Spring Taining Q&A: Pitcher Alex Burnett

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

On Monday at 3:00 central time, I will be a guest on Fox9.com’s Sports on Demand with Jim Rich, Seth Kaplan and Phil Mackey. Check it out live if you’re able to.

One of the things that I heard from those of you who sent me your thoughts on my sites and projects was that although I am getting good interviews on the radio and podcasts, there haven’t been many Q&As here at the site, and you’re right. With that, I want to do a series of Spring Training Q&As with a couple Alex Burnett of players.

The first will be. As you know, Burnett has always been a good starting pitching prospect in my mind. I believe he has ranked as high as 9^th in a ranking I had done. However, he was moved from starter to reliever last year, and although that typically is not a good thing from a prospect standpoint, it has been an incredibly beneficial move for both Burnett and the Twins as he had a remarkable 2009 season. He started in Ft. Myers and then did even better in New Britain. He had a nice stint in the Arizona Fall League and was added to the Twins 40 man roster and is currently in Twins big league camp.

So now, I bring you a spring training Q&A with Twins pitcher, Alex Burnett! (To see all previous SethSpeaks.net Q&As, click here) (and feel free to leave questions or comments here)

…Let the Questions Begin!

SethSpeaks: Now that you’ve had a few months to look back and reflect, what are your thoughts on your 2009 season? What did it feel like to get back on the mound after missing a couple of seasons?

Alex Burnett: 2009 is definitely a year to remember for me. With having no idea I was gonna be transformed into a reliever until a few days before camp broke, and then going back to Fort Myers, I really wasn’t sure how it was going to all work out. But now that I look back at it, I’m more than happy the Twins made the decision they did, because I really like being in the bullpen and being in those kind of situations. Coming in with runners on base and just the adrenaline you get when you run out to the mound knowing you’re the last resort at winning the ball game. It was an awesome all around season for me, being able to put up the numbers I did, and do so well with what was thrown at me. I had a really great time last year!!

SethSpeaks: What do you do when you’re not playing baseball or working out in preparation for the upcoming season?

Alex Burnett: Usually just hanging out with friends and family and, of course, most of my time goes towards my girlfriend; her name is Bridgette by the way. But ya, that’s pretty much it, just relaxing and enjoying my time being at home with the people who matter most!!

SethSpeaks: When did you start getting ready for the 2010 season, and what was your routine?

Alex Burnett: I started tossing and playing catch a little before Christmas, probably about 2 or 3 times a week and I threw a bullpen a few days before Christmas just to make sure everything was ready to go, and then I took a break over the holidays and as soon as that was over, I was out playing catch everyday with Anthony Slama, since he lives about 5 minutes away from me. So basically my routine was to play catch everyday, which consisted of a lot of long toss to strengthen my arm, and we would throw bullpens once or twice a week!

SethSpeaks: What are your goals for the 2010 season? Where would you like to play, and are there any statistics that you are looking to improve?

Alex Burnett: My goals for the 2010 season are to, of course, stay healthy and to start right where I left off last year, and try to repeat everything I did last year that made me so successful. I’m really shooting to start off in Triple-A, and hopefully this spring I can show the Twins that I’m ready for that jump. And statistics-wise, I would like to get my K-BB ratio a little better and try to induce more ground balls than fly balls, other than that I thought I did pretty well in the other categories.

SethSpeaks:  What does spring training mean for you, (Specifically after being added to the 40 man roster), and what are you looking forward to this year?

Alex Burnett: This spring training to me means I get a chance to show the people up top that I have the potential to someday pitch for them and to hopefully show them enough to possibly get a shot in the Bigs this year. I basically just wanna prove to them I’m ready!! I’m just looking forward to this year getting underway and trying to make it to the playoffs again this year at whichever level I’m at and just helping whatever team I am on win.

SethSpeaks: Who was your favorite player to watch when you were growing up?

Alex Burnett: I always loved watching Ken Griffey Jr. any team he was on was the team I liked.

SethSpeaks: What team did you grow up watching and cheering for?

Alex Burnett: Well, back then they were the California Angels and they are who I watched growing up. My grandpa would always take me to their games.

SethSpeaks: What were your thoughts around the draft and after being drafted by the Twins?

Alex Burnett: My thought prior to the draft was, wow, I can’t believe I have a shot at getting drafted. I wasn’t really sure what was gonna happen but I was just hoping they would take me high enough so that I wouldn’t have to go to school. Which sounds terrible but I was never really a school-first kinda guy, it was always baseball first! And after being selected by the Twins I still wasn’t really sure what pro baseball was all about, all I knew was that I was pretty good in high school, and so I was pretty nervous to go out to Florida for my first time because I didn’t know what the competition was gonna be like.

SethSpeaks: Best thing of career in baseball?

Alex Burnett: Being out there with all the guys and coaches because they are basically our family when we’re out here and being able to be out on a baseball field every day because it’s what I love to do!

SethSpeaks:  Toughest thing about career in baseball?

Alex Burnett: Definitely being away from my loved ones, mom, girlfriend, siblings and also trying to manage the little amount of money they give you in the minors.

SethSpeaks: Funniest story in your minor league career?

Alex Burnett: Funniest thing would probably be… okay, one day we spent like hours outside of our hotel trying to catch lizards and basically turning it into a competition of who could catch the most… because we have a lot of down time, especially during spring training, I just think it’s funny how bored we get out here, that we have to go outside and mess with little critters, like we were in middle school again.

SethSpeaks: What would it mean to make your big league debut?

Alex Burnett: Making it will mean the world to me. I would definitely get my family and Bridgette out there for my debut and it’s definitely going to be a moment I would remember for the rest of my life, being able to finally fulfill what I have been working so hard at for years.

There you have it. Expect a few more throughout this week, so keep checking back. I will also be posting a blog at the TwinsCentric StarTribune.com page for Monday and Tuesday this week, so be sure to check for that. If you would like, you can e-mail me, or feel free to leave your comments here.

A Look Back: Denard Span

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It certainly has not taken Denard Span very long to make himself one of the best leadoff hitters in the league.  Two years ago, the Twins brought in Carlos Gomez and Jason Pridie to compete with Denard Span for the starting centerfield job. Gomez won. Span went back to AAA Rochester.

He certainly had his ups and downs throughout his minor league career that began when the Twins used their first round pick on him in 2002. The Tampa native had the opportunity to play college football, but signed late with the Twins and began his playing career in Elizabethton. It wasn’t a rapid-rising situation for Span. He had some strong stretches, but also some weak stretches. But steadily he worked his way up the system, and on April 6, 2008, Span made his big league debut. He was sent back to Rochester but after an injury, he was back with the Twins in no time, and it was for good. He hit .294 and got on base 38.7% of the time as a 24 year old rookie. In 2009, he hit .311 and got on base 39.2% of the time. He hit 16 doubles, a league-leading ten triples and eight home runs. He played all three outfield positions, but manager Ron Gardenhire made it clear that the team needed to find a single place for Span to play in 2010. When the Twins traded Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for JJ Hardy after the World Series, Span became the team’s starting centerfielder. He has given the Twins their first pure leadoff hitter since 1996, Chuck Knoblauch’s final season with the Twins.

On Saturday, Denard Span will turn 26 years old. What does that mean? It means that he is entering his prime and his best years could be yet to come. Today, I am going to look back at all of my prospect rankings going back to the beginning. I want to see where I ranked Span and what I had to say about him at the time. Span has said numerous times, including on a recent episode of The Show with Seth Stohs, that he read everything and used any negative comments as motivation.  So, what did I say about the Twins future centerfielder?

September 2003

Denard Span Ranking – #5

2002 Twins #1 pick, Span signed late last year and didn’t play at all. This season, they kept him in extended spring training until the Rookie League season started. He played pretty well for Elizabethton, unfortunately shortly into the season, Span had an injury and was out for a few weeks. As you can see by the numbers, Span will not be a power hitter. He is always compared to Kenny Lofton. If he becomes that good, the Twins should be very happy!

September 2004

Denard Span Ranking – #16

The Twins #1 pick in 2002, Span has struggled so far. But, his speed and athleticism keep him high on this list. Fact is, despite not having a real high batting average at Quad Cities this year, he was beginning to really show improvement in terms of getting on base (.256/359/.288). Once he is on base, he can flat-out run (11/15 SBs). As he better learns the art of stealing bases and base running, he will become a dangerous weapon. However, just 34 games into the season this year, he broke his hamate bone (in his hand). He had surgery and the team is hoping that he will be able to participate in instructional league. His name has appeared in some trade rumors. I think the Twins would like to keep him around and in 3 or 4 years, when he has developed, he could take over CF for the Twins.

June 2005

Denard Span Ranking – #9

All anyone wants is to see a completely healthy season from Span. Actually, they are probably thrilled that he has only missed about ten games so far due to minor injuries. But it also looks like Span has learned how to hit. That .337 batting average with the .410 on-base percentage tells us that, as well as the few strikeouts. No, he has no power. But that isn’t the type of player he is. It bothers me when people compare a Span-like player to a Justin Morneau-like player. Both serve a different role on a team, and both can be important even if Span’s OPS never gets real high because of the lack of power. Anyway, back to Span. When healthy, he has been great and finally is starting to show the promise that the Twins saw when they drafted him in the 1st round three years ago. ETA – Sept. 2007. 

September 2005

Denard Span Ranking – #8

Everyone with the Twins says that Denard Span was greatly improved in 2005. It is very hard to argue with them! Coming into the season, Span struggled with a couple of things. He struggled with batting average. Some seemed to believe that he was trying to hit for too much power, rather than just use his speed. That may be true, but it certainly doesn’t show in his numbers. In 530 plate appearances coming into the season (two seasons, between rookie league and Low A), he had just sixteen total extra base hits. Here are two stats that he showed in those two years that I really like. First, he walked 60 times and struck out 89 times. It isn’t a great rate, but it isn’t bad and it is just one struck out every six plate appearances. I also like his isolated on-base percentage of .089 (and .096 in 2004). Those are very good numbers for a leadoff hitter. His ‘other’ problem through two years was just staying healthy. He missed significant time each season due to injury. So, what did he do in 2005? He started the year at Fort Myers and in 49 games, he hit .339/.410/.403 with seven extra-base hits. He walked 22 times and struck out just 25 times. He was 13 of 17 in stolen base attempts. He moved up to New Britain and played well from the start. In 68 games there, he hit .285/.355/.345 with eleven extra-base hits. He walked 22 times and struck out 41 times (but in 290 plate appearances, just one in seven). I have heard the argument that for Span to be successful, he will need to have a .400+ on-base percentage. Why? Because then with a .340 slugging percentage, his OPS would still be just .750. However, he is a leadoff hitter whose job it is to get on base. So, that type of hitter should be judged only by on-base percentage. Speed is a huge part of his game. He was just ten of 18 stealing bases at AA, and was picked off a number of times, so that is one facet of his game that still needs to be worked on. Baseball America’s JJ Cooper wrote, “Span has not shown he’s a polished base stealer yet, despite plus-plus speed. He has struggled to get jumps at times and doesn’t read pitchers particularly well. He has shown the ability to receive instruction, so the Twins believe he will become a better base stealer as he matures.” 2004 was an excellent season for the young Span. Span will likely start next season back at New Britain with a Rochester promotion at any time. Depending on what happens with Torii Hunter in the offseason, Span could make his big league debut at some point next year. Cooper also wrote, comparing Span to Hunter, “Span is more of a Juan Pierre type, with a better arm, than a power and speed guy like Hunter. But unlike many of the speedy leadoff hitters, Span understands that and is more interested in working counts than trying to pop home runs.”              

June 2006

Denard Span Ranking – #10

Span got off to a great start in April causing many to believe that he might truly be the heir-apparent to Torii Hunter, but May was not as good for Span. The lefty is now hitting .284/.332/.342. He hit a home run in his first at bat of the year, and has not hit any more since. He has just seven extra base hits in 190 at bats. Span is clearly an excellent athlete with incredible speed, so the main number I will watch with him is the on-base percentage, and .332 is not good. Also, I would like to see him try to steal more bases, although this year he is 10-14 which is an improvement. I still think that he can be a solid leadoff type hitter for the Twins, but I am unsure that his ceiling is real high.

September 2006

Denard Span Ranking – #12

Like Matt Moses, Denard Span also moved up to New Britain in 2005 and then spent all of 2006 with the Rockcats as well. Unlike Moses, Span at least remained steady and probably did improve a little bit in areas that the Twins would want him to. In 134 games, Span hit .285/.340/.349 with 16 doubles, six triples and two home runs. Speed is his game and he stole 24 bases in 34 attempts. Although 68% is not great, and more improvement is needed, it was a little better than he had been in his career. Span will never be a power hitter, so for him to have even a .700 OPS, he will have to get on base about 37% of the time. Span is still not ready, but according to our friend Roger’s statistical ranking of prospects, Span finished second in the organization to only Alexi Casilla. So, although none of his numbers really stand out, Span was solid, and at 22 years old and because he will only be put on the 40 man roster this winter, the team can and should continue to be patient with him. Unlike Moses, all reports are that Span is a good teammate and well respected. 

June 2007

Denard Span Ranking – #27

Throughout spring training he was called the Centerfielder of the Future, Torii Hunter’s heir-apparent. With a solid spring showing, and a lot of at bats, I was just about believing the hype. And then the regular season began, and reality set back in. We had heard that he had a new approach and was showing some pop in his bat. I don’t know, I haven’t seen it yet. He’s hitting .216. He is getting on base less than 28% of the time. He does have nine doubles and two triples, which gives him a slugging percentage of just .286. Now, he is still just 23. He is in his first year at AAA. But from what we’re seeing, he will not be a quality replacement for Torii Hunter. It is becoming much more likely that he will have a career similar to that of Jason Tyner. Now, to say something positive… he is 11 for 13 in stolen base attempts, a much better percent than he has had previously in his career. 

September 2007

Denard Span Ranking – #30

I spend a lot of time talking about wanting to see a player improve throughout the season. Well, if we simply look at Batting Average by month this year for Denard Span, it went .214, .212, .290, .273, .324, .444. That is a positive and yet, I certainly do not believe that he is ready to take over the Twins CF position. However, I would say that Span could become a solid #4 outfielder in the big leagues. I would like to say that he could be a Jason Tyner-like player. He hasn’t shown an ability to get on base at a high rate, he has little to no power and he is not an efficient base stealer. An OPS over .720 would be unlikely for him. I’d like to see Span get another year at AAA and see where he is in July or August. If the improvement and confidence continue, maybe he can become a solid starter in two more years.

June 2008

Denard Span Ranking – #25

Denard Span came to spring training this year clearly on a mission to prove everyone wrong. I think it is fair to say that he has done just that. He had a very good spring, doing all the things that the Twins could have asked. As a leadoff hitter, he has taken a lot of pitches, taken walks, stolen bases (even at a good percentage). When called up to the Twins, he played RF, a position that he had not played as a pro. After he was sent down, Span crushed the ball and did very well until he landed on the DL with a broken bone in his hand. Before that, he hit home runs in three consecutive games. Now, he isn’t suddenly a power hitter, but he has shown that he doesn’t have to be just a slap-happy hitter either. I think that if need be he can be a solid big league centerfielder. Defensively in center, I think he is excellent. At the corners, he just needs some time. So, when he comes back from the DL, I hope he gets to move around a little bit. For the Twins, I see Span primarily as a #4 or #5 type of outfielder. If dealt to another team, he could be another Juan Pierre type. 

And by the end of 2008, Span was no longer a prospect. He was a big leaguer, and a very good one at that. He has proven a lot of people wrong over the years. He has shown that we can’t only look at numbers to determine how good of a prospect will be. Denard Span equals class. He is a terrific guy. He was named the Twins’ Rookie of the Year in 2008, and in 2009, the Twins media made him their choice as the Media Good Guy. How good can Span be? It will certainly be fun to watch and find out.

If you would like, you can e-mail me, or feel free to leave your comments here.

The Show with Seth Stohs at SethSpeaks.net

also available at SethSpeaks.net -

Tonight’s episode of The Show with Seth Stohs on SethSpeaks.net was a ton of fun. First of all, Danny Valencia came on and answered a ton of questions about playing in Puerto Rico, getting ready to battle for a job in spring and much more. John Bonnes, the Twins Geek, came on and we talked some Twins topics of note, yes, including some Joe Mauer discussion. Finally, catcher Allan de San Miguel was on for what I thought was an incredible interview. It was a lot of fun to learn about playing ball in Australia, signing with the Twins and being a defensive-minded catcher. It was a ton of fun so I hope you’ll take the time to listen to the show which ran an hour and six minutes long. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, so please feel free to e-mail me your thoughts on The Show.

Links and Thinks

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First of all, thank you to everyone who e-mailed me yesterday with your thoughts and suggestions. As you can see by looking around this page, I’ve already made a few alterations. I will make note of your ideas and over time, will certainly get to many of them. Also, thank you very much for all of your support. It means a lot that people understand what is going on. Just a lot of busy-ness.

One thing that people really made clear was that you liked when I link to other Twins blogs. I’m happy to do it because the Twins blogosphere is huge and there is a lot of talent that deserves an opportunity. Check out the sites below (as well as those on the left of this page) and if someone writes something you enjoy, be sure to bookmark them. If you have a Twins blog and it isn’t linked on the left, please e-mail me the link to your site and I will be sure to post it.

• As you saw yesterday, the Star Tribune came to the TwinsCentric group and asked us if we would be able to blog for their Twins page. We accepted the opportunity and yesterday, Nick Nelson posted our first article called Synergy.
• Last night, John Bonnes posted a blog there called Options.
• The day before, John had written on his Twins Geek blog about the team’s biggest rival… and it isn’t who you may think.
• Back to Nick, he posted his Top 10 Twins Prospects for 2010.
• Sooze! Is also a new blog at the Star Tribune Twins Page, so be sure to bookmark that as well. She’s writing quite frequently.
• Of course, you know Sooze from writing at Babes Love Baseball where she posted a Q&A with Pat Neshek earlier this week.
• Aaron Gleeman posted his choices for the Top 5 Twins Prospects.
• Scott Baker says he’s not throwing any new pitches this year. Over the Baggy analyzes that choice.
• Josh Johnson posted his choice for the Twins #12 Prospect, somewhat of a local choice.
• Fanatic Jack hosted his weekly edition of Twins Talk. His guest was Louis Schuth of Hitting the Eephus.  Louie is doing a nice series on The Images of Spring in which he is finding pictures of the Twins and posting them.
• Curve for a Strike’s Topper Anton (who told us a lot about himself) did a nice posting on the forgotten Twins acquisition, Clay Condrey.
• KBro’s Baseball Blog posted a whole bunch of Twins Linkity Links.
• Another new Twins blog to check out is Twin-Keys. In his most recent entry, he discussed the future of the Twins outfield.
• Also, if you’re interested in following the Twins on some road trips this year, be sure to check out the Twins Train for more details.
• Phil Mackey writes a stream of consciousness blog on why BABIP > BA.
• Twins Target evaluates the Twins 2003 draft.
• Undomed takes and interesting look at all of the Twins Ifs.
•  If you’re looking for some deep thinking, check out Call to the ‘Pen for a look at the parallels between baseball and life.
• Alright Hamilton calls spring training “quite romantic.”
• When the Twins traded Boof Bonser to the Red Sox, they received AA Relief Pitcher Chris Province who played in the Arizona Fall League, on the same team as the Twins prospects. Anyway, Province has started his own blog which is worth checking out.
• 108 Stitches talks about opening his first pack of 2010 Topps baseball cards. Specifically, he talks about a pretty cool Randy Johnson card. I wish I had more money and could get back into card collecting. What a fun hobby!!
• By the way, congratulations to Shawn Berg from On the Road With… who was married a week ago today.
• OMG MN TWINS looks back at ten things she will miss about the Dome.
• North Dakota Twins Fan talks about how Frigid Fans Flocked to Target Field. On Tuesday, tickets to the Twins two exhibition games against the St. Louis Cardinals at Target Field sold out in about 20 minutes. I know. I tried.
• Andrew from Off the Mark writes about Joe Mauer and Jim Thome being stuck outside the Twins complex in Ft. Myers in a funny story. Very good writing!
• The Cheap Seat Chronicles discusses 10 Burning Questions about the 2010 Twins team.   

PODCAST TONIGHT – At 9:00 tonight, The Show with Seth Stohs will air live right here at SethSpeaks.net. Producer TJ De Santis and I will bring you another show live from his studio. Guests of the show are scheduled to be Twins Australian catching prospect Allan de San Miguel, Twins 3B hopeful Danny Valencia, and Nick Nelson from TwinsCentric and Nick’s Twins Blog. The show’s live link and chat room will be posted here approximately ½ hour before the show begins. So, be sure to check that out.

If you would like, you can e-mail me, or feel free to leave your comments here.

New Beginnings… Input Needed

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The start of spring training represents many things to people. For those of us freezing in Minnesota, staring out at snow piles, the thought of baseball beginning in Ft. Myers is exciting. It represents hope. It represents warmth, and optimism. It represents, in some cases, new beginnings. And it’s the same thing for bloggers. I know for me, I am trying to consider what I will do as it relates to blogging, radio, podcasts, chats, appearances, and more. I want to encourage everyone that is reading this to send me an e-mail and let me know what you think. I want everybody’s opinion on what you would like to see. Here are the areas where I am looking for your opinion. I would want to know what you would like to read, see or hear. I would like your thoughts on how frequently you would like things to be updated. I would like to hear what you don’t like about these things. Please e-mail me your thoughts and comments. So here are the things I’m involved in:

1. SethSpeaks.net – This is the main site. I’ve been writing at SethSpeaks.net since May of 2003. I’m curious what your hopes are when you come here. How frequently are you looking for new content? What makes you come back?
2. Talkintwinsbb.wordpress.com – This is the same content as SethSpeaks.net, however, at this site, you are able to attain an RSS Feed and there are comments available.
3. TwinsCentric – In 2009, TwinsCentric wrote the July Trade Deadline Primer and the Offseason GM Handbook. Late in the year, we worked with the Maple Street Press on the Twins 2010 Annual. The annual is available now at their website, and it will be available on newsstands around the Upper Midwest starting next week. We are developing plans for 2010 in the coming weeks, so I would anticipate there being more projects from the group.
4. TwinsCentric at StarTribune.com – As was announced yesterday in Howard Sinker’s blog, TwinsCentric will have a blog  on the Twins page of StarTribune.com. I will write there about once and sometimes twice a week. Here is the first TwinsCentric blog posting. It was written by Nick Nelson of Nick’s Twins blog.
5. TwinsCentric Viewing Party – On March 13^th, the TwinsCentric crew will be hosting a Viewing Party from about noon until four at Majors in Apple Valley. The Twins and the Phillies will be playing an exhibition game on FSN, and we are inviting everyone to attend. TwinsCentric will be providing some prizes, and Majors will be providing deals on drinks and appetizers for those who come in Twins attire. Keep the date – March 13 – and hopefully many of you will be able to make it.
6. Radio/Podcasts – I have been doing the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast at BlogTalkRadio.com for the last year and a half, and the last couple of weeks, I have teamed with producer TJ De Santis in creating The Show with Seth Stohs at SethSpeaks.net. After experiencing some learning pains last Thursday, last night’s podcast went quite smoothly. I’d love any input you have on the format and quality of the podcasts, but also would love to hear what you like, don’t like or would like to hear on the show.
7. Seth’s StarTribune.com Your Voices blog – I have had a blog at the Star Tribune for about a year. Now that I’m with the TwinsCentric StarTribune.com blog, it is possible that I will only do one of the two.
8. Live Chats – from time to time throughout the season, I will go to CoverItLive and do some live chats as well. I don’t know if they will be weekly as they were much of last year.
9. Minnesota Twins 2010 Prospect Handbook – The publisher got the review copy with corrections on Monday along with the order. I really hope that the order has been fulfilled and the books are on their way to me so that I can get pre-ordered books sent out right away. Over 100 books have been pre-ordered, so that is a good thing.

10.  Facebook – You can follow me and/or follow SethSpeaks.net.

11.  Twitter – You can follow me and my tweets at @SethTweets, or www.twitter.com/sethtweets.

12.  Regular Job – I do work. I have an actual job as the Regulatory Product Planner for Marvin Windows & Doors. That’s my 8-5 (and frequently longer) job.

13.  Parent – I also have a 3 year old little girl, which is obviously priority #1 over all of the other things listed above. 

So, help me out. I really would appreciate your input on any of the above sites or projects. Most of it is free content, and I definitely appreciate anyone who has helped support me and other bloggers by purchasing some of the rest of the content. What do you like? What don’t you like? I’m just looking for your overall thoughts, so please e-mail me your comments on the site so that I get all of them.

Podcast Update – By the way, if you would like to listen to last night’s The Show with Seth Stohs, click here. It includes an interview with Twins lefty reliever Joe Testa and Parker Hageman from Over the Baggy. If you still haven’t listened to the Denard Span interview from last weeks’ Show, please click here. Also, there will be another episode of The Show on Thursday night at 9:00 central time. I’ve already got two guests lined up, and it will be a very good show, so check it out. (about 30 minutes before show time, I will post the link to the show and the chat room).

Feel free to leave your comments here.

Pitchers and Catchers Report

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The words we have been waiting for over five months to hear. The Twins are among the last teams to report, but Sunday was reporting day for the Twins. So, spring training is upon us. The Twins hitters will be reporting by the end of the week.

I thought it would be fun to take a look back to the end of last season and see what has happened. Of course, just an hour after the conclusion of the Twins/Yankees ALDS series, the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook was released. And, looking back at it, we are thrilled with how it turned out and how accurate we were (in many cases) throughout the 140+ page document.

• On November 5^th, the Twins traded Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy. Short thoughts on the deal – Great trade. You take a chance on a guy with Hardy’s track record, especially if it only costs you your fourth outfielder.
• On November 7^th, the Twins picked up the 2011 option for Michael Cuddyer, which despite some dissenting opinions, was an obvious choice at the time that the decision had to be made.

 When the Winter Meetings started in early December, I posted a blog entry saying there were six things that the Twins needed to do. Obviously there are varying degrees of importance in each, but here is the run down.

#1 – Sign Joe Mauer – Well, it is rather well documented that this one is not yet complete. I know many Twins fans are starting to get a little nervous. I’m officially 0.05% nervous. In other words, it’s going to happen. It’s not ‘if’, but ‘when.’ Hopefully it will be by the end of the week. If not, hopefully it will be before Opening Day. If not, Mauer is taking a huge risk. I can’t imagine that his value will be any higher than it is right now. Once the season starts, the risk increases. And what is the gain? He could get $220 million instead of $200 million?  However, if he were to get hurt or something, the amount he could lose would be even more, in both years and dollars. In other words, I still have zero concern that he is going anywhere else. (Let me say this – if you’re looking for any more analysis on potential Mauer contracts. To be honest, I’m bored of the subject. We know that the contract will likely be 8-10 years and somewhere between probably $18-20 million per year. Deferments? No trade clauses? Incentives? I can’t really control what happens, and it’s exhausting to try to keep up with all the rumors which is why I’m not going to (and why I’m really excited to start talking about actual baseball stuff again!). It will happen. I’m not worried.)

#2 – Second Base – Signing Orlando Hudson for one year and $5 million was a great thing. Not only does he fill second base, but he also fits perfectly into the #2 spot in the lineup.

#3 – Add a starting pitcher – They retained Carl Pavano after he accepted arbitration.

#4 – Acquire a True #1/Ace Pitcher – Simply put, there were none available in Free Agency. John Lackey is probably a #2, and he got $80+ million. Josh Johnson signed an extension with the Marlins after they were basically forced to by MLB. Felix Hernandez wasn’t available. The Giants didn’t trade Matt Cain. There weren’t any options available, as would be expected. That said, the reports on Francisco Liriano’s physique, stuff and confidence in the Dominican Republic give Twins fans hope that he can return to a high level of performance.

#5 – Third Base – They signed Brendan Harris for the next two years. Nick Punto has another year left on his contract, plus an option for 2011. Matt Tolbert is still around. And, hopefully Danny Valencia is ready to go by June (if not by Opening Day). Luke Hughes is likely in the picture as well. In other words, there are enough options.

#6 – Veteran Bench for the Bench – I would say that Jim Thome would fit into this category. His track record speaks for itself. It will be intriguing to see how he is used and how much he is used. But for $1.5 million, this is a great signing.

 Add in that the team replaced Bobby Keppel with Clay Condrey, a vast improvement, and that Pat Neshek should be back at some point during the season while guys like Rob Delaney, Anthony Slama, Jose Lugo and Alex Burnett continue to make themselves more big –league ready and this was a terrific offseason. If that Mauer contract gets signed soon, it could be called ‘nearly’ perfect.

Here are a few Twins-related blogs for you to peruse:

• Check out Jesse’s Q&A with Twins Assistant GM Rob Antony. Lots of good insight.
• Check out Roger’s Minor League Weekly Update from the weekend.
• OMG MN Twins discusses which Winter Olympic sports various Twins players would compete in.
• Aaron Gleeman posted his choices for Twins prospects 6-10. \
• Granny Baseball takes a look at his choices as the Top 20 Prospects in Twins Camp.
• The Twins MVB hosted his first streaming Twins MVB Live, a streaming video of Twins talk which will air each Sunday night at 7:30.
• John Sickels posted a Q&A with Howard Norsetter, who is the director of international scouting for the Twins. I had some discussions with a few of the Twins international minor leaguers that day and they really have a lot of respect for Mr. Norsetter.

 Any other Twins stories or links, include them in the comments. Feel free to leave your comments here.

Twins Minor League Draft – Part 3

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

If you would like to hear my interview with Denard Span, please click here.

Today, we conclude our look at the Twins Minor League draft held last week. Roger Dehring, Josh Johnson, Travis Aune and myself conducted a 22 round mock draft, just to see how it might turn out. Today, I will post our final six selections. So, here we go:

 THE DRAFT (Rounds 17-22)

Round 17 – 65^th Overall – Roger – LHP – Matt Tone

I debated between two excellent young lefty relievers and decided to go with the more experienced, Matt Tone.  I was hoping that Lobanov could slide through another six picks, however, Seth picked him with the next pick.

Round 17 – 66^th Overall – Seth – LHP – Andrei Lobanov

(Lobanov, Lugo or Steedley? How do I pick? Well, I take the youngest, the guy with the 35 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio, of course.)

Round 17 – 67^th Overall – Josh – IF – Ramon Santana

(I believe that Ramon Santana and Luke Hughes can battle to see where each plays, one will start at second base and the other will start at third base. Santana had a great year in 2009, but he turned 23-years-old this year when the average age in the Midwest League is 21. Santana helps extend my lineup. I also considered both Steven Liddle and Michael Harrington with this pick.)

Round 17 – 68^th Overall – Travis – OF – Michael Harrington

(The reason I drafted him is not because of his low batting average but his extra base power.  For quite a long time last season he led the whole organization in doubles and that to me is very impressive.  It will be interesting to see if he can improve on the other parts of his game to become a true prospect.)

Round 18 – 69^th Overall – Travis – RHP – Bobby Lanigan

(I was very happy to get him because he is on the cusp of good things going forward.  He is a little bit inconsistent, but the sky is the limit as he has all the tools to be a very good pitcher.  I will be interested to see if he shows the promise the Twins saw in him when they drafted him as high as they did.)

Round 18 – 70^th Overall – Josh – OF – Steve Liddle

(As I mentioned above, I considered taking both Steven Liddle and Michael Harrington when I took Ramon Santana. Travis took Harrington which left Liddle, which was completely fine by me. Although he was taken in the 15^th round last of June’s draft, he went to Vanderbilt (a college baseball powerhouse) and played great in the Appalachian League this year (but keep in mind that he was a year older than the rest of the competition). Liddle should start in Beloit in 2010 and could move up quickly through the system. His uncle (also named) Steve Liddle is the Twins’ bench coach. )

Round 18 – 71st Overall – Seth – 1B – Michael Gonzales

(I need a 1B. Next pick, I’ll take either Miguel Munoz or Martire Garcia, just hoping Roger doesn’t take both of them!)

Round 18 –72nd Overall – Roger – SS – Daniel Santana

(I believe that one of the better middle infield prospects in the organization is Daniel Santana.  He was one of the better hitters for the GCL Twins last simmer, while showing excellent speed with 11 stolen bases in only 12 attempts.)

Round 19 – 73^rd Overall – Roger – LHP – Spencer Steedley

(I then went back to a veteran of last year’s Arizona Fall League to pick up another top reliever for my bullpen, Spencer Steedley.)

Round 19 – 74^th Overall – Seth – RHP – Miguel Munoz

(Well, they were both still available, so I’ll take the guy that hits 94. Not much left in OF or any bats, several good BP options.)

Round 19 – 75^th Overall – Josh – LHP – Kyle Carr

(With Andrei Lobanov, Spencer Steedley, Matt Tone and Joe Testa already taken, I knew that Kyle Carr or Jose Lugo would be my pick. I went with Carr primarily because he’s a couple years younger and should be in Ft. Myers in 2010. That’s really what it boiled down to.)

Round 19 – 76^th Overall – Travis – LHP – Jose Lugo

(The reason I drafted him is everything that I hear about him is positive.  Everyone tells me that he will be in the big leagues in the not too distant future so I really wanted to know more about him.  After doing research on him I agree he will be a Twin soon.)

Round 20 – 77^th Overall – Travis – OF – Dustin Martin

(The reason I selected Martin was the simple fact that last year he was two different people and I want to see which one he is.  In spring training with the Twins he hit the cover off the ball hitting over .400 and doing a good job in center field.  However, with the Red Wings he really struggled and with his age it is almost time to put up or shut up because there is a dealth of center fielders in the upper minors for the Twins so there is definitely an opportunity.)

Round 20 – 78^th Overall – Josh – SS – Nick Lockwood

(I needed a middle infielder and at this point its slim pickings. Nick Lockwood was taken in the 9^th round and signed to a $125,000 signing bonus last June to forgo his commitment to the University of Southern Florida to sign with the Twins. He is solid defensively and showed good power in High School. Roger took Daniel Santana a couple rounds before, who I was hoping to take in either the 21^st or 22^nd round, so I wanted to make sure I took Lockwood. I also considered taking Anderson Hidalgo with this pick.)

Round 20 – 79^th Overall – Seth – RHP – Bruce Pugh

(Since we’re talking about success 2-3 years down the road, I’ll go with a sleeper pick instead of Chris Province)

Round 20 – 80^th Overall – Roger – OF – Mark Dolenc

(I closed out my outfield with a player I was looking to take for about five rounds, Mark Dolenc.  Without a lot of publicity, Dolenc was one of the better outfielders in the organization last summer when he hit .288/.332/.392 for Ft. Myers.  He also had 27 stolen bases in 33 attempts, which is a better stolen base success rate than either Revere or Benson.)

Round 21 – 81^st Overall – Roger – LHP – Michael Tarsi

(With Seth picking one spot ahead of my 20th pick, he again picked the player I was eyeing for one of these two picks, Bruce Pugh.  With Pugh gone, I closed out my bullpen with a big left handed long reliever/starter, Michael Tarsi.)

Round 21 – 82^nd Overall – Seth – EX – Anderson Hidalgo

(Solid offensive season at E-Town, and Gleeman’s got him in his top 40!)

Round 21 – 83^rd Overall – Josh – OF – Romy Trinidad

(With my “Extra” pick, I wanted another outfielder and it came down between two Dominican players, Romy Trinidad and Candido Pimentel. I went with Trinidad because he’s a year younger and is three inches taller than Pimentel. Trinidad hit .312/.443/.363 as an 18-year-old in the DSL last summer and should be making his way to the States in 2010.)

Round 21 – 84^th Overall – Travis – IF – Nick Romero

(I am very surprised he was not selected earlier as he was playing just about every day at 2^nd for the Miracle.  He has some things to work on in his game, but he plays good defense and if you can do that the rest will take care of itself.)

Round 22 – 85^th Overall – Travis – OF – Jonathan Goncalves

(I selected him because we don’t know much about him and if he has the ability to be a good prospect or someone that will hang around for a year or two.  He did not do much at E-Town, but he did not get a lot of opportunities so my hope is that he gets more at bats so we can know if he a contender or a pretender.)

Round 22 – 86^th Overall – Josh – 1B – Jonathan Waltenbury

(I kind of shot myself in the foot on this pick. I had a feeling Travis might take Nick Romero and I took the risk of waiting for him in the 22^nd round. Travis ended up taking Romero with his next pick and Jonathan Waltenbury was really the only other player that appealed to me. He climbed prospect charts in 2008 but fell off in 2009. He’ll likely repeat Single-A Beloit but he still has good upside.)

Round 22 – 87^th Overall – Seth – OF – Matej Hejma

Not much to choose from. D. de La Osa is older. Wang-Wei Lin is a 5-tool type, but 22 and not out of GCL due to injuries.

Round 22 – 88^th Overall – Roger – C – Allan de San Miguel

(With the final selection in the Seth Stohs 2010 draft, I selected my extra player/back up catcher.  It seems like Alan de San Miguel has been around for forever.  But he didn’t turn 22 until last week, thus, is very young for someone who played on all four full-service teams last year.  An excellent defensive catcher who has never hit for a high average, de San Miguel had his best season at the plate last year.  At his age, should he continue to improve with his bat again this year his future will also continue to brighten.)

SETH’S TEAM SUMMARY

Real Briefly, I am going to write about my team, and then I will encourage you to check out the other drafters/bloggers for their thoughts on their rosters (here is Josh’s):

LINEUP

James Beresford – SS

Steve Singleton – 2B

Rene Tosoni – RF

Danny Valencia – 3B

Aaron Hicks – CF

Michael Gonzales – 1B

Chris Herrmann – C

Anderson Hidalgo – DH

Oswaldo Arcia – LF

Bench: Reggie Williams, Matej Hejma, Estarlin de Los Santos

Starting Rotation: Deolis Guerra, Blayne Weller, Matt Bashore, Miguel Munoz, Edgar Ibarra

Closer: Carlos Gutierrez

Bullpen: Santos Arias, Rob Delaney, Andrei Lobanov, Bruce Pugh

There you have it, Part 3 of the Minor League draft, and my team. For more information, lineups and more from each of the other teams, check out the sites of Roger Dehring, Josh Johnson and Travis Aune. Have yourself a great weekend. Feel free to leave your comments here.

Twins Minor League Draft – Part 2

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Just a quick update on tonight’s SethSpeaks.net Podcast. I really am excited about the new format and hope that it goes well. I’ll be able to mention more later about the specifics, but I can now say that both Denard Span and Baseball Daily Digest’s Joe Hamrahi have confirmed that they will be guests on the show. Be sure to check back right here for a link to the podcast itself. It will be posted right around 9:00. I will also be setting up a chat room for you to talk Twins and ask questions. There will be time at the end to take your questions and comments. There is even a toll-free phone number which is new, so anyone can call! It should be a fun show. I’ll head to the studio a little early to make sure we’ve got everything set up.

Today, we continue to look at the Twins Minor League draft held last week. Roger Dehring, Josh Johnson, Travis Aune and myself conducted a 22 round mock draft, just to see how it might turn out. The specifics of the draft can be found in yesterday’s blog posting in which I showed our first eight rounds of picks. Today, I will post our selections for rounds 9 through 16 before finishing the draft on Friday. So, here we go:

 THE DRAFT (Rounds 9-16)

Round 9 – 33^rd Overall – Roger – 3B – Wander Guillen

(I may have overreached with the selection of my third baseman, Wander Guillen, who was leading the DSL Twins in hitting and OBP at the age of 16!)

Round 9 – 34^th Overall – Seth – OF – Oswaldo Arcia

(Had thought of taking him with my previous pick (or Wander Guillen, just to make Roger mad), but Arcia is another guy with five tools..)

Round 9 – 35^th Overall – Josh – RHP – Shooter Hunt

(As I’ve said, I knew I needed to take a high-upside guy at some point and Hunt is just that. I originally wanted to take Oswaldo Arcia to fill out my outfield, but Seth took him with the pick before. Hunt may have the best ‘stuff’ out of any Twins farmhand and is thus a potential top-of-the-rotation starter, which is just what this staff needs. If he can regain any of sense of control, Hunt shouldn’t have a problem at becoming this staff’s ace.)

Round 9 – 36^th Overall – Travis – RHP – Liam Hendriks

(I am very excited about the potential Liam has as he can be dominant.  He is very similar to Tom Stuifbergen except that I think Hendricks has the potential to be better.  I look for him to get better and better the farther we get away from his arm injury of a couple years ago.) (Seth Note – Hendriks missed the 2008 season, but it was not with an arm injury. He had some surgery on his spine.)

Round 10 – 37^th Overall – Travis – 3B – Deibinson Romero

(My interest in him is well documented as I used to always have him in my top 10’s and he has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness.  I am curious how many chances the Twins are going to give to him because the potential is there to be very good.)

Round 10 – 38^th Overall – Josh – SS – Jorge Polanco

(Something that is worth noting about this process is that I’m not necessarily sticking to my Top 50 Prospect list. With the 38^th Overall pick, I chose someone who didn’t even make my original Top 50. But since I’m making my team and I have to look at different aspects, Jorge Polanco (and others) have been taken higher than where they’d rank on my Top 50 List, which is kind of interesting to note. I wanted to have a defensively-gifted shortstop and I thought Polanco would be gone by my next pick, so I wanted to strike early. I also considered to wait a round or two and take Estarlin De Los Santos, but I am taking the risk on Polanco. Besides being defensively-gifted at a premium position, I also like that he’s viewed as a #2 hitter and incase I can’t grab someone who can handle the bat later (such as Brian Dinkelman), I want someone to bat near the top that possess good on-base skills and reports suggest that he has that potential. With this pick, I also considered Matt Bashore, who would have filled out my rotation.)

Round 10 – 39^th Overall – Seth – RHP – Rob Delaney

(He just has had such an amazing track record of success in his minor league career. He’s close to the big league club.)

Round 10 –40^th Overall – Roger – RHP – Cesar Ciurcina

(I went back to the DSL with my tenth pick to close out my starting rotation with Cesar Ciurcina.  Although he is a bit older, Ciurcina had numbers similar last summer to those put up by Salcedo the previous year.  Is Ciurcina as good as Salcedo?  We will know more about him after this season when we see him in the GCL.)

Round 11 – 41^st Overall – Roger – 2B/OF – Brian Dinkelman

(I went back to the infield and took a young man who has been one of the better hitters every step of his career, Brian Dinkelman.  Dinkelman’s best position appears to be second base.  Is he good enough defensively to earn a spot with the Twins in the next 16 months?)

Round 11 – 42^nd Overall – Seth – LHP – Matt Bashore

(I really want to grab a SS (probably Beresford), but Bashore, if healthy, was a top pick, and he’s left-handed.)

Round 11 – 43^rd Overall – Josh – RHP – Michael Tonkin

(Out of all of the rounds, this one has stung the most. Both Roger and Seth consecutively stole my picks (Brian Dinkelman and then Matt Bashore), but thankfully there were still high-upside pitchers (like Michael Tonkin) available.  Tonkin has projectable size and should add velocity as he matures. I really feel comfortable with my rotation after adding Tonkin. Hopefully I can get to the same point with my lineup, because I’m concerned about what’s left and what I still need.)

Round 11 – 44^th Overall – Travis – OF – Evan Bigley

(The sky is the limit for Bigley who hit the cover off the ball in E-town and then again in Beloit.  That led to a promotion to Fort Myers where he struggled a bit.  I look for a big year this year from Evan as I look for him to dominate the FSL and will be in New Britain before the end of the year.)

Round 12 – 45^th Overall – Travis – LHP – Joe Testa

(This is a guy that just splashed across the scene in 2009 and turned many heads.  He changed the feeling of many that he was just another relief pitcher and convinced many that this is a guy that is worth keeping track of myself included.  I look for his career to continue to skyrocket after his monster 2009 season.)

Round 12 – 46^th Overall – Josh – 1B/DH – Erik Lis

(I am lacking a strong bat from the left side and I am at the point where I want to start focusing on the bullpen, so I wanted to make sure I had Erik Lis wrapped up. He’ll fit well in the middle-of-my-order and will play first base (depending on who I could possibly grab later). I also considered Loek Van Mil with this pick).

Round 12 – 47^th Overall – Seth – SS – James Beresford

(It is time to address the middle infield. There are three solid SS prospects, and I would like two of them. I guess that means I would rank Beresford the highest of the three.)

Round 12 – 48^th Overall – Roger – LF – Juan Portes

(I needed to fill in the balance of my outfield and was elated that spring training invitee Juan Portes was still available. A very raw prospect when drafted in 2004, Portes had a break out year last summer when he led the Rock Cats in hitting.  Does he have enough power to make it to the Twins as a corner outfielder appears to be the biggest question?)

Round 13 – 49^th Overall – Roger – 1B – Brock Peterson

(I filled out my infield with the best story in the organization the last several years, former 49th round pick Brock Peterson.)

Round 13 – 50^th Overall – Seth – SS – Estarlin de Los Santos

(I guess that means I would rank De Lo second. The third guy to consider was Brian Dozier, but de Los Santos was added to the 40 man roster, and when healthy, he is probably the most pure Twins SS prospect (other than apparently 16 year old Jorge Polanco.))

Round 13 – 51^st Overall – Josh – RHP – Loek Van Mil

(I’ve never been very high on Loek Van Mil. Besides his height, he doesn’t really appeal to me. He walks a lot of guys and at 25-years-old he will likely be starting the year in Double-A. But…but… I do believe that his high 90’s fastball would be perfect as a setup man and hopefully I’ll be able to nab Kyle Waldrop in the next round. Plus, I think a Van Mil growth chart would be a good promotion.)

Round 13 – 52^nd Overall – Travis – RHP – Matt Fox

(I was hoping that Matt Fox would fall to me because I am very high on him.  He has battled through injuries and setbacks to become an option for the Twins.  I look for him to keep going on that road and, by season’s end, possibly get a call-up by the twins.)

Round 14 – 53^rd Overall – Travis – RHP – Steve Hirschfeld

(He is another guy I was hoping to get as he is another overachiever that just knows how to get hitters out.  He was very good for Fort Myers last year and can either start or relieve which I look to help him going forward.)

Round 14 – 54^th Overall – Josh – RHP – Kyle Waldrop

 (As I mentioned above, I wanted to get Kyle Waldrop to help solidify my bullpen. So when I saw that he was available, it was an easy choice. I also considered both Spencer Steedley and Andrei Lobanov with this pick but I’ll probably end up waiting a few rounds with them…)

Round 14 – 55^th Overall – Seth – RHP – Edgar Ibarra

(Ibarra was a very good pitcher for the E-Twins the second half of their season. Still some very good players left. Considered Reggie Williams.)

Round 14 – 56^th Overall – Roger – OF – Brandon Roberts

(Seth again picked the player I was looking at for my next pick when he selected Edgar Ibarra, although he took him as a starter and I was looking at him in long relief.  With Ibarra gone, I went back to the outfield and selected Brandon Roberts who will be my center fielder and leadoff hitter.)

Round 15 – 57^th Overall – Roger – RHP – Ben Tootle

(I followed with the selection of a high ceiling, hard throwing short reliever, Ben Tootle. Assuming his arm problems of last summer are behind him, Tootle could be on a fast track towards Minnesota.)

Round 15 – 58^th Overall – Seth – C – Chris Herrmann

(Herrmann is moving to catcher. There are lots of catchers in the Beloit picture. I need a catcher, but Reggie Williams can’t last until my next pick, can he?)

Round 15 – 59^th Overall – Josh – RHP – Pedro Guerra

(With short relief already under wraps, I felt the need for a long reliever. Guerra has dominated the Dominican Summer League two years in a row and should be making his appearance in the States this season. It was a coin flip between Guerra and Danny Ortiz, but hopefully I’ll be able to get Ortiz in the next round.)

Round 15 – 60^th Overall – Travis – RHP – Steve Blevins

(One of my favorite people in the organization, and that has nothing to do with his stuff, as he is a genuinely nice guy.  On the field, he is a pretty good pitcher also, as he put up good numbers at Beloit.  I look forward to seeing what he can do going forward as he has the talent to be a future Twin if he keeps improving.)

Round 16 – 61^st Overall – Travis –  SS – Brian Dozier

(He is one of those guys that I was not sure how good he could be and dealt with some injuries down the road.  With the promotion of Tyler Ladendorf, Dozier got to show what he could do and man did he deliver.  I am interested to see how fast he can move through the system as a college guy if he wants to play for the Twins he is going to have to skyrocket, but the talent is there to do it.)

Round 16 – 62^nd Overall – Josh – OF – Danny Ortiz

(As I mentioned with Pedro Guerra, it was a coin flip between the two. Luckily, I got both. Danny Ortiz missed all of the 2009 season with injury but was drafted in the 4^th round of the 2008 draft. At 5’11’’ and 166 lbs., he still has a lot of power and will fit in nicely with the rest of my lineup.)

Round 16 – 63^rd Overall – Seth – CIF – Reggie Williams

(He lasted until my next pick!! Need a 1B and a CI, and Reggie Williams played a lot of 3B, but can also play MI and OF.)

Round 16 – 64^th Overall – Roger – 1B – Whit Robbins

(I filled my reserve corner infield spot with the selection of Rochester/New Britain first baseman Whit Robbins.)

There is Part II. Check back tomorrow for the third and final part of the minor league draft, and more.. Feel free to leave your comments here.

Twins Minor League Draft – Part 1

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Before we start, be sure to listen in to last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast. Guests were Steve Singleton, Bruce Pugh and John Meyer (TwinsMVB.com).

A little over a week ago, I brought together some of the Twins bloggers/writers who I think are very knowledgeable of the Twins farm system, and we conducted a 22 round Twins minor league draft. I know many of you compete in fantasy baseball, and what we did was very similar. The difference was that our pool of draft-able players was the Twins minor league system. Any players who have not lost their rookie eligibility were able to be drafted. Along with me, there were three other Twins bloggers. Roger Dehring writes a minor league update each week at Twinkie Town and covers the minors very well. Josh Johnson from Josh’s Thoughts is nearing the end of his Top 50 Twins Prospects series and wrote an article on the Twins international signings for the Maple Street Press/ TwinsCentric Twins 2010 Annual. Travis Aune of Travis Twins Talk has a ton of minor league information on his site throughout the summer and has added minor leaguers to his weekly Minnesota Sports podcast. Each team must draft a C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, CI, MI, 4 OF, EX, 5 SP, CL, 4 BP. I asked each of the participants to jot down a sentence or two on each of their picks, as they were making them. Hopefully this is something that you enjoy. We tried this idea almost five years ago, and it was fun to look back at our teams and see how we did and remember some of the drafted names.

Today, I will be postings the results of the first eight rounds (32 picks) of the draft. I’ll be back tomorrow with the eight more rounds. So, here we go:

 THE DRAFT (Rounds 1-8)

Round 1 – 1^st Overall – Roger – C – Wilson Ramos

(I chose the player who in my opinion is the top prospect in the organization and the closest of all top prospects to contributing to the Twins, catcher, Wilson Ramos.)

Round 1 – 2^nd Overall – Seth – OF – Aaron Hicks

(This was kind of a no-brainer. Hicks is easily the top prospect in the organization.)

Round 1 – 3^rd Overall – Josh – OF – Ben Revere

(With both Aaron Hicks and Wilson Ramos gone, and knowing that I wanted to focus on offense early, it was an easy choice picking Ben Revere. The Twins have a lot of depth in pitching and outfield, which made me consider Miguel Sano, but Revere’s track-record of success is too good to pass up. He has hit .337/.396/.430 through 997 minor league at-bats and stolen 110 bases. He is probably the best leadoff hitter in the Twins system.)

Round 1 – 4^th Overall – Travis – SS – Miguel Sano

(I am very excited to get him in the draft.  I think that the sky is the limit for this young hitter. I have heard comparisons to a young Alex Rodriguez and that may be premature for a 16 year old, but I think the future is bright for him.)

Round 2 – 5^th Overall – Travis – RHP – Kyle Gibson

(The Twins were very lucky to get him in the draft this year. He has the potential to be a number one starter for the Twins. He will likely start in Fort Myers but likely skyrocket through system.)

Round 2 – 6^th Overall – Josh – RHP – David Bromberg

(There’s no denying Bromberg’s productivity. Over the last two years, he’s struck out 325 batters while posting a 3.29 ERA. He has some control problems and is more likely a #3 starter than a #1, but I’ll try making that up with later picks. I also considered Danny Valencia, and I will probably regret my decision to not take him. But I’ll try to nab Luke Hughes sometime in the next few rounds.)

Round 2 – 7^th Overall – Seth – 3B – Danny Valencia

(It was him or Angel Morales. Figured there are more OF and Valencia is close to the big leagues.)

Round 2 – 8^th Overall – Roger –  OF – Angel Morales

(I selected the player who I feel has as much upside as any player in the organization. Based upon the last half of his season at Beloit and the improvement he made in the Puerto Rico Winter League, Angel Morales could be an early favorite to be the organization’s 2010 Player of the Year!  Had my second selection been second rather than eighth, it is likely I would have also taken Morales with that pick.)

Round 3 – 9^th Overall – Roger – RHP – Adrian Salcedo

(With my next choice I selected Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo is one of the few pitchers in the organization with an upside as a Number 1 starter.)

Round 3 – 10^th Overall – Seth – OF – Rene Tosoni

(Was really hoping Roger would leave either Morales or Salcedo for me. Lots of pitchers left, so now I’ll grab my 2nd OF, and Tosoni’s pretty strong.)

Round 3 – 11^th Overall – Josh – OF – Joe Benson

(I wanted to take someone I felt was going to have a great year, so it was an easy choice to pick Joe Benson. I lucked out that Seth took Rene Tosoni which made my decision easy (it would have come down between the two of them). I also considered drafting Chris Parmelee, but I hope to get Erik Lis as my first baseman later in the draft. I don’t view Parmelee as a viable outfielder when guys like Oswaldo Arcia and Max Kepler-Rozycki won’t be taken until later and are much better defensively.)

Round 3 – 12^th Overall – Travis – RHP – Jeff Manship

(He got a feel of the big leagues last year, probably a little before he was ready. He showed the moxie that you are hoping to see out of a pitcher.  His curveball is very good right now and next time he comes up, it is going to be to stay.)

Round 4 – 13^th Overall – Travis – 1B – Chris Parmelee

(I was really hoping he would last to me because I am very high on this young guy.  He reminds me of a young Adam Dunn in that he is a high on base percentage guy with unbelievable power. I think going forward he is going to put up massive numbers.)

Round 4 – 14^th Overall – Josh – C – Danny Rams

(After Wilson Ramos, Danny Rams is the best catching prospect in the Twins system. He has great power potential which will be great to have in the middle-of the-order. I probably could have tried waiting for Chris Herrmann later in the draft, but I like Rams’ upside. I also considered drafting Carlos Gutierrez.)

Round 4 – 15^th Overall – Seth – RHP – Deolis Guerra

(I needed a pitcher at this point. Guerra is only months older than BJ Hermsen, the other consideration here, and four levels higher.)

Round 4 – 16^th Overall – Roger – RHP – BJ Hermsen

(I had my eye on Jeff Manship, however, he went a couple picks before my next selection. Plan B was another young starter who could be as good as Salcedo, B. J. Hermsen.)

Round 5 – 17^th Overall – Roger – RHP – Alex Burnett

(I then may have selected a pitcher higher than one would normally take a reliever.  I believe that Alex Burnett is the Twins closer of the future (3-4 years from now) and decided to not lose the best closer in the organization.)

Round 5 – 18^th Overall – Seth – CL – Carlos Gutierrez

(Will he start or close? We shall see. I’m sure he’ll start 2010 in the New Britain rotation ,but I actually think Gutierrez might be the Twins next closer.)

Round 5 – 19^th Overall – Josh – LHP – Tyler Robertson

(Seth stole my pick (Carlos Gutierrez) and after taking two outfielders and a catcher, I wanted to grab another starting pitcher. Robertson is a consistent pitcher and I still love his upside. He has an ugly deliver, but he’s performed well at each stop thus far. He too is viewed more as a #3 starter than a #2, but hopefully I’ll grab a high-upside/high-risk guy like Shooter Hunt later in the draft.)

Round 5 – 20^th Overall – Travis – OF – Max Kepler

(He is another young kid with an unbelievable amount of potential, so I was glad he lasted to me. He was called the top prospect ever to come out of Europe.  I am excited to see him develop and see if he can be as good as we hope he can be.)

Round 6 – 21^st Overall – Travis – RHP – Billy Bullock

(I really believe that we are looking at a future closer for the Twins.  He has it all in that, he has mid 90’s velocity with other good secondary pitches.  If he continues to develop it won’t be long until we see him coming out in the 9^th inning at Target Field.)

Round 6 – 22^nd Overall – Josh – RHP – Anthony Slama

 (I knew I wanted to take a closer with this pick and Anthony Slama was a no-brainer. I like Alex Burnett, a lot, but Roger already took him. I also like Bullock but Travis took him with the previous pick. Slama arguably has the best track record out of any Twins minor league reliever and has done most of his damage as a closer. He may not have a 96 mph fastball, but I think Slama is a great choice. If Slama weren’t available, I would have waited on a closer and picked Trevor Plouffe.)

Round 6 – 23^rd Overall – Seth – RHP – Blayne Weller

(This is where it’s going to start getting a little more difficult, I think However, compare the numbers of Weller to the highly touted Salcedo and Hermsen sometime and he’s very close.)

Round 6 – 24^th Overall – Roger – RHP – Michael McCardell

(My next selection is a young starter, Michael McCardell.  Take away his first outing and he had excellent numbers in his first exposure to AA and he may have been the Rock Cats top starter the last six weeks of the season.  McCardell will be a fine #1 starter for my staff.)

Round 7 – 25^th Overall – Roger – SS – Trevor Plouffe

(With my pitching staff taking shape I went with one of the Twins top middle infield prospects, Trevor Plouffe.  Plouffe has been in AAA for nearly two years, yet, will still be only 22 years old when this season begins.)

Round 7 – 26^th Overall – Seth – 2B – Steve Singleton

(Geez, I’ve been telling people that I think he’ll be starting 2B in 2011, a 7th round pick is more than fair.)

Round 7 – 27^th Overall – Josh – 3B – Luke Hughes

(I chose Luke Hughes out of desperation for a third baseman, as there’s not a lot in the cupboard after Valencia. I’m not sold on either Ramon Santana or Reggie Williams as my starting third baseman, and have no idea of what to make of Wander Guillen (will he/won’t he repeat DSL? And I’m not a fan of his height). I will probably try to grab Williams as my corner infielder later. Although I took Hughes when I maybe could have waited another round or two, I feel comfortable with him in my lineup. I also considered Tom Stuifbergen with this pick.)

Round 7 – 28^th Overall – Travis – 2B – Derek McCallum

(I was really hoping that Steve Singleton would make it to me, but Derek McCallum is not a bad consolation prize.  The former Gopher had a solid first year in the system, and I look forward to seeing how he does as the difficulty increases.)

Round 8 – 29^th Overall – C – Josmil Pinto

(Many can make a big deal out his not ideal catching skills, however he is a very young guy.  Put that with his massive power and hitting skills and look out we might have found another quality hitter in the organization.  Will be interesting to see how he does in Full season play.)

Round 8 – 30^th Overall – RHP – Tom Stuifbergen

(Up to this point, Seth has stolen about four of my picks, so I thought I’d give him one back and take Tom Stuifbergen (who I know he’s very high on). Ha! No, that actually has no effect on this pick. Stuifbergen is another middle-of-the-rotation starter who has impeccable control. He also has experience on a “big stage” which definitely helps since my team is going to the World Series! I also considered Oswaldo Arcia with this pick.)

Round 8 – 31^st Overall – RHP – Santos Arias

(It was between Arias and Oswaldo Arcia, who I think has terrific potential. Arias is further along and I compare him to Pedro Martinez in the Prospect Handbook, so I think that’s who I’ll go with here.)

Round 8 – 32^nd Overall – RHP – Brad Tippett

(I was looking hard at two pitchers who were available as my next pick was approaching, Santos Arias and Tom Stuifbergen.  Unfortunately, they were both taken with the two picks before me, so I went to the Beloit Snappers and selected their top starter last summer, Brad Tippett.)

  

There you have our first eight rounds of picks. We’ll be back tomorrow with eight more rounds. Feel free to leave your comments here.

Twins Sign OF; Podcast Tonight at 9

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The Rochester Red Wings announced tonight that the Twins have signed Charlton Jimerson to a minor league contract. The outfielder played in 31 big league games from 2005 through 2008 accumulating just nine at bats. He went 4-9 in those at bats, including two home runs. He spent 2009 with the Independent Newark Bears where he hit .335/.387/.567 with 27 doubles and 21 home runs in 103 games. This is a great signing. The Red Wings needed another outfielder. Jimerson can play all three outfield positions. And, when it comes to potentially needing a fifth outfielder, I would much rather the Twins go with Jimerson than Jacque Jones, Brandon Roberts or Dustin Martin. Again, he isn’t a difference maker, but the 2010 Twins don’t need a difference maker. I like this signing.

PODCAST LIVE AT 9

Just a quick note. I will be hosting the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast tonight at 9:00 central time. Honestly, I have two confirmed guests at the moment, but may add a third. If not, I will be taking your questions throughout the night. Questions can be asked in the chat room or you can feel free to call in and ask your questions at 347-202-0548. For sure, I will be joined by John Meyer who is The Twins MVB! Also, just got confirmation that Steve Singleton will also join the show. He will be heading to big league camp for the first time.

Feel free to leave your comments here.