SethSpeaks.net Weekend Twins Live Chat: Saturday at 1!

I haven’t had a live chat for a little over a week, so I thought a nice weekend chat would be good. It’s supposed to still be cold, so tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:00 central time, the chat will begin. I will open up the chat room 15-20 minutes early to start taking questions. In the mean time, enjoy the Q&A below with Twins pitching prospect Joe Testa. Be sure to take a look at the links on the left to read more Twins-related blogs. You will definitely want to check out Josh’s Thoughts as he is now into his Top 20 Twins prospects.

 

 

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Q&A with Joe Testa: Twins Pitching Prospect

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Happy Friday everyone! It has been a busy week, so it is nice to be able to bring another Q&A with a Twins prospect. Joe Testa is a left-handed pitcher in the Twins system. After four solid seasons at Division I Wagner University, he went undrafted. The Twins later signed him and he impressed in his pro debut. He pitched well for the GCL Twins. Later in the season, the Ft. Myers Miracle were preparing for their playoff run and wanted to find some left-handed pitchers. Testa was brought across the parking lot, to pitch for the Miracle. He made a solid impression. He has good control, decent stuff and he’s left-handed. He has the ability to strike out hitters. I think that he is one to watch. And we know that the Twins have had good success with undrafted players in recent years. Dan Leatherman had a good run, and recently signed with another organization. Rob Delaney may become the poster child for all Twins pitchers signed as a non-drafted free agent. I think that Testa can be very good.  

 

Click here for the stats of Joe Testa. (Click here to see previous Q&As)

 

Let the Questions Begin!

SethSpeaks: Growing up in New Jersey, who was your favorite team, and who were some of your favorite players to watch?

 

Joe Testa: My favorite team was the Yankees, and Paul O’Neil and Ken Griffey were my favorite players.

 

SethSpeaks: Tell us a little bit about your high school baseball career. Did you play positions beside pitcher?

 

Joe Testa: I played Center Field and First Base too, but outfield was probably the most fun to play.

 

SethSpeaks: Did you participate in other extracurricular activities?

 

Joe Testa: I was a Corner Back and a Running Back/Wide Receiver on my Football team, and I played Point Guard and Shooting Guard for my Basketball team.

 

SethSpeaks: Were you recruited much in high school, and what led to your decision to go to Wagner College?

 

Joe Testa: I was recruited by a lot of D2 and D3 schools; Wagner was one of the few D1 schools that contacted me. I chose Wagner because it was in NY and only a free ferry ride into NYC. They made me a good offer and I loved the campus.

 

SethSpeaks: Your ERA went down significantly each of your four years at Wagner. What types of things did you learn over your four years there?

 

Joe Testa: That you don’t always have to try to strike hitters out, they will get themselves out most of the time.

 

SethSpeaks:  In 300 college innings, you struck out 308 hitters. Do you consider yourself a strikeout pitcher?

 

Joe Testa: I guess I would. My roommates in college would always joke about that, because they said that strikeouts were all I cared about. So if I got the loss one day and gave up like 4 runs and 5 hits in 6 innings, they would sarcastically say, yea but you had 9 strikeouts so who cares.

 

SethSpeaks: What pitches do you throw? What would you call your out-pitch, and what are you working on?

 

Joe Testa: I throw a fastball, curve, slider, change up and a cutter. I’d say my out pitch would be my fastball and cutter. I’ve been working a lot more on my off speed pitches and my pick off move.

 

SethSpeaks: Despite a very solid collegiate career, you went undrafted. Did you talk to any scouts, and were you surprised that you weren’t drafted?

 

Joe Testa: Yes, a few scouts and agents contacted me and sent letters so I was kind of surprised when I didn’t get picked. But I know that God has a plan for me, and this is it, and I’m blessed to be here.

 

SethSpeaks: You signed soon after with the Twins. What was that the process from the end of the draft until you decided to sign with the Twins?

 

Joe Testa: Well when I didn’t hear my name called on draft day, that was probably the worst day of my life, ha. A lot of Independent teams started to call me soon after to see if I would go play with them, and it sounded pretty good. But then I started to think, there’s no way that I am going to let myself not be on a Minor League team within the next month. So I got on the phone and the computer and started calling and emailing all different scouts, teams and anyone else I could think of to see if there was a way I could get a tryout of some kind. I went to a few open ones but nothing came of that. Then finally, a scout from the Tigers and the Twins (John Wilson), contacted me to let me know they would be sending an area scout to come watch me pitch in a Summer League game. So I asked a coach (Art Rooney) from a team I used to play on if I could throw a few innings for some scouts. I hadn’t thrown in over a month, but I figured it was my last shot since I had a flight to Missouri scheduled for the next day at 12 pm. to play for an Independent team out there. So, I threw well in the game, and the two scouts said they would contact me soon. The next morning I got up and didn’t get a call, so my Dad and I got in the car and started to drive to the airport for Missouri. We were about 10 minutes away from the airport when I got a call from John Wilson. He asked if I got on the plane yet and when I said no, he asked if I’d like to come play with the Twins instead of going to Missouri. Ha, it wasn’t that hard of a decision for me to make, so we turned the car around and I got on a plane for Fort Myers the next day. So the worst and the best day of my life so far both happened in the same month. It all worked out though, and now I’m here.

 

SethSpeaks: You reported to Ft. Myers. What were your impressions of pro ball when you got there?

 

Joe Testa: At first I hated getting up at 7 am every morning in Rookie Ball, but then I just remembered how much it took to get there and that there was nothing else I’d rather be doing. And when I got to play with the Miracle, that was just awesome. Playing night games under the lights with thousands of fans yelling and cheering, it was the most fun I’ve ever had.

 

SethSpeaks: In 8 games with the GCL Twins, you walked one and struck out 17 in 13.2 innings. What was the level of competition and how did you feel about getting off to such a great start?

 

Joe Testa: In the GCL, there were a lot of younger players that got drafted out of high school or came from other countries, so I felt like I at least had a little more experience than some of them which helped. And no matter how young or old, they could ALL hit a fastball. I felt confident going in, but I felt even more relieved and relaxed when I got off to a good start. Because I knew that since I was a free agent, if I didn’t perform well, they would have no problem with letting me go and finding someone who could get the job done. So starting off right really boosted my confidence. 

 

SethSpeaks: At that point, you skipped two levels and pitched in four games for the Miracle in Ft. Myers, and did very well. Although limited innings, can you describe the adjustment from moving up a few levels?

 

Joe Testa: The hitters are much more disciplined and the balls they hit go much farther. If you make a mistake, they will make you pay for it. My first game up there, I only gave up 1 solo homerun, but it was probably the furthest anyone has ever hit a ball off of me in my life… wood OR metal bat.

 

SethSpeaks: What has your first offseason been like? Were you able to get away from baseball for awhile, and when did you start your preparation for the 2009 season?

 

Joe Testa: I took a little over a month off from throwing when I got home which was nice. I’ve been giving pitching lessons since I got home too, so I never really got a chance to get away from Baseball which is how I like it. Ha, and I never want to have 6 months off from Baseball ever again.

 

SethSpeaks: What are your goals and hopes for the 2009 season?

 

Joe Testa: I would really like to start in High A again with the Miracle and then hopefully move forward from there. And as for my goals, to be in the starting rotation, win a championship and have an ERA under 3 would be at the top of my list.

 

SethSpeaks: Favorite Baseball Book?

 

Joe Testa: Never read a Baseball book.

 

SethSpeaks: Favorite Baseball Movie?

 

Joe Testa: For Love of The Game and Major League. 

 

SethSpeaks: What would it be like to put on a big league uniform in a regular season game for the first time?

 

Joe Testa: It’s what I’ve been working towards my whole life, it’d be unreal. My legs would probably be like jello out there for the first couple minutes, but I can’t even imagine the adrenaline after throwing that first strike or getting that first out.

 

 

 

A big thank you goes to Joe Testa for taking the time to answer these questions. We certainly wish him the best in 2009 and hopefully well beyond as he works through the Twins system! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to put them in the comments, or e-mail me and I will try to get a response. Have a great day!

What to Do? What to Do?

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Good morning everyone! I will likely be fairly quick today, but had to share a few thoughts on a very interesting blog posting by Strib writer Joe Christensen. I will discuss that and then share a couple of other links for you to enjoy.

 

Joe Christensen posted a blog called Twins Players Don’t Seem Upset by Team’s Inactivity. “Torii Hunter used to have the occasional grumble about the front office’s inaction. Johan Santana, too. But this is not their team anymore.”

 

Thank goodness. I know when the season ended, I made a comment that standing pat would be about the same as going backwards, but that isn’t necessarily true. But any and all moves that could be made affect others. And each move individually has to make sense. In the end, the team that the Twins ended the 2008 season with was a pretty strong team. There are five solid young starting pitchers. Baseball’s best closer. Two MVP candidates in the middle of the lineup. Several young players who played well in 2008, but many of whom still have room for improvement. I am not naïve to the fact that there is a likelihood that not all for those players will take a step forward. But let’s not forget that the Twins have built a system whereby if someone gets hurt or struggles, they always seem to have someone step in and replace him and do well.

 

There is a perceived need for an 8^th inning guy. Although I would have been OK with the Twins signing of Russ Springer and would be OK with the Twins signing Eric Gagne, I don’t think that they should go beyond what they are comfortable with because I do believe in the options. I am a big backer of Jesse Crain. I was pre-surgeries, and I was excited by what I saw from him in 2008 considering he hadn’t pitched in about a year when he came back. I think that he can be an 8^th inning guy. Matt Guerrier was horrible the last two months of the season. However, I choose to look at how good he was the three previous seasons. Many say that he wasn’t really an 8^th inning guy. He wasn’t the first two years in the bullpen. But in 2007, he and Pat Neshek split time in the 8^th innings, and he was as good as any other 8^th inning guy in baseball during the first three or four months of 2008. If he doesn’t have to pitch every day for two weeks, he will be just fine as well. Jose Mijares is the one I worry about the most, and yet we did see what he is capable of doing during the last two weeks of the season. Add in the fact that Boof Bonser has very good stuff and with more bullpen experience, I think he will be good. Craig Breslow showed that he can get lefties out, in the 6^th, 7^th or 8^th innings. And Phil Humber is, at worst, better than Brian Bass, and at best, he could be a very good bullpen arm.

 

So when Joe Nathan or any of the pitchers, or any of the teammates is asked the question about whether the Twins need an 8^th inning guy, they should say no. First, because it is true. They don’t need an 8^th inning guy. They have plenty of options for the role, and I haven’t even mentioned the likes of Rob Delaney or Anthony Slama. But secondly, they should say that they don’t have a need because saying so would be essentially saying that one of their current teammates just isn’t good enough. Whether that is true or not is debatable But good teammates don’t do that. (Insert Torii Hunter comment here!)

 

Moving over to 3B, if a Twins player were to adamantly say that they needed to bring in a 3B, it would be like saying they don’t have any confidence in Brendan Harris and/or Brian Buscher. Again, you can debate whether the merits and shortcomings of both players. Personally, I have a lot of confidence in Brendan Harris and think that Buscher would be a solid backup 3B and pinch hitter. I also believe that Danny Valencia is not only the 3B of the future, but that he may be more ready than we think. I mean, he is already 24 years old and with a quick start to his minor league season, who knows, maybe he becomes an option. So, as with the reliever situation, I just don’t think that ‘need’ is the appropriate word.

 

Again, I think too much can be made of team chemistry. If players get the job done, team chemistry is better. But with spring training just three weeks away, the likelihood of major or multiple changes is not high. No need to upset the ranks at this point. And finally, the players and their input has little to do with personnel decisions made in the front office, so commenting too much makes little sense.

 

So, what is still out there? There are plenty of rumors. In fact, MLBTradeRumor.com’s Tim Dierkes believes that Joe Crede is most likely to end up with the Twins. I still think there is a chance that Eric Gagne could be brought in. Maybe there is a surprise name that we have yet to even think about. But again, the price and the number of years has to make sense.

 

And what if they go into the season with the current roster? Well, in my opinion they still have a very strong team with a lot of very good players with more upside, players who will help them contend for another AL Central title in 2009.

 

Of course, there is still one other option that I haven’t heard mentioned but I think bears mentioning. The Twins can go into the season possibly wondering which players might suffer a slump. Maybe it will be someone at a position other than 3B or the bullpen. In May and June, there may be several teams who are already out of contention and due to the economy will already be playing in empty stadiums. They might be looking to unload some salary. How many teams in the big leagues will go into the 2009 season with some payroll flexibility? Will there be players significantly better than the likes of Joe Crede or Eric Gagne available for a more fair price in early June? When the Mariners are out of contention by Memorial Day, maybe their asking price on Adrian Beltre will come down enough for the Twins to consider? When the Astros are 15 games back by the 4^th of July, maybe the Twins will be able to get LaTroy Hawkins this year!

 

Think about that scenario. The Twins could be a player in the season’s 2^nd and 3^rd months for players that could have a significant impact on the team, and on the division race. That sounds much more alluring to me than going after a couple of huge injury risks.  

 

I read so often that the Twins need this or need that, and I just don’t see it right now. Could they get better at a couple of positions, sure? But to say that they have a significant need and MUST do something is more than a little ridiculous.

 

Any thoughts?  Leave your comments here.

 

OTHER NOTES

·         Another thank you to LaVelle for verifying my story from the Hot Stove Banquet. He’s got several thoughts from the Twins Fest weekend.

·         It seems like he just started it, but Josh’s Thoughts is already up to his #22 prospect in his Top 50 prospect series.

·         Be sure to order your copy of The Hardball Times Season Preview 2009 today. Here is a great rundown from editor David Gassko about what you will find. Over the Baggy’s author was asked to write the Twins section,and my assumption is that means that it will be very good.

 

Weekend Update

also avialable at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by the site. I have to write quickly this morning as I am headed out for a few days. I won’t be able to post anything tonight, but do hope to be back on Monday night.

 

Just had to write a few quick notes about the baseball-filled weekend. On Friday morning, I headed in to the Lagoon Cinema in the Uptown to watch a screening of the movie Sugar, which will be coming out in mid-April. Seriously, this might be one of the best baseball movies I have seen. It actually has a lot to do with baseball. Think about it. Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, even For Love of the Game… can we even say that those movies are 50% baseball? This is a tremendous movie for any baseball fan, and I will write more about it when it comes out.

 

Twins Fest on Friday night was a lot of fun. Got a baseball and had all of the minor leaguers to sign it. What a group they had! A couple of quick notes. Danny Valencia was terrific with the kids and in that environment. I was able to talk to him a bit. Ben Revere seems to be everything we have heard. Charismatic, always smiling, just a terrific guy. He also is not tall. He looks like he could be a junior in high school. But he also looks very strong and I was told “He will hit some over the fence!” On Saturday, I did the clubhouse tour again, and again I think that is one of the better reasons for a new stadium too. Spent some more time in the minor league area. The lines on Saturday were absolutely crazy. I haven’t really seen lines like that there before. When Revere was signing, the line was literally hundreds of feet long. As always, it was just a terrific event, one I am happy to go to each and every year. I would love to go back on Sunday but prior commitments make that impossible.

 

And then on Saturday night, I went to the 2^nd Annual “Final” Ballpark Tours Hot Stove League Banquet and Charity Auction at Harriet Island Pavillion in St. Paul. What a tremendous night. Julian and Sammy did a great job again. Howard Sinker was a wonderful and comedic MC. Tim Tschida was excellent, telling stories of umping experiences, including that rain-filled World Series in Philadelphia last fall. Dave St. Peter was terrific. He spoke on many subjects Twins, but just was a terrific representative of the organization. Also, he acknowledged my existence!! LaVelle called me a mean name for the Springer story last week, which was hilarious! The auction included items such as a Rod Carew signed bat, the opportunity to watch Batting Practice from the field and several other items, and they made a lot of money. And then Corey Koskie got up there. I didn’t know if he was much of a speaker, but wow (!), he was the highlight of the night. I think he talked for close to an hour and had the crowd rolling with laughter with stories of Twins Caravans, spring training, TK and much more. Then the organization acknowledged and gave an award to the Mauer family for all of their great work in the St. Paul community. The whole family was there, well, except Joe who for obvious reasons was unable to attend. All in all, it was a very fun night. I was sitting by John Bonnes the whole night and it was a lot of fun. I will definitely be attending again next year… assuming there will be a 3^rd Annual “Final” banquet!!

 

Alright, I would love to hear any and all of your Twins Fest stories, so please feel free to e-mail me or put them in the Comments to share with others. Have a great week!

Friday Notes

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Good Friday morning to everyone!! Today is likely to be another relatively quick posting as “busy” remains the word that best describes my life.  

 

I do want to be sure to thank LaVelle E. Neal for mentioning this site yesterday as it pertains to my blog posting regarding the Twins interest in reliever Russ Springer. I also need to thank Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors who commented that the Springer story was first reported here. Now, LaVelle comments that he would not be in favor or at least would not be excited about the Twins signing Springer. For an excellent article showing plenty of reasons that signing Springer would make a lot of sense, head over to Over the Baggy for some excellent analysis on relievers. LaVelle doesn’t think he profiles to be the 8^th inning guy. My comment would that I think the 8^th inning is likely to be covered by Jesse Crain and Jose Mijares, along with Springer (if the team does sign him). Add in Matt Guerrier, Boof Bonser, Craig Breslow and maybe Phil Humber to the bullpen equation and there are plenty of options to get hitters out. And who knows… maybe Rob Delaney, Zach Ward and Anthony Slama are all fairly close as well.

 

OTHER NOTES

·         This morning, I will be going to a screening of Sugar. Peter Schilling’s The End of Baseball is being turned into a movie which will be out in the next couple of months. Just reading about the book, I am really excited to see the screening because it sounds like a wonderful movie opportunity. I will be sure to let you know what I think! Schilling currently lives in St. Louis Park. The End of Baseball was his first novel.

·         I will be in attendance at Twins Fest Friday night, and I will also be there most of Saturday. As I have in the past, I will be there in my red SethSpeaks.net hat, so feel free to stop by and say hi. Again, if you’ve got your copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009, be sure to bring it to get signed by some of the players in attendance.

·         On Saturday night from 5:30-10:00, I will be at the 2^nd Annual ‘Final’ Ballpark Tours Hot Stove League Banquet and Charity Auction at the Harriet Island Pavillion building in St. Paul. (for details, see here) Our friend Howard Sinker will be the MC of the evening. Former Twins 3B Corey Koskie will be there. LaVelle E. Neal will be there. Big league umpire Tim Tschida will speak. There will be another former Twins player there. Oh, and the Twins Geek will be there. He’ll be giving away Gameday magazines from 2008. I will be at a table with him selling the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. From what I am told, it is a wonderful event. And yes, you can still go to the event, even if you haven’t bought a ticket yet. They will sell tickets at the door. (For a great look at the history of the event, check out Jay Weiner’s MinnPost.com article).  

·         The other day, Aaron Gleeman posted his choices for Twins prospects 31-35.

·         Josh Johnson continues his Top 40 Twins prospects. He ranked Joe Benson at #27. David Bromberg was at #26.

·         It is good to see that Joe Christensen is back to blogging after taking some time off to be with his wife and their new baby Noe. Here is a posting on why he will miss Dennys Reyes.

·         Howard Sinker posted his optimistic thoughts looking toward Spring Training 2009.

·         Nick Nelson has been Charting the Competition, first looking at the White Sox, and then the Royals.

·         Kevin Slowey added another post on his blog, regarding his Winter Caravan trip. I’m sorry I missed that Glen Perkins was blogging about his Winter Caravan trip last week as well. He really did a great job!

·         At John Sickels Minor League Blog, they are running a community prospect ranking for all of baseball. They are currently voting on the #127 ranked prospect in baseball. Ben Revere was the highest rated Twins player on this list, at #54. Aaron Hicks ranked 73^rd.        

 

Alright, I must sleep. I hope you all have a great weekend. I am not certain when I will be posting, but expect a couple of updates on my weekend throughout the weekend. If you have any thoughts, please e-mail me or leave a comment here. Have a good weekend!

Q&A with BJ Hermsen: Twins Pitching Prospect

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Hello everyone! I am really excited to bring you another Q&A with a Twins minor leaguer. For the first time, however, I am bringing you a Q&A with a Twins minor leaguer who is yet to play a regular season game in the Twins organization. BJ Hermsen was an incredibly highly touted pitching prospect out of high school in Iowa. It was believed that he really wanted to play college baseball at Oregon State, a prolific college program. In the end, the Twins offered him a signing bonus far over the slot number, and he signed hours before the August 15^th deadline. Hermsen is an excellent all-around athlete with good size who certainly profiles very well. He has a long way to go and will likely start his 2009 season at Extended Spring Training. There is a chance that he will stay in Ft. Myers and pitch for the GCL Twins, but there will also likely be an opportunity that he could even start at Elizabethton. Due to his late signing and high profile, Hermsen will be one to watch in 2009 and beyond.

 

Normally I put a link in here to the player’s career statistics, but because Hermsen signed so late, he does not yet have any career stats . (Click here to see previous Q&As)

 

Let the Questions Begin!

SethSpeaks: Growing up in Iowa, were you a Twins fan, or did you have another favorite team?

 

BJ Hermsen: I was actually a big Cardinals fan growing up.

 

SethSpeaks: Who were some of your favorite players to watching when you were growing up?

 

BJ Hermsen: I enjoyed watching Greg Maddux pitch but other than him, I didn’t have any favorites.  I tried to watch baseball whenever I could though.

 

SethSpeaks: Tell us a little bit about your high school baseball career. Did you play other positions when you weren’t pitching?

 

BJ Hermsen: I played varsity all four years of high school.  During those four years, our team went 140-15.  When I didn’t pitch I played shortstop, which seems odd considering how big I am.  Even though I was a stand-out pitcher, I also was a pretty good hitter.  I ended my career with 57 homeruns, which is 5th all-time in Iowa history.  My junior year we won the state championship and my senior year we were state semi-finalist. 

 

SethSpeaks: Did you participate in other sports or other extra curricular activities?

 

BJ Hermsen: I also participated in football, basketball, and track in high school.  I was all-state in football and basketball, along with baseball.

 

SethSpeaks:  The Twins drafted you in the 6th round last June. Had you been talking to Twins scouts, or scouts from other teams? What were you hearing? Where were you expecting to be drafted?

 

BJ Hermsen: I had been talking with about six or seven organizations around draft time, including the Twins.  I had no idea what was going to happen on draft day.  I was projected to go in the top three rounds but ended up falling to the sixth.  I was a little disappointed with where I went but understood I was selected by a great organization who knew how to develop players.

 

SethSpeaks: People talked about you falling in the draft because of your commitment to play at college baseball powerhouse Oregon State. How difficult was the decision to sign with the Twins rather than go to college?

 

BJ Hermsen: The decision to sign was extremely tough because I loved Oregon State.  Coach Casey and his staff have a tremendous program up in Corvallis, and the school has a family atmosphere to it. 

 

SethSpeaks: What were some of the determining factors that helped you decide to sign, or was it strictly about the signing bonus?

 

BJ Hermsen: In the end, my parents and I figured the signing bonus was too much to pass up.  Whatever I had decided to do was going to be a win-win situation in my opinion.  The Twins have a reputation for developing players, and that played a big role too.

 

SethSpeaks: You signed on August 15th, the last possible day, but it was too late to get any time with the GCL Twins, so your first pro experience came in Instructional League. Tell us about that experience, what you hoped to do there, and how it went for you.

 

BJ Hermsen: Instructional League was definitely an eye opener.  I had no idea what to expect when I showed up.  I kept my mouth shut, and tried to learn as much as possible from the coaches and more experienced players. Overall, I learned a lot of information that will be useful for spring training and for the upcoming season.

 

SethSpeaks: Since Instructs, how has your offseason been? Were you able to get away from baseball for awhile?

 

BJ Hermsen: Since Instructs was my first time being away from home for that period of time, it was nice to see friends and family again.  I took about three weeks off and then started working out again.  I just started throwing again about two weeks ago, and it feels good to throw again.  I have been able to enjoy time with my friends and family over the break too.

 

SethSpeaks: According to the Twins website, you will be at Twins Fest this year. Is that something you look forward to attending?

 

BJ Hermsen: I am not sure if I will be attending Twins Fest or not this year, but it does sound like a very exciting time.

 

SethSpeaks: What are your goals for spring training, your first with the Twins?

 

BJ Hermsen: One of my goals is to acquire more knowledge about professional baseball and the lifestyle it brings.  Another goal is to learn something new every outing I have.  I’m still going to have the mindset of keeping my mouth shut and learning as much as I can from everyone around me. 

 

SethSpeaks: Where do you expect to play during the 2009 season?

 

BJ Hermsen: I expect to start the ‘09 season with the GCL Twins.

 

SethSpeaks: Tell us about you as a pitcher. What pitches do you throw? How hard do you throw? What are you working on yet?

 

BJ Hermsen: I throw a four-seam and two-seam fastball, along with a curveball and change-up.  I throw in the high 80’s, usually around the 86-89 mark.  The coaches changed my curveball grip about halfway through Instructs, so I’m going to continue working on that here in the off-season.  I’m also trying to get better with hitting my spots on a consistent basis.  Other than those things, I’m just trying to prepare myself physically and mentally for the upcoming season.

 

SethSpeaks: Who are some of the people that have helped you get to this point in your career?

 

BJ Hermsen: Many people have helped me to this point in my life.  Two of them are my parents.  They have always been there for me and supported everything I’ve done.  Bill McCool, Steve Keppler, and Kevin Harbaugh were my coaches from when I was nine years old until high school ball, so they definitely deserve some credit.  My high school coaches, Mike Morrison and Jay Reeder, were a huge part of my success as a high schooler, especially Coach Morrison.  He helped me get my name out there, and helped out in the recruiting process.

 

SethSpeaks: What were your thoughts on the Twins organization before, and has that changed at all in your brief time as a member of the organization?

 

BJ Hermsen: I had heard before the draft that the Twins were extremely good at developing young players, and I’m going to have to agree with that after going to Instructs.  Not only do they help on the field, but they expect us to be role models off the field as well.

 

SethSpeaks: What is your Favorite Baseball Book?

 

BJ Hermsen: The Last Best League by Jim Collins

 

SethSpeaks: What is your Favorite Baseball Movie?

 

BJ Hermsen: “The Sandlot” or “For The Love Of The Game”

 

SethSpeaks: What do you think it will be like to put on a Minnesota Twins uniform for a regular season game for the first time?

 

BJ Hermsen: It’s going to be a very special moment that’s for sure.

 

A big thank you goes to BJ Hermsen for taking the time to answer these questions. It will be fun to follow his career as he hopefully climbs up the Twins system. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to put them in the comments below, or e-mail me and I will try to get a response. Have a great day!

Twins Interested in Russ Springer?

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When I was doing my Live Chat last night, someone asked me about available relievers still on the market, and if I thought the Twins should be interested in any of them.  Here is one part of my response to that question, “Russ Springer had a great year, but he’s over 40 and would cost a draft pick, so that makes no sense…”

 

A couple of things… found with very minimal research, I found that he turned 40 in November, so he will be 40 throughout the 2009 season. And more important, I found that although he is a Type A free agent, the St. Louis Cardinals chose not to offer him arbitration, so it would not cost the team that signs him a draft pick.

 

That completely changes my thoughts on this topic. You see, rumors indicate that because of his age, Springer will likely have to sign a one year contract. Secondly, the value of that contract could be between $2 and $3.5 million. If that is the case, he may be the perfect guy for the Twins for 2009!

 

Springer made his major league debut way back in 1992 with the Yankees, and since then, he has also pitched for the Angels, the Phillies, Astros, Braves, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Astros (again) and Cardinals (again). In 2007, he threw 66 innings in 76 appearances and was 8-1 with a 2.18 ERA and a 0.909 WHIP. In 2008, he pitched in 50.3 innings over 70 games. He went 2-1 with a 2.32 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Those are some very impressive numbers. He has pitched in 70 or more games the last three years, and 62 games in 2005.

 

Again, since we are likely talking about a one year deal, his age is not a tremendous concern. He has been working with acclaimed pitching coach Dave Duncan the last two years in St. Louis, and the Twins are known for taking care of their pitching staff pretty well under Rick Anderson’s eye. Springer has somehow found some durability in his late 30s. There still could be incentives included in such a deal, and if it would take adding a team option for a second year, with a reasonable buy out, it could be done as well.

 

I could fully support the Twins signing Russ Springer, and if what I am hearing is at all accurate, he is the guy that the Twins are actually targeting right now.  Any thoughts?  Leave your comments here.

MORE ON SPRINGER

 

After posting the above Russ Springer article, I got an e-mail from our friends at Over the Baggy pointing to an article from TheTownTalk.com, in Louisiana. It contains some quotes from Springer that are rather interesting.

 

This is obviously regarding teams he is talking to:

 

“Some are far enough away, I’m kind of surprised we’re actually considering them,” he said. “Kelly and the kids have decided to come with me for bigger parts of the season after spending hardly any time with me last season,” he said. “So that’s kind of allowed me to spread my area that I’m considering.

 

“But I’ve had interest from teams on the West Coast, as far north about as you can imagine, and Florida,” he went on. “At this point in my career, I want to go somewhere where they have a chance to win. That’s a big part, and certainly where my family would be comfortable, and the financial part comes in third probably.”

 
Well, Minnesota is pretty far north, right? The Twins provide a chance to win. The Twin Cities are known to be family-friendly. And the financial part could be good from the Twins perspective!
 
Also from the article:

“I don’t think I’ll sign a multi-year contract,” he said. “I’ll definitely take it year by year, and I’m not 100 percent playing this year. But I’m leaning definitely toward playing this year, and I’m not saying that it will be my last.  I’ll probably decide something by the end of the week.”

Right in time for Twins Fest!! Remember a year ago, the Twins signed Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer to long-term contracts to start Twins Fest. Maybe this year, the big news will be the signing of a new Relief Pitcher.

Any thoughts? Please leave your comments here.

 

Media Update

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

There will not be a SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins podcast tonight. Instead, I will host another Live Chat and welcome everyone to participate in that. Topics can include anything, but certainly we can discuss the Twins, the Jason Kubel signing, Matt Guerrier’s arbitration numbers, the WBC, minor leaguers, Twins Fest, the Hot Stove Banquet, football, basketball, American Idol, other TV, movies, whatever you want. I will begin answering questions at 8:00 central time tonight, but will open up the room for chats 15-20 minutes early. So, please stop by, and if you aren’t able to participate live tonight, be sure to go to the below link to read the transcript after the fact.

Click Here

Quick Thoughts

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Again, please take a few minutes to answer some survey questions regarding SethSpeaks.net, Live Chats, the SethSpeaks.net podcasts and the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. I am always looking for what readers are looking for in a blog and such.

 

HISTORICAL DAY

We have been told for months that today’s Presidential Inauguration will be historic, and when Barack Obama becomes the 44^th President of the United States, he will be become the first African American President. That is indeed historic and as a country, it is something that we should celebrate. Hopefully this will be yet another step forward in proving that bigotry based on race, gender or anything is dumb! It is annoying to me that there are still people out there who do not realize this. But I digress… I find it very interesting just how hopeful the tone is around the country. There appears to be a genuine feeling of hope that there will be change. Most Presidential campaigns and transitions promise ‘real change’ and in the end, very little changes. I think that America believes that with the leadership of Obama, that real change could happen. I am actually excited by this enthusiasm by the people, black and white. My hope is that in four years or eight years, we will be talking about positive changes that have occurred in this country, and not only talking about him as an African American. In fact, hopefully in another eight to ten years, race will not be an issue any longer, and we can truly move forward as one people, as one country.

 

Now I know that talking politics on a blog is just asking for trouble. I ask that you please keep the comments section respectful if you choose to voice your thoughts on this subject. No, I did not vote for Barack Obama. I think those who have read this site for years know that my political beliefs are anything but liberal. But I can understand the historic element of the day, and I have the utmost respect for Mr. Obama his charisma, his demeanor, his intelligence and some of his ideas. I can share in the excitement of the day, and the hope for the future.

 

OTHER NOTES FOR TODAY

Alright, enough politics, let’s read about baseball! Here are a few thoughts:

·         Josh Thoughts continues its look at the Twins Top 50 prospects. David Winfree was named Prospect #30, so just 29 more prospects to be named!

·         Aaron Gleeman started his Top 40 Twins prospect list with his choices for prospects 36-40.

·         Nick Nelson also dove into the prospect ranking fun with his Top Ten Twins Prospects.

·         Over the Baggy takes a look at some of the best seasons by Twins in their history.

·         The Twins Geek looks at the idea (and the numbers) of signing Joe Mauer to a long term deal.

  

Alright, I better sleep. Have a great day! Leave your comments here.  

How do you pronounce Gagne?

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Before I start, yesterday I posted some survey questions regarding SethSpeaks.net, Live Chats, the SethSpeaks.net podcasts and the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. Please consider helping me out by responding to the survey.

 

The Twins talk at the end of last week, and through the weekend, was their reported discussions with Scott Boras about free agent relief pitcher Eric Gagne. This isn’t a call. Don’t report it as fact yet. But I just have a strong feeling, an intuition, a gut feeling (and I have a big gut, so how can it be wrong?) that this is legit. I believe that there is a very good chance that the Twins will sign Eric Gagne. I’m not completely certain about how I feel about that, if it were to happen. I mean, like most Twins fans, I have spent all offseason waiting for something to happen. Anything! But at the same time, I don’t want the team to sign just anyone. It has to make sense.

 

Eric Gagne is a big name, no question. He was the most dominant reliever in baseball… from 2002 until his arm blew up after 14 games into his 2005 season. That forced him to miss the rest of that season and most of the 2006 season. He wasn’t particularly good in 2007, and 2008 was a struggle as well. He missed about six weeks (mid-May through June) on the Disabled List.

 

But that isn’t to say that signing Eric Gagne would be a bad thing. Reality is that Gagne just turned 33 years old. He hasn’t had arm problems since his elbow surgery. His velocity will never get to what it was earlier this decade, but his ability to throw a big time changeup is what made him so great anyway. In September for the Brewers last year, he gave up three runs in an inning on September 1^st, and his ERA rose to 6.81. He then gave up just one more run over his final 11 outings of the season, and then added two scoreless innings against the Phillies in the playoffs.

 

Can Eric Gagne help the Twins? Well, after signing for $10 million a year ago to close for the Brewers, he quickly lost his closer’s role. I’m sure he would love to go to a team to close, but I don’t think it will happen (of course, the Tigers still are in need of a closer). So, his best shot would be an 8^th inning gig, setting up for another team’s closer and being there in case of injury. Joe Nathan is the Twins closer. No question there. Gagne would compete to pitch in 8^th innings. Along with a group including Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares and even Boof Bonser, he would add depth to a bullpen with question marks.

 

So the real question mark becomes the contract demands. Since Scott Boras is involved, the assumption is that he will try to get Gagne as much money as he can. I mean, that is his job, right? But Boras also has a history of putting his clients that have something to prove into good situations, situations where they can succeed and reclaim their status. Then one year later, they can get big money again. Look no further than the Twins signing Kenny Rogers in 2003 to a one year contract. It appears that teams are not willing to give Gagne more than one year. The question becomes; how much will that one year cost? What would you be willing to pay if the risk is only for one year?

 

I would be comfortable with the Twins offering a base salary of up to $2.0 million. I would then offer a couple of incentives based on appearances and games finished. I would offer an extra $200,000 for appearing in 35 games, and another $200,000 for every ten games beyond that. (So, if he pitched in 65 games, he would earn an extra $800,000. On top of that, I would offer an extra $500,000 for every ten games finished, starting at 25 games finished. If he finished 35 games, he would earn an extra $1,000,000. That would be feasible only if Joe Nathan were to miss time and Gagne would become the team’s closer. So again, if Gagne were to stay healthy all year, and pitch in 65 games, and complete 35 of them, he would make $3.8 million which would be more than fair.

 

Oh, and at least it would be better than signing Brandon Lyon, right?  

 

So, hear comes the pronunciation question that I mentioned in the title, a question in which I obviously spent way too much time thinking about, even if it was just a few seconds… would the Twins signing him have you pronouncing his name:

 

Eric Gagne (Gone-YAY!!!!)

 

Or

 

Eric Gagne (Gag-Me!)   

 

I’m curious about what you think about the Twins potentially signing Eric Gagne. Would you like the signing, or would you see it as another attempt to bring in a veteran several years past his prime, rather than just going with their own developed players like Rob Delaney, Zach Ward, or even Boof Bonser of Phil Humber? Leave your comments here.