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Twins Daily

Push Candidate: Brian Navarreto

The first two entries in this series focused on players who are moving up in the system and the question is one of advancing to AA baseball, which is really (Jorge Polanco 2014 aside) the real first glimpse of closeness to the majors that a minor leaguer can see. For the final installment, I am turning to another major step in the system--full season A ball--and am profiling catcher Brian Navarreto as a "push candidate" for promotion to Cedar Rapids.   The Player   Brian Navarreto is 20 years ol

Terry Ryan at the Helm -- Part 2

I originally wrote the following analysis of Terry Ryan as GM of the Minnesota Twins for The National Pastime, 2012: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State. I was the editor of the publication—one I heartily recommend by the way for those interested in the history of baseball in Minnesota--and pulled the essay just prior to publication when the publisher informed me that we had gone over our allotted page count. It is great to have this outlet to finally run the article. Du

Episode 119: The Do-Over Episode

You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed.   http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FaxsmGyPooU/VOdK863yS1I/AAAAAAAALAg/mvhg1kcVieQ/s1600/hiccup.jpg Jay and Eric take you on a long over due road trip around the last three weeks of Twins news, which includes a bunch of smart baseball folks thinking the Twins will lose 90 games again, a pretty miserable collection

Episode 118: Twins National Anthem Audition

You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed.     http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P3bLoAsn7Pk/VOdJ5nQAKPI/AAAAAAAALAU/fkLkX0A4RAk/s1600/whatsupdawg.jpg This week we try out to sing the National Anthem at a Twins game, talk about how lame baseball nicknames are in 2015, and Paul tries to figure out what the Twins are doing with Eduardo Nunez. We go down on the p

Episode 117 - TwinsFest Preview

You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed.       http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKCEP5KqGn8/VOdJOQ1xutI/AAAAAAAALAM/7nXzzV5S5iE/s1600/twinsfestdawg.jpg     This week the guys talk about TwinsFest, the TwinsDaily.com Winter Meltdown, what it means that Trevor Plouffe is the highest paid third basemen in franchise history, and about one Twins minor league pit

Episode 116: We're World Famous, and Other Lies

You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed.     http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y1Q2Ya2ZDIg/VOc_upiWH6I/AAAAAAAAK_8/Edy4jke4Wtc/s1600/shirtpodcast.jpg This week on the show our friend from North Dakota, Cody, is taking the week off to focus on the youth of the greater Fargo area. What a noble man he is. The rest of us forge ahead without him to discuss the ne

Episode 115: No Rolf, No Problem: 2015 New Years Resolutions

You can download the new Talk to Contact (@TalkToContact) episode via iTunes or by clicking here, and if you want to add the show to your non-iTunes podcast player, this is the RSS Feed.   http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--afO4EjF3Rs/VOc-2JcmH2I/AAAAAAAAK_0/B1uXeQHGvRs/s1600/nye%2Bpodcast.jpg   After a week off celebrating 2014 and welcoming in 2015, the podcast crew was back together (minus a Rolf) to begin a new year of Talk to Contact radio gold. This week we make some New Year's resolutions on be

Push Candidate: Travis Harrison

The second of three articles featuring players who I believe should be "pushed" to the next level in the system will focus on Travis Harrison. Harrison had some high expectations after being drafted and has moved through the system in the same way that Adam Walker has. There are still a number of question marks about Harrison's potential, both in the field and at the plate. I do think that the Chattanooga Lookouts' roster has room for both Walker and Harrison, and thus I think that there are mor

Episode 119 - The Do-Over Episode

<img src="http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400_10366187.jpg" alt="itunes pic" /><br />Jay and Eric take you on a long over due road trip around the last three weeks of Twins news, which includes a bunch of smart baseball folks thinking the Twins will lose 90 games again, a pretty miserable collection of teams in the American League Central, and what Spring Training is really all about.   Reviewing the roster this week we dive deeper on Glen Perkins, Eddie Ros

Terry Ryan at the Helm -- Part 1

I originally wrote the following analysis of Terry Ryan as GM of the Minnesota Twins for The National Pastime, 2012: Short but Wondrous Summers: Baseball in the North Star State. I was the editor of the publication—one I heartily recommend by the way for those interested in the history of baseball in Minnesota--and pulled the essay just prior to publication when the publisher informed me that we had gone over our allotted page count. It is great to have this outlet to finally run the article. Du

On Spring Training

“People ask me what I do in the winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” Roger Hornsby   Part I: Arrival in Fort Myers and Baseball March 2013 Hammond Stadium: I’m sitting in the 90-degree heat (down the third base line) with my then four-year-old son. I’m in-between bullpen and dugout, and we’re close enough to get that in-person feeling that only Spring Training can provide. I’ve got my trusty Prospect Handbook at the ready, and I’m

First and only game at the Met

Originally posted at IowaTwinsFan.com.   It was 1977, Jimmy Carter had just become president. New York City celebrated the opening of the World Trade Center and suffered through a 25-hour black out in the middle of a hot summer. Two guys named Steve (Jobs and Wozniak) gave us the Apple II computer. The Vikings were beaten by the Raiders in the Super Bowl and Seattle Slew won the triple crown. In the movie theaters we were introduced to Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Rocky Balboa. We also lost t
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What can the Twins expect from Santana (and Nolasco)?

The Twins have invested over 100 million dolars in their pitching rotation buying 8 seasons of starting pitching. What can they expect for their $100,000,000?   I started with Ervin Santana looking for a similar group. From ages 27-31 he has performed at a 99 ERA+ with about 1000 innings pitched. I wondered how other groups of pitchers performed from ages 27-31. With the help of BR's play index, I searched for all pitchers since 1975 who have pitched at least 900 innings in their age 27 through

What Spring Training Means

I will be at spring training for the fourth straight year. I have watched three straight non-contending teams gear up for a disappointing regular season. I have seen impressive individual performances that didn't stand up to regular season pressures. I have seen guys showing obvious potential take a step from prospect to established player and others not be able to establish themselves. I have seen comments that seem to espouse an open competition for almost every spot on the roster and also

Optimism/Pessimism

The current Twins Forum is filled with prognostication and speculation. There really isn't much else to talk about until the team starts Spring Training. Many comments have been written in reference to disturbing predictions from outside of Twins Territory: Being picked in the bottom five by an ESPN writer and being given an over/under of 68.5 in Las Vegas. The realists have joined the negatives in predicting a long, losing season. There is certainly a realistic basis for such predictions/p

Branch Rickey

This post is part of a series in which Mark Armour and I count down the 25 best GMs in history, crossposting from our blog. For an explanation, please see this post.   [This one is from Mark]   Had Branch Rickey retired from baseball in 1942, before he ran the Dodgers, before he signed Jackie Robinson, his record as a general manager would still be enough to warrant consideration as the greatest GM in the game’s history. By that time he had already built one of history’s best organizations, win

Pat Gillick

This post is part of a series in which Mark Armour and I count down the 25 best GMs in history, crossposting from our blog. For an explanation, please see this post.   Pat Gillick served as a general manager for four different teams. At his first stop, in Toronto, he built an expansion team into one of the best organizations in the game (winning 86 or more games for 11 straight seasons), culminating in five division titles and two world championships. In Baltimore, he worked for an impatient o

More Power!

I have followed the Twins since they moved to Minnesota from DC. In the early days, the Twins excelled in hitting home runs. They had plenty of power at many positions led by perennial home run king Harmon Killebrew, who led the league in homers six times. However, since Mr. Nixon said "I am not a crook" (and Harmon declined), the Twins have had a severe power shortage. In the forty-plus years since 1973, the Twins have outhomered their opponents in only three seasons and by narrow margins.   Th

#3 — Ed Barrow

This post is part of a series in which Mark Armour and I count down the 25 best GMs in history, crossposting from our blog. For an explanation, please see this post. Before feuding owners Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L’Hommedieu Huston turned to Ed Barrow in 1920, the Yankees had never won a pennant. They won their first in 1921 and during Barrow’s tenure went on to win thirteen more as well as ten World Series. Technically hired as business manager—the GM position hadn’t yet been formalized—

Push Candidate: Adam Walker

Leading up to Spring Training, I am highlighting three players in the system who are "push candidates." These are players who I think should be pushed to the next level in the minor league system, even with some issues with their 2014 seasons that might give the Twins pause. I am not one who thinks players need to "dominate" a level before being promoted, and I certainly think that there are two points in the system where there are the kind of "put up or shut up" moments for a player (first full

#4 — Bob Howsam

This post is part of a series in which Mark Armour and I count down the 25 best GMs in history, crossposting from our blog. For an explanation, please see this post.   [This one is from Mark]   Bob Howsam considered himself the last of a breed. A protégé of Branch Rickey, who believed in scouting, player development, and the art of making a deal, Howsam built one of history’s greatest teams, the 1970s Cincinnati Reds, a ballclub that reflected that same Rickey-like approach. And he did so at a t

My First Game

It's strange to say for someone who has written this blog for nearly seven years, but I've never written in depth about my first Twins game. But I have a good reason for that.   I don't really remember it.   I've tried to. I've imagined Kirby Puckett legging out a triple. I wishfully think that it was the Orioles so I can say that I saw Cal Ripken in the midst of his streak.   But I just don't remember it. Not the day. Not the year. Not the opponent. Not the outcome.   But I remember my grandfa

#5 — George Weiss

This post is part of a series in which Mark Armour and I count down the 25 best GMs in history, crossposting from our blog. For an explanation, please see this post.   George Weiss presided over the greatest sustained run of excellence in baseball history. Under Weiss’s leadership, from 1948 through 1960 the New York Yankees won ten pennants and seven World Series in a thirteen year span. After a slip to third in 1959 Weiss retooled his squad and returned to the top the following season. For

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