Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Cody Christie

Twins Daily Contributor
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    4,511

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Tutorials & Help

Videos

2023 Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Free Agent & Trade Rumors

Guides & Resources

Minnesota Twins Players Project

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Blog Entries posted by Cody Christie

  1. Cody Christie
    At the end of last season, things must have been a little tense around the Ron Gardenhire household. The Twins were coming off of back-to-back 90-loss seasons and Gardenhire only had one season left on his current contract. It was inevitable for some changes to take place and almost all of Gardy's coaching staff would not be hired back or would be reassigned.
     
    The sporting world can be cruel when a team isn't performing well on the field. Twins fans weren't used to this kind of shake-up since the Pohlad's took over ownership of the club. It was an unprecedented move to clear out the coaching staff and Gardenhire was left standing at the end of the firing frenzy.
     
    There have only been two managers and three general managers of the club since the late 1980's. No other club can match that kind of consistency at the top of the organization. This separates the Twins from most of the rest of the sporting world. There might have been some reasons to fire Gardenhire over the last two years but he survived and the Twins have surprised so far this year.
     
    Gardenhire still has his job but it is hard not to look at him as a lame duck. His contract is up at the end of the 2013 season and it's not like the Twins were suppose to be making a playoff push. The roster of players assembled looked headed for another dismal season and that could have resulted in the termination of Gardenhire's tenure in Minnesota.
     
    Things haven't been as bad as expected in Twins Territory this season. So far, the team has hovered around the .500 mark. They find themselves right in the middle of the pack in the AL Central. This is a bit of a surprise and fans of the team have to be a little impressed with some of the performances put together by the club this year.
     
    A new era is starting in Minnesota and the Twins might want Gardenhire around for this new rebuild. The minor leagues are stocked with some great talent, which is reminiscent to when Gardenhire took over as manager back in 2002. Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia have already broke into the big leagues. Star pitching prospects Kyle Gibson, Alex Meyer, and Trevor May might not be too far behind.
     
    Last week, Twins General Manager Terry Ryan told Yahoo! Sports, "I expect Ron to be on this job for a long time. I don't consider it a lame duck at all." It wouldn't have looked right for the club to hand Gardenhire an extension after two of the worst seasons in Twins history. There needs to be some accountability even with the model of consistency the franchise has used over the last couple of decades.
     
    Ryan would go on to say, "We're trying to be stable and have continuity, and almost all the people we've had for years are still here. But there does come a point where change is necessary."
     
    "I hope that's not now."
     
    The future can be uncertain and Gardenhire won't manage this team forever. Fans can see things starting to get back on track so maybe there won't be calls for Gardy's head on a platter. Tom Kelly made it through some rough years in the Metrodome and it looks like Gardenhire might follow that same path at Target Field.
     
    I mean what would the Twins baseball world be like without Ronald Clyde Gardenhire.
  2. Cody Christie
    Joe Mauer sat out his first Twins game of the season on Wednesday. It might have been a good day for Mauer to rest since the team has another off day tomorrow. He has also been in a major slump at the plate. The Twins All-Star catcher has only hit .091/.211/.091 over the last nine games. This includes one hit over his last six games.
     
    Even with Mauer out of the line-up, the Twins were still able to come away with a win and avoid being swept by the Detroit Tigers. Scott Diamond pitched six strong innings by giving up two earned runs and four hits for his second win of the year. Justin Morneau and Chris Parmelee each had a pair of hits and a couple of RBI.
     
    On this week's episode of the Talk to Contact Podcast, we discussed a lot about the minor leagues so make sure to check it out.
     
    There were some other impressive performances down on the farm. Unfortunately, there were no Trevor May sightings on May Day but let's take a look at Wednesday's results from the Twins farm system.
     
    Rochester Red Wings (Scheduled Off Day)
     
    The Red Wings enjoyed a scheduled off day after finishing the month of April with a 10-16 record. The club sits eight games out of first place in the International League North Division. Rochester has turned it around a little in their last ten games by posting a 6-4 record.
     
    As part of their off day, the club announced that Rafael Perez was activated from the disabled list. Perez, a former member of the Cleveland Indians, was a minor league free agent this past offseason before deciding to sign with the Twins organization. He had missed 26 games as he was recovering from left shoulder surgery he underwent last September.
     
    To make room for Perez on the roster, the Red Wings sent Bobby Lanigan back to Double-A. Lanigan had only made one appearance since being called up last week. He earned the save of Friday while pitching 0.1 innings with a strikeout.
     
    Rochester used today as travel day to get to Columbus before opening a four-game series versus the Clippers on Thursday.
     
    New Britain Rock Cats 4, Harrisburg Senators 0
    Box Score
    Logan Darnell and Daniel Ortiz stole the show for the Rock Cats on Wednesday evening. Both players were at the center of New Britain's 14th win of the season.
     
    Darnell threw seven shutout innings by scattering five singles. He struck out six batters and only allowed two walks. It was his third win of the season and he lowered his ERA to 2.16. It was the most impressive start of the year for Darnell and it looks like his second time through the Eastern League will come with some more positive results.
     
    Aaron Thompson continued his very good season out of the bullpen. He recorded the last six outs of the game and only allowed one base runner. His 0.97 ERA is the best of pitcher on New Britain’s staff. In his six appearances this season, he has only allowed one run and one walk.
     
    Ortiz was the big man on the offensive side of the ball. He went 3-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, which ranks second on the team behind Josmil Pinto. In the last three games, Ortiz now has compiled a four hit game and a three hit game. Reynaldo Rodriguez and James Beresford added two hits of their own. Rodriguez had a triple and two RBI.
     
    New Britain will look to notch their third straight series win with a victory on Thursday. The club sits in the middle of the pack in the Eastern League Eastern Division. Only five games separate the first and last place club so there could be a lot of movement in the coming weeks.
     
    Fort Myers Miracle --, Clearwater Threshers -- (Cancelled)
     
    Inclement weather interfered with the Miracle's game in Clearwater on Wednesday afternoon. The teams don't meet again in the first half so the game will not be made up.
     
    The Miracle are currently riding a seven-game winning streak after they won the first three games of the series against Clearwater. Fort Myers currently has a 21-4 record and the club sits five games ahead of their closest competitor in the Florida State League's South Division.
     
    The St. Lucie Mets are the team behind the Miracle in the standings and they just happen to be the next team on their schedule. The two clubs will open a series in Fort Myers on Thursday night. It is the start of a seven-game homestand at Hammond Stadium.
     
    Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, West Michigan Whitecaps 7
    Box Score
    The Kernels jumped out to a two run lead but the Whitecaps pitching staff shut down the offense for the rest of the game. A big bottom of the fifth inning broke open the game and West Michigan walked away with the victory. The loss snapped a nine game winning streak for the Kernels.
     
    In the first inning, Byron Buxton walked to start the scoring threat. Niko Goodrum followed with a single and an error on the play allowed both runners to advance a base. Back-to-back sacrifice flies by Jorge Polanco and Dalton Hicks put the Kernels up 2-0.
     
    Brett Lee started made his third start of the year for Cedar Rapids and he was saddled with his first loss. Through five innings, he kept the game close but the bottom of the seventh didn't start out the best. The first batter singled and this was followed by a long ball that signaled Lee's exit.
     
    Tim Atherton didn't provide much relief as he would go on to allow three more runs in the seventh. He had a throwing error, gave up a home run, and allowed two stolen bases. Josh Burris pitched a hitless inning and only gave up one walk. It was only the second appearance for Burris since he joined the team earlier this week.
     
    The Kernels will look to get back to their winning ways as the team continues their series with West Michigan over the next two days. Today's game was the first game in a 12-game road trip for Cedar Rapids. The team won't return home until May 14th so the team will have to continue to find ways to win road games.
  3. Cody Christie
    When the Twins traded Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox last July, it seemed like the club was getting a bag of balls and some chewing gum in return. There wasn't much to get excited about with names like Pedro Hernadez and Eduardo Escobar. Flashforward a couple of months later and it is starting to look more and more like the Twins got some servicable players.
     
    Escobar has built himself a nice little niche in the Twins clubhouse. Manager Ron Gardenhire uses him as a late inning defensive replacement a couple of times a week and he also makes his way into the starting line-up on occasion. In small doses, he has been very good for the team this year.
     
    In fact, it seems like Escobar has been the thorn in the side of Minnesota's opponents. This season he is hitting .438/.455/.625 with a home run, a triple, and a double in 32 at-bats. His six runs scored rank higher than two current regular starters, Chris Parmelee and Pedro Florimon.
     
    The switch-hitting middle infielder is finding ways to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. As a left-handed batter, he is slugging .636 and when he switches to the other side that number stays at .600. His career OPS is only .639 so it has been a very good start to the year.
     
    The Twins seem to be getting the best out of Mr. Escobar. Which brings up the question, how valuable is Eduardo Escobar?
     
    According to FanGraphs, Escobar has been the second most valuable Twins player in 2013. Since he is still pre-arbitration eligible, the club is paying him $520,000 this year. His value according to FanGraphs has been $3.1 million and only Joe Mauer has been worth more at $3.8 million.
     
    There are also some other interesting numbers from FanGraphs. Escobar has been the second most valuable offensive player with Josh Willingham being ranked ahead of him. Escobar's solid defense makes him more valuable in the field so his WAR ranking is second to Mauer.
     
    By looking to the other reputable online baseball database, Baseball Reference, Escobar is also doing well there. Only Mauer and Willingham have higher WAR marks and his offense WAR ranks right behind both of these everyday players. His Win Probabilty Added ranks sixth in the American League. This puts him ahead of perennial MVP candidates like Robinson Cano and Miguel Cabrera.
     
    It seems strange to talk about Escobar in the same breath as Mauer, Willingham, Cabrera, and Cano. For the most part, it is comical to think of the scrappy infielder in the same light as these great hitters. Compared to his Twins counterparts, he has less than a third of the amount of plate appearances as Mauer and less than half of what Willingham has strung together.
     
    A small sample size can do wonders for Escobar and his value to the team. His numbers might look promising at this point in the season but things could come back down to earth in a hurry if he got more playing time.
     
    Minnesota seems to have found the best way to get the most value out of Escobar. The team can only hope that his value continues to increase as the season progresses.
     
    It turns out that he might have been worth more than a bag of balls and some chewing gum after all...
  4. Cody Christie
    The Twins actually got to get all of their games in so far this week. Monday's game with the Marlins had to be moved to Tuesday as part of a doubleheader but this was a step in the right direction after multiple cancellations last week.
     
    Texas is in town for the weekend and it sounds like the weather is actually going to start feeling like spring. Highs will continue to rise and hopefully the Twins can continue to play baseball around the .500 mark.
     
    The weekend is almost here so make sure to check out some of the top stories from the last week. Enjoy!
     
     

    Maybe Ron Gardenhire isn't a lame duck after all.
    Forbes came out with their list of the most valuable players in baseball. Joe Mauer ranks fourth and the men ahead of him are all on the disabled list.
    Mauer is in his prime and it might be in the team's best interest to accelerate the rebuild timeline.
    Twins fans will agree that there is a lot wrong with Mike Pelfrey.
    With other pitcher's struggles, Kyle Gibson could be closer to making his debut.
    The history of switch hitters with the Twins is interesting to see.
    MLB's All-Star Game ballot came out this week. Brian Dozier was left off the ballot in favor of Jamey Carroll.
    Do you want to hear 20 minutes of a Twins versus White Sox game called by Harry Caray? I thought you might.
    Minnesota has entered the "Moneyball" era behind a mystery man.
    The early returns on Kevin Correia look good.
    Oswaldo Arcia might be good at break dancing.

     

    Here's another post about Jack Morris and pitching to the score.
    The campaign has started if you want to "Vote for Delmon"
    Ben Revere has a chance to climb this list by the end of the season.
    Target Field is going to have quite the day of baseball when they show "The Sandlot" on the big screen following a game with the Red Sox.
    Troy Tulowitzki had a mullet as a child and it was fantastic.
    This Bazooka Joe book looks pretty cool especially for baseball fans that remember gum in their trading cards.
    It's not very often that a fan is given an opportunity to approach a player that did something against his favorite team when he was a child.
    Hawk Harrelson was in a sabermetrics debate with Brian Kenny. As you can imagine, there were some good moments.
    One of the coolest things of the entire week, all of Yu Darvish's pitches at one time.

    My Weekly Rundown

    Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 34
    Tuesday: Two strike counts and Joe Mauer
    Tuesday's Minor League Tidbits
    Thursday: Is Kevin Correia's performance just smoke and mirrors?

    Video of the Week: Oswaldo Arcia had a whirlwind week last week by making his MLB debut, being sent down for one game, and then getting called back up. He has played a much bigger role in recent games by being a steady fixture in the line-up. There have been some struggles along the way but he hit his first home run earlier this week. Hopefully, it is the first of many in a Twins uniform.
  5. Cody Christie
    There can be plenty of surprises at the beginning of a season.
     
    The Twins find themselves around the .500 mark and most fans would likely be happy if the club was able to keep up this pace for the remainder of the season. It might not be likely but stranger things have happened in the world of baseball.
     
    One of the most intriguing players so far this year has been Kevin Correia. He has surprised most Twins fans with his performances on the mound. Of the members in the Twins starting rotation, he has been the most consistent. He has thrown seven innings or more and allowed three runs or fewer in each start.
     
    Correia became the first Twins pitcher to throw at least seven innings in his first four starts to lead off a year since Ramon Ortiz did it in 2007. Oritz went on to compile a 4-4 record and a 5.14 ERA before the team dumped him on the Rockies in mid-August for Matt Macri. It is important to take into account the wonders of small sample size at the beginning of the year.
     
    When the Twins signed Correia this off-season, there were many people in the industry who scoffed at the contract he was given. Minnesota is paying Correia $10 million over the next two years. That is a decent chunk of change for a man without that great a track record. His career ERA of 4.54 and a WHIP of 1.41 in the National League seemed hardly worth $5 million a year but that is what Minnesota is paying him.
     
    Correia's first impression with the Twins wasn't great. He scuffled in spring training and posted some terrible numbers. His ERA was 5.40 and his 1.68 WHIP was tough to stomach. He gave up more than a hit an inning and he struck out only eight men over 25 innings. Twins Territory was bracing for the worst.
    This led most Twins fans to wonder why the team had offered a player like this a two-year deal. But luckily for Twins fans, spring training statistics usually don't matter. Correia has looked great so far but it's hard to know if he will be able to keep up this pace.
     
    The lowest ERA he has posted in a season was 3.45 back in 2007 with the San Francisco Giants. He made only eight starts that season. Since becoming a full time starter, he has only one season with sub-4.00 ERA. He was a Padres pitcher that season and over half of his starts came at the pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
     
    In recent years, the Twins witnessed the turn-around of Carl Pavano, another veteran pitcher with a poor track record. Pavano's flaws had been mostly related to injuries so he was able to put up solid middle of the rotation numbers when he was healthy.
     
    Correia's connection to Pavano isn't exactly perfect because Correia didn't fight a lot of injuries before joining the Twins. He has pitched at least 145 innings a year since 2009 and that includes a minimum of 26 starts in those seasons. Over that stretch, he averaged 167 innings per season and that would have ranked second on last year's Twins behind Scott Diamond.
     
    If a person is taking bets on Correia, it might be time to sell your stock while it is still high. It seem like he has nowhere to go but down. His track record shows that he will most likely come back down to earth at some point this season. For now, fans can relish the solid performances he is putting forth on a team that continues to surprise.
  6. Cody Christie
    It wasn't that long ago that Oswaldo Arcia was a member of the Twins minor leagues. Today he made his biggest mark at the big league level by cracking his first home run and knocking in three runs. His long ball turned out to be the difference in the team winning the first game of their double header 4-3.
     
    He would be moved up to the third spot in the batting order for the second game of the double header so it was an exciting day for the budding star.
     
    There were some other exciting moments across the Twins farm system on Tuesday so let's check out what happened down on the farm.
     
    Rochester Red Wings 7, Syracuse Chiefs 8 (13 innings)
    Box Score
    Rochester staked themselves to an early lead but the bullpen faltered in the late innings to send this contest to an exciting finish.
     
    The Red Wings got three home runs from Clete Thomas, Eric Farris, and Nate Hanson. It was the Triple-A debut for Hanson and he certainly made his mark. He would finish 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Farris and Thomas both racked up three hits in the game.
     
    Virgil Vasquez started the night on the mound for Rochester but he would be long gone before this one was decided. He tossed 5.1 innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits. It was his second consecutive start throwing five innings and allowing two runs or less.
     
    When the game went to extra innings, it looked like the Red Wings were close to finding a way to win. The team scored a run on a throwing error in the top of the 11th inning. This run would be answered by the Chiefs in the bottom half of the frame and the game continued on into the night.
     
    Rochester tried to mount another lead in the 13th inning. The team loaded the bases with only one out in the inning. Farris grounded into an ill-timed double play and another scoring opportunity was lost.
     
    Michael O'Connor came out for his second inning of relief work in the bottom of the 13th. Syracuse started the inning with three straight bunt attempts. The first one was good for a single, the second caused an fielding error by Ray Olmedo, and the third put two runners in scoring position. The next batter would single to end the game.
     
    With the loss, Rochester still has one victory on the road this year. The Red Wings have three more games in their series with Syracuse before heading home this weekend to face Buffalo. The club will need to figure some way to win on the road.
     
    New Britain Rock Cats --, New Hampshire Fisher Cats -- (Postponed)
    The Rock Cats were trying to end a three game skid on Tuesday evening but Mother Nature had other plans. Their game with the Fisher Cats was pushed to Wednesday night as part of a double-header. Thursday's game is scheduled for 10:35 am so the team's will play three games in less than 24 hours.
     
    Trevor May was scheduled to make his first start in over a week. With cold weather and early season pitch counts, May hasn't made it through more than 5.1 innings in any of his starts. He hasn't faced Syracuse yet this year so maybe he will be in line for a good start.
     
    New Britain heads home for a seven-game home stand. The action starts this weekend with a three game set against Richmond. At the beginning of next week, the team has an important four-game series with Harrisburg.
     
    Fort Myers Miracle 5, Palm Beach Cardinals 1
    Box Score
    The Palm Beach Cardinals are getting really sick of seeing Miguel Sano trot around the bases. He hit a grand slam against them last week in Fort Myers. Some fireworks flew on Sunday when Palm Beach threw at Sano and he responded by cracking the ball over the fence. Tuesday brought another game and another Sano home run.
     
    It was a solo home run, Sano's 7th of the year, and he would be involved in another scoring play in his next at-bat. The Miracle had already scored twice in the inning on an Eddie Rosario single and a Lance Ray sacrifice fly. Sano would get his second RBI of the game with a single to center field. The club would score four runs in the inning to push their lead to 5-0.
     
    Taylor Rogers made his first start of the year after being called-up from Cedar Rapids. He performed well by limiting the Cardinals to four hits and no runs. He struck out four batters and only walked two men. Zach Jones gave up the lone run for the Cards. Nelvin Fuentes and Corey Williams each had a perfect inning of relief.
     
    Fort Myers got back on the winning track after losses in their last three games. The club still has the best record in the Florida State League. The Miracle have a scheduled off day tomorrow before playing three games against Charlotte
     
    Cedar Rapids Kernels --, Burlington Bees -- (Postponed)
    Rain washed out the final game of the series between the Kernels and the Bees. The game will be made up later in the first half as part of a doubleheader in Cedar Rapids.
     
    The Kernels are on a little bit of a roll with wins in their last three games including the first two games against the Bees. Byron Buxton still has a batting average over .400 and his OPS of 1.128 is off the charts. He is making his first full professional season look easy.
     
    The team has a scheduled off day on Wednesday before returning home for a three-game series vs Great Lakes. The six-game home stand will conclude with a three-game set against Lansing.
  7. Cody Christie
    "Strike two, you're out," seems to be the current mantra for most of baseball.
     
    One of the biggest challenges for batters in recent years has been their ability to come back in an at-bat after falling into a two-strike count. Since 2006, there has been a steady decrease in player’s ability to hit with two strikes. Last year, two-strike hitting dropped to a new low, as batters were only able to muster a .178 batting average.
     
    How do pitchers have so much of an advantage when it comes to throwing to batters with two strikes?
     
    For one thing, players don't care as much about if they strikeout. Blame the juiced up players in the steroids era. It didn't matter if a player was swinging and missing as long as the ball was flying over the fence. Home run and RBI totals made up for big strikeout numbers.
     
    For batters to get anywhere near 200 strikeouts in the past would have been horrific. Bobby Bonds would be a trailblazer for the current generation of strike out prone players. He struck out 187 times in 1969 only to pass that mark the next year with 189.
     
    The 200-strikeout mark hasn't been as much of an embarrassment in recent years with the mark being passed five times in the last five seasons. Mark Reynolds has three of the top five strikeout seasons and he also sits at the top of the list with 223 strikeouts. Adam Dunn came within one strikeout of tying the MLB record last year but the dubious honor still belongs to Reynolds.
     
    Twins fans have become accustom to seeing one player buck the trend when it comes to hitting with a two-strike count. Joe Mauer is one of the best hitters in the game and he doesn't seem to have any trouble when he finds himself deep into an at-bat. It almost seems like Mauer becomes better as an at-bat goes on.
     
    In 2012, Mauer ranked as one of the top five batters in all of baseball when it came to hitting with two strikes. His .266 batting average with two-strikes was the highest mark in the American League. It was just high enough to finish ahead of Prince Fielder.
     
    Best Two-Strike Hitters in 2012
    1. Martin Prado .286
    2. Jayson Werth .286
    3. Matt Carpenter .268
    4. Joe Mauer .266
    5. Prince Fielder .265
     
    Mauer has been on quite the role to start the 2013 season. This has also helped his numbers with two strikes against him. So far this season, he is hitting .409/.435/.523 when he has two strikes. Those are unheard of numbers and it is hard to image that he will be able to keep up that pace for the entire season.
     
    For his career with two strikes, Mauer has a batting line of .258/.312/.359 which gets him close to the top of the all-time list. Besides being a Hall-of-Fame caliber hitter, Tony Gwynn was also the best hitter of all-time with two strikes against him. His .302 average would be good for any count let alone when he has two strikes against him.
     
    Todd Helton, Ichiro Suzuki, Juan Pierre, and Wade Boggs round out the rest of the top five with their averages sitting anywhere from .262 to .260. Ichiro would be a name that most would expect to see on this list. Pierre certainly doesn't fit the mold of all-time great but baseball is a funny game.
     
    The game of baseball will always be changing and batters are going to need to find some way to improve when they have two strikes against them. If Mauer continues on his current track, he could become one of the best two-strike hitters in history. He is going against the trend in baseball and Twins fans are happy with those results.
  8. Cody Christie
    Tragedy struck Boston on Monday with the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon.
     
    A very visible sporting event was attacked and this story hit home with a lot of us. It can be frightening to think about attacks happening at big events but people are resilient. There were numerous positive stories coming out of the tragedy. A former New England Patriots lineman carried a woman to safety and there were plenty of other stories like this.
     
    Many teams around the world of baseball paid tribute to Boston in a similar fashion. The song "Sweet Caroline" has become synonymous with Red Sox games. Most teams saw it fitting to play this song during a break in the action; even the rival Yankees stood united in support of Boston. Here are the fans at Target Field singing "Sweet Caroline."
     
    Baseball continued to go on this week and there were some great stories from across the web. Have a safe weekend and give someone you love a call.
     
     

    Chris Colabello has one of the best stories in baseball.
    How does Joe Mauer do when it comes to catcher framing?
    Twins starters pitch to contact and that is killing them this year.
    AJ Petterson is playing with some very good players and he offers his early season highlights.
    There has been more than one player for the Twins to get a cup of coffee with the club.
    Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario are helping the Miracle to a record start.
    Sano already has one movie about his rise and they are working on a sequel.
    Glen Perkins is always an interesting interview.
    Aaron Hicks set a record and it wasn't one a player wants to set.
    Mauer and David Wright forged a friendship in the WBC.
    "Delmon's going to be as good as Delmon wants to be"
    Here is a cool list of all the players that have debuted this year with the scouts that signed them. A couple of Twins players on the list.
    IMDb released their top 10 baseball movies of all-time.
    Here is my top 5 baseball films:

     

    Bull Durham
    Sandlot
    Major League
    A League Of Their Own
    Field of Dreams

     

    Beyond the Boxscore did some great research creating Pitcher Similarity Scores based on Pitchf/x data.
    Denard Span didn't know what a double-switch was.
    Jackie Robinson gets a lot the press but Larry Doby was just as important in the AL.
    Bert Blyleven never had anyone charge him but he did charge the mound once himself.
    Lance Berkman really doesn't like Wrigley Field.
    There is more than one way to deal with hecklers in the stands.
    Former Twins pitcher Kyle Waldrop had an impressive first start at the Triple-A level.

    My Weekly Rundown:

    Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 33
    Tuesday: Finding solutions for struggling Aaron Hicks
    Wednesday: Arcia's ascension could mean Willingham's exit
    Wednesday's Minor League Wrap-Up

    Video of the Week: It is hard for Ben Revere to amaze after some of the plays he made in a Twins uniform. This catch from earlier this week might still leave you with your mouth open. He misplays the ball a little at the beginning and has to make up for it at the end with a Superman like jump. It was a very cool play by a good defense center fielder.
  9. Cody Christie
    The Twins weren't the only team impacted by the weather on Wednesday evening. Minnesota's affiliate's game in Cedar Rapids was also postponed due to inclement weather. The Upper Midwest is still waiting for spring to show up and there will probably be more weather issues before spring is finally sprung.
     
    Three other affiliates took the field for Wednesday action. The Miracle were going for lucky win 13 to start their season. Rochester has been struggling and the call-up of Oswaldo Arcia is going to hurt their offense. New Britain played an afternoon game and they found themselves in another tight contest.
     
    Let's see how the teams and players fared in "Wednesday's Minor League Wrap-Up."
     
    Rochester Red Wings 0, Scranton W/B RailRiders 7
    Boxscore
     
    It was a rough night for the Red Wings as the team was shut out for the second consecutive night. The loss marked the seventh in a row for Rochester as the team hasn't recorded a win since last Tuesday. Going back to last season, the RailRiders have won 10 of the last 13 games between these two clubs.
     
    Liam Hendriks made his first start at Triple-A this season after starting the season with the big league club. He gave up a run in each of the first three innings to put Rochester in an early hole. For the game he tossed six innings, gave up nine hits and four earned runs.
     
    Anthony Slama got back on the mound after being slammed around in both of his last two outings. In those appearances, combined, he recorded only three outs and gave up seven earned runs. After walking multiple batters in those rough outings, he had a clean ninth inning with no walks and a strikeout.
     
    There wasn't much to write home about on the offensive side. Jeff Clement and Brandon Boggs were the only men to record more than one hit. Boggs added his second double of the year. Evan Bigley made his 2013 debut with the Red Wings as a pinch hitter and he flied out in the ninth.
     
    Rochester had only four plate appearances with runners in scoring position. The team failed in all of those attempts. Overall, the team left eight runners on base.
     
    The team starts a four game series with Pawtucket tomorrow night and the club will look to get back on track.
     
     
    New Britain Rock Cats 2, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 3 (11 Innings)
    Boxscore
    The Rock Cats seem have a flair for the dramatic this season. After winning in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday, New Britain found themselves in the middle of another tight contest this afternoon. The team was held scoreless and was behind by two until the bottom of the ninth. They needed two runs to make things interesting.
     
    Back to back one out singles by Josmil Pinto and Daniel Ortiz had the team in good shape. A throwing error on the hit from Ortiz put two runners in scoring position. Curt Smith came through with a grounder up the middle to cut the score to 2-1. James Beresford was the next batter and he cracked a sac fly to center to knot the game at 2.
     
    The Fisher Cats then mounted their own rally in the top of the 11th inning to score the go-ahead run. Two singles and a balk by Aaron Thompson allowed the winning run to score. It was the first loss of the year for Thompson in his second appearance with the club.
     
    Pat Dean pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He was being very democratic by not striking out a batter and letting the defense do their work behind him. He also didn't issue any walks and it was the first time he made it into the fifth inning this year.
     
    New Britain managed seven hits in the game. Smith and Ortiz were both 2-for-5 and they were the lone members of the Rock Cats to collect more than one hit. The team was 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and the club left seven men on base.
     
    Fort Myers Miracle 2, Palm Beach Cardinals 5
    Boxscore
    The hunt for win number 13 turned out to be unlucky for the Miracle. After finding a way to win their first 12 games of the year, Fort Myers suffered their first loss on Wednesday night. The Miracle found themselves with an early 2-0 lead but the offense of the Cardinals proved to be too much.
     
    Even in the ninth inning the club tried to hold on to their perfect season. Trailing by three runs entering the bottom of the final frame, Fort Myers would load the bases on singles from Michael Gonzalez, Kyle Knudson, and Kennys Vargas. Another single from Adam Pettersen scored a run. Unfortunately, Angel Morales then grounded into a double play. This left Eddie Rosario on deck and Miguel Sano in the hole.
     
    Sano played the hero on Tuesday with a grand slam to give the Miracle the lead. He struggled in this game going 0-for-4 with a couple of strikeouts. Even with the bad day he is still hitting .380 on the season. Rosario has also helped the offense and he went 1-for-4 with his seventh RBI of the year.
     
    The bottom of the line-up did most of the damage for the Miracle. Hitters five through eight all had multiple hits. Extra base hits were tough to come by though as Michael Koch had the lone two-bagger in the game.
     
    Matthew Summers started for the Miracle and pitched 5.2 innings. During this outing he gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out one to record his first loss of the year. Adrian Salcedo did well in relief by striking out three of the four batters he faced.
     
    Fort Myers will look to start a new winning streak as the team travels to Port St. Lucie for a three game set.
     
    Cedar Rapids Kernels --, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- (Postponed)
    The only thing slowing down Byron Buxton this spring has been the bad weather. Cedar Rapids had their game cancelled on Wednesday due to inclement weather. Since the Kernels and the Timber Rattlers don't play again in the first half of the MWL season, the game will not be made up.
     
    Cedar Rapids will now head out on the road for six games in Peoria and Burlington. Their next home action will be Thursday, April 25th when they open a six game home stand against Great Lakes and Lansing.
     
    With a 9-3 record the Kernels find themselves on top of the Western Division of the MWL. They are looking to keep the good juices flowing as they take a two game winning streak into their road trip. The addition of J.O. Berrios, the 32nd pick in last year's draft, should be a boost to the pitching staff.
  10. Cody Christie
    With the Twins up and down start to the year, it is hard to know if the team will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Most likely the team will be selling. There will be plenty of talk about Justin Morneau being dealt in the coming months since his contract is up at the end of the year. Another important name to watch out for in the hot stove reports is Josh Willingham.
     
    Willingham is coming off his best season and there might be more than one team looking to add a powerful corner bat for the stretch run. In a story published this weekend, the Boston Globe talked about the possibility of a Willingham trade.
     
    According to one National League GM, "He's a powerful right-handed bat that any contender could stick right in the middle of their lineup and get outstanding production." He went on to say, "You'd have to give something up, but he'd be worth the expenditure. He can really hit."
     
    ESPN's Rumor Central mentioned the Pirates as a possible trade fit. They need an upgrade in their outfield and they have some players in the minor leagues that could be enticing for the Twins. It also helps that Willingham has a very club friendly contract. He is in the second year of a three-year, $21 million deal.
     
    Another wrinkle in the Willingham trade rumors is the ascension of stud prospect Oswaldo Arcia. It has been a whirlwind couple of days for Arcia. He made his MLB debut on Monday, he played for Rochester on Tuesday, and he got called back up to the big leagues after last night's game. Darin Mastroianni's injury will mean a longer look at Arcia this time around.
     
    Arcia won't turn 22 until next month becoming the youngest position player to debut with the Twins since 20-year old Joe Mauer. He was killing the ball at Triple-A and he certainly deserved this call-up. In ten games for Rochester, he was hitting .394/.474/.727 with three home runs, two doubles and eight runs scored.
     
    If Arcia kept putting up those types of numbers, it would have been hard to keep him at Triple-A. The problem for the Twins could be finding him a place in the line-up. Arcia is primarily used as a corner outfielder or designated hitter. The Twins have plenty of these types of players with Willingham, Chris Parmelee, and Ryan Doumit.
     
    It might take a trade for Arcia to stick with the club for the long-term. Morneau could be dealt creating a spot (first base) for Parmelee to move to. Willingham could also be traded to open a hole in the outfield. Both of these men could be traded away before July and then there would be plenty of playing time for Mr. Arcia.
     
    Things might be moving a little fast for Arcia. He started the 2012 season at the High-A level so he only played 69 games at Double-A before getting the bump to Rochester. He had a grand total of nine Triple-A games under his belt before he made his MLB debut.
     
    There should be tempered expectations for Arcia as fans have seen how much Aaron Hicks has struggled in his first 10 big league games. The Twins need Arcia to be a cornerstone of the franchise as the team tries to get back to winning baseball. This might be just the first taste of what is yet to come.
     
    Players are blocking the path of Arcia and he most likely will get more playing time at Triple-A. If the Twins are looking like sellers at the trade deadline, a deal including Willingham could pave the way for Arcia's permanent spot on the roster.
     
    Willingham has done some great things in his Twins tenure but Arcia is the wave of the future.
  11. Cody Christie
    With the Twins struggling to find offense in the club's games this weekend, there have been a few boo birds roosting in the stands at Target Field. Some of these might be angry fans sitting out at a cold baseball game with nothing better to do. For others, it could be the frustration of the last couple of seasons coming to a head.
     
    Aaron Hicks has found himself in a bit of a rough patch to start his MLB career. According to FanGraphs version of WAR, Hicks has been the worst player in all of baseball this season. He has a -1.0 WAR and that places him ahead of the next closest competitors Victor Martinez, Matt Kemp, and Adam Dunn.
     
    The Twins have seen this with Hicks in the past because he has a track record of struggling when he is promoted to a new level. He usually finds a way to work out the kinks but this was a bigger jump than he has ever made before. It is hard to know how patient the Twins can be with their young outfielder.
     
    There might be to be some ways to try to ease the struggles for Hicks. Here are a few different ways the Twins front office could approach the situation.
     
    1.) Send Hicks to Triple-A: He has never played at the Triple-A level and the team might need him to find success at that level before they give him another chance with the big league club. Hicks earned the starting job this spring with his performance but player's numbers can be deceiving in exhibition games.
     
    He looks lost at the plate against big league pitching and he needs to regain some confidence. Triple-A could give him a chance to get out of the spotlight and get his head back on his shoulders.
     
    2.) Move Hicks down in the order: Last weekend when Ron Gardenhire was asked about moving Hicks down in the order, he was against the idea because he didn't want to hurt the rookie's confidence. It has been another full week and Hicks hasn't shown any signs of breaking out of his slump.
     
    Moving him down in the order would take some pressure off the rookie and it could help the team's offense. Gardenhire even said he wasn't opposed to having Mauer take over the lead-off role.
     
    3.) Take away some playing time: It can be tough to get used to life at the big league level. Maybe Hicks just needs some time to adjust and a little less playing time. This could allow him to get some wind in his sails and maybe it would produce some better performances on the field.
     
    The team has given him a couple of days off but he didn't exactly come back from the hiatus hitting the cover off the ball. Of these possibilities this seems the least likely since they want Hicks to continue to get at-bats no matter where he is playing.
     
    4.) Be Patient: So far, the team has followed this plan but it is hard to know how long this patience will last. There might need to be some positive signs from Hicks for the club to continue to follow this course of action.
     
    His defense has been good in center field but the offense has been terrible. The strikeouts continue to add up and it seems like the boo birds are going to continue to fly.
     
    Will the rookie have enough to overcome his early season struggles or will the team have to follow a different plan?
     
    If you were in charge of the Twins, what would you do? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.
  12. Cody Christie
    Twins fans have been spoiled in the last two seasons.
     
    Ben Revere made base stealing look easy. Even Denard Span could swipe a base or two if the club needed it. Both of these men are in different uniforms to start the 2013 season. In fact, three of the top four base stealers from the 2012 Twins are no longer with the organization.
     
    Last year the Twins stole 135 bases, which ranked first in the American League. In 2011, the club finished in 10 place in the AL with 92 stolen bases. The team only had 68 steals in 2010 and that was bad enough to rank 12th among the 14 AL clubs. It obviously helps to have Mr. Revere on your club for any part of a season.
     
    Stealing bases is an art form. Unfortunately for the Twins, the club is going to have to find some different artists for the coming year.
     
    Chris Parmelee was thrown out trying to steal second base in the late innings of Monday afternoon's game. This meant the Twins have only been successful in two of their six stolen base attempts. The current team leaders in steals are Trevor Plouffe and Parmelee with one steal apiece.
     
    It is obvious that these two men aren't the fleetest of foot. So where are the steals going to come from for Minnesota?
     
    One man the Twins will rely on for steals this year is Aaron Hicks. He has gotten the year off to a bad start and this has meant he has only been on base four times. If a batter isn't getting on base, he obviously isn't going to be able to rack up steal attempts. In his one attempted steal this year, he was thrown out pretty easily (see photo above).
     
    Hicks had an outstanding year last season at Double-A and his solid offensive output was only helped by his ability to steal bases. He stole 32 bases last year and was caught stealing 11 times. Before last year, he had never had more than 21 steals so this was a step in the right direction.
     
    The Twins can't just rely on Hicks for steals so there will have to be some other men to reek havoc on the base paths.
     
    Darin Mastroianni had 21 steals in 24 attempts last season. These were very good numbers for someone that played in only 77 games. He has been hampered be a nagging injury from the end of spring training. When he is able to get back to being fully healthy, he could get more playing time and the chance to steal some more bases.
     
    The middle infield core of Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon, and Eduardo Escobar has yet to join the steal parade. Dozier had nine steals for the Twins last season but in his last full season in the minors he took 24 bags. Florimon and Escobar have a track record of getting double digits in steals but they will have to be selective with when to take an extra base.
     
    One dark horse when it comes to stealing bases could be Joe Mauer. He usually gets on base at one of the best rates in the AL and being on first base a lot can lead to some opportunities to swipe second. Mauer's athletic ability can always make him a threat but he has never stolen more than 13 bases. This could be the year for him to set a new career high.
     
    Steals might be few and far between this year unless the Twins get some other players into their everyday line-up. The opportunity to swipe bags might be there but the club will need to be selective in sending some runners with less ability on the base paths.
  13. Cody Christie
    Everything was nice and fuzzy last Friday when the Twins had pulled off some nice wins and they had themselves near the top of the American League. Things have changed in the last week as the club got swept by the Kansas City Royals and the Twins are near the bottom of the AL Central.
     
    It is still early in the year so there is plenty of things that could change. Joe Mauer wasn't hitting the ball very good for the first few games of the year but he has started to come around. Josh Willingham powered a couple of home runs over the fence and Chris Parmelee has been on quite the roll at the plate.
     
    Pitching will continue to be the biggest wild card for the Twins. If the starters can keep the scores close, Minnesota's offense might be able to score enough to keep them in games. It also helps to have a strong bullpen to cover up a poor pitching staff.
     
    There was plenty of good material across the web this week. Check out the latest edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks" and have a fantastic weekend!

    Eduardo Escobar seems to have found a good niche with Minnesota.
    The Twins front office looked pretty silly after the $15 batting practice story came out.
    Miguel Sano is the youngest player in the Florida State League.
    Minnesota has the fourth most money to spend on the international market this year.
    Denard Span might have the whole beating traffic thing figured out.
    Vance Worley is an interesting character.
    Fans are going to have to be patient with the Twins youngsters.
    Jake Mauer has a new job and some interesting prospects to tutor.
    Supplemental draft picks have a tough decision between college and professional baseball.
    Is the glass half empty or half full for the Twins?
    We talked about this on this week's episode of Talk to Contact so here is Bryce Harper's older brother and his fantastic mustache. It's real and it's spectacular.
    One of the most powerful stories from this week looks at Ken Griffey Jr. and his attempt at suicide.
    It is hard to believe "The Sandlot" turns 20 this year. Here is a look at where the stars are now.
    The most valuable baseball card in the world was altered even though people suspected this for years.
    Vin Scully can make anything sound better even when he doesn't know the meaning of hashtag.
    A goat's head showed up on the doorstep of Wrigley Field.
    The Kansas City Royals almost ended up with a dome but thankfully they didn't.
    Who does this Justin Verlander bobblehead look like? My vote is for Jamey Carroll.
    Plenty of fans don't like the wave but these Nats fans are going to the extreme.
    Will there be an MLB International Draft for 2014?
    MLB is going to establish a training academy in Puerto Rico.
    Those fancy pink wireless phones haven't shown up in the dugout yet.

    My Weekly Rundown

    Monday: Talk to Contact: Episode 32
    Tuesday: Anthony Swarzak could be key to the bullpen
    Wednesday: Will the real Twins base stealers, please stand up?
    Wet Wednesday in the Minors

    Video of the Week: A terrible strike call end a game with the Rangers and the Rays earlier this week. One of the biggest parts of this strike was the fact that it capped Joe Nathan's 300th save in the big leagues. Twins fans got to see Nathan climb the club's all-time list before he broke the record. He continues to rack up saves and it will be interesting to see how high he can get on MLB's all-time list.
  14. Cody Christie
    With last night's loss, the Twins failed to win a series for the first time in 2013. Things didn't go much better tonight for Minnesota as the club fell to the Kansas City Royals. It was the first time the team had been swept in 2013 and the Twins only scored five runs in the series.
     
    Miguel Sano hit his first home run of the year on Tuesday evening. He has only been held hitless in one game so far this year and he was hitting .421 entering play today. The Miracle had a 5-0 record entering play tonight and new manager Doug Mientkiewicz has to be pleased with his team performance. How long can they keep it going is another question.
     
    Two of the best pitching prospects in the Twins organization were suppose to be on the mound in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Both Kyle Gibson and Trevor May were scheduled to make their second starts of the season and each man was looking for his first win.
     
    Let's see how things went on a wet Wednesday night in the minor leagues.
     
    Rochester Red Wings --, Scranton/WB RailRiders -- (Postponed)
    Kyle Gibson didn't get to take the mound on Wednesday due to inclement weather. The game will be made up on Monday, June 17 as part of a doubleheader at PNC Field. The first game will be scheduled for 5:35 pm (Eastern Time) with the second game following shortly after.
     
    Rochester was trying to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. On Tuesday, Chris Colabello cranked a solo home run to break a 1-1 tie in the ninth inning. Anthony Slama closed the door in the ninth inning for his first save of the year and the 101st of his career.
     
    The Red Wings will now travel to Pawtucket to open a four-game series with the Red Sox beginning on Thursday night.
     
    New Britain Rock Cats 17, Harrisburg Senators 5
    Boxscore
    The Rock Cats found themselves in a tight contest with the Senators before back-to-back four run innings put the club out in front for good. A rain delay wasn't even enough to slow down the Rock Cats offense as the team pounded out 17 hits and 17 runs including 15 runs in the last four innings.
     
    Reynaldo Rodriguez and Josmil Pinto each had two home runs. Rodriguez finished the game going 3-for-5 with two bombs, a two-bagger, and four RBI. It was quite the game for Rodriguez considering he didn't have a hit so far this season. Daniel Ortiz, Danny Lehmann, and Nate Hanson joined the mash party as New Britain pounded out seven home runs in the game.
     
    Trevor May started for New Britain and gave up two earned runs on four hits including one long ball. It took him 82 pitches to get through four innings so he wasn't exactly being efficient. He struck out seven batters and walked three. May was replaced by Edgar Ibarra who three two perfect innings and struck out four.
     
    New Britain starts a four game series at Portland tomorrow night. The club sits one game over .500 and they will try to continue to play winning baseball.
     
    Fort Myers Miracle 7, Jupiter Hammerheads 6 (10 innings)
    Boxscore
    The Miracle found themselves in an early 4-0 hole and this could have spelled trouble but the team was able to complete the comeback. The win improved the Miracle to 6-0, the club's best start since 2006.
     
    In the bottom of the tenth inning with two outs, a pitch hit Kyle Knudson with Jonathan Goncalves already on first base. The next batter was Stephen Wickens and he sent the fans home happy with a line drive single to center field.
     
    Miguel Sano went 2-for-5 in the game with his third double of the year. With a double and a triple, Angel Morales had his first multi-hit contest of 2013. Kenny Vargas and Jonathan Goncalves added two hits of their own while Goncalves rocked his first home run.
     
    Tom Stuifbergen pitched six innings and only allowed one earned run. Sano had two errors in the first inning and this caused a few unearned runs to score. Corey Williams earned his first blown save and Adrian Salcedo picked up his first win out of the bullpen. He struck out two of the four batters that he faced in the 10th inning.
     
    The Miracle will finish out their series with the Hammerheads tomorrow night. The team looks to remain unbeaten on the season before heading out on the road for a weekend series with Charlotte.
    

    Cedar Rapids Kernels -- , Wisconsin Timber Rattlers -- (Double Header- Postponed)
     
    For the second day in a row, the Kernels game against the Timber Rattlers was postponed. The team was supposed to have a double header today but it was too cold in Wisconsin to be playing baseball.
     
    Cedar Rapids was off to a very good start with a 4-1 record so it is disappointing that they haven't been able to play the last couple of days. Hopefully, the team can get in some action tomorrow as they head back to Iowa to play the Clinton LumberKings.
  15. Cody Christie
    There were a few surprises on Opening Day at Target Field but for the most part, the game went according to plan. Justin Verlander pitched well. Joe Mauer got his hits. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder know how to get RBI. The inexperienced Minnesota bats didn't know how to get an RBI. This all led to the Tigers coming out on top.
     
    One interesting move made was actually a player left on the bench.
     
    In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ron Gardenhire turned to his bench and tabbed Wilkin Ramirez to pinch-hit for Pedro Florimon. This move wasn't a surprise as Florimon is a light hitting middle infielder and Ramirez was added to the roster for some pop off the bench.
     
    The surprise came later in the bottom half of the inning when the Twins turned over shortstop to Eduardo Escobar. It's not that Escobar is a bad pick to play shortstop, in fact he might have been the best defensive option available to the manager.
     
    Jamey Carroll was left on the bench and with this decision came question marks about his role with the 2013 Minnesota Twins.
     
    At the beginning of last season, Carroll had to be riding high. He signed a very lucrative free agent deal for a player closing in on 40-years old. The Twins named him the Opening Day shortstop and he found himself batting between Denard Span and Joe Mauer. Life was good!
     
    A slow start began to muddle the role of Carroll. He didn't record a hit in his first four games and it would take awhile to get his average back to a respectable point. The team moved him out of the number two spot in the batting order and he would spend time playing a variety of different infield positions during the rest of the year.
     
    Entering this spring, the front office made it be known that there was an open competition for the middle infield jobs. Carroll, Florimon, Escobar, and Brian Dozier were all in the running for starting jobs. Florimon had the leg up for the starting shortstop job since the end of last year. That left three men fighting for the other spot.
     
    The Twins want Dozier to be a part of their rebuilding process. This was evident last season when they continued to use him at shortstop even with his struggles. Dozier is 14 years younger than Carroll and he is under team control for multiple years. It makes sense to start Dozier but there are still questions about Carroll's role with the club.
     
    Carroll will make $3.75 million this year, which is a lot of money for someone that looks like a bench player at this point. There are incentives in his deal if he accumulates over 550 plate appearances this season. If he gets 401 plate appearances in 2013, he will have the option to return to the Twins for $2 million or become a free agent. If he doesn't reach that number of ABs, the Twins can pick up his option or buy out his deal for $250,000.
     
    All of these things could be a factor in his diminishing role.
     
    It was only one game and a couple of bench decisions made by the manager. The 39-year old Carroll will likely get playing time when one of the other players struggles or when an injury arises in the infield. There will be important at-bats for the veteran infielder and the Twins have to hope he will be ready when the opportunity comes.
     
    Carroll's role might be shrinking but his time in Minnesota isn't over yet.
  16. Cody Christie
    When word came out following TwinsFest about the injury suffered by Anthony Swarzak, it had to be embarrassing. He suffered a fractured rib after wrestling with some teammates during the Twins annual fan festival. Swarzak would open the season on the DL and it was tough for him to watch the Twins fight the Tigers and the Orioles before he could get on the field.
     
    Swarzak returned to the mound on Sunday and got four big outs for the Twins on their way to a second series win in a row to start the year. He entered in the sixth inning and allowed two hits and a walk along with one strikeout. He was forced to toss a lot of sliders because he didn't have a great feel for his fastball.
     
    It would be his first victory of the year and he made the appearance without making any rehab starts in the minor leagues. Swarzak is back and he has a little something to prove.
     
    One of the biggest surprises for the Twins in the first week of the season has been the performance of the pitching staff. There have been positive signs from almost every starting pitcher but only Kevin Correia has pitched seven innings. This leaves the bullpen in charge of getting a lot of outs.
     
    The Twins could be relying heavily on Swarzak during the coming season. The long relief pitcher could be called on for some big outs when the starting staff doesn't make it into the late innings. In recent years, he has even been called on to make a start or two.
     
    Players like Jared Burton, Glen Perkins, and Brian Duensing are going to have important late-inning roles out of the bullpen. It might take a bridge to get from the starting pitcher to those back of the bullpen arms.
     
    That is where Swarzak can make his mark.
     
    As one would expect, his numbers are much better as a relief pitcher versus his time as a starter. For his career, he ERA is 1.19 points lower out of the bullpen. His WHIP is .153 points lower and he has a higher strikeout per nine. Opponent’s batting average against him is 60 points lower when he is used in relief.
     
    Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson know the bullpen is one of the team's strengths in 2013. This could mean a lot of use out of some of the more consistent arms in the bullpen. The team has relied on the bullpen to keep their games close so far and that trend will likely continue in the coming weeks.
     
    Swarzak wants the ball as much as possible. He said, "As long as they want me to pitch, I'll pitch. That's always been my attitude here, and that will always be my attitude anywhere. I'm a pitcher before anything else. As long as they want me to have the ball, I'll take the ball."
     
    The Twins might need Swarzak to take the ball a lot this season. It looks like the bullpen is going to be one of the most important parts of the roster and Swarzak could be a key figure for the success of the 2013 Minnesota Twins.
  17. Cody Christie
    There have been two series so far for the Twins and each one has produced the same result, a Twins win. Minnesota is tied with the Chicago White Sox for first place in the Central Division. It is very early in the season but the Twins are finding ways to keep games close and to come out victorious.
     
    Aaron Hicks isn't in the minor leagues any more and there were some struggles in his first week in the majors. He did knock in the go-ahead run for the Twins in Sunday's game. It was a big hit for the rookie and hopefully it will help him to get going at the plate.
     
    One pitching staff combined for a no-hitter and plenty of the top prospects in the organization are off to hot starts. There were a few other surprises as we take a look around the Twins minor league system.
     
    Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Beloit Snappers 1
    Box Score
     
    It was a special day in Cedar Rapids as three Kernels pitchers combined to toss the organization's first no-hitter of the 2013 season.
     
    Tyler Duffey started for the Kernels and tossed seven perfect innings before being removed. He struck out seven and picked up his first win of the year. Duffey, the Twins fifth round pick last year, was starting his first game with the organization after being used as a relief pitcher in Elizabethton at the end of last year.
     
    Josue Montanez would pitch the eighth inning and he surrendered the only run of the game for Cedar Rapids. He walked three batters in the frame and this allowed Beloit to get on the board. Tim Atherton struck out the side in the ninth inning to close out the no-hitter.
     
    On the offensive side of the ball, Bryon Buxton continued his strong start to the season. He went 4-for-5 with his first double and his first triple of the year. Buxton is now hitting .563 with three extra-base hits and four runs scored as the leadoff hitter for Cedar Rapids.
     
    Dalton Hicks went 3-for-4 with a couple doubles. Travis Harrison also notched a couple of hits including his third double of the year.
     
    Ft. Myers Miracle 9, Bradenton Marauders 8 (10 Innings)
    Box Score
     
    Fort Myers continued their hot start to the year by winning their fourth consecutive game. The Miracle jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on the strength of a five run third inning.
     
    Michael Gonzalez hit his second home run of the year to give the Miracle the go-ahead lead. He knocked in three runs in the game.
     
    Miguel Sano had a three hit game to raise his batting average to .438. Eddie Rosario went 4-for-6 with a double and two runs. Andy Leer also had his first home run of the season.
     
    Scott Diamond made his first rehab start in this game. He pitched five innings and gave up four earned runs including one long ball. All of the runs came in a long fourth inning.
     
    Madison Boer pitched in relief of Diamond and gave up four earned runs of his own. There were some control problems as he had three walks in a little over two innings of work. Chad Rodgers got the win and Corey Williams picked up his second save with a perfect bottom of the tenth inning.
     
    New Britain Rock Cats 2, Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 (11 innings)
    Box Score
     
    New Britain was the lone Twins affiliate to lose on Sunday. It was a tough luck loss as the club fell in extra-innings to mark their third loss on the season. The Rock Cats were leading for most of the game after the team scored a run in the second and the fourth innings. Michael Tonkin gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth to blow the save and let Richmond back in the game.
     
    Highly touted pitching prospect Alex Meyer made his Double-A debut and did well. He threw five innings and gave up one run on six hits. He struck out eight and issued one walk. Meyer threw 75 pitches in the game and 53 were for strikes.
     
    It was a slow offensive day for New Britain. The Rock Cats combined for five hits in the game. No hitter had more than one hit.
     
    Josmil Pinto cracked his first home run of the year in the second inning. Daniel Ortiz got his first triple of the year. The team was 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and the club left 15 men on base.
     
    Rochester Red Wings 14, Buffalo Bisons 5
    Box Score
     
    The Red Wings were riding a three game losing streak to start the year but they made sure to snap that skid on Sunday. The team pounded out 17 hits and scored 14 runs. There were home runs from a trio of players including Brandon Boggs, Chris Colabello, and Clete Thomas.
     
    Colabello would finish the game 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and two RBI. It was the first four hit game of the Red Wings season and of his career in affiliated baseball. He is hitting an eye-popping .600 through four games.
     
    Thomas would knock in five runs with a homer and a two-bagger to his credit. Oswaldo Arcia continued his hot start to the year by going 3-for-4 with three runs scored. The 3-4-5 hitters combined to go 10-for-13 with two home runs, two doubles, 9 RBI, and 8 runs.
     
    Virgil Vazquez had plenty of run support as his team scored 10 runs for him in the first two innings. He threw six frames by allowing eight hits and four earned runs, all solo home runs. Michael O'Connor pitched two innings in relief and gave up one run on two hits. Anthony Slama got the final three outs of the game for the first Red Wings W.
  18. Cody Christie
    The Rangers sure like to get within one out of accomplishing something big. A couple of years ago, Texas was an out away in more than one game from the club's first World Series title. On Tuesday night, Yu Darvish did his best to fit in with the Rangers by getting within one out of a perfect game. He too would fall short of making history.
     
    Since the Twins moved to Minnesota in 1961, there have five times when a Twins pitcher has taken a no-hitter into the ninth inning. Many fans might remember Scott Baker's almost perfect game back in 2007. There have been other men to get close only to fall short for the club.
     
    Here is a look back at the five Twins pitchers that made it within three outs of throwing a no-hitter.

    September 27, 1961: Minnesota vs Cleveland
    Pitcher: Al Schroll (9 IP, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 SO)


    Out of Minnesota's last seven games in their inaugural season, this was the lone win for the Twins. It was definitely a strange no hitter as Indians put four runs on the board. All of the runs for Cleveland came in the final frame. Schroll's control had been all over the place and this was evident in the ninth. He gave up a single to lose the no-hitter and a couple walks followed this. Terry Francona was the next batter and he knocked a triple to clear the bases. Schroll calmed down enough to get the next three outs and Minnesota was victorious 10-4.

    June 26, 1964: Minnesota vs. Chicago (1st Game of Double Header)
    Pitcher: Gerry Arrigo (9 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 SO)


    In a game that barely lasted two hours, Arrigo only allowed one hit and it was to the leadoff man in the top of the ninth. One man reached second base for the White Sox and this was only after Arrigo hit two batters in an inning. All of the offense for the Twins would come off the bat of Harmon Killebrew. Following a Tony Oliva double, Killebrew smashed a go-ahead ahead home run to seal the Twins 2-0 victory.

    June 1, 1968: Minnesota at Chicago
    Pitcher: Dean Chance (8.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 SO)


    Chance got no support from his teammates as he took a no-hitter into the ninth and still ended up with the loss. Minnesota left nine runners on base and the team was 0-2 with runners in scoring position. When Chance headed to the mound for the ninth, he still had to feel pretty good about his chances. He was able to get the first out of the frame before back-to-back singles had the Sox sitting pretty. Chance coaxed a groundout to get the runner at second and this left runners on the corners with two outs. Dick Kenworthy would win the game with a single and the Twins fell 1-0.

    August 7, 1976: Minnesota at Texas
    Pitcher: Steve Luebber (8.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 SO)


    The Twins took an early 1-0 lead in this game and it looked like that was all Luebber would need on the mound. He was perfect through six innings before a couple of walks in the seventh. When he came out for the ninth inning, the Twins were up 3-0 and the frame got off to a good start. He got a groundout and a flyball to record the first two outs. The next two men would reach on singles and a throwing error by the outfielder didn't help matters. Minnesota would turn to Bill Campbell for the final out and he struck out Jeff Burroughs to end the game.

    August 31, 2007: Minnesota vs. Kansas City (2nd Game of Double Header)
    Pitcher: Scott Baker (9 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 9 SO)


    This game happened six seasons ago but it is probably still fresh in the minds of Twins fans. Baker had been untouchable for eight innings and he looked to be on the way to the first perfect game in franchise history. The Twins put together a long bottom of the eighth inning by piecing together three hits and scoring a couple of insurance runs. This might have let the pressure mount for Baker. He walked John Buck, the first batter of the ninth, to end the perfect game. After a groundout, Mike Sweeney pinch-hit and knocked a single to center field. It was the only hit of the game and Baker was that close to being perfect.
  19. Cody Christie
    The last two Aprils have been rough for Twins Territory. Slow starts out of the gate meant the club would only accumulate single digit wins in 2011 and 2012. As fans know, the team never recovered from those slow starts and Minnesota finished at the bottom of the American League for two consecutive years.
     
    It's a new year and the Twins are hoping not to repeat the slow starts of the last two season. For some people, there is plenty riding on the start by the Twins. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract and the team might need to get off to a decent start for him to keep his job.
     
    Since 1987, there have been only two men to be at the helm of the Minnesota Twins. Tom Kelly took the team to two World Series titles before stepping down after the 2001 season. Gardenhire was named as his replacement and there have been plenty of good things during his tenure.
     
    The team won the AL Central in his first three years as manager. There was a surprise run to the ALCS in his first year. He also led the team to six division titles in his first nine years. Gardenhire had multiple runner-up finishes for the AL Manager of the Year before winning the award in 2010.
     
    Those were the good times.
     
    2011 and 2012 have been dark days in Minnesota. Injuries plagued the 2011 team and the club would finish with the second worst record in baseball. Things didn't get much better in 2012 as the organization waffled to another last place finish. The future looked bleak and something needed to be done.
     
    During this offseason, the front office decided to overhaul the coaching staff around Gardenhire. Steve Liddle, Rick Stelmaszek, and Jerry White were all replaced. Scott Ullger and Joe Vavra were reassigned to new positions. Only Rick Anderson and Gardenhire would survive to stay in their same positions.
     
    It was a surprising set of moves for an organization that had only one coaching change in the last 11 seasons. There was a stability that stemmed from the ownership throughout the organization. Voices in the locker-room can get stale and sometimes change is needed.
     
    There are some fresh voices on Gardenhire's staff and he has to hope there will be a new energy in the clubhouse. New faces will fill-in multiple positions on the Opening Day line-up. The only starting pitcher back in the rotation from the beginning of last year is Liam Henriks. Changes were made and Gardenhire has to work with the roster he was given.
     
    This Twins team isn't destined to bring home a World Series crown but it could be a team to surprise at the start of the year. There are plenty of players with something to prove.

    Justin Morneau wants to put his injury plagued past behind him.
    Aaron Hicks wants to prove he belongs at the major leagues.
    Joe Mauer wants to prove he can spend more time behind the plate.
    Vance Worley, Mike Pelfrey, and Kevin Correia want to prove they can handle the switch from the NL to the AL.
    Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee want to prove they can be everyday players.
    Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier want to prove they belong in the middle infield.
    Josh Willingham wants to prove that last year's numbers weren't a fluke.
    Jamey Carroll wants to prove that he has something left in the tank.

     
    Gardenhire hopes the drive behind these ambitions will get the team off to a better start in 2013.
     
    His job might be counting on it.
  20. Cody Christie
    Three years ago, the Twins were in an ideal position. The organization was proud to be opening Target Field on a beautiful day in downtown Minneapolis. Minnesota would be on their way to 94 wins, the most for the franchise since the 2006 season. It would be a memorable season for Twins Territory but there were some problems starting to bubble under the surface.
     
    The dreaded Yankees were again waiting for the Twins in the first round. It would be another quick exit from the postseason but things seemed to look fine to the blind eye. Those views of the team would quickly fall apart with injuries, poor play, and other bad decisions. Minnesota has fallen far since that day in the Bronx.
     
    Teams that suffer this kind of defeat can find it hard to get back on their feet. Minnesota won six division titles from 2002-2010 but only one of those playoff trips resulted in a trip to the ALCS. The price of losing can start to add up and for some teams, that price can result in a decade long struggle to get back to the top.
     
    One of the toughest things to do when a team wins or when a team loses is to divide the credit or the blame. There are going to be plenty of people who want to take credit when things are going well for a franchise. If things are going the opposite way, there will be plenty of finger pointing. The bitterness in defeat can be a lot harder for a franchise to overcome.
     
    After the team's tough 2011 season, two of the most vocal members of the clubhouse left the franchise through free agency. Michael Cuddyer had been the longest tenured Twins player and he offered a veteran presence. Joe Nathan set the franchise record for saves but he saw a better opportunity to win in Texas. Now there are other veteran players on the club but most of their personalities are calm and reserved.
     
    There have been other casualties as the storm has continued to build.
     
    Bill Smith was given a lot of responsibility when the club handed him the reigns in September 2007. He would be the man in charge of trading away Johan Santana, signing franchise player Joe Mauer, and preparing the team to enter Target Field. These were challenging items and the team would go in a different direction in 2011.
     
    Minnesota went back to Terry Ryan as the organization looks to return to their winning ways. There have been some tough decisions with him back in the saddle. Denard Span and Ben Revere were traded this offseason to try and build up some organizational pitching depth. Some other tough decisions could be on the horizon.
     
    Justin Morneau has been an important part of the franchise over the last decade. He won an MVP and was selected to four consecutive All-Star Games. Concussion issues and other injures have limited his playing time. The Twins made sure to sign him to a deal that would keep him in a TC uniform until the new stadium opened. That deal expires at the end of the year and he could be dealt before July's deadline.
     
    The coaching staff saw it's biggest shake-up since Tom Kelly resigned after the 2001 season. Ron Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract. There are fresh faces on his staff but it's hard to have hope that the club will get off to a good start. This could mean the end of Gardy's tenure as Twins manager and maybe that's the best path for the franchise.
     
    It seems the Twins are entering a new phase. There will be plenty of new faces on the roster for Opening Day. The minor league system is stocked and some of the best young hitters in the game could be getting closer to Target Field this season.
     
    One of the hardest things to do in sports is to reinvent an organization. Terry Ryan knows this. His job is to calm the brewing storm. There will be other changes but fans can have hope that the clouds will part and the sun will shine through on a bright future in Minnesota.
  21. Cody Christie
    The Twins might be destined to finish at the bottom of the AL Central but there can still be some standout stars on a mediocre club. Every year it is fun to put on a prediction hat to try and figure out who will have the best season. This can be tough to do with injuries and other uncertainties.
     
    It has been prediction week here at NoDak Twins Fan. This means a look at the National League, the American League, and a close up view of the AL Central. Most of these predictions are likely to go wrong but that's what makes this whole exercise a whole lot of fun.
     
    Check out the schedule of post for the week and make sure to stop back every day so you are prepared for the upcoming season.
     
    2013 Preview Week
    Monday: National League Preview
    Tuesday: American League Preview
    Wednesday: American League Central Preview
    Thursday: Minnesota Twins Awards Preview
    Friday: Friday Links-N-Thinks
     
    Each of the awards below has been named after someone that optimizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends from the past and even one current MLB player but all have had a significant place in Twins lore.

    Harmon Killebrew MVP: Joe Mauer, C
    Previous Winners: Josh Willingham (2012), Michael Cuddyer (2011), Joe Mauer (2010)


    Justin Morneau might not be with the team for the entire season and it's hard to know if Josh Willingham will be able to duplicate his numbers from 2012. This leaves one man at the top of the preseason pile for Twins MVP. Before the last three seasons, Mauer has been my pick for the MVP of the team. There might be injuries and there probably won't be a ton of home runs. Fans can count on him having a high batting average and to get on base at one of the best rates in the American League. Trevor Plouffe might surprise or Willingham might continue to rake but my money is on Mauer.

    Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year: Vance Worley, RHP
    Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Carl Pavano (2011), Carl Pavano (2010)


    This has consistently been one of the hardest awards to pick for the Twins. It says a lot about the men that have composed the pitching staff in the Target Field era. Scott Diamond ran into a rough patch at the end of last year and he will be trying to get back from surgery at the beginning of this year. That crossed his name off of my list. Kyle Gibson is starting the year in the minor leagues but he could end up having a strong second half with the club. My heart wanted to pick Liam Hendriks because I want him to find success at the big league level. My head made me pick Worley but I'm not too excited about the selection.

    Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year: Brian Duensing, LHP
    Previous Winners: Jared Burton (2012), Glen Perkins (2011), Jesse Crain (2010)


    There have been surprise winners in this category over the last two seasons. Glen Perkins exploded onto the scene in 2011 and he is fully entrenched into the closers role for the coming year. Last season, Jared Burton was a tremendous find and the Twins will rely on him again in 2013. Brian Duensing has moved back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. If the Twins are smart, they will leave him in the bullpen where he can find more success. Perkins and Burton might live up to last year's standards but Duensing will be the surprise.

    Rod Carew Rookie of the Year: Aaron Hicks, CF
    Previous Winners: Scott Diamond (2012), Ben Revere (2011), Danny Valencia (2010)


    Two of the last three winners of this award are with different organizations so this might not be good news for Scott Diamond. The Twins handed Hicks the reigns for center field after never getting a plate appearance at the Triple-A level. So far this spring, he has looked very good and this could mean he has a chance to win the overall rookie of the year award for the American League. In previous years, Hicks has struggled with the transition to a new level. This will be the biggest transition of his career and he will need to be able to make the appropriate adjustments.
     
    Now it's your turn. What would your ballot look like for the top awards in the Twins organization for 2012? Leave a COMMENT and start the debate.
  22. Cody Christie
    The Tigers were supposed to run away with the division last season but their team showed some holes. This allowed a club like the White Sox to surprise the baseball world and finish in second place by only three games. The Indians and the Royals have made some offseason moves to try and push themselves closer to the top.
     
    The AL Central is considered one of the weaker divisions in baseball but the reigning American League Champions reside in the division. Detroit wants to get back to the World Series and win another title for Mo Town. Anything can happen over the course of the regular season and this could leave Detroit on the outside of the playoffs.
     
    It's preview week here at NoDak Twins Fan. Check out the schedule of post for the week and make sure to stop back every day so you are prepared for the upcoming season.
     
    2013 Preview Week
    Monday: National League Preview
    Tuesday: American League Preview
    Wednesday: American League Central Preview
    Thursday: Minnesota Twins Awards Preview
    Friday: Friday Links-N-Thinks
     
    1. Detroit Tigers (Record Prediction: 92-70)
    The Tigers have almost all of the pieces to make them an easy pick for the top of the division. Justin Verlander will lead the pitching staff that has other solid starters like Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, and Doug Fister. The line-up will be bolstered by the addition of Torii Hunter and the return of a healthy Victor Martinez. Austin Jackson has turned himself into possibly the best leadoff hitter in the AL Central and who can forget the MVP season of Miguel Cabrera. The one question mark with the Tigers is the back end of the bullpen. At the beginning of the offseason, rookie Bruce Rondon was expected to earn the closer job but he has put together a rough spring. He still might get the job to start the year or the Tigers could use a closer by committee approach.
     
    2. Kansas City Royals (Record Prediction: 84-78)
    The Royals bet the farm by trading away Wil Myers and other prospects to the Rays for pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis. Kansas City has struggled to produce pitching prospects and the front office wants to make a run toward the postseason. Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie will try to improve their numbers against AL Central opponents. Eric Hosmer was supposed to be an MVP candidate last year but he struggled to find a consistent swing. If he can make some adjustments and reach his potential, he could be a force in the middle of the line-up. Billy Butler is a veteran leader and he should help to keep some consistency. The front office really wants to make a run this year and they might be in position to make a move at the deadline if they need an extra piece.
     
    3. Cleveland Indians (Record Prediction: 81-81)
    Over the last couple of seasons, Cleveland has been a team that seems to be getting close to breaking through. Core players like Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner had struggled with injuries but both of these men are not in Indians uniforms to start the year. New manager Terry Francona is trying to turn around a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs since their team lost the 2007 ALCS. Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn were surprise offseason signings and young pitcher Trevor Bauer will look to make a mark on the rotation. There are enough question marks with the pitching staff to wonder if the Tribe will be able to push past the .500 mark. This team could finish ahead of the Royals so it will be a close battle for second place.
     
    4. Chicago White Sox (Record Prediction: 77-85)
    Chicago surprised a lot of the baseball world last year when they came within a handful of games from winning the division over the eventual AL Champions. Last year's postseason could have had quite a different feel if the White Sox had ended up as the winner of the Central Division. Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn will provide some powerful swings in the middle of the line-up. Tyler Flowers will try and take over the big offensive hole left behind the plate by the departure of AJ Pierzynski. Chris Sale might be the second best starting pitcher in the division and he will continue to prove himself this year. For Chicago, it's going to be a little tougher to score runs and their rotation is lacking some depth. They will fall back to the pack this year and finish near the bottom of the division.
     
    5. Minnesota Twins (Record Prediction: 69-93)
    Twins fans might not like seeing the team at the bottom of the division for the third year in a row but there is nothing that is pointing to the team from finishing anywhere else. The lackluster rotation thrown together for 2013 is underwhelming at best. Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham, and Justin Morneau will provide offense but it still won't be enough to overcome some of the team's deficiencies. The good news is that the future looks bright and fans will get to watch Aaron Hicks in center field at the beginning of the year. Chris Parmelee and Trevor Plouffe will look to translate minor league numbers into sustained success at the big league level. There are plenty of question marks but the team should be slightly better than the last two years.
  23. Cody Christie
    Trying to predict baseball is becoming harder and harder. With the addition of the second wild card spot, it seems like almost every team has a shot at earning a trip to the postseason. No one saw the Orioles and the Athletics making it into the postseason last year. It is also hard to believe the playoffs occurred without the Angels participating.
     
    That is what makes this game so much fun. Fans from every team have hope at the beginning of the year and there are 162 games to separate the men from the boys.
     
    It's preview week here at NoDak Twins Fan. Check out the schedule of post for the week and make sure to stop back every day so you are prepared for the upcoming season.
     
    2013 Preview Week
    Monday: National League Preview
    Tuesday: American League Preview
    Wednesday: American League Central Preview
    Thursday: Minnesota Twins Awards Preview
    Friday: Friday Links-N-Thinks
     
    AL East: Toronto Blue Jays
    The Blue Jays spent the offseason acquiring talent to get them back to somewhere they haven't been since the early 1990's. Toronto spent multiple seasons as the top dog in the AL but that was many years ago in a galaxy far, far away. Last year's NL Cy Young winner RA Dickey will look to calm some of the bats in the AL East. Jose Reyes will use his speed to wreak havoc on the bases and Jose Bautista will get back to his healthy home run hitting form. Their rotation is solid and they have a very strong line-up that will guide them through the gauntlet of the AL East.
     
    AL Central: Detroit Tigers
    After being embarrassed by the Giants in last year's World Series, the Tigers have a chip on their shoulder. They have arguably the best pitcher and the best hitter in the game in Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. Veteran Torii Hunter was brought in to help an offense that struggled at times and a defense that ranked near the bottom of the AL. The AL Central shouldn't be too much of a challenge for the Tigers even with some revamped rosters in Cleveland and Kansas City. Detroit is built to get back to the Fall Classic.
     
    AL West: Los Angeles Angels
    On paper, the Angels had one of the best team's in 2012 but that still didn't translate to a playoff spot. This year will be a different story. Mike Trout will get a full season to show off his talent. This will be dangerous especially with the other offensive players around him. Albert Pujols took a lot of the blame for LA's poor start last year but there was plenty of blame to go around. For the second year in a row, the Angels brought in a big name free agent to bolster their line-up. Josh Hamilton will help to make Los Angeles the best team in the American League.
     
    Wild Cards: Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers
    Oakland surprised the baseball world last year by using a rotation mostly comprised of rookie pitchers to win the AL West. They won't be as much of a surprise this season but it helps to have the Astros at the back-end of their division. The A's will benefit from playing Houston 18 times this year and this should help them move to the top. Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes will pace the offense and Oakland will have back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since the Moneyball Era.
     
    There is a little turmoil in Texas but the Rangers roster still should be strong enough to make an October run. Team leaders Josh Hamilton and Michael Young are in different uniforms so other players will have to step up to the plate. Ian Kinsler is one of the best infielders in the game and Jurickson Profar will look to make his mark in his rookie campaign. AJ Pierzynski and Lance Berkman will try to replace some of the offense lost by Hamilton leaving town.
     
    Wild Card Game: Oakland over Texas
    ALDS: Los Angeles over Oakland, Detroit over Toronto
    ALCS: Los Angeles over Detroit
    World Series: Washington over Los Angeles
     
    AL MVP: Mike Trout, Angels
    Trout lost out on last year's MVP award because of the Triple Crown season put together by Miguel Cabrera. This year there won't be another Triple Crown winner and this leaves the door open for Mr. Trout. A full season at the big league level could allow Trout to put together some numbers that have never been seen before. He has a chance to be the first 50/50 player in history. He is also one of the best defensive outfielders in the game. The offense around him will be even better this year and this could put him on pace to break the single season record for runs scored.
     
    AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Tigers
    Verlander is simply one of the best pitchers in the game. In each of the last two years, he has lead the American League in strikeouts and innings pitched. The Tigers should steam roll the AL Central and this could put Verlander on a pace to set a new career high in wins. Over the last four seasons, he has averaged 238 innings on the mound and it is hard not to think that those innings might start to add up. He hasn't showed any signs of slowing down so a Detroit playoff birth and some gaudy pitching totals should earn him his second Cy Young in the last three years.
     
    AL Rookie of the Year: Aaron Hicks, Twins
    There might be better prospects on other teams but not many of the top prospects in the American League will get the chance to start from Opening Day. The Twins are giving Hicks this chance and he could be the team's first Rookie of the Year winner since Marty Cordova in 1995. Wil Myers and Jurickson Profar will have a chance to impact their clubs later in the year. Hicks put together a tremendous spring and he has all of the tools to be a solid player. It will be up to Hicks to make the correct adjustments and show that he belongs at the MLB level.
     
    AL Manager of the Year: John Gibbons, Blue Jays
    If things go according to plan in the AL, Gibbons will have the best shot to walk away with the manager of the year award. The front office has done a good job to compile a talented roster. He is still going to have to control a lot of different personalities if the Jays are going to make it through the AL East. If Ned Yost can help to turn the Royals around, he might have a claim to this crown. For now, Gibbons looks like the front-runner and it will be up to the rest of the league to stop him.
  24. Cody Christie
    It's preview week here at NoDak Twins Fan so everyone should get excited!! This means it is the last full week before the regular season begins. The start of real baseball can't get here soon enough.
     
    Throughout the week, I will be making my picks for the National League, the American League, the AL Central, and awards for the Twins. Here is a look at the schedule so make sure to stop in all week to get yourself primed for the season to come.
     
    2013 Preview Week
    Monday: National League Preview
    Tuesday: American League Preview
    Wednesday: American League Central Preview
    Thursday: Minnesota Twins Awards Preview
    Friday: Friday Links-N-Thinks
     
    NL East: Washington Nationals
    With a young core of players and a strong pitching staff, the Nationals look to be the crème of the crop in the National League. Bryce Harper will get a full season to show his potential. There also won't be an innings limit on Stephen Strasburg. Both of these players are driven to show they can be the best in the game. Washington will get plenty of push from the Atlanta Braves but the Nats should have enough talent to walk away with their second consecutive NL East crown.
     
    NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
    St. Louis has won two of the last six World Series championships and they still made it to the NLCS last year even after losing Albert Pujols. They have arguably the best minor league system in the game and some of those young players will be ready to make an impact in 2013. Shelby Miller and Oscar Taveras will be knocking on the door to the big leagues. The Cards also have solid arsenal of talent at the major league level that will look to win the division for the first time since 2009.
     
    NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
    The Dodgers ownership group has stepped up to the plate and made sure they have a contender on the field. Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke might be one of the best top of the rotation duos in all of baseball. Matt Kemp needs to put his injury-plagued year behind him and show that he is an MVP candidate again. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford will look to add some pop to the line-up as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time in four years.
     
    Wild Cards: Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants
    The Braves have a chance to battle the Nationals for the top spot in the NL East. The pitching depth of the Nationals will separate the two clubs so Atlanta will have to settle for a Wild Card spot for the second year in a row. Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and BJ Upton might form the best outfield in the game. Craig Kimbrel is a force at the back end of the bullpen and Heyward will put himself in the MVP discussion.
     
    The Giants have won two of the last three World Series and they will be looking to go back-to-back in 2013. It is going to be a struggle for them to even reach the playoffs and they will fight with the Reds through the last week of the season. Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner are two of the best hurlers in the game. Buster Posey will look to earn his second straight MVP but Tim Lincecum continues to be a giant question mark.
     
    Wild Card Game: Braves over Giants
    NLDS: Nationals over Braves, Cardinals over Dodgers
    NLCS: Nationals over Cardinals
     
    NL MVP: Jason Heyward, Braves
    Heyward is only 23-years old and he is all around game makes him one of baseball’s most exciting players. He won a Gold Glove last year so his defense might not be the thing holding him back from taking home the hardware. His batting average was only .269 so he would definitely need a spike in this department. If he gets close to a 30-30 season and sees an improvement in average, the award will be his.
     
    NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
    Over the last two seasons, Kershaw has lead the NL in ERA, WHIP, and Hits/9. He won the Cy Young in 2011 and he finished second last year to RA Dickey. His win total was a little low last year and the improvement in the Dodgers offense should lead to more run support in 2013. He will only be 25-years old this season and he has been a workhorse over the last few seasons. The Dodgers are looking to make a statement in the NL and Kershaw is their ace.
     
    NL Rookie of the Year: Oscar Taveras, Cardinals
    Bryce Harper is a tough act to follow but Oscar Taveras might have just the perfect situation to find success. He is considered one of the best prospects in the game and the Cardinals will look to be a solid team in the National League. Taveras won't start the year in the big leagues but he will make enough of an impact in the stretch run to separate himself from some of the rookie pitchers like Zach Wheeler and Tyler Skaggs.
     
    NL Manager of the Year: Mike Matheny, Cardinals
    There are plenty of coaches that will be vying to take home this award but the Cardinals haven't won their division multiple seasons. Matheny did a good job guiding the club to a Wild Card birth in his first year at the helm. It is tough to step into the spot of a future Hall-of-Fame manager but Matheny has a solid organization around him. This will help him to standout above the crowd.
  25. Cody Christie
    It is hard to imagine that this time last year there were temperatures in the 70s or higher for parts of Twins Territory. There are only a handful of days left until Opening Day and there seems be plenty of snow left on the ground. Fans in North Dakota and northern Minnesota are still digging out of the most recent blizzard and it's hard to believe baseball is only a few days away.
     
    The World Baseball Classic wrapped up in the middle of the week so most players are back in camp for their respective clubs. Sam Deduno helped the Dominican Republic take home the title by pitching five scoreless innings in the championship game. There are still enough questions about him that the Twins might not even start the year with him in the rotation.
     
    For now, it is almost the weekend and there were plenty of great stories from throughout the week. Below you will find a handful of the best stories from around the web with a few bonuses thrown in to spice things up. Enjoy this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks."

    Who should have the title of Mr. Twin?
    Aaron Hicks looks to be the next in a long line of Twins center fielders.
    The shortstop and third base situation will be interesting to watch this year.
    Technology is amazing especially when it helps the Twins.
    It's past the two week warning so what does that mean for the club?
    The 2008 Draft is intriguing to look back on...
    There have been plenty of forgettable Twins in the history of the team.
    Tom Brunansky and Terry Steinbach had a conference call with season ticket holders.
    From a PR perspective, does Aaron Hicks need to win the center field job?
    Vance Worley struggles with his weight just like the rest of us.
    Sam Deduno might be the most interesting man in the world.
    Defrosting a field is something that wasn't a problem at the Metrodome.
    Miguel Sano got two hits in his first action with the big league club.
    If the Twins were a dictatorship, this is what their propaganda poster might look like...
    Pat Neshek is still trying to recover from the death of his son.
    This is a great shot of Harmon Killebrew from his days with the Senators.
    What is the probability of a batter getting a hit in any given plate appearance?
    Scott Baker has already been shut down so maybe it was good that the Twins didn't sign him.
    Topps Baseball Cards locked up the MLB-exclusive license through 2020.
    Minor League ballparks can play a role in making a prospect look good or bad.
    What if umpires still called balls and strikes from behind the mound?
    I find it slightly amusing that Kyle Lohse doesn't have a job.

     
    My Weekly Rundown:

    Sunday: Twins minor leaguers sing Journey
    Monday: Have the Twins been lucky in the Gardenhire Era?
    Tuesday: Drew Butera and the cost of a third catcher
    Wednesday: Early 2013 MLB Draft Preview
    Thursday: Sam Deduno: New and Improved?

     
    Video of the Week: I could have easily gone with the minor league players singing Journey. But since I already put that video up on Sunday, I went with something else.
    . That was one of the best things to do as a kid. The smell of a new glove and working with the leather to get it to just the right spot.
×
×
  • Create New...