Jeremy Nygaard

The baseball games tonight give us a chance to clear our minds from the devastating news out of Boston. For those of you living in the nightmare, I think I can speak for everybody at TwinsDaily - creators, writers and readers - that our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. For as exciting (or depressing) as baseball can be, it's still just a game. But in tonight's game, Twins fans were excited to see Oswaldo Arcia make his major league debut. He didn't disappoint, ripping the second pitch he saw down the right-field line and alertly took second base on Josh Hamilton's error. In the 5th, he took a Michael Roth pitch deep to left-center, only to have Mike Trout and his super-powers catch it on the warning track. He also dropped a routine flyball, but, hey, it was his first game. The Twins, who ended their losing streak thanks to a great outing from Kevin Correia tonight, will have an interesting decision to make when the roster needs tinkering again. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3764[/ATTACH] Let's look at what happened on the farm tonight: Fort Myers Miracle 4, Palm Beach Cardinals 1 Box Score The Miracle extended their season-opening winning streak to 11 games. I'm starting to get the feeling that Doug Mientkiewicz is the greatest manager in the history of baseball... or he at least has to have the best winning percentage. Tonight's win was brought to you buy The Bottom of the Order. Lance Ray, Jonathan Goncalves, Kyle Knudson and Stephen Wickens combined to go 9-for-12 with all four runs, three RBI, and a triple (Goncalves). And, of course, a courtesy Miguel Sano mention: 1-for-3 with a walk and strikeout... and his third error of the season. Tom Stuifbergen was great - 7.2 innings, four hits, one run and three strikeouts. Corey Williams came in with the tying runner on in the eighth, got the out and then recorded three more for his fourth save of the season. One Miracle player, who shall remain nameless, told me after win #10 that the "scary thing is... the team could play better." It's going to continue to be an exciting season. Jason Wheeler (1-0, 5.63) gets the afternoon start for the Miracle tomorrow. New Britain RockCats 5, New Hampshire FisherCats 3 Box Score The RockCats got a phenomenal start from southpaw Logan Darnell, helping the team climb back over .500 after losing their last two. Darnell went 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight and only giving up a lone run to pick up his first win of the year. Aaron Thompson made his season debut getting four outs (two on strikeouts) before Bobby Lanigan got roughed up a little in the ninth (allowed two runs and the tying runner to get to the plate). Michael Tonkin came in, threw one pitch and got the game's final out on a grounder to the second baseman James Beresford. The bats were alive... and full of singles. Only one (Reynaldo Rodriguez, double) of the 11 hits went for extra bases. Luckily, six of those hits came in the sixth inning where the RockCats scored all five of their runs. Danny Santana, Nate Hanson, Jason Christian and James Beresford all had two hits. Trevor May (0-1, 3.00) will make the start tomorrow night. Rochester Red Wings 1, Scranton/WB RailRiders 10 Box Score Rochester dropped to 2-9, which is the franchise's worst start in at least the last 45 years. P.J. Walters made it through six innings. He struck out five, but also gave up 13 hits (!) and five earned runs. Michael O'Connor was the only reliever to pitch an inning without giving up a run. Bruce Pugh gave up four runs. Daniel Turpen gave up one. Joe Benson was the offense's headliner with three hits and a stolen base. The team scattered ten hits, but were a Twins-like 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position. One the season, the Red Wings are 15-for-91 (.164) with RISP. Not quite Hicksian, but disgustingly bad for sure. Kyle Gibson (0-1, 5.79) will hope to get the team's third win tomorrow. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 14 Box Score Well, the ugly stick hit the Kernels tonight on their return to Cedar Rapids. Of note, Oswaldo Arcia's brother, Orlando, who plays for Wisconsin went 0-for-6 as the only Timber Rattler without a hit. Byron Buxton went 1-for-2 (.441) with his 4th stolen base of the year. Adam Walker, who hit 14 home runs last year for Elizabethton, hit his 1st of the year. Dalton (D.J.) Hicks, who earlier in the day was named Midwest Player of the Week, homered for his third time of the year. David Hurlbut took the loss, giving up three runs in five innings. Matt Tomshaw gave up six earned runs and got four outs. Josue Montanez got five outs and gave up five unearned runs. The Kernels will play a doubleheader tomorrow and it appears that Taylor Rogers (0-0, 0.00) and Brett Lee (1-0, 0.00 in two bullpen appearances) will get the starting nods. If you have any questions, comments or anything else you want to get off of your chest, you can leave a comment below or tweet me @jeremynygaard.

The Twins got an excellent outing from free-agent pick-up Kevin Correia, who worked into the 8th inning. Unfortunately, the Royals strung a few hits together and were able to chase Correia after taking a 3-1 lead. The Twins failed to rally in the 9th and lost their 3rd “Home Opener” of the season. (But remain undefeated in non-Home Openers.) [ATTACH=CONFIG]3696[/ATTACH] Three of the club’s affiliates were in action this evening. Let’s take a look… Rochester Red Wings 2, Scranton/WB RailRiders 4 Box Score Congratulations to first baseman Chris Colabello, who was named International League Player of the Week for last week. Andrew Albers was originally slated to begin the season in New Britain’s bullpen. A BJ Hermsen injury sent him to their rotation. After Alex Burnett was waived, a spot in Rochester’s bullpen opened up. Soon after that, Pedro Hernandez took Cole De Vries’ spot in Minnesota’s rotation. Albers, whose minor-league career has been a journey, has been on a mini-journey in just the last week. His ultimate destination, Rochester’s rotation, is where Albers made his season debut tonight. Albers pitched very well before reaching his pitch limit with two outs in the fourth. He allowed a run on three hits and a walk. He struck out five, throwing 50 strikes on 76 pitches. Luis Perdomo had another rough outing, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks. He did strike out two, but used 32 pitches to record only four outs. Daniel Turpen allowed a run. Tyler Robertson, back in AAA, walked a batter in an otherwise uneventful inning. The bats didn’t offer much in terms of run support. Oswaldo Arcia, who, despite gaudy numbers, has avoided the prospect spotlight (thank Sano and Buxton for that), had another big game. His three singles led to him scoring both of Rochester’s runs. He also stole his first base of the year. Clete Thomas and Rey Olmedo both added two hits. Thomas drove in both runs and now has seven on the young season. Joe Benson, now batting .077, had his first double of the season. New Britain Rock Cats 9, Harrisburg Senators 2 Box Score New Britain continues their season-opening road trip in Harrisburg tonight. After winning their season opener, the Rock Cats lost their next three games. A change of venue proved to be enough to end the losing streak. The bats were alive for the Rock Cats. Danny Ortiz (now batting .400) led the charge with a double and a home run. Josmil Pinto had a three-run triple. Harold Garcia hit his second home run of the season. Antoan Richardson had two hits and a walk in the leadoff position. Danny Santana had three hits (to improve his average to .273). Blake Martin enters his 3rd season making spot-starts for the Rock Cats. Tonight, he worked three innings (66 pitches, 34 strikes), allowing only one run. He avoided trouble despite yielding two hits and walking four. He struck out two and now has an ERA of 1.69. Marty Popham (52 pitches, 28 strikes) walked two in three scoreless innings. He struck out four. Edgar Ibarra walked and struck out one in an inning. Nelvin Fuentes gave up a run on two hits in the ninth to close out the victory. Ft. Myers Miracle – DAY OFF after starting the season 4-0 D.J. Baxendale will make his season debut tomorrow night. Cedar Rapids Kernels 10, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2 Box Score The story of the spring in the upper Midwest has been the cold weather. The Kernels opened in a cool, but seasonable, weekend in Cedar Rapids. Today, they headed north to Appleton, WI. Early this afternoon, first baseman DJ Hicks tweeted, “You know it’s cold when teammates are buying gloves and head masks for a game.” Shortstop Niko Goodrum later tweeted that on his way to the game he saw a frozen lake… for the first time in his life. Once the game started, in mid-30s “heat”, the story, again, was the Kernels. After jumping out to a 6-0 lead, the Kernels were able to coast to a 10-2 win. Another stellar pitching performance tonight, this time from David Hurlbut left Cedar Rapids in good shape. Hurlbut pitched six innings (70 pitches, 49 strikes) allowing three hits and two runs (a 2-run home run). He struck out five. Tyler Jones pitched two innings out of the bullpen, striking out two. Jones has been phenomenal. In 5.1 innings this year, he’s struck out eight and allowed zero hits. Chris Mazza closed out the game by striking out the side. He walked a batter and allowed an infield hit. The lineup added plenty of run support. All of the starters (besides catcher Jairo Rodriguez) recorded a hit. Seven of the nine batters scored. Byron Buxton hit his second home run of the season and drove in three runs, though he did prove human and strike out three times. DJ Hicks improved to .389 with two hits (a double). Adam Walker, back in his home state, drove in four runs on two hits (including a double). Travis Harrison hit his first home run. JD Williams showed his speed reaching base three times and stealing two bases. He was caught stealing once, but it brought Jake Mauer out to argue and sounded on the radio like it was a questionable call. (If you haven’t, listen to a Kernels baseball game on kmryradio.com. It’s fantastic. Broadcaster Morgan Hawk does a great job.) Tomorrow, Brett Lee will make his first start of the season. He picked up the win in Friday’s walk-off victory over Beloit. He wasn’t scheduled to pitch, but was needed due to the short bullpen that has since been added to.

The Twins just got back over .500 (again) while a top prospect is starting to heat up. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3681[/ATTACH] There was a lot going on in the minor leagues today. You can read about it and catch up (or comment) here. After taking in three Kernels games in Cedar Rapids, Seth is driving back to reality tonight. So I'm pinch-writing. Like any back-of-the-rotation starter, you'll have to put up with me once (and sometimes twice) a week. I'm on Twitter, if you're into that sort of thing. But my baby is tracking the Major League payroll and all of the organizational rosters. I call it the R&P (Roster & Payroll) page and update it frequently to answer all of your burning questions. I'm also pretty heavy into the MLB Draft. Sometime soon here I plan to start bugging Seth into letting me do a Draft Chat, what do you think about that idea? But enough about me, let's take a spin around the farm: Ft. Myers Miracle 10, Bradenton Marauders 6 Box Score The bats were alive in Fort Myers and the Miracle will look to complete a four-game sweep tomorrow afternoon. Though Miguel Sano didn’t hit a home run, he did go 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. He scored three runs and the report was that he looked great at 3B. Eddie Rosario, who got off to a cold start, had two hits tonight including his first home run. He also scored two runs. The Michael Gonzales-Kennys Vargas-Lance Ray part of the order drove in six runs on five hits. Gonzales homered, the other two doubled. Matthew Summers got the start and went four innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. Making a relief appearance was Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo has been regarded as a highly-ranked starting pitcher, but has missed significant time with various injuries. Tonight, he allowed two runs on three hits in two innings. All of his outs were recorded on the ground. He still is someone to watch as far as “prospect status” goes and his role this year bears watching. Ryan O’Rourke picked up his second win of the year. He struck out two in two innings. Closing it out (in a non-save situation) was Zack Jones, who struck out one in a perfect ninth. Rochester Red Wings 2, Buffalo Bisons 9 Box Score A chilly Home Opener in Rochester saw the Red Wings drop their third straight game and second straight home opener to Buffalo. Shairon Martis threw only 29 of 69 pitches for strikes and only lasted three innings. His four walks and four hits allowed amounted to two earned runs. He struck out one. The bullpen – starting with Bruce Pugh – didn’t provide much help. Pugh allowed three hits and two earned runs while only recording one out. Caleb Thielbar got the Red Wings through the sixth. He struck out four, but also allowed two more earned runs. Luis Perdomo allowed four hits, four walks and – you guessed it – two more runs in 1 1/3 innings. Daniel Turpen got the final five outs, but also allowed a run on two hits and two walks. He struck out two. Offensively, the story of the game was walks. Rochester play-by-play announcer Josh Whetzel tweeted after the game that in the MLB since 1916 only 14 teams have lost a nine inning game while coaxing 11 walks, like Rochester did today, and scoring two or less runs. As you can probably guess, the Red Wings did poorly with runners in scoring position (1-for-10). Chris Colabello was the only player with a multi-hit game (two singles). Oswaldo Arcia went hitless and Eric Farris, making his Red Wings debut, went 0-for-4 after pinch-hitting for Ray Olmedo in the 4th inning. Sunday’s original starter, Pedro Hernandez, was promoted and will start for the Twins. Virgil Vasquez, who was originally slated to pitch Monday, will pitch tomorrow. Buffalo will send Tyson Brummett to the mound. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels 7 Box Score The Rock Cats got all of their offense from two players – Daniel Ortiz and Harold Garcia. Ortiz went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and a run. Harold Garcia had two hits, including a two-run home run. Pat Dean got the start and lasted four innings. He allowed seven hits, two walks and five runs (four earned). He struck out two. Relieving Dean was TwinsDaily’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year last year: A.J. Achter. Achter struck out two and walked two in two innings. Marty Popham took the loss for allowing two runs in the seventh. Nelvin Fuentes hit a batter, but otherwise went unscathed in the eighth. Tomorrow the Rock Cats will look to even the four-game series with Richmond. They will be doing so with Alex Meyer making his Twins minor league debut. This is definitely a game Twins prospect-watchers will have their eye on. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Beloit Snappers 2 Box Score After two exciting wins, the Kernels struggled to get going and failed to match their dramatic victory of last night. Super-prospect Byron Buxton went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He’s now batting .455. Jorge Polanco drove in the lone run with an RBI double in the 8th innings. Candido Pimental and Niko Goodrum added singles. Pimentel and J.D. Williams each stole a base. 2012 2nd round pick, Mason Melotakis, has started his conversion from relief pitcher to starting pitcher. He worked into the fifth, recording one out, while giving up only two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out two. Melotakis was throwing in the low-to-mid-90s while working quickly, according to Seth. Worth noting, Melotakis recored 10 groundball outs, compared to only 1 flyball out. The Kernels got a great showing from their bullpen, ironically enough, from two former Snappers starters – Matt Tomshaw and Manuel Soliman. Tomshaw came in to relieve Melotakis after Melotakis issued a walk to start the 5th innings. He did allow two hits and two walks, but he struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings. Soliman made his second appearance of the year and allowed three hits, but no runs, while recording six outs. Another college reliever, Tyler Duffey, will make his pro debut as a starter tomorrow as the Kernels look to clinch the series win.

The Twins just got back over .500 (again) while a top prospect is starting to heat up. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3681[/ATTACH] There was a lot going on in the minor leagues today. You can read about it and catch up (or comment) here. After taking in three Kernels games in Cedar Rapids, Seth is driving back to reality tonight. So I'm pinch-writing. Like any back-of-the-rotation starter, you'll have to put up with me once (and sometimes twice) a week. I'm on Twitter, if you're into that sort of thing. But my baby is tracking the Major League payroll and all of the organizational rosters. I call it the R&P (Roster & Payroll) page and update it frequently to answer all of your burning questions. I'm also pretty heavy into the MLB Draft. Sometime soon here I plan to start bugging Seth into letting me do a Draft Chat, what do you think about that idea? But enough about me, let's take a spin around the farm: Ft. Myers Miracle 10, Bradenton Marauders 6 Box Score The bats were alive in Fort Myers and the Miracle will look to complete a four-game sweep tomorrow afternoon. Though Miguel Sano didn’t hit a home run, he did go 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. He scored three runs and the report was that he looked great at 3B. Eddie Rosario, who got off to a cold start, had two hits tonight including his first home run. He also scored two runs. The Michael Gonzales-Kennys Vargas-Lance Ray part of the order drove in six runs on five hits. Gonzales homered, the other two doubled. Matthew Summers got the start and went four innings. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. Making a relief appearance was Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo has been regarded as a highly-ranked starting pitcher, but has missed significant time with various injuries. Tonight, he allowed two runs on three hits in two innings. All of his outs were recorded on the ground. He still is someone to watch as far as “prospect status” goes and his role this year bears watching. Ryan O’Rourke picked up his second win of the year. He struck out two in two innings. Closing it out (in a non-save situation) was Zack Jones, who struck out one in a perfect ninth. Rochester Red Wings 2, Buffalo Bisons 9 Box Score A chilly Home Opener in Rochester saw the Red Wings drop their third straight game and second straight home opener to Buffalo. Shairon Martis threw only 29 of 69 pitches for strikes and only lasted three innings. His four walks and four hits allowed amounted to two earned runs. He struck out one. The bullpen – starting with Bruce Pugh – didn’t provide much help. Pugh allowed three hits and two earned runs while only recording one out. Caleb Thielbar got the Red Wings through the sixth. He struck out four, but also allowed two more earned runs. Luis Perdomo allowed four hits, four walks and – you guessed it – two more runs in 1 1/3 innings. Daniel Turpen got the final five outs, but also allowed a run on two hits and two walks. He struck out two. Offensively, the story of the game was walks. Rochester play-by-play announcer Josh Whetzel tweeted after the game that in the MLB since 1916 only 14 teams have lost a nine inning game while coaxing 11 walks, like Rochester did today, and scoring two or less runs. As you can probably guess, the Red Wings did poorly with runners in scoring position (1-for-10). Chris Colabello was the only player with a multi-hit game (two singles). Oswaldo Arcia went hitless and Eric Farris, making his Red Wings debut, went 0-for-4 after pinch-hitting for Ray Olmedo in the 4th inning. Sunday’s original starter, Pedro Hernandez, was promoted and will start for the Twins. Virgil Vasquez, who was originally slated to pitch Monday, will pitch tomorrow. Buffalo will send Tyson Brummett to the mound. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels 7 Box Score The Rock Cats got all of their offense from two players – Daniel Ortiz and Harold Garcia. Ortiz went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and a run. Harold Garcia had two hits, including a two-run home run. Pat Dean got the start and lasted four innings. He allowed seven hits, two walks and five runs (four earned). He struck out two. Relieving Dean was TwinsDaily’s Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year last year: A.J. Achter. Achter struck out two and walked two in two innings. Marty Popham took the loss for allowing two runs in the seventh. Nelvin Fuentes hit a batter, but otherwise went unscathed in the eighth. Tomorrow the Rock Cats will look to even the four-game series with Richmond. They will be doing so with Alex Meyer making his Twins minor league debut. This is definitely a game Twins prospect-watchers will have their eye on. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Beloit Snappers 2 Box Score After two exciting wins, the Kernels struggled to get going and failed to match their dramatic victory of last night. Super-prospect Byron Buxton went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He’s now batting .455. Jorge Polanco drove in the lone run with an RBI double in the 8th innings. Candido Pimental and Niko Goodrum added singles. Pimentel and J.D. Williams each stole a base. 2012 2nd round pick, Mason Melotakis, has started his conversion from relief pitcher to starting pitcher. He worked into the fifth, recording one out, while giving up only two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out two. Melotakis was throwing in the low-to-mid-90s while working quickly, according to Seth. Worth noting, Melotakis recored 10 groundball outs, compared to only 1 flyball out. The Kernels got a great showing from their bullpen, ironically enough, from two former Snappers starters – Matt Tomshaw and Manuel Soliman. Tomshaw came in to relieve Melotakis after Melotakis issued a walk to start the 5th innings. He did allow two hits and two walks, but he struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings. Soliman made his second appearance of the year and allowed three hits, but no runs, while recording six outs. Another college reliever, Tyler Duffey, will make his pro debut as a starter tomorrow as the Kernels look to clinch the series win.

Nice write-up. As a fellow educator, there is no secret when I type "Personal Day- Twins Opener" into my time-off screen. I get two... and the second is saved just in case there is a rain out.

As we sit around three months from draft day there have been many risers and fallers around the draft world. Some larger than others. Obviously, there is still a lot of time for things to happen, but this is how I would stack the Twins Draft Board if it were up to me. The first installment of my draft board featured a top 4 as well as some other names to watch. The following list has stayed the same at the very top, but has seen many changes around it. It's also expanded to a top 8. [IMG]http://cache.comcorpusa.com/640/0/crop/nbc33tv/media/sports/mlb_draft.jpg[/IMG] [SIZE=1](photo from [URL="http://www.nbc33tv.com"]WVLA NBC33 | Baton Rouge News, Weather and Sports | Baton Rouge News[/URL])[/SIZE] As I mentioned last month: In the last 20 years, the Twins have had 24 1[SUP]st[/SUP] round draft picks (not counting supplemental picks). Of those 24 picks, 11 have been prep position players and eight have been college pitchers. The other two groups: college position players (4) and prep pitchers (1) have been much less represented. The Twins first pick (fourth overall) will come with an approximate $4.5m price tag. [B]JEREMY’S SMALL BOARD[/B] (Keep in mind, please, that this is not a “mock draft”. This is not a reflection of my top players. This is my attempt at stacking a “Twins Draft Board”, based on a number of things.) [B]1) [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/twins-minor-league-talk/5304-potential-2013-twins-draft-pick-mark-appel.html"]Mark Appel[/URL], RHP, Stanford[/B] [B]WHY HE STILL MAKES SENSE:[/B] Appel has been nothing short of dominant so far this season. [B]WHY THE TWINS COULD PASS:[/B] Scott Boras. Because of Appel's inclusion in the draft pool, it's going to be hard for anyone to project. He's a wild card. [B]MY TWO CENTS:[/B] Appel has been good enough that, as the #1 guy on my board, I take him and cut money from Rounds 2-10 to give him as much as possible. The stickier part of this situation is that, as a college senior, the signing deadline wouldn't apply. So unless you give up on him before the deadline, you can't rely on "fallback options", that you took in the later rounds. [B]PRICE TAG:[/B] We know it's going to be high. That's a given. [B]2) [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/twins-minor-league-talk/5302-potential-2013-twins-draft-pick-sean-manaea.html"]Sean Manaea[/URL], LHP, Indiana State[/B] [B]WHY HE STILL MAKES SENSE:[/B] Though he hasn't been as "lights-out" as he was this summer, he's still been good and projects to be a top-of-the-rotation type pitcher. And he's a lefty. The Twins would do good to add him, even though he'll need more minor league time to develop than Appel would. [B]WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS:[/B] I think Manaea - even more so than Appel - has solidfied his spot in the top 5. If I had to bet, I'd say the Twins won't get the chance to draft (or pass on) Manaea. [B]MY TWO CENTS:[/B] I'm hoping to make it to Friday night's game at the Metrodome to see Manaea in person. I would guess my suspicions will be verified. [B]PRICE TAG:[/B] Manaea would be smart to take slot money and get signed as quickly as possible. [B]3) Clint Frazier, OF, Georgia HS[/B] [B]WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD:[/B] Frazier is the top-rated high school player in the nation. And then he goes and hits two home runs in the Frazier/Meadows showdown yesterday. He's going to be a top 5 pick. The Twins love prep outfielders. [B]WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS:[/B] The Twins should pass because they [I]need[/I] to pass. Baseball is about pitching, and even though Frazier has a cannon, he's not standing on a mound when he's showing it off. [B]MY TWO CENTS:[/B] Frazier has some experience in the infield. As a prospect, though, he didn't take off until he moved to the outfield. If I was convinced Frazier can become a star, I'm using his versatility as my crutch. Would you feel differently if instead of drafting a prep OF, the Twins took a prep 3B? I'm not sure how the transition would go, but the Twins have tried to make the OF to INF switch with Rosario. It would be a very expensive gamble. [B]PRICE TAG:[/B] Like Buxton, Frazier will probably sign for near-slot. [B]4) Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma[/B] [B]WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: [/B]If you're a low-to-mid-90s guy, you're a prospect, as Gray was coming into the season. When you're a mid-to-high-90s guy, you're an very good prospect. When you touch 100 and have the feel to spin a ball, you're an elite part of the draft. [B]WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: [/B]Are you buying the hype? Gray is full of helium. His arm is fresh now but what happens as the season progresses? Is he still throwing 100? Is he more susceptible to injury? So far reports check out. But for as quickly as he's risen, he's got three months to stay on top. [B]MY TWO CENTS: [/B]Twins fans, this is the guy to keep an eye on. He has really taken off. Viewed as a potential first-rounder before the season, he has climbed up draft boards with every start. If Manaea doesn't improve and Appel's demands remain a question mark, Gray may not stop climbing until he's #1. [B]PRICE TAG: [/B]As another junior pitcher, he probably won't have any unreasonable demands (hopefully). [B]5) [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/twins-minor-league-talk/5305-potential-2013-twins-draft-pick-ryne-stanek.html"]Ryne Stanek[/URL], RHP, Arkansas[/B] [B]WHY HE'S DROPPED:[/B] Despite coming into the season being mentioned in the same sentence as Manaea and Appel, Stanek has had a disappointing first month of the season. He isn't lasting late into games and he isn't missing many bats. [B]WHY THE TWINS SHOULD STILL CONSIDER HIM:[/B] Stanek still has the conference schedule to impress the scouts; if he can get it done against the best conference in baseball, his stock will rise. [B]MY TWO CENTS:[/B] At the very least, Stanek is one of four (or more) college pitchers that are viable options for the Twins at #4. [B]PRICE TAG:[/B] You have to worry a little bit about guys that come into the season hyped as a potential #1 pick and begin to drop. [B]6) Dominic Smith, 1B/OF, California HS[/B] [B]WHY HE'S DROPPED[/B][B]:[/B] Smith was in the news for the wrong reasons earlier this month. Long story short: Smith was ejected from a game and subsequently suspended for the following game. In an effort to not hurt his draft stock, scouts were told that he wasn't at the game because he was sick. Well, the truth came out and now Smith and his school look bad. [B]WHY THE TWINS SHOULD STILL CONSIDER HIM[/B][B]:[/B] Despite what could be considered a make-up/character issue, Smith is still a premium prospect and offers standout defense (albeit at first base) to a team that emphasizes defense. [B]MY TWO CENTS:[/B] Someone to keep on the radar, but probably not someone that will make the top 4 at any point. [B]PRICE TAG:[/B] It should be mentioned that the Astros banked a lot of their pool by taking a prep player and paying him less than slot. [B]7) Bobby Wahl, RHP, Mississippi [/B] [B]WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD:[/B] Wahl is appearing on the list as a pitcher that doesn't have a tremendous ceiling, but is already nearly a finished product. He offers a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider that misses bats. His changeup is also coming around. By the time June rolls around Wahl may possess three pitches that are currently in the 55-60 range. Not likely to be an ace, he could still be a very serviceable #3. And soon.[B] WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: [/B]When you're drafting at #4, you should be shooting for the stars. Not taking a guy because he's close to his ceiling. [B] MY TWO CENTS: [/B]The Twins could do "safe". Wahl would be safe. If Wahl continues to impress and moves up the board, I'd be okay with safe. If he's a borderline top-10 prospect... I'd rather take a shot on someone with more upside. [B] PRICE TAG: [/B]I would guess Wahl will sign for slot (or if drafted higher, cut a deal) and sign quickly. [B]8) Austin Meadows, OF, Georgia HS WHY HE'S #8: [/B]I won't rule out anything at this point and Meadows is highly-regarded. I'm interested to see what Meadows does after Frazier so obviously stole the show yesterday. Your move, Austin.[I] Others to watch:[/I] [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/twins-minor-league-talk/5506-potential-2013-twins-draft-pick-chris-anderson.html"][B]Chris Anderson[/B][/URL], Jacksonville, has probably taken a bigger leap than any other college pitcher. Once viewed as a 3rd-5th round pick, he's moved up in the first round conversation. He's still moving up. I don't see him entering the top 10, much less the top 5, but he's got time on his side. Scouts love him and as a Minnesota prep, so do the locals. (Some have suggested taking him #4 and paying him like a late 1st rounder. That isn't necessarily my style, but I can assure you that the Twins brass will leave no stone unturned.)[B] Jonathan Crawford[/B], Florida, is throwing it in the high-90s, but he's lacking success. Like Stanek, he'll have plenty of time to build his status back up. It's not helping that Florida can't catch a break. I'll leave Minnesota [B]LHP [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/twins-minor-league-talk/5306-potential-2013-twins-draft-pick-tom-windle.html"]Tom Windle[/URL][/B] and prep [B]OF Ryan Boldt[/B] grouped together again. I would guess the Twins would love for Windle to fall to the 2nd round, but I don't see it happening. Boldt has probably solidified himself as a mid-1st rounder strictly on his play last summer. Though the Twins rarely go to the "college position players well", there are two 3B that should be mentioned: [B]Kris Bryant[/B], San Diego and [B]Colin Moran[/B], North Carolina. I prefer Bryant's right-handed power (even though he will probably end up in the OF or at 1B), but I don't see the Twins going this route. As long as I'm mentioning avenues that aren't taken, I'll name a prep pitcher who enamors me: [B]Jordan Sheffield[/B], RHP, Tennessee HS. Sheffield is a hard-thrower, but also very intelligent. There is a strong belief already that he'll be a tough sign, so if the Twins do something to save money early, maybe Sheffield - a first-round talent - could be one of those options later. [B]Feel free to discuss.[/B] View full article

As we sit around three months from draft day there have been many risers and fallers around the draft world. Some larger than others. Obviously, there is still a lot of time for things to happen, but this is how I would stack the Twins Draft Board if it were up to me. The first installment of my draft board featured a top 4 as well as some other names to watch. The following list has stayed the same at the very top, but has seen many changes around it. It's also expanded to a top 8. http://cache.comcorpusa.com/640/0/crop/nbc33tv/media/sports/mlb_draft.jpg (photo from WVLA NBC33 | Baton Rouge News, Weather and Sports | Baton Rouge News) As I mentioned last month: In the last 20 years, the Twins have had 24 1st round draft picks (not counting supplemental picks). Of those 24 picks, 11 have been prep position players and eight have been college pitchers. The other two groups: college position players (4) and prep pitchers (1) have been much less represented. The Twins first pick (fourth overall) will come with an approximate $4.5m price tag. JEREMY’S SMALL BOARD (Keep in mind, please, that this is not a “mock draft”. This is not a reflection of my top players. This is my attempt at stacking a “Twins Draft Board”, based on a number of things.) 1) Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford WHY HE STILL MAKES SENSE: Appel has been nothing short of dominant so far this season. WHY THE TWINS COULD PASS: Scott Boras. Because of Appel's inclusion in the draft pool, it's going to be hard for anyone to project. He's a wild card. MY TWO CENTS: Appel has been good enough that, as the #1 guy on my board, I take him and cut money from Rounds 2-10 to give him as much as possible. The stickier part of this situation is that, as a college senior, the signing deadline wouldn't apply. So unless you give up on him before the deadline, you can't rely on "fallback options", that you took in the later rounds. PRICE TAG: We know it's going to be high. That's a given. 2) Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State WHY HE STILL MAKES SENSE: Though he hasn't been as "lights-out" as he was this summer, he's still been good and projects to be a top-of-the-rotation type pitcher. And he's a lefty. The Twins would do good to add him, even though he'll need more minor league time to develop than Appel would. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: I think Manaea - even more so than Appel - has solidfied his spot in the top 5. If I had to bet, I'd say the Twins won't get the chance to draft (or pass on) Manaea. MY TWO CENTS: I'm hoping to make it to Friday night's game at the Metrodome to see Manaea in person. I would guess my suspicions will be verified. PRICE TAG: Manaea would be smart to take slot money and get signed as quickly as possible. 3) Clint Frazier, OF, Georgia HS WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Frazier is the top-rated high school player in the nation. And then he goes and hits two home runs in the Frazier/Meadows showdown yesterday. He's going to be a top 5 pick. The Twins love prep outfielders. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: The Twins should pass because they need to pass. Baseball is about pitching, and even though Frazier has a cannon, he's not standing on a mound when he's showing it off. MY TWO CENTS: Frazier has some experience in the infield. As a prospect, though, he didn't take off until he moved to the outfield. If I was convinced Frazier can become a star, I'm using his versatility as my crutch. Would you feel differently if instead of drafting a prep OF, the Twins took a prep 3B? I'm not sure how the transition would go, but the Twins have tried to make the OF to INF switch with Rosario. It would be a very expensive gamble. PRICE TAG: Like Buxton, Frazier will probably sign for near-slot. 4) Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: If you're a low-to-mid-90s guy, you're a prospect, as Gray was coming into the season. When you're a mid-to-high-90s guy, you're an very good prospect. When you touch 100 and have the feel to spin a ball, you're an elite part of the draft. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: Are you buying the hype? Gray is full of helium. His arm is fresh now but what happens as the season progresses? Is he still throwing 100? Is he more susceptible to injury? So far reports check out. But for as quickly as he's risen, he's got three months to stay on top. MY TWO CENTS: Twins fans, this is the guy to keep an eye on. He has really taken off. Viewed as a potential first-rounder before the season, he has climbed up draft boards with every start. If Manaea doesn't improve and Appel's demands remain a question mark, Gray may not stop climbing until he's #1. PRICE TAG: As another junior pitcher, he probably won't have any unreasonable demands (hopefully). 5) Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas WHY HE'S DROPPED: Despite coming into the season being mentioned in the same sentence as Manaea and Appel, Stanek has had a disappointing first month of the season. He isn't lasting late into games and he isn't missing many bats. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD STILL CONSIDER HIM: Stanek still has the conference schedule to impress the scouts; if he can get it done against the best conference in baseball, his stock will rise. MY TWO CENTS: At the very least, Stanek is one of four (or more) college pitchers that are viable options for the Twins at #4. PRICE TAG: You have to worry a little bit about guys that come into the season hyped as a potential #1 pick and begin to drop. 6) Dominic Smith, 1B/OF, California HS WHY HE'S DROPPED: Smith was in the news for the wrong reasons earlier this month. Long story short: Smith was ejected from a game and subsequently suspended for the following game. In an effort to not hurt his draft stock, scouts were told that he wasn't at the game because he was sick. Well, the truth came out and now Smith and his school look bad. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD STILL CONSIDER HIM: Despite what could be considered a make-up/character issue, Smith is still a premium prospect and offers standout defense (albeit at first base) to a team that emphasizes defense. MY TWO CENTS: Someone to keep on the radar, but probably not someone that will make the top 4 at any point. PRICE TAG: It should be mentioned that the Astros banked a lot of their pool by taking a prep player and paying him less than slot. 7) Bobby Wahl, RHP, Mississippi WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Wahl is appearing on the list as a pitcher that doesn't have a tremendous ceiling, but is already nearly a finished product. He offers a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider that misses bats. His changeup is also coming around. By the time June rolls around Wahl may possess three pitches that are currently in the 55-60 range. Not likely to be an ace, he could still be a very serviceable #3. And soon. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: When you're drafting at #4, you should be shooting for the stars. Not taking a guy because he's close to his ceiling. MY TWO CENTS: The Twins could do "safe". Wahl would be safe. If Wahl continues to impress and moves up the board, I'd be okay with safe. If he's a borderline top-10 prospect... I'd rather take a shot on someone with more upside. PRICE TAG: I would guess Wahl will sign for slot (or if drafted higher, cut a deal) and sign quickly. 8) Austin Meadows, OF, Georgia HS WHY HE'S #8: I won't rule out anything at this point and Meadows is highly-regarded. I'm interested to see what Meadows does after Frazier so obviously stole the show yesterday. Your move, Austin. Others to watch: Chris Anderson, Jacksonville, has probably taken a bigger leap than any other college pitcher. Once viewed as a 3rd-5th round pick, he's moved up in the first round conversation. He's still moving up. I don't see him entering the top 10, much less the top 5, but he's got time on his side. Scouts love him and as a Minnesota prep, so do the locals. (Some have suggested taking him #4 and paying him like a late 1st rounder. That isn't necessarily my style, but I can assure you that the Twins brass will leave no stone unturned.) Jonathan Crawford, Florida, is throwing it in the high-90s, but he's lacking success. Like Stanek, he'll have plenty of time to build his status back up. It's not helping that Florida can't catch a break. I'll leave Minnesota LHP Tom Windle and prep OF Ryan Boldt grouped together again. I would guess the Twins would love for Windle to fall to the 2nd round, but I don't see it happening. Boldt has probably solidified himself as a mid-1st rounder strictly on his play last summer. Though the Twins rarely go to the "college position players well", there are two 3B that should be mentioned: Kris Bryant, San Diego and Colin Moran, North Carolina. I prefer Bryant's right-handed power (even though he will probably end up in the OF or at 1B), but I don't see the Twins going this route. As long as I'm mentioning avenues that aren't taken, I'll name a prep pitcher who enamors me: Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Tennessee HS. Sheffield is a hard-thrower, but also very intelligent. There is a strong belief already that he'll be a tough sign, so if the Twins do something to save money early, maybe Sheffield - a first-round talent - could be one of those options later. Feel free to discuss.

As we sit around three months from draft day there have been many risers and fallers around the draft world. Some larger than others. Obviously, there is still a lot of time for things to happen, but this is how I would stack the Twins Draft Board if it were up to me. The first installment of my draft board featured a top 4 as well as some other names to watch. The following list has stayed the same at the very top, but has seen many changes around it. It's also expanded to a top 8. http://cache.comcorpusa.com/640/0/crop/nbc33tv/media/sports/mlb_draft.jpg (photo from WVLA NBC33 | Baton Rouge News, Weather and Sports | Baton Rouge News) As I mentioned last month: In the last 20 years, the Twins have had 24 1st round draft picks (not counting supplemental picks). Of those 24 picks, 11 have been prep position players and eight have been college pitchers. The other two groups: college position players (4) and prep pitchers (1) have been much less represented. The Twins first pick (fourth overall) will come with an approximate $4.5m price tag. JEREMY’S SMALL BOARD (Keep in mind, please, that this is not a “mock draft”. This is not a reflection of my top players. This is my attempt at stacking a “Twins Draft Board”, based on a number of things.) 1) Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford WHY HE STILL MAKES SENSE: Appel has been nothing short of dominant so far this season. WHY THE TWINS COULD PASS: Scott Boras. Because of Appel's inclusion in the draft pool, it's going to be hard for anyone to project. He's a wild card. MY TWO CENTS: Appel has been good enough that, as the #1 guy on my board, I take him and cut money from Rounds 2-10 to give him as much as possible. The stickier part of this situation is that, as a college senior, the signing deadline wouldn't apply. So unless you give up on him before the deadline, you can't rely on "fallback options", that you took in the later rounds. PRICE TAG: We know it's going to be high. That's a given. 2) Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State WHY HE STILL MAKES SENSE: Though he hasn't been as "lights-out" as he was this summer, he's still been good and projects to be a top-of-the-rotation type pitcher. And he's a lefty. The Twins would do good to add him, even though he'll need more minor league time to develop than Appel would. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: I think Manaea - even more so than Appel - has solidfied his spot in the top 5. If I had to bet, I'd say the Twins won't get the chance to draft (or pass on) Manaea. MY TWO CENTS: I'm hoping to make it to Friday night's game at the Metrodome to see Manaea in person. I would guess my suspicions will be verified. PRICE TAG: Manaea would be smart to take slot money and get signed as quickly as possible. 3) Clint Frazier, OF, Georgia HS WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Frazier is the top-rated high school player in the nation. And then he goes and hits two home runs in the Frazier/Meadows showdown yesterday. He's going to be a top 5 pick. The Twins love prep outfielders. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: The Twins should pass because they need to pass. Baseball is about pitching, and even though Frazier has a cannon, he's not standing on a mound when he's showing it off. MY TWO CENTS: Frazier has some experience in the infield. As a prospect, though, he didn't take off until he moved to the outfield. If I was convinced Frazier can become a star, I'm using his versatility as my crutch. Would you feel differently if instead of drafting a prep OF, the Twins took a prep 3B? I'm not sure how the transition would go, but the Twins have tried to make the OF to INF switch with Rosario. It would be a very expensive gamble. PRICE TAG: Like Buxton, Frazier will probably sign for near-slot. 4) Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: If you're a low-to-mid-90s guy, you're a prospect, as Gray was coming into the season. When you're a mid-to-high-90s guy, you're an very good prospect. When you touch 100 and have the feel to spin a ball, you're an elite part of the draft. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: Are you buying the hype? Gray is full of helium. His arm is fresh now but what happens as the season progresses? Is he still throwing 100? Is he more susceptible to injury? So far reports check out. But for as quickly as he's risen, he's got three months to stay on top. MY TWO CENTS: Twins fans, this is the guy to keep an eye on. He has really taken off. Viewed as a potential first-rounder before the season, he has climbed up draft boards with every start. If Manaea doesn't improve and Appel's demands remain a question mark, Gray may not stop climbing until he's #1. PRICE TAG: As another junior pitcher, he probably won't have any unreasonable demands (hopefully). 5) Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas WHY HE'S DROPPED: Despite coming into the season being mentioned in the same sentence as Manaea and Appel, Stanek has had a disappointing first month of the season. He isn't lasting late into games and he isn't missing many bats. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD STILL CONSIDER HIM: Stanek still has the conference schedule to impress the scouts; if he can get it done against the best conference in baseball, his stock will rise. MY TWO CENTS: At the very least, Stanek is one of four (or more) college pitchers that are viable options for the Twins at #4. PRICE TAG: You have to worry a little bit about guys that come into the season hyped as a potential #1 pick and begin to drop. 6) Dominic Smith, 1B/OF, California HS WHY HE'S DROPPED: Smith was in the news for the wrong reasons earlier this month. Long story short: Smith was ejected from a game and subsequently suspended for the following game. In an effort to not hurt his draft stock, scouts were told that he wasn't at the game because he was sick. Well, the truth came out and now Smith and his school look bad. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD STILL CONSIDER HIM: Despite what could be considered a make-up/character issue, Smith is still a premium prospect and offers standout defense (albeit at first base) to a team that emphasizes defense. MY TWO CENTS: Someone to keep on the radar, but probably not someone that will make the top 4 at any point. PRICE TAG: It should be mentioned that the Astros banked a lot of their pool by taking a prep player and paying him less than slot. 7) Bobby Wahl, RHP, Mississippi WHY HE'S ON THE BOARD: Wahl is appearing on the list as a pitcher that doesn't have a tremendous ceiling, but is already nearly a finished product. He offers a low-to-mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider that misses bats. His changeup is also coming around. By the time June rolls around Wahl may possess three pitches that are currently in the 55-60 range. Not likely to be an ace, he could still be a very serviceable #3. And soon. WHY THE TWINS SHOULD PASS: When you're drafting at #4, you should be shooting for the stars. Not taking a guy because he's close to his ceiling. MY TWO CENTS: The Twins could do "safe". Wahl would be safe. If Wahl continues to impress and moves up the board, I'd be okay with safe. If he's a borderline top-10 prospect... I'd rather take a shot on someone with more upside. PRICE TAG: I would guess Wahl will sign for slot (or if drafted higher, cut a deal) and sign quickly. 8) Austin Meadows, OF, Georgia HS WHY HE'S #8: I won't rule out anything at this point and Meadows is highly-regarded. I'm interested to see what Meadows does after Frazier so obviously stole the show yesterday. Your move, Austin. Others to watch: Chris Anderson, Jacksonville, has probably taken a bigger leap than any other college pitcher. Once viewed as a 3rd-5th round pick, he's moved up in the first round conversation. He's still moving up. I don't see him entering the top 10, much less the top 5, but he's got time on his side. Scouts love him and as a Minnesota prep, so do the locals. (Some have suggested taking him #4 and paying him like a late 1st rounder. That isn't necessarily my style, but I can assure you that the Twins brass will leave no stone unturned.) Jonathan Crawford, Florida, is throwing it in the high-90s, but he's lacking success. Like Stanek, he'll have plenty of time to build his status back up. It's not helping that Florida can't catch a break. I'll leave Minnesota LHP Tom Windle and prep OF Ryan Boldt grouped together again. I would guess the Twins would love for Windle to fall to the 2nd round, but I don't see it happening. Boldt has probably solidified himself as a mid-1st rounder strictly on his play last summer. Though the Twins rarely go to the "college position players well", there are two 3B that should be mentioned: Kris Bryant, San Diego and Colin Moran, North Carolina. I prefer Bryant's right-handed power (even though he will probably end up in the OF or at 1B), but I don't see the Twins going this route. As long as I'm mentioning avenues that aren't taken, I'll name a prep pitcher who enamors me: Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Tennessee HS. Sheffield is a hard-thrower, but also very intelligent. There is a strong belief already that he'll be a tough sign, so if the Twins do something to save money early, maybe Sheffield - a first-round talent - could be one of those options later. Feel free to discuss.

I was under the impression there would be cuts tomorrow, but they sure could wait an extra day. I would have Joe Benson on the chopping block too.

I thought I read somewhere that players couldn't be optioned until 3/11. Augenstein heading down makes sense. Not sure they have the guys to send a catcher down yet. Maybe just the injured pitchers getting reassigned to save on per diem.

I'm on board. Rodon and Beede both highly-regarded.

I don't discount that. That would be my preference too.

Soriano is similar. Older, not as good offensively anymore. Probably would cost the Yankees less in money and players. I wouldn't debate that he would be a decent fit for the Yankees.

I hope to make this the first edition of a series where I weigh in on debatable topics at appropriate times. Maybe this particular one would be more appropriate at the trade deadline. In fact, I know it would be. However, given the news out of Tampa that Yankees LF Curtis Granderson broke his arm today and will miss 10 weeks, I think taking a look at this scenario during Spring Training seems somewhat appropriate. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3340[/ATTACH] (http://www.gogonzojournal.com) WILLINGHAM'S PROS: Power. The Hammer hit 35 home runs in his Twins debut. While Harmon Killebrew owns the Top 8 Twins single-season home run records, Willingham is tied with Bob Allison for 9th. Simply put, Willingham is one of the best home run hitters the Twins have ever had. Contract. There is no arguing that Willingham is signed to a very team-friendly contract. He is on the hook for $7 million this year. If he makes 525 plate appearances in 2013, he will trigger a clause that makes his contract worth $8 million in 2014, which is still very reasonable. Likability. While it's possible no one will ever be more likable than Jim Thome, Willingham is up there. While not hitting Jackjobs (that's for you, Parker), Willingham (or, more accurately, his wife) was tweeting pictures of him and his newborn son. Willingham is very active in the community and has his own charity. It should also be noted that if you google "Josh Willingham arrested" the results you're going to get are stories about Alabama and Auburn football. Value. We'll get more into this in the next topic, but Willingham's value might never be higher. WILLINGHAM'S CONS: Age. The Hammer just turned 34 last week. On a team that is struggling to compete - and appears to be rebuilding - it is unlikely that Willingham will be there when things turn around. Durability. While Willingham had career-highs in both Home Runs and RBI, he also set new marks in games played (145) and plate appearances (615). He's been sidelined due to varying degrees of back, neck, shoulder and ankle injuries. The likelihood that Willingham sustains improved durability as he approaches his mid-30s is not high. Which brings me back to why his "value" is not only high, but also delicate. Defense. Willingham's value is tied up in his bat, as his defense is below replacement-level and declining. His defense may even appear worse now that he's not sharing ground with Ben Revere and Denard Span. SUMMARY: I believe I share the same opinion as the Twins Front Office exhibited last season and this offseason: We'd have to be blown away to make Willingham available. So could the Yankees do it? Well, maybe would they want to is the first question. Losing Granderson (lefty) means that Matt Diaz and Juan Rivera assume his spot for now. Both are right-handed, but neither very good. Even if Granderson misses only 5 weeks, he'll return to a lineup that features Brett Gardner and Ichiro (both lefties) in the outfield and Travis Hafner (also a lefty) as the primary DH. Wouldn't they benefit from adding another right-handed hitter? I would think so. So begs the question again... could the Yankees blow the Twins away? That's a question I've been considering since the Granderson news broke this afternoon. The rumor last year was that a return on Willingham wouldn't be higher than a back-of-the-rotation starter. I thought it was crazy then and I think it's crazy now. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE: I don't think the Yankees would part with prospect C Gary Sanchez. Maybe I draw the line in the sand there: He'd need to be included in any deal. The 57th ranked prospect in baseball (so says BA) will probably be ready in 2015. He would fit into prospect rankings right next to Alex Meyer. Sanchez and a low-level "C" pitching prospect (like LHP Rony Bautista) would likely be enough of an offer to say "yes". Without Sanchez, is there any other way? I would never say never. My favorite Yankees prospect is OF Tyler Austin, who is the youngest of the Yankees top three OF prospects (Mason Williams and Slade Heathcott), but has already advanced to the highest level (AA). Austin, who bats right-handed, could join Oswaldo Arcia as the "Future of the Corners". The Twins could also give him another shot at 3B, where he logged a majority of his innings in 2011. Austin ranked #77 (BA) and #75 (MLB.com) on pre-season prospect lists. Like Arcia, Austin "flat-out rakes". In addition to Austin, I would ask for RHP Jose Campos (who has a checkered injury past) or LHP Manny Banuelos (who is out this year after having Tommy John surgery) and, for good measure, I still want that low-level pitching prospect included as well. If the Yankees balk - and Willingham plays out his contract as a Twin - I'm still a happy camper for all of the reasons I listed above. What are your thoughts? Is Josh Willingham part of the Twins solution as their Left Fielder? Or is what he could bring back in a trade a better part of the solution?

Strive, eh... I'm going to have to change that. He'll "make strides" and "thrive"... or strive. New meaning.

The Twins spring schedule kicks off tomorrow. I know many are looking forward to it, even without the belief that the Twins will be competing for an AL Central crown this fall. That doesn't make this spring any less interesting. So with that in mind, I'm going on record and making predictions... some bold, some not. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3327[/ATTACH] (www.examiner.com) TEAM *The Twins will finish in last place in the AL Central. They'll win between 69-72 games. *The Twins will be sellers at the deadline. Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham and Mike Pelfrey will bid farewell before the end of July. HITTERS *The battle to start in CF is already over. After trading Span and Revere, we've been led to believe Darrin Mastroianni, Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson are in a three-way battle to be the everyday centerfielder. Benson, who is far removed from a successful minor league year and not as far removed from microfracture surgery, has no shot at being the Opening Day Centerfielder. Hicks, for both service reasons and having taken zero at-bats at AAA, will get sent down until a) he absolutely proves he's ready or Mastroianni proves he absolutely isn't the answer. *The opening-day 4th OF will be a guy not currently on the 40-man roster. Clete Thomas, who blew our mind for about two at-bats last year, before making us want to blow our brains out, is the likely frontrunner. (I think the bigger question is, when Thomas gets DFA'd and clears waivers, does he accept his assignment to Rochester or elect free agency?) *Chris Parmelee will be the everyday Right-Fielder... until it's Oswaldo Arcia. It's going to be an interesting first couple of months. Parmelee isn't best-suited to play the outfield. He's likely good enough to keep the seat warm for Arcia, and that's likely - hopefully, in the Twins mind - going to happen when Morneau is traded away and Parmelee moves to First Base. But what happens if Parmelee can't get it done offensively or defensively? Who knows... *Oswaldo Arcia will have more impact on the 2013 Twins than Aaron Hicks. Arcia will hit and play serviceable D. Hicks will play a solid D but struggle to hit. Next year at this time, I see discussions being the same... is Hicks ready to be a leadoff hitter at the major league level? While the RF job is not up-for-grabs in Spring Training (only this time because Arcia has a stranglehold on it). *Chris Colabello will be a major-league player this year. Another guy that just rakes. Sign him up. *Trevor Ploufee will be frustratingly hot-and-cold both offensively and defensively, but TwinsDaily readers will rejoice that he's not Danny Valencia. *Drew Butera will spend less time in the major leagues in 2013 than any season since debuting in 2010... and TwinsDaily readers will still complain! *Jamey Carroll's option will vest with 401 plate appearances despite the Twins making an effort to see that it doesn't happen. *Pedro Florimon and Brian Dozier will leave the fanbase wishing for Luis Rivas and Cristian Guzman. Or Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy. Or basically any 2B/SS combination you can think of. *Joe Mauer will be Joe Mauer. Many will be unhappy. PITCHERS *The rotation will be better than last year. Hardly went out on a limb there... *One year from now we'll feel really good about the rotation. 2014 will include Kyle Gibson (who won't compete for ROY, but be solid amid a limited-innings year), Scott Diamond (who will regress, but still be a solid lefty), Vance Worley (who fans will love because he goes after hitters and works quick), Liam Hendriks (who will actually look like he belongs in the major leagues this year) and Kevin Correia (who was signed to be a #5 pitcher). This isn't mentioning any of the prospects who could be knocking on the door. *The bullpen will be good - again. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton will be fantastic in their late-inning roles. *Brian Duensing will continue to thrive and/or make strides as a left-handed reliever. *Tim Wood will absolutely be in the Opening Day bullpen. This isn't the second coming of Jeff Gray. Tim Wood signed a $675,000 contract with the Twins. He has less than a year of service. Anthony Swarzak, who has over 2 years of service, got $502,500. No Twin who had their contract renewed got over $530,000. That makes Tim Wood, who has had no MLB success - and almost as little experience - the 12th highest-paid Twins player this year. Crazy? Just a little bit. *Sam Deduno will figure something out this year. Either, "Hey, I do know how to throw it through the zone" or "You know what, this baseball thing isn't for me." *Trevor May makes his September debut coming out of the bullpen. *Ryan Pressly doesn't make the team... and the Red Sox will not be willing to work out a trade, unfortunately. Go ahead, be bold... or not bold.