Other Baseball

Just curious if Ryan Madson could be a potential trade target to fix the bullpen? Putting up solid numbers & Oakland is always in the trading mood.

Shoulder injury. Discuss. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19721838/julio-urias-los-angeles-dodgers-needs-shoulder-surgery-expected-12-14-months

The Chicago Cubs put together a wonderful Facebook video that visits their amateur scouting process -- starting from the backfields at high schools and showcases across the country. Per the description on the Cubs' Facebook page: WATCH THE VIDEO HERE It is a refreshingly open look behind the curtain. A few years ago, I pitched the Twins on a story that involved spending a day with a scout, just to detail what the day-to-day entails. I was told the front office at that time was not interested in the potential distraction*. Several years later, the Cubs managed to produce a wonderful piece on the unheralded members of the organization. https://twitter.com/ParkerHa…

Today (Thursday) begins the 2017 Minnesota State Baseball Tournament. I don't know how many of our readers are interested, but certainly some of you are aware of it, maybe even involved in it. And, there are several players in it who were drafted this week. So, if you're into it, or see articles on it, let's talk about it here. Please post links or share stories as you'd like and are able. Here are the four brackets: All championship games will be on Monday at Target Field. Class A (Mini-Met in Jordan) Pillager vs #1 Parkers Prairie #5 Fosston vs #4 Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove Ely vs #2 Legacy Christian Academy Wabasha-Kellogg vs #3 Martin Luther/GHEC-…

This is a great set of quotes, about coming to the US to play baseball.... http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/19625385/beisbol-experience-mlb-50-man-interview#/

For the infamous player to be named or cash. A's are also sending $ 2 mil to cover Plouffe's salary.

Giminez made a comment today that got me thinking. There are a lot of baseball clichés thrown around, and one that had bothered me is the old “hitting is contagious.” Giminez repeated the adage in today’s post-game interview. That’s just some old-school non-sense. Right? “Hitting is contagious” sounds like it is repeatable, and good “sequencing” is often a measure of how “lucky” a team is – so, not repeatable. I realize these are not exactly the same thing, but still, both refer to hits being bunched together. This study suggests there might actually be something to the “hitting is contagious” statement: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1073145-brain-researchers-agree-t…

Nice heads up play http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2017/06/11/235717186/jose-bautista-runs-to-second-on-walk-thanks-to-heads-up-baserunning

http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/say-happy-birthday-dave-parker-crazy-relic-video/#RMrP1srHuFqKRff7.97 Lot of fun stuff to see in this old video but the main one is how big Parker's bat was. That was a freaking boomstick.

What is going on with mlbtv? Recently, I get this constant warning that "content is only available with adobe flash," and not allowing me to watch games. There is, of course, a "helpful" link to download flash, but I already have it, and auto-updates with chrome or IE. Is anybody else having this issue?

http://deadspin.com/report-oregon-state-star-pitcher-charged-in-2011-for-m-1795936107?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow This is one of the most disturbing things I've ever read. If the Twins draft this guy, I'm no longer a fan

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19553422/the-ultimate-mlb-draft-best-pick-ever-every-spot-1-30 It's actually pretty bad. The writer is using only WAR to evaluate and seems to be dividing total WAR by seasons. Mauer doesn't make the honorable mentions for the #1 pick. Kris Bryant over Reggie Jackson, Longoria over Yount, Molitor and Machado etc

Sam Dyson could be a potentially nice gamble for the Twins to help solve some of the bullpen troubles.

Lots of talk about Twins and injuries, but important to have some context. Here is a quick and dirty look at DL trips for all teams, Twins are actually one of the best at avoiding injuries. (Of course this doesn't account for minor league relievers). https://www.rosterresource.com/mlb-disabled-list-tracker/

Not sure where to post this today, but as I look at the Twins record for developing some of their talent - like Buxton - I saw this posting on ESPN and continue to hope that the new FO has fixed the system: The New York Yankees' other mashing outfielder. Aaron Judge is hitting .326/.427/.680. He's getting a lot of attention. He deserves the attention! Teammate Aaron Hicks, after going 4-for-5 with three doubles in six RBIs in a 12-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, is now hitting .317/.437/.579. Hicks has been the club's fourth outfielder, but has been playing every day of late with Jacoby Ellsbury on the DL. Ellsbury may be the fourth outfielder when he returns the way …

Why 2K? I was surprised when I noticed how that tally had grown. Didn’t even realize that something of a milestone was approaching. So I’ve held off posting for a couple of days to compose these thoughts. (And believe me, at my age, composing my thoughts is a near-Herculean effort). I’m so far from home, from the barren plains of ND. From the crackling, in-and-out radio under my covers, when the closest radio station carrying games was Jamestown, 100 miles off, with spring wheat and cattle prices quoted between innings. Falling asleep to night games on the coast against the Angels, when the CCO feed would sometimes come fading in, and you could actually listen to …

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/nationals-vs-giants/2017/05/29/490873#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=videos,game=490873 This is more like your traditional baseball fights and we learn that throwing a batting helmet is really hard to do.

Who had their money on Jeb Bush and Derek Jeter teaming up to buy the Marlins? According to early reports, the price is $1.3 B for the franchise. Jeff Loria purchased the franchise for $158 MM in 2002. Not a bad investment to flip. And one of the worst owners in sports is finally out of the picture.

In case you are not familiar with the Minnesota Girls Baseball Association I wanted to post a link to their website which has more information about free clinics they are doing for female baseball players this summer: https://www.mngirlsbaseball.org It also has sections dedicated to the history of women in baseball and additional resources if you're interested in learning more. The founder is Emma Charlesworth-Seiler, a Minnesota native who recently was hired to umpire Gulf Coast League games in Florida this summer (including one of the Twins minor league teams).

19 year old Cuban OF Luis Robert was cleared by the MLB and is now an IFA... If he signs before July 2nd, he will not be subject to the new CBA rules, meaning he's going to get PAID... 6'3" 205 lbs. and considered one of the very best prospects in the world, behind Shohei Otani. Here's a video that Baseball America posted showcasing Robert's swing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew54lxdJw9U How much do you think he's going to get from the Yankees? I don't think the small market teams have a chance at this guy....

For those who are interested and may not have seen, Seth Maness, the former Cards pitcher who underwent UCL Repair surgery about 9 months ago, has returned to the majors with the Royals. He has 3 appearances with 3.0 IP, 6H, 2ER, 1BB, 1K, 2.33WHIP. There is a podcast that includes an interview with him (link below, 16:00 mark) https://soundcloud.com/ringermlbshow/mlbs-top-trio-a-returning-reliever-and-an-unbeaten-streak-ep-75 Certainly not tearing up the league or anything, but encouraging to see him back to pitching at a high level after just 9 months with no early elbow issues. We'll see how he progresses. Also, for what it's worth, Jordan Schafer of Twins 'fame'…

Papi: My Story has already put Valentine on the defensive.....any guesses on what he says about the Twins?

http://deadspin.com/mlb-is-investigating-kevin-pillars-apparent-homophobic-1795334576 Pillar was angry and upset and reacted by using a gay slur. From the article, "Everyone gets frustrated and says dumb **** sometimes, but it doesn’t have to come out with a gay slur. Whether Pillar was at his breaking point or not, he wouldn’t have used that particular word if he weren’t comfortable with it." I would imagine MLB will fine him and/or suspend him for a game.

Of course production means something, but most combine it with age at level. For me personally, if a prospect is still in the minors at age 24 is on pace to be in the minors at age 24 (i.e. 22 in low A ball as an example) I start to discount the performance dramatically and consider them a fringe prospect. 26 or older is non prospect for me. I know Aaron Judge is a big elephant in the room with that analysis but it has served me well in the past. Any general rules you try to follow in your analysis of minor leaguers?

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/01/nationals-bryce-harper-avoid-arbitration.html Harper has one more arbitration year left. "Harper’s raise shattered the $9.3MM projection of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz and stands out as the largest raise ever given to a position player that is entering his third year of arbitration eligibility. Harper will be arb-eligible once more next winter and is a free agent following the 2018 season." The Pohlad's are going to have to clear out some more payroll to sign him.

http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/230091760/cubs-cardinals-talk-slide-interference-call/ Cubs were upset about a call on Ian Happ's slide into second. The pitcher's throw was pretty bad making a double play impossible but Happ over slid the base so a double play was called anyway, with no throw. A few pretty good quotes in there. "There was nothing malicious about [Happ's] slide," Cubs starter Jon Lester said. "He slid three inches past the bag, and they got a double play. The rule was meant to be for guys making dirty slides, sliding late, taking guys out. There was nothing wrong with that slide whatsoever." Cubs manager Maddon was more upset - "I have no idea why…

Not really Twins related, but I thought this was a fun article in the Pioneer Press about what the St. Paul Saints players do during their offseason. http://www.twincities.com/2017/05/12/what-do-st-paul-saints-players-do-in-the-offseason-to-make-ends-meet/ Former Twins minor leaguers include Corey Williams, Tony Thomas, Mark Hamburger, and the Nate Hanson part is terrific, about getting to be a dad! Take 5 minutes to read this... it's fun... Favorite line (from Nate Hanson):

Kind of a weird story about Noah Syndergaard over the weekend. He missed his last start due to "biceps tendonitis" and also refused to take an MRI, where he self-diagnosed himself saying things are fine. Flash forward to yesterday, where he had the worst first inning performance of his career, and clearly showing signs of pain on the mound. Hopefully his injury issues don't linger on for the next few months instead of doing the smart thing by sitting out some starts in April.... Baseball is way more fun when guys like him are on the field and effective.

https://www.fanragsports.com/news/heyman-harvey-file-grievance-mets-suspension/ Mets suspended their star for 3 games. He claimed a migraine and didn't come to the park when he wasn't scheduled to pitch but showed up for his start the next day and was notified he was suspended. Harvey is filing an grievance against the Mets. Harvey is a free agent after next season and was a pretty great pitcher for a few years but hasn't pitched all that well last season or this season. Seems like bridges are being burned.

Machado is another one of my favorite non-Twins. He's really, really good, of course. But he's also somewhat dirty. http://m.mlb.com/bos/video/v1309699983/bosbal-pedroia-exits-game-after-collision-at-second Honestly, I think Machedo just went in hard and accidentally spiked Pedroia but others may see it differently. The Orioles won that game but the next day the Red Sox tried to hit him and actually aimed at his head, which is a serious no-no. I was somewhat surprised that Machado didn't charge the mound but Barnes should get a fairly big penalty. If he had aimed at his body, this probably goes away but head-hunting is different, so we'll see. Machado doubled …