Twins Fan From Afar

Funny enough, Butera was there. We showed up when the event started, and he was already there (drinking on Morneau's tab, probably!). First to show up, last to leave! I honestly wouldn't have recognized Gray.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aMemKtf968U/T9f-NpEqI0I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/po5xFNvjzMY/s400/Baseball+025.JPG [Originally published with more pictures at Twins Fan From Afar] For the second consecutive year, my wife and I made the flight to Minnesota for Justin Morneau's Casino Night. It's a charity event for the Arthritis Foundation -- specifically, juvenile arthritis (Justin's niece suffers from juvenile arthritis). It's part of the Twins week of hope. Instead of hitting up a couple games at Target Field this year, we opted for this event instead, held at International Market Square, just a few blocks from Target Field. The Twins might not be very good this year, or even next year, but if there is one thing this organization does well, it is being active in the community and using celebrity to raise awareness and money for worthy causes. Yes, all sports teams do this stuff. But, as I have mentioned before, good luck meeting Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez for under $1,000 per person, and good luck having a beer with David Ortiz in Boston for under $500. The Twins are accessible and in the community. In my mind, this event costs about as much as good seats to 2 Twins games, and quite frankly, I'd rather have a guaranteed good time at Casino Night. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Tjs7gXQZlE/T9f8aVYQFvI/AAAAAAAAAZU/zaXwKWxJYXo/s320/Baseball+011.JPG [TD=class: tr-caption]Justin Morneau appears unscathed despite narrowly avoiding an Amstel Light [/TD] [/TABLE] This picture with Morneau was taken about 20 seconds after my wife accidentally knocked a full beer off the card table and onto the ground, just next to Morneau's feet. He was a good sport, mentioning that he'll forget about the the fact that his tux smells like beer until next June when he pulls it out of the plastic bag again. This year, I've been doing a lot of Rock Cats stuff, and was looking forward to meeting Brian Dozier, whom I had watched several times last season but had never met. Yes, he's been up and down this season with respect to his defensive and offensive performances, and yes, there are going to be bumps and bruises along the way, but I do believe that he's the Twins' shortstop of the future. Also, he's an exceedingly nice human being. From speaking to loyal Rock Cats fans, I can tell you that he has not, and likely will not, forget where he came from. Joe Mauer was a pretty big draw. Women, especially, wanted to congratulate him on his engagement. This was the first time that I met him in person, and I'm still shocked he doesn't hit for more power: the guy is huge -- even compared to the other players there. As you have probably read 1,000 times, Mauer was extremely nice to EVERYONE that wanted to talk to him. We spoke for about 5 minutes, and he asked me for an update on Alex Wimmers' progress after I told him where I lived and that I followed the Rock Cats players pretty closely. It was a really fun night. The food was good, the silent and live auction items were great, the beer and wine were flowing, and most of the Twins players -- the ones you would want to meet, anyway -- were there.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aMemKtf968U/T9f-NpEqI0I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/po5xFNvjzMY/s400/Baseball+025.JPG [Originally published with more pictures at Twins Fan From Afar] For the second consecutive year, my wife and I made the flight to Minnesota for Justin Morneau's Casino Night. It's a charity event for the Arthritis Foundation -- specifically, juvenile arthritis (Justin's niece suffers from juvenile arthritis). It's part of the Twins week of hope. Instead of hitting up a couple games at Target Field this year, we opted for this event instead, held at International Market Square, just a few blocks from Target Field. The Twins might not be very good this year, or even next year, but if there is one thing this organization does well, it is being active in the community and using celebrity to raise awareness and money for worthy causes. Yes, all sports teams do this stuff. But, as I have mentioned before, good luck meeting Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez for under $1,000 per person, and good luck having a beer with David Ortiz in Boston for under $500. The Twins are accessible and in the community. In my mind, this event costs about as much as good seats to 2 Twins games, and quite frankly, I'd rather have a guaranteed good time at Casino Night. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Tjs7gXQZlE/T9f8aVYQFvI/AAAAAAAAAZU/zaXwKWxJYXo/s320/Baseball+011.JPG [TD=class: tr-caption]Justin Morneau appears unscathed despite narrowly avoiding an Amstel Light [/TD] [/TABLE] This picture with Morneau was taken about 20 seconds after my wife accidentally knocked a full beer off the card table and onto the ground, just next to Morneau's feet. He was a good sport, mentioning that he'll forget about the the fact that his tux smells like beer until next June when he pulls it out of the plastic bag again. This year, I've been doing a lot of Rock Cats stuff, and was looking forward to meeting Brian Dozier, whom I had watched several times last season but had never met. Yes, he's been up and down this season with respect to his defensive and offensive performances, and yes, there are going to be bumps and bruises along the way, but I do believe that he's the Twins' shortstop of the future. Also, he's an exceedingly nice human being. From speaking to loyal Rock Cats fans, I can tell you that he has not, and likely will not, forget where he came from. Joe Mauer was a pretty big draw. Women, especially, wanted to congratulate him on his engagement. This was the first time that I met him in person, and I'm still shocked he doesn't hit for more power: the guy is huge -- even compared to the other players there. As you have probably read 1,000 times, Mauer was extremely nice to EVERYONE that wanted to talk to him. We spoke for about 5 minutes, and he asked me for an update on Alex Wimmers' progress after I told him where I lived and that I followed the Rock Cats players pretty closely. It was a really fun night. The food was good, the silent and live auction items were great, the beer and wine were flowing, and most of the Twins players -- the ones you would want to meet, anyway -- were there.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ByzSY1D37Ow/T9cz_Ban5zI/AAAAAAAAAY8/e1XFQapmqd4/s200/Hermsen.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]B.J. Hermsen, perhaps the MVP for the Rock Cats this past month [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] After winning 2 of 3 on the road at Erie over the weekend, the Rock Cats earned a much needed day off, though much of it was probably spent on the team bus headed back to Connecticut. Beginning tonight, the team is home for 6 games, before another week on the road. As I like to do once a week or so, I'll take a look at the team's performance, including a couple players that are currently standing out. Importantly, the offense came back alive over the weekend. After scoring a combined 7 runs in 3 games against the Akron Aeros, the Rock Cats tallied 19 runs in their 3 games against Erie. Currently, New Britain is just 1 game back in their division, sitting in a tie with the Reading Phillies for second place. Here are a few players that have been getting the job done this past week. First, James Beresford: .296/.362/.340, 3 2B, 2 3B, 14 RBIs. Check out James' stats for the last 10 games: .417/.462/.556. 3 of his 5 extra base hits this season have come in these past 10 games. He's leading the Rock Cats in batting average far and away, and has been on a hot streak lately. Let's hope he can continue this recent success as we get into summer! It would be great to have one of the every-day players hitting above .300. Evan Bigley: .243/.287/.410, 12 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 37 RBIs. Admittedly, I haven't written much about Bigley this season. For me, he has sort of flown under the radar. The 25 year old Texas native is an outfielder for New Britain, in his second full season with the team. His power stroke has been showing in the past 10 games: .317/.333/.634, 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBIs. Hopefully Evan will continue to knock the ball around. B.J. Hermsen: 4-2, 2.59 ERA, 42 K, 11 BB, 55 and 2/3 innings. Hermsen has been nothing short of excellent for New Britain. This team has lost its most dependable pitchers, including Lucas French, to promotion, and that's part of the reason why the Rock Cats' record has stagnated to a degree. That's minor league baseball for you. The fact that Hermsen, 22, has been able to step up and can be counted on to pitch deep into games has been great for New Britain. His shortest start of the season for the Rock Cats is 5 innings; in 8 total starts, he has pitched 7 or more innings 6 times; 7 of his 8 starts have been quality starts. In fact, since he joined the Rock Cats on May 1, I might argue that Hermsen has been their most valuable player -- certainly their most valuable pitcher. Up ahead: I'll be at either Wednesday's or Thursday's Rock Cats game, so expect a report, analysis and pictures from that. And tomorrow morning expect a recap and pictures from Justin Morneau's Casino Night, with a Rock Cats twist.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ByzSY1D37Ow/T9cz_Ban5zI/AAAAAAAAAY8/e1XFQapmqd4/s200/Hermsen.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]B.J. Hermsen, perhaps the MVP for the Rock Cats this past month [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] After winning 2 of 3 on the road at Erie over the weekend, the Rock Cats earned a much needed day off, though much of it was probably spent on the team bus headed back to Connecticut. Beginning tonight, the team is home for 6 games, before another week on the road. As I like to do once a week or so, I'll take a look at the team's performance, including a couple players that are currently standing out. Importantly, the offense came back alive over the weekend. After scoring a combined 7 runs in 3 games against the Akron Aeros, the Rock Cats tallied 19 runs in their 3 games against Erie. Currently, New Britain is just 1 game back in their division, sitting in a tie with the Reading Phillies for second place. Here are a few players that have been getting the job done this past week. First, James Beresford: .296/.362/.340, 3 2B, 2 3B, 14 RBIs. Check out James' stats for the last 10 games: .417/.462/.556. 3 of his 5 extra base hits this season have come in these past 10 games. He's leading the Rock Cats in batting average far and away, and has been on a hot streak lately. Let's hope he can continue this recent success as we get into summer! It would be great to have one of the every-day players hitting above .300. Evan Bigley: .243/.287/.410, 12 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 37 RBIs. Admittedly, I haven't written much about Bigley this season. For me, he has sort of flown under the radar. The 25 year old Texas native is an outfielder for New Britain, in his second full season with the team. His power stroke has been showing in the past 10 games: .317/.333/.634, 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBIs. Hopefully Evan will continue to knock the ball around. B.J. Hermsen: 4-2, 2.59 ERA, 42 K, 11 BB, 55 and 2/3 innings. Hermsen has been nothing short of excellent for New Britain. This team has lost its most dependable pitchers, including Lucas French, to promotion, and that's part of the reason why the Rock Cats' record has stagnated to a degree. That's minor league baseball for you. The fact that Hermsen, 22, has been able to step up and can be counted on to pitch deep into games has been great for New Britain. His shortest start of the season for the Rock Cats is 5 innings; in 8 total starts, he has pitched 7 or more innings 6 times; 7 of his 8 starts have been quality starts. In fact, since he joined the Rock Cats on May 1, I might argue that Hermsen has been their most valuable player -- certainly their most valuable pitcher. Up ahead: I'll be at either Wednesday's or Thursday's Rock Cats game, so expect a report, analysis and pictures from that. And tomorrow morning expect a recap and pictures from Justin Morneau's Casino Night, with a Rock Cats twist.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRS8ooS9pUw/T9CiAHhc3pI/AAAAAAAAAYw/TxobZRM71YA/s320/RC.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption] Thanks, Google Image search! [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Every Wednesday evening, I write a recap of all the Twins minor league action, which you can find at TwinsDaily. Take a look if you haven't already. Here's what I wrote about last night's Rock Cats game: NEW BRITAIN 4, AKRON 6 Starter Brett Jacobson allowed too many hits tonight -- 10 in 4 and 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 runs, striking out 1 and walking 1. Out of the bullpen, Daniel Turpen pitched 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 1. Bruce Pugh struck out 2 in an inning of relief. Luis Perdomo gave up 1 run in the 8th inning, striking out 2, walking 2, and giving up a single. The Rock Cats scattered 9 hits tonight. James Beresford had 2 singles, Rene Tosoni had a solo home run (his first of the season at AA), Chris Herrmann had 2 hits, and Matt Rizzotti, Deibinson Romero, Shawn Roof and Evan Bigley each had singles, as well. Beresford, Tosoni, Bigley, and Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson had RBIs tonight. The Rock Cats did walk 6 times in this game, so at least that was encouraging. Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A couple additional things I didn't mention in that write-up. First, as I noted yesterday morning, infielder James Beresford is leading the team in batting average. After 2 hits last night -- line drives to center field and left field -- he's up to .282. It's nice to see at least one player on the team inching closer to .300. Second, the Rock Cats had the bases loaded with only 1 out in the 5th inning, but were unable to plate a run (reminds me a little of recent Twins teams). Evan Bigley struck out and Matt Rizzotti popped out to end the threat. That ended up being their best chance all night. Third, with last night's loss, the Rock Cats fell into a tie for second place, 1 game behind the Trenton Thunder (Yankees affiliate). Finally, there have been some suggestions, mostly on TwinsDaily, that first round pick and top Twins prospect Aaron Hicks should be converted to a pitcher. Hicks is 22, is in his first season at AA (being one of the younger players is the Eastern League), and is doing all right. Defensively, he could play center field for the Twins tonight and not be out of his element. Offensively, he's not there yet. But I don't think we should start the crazy talk of converting a speedy outfielder with raw power into pitcher. Most professional baseball players -- especially outfielders -- can probably throw a baseball 90 miles per hour. And yes, Hicks did pitch in high school. If you're a high school baseball coach, and one of your players has the ability to throw 90, you have to have him pitch: high school athletes can't hit a good fastball. But to suggest to Hicks that he should become a pitcher, after not having pitched in 4 years, seems insane to me. Let me reiterate: he's 22 years old. That is still very young for where he is. Don't let Bryce Harper and Mike Trout fool you -- most players don't make the major leagues until their mid-20s, even first round draft picks (heck, something like 40 percent of first round picks never play in a single major league game). Hicks needs a chance to develop as an offensive threat, not a complete re-shifting of his professional career. New Britain is back in action tonight, as they try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Aeros.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRS8ooS9pUw/T9CiAHhc3pI/AAAAAAAAAYw/TxobZRM71YA/s320/RC.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption] Thanks, Google Image search! [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Every Wednesday evening, I write a recap of all the Twins minor league action, which you can find at TwinsDaily. Take a look if you haven't already. Here's what I wrote about last night's Rock Cats game: NEW BRITAIN 4, AKRON 6 Starter Brett Jacobson allowed too many hits tonight -- 10 in 4 and 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 runs, striking out 1 and walking 1. Out of the bullpen, Daniel Turpen pitched 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 1. Bruce Pugh struck out 2 in an inning of relief. Luis Perdomo gave up 1 run in the 8th inning, striking out 2, walking 2, and giving up a single. The Rock Cats scattered 9 hits tonight. James Beresford had 2 singles, Rene Tosoni had a solo home run (his first of the season at AA), Chris Herrmann had 2 hits, and Matt Rizzotti, Deibinson Romero, Shawn Roof and Evan Bigley each had singles, as well. Beresford, Tosoni, Bigley, and Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson had RBIs tonight. The Rock Cats did walk 6 times in this game, so at least that was encouraging. Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A couple additional things I didn't mention in that write-up. First, as I noted yesterday morning, infielder James Beresford is leading the team in batting average. After 2 hits last night -- line drives to center field and left field -- he's up to .282. It's nice to see at least one player on the team inching closer to .300. Second, the Rock Cats had the bases loaded with only 1 out in the 5th inning, but were unable to plate a run (reminds me a little of recent Twins teams). Evan Bigley struck out and Matt Rizzotti popped out to end the threat. That ended up being their best chance all night. Third, with last night's loss, the Rock Cats fell into a tie for second place, 1 game behind the Trenton Thunder (Yankees affiliate). Finally, there have been some suggestions, mostly on TwinsDaily, that first round pick and top Twins prospect Aaron Hicks should be converted to a pitcher. Hicks is 22, is in his first season at AA (being one of the younger players is the Eastern League), and is doing all right. Defensively, he could play center field for the Twins tonight and not be out of his element. Offensively, he's not there yet. But I don't think we should start the crazy talk of converting a speedy outfielder with raw power into pitcher. Most professional baseball players -- especially outfielders -- can probably throw a baseball 90 miles per hour. And yes, Hicks did pitch in high school. If you're a high school baseball coach, and one of your players has the ability to throw 90, you have to have him pitch: high school athletes can't hit a good fastball. But to suggest to Hicks that he should become a pitcher, after not having pitched in 4 years, seems insane to me. Let me reiterate: he's 22 years old. That is still very young for where he is. Don't let Bryce Harper and Mike Trout fool you -- most players don't make the major leagues until their mid-20s, even first round draft picks (heck, something like 40 percent of first round picks never play in a single major league game). Hicks needs a chance to develop as an offensive threat, not a complete re-shifting of his professional career. New Britain is back in action tonight, as they try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Aeros.

It was a veritable clash of the titans tonight, as the Twins took on the Royals. Without Joe Mauer and Denard Span in the lineup, the Twins were still able to plate some runs. As I publish tonight's TwinsDaily minor league report, the good guys are on top 4-2, so let's hope it stays that way! All of the affiliates were in action tonight, so let's see how they fared. ROCHESTER 4, NORFOLK 1 Steve Hirschfeld did well in his first AAA start of the season, going 5 innings, giving up 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 2. Anthony Slama came out of the bullpen, but left almost immediately with a leg injury. He gave up 1 run on 1 hit, and struck out 1. Brendan Wise came on thereafter, throwing 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, surrendering 2 hits, and striking out 1 and walking 1. He earned the win. Lester Oliveros threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 2 and walking 1, and picked up the save, his third of the season. On offense, Rochester didn't get going at all until a 6th inning home run by Wilkin Ramirez. The other 3 runs came on a Sean Burroughs home run that also scored Chris Parmelee, who had walked, and a Tsuyoshi Nishioka single. That was Burroughs' first AAA home run this season, and Nishioka's first hit in professional baseball in the western hemisphere (OK, I made that last part up). Nishioka and Slama each had an error for Rochester. Interestingly, former Twin J.C. Romero pitched 1/3 of an inning for Norfolk, inducing a fly out. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, AKRON 6 Starter Brett Jacobson allowed too many hits tonight -- 10 in 4 and 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 runs, striking out 1 and walking 1. Out of the bullpen, Daniel Turpen pitched 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 1. Bruce Pugh struck out 2 in an inning of relief. Luis Perdomo gave up 1 run in the 8th inning, striking out 2, walking 2, and giving up a single. The Rock Cats scattered 9 hits tonight. James Beresford had 2 singles, Rene Tosoni had a solo home run (his first of the season at AA), Chris Herrmann had 2 hits, and Matt Rizzotti, Deibinson Romero, Shawn Roof and Evan Bigley each had singles, as well. Beresford, Tosoni, Bigley, and Minnesota's own Nathan Hanson had RBIs tonight. The Rock Cats did walk 6 times in this game, so at least that was encouraging. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 3, TAMPA 0 (Game 1) In game 1 on this day that was supposed to feature two 7-inning contests, the Miracle prevailed thanks in part to good pitching. Cole Nelson picked up the win (2-0 on the season), throwing 5 scoreless innings. He only allowed 2 hits, struck out 9 and walked 3. Ricky Bowen picked up his fifth save on the season, throwing 2 innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out 3. Solid performances for both -- 12 strikeouts combined in 7 innings is a good way to get things done! On offense, the Miracle tallied 5 hits all day, 3 of those coming off the bat of third baseman Anderson Hidalgo, who was 3-for-3 with 3 singles and a run. Michael Gonzalez had a double, a walk, scored 2 runs and had an RBI, Daniel Ortiz had a single, and and Levi Michael had a sacrifice fly. Second baseman Daniel Santana also drove in a run tonight. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS ??, TAMPA ?? (Game 2) The evening game was officially suspended in the 4th inning. Ft. Myers was leading 2-0. Starting pitcher Marty Popham had thrown 3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, and striking out 1 and walking 1 along the way. The offense had 4 hits on the evening, one each by Oswaldo Arcia, Daniel Santana, Josmil Pinto and Anderson Hidalgo. Arcia and Pinto each also had a walk, and Pinto and Hidalgo each had an RBI. According to the Miracle, play will resume tomorrow at 6 p.m., and tomorrow's originally scheduled game will be another 7 inning contest beginning a half hour after the resumed game finishes. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 0, BURLINGTON 5 Jason Wheeler was just OK tonight, giving up 5 runs (3 earned) in 5 innings, allowing 9 hits, striking out 4 and walking 2. He was charged with the loss. Out of the bullpen, Tim Atherton was very good, throwing 3 innings, allowing only 1 hit, striking out 6 and walking 1. Beloit compiled only 6 hits all night, all singles. Nate Roberts had 2 hits, and Wang-Wei Len, Miguel Sano, Jonathan Goncalves and Drew Leachman were each responsible for a single. Shortstop Tyler Grimes and Jason Wheeler were each charged with errors. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday's Minor League Hitter and Pitcher of the Day Hitter of the Day: Anderson Hidalgo (photo courtesy of Jim Crikket from Knuckleballs) [ATTACH=CONFIG]1155[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day: Edina's own Cole Nelson [ATTACH=CONFIG]1154[/ATTACH] ---------------------------------------------------------- A Look Ahead: Thursday, June 7 Schedule Rochester vs. Norfolk --- LHP Lucas French New Britain @ Akron --- LHP Logan Darnell Ft. Myers @ Tampa --- ??? Beloit @ Burlington --- RHP Matt Summers --------------------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments, and either Seth or I will respond.

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y562M0aeUhc/T89RfBj5vVI/AAAAAAAAAYk/rkxx75xItIQ/s320/Beresford.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Quietly, and with many, many singles, Rock Cats infielder James Beresford is leading the team in batting average [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Last night, the Rock Cats lost to the Akron Aeros 6-2. Starter B.J. Hermsen took a tough loss, giving up 3 runs (only 1 earned) in 5 innings, but he wasn't aided much by his defense, which committed 2 errors while he was on the mound. Hermsen is 3-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.96. Very solid. He has walked 5 and struck out 25 in his 7 starts (48 and 2/3 innings) as a Rock Cat. Deibinson Romero and Evan Bigley provided the offense, both hitting solo home runs for New Britain. For more, here's a great summary of the game by Nodak Twins Fan. The Rock Cats lost another player to promotion to AAA Rochester. Starting pitcher Steve Hirschfeld was promoted earlier this week. He was 4-4 on the season with a 3.2 ERA. In 64 and 2/3 innings this season for New Britain, he gave up 73 hits, walked 16 and struck out 44, for a WHIP of 1.38. Good luck, Steve! As noted in the Hartford Courant this week, Hirschfeld is the 8th player promoted from New Britain this season. Aside from Wilkin Ramirez, Darin Mastroianni and Pedro Florimon, the bulk of the promoted players have been pitchers, including Lucas French, Deolis Guerra, Lester Oliveros and David Bromberg (I guess you can also count Jason Marquis, but that hardly worked out well for anyone). This, as I have mentioned before, is the tough part about minor league baseball: your best talent rarely stays for too long. In return, New Britain has received players such as Hermsen, Caleb Thielbar and Bruce Pugh, who all saw success at A-level Ft. Myers. Hopefully, they can continue their success in the Eastern League. Although they have lost 3 consecutive games, as of this morning, the Rock Cats are in a tie for first place in their division. Both the Trenton Thunder (suddenly very hot) and New Britain are 32-24, good for a .571 winning percentage. The Rock Cats continue their series against the Aeros tonight. Incidentally, I heard that it was a 10-hour bus ride to Akron. Finally, as I try to do every week or so, I'll take a look at a few prospects and highlight how they are doing on the season, and in recent days. Aaron Hicks: .246/.341/.396, 8 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 28 RBIs, 15 stolen bases (caught 4 times). In his last 10 games, Hicks is hitting .233/.333/.410 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 9 walks. I have been getting a few questions lately about Hicks and a promotion. As Seth Stohs noted recently, Hicks needs to be added to the 40 man roster after this season. In my opinion, though, Hicks is playing this season where he needs to play. Defensively, he's ready for the majors, but significant work needs to be done at the plate, including a determination of whether he will continue to switch hit. Twins fans, Aaron Hicks is 22 years old -- still a young prospect who the Twins took out of high school. There's no point in sending him to AAA when he's not even batting .250 in the Eastern League. I have confidence that he will materialize, but it might take a little more time than some want. Chris Herrmann: .250/.313/.401, 14 2B, 5 HR, 19 RBIs. In his last 10 games, Herrmann is struggling, batting .125/.300/.219 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 8 walks. If you happened to miss it, I recently interviewed Herrmann. Take a look. My opinion is that, like Hicks, Herrmann is where he needs to be right now. Hicks and Herrmann are not similar prospects, though. Hicks, as a 22 year old first round outfield prospect drafted out of high school, needs to be developed slowly and carefully, especially considering that the Twins have good outfield talent in their system. Herrmann, a 24 year old catcher with D-1 college experience, is already second on my depth chart for catchers in the entire organization. If Herrmann can get that average up to around .270, and demonstrate more plate discipline, I'd like to see him promoted this season. The interesting question is should he go to Rochester or Minnesota? Ordinarily, you think about a guy working his way through the minors and going up the ladder one step at a time. What about a catcher, though? If the expectation in Minnesota is that Herrmann will be Joe Mauer's back-up sooner rather than later, does it make more sense to send him directly to Minnesota this September to learn how to catch the different pitchers on the Twins roster? Or, is it better for his development to catch AAA-level pitchers (many of which he already caught in New Britain) and work on hitting at that level? It's an interesting question. James Beresford: .273/.346/.302., 2 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBIs. In his last 10 games, the Australian Beresford is hitting .294/.333/.353. Very quietly, Beresford is leading the Rock Cats in batting average, and although he generally flies under the radar, it's important to give mention when it is due. The problem with Beresford's stats, though, is that they are barren when it comes to power. Of his 38 hits this season, 2 were doubles and 1 was a triple. And for a middle infielder, he apparently is not very fast (or is not a good base-stealer), going 0-for-3 in stolen base attempts. But perhaps just as importantly, the defense has been solid: he has only 1 error in 202 chances between second base and shortstop. I don't realistically think of Beresford as the Twins second baseman of the future, but he's only 23 years old, and there is still time for development.

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y562M0aeUhc/T89RfBj5vVI/AAAAAAAAAYk/rkxx75xItIQ/s320/Beresford.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Quietly, and with many, many singles, Rock Cats infielder James Beresford is leading the team in batting average [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Last night, the Rock Cats lost to the Akron Aeros 6-2. Starter B.J. Hermsen took a tough loss, giving up 3 runs (only 1 earned) in 5 innings, but he wasn't aided much by his defense, which committed 2 errors while he was on the mound. Hermsen is 3-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.96. Very solid. He has walked 5 and struck out 25 in his 7 starts (48 and 2/3 innings) as a Rock Cat. Deibinson Romero and Evan Bigley provided the offense, both hitting solo home runs for New Britain. For more, here's a great summary of the game by Nodak Twins Fan. The Rock Cats lost another player to promotion to AAA Rochester. Starting pitcher Steve Hirschfeld was promoted earlier this week. He was 4-4 on the season with a 3.2 ERA. In 64 and 2/3 innings this season for New Britain, he gave up 73 hits, walked 16 and struck out 44, for a WHIP of 1.38. Good luck, Steve! As noted in the Hartford Courant this week, Hirschfeld is the 8th player promoted from New Britain this season. Aside from Wilkin Ramirez, Darin Mastroianni and Pedro Florimon, the bulk of the promoted players have been pitchers, including Lucas French, Deolis Guerra, Lester Oliveros and David Bromberg (I guess you can also count Jason Marquis, but that hardly worked out well for anyone). This, as I have mentioned before, is the tough part about minor league baseball: your best talent rarely stays for too long. In return, New Britain has received players such as Hermsen, Caleb Thielbar and Bruce Pugh, who all saw success at A-level Ft. Myers. Hopefully, they can continue their success in the Eastern League. Although they have lost 3 consecutive games, as of this morning, the Rock Cats are in a tie for first place in their division. Both the Trenton Thunder (suddenly very hot) and New Britain are 32-24, good for a .571 winning percentage. The Rock Cats continue their series against the Aeros tonight. Incidentally, I heard that it was a 10-hour bus ride to Akron. Finally, as I try to do every week or so, I'll take a look at a few prospects and highlight how they are doing on the season, and in recent days. Aaron Hicks: .246/.341/.396, 8 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 28 RBIs, 15 stolen bases (caught 4 times). In his last 10 games, Hicks is hitting .233/.333/.410 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 9 walks. I have been getting a few questions lately about Hicks and a promotion. As Seth Stohs noted recently, Hicks needs to be added to the 40 man roster after this season. In my opinion, though, Hicks is playing this season where he needs to play. Defensively, he's ready for the majors, but significant work needs to be done at the plate, including a determination of whether he will continue to switch hit. Twins fans, Aaron Hicks is 22 years old -- still a young prospect who the Twins took out of high school. There's no point in sending him to AAA when he's not even batting .250 in the Eastern League. I have confidence that he will materialize, but it might take a little more time than some want. Chris Herrmann: .250/.313/.401, 14 2B, 5 HR, 19 RBIs. In his last 10 games, Herrmann is struggling, batting .125/.300/.219 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 8 walks. If you happened to miss it, I recently interviewed Herrmann. Take a look. My opinion is that, like Hicks, Herrmann is where he needs to be right now. Hicks and Herrmann are not similar prospects, though. Hicks, as a 22 year old first round outfield prospect drafted out of high school, needs to be developed slowly and carefully, especially considering that the Twins have good outfield talent in their system. Herrmann, a 24 year old catcher with D-1 college experience, is already second on my depth chart for catchers in the entire organization. If Herrmann can get that average up to around .270, and demonstrate more plate discipline, I'd like to see him promoted this season. The interesting question is should he go to Rochester or Minnesota? Ordinarily, you think about a guy working his way through the minors and going up the ladder one step at a time. What about a catcher, though? If the expectation in Minnesota is that Herrmann will be Joe Mauer's back-up sooner rather than later, does it make more sense to send him directly to Minnesota this September to learn how to catch the different pitchers on the Twins roster? Or, is it better for his development to catch AAA-level pitchers (many of which he already caught in New Britain) and work on hitting at that level? It's an interesting question. James Beresford: .273/.346/.302., 2 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBIs. In his last 10 games, the Australian Beresford is hitting .294/.333/.353. Very quietly, Beresford is leading the Rock Cats in batting average, and although he generally flies under the radar, it's important to give mention when it is due. The problem with Beresford's stats, though, is that they are barren when it comes to power. Of his 38 hits this season, 2 were doubles and 1 was a triple. And for a middle infielder, he apparently is not very fast (or is not a good base-stealer), going 0-for-3 in stolen base attempts. But perhaps just as importantly, the defense has been solid: he has only 1 error in 202 chances between second base and shortstop. I don't realistically think of Beresford as the Twins second baseman of the future, but he's only 23 years old, and there is still time for development.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2VP0rHEdKqw/T83661ORGDI/AAAAAAAAAYY/0qZSkBTfdnI/s320/Jose.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Jose Mijares doesn't look much thinner in 2012, but he has been much more effective. [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] I was somewhat surprised last winter when the Twins declined to offer portly lefty reliever Jose Mijares a contract for 2012. Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune guessed that the Twins would have ended up paying Mijares around $700,000 this season through the arbitration process. On the one hand, $700,000 isn't even 1 percent of the Twins' 2012 payroll; but on the other hand, Mijares was downright bad last season. And it wasn't just last season, either: every season since 2008 -- the year that Mijares debuted with Minnesota -- his ERA has increased (0.87; 2.34; 3.31; 4.59 in 2008-2011, respectively). Additionally, there were other off-the-field issues with Mijares. He was never in very good shape. He reported late to Spring Training in 2010 when he was detained for suspicious hair gel in his luggage, and had missed TwinsFest that same year due to visa issues. In 2009, as the Twins were completing a historic comeback in September to win the Central division, Mijares and teammate Delmon Young almost got into a fight when Young was hit in the knee by a Detroit Tigers pitcher in retaliation for Mijares throwing a fastball behind Adam Everett. Stated Young after the incident: "I knew somebody was going to have to wear it. You can't throw behind one of their players . . . and expect nothing to happen. [Mijares] needs to pay attention to how baseball's played." Finally, in 2011, there was the incident in Milwaukee, where Mijares served up a game-winning, 2 run double to Prince Fielder, then later faulted Joe Mauer for calling for nothing but fastballs in the at-bat. In response, Mauer stated that he "didn't call for it down the middle." This last incident prompted a team meeting. The point here isn't to go through all the negative things Mijares allegedly did in his time as a Minnesota Twin but, rather, to underscore the fact that both on-the-field and off-the-field things likely contributed to the Twins' decision to let Mijares walk. For me, aside from Mijares' 2011 ERA of 4.59, the worst thing he did was walk batters last season. In fact, he walked 30 batters in 49 innings pitched, and his WHIP was 1.694 in 2011. That's unacceptable, especially for a guy who the Twins should have been able to count on in high-leverage situations. Instead, it was Glen Perkins that assumed that role. But if you've watched Mijares this season (like last night, for instance), playing for the Kansas City Royals, he looks more like the Mijares of 2009. I thought he was pretty darn good last night against the Twins. In 1 and 1/3 innings, he struck out 3, walked none and allowed no hits. Back on April 27 in his other outing against the Twins, Mijares picked up the win, throwing a scoreless inning and allowing one hit. After last night's outing, here are Mijares' stats for 2012: 24 innings pitched; 2.25 ERA; 22 hits; 6 earned runs; 2 home runs allowed; 5 walks; 20 strikeouts; 1.13 WHIP. ESPN states that the Royals are paying Mijares $925,000 for his services this season. It's clear that Mijares wore out his welcome in Minnesota. He got progressively worse each season, and lost the ability to consistently throw strikes. There were personality issues, and concerns over the way that Mijares took care of his body. In short, it wasn't shocking that the Twins decided to sever the relationship. But look at how Mijares is pitching now! I'm not sure what changed; possibly it was just as simple as having a fresh start. The Twins' 2012 bullpen has been better than the starting rotation, but there's still room for improvement. As we move closer to the trade deadline, closer Matt Capps could be sought after by teams looking for late-inning bullpen help. If the Twins are in the cellar of the AL Central, it's a move I wouldn't be at all surprised to see. In that event, Glen Perkins would almost certainly take over as closer. And if that scenario takes place (I think there's a good chance of it happening), the Twins certainly could use a lefty arm out of the bullpen. After watching Mijares have 2 good performances against his former team, and looking at his 2012 stats, which are reminiscent of the good work he did in the beginning of his Twins career, I'm wondering how the Minnesota front office feels about their decision. Again, it's tough to fault them based on Mijares' body of work over the past couple seasons, and we know that it's incredibly easy (and fun!) to cull statistics and play Monday Morning Quarterback. But it's not as if Mijares was set to make $4 million this season, or was on the cusp of free agency. So although I certainly didn't foresee that Mijares would come out of the gates in 2012 and be a reliable reliever, I still think that the abrupt parting of ways last December was a bit premature. For Mijares, my guess is that the change of scenery did him a world of good.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2VP0rHEdKqw/T83661ORGDI/AAAAAAAAAYY/0qZSkBTfdnI/s320/Jose.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Jose Mijares doesn't look much thinner in 2012, but he has been much more effective. [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] I was somewhat surprised last winter when the Twins declined to offer portly lefty reliever Jose Mijares a contract for 2012. Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune guessed that the Twins would have ended up paying Mijares around $700,000 this season through the arbitration process. On the one hand, $700,000 isn't even 1 percent of the Twins' 2012 payroll; but on the other hand, Mijares was downright bad last season. And it wasn't just last season, either: every season since 2008 -- the year that Mijares debuted with Minnesota -- his ERA has increased (0.87; 2.34; 3.31; 4.59 in 2008-2011, respectively). Additionally, there were other off-the-field issues with Mijares. He was never in very good shape. He reported late to Spring Training in 2010 when he was detained for suspicious hair gel in his luggage, and had missed TwinsFest that same year due to visa issues. In 2009, as the Twins were completing a historic comeback in September to win the Central division, Mijares and teammate Delmon Young almost got into a fight when Young was hit in the knee by a Detroit Tigers pitcher in retaliation for Mijares throwing a fastball behind Adam Everett. Stated Young after the incident: "I knew somebody was going to have to wear it. You can't throw behind one of their players . . . and expect nothing to happen. [Mijares] needs to pay attention to how baseball's played." Finally, in 2011, there was the incident in Milwaukee, where Mijares served up a game-winning, 2 run double to Prince Fielder, then later faulted Joe Mauer for calling for nothing but fastballs in the at-bat. In response, Mauer stated that he "didn't call for it down the middle." This last incident prompted a team meeting. The point here isn't to go through all the negative things Mijares allegedly did in his time as a Minnesota Twin but, rather, to underscore the fact that both on-the-field and off-the-field things likely contributed to the Twins' decision to let Mijares walk. For me, aside from Mijares' 2011 ERA of 4.59, the worst thing he did was walk batters last season. In fact, he walked 30 batters in 49 innings pitched, and his WHIP was 1.694 in 2011. That's unacceptable, especially for a guy who the Twins should have been able to count on in high-leverage situations. Instead, it was Glen Perkins that assumed that role. But if you've watched Mijares this season (like last night, for instance), playing for the Kansas City Royals, he looks more like the Mijares of 2009. I thought he was pretty darn good last night against the Twins. In 1 and 1/3 innings, he struck out 3, walked none and allowed no hits. Back on April 27 in his other outing against the Twins, Mijares picked up the win, throwing a scoreless inning and allowing one hit. After last night's outing, here are Mijares' stats for 2012: 24 innings pitched; 2.25 ERA; 22 hits; 6 earned runs; 2 home runs allowed; 5 walks; 20 strikeouts; 1.13 WHIP. ESPN states that the Royals are paying Mijares $925,000 for his services this season. It's clear that Mijares wore out his welcome in Minnesota. He got progressively worse each season, and lost the ability to consistently throw strikes. There were personality issues, and concerns over the way that Mijares took care of his body. In short, it wasn't shocking that the Twins decided to sever the relationship. But look at how Mijares is pitching now! I'm not sure what changed; possibly it was just as simple as having a fresh start. The Twins' 2012 bullpen has been better than the starting rotation, but there's still room for improvement. As we move closer to the trade deadline, closer Matt Capps could be sought after by teams looking for late-inning bullpen help. If the Twins are in the cellar of the AL Central, it's a move I wouldn't be at all surprised to see. In that event, Glen Perkins would almost certainly take over as closer. And if that scenario takes place (I think there's a good chance of it happening), the Twins certainly could use a lefty arm out of the bullpen. After watching Mijares have 2 good performances against his former team, and looking at his 2012 stats, which are reminiscent of the good work he did in the beginning of his Twins career, I'm wondering how the Minnesota front office feels about their decision. Again, it's tough to fault them based on Mijares' body of work over the past couple seasons, and we know that it's incredibly easy (and fun!) to cull statistics and play Monday Morning Quarterback. But it's not as if Mijares was set to make $4 million this season, or was on the cusp of free agency. So although I certainly didn't foresee that Mijares would come out of the gates in 2012 and be a reliable reliever, I still think that the abrupt parting of ways last December was a bit premature. For Mijares, my guess is that the change of scenery did him a world of good.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LNxZoVqMnpg/T8uwq_-e_SI/AAAAAAAAAYM/dlqtJMBfYWk/s400/Herrmann.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]Chris Herrmann (courtesy of Tia Ann Chapman, Hartford Courant) [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The Minnesota Twins used their sixth round selection in 2009 to draft Chris Herrmann, a native of Tomball, Texas. Herrmann transferred from Alvin Community College to the University of Miami. He had been drafted in the tenth round of the 2008 draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but did not sign. Herrmann is in his fourth season in the Twins' minor league system, currently playing for the Rock Cats. He is the team's starting catcher, but also plays left field and serves as designated hitter. His ascension through the minor league system has been steady. He played 59 games for Elizabethton in 2009, played the entire 2010 season in Ft. Myers, and started 2011 in Ft. Myers but quickly was promoted to the Rock Cats. Last season, Herrmann batted .258/.380/.392 for New Britain, with 14 doubles and 7 home runs. So far in 2012, Herrmann is hitting .253/.309/.405 with 14 doubles and 5 home runs. As you can see, although the on-base percentage is lower, Herrmann is hitting for more power this season (the exchange of more power for fewer walks is interesting to note). He has thrown out 36 percent of base-stealers this season, and has yet to commit an error. This is notable because he has played 33 games at catcher, 11 in left field, and 1 at third base. As I have recently mentioned, I believe that Herrmann is a candidate for promotion this season. Aside from the pitchers that the Rock Cats have sent up to Rochester this season, there haven't been many standout position players worthy of promotion. My guess is that Herrmann will probably be the first. If he can get that batting average and on-base percentage up just a little bit, I would not be at all surprised to see him in a Twins uniform this September. He's 24, he is hitting for more power this season, and he is a good catcher. Also -- and just as importantly -- there's not much depth behind Joe Mauer. Drew Butera, Rene Rivera and J.R. Towles certainly should not stand in Herrmann's way. In the best case scenario, I believe that Herrmann can take the place of Ryan Doumit next season, for about 15 percent of Doumit's salary, and make a positive difference for the Twins. Herrmann's emergence in Minnesota next season also would solve the Drew Butera problem. Finally, Herrmann is also useful because he has the ability to play the outfield when necessary, and is not a defensive liability in left field. Yes, he's not a perfect prospect, but looking at the Twins' catching depth chart, he might already be second in the entire organization. Herrmann would be a very good part-time catcher in 2013, and it's not tough to think that he could be a good full-time catcher in a couple years if Mauer makes a move to another position in order to save his knees. Before Saturday's game, Herrmann was kind enough to sit down and chat with me for a few minutes in the New Britain Stadium dugout. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: You're from Texas originally, so who did you watch growing up -- what were your favorite teams and players? A: I'm from the Houston area, so growing up I always just watched the Houston Astros play, caught a few games. Got to watch them live, so that was fun. Also was a Rangers fan, liked them a lot too. Now I am Twins [fan], so that's the main team I'm focusing on and watching all the time. I definitely looked up to [ivan] Pudge Rodriguez a lot, especially when he was with the Rangers. I just grew up watching him -- always had his mitts. He was kind of my idol growing up. Q: If you had to use one word to describe life in the minor leagues, what would it be? A: Tough. You know, we don't get paid a whole lot, our living situations aren't always great, you know it's just something you have to battle. It's hard when you have 3 or 4 roommates, you don't really get much personal time. So, it's fun, but it's tough at the same time. Q: How do you like being in the Twins organization? A: It's great. Everybody in the staff are good guys, and they treat you good, and I'm having a lot of fun here right now. Q: Have you been to Minnesota? A: Yea, my first time was Twinsfest this year, so I got to check out the Metrodome and saw a little bit of Target Field. But other than that it was cold, which I'm not really used to being from Texas. Overall it was a good experience. Q: Last week you had consecutive games with 4 hits. Was that a first for you as a professional? [Note: in those 2 games, Herrmann was 8-for-9 with 2 doubles] A: There's been a few times where I've gotten 4 hits in a game, but there's never been a time where I got 4 hits in back-to-back games. [Laughs.] You don't ever really see that coming. Q: Did you feel more dialed-in, or do you think it was just a mix of making good contact and the usual luck that goes along with hitting? A: I was definitely dialed in, and I had a few balls that I got lucky on, so that helped! Q: Is it ever tough to focus on the day-to-day stuff. You're 1 or 2 steps away from getting the call. I can imagine you have to focus on the day-to-day stuff to get your job done, but how much do you look to the future? A: Yea, when things are going good you tend to look to the future a little bit. I really don't like to do that too much, cause, like you said, we have to focus on our day-to-day stuff. I'm here right now so that's what I need to focus on to get to the next level. Q: I know you've been in big league camp at Spring Training Have you talked to any of the Twins players like Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau? A: In big league camp I got to spend a little time talking to Joe about catching stuff. He's a nice guy -- kind of keeps to himself. I talked to some other guys, too. They all treat you like you're part of the team, which is great. I hear that some organizations aren't really like that. Q: How do you like living in Connecticut? A: Ahh . . . it's ok. The weather's not too great. There's been a lot of rain. I feel like we had a lot better weather last year. With the rain, it's tough --- we can't get much [work] done before the game. Q: Last question: when you close your eyes and think about it, where do you see yourself in 2 years? A: Hopefully I'll be in the bigs by then. Obviously I gotta keep working hard. Nothing's going to get handed to me, so I have to prove myself ready for the big leagues in 2 years. That's my main goal -- keep working hard and proving to the staff and the managers that I'll be ready to go by then. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Herrmann was extremely kind, very down-to-earth, and just seemed like a nice guy. Easy to root for. I'm hoping to interview a couple other players before the season is over. I want to thank the Rock Cats, especially Jeff Dooley and Patrick O'Sullivan, for arranging this for me, and of course Chris himself, for taking a little time during what is a really busy pre-game schedule that the players are kept on.

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LNxZoVqMnpg/T8uwq_-e_SI/AAAAAAAAAYM/dlqtJMBfYWk/s400/Herrmann.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]Chris Herrmann (courtesy of Tia Ann Chapman, Hartford Courant) [/TD] [/TABLE]  [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The Minnesota Twins used their sixth round selection in 2009 to draft Chris Herrmann, a native of Tomball, Texas. Herrmann transferred from Alvin Community College to the University of Miami. He had been drafted in the tenth round of the 2008 draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but did not sign. Herrmann is in his fourth season in the Twins' minor league system, currently playing for the Rock Cats. He is the team's starting catcher, but also plays left field and serves as designated hitter. His ascension through the minor league system has been steady. He played 59 games for Elizabethton in 2009, played the entire 2010 season in Ft. Myers, and started 2011 in Ft. Myers but quickly was promoted to the Rock Cats. Last season, Herrmann batted .258/.380/.392 for New Britain, with 14 doubles and 7 home runs. So far in 2012, Herrmann is hitting .253/.309/.405 with 14 doubles and 5 home runs. As you can see, although the on-base percentage is lower, Herrmann is hitting for more power this season (the exchange of more power for fewer walks is interesting to note). He has thrown out 36 percent of base-stealers this season, and has yet to commit an error. This is notable because he has played 33 games at catcher, 11 in left field, and 1 at third base. As I have recently mentioned, I believe that Herrmann is a candidate for promotion this season. Aside from the pitchers that the Rock Cats have sent up to Rochester this season, there haven't been many standout position players worthy of promotion. My guess is that Herrmann will probably be the first. If he can get that batting average and on-base percentage up just a little bit, I would not be at all surprised to see him in a Twins uniform this September. He's 24, he is hitting for more power this season, and he is a good catcher. Also -- and just as importantly -- there's not much depth behind Joe Mauer. Drew Butera, Rene Rivera and J.R. Towles certainly should not stand in Herrmann's way. In the best case scenario, I believe that Herrmann can take the place of Ryan Doumit next season, for about 15 percent of Doumit's salary, and make a positive difference for the Twins. Herrmann's emergence in Minnesota next season also would solve the Drew Butera problem. Finally, Herrmann is also useful because he has the ability to play the outfield when necessary, and is not a defensive liability in left field. Yes, he's not a perfect prospect, but looking at the Twins' catching depth chart, he might already be second in the entire organization. Herrmann would be a very good part-time catcher in 2013, and it's not tough to think that he could be a good full-time catcher in a couple years if Mauer makes a move to another position in order to save his knees. Before Saturday's game, Herrmann was kind enough to sit down and chat with me for a few minutes in the New Britain Stadium dugout. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: You're from Texas originally, so who did you watch growing up -- what were your favorite teams and players? A: I'm from the Houston area, so growing up I always just watched the Houston Astros play, caught a few games. Got to watch them live, so that was fun. Also was a Rangers fan, liked them a lot too. Now I am Twins [fan], so that's the main team I'm focusing on and watching all the time. I definitely looked up to [ivan] Pudge Rodriguez a lot, especially when he was with the Rangers. I just grew up watching him -- always had his mitts. He was kind of my idol growing up. Q: If you had to use one word to describe life in the minor leagues, what would it be? A: Tough. You know, we don't get paid a whole lot, our living situations aren't always great, you know it's just something you have to battle. It's hard when you have 3 or 4 roommates, you don't really get much personal time. So, it's fun, but it's tough at the same time. Q: How do you like being in the Twins organization? A: It's great. Everybody in the staff are good guys, and they treat you good, and I'm having a lot of fun here right now. Q: Have you been to Minnesota? A: Yea, my first time was Twinsfest this year, so I got to check out the Metrodome and saw a little bit of Target Field. But other than that it was cold, which I'm not really used to being from Texas. Overall it was a good experience. Q: Last week you had consecutive games with 4 hits. Was that a first for you as a professional? [Note: in those 2 games, Herrmann was 8-for-9 with 2 doubles] A: There's been a few times where I've gotten 4 hits in a game, but there's never been a time where I got 4 hits in back-to-back games. [Laughs.] You don't ever really see that coming. Q: Did you feel more dialed-in, or do you think it was just a mix of making good contact and the usual luck that goes along with hitting? A: I was definitely dialed in, and I had a few balls that I got lucky on, so that helped! Q: Is it ever tough to focus on the day-to-day stuff. You're 1 or 2 steps away from getting the call. I can imagine you have to focus on the day-to-day stuff to get your job done, but how much do you look to the future? A: Yea, when things are going good you tend to look to the future a little bit. I really don't like to do that too much, cause, like you said, we have to focus on our day-to-day stuff. I'm here right now so that's what I need to focus on to get to the next level. Q: I know you've been in big league camp at Spring Training Have you talked to any of the Twins players like Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau? A: In big league camp I got to spend a little time talking to Joe about catching stuff. He's a nice guy -- kind of keeps to himself. I talked to some other guys, too. They all treat you like you're part of the team, which is great. I hear that some organizations aren't really like that. Q: How do you like living in Connecticut? A: Ahh . . . it's ok. The weather's not too great. There's been a lot of rain. I feel like we had a lot better weather last year. With the rain, it's tough --- we can't get much [work] done before the game. Q: Last question: when you close your eyes and think about it, where do you see yourself in 2 years? A: Hopefully I'll be in the bigs by then. Obviously I gotta keep working hard. Nothing's going to get handed to me, so I have to prove myself ready for the big leagues in 2 years. That's my main goal -- keep working hard and proving to the staff and the managers that I'll be ready to go by then. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Herrmann was extremely kind, very down-to-earth, and just seemed like a nice guy. Easy to root for. I'm hoping to interview a couple other players before the season is over. I want to thank the Rock Cats, especially Jeff Dooley and Patrick O'Sullivan, for arranging this for me, and of course Chris himself, for taking a little time during what is a really busy pre-game schedule that the players are kept on.

[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VfULudsD8f4/T8jMCnbiG7I/AAAAAAAAAYA/OPJFAJIBus4/s320/NB.bmp Since March, I have been providing Rock Cats content on this blog, whether it's game reports from contests I have attended, player stats, the latest on the potential change in affiliation, or recounts of events I have attended, like the pre-season welcome home dinner. I'm no expert on baseball -- or the Twins minor league system -- but my geographic proximity, Minnesota heritage, and Twins fandom has kind placed me in a nice position. This morning, I'm happy to announce that in the coming days I will be interviewing a current Rock Cats player for the blog. To maintain the element of surprise, I'm not going to disclose the identity of this player, and am not going to give any hits as to who he is. There are definitely a few questions that I want to ask this player about life in the minor leagues, and the trip through the Twins system, that are not necessarily player-specific. And I have a few questions ready that are specific to this individual. The reason I'm writing about this now is that I want to invite any of you who read this blog to submit a question/topic for me to ask about. I'm only going to have a short window of time to talk to this player, but I'd be happy to consider any questions or topics you would like me to discuss. So please, leave a comment and let me know what you're interested in finding out about the Rock Cats, the Twins minor league system from the standpoint of a prospect, life as a minor leaguer, or whatever else comes to mind.

[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VfULudsD8f4/T8jMCnbiG7I/AAAAAAAAAYA/OPJFAJIBus4/s320/NB.bmp Since March, I have been providing Rock Cats content on this blog, whether it's game reports from contests I have attended, player stats, the latest on the potential change in affiliation, or recounts of events I have attended, like the pre-season welcome home dinner. I'm no expert on baseball -- or the Twins minor league system -- but my geographic proximity, Minnesota heritage, and Twins fandom has kind placed me in a nice position. This morning, I'm happy to announce that in the coming days I will be interviewing a current Rock Cats player for the blog. To maintain the element of surprise, I'm not going to disclose the identity of this player, and am not going to give any hits as to who he is. There are definitely a few questions that I want to ask this player about life in the minor leagues, and the trip through the Twins system, that are not necessarily player-specific. And I have a few questions ready that are specific to this individual. The reason I'm writing about this now is that I want to invite any of you who read this blog to submit a question/topic for me to ask about. I'm only going to have a short window of time to talk to this player, but I'd be happy to consider any questions or topics you would like me to discuss. So please, leave a comment and let me know what you're interested in finding out about the Rock Cats, the Twins minor league system from the standpoint of a prospect, life as a minor leaguer, or whatever else comes to mind.

Sweet Lord, the Twins swept a series. Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, Francisco Liriano. Those were all big names going into 2012, and they all had good performances at some point in this series. Bottom line: the Twins won 3 games in a row. Yes, it was against another bad team, and yes, there are still major problems with the Twins. But, as fans, isn't it nice to see a few wins grouped together, rather than many, many losses? I posted this earlier today at Twins Fan From Afar, but here's some food for thought: Justin Morneau is on pace for 29 home runs and 81 RBIs; Joe Mauer is on pace for 39 doubles, 107 walks and is currently a seeing-eye single away from batting .300; Josh Willingham is on pace for 113 RBIs and 32 home runs; and Denard Span is on pace for 45 doubles (which would come close to doubling his career high of 26 from 2010). Yes, there are many bad things happening in Minnesota, but there are some good things, as well. Let's take a look at how the Twins' affiliates fared tonight. ROCHESTER 11, CHARLOTTE 10 This was a crazy game! The Red Wings had a good offensive showing tonight, and despite the fact that the pitching simply didn't keep them in the game, the Red Wings managed to win. Rochester scored 4 in the 9th to tie, and 1 in the 10th to win. Starter Liam Hendriks had a rough outing. He went 5 innings, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits, striking out 1 and walking 2. He allowed 2 home runs -- both 2-run shots. Out of the bullpen, reliever Deolis Guerra had a rare poor performance. In 1 inning of work, he allowed 3 runs on 3 walks. He didn't allow a hit and struck out 1. Lester Oliveros also allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning, giving up 2 hits and walking 1. Carlos Gutierrez tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 4 and giving up only 1 hit. He earned the win. Anthony "why isn't he in Minnesota" Slama closed the door and earned his 9th save, tossing a scoreless 10th. There's a lot of offense to discuss. Rochester banged out 18 hits tonight. The big slugger tonight was the recently demoted Chris Parmelee. He was 3-for-4 with a 3-run home run, a walk, and 5 RBIs. Shortstop Pedro Florimon also had 3 hits and an RBI. Clete Thomas had 3 hits (2 doubles). Danny Valencia had 2 hits (1 double) and an RBI. Catcher J.R. Towles had 2 doubles, Matt Carson had 2 hits, including a double, and 2 RBIs. Sean Burroughs was 2-for-4, and Ray Chang had a single as a pinch hitter. Here's the link for the box score. NEW BRITAIN 7, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2 This was an evening about top Twins prospects. Let's start with pitching. Starter B.J. Hermsen had a great start: he was one out shy of a complete game! In 8 and 2/3 innings, he allowed 2 runs on 7 hits, striking out 4 and issuing zero walks. His ERA at AA is 2.68. His stock is rising, and it's tough not to be a little excited about that. Luis Perdomo struck out the final batter of the game. On offense, almost every Rock Cats starter contributed. Top prospect Aaron Hicks connected for his 6th home run of the year, and catcher Chris Herrmann hit his 5th of the season. Both were solo shots. Danny Lehmann and Matt Rizzotti both had doubles, Rizzotti's driving in 2 runs, and James Berersford had 2 hits, including a triple, and 2 RBIs. Shortstop Estarlin De Los Santos had 2 singles, and Deibinson Romero had a single and an RBI. Here's the link for the box score. FT. MYERS 4, BRADENTON 3 Miguel Munoz had a solid start for the Miracle tonight, going 5 innings, and allowing 1 run on 5 hits and a walk. He struck out 3 along the way. Nelvin Fuentes gave up 2 runs in 2 and 1/3 innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Both runs came on a 2-run home run. Bruce Pugh earned his 5th save of the season, and he was great, going 1 and 2/3 innings and striking out 4. He allowed no hits. Top prospect Oswaldo Arcia had another great game, going 4-for-4 with a home run, his 5th of the season. Daniel Santana was also excellent, going 3-for-4 with a double and a triple, and driving in 2 runs. Levi Michael and Angel Morales also had singles. Here's the link for the box score. BELOIT 3, QUAD CITIES 20 This was not a good night for the Snappers. Starter Tim Shibuya only made it 2/3 of an inning, and allowed 12 runs on 10 hits. He walked 1, struck out 2, and allowed a home run. Ryan O'Rourke was somewhat better, going 4 and 1/3 innings and allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 1. Corey Williams allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in 1 inning of work, giving up 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking 1. Michael Tonkin tossed the 7th, allowing 1 run on 2 walks and 2 hits. A.J. Pettersen -- yes the infielder of TwinsDaily lore -- tossed a scoreless 8th inning, issuing 1 walk. There wasn't much offense to speak of tonight. The Snappers amassed only 5 hits. Adam Bryant had a double, and Drew Leachman, Kyle Knudson, Eddie Rosario and A.J. Pettersen each had singles. Here's the link to the box score. ------------------------------------- Players of the day for May 30, 2012 Hitter of the day: Chris Parmelee (close call with Arcia, but 5 RBIs gets the nod) [ATTACH=CONFIG]1086[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day: B.J. Hermsen (close call with A.J. Pettersen, but I'll give the nod to the actual pitcher) [ATTACH=CONFIG]1085[/ATTACH] ------------------- A Look Ahead: Schedule for Thursday, May 31 ROCHESTER @ CHARLOTTE -- LHP Matt Maloney NEW BRITAIN @ NEW HAMPSHIRE -- LHP Andrew Albers FT. MYERS @ BRADENTON --- LHP Cole Nelson BELOIT @ QUAD CITIES --- LHP Steven M. Gruver 4 road games, 4 lefties, one of which uses his middle initial! ---------------------- If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here and either Seth or I will respond.

Thanks for the comment. Seth pretty much echoed the same concern in his post this morning about the top 10 Twins prospects (so I feel a little reassured). I think this will be his last year batting lefty, unless something really clicks this summer. It's time to see what he can do as a full-time righty. Everything but the offense is there (remind you of Torii Hunter at all??).

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m1zADOr1fJw/T8Ybf6L7vAI/AAAAAAAAAXo/GIX9w-rlBIo/s320/Hicks.bmp [/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]New Britain is looking for more consistency from center fielder Aaron Hicks [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Last night's Rock Cats-Fisher cats game was postponed for weather. If the weather in New Hampshire last night was anything like the weather in central Connecticut, postponing was definitely a good idea! With the day off, let's assess how the team is doing, and take a look at a few specific players. The Rock Cats are 29-21, a .580 winning percentage that is good for first place in their division. They are still just 0.5 games ahead of the Reading Phillies, who looked pretty good when I saw them play earlier this month. The Trenton Thunder, at 26-22, are in third place. Many of the batting averages have settled into the .240-.260 range. There is no current Rock Cats player that is batting even close to .300, and no player has an OPS over .800. As I mentioned yesterday, one guy to keep an eye on is catcher Chris Herrmann. After a slow start, he's been playing well lately, batting .324 over his last 10 games. He's fourth on the team in OPS (.721) and tied for first in batting average (.260). Aaron Hicks continues to confuse me. I'll start with the positives: from what I have seen, his defense, speed and base running skills are all there. He's got a good arm, too. He's very inconsistent on offense, and I think part of that inconsistency is due to the fact that he is not a solid batter from the left side of the plate. Perhaps, after this season, the organization will make the decision for Hicks that he's better off batting exclusively right-handed. Compared to last season in High A, the walk % is a little lower, the strikeout percentage is a little higher, and the BAPIP is also lower. On the season, he's hitting .246/.335/.392. His last 10 game have been a little better, though: .273/.375/.424 (1 HR and 2 2B in that time frame). It's safe to say that, if the season ended today, Hicks would not have earned a promotion to AAA. In March, I questioned whether Hicks was ready for AA. From what I have seen, he was ready, and he fits in well here. But he definitely has not demonstrated that he is even close to ready for the next level. Hopefully he can settle into a routine and start hitting more consistently as the summer comes. Finally, I get somewhat frequent questions or comments on Deibinson Romero, probably for a couple reasons: first, he has had a decent year at the plate, and has shown some power; and second, anyone who looks at all decent at third base in the Twins minor league system necessarily will be intriguing to fans as a possible stop-gap between what we have now, and Miguel Sano (unless he outgrows the position). Romero's slash line on the year is .253/.344/.414. It's probably safe to say that he has been one of the two or three best hitters on the club. He, too, has been better over his last 10 games, going .273/.375/.455 with 2 HR and 6 walks. One positive thing: Romero has improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last season, he whiffed 93 times and walked only 40; thus far in 2012, he has struck out 27 times and walked 19. Romero will be 26 years old in September and, barring a promotion this season, it will be his second full season in New Britain. As I have mentioned in other posts, however, the defense is hurting Romero. He has 6 errors on the season, and quite simply does not look sure-footed at the hot corner. Romero is an interesting case, though: for an organization lacking depth at third base, he has shown the ability to hit for decent power. Is his defense a lost cause, or is there someone, somewhere in the organization that can help this guy take the next step? Sure, I have every expectation that Danny Valencia will work his way back to Minnesota, and I do believe that Valencia can be an adequate big league third baseman, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have some competition. Tonight the Rock Cats are back in action against the Fisher Cats, and the series concludes with a Thursday morning getaway game. Over the weekend, New Britain hosts the Harrisburg Senators. Be sure to check back for updates! Finally, if you feel like voting for any of the Twins prospects for the 2012 AA All-Star game, you can do so here.