To think, just 5 months ago, I questioned whether Aaron Hicks had earned his promotion to AA. Of course, at that time, I was basing my concern on Hicks' less-than-impressive High-A slash line of .242/.354/.368 in 2011. Importantly, Hicks was repeating High-A that season, so I had reason to be suspicious. Boy, was I wrong. Hicks unquestionably had a breakout season in 2012 that, at least for me, firmly places him in the top 5 of Twins prospects going into 2013. Let's look at his numbers from thi
[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] New Britain had an unscheduled night off Monday, and maybe that was a good thing. At 18-12, the Rock Cats are just 1.5 games out of first place in their division, but are 5-5 over their last 10 games, and had lost 2 of 3 to the Portland Sea Dogs over the weekend before Monday evening's contest against the Binghamton Mets was rained out. So it's a good time to take notice of a few things. First, player movement. If you haven't read it here or el
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BEbMinyrRqc/T7uFJT7gXsI/AAAAAAAAAWY/bqFIJta9emo/s1600/Herrmann.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Rock Cats catcher Chris Herrmann [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The New Britain Rock Cats won what ended up being a fairly close game last night, 10-7, over the Binghamton Mets. It was 10-2 going into the 9th inning, but Daniel Turpen let the game get a little too close for comfort. A win is a win, though! The
This is also posted at my blog, http://twinsfanfromafar.blogspot.com [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zY5iHzx2Hj4/T0TsmozFw8I/AAAAAAAAALA/I5bVCCs5kto/s1600/Dozier.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Brian Dozier, Twins' shortstop of the future? [/TD] [/TABLE] I have advocated in the past my belief that the best place for Tsuyoshi Nishioka to start 2012 would be AA New Britain or AAA Rochester. Unlike the front office, I'm not willing to give him a com
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2VOxLNM-otc/Ug2WpSSKA3I/AAAAAAAAAps/zGUWT-GFVWQ/s400/May1.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]It's been a consistently inconsistent season for Trevor May [/TD] [/TABLE] Tonight's game was a laugher. No real offense to speak of for New Britain until the game was well out of hand. In fact, it's not even worth discussing Sano or Rosario (on offense, at least, where they were non-factors). Let's get right
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p8uJ6DYO5p4/T6poCGsTiaI/AAAAAAAAAU4/qnONL6iZ2LU/s1600/Span.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]In exchange for Denard Span, should the Twins be targeting MLB-ready talent, or guys set to contribute in 2014 and beyond? [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] There has been a lot of fun and interesting talk lately about the Twins potentially trading away some veterans, such as Denard Span and Carl Pavano, to a co
[Originally published with a couple pictures at Twins Fan From Afar] It was a beautiful evening for outdoor baseball in central Connecticut -- the kind of night where you might come wearing a t-shirt, but had better pack a hooded sweatshirt for when the sun disappears behind the bleachers. The Rock Cats began a homestand tonight, and it was "Anti-Diet Night" at New Britain Stadium. For $12, or $14 if you wanted the good tickets, you could get all-you-can eat hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos and po
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xtyQYSXbRKc/T6fBiL8aLDI/AAAAAAAAAUY/9XBCELyGchk/s320/JM2.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Since taking a foul tip to the knee last week, Joe Mauer hasn't been the same [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Since Joe Mauer dinged his knee taking a foul tip on April 29, he has not been the same player. Yes, he missed only one game, which is a testament to the fact that he is resolute in his desire to to play
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sg_feS-kpfs/T-xptL6XNAI/AAAAAAAAAcA/NgxsZPNVd20/s1600/Liriano.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]After losing 2 lefties in 1 day, the Yankees would seem to be a logical desitnation for Francisco Liriano [/TD] [/TABLE] After I not-so-closely followed yesterday's Twins debacle on my computer, I realized that this game was the turning point for me. There's no sense trying to compete for the next 3 months to win what's shaping up to be a
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrCWeA0w4zI/UfVE3grm5YI/AAAAAAAAAo0/M4gR9VTUYqk/s320/Sano+Bocaton.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]"Bocaton" is Miguel Sano's nickname. It means "Big Mouth." [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The biggest Twins story this past week hasn't been the team's resurgence toward respectability with a few series wins, or the impending trade deadline that will likely ship out fan-f
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-153Rzgp09_w/Uc5onmSMGpI/AAAAAAAAAng/JU--lXBIfOQ/s320/IMAG0501.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Windy skies tonight in New Britain [/TD] [/TABLE] This is a night where I'm glad I'm not a real journalist with a real deadline. Wow, what a game. Well, more specifically, what a game for Miguel Sano: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBIs. And the 1 out he made was a 400 ft monster fly ball that the Phillies' center fiel
In the nightcap it wasn't just Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario that I was excited to see. This was also my first time seeing righty Trevor May in person. May consistently hit 93 with his fastball in the 1st inning, and was moving it in and out pretty effectively. Same control problems we have all heard about, though. Had a 4-pitch walk and a wild pitch in the first inning. 20 pitches to get out of it. The second inning, though, was much better -- 14 pitches 1-2-3. Ironically, former Twins' farmhan
New Britain only amassed 3 hits in the first of two 7-inning contests tonight, but to be completely honest, that wasn't the main -- or perhaps even secondary -- story. No, make no mistake, fans and reporters (including this fan/reporter) were here to see Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, and Angel Morales, the newest additions to the Rock Cats. I was fortunate to be in attendance, to take a few pictures, and even awful video, of the debuts. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http:/
[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGCqeY66wtA/T-HIKm94DOI/AAAAAAAAAbc/Zv3vq0Uwlcs/s400/Rocky.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]Rocky the Rock Cat: Proud to be an American [/TD] [/TABLE] The New Britain Rock Cats find themselves in the middle of a tough stretch of baseball. They lost last night, 8-1, to the Altoona Curve, and only tallied 6 hits all evening -- 3 from Evan Bigley, which is good for him -- but that leaves
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-enD_ad7IRkM/T7zbH9pyfMI/AAAAAAAAAW4/7QB8uOqRkd4/s320/Herm3.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]In each of his 4 starts since joining the Rock Cats, B.J. Hermsen has gone over 6 innings. [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Yesterday, I reviewed some notable hitting prospects for the New Britain Rock Cats. The team is now 10 games over .500 and is in first place with a 1.5 game lead over the Reading Philli
[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Gwwatdhue4/T7vj1DJeuJI/AAAAAAAAAWk/ZpJDPZbxZRo/s1600/Twins.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]I'm partial, of course, but am hoping to still see this logo in New Britain next season [/TD] [/TABLE] Last week, I wrote about an interesting promotion whereby Rock Cats fans could meet New York Mets prospects prior to a game held at New Britain Stadium in an event arranged by the Rock Cats organiza
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container, align: center] http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_MLB/201302191444530758115-p2.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Contrary to what is implied here, I can report that Josmil Pinto DOES indeed know how to wear his tools of ignorance [/TD] [/TABLE] Twins catchers. There's Joe Mauer. Then a big, big gap. Sure, Ryan Doumit can technically sit there and intercept a pitch before it hits the umpire. But to call him a full-time catcher -- or even an adept
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G5voEsiX99s/UhVn3sCEbuI/AAAAAAAAAqA/GZC6T-TeUwk/s320/Smiddy.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Rock Cats' Manager Jeff Smith. Courtesy of Richard Messina, Hartford Courant [/TD] [/TABLE] I've been spoiled. This summer, I've been able to watch Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, from right over the home dugout, for $15 a ticket. You might think that having Sano and Rosario on the same minor league team, at
[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EANbn5dkhPo/T6PQ2x-FxrI/AAAAAAAAAUM/Zzb2q6T9Bn0/s1600/Safeco.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]The Twins have not realized much success in Seattle lately [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] There are some teams that, for no reason in particular, the Twins seem to struggle against on the road. No, I'm not talking about the Yankees or the Rangers here; I can list some solid explanations for the Twins' lackluster
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
