Twins

For the Minnesota Twins, two events in this past week bookend a disappointing era for first-round draft picks.

On Friday it was announced that the team’s 55th pick overall in 2011, pitcher Hudson Boyd, was suspended for 50 games for a second violation of a drug of abuse. Two days later, Chris Parmelee, who was drafted 20th overall in 2006, signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles after he was released by the Twins earlier in the offseason.

Without much to show from their first-round picks from 2006 through 2011, how bad has it been for the Twins compared to other teams?

Don’t look now but the team’s ERA leader is none other than Mike Pelfrey. Is this performance legit or should we all brace for more impact?

This post should come with a disclaimer in a big, bold font that screams out SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AHEAD but most people should realize that three outings is nothing to base any long-term projection on. That being said, in this small sampling Pelfrey has shown some indication that he may actually be a serviceable back-of-the-rotation starter.

At one of his pregame lunchroom press scrums on a mid-March day in Fort Myers, Terry Ryan was asked about his level of concern with the young and inexperienced players who would figure prominently into the team's plans this year.

"I worry about almost every guy that comes up here," the GM said. "They have instant success and things are looking good. Sometimes when guys come back it doesn't fall into place, it starts to unravel a bit. We send them back."

The worst team in the American League will be taking on the best team in the American League. It’s the 15th seed vs. the 1st seed. If this was March Madness it would be North Carolina vs. Weber State. It’s the Rangers vs. the Twins and it’s the mere thought of the little guy beating the big guy that makes the month of July so exciting... the Lamb beating the Lion.

Many great things have happened in July so I’m ready for a little July Madness.

Here are some things to think about:

To steal a line from Kenny Loggins… “This is it.”

All good things must come to an end…. umm… and all bad things must come to an end as well. The final series of the season starts tonight in Chicago as the Twins and White Sox battle it out to the finish the season. The Twins can still play .500 baseball if they win 46 games before Monday.

With it being the final series opener… this will be my final game thread open of the year. To steal a line from the late Jim Morrison. “This is the End.”

Or to steal a line from Porky Pig “Th-Th-Th-Th-Th That’s All Yolks!” (He said that when Elmer Fudd walked away with all of the albumen).

Here are some things to think about:

Our Twins return home carrying a four-game winning streak. It was a quick, three-win roadtrip to Baltimore and right back home to face the Rays for a weekend series. That is like the ideal trip to the store. You find a parking spot by the door, you walk in and right there is the grill you came for. You head to the counter to pay for it and you walk past a cooler that you also need, so you grab that. The lines are long but just as you arrive a brand new register light comes on, so you avoid the lines. As the cashier rings up the purchases, you notice that licorice you like in the impulse buy rack, so you grab a bag. After the cashier informs you that all these items were 50% off, you pay and off you go with the whole experience taking 5 minutes.

BTW… that has never happened in my life so I’m not really sure what happened in Baltimore.

Here are some things to think about:

We've run through the entire National League, covering the most intriguing trade possibilities in all three divisions, so it's time to turn our attention to the Junior Circuit.

Could the Twins work out a beneficial deal with one of the five teams in the AL West?

Aaron and John are at Rock 4 Rescues at Sociable Cider Works, talking about whether anything can be learned from the Al Wild Card game, John's trip to New York, the rumors (and silence) about an extension for Paul Molitor and a couple of questions about the offseason. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Stitcher or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link.

After months of speculation about free agency, baseball is back. Minnesota’s pitchers and catchers report for their first official workout on Wednesday. As with any spring training, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Twins after the team reports to Fort Myers.

Let’s dive into some of the questions surrounding the team’s pitchers and catchers…

The Twins are looking to bounce back after getting swept over the weekend against the Rays. Unfortunately, the Twins now must travel to New York to play a four-game set against the Yankees. The lack of success, to put it mildly, against the Yankees over the years will loom large as the Twins look to take a few games during this series.

Eduardo Escobar's day at the park ended shortly after a Rick Porcello fastball bounced off the vulnerable part of the arm just above the elbow and sent shooting pain down to his digits. It is the type of injury that would have made a lesser person's fingers tingle for hours, leaving them incapable of eating steak.

Not Ed Escobar, however.

Banged up, bandaged up, and listed as day-to-day, the Minnesota Twins' hottest bat made his way several blocks from Target Field to his favorite restaurant to restock on massive quantities of protein.

The narrative surrounding Escobar's historic doubles pace has been credited to his penchant for eating at the Brazilian meathouse or a chance run-in with actor Nick Cage. These are both cute stories but the real catalyst behind the power surge has more to do with his development as a hitter than what he has been during outside the lines.

Take a look.

Coming into the Twins afternoon game on Sunday, relief pitcher Matt Magill had been pitching well out of the Twins bullpen. He had an ERA of 3.55 and had earned more opportunities in higher-leverage situations. In 45 2/3 innings, he had allowed just seven homers. On Sunday, he worked an inning against the A’s and gave up three homeruns in one inning of work.

Baseball guys are superstitious, right? I'll blame myself. Before the game, I spent some time talking with the 28-year-old reliever about his decision to sign with the Twins during the offseason, transitioning to the bullpen and more. It's really been quite the story that Magill has written for himself in 2018.