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After the Minnesota Twins made him their ninth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Willie Joe Garry Jr. struggled in his professional debut. Since then, he’s literally been one of the first to the ballpark and his work started to pay off for him in 2019. After another offseason of work, he hopes to take his game to another level in 2020.Willie Joe Garry, Jr. grew up in Pascagoula, Mississippi. It is a city right on the Gulf of Mexico with about 23,000 people. It is just east of Biloxi. It was there that Garry grew to love the game of baseball. He tried playing other sports. Following a practice this past weekend, he said, “I played football when I was younger. I was alright. Basketball? I was not good at all.” But even in baseball, it wasn’t obvious that he would eventually become a professional ball player. Pascagoula High School is now a 6A school after spending years as a 5A school. As a freshman, he was unable to play because of a knee injury. His sophomore season, he was still quite small. He said that he was about 5-2 and just 130 pounds. ‘I pitched though. I was a pretty good pitcher. I threw pretty hard for my size.“ He started growing some, and as a junior, he started the season as the team’s center fielder. “I got into a slump so I got snatched out of the lineup. Went to right field. Still slumped, so I got benched. ” From that point forward, however, things have been on the rise, including Garry’s prospect status. “I came back in the playoffs and got hot.” Then as a senior, he was the team’s starting center fielder all season. He had committed to playing baseball at local community college Pearl River, but when the Twins selected him in the ninth round, it wasn’t a real difficult decision for him to sign. “It was something me and my parents had talked about prior (to the draft). We talked about it once we got the call. It wasn’t really tough because I really wanted to play professional baseball. I knew I would be able to grow and build, and if I could start out earlier, that would be better. Coming in young, I felt like that would be an advantage for me. Being a young guy. Being around the older guys. Being on the same workout plan as them, but starting out earlier. That was our key point. That’s what made it a little earlier too.” While Mississippi isn’t the noted baseball hotbed in the same way that Georgia preps are, Garry came from a strong class. “The competition in Mississippi is … JT Ginn (1st round, Dodgers). Joe Gray (2nd round, Brewers). Konnor Pilkington (3rd round, White Sox). Dexter Jordan (16th round, Astros). A bunch of guys drafted from that same class. I felt the competition was pretty good. We never really faced any… you had a couple of teams that didn’t have too many guys. Usually when our team played a team, we saw their #1 guy, and I feel like that helped a lot.” Willie Joe Garry, Jr. was the Twins ninth round pick in 2018. One other Mississippi player drafted that year was Regi Grace, a right-handed pitcher that the Twins took in the tenth round. “I’d heard about him. I was in 5A. They were in 6A. My school went to 6A. We never played with or against each other until the summer going into the draft. We ended up playing together.” He continued, “We got SnapChat. We started texting. We just started hanging out a bit.Then we got here. We started getting a close bond. Then ninth round,10th round. We had the same flight up to Minnesota when we got drafted. Then we became roommates. Now we’re really good friends. Still roommates right now.” That first season in the GCL after he signed was a rough one for Garry. In 33 games, he hit just .160 with four doubles. He had 28 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances and felt almost over-matched. “I feel like I’m still growing, still getting stronger and stronger every day. From the first year, not really showing any power, really not making much contact. So that’s what I was working on in that offseason, making contact, hard contact. It was good to see the work from the offseason transfer into the season.” When the season finished, he went to work. Garry, Jr and Grace were among the first players to arrive at the Twins minor league academy just days after the calendar turned to 2019. “The transition from the year before to last year was really good. It was something I worked on, like catching the balls up front because I was getting blown up by fastballs throughout the whole season my first year. So working on that velo, catching up to that velo. And then to see it work out in-game the very next season, that was really good for me. I needed that. I built a lot of confidence, so then I could put a little extra on my swing. Started putting a few out. Start getting some extra base hits. Stopped worrying about swinging through balls. Just play. That’s what I went back to.” In 55 games with the Elizabethton Twins, he hit .228 with six doubles, three triples and five home runs. There is still room for improvement, of course, but Garry took major strides in 2019. The goal is to keep that momentum going into 2020. At Elizabethton, he had the opportunity to play for manager Ray Smith who has spent the past 34 seasons with that team, including 27 of them as manager. He was drafted by and spent parts of three seasons with the Twins in the early ‘80s. E-Twins hitting coach Jeff Reed was a first-round pick with the Twins, got traded and spent 17 seasons in the big leagues. That’s a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge. “So much knowledge. I learned so much. Not even from drills and things, just from listening to them. Sometimes I wasn’t even in the conversation. Just standing to the side listening to them, the things they were saying. I tried to put some of those things into my game because they coached Buxton and all these guys. They go way back. Listening to them, taking the things that they say and trying to put them into my game helped a lot too. Not even the physical things, but the mental parts. The approach after a strikeout, things like that. Coming in knowing you can take your walks. Not trying to do too much.” So again, he and Regi made that early January trek to Ft. Myers to keep working. ““I feel it paid off last year so we did it again.” That work began in the weight room. “A lot of my effort, early in the morning has been to gain weight in the weight room. Still trying to gain weight.” Garry, Jr. continued, “175 last year. I’m up to 189, cracking 190. I hit 190, I’ll start rocking some Double-XL shirts.”. It’s all part of the process for the kids drafted out of high school or internationally. They have to mature physically and mentally. So, what does he consider his strengths on the baseball field? “I feel like even though I’m small, strength is a part of my game. I feel like I have a plus arm. I’m working on power. Consistency. I can show some flashes of power. I can go oppo if I need to. I can to do center or right.So I’m trying to get that consistency. Being able to use the entire field is something that he thinks is important. “I don’t want to cut off one side of the field. Get those doubles on the left side. Get those doubles on the right side. Maybe let a couple fly on the right side. Doesn’t matter how far or what side of the field.” As for goals for 2020? They’re never too far from Garry’s mind, or his eyes. “They’re on the screen saver of my phone. I look at them every day.” Better utilizing his speed is one area that he would like to work on. “I really want to move around the base paths this year. Stolen bases. Turning those singles into doubles by stolen bases, reading dirt balls. Show a little more power. But really I want to keep learning and take my game to the next level.” Where will that happen? There is a chance that he will return to the E-Twins, but it’s also possible that he gets an opportunity to start the season in Cedar Rapids. If that is the case, he will need to continue to make adjustments, this time while adjusting to the cold temperatures of the MIdwest League in April. That said, if his ultimate goal is to reach the big leagues and play at Target Field, acclimating to the temperatures will be a must. When I saw Willie Joe Garry one year ago in Twins minor league camp, he stood out to me as one to watch.His athleticism was impressive. He had good speed. He was thin, but he had some pop. And, I had heard about his work ethic. And again, he is one of the players this spring that has stood out to me again as one to watch. Click here to view the article

In 2017, the Elizabethton Twins won the Appalachian League championship. The team will begin their quest to defend the title on Tuesday night when they host the Burlington Royals at Joe O’Brien Stadium in Elizabethton.Led by manager Ray Smith, Elizabethton won its seventh Appy League title in 2017. Smith, who was signed by the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 1977, enters his 32nd season in the Elizabethton Twins coaching staff, his 25th as the manager. He played in 63 games for the E-Twins during that 1977 season. He played in 83 games for the Twins between 1981 and 1983. He comes into the season with an overall managerial record of 977-648. Former Twins first-round draft pick (1980) Jeff Reed, who played for the Twins from 1984 through 1986, enters his 17th season as the Elizabethton hitting coach. The 17-year major league veteran also works with the E-Twins catchers. Pitching coach Luis Ramirez has been with Elizabethton the past three seasons. Before that, he was the GCL pitching coach for two years. He came to the Twins organization in 2006 as the pitching coordinator for the Twins at their Venezuelan Academy. For the first time, Elizabethton will have a fourth coach on staff. Takashi Miyoshi has spent the past seven seasons coaching in independent leagues Prospects To Watch The Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster (including the DL) includes just one player who ranked in the preseason Twins Daily Top 20 Prospect rankings. Yunior Severino was our choice for the Twins #18 prospect. The infielder from the Dominican Republic signed a year earlier with Atlanta. However, when MLB announced sanctions on the team for illegal practices, Severino became a free agent. After a solid showing as a 17-year-old in the GCL last year, the Twins signed him as a free agent for $2.5 million. Severino is a good athlete with a strong swing from both sides of the plate. He has some power potential. Defensively, he could play shortstop, but he’ll likely mostly play second base. The reason is, at least in part, because of Ricky De La Torre. The Twins sixth-round draft pick out of high school in Puerto Rico is a very talented shortstop. On a roster where most of the players are 21 or 22 years old, the two 18-year-olds will form a very talented, athletic keystone combination. 2018 first-round draft pick, Trevor Larnach, will likely join the E-Twins at some point following the Oregon State College World Series run. Even if his stay is fairly short, we should anticipate him spending some time in eastern Tennessee. Second-round pick Ryan Jeffers will also begin his professional career with the E-Twins. (if you missed it, read Ted’s Q&A with Ryan Jeffers here) THE ROSTER Before jumping into the roster, it should be noted that there have been a couple of injuries. You're all aware of the Wander Javier shoulder surgery that cost him this entire season. In addition, lefty Riley Widell, who pitched for Elizabethton last year, came down with mono this spring, so he's been gradually regaining his strength. Miguel DeJesus, who missed the entire 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery, could also surface with the E-Twins this summer. Outfielder Matt Albanese is also on the DL to start the season. The Pitchers RHP Jacob Blank (22) - 22nd round pick in 2018 from Division II National Champion Augustana RHP Christian Broussard (21) - 22nd round pick in 2017, from Cal St-Los Angeles RHP Andrew Cabezas (21) - 18th round pick in 2018 out of Miami LHP Kody Funderburk (21) - 15th round pick in 2018 from Dallas Baptist University RHP Juan Gamez (24) - 31st round pick in 2016 as a catcher from NDSU. Moved to pitcher that summer. RHP Pedro Garcia (22) - signed October, 2015, from Dominican Republic RHP Moises Gomez (21) - signed April, 2014, from Venezuela RHP Blair Lakso (23) - undrafted free agent signed in August, 2016, from U of Buffalo RHP Derek Molina (20) - 14th round pick in 2017 out of Merced College LHP Tyler Palm (23) - signed about a week ago from the United Shore Professional Baseball League. Tallest pitcher on the roster at 6-9. RHP Seth Pinkerton (21) - 20th round pick in 2018 from the U. of Hartford RHP Johan Quezada (23) - signed September, 2012, Dominican Republic. 6-6 pitcher has missed most of last two seasons with shoulder injury. RHP Ricky Ramirez (21) - 15th round pick in 2017 from Fresno State RHP Brian Rapp (22) - 26th round pick in 2018 from Boston College RHP Austin Schulfer (22) - 19th round pick in 2018 out of UW-Milwaukee RHP Carlos Suniaga (21) - signed in September 2014 out of Venezuela RHP Josh Winder (21) - 7th round pick in 2018 from Virginia Military Institute A few of these guys have already seen some time in Cedar Rapids. Carlos Suniaga was just sent to the E-Twins over the weekend. Most likely, the organization would like to see him start and he’s been working out of the bullpen for the Kernels. Derek Molina and Ricky Ramirez have already seen some time with the Kernels as well. At the rookie levels, it is difficult to know the roles of players, especially pitchers. The pitchers drafted out of college this year have likely already thrown a lot of innings, and have been throwing since January. So, the Twins will limited their innings and starters may work out of the bullpen. That’s also why the rookie level events can have up to 35 players on the roster. The Catchers Trevor Casanova (21) - 13th round pick in 2018 out of Cal St-Northridge Andrew Cosgrove (21) - 17th round pick in 2017 from North Carolina State Ryan Jeffers (21) - 2nd round pick in 2018 out of UNC-Wilmington Chris Williams (21) - 8th round pick in 2018 from Clemson University The Twins drafted a lot of college catchers in 2018, and the first three they selected are all going to be in Elizabethton. As these guys adjust to the professional baseball game, they will all catch probably twice a week, at least early in the season. They may get extra at bats by DHing or playing some at another position. The Infielders Ricky De La Torre (18) - 6th round pick in 2017 out of high school in Puerto Rico Hunter Lee (22) - 27th round pick in 2018 out of High Point University Ariel Montesino (22) - signed May 2013 from the Dominican Republic Yunior Severino (18) - Free agent from Atlanta from the Dominican Republic. Played for GCL Braves last year. Alex Robles (22) - 30th round pick in 2017 from Austin Peay University Robles was a two-way player all four years in college. The organization has decided to have him start his career as a hitter, knowing they could move him to the mound later. He has already spent a couple of weeks with both the Ft. Myers Miracle and Chattanooga Lookouts. Montesino split 2017 between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids and sprinkled in a couple of games with Ft. Myers. This is the fourth season he will have spent time with the E-Twins yet remains just 22. Lee is a 5-9 second baseman who was all Big South this year. He had a 28 game hitting streak earlier in the season. As mentioned above, Severino and De La Torre are the two big prospects on this opening day roster, in part, because of their relative youth, along with their immense talent. The Outfielders Jared Akins (21) - 13th round pick in 2017 from Fresno State Colton Burns (22) - 18th round pick in 2017 from UC-Santa Barbara DaShawn Keirsey (21) - 4th round pick in 2018 out of Utah Lean Marrero (20) - 16th round pick in 2015 out of high school in Puerto Rico Albee Weiss (22) - 23rd round pick in 2018 from Cal St-Northridge As mentioned Trevor Larnach will likely join the E-Twins in the next two or three weeks. Keirsey is the very talented fourth-round pick that may have still been available because he missed lots of time with injury. Marrero spent a few weeks in Cedar Rapids last year, until he suffered a broken hamate bone which cost him the rest of his season. Akins and Burns played at strong college programs. Both have very good size and tools, but they need patience. It was strange when the Twins drafted a second catcher from Cal State-Northridge in this year’s draft, but Weiss has already been moved to the outfield. So there you have it, the Opening Day roster of the Elizabethton Twins. There are 30 players listed above, and as mentioned, more will likely be added in coming days as more players (Trevor Larnach, Cole Sands, etc.) sign. For more information on the 2018 Twins draft picks, please click here (links at bottom of article). Click here to view the article

In recent drafts, Georgia has provided some strong prospects for the Twins organization. Byron Buxton was the number two overall pick out of Georgia. Fans saw his ability to impact both sides of the ball in 2017. Now the Twins have another center fielder from Georgia who is making his way to Target Field. Akil Baddoo was taken by the Twins with the 74th pick of the 2016 MLB Draft. As a 17-year old, he struggled during his professional debut, hitting .178/.299/.271 with a 36 to 18 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was almost three years younger than the competition in the GCL so he’d start there again in 2017. That’s where one of the organization’s best seasons would begin to unfold…Age: 19 (DOB: 8/16/1998) 2017 Stats (Rookie): .323/.436/.527, 19 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 9-for-13 in stolen base attempts ETA: 2021 2017 Ranking: NR National Top 100 Rankings BA: NR | MLB : NR | ESPN: NR | BP: NR What’s To Like Baddoo broke out in 2017. A year after struggling to a .570 OPS in the GCL, the 18-year old mashed the ball for both rookie league teams. In his second stint in the GCL, he hit .267/.360/.440 with eight extra-base hits in 75 at-bats. He caught fire after being promoted to Elizabethton where he hit .357/.478/.579 with 20 extra-base hits in 126 at-bats. He also showed a very advanced approach at the plate with a 32 to 36 strikeout to walk ratio. Baddoo’s OPS ranked second in the Appalachian League. Only 15 of his plate appearances came against younger pitchers and he posted a .954 OPS when facing older competition. Defensively, Baddoo has the athleticism to play all three outfield positions but the majority of his starts come in center field. During the 2017 campaign, he didn’t commit an error in over 300 inning in center. Ray Smith, the manager of the E-Twins, had glowing reviews when asked about Baddoo’s impact on the team. “Our club seemed to kick it into a higher gear once Akil arrived. Deep in counts, would get on base via walks, base hits, etc. All while showing extra-base pop and occasional home run power. [He] covered ground defensively... ran bases aggressively and showed up every day.” In the E-Twins’ Appy League Finals-clinching victory, Baddoo went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and a walk. Following his outstanding season, Baddoo was named the Twins Daily Short Season Hitter of the Year. What’s Left To Work On Leading into last season, Baddoo added 15 pounds and continued to show speed on the base paths. He entered last season at 5’11 and 195 pounds. Since he is still a teenager, there could be room to improve his strength and add more power. For him to continue to trend toward being a five-tool player, he needs to find the right balance of adding strength and not sacrificing speed. Obviously, he will need to show that 2017’s performance at the plate wasn’t a fluke. Almost all of Baddoo’s power came against right-handed pitching where he compiled a 1.013 OPS. His numbers were still strong against lefties (.328/.426/.414) but he only collected five extra-base hits. With more experience, he will hopefully be able to hit for more power against southpaws. While his defensive skills have been strong, his arm continues to be an area needing improvement. Throughout his minor league career, he’s only had one outfield assist and it came when he was playing right field. He might need to shift to a corner outfield spot if his arm doesn’t improve. What’s Next Baddoo should get his first taste of full season action during 2018 especially based on his time with the E-Twins. If he continues to hit like he did in 2017, there is a chance he could crack into some top 100 prospect lists during next offseason. He could spend 2018 in Cedar Rapids with a chance to make it to Fort Myers in the second-half. Baddoo seems like he could be a similar player to former Twin Matt Lawton. TD Top Prospects: #20-16 TD Top Prospects: #15-11 TD Top Prospects: #1-9 (Coming Soon) Click here to view the article

It's been a very slow offseason all around baseball, so I thought it would be fun to take a look back. For the 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, I wrote a story on the 2011 Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year, Brian Dozier. It was a fun story, going back to his roots in Mississippi, his college days and working his way quickly up the Twins minor league system.Brian Dozier has become one of the best second basemen in baseball. He's played in an All-Star Game. He's participated in a Home Run Derby. He hit over 40 homers once. He's become the leader of the team. However, this story is from a year before Brian Dozier made his major league debut. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brian Dozier grew up in the small town of Fulton, Mississippi. The town’s population is just shy of 4,000 in the northeast corner of the state. To Dozier, it’s the “best place on Earth to me. Everything is always the same. You always know what you’re going to get when you come back here.” Occasionally, Dozier tells people that he’s from Tupelo. “I’m actually ten minutes outside of Tupelo. I tell people sometimes when I’m on the road that I’m from Tupelo just because a lot of people have heard of Tupelo with Elvis being from there.” But Dozier is proud of his Mississippi toots. “It’s awesome. Everybody knows everybody. All of my best friends are still here. It’s just very laid back, and I love it here.” Brian Dozier was the choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year for 2011. It may be a cliche, but Dozier can be described as a “Baseball Player.” If you’re looking for someone in the Twins farm system who represents the organization perfectly, look no further than Dozier. “I grew up around baseball. My dad was my coach throughout all of my years. I had an older brother - two years older than I am - that I looked up to throughout my younger days, and even now. He has taught me a lot.” Although he grew up a big Mississippi State fan, watching all the greats that came through here, Dozier decided to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. “I had a lot of offers. I’m actually from right outside of Ol’ Miss and Mississippi State, two great SEC schools that kind of recruited me. I chose well by going to Southern Miss, I believe. It was also a great fit with me, a blue-collar program, and I fell in love with the coaching staff. Dozier was very successful in college. As a freshman, he played in 62 games and hit .368/.442/.488 (.930) with eight doubles, four triples and three home runs. As a sophomore, he played 61 games and hit .339/.402/.456 (.858) with 17 doubles and four home runs. In his junior year of 2008, he played in 64 games and hit .342/.403/.476 (.879) with 17 doubles, two triples and five home runs. Despite the tremendous numbers, he went undrafted and returned for his senior year. Unfortunately, a broken collarbone cost him time during his senior season. It limited him to just 37 games, but he hit .391/.485/.587 (1.072) with 13 doubles, a triple and four home runs. However, it was all worth it. “We had the opportunity to go to Omaha (to play in the College World Series) which was one of the best times of my life my senior years.” In his four seasons, he walked 87 times while striking out just 73 times. He was also hit by a pitch 25 times. The Twins used their eighth round pick in 2009 to draft the shortstop. “I was very blessed to be drafted by the Twins and believe it was a great fit for me.” He signed quickly and reported to Ft. Myers where he spent five games with the GCL Twins. He was then sent to Elizabethton where he hit .353/.417/.431 (848) with 17 doubles in 53 games with the E-Twins. He was able to get off to a fast professional start, and he quickly credits the coaching staff. “Right out of the gate, we have the best managers in our system in Elizabethton, Ray Smith, Reeder (Jeff Reed), and Shelly (Jim Shellenback). Those guys have been around the game so long, and they are just so knowledgeable about everything. I remember going to Elizabethton and Reeder being my hitting coach. I didn’t really have to ask him much. Rather, I just fed off of his stories. The stuff he was telling, it just gave you goosebumps. He talked about playing with Barry Bonds, catching a perfect game, that kind of stuff. And, he taught me a lot. Right away, he found a little hole in my swing, and we got going on fixing it Day 1. Elizabethton had a great influence on me.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was originally posted in the 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. Available in paperback. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He began 2010 with the Beloit Snappers. In 39 games, he hit .278/.347/.338 (.685) with seven doubles and a triple. On May 22, he was promoted to Ft. Myers. He played 93 more games and his .274/.352/.354 (.706) with 11 doubles, on triple, and five home runs. One the season, he walked 60 times with 57 strikeouts. He had 16 stolen bases in 21 attempts. He successfully laid down 12 sacrifice bunts. It was a solid 2010 season for Dozier, his first full season in the Twins system. It came as a surprise to many when the Twins announced that Dozier received an invitation to big league spring training. Dozier said, “I was very much surprised. I got the invite on Christmas Day. We were opening presents and that was the biggest one of them all. Very blessed.” Merry Christmas, indeed! Dozier made a strong impression on the Twins coaching staff, but he also learned a lot from the experience. “For me, the experience to get to know all the guys. I came in the first day, and I was locker mates with Michael Cuddyer, who I’ve been watching for years on TV. He has become a friend of mine now. I learned a lot from him and the other older guys, how they are on and off the field, how they interact with fans. I think that’s the biggest thing. As a young guy, you worry so much about the baseball side, you also have to think about the stuff that comes with it. I had an awesome time and had a lot of fun.” Having ended 2010 in Ft. Myers, he knew that he would not be making the big club. He was sent back to Ft. Myers to start the 2011 season. He played in 49 games with the Miracle. He hit .322/.423/.472 (.895) with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs. Again, he credited his manager, Jake Mauer. “I tell you what. He’s a player’s coach. He’s been there, gone through the system and everything. He really relates to his players very well.” He moved up to New Britain and worked with former Twins hero Tom Brunansky, a member of the Twins 1987 World Series championship team. Dozier said, “He is one of the best when it comes to hitting. He knows how to hit. Actually, when I got moved up, he found a couple of little tweaks in my swing that I never knew I was doing. He showed me on film. I was like, ‘Well, that makes sense!’ Ever since then, since that first week, we worked really hard in the cage, and he found a couple of things, and it took off from there.” Under the tutelage of Brunansky and manager Jeff Smith, Dozier played in 78 games with the Rock Cats and hit .318/.384/.502 (.886) with 22 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. Just days after he was promoted to New Britain, he was hit in the face with a pitch and missed just a week. Mark Dolenc is a Minnesota native who spent the past two seasons in New Britain. He said, “When Dozier came up, he immediately stepped in and took on a leadership role.” Dozier said, “I think from a leadership aspect, everybody kind of looks to the shortstop. They are the captain on the infield. I know Gardy takes a lot of pride in his shortstop being like the quarterback on the field. I’ve taken that to heart a lot. Same thing with my college coach. He was the same way. I’m not a big vocal guy. I never have been. I do try to put myself into the right situations, the right place at the right time, not only on the field but off the field. We see a lot of guys that aren’t playing the game the way it is supposed to be played, but if you play the game the way it is supposed to be played and always give 110%, people will respect that. I try to do that each and every day.” Not only did Dozier put up big numbers for the Rock Cats, but he did so while helping his team push for a spot in the playoffs. The team fell short on the final day, but it was a great experience. “We had a great year with the Rock Cats. Even in Ft. Myers, before I got called up, we were in the race for the first half of the division. I left a week early to go to New Britain and found myself in a great situation. They were in a playoff race the whole time I was there. You can’t ask for anything else when you come down to the wire. It just makes it that much more fun.” So how does he separate winning with personal development in the minor leagues? “Sometimes everybody is worried about stats and you want to move up, but at the same time, stats will come if you work hard and put yourself in the right position for when the time comes. So you have to sit back and let that take care of itself and just play the game of baseball. Sometimes, especially at this level, we get into this mindset that it’s such a business. We try to do too much, but it’s a game. It’s a game we all grew up loving to play. We’ve got a group of good friends that have we’ve made over the years. If we just go out and play that game, which we all love to do, we have a lot of fun, and that’s what we did.” Combined, Dozier hit .320/.399/.491 (.890) with 33 doubles, 12 triples and nine home runs. He scored 92 runs and drove in 56. He stole 24 bases. He was hit by 11 pitches. He successfully laid down 10 sacrifice bunts. He primarily played shortstop (93 games), but he also played 28 games at second base and three games at third base. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be sure to pick up your copy of the 2018 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook now. Available in paperback or e-book. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Late in the season, he found out that he was invited to participate in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. He was excited. It’s a great opportunity to play with and against the best guys in the minor leagues. I’m truly blessed that they picked me for that.” In 26 games for the Mesa Solar Sox, Dozier hit .296/.358/.454 (812) with eight doubles and three home runs. He scored 28 runs and knocked in 22. He was 4-4 in stolen base attempts. He was selected to play in the league’s Rising Stars game, and in his first at-bat, he homered. Did he get out of the AFL what he was hoping to? “Yeah, I really did. The Fall League offers so much. You get to see where you are versus some of the best competition in the game at our level. I got to meet a lot of new guys, guys I’ve played against but never actually got to develop a friendship with. Now I have, and hopefully I can play many years against them down the road. I got to play under a great manager in Joe McEwing. He’s so intelligent with the game. I got to learn a few things from him. Actually, he gave me some insight on being set up for the play. I think that’s the biggest thing I learned from ‘Super Joe.’ I had a great time.” Between 1998 and 2006, Joe McEwing played in 754 games with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, and Houston Astros. He was a very solid utility player. He played more than 45 games in the big leagues at second base (238), left field (161), shortstop (99), third base (92), right field (79), first base (61) and center field (46). McEwing ended his playing career after the 2008 season and has quickly moved up the coaching ranks in the White Sox organization. In 2011, he was the manager of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. After Robin Ventura was named the new manager of the White Sox, McEwing was named his third base coach. McEwing was a great influence for Dozier. “He stressed to me that I’m still a young guy and primarily a shortstop, and the TWins want me to play shortstop, but down the road, you never know, may have to play second base. I may have to in the near future. He saw one little thing with my set up before plays, a tip, and it flew out from there, improved my range. I’m very grateful for that. Anything you can learn from a guy like Joe McEwing is always a positive. He’s a great guy, and I’m lucky that he got to be our manager out there.” 2011 was a great year for Brian Dozier. But he knows that he still has more work to do before he reaches his goal of getting to the big leagues. “I’ve just got to be prepared. I have to get myself into the best shape possible. I’m not taking too much time off from baseball. Swinging that bat. Taking ground balls. All that footwork and stuff to put myself in the best possible position when I go to big league camp in February.” With all the Twins issues and injuries in 2011, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire mentioned Brian Dozier several times as a guy he would like to see up with the Twins. It didn’t happen for various reasons, many of them business-related. But Dozier said, “I’m going to get there. It’s just the fact that you’ve got to wait it out and prepare yourself so when that time does come, you’re fully prepared and ready to go. I felt like I had a pretty good year and put myself in the talk up there (with the Twins management) to actually be called up just two years into the system, which is great. Hopefully I can work hard this offseason and get that opportunity next year.” There is a strong likelihood that Twins fans will see Dozier in the big leagues sometime in 2012. And when he gets there, Twins fans will see a “Baseball Player.” They will see a team-first leader. They will see a guy who is proud of where he is from and appreciative of all those who have helped him get to where he is. He hasn’t played in a big league game yet with the Twins, but Brian Dozier is already a strong representative of what defines a “Minnesota Twin.” Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins are holding their annual “organizational meetings” in Fort Myers this week. As newsworthy baseball stories go, that bit of information ranks quite a bit below the MLB postseason games and their seemingly nightly extra-inning games and walk-off finishes. What exactly are the organizational meetings?Well, in Hollywood’s version of Moneyball, you may remember seeing Brad Pitt as Oakland General Manager Billy Beane gathering a few guys around a table in a room and tossing out names of players they might want to pursue acquiring for the following season. That may have fit screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s needs, but it doesn’t come close to meeting the needs of a real life professional baseball organization. Reports have estimated that as many as 100 members of the Twins staff may participate in the meetings this week. That may seem like a lot of people, but the Twins have a lot of work to do. The Twins hold these meetings every October, but this year’s gathering could be the most critical such gathering in years. Over the coming days, weeks and months, the Twins need to Hire a new manager for the first time in over a decade.Work with said new manager to assemble a seven-person big league level coaching staff.Assign manager and coaching duties to every level of minor league affiliates.Determine which, if any, of their minor league free agents to attempt to retain.Determine at which minor league level to place a significant number of their top young prospects to start 2015.Determine whether to offer arbitration to a few members of their current big league roster.Identify potential MLB level free agents and/or trade targets to pursue once the World Series is completed.Some of the items on that to-do list are not common tasks for this organization, but even for some of those that are on the list every postseason, the stakes this year have risen significantly. First order of business: Identify and hire a new manager When it comes to deciding who should manage the Twins in 2015 and beyond, a seeming significant majority of fans agreed on one thing – it shouldn’t be Ron Gardenhire. OK, that group (which included me) got their wish. Gardenhire will not manage the Twins going forward. There is far less of a consensus concerning who SHOULD manage the Twins and, obviously, that’s a far more important question than simply coming to an agreement on who should not. A fair number of fans seem to feel that anyone the Twins could pick would be better than Gardy. I beg to differ. Say what you will about the man who managed the Twins for the past 13 years, but every year there were MLB managers who were worse at their job than was Ron Gardenhire. Some of those managers were newly hired by their organization. Some were getting their first opportunity to manage at the big league level. Of all of the confirmed candidates, both internal and external to the Twins organization that have been identified by the media, exactly one of them would not be making his MLB managing debut on Opening Day 2015 if he is hired by the Twins. The Twins have had just two managers since Ronald Reagan's second term as the US President wrapped up. That can lead fans to feel a certain level of complacency, as if it’s unlikely or even impossible for the Twins to make a bad hire. But they can and they have. Ray Miller, who preceded Tom Kelly in the job, managed just 239 games for the Twins before being axed. As was the case when Miller was hired back in 1985, the Twins are widely viewed as being on the cusp of a new era of competitiveness, with a number of highly touted young prospects nearing completion of their minor league apprenticeships. Making a bad hire could dangerously impede the club’s re-emergence to relevance in the American League Central Division. I agree with Terry Ryan. It’s not important if the new manager comes from within the organization or from the outside; whether he has prior experience or not; whether he is multi-lingual or struggles just to speak coherent English. What matters is that the choice is the right choice. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know with certainty whether that’s the case immediately, though I think we can pretty much be certain that a significant – and vocal - segment of the fan base will think it is not the right choice, regardless of the final decision. Assembling a big league coaching staff While not as highly visible as their selection of a manager, the final make-up of the Twins MLB coaching staff is arguably as important. The manager has to run the clubhouse and make out the lineup card and deal with the media and be the public face of the team. But it’s his coaching staff that will spend far more time working directly with the next generation of Twins players. When you look at the names of the players likely to wear Twins uniforms for the next several years, it’s not hard to project that as many as one-third of them in any given year will be Latin American. Some of them speak passable English. Many do not. It’s easy to say, “they should be learning English,” and – over time – they will. But even above the obvious need for coaches who can communicate with these players in their own language, it’s as important to have coaches familiar with the culture from which those players have come. I hope the next Twins manager is more open to using advanced metrics in his game-day decisions, or at the very least is far less openly dismissive of the idea than the recent field leader. But let’s be honest, no manager has the time to pour over all the information that’s going to be available to him and determine which is helpful and how to apply it every day. That makes it just as critical to have coaches who have experience doing exactly that and, where they don’t have such experience, they have minds open to learning and applying new things. Finally, Tom Brunansky certainly appears to have done a good job as hitting coach and if the Twins don’t move quickly to retain him, I think they risk losing him to another organization. I would hate to see that happen. Minor league assignments For the past few years, the Twins have pretty much nibbled at the edges when it comes to making adjustments to their staff of minor league managers and coaches. They’ve moved a couple guys around every year, but largely there has been a fair amount of consistency at every level, from non-Fort Meyers complex rookie ball at Elizabethton through AAA in Rochester. That’s normal when you have stability among the big league staff and, given the highly acclaimed status of the Twins minor league organization, you would perhaps like to see such stability continue. But since there are eight spots at the big league level open, it’s hard to imagine we won’t see some of those openings filled from within the current minor league managing/coaching ranks. Ray Smith has been managing at rookie level Elizabethton for 13 consecutive years (21 years overall) and is likely to continue there, but it would not be hard to imagine Gene Glynn (AAA), Jeff Smith (AA), Doug Mientkiewicz (High-A) or Jake Mauer (A) in the Twins dugout next season. Two of them, Glynn and Mientkiewicz, have interviewed for the manager vacancy, an indication of how highly the Twins think of both men, while Smith and Mauer have each been managing in the Twins organization for longer than Glynn and Mientkiewicz, respectively. If the Twins hire a manager from outside the organization, that manager is likely to bring in a few additional outsiders with him. If the Twins hire from within, one might hope that they similarly insist that the new manager include some outside blood among his staff. But in any event, given the Twins’ history of rewarding loyalty, it is almost impossible to imagine a Twins big league coaching staff without the presence of some number of coaches from within. That may well include one or more current minor league manager or coach, especially considering that they all will be familiar faces and voices to most of the Twins prospects due to arrive in the big leagues over the next couple years. By and large, most of the field managers and coaches in the minor league organization look to advance up the organizational ladder, just like the players do. When there are wholesale coaching changes at the big league level, it would be at least mildly surprising if there were not similar adjustments to the minor league assignments. Just as is the case with players, some of the staff may move up, some may look at the new landscape and decide their paths to the big leagues might be more open in another organization and, unfortunately, some will not be retained by the Twins, as minor league hitting coordinator Bill Springman and Fort Myers pitching coach Gary Lucas have already found out. Some fans have become so disgruntled with the Twins' lack of success at the big league level that they will be satisfied with nothing less than a clean sweep of every manager and coach in the Twins' system. That's not going to happen, nor should it. The Twins may indeed have become too insular and every organization benefits from adding quality people from the outside. Organizations also benefit from identifying and promoting quality people from within. The Twins are in a unique situation this offseason in that they have room in the organization to do both. Click here to view the article