Guest Blogger: Jeremy Nygaard (2011 Twins Draft Thoughts)

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

If ever anyone would like to write something up for me to post on my site, Tonight, Long-time reader Jeremy Nygaard let me use an article that he wrote that he is not able to use. It’s tremendous information for those of you interested in draft coverage. So, thank you to Jeremy, and Enjoy!

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ManCenter.com’s 2011 Draft Preview – Minnesota Twins

(ManCenter.com – making its world-wide debut 8/1/11)

By Jeremy Nygaard

The Twins own draft pick #30 in the first round and picks #50 and #55 in the sandwich round.

This will be scouting director Deron Johnson’s 4^th draft since taking it over in 2008.  Since that time there has been a definite pattern that the Twins have followed when making their early selections:  Most prominently, college pitchers who command their pitches and secondly, athletic hitters that project to have many tools.  Generally, the guys they’ve taken have been considered very “signable” and the team has often been quick to come to terms with their picks and get them into the minor league system. 

The one notable exception is SP Kyle Gibson, who was projected to be a top-10 pick before coming down with a forearm injury.  Gibson signed at the deadline for a bonus above slot… a rarity for Twins draft picks. 

A quick look at Johnson’s top 3 picks each year since taking over the draft:

2008: Aaron Hicks, OF, 14^th overall pick who signed for $1.78m (slot: $1.78m).  Many teams liked Hicks as a pitcher, but the Twins were convinced his other tools (especially his power as a switch-hitter) would play.  Some consider him to be the Twins best prospect.

2008: Carlos Gutierrez, P, 27^th overall pick who signed for $1.29m (slot: $1.29m).  A surprise selection who is best known for his sinking fastball.  He has moved between the rotation and bullpen, but projects best a power set-up man.

2008: Shooter Hunt, P, 31^st overall pick who signed for $1.08m (slot: $1.08m).  An outlier to pattern.  The knock on Hunt in college was his lack of command.  It has shown while a pro as Hunt has had a hard time throwing it over the plate and, from all indications, has faded as a prospect.

2009: Kyle Gibson, P, 22^nd overall pick who signed for $1.85m (slot: $1.287m).  Gibson signed for top-10 money in the last hour before the deadline and the Twins couldn’t be happier.  Easily considered the best pitching prospect in the system, Gibson is poised to join the starting rotation soon.

2009: Matt Bashore, LHP, 46^th overall pick who signed for $751,500 (slot: $751,500).  Bashore drew comparisons to current Twin Glen Perkins after he was drafted out of Indiana.  Shortly after signing in 2009, Bashore was shut down to have his elbow cleaned up and then had Tommy John surgery causing him to miss all of 2010.

2009: Billy Bullock, P, 70^th overall pick who signed for $522,000 (slot: $522,000).  Bullock was one of the few “power”

arms in the system before being traded in a questionable deal to the Braves to keep the rights to P Scott Diamond.  Since the trade though (and even before), Bullock has struggled with his control.

2010: Alex Wimmers, P, 21^st overall pick who signed for $1.332m (slot: $1.332).  Wimmers was touted as a strike-throwing-middle-of-the-rotation-pitcher who would move quickly through the system and slide in nicely somewhere behind Kyle Gibson.  Wimmers, however, has yet to record an out this year and has turned from near-sure-thing into the biggest question-mark in the organization.

2010: Niko Goodrum, ATH, 71^st overall pick who signed for $514,800 (slot: $514,800).  Goodrum profiles almost as a

rawer version of Aaron Hicks.  Although, it’s clear that Hicks’s future is in CF or RF, the jury is still out on Goodrum.  It is most likely that Goodrum will get much bigger and end up at 3B or possibly an OF corner.

2010: Pat Dean, LHP, 102^nd overall pick who signed for $319,500 (slot: $319,500).  It should come as no surprise that the Twins popped a college pitcher whose comp is Glen Perkins.  He commands a four-pitch mix and has polish.

What does that mean for this year?

Well, the baseball draft is harder to project than any other major league draft, but given the Twins history, I’m going to give you ten names that I believe may end up drafted by the Twins.

In an order based on both probability and personal preference:

Tyler Anderson, LHP, Oregon; The Twins liked Anderson coming out of HS in 2008 and drafted him in the 50^th round.  It would be hard to believe that they aren’t interested again.  Anderson fits the Twins mold as a pitcher with great command and a great feel for pitching.  (Could be a Twin if… he’s still on the board and the Twins want to continue their run of college pitchers in Round 1.)

Brandon Nimmo, OF, Wyoming HS; Nimmo’s high school doesn’t have baseball, so the fact that he’s getting first round mentions is quite an achievement.  He’s committed to Arkansas, and he’s been dealing with nagging injuries, so there is some belief he might be a tough-sign. (Could be a Twin if… they are looking to add an athlete – think taller version of Joe Benson – to the stable.  The lack of willingness to go over-slot could prevent this from happening.)

Trevor Story, SS, Texas HS; Everybody is aware how the middle-infield cupboard is brutally empty.  Story projects as a HS SS that can stick and is considered signable if he goes in the first round.  (Could be a Twin if… they deviate from what they’ve done in the past and draft for need. The last HS SS the Twins drafted in the first round – Trevor Plouffe – hasn’t worked out as well as hoped.)

Kolten Wong, 2B, Hawaii; Another player with a Twins connection. Wong was drafted by them in the 16^th round in 2008.  Ultimately, Wong went the college route and has improved his status as a prospect.  Wong plays solid defense at 2B and is an above-average hitter despite his (lack of) size.  He’s been compared to players from Dustin Pedroia to Chone Figgins.  (Could be a Twin if… he’s still on the board and the Twins don’t want to continue their run of college pitchers in Round 1.  I’ve heard the Rays like Wong and they have all sorts of picks.)

Jackie Bradley, OF, South Carolina; Bradley was considered one of the top college hitters coming into this year but a wrist injury has him dropping quickly down draft boards.  Bradley has all the tools and fits the profile the Twins seek in a hitter. (Could be a Twin if… he falls out of the first round and into the sandwich round.  I don’t believe the Twins take him at #30, but he would be a steal – even though they’d have to pay overslot – at #50.)

Brian Goodwin, OF, Miami-Dade JC; Goodwin is draft-eligible a year earlier than expected after being kicked off the UNC baseball team.  That should be enough to turn some teams off, but he has the raw tools the Twins look for and is a possibility because of it. (Could be a Twin if… he takes a drop into the #50s.  He has leverage in that he could go through the draft process two more times if he elects to not sign.)

Sean Gilmartin, LHP, Florida State; A guy that knows how to pitch and is considered a safe pick and easy sign.  (Of course, Wimmers was a “safe” pick and how did that turn out?) . (Could be a Twin if… they want him.  He makes sense at any of their top three choices, especially the sandwich round.)

Johnny Eierman, OF, Missouri HS; Another guy who profiles like someone the Twins would like.  Speed may be his only tool that really stands out, but he’s a good athlete with a high-ceiling.  (Could be a Twin if… they feel like they can go over slot in the sandwich round and sign a guy that is very projectable.)

Gabriel Rosa, OF, Puerto Rico HS; The Twins have drafted the top-rated hitter out of Puerto Rico in the last three drafts (Angel Morales, Danny Ortiz and Eddie Rosario), so there is no reason to believe it won’t happen again. Rosa doesn’t project to have the tools or ceiling of the other three, but could be a fit in LF. (Could be a Twin if… They feel like continuing their trend in Round 4.)

Blake Swihart, C, New Mexico HS; Swihart is the highest-profile prospect on this list and compares similarly to Royals prospect Wil Myers, who was moved from C to the OF this year, and was a tough sign in 2009.  Myers slid to the 3^rd round and got a $2m signing bonus. (Could be a Twin if… he drops and the talent-starved organization wants to pony up for a very talented prospect.)

 

The Ideal Draft:

The Twins need to fill holes in the middle of the infield, add quality arms and high-ceiling athletes.  If the Twins could get Story or Wong at #30 and pay them slot, that would be a great way to start the draft.  It would get even better if they were able to add Gilmartin in the sandwich round along with an athlete like Eierman or Goodwin.  If Swihart were still on the board at #50 (which he shouldn’t be), the Twins need to nab him and add their athletic OF (Rosa) in Round 4.  Expect the Twins to add a defensive catcher somewhere in the top 10 rounds and don’t be surprised if the Twins re-draft unsigned 2008 11^th rounder Ronnie Richardson, an OF from Central Florida, who they felt could play SS.  Richardson could be a Ben Revere-type catalyst.  As always, the Twins will protect their backyard with a handful of local guys (U of MN P T.J. Oakes and Kansas OF Jason Brunansky, son of former Twin and AA hitting coach Tom Brunansky, are a couple of possibilities.)

Feel free to add your thoughts or Comments here.

Follow Jeremy on Twitter @jeremynygaard

Questions or comments, email jeremynygaard@mancenter.com

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Tuesday Minor League Scoreboard –

Beloit 11, Dayton 10 – With two outs in the top of the 9^th, Lance Ray was called upon to pinch hit for Andy Leer with the Snappers trailing 10-7. The bases were loaded and Ray drilled a grand slam that gave the Snappers the 11-10 lead that they would hang on to. Pat Dean started and gave up five runs on 11 hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out six. Blayne Weller then gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Ben Tootle went the next two innings and gave up two runs on one hit and two walks. Clinton Dempster came in with the lead and threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9^th for his third save. Daniel Santana went 3-4 with a walk and his fourth home run. Danny Ortiz hit his 17^th and 18^th doubles in five at bats. Michael Gonzales went 2-5 with his fifth doubles and drove in five runs. Wang-Wei Lin went 1-2 with two walks.

Ft. Myers lost to Lakeland 13-2. Matt Schuld started and gave up six runs on nine hits and four walks in three innings. Brad Tippett gave up four runs (3 earned) on six hits and two walk in two innings. Shooter Hunt got one out, but he gave up three runs on one hit and five walks. Matt Tone struck out two over the next 1.2 innings. Dakota Watts returned from the Disabled List and pitched a scoreless eighth. Anderson Hidalgo and Danny Rams were each 2-4 with a double. Jhonatan Goncalves went 1-2 with two walks and his fourth stolen base.

New Britain swept a double-header against Portland. In the first game, they won 2-0. Steve Singleton went 2-2. Michael Holliman went 2-3 with an RBI. Evan Bigley was 1-3 with his 12^th double and an RBI. Brett Jacobson started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up two hits and walked three. Santos Arias got two outs and issued a walk and a hit, but Tyler Robertson got the final four outs to record his sixth save.

In the second game, the Rock Cats won 5-3. Blake Martin, just promoted from Ft. Myers, made the start. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits and three walks in 2.1 innings. Tony Davis went the next 3.2 innings and gave up just one hit for the win. Mike Tarsi gave up a run on a hit and two walks but got through the seventh for the save. Joe Benson was 3-4 with his 15^th and 16^th double. Deibinson Romero was 2-3. Michael Holliman hit his fifth home run.

Rochester lost to Toledo 5-0. Andy Baldwin went seven innings and gave up five runs (3 earned). He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out three. Three of the hits were home runs. Kyle Waldrop and Jake Stevens each threw a scoreless inning. Aaron Bates went 3-3. Toby Gardenhire went 2-3 and is now hitting .284.

Recent Promotions (I mention these on Twitter on Tuesday morning): Cole DeVries to Rochester. Bruce Pugh and Blake Martin to New Britain. Derek McCallum and Matt Hauser to New Britain. Hyeong-rok Choi and Nelvin Fuentes promoted to Beloit. Jair Fernandez taken off the DL and playing for New Britain.

Any thoughts? Please comment here.

Thougths on the Killebrew Tribute

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Watching the Tribute to Harmon Killebrew on FSN tonight was one of the most emotional things I have watched on TV since, well, probably since the Kirby Puckett Tribute five years ago. Either that of the series finale of Friends… or Beverly Hills 90210, I guess.

In all seriousness, though, the ceremony was incredibly well put together. I mean, when it comes to respecting their history in Minnesota, the Twins organization does it absolutely right! I think it’s great that the team continues to bring back players from its past whether it is a hall of famer like Rod Carew, or a short term guy like Brian Raabe. I thought it was incredible that the Commissioner Bud Selig was there and the legendary Henry Aaron was there as well.

If there was one disappointing thing for me, it was that more of the current Twins were not there, especially the manager, Ron Gardenhire. I found it fitting that Michael Cuddyer read his FSNorth blog article on Killebrew, and Justin Morneau did a very good job of speaking as well. It was pretty cool when they showed a video of Killebrew’s 520 foot home run, and then zoomed out to the one bleacher seat that is 520 feet from home plate, and there was Jim Thome holding at 1962 Killebrew game-worn jersey. As you know, I’m not a Matt Tolbert guy, but I may be now because he at least showed up. It was fun to see the video tributes from the likes of Torii Hunter, Charlie Manuel, Dave Winfield and others. Jim Kaat spoke so well, and with such amazing detail. I could listen to him talk all day long. Rod Carew was exceptional and brought about so much emotion. Paul Molitor spoke for himself but also for the organization.

When Mudcat Grant sang “What a Wonderful World” my eyes were sweating like crazy. I needed a tissue because they were just sweating down my cheeks.

When Nita Killebrew got up to speak, it was an incredible moment. How she got through that incredibly touching speech, I have no idea. Her words were so powerful, full of pride for their family, sharing stories. He strength in that moment was amazing. Her words were inspiring. And even then, she asked people to think about what they can do for others. She encouraged people to Stand Up 2 Cancer. The FSN cameras scanned the crowd and constantly found people with eyes welling up with tears. Jim Thome was shown wiping the tears from his cheeks too. Most of the former players were. It’s hard for me to imagine how anyone would have maintained a dry eye.

“Harmon’s body is at rest in his hometown of Payette. His soul is at peace in that big ballpark in the sky, but his heart will always be right here in Minnesota, with you.” – Nita Killebrew

The amazing grace of Harmon and Nita Killebrew in his final days is remarkable. Even when they could have sulked and felt sorry for themselves, they thought of others and how they can help people. I wish I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Killebrew while he was alive. Kirby Puckett will always be my hero. Harmon Killebrew is a legend. As Falco said on The Replacements, “Legends never die.”

I wish I had better words for how amazing the evening was to watch unfold. I wish I could remember more of the quotes. It certainly was a night I’ll never forget. The Twins truly are a classy organization and it is at times like this that I am even more proud to be a Twins fan.

Any thoughts/comments?

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Minor League Report

First, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly for updates on all four Twins affiliates.

Rochester lost 3-2 to Lehigh Valley. Duluth native Andy Baldwin started and gave up three runs on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out five. Chuck James and Carlos Gutierrez each threw a scoreless inning. Ben Revere, Brian Dinkelman and Matt Brown were each 2-4. Brown hit his seventh double. Rene Tosoni hit his eighth double.

The New Britain Rock Cats beat Binghamton by a score of 7-3. Mark Dolenc went 2-4 with his fifth double, first home run and three RBI. Joe Benson was 2-3 with a walk and his second triple. Brett Jacobson gave up two runs on four this and four walks in four innings. Tyler Robertson threw three scoreless innings and gave up three hits and two walks. Cole DeVries gave up one run (on a solo home run) in two innings.

Ft. Myers lost 5-0 to Clearwater. Brian Dozier was 2-4 and had two of the team’s three hits. Edgar Ibarra started and threw 5.2 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked three and struckout three. Matt Tone gave up three runs on six this and a walk in 2.1 innings. Brad Tippett gave up two runs on three hits in his inning.

The Beloit Snappers lost for the ninth straight game. They lost 2-0 to division leading Burlington, who now lead the Snappers by 12 games. AJ Achter pitched well in his Midwest League debut. He threw three innings of one-hit ball. He walked one and struck out five. Andrei Lobanov gave up two runs on five hits in three innings. Jose Gonzalez threw two scoreless innings, followed by a scoreless inning from Matt Hauser.

Nine Innings with Seth

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

It’s been awhile, but I think it is time for a new Nine Innings with Seth. Here are nine topics or subjects that are at least a little different. As with a regular ball game, there are some quick innings, and other innings tend to drag on a little bit! Hopefully there is plenty of information here today that you will enjoy.

1^st Inning – Radio Time

As has now become a regular time slot, I will be on The Paul Allen Show on KFAN this morning at 10:20 to talk about the Twins.

2^nd Inning – All About Joe

I suppose that the title for this inning is not quite right. No one knows all about Joe Mauer. Maybe not even Joe Mauer. But everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants an update. Finally today, there is an update. On Tuesday, Joe Mauer went 0-1 with a walk in his first game action. He was the designated hitter for the Extended Spring Training team. He took a five-pitch walk. He also reached on an error after a nine-pitch at bat. He had to slide into 2^nd and 3^rd bases and scored a run. Of course, following the game, Mauer declined comment and would not give any time table.

As fellow TwinsCentric blogger Nick Nelson tweeted on Monday, Mauer has a sore shoulder and will not throw for a week to ten days. Hopefully that is the time that he is able to start catching some innings.

However, it is a positive sign that he is able to play, even just as a designated hitter. It is a start.

3^rd  Inning – Signing for North Minneapolis

The Twins announced on Wednesday that several of their players will be signing autographs outside of Gate 29 on Target Plaza. For $10, fans can get one autograph with any of the players participating. Proceeds will go to the Red Cross for its relief efforts for tornado victims in North Minneapolis.

4^th  Inning – The Slowey Situation

I am really struggling with this Kevin Slowey situation. Obviously I am not in the clubhouse every day like many, but I have never heard anyone say anything negative about Kevin Slowey. In fact, in my opinion, he is a terrific guy. We first made contact late in 2005 after he signed with the Twins and finished his season in Beloit. He has done several Q&As, and he continues to participate in my NFL “Expert” Picks each year. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about him. In fact, there are many great things to say about him. I remember talking to him at Twins Fest several years ago when a little kid came to him and asked him what his season highlight was. Slowey responded by saying that it was pitching the gold medal game against Cuba in Havana during an international comopetition. Then, he asked the boy what his favorite highlight of his season was. I was impressed. So when I hear reports of the Twins saying negative things about him, I can’t help but wonder aloud. When I hear Bert Blyleven and Dick Bremer bashing and questioning Slowey, it certainly makes me wonder.

Slowey is incredibly smart and speaks several languages “well enough.” I have heard it from a couple of sources that Gardy and the coaches don’t necessarily like smart players. See Craig Breslow and Brendan Harris for a couple more examples. Is Slowey an ace? No. Would it be nice if he was able to just take the role (bullpen) that he is being asked to fill? Of course. But I think the level of disdain and disappointing the is spewing out of the coaching staff and the media is far overboard. Even if everything they say is true, why are they letting it become public? There would be several teams interested in Slowey today if the Twins made him available.

To be fair, if Slowey is healthy and just asking out of the bullpen role, that would be disappointing. At the end of the day, the Twins are paying him well to pitch in whatever role they ask. And if he wants to get back into the starting rotation, the best way to do that is to pitch well in his given role, the bullpen. However, he was put on the disabled list yesterday with an abdominal strain. Even that can’t be an easy situation as Slowey says it is an ‘acute’ abdominal strain, while the Twins trainer says t is ‘mild.”

5^th Inning – From Goat to Hero

Kris Humphries is probably the single reason that I don’t really watch Gophers (or any college) basketball anymore. Watching that ‘team’ play during his one season  in the Maroon and Gold was awful. The offense was Throw it to Humphries and see what he can do. That was it. I have never seen more individual, selfish play in my life. And now, news came out yesterday that he proposed to Kim Kardashian and she said yes. So now, Kris Humphries is my hero.

6^th Inning – Minor League Game Notes

Rochester did not have a game scheduled on Wednesday.

New Britain 4, Binghamton 3 – Mark Dolenc led the Rock Cat bats. He went 4-4 with his fourth double. Yangervis Solarte went 2-4 with his third home run. Steve Singleton and Joe Benson each had two hits. Bobby Lanigan started and gave up three runs on five hits. In six innings, he walked two and struck out three. Mike Tarsi struck out two in two scoreless innings.

Ft. Myers 1, Tampa 12 – It was a rough one for starter Kane Holbrooks. In 3.1 innings, he gave up 11 runs on 14 hits and two walks. Shooter Hunt came in and gave up one run on two hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. He struck out two. Jhon Garcia went two scoreless innings and struck out four. Note that Aaron Hicks was not in the lineup. He’s been playing very well of late. On Tuesday night, he was caught between third and home and dove into 3^rd base and came away from there holding his hand. The extent of the injury is not known at this time. It could be a short-term thing, or (hopefully not!) it could be longer. I’ll try to get more information.

Beloit 4, Burlington 5 – Pat Dean started on his 22^nd birthday. He went 5.2 innings and gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and two walks. Blayne Weller went the next two innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked none and struck out three. Michael Tonkin, Jason Kubel’s brother, got the final four outs.

7^th Inning – Viewing Party

Last year, TwinsCentric hosted several events where Twins fans could get together, watch a ball game and talk about our favorite team. Details are still being finalized, but keep Friday, June 3^rd in mind as we will be co-hosting a Twins Viewing Party with KFAN’s Intern-Gal Lindsay that night. As of now, the location is still pending, but we will get any updated information to you as soon as things are finalized. John Bonnes (The Twins Geek), Parker Hageman (Over The Baggy), Nick Nelson (Nick’s Twins Blog) and myself will be there, and I’m certain many of your other favorite Twins bloggers will be as well. So again, keep the date open.

8^th Inning – Harmon Killebrew

The governor of Minnesota has designated today Harmon Killebrew Day. The Twins will celebrate the life and times of Killer in a tribute ceremony at Target Field tonight which will be telecast. I wish I could make it there as I’m certain it will be an emotional night. Again, Killebrew played his final big league games the year that I was born, so I never got to watch him play. But I have been overwhelmed by the stories of the type of person that he was. Again, I want to be like Harmon is a theme that hopefully I can carry with me as a blogger and as a person. His work off the field and the stories by so many Twins fans and players has almost overshadowed what an incredible baseball player that he was. If you are able to make it to the event, or want to continue talking about Killebrew, that is always fine!

9^th Inning – Twins Links

• Aaron Gleeman continued his series of the Top 40 Twins Players with his choice for #17. He was long the best catcher in Twins history, until recent years, of course.
• Twinkie Town’s Adam Peterson asks, “Why is this the worst pitching staff in baseball?”
• Former Twins RHP Rob Delaney was DFAd by the Rays yesterday. Should the Twins consider bringing him back? (I say absolutely yes)
• Nick Nelson rehashes what he thought was The Wrong Call, using Brian Duensing as a starter instead of out of the bullpen.
• John Bonnes discusses Kevin Slowey as well.
• The Nodak Twins Fan reviews the ABC’s of Losing, something Twins fans hadn’t had to worry about in a long time.
• Check out a new Twins blog called Hail Chip Hale
• The Bat Shatters asked, “What’s with all the Over-Analyzing?”
• K-Bro discusses the flight from Rochester to Minneapolis that the Twins travel department has had to schedule many times already this season, and more.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading! As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

Nick (Blackburn) Goes Nine

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

• Be sure to listen to last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast. The 45 minute show included a discussion with Jeff Vohs, the General Manager of the Beloit Snappers. And then we had two phone calls with some interesting Twins discussion. Please listen and provide any feedback you’d like.

Yesterday, I wrote about the Twins bullpen struggles. Ron Gardenhire said before the game that his two top relievers, Matt Capps and Joe Nathan, would not be available to pitch on Tuesday night. In the ninth inning, Alex Burnett and Dusty Hughes were the two guys warming up.

Thankfully, Nick Blackburn came through with arguably the best start of the Twins season. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out six. Most important, he threw nine innings. It took him 127 pitches, but he saves the bullpen, and he gave the Twins a win.

Blackburn has certainly been a controversial Twins pitchers in the eyes of many fans and bloggers. He is the definition of a pitch-to-contact pitcher. Although his walk-rate is higher this year, he has always been a very good control pitcher. His strikeout rate is alarmingly low. Because of those two things, he is going to give up some hits, but he also keeps the ball in the ballpark (1.2 career HR/9) very well. Although his stuff is far from electrifying, when he is pitching well, he gets just enough movement to make batters unable to make solid contact.

Blackburn’s margin for error on pitches is not great. However, if you look at his ERAs from month to month throughout his three full years in the big leagues, you can see that he has been above average most months. Of the 20 months he has been in the league, he has posted an ERA at 4.02 or better 12 times. Unfortunately, when he doesn’t hit that number, his ERA has been at or above 5.14 the other eight times. Again, because of the lack of strikeouts, there will be times that he will give up a lot of hits. His numbers in June and July of 2010 were terrible and the Twins actually sent him down to Rochester to work on things. Those were two months that were very hard to watch because he wasn’t just giving up hits, he was giving up some rockets all over the field.

He did have some surgery after the 2010 season on his elbow, so hopefully he is and will be healthy throughout the 2011 season.  

	2008	2009	2010	2011
Mar/Apr	3.52	4.02	6.85	5.14
May	3.24	3.08	2.65	1.63
June	2.45	6.32	10.17
July	2.45	6.32	9.87
Aug	4.00	5.70	1.72
Sept/Oct	5.64	3.41	3.70
Season ERA	4.05	4.03	5.42	3.40
ERA+	103	109	77	1.14
WHIP	1.36	1.37	1.45	1.40
Season K/9	4.5	4.3	3.8	4.7
Season BB/9	1.8	1.8	2.2	3.2

 In 2008, Blackburn was 11-11 with a 4.05 ERA. In 2009, he was 11-11 with a 4.03 ERA. Both are solid seasons for a mid-to-late rotation guy. He was certainly consistent throughout 2008 with an ERA at 4.00 or lower in five of the six month breakouts. In 2009, he was at 4.02 or less three of the six months and over 5.70 the other three months. In 2010, his ERA was at 3.70 or below three of the months while it was at 6.85 or higher the other three months. Even in the two months of 2011, he has not been consistent, and that is not surprising. When he is pitching nearly perfect and getting good defense behind him, he can be a very good starting pitcher. And when he is just missing his spots, or not getting great defense, he is definitely at risk.

Regardless of all of the numbers, what Nick Blackburn did for the Twins last night was huge and very needed. He has shown the ability to step up at times in some big spots. I’m not certain that is a skill, but on those occasions, it is obviously very big.

Minor League Notes

Tuesday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Lance Ray, Beloit Snappers 

Tuesday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Gibson, Rochester Red Wings

Red Wings Ramblings

Tuesday – Red Wings 10, Syracuse 4 – Toby Gardenhire went 3-4 with his fourth double to lead the Red Wings to a big win on Tuesday. Ben Revere went 2-4 with a walk and his third double. Luke Hughes went 2-4 with a walk and his first home run. Jeff Bailey went 2-5 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Aaron Bates went 2-5. Scott Diamond gave up two runs on eight hits and a walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out four. Jake Stevens, who was making his first Red Wings appearance, got five outs and issued only a walk. Carlos Gutierrez then gave up two runs on four hits in one inning. Kyle Waldrop pitched a scoreless ninth.  

Rock Cats Report

Tuesday – Rock Cats 7, Binghamton 3 – If only the rains had come just a few minutes earlier… Liam Hendriks took the mound for the Rock Cats in the eighth inning and the first two batters got on before he gave up a three-run home run. At that point, the game was called due to rain. He still gets the complete game win and his line was: 7 innings, 3 runs, 8 hits, 1 walk, and 9 strikeouts. Michael Holliman went 3-3 with a walk. Joe Benson was 2-2 with two walks. Steve Singleton and Mark Dolenc each had two hits.

Miracle Matters

Tuesday – Miracle 5, Tampa 4 – Matt Schuld started again and gave up three runs on five hits in five innings. He walked none and struckout four. Brad Stillings returned from the Disabled List and gave up one run on one hit and a walk in two innings. Matt Tone pitched a scoreless inning. Bruce Pugh gave up a hit and a walk in the ninth but no runs to pick up his ninth save. Nate Hanson went 2-5 with his eighth double and two RBI. Reggie Williams hit his second home run and drove in two more runs. The Miracle take over first place in the division after falling back as far 6.5 games.  

Snappers Bites

Tuesday – Snappers 0, Kane County 9 – It was a rough night for the Snappers as they lost for the seventh straight game. The offense managed just two hits. Adrian Salcedo started and gave up five runs on seven hits and four walks in 4.2 innings. He struckout two. Ryan O’Rourke gave up just one hit in 2.1 scoreless innings. Ben Tootle gave up four runs on two hits and two walks in 0.2 innings. Clinton Dempster got the final four outs.

On last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast, I was joined for a segment by Jeff Vohs, the General Manager of the Snappers. Just a 5 hour drive from the Twin Cities, I definitely recommend a trip out there for Twins fans. Check out their website for much more information and how to get tickets and special events. I am definitely planning on making another trip to Beloit this summer… maybe two!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

Quick Notes

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Here are just a few notes for the day:

• First, be sure to check out my new blog entry at the TwinsCentric blog at StarTribune called One Bad Bullpen.
• Then, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly episode where we talked about the prospects and the affiliates for 45 minutes.
• Finally, in a move that surprised me, the Beloit Snappers announced that Martire Garcia, a left-hander pitcher being used out of the bullpen so far this year, was released, effective immediately. He does have 25 walks (and 22 strikeouts) in 21 innings this season, but he is 21, left-handed, throws hard and has good secondary pitches. Clearly there is more to this story. Maybe it is none of our business, but that type of arm is not one you give up on, for sure.

• Hard-throwing Dakota Watts was put on the 7 Day Disabled List for the Ft. Myers Miracle with a “minor groin injury,” if there is such a thing. Brad Stillings came off of the Disabled List.
• With it becoming apparent that Kevin Slowey will be leaving the Twins organization in the fairly near future, it looks like he will be heading to Rochester in the next day or two. As much as I think that Chuck James or Carlos Gutierrez are the two who most deserve a promotion, I assume that we will see Anthony Slama, who has been better of late, because he is on the 40 man roster.
• Jim Thome is a pretty good baseball player. He came off the Disabled List and hit career home runs number 592 and 593.

Minor League Notes

Monday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Lance Ray, Beloit Snappers 

Monday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Gibson, Rochester Red Wings, Tom Stuifbergen, Ft. Myers Miracle

Red Wings Ramblings

Monday – Red Wings 5, Syracuse 0 – Kyle Gibson had been struggling for a few starts, but he returned to form in this game. He threw five shutout innings, allowing four hits, two walks while striking out eight. Chuck James threw two more scoreless innings. Anthony Slama struck out two in a scoreless inning, and the Jim Hoey struck out the side in the ninth. Ben Revere went 2-4 with a triple. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4.

Rock Cats Report

Monday – Rock Cats, Binghamton – Postponed by Rain.

Miracle Matters

Monday – Miracle 1, Tampa 4 – Tom Stuifbergen put together his best start since returning from the Disabled List. He threw 5.2 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out three. Blake Martin gave up one run on one hit and three strikeouts in his inning. Brad Tippett went 1.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits. Brian Dozier led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his tenth double. He also stole two bases.  

Snappers Bites

Monday – Snappers 5, Kane County 8 – BJ Hermsen started and gave up three runs on six hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. He struckout three. Michael Tonkin struck out two in 1.1 perfect innings. Matt Hauser gave up one run on two hits in one inning. He struck out two. Jose Gonzalez gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in one inning to take the loss. Lance Ray went 2-4 with his fourth home run and two RBI. Derek McCallum hit his seventh double and drove in three runs.  

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

Twins Weekend in the Minors

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Jim Thome and Jason Repko will be in their Twins uniforms again tonight. They were activated from the Disabled List following the Twins Sunday afternoon loss at Arizona. Ben Revere and Luke Hughes were optioned to Rochester. Check out last night’s SethSpeaks.net Sunday Night Twins podcast here. Below you will find the notes and highlights from the Twins minor league games this weekend.

Friday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Brian Dozier, Ft. Myers Miracle 

Friday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Andy Baldwin, Rochester Red Wings

Saturday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Nate Roberts, Beloit Snappers 

Saturday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Mullins, Rochester Red Wings

Sunday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Hitter of the Day– Nick Romero, Ft. Myers Miracle 

Sunday SethSpeaks.net Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Logan Darnell, Ft. Myers Miracle

Red Wings Ramblings

Friday – Red Wings 5, Gwinnett 2  – Andy Baldwin won for the third time this season. The righty went 6.2 innings and gave up one run on seven hits. He walked two and struck out eight. Carlos Gutierrez gave up one run on one hit and one walk in 1.1 innings. Jim Hoey struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth. Aaron Bates was 2-4 with his second home run. Brian Dinkelman was 2-4 with his tenth double. Ray Chang and Chase Lambin were also 2-4. Danny Lehmann went 1-3 with his second double and two RBI.

Saturday – Red Wings 0, Syracuse 4  – Ryan Mullins was promoted to Rochester to make this start. He was terrific. He gave up an unearned run on five hits in five innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five. Chuck James struck out two in two scoreless innings. Anthony Slama then gave up an unearned run in his two innings.

Sunday – Red Wings 3, Syracuse 9 – Erik Hacker gave up eight runs (6 earned) on six hits and three walks in just four innings. Carlos Gutierrez threw two scoreless innings. Kyle Waldrop gave up one run on four hits in 1.2 innings. Jim Hoey walked two and struck out two in 1.1 scoreless innings. Ray Chang went 3-5 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Matt Brown went 2-4.  

Rock Cats Report

Friday – Rock Cats 2, New Hampshire 6 – Bobby Lanigan started and gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in four innings. Mike Tarsi gave up one run on a hit and a walk in his inning. Brett Jacobson, Jake Stevens, Santos Arias and Spencer Steedley each threw a scoreless inning. Yangervis Solarte went 2-4. Evan Bigley knocked his second home run. Joe Benson hit his 12^th double.

Saturday – Rock Cats, New Hampshire – Postponed by Rain.

Sunday – Game 1 – Rock Cats 6, New Hampshire 5 – Deolis Guerra started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out four. Tyler Robertson gave up two runs one four hits and a walk in two innings. Steve Singleton went 2-4 with his 14^th double and second stolen base. Chris Parmelee went 2-3. Michael Holliman went 1-2 with a walk and his fourth home run. Joe Benson had just one hit, but it was his 12^th double and it came in the bottom of the 7^th with two runners on to give the Rockcats the win.  

Sunday – Game 2 – Rock Cats 0, New Hampshire 4 – Steve Hirschfeld started and gave up two runs on three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six. Cole DeVries came on and gave up two runs on three hits in his inning. The Rock Cats managed just one hit. Chris Herrmann went 1-1 with two walks. Chris Cates also walked twice.

Miracle Matters

Friday – Miracle 7, Brevard County 2 – Kane Holbrooks won for the 2^nd time this season. He gave up one run on four hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out three. Shooter Hunt gave up a run on a hit and three walks in his two innings. He struck out three. Brad Tippett threw two perfect innings. Brian Dozier went 3-5 with his fifth triple and two RBI. Aaron Hicks was 2-5 with his eighth double.

Saturday – Miracle 7, Brevard County 6 – Nate Hanson, Danny Rams and Aaron Hicks each went 2-4. Hanson hit his fifth double. Rams knocked his seventh double. Hicks stole his sixth base. Edgar Ibarra gave up five runs on six hits and six walks in 5.1 innings. Matt Tone threw 1.2 scoreless. Bruce Pugh picked up his eighth save. He gave up an unearned run on two hits in two innings.  

Sunday – Miracle 6, Tampa 3 – The Miracle bats definitely showed up in this game. They somehow scored just six runs despite 15 hits. Nick Romero went 3-5. Aaron Hicks went 2-5 with his ninth double and sixth steal. Nate Hanson hit his sixth and seventh doubles. Jhonathan Goncalves went 2-4 with his fourth double. Anderson Hidalgo and Brian Dozier each had two hits. Ramon Santana hit his first home run of the year. Logan Darnell picked up his second win in as many starts for the Miracle. The lefty threw five shutout innings, allowing just two hits and walking three. Jhon Garcia gave up three runs on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Andrew Albers came in and picked up his first save with two perfect innings. He struck out three.

Snappers Bites

Friday – Snappers 3, Kane County 4 (13 innings) – Pat Dean started and gave up one run on five hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out five. Clinton Dempster and Matt Hauser each gave up one run on two hits in two innings. Each struck out three. Jose Gonzalez threw two scoreless innings. Ryan O’Rourke took the loss, giving up a run on two hits and three walks in 2/3 of an inning. Blayne Weller got the final out.  

Saturday – Snappers 5, Kane County 6 – Andrei Lobanov continues to struggle in the starting role. The lefty gave up six runs on ten hits and a walk in five innings. Ben Tootle threw two scoreless innings but gave up a hit and three walks. Martire Garcia struck out two in two scoreless innings. Nate Roberts was 3-4 with a double. Andy Leer was 2-4 with his seventh double. Danny Ortiz hit his 14^th double. Jamaal Hawkins and Gunner Glad each went 1-3 with a walk.

Sunday – Snappers 0, Kane County 4 – The Snappers managed just three hits in this game. Derek McCallum hit his sixth double. Manuel Soliman started and gave up four runs on six hits and three walks in five innings. Blayne Weller struck out four in three scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster pitched a scoreless inning.  

Any thoughts, comments or questions? Comment here.

Perkins to Disabled List

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If you stayed up to watch the Twins and Diamondbacks finish their second of three games this weekend, I’m sorry! Many of you likely went to bed with the Twins leading 4-3 or maybe even 6-3 going into the 8^th inning. Joe Nathan, who needed just eight pitches to get through the 7^th inning, gave up a leadoff single in the 8^th frame. Ron Gardenhire went to Glen Perkins as the Diamondbacks had three straight left-handers coming to the plate, well, and Perkins has been the team’s top relief pitcher this year. Just a few pitches later, the game’s outlook changed completely. Perkins gave up a single to right-field, but as he was moving toward the 3B line to back up the bag, he stopped and summoned the training staff. He immediately left the game and was replaced by Matt Capps.

Obviously these were the correct moves for the manager to make at the time, but things just went bad. Capps allowed a couple of inherited runners to score, but the team held on to a one-run lead when Kelly Johnson came to the plate. I immediately tweeted that Kelly Johnson is so similar to Adam Kennedy in my mind that this would not be a good matchup. A couple of pitches later, the Johnson crushed a Capps fastball into the right field bleachers to give the Diamondbacks the 9-6 lead that they would hold on to.

But, back to the key point in the game, the Glen Perkins injury. After the game, the manager acknowledged that the Perkins injury would put him on the Disabled List. He said that it was an oblique injury.

UPDATE – less than 3 minutes after I posted this, StarTribune’s LaVelle E. Neal informed us that the Twins announced that Dusty Hughes was being promoted to replace Perkins. No surprised at all, but definitely disappointing. You can still read the below to see what some of the other options were.

This of course brings about several questions.

1.)     Which Rochester reliever will come up, and

2.)     If that pitcher is not on the 40 man roster, who could be removed from the 40 man roster?

Let’s start with the first question: Which Rochester reliever will come up? Terry Ryan and Tom Kelly are actually in Rochester right now evaluating players. Bill Smith likely called them not long ago to ask who the right person to promote would be. Seemingly, these would be the options:

1.)     Chuck James – Why he wasn’t called up and added to the 40 man roster last week instead of Phil Dumatrait is unknown to me, but he has been terrific for the Red Wings. He threw two scoreless innings last night, but he is now 1-1 with a 1.75 ERA in 17 games. In 25.2 innings, the left-hander has allowed 17 hits, walked nine and struck out 35. Seems the most deserving, but again, he is not on the 40 man roster.

2.)     Dusty Hughes – If they want to replace the lefty Perkins with another lefty, Hughes is an option. He has posted a 5.06 ERA in 5.1 innings over five games with the Red Wings. However, he is on the 40 man roster so the paperwork would be easier.

3.)     Carlos Gutierrez – I said all winter I thought he could come up in July or August and really play a big role for the Twins bullpen. That timeline may be pushed ahead. Gutierrez is 2-2 with a 2.67 ERA in 16 games. In 27 innings, he has given up 20 hits, walked 13 and struck out 18. He has been very good of late and may be an option. He throws hard, and has a big sinker and groundball rate. He is right-handed, and the Twins may feel that they need a second left-hander in the bullpen to go with Dumatrait.

4.)     Kyle Waldrop – Another right-hander, Waldrop’s season numbers don’t look too good. He is 1-3 with a 5.48 ERA. This would be a case of going with the hot hand. In his last two games, he has seven strikeouts in four innings. He came in to one game and struck out the International League’s best hitter to record the save. Two days later, he struckout six in 3.2 perfect innings. He had given up runs in five of his previous six outings. He admitted to me the other day that he finally found his proper release point and believes that will make a huge difference.

5.)     Others – Eric Hacker and Scott Diamond have struggled in their last 2-3 starts. Kyle Gibson has been struggling his last four starts. It wouldn’t make sense to bring up a starter, unless the plan would be to move Brian Duensing back to the bullpen, which would be a mistake. Anthony Slama is still working his way back to success since missing most of spring training and early April. Jeff Manship has moved back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation and it hasn’t gone well. Jim Hoey needs to stay down there to work on control and that split-finger pitch that has potential to be a great one for him.

Of those four options, only Dusty Hughes is on the 40 man roster, so if the Twins choose one of the other three, someone will need to be removed from the 40 man roster. Who could that be? Here are some options:

1.)     Deolis Guerra – still just 22 years old, Guerra is about two years younger than the average player in the Eastern League. However, in his seven starts for the Rock Cats this spring, he is 3-4 with a 9.85 ERA. In just 28.1 innings, he has given up 31 earned runs on 43 hits and eight walks while recording just 19 strikeouts. A year ago, he posted a 6.24 ERA in 19 starts and went 2-10. He was added to the Twins 40 man roster on November 20, 2009, which means he can stay in the minor leagues until the 2013 season. Despite the struggles and numbers, there is a lot of talent here, so it would be hard to remove him from the 40 man roster.

2.)     Dusty Hughes – With Jose Mijares and Glen Perkins now on the Disabled List, it is hard to imagine the Twins would take a lefty off the 40 man roster.  Hughes is likely better long-term than Dumatrait, so removing him would not make sense.

3.)     Phil Dumatrait – If they were going to call up James in Dumatrait’s place, they would have called up James last week instead of Dumatrait.

4.)     Alexi Casilla – This is an interesting option. When Jason Repko comes off the DL on Monday, Ben Revere likely goes back to Rochester. Jim Thome will also come off of the DL on Monday. The Twins could option Matt Tolbert or Luke Hughes, or they could designate Casilla for assignment. If DFAing Casilla is an option on Monday, it should be an option on Sunday. Of course, then someone else would need to be optioned on Monday still (Burnett, Hughes or Tolbert probably).

There are a couple of guys who could go to the 60 Day Disabled List to open up a spot:

1.)     Joe Mauer – if the Twins don’t believe that he will be able to play until late in June, then this is a possibility. If they think he could be back any sooner than that, it won’t happen.

2.)     David Bromberg – This has some gray ground for me. He is on the Disabled List right now, and could be out until mid-June already, he would be a possibility. However, he is on a minor league Disabled List, so would the Twins have to promote an injured player to the big leagues first?

3.)     Tsuyoshi Nishioka – This may make the most sense. Again, depending upon when it is realistic for him to return, Nishioka has not played since April 7, so if he is going to be out until about June 10^th or so anyway, this could buy them some time.  

In my mind, those are the options (unless they have some sort of trade lined up, which is unlikely. What do you think will or should happen? Comment here.

Weekend Update

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Well, I must admit that I am thrilled to post a new blog entry on May 22, 2011!!

It was a tough week for the blog as I really only posted once and had a few short updates. To be honest, it has kind of been a nice break. And frankly, what topics have there been to discuss. It gets old talking about the Twins catching situation and bullpen situation. It isn’t fun talking about each loss. It gets old explaining why I’m not yet willing to throw in the towel.

That said, there are topics to discuss and starting this week, I will get back into it. If nothing else, I was able to participate in each of the scheduled podcasts this past week. As you know, the podcast schedule is as follows (links to most recent show):

• SethSpeaks.net Sunday Night Twins Podcast
• Monday – Twins Minor League Weekly
• Tuesday – SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast
• Thursday – Twins Minor League Weekly

Today, I did want to take a look at the many Twins blogs out there that do a great job and link to some of them:

• As every weekly link update should, we start by recommending reading Roger’s Weekly Twins Minor League Report.
• Aaron Gleeman posted his choice for the Twins #18 player of all-time, a selection that is sure to make Curve For a Strike’s Topper Anton very excited!
• If there was such a thing, the Twins MVP Blogger these days has to be Nick Nelson. He is an incredible writer who posts thoughtful Twins blogs most days during the week. On Thursday, he took a look at how his top ten Twins prospects are performing at the start of the season. On Friday, he wrote about the dominance of Glen Perkins so far this season.
• By the way, have you booked your Twins Train trip for trips to Milwaukee and Chicago?
• Off the Mark compared the hauls that the Twins got for JJ Hardy and what the Rays got for Jason Bartlett.
• Puckett’s Pond continued a series looking at winning Twins teams by looking at the 1991 team.
• Twin Nation looked at the Bullpen Woes.

There were several terrific blogs related to Harmon Killebrew throughout the week:

• Long-time Twins player Michael Cuddyer posted a tremendous blog on what Killebrew meant to him and others.
• K-Bro called him a Great Player, Great Ambassador, Great Man.
• The NoDak Twins Fan called Killebrew the Grandfather of the Twins Family. He later looked at the careers of Killebrew and Kirby Puckett.
• Hrbekistan posted some great Killer Memories.

Any other Twins sites I should be linking to or articles you’ve read of late on the Twins? Comment here.

All-Time Greatest Twins Players

On Tuesday morning, the Minnesota Twins and baseball lost a hero. As you know by now, Harmon Killebrew passed away after his short fight with esophageal cancer. After reading and hearing stories about the man that “Killer” was, it almost makes us minimize how great of a baseball player he really was.

How often since the news came out Friday morning that Killebrew was in his final days did we hear players say, “I want to be like Harmon Killebrew,” or “Today, I lost my hero?” 

Those aren’t words uttered just any time that there is a death. With Killebrew, it all appears to be completely genuine. The respect he had for his teammates, the fans and the game of baseball was something that people could count on. It is clear that the respect was mutual.

Honestly, on Tuesday I wanted to blog about some of the negatives surrounding the Twins. This 2011 team has been very frustrating. I was ready to start some articles looking forward to 2012. And then came the news of Killebrew’s passing, and all of the stories from teammates and fans alike. All I could think was, “I want to be like Killer.” 

I want to be respectful. I want to stay positive. I still want the Twins to play better and win, but I don’t want to be that guy that starts questioning the player’s, coach’s or front office’s desire to win and compete when I don’t know the full story. I don’t want to bash players who are obviously still trying their best, and still struggling. I want to believe in people, and I think that’s OK.

That was Harmon. Yes, he was competitive and wanted to win as much as anybody, but he did it with a style, a class, a composure.

I will have my days, like any Twins fan or blogger or blog commenter, when the frustration gets the best of me. But I want to be like Harmon. To paraphrase (or steal) a slogan, as I’m blogging and thinking about writing something negative and spiteful and malicious (Which I never think is fair or right), I will ask myself, “What Would Harmon Do?”

—————————————————————————–

Last night, I posted on my Twitter and Facebook pages a Poll Question: I asked people to let me know how they would rank the Top 5 Twins Players in their MInnesota history. In other words, over the past 51 seasons, who would be your top 5, and how would you rank them one through five. I had an answer in my mind, but I was curious what others would think.

Obviously this is not a scientific poll. It’s a fun poll, and for me it was particularly fun to read many of the names that were mentioned. Some may vote purely statistically. Some may choose other ways of making their selections. That’s just fine. If nothing else, it’s a nice look back at some of the greats in this franchise’s history. Ironically, when I made my charts today to show the results, there were exactly 50 people who contributed their thoughts. A pretty nice sample. I can’t help but think that if you grabbed 50 random people around Target Field or in the press box or at the Mall of America, they may come up with a fairly similar list.

The results were very interesting. There are guys at the top of this list that are quite obvious, but would the top two be in the same order if this question was asked one year ago, or one year from now?

But it was very interesting to see some of the names mentioned in the four and five spots. The best part about this type of blog is that there is no right or wrong answer (although those that put Nick Punto in the #5 spot probably should be required to explain!).

With that, enjoy this ranking, and in the comments below, discuss and add your lists too. (Note – I used a system with 5 points for a 1st place vote, 4 points for a 2nd place vote, … , and 1 point for a 5th place vote.) 

FOR THE RECORD – My vote (which I did NOT include in the chart below) would go: 1.) Kirby Puckett, 2.) Harmon Killebrew, 3.) Rod Carew, 4.) Tony Oliva, and 5.) Jim Kaat. What’s your vote?

Name	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Total
Harmon Killebrew	145	60	18	0	0	223
Kirby Puckett	95	96	9	8	0	208
Rod Carew	10	28	75	16	1	130
Tony Oliva	0	8	21	40	7	76
Kent Hrbek	0	4	9	4	13	30
Joe Mauer	0	0	9	8	13	30
Bert Blyleven	0	4	0	10	3.5	17.5
Johan Santana	0	0	3	6	1.5	10.5
Torii Hunter	0	0	3	2	0	5
Jim Kaat	0	0	0	0	5	5
Nick Punto	0	0	0	0	3	3
Chuck Knoblauch	0	0	3	0	0	3
Bob Allison	0	0	0	2	1	3
Justin Morneau	0	0	0	2	0	2
Frank Viola	0	0	0	2	0	2
Shane Mack	0	0	0	0	1	1
Gary Gaetti	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total	250	200	150	100	50

Feel free to discuss!

Technical Difficulties

Good morning!! I have three minutes to write up a quick update before starting what will be a very busy day. I spent the weekend in Central Minnesota celebrating my daughter’s fifth birthday with my parents and such. It was a lot of fun. Went to Fargo for much of Saturday. It was a good, long weekend. However, starting sometime on Sunday, technical difficulties left me without internet access. As you can imagine, that is about the most frustrating thing that can happen to me!!  Thanks to Cody Christie (NoDak Twins Fan), I was able to host the SethSpeaks.net Sunday Night Twins Podcast, so check that out for some interesting discussions. Last night, I was able to go to a school and borrow some internet access for long enough to get enough information to co-host last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly podcast with Travis Aune (Travis Twins Talk).

I would encourage people to listen to those two shows today, if time permits.  Also, be sure to check out Nick Nelson’s terrific blog posting on the TwinsCentric blog at Star Tribune.com today. Pretty biting! Hard to argue.

As for the minor leagues, all information is on the podcast, but there are plenty of good stories. As for the Twins, a nine game losing streak is literally leaving me speechless. OK, not speechless, but as much as we questioned some of the offseason moves, no one could have predicted what has happened to this point. And, unless Joe Mauer is back by Memorial Day, it’s hard to envision this team having enough left to make a run. Obviously I hope they do! But I also think that 2012 has to be a primary focus at this point.

I will be working in Fargo on Tuesday and Wednesday and heading back home on Thursday. Thanks as always for all of your support. It was May of 2003 when this blog started, over eight years now, and hopefully you have all found some value in it over that time! And hopefully I can find some words soon to give you something fun to read again!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.