OK, so the show hasn’t been exactly weekly of late. Frankly, the ratings haven’t been where we would like them to be. However, tonight at 9:00 central time, I’ll be hosting a 90-minute Twins podcast. We’ll get caught up on the goings-on around the Twins as we are now about one week from pitchers and catchers reporting! We’ll discuss the offseason and look forward to the 2012 season. You’ll want to join because I’m in the process of lining up several guests to discuss the upcoming season. As I ge
Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 – Now Available as an e-book for $6.99 by clicking here. You can, of course, still get the print version for $13.99 by clicking here. Today, we will conclude our Organizational Depth Chart by looking at the Relief Pitchers. Frankly, it is kind of a mess thanks to about 89 minor league veterans brought in, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. As I said on Monday, many starters will get time as a reliever, and vice versa. This is especial
This is the hardest time of the year to be a baseball fan. At least it is for me. I actually really enjoy the offseason. I love hearing rumors, and trying to think about what the Twins could do, and what they will do. Who will they sign? Will there be a trade? From the end of the World Series until about the middle of January, it is fun. Then there is the Twins Winter Caravan which is a great time, followed by the weekend of Twins Fest. In a little over a week, one of the great phrases will be u
Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 – Now Available as an e-book for $6.99 by clicking here. You can, of course, still get the print version for $13.99 by clicking here. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve pointed out the organizational depth charts for the Twins hitters. We’ve looked at catchers, 3B, 1B, Middle Infielders and Outfielders. Today, I’ll take a look at the starting pitchers. Now, especially as I move to the lower levels, I won’t pretend to know which players will move to the
The Twins have about 30 pitchers coming to spring training this year. Some Twins fans are upset that the Twins haven't signed the likes of Dan Wheeler or Brad Lidge when they signed for low-price deals. There are still some bullpen arms available (Coffey, Wuertz ,etc.), but the question is Would you rather sign one of those guys, or give opportunities to the guys they already have? Is it possible that the Twins scouting department has determined that Todd Coffey will not be able to get hitters o
At this point, we have reviewed the infielders and catchers throughout the Twins organization. Today, we will jump to the outfield. This information, of course, could be completely altered by an unexpected free agent signing or a trade. This exercise is not so much an attempt to perfectly predict where all of these players will wind up. In reality, there will be changes. Several players will be released. Some will be placed a level higher (or lower) than I would guess. This is just giving reader
Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 – Now Available as an e-book for $6.99 by clickinghere. You can, of course, still get the print version for $13.99 by clicking here. Last week, I started looking at the depth throughout the Twins system. I reviewed the catchers, first basemen and third basemen. After a weekend at Twins Fest (which I’ll write about very soon), I thought it would be good to get back into the Organizational Depth Chart series. Today, I am going to write about the Middle Infi
Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 – Now Available as an e-book for $6.99 by clickinghere. You can, of course, still get the print version for $13.99 by clicking here. The procedure I had done yesterday kind of won last night, so I wasn’t able to finish the next installment of the Organizational Depth Chart, so that will return next week. I was, fortunately, able to watch the Diamond Awards live on FoxSportsNorth.com, and it was incredible. It’s such a nice event for such a great cause, bu
Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 – Now Available as an e-book for $6.99 by clicking here. You can, of course, still get the print version for $13.99 by clicking here. We have looked at the catchers and the first basemen in the Twins organization the past two days. Today, I’ll be looking at the third basemen. Again, the purpose of this series is two-fold (if not more). First, it’s a look at the depth at or near the big leagues. Second, it’s a glance at the depth at the position throughou
After looking at the catchers throughout the Twins system yesterday, I’ll be looking at the first basemen today before continuing around the diamond throughout the coming weeks. Again, the purpose is two-fold. First, it’s a look at the depth at or near the big leagues. Second, it’s a glance at the depth at the position throughout the system. You can find out who might be coming up to the Twins if there is a need, and you can find out who the prospects to watch might be. As I did yesterday, I n
For the most part, the Twins spring training rosters are pretty well set. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is another reliever brought in, and there could be some more minor league signings. I thought it would be late enough in the offseason to start taking a look at the Twins organizational depth. So, over the next two weeks, I’ll go position by position and name the players throughout the farm system with a few thoughts. In doing so, I’ll be trying to figure out what the Twins minor league ros
Major League players with less than six years of service time and more than three years of service time are eligible for salary arbitration. As we all know, there are a bunch of Super-2 arbitration-eligible players as well each year. On Tuesday, arbitration numbers will be exchanged. The teams will say how much they are offering to the player, and the player and his agent will submit the value that they think they should receive. Of course, in most cases, the team and the player come up with a v
According to a tweet by Jason Beck of MLB.com, the Twins have reached an agreement with RHP Joel Zumaya on a minor league contract that will reportedly pay him between $800,000 and 1.7 million. Obviously, especially in this case, the Twins are wise to not report it themselves until Zumaya passes a physical. A caution to Twins fans expecting to see the Zumaya of 2006 that threw 100-101 mph with a sharp slider and little control. Reports of his tryout several weeks ago were that he is touching
I’m known on Twitter for doing a lot of tweeting and retweeting. For those who are not on Twitter, it simply means that I tweet something that someone else already tweeted. I retweet Twins related articles and blogs or general comments that I tend to agree with. If you’re interested in following me on Twitter, you can click the “Follow” button here, or you can simply bookmark my twitter page and check it from time to time. Today, I wanted to go back to Saturday and blog many of my retweets from
Good morning! I just wanted to post a few quick notes on an early Friday morning. I fell asleep early last night (not a bad thing!) and got up early this morning, so here are a few notes. ◦First of all, congratulations to Brian Duensing and his wife on the birth of their first child yesterday, a daughter. [*]◦I was quite surprised last night to read that the Twins decided to release minor leaguers RHP Cesar Ciurcina, RHP Todd Van Steensel, and RHP Pedro Guerra. [*]•Ciurcina was a guy who wa
Good morning! I just wanted to post a few quick notes on an early Friday morning. I fell asleep early last night (not a bad thing!) and got up early this morning, so here are a few notes. ◦First of all, co ngratulations to Brian Duensing and his wife on the birth of their first child yesterday, a daughter. ◦I was quite surprised last night to read that the Twins decided to release minor leaguers RHP Cesar Ciurcina, RHP Todd Van Steensel, and RHP Pedro Guerra. •Ciurcina was a guy who was te
That my choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year, Andrew Albers, paid his own way to Ft. Myers for a tryout with the Twins. He was later reimbursed, but he went to Ft. Myers knowing that if the Twins didn't sign him, he was ready to drive back home to Canada and begin life after baseball. Instead, the Twins signed the 25 year old left-hander. After spending a couple of weeks at Extended Spring Training, he was promoted 'across the parking lot' to the Ft. Myers Miracle. He pitc
I really hold back what I would like to say about then payroll arguments here. The fact that people don't accept the amount taken in dictates the amount going out requires one of two things. Extreme financial ignorance or fanatical bias that prevents the acceptance of something some basic. I did not change the argument. It's the same idiocy over and over. Do you really want to be on the side that suggests revenues does not determine spending capacity?
At this point in the pre-season, I’m just so happy to be seeing games again, I don’t care about the Twins record in 2023. I think they’ll win it all, unrealistically speaking 🙂
I really hold back what I would like to say about then payroll arguments here. The fact that people don't accept the amount taken in dictates the amount going out requires one of two things. Extreme financial ignorance or fanatical bias that prevents the acceptance of something some basic. I did not change the argument. It's the same idiocy over and over. Do you really want to be on the side that suggests revenues does not determine spending capacity?· 0 replies
