Monkeypaws

I can't think of a better way to spend one's youth than pursuing the baseball career. I'm sure the reality is less glamorous than we think, but it beats the heck out of working at a fast food or a big box, or any of the jobs I held in my early 20s.

I was a the game and so didn't benefit from replays of pitches, but this is how it looked from the third deck. He struck out Butler twice, which is pretty impressive. Apparently he had a sinker that was working. The Royals big inning had some seeing eye hits; he wasn't getting beaten around too much, but he did a nice job of controlling the damage. The Royals did hit some balls pretty hard over the course of 6 innings though He threw strikes, and was in good counts the whole game. He looked nice and loose out there, throwing 92-93. More of the same please!

Better than having Lamb or Punto there.

This article will make you very happy, as Passan lists his top 25 prospects in the Future's Game: Y! SPORTS

Well, the Twins are stockpiling height for sure.

Not pride - common sense. Being a stud outside the major leagues is awesome, but not a secure investment at that level. There's a Dice K for every Yu Darvish, a Nishi for every Ichiro. I prefer the approach they've taken in Latin America - get them young, and throw maybe 3 million at a Sano. It's all moot, because the Twins would likely not win this bidding war anyways.

Nice article Cody - I was just watching Twins post game and they focussed on Gibson, and watching that guy throw, wow. He looks different from our usual staff. So excited to watch him live on Saturday. You are right though - this is about the long-term.

Out, and rightly so - that is mad money!

I don't see the point in trading these guys just to trade them, especially for middling prospects that will likely never have an impact.

Hate to miss out on DeMuth and Halstead, but Eades and Slegers more than make up for it.

Blackie?

I'd guess no. As it appears Mauer will be voted in, there will be little interest in adding another Twin.

Count me in the minority, but I think he will come around to being more than a shell of himself. If the Twins were able to extend him like the Wild did Backstrom, I'd be happy to watch him wind down his career here, like Hrbek.

Sometimes it is just dumb luck too - look back at any pretty much any draft and there will be busts. Or injuries. Or inexplicable circumstances. Teams find treasures in the supplemental or 2nd rounds or later as well. Exceptions abound, but i think you play to win, and you put out your best team to do so. Drafting in baseball is a less exact science than in other sports IMO. Just ask Brien Taylor.

The Byron Buxton Brandon Bixler era has officially begun!

Ya never know; I was reading the Pioneer Press article on Arcia, and the reason he signed with us was because our scout Juan Padilla befriended him as a young guy. The Twins are doing a better and better job in Latin America it seems to me. Lets send Tony O to talk to him

It has sure taken a while for that strategy to pay off for Pittsburgh or Kansas City. There is also the culture of winning to consider.

I hope you are right - you sure know more about it than me.

I found this article in USA today about the trio of Hoosiers the Twins drafted: Minnesota Twins turn triple play with Indiana teammates They make it sound pretty iffy that Slegers, technically being a sophomore, would sign unless he gets a significant bonus. In fact , they all three sound pretty happy staying at IU from the quotes in the article.

I noticed that too. Neither is a career minor league ERA of 2.63 over 349 innings.

I was wondering the same thing myself.

Lucky me - I bought tickets to Saturday's game a month ago for my annual trip up to see the Twins. Now I get to witness HISTORY!

I had the thought watching an ESPN rain-delay filler on Mariano Rivera; no, I'm not comparing them, but they were talking about when Rivera discovered the cutter, and how it transformed his career. If Deduno were to focus on a single crazy pitch, ... well, just a thought.

Given his stuff, wouldn't he make an awesome relief pitcher? Let that wild fastball do its thing.

Bizarro - I expected 100% "oh yeah," in this thread. Great to see him make the show. This guy has the look....