TwinNation

Bill Smith Out, Terry Ryan In

2011-11-12T07:03:00.001-06:00

   With the off-season underway, many Minnesota Twins fans were hoping the Twins would re-sign Michael Cuddyer and/or Joe Nathan and that would be a majority of the Twins off-season. Well that was quickly put on the back burner for a little bit. The more shocking news of the off-season was the firing of General Manager Bill Smith. I, like most Twins fan, had no idea their was disagreement within the Twins front office.
   There were thoughts about some possible re-shuffling within the front office once the Twins told the Baltimore Orioles they weren’t allowed to interview Mike Radcliff for their General Manager vacancy. People quickly started to wonder if there was going to be a change sometime down the road or maybe that Radcliff would just be the next in line for the GM position.
   Instead, former GM Terry Ryan will be in the interim GM until the Twins find a new, permanent GM. A time table has not been giving to find a replacement for Bill, so I expect for Terry to make smart baseball decisions and bring this team back to what it was two years ago. Terry was known for building from within the organization and acquiring players who fit the “Twins way”.
   Terry has already said that he expects the Twins payroll to be around the $100 million mark, slightly down from last years payroll of $113 million. So I could see him signing some veteran players at a lesser price to fill the holes on this team. It also appears this could help the Twins re-sign Cuddyer, who was drafted under Ryan’s first reign as Twins GM and also signed him to the contract that recently ran out.
   So as a Twins fans, I am very excited for a Twins off-season for the first time in a while as I expect some drastic changes to take place with the Twins roster. The first task for Terry is to sit down and talk with Cuddyer and Nathan along with their agents to discuss new contracts as well as to find an everyday shortstop. Terry has already said the current team doesn’t have a shortstop that is an everyday player, so I look forward to seeing what Terry can do in such a short amount of time.

Thoughts About Upcoming Contract Decisions

2011-10-20T22:30:00.005-05:00

   As I sit at home watching the World Series, I can only think of what kind of season the Twins could have had this year. In no way did I expect the Twins to make a playoff run or anything, but to end up losing 99 games, the 2nd most losses in a single season since arriving in 1961, was just shocking. Most people were predicting the Twins to contend for another AL Central title this year, but quickly realized this wasn’t going to be their year.
   Everything from very poor pitching to ongoing injuries, the Twins were behind the eight ball from the very beginning. Having a payroll over $100 million doesn’t necessarily mean that you will do well that season, as that was clearly evident with the Twins. For the first time in franchise history, they passed the $100 million payroll mark as they had a payroll of $113 million. Many people thought that since they had a high payroll, that they would do well and make a playoff run.
   But if you look at the breakdown of the team payroll, you have to realize that 52% of the $113 million were the contracts of Joe Mauer ($23 million), Justin Morneau ($15 million), Joe Nathan ($11.25 million) and Michael Cuddyer ($10.5 million). The only healthy player out of that group of four this year was Cuddyer. Mauer and Morneau have been dealing with injuries for the last several years and Nathan was entering his first full season since Tommy John Surgery, so they weren’t sure how he would respond.
   Either way, that is a lot of money to have tied up with four players. With Mauer entering the first year of his 8 year, $184 million contract this past year, the Twins were very limited to their off-season moves prior to the season and will likely be in the same situation this off-season. However, the Twins have a few things going for them. They were able to get rid of Delmon Young, who made $5.37 million this year and expecting to make more and more as gets closer to free agency. The Twins also have a few impending free agents in Matt Capps, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer, plus the $12.5 million club option on Joe Nathan.
   I fully expect that Capps and Kubel will not be members of the 2012 Minnesota Twins, so that will free up $12.4 million to use towards possible free agent moves. Also, the tough decision whether or not to re-sign Cuddyer will be the biggest decision for General Manager Bill Smith. There are rumors that the Twins had an offer on the table for the last few weeks, which is a $16 million, two-year offer. I could see the Twins giving Cuddyer a two-year, $18 million deal with a possible third year team option. Not only is Cuddyer a clubhouse leader, but he has also been one of very few regular Twins to remain healthy the last few seasons.
   Then there is the case of Joe Nathan. He has a team option for $12.5 million that is all but sure to be voided by the Twins, which will cost them just $2 million to void. After the option is void, I expect the Twins to quickly give him a new deal to return as the full-time Twins closer. Heading into the 2011 season he was assigned as the set-up man to Capps, but that didn’t last very long. Capps was very inconsistent and was given multiple chances by manager Ron Gardenhire, but was later swapped with Nathan. Nathan eventually settled into the role and proved that he was meant to be the closer from day one. Look for Glen Perkins to be the new set-up man, assuming Bill Smith pleases the fans and lets Capps become a free agent this winter.
   With a few key players become free agents this winter, Bill Smith will have to put his thinking cap on and get that check book ready if he wants to sign some players that can fill those holes and allow the Twins to return to contending for the division title.

Joe Nathan & Jim Thome Reach Milestones

2011-08-19T17:22:00.010-05:00

   Over the last week, there have been a few Twins items to note. First thing that might come to mind is the fact that Delmon Young was traded to the Detroit Tigers on August 15th. Don't get me wrong, that is important news as many Twins fans were happy the Twins got rid of Delmon, but during that same night, something happened at Comerica Park in Detroit.
   Sitting at 598 career home runs, Jim Thome stepped to the plate in the 6th inning and hit a 2-run homer to left field. Ironic that former Twin, Delmon Young was making his first start as a Tiger and watched 599 go over the fence? I don't think so. Just wait, it gets better. In the top of the 7th inning, Jim stepped up to the plate again. this time with two runners on base. On a 2-1 count, with Daniel Schlereth pitching, Jim launched historic home run number 600 to the same spot, left field.
   Immediately following the home run, Twins fans and Tigers fans all stood and gave Jim a well deserved standing ovation. Then from behind home plate, Jim's father, wife and two children came out to have a family moment after the historic feat. Jim is only the eighth player in Major League Baseball to eclipse the 600 home run mark. That number really should be five with Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds on that list, but that's not important at the moment.
   When showing the replay of the 600th homerun, I couldn't help but notice who was holding the ball, which landed in the Twins bullpen, which was none other than closer Joe Nathan. Joe also reached a very big milestone just a few days before Jim reached his. Joe Nathan became the Twins All-Times saves leader at 255 career saves as a Minnesota Twin. I actually had the opportunity to go to the August 10th game against the Boston Red Sox when Joe picked up his 255th career save as a Minnesota Twin.
   After being acquired in a trade after the 2003 season, Joe quickly became one of the best closers from 2004-2009, racking up a league-leading 246 saves during that span. Without Joe, the Twins probably would not have been able to win the four division titles since acquiring Joe. The Twins will have a very important decision to make following the 2011 season as Joe has a 12.5 million dollar team option that would need to be exercised in order to be a Twin in 2012.
   In my opinion, it is a no brainer to pick up the option and even look to extend Nathan for two or three more years to allow him to retire as a Minnesota Twin. So, despite the Twins having a challenging year with so many injuries and very inconsistent play, this has been an exciting few days for the Minnesota Twins and Twin Nation.

Denard Still a Twin; At What Price Though?

2011-07-31T17:14:00.004-05:00

As the non-waiver trade deadline passed today at 4:00 eastern, the Twins didn’t make any moves, but sure created some buzz around a Denard Span deal. There had been talk about a trade with the Washington Nationals involving Denard Span for closer Drew Storen. In the end though, the teams just couldn’t agree on other players to include in the trade.

Despite not agreeing to a deal with the Nationals, it might have done more harm than good on the Twins front. It appears as though Denard was starting to get irritated with all the ongoing talks and can you blame him? He had waited a couple years behind Torii Hunter before he was able to get his shot at the center field job. Once Torii left, it was Denard’s job to lose.

Then over the past week or so, there had been talk about Denard being traded to make room for Ben Revere to be the full-time center fielder. I think there will be some tension in the Twins clubhouse once Denard rejoins the team. They can say that the Twins weren’t the ones to start the trade talks, but to continue to discuss trade possibilities with the Nationals won’t sit well with Denard. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Twins revisit a possible trade once the season ends.

I fully expect Span to retake his center field job back when he is activated from the disabled list and rejoins the Twins, hopefully later this week. But as we all saw and heard this week, anything can happen come the week of the trade deadline. I also expect the talks over the last week to light a fire under Denard and look for him to go out and prove that he should be and will be the center fielder for the next 5 years.

Denard On Way Out?

2011-07-28T10:57:00.002-05:00

With the non-waiver trade deadline just 3 days away, there was a few major moves yesterday, but none involving the Minnesota Twins. There was very little expectation of the Twins making any trades before the deadline, but one name has surfaced a bit the last few days. Outfielder Denard Span, who is currently rehabbing in Triple-A Rochester has been the focus of a rumored trade to Washington.

Why trade Span? That is the question many Twins fans maybe asking themselves. I look at it like this. The Twins have a plethora of outfielders currently at the major league level and then a few good looking prospects that will be at the major league level within the next three years, hopefully. With Delmon Young going through the arbitration years, I expect the Twins to hold onto him. Michael Cuddyer will be re-signed after the season ends. It would be a mistake for the Twins to not re-sign him, but that discussion is for a different day.

That brings me to Jason Kubel, who is also rehabbing at Triple-A. He will also be an impending free agent after the current season. I think the Twins will try to re-sign him, but signing him and Cuddyer could be an issue. The other outfielder on the current roster is Ben Revere. He appears to be set in the Twin Cities for a while. However, when Span comes back, where do you put Span or Revere?

This then brings us to the potential trade to Washington. The player that keeps coming up on the Nationals side, is closer Drew Storen. This may bring flashbacks to the Matt Capps-Wilson Ramos trade, but this is not at all like that trade. I personally am in favor of this trade as the Twins need to really bolster the bullpen if they want to make any attempt of a 2nd half run towards another Central crown.

Storen will turn 24 years old in a couple of weeks and has really impressed me this year so far. He has a record of 5-2 with 25 saves (28 opportunities) along with a 2.68 ERA. He could essentially be the Twins closer post-Nathan. Nathan has a team option for the 2012 season worth 12.5 million with a 2 million buyout, so the Twins will need to start thinking about the future closer role. There isn’t really anyone in the minor league system that would be suitable, so I think the trade for Storen would be a good one for the Twins.

Toss in the fact that Storen hasn’t even been in the league for two full seasons yet, so he will be under team control for many years to come. You can also argue that same point with Span, but Span will start asking for more money in arbitration years soon. Don’t forget that Span is coming off a concussion and as the Twins have seen with Justin Morneau, it could really alter his career, so if we can get someone as good as Storen for Span, I say pull the trigger.

Trade Deadline Nears

2011-07-17T08:46:00.001-05:00

With the trade deadline just two weeks away, there are thoughts of what the Twins will do come July 31st. Some people say they should look at improving their bullpen, while others think they should stay put and look to improve from within. The Twins are usually pretty quite at the trade deadline, but with the new stadium and more money, they could look to make moves.

However, one name that won’t be moving is Michael Cuddyer. Just a few days ago, the Twins came out and said that they will not be trading Cuddyer at any point this season. I believe that is a very smart move to not move Cuddyer. Even though he might be overpaid at $10.5 million, he has been one of the most reliable and clutch players over the last few seasons. He is also one of very few position players that has remained quite healthy for the Twins, as we have seen multiple players go down in bunches. Also, toss in the fact that he is a huge fan favorite, so trading Cuddyer would make Twins fans question the motive of Bill Smith’s thinking.

Despite being dealing with injuries throughout the season, Kevin Slowey remains the one Twin that will most likely be traded before the July 31st deadline arrives. Heading into the season, Slowey and Scott Baker were battling for the 5th and final rotation spot. At the time, I thought Slowey should have gotten the nod, as he performed very well during Spring Training. Manager Ron Gardenhire proved me wrong as Baker has been pretty darn good this year. With that move, Slowey was originally going to pitch out of the bullpen, but had to go on the disabled list. Once healthy, he was sent to Triple-A Rochester to start in the rotation.

The Pirates and Rockies have recently been reported as being interested in acquiring Slowey to insert into their rotation. The Twins should really consider trading Slowey to the first team that gives them a quality deal. If they do trade Slowey, they should focus on getting more bullpen help. With the recent poor performance by Matt Capps, that leaves basically Glen Perkins and Joe Nathan as the only two quality arms in the bullpen.

If the Twins want to make a push for another A.L. Central crown, they will need to upgrade their bullpen, as they don’t want to overwork Perkins and Nathan. A few names that come to mind when it comes to bullpen help are Heath Bell, Koji Uehera, Although it would take a lot to get Bell, it might be worth looking into. With Nathan returning to the closers role, the Twins may be reluctant to bring in another closer, as that might diminish the chances of Nathan hanging onto the closers role.

Whatever the Twins decide to do over the next two weeks, it should be interesting to see if not only the Twins make any moves, but any other team in the Central. Regardless, it appears that it will be another year where the winner won’t be decided until the last week, possibly the last day of the season.

Interview with Madison Boer

2011-07-09T17:02:00.002-05:00

Madison Boer was the Twins 2nd round pick (87th overall) in the June First-Year Player Draft. He is a right handed pitcher out of the University of Oregon. He has recently reported to the Elizabethton Twins, their Single-A Short Season team, to begin his pro career. He was kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions.

Kevin Lewis: Madison, lets start with your younger days as a baseball player. What made you decide to follow baseball as your career path? Did you ever consider any other sports as you were growing up and heading towards high school and later Oregon?

Madison Boer: I knew my best shot at making it to the highest level was baseball because I genuinely enjoyed practicing and doing anything with baseball. I didn't have the football mentality, I don't get super amped up like that, i just wasn't wired that way.

KL: Growing up, who was your inspiration and led you towards the baseball career? Who was your favorite team and player to follow?

MB: I used to watch Braves games on TBS all summer. When I was younger I played third base as well as pitching. My two favorite players were Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones. Greg Maddux and John Smoltz are my two favorite pitchers.

KL: Walk us through the day you got drafted by the Minnesota Twins. Did you have any idea you were going to go in the 2nd round?

MB: I was just watching the online feed at my girlfriend's parents house and my parents were there also. I started eating breakfast because I wasn't expecting to be taken for a whole round yet. All of a sudden, my parents started yelling and got all excited and I was still eating my pancakes when I asked what happened. They said, "the Twins picked you!!!! 2nd Round!" and we just started celebrating and my phone started blowing up.

KL: Following up with the previous question. How much does it mean to be drafted by the Minnesota Twins, being that you grew up in Eden Prairie, a very athletic high school in Minnesota?

MB: I was wondering for a long time, most of my life, what it would feel like to put on a professional jersey and I couldn't have felt more comfortable than to put a Twins jersey on.

KL: You quickly signed with the Twins and reported to Elizabethton to begin your pro career and you quickly notched your first victory. You actually recorded your first victory in your first appearance. How much of a confidence builder was that and could you just describe the moment you were called in from the bullpen.

MB: I wasn't nervous but excited to get my feet wet. Pitching is what I do and it's what I want to do with my life so I just went out to the mound and pitched how I knew I could. Luckily, we took the lead the following half inning and I got a victory.

KL: You throw a fastball that hits the high 80s and then also have a slider and curveball in our arsenal. If you were asked to give a scouting report on yourself, what would you say your strengths are and what could you improve upon as you make your way through the Twins system?

MB: Well that’s what I threw in High School. I have dropped the curveball to focus on a change up, and I have the slider and fastball still. With the strength and conditioning program at Oregon along with just simply getting more physically mature I now sit in the low 90's and can touch the mid 90's. The most important thing in pro ball is getting better everyday. The minor leagues are a long process and at this level everybody is very good. The only way you can separate yourself is to come to the field everyday and get better at something.

KL: The last thing I always ask players is that if you had the opportunity to talk to a group of young kids who aspire to become professional baseball players, what one piece of advice would you give them?

MB: I would say that you have to think about whats important to you? If it’s baseball, are you going somewhere to hit everyday. Eden Prairie has an excellent year round hitting facility called "Players Only." It is a great place that offers much more than just batting cages and you can get instruction on hitting and pitching. The single most important thing is being able to sacrifice free time to go practice, because if you really want to be a ballplayer you have to know whats important and make the right decisions on and off the field.

KL: I would like to thank Madison for taking time out of his busy life, as he begins his pro career, to answer a few questions about his journey to the draft and his future as a Twin. Hopefully one day we will see you back in Minnesota and on the mound at Target Field.

MB: Thank you, I appreciate it.

Interview With Angel Morales

2011-07-07T19:05:00.002-05:00

Angel Morales was the Twins 3rd round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. He attended the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy High School. He has since quickly moved through the Twins minor league system and is currently playing for the Ft. Myers Miracle, their Advanced Single-A affiliate. As Angel rehabs an elbow injury, he took some time to answer a few questions about his career.

Kevin Lewis: Angel, lets start with the day you were drafted by the Twins. Did you expect to get drafted that soon? Was there any indication that the Twins were interested in taking you in the 3rd round?

Angel Morales: Well when I was a senior studying at a baseball academy in Puerto Rico more than half of my coaches were major league scouts, but none of them from the Twins. I knew some scouts were interested in me, but to be honest, I didn’t know how soon, or which team was going to pick me. I really thought the Marlins or Yankees were going to; just for the fact of how many tryouts they invited me to. Hector Otero, which is now not also the scout who drafted me, but a great friend of mine only saw me a couple of times before the draft occurred.

KL: If we were to go back to the 2007 draft and I was a fan interested in the Twins draft, what would your scouting report say about yourself?

AM: Well I would say that Angel Morales is a five tool player with good speed and a plus arm with some unpolished skills, but with the correct personnel, he can improve them and be the best complete five tool player he can be.

KL: You have quickly moved through the Twins organization, spending a full season at each level. It appears the Twins want to have you in the Twin Cities within the next few years. However, there is quite the group of solid out fielders in the Twins organization (Aaron Hicks, Ben Revere, Joe Benson, Oswaldo Arcia), so it will be a battle for the outfield sports. What do you feel you have to improve upon to get the upper hand?

AM: Yeah I think it’s going to be fun one day. All of us in a major league camp competing for the spot. We have a very solid and talented group of outfielders. We all get a long very well and we talk about that at time when we have a moment. It will be a fun, but a difficult challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. I can’t really compare to anyone of them. I rather just focus on my ability and just trying to get better. I think I should work on my overall performance, but I think my biggest weakness is striking out too much, so if I cut those down I’ll be fine.

KL: You have had shoulder/arm issues this season at Ft. Myers. At first there was thought you need to undergo Tommy John Surgery and would really set you back on your way to the majors. It was later determined that surgery was not necessary and just rest and rehab would heal the injury. After moving through the system so quick, how tough has it been to not be able to play this season at Ft. Myers?

AM: Well just for the fact that I’m not having Tommy John Surgery I feel blessed. It has definitely been a tough time for me as an individual because I always set goals for myself and train so hard to accomplish them. Then the injury occurred and caught me off guard, but that’s part of the game. I just have to deal with it, stay positive, understand that this is a process that I have to go through. After that everything is going to be fine and I will be back to do what I love most, which is playing baseball.

KL: Being down in Ft. Myers this year and recovering from your injury, you have seen quite a few players from the Twins active roster come through dealing with their own injuries. Did you get the opportunity to get tips and/or workout with the likes of Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, and Jason Kubel?

AM: Well it was really special. I would definitely prefer meeting them in a major league camp rather than seeing them rehab injuries of their own, but I definitely learn a lot of things from them just by watching the way they handle their situations. You know about being injured they always have a smile on their face. They are very outgoing if they see someone who they think they can help they will. I mean they are very humble and I understand that it’s all about being healthy again to help their team win.

KL: Growing up as a young kid, was baseball always your sport and did you always know that you wanted to become a professional baseball player? Who was your baseball idol and favorite team growing up in Puerto Rico?

AM: When I was a teenager I just loved being active. I remember that I had my dad running all over the island traveling because I was involved with so many sports. I was on volleyball, track and field, basketball, softball, baseball, and even ping pong tournaments. I made my dad take me to tournaments of all sorts. But pretty much I knew baseball was meant for me because it was the sport that I enjoyed the most. I remember I always went crazy when I turned on the TV and watched Bernie Williams play. He was my favorite player and still is to this day. So every time the Yankees were on I always cheered for them because Bernie was on the team.

KL: The last question I always like to ask people is that if you had the opportunity to speak to a group of kids who one day want to play professional baseball, what one piece of advice would tell those kids?

AM: Follow your dream and don't let nobody take it away from you!!

KL: I would like to thank Angel for taking time as he rehabs his injury and wish him the best of luck the rest of the season and hopefully we will see you in the Twin Cities one day.

AM: Thanks for allowing me to share a little bit about my career as I make my way towards the Twin Cities. God Bless.

What Will Twins Do With Cuddyer?

2011-06-29T08:41:00.002-05:00

With the Twins fluctuating between winning streaks and losing streaks and not making up much ground over the last two weeks, there have been rumbling about possible moves around the trade deadline in July. One of the names that pops up is right fielder, Michael Cuddyer. Cuddyer is in the last year of his contract that he signed back in 2008.

The average, everyday Twins fan would think it’s a no brainer that we re-sign Cuddyer and have him be our right fielder for a few more years. I don’t think it’s as clear cut as it may appear. You have to remember that he is getting paid 10.5 million dollars this year and is hitting .286 with 10 home runs and 30 runs batted in. Just two years ago, the last year at the Metrodome, he hit a career high 32 home runs.

So the Twins have a tough decision on their hands as Cuddyer just might be the most well liked Twin not named Joe Mauer, so letting him walk via Free Agency or trading him could put a sour taste in the fans mouth. If I am the Twins, I would sit down as a collective group and really decide what they want to do with Cuddyer and how they see the future outfield panning out. The toughest thing is, the Twins have a few other guys who are either in Double-A or Triple-A that could fill Cuddyers spot, so it makes that tough on the Twins.

If I am GM Bill Smith, I would look to trade Cuddyer come late July. There will more than likely be a contender or two that are looking for a hitter that can give them an offensive boost. Not to mention he can also fill in at first base as well. If the Twins decide to go the trade route, I would ask for bullpen arms in return. I don’t expect the Twins to spend much this coming off-season, so I would look for them to acquire an arm or two.

The other route the Twins could go with Cuddyer is to give him a multi-year deal in the 3 year range. Maybe even if they re-sign him to make him our starting first baseman as the Twins can’t afford to play the “wait-and-see” game with Justin Morneau and his health at first base. That is a very interesting thought as when he filled in for Morneau last year, he really picked it up and did a great job filling in for him. If you do re-sign Cuddyer though, how much do you give him? Making 10.5 million this season, he likely won’t take much of a hometown discount. I would maybe start by offering him 8-9 million per year making that 3rd year a team option.

Whether it’s a trade, re-signing him, or letting him test the free agent mark, I’m sure glad that I’m not in Bill Smith’s shoes. It will be a very tough decision deciding the future of Michael Cuddyer as a Minnesota Twin.

Interview With AJ Pettersen

2011-06-18T19:56:00.006-05:00

AJ Pettersen was the Twins 25th round (778th overall) pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He played three seasons at the University of Minnesota after readshirting the 2008 season. He will start his minor league career at Elizabethton (Tennessee), one of the Twins rookie ball affiliates. AJ has been kind enough to answer a few questions before he heads off to Elizabethton.

Kevin Lewis: Not many Twins fans know much about AJ Pettersen. Could you give a little bio about your baseball career and what made you choose baseball as your career?

AJ Pettersen: I played in 2006 and 2007 for Minnetonka High School and for Excelsior Legion, followed by 4 years at the University of Minnesota. I chose baseball because I quickly learned there wasn't a whole lot of room for a short, skinny kid in basketball. In all seriousness, baseball has been my passion for many years and I enjoy every aspect of it. For that reason, it was an easy choice.

KL: While playing for the U of Minnesota during the 2009-2010 season, you guy were the first team to play a game at Target Field. How exciting was that experience?

AP: That was a pretty cool experience. It is definitely one of my most exciting baseball experiences. I think 37,000 fans showed up that day for the open house/baseball game and that more than tripled the highest attendance I had played for previously. The Twins have been very gracious to the Gophers for many years and getting that opportunity was pretty fantastic.

KL: You had a great 2011 season, hitting .344 with 12 doubles and an on-base percentage of .394 for the Gophers. If I was a team interested in you, what would your scouting report tell me?

AP: It would probably say that I don't have any one tool that will wow you, but if you keep coming back you will see consistently good performances. I pride myself on playing all aspects of the game well and for helping my team win in any way I can.

KL: Being a hometown guy, playing at Minnetonka High School and then attending the University of Minnesota, what was it like being drafted by the Minnesota Twins?

AP: It is quite an honor that I got picked by the Twins. I have been a fan of the Twins my entire life and it's awesome to be part of the organization now. I couldn't think of a better organization to be a part of.

KL: Growing up as a young baseball player, who was your favorite team to follow as well as your favorite player?

AP: Like I said, I have always been a big Twins fan. I have also always been a big fan of the little guys across the league. I used to be a big David Eckstein fan for obvious reasons and I am now a real big fan of Dustin Pedroia. Both of those guys play the game the right way and it's fun to watch.

KL: If you aren’t on the baseball field working on becoming a better player, what are you doing?

AP: If I am not playing ball I am probably hanging out with my fiance, my family and my friends. I like to play video games and just hang out and watch tv, movies, etc.

KL: If you were to speak to a group of young kids who dream to become pro baseball players, what one piece of advice would you give them?

AP: Keep working hard. I know that sounds cliche, but if I hadn't spent hours upon hours in the batting cages in the freezing cold, or taking ground balls in the wee hours of the morning I never would have made it this far. I would also recommend that kids play games of wiffle ball, stickball, etc. These games develop the instincts that many kids today lack because they play too much organized baseball. These games put kids in situations that they might not see as much in real games and force kids to think on their toes and make quick decisions.

KL: I would like to thank AJ for taking some time as he heads to Elizabethton tonight. I wish him nothing but the best and that one day he could maybe join Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins as a third hometown Twin.

AP: Thanks for giving me the chance to answer a few questions. Go Gophers and Go Twins!

Injury Updates: What Will Gardy Do?

2011-06-14T23:01:00.003-05:00

As the Twins continue to win games and trim away at the A.L. Central lead, they also await the return of several all-star caliber players from their stay on the disabled list. Joe Mauer, Joe Nathan, Glen Perkins, Jason Kubel, Denard Span, Tsuyohsi Nishioka, and Kevin Slowey are all currently rehabbing and trying to get back to the Twins Cities soon. Some have taken longer than anticipated, but are nearing the completion of their rehab assignment.

As they continue to return from the DL, manager Ron Gardenhire will have a couple of tough decisions to make as who to demote to Triple-A Rochester as the players return from the disabled list. Some decisions might be easier than others, but as a manager, telling someone they are being sent to Rochester is never an easy task.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka:

The first player that appears closest to making his return to the active roster is shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka. As soon as Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher slid into Nishioka as he broke up a double play, you knew something was wrong with Nishioka. It was later confirmed that it was a fractured left fibula and he would initially miss 6-8 weeks, but would end up taking longer. There were questions as to whether Nishioka would return as a second baseman or would move over to his more natural position of shortstop. It appears as though he will indeed move back to shortstop, which will force Alexi Casilla to play second.

With Nishioka returning on Wednesday, I expect the Twins to send Luke Hughes back to Triple-A. It would be either Hughes or Matt Tolbert and I honestly don’t see Gardenhire sending out Tolbert as he is a Gardenhire favorite. There is also a very small, remote chance they could send Danny Valencia down as he hasn’t produced like last year, but like I said it’s a very small chance.

Glen Perkins:

In my opinion, Glen Perkins has been the biggest surprise thus far for the Twins bullpen. Over the last couple seasons he has been shifted back and forth between starter and reliever, but this year it was known he was going to be a relief pitcher, so I think that allowed him to get into the mindset of his role. He didn’t give up a run, earned or unearned, until April 28th against Tampa Bay. Perkins would continue his early success while making 22 appearances with a 1.59 ERA and 22 strike outs. However, he would be forced to leave the May 22nd game at Arizona due to a right oblique strain.

It was an unfortunate time for the injury, although there is no good time, because Joe Nathan was also dealing with arm soreness. Having thought two guys out of the bullpen, you really have no stability. Perkins has made one rehab start at Triple-A Rochester and will pitch again tonight. If everything goes well, expect the Twins to bring him back up to the Twin Cities sometime this week. If I were the Twins I would send down Chuck James, who has gotten very little work while on the active roster.

Joe Nathan:

Joe Nathan is one of those guys that the Twins should rehab him very slowly and cautiously. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in late 2009, he missed the entire 2010 season. Coming out of Spring Training, Nathan and Matt Capps were to split the closer role, but it appeared that Gardenhire was more confident in Nathan. I felt it was too quick to put him back into the closer role and his numbers backed that up. Before landing on the disabled list in late-May, he had an ERA of 7.63 over 15.1 innings with three saves. The Twins should slowly worked him back into the role and see how he would have handled non-close situations.

We probably won’t see Nathan back until late-June or early-July as he is just starting to throw live batting practice. He will likely go on a rehab assignment and then return to the set-up role. The only way I would put Nathan back into the closers role this season is if Capps struggles or Nathan can get command of his pitches better and can handle the high pressure situations. Look for the Twins to send either Jim Hoey or Phil Dumatrait down to Rochester when Nathan returns. If you go by just numbers, I would send Hoey down as he seems to struggle every time he enters a game, as it’s shown with his 8.31 ERA over 13 innings.

Jason Kubel:

If there was any Twin that was off to a hot start, it was Jason Kubel. As the Twins were very slow out of the gates to start the season, Kubel seemed to be the only one wanting to hit the baseball. Even though he hit just two home runs in the month of April, he had a .351 batting average. Kubel and Jim Thome usually split duties at DH, but with Thome having lingering back issues, Kubel got most of the appearances at DH. Like every other Twins player though, he due to end up on the disabled list.

After the May 30th game, Kubel was diagnosed with a left foot sprain and was later placed the DL. As of Saturday, he started taking bating practice, so I would expect him back sometime late next week, but the following week could be the best bet. I think without a doubt when he is the activated the Twins will likely send out Brian Dinkleman.

Kevin Slowey:

After a battle with Scott Baker on who would be the fifth starter to start the season, Slowey was designated for the long-relief role. There were some questions about Slowey’s future as a Twin, but that was put on the back burner after a slow start for Slowey. Despite his 4.91 ERA through 14.2 innings pitched, there were still some whispers about whether the Twins would hold on to him or find a suitor and try to improve their bullpen.

After his May 15th appearance he went to the trainers and was later diagnosed with a mild strain of the abdomen. He has yet to begin a rehab assignment as he currently threw off the mound for the first time since being placed on the disabled list. Once Slowey is healthy, I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep him in Rochester to put him in the starter role, which would attract teams to think about trading for him.

Denard Span:

After years of waiting in the wings behind Torii Hunter, Denard finally has taken the reigns of center and has no signs of giving it up anytime soon. After an impressive 2009 season, Span slipped a little bit during the 2010 season by hitting .264 in the lead off spot. What he may lack at the plate he makes up in the outfield. Despite not having the strongest arm, he makes some of the same diving catches that Hunter would have made. Entering the 2011 season, Span needed to prove that he was worthy of being the lead off man for the Twins. He has done a good job so far hitting .294 with an on-base percentage of .361.

Last year Span experienced dizziness and was forced to make a trip to the DL. It took a few weeks, but he was able to return to action without any lingering side effects. Well that same injury has reoccured and has forced Span to make a trip the newly formed, 7-day concussion disabled list. Pretty much Span just has to rest up and hopefully can resume baseball activities sooner than later. When he comes off the DL, I expect Rene Tosoni to be sent back to Rochester.

Joe Mauer:

Without a doubt Joe Mauer is the most followed and talked about Minnesota Twin whether he is healthy or not. Throughout his career, it has been thought that Mauer may be too tall to remain behind the plate as the Twins catcher. Toss in the continuing leg and back issues and there might be a legitimate reason to talk about moving him to a corner infield position. The Twins have quickly shot down the idea of moving Mauer to a different position as he is in the first year of his $184 million, 8 year contract. It’s so hard to find a franchise catcher, let alone a catcher who has half the ability that Mauer has, so I see no reason to move Mauer to a different position.

Mauer entered the 2011 season coming off minor knee surgery he had during the off-season. Some people were surprised that he had a minor knee procedure, but I think it could be an annual think, but obviously hope that’s not the case. Due to the off-season procedure, Mauer didn’t start in Spring Training until about half way through, but the Twins felt he was more than ready to break camp and start in Opening Day. Little did the Twins know that it was more than just his knees that caused him to be placed on the disabled list just 10 games in the season.

The Twins immediately had Mauer undergo testing to see what was causing the reported leg and back soreness. It was determined that Mauer had bilateral leg weakness. After resting and recovering from a viral infection as well, he was sent down to Ft. Myers to begin his rehab assignment. Rather than have him move from team to team throughout the minors, the Twins wanted him to stay near their Spring Training complex in Ft. Myers so they could keep a better tab on him and see how he was progressing.

As of late Mauer has been able to catch more and more every game, with him recently catching a full nine inning game. That is the best news that Twins fans could have wished for. His bat isn’t quite up to speed yet, but that is the least of his worries as we all know Mauer will eventually end up hitting .300 or better. The most important thing is to make sure that Mauer is as close to 100% as he can get before they decide to bring him back to the Twin Cities and insert him into the everyday lineup again.

It appears that Rene Rivera will be sent to Rochester when Mauer returns from the DL as Rivera has a minor league option. Keeping Drew Butera also allows Carl Pavano to have his personal catcher, Butera, when he makes his starts. It may not be a well received move, but I think it’s the right move to make rather than Pavano not feel comfortable when he makes his starts.

With all the moves that will be made over the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see how quickly this team can gel and get into a groove before the All-Star break arrives. I feel that if the Twins can be within 5-6 games of the division league at the time of the All-Star break and everyone gets some much needed rest, it should shape for yet another exciting race for the AL Central title.

Could the Twins Have Something Special Unfolding?

2011-06-08T09:39:00.004-05:00

As the 2011 First-Year Player Draft wraps up today, the Twins future appears to be bright. There is one prospect who made his debut last season and could be a future face of the franchise. The great thing is, he wasn't drafted, instead he was discovered not only by the Twins, but other teams as well. The Twins were lucky enough to land Dominican prospect, Miguel Sano.

Sano is an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic and was highly sought after by many teams when he announced his intentions on coming to the Major Leagues. There were rumors of the Twins having some interest, but many people didn’t think the Twins would spend the money to sign an international free agent. Were they ever wrong when October 2009 came, the Twins signed Sano to a 3.15 million dollar signing bonus and the Twins made a big splash.

However, it wasn’t as easy as just signing a dotted line for Sano. As with every international free agent that signs with a Major League team, the commissioners office does a full identity check. There were multiple rumors that Sano was not infact 16 years old as he claimed he was, but after an investigation by Major League Baseball, he was given the okay to sign with the Twins.

After starting out by playing in the Dominican Summer League, Sano eventually made his way stateside and made his debut with the Twins Gulf Coast League and quickly proved why he was worth all the hype. In 41 games he hit .291 with four home runs and 19 runs batted in. Despite being a player who can play any infield position, I expect him to end up at third base or first base. There have been scouts saying that he could even outgrow the third base position and could end up in a corner outfield position or could be the the future cornerstone at first base. He has drawn comparisons to Albert Pujols and Hanley Ramirez when it comes to his physical size.

Even though the Twins would love to have him appear in the Twins Cities sooner rather than later, if I were them, I would move Sano through the system slowly. They can’t afford to rush Sano and blow their chance at having a very special player one day. So if there is a Twins prospect to keep your eye on when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, Miguel Sano could very well be that player. If he has a solid 2011 season in the Gulf Coast League, I could see him starting the 2012 season in Beloit. So hopefully he will appear in the Twin Cities around the 2015 season, but it’s tough to predict when a player will be ready for the majors, especially when a player is as young as Sano is.

It will be very exciting to see him grow into his body and hopefully become the player that everyone predicts and hopes he will become.

The Future at Starting Pitcher: Kyle Gibson

2011-06-05T08:23:00.003-05:00

With the way the Twins have been playing so far this season, there have been a lot of players being promoted and demoted from Rochester. As I was watching the game last night, I was joking with my brother, “Do you think the Triple-A Rochester squad could beat the Twins?”. There is only one problem with that. 9 of the 25 players on the active roster started the season in Rochester. Now a few of those players have been up and down quite a bit as there has been at least one injury per week for the Twins.

However, there is one player that hasn’t been considered being called up. That player would be Kyle Gibson, a right handed pitcher that was drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall) in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. He has quickly moved through the minor league system and is in line for a late season call up if the Twins are completely out of the division race. He had a very impressive 2010 Minor League campaign going 11-6 with a 2.96 earned run average and 126 strikeouts as he pitched in Single-A Ft. Myers, Double-a New Britain and Triple-A Rochester.

Gibson has the potential to be a very good #2 starter for the Twins in 2012. Gibson is like any other current Twins starter, he is a ground ball pitcher. That is something the Twins have coveted for quite a few years now. If you look back at the Twins pitchers that came up through their system, you rarely see a hard throwing, strike out pitcher. So Gibson fits the mold perfectly.

The most important thing about Gibson’s 2010 run through the minors was that he didn’t encounter any lingering side effects from a stress fracture that occurred during his junior year at the University of Missouri. There were some questions prior to the draft whether or not he would be able to fully recover and become the pitcher everyone knew him as while at Missouri. He quickly put the doubters in their spot.

His velocity ranges from the high-80s to the low-90s, so he definitely won’t be a fast throwing, strike out machine, but his fastball has good movement on it and his slider is a good second pitch that causes all those ground ball outs. He has been working on improving his change-up, which will be crucial to get that down to be successful at the major league level.

Look for Gibson to make his debut at the Major League level sometime in late August or early September. There is absolutely no reason to rush him considering the Twins appear out of the race early in the season. They need to let him build more and more confidence and really get his pitches down before they call him up, hopefully so he stays at the major league level and doesn’t bounce around between Triple-A and the majors. Twins fans should be very excited for this young pitcher, so everyone keep an eye on him.

Will Joe Remain Twins Catcher?

2011-06-02T08:57:00.004-05:00

As the ongoing debate about whether catchers should block the plate when a runner is coming home and getting ready to take out the catcher, you continuously hear of one catcher that should be moved from behind the plate. That name would be Joe Mauer. All the outrage about the catcher blocking home plate started about a week ago when Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants broke his left fibula and severely strained some ligaments in his ankle. He will miss the remainder of the 2011 season.

Thus began the debate whether teams should put such valuable players behind the plate. My thought is to keep them behind the plate. You can’t move a catcher to a different position just because you are afraid he might get hurt on a play. If you did that then you wouldn’t have anyone playing defense, because then you could make the case that a second baseman could be taken out with a hard slide or whatever the situation is.

During all this talk about Posey and the thought of moving players from behind the plate, you hear a lot about the Minnesota Twins possibly moving Mauer to a different position. I totally disagree with their opinion on that. Not only is Mauer one of the best catchers in the game right now, but where would put him? They have Justin Morneau at first base through the 2013 season and Danny Valencia at third base for the foreseeable future. Those would be the only two positions I would put Mauer at if I was the Twins.

If you were to move Mauer, who would take over as the full-time, starting catcher? Drew Buetra? No thanks. Rene Rivera? No thanks. Steve Holm? Okay, you have to stop being funny. Wilson Ramos? Oh wait, the Twins traded him for Matt Capps. With the Twins payroll exceeding $100 million for the first time in franchise history, you wouldn’t have much wiggle room to go spend on a quality starting catcher, so that brings us back to keeping Mauer behind the plate. Also, don’t forget that Mauer is in the first year of his new 8 year, $184 million contract. So you can’t even think about moving him to a different position this early into his contract.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire put it perfectly the other day when asked about the possibility of moving Mauer to a different position: "He signed an eight-year deal to catch in the big leagues for the Minnesota Twins," Gardenhire said. "So we're trying to get him back as a catcher. If it doesn't work out when he comes back, then we're going to have to figure somewhere else. And that's a lot harder than everybody makes it out to be, because we have some corner people that are pretty good baseball players.”

I think the only way they move Mauer to a different position is if he continues to have knee issues during the off-season and into Spring Training. To me, the earliest you can think about moving him is after the 2013 season, but that would only work if the Twins don’t re-sign Morneau and then move Mauer to first base. That doesn’t mean I don’t want Morneau to stick around, as I certainly want him to stick around, but the Twins will have to really think about what is best for the organization.

Are the Twins Going to Trade Kevin Slowey?

2011-05-23T09:42:00.001-05:00

After I read a report that the Twins are planning on sending Kevin Slowey down to Triple-A Rochester to get some starts, my initial reaction was that it was a smart move by the Twins as he hasn’t gotten into many games at the major league level. But the more I read into it and thought about it, my reaction was “They are probably trying to build his arm back up and eventually trade him”. It has been known since Spring Training that Slowey is the pitcher the Twins would trade, if they were to trade one of their pitchers.

I have respect for Slowey as he has handled his move to the bullpen with grace and open arms. Some pitchers would fight the move, but he wanted to do what was best for the team. He has had some arm troubles this year and even made a trip the disabled list, but he is still working very hard at becoming a reliable bullpen arm. At the same time though, he rightfully deserves to be in the starting rotation. He has done all the Twins have asked of him and more. But he recently started to feel that maybe Minnesota isn’t the place to be, which is a shame as he is well liked here and a great clubhouse guy.

After winning 10 or more games in each of the previous three seasons, many thought he would be the Twins 4th or 5th starter, but with the off-season re-signing of Carl Pavano, there was going to be competition. Slowey even had a better Spring Training than Scott Baker, but the Twins decided Slowey would be more effective coming out of the bullpen rather than send him down to Triple-A.

It appears that he is going to end up in Rochester sooner than later to get him back into the routine of starting. This then brings up the question “Will the Twins eventually trade Slowey?”. I personally would like to see Slowey make a few starts at the major league level. I would move either Liriano or Duensing to the bullpen in the mean time. Especially now that Glen Perkins appears to be out for a few weeks, we need a solid lefty in the bullpen.

One of the other reasons it would be smart for the Twins to keep Slowey is that he is under team control through the 2013 at a very cheap price. That could also help the Twins if they choose to trade him, but only time will tell. If they do trade him, they must get a good pitcher in return. Whether that is a starter or a bullpen, preferably a bullpen arm as it would defeat the purpose to trade him for another starter.

Bullpen Woes Hamper Twins

2011-05-19T09:11:00.003-05:00

Heading into the 2011 season, Twins fans were preparing for the worst when the late innings rolled around in games. After letting Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, and Brian Fuentes all test the free agent market, the Twins were in for a rude awaking. Not knowing how Joe Nathan would recover from Tommy John surgery the year before, or just having a good idea of who works better in certain situations and innings, it has made for some interesting decisions.

After having combined earned run average of 3.49 for the 2010 season, many people thought at least two of the four named above would be back with the club in 2011 and would be named as one of the best bullpens in baseball. The Twins thought differently. They decided to let them test the market and would rebuild the bullpen from within, primarily Triple-A Rochester.

Heading into Spring Training, there were a few spots up for battle, but as we reach mid-May, it really didn’t matter who won the battles. The Twins have used 12 different relief pitchers, which only four have made more than 15 appearances. Some have found themselves on the disabled list, but the fact the Twins have already called and sent down several relief pitchers is not a good way to start the season.

So, whether the Twins go out and sign a relief pitcher or trade for one, they need to get into a routine instead of calling up a new reliever every week. There has also been talk of moving Kevin Slowey into the rotation if Francisco Liriano or Brian Duensing continue to struggle.

Despite all the struggles in the bullpen this year, there has been a very pleasant surprise in the way of Glen Perkins. After transitioning back and forth between the rotation and bullpen, the Twins decided to make him a long-relief pitcher and sometimes the lefty specialist. Despite his 0-1 record, he has an uncharacteristic 0.82 ERA after 20 appearances. He had a scoreless streak that spanned 19 2/3 innings prior to allowing his first earned run in the May 14th game. The thing that has helped him the most this year is the fact that he knew he was only going to be used in the bullpen this year, so he was able to mentally prepare for that role.

So as the season progresses more and more, it will be interesting to see if the Twins stick with the bullpen they have or if they will make any moves outside of the organization. I personally think they should stay within the organization at this point, but if they make a miraculous 2nd half come back, which isn’t a totally crazy thought, I could see them trade for a bullpen arm or two.

Twins Legend Harmon Killebrew Passes Away

2011-05-17T10:47:00.006-05:00

After a six month battle with esophageal cancer, Minnesota Twins legend Harmon Killebrew has passed away at the age of 74 today at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was one of the top Twins players, if not the top, of all-time. He currently sits 11th on the all-time career home run list with 573 home runs, 475 were hit in a Twins uniform. He drew so many fans during the Twins early days, that then owner, Calvin Griffith rewarded him by making him the first Twin player to make $100,000 in a season. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 after receiving 83.1% of the vote.

Not only was he a great baseball player, but he was even better off the field. Whether it was hosting a golf tournament to raise money for cancer research or just showing up at Twins Spring Training to help the current players become better and share tips.

He was also known to be such a gentleman and everyone who worked with him, played with him, or just even said hi to him, he would take the time to talk to everyone and never worried about his own well being. Just this past weekend when manager Ron Gardenhire went to go visit him, Killebrew wanted to know how Gardenhire was holding up after a very slow start to the season. It was that kind of caring about others that made Killebrew such a fan favorite and he will be missed greatly.

There will never be another player like Harmon Killebrew. So I end by sending my condolences to the Killebrew family and to the Twins organization as they mourn the loss of a true legend and an even better person.

What's Wrong With the Twins: Starting Pitching Is a Mess

2011-05-13T11:50:00.003-05:00

As the Twins continue to disappoint, the starting pitching is becoming one of the biggest question marks of the young season. It is known that the Twins don’t have the strongest rotation, but they weren’t expected to have one of the worst either. as we approach the weekend series at home against Toronto, the starting pitching needs to wake up and start pitching better.

They have the 2nd worst earned run average amongst starters in the Majors with a combined 4.95 ERA, only ahead of the Chicago Cubs. They are also known the walk very few batters compared to the rest of the major league, but they have already walked 80 batters, compared to a total of 233 last year. Something needs to change quickly otherwise they will remain at the bottom of the MLB ranks.

The most disappointing starting pitcher to me has to be Carl Pavano. Winning 17 games in 2010, he was re-signed by the Twins to a $16.5 million, 2 year contract. He was expected to be the ace of this staff entering 2011. So far in 2011 he is 2-4 with a 6.64 ERA in seven starts. This brings back memories of when he signed a four year contract with the New York Yankees back in 2005 after going 18-8 during the 2004 season with the Florida Marlins.

He isn’t a strikeout pitcher, but to only have 17 strikeouts through seven starts is not a good sign. He really needs to go back and maybe look at film and find out what is going wrong. Whether its mechanic or just he is having a bad start to the season. If he is going to be the leader of this rotation, he needs to pitch like it.

As you continue to go through the rotation, you ask yourself more and more question about whether this team has a pitcher that will win more than 10-11 games. Francisco Liriano is a perfect example of this situation. Ever since his Tommy John Surgery, people have been wondering if he will be the same pitcher we saw in 2006, when he went 12-3. He might have had too high of expectations when he was the #2 pitcher behind Johan Santana in 2006, so he might be trying too hard to live up to the hype. Everyone expected him to be the next Johan Santana, but we came to quickly realize he was not the same pitcher after the surgery.

He shows flashes of brilliance, but then just as you get your hopes up, he goes out and gets shelled. The perfect example of this was just a couple of weeks ago. After lasting just three innings his April 27th start against Tampa Bay, giving up seven earned runs and walking four, his next start was in Chicago. Many people thought that this would be the start that would determine if he would stay in the rotation or not. Well he answered those critics by throwing a no-hitter against the rival White Sox.

With just two more years, 2011 and 2012 season, left he needs to quickly prove to the Twins that he is worth keeping around. Otherwise he will find himself involved in a possible trade or even just let go and land in the free agent market. I personally think Liriano has the potential to be a solid #2 or #3 starter, but he has to figure out what he is doing wrong and work on it not only during the season, but also the off-season.

So whether the problems within the rotation are mechanic related, psychological or just a run of bad pitching, the Twins need to figure this out and figure it out quickly. Otherwise, the Twins may be forced to look within the organization or do some shuffling around with the pitching. Whether that is re-inserting Kevin Slowey into the rotation or making a trade around the deadline.

This could very well be pitching coach Rick Anderson’s toughest year on the job and he will need to show why is one of the better pitching coaches around. So it will be very interesting to see how this turns out.

What's Wrong With the Twins: Will Mauer Ever Be Healthy?

2011-05-13T11:49:00.003-05:00

When you ask people who the worst team in baseball is, you hear Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, Kansas City, or Cleveland. You never hear the Minnesota Twins come up in that discussion. Well that is how crazy the 2011 Major League Baseball season has been thus far. As we near the middle of May, the Minnesota Twins own the worst record in baseball at 12-23. They are eleven games back of the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central.

The Twins had trouble written all over them since Spring Training. Whether it was figuring out their pitching staff, dealing with the annual “Is Joe Mauer healthy?” question, or every fans favorite “Why didn’t the Twins make any major moves to match their division rivals?” question. I will spend the next few days discussing each of these issues and touch on a few other topics as well.

The question that every Twins fan is asking is “When will Joe Mauer return?”. This is the $184 million dollar question, as Joe is in the first year of his new 8 year, $184 million dollar contract. Yet he has only played in 9 games out of the 35 played so far. His missed time is due to Bilateral leg weakness and a viral infection at the same time. The Twins believe the leg weakness was caused by his off-season knee surgery and the lack of preparation in Spring Training before the Regular Season started.

Both the Twins and Joe later admitted that he was not ready strength-wise to start the Regular Season. Then I only ask, “Why did he start the season if he wasn’t ready?”. Yes, I know he is the face of the franchise and was entering the first year of his new contract, the largest ever given to a Twins player, but you have to make sure he is as healthy as possible. This could be a very long 8 year contract for the Twins. If he continues to have knee issues, they will have to seriously consider moving him to a different position.

Everyone immediately says to move him to first base, but you have to remember that the Twins have Morneau under contract through the 2013 season and potentially longer if they choose to re-sign him. I think first base is truly the only position to consider moving Mauer to, so it would be 2014 season at the earliest. However, if you move Mauer to a different position, who goes behind the plate? Drew Butera? Steve Holms? The Twins will be lucky to find a catcher with half as much talent that Joe has, when he is healthy.

If I’m the Twins, I would let Mauer take as much time as he needs this year to get healthy and slowly work him back into the lineup. Reports are saying he is still a few weeks away, but has been working out at Target Field and will likely go on a rehab assignment by the end of the month before he returns to the Twin Cities. So if you are planning on going a minor league game in late-May, be on the look out for those sideburns.

Pat Dean Interview

2011-05-01T15:36:00.003-05:00

Pat Dean, a left-handed pitcher out of Boston College, was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to talk about his time with the Twins so far and what the future holds for him.

Kevin Lewis: You were selected in the 3rd round by the Minnesota Twins this past June. It must have been a great moment. What was your reaction like and how much does it mean to you being drafted by a team that has a good track record of developing pitchers?

Pat Dean: It was one of the biggest moments of my life, no doubt about that. I remember watching the computer with my family and girlfriend, anxiously waiting to hear my name called on the draft tracker. Once I heard that the Twins had selected me, I had all kinds of emotions going through me. Knowing that I would be playing professional baseball, and to be fortunate enough to be playing with a great organization that is well known for player development, it is a dream come true.

KL: If you were a scout before the draft, what would you scouting report say about Pat Dean?

PD: My scouting about myself would most likely say that I am a hard-working, competitor. Location is how I find my success. I am a student of the game, always learning ways to make myself a better player.

KL: You signed very quickly with the Twins after being drafted and then you were sent to the Twins rookie ball team, Elizabethton. Very similar to your Boston College days, you were put in the bullpen to start with, then made your way to the rotation. You had an astonishing 37-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. You have a track record of being a very accurate pitcher. What can you attribute to that?

PD: That can be attributed to catch in the back yard with my father. When I was younger, any time I threw a ball that got past him, I would have to go chase after it. We live on a hill so the ball usually went pretty far. I eventually figured out the easiest way to not get exhausted is to throw strikes. I think that was the beginning to my accuracy.

KL: As you get into the groove of things in the 2011 season, are there a few things, or maybe just one thing you feel you need to work on as you make your way through the minor league system?

PD: To me, everything can always be better. No one is perfect, and I know none of my pitching skills are. So it is important for me to be constantly learning new ways to get better. My goal this season is to work on something or learn something new every day that will in turn make me a better pitcher.

KL: Growing up as a young baseball player, who was you favorite player and what team did you grow up rooting for?

PD: I grew up a Yankees fan, and always enjoyed watching Andy Pettite pitch.

KL: I typically ask this question, but if you were to give the young baseball players of today a word of advice as they continue to improve, what would it be?

PD: My word of advice would be to always work hard. It takes no talent to do that. If you have a goal or a dream, don’t let anyone stop you from achieving it. Anything can happen if you put the time and effort in.

KL: I’d like to thank Pat Dean for taking time. Pat will be someone to keep an eye on this season as he hopefully makes his way through the system quick and we see him in the Twin Cities in a few years.

2011 Starting Rotation Outlook

2011-01-07T09:08:00.004-06:00

          With the lineup figured out, the Twins have to figure out what their rotation will look like come Spring Training. The biggest question is whether or not they will be re-signing Carl Pavano. Rumors say that the Twins and Pavano are very close in agreement on a two year deal. If that is the case then the Twins will enter the 2011 season with the same starting pitching as they had at the end of the 2010 season. Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey is the order I would go with if it was Opening Day.

          Francisco Liriano had a very nice rebound year in 2010. He went 14-10 with a 3.62 ERA, walking 58 batters and striking out 201. Many people were skeptical about his strength and ability to recover form Tommy John surgery. There was talk of the Twins having to rebuild his delivery to avoid another serious injury, but they didn’t have to tweak it too much. Throughout the season he showed flashes of the Liriano of 2006, when he went 12-3. Expect him to feed of his 2010 season and become the true ace of this team.

          Carl Pavano will likely be the #2 starter, assuming the reports are true and he re-signs with the Twins. If you would have told me that Pavano was going to win 17 games last season, I would have thought you were crazy. He has been known for having injury problems, the most notable was the car accident he was in that he didn’t feel he had to report to the New York Yankees during the 2006 season. He was able to put all that behind him and have a great season, while providing veteran leadership for the Twins young pitching staff. With a shaky bullpen, look for Pavano to be an innings eater, after pitching in 221 innings during 2010.

          Brian Duensing may have been the biggest surprise of the Twins pitching staff. After starting the 2010 season in the bullpen, manager Ron Gardenhire moved him to the rotation in July after demoting Nick Blackburn to Triple-A Rochester. Duensing wasted no time proving Gardenhire made a good move. Ending the season with a 10-3 record and a 2.62 season EAR, he had a record of 7-2 with a 3.05 ERA in 13 starts once he entered the rotation. His most impressive game was on August 14th at home against Oakland. He pitched a complete game shutout, giving up only three hits. I expect him to build off a great second half of the season as a starter.

          After having a good 2009 season, Scott Baker continued to give up the home run ball in 2010. Even though he went 12-9, he gave up 23 home runes, a year after giving up 28 in 2009. He had a better second half of the season going 5-1 with a 3.82 ERA as opposed to the first half of the season when he went 7-8 with a 4.87 ERA. He gave up half as many home runs in the second half than he did in the first half. I think he is a solid #4 starter, but he really needs to work on giving up the home run balls.

          The last spot in the rotation belongs to Kevin Slowey, who came off season-ending wrist surgery in July 2009. He bounced back nicely from the injury and had a good 2010 season. He went 13-6 with a 4.45 ERA in 28 starts. Many people say Slowey reminds them of Twins great, Brad Radke. I am beginning to see more and more of this every time he makes a start. He is a great control pitcher, although he doesn’t strike out a lot of batters. In four seasons with the Twins he has a total of 79 walks. Considering that most pitchers average anywhere from 50-90 walks per season. Perhaps, Slowey’s best start of his career occurred on August 15th against the Oakland Athletics. He was in the midst of a no-hitter, but then Ron Gardenhire removed him from the game due to prevent possibly re-injuring his wrist. Whether it was a good move or not, I side with Gardenhire on the side of caution towards keeping him healthy. Look for Slowey to have another season like he had in 2010 and be a very nice fifth starter.

          Aside from the five starters who work so hard on their off days to improve, the biggest praise has to go to pitching coach Rick Anderson. He has been the Twins pitching coach since the 2002 season. He has done wonders with very little all-star caliber talent. He has taught the pitchers to not worry about strike outs, but rather getting the hitters out anyway possible.

          Look for the 2011 Twins rotation to again be underrated and talked about very little, but continue to make noise. They will continue to be a very disciplined pitching staff, as their starting rotation walked a league best 233 batters, 150 less than Boston who led the league with 383 walked batters. There is definite potential for the Twins to have two 15 game winners since the 2001 season when Joe Mays (17 wins), Brad Radke (15 wins) and Eric Milton (15 wins) all eclipsed the 15 win mark.

What Will The Bullpen Look Like?

2010-12-29T16:35:00.000-06:00

    With the starting rotation pretty much set as the Twins look towards Spring Training, their biggest question has to be, “Who will be in our bullpen?”. The bullpen will have a different look in 2011 as the Twins let 4 key pitchers test the free agent market. Jesse Crain, along with Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes, was probably the biggest name to decline arbitration and test the free agent market. So far, it has been kind to them. Crain signed a 13 million dollar, three year deal with the Chicago White Sox and Guerrier signed a 12 million dollar, three year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    If you ask me, I would have given Crain 13 million over three years without hesitation. He was one of the hottest relief pitchers during the second half of the season as he had a 2.14 ERA with 15 walks and 33 strike outs in 33 2/3 innings pitched. The White Sox got a heck of a pitcher in Crain and I will continue to be a fan of Jesse, even though he will be playing for our biggest rival.

    With those four guys gone, the Twins will almost have an open audition for the bullpen this Spring in Ft. Myers. Looking at a list of potential bullpen arms, I have Joe Nathan, Pat Neshek, Matt Capps and Jose Mijares as locks to be in the bullpen. This leaves three more open spots to complete the pitching staff. The three players that I think will get the last three spots in the Twins bullpen are Alex Burnett, Glen Perkins and Anthony Slama.

    RHP Alex Burnett is at the top of my list of possible candidates to earn a spot in the bullpen. He made his Major League debut at the beginning of the 2010 season and had an okay season. He went 2-2 with a 5.29 ERA with 33 walks and 37 strike outs in 47.2 IP. That 5.29 ERA may worry some people, but he had a 3.60 ERA at the All-Star break. So he definitely showed signs of being a good relief pitcher. He would likely be the long relief pitcher when needed.

    Another interesting candidate is Glen Perkins, a left hander who has been with the Twins since being drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 draft. He was originally drafted with the thought of being a starting pitcher. In 2008 he went 12-4 with a 4.41 ERA, but then was shifted to the bullpen and he hasn’t been the same since. He was a call-up during the summer last season, but that didn’t go too well. He had a very rough August giving up ten earned runs in ten innings. He was able to rebound in September by allowing four earned runs in 11 innings and earning his only win of the 2010 season. I expect Perkins to get a spot in the bullpen, possibly as a long-relief/emergency starter roll.

    Unless the Twins sign a veteran bullpen arm, I believe Anthony Slama will be the last pitcher to round out the bullpen. Slama made his MLB debut in the middle of July last season. It didn’t last very long as he only pitched 4.1 innings before being sent back to Triple-A Rochester. Triple-A is where he has succeeded greatly the last two seasons. He has notched 21 of his 85 career minor league saves at the Triple-A level. After watching his brief stint at the major league level, some people may wonder if he is ready. You have to also ask, “Did he have enough time to prove himself?”. The answer to that is no. He only appeared in five games. He didn’t really get the chance to try and turn himself around. So hopefully having a very small bite of major league experience, he can go into Spring Training with the knowledge of what it will take. He is most suited for the 6th or 7th inning role.

    Despite the competition for the three remaining spots, the biggest question to me is, “How will Joe Nathan bounce back from Tommy John surgery?”. He is on schedule to be ready for the 2011 season, but will likely start in the set-up role. I fully expect Matt Capps to be the Opening Day closer for the Twins. But anything can happen between now and Opening Day, so it will be very interesting to see how the bullpen turns out come April 1st in Toronto.

Meet Josiah Viera

2010-12-24T16:34:00.000-06:00

I know this is supposed to be a blog about the Minnesota Twins and their season, but I wanted to share a quick story about a boy, Josiah Viera. I was just watching Outside The Lines on ESPN and they were sharing stories of kids with illnesses, disabilities, etc. Josiah Viera has genetic disease called Progeria.

Progeria is a condition where the symptoms resemble a rapidly aging body at a young age. It is so rare, that is occurs in only one-in-four million kids around the world. Josiah is one of those kids. However, this hasn’t stopped Josiah from living his life the way he wants to. Despite having to go to the hospital every day, he displays his love for baseball proudly.

He plays baseball whenever he can and he even bugs his sister and mother to play with him until they give in and go out and throw the baseball with him. But his one dream is to play baseball on a recreational team. Well that dream came true last year. He was able to play in the Tri-Valley Baseball League. He hit the ball in every at-bat and even had people from out of town come and watch him as word got out about him.

Since then, he has lived the celebrity life. He has gotten to meet a lot of athletes, but none was as special as his day with his favorite baseball player, Ryan Howard.

This may not mean a lot to some people, but the fact that he is able to continue to live his life and continue to play the game he loves, it just makes you stop and think about how fortunate we are all and that this could have be any of us.

Also, the fact that a multi-millionaire athlete like Ryan Howard will take the time and spend the day with Josiah is just so amazing.

Anyways, I just wanted to share the story of Josiah as we reach the holiday season and just how the simple game of baseball can touch and change a kids life.

To see more on Josiah, you can visit this link, http://search.espn.go.com/josiah-viera/videos/6

Twins Sign Tsuyoshi Nishioka; Trade Morales

2010-12-17T16:33:00.001-06:00

Tsuyoshi Nishioka arrives at Japanese airport preparing to leave for Twin Cities

There are have been a few reports that the Minnesota Twins and Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka have come to an agreement on a three year deal worth $9-$10 million dollars, also including a fourth year option. If the contract is actually in the 9-10 million range, then the Twins very well. Reports are also saying that Nishioka will start at second base, but could eventually move to his natural shortstop position.

In other Twins related news, the Twins have traded catcher Jose Morales to the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher, Paul Bargas. With Morales being traded, due to being out of minor league option years, the Twins will continue to have Drew Butera serve as Joe Mauer's backup.

Bargas was drafted in the 13th round of the 2009 Amateur Draft. Last year at the Single-A level, he went 5-4 with a 3.59 ERA and collected five saves while striking out 65 and walking just 19 batters in 58 appearances. He is still a few years away from making any sort of impact for the Twins.

2010 Off-Season Thoughts

2010-12-16T16:33:00.000-06:00

With the MLB off-season in full swing and some major signings that have already taken place, the Minnesota Twins are sitting still for the moment. After extending Joe Mauer’s contract last off-season and bringing in Jim Thome, just to name a few of the moves from 2009, you may be thinking, “wow, now the Twins are actually going to sign some well-known free agents due to all the money they will make from Target Field”. Well, thus far, the Twins haven’t done a whole lot, but that is just how the Twins work as an organization.

The Twins have been known to wait until later in the off-season schedule to begin their activity, as they rarely attempt to sign the big name players at the start. On the other hand, over the last few years, the Twins have really showed the rest of the MLB that they will be players in the International Free Agent market for years to come. After signing SS Miguel Sano last year, they went out this year and bid on and won the rights to Japanese middle infielder, Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

Nishioka led the Nippon Professional Baseball League with a .346 batting average and racked up 206 hits during the 2010 season. He is a switching hitter, one of very few switch hitters in Japanese professional baseball, which will help the Twin lineup as he will be in the lineup much more often then. Despite his strong 2010 season and being just 26 years old, there are questions about how he will adapt to Major League Baseball in the US.

With the imminent signing of Nishioka, the Twins had a decision to make. Do they move Nishioka to second base or keep him at his natural position at short stop? Well if they want to keep him at short, then they will have to make a decision on J.J. Hardy. It didn’t take the Twins long to make their decision, as they traded J.J. Hardy and Brendan Harris to the Baltimore Orioles for pitchers Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey. If this was the best that the Twins were able to get, then maybe there is something wrong with Hardy or that he needs to prove that he can stay healthy before other teams were to go after him.

With the departures of Hardy and Harris, the Twins infield depth is very limited. As it looks, the Twins will start Alexi Casilla at second and Nishioka at short stop. This raises the question of “Who do we have to come off the bench?”. As of right now, the Twins would likely use Trevor Plouffe and/or Matt Tolbert. The Twins appear to be looking for infield depth over the next few weeks and heading towards Spring Training. So look for them to sign a less expensive option for the backup role.

The main area the Twins need to address before pitchers and catchers report is the bullpen. With the loses of Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Brian Fuentes and Jon Rauch, there are some major holes in the Twins bullpen. Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain have signed with other teams within the last 36 hours, so you can forget about a potential return to the Twins. Right now, the bullpen consists of Joe Nathan, Matt Capps, Pat Neshek, Alex Burnett, Jose Mijares, and Glen Perkins. They have a few options at the Triple-A level in Anthony Slama, Rob Delany, Kyle Waldrop and Jeff Manship.

Some free agent names that come to mind are Juan Cruz, Kevin Gregg, Chad Qualls, J.C. Romero. Now, would any of those names be affordable enough? Only one way to find out, but it is important that the Twins get their bullpen figured out, otherwise it could be a long season and long games come the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings.

So, despite the Twins looking for bullpen help and infield help, I have full confidence that the Twins will get everything figured and will make a run at another American League Central crown despite what the White Sox and Tigers have done thus far this off-season; White Sox adding Adam Dunn and the Tigers adding Vic Martinez. It may be too soon to predict how the division race will end up, but this has the looks of another last day battle for the Central title.

Kyle Gibson Interview

2010-08-21T16:31:00.001-05:00

Kyle Gibson was the Minnesota Twins 1st round selection in the 2009 MLB First-Year Amateur Draft. He has quickly risen through the Twins organization and is now starting for the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins Triple-A affiliate.

I recently got the opportunity to ask Kyle a few questions about his career thus far and I look forward to following him as he continues his journey to the Major League Level.

Kevin Lewis: You were originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006, but decided to enroll at the University of Missouri. What was the thought process behind your decision then?

Kyle Gibson: I did not think I was ready for the everyday grind of 120 or 140 games. So i decided to go to college and bulk up and become a better pitcher.

KL: After a solid three year college career at Missouri, you were ranked as one of the top pitchers heading into the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft. The Minnesota Twins then selected you with the 22nd overall pick. What was your reaction when the Twins selected you?

KG: I was just excited I had been picked! For a while there iI was slipping further and further down and I was just excited that someone gave me a chance to prove that the injury was only a temporary thing.

KL: It has now been one year since you were signed to a contract and became a Minnesota Twin. What has the professional baseball life been like?

KG: Its been a long year that has seemed as if it has passed by quickly. I have had a lot of fun and it has been a learning experience.

KL: It was known all along that you would likely rise through the minor leagues at a fairly fast pace. Going from Single-A to Double-A and now Triple-A all within one year, how has that quick adjustment from league to league been?

KG: It has been a quick adjustment for me and sometimes I have adjusted well and other times it has taken me a little longer to make the correct adjustment, but overall I feel as if i have had a decent year.

KL: As you became the baseball player that you are today, was there a player that you idolized?

KG: As a young player when I still played a position, I liked Omar Vizquel and Barry Larkin, but as a pitcher i liked watching Justin Verlander and Mark Prior.

KL: Have you had a chance to take a breathe and just take it all in that you are becoming a major league baseball player?

KG: Not yet. I still wake up some days and head to the park and it is pretty realistic at that point that I have become a professional baseball player. Obviously the Major League dream has not come true yet, so I still have a lot of work to do.

KL: Heading into the home stretch of the 2010 season is there anything you still hope to work on and improve?

KG: I still need to work on throwing more first pitch strikes and getting ahead of batters, as well as putting them away when I have the chance.

KL: With you being at Triple-A Rochester now, it appears to be only a matter of time before there is the chance for you to be called up the majors. What would it mean to be called up to the majors and to be a part of such a great organization?

KG: It would be a dream come true. I have worked very hard to get to the spot where I am now and I still have a lot of work to do in order to get to the big leagues. But it would be a huge dream come true.

With Kyle rising to through the minor league system as quick as he is, look for Kyle to be a mid-season call up in 2011.

Can The Twins Keep The Momentum Going?

2010-08-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Twins are playing their best baseball during the most crucial time of the season. Heading into the All-Star Break, the Twins had a record of 46-42 and were trailing the Chicago White Sox by 3.5 games. Those three days for the All-Star Break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Twins. They have been the hottest team in baseball since the All-Star break with a record of 21-8 and now have a two game lead over the Chicago White Sox.

This has turned into another two team race for the American League Central title, as the Detroit Tigers have fallen out of contention. Usually you can never count a team out in the AL Central, but being 10.5 games back, the Tigers have a lot of ground to make up and their pitching hasn’t been consistent enough.

The Twins on the other hand have the 3rd best team ERA since the all-star break, with an ERA of 3.37. There was concern that the Twins pitching wouldn’t be consistent enough to carry them into the playoffs, but they have shown that they are more than capable of being a top team and possibly make a run in the playoffs.

One player that really stands out to me is Brian Duensing, who was recently added to the rotation when Nick Blackburn was sent down to Triple-A Rochester to work on his overall game. Since joining the rotation, Brian has gone 3-0 with an ERA of 2.44, seven walks and fifteen strike outs. His latest outing was a pitching gem against the Oakland Athletics last night. He would throw his first career complete game, which ended up being a shutout. Look for Brian to remain in the starting rotation for the remainder of the season and possibly start the 2011 season in the rotation.

Looking at the remainder of the 2010 season for both the Twins and White Sox, the Twins appear to have the easier road to the playoffs. The White Sox still have to the play the Yankees at home, then have seven more games against the Red Sox. Whereas the Twins are Twins are done playing AL East teams during the regular season. This is a huge advantage for the Twins as the AL East is easily the toughest division in the American League.

However, there is still a lot of baseball to be played and the momentum could turn very quickly. The White Sox will return to Target Field for the last time this season next week for a huge series. This should be a very fun, exciting race for the AL crown, so buckle in for a wild ride.

Is This the Return of the 2006 Francisco Liriano?

2010-08-05T16:28:00.001-05:00

When the Twins traded catcher A.J. Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Joe Nathan, RHP Boof Bonser and LHP Francisco Liriano, not many people knew about Francisco. However, he quickly became known as the next big thing in the Twins minor league system. Some people referred to him as the next Johan Santana. A hard throwing, left-handed pitcher with great stuff.

He quickly became the #2 pitcher on the Twins staff, only behind Johan Santana. Although he pitched out of the bullpen primarily in 2005, he truly became a full-time start during the 2006 season. He would go on to have a record of 12-3 with an ERA of 2.16 with 32 walks and 144 strike outs. He would be voted to his first all-star game. The Twins pulled off an achievement that not many teams have ever done. They had the AL Rookie of the Month (Liriano), Pitcher of the Month (Johan Santana), and the Player of the Month (Joe Mauer) all in the same month.

Where there is good news, there is always bad news. After having a phenomenal 2006 season, it all came to an end on September 13, 2006 after re-injuring his left elbow that had caused problems earlier in the month. You could tell something was clearly wrong as his arm just dropped to his side. It was later determined that he would undergo Tommy John surgery and would miss the entire 2007 season.

This was a huge blow to the Twins rotation that would have competed as having the best 1-2 punch in baseball with Johan and Francisco. Unfortunately that was the last time Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano were on the same team, as Johan was traded to the New York Mets. Not only did the Twins lose their future ace in Francisco, but they then traded Johan. The Twins were now without a sure fire ace.

After a year of rehab, Francisco Liriano made his 2008 debut against the Kansas City Royals. He struggled greatly and was send down to Triple-A Rochester to work on becoming the pitcher everyone saw in 2006. It didn’t take him long to prove himself at Rochester. He had stretch where he went 10-0 with a 2.67 ERA. The Twins called Liriano back up and they used him out of the bullpen before moving him back to the rotation, where he went 3-0 with a 1.45 in 18.2 innings.

2009 was an up and down season for Liriano, while composing a record of 5-13 with an ERA of 5.80. This marked the first full season at the major league level since coming off Tommy John surgery. Many people thought this would be the year that he would return to his 2006 form, but after an up and down year, some thought he may never return to that 12-3 form that he showed in 2006.

After the 2009 season, the Minnesota Twins allowed Francisco to return to Dominican Republic to participate in winter ball. He would go on to compose a record of 3-1 with a mind boggling 0.49 ERA in seven playoff starts. During this time, there were reports that he slimmed down some and was showing flashes of 2006 form. This brought a lot of optimism to the Twins’ organization and their fans.

2010 has by far been his best season since his return from surgery. Through August 1st, he has a record of 10-7 with an ERA of 3.18 with 38 walks and 150 strikeouts. He got off to a very hot start by going 3-0 with a league leading 0.96 ERA in the month of April to grab the AL Pitcher of the Month award. The most important aspect of Liriano’s arsenal is the fact that his dominating slider is back in full force. Something that Twins fans hadn’t seen since 2006.

Look for Liriano continue to build off a solid 2010 season and provide leadership for the Twins rotation down the stretch as they try to clinch the AL Central crown. I expect Liriano to become the Twins ace for many years to come.

Danny Valencia Era Begins

2010-08-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

After several seasons without an everyday third baseman, the Twins may have found their man in Danny Valencia. Danny Valencia was drafted in 19th round of the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of Miami (FL). He originally started the University of North Carolina- Greensboro, but decided to transfer back to his hometown of Miami, Florida and enroll at the U of Miami. The Twins were very surprised to find Danny still available in the 19th round and they quickly selected him. Danny then quickly signed with the Twins and reported to their advanced rookie team, Elizabethton.

He would climb the ladder of the Twins minor league system, where he spent the 2007 season at Beloit and Ft. Myers, where he would hit a combined .297 with 17 home runs and 66 runs batted in between the two leagues. He would start the 2008 season back at Ft. Myers where he would hit .336 with five home runs and 44 runs batted in before being promoted to Double-A New Britain.

He would continue his success at the minors by hitting .289 with ten home runs and 32 runs batted in at New Britain in 2008. After the 2008 season, some people thought he would start at Triple-A Rochester in 2009, but they decided to have him start the year at New Britain. But before he reported to New Britain, the Twins invited him as a non-roster invitee.

Danny continued to work on his offense and defense during the 2009 season at New Britain and Rochester. After the 2009 season, there was talk of Danny starting the 2010 season as the Twins third baseman. However, he would have to have a pretty good Spring Training to have a shot. Despite hitting .292 with two home runs, he was only able to drive in 4 runs. He was one of the last cuts in Spring Training, but he was sent to Rochester to work on his game for a little bit before they called him up.

That day arrived on June 3rd when he was called up to split time with Nick Punto at third base. He would go on to hit .360 in the month of June with four base on balls, nine strike outs. Not only was his bat strong, but his fielding was was even better. He has a very strong arm at third, although he isn’t as crazy as Punto is at third.

Danny had an even better month in July. He hit .508 and got his first major league home run, which happened to be a grand slam against Kansas City. Nick Punto was put on the DL in late July with a hamstring injury, so Danny is getting the full-time position at third. Hopefully he can keep up the good play and that he is up to stay for good.

I am very excited about Danny and look forward to following his big league career. Look for Danny to be around for many years to come and hopefully be a very solid third baseman that the Twins have been looking for.

2010 Season Update

2010-08-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

With two months left in the 2010 regular season, the Minnesota Twins are finding themselves in a very comfortable spot in the AL Central. Although every team wishes to be in first place, the Twins find themselves one-half game back of the Chicago White Sox. This year has been a year of firsts and worsts for the Twins as they opened their new, outdoor ballpark, Target Field.

The Twins had to wait 28 years before outdoor baseball returned to the Twin Cities. They weren’t the only ones waiting, as the other 29 teams in the MLB were very excited that they never have to play at the Metrodome ever again. As with the Metrodome, the Twins have a good home record (33-20). They may have lost the noise factor from the Metrodome, but they still have the home field advantage.

Entering the 2010 season, there was a lot of hype about this team around the Twin Cities. With the additions of Jim Thome, Orlando Hudson, and J.J. Hardy, this was supposed to be one of the best lineups in recent years. Despite the offensive additions, there was angst within the fan base due to the lack of pitching upgrade. They were able to keep the rotation intact, but some felt that to get past the 1st round of the playoffs, they would have to upgrade their pitching.

April
That didn’t matter though as the Twins start the year by going 15-8 in April. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, referred to as the M&M boys, both had a good month of April. Both hit over .340 during the month, however Morneau really shined by hitting five home runs and driving in 17. The lack off leadoff hitting by Denard Span really hindered Mauer’s opportunity to drive in more runners.

The main question heading into April was, “Who will be the ace of this staff?”. With Scott Baker getting the Opening Day nod, some thought that he would be the ace. Francisco Liriano had a different idea. “How about me?”. Well, he sure as heck performed like the ace of this staff. In 4 April starts, he went 3-0, with an astonishing 0.93 ERA. He would go on to win the American League Pitcher of the Month for the month of April.

May
May was another good month for the Twins, as they would continue to hold onto first place in the A.L. Central. They entered May with a half game lead over the Detroit Tigers. The Twins offense would continue to produce runs at a steady pace, with Justin Morneau have another solid month by hitting .400 with six home runs and 19 runners driven in.

Twins top catching prospect, Wilson Ramos, would make his MLB debut due to Joe Mauer’s ailing left heel. Despite playing in only seven games, he would hit .296, but only drive in one run. No one expected him to stay up very long, which was the case as he was sent back to Triple-A Rochester once Mauer was healthy enough to resume his catching duties.

Jon Rauch would continue to be a solid fill in for Joe Nathan at the closer role, as he picked up 6 more saves during the month, bringing his season total to 13 saves. However, the real surprise of the pitching staff was Nick Blackburn. Nick was by far the best Twins pitcher in May as he went 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA in five starts. With the struggles of Francisco Liriano during May, the Twins really needed someone to step up and provide some consistent pitching. So, it was very cool to see Nick take the spot.

June
The Twins were feeling very good about themselves heading into June with a four and a half game lead over the Tigers and an eight and a half game lead over the White Sox heading into June. However, things would be very different at the end of June. The Twins had the worst month of the season thus far, thanks to very inconsistent pitching.

Delmon Young finally started to emerge as a threat for the Twins. He came into the 2010 season looking very different. Like 20-30 pounds lighter and really worked on his hitting in the off-season. There was question whether or not Delmon would be a good fit in Minnesota and whether he would show flashes of his offensive output like he did during his rookie season, when he won the AL Rookie of the Year award. He would go on to hit .320 with three home runs with 24 runs batted in.

The move the Twins made during June that I was a huge fan of was the call up of third base prospect, Danny Valencia. Danny has been groomed to be the next Twins third baseman and possibly the first true third baseman since Corey Koskie. There was some thought that Danny would be the Twins starting third baseman coming out of Spring Training, but the Twins thought he could use more work at the Triple-A level. He would start off by splitting time with Nick Punto at third and then go from there.

The one aspect that really caused the Twins problems during the month of June was the lack of consistent starting pitching. Unless your name is Carl Pavano. Carl would begin what would turn out to be a great streak of pitching for himself. As it turns out, it was a very smart move to re-sign Carl for the 2010 season. He would go 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five starts for the Twins in June. The rest of the Twins rotation would put up a record of 5-12, so Carl really came through in the clutch and allowed the Twins to finish June with a one game lead over Detroit and a two game lead over a streaking Chicago White Sox team.

July
The Twins were coming off a not so good June, where their starting pitching struggled and gave up quite a bit of ground in the AL Central. With the dog days of summer arriving, the fight for the AL Central crown was beginning to take shape. It’s going to be another battle to the end. Could we see another Game 163 this year? It may be too early to tell at this point, but sure looks like no one wants to keep control of an AL Central lead.

Delmon Young, aka Delmonster, continued to swing a hot bat and was the leader of the Twins offense during July as he would hit an amazing .434 with six home runs with 30 runs batted in. With the loss of Justin Morneau to a concussion and no idea of when he will return, someone had to really step up and be the offensive threat that Morneau usually is. Well it didn’t take Delmon long to adjust to that role. Despite it being a farfetched thought, Delmon could get a few votes for AL MVP come seasons end.

After a horrendous month of the June, the Twins starting pitching finally got their heads on straight. The starters went a combined 13-4 in the month of July. But that didn’t come with some change. After struggling quite a bit, manager Ron Gardenhire decide to move Nick Blackburn to the bullpen and give Brian Duensing a shot at starting. Carl Pavano continued to be the ace of the Twins staff after a little bit of a slow start. Through the end of July, Carl has a record of 13-6 with an ERA of 3.21 with 22 walks and 83 strikeouts. So without a doubt Carl Pavano is the ace of this staff with two months to go.

As the trade deadline approached, there was talk of the Twins possibly trying to acquire a starting pitcher, but GM Bill Smith had other plans. He traded catcher Wilson Ramos and LHP Joe Testa to the Washington Nationals for reliever Matt Capps. There was immediate confusion about why the Twins would trade one of their top prospects for a relief pitcher. The Twins must have felt that this was the best they could have gotten for Ramos. Capps will become the Twins closer, with Jon Rauch becoming the 8th inning set-up man for Capps.

Entering August, the Twins trail the White Sox by a half game, with Detroit in a free fall and now seven back of the White Sox. Anything can happen in the AL Central though, so this should be a very fun race to watch and we may even get to see a game 163 yet again. Will Justin Morneau be healthy enough to play at all down the stretch? How will the Twins starting pitching perform? These are just a few questions on Twins fans mind for the rest of the season.

Spring Training Surprises

2010-03-25T16:25:00.000-05:00

(Kevin Slowey, Ben Revere, Juan Portes)

With Spring Training winding down and the Twins roster starting to take shape for Opening Day, there were some Twins players who opened some eyes and showed a glimpse of the future for the Minnesota Twins. When you think Spring Training 2010, the people that come to mind right away are likely Joe Mauer and Joe Nathan.

With the Mauer contraction situation coming to an end over the last few days, all Twins fans can finally take it easy and let their worrying turn to whether Nathan will be able to be the same pitcher once he returns from Tommy John surgery next year. But that is for another day. The names I want to talk about briefly today are Kevin Slowey, Ben Revere, and Juan Portes.

You may be wondering why Kevin Slowey is part of this small group and the fact that we all know how he did last year before injuring his wrist, which required some screws to be put in. That is the very reason he is part of this group. The fact that he had surgery that required some screws to be put in his wrist. Most people would expect him to take a little bit to get back into the groove of things and that it would be a while before he was the pitcher that we saw go 10-3. So far this spring, Slowey has made 4 starts going 3-0 with an astonishing 0.56 ERA with only three walks and 15 strikeouts. To come off wrist surgery and put those kind of numbers on the table is amazing. Now, yes it is only spring training, but it’s still a very good sign of what is to come from Kevin Slowey in 2010.

If Ben Revere is a sign of things to come for the Twins, then our outfield could be one of the fastest and most fun to watch in a year or two. No one expected Ben to play the way he has this Spring. He has actually had the most at bats of any Twins player this spring, appearing at the plate 40 times. With about a week left of Spring Training, he is batting .325 with four runs batted in and an on base percentage of .450. He is regarded as one of, if not, the Twins best prospect by many Twins fans and baseball analysts.

Last year playing with the Ft. Myers Miracle, the twins High-A affiliate, he hit .311 with 2 HR, 48 RBI. He had an OBP of .372 and stole 45 bases. So he appears to be a potential lead-off man or even a solid #2 hitter when he arrives in the Twin Cities. I expect him to start in New Britain (Double-A) and possibly even reach Rochester later in the season. But the fact he is still with the MLB club at Spring Training is a very good sign. He is a prospect you will want to keep an eye on all season.

The other player that caught my eye this spring was 24-year-old Juan Portes. Not many people are familiar with Juan. He is already at the Double-A level and is doing very well there. In 2009 he hit .297 with 6 HR and 40 RBI while having an on-base percentage of .366. He will probably start in the outfield for New Britain, but can also play third base, which is here he will likely end up this season.

He has had a very impressive spring training batting .346 with a team leading three home runs and eight runs batted in. To make it to this point of spring training as a up and coming prospect is a very good sign. He will likely start the season in New Britain and if he gets off to a fast start, he could very well find himself on the way to Rochester (Triple-A affiliate).

If these three players can continue to their current play throughout the 2010 season in the respective leagues, then the future for the Minnesota Twins looks to be very bright and bring lots of successful seasons for Twins fans.

Interview with Carlos Gutierrez

2010-02-25T16:24:00.000-06:00

With the beginning of the 2010 Major League Baseball season nearing, I thought it would be good to hear from a Minnesota Twins prospect. So, I had the opportunity to ask Carlos Gutierrez some questions about his life and baseball career thus far. For those of you who don't know much about Carlos, he was drafted in the 2008 MLB Amateur Draft with the 27th overall pick.

Kevin Lewis: Carlos, thank you for taking time to answer a few questions today.

Carlos Gutierrez: No problem, thanks for having me on.

KL: Carlos, before we dive into the specifics about your first two seasons as a member of the Minnesota Twins organization, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself. What made you decide to become a baseball athlete?

CG: I have been playing baseball since I was about four years old. My dad always signed us ( my brother David) up in different baseball and basketball leagues. Baseball was something we were both good at and we just kept playing.

KL: Growing up in Florida, more specifically, the Miami area, who were some of your baseball idols that you looked up to and followed? Do you have someone in your life that was by your side while becoming a baseball player?

CG: I never had one person in specific I followed, but I always loved going to the University of Miami baseball games. My dad would take us to a couple of games a week there and we became really big fans.

KL: You were drafted 27th overall in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Entry Draft. A lot of people were wondering why the Twins would pick a pitcher just coming off Tommy John surgery. When you talked to the Twins, what did they tell you about choosing you?

CG: They never told me anything about choosing me, talking with scouts before from all teams the main thing everyone wanted to know was how I felt. I told everyone it felt better then ever.

KL: You have had a pretty good career so far in the minor leagues. It appears as though you will be starting at New Britain, the Twins Double-A affiliate. What do you feel you will need to work on this season to appear ready to jump to the next level at Rochester?

CG: There is always something any player can work on to get better. Something I thought needed to be addressed in my case was better feel for a change-up. I have been working on it almost daily every time I play catch and in my pens. It is something that still needs work and should come the more I use it in games.

KL: Some people have you as a future set-up man for the Twins, while others have you as possibly becoming a starter down the road. Have the Twins talked to you on how they plan to utilize you as a pitcher once you reach the 25-man roster?

CG: I have not heard exactly what they want but again there is still work that needs to be done. Whenever they feel I am ready I will do whatever is asked of me, whether that be coming out of the pen or as a starter. The Twins have a pretty good track record with this type of thing so I'm not too worried.

KL: How did your off-season go? Did you participate in any winter leagues or train with any other Twins players?

CG: I did not go to any winter leagues this off-season. I am currently training at the University of Miami with Adan Severino (Twins outfielder).

KL: As an avid baseball fan, what is life like as a minor league player? What is the typical routine for you during a day?

CG: I enjoy what I do everyday. Doing what we do traveling around being away from home away from your family for so long is not easy. It is something that you really have to love in order to put yourself through that every year, which I do. Typical off-season day is pretty much working out, throwing, and cardio. Not in any specific order, just to make sure you are getting stuff done and staying in shape.

KL: Playing at the University of Miami (FL) must have been such a thrill for you. Not only because they are one of the biggest powerhouse teams in college baseball, but also because you were born and raised Miami. Tell us a little bit about your experience at the “U”. Do you still remain in touch with your teammates?

CG: Playing at the "U" was a dream come true right from the beginning. As I said earlier, I would always go to games with my family. To put on that uniform for the first time was a great feeling. Then to have my brother join me on the team for a few years was also a great experience. We had great teams while I was there. Many friendships were formed in my time at UM and yes we do keep in touch. We all check up on one another, making sure we are doing okay.

KL: If you aren’t working out or on the road, what do you like to do in your free time?

CG: I pretty much do anything and everything just to get out and do something. I like to stay active. But on my down time I'll play video games or watch a movie.

KL: For all the current baseball players who have a wish to play in the majors, let alone get drafted, what advice would you give them?

CG: I would say to put in the work. Hard work pays off.

KL: Carlos, thank you for taking time, especially as Spring Training nears, to answer a few questions about your career as a minor league player for the Minnesota Twins. Good luck this season and hope to see you in the Twin Cities in a year or two.

Thoughts on Off-Season Moves

2010-02-10T16:24:00.000-06:00

With just one week until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, the Twins 2010 roster is looking as if they will be big time contenders this year. Not only for the A.L. Central crown, but possibly a deep run into late October. Going into this off-season, they needed to not only prove to their fans that they were going to improve their team heading into a new stadium, but they also needed to prove to Joe Mauer that they are committed to winning.

Entering the final year of his 4 year deal worth $33 million, Joe Mauer, reigning AL MVP, wanted to see what the Twins would do to try to improve the team and show him that they are committed to winning and ready to compete with the big guys (i.e. Yankees, Red Sox). Mauer should be very pleased with the off-season the Twins put together. Some people may think that the Twins may have had the best off-season of all 30 MLB clubs this year.

The Twins filled some holes that had been empty for a few years now and even increased their payroll to a new club high of 96 million dollars, 31 million more than last years Opening Day payroll of 65 million. The three biggest moves made this off-season for the Twins were the additions of Jim Thome, Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy.

To kick off the Twins off-season activity was the acquisition of J.J. Hardy from next door neighbor, Milwaukee. With Orlando Cabrera hitting the free agent market, the Twins were in need of an everyday shortstop. So on November 6th, the Twins traded outfielder, Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy. Although Hardy’s numbers slipped a bit during 2009, the Twins feel as though he can be a quality shortstop for the next two years and hopefully he remains a Twin for longer than that. With the departure of Gomez, this pretty much sets the outfield to look like Young-Span-Cuddyer.

The Twins were also looking to improve their bench by trying to sign a left handed hitter. Well they got their man in Jim Thome. After years of torturing us as a member of the Indians and White Sox, he will be playing for his 3rd AL Central team. Although Thome will be 39 years old come Opening Day. But don’t let his age make you not like this signing. Last year he hit .249 with 23 homeruns and 77 runs batted, so he still has some left in the tank. Look for him to take some of Kubel’s at-bats at the DH position, while also coming off the bench. Don’t forget he also plays first base, so Morneau won’t have the pressure to stay healthy all year and play all 162 games at first base.

The Twins finished off their activity with the signing of second baseman, Orlando Hudson. Hudson will not only fill a need the Twins have had for many years at second base, but he will also provide leadership in the clubhouse. Hudson will likely jump into the #2 spot between Denard Span and Joe Mauer. He fits the Twins mold as he is a career .282 hitter and last year had a career high with nine sacrifice hits. That is typical Twins baseball. With the addition of Hudson, Nick Punto will split time with Brendan Harris at third base.

If these three signings weren’t a sign of commitment, then I don’t know what is. This was a very exciting off-season for myself and I’m sure for many other Twins fans. I think this will make the Twins the pre-season favorites to win their 2nd straight AL Central Title. This should be a very exciting inaugural season at Target Field.

Twins Reach .500 Mark with Series Win

2009-05-01T16:23:00.000-05:00

With Joe Mauer just a few days away from returning to the team, the Twins would be very fortunate if they were to be at the .500 mark come Friday. As we, the fans, have learned so far this season, no victory comes easy to the Twins. After taking two of three from Cleveland, the defending American League Champion, Tampa Bay Rays came to town for a three game set. After being the Cinderella story of the Majors last year, the Rays have started the 2009 season like previous season, near the bottom of the AL East. Although it is early, both teams need some victories to stay close in their respective divisional races.

After a few rough outings for Scott Baker, he should some improvement. He worked six innings, giving up four earned runs off six hits. He struck out seven batters and walked only one. You may be wondering where the homeruns are? Well, that’s the best part. He didn’t give up a homerun tonight. His pitch location was much better tonight, as he wasn’t leaving as many strikes up in the zone. Some fans were a little worried about Baker’s first couple starts, but I don’t think there needs to be any panic. It’s too early in the season to be saying if someone will have a bad year or not.

The Twins offense was only able to get five hits off the Tampa pitching. However, one of those hits was a Joe Crede homerun that came in the sixth inning of Jeff Niemann. That was really the only highlight of the Twins offense all night. The Twins 3-4-5 hitting (Morneau, Kubel, Crede) went 1-for-11 with the lone hit being Crede’s homerun. If these three guys aren’t hitting well in games, it will be very tough to win them.

Francisco Liriano is another Twins pitcher that has had early season struggles. If there is on pitcher that all eyes are on this year, it has to be Liriano. He is entering the 2nd year after having Tommy John Surgery and that is about the time when pitchers are close to being fully healed and back to their old self. Today Liriano looked like the pitcher of old. Although his stats weren’t stellar, he was able to keep the Rays in check. He would give up two earned runs off seven hits in six and two-thirds innings of work. After Matt Guerrier and Jose Mijares were able to pitch 1⅓ scoreless innings, Nathan came in for the save attempt. This is more than usually a piece of cake. Well the very first pitch from Nathan to Ben Zobrist was not what we expect. Zobrist launched the pitch to right field for a homerun over the baggy. Nathan was able to get out of the 9th without anymore harm done.

With the blown save by Nathan, this forced the Twins offense to step up and get him the win. After hitting a first inning, two run homer, Justin Morneau was relatively quiet throughout the game. Well that all changed in the ninth inning. After two Twins hits and a wild pitch, the Twins were in position to win the game. With the bases loaded and one out, Justin stepped up to the plate looking for a game winning hit. As we the fans have seen so far this year, a base loaded situation with one out is no sure bet for a run.

The Rays actually brought Zobrist in from right field to be a fifth infielder. Well even that couldn’t stop Morneau from being the hero. Justin would hit a fastball right to Akinori Iwamura, who flipped it to Jason Bartlett at second. However, Akinori had trouble getting it out of his glove, which allowed Justin to reach first just before the ball got there. This allowed Jose Morales to score the winning run. So the Twins almost found a way to blow a perfect situation, but Lady Luck was on our side.

After a dramatic win last night, the Twins looked to carry the momentum into the rubber match of the series. With Scott Kazmir on the mound, it seemed like it might be tough to get some runs. Well, it was a totally different story. The Twins got to Kazmir early and often. The Twins scored four runs in the first inning, allowing them to bat around the order. The Twins would later tack on four more runs, before Kazmir was finally pulled from the game. The key to the Twins scoring was the top of their order. With Morneau hitting the 3rd spot, the 1-2-3 hitters went 9-for-14 with six runs scored and two RBI.

With early run support, Nick Blackburn was able to pitch without much worry. Looking for his second straight win, Blackburn pitched a very good game. Blackburn isn’t known as a big strikeout pitcher, which was evident in this game. He was able to force 11 groundouts and 7 flyouts. He was able to get three strikeouts on top of that and walked only one batter. Craig Breslow and Luis Ayala would later each pitch an inning. Ayala however did give up one run in the ninth, but by that point the game was out of reach.

The Twins will start a three game series against Kansas City on Friday night. The biggest news in the upcoming series will be the return of Twins catcher Joe Mauer. Twins fans are ecstatic about his anticipated return. He instantly will provide protection for Morneau and his leadership behind the plated so coveted by many around the league. The Twins, will however, have to decide who to send down to Triple-A or place on the disabled list. There has been talk of placing Mike Redmond on the DL with a sore shoulder, as Jose Morales has been playing very well. I will keep you updated on this as more information is revealed.

Twins Show Up; Win Series

2009-04-27T16:23:00.000-05:00

After an embarrassing two game series against Boston, the Twins needed to rebound and try to move up in the AL Central. Entering their three game series in Cleveland, the Twins were 7-9 and 1½ games back in the AL Central. I know it’s probably not as important to worry about standings this early, but when you play division rivals, every win matters.

After a decent outing against Los Angeles his last time out, Nick Blackburn threw a stellar game to open the series. With the Twins starting pitching struggling as of late, they needed some good outings during the series. This would be tough because the Indians are a very good hitting ballclub, but have gotten off to a very rocky start. Blackburn would last seven innings, giving up one earned run off six hits, while striking out four batters. Recently called up Jose Mijares would relieve Blackburn in the eighth and pitch a scoreless inning. Although it wasn’t a save situation, Joe Nathan would get some work by pitching a scoreless ninth.

Justin Morneau tacked on his fourth homerun off the season in the fourth inning off Cleveland pitcher, Fausto Carmona to make it a 3-1 score at the time. The Twins would also get RBIs from Jason Kubel, Joe Crede and Jose Morales. Morales as been a pleasant surprise to the Twins, who are eagerly awaiting Joe Mauer’s return from his back issues.

If you thought Nick Blackburn’s performance Friday night was something to talk about, Kevin Slowey “one-upped” Blackburn. Kevin Slowey, who fixed a mechanical problem that noticed after his second start, pitched a near complete game shutout. We all know Kevin Slowey is the command guru of the Twins five starting pitchers and today he backed that up. In eight innings of work, he gave up one earned run off eight hits. Of the 114 pitches he threw, 84 of them were called for strikes. He would go on to strike out seven batters and walk none. Slowey would attempt to go for the complete game shutout, but he would give up three straight singles to load the bases, before being relieved by Luis Ayala.
If there is one Twins hitter that has surprised me the most this season, it has to be Jason Kubel. He has been on fire since the Los Angeles series when he hit for the cycle. He would take on two more homeruns in this game, one of which game in a back-to-back effort with Joe Crede in the ninth.

With the Twins trying to go for the sweep, they sent Glen Perkins to the mound. In his first three starts, Perkins lasted eight innings each time. Today was a different story. In his first start away from the Metrodome, Perkins lasted just five innings, giving up four earned runs off seven hits. The positive from the Twins pitching today was their bullpen. They pitched three scoreless innings in an attempt to give the Twins hitting a chance to comeback.

As many Twins fans know, the Twins always struggle when they have runners in scoring position with zero or one out in a critical situation. Well that arose in the seventh inning. Down 4-2 and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel both came up to the plate and both of them struck out swinging. I almost expect this to happen when we have the bases loaded or runners in scoring position with no one out or one out. The only high note for the Twins offense today was Jose Morales. Hit hot hitting would continue has he would go 4-for-4 to raise his average to .375.

The Twins will now head home and try to take advantage of a struggling Tampa Bay team. The Twins also announced that Joe Mauer could make his return during this series at some point, rather than the Kansas City series. The Twins would send Jose Morales down to Triple-A Rochester, while Mike Redmond jumps back into his normal back-up role.

Twins Off To Slow Start

2009-04-23T16:22:00.000-05:00

Before I share my thoughts on the season thus far I want to apologize for the lack of updates. It has been a rough start to the season and there has been very little to write about, but I am aiming to write more in hopes that it brings good luck to the Twins.

Despite the Twins being just two games back in the A.L. Central, they sure haven’t been playing that well. The Twins are currently 7-9, while the Indians are 5-10. This is very interesting because both the Twins and Indians were expected to be atop of the Central. But then again we are only less than a month into the season, so we have a long ways to go.

The Twins starting rotation as struggled to return to their 2008 form, when they surprised the entire MLB as being one of the youngest, but most productive rotations. With the same exact rotation that the Twins had last year, they are getting opposite results. The Twins starting pitching has a combined record of 4-8 with a dreadful 5.59 ERA. They have given up the most earned runs of any starting rotation so far, by allowing 59 earned runs.

Scott Baker, who started the season on the disabled list, was expected to come into the 2009 season as the staff’s #1 pitcher. Through his first two starts, he has managed to give up 12 hits and strikeout just five batters. Well you may be wondering, “What’s so bad about the 12 hits?” Of those 12 hits, seven of them have been homeruns. Baker, as well as most of the Twins starting pitching, has had trouble with his command issues. He has been leaving way too many pitches up in the strike zone. Now, I’m not saying we should get all worried about the pitching yet, but if this is a sign to come, then it could be a very long season.

On the other hand, Glen Perkins has been brilliant. Through three starts he has a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 1.50 and 12 strikeouts. He has yet to allow more than two runs in any start this season. He has really been the only starting pitcher who has been consistent thus far. I think Perkins will be pleasant surprise this year and could prove himself even more as he looks to improve upon his 12-4 record last year.

On the other side of the plate, the Twins hitting has been up and down to start the season. They are hitting just .255 as a team. This is no surprise though, as the Twins tend to start off slow and eventually end up with one of the best team batting averages each year. The only thing I feel the Twins, as a team, need to work on is their ability to get runners home when they have the bases loaded and zero or one out. They always tend to leave the runners stranded.

If I had to pick one hitter that has been the best for the Twins thus far, it would have to be Jason Kubel. Through 14 games as DH, Kubel is batting .327 with two homeruns and a team-leading 12 RBI. His biggest accomplishment as a Major Leaguer came on April 17th against the LA Angels. Down 9-7 with two out in the 8th inning, Kubel stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. Kubel had already gotten a single, double and triple, so all he needed was a homerun to complete the cycle. After taking a first pitch strike, Kubel launched a deep, eventual game-winning grand slam to the upper deck in right field. To complete the cycle by hitting a grand slam was the highlight of not only his career, but for the Twins this season. In the series against the Angels, Kubel went 8-for-14 (.571) with one homerun and 7 RBI. Look for him to have a solid season as the Twins primary Designated Hitter.

On a happier note, the Twins are expected to get Joe Mauer back on May 1st. This is of course assuming everything in his rehab assignment goes without any setbacks. He probably won’t be as effective when he first returns, but once he gets going, I expect this lineup to become more dangerous and really help Morneau drive in more runs.

Twins Offense Lackluster Again; Drop Second Straight

2009-04-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

After a very disappointing outing by Francisco Liriano, the Twins looked to get back on track and take the series win. With Nick Blackburn on the mound, the Twins offense would have to get going. Because we all remember what happened last time Blackburn pitched in Chicago. He pitched a gem, giving up the only run of the game that sent the White Sox to the playoffs and the Twins back home.

Blackburn pitched very well up until the 5th inning when he would start running into trouble. After giving up one run in the 5th inning to tie the game, the Twins had to get more runs on the board. Well, as we have seen early on in the season, the runs come in spurts. This happened to be one of those spurts where no runs were put on the board. Jim Thome would hit a homerun off Blackburn in the 6th inning, to make it a 3-1 White Sox lead. This was like déjà vu all over again, as Thome’s homerun would be the eventual game-winning hit. The White Sox would tack on three more runs to make it a 6-1victory and take the series.

Meanwhile on the other side, Mark Buehrle pitched another solid game against Twins. He went 6⅓ innings, giving up one run off two hits, while striking out five. The lone run came off the bat of Delmon Young as he hit his first homerun of the season in the 2nd inning. It’s nice to know someone on the Twins wants to try to help the team out by getting a hit.

The Twins will now head back to Minneapolis for a four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Kevin Slowey will open the series for the Twins, while Jesse Litsch will get the start for the Jays.

In other Twins news, Scott Baker will be making his season debut on Wednesday after make a minor league start. In his minor league start for the Ft. Myers Miracle, Scott pitched seven innings giving up one run on five hits and struck out three. So he looks to be ready to jump back into the rotation.

Colon Shuts Down Twins Offense

2009-04-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

After scoring 12 runs last night in game one of this three game series, the Twins failed to score a single run tonight. This really doesn’t come as a shocker as a majority of the time when the Twins score several runs, they tend to not score the next night. With Francisco Liriano on the mound for the Twins, I was hoping for a solid start and a series opening win.

Unfortunately the White Sox had other ideas. Liriano was not his normal self today. Liriano had difficulty with his command as he walked four batters and only struck out three. The struggles really came in the fourth and fifth innings. He would give up a combined five runs in the two innings. However, he would be pulled from the game with two outs in the fifth inning. Matt Guerrier would relieve him and get out without giving up too much more damage.

However, on the other side, Bartolo Colon was spot on for the White Sox. The former Cy Young winner pitched six solid innings, giving up only three hits. Colon has only made 32 starts over the last couple years, so he is no where near his Cy Young form. Today had to be very encouraging for Ozzie Guillen and the rest of the White Sox staff.

The Twins have been struggling to find runs early on in the season, but these divisional games are very important, so they need to start swinging the bat better. The Twins will go for the series win tomorrow when they send Nick Blackburn to the mound to face off against Mark Buehrle.

Twins Overpower White Sox Bullpen

2009-04-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

R.A. Dickey made the start for the Twins due to Scott Baker being placed on the disabled list to star the season. R.A. had a decent outing giving up three earned runs in five innings of work. He would run into trouble in the second inning when he gave up a two RBI-single to Josh Fields, which brought in Paul Konerko and Alexei Ramirez. He would then give up a solo homerun to Paul Konerko in the third, but that would be the end of the damage against Dickey.

The story of the night was the return of Joe Crede to U.S. Cellular Field, where he called home for nine seasons as a member of the White Sox. As he stepped up to the plate for the first time, former teammate Brian Anderson had them play “All Out of Love”. Crede would go on to hit a solo homerun in that at-bat. The crowd instantly booed him after the ball cleared the left field fence. This to me is a sign of respect as the fans knew how much he meant to that organization and the clutch hitting he provided, especially in the 2005 World Series championship year.

The Twins would later strike major damage to put the game out of reach. With Clayton Richards now pitching in the 7th down one run, all he had to do was keep the White Sox within reach. Well Justin Morneau had other ideas. He would hit his 2nd homerun of the season to make it a 5-3 game. Mike McDougal would come in two batters later and load the bases with no out. That was all manager Ozzie Guillen had to see, before bringing in D.J. Carrasco.

Facing his first batter, Carrasco would face Delmon Young. Delmon Young, who has been struggling this year, would hit a 2-run single to center, which brought home Kubel and Cuddyer, who both walked. Jose Morales would continue his hot hitting at U.S. Cellular field in his short career by hitting a single to center to load the bases yet again. Up came Nick Punto to get some RB Is for himself. This time he flared a pitch down the left field line scoring Crede and Carlos Gomez, who ran for Delmon. The Twins would go on to add two more runs before the carnage in the 7th was over.

In the 7th inning alone, the Twins scored 7 runs off six hits. This was just what the Twins needed after not getting many scoring opportunities last night against the Seattle Mariners in their series finally. The Twins later scored one more run in the 9th to make it a 12-5 victory for the Twins. This was a very important win, as is any divisional game, but to come out of the gates like this really makes a statement on the other teams in the Central.

The Twins will send Francisco Liriano in their Saturday afternoon game against Bartolo Colon.

Washburn Outduels Perkins: Series Split

2009-04-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

With the Twins looking to take the series victory over the Mariners, Glen Perkins got the call to start. Perkins left everything he had on that mound when he left the mound after the eighth inning. I believe Perkins will be the sleeper in the Twins young rotation and his performance today was just what makes it possible.

In eight innings of work, Perkins gave up one run on five hits while striking out four batters. Of the 106 pitches Perkins threw, 72 of them were strikes. This was probably the best start out of the Twins pitchers thus far. Yes, it’s early, but to see that kind of pitching this early on is a great sign. The only mistake Perkins made was in the first inning when he gave up a RBI-single to Adrian Beltre to make it a 1-0 game early on.

However, Jarrod Washburn was even better going against Perkins. He would only give up five hits in eight innings of work, while striking out four. So what we saw was a mirror image of each other. This was truly a game that fans of defensive duels would love. The Twins just weren’t able to get many scoring chances.

The Twins will now travel to Chicago for a three game series. R.A. Dickey will start for the Twins, as the White Sox send Jose Contreras to the mound.

Morneau Homers Twins to Victory

2009-04-08T16:19:00.000-05:00

Four homeruns later the Twins come out on top to win their second straight. With Kevin Slowey on the mound for the Twins, you would have thought there would be a good chance of few runs by the Mariners. Slowey is known for his excellent command around the plate. Some actually compare him to former Twin, Brad Radke, as Radke was a command master during his tenure with the Twins. Well, Slowey got off to a shaky start, but shook it off to notch his first win of the season.

After giving up two homeruns by the fourth inning, Slowey calmed down and proceeded to retire the last seven batters he faced. Kevin ran into the most trouble in the fourth inning. Up 4-2 at that point, he surrendered a solo homerun to Jose Lopez. Yuniesky Betancourt followed that up with an RBI double to center and then later broke the 4-4 tie on a wild pitch by Slowey.

The bullpen then took over in the seventh for Slowey as Craig Breslow came in to pitch one scoreless inning to hold the Twins lead at 5-4. Jesse Crain then came in the 8th to try to get the game to Joe Nathan for the save opportunity in the 9th. Crain was able to get through the 8th and set up what would eventually be Joe Nathan’s 200th save as a member of the Minnesota Twins.

Justin Morneau seemed to be over the tightness in his back he reported at the end of Spring Training. He would give the Twins an early 2-0 lead in the 1st after hitting a 2-run homerun. Denard Span would add his own 2-run HR in the 2nd inning to break a 2-2 tie. However, Justin would later put the team on his shoulders and get an RBI double in the fifth to tie the game.

The winning run would come off the bat of Jason Kubel as he would also hit an RBI double in the fifth inning. Carlos Silva, the Mariners starter pitcher and former Twin, would be pulled after the 5th inning after giving up six earned runs in five innings of work. The Mariners bullpen would go toe-to-toe with the Twins bullpen and not allow a run the rest of the game.

The Twins will send south-paw, Glen Perkins to the mound this afternoon against Jarrod Washburn in the series finale.

On a side note, Joe Mauer took batting practice with the Ft. Myer club and then caught a bullpen session thrown by Scott Baker. Joe reported no soreness after batting practice and the bullpen session. This is great news as he is expected back by the end of April or early May.

Casilla Carries Twins to First Win

2009-04-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

“Don’t give up...Don’t ever give up!” Those are not only the words of the great Jim Valvano, but also the words that go through Twins fans thoughts when the Twins are down late. Those words sure came to life last night as the Twins and Mariners squared off in game two of their four game series.

With Erik Bedard and Nick Blackburn on the hill, this was sure to be another very good pitching matchup. Last time Twins fans saw Nick Blackburn in the regular season was when he pitched in the tie-breaking game against Chicago. However, during the off-season he had minor knee surgery and had some swelling late in Spring Training. Some were wondering if he would be on his game tonight.

Nick never quite looked comfortable out there. He pitched five innings, giving up four earned runs off eight hits and only striking out one batter. Blackburn isn’t known as a strikeout pitcher, but more as a groundball pitcher. So the one strikeout is nothing to worry about, but you would still like to see that number higher. The most trouble came in the 4th inning when Endy Chavez, acquired from the Mets in the J.J. Putz trade, singled to right, which brought in Wladimir Balentien and Yuniesky Betancourt to make it 4-0 game.

Here is where that famous line “Don’t give up...Don’t ever give up!” comes into play. Down four heading into the bottom of the 5th, the Twins knew they had to get something going as Blackburn likely wouldn’t make it past the 6th. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Denard Span would hit a single to right, which drove in Carlos Gomez. Two batters later, Michael Cuddyer singled to center which drove in Nick Punto and Denard Span to make it a 4-3 game.

The Twins bullpen would hold the Mariners scoreless until the 9th when Franklin Gutierrez singled to center, which brought Wladimir Balentien home to make it a 5-3 game. Then the fun begins.

Brandon Morrow comes in to try to pick up his first save of the season. Last season, the Mariners blew 31 saves as a team, tied for most in the MLB with St. Louis. So this game was far from over. Morrow would walk three batters to load the bases with no one out, which caused first year manager, Don Wakamatsu, to make a pitching change. In came Miguel Batista to try to get out the jam. The Twins had other ideas.

Denard Span stepped up to the plate for his fifth at bat. He had gone 2-for-4 previous to this at-bat. Span would hit a high chopper in front of the plate to Adrian Beltre, who smartly held onto the baseball. Carlos Gomez would score on the play to pull the Twins within one run of a tie. Alexei Casilla stepped up to the plate looking to be the hero of the game. It took less than 5 seconds for him to be the hero of the night. On the first pitch he hit a liner up the middle to score Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher to win the game for the Twins.

The way the Twins won this game makes them one of, if not, the most exciting team to watch in the Major Leagues. The Twins will try to continue this momentum as they send Kevin Slowey to the mound to face off against former Twin, Carlos Silva.

Griffey and Co. Beat Twins To Open Season

2009-04-06T16:18:00.000-05:00

After what appeared to be a fairly good Spring Training for the Twins despite the injuries, they weren’t able to produce against Seattle in the Season Opener. With a fantastic pitching matchup between Felix Hernandez and Francisco Liriano, this was expected to be a very good game to watch. Well it certainly was, for Seattle fans as the Twins bats were unable to produce much.

King Felix, as Hernandez is referred as, was able to keep the Twins bats quiet for the most part. He lasted eight innings, giving up one earned run on five hits while walking three and striking out six. The most important stat of his outing was that Felix was able to hold the 3-6 hitters (Cuddyer, Morneau, Kubel and Crede) to just one run off two hits in 14 combined at-bats while on the mound. If you are an opposing pitcher and can hold those four to just two hits, you have taken the threat out of the lineup.

Not only was the Mariners pitching spot on throughout the night, but so was their offense. With Ken Griffey Jr. back in Seattle, they look to improve upon what was a very miserable season in 2008. Ken Griffey launched a solo homerun in the 5th inning to extend the Mariners lead to 2-0 at the time. That was Griffey’s 41st homerun against the Twins, the most against any opponent in his career. What makes that really amazing is that he played nine seasons in the National League before returning to Seattle.

He wasn’t the only one to hit the long ball. Franklin Gutierrez would hit a two-run homer off Liriano in the 6th inning, which put the Mariners up 4-1 and the game out of reach.

Francisco had a decent outing despite being told he was going to be the Opening Day starter just a few days before hand. He didn’t surrender any walks, whereas he had some control issues in Spring Training, so that was very nice to see. However, with Baker out two weeks, he will have to step up and be the leader of this rotation until Scott returns to full form.

Look for the Twins to try and bounce back when Nick Blackburn takes on Erik Bedard in game two of this four game series tomorrow night.

2009 Season Preview; Opening Week

2009-04-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

The Minnesota Twins begin their 2009 season on Monday, when they start a 4 game series against the Seattle Mariners. This will be the last Opening Day at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as the Twins will move into Target Field in 2010. But looking outside right now, I can only imagine going to Opening Day and have there be snow on the ground still. But that’s beside the point. The Twins are now finally able to put that devastating one game playoff loss to the White Sox behind them.

The Twins had an off-season that actually didn’t irritate a lot of fans. For the first time in a few years, they didn’t sign an older player who has very little left in their tank. Instead, they brought in Joe Crede, who will fill a much needed hole at third base. This was hands down the highlight of the off-season. Although it took more than a month to get the contract figured out, it was well worth the wait. The only question about this signing is, how Joe’s back will hold up.

Another story that was very interesting to follow throughout the off-season was the competition for the bullpen spots. With Boof Bonser going down early on in Spring Training with a shoulder injury that would require surgery and make him miss the entire 2009 season, the Twins had many options and have finally made their decision. To be honest, I don’t have total confidence in our bullpen this year. Although the bullpen did look good during Spring Training, we all know the teams don’t play their starters all game.

I believe the relief pitcher to watch this year will be Jesse Crain. He has recently added the “slurve” to his pitching repertoire. That will allow him to mix it up when he needs to and I can see him being the set-up man for Joe Nathan. Look for him to have a very solid season, as he could prove himself to be that 8th inning guy over Matt Guerrier and Luis Ayala.

Then there is the outfield dilemma. What do you do with four good outfielders with only three spots available? Delmon Young, Denard Span, Carlos Gomez and Michael Cuddyer are all very capable of starting for the Twins, but how do you keep all four happy about their playing time? Well, for Michael Cuddyer, he didn’t have to wait long. Ron Gardenhire named Cuddyer his starter in right field early on. So then that left two spots for Young, Span and Gomez. Some people thought that Carlos Gomez should start the season in Triple-A Rochester. I strongly disagree with their opinion on that. Gomez is one of, if not, the most exciting center fielders to watch and has blazing speed. As we all know Gardenhire is a defensive coach and so Gomez would seem ideal for center field.

So it appears Span and Young could split time in left field, as well as Span getting some starts in center. But I would much rather have 4 good out fielders than three ok outfielders. If one of them is in a slump, then you have that fourth guy to step in.

Where there is good, exciting news, there is always bad news. Early on in the off-season, we learned that Boof Bonser would be lost for the 2009 season due to shoulder surgery. This was a big loss to the Twins bullpen as he was expected to be the long relief pitcher and rebound from a not so good 2008 campaign.

Next up was Joe Mauer. Joe had surgery to remove a kidney obstruction that he had since birth. The surgery was successful, but Joe was having back soreness and was unable to participate at all in Spring Training. This is a huge blow for the Twins, as he will likely miss up to the first month of the regular season. With him out, Mike Redmond and Jose Morales will be sharing catching duties. Although, Redmond will likely get most of the starts behind the plate.

Then when the Twins thought they were all healthy for Spring Training, ready to head home to Minneapolis, Scott Baker is placed on the disabled list. This was a complete surprise to me, as I had heard nothing of any type of soreness or problems. Baker reported some tightness in his throwing shoulder during his last Spring Training start. At first the Twins didn’t think he would have to miss anytime, but they later felt it would be a good idea to let him rest his shoulder before the long season began. R.A. Dickey will jump into the rotation as the #5 starter while Baker is on the DL.

So with all the news, injuries, and transactions that took place during the off-season, I am very confident that the Twins will be a better team than last years. I expect them to build off that season-ending loss to the White Sox. My prediction is that the Twins will go out with a bang in the last season at the “Dome” and win the AL Central by 3 games. Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City and Chicago will follow in order to round out the AL Central.

Here is to an exciting last season at the Metrodome and to a hopefully good, exciting MLB season.

Nick Adenhart Killed in Car Accident

2009-04-04T16:16:00.000-05:00

Today is a very sad day not only for the Los Angeles Angels organization, but for Major League Baseball as a community. Around 12:30 this morning local time, Nick Adenhart of the LA Angels was killed in a hit-and-run accident. He was riding in the car with three other people when they were T-boned in the middle of an intersection. Nick was transfered to UC Irvine Medical Center, where he later died.

Nick had a career record of 37-28 with a 3.87 ERA in his minor league career. He pitched three games for the Angels in 2008 going 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA and made the team coming out of Spring Training this year. Nick was ranked as one of the best pitching prospects in the Majors.

I hopefully speak for the rest of the baseball world by saying our prayers are with the Angels organization and Nick's family.

R.A. Dickey vs. Philip Humber

2009-03-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

With the Twins Season Opener at the Metrodome just two weeks away, the roster is starting to take shape. Yet, there are still some position battles still raging on that will be very interesting to watch over the last two weeks of Spring Training. The Twins have had a pretty good Spring and hope to finish on a high note heading into the Regular Season. I believe the most intriguing competition going on is for a spot in the bullpen.

Philip Humber vs. R.A. Dickey

This is possibly the most interesting position battle that is still going on. If you would have asked me at the start of Spring Training whether either of these two would be fighting for a spot, I would have called you crazy. With the loss of Boof Bonser for the 2009 season, the Twins have been trying to figure out who could take his spot. With the starting rotation already set, these two will be battling for the long-relief position and/or the mop-up situation.

R.A. Dickey has had a very solid Spring, although the numbers may not show that. In 8 appearances he is 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA. The stat that surprises me the most is his strikeout and walk total. He has 11 strikeouts and has only walked two batters. Once I think about it, I shouldn’t be that surprised as the Twins pitching staff is known for issuing very few walks throughout the season. And did I forget to mention Dickey is a knuckleball pitcher? That has something to do with the strikeout total as well. Dickey also has the veteran experience advantage over Philip Humber, so Dickey has been in many more situations and knows how to do deal with them.

Philip Humber is an interesting case when it comes to possibly winning the battle for a spot on the 25 man roster. He was acquired in the Johan Santana deal along with Carlos Gomez and Kevin Mulvey. So far, the Twins have really only been able to show off Gomez. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of Humber this season. Not only because we have two open spots and we need them filled, but also because he is out of minor league options. So, I would say he already has the advantage over R.A. Dickey for a spot. If the Twins don’t pick Humber, then he would be designated for assignment, which he can refuse. Then this leaves the Twins with two choices; place him on the active roster or release him. But after the Spring he is having, I don’t see why he shouldn’t win the spot. After giving up four runs in his first appearance, he has gone seven innings giving up only one earned run and just five hits. So he has definitely proven himself thus far and hopefully he can keep this up and earn a spot.

So, after watching and following this battle throughout the Spring, I would have to give the edge to Philip Humber. With two weeks left though, either of them could take a bad turn that would allow the other to win the spot, so this will be very interesting to watch down the stretch. One other scenario is that Humber could be waiting in the wing as an injury replacement if one of the starters goes down with injury. Hopefully that isn’t necessary though.

Player Profile: Carlos Gomez

2009-03-13T16:15:00.000-05:00

With Johan Santana on the cusp of becoming a free agent and the Twins getting just a draft pick in return, the Twins had to make a move to insure they would get some quality players. Sure enough the Twins were able to pull off a trade after weeks of discussion. They acquired Phillip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, Deolis Guerra, and Carlos Gomez. Carlos was the center piece of this deal and he has shown flashes of why he was that part.

Entering the 2008 season, Carlos was only 22 years of age, so that caused some scouts and analysts to question whether he was ready for the big leagues or if he should start in Rochester, the Twins Triple-A affiliate. There was only one problem if he had started in the minors. The Twins would have had nothing to show for right away through the Johan trade. So Carlos started in centerfield for the Twins on Opening Day.

However, his starting job was no gimmie. He had to fight of Denard Span to win the centerfield job. They battled all Spring Training as manager Ron Gardenhire watched and evaluated. It seemed that when one person would start pulling away, the other would get right back into the race. I believe the deciding factor was Carlos’ defensive skills. He has an unbelievable arm and is never afraid to lay out for a ball when it’s coming at him.

If it wasn’t for the defense of Carlos, I believe he would have started in 2008 and spent a good amount of time in the minors to work on his hitting. But Ron is a defensive minded manager and felt that Gomez was the best option for centerfield. Gomez committed just eight errors during the 2008 season in center. He is possibly the most exciting defensive player the Twins have had since Kirby Puckett. Yes, I would put him above Torii Hunter. It is just amazing to watch a Twins game and you think the ball is going to drop and all of the sudden you see Carlos enter the frame and make a game saving catch. If it wasn’t for Carlos last year, the Twins might have ended up with a few more losses.

Another asset of Carlos Gomez’s game that scouts cherish is his speed on the base paths. It has been said many times that Carlos Gomez is the fastest runner in the major leagues. He has said to be even faster than Mets shortstop, Jose Reyes. A good friend of mine, Joe DeMayo, who contributes to New York Baseball Digest, a New York baseball blog site, shared this opinion with me. “He reminds me of Jose Reyes in many ways. He is very raw at the plate, yet he has the blazing speed and fielding ability that Reyes had when he was coming up through the Mets system. He had struggles trying to hit the breaking ball, which Carlos has struggles with now, but in the long run, he was able to figure it out.”

Toss in the field turf, although for only one more season, and Gomez is flat out speedy. By having the amazing speed he does, the opposing pitcher not only has to worry about the batter, but has to worry about Gomez when he is on base. He completely changes the game for the Twins and the opposition. The Twins haven’t really had that kind of threat on the bases for years, so it nice to see we have someone who can get inside the pitchers head.

The one part of Gomez’s game that he still has to polish is his patience at the plate. Last year he struck out 142 times and only drew 25 walks. If he wants to continue to be the highly touted player that he is, he will need to improve those numbers. You do have to remember though that he is only going to be 23 years old when Opening Day rolls around, so he has a long ways to go. So far this Spring he has shown that he is getting better. He is hitting .318 with three homeruns and four runs batted in. He has struck out four times and walked twice. So it is certainly there, it’s just a matter of how disciplined he will be when Opening Day gets here.

So overall, Carlos Gomez is one of the most exciting players in baseball to watch today. He shows that attitude in the game that everyone loves to see. He will go all out on every play and never give up. Whether it’s laying down a bunt to start off an inning, or diving to prevent a potential game winning run. I look forward to watching him evolve into the next great Twins centerfield as he has some big shoes to fill with Kirby Puckett and then Torii Hunter after him.

Spring Training Update; Twins Sign Baker

2009-03-09T16:14:00.000-05:00

The Twins continue to play good baseball thus far in Spring Training. The starting pitching has been very solid and the bullpen has performed surprisingly well so far. Only one of the Twins’ losses has been by more than one run, which was a 10-1 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates. So that goes to show that the Twins are able to stay close in games. This is nothing new for Twins fans though, as you can never count them out.

Francisco Liriano pitched possibly the best game of any Twins starting pitcher so far in Spring Training. He pitched four innings, while giving up no hits or walks and struck out five batters. This is a very good sign as Liriano is in that 1½ year range of pitchers who had Tommy John Surgery. It typically takes about a year and a half to get the velocity back to pre-surgery form. So I can only imagine that Francisco will be the pitcher he was in 2006, when he won 12 games and was lights out.

Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez are both playing very well this Spring and are letting Ron Gardenhire know that they want their respective outfield starting position. Young is hitting .538 with two doubles and two runs batted in. Carlos, who participated in the Winter Leagues, is hitting .313 with two homeruns and three runs batted in. This is a very good sign from Carlos, as last year he was struggling with his patience at the plate. If he can continue this, he will be even more fun to watch this year.

Where there is good news, there is also always not so good news. Denard Span, one of the three players fighting for an outfield spot, has not been the same player he was last year. He is hitting a miserable .111 with no extra base hits. Although it is still early, this will not help his cause to try and claim a starting lineup position.

Not only is good stuff happening on the field, but off the field as well. This past weekend, the Minnesota Twins and pitcher Scott Baker agreed on a 4 year deal worth 15.25 million dollars. The new contract also carries an option for the 2013 season. This is a huge step forward for the Twins as Baker would have likely been a 10 million dollar pitcher after a couple seasons of arbitration. Bill Smith has really been a nice breath of fresh air for the Twins.

I have also heard that the Twins plan to sit down with Joe Mauer and his agent, Ron Shapiro within the next week to begin preliminary talks about a new contract. I have said this before and I’ll say it again, this has to get done before next season starts, otherwise it could be the Johan Santana fiasco all over again. I will keep you updated on this information and more as it becomes available.

The Twins will be traveling to play the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon with Kevin Slowey taking the mound going against Scott Kazmir.

Joe Mauer a Twin After 2010?

2009-03-05T16:14:00.000-06:00

Joe Mauer a Twin past 2010? This is the main question all Twins fans will be asking themselves and others in the coming months and years. Joe Mauer will be entering his contract year starting in 2010, which causes a little concern for Twins fans. We all remember what happened to Johan Santana when his contract was close to running out. Although, the odds of us giving Johan a deal that would have kept him here were slim, the Twins sure learned their lesson. Don’t wait until the last few months.

Joe will be entering the last year of his 33 million, 4 year contract come Opening Day 2010. The Twins will certainly need to start extension talks with Joe and his agent, Ron Shapiro, this Spring. The Twins do not typically discuss contracts during the season, as it may cause distractions, so hopefully Bill Smith will make initial contact with Joe and Ron this Spring. Joe has been one of the faces of this franchise since his debut in 2004. He has been a fan favorite and a bright spot in the Major Leagues.

He is such an important asset to this team, that if the Twins fail to re-sign him, it will be a huge loss and could hurt this franchise beyond belief. I personally think no catcher has played better than Joe over the last 3 years. We all know Joe isn’t the power hitting type, but his high batting average has allowed him to win two A.L. batting titles. Up until that point, no catcher had ever won a batting title in the American League. Now he has managed to accomplish that twice over the last three years. He also has one of the best swings in the majors.

An interesting note about Joe’s approach at the plate and his preparation is that his grandfather will watch every game and report to Joe what he did wrong. His grandfather will record every game and analyze every swing Joe takes and then call him after the game tell him what he saw wrong and then Joe will work on that specific issue. That is the type of dedication that every manager loves to see from his players.

By re-signing Joe, it not only helps him and the Twins obviously, but it helps Justin Morneau and the players who hit after him. By having Justin hitting behind Joe, it doesn’t allow the pitcher to intentionally walk Joe, because then they have to pitch to Justin. So he is a very valuable asset to this club.

I believe a deal will get done by the end of the 2009 regular season. Bill Smith can’t allow this to be the Johan fiasco all over again by letting this drag out until the Spring of his final contract year. Ron Shapiro has a good reputation of keeping players with one team for their entire career. The most notable would have to be Kirby Puckett, the hall of fame Twins center fielder. I found it very interesting that Joe has the same agent that Kirby had when he was with the Twins. Ron was able to keep Kirby in Minnesota his entire career, so this is a very good thing to see. I truly hope the same can happen to Joe come time to discuss his contract.

The biggest issue will obviously be the money involved in the contract talks. With the Yankees and Red Sox likely waiting in the wings if the Twins can’t sign Mauer, there is a lot of pressure for Bill. I think the big question for Bill is, “How high do you go with the dollar amount?” Do you go above 18-20 million per year? Going that high for the Twins would be a first. But with the new stadium opening next season, the Twins will be bringing in more revenue, thus they can give players more money. But as well all know, the Twins are not quick to give out the big bucks. The other question is one Joe will have to answer himself, “Do I want to continue to play in Minnesota? If so, do I give them a hometown discount?”

Being a hometown kid, growing up in St. Paul, it would be very hard for Joe to leave Minnesota. This is truly why I think Joe will remain a Twin past the 2010 season. But anything can happen, especially when the Yankees and Red Sox will be ready to pounce when the 2010 free agency season begins. Until then, lets just cherish the moments we possibly have left with Joe Mauer and the great athlete he is and always will be.

Spring Training Update; Nathan News

2009-03-01T16:13:00.000-06:00

Before I get onto my thoughts about Spring Training so far, I would like to share a key piece of news I read this morning. Early this morning, Joe Nathan informed the Twins that his AC joint in his shoulder has been sore and he has withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic. This is a very smart move by Joe. Some players may ignore that and continue to play in the WBC as planned. So I applaud Joe for taking himself out and resting his shoulder/arm.

The Twins are off to a fast start in Spring Training. They now have a record of 4-0 after defeating the New York Yankees yesterday by a score of 7-3. The Twins have been doing everything right so far this Spring. Their hitting has been outstanding; their pitching has been very good. I have been very happy with what I have read and seen thus far. But I have learned from the past, it’s way too early to get excited about the Spring. Anything can happen over the next several weeks.

Francisco Liriano made his Spring debut yesterday and struggled early. He would eventually give up two earned runs off four hits. He pitched two innings, before being relieved by Jason Jones, the Twins Rule V pick. I didn’t expect Francisco to be lights out his first day starting, so I’m not worried about it at all.

The bullpen has been the biggest surprise to be this Spring so far, but like I said, we are only four games into the pre-season. The only bad outing by a Twins relief pitcher has been Philip Humber. Humber gave up four runs on four hits and hit a batter last Thursday against Cincinnati. The Twins did win that game however 10-4. Humber will be interesting to watch this Spring to see if he can rebound and consistently pitch well. Otherwise, he could be gone, as he is out of options.

The Twins hitting has been very impressive in the short amount of time. They have been able to get the runs when they need them and more. Delmon Young has been a surprise this Spring, as he is fighting for an outfield spot. In 3 games he is hitting .857 with one double and two RBI. If he can continue to play like this, he will have the inside track of making the starting lineup come Opening Day.

Another guy who is catching my eye is Brian Buscher. As we all know about the off-season debate of who the Twins third baseman will be. Toss the Joe Crede signing in that mess and Buscher was all of the sudden on the outside looking in to make the Opening Day roster. Well, the Twins may have to re-think their plans as he is off to a fast start. In 3 games, he is hitting .750 with one homerun, four RBI and 11 total bases. The only issue working against him is that the Twins are in need of more right handed power and not left handed power.

Twins Win Spring Opener

2009-02-26T16:12:00.000-06:00

With the early afternoon news of Boof Bonser being lost for the 2009 season, the fight for bullpen spots officially began tonight. There were some good looking performances and then there were some not so good performances by some.

Recently acquired Luis Ayala came into the game during the 5th inning allowing one hit in his only inning of work. He got two quick outs and looked very good. I think he will end up as the 7th inning guy or possibly the set-up man for Joe Nathan. But it’s way too early to give a final prediction as to what his role will be.

Justin Jones, the relief pitcher acquired in the Rule V Draft, had a rough night. He also pitched just one inning, as was the case with many pitchers, giving up one earned run on 2 hits. He also walked one batter and struck out another. Small outings like this may not seem like they are a big deal, but they add up quick and before you know it, you are on the outside looking in.

There were many good performances by some of the Twins hitters, but the one that stuck out the most to me tonight was the hitting by third baseman, Brian Buscher. With all the talk of Joe Crede and who would enter 2009 as the Twins starting third baseman, it might get in his head and affect his performance. Well tonight he was able to look past that and go 2-for-2 as well as scoring a run. Even though Buscher could very well start in Triple-A Rochester, having a strong Spring performance could get him a shot to stay at the Major League Level.

Minnesota will face Cincinnati today at 1:05 EST. Lineups to be released towards game time.

Boof Bonser Lost For Season

2009-02-25T16:11:00.001-06:00

What originally the Twins thought was maybe just a sore arm or something minor, turned out to be a major injury. Boof Bonser had surgery to try to figure out what was causing his arm soreness and pain. Well it turns out Boof had a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in the right shoulder. Recovery time will be six to eight months, so count him out for the 2009 season.

The interesting thing about this is that he had two seperate MRIs performed on that shoulder and they came up clean. Usually you see this right away on the MRIs, but I guess not this time. This will open the competition up for the bullpen much more and will make things very interesting.

I will continue to keep you updated on this story as more information is reported.

On an happier note, here are the starting lineups for tonight's game against Boston:

Spring Training Preview

2009-02-25T16:11:00.000-06:00

Spring Training will arrive in full force today as exhibition games begin. Every team can put the 2008 season behind them once and for all. However, that could be tough to do for the Minnesota Twins. They came within one game of making the playoffs last year, but fell short in the tie-breaking game with Chicago. But we can’t dwell in the past, as today marks the start of what I think will be a very exciting year for the Twins.

There weren’t any off-season moves made until last week when the Twins signed Joe Crede to become their full-time third baseman. A lot of people are afraid his back problems will flair up during the season, but I have a feeling he will remain healthy all year and provide that right handed power that they desperately need. He will play his first game as Twin on Friday. The Twins just want to give him time to test out his back and get adjusted to the team before throwing him out there.

Despite the fact that the Twins only signed one bullpen arm this off-season, in Luis Ayala. I believe this was a good signing. Although he struggled last season, he has shown that he can be a decent 8th inning guy, if needed. The Twins and their fans also learned this week that Boof Bonser will be out for a while as he will have exploratory surgery on his shoulder. He had reported soreness towards the end of last season and he wanted to rest it during the winter and see how it was in Spring Training. So this makes the Ayala signing that much better.

With the World Baseball Classic back for its second go around, the Twins will be without a few key players this spring. This will give some prospects to show the fans and the front office a glimpse of the future. Some of the names that will be participating in the World Baseball Classic and thus not playing Spring Training games are: Joe Nathan, Jesse Crain, Luis Ayala, Justin Morneau, and Nick Punto.

With Nathan, Crain and Ayala participating, this will set up a competition to see who might be capable of being part of the Twins bullpen. Another interesting note is that Twins Manager, Ron Gardenhire has speculated that he may go with just an 11-man pitching staff. So with the five starters set (Liriano, Baker, Blackburn, Perkins, and Slowey), this leaves 6 relief spots. But with Nathan, Crain, Ayala, Guerrier, Breslow set. This leaves that one spot with many candidates. So in my opinion, this will be the competition to watch this Spring.

Who starts in the outfield on Opening Day? That is a question many Twins fans have been wondering all winter. With the emergence of Denard Span last Spring, it will be very interesting to see if he can repeat that performance this year. The only difference is, he likely won’t be fighting Carlos Gomez for the center field job. I fully expect Carlos to be the Opening Day center fielder. This leaves left field and right field to be decided this Spring. There are three candidates for these two spots; Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young, and Denard Span. With Cuddyer’s strong arm in right field, I would keep him there, assuming he gets the start on Opening Day.

Now the real decision comes in left field. Do you give it to Delmon Young, a right handed batter that has power potential? Or do you give it to Denard Span, who was a good lead-off hitter last year? I think Gardenhire will think this one over up until Opening Day. I think Span will win the job in the long run, but nothing is set in stone yet. We could very well see a platoon in left field with Delmon and Denard, but that is just an idea. So my guess is the outfield will be Span-Gomez-Cuddyer.

So there is a lot of interesting items to keep an eye on this Spring, but there is one piece that is very important. That would be the health of Joe Mauer. On Tuesday, he swung the bat for the first time since his procedure in December. He reported pain-free, which is a great sign, but expect the Twins to continue to take this at a day-by-day situation. Twins fans likely won’t see much of Joe this Spring, so this will open the door for fans to see Wilson Ramos. He is regarded as one of the Twins best hitting prospects. So it will be fun to watch what he will bring to the Twins when he eventually reaches the Majors.

These are the major storylines to follow during the Spring Training games. The Twins open against the Boston Red Sox tonight at 7:05 PM EST. Glen Perkins will get the start tonight.

Joe Crede Is a Twin

2009-02-21T16:10:00.000-06:00

After many weeks and even months of talk about Joe Crede becoming the Minnesota Twins third baseman for the 2009 season, it has finally happened. The deal was first reported by SI’s Jon Heyman and later confirmed by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The contract is worth 2.5 million dollars with incentives that could increase the contract to 7 million dollars.

Many of the Twins fans were questioning whether Joe was worth the estimated 5-7 million dollars that we were hearing about since the start of these talks. It appears that the Orlando Hudson signing, 3.4 million dollars, with Arizona made this deal possible. That deal didn’t help Scott Boras, who represents Joe, to try and get the 7 million he wanted.

I commend Bill Smith greatly for getting this deal done, as I was a fan of the Twins signing Crede from the very beginning. Toss in the fact that it’s only worth 2.5 million dollars right now and that is possibly Bill’s best move as the Twins GM. With this move, Brian Buscher will more than likely be sent down to the Twins Triple-A affiliate, Rochester, while Brendan Harris will become a utility player for the Twins.

Joe Crede will probably be the #5 hitter behind Justin Morneau in the lineup, thus bumping Kubel and Cuddyer down one spot. If Crede can stay healthy, I predict he will hit .270 with 19 HRs and 68 RBI.

Juan Cruz Update: I have been hearing that the Twins and Diamondbacks are close on an agreement for a sign-and-trade deal that would bring relief pitcher, Juan Cruz to the Twins. I will update this as I get more information.

Also look for a player interview very soon. To give you a hint, he is a top 5 Twins prospect that could be with the Twins in 2010. So keep an eye out for that.

Spring Training Update #1

2009-02-17T16:10:00.000-06:00

Although only pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training so far, there are already a few stories coming out of Ft. Myers, Florida. The Lee County Complex is the headquarters for the Minnesota Twins during Spring Training and that is where all the news will be coming out up until Opening Day. There has been some comforting news and some not so comforting news thus far.

Let’s start with the comforting news. There are indications that Twins south-paw, Francisco Liriano may decide to pull out of the World Baseball Classic and practice with the rest of the Twins team in Ft. Myers. No official decision has been made, but I bet Francisco will stay and get up to speed. Although the Twins Front Office won’t force him to pull or prevent him from playing, they must be very happy about this news. I think this is a very smart move for Francisco, because he would get more done in Ft. Myers than he would be if he was just pitching once every 5 games.

Another bit of possible comforting news for all Twins fans is that we may be getting very close to signing Joe Crede. If you ask any Twins official, they will continue to deny it, but there are strong indications it could be a matter of days. The San Francisco Giants have even come out and said they feel the Twins will sign Crede. The Giants have been the only other known suitor for Joe’s services, but you never know what agent Scott Boras has up his sleeve. So if you ask, I think the Twins will sign Joe by the beginning of next week.

Now onto the not so comforting news out of Twins camp thus far. The first item is the continuing recovery of Joe Mauer. Back in December Joe underwent surgery to fix a kidney problem he has had since childhood. Now it was nothing serious, but they want him to take it easy and not rush back into the baseball mode yet. Although it seems Joe will be healthy at Opening Day, there is that small chance he could miss Opening Day. I will continue to keep you updated on this situation.

The last item is bullpen related. This past week Boof Bonser received a cortisone shot in his right shoulder to try and help with what he calls “a heavy case of tendinitis”. He will begin some light throwing on Wednesday and hopefully get up to full speed. But with the struggles of the bullpen last year, this is not news we want to hear before any major training begins.

Other than these items, there hasn’t been much development down in Ft. Myers. I will try to get one or two updates per week during Spring Training. I’m also trying to determine how to report during the Regular Season. So if any of you readers out there have any suggestions on how I should report during the season, please let me know. Whether its game recaps every night, or weekly recaps. Any suggestions would be helpful.

My Thoughts on Alex Rodriguez

2009-02-08T16:09:00.000-06:00

As many of you out there in the baseball world, or for that matter the sporting world, you have probably heard about the reports of Alex Rodriguez testing positive for steroids in 2003. This is a big blow to the baseball world, as he was expected to become the true homerun king. He was supposed to be the breath of fresh air for baseball and allow people to forget about Barry Bonds. Well, all you people hoping and praying for that, you will have to pick someone else now.

Although he tested positive during the 2003 season, the year before Major League Baseball put their suspension program into effect, this really tarnishes Alex’s career. Now, I have been hearing people saying, “Well, this information was never supposed to get out to the public. They were sealed documents”. I’m sorry, but you can’t pull that stuff. Are you trying to tell me that Major League Baseball was going to cover this up and never let it out?

My first reaction to this news was stunned. I couldn’t believe that Alex Rodriguez illegally took steroids. I was one of those people who at first thought he would allow me to forget about Barry Bonds. But then I thought about it and I always had that gut feeling that he had taken steroids at some point. So I’m not totally shocked by this news, but at the same time it’s disheartening.

What will happen now to baseball? More importantly, what will happen to Alex Rodriguez? Will he go into denial mode like Barry and everyone else who tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs? If so, this could be a very nasty cloud hanging over the Yankees all season. Not like I care about the Yankees, but this could be a distraction to the whole organization. So if I was Alex Rodriguez, I would get back from vacation, where he supposedly is, and issue a statement telling the truth. Yes, the truth Alex Rodriguez. We don’t want any of this “well I didn’t know I was injecting myself with something illegal” non-sense.

So my question(s) to all you out there is “Who is next?” or “Will there ever be a clean homerun king in baseball post Aaron-era?” I hope so, but one thing I do know is, I will never stop watching, reading, learning about the game of baseball due to steroids and scandals.

Twins Sign Luis Ayala

2009-02-05T16:08:00.000-06:00

Congratulations Bill Smith. You finally made a move during the post-season that I don’t disagree with. The Twins and pitcher Luis Ayala reached a 1 year, 1.3 million dollar contract on Thursday. Luis will provide more relief to Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain than anyone else in the bullpen. Both Guerrier and Crain both had to pick up the slack for Pat Neshek due to injury last year.

Last year Luis made 81 appearances with the Washington Nationals and New York Mets. He had a record of 2-10, along with nine saves. His ERA was much too high at 5.71. That will probably bring into doubt as to why Smith would make this signing. After talking with a fellow baseball mind in Joe DeMayo, who happens to me a Mets guru and followed Ayala as a Met, I feel that this was a good signing for the Twins.

If I was the Twins, my bullpen would consist of Bonser, Guerrier, Crain, Mijares, Breslow, Nathan, and Ayala. This leaves Humber on the outside looking in. Humber however is out of minor league options, so he would have to accept assignment in order to be sent to Triple-A Rochester. It should be interesting to see what the Twins do with him, as he was part of the Johan Santana deal.

Joe Mauer Contract Situation

2009-02-05T16:07:00.000-06:00

Starting this Spring, I feel the Twins must sit down with Joe Mauer and/or his agent and begin to discuss a new contract with the All-Star catcher. His current contract is due to expire after the 2010 season and teams are already starting to talk about going after Joe if he were to reach free agency. Most notably, the Red Sox have already begun to plan for Mauer's arrival in Boston. They signed Jason Varitek to a 1 year deal with an option for 2010. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Twins fans, along with myself, are starting to have flashbacks to the Johan Santana fiasco. Now, we all know Santana wanted a ton of money, as we saw with the Mets giving him that large contract. But I don't expect Mauer to demand nearly as much, but he will still want a good amount. That is why the Twins need to start discussing this now and not wait until next Spring.

Not only would the fans be upset if Mauer does in fact not remain in Minnesota, but the front office would feel this due to merchandise revenue falling. Mauer is without a doubt the face of this franchise. But then again this is Minnesota and we have had many "faces of the franchise" leave. Do Kevin Garnett, Johan Santana, or Torii Hunter ring a bell? I hope and pray that Joe Mauer does not join this list.

Figuring Out Third Base

2009-02-05T16:06:00.000-06:00

With just a couple weeks to go before Spring Training arrives, the Twins have failed to improve upon a position that has been a question mark since 2004. Some might say that the Twins are just fine with the team that we have right now, which is the mirror image of the 2008 roster. As much as I loved to watch this team last year get within one game of the playoffs, I felt as though we needed to bring in a player or two. If you would have asked me at the start of the off-season what our biggest need was, I would have said, “getting an everyday third baseman”. Well it’s been three months and that has not changed. We still have a few weeks, so I will discuss a few options that the Twins can explore.

The Twins have been looking for a consistent, everyday third baseman since Corey Koskie left the Twins after the 2004 season. Brian Buscher, Brendan Harris, Tony Batista are just a few of the names that have attempted to fill that void at third base. Last season, Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris split time at third base and did a decent job. Combined they hit .274 with 11 homeruns and drove in 96 runs. These two aren’t known for their power at the plate, so driving in 96 runs is pretty darn good considering they only hit 11 homeruns. But, if we expect to fight with the Red Sox or Yankees in the post-season, we will need the power at that position.

There aren’t many options left in the free agency market for the third base position, but one name has been brought up time and again this winter. Joe Crede has been mentioned by the Twins and their fans throughout the winter. After hitting 20 or more homeruns in three straight seasons, he had major back problems during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. So that is probably keeping the Twins from signing him to a one year deal this winter. There is also the question of how he would adjust to the turf at the Metrodome and if that would have any effect on his ailing back, which he says is getting better.

Recently, the Twins sent a few of their scouts down to Arizona to watch Crede taking batting and fielding. The scouts felt that they needed to see more before having the front office offer a contract. There is also another catch with Joe Crede and that is his agent, Scott Boras. As well all know by now, Scott is always looking for the big bucks, but what agent isn’t. The Twins really have to ask themselves though, “Do we really want to give Crede a 5-7 million dollar deal for one year?”. If I was the Twins, I would think about this a little bit longer, but also keep an eye out for other teams who may be interest.

The Twins will continue to explore their options at third base, but I have a feeling they will stick with Buscher and Harris. However, this could all change if the right deal or free agent comes around. But I have learned not to expect much from the Twins, but never say never.

Off-Season Thoughts

2009-02-04T16:06:00.000-06:00

   Before I begin to share my thoughts about the off-season, I would like to take a moment to remember Twins owner, Carl Pohlad. Carl passed away this winter at the age of 93. He was a very loyal owner throughout the years. He brought us two World Series championships (1987 and 1991). After many years of battle with the Minnesota government, he also delivered us a new ballpark, which will open next season. So I greatly thank the Pohlad family and especially Carl for keeping the Twins in Minnesota.

   As the off-season winds down and Spring Training approaches, the Twins don’t have much to figure out on who will be making the team and who will be sent to Triple-A Rochester. This was a typical off-season for the Twins with very little movement in the free agent market or trade market. Twins fans have grown accustom to not expecting much during the off-season over the last several years, but somehow continue to support the team and their winning ways.

   One of the highlights of the Twins off-season was the re-signing of shortstop Nick Punto. The Twins and Nick agreed upon a 2 year, 8.5 million dollar contract with a 5 million dollar club option for the 2011 season. After hitting a miserable .210 in 2007, Nick regained his confidence and hit .284 during the 2008 campaign. So maybe he deserved a new contract. His defense is what really stands out on the field though. He is one of those players that you never know what he will do when a groundball is between him and the third baseman. Only time will tell though if this was a good move by Bill Smith.

   The one thing that bothered me all winter, were all the Delmon Young trade talks. For only having him one year, I don’t see why we would get rid of him that quick. So what if he had a slow start to the season. He was with a new team and just getting adjusted to how the Twins play small ball. In the second half of the season, he started to show us why he was voted the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 2007. If I’m the Twins, I hold onto this guy for at least a few more seasons, and then see where he is at. Of all the rumors that were centered around Delmon, not one of them was legitimate. One of the first rumors was a Matt Cain-for-Delmon Young deal with San Francisco. That would have helped us with pitching, but the Twins would have likely needed to toss in quite a bit more to get Cain from the Giants. As we all know, we already ripped them off once in the Pierzynski trade. So they likely will be very careful if they were to ever deal with us again. So, before we get any further into Delmon trade talks, lets give the guy a break and see how he performs in the 2009 season.

   Another thing I wish the Twins would have improved on this winter was the bullpen. With the loss of Pat Neshek for the 2009 season due to Tommy John Surgery, we don’t have that set-up man that we need before Nathan comes in. I was hoping that would be the focus point for Bill Smith this off-season, but not much happened with that. We did take a middle reliever by the name of Jason Jones in the Rule 5 Draft. Other than Jason, we will have to rely on the arms we had in 2008, along with a few candidates from the minors. I would say Guerrier, Crain, Breslow, Korecky, and Mijares are safe bets to make the team. So that leaves us with likely one ore spot to make it 12 pitchers on the Opening Day Roster. Some of the possibilities are Philip Humber, R.A. Dickey, and Brian Duensing. There had been talk of Eric Gagne signing, but the Twins backed out at the last minute, so hopefully Bill has something in the works to acquire a relief pitcher.

   Overall this off-season, on a scale of 1-10, I am at about a 7 of how satisfied I am with what Bill has done this winter. But I should be used to this by now after living and following the Twins since I moved to Minnesota in 1995. But then again, we weren’t expected to do well last year and we were one game away from the playoffs. Yes, I’m still bitter about the whole “who gets the home game” idea. So who knows how the 2009 Twins will do in their last season at the Homer Dome. </span>

Tyler Robertson Interview

2008-10-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the Twins pitching prospects, Tyler Robertson. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 draft (3rd round). He was part of the Ft. Myers organization this past year and went 5-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 15 starts. He walked 31 and struck out 73.

Kevin Lewis: Tyler, thank you for taking time to answer some questions about your career so far.

Tyler Robertson: Anytime. Sorry it took me a while to get back to you.

KL: I read that you also played football and basketball during high school. What made you decide the baseball career?

TR: I always knew I was going to play baseball and that I was and am a baseball player first. I loved basketball too growing up and played my first year of football as a freshmen. Football quickly became my second favorite sport behind baseball. I played quaterback and had a good amount of Division 1 football scholarship offers but like I said, I have loved baseball all my life and knew thats what I was going to do.

KL: Growing up as a kid and during high school, did you have a favorite player/idol? If so, who was it?

TR: I have always been a fan of Randy Johnson. I would say he was definately my favorite player/idol growing up.

KL: What was it like being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 Amateur draft? Do you remember where you were when you found out you had been drafted?

TR: I talked to many teams my senior year in high school and developed a great relationship with Kevin Bootay, the scout for the Twins who signed me. I was very happy to be drafted by the Twins. The draft took place on the same morning of my high school graduation. So I graduated at about 10:00 that morning, got home about 10:40 and was drafted around 11. It all happened very fast and was one of my favorite and most special days ever.

KL: You have four pitches in your arsenal. Your fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup. Can you give us a little insight into your pitches? Which one might need work? Which one is your strongest?

TR: I do throw all 4 pitches. I would have to say my two best pitches are my fastball and slider. I feel very confident in my curveball and change up as well. If I had to pick one pitch out to work on most it would be my change up.

KL: This kind of touches on the last question, but do you feel there is a pitch that will need some more work before you reach the majors?

TR: I feel like the pitches I have now are good enough, I just think the main thing is fine tunning them and getting better command and more consistant with each of them.

KL: Where do you anticipate starting the 2009 Minor League season?

TR: Not sure yet. I ended the season on the DL. My arm is all better now so its up to the people in charge really. I would say there is a chance at AA if I am throwing well in Spring Training. Either that or they will want me to show them that I am healthy and start me back in Fort Myers.

KL: If there is one thing you could tell the young kids out there learning to become a pitcher, what would you say?

TR: Throw as much as you can to strengthen your arm and watch and listen. That is how you learn about pitching.

KL: I again want to thank you for answer a few questions. All of us Twins fan wish you the best of luck in 2009 and beyond.

TR: Thank you very much.

Winter League Update

2008-10-24T16:04:00.000-05:00

Since there is very little talk going on about the Twins off-season as of right now, I will be giving daily updates on the Twins players that are participating the Winter Leagues. The Twins have several players participating in both leagues (Arizona Fall and Venezuelan Winter Leagues).

Most are familiar with the Arizona Fall League, in which some well-known prospects go to fine tune their skills or to work on a specific part of their game. Minnesota Twins players who decided to participate in the Arizona Fall League are part of the Phoenix Desert Dogs, who currently sit in 2nd place in their division. For the most part, the Twins prospects have been looking pretty good down in Phoenix.

Here is a quick look at some of the top prospects:

2B, Steven Tolleson (.405 avg, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, .452 OBP in 12 games)
3B Danny Valencia (.211 avg, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 12 K, .262 OBP in 15 games)
OF Dustin Martin (.265 avg, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 16 K, .333 OBP in 13 games)

Looking at those three guys, Tolleson appears to be having the better overall Fall so far. He leads the the team in RBI with 12 and has a very nice on-base percentage. Tolleson is very close to becoming a member of the Twins 25-man roster. If he continues to have a strong showing in the Fall and then during Spring Training, he could platoon with Casilla. Otherwise, he will likely be a September call-up in 2009.

Along with the Arizona League, the Twins have a few prospects who are playing in the Venezuelan Winter League. The two big name guys who are participating there for the Twins are 3B Luke Hughes and C Wilson Ramos.

Hughes has gotten off to a very rocky start. In six games, he is hitting .111 with zero RBI and has struck out seven times. Many Twins fans, including myself, were hoping that he would be able to fine tune his skills overall and possibly make a push to be the third baseman for the Twins in 2009. He put together some solid numbers in 2008 between New Britain and Rochester, so don't let these numbers worry you too much. Hughes in my opinion should be given a strong look at possibly being on the 2009 Opening Day roster and splitting time at third base if we don't acquire someone this off-season.

Ramos is very interesting case. He plays catcher, so many of you are thinking, "What about Mauer?". That brings up a good point. What will the Twins do with Ramos, who hit .288 with 13 home runs and 78 RBI in Ft. Myers this year. Well you have to first remember he is only in Ft. Myers, but be in New Britain most of the year next year. So he is atleast 2 years away from being on the Twins 25-man roster. By that time I expect Mike Redmond to be gone via retirement or free agency. So then Ramos would becomes Mauers backup and then he would ocassionally DH. But Ramos is only 21, so anything could happen between now and the call-up. Keep an eye on him though, he could be something very special.

By keeping an eye on the above mentioned players, we should learn where they will be starting next year and what their future in the Twins organization holds.

Anthony Slama Interview

2008-10-20T16:02:00.000-05:00

Late last week I had the chance to interview Twins pitching prospect, Anthony Slama. He is one of the Twins top relief prospects. He was drafted by the Twins in the 2006 Amateur Draft out of San Diego College. He is currently pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

Kevin Lewis: Anthony, thank you for taking time to answer a few questions today.

Anthony Slama: No problem, sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Been staying very busy out here in Arizona.

KL: Before we get into the more detailed questions, not many people in the Minnesota and around the baseball world know you. Can you give us a little bit of a background and how you got involved in baseball?

AS: I grew up in Garden Grove, California; attended Mater Dei High School where I played basketball and baseball. I didn't get serious about pitching until my sophomore year and I was offered a scholarship to UC Riverside in my junior year. My first year at UC Riverside was a redshirt year and after it was made clear I would not pitch much my freshman year, I enrolled in Santa Ana College near my house. After two years there I got a scholarship to University of San Diego. I was drafted in the 39th round after my junior year there and decided to come back to school. My senior year I graduated then signed with the Twins before the 07 draft.

KL: When you were growing up as a young kid and then progressed through high school and college, was there someone in your life who was there for you and was pushing you to do the best that you could?

AS: My parents were always supportive in whatever decision I made early in my career. My coaches always pushed me to do my best, and my girlfriend Lauren always believed in me.

KL: What was it like when you found out that you were drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 39th round of the 2006 Amateur draft? Did you have any hints at who might take you in the draft?

AS: I did not know who would take me in the draft, and had only spoken with a few teams prior to the draft. I was happy to be selected by the Twins but knew I had to delay my career and go back to finish school.

KL: You have gotten off to a very hot start in your minor league career. In 78 games, you have a record of 5-2, 39 saves. To go with that, an amazing 1.23 ERA. Was there anything specific that you can contribute to all the success you have had early on in your career? Where do you expect to start next season? Do you think you will still be at Ft. Myers or will they send you up to New Britain?

AS: I go out and pitch aggressively throwing strikes and challenging hitters. It is never certain before spring training where you will end up, but I should probably start the year in New Britain.

KL: When you are on the mound and you need to get that critical out to end the inning, what is your "out" pitch? I know you have a fastball that touches the low 90s, a slider and then a changeup.

AS: I use my changeup more to lefties, I use my fastball to get ahead in the count or I can use it as my out pitch as well. The slider has worked well as a strikeout pitch.

KL: I noticed you are participating in the Arizona Fall League this year. Are you working on a specific pitch? If so, which one? Or are you just there to kind of fine tune everything in your arsenal?

AS: In a way, this is a tuneup for the type of hitters I will be facing. These are some of the best hitters the minor leagues has to offer, and it is always good to face the best. It will give me good feedback on what I need to work on and what pitches get certain types of hitters out.

KL: Thank you again for taking time to answer a few questions and good luck the rest of the Arizona Fall League and in the future.

AS: Thanks man, anytime.

Rafael Furcal or Orlando Cabrera?

2008-10-17T16:01:00.000-05:00

vs.

Rafael Furcal or Orlando Cabrera? That’s the question I would be asking myself if I was in Bill Smith’s shoes this off-season. One of the Twins needs this winter is a shortstop. Yes, Nick Punto will likely be back with the Twins next season, but is he really the answer at shortstop? Both Furcal and Cabrera are impending free agents this winter. Both were in the playoffs this year, something the Twins need veteran leadership to get them there. It’s just a matter of which one of those two you want on your squad.

Furcal will be the more intriguing guy to go after this winter as he fits the Twins offense better with his speed. Despite coming off a season in which he only played in 36 games, he managed to hit .357 along with five homeruns and 16 runs batted in. Now, I’m not saying he would have kept that average up all year, but playing on Field-Turf sure would have helped. Before arriving in Los Angeles prior to the 2006 season, he was a member of the Atlanta Braves since arriving in the league in 2000. If Furcal is able to return to full health, he could add even more speed to one of the quickest teams in baseball. Prior to the 2008 season, he averaged about 31 stolen bases. For a soon to be 32 year old, that would be a fairly good amount. Add Gomez and Span to that and you would have a dangerous base running team.

Cabrera is the type of guy who would bring experience in the playoffs to the Twins clubhouse. He was a member of the 2004 World Series champion, Boston Red Sox. So he knows what it takes to get to the World Series. He is a career .274 hitter and would help the Twins fill the hole at short stop. Another plus with Cabrera is the fact that he has faced the Twins many times as a member of the American League (Boston, LA Angels, and Chicago), so he knows how to adjust to the Field-Turf. He also wouldn’t need any time to adjust to the American League pitchers, something Furcal would have to do. Cabrera has a very solid glove at short. He has one two Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The first came in 2001 as a member of the Montreal Expos and the second came just last season when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. With question marks at third, we need someone that we can put at short and know he will be able to get those tougher grounders.

Of course when we talk about these two, we also need to discuss the money issue. The Twins are typically very quiet in the off-season when it comes to signing free agents. Cabrera would likely cost anywhere from 20-25 million over 3 years to get him to come to Minneapolis. Furcal on the other hand would cost a little bit more. He would probably cost anywhere from 30-35 million over 3 years. However, both the White Sox and Dodgers will be working hard to keep these two on their respective teams. If I had to choose one of the two to join the Twins, I would pick Rafael Furcal. He is two years younger and has a bit more speed. He will be the more expensive of the two, but in my opinion he would be worth the money. But hey, maybe Punto will have a monster year. Wouldn’t that be something?

Third Basemen Ideas

2008-10-13T15:59:00.001-05:00

While the Rays, Red Sox, Phillies, and Dodgers battle it out for the World Series, there are 26 other teams that have already begun to plan their off-season. Some might be staying put, some might be making drastic changes to their team. The Twins seem to be in the middle of that pack. Being a Twins fan, I don’t have any high expectation for the off-season. The Twins tend to stay put most years, unless singing a 40-year old has been (ala Ramon Ortiz, Rueben Sierra, Tony Batista) count as off-season moves. But hopefully this year is different with Rookie GM, Bill Smith at the helm.

One of the Twins most glaring holes for many years has been the third base vacancy. Ever since Corey Koskie left the Twins after the 2004 season, the Twins have been unable to find long-term third basemen. Over the years, they have tried out many players at that spot. Some of the names include Tony Batista, Brian Buscher, Brendan Harris, and Michael Cuddyer. This could be the off-season that we finally find a third basemen that can be a consistent hitter and have a decent glove.

There are a few intriguing names on the free agent market or maybe even through trades. Here are some of the possibilities:

Hank Blalock: Hank is a very interesting case. Early on in his career he was the third baseman that the Rangers planned for when they drafted him in the 3rd round of the 1999 Amateur Draft. But after just a couple seasons at the Major League level, problems started to occur. He has had some injuries, the most notable being diagnosed with Thoracic outlet syndrome during the 2007 season. That affected his throwing, so he was then moved off the everyday third base duties. In the 2008 season he split time at 3B and 1B. If he can build his arm strength back up and work on his hitting, he could very well be a good acquisition for the Twins, if he is available via trade.

Joe Crede: Joe is another player that the Twins may look at to fill their void at third base. In 2008, Crede hit .248, 17 HR and 55 RBI. He played in only 97 games due to injuries. Before the injuries, he was a very solid third baseman for the Chicago White Sox. The only thing that might hold the Twins back from going after Crede is the fact that Scott Boras is his agent. As we all know, Boras tends to go after the big bucks for his clients.

Adrian Beltre: Out of the three that I have briefly talked about, Beltre seems to be the most likely choice. The Twins inquired about a possible trade near the Trade Deadline back in July, but the Mariners demands were too much for the Twins. Seattle wanted one of the Twins young starting pitchers, but the Twins felt it wasn’t worth it. And boy, did the Twins make a smart decision there. Hopefully the Mariners have lowered their demands for Beltre this winter. In 2008 Beltre hit .266, 25 HR and 77 RBI. As well as his bat, Beltre has a pretty solid glove on defense. As we all know, there is the good and then the there is the bad. The bad part about Beltre is that his contract is 12 million dollars this coming season. So the Twins will have to think long and hard about that part of Beltre.

These are just a few of the players that could be available for the Twins this off-season to fill the void at Third Base. Some other players I didn’t mention that could be available are Rich Aurilia, Casey Blake and Edwin Encarnacion. I just hope Bill Smith makes the right decision when he chooses a Third Basemen, if he does. Otherwise we will be watching Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris split time at third again next season.

Jeff Manship Interview

2008-10-07T15:57:00.002-05:00

Today I had the great opportunity to ask Jeff Manship a couple questions. For those of you who don't know Jeff. He is a starting pitcher for the Ft. Myers Miracle, which is the Minnesota Twins High-A affiliate. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 2006 Amateur Draft out of the University of Notre Dame. He is currently participating in the Arizona Fall League with the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

Kevin Lewis: Here with me today is Twins pitching prospect, Jeff Manship. Thanks for joining me today Jeff.

Jeff Manship: Thank you for having me.

KL: When you were growing up as a kid, who was your baseball idol to watch?

JM: I was a big fan of Ken Griffey Jr. when I grew up. Even though the Houston Astros were the closest team I still found myself rooting for the Mariners.

KL: I know your college career didn't start the way you would have liked. You underwent Tommy John Surgery during your freshman year at Notre Dame. What kept you so focused during your rehab? Did you get advice from anyone who had gone through that on how to deal with it? Are at the point where you have gotten your velocity back or is that still on the way up?

JM: I was able to stay focused because I was made aware that through hard work I could return to normal and even have the chance to improve. I had a great trainer at Notre Dame who helped me complete the rehab and always kept me positive. I was determined to come back full strength so I made sure to do everything correctly. Matt Macri was a junior at the time that I was a freshman and dealt with the same injury during his freshman year so it was very helpful having his support and knowledge. Another teammate of mine who is currently with the Brewers organization had Tommy John right around the same time that I had my surgery so we did everything together. We were able to push one another towards recovery. I feel that my velocity is back to normal. In high school I could top out higher, but I would say that I throw harder on average now, which I would much rather possess.

KL: If there was one person who influenced you the most from your Little League days to where you are now, who would that be?

JM: My father has been the biggest influence on me both on and off the field. He taught me how to pitch when I was 10 and continues to provide helpful advice. In addition, my pitching coach during high school and former big league pitcher, Ben Van Ryan, was a very influential person in my life. My brother, Matt, has been very important. He served as a role model throughout my life and continues to be a person that I greatly admire.

KL: What is it like being part of the Twins organiztion and knowing that they have a very good track record of developing young starting pitchers into well-known pitchers around the league?

JM: The Twins organization has been great. The pitching coaches that I have dealt with are very helpful and have taught me a great deal since signing.

KL: You utlitize for pitches and hit the low 90s. What is your best pitch? Would you also consider that pitch your out pitch? Is there one pitch that you are still trying to develop more?

JM: Last year I would have said my slider (which is more of a slurve and pretty much the same thing as my curveball), but this season I would say my curveball is my best pitch. I altered the grip on my slider so that pitch is still a work in progress. I would consider both my curveball and sinker to be my out pitches. The change-up and slider are both pitches that I am trying to fine tune. The change-up has significantly improved and I have developed so much more confidence in the pitch. As I continued to move up level by level it was made more aware how necessary and effective a usable change-up becomes.

KL: Since you will be participating in the Arizona Fall League this season, do you plan on trying to improve the pitch discussed from the last question? Or are you going there just to work on everything overall?

JM: My main focus in Arizona will be to slow down both my change-up and curveball to gain a much wider range of velocties between all of my pitches. If I can get both pitches into the mid to upper 70s I will have accomplished my goal.

KL: If you aren't on the mound and just relaxing, what are some of the things you enjoy doing?

JM: I enjoy playing video games, watching movies, and listening to music which is probably the standard with most minor league players.

KL: Well, that is all I got for now. I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy baseball life to answer a few questions about your career. I look forward to seeing you in Minneapolis in the very near future. Good luck in 2009 and the future years.

JM: Thanks a lot, and hopefully I will get up to Minnesota soon.

2008 Season Review

2008-10-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

As I sit at home and watch the White Sox face the Rays and nearly get eliminated the other night, I can’t help but think, “This could be the Twins. We could be giving the Rays a tougher fight than the Sox are”. It would have been so fun to watch two small-market, rarely talked about (until this year) teams face each other. But Chicago beat them in the one game playoff and as much as it hurts me to say this, they deserved to be there. The Twins had our chances after they swept Chicago. Just two wins over Kansas City would have sealed the deal, but KC was on a streak winning 12 of their last 14 games.

So, now that I am hunkered down for the winter watching the playoffs, which by the way are not exciting at all this year, I can reflect on the Twins 2008 campaign. There were some good accomplishments during the season and then there were some things we need to focus on heading into next year. I will discuss some of the good things and bad things that came out of this season.

There were many accomplishments this season, but I felt that the play of the prospects from Rochester that made the team out of Spring Training and then the surprising pitching from our young rotation were worthy of mentioning.

The play of the youngsters this year was very nice to see. Going into this season, there were questions on who would fill Torii Hunter’s shoes. Well as us, the fans, saw during Spring Training, Carlos Gomez and Denard Span were fighting for the starting center field job. Frankly, I would have been fine with Denard Span winning the spot over Gomez, but I guess Gardenhire felt Gomez should be at the MLB level. Gomez actually was second in RBI in the month of September, trailing only Justin Morneau. Gomez also made some game saving diving or running catches late in the season that kept the Twins in the race. This is the great thing about the Twins, they always have some prospect waiting for their turn to be called up to the big leagues and then surprise everyone.

If you didn’t have enough fun watching the young guys play, then maybe watching the young starting pitchers was the thing for you. The Twins rotation was one of their brightest moments this year. Forget about Livan Hernandez. The fans all knew starting 5-0 was a fluke. You knew he was going to get knocked around once teams saw him more than once. Then once Liriano was ready to comeback, not before a little controversy, they had to get rid of Livan. Gardenhire couldn’t afford to put Liriano in the bullpen. Once they fianlly got rid of Livan, the Twins had one of the youngest rotations in all of baseball. No one gave the Twins a chance this year with the rotation they had. They all said, “This team won’t go far with Santana gone”. If you were to even ask me before the season started, I would have agreed with that statement. But this rotation proved everyone wrong. They were so great to watch on that mound and will be for many more years to come. I have to give a congrats to Rick Anderson, the Twins pitching coach, for getting these guys ready and put the confidence that he did into these players.

Now, we move onto the disappointments from the 2008 season. Although there were some disappointments from each game, there were two big ones that lasted throughout the season. They were the bullpen not being able to hold leads during critical games and then the lack of power on t his team.

The struggles in the bullpen started well before that awful, 2 week road-trip to the West coast. It all started when Pat Neshek went down with an arm problem. The exact cause of his injury was a tear in the UCL (Ulner collateral ligament). With him going down early on in the season, this placed even more pressure on Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain. And it was apparent that neither of them was going to be able to handle much more than what they typically do in a season. Guerrier started the season off pretty well, but then he started to collapse a little bit towards the end of the season. Then Jesse Crain, who I have never been a big fan of, seemed to be the guy who would come in with a 2-3 run lead in the 8th and managed to give up the lead or leave with the tie. Then as the bullpen overall, the huge 2 week road trip was one that they would like to all forget.

Please don’t even mention the re-surfacing of Eddie Guardado. I thought it was cool they brought him back, but wasn’t sure if it was the right move to do. Then they have him pitch in Oakland, where he has always seemed to struggle. However, the good news is that Pat is expected to be ready for Spring Training next spring.

The one problem that the Twins seem to face every season is the lack of power on this team. The Twins finished ranked 29th in the league in total homeruns with 111. That is only 17 better than the last place San Francisco Giants. You can’t expect to go after if you only manage 111 homeruns all year. Don’t get me wrong. I love the small ball play of the Twins, but if we want to get far in future playoff series, Bill Smith need to get some more power on this team. Yes, the Twins were one of the top hitting teams average wise and with runners in scoring position, but they can’t compete with Boston, Los Angeles, New York year in and year out, if they don’t have any heavy hitters. I’m not expecting them to go out and sign a 30+ HR, 120+ RBI guy, but at least a 20+ HR guy would help boost this team.

The Twins have some things they need to work on and some things to continue to appreciate before the 2009 season approaches. I think the Twins need to take a long and hard look this off-season to add a few bats to the lineup and maybe a bullpen arm.

Interview with Seth Stohs

2008-10-03T15:56:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone. Today I had the great opportunity to interview one of the most well-known Twins bloggers, Seth Stohs. Like me, Seth is an avid Twins fan and has his own blog over at www.sethspeaks.net. We talked about the 2008 season and the future, but let's get to the questions.

Kevin Lewis: Seth, thanks for taking some time to answer a few questions about the Twins 2008 season and the future.

Seth Stohs: Always happy to talk about the Minnesota Twins. Thank you for asking me!

KL: Before we get into the future of this ball club, whether it be the off-season or prospect, I would like your take on the 2008 season. So many Twins fans thought this was going to be a down year with the losses of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter. But did they ever surprise us, well at least they surprised me. But I have to ask these two questions. Who was the biggest surprise of the season? Who was the biggest disappointment of the season?

SS: The biggest surprise, for me, was the whole team. I expected them to win about 75 games this year. But if I had to pick a player, I would have to pick Denard Span. Like many bloggers, I have been tough on Span, not seeing any power, poor base stealing percentages, not “enough” walks, etc. But when he came up, he ignited the team. And once he moved into the lead-off position, he really was excellent. The biggest disappointment was the Pat Neshek injury (not Neshek but the injury). As much as they maybe missed Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, losing Pat Neshek really hurt the team. It meant too much work for Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain, who should have been more limited due to just coming back. It would be easy to just say Matt Guerrier, but he was very good until he got used too much.

KL: Now moving onto the off-season. I think this off-season we really need to nail down the left side of our infield, but that is just my personal opinion. But, do you feel there are any major holes on the team that they need to address either through free agency or via trades? Or do we have some sleeper in Rochester that is just waiting to blossom at the major league level?

SS: People may want to say Luke Hughes is a sleeper, but Twins fans paying attention talked about him a lot last year. I also just don’t think he’s ready to make a major contribution yet (but he could). If I had to pick a sleeper, maybe Trevor Plouffe or Steve Tolleson to get a shot in spring training.

So, I think that the Twins need to address the left side of the infield through trade or free agency. I personally would keep Alexi Casilla at 2B. With that though, I would only want a 3B with a one year deal (either Free agent, or in a trade). I am a huge believer in Danny Valencia and that he should be the 3B of the future as early as 2010. I think he’s close. That really narrows it to a trade for Adrian Beltre. Garrett Atkins isn’t much outside of Coors and Kevin Kouzmanoff has too much time left before free agency. Hank Blalock is mentioned, but 1.) he’s left-handed, 2.) he’s always hurt, and 3.) he’s really not all that good.

KL: I think one of the biggest questions I have for the ball club heading into the 2009 season is what are we going to do about our outfield situation. Now that Michael Cuddyer is healthy again, we will have five outfielders who are capable of playing everyday. I would imagine Carlos Gomez has centerfield nailed down. But then that leaves the corners up for grabs. In left field, we have Jason Kubel and Delmon Young. Then in right field, we have Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span. If you were Ron Gardenhire, what would your approach be for the outfield situation?

SS: First, if I’m Bill Smith, I would keep them all just in case of injury or regression. For Gardy, I do think that he will have to find a way to keep them all active and fresh and put them into situations that they can succeed. Ideally, you work out a situation with the following playing time breakdown. All five will/can play eight out of ten games.

LF – Delmon Young – 7 times per 10 games

CF – Carlos Gomez – 8 times per 10 games

RF – Michael Cuddyer – 7 times per 10 game

DH – Jason Kubel – 8 times per 10 games

That leaves Denard Span. I think he is the outfielder most capable of playing all three outfield positions well. I would have him play 3 out of 10 games in LF, 2 out of 10 games in CF and 3 games out of 10 in RF. That makes him the team’s lead-off hitter at least eight out of ten games. I think that Delmon Young and Michael Cuddyer can DH at least once every 10 games. Obviously Jason Kubel can play the corners once in awhile or in case of injury.

I would run with that through about 90-100 games. They will work out the playing time down the final month or two and hopefully all will remain healthy and fresh.

KL: As I mentioned earlier about the sleepers in Rochester. Do you feel anyone in Rochester could step in right away next year. Whether that is a pitcher or an offensive player. I have been paying attention to Rochester this year and I have a few guys that I want your opinion on whether they could make an impact. Luke Hughes is the first guy that comes to my mind. He came out of no where this year and played very well at Double-A with New Britain and was then promoted to Triple-A Rochester in August. Another guy I have my eye on is pitcher, Brian Duensing. Although he is a starting pitcher, could he possibly work out of the bullpen as maybe a middle relief guy or even long relief (ala Boof Bonser). What are your thoughts on those two guys in Hughes and Duensing?

SS: In terms of pitching, I think that if needed, Brian Duensing, Kevin Mulvey and Anthony Swarzak could all come up and give the team a chance to win. All of them still have things to work on, but enough talent and stuff to succeed. I think that Luke Hughes is likely the only player at Rochester who could come up and immediately have some impact. He could platoon at 3B, maybe DH some, and fill in at 2B. He has some pop, but he needs to work a lot at AAA on putting the ball in play and not making so many errors on defense. Jason Pridie would be the team’s “6th outfielder” in my above scenario. Another half-season, and I think that Trevor Plouffe will be ready. Dustin Martin, Erik Lis and especially Danny Valencia are guys who could start in Rochester or New Britain and contribute in the right situation .

KL: I want to move onto some prospects that I saw in your reports on your web page. The three guys that some Twins fans might want to know more about are the following:

A) Steven Tolleson is the first guy I would like your opinion about. This year at Double-A New Britain, he hit .300 with 9 homeruns and drove in 50 runs. In my opinion, he seems like the guy who could be the starting 2B in 2010 when we move into Target Field. You may ask, "what about Alexi Casilla". Well I imagine by 2010 Punto will be gone. So then we could possibly shift Casilla over to SS and then put Tolleson at 2B. Or maybe, they could try him at 3B, since that seems to be a position we can never figure out.

B) The next guy I would like to talk about is SP Anthony Swarzak. He started the year in Double-A New Britain and went 3-8 with a 5.67 ERA. His BB/K ratio was ok. He walked 37 and struck out 76. Then he was promoted to Triple-A Rochester and went 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA. He walked 14 and struck out 26. Hopefully they will keep him at Triple-A next year and then maybe he could be a September call-up or if someone gets hurt (knock on wood), he could fill in. But he looks like he could be a #3 or #4 guy in the Twins rotation. What are your thoughts on him?

SS: Steve Tolleson was a guy that really jumped up in my rankings this year. He actually had a very solid season in 2007 in Ft. Myers, but what he did in 2010 tells me that he should be in the Twins plans. In reality though, I look at him as another utility type, although I would have zero concern if he needed to take over starting for a couple of weeks. In my mind, I would rank him about where I would have ranked Matt Tolbert. Good speed. Good glove. Nothing spectacular, but he could be defined as a ball player.

Swarzak is a very interesting case. I ranked him very highly following the 2007 season despite his slow start and that 50 game suspension. He dominated the Eastern League the last two-plus months of the season. The assumption was that he would move up to Rochester to start the 2008 season, but instead he went to New Britain again, and he was horrible. The numbers tell it all. He got lit up, he walked too many. He didn’t strike out many. The concern was a lack of a third pitch. For some crazy reason, he was promoted to Rochester and made seven starts late in the season, and he was remarkable. I was told that he was throwing FOUR big league pitches. So, that’s why he is ranked highly again. I am concerned though about a guy who wasn’t able to bring his good stuff back to AA with him this year and stepped it up when he got promoted. Sounds like an attitude type of thing. Or, maybe it was something else. He’s worth watching. His ceiling would probably be a #2 starter, but mid-to-back of the rotation is more likely. If he doesn’t have a good third pitch, could be a bullpen guy.

KL: Lastly, I would like your opinion on the 2009 Twins outlook. I know it's not even the off-season yet, but it's never too early to think about 2009. If we can get a decent third basemen and maybe even bolster our bullpen, where do you see the Twins? I can see us finishing 2nd or even making another run for the A.L. Central crown.

SS: My concern is that the Twins will rest this off-season after a tumultuous off-season last year. If they do that, they will be in trouble. They won’t hit over .300 with Runners in Scoring position again. That was an all-time record, so that’s not really repeatable. Some guys will regress. Some guys will continue to improve. They will have to make a few moves, and they have a lot of pieces to deal and plenty of cap room. I personally don’t want to see more than one more-major deal as I don’t think that the Twins need to break up the current core too much. My point is just that they will need to improve to continue to compete for the division title. I have to believe that Cleveland will bounce back in 2009. I think Chicago will get worse. I actually don’t think Detroit will be a lot better. But Kansas City has a solid manager and they will play well.

KL: Well, I want to thank you Seth for taking a few moments to answer some questions that Twins fans want to know.

SS: Good luck with Twin Nation! I look forward to checking it out all off-season. Thanks for giving me this opportunity. Again, it’s always fun to talk about the Twins, especially when the snow will be outside soon!

Interview with Joe DeMayo

2008-10-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

Joe DeMayo is a good friend of mine that I met a few years ago. He has been a Mets fan since he could remember. He and I talk on a daily basis about baseball and sports in general. Joe is primarily a minor league guy, but will also talk about the majors if it's something very important. So he constantly fills me on rumors and happenings around the league. So the first person I felt that I should interview was him. So without anymore waiting, here we go:

Kevin Lewis: Welcome Joe. Since you are a Mets guru, it's great to be able to ask you a few questions about the Johan trade, a year later. So, if you don't mind, let's get right into it.

Joe DeMayo: No problem Kevin. Let's do it.

KL: Joe, looking back at the 2008 season, do you feel the Twins made the right move by trading Johan Santana to the Mets for the package of players that they received?

JD: Yes and no. You can look at it this way, the Twins made it to a one game playoff and suffered a tough loss to the White Sox, if you have Santana on the staff, do the Twins win the AL Central? It's certainly possible. At the same time, where are the Twins in September without Gomez? He made multiple fantastic plays in center to save runs, and also put up a .290 batting average. Santana was brilliant for the Mets, but wasn't enough, maybe if he was still in Minnesota then we may be watching the Twins and the Rays rather than the White Sox. But at the time it seemed logical to trade him with the unlikelihood of him re-signing and only getting two draft picks. Bill Smith did seem to overplay his hand at the time by demanding both Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury from Boston, and Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera (doesn't make the Yankees look too good right now huh?). Mets GM Omar Minaya was just patient throughout, and it paid off, as he got him without losing prized prospect Fernando Martinez or prized pitchers Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese. But the bounty was still heavy with Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber and Deolis Guerra going with Gomez. But the way the Twins operate, and their great ability to develop pitchers, you could see all three of those pitchers possibly have a great positive impact on the Twins for a while.

KL: Many Minnesotans don't know much about Deolis Guerra. What can you tell us about Guerra's pitches, his work ethic and what he can bring to the table as a future Minnesota Twin starting pitcher? When do you expect him to be in the majors?

JD: Guerra unfortunately had a very poor year, posting an ERA over 5, including over 8 in the month of August. The Mets did not want to include him in the Santana trade, but it essentially came down to Guerra or no deal, so Minaya pulled the trigger. Guerra is still very young at 19, and has a great repertoire that leads you to believe he can be a #1 or #2 type starter in the future. He sports a fastball that when the Mets signed him as a 16 year old was in the 88-90 range, but by time they dealt him he was reportedly flinging it at 93-95, as he grows into his body he could develop more velocity, and he has potentially the best changeup in the minor leagues, if you watched the future's game in 2007 you would have seen it. He also has a developing curveball that has good natural movement, as do all of Guerra's pitches. If he gets one more good pitch, you're looking at a frontline pitcher, despite his low strikeout number this year; you are looking at a guy who could be a big time strikeout pitcher at the big league level. I do not know much about his work ethic, but hearing nothing is better than hearing something negative. I think Guerra is a kid for Twins' fans to keep an eye on, and you may see him as soon as 2011, or maybe 2012 at latest, which would still have him coming as a 22 or 23 year old which is still extremely young. Maybe you can see him sooner if he pitches his way up there, but he didn't help his cause this year.

KL: Phillip Humber is the only pitcher of the group we got in the trade that fans got to take a look at this year. He was a September call-up and worked out of the bullpen. Do you possibly see Humber being a long-relief pitcher or will he eventually make the rotation. Is there any worry about the Tommy John surgery having any long-term effects for his progression?

JD: When the Mets drafted Humber #3 overall in the 2004 draft (passing up talents like Jered Weaver, Phil Hughes, and Homer Bailey) it was widely believed Humber was a #2 or #3 type, but somebody who would ascend through the minors extremely fast. He along with teammates from "The Big 3" at Rice, Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend all underwent Tommy John within their first year of turning pro, though Townsend was a year later as he didn't sign with Baltimore in 2004. The percentage of pitchers to come back successfully from Tommy John is over 90%, and Humber being over two full years removed from the surgery may be amongst that 10 or so percent. Granted he helped his cause with a 2.74 ERA in August, you can't at this point look at him as anything better than a #4 or #5, but possibly a bullpen arm. It's unfortunate as Mets people had high hopes for him, but the surgery seemed to hinder him quite a bit, though I heard his velocity was just starting to come back around mid-season this year.

KL: Kevin Mulvey is probably the one pitcher out of the three that has the most questions. After pitching fairly well for the Binghamton Mets, their Double-A affiliate, he seemed to struggle a little bit in Rochester. Should Twins be worried about his progression? Does he have a shot at cracking the roster after Spring Training?

JD: I personally liked Kevin Mulvey a lot. I saw him last year in Binghamton and he impressed me quite a bit with his pitchability, he reminded me a lot of Brian Bannister with better stuff. He is somebody you can look at as a #4 starter down the road; I don't think his ultimate destination is in the pen. He struggled some in his first season in Triple-A, but not to worry, the Twins should start him there again in 2009, and he can very well pitch his way up to the big club during 09. When this trade happened, it was my belief that Mulvey had the chance to be the sleeper of the trade, he was the least discussed member of the trade at the time, but I think he has the talent to be better than Humber.

KL: Carlos Gomez is by far the most popular player out the trade. That is in part to him being the only guy in the trade that the fans got to see day in and day out. He showed us why he is so coveted as a young outfielder. But at the same time, he showed how he has a long ways to go. He seemed to kick it up a notch during the month of September. Do you anticipate the CF job to be his to lose in Spring Training with Span lurking?

JD: I think the job should be Gomez's to lose. I absolutely loved Carlos Gomez as a member of the Mets organization, when you have a kid who when he raced Jose Reyes would win "9 out of 10 times" according to Reyes, that definitely opens your eyes. Gomez reminds me a ton of Reyes actually, very speedy, and when he first came up as a young kid, Reyes was one of the most raw players I ever saw, very similar to Gomez. After a couple years Reyes really got it, and he's looked at as one of the best players in the game today, and I think Gomez can very well follow suit. He is going to be a dynamic lead-off hitter, and if he grows into his body a little more he could provide more pop than Reyes does for the Mets, and steal you 60+ bases every year. He is a guy that to me you can look at as a future star, but just be patient with him, let him go through his ups and downs like the Twins did this year, and soon enough those ups will be far more often than the downs.

KL: Thanks for taking time to answer a few questions. I look forward to reading your updates that you post over on www.nybaseballdigest.com.

JD: Anytime Kevin, thanks a lot!

What Will The Off-Season Bring?

2008-10-02T15:54:00.000-05:00

It hasn't even been 48 hours since we came up short in our bid for an A.L. Central title and I am already thinking about what the Twins will be doing this off-season. This will be the first full off-season for GM Bill Smith, who took over after Terry Ryan left the GM spot. This will be a big test for Smith this winter.

Some questions you may want to know about are: What do we need to improve on? Are we willing to spend the money? Who exactly is available within reason? Well, I will try to answer these questions and many more over the next few days, weeks and months ahead.

I will be also be doing various reports. For example, I will be looking back at the 2008 season and looking towards the off-season. I will discuss possible moves, rumors that come up, teach you guys about some prospect you may not know about off hand and then just any other Twins information.