Your Twins Fest Stories

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It’s Monday morning after Twins Fest. I am exhausted. What a weekend! It was a great time at the Hot Stove Banquest and also spending two great days at Twins Fest. Yes, it got a little (OK, a lot) crowded on Saturday, but overall, it was still a lot of fun! It was great spending time there with Fanatic Jack, The North Dakota Twins Fan, Marty Andrade, Betsy Bissen, Karlee Kanz, Topper Anton, Emily Jipp and Andrew Bryz-Gornia, and on Friday night, it was great hanging out with John Bonnes and Howard Sinker, and meeting a few new people. I talked to a lot of people and a lot of players. But now I must embark upon my 7 hour trek north, back home and back to reality. Oh well. It was a great weekend and I will definitely share stories here tomorrow.

But for today, I need you to fill up the comments section with your thoughts and your stories from Twins Fest. Some of the better stories may be posted here as well. If you’ve blogged about the weekend, be sure to leave your links here as well so others will read them.

Twins Fest is Upon Us

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Just a few quick notes and links before I begin a very full, fun-filled Twins-related weekend.

First, a big thank you to Josh Johnson, Nick Lenz and also to Joe Benson and Kyle Gibson for this. It’s pretty cool.

Again, tonight I will be at the Hot Stove League Banquet. I’m excited to see Jim Kaat speak, and of course to hang out with John, TVOR, Howard and his wife and hopefully several others. Here is directly stealing something LaVelle blogged the other day, an e-mail from Julian, about the event:

Juan Berenguer has been added to the line-up for Ballpark Tours 3^rd Annual Last Hot Stove League Banquet & Charity Auction scheduled for this Friday Jan 28^th – Carpenter’s Hall 710 Olive Street in St. Paul. Senor Smoke will join Jim Kaat at the podium as our keynoters. In addition, local author Pete Schilling will chat about the art of heckling & a couple of media usual suspects (not sure who yet) will take part in our Q & A. The focus of the event is to raise money for the Dunning Little League baseball program & this anti-dome crowd will be able to bid on an auction item sure to ‘bring down the roof’!!!! The Ballpark Tours gang has raised over $50,000 for the fields at Dunning over the years. 

Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Anodyne Coffee, 43rd and Nicollet, 612-824-4300 and St. Paul: Golden Thyme Coffee, 921 Selby, 651-645-1340.

• John Bonnes and The Voice of Reason went to the Diamond Awards last night. John blogged about his thoughts, and I think it’s fair to say that TVOR had some thoughts as well.
• Rob Delaney has been claimed by the Tampa Bay Rays. I liked Delaney and what he did from the time he signed with the Twins as a non-drafted free agent following the 2006 draft through AA was remarkable. He had two option years left, and yet, I got the sense from many that he wasn’t going to make it with the Twins. He struggled at AAA. I liked the K-rate and the lack of walks, but most  believed that he just did not have the ‘stuff’ to succeed in the big leagues. The Rays, who like the Twins lost a lot of their bullpen, can probably use Delaney more than that Twins would. Everything I’ve ever heard about Delaney is that he is a great guy, a great teammate, and I’m sure there are a lot of players in the Twins organization who will be saddened by this news.
• As for Dusty Hughes, the left-handed reliever that the Twins signed after the Royals let him go, my general thoughts are… Meh. That he was let go by the Royals doesn’t bother me at all. It’s funny, especially with left-handers but with any reliever, you just don’t know what you’ll get from day to day, much less year to year. I have no problem with the transaction, and maybe it’ll be a good thing. Maybe he can be the next Craig Breslow. I doubt it, but who knows?
• Nick Nelson posted some good thoughts about it as part of his Three-Bagger. Needless to say, Nick has not been a big fan of the Twins front office decisions most of this offseason.
• You can pre-order a copy of the Maple Street Press Twins Annual 2011 that John Bonnes and the TwinsCentric guys are finishing up. Seriously, it is going to be even better than last years, so get your copy today so you don’t have to compete with all the traffic caused by people trying to get their copy at the newsstand.  
• Parker wrote a nice article on The Two Sides of Nick Punto. Again, I think that the Twins will miss Punto, but who knows, maybe Tolbert can be decent.
• The Twins announced last night that Bert Blyleven’s #28 will be retired. That’s great! But why wait? I never did understand that. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t happen a long time ago. Based on the class demonstrated by Jesse Crain at the Diamond Awards last night, I am certain he would have happily turned over his number.
• The Twins also announced on Friday that there will be a Tony Oliva bronze statue added outside Target Field this year.
• Sounds like the North Dakota Twins fan will be all over Twins Fest this weekend with posts and pictures, so be sure to check those out here.
• If you will be at Twins Fest this weekend, and you see guys in the autograph lines that have been on my podcasts or done Q&As on my site, etc., please thank them, and if you want, thank them for me. I obviously appreciate it and judging from your comments, you really appreciate them too.
• Finally, as I’ve mentioned other times, I plan to update this site and will probably have some pictures here throughout the weekend. But I will most likely be frequently Tweeting throughout the weekend, so if you don’t already, you may want to follow my tweets, at least for the weekend.

Thanks again for all of your support! Feel free to comment here, or e-mail me.

Benson/Gibson Speak to Seth

Thanks to Josh Johnson and Nick Lenz for posting the below YouTube video of Twins Prospects Joe Benson and Kyle Gibson sending me a message. It’s pretty funny, and lots of football!

Too funny!!

One Clap for Zach

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Although I was born in Fargo, ND, my parents moved to Perham, MN, when I was less than six months old. I graduated from school in Perham after participating in football, basketball and baseball. Even though I haven’t technically lived full time in Perham for over 15 years, when asked where I’m from or where ‘home’ is, I quickly respond, “Perham.”

Generally people will say, “Oh.” That means they have no idea where it is.

So, I will say, “Do you know where Detroit Lakes is?”

Some answer yes, saying they’ve been to WE FEST. 

If they don’t say yes, I”ll say, “Well, it’s about an hour east of Fargo.”

That generally at least gives them an idea of where the town of just under 2,500 is located. The Lakes Area is really busy during the summer months, to be sure.

Last Thursday, while I was trying to stay warm inside, writing a blog here about the weather  conditions in Warroad, the Perham high school boys basketball team was playing in Dilworth. The Yellowjackets went into the game with a record of 11-0 and ranked fourth in the state in AA. It wasn’t long before none of that seemed too important.

Zach Gabbard, a 17-year-old starter who had led the team in scoring three of the past four games, was running down the court. Suddenly, he had a seizure, a heart attack and collapsed to the floor. A Perham doctor who had made the trip came onto the court and performed CPR until paramedics got there. Players were sent to the locker rooms and fans were cleared from the gym.  

He was taken to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo where he had to go through heart surgery. He remained in critical condition, but on Sunday, he was able to be flown down to the University of Minnesota hospital where he is showing more signs of responsiveness.

I don’t know Zach Gabbard. He was born the same year that I graduated from high school. This is a story that you read in the newspaper. It’s something that happened to Hank Gathers from Loyola Marymount in the late ’80s. It isn’t supposed to happen so close to home.

The Perham community has come together. High school basketball teams across the state and further have expressed their concern and best wishes. His CaringBridge site has already been viewed nearly 69,000 times, and many have left messages. There have been community gatherings for thougths and prayers for Zach and his family. His family has been updating the journal, and they continue to thank all the supporters for the well wishes and prayers.

As you can imagine, the medical costs will be very high for the family. A fund has been set up at United Community Bank in Perham to help his family defray medical costs. Donations can be made at any UCB location (Perham, Frazee and Dean’s Country Foods in Perham) in the name of the Zach Gabbard Fund. Others can feel free to send money to United Community Bank at 155 Second Street SW, Perham, MN  56573.

Also, t-shirts have been designed to help show support for Zach and his family. One Clap for Zach (www.OneClapForZach.com) was set up by Perham’s 9th grade coach and assistant varsity coach Brent Hanson who has coached Zach for a long time in various youth programs. The proceeds from the t-shirt will also go to the Zach Gabbard Fund.

One Clap for Zach

If there is anyone that can understand what Zach and his family are going through, it is Brent Hanson and his parents. When he was in high school, he was playing basketball one day, and he blacked out. He has a pace maker in his chest to remind him of that day and how precious life is.

As if it matters, the Perham boys basketball returned to the court on Tuesday night and played their first game since the Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton game had been postponed. The team made the long trek to Barrett, where they took on West Central Area. For what it is worth, they improved to 12-0 with a 63-13 win.

According to the post-game article by John George of LakesAreaSports.com, it was an emotional night for the players.

“Running out for warm-ups gave me the chills,” Jordan Cresap said. “The support from both teams was unbelievable. It was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. We knew Zach was right there with us, and we played our hearts out in his honor.”

 

The emotions were running high, in the locker room, on the court, and in the stands.

 

“It took a little while,” Jordan Bruhn said of getting his emotions under control. “The crowd really appreciated us. It was the most Perham people I’ve seen on the road. It was great.”

 

Mark Schumacher carried Gabbard’s jersey with him during the pre-game announcements, and the team kept the No. 3 jersey with them on the bench through the game.

 

“We felt him there,” Schumacher said. “Coach (Dave) Cresap said in the locker room, ‘Like the Marines, we don’t leave a man behind. We’re going to put Zach on our backs and carry him the rest of the year.’ We truly did that tonight. Everyone in that gym felt him there with us.”

 

<snip>

 

“We talked to Steve, his dad, and his breathing went up during the game,” Bruhn said. “He (Zach) knew we were out there for him. And we knew he was with us.”

This is one of those stories that you hope never happens, but it does. Zach Gabbard is doing his part. He is fighting. His family is doing what they can. They are with their son. There are a lot of people wishing them all well and praying for them.

To read updates on Zach, click here. To leave comments for Zach, click here. Please also visit the One Clap for Zach site where you can donate directly, or purchase a t-shirt with proceeds all going to the Zach Gabbard Fund.

In addition, I will keep pre-ordered copies of my Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011 available for another day (through Wednesday). I have been asking for $14.95 per book for the pre-order. For every book that I get a pre-order sale for, I will donate $2, and any amount over $14.95 per book will also be donated. In other words, if you pre-order a book and send me $14.95, I will donate $2. If you pre-order a book and send me $16.95, I will donate $4. If you have any question on how to pre-order, please e-mail me.

Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook - 2011

Lederer Meets Blyleven

As I’ve mentioned a few times, Rich Lederer is getting a lot of credit in baseball circles for helping get Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame. In the Twins fantasy camp last week, the two met for the first time in person… and it happened in pretty cool fashion.

I saw the following video when looking at Lederer’s blog, The Baseball Analysts, a site you definitely want to bookmark.

Twins Links – And Excerpts from Twins Prospect Handbook

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Good Monday morning to all! Thanks as always for stopping by the site. When I got home from work on Friday, there were some footprints from my driveway to my front door. I hadn’t been there throughout the day, so whose boot prints were they? When I got inside, I realized that it was the mailman, and inside the door of my house was a box with two copies of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. They are just copies for me to review, but I have to admit, seeing them, looking at the cover, looking at how many pages there are and how good it looks is pretty awesome. I spent a lot of time this weekend editing it, and I also spent too much time editing a couple of articles I have written for the Maple Street Press Twins 2011 Annual that TwinsCentric is working on. So, it has been a very busy weekend from an editing standpoint, and also from a being a dad standpoint, and that’s more fun.

PRE-ORDER PROSPECT HANDBOOK – So, because of that, I will be taking pre-orders through Tuesday at 5:00 when I will put together the final version of the book and place the initial order. So, if you want a pre-ordered copy, get your copy(ies) today. You can send me funds through Paypal ($14.95 sent to SethSpeaksNet@hotmail.com), or e-mail me at the same address to arrange payment. Again, thanks to all of you for your support.

With that, here are some links to Twins-related articles for you to check out:

• If you’re reading this site, it’s very likely you’re already a frequent guest at Twinkie Town as well. I frequently link to Roger Dehring’s Weekly Minor League Reports, and over the past month Roger has been putting together a community vote/poll of the Top 50 Twins Prospects. They are now voting on Twins #35 Prospect.
• On Sunday, Jesse from Twinkie Town posted Part 1 of a Q&A with Yours Truly on Twins Minor League pitchers. On Monday, Part 2 (The Hitters) will be posted as well.
• Jeff A from The WGOM posted some Tigres Tales, an update on the Tigers de Aragua, the team in Venezuela that several Twins players play with.
• Nick Nelson has been quite busy. On Friday, he wrote about The Mauer Factor, and on Sunday, he got to some comments on Bert Blyleven’s Hall of Fame election.
• Kirsten Brown posted a very good blog showing how busy things were with the Twins during the past week.
• Off the Mark posted a terrific look at Twins Wild Card: Pat Neshek.
• Sean from Hitting the Foul Pole wrote about the End of the Punto Era.
  • I haven’t really given my thoughts on Punto much this offseason, but to summarize my thoughts, here you go. When given a starting gig, Punto struggled. We all know that. Yes, he made too much the last two years, especially since he was hurt quite a bit. However, I think a strong case could be made that he is baseball’s best utility infielder. His defense at all three infield spots was remarkable. For this interested, his UZR/150 were off the charts at all three positions. He didn’t hit much, but he did take a lot of pitches and found a way to get on base quite a bit. As a #9 hitter with a great glove, that works for me. Now, again, he was a utility player, not an everyday player. The only reason I am happy that Punto is no longer a Twins player is because I think Ron Gardenhire would have found a way to get him into the lineup three or four times a week. However, with an infield that currently includes Danny Valencia, Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka, a little depth in the form of a great glove would be perfect for the team. Nick Punto signed for $750,000. Matt Tolbert is going to get paid around $450,000 in 2011. Nick Punto is significantly better than Matt Tolbert. So, I am fine with the Twins letting him go, but like Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain, Punto should be missed by Twins fans for what he did.
• Finally, I posted at the StarTribune.com TwinsCentric blog last night. I posted a blog on the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011, and I included a couple of excerpts from the book. Here is what I posted.

Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011

Posted by Seth Stohs

Last update: January 24, 2011 – 12:26 AM

Minor league baseball players are doing all the same work that the big leaguers do. They are just doing it with far less fanfare, smaller per diems, less luxurious travel and hotel arrangements, and noticeably lighter wallets due to pay checks with far fewer zeroes. These players deserve to be recognized too!

That is a statement that I have used in the Introduction of the first two Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbooks. I really like that statement and as I’m writing the book, and spending the hours, trying to keep my eyes open, it is what keeps me going. There are profiles for well over 150 Twins prospects in this book. How many will play for the Minnesota Twins? Maybe 25? 35? 50? We don’t know, but in my mind, they all deserve to be recognized. They’re all working hard. They all are playing the game that I know I wanted to be playing as a career when I was in school.

The past two years, I have written Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbooks (2009 and 2010). Just within the last few days, I am now taking pre-orders for Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. Today, I wanted to post just a couple of excerpts from the book to give you a sense of what you can expect from the nearly 170 page book. If you are interested in purchasing a book, please go to SethSpeaks.net to find details for how to pre-order.

Over 160 Prospect Profiles – Players from the Gulf Coast League Twins through Triple-A Rochester will appear in the book. Profiles include some stats, but also a scouting perspective as well. I also give my Top 5 Twins Dominican Summer League Prospects. Here is one example of a player profile.

A.J. Achter – RHP – (8/27/88)

Acquired: 46^th round draft pick in 2010 out of Michigan State

2010 Team(s): Elizabethton Twins

2010 Stats: 1-0, 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 7 IP, 3 BB, 8 K

Many times, teams will draft someone in the later rounds that they like but are not certain they will be able to sign. They want to see something more. After a year at Texas Southern, Achter transferred to Michigan State. In 14 starts in 2009, he went 3-6 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP for the Spartans. In 2010, he went 4-4 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP (thanks to cutting his walk rate in half). The Twins took a late-round pick on the six-foot-five right-hander, but wanted to see more. Achter went to the prestigious Cape Cod League for the summer. There, he gave up just six earned runs and struck out 34 batters in 38 innings. On the final signing day, the Twins signed Achter and sent him to Elizabethton. In his first outing, he gave up four runs on five hits in 1.1 innings. In his three other appearances, he gave up just two hits (no runs) in six innings.

At 6-5 and 190 pounds, Achter has a good frame, and a strong presence on the mound. He has a fastball that touches 92 but sits at about 90. He is working on a curveball and slider. His best pitch at this stage is his changeup.

There are also a few stories from some other Twins bloggers and other writers. To give an example, here is a bit of an article I wrote called Nate Hanson: Minnesota’s Own.

Every year there is someone in the Twins organization (and likely every organization) who steps up and makes a name for himself. The player may have been a late-round pick. The player may have put up average numbers but nothing that jumps out at you. And then out-of-nowhere, the player has a tremendous season and the front office, scouts and fans all have to take a step back and re-evaluate the prospect. In 2010, that prospect for the Twins had to be Nate Hanson.

Hanson is a Minnesotan. Hanson was drafted by the Twins in the 28^th round of the 2008 draft out of the University of Minnesota, but he had been a Minnesota guy for a long time already. Sure, he was born in California, but he moved to Minnesota when he was ten years old. Baseball and hockey were his two loves.

“We arrived in Minnesota, we quickly saw how much the state loved its hockey. I was a hockey and baseball player when we lived in California and continued that into Minnesota. I loved both sports the same amount and it was one of those cases where I loved the sport in which I was in season. I did not know what route I wanted to take in college.”

Which sport would he pick, and why? “I was being recruited for both sports and it was a tough decision. I ultimately thought I could play longer in baseball and knew the U of M had an excellent tradition. I visited a few schools and talked to many, but a big factor was coach (John) Anderson and the way he coaches and produces well rounded young men on and off the field. Minnesota is always at the top of the Big Ten and going to Minnesota was the best choice I could have ever made, especially with being so close to home and having my family there at every game. They really wanted to be able to come to all the home games.”

John Anderson became the head coach of the Gophers baseball program in the fall of 1981 and remains the team’s coach. He enters the 2011 with a career record of 1038-675-3 in his tenure. When he reached the 1,000 win plateau, he became the 39^th coach in Division I history to reach that number, and just the 20^th to reach that number with one team. The list of accolades for Anderson is huge, but he has been hugely successful on the field for the Gophers, and more important, he has prepared his players for the game and for life beyond the ball field.

According to Hanson, “Coach Anderson is a flat out leader. He has been winning since he took over as head coach. He is a coach that is well respected not only in the Big Ten, but nationally as well. Players listen to what he has to say and he is a player’s coach. It is always easier to play for a coach that knows the game and doesn’t ever panic if faced with adversity. He expects excellence and hard work on and off the field and that is a big reason why guys get drafted a lot from the U of M and why the Gophers finish in the top of the Big Ten year after year. Coach Anderson has taught me how to represent myself and the Gopher baseball tradition.”

Speaking of the draft, the Minnesota Twins have drafted 35 players out of the University of Minnesota since MLB initiated its Rule 4 draft in 1965. Glen Perkins is the only Gophers player to be drafted in the first round. Others drafted high include Denny Neagle (3^rd, 1989), Derek McCallum (4^th, 2009), Shane Gunderson (6^th, 1995), Tom Jagletta (7^th, 1977), Bryan Hickerson (7^th, 1986) and Matt Scanlon (8^th, 1999). Former Gopher Jay Kvasnicka was also drafted by the Twins in the 8^th round of the 1988 draft. In 2010, his son Michael Kvasnicka was a first-round selection of the Houston Astros after playing three years with the Gophers.

That is a little less than half of the Hanson story, but it gives a good flavor of the type of information in the book.

Also in the book are several Top 10 Prospect Lists, Josh Johnson (Josh’s Thoughts) helped me out by writing a terrific article on Twins 1B prospect Chris Parmelee, as well as with several of the prospect profiles. I included his Top 30 Twins prospects as well. Also, for the first time, I asked someone associated with each of the Twins full-season affiliates to write an article related to their team, city, stadium and more. They did a good job of telling us about the affiliates. Regarding the 2010 draft, I was able to write a story telling the draft stories of several of the 2010 Twins draft picks including David Deminski, a Twins draft pick from St. Cloud State University, who had a very interesting story. In part:

His final three college seasons were spent playing for Pat Dolan at St. Cloud State University. However, the story of Deminsky is that he wondered how long, or even if, he would be able to play at all. “My college career was a bit of a roller coaster as I had never expected to be playing at the professional level after having my colon removed after a two-year battle with Ulcerative Colitis up until my freshman year of college baseball. I never even thought that I would be back for my sophomore season after going down to the Mayo (Clinic) in Rochester to have a surgery that would forever cure me from UC.”

But he not only returned to baseball, but he pitched well enough to garner interest from pro scouts. “I talked with (Twins area scout) Mark Wilson every once in awhile, but I was also in contact with several other teams from around the MLB.”

Draft day was exciting for the left-hander. “It was an honor to have my name called and be drafted. I could not be happier to have been selected by my hometown state’s team, as I have always been a hometown boy my whole life.” In fact, signing was a pretty easy decision, “Pretty simple. Where do I sign?”

There is a lot of information on the Twins minor leaguers fit into 170+ pages of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. It was a ton of work, but it is stuff that I really enjoy. For Twins fans, understanding that the Twins choose to build from within whenever possible, the prospect handbook is a must-have! It’s a coffee table book to be used whenever Dick Bremer or LaVelle of Joe mention a minor leaguer. And, somehow, I am able to keep the price very low. Similar books that I have seen are found for anywhere from $20-$32, and I am trying to keep the book at $13.95. To pre-order, and for all pre-order information, click here. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me. And, as always, thank you to all of you who support us!

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• Be sure to check out the new product offerings at DiamondCentric. Thome is my Homey t-shirts and sweatshirts are available. There is a special on the Punto Plays Dirty shirts. And, you’ll definitely want to check out the new t-shirts that were recently introduced!

Have a great week!! If you would like, please feel free to e-mail me or leave your comments here.

Twins Notes

Also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It seems like it has been awhile since I’ve thrown some Twins thoughts and opinions into a blog for readers to discuss. To say things have been a bit busy would be a major understatement. But hey, it’s supposed to be 30 degrees below zero tonight, so it’s not like I plan on going anywhere.  I do appreciate your continued readership and support. Today, I am just going to talk a little bit about several Twins topics and as always welcome your thoughts and comments on any of the topics.

Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011

My intent is not to bombard you with sales pitches for my Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. However, I will only be taking pre-orders through the weekend (changed from Friday as I will place the initial order on Monday). There have been a few pre-orders so far, and again, I won’t put it all here, but if you want to know all about what is in the book, scroll down on this page. To pre-order, you can send me money through Paypal. If you don’t have Paypal, send me an e-mail and we’ll come up with a plan to get you a book too.

$7.15 Million for Matt Capps?

It’s OK for people to change their opinions without being hypocritical, right? When the Twins acquired Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa, I did not like the move. Capps was terrible in 2009 and primarily he gave up a lot of hits. Sure, he was a closer but Wilson Ramos was a guy I thought could do a lot for the Twins. I laid out my plan many times here and on podcasts. I said that Joe Mauer could catcher 110 or so games a year, and DH another 40-45. Ramos could have caught those 52 games that Mauer didn’t, plus he could be the right-handed designated hitter and pinch hitter. Drew Butera could still be the backup catcher to either of the starting catchers on a given day, to take away the concern about playing both Ramos and Mauer. With the Twins need for a right-handed bat in its lineup, I really wish Ramos was part of the organization. But he’s not. He hasn’t been since July 31. That’s five-and-a-half months ago, so it can’t factor in to decision making any more.

Now let’s just take the Ramos Factor out of the equation… Matt Capps was terrible in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Despite 27 saves, he went 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. Terrible, and hence, the Pirates gave up on the then-25 year old and did not tender him a contract.

Now, let’s get over the Bad 2009 Factor… Look at the rest of his career. He was very good in 85 games as a 22 year old in his first full-season in 2006. He was even better in 2007 when he posted a 2.28 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 76 games. He became the closer during that season and in 2008, he posted a 3.02 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. So again, we’re removing the 2009 factor so we jump to 2010. He was an All-Star with the Washington Nationals in 2010. Yes, every team needs to be represented, but the Nationals also had Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and even Stephen Strasburg who were considered for a spot. Following the trade to the Twins, he was 2-0 with 16 saves in 27 games.

However… he isn’t a prototypical, Nathan-like closer. Sure, that is true, but frankly, he has put up very good numbers in four of his five full seasons. However, Capps only strikes out an average of seven batters per nine innings. He also has a career WHIP of 1.20 which is good, but it’s not dominant. I understand these concerns. But as the great Crash Davis once so eloquently stated, “Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they’re fascist. Throw some ground balls – it’s more democratic.”

I 100% agree with Phil Mackey who said that, although he may be making $1-2 million more than we’d like, there is a $115 million payroll, so, who cares? Secondly, take a look at his track record and contract and compare it against Heath Bell or Brian Wilson, or even Bobby Jenks and others. He got market value.

I know a lot of people are saying that they could have brought back two relievers for the $7.15 million. Technically yes, but in reality no. I was willing to give Jesse Crain three years and $12 million. He got more than that, but there is a big difference between a one year deal and a three year deal, especially among relief pitchers. Matt Guerrier got three years. Jon Rauch? Well, he wasn’t going to come back anyway. Matt Capps’ only guarantee was one year. It’s a little high. But he’s 26, and he can get better. The reality is that as well as all of the Nathan reports have made it sound, he did have Tommy John surgery. Right now, Matt Capps is the one sure-thing in the Twins bullpen.

‘Nuf said!

Carl Pavano Signs

As I mentioned yesterday, I was at the Twins Winter Caravan in Thief River Falls on Wednesday night when the news came out on Twitter that Pavano and the Twins had reached an agreement on a two year, $16.5 million. Early in the offseason, I often stated that I would rather have two draft picks than bring back Pavano, but that was when the assumption that he would either get three years or $10 million or more. The Twins ended up getting him for an average of $8.25 million for two years. He will be 35 years old and then 36 years old. He has thrown 200 innings the last two years, and although I do not believe he’ll have an ERA under 4.20 again, I think that he can eat innings and be league average or so. There is value in that. The Twins retain six starting pitchers instead of five. Depth is a very good thing.

I really don’t have a lot to say about the Pavano signing because it is very fair. It’s a positive and not very controversial at all.

DFA Updates

In the last couple of days, a couple of Twins 40 man roster guys have been designated for assignment by other teams. To make room for Brian Fuentes, the Oakland A’s let go of Steve Tolleson (who I would say is much better than Matt Tolbert!). The Mets signed Chris Young, and to make room, OF Jason Pridie was designated.

STRANGE STAT

Yorman Bazardo was signed as a minor league free agent last month. He’s young, but despite very good minor league numbers, it has not transferred to the big leagues yet. He is pitching for Aragua this winter. In 12 starts, he has gone 7-2 with a 2.38 ERA. In 72 innings, he has just 17 walks, and he has struck out 28. Twenty-eight. How has he struck out so few and still been so good?

Have a great weekend!! If you would like, please feel free to e-mail me or leave your comments here.

Twins Winter Caravan

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2011 – The Handbook is now available for pre-order, so if you are interested in a copy (or copies) of the book, scroll down this page for details on the handbook and on how you can pre-order. Pre-order available through Friday. Also, I will be on The Jack Michaels Show this morning about 10:05 to talk Twins. Those of you in the Bismarck area can catch it on ESPN 710. Those in other areas of the country can click here to listen live.

Have you ever been to one of the Twins offseason events? The weather is frigid. Allegedly, here in northern Minnesota, the temperature when I wake up in the morning is going to be around 30 degrees below zero with a wind chill factor of 50 below. Seemingly the Twins send out their representatives into areas all around the Upper Midwest right during the winter’s most frigid, cold conditions. However, they get great turnouts because, frankly, Minnesotans are ready for baseball talk. Spring Training is now less than a month away. The Twins roster is pretty well set. Twins fans of all types are ready to talk baseball. Those of you that read blogs like this one know all the moves that have been made, but many fans don’t follow it quite that closely. In fact, many Twins probably didn’t know that JJ Hardy had been traded, or that the Twins let Orlando Hudson go. I’m sure everyone with any interest in the Twins knew about the signing of Tsuyoshi Nishioka and the re-signing of Jim Thome, but many fans just literally watch the games and go on with their lives. (part of me misses that! Not really!)

But the Twins Caravan goes all over the Upper Midwest and visits schools and nursing homes, hospitals and car dealerships, and at night, they go to major events bringing hundreds of fans out. Last night, I went to Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls, MN. First of all, what an incredible arena for high school hockey. When my daughter and I walked in, we watched a little of the Thief River Falls Prowlers high school hockey practice. Soon, we realized that Jeff Manship and Drew Butera were participating in the practice. I guess I should clarify; Drew Butera was participating. Manship was trying not to fall down. After a while, the team was all in a circle, and Butera gave a nice pep talk to the team, in part, thanking them for letting them play a bit. Now, I was a little bit slow, but knowing the event was supposed to start at 6:00 and not a lot of people were in the arena. Well, Engelstad has a huge conference room in the basement that fit the 500+ people that were there.

Let me side track just slightly here. I brought my 4 ½ year old daughter, Jozie, with me to this event. She loves the Twins. At times, I suppose I should feel bad. The poor girl has no chance. I mean, as she was turning four, in May, she knew the Twins lineup. I would say, “Joe” and she would shout, “Mauuuuerrrr!” I would say, “Justin” and should would say “Morneau.” I would say “Michaelllllllllll” and she says, “Cuddya!” I say, “Denard?” and she says, while raising her eyebrows up and down, “Span Man.”  Thome, Young, Kubel. Slllooooowweeeyyyyy.  We’re now working on Nishioka. At one point, my sister just shook her head and said, “Wow… maybe next on your list of things to do should be Letter Recognition, or Addition?” Of course, her favorite of all remains TC Bear.

So anyway, the two of us got there and guess what they had for their pre-caravan meal? You bet! They had nachos! And yes, I stuffed my face!

We sat down in the third row, sitting in front of the big TV screen. A bit later, TC Bear came in and started taking pictures with kids. Jozie wanted to go to him. She was talking all big and brave, and even noting how other kids were being scared of TC, probably because they don’t know him as well as she does. But when we got to the front of the line, and it was her turn… she clung to me, and we had to get our picture taking with TC together… which was fine.

Anyway, the show began with Kris Atteberry as host. He thanked everyone for coming out before announcing to the crowd that minutes before, the Twins had signed Carl Pavano for the next two years.

Aside – Pavano signed for two years and $16.5 million. Starting last June, when Pavano was working wonders for the Twins, discussions first started about an extension. I remember saying that I would offer Pavano two years and $18 million at that time and if he took it, great, it would be a fair deal. If he didn’t, let him go. Well, I said all offseason that I would rather have the draft picks than give Pavano a three year deal or too many dollars. So, in the end, when the Twins got him for two years and $16.5 million, I was clearly just fine with it.

The news got a large ovation from the crowd. He then introduced the Twins contingent; Jeff Manship, Drew Butera, Joe Vavra and Ron Gardenhire. He asked each a couple of questions before the crowd was able to ask questions. I have to say, when you see Gardy in this type of setting, you realize how perfect he is for that type of environment. He knows how to work the crowd. The man is hilarious. It is easy to see why he gets so much out of his players and why the players want to play for him. It’s easy to understand why Jim Thome wanted to sign with the Twins and why he took less to stay. It’s easy to see why Pavano wanted to come back. It’s all about Ron Gardenhire. As Joe Vavra said, “Gardy’s personality is infectagious.”

Atteberry announced that there would be just five more questions. Jozie raised her hand. Atteberry came over and said, “Young lady, what is your question?” I didn’t know what she was going to ask, or what would come out. With the microphone is in her face, she said, “I want to play with TC Bear.” Good question.

The Twins that were there signed several items and prize winners were drawn. After TC took a prize to a winner way in the back of the room, he came back to the front, but on the way, he gave Jozie a really big hug which made her smile and laugh and the look on her face was priceless. That alone made her night.

Following the program, the Twins contingent went to the back of the room where they signed autographs and took pictures with the people. As you know, Jeff Manship has been a participant in the SethSpeaks.net NFL “Expert” Pick panel for at least the last four years. He is a terrific guy. He and Drew Butera were willing to take this picture with Jozie (which from the response I’ve heard on Facebook and Twitter, primarily from the female population, is a pretty good picture?).

Jeff Manship, Jozie, Drew Butera

Again, the Twins Winter Caravan is wonderful on several levels. First, it’s an opportunity for people to meet and see first-hand the players and the manager and coaches that they see on FSN throughout the year. They get to see personalities and hear stories and jokes. They get to shake their hands in the autograph lines. They get to think about baseball even when temperatures are hovering around ten below zero. It’s a way to know that the season is close. The caravan will be traveling around the Upper Midwest next week as well leading up to Twins Fest weekend. There are a lot of reasons to be excited and optimistic about the Twins 2011 season and these types of events really help people get there!

So, thank you to the Twins that were in Thief River Falls and made the event a lot of fun.

Have you been to a caravan event yet? Will you? What are your thoughts and stories? If you have any questions or comments or want to share one of your experiences, please feel free to e-mail me or leave your comments here.

Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011 (Pre-Order Now)

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Before I discuss the book, two quick notes:

• I’ll be on the Nine to Noon Show with Paul Allen on KFAN and KFAN.com. Lots of Twins topics to discuss.
• Congratulations to Dan Hammer who will be returning to TV to become the Sports Director for Valley News Live in Fargo. I appreciate him having me as a guest frequently on The Dan Hammer Show on 740 The Fan, and wish him success in this transition.

Following the 2008 season, a reader of this site sent me an e-mail saying I needed to do something in the offseason, something to make writing so much for free throughout the regular season worthwhile. It was an interesting thought, but what could I do? The area of Twins baseball that I enjoy following the most because of its uncertain, non-scientific nature is the minor league system. I already researched players for my bi-annual Top 50 Prospect Lists and really enjoyed that. How difficult could it be to research another bunch of Twins prospects. And then I realized out loud that there are over 150 minor leaguers in the system at any one time. And that if you want a decent prospect book, it can’t contain just stats that anyone can find online. I read stats. I read box scores every day. But with minor leaguers, stats are a small part of the story. It’s about projection, and it’s about scouting reports as well. It’s about hearing stories. It’s about hearing from a variety of people in and around the organization and elsewhere.

In November of 2008, I made the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 available through LuLu.com. It was fun to put together. It was almost 90 pages. It was fun to do pre-orders and be able to sign a bunch of copies and mail them out. The book was solid, but it was just a starting point.

Last year, mlb.com’s Jonathan Mayo and I worked together to improve the first edition. We put together Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2010. There was a colored cover, and even pictures inside. There were a few stories and more lists, and it was a book that I was incredibly proud of. Sales, on the other hand, actually decreased despite the fact that it was such a better product. The profiles were much more detailed and clean. It was a book that I thought was terrific. We were closer to 120 pages and all made sense.

This year, I set out to create another prospect handbook on my own again. I set out to make a bigger and better book. Well, within a very short time, a bigger Twins prospect handbook will be available. I will let you determine if it is better.

Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011

As of now, I will begin accepting pre-orders for the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011. The price for the (bigger!) 167 page book will be set at $13.95 (same as last year). Before getting to the Pre-Order process, let me give you the bullet point version of what you can expect to find inside the book’s pages.

• First of all, a huge thank you to Brian Henricksen who took a lot of pictures in New Britain the last few years and created what I believe to be a very cool cover for this year’s book. See it on the right, let me know what you think.
• An article on the Rochester Red Wings by Josh Whetzel, their radio and TV play-by-play guy since 2003.
• An article on New Britain Stadium by Jeff Dooley, the team’s Direct of Broadcasting and their play-by-play guy on the radio.
• An article on the Ft. Myers Miracle by their play-by-play broadcaster Alex Margulies.
• An article on the Beloit Snappers by Jeff Vohs, the team’s General Manager.
• Over 160 profiles of Twins minor leaguers including my choices for the Top 5 Prospects in the Dominican Summer League.
  • From Top Prospect Kyle Gibson to Roy Larson, a University of St. Thomas grad signed by the Twins after the season.
  • From Brett Jacobson (acquired in the JJ Hardy trade) to Rule 5 pick Scott Diamond.
• Q&A with Danny Valencia: Major Leaguer – an interview with Valencia after his rookie season came to an end.
• Interviews with Minor League Player of the Year, Joe Benson, and Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Kyle Gibson.
• Stories from the 2010 Draft – article on the Twins draft and what stories on five of the players that the Twins selected.
• Nate Hanson: Minnesota’s Own – I wrote an article Chaska native and former Gopher Nate Hanson who had a nice breakout season in Ft. Myers in 2010.
• Winning vs Development – an essay by Twins Minor League Weekly co-host Travis Aune (Travis Twins Talk).
• In the Right Direction – by Josh Johnson (Josh’s Thoughts) – an article on the progress made in 2011 by Twins 1B prospect Chris Parmelee.
• Lists and Rankings – includes Top 10 lists from many of your favorite Twins minor league bloggers and other experts.
  • Includes my Top 30 Prospects for 2011, and looks back and my Top 30s from the past 5 years.  

Obviously the meat and potatoes are the key to the entire book. I’ve been following the Twins minor leagues for the last six or seven years. Over the past years, I’ve been fortunate to gain several contacts which has really helped fuel my interest in minor league baseball and the Twins system. The fact is that when the Twins had a $65 million payroll, they built from within with a strong farm system. Even now, with a $115 million payroll, that philosophy doesn’t, and shouldn’t, change. We are seeing that now, as the Twins have lost five free agent relief pitchers and seem content to trust the arms that have developed in their minor league system or other younger players they have received in trades.

I like to consider this a Must-Have for a Twins fan. I envision it sitting on your coffee tables, so any time that the radio or TV announcers mention a Twins minor leaguer, you can learn more about them. Impress your friends and family with your incredible knowledge of the players throughout the Twins system. Will all 160 prospects get to the big leagues? Of course not, but I believe that they all deserve to be recognized. As I’ve included in all three Prospect Handbooks:

Minor league baseball players are doing all the same work that the big leaguers do. They are just doing it with far less fanfare, smaller per diems, less luxurious travel and hotel arrangements, and noticeably lighter wallets due to pay checks with far fewer zeroes. These players deserve to be recognized too!

If you are interested in ordering your copy(ies) of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2011, I will be taking pre-orders through Friday night. (The pre-orders will be available for US mailing addresses only. I learned last year how much international shipping can be, and you’ll find that you can get it for a better overall price through the site when it is available.)

• PAYPAL – If you have a Paypal account, the best way to preorder the book is to go to Paypal.com and “Send Money” to my e-mail address (sethspeaksnet@hotmail.com). Please send $14.95 to help pay a portion of the shipping cost.
• If you do not have a Paypal account, please e-mail me and we can discuss options.  

I want to make ordering it as easy as possible. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me or leave your comments here.

Arbitrary Thoughts

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

On Sunday, the Twins avoided arbitration with infielder Alexi Casilla by agreeing to a 2011 contract worth $865,000. Assuming that Casilla can remain the Twins starter at shortstop or second base throughout the season, it is a great contract. In the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook, we projected that he would sign for about $800,000.

By tomorrow, the Twins will be working with the agents of five more Twins players who are arbitration-eligible. If you recall last year, all of the Twins arbitration-eligible players agreed to deals with the Twins before numbers needed to be officially exchanged. I would anticipate that a few of the five remaining players could come to an agreement, but I also think that it is likely we will see some numbers exchanged. Here are the players:

Glen Perkins – This one ought to be interesting. He made about $430,000 when he was in the big leagues in 2010, which wasn’t too much. No one knows how big of a factor the past issues between the Twins and Perkins’ camp will play into this. TwinsCentric projected that he’ll make $800,000 in arbitration. I’d like to think it’ll be closer to $600,000. This is why I think that we may find out. Seth Guess: $700,000.

Kevin Slowey – After making $470,000 in 2010, Slowey is eligible for arbitration for the first time. He has the win-loss record. He’s got league-average ERA. He doesn’t walk people. Good strikeout rate. TwinsCentric’s $2.75 million seems a little bit high, but that’s what guys of this ilk make. I’d like to see it closer to $2.25 million. Seth’s Guess: $2.4 million.

Francisco Liriano – In his first arbitration year last year, he made $1.6 million coming off of a couple of bad seasons. Now he’s coming off of a terrific season. I mentioned that I thought a four year, $40 million deal would be market value, and I’m sure they will have some discussions. But that wouldn’t happen until spring training begins, so for now it’ll be about putting a 2011 deal in place. TwinsCentric projects $4.5 million, and I fear that may be a little bit low. Seth’s Guess: $4.5 million, and negotiate later.

Delmon Young – Young finally had a season that many hoped he might have, although it still produced just an .826 OPS. That said, .298 with 21 homers and 112 RBI will look good to arbiters. TwinsCentric projects $5.25 million, and although I think that’s a reasonable amount, I’d fear it could be higher. Seth’s Guess: $6.2 million.

Matt Capps – Capps was non-tendered a year ago by the Pirates and signed for $3.5 million by the Nationals, and as you of course know, came to the Twins at the July deadline. In his final year of arbitration-eligiblity, the comps for him are all over the place. He has the big save number from 2010, but if arbitration is based on two years, he was bad in 2009. TwinsCentric projected $7.5 million. I HOPE it is lower than that, but we shall see. Seth’s Guess: $6.25 million.

What do you think about it? Feel free to e-mail me or leave your comments here.