also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -
The Winter Meetings podcast will be on a little bit later tonight. Check out www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks at 11:00 central time to hear Seth Stohs and John Bonnes (The Twins Geek) talk about Winter Meetings rumors and relating them to the Twins. We welcome your questions in the chat room. There is plenty to talk about.
also avaialable at www.SethSpeaks.net -
It’s going to be short today. But if you would like to listen to over 75 minutes of baseball talk, be sure to listen to the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins Podcast from last night. By the way, if you’re looking for help with your office pool’s football picks, check back early this afternoon when I will post our NFL “Expert” Panel’s picks.
BOOK UPDATE – The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 is complete. Those of you who pre-ordered books, and have paid, will get theirs as soon as I get the books from Lulu.com. If you haven’t yet paid, please do so. For those of you who are interested in purchasing your own copy of the book, on Thursday night, I will post here exactly how you can order your own copy. Of course, if you listened to the entire SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins podcast last night, you heard me give away the secret for how to place your order already now.
PODCAST LAST NIGHT – Last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast was very successful. We again had a record number of people tuning in live, so that was exciting. It had nothing to do with me. I know that. It was because of the guest list.
– Tim Dierkes, creator of the all-important MLB Trade Rumors, came on first and spent about 25 minutes talking about his site, and many of the rumors surrounding the Twins this offseason.
– Aaron Gleeman and The Twins Geek, John Bonnes, came on for the second half of the show, and stuck around for an extra 10-15 minutes after the live show completed to add more. The Twins Geek started in early 2002. Aaron started his blog later in 2002, and I followed along in early 2003. Since then, there have been a lot of Twins blogs, many very good, that have crept up, but when it comes to tenure, there was a lot of blogging experience in that conversation. By the way, Aaron will be conducting his live chat at AaronGleeman.com on Wednesday at noon.
If you missed the live show, you can still listen by clicking here.
OTHER
· Baseball America is announced its Top Ten Twins Prospects on Tuesday. If you haven’t read through it and John Manuel’s thoughts on the Twins, please do so. Here are some discussions of the list from Twinkie Town and from John Sickels’ site.
· Also, you can read more of my thoughts on the Twins over at the Twins Territory Offseason Roundtable. As there was in Week one, there are three questions that a couple of us responded to.
· Here is a discussion on Alexi Casilla from Sickels’ site.
That’s it for now. I may have some more notes with the football picks later. Thanks!
Any thoughts, please e-mail me, or leave Comments here.
also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -
I’m tired. I went to Madagascar at the theater tonight, then watched the end of that Monday Night football game. I’m tired.
BOOK UPDATE – By the way, the book is done! In fact, on Sunday night, I placed the big, bulk order for all of the pre-ordered books and a few more. Thank you to all of those who have paid already. If you haven’t paid yet, please do so. I hope to receive the books within a week to ten days, and as soon as I do, I will send them out. Be sure to check back here on Thursday night. I will provide a link for you to be able to order your own copies of Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. Who wants to deal with that crazy day-after-Thanksgiving shopping fiasco? Buying Christmas presents online is the way to go. And the book is the perfect gift for any Twins fan! So again, check back for more details later in the week.
PODCAST TONIGHT – I am normally bad about posting the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast schedule early enough, but not this week. Here is the schedule for tonight’s live show, which starts at 8:00 central time.
8:00–8:05 – Seth Introduction
8:05-8:30 – Tim Dierkes, creator of the all-important MLB Trade Rumors, the best site online for any free agent and trade rumors around the league.
8:30-8:58 – Aaron Gleeman and The Twins Geek, John Bonnes, will join me for the last half hour. That’s a lot of blogging years in one podcast!
I think it sounds like a very good show, if I do say so myself. If you’re able to listen live, please join the Chat Room and ask questions. I will ask our guests.
OTHER
· Baseball America is set to announce its Top Ten Twins Prospects on Tuesday. I have seen the list, and it looks pretty solid, like you would expect from Baseball America. In fact, I really can’t argue with it much. John Manuel did a nice job. It’s not like it is 100% the same as mine, but there aren’t any crazy picks either. Well, there is a highly ranked reliever, and I didn’t have him close to where he was ranked. If not for some limited time with the Twins, I don’t believe this reliever would have been anywhere near the Top 10, but I also understand his inclusion. Nice job, Mr. Manuel.
· Random Question – Last year, Torii Hunter signed with the Angels on the Eve of Thanksgiving, the Twins/Rays trade happened right after Thanksgiving, Carlos Silva signed in Seattle, and the entire offseason was filled with Johan Santana trade rumors. This year, it is completely different. The Twins just don’t have as many things to deal with, at least not as many high profile issues to address. Third Base, sure, if the right deal presents itself. Shortstop, definitely an area where improvement would be good. The bullpen, not a big deal. Everything else appears pretty set. The Twins have just not been terribly involved even in rumors. There were all kinds of ridiculous Delmon Young rumors early in the offseason that likely had little backing. There were talks of Garrett Atkins, and there is the whole Casey Blake thing. This offseason is so different, and for the most part, that is a good thing. The only negative is that it will make the offseason so much longer. I still think that something major is going to happen, whether it is a surprise free agent signing (I agree that the Twins should not sign any of the type A free agents) or more likely, a semi-big trade. The rumors just have not really been there, at least nothing truly worthy of following. What do you anticipate the rest of the way out?
I’m going to keep this short, but again, please stop back from time to time. I anything happens Twins-related, you can read my analysis here. Have a great day!
Any thoughts, please e-mail me, or leave Comments here.
also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -
RADIO APPEARANCE TODAY (Really!) – I was bumped yesterday, but today I will be on The Fan am740 in Fargo, on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. I will be on during the noon hour with Dan Hammer of The Dan Hammer Show. It should be fun talking about the Twins and any other topics that he would like to talk about. So, if you are within a one-hundred or so mile radius of Fargo, try to tune in. If not, and you’re interested in listening, the station does have an online option to Listen Live. Check it out if you have a chance and let me know what you think.
PODCAST LAST NIGHT – There was another SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast last night. It was on live from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. central time. I thought it was a good show, although thrown together very quickly. Also, with Aaron Gleeman on KFAN at the exact same time, I imagine more people will listen to the podcast throughout the week than listened live. That’s alright! Here were the guests:
· Tom Swift – Swift is the author of a book on Minnesota’s first baseball Hall of Famer, Chief Bender. The book is titled Chief Bender’s Burden. Now, Bender was a Hall of Fame pitcher in the very early 1900s. He was also a Native American. Although he was allowed to play in the Major Leagues, he was not treated well. But his personality, patience and perseverance made him truly an American hero, and yet, his name is not as well known as other heroes. That is too bad, and this book is a wonderful account of what Chief Bender endured and the great story that his life was. Please check out Tom Swift’s website for information on how to purchase your copy of Chief Bender’s Burden.
· John Meyer – Joe Benson was going to be on for about 15 minutes to discuss his offseason, but he notified me that the time just wouldn’t work. We will get him on again though. On quick notice, John Meyer really stepped up and helped me out by coming on the show. Meyer is the writer of a Twins blog called Minnesota Twins Most Valuable Blogger. He is about to celebrate his first year of blogging this weekend. Good for him! We talked about several Twins topics from the MVP award, to 3B options, to the bullpen and much, much more.
· Nick Papasan – The final guest of the evening is a Twins prospect that I really think will be worth watching over the next couple of years, Nick Papasan. The 20 year old infielder was the Twins 24th round pick in 2006. He signed late and spent 2007 with the GCL Twins before a shoulder injury prematurely ended that season. He had a terrific spring training in 2008 and hit .389 with four extra base hits in just ten games with Elizabethton before injuring his hand on July 4th. He missed the remainder of the season. He gave us an update on his hand and his offseason as well as his thoughts on the Twins organization, working with Paul Molitor and his goals.
BOOK UPDATE – Nothing really new to update. I just wanted to take a quick opportunity to thank the bloggers who have taken time to post nice comments on me and the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 on their sites. Here are several links to the blogs that mentioned my site. I ask that you take a minute or two and check them out. If they are not already in your list of Favorites, please consider adding them:
NESHEK SURGERY UPDATE – Pat Neshek’s wife Stephanee updated his great fans in the message board of Neshek’s blog. She reported that the surgery was successful, as is said after every surgery, but she said that they were told it went better than that. You’ll have to check out the full note from Stephanee on the message board for more specifics, but she pointed out the Pat is tired but resting. Again, we wish Pat and his whole family the best through this time!
WEEKLY OFFSEASON ROUNDTABLE – I have agreed to participate in a weekly roundtable with some other Twins bloggers over at Twins Territory. This week, our panel answered three Twins related questions. Be sure to check them out.
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE UPDATE – The Phoenix Desert Dogs lost 14-8 on Tuesday to Peoria.
· Steve Tolleson went 2-3 with a walk and is hitting .386.
· Anthony Slama came in to pitch the 7th inning. He gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in the inning. He struck out one.
· Tim Lahey came in for the 8th inning. He gave up one run on one hit.
· Rob Delaney pitched the 9th inning. He was perfect and had one strikeout.
Any thoughts, please e-mail me, or leave Comments here.
Just a reminder that the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins Podcast will be live from 8-9:00 (central time). You can listen in by going to www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks. You can participate in the chat room and ask questions of our guests… Seth’s Guests tonight will include:
As always, you can ask questions via the chat room. Any input would be appreciated!
also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -
RADIO APPEARANCE TODAY – I will be on The Fan am740 in Fargo, on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. I will be on during the noon hour with Dan Hammer of The Dan Hammer Show. It should be fun talking about the Twins and any other topics that he would like to talk about. So, if you are within a one-hundred or so mile radius of Fargo, try to tune in. If not, and you’re interested in listening, the station does have an online option to Listen Live. Check it out if you have a chance and let me know what you think.
PODCAST TONIGHT – There will be another SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast tonight. It will air live from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. central time. Of course, you will also be able to hear it as a podcast throughout the next week, if you are not able to listen live. Early this afternoon, I intend to post a schedule of guests. So be sure to check back.
BOOK UPDATE – On Monday, I received two copies of Version Two of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. I have to admit that it looks pretty good, much better than version one! I have noticed a few things that I would like to edit and change around a little bit, but it is very exciting to see this project really coming together nicely. I want to thank everyone who has already pre-ordered their copy, or copies in many cases, of the book. A big thank you to all of you who have already paid. So again, I will be taking pre-orders for Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 through Thursday (or maybe Friday morning). If you want to know a little more information about the book including pricing, payment and such, please click on this link. I still believe that we are on schedule for it to be available online right before Thanksgiving. But if you would like to pre-order the book, or several copies of the book (for a discounted price), check out the pre-order details and send me an e-mail. Again, if there are any retailers (book stores, sports card shops, convenience stores, etc.), please e-mail me for a pricing plan.
Neshek Surgery Update
LaVelle E Neal informs us that Pat Neshek will be having his Tommy John surgery on Tuesday in the Twin Cities with the team’s doctor, Doctor Buss. Obviously we hope that it goes perfectly, that Pat is able to work through the process to recovery and be back and raring to go for the 2010 season.
Also in LaVelle’s article, he made a couple other nice notes:
· Congratulations to Twins Director of Minor League operations Jim Rantz on being named the very first winner of the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award for all of his great work in player development. Obviously it is a very well deserved honor.
40 Man Roster Decisions
In the same article, LaVelle also mentions that the Twins have to have their 40 man roster decisions made by Thursday, November 20th. That is this week. This was going to be my main topic for today, and I do think it is a good topic for discussion. So, the Twins are at 31 roster spots taken. The math mind in me tells me that they could add as many as nine more players to the roster by Thursday. It is also likely that they will leave one or two roster spots open for free agent signings or to be able to draft in the Rule V draft. Here is how I would separate those who need to be added to the 40 man roster without being subject to being taken in the Rule V draft.
The Easy Choices
These guys clearly have to be added to the 40 Man Roster:
· Trevor Plouffe – Twins first first round pick in 2004 out of high school. He is still just 22 years old and has a half-season of AAA under his belt. Still could be a big league regular.
· Steve Tolleson – drafted out of college in 2005, Tolleson really showed in 2008 that he has a big league future. Offensively, he may be very close to ready. Defensively, a lot of work could be done. He is already 25.
· Anthony Swarzak – a second round pick in 2004 out of high school, Swarzak went 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA in seven AAA starts. As bad as he was at AA this year, he’s got tremendous potential. Just turned 23.
· Brian Duensing – Duensing was the Twins first 3rd round pick in 2005 out of college. He climbed up the system quickly, but has now spent a year and a half at AAA. Just waiting for the opportunity.
· Luke Hughes – Signed out of Australia in 2002, he has been eligible to be drafted the last two years in the Rule V draft. He would not sneak through after his breakout 2008 season.
· Wilson Ramos – He signed with the Twins in 2004 at the age of 16. He is a tremendous offensive and defensive talent at a premium position. He would be lost if he wasn’t protected.
Not much to add to this section. I mean, as titled, these are the easy choices. I believe any of these six would be drafted if left available.
Have to Consider
There is a second tier of prospects that has to be considered. With the six names above certain to be added to the 40 man roster, we are left with 37 players on the 40 man roster. So the Twins could add one to three more players to their roster. The following players have to at least be considered, but some of them simply will not be on the 40 man roster due to space. So who do you pick?
· Drew Butera – Can’t hit, but all reports indicate he is excellent behind the plate. Could be Twins #3 catcher as early as 2009.
· Tim Lahey – He was the #1 overall pick in the Rule V draft in 2007, but came back to the Twins. Throws hard, but numbers not great. Could be taken again.
· Erik Lis – he is a hitting machine, with no defensive position. However, if a really bad team needs a DH/PH, he could get a shot. Doubles after doubles!
· David Winfree – yes, the low average and some strikeouts, but he is one of few Twins minor leaguers capable of hitting 20 homers. He also is still very young considering he’s spent two years in AA.
· Zach Ward – Had a really good first half in New Britain bullpen, just OK in second half. But he and his slider are worth consideration.
· Deibinson Romero – signed as free agent in 2004, he is a tremendous talent, but two major injuries in 2008 may keep him from being drafted.
· Ryan Mullins – I’m not high on him, but another 3rd round pick in 2005 draft, he is left-handed.
· Jay Rainville – like Plouffe and Swarzak, he was taken in the 2004 draft. Missed all of 2006. Solid in 2007. Struggled early in AA in 2008, but still so young.
· Kyle Waldrop – missed all of 2008 with shoulder surgery. But another 2004 high school pick with a lot of ability. Scouts saw him in Instructs. Could he be taken?
Since I said that the Twins could add anywhere from one to three of these, I will give you my top four picks within this group. If I had to decide, here is how I would rank them:
1.) Jay Rainville, 2.) Erik Lis, 3.) Zach Ward, 4.) David Winfree.
A Couple More…
Here are a few more that would probably surprise me if they were drafted, but there may be some reason.
· Yohan Pino – was eligible last year and not taken. Two injuries in 2008 and didn’t perform as well means I don’t think he would be drafted this year either.
· Juan Portes – hit a lot in real low minors, hasn’t done much in two years in Ft. Myers. He also doesn’t have a real position.
· Danny Berg – another Australian, Berg could be the next Luke Hughes… or just another minor leaguer.
· Matt Fox – Another 2004 draft pick, he was eligible in 2007 as well and not taken. He had another solid season at Ft. Myers, but isn’t a big prospect. That said, he could be ready soon though.
· Rene Leveret – the big man from St. Maarten has been in the system for awhile. Moved up to Beloit at midseason and kept hitting.
· Edward Ovalle – did a lot of good in his second season at Ft. Myers. Does a little of everything. A poor man’s Alex Romero?
· Matt Moses – Ummmm… No thanks!
· Brandon Roberts – speedy centerfielder with leg issues… I think the Twins would be OK if he was taken.
· Jay Sawatski – he is left-handed. I’ll give him that!
· Brock Peterson – went backwards a little in 2008, but still made it to AAA. Not bad for a 49th round pick.
It is likely that the Twins have known since the organizational meetings what choices they will make. They will let the world know by Thursday (or on Thursday). It should certainly be interesting! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Arizona Fall League Monday Update
· The Phoenix Desert Dogs lost 4-3 on Monday to Peoria.
· Steve Tolleson was back in the lineup after missing a few games with some nagging injuries. He went 1-4 with a walk and his sixth double. He also stole his sixth base.
· Danny Valencia was 0-4 with two strikeouts. LaVelle pointed out that he has just one error. I’m not at all worried about Valencia’s bat, so to see him doing so well defensively makes me believe in his ability more.
· Dustin Martin went 1-4.
· Jeff Manship started and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out two. He was also named as the team’s starting pitcher in the league’s championship game this weekend.
Any thoughts, please e-mail me, or leave Comments here.
also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -
PODCAST UPDATE – Last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins Podcast was another successful show. Here is the guest list, with some comments:
· Jonathan Mayo – The first guest was Jonathan Mayo. He is a Senior Baseball Writer for MLB.com and you see a lot of his work at MiLB.com. He does a lot of work on the minor leagues and covering baseball’s draft. He also wrote a book that came out last spring called Facing Clemens: Hitters on Hitting Against Baseball’s Most Intimidating Pitcher. The book is excellent and gives several interesting perspectives on hitting against Clemens. There are chapters on Cal Ripken, Ken Griffey, Jr. and even the Twins Torii Hunter who we all recall never got a hit off of Clemens. Unfortunately the book, which had a foreword written by Clemens himself, was literally printing when The Mitchell Report came out. That may have hurt sales. We talked about the book for quite some time. It really is a great book, so if you’re at all interested, please go to JonathanMayo.net.
· Mark Hamburger – Following Mayo, we spent about 10-12 minutes talking to the Minnesota native, former Twins prospect and current Texas Rangers prospect. You recall that he was the player traded to the Rangers in exchange for Eddie Guardado in August. The interview was really great. Mark did a great job of telling what it was like going to a Twins tryout camp, and when the team told him that they wanted to sign him. We talked about his 95 mph fastball and what other pitches he throws. We also talked about Rangers President Nolan Ryan and when Mark first saw him! It was really just a very fun interview, and it’s always fun to see the local players do well, so we wish him the best.
· Pat Neshek – Speaking of local players that we wish nothing for the best for, Pat Neshek called in to the show and we talked about what happened to his arm since the last time we had talked to him and everything was going so well. He talked about the whirlwind that his life has been since last week when he felt the pain. We talked about his meeting with Dr. Buss, the Twins doctor, who Pat has a lot of confidence in. It is very clear that he is disappointed. You can hear it in his voice. He’s very open. He feels like he is letting a lot of people down. But the reality is that he has done everything to the best of his ability and along the plan, so it just happened. He’s got a great perspective, and I think we all know that he will get through this. Again, we wish him the best. And, I know I really appreciate the fact that on such a long, tough day, he took 15 minutes out of his evening to call in and update us.
BOOK UPDATE – If you are at all interested in a copy of my soon-to-be-released book, I am now taking pre-orders for Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. If you are looking for information including pricing, payment and such, please click on the link. I hope to make it available online right before Thanksgiving. However, if you would like to pre-order the book, or several copies of the book (for a discounted price), check out the pre-order details and send me an e-mail. Several have mentioned the book on their blogs, and I really appreciate that, so here are some of those links.
· I mentioned this the other day, but I again want to thank Mike McFeely from the Fargo Forum who wrote about this blog and the book at his blog The McFeely State of Mind.
· PLEASE READ – Call to the Pen wrote a blog about me the other day that is somewhat comical and somewhat eye opening!
· Cory Hepola wrote an entry on his blog (SethSpeaks… Listen Up!) about this book, including some background on how we know each other. Seriously, it’s very well written!
Here are some more thoughts and notes:
· Aaron Gleeman posts several very interesting Twins notes.
· Josh Taylor tells us which players that he would add to the Twins 40 man roster before the Rule V draft. Personally, I would flip-flop Ryan Mullins and Trevor Plouffe in his list, but other than that, it makes sense. One name I haven’t mentioned previously in this discussion is Wilson Ramos. Seeing that he signed with the Twins in 2004, he is also eligible. He would certainly be taken.
· Nick Nelson wrote a great article on the two Twins players who received votes for AL Rookie of the Year. He basically is saying that both Denard Span and Nick Blackburn were not highly regarded by Twins fans coming into the 2008 season and both were excellent. Really, a great article.
· Over the Baggy penned/typed a good article asking Is India the next MLB Market?
· The Twins Geek noted that Bad Things Come in Threes.
· Please check out the updated standings in the SethSpeaks.net NFL “Expert” Picks. I’m moving up!!
· Over at Twinkie Town, cmathewson was able to get an Exclusive Interview with Baseball America’s John Manuel and they discussed Twins prospects. It is as good as anything I’ve read!
· Joe Christensen wrote a good article on Neshek’s injury and surgery.
· The main take away I have from the article, and it’s the same thing I have believed all along. The Twins bullpen should NOT be a top priority this offseason. Joe Nathan equals no worries. Matt Guerrier has been one of the game’s best, most consistent relievers over the last three years. Take away two horrific months in 2009, and he has been very good. The offseason should do him wonders. Jesse Crain was overused in 2008 as well, coming off of major shoulder surgery. He was quite solid much of the year and one of the game’s better relievers until his 2007 surgery. He should get better. Craig Breslow will be back. If Dennys Reyes is going to get JC Romero-like money from someone (3 years, $12 million), then let him go. However, I agree that this situation does mean that they should offer him arbitration. Worst case, he accepts and you have him for one more year. Best Case, he doesn’t accept it and the Twins get a supplemental first round pick in 2009. I am a fan of Jose Mijares, but let’s not forget the small sample size that he had in the big leagues. Also, opposing hitters had not seen him. I believe he will be a very good reliever for many years, but let’s not make him the next savior based on nine or ten outings. Phil Humber and Boof Bonser are not great relievers yet, but both of the stuff and talent to be very solid. I would regard Robert Delaney and Anthony Slama a notch below Mijares, but they could be solid if necessary. Guys like Ricky Barrett and Mariano Gomez could come back and both could contribute to the Twins at any time. And all of those minor league arms that we like, guys like Anthony Swarzak and Jeff Manship, maybe Kevin Mulvey or Yohan Pino, they could help as well. I thought it a little surprising that Carlos Gutierrez’s name was mentioned in the article, but there is a lot of depth. I just would not put finding a strong reliever as a high priority.
· In addition, I have been asked several times about the Twins trying to get Huston Street along with Garrett Atkins for a package including Michael Cuddyer and a Nick Blackburn-type pitcher, and maybe another prospect. I think that this blog and others have shown that Atkins is still not much better than a Harris/Buscher platoon. And let’s not forget that Huston Street lost his closer’s job in Oakland to Brad Ziegler. I just don’t see Street as an upgrade over either Guerrier or Crain. Would I mind getting him for cheap, sure, but I think we know that isn’t going to happen.
Arizona Fall League Update
· The Phoenix Desert Dogs played both Monday and Tuesday. Here are how the Twins players did:
· On Tuesday, Danny Valencia and Dustin Martin combined to go 0-8 with four strikeouts. The both had played better on Monday. Valencia was 1-4 with a walk and his sixth double. Martin was 1-3 with a walk, a sacrifice fly and his fourth double.
· Steve Tolleson went 0-3 with two walks on Monday, and he got the day off on Tuesday.
· Tim Lahey came in to close the game on Monday. It didn’t go well. He got two outs, but couldn’t get the third before the winning run scored. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks.
· Rob Delaney gave up a hit in a scoreless inning. He struck out two.
· Twins Fix has a very good interview with Jeff Manship.
Any thoughts, please e-mail me, or leave Comments here.
also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -
Tonight’s SethSpeaks.net Twins Weekly Podcast will air live starting at 8:00 central time at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SethSpeaks.
Tonight’s guests will include Senior Baseball Writer from MLB.com Jonathan Mayo. We will talk about his book, Facing Roger Clemens. Learn more at www. JonathanMayo.net. He is also a minor league guru for MiLB.com, so we will also talk about some Twins prospects.
Secondly, we will have Mark Hamburger, the Minnesota native who signed in 2007 with the Twins after a tryout camp. He was the closer at Elizabethton until their playoff series started. You see, he was the player traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Eddie Guardado in August. He recently returned from Rangers Instructional League where he had a strong showing and met Nolan Ryan.
We are also still attempting to add one more guest to the end of the show. I’m not sure if it will work out, but we will try.
So, if you have a chance, please tune in and feel free to leave comments.
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:
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!
also available at www.SethSpeaks.net –
Hey everyone, it’s going to be quick tonight (for me). I have a couple of media related topics to cover and a few notes, the Arizona Fall League update and a little more. If you just checked the site once on Tuesday morning, please scroll down and notice that I added five “Quick Updates” to it. There were a few very good links that you should check out.
First of all, there was a new SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins Podcast tonight from 8-9. I thought it again went very well. It started with a brief introduction before Josh Whetzel, the radio voice of the Rochester Red Wings, called in. We talked a lot about many players on the Red Wings 2008 roster as well as the recent coaching announcements. Josh is a tremendous guest and answers all questions very well. In the second half of the show, Aaron Gleeman called in. Now, you all know Aaron Gleeman from www.AaronGleeman.com, www.RotoWorld.com, www.NBCSports.com, and www.MinnPost.com. He came on and talked about some of his upcoming projects and plans, but we spent the majority of the time talking Twins. We talked about current players, possible free agent signings, some names that have come up in trades, Delmon Young and the OF, Nick Punto and SS and much more. In fact, the live podcast finished at 9:00 and Aaron stayed around for another 15 minutes, so I really appreciate that. I encourage you to listen to the podcast if you have a chance (if you’re at work, be sure to wear your head phones!). If you have any comments on the show, please send me an e-mail or leave some comments.
Secondly, on Wednesday morning at 11:00 central time, I will be on The Fan 710, Bismarck-Mandan’s (ND) ESPN affiliate. I will talk Twins, World Series, football, and other topics on The Jack Michaels Show. It is always a lot of fun to join Jack and talk sports. So, if you are in North Dakota, northern South Dakota, eastern Montana, southern Manitoba or western Minnesota and can tune into am 710, please be sure to do so. If you are out of that range, you can also Listen Live online at The Fan’s site.
Third, a quick book update. Last week, I put an order in for one copy of Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. It is going to be my edit/proofread copy. I should be receiving it via mail in the next day or two. I will then read through it once and try to make as many corrections as necessary. What is interesting is that when I ordered it just over a week ago, it had about ten fewer pages than it does now. In other words, I have added more content. I have added profiles for approximately ten more Twins prospects, so we are well over 175 profiles now. I plan to take about a week to edit before sending in another revision and getting one more final edit copy. Once I review that, it will become available. If you are looking for an approximate timeline, as of today, I am looking at about a November 17th release. It will be available at LuLu.com. I think I am also going to order up a bulk shipment for myself to be able to sell individually or to others. Who knows? Maybe there’ll even be a book signing or two! Anyway, just want to keep people updated. I haven’t yet figured out a cost, but you can guess it will be somewhere between $15-18 depending on final costing. I want to make sure it is priced so that people can buy a copy (of ten), but I also have to make sure that it makes sense. This is just a quick update, but I would really like people to send me an e-mail with your thoughts on the book. Would you order a copy? Would you be interested in ordering a dozen? Do you have any advice? I just really want to make sure that I provide a book that people will like and it will give them what they need. As a first book, I don’t expect it to be perfect, but I really want it to be very good and worth people’s time and investment. Thanks!
Here are some more thoughts and notes:
· Over the Baggy takes a look at the Twins prospects that showed the most improvement in terms of Strikeout Rate.
· Keeping up with the Twinkie Town Prospect list, yesterday Rene Tosoni was voted the #21 prospect with Michael McCardell then running away with the choice for Prospect #22. The vote for Twins Prospect #23 was just posted, so be sure to go there to vote and discuss.
· If you have a chance this Saturday to take in a charity event, please consider attending “Pups in the Park” which is being put on by Stephanee Neshek and some of the other Twins wives/fiancées. It’s a great organization, so please consider it. (Note, for more information, check out Pat Neshek’s website, where Stephanee gave some more details.)
Arizona Fall League Tuesday Update
· On Tuesday, Phoenix won 12-7 over the Surprise Rafters.
· Steve Tolleson went 2-5 which dropped his average to .431. I called Tolleson an Unsung Prospect early in the season. I am now to the point where, if the Twins don’t address the SS or 2B position, Tolleson could be given an opportunity in Spring to fight for a big league roster spot. But the Twins value defense, and Tolleson also committed his 6th error of the short AFL season.
· Dustin Martin went 1-3 with a walk and two RBI.
· Danny Valencia was 1-4 with his fourth double and two runs scored.
· Rob Delaney gave up one run on two hits in the seventh inning. He struck out one.
· Tim Lahey struck out two in a scoreless 8th inning. He struck out two.
· Anthony Slama then came in for the 9th inning. He got just one out. He gave up two hits and two walks. All four scored (3 earned). He threw 34 pitches and got just one out.
Any thoughts, please e-mail me, or leave Comments here.
