North Dakota Twins Fan

Can Liriano shine in a contract-year?

2012-01-31T06:50:00.000-06:00

In an interview over the weekend with 1500 ESPN, Terry Ryan expressed optimism that the starting rotation has the potential to turn things around very quickly for the Twins in the coming season. He likes the combination of veterans and familiar team players that have been part of the club's success in recent years. There is also the fact of the team only being one season removed from over 90 wins and a trip to the playoffs.

For the Twins to avoid many of the pitfalls of 2011, the starting rotation is going to have to stay healthy and produce on the field. One player who all of Twins Territory will be looking to in 2012 is Francisco Liriano. The left-handed pitcher had his fair share of struggles last season and ended the year with a disappointing ERA of 5.09 and a 1.489 WHIP in 26 games. His no-hitter might have been one of the highlights of last season but his inconsistencies were prevalent during the majority of the year.

Liriano's disappointing 2011 season came on the heels of his best season since returning to the mound from Tommy John surgery. In 2010 Liriano was able to win 14 games, post a 3.62 ERA, throw over 190 innings, and strikeout over 200 batters for the first time in his career. As the Twins headed to the playoffs, it looked like Liriano was close to turning in to the ace the team hoped he would be when they got him from the San Francisco Giants.

Since Liriano pitched the most innings of his professional career in 2010, the Twins gave him the offseason to rest and recover from the riggers of the year. Before the 2010 season, Liriano had pitched in the Dominican Winter League but the team wanted Liriano to prepare himself for 2011. When Liriano showed up to spring training at the beginning of 2011, the team quickly found out that Liriano had not done all of the stretches he needed to as part of his offseason regime. It took Liriano some time to get himself prepared in the spring and the beginning of the 2011 season was rough as he had an ERA of over nine in the first month.

At the beginning of the offseason, the Twins were unsure if Liriano would spend time pitching in the Dominican Winter League. In the end the Twins and Liriano decided to let him make a limited amount of appearances in the winter months. These outings have not gone perfectly as Liriano has faltered to a win-loss record of (0-4) with a 7.36 ERA.

Liriano's team in the DWL made the playoffs and he was asked to take the mound in a pivotal game. The outing got off to a rough start by facing eight batters in the first inning but he was able to escape the mess by only allowing two runs. He would give up a home run in the third and the final straw for Liriano was giving up a 2-run shot to former teammate Carlos Gomez. His final line was 3.2 innings pitched with six hits, five runs, three earned runs, four strikeouts, one walk, and two home runs.

This all leads to pitchers and catchers reporting to Florida in a couple of weeks. The last time Liriano pitched in the winter leagues he was able to gain some confidence and put together a tremendous campaign. The Twins hope a repeat performance will be in order for the 2012 season as he is entering the last year under contract with the club. He needs to show the Twins that he is worthy of an investment for future seasons.

With Liriano turning 28-years old during the offseason, the time could be running out for him to produce on the promise he showed in the past. The organization will give him every opportunity to show his worth in 2012 and the stakes will be high for a man who has not held up well in some pressure situations in the past. The Twins could have plenty of holes to fill in their starting rotation for 2012 and the club needs Liriano to show he wants to be a top of the rotation starter.

A three day adventure at TwinsFest

2012-01-30T07:17:00.000-06:00

The annual fan gathering known as TwinsFest was held over the weekend at the Metrodome. This meant thousands of fans headed back to the Twins old stomping grounds to get warmed up for the 2012 season. There are tons of autographs to obtain, any piece of memorabilia a fan could want, and a multitude of other activities for the whole family.

I attended all three days of TwinsFest and I was able to experience everything I wanted to over the weekend. It was a blessing to be back at the Metrodome after being in the cramped quarters of the National Sports Center in Blaine last year. Fans were able to spread out across the floor and there was no waiting out in the cold for autographs.

Here is a look at how I spent my three days at TwinsFest with some of the stories and experiences I had along the way.

Day 1- Friday, January 27
On Friday night, I usually try to get the lay of land when it comes to TwinsFest. I spend time seeing where things are set-up, what kind of booths are new, where the autograph lines are, etc. There is usually not too much change from one year to the next but it is still fun to explore on the first night of the festivities. There is a lot less people roaming about on a Friday after work so this makes it easy to accomplish things.

One of the coolest experiences I had on Friday was finding out the Twins had used a photo of mine in the Target Field showcase area. Fans were asked to send in their best shots of Target Field from the last couple of seasons. Then the organization blew up the pictures and had them on display.

I went through the minor league line once on Friday night to get some of the players to sign next to their profile in the 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. I was ready for a full day on Saturday at the Dome.

Day 2- Saturday, January 28
The second day of TwinsFest was full of a variety of events for die-hard fans of the organization. There were plenty of more attendees on Saturday afternoon as fans looked for a fun activity for the weekend. It is a little tougher to navigate through the throngs of strollers, autograph hawks with suitcases of bats, and the other casual fans.

Around lunchtime on Saturday, I heard an interview with Justin Morneau at the 1500 ESPN radio stage. Many fans gave him a standing ovation for all of the hard work he had done over to try and get back for the coming season. Morneau didn't reveal anything big in the interview but he did say all the right things about being prepared for 2012. He has changed his diet and he focused a lot on his core this offseason. Hopefully that translates to better production on the field but his concussion issues are still scary.

Another cool event on Day 2 of TwinsFest was a social media event the Twins call a "Tweet and Greet." Fans who follow the Twins on Twitter were given the location of a secret meeting with current members of the team who are on Twitter. Once the location was announced, fans rushed to the upper levels of the Dome to try and get a good spot for the event. I was one of the first half dozen people to reach the destination so I was able to score a seat at the front of the fans.

The Twins who attended the Saturday version of the "Tweet and Greet" were Danny Valencia, Denard Span, Ben Revere, Brian Duensing, and Drew Butera. Fans who attended the event were able to ask the players and questions they wanted to over the course of the 30-40 minute event. There were not a whole lot of people willing to ask questions so I was able to get two questions answered by the players (Span gave me some grief when I asked my second question because he thought it was the eighth one I had asked).

The first question I asked was about minor league players and who the guys thought could be an impact player this year out of the minor leagues. Revere's first response was a joking response that the outfield is full so there was no room for minor leaguers. He mentioned names like Joe Benson and Brian Dozier. Before the next question was asked, Danny Valencia made sure to tell the crowd to be on the look out for Carlos Gutierrez as an option for the bullpen.

My second question was directly for Brian Duensing and I asked him about his role on the team for next season. He said he would prefer to be a starter but he knows he has had success out of the bullpen in the past. He knew the 2011 season didn't go as planned but he is ready for what ever role he will play on the team for 2012. The goal is to get back to the playoffs and all of the guys had this as their focus for next season. (I know it is sideways but here is a QuickTime video of Butera dancing with a fan who was at the event.)

I was able to score a few more autographs from the minor league players in my prospect handbook before Saturday at the Dome was done. Later in the evening a group of Twins bloggers and fans met at the Old Chicago in Roseville for food and for a lot of nerdy baseball talk about the Twins.

Day 3- Sunday, January 29
A buddy of mine came with me on Sunday for the event and he had the goal of getting a bat signed by Joe MauerMauer signing but after it got started it seemed to go very smooth. I would say I enjoyed the wristband system much more than standing in line for seven hours for a possible chance at getting an autograph.

The only real autograph I was searching for over the weekend was Jack Morris. He is so close to getting into the Hall of Fame and I wanted to snag an autograph from him before he goes up in price for the coming years. I was able to get a nice 11x14 picture of Morris from Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. It is a fun piece of memorabilia to have and it will be fun to tell my kids about the story of Game 7 in the future.

Through out the course of the day, I picked up a few other pictures and minor league signatures to put into my prospect handbook. I listened to a Fan Forum with Terry Ryan, Dave St. Peter, and Jim Pohlad that was full of some tough questions for the leaders of the franchise. There was a variety of questions about the true ages of players from Latin America, making improvements to the batters eye, the use of the designated hitter in NL parks, and some of the impacts of the new CBA. Overall, the three men were very honest and forth coming with their answers to the fans. It was one of the most interesting and informative parts of the weekend.

It was a fun three days back in the Dome and it was exciting to know the players will be reporting to Fort Myers in a couple of weeks. The players, front office, and fans are ready to put last year behind them. It is one step closer to Opening Day of the 2012 season.

Friday Links-N-Thinks: Minor League Edition

2012-01-27T07:06:00.000-06:00

It has been one of the busiest weeks in the history of this blog as I have delved into a variety of topics surrounding the minor league system of the Minnesota Twins. My top 20 Twins prospects were released earlier this week. I looked at some of the age related issues facing players born in Latin America and how it impacts Miguel Sano, the number one prospect in the Twins organization. Yesterday, I shared an excerpt from the 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook by previewing the 2012 MLB Draft.

This weekend also marks the annual gathering of fans for TwinsFest at the Metrodome. People from across Twins Territory will converge on downtown Minneapolis for autographs, baseball cards and memorabilia. Fans of the organization are eager to turn the page on last season and get prepared with the hope of 2012. I will be attending all three days of TwinsFest and you can look for my full report on festivities in the coming days.

To wrap-up my first "Minor League Appreciation Week," I have compiled a variety of links related to the minor league system of the Twins. Enjoy the links and I look forward to meeting some of you this weekend and getting reacquainted with those I have already met.

MLB.com and Jonathan Mayo released their list of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball. With all the hype around the #2 and #3 players on the list, I was somewhat surprised by who was #1.
Miguel Sano and Aaron Hicks were the Twins representatives in the MLB.com Top 100
Chris Parmelee came in fifth on the list of top first basemen prospects in MLB.
Miguel Sano finished runner-up in the race for best third base prospect.
John Manuel did a great job with his list of top Twins prospects for Baseball America. I enjoy the in-depth look they have with the "Best Tools" categories.
Seth Stohs is the top prospect blogger for the Twins and he did a little analysis of his top 20 list.
Stohs has also been looking at the organizational depth chart for each position in a series of posts from this week (Catchers, First Basemen, and Third Basemen).

John Sickels at Minor League Ball continued his shadow Minnesota Twins Farm System. It is a fun piece to watch develop over the years.
The folks over at Twinkie Town always have some good information with their Minor League Report.
There could be plenty of prospect story lines to watch in 2012 but here are 10 familiar names to watch in 2012 from the Twins.
The Baseball Outsider did a good job of examining the Baseball America Top Twins Prospects when they were released last week.
Here was the Baseball Prospectus list of top talent in the Twins organization from a couple months ago.
A couple days after Baseball Prospectus released their list, FanGraphs jumped on board with their top 15 prospects for the Twins.
A site called Perfect Game USA put together a very detail list of the Twins farm system.
Bullpen Banter had two lists from different writers and they have videos to go with it!
Baseball Instinct also did a fantastic job with their prospect profiles for the Twins. Plus they have more videos!

Weekly Rundown

Monday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 11-20
Tuesday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 1-10
Wednesday: How old is Miguel Sano?
Thursday: Plotting a path through the 2012 MLB Draft

Video of the Week: Here is a quick video of Miguel Sano that was put together by MLB.com to accompany their Top 100 Prospect list. Sano was the only Twins player in their top 25 and his transition to a full season league will be watched closely next season by many people across baseball.
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Plotting a path through the 2012 MLB Draft

2012-01-26T06:40:00.000-06:00

It is Minor League Appreciation Week here at NoDak Twins Fan. That means the entire week's post will be dedicated to the young players who hope to one day take their place in the line-up at Target Field. These young players work tremendously hard to try and reach the ultimate dream of being a big league player and they should be recognized for efforts on the field. This week I will unveil my Top 20 Prospect List and feature some stories around the players who make their living wearing the jersey's of the Twins farm system.

Here is the schedule of posts that will be featured during the next week:

Monday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 11-20

Tuesday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 1-10

Wednesday: How old is Miguel Sano?

Thursday (Today): Plotting a path through the 2012 MLB Draft

Friday: Minor League Edition of Friday Links-N-Thinks

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[The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote for the "2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook." If you would like to read the entire article, make sure you order a copy of the book by CLICKING HERE]

(Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

After a decade of finishing near the top of the American League Central, the Twins found themselves in a precarious position to end the 2011 season. The team finished in last place in the division and they also had the worst record in the American League. It was a tough season to follow the team but in the end the Twins have “earned” the second pick in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft this coming June.

All of the success of recent years has meant that the Twins were picking in the later half of every round in the draft. Since the draft is the main way a team can replenish their minor league system, it can be tough on the farm clubs to be picking that low for ten consecutive years.

Predicting a path for the Twins in the upcoming draft can be a difficult task since the players who will be selected still have an entire season of games in front of them. The Twins have some glaring weaknesses in the minor leagues and the draft is the best way to remedy those flaws.

The path to the big league team can take multiple routes for those that are selected in June. High school players can spend many seasons in the minor leagues to develop themselves into a mature prospect. College level players could move through the system very fast and start to help the Twins in as little as a year. Each player’s path is different and their road to Target Field is something the Twins have to consider when looking at drafting players.

Here is a look at the areas of need for the Twins and a glace to some of the players that have the possibility of being selected with the second overall pick [Player profiles are exclusively in the 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook].

Starting Pitcher
Every team in baseball is looking for an ace to steady their rotation for the foreseeable future. The Twins have used a philosophy of finding pitch-to-contact players and it could be time for the organization to look in another direction. The team has claimed to be looking for power arms over the past year but the hurlers brought in have been rejected relief pitchers that were cast off from other organizations. The easiest and cheapest way to address a starting pitching need is to find someone in the draft and develop him in the minor leagues.

In both the 2009 and 2010 Draft, the Twins took college pitchers with their first round pick. One of those pitchers, Kyle Gibson, was on track to make his MLB debut in 2011 before Tommy John surgery forced him to the sidelines for all of next season. The other first round pick, Alex Wimmers, had a rough start to 2011. But after working on some mechanical issues for most of the season, he finished strongly with a seven-inning no-hitter.

Players to watch: [Exclusive to 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook]

Catcher
The Twins have their superstar catcher Joe Mauer locked into a deal for the majority of the next decade. But as this year showed, injuries can always be a problem and Mauer won’t be behind the plate for the entirety of the rest of his career. Chris Herrmann has shown that he deserves a look this spring but the Twins could still use some depth in catching position of their farm system. If the Twins feel this is a big enough need, they could have to make a reach to draft the best available catcher.

The minor league system of the Twins has created a couple of excellent catching prospects over the last decade. Joe Mauer was taken the last time the Twins had a top three pick in the MLB Draft and he worked his way through the system to become a three-time batting champion and the MVP of the American League. Justin Morneau also won an MVP and he started out as a catcher but was moved to first base to make room for Mauer. Wilson Ramos was another player that moved through the Twins farm system and he blossomed into a very good catcher in his rookie season with the Washington Nationals in 2011.

Players to watch: [Exclusive to 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook]

Middle Infield
During the 2011 season, the Twins saw what could happen when the players in the middle infield are a little shaky. The team struggled to find stability at shortstop and second base, which translated to some bad defense and weak offensive output. Players such as Trevor Plouffe and Tsuyoshi Nishioka were given ample opportunities to show they belonged in the long-term plans of the organization. Each of these players was very underwhelming in their time with the big league squad.

Last season’s MLB Draft saw the Twins trying to address some of their weakness in these middle infield positions. With their first round pick, the Twins selected Levi Michael from the University of North Carolina. Regardless of whether he is playing shortstop or second base, Michael’s bat projects to be a solid hitter at the MLB level. The emergence of Brian Dozier also adds some stability to the Twins up-and-coming middle infield prospects. His 2011 campaign caught the attention of the big league squad and he could project to be in Minnesota in the very near future.

Players to watch: [Exclusive to 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook]

How old is Miguel Sano?

2012-01-25T07:05:00.001-06:00

Here is the schedule of posts that will be featured during the next week:

Monday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 11-20

Tuesday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 1-10

Wednesday (Today): Feature story on Miguel Sano

Thursday: Plotting a path through the 2012 Draft

Friday: Minor League Edition of Friday Links-N-Thinks

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Sano came into his own in '11 (Photo: Baseball America)

As many lists of the top prospects from each team start to trickle out, it is looking more and more that Miguel Sano is the consensus number one prospect from the Twins organization. The young star from the Dominican Republic had an outstanding season for the Elizabethton Twins. He has begun to show some of the great promise the Twins saw in him when they signed him at age 16 to a $3.15 million signing bonus.

At the time of Sano signing with the Twins, there were many questions swirling about his true age. In 2009, MLB completed an investigation into this issue but the results were inconclusive. Because of the age issues, Sano lowered his asking price to sign and some teams were still scared away by his high price tag. The Twins were the team to pull the trigger and they gave him the second highest signing bonus in team history behind Joe Mauer’s $5.15 million bonus in 2001.

During this offseason, Albert Pujols, the best player to ever come out of the Dominican Republic, received a 10-year $240 million contract with the Angels. There are plenty of reports about teams that were questioning the age of Pujols when it came to contract negotiations. One national writer even suggested that Pujols should produce his birth certificate because of skepticism around his claim to be 31. This still didn't stop the Angels from investing in the best right-handed hitter of the current generation.

The latest age related scandal to come out of the Dominican Republic has surfaced within the last week. Roberto Hernandez Heredia, the Cleveland Indians pitcher known as Fausto Carmona, was arrested for using a false identity to play baseball in the U.S. From the perspective of the Indians, one of the biggest issues, besides Heredia having trouble getting to the US, is the three-year age difference between Carmona's birth certificate and his true age. A 28-year old pitcher with a chance to turn it around is a completely different story when compared to a 31-year old player who might have already passed his prime.

For players from the Dominican, there is plenty of pressure to find some way to lie about their age to escape the poverty they are subject to for all of their lives in their home country. According to Sports Illustrated on average, a 16-year old player brings in about $65,000 with their signing bonus. Add two years to their age and an 18-year old signs for an average of $20,000. That is a big difference in a country where the per capita income is only $8,900. A player who shows any sign of promise is going to try and "adjust" their age to put their family in a better place for the future.

Sano in the Dominican Republic before he signed (Photo: ESPN)

Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are working with their international baseball committee to find a way to solve this crisis with players from Latin America. They continue to stress with these players about the fact that the big money for any player is when they get to the major league level. A big signing bonus will look good at first but the goal should be to make it to the big league level and succeed there to get a big contract. Obviously, only a small portion of these signees are going to make it all the way to the majors so the temptation is still going to be there to change their age.

For all other players trying to fudge the numbers on their birth certificate, the case around Roberto Hernandez Heredia (a.k.a. Fausto Carmona) could be a benchmark for the consequences they have the potential to face. If the Dominican Republic imposes a harsh penalty on Heredia, other prospects might be scared away from altering their identity in the future. The United States could also make it very tough for Heredia to enter the States in the future. As ridiculous as it seems for a baseball player to be considered a terrorist, the use of an illegal identity to gain entrance to the US could be seen as an act of terrorism.

For the Twins and Sano, he was reported as a 16-year old out of the Dominican Republic when he signed in 2009. This past season he was listed as an 18-year old and the younger players on the roster of the Elizabethton Twins. His young age is a very intriguing part of his prospect status. If the Twins were suddenly to find out that Sano was three years older than originally advertised, how would this change the future of the number one prospect in the organization?

A difference of age by only a couple of years for Sano probably wouldn’t have changed the minor league level he was playing at last season. If he were older, the organization might be forced to rush him through some of the levels of the farm system. There are still some raw parts to his game and the extra time he is going to get in the minor leagues will be a positive for him. If there are any issues with Sano’s age, they shouldn’t impact the Twins until it comes to signing him to a contract extension. This won’t come for many years and not until he has proven himself at the MLB level.

Sano at Twins Spring Training (Photo: Jim Crikket)

In ten years, the Twins could find themselves in a variety of different situations. Sano might not ever pan out in the minor leagues and the possibility is there for him to never make it to the MLB level in a worst-case scenario. With the investment the Twins have made, there is very little chance that he will not get at least a taste of the big leagues. After a few mediocre seasons, the organization could find themselves in a similar situation to the Indians; Sano’s real age could be released and the team might have to think hard about his future. The best situation for Sano and the Twins would be if he were to follow in the footsteps of Pujols and turn into an All-Star caliber player for multiple seasons.

To fans of the Twins, it won't matter what age Sano is if he has a career anywhere close to Pujols. The more prying issue could be if he has been using a false identity to illegally enter the US. Losing a star player in the prime of his career because of visa issues would be a crushing blow to any franchise. Sano might be the best player to come through the Twins minor league system since Joe Mauer and the future of the franchise could be tied to his birth certificate.

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If you enjoy learning more about the Twins minor league system, make sure to order a copy of the 2012 Twins Prospect Handbook. This book was put together by Seth Stohs of SethSpeaks.net and it is a great resource for any fan of the Minnesota Twins. There are over 160 prospect profiles, featured articles by Twins writers, and multiple top prospect lists from Twins bloggers. This is the best way to get to know the players who are the future of the Twins franchise. ORDER HERE

2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects: 1-10

2012-01-24T06:50:00.002-06:00

Here is the schedule of posts that will be featured during the next week:

Monday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 11-20

Tuesday (Today): 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 1-10

Wednesday: Feature story on Miguel Sano

Thursday: Plotting a path through the 2012 Draft

Friday: Minor League Edition of Friday Links-N-Thinks

1. Miguel Sano, 3B (2011 Rank: 1) Level: Rookie

.292/.352/.637, 20 HR, 59 RBI, 18 DBL, 58 R

Sano burst onto the scene in 2011 and showed some of the raw ability that the Twins were looking for when they gave him a signing bonus of over $3 million as a 16-year old back in 2009. He was 18 this past season and he was in a battle for the home run title in the Appalachian League with his teammate, Eddie Rosario. At the end of the year, he would finish second in home runs and third in OPS, slugging, and RBI in the Appalachian League. By most accounts, he is the consensus number one prospect in the Twins organization and fans are looking forward to what he will be able to do with his first year in a full season league in 2012.

When Sano signed with the Twins, he was coming to the organization as a shortstop. With his body continuing to fill-out, the team allowed him to spend most of his time at third base in 2011. There have been some holes in his defense during his first two years in the system but many prospect evaluators are saying that Sano should be able to stick at the hot corner. If defense continues to be a problem, he could start to see time at first base. The Twins will give him every opportunity to stick at third base as he moves through the system. He should spend all of next year in Beliot but the sky is the limit for young Mr. Sano.

2. Joe Benson, OF (2011 Rank: 4) Level: Rookie, AA, MLB

.284/.387/.491, 16 HR, 67 RBI, 29 DBL, 71 R

Benson entered the Twins organization as a second round pick in the 2006 and since he was drafted, he has moved through the system along with first round pick from that year Chris Parmelee. The extreme athleticism of Benson has helped him to rise toward the top of the Twins prospects. He was the organization's minor league hitter of the year in 2010 and he continued to show promise last season. His batting average and OBP both improved but some of his power numbers decreased. Some of this decline could be from the arthroscopic knee surgery he went through in 2011.

The Twins are still hoping he will develop into a five-tool player at the big league level. He has shown the speed, power, and defensive ability to translate into a very good everyday player with the Twins. His strong defensive rapport allows him to play all three outfield positions and his strong arm plays well in all fields. There are questions about his ability to make consistent contact especially when he is facing some offspeed pitches. He made strides in this area last year and starting next year at Rochester should help him to continue improving his offensive approach at the plate.

3. Eddie Rosario, OF (2011 Rank: 19) Level: Rookie

.337/.397/.670, 21 HR, 60 RBI, 9 DBL, 71 R

An entire book might be able to be written about the tremendous season that was put together by Rosario in 2011. Out of all of the Twins prospects, he could be the one that saw his stock rise the most with his combination of power, offensive approach, and defensive ability for the E-Twins. Rosario was part of a batch of high caliber prospects that played in Elizabethton this season. Their season started at the end of June and Rosario wasted little time getting his offensive explosion off of the ground. In ten games in June, he hit five home runs along with two doubles and a triple. The middle months of the season saw some of Rosario's power slow down as he hit six home runs with 11 other extra-base hits between July 1st and August 16th. From there Rosario went on a rampage down the home stretch to help the E-Twins make their way to the playoffs. In the last 17 games of the season, he mashed 10 home runs to go along with four triples, a double, and an eye-popping .477 batting average.

The Twins have a lot of promising prospects in the outfield and the organization has decided to try and shift Rosario to second base to help fill an area of weakness in the farm system. With Rosario’s extreme athletic ability, the hope is he can continue his powerful approach at the plate and combine that with good defense up the middle as a second baseman. 2011 was a magical year for Rosario and fans will watch closely as he transitions to Beliot next season.

4. Liam Hendriks, RHP (2011 Rank: 8) Level: AA, AAA, MLB

W-L (12-6), 139.1 IP, 3.36 ERA, 1.134 WHIP, 111 K, 21 BB

With an injury to Kyle Gibson and an up-and-down season from Alex Wimmers, Liam Hendriks emerged as the top pitching prospect in the farm system of the Twins. He moved from New Britain all the way to Minneapolis in 2011 and he made a strong impression along the way. By the time he made his MLB debut in September, Hendriks had already pitched a career high amount of innings. His strong command of the strike zone and his competitive attitude on the mound give him plenty of potential.

Hendriks showed an unbelievable ability to avoid walks in 2011 by only allowing three walks in 49.1 innings pitched at Rochester. When he made it to the big leagues, he allowed three walks in two out of his four starts for a total of six walks in 23.1 innings. This tremendous walk rate won't be able to translate to the MLB level but he fits the mold of Twins pitchers by pitching to contact. Hendriks needs more time at Rochester and the Twins have a full starting rotation to start the 2012 season. One injury to a starting arm could bring Hendriks back to the Twin Cities.

5. Oswaldo Arcia, OF (2011 Rank: 7) Level: Rookie, A, A+

.291/.335/.531, 13 HR, 51 RBI, 23 DBL, 18 BB

During this offseason, the Twins had an easy decision to protect Oswaldo Arcia on the team's 40-man roster. The young outfielder has only made it to Fort Myers but he has too many skills for the Twins not to protect him. His power bat has made him one of the top power prospects in the Twins organization. During last season, he had left elbow surgery which kept him out of action for two months. When he returned, he slid nicely into the outfield for the Miracle with his ability to drive the ball to all parts of the field.

His inability to draw walks is one of his biggest flaws on the offensive side of the ball. In 213 at-bats with the Miracle, he only managed to coax nine base-on-balls from opposing pitchers. He was only 20-years old this past season so there is still time for him to improve some of his discipline at the plate. As he has added more weight to his frame, he is now projecting to be a corner outfielder. He might need a little more time at Ft. Myers to start next season but he should make his way to Beliot in short order.

6. Aaron Hicks, OF (2011 Rank: 3) Level: A+

.242/.354/.368, 5 HR, 38 RBI, 31 DBL, 78 BB

Out of all of the top prospects in the Twins organization, Hicks might have been the biggest disappointment for his play on the field in 2011. He had a career low batting average and OPS with the Miracle but he did show flashes of brilliance during some middle parts of the season. He has the ability to draw walks but this has not helped with his other offensive numbers. When the Twins took Hicks in the first round of the 2008 draft, he projected to be a five-tool star with a very high ceiling. Those dreams have yet to come to fruition.

Hicks continues to work on his swing from both sides of the plate. He has been a much better hitter from the right side of the plate compared to his at-bats from the left side. After his the completion of the Miracle's season, he was asked to compete in the Arizona Fall League. The AFL was a challenge at first for Hicks but he made subtle improvements along the way. His defense continues to be his biggest strength and he will continue to stick in center field for the Miracle at the start of next season.

7. Adrian Salcedo, RHP (2011 Rank: 12) Level: A

W-L (6-6), 135.0 IP, 2.93 ERA, 1.170 WHIP, 92 K, 27 BB

Injuries and inconsistent play by other pitching prospects in the Twins organization have allowed Salcedo to emerge as one of the top starting pitchers in the farm system. In 2011, Salcedo spent the entire season with the Beliot Snappers of the Midwest League. His first start of the year got the season going with a bang as he struck out ten batters over six innings pitched. Throughout the rest of the season, he would pitch five innings or more in all but two starts on the year. At the end of August, Salcedo was closing in on his innings limit and he was transferred to the bullpen. He was outstanding in his relief role by only allowing one earned run in the 13.2 innings he pitched out of the 'pen.

In his time with the Twins organization, he has struck out 281 batters and only walked 56 with tow of those walks being intentional. The Twins would like Salcedo to add some weight to his tall frame. But even with his lanky build, he continues to be a hard worker and a bulldog on the mound. Salcedo is passing by other pitching prospects in the organization and all of Twins Territory should keep an eye on this young man as he makes his way toward Target Field.

8. Travis Harrison, 3B (2011 Rank: NR) Level: NA

No Statistics- Did not play after being drafted

With the 50th pick in last June's MLB Draft, the Twins took Travis Harrison for his tremendous offensive ability. A beefy corner infielder that can add some power to the middle of a line-up with the Twins minor league system. In his senior year, he batted .486 with 13 home runs. He has shown the ability of hitting upper deck shots in major league stadiums and he even hit a home run 504 feet in high school.

In his younger playing career, he was compared to the first pick in the 2010 draft, Bryce Harper. Like Harper, Harrison will most likely be asked to make the transition from third base to another position such as left field or first base. When the Twins took him in the draft, they were more concerned with his bat than his defensive ability. The Twins would be more than happy to have Harrison develop into the kind of talent that Harper has shown in his first minor league season.

9. Chris Parmelee, 1B (2011 Rank: 17) Level: AA, MLB

.287/.366/.436, 13 HR, 83 RBI, 30 DBL, 76 R

In September, Twins fans got a taste of what Parmelee could mean to the organization. The health of Justin Morneau continues to be a question mark and Parmelee is the top first base prospect in the organization. In his brief time with the big league squad, he was very impressive and he seems to have remedied some of his flaws that have followed him during his minor league career. There have been some issues with strikeouts as Parmelee has worked to master his powerful swing.

A year after struggling out of the gate, Parmelee made sure that was not an issue in 2011 as he came out of the gate hitting .273/.364/.442 during 20 games in April. As the summer heated up, so did Parmelee’s bat, as he was able to hit over .300 in both July and August. This made his call-up at the end of the year an easy decision for the Twins. Mr. Parmelee continues to be an on-base and doubles machine at each level he stops at along the way. Odds are he will start the year in Rochester but he is only a phone call away from being back on the big league roster.

10. Alex Wimmers, RHP (2011 Rank: 5) Level: Rookie, A+

W-L (2-3), 40.2 IP, 4.10 ERA, 1.230 WHIP, 40 K, 23 BB

The 2011 season would become a roller coaster ride for Mr. Wimmers and the rocky ride would start in his first outing of the year. In that rough first start, he did not manage to record an out and he walked in three runs. Overall, he faced six batters, walked them all, and was charged with four earned runs. He threw 28 pitches and only four of them were strikes. There was obviously something not quite right in the mind-set of this young pitcher in his first start of the year.

He would not return to game action until July and the Twins made sure to ease him back onto the field. There were some bumps along the way but Wimmers slowly increased his workload and he made three starts in the last weeks of the season. The most memorable outing came on September 3rd as the Miracle were close to wrapping their 2011 campaign. Wimmers took the mound and was masterful over the course of the seven-inning game. On this day, he would not allow a hit and he faced the minimum 21 batters. This was quite the change from his first trip to the mound back in April. It will be intriguing to watch the progression of Wimmers in 2012.

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If you enjoy learning more about the Twins minor league system, make sure to order a copy of the 2012 Twins Prospect Handbook. This book was put together by Seth Stohs of SethSpeaks.net and it is a great resource for any fan of the Minnesota Twins. There are over 160 prospect profiles, featured articles by Twins writers, and multiple top prospect lists from Twins bloggers. This is the best way to get to know the players who are the future of the Twins franchise. ORDER HERE

2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 11-20

2012-01-23T07:04:00.000-06:00

Most people make a list of resolutions to bring hope to the flipping of the calendar from one year to the next. The New Year is full of hope for the good things that will come in future. In the baseball world, the best way to find hope is to examine the minor league system for a person's favorite franchise. After some tough seasons throughout the entire system of the Twins in 2011, there are many players who are looking to bring hope to a group of fans that is thriving for something to cheer about in 2012.

It is Minor League Appreciation Week, here at NoDak Twins Fan. That means the entire week's post will be dedicated to the young players who hope to one day take their place in the line-up at Target Field. These young players work tremendously hard to try and reach the ultimate dream of being a big league player and they should be recognized for efforts on the field. This week I will unveil my Top 20 Prospect List and feature some stories around the players who make their living wearing the jersey's of the Twins farm system.

Here is the schedule of posts that will be featured during the next week:

Monday (Today): 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 11-20

Tuesday: 2012 Twins Top 20 Prospects, 1-10

Wednesday: Feature story on Miguel Sano

Thursday: Plotting a path through the 2012 Draft

Friday: Minor League Edition of Friday Links-N-Thinks

11. Brian Dozier, SS (2011 Rank: NR) Level: A+/AA

.320/.399/.491, 9 HR, 56 RBI, 33 DBL, 92 R

At the beginning of the season, there were few who thought that Dozier would end the year as the top hitter for the minor league teams of the Twins. Dozier broke onto the scene in 2011 with a fantastic season for the New Britain Rock Cats. The former 8th round pick in 2009 was recently named as the 2011 Twins Minor League Player of the Year. In a farm system that is struggling to produce middle infielders, the Twins needed someone to step-up in a big way. The success that Dozier produced in New Britain carried over to the Arizona Fall League where he hit .296/.358/.454 with three home runs and eight doubles in 26 games. Even though Dozier spent most of his time at shortstop in '11, it seems the Twins might start trying to use him as a shortstop and a second baseman from this point forward. The 5-foot-11, 160 pound player could make his way into the big league line-up as soon as this season.

12. Kyle Gibson, RHP (2011 Rank: 2) Level: AAA

W-L (3-8), 95.1 IP, 4.81 ERA, 1.427 WHIP, 91 K, 27 BB

A year removed from winning the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year award, Gibson had some injury troubles in 2011. In the beginning of September, Gibson was forced to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery and there is a good chance he will be out for all of next season. In 2010, Gibson flew through three levels of the minor leagues and looked like he was well on his way to being a fixture in the starting rotation at the big league level. The first part to Gibson's 2011 campaign seemed to be off to a decent start as he posted a 3.15 ERA in four starts for the month of April. From that point on, Gibson's ERA would rise in each of the following months. It was clear something was wrong by the end of the year as he failed to pitch more than five innings in each of his last five starts while allowing 21 earned runs. Overall, this is a terrible situation for a player that figured to be part of the Twins plans at some point last season and now he won't be on the mound at Target Field until 2013 at the earliest.

13. Angel Morales, OF (2011 Rank: 13) Level: Rookie/A+

.259/.314/.400, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 7 DBL, 19 R

The 2007 third round draft pick, Morales was on the sidelines for most of the 2011 season with an elbow injury. In only 37 games on the field, Morales was still able to get decent production while manning left field. His speed helps him while playing defense and during his time on the base-paths. With Aaron Hicks in CF and Morales in LF, the Miracle had quite the defensive setting to end the 2011 season. During the 2010 season, Morales batted .280/.362/.405 in 133 games with the Miracle and the Snappers. For his minor league career, he has shown the ability to hit for a consistent average while combining that with power and speed. If injuries don't become a consistent problem, he has the chance to develop into a five-tool player as he works his way through the farm system of the Twins. With the time he has played the last two seasons at Fort Myers and the fact he just turned 22 last month, it will be interesting to see if he gets the bump to New Britain for 2012.

14. Manuel Soliman, RHP (2011 Rank: NR) Level: A

W-L (7-11), 136.0 IP, 3.97 ERA, 1.309 WHIP, 120 K, 50 BB

The Twins signed Soliman as a non-drafted free agent in 2007 but he didn't start playing stateside until 2010. He played all of that season for the E-Twins and posted a 3.48 ERA in 64.2 innings pitched with a 1.052 WHIP. He pitched more innings this year than both of the previous years combined in the Dominican Summer League and the Appalachian League. At 6'2" and 185 lbs, Soliman is still a lanky player but he knows how to get some fire behind his pitches. It would nice for him to be able to get a little more control to bring his walk total and WHIP down but that will come with age. He is only in his third season since being converted from third base and that mean he has two good pitches at this point. At 21 years old, he is still relatively young and it will be nice to see how he can continue to develop with more pitching experience.

15. Chris Herrmann, C (2011 Rank: NR) Level: A+/AA

.269/.385/.399, 8 HR, 62 RBI, 19 DBL, 67 R

Herrmann continues to wow with his ability to get on-base at such a high rate and he combines this with a powerful swing. He has the tendency to hit more doubles than home runs. During the 2011 season, he was third in the Eastern League with 64 walks to his name. His defense behind the plate had some holes last season as he had a career high seven errors and four passed balls. His bat is good enough that the Twins have given him time in the outfield and at designated hitter. With Wilson Ramos being traded in 2010, Herrmann is the best catching prospect the Twins have in the organization. His limited time in the 2011 AFL was very productive and the hope will be that he can transition this success to the 2012 season. After his experience in Arizona, odds are that the Twins will give Herrmann a return trip to the Eastern League to start the 2012 season.

16. Hudson Boyd, RHP (2011 Rank: NR) Level: N/A

No Statistics- Did not play after being drafted

The big 6-foot-2, 235-pound pitcher was selected by the Twins in the supplemental round of this past June's MLB Draft. The native of Ft. Myers, Florida grew up close to the Twins Spring Training complex and he had been closely followed by the organization. In an interview following the draft, Boyd described his pitching style as, "Variety, 90-94, throw strikes, try to work ahead and compete and be around the strike zone." He would go on to say, "Be dependable. Be durable. Just be reliable for my teammates and coaches." The Twins director of scouting Deron Johnson said he had seen Boyd reach 97 with his fastball and he compared him to MLB pitcher Jonathon Broxton. The Twins hope Boyd will develop into a dominant starter but if that plan doesn't work he could be a very reliable relief option.

17. Levi Michael, SS/2B (2011 Rank: NR) Level: N/A

No Statistics- Did not play after being drafted

The Twins saw a need to add depth to the middle infield of the minor leagues by drafting Michael with their first round pick in 2011. In his three-year career at North Carolina, he hit .306 with 183 runs scored, 159 RBI and 81 extra-base hits (43-2B, 11-3B, 27-HR). He also showed the ability to draw walks with 119 for his career which ranked sixth in his school's history. For the 2011 season, Michael batted .289 with a .434 OBP and 22 extra-base hits in 65 games played. On the defensive side of the ball, he started at multiple infield positions in college but the Twins hope he can stick at shortstop. At the time of the draft, it sound like he could be moved to second base in the future. When the Twins signed Michael, their scouting director Deron Johnson said, "Levi is a switch-hitting 20-year old college shortstop with speed and top of the order skills. We like his athleticism on both sides of the ball and he has the defensive skills to play either shortstop or second base. He is a hard worker and hard-nosed player."

18. Madison Boer, RHP (2011 Rank: NR) Level: Rookie/A

W-L (2-1), 25.1 IP, 3.91 ERA, 1.105 WHIP, 43 K, 3 BB

The Twins drafted Boer in the second round of this June's draft so that means the right-handed hurler only had a limited amount of time to show his "stuff" to the organization. Boer, the Eden Prairie native, enters the Twins organization after three years of experience at the University of Oregon. The 6-foot-4 right handed pitcher spent time as a starter and a reliever in college. In his final year of college, he managed a 2.27 ERA in 18 appearances (12 starts) and he held opponents to a .234 batting average. He was used mainly out of the bullpen since he racked up 99 innings during his college season. It is most likely that the Twins will give him a chance to start in 2012 and it will be up to Boer to take the opportunity and run with it.

19. Max Kepler, OF (2011 Rank: 10) Level: Rookie

.262/.347/.366, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 11 DBL, 29 R

When Kepler was signed by the Twins in July of 2009, he was the top prospect coming to the United States out of Europe. The 2010 season was his first in the Twins system and he spent the entire year with the GCL Twins. At 17-years old and as one of the younger players in the GCL, he hit .286/.346/.343 with seven extra-base hits. Kepler spent all of the 2011 campaign with some of the best prospects in the Twins system at Elizabethton. With players like Rosario and Sano having outstanding seasons around him, it was hard for him to follow in their footsteps. He began to see some of his power numbers slowly increase and he was only 18 this past season so his "man muscles" still have time to develop. On the defensive side of the ball, he spent almost all of his time in left field but he has been asked to play the other outfield spots. For the future, the organization is hoping that he will continue to develop some more power as he grows in years in the minor league system.

20. BJ Hermsen, RHP (2011 Rank: NR) Level: A/A+

W-L (13-8), 151.1 IP, 3.33 ERA, 1.335 WHIP, 101 K, 37 BB

The Twins used a sixth round pick to select Hermsen out of high school in 2008 and he has made the most of his opportunities with the organization. 2011 marked his third year in the farm system of the Twins and he made it all the way to starting for the Miracle. To start the season, Hermsen was sent back to Beliot, the place he ended at in 2010. He pitched 124.2 innings for the Snappers and posted a 3.10 ERA with an 81/31 K/BB ratio. His walk total combined with his average of allowing a hit an inning made his WHIP stay higher than the Twins would like. When he was promoted to Ft. Myers at the end of the year, he made five starts and posted a 4.39 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched in the FSL. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound right-hander turned 21 in December and the Twins will be looking for him to take the next step in 2012.

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If you enjoy learning more about the Twins minor league system, make sure to order a copy of the 2012 Twins Prospect Handbook. This book was put together by Seth Stohs of SethSpeaks.net and it is a great resource for any fan of the Minnesota Twins. There are over 160 prospect profiles, featured articles by Twins writers, and multiple top prospect lists from Twins bloggers. This is the best way to get to know the players who are the future of the Twins franchise. ORDER HERE

Friday Links-N-Thinks

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

It is under a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Fort Myers for spring training. The Twins annual Winter Caravan has been making the rounds through different parts of Twins Territory. Next weekend fans of the Twins will gather at the Metrodome for the gathering known as TwinsFest. This means the Twins are getting closer and closer to turning the page on the 2011 season and it is getting close to turning over a new leaf for 2012.

The biggest Twins headline of the week was the addition of Joel Zumaya to the bullpen mix for next season. While he has suffered through plenty of injuries in the past, the Twins are hoping a healthier Zumaya can be an impact player out of the 'pen. There were plenty of other baseball related stories from throughout the week so let's break it all down with "Friday Links-N-Thinks."

The 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook from Seth Stohs was released earlier this week. If you have not ordered your copy yet, CLICK HERE. This is a great book with a ton of information that every Twins fan will be interested in.
I joined Stohs on his weekly Twins podcast to discuss the release of his book and other Twins stories.
With the edition of Zumaya, the Baseball Outsider looks at the implications for the Twins.
Orlando Cabrera is retiring but he did help the Twins to win one of the greatest games in franchise history.
I really enjoyed this article put together at the SweetSpot Blog on ESPN. It takes a look at who the top five players were in baseball during different five year stretches.
Classic Minnesota Twins posted some cool photos of the Met from June of 1963.
The AL Central race might have got a little tighter with the news that Victor Martinez could miss the entire year. JC at Knuckleballs wrote his thoughts on how this helps the Twins.
Former Twins players Kevin Slowey and R.A. Dickey reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

MiLB Prospects blog released their top 100 MLB players under 25. Did any Twins make the list?
Would the Twins be able to add Roy Oswalt to their rotation? The Tenth Inning Stretch has been keeping up with the coverage of the story this week.
Chili Davis turned 52 this week and Big League Stew honored his career with a post.
Baseball in Puerto Rico has been declining and the NY Times blames it on prospects from this country being included in the MLB Draft.
Ron Gardenhire's son, Toby, was a minor leaguer with the Twins but he is now going to coach the University of Wisconsin-Stout baseball team.
The Target Field grounds crew is going to have a booth set up at TwinsFest. I hope they have turf samples for fans to run their fingers over.

Weekly Rundown:

Tuesday: Doumit losing weight, preparing for outfield
Wednesday: Can Plouffe escape the "4A" mold?
Thursday: Confidence in Morneau could backfire

Video of the Week: Joe Benson explains his rookie season and what the journey to the big leagues was like for him.

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Confidence in Morneau could backfire

2012-01-19T06:48:00.000-06:00

An interesting interview with Twins General Manager Terry Ryan came out yesterday on the Fox Sports North website. In this piece, Ryan discussed a variety of topics for the Twins as the organization gets ready to head to Fort Myers next month. There were quotes about Joe Mauer's recovery from an injury plagued 2011 and a look at some of the options for the starting rotation but some of the most intriguing quotes were in reference to Justin Morneau.

Last week on this site, I wrote about the three different paths in front of Morneau for next season. In the first part of the "Morneau Chronicles," the focus of the piece was the Twins hoping for the ideal results. Another option for the Twins could be to switch him to being a full-time designated hitter. The final installment of the three part series looked at the possibility of Morneau being pushed towards retirement. In the end, I hoped the Twins would be able to have him split time between first base and designated hitter for the 2012 season with other players taking some time at first base.

In this latest interview with Ryan, the Twins seem to have an interesting strategy for the Morneau situation. Here are a couple of quotes from the FSN article and some thoughts about the Twins plan as they approach spring training.

"I don't even want to talk about a backup plan because right now I'm encouraged with the way he's going about his business."

It is positive to see the Twins having confidence in a player who has not been able to finish a season with the team during the past three years. He will begin swinging a bat this week for the first time since having surgery on his neck and wrist. So until the 30-year old first baseman proves he can't handle baseball activities, the Twins have a right to instill confidence in their former MVP. He has worked with doctors and the training staff to try and fight through some of the nagging concussion related issues. As recently as the end of December, Morneau was still recovering from post-concussion syndrome but he was showing signs of improvement.

"There is no backup plan because we've got a first baseman we're counting on."

Realistically, the Twins have players in place to fill-in at first base if Morneau is unable to play in the field. It is unlikely that this group of players would be able to put up the same production as the healthy Morneau of years past. Mauer could find himself playing first on days when he is not scheduled to be behind the plate. Newly acquired Ryan Doumit has played a handful of games at first base during his career. The Twins used Luke Hughes as a fill-in option at first base with Morneau out at the end of last year. Fans of the team also saw Chris Parmelee show some positive signs during September. The Twins might be saying they don't have a backup plan but the pieces are clearly there if the team needs to make an adjustment.

"I think we're all encouraged that once we get down to spring training, we're going to find out a lot of things."

There will be plenty of questions for the Twins to find answers to when it comes to Morneau at spring training. Will he be able to handle playing first base on a regular basis? Can he regain his offensive prowess after missing significant time in each of the last two seasons? Does the team need to move him to designated hitter in order to protect him from his concussion symptoms? Will it still be dangerous for Morneau to be a standing in the batter's box and running the bases? The list of questions could go on and on...

In the end, it is good that the team and their GM have confidence in the ability of the organization's first baseman to conquer his post-concussion symptoms. There are plenty of fans of the Twins who will be approaching Morneau's situation with a reserved skepticism. Morneau is going to have to prove himself on the field before fans are going to regain confidence in the power-hitting lefty. The start of spring training is a month away and it will be interesting to watch how fast the team's confidence in Morneau might have to switch once the team arrives in Fort Myers.
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The 2012 SethSpeaks.net Twins Prospect Handbook is NOW AVAILABLE. This is a great book for every fan of the Twins. There are profiles on over 160 minor league players, top prospect lists from multiple writers, and a variety of featured stories. The Twins had to dig deep into their minor league system last year and it is a great resource to have on hand for reference to these players.

Can Plouffe escape the "4A" mold?

2012-01-18T07:02:00.000-06:00

In a piece written by Kevin Goldstein for ESPN (hidden behind their Insider wall), he took a look at the troubles some players have escaping the mold of being a "4A" hitter. He discusses the case of Nelson Cruz and how is one of the few players who has been able to shake the "4A" label and find success in the major leagues.

The Twins have one player on their roster that is looking to shake the same label in 2012. Trevor Plouffe has found reasonable success at the AAA level but his transition to the big leagues has not been entirely smooth. Can Plouffe escape the "4A" mold and find success with the Twins in the coming year? Let's start by looking at what Cruz did become and offensive threat.

Cruz went all the way from the high-A level to the triple-A level in 2004 with the Oakland franchise. By the end of the year, he had put together a batting line of .326/.390/.562 with 26 home runs, 42 doubles and 100 RBI. In 2005 he was shifted over to the Milwaukee organization and found continued success at the Double-A and Triple-A level. He batted .289/.385/.537 with 27 home runs and 32 doubles. The Brewers would call him up for his debut in 2005 but he only got a taste of the big leagues for eight games.

Over the next three seasons, Cruz would continue to see significant time at the AAA level but he could never break through when he got called up to his new organization, the Rangers. His time at the AAA level seemed ridiculous because he was destroying the pitching at that level. In 2007, he batted .352/.428/.698 and he followed that season by hitting .342/.429/.695 with 37 home runs during the 2007 season.

While he had a hot bat for his Triple-A squad, his time spent with the Rangers was lacking some of the luster he had shown in the minor leagues. From 2006-2008, he got 603 plate appearances with Texas and struggled by hitting .252/.311/.431 with 27 doubles and 22 home runs. Something clicked for Cruz from that season going forward. In 2009, he had a breakout year by hitting 33 home runs and being selected to the All-Star Game. Over the last two seasons, the Rangers have won back-to-back American League Championships and Cruz has been an offensive threat for each of those squads.

The Plouffe story line follows some of the same ups and downs that followed Cruz during his younger days. During the 2008 season, Plouffe made it to the Triple-A level and showed the ability to hold his own at 22-years old. He would spend all of the 2009 season with Rochester and he batted .260/.313/.407 with 10 home runs and 23 doubles. Entering the 2010 season, Plouffe was again sent to Triple-A and he struggled to the tune of hitting .244/.300/.430 in 102 games. The 2011 season was a breakout year for Plouffe at the Triple-A level and he should have been able to succeed since it was his fourth season versus pitching at that level. During his 192 at-bats, he hit .313/.384/.635 with 15 home runs and 11 doubles.

During the last two seasons, the Twins have given Plouffe multiple chances to prove himself at the MLB level. In 2010, he floundered in 22 games by hitting an awful .146/.143/.317 with two home runs. The 2011 campaign saw Plouffe show flashes of power but he still struggled at making consistent contact. He finished the year with a batting line of .238/.305/.392 with eight home runs and 18 doubles.

Terry Ryan and the Twins have made it be known this offseason that Plouffe will likely be spending more time in the outfield in 2012. In an interview with the Pioneer Press, Ryan wanted to make sure Plouffe isn't forgotten about as the Twins try to create their line-up for Opening Day. He would go on to compare Plouffe to recently departed outfield Michael Cuddyer who made the same infield to outfield switch. Like Cuddyer, Plouffe's switch to a new defensive position could allow him to break through the mold of the "4A" player in 2012.

Doumit losing weight, preparing for outfield

2012-01-17T07:26:00.000-06:00

When the Twins signed Ryan Doumit in the early portion of the offseason, many fans of the organization got excited about having a back-up catcher who would be able show some offensive competence. The Twins saw the trifecta of Drew Butera, Rene Rivera, and Steve Holm struggle to fill the giant hole left by multiple injures to Joe Mauer. Terry Ryan knew the Twins couldn't rely on players of this ilk if the injury bug bit Mauer again in 2012.

Upon further review, reports of Doumit's defense behind the plate began to filter out and it seems he won't be contending for any Gold Gloves. A report put together by Baseball Prospectus said that Doumit was the worst catcher in baseball at framing pitches. He allowed nine passed balls in 790.1 innings behind the plate in 2010 and last season he allowed four passed balls in 461.1 innings. For his career, Doumit has thrown out 25% of base stealers and he was close to that percentage last year at 24%. In 2010, he allowed a career high 79 stolen bases and only managed to throw out 12% of those attempting to steal.

The Twins are hoping Mauer will be able to catch a lot more in 2012 so Doumit has approached this offseason a little bit different than previous years. In a recent interview on 1500 ESPN, he talked about trying to take off a little of the bulk this offseason. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, he wasn't exactly huge but injuries have been an issue for him in previous seasons. By slimming down, he might be able to avoid some of the wear and tear on his body.

Another reason for him to be shedding a couple pounds is so he is able to spend more time playing in the outfield. In his seven year career, he has played 60 games in the outfield with all of them coming in right field. With the hope of a healthy Mauer, the Twins would have to find another spot for Doumit in the line-up. He will see time at catcher but he could also be penciled in at designated hitter, first base, or in a corner outfield spot.

If the Twins use Josh Willingham as one corner outfielder and Doumit as the other corner outfielder, there would be a lot of room left to cover for whoever is the center fielder. Denard Span and Ben Revere can cover some ground but the huge holes in the outfield at Target Field could be treacherous with two mediocre defensive players. The slimmer version of Doumit could help him get back to his 2007 outfield form where he had a range rating of 4.3 and a 9.0 UZR in over 300 innings in the outfield.

Since there is a good chance the Twins will want to use Mauer and Doumit in the line-up on the same day, the team will be carrying three catchers at the start of the season. Twins fans should be encouraged by the approach Doumit is taking to his offseason regime. He is saying the right things and he sounds like he will come to Ft. Myers with the flexibility to play any position the Twins ask him to play, a good sign for a veteran player who is looking to make a strong impression on a new team.

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Make sure to take the time to order your copy of the 2012 SethSpeaks.net Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. There are profiles of over 160 minor league players, articles from multiple Twins writers (including myself), and a ton of other content. Pre-sales of the book became available last night so make sure to get yourself a copy at a discounted price.

Friday Links-N-Thinks

2012-01-13T06:53:00.000-06:00

It has been a strange weather week across the Midwest with temperatures in the 50s at one point of the week and snow falling by the end of the week. Three days ago I was sitting on my deck enjoying the beautiful day and now I find myself under a blanket on my couch. Gotta love a weird winter in Twins Territory.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announcement kick started the baseball news cycle on Monday. Twins World Series hero Jack Morris missed out on being inducted but he is getting closer to reaching the magic level of 75%. There were plenty of other baseball related topics from throughout the week so let's jump into this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks."

Last night news started to filter out about the Twins being in line to lock-up the 2014 MLB All-Star Game at Target Field. I threw together this logo in anticipation of the event:

Nate Gilmore over at Puckett's Pond has been examining the Twins non-roster invitees to spring training. Here's his post on Minor League Player of the Year Brian Dozier.
The Twins jumped on an international signing this week and here's what Baseball America had to say about Mauricio Silva.
Baseball America's top Twins prospect list was also released. Miguel Sano is at the top but who else makes the list?
MLB.com updated their top ten Twins prospects and there are some definite differences in the two lists.
Speaking of prospects, the 2012 Twins Prospect Handbook will soon be available for pre-order. Make sure to check out Seth Stohs site for all of the details. Below you can see a preview of the cover put together by Josh Johnson.

JC over at Knuckleballs joined the fun and posted his top 10 prospects in the Twins system.
Seedlings to Stars has been posting their lists of players that were snubbed from their top 100 prospect list. Here is a link to the AL Central version with a lot of Twins prospects.
Are you ready for spring training? Big League Stew posted the reporting dates for all 30 MLB teams.
If you watch Parks and Rec, you will love this list of players who would make it into Ron Swanson's Hall of Fame.
Who is the father of Twins mascot TC? Veteran fans of the Twins will be familiar with this character.
Seth Stohs and Travis Aune had a great offseason edition of Twins Minor League Weekly. It is a 90-minute edition so make sure to listen back to the episode.
Seth also made last weekends list of the Top 50 Must Follow Baseball Twitter Accounts as compiled by Top Prospect Alert.
Andrew at Twins Fan From Afar examines the Twins starting rotation for 2012.
30 years ago this week, the Twins drafted a man by the name of Kirby Puckett. The franchise would never be the same...

My Weekly Rundown

Monday: Morneau Chronicles: Ideal Results
Morris falls short of induction
Tuesday: Morneau Chronicles: Switching to DH
Wednesday: Morneau Chronicles: Pushing for retirement
Thursday: In pursuit of a white spherical object
Target Field will host 2014 All-Star Game

Video of the Week: Jack Morris made a push closer to the HOF earlier this week. In this video in the MLB Network Studios, Morris discusses his career and the possibility of making the Hall in the future.
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Target Field will host 2014 All-Star Game

2012-01-12T22:45:00.001-06:00

News started trickling out on Thursday night that Target Field and the Twins will host the 2014 MLB All-Star Game. The first man to report the information was USA Today baseball reporter Bob Nightengale on Twitter. He did follow up his original tweet by saying the news might not be announced for awhile. Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune followed up the news with a post on his blog.

Last week I posted about the Twins branching out and looking for other events to hold in the friendly confines at 1 Twins Way. In my very unofficial poll, the NHL Winter Classic finished as the one most fans wanted to see come to Target Field. The MLB All-Star Game finished in second place.

The Twins have previously hosted the MLB All-Star game on two separate occasions. Met Stadium served as the site for the 1965 All-Star Game and 20 years later, the Metrodome hosted the 1985 All-Star Game. The festivities in 1985 also included the inaugural edition of the Home Run Derby.

I threw together this rough outline of what the logo could look like for the 2014 MLB All-Star Game. Overall, it should be an exciting event to bring a lot of attention to the Twin Cities.

In pursuit of a white spherical object

2012-01-12T06:48:00.000-06:00

I recently started reading a book called "The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals, and the Secrets Beneath the Stitches." This book was penned by an author named Zach Hample and he has become a master of snagging baseballs at major league games. This book delves into the history of the baseball, how they are created, and some of the best stories surrounding the white spherical objects fans are clamoring to get at a baseball contest. Imagine the days when players and ushers had to find the baseball in the stands so the game could continue on the field because there was only one game ball for each contest. Oh how far baseball culture has come over the last 100 years...

I have been lucky enough to get my hands on a few baseballs during batting practice at the Metrodome, Target Field and during spring training games in Florida. My total baseballs collected is nowhere near the number collected by Hample but I have crafted my own ways to get my hands on a baseball over the years. During the past season, I was invited by the Twins to attend an early batting practice session with the club. At the time, I wrote about the experience and the number of baseballs my buddy and I were able to attain. I gave most of those balls away to different fans in attendance but I have another other fun stories about trying to catch a ball during at a Twins game.

- October 9, 2004 - ALDS Game 4 -

- Yankees at Twins - HHH Metrodome -

Game three of the series had been tough for fans that made their way into the Metrodome. The Yankees were on the cusp of knocking the Twins out of the playoffs for the second straight year. As the fourth game of the series was about to get underway, some college buddies and I still had hope for the Twins to turn it around. We made our way to the game early to try and snag a ball in the Home Run Porch during batting practice. By the time the gates were open, the Twins had already completed their portion of on-field warm ups so this meant any ball we received would be off of the bat of the hated Yankees. We spread out in different rows so we were able to cover more ground. The Bronx Bombers were sending plenty of souvenirs out into the seats in left field but none of us got close to hauling in a ball.

Near the end of the batting practice session, Gary Sheffield stepped up to the plate and launched a ball near the Teflon roof. I followed the track of the ball and knew it was going to be over my head. A buddy of mine was a few rows behind me and the ball was going to land somewhere near him. I watched as he tried to bare-hand the ball and he bobbled it with both hands before flipping it up in the air. My friend thought the ball had disappeared but I could clearly see the location of the object. The ball had defied the laws of physics to come to rest on the brim of his baseball cap, a feat that is tough to accomplish. I yelled up to him about the location of the ball and it slowly fell to the ground. By that time there were plenty of others who had rushed to the scene and one of the other pursuers retrieved the ball. My buddy had missed his chance.

Here is the rundown of the balls I have kept in my collection over the years. There were many more than this in the past. But as I stated before, I tend to pass these souvenirs on to younger fans who will have more appreciation for them.

A couple of balls from spring training in 2006 and 2007
A batting practice home run from Joe Mauer in 2009 (with the commemorative Metrodome stamp on it)
A ball I scooped up with my hat at Opening Day 2011
A batting practice foul ball off the bat of Jim Thome in 2011

Did you have a cool story about getting a ball at a game? What are some of the techniques you use to get a ball at Target Field? Leave a comment and start the conversation.

Morneau Chronicles: Pushing for retirement

2012-01-11T07:07:00.000-06:00

Today marks the final day in a three-part series that was started at the beginning of the week called the "Morneau Chronicles." In each part of the series, I have taken a different approach to what Twins fans can expect from Justin Morneau in 2012. His role on the team is vital to the improving a team who lost 99 games a season ago. His health and well being are a concern to all fans of the organization so this series has attempted to prepare fans for the journey we will follow with Morneau in the coming calendar year.

In part one of the series, I took the positive approach and examined what next season could be like if Morneau was completely healthy and producing on the field. The second installment, which was posted yesterday, looked at what would happened if Morneau is forced to become a full-time designated hitter. The Twins have other options lined up to fill in his role but the team is still hoping the former MVP will be able to regain some of his form on the field.

Below is the schedule of posts from this week with links back to the articles that have already been posted on NoDak Twins Fan.

"Morneau Chronicles" Weekly Schedule

Monday: The Ideal Results

Tuesday: Switching to DH

Wednesday: Pushing for retirement

Games Played: The 2008 season was a wonderful year for the Twins and Morneau helped the team to push to a tie breaking game against the White Sox. He was an iron man for the club and played in all 163 games during that campaign. Since that point Morneau has been hit with a plethora of injuries and he has only averaged 95 games played in the last three seasons. He has also appeared in less games every season and this is a disturbing trend for fans of the ball club. If this trend continues into next season, Morneau would lose another 31 games from his total last year and finish the year with 38 games on the field. It is hard to imagine how far Morneau has fallen since 2008 when he finished second in the MVP voting to Boston's Dustin Pedroia.

Offensive Performance: One of the most frustrating things to watch last season was when Morneau was up to bat and he got a pitch he liked over the plate. His eyes would lock in and he would take his signature hack at the ball but to no avail. The ball would be fouled to the backstop and Morneau would be left shaking his head. He knew he missed another pitch, a pitch he was use to sending to the gap or over the fence. His poor batting line from 2011, .227/.285/.333 with four home runs, showed how far his offensive prowess had fallen. The team also struggled to score runs and finished with 619 runs crossing the plate, 25th most among MLB teams. Morneau's absence from the daily batting order hurt the club and things weren't much better when he was in the line-up.

Defensive Position: In the worst case scenario Morneau could be going into the 2012 season with a chance of it being his last on the field. Morneau has been slowly improving from his concussion related injuries but some of the symptoms have not healed all of the way. Head related injuries are tough to combat and Morneau could be dealing with these symptoms for the remainder of his career and possibly for the rest of his life. As discussed in yesterday's post, the Twins have discussed the possibility of moving Morneau to a full-time role as designated hitter. There is always the chance his concussion symptoms would reoccur while serving in this role. If that happens to be the case, the Twins and Morneau might seriously have to consider pushing him towards retirement. Being on the field in any capacity could further hinder his ability to function for the rest of his life.

Other Players Impacted: If Morneau is not able to fit into any portion of the lineup for 2012, the Twins will have a few decisions to make in regards to multiple players. Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit will be able to fit in at first base when they are not competing for duties behind the plate. Luke Hughes could get some reps at first but the thought of him being the everyday first baseman is not in the Twins plans. Fans of the Twins who were still watching in September got to see some positive signs from Chris Parmelee. The Twins want to start him in the minor leagues at the beginning of 2012 but further concerns with Morneau could change Parmelee's timetable to get back to the big leagues.

Overall I think the best hope for Morneau is that he will be able to split time between first base and designated hitter in the 2012 season. The reoccurance of concussion symptoms just from diving for a ball was a scary end to the 2011 season for Morneau. Hopefully the organization and Morneau will be able to work through some defensive drills in spring training to test the chance of his concussion symptoms returning from a dive. Twins fans would love to see the triumphiant return of their former MVP in 2011 but his future well-being has to be at the heart of all decisions made about Morneau in 2012.

Morneau Chronicles: Switching to DH

2012-01-10T06:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I started the first in a three-part series called the "Morneau Chronicles." Over the course of this week, I plan to approach the Justin Morneau situation from a few different angles. In part one of the piece, I examined the "ideal results" for him and the Twins. This would mean Morneau coming back completely healthy and performing close to the level he has shown in the past. Today's second part of the series will look at what will happen if Morneau is relegated to playing the role of designated hitter in 2012. In the final portion of the series for tomorrow, the topic will revolve around what will happen to the Twins if Morneau's injuries push him towards retirement.

As I wrote yesterday, Morneau's role on the team will play a large part in the success of the club in 2012 so it is important to know what the future could hold for him and the Twins. Will he be his old productive self next year? Are the concussions going to relegate him to being a DH? Or in a worst-case scenario, is the career of Morneau going to be forced to come to an abrupt end? All of these situations have a chance to play themselves out during the 2012 season and Twins fans will be watching the health of the former MVP with high regard.

Below is the schedule of posts for this week with links back to the articles that have already been posted on NoDak Twins Fan.

"Morneau Chronicles" Weekly Schedule

Monday: The Ideal Results

Tuesday: Switching to DH

Wednesday: Pushing for retirement

Games Played: If concussion symptoms continue to be triggered by Morneau playing defense, the switch to designated hitter could be the next step. At the end of last season, Ron Gardenhire and members of the Twins front office were already contemplating this move for 2012. Morneau saw his highest percentage of games played at DH in 2011 with 13 of his 69 appearances being in the role. For his career, he only has 365 plate appearances as the DH with a batting line of .266/.329/.443 with 17 home runs. The Twins hope to get Morneau into a minimum of 130 games this year with over 500 plate appearances. That is a feat he hasn't accomplished since 2009 so switching to the DH role could keep Morneau healthier and it could keep his concussion symptoms away. He has only combined for 150 games played in the last two seasons and the Twins need a healthier player since he has two-years and $30 million left on his contract.

Offensive Performance: The transition to full-time player to full-time designated hitter can be a hard transition for some hitters to make. Some players find it hard to stay in the rhythm of the game when they are only involved in a plate appearance every few innings. As mentioned above, Morneau has a very small sample size of appearances as a designated hitter. For his career, he has 3850 plate appearances as a first baseman and 365 plate appearances as a DH. It is also hard to project what Morneau will be able to accomplish after recovering from multiple surgeries this offseason on top of the concussion issues that are still bothering him. While fighting through some tough injuries last season, his offensive numbers took a big dip. The Twins hope a transition to a new offensive role will not hinder his comeback at the plate.

Defensive Position: The obvious situation here is that Morneau might find himself switching his focus from both sides of the ball to now completely focusing on the offensive side of the ball. After missing parts of the last three seasons, it might be easier for Morneau to make the transition back to being a threat by only focusing on one area of his game. The Twins can use a mix and match solution for first base and hope that Morneau can find his swing and provide enough offense at the DH spot to make up for whoever is taking his defensive spot in the field.

Other Players Impacted: The current back-up plan for Morneau at first base might be a combination of a group of players. The Twins brought in Ryan Doumit to serve as the back-up catcher but he could also find time at first base. Joe Mauer wants to be the full-time catcher but there will be times the Twins need to find a different spot for him in the line-up. He showed good ability to handle first base last year and he could see more time there if Morneau is now the DH. Depending on the health of Mauer, Doumit might be behind the plate and this would force the Twins to turn to some other options. Luke Hughes would be a bench player who could see some time at first base. Because of some of the positive signs he showed in September, the Twins could also hand the first base spot over to Chris Parmelee at some point this season.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember to check back tomorrow for the final part in my three-part series called the "Morneau Chronicles." His health plays a large role in the path the Twins will take in 2012 so it is important to examine the possibilities for him from every angle.

Morris falls short of induction

2012-01-09T16:29:00.000-06:00

The 2012 Hall of Fame announcement was made earlier today and the only man to be selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America was Barry Larkin. The second place finisher is a familiar name to fans of the Twins, Jack Morris. The St. Paul native finished 48 votes shy of getting the ultimate honor in baseball. He received 66.7% of the vote and a player needs to receive 75% to get their plaque up with the other greats of the game.

For supporters of Morris, this year was a great accomplishment as he got closer than he has ever been to the Hall. There are some stumbling blocks on the horizon with Morris only having two years left of eligibility on the ballot. The next two years there will be plenty of candidates who could garner support over a player like Morris.

First Year of Eligibility for the Hall

2013

Barry Bonds

Roger Clemens

Sammy Sosa

Mike Piazza

Curt Schilling

Craig Biggio

2014

Tom Glavine

Greg Maddux

Frank Thomas

Jeff Kent

This could be the high point for Morris during his time on the ballot. As I wrote about in the middle of last month, 2012 might have been his last best chance to get the nod for Cooperstown. The PED players still on the ballot and the new names added to the voting for next year could take away some votes from Morris. The writers can only vote for ten players on each ballot and there might be ten players who are better than Morris during next year's voting.

In putting together my ballot for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance in the last two years, I have included Morris on both occasions (2011 ballot, 2012 ballot). With the new players added to the mix next year, there is a good chance I won't have room to include him. Without spending too much time deciding who to vote for, I would have these players on my ballot for next year:

Returning Players:

1. Jeff Bagwell

2. Edgar Martinez

3. Mark McGwire

4. Rafael Palmerio

First Year Eligible Players:

5. Barry Bonds

6. Roger Clemens

7. Sammy Sosa

8. Mike Piazza

9. Curt Schilling

10. Craig Biggio

I might try and find a way to squeeze one of those players out and fit Morris on as a last-ditch effort to get him elected. But either way, the ballots are going to be tough for writers to decide and it will be tough for Morris to get elected in his last two years of eligibility.

Morneau Chronicles: The Ideal Results

2012-01-09T07:05:00.000-06:00

One of the most intriguing story lines to follow for the Twins in 2012 is the health and productivity of Justin Morneau. There are so many different ways his situation could play out on and off of the field. Will he be his old productive self next year? Are the concussions going to relegate him to being a DH? Or in a worst-case scenario, is the career of Morneau going to be forced to come to an abrupt end? All of these situations have a chance to play themselves out during the 2012 season and Twins fans will be watching the health of the former MVP with high regard.

Over the next few days, I will be examining Morneau's situation from a few different perspectives. Each day I will take a new approach to what can be expected from the Canadian first baseman. How will his play impact the team? And what can be expected from the lefty as he battles his way back onto the field? Here is a breakdown of the views I will take in regards to Morneau over the course of the week:

"Morneau Chronicles" Weekly Schedule

Monday: The Ideal Results

Tuesday: Switching to DH

Wednesday: Pushing for retirement

Games Played: From the perspective of the Twins and Mr. Morneau, the ideal results would be for him to return to the playing field and return to his MVP form. This would mean Morneau would need to be in the line-up for at least 130 games, a feat he has not accomplished since the 2009 season. A variety of injuries have been a consistent hindrance to Morneau being able to be on the field since he had a stretch of three seasons with 157 or more games played. The Twins would love to have the iron man version of Morneau back in the line-up but they would settle for him getting over 500 plate appearances in 2012.

Offensive Performance: The start of the 2010 season was the last time the Twins got a glimpse of all that Morneau could be from the offensive side of the ball. He started the 2010 season on a tear and looked primed to be on his way to another AL MVP Award. In the 81 games he played, he batted .345/.437/.618 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI. One slide into second base would change all of the MVP hopes for Morneau and it would change a lot of his future. In limited time action on the field in 2011, Morneau ran into his fair share of struggles. His batting line of .227/.285/.333 with four home runs was just a shadow of his former self. Morneau may never get back to his previous performance but he needs to get past some of his struggles from last year to be a productive player on the field.

Defensive Position: Another obstacle for Morneau on his return in 2012 is he would need to be able to stand-up to the riggers of playing at first base. There has been talk of him being switched to a full-time designated hitter (check back tomorrow for a post on this switch). When Morneau has been healthy, he is one of the best defensive first basemen in the American League. The skills he learned in his youth as a hockey goalie have served him well with scooping balls and blocking bad throws. With the variety of injuries Morneau had last season, there were some signs of decline on the defensive side of the ball. If all of his injuries have fully healed, the Twins will hope to get more of the Gold Glove caliber defense from Morneau

Other Players Impacted: In the ideal situation with Morneau being healthy and playing almost every day, there would be other players who would see less playing time. Ryan Doumit will most likely serve as the back up to Morneau at first base. Doumit's versatility on the field would allow him to fit in the line-up at a couple other positions so he would most likely get close to the same playing time. Luke Hughes is in line to be a utility infielder and it would be best for the Twins if he didn't see a whole bunch of time at first. Joe Mauer is an intriguing name because the team wants him to catch as much as possible. In 2011, Mauer showed good athletic ability during his time at first but a healthy Morneau could make Mauer's alternate position switch to the outfield. At the end of last season, Twins fans got a taste of what Chris Parmelee could mean to the future of the club. His September call-up was full of good signs for the young first baseman. A healthy Morneau would mean Parmelee would get more time to season himself in the minor leagues.

With the recent reports coming out about Morneau still having some concussion related symptoms, this ideal situation might be a distant dream for fans of the Twins. There could be a miraculous recovery between now and the start of the regular season but the Twins have some pieces in place to move in a different direction. If Morneau can regain some of his old form at the plate and in the field, the team and player would be in a great spot. But the Twins have to be ready for the worst-case scenario, a season with little or no appearances by Justin Morneau.
~~~~~~~~~~
Remember to check back each day this week as I will examine the "Morneau Chronicles" from a few different perspectives. His role on the team will play a large part in the success of the club in 2012 so it is important to know what the future could hold for him and the Twins.

Friday Links-N-Thinks

2012-01-06T07:09:00.000-06:00

Hello, baseball fans! And welcome to another stirring rendition of Friday Links-N-Thinks, here at North Dakota Twins Fan. The abnormally warm weather in the upper Midwest makes me feel like spring baseball should be right around the corner. Alas, this is not the case and there are still weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers, Florida.

The Twins blogosphere and baseball blogosphere have been busy over the last week by dishing out some of the best stories possible for this slow news period of the year. Here are some of the best stories I perused over the last seven days. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

MLB has yet to announce where the 2013 All-Star Game will be played and this means the Twins could be waiting awhile to hear if they get the 2014 version of the All-Star Game.
The Yankees won the negotiating rights to a Japanese middle infielder and failed to sign him before the 30-day deadline. If only the Twins had been so lucky...
Logan Morrison had a great tweet about Ozzie Guillen during the last week.
Seth Stohs looked at the infield situation for the Twins, the outfield situation, and the relief options in a series of posts this week.
Twins Fan From Afar wrote a piece looking at HOF members who had parts of their careers taken from them.
The Twins seemed to invite anyone with a pulse to the Major League portion of spring training but Edward Thoma thinks there are two players who are conspicuously absent.
Along the same lines, Knuckleballs wonders if the quantity of players in camp for the Twins will lead to quality on the field.
"Everyday Eddie" is going to be in spring training as a special instructor. Maybe he can teach Matt Capps how to get out of an inning after he lets a bunch of runners on base.
The Tenth Inning Stretch continued his Not a Garden Variety Top 10 List with part four: Twins Franchise OPS Leaders.
Lots of Hall of Fame stories this week but here is one about the case for Jack Morris and the legend that surrounds Game 7.

Chris Jaffe at The Hardball Times is usually spot on with his predictions for the Hall and he posted his 2012 results earlier this week.
Circle the Bases wrote a heartfelt piece about the Twins needing to spend more than $99 million for next season.
Carlos Silva is still getting paid to play baseball.
Puckett's Pond continues their great coverage of the Twins with a post about trying to project 2012 for Justin Morneau.
New Twins Radio Announcer Cory Provus is now on Twitter.
ESPN announced their baseball performance of the year and it just so happened to come at Target Field.

My Weekly Rundown

Monday: New Year's resolutions abound for Twins
Tuesday: Wheeler dreams come crashing down
BBA recommends Larkin, Bagwell for Hall of Fame
Wednesday: Target Field pushing for other events
Thursday: Liriano takes the mound in winter ball

Video of the Week: Ex-Twins Kevin Slowey and R.A. Dickey are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro but it is for a good cause. Here is a video of Dickey explaining the climb and his reasons for doing it.

Liriano takes the mound in winter ball

2012-01-05T06:18:00.000-06:00

This offseason the Twins went back and forth trying to decide if Francisco Liriano would pitch in the Dominican Winter League. The left-handed hurler is coming off a rough season in which he finished with a record of 9-10 and a 5.09 ERA in 134.1 innings pitched. A couple of different trips to the disabled list plagued Liriano's 2011 campaign and all of these injuries dealt with his throwing shoulder. Many in the Twins organization traced his shoulder issues back to him not completing his offseason shoulder stretches and throwing too many bullpens prior to spring training. In his last appearance of the year, he was tagged for five earned runs in only a third of an inning pitched. This was not exactly the best way to finish the year.

Liriano has been asked to pitch in the offseason winter leagues in the past. At the end of the 2009 season, Liriano had pitched close to the same amount of innings he pitched in 2011. This meant the Twins wanted him to get a little extra work in during the offseason. He pitched over 50 innings in the Dominican to regain some of his confidence and the results were evident on the field during the next season. The 2010 season was his best since returning from Tommy John surgery as he pitched 191.2 innings with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.263 WHIP. The first season at Target Field was kind to Liriano and he managed to strikeout over 200 batters for the first time in his career.

On Tuesday night, he made his debut with the Leones del Escogldo of the Dominican Winter League. He was scheduled to pitch two innings but was forced to exit after making the second out of his last inning on the mound. For the night against the Tigres del Licey, he finished with 1.2 innings pitched, two hits, one walk, one earned run and two strikeouts. But his stat line for the night does not tell the whole story of his performance.

1st Inning: Liriano started off with a bang by getting Brad Coon to strike out swinging for the first out of the bottom half of the inning. Anderson Hernandez stepped into the box next and smacked a double into center field. The next batter hit a slow roller in front of the plate so the catcher was able to retire him for the the second out of the inning. Ronny Paulino served as the clean-up hitter for his team and he came through with a double to right field. The runner scored to put Liriano in an early hole and he was flustered enough to walk the next batter. With runners at first and second and two outs in the inning, Liriano got Christian Marrero to pop out to the second baseman to end the inning.

2nd Inning: The bottom of the second started with a weird play as the right fielder, Eury Perez, dropped a foul pop and was charged with an error. Liriano was still able to retire the batter on a ground out to the shortstop. With Liriano's closing in on his pitch count for the evening, Jordany Valdespin would represent the last batter he would face. He ended his time on the mound with the same results as the first batter of the game, a strike-out swinging. Liriano's night was book-ended by strikeouts and a little bit of chaos in the middle.

The Twins are strictly limiting the amount of innings Liriano will pitch during the end of the winter league season. Joe Christensen wrote on the Star Tribune website last night, "Liriano will not pitch more than 20 innings the rest of the Dominican season." It also sounds like Liriano regretted not being able to pitch in the winter league last offseason. He feels it is the best way for him to get prepared for spring training.

For Twins fans, the hope is the Liriano of 2010 will make a reemergence in 2012. If pitching in winter ball is all that it takes to get that version of Liriano back, I'm all for it.

Target Field pushing for other events

2012-01-04T06:42:00.001-06:00

Since the Twins opened Target Field in 2010, there have been a variety of events to come through the gates at 1 Twins Way. The Minnesota Gophers baseball team, the 2011 RBI World Series and the Minnesota State High School League Baseball Championship have all been hosted in the friendly confines of the Twins new home. While all of these events have been baseball related, there are still plenty of other uses for the facility and the Twins have started to make a push for those events.

In an interview last week with Judd and Phunn, Dave St. Peter spoke of the possibility of bringing some other major events to the Twin Cities area in the near future. There have been rumors of other major events making stops at Target Field and the Twins are going to continue to push to keep the ballpark as integral part of the downtown area.

Here is a breakdown of the major events the Twins have expressed interest in since their facility opened. At the end of the post, you will find a poll to express what event you would most like to see at Target Field.

MLB All-Star Game

The Twins and the city of Minneapolis have officially submitted their bid for the 2014 All-Star Game to be held at Target Field. The Royals will host the festivities surrounding the event during the 2012 season and it seems the Mets are the front-runner to host the 2013 game at Citi Field. Another team trying to get into the mix for 2014 is the Chicago Cubs because it will be the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. This would force MLB to break the tradition of rotating the host city between leagues every other season. The Twins have previously hosted the MLB All-Star game on two separate occasions. Met Stadium served as the site for the 1965 All-Star Game and 20 years later, the Metrodome hosted the 1985 All-Star Game.

NHL Winter Classic

"That's the event we covet the most," said St. Peter in his recent interview on 1500 ESPN. Minnesota is considered the State of Hockey so it is only logical to think the NHL Winter Classic will make a stop in the state at some point. The NHL is in control of the event and there is always a chance they would consider holding the event at TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Since the Winter Classic debut in 2008, the event has been held in two NFL stadiums and three MLB ball parks. With the realignment of the NHL next season, there are plenty of potential opponents to face the Wild. The logical choice for a big market city would be the Chicago Blackhawks.

NCAA College Hockey Game

As a University of North Dakota graduate, I would love to see the Fighting Sioux and the Gophers square off for a series at Target Field. St. Peter's connections to the University of North Dakota seem to lead some to think this match-up would be a possibility. If the Twins are serious about hosting the Winter Classic, a practice run with college teams could be a step in the right direction. There are plenty of UND and U of M alumni in the Twin Cities to make this an exciting event and these two teams comprise one of the best rivalries in college sports.

Major Touring Concert

The first concert at Target Field sold out in hours as two of the biggest names in country music will be gracing the stage in July. The Brothers of the Sun Tour features Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw on a multi-stadium summer tour across the United States. The Twin Cities and Midwest is a hot bed for country music so it is not surprising how fast the event was able to sell out. Originally, the first concert was reported to be Paul McCartney but his September concert was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. The country genre does not appeal to everyone so it will be interesting to see if the Twins go in a different direction with their next big time show at Target Field.

Other Event

There have been whispers of a few different major events which could be played at Target Field. The Twins Low-A Minor League Affiliate, the Beliot Snappers, is projected to have some of the best prospects in the farm system next season and a weekend series at Target Field could be fun. It also makes sense because Beliot is also the closest minor league affiliate of the Twins to the Twin Cities. St. Peter also mentioned the possibility of bringing in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. Some baseball stadiums, like Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium, have been host to college football contests in recent years. Out of all of the events, football seemed to be the furthest away from happening at Target Field. Underneath the grass at Target Field, there is a sand layer to help water drain and this might not hold up to a football game.

So what do you think? Pick an event listed below and let your voice be heard.

BBA recommends Larkin, Bagwell for Hall of Fame

2012-01-03T15:28:00.000-06:00

In the annual polling of members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin and former Houston Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell were recommended for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is the third year the organization has conducted this survey of the membership.

Larkin, a 12-time All-Star who fashioned an .815 OPS over 19 seasons, received the largest percentage of votes, being named on 84.25% of the 148 ballots cast. This is the highest percentage garnered by any player in the three years of BBA voting.

Bagwell, who hit 449 HR and had a .948 OPS in his 15 seasons in Houston, was selected on 115 ballots for a 78.77% rate. As with the official voting done by the Baseball Writers of America, a player must be named on 75% of the ballots to be recommended by the alliance.

Last year, the BBA recommended second baseman Roberto Alomar and pitcher Bert Blyleven, both of whom were inducted into Cooperstown during the summer. In 2010, no player reached the 75% mark in BBA balloting, the year that outfielder Andre Dawson was selected for the Hall by the baseball writers.

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance’s vote has no impact on the official vote taken by the Baseball Writers of America. However, the BBA has often been a predictor of major awards granted by the writers.

The final voting results are as follows:

Barry Larkin 84.25%
Jeff Bagwell 78.77%

Edgar Martinez 60.27%
Tim Raines 57.53%
Alan Trammell 44.52%
Mark McGwire 41.10%
Larry Walker 35.62%
Lee Smith 33.56%
Jack Morris 32.19%
Don Mattingly 29.45%
Rafael Palmerio 28.77%
Fred McGriff 28.08%
Dale Murphy 16.44%
Bernie Williams 11.64%
Juan Gonzalez 6.16%
Javy Lopez 2.74%
Brad Radke 2.05%
Tim Salmon 1.37%
Bill Mueller 0.68%
Phil Nevin 0.68%
Ruben Sierra 0.68%
Tony Womack 0.68%
Jeromy Burnitz 0.00%
Vinny Castilla 0.00%
Brian Jordan 0.00%
Terry Mulholland 0.00%
Eric Young 0.00%

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance was established in the fall of 2009 for the purpose of fostering collaboration and communication among bloggers from across baseball. The BBA has quickly grown to its current membership of 347 blogs, including some of the most prominent blogs on the Internet, spanning all major league teams and various other general aspects of the game.

More information about the BBA can be found at their website, baseballbloggersalliance.wordpress.com, or by contacting the founder and administrator of the organization, Daniel Shoptaw, at founder@baseballbloggersalliance.com.

Wheeler dreams come crashing down

2012-01-03T06:37:00.000-06:00

The news from the Twins side of things has been a little slow-moving with the Twins front office taking a break for the holidays. Even with the break, the Twins are close to reaching their self-imposed budget of $100 million for the 2012 season so there is not a whole lot of wiggle room left to add spare parts. The Twins 40-man roster is close to being full and most positions on the field have someone to take over for next year.

The bullpen could be one of the areas the Twins would have room at add an additional piece. A year removed from the Minnesota bullpen having the worst ERA in the Majors, the Twins are looking for a solution. During this offseason, the Twins have brought in some names who don't spark a lot of excitement but the team is hoping they will be able to piece together better results on the field. Brian Duensing will be making a return trip to help solidify some of the middle innings. Anthony Swarzak, Matt Capps, and Alex Burnett will all be asked to improve upon their results from last year.

News broke earlier last week that the Twins were contacted by the agent of Dan Wheeler, a free-agent relief pitcher. The veteran righty spent last season with the Boston Red Sox and he is coming off of a rough season where he pitched 49.1 innings and posted a 4.38 ERA and a 1.115 WHIP. In the last three seasons, he has pitched to the tune of a 3.65 ERA with a 1.011 WHIP while appearing in an average of 52 innings per season. Not perfect numbers but the Twins are going to be looking for a cheap one-year option on a player and Wheeler could fit this mold. In my offseason blueprint, I had the Twins signing Wheeler after the Red Sox offered him arbitration and he declined it.

With Wheeler added to the mix, the bullpen of the Twins could look like this:
Closer: Matt Capps
LHP: Glen Perkins
LHP: Brian Duensing
RHP: Anthony Swarzak
RHP: Alex Burnett
RHP: Dan Wheeler
RHP/LHP: [Fill-in the Blank]

It seems that the addition of Wheeler might only be a pipe dream as the Star Tribune is reporting the Twins are out of money for next season. La Velle E. Neal III also gave an interesting quote about Wheeler by saying, "I was told a move for him wasn't possible, then learned the reasons why." He leaves the reason why up to the reader. But after turning down arbitration following a year he made $3 million, it seems Wheeler could be in looking for more money than the Twins are willing to spend. The team is up to $99 million spent for next season and the only way to clear money would be to trade away some of the existing parts. The Twins seem to be done on the free agent front and are ready to head to Florida with their current roster of players.

After the debacle that was the Twins bullpen in 2011, it would have been nice to add one more piece. Terry Ryan has put his faith in some unlikely bullpen arms in the past that have worked out in his favor. It's just tough to know who is going to help the Twins rebound in 2012.

New Year's resolutions abound for Twins

2012-01-02T07:04:00.000-06:00

The end of 2011 could not come fast enough for the Minnesota Twins. At the beginning of the year, Twins fans had high hopes for 2011 after a memorable first season at Target Field in 2010. The hopes for the 2011 calendar year were quickly dashed through a variety of issues. It became a nightmare for the organization as the team lost the second most games in franchise history and saw players put on the disabled list 27 times. Overall, a tough year for any franchise to endure and especially troubling for a team who had become accustom to finishing near the top of the AL Central in the last decade.

Coming off of the disaster of 2011, the Twins could write a book about their New Year's resolutions for 2012. It is hard to narrow down the list to bring out the top needed improvements for the organization next season. Here are five things that could go a long way to improving the results on the field to turn the team around for 2012.

1. Free agent signings need to perform- Since the end of the 2011 season, the Twins have seen the departure of Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Joe Nathan. This means the team has been forced to bring in other players to take their spots. Josh Willingham, Ryan Doumit, Jamey Carroll, Jason Marquis and Matt Capps have all signed free agent contracts to fit into the mix for next season. If the Twins have any chance of contending, each of these players is going to have to produce on the field. The Twins feel they have found the best pieces to get this team back into contention for next year. There will be extra pressure on these players to give positive performances on the field but the Twins will need each of them to fit into their role for the team to succeed.

2. Starting pitchers need to have bounce-back years- The name of the game in baseball is starting pitching and the Twins had quite a few speed bumps in this department last season. In 2010, the Twins saw outstanding seasons put together by Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano and Brian Duensing. Liriano and Pavano looked like a solid one-two punch heading for the playoffs and Duensing was solid for the second year in a row in his limited amount of time as a starter. Pavano, Liriano and Duensing fell on some hard times in 2011. It seems that Duensing will be relegated back to the bullpen for the start of next season (see below). This leaves Pavano, Liriano, Marquis, Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn as the starting five for 2012. Pavano and Liriano are in their last season of being under contract with the Twins so they will need to show up in their contract years. Baker and Blackburn need to stay healthy and consistent on the mound to help the team win.

3. Bullpen issues need to be resolved- The Twins went into last season with a lot of question marks in the bullpen. As the calendar flips over to another new year, there are still plenty of question marks for the Twins. With the exodus of Nathan to Texas, Capps has been pegged as the team's closer for 2012. The lackluster numbers put up by Capps in 2011 make it hard for Twins fans to get exited about his return to the mound at Target Field. Duensing will be added back to the bullpen and he has proven very effective in retiring left-handed batters. Glen Perkins was outstanding in a relief role in 2011 and he will need a repeat performance to solidify some of the late innings. Anthony Swarzak, Alex Burnett, Lester Oliveros and a handful of other arms will vie for the other spots in the 'pen. Last season the Twins bullpen had the worst ERA in the Majors so the hope is that it can't get any worse. Right?

4. Concussion issues need to disappear- Denard Span and Justin Morneau are two of the players who are pivotal parts of the Twins long-term plan for success. They were each signed to multi-year contracts for the promise they showed on the field and for the importance they provided to the team. Different concussion related injuries have forced Morneau to miss time during the last two seasons and for Span to miss significant time last year. If the Twins are to climb their way out of the cellar, Span needs to be at the top of the line-up and Morneau needs to become a threat again. Concussions can be a serious issue for the long-term health of athletes. The number one concern for each of these players is to protect their long-term health but at the same time each of them has shown a passion to return to the field. They need to prove the concussion issues are no longer a problem and they can handle the rigors of playing an entire season.

5. Mauer needs to be behind the plate- When the Twins signed Mauer to his monster contract, it was so he could be the superstar catcher for his hometown team. For the team to get value out of his huge deal, he needs to be able to catch on a more consistent basis then he did last year. Mauer caught over 900 innings in five of his first seven seasons but that number dropped to 141 innings last year. The Twins are likely to use Doumit and Drew Butera behind the plate for some games in 2012 but Mauer needs to prove he can be the backstop the Twins are paying him to be. The offseason reports that have come out sound promising and the hope for the Twins is that 2011 will just be a blip on the radar of an outstanding career for Mauer in a Twins uniform.

Bonus Resolution: Don't screw up the 2012 MLB Draft- This resolutions won't necessarily impact the team for next season but it could go a long way to shaping the team's future. The Twins will have five picks in the first two rounds and this could shape the franchise for the foreseeable future. Most experts believe this is a weak draft class so it will be important for the scouts of the Twins to have all of their homework done. The Twins haven't had a top three pick since the team took Mauer with the first pick of the 2001 draft. Good franchises are made or lost in the draft so it is important for the Twins not to screw it up.

Friday Links-N-Thinks

2011-12-30T08:47:00.000-06:00

After the long holiday weekend, the news has been slow-moving in regards to the Twins. This was not unexpected as the organization usually takes some time off during the holiday season. The baseball world has continued to swirl as the beginning of the new year is fast approaching. By turning of the calendar to the new year, it means that teams will shortly be packing their bags for the warmer weather of Florida and Arizona.

Spring training will prime teams for the 2012 season but for now here are this weeks helping of interesting links to prime you for the weekend.

Seth Stohs ranked the Twins Top Moments of 2011.
Sully Baseball wrote about an interesting topic, "No Washington pitcher has ever clinched a post season series."
At the July trade deadline the Nationals were interested in Denard Span, but now it looks like they will stick with Jayson Werth in CF.
Would Puckett be in the Hall of Fame if he had played out the rest of his career?
The Baseball Outside has been dissecting the Bill Smith era and earlier this week he gave me nightmares by reliving the Capps-Ramos deal.
Mr. Jim Crikket at Knuckleballs thinks the Twins are taking a huge risk. What's the risk? Read the piece to find out.
What Hall-of-Fame pitcher did Ron Gardenhire do very well against during his career?
Former Twin R.A. Dickey is climbing a mountain and his current team is not too happy about the adventure.
It is going to take a while to get use to using Cuddyer in different colors but I am a fan of him honoring Killebrew by wearing number three.

Twins Fan From Afar looks at Liriano and his ability to throw first pitch strikes.
One AL GM thinks relief pitcher Joel Zumaya won't be able to pass a physical. The Twins were one of many teams to show interest in him.
Who are the to players 25 and under for the Twins? MILB Prospects tries to rank the younger prospects.
Puckett's Pond picks out five Twins prospects who need to take the next step in 2012.
Off the Mark makes an attempt to understand the concept of "pitch to contact."
Boof Bonser has come full circle and will rejoin his original team, the Giants.
Danny Valencia is switching his number to 22 for the 2012 season.
Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra did a Q&A with Brandon Warne over at Twinkie Town.
The Tigers did not like what they got out of Jacque Jones as he made the Tigers Top Ten Bum List.

My Weekly Rundown:

Tuesday: Lack of power could play well at Target Field
Wednesday: Larkin comes to top of 2012 HOF Class
Thursday: Killebrew's passing, Thome's 600th marked 2011

Video of the Week: The folks over at MLB Hot Stove Report took a long hard look at Morneau's training regiment to come back from post-concussion syndrome. It makes you wonder how he made it on to the field at all last season.

Killebrew's passing, Thome's 600th marked 2011

2011-12-29T07:47:00.000-06:00

In a season marked with many negative headlines around the Twins, it is hard to pick out the best moments from the past 12 months. The team struggled through so many up-and-down moments and there were multiple story lines that will be remembered in the annals of Twins lore. The theme for the 2011 version of the Twins was all about injuries and their impact on a 99-loss season.

Even with all of the negativity on the field, there were some signature moments that fans across Twins Territory will carry with them for the foreseeable future. There were on field triumphs and some moments off the field that go beyond the game of baseball.

But together they compose the year that was for the 2011 Minnesota Twins...

5. Liriano tosses no-hitter in Chicago
It was not a perfectly pitched game by any means but Liriano was able to avoid the White Sox getting any hits on the board. At the beginning of May, there was still plenty of hope left in the Twins season. It took 123 pitches and the defense behind Liriano was relied on for multiple plays in the game. The Twins only scored one run of support for Liriano, a fourth inning home run off of the bat of Jason Kubel. This would be enough for Liriano on the night as he pitched the fifth no-hitter since the Twins moved to Minnesota.

4. Nathan sets Twins all-time saves mark
There were many obstacles in the way of Nathan reaching this feat with the Twins. He came to the team with little closing experience and only one save to his name. When he had to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2010, it looked like his shot at the record could be over. He worked hard to get back on the mound and win the closer role to start 2011. After the first couple weeks of the season, it again looked like Nathan might not ever reach this historic mark. He gave up the closers role after two bad outings in Tampa Bay but this was not the last Twins fans would see of Nathan. In the middle of July, the closer role was given back to Nathan and he made the most of the opportunity. He would pass Rick Aguleria with his 255th save in club history on August 10th and he cemented his place as one of the best pitchers in the history of the franchise.

3. Blyleven enshrined in Cooperstown
The journey for Blyleven to the doorstep of Cooperstown was a long one in the making. It took until his 14th time on the ballot to reach the 75% mark from the writers. He became the first Dutchman to make be elected to the Hall and he is the first pure starting pitcher since Nolan Ryan to be selected by the writers in 1999. Blyleven followed in the footsteps of Killebrew, Carew and Puckett to become the fourth player to be wearing a Twins cap on his plaque in Cooperstown. The Twins organization also held a celebration the weekend before his Hall-of-Fame induction to honor his career and retire his number. It was a long wait for Mr. Blyleven but he can finally sign "HOF 2011" next to his name.

2. Thome reaches 600 home run plateau
When the Twins announced that Thome would be coming back for the 2011 season, many fans wondered how long it would take for Thome to enter the 600 club. After only one season with the team, he had already hit some memorable home runs. Passing Killebrew on the all-time list and his walk-off shot against the White Sox were two great memories from 2010. By the time the Twins had reached mid-August, there was little else to cheer for besides Thome's chase for 600. He would join seven other greats of the game on August 15 with his 599th and 600th home run in the same game. Shortly after he hit his 600th, the team would send him to Cleveland for a chance at reaching the playoffs. But Thome provided plenty of memories during his short time wearing a TC on his batting helmet.

1. Killebrew remembered for much more than baseball
There are many moments that can shape a baseball season but somethings are beyond the scope of the baseball world. Harmon Killebrew was that type of person and that type of player. The mark left by Killebrew on the Twins franchise is hard to quantify. He was a gentle giant who become a legend in Twins Territory for his play on the field and became more well-known for his kindness off of it. His memorial service at Target Field will not soon be forgotten by the fans who were able to take part in this celebration of his life. Mudcat Grant's stirring rendition of "What a Wonderful World" echoed through downtown Minneapolis. The moment of the night was when Nita Killebrew stepped up to the microphone and gave a tremendous speech to all fans of the Twins. After the strength she showed and the words she spoke, there was not a dry eye in the house, a fitting tribute to the man they called "Killer."

Larkin comes to the top of 2012 HOF Class

2011-12-28T09:40:00.000-06:00

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, we are asked to take part in a few different voting exercises throughout the year. We pick out the top players in each end of the year award category, we vote for the starters in the All-Star Game, and we submit a ballot for the Hall-of-Fame during each off-season. The end of the calendar year means it is getting closer to the announcement of the Class of 2012 for the National Baseball Hall-of-Fame. There have been plenty of national writers who have written about their ballot in the last week.

With each of the other announcements, the BBA asks each member to post their ballot to their blog. The Hall-of-Fame vote is the only one for which this is not a requirement. I still feel like the Hall-of-Fame balloting should be posted with my reasons for selecting each candidate. I usually break my ballot into a few different categories because I know that not all of the players listed below will be making a speech in Cooperstown this summer.

Class of 2012

Barry Larkin (2011 HOF Vote: 62.1%) - Cincinnati Reds
Accolades: 12-time All-Star, 3 Gold Gloves, 9 Silver Sluggers, 1995 NL MVP
BA: .295
H: 2340 (131st)
HR: 198
R: 1329 (108th)
RBI: 960
SB: 379 (87th)
OPS: .815
WAR: 68.9 (90th)

This year will mark the third year for Larkin on the ballot and he has been steadily moving closer to the 75% needed to be inducted. In my lifetime, he might be the best shortstop who played in the National League. His combination of hitting, base running ability, and defensive prowess are worthy of induction with the best players of all-time. In a year where many of the other top position players have the PED cloud surrounding them, Larkin should be a lock to be the only player selected by the baseball writers.

Future Inductions

Jeff Bagwell (2011 HOF Vote: 41.7%)- Houston Astros
Accolades: 4-time All-Star, 1 Gold Glove, 3 Silver Sluggers, 1994 NL MVP
BA: .297
H: 2314 (139th)
HR: 449 (35th)
R: 1517 (63rd)
RBI: 1529 (46th)
SB: 202
OPS: .948 (22nd)
WAR: 79.9 (57th)

Edgar Martinez (2011 HOF Ballot: 32.9%) - Seattle Mariners
Accolades: 7-time All-Star, 5 Silver Sluggers,
BA: .312 (95th)
H: 2247 (160th)
HR: 309 (120th)
R: 1219 (160th)
RBI: 1261 (121st)
SB: 49
OPS: .933 (34th)
WAR: 67.2 (100th)

Martinez will be facing his third year of being on the ballot and Bagwell will be making his second appearance. For Bagwell, there have been slight connections made to him and the other steroid era sluggers. He was a very good hitter in an era where it seemed like everyone was using PEDs so there are going to be writers who leave him off of their ballot for this reason. Martinez is one of the best designated hitters of all-time and he changed the position for current generations. It might be a long process for each of these two to get into the HOF but they should be elected sometime in the next decade.

May Never Get In (But still on my ballot)

Mark McGwire (2011 HOF Vote: 19.8%) - Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals
Accolades: 12-time All-Star, 1 Gold Glove, 3 Silver Sluggers, 1987 AL Rookie of the Year, Passed Roger Maris for most HR in single season
BA: .263
H: 1626
HR: 583 (10th)
R: 1167 (199th)
RBI: 1414 (67th)
SB: 12
OPS: .982 (10th)
WAR: 43.3 (131st)

Jack Morris (2011 HOF Vote: 53.5%) - Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians
Accolades: 5-time All-Star, 1991 World Series MVP
Wins: 254 (42nd)
ERA: 3.90
WHIP: 1.296
K: 2478 (32nd)
IP: 3824.0 (50th)
WAR for pitchers: 39.3 (141st)
Shutouts: 28 (134th)

Rafael Palmerio (2011 HOF Vote: 11.0%) - Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs
Accolades: 4-time All-Star, 3 Gold Gloves, 2 Silver Sluggers
BA: .288
H: 3020 (25th)
HR: 569 (12th)
R: 1663 (31st)
RBI: 1835 (16th)
SB: 97
OPS: .885 (82nd)
WAR: 66.0 (109th)

It seems weird to have Morris in the same category as McGwire and Palmerio but his time on the ballot is running out. As I wrote about in the last couple of weeks, this year marks the last best chance for Morris to make the Hall. He is the best pitcher on the ballot this year and there will be a lot of good first time candidates on the ballot in the next two years. McGwire and Palmeiro put up the power numbers to be enshrined in Cooperstown but the cloud of steroids will follow them on every ballot. It could be tough for either of these men to make the jump needed to reach 75% of the vote.

Honorary Vote:

Brad Radke (2011 HOF Vote: N/A) - Minnesota Twins
Accolades: 1-time All-Star
Wins: 148 (249th)
ERA: 4.22
WHIP: 1.260
K: 1467 (198th)
IP: 2451.0
WAR for pitchers: 41.4 (120th)
Shutouts: 10

Did Radke have the type of career for which he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame? The answer is no. But for fans of the Twins organization, he represents one of the most consistent pitchers to take the mound for the organization. He was a very good pitcher on some Twins teams that were not very good. My favorite Radke fact is from the 1997 season. He would win 20 games that season for the first and only time in his career. The crazy thing is the Twins only won 68 games in 1997 and Radke was the winning pitcher in almost a third of those victories.

As always, leave a comment. Who would be on your ballot? Will the PED sluggers ever be enshrined in Cooperstown? Do you have any fun Radke stories?

Lack of power could play well at Target Field

2011-12-27T09:07:00.000-06:00

With the signing of Jason Marquis during last week, the Twins roster for the 2012 season is close to being finalized. There is a small amount of room in the payroll to possibly add a bullpen arm but only time will tell if the Twins move in this direction. The pieces of the line-up are in place for next year and this makes it easier to predict the offensive production this nine-man line-up will be able to produce over the course of the season.

Some writers, like Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN, have predicted that a healthy Twins line-up could vault the Twins to the top of the American League in their ability to produce runs. Obviously, this is only an estimate and the health of many of the key pieces is still in question. Even if the Twins do put more runs on the scoreboard, the pitching staff is going to have to allow a lot fewer runs to bring the team back into contention in the American League Central.

After the second full season at Target Field, the Twins organization knows a lot more about the intricacies of their new ballpark. The team has found some difficulties in the power department in their new home and they even tried to improve the batter's eye in center field. This means it is easier for the Twins to create a line-up on the field that is built for the quirks of Target Field.

Here are the Bill James predictions as posted on FanGraphs.com for each player that figures to be in the Twins starting line-up for 2012:

Denard Span: .288/.361/.379, 4 HR, 41 RBI, 64 R, 16 2B
Jamey Carroll: .274/.353/.332, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 45 R, 12 2B
Joe Mauer: .326/.412/.466, 11 HR, 71 RBI, 77 R, 31 2B
Josh Willingham: .248/.352/.460, 25 HR, 82 RBI, 71 R, 29 2B
Justin Morneau: .288/.369/.494, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 39 R, 18 2B
Ryan Doumit: .275/.335/.443, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 46 R, 26 2B
Danny Valencia: .278/.328/.420, 9 HR, 50 RBI, 46 R, 24 2B
Alexi Casilla: .264/.331/.347, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 52 R, 15 2B
Ben Revere: .280/.325/.326, 0 HR, 30 RBI, 56 R, 13 2B

With each of these players starting half of their games at Target Field, the potential to hit home runs is significantly decreased because of the way that the field plays. The large gaps in the outfield and high fence in right make a few home runs trots turn into stand-up doubles. There are not a lot of home run threats in this starting nine but that could be put together by design.

If the middle of the line-up is composed of a healthy Mauer, Morneau and Willingham, there is plenty of potential to see the ball fly out of the park. The Twins have also surrounded their key middle of the line-up pieces with players who can get on-base at a very consistent clip. After the putrid offensive output in 2011, it would be a welcome sight to see runs on-base at a higher rate.

There are three players the Twins will be relying on next year to be in the starting line-up who have little power potential. Carroll, Casilla, and Revere will be lucky to hit the three projected home runs as Bill James predicted in the above chart. The speed of Casilla, Revere and Span as back-to-back-to-back hitters in the line-up could be fun to watch on the base paths. Ozzie Guillen might be gone from the AL Central but the little piranhas could be all over the field for the Twins.

In the end, the Twins will not be slugging the ball out of many ball parks in American but that looks to be by design. Target Field has played to hitters who aren't trying to smack the ball over the fence with every swing. The organization limited their budget this year so going to get a player big name slugger like Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols was out of the question.

The line-up the Twins has for 2012 projects to score more runs than last season...

And that has to be a welcomed thought for all Twins fans.

Holiday Edition of Friday Links-N-Thinks

2011-12-23T07:14:00.000-06:00

It is the eve of Christmas Eve and there are many people setting out on their travels to visit family and friends. I hope all readers of NoDak Twins enjoy their time with family and friends. It is a wonderful time of the year and it means the start of the baseball season is fast approaching.

There were a handful of stories to follow with the Twins this week. Michael Cuddyer was introduced as a member of the Colorado Rockies and he picked to wear number three in honor of Harmon Killebrew. Jason Kubel signed a multi-year free agent contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Twins signed right-handed pitcher Jason Marquis to be the fifth starter in the rotation and to basically replace Kevin Slowey. The stories just kept coming throughout the week.

Yahoo's Big League Stew had a post about the baseball men we lost in 2011. We miss you a lot Killer.
Cuddyer made one final post at FSN North's website to hand out a list of thank-you's.
Seth Stohs is getting close to finishing his 2012 Prospect Handbook (with a little help from myself and others). He posted his second preliminary prospect list for the Twins organization.
Jose Mijares got paid a chunk of money to be fat and overweight for the Royals. Analysis provided by the Baseball Outsider.
Dave Anderson of the NY Times wrote an interesting article about what would have happened if some of the biggest stars of the past had to face free agency.
The Tenth Inning Stretch continued his series of posts on the Twins franchise leaders in different categories. This week's post looked at the top members on the slugging percentage list.
The folks over at The WGOM are examining the Topps rookie card of Rene Tosoni by trying to figure out the exact game and play from which the picture was taken.
Terry Ryan enjoys ugly Christmas sweaters.

Classic Minnesota Twins posted a fun look at the Twins showing off their jerseys in different decades.
An interesting article was put up at Baseball Prospectus about the success of the hit and run.
Twins Fan From Afar looked at "Departed Twins' Playoff Stats" and wondered what the team had given up.
Kubel's signing doesn't seem to fit in with the Diamondbacks who already have to decent corner outfielders.
Are you interested in some old newspaper clippings from Twins history? Well then, Twin Trivia has a post for you.
I enjoyed the headline of this Puckett's Pond article so much that I had to put it in here.
Jacque Jones and Shannon Stewart are coming to TwinsFest next month.

My Weekly Rundown:

Monday: Twins turn focus to free agent starters
Tuesday: Kubel signing shapes Twins 2012 draft picks
Wednesday: Mauer or Morneau: Who has more to prove in 2012?
Thursday: A Twins Christmas Carol

Video of the Week: Tis the season for a little Christmas cheer and what better than a crazy Christmas dancing video with Joe Mauer as an elf.

A Twins Christmas Carol

2011-12-22T06:50:00.000-06:00

It was Christmas Eve and the sun had set long ago over the offices of Target Field. Terry Ryan sat behind his desk scouring over the latest list of free agents pitchers as he tried to find the final pieces to complete the Twins roster for the coming spring. He was burning the midnight oil and he had long forgotten about the holiday season. A lot of pressure follows the man in charge following one of the worst seasons in franchise history. There was no time to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.

The hours continued to fly by and Ryan was no closer to solving the Twins problems. When out of no where, the lights began to flicker and a cool breeze swept through the office. After a rush of wind, a large figure stood in front of Mr. Ryan's desk. As the lights still flickered, Ryan finally made sense of the figure that was in his presence. It was the ghost of former GM Bill Smith. Smith had been chase from his job and he had some words of wisdom for Ryan.

"Beware the angry fan base of the Twins. They will never be satisfied until the team can find postseason success again. The players won't fight through injuries. The starting staff is full of holes and the future does not look in the team's favor. They will chase you out just like they chased me. BEWARE!!!"

Ryan still seemed to be confused about a message being delivered by the man who use to hold his job. He was not sure if he should even believe the words that were being stated. The ghost of Smith knew these thoughts were crossing the mind of Ryan. Smith's final message as he flew out the window was that Ryan would be joined by three other ghosts on this evening. Each one would have a different lesson to teach him about the Twins franchise.

Shortly after Smith flew away, a short and stout ghost flew into the offices of Target Field wearing a number thirty-four jersey on his back. It was the ghost of Kirby Puckett to tell the tale of the glory of former years. He was the Ghost of Past Seasons and their first destination was October 1987. Puckett told the story of how the team was able to overcome all obstacles to win the first championship in team history. All of Twins Territory basked in the glow of the magic of putting the Twins on the championship map.

Their journey did not stop there. They were quickly whisked away to a packed Metrodome for a pre-game speech before Game 6 in 1991. Puckett told the team to get on his back and he would carry them. Those words would come true as Puckett stole the show with an amazing catch and a miraculous walk-off home run. The next stop was Game 7 and the magic of Jack Morris on the mound. By the end of that game, Ryan had seen enough and the Ghost of Past Seasons took him back to his office.

Ryan was hardly in his office long enough to catch his breath before his journey was scheduled to continue. The next ghost to come through Target Field was the Ghost of Present Seasons and he came in the form of the hometown boy Joe Mauer. The ghost of Mauer had much to tell Ryan about the miserable 2011 campaign. The first stop in this new journey was to the offseason after Ryan stepped away from the GM role. Torii Hunter and Johan Santana's future with the club were taken away as the team was forced to move in a different direction.Then Mauer brought Ryan to the moment when the Twins traded Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett away for Delmon Young.

Ryan had to look away when Mauer showed him the Matt Capps for Wilson Ramos swap in July of 2010. He brought him back to around the 2010 Winter Meetings when the Twins brought in shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka and traded away the rights to JJ Hardy. Many of the players traded away found success with other teams and the players on the Twins suffered through injuries and a 99-loss season. It was a nightmare for Ryan to watch all of it unfold in front of him and he closed his eyes to avoid watching any more.

The next ghost was waiting for Ryan in his office shortly after he opened his eyes. He was greeted by Miguel Sano and he represented the Ghost of Future Seasons. This time the journey was a vision of the future of the Twins as it took place in front of their eyes at Target Field. Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Joe Benson had all hit their stride at the big league level by putting up monster numbers in the middle of the Twins line-up. Kyle Gibson, Alex Wimmers, and Liam Hendriks had continued to grow stronger in the starting rotation to lead the Twins to the cusp of their third championship. It was Game 7 of the World Series at Target Field and it was a tight contest. Sano stepped to the plate and with one man on base and his team down a run. Could he follow in the footsteps of Puckett and be a World Series hero? Unfortunately for Ryan, he would not see the outcome of this game because this is where his journey would end.

Ryan awoke in his office as the sun light of Christmas Day hit the horizon. The evening had been an epiphany as he realized the path the Twins were on and it was time for change. Another World Series Championship was needed in the Twin Cities and his decisions would shape the future of the team. There was so much to accomplish and his mind was full of concepts for the creation of the roster for now and into the future. A Christmas Miracle had occurred and Twins fans can thank the ghost of Bill Smith for the lessons he taught to Mr. Ryan.

Mauer or Morneau: Who has more to prove in 2012?

2011-12-21T07:06:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of last week, the writers at Big League Stew put together a list of the top ten injury comebacks to watch in 2012. There were names like Buster Posey, Ryan Howard and Johan Santana but the obvious duo from the Twins was Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Each of these players will be coming back after different types of injuries forced them to the sidelines for large chunks of 2011. The results on the field for the Twins showed how evident it was that the team was missing both of their former MVPs.

Mauer's 2011: It was hard to keep track of the plague of injuries that attacked Mauer in 2011. The origins of his problems might be traced back to knee surgery in the offseason leading up to the start last season. This lead into a season in which his list of injuries included a mysterious diagnosis of bilateral leg weakness, soreness in his hips, problems with his elbow, shoulder issues, back pain, and his season ended when he contracted pneumonia.

He was in the midst of his first year of his monster $184 million contract and there were high expectations as he entered this new domain. The results on the field couldn't have been much worse as he played in the fewest amount of games since his rookie campaign and he only managed 18 extra-base hits for the season. Reports came out earlier in the month that Mauer is primed and ready to go for the 2012 season. He knows that he has a lot to prove to fans across the baseball world.

Morneau's 2011: Morneau has made a tradition of missing big chunks of the last three seasons. During that time, there have been 212 games in which Morneau was forced to miss playing time. Recurring issues with concussion symptoms have been a scary factor which has forced Morneau to the sidelines. A slide into second base in Toronto in 2010 ended that season for Morneau and he has yet to be the same player he was before the injury. The symptoms continued for parts of 2011 and Morneau attempted a diving play while playing first base in late August and this triggered another occurrence of his concussion symptoms.

On top of the concussion issues, the 2011 season also saw him suffer through a pinched nerve in his neck, numbness in his left hand, and left wrist soreness. The end of Morneau's season in September saw the first baseman undergo surgery for his left wrist, bone spurs in his right foot, and a cyst in his left knee. In an interview on Sunday, Twins GM Terry Ryan said Morneau's concussions "have not been an issue right now." That is a good sign for the time being.

With both of the Twins former MVP's looking to make comebacks in 2012, there are plenty of concerns for fans of the club. Between Mauer and Morneau, who has more to prove in 2012?

Mauer's 2012: Mauer needs to find some way to stay on the field. In 2011, he showed the ability to play multiple positions on the field and this could be one way to keep Mauer in the line-up on a more regular basis. With no surgeries this offseason, Mauer has time to complete his full offseason regime. During the regular season, he spoke of planned changes to his routine in the offseason and recently he told reporters, "I've got my weight back. I've been working out for a couple weeks... Everything looks good, and I should be ready to go on Day 1 of camp." Mauer needs to prove he is worth the money the organization has invested in him when they paid him to be their catcher for the future. He needs to show the ability to stay healthy and contribute to the team of which he is the superstar. Most of all, he might need to prove he can be a leader on a team that saw the departure of clubhouse voices Michael Cuddyer and Joe Nathan.

Morneau's 2012: The Twins and Morneau hope he will be able to continue to play first base for the significant future. But the team has already said a switch to being a full-time designated hitter could be in the not so distant future. Morneau has been fairly quiet this offseason as he has spent time recovering from all of his surgeries at the end of the year. When the Twins get to Ft. Myers for the start of Spring Training, Morneau is going to have to prove a lot to the club. He has to show the team he can handle playing a defensive position without a reoccurrence of his concussion symptoms. In the time Morneau was on the field in 2011, he showed plenty of struggles at the plate as he tried to find his rhythm after missing so much time. Now he has missed even more time and the same struggles could follow him to the batter's box. With so many question marks, there is plenty to prove in 2012.

In the end, the Twins will need both players healthy and on the field for the team to find success in 2012. For fans of the Twins, there will be much higher expectations for Mauer to produce on the field. It would be nice for Morneau to get back to form but his bat would be an added bonus. All of Twins Territory will focus on Mauer's mega-contract and demand more from a player who has shown the ability to be one of the best in the game. There will be a lot for each player to prove and it will start for each of them in Spring Training.

Kubel signing shapes Twins 2012 draft picks

2011-12-20T06:52:00.000-06:00

For the second time in less than a week, the Twins saw a long-time player leave the organization as a free agent. Last week, Michael Cuddyer headed to Colorado and signed a 3-year deal worth $30 million with the Rockies. Reports surfaced yesterday morning that Jason Kubel signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the neighborhood of $15 million with a mutual option for a third year. This means that all of the free agents from the Twins that were eligible for draft compensation have found their clubs for next season. It also means that the Twins have a rough estimate of where they will get to pick in the first round, supplemental round, and second round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

The new collective bargaining agreement that was announced at the end of November changed some of the rules in regards to compensation for free agents. Under the old system, Matt Capps and Cuddyer would have been Type A free agents while Kubel would have been a Type B free agent. There were a lot of changes to the system for the current offseason and the rules will be different for next offseason. MLB.com put together an article that explains a lot of the intricacies of the new plan and how it impacted this year's free agents.

Here is how it broke down for each of the free agents from the Twins.

Matt Capps

Formerly Type A, Modified to Type B- Signed with the Twins

With the changes to the CBA, the Twins did not have to offer arbitration to Capps and the team would have still received a draft pick in the supplemental round for him signing with another team. When this news came out, many Twins fans rejoiced because there seemed to be no way the club would offer him arbitration. It was like getting a free draft pick for letting Capps sign with another team. In the end, the Twins really liked what Capps brought to the table and they resigned him to be the team's closer for 2012.

Draft pick compensation: The club won't receive draft compensation since he resigned with the team.

Michael Cuddyer

Formerly Type A, Modified to lower Type A- Signed with Rockies

The Twins offered arbitration to Cuddyer and he graciously declined since he was in the market for a multi-year contract. His new lower Type A status meant that the team signing him would not be forced to give up a draft pick to add him to their roster. Instead, the Twins would receive the pick immediately before the highest one they would have received under the old rules. They also get a pick in the supplemental round as compensation for him leaving. Unfortunately for Twins fans, the Rockies first round pick was in the top 15 picks and so it was protected. This means the Twins will get still get their supplemental round pick for Cuddyer but their other pick won't be until the pick right before the Rockies in round two.
Draft pick compensation: 1st pick of the supplemental round (32nd pick overall), 12th pick of the second round (73rd pick overall)

Jason Kubel

Formerly Type B, Stayed Type B - Signed with Diamondbacks

Kubel's free agent status did not change under the new rules of the CBA. Earlier in the offseason, the Twins offered arbitration to the outfielder/DH and he turned down the offer. He hoped for a multi-year deal from a team when he hit the open market. Under the new rules and the old rules, the Twins would receive a supplemental round pick for him signing with another club.

Draft pick compensation: 11th pick of the supplemental round (42nd pick overall)

There are still some unsigned free agents who could disrupt the picks mentioned above and knock the Twins down a spot. Prince Fielder and Ryan Madson are both Type A free agents who have yet to sign with a club. If either of these players signs with a club having a top-15 pick, the second compensation pick for Cuddyer would move back a spot into the second round. Also, if any of the Type B free agents sign with the Astros, the compensation for Kubel would be pushed back a spot. But for the most part, these are the spots the Twins will be making big selections during next June.

The folks over at Twinkie Town have the complete draft order with yesterday's signing of Kubel already included but here is the summary for the first round, supplemental round, and second round.

Minnesota Twins 2012 MLB Draft Order

First Round: 2nd pick

Supplemental Round: 1st pick (32nd overall), 11th pick (42nd overall)

Second Round: 3rd pick (64th overall), 12th pick (73rd overall)

Following one of the worst season's in team history, it is nice to see the amount of high draft picks the Twins will have in next year's draft. The farm system for the organization needed to be restocked with some upper level prospects and the draft is the best way to accomplish this feat. It stinks to see players leave after spending their entire careers in the organization but the draft picks help to soothe my pain.

Twins turn focus to free agent starters

2011-12-19T07:03:00.000-06:00

The past week saw the Twins make one of their biggest free agent decisions in recent memory. With the signing of free agent outfielder Josh Willingham to a multi-year contract, the Twins made a conscious effort to cut ties with Michael Cuddyer and move the team in a new direction. Cuddyer was offered a larger contract to sign with the Rockies and the frustrations surrounding a 99-loss season might have pushed him out the door.

With the biggest free agent decisions now behind the Twins, the team's payroll is closing in on the $100 million mark that could be the cap for their spending. Even with the organization being close to the top of their spending limit, the team is still looking to add some parts to their roster before the organization reports to Ft. Myers for Spring Training in a couple of months. In an interview with 1500 ESPN on Sunday morning, Terry Ryan said the team is focused on adding a starting pitcher but if that is not able to happen the team could look at available relief options. Ryan also mentioned the names of Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing, Terry Doyle, and Matt Maloney as internal options to fill out the starting rotation.

Over the weekend, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted that the Twins were considering starting pitchers Joel Pineiro, Jeff Francis and Jon Garland. Each of these pitchers is not a front of the rotation arm but the Twins aren't in position to go after that type of player. There are some obvious question marks surrounding each of these pitchers that each had their own struggles in 2011 so the Twins should be able to get a decent deal for any of these men. Overall, the Twins need a healthy arm who can be reliable throughout the entirety of the 2012 campaign.

Here is a look at each of these pitchers and what could be expected of them if they were to join the starting staff of the Twins.

Joel Pineiro - RHP- 2011 team: Angels

Stat summary: W-L (7-7), 5.13 ERA, 145.2 IP, 1.510 WHIP, 62 K, 38 BB

The 33-year old righty is coming off a rough season for the Angels in which he posted a high ERA and one of the worst strikeout to walk ratios of his career. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 177 innings pitched with a 4.06 ERA, a 1.277 WHIP and only 33 walks a season. This seems to fit the mold of many of the other pitchers scheduled to be part of the Twins rotation for 2012. Even coming off of the sub-par season, the good news for Pineiro is the fact that he has shown the ability to bounce back from previous bad seasons. Both of the other seasons he posted a negative WAR, he came back the next year to turn it into a positive WAR. He is only two seasons removed from a season in which he pitched over 200 innings and the 2010 season saw the second highest WAR of his career. The Twins would be crossing their fingers that Pineiro's trend of bounce back seasons would continue.

Jeff Francis - LHP - 2011 team: Royals

Stat summary: W-L (6-16), 4.82 ERA, 183.0 IP, 1.437 WHIP, 91 K, 39 BB

Francis missed all of the 2009 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. The former 9th overall pick in the 2002 draft will turn 31 next month and could be an intriguing option for a team looking for another part for their starting rotation. The former 17-game winner showed his elbow had the ability to pitch a decent amount of innings in 2011 and don't let the win-loss record fool you about Francis. Last season was the third best WAR of his career and that number would have placed him third out of the Twins starters behind Scott Baker and Carl Pavano. The switch from Kauffman Stadium to Target Field could help his numbers and it would be a big upgrade over Coors Field, where he started his career. In both of 2011 starts at Target Field, he pitched at least seven innings. But he did give up a home run to Drew Butera so that has to be a strike against him. His age is young enough and he is far enough removed from his elbow surgery that he could be due for a big season in 2012.

Jon Garland - RHP - 2011 team: Dodgers

Stat summary: W-L (1-5), 4.33 ERA, 54.0 IP, 1.389 WHIP, 28 K, 20 BB

The Twins had plenty of health issues in 2011 so adding another health concern can't be too high on their list. Fans of the Twins will be familiar with Garland's name from the time he spent coming through the White Sox organization. He had back-to-back 18-win seasons in the mid-2000's and last season was the first year he did not reach double digits in wins since 2001. The problem could be how far he fell in 2011. His 54.0 innings pitched for last year were not good. But in the previous nine campaigns, he reached at least 190 innings pitched in every season. Garland did not pitch in a game after June 1st and that means that out of the three players mentioned here he would be the biggest risk. The benefit of a higher risk player is the chance he will be a cheaper option that could produce positive results on the field. In Garland's case, the risk might be too high and the Twins might be looking in a different direction.

The front office of the Twins organization has made it very clear that the team is pushing hard to sign a free agent starting pitcher to fit into the rotation for next season. The Twins should look at Francis and Pineiro first and then they can turn their attention to other arms if these players are both looking for bigger contracts. Garland seems to fit the mold of previous Terry Ryan signings like Sidney Ponson. Is there much left for him to offer as a starter? If the price isn't right for one of these discount starters, the team could look to add another piece in the mix for the bullpen. This would leave a handful of less than outstanding options that are currently on the roster to fill-in the final spot in the starting rotation.

Pitching can be the savior to a season and health is going to play a big part in the Twins turnaround next year. One free agent decision could play a big role in how the Twins start the 2012 season.

Friday Links-N-Thinks

2011-12-16T07:21:00.000-06:00

Most of the Twins news of the week was centered around the names of Michael Cuddyer and Josh Willingham. Rumors swirled earlier in the week that the Twins were close to signing Mr. Willingham but the official word from the club did not get released until Thursday. It would seem that the Twins were now out of the running for the Cuddyer but reports have serviced that the club might still be looking to sign him to a multi-year deal. Justin Morneau is still a question mark at first base and Cuddyer would be a nice replacement option if Morneau is unable to play. This could also mean that the club is looking to have Ben Revere start at the Triple-A level in 2012.

Besides the entire Cuddyer-Willingham saga, there were plenty of other Twins and baseball related stories from the week. Enjoy the following links and take time to relax on your last full weekend before Christmas.

Let's start this week with a joke. The Red Sox gave $3.5 million over the next two seasons to Nick Punto. I mean that has to be a joke, right?
A month after being fired as the GM of the Twins, it looks like Bill Smith has taken a new position with the organization.
Former Detroit Tigers flame-thrower Joel Zumaya threw in front of 50 scouts this week. It sounds like teams will be interested but could he become a Twin?
Andrew at Twins Fan From Afar wrote a eulogy for Cuddyer but there is always a possibility that Cuddy could come back to life with the Twins.
This might be my favorite piece from the week as Parker Hageman shows Twins fans why Josh Willingham was built for Target Field.
Johan Santana continues to run into some issues as he tries to return from an injury plagued season in 2011.
Yahoo Sports and the folks at Big League Stew put together a top ten list of injury comebacks to watch in 2012. The M&M Boys made the list.
The wonderful folks at Diamond Centric are having a Holiday Giveaway Week with the help of tkTwinCities. Read the story of their company and enter the contest.
The Tenth Inning Stretch has put together two non-garden variety top 10 lists so far this week. The first post looked at the top ten batting average leaders and the second looked at the OBP leaders since the franchise started in Washington.
Beyond the Box Score composed a piece that names the top team of Twins players to spend their entire career with the franchise.
The Twins sent out an online holiday greeting card to their fans that is actually pretty entertaining but someone has too much time on their hands. Meet Gardy Claus!

Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish was posted this week but the Twins held back because they expected the price to be way too high.
According to the new CBA, players are banned from getting tattoos of corporate logos. This means no Nike tattoo for Mr. Mauer.

My Weekly Rundown:

Monday: How long will Willingham wait?
Tuesday: Twins clean up 40-man roster
Wednesday: Willingham would add pop, bring line-up into focus
Thursday: Is Morris a HOFer? 2012 is last best chance

Video of the Week: The Twins signing of Willingham was on the minds of many Twins fans throughout the last week. I included this video on my post from Wednesday but it shows the potential Willingham has to hit some bombs at Target Field.

Is Morris a HOFer? 2012 is last best chance

2011-12-15T06:54:00.000-06:00

Ballots for the National Baseball Hall of Fame were distributed a couple weeks ago and voters have some tough choices ahead of them for the Class of 2012. Among the first time candidates, there are names like Bernie Williams, Javy Lopez, and former Twins player Brad Radke but none of these players are going to jump out at voters. This would leave Barry Larkin and Jack Morris as the top two candidates left from last year's ballot. Larkin is only in his third year as a candidate while Morris is entering his 12th year of eligibility. In recent weeks, the Golden Era Committee selected Ron Santo as a member of this year's class.

Could Morris, the St. Paul native, also be picked as one of the all-time greats?

It might be the last best chance for Morris to make the HOF in 2013 because of the crop of players that will be eligible for election starting in 2013. The list of players who will be eligible for the first time in 2013 include Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling, and Craig Biggio. The names of Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, and Piazza have all been connected to the steroid era in baseball and that could make voting dicey for the baseball writers. These candidates have a much stronger case than Morris for the Hall and the list of first time candidates in 2014 gets even better as Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, and Jeff Kent will all be eligible for the first time.

Multiple writers have made the case for and against Morris as he has seen his percentages grow in the Hall of Fame balloting. In last year's voting, he finished with 53.5% of the vote in fourth place behind Bert Blyleven, Roberto Alomar, and Larkin. He had the most wins out of any pitcher in the 1980's. His 162 wins place him on the top of the list and the next closest pitcher does not have more than 140 victories to their name. He reached the peak of his playing career in an era that saw great pitchers like Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, and Tom Seaver who were finishing their careers. Another crop of top pitchers that included Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson, and Greg Maddux were just getting their careers off of the ground.

It seems nearly impossible for Morris to make the 21.5% jump he would need to make in the voting at this point in his candidacy. The biggest percentage increase he made in his 12 years on the ballot was 8.4% from the 2009 to the 2010 ballot. In last year's vote, he only was able to move up 1.2% and it was only the second time he has gotten over 50% of the vote. This leaves only three more shots for Morris to see a big push made in his favor by the voters and it seems like that push may never come his way.

As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I am asked every year to cast a ballot for those that I think should be enshrined in Cooperstown. In last year's ballot, I voted for seven players and one of those players happened to be Mr. Morris. You could call it a nostalgic vote for a player that provided one of the best moments in Twins franchise history. His standing as arguably one of the best pitchers of the 1980's helps his candidacy but it might be an era that gets ignored by the voters because of the lack of statistical data to prove Morris belongs in the HOF.

With only three more chances on being elected, it seems that the current balloting of the BWAA will be the last best shot for Morris to be enshrined in the state of New York. The upcoming classes of first time nominees will include a lot of players whose resumes outshine that of Morris. Besides those odds being stacked against him, it seems the voters' look for somethings extra-special in the starting pitchers who make the cut. Until Blyleven was elected last year, the writers had not elected a starting pitcher since Nolan Ryan got the call in 1999.

It would be nice for Morris to be honored for his career but it would seem that his numbers won't be able to stand the test of time. But for Twins fans, there will always be the magic he produced on the mound in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

Willingham would add pop, brings line-up into focus

2011-12-14T07:27:00.001-06:00

The Twins were stuck between a rock and a hard place over the course of the last week as the team waited for a decision on the three-year, $24 million contract offer they had proposed to free agent right-fielder Michael Cuddyer. Since being a first round selection of the Twins in 1997, Cuddyer has only known one organization and it is becoming apparent that he will have to become accustom to a new team for next year. The Twins had made bringing Cuddyer back a top priority but the team could not wait forever. On Tuesday night, reports began to fly that the Twins had agreed to terms with free agent Josh Willingham on a multi-year offer but later in the night some of the reigns were drawn in as the reports changed to say the team was nearing a three-year, $21 million agreement. Because the Twins have money tied up in other players, this will essentially end the Cuddyer-era in Minnesota.

Willingham and Cuddyer will both be 33-years old next year and each of them made their first All-Star Game in 2010. But the upside to Willingham has been his ability to hit for more power and a high slugging percentage over the course of his eight-year career with the Marlins, Nationals, and Athletics. Last season with the Athletics, Willingham hit a career high 29 home runs while spending the most of his time in left field. The right-handed hitter has held his own against right handed pitching by batting .264/.356/.470 in his eight seasons at the big league level. Against southpaws he has stayed close to his career averages by hitting .254/.372/.489 since 2004. Last season, his ability to pull the ball was on display as all of his home runs were between center field and left field.

ESPN Home Run Tracker

He even showed the ability to drive the ball literally out of Target Field in 2011 with a 420-foot shot off of Scott Baker on May 10th. Here's the video evidence to back-up the previous statement.

The signing of Willingham brings into focus much of the Twins starting line-up for next season. His multi-year deal will most certainly push the Twins near their self-imposed payroll limit. This means that all of the Opening Day starting line-up is most likely on the roster after Willingham signs on the dotted line. There are still some injury concerns and positions to sort out once the team meets up in Fort Myers. But for the time being, here are the nine men set to be penciled in against the Orioles on April 6, 2012:
C: Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau
2B: Alexi Casilla
3B: Danny Valencia
SS: Jamey Carroll
OF: Denard Span
OF: Ben Revere
OF: Josh Willingham
DH: Ryan Doumit

This is quite the contrast to the line-up that took the field in Toronto for Opening Day last season. By the end of the year, Gardenhire never got to use his Opening Day line-up except for the first day of the season.
C: Joe Mauer
1B: Justin Morneau
2B: Tsuyoshi Nishioka
3B: Danny Valencia
SS: Alexi Casilla
OF: Delmon Young
OF: Denard Span
OF: Michael Cuddyer
DH Jason Kubel

The fan inside of me is sad to see Cuddyer have to exit the organization because of the leadership he provided and all of his work in the Twin Cities community. From the Twins standpoint, they are getting a comparable player to Cuddyer for less money and they will get two compensatory draft picks once he signs with another club. A year removed from a 99-loss season, the two high draft picks are looking very nice and the Twins were still able to sign a very good free agent to replace Mr. Cuddyer.

In an almost forgotten about part of the story, Jason Kubel is in the same boat as Cuddyer in the fact that he is most likely not going to be back with Twins for next season. The rumored deal for Willingham will push the Twins payroll to $96 million for next season and that number is getting close to the $100 million mark that Terry Ryan discussed at his introductory press conference. The Twins are expected to use the rest of their payroll space to sign arms to add some depth to their pitching staff. The exodus of Kubel will also net the Twins a compensatory draft pick. With this added pick, the Twins will have the second pick in the draft along with three other picks before the start of the second round.

This is not a bad haul of top-tier draft picks for a team looking to add prospects to their minor league system.

Twins clean up 40-man roster

2011-12-13T06:44:00.000-06:00

The Twins did a little housecleaning to their 40-man roster on Monday with midnight being the deadline for non-tendering players. The players who were arbitration eligible included Alexi Casilla, Francisco Liriano, Jose Mijares, and Glen Perkins. Kevin Slowey would have also been included in the group if he had not been traded to the Rockies during last week's Winter Meetings. One of the four arbitration eligible players would not survive the day on the roster for the Twins of Minnesota.

Last night, word came out that the Twins had non-tendered Mijares and he is now on the free agent market with little chance of returning to the Twins. In 2002, the Twins signed Mijares as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela. The 6-foot-0 tall, left-handed hurler made his way onto the major league team by 2008 where he posted a very impressive 0.87 ERA in ten innings pitched during September. The 2009 season would be his best in a Twins uniform where over the course of 61.2 innings he amassed a 2.34 ERA with 55 strikeouts and a 1.184 WHIP. The Twins watched the next two seasons as Mijares showed up to Spring Training overweight and this could be the reason for the variety of injuries that have plagued him during this time. His performance on the field was also impacted as he averaged 41 innings pitched with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.543 WHIP between 2010 and 2011. The organization has brought in a lot of other bullpen options and it seems that their time with Mijares had run its course.

Earlier in the day, it was announced that Jim Hoey had been claimed off of the waiver wire by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Twins had received Hoey as one part of the JJ Hardy trade from last offseason. In his one season with the Twins, Hoey was only able to pitch 24.1 innings to the tune of a 5.47 ERA and a 1.905 WHIP. His high caliber fastball was fun to watch but control was a problem and he has spent his entire professional career searching for a secondary pitch. He was unlikely to fit into he plans of the team next season but maybe he will be able to find a home in Toronto. On his Twitter account he left this final message to Twins fans, "I enjoyed everything Minnesota had to offer but it's time to be Canadian! At least I don't have to give up those bombs to Bautista." On May 14 of this past season with the game tied at 3 in the top of the eleventh inning, Hoey gave up a home run to Jose Bautista. The Twins would go on to lose the game by a final score of nine to three.

The other less significant 40-man roster decision on Monday came as the team outrighted newly acquire shortstop Pedro Florimon to Triple-A Rochester. A week ago the Twins had claimed Florimon from the Orioles and placed him on the 40-man roster. The 25-year old shortstop spent most of last season at the Double-A level where he hit .267/.344/.396 as a switch hitter. Terry Ryan seemed intrigued by his athletic ability and he did steal 12 bases last season. In a brief September call-up, he hit .125/.222/.472 with six strikeouts in eight at-bats. The Twins hope his change in scenery can bring out a little more from the player.

With all of these moves, the Twins 40-man roster has now been cut to 37 players. The team is still looking to add a right fielder for one of those spots and that would bring the roster to 38 members. The other spots could be left open for some flexibility during the season but the Twins would still like to add some pitching depth before Spring Training starts.

How long will Willingham wait?

2011-12-12T07:09:00.000-06:00

Waiting can be a tough thing to do during the holiday season?
Waiting to open gifts...
Waiting to travel...
Waiting to see family...
Or in some cases maybe just waiting for it all to be over...

The Twins are in the midst of their own holiday waiting game with their top free agent, Michael Cuddyer. During last weeks Winter Meetings, the Twins put an offer on the table for three-years and about $24 million for the first time All-Star in 2011. This was a low offer from what Cuddyer was expected to get on the open market this year. That offer was made on Tuesday and the Twins have been left in the dark as what their right-handed power bat plans to do for 2012. With Cuddyer's wife giving birth to twins in the middle of last week, there have been other pressing issues on his mind. Still, the Twins are left waiting for a response on what is supposedly their best offer.

Another figure who is left in the dark waiting is free agent outfielder Josh Willingham. It seems the Twins have been in talks with the right-handed hitter to sign with the club if Cuddyer were going to leave for another team. Many of the same teams rumored to have an interest in Cuddyer or also interested in Willingham. They are both right-handed hitting, play outfield, 32-years old, and it sounds like each player is looking for at least a three-year deal from they will sign with for next season.

Willingham is a career .262 hitter who spent all of last season hitting in the catacombs of Oakland. Even with the challenges of hitting in a giant ballpark, he still managed to smash a career high 29 home runs in 2011. By adding the extra power, Willingham posted his worst batting average for his career and he struck out a career high 150 times. On the defensive side of the ball, he has played in left field for most of his career but he does have a handful of inning in right field.

The Twins have been waiting for Cuddyer to make his decision. But for Twins fans the more important questions could be, how long will Willingham wait?

It's nice for the Twins to currently have a back-up plan if their deal with Cuddyer falls through the cracks. But what would happen if the Rockies or the Indians made a hard push for Willingham in the next couple of days? He might be waiting for Cuddyer to sign and set the market so he can pick from the remaining teams. This could also leave him as a more sought after asset as a couple of teams could be fighting over his services. The scary situation for the Twins could be that Willingham and Cuddyer both sign elsewhere. This could leave the Twins with their back-up plan to their back-up plan and that man could be Jason Kubel.

Another situation to consider is the two draft picks the Twins would receive in compensation if Cuddyer were to sign with another team. There are parts of the Twins farm system that could use a couple of nice prospects to help the organization to restock. Willingham could be a comparable alternative to Cuddyer and the team would get the draft picks as a bonus. It also sounds like Willingham would be willing to sign for less money. So in a year where the team is trying to lower their payroll, it might be in the team's best interest to save a few million by signing Willingham.

So far this offseason, there has only been one slugging right-handed bat that has come off of the market. Albert Pujols signed a huge deal with the Angels at the end of last week. Now some of the other players like Carlos Beltran, Aramis Ramirez, and Cuddyer could be in the next group to sign on the dotted line. Teams that failed to get Pujols were turn their attention to other options and this could open up new markets to players like Cuddyer. This means, the waiting game could play out in his favor especially if the Twins are not able to increase their offer to Cuddyer.

Twins fans might be sick of waiting this holiday season...

but they may have to wait a little longer for a resolution to the Cuddyer situation.

Friday Links-N-Thinks

2011-12-09T07:12:00.000-06:00

This past week might be one of my favorite weeks of the year with the Winter Meetings spitting out a new rumor or story every couple of seconds. Baseball can be forgotten about in the midst of the conclusion of the college football regular season, the start of the college basketball year, and of course the playoff races of the NFL. For a few days in December, baseball can come back to the forefront and be on the lips of fans everywhere.

The Twins made a few moves this week but there are still other things left to accomplish in the rest of the offseason. Matt Capps is the closer, Kevin Slowey is a member of the Rockies, and the Twins have a three-year offer on the table for Mr. Michael Cuddyer. There were plenty of Twins talking points this week and here are some of my favorite links from across the baseball universe.

Last night Liam Hendriks was on Seth Stoh's podcast and I even got to ask him a question.
Even with the Twins offer on the table to Cuddyer, the Rockies are still in pursuit of the free agent All-Star. It seems many of the Rockies players are trying to sell Cuddyer on Colorado.
Last month, a statue of Albert Pujols was erected in St. Louis and now that statue has a body guard.
The Twins had the second pick in the Rule 5 Draft and they took a right-handed pitcher from the White Sox organization.
I find it amusing that the Brewers offered arbitration to K-Rod with the thought that he would reject it and they could scoop up a draft pick. He did not...
Ron Gardenhire had a media session as part of the Winter Meetings and here's the transcript.
Who should win the Sophomore of the Year Award? The Platoon Advantage tries to pick out the players that avoided their sophomore slump.
Apparently baseball beat writers are all slobs and they needed some guidelines handed down by MLB.
Cuddyer's wife gave birth to twins this week. Could that be a sign that he should stay in Minnesota?

Fanatic Jack invited me on to his podcast on Thursday night where we discussed a variety of Twins topics.
Baseball America put together a piece looking at the Rochester Red Wings and how their city will host two teams next season.
Seth Stohs has been busy with multiple podcasts this week. Check out his interview with Brian Dozier from Monday.
Former Twins pitcher Jim Kaat fell just two votes short of making it into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Twins are serious about college hockey and the 2014 All-Star game at Target Field.
Could Ben Revere and Trevor Plouffe form a left field platoon? Puckett's Pond has your answer.
K-bro did a great job of compiling the information from the recent season ticket holder conference call with Terry Ryan.
Pedro Florimon Jr. was claimed by the Twins from the Baltimore Orioles and The Tenth Inning Stretch profiled the new infielder at his site.

My posts from this week:

Monday: Twins have plenty on Winter Meeting wish-list
Tuesday: Was Capps worth losing another prospect?
Wednesday: Slowey saga ends in Minnesota
Thursday: Cuddyer resolution, Rule 5 Draft emphasized in Dallas

Video of the Week: As mentioned earlier, Gardenhire spoke to reporters in Dallas. Here is a clip of him discussing the health of Justin Morneau and the 2012 version of the Twins.

Cuddyer resolution, Rule 5 Draft emphasized in Dallas

2011-12-08T06:38:00.000-06:00

It has been a very active couple of days for Major League Baseball at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. To the chagrin of other teams looking to sign free agents, most of the signing action has led players to South Florida and the Miami Marlins. Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and Mark Buehrle are the three big names signed so far by the Marlins and they might not be finished with their wheeling and dealing as other rumors continue to swirl.

The Twins came to the Winter Meetings with a couple of items on their wish list. With Joe Nathan leaving as a free agent, the team was looking for a closer for next year. Monday night brought word that the team had resigned former closer Matt Capps to a one-year deal with an option for second year. The other items on the Twins wish list have yet to be resolved as the team looks to sign an outfielder and add depth to their pitching staff. Thursday marks the final day of the meetings and these are just some of the items on the agenda for the Twins as the Winter Meetings wind to a close.

Traditionally on the last day of the Winter Meeting, the Rule 5 Draft is held for teams to take players from other organizations that another club would be willing to place on their 25-man roster.The drafting order is based on the win-loss record of the teams from the previous season. The selection eligibility of players is based on a few different stipulations. Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft if they are not currently on their major league organization's 40-man roster and:
-were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years; or
-were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years

In 2010, the Twins selected Scott Diamond in the Rule 5 Draft but had to work out a trade with the Braves since he wasn't kept on the 25-man roster coming out of Spring Training. The most famous Rule 5 transaction for the Twins was receiving Johan Santana as part of a pre-agreed trade with the Florida Marlins in 1999. Since the Twins will have a high pick in the draft, there is a chance they could get a player who would be able to help out the club next season.

Nate Gilmore over at Puckett's Pond did a great job of profiling some of the choice the Twins have in the Rule 5 Draft. His first post of the day focused on outfielders, pitchers, and catchers but later in the day he showed some love for the middle infielders. The Twins are also in jeopardy of losing a couple of different players from their own organization who were not protected on the 40-man roster. Tom Stuifbergen, Angel Morales, and Mauel Soliman were some names not selected when it came to 40-man roster decisions. Out of those players it seems that Stuifbergen could be the likeliest to find himself with a new organization by Thursday evening. During Talking Twins on Wednesday night, Phil Mackey mentioned the Twins have received trade offers for their pick in the Rule 5 Draft but the club has a pretty good idea about who they want to select.

The other major piece of the Twins offseason puzzle should hopefully be decided before the start of the weekend. Terry Ryan has not met with Michael Cuddyer's agent since Tuesday because both sides know where each other stands at this point. The organization has their best offer on the table for free agent Cuddyer and they are waiting for a response from the player and his agent. According to reports the deal is a three-year offer for $25 million that would keep him with the Twins until he was 35-years old. Cuddyer has been busy this week with his wife giving birth to twins on Tuesday so this could be holding back the final details of the deal.

Many of the other deals the club is looking to make this offseason are hinging on whether or not Cuddyer rejoins the club for next season. Signing Cuddyer would mean the Twins are near the $100 million mark for next season and it seems that number is the magic figure for the 2012 payroll. The team would still be able to make some small moves but it would be cheap offers for players to complete the roster. If Cuddyer chooses to go elsewhere, the Twins could look to free agents Jason Kubel or Josh Willingham or they have been mentioned in talks for a David Murphy trade.

It has been a fun week of non-stop baseball coverage from Dallas but the Twins still have things to cross off their list in the final hours of the Winter Meetings.

Slowey saga ends in Minnesota

2011-12-07T07:13:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday afternoon, the Twins completed a move that many thought would be accomplished before the trading deadline in July. Kevin Slowey was traded to the Rockies for a player to be named later. The Denver Post threw out the name of Class A right-hander Parker Frazier as a possible candidate for the player to be named later. Even though Slowey started a handful of games for the Twins down the stretch, it seemed to be known that the Twins were trying to dish their pitcher because of a falling out with the organization earlier in the year.

Slowey was drafted by the Twins in 2005 as a second round pick out of Winthrop University. With his college experience, he moved through the Twins minor league system in short order and made his debut with the club in June 2007. The 2008 season was arguably the best season Slowey had in a Twins uniform. He finished the year with a (12-11) record, a 3.99 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.154 in 160.1 innings pitched. His two shutouts in 2008 were tied for the top spot on the AL Leader-board and his WAR of 2.3 was a career best. He found ways to get double digits in wins over the next two seasons but never again posted an ERA of under four or a WAR of over one.

As the Twins entered Spring Training in 2011, there was a battle for the final spots in the starting rotation. The team was looking at Slowey along with Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker for the final two spots in the five-man rotation. Blackburn got the fourth spot and Baker was given the fifth spot even though Slowey was arguably having the better spring. Slowey was relegated to the bullpen but even at that time a trade was still a possibility. After pitching 3.2 innings in April, Slowey ended up on the disabled list until May. He would make trips on and off the disabled list over the course of the season. Reports were that he didn't seem to be in any hurry to get back to the Twins and pitch out of the bullpen again. After a pit stop in Rochester, he found his way back into the starting rotation for the last six weeks of the season. In that span of games, he lost all eight starts that he made and he had an ERA of 7.25 in 44.2 innings pitched.

From the perspective of the Twins, it seemed that many in the organization had become frustrated with the way Slowey handled his demotion to the bullpen. Some of his injuries were blamed on his transition to the bullpen but his slight abdominal strain in May might have been the last straw. Slowey had to go to a specialist to diagnose his strain and the MRI and hernia exam came back negative. In the end, he was diagnosed with the lowest grade abdominal strain a person can have, a mild acute rectus abdominis strain. He wouldn't appear on the major league roster again until August and his performance on the field was not over the top. In a recent conversation with season ticket holders, Ryan told the fans that he planned to wipe the slate clean with Slowey for the new season. Reports as recent as yesterday had Terry Ryan confirming that Slowey would be a starter if he was still with the Twins. But a GM trying to trade a pitcher is going to try to make his product as good as he can make it.

On Slowey's side of things, he felt that he should have been a starting pitcher at the start of the season. It seemed that it would only be a matter of time before he would take the place of one of the other starters. It is interesting to ponder what could have been for Mr. Slowey. If he had accepted his role in the bullpen and fought his way through some of the injuries, he might have been in the rotation for five months out of the season. His quirky personality never seemed to gel in the Twins clubhouse or with the media but that is still a tough reason to trade a 27-year old pitcher who has experienced recent success. Instead the team and Slowey went through a mess in the media and he found himself being shipped to Colorado on Monday.

The front office has been rumored to be in talks with a variety of other pitchers on the free agent market. Otherwise, it would be silly for the organization to lose some of their major league starting depth because of a rift between the coaching staff and the player. With Slowey gone and Brian Duensing expected to be back in the bullpen, the Twins are looking at a projected starting rotation with Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, and Nick Blackburn. The final spot in the rotation could be given to Liam Hendriks but he could most likely benefit from more time in AAA. If the Twins want more seasoning time for Hendriks, the final days of the Winter Meetings could decide who the Twins will bring in to complete the rest of the starting rotation for the 2012 Twins.

Was Capps worth losing another prospect?

2011-12-06T06:45:00.000-06:00

Word came out of the Winter Meetings on Monday night that the Twins had agreed to terms with free agent relief pitcher Matt Capps. From the sounds of most of the reports, it is a one-year deal for $4.5 million with a $6 million option for a second year with a $250,000 buyout. The asking price had to be relatively cheap for the Twins to be interested in keeping the player who has been much maligned by the fans. Different members of the organization have shown a lot of love for Mr. Capps in recent interviews and it seemed like the organization was bent on bringing him back into the fold.

After his performance in 2011, the thought of having Capps be the ninth inning man for the team is enough to make any fan cringe. One thing in favor of Capps has been the reports that he was pitching through a forearm injury and this injury impacted his ability to use his slider. The coaching staff seemed impress that he would take the mound every day without complaint. But for fans of the team, there was plenty to complain about for his performance on the field when he did take the ball. No matter if he was injured or not...

There were various changes to the rules about free agents in the new collective bargaining agreement that seemed to work in the Twins favor when it came to Capps. The team was unlikely to offer him arbitration after his abysmal season but with the new CBA he was downgraded from a Type A free agent to a modified Type B. This allowed the Twins to still receive a compensation draft pick if he were to sign with another team. The best part was the Twins didn't even have to offer him arbitration under the new rules. A free draft pick was theirs for the taking but the team decided otherwise.

It is hard to know what the team would do with a top 50 pick in next year's draft but the team has now given up Wilson Ramos, a top catching prospect, and a high draft pick to keep Capps. When he joined the Twins in 2010, he put up very decent numbers while completing 16 saves for the team. The scary drop in his strikeout rate from 7.3 per nine in 2010 to 4.7 per nine in 2011 is hard to swallow. It still seems that the Twins have given up a lot to keep a player who has produced 1.9 WAR in his season and a half with the club.

The closer market has been very lucrative this season for players looking to sign on the dotted line. Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell have already hit the free agent jackpot with the contracts they were offered for multiple seasons. So it makes it nice to know the Twins did not offer lots of money in a multi-year contract to a relief pitcher. A one-year contract in baseball is an easy deal to get out of for an organization. If the coming year does not go as planned, the team can part ways with the player and move in a new direction.

Fans at Target Field were not kind to Capps in 2011 and at the first sign of trouble in 2012, the boo birds are most certainly going to be released. It is going to be a tough situation for him to succeed in but it is hard to know how many save situations the Twins will have next year. The team only won 63 games in 2011 and it is yet to be determined how much of a contender they will be next season. If the team is not winning games, there won't be many pressure situations to throw Capps into.

Overall, I think there were other replacement level players the Twins could have signed instead of giving up a draft pick to bring back Capps. He could have a great 2012 season and maybe his option will be an easy decision for the Twins to pick-up for 2013.

But for right now, the deal makes me shake my head.

Twins have plenty on Winter Meeting wish-list

2011-12-05T07:47:00.002-06:00

The Winter Meetings mark a time when the focus of the fans and the organization can be on the roster for the upcoming season. In recent years, the Twins have made some important moves and set the ground work for other moves that would shape the players wearing their uniform in the next season. The Rule 5 Draft takes place during this week, trade talks can heat up, and free agent signings can continue to occur. There will be plenty of action coming out of the Dallas area before the week is done.

Coming off of a 99-loss season, the Twins had many holes to fill on their roster. Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Matt Capps are the three free agents off of last year's roster who have yet to sign with a team for 2012. Joe Nathan has already left the Twins to be a member of the Texas Rangers. This means there is at least one hole to fill in the bullpen and there could be three other spots to fill by the time the team heads to Fort Myers for Spring Training.

The team got a jump on their roster creation for next season with the early offseason signings of Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit. Carroll should provide the team with better infield defense and he can be used at multiple positions around the diamond. Doumit will serve as the back-up catcher to Joe Mauer but he can also be used in right field, designated hitter, and first base.

Even with these two signings, there are still things on the Twins wish-list as the Winter Meetings begin. Here is a look at that Winter Meeting wish-list and it comes with one disclaimer. This list is in no particular order because if the team signs one free agent, the rest of the moves the club makes could have to change.

1. Find a closer: The team has committed to letting Glen Perkins serve his important role as the set-up man. This means the team could have to look outside of the organization for a closer. Most of the recent talk has been around the idea of bringing back Capps to serve as the ninth inning man. In recent interviews, both Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson had nothing but praise for Capps and the way he battled through injury last year. Other rumors have swirled about the Twins in talks with the Rockies for a swap of Carl Pavano for Huston Street. There are still other names on the free agent market but most of the proven closers have gotten a lot of money this offseason and they could be out of the Twins price range.

2. Sign an outfielder: As mentioned above, the Twins have two important parts of their outfield from the last few seasons that have entered the free agent market. The team has continued to be in talks with both Cuddyer and Kubel but it is hard to know how the market will shape for these two players. The Twins have already committed nearly $90 million to next years payroll and that could leave around $10 million left in the bank. It would take all of that money to sign Cuddyer which would tie up a lot of the other moves the Twins need to make. It might be a tough squeeze to keep Cuddyer and fill out the rest of the roster with respectable players. The draft picks the Twins would get for both Cuddyer and Kubel would also look nice for a team trying to rebuild their farm system.

3. Add pitching staff depth: The Twins have plenty of pitchers on the staff with starting experience but the club is still not sure what they will get from some of their arms. Brian Duensing will most likely find himself back in the bullpen. That leaves Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn, and Kevin Slowey as the men who would currently compose the starting rotation.

Recent reports have the Twins interested in adding Jeff Francis and Edwin Jackson. Both names will not make Twins fans jump for joy but adding depth is a key to a staff that saw a lot of injuries last season. Former Central Division foe, Mark Buehrle, has also been connected to rumors with the Twins but it sounds like the Marlins are now in the driver's seat to sign him. Bringing in another starter could mean the Twins have plans to either trade or non-tender one of the other players on their current starting staff. There could also be a chance that Liriano, Blackburn, or Slowey is asked to pitch out of the bullpen.

Over the course of the next week, the rest of the Twins roster could start to take shape. Cuddyer could end up signing somewhere, the Twins might know who will be closing, and fans might know who makes up the starting rotation.

There will be plenty to keep Terry Ryan and his associates busy during their time in Dallas at the Winter Meetings.

Friday Links-N-Thinks

2011-12-02T07:03:00.000-06:00

It is the Friday before the start of the Winter Meetings and this means it is the calm right before the storm. There will be plenty of Hot Stove stories coming out of the meetings next week. Will the Twins be able to sign a closer? Could the team trade for a pitcher? Will Michael Cuddyer resign with the team? Are the Twins looking at any other free agents?

In anticipation of the great coverage of the Winter Meetings next week, here are links to some of the stories I enjoyed reading this week.

Jim Crikket from Knuckleballs Blog wrote a creative interview in which he thinks the M&M Boys need to step up or shut up.
The tenth inning stretch put together a Winter Meetings Primer with some good info. Look for a similar piece from myself at the beginning of next week.
Seth Stohs wrote about the Twins bullpen situation and wondered if Brad Lidge will be in the mix.
Stohs also did his last podcast at his current site at Blog Talk Radio. But have no fear, he is just switching over to the premium portion of podcasting with Jack Steal to bring better coverage to Twins fans.
In an interview on 1500 ESPN, Ron Gardenhire said a bunch of interesting things. One of his comments was the Twins are making a "mad effort" to sign Michael Cuddyer.
David Schoenfield at ESPN's SweetSpot Blog wrote about the three fixes that need to be made to each AL Central team. The Twins list needs to be longer...
Want to know how the Twins line-up would break down with the current players on the roster? Here is how the Baseball Outsider penciled everything in.
According to Parker Hageman, Brian Duensing was made for the bullpen and I tend to agree with him.
Have you ever wondered who is the greatest Twins player of all-time? The answer in this post might surprise you.
I found this new Joe Mauer shirt to be amusing since this is about how much we saw Mauer on the field last year.

Last Saturday marked the 51st anniversary of the Twins getting their name. Classic Minnesota Twins wrote about the historical day.
Twins Trivia looks at why money can't buy the Twins happiness.
Puckett's Pond gave me nightmares by reminding me of what could have been with a Mauer/Ramos platoon at catcher.
Next year's MLB Hall of Fame ballot came out and there are a handful of former Twins on the list for the first time. Brade Radke is one of them and The Bat Shatters wrote a remembrance of the right-handed hurler.

My posts from this week:

Monday: Hot Stove Report: Broxton, Nathan, Cuddyer
Tuesday: Would the Twins consider Liriano for closer?
Wednesday: Dissecting the 2012 Twins HOF Ballot
Thursday: Twins shouldn't pay for a "proven" closer

Video of the Week: The folks at MLB.com's Hot Stove Report break down the Twins search for a closer in this short video clip.

Twins shouldn't pay for a "proven" closer

2011-12-01T06:43:00.000-06:00

Joe Nathan has exited the Twins organization for the greener pastures of free agency and this means the Twins are eagerly searching for his replacement. The free agent market is full of pitchers with closing experience and that should work out well in favor of the Twins. Terry Ryan has already come out and said the team will be looking outside the organization for someone who has closing experience. This begs the question, should the Twins be looking to pay for a "proven" closer?

The top tier free agent closers might all be out of the price range of the Twins. Heath Bell, Francisco Cordero, Ryan Madson, and Francisco Rodriguez will all command multi-year contracts for large sums of money. The Twins still have other holes to fill with their remaining salary cap space so signing one of these players could hinder and further signings. The career of most relief pitchers can be short and signing veteran relief pitchers can be a big risk for teams.

In my offseason blueprint for the Twins, I had the team going after a cheaper relief option in the form of Jonathan Broxton. The Royals took Broxton off of the market yesterday by signing him to be the set-up man in an already strong bullpen in Kansas City. Some of the other cheaper relief pitchers with closing experience include Matt Capps, Frank Francisco, Brad Lidge, and Jon Rauch. There are risks involved with each of these free agent options but most free agent signings made this year by the Twins have come with their fair share of risks. If the Twins are trying to stay within their budget, a cheaper option could be the way for the team to go.

Another option for acquiring a closer is to trade for one from another club. This method might also help the Twins to stay within their budget for the coming year. One of the deals that has been discussed hinted at in reports out of Denver is trading Carl Pavano to the Rockies for Huston Street. This deal might be contingent on the Twins signing another starter to replace Pavano in the rotation or the Twins would have to turn to an internal option like Liam Hendriks.

In the past the Twins have seen other great closers leave their team in the same fashion as Nathan. The club has always found someone to replace their ninth inning man. History has shown that the Twins have been able to find players without closing experience and by giving them the opportunity to close; they have found a way to shine. Joe Nathan came to the Twins from the Giants and only had one save to his name. When the Twins acquired Rick Aguilera, he had managed only seven saves with the Mets organization. The two greatest closers in team history had little experience with the role before they joined the organization.

Is there any reason the Twins would not go in a similar direction in their search for a closer this offseason? Why should a team have to overpay for someone who has closer experience?

Matt Capps provides a good example of the clubs willingness to overpay for a closer. The organization gave up one of their best prospects, Wilson Ramos, for a mediocre closer. During last offseason, the Twins wanted insurance incase Joe Nathan was not 100% and the team had to overpay to keep Matt Capps with the organization. Bill Smith was the GM under both of these decisions and the hope for most Twins fans is that Terry Ryan can work his magic again to find a gem from another organization.

It isn't always easy to find the diamond in the rough when it comes to relief options. With the Winter Meetings starting next week, it looks as if the Twins have put finding a closer at the top of their list. There are other holes still left to fill on the roster for next year and it is still a question as to whether this team will be able to contend. There is no point in overpaying for a closer if the team is not getting him save opportunities. Hopefully, the team won't make a long-term commitment to a person that could easily be replaced by a cheaper option.

Dissecting the 2012 Twins HOF Ballot

2011-11-30T07:07:00.000-06:00

In a post published yesterday by Seth Stohs of SethSpaks.net, he looked at the 18 names on the ballot for the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. There are already 23 members of the organization's Hall of Fame and it seems to be the trend that at least one person will get in every year. A 54 member committee will make the final decision and it is made up of local and national baseball writers, Twins broadcasters, Twins Hall of Fame members, local TV and Radio members, select Twins front office personnel and the fans. The guidelines to be eligible are accumulating a service time of three seasons and a two-year waiting period following retirement from Major League Baseball.

There are some very qualified individuals on the 18-person ballot and there are some questionable names on the list. It will all come down to the final vote and the results will be announced over Twins Fest Weekend in January.

How do the players stack-up against one another? Here is a break down of the top ten players on the ballot according to their WAR rankings from Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

(Click Image to Enlarge)

There are some familiar names in the top 10 but there are also some names that might be unfamiliar to the casual Twins fan. What makes the top five players stand apart from the crowd?

1. Chuck Knoblach, 2B 1992-1997
By looking at this list, it seems easy to think that Chuck Knoblach should be a lock to be selected into the Twins Hall of Fame. He is one of the top ten players in franchise history and he was one of the catalysts that helped the Twins to their second World Series crown. His exit from the team and his return to Minnesota were full of some ugly moments but plenty of time has passed since those events transpired. It should be time for Knoblach to be enshrined with the other top players from the organization but 2012 might not be his year.

2. Camilo Pascual, RHP 1961-1966
The right-handed pitcher had already played seven seasons at the big league level before the Senators moved to Minnesota. He was an original member of the Twins and he put together six great seasons with the Twins name on the front of his uniform. He was a vital part of the first team from Minnesota to qualify for the World Series. In recent weeks there has been a push by multiple Twin Cities media members for Pascual to be elected to the team HOF (Reusse article, Christensen article) and this could be enough to push him over the top for 2012.

3. David Goltz, RHP 1972-1979
Goltz might be a name that is unfamiliar to the newest generations of Twins fans. The Minnesota native spent much of the 1970's playing with the team from his home state. He was never overpowering on the mound but he had a stretch of six seasons in a row in which he won double-digit games. In 1977 he was a 20 game winner and he finished sixth in the Cy Young voting. Statistically he looks like a Brad Radke type of player from an earlier era.

4. Cesar Tovar, OF 1965-1972
As a rookie on the 1965 World Series team, Tovar gained experience that will help him be a leader with the next decade of Twins players. He was part of the two Twins teams in the 1969 and 1970 who lost in the playoffs to the powerful Baltimore Orioles. Mr. Tovar would continually find his name on the MVP balloting at the end of the year. He finished seventh in 1967 and he would finish in the top 24 in each of the next four seasons. He even started one game in 1968 but only pitched one inning because he would end up playing all nine positions on the day.

5. Corey Koskie, 3B 1998-2004
The newer generation of Twins fans will be very familiar with the name of Corey Koskie. He was a vital part of the revival of Twins baseball in the early 2000's. The defense he played at third base was good and he combined that with a powerful swing from the left side of the plate. The 2001 season might have been his best where he set personal bests with 26 home runs and 103 RBI. Concussions hampered the end of his career and it was tough to watch him suffer through his last couple years in Toronto and Milwaukee. His role in the revival of Twins baseball could be enough to get him into the Twins Hall of Fame in the future.

There is a good chance that all of the top five candidates will get their opportunity to be recognized as members of the Twins Hall of Fame. The problem is that only two of the players can be enshrined in any single season. If I could only pick two players, I would vote for Knoblach and Pascual. On the online voting, the fans can vote for up to five players and I will most likely vote for all of the players listed in my top five.

That being said, my prediction is the committee in charge of the Twins Hall of Fame will only put one player in this season and it will be Camilo Pascual.

Would the Twins consider Liriano for closer?

2011-11-29T06:44:00.000-06:00

With the recent news that Joe Nathan has signed a free agent contract with the Texas Rangers, the Twins are now trying to sort out who will be the team's closer for the 2012 campaign. In yesterday's post, I wrote briefly about the Twins considering Jonathan Broxton for a late inning role with the team. If the Twins decide to go in a different direction, there are plenty of paths to consider for the man to replace Nathan.

During Spring Training in 2010, the Twins were forced to deal with a devastating arm injury to Nathan. The closer's role was open for the taking and there were multiple options on the table. One name that was discussed for the closer role was left-handed pitcher, Francisco Liriano. In the 2010 Winter League, Liriano had created some buzz with a good performance but he had yet to return to his pre-Tommy John form. The Twins went in a different direction that offseason and dubbed Jon Rauch the closer for the start of the 2010 campaign but the thought of moving Liriano was still there.

Flash-forward to the offseason before the 2012 season and the Twins are currently without someone to fill the role of ninth inning pitcher. Terry Ryan has already announced that Glen Perkins is unlikely to serve in the closer's role for next season because the team prefers to leave as the set-up man. Another familiar name that has been thrown around is signing free agent Matt Capps to come back as the team's closer. For many Twins fans, the thought of relying on Capps is hard to swallow.

Would the Twins ever reconsider moving Liriano to the closer role?

Aside from his no-hitter in the early part of the year, the 2011 season was not a great one for Mr. Liriano. He scuffled to a 9-10 record with an ERA of 5.08 and a 1.489 WHIP. The coming season will be the last one in which he will be under team control and his future with the club is definitely in doubt. The team is going to have to see something in Liriano this season to warrant a contract for future years.

This means there is a lot on the line for Mr. Liriano in the 2012 season. He will be playing for his first free agent contract and for many players that can be a push that produces performance on the field. The Twins have seen a player like Perkins make the switch from starter to very effective relief pitcher. A move by Liriano to the bullpen could be similar to Perkins in that it would allow him to put a little something extra on his pitches. At times, the Twins saw dominating stuff from Perkins in 2011 and Liriano has not shown some of his electric stuff since his elbow surgery.

From reports, it seems that the closer for next year's version of the Twins is not currently on the roster. Ryan said when talking about the closer role in a recent interview, "I think you're wise to ultimately see if you can find a guy with experience." It is interesting to note that Nathan had no experience as a closer when Ryan traded for him from San Francisco. But if you follow the message of this quote, Liriano does not fit that stipulation and ultimately the Twins will be a better team if he returns to form in the starting rotation.

If the Twins fail to bring in a closer with experience, it will be interesting to see if Liriano's name is ever mentioned as a candidate for the closing role. In a bind, the organization has considered him in the past...

...but it seems as if another option will be the Twins ninth inning man for 2012.

Hot Stove Report: Broxton, Nathan, Cuddyer

2011-11-28T07:01:00.000-06:00

Twins are one of ten teams in on Broxton

With the free agent departure of Joe Nathan, the Twins are looking for a new closer for the 2012 season. One of the most intriguing names on the free agent market could be Jonathan Broxton. He has struggled through some injuries during the last two season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But prior to that in parts of 2009 and 2010, he had been one of the best closers in MLB and he was selected to multiple All-Star appearances.

The hope for any team signing Broxton to be a closer is that the arthroscopic surgery he had on his elbow in September will clear up his struggles on the field. Because of the injury concerns, Broxton could be a cheap closer option with tons of upside. It would be nice for the Twins to sign him to a reasonable one-year contract with a club option for a second-year. On the other hand with all of the injuries concerns of last season, the Twins might not want to add another question mark to the roster for next year.

Nathan wanted to go to Texas

In the aftermath of Joe Nathan's exit from the Twins, there have been many different reports that have surfaced about his relationship with his organization of the last eight seasons. The Twins also offered Nathan a two-year deal but it was for less than the $14.5 million he got from the Rangers. It was hard to know what the market would be like for a pitcher who had his fair share of struggles last season. Dave St. Peter made sure to let Twins fans know that the Twins were not given the opportunity to match the offer from Texas.

There have been some hints that the injury situation this past year was hard to ignore for Nathan. Remember that Nathan had to go to Rochester to rehab during last season and one specific player did not have to make that trip as part of his rehab process. This might be fishing for some kind of reason for Nathan's exit but as Phil Mackey tweeted, "...you see $23 million sidelined for various vague reasons, it's natural to be frustrated." In the end, it came down to Nathan leaving the Twins to sign with a better team for more money than he was offered by Minnesota.

Cuddyer buzz has died down

A couple of weeks ago it seemed that Michael Cuddyer was almost assuredly going to sign a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Much of that buzz has died down in recent weeks and it wasn't helped by the Phillies trading for Ty Wigginton. Another factor in the lack of progress on Cuddyer might be the new collective bargaining agreement. Teams looking to sign Cuddyer were not sure if they would have to forfeit their first round draft pick. The new CBA changed some of the compensation rules and this could changed the market for Cuddyer. Now more team's might be willing to offer a contract to Cuddyer since they won't lose a draft pick over the deal.

The Boston Red Sox could be one of the teams that would be most interested in signing the versatile Cuddyer to a multi-year contract. The Boston Globe published their suggestion box to the Red Sox and the top name to fill their open spot in right field is Cuddyer. With some of the reports coming out of Boston this offseason, the voice and leadership Cuddyer could bring would be a welcome addition to their clubhouse. According to the article, he also has the "dirt-dog mentality" that would be welcomed in Boston.

Friday Links-N-Links

2011-11-25T13:48:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all of the visitors of NoDak Twins Fan. I hope your holiday weekend has been full of great times with family and friends. It's Black Friday and many have spent the early hours of the day trying to find the greatest deals on the market.

The Twins have also spent the week looking for deals on the open market. Ryan Doumit officially signed with the Twins, Joe Nathan left the Twins for the Texas Rangers, and the organization offered arbitration to Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. A busy week in the world of the Twins.

Here are some of the best stories from the week that was in Twins news:

Seth Stohs discussed the tragic events surrounding the murder of Greg Halman and how it connects to the Twins minor league system.
Terry Ryan told reporters that Glen Perkins will not be the closer. This means the Twins are in the market for a closer.
Over at Knuckleballs, Jim Crikket looks at the topic of "Closer? We don't need no stinkin' closer!"
Nick Nelson from the TwinsCentric gang came up with the ways the Twins can find Nathan's replacement.
The Twins offered arbitration to Cuddyer and Kubel but not Capps. The key is that the Twins can still get draft picks for any of these players if they sign with another team.
The Twins Spring Training Schedule was released which means baseball is getting closer!!!
A trade by the Philadelphia for Ty Wigginton won't keep them from going after Cuddyer.
Here's everything you ever wanted to know about ERA+ and ERA-.
Here are the Top 15 Prospects for the Twins according to FanGraphs.
The new Muppets movie came out this weekend and the folks over at Baseball Prospectus cast MLB players as Muppet characters.

MLB continues to try and get smokeless tobacco out of the game of baseball
The new CBA is tough on amateur players and for teams looking to spend money in the draft.
A former Twins starter is on the market and the Twins could be looking to add some pitching.
Justin Verlander won the AL MVP Award but he didn't finish on top of my ballot.
The NL MVP came down to Ryan Braun versus Matt Kemp and here's my ballot.
Big League Stew from Yahoo Sports thinks the Rangers rolled the dice on Nathan.
Mr. Hageman from Over the Baggy did a great job of breaking down Doumit's offensive production.
Classic Minnesota Twins added a new page called "Lost Met Stadium" with some cool pictures.
Twinkie Town put together their annual list of the All Ex-Twins Team, 2011 edition.
FanGraphs asks the question, "Is Ryan Doumit the new Mike Napoli?" Hopefully the answer is yes.

My posts from this week:

Monday: Hot Stove Report: Doumit, Cuddyer, Kubel, Nathan
Nathan signs two-year deal with Rangers
Tuesday: Did Santana deserve the MVP Award?
Wednesday: New CBA changes free agent compensation

Video of the Week: Keeping with the Muppets theme from earlier, here is a clip featuring the Muppets on Sesame Street in a baseball skit.

New CBA changes free agent compensation

2011-11-23T09:14:00.000-06:00

Entering this offseason, the Twins had three ranked free agents that would be hitting the open market for the first time in their careers. Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and Matt Capps are all eligible to sign with other teams but there was the possibility of the Twins getting draft pick compensation for the loss of these players. Major League Baseball announced their new collective bargaining agreement at the beginning of the week and this means some changes to the compensation rules for these top free agents.

Here is how the rules would have worked under the old system:

1. All of the free agents were ranked by the Elias ranking system and the top tier free agents were graded as either a Type A or Type B free agent.

2. The Twins would have to evaluate their top tier free agents and decide whether or not to offer arbitration to them.

3 (A). If the player turned down the Twins arbitration offer, he was free to sign with the team of his choice.

3 (B). If the player accepts the Twins arbitration offer, he would return to the Twins with a new one-year contract.

4. If a Type A free agent left the Twins to sign with another club, that club was forced to surrender their first round pick in next June's draft to the Twins. The Twins would also get a sandwich round pick between the first and second round.

5. If a Type B free agent left the Twins to sign with another club, the Twins would get a sandwich round pick between the first and second round of the draft.

Since this offseason started with the old system in place, MLB had to keep some of the parameters in place for the rest of this offseason before the new system goes into place for next offseason. The Elias rankings were somewhat followed for this year but they will be tossed out for coming offseasons. The system is somewhat similar to above but here are the rules that will change for the 2011 offseason:

4 (A). If a Type A free agent left the Twins to sign with another club, the signing club is no longer forced to surrender their first round pick. Instead the Twins would receive the pick directly before the signing team and the Twins would still get a sandwich round pick.

4 (B). Some Type A free agents have been modified to be Type B free agents. Those free agents do not have to be offered arbitration by their former team and if they sign elsewhere, their old club gets a sandwich round pick.

It can be very confusing but here is how the Twins free agents came out after all of the changes to the free agent compensation rules:

Michael Cuddyer

Former System: Type A; Current System: Type A

The Twins will most offer arbitration to Cuddyer before Wednesday night's deadline and Cuddyer would be smart to turn down that offer. He is an aging player that could be looking at his last big contract of his career. He is going to sign somewhere for a multi-year deal and the Twins will be compensated for him leaving the organization. The only change for Cuddyer's compensation will be that Twins will now receive the pick directly before Cuddyer's new team instead of taking their pick away from them.

Matt Capps

Former System: Type A; Current System: Modified Type B

There was very little chance the Twins were going to offer Capps arbitration under the old system because he would be due a raise on the $7.5 million he made last season. Under the new system, he has been downgraded to a Type B free agent but the Twins are not under pressure to offer him arbitration. If he were to sign with another team, the Twins will receive a sandwich round pick for Capps without offering him arbitration.

Jason Kubel

Former System: Type B; Current System: Type B

There is a good chance that Kubel will also be looking at trying to sign a multi-year deal on the open market. So if the Twins offer him arbitration, he is likely to turn it down. This means that if he were to sign with another club, the Twins would receive a sandwich round pick in next June's draft.

Overall, the Twins could now be looking at stock piling four first round picks if all of their free agents exits for greener pastures. Compile that with the number two pick they already have and the Twins could be looking at five picks in the first round of the draft. That could result in quite the upgrade to the Twins minor league system that has some holes to fill in many of the levels.

If all of these players leave the Twins, the team might have plenty of holes to fill in their roster. But the draft picks the team would accumulate could go a long way to setting this franchise on the right path for the future.

Did Santana deserve the MVP Award?

2011-11-22T06:45:00.002-06:00

With Justin Verlander being named the 2011 American League Most Valuable Player yesterday, there has been some that have contemplated the thought that other pitchers should have been given more consideration for MVP since the last starter won in 1986. There have been some spectacular seasons by pitchers who were not given the MVP because the BWAA refused to vote for a pitcher when the pitchers have the Cy Young Award to win. Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, and Roger Clemens are all players that have a gripe when it comes to their MVP credentials from previous seasons.

Johan Santana was a dominant pitcher for the Twins during numerous seasons in the 2000's and he was honored with multiple Cy Young Awards during that stretch. There were seasons where Santana was untouchable over the course of the 162 game schedule. But when it came to voting for the AL MVP, he was largely ignored for the top spot on voter's ballots.

Here is a look at Santana's two Cy Young seasons and how they compared to the other candidates for MVP in the American League. The categories in BOLD are one's in which he lead the American League.

2004 Season

Santana's stat line: W-L (20-6), 2.61 ERA, 265 K, 182 ERA+, 0.921 WHIP, 6.2 H/9, 7.4 rWAR, 7.7 fWAR

In Santana's first Cy Young season, there was hardly any doubt that he was the best pitcher in the AL. He was the unanimous selection for the Cy Young Award but those votes did not translate over to the voting for the MVP. There were many good seasons by offensive players in the American League with five players driving in over 120 runs. All of those players finished ahead of Santana in the MVP voting but the argument could be made that Santana was more valuable than the rest of them. He finished first in the American League for FanGraphs version of WAR and he came in second in Baseball Reference's version of WAR. The MVP that season was given to Vladimir Guerrero but he finished behind multiple players when it came to WAR rankings. If the voters went by either version of WAR, the award would have went to Ichiro Suzuki but Santana should have finished at least in second place.

2004 AL MVP Voting (Points - 1st Place Votes)

1. Vladimir Guerrero (354.0 - 21)

2. Gary Sheffield (254.0 - 5)

3. Manny Ramirez (238.0 - 1)

4. David Ortiz (174.0 - 1)

5. Miguel Tejada (123.0)

6. Johan Santana (117.0)

7. Ichiro Suzuki (98.0)

2006 Season

Santana's Stat Line: W-L (19-6), 2.77 ERA, 245 K, 162 ERA+, 0.997 WHIP, 7.0 H/9, 7.0 rWAR, 7.3 fWAR

The 2006 season was Santana's second unanimous Cy Young Award winning season but it marked the only year that he was able to garner a first place vote in the AL MVP race. He still finished in a distant seventh place in the final MVP balloting. Most fans of the Twins probably did not notice since his teammate Justin Morneau ended up winning the award. Santana finished in one of the lowest positions ever for someone receiving a first place vote and maybe it paved the way for the 2011 voting for MVP. In the FanGraphs version of WAR, Santana finished in second place behind Grady Sizemore. For the Baseball Reference version of WAR, Santana finished in third place in close race between himself, Sizemore, and Joe Mauer.

2006 AL MVP Voting (Points - 1st Place Votes)

1. Justin Morneau (320.0 - 15)

2. Derek Jeter (306.0 - 12)

3. David Ortiz (193.0)

4. Frank Thomas (174.0)

5. Jermaine Dye (156.0)

6. Joe Mauer (116.0)

7. Johan Santana (114.0 - 1)

I entered the 2011 MLB award season believing the writers would look at Verlander's season as being very good but not worthy of the MVP. On my ballot for the American League MVP, I voted Verlander as the third best player behind Jacoby Ellsbury and Jose Bautista. There had been some unbelievably dominating pitchers in the last 20+ seasons that were skipped over for the MVP and I thought that trend would continue. But in a season where no position player was dominating, it seems appropriate that a pitcher would win the award.

Santana may never have won an MVP but fans of the Minnesota Twins know how dominating he was during the mid-2000's. Fans flocked to the Metrodome anytime he was on the mound because there was a good chance to see greatness on display. He had the potential to transform a losing streak into a winning streak every time he stepped on the mound. He was an ace, untouchable, and to most Twins fans...

...a Most Valuable Player.

Nathan signs two-year deal with Rangers

2011-11-21T20:01:00.000-06:00

The Twins will enter Spring Training next year for the first time in eight season without Joe Nathan slated to be the team's closer. Reports surfaced on Monday night that the Twins all-time saves leader had signed a free agent contract with the Texas Rangers. The deal is for two seasons and $14.5 million with a club option for 2014.

The Rangers are the two-time defending champions of the American League and one of their strengths over the last two seasons has been their bullpen. Neftali Feliz, who had been the closer for the Rangers, will be making the transition to the starting rotation. This leaves the closing duties for Texas in the hands of Nathan for the start of the 2012 season.

It seemed that in the free agent process Nathan had made it clear that he wanted to play for a winner next season. The Twins might not fall into that category for the coming year and Nathan is running out of opportunities to win a championship before his career is over. The Rangers will most certainly be the favorites to win the AL West and there will be many that pick Texas to represent the American League in the World Series.

Over most of the last decade, Nathan provided Twins fans with so many memories: Multiple All-Star appearances, the mess he got out of in Game 163, and passing Rick Aguilera for the most saves while wearing a Twins uniform. Not all of his 260 saves with the Twins was perfect but he was one of the most dominant closers during the seven seasons he pitched for the Twins. It is hard to believe that he was just a lanky right-handed pitcher that was part of the trade for AJ Pierzynski back in 2003.

As a fan, I hate to see him go but I appreciate all he gave to this franchise.

Thanks for everything, Joe. Good luck in Texas (except when you face the Twins).