409/.491 in 45 games with the Gulf Coast League Twins. In 2009, Hicks began the season in Extended Spring Training, but Beloit's offense needed a spark and instead of sticking with the status quo and going to Elizabethton, Hicks was sent to Beloit. He didn't put up ungodly numbers, but his plate discipline and defensive prowess were outstanding. He hit .251/.353/.382 in 67 games with the Snappers, but at 19-years-old, those numbers are great. After the season, Baseball America named him the top prospect of the Midwest League.

Despite his age, scouts have compared Hicks to the likes of Torii Hunter, Adam Jones and Darryl Strawberry (among others), all of whom seem to be very realistic examples. He's a great athlete and his bat is really the only question right now, but despite it being raw, he has hit well and should continue to improve with age. So without further ado, here's Aaron Hicks.

Josh's Thoughts: You have widely been considered the Twins Top Prospect, do you feel any added pressure due to this? Do you generally pay attention to prospect rankings? And how do you deal with pressure?

Aaron Hicks: You know, I actually don't worry about rankings. I leave that to my parents who like to see where I'm at in the rankings. I'm more focused on getting to the big leagues and staying there for a long time. I also want to be known to the fans as a guy that never gave up and left everything I had on the field. As for the pressure, I don't worry about that I'm here to play ball the best that I can.

Josh's Thoughts: Tell us a little about being drafted. How did it feel? Before you were drafted, what team did you have the most contact with? Did you have a lot of contact with the Twins? Were you surprised to be taken by the Twins? Did you expect to go sooner or later?

Aaron Hicks: Being drafted was a great feeling and I loved being at the draft. I was contacted a lot by the Dodgers probably because I'm from L.A. (which is obviously close to the big league team). I was liking my chances of going to the Twins but I thought maybe the Cardinals at 13 might draft me but I was told that I was high with the dodgers at 15.

Josh's Thoughts: Prior to the draft, you were also considered one of the top prep-pitchers in the nation.What position did you prefer (pitcher/outfielder)? Was it hard to pass up the scholarship to USC?

Aaron Hicks: I liked pitching because I had to do what was best for my team at that point, but I'm truly a position player; that's my passion. But passing up going to USC was hard. I liked the coaches and how they approached me. They kept me wanting to go there.

Josh's Thoughts: What has been your favorite minor league stadium to play at?

Aaron Hicks: I like the stadium where the (Reds minor league affiliates) Dayton Dragons play.

Josh's Thoughts: What has been your greatest baseball moment?

Aaron Hicks: My greatest (minor league) moment was hitting a grand slam at home in Beloit. But my best moment in High School was being ranked the #1 National Championship high school team and winning C.I.F. Championship at Dodger Stadium.

Josh's Thoughts: What has been the most difficult part about professional baseball? Best part?

Aaron Hicks: I would say traveling and having thousands of fans watching your games.

Josh's Thoughts: What is something people might be shocked to know about you?

Aaron Hicks: I started playing baseball when I was 13.

Josh's Thoughts: Do you have a nickname?

Aaron Hicks: Guys from back home call me "Mr. Superstar" because I ended up being good at every sport I tried like basketball, football, golf, tennis, and soccer.

Josh's Thoughts: If you weren't playing professional baseball, what do you think you'd be doing?

Aaron Hicks: Playing golf.

Josh's Thoughts: What do you like to do in your free time?

Aaron Hicks: Haha, play golf.

Josh's Thoughts: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Aaron Hicks: Ken Griffey Jr. and Tiger Woods. I know he's not a player, but he's a great athlete.

Josh's Thoughts: Who has had the biggest influence on your career?

Aaron Hicks: My parents, they always want what's best for me.

Josh's Thoughts: What kind of music do you listen to?

Aaron Hicks: I listen to all kinds of music.

Josh's Thoughts: Did you play any other sports in high school? How good were you?

Aaron Hicks: I played basketball in High School through my sophomore year. I played forward and was pretty good dunking as a freshman.

Josh's Thoughts: Do you have a daily routine during the season?

Aaron Hicks: Really, I just take front toss before the game.

Josh's Thoughts: If you were commissioner for a day, what change would you make in baseball?

Aaron Hicks: Personally, I have no idea what to do if I was in that situation.

Josh's Thoughts: What do you do in the off-season? When do you start preparing for the next season? Have any idea of where you might start the year?

Aaron Hicks: In the off-season, I work out everyday. This past off season, I've been mainly working on running. I've been running since the 4th of November and started hitting on a regular basis on the 1st of December. I have no idea where I'll start, but hopefully it's Fort Myers.

Josh's Thoughts: What are your thoughts on TwinsFest? Do you enjoy signing autographs?

Aaron Hicks: I loved TwinsFest. It was fun meeting the fans and the atmosphere was great. I liked hanging out with the big leaguers and coaches and hall-of-famers. Autographs were fun. I enjoyed having little kids coming up to me asking me for my autograph.

Josh's Thoughts: How would you describe yourself as a player? What areas do you think you need to improve on the most?

Aaron Hicks: As a player I want to be that guy that nobody likes to have on base in the bottom of ninth or batting with bases loaded and were down. I need to improve on my hitting and sharpen up my base stealing, but that's what I did this off-season, so well see.

I'd like to thank Aaron Hicks again for taking the time to answer questions. Hopefully you all enjoyed getting to know one of the up-and-coming stars of the Twins system.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #11 Joe Benson

2010-02-25T00:06:00.003-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #11 | Joe Benson

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | March 5, 1988 (Hinsdale, Illinois)

School | Chino Hills High School

Height | 6'2''

Weight | 211 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 27

Breakdown
Selected in the second round of the 2006 draft, Joe Benson didn't need a lot of convincing to pass up an athletic scholarship from Purdue to pursue his dream of playing professional baseball. The Twins signed Benson to a $575,000 signing bonus, which is considered fair market value for his draft position. Benson, an all-star running back garnered a lot of interest from Big 10 schools to play both baseball and football. Instead, the Twins may have gotten one of the biggest steals of the draft.

After quickly signing, Benson began his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Twins where he hit .260/.335/.444 in 196 at-bats. He was later promoted to the Midwest League where he finished the season off with the Snappers. In 2007, Benson spent the entire year with the Snappers, hitting .255/.347/.368 with 31 extra-base hits in 432 at-bats. He returned to Beloit in 2008, but continued to struggle by hitting .248/.326/.382 in 254 at-bats. His season was cut-short with a back injury. The Twins decided to move him up the ladder in 2009, and the pieces finally started to fall into place. Despite playing in a league that is pitcher-friendly (the Florida State League), Benson's offensive numbers improved in every way. He hit .285/.414/.403 in 263 at-bats. He got off to a fast start but missed two months after losing a fight with a cement wall following a disagreement with an umpire. Thankfully, he rebounded after his return and finished the season on a right note. Probably the most important aspect of Benson's 2009 campaign was that he got on-base 41% of the time, which was around 7% points higher than his career average.

Benson has all the tools to be successful, so hopefully he'll be able to control his emotions and stay on the field. He has great speed and can play all three outfield positions exceptionally well. He still has a lot to prove with really just one good season under his belt. He's certainly a guy to keep an eye on this season.

2009 Statistics

          Level       G    PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          R (GCL)     2    72    .200    .429    .200       0      0     94
          A+         80    72    .285    .414    .403      18      5    143

2010 Outlook
Benson may begin the season in Ft. Myers but there's little reason as to why he shouldn't finish the season in Double-A New Britain.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #12 BJ Hermsen

2010-02-24T00:26:00.003-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #12 | BJ Hermsen

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | December 1, 1989 (Masonville, Iowa)

School | West Delaware High School

Height | 6'6''

Weight | 230 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 38

Breakdown
Considered one of the best steals of the draft, the Twins went above-and-beyond to sign Hermsen away from a baseball scholarship to Oregon State. Taken in the sixth round in 2008, the Twins signed Hermsen to a $650,000 signing bonus, which was more than what they gave to Bobby Lanigan, Danny Ortiz or Nick Romero, all of whom were taken higher than Hermsen.

Due to signing at the deadline, Hermsen didn't make his professional appearance until last June. After beginning the season in Extended Spring Training, Hermsen reported to the Gulf Coast League in June where he completely baffled hitters with a 0.68 WHIP in 10 starts. With exception to one start where he gave up four runs in four inning, Hermsen was close to perfect last year. Without the one start, his ERA would have be lowered to 0.72.

Hermsen doesn't have over-powering stuff, but he has outstanding control and scouts believe his good mechanics and size will allow him to gain some velocity as he matures. His 2009 season was somewhat diminished by the fact that both Blayne Weller and Adrian Salcedo had very similar numbers. Hermsen may have been the best of the three-headed monster, but it's too hard to say one way or the other.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA      IP     K    BB     WHIP     FIP

          R (GCL)    6     2    1.35    53.1    42     4     0.68    2.30

2010 Outlook
Hermsen will likely remain in Extended Spring Training to begin the season, but if he's needed in Beloit, I can certainly see him fit in well with the Snappers. If not, he'll latch on with the Elizabethton Twins in June.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (2 & 4 seam) (86-89)
Curveball
Change-up

Video

B.J. Hermsen, Gazette Athlete of the Year from GazetteOnline.com on Vimeo.

Estimated Time of Arrival
2014

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #13 Chris Parmelee

2010-02-23T00:00:00.004-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #13 | Chris Parmelee

Position | First Base/Outfield

Bats/Throws | Left/Left

Born | February 24, 1988 (Long Beach, California)

School | Chino Hills High School

Height | 6'1''

Weight | 223 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 13

Breakdown
With their first round pick in the 2006 draft, the Twins selected Chris Parmelee out of Chino Hills High School. With a $1.5 million signing bonus in hand, Parmelee quickly and reported to the Gulf Coast League. The Twins drafted Parmelee, who primarily played first base in high school in an attempt to convert him to corner outfielder.

His first season of pro-ball went just as he and the Twins had hoped. Parmelee hit .279/.369/.532 and immediately showcased the power that the Twins saw from him in high school, belting eight home runs in his first 45 games with the GCL Twins. Parmelee later appeared in 11 games with the Beloit Snappers, but showed his youth after hitting .227/.370/.273 in 22 at-bats. In 2007, Parmelee spent the entire year in the Midwest League hitting .239/.313/.414 with 43 extra-base hits and 70 RBI as a 19-year-old. He returned to Beloit in 2008, hitting .239/.385/.496 with 27 extra-base hits, but a wrist injury allowed Parmelee to play in just 69 games. He was finally promoted to Advanced-A Ft. Myers in 2009 and he remained healthy throughout the season, hitting .258/.359/.441 and continued to showcase superb power with 16 home runs.

All together, Parmelee has hit 53 home runs in 1,271 minor league at-bats. The saying, "he is what he is" truly applies with Parmelee. He has consistently gotten on-base at a high rate, hit a lot of home runs and been a productive run producer while struggling to make contact and striking out at an alarming 30% of the time. He gets on hot streaks, but his overall numbers are very consistent. Despite his increase in weight, Parmelee has played solid defense in both right field and first base. At the plate, Parmelee looks a lot like Travis Snider of the Blue Jays but his numbers look a lot more like Adam Dunn of the Nationals, which isn't bad in either respect.

2009 Statistics

          Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          A+       123     72    .258    .359    .441      44     16    130

2010 Outlook
Parmelee will probably return to Advanced-A Ft. Myers to begin the season but he should be promoted sometime around mid-season. Personally, I don't think Parmelee will really benefit from starting at one or the other and it will likely be contingent on depth. Wherever he's needed, he'll be there.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

Minor League Draft Thoughts

2010-02-19T00:47:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, Seth Stohs of Seth Speaks asked me to participate in a Minor League draft that he was conducting. Much like fantasy baseball, we drafted players from certain positions in an attempt to get a "roster" of players. Really, the only differences are that the players had to be Twins minor leaguers and they had to be rookie eligible. So along with Seth and myself, Roger Dehring of Twinkie Town and Travis Aune of Travis Talks went through 22 rounds of Twins minor league players.

Besides the fact that it sounded fun, I honestly had no idea what to expect going into this. I have a lot of experience with fantasy baseball and have always loved the draft process, but on top of that, I wanted to add something a little different to this draft. Being as we're not taking score, I wanted to make a team the way I'd actually try to construct an actual roster. For instance, I've always believed that shortstop is the most important defensive position on the field so I had that in mind when I took Jorge Polanco (who Baseball America claimed to be the best defensive infielder in the system) as my shortstop.

So with all of that said, here's my (would be) lineup:

1. Ben Revere - CF (Maybe I'm just that big of a Denard Span fan, but I can't see myself have a team without a table-setter at the top of the lineup. Revere's as good as it gets in the Twins system.)

2. Jorge Polanco - SS (Scouts have claimed that he has on-base skills and the Twins have also said that they believe he has the potential to hit in the two-hole some day.)

3. Joe Benson - RF (I've always been very high on Benson and I believe he is one of the most promising young players in this system. His bat is good and should continue to get better.)

4. Luke Hughes - 3B (After Valencia, Hughes is probably the best third base prospect in the system and he has enough power to put himself in the middle of the lineup.)

5. Erik Lis - 1B (I've always likes Lis and I hope that he gets his chance with the Twins. He hits a lot of doubles and is a solid run producer. I just wish I would have taken Brock Peterson as well so Lis could be the DH, which is probably his best position.)

6. Danny Rams - C (Rams and Hughes could really switch places, but that's a moot point. Rams has a ton of power potential and is the next best thing to Wilson Ramos at the catcher's position.)

7. Ramon Santana - 2B (He had a big 2009 season, but he's quite a bit older for his level of play. Still, there wasn't a ton left for infielders.)

8. Steven Liddle - DH (Didn't really anticipate him being in my lineup when I took him, but I'm fine either way. He came from a good college and could be a surprise in 2010.)

9. Danny Ortiz - LF (Missed all of 2009 with a leg injury but he was taken in the 4th round of the 2008 draft. He has a lot of power and should slide up the lineup eventually.)

Here's my bench:

Nick Lockwood (MI), Romy Trinidad (OF), Jonathan Waltenbury (1B)

Lockwood was given a nice signing bonus to sign with the Twins and I like his potential. Trinidad had a great year in the Dominican Summer League and is a low-risk/high-reward this late in the draft. Waltenbury had a poor 2009 season, but I expect him to rebound in 2010.

Here's my rotation:

1. David Bromberg - RHP (I'm a huge Bromberg fan and although he's probably not an ace, I still feel comfortable with him at the top of my lineup.)

2. Tyler Robertson - LHP (Much like with Bromberg, Robertson probably doesn't belong at this spot in the rotation, but his production can't be denied. Also, I wanted to make sure I had at least one left-hander in my rotation)

3. Tom Stuifbergen - RHP (Has the "bulldog" mentality and as Seth has said numerous times before, "he just knows how to pitch." He hits his spots and mixes in a good repertoire.)

4. Michael Tonkin - RHP (I wanted one of the GCL arms and Tonkin is a great pick. He certainly could move up higher in the rotation at some point.)

5. Shooter Hunt - RHP (Without a legitimate ace, I wanted to take the risk of taking Hunt. He has some of the best "stuff" in the organization, but he can't hit the broad side a barn. If he can ever regain any control, he'll be the staff ace.)

Here's my bullpen:

Anthony Slama - CL (Perhaps I was a little too biased with some players as I took Slama mostly because I liked him, but I guess when I do look at things, he was the best available closer. Slama's close to being ML ready and I feel comfortable with him anchoring down my bullpen.)

Loek Van Mil - SU (As I said in the notes on Seth's page, I've never been a big fan of Van Mil's, but I do think he's projectable and it's hard to pass up a high-90's fastball that late in the draft.)

Kyle Carr - LOOGY (With Joe Testa and a few other left-handers gone, I thought I needed to quickly grab a quality southpaw before they were all taken. I got that with Carr.)

Kyle Waldrop - MR (Another biased-pick, but I think Waldrop will continue to progress in the bullpen and I think his best days are still to come.)

Pedro Guerra - LR (I actually couldn't believe he was still on the board, but I like Guerra and if one of my starters don't pan out, he can step in and fill in on a whim.)

So there you have it. I'd also like to encourage you to check out the other participators sites to see their thoughts on the draft. It was really a lot of fun and I hope that it's something we do again. I know this really doesn't have much purpose, but it will be cool to look back on in a few years.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #14 Carlos Gutierrez

2010-02-17T21:23:00.004-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #14 | Carlos Gutierrez

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | September 22, 1986 (Miami, Florida)

School | University of Miami

Height | 6'3''

Weight | 205 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 18

Breakdown
With the 27th overall pick in the 2008 draft, the Twins surprised a lot of people by selecting Carlos Gutierrez out of the University of Miami. Gutierrez had one year under his belt after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in the summer of 2006 and was being used as the Hurricanes closer. Despite not starting a game since before his surgery, the Twins drafted Gutierrez with the intention of converting him back into a starter.

After signing a $1.29 million with the Twins, Gutierrez appeared in 16 games as a reliever for the Ft. Myers Miracle and had a 2.10 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. The Twins sent Gutierrez back to the Florida State league in 2009, but this time Gutierrez would be used extensively as a starter. He looked to be no match for Florida State League hitters who hit a meager .192 off of him in 54 2/3 innings. He was promoted to Double-A New Britain in June but his transition to the Eastern League didn't go smoothly. Gutierrez made six starts for the Rock Cats but they resulted in a 1-2 record and 5.46 ERA which prompted the Twins to move him into the bullpen in July. Unfortunately, Gutierrez's season continued to crumble. In 16 appearances as a reliever, he had a 7.03 ERA. Gutierrez's prospect-rank fell considerably after his collapse, but for a player who had thrown around 76 innings since undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery, it's easy to believe that he just didn't have enough arm strength to sustain a full season.

According to Baseball America, Gutierrez's 96 mph sinker is the best fastball in the system. He also has a slider and change-up, but he relies a lot on his fastball. He induces a ton of ground balls and has a lot of potential on the mound. The question with Gutierrez is that some believe that he'll eventually end up in the bullpen. The Twins will continue to try him out as a starter, but thankfully he has late-inning experience which would make a transition much easier.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA      IP     K    BB     WHIP     FIP

          A+         2     3    1.32    54.2    33    23     1.08    3.55
          AA         1     3    6.19    52.1    32    24     1.64    5.02

2010 Outlook
Gutierrez will start the year in Double-A New Britain's rotation. If the Twins find themselves needing arms, I can see them move Gutierrez to the bullpen where he'd undoubtedly move up faster.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (93-96)
Slider
Change-up

Video
None

Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

Long overdue plugs

2010-02-14T12:37:00.002-06:00

Some of you may have noticed that I've added two "Books to buy" to the right side of the page. The two items I'm talking about are the Maple Street Press Twins Annual 2010 and the Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook. So instead of just telling you to buy these, I'm going to give you a little more information on them.

Since last summer, the Twins Centric group of John Bonnes, Seth Stohs, Nick Nelson and Parker Hageman have been busy working on several publications. With both the Trade Deadline Primer 2009 and Offseason GM Handbook 2009 available to purchase, the Twins Centric group helps lead a plethora of Twins bloggers in their latest venture the Maple Street Press Twins Annual 2010.

In all, 17 different writers were given the opportunity to have an article of theirs published in the magazine. My article was on the Twins focusing more on signing international prospects. But if you're scared by me being in it, you can rest assured that there are 128 pages of great content from much better writers.

I received a copy of the magazine on Wednesday and I have to say that the amount of content is overwhelming and it will make a great gift for any Twins fan. If you'd like to learn more about the MSP Twins Annual 2010, including who else is in it, click here.

And if you're interested in learning more about Twins prospects, I cannot recommend this next item enough. Seth Stohs wrote his first Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook last year and it was a great first project. But much like the Twins Centric group, he continues to out-due himself from his last project and his Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook is a must buy for anyone that has any interest in what is going on in the Twins farm system.

Whether you're a Minor League expert or don't know a single player, this handbook caters to everyone's knowledge. With over 123 pages of coverage and 150 prospect profiles, this handbook is chalked-full of premium Twins prospect coverage. Here's what you can expect from the handbook:

The Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook is at the publisher. Now, it will still be two or three weeks before it will be available, but starting today, you can pre-order your copy(ies) of the book. The first 75 books pre-ordered will be signed by yours truly. You can see the book’s cover below. If you click on it (or Click here), you will be taken to a PayPal page where you can pre-order copies. The book will sell for $13.95, but if you pre-order in January (through Sunday), you can get your copy for the same price as last year’s book, $12.95.

Last year’s book had 81 pages. The 2010 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook has 123 pages. And this year… We’ve got some pictures! There are stories on:

· Foreword by Kelly Thesier

· Just over 150 Twins minor league profiles

o With more in-depth statistics and splits

o Scouting reports from several people in, around and outside the Twins organization

· Top 5 Prospects from the Twins DSL Team

· Twins as Players in the International Markets

· Twins in the AFL

· Interview with Jeff Manship: Big Leaguer

· Danny Valencia: On the Cusp

· 2009 Draft and Derek McCallum Q&A

· SethSpeaks Top 30 Twins Prospect lists, 2006-2010

· Top 10 Twins prospect lists from several minor league experts and some of your favorite Twins bloggers.

Of course, if you have any questions, I welcome them. Please e-mail me.

I recently asked Seth a few questions on the handbook, and here's what he said:
Josh's Thoughts: Tell us a little about the handbook.

Seth Stohs: I could write/talk about the Handbook for an hour. I am really excited about what it is going to be. I was proud of last year's book, and for a first book, I thought it was solid, but this year is so much more. Last year's was 81 pages. This year is about 123. There are over 150 player profiles that are much better than last year's. much more in terms of scouting reports and in terms of more in-depth statistics and splits. Also, this year, I've got articles about the Twins in the international markets, the Arizona Fall league, the 2009 draft with lots of quotes from draftees and a small Q&A with Derek McCallum, a Q&A with Jeff Manship, and a quote-filled article called On the Cusp: Danny Valencia, and more. And this year, I have my updated Top 30 Twins prospects, but also look back at my past five Top 30 lists which is always fun to see where I was right and where I was wrong. There are also Top 10 lists from some of the prospect experts like John Sickels, John Manuel and Kevin Goldstein, but also from several of your favorite Twins blogs. There is a very nice foreword by Kelly Thesier. And, I'm sure I"m leaving several things out.

Josh's Thoughts: How did you get the idea of writing the (original) handbook and what were some obstacles that you faced when writing it? Did you face any obstacles with the 2010 handbook?

Seth Stohs: One of the readers of my blog e-mailed me one day after the 2008 season and said that there has to be ways to make money as a blogger. He presented a few ideas, one of which was a prospect handbook, since I already had profiles for my Top 50. The obstacles can be things like following the transactions throughout the offseason. Finding time to write when you have a regular 8-5 job, a 3 year old, a blog, writing a TwinsCentric publication, is not easy and there were a lot of nights falling asleep at the computer at 2:00 a.m. and getting up to start over. Finding sources for information that you can get good information from and trust can be tough too, but I'm happy with what I got. having Jonathan Mayo helping with some of the editing was a huge help too.

Josh's Thoughts: How long did it take to write?

Seth Stohs: The first book, I wrote the first draft in 2-3 weeks. This year's book took a lot longer, just because there was so much more information. Also, I intentionally wanted to make it available in late January or early February to make sure I could cover the Arizona Fall League, the 40 man roster changes, spring training invites and any other transactions that occur in a typical offseason. So this year, it took from October until a week ago.

Josh's Thoughts: Will the book be available in any other formats (e-book, etc.)? And how do you feel seeing your name printed on something? (...I know a little off, but I always think it's pretty surreal to see something that you did printed and want to know if I'm just crazy or if everyone has that feeling. Ha!)

Seth Stohs: This book really is best in print version. Something that will be different this year is that it will be available at many bookstores around the Twin Cities and other places in the upper midwest. It will be available online. I'll be honest, to see my name on the cover of a book was pretty cool last year. The cover was simple, but still kind of cool. This year, the cover actually has six prospects on it, and my name. It looks more professional, and it's even more exciting.

Josh's Thoughts: Finally, what got you interested in following Minor League Baseball in the first place?

Seth Stohs: Well, going back to when I was eight years old and collecting baseball cards, I always gravitated to the prospect cards, the Rated Rookies, the Future Stars, the draft pick cards. I collected Beckett Focus on the Future Stars while it existed. Once I started blogging in 2003, I wanted a blog that I would enjoy. Once I realized how much minor league information was online, I founda niche. The Twins have always built from within and always were calling up players. The core of the current team came up through the system. I guess I just enjoy following the path from the draft or signing to the big leagues because there is no 'normal' path to the big leagues. It has been very interesting to see the increased readership and e-mail and comments on my site over the years relative to the minor leagues.

Everyone knows that Seth writes at his blog Seth Speaks on an everyday basis and strongly emphasizes the Minor Leagues. When I originally wanted to get into writing, I started reading both Seth Stohs and Jonathan Mayo (among several others) on a regular basis. Since I've been a baseball fan, I've always been very interested in the Minor Leagues and both of these guys covered them to a great extent. I can honestly say that without Seth's guidance, I probably wouldn't be writing Josh's Thoughts. And if I were, it'd be much, much worse (scary, I know).

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #15 Tyler Robertson

2010-02-14T00:00:00.006-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #15 | Tyler Robertson

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Left/Left

Born | December 23, 1987 (Simi Valley, California)

School | Bella Vista High School

Height | 6'5''

Weight | 220 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 10

Breakdown
Tyler Robertson was taken by the Twins in the third round of the 2006 draft. Despite having the potential to play college football, the Twins made Robertson's decision to play professional baseball easy with a $405,500 signing bonus. According to Rivals.com, Robertson received "medium" interest from schools like California, Nebraska and UCLA to play quarterback.

After signing quickly, Robertson threw 48 2/3 innings for the GCL Twins in 2006 and put up a a 4-2 record and 4.25 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts). Instead of sticking with their status quo and letting Robertson go the Appalachian League in 2007, an injury forced the Twins to call-up Robertson to the Midwest League in late May. As a 19-year-old, he appeared in 18 games for the Snappers, winning nine. He would've finished second in the Midwest League with a 2.29 ERA but fell just short of qualifying. Robertson quickly jumped to the top of the prospect rankings, appearing as the #1 prospect on Seth Stohs' post-season Top 50 Twins Prospect list. He moved up to the Florida State League in 2008 and continued to dominate his opposition with a 2.72 ERA in 15 starts. Unfortunately, he developed shoulder tendinitis and was shut down in July. He came back healthy in 2009 but certainly wasn't as dominant as he was in the first-half of the 2008 season. Robertson was back in Ft. Myers, which was the best choice and he threw 143 1/3 innings, 41 innings more than his previous career high, with the Miracle. He had an 8-8 record and a 3.33 ERA in 26 starts.

Robertson is a built more like a quarterback than a pitcher, which probably doesn't mean a lot to most people, but when I see him throw, I can't stop thinking of him a throwing football instead of a baseball. His delivery is very unorthodox, albeit downright painful to watch and could result in many arm problems in the future. He has a very projectable body, but he's lost about five mph from his fastball since high school. Baseball America ranked Robertson as having the best curveball in the Twins system, but it's not his only 'plus' pitch. Robertson also has a good change-up and slider that he has also improved in recent years and is comfortable with throwing any pitch he has in his repertoire at anytime. He's been a starter up to this point in his career, but I've began to wonder if the Twins will try to protect his arm from any further injuries by moving him to the bullpen.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA      IP     K    BB     WHIP     FIP

          A+         8     6    3.33   143.1   103    51     1.32    3.10

2010 Outlook
Robertson will spend the entire season in Double-A New Britain in 2010. Depending on the amount of arms the Rock Cats have, he may be a candidate for the bullpen if their rotation is full.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (86-90)
Curveball
Slider
Change-up

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #16 Deolis Guerra

2010-02-13T00:00:00.003-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #16 | Deolis Guerra

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | April 17, 1989 (San Felix, Venezuela)

School | Not Available

Height | 6'5''

Weight | 200 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 12

Breakdown
Deolis Guerra received a $700,000 signing bonus from the New York Mets in 2005 as a 16-year-old. He got started in the states in 2006 as a 17-year-old. The Mets let him skip rookie ball and started to move him right up the later where he appeared in 17 games for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns. He had a 2.20 ERA with the Suns and the Mets felt comfortable with promoting him late in August and allow him to pitch for the St. Lucie Mets who would later win the Florida State League Championship. In 2007, Guerra found himself as an 18-year-old pitching in the Florida State League where he respectfully posted a 4.02 ERA in 21 appearances (20 starts). Despite his poor record of 2-6, everything seemed to be going right for Guerra.

In January of 2008, Guerra was traded along with Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey to the Twins for Johan Santana. The Twins weren't going to promote Guerra just yet, instead they wanted to see him prove that he deserved a promotion fromthe Florida State League. 2008, at the young age of 19, Guerra went 11-9 with a 5.47 ERA with the Fort Myers Miracle, a considerable regression from the year before. He began the 2009 season in the Florida State League and after 16 appearances (15 starts), Guerra was finally promoted to Double-A New Britain. Prior to the promotion, Guerra was 6-8 with a 4.69 ERA which is clear evidence that he still wasn't where the Twins wanted him to be, but they felt that a change of scenery was necessary for Guerra. He finished the season by winning six games for the Rock Cats and posting a 5.17 ERA.

Two-years later, Guerra is the only player still with the Twins from the Santana trade. It's hard to believe that he will only be 21-years-old in 2010 and that if he began his career with the Twins he'd likely be getting his first crack at the Florida State League. He has a very long delivery, which many believe is the source for his lack of velocity. Baseball America considers Guerra's change-up to be the best in the system. He also has a curveball, but it's far behind both his fastball and change-up. There's no reason to give up on Guerra yet, but it'd be nice to see some productivity from him this season.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA     IP     K     BB     WHIP     FIP

          A+         6     8    4.69   86.1    54     25     1.39    3.83
          AA         6     3    5.17   62.2    49     17     1.26    3.52

2010 Outlook
Guerra will begin the 2010 season at Double-A New Britain and at just 21-years-old, he'll likely end the season there too.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (87-91)
Curveball
Change-up

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

Nick Punto Day

2010-02-12T02:54:00.002-06:00

A few weeks back, Twins blogger Andrew Kneeland (of Twins Target) sent out an e-mail to different Twins bloggers asking to partake in Nick Punto Day. What is Nick Punto Day? Well, NPD isn't a holiday - at least not yet - but it is a day for Twins bloggers to give their thoughts on one of the most controvertible players in Twins history, Nick Punto.

We all hate when manager Ron Gardenhire describes him as a "gamer" or talks about his "hustle" and his yearning for Punto has even brought on several tasteful (and tasteless) jokes over the years, but I see why Gardenhire is so fond of him. Other than the fact that he's both over-payed and overplayed, he's a valuable player to have on a team.

Although he's only 5'9'' and 170 lbs., Punto is one of the most athletic players on the team. Every position he plays, he plays it well. Other than the 52 innings he's spent in the outfield, Punto has been used as an infielder throughout his entire career. At 32, he has racked-up over 5,300 innings at second base, shortstop and third base. And what's the most impressive about those 5,300+ innings is that his UZR/150 at each position has been great. At second base, his URZ/150 at second base is 3.9, at shortstop it's 18.1, and at third base it's 19.9.

With both J.J. Hardy and Orlando Hudson now in the fold, Punto is likely to receive a bulk of the starts at third base, which is his best defensive position. Danny Valencia, a top prospect in the Twins system, could be ready around mid-2010, which could push Punto into the role most would like to see him in, which is utility.

Punto has started an average of 125 games over the last five years and in the same span, he has hit .249/.324/.327 in 2,022 at-bats. Other than drawing a fair number of walks, Punto doesn't offer much offensively.

With all things considered, it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty...

I've grown tired and weary of the people that complain about Punto being penciled into the starting lineup. Punto, much like former Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez, should play everyday. Despite putting up atrocious numbers at the plate, both players can still be very valuable to a team with their great defense. The problem is that when your lineup already has two or three guys that aren't adequate on either side of the ball, then someone gets singled out.

Punto has wrongfully been the scapegoat to many complainers over the years. His defensive value cannot be denied. I've always thought that if Punto's to be blamed, then the front office is even more at fault. Gardenhire plays the roster he's given and knows Punto's value and believes that he offers something more than whatever else he has on the roster. And I agree 100% with him on that.

With guys like Hudson and Hardy filling out the middle infield, why not take a chance on Punto in the #9 hole? His defense is great at third base and great offensive production probably won't be a necessity.

Overall, I like Punto and hope he stays with the Twins. I do hope however that if the Twins do need more offense that Gardenhire doesn't think twice about pulling him out of the lineup.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #17 Anthony Slama

2010-02-10T00:00:00.003-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #17 | Anthony Slama

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | January 1, 1984 (Orange, California)

School | University of San Diego

Height | 6'3''

Weight | 205 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 17

Breakdown
Before attending the University of San Diego, Anthony Slama spent two years at Santa Ana Community College where he was 5-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 34 appearances. He transferred to the University of San Diego in 2006 and between his Junior and Senior years went 4-5 with a 4.48 ERA in 49 appearances (including two starts). He was drafted in 2006 after his Junior season in the 39th round and signed as a draft-and-follow, which allowed him to play in his senior year.

Slama's first stop in the Twins organization was Elizabethton, where he spent just six games before moving up to Low-A Beloit. Between the two stops, Slama was 1-1 with a 1.70 ERA in 31 2/3 innings. In 2008, Slama went to the Florida State League and completely dominated his opponents. The 24-year-old was 4-1 with a 1.01 ERA with 25 saves in 51 games. Despite his outstanding play, Slama was never promoted and ended up spending the entire season with the Miracle. In 2009, Slama rightfully began the season in Double-A New Britain where he threw 65 1/3 innings for the Rock Cats before being promoted to Triple-A Rochester. Between the two stops, Slama was 4-4 with a 2.66 ERA and 29 saves.

Slama doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he has a deceptive delivery which plays in well with his repertoire. His slider is his out pitch, but he also has a good fastball that sits in the high 80's/low 90's and a circle-change. One thing that is important to note with Slama is that has been significantly older than his competition up to this point and there are plenty of critics who doubt his ability to become a closer at the Major League level. But it's hard to overlook a career 13.3 K/9 ratio and he's had no problem closing games at each level he's been at.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA     IP     K     BB     WHIP     FIP

          AA         4     2    2.48   65.1    93     32     1.19    2.91
          AAA        0     2    3.45   15.2    19      8     1.21    2.31

2010 Outlook
Slama will begin the 2010 season in Triple-A Rochester where he will be the primarily closer for the Red Wings. He should get his call to the Major Leagues at some point during the season.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (88-92)
Slider
Change-up

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #18 Alex Burnett

2010-02-06T01:53:00.008-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects #18 Alex Burnett

Position Pitcher

Bats/Throws Right/Right

Born July 26, 1987 (Anaheim, California)

School Ocean View High School

Height 6'0''

Weight 190 lbs.

2009 Ranking 23

Breakdown
Since being taken by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2005 draft, Alex Burnett has been a starter. A good one, at that. But last year, the Twins foresaw Burnett as a reliever, and since making the switch, he's made their decision look genius. This adrenalin-junky showed all of us in 2009 that he's meant for the bullpen.

Burnett posted a 4.06 ERA in two years of Rookie Ball (split between the Gulf Coast League and Appalachian League), before moving up to Single-A Beloit in 2007. As a 19-year-old, Burnett gained respect by posting a 3.02 ERA in 27 starts in the Midwest League. He moved up to Advanced-A Fort Myers in 2008 and made 25 starts while appearing as a reliever in three more. Now keep in mind, Burnett has been a workhorse up to this point in his career, averaging around 150 innings per year between Beloit and Ft. Myers. The Twins decided to give Burnett a try in the bullpen in 2009, which did surprise me. But the Twins went with the decision, and I'm glad they did. Burnett had a 1.99 ERA in 18 appearances with the Miracle before being promoted to Double-A New Britain. He went on to make 40 appearances with the Rock Cats, posting a 1.79 ERA in 55 1/3 innings. Besides ERA, Burnett also made great improvements in his strikeout numbers. As a starter, Burnett had a career 6.56 K/9 ratio, in '09 that ratio was 9 even.

After the season, Burnett appeared in the Arizona Fall League and made 10 appearances and recorded three saves. Going forward, Burnett should be viewed as either a set-up man or closer. He can crank his fastball into the mid 90's and has a sharp cutter/slider that he uses as his out pitch. Burnett is one of several relievers that should be ready to go in 2011.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA     IP     K     BB     WHIP     FIP

          A+         2     1    1.99   22.2    26      7     0.93    1.96

          AA         1     2    1.79   55.1    52     19     0.99    2.98

2010 Outlook
Despite appearing in 40 games with New Britain in 2009, Burnett will likely begin the 2010 season with the Rock Cats before being promoted to Rochester mid-season. Expect Burnett to pick up a majority of the saves with New Britain early on. If he mows down the competition (which I believe he will), there is a possibility he could be considered for a promotion when rosters expand in September.

Pitching Repertoire

2/4 seam Fastball (89-94)

Slider/Cutter (83-86)

Curveball (76-78)

Change-up (81-83)

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2011

Orlando Hudson signs with the Twins

2010-02-04T13:39:00.007-06:00

Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has reported that Orlando Hudson has officially signed with the Twins. The deal is a 1-year $5 million deal and as Jon Heyman reported, bonuses are also involved (Ken Rosenthal said that no incentives are involved, but we'll find out eventually). Rosenthal also reported that the Twins agreed to not offer Hudson arbitration if he is a Type-A free agent. To express how I feel, I felt that this video is appropriate...

But in all seriousness, this is a great deal for the Twins and I completely agree with La Velle E. Neal III in that this is one of the best rosters that the Twins have had going into Spring Training. Phil Mackey sums up how I feel a lot, so instead of essentially writing exactly what he said, I encourage everyone to read his thoughts.

I will add a couple things though. If healthy, this lineup may be one of the best in all of baseball:

Denard Span - CF
Orlando Hudson -2B
Joe Mauer - C
Justin Morneau - 1B
Michael Cuddyer - RF
Jason Kubel - DH
J.J. Hardy - SS
Delmon Young - LF
Nick Punto - 3B

And also, if I had to make a prediction, Alexi Casilla will be taken off of the 40 man roster. I know that most Twins fan (including myself) would rather see Matt Tolbert (who still has options) taken off, but I just don't see Casilla in Minnesota when he only plays 2B/SS.

It's a great day to be a Twins fan!

And for those who may be wondering, I've decided to post two picks tomorrow for the Top 50 Prospects list. This signing is big news.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #19 Blayne Weller

2010-02-04T00:00:00.005-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #19 | Blayne Weller

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | January 30, 1990 (Key West, Florida)

School | Key West High School

Height | 6'5''

Weight | 220 lbs.

2009 Ranking | Not Ranked

Breakdown
Drafted straight out of Key West High School in 2008, Blayne Weller was given a $100,000 signing bonus by the Twins to sign instead of accepting a baseball scholarship to either Jacksonville State University or St. Petersburg College. The 14th round pick signed a day before the deadline, which limited him to just one inning in 2008.

He began the 2009 season in Extended Spring Training before being assigned to the Gulf Coast League. From that point, Weller stunned hitters and impressed coaches with a staggering 1.58 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts). Weller went on to win five games with the GCL Twins and finally had the chance to showcase the great control that caught the eye of the Twins when he was still in High School. In 57 innings, Weller walked just eight batters while striking out 49.

At 6'5'' and 220 lbs., Weller is a very sound and projectable pitcher. He has great mechanics and can consistently hit his spots. Despite his size, he doesn't throw very hard, but it's important to acknowledge that he is only 20 years old and his control is ahead of most of the pitchers in the system.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA     IP     K     BB     WHIP     FIP

          R (GCL)    5     1    1.58   57.0    49      8     0.95    2.34

2010 Outlook
Weller's most likely destination this season will be Elizabethton after a few months of Extended Spring Training.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (87-90)
Curveball
Change-up

Video
None

Estimated Time of Arrival
2014

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #20 Billy Bullock

2010-02-03T00:00:00.004-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #20 | Billy Bullock

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | February 27, 1988 (Riverview, Florida)

School | University of Florida

Height | 6'6''

Weight | 225 lbs.

2009 Ranking | Not Ranked

Breakdown
Billy Bullock was taken by the Twins in the second round of last June's draft. After two disappointing seasons as a starter, Bullock was converted into a full-time reliever in his Junior season at the University of Florida. As a freshman and sophomore, Bullock's velocity sat between 89-92, but upon his conversion, he was regularly being clocked between 94-96 mph. Bullock quickly became one of the best closers in the nation posting a 2.64 ERA, converting 11 saves, and striking out 50 batters in 34 games in 2009.

After signing with the Twins, Bullock was sent to the Appalachian League to pitch for the Elizabethton Twins. He dominated his first seven appearances with a 1.23 ERA and 10/1 K/BB ratio. He was promoted to Low-A Beloit after seven appearances and continued with his success in the Midwest League. With the Snappers, Bullock was 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings. Bullock also struck out 35 batters but also walked seven (not including the three intentional walks he issued).

At 6'6'' and 225 lbs. nobody can deny that Bullock's an intimidating presence on the mound. His fastball runs in the mid-90's but his two breaking pitches still need a lot of work. Scouts don't like his herky-jerky deliver as it limits his ability to consistently control his pitches. With that, many scouts doubt his ability to ever become a closer. He'll likely being the year in the Florida State League but shouldn't have a problem reaching Double-A New Britain (or higher) by season's end.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA     IP     K     BB     WHIP     FIP

          R (ELZ)    1     0    1.23    7.1    10      1     0.55    1.29
          A-         3     0    2.73   26.1    35     12     1.41    2.71

2010 Outlook
Bullock will likely start the season in Advanced-A Fort Myers but could push for a promotion (or two). He should be the primary closer at each stop he's at.

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (95-97)
Slider
Change-up

Video
None

Estimated Time of Arrival
2011

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #21 Jeff Manship

2010-02-02T00:43:00.003-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #21 | Jeff Manship

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | January 16, 1985 (San Antonio, Texas)

School | University of Notre Dame

Height | 6'2''

Weight | 200 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 14

Breakdown
Following an impressive high school career, the Arizona Diamondbacks drafted Jeff Manship in the 50th round of the 2003 draft. He opted instead to attend the University of Notre Dame. Manship he spent three years with the Fighting Irish before being drafted again, this time by the Twins in the 14th round of the 2006 draft. With Notre Dame, Manship missed his entire freshman season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery on his right forearm. He came back strong in his sophomore and junior seasons, combining for an 11-3 record, 3.39 ERA, and 131 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings.

After signing with the Twins, Manship was sent to pitch for the Gulf Coast League Twins and then to the Fort Myers Miracle in 2006. He began the 2007 season with the Beloit Snappers, where he was 7-1 with a 1.51 ERA in 13 starts. He was promoted to Ft. Myers on June 25th and made another 13 starts in the Florida State League posting an 8-5 record and 3.15 ERA. He began the 2008 making another 13 starts for the Ft. Myers Miracle before being promoted to Double-A New Britain. Combined, Manship was 10-9 with a 3.65 ERA in 27 starts. Manship began the 2009 season in New Britain before being promoted to Triple-A Rochester on June 24th. He made eight starts with the Red Wings before he was called-up to the Major Leagues on August 12th after Glen Perkins went down with an injury. Manship appeared in 11 games with the Twins, five of which were starts. He received his first Major League win on October 2nd against the Kansas City Royals. In 157 2/3 innings between Double-A, Triple-A and the Major's, Manship was 11-7 with a 4.22 ERA.

Despite seeing time as both a reliever and starter with the Twins, Manship still figures to be a starter in the future. He doesn't strike out a lot of guys, but Manship induces a lot of ground balls with a good repertoire headlined by his curveball. He will be given an opportunity to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation during Spring Training, but the most likely scenario is that he'll begin the 2010 season in Triple-A Rochester waiting for a pitching spot to open in Minnesota.

2009 Statistics

          Level      W     L     ERA     IP     K     BB     WHIP     FIP

          AA         6     4    4.28   75.2    45     20     1.21    3.79
          AAA        4     2    3.22   50.1    30     17     1.26    3.80
          MLB        1     1    5.68   31.2    21     15     1.26    3.80

2010 Outlook
Manship will compete for a spot on the roster, whether it be as a starter or reliever is still up in the air, but it's likely that Manship begins the 2010 season in Triple-A Rochester

Pitching Repertoire

Fastball (2 & 4-seam) (89-92)
Curveball
Slider
Change-up

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2009

Report: Twins, Mauer agree to 10 year contract

2010-02-01T15:19:00.004-06:00

Mark Rosen of WCCO has reported that the Twins and Joe Mauer have agreed to a 10-year extension. No word yet on the value of the contract, but my prediction is $210 million.

Stay tuned.

Twins release Tolleson

2010-02-01T12:44:00.004-06:00

The Twins have released infielder Steven Tolleson from the 40-man roster this afternoon which should make room for Jim Thome to be added to the roster. Tolleson was the 37th ranked player on my 2010 prospect list. Here's what I said of him:

The Twins drafted Steven Tolleson in the 5th round of the 2005 draft. After what many considered to be a "breakout" year in 2008, Tolleson had high expectations heading into 2009. He battled injuries in Spring Training and Rochester's infield was already crowded to begin with. So as a result, Tolleson began the season with Double-A New Britain. After 38 games with the Rock Cats, Tolleson moved up to Triple-A Rochester where he hit .270/.338/.375 through 92 games. He's a career .276/.368/.400 hitter in 1,800+ professional at bats. His defense is below average and he's not a great runner. Tolleson doesn't do any one thing great, but he should be a serviceable utility player.

This move is not surprising. At 26-years-old, Tolleson never really established himself in a way for the Twins to conceivably add him to the 25-man roster. Thankfully, Tolleson quickly found a new home as he was claimed by the Oakland Athletics shortly after being released.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #22 Danny Rams

2010-02-01T00:00:00.004-06:00

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #22 | Danny Rams

Position | Catcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | December 19, 1988 (Miami, Florida)

School | Gullivar Preparatory School

Height | 6'2''

Weight | 205 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 48

Breakdown
The Twins took Danny Rams in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft. Heading into the draft, Rams ranked near the top in terms of having raw power. Up to this point, he has been able to spray the ball to all parts of the field with authority, which has resulted in 62 extra-base hits in just 496 professional at-bats.

After he was drafted in 2007, Rams was sent to the Gulf Coast League where he hit .258/.311/.361 with no home runs in 97 at-bats. In 2008, Rams began the season in extended Spring Training before being promoted to the Appalachian League, Rams struggled by hitting .228/.301/.423 with five home runs in 149 at-bats with the Elizabethton Twins. He began the 2009 season similarly to the way he started the '08 season, only he played in five games for the Ft. Myers Miracle in May. When short-season teams started up in June, Rams again found himself with the Elizabethton Twins of the the Appalachian League, only this time he would make a different impression. Rams only played in 16 games with the Twins but hit .355/.444/.790 with six home runs. He was then promoted to Low-A Beloit where he finished off the season, hitting .229/.308/.429 with seven home runs in 175 at-bats. All together in '09, Rams hit .264/.345/.520 with 37 extra-base hits in 250 at-bats.

Rams has a good arm but may eventually grow out of the catcher position. He strikes out too much but always seems to hit the ball hard (when he makes contact). In 2010, look for Rams to begin the season in Beloit before being considered for a promotion mid-season. In Beloit, he'll likely split time with Chris Herrmann behind the plate. I primarily see Rams as a 1B/DH option down the line.

2009 Statistics

          Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          R (EZL)   16     72    .355    .444    .790      14      6    224
          A-        48    195    .229    .308    .429      21      7    102
          A+         5     14    .308    .357    .462       2      0    137

2010 Outlook
Rams will probably be in Beloit to start the season but could make the move to Ft. Myers at some point. He'll likely split time behind home plate with Chris Herrmann as well as play first base and DH in order get him in the lineup as much as possible.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2013