Twins Fan From Afar

My article last week suggesting that the Twins trade Glen Perkins (for the right offer) is one of the most read things I've written. Although there were only a handful of comments at Twins Fan From Afar, over here at TwinsDaily there are nearly 200 comments (most of them well thought out). MLBTradeRumors also linked to the article, and it ran in the Star Tribune. In other words, more than the usual 5 found this article. I don't have anything to compare with for this week, so I'm going to beat the Glen Perkins horse until it's dead. Here are 7 more working titles about Perkins, all in various stages of completion. If you feel so inclined, submit your own titles and I will also consider writing about them. 1) "Demote Glen Perkins." 2) "Deport Glen Perkins." 3) "How Glen Perkins is Singlehandedly Keeping Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Trevor May and Alex Meyer in the Minors." 4) "Where was Glen Perkins when Dennis Martinez Hit Kirby Puckett with that Fastball in 1995? Oh That's Interesting No One Can Seem to Account for His Whereabouts." 5) "How Glen Perkins Almost Cost the Twins the '91 World Series: Part 1 of 47." 6) "Hey, Glen: Where's Your Birth Certificate? Are you Really Even `One of Us?'" 7) "Source: `The Neckbeard is Artificial.'"

After approximately the first two weeks of the 2013 season, the New Britain Rock Cats stand at a respectable 8-7, tied for second place in the Eastern League's Eastern Division. Reading, who always seems to put a good team together, stands at 7-6 -- a slightly better winning percentage. I try not to read much at all into small sample sizes, but there are several players that have had noteworthy performances thus far. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]I'll start with offense. One player I've been very impressed with is infielder James Beresford. He had to fight for playing time the first week or so, but has demonstrated that he deserves to be the Rock Cats' starting second baseman. In 36 at-bats, Beresford has a .333/.444/.389 slash line, including 3 stolen bases. There's not much power to speak of, but Beresford can be successful as a singles hitter with a good eye (7 walks already) and above-average speed. Additionally, Beresford is an excellent defender. This is his second full season in Connecticut, and he's 24 years old. If he keeps the batting average up, and continues to demonstrate a good eye, I think a promotion to AAA is in his future. As I've said before, aside from starting pitching, if there's one area where Twins prospects should quickly advance in the system, it's the middle infield. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EctjgVfwZLE/UXLSVCXvCbI/AAAAAAAAAhY/21kS0rHiBc8/s400/IMAG0425.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]This picture of Justin Morneau hangs in a suite at New Britain Stadium. The Rock Cats do a great job of paying tribute to the Twins' greats that have come and gone from this stadium. [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] With a .345/.391/.638 line in 58 at-bats, outfielder Daniel Ortiz has impressed. He has 3 home runs, 6 doubles, a triple, and 13 RBIs. He does lead the Rock Cats with 16 Ks, so there is room for improvement, but it's fair to state that the 23-year-old Ortiz has exceeded expectations, and has helped this club make up for the absence of players like Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia in the lineup. The final hitter I'm going to highlight for the moment is Josmil Pinto. He ended 2012 with the Rock Cats, looking good in 47 at-bats. Currently with a .295/.394/.574 line, Pinto leads New Britain with 4 home runs and 14 RBIs. He's also hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games, including 4 multi-hit games. On the whole, I've been impressed with the offense. They haven't quite replicated the Arcia/Hicks/Herrmann/Colabello power from 2012, but players like Beresford, Ortiz, Pinto, and even Antoan Richardson, have helped keep the team in games. Starting pitching has been exciting. Right now -- and probably only until the All-Star break -- the Rock Cats have both Alex Meyer and Trevor May, both top 10 prospects in the Twins' organization. Both have been as advertised. Meyer has a 1-0 record, a 1.69 ERA, and has struck out 19 and walked 7 in 16 innings. His WHIP is 1.25. Rock Cats broadcaster Jeff Dooley noted that Meyer hit 98 mph on the radar gun in one of his starts. He's doing exactly what we expect:: missing bats. Hopefully, the control will improve just a little, and he'll be in AAA by July. Trevor May has an 0-1 record, and a 3.14 ERA, but has 19 Ks and 10 walks in 14 and 1/3 innings. His WHIP is 1.60. Yes, there are control issues, but there's no reason that those can't be ironed out. May, who is 23, has a promising future, and he, too, can be out of New Britain later this season if he gets his control under control. As a fan, it's exciting to see Meyer's and May's (the new M & M Boys???) strikeout totals. Twins fans should be excited. The Rock Cats are currently on the road in Portland, Maine, and lost a tough one, 12-1, last night. I'll be in attendance and reporting when they return to New Britain Stadium next weekend, so expect some good content in the near future. Click here to view the article

Yes, I am aware that there are a couple weeks left in the season. But the Twins are dead. Dead as a door-nail. And they've been that way for months (years?). Shortly after this season comes to its pitiful end, the Twins' brass and field personnel will assemble, as they do every year, in Ft. Myers, for the organizational meetings. Among other topics, they will dissect the 2013 season, and what exactly caused this year's ineptitude. If Terry Ryan, Ron Gardenhire or Dave St. Peter needs to do some cramming on the Delta flight down south, what follows is a short(ish) list of causes for this season's horrid, embarrassing play. Make no mistake, this is not an exhaustive or detailed list. And I'm not adding very many stats this time around (it's 2013: if you need statistical support for my proposition that Darin Mastroianni wasn't spectacular offensively, check out any number of websites). Without further ado, and in no particular order of importance, here are my Cliff's Notes for the 2013 Twins Organizational Meetings. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54nrA06ATgQ/UjkCMObBZ9I/AAAAAAAAAr8/4SiRsD4Ooz4/s320/Gardy+2002.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]Ron Gardenhire: 2002[/TD] [/TABLE] 1. Aaron Hicks was Not Ready for Primetime The Twins made good trades, getting (potentially) quality arms for centerfielders Ben Revere and Denard Span. By getting rid of Revere and Span, however, the Twins' thrust Hicks into the spotlight. To be sure, he put on a good show at AA in 2012, and was dominant in Spring Training in 2013. But we know now -- hindsight being 20/20, of course -- that he was not ready for the major leagues. Yes, he had flashes of brilliance offensively, and was solid defensively, but this was too much, too soon, for Hicks, evidenced by the fact that he didn't earn a September call-up, and that the Twins selected a replacement-level centerfielder, Alex Presely, when they traded Justin Morneau to the Pittsburgh Pirates last month. 2. Low Power in the Middle of the Order Josh Willingham, who had a career year in 2012, was injured for a significant part of 2013, and his power numbers dwindled. He'll end up at around 15 home runs, and will be lucky to get 55 RBIs (last season, on an equally bad team: 35 dingers, 110 RBIs). Justin Morneau was serviceable, but also lacked the power that Twins fans enjoyed for the better part of a decade. Joe Mauer was good before his concussion, but his "power numbers" (dingers/RBIs) weren't high, mostly because no one was on base in front of him. In short, the guys that were penciled-in as the Twins' 3-4-5 hitters didn't do the damage that was expected. Make no mistake, RBI are very much a team stat -- so perhaps it's more appropriate to say that the Twins as a whole under-delivered in giving the meat of the order opportunities to do damage. 3. Starting Pitching was Disgusting Terry Ryan got what he (while spending Pohlad family money) paid for. It makes me physically ill reciting Twins' starting pitching stats from this season, so I'm not going to. But it's basically what you would expect: way too many hits, way too few strikeouts, way too few guys getting deep into games, and a batch of guys that probably wouldn't deserve more than a "cup of coffee" at the major league level being given multiple starts with the Twins this season. One thing to note: Vance Worley -- who projected to be not fantastic, but serviceable, failed this season. I didn't see that coming, and it's probably not fair to blame the front office for that (but note, at the same time, that Trevor May -- a better pitcher under team control for more years -- was the larger piece in that trade as far as the future goes). 4. Trevor Plouffe Showed Little Improvement The Twins have given Plouffe, now 27, every chance. I know -- he showed great promise last season (I was at one of those games last July where he was just on fire, and it was exciting). But so far, those couple months have been, more or less, a flash in the pan. Although his average is a little higher than it was last year (.252 to .235), the OPS is lower, the defense isn't as solid as the team would like, and I'm not even sure how dedicated Plouffe is to the game (not my opinion -- based on a smattering of articles/tweets the past couple seasons from those "in the know"). With Miguel Sano on the rise, 2013 would have been a good season for Plouffe to establish himself as the Twins' starting third baseman to beat. Now, I expect the competition will be on in March, 2013. Sure, Plouffe will be better defensively than Sano, but will Plouffe be able to compete with Sano's power, and, equally as important, Sano's desire -- desire to succeed, to improve on defense, to be an All-Star? 5. No Help from the Top of the Order Aaron Hicks failed to get on base when the Twins gave him lead-off hitter duties. Here are some other guys that hit out of the 1-hole this season: Clete Thomas, Eduardo Escobar, Jamey Carroll, Alex Presley (and Brian Dozier, who really hasn't been bad in that position, but is an ideal 2-hole hitter). Not quite Denard Span-esque, huh? It's tough to give Dozier (when he's batting second, that is), Mauer, Morneau, Willingham, Oswaldo Arcia and Ryan Doumit the opportunity to do much damage with that rather pathetic crop of players occupying what is supposed to be a high on-base percentage spot in the lineup. 6. Little Assistance from the Farm Long story short, when the Twins really needed talent to come up from their farm system and produce, they didn't get results. Yes, there were bright spots. In fact, I'm sure every guy called up this season performed well at some point. But in the aggregate, it was insufficient. Look at all the names that didn't give the Twins a boost this season: Hicks,Kyle Gibson (remember the "Free Gibson" movement?),Chris Parmelee,Chris Colabello (I hesitate to even put him here -- I'm a big fan, he performed so well at New Britain and in Rochester, and he's been up-and-down so much in 2013 that the Rochester-to-Minneapolis flight attendants probably know him by name -- but I've been let down),and Oswaldo Arcia (who started off well, and is doing all right now, but had a horrid stretch that resulted in a demotion to AAA).And I'm not going to mention the rest of the pitchers (but I am glaring at Liam Hendriks, and he knows it). 7. No Top Prospect Forced His Way Up Don't get me wrong. Miguel Sano had a great, great season. He exceeded expectations. But in the end, he didn't deserve a call-up -- unless you believe his call-up would have been just for the fans this season (not an unreasonable proposition, by the way). Sano slowed down at AA, and was inconsistent (though powerful and exiting). Trevor May was stable, in the sense that he was uninjured, but was never good enough to warrant a promotion to AAA, much less the Twins. And the best pitching prospect, Alex Meyer, was limited because of injuries, thus never even entering the equation for a mid-or-late season promotion. I need to be measured in my observations, because Sano and Meyer were very, very good, and May did improve. But make no mistake, none of these guys really forced Terry Ryan's hand when it came to a September call-up. Accordingly, they were unable to breathe life into the dead MLB team. But maybe that's for the best. I'm not sure I want Miguel Sano's first game to be one where Mastroianni is batting leadoff and one where the Twins are about to lose their 90th game of the season in front of an "in-the-stands" Target Field crowd of 8,000. The end results: The Twins stopped playing meaningful games back in May or June. Again. Payroll decreased. Again. The Twins sold off an asset (Morneau). Fans stopped coming to the ballpark like they used to (even if they had paid for tickets in advance). There is hope in sight (a very good farm system), but I am not at all convinced that the talented prospects, alone, will bring relevance to this organization. As I mentioned, this was a non-exhaustive list. Please, leave a comment. Add your thoughts on what else factored into the Twins' failures this season. Thanks for reading. Click here to view the article

[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] He wasn't a household name last year at this time, even among many followers of the Twins' minor league system, but much has changed in the past 12 months. Depending on whom you speak to in the front office, there seem to be differing interpretations on Dozier's role in the Twins' organization this season. Make no mistake -- everyone is speaking of him highly right now. Terry Ryan, for instance, recently mentioned that he would not hesitate to call a player like Dozier up to the major leagues straight from AA New Britain, saying, "[t]hat's not going to scare us off. If he looks like he's mature enough . . . ." And we all know, now, that Ron Gardenhire actually wanted Dozier on the team last season, but that request was refused by management (side note: what does that tell you about how dire the Twins' middle infield situation was?). If Dozier stays healthy, and remains productive, it's a matter of when, not if, he will make his Twins debut. But today, I want to give you 8 reasons I think the Twins should add Dozier to the 40 man roster, award him the starting shortstop job in Minnesota for 2012, and call it a done deal. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]  [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T7ELk_p2kng/T2t-Wof2ZzI/AAAAAAAAANI/bPEH7pE38As/s320/BD.bmp [TD=class: tr-caption]Brian Dozier can take the shortstop job and run with it in 2012[/TD] [/TABLE]  1. Defensively, I acknowledge that some aren't very high on Dozier, and actually view him as more of a second baseman. Even assuming that he is not the greatest defensive shortstop (although the reports have been pretty positive this spring), the falloff from 38 year old Jamey Carroll to 24 year old Dozier will not be significant. Carroll has limited range, and actually was not even predominately a shortstop earlier in his career. I simply don't see a downside -- defensively -- to having Dozier man the 6-hole, when compared with the alternative. 2. Correspondingly, if Dozier plays shortstop, Carroll could move to second base. Carroll can still bat at the top of the order and be that on-base guy that the Twins desperately need, but I think he would be better, and perhaps more comfortable, at second. The stats on Carroll seem to suggest just that: his total defensive contribution at second has been positive (49 runs above average), but has been negative (4 runs below average) at shortstop. 3. Taking this one step further, having Dozier at short and Carroll at second essentially solves the Twins' utility infielder conundrum: Alexi Casilla is the answer. The Twins do not need to think about looking outside the organization for a Nick Punto-esque player (or even Nick Punto himself) to play second and short in a pinch. 4. The Twins, in all likelihood, won't be winning the division this season. Even if things go right offensively, I think the starting pitching will again be problematic. I'm not going call 2012 a rebuilding year, because a team with a $100 million payroll is not in rebuilding mode, but still it's fair to point out that, with the Tigers perceived dominance and the Twins' perceived weaknesses, it could be a challenging year. What better time to bring in a young prospect. Sure, the expectations will still be high for Dozier, but it presents a good opportunity to let a young guy get a year of MLB experience under his belt. 5. The Twins haven't shied away from aggressive moves this month, most notably by demoting failed shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka to AAA Rochester. The organization, in my opinion, has effectively admitted that the $14.5 million investment in Nishioka was a bust -- but also that the team will not let Nishioka take up a spot on the Target Field bench just because of the paycheck he is "earning." Tough love, indeed, for Nishioka. But Nishioka's loss -- and the Twins' aggressive move to jettison him -- could bode well for Dozier. Additionally, if the Twins plan to use Nishioka at shortstop in Rochester, he will have to split time with Dozier there. From a practicality standpoint, if the Twins ever want Nishioka to get better, he will have to play every day somewhere, just like Dozier. Another aggressive decision -- this time a promotion instead of a demotion -- will send the signal to some of the other young prospects (and perhaps some of our veterans) that hard work can quickly be rewarded in this organization. 6. Dozier has not looked lost in Spring Training. I haven't been following every at-bat, but I have read enough to know that Dozier is holding his own (batting .273 going into Thursday's game), and there has been little mention of bonehead fielding plays or dumb baserunning gaffes. Not that these won't come with any rookie, but it's fair to state that Dozier has not embarrassed himself at all while playing alongside some guys he probably looks up to in a pretty big way. 7. Why should Dozier spend a superficial 3 or 4 months at Rochester? If the Twins expect Dozier to hit major league pitching in the very near future -- like July or August or September of 2012 -- and then to continue hitting major league pitching for the next 10 or more years, why not start now, especially if there are not very many good players at Dozier's position above him on the depth chart? In Rochester, Dozier would be seeing some pitchers on their way up, some on their way down, and maybe a couple major league pitchers rehabbing injuries, but the competition would not be as fierce. 8. Last, but not least, this move gives fans something to be excited about. Carroll is not by any means a sexy or dynamic player. Dozier, on the other hand, could be the first in a wave of "new Twins" (hopefully soon to include Joe Benson and Chris Parmelee), like Mauer and Morneau in the early 2000s, and gamers like Torii Hunter, Corey Koskie and Johan Santana before that, and Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti even before that. There are probably 8 or more reasons not to directly promote Dozier (including the issue of whether he is really going to be a solid defensive shortstop, the fact that having Casilla as the utility infielder raises an issue for a substitute third baseman, and the argument that the Twins should wait to promote Dozier to avoid him achieving Super 2 status), but I'm not convinced by any of them. Under my plan, the only thing that is really "lost" is a full season of Casilla at second base. But I guess I'm at the point with Casilla where I would rather gamble on Dozier, who admittedly is not a sure thing, than on Casilla, who most certainly is not a sure thing (and is no longer a young player, either). In the worst case scenario, Dozier cannot hack it in the majors yet, and will be sent down. This could be tough on Dozier, but it happens dozens of times a season, sometimes even to well established players -- but you know what -- adults learn to deal with it. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. Am I way off-base here? Or do you agree Dozier is ready for his shot? Click here to view the article

[Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Chris Parmelee should be fine. He looked great last September in a Twins uniform, and was a bright spot during an otherwise dismal time. Of the three prospects called up -- Parmelee, Joe Benson and Liam Hendriks -- Parmelee looked the most ready for the show. After watching several Rock Cats games last year in person, I was a little surprised that Parmelee, and not Benson, looked better in his time as a Twin, but that is why I don't get paid to do anything baseball related. You can call it a small sample size, and you'd be correct, but for 21 games in a Twins uniform, Parmelee had a .355/.443/.592 slash line with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs, and most importantly, didn't looked overmatched at the plate or in the field. He also just looked comfortable playing in the majors, which some call-ups are not. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] To Parmelee's credit, he followed up his September cup of coffee with a nice glass of Florida orange juice. His numbers aren't quite as impressive, but with a .269 average, 3 home runs and 9 RBIs, he at least has demonstrated that the power he exhibited last September wasn't necessarily a fluke. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nk8l7j_Q7Dg/T3Ww4w4Ko-I/AAAAAAAAANo/XX608dNYa90/s320/Parmelee.bmp With Morneau presumably starting the season as the full-time designated hitter, and with Parmelee's success, Parmelee is the odds-on favorite to start the season at first base. Understandably, once fans got past the news that Morneau will now be a professional hitter, many are excited by Parmelee's potential. In fact, there have been a few blog posts, and even newspaper articles, suggesting that Parmelee might be the next big thing for the Twins. I just don't think that we should get ahead of ourselves. There's likely going to be a big difference between what Parmelee can provide at the plate over the course of a full season in the majors -- seeing pitchers and ballparks for the first time, and becoming accustomed to the rigorous travel schedule and time demands -- and what he demonstrated in New Britain and Minnesota in 2011, and in a few weeks of exhibition games in 2012. I think Parmelee will be a success, both this year and the future, but I also think that in 2012 he will much more closely resemble the player that hit a composite .282 at New Britain than the player that took Target Field by storm last September. As fans, we should be fine with that. Parmelee, who turned 24 last month, is a rookie in the truest sense, without even a game of AAA baseball under his belt. Though he has looked fairly consistent, be ready for slumps, and expect -- at least occasionally -- for him to look overmatched at the plate. It's been a while since the Twins had an exciting rookie prospect come up that both management and fans expected to have a good career (I won't even mention Wilson Ramos; and Danny Valencia, though he did well in 2010, by no means shot up through the minor league system and never batted at or above .300 in AA or AAA). In 2005, Justin Morneau's first season as a full-time first baseman, he batted .239/.304/.437 with 22 home runs, 79 RBIs and 94 strikeouts. The power was there, clearly, but he was still a little raw. The next season he was the American League Most Valuable Player. During his nacency, Morneau was also rated the #14 and #16 prospect by Baseball America. Parmelee, conversely, did not come up through the system with such expectations attached to him. Here's what I expect from Parmelee, assuming just for now that he is a full-time starter (though likely he will be splitting time at first with Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit and perhaps Morneau): .270/.345/.440, with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs. And I expect the defense to be solid, but not astounding. Yes, Parmelee is ready to play in Minnesota. And yes, he looks like a really solid first base prospect with perhaps an exciting future ahead of him. But there's a jump between AA, a September call-up and Spring Training exhibition games, and perhaps having to face CC Sabathia one night, and Justin Verlander or Cliff Lee the next night. The good thing, though, is that Parmelee has looked like a professional this spring, and I have little doubt that he is the type of player that will make the adjustments necessary for long-term success. Click here to view the article

Today was the first full day in Twins Territory without Justin Morneau. Although most people weren't too surprised to see him depart, it does leave a large, Canadian void at first base. He had one hell of a Twins career. I wrote a piece on my blog about his departure. So check it out if you're interested. Now, onto today's minor league action. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 3, SCRANTON W/B 2 As a result of today's win, the Red Wings' season will come down down to a final game Monday. Per the Red Wings: "The win pulled the Red Wings within a half-game of wild card leader Norfolk, whose game in Durham started at 8 pm Sunday night after a lengthy rain delay. If the Wings finish tied with, or ahead of, Norfolk at end of play Monday, Rochester will get the wild card spot and open the playoffs at home Wednesday night." In any event, I'm sure the good fans in Rochester have appreciated winning baseball this season. In tonight's game, Pat Dean earned the win, tossing 7 innings of 1-run baseball. A.J. Achter and Michael Tonkin also threw tonight, as well. Offensively, Aaron Hicks, Ray Olmedo, Chris Parmelee and Jeff Clement all notched 2 hits. Hicks, by the way, had a triple and an RBI. Here's the link to the box score. UPDATE - Norfolk went on to win their game against Durham which means that the Red Wings are one game behind the Tide for that final Wild Card spot with one game to play. So here is the playoff scenario heading into the final game. If Norfolk beats Durham or Rochester loses to Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Norfolk will go to the playoffs. However, if Norfolk loses and Rochester wins, the Red Wings will go to the playoffs as the team will be tied and the tie-breaker is head-to-head. NEW BRITAIN 5. READING 4 Unfortunately, New Britain is not on the cusp of the playoffs, as they had been the two previous seasons. Still, though, there's a lot to play for. Kyle Davies and Daniel Turpen each pitched 3 innings tonight, giving up 2 runs and 1 run (earned), respectively. Cole Johnson tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and walking none, and Dakota Watts earned the win throwing a scoreless 9th, striking out 2. Up until the 9th inning, it looked as though the Rock Cats were due for another loss. They were down 4-2. Then, with one out, Kyle Knudson, Brad Boyer and Angel Morales all singled (the latter scoring Knudson). The next batter, Danny Santana, reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Boyer, and Eddie Rosario ended the game with a sacrifice fly scoring Morales. On the night, Santana, Knudson and Morales had multi-hit efforts. Miguel Sano was 0-for-3. New Britain closes its season out Monday afternoon. I'll be there (after which I'm going to begin experiencing pretty substantial minor league withdrawal), so expect some sort of a recap tomorrow night. Here's a link to the box score. FT. MYERS 3, BRADENTON 2 (10 innings) The Miracle, of course, are already in the playoffs, but that didn't stop them from doing a little extra work today. Matt Tomshaw had a solid start, going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs, striking out 4 and issuing 0 free passes. Luke Bard struck out 2 in a perfect 8th inning, and Adrian Salcedo picked up the win, tossing the 9th and 10th innings. He struck out 3 and gave up no hits or walks. Some encouraging pitching performances from the Miracle today. Kennys Vargas was the hero on the offensive side today. He went 3-for-4 with a home run (his 19th on the season), 2 RBIs and a walk. He also had the walk-off single to end the game. Minnesota's own Adam Pettersen had 3 hits and an RBI of his own, and Levi Michael was 2-for-2 with a double. Just because you're probably scanning for his name as you read this, Byron Buxton was 0-for-3 and, if I'm reading the box score correctly, actually grounded into a double play. But don't worry, he still has a .326/.415/.472 line at High-A. And he's like 15 years old or something. Download attachment: Kennys Vargas fm.jpg Here's a link to the box score. CLINTON 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 1 Cedar Rapids, much like Ft. Myers, has had one heck of a season. They finished at 87-50 and are headed to the playoffs. Say what you will about minor league playoffs, but I think that there's something to be said for these young guys learning to play winning Twins baseball early in the developmental process. Today Cedar Rapids came up on the short end, but there were some good performances. Starter Tim Atherton took a tough loss. He threw 6 innings, allowed 2 runs (only 1 earned -- the Kernels had 2 errors today), struck out 4 and walked 0. Alex Muren and Madison Boer tossed the other 2 innings, Boer giving up the third and final Clinton run. The Kernels amassed only 5 hits today, doubles from Jonathan Murphy and Tyler Grimes, and singles from Mike Gonzales, Niko Goodrum and Jeremias Pineda. Here's the link to the box score. That's it for today's minor league action. Please leave any questions or comments. Thanks for reading! Click here to view the article

I'll be the first to admit that the bulk of my Rock Cats coverage this season has centered around Miguel Sano. And it's for a reason -- he's the best prospect that has played for New Britain since I have been following the team. People were interested in watching grainy videos of his #PowerBanana shots, and were curious about his defensive progression. Also, he's simply an electric personality. Trust me, you'll experience it firsthand in Minnesota next season. But there was much more to this team than Sano. And in my opinion, Sano wasn't the team's most valuable player, even in the months he was here. That honor belongs to Josmil Pinto. [TABLE] http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pfGvYWNUy-U/Uiadg78Eu1I/AAAAAAAAAq4/5S1qwvRBrms/s400/Pinto.jpg Rock Cats, Red Wings, and now Twins catcher,Josmil Pinto [/TABLE] What a 6 months it's been for Josmil Pinto. He started in April as the Rock Cats' everyday catcher, and produced offensively and defensively. In fact, he hit .308/.411/.482. Watching him in person several games, it wasn't just his line drive swing that impressed me. He is a decent catcher with a very good arm. He was promoted on August 1 to AAA Rochester. That alone is a significant accomplishment. But Pinto didn't slow down. He continued to excel as a Red Wing, hitting .314/.333/.486, and is now a member of the Twins. He'll likely see significant playing time behind the dish, I expect, as the Twins would be wise to exercise caution with Joe Mauer. The Twins gave Pinto at least 2 major votes of confidence: first, giving him 2 in-season promotions; and second -- and just as important -- trading Drew Butera at the deadline. These moves suggest that, between Chris Herrmann and Pinto, the Twins' back-up catching spots are covered. To be sure, many guys offered great contributions this season in New Britain. Miguel Sano, Danny Santana, Trevor May, Michael Tonkin, Daniel Ortiz, Alex Meyer (pre-injury), and Nate Hanson (he played all over the field very well) all come to mind. But none of these guys was as valuable on both sides of the ball, and was as consistent, as Pinto. He hit over .300, had a good K-to-walk ratio, showed good power and continued to improve on defense. Yes, he still has a ways to go on the defensive front, but it won't stop him from being able to contribute to the Twins this September and next season. And in my opinion, the fact that he left the Rock Cats the last few weeks (give or take) of the season wasn't significant enough for one of the guys previously listed to trump his selection. Being completely honest, my decision is swayed in part by Joe Mauer's concussion. The concept of "most valuable" is subjective. I happen to see more "value" in places where it's needed. A prospect's value isn't tied solely to his current team so much as it is to the organization as a whole. In the Twins' present situation, we might see more value in prospects at shortstop, third base, starting pitching (ouch) and catcher, especially considering Mauer's advancing age and the recent concussion. In short, Herrmann and Pinto will need to step up. If not in 2014, then in 2015. The fact that Pinto has taken major strides this season, while Herrmann has had, for the most part, a rough go of it, reinforces that Pinto is going to get the shot to prove himself at the major league level. Congratulations, Josmil Pinto, on one hell of a season. Click here to view the article

If I told you that there was a Twins prospect at AA New Britain batting .243, you probably wouldn't blink an eye. If I told you he had some pop in his bat, and a good arm from the left side of the infield, maybe you'd express mild interest. But if I told you that the prospect was Miguel Sano, and that he had a combined 26 HRs and 80 RBIs in early August, playing in two pitchers leagues, you'd probably be interested. Anyone who is reading this piece likely knows what Miguel Sano might -- or could -- mean to this franchise: without exaggeration, he probably is the best power-hitting Twins prospect in the past 30 years. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe_DFyfgUMM/UgGyJgcu3rI/AAAAAAAAApI/t1er7a1Lqvg/s320/Sano+Xmas.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]If you can't tell, Miguel Sano is a kid[/TD] [/TABLE] He just turned 20, and he's holding his own at AA, which is generally considered the largest jump a hitter will make before reaching the major leagues. The purpose here isn't so much to cast opinion (to be sure, I have one, but I'm trying not to let it play out), but rather to to present arguments in favor of, and against, the idea of Sano finishing the season at Target Field as a member of the Twins. Without further ado, let's go through the pros and cons. ~~~Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar~~~ Call Him Up!!! 1. Sano is the best power hitting prospect the Twins have had in . . . well, forever. The Twins need power. Joshn Willingham and Justin Morneau are probably gone, and in any event they have been largely ineffective in 2013; Trevor Plouffe is sporadic. Right now, this club needs a middle-of-the-order bat that can do damage for the next several years. Anyone have a better in-house option than Sano? 2. Yea, his AA batting average isn't great, but look at that OPS (.915). When he is getting on base and making contact, he's doing big, big damage. He has performed in the clutch this season with the Ft. Myers Miracle and the New Britain Rock Cats, and absolutely nothing suggests he won't continue that trend. 3. Twins fans have been really screwed over these past few years. Sweet Lord: Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Jason Marquis, a billion injuries, shredded payroll. Come on, Pohlad Family and Terry Ryan, we really, really need a glimpse of the future, even if he's only 80% ready. You can't sell season tickets on mere All-Star promises. Or maybe you can, but good luck filling those seats for the 81 non-All-Star games next season. People, Let's Be Prudent 1. There is no rush with any prospect in this organization. The Twins need to be taking a long look -- this is a team that needs to be set up to win in 2015-2018. Forget the last month of 2013. And look at his maturity issues. This is a guy that needs to be taught "the process," taught humility, and then brought up when he's ready. 2. Miguel Sano is not dominating AA. Let's not talk about this as if he's tearing the cover off the ball. The guy has 42 strike-outs in 41 games. Yes, he can, and does, hit the ball out of the park, but there's much more to being a major league player than that. And how about his defense? It's undoubtedly improved, but there's work to be done. 3. A jump to the big leagues from AA isn't always in the player's best interest. Look at Oswaldo Arcia: a great hitting AA prospect, called up before he was ready. And it messed with his head. Let's not do that with Sano. Let's make sure he's ready, even if that means finishing this season in AA, or even starting 2014 in AAA. Sano is a rare, rare commodity. And the Twins can't screw this up. In short, this is a great dilemma. Again, Miguel Sano is 20 years old. And tearing the cover off the ball. Yet, even the biggest Sano supporter should concede that he's far from a perfect prospect. For me, going into the second week of August, I'm almost 50/50 as to whether Sano should spend September with the Twins. I'd love to hear you comments -- and arguments both in support and against -- Sano spending the last month of this season in Minneapolis. Click here to view the article

Originally posted at Twins Fan From Afar Much has been made over the past year or so of the physical injuries suffered by the Twins, especially injuries to Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Denard Span and, to a lesser extent Francisco Liriano. All of these players had a tough time staying in the lineup last season, and we are hoping for better health this year. But that might only be half the battle. Download attachment: peanuts-lucy-psychiatrist-234x300.jpg In yesterday's Spring Training game, for example, Liriano was perfect for two innings (striking out three), then imploded in the third inning, giving up four runs very quickly. "I started rushing like I always do," Liriano was quoted as saying. He also stated, "I can't get mad at myself like that." [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Then there's Mauer, who hit 28 home runs in a shortened 2009 season, and who has hardly hit any since then. It's abundantly clear that the not-so-friendly confines of Target Field have gotten in his head. I can scarcely remember Mauer pulling a ball in Target Field that even looked close to becoming a home run; rather, it seems that has become a singles and doubles hitter, with the occasional home run (on the road, no less). Would this change have occurred even if the Twins had stayed in the Metrodome, or was this brought on by Target Field? Or was it some combination in between? Finally, Span and Morneau are both recovering from concussions. The pair has been playing hard all spring, and despite the fact that Span sat out the last couple games with neck pain, there has been no indication that either is suffering from post-concussion symptoms -- right now. But you have to wonder what's going on inside their heads. We all know, because Morneau told us, that he is essentially one injury away from retiring. Span, though younger and with less of a history of concussions, has had a tough road to recovery, as well. Certainly, these players -- arguably the core of the Twins -- are thinking about more than balls, strikes, and what restaurant they're going to after the game. As far as I can tell, the Twins do not employ a full-time sports psychologist. A computer search reveals a few websites for professional sports psychologists that have consulted with the Twins. The Twins website listing their front office personnel notes four physicians: two orthopedic surgeons, and two preventative/occupational medicine specialists. There are also two trainers and one strength and conditioning coordinator. It appears that the physicians all have their own individual practices, which is no surprise, but as far as I know, the trainers and strength coordinator are full-time Twins employees. In other words, there are seven professionals on the Twins' payroll that deal exclusively with the body, but not one that is trained in dealing with the mind. Might it be a good idea to staff a full-time sports psychologist for this team? I can't see the harm. We have a would-be ace pitcher who is consistently inconsistent and gets too amped up, even for Spring Training games; a former MVP whose power has taken a nosedive after his team moved stadiums; and two very good players that are enduring a difficult physical and mental period. Granted, these players are all multi-millionaires, represented by premiere sports agencies, and have, at their disposal, access to first rate medical care across the globe. But just maybe, when the team is on the road, say in Kansas City, and it's two in the morning, and Morneau can't sleep because something is plaguing him, might it not be useful for the Twins to have a trained and experienced professional sports psychologist just down the hall at the team hotel? Or, think about Liriano, pitching in an important nationally televised game against the Tigers in August, with the Twins just two games back in the division. It's a situation where, if history is any indication, Liriano might be too amped up to be successful. Having someone on staff -- someone that can talk about something other that sliders, shoulders and arm angles -- seems potentially valuable to me. For all the money the Twins have spent on player payroll, and even on insurance for certain player contracts, it might be beneficial to bring a psychologist into the fold. What do you think? As always, I'm happy to hear your thoughts. Click here to view the article

The big club lost 6-0 to the Reds this evening. Starter Brian Duensing threw 3 shutout innings, and then hit a wall (his own words), giving up 4 runs in the 4th. The Twins accumulated only 3 hits all day. In the end, it was a recipe for yet another loss. All the affiliates were in action today, so let's take a look at all of the action. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 12, CHARLOTTE 1 Steven Hirschfeld pitched well tonight. In 6 and 2/3 innings, he gave up 1 run (unearned) on 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. Esmerling Vasquez threw 1 and 1/3 innings, and gave up a hit and a walk. Bobby Lanigan threw a scoreless 9th, allowing 2 hits. The Red Wings compiled 15 hits tonight. Danny Valencia led the way, going 3-for-4 with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs and a walk. Sean Burroughs had 3 singles in 5 at-bats, and Ray Chang was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Clete Thomas was 2-for-5 with a double, and Brian Dinkelman, Matt Carson, Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Rene Rivera all singled. Valencia is batting .252 on the year; Nishioka is batting .232. Here's the linkto the box score. NEW BRITAIN 6, RICHMOND 1 This was the Rock Cats' third consecutive win. Starter (but normally reliever) Blake Martin went 4 innings, allowing no runs on 3 hits. He struck out 3 and walked 1. Luis Perdomo picked up the win, throwing 5 innings. He gave up 1 run on 1 hit, striking out 6 and walking only 1. A great night for Perdomo. New Britain had only 7 hits all night, but they made them count. First baseman Chris Colabello was 2-for-4 with a home run (11) and a double (11). Nathan Hanson also homered (2), and Evan "don't cut my playing time in favor of Oswaldo Arcia" Bigley doubled (15). Deibinson Romero, Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks also added singles. Additionally, Hicks stole his 16th base of the season, and Arcia had an outfield assist. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 3, ST. LUCIE 10 Starter Cole Nelson took the loss for the Miracle tonight, lasting only 2 and 2/3 innings, giving up 6 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits, striking out 1 and walking 4. Nelvin Fuentes tossed 2 and 1/3 innings and gave up 1 run on 1 hit. He struck out 1 and walked 3. Ricky Bowen threw 2 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits, striking out 0 and walking 1. Finally, Matthew Hauser tossed a scoreless 8th, allowing no hits and striking out 2. Miracle pitchers walked 8 batters tonight. The offense got 6 hits this evening, half coming from right fielder Daniel Ortiz, who had 3 singles and a run. Andy Leer was 1-for-2 with a double and 2 runs, and Kyle Knudson and Daniel Rams also singled. The Miracle walked twice and struck out 8 times. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 1, CEDAR RAPIDS 0 This was a pitchers' duel, to be sure. 3 Snappers pitchers turned in excellent performances tonight. Starter Tim Shibuya picked up the win. He threw 6 innings and gave up only 1 hit, striking out 1 and walking 1. Clint Dempster got the hold, throwing 2 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 hits, striking out 3 and walking none. Corey Williams got the save, throwing 1/3 of an inning. Right fielder JaDamion Williams had a double and drove in the only run of the game. Designated hitter Steven Liddle was 3-for-4, and Miguel Sano, Drew Leachman, Matthew Koch and Tyler Grimes all had singles for Beloit. Sano had his 25th error of the season, a fielding error. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 18, BURLINGTON 2 Starter Taylor Rogers earned his first win, throwing 5 strong innings. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 7. Hein Robb was good out of the bullpen, striking out 1 and allowing 3 hits in 2 innings of work. Steven Evans gave up the only Burlington runs of the game. He allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 2 innings of work, striking out 1. E-Town banged out 20 hits tonight! Left fielder Romy Jimenez had a triple and a home run, and drove in 3 runs. Max Kepler was 3-for-5 with a triple, Niko Goodrum was 2-for-4 with a triple, 2 RBIs and 3 walks, and Adam Walker was 2-for-7 with a triple, 4 RBIs and 4 strikeouts. That's right -- the E-Town Twins had 4 triples tonight! Candido Pimental had 2 singles, D.J. Hicks doubled and singled, Stephen Wickens had a single, Rory Rhodes singled twice in 5 at-bats, Travis Harrison was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 singles, and Michael Quesada had a double in 5 at-bats. E-Town also walked 11 times today. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 1, GCL RED SOX 9 Starter Austin Malinowski went 3 innings and gave up no runs, striking out 2 and walking 2. Trent Higginbotham took the loss, throwing 2 and 1/3 innings and allowing 3 runs on 2 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Melciades De La Cruz gave up 5 runs (2 earned) in 1 and 2/3 innings, striking out 1 and walking 1. Hung Yi Chen threw 2 innings and gave up 1 run, striking out 4. The GCL Twins had only 1 hit today, a single off the bat of catcher Jorge Fernandez. Top prospect Byron Buxton was 0-for-4, but let's not count him out quite yet. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Saturday, June 23 Pitcher(s) of the Day: Beloit Snappers trio of Shibuya, Dempster and Williams. Download attachment: beloit.jpg Hitter of the Day: Danny Valencia Download attachment: Valencia.jpg --------------------------------------------- Schedule for Sunday, June 24, 2012 Rochester vs. Charlotte -- RHP Cole De Vries New Britain @ Richmond -- RHP Brett Jacobson Ft. Myers vs. Tampa -- RHP Madison Boer Beloit @ Cedar Rapids -- ??? Elizabethtown vs. Bristol -- ??? GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles -- ??? --------------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments here, and either Seth or I will be happy to respond. 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Download attachment: lunch1.jpg Here's some good trivia: In 2013, 9 former Rock Cats players made major league debuts: Caleb Theilbar; Josmil Pinto; Oswaldo Arcia; Aaron Hicks; Chris Colabello; Michael Tonkin; Kyle Gibson; Andrew Albers; and Brock Peterson. With the exception of Peterson, who saw some time with the Cardinals, the other 8 players wore Twins uniforms. I watched each of these guys play and, of the guys on this list, have had good conversations with Colabello and Hicks. The truth is, when the major league club struggles, like the Twins have, there isn't much between AA and the major leagues. That was kind of the theme of today's Rock Cats Hot Stove Luncheon.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Brad Steil, Twins Director of Minor League Operations, was today's keynote speaker. He was . . . very Minnesotan. Kind, soft-spoken. For instance, describing the 2013 Twins starting rotation, he said (not deadpanning like Terry Ryan or Gardy might), "we struggled a little bit." Not surprisingly, he's big into Byron Buxton, promising Rock Cats' fans that they will see the promising prospect at some point in 2014. Steil also noted that many believe Buxton has the best arm in the entire Twins' system. That's pretty impressive, especially when coupled with all his other tools. Other players Rock Cats' fans should expect to see in 2014: Kennys Vargas, Taylor Rogers, Matt Summers, Ryan O'Rourke, and Reynaldo Rodriguez. Steil mentioned that about half the 2013 team likely is returning this upcoming season. One thing Steil said that annoyed me -- and he basically opened up his keynote with this: "We're not a big market team. You're not gonna see us handing out a $100 million contract." True statement -- yes and no. The Twins aren't big market like the Yankees or the Red Sox, but they sure as hell aren't small market, and I simply hate that Metrodome Mindset (did I just coin that?). Steil's larger point -- which is true -- is that the Twins' talent comes predominately from the farm system, and that New Britain is arguably the most important stop on the path to Target Field. Bill Smith said the same thing 2 years ago regarding the importance of New Britain. I think it's mostly true. On the other hand, it kind of reminds me of when you go to a concert, and the lead singer says something like, "We love you, North Dakota! Fargo is our favorite city to play!!" I have some breaking Miguel Sano news to report: There will be a Miguel Sano bobblehead at Rock Cats Stadium in 2014. Oh. You were looking for actual news, like about Sano's elbow or where the Twins will have him start in 2014? I don't have anything related to that. In fact, apart from raffling off a Sano autographed picture, he wasn't even mentioned in this luncheon. It's clear the entire organization is holding their cards close on this issue. I'm going to be 100% shocked, even if Sano has a great Spring Training, if he starts 2014 in Minnesota. A couple small takeaways from today's event: First, I think the Rock Cats will be better in 2014 than they were in 2013. I expect several of last season's Ft. Myers Miracle roster to be up in New Britain for a good chunk of this season. Those guys put up some pretty good offensive numbers. As always, though, the other key is going to be pitching. Second, I think the both organizations are happy with the relationship in New Britain. The player development contract (essentially, the agreement the Twins and the Rock Cats have to partner as affiliates) is set to expire after the 2014 season. In June, 2012, the parties agreed to this current extension, but only for 2 years -- the minimum possible number of years. In those couple seasons, Smith has done essentially what he is hired to do: prepare talent for the next level. Yes, Hicks, Gibson, Arcia and others have struggled at the major league level, but that can hardly be blamed on the AA coaching staff. "They sure looked good when they were here," I recall saying. The other question is whether New Britain is happy with the relationship, or has better options. As I've mentioned before, the other regional teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Mets) are all locked into long-term player development contracts. Yes, there are other openings (Cleveland, Baltimore, Detroit, Giants) after the 2014 season, but it's tough to imagine what any of those organizations would offer New Britain that Minnesota wouldn't. Additionally, the Twins are pretty good about sending talent (Sano, Buxton, Arcia, Meyer, etc.) to New Britain, including players once or twice a season on rehab assignments. I'm biased, of course. I enjoy writing this blog, and if the Rock Cats component vanishes, I don't know .... Finally, Chris Colabello. He drove down from Massachusetts (as did Ryan O'Rourke) to speak to the crowd. Both were funny, sincere and professional speakers. Colabello's speech reminded me how great his story was. Seven years in independent baseball. Seven years! He was 29 when he made his debut, and it took a perfect storm of success in the Independent League, a need in the Twins' system for organizational depth, Colabello's own dominance at AA and AAA, and a struggling big league team, for it to happen. Obviously, with Joe Mauer expected to play "150-160 games" at first base this season according to Steil, Colabello's future in Minnesota is uncertain, at best. But you know what? I'm not ready to write him off yet. He has come this far. For every Buxton or Sano, there are literally hundreds of Colabellos. And that might be the best part of minor league baseball. You just never know. Click here to view the article

I've been spoiled. This summer, I've been able to watch Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, from right over the home dugout, for $15 a ticket. You might think that having Sano and Rosario on the same minor league team, at the same time, is an affiliate's dream come true. To be sure, I'm confident that ticket sales increased after Sano and Rosario arrived, but the life of an affiliate is much more complicated. I've heard it stated that the Twins control everything on the field, and the Rock Cats control everything else. I wouldn't call that a 100% accurate statement, but you get the general idea. Put yourself in the seat of a (relatively) small business owner -- a MiLB affiliate owner, to be precise -- for just a second. It's difficult to imagine giving away control over the on-the-field product, while retaining control only over the relatively ancillary things, such as ticket prices and promotions. (Granted, ticket prices and concession prices go a long way in determining profitability). If I was the Rock Cats' owner, I'd certainly want a large say in the roster, but that's not the way that the system works. In fact, if Terry Ryan calls New Britain and says that Angel Morales is going to play every inning of every game for the next week because he's going to be the "minor league part" of a trade, well, that's the way it's going to be. [TABLE] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G5voEsiX99s/UhVn3sCEbuI/AAAAAAAAAqA/GZC6T-TeUwk/s320/Smiddy.jpg [TD=align: center]Rock Cats' Manager Jeff Smith. Courtesy of Richard Messina, Hartford Courant[/TD] [/TABLE] Since I've been following the Rock Cats, it's been up-and-down. They will not make the playoffs this year, and fell just short the two prior years. Meanwhile, the Twins minor league system, as a whole, continues to ascend the organizational rankings. As I write this, the overall consensus is that the Twins have a Top 5, and probably even higher, minor league system. Why, then, haven't the Rock Cats been more successful? I'm not about to place a large amount of blame on the coaches. Looking at this season only as an example: Alex Meyer (best pitching prospect on the roster) was injured half the season; Trevor May (second best pitching prospect on the roster) under-performed; and Sano and Rosario were only in New Britain half the season. The majority of the rest of the roster (excepting maybe half a dozen guys) are unlikely to play major league baseball for more than the proverbial cup of coffee. In other words, although there were top prospects, the deeper levels of talent might not have been there. Having a few good guys on paper does not a postseason team make. But back to the managing. Jeff Smith is in his third year managing in New Britain, after working his way up from Beloit and Ft. Myers. He spent a lot of time in New Britain as a minor leaguer, but never made the majors. I have yet to hear anything on-the-record concerning his managerial skills and I actually do believe that he had the full support of the Twins' organization when he benched Sano last month. But I'm not sure what role the Smith has in the organizational future, and I'm honestly not sure in what regard the current players hold him. Without any particular knowledge base, I'd put both Jake Mauer and Doug Mientkiewicz (today named as manager of the year for the Florida State League) above Smith. I do believe that the Twins are going to go a different direction this off-season with Ron Gardenhire. And I also believe that a Gardenhire decision will have a significant trickle-down effect on the affiliates. Much in the same way, I'm not sure what the future holds for pitching coach Stu Cliburn (longtime member of the organization) and new hitting coach Chad Allen. Yep, Chad Allen, the same former Twins player who was named in the Mitchell Report, and who was never a great hitter (not that that is a prerequisite, necessarily, to be able to teach hitting). In short, it's a very interesting mix of young and old that converged this season to coach the Rock Cats. Far be it from me -- or probably anyone reading this -- to speculate with any accuracy whether they did or did not do their jobs, but I can guess that the effect of 3 Twins seasons of 90+ losses is likely to have a very direct effect on the New Britain coaching staff. I want to end with this: Is there is something to be said for the fact that Cedar Rapids (definitely), Ft. Myers (definitely) and Rochester (likely) are all headed to the playoffs this season, but the Rock Cats are not? Is it simply bad timing on the Rock Cats' part, or is there something more? Coaching is very difficult to judge. I generally agree with the sentiment that managers get too much credit on winning teams, and too much blame on crappy teams. But at the same time, I do think that, in almost any business, change is necessary after a protracted period of losses -- whether that be earnings per share in a Fortune 500 company or a win-loss record in a professional sport. I will be curious to see what happens this off-season. Even if Gardy keeps his job, I expect some change in the Twins' AA ranks. Thanks, as always, for reading. I welcome any comments. Click here to view the article

[TABLE] http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/Sports/AP_MLB/201302191444530758115-p2.jpg [TD][/TD] [/TABLE] There's Joe Mauer. Then a big, big gap. Sure, Ryan Doumit can technically sit there and intercept a pitch before it hits the umpire. But to call him a full-time catcher -- or even an adept one -- may be a stretch. Nothing against Doumit as a baseball player and hitter, but a reliable catcher he is not. And of course there was Wilson Ramos, but enough has been written on that chapter. And finally, Drew Butera. Calls a great game and has a great arm, but cannot hit his way out of AAA. Long story short, the Twins have been searching for their next catcher for quite some time.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Last season, I was on the Chris Herrmann bandwagon. And I still am, to an extent. He put together a very nice 2012, demonstrating that he could hit, he could catch and that he could even play left field. Rightfully, he started 2013 at AAA Rochester. Unfortunately, 2013 has been rough thus far for Herrmann. He's hitting only .242/.308/.274 with 3 doubles. Yes, it's still very early in the season, and that's important to note. But it's also accurate to state that the first month-plus of 2013 has been disappointing for Herrmann. There's no reason to write him off -- he still has more than 300 at-bats to accumulate this summer -- but I am disappointed that Herrmann has been so slow out of the gate in what is a very important season for him. This preamble brings me to Josmil Pinto. While Herrmann has struggled, Pinto has flourished. Pinto, who turned 24 at the end of March, earned an "August call-up" to the Rock Cats last season after batting .295/.361/.473 with the High-A Ft. Myers Miracle. As I've written before, Pinto didn't disappoint. In 47 Rock Cats at-bats last season, he hit a nice .298/.365/.553. It's too small a sample size to determine anything other than that Pinto did indeed belong in AA. This brings me to 2013. Pinto has undoubtedly been the Rock Cats' best hitter. As New Britain's starting catcher, Pinto has hit .341/.414/.550 in his first 129 at-bats. He has 7 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, and 29 RBIs. Here's some league-wide information on Pinto, as of the date of this post. He's 3rd in the entire Eastern League in runs with 25; 2nd in hits with 44; tied for 2nd in home runs with 6; 1st in RBIs with 29; 1st in total bases with 71; 7th in on-base percentage at .414; 4th in slugging percentage at an even .550; 2nd in average at .341; and 2nd in OPS at .964. I should reiterate that we are only in the second week of May. Pinto has not yet been around the league that proverbial "second time." But at the same time, he's demonstrating thus far that he has improved from 2012, that he can catch a good game (he has a good arm from what I've seen, but I have heard that he needs work framing pitches), and that it's time to start considering where he sits on the Twins' depth chart. For my Twins' catching depth chart, I'm simply not going to count Drew Butera. It's the fan's prerogative, right? Nothing personal, but I've seen enough. He's earning more than major league minimum and the Twins have 2 other catchers that can do his job for less. So as of today, my Twins' depth chart at catcher is: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, Chris Herrmann, Josmil Pinto. If Pinto keeps that average above .300, keeps hitting for extra bases -- and if Herrmann fails to correct his early season slide -- I'm prepared to switch those final two positions as soon as July, when Pinto more than likely will catch at New Britain Stadium as a member of the Eastern League All-Star Team. But calling Pinto the next Twins' catcher is too simple a conclusion. Herrmann had a very good year last season and in my opinion, from having seen both catch a handful of games, Herrmann is a better receiver. There's a lot of baseball to go in 2013 and I'd like to see both Herrmann and Pinto have strong campaigns that force the Twins' front office to make a tough decision in 2014. As this team rebuilds, isn't that what we, as fans, want -- competition from qualified applicants for a spot on the team that will cost only $500,000? And competition that might make Ryan Doumit a tradeable asset this season or next? There's a long way to go in 2013. But so far, so good with Josmil Pinto. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Aaron Hicks.jpg Just 5 months ago, I questioned whether Aaron Hicks had earned his promotion to AA. At that time, he was coming off a less-than-impressive High-A slash line of .242/.354/.368 in 2011. More importantly, he was repeating High-A that season, so I had reason to be suspicious. Boy, was I wrong. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Hicks unquestionably had a breakout season in 2012 that, at least for me, firmly places him in the top five Twins prospects going into 2013. His numbers tell most of the story: .286/.384/.460; 21 2B; 11 3B; 13 HR; 61 RBIs (even though he served as leadoff hitter the last half of the season); 79 BB; 116 K; 32 SB; 11 CS. He accumulated 472 at-bats and scored in even 100 runs. Hicks led the Rock Cats in several offensive categories, but I want to examine him compared to Eastern League batting leaders. After all, he profiles as a future major league regular, so we should be comparing him to the best players in his division, not just on his team. His .286 average is good for 15th in the league. The 11 triples are tied for first in the league, and the 100 runs are solidly in first place in the entire league. Hicks tied for first in walks, was third in stolen bases, and eighth in on-base percentage. All of these numbers boil down to this: an incredibly solid season. It was disappointing that he did not receive a September call-up. I understand that the outfield is relatively full with Ben Revere, Josh Willingham, Chris Parmelee and Darin Mastroianni. I get it -- Hicks would not have received regular playing time, and it would cost the Twins money to have him sitting on the bench making major league minimum salary. But September call-ups can serve another function aside from helping to ensure that a team has enough healthy bodies at the end of the season: they can be a reward. And Hicks certainly was deserving of a reward. (For the record, I also believe that at least one of Chris Colabello (fantastic story and hit the cover off of the ball), Oswaldo Arcia (professional hitter), or Chris Herrmann (catching depth) could have been selected for an extended look at Target Field this final month of the season, too. But Hicks, above all others, looked like he had earned a call-up in 2012.) But there is another reason to like Hicks: he is one of the most polite and well-spoken professional athletes that I have ever met. I spoke to him just a couple nights ago, and am not sure that I recall meeting an athlete as humble. I'm certain, of course, that I have seen the last of Hicks in New Britain. I suspect he'll open 2013 in Rochester as their every day center fielder, and will be in position for a call-up next season at this time, if not a little sooner (especially if either Denard Span or Revere is traded). Congratulations, Aaron, on a fantastic season, and good luck in the future. Click here to view the article

 [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LNxZoVqMnpg/T8uwq_-e_SI/AAAAAAAAAYM/dlqtJMBfYWk/s400/Herrmann.jpg 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. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 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. Click here to view the article

The Twins are currently throttling the Indians. It's nice to see. Josh Willingham continues to demonstrate that he was an excellent off-season signing, and Alexi Casilla even got in on the action. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ROCHESTER 5, COLUMBUS 8 Liam Hendriks had a bad start. In 5 innings of work, he allowed 12 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), walked 3, struckout 1, and allowed a homer. Daniel Turpen allowed an unearned run in 1 and 1/3 innings on 3 walks and a strikeout, and Caleb Thielbar threw 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 3. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Right fielder Matt Carson led the way on offense, hitting 2 home runs and a single, and driving in 4. Sean Burroughs had 2 doubles, Brian Dinkelman had 2 hits, including a double, and Chris Parmelee and Clete Thomas each singled. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 4, READING 5 (GAME 1 -- 7 innings) Steven Hirshfeld took the loss for the Rock Cats tonight. He went 5 and 1/3 innings, gave up 5 runs on 9 hits, and struck out 3 while walking 1. Thereafter, Jose Gonzalez walked the only batter he faced, and Marty Popham tossed 2/3 of an inning, allowing 1 hit. Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Colabello and Joe Benson each had 2 hits, Benson with a double and Colabello with his 14th home run of the season. Deibinson Romero was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs, and James Beresford had a single in 2 at-bats. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 0, READING 6 (GAME 2 -- 7 innings) Aaron Thompson had a solid start, up until the 6th inning, anyway, but the offense didn't come through. In 5 and 1/3 innings, Thompson gave up 6 runs on 8 hits, striking out 6 and walking 2. Thompson had allowed 2 runs through 5 innings, but ran into trouble in the 6th inning, allowing a triple, sacrifice fly, a walk, a home run and a double before being replaced in favor of David Bromberg. Bromberg allowed 2 hits (and 1 inherited runner to score) in 2/3 of an inning, striking out 1. There were only 5 hits in this second game, a double by Daniel Rohlfing, and singles by Joe Benson, Rene Tosoni and Shawn Roof (2 for Roof). Benson, by the way, has now hit safely in his past 5 games. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 0, BREVARD COUNTY 3 Pat Dean went 4 innings in his start today, giving up 2 runs on 8 hits. He struck out 2 and walked 2. Ryan O'Rourke allowed an unearned run in 2 innings of work, allowing 2 hits and striking out 3. Ricky Bowen was very good today, throwing 3 innings and allowing only 1 hit. There wasn't very much Miracle offense to speak of tonight -- only 4 total hits. Daniel Ortiz doubled in 3 at-bats, and Kyle Knudson, Lance Ray and Michael Gonzales all singled. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 10, PEORIA 4 Tyler Jones was on the rubber for the Snappers tonight. He went 6 and 1/3 innings, allowing 4 runs (only 2 earned) on 5 hits. He struck out 11 and walked 2. Tim Atherton threw 1 and 2/3 innings, striking out 1 and walking 1. Zack Jones threw a scoreless 9th, walking 1 and striking out 1. First baseman Kenny Vargas had a great game. He was 2-for-4 with a home run and a triple. He drove in 4 runs, and also walked once. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-for-5 with a double, Stephen Wickens doubled in 3 at-bats, and Nate Roberts, Drew Leachman, Miguel Sano, Matthew Koch and Jairo Rodriguez all singled. Sano, 1-for-2 on the day, walked 3 times and had 2 RBIs late in the game. Here's the link to the box score. ELIZABETHTON 5, GREENVILLE 0 Angel Mata had a solid start today. In 5 innings of work, he only allowed 2 hits, striking out 8 and walking none. Kaleb Merck threw 2 scoreless innings in relief, giving up 2 hits and striking out 2. J.T. Chargois closed out the game, also throwing 2 innings, striking out 1. E-Town had 8 hits today, 3 coming off the bat of Candido Pimentel, who was just a home run shy of the cycle, and had 2 RBIs. Joshua Hendricks had 2 hits, including a double, and an RBI. Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco doubled, and Niko Goodrum singled in 4 at-bats. Here's the link to the box score. GCL TWINS 4, GCL RED SOX 1 32nd overall pick Jose Berrios started for the Twins today, and was good. He threw 4 innings, allowed only 2 hits, and struck out 6. Austin Malinowski threw 3 and 2/3 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, striking out 6 and walking 1. Trent Higginbotham tossed 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing no hits and issuing 1 walk. Top prospect Eddie Rosario was 3-for-5 with 3 doubles and an RBI. Joel Licon had 2 singles in 5 at-bats. Byron Buxton and Aderlin Mejia each doubled. Buxton is batting .197 on the season, but is hitting .290/.389/.742 in his last 10 games. Here's the link to the box score. ---------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Saturday, July 28 Hitter of the Day: Eddie Rosario Download attachment: Eddie.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Angel Mata Download attachment: Mata.jpg ------------------------------------------- Schedule for Sunday, July 29 Rochester @ Columbus --- RHP Shairon Martis New Britain @ Reading --- LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers vs. Breavard County --- RHP Matthew Summers Beloit @ Peoria --- LHP Matt Tomshaw Elizabethton @ Bristol --- LHP Hein Robb ------------------------------------------------ If you have any questions or comments, please leave them here! Thanks. Click here to view the article

http://1.bp.blogspot...0/Rock Cats.bmp There is breaking Twins-related minor league news this afternoon in Central Connecticut, where it has been announced that the New Britain Rock Cats, which had done very well in the community and in terms of attendance, under owners Bill Dowling (former attorney for George Steinbrenner) and Coleman Levy (local attorney), is being sold to an investment group. [Originally posted at my blog, http://twinsfanfromafar.blogspot.com] DSF Group, the purchaser, is a real estate and sports investment firm, and also owns the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (same division as the Rock Cats and AA affiliate of the Blue Jays), and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Class A affiliate of Tampa Bay Rays). Interestingly, John Willi, who left the helm as the Rock Cats' general manager in 2010 to take a position at DSF, will be returning to that post.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I have a feeling that this is going to be an interesting story, especially as rumors have been floating around that the Rock Cats may change affiliation. I will be keeping track of this story and any further developments. But as a fan, as long as the ticket prices remain affordable, and the quality of baseball is good, I'll be happy to continue to support the Rock Cats. Here's the article from the Hartford Courant detailing the sale. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: download+(3).jpg It's one thing to predict an Opening Day lineup after things begin to shake out in Spring Training. It's another to do it a full month before pitchers and catchers arrive. So in the spirit of good fun, what follows is my January 26, 2014 prediction for the New Britain Rock Cats' Opening Day lineup. The first several spots in my batting order pack a little punch. Between guys like Byron Buxton and Danny Santana that hit and have speed, and guys like Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas (throw in C.J. Ziegler, too) with power, this is an offense that should score some runs. Danny Ortiz and Matt Koch are no slouches, either! Predicting the Opening Day starter is more or less impossible. Part of me wants to say Alex Meyer. I don't think there's any way he's joining the Twins to begin 2014, but the real question is whether his injury-plagued 2013 regular season temporarily stunted him. In other words, I tend to think that both Meyer and Miguel Sano could start in New Britain, but would be eligible to be promoted after just a month or so. If he's in New Britain, Meyer should be the Opening Day starter. However, I'm going to predict that Meyer will join Trevor May and start 2014 at AAA Rochester. Instead, I think D.J. Baxendale, who was unstoppable at High-A Ft. Myers, but struggled considerably in New Britain, will get the nod. This is a big year for him. Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar 1. Byron Buxton (CF) 2. Danny Santana (SS) 3. Miguel Sano (3B)** 4. Kennys Vargas (DH) 5. C.J. Ziegler (1B) 6. Daniel Ortiz (LF) 7. Mike Kvasnicka (RF) 8. Matt Koch © 9. Levi Michael (2B) Pitcher: D.J. Baxendale **This particular pick involves a little of my own personal bias. Part of the bias is that I want to see him play a few more games at AA because, well, that's where I watch baseball games. The other part is my opinion (admittedly, not a scout's opinion) of his play last summer. There was still work to be done on defense, and I really want to see him become even more willing to take a walk (I recall several at-bats where he'd swing at a questionable -- not hitters -- 3-and-1 pitch, when it very likely would have been ball 4). Can he make those improvements during Spring Training and at AAA? Certainly. Is there a little less stress for him to do it in New Britain? Perhaps. Finally, his health is still a question. Yes, all indications are that his elbow is in much better shape, but I'm not ready to believe that until I see him in the field throwing bullets to first base without effort. I'll be happy with any decision, aside from sending him to Minnesota to begin the season. In the end, I bet I'm about half right on the players. Buxton, Vargas, Ziegler, Ortiz, Koch, Michael, seem locks. So, where do you think I was right, and where'd I go wrong? Click here to view the article

Last night I had a brief, and sort of strange, Twitter exchange with Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press. He tweeted "I'm still waiting for the Twins organization to hand Miguel Sano a first baseman's mitt." We exchanged a few respectful replies - this definitely wasn't a Twitter argument or war -- but it was still very confusing to me, and I still firmly believe I'm correct. (Here's the link to the first of the Tweets.) First, let's agree on one thing: Powers is correct that Sano's defense had nowhere to go but up. Improvement was expected, for sure. But let's look at the data: Sano currently has 21 errors on the season (in 111 games thus far); in 2012 he had 42 errors in 126 games. He's playing at higher levels in 2013 than in 2012, and his fielding percentage has increased from .884 to .932. In fact, he's likely to cut his errors almost in half. Yes, that's not deep analysis, but it's something. I've watched Sano in person about 10-12 games this summer. He is not going to be elite defensively, but I hope if you were fortunate to watch this past week's game on FSN, you saw Sano make a fantastic play coming in on a slow roller down the line. He fielded it expertly and made a strong throw to get the runner. He still makes bad plays, but fans who think he's some kind of stone-handed giant at the hot corner are simply wrong. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wxQ3gI13Xic/UhkyW7RwlTI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/0n6proboJSs/s320/Sano+Futures.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Miguel Sano for the World team at the 2013 Futures Game. Image courtesy of me. [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] Sano's defense is not where it eventually needs to be -- just like his bat is not yet at the major league level. But would the Twins really move him, at age 20, to an "easy" defensive position and give up on him playing third base, which has been a position of need for this team for many years since I have been born (excepting the Gary Gaetti and Corey Koskie years)? In one word, that sounds foolish. Moreover, here is a short list of guys who could play first base for the Twins in 2014 that are not Miguel Sano: Justin Morneau (if the Twins got him for a year cheap); Chris Colabello (will he get a shot at a long stint in the majors starting to see if he is better than a AAAA player?); Joe Mauer (he almost certainly will play fewer games behind the plate in 2014 than in 2013, but the team needs that bat in the lineup); and Chris Herrmann (Twins fans, please pay attention: he is arguably the most versatile player on this team). The Twins certainly don't need him at first base, and that's certainly not his only shot to the majors. Let's talk about third base depth for just a minute. Trevor Plouffe, 27 years old, is hitting .231/.292./.386 for the Twins this season. He has 9 errors in 88 games at the hot corner, and his fielding percentage at third base is .959 this season. I'd be an idiot to state that his defense isn't better than Sano's -- of course it is. But is he that much better? Will he eventually be that much better on defense than Sano might? Open question, but I tend to think that the guy who is 20, a better prospect than Plouffe ever was, and -- let us not forget -- is still learning to play third base after growing up as a shortstop -- will eventually equal or surpass Plouffe defensively. Not to mention that Plouffe's hitting has been awful this season. Finally, I should mention Deibinson Romero for a second. I like him, and he has some pop in his bat. I watched him all last season at New Britain, and he's a fun guy to follow. This season, he has a .952 fielding percentage up at Rochester, to go with a .264/.369/.418 line. He'll turn 27 next month. I'd hardly call him a legitimate prospect, but it's possible he could see major league time. Hypothetically, though, if the Twins are going to invest time and innings (while the team is bad) in a prospect that needs to improve defensively (and offensively), wouldn't you rather Sano get the chance, than Romero? In fact, I'd rather Sano get the chance at some point in 2014 (assuming continued improvement in the minors) over Plouffe. The bottom line is this: when the Twins are next competing for a division title, Miguel Sano -- and not Trevor Plouffe or Deibinson Romero -- is going to be playing a crucial role. To give up on him at third base now, when things honestly don't matter since the reset of the team is so bad, is incredibly short-sighted. The idea that the Twins -- headed for their third straight 90 loss season -- would give up on their second best prospect, who just turned 20, at a position of defensive importance for the franchise -- is preposterous. Perhaps Powers was trying to drum up conversation or say something provocative, but I think it came off as crazy. Yes, maybe someday, if Sano doesn't continue to improve defensively, he will become a right fielder (he does have a good arm) or a first baseman. But that day won't occur in 2013. In fact, I'd be shocked if it came before the end of the 2015 season. Click here to view the article

The minor league season is about to wrap up. A couple teams -- E-Town and Beloit -- are headed to the playoffs, which is great for fans of the minor league system. Let's take a look at the action down on the farm. ELIZABETHTON 4, DANVILLE 0 The 2012 Appalachian League Playoffs, Series 1 (the semi-finals), pits familiar post-season foes the Twins and the Braves. The E-Town Twins got the first victory in this best-of-3 series, so they hold a major advantage now. E-Town won on the road, so they will play tomorrow night at home, hoping to wrap up this series with consecutive wins. Here's the rundown of tonight's action:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] This game was all about E-Town's pitching. 2012 draft pick, and sure-fire top Twins pitching prospect Jose Berrios turned in a great start, going 6 innings, allowing only 1 hit, striking out 7 and walking 1. Tyler Duffey threw 2 scoreless innings, striking out 4, and J.T. Chargois tossed a scoreless 9th, allowing 1 hit and fanning 1 batter. With pitching performances like that, you don't need too much offense! Luckily, E-Town was able to string together more than enough offense to make the pitchers comfortable. Right fielder Adam Walker had a big game. He was 3-for-4 with a double, home run and single, and had 2 RBIs. His 2-run homer came in the second inning, thus giving Berrios some breathing room. Shortstop Niko Goodrum was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jorge Polanco had 2 hits in 4 at-bats. Byron Buxton was 1-for-3 with an RBI, and D.J. Hicks and Candido Pimentel were each 1-for-4, Hicks' hit being a double. Buxton and Walker each stole a base, as well. Here's the link to the box score. ROCHESTER -- OFF NEW BRITAIN 3, TRENTON 1 It still has been a solid season for the Rock Cats, but their performance in August has been dreadful. Unfortunately, they're fighting a very uphill battle for the final playoff spot. They did, however, turn in a good performance tonight. Logan Darnell had a quality start, going 6 innings and yielding 0 runs. He struck out 3 and walked 2. David Bromberg allowed 1 run 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 2 and walking 2. Bruce Pugh tossed 2 scoreless frames, fanning 3. Deibinson Romero was 3-for-4 tonight with 2 doubles and an RBI, demonstrating why he was a season-ending All-Star in the Eastern League. MN's own Nathan Hanson was 2-for-4 with a double. Oswaldo Arcia had a triple in 4 at-bats, and is hitting .321. Aaron Hicks also tripled, his only hit in 5 at-bats. He's hitting a solid .285. Rene Tosoni had a double, and Chris Colabello and Daniel Rohlfing each singled. Here's the link to the box score. FT. MYERS 9, BRADENTON 8 There was no shortage of offense at this nearly 3 hour game. Tom Stuifbergen started, and went 5 innings. He gave up 7 runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out 1. He allowed 2 home runs. The bullpen was better, though. Miguel Munoz allowed 1 run on 2 hits in an inning of work, striking out 1. Ryan O'Rourke tossed 2 scoreless innings, striking out 3 and allowing only 1 hit. Michael Tonkin tossed a scoreless 9th, fanning 3 and allowing 1 hit. There were 12 hits for the Miracle this evening. 3 players each had 3 hits. Levi Michael was 3-for-5 -- all doubles -- and had 3 RBIs. Nice to see some power from Michael. Daniel Ortiz was 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, and also had 3 RBIs. Angel Morales was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and 2 walks. Steven Liddle, Jonathan Goncalves and Aderlin Mejia all singled. Morales also had 2 stolen bases tonight. Here's the link to the box score. BELOIT 6, WISCONSIN 5 (12 innings) David Hurlbut got the start for the Snappers, and went 7 innings. He gave up 4 runs (only 2 earned), allowed 6 hits and struck out 2. Corey Williams threw 1 and 2/3 scorleless out of the bullpen, surrendering 3 hits and striking out 1. Zachary Jones tossed 1 and 1/3 innings, allowed an unearned run, struck out 2, walked 1, and gave up one hit. Steven Gruver earned the win for the Snappers tonight, throwing the final 2 scoreless innings, striking out 1 batter. JaDamion Williams was 2-for-4 with a walk, Weng-Wei Lin was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a walk, and TwinsDaily's own Adam Pettersen was the hero of the night, delivering what turned out to be the game-winning single in the top of the 12th. Pettersen was 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Kennys Vargas and Nate Roberts were 1-for-6 with doubles, and Steven Wickens had singled and walked in 4 trips to the plate. There were 7 combined errors tonight -- 4 from the Snappers (Wickens, Hurlbut, Roberts, and Eddie Rosario). Miguel Sano watchers: he did not play tonight. Here's the linkto the box score. ---------------------------------------- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 29 Pitcher of the Day: Jose Berrios http://www.sportsgrid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/berrios.jpg Hitter of the Day: Levi Michael http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfMooX0G0nU/T-p4OnmHUiI/AAAAAAAACa4/hioU-yzjRo8/s1600/LeviMichael.jpg ----------------------------------------- Schedule for Thursday, August 30 Rochester vs. Buffalo --- RHP P.J. Walters New Britain @ Trenton --- RHP B.J. Hermsen Ft. Myers vs. Charlotte --- ??? Beloit @ Wisconsin --- RHP Cole Johnson Elizabethton vs. Danville (Playoff Game 2) --- LHP Brett Lee ----------------------------------------- Please leave any questions or comments here, and thanks for reading. Click here to view the article

Originally posted at Twins Fan From Afar I've written before, as have others, that Joe Mauer isn't only valuable to the Twins for his contributions as the star catcher and third batter in the lineup. Make no mistake, that's how he earns his paycheck. But it's also evident that, over the last few years, he has become his own brand. Download attachment: 32-07776-F.jpg Even where I live, far removed from Twins Territory, I have noticed more Twins hats, and even the occasional Mauer jersey or t-shirt, than I did even five years ago. Sure, part of it is undoubtedly due to the presence of the New Britain Rock Cats, but part of it is simply because Joe Mauer is regarded as one of the best players in baseball and has helped popularize the Twins' brand. For the 2010 season, Joe Mauer jerseys ranked as the second highest selling jersey in all of baseball, trailing only Derek Jeter. Damn Yankees. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Cliff Lee rounded out the top five. Without putting too much thought into it, I had assumed the Twins derived some specific financial benefit from the sale of so many Mauer jerseys. In turn, I had always credited Mauer's popularity with respect to apparel sales and revenue as part of his off-the-field value. I decided to look into this just a little bit more, and was a bit surprised at what I found. MLB's revenue sharing arrangement, part of which is comprised of a central revenue fund, gets its money from national TV and radio deals, the MLB network, and merchandise sales. Thereafter, the money in the central fund is distributed equally to the 30 teams. In 2009, for instance, each team received approximately $30 million from this arrangement. (There also is another revenue pool that deals with local TV contracts, concessions and ticket sales -- and it is a large source of disagreement between small market and big market teams -- but that is another post for another day). In other words, the fact that more Joe Mauer jerseys are sold than almost any other jersey does not specifically benefit the Twins more than it benefits any other baseball team. Interestingly, the fact that Mauer jerseys are so popular might not even provide extra cash in Mauer's own pocket. The Major League Baseball Player's Association states, regarding player licensing revenue, that "[p]layers receive a pro rata share of licensing revenue regardless or stature," and that the amount of the share is dependent on that player's actual days of MLB service in a given season. But don't worry, fans, Joe has Gatorade, Nike and Head & Shoulders royalty checks coming in, so I'm sure he's able to afford gas to fill his Chevy, and the weekly Cub Foods trip. So, it might have been premature on my part to think that Joe Mauer jersey sales bring in a considerable amount of revenue for the Twins. That being said, a healthy Mauer does put people in seats, and those people purchase food and booze at Target Field, maybe even if the team is not playing great. That is money in the Twins' pocketbook. Finally, I also don't think it's completely incorrect to give Mauer at least a tiny portion of the credit for helping the Twins land Target Field. Yes, the deal was years in the making, and yes, taxpayers pretty much footed the bill. But it's a lot easier to sell a fan base on a new stadium when the team is winning -- as the Twins did several times in the years leading up to 2010 -- than when it is losing and being threatened with contraction. And there was no player more instrumental to many of those winning seasons than Mauer. The concept of "value" is tricky. Clearly, for franchise players like Mauer or Jeter, it extends beyond the foul lines. Click here to view the article

The Twins actually won a game today. It's tough to complain about too much from today's Twins performance. Jason Marquis earned the win, and picked up the 4th Twins quality start along the way. The Twins scored 4 runs in the first, 2 runs in the third and 1 in the seventh, on their way to a 7-4 victory. Josh Willingham (a home run short of the cycle, go figure) and Danny Valencia (3 hits including a triple) led the way on offense, and the only Twins starters without a hit were Trevor Plouffe and Alexi Casilla. Matt Capps, as he is want to do, made it a little interesting in the 9th. But a win is a win! Here's a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, BUFFALO 8 Red Wings starter Scott Diamond, on many fans' short lists for a spot in the Twins' rotation, didn't have his best stuff Sunday, picking up his first loss on the season (4-1). In 6 and 1/3 innings, Diamond allowed 11 hits and 7 runs, striking out 6 and issuing 0 free passes. Diamond's ERA, even after this subpar outing, is 2.84. Jeff Manship pitched the rest of the game, 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 run, striking out 1 and walking 2. The Red Wings didn't accumulate much offense today, scattering 6 hits. Joe Benson hit is second triple of the year, and Ben Revere was 1-for-4. Top prospect Brian Dozier was also 1-for-4 with a 2-out RBI single to score Drew Butera. Dozier is batting .274 on the season. Aaron Bates picked up the other RBI for Rochester with a 2-out line drive single to drive in Benson. NEW BRITAIN 5, RICHMOND 2 After losing the first 2 games of the series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels (love the nickname), the Rock Cats had a better effort today. Starter Logan Darnell picked up the win (3-0). He pitched 6 and 2/3 innings, gave up 7 hits and 2 runs, and struck out 8 while walking 1 along the way. His ERA stands at 4.56. He has been the recipient of some solid Rock Cats offense when he has pitched this season. Reliever Daniel Turpen pitched the rest of the game, 2 and 1/3 innings, and earned the save, his second of the season. He was very effective, giving up no hits and no walks, while striking out 2. This effort improved his ERA to 4.5. On offense, the team had 9 hits. Every starter except for Estarlin De Los Santos and Evan Bigley tallied at least one hit. Chris Herrmann was 2-for-3 with a walk, and also reached base on an error in his other plate appearance. He scored 3 runs. Nathan Hanson also had a good game, going 2-for-4 with a double and accumulating 2 RBIs. Aaron Hicks was 1-for-4 with a single and a stolen base (his 3rd of the season), and is batting .265 on the season. Deibinson Romero hit a triple, and shortstop Pedro Florimon had a double. If you haven't heard, reliever Deolis Guerra was promoted to AAA Rochester, and starter Alex Wimmers, on the disabled list with an elbow strain, is now in Ft. Myers rehabilitating that injury. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 1, ST. LUCIE 5 The Miracle lost their third game in a row today. Starter Jose Gonzalez picked up the loss, lasting 3 innings. He was responsible for 4 runs, walked 2 and struck out 2, and gave up a home run. The Miracle bullpen was solid, though. Righty Ricky Bowen picked up the slack, tossing 4 innings. He gave up just 1 run (on a solo home run), struck out 2 and walked 1. After this outing, Bowen's ERA is 1.96. Bruce Pugh pitched the 8th and 9th innings, giving up 3 hits and striking out 1. As you could guess from the score, the Miracle's offense struggled today. Only 4 players tallied hits. Shortstop Daniel Santana was 2-for-4, as was second baseman and first round draft pick Levi Michael. Oswaldo Arcia and Wilkin Ramirez each had one hit. There were no extra-base hits for Ft. Myers today. The Miracle's lone run came on a Lance Ray sacrifice fly that scored Arcia. It was also announced today that pitchers BJ Hermsen and Caleb Thielbar were promoted to New Britain. So, congratulations to them! BELOIT 4, DAYTON 3 On the mound, Snappers starter Tim Shibuya had a good effort. He threw 6 and 1/3 innings and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits, for a quality start, but struck out 11 batters, including 6 of his first 7. After this outing, his ERA stands at an even 3.00. Reliever Michael Tonkin tossed 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits, striking out 2 and walking 1. Corey Williams pitched a scoreless 9th inning, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. He earned the win in relief. Beloit's offense tallied 12 hits today. Right fielder Daniel Ortiz had a great day, going 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and a double (his second), and knocked in 3 runs. He's batting .299 on the season. Center fielder Jonathan Goncalves and DH Adam Pettersen were each 2-for-3 with doubles, and Eddie Rosario, playing second base, was 1-for-4 with a double (but was thrown out at home trying to score following an error on the play). Adam Bryant was 2-for-5, and Miguel Sano was 1-for-4 with a single. The Snappers won in dramatic fashion. The teams entered the bottom of the 9th tied at 3-3. Jairo Rodriguez led off with a single, and JaDamion Williams came in as a pinch runner. Adam Pettersen walked, sending Williams to second. Wang-Wei Lin sacrifice bunted Williams to third. Then, with 2 outs, Adam Bryant drove in Williams with a ground ball single to center field, giving the Snappers a 4-3 victory. ----- Players of the day for Sunday, April 29 Hitter of the Day: Daniel Ortiz Download attachment: Daniel Ortiz.jpg Pitcher of the Day: Tim Shibuya Download attachment: Tim S.jpg ----- A Look Ahead: Monday, April 30 Schedule Rochester @ Buffalo--RHP Cole DeVries New Britain @ Harrisburg-- RHP David Bromberg Ft. Myers vs. St. Lucie--RHP Adrian Salcedo Beloit vs. Dayton--LHP Jason Wheeler ----- If you have any questions or comments, leave them here and I'm sure Seth will answer them! Click here to view the article

Late this afternoon, the Hartford Courant placed a story on its front page suggesting that the Rock Cats' owners may be moving the team to Hartford in 2016. It's only about 10 miles away, but would be significant for many local reasons I won't get into now. Journalism is funny in the Internet age. The original title of the piece was "Rock Cats Close to Deal to Move to Hartford." It now reads, "Rock Cats in Talks to Move from New Britain to Hartford." There are confirmations and denials from various parties, but the fact that it was written by, among other reporters, Hartford's Government Watch reporter (as opposed to a sportswriter, who might not have the political connections to piece together the story), suggests to me that the Courant was pretty confident in its report. [/hr] Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar [/hr]http://twinsdaily.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=7658&stc=1 Note that this is talking about the minor league organization, not the Twins affiliation. What does this mean for the Twins? Nothing, perhaps. Regardless of any deal, the Rock Cats will play 2014 and 2015 in New Britain. And the Twins and Rock Cats must decide this season whether to renew their player development contract. This is about the stadium. New Britain Stadium is owned and operated by the city -- not the team. I can't opine on this, as I have not seen other Eastern League ballparks, but it's been said to me more than once that the New Britain playing field, and perhaps the facilities, are not as good as they could be. Like I said, I have nothing to compare this to. But assuming that's true to an extent, a new ballpark would appeal to the Twins, or most any other team moving from a non-state-of-the-art-facility. It's way, way too early to speculate any more, though. When there are developments, follow me on twitter for the latest. ~~~ Kennys Vargas continues to hit. After missing a few games with a strange wrist injury (suffered in batting practice), Vargas hasn't missed a beat. 40 percent of the way through the minor league season, Vargas has a .323/.398/.508 line, which is good for a .906 OPS. He has 11 doubles, 8 home runs, 24 walks and 34 strikeouts. The .323 average is nearly identical to Vargas' career-best season -- 2010 in the Gulf Coast League. Something interesting has happened in the last couple weeks, though: Vargas isn't hitting for much power, but he is hitting for average. In fact, he hasn't homered in a couple weeks, and has only 1 double in that time frame. But in his last 10 games, he still has 14 hits, 8 RBIs, and a .378 average. So although the power has tapered a little (perhaps the wrist isn't 100%), Vargas is still extremely effective. If he makes it through June still hitting and reaching base at this rate, I'd like to see him promoted. Most important, however, is playing time. It makes no sense to Vargas to share at-bats with whoever's in Rochester (Colabello/Parmelee/Arcia -- you get the point). I was at last Saturday's game where Vargas had two hits. One thing that stood out to me was that he was comfortable taking what the pitcher gave him -- in that game it was two singles to opposite field. Neither was that well hit, but it's so much better than what many big guys do: roll over the outside pitch for a grounder to first or second. ~~~ Danny Ortiz was the Rock Cats' best hitter in the month of May. After hitting only .227 in April, Ortiz heated up with an amazing .388/.402/.660 line in May, including 4 homers, 2 triples and a whopping 12 doubles. In fact, New Britain Herald sportswriter Matt Straub noted that Ortiz, who is 24 years old this season, has been perhaps the team's most consistent player. I've always been pleasantly surprised with Ortiz' arm, but he's an under-the-radar guy, mostly due to a pretty low career average, and the fact that he simply doesn't walk. On the season, Ortiz has a respectable .324/.340/.500 line, but notice that on-base percentage. He's struck out 34 times, and walked only 3. Unless he can sustain a .330 average -- which he hasn't been able to -- that's problematic. But, it's great to see him hitting the ball hard. Perhaps plate discipline can come later for Ortiz? ~~~ Eddie Rosario is back! Or, he will be back. Soon. We hope. Working his way back up to New Britain, Rosario started off 1-for-11 with the Ft. Myers Miracle, but was 2-for-3 in Sunday's game with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base. I have no particular knowledge, but my guess is that Rosario will put in another week, give or take, before he comes back to Connecticut -- provided he has good at-bats. I think they'll keep him in the outfield predominately. The Rock Cats' lineup could use more help at the top, and Rosario -- after foolish behavior cost him 50 games -- needs to put himself in a position to compete for a 2015 MLB position. ~~~ Mark Hamburger is back! The former major leaguer, former St. Paul Saint, is in New Britain, hoping to make his way up to the Twins' bullpen. I saw his only appearance thus far -- a 2 inning, 2 hit, 2 strikeout, 1 walk outing. He was all right. Nothing much more to report on him now, except for wishing him good luck and hoping he can revive his career and resist the temptations that got him in a little trouble in the past. ~~~ Finally, I tend to focus so much on the individual players (or, perhaps only a couple individual players), that I lose sight of the team's win-loss record. But baseball is a team game, and even in the minor leagues -- where player development is primary -- I want these guys to learn winning baseball at every level. The Rock Cats had a better May, and currently stand at 25-29, riding a three-game win streak. What they could use: better starting pitching; more offensive threats. Click here to view the article

Last week, I was in the right place at the right time: the AA debuts of top Twins' prospect Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. One big takeaway from Sano's and Rosario's first couple AA games was that their reputations preceded them; in other words, pitchers knew who these guys were. Take a look at the (grainy amateur) video I shot of some early at-bats -- the pitches weren't even close. As a result, Sano and Rosario, but Sano especially, seemed to only get maybe 1 pitch per at-bat in his wheelhouse. I suspect this is a problem that has plagued him his entire career, and probably won't stop until he he has someone equally or more talented hitting behind him.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Today I thought I would take a look at the very, very sample size that has been Sano's AA career. I want to see how pitchers are approaching his at-bats. As of the writing of this article, Sano has compiled 19 plate appearances for the Rock Cats: 1 hit, 6 walks, 3 Ks, and 9 other outs on balls in play. I'm going to use screenshots. As a caveat, please be aware that the Gameday information is imperfect: it's a good tool, but is, of course, subject to human error. That being said, let's take a look. 1: 5-pitch walk. Arguably 1 pitch to hit, and he fouled it off. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2vGxHB35FZw/Ub-snjZL1bI/AAAAAAAAAjI/5rnRM7Ts7q0/s320/IMAG0467.jpg 2: 2-pitch ground out to third http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-velJSvId9u8/Ub-s50fKY4I/AAAAAAAAAjU/342LdSl50PE/s320/IMAG0468.jpg 3: 3-pitch sac fly. All hittable pitches. 2 called strikes and the fly ball. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyqEvPejxIM/Ub-tH23kowI/AAAAAAAAAjc/Hhkp9ySBVPY/s320/IMAG0469.jpg 4: 4-pitch swinging K. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UWtp88yGBLo/Ub-t_PiJfZI/AAAAAAAAAjs/xDFgnCZ_0_s/s320/IMAG0470.jpg 5: 5-pitch sac fly. The 3 balls appeared pretty far off the plate. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0471.jpg 6: 6-pitch called strikeout. Looked like some hittable pitches up in the zone. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0472.jpg 7: 5-pitch flyout to left. http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0473.jpg 8: 3-pitch flyout to right. http://1.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0474.jpg 9: 1-pitch single to left. Looked like a good pitch to hit. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0475.jpg 10: 2-pitch groundout to shortstop: http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0476.jpg 11: 5-pitch walk. http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0477.jpg 12: 3-pitch flyout to center. http://1.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0478.jpg 13: 8-pitch walk. Looks like he was consistently worked outside. http://4.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0479.jpg 14: 6-pitch walk. Again worked outside. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0480.jpg 15: 6-pitch pop-out to first base. He was worked inside. Perhaps only the second or third plate appearance of thus far where a pitcher deliberately challenged him on the inner half. http://3.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0481.jpg 16: 6-pitch walk. Again worked inside by Harrisburg starter Blake Treinen. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0482.jpg 17: 3-pitch grounder to shortstop. Treinen went inside on the third pitch. http://1.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0483.jpg 18: 3 called strikes. http://2.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0484.jpg 19: 6-pitch walk. Check out those inside pitches. http://3.bp.blogspot...20/IMAG0485.jpg Some quick takeaways from this very small sample size: With the exception of the final game (appearances 15-19), teams are really working Sano outside. Not a big surprise. But the strange part is that the inside pitches, thus far, haven't produced big results. Sano is probably used to being pitched outside so much that the inside pitches might surprise him.Sano has swung at the first pitch in 7 of these 19 plate appearances.He has a strange, strange line of .091/.368/.091. This suggests at least 3 things: 1) the sample size is so small as to be meaningless; 2) Sano is not hitting yet; 3) he is reaching base via the walk at a high, high rate.He's not striking out at a higher rate than he did at High-A.Sano is taking good at-bats, even if they aren't ending with hits. He has only 1 one-pitch at-bat (it was his lone hit, by the way); he's averaging 4.3 pitches per plate appearance (for comparison, right now Joe Mauer is 6th in baseball with 4.24 pitches per plate appearance).My quick take: Sano is doing what he should be doing. He's seeing pitches from pitchers that are new to him; he's managing to reach base at a good clip despite not getting base hits; he's "just missing" -- his words not mine -- baseballs. In other words, just be patient. I'm curious what others think, or can glean, from these screenshots (again, taking them for what they are -- an imperfect tool). It's going to be interesting to see how pitchers plan to approach Sano as spring becomes summer, and as Sano eventually starts to see some of these guys a second time. It will also help matters greatly if those batting behind Sano prove a formidable threat. Click here to view the article

Just like their parent club, the New Britain Rock Cats have hit a tough spell. In fact, their last victory was May 11 vs. Portland and since that 5-4 win the Cats have lost 8 consecutive games. In those 8 games, the Rock Cats have combined to score a grand total of 18 runs while allowing 52. It's not tough to see the problems: they aren't scoring enough and are allowing too many runs. (How's that for analysis?). But let's dig a little deeper. There are other things -- some good -- at play. First, infielder James Beresford, who had been on the disabled list with a pulled groin, just returned to action this past weekend. Beresford had been off to a hot start before missing 2 weeks. In his first 4 games back, he has 6 hits (in 17 at-bats) and is batting .340 on the season.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I frequently write about Beresford for a good reason: although he isn't a top Twins prospect, he has a very good glove and has demonstrated this season that his bat has caught up to AA pitching. If the hot bat continues, I'd be surprised if the 24-year-old isn't promoted by July. So keep checking his stats! [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YUz9OOZOUOE/UZv1lIymlrI/AAAAAAAAAik/ExZxLKexMvA/s320/New-RockCats-cropped-1024x766.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]If you're familiar with this blog, you know that this image signifies that the Rock Cats are in the midst of a losing streak[/TD] [/TABLE] Second, for a couple weeks New Britain had been playing without a dedicated third baseman after Minnesota's own Nate Hanson was promoted to Rochester. Luckily, Deibinson Romero's visa issues have been resolved and he joined the team earlier this week. He's off to a good start, hitting .370 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs in the first 7 games. In fact, he had 3 hits in each of his last 2 games. Romero, not a fantastic defender, was dependable on offense last year, so in the long run, his presence in the middle of the Cats' lineup will create more punch. Don't forget, last season Romero hit 19 home runs and 23 doubles for New Britain, so he's no slouch with the bat. Now, let's discuss our top starting pitching prospects: Meyerand May, perhaps our next "M & M Boys." They haven't been as successful the proverbial second time around the league. In his starts this month Meyer hasn't lasted longer than 5 and 1/3 innings, but has 17 K's to go with 7 BB's. The problem, though, is that he's been allowing more than one hit an inning, and has given up 9 earned runs in these last 3 starts (a cumulative 15 innings). So yes, he's still missing bats -- 51 Ks and 18 BBs in 43 innings this year -- but he hasn't been going as deep into games. If these last 3 games are like the game I attended last month, it's because Meyer is struggling to either finish off hitters with a strikeout (instead, he would allow them to come back in a count), or locate his fastball. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Meyer has a 3.56 ERA. He's 23. He's tied for 3rd in the Eastern League in strikeouts. Yes, areas for improvement have been identified, but isn't that the point of the minor leagues? Instruction. Opportunity for improvement. Finally, Trevor May. This month, May had 2 very good starts, and 1 clunker. His first 2 starts both lasted 7 innings, and he gave up only one earned run, striking out a combined 13 and walking 3. His most recent start was tough: 4 innings, 5 earned runs, 3 K's and 2 BB's. After allowing only 5 total hits in those first 2 starts, May surrendered 9 in the most recent. Let's talk about progress, though: May has not allowed a home run in his last 5 starts, after allowing one home run in each of his first 3 starts. His overall strikeout-to-walk ratio is 40-21. In the last 3 starts, the ratio is 16-5 -- better than 3-to-1. Both Meyer and May still have some distance to go before they are ready for Target Field. Meyer needs to better locate his fastball and May still has to work on control so that he can work deeper into games on a more consistent basis. One final note: after a very slow start, shortstop Danny Santana is hitting .280/.297/.354, including .366/.395/.415 over his last 10 games. Again, with this team, this year, I'm looking for individual progress and development. Check back in a couple days. I'm attending Wednesday's Rock Cats game. Alex Meyer is scheduled to throw. But if Tuesday's game is cancelled, there's a chance that Trevor May will be on the hill. Either way, there will be something to write about, and I'll be tweeting from the press box. Click here to view the article