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  1. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 18 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/12/Grinch-300x300.jpg
    Eric and Paul are joined this week by special guest Brandon Warne of Star Tribune Storts, Fangraphs and other places around the web to talk about the newest Twin, Mike Pelfrey and what that signing means for the team going into 2013 and beyond. After Brandon departs the twins discuss Rod Carew, whether or not Daniel Turpin will ever reach the big leagues and what the Mets/Blue Jays trade means for baseball in Canada.
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/12/IMAG0145-300x179.jpgThis is what it looks like when Eric records the podcast.
    If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes
    (ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, which help us become warlocks.)
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.Once again thank you to Egon's Unicat for letting us use their music on the podcast.
     
    __________________
    Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
    Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com
  2. Paul Pleiss
    Bad teams often have a lot of room for talented prospects to move quickly through the farm system and get a chance to play with the big league club. After losing 99 games in 2011 the Twins stunk it up again in 2012 and lost 96 games. Half-way through the off-season the Twins have traded away their two best center fielders and while they have gotten back three quality arms in return, two of those arms still have a ways to go before they make it up to the big league club. The Twins also added a veteran arm to the starting rotation, but by all accounts it looks like the Twins are building for the future at the expense of the 2013 season. Who are the young guns in the system to be on the lookout for? Follow me Down on the Pond and together we'll take a look at some of the top prospects in the Twins minor league system. This week we take a look at the prospects I have ranked 16th-20th.

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpg

    20. Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo was limited to just 9 games this past season after he suffered a broken nose when a line-drive came back and caught him in the face. In 2011 Salcedo posted a nice 2.93 ERA in low-A Beloit but only struck out 92 batters in 135 innings after having struck out 81 in 93 innings the year before. I look for Salcedo to return to the Miracle in 2013 where his K rate will hopefully return and his ability to keep the ball in the park will remain.
     
    19. Daniel Santana. Santana is switch hitting short-stop who spent 2012 with the Miracle. After hitting .247/.298/.373 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in Beloit in 2011 he made the jump up to high-A and improved his slash line to .286/.329/.410 in 2012. Santana was the Miracle's primary SS, but also spent some time at second base. Santana committed 27 errors at SS in 2011 but reduced that to 16 in as many chances in 2012, unfortunately he committed another in limited duty at second base. Has Santana done enough to start the season in AA?
    _________________________
    To read the rest of the article, please visit Puckett's Pond
     
    Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
    Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact)
  3. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 17 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
    http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2012/12/edgar_martinez_autograph.jpg?4c1d59
    Once again the Twins’ twins get together to talk Twins baseball. This week Eric and Paul discuss the Kevin Correia signing (yuck), a look at the 2013 starting pitching rotation and the outfield and the quick escalation of MLB player salaries. Later in the podcast they take a look atRick Aguilera‘s career in Minnesota, what the offseason moves so far mean to the balance of power in the AL Central and they go Down on the Pond to take a closer look at Niko Goodrum before finishing off with a debate about the places each of us would like to be season ticket holders. Arguably the best 90 minutes ever recorded.
    If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes
    (ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, which help us become warlocks.)
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.Once again thank you to Egon’s Unicat for letting us use their music on the podcast.
    __________________
    Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
    Check out the Talk to Contact Podcast (@TalkToContact) or email the show: talktocontact@gmail.com
  4. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 16 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
     
    http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2012/12/6a0120a6dde087970b017c3457cc88970b.png
     
    This week the Pleiss Twins discuss happenings from the winter meetings and are joined by Alex Kienholz of http://www.BeyondTheBoxscore.com to discuss the Twins/Phillies trade that sent Ben Revere to Philly in exchange for Vance Worely and prospect Trevor May, the Rule 5 draft and about his interested in sabermetrics. After Alex departs Eric and Paul get into the Jared Burton extension, Tom Kelly’s Twins career, beer, prospects and a whole bunch of questions from the interwebs.
     
    If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes
    (ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, which help us become warlocks.)
     
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog. Once again thank you to Egon’s Unicat for letting us use their music on the podcast.
    __________________
    Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
  5. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 15 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/12/285_7527020.jpg 


    This week Eric and Paul are joined by Twins prospect guru, Seth Stohs (@SethTweets), of TwinsDaily.com to discuss the Twins trade with the Nationals, his blogging career and Travis Harrison. After Seth departs we take a quick look at the Rule 5 draft, Twins HOFer Brad Radke and a lengthy discussion on the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, specifically Barry Bonds and the steroids era. We also talk about beer, of which it becomes evident that Eric has had several, along with a few other Twins news items and notes.
     
    If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes
    (ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, which help us become warlocks.)
     
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.Once again thank you to Egon's Unicat for letting us use their music on the podcast.
    __________________
    Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
  6. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 13 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/11/285_7460922-207x300.jpg(This woman allegedly wants to give us 7.5 million. Listen to the podcast for the details! Woot!)
     


    This week Paul and I take a look at Twins prospect (?) Daniel Ortiz and Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew. We again field a bunch of questions from the interwebs. Among the topics discussed form the mail bag: Joe Benson and his mullet, the Miami/Toronto trade, and regular season wins versus playoff success. We also have an update on the email from Larien who wanted to have a relationship and a business proposal. Tune in for Minnesota Twins banter and a whole lot more.
     
    If you enjoy our podcast, please take a couple extra minutes and rate and review us on iTunes
    (ratings and reviews have magical iTunes powers, which help us become warlocks.)
     
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.Once again thank you to Egon's Unicat for letting us use their music on the podcast.
    __________________
    Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
  7. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 12 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/11/mail-call-300x168.jpg

     
    This week on the podcast Eric and I discuss Jim Kaat's place in the Twins Hall of Fame, we take a look at the high-A ShortStop prospect Daniel Santana and we dive into a dozen or so questions we received from listeners covering a wide variety of topics from the best Patrick Swayze movie, to a romantic business proposal and a whole slough of Twins topics. We also take a look at the Twins radio and TV broadcast teams and give them a ranking on the 20-80 scale. A special thanks to @Jessicann713, @BransonWerner, @Nimi_badger, @youcancallmeAde, @mntwinsforever, @mntwinsisters, @mikeywaldo and @sideburg for submitting questions to this week's podcast.
     
     
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.
     
    Once again thank you to Egon's Unicat for letting us use their music on the podcast.__________________
    Follow me, @BaseballPirate, on Twitter
  8. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 11 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/11/56042_10100367579036021_1162141622_o-768x1024.jpg

    (This post originally appeared at www.PuckettsPond.com, pictured above is my friend Mondo and his spawn all dressed up for Halloween)
     
    This week the brothers Pleiss discuss the Gold Gloves and any perceived snubs, the Twins Diamond Awards and my feelings on photos of peoples children clogging up my Facebook/Twitter timeline. We also spend a few moments looking at Twins prospect J.O. Berrios, Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett and some early happenings in the off-season before getting into a few other topics including a traveling stuffed banana. You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.
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  9. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 11 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/11/56042_10100367579036021_1162141622_o-768x1024.jpg

    (This post originally appeared at www.PuckettsPond.com, pictured above is my friend Mondo and his spawn all dressed up for Halloween)
     
    This week the brothers Pleiss discuss the Gold Gloves and any perceived snubs, the Twins Diamond Awards and my feelings on photos of peoples children clogging up my Facebook/Twitter timeline. We also spend a few moments looking at Twins prospect J.O. Berrios, Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett and some early happenings in the off-season before getting into a few other topics including a traveling stuffed banana. You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.
    __________________
    Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter
  10. Paul Pleiss
    In my last Down on the Pond post I took a look at how the Twins players were doing down in the Arizona Fall League, and rather than look back in at how they're doing, or even taking a look at the guys who are playing Winter Ball around the Southern Hemisphere, I thought I'd use my position here on the Pond to share some photos that players throughout the Twins system posted to the Twitter machine and use that as a jumping off point to talk about some of the guys that are toiling down in the Twins system who you may not have heard of.

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1-300x180.jpgThis post originally appeared at www.PuckettsPond.com


     
    We'll start first with a pre-Halloween trick. Hurricane Sandy (Post-tropical cyclone, as the hipsters are calling it) was not kind to Twins AAA reliever Bobby Lanigan (@BOBBYLANIGAN). Sandy flooded his street and took his car for a ride and totaled it in the process. I hope the insurance claim comes quick and that Bobby and his family are safe and dry. Lanigan finished the season 7-5 across AA New Britain and AAA Rochester throwing just over 70 innings on the season out of the bullpen in 44 appearances. He finished the season with an ERA over 4, and struck out only 49 batters to go along with a WHIP (walks+hits per inning pitched) of 1.373. At 25 and in his first season in AAA there still may be some hope for the young righty, but his numbers over his minor league career are not much better. Since being drafted in 2008 Lanigan has a career 4.05 ERA and has given up more than a hit per inning. This was his first season working out of the pen so it will be interesting how he fairs in a full season at AAA in 2013.
     
     
    I typically have no idea what Manuel Soliman (@SOLIMAN30)is tweeting because everything is in Spanish, and even though I could quickly translate using google or Tweetdeck, I'm generally not that interested. Here's a photo he tweeted a couple days ago that I thought was pretty awesome. Soliman signed with the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in 2007 and in 2009 converted from third base to pitcher. The move worked well and lead the Elizabethon Twins in strikeouts in 2010 (74). In 2012 Soliman threw only 5.0 innings after having been moved up to Ft Myers after a successful 2011 in Beloit. He had shoulder surgery early in the season and the Twins will be cautious with him as he makes his return, he may lose his "prospect" status if 2013 is not a big year for the young righty.
     
     
    James Beresford put up this photo on his twitter (@JamesBeresford2) that golfers around the world will recognize as the result of not hitting your tee-shot past the ladies tee. Beresford was promoted to New Britain last off-season and played second base and shortstop for the Rock Cats to the tune of .266/.330/.314 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 114 games and committed only 10 errors in 491 chances, good enough for a .980 fielding percentage, but 9 of those errors were at SS where he played just over half of his games. While those offensive numbers are nothing to write home about, the Twins would have done well for themselves in 2012 had they had a big league SS who could have put up similar numbers.
     
     
    Daniel Rohlfing (@DanRohlfing), who replaced fellow AA catcher Chris Herrmann in the Arizona Fall League last week, posted this absolute GEM of a photo featuring all of the Twins AFL prospects sporting mustaches like their fellow Twins prospect Nate Roberts. Rohlfing played 91 games between A+ and AA this season and spent most of his time behind the plate but also saw a handful of games in the outfield. Rohlfing is not a monster at the plate, in fact he's rather more Drew Buteraish, as his slash line in 2012 across both levels was .235/.295/.311, but he did show skill behind the plate as a defensive catcher, throwing out 37% of would-be base-stealers.
     
     
    Alex Wimmers (@AlexWimmers21) does not hand out candy, he just puts out a bucket for the tricker-treaters to take what they want; he also carved a pumpkin. Wimmers pitched in only 2 games in 2012 and spent most of the year trying to rehab an elbow injury to avoid surgery. He will likely miss most of, if not all, of 2013 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery performed this past August. Can the former 2-time Big Ten pitcher of the year come back and be successful in a Twins uniform? All we can do at this point is wait and hope.
     
    The Twins 16th round pick in 2011, Austin Malinowski (@A_Mali24) carved a TC pumpkin for his doorstep. Malinowski pitched 31.2 innings for the Twins rookie league Gulf Coast Twins and struck out 32 batters while walking only 11 batters in his first year of professional baseball, but he did give up 35 hits as well. Mali was drafted out of high school and has a long road ahead of him if he ever hopes to make it up to the big leagues.
     
     
    P.J. Walters (@PJwalters33) who recently signed a minor league contract with the Twins after being removed from the 40-man roster last week is dressed as one of the Avengers and is off to save the world. Walters made 12 starts for the Twins last year posting a 5.69 ERA (gave up 41 runs (39 earned) in just 61.2 innings!); prior to his promotion he was 3-3 in 14 starts for the Rochester Red Wings with an ERA just a tick over four (4.01). Walters will join the Twins in spring training this spring, hopefully Terry Ryan and the front office bring in some better starters via trade of free agency or Twins fans may be getting more Walters in their lives and I don't foresee that being good for anyone.
     
     
    That's all for this week, I hope you all had a Happy Halloween full of treats and welcomed the Great Pumpkin into your hearts once more.
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  11. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 10 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
    (This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com)


    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/IMG_1651-300x225.jpg

    This week Eric and I are joined by Chuck Ruether of www.AllSportsAlways.Blogspot.com to discuss the recent coaching assignments and 40-man roster predictions. We go on to discuss the arbitration process and take a look at how the Twins prospects down in the Arizona Fall League have done before getting into a host of other topics including Joe Benson, beer and the World Series.
     
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.
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  12. Paul Pleiss
    The Twins sent seven of their minor league players to go play in the Arizona Fall League that kicked off earlier this month. Teams each send a handful of their prospects to play in Arizona and each year several teams join together and field a team for the AFL (6 team league located in, you guessed it, Arizona). The Twins players play for the Peoria Javelinas (a 40-80 pound skunk pig, for those of you who are curious you can check out the wiki page) who join with players from the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. The AFL is typically offense heavy as teams are fairly stingy when it comes to sending top level arms to get more work and expose them to injury, and if you do see MLB quality arms they are typically coming back from injury and hoping to log some innings, like the Twins' Kyle Gibson.
     
    (This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com)
     
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1-300x180.jpg
     
     
    This year the Twins sent Evan Bigley (AAA right-fielder), Logan Darnell (AA Left-handed starting pitcher), Kyle Gibson (AAA Right-handed starting pitcher), Chris Herrmann (AA catcher who made his MLB debut late this season), Nate Roberts (Low-A outfielder), Caleb Thielbar (AAA Left-handed reliever) and Michael Tonkin (High-A Right-handed relief pitcher). Let's take a closer look at how each of the Twins selections have faired after a couple of weeks in Arizona.
     
    Kyle Gibson has been the most impressive of all the Twins prospects in the AFL, and maybe the most impressive in the AFL. Gibson has made three starts and is 3-0 with a shiny .069 ERA and 19 strike-outs in 13 innings of work. 14 games into the young AFL season Gibson leads the league in innings pitched and strike-outs and of the 35 pitchers who have logged more than 7.0 innings, only Seth Blair (St. Louis) and C.J. Riefenhauser (Tampa Bay) have given up less earned runs. If Gibson continues to pitch like this well and his arm continues to progress from surgery it will be hard to keep him out of the Twins rotation next spring.
     
    Nate Roberts has been the Twins brightest star on the offensive side of the game. Roberts has seen action in 6 games and is 9 for 17 w/ 3 extra-base hits and 5 walks, his slash line is an impressive .529/.640/1.346!!! Obviously this is a small sample size, but things look bright for Nate Roberts who will most likely start next season in high-A Ft Myers after repeating a second season in low-A Beloit.
     
    Chris Herrmann has also done well at the dish down in Arizona, but in an even smaller sample size. Herrmann has only played in 3 games so far, but is 5 for 10 in limited action. Herrmann is hampered by the Javelinas' roster which also contains uber catching prospect Mike Zunino (SEA) and fellow catcher Tommy Joseph (PHI).
    Update: Chris Herrmann has injured his left shoulder and has been replaced by AA catcher Dan Rohlfing. The injury is to his non-throwing shoulder and is believed to bemild in nature. Rohlfing started the season in Ft Myers before moving up to New Britain and hit .235/.295/.311 across both leagues in 2012. Thanks to Twins prospect guru, Seth Stohs of Twins Daily, for the news.
     
    Michael Tonkin has had four appearances for the Javelinas this season and has yet to give up a run, earned or otherwise, in his 5.1 innings of work while striking out 4 and walking just a single batter. Tonkin struck out almost 13 batters per 9 between low/high-A in 2012 and his ability to get out high-caliber batters in the AFL is very good news. It will be interesting to see if Tonkin has earned a promotion to AA to start 2013 or if he starts in high-A where he posted a sub-3.00 ERA in 30+ innings.
     
    Logan Darnell has also appeared in 4 games for Peoria and has done well for himself. Darnell spent all of 2012 w/ AA New Britain where he made 28 starts and logged 156 innings but was less than spectacular striking out well under a batter per inning and giving up nearly 1.3 HR/9. In his 6.2 innings of work in the AFL Darnell has given up only 2 runs (both earned) and 7 hits to go with 5 K's and 2 BB's.
     
    Caleb Thielbar has been, to be nice, less than spectacular. In 5.1 innings of work Thielbar has given up 8 runs (all earned) and has a fancy 13.50 ERA to show for it. The good news is that although he gave up 4 runs in each of his first 2 appearances, he's kept batters in check during his last 3 appearances allowing only a single hit and no walks in 3.0 innings of work. Thielbar, who started the year in Ft Myers before getting called up to AA New Britain and eventually AAA Rochester had a strong season and finished w/ a 2.43 ERA between all three levels, helped in large part to 12.1 innings in Ft Myers where he gave up only 1 run (unearned). It will be interesting to see what Thielbar's future is with the Twins, who picked up Thielbar from the Saint Paul Saints after the 2011 season.
     
    Evan Bigley rounds out the Twins seven selections to the AFL, and his performance has been unimpressive to date. In 7 games of work Bigley has managed to hit only 5 for 29, has struck out 6 times and has yet to take a walk. His slash like is scary bad, .172/.241/.441. Bigley hit .268 for the Rock Cats before getting moved up to AAA to join the Red Wings where he hit just .251/.289/.409. Bigley will need to turn things around in a big way if he wants to stay in the Twins organization as anything other than an organizational guy, especially as the Twins farm system is full of high-value OF prospects. This may be Bigley's last big chance to impress the brass in Minnesota.
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  13. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 9 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
     
     
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/A3b_yWzCUAAbUYE.jpg-large-300x224.jpeg
    (This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com)
     
    It's been a slow week in Twins news, but we still found some things to talk about in episode 9. Eric talks about Twins related items that he's trying to acquire from Ebay for less than a quarter (shipping included) and why he hates the St. Louis Cardinals. We discuss JIm Rantz' pending retirement and what it means for the club and check in on the Twins players down in the Arizona Fall League, among other things. We also bring you a couple new beer selections and weigh in on the loveliness of Delmon Young's mustache.
     
    You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.
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  14. Paul Pleiss
    Episode 8 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
     
    (This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com)

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/pumpkin-beer.jpgI love beer, and baseball, and pumpkins.

    In Episode 8 Eric and I discuss the Twins prospects in the Arizona Fall League, 2013 Payroll commitments, Justin Morneau and possible infield arrangements for the Twins in 2013. We take a closer look at Aaron Hicks, make our declarations for the top 3 prospects in the organization and we talk about beer.You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.
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  15. Paul Pleiss
    This post originally appeared at http://puckettspond.com/2012/10/01/down-on-the-pond-twins-milb-awards-the-hitters/
     
    The minor league seasons are all over. The prospects have played their final games (well, I guess officially the September call-ups still have 3 games left, but let's not get carried away) and the stats and progressions for 2012 are all in the books.
    Before the season began, several of the Twins bloggers, myself included, made some prognostications about who we thought would be the best MiLB players in the Twins system. You can see the predictions in full by going here (position players) or here (pitchers). Today I'll share my picks for the hitters and later in the week we'll take a look at the pitchers. My predictions are listed below with brief reasoning, followed by who I picked as the winner with a season full of stats and analysis to go on. The astute reader will notice my seemingly complete lack of ability to analyze MiLB players. I'm new to this, but I press on.
     

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpg 
     


    Breakout Hitter (Upper Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Tsuyoshi Nishioka, while many think that Nishi will find his way back to Japan by the season's end, the demotion to AAA will give Nishi a chance to learn the American flavor of the game and get the instruction he needs to use the skills he acquired in Japan to become a productive hitter in MLB.
     
     
    Boy was I wrong on this one. Last week Nishi requested and was granted his release by the Twins. I fully expected Nishi to rebound in AAA, ultimate FAIL! I harbor no ill-will to the former Japanese All-Star and wish him fair winds and following seas as he embarks on his post MLB career.
     
     
    Winner: Oswaldo Arcia. Get used to that name, you'll be hearing it quite a bit in the next couple years, and at least once more in this post. Arcia started the year in high-A Fort Myers and after half a season that saw Oswaldo hitting .309/.376/.517 (BA/OBP/SLG) he was promoted to AA New Britain. Usually there is a natural regression when players are moved up a level, but not for Arcia he moved up and started hitting even better. In 69 games with the Rock Cats Oswaldo hit .328/.398/.557! The Twins have a glut of OF talent in their system, much of it at AA or above, so it's unclear exactly where Arcia will start in 2013, but AAA wouldn't be a bad idea. Last week the Twins named Arcia as their minor league player of the year. Congratulations Oswaldo Arcia on a magnificent 2012 Campaign!
     
     
    Best Hitter (Upper Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Brian Dozier was impressive last year splitting time between Ft Myers and New Britain. After an impressive spring I look to Dozier to continue to tear things up in Rochester. If there is any disarray with the Twins middle infield, Dozier will be the first guy up to fill the open slot.
    Another miss for me here. After spending 2011 in AA I expected Dozier to continue to play solid defense and hit will as he adjusted to AAA. The Twins called Dozier up to the bigs and his bat never really got going. In August he was sent back to AAA and was even worse. What will 2013 bring for Brian Dozier? Will he make improvements with his bat and hold off Pedro Florimon for the starting short stop job? Only time will tell.
     
     
    Winner: Chris Parmelee. After a hot September call-up in 2011 Parmelee started the season with the Twins as insurance on JustinMorneau, but was sent down after a miserable start. In 64 games with the AAA Rochester Red Wings Parmelee hit .338/.457/.645 (1.102 OPS). CP tore up AAA pitching and 35 XBH including 17HR in his half-season of work in AAA to go with 51 walks while only striking out 52 times. In short, he was a superstar.
     
     
    Breakout Hitter (Lower Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Levi Michael. Levi signed late and will be making his professional debut with the Miracle this season and as a fairly polished college player should perform well hitting for high average and working his way up through the Twins system, finishing the season in AA after a successful campaign with the Miracle.
     
     
    Another miss for the BaseballPirate. Levi struggled early in the season for Ft Myers and finished the year with a slash line of .246/.339/.311 thanks in large part to his second half numbers (.272/.368/.328). While Michael did not break out in his first year of professional baseball, he did settle in late in the season and had a .969 fielding% splitting time between second base and short stop.
     
     
    Winner: Josmil Pinto. The right-handed catcher really came into his own in 2012 posting his best numbers since 2009 when he was playing with the Elizabethon Twins in extended spring training. On the season Pinto hit .295/.362/.482 in 93 games with Ft Myers and earned himself a late season call up to New Britain and was named both a mid-season and post-season All-Star in the Florida State League. I'd like to throw in an honorable mention to Beloit first basemen Kenny Vargas who hit .318/.419/.610 in limited action this season (41 games).
     
     
    Best Hitter (Lower Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Miguel Sano or Eddie Rosario. Both are moving up to Beloit this season and it's a coin flip as to which will be the best hitter for the Snappers this season as both are coming off of monster seasons in Elizabethon. I look for Sano to continue to develop his power tool although he may have a slow start playing in colder weather of the Midwest League.
     
    You could probably still make a case for Rosario who had a great year in low-A Beloit (.284/.345/.490), but Sano was a little less impressive than I was hoping going into the season. He still had a great season, but his approach at the plate still needs some work as he appears to be trying to hit the ball out of the park every time at the plate. 2012 was by no means a "lost season" for Sano, but I think I was over estimating the development rate of the young third basemen.
     
    Winner: Oswaldo Arcia. See his accolades above. Hard to argue against Arcia
     
    Breakout Hitter (Extended Spring Training)
    Pre-Season Pick: Niko Goodrum. Nko will repeat EST for a second season, but if he can build off of late season success from 2011 Niko's a name that Twins fans will be talking about as the season progresses. Goodrum is also a twitter fanatic, @nikogoodrumTC, and like Ben Revere he just looks like he's having fun out on the field. He's still pretty raw, but look for Goodrum to make big strides at the plate this year.
     
    Niko didn't have a bad season in 2012, but he didn't hit as well as he did in 2011, but looking at numbers alone in EST doesn't tell the whole story. Goodrum took more walks and hit for more power in his second full season in EST and should start 2013 with the Twins new low-A affiliate Cedar Rapids Kernels. Niko has a strong arm and will hopefully be able to stay at short-stop as he continues to progress through the Twins farm system.
     
    Winner: Max Kepler. In his second season with the Elizabethon Twins Max Kepler really came into his own hitting .297/.387/.539. At only 19 Kepler continues to develop into what many believe will be MLB All-Star form. Kepler hit 10HR this season after mashing only 1 in his last 2 seasons combined and cut his strike outs by a third (54 in 2011, only 33 in 2012). He was named a post-season All-Star in the Appalachian League.
     
    Best Hitter (Extended Spring Training)
    Pre-Season Pick: Max Kepler is back in EST for a second year after coming off a 2011 where he hit .262/.347/.366. Look for Kepler to settle in early and build off his season ending six game hit streak in 2011. Kepler should continue to get stronger and should develop power as he progresses through the Twins system.
     
    Ooooooo! It looks like I got one correct! Finally. Kepler did exactly what I had called for this spring, and yes, I am gloating. Honorable mention to the GCL Twins' Aderlin Mejia (SS) who hit .324/.365/.402 and even garnered a late season call up to Ft Myers.
     
    Winner: Max Kepler.
     
    What do you think? Any arguments for other players form the minors? Weigh in with your comments below and make sure to check back later in the week to go over my picks for the Twins minor league pitching stars from the 2012 season.
  16. Paul Pleiss
    Who were the best pitchers in the Twins minor league system in 2012?
     
    Earlier this week I took a look at my predictions from this spring for who I thought would be the best minor league hitters in 2012 and who actually was. Today I'll look into the pitchers. See the predictions made by some of the other Twins bloggers here (position players) or here (pitchers).
     

    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpgTwins related news and notes from the minor leagues
     


    Breakout Pitcher (Upper Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Tyler Robertson. Robertson will be back in Rochester for the first time since getting moved to the bullpen at the beginning of 2011. Although Robertson doesn't have any pitch that is outstanding, he commands his pitches well and I look forward to the lefty making big strides in his second full season working out of the pen.
     
     
    Robertson had a solid year out of the pen in 2012, 3.77ERA w 33 strike outs and 13 walks in 33 games (28.2 innings), but he was by no means the breakout star that I had him pegged for this spring. Many of the quality arms from both AA and AAA were called upon this season by the big league club who struggled finding quality arms to put in the rotation making picking the pitchers for awards from the upper levels even more difficult.
     
     
    Winner: Bruce Pugh (RP). Pugh started the season in Ft Myers where he put up great numbers out of the pen and was called up to New Britain where he performed even better. Pugh finished the season with a 1.94 ERA in 69.2 innings pitched between Ft Myers and New Britain. Bruce held AA hitters to a .182 average and struck out 48 in 42 innings of work giving up only 26 hits.
     
     
    Best Pitcher (Upper Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Alex Wimmers who moves up to AA New Britain this year after a season at Ft. Myers hopes to build off of the late season success from 2011. Wimmers who started 2011 by walking six batters is hoping that his control issues from last season remain in the past. Wimmers only pitched 40.2 innings in A+ last season in addition to the added competition of AA, Wimmers will need to log a bunch of innings. If Wimmers can get back to his 2010 form it's not unreasonable to expect him to move up to AAA by the end of the season.
     
     
    Alex Wimmers made one start for New Britain and was shut down eventually under going season-ending Tommy John surgery on August 2nd. The injury bug strikes again! So much promise for the 2010 first round draft pick who will miss most of, if not all of 2013 as he rehabs from the injury. What will become of Alex Wimmers who is already 23?
     
     
    Winner: B.J. Hermsen was selected by the Twins as their minor league pitcher of the year, who am I to argue with the organization I know and love? I'm a blogger, disagreeing with the Twins is practically my main duty, but you'll get no argument from me on this on. Hermsen had a good season, he made one start for Ft Myers and was called up to New Britain where he made another 22 starts. Hermsen finished the season with a 2.88 ERA to go with 87 strike outs and only 25 walks in 162.2 innings. Honorable mentions to Anthony Slama who dominated at the back of the AAA bullpen and Liam Hendriks who posted a 2.20 ERA in 16 starts for Rochester while striking out more than 5 batters per start.
     
     
    Breakout Pitcher (Lower Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Madison Boer. Boer is a hometown kid from Eden Prairie, MN and will be given a chance to start in Beloit this season and with a solid defense behind him and an offense that will impress, Boer should put up some eye-popping numbers in his first full season in Beloit.
     
     
    Madison Boer put up some eye popping numbers, but not in a good sense. Boer started the season in Beloit where he posted a 3.58 ERA but was then called up to Ft Myers where he struggled. Boer finished the season, between both levels, with a 5.84 ERA 86 strike outs and 42 walks. Batters hit .309 off of him, .322 in AA.
     
     
    Winner: A.J. Achter. Achter started the season in Beloit where he pitched 40 innings out of the pen before getting called up to Ft Myers where he walked only 3 batters in 34.1 innings of work and struck out 37, holding the high-A hitters to a .168 average. Achter was in the rotation last year for Beloit but moved to the pen this year where he thrived. A.J. finished the season with an ERA of 1.70 and 86 strikeouts to go with only 15 walks in 74.1 innings of work.
     
     
    Best Pitcher (Lower Levels)
    Pre-Season Pick: Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo was outstanding last year and although he's moving up from Beloit to Ft Myers this season I look for him to continue to be a shining star in the lower levels of the Twins organization. Unlike most "classic" Twins style pitchers Salcedo is not a pitch to contact control guy, and while his control is above average, he also misses a lot of bats, striking out 281 while only giving up 56 walks since singing late in 2007.
     
     
    Salcedo pitched only 30.2 innings in 2012 after getting hit in the face during a game in late April that broke his nose. There was a lot of buzz surrounding Salcedo going into 2012, but the injury bug took it's toll on the lanky right-hander, hopefully he'll be able to get back on track in 2013.
     
     
    Winner: David Hurlbut. Hurlbut pitched 111.0 innings for the low-A Beloit Snappers in his first full season of professional baseball. Hurlbut was drafted in the 28th round of the 2011 draft out of Cal State-Fullerton. He ended the season with 85 strike-outs and only 25 walks to go with his 2.76 ERA. Hurlbut will most likely start next season in high-A Ft Myers. He doesn't throw that hard, but he has good command and an above average change-up.
     
     
    Breakout Pitcher (Extended Spring Training)
    Pre-Season Pick: Hudson Boyd. Boyd was drafted out of HS last season and signed late so he'll make his professional debut this season in EST. As a high school pitcher he is a raw talent, but he throws hard and has good control. If he can stay healthy and keep his weight under control he should put up good numbers in 2012.
     
     
    Boyd led the Elizabethon Twins in innings pitched this season and had a nice 2.95 ERA for his 58 innings of work, however he only struck out 36 and walked 23. 2012 was a good season for Boyd but he gave up almost 2 home runs per 9 innings pitched (1.86 HR/9). He'll need to keep the ball in the park and work on an out pitch as he continues to move through the Twins system. He is young and talented.
     
     
    Winner: Joshua Burris. Burris finished his season a sparkling 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA, 40 strike-outs and 21 walks in 36 innings of work out of the Elizabethon bullpen. Burris has great stuff but has struggled with his command. He was drafted in the 17th round of the 2011 draft and signed late so 2012 was his first taste of professional baseball. Burris is one of several very talented pitches in the lower levels of the Twins organization.
     
     
    Best Pitcher (Extended Spring Training)
    Pre-Season Pick: Steven Evans was drafted in the 13th round last year, signed quickly and put up eye popping numbers after he reported to Elizabethon. Coming back for a full season Evans will continue to impress against hitters in the Appy League. Already with an impressive arsenal of pitches, 2012 should be a successful season for the young lefty.
     
    Evans pitched only 19.0 innings this season, 10 for Elizabethon and then 9 more after getting called up to Beloit. He was not dominant and ended the year with a 4.74 ERA to go with 12 K's and 5 walks. The tall lefty will have to work hard this off-season and come back ready to make an impact in 2013.
     
    Winner: Angel Mata. Mata signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela in 2010. 2012 was his 2nd year in Extended Spring but his first with Elizabethon (he pitched for the Gulf Coast Twins in 2011) and he showed good stuff. Mata started 13 games for the E-Twins and struck out 55 in 53.1 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .171 average. Mata is only 19, look for him in Cedar Rapids in 2013.
  17. Paul Pleiss
    This post originally appeared at www.puckettspond.com
     
    Episode 7 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.


    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/10/moon_man_2.jpgNew Glarus Moon Man, one of the best Wisconsin has to offer

    In Episode 7 my brother Eric and I discuss who we believe are the Twins deserving of the Talk To Contact awards for rookie of the year, starting pitcher, reliever, position player and MVP. We go on to get into the recent coaching changes, prospect talk, beer and post-season predictions.You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckleballs Blog.
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  18. Paul Pleiss
    This post originally appeared at http://puckettspond.com/2012/09/28/minnesota-twins-podcast-episode-6-sconnie-beer-and-col-sanders/
     
    Episode 6 of the Twins related baseball podcast, Talk To Contact, is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/08/talktocontact-300x225.jpg
    Episode 5 was pretty excellent, if I do say so myself, and in the 6th edition of the podcast Eric and I discuss why the Twins always seem to lay down against the Yankees, Sam Deduno as a possible starter for 2013, and make prognostications for the rest of this season and the post-season awards. We also make mention of Sconnie Beer, Miguel Sano, a possible shake up in the coaching staff and Colonel Sanders of KFC fame.You can follow Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) or read his writing at the Knuckle Balls Blog.
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  19. Paul Pleiss
    Over the Mother's Day weekend all four of the Twins full-season minor league affiliates were in action. The Twins flirted with their first winning streak of the season before losing Saturday evening's 2-1 battle against our neighbors to the North, the Toronto Blue Jays. Twins minor league call-ups have been the story lately for the Twins with stellar pitching performances from both Scott Diamond and P.J. Walters who combined to throw 20.0 innings. Last week Diamond pitched 7.0 innings of shutout baseball before giving way to the Twins bullpen who were able to secure the W. Walters gave the Twins a quality start going 6.0 innings and gave up only 2 runs but the offense was unable to respond against Drew Hutchison and the Toronto bullpen, managing only 1 run when Hutchison walked Brian Dozier to force home a run. Dozier is 8-for-29 in his first week in Minnesota and Drew Butera has three hits in his four games of action since getting called up to join the Twins. Diamond pitched again on Mother's day and pitched another 7 scoreless innings to bring his scoreless inning streak to 14 and although Jeff Burton tried to give the game away, Diamond is now 2-0 on the season with the Twins and has yet to surrender a run. But enough about the guys playing in the big leagues, let's take a look Down on the Pond![/url]
    AAA Rochester Red Wings (14-22)
    Friday: Red Wings vs Syracuse Chiefs - L 2-8
    Saturday: Red Wings vs Syracuse Chiefs - L 0-11
    Sunday: Red Wings vs Syracuse Chiefs - L 2-4
    The Red Wings played the first three games of their four game set against the Syracuse Chiefs and lost all three. On Friday, Jeff Manship struggled early giving up 3 runs in the first and 6 total in his 4 innings of work. The Red Wings offense scattered 8 hits on the day with 2 each from Ben Revere and J.R. Towles but managed only 2 runs in the 2-8 loss. On Saturday, things got worse for the Red Wings as Daryl Thompson gave up 7 runs in 3.2 innings of work and the offense managed just 5 hits, 2 from Clete Thomas who had a double and a triple for the day, but were unable to score any runs as the Chiefs shutout the Red Wings 11-0. Rochester lost again on Sunday despite a strong pitching performance from Liam Hendriks on Mother's day. Hendriks went 6.0 innings, giving up 1R, 1BB and 4K's, but Deolis Guerra could not hold the slim 2-1 lead and gave up 3 runs (2 earned) in his first inning of relief. The bats were quiet the last 5 innings and the Red Wings lost 2-4 despite out hitting the Chiefs 7-5 over the course of the game.
    Studs: Ben Revere continues to have a hot bat, Revere was 4-for-12 over the weekend with no K'sand is 11-for-27 on the current 7 game road trip. His season average in AAA sits at .319 and his on base plus slugging is .674.
    Liam Hendriks pitched 6.0 innings and gave up only 1 run in his no decision, and has given up only 2 runs in his 11.2 innings of work for the Red Wings this season.
    Duds: Jeff Manship took his first loss of the season giving up 6 runs in 4.0 innings of work, and recording only a single strike-out.
    Daryl Thompson gave up 7 runs in 3.2 innings of work on Saturday and was tagged with the loss to move his record to 1-4 on the season.
    Casey Fien came in to mop up the 9th inning on Saturday and gave up 4 runs on 5 hits in a single inning of work and saw his ERA rise from 3.20 up to 4.79. Fien had given up only 7 runs in 19.2 innings of work prior to entering the game.
    Joe Thurston went 0-for-7 over the weekend and has a slash line of .139/.267/.236 (BA/OBP/SLG) on the season and is now batting .038/.133/.154 in the month of May.
     
    AA New Britain Rock Cats (22-14)
    Friday: Rock Cats vs Reading Phillies - W 4-1
    Saturday: Rock Cats vs Reading Phillies - W 8-4
    Sunday: Rock Cats vs Reading Phillies - L 4-6
    On Friday afternoon the Reading Phillies' Trevor May took a no-hit bid into the top of the 7th before the Rock Cats' bats came alive. The Cats would score one in the 7th and 3 more in the 8th. Wilkin Ramirez homered in the 8th to make it three games in a row with a HR. The Rock Cats' own David Bromberg also had a nice evening on the mound pitching 6 innings and giving up no runs and striking out 7. Lester Oliveros came on to pitch 2 innings of perfect relief and picked up the win. Daniel Turpin came on for the ninth and gave up a run to spoil the shutout, Rock Cats 4, Phillies 1. On Saturday the Phillies took an early 1-0 lead off of B.J. Hermsen, but he settled down to pitch 7.0 innings and gave up only 2 runs, no walks to go with 3K's. The Rock Cats got the bats out and scored in 5 different innings and Wilkin Ramirez went 3-for-4 and hit another HR to take his HR streak to 4 games which ties a Rock Cats record. Aaron Hicks went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 3RBI. Blake Martin pitched a scoreless inning of relief and Louis Perdomo made things interesting in the 9th when he came in and surrendered 2 before securing the win for Hermsen, Rock Cats 8, Phillies 4. On Mother's Day, with the series lead 2-1 on the Phillies, the Rock Cats were unable to get the W and had to settle for a series split. Andrew Albers gave up only 3 runs in his 6.0 innings of work, however; the Rock Cats were hitless until Nate Hudson broke up the no-no in the bottom of the 6th. The Rock Cats would score 4 runs on 4 hits, but Caleb Thielbar was unable to keep the Phillies at bay and gave up 3 runs in 1.1 innings of work. The Phillies would hold on for the W, Rock Cats 4, Phillies 6. The Rock Cats now sit a half-game back of the Phillies for the division lead.
    Studs: David Bromberg, 6.0 innings, 0 runs, 7 K's.
    Lester Oliveros, 2.0 innings, no hits, no runs, 1 K.
    Wilkin Ramirez, 4-for-8 over the weekend, with HR's in 4 straight games and is now batting .388 on the season. Ramirez enjoyed a well earned day off on Sunday. Over the course of his last 10 games, Ramirez has a slash line of .419/.444/.884 with 9XBH.
    Duds: Joe Benson was 0-for-9 this past weekend with 3 K's. Benson is batting .095 (2-for-21) since his demotion to New Britain earlier this month.
    Caleb Thielbar pitched 1.1 innings in relief and gave up 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He recorded no K's. Tough outing for the usually reliable Thielbar who had pitched 6.1 scoreless innings of releif since being promoted from Fort Myers before his Mother's day struggles.
     
    To Read the rest of the recap, head on over to www.puckettspond.com
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  20. Paul Pleiss
    This post originally appeard in it's entirety at
    www.puckettspond.com http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/05/down-on-the-pond.1.jpgWhat's been going on with the Twins MiLB affiliates?


    Sometimes my life gets in the way of my baseball writing, and fortunately while I have been away from the day in and day out happenings of the Twins minor league affiliates, baseball has gone on. I'd like to throw out a very special thank you to my friend Mark Smith (@MarkArtSmith) for creating the Down on the Pond logo that you'll see accompanying my minor league posts over the course of the rest of this season. The Twins have been sending players up and down seemingly every night this past week and there are new faces in new places throughout the system.
     

    AAA Rochester Red Wings (14-21)
    The Red Wings have been going the wrong over the course of the last couple weeks, and are 5-7 in the month of May, including 4 straight losses. Liam Hendriks takes the mound for the Red Wings this afternoon and tries to help the Wings turn things around. Hendriks is 1-0 since being optioned back to AAA earning a W against the Pawtuckett Red Sox on the 8th of May. Hendriks pitched 5.2 innings giving up 1R off 3H with only 2BB to go with 8K's. While with the Twins Hendriks was out matched going 0-2 in four starts with an ERA of 9.00 in only 18 innings pitched. The Red Wings will need their offense to come alive if Liam is to record another W this afternoon. Rochester has scored 4+ runs only three times this month and has been shut out twice this month alone.
     
    AA New Britain Rock Cats (22-13)
    The Rock Cats have continued to put together wins this season and find themselves atop the Eastern League Eastern Division standings. Andrew Albers (1-0, 4.50ERA) takes the mound for the Rock Cats this afternoon as they go for the sweep against the visiting Reading Phillies. Wilkin Ramirez has homered in 4 straight games for the Rock Cats and the pitching staff own a team ERA of 3.24, 1.18 WHIP and have only given up 15HR through the first 35 games this season.
     
    A+ Fort Myers Miracle (15-21)
    The Miracle have struggled this year, but are beginning to steady the ship going 6-6 so far this month. The Miracle are struggling offensively this year and head into tomorrow evening's game with a .239 team BA, and are in the bottom half of almost all offensive stats in the Florida State League. There are, however, some bright spots for the Miracle this season on the offensive side as they have blasted 24HR this season and taken 122 free passes, both inside the top three in the FSL through 36 games. The Miracle currently sit 13 games back of the red hod St. Lucie Mets who are 28-8 on the season. Tomorrow evening Madison Boer will toe the rubber for the Miracle. Boer has struggled since his promotion from Beloit, going 0-2 with a 14.09ERA during his first two starts. Boer will need to reclaim the magic he had in Beloit and bounch back after his last outing versus Dunedin when he game up 9 runs and lasted only 2 innings.
     
    A Beloit Snappers (21-15)
    The low A affiliate Snappers are tearning through the Midwest League and sit only 2 games back of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Western division. Beloit sends Matthew Tomshaw to the mound this afternoon agains the Clinton Lumberkings. Tomshaw is making his third start of the season and has appeared in 9 games for the Snappers this season going 1-1 with a 3.22ERA over 22.1 innings pitched. Tomshaw has walked only 3 batsmen this season to go with 17 K's. Of course the big news in Beloit this season are the Twins top prospects Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario who both enter today's game with identical .291 batting averages. Sano has blashed 10HR this season, good enough for half of the team's 20 bombs this season. Rosario, who had one more HR than Sano last season, has just 2 so far this season but also has 12 doubles so far this season. Both Rosario and Sano are still learning to field their positions and are struggling a little with the glove, Sano with 11 errors and Rosario with 8. Beloit has 6 pitchers this year with ERA's under 3.00, including starters Tim Shibuya and Jason Wheeler. Former Minnesota Golden Gopher Adam Pettersen continues to impress his coaches and scrap for every inch of playing time he gets. I went down to Clinton, Iowa last month to see the Snappers play the Lumberkings and Pettersen took a few moments to chat with my brother and I before the game. As a hometown kid from Minnetonka, MN, he exudes the Minnesota niceness and while he has only managed a .263 BA this season he does have a .352 OBP. I have a soft spot in my heart for Pettersen and I look forward to watching him in the months and hopefully years to come.
    The Twins affiliates currently hold a combined record of 72-70.
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  22. Paul Pleiss
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/04/dDX2oApa.jpgMinnesota native, Cole DeVries

    This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com
     
    Sunday morning I brought you the news and results from opening weekend for the Twins minor league affiliates, and what a weekend it was. Baseball is back across the nation and #hope springs eternal in Twins territory and beyond. Despite a tough series sweep of the Twins at the hands of the Orioles Twins fans should keep their heads up, the season is long and an opening weekend a season does not make.
    All of the Twins minor league affiliates were inactive on Easter Sunday w/ exception of the Rochester Red Wings who faced off against the Buffalo Bison (New York Mets) in the 2nd game of a 3 game series
    AAA Rochester Red Wings (2-2):
    Easter Sunday Recap: Cole DeVries started the game out with a walk and 2 singles in the first inning but was able to work himself out of the jam and escape the inning without allowing a run. After the early trouble Devries mowed down 1o Buffalo batters in a row before getting himself into trouble again in the 4th. Heading into the 4th Rochester was up 1-0 thanks to Rene Rivera's first home run of the season. DeVries walked the second batter in the bottom half of the inning and then gave up back to back jacks (Adam Loewen, Matt Tuiasosopo) before being pulled in favor of Jeff Manship. In his second outing of the season Manship continued to look good this spring retiring all 10 Bison he faced and recording 4 K's along the way before handing off the ball to fellow reliever Casey Fien in the top of the 8th with the score tied 3-3. The Red Wings used a little 2-out magic in the home half of the 6th inning to scratch 2 runs across on a couple of 2 out singles and a walk to bring the score even at 3. Fien worked quickly getting the first two outs of the inning before giving up a HR to Valentino Pascucci. Fien would give up two more hits before escaping the inning. The Red Wings went down in order in the 8th and Fien gave up another 3 singles and a run in the 9th before watching the Red Wings fail to produce the 2 runs needed to extend the game.
    Studs: Jeff Manship pitched 3.1 perfect innings of relief with 4 K's in his second appearance of the year.
    Rene Rivera was 2 for 3 in the game with a home run and a single before he was pinch run for in the 7th.
    Duds: Cole DeVries only gave up 4 hits, but two of those were long balls.Casey Fien gave up three hits and a run in each of his 2 innings.
    The Red Wings offense was 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
    Game Notes: Brian Dozier was 1 for 3 and has a hit in each of the teams first four games.
    Matt Carson was 0 for 3 but did get himself a free pass and like Dozier, he has been on base each game this season.
     
    The Red Wings now sit at 2-2 and look to earn back to back W's to scratch out a series split in their home opening series. Check back tomorrow for results from today's games as all four of the Twins full season minor league affiliates are in action.
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  23. Paul Pleiss
    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/03/6072978-300x199.jpgCredit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE
    This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com
    --------------------------------------
    Last week I reported on the origins of the Pleiss brothers' Twins prospect challenge. A year into the process, a year that saw eight Twins make their MLB debuts, Eric and I decided to make a change to the prospect challenge. A quick review of the rules for the prospect challenge, in case any of you here on the Pond want to join: Each person gets to select a position player for each position, three RHP and three LHP. Any player chosen who debuts in MLB within three years of selection will earn one point. The person with the most points each year is declared the winner. Last year I picked Scott Diamond as one of my selections, and as a Rule-5 draft pick, he was virtually guaranteed to get called up to the Twins for his MLB debut when theyheaded north out of Ft Myers. To prevent easy pickings like this, and to put more emphasis on projections and predictions we made a very simple, and yet very challenging rule change. Going forward, no prospect who has played above AA is elligible for selection in the prospect challenge. In addition to the rule change, a year of following prospects and REALLY following the Twins from the top of the organization on down, I learned a lot that I'll be putting to use for this year's prospect challenge. http://puckettspond.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif
    Last year both Eric and I both went a little overboard and both selected Miguel Sano. A year later, I see that as without a doubt by worst pick of 2011. Even selecting Sano this year would be a reach, yes, but last year he was still playing in Elizabethton, and for him to debut this year or next would be nothing short of a miracle. Even for Sano to be playing in New Britain would put him well ahead of schedule. It's hard not to pick the A+ prospects when you are unfamiliar with how the minor league system works. A year later I find myself looking hard at the Ft. Myers roster and the performances put in out of Beloit last year, looking for the hidden gems and looking for the guys I think have a shot at making it to Target Field. Last year I picked Tom Stuifbergen and he put in a good 2011 performance racking up a career high 121.2 innings over 24 appearances and was knighted in his native country. Sir Tom Stuifbergen would have again made my prospect challenge list in 2012 if not for a late season emergency start that he made for Rochester effectively removing him from contention for the 2012 prospect challenge. Prospect predicting is no easy game, even first round picks go bust, and yet most of those seemed like the right bet at the time.
    The rule changes for 2012 have definitely made things more difficult. In 2011 the Twins called a lot of guys up to MLB before they probably should have been there, and those call-ups created plenty of holes in the AAA roster that needed to be filled, at least on a part time basis. With the new rule, all of those guys are now inelligible and trying to find propspects who are less than 3 years out at each position was tough.
    Without further delay, I give you the 2012 Twins Prospect Challenge selections:
    [h=1]2012 Prospect Challenge Selections:[/h][TABLE=class: mceItemTable, width: 253]

    [TD=width: 32] [/TD]
    [TD=width: 111][h=5]@BaseballPirate[/h][/TD]
    [TD=width: 110][h=5]@ERolfPleiss[/h][/TD]



    [h=5]C[/h]
    [h=5]Chris Herrmann[/h]
    [h=5]Dan Rohlfing[/h]


    [h=5]1B[/h]
    [h=5]Michael Gonzales[/h]
    [h=5]Danny Rams*[/h]


    [h=5]2B[/h]
    [h=5]Danny Santana[/h]
    [h=5]Yangervis Solarte[/h]


    [h=5]3B[/h]
    [h=5]Travis Harrison[/h]
    [h=5]James Beresford*[/h]


    [h=5]SS[/h]
    [h=5]Brian Dozier*[/h]
    [h=5]Brian Dozier[/h]


    [h=5]OF[/h]
    [h=5]Oswaldo Arcia[/h]
    [h=5]Chris Herrmann[/h]


    [h=5]OF[/h]
    [h=5]Aaron Hicks[/h]
    [h=5]Aaron Hicks*[/h]


    [h=5]OF[/h]
    [h=5]Angel Morales*[/h]
    [h=5]Mark Dolenc[/h]


    [h=5]RHP[/h]
    [h=5]Adrian Salcedo[/h]
    [h=5]B.J. Hermsen[/h]


    [h=5]RHP[/h]
    [h=5]Alex Wimmers[/h]
    [h=5]Alex Wimmers[/h]


    [h=5]RHP[/h]
    [h=5]Bobby Lanigan[/h]
    [h=5]Bobby Lanigan[/h]


    [h=5]LHP[/h]
    [h=5]Andrew Albers[/h]
    [h=5]Andrew Albers[/h]


    [h=5]LHP[/h]
    [h=5]Logan Darnell[/h]
    [h=5]Dan Osterbrock*[/h]


    [h=5]LHP[/h]
    [h=5]Pat Dean*[/h]
    [h=5]Pat Dean[/h]
    [/TABLE]
    *players selected on my 2011 list
    I invite Twins fans everywhere to join me in my prospect predictions. Post your selections below or on the Puckett's Pond Facebook page.
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  24. Paul Pleiss
    This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com in it's entirety.
    -----------------
    December 16, 2011 Michael Cuddyer signed a 3-year $31.5million dollar deal to play for the Colorado Rockies and for me, as well as for many other Twins fans, this was a sad day. I think the Rockies paid too much and I think the addition of Josh Willingham is an upgrade, but that’s not where I want to go with this. As a fan, the departure of Cuddyer was especially loathsome because Cuddy was my favorite Twin, and had been for awhile. I can’t think of many Twins players who I’ve liked more than Cuddyer, except of course for Kirby Puckett. I’ll continue to follow Cuddyer, both on twitter (@Mcuddy3) and on the field, but now there’s a void in my life. I no longer have a favorite Twins player.


    http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/04/6137500.jpg

    Something must be done to fix this problem, there’s a hole in my baseball world and it needs to be filled. No one on the current 25-man roster really jumps out at me, so I’m going to need to take a closer look. There are a couple of guys in the minor league that I really like, but who knows if they’ll even pan out and make it up to the bigs for more than a cup of coffee. I need a favorite Twin, and I need one now. What am I looking for in a favorite player? I’m on twitter, a lot, so a player who interacts with fans on Twitter is a big plus. I’m looking for a player who gets regular playing time and has some history with the team, someone that seems to be a regular Joe and a good person. I want Michael Cuddyer, but he’s gone gone gone. I want someone who speaks their mind but not in an Ocho Cinco way (@ochocinco). Let’s take a look at the candidates for my favorite player.
    Jamey Carroll, Ryan Doumit, Josh Willingham, Sean Burroughs, thanks for playing, but none of you have yet to play a single meaningful pitch for the Twins so you’re out of the running for my favorite player before things even begin. NEXT!
    Pitchers, I’m sorry but I’ve never been a pitcher, and I don’t think I could ever fully commit to having a pitcher as a favorite player. I’m going to have to pass. Sorry guys, you just don’t make the cut. Carl Pavano, bring back the stash and maybe we can talk. No stash, no love. NEXT!
    Joe Mauer was drafted with the first overall pick in 2001 and debuted 3 years later in 2004. He is everyone’s favorite, a hometown kid who’s turned into just a fantastic baseball player, 3 time AL batting champ, and he’s signed through 2018. But, he just doesn’t have what I’m looking for in a favorite player. He does shampoo commercials, he’s not on twitter and generally is just a pretty quiet guy. I need more excitement, I need more! Joe Mauer, you’re great, you’re too good for me, it’s not you, it’s me. NEXT!
    Justin Morneau was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 1999 draft and made his debut 4 years later in 2003 and has mashed 185 taters for the Twins in the last 9 years. He’s Canadian and under contract until the end of next season. This guy seems like a great choice for my favorite player, but he’s been injured for most of the last 2 seasons and there are concerns that his concussion symptoms may not be behind him leading him to comment that he may have to hang up the cleats if the problem continues. I can’t go through this favorite player choosing every season, I need a long term commitment. Thank you Justin Morneau, but no thank you. NEXT!
    Denard Span was drafted in the first round in 2002 and debuted with the Twins in 2008, he’s under contract for the next three seasons and he’s on Twitter (@thisisDSpan). He’s a flashy player who makes great plays in the field and he gets on base, even Billy Beane would love this guy. When he’s up to bat people say “Let’s get Denarded.” Awesome, but he’s not for me. Unlike Morneau, I’m not too worried about any lingering effects from his concussion last season, but I just dont have any buzz for Denard. I need to actually be a fan of my favorite player, there needs to be some sort of personal connection and with D. Span I’ve got nothing. NEXT!
    Danny Valencia (@DannyValencia19) was drafted in the 19th round of the 2006 draft and debuted in 2010 and put up great numbers the rest of the season. He went to college at the University of Miami so I know that he knows how to have a good time. I’ve been living in the Miami area for the last three years and if there’s one thing that people do well in Miami, it’s party. Danny’s a bit of a hard egg, anyone who Ron Gardenhire doesn’t like must be doing something wrong, right? Or maybe he’s just got a bit of an edginess about him. I like you Dan-o, and I think third base is a pretty neat position, but I’m going to pass. NEXT!
    Trevor Plouffe (@TPlouffe24) signed with the Twins after being drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft and then debuted with the club in 2010. Plouffe who has some power will, at least to be, always be called “Babe Plouffe” although he’s only hit 10HR in 103 career games in the big league, so maybe that’s unfair. Regardless, Plouffe is a prior middle infielder and I have an irrational dislike for middle infielders. Plouffe will probably be with the Twins for quite some time, Trevor Plouffe, I’m not quite ready to dismiss you, but I must move on down the road. NEXT!
    Alexi Casilla is not on twitter and he’s a middle-infielder. That’s 2 strikes against him already. Casilla signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Angels 2003 and in 2005 was traded to the Twins in exchange for J.C. Romero and then debuted with the Twins the following year. Casilla has almost no power, 71 XBH (10HR) in 1281 at-bats. Not exactly an offensive monster but the Twins have actually used him as a DH 17 times during his six years with the Twins. Alexi also has terrible facial hair, and as a man who can rock a beard with the best of them I despise him. NEXT!
    Chris Parmelee (@CParmeleeAFL) is a California kid who was drafted in 2006 and made his debut last season with the Twins and put up pretty impressive numbers at the end of the year hitting .355 in 21 games, a bright spot on a very dark year for the Twins. Although Parmelee is on Twitter he hasn’t tweeted since 2009. I like Parmelee, and I also like saying his last name, Parmelee. Fantastic. It looks like CP is going to get a chance in 2012 to be the everyday first basemen for the Twins while Justin Morneau takes over the regular DH duties. Parm, which is what I like to call him when I’m talking Twins with other fans, is definitely high on my list for possible favorites. I’ll keep him in mind, but I must press on, NEXT!
    Ben Revere is on twitter, @BenRevere9 and this just in, he’s fast! With the big smile that’s always plastered across his face it’s fun watching Ben play the game. He may not take the best routes in the outfield, and his arm might be pretty weak (Fangraphs rated it 4/100) but he sure is fast. Revere was drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft and debuted with the Twins in 2010. While Revere only got on base at a .310 OBP last year, his minor league career numbers were much better with a .385. Revere started to get things figured out last season, batting .311 with a .342 OBP. Hopefully Revere has begun to figure out major league http://puckettspond.com/2012/04/05/2012-twins-whos-your-favorite/ and can build on that going into 2012. Ben Revere, you’re on the short list to be my favorite Twin. NEXT!
    Luke Hughes (@lukehughes38) signed with the Twins as an international free agent in 2002 out of Perth, Australia. Being an Aussie, Hughes says mate, wombat, and all sorts of other fun Australian things. Hughes had a rough go of things with the Twins in 2011, hitting .223 with only 19XBH (7HR) and got on base less than 1/3 of the time. While Hughes has never been a high BA guy he’s never had trouble getting on base with a minor career .330 OBP in the minor leagues. Hopefully 2012 sees Hughes turn things around otherwise he might be wearing a Twins uniform for much longer. NEXT?
     
    Visit me at Puckett's Pond to find out who my favorite Twin is going into 2012
  25. Paul Pleiss
    [/url]This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com

    On Thursday of this past week all four of the Twins full-season affiliate teams were in action, and although the teams split the games with 2 wins and 2 losses, there were a lot of good things to take away from both opening day and the first few days of the 2012 MiLB schedule. As this will be my first season covering the minors with anything more than a casual glance to the big name prospects, I'm still figuring a few things out, including the format for my weekly Down on the Pond updates. It's a daunting task to cover 4+ teams day in and day out, but I'm looking forward to getting to know the guys toiling down in the minors. I'll start at the top of the organization and work my way down; let's start by taking a look at what's been going on with the Twins AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings.
     
     
    Rochester Red Wings (2-1)
    The Red Wings started off the season with two wins (Jeff Manship, Scott Diamond) against Syracuse before dropping the home opener to Buffalo. In the first game of the season P.J. Walters pitched 4.0 scoreless innings striking out 4 while giving up only 2 hits before Manship came into the game and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up the win. In the home opener Daryl Thompson pitched 5.0 innings giving up 3 runs (2 earned) and struck out 5, but the Buffalo pitching, lead by Chris Schwinden, held the Red Wings to 5 hits over the course of the game. The Red Wings Take on Buffalo this afternoon to close out opening weekend.
    Studs: Matt Carson opened the season 4 for 5 and has hit safely in all three games going 7-13 with 3XBH (extra base hits, 2 doubles and a triple).
    Brian Dozier, like Carson, has hit in all three games going 6 for 12 with 2 doubles.
    Scott Diamond pitched 6.1 scoreless innings scattering 4 hits and striking out 3 en root to the Red Wings 2nd W of the season.
    Duds: Tsuyoshi Nishioka opened the season 0 for 9 and was caught stealing in his only attempt. On the plus side he has drawn a free pass in each of the teams first three games.
    Tyler Robertson has pitched only one inning for the Wings this season but managed to give up two runs on three hits before he was chased from the game. Luckily Rochester had put up 5 runs in the top half of the inning and were able to hang on for the W.
    New Britain Rock Cats (3-1)
    The Rock Cats opened the season with 3 wins before dropping the last game of the opening series to Richmond in the 12th inning. The pitching in New Britain has been phenomenal giving up only 8 runs in the first 30 innings of the season.
    Studs: Rock Cats Starting Pitching. Starters for the Cats have been very impressive Luke French, Logan Darnell, Steve Hirschfeld and Jason Marquis have all gone at least 5.0 innings and have given up only a single run between them earning 3 W's for the team. Marquis gave up the only run in a 3H first inning and then settled down to pitch 5 scoreless innings.
    Pedro Florimon is 6 for 12 with only a single K and has reached base in each game for the Rock Cats.
    Chris Hermann is 4 for 12 in three games of work with 4RBI.
    Danny Lehmann is only 1 for 4 at the plate but has earned himself 4 walks in the last game of the series.
    Andrew Albers. Albers has 2 relief appearances for 3.0 innings this season giving up no runs on 2 hits.
    Duds: Aaron Hicks. HIcks is 1 for 12 with 4K's, not a good start for one of the Twins top prospects.
    Blake Martin. BM game into the 12th inning and gave up 3 hits, 2 runs and a walk giving the Rock Cats their only loss of the season. Blake gets the loss after a rough outing, but the real dud for the game was the Rock Cats offense that managed only 4 hits in 12 innings of work.
    To read the rest of the story click here and don't forget to stop over to Puckett's Pond for daily Twins news.
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