Shaitan

At the end of May, Carlos leads us deep into the heart of his old home, the World Series Champions’ stompin’ grounds:  Houston, Texas.  It’s time to put the squeeze on the Astros!  Minute Maid Park.  Let’s begin…
Minute Maid Park - 2022 attendance was 2,688,998 (ranked 2nd out of 15 AL teams, 7th overall MLB)
In the season’s first one-city road trip of the 2023 season, we head to the ballpark that has hosted four of the last six World Series.  Yes…you heard that right…four of six.  Minute Maid Park carries history, scandal, success, and futility all in one amazingly crafted and retro-fitted setting. 
I think what’s probably most important for Twins fans to appreciate about baseball in Houston can be traced back to the O.G. stadium: the Astrodome.  The sporting world’s first fully enclosed and air-conditioned stadium, the Astrodome changed the game and almost all other games around the world.  The Astrodome gave us the first synthetic turf playing surface (hence why we call all the new stuff Astroturf even if it isn’t!), the ability to play ball in any type of weather or geography, and the introduction of year-round civic and sports arenas within a city.  
The current ballpark was constructed around a former Union Station railway concourse, and harkens to the culture and community that it serves.  Oil, agriculture, trains, Bar-B-Q, Mexican food, boom/bust economics, and espionage/waste disposal (couldn’t resist). The retractable roof might come into play in May, with an opportunity for outdoor baseball early and late in the season.  This element allows for a natural grass playing surface.
Originally named Enron Field in 2000, my kids’ third favorite orange juice stepped up to the plate for naming rights once Enron imploded.  Hopefully the Minute Maid Train will fail to leave the station due to a lack of Astros homers, but recent history would argue to bet the “over.”  The Twins are a mere 4-16 at Houston since 2015 after being swept there in 2022.
While our recent Twins connections with the Astros have more to do with Carlos Correa (who went 1-11 w/ 1 RBI in 2022 in his first return trip to Houston) than any real rivalry, there is a personal connection for me.  My first game at Target Field was a Sunday afternoon, August 4, 2013…against a ratty Astros team that boasted such young players as Jose Altuve, Jason Castro, Chris Carter, and Robbie Grossman. 
The Astros were clearly tanking.  The Twins were unclearly tanking.  While the Twins won the battle that day 3-2, they’ve lost the war quite decisively over the past decade.  If this year’s squad has any hope of reaching postseason success, it might hinge on a three-day road trip in May where they are going to be tested by the best in the business.
I didn’t get to Minute Maid Park in time to see the legendary and questionable "Tal’s Hill” in centerfield.  The berm & flagpole served for quite a few highlights and lowlights for fielders, and it stretched the dimensions out to 436ft.  The hill left the building after the 2016 season, replaced by a restaurant, standing room seating, and a lower medical liability deductible. 
The dimensions also came in with it to a reasonable 406ft.  Interestingly, berms or mounds in the field of play used to be a way to give a better view to standing room overflow fans ON THE FIELD!!!  Can you imagine?  Showing up to a game, discovering that it was sold out, but being told to “Worry not!  Centerfield has some room for you!”  It sounds like an alternate reality.
I look forward to many things on the Houston trip.  Connecting with co-workers at one of our partner schools there, checking out the Space Center, and enjoying some beach and fishing time out at the Gulf of Mexico are potential highlights.  Mainly I’m just excited to watch high quality baseball, in a crazy cool stadium, alongside a fan-base that has doubled-down on their team.  I’m sure there will be many stops on my tour-de-baseball this year where the hometown fans could care less.  Houston ain’t one of those stops.
With no connecting series, and Houston’s hub and wheel road layout, making the drive might be the best option.  At 1058 miles and 16 hrs from Mitchell,SD, it’s a trek.  The next road trip is a solo, globe-trotting mess of airports and logistics, so on a day when the FAA system crashes for several hours, the comfort of having my own wheels and family along for this ride ranks high on my planning priority list. 
Now it's your turn to plan!
And yes...if this is the first time you’ve seen one of my road trip pieces, I’m going to all of these away games.   Please join me in person or with some insider info! If you have been to Minute Maid Park, please post your list of "best seats" and "must sees."  Anyone else planning on going to this series?
Grace and peace Twins Territory!  Thanks for the help!
Previous Road Trip stories:
Road Trip #1 (Kansas City and Miami) Road Trip #2 (New York and Boston) Road Trip #3 (Chicago and Cleveland) Road Trip #4 (Los Angeles and Los Angeles)

1. Never underestimate the draw of the Brewers series, Blue Jays series, and Prince Night. By the eye test and official numbers, these games drew the largest crowds of the year by far- even more than Opening Day (which was quite chilly this year). It is incredible how well Brewers and Toronto fans travel, which is likely because Target Field is closer for many members of the “Brew Crew” and Toronto fanbases than Miller Park in Milwaukee or Rogers Centre in Toronto.
When I arrived for these games, I was shocked at how difficult it was to find parking, how packed the concourses were, and how much Brewers and Blue Jays Blue filled the seats. Make a mental note to leave lots of extra time if you plan on attending one of these games next season.  
2. But otherwise, attendance was lackluster this year. Even with the Twins battling for the top of the division for much of the season, in 2022, the Twins finished 20th in MLB attendance, averaging 22,514 fans per game. In 2019, the Bomba Squad season, the Twins brought in about 28,000 fans per game. Truthfully, many games felt much emptier than that 22,000 figure, especially weekday games and games in the spring and September. However, entire seating sections were empty on beautiful summer nights, too.   We know that team performance impacts attendance, but with the Twins playing competitive baseball the majority of the season, I was often surprised just how empty Target Field felt for many games. There were almost never any security or bathroom lines, and there was always plenty of space in the concourse, so that when games were busy, it was almost jarring.   The Twins tried to compensate for the low attendance by running a myriad of bargain ticket deals at various points during the season. These included a limited-time sale in which fans could buy $4 upper level tickets to any weekday game during the season, and expanding college ticket night to every night in September. 3. Fans love post-game concerts, and the Twins should do more in the future. Maybe the most fun idea the Twins had all season was to host a free full-length concert after one of their games. In August, Twins fans who hung around after a Twins- Blue Jays game sang along to a 75-minute show by country music artist Cole Swindell.
Even though I’m not a country music fan, the show quality was excellent, and the reviews from fans were almost universally positive (except from the Twins fans who were annoyed by the sudden influx cowboy hat-clad music fans traipsing up and down the aisles during the game). Because the Twins have not done much to whip up excitement among their fans via trades and the free agent market this offseason, they should consider treating fans to more shows or promotions in the future to get them in the doors.
4. This season had two of the craziest weather games in recent memory. The most memorable game I went to all year was only three innings: the Twins rainout vs. the Houston Astros on Star Wars Night, May 11. I remember evacuating into the lower level concourse and watching the wind blow the rain in sheets with a ferocity I had never before seen.
I jotted down everything I noticed and heard using my cell phone notes app. I sloshed back to my car, arrived at my apartment, and found that the power was out, so I wrote my narrative account of the game’s chaotic events while sitting in the dark. The result was perhaps my favorite piece I wrote this year.
To be fair, I attended the game knowing that some wild weather was going to blow in, and I wanted to see what happened. I was surprised they chose to play the game at all.
After this, I thought I would not see such severe weather at a game for a long time, but similar severe weather blew in on July 12, seemingly out of nowhere and on the first night of the Brewers series. I remember being trapped on the upper-level concourse (people packed into the stairwells, bathrooms, and indoor areas seeking shelter from the wind and blowing rain) while being sprayed with cold rain blown by the high winds.
A major takeaway I had from these rainy games is how unbelievable Target Field's water drainage system is; the Twins were able to resume the game after about an hour delay. No one likes rain delays, but everyone loves Club Rayne. 

Calm after the storm as seen from Target Field during rain delay on July 12
5. Target Field upped the fanfare this season. Late in the 2022 season, Target Field began dimming the lights during Jhoan Duran’s entrance song. To my knowledge, the Twins have never done that for a pitcher, especially one who is not a closer. Jorge Lopez also got the dimmed lights treatment with his horror movie-themed walkout. Walkout songs have always been a bit of a show (remember Fernando Rodney's electric entrance?), but they became their own spectacle this season due in part to the Mets’ Edwin Diaz’s viral walkout song "Narco." Pitcher entrances across the league became their show within the show this season, and the Twins kept pace.  
In addition, 2022 was the first season in which TC Bear drove around the perimeter of the field in an ATV after every win carrying a "Twins Win!" flag. The Twins also premiered a giant t-shirt cannon called the "Mall of America Blaster," which they shot from the same place on the rightfield concourse every game.
6. The “5 Lookalikes” bit was the best new thing at the stadium. Whether it’s Chubbs Peterson from “Happy Gilmore,” Captain Kangaroo (ask your parents), Jay Leno/Paul Allen, or Iceman from Top Gun, it is incredible how Twins staff can spot fans in the crowd and accurately match them up with a celebrity or fictional character that they resemble. Though some comparisons are closer than others, many of the lookalikes were borderline uncanny. Seeing the unsuspecting doppelganger’s reaction to noticing themselves up on the big screen was priceless.
7. Seeing the Twins play at an away ballpark is unbridled joy. Perhaps my favorite experience of this year, baseball or not, was seeing the Twins play the Chicago White Sox on October 3 at Guaranteed Rate Field. I have been to Twins spring training several times, but this was the first time I had seen the Twins play in another city. Being a visiting fan in an opposing ballpark, “enemy territory,” was a unique and exhilarating feeling.
I was proud to wear my Twins jersey and hat even though the Twins were way out of the division race by that point, and it was fun high-fiving other Twins fans I came across in the stadium. I thought Guaranteed Rate Field was beautiful. Before the game, we went and got Chicago-style pizza at a place called Ricobenes near the stadium and tailgated outside the stadium in Lot B.
8. The Twins should consider doing Hall of Fame ceremonies before the game or at least clearly advertise when the game is actually going to start. Look, I get it; the Twins do not want an empty house when Twins greats like Dan Gladden and Ron Gardenhire walk up to take the podium at their Twins Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies. At the same time, it makes for an exceptionally long day for fans, especially those with children, when the game starts an hour after it was advertised.
Watching Dan Gladden’s acceptance speech on a sunny Sunday, Kids Day, at Target Field, I was surrounded by squirming children. Hall of Fame ceremonies are not a regular occurrence for the Twins, but maybe in the future, the Twins should clearly state that the listed start time of the game is actually the start of the ceremony.
9. The Twins have its littlest fans to thank for their packed attendance during day games. If you’re not a fan of little kids, and lots of them, day games during the summer are probably not for you. The entire upper deck at many day games consisted almost solely of kids’ day camps, all wearing their matching camp t-shirts. Their unified “Let’s Go Twins!” chants were adorable and impressive. 
10. Some of the favorite moments I saw at Target Field in 2022: Royce Lewis' first MLB home run- a grand slam- on May 13; Gary Sánchez's grand slam on April 10; the Twins' walkoff win vs the White Sox in the 10th inning on April 24; Max Kepler's grand slam on May 23, which was the 1000th home run hit by a Twins player at Target Field; the Twins hitting back-to-back-to back home runs on June 9; Louie Varland's home debut on September 23.
11. There are some really special people at Target Field. From the more visible figures like Target Field staple Sue Nelson on organ and the local artist Kickliy to those behind the scenes, like Bally Sports audio engineer Chris Tveitbakk, who mixes the sound for every Twins home game broadcast from the Bally truck behind Target Field, we are lucky to have so many unique, interesting, and passionate people working at the ballpark. 
12. No matter how the Twins are playing, there is no better place to be than Target Field on a summer night. You’re reading Twins Daily; it’s evident that you care deeply about the success of the team. I do too. But every season, no matter where the team is in the standings, I stand by the fact that Target Field is the best place to be on a beautiful summer night.
Despite going to 56 games at Target Field, sometimes as many as six in a week, I never got tired of going. I never grew bored of the skyline views, the post-game fireworks, Sue Nelson on the organ, Minnie and Paul shaking hands after a win, or the Dollar Dogs. There is just so much to love about Target Field, and time spent with friends and loved ones at a baseball game is never time wasted. 
Happy 2023! Thank you much for reading my work this year and all your kind and thoughtful comments. Joining Twins Daily had been such a joy. Here's to a year filled with lots of baseball, Twins wins, and for me, maybe 60 in-person games!
 

Starting pitching depth is vital for any contending team, and the Twins have used a lot of their depth during the current season. In 2022, twelve different pitchers have made starts for the Twins, including eight pitchers who made five or more. 

Top of the Rotation: Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle
None of these three pitchers were in the Twins system 14 months ago, which speaks to the front office's ability to acquire talent. Minnesota has used Ryan and Gray at the top of the rotation for all of 2022, with each posting an ERA+ of 104 or higher. Mahle's transition from Great American Ball Park to Target Field should help his numbers improve. Gray and Mahle can be under team control next season, while Ryan won't be arbitration eligible until 2025. Barring a significant injury, the Twins will look for these three arms to be at the top of the rotation throughout 2023. 

Returning from Injury: Kenta Maeda, Josh Winder, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, Randy Dobnak
Winder and Ober are scheduled to throw bullpen sessions this week with a chance to impact the roster down the stretch. Winder has shown the flexibility to pitch as a starter and reliever, while Ober's appearances have all been as a starter. When healthy, both players have pitched well, so they should be in the mix for a rotation spot next season. 

More prominent question marks surround the other injured pitchers listed above. Maeda is also expected to be ready in September, but he will likely serve in a relief role if he makes it back in 2022. During the 2020 season, Maeda finished runner-up for the AL Cy Young, but there are no guarantees he will return to that form. Paddack likely won't be ready at the onset of the 2023 campaign since he had Tommy John surgery in May. Still, he was terrific during his brief Twins tenure and is under team control through 2024. Dobnak has been dealing with a finger injury for the last two seasons, so there are no guarantees he will be back to 100%. 

Down on the Farm: Jordan Balazovic, Blayne Enlow, Cole Sands, Devin Smeltzer, Simeon Woods Richardson, Matt Canterino, Louie Varland
Minnesota's 40-man roster will be squeezed this winter when the team has to remove players from the 60-day IL. Balazovic, Enlow, Sands, and Smeltzer are all on the 40-man roster, but the team might have some tough decisions to make with some of the names. Balazovic has struggled at Triple-A this year, but he is still considered one of the team's top pitching prospects. Enlow returned from Tommy John surgery this year and has a 3.73 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 41 Double-A innings. Smeltzer saved the starting rotation during the middle portion of the season, while Sands has been limited to fewer than ten big-league appearances in his rookie campaign. 

Woods Richardson, Canterino, and Varland are among a group of prospects that will need to be added to the 40-man roster before the Rule 5 Draft. During his second Double-A stint, Woods Richardson is having a breakout season with a sub-3.00 ERA while holding batters to a .583 OPS. Canterino has dealt with various elbow issues over the last two seasons, but he is dominant when he can pitch. Varland recently was promoted to Triple-A after posting a 3.34 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 105 innings at Double-A. All three pitchers should be added to the 40-man roster this winter, which makes them one step closer to the big leagues. 

The old adage states, "a team can never have too much pitching." It's clear the Twins will have options for the 2023 season, and there is no way to predict how injuries will impact the organization. Another option is to have some of these arms switch to permanent bullpen roles, but that is a decision for this winter. 

Which pitchers will make the most starts for the 2023 Twins? Will any of the younger pitchers be contributors to the rotation? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

The last two years, Michael Fulmer has owned a 3.06 ERA, and that coincides with him increasing the usage of his slider to the point where he is throwing it almost 65% of the time this year. That includes almost 72% of the time versus right-handers, who are posting just a 401 OPS(!) against him this year. 
Twins fans may remember the right-hander as less dominant, as he’s been knocked around by the Twins twice over the last month, including giving up two critical runs in last night’s Twins win. Overall, since July 1st, he’s been less effective, with a 6.55 ERA, though he’s also struck out 11 in 11 innings pitched, and not given up a home run.
But he’s also walked seven over that span, and control has been an issue with 20 walks in 39 innings this year. But that’s not terribly uncommon for a slider-first pitcher. Overall, his performance has not matched his relatively encouraging numbers: his Win Probability Added (WPA) is -0.22, though it was in positive territory before last night's Twins comeback. Since the Twins play the Tigers again tonight, it's possible that Fulmer will simply switch dugouts and be available for tonight's game. 
Fulmer is purely a rental for this season. He is due to become a free agent at the end of this year for the first time in his career.
The 29-year-old is far from a dominant reliever but he has proved to be a fairly reliable arm, and the slider-first philosophy meshes well with the organization and pitching staff. He should remain in fairly middle to low leverage situations since the Twins also acquired Orioles closer Jorge Lopez earlier today. As such, his job will be to provide manager Rocco Baldelli at least a little more depth to handle some of the middle-inning issues that have cost the team several games. 
To acquire Fulmer, the Twins traded right-handed pitching prospect Sawyer Gipson-Long. The 24-year-old was the Twins sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Mercer. This season began in High-A Cedar Rapids where he went 5-2 with a 1.99 ERA. He had 52 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings. He was recently promoted to Double-A Wichita and is 3-4 with a 7.17 ERA over 37 2/3 innings. He has 35 strikeouts. Overall this season, he has 19 walks and 87 strikeouts over 87 1/3 innings. He ranked #20 Twins Prospect by Twins Daily in July.  
With just minutes remaining before the trade deadline, will the Twins make any more moves? 
 

Recently I was chatting with a former Minnesota Twins minor leaguer. I think if you asked him, he would have called himself a suspect instead of a prospect. We were talking about current prospects, and I made the comment that I always have a soft spot for guys who either weren’t drafted or were drafted in the late rounds. 
Mark Contreras wasn’t a late-round pick, but he fits into another similar category. He was a ‘Senior Sign.’ In 2017, the Twins had the top overall pick and signed Royce Lewis. He signed for under-slot value to allow the team to also draft and go way over-slot RHP Blayne Enlow in the third round. In addition, the Twins drafted three college seniors with their eighth (Bryan Sammons), ninth (Contreras), and tenth (Calvin Faucher) round picks and signed each of the for just $10,000. 
It’s a strategy every team uses to manipulate the current draft slot system. The Twins have had success with several senior signs. In 2013, they drafted Mitch Garver, a senior catcher from the University of New Mexico, in the ninth round. In 2008, Brian Dozier, a shortstop from Southern Mississippi, was the Twins' eighth-round pick. 
With that as the backdrop, let’s take a look back at the baseball career and timeline of Mark Contreras, all of which has led him to his first big-league call-up today. 
High School: Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, California
Contreras was a four-year starter in high school. He worked hard on the field and in the classroom. He was known already then for his great defense. He played in the infield, mostly at third base until his senior season when he moved to shortstop. 
College: UC-Riverside 
Despite all of his high school successes - his team won the league championship all four years, he was all-league his final three years - he didn’t have a lot of college offers. He stayed fairly close to home and enrolled at UC-Riverside. 
As a freshman, he played in just 19 games and went 4-for-27 (.148). His sophomore year, an opening presented itself in the outfield. His coach asked how comfortable he would be in the outfield. Contreras replied, “If I’m in the lineup, it doesn’t matter. I’d love to play.” 
He showed it could do just that, hitting .284 with ten doubles. In his junior season, he played in 55 games and hit .332/.407/.430 (.837) with 14 doubles and a homer. He went undrafted. 
He returned for his senior season and hit .366/.427/.558 (.985) with 11 doubles, eight triples, and two homers in 42 games. 
 
 
Northwoods League: Rochester Honkers
His time with the Saints and Twins does not mark his first time playing ball in Minnesota. In the summers of 2015 and 2016, he played for the Rochester Honkers. 
“That was fun. Meeting new guys. The competition was great. The success our first year. We got to the semi-finals. The St. Cloud Rox kept kicking our butt. They put it on us. Going back for another year was great. Playing in Rochester exposes you to a lot of excellent players from around the country.”
Professional Baseball: Minnesota Twins 
As mentioned, Contreras became the Twins’ ninth-round draft pick in 2017. He signed quickly at $10,000 and went to Elizabethton. In 43 games, he hit .275/.319/.421 (.740) with nine doubles, two triples, and four home runs. 
In 2018, he played in 97 games with Ft. Myers and hit .212/.302/.361 (.663) with 15 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs. He also stole 12 bases. He did hit .440 in seven games in Cedar Rapids at the end of the season. 
2019 was a tough season for Contreras. He played in 27 games for Ft. Myers and hit just .101 with three doubles. He moved back and forth to Double-A Pensacola several times. In 85 games with the Blue Wahoos, he hit .210/.279/.381 (.660) with 12 doubles, three triples, and ten home runs. 
Double-A manager Ramon Borrego talked last year about the challenge for Contreras, moving back and forth between Ft. Myers and Pensacola. It was difficult to get into any sort of routine. He later said, “That back-and-forth helped me understand the mental grind of the game.” 
To illustrate that, Contreras was named a Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove Award winner. Defense has always been an important part of his game, and he is capable of playing all three outfield positions very well. 
The home run power he started to show at the end of 2019 was something he wanted to continue to improve upon in 2020. Unfortunately, there was no 2020 minor league season due to the pandemic. He spent the whole lost season, working with his dad, hitting every weekday. 
It helped. In 2021, Contreras’s prospect stock rose with his play at the highest level. He began the season in Wichita, and like in 2019, he moved back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A a couple of times. In 19 games at Double-A, he hit .269/.355/.448 (.803) with four doubles and two homers. In 95 games at Triple-A, he hit .248/.335/.493 (.828) with 26 doubles and 18 home runs. 
In 2022, he has hit .239/.350/.489 (.838) with five doubles, five homers, and five stolen bases. 
 
 
The Call 
Being just a short drive from Target Field has been a motivator to Twins prospects the last two seasons. Contreras said last year,  “We're 20 minutes from Target Field, and being so close to that… We know we're so close.”
He has seen several of his current and former teammates get The Call. He noted, “"It's definitely amazing to see my teammates that I grinded a whole year at High-A or Double-A with getting their opportunity to be in the big leagues. Not just there and back, but proving that they can be in the big leagues. Trevor Larnach. Alex Kirilloff. Luis Arraez is one of the best hitters I've seen. Griffin Jax got his opportunity this year, and he's doing what he needs to do. Charlie Barnes just got called up the other day, and he had a great outing for his first start. We were drafted in the same year. I know there's a lot more that I've played with. Akil Baddoo is getting his opportunity. It's very motivating because it shows that they're getting the chance to show.”
Last summer, he also told me, “I'm not there, so the goal is to take care of the What, and then the When will happen.”
Tuesday became the When for Mark Contreras when he was called up to the Twins for the first time. With the team having two players on the Covid list, Contreras (and Jharel Cotton) did not need to be added to the 40-man roster. It’s very possible that if Luis Arraez is activated on Wednesday, Contreras could be on a plane to Columbus to meet the Saints.
 
 
Scouting Report 
Let's start with the defense. Again, Contreras is a plus-defender at all three outfield positions. He isn't a burner, but he gets good jumps. He also has a very strong arm. Offensively, he has power. After 20 combined homers in 2021, Contreras has five homers in 26 games for the Saints this year. Only Matt Wallner, with six, has more homers in the Twins minor leagues. A left-hander, he will strike out quite a bit, but he has learned which pitches he can do something with and can really drive. Contreras is a team player who will do what he can to help the team win. 
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For much, much more on Mark Contreras, click here to see all of the Twins Daily articles Contreras has been tagged in. 
 

There are 38 players in Twins history with one career hit. None of them have a home run for their lone hit, but plenty of them have left their mark for other reasons. Take a trip back in time with some of these small moments in Minnesota history. 

Bobby Korecky
Date: May 19, 2008
Twins Career: 1-for-1
Korecky was a reliever for the Twins back in 2008, but he got his moment of glory in an extra-inning game at the Metrodome. Ron Gardenhire used seven different pitchers in the game, but a switch late in the game meant Minnesota lost the DH spot. In the bottom of the 11th, Korecky batted with one out and collected a single. He moved all the way to third after a Brendan Harris single and a Joe Mauer walk. However, he was stranded at third as Justin Morneau, and Michael Cuddyer couldn’t drive him in. Korecky pitched a perfect 12th inning, and Howie Clark collected a walk-off double in the bottom half of the inning.

Tack Wilson
Date: April 13, 1983
Twins Career: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, 4 R
Wilson played five games in a Twins uniform, but most of his appearances were as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement. His lone start for the Twins came in Oakland as he started in center field and was the leadoff hitter. Minnesota was trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning when Wilson stepped in with a man at first. He cracked a double to right field, and Dave Engle came around to score. Wilson scored on the next play as John Castino hit a double to put the Twins on top 2-1. Later in the game, Wilson was lifted for a pinch hitter, and he’d never start another game for the Twins.

Mike Fornieles
Date: June 5, 1963
Twins Career: 1-for-6, 3B, R, RBI
Minnesota acquired Fornieles in June 1963, and he immediately made a mark on the roster. He is the only player in team history with a triple as his lone hit. In his first game for the Twins, he took over on the mound in the third inning after Garry Roggenburk allowed five runs (one earned). After getting out of the third, he was the second batter in the bottom half of the frame. Following a Bernie Allen single, Fornieles cranked a triple into the left-field corner. Zoilo Versalles drove him in with a groundout as the Twins cut the lead to 5-2. Fornieles ended up allowing four runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. Minnesota lost 9-6, and Fornieles didn’t play another big-league game after the 1963 season. 

Juan Rincón
Date: June 16, 2001
Twins Career: 1-for-2
Rincón was an essential reliever for the Twins throughout the 2000s as he pitched over 440 innings for the club. However, he holds the distinction for appearing in the most games with the Twins while only recording one hit. During Rincón’s rookie campaign, the Twins surprised many by being in contention. In June 2001, the Twins made a stop on the northside of Chicago, and Rincón was pressed into action early in the game. Brad Thomas started for the Twins, and he couldn’t make it out of the first inning. Rincón pitched 3 1/3 innings, and his first at-bat came in the top of the third. After working a full count, he hit a line drive to right field. Jacque Jones grounded into a double play to end the inning.  

Do you have memories related to any of these players? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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Recently, Tracy and I sat down during my lunch break on a Tuesday afternoon. She and I had spoken previously during a chance meeting through a mutual acquaintance, but this was the first time I really had the chance to get to know her and pick her brain. 
When I tell you I went through a full range of emotions during our chat, that would be putting it lightly. It was the most informative, amusing, heartfelt conversation I have had with another baseball fan to this point in my life. Tracy has an infectious personality. She is passionate about baseball, and she is one smart woman. She knows the game. She gets the game. She lights up when you talk to her about not only her job but the players as well. She has created a strong relationship? with players past and present. 
Tracy is everything that Minnesota sports encompass. From a young age, she wore number 6 after her favorite player (Tony Oliva) and today can ask the hard-hitting questions of the players because they respect her. 
Before going to college at the University of Kansas, Tracy had her sights set on being a sports reporter. She had grown up a Minnesota sports fan and was excited at the prospect of reporting on her favorite childhood teams or any teams wherever she landed. However, that all changed when she had her mentorship with Darcy Pohland in 2009 at WCCO. During her internship, she had a chance to see how things were done behind the scenes, the creation of the story, and then bringing it to life. She fell in love instantly with the idea of creating an account of a story that the fans would love. Being a fan herself, she knew that helping the public understand their hometown favorites was vital to the sport and the community as a whole. 
When she completed her degree, she worked a short stint in Kansas City at WDAF-TV (FOX) where she produced morning and weekend newscasts before coming back home to Minnesota. Tracy found herself back at WCCO, where her passion for producing first started. She started working with faces like Don Shelby, Amelia Santanello, Frank Vascellaro, and Mark Rosen. 
She also met Peter Nelson. Peter ran a blog covering the Minnesota Twins. Blogging was a new idea to the sports world; giving people a different perspective of the game outside of highlights and "SportsCenter" moments. The blog was a split from regular sportscasting. The blog was more or less a relaxed version of things that happen at Target Field. Stories like "Eating our way through Target Field" - a piece where they ate every food on the concourse to give the fans their experience and what to expect and how things taste. They undoubtedly brought some laughs and probably stomach aches. 
Tracy loved the blog. Brimming with ideas and armed with her knowledge of the sport from watching it her whole life, and her drive to bring Minnesota the unknown side of sports, Tracy soon found herself on the field, in the dugout, and in the clubhouse. She spent time creating relationships with the players that have solidified not only her spot as a producer for WCCO but also as a friend to the players. They trust her, and sometimes in a media scrum, they will ask her first over reporters if she has any questions. Because she has earned the players' respect, she has also earned the right to ask hard-hitting questions as well.  
Tracy got to spend a whole day with the grounds crew to give fans an inside experience of what game day is like for the guys. It was one of her favorite days spent at Target field. The blog was an opportunity to not only grow in her passion for baseball but professionally as well. Tracy is now the point person for all Twins events for WCCO because she knows what a good experience is for Twins fans and doesn't shy away from an assignment or event. 
Tracy's respect for the players is so apparent. While she understands that getting the news is important, what’s even more important is treating the players as what they are: people. It’s important for her that people see the human side of the game, the people that make the game happen, and the fun the players have off and on the field. When we sat down to talk, there was not a moment when a smile was not on her face talking about our hometown team. She told me her favorite memories, about the players that she caught on the diamond over her years as a producer. 
One of my favorite stories was about Brian Dozier. Dozier learned Spanish in college because he knew that if he was going to play baseball, he would need to know how to not only understand the language himself but speak it for his teammates who couldn't speak or understand  English yet. She loves learning little nuances about the players because it helps her form a story for the nightly news or the blog she helps to oversee. 
Tracy is the producer for sports segments Sunday through Thursday for WCCO. She has also won an Emmy, but I had to find that on google because, in her humility, she didn’t bring that up. She is so humble she makes me rethink my goals for my life in sports and the glory of behind-the-scenes work. She works long hours, but they don't feel long because she does what she loves. We talked about the "behind the scenes" of the stories she gets to hear on the field, see in the dugout, and bullpen. One thing I was not expecting was to hear how excited about Opening Day she was, only to not be able to enjoy it like other fans. 
Opening Day of baseball for Tracy, one of Minnesota's biggest fans and season ticket holders is a little different these days. Instead of watching the game and seeing the guys take the field, she is in the writing room, working on getting out information, editing, and creating footage for the news that evening, making sure she gets the things that fans want. 
As a fan, she knows what resonates with people. She knows that fans want to know: information like new foods at the field, deals for tickets, opening day information, special giveaways, events, and the little surprises that the fan only catches a glimpse of to get them excited for what is coming up next in a game or news story. In the half-hour of news that we see every night, only three minutes of that is set aside for sports. Her job is to write, edit, and organize the sports segment for all sports teams in Minnesota. 
Of those three minutes, if there is a feature story, only one and a half minutes is dedicated to that feature. That is not a lot of time to bring you every single highlight, so she has to know … which is why it's so important to know the who, why viewers would care about the who, and what it means to the community. On TV, the audience sees a three-minute sports segment. Behind the scenes, anywhere from four hours to three days of work went into it.
There are sometimes stories that Tracy doesn't have planned. That happened one day with Twins' favorite Tony Oliva. During a Twins event, Tony grabbed Tracy and said, "Follow me. Record this." Tracy, completely confused, followed Tony because, let's be honest, who wouldn't, and what she saw confused her even more. Tony grabbed a jersey and handed it to a lady who immediately broke down in tears, hugged Tony, and was on her way. Confused, Tracy found out later just what the story was, and the beginning of the story made the two minutes she caught worth everything. 
It is those moments that Tracy lives for. The stolen moments and the respect of the players make them want to come to her with not only their ideas but also their appreciation. Tracy shows up. She doesn't make a scene. Tracy remembers that baseball is a "good ole boys club" and that she is in their space when at Target Field. She keeps in mind that she represents the team, WCCO, herself, young women, and Minnesota whenever she steps into her role at work. She garners respect by carrying her self-confidence, knowledge, kindness, and hard work ethic. She is intelligent, funny, and her laugh is contagious. Tracy may be behind the scenes, but she is in front of the Twins bringing us all the things we want to know as fans, a Queen of the Diamond.
You can follow Tracy on Twitter: @partray. 
 

The announcement piggybacked off of another made in mid-October in which Major League Baseball stated that they would require teams to provide housing beginning next season, though a specific plan was not provided at that time. 

The owner’s press release went further, specifying requirements that each team must meet, including, but not limited to:
Housing must be “located at a reasonable, commutable distance from the ballpark” (A specific distance range was not provided) Each bedroom must contain at least one bed per player with no more than two players per bedroom Housing must be furnished and basic utilities (per Baseball America’s Josh Norris: electricity, water, and WiFi) must be paid for by the MLB team Hotels may be utilized if apartments, rental homes, and host families “are not feasible” Further reporting from Norris, who obtained a memo distributed by the owners to all major front office personnel, revealed that players “will not sign any lease or utility agreements” as leases “are not permitted” and the MLB club will be paying utilities. Additionally, this policy will apply to all minor leaguers who 1. Do not possess a major league contract and 2. Make less than $20,000 per month (i.e. the remaining 10% of minor-league players or disqualified). 
The owner’s decision to provide housing for their minor league athletes is a move that was much needed, but not one that should earn them any modicum of praise. There was never an acceptable reason for why housing was not previously provided and the decision was conveniently made only after minor league players started speaking out about their mistreatment at the hands of billionaires en masse.

Additionally, while a near-doubling of salary may appear like a dramatic improvement, the average minor-league payout improved by only a couple hundred dollars per week, with rookie ball players bringing in approximately $20,800 before taxes last season and Triple-A players earning $36,400. In short, most minor leaguers will still earn a barely livable wage despite the previously installed pay bump.

Reducing travel and providing a roof over the athletes’ heads not only should improve the overall quality of play in Minor League Baseball but are also humane actions, even for professional athletes getting paid to play a game. However, work will remain to be done until the athletes’ average salary increases even more, at least to the point where they earn anything close to their valuation. 
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