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2022 marks the first time since MLB Network started making their top-100 lists in 2014 that the Twins have ever had two players in the top 40. Buxton and Correa have the potential to be the best duo in Twins history in 2022. After watching Buxton hit .469 with five home runs in 32 at-bats and Correa hit .350 with three home runs in 20 at-bats, it's easy to dream about this duo. Who would they have to pass to become the best single-season duo in Twins history? Let's look at the top five. Rod Carew and Lyman Bostock, 1977 In Rod Carew's historic 1977 season, in which he won MVP and bid to hit .400 (finished at .388), he and the late Lyman Bostock combined with being the best duo in Twins history when they combined for 13.7 fWAR. Carew accounted for 8.6 WAR while Bostock accumulated the other 5.1 WAR in a career year when he had a career-best 142 wRC+. Carew, on the other hand, had the best offensive season in Twins history, leading the league in runs (128), hits (239), triples (16), batting average (.388), on-base percentage (.449), and OPS (1.019). However, this team only went 84-77 and finished fourth in the AL West. Joe Mauer and Denard Span, 2009 Joe Mauer missed the first month of the 2009 season and still managed to have the fourth-best single-season WAR total of any catcher (8.4). Mauer's MVP season was a driving force in the Twins making it to the playoffs. Mauer and centerfielder Denard Span combined for 12.5 fWAR in the Twins' last season in the Metrodome. Mauer led MLB in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.444), and led the American League in slugging percentage (.587) and OPS (1.031). He hit a career-high 28 home runs and drove in 96 runs. He won the American League Most Valuable Player award, Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove honors. Span was no slouch himself, hitting .311/.392/.415 (.807) with an American League-leading ten triples. Mauer was the driving force in this duo, but every Batman needs a Robin. Bob Allison and Tony Oliva, 1964 In a season where Tony Oliva had a historic debut season, winning American League Rookie of the Year, his counterpart, 1959 AL Rookie of the Year Bob Allison, was equally good. Oliva posted 6.2 WAR, and Allison was right there with him, posting 6.2 WAR. Allison hit .287/.404/.553 (.957) and had a career-high 161 wRC+. Oliva led the AL in hits, doubles, batting average, and runs as a rookie. He also hit a career-high 32 home runs. Oliva had the best OPS as a rookie in Twins history (.916). Harmon Killebrew accumulated 4.8 WAR, completing a legendary trio of Twins legends, along with these two legendary Twins. However, the Twins finished 79-83-1 in 1964, so three players can only do so much for a team. Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew, 1969 Debatably the top two players in Twins history made up for the fourth-best duo in Twins history in 1969. Killebrew posted a career-high 7.1 WAR and won the AL MVP award while hitting the most single-season home runs in Twins history (49) during Billy Martin's lone season as Twins manager. Killebrew led MLB in RBI (140) thanks to a fantastic 23-year-old table-setter named Rod Carew. In Carew's third big league season, he was worth 5.0 WAR while leading the American League in batting average (.332). After a subpar sophomore campaign in 1968 in which his wRC+ dipped to 96, he had an outstanding 138 wRC+ and never let that figure dip below 100 for the final 17 years of his major league career. This Twins team went 97-65, winning the AL West. Unfortunately, they got swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the playoffs. Zoilo Versalles and Tony Oliva, 1965 In one of the strangest seasons of all time, Zoilo Versalles led the American League in runs (126), doubles (45), triples (12), and total bases (308). In a career where he was only worth 13.1 WAR over 12 seasons, he accumulated 7.0 WAR in 1965 alone to win the AL MVP award. Tony Oliva followed up his Rookie-of-the-Year campaign with a solid 5.1 WAR season in a less fluky season. In MVP voting, Oliva finished runner-up to Versalles while leading the AL in hits (185) and batting average (.321). This Twins team was one of the best in history, going 102-60 but losing to Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in the World Series in seven games. Where do Buxton and Correa fit? Last season, Buxton and Correa combined for 10 WAR. These aforementioned duos all had at least 12 WAR, so it will take something special for Buxton and Correa to join this list. However, if Buxton would have played in 60 more games last year at the same level he played at in the 61 games he was on the field for, he would’ve been worth 8.4 WAR while Correa posted 5.8. If these two guys combine for 14 WAR, they are the top duo in Twins history. Of course, it will take some luck, health, and very good production, but these are two of the most talented players the Twins have ever had, so if anyone can do it, it’s them. What do you think? Where do you think Buxton and Correa could fit in on this list? Leave a comment and start a discussion. Thank you for reading, and Go Twins!

Kirby Puckett to Torii Hunter (1980s-2000s) Kirby Puckett’s Hall of Fame career was cut short as he played his final game in 1995. Luckily for the Twins, they had drafted his heir apparent in the first round two years prior. Minnesota selected Torii Hunter out of high school in Arkansas, but Puckett’s injuries meant the two players could never roam the same outfield. That still doesn’t mean that Puckett wasn’t able to make a lasting impact on Hunter’s career. “Watching him carry himself, you had no choice but to be infected,” Hunter said. “He had a great smile. The way he moved about the room and the way he treated people — everybody — the same. Whether it’s the vendor or I don’t care who it was, he treated everybody the same.” Hunter went on to have a borderline Hall of Fame career. Over his first two voting cycles, he has garnered enough support to stay on a packed ballot. With some more prominent names falling off the ballot, it will be interesting to see if Hunter can gain more support in the years ahead. His impact on the centerfield position lasted beyond his years in Minnesota. Torii Hunter to Denard Span (2000s-2010s) Hunter’s first Twins tenure ended in 2007 after he hit the free-agent market and signed with the Angels. Like Hunter, the Twins had drafted Hunter’s replacement in the years before his departure. Minnesota selected Denard Span with the team’s first-round pick in 2002. He debuted in 2008, the season after Hunter left. Span was so tied to Hunter that he was one of the first people he contacted when he got called up to the big-league level. “He texted me right back,” Span said. “And then, right after he texted me, he called me. … He said: ‘I’m happy for you. Just go out there, have fun and learn.’ I said, ‘I’m sorry for waking you up.’ He said, ‘No, this is the best news I’ve heard in a while.’ ” Span spent his age 24-28 seasons as a regular in the Twins outfield as he hit .284/.357/.389 (.746). Following the 2012 season, Minnesota traded Span to the Washington Nationals for top-pitching prospect Alex Meyer. His big-league career spanned six more seasons, but the Twins center field lineage didn’t end with him. Denard Span to Byron Buxton (2010s-2020s) In Span’s final season in Minnesota, the Twins drafted Byron Buxton with the second overall pick. After Buxton signed with the club, Span played catch with him and discussed that he would be interested in tutoring the young outfield much as Hunter had done with him. Span filled a similar role with Ben Revere, but the Twins traded both players in the same offseason. Minnesota used a variety of other players in center field as Buxton moved through the minor leagues. He made his big-league debut until the 2015 season, and he has joined a group of center fielders that are among the best in Twins history. Buxton has already accumulated enough WAR in his career to be among the best Twins center fielders of all time. Puckett leads the way with a 51.1 WAR, followed by Hunter, Span, and Buxton. Over the last two seasons, Buxton has accumulated enough WAR that he is close to passing Span for third on the above list. With Buxton signed long-term, it will be interesting to track his movement up this list in the years ahead. Can the Twins keep him healthy enough to pass Hunter’s WAR? Who do you think carries on the lineage after Buxton? What do you remember about these players? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email

Span was taken 20th overall in the 2002 draft. It took him a few years to make it to the big leagues, but he got his chance in 2008 and put together a nice rookie season with a .294/.387/.432 triple slash. He would play 4 more seasons in a Twins uniform and would become one of the true stud leadoff hitters in all of baseball. Span put together a strong five years in Minnesota including: -.284/.357/.389 triple slash and 90 stolen bases -Accumulating 15.1 fWAR and 17.2 bWAR -(Technically) The first hit and home run in Target Field in an exhibition game -First regular season run and stolen base at Target Field -Led off for two AL Central champion Twins teams Denard span has a lot of weird moments in a Twins jersey that are just downright hard to forget. Considering the odds of him hitting a foul ball into the stands and hitting his own mom to his record tying three triple game, Span certainly had an interesting stay in Minnesota on top of a productive one. He was a player that I for whatever reason felt would always stay in Minnesota. Much to many’s disgust, the Twins traded Span in 2012 to Washington for Alex Meyer. This trade needs no explanation for how bad it was. The Twins would struggle to find production in center field for years to come while Span would go on to have some of his most productive years in Washington, even finishing 19th in MVP voting in 2014. After three productive years, Span departed for San Francisco where he continued being an around league average hitter before being traded to Tampa Bay and eventually Seattle later in 2018. Despite putting up a top 5 offensive season in his career (112 wRC+), Span couldn’t find a contract in the 2018 offseason and sat out 2019. After similar issues this offseason, Span retired feeling disrespected by the free agent market. He was an above league average hitter in 4 of his final 5 seasons. His fWAR hovered in the low to mid 1s in his last five seasons. While his defense had slipped a bit, he still had plenty to offer the game of baseball. https://twitter.com/CodyPirkl/status/1270544992038240256 The issue that caused Span to ride off into the sunset is one that has become all too common in recent years. The free agent market has recently put players in situations where they’ve had to compromise on the value of their talent. The end of Span’s career however shows his character. He knew he was still a productive player and refused to give into the salary offers trying to tell him otherwise. For that I will always respect the Twins center fielder tremendously. In a post game interview in 2018 after a showdown between the Twins and the Rays, Span pulled at our heartstrings by saying he will always be a Twin at heart. I strongly suggest watching the interview and getting all the feels. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re happy to have him. It broke my heart to hear him talk about coming back. My baseball knowledge of the Twins stacked outfield situation just melts away and makes me wish the Twins would just give the man a contract just to see Denard Span standing in the outfield in Target Field again. At any rate, cheers to the career of a former Twin who can only be remembered fondly. A player who did it the right way up until the day he called it a career. Wishing Denard Span all the best in retirement. — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email — Follow Cody Pirkl on Twitter here

During his age-21 through age-23 seasons, Byron Buxton played 278 games at the big-league level. This culminated in a tremendous 2017 season where he won the Platinum Glove for his defense in center field. Also, he ended that season hitting .270/.330/.460 with 10 extra-base hits over his final 26 games. It truly looked like Buxton was putting it all together. At age-23, Kirby Puckett had yet to make his MLB debut and was playing the entire season below the Double-A level. He’d played the entire season for Visalia in the California League by hitting .314/.366/.442 with 45 extra-base hits in 138 games. Puckett’s path to the big leagues could be considered alternative because he wasn’t drafted until he was 21 and he didn’t make his professional debut until age 22. It’s no secret that Buxton is entering a critical year in his career. He has only played more than 92 games once since his rookie season so the Twins need him to prove he can stay healthy and productive. His 2019 season ended early due to a left shoulder labrum injury. Minnesota’s goal is to have him ready for Opening Day but the club has made it clear that there is no intent to rush him. https://twitter.com/dohyoungpark/status/1228681961994178562?s=20 Puckett started to show his Hall of Fame potential during his age-26 season, the same age season Buxton will enter in 2020. Puckett made the first of 10-straight All-Star appearances, he’d win his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger and he finished sixth in the MVP voting. From that point forward, he’d win six more Gold Gloves, five more Silver Sluggers, and he’d finish in the top-10 for MVP six times. Up to this point in his career, so much of Buxton’s game has relied on speed and his game will need to continue to evolve as he ages. He has continued to add muscle over the last two off-seasons in hopes of avoiding injury. He is still in the prime of his career, but players regress in different ways as they reach their upper 20s and early 30s. Will Buxton be able to make the appropriate adjustments throughout his career? Buxton’s minor league performance got him to the minor leagues faster than some of the best centerfielders in Twins history. He has already accumulated more WAR than Torii Hunter, Denard Span and Puckett through his age-25 season. This is quite the trio to be compared to, but Buxton is in an organization with a long history of strong center fielders. Is it fair to compare Buxton to Puckett? Probably not, but fans shouldn’t give up on the former first-round pick just yet. He has plenty of career still in front of him. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

This naturally leads one to wonder just how great Buxton could become. Obviously, steering clear of injuries and staying off the IL will be crucial for Buxton to reach his ceiling. The injury-plagued disaster of 2018 may have caused some Twins fans to sour on Buxton, but he has bounced back strongly in 2019. The expectations for Buxton have always been sky high as he was the number one overall prospect in baseball and made his major league debut at the age of 21. If he does stay fairly healthy throughout his career he could easily become one of if not the best Twins center fielder of all-time. It is obviously premature, but let’s take a look at how Buxton stacks up against three Twins greats (according to WAR) and how his future might project if he follows a similar trajectory. According to Baseball Reference, the three Twins center fielders with the highest WAR in their Twins career are Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter, and Denard Span. Let’s take a closer look at their Twins careers and compare them with Buxton. For this exercise I am using Baseball Reference’s WAR. Career with the Twins: To no one’s surprise Kirby Puckett is the Twin’s leader in WAR by a large margin. Even though his career was cut short by injury, he also played the most games as a Twin of this group. For this reason, I calculated WAR per game and the results are fairly interesting. The fact that Denard Span leads this group is somewhat surprising. Span only played five seasons with the Twins and didn’t play the majority of his games in center field until his third season due to playing alongside Carlos Gomez, but he was a really good player for Minnesota. Also of interest is the fact that Buxton has the second highest single-season WAR total and it came at the age of 23! Buxton is having a similar season in 2019 and if he can come back healthy he has a chance to come close to that mark again. Although Buxton’s career Twins WAR per game compares nicely to the greats and even bests Hunter (by a significant margin); it may be better to look at the players’ careers through age 25 to get a better idea of where Buxton fits in. Though Age 25 Season: Suddenly Buxton’s numbers are looking really good. He already leads the group in total WAR and is sure to accumulate more through the remainder of 2019. His 2017 season is also the best single season of the group and in WAR per game he now trails only Span (who started his career with a bang, putting up a 4.3 and 3.8 WAR in his first two seasons). Span is a bit of an interesting case as his first two seasons were the best two year stretch of his career (his .390 OBP during that time made him an ideal lead-off hitter). Although Span was the 20th overall pick in the 2002 draft he really didn’t break out in the minors until his final year (2008) when he was repeating AAA (he was called up after 40 games). Span was a good prospect but he was never the elite prospect that Buxton was and Buxton certainly has a much higher ceiling. It’s possible that Span was overachieving in those first couple of seasons but his career serves as a precautionary tale for ominous reasons that we will come to later. That fact that Buxton has put up better numbers than Puckett and Hunter up to this point in his career is certainly encouraging. Hunter is similar to Span in that he was the Twins 20th overall pick in 1993 and wasn’t overly impressive in the minors. Early in his major league career he was shuffled back and forth between the majors and minors, but he was called up for good after crushing AAA to the tune of a 1.130 OPS in 2000. Of the four players, Hunter certainly had the slowest start to his career with a .0136 WAR per game. Fortunately, things turned around for Hunter in his age 25 season as he put up a 4.7 WAR (his best as a Twin). Buxton has had his ups and downs but it is important to remember that Torii Hunter had much greater struggles early in his career. Puckett was the third overall pick of the now-extinct January draft. Unlike the others, he played college ball and was 22 years of age when he began his minor league career. However, Puckett was a quick study and debuted with the Twins as a 24 year old. Puckett’s first two seasons with the Twins weren’t overly impressive as he hadn’t found his power stroke yet (His OPS+ was only 86 but he the little speedster did steal 35 bases in those first two years!). Of course, great things were to come. Projecting how Buxton’s career with the Twins will end up is naturally highly speculative. We do know that Buxton is under team control for three more seasons, so let’s take a look at how the others stacked up for their age 26-28 seasons. Age 26-28 Seasons: I think this Puckett kid might be pretty good. In three seasons Puckett slashed .339/.369 /.539, good for a .908 OPS and a 142 OPS+. Puckett flexed some muscle as well as he was good for 83 dingers in those three years. Can we hope for the same with Buxton? Buxton reportedly hit the weights hard this off season, adding 21 pounds of muscle and currently holds a career high .490 slugging percentage, so he is trending in the right direction. Puckett helped the Twins win their first World Series in 1987 and followed that up with his finest season in 1988 with a 7.8 WAR. Hunter built upon his breakout in 2001 and had three solid seasons from 2002-2004. He played in his first all-star game in 2002 (famously robbing Barry Bonds of a homerun) and put up a .859 OPS. Hunter greatly improved, but his WAR per game during this stretch was only .001 better than Buxton’s early career WAR as a younger player. Span’s career got off to a much hotter start than the others, but he did come down to earth a bit in the next leg of his career. From 2010-2012, Span hit for just a .702 OPS with a 94 OPS+. His OBP dropped from .390 in his first two seasons to .334 for his next three, taking away some of his luster as a leadoff hitter. Most relevant to Buxton, Span suffered a severe concussion in 2011 and was only able to play in 70 games. This would not be the last concussion of Span’s career. He did come back with his best year of the three in 2012, when he slashed .283/.342/.395 for an OPS+ of 104, but once again he was hampered by injuries and played just 128 games. Note that each player’s best season in this frame came in their age 28 season. This makes sense as a player should be coming into his prime at that age and will not yet have lost a step to the detriment of their defense. If the Twins are unable or unwilling to extend Buxton (they clearly upset Buxton by not calling his up in September last year), his age 28 season will be his final year of arbitration. It will be interesting to see how or if being in a contract year will affect Buxton. This leaves us with the question of what Buxton’s potential final years with the Twin’s will be like. Since he is already performing at the level that Hunter and Span did during their age 26-28 seasons is it safe to assume that Buxton will be better? Although it may be a fruitless exercise, let’s take a look at what Buxton’s numbers may look like if he has a similar rate of improvement (in Puckett and Hunter’s case) or regression (in Span’s case) as our “greats.” First, let’s look at the player’s rate of change between the seasons up to age 25 and their age 26-28 seasons: Now let’s project those “growth rates” to Buxton with some arbitrary amounts of games played. Buxton Projections for Age 26-28 Seasons: We can safely disregard the 162 games a year projections as Buxton will get days off even if he stays 100% healthy (we can dream right?). I think averaging somewhere around the 140 mark is possible for Buxton. With the exclusion of last season Buxton has played in around 140 games a year when you factor in both his minor and major league games thus far (since his MLB debut season). If Buxton stays healthy for the remainder of the season he will come close to that mark again. If Buxton improves at a Puckett or Hunter-like rate and plays in the neighborhood of 140 games a year we are looking at a 6 WAR a year player. As we’ve seen, Buxton has already had a 5 WAR season in 2017 and is on a similar pace this year. It seems within reason that a mostly healthy Buxton could challenge the 17.7 WAR that Puckett put up in his ’86-’88 seasons. This would also edge him ahead of Hunter on the Twin’s career WAR list. As crazy as it sounds, over the next three seasons, Buxton could be even better than Puckett. He is far and away the best defensive center fielder of the group and his defense is unlikely to significantly decline over the next three years. Buxton certainly has the potential to become a better offensive player, and if he does he will be an MVP-caliber player. Now let’s get really speculative and look at what Buxton’s career could look like. First, let’s take a look at the career totals of all four players. MLB Career: Obviously, Puckett and Hunter went on to have great careers. Hunter was able to remain a good player for a long time. He played 19 seasons and was an all-star as recently as 2013. Puckett’s career was cut short by a career ending injury at age 35, but he managed to lead the Twins to two World Series victories, is a MLB hall of famer, and is undoubtedly the best a Twins center fielder of all time. He will always be fondly remembered by Twins fans for his heroics in the ’91 World Series and his legendary status is firmly implanted in Twins history. Span’s career is another story. He certainly had a respectable career and some good years after being traded to Washington (for the recently retired Alex Meyer) after five seasons with the Twins. However, his best years were early in his career with the Twins and injuries took their toll on Span. Span suffered another concussion in 2014 and battled some other injuries throughout his career, reducing both his time and the field and presumably his effectiveness as a player. His career WAR per game is still in the same neighborhood as Hunter’s but he was unable to accumulate as many games and the course of Span’s career went in the opposite direction of Hunter’s. Injuries are a serious concern for Buxton as well. In his AA debut back in August of 2014, Buxton collided with another outfielder leaving him unconscious on the outfield grass for ten minutes and ending his season. Buxton is returning from another IL stint with “concussion like symptoms” after hitting his head on the turf while making a great diving catch. Buxton has also had his share of less career-threatening injuries including thumb, wrist, toe, and migraines (along with numerous scrapes and bruises due to collisions with the wall). Buxton’s aggressive all-out effort on defense is a big part of what makes him so great. However, if Buxton is to stay on the field he may need to dial it back a bit. Manager Rocky Baldelli could be instrumental in keeping Buxton healthy. As a former center fielder that had his own career cut short by injury, Baldelli should take great care with Buxton. Baldelli has prioritized giving his players regular rest and the Twins have been extra cautious in making sure injured players are healthy before sending them back onto the field. With innovative player management and a little luck hopefully Buxton will be able to stay relatively healthy throughout his MLB career. Without further ado, I give you Buxton’s career projections. Buxton is unlikely to reach the number of games played that Hunter did and also is unlikely to improve at Hunter’s rate (because of Hunter’s much slower start), so 90 career WAR seems overly optimistic at a minimum and possibly ludicrous. Improving at the Puckett rate definitely seems like the best case scenario for Buxton (though he could conceivably play in 1,500 more games, it will require good overall health) and would make him a potential Hall of Famer with over 60 WAR. Regressing at the rate that Span did also seems highly unlikely. For Buxton to accumulate only 13 more WAR for his career would be a massive disappointment, to say the least (injuries would have to take a heavy toll). As a final step, let’s combine these projections and see what we get. Composite Buxton: There you have it. Buxton is able to finish his career playing at a Puckett-like WAR per game level and slightly edges out Puckett in games played, giving him the highest career WAR of the group. This seems possible as speedy players and/or elite defenders tend to accumulate a lot of WAR (some examples: Kenny Lofton 68.3, Ricky Henderson 111.2!, Tim Raines 69.4) Needless to say a lot would have to go right for Buxton to reach these levels. Continued improvement, good year-to-year health, and overall longevity will be paramount to Buxton reaching these projections. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best!

The Kansas City Royals are on the field. They already took a round of infield, and now I am watching Alex Gordon launch baseballs into the bleachers. Over the speakers, Prince songs are blaring. Moments ago, Adalberto Mondesi was taking his hacks while "...You sexy m()%#*@($#%" played. It's Prince Night tonight at Target Field. The Twins took batting practice earlier sporting t-shirts with the Prince symbol on the front and their name and number on the back. But in the end, this weekend is a celebration of the career of all-time Twins great Joe Mauer. On Saturday the Twins will officially retire Joe Mauer's uniform number 7 in a pregame celebration. The ceremony will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday so be sure you don't miss that whether you are at the stadium or watching on TV. Recently, the Twins sent a list of about 40 former players, coaches, Twins Hall of Famers and more who will be in attendance. The list is really impressive and speaks to not only the Hall of Fame-worthy, 15-season career of Mauer, but to the impression that he made on his teammates. I had the chance to catch up with former Twins GM Terry Ryan for about 10 minutes before the game. He will be here, as will Bill Smith, 15 members of the Twins Hall of Fame (including 5 National Hall of Fame players), and many former teammates including Trevor Plouffe, Nick Punto, Denard Span and Matt Belisle, and a lot more. All seven previously retired numbers will be in attendance or represented (Kirby Puckett's daughter will be here). I wonder what is behind the covered up circle? As we know, Mauer also did a ton in the community, and Joe Mauer weekend began with a great event on Friday morning at Target Field. Mauer and a bunch of his friends welcomed kids from the Gillette Children's Hospital to play ball on the field. https://twitter.com/morsecode/status/1139565094369660928 https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1139574010369519616 https://twitter.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1139567873842667523 There will be opportunities to get photos and autographs with some of the former players throughout the weekend. And, what is really exciting is going to Target Field and seeing crowds. I know that can be tough in some ways, but people really care about this team. The passion for Twins baseball is back. Of course, there is also baseball to be played. Tonight Kyle Gibson will be on the mound, taking on Brad Keller. With a huge, sold out crowd, it would sure be fun to see a lot of Twins Bombas! Keller is making his 15th start of the year for the Royals. The 23-year-old was a Rule 5 draft pick of the Royals from the Reds in 2017. He is 3-8 with a 4.29 ERA. In his most recent start (last Saturday), he went eight innings against the White Sox. He gave up just two runs on five hits, though the big hit was a two-run Eloy Jimenez homer. No Twins hitter has more than six at-bats against Keller. Kyle Gibson is 6-3 with a 4.14 ERA. The 31-year-old has 71 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings. If Gibson records the second out of the top of the sixth inning tonight, he will reach 1000 career innings pitched. He comes into the game with 994 1/3 innings. He will become the 11th Twins pitcher to reach that milestone number. It sure is great to see these big crowds to see the Twins and sell outs throughout the weekend. .

Former Twins Phil Hughes: https://twitter.com/PJHughes45/status/1061041053153673216 Frank Viola: https://twitter.com/FrankViola16/status/1061042452046462976 Michael Cuddyer on MLB Network: https://twitter.com/MLBNetworkRadio/status/1061078254990360577 AJ Achter https://twitter.com/aj_achter/status/1061043655862112256 Glen Perkins: https://twitter.com/glenperkins/status/1061070819646980096 Danny Valencia: https://twitter.com/dannyvalencia19/status/1061068820574539776 JC Romero: https://twitter.com/JCRome16/status/1061095543852728321 Todd Van Steensel: https://twitter.com/toddvs35/status/1061089065787740160 Luke Hughes: https://twitter.com/lukehughes38/status/1061248267063685123 Denard Span: https://twitter.com/thisisdspan/status/1061278555512979457 Drew Butera: https://twitter.com/drewbutera/status/1061276966274252800 Ervin Santana: https://twitter.com/ErvinSantana_54/status/1061299960031911936 Eduardo Nunez: https://twitter.com/EduardoNunez15/status/1061343744648077312 Johan Santana: https://twitter.com/johansantana/status/1061312935132311552 Brian Dozier: Ben Revere: Current Twins Kyle Gibson: https://twitter.com/kgib44/status/1062121750765412353 Trevor May: https://twitter.com/IamTrevorMay/status/1061040486851342338 Matt Magill: https://twitter.com/magillmlb/status/1061079335166066688 Tyler Duffey: https://twitter.com/TheDoof13/status/1061053045218439168 Dietrich Enns: https://twitter.com/DietrichEnns/status/1061083874795679745 John Curtiss: https://twitter.com/JPickensCurtiss/status/1061103635751464960 Jake Cave: https://twitter.com/JakeCave8/status/1061288083784691713 Tyler Austin: https://twitter.com/T1721Austin/status/1061293434571513856 Chase De Jong: https://twitter.com/ChaseDeJong/status/1061317557720764417 Trevor Hildenberger https://twitter.com/t_hildy/status/1061716154832453632 Mitch Garver: https://twitter.com/MitchGarver/status/1046627354876039169 Stephen Gonsalves: https://twitter.com/TheSGonsalves/status/1047157499600633857 Zack Littell: https://twitter.com/z_littell/status/1046559178641338368 Taylor Rogers Byron Buxton Jorge Polanco: Jose Berrios: Future Twins Tyler Wells: https://twitter.com/TylerW13/status/1061041395996094464 Others Ryan Dempster: https://twitter.com/Dempster46/status/1061039755801038848 Sam Carlson: https://twitter.com/samcarlson33/status/1061042989273731072 Dick Bremer: https://twitter.com/dbremer_pxp/status/1061057785142673410 Cory Provus: https://twitter.com/CoryProvus/status/1061067009369260032 Adam Weber: https://twitter.com/Adam_Weber8/status/1061058301717344256 Michael Young: https://twitter.com/MikeyY626/status/1061054893144895490 Morgan Hawk: https://twitter.com/Morgan_Hawk/status/1061330555533492224 Rocco Baldelli: https://twitter.com/roccodbaldelli/status/1061666224797597696 Jamie Hersch: https://twitter.com/JamieHersch/status/1061364850373337089 Dustin Morse: https://twitter.com/morsecode/status/1061046939658137607 This list will continue to be updated as other online tributes are discovered. If you are aware of one, please include them in the comments below.

Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Blake Snell was dealing tonight for the Rays. The Twins played some small ball to put up a run on him in the first, but then Snell shutdown the Twins for the next six-innings before he stranded Robbie Grossman on third to end his night in the seventh. Snell was one of the Rays more highly touted pitching prospects as he was coming up through the minors, but he struggled with control issues during his first two seasons in the majors. However, Snell appears to have found his form in 2018, and is showing off his nasty stuff with pitches like this one to strikeout Eddie Rosario in the second. https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/987823886766084096 Kyle Gibson was having a strong start, having given up just a two-run home run through his first six innings of work. However, things unraveled in the seventh, where Gibson and Gabriel Moya combined to give up five runs to let the Rays blow the game open. C.J. Cron had himself a day, belting two two-run home runs, one in third and the other in the five-run seventh. Both home runs were carbon copies of each other, as the second lander just four seats over from where the first one ended up. Denard Span came up big for the Rays again tonight after he came up with a two-out, two-RBI base hit up-the-middle during the seventh inning to expand the Rays lead to 5-1, the Rays would late expand the score to 7-1 in the seventh off Cron’s second home run of the night. The Twins tried to get a rally going in the eighth, getting the first two runners on with the top of the order coming up. However, Rays reliever Matt Andriese quickly shut the door by striking out Brian Dozier and getting Joe Mauer to ground into an inning-ending double play. The Rays added onto their lead in the bottom half of the eighth when Daniel Robertson blasted a 431- foot bomb to centerfield off Tyler Kinley bring the score to 8-1. That was followed by a walk and three more singles, including another RBI single from Denard Span. When all was said and done the score stood at 10-1 in favor of the Rays. The Twins did have a sparkling night defensively. First, Ehire Adrianza robbed Denard Span in each of his first two at-bats with defensive web gems at short. Here was the second one during the third inning. https://twitter.com/fsnorth/status/987828546369347584 During the 4th inning Miguel Sano showed off his rocket of an arm to nab Daniel Robertson to get the second out of the inning. Then Mauer followed it up by spearing a ground ball off the bat of Wilson Ramos to end the inning. Next Three Games Sun at TB 12:10 pm CT Mon at NYY 6:05 pm CT Tues at NYY 5:35 pm CT

Mr. 2000 Mauer entered play on Saturday needing eight hits to reach the 2,000 hit mark for his career. He’s hit safely in 17 straight contests against Seattle so there is a good chance that number will shrink before the weekend is done. Kirby Puckett and Rod Carew are the only players in team history to reach the 2,000 hit mark. Puckett holds the franchise record with 2,304 hits, while Carew totaled 2,085 hits before heading to the Angels. Eleven active players have surpassed 2,000 hits with Adrian Gonzalez being the last player to accomplish the feat in August of 2017. Double Trouble Mauer would need to play a couple more seasons to pass Puckett on the franchise’s hit list. However, Mauer does have a chance to set the team record for doubles. Puckett finished his career with a franchise record 414 doubles over 12 seasons. Mauer is in the midst of his 15th season and has 403 doubles. Over the last six seasons, Mauer has averaged 31 doubles so it seems likely for him to pass Puckett at some point during 2018. Solo Homers Mauer and Dozier are both moving up the ladder on the team’s all-time home run list. With 155 career home runs, Dozier needs eight to tie Tom Brunansky (163) for 9th on the Twins all-time list. Mauer has 137 career long-balls and sits four behind Michael Cuddyer for 11th in franchise history. Next in Dozier’s sights would be Gary Gaetti but he knocked 201 home runs during his Twins tenure. Dozier might be a man on a mission this season but 46 more home runs seems like a tough endeavor. Speed, I Am Speed Bryon Buxton has the kind of elite speed that could put him at the top of the team’s record books when it comes to stolen bases. For now, Dozier has made his way into the franchises top-10 list. His 91 career steals are one better than Denard Span for 10th on the team’s all-time list. With his next steal, Dozier will tie Larry Hisle for ninth. Other players in his sights this year include Matt Lawton (96), Christian Guzman (102), and possibly Dan Gladden (116). To pass Gladden, he’d have to break his career best steal total of 21 from 2014. Which record will drop first? How much longer would Mauer have to play to get to 3000 hits? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Around Twins Daily Jason Castro and a Cup of Coffee Proven Leadership Will Set Tone For 2018 Red Wings Blackmon’s Deal With Rockies Sets Precedent For Dozier

February 25 Happy 57th Birthday, Dana Kiecker It’s the birthday of 1979 Fairfax High School and 1983 St. Cloud State graduate Dana Kiecker, born in Sleepy Eye in 1961. Kiecker was chosen by the Red Sox in the eighth round of the 1983 Draft. He made his major league debut on April 12, 1990 at age 29, pitching four innings of relief in a Red Sox loss at Tiger Stadium. Kiecker pitched in 50 major league games for Boston between 1990 and ‘91, making 30 starts, compiling a 10-12 record with a 4.68 ERA. He made two starts at the Metrodome in 1990. He gave up a home run to Dan Gladden on his second pitch of the game on May 27. He recovered to pitch seven strong innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk before being relieved by Jeff Reardon. Twins rookie Kevin Tapani, however, was better. After putting runners on second and third to start the game, Tapani struck out the next three batters, including cleanup hitter Tom Brunansky, to get out of one heckuva jam. He went on to hold the Red Sox to just one run over seven innings. Rick Aguilera earned the six-out save. He made his second Metrodome start on July 5, opposing Scott Erickson in his third big league game. Kiecker allowed two runs on five hits and four walks over 5.2 innings, taking a no-decision in a 7-4 Red Sox loss. He gave up a three-run home run to fellow southwest Minnesotan Terry Steinbach in the top of the first on September 3, 1990. That blow knocked Kiecker out of the game, having given up five runs to Oakland while only recording two outs. Jim Eisenreich and Kiecker are the only pair of St. Cloud State alumni to play against each other in the major leagues. Eisenreich went 4-for-8 with a walk and two doubles versus Kiecker between 1990 and 1991. They were teammates at St. Cloud in 1980, along with Bob Hegman, who played half an inning in the field for the Kansas City Royals on August 8, 1985. "Dana Kiecker Street" is home to the Fairfax townball field. I've never been there, but it is allegedly a particularly beautiful ballpark. You can hear Kiecker on St. Paul Saints broadcasts this summer. February 26, 1933 Birthdate of Johnny Blanchard It’s the birthdate of probably the most famous backup catcher in baseball history, Johnny Blanchard, born 85 years ago in Minneapolis. Blanchard attended Minneapolis’s De LaSalle and Central High Schools, playing football, basketball, and baseball. He got a thimble of coffee with the Yankees in 1955, playing in the second game of a doubleheader on the final day of the season. He made it back to the majors in 1959, where he would remain for the next seven seasons, making a nice little career of backing up Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. He would appear in five World Series as a Yankee. The highlight of his career came in the 1961 World Series when he hit .400 with two home runs as the Yankees defeated the Cincinnati Reds in five games. Blanchard would earn a second ring in 1962. He tied a major league record by homering in four consecutive at-bats in 1961. Of course in true “Suber Sub” fashion, those four consecutive at-bats came over a six-day span. Blanchard hit a game-winning two-out pinch-hit grand slam at Fenway Park on July 21, 1961. He hit another pinch-hit homer the next day, and then sat out the next three games. He made a rare start on July 26 vs. the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium, homering in his first two at-bats and flying out to the wall in his third. Blanchard played 18 games at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington between 1961 and '65, going 13-for-51 (.255) with seven walks, and three home runs. He hit .222 with seven home runs in 38 games against the Twins overall. Blanchard was a featured guest at Halsey Hall SABR meetings on October 24, 1992 and October 18, 2008. He died of a heart attack at North Memorial in Robbinsdale on March 25, 2009. He was 76 years old. 2018 will be John's son Paul Blanchard's 22nd season as head baseball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. He has been known to make guest lecturer appearances on campus, sometimes even passing around his father's World Series ring. George Rekela wrote about Johnny Blanchard for the book Minnesotans in Baseball (click here). February 26 Happy 60th Birthday, Bob Hegman It’s the birthday of 1976 Sauk Rapids-Rice graduate, St. Cloud State all-time great, former Royals second baseman, and current Twins scout Bob Hegman, born in Springfield, MN in 1958. Hegman improved steadily at the plate during his four years at St. Cloud State, hitting .203 in 1977, .288 in 1978, .372 in 1979, and .381 in 1980. He was 24-for-24 in stolen base attempts over his final three seasons at St. Cloud. He was also a four-year starting point guard on the Huskies basketball team. Hegman was selected by the Royals in the 15th round of the 1980 draft, and reported to their Gulf Coast League team in Florida. He returned to St. Cloud in the offseason and graduated with a degree in Business Management in 1981. Hegman got into his only major league game on August 8, 1985 at age 27, entering as a defensive replacement in the top of the ninth of 10-3 win over Chicago. He did not get the ball hit to him, and did not get an at-bat. Sound familiar? Longtime Chisolm doctor "Moonlight" Graham's major league career also consisted of half an inning in the field on June 29, 1905. I asked Mr. Hegman about the circumstances of his brief stint in the majors. He (specifically his glove) was called up when 1978 first-round draft pick Buddy Biancalana was hampered by an injury, and sent back to Omaha the moment Biancalana was healthy. The Royals went on to win the 1985 World Series. No, Hegman did not receive a ring. In total, Hegman played seven seasons of professional baseball. He joined the Royals front office as an assistant to the Scouting and Player Development Directors in September 1986. In 1992 he was named Director of Minor League Operations, a position he held for ten years. He became an Advance Scout for the Twins in 2003 before moving into his current position of Professional Scout (evaluating pro players) in 2008. Hegman has made his home in the Kansas City area since 1986. 1956 National League All-Star Rip Repulski also attended Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. February 27 Happy 34th Birthday, Denard Span It's the birthday of former Twins center fielder Denard Span, born in Tampa, FL in 1984. Even though it doesn't say so on the Twins' website (see for yourself), Span tied Ken Landreaux's team record and the major league record with three triples at Target Field on June 29, 2010. He went 4-for-4 with a walk, five RBI, and two runs scored in an 11-4 win over Detroit. Jim Thome hit his 572nd home run in the game. February 28, 1887 Birthdate of Joe Fautsch It's the birthdate of Joe Fautsch, born 131 years ago in Minneapolis. He got into one major league game with the Chicago White Sox on April 24, 1916 at age 29, going 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter. According to Baseball Reference, he played for the Red Wing Manufacturers in 1910, and the Winona Pirates in 1913 and '14. He passed away in New Hope on March 16, 1971 at age 84, and is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Minneapolis. If you have any knowledge about Joe Fautsch to share, please leave a comment, or email Matt@TwinsAlmanac.com. February 28, 1909 Birthdate of Lefty Bertrand It's the birthdate of Lefty Bertrand, born 109 years ago in Cobden, MN. Bertrand attended St. Mary's High School in Sleepy Eye. Baseball Reference lists him as having attended St. Mary's University of Minnesota in Winona, but I believe that is a mistake. Bertrand got into one major league game with the Phillies on April 15, 1936 at age 27, pitching the final two innings of a 12-4 loss to the Boston Bees. He gave up two runs on three hits (including a home run), and two walks while striking out one. That's still a better major league record that fellow St. Mary's alumnus Fred Bruckbauer, who gave up three runs without recording an out in his only outing with the Twins on April 25, 1961. If you're looking for a Twins connection in Bertrand's only big league outing, he gave up a single to Sam Mele's uncle Tony Cuccinello. Lefty Bertrand broke into pro ball with the Class D Northern League Brainerd Muskies in 1933. That team moved to Brandon, Manitoba on June 27 and became the Grays. In 1934 he was back with the reformed Brainerd-Little Falls Muskies. Winona native Julie Wera, who played some third base for the '27 Yankees, wrapped up his pro career with the Northern League Crookston Pirates in 1937. As with Joe Fautsch (or anyone/thing else on the Almanac, for that matter), if you have knowledge to share, please get in touch. March 2, 1916 Birthdate of Mickey Rocco It's the birthdate of St. Paul Central alumnus and former Cleveland first baseman Mickey Rocco, born 102 years ago in St. Paul. In addition to baseball, Rocco also played basketball, and was a violinist in the St. Paul Central school orchestra according to biographer Gregg Omoth. After spending time in the Pirates, Braves, White Sox, Dodgers, and Tigers organizations, Rocco made his major league debut with Cleveland at Philadelphia's Shibe Park on June 5, 1943 at age 27. He went 2-for-4 with a triple, double, RBI, and run scored in a 6-5 loss to the Athletics. He started 107 of Cleveland's remaining 114 games that season (they played 153 total). Rocco led the American League and tied for the major league lead with 653 at-bats in 1944. As a townball player, myself, I think this is a really cool stat. I'm always trying to find ways to get some swings in, including supervising 6 AM high school practices so that maybe I'll get a few pitches at the end. How cool would it be to be able to say you got more at-bats than anybody else in the American League? In total, Rocco played 440 games over four seasons with Cleveland, with his final major league game coming on June 24, 1946 at age 30. He hit .258 with 30 home runs. He stuck it out in the minors through 1952. He remained active in baseball, coaching various Twin Cities teams throughout the '50s and '60s. According to biographer Gregg Omoth "a Rosetown team he coached won the Minnesota Legion championship in 1965." Mickey Rocco passed away on June 1, 1997 at age 81. He was laid to rest at Roselawn Cemetary in Roseville. For a much more thorough picture of Rocco, read Gregg Omoth's biography, originally published in the SABR book Who's on First: Replacement Players in World War II (click here). March 2 Happy 67th Birthday, Mike Johnson It’s the birthday of 1969 Faribault High School graduate and former San Diego Padres pitcher Mike Johnson, born in Slayton, MN in 1951. Johnson was signed by Cincinnati Reds scout Bill Clark out of his annual tryout camp at Bell Field in Faribault. Johnson made his major league debut versus Atlanta on July 25, 1974 at age 23, entering with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth of a scoreless game. He induced an inning-ending ground ball from Davey Johnson. He walked Darrell Evans leading off the bottom of the tenth, and Dusty Baker bunted Evans up to second. The Padres then intentionally walked Mike Lum to set up a potential inning-ending double play. It was not to be, however, as Rowland Office came through with a walk-off single. After pitching a 1-2-3 top of the tenth, Tom House—throwing guru to the stars, including Nolan Ryan and Tom Brady—earned the win for Atlanta. In total, Johnson pitched 21.1 innings over 18 relief appearances, giving up 13 runs (11 earned) on 29 hits and 15 walks while striking out 15. He went 0-2 with a 2.063 WHIP and 4.64 ERA. It was his final season of professional baseball. He returned to Faribault where he pitched for the Lakers townball team. March 2 Happy 56th Birthday, Terry Steinbach It’s the birthday of 1980 New Ulm High School graduate, Golden Gopher all-time great, and three-time American League All-Star Terry Steinbach, born in New Ulm in 1962. Here’s a fun story: the Gophers moved hotshot Edina third baseman Greg Olson to catcher to make room for up-and-coming New Ulm third baseman Terry Steinbach. Steinbach was later converted to catcher in the Oakland A’s organization to make room for third baseman Mark McGwire. McGwire, of course, ultimately wound up at first base while Olson and Steinbach each developed into All-Star major league catchers. Steinbach made his major league debut in Cleveland on September 12, 1986 at age 24. With Oakland trailing 8-2, Steinbach entered as a defensive replacement for Mickey Tettleton in the bottom of the sixth. He led off the top of the seventh with a home run off Greg Swindell in his first big league at-bat. Steinbach and Swindell would be teammates with the Twins in 1997 and '98. 1976 Park Center grad Tim Laudner also homered in his first major league game on August 28, 1981. After being maligned by the press as an unworthy starter in 1988, Steinbach homered in his first All-Star at-bat. He later hit a sacrifice fly to lead the American League to a 2–1 victory and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. The AL only carried two catchers in the game, the other being Tim Laudner. Steinbach was also an All-Star in 1989 and 1993. Steinbach hit an Opening Day grand slam when I was in fourth grade (1994). I know this because Mel Allen told me so on This Week in Baseball. I commemorated the event with a crayon drawing that stayed on the fridge for a few months. Steinbach played for the Twins his final three season, from 1997 to 1999. He caught Eric Milton's no-hitter at the Metrodome on September 11, 1999. He had previously caught Dave Stewart's no-hitter while playing for Oakland in Toronto on June 29, 1990. Altogether Steinbach played 14 major league seasons, hitting .271 with 1,453 hits and 162 home runs. Steinbach coached the Wayzata High School baseball team from 2008 to 2012. The Twins hired him as bench coach for the 2013 season, succeeding Steve Liddle. He was not retained when Paul Molitor took over as manager in 2015. March 2 Happy 35th Birthday, Glen Perkins It’s the birthday of 2001 Stillwater Area High School graduate, Golden Gophers all-time great, and former Twins closer Glen Perkins, born in St. Paul in 1983. After redshirting in 2002, Perkins played for the Gophers in 2003 and 2004, going 19-5 with a 2.87 ERA, 13 complete games, two shutouts and 230 strikeouts in 216.1 innings. Perkins set a new Gophers single-season strikeout record in 2003 with 117 in 105.1 innings. He gave his own record a run for it’s money in 2004 with 113 strikeouts in 111.1 innings. Those innings pitched, incidentally, were the second and fifth most in school history. Perkins was named the 2004 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. The Twins drafted Perkins in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2004 draft. He made his major league debut in September 2006 at age 23, the same season as fellow Gopher Jack Hannahan. He made the American League All-Star team in 2013, ‘14 and ‘15, saving 30+ games each of those three seasons. Hampered by a labrum injury, Perkins only made 10 appearances between 2016 and 2017. He retired in January 2018. In total, he pitched in 409 major league games (44 starts) over parts of 12 seasons. His 120 saves rank third in Twins history behind Joe Nathan and Rick Aguilera, and four saves ahead of Eddie Guardado. March 3, 1895 Birthdate of Joe Jaeger It's the birthdate of former Cubs pitcher Joe Jaeger, born 123 years ago in St. Cloud. Jaeger made two relief appearances with the Cubs in September 1920 at age 25, giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits and four walks. Jaeger passed away on December 13, 1963 in Hampton, IA. He was 68 years old. Keep in touch with @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter and Facebook.

Let’s get to the predictions you came to see, those of the Twins players and personnel from the past, the present and the future. Prospects, big leaguers and suspects, enjoy these predictions. Taylor Grzelakowski (Catcher signed in 2017, played in GCL) - 27-14 Patriots! Hector Lujan (RHP was the closer for Kernels in 2017) - The Eagles win without a doubt. The final score is gonna be 31-17. Tyler Watson (LHP acquired from Nationals in Brandon Kintzler trade) - The Patriots are gonna win 31-17. Sean Miller (infielder spent 2017 with Ft. Myers, then played in the Arizona Fall League) - Well this is a tough one! You can’t go against Tom Brady. I’m going to have to say the Patriots win 34-24. Joe Rosenstein (RHP signed in 2017, played in GCL) - I think it’s gonna be 34-30 Eagles with Nick Foles as MVP! Alex Perez (infielder split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga) - I believe the Patriots will go back to back and beat the Eagles 24-17. Tom Brady wins again and hopefully rides off into the sunset and retires. Dolphin fans would much appreciate this… Bryan Sammons (Twins 8th round pick in 2017, pitched in E-Town and Cedar Rapids) - 28-24 Eagles. I think Nick Foles will step up and the Eagles defense will do what it's been doing all season. Jared Finkel (RHP was 2017 draft pick and pitched in Elizabethton) - 35-27 Patriots, I’m a huge Giants fan and I want Eli to be the only QB to take down Brady in the Super Bowl. Zack Jones (RHP was Twins 4th round pick in 2012) - Eagles 31-28 Trey Cabbage (3B/OF split 2017 between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids) - I don’t really have a preference, but I think the Pats will pull it out 27-17 Ethan Mildren (former Twins RHP prospect) - As a Steeler guy, it's tough to pick one of these teams, but I'll say 24-20 Eagles Casey Scoggins (former Twins OF prospect) - Eagles win 27-24. Tom Brady has an “off” game. Eagles fans climb light poles and celebrate into next season. Akil Baddoo (OF was 2nd round pick in 2017, split season between GCL and E-Town. Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year) - 21-17 Eagles. Jonathan Rodriguez (1B helped Chattanooga to share of Southern League title, recently signed with Marlins) - 27-17 Patriots winning. AJ Achter (RHP spent parts of 2014-2015 with Twins, Angels in 2016. He was just named the pitching coach for Eastern Michigan U) - I'll go Patriots 21-13. Patrick McGuff (RHP spent much of 2017 in Cedar Rapids bullpen) - Gotta go Patriots 34-17. Ryan O’Rourke (LHP dominated LHH for the Twins in 2015 and 2016 and missed 2017 with Tommy John surgery. Signed with the Baltimore Orioles) - Patriots 28 Eagles 3. Shane Carrier (OF split 2017 between Cedar Rapids and Elizabethton) - I’ve got the Patriots winning 23-20. Alex Meyer (former Twins pitcher traded to Angels. Recovering from shoulder surgery) - I’ll go with the Pats 31-20! Brent Rooker (OF was 2017 draft pick and hit 18 homers between E-Town and Ft. Myers) - 31-23 Pats. Eagles will lead 17-10 at halftime, Brady throws 3 TD’s in the 2nd half. Travis Harrison (former OF prospect of Twins) - I have the Patriots winning 24 17. Tom Brady is the best of all time. As a Cowboy fan, I can't stand the Eagles. Trevor May (RHP for Twins 2014-2016. Missed 2017 with Tommy John. Will return in 2018) - 27-17 Pats. David Banuelos (Catcher acquired from Mariners for international slot money) - I’m going to say Eagles are going to win 24-21. Travis Blankenhorn (2B/3B prospect spent 2017 with Cedar Rapids) - 28-24 Patriots. I want the Eagles to win, but I can’t bet against the goat Tom Brady. Zack Granite (Twins OF made his MLB debut in 2017) - 27-17 Pats. Dick Bremer (The TV voice of Twins Baseball for Fox Sports North) - With a moderate degree of certainty, I'm predicting the Patriots will win 24-10. With absolute certainty, I'm predicting that I will ignore the halftime show for the 52nd consecutive year. Landon Leach (RHP was Twins 2nd round pick in 2017, pitched in GCL) - I’m predicting 28-24 victory for New England Patriots. Trey Vavra (former Twins prospect) - I’m out of the loop but here’s a guess, 35-31 Patriots? Alex Robles (infielder was Twins 2017 draft pick after hitting and pitching in college) - Although I’m hoping the Eagles prove me wrong, I’m gonna go Patriots over Eagles 31-24. Mat Batts (former Twins LHP prospect) - Patriots 30-17 Todd Van Steensel (RHP pitched for Chattanooga in 2017) - Patriots 31, Eagles 17 - I don’t know much about football, but I know Brady wins Super Bowls when he isn’t playing the Giants. Kevin Garcia (catcher played mostly in 2017, a little in AA) - Not going to lie, I think Brady is unstoppable in the playoffs. Now, the Eagles defense has been doing a great job but without their starting QB, I have to take the Patriots. 24-20 Patriots. Taylor Rogers (Twins LH Relief Pitcher 2016, 2017) - Since it’s not the broncos let’s go Patriots by 3. 27-24 Luke Bard (Twins RHP prospect, Angels Rule 5 pick) - 24-27 Eagles! Randy Dobnak (signed in 2017, RHP pitched for Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids) - 35-24 Patriots. The GOAT Tom Brady will once again be on top, connecting with Gronk for 2 TDs. The Eagles may score first, but the Patriots will tear through the defense mostly during the 2nd half! Andrew Bechtold (2017 draft pick played in Elizabethton) - 27-17 Eagles!! Nick Foles leads Philadelphia to its first super bowl in franchise history, eagles defenses shuts down the great Tom Brady who after the game considers retirement from the beat down he just received by the Eagles D line, Doug Peterson wins coach of the year. Eagles fans flood the streets of Philly all week for the biggest party in US history, go birds baby!!! Logan Darnell (Twins LHP, debuted in 2014)- Eagles -28 O’Rourke/Pats-20 - I think between the regulated footballs, no spy cameras, and even officiating, we have a backup QB take his team to a Super Bowl win, much like the college football championship! Virgil Vasquez (RHP pitched for Tigers, Pirates, then pitched in Twins system in 2013, 2014, about to start his 3rd season as GCL pitching coach) - Low scoring first half, both teams come out firing second half. Foles struggles to throw tough passes and ends up throwing a pick, costing the Eagles the game. End score Patriots 27-21 Eagles. Brady = G.O.A.T. Zach Featherstone (2016 draft pick as hitter, transitioned to the mound in 2017) - I’m going 31-23 Patriots. You just can’t bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. It’s hard to go against the best. Mike Trombley (RHP worked 365 games for the Twins between 1992 and 1999, and briefly in 2012) - I’m a New England guy. Pats roll 31-17. Robbie Incmikoski (former Fox Sports North sideline reporter, now with ROOT Sports in Pittsburgh) - I'm gonna take the Eagles, 24-21. That was the score of Super Bowl 39 when the Pats beat Philly. Plus, Tom Brady gets there pretty much every year anyways....and it's time to parade down Broad Street! LaTroy Hawkins (RHP for Twins from 1995-2003 before pitching for 11 other teams until 2015. Twins Special Assistant to Baseball Operations) - 27-21 Patriots. Lewis Thorpe (Australian LHP returned to the mound in 2017 after Tommy John surgery) - Patriots by 14. Jacob Pearson (2017 draft pick by Angels, acquired by Twins for international slot money) - Patriots 34-30. Cody Stashak (Twins RHP prospect split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga) - 24-17 Eagles. Eagles fan so I’m going with them. DJ Baxendale (Twins RHP prospect split 2017 between Rochester and Chattanooga) - Brady is gonna need another finger! Go Pats! 27-21. Steve Singleton (Twins infield prospect 2006-11, hitting coach for Ft. Myers) - Eagles 32, Patriots 31. David Hurlbut (Twins LHP prospect 2011-2017. Spent 2017 in Rochester. Signed with Texas)- Patriots over Eagles 24-20. Tyler Wells (Twins RHP prospect, spent 2017 in Cedar Rapids) - 17-24 Patriots! Aaron Slegers (Twins RHP prospect since 2013, debuted in 2017) - Pats by 7. Joe Cronin (Twins infield prospect spent 2nd half in Cedar Rapids, with one game in Ft. Myers) - Pats 27 Eagles 21. Go Pats. Michael Quesada (former Twins catching prospect is now a scout for Twins)- 20-17 Patriots. Dallas Gallant (Twins RHP prospect 2010-2015) - I’m saying the score is going to be 31-21 Patriots. Cory Provus (Twins radio voice) - 28-17, Pats. Danny Valencia (former Twins infielder from 2010-2012. Six teams since then.) - Tom Brady is my guy!! They are winning 28-21. Bryan Haar (former Twins infielder 2012-2015) - I am predicting/hoping the Eagles win 34-24. Keaton Steele (Twins RHP prospect, split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga)- 30-24 Pats. Gregg Olson (14 year reliever, Olson pitched in 11 games in 1997) - Patriots 28-24. Kolton Kendrick (Twins 1B prospect played for Elizabethton in 2017) - 24-17 and I don’t know, this is a tough one between the Patriots and Philly, but I think I’m going with Patriots. Dave St. Peter (Twins President) - 35-21 Pats. Way too much Brady & Gronk. Tanner Vavra (former Twins infield prospect) - You can put me down for Philly 27-21 I want to see a new champ. Callan Pearce (Twins RHP prospect missed 2017 with arm injury) - My predictions for this years Super Bowl is -> Patriots 43 - 28 Eagles. This is nothing new for Tom Brady. Brandon Lopez (Twins infield prospect split 2017 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers) - I’m going to go with 21-17 Pats. Dalton Hicks (Twins 1B prospect, 2012-2016) - I'm riding with the Goat! #31-21 #goodguys #Patriots Chris Colabello (Twins 1B/DH in parts of 2013 and 2014) - Pats 31-27. Matt Fox (pitched one game for Twins in 2010) - 31-27 Patriots - I’d like to take the Eagles in this contest, as I am extremely tired of the Patriots winning ways, but after watching “Tom vs. Time” and witnessing how obnoxious Eagles fans are, Go Pats! Grant Balfour (Twins RHP from 2001-2006, also pitched for Rays and A’s) - I got the Patriots winning this one 31-24! Trevor Hildenberger (Twins RHP debuted in 2017 and was team’s Top Rookie) - Patriots 28-24 - I got no other guesses except the Patriots will win again. (sigh*) Clark Beeker (Twins prospecet pitched mostly in Cedar Rapids in 2017) - Patriots- 27, Eagles- 20 - Brady/Belichick go down as the best to ever do it. Angel Morales (Twins OF prospect 2007-2013) - I’ll say Patriots 32-27. Steven Blevins (Twins RHP prospect 2008-2010) - Patriots 31-21. Ryley Widell (Twins LHP prospect and 2017 draft pick, pitched at E-Town) - 24-17 Patriots - The Eagles D will come off strong in the two quarters. However, the Pats will come out strong after halftime to get the win. Alex Kirilloff (Twins top pick in 2016, missed 2017 with Tommy John) - Patriots 38 - Eagles 31! Denard Span (Twins top pick in 2002, OF played for Twins from 2008-2012, Nationals, Giants since) - Eagles 28-24. Tommy Watkins (Twins minor leaguer 1998-2009, hit .357 in nine games for Twins in 2007. Hitting coach in minors, managed Cedar Rapids in 2017. Will manage Chattanooga in 2018) - I’m pulling for the Eagles because of family (Jaylen Watkins) so I’m gonna say it’s an upset Eagles win 24-20. Caleb Hamilton (Twins 2016 draft pick, moved to catcher in 2017, but he can play all over the diamond.) - 28-21 Eagles. All aboard the Nick Foles train! Dan Osterbrock (former Twins LHP prospect, 2008-2011) - Patriots 31 Eagles 21 with Tom Brady winning the MVP. Christian Cavaness (Twins OF prospect spent 2017 in Cedar Rapids) - Patriots 28, Eagles 17. The red zone defenses for both teams is what will be the difference maker. Nick Anderson (Minnesotan is a RHP prospect who split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga) - My prediction is 34-17 in favor of the Patriots! “Brady is too good!” Charlie Barnes (2017 draft pick, the LHP pitched for Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids) - 31-24 patriots, Tom Brady pulls it out in the 4th quarter Jeff Manship (RHP for the Twins, 2009-2012) - I predict the Patriots to win by a score of 24-17. Hopefully I'm wrong and the Eagles win. Pat Dean (LHP for 19 games for the Twins in 2016 after being a 3rd round pick in 2010. Pitched in Korea in 2017, will again in 2018) - I'm taking the Pats with a score of 23-17. Chris Mazza (former RHP in Twins system, currently with Marlins, heading to his first MLB spring training) - Eagles 24, Patriots 20. Jake Reed (Twins RH RP prospect, split 2017 between Chattanooga and Rochester) - EAGLES!!!!! UPDATE - Patriots 64, Eagles 21. (This page will be updated through the kickoff of Sunday's game. Check back often. And, let us know below who you think will win on Sunday.) https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/959667617781907456

The primary job of a lead-off hitter is to get on base and set the table for the more slugging-heavy hitters to come. This is not news. However, in addition to getting on base, a lead-off hitter is often asked to work the starting pitcher a little bit -- not to the extent of laying off of a hittable pitch, but a nine-pitch plate appearance that ends in a strikeout isn’t an entirely negative outcome since it provides the rest of the team with a sense of what that day’s starter has on offer. As I mentioned earlier this season, taking pitches has been one of the few things that Twins hitters have been doing well, so they have some options: http://i.imgur.com/z6mWJNu.png League Average: 3.89 P/PA So the Twins have some options for patience at the top of the order, but how many of these guys can fulfill the primary task of getting on base consistently? http://i.imgur.com/pnFx3cz.png The obvious name on neither of these two lists is Santana’s. He owns a team-worst (among qualified hitters) 3.56 P/PA and his Gomez-esque .256 OBP is the spared from being the low-water mark by the recently demoted Eddie Rosario’s almost unfathomably bad .227 OBP. Santana’s speed makes him interesting when he’s on base, last night’s TOOTBLAN notwithstanding, but he’s not giving the team enough additional value to justify giving him more plate appearances than literally anyone else. Paul Molitor has had Santana’s usage right for the last week or so: Hit him ninth to limit the damage he can do, and if he does get on base, so much the better. Given the way the season is progressing, it would be interesting to see how Byung-Ho Park or Miguel Sano would do leading off, but that’s not a serious suggestion for the long-term, if for no other reason than it would virtually guarantee than any homers hit would be solo home runs. Oswaldo Arcia and Trevor Plouffe offer only fractional upgrades at best over Dozier, and while Dozier’s no Byron Buxton, he is notably faster on the bases than either of the others. This leaves three serious candidates who can both get on base and take an extra pitch or two on their way: Mauer, Dozier, and Nunez, who have combined to lead off in 29 of the Twins’ 40 games. Nunez has been tremendously fun to watch this year, and he’s as good a bench bat as the Twins have had in recent years, but the other shoe is going to drop with him. His .395 BABIP is built largely on flyballs falling in and isn’t supported by an increase in his hard hit percentage. Even if his BABIP dropped to .320, which would still be good for a career high, it would vastly diminish his suitability to lead off. This all assumes that Nunez even gets consistent playing time once Eduardo Escobar returns, which is far from a given. I have been on the bandwagon to bat Joe Mauer second for about as long as it had wheels and a seat, but I understood the theory behind hitting him third. On those early-2000s teams where “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in” was less a team mantra and more a foundational principle, Mauer was clearly in group three and tasked with driving in runs, then being driven in himself by the actual power hitters. Not his ideal usage, perhaps, but his lot in the lineup anyway. This year’s team was never designed to “get ‘em on, get ‘em over, get ‘em in” and they certainly aren’t tricking anyone into thinking that’s their path to glory. They’ve already hit nearly as many home runs in May (17) as they did in all of April (21) and baseballs fly further in warm weather, so it’s reasonable to assume they’re going to actually start scoring a reasonable amount of runs that way; however, if theycontinue to hit solo home run after solo home run, they’ll need to hit an astronomical number of home runs to actually challenge their opponents. Far better to pull a page out of crazy Earl Weaver’s playbook and hit home runs with people on base. Maximizing the average value of a home run hit by the 3-4-5 hitters means ignoring the relative value of slugging for a lead-off hitter -- the increase in expected runs of having a runner on second or third base with no outs -- in favor of fully optimizing for OBP. It also means pairing the hitter with the highest probability of being on base with the hitters most likely to drive him in. So, not only should Mauer be leading off for the foreseeable future, but Park and Sano should be moved up in the order to maximize the likelihood of both of them getting a chance to hit with Mauer available to drive in. Ideally, the Twins would have another high-OBP hitter with slightly more speed to hit ahead of Mauer, as a lineup of XXXX, Mauer, Sano, and Park would be a nice setup, but that hitter doesn't appear to be on the Twins’ roster right now. As long as the hitter in the second slot, between Mauer and Sano, doesn’t have a proclivity for ground balls, having someone hit there shouldn’t change the expected value of setting the lineup this way much at all. This makes Dozier an ideal candidate to bat second. Yes, he’s not a “get ‘em over” guy, but that doesn’t matter. He has the team’s second lowest groundball rate and there’s virtue in giving Dozier the second most plate appearances on the team since he has typically been an offensive asset. Molitor has sent the Twins out with 36 lineups in 40 games, trying to find something that works, but not once has Mauer lead off with Dozier batting right behind him. A top four of Mauer, Dozier, and either Park and Sano or Sano and Park stands to give the Twins the best shot of scoring an early run and of taking advantage when the lineup turns over thanks to Santana. Given how often the lineup is shifting, it seems fairly likely we’ll see this top four sometime this season, hopefully sooner rather than later.

To paint the full picture, let's go back to Meyer's Minnesota origin. The Twins traded for Meyer in the winter of 2012 as they sent Denard Span to the Nationals. Meyer was a year removed from being a first-round pick after a three year collegiate career at the University of Kentucky. He's been a top-100 prospect on all three national prospect rankings (Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus) from 2013-15. Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the 14th best prospect as recently as 2015. There have been plenty of bumps and bruises for Meyer as he has gotten closer to the big leagues. After being considered one of the top starting pitching prospects in the game, Meyer struggled so much last season that he was sent to the bullpen to try to improve his performance. As part of the transition, things didn't go perfectly but he lowered his ERA and his SO/9 rate increased. 2016 was a new season and the Twins decided to give Meyer another chance to be a starter. He made three Triple-A appearances, two as a starter, and posted a 1.04 ERA with 19 to 4 strikeout to walk ratio. Opponents hit .183/.234/.217 against him as he only allowed two earned runs. This was a very small sample size but it was a step in the right direction after a miserable 2015. Minnesota promoted Meyer to the majors on April 25, 2016 but he wouldn't appear in a game until April 29 as a relief pitcher. In his first outing, he allowed two earned runs on five hits. During his start on Tuesday, he pitched into the third inning and allowed three earned runs with four strikeouts and three walks. After the game, he was informed that he would be going back to Rochester. For the second year in a row, the Twins let Meyer pitch in two big league games before demoting him. There are a lot of factors that go into a player being on a big league roster and it could be that Meyer is being subject to a roster crunch at this point to fit Ervin Santana back into the rotation. Minnesota wants Meyer to continue to start and there doesn't seem to be a spot for him at the big league level. From the player's perspective, it must be hard to be in Meyer's shoes. He was on a path to be a regular in the big leagues at this point in his career but that hasn't come to fruition. The Twins have shifted Meyer from starter to reliever last season and now this season he has gone back to being a starter before being brought up to be a reliever and being sent back down so he can start again. Meyer can't get settled in any specific role. He's moved between starting and relieving while also moving between Triple-A and the big leagues. There are different mindsets when it comes to starting and relieving and it can take a mental adjustment to prepare for these different roles. If Minnesota wants to know what they have in Meyer, the team should allow him to pitch at the big league level. Decide on his role and let him sink or swim. This team is not winning games right now and Meyer was supposed to be a part of the long-term solution. There has already been plenty of discussion in the forums about Meyer's demotion. I'm in the camp that Minnesota is misusing Meyer at this point in his career. He will get other opportunities but these brief tastes of the big leagues are not helping his long-term development. What camp do you fall in? Should Meyer have been demoted or should he still be part of the Twins 25-man roster? Leave a COMMENT and add to the discussion.

3/27/73: 37 year old future Twins HOFer, Jim Perry, okays trade to Detroit. 3/27/05: Iconic Twins public address announcer of 44 years, Bob Casey, passes away at age 79. Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Dan Gladden and Jack Morris would serve as pallbearers at his funeral. 3/28/96: On the final day of spring training, Kirby Puckett wakes up unable to see out of his right eye. He would be diagnosed with career-ending glaucoma. 3/30/81: Ken Landreaux is traded to the Dodgers for Mickey Hatcher and 2 others. 3/31/87: Just before opening their championship season, the Twins release fan-favorite Mickey Hatcher, and trade 2 minor league pitchers and a player to be named later to San Francisco for Dan Gladden and others. The Twins would send Bemidji-native, Bryan Hickerson, to the Giants in June to complete the trade. 3/31/10: Leading off a spring training game vs. the Yankees and future-Twins pitcher, Phil Hughes, Denard Span fouls off a 3-2 pitch that hits his mother, sitting behind the third base dugout and wearing a Span Twins jersey, square in the chest. It is a scary moment at the ballpark, but she is not seriously hurt. 4/1/07: Herb Carneal, the radio play-by-play voice of the Twins from 1962-2006 (44 years), passes away at age 83. 4/2/62: The Twins trade pitcherPedro Ramos to Cleveland for Vic Power, and Nimrod, MN-native, Dick Stigman. 4/2/02: The Twins open the regular season with 5 HRs in an 8-6 win vs. KC. Jacque Jones hits solo and 3-run HRs. David Ortiz, Brian Buchanan, and Torii Hunter hit solo HRs. 4/2/10: The Twins play the first MLB game at new Target Field, an exhibition vs. St. Louis. Denard Span collects the stadium’s first hit, a triple, and the first HR and run scored. Jacque Jones, attempting a comeback with the club, pinch-hits and receives a moving standing ovation from Twins fans. http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w413/mjohnso9/20160320_153544_zpswn6qfgcj.jpg For the history of the Minnesota Twins, told one day at a time, follow @TwinsAlmanac on Twitter. For the stories of the Major Leaguers who grew up in Minnesota, follow @MajorMinnesota on Twitter, and like Major Minnesotans on Facebook.