Weekend Update

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

I haven’t really posted anything for awhile, and I apologize for that. Unfortunately life had to get in the way, work and other commitments had to take priority. Thank you for your understanding. I should probably go back and do minor league game reports and updates for the last week to ten days, but that may just be a bit much and a bit overwhelming. So, I’ll write about the weekend games and share a few comments on some other topics related to our favorite baseball team. Then I will try to stay on top of things moving forward, so please continue to stop by and be sure to leave your comments.

Last night, I was excited to help KFAN’s Phil Mackey host Twins Weekly in studio from 5 to 6:15. Talking Twins baseball is always fun, but put a microphone in front of me and it is quite an experience. As you know, PMac does a great job on the show, so I thought it went quite well. I thought I would use some of the topics we discussed to start my ramblings about the Twins. (By the way, I also saw a copy of the inaugural issue of Minnesota Poker Magazine, a venture that Mackey and several others have made a reality. So, be sure to check out the site and bookmark it.)

• The Twins won two out of three in Chicago against the Cubs. There were a ton of people from Minnesota at Wrigley, and that would be an amazing experience. If you happen to have been in attendance, please be sure to leave your thoughts.
• After Saturday, the Twins had hit the .500 mark for the season for the first time in a long time. But Sunday’s loss put them a game back again.
• The Twins went 5-5 on this road trip. Winning Sunday would have been great, but for a team that is so bad on the road, we probably should be happy. The Twins also do not generally hit well against pitchers that they have not seen before which is pretty much that whole Oakland pitching staff. The team played well on the road. In the five losses, the Twins lost by a combined six runs.
• The Outfield Situation is a mess right now. It was bad enough with Denard Span back in Minneapolis and Michael Cuddyer manning CF, flanked by Delmon Young and Jason Kubel, but Saturday and Sunday, Cuddyer was out too. So, when they promoted #3 catcher Jose Morales to the big leagues for Sunday’s game, I thought it was perplexing. Why not call up Jason Pridie just to have a fourth outfielder. What is one of the outfielders would have been hurt on Sunday? I believe Matt Tolbert would have been in the outfield while two catchers sat on the bench.
• As Jose Morales has done in his time with the Twins this season, Anthony Swarzak showed that he can be a big league starting pitcher if an opportunity presents itself. That’s all you can hope for from a injury replacement. Swarzak’s seven shutout innings on Saturday against the Cubs showed that again. He was sent to Rochester following the game where he hopefully has been given a list of two or three things to work on. I expect we will see him in the Twins rotation again in the near future.
• Scott Baker gave up two runs on just five hits and no walks on Sunday. Swarzak gave up no runs on four hits and a walk on Saturday. Kevin Slowey struck out ten in the first five innings on Friday before giving up three sixth inning runs. Nick Blackburn has been the team’s best starting pitcher in 2009. He has certainly been the most consistent. Francisco Liriano has had two straight quality starts. Glen Perkins takes the mound for the Twins on Tuesday against the Pirates, and you have to wonder how long his leash is. My personal opinion is that he was really good this year when healthy. The big question is when did his arm start hurting, and how much of his struggle was due to the arm. He should be given at least three starts before discussing any alternatives.
• Jesse Crain has been the brunt of much criticism the last couple of months. I have been as big of a Crain supporter for the better part of six years, and I simply can’t do it any more. He has experienced too much success in a Twins uniform to completely abandon, but why he was brought in to a 2-2 game in the bottom of the ninth against the Cubs’ 3-4-5 hitters is beyond me. I understand not bringing in Joe Nathan and Matt Guerrier, but Jose Mijares could have thrown. I think I may have preferred seeing R.A. Dickey in that situation. Now, I am not certain, but I think that Crain must have some options left. Since Crain made his big league debut with the Twins in early August of 2004, he has not been optioned to the minor leagues. Does this mean that he has three options left? If so, Bobby Keppel is sure looking good at Rochester right now! There is precendence for such a move. The Twins sent Kyle Lohse and JC Romero to AAA after they had spent significant time in the big leagues.
• Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel are very good. Need I say more?
• I actually am happy with Gardy’s decision to go with Brendan Harris at shortstop with Nick Punto taking over at 2B. Harris has been a better defensive shortstop this year than Punto (small sample?). In reality, have there been any plays the last couple of weeks that Harris did not make that Punto would have? And Harris has earned the right to play every day. 2B has been a mess for the Twins. Alexi Casilla has disappointed, and Matt Tolbert simply is not a very good player. If Punto can hit .260-.280 the rest of the season and play good defense, he is likely their best option. I certainly think this is the best option the Twins have.
• The Twins decided last week to go with a lot of college players, and their top four picks were all college pitchers. I liked the picks because they are risks, but their upsides are terrific. The Twins don’t have a lot of #1 type of pitchers, and I believe the Kyle Gibson can be that. Ben Tootle will need to get bigger again, but he was a guy who was predicted to go higher. Derek McCallum was a great choice in the fourth round. Not only is he a local guy, but he can flat out hit and is good with the glove. I’m not certain why they went with a couple of catchers so early, but you need guys behind the plate. I like the Eric Decker pick as well, and I hope that the two sides can reach some sort of creative agreement so that he can play. I will have much more on the Twins draft later in the week.
• The Twins have a much-needed day off again on Monday before starting at three game home series against the Pirates. That will be followed by three games at the Metrodome against the Houston Astros. This would be a good time for the Twins to make a run!
• Tonight at 9:00 central time, there will be a new, live episode of the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. There are a couple of guests lined up already, so be sure to check that out.      

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – James Beresford, Beloit Snappers

Friday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Matt Fox, New Britain Rockcats

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Erik Lis, New Britain Rockcats

Saturday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Dan Osterbrock, Beloit Snappers

Sunday – SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Jair Fernandez, Ft. Myers Miracle

Sunday – SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Steve Hirschfeld, Ft. Myers Miracle

Be sure to check out Roger’s Weekly Minor League Update.

ROCHESTER REPORT

Friday –Rochester 1, Toledo 2 – Bobby Keppel threw a great game, but the offense just was not able to support him. Keppel went all eight innings and gave up two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four, dropping his ERA to 2.36. Justin Huber and Trevor Plouffe each went 2-4.

Saturday –Rochester 2, Toledo 4 – Justin Huber had a good game. He went 2-4 with his seventh double and fifth home run. David Winfree was 2-4 with his 15^th double. Philip Humber fell to 1-4 with this game. In 5.1 innings, he gave up four runs (3 earned) on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three. Armando Gabino struck out three in 1.2 innings. Tim Lahey worked a scoreless inning.  

Sunday –Rochester 1, Toledo 6 – Brian Duensing gave up four runs on ten hits in six innings to take the loss. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out five. Ben Hendrickson pitched the seventh inning and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. Rob Delaney threw a perfect inning, striking out two. Steve Tolleson is now batting third for the Red Wings and after he went 2-4 with his sixth AAA double, he is now hitting .352.   

ROCKCAT RECAP

Friday – New Britain 1, Bowie 2 – Matt Fox continues to pitch well and really is deserving of a promotion. In this game, he went the first seven innings. He gave up a run on four hits and a walk while striking out six. He dropped his ERA to 2.64. Alex Burnett took the loss. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk over two innings. Wilson Ramos went 1-2 before pulling his hamstring, which will keep him out of the lineup for up to another month. Juan Portes and Brian Dinkelman went 1-3 with a walk.   

Saturday – New Britain 6, Bowie 5 – Carlos Gutierrez was much improved in his second AA start and Erik Lis helped provide the offense. Lis went 4-4 with a walk and two RBI. Yancarlos Ortiz went 2-4 with a walk. Whit Robbins and Matt Moses each went 2-5. Gutierrez against went five innings in this game. He gave up one run on five hits and three walks. He did not record a strikeout. Frank Mata got just one out and gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and a walk. Jose Lugo came in and gave up only an unearned run over 2.1 innings. He gave up three hits and three walks while striking out three. Yohan Pino came in and got the final out of the 8^th inning. Anthony Slama struck out two in a scoreless ninth and was credited with the Win.

Sunday – New Britain 2, Bowie 5 – Ryan Mullins took another loss. He gave up four runs (2 earned) on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. Zach Ward came in and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. Alex Burnett was perfect for 2.1 innings to lower his AA ERA to 1.54. Whit Robbins went 2-4 with his 16^th double.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Friday – Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 6 – Deolis Guerra falls to 4-6 after going just four innings in this game. He gave up six runs (3 earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out seven. Loek Van Mil continues to impress. He threw two shutout innings, striking out two. Spencer Steedley and Henry Arias each threw a scoreless inning. Evan Bigley went 2-4, and Steve Singleton hit his second home run.  

Saturday – Ft. Myers, Daytona – Postponed by Rain.

Sunday – Game 1 – Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 8 – I’m certain Mike McCardell would like a Do-Over for the start of this game. He gave up eight runs in just 1/3 of an inning before leaving the game. He gave up four hits and walked three. Just one of the eight runs was earned as there were also three errors in that inning, one on McCardell. In reality, only one run really should have scored in the inning. Santos Arias then struck out four over the next 3.2 innings. Blair Erickson and Henry Arias each pitched a scoreless inning. The Miracle had just three hits. Nick Romero hit his second home run.  

Sunday – Game 2 – Ft. Myers 4, Daytona 1 – Rain shorted the second half of the double header after seven innings. Steve Hirschfeld picked up the win in a spot-start. He threw five shutout innings, allowing just two hits. He walked three and struck out four. Kyle Waldrop gave up a run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Spencer Steedey is credited with the Save with a scoreless inning which dropped his ERA to 0.61 on the season. Jair Fernandez led the offense. He went 2-3 with his fifth double and first home run. Steve Singleton was 2-3 with a walk and his tenth double. Deibinson Romero and Evan Bigley each went 2-4. Ben Revere was 1-2 with two walks.

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Friday – Beloit 10, Burlington 5 – Dan Berlind got some run support to improve to 2-6 on the season. In seven innings, he gave up five runs (3 earned) on four hits and two walks. Blake Martin struck out three over the final two scoreless innings. James Beresford went 3-5 with a walk. Ozzie Lewis was 3-5. Nathan Hanson went 2-4. Drew Thompson and Ramon Santana each had a hit and two walks.

Saturday – Beloit 4, Burlington 1 – Dan Osterbrock went 6.1 innings to improve to 4-5. He gave up a run on six hits and a walk. Joe Testa recorded his sixth save, striking out four over 2.2 innings. The Snappers managed just six hits. Ramon Santana hit his 13^th double.   

Sunday – Beloit 2, Clinton 9 – The Snappers managed just two hits in this one. Bobby Lanigan gave up one run over the first 3.1 innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out six. Danny Rondon gave up an unearned run over the next 2.2 innings. He struck out three. Steve Blevins gave up a run on two hits and a walk in two innings to suffer the loss. Matt Williams gave up six runs (just two earned) on four hits and a walk in one inning.   

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Saturday Game Reports

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

From my BaseballDigest.com Game Recap –

The Twins had several opportunities and really should have won, but instead, they had to work some overtime, burn the bullpen and in the end lost 10-7 to the Kansas City Royals in 11 innings. The game was back and forth throughout. Both teams had several opportunities to take over the game, but both teams squandered opportunities.

Glen Perkins started for the Twins and gave up five runs on ten hits in six innings. Luis Ayala came in and gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in 1.1 innings. Jose Mijares came in and got the final two outs. But an Alexi Casilla error caused another tying run to score. Joe Nathan pitched a scoreless ninth. Matt Guerrier threw a scoreless tenth. Then in the 11th inning, Craig Breslow came in and walked three out of the four batters he faced. He left with the bases loaded, and R. A. Dickey was the only bullpen arm still available. The knuckleballer came in and didn’t throw any knuckleballs in a walk to John Buck that gave the Royals the lead. A fielder’s choice and a single later, the Royals had the 10-7 lead that Joakim Soria held onto in the bottom of the inning.

In his second game, Joe Mauer had four more hits. Delmon Young, in the lineup because Jason Kubel was scratched because he was sick, went 3-4 with two RBI. Michael Cuddyer went 2-4 with his second home run. Joe Crede, back from a day with his wife who gave birth to their third child, went 2-5.

On Sunday afternoon, the Twins will send Scott Baker to the mound against the Royals’ Gil Meche.

OTHER NOTES

• Craig Breslow – 6.2 innings, 9 walks. I know he’s smart and has something like 57 different pitches in his arsenal. However, he needs to pick out like four or five of them that you can throw for strikes! Otherwise, Brian Duensing should be on call.
• Nick Punto – sure, he has been on Web Gems a lot in previous seasons. But this year, how many times has he bounced throws to 1B. He certainly doesn’t have Bartlett-like range.
• Carlos Gomez – I don’t know if I can put up with watching him anymore. Sure, he covers a lot of ground on defense. I get that. But he can’t hit, he doesn’t even try to bunt for hits anymore, he can’t lay down a sacrifice bunt, and clearly the plate discipline that he was trying to develop didn’t happen yet. How he has a big league gig is beyond me right now.
• Alexi Casilla – he’s not quite in my ‘ready-to-give-up-on’ or ‘send-him-to-Rochester’ lists, but it’s getting close. He at least takes pitches and generally has good swings. Maybe it’s the turf, but he does not seem to have much range on ground balls either.
• Ron Gardenhire – He made the perfect move in the 8^th inning when he brought Jason Kubel off of the bench as a pinch hitter for Alexi Casilla. It forced Trey Hillman’s hand, and he brought lefty Ron Mahay into the game. If Kubel was too sick to play today, it didn’t make a lot of sense for him to pinch hit in that situation. And, because he was pinch hitting for Casilla, the perfect move would have been to have Brendan Harris pinch hit for Kubel. That would have created a righty-lefty matchup with one of the Twins best right handed hitters. It would have been perfect to use Kubel as a decoy to get the matchup you wanted. Instead, Kubel was left in to face Mahay, and he struck out to end the threat.
• 0-2 – That is a good pitcher’s count. Why do Twins pitchers give up so many solid base hits when the count is 0-2? It goes back to Brad Radke who did the same thing.  
• Like Torii Hunter, Doug Mientkiewicz has never seen a microphone he didn’t like. But this time, I’m listening. It is great to read him come out with statements about his former high school teammate, Alex Rodriguez, whose most recent round of questions brought up by Selena Roberts involves him taking steroids as early as high school. “There’s no way. I was with him too much, I was with him for too long. Our team was together, like, 20 hours of the day. Every day.”

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

• Roger posted his weekly minor league report at Twinkie Town.

ROCHESTER REPORT

Saturday – Game 1 – Rochester 5, Indianapolis 1 – Philip Humber made his first Red Wings start and did very well. He gave up just one run on three hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out three to gain his first win. Sean Henn got the final six outs, allowing only one hit. Dustin Martin went 2-2, was hit by a pitch and stole two bases. Luke Hughes went 2-3 with an RBI.

Saturday – Game 2 – Rochester 2, Indianapolis 3 (8 innings) – The Red Wings managed just four hits in this game. Matt Tolbert had a double and a triple. Trevor Plouffe also hit a triple. Brian Duensing started this one and gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in five innings. Juan Morillo threw a perfect inning in relief. He needed just six pitches, and four of them were strikes. Mike Gosling pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but he gave up a run with one out in the bottom of the 8^th inning.

 ROCKCAT RECAP

Saturday – New Britain 7, Trenton 6 – Jeff Manship put together and incredible start in this game, and the bullpen held on, barely. Manship worked the first seven innings and gave up no runs on just one hit. He walked one and struck out five to earn his second win of the season. Zach Ward came in and gave up two hits and two walks before being taken out of the game without recording an out. Yohan Pino came in and gave up one hit, but did get the team out of the inning with a three run lead. Anthony Slama recorded his third save, but he struggled. He gave up two runs on a hit and two walks. He struck out one. Rene Tosoni went 2-4 with his third double and first stolen base. Matt Moses and Brian Dinkelman were each 2-3 with a walk. Whit Robbins hit his second home run. Brandon Roberts had a double and drove in three runs.  

MIRACLE MEMOS

Saturday –Ft. Myers 6, Charlotte 4 – David Bromberg gave up two funs on four hits and four walks in five innings, but he won his second game of the season. Steve Hirschfeld gave up two runs (1 earned) on one hit and one walk. Henry Arias picked up his first save by throwing two shutout innings. Steve Singleton went 3-5 with his fifth double. Chris Parmelee went 3-4 with his third double, fourth homer and three RBI. Ben Revere went 2-5 with his 12^th stolen base.    

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Saturday – Beloit 6, Great Lakes 18 – Dan Osterbrock had another bad start in this one and falls to 0-3. In just 2.1 innings, he gave up nine runs on nine hits, including two home runs. He walked two, hit one and struck out two. Bruce Pugh went the next 2.2 innings and gave up just one run. Henry Reyes then gave up seven runs on seven hits and two walks in just 1.2 innings. Steve Blevins gave up a run over the final 2.1 innings. The offense was able to score six runs despite getting just six hits. Ozzie Lewis and Jonathan Waltenbury each hit their first home runs of the season. Drew Thompson got his first hit, a double.   

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Minor League Report

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

UPDATE – I have now posted my most recent blog at the Star Tribune’s Your Voices blog page. It is called Why the Vikings? I think Twins fans will enjoy it, but it is also asking for your comments, so please feel free to add your opinions in their comments section. I would also encourage you to let any Vikings fans know about the article too, because I am very curious about their thoughts. I also want to encourage you to check out the great writings there of Darren “Doogie” Wolfson, who has been writing a couple of blog postings each week. I think you’ll really enjoy his list of the top 10 Gophers Multi-Sport Athletes.  

 

 

The Twins lost 12-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night. It was a horrible game. The Twins jumped ahead 2-0 on Scott Richmond but then the Jays scored a dozen straight. Scott Baker made his first start of the year, and his performance looked a lot like his spring starts. He gave up four home runs (out of the five hits he gave up). He gave up six runs as he also walked two. Philip Humber struggled again. R.A. Dickey did a nice job for 2.1 innings, but then Luis Ayala gave up two runs in the 9^th inning. The offense did a good job of making another pitcher they hadn’t seen before look good.

 

So, we are simply not going to talk any more about that game. We just have to keep saying that it was just one out of 162 games! For much more on the Twins, please be sure to listen to last night’s MNGameNight.com podcast. I was the host, Parker Hageman of Over the Baggy was the guest, and John Bonnes, the Twins Geek, called in from outside the Dome after the game. And then at 10:00 (central time) tonight, John and I will be hosting the final episode of the week.  

 

 

Instead, we are going to talk about the Twins minor league system. The four full-season Twins affiliates have now been playing for about a week. As a quick reminder for most of you, or a bit of information for those of you who weren’t aware, here are the Twins full season affiliates:

·         AAA – Rochester Red Wings (New York) – International League – for the great majority of players, this is the final stop before the big leagues. This year’s roster has a good combination of prospects that could be Twins in the future, guys like Trevor Plouffe, Luke Hughes, Kevin Mulvey, Anthony Swarzak, Jose Mijares, Drew Butera and Dustin Martin. There are also several minor league veterans who are brought in for organizational depth (to fill a whole either for a year or just temporarily until someone from AA is ready to move up) or guys that a Twins scout or coach saw do something and felt might have a chance.

·         AA – New Britain Rockcats (Connecticut) – Eastern League – there is generally a belief that if a player succeeds at AA, he may only need an opportunity to become a big leaguer. Although the Twins prefer to promote one step at a time, there is plenty of precedent showing they will promote from AA. Brad Radke was called up from AA. Just last year, the Twins weren’t afraid to promote Jose Mijares from AA during a pennant race. In previous seasons, the Rockcats have had tremendous talent and expectations, yet have really struggled. This year’s roster has a ton of talent and several guys who arguably could be playing in AAA. Guys like Steve Tolleson, Rob Delaney, Zach Ward and Danny Valencia all had success at this level a year ago. They will start the season back here and with a strong start could be promoted quickly.

·         Hi-A – Ft. Myers Miracle – Florida State League – this is typically known as a pitcher’s league, but this year’s team has scored a lot of runs early in the season. The Twins have a history showing that if a prospect has a strong first half with the Miracle, they will be promoted to AA for the season’s second half. Last year, four players were promoted after the team won the 1^st Half championship and clinched a playoff spot.

·         Low-A – Beloit Snappers – Midwest League – This is typically a group of players spending their first season in full-season ball. That is an adjustment from the short-season teams. They also have to deal with Wisconsin weather in the spring, so its’ always interesting to see how the Latin American players as well as players from southern climates perform early in the season.

·         BONUS – Extended Spring Training – Players that did not make a full-season squad and were not released stay in Ft. Myers and participate in drills led by Jake Mauer. They also play games against each other and other organizations in the area. It is an opportunity for young players to develop skills without the pressure of a full-season team. It allows them to mature. There are currently 55 players in Extended Spring Training. Several players who played last year in the Dominican Summer League came to Ft. Myers last week, so they will also be learning a new culture and new teammates. This will continue until mid-June, after the draft, when these players and the drafted players will go to either Elizabethton, Tennessee, to play (usually college players drafted) or if they will stay in Ft. Myers and play for the Gulf Coast League Twins. Of course, injured players will also be in Ft. Myers rehabilitating.

·         Learned that the Twins will again maintain their academy in Venezuela in 2009. However, they will again choose not to participate in the Venezuelan Summer League.  

 

So, of course, one of the obvious discussion points at this time is where the players ended up. Here are some guys I was curious about:

·         Steve Tolleson – after a solid season in AA in 2008, he went to the Arizona Fall League and surprised a lot of people with a very strong showing. He was added to the 40 man roster in December. The assumption was that he would move up to Rochester for the 2009 season. Instead, he is back in New Britain. There are a couple of reasons. First, he was injured during big league camp and didn’t get a lot of playing time. Secondly, the Rochester middle infield already includes Trevor Plouffe, Matt Macri, Alejandro Machado, Luke Hughes and Matt Tolbert, and they all deserve to be there and play as well. Adding Tolleson to that mix would mean that he would not play every day, and his at bats would take at bats away from those other guys. Tolleson has three years worth of options remaining. He can go back to New Britain and play every day and continue to get better.  

·         Rob Delaney – he started the 2008 season by dominating at Ft. Myers. He was one that moved to New Britain for the second half of the season where he continued his dominance. He was named MiLB.com’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. He went to the Arizona Fall League where he had his moments, but certainly didn’t dominate. After a full season, that should not be factored terribly much. Since he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2006, he did not yet need to be added to the Twins 40 man roster last winter. The Twins did invite him to big league came as a non-roster invitee. From box scores and reports, Delaney did alright, but nothing spectacular. So, I think another half season at AA will be good for him. He can again team with Anthony Slama to form a great back end of the bullpen. That said, unlike Tolleson, who is blocked by players that need to play and could contribute to the Twins in 2009, Delaney is being blocked by several organizational fillers. That is not to say that there aren’t still things he could work on at AA. There is value in him spending more time there, but I also believe that he could be called up soon.

·         Kyle Waldrop – after missing all of 2008 because of shoulder surgery, several people were asking me where I felt Waldrop should start the 2009 season. In 2007, he split time between Ft. Myers and New Britain. He has begun the 2009 season in the Ft. Myers bullpen, and I fully support that decision. The overall future of the Twins top 2004 draft pick remains as a starter at this point. However, after missing all of 2008, I think it is important to ease him back in. To start the season, it will be nice for him to be able to pitch a couple of innings at a time rather than feeling like he has to provide five or six innings and throw more pitches. Pitching out of the bullpen allows him to be a little more structured and progress naturally. Secondly, a guy that is coming off of major arm surgery is better off staying in the warmth of Ft. Myers than being asked to push it in the northern climates. Waldrop appeared on a SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins Podcast this offseason and I made the comment that where he starts the 2009 season doesn’t really matter. Where he ends it will be much more important.

·         Tom Stuifbergen – ‘Stuif’ became a known Twins prospect this spring when he started the elimination game between the Dominican Republic and his team from the Netherlands. Stuifbergen managed to throw four shutout innings against that incredible Dominican lineup. Many Twins fans wondered if he might have done enough to start the season as high as Ft. Myers! Think about that for a second, the 20 year old would have been approximately the same age that Deolis Guerra was at Ft. Myers last year, and I think we all believe that he was unjustly pushed too quickly. Then add in the fact that Stuifbergen missed all of the 2008 season with shoulder surgery and pitched just a handful of innings in the GCL in 2007. It is likely that he will be pitching for Elizabethton in June, unless there is a need in Beloit earlier.

·         Rene Tosoni – Last year, Tosoni skipped Beloit and played well during the early stages of the 2008 season for Ft. Myers. Unfortunately he was hurt early in the season and only came back for the last two games of the regular season and the playoffs. I thought he would head back to Ft. Myers for a little time, but instead he is now playing in New Britain. The Twins are often accused of being overly patient and cautious with promotions, but Tosoni is certainly a case of the opposite. There is a strong belief in the organization in not only Tosoni’s ability to hit, but also in his abilities as an all-around baseball player. They are also confident in his maturity and ability to handle the promotions.

·         Aaron Hicks – Obviously this is the one most people talk about first. Remember that Hicks is even younger than Ben Revere was a year ago. Although he is more advanced than Revere was overall, that isn’t to say there aren’t things that he could work on before moving up to a full season team. Tyler Robertson is another example of a recent high school draft pick who began his first full season at Extended Spring Training before moving up and having a lot of success. That is not a bad pattern to follow. Secondly, notice that the Twins did not invite Hicks to spring training. Several major league organizations invite their top pick from the previous season to big league camp. Look at the Philadelphia Phillies. They had 2008 top pick Anthony Hewitt in big league camp. A year earlier. They had Kyle Drabek, another top pick out of high school, in big league camp. The Twins believe, and rightfully so, that players need to earn things, no matter their draft status. Big league camp has to be earned. And by not just handing Aaron Hicks a job in Beloit, it may be beneficial on several levels over time. Finally, Aaron Hicks is from southern California. He has likely never played ball in the types of conditions and temperatures that he would see in Beloit. Trevor Plouffe’s early season numbers in his Midwest League season would be an indicator. I have no doubt that Aaron Hicks will be in Beloit before the short season teams start.

 

I also asked about some players who are beginning the season on a Disabled List in the Minor Leagues:

·         Paul Kelly is at home resting his knee. Not much more he can do right now.

·         Oswaldo Sosa will miss the entire season with a fracture in his lower back. This is the same injury that Whit Robbins has had in the past, and Joe Benson missed most of the second half of 2008 rehabbing. Drew Thompson also had this injury and has not played in about two years. He was able to stay healthy throughout spring training, but the organization wisely is not putting him into the cold of Beloit yet.

·         Several players with arm injuries are rehabbing at various stages from return. Loek Van Mil had the same injury as Pat Neshek and like Neshek was told to rest and then rehab it. He is close and has been pitching in minor league spring games and EST games. Blair Erickson missed a bunch of time in Spring Training but appears to be close. David Martin could start throwing in about a week. That is about the same timeline that Curtis Leavitt will start throwing again. Michael Tarsi and Ben Hendrickson are also rehabbing, but their timelines are a little longer. Thomas Wright broke his hand, so his timeline is certainly still up in the air. Finally, Brian Kirwan had surgery and will likely miss the entire season.

·         With Brian Duensing returning to Rochester, a roster move was necessary. Tim Lahey was put on the Disabled List with a foot injury.

 

Every once in awhile, I learn something that I previously was unaware of. Maybe I should have known, but maybe there was just never any reason for me to think of it.

·         The Twins signed Justin Huber very late, right near the start of the World Baseball Classic (Huber played for Australia). When the tournament was complete, he reported to Twins minor league camp and participated. So it was strange to me that he had visa problems at that time and could not play. That is why he is on the restricted list for Rochester. To play in the WBC, Huber was on a visa waiver program. The Twins signed him late, so they were not prepared with a work visa, but they are now in the process of doing that. He was able to play in Spring Training games because players are not paid during spring training. I was unaware of that. The players are provided with three meals a day and lodging in a hotel (or a per diem if they choose not to stay in the hotel). Technically, the contracts do not start until the regular season. Major League players receive an ‘allowance’ during the spring, something that was negotiated in the Basic Agreement.

 

Have you changed your opinion yet?

·         When the Twins added Drew Butera to their 40 man roster in December, it was roundly criticized by bloggers and fans alike. I was a little surprised, but I also understood. I remain curious about his defense. Seeing Jose Morales struggle with his throws has made me wonder more if Butera should be promoted. With all of the talk of the defensive abilities of Butera, I am curious if anyone has changed their opinion on the Twins decision to add him to the 40 man roster?

 

Speaking of catchers –

·         I found it interesting that 1.) Eli Tintor was moved back to catcher, and 2.) That he was sent back to Beloit after playing in Ft. Myers last year. Natural, level-by-level promotion would put him in New Britain this year. The decision was made because Tintor has not caught for awhile and pushing him too far up would likely not be fair. Allan de San Miguel is the backup catcher to Wilson Ramos for the Rockcats. The organization has a lot of confidence in his abilities behind the plate.

 

That’s what I’ve got for a minor league update for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and hopefully you have learned something. I hope to do occasional updates on the minor league system and I would love your input. What types of questions do you have about players, or player development, or philosophies that I should dig into? Please feel free to e-mail me those types of questions and I will research.

 

With that, here are the reports on the Twins minor league games from Wednesday night:

 

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday – Rochester 2, Pawtucket 4 – Six Red Wings hitters had one hit. Matt Tolbert was 1-3 with a walk. Kevin Mulvey started and in 4.2 innings, he gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five. Armando Gabino gave up a run on three hits in 2.1 innings of relief. He struck out two. Mike Gosling struck out four in two innings.

 

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – New Britain 6, Portland 3 – Matt Moses went 3-5! Yes, that Matt Moses. He had three hits in this game! Erik Lis went 3-4 with a walk. Juan Portes went 2-4 with his second double. Brian Dinkelman went 2-5. Jay Rainville made the start. In four innings, he gave up three unearned runs. He allowed six hits and a walk while striking out four. Then the bullpen took over with five scoreless innings. Zach Ward struck out two in two innings. Jose Lugo threw an inning. Rob Delaney struck out all three batters he faced. Anthony Slama got the save with two strikeouts in the 9^th.   

 

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Game 1 – Ft. Myers 3, Jupiter 0 – Deolis Guerra threw five shutout innings for his first win of the year. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Santos Arias pitched a scoreless sixth, and Alex Burnett picked up the save with two strikeouts in the 7^th. Rene Leveret led the offense by going 3-3 with an RBI.

Wednesday – Game 2 – Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 4 – The Miracle managed just six hits in this game. Mark Dolenc and Chris Cates each had a double. Carlos Gutierrez started and gave up a run on four hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out three. Matt Williams struck out two in his inning. Kyle Waldrop came in for the save, but he gave up three runs (just one earned) on three hits in the inning to take the loss.  

 

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Game 1 – Beloit 0, Quad Cities 3 – Michael Allen threw a complete game in the first game, all six innings. He gave up three runs on eight hits and a walk. He struck out six. Unfortunately Hector Cardenas and Kevin Thomas combined to no-hit the Snappers. A Ramon Santana walk was the only thing from perfection.

Wednesday – Game 2 – Beloit 3, Quad Cities 6 – The Snappers were able to manage four hits in the second game though! Ramon Santana hit his second homer and drove in two runs. Ozzie Lewis hit his second double. Shooter Hunt remains a complete anomaly. In just 3.2 innings, he gave up two runs on two hits. Not bad, right? Until you see that he also walked seven hitters and hit another. He did strike out five. Dan Berlind came in and got one out. He walked two batters and both scored. Henry Reyes gave up two runs (1 earned) on a hit. He struck out two. Steve Blevins came in and threw a scoreless inning.

 

That is it for today. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.   Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Roster Preview: 2009 New Britain Rockcats

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Over the weekend, I presented my thoughts on the 2009 Minnesota Twins roster, and the 2009 Rochester Red Wings roster. Today, I will try to project how the AA New Britain Rockcats roster will be made up. There is a general opinion that once a player succeeds or dominates at AA, they could be called up and contribute. We saw that last year with Jose Mijares. Brad Radke never pitched at AAA either as he was promoted straight from New Britain. So I do believe it is very important to know these players and their names. And I also think it is important not to make too much out of whether a player starts at AA or AAA. Please remember that these rosters are simply my opinions. I have been following the Twins minor league system for several years and tried to figure out patterns and such. So at worst, it’s a relatively educated guess.

 

2009 NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS

Starting Pitchers

Jeff Manship

Cole Devries

Jay Rainville

Zach Ward

Deolis Guerra

Jeff Manship is one of the Twins top starting pitching prospects. After a great first half in Ft. Myers last year, he spent the second half with the Rockcats and experienced ups and downs. But he came on strong at the end and was solid in the Arizona Fall League. It makes sense for him to spend at least a half season back with the Rockcats. Jay Rainville will likely spend a second season with the Rockcats. He had his moments last year and if he can add velocity, he could still be very good. I’m sure there are a lot of people who will be surprised to see Cole Devries pitching in AA, but he has actually greatly improved as he has moved up, and it will be interesting to see how AA affects him. Zach Ward is a guy who is probably ready for the AAA bullpen, but after a strong showing in Puerto Rico this winter, I think it would be good for Ward to go back into the rotation and see what he can do. Where do you put Deolis Guerra? Should he stay at Ft. Myers, and in the Florida State League for a third straight year? Probably. But at some point, he has to be pushed as well. Video shows that Guerra has a pitcher’s body, and I believe that his stuff will catch up. But again, he is just 20 years old!

Closer

Anthony Slama

Yesterday I projected that Jose Mijares, Rob Delaney and Ben Julianel would start the year at Rochester which opens the door completely for Anthony Slama to be the closer of the Rockcats. After an absolutely amazing season at Ft. Myers in 2008, it will be interesting to see how the already 25 year old Slama does in AA.

Relief Pitcher

Blair Erickson

Sean Henn

Matt Fox

Kyle Aselton

Oswaldo Sosa

Ryan Mullins

The right-handed Blair Erickson had an excellent half-season in Ft. Myers and as he is already 24, I think he is ready to be pushed to New Britain. He strikes out more than a batter an inning, but needs to throw more strikes. Sean Henn pitched for the Padres some last year, but with the lefties in Minnesota and Rochester, I can’t get past how bad his control was, and I can’t put him higher than AA with the Twins. If his control is that bad, it is also possible that the Twins simply let him go. 26 year old former first round pick Matt Fox remains with the organization and as he has the last three years, likely will start in the bullpen but be ready to start when called upon. Like Fox, 25 year old Kyle Aselton has always been a reliever going into the season, but then experiences much more success as a starter in the season’s second half. As you can see, I have five righties in this starting rotation, so it is possible that Aselton will get a chance to start again. Ryan Mullins has been a starter for most of his career. This will be his third year with the Rockcats, and I think that for him to make it to the big leagues, it will be in the bullpen. At 6-6, can he make the transition, or is he a taller version of Jason Miller? Finally, Oswaldo Sosa will be just 23 years old throughout this season. He has tremendous movement on his pitches, but last year he lost all control. He was taken off the 40 man roster, but I think there is a lot of potential for Sosa, so it is good that he is back with the organization.    

Starting Lineup

Brandon Roberts CF

Brian Dinkelman 2B

Danny Valencia 3B

Wilson Ramos C

David Winfree RF

Erik Lis DH

Juan Portes LF

Whit Robbins 1B

Yancarlos Ortiz SS

This lineup is really pretty impressive when you look at it. Brandon Roberts had a very good 2007 season at the Rockcats leadoff hitter and CF. He returned to the Rockcats in 2008 but missed the majority of the season with a hamstring injury. This will be a big year for him. Brian Dinkelman struggled with the bat for the first time when he was promoted to the Rockcats at midseason. He likely would have returned to New Britain either way. As you’ve read, I think Danny Valencia could be very close to big-league ready. The one thing he really needs to work on is cutting down on strikeouts. I think that he will head back to New Britain, but he could be promoted to Rochester within a month or two. And if 3B is a need for the Twins in a couple of months, he could get the call. Wilson Ramos is a very strong catching prospect, both with the bat and glove. I can see him hitting in the middle of the lineup and doing very well. David Winfree provides run production and power from the right side. He still needs to cut back on the strikeouts and work a few more walks, but I think that he has turned a corner. Therefore, I can see him moving up to Rochester if he can get off to a fast start. Erik Lis was the Rockcats #3 and #4 hitter much of 2008, and I think he’ll return to the team to start the season, but again, there is no questioning his bat. Juan Portes is in a position where he has to prove something. He still doesn’t have a strong position defensively, and his bat has not met the expectations to this point. So it is a big year for him. Whit Robbins should not bat 8^th in any lineup, but the lefty bat fits well here. It would be nice to see more batting average and power ,but he has a strong ability to get on base. I think that the average and some power will come. If it does, he can move up the lineup. I would love to see the Twins move Steve Singleton back to SS to get his bat up to AA right away, but Yancarlos Ortiz is a very good glove SS and does put together good at bats. 

Reserves
Jeff Christy	Backup Catcher
Toby Gardenhire	2B, 3B, SS
Edward Ovalle	OF
Matt Moses	OF
Danny Berg	1B, 3B

Yancarlos Ortiz isn’t much of a hitter, so I would expect to see a lot of Toby Gardenhire at that position as well, but he can play anywhere. Jeff Christy spent half of last season in Rochester, but will likely come back to New Britain to back up Ramos. Matt Moses must hit in order to stick around. I believe he becomes a six year minor league free agent after the season. He must show an ability to hit or he won’t just be let go by the Twins, but he will have a hard time finding another job in affiliated baseball. Edward Ovalle has just nicely progressed through the system, and he had a very nice 2008 season with the Miracle. We shall see if he can adjust up one more level. And Danny Berg ended last season with the Rockcats. He can play the corner infield positions and did improve in 2008. Of course, we can all hope that he’s a late bloomer, like another Australian, Luke Hughes.

I think that the starting lineup of this roster looks very strong, one through eight. There is a decent bench. The pitching staff has plenty of question marks, but also plenty of potential. This is what you would expect from a AA roster. I think this team can absolutely compete for an Eastern League title. That said, we have thought the same thing the last several years and it has not happened!

Any thoughts?  Send me an e-mail, or let’s talk about it in the Comments here.

NOW AVAILABLE: Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your turkey, napping and football watching with family and friends.

Would you prefer to stay away from the shopping malls which are opening at crazy times in the middle of the morning? Would you like to complete your Christmas shopping for all of your Minnesota Twins fan friends and family members without leaving your home?

The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 is now available online at LuLu.com. You can order your copy by clicking here, the SethSpeaks Storefront. (or click on the book above) When you get to the site, you can click on the book title and see a brief preview of the book, leave reviews and more.

On the site, you can order the copy in two ways. The paperback version of the book is available for $12.95 plus shipping and handling. You can also purchase an e-book, the pdf version of the book, for $8.00.

Again, if you would like to read an excellent review of the book, please check out the Over the Baggy review here.

Here is a press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Minnesota Twins Farm System; Its Greatest Asset

Who will be the Next Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau?

 

Now available just before Christmas at LuLu.com is the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. This 81 page book profiles over 175 players in the Twins minor league system. It contains a Foreword by Twins reliever Pat Neshek and several Twins prospect rankings. It is a great gift for fans of the Minnesota Twins and their minor league affiliates.

In 2008, the Twins received significant contributions from several players who have been promoted to the team within the last two years including Denard Span, Kevin Slowey, Alexi Casilla, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins and even September call-up Jose Mijares. The staples in the middle of the Twins lineup, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, and Michael Cuddyer were all drafted and developed in the Twins system.

Following players as they come up through the ranks makes the average fan feel better because losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana can make anybody depressed. Seth is more of an optimist and adds, “Over the past several seasons, the Twins have called up a lot of players from the minor leagues. Each year there are new players. It is fun to know about those guys before they get to the big leagues. It is really just an extension of being a Twins fan.”

When asked, how much fun is it to see a player start with the Twins Gulf Coast League (GCL) team and a few years later have a locker with his name on it in the Metrodome, Seth responds, “I’m sure it’s not as much fun as a writer as it is for the player himself. But we all have had that dream, and getting to follow a player from when he is drafted and signed, through the promotions, the struggles, the successes, for them to reach that ultimate dream is a joy.”

One of the positive aspects to find and follow the next Twins All-Star is getting to interview these new players.  It is difficult to obtain a good read on players from just a box score.  Seth looks back on some of his past interviews on his www.SethSpeaks.net blog, and remembers Mike Radcliff has had a couple of really good ones. Matt Garza did one in early 2006 while he was still with the Ft. Myers Miracle. David Winfree has had a couple of very good interviews. Seth has kept in contact with players like Pat Neshek, Kevin Slowey, Jeff Manship, and others.

Seth has been writing about the Minnesota Twins and their minor league system on a daily basis since June of 2003 and now he is passing all his experience to you. Pat Neshek says of the book, “The culmination of all his (Seth’s) hard work is this book that is deeper than anything ever published on the Minnesota Twins Minor League system.”

Read about players who are likely to be ready to make a contribution in 2009, who might be able to plug the gaps in case of injuries, and which players have the best chances to become household names after the Twins have moved into the Target Field in 2010. Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009, will be made available online at www.SethSpeaks.net or www.lulu.com.

 

If you would like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview with Seth Stohs, please email Seth at SethSpeaksNet@hotmail.com.  

Twins Podcast Live Tonight at 8!

Just a quick reminder that the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins Podcast will be on live tonight at 8:00 central time. You can list live by going to www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks. If you want to spend some time away from your TV and watching all of that political stuff and want to listen to baseball discussion, please stop by!

Guests will be:

• Jeff Dooley, the Voice of the New Britain Rockcats
• Phil Miller, Twins Beat Writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

As always, we welcome your questions for myself or our guest in the website’s Chat Room or you if you can’t listen live, feel free to e-mail me at SethSpeaksNet@hotmail.com.

Should be a good show. I hope you can listen in! Any feedback would be welcomed!

SethSpeaks.net Top 50 Twins Prospects - Part 1 (31-50)

The time has come for me to start my postseason Minnesota Twins Top 50 Twins prospect list. You will notice a few things different this year. First, you will see that I have added the players’ birthdays to their information. The age can mean a lot of things. If I guy just recently turned 21, they will spend all of next year at 21. If they are going to turn 22 in the next few months, they will actually spend 2009 at age 22. A little change, but I think it is important. Part 1 will also include 20 prospects with slightly shorter descriptions. The remaining parts of this will be posted with ten prospects each, but with much longer player profiles.

 

Please remember that there are many purposes behind doing these lists. Why 50? Well, as you know, I thoroughly enjoy following the Twins minor league system. I enjoy talking and writing about them. I also believe that they are doing all of the same things to prepare for a game that the big leaguers are doing. They are putting in all of the work without 1.) the money, 2.) the nice travel, 3.) the per diem, 4.) the 5 star hotels, and most importantly, for the most part they are doing it without the notoriety. And that is why I go with 50. They deserve to be noticed.

 

Now again, with any prospect list, please remember that it is what it is. It is my attempt to try to foretell the future. It is an attempt to try to figure out who will have the biggest affect on the Twins and become the best players. Obviously we all know that prospect ranking are anything but certain. Really we can only judge the accuracy of these rankings in five or even ten years.

 

So much can happen, so a lot of things go into my rankings. First of all, I take a look at a player’s numbers. For hitters, I look at things like on-base percentage, doubles, homers, walks to strikeouts. For pitchers, I also look at walks to strikeouts, but I also consider hits and walks per inning (so obviously WHIP too), ERA, Home Runs allowed and more. I read most of the box scores, so I try to find some trends and hot streaks. But it has to be more than just numbers and this year’s numbers. For players who have been in the system for awhile, it is about showing improvement and making adjustments. But again, numbers can’t tell it all. I have done my best to try to get opinions from various sources much closer to these players than I am. That can tell us much more. And finally, I think that Age to Level of Competition is important. For instance, Trevor Plouffe played alright in his half-season at AAA Rochester. Randy Ruiz was the International League’s Rookie of the Year and played great most of the year. However, Plouffe was just 21 years old while Ruiz was 30, so one ranks high on the list and the other isn’t anywhere near the list. And all of that put together then goes into my head and out pops a list. How do I rank a 23 year old middle infielder in Ft. Myers to a 19 year old 1B in Elizabethton. Using as much information as I can find, it then becomes just a guess job to rank them, again trying to think through what their ceiling is and also what the likelihood of reaching said ceiling is. It is absolutely an inexact science, and I think it is important to admit that.

 

So, with all that, I will now begin the SethSpeaks.net 2008 Post-Season Minnesota Twins Top 50 Prospects list by giving you my selections for Prospects 31 through 50. Please be sure to notice that many of the pictures of the prospects are actually baseball cards, many signed, that you can find at TwinsCards.com!

 

SethSpeaks Top 50 Twins Prospects

 

 

#50 – Santos Arias – RHP – 21 (3/17/87)

2008 Teams: Beloit Snappers

Acquired: signed as free agent from Dominican Republic in Feb, 2005.

 

Arias began the season in Extended Spring Training, but with injuries, he got an opportunity to start with the Snappers. He took advantage of it, starting for most of the season. To protect from excessive innings, he moved to the bullpen late in the year and even closed several games. Overall, he went 5-6 with a 3.27 ERA and 4 saves. He gave up less than a hit per inning. He struck out 91 in 110 innings. He is very tiny, much like Yohan Pino or former Twins pitcher Ramon Ortiz.

 

2009 Projection: starting in Ft. Myers for much of the season

Potential: back of the rotation starter, lefty-reliever

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

#49 – Tyler Ladendorf – 3B/SS – 20 (3/7/88)

2008 Teams: Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Twins 2^nd round pick in 2008 out of Howard College

 

Had a disappointing professional debut with the GCL Twins. He hit just .204/.308/.293 with eight doubles and a homer. However, when you see his 2008 college numbers, and the tools he has, you have to see a guy with a lot of potential. At Howard College this year, he hit 16 home runs and stole a nation-leading 65 bases. Was signed to go to Oklahoma State but instead signed with the Twins.

 

2009 Projection: Hopefully will start season at Beloit, likely E-Town.

Potential: 3B/SS with very good speed and power

Could be in Minnesota in: 2013

 

 

#48 – Estarlin de Los Santos – SS – 21 (1/20/87)

2008 Teams: Beloit Snappers

Acquired: signed as Free Agent from Dominican Republic in Feb. 2005. 

 

Speedy, flashy middle infielder. He missed most of the first half of the season with injury. Numbers were low in 2008 (.242/.304/.309, but the potential is there for him to be a very solid middle infielder, with plenty of arm to play SS.

 

2009 Projection: I think he’ll spend the whole season in Ft. Myers despite missing so much time in ‘08

Potential: utility infielder and pinch runner

Could be in Minnesota in: 2013

 

 

#46 – Ryan Mullins – LHP – 24 (11/13/83)

2008 Teams: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 3rd round pick in 2005 out of Vanderbilt

 

Once a solid prospect, Mullins struggled and missed time in his third season with the Rockcats. That said, he was probably the team’s most consistent pitcher. He went 9-9 with a 4.31 ERA. He struck out nine, but walked 59, in 148.1 innings. Tall lefty with little velocity, he will have to move up to Rochester and likely have to succeed quickly.

 

2009 Projection: probably start in the Rochester starting staff, but could be moved to the bullpen to start that role.

Potential: LOOGY or Long Reliever

Could be in Minnesota in: 2009

 

 

#47 – Whit Robbins – 1B – 24 (9/25/84)

2008 Teams: Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Twins 4^th round pick in 2006 out of Georgia Tech

Fought a back injury in 2007 and struggled with the Florida State League. Moved back to Beloit but did not play. Spent entire 2008 season in Ft. Myers. OK Batting Average (.268) but incredible amount of walks (52) meant he was on base a lot (.383). Should move up to New Britain next year. If healthy, let’s not forget that the Twins signed him after taking him out of Georgia Tech in the 2006 draft, and sent him directly to Beloit. He has a lot of talent.

2009 Projection: Season at 1B/3B/DH at New Britain

Potential: ceiling is fellow-Tech-y Mark Teixeira, but more likely a solid pinch hit, occasional DH type

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

# 46 – Edward Ovalle – OF – 23 (6/15/85)

2008 Teams: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: signed as free agent from Dominican Republic in August 2002

 

In his second season at Ft. Myers, the still-young Ovalle was one of the team’s more consistent hitters all year. He played all three outfield positions, and he hit for average (.284, after .222 in ’07). He had 14 doubles, 11 triples, seven homers. He also stole 17 bases in 26 tries. 112 strikeouts is still too many. Solid in all areas, spectacular in none. But he deserves the opportunity to continue to improve.

 

2009 Projection: New Britain OF

Potential: solid all-around player, not great at any one thing, but won’t hurt a team either in a role

Could be in Minnesota in: 2011

 

 

#45 – Alexander Soto – C – 21 (11/8/86)

2008 Teams: Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: signed as free agent in Feb. 2005 out of Dominican Republic

Soto showed impressive early-season home run power in the Appalachian League. He hit five home runs in his first 21 at bats. He hit nine homers in his first 70 at bats. He hit .333 in June. He hit .347 in July. His numbers fell down in August, but he made his presence know, which is tough for catchers in the low levels of the Twins system to do because playing time is split more evenly. Soto is also known to have a very strong arm and good skills behind the plate.

2009 Projection: Should spend the year as Beloit’s primary catcher

Potential: Could be a starting catcher, depending on opportunity in the system

Could be in Minnesota in: 2013

 

 

#44 – Steve Hirschfeld – OF – 23 (9/8/85)

2008 Teams: Beloit Snappers

Acquired: Twins 9^th round pick in 2007 out of San Diego State

 

Hirschfeld is another tall (6-5) pitcher in that Beloit staff. He started the season in the Snappers bullpen. By midseason, he was in the rotation and one of the team’s more consistent starters. 10-5 with a 3.30 ERA. Just 80 strikeouts in 109 innings, but opponents hit just .252 off of him.

 

2009 Projection: Bullpen in Ft. Myers, but by midseason could again be starting

Potential: Long Reliever

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

#43 – Evan Bigley – OF – 21 (3/9/87)

2008 Teams: Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Twins 10^th round pick in 2008 out of Dallas Baptist U.

Another college draft pick (from Lew Ford’s alma mater) who destroyed the Appalachian League for the E-Twins. 14 home runs in the short-season is still impressive and has to be noticed. Also hit .300, got on base 36% of the time and hit 13 doubles and drove in 47 runs. How will Bigley perform in the full season next year in Beloit? I expect well!

2009 Projection: Full season in Beloit outfield.

Potential: power hitting OF

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

 

# 42 – Brock Peterson – 1B – 24 (11/20/83)

2008 Team: New Britain Rockcats, Rochester Red Wings

Acquired: Twins 49th round pick in 2002 out of Chehalis (WA) high school

Repeated the season in New Britain, and didn’t show much improvement. In fact, he actually went a little backwards. His batting average dropped .020. His OBP dropped .050. His SLG% was down about .020. He walked less and struck out more. He did hit 11 more doubles but hit one less home run. He did receive a late-season promotion to Rochester and spent a couple weeks with the Red Wings. He even got some time in left field this year. In sixth season with organization, he was still young for AAA when he was promoted. In 40 at bats, he hit .175 with two homers and 17 strikeouts. Solid 1B glove.

2009 Projection: 1B/LF/DH in Rochester

Potential: big league pinch hitter, role player

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

#41 – Jonathan Waltenbury – 1B – 20  (4/1/88)

2008 Teams: Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Twins 7^th round pick in 2006 out of Ontario H.S. 

 

Another young Canadian first basemen, but don’t make the assumption that he is the second coming of Justin Morneau even though he is listed at 6-4, 230 pounds. That’s not really fair to put on anyone. That said, he put up very good numbers with the E-Twins this year. He hit .319/.382/.540 with 22 doubles, three triples and 10 homers. Good extra base power that could develop much more power.

 

2009 Projection: 1B for Beloit all season.

Potential: Maybe not middle of the lineup, but he could hit in the 5-7 range

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

 

#40 – Yohan Pino – RHP – 24 (12/26/83)

2008 Team: New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: signed as Free Agent from Venezuela in 2004

It was a tough season for Pino. He was hurt heading into training camp then missed time in the middle of the season. Only really got it going down the stretch for the Rockcats. Overall, he went 7-7 with a 4.54 ERA in just 18 games this year. He strikes out about seven per nine innings, but he walked one for every two strikeouts. He is a control pitcher and if he can have a full offseason, he should be fine against next year.

2009 Projection: Should stay in the New Britain rotation but could move up quickly if healthy.

Potential: long reliever

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

#39 – Deibinson Romero – 3B – 22 (9/24/86) 

2008 Team: Beloit Snappers

Acquired: signed by Twins as free agent from Dominican Republic

Once thought of as the 3B of the future, Romero unfortunately missed most of 2008 with injury. Early in the season, he had to have knee surgery. He came back and just as he started really hitting well, he broke his leg catching a pop up and falling into the dugout. There is a lot of size and talent here, no question, but he will likely head back to Beloit next season to reclaim that high prospect status. Great glove and arm. 

2009 Projection: 3B at Beloit again

Potential: middle of the lineup hitter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

 

#38 – Martire Garcia – LHP – 18 (3/1/90)

2008 Teams: GCL Twins

Acquired: Twins signed as free agent in Feb. 2007 out of Dominican Republic

It’s impossible to know what to make of numbers in the Dominican Summer League, but Garcia did well there, and then he did very well with the Twins GCL team. Went 2-2 with a 2.91 ERA in 11 starts. In 52.2 innings, he walked 22 and struck out 53. Again, he is incredibly young, younger than the other young GCL starters, and very talented. As he gets older, and bigger, the lefty should hopefully continue to get better and better.

2009 Projection: Extended Spring Training, season at Elizabethton, unless an injury pushes him to Beloit sooner

Potential: so far away, but talent to be middle of the rotation starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2013

 

 

#37 – Juan Portes – IF/OF – 22 (11/26/85)

2008 Teams: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 15th round pick in 2004 out of Malden, Mass., HS

 

Second season at Ft. Myers, and the numbers were pretty similar. He hit .270/.319/.395 with 21 doubles, 12 homers and 54 RBI. Still lacks a position, although he did play primarily 3B down the stretch. He should make the move to AA next year, but it will be a big year for him.

 

2009 Projection: playing all over for the New Britain Rockcats

Potential: potential solid bat

Could be in Minnesota in: 2012

 

#36 – Philip Humber – RHP – 25 (12/21/82)

2008 Teams: Rochester Red Wings, Minnesota Twins
Acquired: in March 2008 trade with Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra from the Mets for Johan Santana

Came to team from Mets. He was sent to AAA Rochester to start the season, and things did not go well for him at all, for the first four months of the season. He was sent to the bullpen and that didn’t help. The Red Wings needed a starter in early August, and they gave Humber another shot, and he was excellent in the final month. Overall, he went 10-8 with a 4.96 ERA. In 136.1 innings, he gave up 146 hits (including 21 homers) and walked another 49 hitters. In six August starts, he went 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA. It earned him a September call-up to the Twins. That said, he probably would have been called up anyway since he is out of options next year. He has been solid in limited time with the Twins showing a very solid curveball.  

2009 Projection: out of options, so Twins long reliever
Potential: long reliever, back of the rotation starter
Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

 

 

#35 – Jay Rainville – RHP – 22 (10/16/85)

2008 Team: New Britain Rockcats, Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Twins 2nd round pick in 2004 out of Bishop Hendrickson H.S. in Rhode Island

 

Started off horribly at New Britain. He went 1-3 with a 10.29 ERA in April. However, just as he was starting to turn it around, he was sent back to Ft. Myers for a couple of weeks to work on a few things. He quickly moved back to New Britain and was much better in the second half, although altogether a disappointing season. Will be interesting to see if he is selected in the Rule V draft. Fastball velocity hasn’t returned since surgery. But he is a big-time competitor who has had to learn how to pitch. Because of that, he is a guy to continue watching if the velocity does return.

 

2009 Projection: starting in New Britain

Potential: #4-5 starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2011

 

 

#34 – Cole DeVries – RHP – 23 (2/12/85)

2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle

Acquired: Free Agent signing in 2006 out of U. of Minnesota

 

Had a very solid 2008 season with the Miracle. The Eden Prairie native was the Miracle’s most consistent pitcher throughout the whole season. He went 10-9 with an excellent 2.93 ERA in 23 starts. In 135.1 innings, he walked 38 and struck out 105. Will be interesting to see how AA affects him next season. Fastball was much improved. He is a great competitor. Needs to continue to work on the changeup.

   

2009 Projection: starting in New Britain

Potential: long relief/5th starter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2011

 

 

#33 – Brian Dinkelman – 2B – 24 (11/10/83)

2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle, New Britain Rockcats

Acquired: Twins 8th round pick in 2006 out of McKendree College

 

Was probably ready to be promoted to New Britain, but really stalled once he got there. Good walk to strikeout rates in Ft. Myers, but 10 walks to 24 strikeouts in New Britain. He hit just .247/.293/369 but he did have 18 extra base hits in 198 at bats. Solid all-around, but not spectacular in any way. As a four-year college guy, he is already not young for his level, even though he has been aggressively promoted.

 

2009 Projection: New Britain 2B all year

Potential: solid #1 or 2 hitter

Could be in Minnesota in: 2010

 

 

#32 – Dan Osterbrook – LHP – 21 (1/27/87)

2008 Teams: Elizabethton Twins

Acquired: Twins 7^th round pick in 2008 out of U. of Cincinnati

8 walks, 104 strikeouts in 75 innings. No walks, 11 strikeouts in 7 innings in league’s championship game. He doesn’t throw terribly hard, but the lefty had an excellent showing in his first pro season. He was the Appalachian League’s Pitcher of the Year. He just knows how to pitch and could advance a couple of levels in 2009.

2009 Projection: Start season at Beloit, could move up to Ft. Myers by midseason

Potential: back of the rotation lefty starter, or long-career LOOGY

Could be in Minnesota in: 2011

 

 

#31 – Jason Pridie – OF – 24 (10/9/83)

2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings, Minnesota Twins

Acquired: in offseason 2007 trade from Tampa Bay Rays with Delmon Young and Brendan Harris for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan

Way too many strikeouts (152!), but despite that, take away his May numbers (hit .142/.182/.212) and he had a terrific season (.303 batting average). He is a tremendous athlete who can play all three positions very well. Very good speed.  Gardy was probably right and he does project as a fourth outfielder/pinch hitter. However, in another organization, he could easily be an every day player. He hit 21 doubles, 16 (!) home runs and 13 homers. He also stole 25 bases. He could be the Twins #6 OF in 2009, called upon when needed. He could also be used as trade bait for a reliever or something.

2009 Projection: all around the OF in Rochester

Potential: potential 4^th or 5^th outfielder

Could be in Minnesota in: 2008

 

 

With that, you can anticipate Part 2 being posted in the next day or two. In part, it depends on how the Twins are doing and how much time I have to get things posted. But I welcome your questions, comments, opinions, rankings or arguments. You can e-mail me at sethspeaksnet@hotmail.com. I hope to discuss this ranking during my upcoming podcasts at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks as well.

 

 

I appreciate all comments!